Exeposé Issue 620 Week 18

Feelings of nostalgia

Exeposé Music talk artistic autonomy with popsters of indie past The Feeling - page 21

THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER

SINCE 1987

Tuesday 18 February 2014 • Issue 620 • www.exepose.ex.ac.uk • Twitter: @Exepose • www.facebook.com/Exepose

Free Photo: Niklas Rahmel

In light of a 35% increase in student offers and a 21% rise in student numbers since 2011, EXEPOSÉ asks:

Are we growing too fast?

Full EXEPOSÉ investigation p4-5 FEATURES: A student’s personal account of anorexia - PAGE 10-11

SCREEN: Pay tribute to Philip Seymour Hoffman- PAGE 24

GAMES: Debate the importance of writing in games - PAGES 34

FIND US ONLINE AT

www.EXEPOSE.ex.ac.uk

EXEPOSÉ

THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER

Exeposé is the University of Exeter’s editorially independent newspaper, produced entirely by and for students

Contact us Exeposé, Devonshire House, Exeter, Devon, EX4 4PZ Email: editors@exepose.com Call: (01392) 263513

Editorial team Editors Meg Drewett & Jon Jenner Online Editors Olivia Luder & Liam Trim Deputy Editors Clara Plackett & Emily Tanner depeds@exepose.com News Editors Print: Louis Doré & Owen Keating Online: Harrison Jones & Tom Elliott news@exepose.com Comment Editors Online: Dave Reynolds & James Bennett comment@exepose.com Features Editors Print: Alexander Carden & James Roberts Online: Meg Lawrence & Imogen Watson features@exepose.com Lifestyle Editors Print: Kitty Howie & Emily-Rose Rolfe Online: Emma Brisdion & Ben Gilbert lifestyle@exepose.com Music Editors Print: Magda Cassidy & Josh Gray Online: Callum Burroughs & Ben Clarke music@exepose.com Screen Editors Print: Megan Furborough & Rob Harris Online: Jess O’Kane & James Smurthwaite screen@exepose.com Books Editors Print: Elli Christie & Emma Holifield Online: Sophie Beckett & Rory Morgan books@exepose.com Arts Editors Print: Sophy Coombes-Roberts & Ricky Freelove Online: Bryony James & Giverny Masso arts@exepose.com Games Editors Print: Gemma Joyce & Becky Mullen Online: Hernan Romero & Jon Jones games@exepose.com Sport Editors Print: Will Kelleher & Mike Stanton Online: Matt Bugler & Jamie Klein sports@exepose.com Photography Niklas Rahmel photography@exepose.com Copy Editors Charlotte Earland, Lauren Swift & Vanessa Tracey

@Exepose facebook.com/exepose issuu.com/exepose Advertising Ross Trant R.Trant@exeter.ac.uk (01392) 722432 The opinions expressed in Exeposé are not necessarily those of the Exeposé Editors nor the University of Exeter Students’ Guild. While every care is taken to ensure that the information in this publication is correct and accurate, the Publisher can accept no liability for any consequential loss or damage, however caused, arising as a result of using the information printed. The Publisher cannot accept liability for any loss or damage to artwork or material submitted. The contents of this, unless stated otherwise, are copyright of the Publisher.

2

NEWS

NEWS

18 FEBRUARY 2014 |

www.exepose.ex.ac.uk

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @ExeposeNews

EXEPOSÉ

NEWS EDITORS

Louis Doré & Owen Keating news@exepose.com JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP Exeposé News

Prohibition Ball raises Students planning £5,000 for charity to build Clara Plackett Deputy Editor

EXETER RAG are celebrating the success of the inaugural Prohibition Ball, which took place on 7 February at Exeter Phoenix. Tickets for the event were priced at £25 and had sold out in 6 hours last term. The Ball, sponsored

by PWC and supported by Warwick Corporate Events, is estimated to have raised £5,000 for RAG’s nominated charities: Devon Freewheelers, Community Action, The Rainbow Trust and Concern Universal.

The 1920s themed event was headlined by Toyboy & Robin and supported by sets from Freejak and the Beats and Bass Society. The Rotten Apple Orchestra and Dance Society also performed. Attendees donned “zoot suits, bowler hats, flapper dresses and feathers” and enjoyed the popcorn machine and photo booth in addition to other entertainments.

Naomi Golding, Marketing and Publicity Officer, said: “We couldn’t be happier with how the event went on the night. The atmosphere was great especially due to the brilliant acts we had in the bar and auditorium - and we’ve received such good feedback

from those who attended.

We are incredibly proud to have raised such a considerable amount of money in the first year of a brand new event, which will be split between our four chosen charities.

We now just have plans to make this event even bigger and better for next year!”

Jak Curtis-Rendall, VP Activities,

commented: “The Prohibition Ball was a great success in its first year and has given RAG a strong foundation to build upon next year. It is absolutely fantastic to see a great amount of money raised for RAG’s nominated charities and congratulations must go to RAG and all the volunteers involved in the event.”

Photo: Exeter RAG

Exeter braced for yet more extreme weather Hannah Butler News Team AS David Cameron visits parts of the South West afflicted by recent storms and heavy rainfall, areas including Devon, Dorset and Cornwall face the prospect of yet more challenging weather ahead.

The prime minister has held a round-table meeting with railway representatives, local authorities, and business leaders concerning the capabilities of the South West’s railways, after Network Rail’s warning that line disruptions could take months to fully rectify. The extensive damage to the line at Dawlish - Plymouth and Cornwall’s only rail link with the rest of the UK - has resulted in a likely six week closure, estimated to cost the region’s economy for up to £2 million a day throughout. Amidst calls for longer-term solutions to problems such as these, Patrick Hallgate, from Network Rail, has stated that the construction of an alternative inland route would cost “£400-£500m at least”.

However, despite further forecasted storms during the coming week, leaders

in Devon have insisted that the county remains accessible. Encouraging visitors not to be deterred by recent storms, John Hart, Devon County Council Leader, stated “It may take a little longer to get here temporarily but we are investing in the facilities that businesses need and there is a warm welcome awaiting them”.

Let your landlord know about any storm damage to your property as soon as possible, so repairs can be made before the damage gets worse Chris Rootkin, VP Welfare Although flood alerts on the River Exe from Tiverton to Exeter were lifted on Sunday 9th February, flooding remains a serious issue in local areas.

Whilst wildlife charity Secret World re-

ports numerous wildlife casualties – including swans that mistook the M5 near Exeter for a river – Devon Community Foundation has recently launched a Devon Flood Fund appeal. The appeal aims to raise £50,000 through donations to fund the recovery of homes and businesses badly affected, as well as offering counselling and support services to relieve emotional stress as a result of flooding.

At the time of writing, the Met Office has issued multiple yellow and amber weather alerts for the coming days, stating: “The public should be aware of the risk of some travel disruption and difficult driving conditions”, and advising the public to “take extra care”.

Chris Rootkin, VP Welfare and Community, told Exeposé: “During the ongoing stormy weather I would urge students to stay up to date with local weather warnings and avoid any unnecessary journeys. For students living off-campus, let your landlord know about any storm damage to your property as soon as possible so repairs can be made before the damage gets worse”.

radio telescope Chris Bateman News Team A TEAM of Exeter University Students are aiming to build a five-meter radio telescope for use as an education and research tool for students across the country.

The Exeter Radio Telescope Project will be based and run primarily by students at the University of Exeter, along with a team of thirty students, for the UK Students for the Exploration and Development of Space.

The project has already been awarded a £2,500 grant from the Exeter Catalyst seed fund. The Catalyst fund is awarded to projects that help to develop a culture of public engagement with research within the University of Exeter.

Some research purposes have already been selected for the telescope.

It will be used to weigh the MilkyWay and gain information about its structure and observe its star formations.

Another aim is to observe radio-active galaxies from the early universe, such as quasars, and high energy pulsars, as well as monitoring the sun’s activity.

Radio telescopes are important to astronomy since they have a much wider range than optical telescopes as they use radio waves to penetrate thick dust in space that other telescopes cannot. The reason the radio telescope must be so large is because radio wavelengths are much longer than those of visible light, and must be large in order to attain the resolution of optical telescopes.

Two Exeter University PhD researchers, Damien Rumble and Freya Aldred, will run the project.

The team will attend a variety of conferences in the coming months, including the UKSEDS National Student Conference on March 1 and 2.

The team will present and have a stall at the conference, which takes place at the University of Leicester.

The project is split into several teams, with different students heading up Engineering, Funding, Logistics, Outreach, Procurement and Science teams.

EXEPOSÉ

| WEEK EIGHTEEN

National Student News Sarah Gough News Team

Warwick students hold self-run lectures A GROUP of history students at the University of Warwick have provoked debate by organising self-run lectures in the absence of striking tutors.

The group of undergraduates, keen to not fall behind on their studies, have organised older students to run their lectures whilst academics strike.

Many peers and tutors have noted the students’ actions as anti-strike behaviour, whilst the complicit students defend the initiative as merely a study group on a large scale.

History student Neil Sapat said: “This is an argument between the staff and governing body, not the students and it is not right that we are jeopardised. It is unfortunate that the education system seems to be neglecting its primary aim in the face of monetary conflicts.”

Sally Hunt, the general secretary of the union representing academics, UCU, said: “We understand the frustrations of students who want to get on with their education and share their concerns about further disruption. However, we have tried to negotiate with the employers for months to improve their miserly pay offer of 1 per cent.”

There is a call for students to contact their vice-chancellor or principal and ask them to lobby the national employers’ negotiating body, UCEA, to urgently reopen negotiations.

