Issue 672

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ISSUE 672 2 OCT 2017 exepose.com @Exepose

THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1987

Welcome Team Worries

Casual staff, team leaders and members have complained that the Guild provided insufficient structural support and training Understaffing, thought to be a direct result of this lack of support, increased pressure on remaining team members Emma Bessent Editor

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EMBERS of the University of Exeter Students’ Guild Welcome Team have expressed concerns with regard to changes made to the initiative’s organisation both prior to and during Freshers’ Week 2017.

Welcome Team participants, known for their bright pink presence throughout Exeter from Arrivals Weekend until the Freshers’ Fair, disclosed a dual concern to Exeposé about last-minute recruitment of paid staff to oversee

the scheme and increased pressure to commit more time to voluntary roles.

The Students’ Guild’s recruitment page for Welcome Team notes that “The Welcome Team role is purely voluntary and is therefore unpaid.” A worker’s experience review conducted by the Guild in the wake of Freshers’ 2016 indicated that Welcome Team staff wished to see the initiative driven in a more student-led direction. As a result of this feedback, temporary paid roles were created for students, whose core duties were liaising with permanent Guild staff and overseeing the running of the initiative.

However, Welcome Team members who also participated in last year’s project have voiced the feeling that the

Guild did not act upon the majority of the recommendations which they submitted in response to the survey, and that consultation with Welcome Team volunteers to inform the creation of the new roles was insufficient.

Voluntary members of 2017’s Welcome Team were told about the introduction of the new tier of staffing in training sessions held in May and June 2016. However, Welcome Team volunteers have explained to Exeposé that the idea was presented in formative terms, with no announcement of recruitment numbers or an explanation of how their role would differ significantly enough from voluntary positions to warrant being paid.

All applicants for these temporary

staff positions were invited to an induction on 14 September. When they arrived at the appointment, candidates were given the work without the formal interview which they were anticipating.

No further training was given to these paid team members, as Arrivals Weekend began the following day on 15 September. No Welcome Team training - except for Team Leader and Triage specific sessions - needed to be completed in person as it could be done online. Team Leaders have expressed the opinion that Guild training for all roles was “inadequate” and did not properly prepare participants to deal with various situations which likely would, and did, occur during Freshers’ Week. They felt that this presented an unnecessary

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ARTS + LIT

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Image: Flickr

Image: Wikicommons

The Freshers’ debate that sparked controversy PAGE 8

breach of welfare concerns for both team members and freshers.

Welcome Team volunteers have said that the last-minute instalment of this extra tier of staffing caused a degree of disorder on the first day of Arrivals Weekend, with casual staff left to provide structure for the project in lieu of formal provisions from the Guild.

On 15 September, a meeting between casual staff was arranged for 3pm followed by a further meeting with Team Leaders at 3.30pm, with the aim of clarifying the 2017’s team vision and expectations. No minutes exist of this meeting, as it was not an official Guild event placed on the Welcome Team’s calendar.

National Poetry Day special

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News Editors Print: Megan Davies & Natalie Keffler Online: Nicky Avasthi & Ruby Bosanquet news@exepose.com Comment Editors Print: Alicia Rees & Malcolm Wong Online: Harry Bunting & Hannah Weiss comment@exepose.com Features Editors Print: James Angove & Isabel Taylor Online: Matthew Phillips & Daphne Bugler features@exepose.com

Arts + Lit Editors Print: Mubanga Mweemba & Maddie Davies Online: Ellie Cook & Emily Garbutt artsandlit@exepose.com Music Editors Print: Alex Brammer & Maddy Parker Online: Chloë Edwards & George Stamp music@exepose.com Screen Editors Print: Ben Faulkner & Fenton Christmas Online: Johnny Chern & Molly Gilroy screen@exepose.com Science Editors Print: Leah Crabtree & Luke Smith Online: Ayesha Tandon & Rhys Davies sciandtech@exepose.com Sport Editors Print: Dorothea Christmann & Wil Jones Online: Michael Jones & Kieran Jackson sport@exepose.com Photographers Christy Chin & Léa Esteban photography@exepose.com Copy Editors George Pope, Jaysim Hanspal, Eloise Hardy and Hannah Kitt Proofers Jaysim Hanspal, George Pope, Rhys Davies, Grant Miner, Aaron Loose, Connor Gormley, Jac Lewis, Daddy, Jack Watts, Emily Garbutt, Isabel Taylor, Daphne Bugler, Matthew Phillips, James 'Ben 10' Angove, Mubanga Mweemba, Harry Bunting, Greyham Moore, Fenton Xmas and Leah Crabtree.

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Vice-Chancellor's salary under scrutiny

Not so fresh after all

Freshers’ Week 2017 is over, and the winter term is well underway. With over 350 of you already signed up to Exeposé, 17/18 is promising to be a fantastic year for us.

As you might have heard, 2017 is our 30th year of continuous publication, and we’re so excited to share the events, socials and special content that we’re working on to celebrate this milestone with our new readership.

The first couple of weeks of term can be tough. Many of us (and not just you, freshers!) are still recovering from the full on and exhausting programme of events that took place in Freshers’ Week. Freshers’ can be an exhilirating and fullfilling time, but it often leaves you feeling a little deflated when term proper begins. On page 7 of Comment, our deputy editor Tash Ebbutt offers her final year wisdom on how to overcome the low moods and stresses that can sometimes accompany us we settle back in to our term time lives.

Lifestyle is also looking for ways to improve these formative weeks of the year, with advice on making friends at university on page 14 and a guide to curbing feelings of homesickness on page 16. If that’s not enough to warm your heart, then there’s a guide to the breakfasts in Exeter mostly likely to put a smile on your face, also on page 16.

Music are still feeling nostalgic as they review their Freshers’ Week gig, the Exeposé Music Showcase at The Cavern, on page 22.

On page 31, Sport are also looking back at Freshers’ as they consider how successful various sport and fitness taster sessions were in persuading new recruits to sign up. They’re also interested in the year to come, as you can see from our back page; there’s a series of

predictions and previews looking at the bestknown BUCS teams scattered across pages 30 and 32.

Just as we’re all doing our absolute best to not check our online banking statements, News are turning an eye to finances as they look at the financial repercussions of studying at university and explore the new measures which are being employed to monitor Vice Chancellor salaries across the UK. (both on page 3).

Arts + Lit is celebrating poetry in honour of the just-passed World Poetry Day on all three of their pages (17-19); Screen is looking at how horror films are developing, with an especially close look at the latest example of the genre; Muschietti’s remake of “It” (pages 23 and 24); Science has created a eulogy reminiscing over the exploits of the now-deceased Cassini probe; and Features are bringing satire back with a witty account of the symbol of economic crisis that we know as the Freddo (page 12).

If all of this content is enough to get your own hands itching to write, it’s never too late to join us for just £10 via the Students’ Guild website. If you’re feeling super creative, go the whole hog and purchase a joint Xmedia membership for £30, giving you access to our society as well as our brilliant sister organisations, XpressionFM and XTV. We hope you love this issue of Exeposé, and we really hope you love the year ahead.

Whether it’s your first, second, third, fourth – however long you’ve been at Exeter, your student newspaper team is really looking forward to hearing and writing about all the incredible things you achieve as part of this community over the coming months.

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Image: University of Exeter

COMMENT White t-shirt socials: should they stay banned?

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FEATURES Analysis of crisis in Yemen PAGE 10 Image: Wikicommons Image:Wikicomons

Lifestyle Editors Print: Lauren Geall & Barbara Balogun Online: Bethan Gilson & Melissa Barker lifestyle@exepose.com

Editorial

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Editors Print: Emma Bessent & Owain Evans Deputy: Tash Ebbutt & Graham Moore Online: Phoebe Davis & Ollie Lund editors@exepose.com

NEWS

SCIENCE The history of the Cassini probe PAGE 28

CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE!

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

From debates about the appropria te way to respond to neo-facism to interviews with indie pop sensat ions, you can find it all at www.exepose.com

Worldwide university news Resisting Turkey's war on academics

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INCE the attempted coup in Turkey in July 2016, an astounding total of 5,717 academics across 117 universities have been sacked from their jobs, with 15 Universities being shut down altogether. Those left with their jobs have been deeply affected by the increasing oppression in the country, with their freedom of speech coming under attack. Consequently, Turkey has faced an ‘academicide’; former academics committing suicide, financial hardship for academics who can’t find work elsewhere, and families split apart due to the travel ban imposed on discharged academic personnel. However, resistance still exists, often carried out in public spaces, whilst lecturers are delivering their talks in atypical ways.

Images: Wikimedia Commons (left), Wikimedia Commons (right)

University sustainable development goals

Toilet bowl lookalike building

T has now been two years since world leaders adopted the Sustainable Development Goals at the United Nations summit, including one on education, aiming to solve the world’s biggest problems with these goals by 2030. Since this, there has been lots of discussion as to how universities can contribute to SDGs. Due to universities constantly doing new research and educating young people, many agree they can go a long way towards achieving many of these SDGs. Through the universities aligning their research with the SDGs objectives, they are also given the opportunity to demonstrate how their work is relevant to modern day events and problems. Universities are becoming increasingly aligned with the SDGs, with Kenya in particular hanging its education structures.

CHINESE university provoked hilarity within its student body because its new building looks like a toilet. The North China University of Water Conservancy’s new building is formed by a rotunda - the ‘toilet bowl’ - and a rectangular building rising behind it. On Weibo, students joked that “it really does look like a toilet. The glorious name of our university will travel around the world”. According to Henan Daily, the building cost 86 million Yuan (about 9.7 million pounds), and the design was not intentional, despite the subject nature of the University meaning this would be rather appropriate.

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Refugees trained as teachers start working

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HE first twelve graduates of a teacher training programme for refugees are starting their new jobs in Brandenburg this week. The University of Potsdam saw 28 people graduate from the programme, which included achieving a C1 level of German - only one grade below a native speaker. The Märkische Allgemeine interviewed a teacher who achieved this in a year, and one teacher who had only fled to Germany two years ago.

After the Potsdamer programme’s success - with 700 applicants - the universities of Göttingen and Bielefeld have started similar programmes.

Stories by Natalie Keffler and Megan Davies, News Editors

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NEWS EDITORS: Natalie Keffler Megan Davies

Welcome Team participants unhappy with Guild support

CONTINUED FROM FRONT Welcome Team is an initiative run by the Students’ Guild, whose website states that the student group “moves students into their halls of residences, answers questions, provides information and makes sure students are safe both on and off campus”. The role is temporary, ending with Freshers’ Week (this year on Saturday 23 September), and is intended to provide flexibility; as the Guild’s recruitment page states, “We welcome applications from those who are involved in all different areas of student life - you set the shifts you can do.”

Some of this year’s Welcome Team participants felt under pressure to commit to more shifts However, some of this year’s Welcome Team participants felt under pressure to commit to more shifts and in different timeframes to those they had signed up for. In a Team Leaders’ meeting held at 5pm on 16 September – the Saturday of Arrivals Weekend - a decision was made to switch

from scheduled time slots to an AM/ PM system, which saw Welcome Team members put on a rota with less flexible time options. However, shifts still had set start and finish times. Minutes taken from the meeting in which this decision was announced read, “Shift system promotes an ‘I’m not doing 1 minute over 4pm’ mentality and then stranding students and team leaders without help. This is causing problems with whole teams leaving.” The new rota was published in the evening of Saturday 16 September, coming into effect at 8.30am the next morning.

Welcome Team participants have expressed to Exeposé that the ethics and practicalities of this alteration deterred them from participating as much in Welcome Team work as they intended to. The Guild’s Volunteers Charter states that all volunteers working on Guild schemes have the right to “not to be exploited - volunteers should not: have unfair demands placed on their time”.

Team Leaders have reported to Exeposé that the decision to switch to an AM/PM shift system was made unanimously at the meeting on 16 September. It was resolved upon as a

compromise between accommodating volunteers’ wishes to work at specific times and staffing shortages which Team Leaders have linked to what they feel was insufficient support from relevant Guild staff. A member of casual staff has told Exeposé that “unfortunately this year due to organisational deficiencies from pre-existing staff, the organisation of Welcome Team was very last minute and sometimes request would be made for people to volunteer to do more. These requests were always made prioritising the welfare of team, and stressing they were volunteers who did not have to do such things. People were even stopped from doing shifts when it was thought it would be bad

People were stopped from doing shifts when it was thought it would be bad for their welfare Welcome Team casual staff for their welfare.”

Welcome Team volunteers and team leaders have expressed that they felt insufficiently informed by the Guild to go ahead with the role, and one of last year’s volunteers decided not to participate at all this year because of

how the initiative was organised. Another member of the casual staff team gave the following statement to Exeposé: “There was poor communication with those on Welcome Team before Freshers’ Week. The casual studentstaff and team leaders ran the show and made it a success at the last minute, but there were some small issues along the way which we inherited from the bad organisation. We didn’t ask any more of volunteers than what was reasonable, and we made Arrivals Weekend and Freshers’ Week a success with very little support from the guild staff in charge of running welcome team.”

A second Team Leader agreed, stating that “unnecessary pressure was placed on casual staff and team leaders as a result of the Guild’s poor organisation.”

A Student’s Guild Spokesperson said: “We evaluate all of the feedback received from volunteers, students and staff with the aim of always improving the volunteer and leadership opportunities the Students’ Guild provides to students. Whilst we value all feedback received it isn’t always possible to act on every point for a variety of reasons.

We will be evaluating everyone’s experiences of this year’s team to learn from it and further improve the experience.”

Sing: Ultimate A Capella Natalie Keffler News Editor

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new a capella show on Sky 1 is starting soon, in which 30 of the UK’s a capella groups compete in a singing showdown hosted by Cat Deeley. Illuminations and Semi-Toned, both student groups from the University of Exeter, took part in this programme, which went to air on Friday 6 October.

Semi-Toned said it was “a fantastic experience, but incredibly hard work! We’re really proud that we got selected, and we loved performing in the Troxy in front of such an amazing crowd, and got to sing some amazing songs too.”

Illuminations were equally as delighted, saying, “it was such an honour to be able to perform on as wonderful a platform as Sky and being given a chance to show how far we've come over the past few years.

Being able to perform as part of our second family is even better!” You can watch Semi-Toned in the first episode, and Illuminations in episode six.

Study examines cost of student debt Vice - Chancellors’ salary monitored ‘Lend’ charity out in Exeter Bea Fones Contributer

before.

Some of the key findings of the NLINE discount site My- study included that those entering a caVoucherCodes has conduct- reer in Mechanical Engineering will, on ed a study to investigate how average, pay off their debts in 29 years and four months, whilst paying much of their student debt graduates £27,930 in interest. Conwill have to pay back, afversely, journalists ter interest and taking and publishers into account both will have their average starting debt autosalaries and matically rates of pay written rise. off after A c 30 years, cording to having UCAS, a repaid only cord number 43% of the of students final figure. were accepted M y into higher eduVoucherCodes cation in 2015. have also released a Combined with an Image: Pexels series of money-saving increase in tuition fees from a maximum of £3375 to £9250 guidelines for students affected by the between 2012 and 2017, the scrapping increases in debt, including tips for seekof maintenance grants means that may ing out scholarships and bursaries to students require larger loans to cover support funding, searching for part time their living costs, leaving them with jobs, and choosing the best student bank more post-graduation debt than ever account possible.

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Deepa Lalwani News Team

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NCREASINGLY high salaries for university vice-chancellors will be curbed as set out by new measures from Jo Johnson, the universities minister.

The Office for Students will now regulate institutions paying more than £150,000 a year to their vice-chancellors – including here at the University of Exeter, where Sir Steve Smith currently receives a £426,000 package, according to the BBC. As a response, many universities argue that the high demands and responsibilities of their vice-chancellors justify their large salaries, but Jo Johnson has called for restraint over VC pay.

In a speech to Universities UK, he addressed some of the concern of value for money given the increase in higher education fees.

Johnson concluded that “[w]e need demonstrable action now to protect value for mon-

ey for students and taxpayers in the future, to ensure that vice chancellor pay levels are fair and justified, and that governance arrangements around remuneration are up to date.”

A former chairman of Universities UK, Steve Smith has been Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Exeter since 2002.

A spokesperson from the university released a statement that insisted that the university’s Remuneration Committee uses a “rigorous, performancebased process to review senior salaries” and that in the past nine years Sir Smith’s salary has increased, on average, under 2% annually.

Despite this, anger over high salaries for VCs, particularly in Russell Group universities, remains. Sally Hunt, secretary for the University and College Union, stated that many vice-chancellors sit on their own remuneration committees and that “threequarters of universities refuse to publish full minutes” of these meetings.

Natalie Keffler News Editor

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HE charity Leave No Buddy Behind, also known as ‘Lend’, have been raising awareness about the importance of walking back in groups after nights out over Freshers’ Week. They have been promoting safety in numbers, particularly after drinking. The charity did this through stopping students and breathalysing them on nights out, whilst also noting down how many others they were walking home with.

A student said of the service: “it was very friendly, they explained what the information they were taking would be used for and provided us with several useful numbers to contact in an

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Before you go out, make sure you’ve saved these numbers: Estate Patrol: 01392 723999 Exeter Nightline: 01392 724000 Police Emergency: 999 Apple Taxis: 01392 666666

2 OCT 2017 | EXEPOSÉ

NEWS

Perranporth coastline reveals its secrets

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OR the first time, experts are studying the iconic cliffs of Perranporth, exploring the relatively unknown history behind the man-made caves.

A team of archaeologists, historians and geologists, including the University of Exeter’s Dr Gillian Juleff, are looking to discover more about the mines which sit within the cliffs of Perranporth beach.

However, due to the increased severity of winter storms, the landscape is under threat of erosion. Launched with a special Heritage on the Beach day, the survey hopes to provide people with a lasting reminder of Perranporth’s mining history before it disappears.

With the help of a team of scientists and organisations, as well as students from both the Exeter and Penryn campuses, the study hopes to make a lasting impact.

As Dr. Juleff explains, “What we want to do is to find ways to tell people about the mining heritage on this coastline. This could mean new walking trails, exhibitions, displays and information online.”

Lauren Geall, Lifestyle Editor

Exeter campus bleeds green Natalie Keffler News Editor

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XETER University has “more trees than students”, a popular phrase stated by many freshers upon arrival, turns out to appear more truthful than you may initially believe, with a recent study showing that all these trees remove pollution equivalent to the emissions produced from 798 family cars.

These trees also bring important environmental benefits to Exeter, keeping the city cleaner and greener 5,000 trees were surveyed, with the results demonstrating they capture 36 tonnes of carbon every year, and remove two tonnes of pollutants from the air.

Consequently, these trees amount to £20,422 of environmental benefits every year; figures calculated using a software which is able to estimate the environmental benefits of trees, based on their sizes.

PhD student to study rugby Nicky Avasthi Online News Editor

Image: geograph.org.uk

Codplex personalities

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NIVERSITY of Exeter researchers have found that fish can have complex personalities. A study published in Functional Ecology, in which researchers tested the risk aversion of Trinidadian guppies, found that reactions to danger were far more varied than predicted. Dr. Tom Houslay of the Centre for Ecology and Conservation stated, “when placed into an unfamiliar environment, we found guppies have various strategies for coping with this stressful situation”.

Houslay went on to say how these coping mechanisms varied: some trying to escape, some attempting to hide, and the more adventurous beginning to explore— albeit “cautiously”.

The more complex personalities were confirmed when the Penryn-based researchers observed how relative differences between the guppies’ responses remained intact when they were placed into different situations of varying stress-level.

According to Dr. Houslay, the aim of research like this is to deepen our understanding of how “behavioural strategies” persist as evolution occurs.

Edd Church, News Team

It is not just in lowering pollution levels that trees help, they also support animals’ habitats. Impressively, the University of Exeter’s oldest trees originate from 200 years ago, having been planted when Reed Hall was first built.

