“Christmas isn’t a holiday, it’s a business” Exeposé Features ruin your childhood dreams with a candid interview with Father Christmas, pages 10-11
The University of Exeter’s Independent Student Newspaper
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Tuesday 10 December 2013 • Issue 617 • www.exepose.ex.ac.uk • Twitter: @Exepose • www.facebook.com/Exepose
Lose your prohibitions: SSB successor revealed EXCLUSIVE Jon Jenner Editor EXEPOSÉ can exclusively reveal that the official replacement for the Safer Sex Ball (SSB) will take place next term. The brand new event will not resemble the Safer Sex Ball, after the legendary fundraiser was cancelled earlier this year. The inaugural ‘Prohibition Ball’ will take place in Exeter Phoenix on 7 February and will act as RAG’s headline event for the academic year. Exeposé understands that the theme, often the most anticipated and controversial part of the former SSB, will be based on prohibition in the 1920s, with a distinctly “underground” feel. The ball will remain centred around a headliner and various performances throughout the evening, with RAG apparently keen on involving as many student societies as possible. The headliner is yet to be confirmed. When approached by Exeposé, Laura Yonish, RAG’s Events Officer, said: “I can confirm that RAG are putting on a headline event on 7 February at the Exeter Phoenix. We’re really excited about this, it has all the components of a fantastic event and we cannot wait to reveal more in the coming weeks. We’re very focused on creating a legacy for the new era of RAG and we hope that this event will continue a wonderfully successful year for the society”. The Safer Sex Ball was cancelled by the Students’ Guild in February, following concerns around student welfare and significant negative national media coverage. Two Guild staff were
fired after distributing CCTV footage of two students performing a sex act in the Ram during the ball. The ball also received accusations of racism for its tribal theme, with students and staff signing a petition to have the theme changed. Before its cancellation, the ball had been running for twenty-one years, regularly raising more than £20,000 for its chosen charities, including the Eddystone Trust, a local charity that supports AIDS sufferers. Exeposé reported in February that RAG were concerned that the loss of such a high profile event would result in poor turnout and less money for the nominated charities. Exeposé understands that the budget for The Prohibition Ball is significantly smaller than that of the SSB. As a new event, the ball will have a capacity of 500 as opposed to the 2,000 of last year’s SSB. Tickets will cost £25, with 100 early bird tickets available at £20. This is significantly more friendly on the student budget than last year’s tickets, which were priced at £42, with VIP tickets for £60. There is no chosen charity for The Prohibition Ball. All proceeds from the event will go to RAG’s nominated charities for 2013/14: Devon Freewheelers, Rainbow’s Trust, Concern Universal and Community Action. RAG have raised £40,037.91 so far this term. Jak Curtis-Rendall, VP Participation and Campuses, commented: “RAG has done an outstanding job so far this year, raising a phenomenal amount of money for its chosen charities. I am confident that the committee will apply their proven skills to the Prohibition Ball and turn this new event into a huge success”.
Music: Count down the top ten albums of 2013 - PAGES 22-23
Photo: Joshua Irwandi
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Uni move to reduce staff bullying and harassment EXCLUSIVE Owen Keating News Editor
>> Headliner Rudimental performing at last year’s Safer Sex Ball
AN INVESTIGATION by Exeposé has revealed that the University of Exeter is implementing strategies to improve the working environment for their employees. The University’s most recent Staff Survey indicated that 4.4 per cent of staff felt bullied or harassed at work. The survey, conducted in Spring 2012, estimated that nearly 50 staff across the University described themselves as feeling “bullied” or “harassed” by another colleague or a superior. Despite this, only one official complaint about bullying or harassment was submitted to the University in the academic year 2011/12, amidst what one academic currently working at the University has described as an “oppressive” culture. Figures obtained via the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) show that between three and five per cent of respondents from colleges including Life and Environmental Sciences, the Medical School, and Social Sciences and International Studies said that they felt bullied at the time of the survey. Nine per cent of 214 respondents from the College of Humanities said that they felt bullied or harassed, nearly double that of any other college, and triple that of any other college included in the survey, excluding the Business School. The survey, answered by 1,072 staff, is the only staff satisfaction survey that the University has undertaken since the academic year 2009/10. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
Arts: Catch up with musical superstar Lee Mead - PAGE 30
Games: Check out the next generation of consoles - PAGE 34
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