Student protest in Birmingham leads to 13 arrests ON 29 JANUARY, protests broke out on the University of Birmingham’s Edgbaston campus as students supporting Defend Education Birmingham rallied against rising tuition fees and low staff wages.

The peaceful protest escalated into violence as the University of Birmingham claim smoke bombs and fireworks were thrown, doors smashed down and staff injured.

A spokeswoman for the University of Birmingham said “the actions of Defend Education Birmingham, a group which is not affiliated to the Guild of Students or in any way representative of the student body, included defacing buildings and property”, and that they had “no choice” but to call in the police.

According to Defend Education Birmingham, after the protest, around 100 students were “kettled” upon exiting the Great Hall which they had occupied.

West Midlands Police said protestors were arrested on suspicion of assaulting security guards, trespass and criminal damage. An email from Dr Chris Twine, Director of Student Services, stated that the five students “have been suspended from study and barred from University premises with immediate effect”.

NEWS

www.exepose.ex.ac.uk

3

Over 30,000 ballots cast in Sabbatical Elections 2014 OVER 30,000 ballots were cast by in excess of 6,000 students in the Sabbatical Elections held earlier this month.

The votes, which came in only 104 hours of polling, exceeded the number of votes cast in 2013, when polls were open for 175 hours. This number of ballots represents a record for student elections at the University of Exeter.

6,078 students voted for seven posts this year, casting 30,522 ballots.

This constituted a turnout of 36.14 per cent, in the shortest ever polling period for a Sabbatical election. Last year, 5,992 students cast a total of 25,159 ballots, although these votes were only cast in five different electoral races.

Exeposé understands that these results constitute a significant success for the Students’ Guild, who said that on a like-for-like basis with last year, the length of time that ballots were open would have generated between 3,561 and 3,841 votes; this year’s eventual figures far exceed that.

First years constituted the biggest slice of the voters, with 2,430 new students voting to elect their officers, which represents 40 per cent of the overall electoral turnout. Third years represented 29 per cent of the vote, while one in four voters were second years.

60 per cent of voters were female, with 3,621 of the 6,078 individual voters being women. 2,457 men also voted. 84 per cent of voters were of Home/ EU fee status, while 875 International

Hidden course cost survey underway

114 seat study space planned for Devonshire House

Helen Carrington News Team

Emily Leahy News Team

THE STUDENTS’ GUILD and FXU are running a new survey to determine hidden course costs in each subject.

The elimination of hidden course costs was presented as one of the five key priorities by the Guild and FXU as part of the Budget Scrutiny Group process. The survey has been created to replace the spreadsheet that was used to identify hidden course costs in previous years. The colleges have been asked to complete the survey for the second time this year.

Hidden course costs are additional financial costs for students during their programme of study. These costs may include both compulsory and non-compulsory fees and may not be clearly publicised before application, registration or commencement of the course.

Compulsory course costs include necessary printing, course packs and bench fees. Non-compulsory costs are those that will disadvantage students if not incurred, including the cost of additional materials and equipment.

Alex Louch, VP for Academic Affairs, said in his online manifesto: “The University have made a commitment to limit hidden course costs, and I will ensure that they honour that commitment, making any additional costs as visible as possible”.

Alex Louch, VP Academic Affairs, said: “The course costs survey has been created to enable the Students’ Guild to work in partnership with each college to make course costs more transparent. It is unacceptable that some students should be placed at a relative disadvantage in their studies because they encounter unexpected costs during their course. I will be working with the University to ensure that all course costs are advertised prior to course or module selection.”

DEVONSHIRE HOUSE is due to undergo an expansion of study space on the second floor this Summer. As part of an ongoing investment in study spaces at the University, the project will invest over £300,000 to improve the use of space above the Terrace restaurant.

The expansion is due to create 100 additional study spaces, in an attempt to reduce overcrowding as the University continues to expand its student intake.

This year alone the University exceeded its student recruitment targets by 10 per cent.

The project follows a similar expansion that took place in the Amory Building during Summer 2012. The Amory Study Centre had an investment of £500,000 to create 240 study spaces,

Owen Keating News Editor

students, 14 per cent of the final turnout, made their voices heard.

The College of Humanities provided 27 per cent of the votes, with the College of Life and Environmental Sciences’ 1,234 votes also representing 20 per cent of the final turnout. One in five votes also came from the University of Exeter Business School, which is potentially unsurprising considering that 560 voters alone study Economics.

This means that 9 per cent of votes in the entire elections came from Economics students.

English and History were the next two most prolific subjects in terms of voting, with both subjects, in addition to Law and Geography, each constituting seven per cent of total voters.

Rachael Gillies was eventually elected Guild President, with Matthew

yet more spaces are still needed.

We’re looking forward to a fantastic new study space Alex Louch, VP Academic Affairs Elaine Cordy, Head of Learning Spaces said: “the design proposal includes group and individual study areas, PC spaces, WiFi and power provision for students who wish to bring their own devices”.

The works will commence in May 2014 with the opening of the study space planned for Freshers’ week September 2014. Blackwells, which is currently operating as a pop up service from the top

Bate, Ben Street, and Kate Hawkins being nominated VPs Activities, Education, and Welfare & Diversity respectively. Andy Higham won the race to be the new AU President.

Jak Curtis-Rendall, VP Activities, said: “Following a shortened voting period in 2014 this year’s Sabbatical Election turnout was 36.14% - our second highest ever. Students cast a record 30,522 ballots which demonstrates the strong engagement of Exeter students with democracy on our campuses. The Sabbatical Officers play a vital role in moulding the whole student experience here at Exeter and by engaging in the elections students are shaping this experience themselves. I look forward to seeing some of the excellent ideas of the officers-elect put into action.”

floor of Devonshire House, will return to the Market Place at the end of April.

Alex Louch VP Academic Affairs is currently working with the University to encourage students to give feedback of the proposed designs, via the ‘Balcony Bar Guild Consultation’ webpage.

Alex Louch, VP Academic Affairs, commented: “The development of the Balcony Bar is the result of hard work between the Students’ Guild and the University to ensure that students on the Streatham Campus get the study space which they require. The initial designs look are very exciting and we’re looking forward to a fantastic new study space at the heart of the campus”.

Lucy Payn, a second year Ancient History student commented: “Any new study space will definitely be a welcome addition to Devonshire House, especially new PC facilities - the library just doesn’t have enough”.

>> The plans as currently depicted on the ‘Have your Say’

4

NEWS

18 FEBRUARY 2014 |

www.exepose.ex.ac.uk

EXEPOSÉ

University defends rapid expansion wit Louis Doré News Editor THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER has defended its recent rapid expansion amidst information compiled by Exeposé suggesting that the University’s growth could be detrimental to student experience.

Exeposé can also reveal that the total number of enrolled students at Exeter, 21,552, has grown by 3,600 students in three years (20.52 per cent), and 8,608 students in a decade (66.5 per cent). This growth has coincided with new builds such as the Forum and the renovations of Cornwall House and Devonshire House.

We continue to work closely with the University to monitor the effects of growing student numbers University of Exeter Students’ Guild 6,378 new undergraduates enrolled this year across all campuses and the total number of all students enrolling in 2013/14 was 9,698, constituting just under half of the current student body.

Data released in the Times Education Supplement (TES) has also shown that Exeter accepted 35 per cent more students in 2013 than in 2011. The University made at least 4,385 offers to potential undergraduates in 2013, in comparison to 3,255 in 2011, according to data compiled by UCAS. In terms of offers made, Exeter’s was the fifth largest growth of any university in the country.

Exeter’s increase in acceptances since 2012, a rise of 29 per cent, was also the highest in the Russell Group.

The TES argues that: “comparing the 2013 acceptance figures with 2012 rather than 2011 offers a more timely indication of the most current trends”.

The figures cover offers made through the UCAS portal, and as such, are not final. The figures also do not constitute final intake numbers, as some students with offers may not have enrolled, but may still attend an institution that has made them an offer.

The comparison between 2011 and 2013 is particularly valuable because of the increase in undergraduate fees

Exeposé analyses the potential effects on campus life as a result of student body expansion Want your voice heard on this issue? Write to editors@exepose.com or tweet @Exepose

to £9,000 per academic year in 2011.

Controls on how many offers each university could make were also relaxed in 2011.

Exeposé has previously reported on the effects of this student expansion. In October 2013 the University was forced to implement 600 places in “approved” external accommodation at UNITE and Printworks to house students, following both temporary and continued closures of halls. The University currently offers a total number of 2,356 University-owned accommodation spaces, 1,363 catered and 993 self-catered respectively.

An FOI request also demonstrated that the total number of prospective students who applied for University accommodation for the 2013/14 academic year was 7,162, alongside 672 returning students.

In addition to the on-campus accommodation difficulties, in November 2013 Exeter City Council planned to cap the number of Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMO), including student houses, in certain areas of the city including the St. James, Polsloe and St. David’s areas. It is thought that although the numbers of student houses were not being directly reduced, these plans may disperse student housing areas further away from the University.

Exeposé has also reported extensively on the University’s Wellbeing Services need for emergency funding in January, alongside the increase in waiting times. 718 students sought support from the Wellbeing Services last term, an increase of 38.8 per cent on the 517 students who did so in 2012/13. 2,324 appointments were issued in the term, approximately 700 more than during 2012/13.

A survey recently conducted by Exeposé on Student Experience demonstrated that students were concerned with congestion surrounding services.

76 per cent of the 151 survey respondents deemed the congestion surrounding library computers or free study spaces as either ‘slightly busy or inaccessible’ or ‘very busy or inaccessible’.

34 per cent stated it was ‘very busy or inaccessible”, while only 11 per cent deemed it ‘acceptable’, and just 4 per cent offering a positive response.