In parallel to this, the University of Exeter has secured Green Flag Awards for the Streatham, St. Luke’s, and Penryn campuses, and they are now all part of the public vote to find the top 10 green spaces in the U.K. Iain Park, Director of Grounds, said: “Picking our favourite trees and plants is a bit like picking your favourite child. I like the Snakebark Maples and the Sweetgums, which both look wonderful in Autumn. The Ash tree outside the Geoffrey Pope building and the Acer outside the Forum also have spectacular colours.

“But as well as looking attractive these trees also bring very important environmental benefits to Exeter, playing their part in keeping the city cleaner and greener. We know how crucial they are and take our role as custodians very seriously.”

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HE University of Exeter has recently announced that they will be funding a new rugby PhD in conjunction with Exeter’s local rugby club, the Exeter Chiefs.

The PhD will focus on investigating the factors that put the Exeter Chiefs academy players at risk of injury. The research that PhD students will be carrying out will be used to improve the training methods used by the Exeter Chiefs to minimise the chances of injury to their players as well as to make other potential improvements.

Not only will the scheme focus on preventing injuries in young players, it will also continue existing work that

the university has been doing with the Exeter Chiefs.

This includes investigating methods to prevent injuries, in addition to monitoring existing injuries and keeping thorough records of injuries to Exeter Chiefs academy players in order to effectively assess injury risk.

Through gathering this information, the university and Exeter Chiefs will be able to make recommendations on subjects such as footwear for specific playing surfaces with the aim of preventing further injuries.

Applications for the PhD will be open until 29th September and the successful candidate will begin their research in October or as soon after that as possible, based on the St Luke’s campus.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

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Teaching assistants to receive UCU scholarships Owain Evans Editor

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HE University and College Union is set to offer free membership to all postgraduate teaching assistants.

The move will extend all benefits that come with membership of the union to the over 50,000 PhD students who are involved in teaching across the UK. This includes those here in Exeter, who lead many seminars across each College.

Free UCU membership will benefit employees with pay which doesn’t fully cover teaching

Sally Hunt, the General Secretary of UCU, said: “we know that an exploitative employment model is creeping upwards and the vicious circle of low-security employment and low union membership will continue to undermine the lives of all staff unless unions act to break the cycle.”

“Free UCU membership will benefit employees with poor working conditions, insecure contracts and pay which doesn’t fully cover teaching, let alone marking.

“We can’t ignore the problem for any longer. Pushing for better conditions from the bottom benefits everyone in educations and the future of the academic profession as a whole.”

The initiative will launch for all eligible postgraduates in October.

Image: Pexels

Image: Wikimedia Commons

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2 OCT 2017 | EXEPOSÉ

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Comment

THE SABB Becca Hanley VP Activities

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O Freshers’ Week has passed in a flurry of fliers and taster sessions. A week that’s taken months to plan with the collective input of hundreds of students and staff alike, throw in some sleepless nights with a Sabb team mainly running on coffee and you have yourself a success. I might be biased, but this year was our best one yet, with over 900 events across the week from our 230 strong collection of societies. Don’t forget that whilst Forum Hill may look comparatively empty this week, you can still get involved and join societies at any point in the year, and we now have a society hardship fund if you need some financial assistance.

Some huge congratulations also go out to our Welcome Team volunteers who’ve put in over 100 hours of volunteering over the week. Our heroes in pink who’ve been busy with all sorts, from helping first years move in on arrivals weekend to making sure that anyone having too much fun in the evening gets home in one piece.

However, there’s no post-freshers rest for the wicked as first term student elections are on the horizon. If you feel you’d be a good Course Rep, Subject Chair, College Officer or even want to represent Exeter on the national stage at NUS, now is your moment. This week and next we have our Guild Roadshow travelling all over our campuses, from Amory to St Luke’s - come say hi and find out more about how to get involved.

We’ve been hard at work at Sabb HQ recently, preparing for the term ahead.

Shades (President) has relaunched Guild Points and they’re now collectable and redeemable at our outlets, earning you a sweet 4 points for every £1 you spend.

Kat (VP Welfare) is busy planning #NeverOk and accommodation campaigns, so keep your eyes peeled for more information soon. Bryony (VP Education) has been in what seems like every single education meeting the University has, representing your views to the highest level, alongside her manifesto work. I’ve been working with Event Exeter, who now offer competitive society prices for your end of term dinners and balls, brought back the Big Society Hello and I’ve been talking to the university’s alumni team to foster society relationships with students from yesteryear.

Most importantly though, we’re here for you. We have an open door policy in our little glass box, so please drop by DH1 and talk to us about anything and everything. See you soon!

COMMENT EDITORS: Alicia Rees Malcolm Wong

White t-shirt socials: the comeback?

Harry Bunting Online Comment Editor

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N E o f my f i rst memo ri es o f Fresh ers Week wa s fi n di n g o ut ab o ut th e i n fa m o u s whi te t-sh i r t so ci a l , wh i ch i n j ected much mo re fa s ci s m i n to my f l edg l i n g un derg ra d u a te l i fe th a n I exp e cted. I f yo u a ren’t awa re o f th e sto r y, l a s t yea r th e S n owsp o r ts S o ci ety o rg a n i s ed a n i g h t o ut b i l l ed a s “th e rowd i es t b ar crawl i n E xeter,” a l a b el wh i ch ap p aren tl y a ttra cted a ti rade o f ski l ov i n g cl o s et-N azi s. Att en dees wro te i n f l a m m a tor y p h rases o n ea ch o th er’s wh i te t-sh i r ts, such a s “d o n’t s p ea k to me i f yo u’re n o t wh i te” a n d “ th e H o l o caust wa s a g o o d ti m e” b ei n g f l aun ted a ro u n d E xeter, wh i ch i s h i l ari o u s i f yo u ’re th e ki n d o f p erso n wh o s e s en s e o f humo ur i s si mi l a r to th e eth n i c-cl ean si n g i deo l -

o g y o f a 1940s war cri mi n al .

Un sur p ri si n g l y, wh en wo rd o f th e so ci al g o t o ut, th ere was much b ackl ash , l eadi n g to th e Ath l eti cs Un i o n b an n i n g f uture wh i t e t-sh i r t so ci al s. S o me are cal l i n g f o r t h e retur n o f th ese so ci al s, b ecause ap p aren tl y th e f reedo m to wear a p l ai n t-sh i r t o n a n i g h t o ut i s o f a h i g h er p ri o ri ty th an n o t al l owi n g H o l o caust j o kes.

Some are calling for the return of these socials As yo u may h ave g uessed, I th i n k th e b an o n th ese so ci al s sh o ul d remai n i n f o rce. I can’t say I ag ree wi th th o se wh o b el i eve th e co o l -down p eri o d o n p ub l i c an ti -S emi ti sm i s p reci sel y o n e year, an d af ter th at we sh o ul d b e to tal l y ch i l l wi th p rovi di n g p l atf o r ms f o r p eo -

p l e to do it all over ag ain. A nti -S em itism is clear ly an issue at th e univer sity anyway, with swasti kas being scr atched into do o rs in Bir ks accom m odation l ast year.

No t only is having a platfor m f o r racism inher ently a ter r ible an d i mm or al idea, but the issue i s p ar ticular ly per tinent with th e i n cr easing pr esence of neoNazi s in our politics and m edi a. I f white t-shir t socials wer e un b an ned under such co n trover sial circumstances, ther e wo ul d undoubtedl y b e som e Banter L ads im m ediately unsheathing th ei r shar pies, ready to wr ite the m ost o f f en sive things they can p ossibly think of, wh i l st r em aining pr otected fr om any opp ressi on whatsoever

by the shield of white pr ivileg e.

The need for white t-shirt socials is non-existent T he need for white t-shir t socials is non-ex istent. If them being hotbeds for hate speech wasn’t enough for you, they’r e incr edibly bor ing. Exeter ’s pubs will not m iss six ty dr unk students stum bling in spor ting cr udely dr awn penises, sex ual innuendos, and hate speech.

Br inging them back would send a m essag e to incom ing students that the univer sity offer s a space for r acial der ision and g enocide jokes.

Mind your language Alicia Rees Print Comment Editor

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NIVERSITY is a diverse, multi-cultural hub and can offer so many opportunities to experience new languages, customs and, cultures. However, in those first few weeks, this can be slightly over whelming at times whether you’re an international student or from just across the border (be it physical or the north/ south divide).

When you’re feeling like hopping on the next plane, train, or automobile out of here, my best piece of advice is to seek out the society that represents where you’re from or similar. When my nervy fresher self was feeling unbearably homesick, I grabbed various items of red cloth-

ing, a flag, and headed off to John Gandy’s to meet my Welsh brethren.

Truth be told, it was possibly the best decision I made all freshers week.

Simply hearing someone say ‘ears’ the same way as me (like yurs) and greeting me with ‘alright butt how’s it going alright?’ settled my nerves instantly. Or that might have been the free tequila. Either way, it gave me a year of regular socials which culminated with a weekend in Edinburgh which coincidentally was the weekend of the Wales vs Scotland six nations match (Wales lost. There were tears).

Perhaps the best thing was that eons old idea that everyone in Wales knows each other came true; I bumped into people I met maybe once in year 9 and discovered they lived in the same county borough as me. I’d gone from

feeling like an ogre in a sea of southerners to having some sense of belonging to the Exeter community.

For those students, whose first language isn’t English or speak their regional dialects, I can imagine this effect is amplified tenfold. To talk to people who understand what your home is like, can empathise with you, really is invaluable.

Of course, there’s a risk that these societies can cause some kind of division, that these groups can prevent integration but I think it’s honestly just how you use them. For me, Welsh Soc is a little pocket outside of my flat just for me, something that is my own and a key part of my identity as an Exeter student and a South Walian.

My principal friendship group are from my course and my house, rooted firmly in the midlands, but it’s always nice to have ‘oh Port Talbot girl’ shouted at you from across the Unit 1 smoking area.

On the flip side, for some people, homesickness can be made worse.

Perhaps too many reminders of home can prevent you from settling in fully or leave a lingering feeling of insecurity. The most important thing to remember is that you’re not alone.

Even a Devon local will get a little bit homesick from time to time, it’s natural. It will pass, after a week or so, it’ll feel as though you’ve been in Exe your whole life, eventually you might even call it home.

Those first few weeks... can be slightly overwhleming You never lose that sense of belonging to your home town and a weekend back here and there are like little gems scattered throughout the year. However, these societies give you the best of both worlds. Your friendship group can become international, but you’ve still got pals to belt out your national anthem with after a few pints.

COMMENT

7

Unit fun?

Nancy Laws Contributor

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T’S time for a little bit of much needed honesty here, okay? No one comes to Exeter for the nightlife. At no point in human history have the bright lights of Unit 1/TP/ Rosie’s/Lemmy featured in anyone’s decision to go study here. Having said that, I’ve always thought there’s something disarmingly weird about people who decide to come to Exeter out of 50 million other university towns, and then moan about the nightlife. You signed up for this, guys. Phew. Okay, great. Glad we had that chat.

In all seriousness though, it’s something of an understatement to say that Exeter’s nightlife does, rather deservedly, have a wee bit of a reputation for just being a bit… rubbish. But that’s okay! If you want warehouse raves (and really, does anyone wake up

in the morning with the burning urge to dance around an industrial estate?), you go to Manchester. If you want ducks, you go to York. And if you want the kind of tameness that verges on just the right side of ‘uneventful’ before entering fully blown ‘boring’ territory, you come to Exeter.

No one comes to Exeter for the nightlife If anything, I’d argue that the predictability of Exeter’s nightlife is something reassuringly constant in what can be a fairly chaotic lifestyle at university. You might not know where your seminar is this week, but one thing we can all agree is that Top Top’s lights WILL come on at 2am sharp.

Yes, we can all pretend we loathe the early-start early-finish hours but honestly who doesn’t like the satisfaction

of being in bed by 3am, cheesy chips in hand, make up scrubbed off with a nice Louis Theroux documentary on?

Belonging to that rare intersection of both Exeter local and Exeter Uni student, there is a strong probability that I may be a bit biased here. So I asked my housemates their opinions regarding the scene (or lack thereof) here in Exeter. The London-dwellers were quick to point out how they were expecting drinks to be much cheaper than they are – a fair point. The early finishes kept cropping up, as expected.

I guess I can kind of see where they’re coming from. If Fabric was your local haunt whilst growing up, Cheesy Tuesdays may not be quite your scene.

Even an Isle of Wight resident described Exeter’s nightlife, in a devastating takedown, as both underwhelming and “pedestrian”. Vicious.

I guess there is some room for improvement. But beyond petitioning Exeter City Council to extend open-

ing hours, I’m not really sure there’s much to be done about the situation.

We could all stage a mass protest by just not going out for, like, a bit? I don’t know. It’s important to remember we’re in South Devon, not South

Those post-Freshers’ blues Tash Ebbutt Deputy Print Editor

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RESHERS’ Week; the beginning of a new independent life away from home, or merely the start of yet another academic year. It is exciting, exhausting and jam packed full of super fun things. But what happens when you finally come to a stop; as it starts to dawn on you that you are now a financially deprived student with a workload and the responsibility to wash your own clothes. I can only offer a few points on what to consider when tackling those post freshers blues.

Firstly, starting off with the more mundane method of avoiding the so called blues: creating a budget. It isn’t the most enjoyable of tasks, but in the long run it will ensure that you stay a happy munchkin throughout the term. By knowing exactly how much money you have, you can be aware of how much you need for the basics such as rent, food and washing powder - and, perhaps more importantly, you will know how much you have to spend on socials, exploring Exeter and its beautiful surroundings, and trying that trendy new café down the road. For those of you living independently for the first time, it will help in remembering what chores

you have to do and how much they will cost. University is an absolutely wonderful experience and part of that is learning how to handle your finances so that you don’t end up three weeks into term with breakfast, lunch and dinner being bread and ketchup.

Next up, organisation. Using your preferred methods: lists, sticky notes or even a trendy planner perhaps, plan your

week and what you must do. It will help you to feel less overwhelmed, as you will be aware of exactly what needs to be done. After the excitement of Freshers, you have to remember why you’re here - a precious piece of paper otherwise known as your degree. If you make sure to keep time for work and for play, you will keep your stress levels to a minimum.

Also ensure you have time for yourself as well as others – there’s nothing better for your headspace then doing something

you find relaxing. Whether that be taking a walk, listening to music or watching a film, make sure you take time out to avoid a complete meltdown.

Now of course, all the amazing societies on campus are no longer running events left, right and centre. But, you will have chosen your favourites and they will be running socials throughout the term. This is a particularly fun way of beating the post-Freshers’ blues. Go out and meet new people in all the different societies. Get involved with all the fun things that they will indubitably organise.

From bowling to clubbing, to movie nights to scavenger huntssomething will attract your attention!

But, never feel pressured to attend every single social. You are more likely to burn out and looking after yourself and your wellbeing is always priority number one. And don’t feel like going out is the only way to have fun - beat the calm after the Freshers storm.

If you’re getting along marvellously with your flatmates then maybe stay in and watch a film, meet up with course friends for a coffee or maybe just go for a stroll on the beach. Just remember to keep yourself balanced and relaxed.

Basically, just enjoy your time here. Freshers is only one week out of the next year that you have to make memories, have fun and gain that all important degree!

London. Exeter never claimed to be anything more than it is – and if a few warm VKs in an equally warm club aren’t your thing, please just let the rest of us enjoy them.

Spuddy love Alicia Rees Comment Editor

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HERE’S nothing better than receiving an unexpected delivery, especially when it turns out to be a message from a loved one. A new business venture is now allowing people to have a message inscribed on a humble potato and send it to a friend or relative.

Forget the rise of the technological age, the postmen are back and loaded with carbohydrates. It’s an ecologically vegan paradise. However, a message written on a potato raises many issues. Can any variety of potato be used? Is it a baked potato? What happens if it sprouts? So many questions, so few answers. There are also practical concerns. Like any perishable item, the potatoes would surely need secure packaging to ensure that the recipient gets a whole potato and not just, well, mash. There is also the question of time.

How long does the average potato live?

Can I send one to Wales? Spain? Japan?

The possibilities could be endless. Or they could stop at the county border. Who knows.

With Christmas fast approaching, maybe this is the perfect way to reach out to that special someone. A quirky yet useful present; sentimental and edible, perhaps the perfect combination. It could even be anonymous, a secret admiration.

Though maybe just send the one at first, otherwise things could get a little strange.

Just imagine the look on your loved one’s face when they go to collect their post and discover a potato complimenting them on their stash or ability to see-off a VK. Simply magical.

Since writing my first paragraph, I have in fact used the service to send a potato. The reaction was extremely disappointing (“Why the fuck have you sent me a potato? You are so weird”) but hey they’re called exes for a reason. The potato itself was rather successful. The message (you’re spud-tacular) was written on with marker pen but remained legible even when the potato was so mouldy it was probably sentient. It arrived whole, which is always a bonus, and in a fairly pretty box. Recipient aside, I’d give potato sending a solid 8/10; just ensure your intended is worth such a thoughtful gift.

COMMENT

8

Turning the spotlight on debating Bea Fones Contributor

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LLOW me to present to you a hypothetical scenario: A debate takes place regarding employment rights and working conditions for bar staff. After a couple of general questions regarding points the speakers have made, a student, in asking their question, states that they work in a bar, and therefore have experience of the topic that is being discussed.

The speakers reply to them, acknowledging that the student who works as a bartender has a unique perspective to offer – more valuable than that of those without any such experience.

The debate is a balanced one.

Those whom the debate concerns, in this case bartenders, can speak on the subject which they have the most experience of, and on which they are most qualified to speak, without fear of reprisal or dismissal from their university institutions.

In perhaps only one line of work is this impossible – the “last taboo” of sex work. This is the reason why debates concerning the decriminalisation of sex work, such as the one run by Exeter’s own Debating Society (DebSoc) last week, are highly inappropriate. In fact, the majority of sex worker run organisations, such as SWARM (Sex Worker Advocacy and Resistance Movement) are highly opposed to their taking place. Despite previous concerns regarding Friday’s event, titled “This House Would Decriminalise Sex Work”, the event went ahead with seemingly little regard for the group that was being used as a springboard for DebSoc’s agenda.

Sex work is an umbrella term under which sex workers can identify without having to disclose exactly which form of sex work they partake in. It could include full-service sex work, stripping and exotic dancing, hosting webcam shows, operating a phone sex line or working as a professional dominatrix.

Much of the prejudice regarding sex work in today’s society, and the need for secrecy for those who take part in it, stems from ignorance and a lack of If you’ve been affected by these issues, we would recommend the following helplines: SWARM https://www.swarmcollective.org/ Network of Sex Work Projects 0161 629 9861 Sexual Assault Victim Support *names changed for anonymity*

understanding of the reasons why sex workers choose to start and continue in their lines of work. In the case of student sex workers, this is largely related to financial pressure and attempting to balance university work with a source of income.

Most universities, including Exeter, include a “morality clause” in their code of conduct, allowing them to carry out disciplinary procedures against students or staff who partake in actions “which are likely to bring the University into disrepute” – vague, or what?

The vagueness is deliberate. Whilst the clause is useful – for example, it could be used against a student who wrote a racist remark on a wall at the University or in the city of Exeter – it also has the potential to do great harm.

In theory, the University could use this clause to discipline and dismiss a student sex worker if staff discovered the nature of their work.

As an already marginalised group in society, sex workers need the protection of their academic institutions, rather than living in fear of being targeted and disciplined by them. It is my hope that there will soon be a campaign put into place to pass a motion, like one recently passed at Plymouth University, to protect student sex workers at Exeter from unfair disciplinary procedure.

Several student sex workers have come forward, in one of the only mediums they can: anonymously, to other students who respect their rights to work and be heard. Jen* spoke to me about the potential negative effects of Friday’s debate on student sex workers at Exeter, and how one of the most difficult aspects of being a sex worker at university is the inability to speak freely on such an important issue.

“Most other groups of students can make a noise about injustice and issues that affect them, but sex workers have to stay silent out of fear of judgment by fellow students or repercussions from the University,” she said. “It’s not appropriate for these kinds of debates on our lives to take place, especially when only one side actually features sex workers. I feel really disappointed with how the Sabb Team and DebSoc have responded to complaints.”