The number of hours available with tutors was also a concern among the students surveyed, as 38 per cent described their current allocation as ‘slightly too few’. 34 per cent deemed the current allocation as ‘acceptable’ and 17 per cent described it as ‘much too few’, leaving only 11 per cent that

Academic Services: CURRENTLY, students are generally satisfied with the academic side of their degree, according to Exeposé’s student experience survey. 77 per cent of students deemed the quality of their teaching as ‘good’ or ‘very good’, with only 1 per cent declaring it ‘very bad’.

Similarly, both the quality and accessibility of academic support services were well regarded, with 54 per cent and 48 per cent of students voting them ‘good’ or ‘very good’

offered a positive response.

A University spokesperson commented: “The University of Exeter places huge importance on what our students think of their all-round experience. This continued investment in the student experience is reflected in the results of the National Student Survey (NSS), which are voted for by the students themselves.

We are proud that Exeter has consistently been placed in the Top 10 nationally every year since the launch of the NSS in 2005. In the most recent survey, more than 70 per cent of eligible students participated, which means that it gives a fair reflection of the campus experience for the whole student body.

The University of Exeter places huge importance on what students think of their all-round experience University of Exeter This latest survey by Exeposé has a response rate of just 151, which is a tiny minority of the student body.

Therefore is it difficult to interpret the data presented as being truly reflective.

By 2016, the University will have invested around £680 million on capital projects across its campuses, to meet the expectations of students, staff and visitors alike. This includes £80,000, for example, on creating 164 additional study spaces in and around the Forum Library. The iExeter app, which is available to all campus users, also shows the availability of PCs across the campus, which can help alleviate congestion around specific computer clusters, particularly at peak times”.

Hannah Barton, Guild President, commented: “The student experience is the Students’ Guild’s top priority and while growing student numbers are a mark of the University’s development and success, growth should not be allowed to impact on this. We continue to work closely with the University to monitor the effects of growing student numbers and to ensure that teaching provision, University services and facilities across all campuses are fit for purpose and meeting student needs”.

Additional reporting by Owen Keating, Meg Drewett and Jon Jenner respectively.

However, aspects of the academic experience that are likely to be most directly impacted on by an increase in student numbers fared less well.

38 per cent of students said that the hours allocated with their tutors were ‘slightly too few’, alongside 17 per cent saying that they were ‘much too few’.

Some students may also feel that their hours with personal tutors may be tutor; a Freedom of Information Request by Exeposé revealed that some personal tutors in the College of Social Sciences and International

Studies have as many as 65 tutees.

With the University offering more places each year and accepting more students, hiring more academic staff will be vital to ensure that the student experience does not suffer.

As well as more staff preventing the high tutee numbers visible in some colleges becoming commonplace, it will be necessary for maintaining the low student/staff ratios that are the hallmark of a good university education.

Jon Jenner, Editor

Facilities: As an increased number of students study at the University, it is inevitable that more and more pressure will be placed on student-facing facilities on campus. When surveyed by Exeposé, 68 per cent found the quality of Students’ Guild retail outlets (such as the Guild Shop and Ram Bar) to be ‘good’ or ‘very good’, in comparison to the 29 per cent of students who thought similarly of the Marketplace, run by the University.

While 55 per cent were pleased

EXEPOSÉ

| WEEK EIGHTEEN

NEWS

www.exepose.ex.ac.uk

5

th importance of “campus experience” Photos: Niklas Rahmel

Commentary: Growing Pains THE potentially damaging rapidity of the University’s growth has long been on Exeposé’s agenda. Following conversations with the Students’ Guild, in which the paper realised that they shared its concerns, Exeposé first started investigating the growth of the University in November 2013.

We submitted a series of Freedom of Information requests to the University directly. These requests asked for “the number of new students the University expected to enrol” and “the number of new students that enrolled” for the 2013/14 academic year. These requests were made in a consistent fashion, to source directly comparable information.

From these FOIs, we received the following information: 5,237 students were expected to enrol at the University in September 2013; 571 at Cornwall campus and 4,666 in Exeter itself. By contrast, the University’s records department informed Exeposé that 6,958 students actually enrolled in September, 6,378 at Exeter and 580 at Cornwall.

To us, this indicated that not only has the University been growing year on year, but it had also substantially underestimated the number of students that would now be enrolling for the 2013/14 academic year. The two sets of data – students expected to be enrolled, and students enrolled – were presented in an identical, comparable fashion.

Until late afternoon on Friday 14 February, the day we went to press, we were ready to print the above information as fact, based on the data that the University had provided us with. We asked the University for comment on the story.

The University then decided that the information they provided was wrong.

Just before going to press, Exeposé was presented with claims that the two sets of data – presented identically in the FOI request – were fundamentally incomparable. We were then provided with a new set of supposedly comparable data, which indicated that there was in fact a decrease of 1.6 per cent in the number of students who actually enrolled when contrasted against the University’s expectations.

This apparent decrease comes despite Exeposé’s sources citing numerous ‘crisis’ meetings at the

with the accessibility of the Marketplace (its position in the centre in the Forum is believed to have contributed to this), 33 per cent saw the waiting times there as ‘bad’ or ‘very bad’. Only 15 per cent were pleased with the queues, with one per cent saying they were ‘very good’. It remains to be seen how key campus facilities such as these will deal with the increased student numbers that will come from increased student recruitment.

28 per cent said that the quality of the Marketplace was ‘bad’ or ‘very

bad’ in comparison to the four per cent of respondents who were similarly scathing in judging Guild retail outlets.

Another key student service provided by the University is the Career Zone. 44 per cent of students surveyed said that they were pleased with the accessibility of the service.

The number of students using the Career Zone has dramatically increased since 2011, from 495 in August-October 2011, to 1399 in 2013 in the same period.

Owen Keating, News Editor

Exeposé asked students across campus for their thoughts about university growth...

“It is really busy and sometimes it can be quite quick but they should just get more people in to serve because it can get really hectic” STUDENT IN FORUM

“It’s very busy in the Marketplace and I don’t enjoy the queues. It would be good to have some more people checking out because it does take absolutely ages” STUDENT IN MARKETPLACE “I think University growth is a massive issue and my concern is that if expansion continues at a similar rate, this will eventually be reflected in league table performance” STUDENT IN A&V HUB

start of the academic year, as the University decided what to do with an unexpected number of students.

If the University was indeed expecting these students, it would seem strange that external accommodation providers were needed to house 600 new students, as Exeposé reported last October.

To say that less students arrived than the University were expecting, then, seems improbable to say the least. Jak Curtis-Rendall, VP Participation and Campuses, said: “It is concerning that on request the University could only provide conflicting student numbers data, and that they were unable to clarify this data prior to Exeposé going to print. Since the beginning of this academic year we have worked closely with the University to monitor any possible effects of growing student numbers on the student experience, and we will continue to do so going forward”.

Exeposé would support Jak in describing the wildly different sets of figures provided by the University – one as part of a legal obligation, one as part of a seemingly knee-jerk reaction to a student news story – as concerning.

Exeposé desperately sought clarification on the decidedly confused matter right up until going to press. The University were unable to provide any. They had gone home.

Whether the University did in fact receive less students than it expected, as the University’s revised figures suggest, or actually enrolled more students than it was ready for, as all other evidence including the opinions of senior Guild officials, indicates, remains a mystery to Exeposé. We are hopeful for clarification after we have gone to print.

A key concern of Exeposé this year has been that students are being treated as numbers on a spreadsheet, rather than as individuals that have enrolled at University to receive an education, whose needs and views should be valued. It seems a shame that, judging from the conflicting information that Exeposé has received for this investigation, those spreadsheets are very badly organised indeed.

Meg Drewett and Jon Jenner, Editors

“Campus is definitely busier this year than last year, and I’ve found it a lot harder to get seats in the library generally”.

2ND YEAR POLITICS STUDENT “It [the Costa queue] is really long today but it’s always really long! You have to wait for so long to get served and it’s constantly packed when you get in” STUDENTS IN QUEUE FOR COSTA COFFEE, THE FORUM

DELIVERING TILL

7 DAYS A WEEK 49 Sidwell Street, Exeter EX4 6NS

01392 425 252

Opening hours: Delivering till 5 am, 7 days a week. Collection till 1am Sun – Thurs, & 2am Fri & Sat.

dominos.co.uk

EXEPOSÉ

| WEEK EIGHTEEN

COMMENT EXEPOSÉ

SEND US YOUR LETTERS: editors@exepose.com

EST.

COMMENT

www.exepose.ex.ac.uk

EDITORS DEPUTY EDITORS

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @ExeposeComment

1987

7

Meg Drewett & Jon Jenner Clara Plackett & Emily Tanner

JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP Exeposé Comment

Neck and Nominate: ‘harmless fun?’

most disturbing aspect of neknominations is the sense of Growing with “The compulsion. The sense that I must do this ” the flow Alasdair Wood

THEY are the moans and groans that we hear around campus, from our friends and fellow students, but don’t often stop to think about. “The queue in the Marketplace is ridiculous”; “I couldn’t get a seat in the library again”.

Growing pains are harmless; however this paper’s concern is that growth at our University might not be so harmless Whenever we got them, our parents told us that “growing pains” were a necessary part of getting bigger; they are just a part of the growing process, ultimately worth it in the long run as we become taller. Growing pains, however, are harmless. This paper’s concern is that growth at our University might not be so harmless.

The fact is this: the University of Exeter is growing, and not by accident. In the last ten years, the University has taken on over 8,000 more students, 3,600 of them in the past three years alone. For the 2013/14 academic year, Exeter made 4,385 offers to prospective students, an increase of over 1,000 in comparison to 2011.

Of course, more students aren’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, in many ways, growth can have an extremely positive effect on the student community. More students undeniably means more money, which should translate into better investment in the services we value most. Exeter is climbing league tables nationally and globally at an astonishing rate, making all of our degrees increasingly valuable. More students would also presumably benefit the local commu-

nity, in the sense that local businesses will have more customers. Arena might even need a second floor.

Yet the problems arise when this growth isn’t planned for properly.

With current student numbers, we already face an overwhelmed Wellbeing Centre, an ongoing shortage of both study and society spaces and restrictions on the number of Houses of Multiple Occupancy in preferred student areas. There are limits to how many students the University and city can effectively support and if Exeter doesn’t prepare for more students, we run the risk of growing in a way that is detrimental to the student experience. The tight-knit, intensely campus-based community that Exeter has always fostered could be lost in having to commute to a frustratingly

The tight knit community that Exeter has always fostered could be lost in having to commute to a frustratingly busy campus busy campus.

It is not a question of whether the University should continue in its quest for expansion. Rather, it is a question of how it continues to do so, and how it preserves a campus that meets the varied needs of everyone that studies here. We all got through our growing pains just fine. Let’s hope that the University does the same without providing a particularly painful experience to those that matter most – its students.

Thanks to those who helped proof this issue: Charlotte Earland, Lauren Swift, Vanessa Tracey, Bethany Stuart, Emily Leahy, Bethany Baker, Sarah Gough, Anna Birchall, Lucy Payn, Claire Berrisford, Sam Brewer, Sophie Harrison, Alex Bonner, James Lindop, Fran Lowe, Laura Christopher, Laura-Jane Tiley, James Pidduck, Beth Gore, Isobel Burston, Sabrina Aziz, Emma Thomas, Tristan Gatward, Flora Carr, Ben Webb, Jarrett Banks, Emily McIndoe, Rebecca Jones, Pavel Kondov, Dominic Wells, Christy Ku, and members of the Exeposé editorial team.

THE INEVITABILITY of humanity’s doom is surely best proved by the recent surge in popularity of “neknominations”. In case you’ve been hiding in a cave far away from civilisation and technology (a wise choice, given that the human race may sleepwalk into self destruction at any moment), “Neknominations” involve the downing of a drink in some kind of creative way and then nominating someone to do it within 24 hours.

Of course, the nominated person will try and be as creative as they can, so they can stand out from the rest and show how cool and unique they are. Examples of creative drinks have included mixes of strong alcoholic drinks that shouldn’t be mixed together or even adding undrinkable things such as urine or pubic hairs. Naturally, any of these lethal mixes are likely to result in immediate and sustained vomiting. The other thing to do is to drink while doing something original, such as drinking on top of a moving car or swimming in the fountain out-

side the Islamic Studies centre before taking a drink and possibily getting pneumonia. Apparently neknominations are all just for fun, but let’s be honest, vomiting isn’t. Also, if you’re watching a neknomination of someone drinking something while trying to hold back their gagging reflex because the mixture is so vile and you find it amusing, then you clearly lack a basic level of human sympathy.

Of course, the nominated person will try and be as creative as they can, so they can stand out from the rest and show how cool and unique they are The most disturbing aspect of neknominations is the sense of compulsion. The sense that because I’ve been nominated I must do this.

Even though we know it’s going to ruin our day and possibly result in some serious illness we do it because

our friends told us to. Or maybe we even want to do it so that we can gain some popularity and essentially look cool. When you were a child you probably once tried to excuse some bad behaviour with “But, _____ told me to”. The adult would automatically respond with, “If ____ told you to jump off a cliff, would you?” We haven’t come far in terms of maturity, then, if we now make ourselves sick just to please our friends. On a more serious point, a quick look through history or current news and you’ll see humans constantly get caught up in doing horrific things, justified because everyone else is doing it. But if you can’t even resist the pressure to go and make yourself sick for no reason then we really are screwed.

It’s natural for people to want to be liked and popular, but how about try out something else to make you stand out. How about just being a really friendly person? So if you get nominated why not just think of a really good deed you could do instead.

Stop following the crowd and stop making yourself sick.

“Social media has great power, yet somehow it can be taken over by something as menial as a drinking game” Clara Plackett Deputy Editor IT IS easy to denounce the ‘neknominates’ that seem the most foul. There is no doubt that apt disgust follows Margaret Thatcher’s pallbearer, who downed two goldfish in a pint of Foster’s, and that those who have bitten heads of live chickens and ferociously hacked into a deer’s flesh for a bloody addition to their pint, are moronic.

What I find more troubling is social media’s role in such a stupid craze.

Social media has the power to be the fastest and most advanced form of communication that we have ever had, yet somehow it can be taken over by something as menial as a drinking game. I am not claiming that I have never been tempted to over indulge when drinking, or even that I didn’t ‘like’ some of my friends’ videos initially, but the fact that this is still

dominating my online experience is depressing. I also struggle to understand why videoing such an action somehow encourages people to make their neknominates as extreme as possible. Would people down the same horrible concoctions in large quantities in a pub for a dare? And why does filming such an action make it all the more ‘impressive’? Pressure to consume alcohol in large quantities is not a new problem within society, but videoing such an action for the world to see definitely exacerbates the matter. Once something goes online it is effectively there forever, and you can never really know just how many people you are influencing. If you must drink competitively, do yourself a favour, and don’t film it – I really don’t think history will remember this trend kindly.

I fully expected to see a large amount of neknominate videos and related notifications on Facebook, but I was not prepared for the Rest In Peace messages that eventually

followed them. Alcohol is a poison, and it can harm anyone who misuses it, however strong and resilient that person might seem. Some neknominates are obviously less extreme than

I fully expected to see a large amount of nek and nominate videos but I was not prepared for the Rest in Peace messages that eventually followed others, but after hearing of various related deaths and near fatal incidents, as well as instances of animal cruelty, surely it’s time for everyone to stop.

As well as being dangerous it is also incredibly boring, and I look forward to the day when my newsfeed is free from neknominate videos.

8 COMMENT

www.exepose.ex.ac.uk

Elections weeks reactions

18 FEBRUARY 2014 |

EXEPOSÉ

In the light of the Sabb elections, Exeposé Comment takes a look at the student reaction to Campaigns Week, candidates and the election results Louis Doré News Editor IT MAY be a subject as tiring as the walk up Stocker Road, but the Students’ Guild elections have reached and influenced more people this year: and that can only be positive for student democracy.

What would be heartening would be to see more evidence of students engaging critically and voicing opinions No doubt the Students’ Guild will be pleased that voter turnout has increased on last year, that #exetervote trended nationally during a debate and that more voters engaged in the VP candidates, as well as the Presidential.

The Guild publicity surrounding the event encouraged student interest and debate, while media societies also worked hard to analyse candidates and

policies for the electorate. The result was, undeniably, a more informed electorate than previous years, which reflected in the votes.

This result, while fantastic, raises a couple of questions. In comparison with voter turnout for ‘Blurred Lines’ and The Sun, why do students care more about their representatives than the issues they deal with? In addition, why was attendance at the debates, bar a media contingent and other candidates, so poor? Do students not want to question those who in a matter of months will represent them?

If the case is that students are voting for the most attractive campaigns or for their friends, I’d encourage them to think more critically about the Sabbatical Officers and the candidates. The elections are effectively the interview stage for a job representing a student body well in excess of 15,000.

It is an improvement that more students are voting and that more students are engaging. What would be heartening would be to see more evidence of students engaging critically, voicing opinions and holding their representatives to a higher standard, especially after they enter office and begin to speak for students.

Ben Pullan

SADLY, it is largely inevitable that student politics such as those we have seen over the past week, end up as one huge popularity contest. The evidence is in the numbers; despite the fact that almost a third of the University voted in the elections (which is still, admittedly, poor), the listenership for XpressionFM’s coverage of the candidate debates was pitifully low. So low, in fact, that on average, not even 0.5 per cent of the University’s student body tuned in to them.

Though they did not realise it, the candidates could, essentially, have said whatever the hell they wanted to Likewise, the live audience for these supposedly showcase debates was a complete joke. I would love

ELECTIONS Week shows us what is best and worst about our student body.

Friday of Elections Week was one of my favourite days of my time at University to date. Weary campaigners fought for votes in appalling weather, while student media battled sleep deprivation and increasingly angsty candidates to report to a student body who by now had given up pretending they were on the phone when they walked through the Forum.

Despite the exhaustion and the nerves,

candidates and campaign teams gathered in the Forum to sing along to kitschy Beatles tracks provided by the peerless XpressionFM. While University security staff hovered at the top of the stairs making odd attempts at smiles (it doesn’t happen often), the students below showed what is best about our University. The Sabbatical Elections have often been compared to protracted job interviews (because they are), but this description only covers those who have subjected themselves to being candidates. They are backed by campaign teams who support them on campus all day and in Arena all night, only for the simple pleasure of seeing their friend get the job they’ve dreamed of. They hand out leaflets and holler slogans until

they drop in the name of friendship, and often with the genuine belief that their candidate will make the Guild a better place for students who are increasingly treated like customers by their University. As tuition fees and living costs rise, and some student cynics spurn the Sabb Elections because it won’t get them a ‘real job’, it is genuinely heartening to see that so many students care so much.