Friday’s debate featured two sex workers, Karina Currie and Charlotte Rose, speaking for the proposition.

When one speaker was delayed due to transport, DebSoc chose to place one of their committee members on the proposition side, in spite of having discussed the issue with students who were better informed to speak on the subject, only the previous night.

“They had prime opportunity to invite an expert on sex work, or a student sex worker, to speak when there was a debate, but they chose not to,” said Kate Byard, a graduate student of Critical Theory at Exeter, who has several years of experience working with and interviewing sex workers.

Kate had several of her comments deleted by DebSoc from a post on their Facebook page advertising the event, when she raised concerns about how the topic was being discussed by committee members.

The original post read “A porn star and a sex worker walk into a lecture theatre. But there’s no punchline…”

Kate commented, “I was told that this debate was going to deal with sex work in a respectful way, and yet your blurb has already played on sex workers being the punchline of some joke, so clearly not.”

One DebSoc committee member, also used slurs to refer to sex workers on the post, commenting that “I guess we know what happens when a porn star and a prostitute walk into a lecture… People argue about it in the comments section.” This is disgusting conduct from a committee member – how exactly, did they think that this was respectful to the group which DebSoc were already exploiting? Organisations like the Sex Workers’ Outreach Project, and all the sex workers taking part as panellists, ask for the term “sex worker” to be used, and a DebSoc committee member uses a slur to incite more argument and distress.

Very professional.

A number of other students commented to show their disappointment with DebSoc – disappointment that is very much a reasonable reaction to the disrespectful and flippant way in which committee members have handled the situation. Other comments from students show just how much DebSoc has alienated students over this issue.

“Apparently, sex workers are actually super fun to use as a freak show for Freshers’ Week!” “I mean, I walk into lecture theatres all the time, didn’t realise it was hilarious.”

The President of DebSoc not only deleted similar comments, but was later curt and dismissive when approached privately about these concerns. The irony of discussion being shut down by a society which claims to pride itself on championing “free speech” is not lost on the students involved. This raises serious questions about the ability of the DebSoc committee to make suitable decisions, in line with their Code of Conduct.

The opposition speakers, arguing against decriminalisation, are a whole other issue. Caroline Farrow, a Catholic broadcaster and journalist, and Ruari McCallion, a historical novelist and public speaker, showed themselves to have very little experience or understanding of sex work. It is a disappointment, but not a surprise, to many students, including the sex workers who had previously approached DebSoc and the Sabb Team about the debate, that such ignorant, dangerous speakers were chosen by DebSoc to take part in this highly-attended debate. It would have been far more appropriate to have current or previous sex workers speak on the opposition side; there are, in fact, sex workers who are against full decriminalisation and favour other models.

Unauthorised leaflets distributed

by Ms Farrow were filled with graphic descriptions of full service sex work, asking the audience, “Women and girls, do YOU want this job?” The exclusion of male and non-binary sex workers is hardly a surprise here.

Sex worker exclusionary feminists (SWERFs) tend to overlap with those who exclude trans people from feminist circles (TERFs). Ms Farrow’s antisex worker propaganda appeared to be using shock tactics to discourage sex work being “euphemised as an occupational alternative for women”. It is apparent that Ms Farrow and her organisation do not respect the decisions of sex workers, hiding behind support of the Nordic model, which criminalises clients and is as equally damaging and dangerous for sex workers as full criminalisation.

Ms Farrow also claimed to have been told by DebSoc committee members that students and Guild representatives tried to “no-platform” her before the event. This was, in fact, entirely untrue – concerns were raised more than a month in advance about the nature of the debate, and the night before, regarding how unqualified Ms

Farrow was to speak on the issue of sex work – marginalised voices should always lead on discussions regarding their rights. However, nobody attempted to stop her from speaking.

This implies that DebSoc committee members went out of their way to stir trouble with an already volatile speaker, who later spoke condescendingly to concerned students on social media, and even implied that certain students were themselves sex workers.

It is clear that DebSoc’s priority was to choose a sensationalist topic for Freshers’ Week and attract new members, not to consider the welfare of the group whose rights they were debating. As is unfortunately too often the case, sex workers were once again spoken largely about, rather than to or with. Having two sex workers speaking on a panel is not enough. How ridiculous would it seem, to hold a debate regarding the rights of an ethnic or religious minority, in a situation where members of that group could not contribute? And yet, that is exactly what happened last Friday.

The Sabb Team, despite having met with me in mid-August on the subject, and having promised to approach DebSoc regarding the debate and their abiding by the Officers’ Code of Conduct, did not take these concerns further. I cannot overstate my disappointment – a group of students approached the Sabbs regarding important welfare issues, and our concerns were brushed aside. The welfare of student sex workers, an undeniably vulnerable group, has been placed lower on the pecking order than the whims of a student society that undoubtedly had the funds to replace speakers, change the topic of their debate, or at the very least, pay attention to the concerns of the affected students.

Instead of opening a constructive discussion around the subject of sex work, DebSoc introduced speakers who attempted to spread biased misrepresentations of sex work, and personally attacked students on social media when they were called out on certain points they made during the event. There has not been an adequate apology from DebSoc, nor from the Sabb Team for failing to address the issues about the debate which were brought to their notice more than a month in advance.

It is clear that when it comes to breaking the taboo surrounding sex work, and affording respect to student sex workers, we still have a long way to come.

Exeposé reached out to DebSoc and did not receive a response

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10

Features

FEATURES EDITORS:

An unreported conflict

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Photo: pri.org

James Angove Isabel Taylor

Bea Fones explores the origins, product and consequences of the crisis in Yemen

ETWEEN other events in the Middle East taking precedence, and a glaring media silence, the chances are that you haven’t heard that much about the current crisis in Yemen.

Over the last two years of brutal warfare, Yemen has been driven to desperation, as conflicts have decimated health, water and sanitation systems, meaning that disease is rife and spreading quickly throughout the poverty-stricken population. Yemen relies heavily on international imports, which have been heavily restricted throughout the conflict – as a result, millions are just one step away from famine. So how has this situation come about, and why aren’t we hearing about it?

Yemen has only been unified since 1990, with deep divisions still existing between the north and south of the country. The failure of a political transition aiming to bring stability to Yemen has led to a civil war and a devastating humanitarian crisis. An uprising forced long-time president, the authoritarian Ali Abdullah Saleh, to hand over power to his deputy, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi. President Hadi has struggled with a number of issues since his appointment, including al-Qaeda attacks, southern separatists, corruption, unemployment and food insecurity, as well as uncertainty regarding branches of the military still loyal to Mr Saleh.

In September of 2014, Houthi (northern rebels who adhere to a branch of Shia Islam known as Zaidism) took control of Sana’a, and in January 2015 rejected a draft constitution proposed by the government. The following month, the Iranian-backed Houthis appointed a presidential council to replace President Hadi, who fled to a southern stronghold in Aden.

In March 2015, Islamic State carried

out its first major attacks in Yemen – 137 people were killed in two suicide bombings at Shia mosques in Sana’a. As the Houthi rebels advanced south, Hadi fled from Aden and Saudi Arabia intervened on his behalf.

The Saudis have inflicted constant suffering on Yemen Government forces, supported

by Saudi Arabia, recaptured Aden in September 2015, allowing President Hadi to return, and UN-backed talks between the conflicting sides began. Neither side since kept to a ceasefire and airstrikes continue, to devastating effect. In an attempt to lessen the influence of their rival, Shi’ite Iran, the Saudis have inflicted constant suffering and human rights abuses on Yemen, the poorest country in the Arab world. The UN says that more than 5000 civilians have been killed in the conflict, primarily in Saudi airstrikes. The widespread bombing campaign by the Saudis and their allies has destroyed key infrastructure, laying waste to hospitals, schools and homes.

Arguably one of the most shocking consequences of the crisis has been the epidemic of cholera, a disease most familiar to us from history classes. According to the World Health Organisation, over the course of one month this May, over 670 people died of cholera, and over 86,000 were suspected to have the disease. The neglected medical system means that reporting is probably lower than accrual cases – the official figures are likely to be under reporting the full scale of the crisis.

And the world looks on.

Nearly one person per hour is dying from the disease which, whilst relatively

Image: Emma Woolf

easy to treat, is spreading quicker than it can be contained due to the damaged infrastructure of the country. The largest cholera epidemic in the world has come about as a result of human action, and a war which is rarely discussed or seen on the screens and pages of international media. Children lie dying from the disease in overcrowded hospitals, places which have not seen international aid despite desperately needing support. Only 45% of the 3500 healthcare facilities surveyed by the UN were in fully functioning operation in November.

Health workers and engineers in Yemen have not been paid for many months, while hospitals, health centres and other public systems are starved of supplies and fuel, which need to be flown into the country via Yemen’s heavily-restricted airspace. The blockade introduced by the Saudi coalition is a disaster for humanitarian aid agencies who are unable to access the areas of the country which have been worst hit by the conflict.

Over 17 million of the country’s 27-million population are classed as foodinsecure, with 6.8 million severely so. The effects of famine are seen heavily in the youngest of Yemen’s population; 462,000 children under the age of five are facing severe acute malnutrition.

Cited by the UN as the greatest humanitarian crisis in the world, the situation in Yemen is so grossly underreported because Saudi officials restrict access to the suffering country, meaning that very few journalists are in place to report on the crisis. Only the Saudi version of the story emerges as a result, and the world remains ignorant of the suffering being inflicted on the people of Yemen.

Sajjad Mohammed Sajid, Oxfam’s Yemen Country Director, said: “Yemen is

on the edge of an abyss. Lives hang in the balance. Two years of war [have] plunged the country into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises and [to increased] risk of famine. Now it is at the mercy of a deadly and rapidly spreading cholera epidemic. Cholera is simple to treat and prevent but while the fighting continues the task is made doubly difficult. A massive aid effort is needed now. Those backers of this war in Western and Middle Eastern capitals need to put pressure on parties to the fighting to agree a ceasefire to allow public health and aid workers to get on with the task.”

Without an immediate increase in aid, there is little hope for Yemen. There is unlikely to be an effective nationwide response to the cholera epidemic whilst Yemen remains gripped by war, and organisations such as Oxfam are calling on all parties to bring an end to the conflict, in order to allow health and aid workers to work on the ground to lessen the effects of the epidemic by treating sufferers and providing resources to the population.

Richer countries thus have a responsibility to send aid, primarily by keeping to their pledges of monetary support.

The crisis is not as far removed from us in the UK as one might think; there is evidence that the UK’s arms exports to Saudi Arabia are being used to fuel the conflict - fragments of British weapons were found after a strike on a ceramics factory. The campaign group, Human Rights Watch, identified pieces of mangled metal at the site, with the label of a British manufacturer – GEC Marconi Dynamics – as part of a British-made cruise missile.

The Saudi coalition also receives logistical and intelligence support from the UK, US and France. With Britain’s arms exports to Saudi Arabia being ruled as lawful by the

High Court only recently, it appears that profit is taking precedence over supporting the suffering population of Yemen, for the richer countries which are turning a blind eye.

Despite three attempts at UN peace talks, the latest round of which opened in Kuwait in April 2016, continued escalations in fighting mean that civilian casualties are still rising, with Mr Hadi’s government insisting that negotiations cannot proceed unless rebels withdraw from all areas and lay down their arms. This should be in the process of full implementation through a UN Security Council resolution, but has so far been unsuccessful.

As Yemen becomes more unstable, it contributes more to regional and international tensions As Yemen becomes more unstable, it contributes more to regional and international tensions. AQAP (Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula) is considered by western intelligence agencies to be the most dangerous branch of Al-Qaeda because of its technical expertise and global reach.

Additionally, the emergence of IS affiliates in Yemen adds to the volatile conflict and introduces new concerns.

The situation in Yemen remains at a stalemate – international peace efforts seem to be few and far between, and thwarted at nearly every attempt. The regional power struggle between Shiaruled Iran and Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia provides the background to a civil war and mounting humanitarian crisis in Yemen, as the world continues to ignore this remote, impoverished corner of the Middle East.

Wikimedia Commons

FEATURES

Take charge, go green

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Jaysim Hanspal, Copy Editor, discusses how we must all take responsibility for climate change

HEN I first heard about global warming and climate change, I was sitting in a primary school classroom, staring at a picture of a sad polar bear on an iceberg, wishing I was elsewhere. Since then, for many climate change has been associated with an increasingly pleasurable British summer time and Leonardo DiCaprio persuading us to care while he jets around burning fuel and meeting with world leaders.

Now, with the introduction of massmarketed electric cars, and new research conducted by Scottish scientists that reveals air pollution has a direct link to infection, it seems the future is imminent. Hyundai has recently vowed to release a longer-range electric car, rivalling the new Tesla Model 3, and proving that interest in electric models has expanded within recent years.

Recently, Scottish scientists con-

ducted research proving that cars which release high levels of carbon emissions can make people more vulnerable to infection. New skincare products which protect from pollution, as well as apps which detect the amount of pollution in the air have revealed a clear need for protection which was not present before. Scientists have found that the nano-sized particles found in traffic fumes can damage the immune system’s ability to kill viruses and bacteria. This is the first research project to show a direct link between pollution and sickness, and has caused leading scientists to call for immediate action.

That is, until recently, with the inauguration of a spoilt, and rather stupid president. POTUS Donald John Trump announced late last year that he did not believe in global warning. A phenomenon that 97% of scientists firmly believe is a

growing problem and an absolute fact. He also recently pulled out of the Paris Agreement on climate change, a policy which approximately 200 countries have signed in an effort to aid developing countries adjust to changing environment as well as to aid western countries to be more “green”. The single opinion of the current US President has had already had disastrous consequences for the fight against climate change.

What’s more, this ignorance has seemingly started an epidemic, or at least revealed a societal ignorance of people seemingly denying outright that global warming exists. As it was with the people who once believed the world was flat, apparently only half of the American population believe that human activity (the leading cause of climate change) leads to the results we identify as climate change. This has led to a lack of funding from the American government, with President Trump's election leading to a major reduction in financing for renewable energy.

In turn, this makes you wonder what our government is doing to aid the fight against climate change. At the recent climate change summit in Copenhagen, scientists begged the world’s leaders to make an effort to combat the worryingly rising temperatures of the last decade.

According to a recent poll, 73% of civilians want world leaders to come to an agreement on climate change issues, and 66% want this action to be immediate. As a result of the

Copenhagen summit, the UK has pledged to help the countries hardest hit by climate change, committing to give up to £720 million to the Green Climate Fund in an attempt to go low-carbon. Recently the UK has been reckless with their CO2 emissions, with the Oxford Street area reaching their emissions limit for the year by January, an embarrassing record for the capital.

We have exactly one planet on which to run the experiment Despite a clamour for action, many scientists determine that the effects of climate change are irreversible. With the dramatic population increase correlating to a buildup of greenhouse gases, it seems that the only possible solution would be for the majority of the world’s nations to agree to drastic cuts in pollution, and that seems unlikely. With an American president who is intent on fighting nuclear wars and not ecological disasters, many countries are sure to see this defiance and follow suit. As a result of the Brexit negotiations, a future British government may ultimately decide to pursue a similar path of wilful ignorance, disregarding the EU regulations that no longer bind them.

Negotiations and diplomatic endeavors aside, sometimes it is the smaller actions that make a world of difference. By supporting and extolling politicians who

What the Freddo?

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make climate change a priority, people can directly influence the way the UK tackles our rising CO2 emissions. Domestically, engaging with 'Earth Day', when people switch off their electrics in an attempt to lower their carbon footprint makes a difference. Furthermore you can make a greater impact through using electric cars and renewable energy to power your home. If everyone was more conscious of their direct impact on the environment, as well as how they could lower their carbon footprint, collectively we could and would make a significant reduction on the overall effect on the planet.

Although this may seem frightfully optimistic, it does seem our actions have caused an irreversible cycle of destruction. As a result, it is our responsibility to make these changes for ourselves and to minimise the destruction for future generations. In reality, politicians aren’t going to strive to make the world a better place, unless green politics becomes an unlikely vote-winner or reason for promotion within government. Environmental destruction appears as ingrained in our society now as capitalism, the 'American dream' and our aspirations for technological advancement. Yet despite all this, and despite all the promises our nations hope to keep in ten, twenty, or forty years time, the only thing we can ever hope to truly change is our own actions. And by starting with ourselves, as clichéd as it sounds, we can begin to make bigger changes that will concretely impact ourselves and the world.

Kayleigh Lovell takes a closer look at the financial crisis engulfing the Freddo community

ESCRIBED by BuzzFeed in 2015 as ‘the greatest issue facing modern Britain’, the ever-increasing price of Freddos has long been a controversial issue in the UK. Whilst some may consider the ongoing Brexit negotiations to claim the title today, many twitter users are vocal in their frustrations on this emotional subject. One user; xmuggymike, recently called the latest price hike ‘the greatest indictment on today’s economy’. Fans of the chocolate treat are taking action, with protests against the rising price of Freddos organised in September in both Cardiff and London, with over 3,000 people ‘interested’ in each event on Facebook.

Freddos were originally introduced to the market in 1994 for a mere 10 pence, but following several incremental increases in price, a single Freddo was increased by 20% to 30 pence in early

2017. While the size of the bar has been altered in the past, in its current form, the Freddo is now only 1 gram heavier than the original. In a recent report produced by Vouchercloud, a Freddo should now cost only 15p had the price increased with inflation.

The future will hold further price increases So what’s behind this discrepancy between actual and inflation adjusted projected price? Mondelez International, the company which now owns Cadbury (makers of the Freddo) are no strangers to controversy in the chocolate department. Last year they caused international outrage by changing the shape of the Toblerone, reducing the weight of the product without cutting the price.

Mondelez has cited ‘a rise in raw material costs’ as the reasoning for such product amendments.

Well respected financial publication ‘The Daily Mail’ published an analysis of the rising price of chocolate back in 2013, blaming the price hikes on “the rocketing price of cocoa butter.” The current situation appears no different but fans of the Freddo can take cold comfort in knowing that it is not just their beloved frog shaped treat that has seen price rises.

But why do people care so much about the Freddo? One possible reason is that the price is prominently advertised on the front of the Freddo packaging, meaning there is standardised pricing across the country. This is not commonplace with all confectionary, which often varies in price between retailers and locations. Therefore, any widespread price increase in the Freddo is instantly more

noticeable than with similar products, causing greater public outcry. In addition, people are likely to remember the childhood treat being 10p when they were younger, making the 30p charge now seem extortionate.

Unfor tunately for fellow Freddo fans, it is inevitable that the future will hold further price increases.

Based on current trends, the Freddo could cost an astounding 38p by 2030. Continued inflation coupled with the fall in the value of the

pound since the Brexit vote in 2016 has affected the price of imported goods, increasing manufacturing costs which are in turn passed on to the consumer. Earlier this year, competing chocolate manufacturer, Mars, warned that the decade could see exaggerated increases in the price of chocolate goods if the UK did not secure a favourable deal with the EU. For now, it seems the best way to beat this most recent price hike is to buy your Freddos in multipacks and keep your fingers crossed that prices won't skyrccket in the next year!

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A rude awakening

2 OCT 2017 | EXEPOSÉ

Jack Watts discusses the proposed cancellation of DACA

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N 5 September, Donald Trump announced his intention to terminate the DACA program, established by Barack Obama in 2012. DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, was the largest step towards bringing undocumented immigrants "out of the shadows" in the last 30 years. The programme deferred the deportation of children brought to America illegally (or Dreamers) for two years, with the opportunity to apply for a renewal at the end of this period. To qualify for the DACA scheme, as nearly 800,000 Dreamers currently do, you must have a spotless criminal record, have been younger than 31 by the time the program was started, and have been younger than 16 upon arriving in America. The White House claims that the Dreamers range in age from 10 to 36.