However, the grim reality of a 36 per cent voter turnout is that many students weren’t engaged. While this figure constitutes a record number of ballots cast by what is known nationwide as a democratically engaged student body, there were and are many students who avoided the vibrant colours of Stocker Road. That’s their

Comments from Campaigns Week

Teresa Gale @teresa_gale If you are an Exeter student then please do vote. It saddens me that such a low % of students used their vote last year #exetervote

Gemma Joyce @GLJoyce As long as they don’t bring back Tinchy Stryder I’m there #exetervote #partay

WITH social media abuzz with opinion, news and comment during Campaigns Week, we take at look at what you were all saying about candidates and campaigns at the debates, results evening and around campus during the week on #exetervote

Sladd 4 Sabb @sladd4sabb Well, at least we’ll have puppies on campus next year! @REGillies #exetervote

Owen Keating News Editor

Marcus Beard @marcusbeard Ajay Gaur is the first spectre to run for Guild president #exetervote Olivia Luder @olivialuder All you people flyering in this miserable weather - you are flippin’ heroes, the lot of ya! #exetervote

Tess Shennan @TessShennan Sitting round the kitchen table refreshing twitter to see the results of #exetervote elections! #anticipation #frinight Timothy Bradbeer @TimBradbeer Maybe Tracy Castello should just run for president #controversial #exetervote

Simon Dewhurst @Simosloth There’s definitely an #exetervote shaped hole in my heart and on campus this morning...

Crissy Ryan @crissyryan So proud to be an @ExeterGuild student tonight. Amazing end to an amazing campaigns week; every candidate deserving. #exetervote Catherine Pope @CatherineLPope Ok followers, all the campaign stuff is over I promise. From now on my twitter feed will not be this annoying.

Until next year. #exetervote

to be proved wrong but, sticking my neck out here, I would be amazed if there was someone, who was neither part of a campaign team nor involved in campus media, who attended them.

In fact, at the dire AU one which I misguidedly chose to sit through, I could probably have named half the audience, purely as a result of my connections with Exeposé and XpressionFM. So whilst these debates are great for us aspiring journalists, allowing us to fill our Twitter feeds with witty remarks belittling the candidates (and ensuring that, for once, Exeposé Online does not struggle for content), they are irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. Though they did not realise it, the candidates could, essentially, have said whatever the hell they wanted to, and it would not have made a scrap of difference.

This displays the sad truth about the election process; it is a gimmick.

Yes, you have got to applaud the great effort to which campaign teams go to buy students’ votes – all the flyering, freebies, videos, Facebook requests, costumes, runs up Forum hill and silly stunts – but at the end of the day, these are not things on which you should base your choices. It would be interesting to find out who, out of decision, but one which, to my mind, helps reduce them and their university

As tuition fees and living costs rise, and some student cynics spurn the Sabb Elections because it won’t get them a ‘real job’, it is genuinely heartening to see that so many students care so much

to a production line designed to do nothing more than dispense walking Nick Lawley @nicklawley93 RON getting slaughtered again this year again #exetervote Will Short @WillHShort Lots of agreeing tonight... I want debate not a love in. #exetervote jamilla @jamillatweets following #exetervote all the way from my year abroad!

Rob Harris @RJHarris93 Ben Street on xpression atm makes him come across as a genuinely nice guy who obviously cares about his position; congrats! #exetervote Poppy Guleroglu @PGuleroglu Puppies, hairdresser and a shit load of name dropping - I have enjoyed every moment of the

all those who voted, actually read the manifestos of all the candidates running for that particular position… My guess would be hardly anyone.

I would be amazed if there were someone, who was neither part of a campaign team nor involved in campus media, who attended the debates So my plea to you would be: next time these Guild elections come around (and, thankfully, that is not for another year), resist the urge to vote for the candidate who spends the longest freezing his / her arse off in a pond, or wears the most stupid costume, and actually read Exeposé’s Guild Election pull-out or listen to XpressionFM’s debates… I’m as guilty as anyone on this front, but who knows? If we all do it, it may just force the candidates to say something meaningful.

2:1 graduates into jobs in big glass calculators in London. To ignore the Sabbatical elections is to ignore one of the main points, I think, of being at university: to be intellectually and emotionally invested in the goings on on your campus. All the things that make university more than just school with nightclubs are symbolised in the Sabbatical elections. Through Elections Week, students campaign to help other students, and this work is continued through the following year, when the winning candidates make a vital difference to the student community they serve. To ignore this process is to demean a quintessential student experience.

Elections Week #exetervote Tom Cartwright @ThomasC1992 Can guarantee that the candidates and their teams will have had an emotionally draining week, but also one of their best at uni #exetervote Will Kelleher @willgkelleher Wow what a terrible AU debate.

No passion, agreed with each other throughout and so ill-prepared.

Tiptoed pathetically around drinking question. No one stood out even when given the chance. Just listed their CV. Yawn yawn yawn #exetervote Charlie Evans @DJSmeags Great end to a great week. Fair result and excellent coverage by @XpressionFM and good luck to new SABBs. #exetervote

EXEPOSÉ

| WEEK EIGHTEEN

COMMENT

www.exepose.ex.ac.uk

9

Why does it always rain on me?

Train disruption, broken brollies and how the fear of being stranded at University could become a reality Emily Tanner

single pair of shorts I had with me for almost the whole of Freshers’ Week and don’t think I needed an umbrella

Deputy Editor

So yes, it is raining and yes the gale force winds are enough to destroy even a £15 umbrella in an instant, let alone the poor souls from Poundland

HAILING from the ‘far’ North of this fair isle (well, Lancashire, a place about 90 per cent of Exeter’s population think is almost Scotland and the small portion of those from Cumbria or the North East swear is closer to Cornwall), I naively thought that Exeter was positively tropical compared to the torrential downpours and icy temperatures I was used to at home when I packed up my bags and made my way down the M5 almost three years ago. After the deceptive high temperatures of first year – I wore the

Flora Carr

WHEN I made the decision to attend Exeter University, one of the things my friends and family were most concerned about, asides from the seven hour drive from home, was the Devonshire weather.

“Are you crazy?” they asked me. “It rains literally every day down there!”

“Don’t be stupid,” I told them airily, “it can’t be that bad”.

But if these last two weeks have been anything to go by, it can.

Recently Exeter has faced gale force winds and torrential rain, with the Met Office issuing amber and yellow warnings and wind speeds regularly reaching around 60 mph, on a good day.

Nervous about the safety of their daughter living at virtually the other end of the country, my parents have been phoning and texting me almost

until at least December – I was soon assured that this was by no means the driest or warmest place on earth in second year, yet in the current climate, every day to check if I’m still alive and that my accommodation and I haven’t been lifted into the sky Wizard of Oz style. During the first few days of the weather I forgot to reply to my mum’s call, resulting in a tirade of voice messages and texts: “Hi. Are you OK?!?!” At first I was confused by what I regarded as a complete over-reaction; sure, the sensation of walking up the hill to the Forum now resembled what I can only imagine being repeatedly slapped with a wet fish feels like, but why all the drama?

However, I soon realised that the weather was creating far more damage and inconvenience for Exeter students and residents alike than I’d imagined; something that the news and my worried parents had picked up on far more quickly. For a start the trains running in and out of Exeter have been completely disrupted, frequently resulting in our temporary isolation from the rest of the UK. This has proved a major problem, not only for regular commuters, but also for students who have found themselves unable to visit friends and family or,

every time I step out of the door, I feel like I’m in The Day After Tomorrow.

So, yes, it is raining and yes the gale force winds are enough to destroy even a £15 umbrella in an instant, let alone the poor souls from Poundland.

But surely we should just suck it up, wrap up in a few extra layers and take a whole change of clothes to campus every day. We could, and most of us will, but if the weather continues like this for too much longer and those in charge of our travel don’t make and adequate provisions, we may genuinely be stocking up on tinned food, burning candles in our freezing student homes (because I’m sure most of us would still refuse more than about four hours of costly heating even in an apocalypse) and sitting this one out on alternatively, stuck whilst paying a visit and unable to return to University. For many their failed visits will be major blows; I for one dread to think of the effect on Exeter University hygiene levels as students are unable to lug their five weeks worth of laundry home for washing. Only last Wednesday, one afternoon train bound from Bristol met a small lake formed over the tracks just a few miles from Exeter; the train was forced to return all the way to Bristol for passengers to catch a replacement bus. Exeter itself has also been hit hard by the storms, with pot-holes re-opening on the high street and many businesses affected, either through damage or lack of customers.

With no clear sign of sunny spells on the horizon, my only advice is to invest in anoraks and ride the storm out; and spare a thought for worried mothers.

the island of Devon.

My last trip out of Devon was luckily over two weeks ago, just as the oncoming storm approached the coast. So despite a few replacement buses up to Bristol most of the trains

It does now seem that provisions are being made and someone somewhere is fixing that suspended railway line, hanging midair were running as normal and the prospect of conveniently leaving the Cartoon: Rachael Gillies

LETTERS RE: Issue 619 There and back again Imogen Watson Dear Exepose, We are writing to challenge an impressively cretinous article by Imogen Watson in the last issue of Exepose, which described her recent trip to the United States.

Her article left us scratching our heads. After visiting a vast country full of amazing art, literature, music, cuisine, sport and mind-blowing natural beauty, what did Imogen have to say? Amongst an essentially content free comment, we find out that a

dog sniffed her at immigration; their capital city has a lot of flags in it; Americans who distribute leaflets for a living aren’t that smart. Permit us to address these bizarre and inane points; (i) Dogs are at every international airport. They are not really hungry as Imogen suggests (seriously?), but are trained to sniff out agricultural products to stop them going over borders.

Come into London- we do the same, for reasons too obvious to explain. (ii) Flags are in every capital city on earth. Don’t like flags in capital cities? Then stay home. (iii) People who give out leaflets might not know where you are from by your accent, because they might not actually be that smart. They also might be too

poor to afford a trip to Europe. Leaflet distributers throughout the UK are not closet neurosurgeons.