The Trump administration aims to end the programme in March of next year, and will immediately cease taking new applications. Trump has called on Congress to put in place a legislative alternative for the Dreamers. Until then 800,000 men, women, and children remain entirely uncertain as to what their fate will be, whether they will be forced to leave or allowed to stay and, if so, in what

capacity. The announcement shocked very few people given the administration’s previous actions and comments regarding immigration. On the campaign trail, Trump made clear his ambition to "rip up DACA immediately" as well as promising to build a border wall between the USA and Mexico, and threatening to ban all muslims from entering the USA. Despite how little surprise this announcement was met with, it still managed to stir up a rather energised opposition, from democrats and liberal Americans across the country. This reaction is perhaps justified as it has been reported that 76 percent of Americans believe Dreamers should be granted citizenship or otherwise permanent residency and experts estimate that ending DACA will reduce the USA’s GDP by several hundred billion dollars over a decade. Corporations such as Walmart, Amazon and Microsoft have made public their opposition to the Trump Administration’s stance on DACA, with the latter two even pledging to support a suit against the action filed by sixteen Democratic Attorneys General in federal court in Brooklyn. It is hard to see what benefits there are to Trump’s ending of DACA given its poor financial outlook, popular opposition, and heinous nature.

From the day Trump entered the White House, he has been caught between his Bannonite Nationalists and the more moderate members of his staff, Congress, and Senate. The Republican Party has long been experiencing a push towards the right, in fact sped on by Trump’s election, and more figures within the party are pushing for harsher immigration controls. This group is perhaps one of the most vocal minorities in government; their demands are insistently presented and wildly ambitious. Ending DACA will perhaps buy Trump a few months of easier tenure with less opposition to any more moderate propositions, if he does indeed have any.

This political armistice will, of course, only occur on the condition that Trump is successful in cancelling DACA, a fate that seems no more certain than that of his entire presidency. The opposition is mounting, both in expressed opinion, legal challenge, and corporate condemnation.

Trump’s administration is indeed no stranger to suffering defeat in the courts when enacting more ambitious, right wing, policy, having garnered a cornucopia of experience when they attempted to legislate their infamous Travel Ban. The likelihood of a similar result regarding DACA is unfortunately not likely; the Travel Ban was

found to be unconstitutional, which anyone with any understanding of the American constitution could see from the start. Since its initiation in 2012, DACA has been challenged by Republican lawmakers and repeatedly been found to be constitutional; this does not, however, mean that its repeal would be found to be unconstitutional.

DACA is a positive, progressive, arguably benevolent policy enacted by America’s most socially-liberal President in recent history, it is not a right granted by the constitution. Any challenge brought against Trump’s administration regarding this specific legislation will require thorough legal-thinking and more outrage than what previous policy has been met with.

Despite the popular opposition to Trump’s decision regarding DACA, we are likely to see his immigration policy shift to the right throughout his term; his harsh stance was cited as a key factor behind his successful election. His attempts at a travel ban on all muslims into the USA has recently stagnated, and his key campaign soundbite of building a wall between the USA and Mexico has not seen nearly as

much airtime recently, but the success or failure of his ending of DACA will likely either revive these ambitions or kill them once and for all. If Trump can successfully cancel DACA, it is likely to be the first domino in a long line of immigration "reform", with each piece shifting slightly to the right. Of course, to continue writing legislation Trump must remain in office, which (judging by how Robert Mueller’s investigation into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia is progressing) should be not be taken for granted.

Aung San Suu Kyi: Hero or villain?

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Isabel Taylor, Features Editor, analyses the actions of Mynamar's leader and the crisis facing the Rohingya

UNG San Suu Kyi, until recently a darling of the Western media and a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize has undergone a reputational crisis of late.

Admired by many in the West for her struggles for democracy in Myanmar and for her 15 years spent under house arrest, Suu Kyi represented peace, dignity and the power of non-violent protest and her election in 2015 was hailed as a triumph for progress. Myanmar’s Nelson Mandela has in the past few months however experienced a spectacular fall from grace.

The crisis facing the Rohingya people is now “verging on ethnic cleansing” according to the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Myanmar is a majority Buddhist country and the Rohingya are an estimated 1 million of mostly Muslim people who are not recognised under Myanmar law, leaving them effectively without a nationality. The legal conditions faced by the Rohingya have been compared to apartheid.

The most recent flare-up of violence started after a Rohingya rebel group; ARSA or the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, led multiple attacks on police outposts and border guards, killing a dozen government forces, at the cost of over 50

dead among the rebels.

In response the Myanmar military in conjunction with local authorities and mobs of Rakhine Buddhists started massive reprisals against Rohingya villages that it described as anti-terrorist "clearance operations." Within the first three to four weeks the military reported over 400 dead, the UN estimated over 1,000, and other sources suggested as many as 3,000.

As a minority ethnic group, the Rohingya have long faced persecution but the violence against them in recent weeks has reached levels that some compare to a genocide. Current estimates put the number of refugees who have fled the country at 420,000. Suu Kyi has been heavily criticised both for initially failing to speak out against the violence and then for comments she has since made downplaying the crisis, including blaming “terrorists” for a “huge iceberg of misinformation.” Her government has also blocked humanitarian aid to Rakhine.

In her speech last week Aung San Suu Kyi aimed to reassure the world that human rights violators would be punished and that her government was committed to restoring peace and stability in Rakhine.

She also asked the international community for help, offering to work with Bang-

ladesh in repatriating refugees – but only if they could prove citizenship in Myanmar.

However, she also insisted that “the security forces have been instructed to adhere strictly to the code of conduct, to exercise all due restraint and to take full measures to avoid the harming of innocent civilians.” This is blatantly untrue.

Whilst this outbreak of violence was initially triggered by the operation of ARSA militants, the Myanmar military has gone above and beyond merely self-defence.

Human Rights Watch interviewed more than 50 refugees in September and their accounts detail armed attacks on villagers, the burning down of their homes and the military’s use of small arms, mortars, and armed helicopters in the attacks.

Furthermore, her statement that no “clearance operations” have been conducted since 5 September beggars belief amid mounting evidence suggesting otherwise.

The government maintains that is has acted in self defense against “terrorists” and that tens of thousands of ethnic Rakhine Buddhists have also been internally displaced, claiming they were attacked by Rohingya militants. This has been denied

by ARSA. On Sunday, Myanmar's army said it

had discovered two mud pits filled with 28 Hindu corpses, including women and children, outside a village in northern Rakhine.

The horror of the conflict aside, why has Suu Kyi not condemned such violence? As far as the rest of the world is concerned, her response is condoning the actions of the military.

Should we be surprised by this however? Suu Kyi has a history of failing to speak out against the violence suffered by the Rohingya, but this fact has been generally overlooked.

Her actions are largely influenced by the delicate balance of power in Myanmar between her government and the military. While Myanmar citizens have experienced an unprecedented degree of economic and political freedom since the reforms of 2011 and Aung San Suu Kyi’s election in 2015 the balance of power has not changed greatly. Many MPs are former military leaders who have simply swapped uniform for suits.

It is generally contended that Aung San Suu Kyi has remained silent on the treatment of the Rohingya for reasons of political expediency. In a country that is 90% Buddhist, Buddhist-Muslim relations were and remain a contentious issue.

However political motive is far too

straightforward a solution. A more convincing explanation for her stance can be found when one considers her agreement in December 2011 to abide by Burma’s constitution. As Peter Popham explains, the document had been imposed on the country in 2008 through a rigged referendum. “Uniquely difficult to revise, it guaranteed the military massive representation in parliament, exclusive control of three crucial ministries – home, defence, and border affairs – and the right to shut down democracy and revert to junta tyranny at the generals’ whim.”

Suu Kyi herself explained that the constitution “gives the army a right to take over all powers of government whenever they feel it’s necessary”. Simply put, she has no right to overrule the military.

Her commitment to the constitution notwithstanding, can she be excused for leading a country that is currently committing; according to the top UN Human Rights official, “a textbook example of ethnic cleansing”? In her role as de-facto leader of the country, she bears ultimate responsibility. She may not have the authority or power to overrule the military but she does have a voice. Staying put while atrocities are committed on her watch is unacceptable. She should resign.

lifestyle

ARTS + LIT

E X H I B IT STUDY BREAK

17-19 Photo: “IT” promotional material

National Poetry day special

21 Photo: Pinterest

Wolf Alice Interview

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Photo: Pixabay

Photo: Facebook/wolfalicemusic

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MUSIC

Break fasts, not hearts

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review of “it”

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LIFESTYLE EDITORS Barbara Balogun Lauren Geall

ARTS + LIT EDITORS Mubanga Mweemba Maddie Davies

MUSIC EDITORS Alex Brammer Maddy Parker

SCREEN EDITORS Ben Faulkner Fenton Christmas

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2 OCT 2017 | EXEPOSÉ

lifestyle Forever friends?

Maddie Davies, Arts & Lit Editor, gives us some tips on how to make friends at University

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ONFESSION: my experience of making friends at university is very different to many of my home friends'. Now I am a third-year and still completely besotted with my flat-mates who I was forced to live with in first-year (thanks to the very random accommodation process). I got along with my flat so well that I was puzzled by the people on my course who were so eager to invite me on nights out – more friends?! But with hindsight, I should have delved into other pockets of friends…

It’s great to be the social butterfly: (Oh, hindsight really is a wonderful thing).

Great friends with your flat? Wonderful. You have really fun course mates? Great! You’ve met some cool kids in the society you recently joined? Even better. Uni is definitely about embracing the new, and new friends should always be a positive. It is one of the most terrifying experiences, as they may be nothing like the friends you have at home, but that can also be really refreshing! If there are evenings where

your flat-mates are going somewhere that you do not fancy, you have other friends to experience these things with.

Embrace difference: They say that opposites attract and I am here to preach the truth behind this. Every single person who I lived with in first-year differed from me in every single way possible – no exaggeration (funny that one of those flat-mates who was so different is now my boyfriend, oops!). The main difference between my friends and I was the fact that I am from South

Wales' Valleys and most of them are from the Home Counties. But our huge contrasts in personalities just led to endless laughter and inside jokes – perfect!

You’re never fully dressed without a smile: In school I was known as the ‘Smiler,’ as I would smile and talk to anyone. This is something I cannot recommend enough. With a little smile and a friendly “hello” you instantly become approachable and you make the initial introduction stage a little easier for your future friend. It may be quite tiring to force yourself if

you're not used to it, but give it a go for the first couple of weeks!

WITH A LITTLE SMILE AND A FRIENDLY "HELLO", YOU INSTANTLY BECOME APPROACHABLE Please remember that university accommodation is not a natural way of making friends, as you are essentially forced to be friends with people that may not tickle your fancy. The more societies, events and even lectures that you attend, the more likely you are to naturally make friends. Although it may be daunting at first, you'll often find that going to an event on your own isn't as scary as it initially seemed.

The most important thing to remember is to not stress about it! University is all about you, so lap up the fact that you’re allowed to be selfish.

Campus catwalk Two Lifestyle Writers discuss their campus fashion choices

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RGUABLY, I am a visually controversial Exeter student, being the furthest away from anyone who actively enjoys wearing gym stash to campus. I’m that person who wears heeled boots to campus and, after 3 years at Exeter, I am still committed to this mission. Trainers? No. Leggings? No. I cannot abide looking ‘casual’- I only just started to wear jeans to campus and even my housemates turned round in some serious shock.

I'M THAT PERSON WHO WEARS HEELED BOOTS TO CAMPUS So what does this strange human wear?

Well, my campus style is usually a little quirky, with a vintage undertone; pretty far from a leggings enthusiast. I feel my best in some kind of floral or minimalistic dress, and find these the easiest thing to put on in a morning panic for lectures, plus, it looks like you've made a hell of an effort. Also, velvet isn’t just a night

out fabric- it’s one of my favourite fancy things to wear on a cold morning, with a day full of disseration stress (third years woes are real I can assure you).

Overdressing is seriously my forté and I take inspiration from a lot of Parisian styles, but also love mixing clashing patterns together, so my style varies from day to day on campus.

Feeling Postmodern yet? Disclaimer: I have actually found a place in my fashion snobbery heart to love my Exeposé jumper (shameless plug) but that is probably the only time I'm gonna look like a typical Exetah student.

Molly Gilroy, Online Screen Editor

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AMPUS: The perfect runway for a plethora of outfits and a chance to reinvent yourself. Will you be a gym bunny? Channel some flares inspired chic?

Roll out of bed wearing last night’s outfit? The options are endless, whatever your campus activity.

I personally like to embody all three with just a hint of stash. Find me ironically wearing gym leggings (I’ve never been in my life) one day, the next a low cut dress I wore to cheesies the night before which flashes just a tad too much tit to be appropriate for a seminar.

I've got a combination for every day of the week, and it's never predictable.

FIND ME IRONICALLY WEARING GYM LEGGINGS (I'VE NEVER BEEN IN MY LIFE) There are days where I seize my chance to try and become the ultimate ‘cool girl’. The ethereal blonde who lives on kale and green smoothies, wears the most colourful vintage clothing in just the right proportions for her slight frame and can usually be found floating around the forum with a sense of humble importance and practised perfect calm. As a brunette who values chips too much and is perpetually sweating, achieving this look is about as likely as seeing Lord Lucan riding Shergar.

About as far as I can get is my ever trustworthy cullotes and (Exeposé) t-shirt. Maybe one day I'll crack it, I’ll just have to keep at it I guess.

Alicia Rees, Comment Editor

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LIFESTYLE

EDITORS: Barbara Balogun & Lauren Geall

Exe-posing Exeter

Your Freshers' Diary

Exeposé Lifestyle delves into undiscovered Exeter

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F you’re craving a slightly more alternative night out than a Wednesday TP, The Bike Shed Theatre is a must visit. Situated at the end of an alley on Fore Street, it really is a hidden gem.

IT IS A HIDDEN GEM The cocktail bar is beautifully decorated, with vintage chairs, trinkets and atmospheric lighting. As soon as you step inside, you feel you’ve been transported back in time. It offers a range of classic and unique cocktails at an affordable price, as well as board games to play and DJ sets on the weekends. The theatre is spacious yet intimate and was crowned the 'UK’s Most Welcoming Theatre’ in 2013.

I’ve had the pleasure of watching some really thought-provoking and artistically beautiful pieces of theatre every time I’ve visited, and haven’t had to break the bank for it. It’s definitely worth checking out their website and seeing what’s on this term.

Bethan Gilson, Online Lifestyle Editor

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SCAPE from city life in under 40 minutes.

Just a short walk down the Exe Estuary trail, Double Locks is the perfect spot for a Sunday pub lunch or afternoon drinks. The walk down provides beautiful views of Devon.

Soon enough you’ll feel as if you’re in the middle of the countryside!

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If you’re feeling a little more adventurous, hire a bike from along the quay and go for a ride along the estuary to Exmouth. Stop off en-route at Turf Locks and sit out in the sun (hopefully!)

– it's the perfect spot to enjoy a beer and BBQ. Melissa Barker, Online Lifestyle Editor

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EDITORS: Barbara Balogun & Lauren Geall

LIFESTYLE

2 OCT 2017 |

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The Breakfast Club Rise and shine, as Exeposé Lifestyle scout out the best breakfast places around Exeter

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Rabbit Café

XETER'S first 100 per cent plant based café serves breakfast every day of the week from 10am to noon, after which you can order from the lunch menu, and daily specials board.

This little spot is popular amongst vegans and vegetarians but suitable for all dietary requirements. Reputed for its remarkable cakes, it’s hard to resist the delicious creations that come from the kitchen, especially if you follow their Instagram page; you don’t even have to be remotely near to be tempted (you’ve been warned). Fortunately, Rabbit closes at 4pm and does tend to sell out quickly, because otherwise I would be indulging all too often.

The breakfast menu includes the infamous breakfast muffin featuring a burger patty, tofu ‘egg’, fakon (vegan bacon), tomato, vegan cheese and red sauce in a soft white bun. Not my personal favorite as I’ve never liked meat (be it real or fake), but it could easily fool your carnivore friends. I have more of a sweet tooth so their ‘organic almond chia breakfast bowl' is more to my liking: healthy and filling, with oats, soy yogurt, seeds, fruits, nuts all sweetened with rice syrup. Last but not least, there’s always toast with either avocado, fruit jams or chocolate spread (highly recommended) with the possibility of making them gluten free.

Drinks range from almond milk coffees to milkshakes with whipped cream, and the not-to-be-missed deluxe hot chocolate (with marshmallows).

You can eat in or take away, although I would recommend taking a seat in the cosy décor next to the holy well. Dogs are welcomed, and there are treats reserved for them too!

Salomé Savary

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No 1 Polsloe

O 1 Polsloe, the clue is in the name. Located on

Image: Nancy Laws

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Brody's, Queen St

N spite of being a pretty tiny town, Exeter is home to a silly amount of local haunts to grab breakfast/brunch in. If Freshers Week hit you like a tonne of bricks, your best bet by far is the American-diner-meets-all-day-English-breakfast bright lights of Brodys. Situated on Queen Street opposite the RAMM, you can have your weekly calorific allowance and then pop over the road for a spot of culture.

With school-dinner-esque benches it’s hardly Michelin-starred, but the unlimited amount of breakfast is exactly what anyone slightly (or not so slightly) hungover needs. Each bench has conveniently placed toasters to make sure your fried bread is piping hot – although be warned, whilst slightly under the influence I managed to set it to the defrost setting and filled the place with smoke. All in all, if you need to mop up the alcohol with some dubious looking meat and fried eggs, this is your place.

Polsloe Road, this quaint café provides delicious food, the best value and an aesthetic worthy of the phrase ‘do it for the gram’. A true hero of the breakfast scene.

Decorated with fairy lights, giant hanging ceiling flowers and the edgiest of wallprints, this café is a treat for both the eye as well as the tum. From the traditional full English to perfect pancakes, there is a wide variety of scrumptious options to choose from. I personally love their sausage sandwich with thick bread teamed with a fresh strawberry milkshake, *insert drool noise* - absolutely stellar! In all honesty, I don’t know how to write this piece without chanting go, go go! Additonally, this venue is amazing for providing vegetarian and vegan options. There is literally something for every taste so I highly suggest you pop in! With reasonable prices too, there is absolutely no excuse. The only downside is that space is quite limited and it can get quite busy at weekends, but all this is completely undermined by the brilliant food, friendly staff and the cosy atmosphere. If you have a breakfast bucket list, make this No 1.

Tash Ebbutt, Deputy Editor

Nancy Laws

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Boston Tea Party

OR the more health conscious among us, whose aesthetic is more green juice and chia seed porridge, you’ll find your people in hipster-heaven Boston Tea Party. With it’s massive upstairs dining room full of squashy sofas and local art, get there early to secure a good spot to pretend to do your work in. Spread enough books out and drink litres of soya milk lattes for best results, and spend the whole day relaxing in the aesthetic delight.

Nancy Laws

Instagram: @nutritionalnatasa

Image: Tash Ebbutt

Halls is where the heart is

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Lauren Geall, Lifestyle Editor, provides you with some cures for homesickness

OU'VE arrived at university at last, and the exciting prospect of becoming free from any kind of parental restraint has finally come true. Yet unfortunately for most, this dream doesnt turn out to be as sweet as it initally seemed. You're two weeks in, washing piling up, freshers' flu raging, and all you really want is some of Mum's cooking: the homesickness has finally hit.

Whilst some may struggle more than others at this stage of their university life, everyone will suffer from homesickness at some time.

The first step in overcoming homesickness is talking about it, whether that be with your family, friends from other universities, or even your flatmates. Although you may feel alone with your feelings at first, you'll soon find that everyone has similar experiences. It's important

to remember that just because you're feeling a little homesick, it doesn't mean university isn't for you. Most will find that the initial homesickness eases during the first term, and you may even feel homesick for uni when you go home!

JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE FEELING A LITTLE HOMESICK, IT DOESN'T MEAN UNIVERSITY ISN'T FOR YOU It's also important to take the time to make your room feel homely. Easy ways to do this can include buying some fairy lights, as well as printing off lots of pictures from home to keep you company when you're feeling down. A

great app to use for this is Free Prints; you get an allowance of free prints per month, and you only have to pay for delivery! Covering your walls, corkboard, and doors with photos transforms an unfamilar surrounding into your own personal haven, a home away from home.