The article was irritating in the extreme, because it so obviously says nothing at all about the USA and everything about a type of sanitized idiocy that pervades national opinion in the UK whenever our cousins across the pond are mentioned; “America kinda sucks. Not really.

But, yeah, Britain is just better, OK?”.

We know this, because we hang out with an American regularly, and it is genuinely staggering how often morons rumble over to her in pubs, and without mentioning American art, cuisine, or similar things travellers generally chat about, they simply

country was high. Just a few days after my return, however, I was shown a video taken by a friend on his journey to Cornwall where waves – actual waves – were assaulting the carriage, and more recently my housemate was on one of the very few trains from Exeter to London that were running last Friday. Whilst it does now seem that provisions are being made, that someone somewhere is fixing that suspended railway line, hanging midair near Dawlish and we will probably be able to leave by Easter at the least, with warnings in place and the worst expected, I do wonder if we should ever have got to the stage where being stranded was a real fear.

Send your letters to the editors to editors@exepose.com moan endlessly about US Immigration Officials, patriotism, and their obsession with our accents. Your comment was sadly this type of drivel put to paper.

Cheers Charlie and Josie Lab 309 biosciences

RE: Issue 619 Editorial Dear Editors, According to the latest leader column (4 February 2014), “Campus has had to brace itself against some torrid weather in the past few days”.

The Chambers Dictionary defines “torrid” as “scorching or parching; extremely hot; dried with heat; intensely passionate, emotional, etc.”.

If only!

Regards, Robin Chapman

10

FEATURES

FEATURES FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @ExeposeFeatures

18 FEBRUARY 2014 |

www.exepose.ex.ac.uk

FEATURES EDITORS

Alex Carden & James Roberts features@exepose.com

JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP Exeposé Features

I wanted to stop... but couldn’t In the run-up to Eating Disorders Awareness Week, Sophie Harrison confronts the misconceptions associated with Anorexia Nervosa and explains the realities of this serious mental illness. Some readers may find this article distressing.

“I TRIED being anorexic for four hours, and then I was like, I need some bagels”. I read this in a magazine interview last year, and it epitomises one of the most common misconceptions about eating disorders: that they are a choice. I have been hesitant to discuss this topic openly before. This partly stems from my determination that University could be a fresh start, but also a fear of the stigma that is attached to it. Nevertheless, as part of Eating Disorders Awareness Week, I want to use my experience, as someone in recovery from anorexia, to unveil the awful realities of this illness, but also to show how much possibility lies in recovery.

I have seen celebrities quoted speaking of their ‘anorexic phase’, or how they starved for a film role until they decided to start eating ‘normally’ again. However, this projects the myth of the ‘diet gone wrong’ which suggests eating disorders are rooted in actions.

They are mental illnesses; disordered eating is the symptom of far deeper issues, often rooted in perfectionism and self-doubt. If it were simply a ‘phase’,

thousands of people would not die from it, nor only 30 per cent reach a state of ‘full recovery’. This illness is far more complex than simply deciding to ‘eat bagels’. It requires so much strength, with support and understanding vital.

I have been hesitant to discuss this topic openly before.

Nevertheless, I want to use my experience, as someone in recovery from anorexia, to unveil the awful realities of this illness, but also to show how much possibility lies in recovery My own experience of an eating disorder, for example, is strongly connected to my Type One Diabetes. The

two illnesses are, by nature, quite similar.

Both place a large focus on numbers and food; nutrition labels and carb-counting have been part of my normality, as long as I can remember, while many foods such as pizza, sweets, and even bananas were ‘off limits’. When I went onto the insulin pump, aged 11, it was supposed to enable me to be more liberal around food choices; however, this never really happened, and I realise now how unnecessarily restrictive I was.

Diabetes also exacerbated inherent traits of perfectionism and self-doubt.

I have always been fastidious in maintaining good blood sugar control, but my feelings of failure when seeing high blood-sugar readings intensified as the years went on. It was during my GCSE years that I consciously reduced my carbohydrate intake to try and stabilise them, and this was the catalyst for

what b e came a severe eating disorder. I spent my Lower Sixth in a vicious cycle of carb restriction and purging after meals, and by the start of Upper Sixth this had developed into Anorexia.

I was in denial, pushing my-

EXEPOSÉ

EXEPOSÉ

| WEEK EIGHTEEN

self to extremes to perform well at school, undertaking an excessive number of extra-curricular activities even for someone in a healthy physical and mental state. My underlying blood-sugar was worryingly low and this, coupled with m a l -

FEATURES

www.exepose.ex.ac.uk

nourishment, deeply affected my cognitive functioning. I strove to create the ‘perfect university application’, my dream being to apply to Oxbridge. The paradox of the illness is that it convinces you that you are in control, but you in reality you grow more and more powerless.

The damage I was inflicting on my body makes me horrified to this day; when I first sought help, after my AS levels, I had electrolyte imbalances and worryingly low blood pressure.

Yet it

was o n l y a series of reality checks - being told I could not apply to Oxbridge, discussions of inpatient treatment (which would mean leaving school altogether) and seeing how much my family was suffering – that made me actively

choose to recover in November 2012.

I pushed myself to end the vicious purging cycle, and over the following months gradually increased my calorie intake to gain back to a healthy weight. I used my offer from Exeter as a concrete goal; the fear and guilt were temporary, but my future was fixed in being healthy enough to live it.

My experience has opened my eyes to the worrying shortage in treatment, both specifically related to Diabetes and eating disorders, and as a whole.

While some resources are incredible, far more support and understanding is needed. I did have a treatment team, but they presented my options as very black and white; either self-motivated recovery, with minimal support, or enter an inpatient unit. The therapist I was given also had little knowledge of Diabetes, and this is where the incredible support of my Diabetes nurse was invaluable.

I am hugely indebted to my family for the past year.

Eating disorders place them in a catch-22 position; when they try to force the issue, even someone committed to recovery often becomes defensive and more introverted. It deeply upsets me when people pass judgement on families.

You cannot fairly do this, without being in that situation.

The same is true when labelling people with eating disorders as selfish or attention seeking.

E v e r y d a y, I still feel overwhelming guilt for what my family went through, but I never knowingly hurt them. It was largely due to my fear of hurting them, that I avoided seeking help sooner.

Eating disorders upend logic. My distress over eating, blood sugar highs and weight gain, irrational as they may have seemed, became so real to me in my increasingly malnourished state. I genuinely believed that an extra gram of carbohydrate would send my blood sugar rocketing. My self-worth became concentrated in the number on a blood sugar meter or scale. The fear of weight gain was not rooted in vanity. When my refreshingly honest friend told me last Summer that I looked “so much healthier, thank god… you looked horrendous!”. She’s right, I did. No person losing weight to ‘look good’, would have chosen to look like I did.

I am reluctant to use the term ‘the eating disorder voice’, as it can aggravate the ‘mental illness’ stigma. Nevertheless, nearly ever person will have experienced niggling moments of insecurity in their lives.

With an Eating Disorder, imagine a near-constant stream of these negative thoughts. You become consumed by a

My self-worth became concentrated in the number on a blood sugar meter or scale.

The fear of weight gain was not rooted in vanity.

No person losing weight to ‘look good’, would have chosen to look like I did paranoia that you are undeserving, or that people will judge you; the tragic irony is that food and weight become the outlet for these emotions, yet the resulting malnourishment only magnifies them. Moreover, when people dismiss those with mental illnesses as ‘irrational’ or ‘messed up’, it only increases these feelings of unworthiness.

Recovery is about choosing, everyday, to go against this distorted ‘reality’. In my case, this was also not necessarily the reality I lived with for ten years prior to the eating disorder. I have to try and grasp that many of the ‘diabetes rules’ I had were grounded in misinformation, both by dieticians and the media. I now have facts to help me: in the last year I have eaten former ‘off limit’ foods such as bagels, doughnuts and *queue gasps from my old dietician* I ate my first banana in memory… not only am I still here to tell the tale, but my blood sugars did not go out of control!

If you are reading this, and struggle with an eating disorder in any form, you did not choose or deserve this. To give some blunt examples, I do not believe anyone would choose half an apple with a candle in as their 18th Birthday ‘cake’. For this birthday, I was also given ‘the only thing I had ever really asked for’, a puppy. I adored her - yet it would be months before I would be strong enough to walk her by myself I cannot ever truly escape numbers; I will always have to carb count, and will inevitably experience blood sugar highs and lows. But they do not have to define me. I am not a blood sugar reading. I am not a number of

11

insulin units. I am also not a weight, or calories and carbohydrates. I am not a grade. I am not a percentage.

I am me. And, at the heart of this illness, that is where the greatest challenge lies – accepting that the simple state of being can be good enough.

It is a process that takes time and not being ashamed to ask for support.

At my Leavers’ Dinner last June, I was at in a strong place with my recovery. However, the meal that was served provoked my anxiety, and my friend observed how I suddenly went from carefree and smiling, to withdrawn and worried. I think, in that moment, she got some insight into how powerful this illness is.

With support from her, I ate the meal and that was another step forward.

With so much misunderstanding of this illness – particularly the belief that it is a choice - those suffering can often feel unworthy of help. If you are reading this, and struggle with an eating disorder in any form, you did not choose or deserve this. To give some blunt examples, I do not believe anyone would choose half an apple with a candle in as their 18th Birthday ‘cake’. For this birthday, I was also given “the only thing I had ever really asked for” – a puppy. I adored her, yet it would be months before I would be strong enough to walk her by myself. The first time we took her out on a lead, I only stayed outside a matter of minutes, because I was so cold.

What you can choose, and do deserve, is to fight this illness. Last summer, I took Millie on her afternoon walk nearly every day. It is the small things that help in recovery so much.

Like when my sister and I went for afternoon tea last summer, and she said how incredibly strong I was. Things like this remind me that she understands how real this illness is, but also helps to give back some of the selfworth that the Eating Disorder stole.

It is not that I don’t look in the mirror now, and find fault with what I see.

It is that I can now look beyond this, and see the life in my eyes and a smile that isn’t a facade. Furthermore, I realise that, even at my lowest weight, to the Eating Disorder it would never be enough. I genuinely saw myself as bigger at my lowest weight than I do now.

The reality is the only weight that will be ‘low enough’ for anorexia is the one that puts you in a coffin. So why chase what can never be, when in doing so you sacrifice almost everything else?

Nourishment isn’t a magical fix, but it makes fixing possible. The eating disorder, quite literally, starves you of the chance of living. From being on the brink of a hospital admission just over a year ago, I gained back to a healthy weight, achieved my predicted A-Levels, and am now at University studying the subject I love. I am still anxious over some food, and diabetes control, but I am more scared of losing all the things I mentioned above.

I hope that if, prior to reading this, you did believe that eating disorders are either a choice, or easily ,‘cured’; I hope you realise that this isn’t the case.

To me, Anorexia is as real an illness as Diabetes. I did not choose either, but what I can choose is not to have my life defined by them. I also hope that anyone questioning if recovery is worth it, or indeed possible, can trust that it is.

If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article, contact the Wellbeing Centre, or National Health services.

12

FEATURES

18 FEBRUARY 2014 |

www.exepose.ex.ac.uk

EXEPOSÉ

Come fly

SOMEWHERE in the middle of the English countryside, the faint sound of an aircraft engine is heard, loping along its southerly route. A farmer looks up, his hand shielding his eyes from the sun, and sees only a faraway gleam before averting his gaze back down to his work.

Three thousand feet above, glorious rays of light burst through the cockpit, bathing us in sunlight. Up here, the wind has subsided and the ride is smooth; there is nowhere I would rather be. I cannot help but become distracted as I observe the flooded fields below, wondering about those who have had to flee their homes. I could not be any more relaxed in my seat when, suddenly, the engine noise changes as the propeller slows down. I take a quick glance at the RPM gauge and see the needle ticking down. I go through the practiced drills, checking instruments and turning knobs while looking below for one field that has not flooded. There I will make my emergency landing, with no engine power. As I glide the aircraft towards the touchdown zone, there is little time for logic. Instinct takes over, making sure I fly accurately, avoiding a stall at all costs. I put down the flaps and, with only ten seconds before the wheels touch the ground, my headset crackles

Looking below for one field that has not flooded. There I will make my emergency landing, with no engine power to life: “Good, that was safely done, now put the power back in and let’s climb back up”. An instructor is sitting right next to me, because this was just a training flight, and the engine failure only a simulation. This, after all, is how I like to spend my weekends.

At this year’s Freshers’

squash, I could be seen in a green, fullbody flight suit, hounding passers-by with my enthusiastic leafleting for EUGC, our very own Exeter University Gliding Club. I expected the hungover freshers to look the other way before even so much as hearing what I had to offer, but by the end of the day I was

The fine interplay between risk and responsibility is one of the greatest excitements in flying

left with an overall positive impression of our student body’s spirit of adventure. My slogan of “want to get high?” certainly provided an intriguing hook.

Besides tired feet and a sore throat, the day provided me with a rough survey of interest, and I was pleasantly surprised at the number of people who followed up with questions and those asking for more information. Among the various adventure sports offerings, I found flying attracted a lot of young people looking for an alternative and challenging hobby.

When I came to university, I initially had a difficult time building a rapport with the UK aviation scene (especially with the weather). Now, as a final year student, I can think of few places more welcoming and well-suited to learning to fly. Most people live within a half-hour’s drive from an airfield, and non-fly-

ers are especially welcome to visit and have a look around the planes, guided by the old-timer pilot who is bound to be lounging around the ubiquitous aviators’ café. No barbed wire fences, security to clear, or passes necessary in these places of marvel. Just a friendly smile and the remarkable ability to ask good questions.

I am passionate about promoting aviation, and strongly believe in the ways flying can help young people become more confident in themselves. Being the solo pilot of an airplane for the first time is a unique character-building experience, and one that makes you realise a lot about yourself. Flying teaches us to discover our limits and push them further out, stepping outside our comfort zone. It teaches us that many boundaries are only in our minds and that expanding our horizons improves our self-reliance. As film director Baz Luhrmann once said, “Do one thing every day that scares you”. While I would temper this with a word of cau-

tion, the fine interplay between risk and responsibility is one of the greatest excitements in flying, and something worth mastering for any aspect of our lives.

To attain the breathtaking views a pilot can see is a colossal undertaking. A long, arduous journey awaits any trainee, with one of the largest

Tom Cruciani slips the surly bonds of earth to join his fellow student aviators in th across the English Channel

EXEPOSÉ

| WEEK EIGHTEEN

www.exepose.ex.ac.uk

with me barriers to entry being the high initial cost of training. For most aspiring young aviators, this makes the dream prohibitive. Thankfully, as a student, I have mastered a hawk-like ability for spotting opportunities to receive fi-

nancial aid. There is help out there, and while the path to the cockpit is not easy, it is a more than worthwhile challenge for those with a deep-rooted desire.

In my first two years of university I learned to fly gliders (which fly with no engines, using purely thermals of hot air) with the University Gliding Society in order to cut the costs of fuel and improve my handling skills. In my second year I became a member of The Air League, an association for young aviators in Britain. Through its incredible ‘Youth in Aviation’ flying day in the spring, I encountered a world of other young pilots, all eager to challenge themselves while having fun in a social environment. A day of flying, air displays, meeting pilots and spreading the passion culminated in a chance to try my hand at aero-

batics in a world-class competition glider, instructed by a British Airways captain in the rigors of loops, rolls and tumbles. Sunset did not mark the end of the day, with twilight flying – pyrotechnics blazing from the wingtips of performing airplanes – ending the evening.

Then commenced a long night of drinking and merriment, with the live music setting the tempo late into the night. By dawn, everyone retreated to their tents, with those who had arrived for the party by airplane sleeping under the wing of their machine. It is times like these that I realise how fortunate I am to see the world from above and to have met people whose stories continue to inspire me like nothing else.

Beyond such events, The Air League also provides scholarships and bursaries for young people to begin learning to fly, further their flying qualifications, or gain an engineering internship in the aviation industry. I was a lucky 2013 recipient of a flying bursary, which allowed me to add a night flying qualification to my license.

Learning to fly at night was another daunting but thrilling step in my education. If your sole propeller stops spinning at night, the darkness beneath can feel as frightening as a black hole.

Aiming for the

light below ensures that you will hit its source, most probably a building. The dark areas, on the other hand, could be woods, lakes, rocks, or any other nasty surprise. There are few options and very little time to make decisions. Overcoming these fears, however, rewards one with an invaluable new skill-set and a newfound confidence in one’s abilities.

Thanks to challenges like these, flying never fails to humble me and has taught me that, in the air, responsibility for your life is, literally, in your own two hands.

Flying comes in many shapes and forms, from propeller to glider, gyrocopter and balloon to helicopter, paraglider or hang glider to ultralight and even jet – all are available to those with an interest. For example, through another organization, I was a recent beneficiary of a scholarship to begin my airline pilot theory course after I graduate from university in July. Chances like this have encouraged me to apply for a sponsored British Airways cadet pilot scheme, which I am currently undergoing selection for. In the meantime, I have found a part-time job as a company representative in a small, friendly air charter company that flies VIP clients and has air ambulance contracts that have taken me across Europe and as far as North Africa and the Canary Islands on some truly exciting missions.

Staying in smart hotels, tasting new, mysterious foods and building incredible memories is all part of my exciting routine. More significantly, repatriating critically ill patients rewards me with a sense of accomplishment, and getting the job done even when the winds blow the rain horizontally and hail batters the airplane like bullets hitting a tin can is a remarkable adventure.

On a particularly memorable flight, we were charged with transfer-

FEATURES

13

ring a mental patient from the isle of Jersey’s prison to London’s Southend airport. At both our departure and arrival points, armed guards awaited us with stern faces and guns loaded. On board we were accompanied by three prison guards and one boxing instructor-turned-psychotherapist, all there to look after the patient. Although he was handcuffed and well monitored, the crew on board and I were still briefed on what to do if the worst should happen and the patient should get loose, including actions for me to take in the event that he became agitated and made for the cockpit. We decided who would fly the plane, and who would find a way to deal with the ‘disturbance’. I must admit I felt uneasy with the idea of a mentally-ill person potentially breaking loose in a small airplane over the English Channel, but then again, this was certainly going to fulfill Baz Luhrmann’s advice on life. Finally, when such a cast of characters showed up in the reinforced prison van, I found that the patient was, in fact, pretty innocuous, and the whole operation well-planned so nothing sudden could happen. The flight proceeded smoothly under a very sunny sky, and an early arrival into Southend meant we could get lunch before flying back to Jersey. Missions like these convince me that there can be few more exhilarating student jobs!

Ultimately, thanks to these adventures I have learned to take chances and that even the most insurmountable dreams can be achieved step by step. By applying for financial aid, connecting with the right people, believing in our abilities, and never giving up or thinking that something is not for us, we can achieve things we thought impossible.