Making sure to stay active and social is also another imporant element in avoiding homesickness. If you've found the flat bonding process slow, why not organise a flat meal to get everyone together outside of an alcohol-fuelled environment, or spend an evening watching a film with lots of chocolate and popcorn?

To add to your social calendar, make sure

to take a look at what society events are going on. The Freshers' Fair isn't the only way to sign up to socieities, so don't forget to visit the guild website to take another look. Getting out of your room can help you to feel less lonely, and you may even find a new hobby.

Moving to university is a challenging time, and it's okay to feel unsure sometimes. We're always told that university is the best time of our lives, but that can be a damaging message if you feel pressure to be constantly happy. Yes, university can provide you with amazing experiences and friends, but we're all human, and missing home is one of the most natural feelings in the world.

arts + lit

Across the uni-verse Mubanga Mweemba, Arts + Lit Editor, considers the place of poetry in modern society

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HE novel: the neat narrative package that perfectly encapsulates a story, and has such wide public appeal.

Opposed to its partner in crime, the art form known as poetry, prose has managed to break into popular consumption in a way that its counterpart no longer does. We are estranged from poetry - perhaps because of the pretensions and elitist explanations literary critics and academics circles have put upon the art form, perhaps because it aims so often to represent the obscure, the strange, and the limitless. But poetry does not require such base measurements of perfection and literary style. Like any well thought out and emotional piece of writing, poetry’s main occupation should lie with affecting and inspiring the individual, creating a sense of consciousness that communities can settle within.

Poetry is especially guilty of being inaccessible. The literary canon often locks people out of the practice of storytelling. Lack of representation had cursed poetry to become artefact, frozen in a time where Byron and Shakespeare were considered popular culture and not classical literature. Those who do not read and thus are unable to love poetry struggle to find merit and purpose in writing it; this is a cycle that diminishes progress and inclusivity.

LACK OF REPRESENTATION HAS CURSED POETRY TO BECOME ARTEFACT Poetry has always been the subject of change, transforming itself and transforming the landscape around it.

From the oral tradition, passing through Romanticism, Modernism and any other literary movement that took its fancy, poetry’s form, purpose, and reception is ineffable. What makes poetry so consistently alluring is how it is characterised by the act of immediate composition and consumption. It is a fascinating trend to see the return of oral traditions in the form of performance poetry, and how video is enabling these performances to be viewed across time zones and borders. To see Kate Tempest situate the realm between poetry and music by winning the Ted Hughes Poetry

Prize and being shortlisted for the Mercury Prize; to see an interest being taken in the impact that lyrics and music have on literature today, particularly after Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016; truly we live in a new and exciting age for the poetic form. See also British-Somali poet Warsan Shire being incorporated into Beyoncé’s recent album Lemonade, in which spoken word interacts and intersects with the lyrics of the songs. Is one more poetic than the other? What does voice say about meaning? Is music just another underappreciated form of literature?

An audiovisual format that perhaps shares more in common with the poem than prose does?

Certainly there is something of a poetical renaissance occurring in our modern age. It is intricately related to the internet and social media, which is simultaneously the bane and the salvation of our humble species and its engagement in literary tradition. Current affairs and the newly evolving manner of receiving information is changing the way that poetry is manifested.

I t cannot be a coincidence that with our cleaner and effervescent forms of social media--the character limit of the tweet, the size of the

Instagram photo, the temporary nature of a snap on Snapchat, the attention seeking curtness of a news headline bulletining our newsfeeds-- that poetry is gaining popularity.

THERE IS SOMETHING OF A POETICAL RENAISSANCE OCCURING IN OUR MODERNAGE It is arguably not about reduction and abjection of quality due to its lack of detail and the more about the short time period in which it is being created. When news travels fast and when anyone with a smartphone is a reporter, art must be capable of keeping up with the overload of new information. The quality that we expect from a novel takes more than a couple of days, or even a couple of hours to be complete, but the poem can be a product of instant reactivity. Take for example Booker Prize winning writer Ben Okri whose poem “Grenfell Tower: June 2017” was written days after the London fire earlier this year. His words epitomised the outrage and the sadness of the tragedy that was a result of neglect: “They did not die when they died,” he writes, “their

deaths happened long/ Before. It happened in the minds of people who never saw/ Them.”

The poem reached over 5 million views on the Channel Four Facebook page alone.

This is the age of social media, of people producing art and making a living self-reliantly.

Poetry sensation Rupi Kaur created a poetic buzz because of her Instagram post which displayed her laying on her bed, with the blood from her menstruation staining her sheets. The post was removed twice by Instagram but the very erasure of the post gave the poet more exposure and her book Milk and Honey has sold over 1.4 million copies, a real feat for a first-time poet and generally for a poetry collection in and of itself. The slam poet Neil Hilborn whose poem “OCD” garnered over 13 million views on YouTube after going viral and who recently embarked on a tour of the UK with sell out shows. What Hilborn and Kaur have in common and what distances them from the Tennysons and Keats’ of a bygone age is that their central concerns and their form or writing is different.

POETRY DOES ITS BEST JOB WHEN IT SIMPLY MAKES US FEEL Not to say that before the 21st century mental health, gender equality, racial equality, class divide and other issues that plague modern life, were never talked about. But the union of the internet and creative forces means that you do not have to be a full-time poet; nor do you need a publishing society supporting your work. Poets nowadays can post a slam up on YouTube, write a short poem for Instagram, or publish their collection in a Chapbook. Great stories, great pieces of art, should be accessible.

They should reflect current sentiments and reveal within us that which we sometimes do not have the language to comprehend. It does not have to be complex, it just has to be meaningful. I think that poetry does its best job when it simply makes us feel; feel comfort, feel connected, feel empathy, feel most assuredly human. New possibilities widen the participation of poetry, making it more accessible than it ever has been. Whether that be diversity of content or the space defying nature of the internet, the world of poetry is indeed expanding.

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EDITORS: Mubanga Mweemba and Maddie Davies

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National Poetry Day: Freedom Exeposé Arts+Lit writers ponder the theme of freedom voiced by their choice of poet

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N apt illustration of not only the virtue of freedom, but also the recurrence of historical struggles in its name, is given by the poem ‘Let America be America Again’. Written in 1935

by Langston Hughes, a player in the artistic movement of the Harlem Renaissance, it describes an unequal America where certain members are marginalised, designated as ‘Other’, and not afforded the chance to participate in the American Dream.

The voices in the poem – people of colour, women, immigrants, the poor – open with a subversive whisper of “America never was America to me”; this murmur rises into a call

to reclaim freedom and opportunity, declaring “America will be!”

The sentiment is especially poignant today as inequality runs rampant, civil wars and persecution displace millions, racial progress seems to regress, and nationalism born of fear stokes anger and distrust. The poem seems to reach out to the reader, reminding them of the unseen, the unheard, and the downtrodden that build the world we take for granted, and dream the dreams they’re excluded from.

Let us continue to wage what they call cultural warfare with the ammunition of wit.

Alexandra Luca

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HAT happens when the freedom to chase your dreams is snatched away from you? John Keats’ poem, ‘When I have fears that I may cease to be’, explores this phenomenon. The freedom to dream, and to one day turn those dreams into reality, is always taken for granted. For Keats, it was the encroaching shadow of mortality that made him dream big and aim high. He had the freedom to dream, but not the freedom to chase those dreams and have them turn from fiction to truth. His faith in his own abilities was unshaken, but he knew his disease would end his life before he could

pursue his dream fully. The tinge of desperation in the poem is due to this undercurrent of fear – Keats “shall never” accomplish all that he hopes for, and eventually will enter a world of “nothingness”, deprived of his freedom to challenge himself to the best of his ability due to his untimely death. It is a kind of anxiety that everyone is familiar with.

John Keats thus encompasses a well-known fear, and values a lesserknown freedom; the loss of life before one has the opportunity to make something of oneself, and the freedom to dream alongside the ability to turn dreams into a reality.

Fatima Zehra

Art from the heart

Bethany Saunders takes us through her process of writing poetry and the inspirations that detail her work

Artist: Bethany Saunders Degree: English BA. 2nd Year Form: Poetry

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poem is an idea caught in the act of ‘dawning’, I read from inside my notebook – in my grandmother’s hand (a published poet, wild-felted with bright berets, orange flares, bleach blond hair; a woman with an admirable mind – we wrote to each other every summer about the light).

I WRITE SURROUNDED BY PILES OF NOTEBOOKS... I RELISH THE CHAOS OF CREATION My writing began with an anecdote about her. The book was a departing gift for university, when I was scared I’d lose my creativity by leaving the ink-strewn disarray of an art foundation to the staunched sphere of distanced academ-

ia; I’d needed the respite of writing, sketching, an angel” - that arrested the imagination and ofthinking beyond the bounds of prescribed read- ten in media res. I sought to capture the epheming. Writing journals is essential to my process; eral immediacy of the present moment, whilst imbuing theory, it’s something philosophy, phystangible on the Acts of Obeyance and Modernity ics and personal page I can cling sentimentality. It to when wracked A treatise on melancholy is endings (and with uncertainty, Felt expelled from the circle, of intelligentsia on the first goodbyes) that I a reminiscence. I Step of becoming, so read instead for pleasure and sit find the most taxwrite surroundBy the window – soft as the rumour, with tea and a pen ing. ed by piles of And roll up cigarettes, wilting beneath the index of a I like my work notebooks, halfFinger, contemplating, the point of lines on the table. to be a conglomopened, halfThinking. It was beautiful to watch. eration of everyperused on the thing, adhering floor, because I Subsidence, mechanical, soulless listing was the trick closely to modrelish the chaos Of poets to keep you listening to the words ernist Gertrude of creation.

Written and the wrong use of phrase was delicious Stein’s short treaWriting poTo the ears creating, music. It’s constructions of tise: “I hear it and etry is one of Embraces not realities that keep us moving, the I love it and I write the hardest, and Imagining and the image. But the truth of things it”. Rather than therefore most Keeps shifting. It’s concerning. taking inspiration rewarding, arts. from other poets Excluding the That’s what we’d thought he was thinking, sat head (though I love overwrought Beneath the hands and the windows murky each morning.

Hughes, Syzemverse of preIt was rhythmic, the system we followed to stay by the borska, Elizabeth pubescence, poCentre of being, been enlisted by the flicker of the light Smart, Sappho), etry has been an To stay standing upright but it’s this language we mould I take it from life alarmingly recent That fictionalises what we believe is right. and direct expediscovery. Only rience, brief enthis year did I beOriginality was not an oversight. counters, somegin to place my mind into stanzas, formerly afraid of its concision. thing a stranger said in the street. Like Woolf, I’d I start writing conventionally, with the begin- wanted to elevate the mundanity of everyday ning: something heard, something seen, a com- life into something beautiful and eurythmic – ment a companion made over coffee - “got called like noting the way a customer in the coffee shop

where I worked over summer sat and thought and talked of the past in ‘Acts of Obeyance and Modernity’. I want to compress the world into words and give it rhythm, something that flows like water yet remains untenable (because poetry has always been song to me). I choose words for aesthetic and aural beauty rather than function; it’s a shameless, heady indulgence and delight in life on a page.

I TAKE [INSPIRATION] FROM LIFE AND DIRECT EXPERIENCES Yet, I rarely share my work except among small circles of close friends, whom I can trust to give an honest, unbiased critique (though I’ve toyed with the idea of anonymity, there’s a certain splendour and romance in remaining unknown, unseen). Whilst I write predominantly for myself (as medicine), my verse improved immeasurably when in discourse with another poet. Though so personal, so connected with the self, poetry only gains life when read and understood, when shared with another. It becomes in the mind of the reader, and feedback is always vital to progression.

My work is not slam, powerful, or harbouring much of a message, not progressive. It simply is. Writing has become an intrinsic faculty of my character. Without it I feel lost, almost insubstantial. Everything, now, is fodder for poetry. I love that.

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EDITORS: Mubanga Mweemba and Maddie Davies

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“Youth is cruel, and has no remorse” Dominic James looks back at the legacy of T.S. Eliot in response to the 129th anniversary of his birth

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HOMAS Stearns Eliot was born in the city of St. Louis in Missouri on 26 September 1888. His immense quality as a poet is impossible to dispute, the lyric ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’ appearing in print before Eliot had turned 27. A poet influenced by the seas he crossed and the riverbanks he occupied, Eliot’s foremost concern was not for the world before him as presented, but rather what images it might conjure in the mind’s eye.

ELIOT’S VOICE CAN BE FOUND IN THE LEAST LIKELY OF PLACES One of many rhetorical questions put forward in Eliot’s work – “do I dare disturb the universe?” – was the central concern of his poetic canon. Moreover, it cannot be denied that it features in the work of every major poet since. Transatlantic and titanic, moving to Paris in 1910 and eventually to London in 1914, Eliot’s voice can be found in the least likely of places. Whether it be the closing verses of Bob

his patronage. Anyone familiar with your average Poet’s Corner in any given bookshop will recognise the famous imprint, to which Eliot dedicated himself. Sometimes criticised for being obtuse and described as “a very penetrating influence, perhaps not unlike the east wind”.

Eliot’s work is remarkably resonant to the ear.

of Chess’ in a great swathe of his poems. For Dylan’s ‘Desolation Row’ or the stage musical example, ‘The Ballad of Shrieking Man’ moves Cats, most of us will be familiar with Eliot within retorts and cycles reminiscent of out realising it.

Eliot: “Coffee’s mad and tea is Yet his impact on the pomad”, “God is mad and I am etry that followed him is mad”. The multitude of undeniable. ‘The Waste dialogues between Land’, published in experience and 1922, produced “a reality, though heap of broken common in most images” that poetry, were so resonate down pristine in Eliot’s the 20th cenwork that they tury. Controare etched into versial poet the minds of laureate Ted those who read Hughes called it. Hence, why we Eliot the poet of are celebrating his “all tongues”; a uniwork half a century fying voice through after his death. which the rubric of realEditor of ‘Faber & ity could be explored in a Photo: wikicommons Faber’ publishing group beconfounding manner, unbound tween 1925 and his death in 1965, by logic or reason. James Fenton, OxEliot witnessed some of the greatest writers in ford Professor of Poetry between 1994-1999, 20th century England, who flourished under mastered the conversational tone of ‘A Game

ON THIS OR ANY OTHER DAY, TAKE THE TIME TO READ ELIOT YOU WILL BE REWARDED Reading only scant poems will embed lines like “I will show you fear in a handful of dust” and “this is the way the world ends/Not with a bang, but a whimper” into your memory like few other poets. In short, on this or any other day, take the time to read Eliot. I can promise you, wholeheartedly, that you will be rewarded.

Happy birthday, T.S. Eliot, thank you for the obscurities and the gentle reminder that “youth is cruel, and has no remorse.”

Prose poetry: no rhyme, nor reason Chloe Kennedy explores the space that prose poetry inhabits

ART IN THE NEWS

sculpts his naturalistic form; the freedom of prose makes his poems all the more direct, with the juxtaposing strands of hilarity and melancholy woven throughout.

Photo: wikicommons

Photo: Hayfestival

ARMITAGE’S POEMS ARE DRAMATIC, HUMOROUS, AND UNPREDICTABLE

Prose poetry creates a great platform. It means that (almost) anything could be poetry, including your shopping list, but this is a separate debate. I’d take up the whole newspaper with that one…

Take Simon Armitage’s ‘Seeing Stars’ as an example. It is catergorised as prose poetry, but in all its wit and unpredictability it could easily be catergorised as under the genre of short stories. What prose poetry is a format to combine the two. Armitage’s poems are dramatic, humorous, and highly unpredictable. The language is full of unexpected puns and often bleak understones brought to life by the swift narratives prose allows. Adventurous stories glitter through the elevated form. Prose poetry appears as prose, but transforms into poetry when read.

Perhaps my favourite prose poet is Michael Rosen - yes, you have probably heard of him through memes, but he is a serious poet too – who captures casual snippets of narrative in a refreshingly clear way. The simplistic language

Photo: Hayfestival

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ROSE poetry or poetic verse? It would be wrong to strictly say that prose cannot be as poetic and comtemplative of language as poetry is; however, the form of prose poetry alleviates the restrictive nature of rigorously rhymed poetry.

So what, then, makes prose into poetry?

Lavish, rich, contemplative language brands poetry, intensifying imagery and emotion.

Conversely (or comparably), appreciation of character, description, and narrative is relished in prose. Therefore, in theory, prose poetry is like a person who dips their toe in two pools; but should there be, or is there, such a thing as these separate pools? If we restrictively pigeonhole poetry and prose, then are we building walls around a beautiful genre of expression?

PROSE POETRY BRIDGES THE GAP IN THE TWO FORMS The idea of the two genres slowly being tied together is demonstrated by the aformentioned poets Simon Armitage and Michael Rosen. Prose poetry as a genre is a truly interesting platform of expression, bending the rules of poetry as well as prose. Poetry does not have to be defined by its length on a page or a rhyme scheme, nor does prose need to be solely there for narrative; elegance and complexity of language are just as essential. Prose poetry bridges the gap in the two forms in an interestingly pleasurable and intricate way, which is forgotten by many.

An American in Paris to close after

Book of Mormon sets new record for

Fifty lost Rudyard Kipling poems

just nine-months in the West End

most expensive manuscript ever

discovered by scholar

music

Samphantastic

Tom Murphy celebrates the results of the 2017 Hyundai Mercury Prize

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OLLOWING last year’s shock of Skepta besting Bowie, grabbing grime’s second Mercury and shaking the British music scene this years award appeared anyone’s for the taking. Kate Tempest’s genre-bending Let Them Eat Chaos was packed with sharp bars and social commentary. Indie behemoths (and previous winners) alt-J and The xx seemed poised to pounce.

But the 2017 Mercury Award will surely be remembered as the moment that humble South London singer-songwriter Sampha Sisay emerged from beneath the shadow of some of the world’s biggest artists.

While the futuristic, neo-soul infused Process might be his debut album, Sampha’s victory is no shock.

Sisay’s frequent collaboration with hip-hop’s heaviest hitters Drake and Kanye as well as Frank Ocean and Solange, two of RnB’s most critically acclaimed artists, has marked him as one to watch for a good few years.

The album’s centrepiece ‘(No One Knows Me) Like the Piano’ is a melanchol-

ic masterpiece, part confessional poem and part piano ballad. Wrapped up in the minimalism of Sampha’s skeletal piano instrumental, the layers of Sampha’s vocal delivery are firmly foregrounded.

Tense, nuanced, and painfully raw, Sampha sways between the crushing loss and beauty of bittersweet memories of a family “that took hold of me and never, never, never let me go”. You will struggle to find another track so tightly with catharsis and vulnerability.

Able to glide effortlessly between sharp metaphors and the grinding reality of the world, Sampha’s phenomenal lyricism entrenches this fixed tone of anxiety. Somehow Sampha seamlessly flits from abstract, thoughtprovoking images of “silhouettes inside a dream” to the harsh fragility of daily life, revealing that he “didn’t really know what the lump was”. Intimacy lies at the heart of the records power.

Sampha possesses a masterful ability to conjure a defined tone of raw powerlessness and uncertainty.

The records sonic diversity is epitomised by ‘Hot Plastic 100°C’. Exquisitely ethereal, Sampha manages to bind perfectly together sounds that should be incongruous and messy. Blending breathless, panic-ridden vocals with the harmonious harp melodies of the tracks instrumental, Sampha succeeds in crafting a song that fully captures the paralysing power of anxiety.

The Mercury Prize judges have rewarded a truly exceptional individual project. With the record written solely by Sampha himself (excluding a singular contribution from hiphop titan Kanye West in writing ‘Timmy’s Prayer’), it’s no wonder the record manages to so perfectly grasp such a recognisable tone. Process is consistently introspective and emotive, a far cry from the insipid lyrics and generic, mind numbing melodies of fellow nominee Ed Sheeran’s Divide.

There’s simply no comparison between the pulsating percussion on Sampha’s ‘Blood on Me’ and the vapid instrumentation that plagues tracks like Sheeran’s banal ‘Shape of You’.

Sampha’s Process pushes the boundaries of what can be expected from a neosoul or RnB record. Overflowing with diverse sounds, Process manages to remain tight and cohesive without the expense of fresh and varied sounds. This unwavering consistency places Process ahead of the chasing pack of Mercury nominees. While the quality of the 140bpm bangers on Stormzy’s Gang Signs and Prayer is unquestionable, fellow South Londoner Michael Omari just does not possess the talent or versatility to craft tracks that warm the heart as well as they light up the dance floor at a rave. Stormzy’s flat, strained vocal performance on ‘Blinded

By Your Grace Pt.2’ is totally incomparable to the consistent warmth of Sampha’s nuanced, fragile vocals.

The rich texture of Sampha’s voice, alongside the sharpness of his lyrical prowess, makes Process an album that flirts so poignantly with human emotion and its creator a worthy recipient of the Mercury Award.

Not to be pretentious, but...

Exeposé Music writers rate and hate your favourite band

SKEPTA

Your name is Hugo (or Hetty), and you’re from Surrey. You’re never seen out of sports stash, even when - especially when - you’re not planning on doing any sport. You go to DSP every week, where you strawpedo VKs, try and fail to pull and stay very quiet about your membership to the Rifle Club. When people ask, you say you’re from London, even though TfL hasn’t yet zoned Cobham.

KATE BUSH

If you’ve ever thought Yorkshire was windy, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was the howling of that Northern breeze - when in fact the lesser-known cause of the wind is in fact the Bushians. These mystical creatures are so enchanted by their goddess, Kate Bush, that they are known to wail in such a high octave that is commonly mistaken for the howling of a wind. The hope is that one day Kate Bush will emerge from her nest in the sky and perform a live concert for them.

ARCTIC MONKEYS

Congratulations, you’ve reached your fourteenth birthday. Grab a bottle of Lambrini and head to your secondary school house party, where all you’ll do is repeatedly bug the host to put ‘R U Mine?’ in the Spotify playlist. In reality, you’d much rather be at home staring at your giant Alex Turner poster and listening to AM. It’s okay, soon you’ll discover that there are other bands in the world.

VAMPIRE WEEKEND

You’ve perfected every nerd’s dream and invented time travel, because somehow you’re lost in 2009. Luckily you have all the best song recommendations at pres, so nobody minds.

KANYE WEST

You honestly just make everyone else look bad. Everyone on Tinder has super liked you. Your presence is a present.

TAYLOR SWIFT

There is no place for you in a civilised society.

BEYONCÉ

You love Beyoncé unconditionally, and will defend her to the death. You would fight a duel in defence of her honour, and personally slay a minor family member for her continued safety.

FRANK OCEAN

You will not shut up about Frank Ocean.

Your Twitter feed is either defending every Frank song as the best Frank Ocean song, Frank Ocean memes, or intense debates with strangers who dare like something else. You have listened to Blonde easily 100 times, and Channel Orange maybe 200 times. When you get drunk you send Snapchats of yourself singing ‘Self Control’ to all your friends. If Frank Ocean were to release a song brutally insulting you by name over the sound of your alarm clock, you’d defend it as song of the decade.

ED SHEERAN

Ed Sheeran die-hard fans are mostcommonly spotted on the doorstep of their family home, flanked with Grecian columns, stroking a dog and pining over the spice next door. They tried weed at a party once and feel they now associate strongly with ‘A-Team’. Their perils include fighting the reality that ginger is a recessive gene and having to explaining to their grandparents why they want to be a musician. Perhaps what is most bewildering about them is that they still can’t get over the fact they’ve learnt to both multiply and divide.

NICKELBACK

Your name is Chad. Even if you’re not a guy, your name is Chad. You like to wear tank tops, jorts and a backwards hat, because it is still 2003 in your heart. Nobody has ever met a Nickelback fan, but you must exist, out there, somewhere.

This is a terrifying fact for anyone who doesn’t listen to Nickelback. Where are you? Please. Do us a favour and stop.

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EDITORS: Alex Brammer and Maddy Parker

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Howling for more

Chloe Edwards, Online Music Editor, catches up with Wolf Alice bassist Theo Ellis about their second LP, Visions of a Life Visions of a Life will be released soon, how are you all feeling?

Good! I’m just excited for people to hear it to be honest, I really like this album.

The first two singles on the album are quite contrasting pieces, was it a conscious decision to release two very different tracks, or were they just two of your favourites?

I think they were the two we wanted to release and show. We’re quite polarised but we’ve always been quite broad, stylistically, so I suppose it shows that aspect of the band. I think when people hear the whole album they’ll start to piece together thematically what it’s about and how it works in cohesion with all of the different songs. We released ‘Yuk Foo’ first because we were really excited about it in the studio and wanted people to hear it, and then ‘D on’t Delete the Kiss-

es’ was one we laboured over for quite a long time. I don’t really know why we did it, but they’re both out now!

The album was produced by Justin Meldal-Johnsen who’s worked with Paramore, how did you go about finding him and working with him?

Justin was suggested to us by someone who works at our record label, and it was only then we realised who he was.

He used to play bass for Beck and we watched this show and were all like ‘who the fuck is that lunatic going mental on stage?!’ and it was Justin playing bass.

Through some weird serendipity, we’ve ended up working with him. He’s got such a broad spectrum of musical style under his belt, like the new Raveonettes record or something hyper-synthy and polished like M83’s album, so his scope is something that really leant itself to us, and he was a good man to render our creative visions in that sense.

Who or what inspired the album, or what were you listening to at the time of its writing and creation?

To be honest, nothing we were listening to at the time directly influenced the album, sonically; I think our sonic influences are always quite subconscious, a n d we tend to go song by song. In terms of what I was listening to at the time, I was getting back into The Saints and the Sex Pistols, but they by no way influenced what we were creating at the time. I was reading a book called England’s Dreaming by Jon Savage and rediscovering my love for ’77 punk music.

After the huge success of My Love is Cool and nominations for the 2015 Mercury Prize and 2016 Ivor Novello Awards, was there a pressure towards your second LP? I suppose there is a pressure for us for it to do well because of the things the first one achieved, but in reality those pressures, for instance, nods from the

Grammys, those things for us aren’t why we do it at all. It was more of a personal pressure that we worried about, which was progressing as songwriters and musicians and creating something that we were equally as proud of but also surpassed what we could have done at the time with My Love is Cool. Whatever comes now, since we finished it, is out of our hands to an extent; we’re not really too worried about what happens because we know that we’ve made something we’re proud of, which I think is the most important thing for the four of us.

You’ve spoken about the impact of constant touring - this summer has seen Reading and Leeds, a USA tour, and an intimate UK tour among others, is it good to be back?

It’s amazing to be back. It’s weird when you become a band that tours as much as we do, it’s a constant cycle of gearing up for tour, then being on tour, and then recovering from tour, it all ends up being this organism that works around touring, which I think is great because we’re a live guitar band that loves to play shows. It’s really nice to actually be back doing what we do best.

Wolf Alice are among one of Britain’s arguably most exciting and contemporary labels, Dirty Hit Records - how did you become involved with them?

I’m really proud to be part of Dirty Hit. It’s quite an eclectic label, of what feels like quite misfit bands. Loads of A&R people were coming to our shows and flirting with the idea of signing us for a long time, but it wasn’t until we were on tour supporting Swim Deep, around three years ago, that Jamie (Oborne, Dirty Hit Records) came to see us in Cambridge. We went and had a really shit Mexican meal, and he said he’d sign us the next day. We desperately needed a record label and wanted to put out an album. He literally did it, he came to the pub the next day with the contract.

You’ve provided songs for recent film soundtracks such as T2 Trainspotting and Ghostbusters, how did you get involved with that?

The Trainspotting thing was literally

overnight. They asked us while I was asleep, I woke up and watched the trailer and we were in it, and I didn’t even know it was going to happen, so they must have just asked our manager to use it. So that was pretty amazing, and I think that was their creative team asking if they could use it. It’s also used at the end of the film. The Ghostbusters one, we wrote a song directly for a specific scene in which it would be used on the radio whilst the characters were doing something, and it had to be a song about ghosts. It ended up just on some soundtrack with Fall Out Boy, but it’s out – we have a song about ghosts. We literally wrote it with that scene in mind.

I’ve noticed you’ve been involved with politics over the last year, for example your involvement with Labour’s General Election campaign, Bands4Refugees – what made you get into all that?

Definitely. It’s quite a polarised time, politically. It feels quite black and white.

We’ve all, as a band, grown a bit older in the public eye, and as you mature you hone your interests and find out what you really believe in in life. With things like Brexit, such vast, seismic changes to a country, and people not having the right information at the time mean a lot of people look to social media as their news outlets, which is a bizarre concept, but it’s happening. Knowing that we have X amount of people following you on Twitter or Instagram it felt like an important thing to do, to talk about something that the four of us believed in. Unfortunately, the Labour Party didn’t win the election but there was a massive shift, and it feels like the young generations are standing up for what they believe in and being truly represented by a pretty good Labour leader, in my opinion.

To finish off, are there any releases, other than your own, that you’re excited for?

I’m currently listening to that Superfood album, Bambino, and I’m really excited about a band called the 404guild who are coming out of South London, they’re amazing.

Wolf Alice’s second album, Visions of a Life, is out September 29th.

AUTUMN MIXTAPE Molly Gilroy ‘Wild as the Wind - David Bowie

Issy Marcantonio ‘Autumn Leaves’ - Eva Cassidy

Lauren Geall ‘Sweater Weather’ - The Neighbourhood

Wil Jones ‘Four Seasons: Autumn’ - Antonio Vivaldi

Ross Rondel ‘Autumnsong’ - Manic Street Preachers

Megan Davies ‘Casimir Pulaski Day’ - Sufjan Stevens

George Stamp ‘November’ - Tyler, the Creator

Chloe Edwards ‘Pumpkin Soup’ - Kate Nash

Mubanga Mweemba ‘Blood I Bled’ - The Staves

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EDITORS: Alex Brammer and Maddy Parker

MUSIC

2 OCT 2017

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So fresh, so Cavern

Exeposé Music writers recap the Exeposé Music freshers gig at Cavern

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ULL disclosure: as an editor on the paper, I had a pretty big hand in putting together the music showcase which Exeposé threw on the Thursday of Freshers. So, I'm hardly going to call it the worst thing in the world. With that being said, the night went way, way better than I ever could have expected.

Ed Hamblie, along with his supporting guitarist Jude Hammond, performed a spectacular first set at Cavern. His soft-spoken folsky style contrasted a lot with the later Psychopomp and Magic Shoppe, but that's no bad thing - it was wonderful to have something which just vibed. It was a great way to ease into the evening, and you should definitely check him out (under the name The Echo Hotel).

Psychopomp's set was as crazy as Ed Hamblie's was relaxing. Their breakout song '2244' got a particularly enthusiastic reception for a song which has yet to be recorded. I'm not sure if there's been a better student band, unless we're count-

ing Radiohead. That sounds like hyperbole, and on some level it is, but I really want to make sure that everyone understands that these guys really do have the potential to make it. I mean, shit, these guys have only been around a year and are performing like they've been touring for a decade.

The evening's headliners were Boston psych-rockers Magic Shoppe, and they were as surreal as you'd expect from their name. Walking into their set hits you with a crushing amount of fuzzy, reverbed-out guitar at deafening levels. If that puts you off, it shouldn't; they match their volume with an equal amount of infectious melodies that'll have you humming for days afterward. I don't know about your personal tastes, but between these three sets and the 90s club night that followed the bands, this was easily the best night of my Freshers.

Don't miss any of these guys if you're given the chance.

Alex Brammer, Music Editor

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N the swill of drink and dark they hush to hear. Heads raise up, white in the light. Fingers tap thighs in time to the music. In short, the crowd is awestruck.

One girl dances with her hands in the air, beer bottle half-drunk and a smile playing round her mouth. She’s dressed like an antiques shop. The room swells with the bassline.

It started in dim light. We were lounging by walls thick with sound even before anything had begun, watching students filter down the stairs with their coats tied round their waists. It’s the atmosphere in Cavern I live for, the people – alternative, interesting, with something to say. The freshers huddled in corners smiling, a little nervous, but I felt a kinship there. The fishnet, glitter-eye, loose-shirt, rippedjean, hair-swaying cacophony – it was sweet, the way we came together in the burst of song before we hit the air again outside, still shaking from the vibes.

The night was art, in a way. Every face turned a brushstroke, the spill of a

Anthem for no progress?

Alex Brammer, Music Editor, reviews the new album from Godspeed You! Black Emperor GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR Luciferan Towers 27 January

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ODSPEED You! Black Emperor claims to have recorded this latest album in a burning motorboat, and in all honesty that doesn’t sound too far off the mark. It’s typically blasting, oppressive post-rock from one of the few bands that seem to have created themselves a vaguely mainstream presence – whether it’s showing up in an episode of Silicon Valley for some reason, or having the original version of 28 Days Later cut to their music, Godspeed are one of the few true pop-cultural powerhouses in an otherwise outsider genre.

This record’s liner notes are pretty on the nose as far as meaning goes; Godspeed were always pissed off about industrial capitalism, but for the first time they’re directing that rage in a deliberate direction - by going for the jugular about the Grenfell fire and the way it was handled. I think it’s most obviously impacted the album through the removal of all the spoken-word recordings that have traditionally marked their music on this album. Instead, we’re just left with their usual epic, almost orchestral arrangements mixed with occasional fuzzed-out am-

bient interludes. Even these intervals have been drastically cut back, though; fans of the more atmospheric moments on earlier records will be hard pressed to find any contemplation outside of 'Anthem For No State, Part I' and 'Part II' of the same song.

The result is Godspeed’s most drivingly intense record – perhaps ever, certainly in a while. And that’s a great thing for the kind of person who’s really into the louder and heavier aspects of Godspeed. But I can’t help but feel like something’s been lost by cutting it out. On anyone else’s album, a five to ten minute interlude made up of some rambling bloke over a guitar drone would feel deeply pretentious and lame. But on a Godspeed album – well, it’s post-rock so pretentious is a given, but l a m e i t is not.

Instead, on a lot of their albums the field recordings give real space for serious meditation on the rest of the album, and to get ready for the next bit. On this album they don’t really give the listener a huge amount of breathing room to get ready between their grander mo-

ments, and while that might be a deliberate point for the members of Godspeed, I can’t help but feel like it’s a big misstep.

That’s not to say this is a bad album.

It’s not - not at all, not by any means. It’s a really solid service to the fans, and an album that’ll take a long time to fully digest. But Godspeed’s discography has been consistent in being the arguable best in post-rock for a long, long time now – and to put out an album that’s merely very, very good doesn’t really feel like enough. With that being said, 'Anthem For No State' is simply classic Godspeed in the way it washes over you and does away with fifteen minutes just like that, and album opener 'Undoing A Luciferian Towers' is one of Godspeed’s more experimental tracks in a while, with the dissonance turned all the way up to eleven. It’s a fantastic record, but – and excuse me while I sound extremely spoilt for a moment – it’s not enough from the band which has given us such incredible music in the past.

Ultimately, while this is a good album with an important message about Grenfell, this is not Godspeed’s best work. If you’re already into Godspeed You! Black Emperor, go for it – but you’ll probably want to listen to Yanqui U.X.O. afterwards. If you’re not, go for the pitchblack apocalypse of F# A# Infinity or their masterpiece Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven. This is a decent album, but it’s a little shocking that an album so clearly intends to be Godspeed’s most focused to date feels far less punchy and far more paunchy.

note or a pint like fractured light, fans by the front mouthing Psychopomp’s words, moon-eyed, swaying. Ed Hamblie’s quiet musings cut strongly against the brash disarray of Magic Shoppe. Music’s a kind of purgatory, sticking you in an answerless state of consumption in another’s creativity. It was me and the beat and that high of being with people, all caught in the same sound waves and closed from the world of worry.

Bethany Saunders

Image: Psychopomp

REMEMBER THIS? NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS The Boatman's Call 3 March 1997 Perhaps the excitement of the new term is wearing off; perhaps you’ve got those postfreshers’ blues (or that dreaded freshers’ flu), or maybe actually having to go into lectures is bringing you down. Perhaps you’re missing home, missing your mum, your dad, your cat, your dog, or your pet iguana. Well, if you came here to be cheered up, then you came to the wrong place. Sorry.

The Boatman’s Call is atmospheric, melancholy, and quintessentially Nick Cave. From the mournful piano of opening song ‘Into My Arms’ (which will invariably cause anybody who has seen the film About Time to well up a little) to the rumbling spoken word intoning over ‘Green Eyes’, the album is a powerful, metaphor-driven journey through love and sorrow. It's a heart-wrenching, low-tempo odyssey from start to finish, perfect for those sleepless 5AM nights or those long, dragging Thursday afternoons.

Despite several tracks worming their way into the mainstream, Nick Cave remains criminally underappreciated for an artist who has made such a prolific and wide-ranging contribution to popular culture. So, this is my shameless plug for Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - and if you only listen to one of their albums, make it this one.

Graham Moore, Deputy Editor

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Pennywise for your thoughts Tash Ebbutt, Deputy Editor, gives her take on the latest adaptation of Stephen King’s classic IT Director: Andy Muschietti Bill Skarsgård, Finn Wolfhard 2017, 135 minutes.

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NCE upon a time clowns roamed the earth, making children giggle through brightly painted faces, jokes, and overly large feet. Oh, how that has changed. Forget happiness; the clown has now transformed into a sinister figure that you would never invite to your child’s birthday party. The big screen has contributed to this stigma (alongside killer clowns), and Stephen King’s IT is a prime offender. As an avid King fan, I was unbelievably excited for this adaptation, and being such a huge fan of the novel, I went in with high hopes and expectations. Four words: it did not disappoint.

Now, I’ve heard some reviews from various people about the film not being scary enough. I can understand this argument - it does often rely on jump scares - but personally I found it terrifying. Evidently, as I was the only one in the cinema who actually screamed. The special effects of course aided this fear factor; the way in which Pennywise was brought to life with such effects

made the imposing cruelty of this monstrous entity all the more powerful. But of course, it wasn’t just IT that needed to be horrific; the filmmakers had to visibly convey the effects of IT on the children involved. Effects allowed the vivid descriptions from the novel to explode across the screen and really play upon the audience’s minds.

As an adult (*shudders*) it is important to appreciate that a child’s fear will be different to your own, but the manner in which the young characters’ fears were transposed made you empathise with them deeply. You were Bill, or Eddie, or Bev; you felt their fears, and you felt Pennywise claw into your mind, talons scraping across thoughts that you know are irrational, and yet still felt so unbelievably real from the safety of your thea-

tre seat. But it isn’t just Pennywise the kids have to contend with. There are overbearing or neglectful families, bullies, changing friendships, and unknown new feelings.

Sometimes dubbed a coming of age tale, the filmmakers wisely chose to closely interweave such themes with the presence of Pennywise. The aforementioned empathy shines through because everyone has gone through one of the scariest processes of all: growing up. This normalcy of aging, of change, of new things completely contrasts the abnormality of Pennywise. The setting also contributes to this contrast; the picturesque town of Derry doesn’t initially strike one as a town haunted by centuries of despair, and this emphasises the polluting and corrupting presence of absolute evil.

The casting in this new adaptation also proved excellent. Bill Skarsgård truly strikes an alarming figure as Pennywise; he manipulated his tall, lanky appearance to an almost puppetlike effect, truly exhibiting the now iconic creepy clown vibe that Pennywise inhabits. The prosthetic work done was masterfully sinister, although much was done practically by Skarsgård himself. The kids themselves were all cast spectacularly, and the fidelity in character from book to film only further heightened my praise.

The costume design is another area of merit.

You get the typical eighties vibes from the children, but again it is Pennywise’s outfit which really impressed. It appears old and somewhat ragged, but it is the variety of different elements incorporated which help to capture his true nature. One of the key characteristics of Pennywise is that he is ancient; a dark entity that has been terrorising Derry every 27 years for millennia.

The fact his costume showcases different styles from the various eras serves to highlight this, making his demonic visage even stranger. That and it’s just creepy full stop.

To conclude, I really enjoyed this film! I highly recommend you see it, especially if you are a King fan. If you’re not, this may be the film to get you hooked onto the master of horror.

Leaving the nightmares behind Alexandra Luca questions whether horror film are entering a new, promising era

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ARLIER this month movie-goers were creeped to their core by a nebulous evil whose preferred shape is that of Pennywise the Dancing Clown – perhaps the most terrifying creation that people once (perplexingly) found innocuous enough for children’s parties.

IT is so popular that even if you haven’t watched it you know enough from the constant memes and pranks floating to the top of your newsfeed. The 2000’s have been jam-packed with predictable horror flicks, jump-scares, and torture-porn ad nauseam, so naturally, the well crafted IT has people wondering if this is a turn in the road for the genre.

The repetitive plots, characters and countless revamps/sequels of most traditional horror films – Friday the 13th, Texas Chainsaw Mas-

sacre, Paranormal Activity – means it doesn’t take much effort to churn them out like identical sticks of butter. It also means viewers become desensitised. We’re so used to this format that when I saw Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook, I struggled to reconcile the jump-scare filled trailer with the nuanced story about the psychological powers of grief.

Good horror or thrillers get to you in a sleeping with the lights on sort of way, or making you question the human condition like Get Out did for me. Which brings me to my next point.

In his book Danse Macabre, Stephen King famously said that movies “are the dreams of mass culture”, whilst “horror movies are the nightmares”. Social issues and

fears of our collective consciousness come alive in this genre. Let’s take the fear of contamination brought on by an interconnected, globalised world – this theme has been done (and redone) so much that looking at a list of zombie or contagion related cinematic creations of the last few decades makes your head hurt.

Sometimes they’re done memorably, like I Am Legend, but most just get lost in the crowd.

It is difficult to argue that the release of Jordan Peele’s Get Out at a time when racial tensions and anti-immigrant feelings are taking centre stage is a coincidence. Similarly, Schults’ It

Comes at Night has the characters trying to protect themselves from a crumbling apocalyptic world only to find out the true danger comes from within. If I took anything from IT, it is that we all have something we’re afraid of. Worthwhile horror uses these concepts well.

Is cheap horror an endangered species?

Hate or love them, they still make a lot of money. Later this year, yet another Saw and another Chucky movie are scheduled for release. Throughout horror movie history, occasional surprises like The Shining, Silence of the Lambs, or Sixth Sense come riding on a wave of forgettable flicks. So maybe we’ll have to wait and see - but if it weren’t for the commonplace, the exceptional wouldn’t exist.

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Not just a one-trick pony B

Alex Wingrave takes a look at the latest series of Bojack Horseman

OJACK Horseman has been a great show for a while now. Its vicious, honest depiction of depression, existentialism and the human condition, juxtaposed with inventive visual puns and a world of talking animals, make for a compelling and unique viewing experience; a beautiful balance between moronic and poetic. But season four of the Netflix animated series is going to stay with me for a long time. There are glimmers of hope as usual, but it delves into the messy psyches of Bojack and his supporting cast like never before, in riveting, touching, and at times, genuinely horrifying ways.

DELVES INTO THE MESSY PSYCHES OF BOJACK AND HIS SUPPORTING CAST LIKE NEVER BEFORE This season plays with time in very interesting ways; there are time jumps in various episodes, mostly used for hilarious ends, and while the show has never shied away from using flashbacks, they come to the forefront this year, investigating the tragic history of the Horseman family. It’s also a very introspective year for our beloved Hollywood residents; there’s a loose season arc, but the focus is on giving every major character a bigger spot-

light in shorter bursts, allowing for some of the deepest exploration of the motivations and regrets that drive each person yet.

Probably the goofiest and most lovable character on the show, Todd Chavez, gets into all his usual surreal and amusing scrapes. But there’s also intimate attention given to his independence and his newly-realised asexuality; it’s great to see some honest and interesting representation of the ace community in television.

Princess Carolyn is a woman finally trying to add a family to her life, and her journey this season as she re-evaluates her priorities is, in true Bojack style, heartbreaking. Diane continues to fight the materialistic and misogynist world around her in her new role as a writer for BuzzFeed knock-off Girl Croosh, and the show’s continued biting satire of American patriarchy provides some of the best laughs.

Mr Peanutbutter’s foray into politics is predict-

ably funny (with a wonderfully deadpan turn from Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Andre Braugher as his rival Woodchuck Couldchuck-Berkowitz), and the show continues to unabashedly portray his fractured marriage with Diane. Cameos from Jessica Biel, Zach Braff and RuPaul, among others, add hilarious nuggets of the pop culture parody which the show does so well.

Finally, our lead, Bojack Horseman, who’s story revolves around an emerging family.

His senile mother, Beatrice, coupled with a world-shattering new arrival, help to delve into Bojack’s depression, anxiety, and luckless desire to become a better person in a raw and disturbing manner. Will Arnett continues to excel at delivering tragically moving monologues, both inside and outside Bojack’s head. There is one episode in this season that moved me to tears and left me in stunned silence for min-

utes afterwards. It is still haunts and horrifys me as I write. The show has always been hardhitting, but it hits a new level of brutality this time round. To be honest it’s the reason I did this review. It’s truly painful and a mesmerising episode of television. It’s an incredible testament to Raphael Bob-Waksberg’s creation that an animated comedy about brightly coloured humanoid animals delivers some of the darkest, most powerful pieces of drama I’ve seen all year.

Short film competition

Submission Details:

SEASON 4 DELIVERS SOME OF THE DARKEST, MOST POWERFUL PIECES OF DRAMA Many shows tiptoe round the issues of mental illness and how sometimes, things just don’t get better. People with depression, or asexuals, or anyone suffering in our discriminative society rarely get the representation they deserve. But Bojack Horseman continues to tackle life’s darker problems with a refreshing frankness, and this kind of honesty is so important to see on television. Season 4 has the show looking inwards at its core characters to produce its best work yet, a collection of hilarious, unsettling, and important moments of raw humanity. Who knew a cartoon anthropomorphic horse could be so real?

CAMPUS CINEMA SCHEDULE Tuesday 3rd October, 6.30pm/9pm The Beguiled

Sunday 8th October 6pm/9pm War For The Planet of the Apes

Tuesday 10th October, 6.30pm/9pm Atomic Blonde

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S a celebration of its 20th anniversary the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum are looking to commission a group of students to produce a short film commemorating the work of Bill Douglas.

Containing over 75,000 artefacts, the museum is the premier film museum in the UK. It’s open to visit for free every day, between 10am and 5pm.

To enter, they are looking for people to submit a 200-word synopsis of their proposal.

The winning pitch will be rewarded with a £200 commission to produce the film, with help from filmmaker David Salas. It’s a standout opportunity for any student looking to gain some unmissable filmmaking experience.

• The deadline is the 6th October 2017.

• The film must be completed within four weeks of commission.

• Films are expected to be between three and ten minutes.

• You must submit a statement (150 words) about the film and how its inspired by Bill Douglas or the museum.

• You must also leave your contact details: name, mobile, email address, and student number of all those in the group.

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FENTON’S FILM OF THE WEEK

Collateral (2004)

EDITORS: Fenton Christmas and Ben Faulkner

BEN’S FILM OF THE WEEK

American Beauty (1999)

2 OCT 2017

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FOREIGN FILM OF THE WEEK

DIRECTOR OF THE WEEK

Ida (2013)

Edgar Wright

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Unoriginal sin

Chloe Kennedy wonders whether Hollywood is becoming creatively bankrupt

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RIGINALITY is coming scarily close to being lost in twenty-first century cinema. Nowadays, a somewhat rare trip to the cinema is often forgotten due to the churning out of franchises and live-action remakes. But is this culture the result of us not wanting to face change and innovative ideas?

We’re so used to our usual three-act structure, when this is stripped from us, it is often suddenly given a ‘no good’ and ‘not worth seeing’ from many film-goers and critics. Why then do we complain that nothing is fresh anymore?

DISMISSING A FILM BECAUSE IT IS SLIGHTLY OUT OF THE ORDINARY IS FRIVOLOUS AND LACKLUSTRE Darren Aronofsky, while promoting his new film Mother! on the podcast Kermode and

Mayo’ Film Review, stated that people get put off and a bit freaked out when a film doesn’t strictly follow the money-making rules, shouting: “woooh, wooh, where is my three-act structure?

Where is the nice comfort zone I was promised when I paid £10 to sit in a dark room for two hours and not talk to anyone?!”.

Aronofsky argues that “films have become very literal and yet they are the great pathways into dream state”, more needs to be obscure so that film-goers aren’t spoon-fed, for originality to be found once more. Replicating

the same films because they succeed at box office cannot be the potential of film; that’d be a very bleak film future.

Unfortunately, the films that often get praise from the critics are the ones who harness the ‘rules of cinema’, following the expected threeact structure.

However, when this is thrown off, the audience have to fill the gaps which, with a form where so much is given to you, can unfortunately be too much effort.

Aronofsky’s comment on cinema being a ‘great pathway

to dream state’ is a great way to embrace the weirdness that films have the potential of portraying. Dreams often move from scene-toscene with relative incoherence and certainly no three-act structure; bringing this into film is a great way to get out of the unoriginal loop of Hollywood.

MORE NEEDS TO BE OBSCURE SO THAT FILM GOERS AREN’T SPOON FED Of course, there is the threat of a film not making any sense at all, which would become a problem here, but dismissing a film because it is slightly out of the ordinary is a frivolous, lacklustre, and ultimately unproductive complaint. More people as well as Hollywood itself need to embrace the unusual and exhibit utter creativity!

No soggy bottoms here

Alicia Rees, Comment Editor, sinks her teeth into the new look Great British Bake Off

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NDENIABLY the jewel in the crown of British TV, The Great British Bake Off is back with a vengeance. After its move to Channel 4 and the loss of Mel, Sue, and Mary Berry, most of us sat with baited breath to see what would remain of the star show.

Well, in all honesty, everything remained. If you squint your eyes enough it is exactly the same. The tent, the structure, the equipment, Paul’s snakey-ness, it’s all present. Sandy Toksvig is the new Mel, Noel Fielding is Sue, and

Prue Leith is almost indistinguishable from Mary Berry.

Of course there are now ad breaks to contend with but for me, these are perfectly timed. They never interrupt a challenge yet still manage to provide a bit of suspense before the big ‘Star Baker’ announcement and chance

to make a cuppa to settle your nerves. There’ve been a few new technical bakes so far but otherwise the format is an identical copy and paste job. What more could you want?

Some eyebrows have been raised in particular about Noel Fielding’s capabilities as a host. True, he’s not quite

Sue but he’s not half bad. His subtle, nervous humour which reminds me of when you meet your significant other’s parents for the first time yet certainly shows promise. Sandy Toksvig is hilarious as ever and provides a nice balance when paired with Noel.

Some die-hard bake off fans may disagree, but for me, Channel 4 have definitely not got themselves a soggy bottom. Bake Off is, and will always be, quintessentially BBC and hold the dearest place in the nation’s hearts.

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STUDY BREAK CROSSWORD # 100

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Down 1 2 3 5 6 7 11 13

See 18 Hunch - uni into it? (anagram) (9) Quickness - swiftness (5) Perform (on stage, say) (3) Water-based Olympic sport (7) False (6) Improvised (rap) (9) Branch of science associated with 24 9 (7) 14 Place for teaching (6) 18/1Award in 13 that 24 9 won in 1921 for their 15 = 4 3 of 192 theory and other contributions (5,5) 19 Illumination (5) 21 Organ of sight (3)

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riddle me this 1. You Answer me although I never question you.

What am I? 2. I am the beginning of the end, and the end of time and space. I am essential to creation, and I surround every place.

What am I? 3. What’s about 6 inches long, goes in your mouth, and is more fun if it vibrates?

4. Lighter than what I am made of, More of me is hidden Than is seen.

6. What has a head, a tail, is brown, and has no legs?

3. A toothbrush. Of course. 4. An iceberg, 5. A penny.

Riddles: !. A telephone, 2. The letter e. End, timE, spacE, Every placE, 13 Physics, 14 School, 18/1 Nobel Prize, 19 Light, 21 Eye. Down: 2 Intuition, 3 Speed, 5 Act, 6 Sailing, 7 Untrue, 11 Freestyle, 24/9 Albert Einstein.

Energy, 16 Cyan, 17 Honestly, 20 Dive-bomb, 22 Yoga, 23 Seem, Across: 1 Priest, 4 Mass, 8 Gift, 10 Reminder, 11 Fair, 12 Spoils, 15

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Science

SCIENCE EDITORS: Luke Smith Leah Crabtree

Blaze of glory

Graham Moore, Deputy Editor, looks back on the achievements of Cassini

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F I had to pick a theatrical way to go out, then being quickly vaporised in a fiery blaze of glory whilst plunging into Saturn’s atmosphere early one September morning would rank quite high on that list. It certainly proved a fitting end for NASA’s Cassini probe, which culminated its twenty-year voyage of discovery on 15 September after providing numerous significant contributions to our understanding of Saturn and its surrounding bodies.

The Cassini was launched from Cape Canaveral on 15 October 1997 on a Titan IVB Centaur, set to arrive at Saturn by 2004. The initial stages of its voyage out included several calculated gravitational assists from other planets; this saw Cassini pass Venus twice, the first time achieving an acceleration of 7km/s. A flyby of the Earth on 17 August 1999 gave the craft an additional 5.5km/s boost. Alongside its own survey equipment, the Cassini also carried the ESA’s Huygens probe, which hitched a ride in ‘sleep mode’ en route to its eventual destination on Titan, where it would go on to conduct

its own research mission.

In December 1999, Cassini became only the seventh spacecraft to pass through the asteroid belt. The area is not actually considered a hazard, and whilst there the probe was able to utilise its onboard CDA (Cosmic Dust Analyser) to study the region, providing influential new data.

By 31 October 2002, the team were able to shoot their first test images of Saturn from a range of 285 million kilometres – nearly twice the distance between the Earth and the Sun, and still twenty months before the probe’s projected arrival.

The probe performed just about perfectly On Thursday 1 July 2004, the Cassini/Huygens combined probe became the first vessel to orbit Saturn, an occasion which only somewhat overshadowed its discovery of two new moons – Methone and Pallene, three and five kilometres in diameter respectively – the day before. After over

seven years travelling together, the Huygens detached on 23 December; its eventual landing on the surface of Titan some three weeks later an outstanding success for the ESA, marking the only landing to date in the outer solar system and setting the record for the furthest successful landing from planet Earth.

Although the immense distances travelled by Cassini are undoubtedly impressive, it is the information gathered by the probe once in Saturn’s system that is truly exciting, and the groundbreaking facts revealed about the moon Enceladus which are perhaps most interesting. On 16 February 2005, scientists noticed surprising readings from the craft’s magnetometer, indicating something – potentially an atmosphere – pushing back at Saturn from the vicinity of the moon. Use of the CDA revealed clouds of tiny particles, and further investigation led to examination of the moon’s southern pole. This area, the topography of which radiated heat and consisted of various fractures, craters, and fissures, proved to be not only the source of

the particle clouds but also of considerable amounts of water vapour. From these ‘geysers’ the team surmised the presence of subterranean liquid water pockets; further sampling revealed a veritable cocktail comprising volatile gases, water vapour, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and organic materials, some twenty times denser than expected.

Further analysis of Enceladus revealed Earth-like tectonic activity beneath its surface, and later sampling from Saturn’s outer rings revealed deposits of sodium – which, due to their location, could only have come from Enceladus – of such significant size that the moon’s subterranean water deposits were concluded to be of previously unexpected volume in order to have dissolved and held such quantities of the element. By late 2009, discovery of ammonia in the area provided the final piece of evidence for large amounts of liquid water beneath Enceladus, and in 2016 the presence of hydrogen – pumped through Enceladus’ subterranean waters by hydrothermal activity – proved the moon

The hunter games

perhaps the most likely location for extraterrestrial life in our solar system.

Other notable discoveries by Cassini include yet another moon in orbit around Saturn (the adorably tiny Aegaeon, at 0.3km in radius), the presence of an oxygen and carbon dioxide infused exosphere around Rhea, and readings from ‘interstellar dust’ believed to originate far outside of our solar system. Reflecting on the mission, program manager Earl Maize said that the probe had performed “just about perfectly”, adding that the team had managed to accrue “every last second of data”. By April 2017, the craft had executed the ‘Ring Dive’ manoeuvre and began its final course towards the planet’s surface. NASA’s officially timeline cheerfully proclaimed that Cassini, after two decades of faithful service, would be “crushed and vaporized by the pressure and temperature of Saturn’s final embrace”. When signal was finally lost at approximately 1:45am GMT on 15 September, we said a final farewell to Cassini – the probe which boldly went where no probe had ever gone before.

Tash Ebbutt, Deputy Editor, discusses some of the sneakiest hunters in the animal kingdom

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recent study on African penguins has revealed that they are real team players when it comes to hunting. It was discovered that these specific penguins are 2.7 times more efficient at catching prey when they work together. Their technique is simple, they herd the fish into large balls, encircling to the point of no escape. The fish that do peel away from the ball are just an easy target.

The birds’ plumage only assists this inescapability. The black colour camouflages them into the dark sea, the darkness mirroring the lack of hope for their victims. This superior hunting technique has led to a little contemplation on what members of the animal kingdom have unusual or slightly strange hunting techniques. I’ve picked a few who I deem to be pretty amazing!

As our first contender, we have the net casting spiders. These creatures

use their silk to construct a stamp sized net which can enclose victims in a rapid fashion. Moths, ants and even other spiders (#cannibalism) fall prey to this sneaky trap. It constructs the trap through placement of target points made of white faeces. It then holds the net between the points with its front legs and suspends the rest of its body from a thread. Next, it waits.

As soon as a victim appears, it lunges and quickly bites into the flesh of its fresh meal. But this ploy isn’t the only skill these arachnid hunters possess. They have exceptionally large eyes which have the ability to see in low light. This ability has earnt them the alter ego “ogre-faced spiders” which is pretty Shrek-tacular.

Next up is the margay, also known as the tree ocelot. Although mimicry is rife in the animal kingdom, this predator takes the crown. It pos-

sesses the ability to mimic the cry of a baby pied tamarin monkey in order to attract curious adult monkeys. Once the adult is near, the predator meets prey. Of course, cats are renowned for their physical ability but these cats obviously have an element of psychological cunning to act their way to a tasty meal.

Frogfishes are another interesting batch of hunters. They are similar to the anglerfish in their use of a lure but instead of an enticing light it extends an appendage that resembles a dangling worm. Once prey is in sight they jiggle their lure. Even if their worms are bitten off, the creature has the ability to regenerate *cue Doctor Who music*. As soon as the bait is received, the fish sucks its victim with its overly large mouth in miliseconds. It is said that this creature has one of the quickest ambush times in the animal kingdom.

Another group hunter of interest is the humpback whale.

The whales swim in an upward spiral below the shoal of fish.

Whilst this occurs, they shoot columns of air bubbles to the surface.

The fish will not swim through these bubble pillars so they act as a net to ensnare the fish. A rather ingenious

hunting technique to feed some of the largest stomachs on this planet.

The creature has the ability to regenerate Finally, we have two contestants who are competing in the same event.

The green heron and the jaguar both use the surface of the water to hunt.

The green heron picks up small objects and drops them into the water.

The motion attracts the fish to the surface where upon the heron swoops in. Instead of small objects the jaguar uses its tail as a waterlogged insect or a piece of fallen fruit. Fish are attracted to this disturbance and investigate.

The winner of this contest is however the heron, for although the jaguar’s antics have been recorded since 1830 by various authors, it has never been proven by researchers.

SCIENCE

Policing in the past?

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Rhys Davies, Online Science Editor, assesses the threat to our public services from hackers

S students and as members of a technological generation, we tend to pride ourselves on being a bit more tech-savvy than our elders.

Maybe your parents or grandparents will need help with ‘The Google’, or they will want to know what ever happened to that happy little paper clip from a few years ago. These things are expected. But unfortunately time goes on, and as more new tech comes out and the capability of these machines becomes exponentially better, changes must be made.

There is a temptation to stick to what we know, to what we have. One's laptop seems like a trusty old car or even a well-honed musical instrument. It gets the job done, more or less. It’s a bit slow, sure, but you’ve had it for so long now: it works fine, and it has all of your best photos on it.

Still running Windows XP is like driving a car from 15 years ago Unfortunately, this same mindset seems to be shared by many of the UK's regional police forces, except they set themselves into the habit way back

in 2001. Manchester’s police force, the second biggest in the UK, has admitted to 1 in 5 of their computers still running on the Window XP, with 1,518 of their computers still running the almost two decades old operating system. That’s over 20% of their office systems.

Now, some of the more techsavvy readers here might say that this is not necessarily an issue - which it wouldn't be, so long as those computers were isolated.

But they’re not.

They’re connecting directly to the public internet, and essentially exposing themselves to all sorts of malevolence.

This is what happened to the NHS in May. Ransomware known as Wannacry infiltrated weak links in the network and scrambled files, making them inaccessible and unusable. As a result, appointments were cancelled and they were charged to retrieve these files.

The attack on the NHS was dealt with relatively quickly; following some simple steps the malware was easy enough to remove, even if files were lost. Updates from Microsoft (which had been released prior to the attack but not in-

stalled) fixed the vulnerability quickly enough. However, Windows XP does not get the frequency of updates as more up-to-date systems. Its old, it’s not a focus anymore, and as a result remaining vulnerabilities are not sought out.

Still running Windows XP right now is like still driving a car from 15 years ago, with hundreds of thousands of miles on the clock, without a windscreen, and with a bumper sticker that gives the person behind you the code to your building.

The use of old systems does not just affect the individual machine - as long as those systems remain on the network, hackers have access to any connected machines too. If the same attack happened to the police, not only would they all be more vulnerable but recovery would take longer, and it would be harder to remove the malware and deal with the problem.

Files rendered inaccessible could mean everything in a court case. Evidence could be lost or tampered with, aliases and plans could be unearthed and published. The police’s vulnerability makes the country more vulnerable.

Manchester's police force admitted to 1 in 5 of their computers still running on Windows XP When asked under a Freedom of Information request, the vast majority of UK police forces refused to reveal the number of computers still running XP citing security reasons, with the exception of 8 forces. These were running less than ten Windows XP computers, most of which were properly isolated.

To give you an idea of just what this might mean, the BBC has revealed that in 2015 London’s Metropolitan Police Service (the MET) had 35,640 computers still running Windows XP. The MET is the largest police force in the country and the fact they operating with such outdated systems showcases vulnerability and is highly concerning. Something needs to change.

IgNobel Prizes

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Ruth Braham examines some of the most bizarre things to be explored in the name of science

HE IgNobel prize honours the most baffling questions that science has to offer, giving centre stage to papers which make you laugh at first, but then lead you to a deeper level of thought. Given the recent release of the 2017 prizewinners it seems only right to give some (dis) honourable mentions to the questions they have so valiantly asked for science!

Physics: Can a cat be both a solid and a liquid? Rheology – the study of the flow of matter, and the subject of our first paper which asks the question: do cats flow? Obviously, everything flows, for a given value of flow.

But cats appear to have the re-

markable ability to fit in just about any container, even if they do not have the ability to extricate themselves. Whilst a heavy air of sarcasm runs through this paper it poses some interesting questions about our need to classify things, breaking them down into finite groups when such groups rarely exist. For this alone it is a worthy winner of an IgNobel prize!

Fluid Dynamics: A study on coffee spilling. Why do we spill coffee as we walk?This paper tackles a bane of everyday life. However, the answer is deceptively simple: the classic cylindrical coffee mug is not well de-

signed to contain liquid as it resonates up and down as you walk, causing the coffee to spill over the side and get your shoes wet. It must be noted that this paper goes beyond answering the question and proposes a radical solutions, suggesting new ways of holding your beverage and even designing new spill proof cups. Solving one of the most dire first world problems surely means it deserves an award, right?

Anatomy: Why do old men have big ears? A chance observation put under scientific scrutiny. Members of the Royal College of General Practitioners were asked how best

to get GPs involved in regular research when someone, in a moment of pure

erudition, asked the question “Why do old men have big ears?”. This simple statement caused immense debate and was eventually put to the test. It turns out average ear size does increase as you age (increasing an average of 0.2 cm/year), but this stands out as a prime example of the scientific method, as posited by the likes of Kuhn and Einstein: a chance observation put to the test in (relatively) rigorous experimental conditions to achieve a fact-based answer. Also of note is the willingness of those asked to take part in the study, showing how public interest and involvement are of vital importance to the scientific community.

Cognition: Is that me or my twin? Despite increasing interest in twin studies, the ability of adult identical twins to discriminate their own faces from those of their twins has hardly been investigated. Given the high amount of resemblance between twins we are missing out on a unique opportunity to

study how we process faces. This paper highlights a previously ignored opportunity, as well as throwing up some interesting questions about perception and our own concept of self.

Economics: The effect of crocodiles on gambling. They say never smile at a crocodile, but should you gamble with one? The answer depends.

When “at-risk” people were set to gambling after being given a saltwater crocodile to hold, those who reported few negative emotions placed higher average bets, whereas those who reported many negative emotions placed lower average bets. This may seem random but it demonstrates what happens when we are placed in a state of emotional arousal, and how this affects our behaviour, which is a very important question with vast implications for sociological and behavioural sciences.

For what it’s worth, these are just a selection of the papers that are out there - more information about the prizes and a full list of winners from this and previous years can be found online. You may just find something that makes you laugh, possibly even making you think - just a little bit!

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SPORT

The road to Kiev

2 OCT 2017 | EXEPOSÉ

Charlie Morgan casts an eye over the Champions League group stages Group A Manchester United, FC Basel, CSKA Moscow & Benfica After two fixtures, it seems implausible that Jose Mourinho’s ruthless United side will not finish top of the group. With seven goals scored, and distinctly mediocre competition from the other teams in the group, there is little doubt they will go through as winners. Benfica appear unable to replicate their imperious Primeira League form in Europe and have lost both of their games. Basel, though appearing toothless against United, put five past Benfica and look to be the team to beat out of United’s challengers.

Predicted winners: Manchester

Group c

Group B PSG, Celtic, Bayern Munich & Anderlecht PSG’s financial dominance this summer has bolstered their attack even further, with Edison Cavani, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé scoring 6 of their 8 European goals already. Celtic fans could be forgiven for dreaming of the next round, sitting second in the group and level on points with Bayern after two games. But the prowess of the Germans cannot be ignored; they will still qualify, but most likely as runners up behind PSG who look hugely impressive both domestically and in Europe.

Predicted winners: PSG

Group D

Chelsea, AS Roma, Atletico Madrid & Qarabag

Barcelona, Juventus, Sporting Lisbon & Olympiacos

Chelsea's pre-season troubles haven’t affected their competitive form this season - a 6-0 thrashing of Qarabag was followed up by an even more impressive 2-1 victory away in Atletico. That puts them top and their next two games, both against Roma, could secure their qualification. Roma and Atletico will battle it out for second spot with Atletico likely to come out on the top. Regardless of who follows them, Chelsea’s impressive form looks that of potential semi-finalists.

After putting three unanswered goals past arguably Europe’s best defence, Barcelona only managed a 1-0 win away at Sporting Lisbon in their second game, thanks to an own goal. This group is where the largest imbalance exists between the teams; Barcelona and Juventus’ quality is impossible to overlook and the only intrigue remains in who will finish on top. After winning the first of their two games against Juventus, the advantage lies with the Catalan club.

Predicted winners: Chelsea

Predicted winners: BARCELONA

Group e

Group f

Sevilla, Spartak Moscow, Liverpool & Maribor Perhaps the most competitive of the groups, only three points separate group leaders Sevilla with newcomers Maribor at the bottom of the group.

Liverpool’s defence - like in their Premier League campaign - seems to undo their impressive attacking efforts. Conceding three goals against opposition that wouldn’t trouble the top teams in the competition has prevented them from claiming their first victory. Despite their mediocre showing, Liverpool should still qualify - though it will take a drastic improvement in their performances to finish above Sevilla.

Predicted winners: SEVILLA

Group G

Manchester City, Shakhtar Donetsk, Napoli & Feyenoord City's frightening squad should have no trouble qualifying top of the group.

Their domineering attackers have scored six goals in their first two games, though they haven’t faced the sternest of competition in either fixture.

Napoli now play some of Europe’s most attractive football, with their loss to Shakhtar in the first round being the only game they have not won this season. If they can get anything in their next game against Manchester City, it will put them in a great position to qualify ahead of the Ukranian outfit.

Predicted winners: manchester city

Group H

Besiktas, Porto, Monaco & RB Leipzig

Real Madrid, Tottenham, APOEL & Borussia Dortmund

Group G could be the biggest upset of the entire Champions League first stage.

After two rounds, the standings are almost the complete opposite to what most would have predicted. It is now Besiktas’ to lose having won both games against Porto and RB Leipzig. Monaco’s summer of sales has cost them; their qualification for the next round now looks in doubt, reaching the semi-finals like last year appears an impossible task. Similarly, after finishing as runners-up in the Bundesliga last season, Leipzig are now languishing at the bottom of the group. It would take another set of shock results for either team to play themselves back into the reckoning.

The so called 'group of death' has lived up to expectations thus far with at least threegoals in each of the first 4 games. Tottenham look the surprise package, shaking off their Wembley hoodoo after defeating Dortmund 3-1 in the opening fixture. However, Spurs' crucial fixtures will surely be against group leaders Real Madrid. The Spaniards are current holders and have a squad that seems even stronger than previously. Gone is the Galactico model of the past, Zinedine Zidane has built a cohesive unit capable of beating anyone in the competition and winning it.

Predicted winners: BESIKTAS

Predicted winners: Real Madrid

SPORT

A taste of things to come Dorothea Christmann Sport Editor

A

S the only real piece of exercise I did last year was walking 20 minutes to campus and back, I decided this year that I needed to get fitter whilst avoiding the gym at all costs.

This left me with the option of trying out a couple of BodySoc taster sessions in Freshers' Week and, after having replenished my gym gear over summer, I felt ready to stretch all my muscles and dance off my worries before second year starts.

Luckily, BodySoc offered a range of classes including 4x40, circuits, zumba, and yoga; based on my desire to feel calm at some point in the day, I chose the latter.

Seeing the Lemon Grove in the day was a genuinely surreal sight; the light is dim instead of flashing at you with vigour, and there isn’t the sickly sweet smell of VK - the floor was still sticky though.

People tend to associate yoga with a feeling of relaxation, and I must admit that, once I was on the mat, I stopped thinking about how many library books I still needed to borrow and what I might wear later that evening.

BUCS Preview CONTINUED FROM BACK PAGE

Rifle Club

BodySoc Being told to stretch our legs up and behind our heads produced several gasps of horror at the lack of flexibility, from which I was not exempt. Once I had mastered this - albeit with help from instructor - I felt 10 seconds of triumph before rolling over with exhaustion.

Yoga involves a lot of focus. Pulling our arms back into an archery pose, we were all told to concentrate on our thumbs for three minutes; for some, those three minutes are the most concentrated they will be all day. A better focus in life is something from which we could all benefit from time to time.

At the end, whilst we were exhaling and inhaling and doing our final stretches, the yoga instructor said to us, “You are all amazing”, “You are all unique individuals”, and I stopped and thought to myself that, yes, we really all are.

So, whether yoga at BodySoc will bring you more flexibility, inner peace, or that much needed boost of self-esteem that we all need at university whensurrounded by thousands of strangers, I would recommend spending an hour or two of your week attempting to retain

Wil Jones Sport Editor

F

RESHERS' Week gave us a glimpse into the array of sports at Exeter, and Rifle Club’s session offered something away from the frenzy on campus. Intrigued with sampling a sport I knew little about, I made my way to Clifton Hill Sports Centre where the session was taking place.

The range – tucked behind the centre and adjacent to the driving range near Belmont Park – was an inconspicuous building I almost walked straight past.

Fortunately, the staccato crack of gunfire from inside made its function apparent - missing the target would not have been the best start.

Once inside I met the club’s committee, and club captain Harry Percival – who you will find interviewed below in our Captain’s Corner feature – delivered the required safety talk: if you were in doubt, don’t lick the lead bullets!

EURC itself affords both complete novices and experienced competitors the opportunity to shoot; the latter have been consistently successful in

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BUCs, yet despite the competitive aspect the club remains inclusive. This is something I can attest to - with the embers of the BBQ dulling and the day drawing to a close, the committee remained upbeat and welcoming as I waited to shoot.

When the time came, having never fired a gun before, my inexperiece showed: despite being lined up at the third target in the centre of the range, I took aim, mistakenly, at the second. That aside, I was content with my effort, even if four of the five shots were just above the target itself. I may be more accustomed to the shutter button of a camera than the trigger of a smallbore rifle - and there is little danger of me making a charge for Tokyo 2020 – but I can see how infectious and enjoyable a sport this is.

An intense focus on stability, alignment, and even your breathing is required. Such mental traits are not too dissimilar from the experience Dorothea describes with yoga; it might seem strange to think of shooting a gun as conducive to concentration, yet that is precisely what I found. Even if I did hit the wrong target.

Knockout competition will be at the forefront of the club's focus Following their second place league finish in the Western 1A, first up this term for the mens football 1s is Bournemouth - a team that lost six of their seven games last term. Whilst that contest ought to be a comfortable re-introduction to competitve fixtures, knockout competition will be at the forefront of the club's focus once the league gets under way.

The 1s face Reading in the BUCS Football Trophy on the 22nd November, a club that - having been promoted last season - have not competed at this level since 1314. That inexperience should count in Exeter's favour.

'S IN A R PT NE A C OR C

Rifle Club's Harry Percival

-nesday, Oxford 1s.

Despite their eventual triumph in the league, the Exeter 1s succumbed at the quarter-final stage of the BUCS Championship in a tight contest against Durham 1s, a fate suffered by Exeter men's Football 1s, something members of both teams will be hoping to amend in the coming year.

Exeposé Sport chats to EURC's captain about guns, Team GB, and graduation How did you get into shooting and what was it like when you first joined EURC? I started shooting when I joined the Combined Cadet Force at school in Year 9 as it was something different that I’d never tried. We trained at ranges all over Kent and entered lots of national competitions. Joining EURC was great as I hadn’t realised I would be able to continue shooting at Uni. The club had a very social atmosphere and I felt part of the group from the first day. I improved massively after joining and was able to compete in multiple BUCS competitions in my first year.

What are your aims as captain for the coming year?

I want to really push the beginners who sign up to make the most of the training that we can offer. Some of our best shooters joined the club as a beginner, and it would be great to see more come through.It’s also very important to me that the club retains its social atmosphere.

Despite the emphasis on trying to improve the most important thing is that everyone enjoys coming down to EURC. We have done well in BUCS during my time with EURC and I want the club to bring back more medals from some of the competitions over the course of the year.

course of the year. As well as this there is a healthy level of competitiveness which is a great incentive to train and improve. If I had to pick the one bad aspect of EURC it is having to pick up hundreds of empty bullet casings at the end of training!

What has been your best memory as part of EURC? My best memory with EURC is from our annual trip to the National Shooting Ground, Bisley, at Easter.

It is a week-long trip where we are able to shoot at distances of up to 1000 yards. Lots of our alumni come back for it and we run the trip with Southampton and Imperial Rifle Clubs, so there is a really good mix of people and we have some great socials.

GB squads including a Channel Islands Tour. After winning the BUCS individuals in the summer and placing 100 in the Grand Aggregate at the Imperial (the NRA’s largest competition of the year) Jason is likely to have a very busy and exciting season ahead of him.

What is it like balancing captaining EURC with studying?

Running a club is a both a big responsibility and a large time commitment. However, I have a great committee behind me which should take the pressure off and help balance out the workload between the club and studying.

What has your greatest sporting achievement been to date?

What advice and encouragement would you give to anyone thinking of getting involved with EURC? Do it! If you have shot before then we are a great club to continue shooting with; however, if you’ve never shot before, we are also a great place to start. We have plenty of very experienced members who can introduce you to the sport and help you train to a level where you could compete in BUCS at one of the biggest rifle competitions in the world.

My greatest achievement with EURC came during the summer BUCS competitions. My team came second in the BUCS Musketeers short range match despite some incredibly tough competition from some very good teams. I shot really well throughout and managed to beat my previous personal best.

Do you have any hopes and plans for after you graduate?

What is your favourite aspect of the club?

Who are some key members of the club to look out for this year?

For me it’s definitely the people who make EURC the club it is. There is a very social atmosphere and everyone becomes really close over the

Jason Pepera-Hibbert has just recently been selected for a number of

Not yet, however I know that I would like to take some time out before starting work. Whatever happens, I will continue shooting and enjoy being involved with EURC as part of their alumni.

Sport

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2 OCT 2017 | EXEPOSÉ

European Glory: Captain’s Corner: Exeposé Preview of the Champions Sport chats to Rifle Club League group stages captain

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SPORT EDITORS:

Dorothea Christmann Wil Jones Photos: Exeposé Sport

Back to BUCS

Exeposé Sport looks at the return of competitive university fixtures to the calendar

W

ITH the coming of autumn, the days grow shorter, the leaves begin to fade, and a new academic year begins.

The latter ushers in the start of the student sporting calendar, too, as Athletic Union clubs begin their competitive campaigns BUCS - British & Universities College Sport - is the governing body that runs the competitive pinnacle for athletes at university, and offers competitors and crowds alike the opportunity to sample in the spectacle.

From narrowly missing out on glory in Twickenham last season, the men’s rugby 1s return to

their home turf at Topsham this Wednesday where they face Northumbria 1s.

Having finished runners-up last season in the BUCS Championship - as well as the inaugral BUCS Super Rugby competition that saw them fall at the final hurdle to Hartpury at HQ - they’ll be hoping to be number one this term.

It’s a case of more of the same, but better

KEITH FLEMING, HEAD COACH

Despite losing a number of last season’s star performers to gradua-

tion, captain Simon Linsell sounded upbeat about their chances. “We’ve got more boys coming through the ranks, and that’s the challenge we face [...] getting that conveyor-belt going - and I think we’re doing quite well so far.”

The intensity of the expanded Super Rugby affords little room for error, and Linsell acknowledged this: “University students are playing some of the best sport around at the moment [and] the standard is only going to increase this year” Head Coach Keith Fleming gave an insight into how the team will set up: “It’s a case of more of the same [this season], but we’ve just got to be better at it”. Small

tweaks, rather than wholesale changes, are the order of the day.

In similar circumstances, the Women’s Netball 1s go into the competition looking to go one step further than last season, having finished second in the Western 1A league.

They finished six points adrift of Gloucestershire - the side that knocked the 1s out at the quarterfinal stage of last year’s BUCS Championship - and will face the defending champions in November.

Whilst that game remains one to look forward to, their campaign begins next week against equally fierce competition in the form of Bristol.

There was little between these two teams last year as Exeter finished just three points ahead of their visitors.

Following a gruelling preseason, 1s captain Christina Shaw sounded more than ready as she discussed the club’s aims for the season with Exeposé: “Our main goal is to get promoted as last year we just missed out. Hopefully we will be playing in the Premier South Division next year.”

One team to triumph last season was the women’s hockey 1s. Victory in the South A league was secured with an impressive 25 points, two ahead of their opponents this Wed-

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For live scores and in-depth reports, follow us on Twitter @exeposesport CONTINUED ON PAGE 31

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