For those whose interest I have piqued, and who want to have a go in the air, curious to experience the thrill of flight, I cannot recommend The Air League or gliding clubs enough. Because, to quote Amelia Earhart, “adventure is worthwhile in itself.”

he sky, and gives us the low-down on flying solo and transferring mental patients

EXEPOSÉ

| WEEK EIGHTEEN

LIFESTYLE

www.exepose.ex.ac.uk

LIFESTYLE FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @ExeposeLStyle

15

LIFESTYLE EDITORS

Kitty Howie & Emily-Rose Rolfe lifestyle@exepose.com

JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP Exeposé Lifestyle

Photos: notmyselftoday.ca

A peace of my mind Nickie Shobeiry inspects the phenomenon of introver- Hannah Barr gives you the ABC on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder sion, and gets her head around personality differences ONCE upon a time, I called myself an ‘introvert’. I’d gallop around with it plastered across my chest like a coat of arms, ready to catapult the shiny bit of information onto anybody curious enough to question me.

Armed with Jungian psychology and the Myers-Briggs test, we’re now able to hop on a computer, answer a few questions and receive a tidy little combination of letters that tells us what we are; personality, potential careers and all. The questionnaire can offer insights used for marketing, pedagogy, even marriage counselling and having recently done the test, I can say my own cocktail of letters rang eerily true to form.

Despite this, I’m not arguing that we shouldn’t have labels So, here we have a test that can sniff its way through the labyrinth of our inner selves like a bloodhound. Why question it, when it’s obviously been helping people since 1962?

I question it because it seems to have morphed from a tool of enlightenment, to a tool flinging us into more boxes (or coffins, for those with a penchant for the dramatic). After hearing countless stories of people being asked to step over to this or that side of the room depending on whether they’re introverted or extroverted, I believe we’ve reached a point where we need to put down the motivational slide-show and ask ourselves what we’re really trying

to achieve.

A perfect example of people strapping on blinders and missing reality as it zooms past is the disturbingly non-satirical article, “How to Care for an Introvert”. Heeding us to “respect their need for privacy”, “reprimand them privately”, and perhaps most amusingly, “NEVER embarrass them in public”, the author lists another eight ‘dos and don’ts’ for communicating with this alien species. Maybe we should just give up and staple instructional manuals to our foreheads to save any future confusion, as it seems in this version of the world, everyone’s missed the other memo titled “How Not to be a Massive Baboon”.

Turning a continuum-based theory into nothing more than binary opposites (that’s to say, you’re either a social butterfly or cripplingly shy) is where we’ve gone wrong. To use a cliché, no matter how much simpler it would be for many institutions, life is not black and white; we cannot pretend that our natures are not as fluid as they are distinct, unless we give up the very thing that makes us ‘us’. Just as a person can be a die-hard extrovert, someone else can be an extrovert depending on their mood, current affairs – we are not written in stone.

Despite this, I’m not arguing that we shouldn’t have labels, ever. They’re obviously there for a reason; for one, we’d have an incredibly hard time communicating without them, and it’s sometimes immeasurable how helpful it is to recognise these traits. Everyone has an existence to embrace, and there’s nothing wrong with proudly calling yourself an introvert or extrovert (and everything in

between). All of these names - student, teacher, child, parent, lover, human - enable us to reach out to others with an identity. We are a collection of these

My point is, we’re being pushed into corners where ‘introverted or extroverted’ is a question we’re expected to have a set answer to things, but also, we are so much more.

Defining introversion as gaining energy from being alone (and not that you hate humanity and have a hunch-back) gifted me with a rare moment of clarity tumbling into my lap. And, being ever curious, I take secret pleasure in personality tests validating that, yes, I am who I thought I was, and on top of that, I am awesome (even if that means translating ‘critical and neurotic’ into ‘caring and sensitive’). We’re all a smidge narcissistic, whatcha gonna do?

My point is, we’re being pushed into corners where ‘introverted or extroverted?’ is a question we’re expected to have a set answer to, as if these are titles sitting comfortably between our names.

Useful as categories may be, they are not always the be-all and end-all of our lives.

To any future employers: I’m a job-focused extrovert every day, all the time. To anyone else: hi, I’m Nickie.

I THINK I speak on behalf of all finalists when I say that this term is stress central: there are dissertations and job applications and CV-pimping; the sinking feeling that time is running out and increasing worry over what number or numbers will appear on the degree certificate come July. But there’s something that makes me different to the majority of finalists: I believe that there is a degree classification which, if I get it, my mum will die.

How will I ensure that doesn’t happen?

Put as much work in as possible. Oh, and constantly click my fingers in blocks of seven. Again, and again, and again.

There’s no reason why my mum should die. She’s only 52, the biggest workplace hazard she faces are rabbits frolicking in the car park and I’m reasonably confident she’s not secretly involved in any mafia organisations.

But in my head, I just worry she’s not got long left unless I click my fingers to seven. Again, and again, and again.

You see, I have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, (OCD). I’m guessing you think I’m meticulously tidy and enter public toilets using my elbows. Actually, I’m really not fussed by germs. I’m pretty sure there are enough crumbs in my bag right now to sustain a couple of hamsters for a while. My compulsions are small, weird things like clicking my fingers seven times and having to read things of nine syllables. I can’t explain it and I know it’s irrational – but I can’t help it. We all have idiosyncrasies which make us unique and peculiar and sometimes a bit irritating, but the difference for someone with OCD is that these foibles are overwhelming, inescapable and failure to comply with them can

have, in their mind, fatal consequences.

Public perception doesn’t help. OCD is either cute and cuddly like its portrayal by comedians such as David Mitchell and Jon Richardson, where it’s adorable to wind them up over not switching the oven off or hiding their hand sanitizer.

Or OCD is freaky and gross and hilarious, as in Channel 4’s Obsessive Compulsive Hoarders. Wikipedia might help out my degree, but it doesn’t help alleviate the stigma surrounding OCD, describing sufferers as appearing ‘paranoid or potentially psychotic’ and that we may have a ‘preoccupation with sexual, violent or religious thoughts’. I know I’m a Christian, studying Theology and have a job offer with a church, but I’m reasonably confident that side to me is rational rather than compulsive!

I’m really lucky; I’m able to eventually control my compulsions whereas many with OCD can be house-bound or need in-patient treatment. I just need anti-anxiety medication and to sit on my hands. We’re not crazy; we’re frightened. As irrational as the motivations behind our compulsions may be, they can be scary and seem really real. Mocking doesn’t help us and stereotyping doesn’t help us – but having a bit more patience with us does.

This Mental Health Awareness Week, look at the person behind the stereotype. You may not understand why OCD sufferers do the things they do – heck, I don’t always know why I do the things I do! But it’s better to ask than to assume and believe me, we really want to be listened to.

16

LIFESTYLE

Tweets of the week

Kayley Gilbert gets serious about rose-tinted spectacles and rocky relationships

Rachael GIllies @REGillies Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game #solidadvice

MOST relationships progress fairly similarly: you meet, date, become exclusive and steadily get more serious. However, some relationships develop slightly faster than others. Maybe you have lots in common; maybe you have really great chemistry. For whatever reason, relationships can develop quickly. But of course there can be problems with getting serious early on, especially if your other half isn’t on the same page.

With a new guy, it’s really easy to get caught up in the relationship. Getting all excited about going out with the guy you’ve been eyeing up for weeks is inevitable. This can quickly turn into seeing each other every day, meeting parents and telling him you want to be together forever. That’s a big jump from that first date.

Getting too serious too soon means you may not have the time to realise that this guy isn’t the best person for you. If you’re still in the ‘honeymoon’ period of a relationship, you can end up in a serious relationship with a guy that’s different when you remove those rose-tinted specs. When he starts showing his true colours, you may feel as though you need to look past the red flags that would have

Carmen Paddock @CarmenPaddock Rain, wind, cold... today is a good day for a chocolate binge #Iregretnothing Eszter Jendruszar @ejendruszak iPhones and white gloves definitely don’t go well together #1920s Bethan Roberts @bethanaroberts ffs my 17 year old cousin just did a neck and nominate with vodka and a blended mcdonads meal srsly don’t want to live in this world anymore Rachel Gelormini @_rachelgel Remembering 2 mins before getting to the match that my scarf is mostly purple #closecall

Tom Cartwright @ThomasC1992 Been in the sanctuary for an hour and have only just realised there is a puddle forming near the emergency exit doors #rain1sanctuary0 Jo Hornsey @joshornsey Flatmate asked if I wanted to partake in the money scam that is Valentine’s Day whilst I was clearing up her mess in the kitchen #facepalm Meg Drewett @meg_drewett I love glitter and I love dancing and I love Thursday @TheArenaExeter Pet Weir @patrick_weir just fled back from campus with @apjwilliams, using a complimentary copy of the #telegraph as an umbrella... all it’s good for, really Poppy Guleroglu @PGuleroglu Dominos while discussing @bigduckfrank affairs from the past two terms is definitely the way to make a meeting engaging!

Laura-Jane Tiley @lauraj141 Two trains, two coaches and four hours to get back from Bath.

What is life.

EXEPOSÉ

Deliberating devotion

Tweet us @ExeposeLStyle

Becca Hodgkins @RebeccaHodgkins Hard to judge subject choice as a geographer. However the boy next to me in my lib is drawing a box of plasters #whatajoke #stayinthelines

18 FEBRUARY 2014 |

www.exepose.ex.ac.uk

sent you running in the other direction had you not committed so fast. You’re more likely to have a longer lasting relationship if you leave your options open for at least a little while as you’re more likely to make a better decision.

There is no right or wrong way to be in a relationship Despite that, there is no wrong or right way to be in a relationship.

Everyone is different, so different relationships suit some people better than others. Some are happy to be in open relationships, others need to be more serious. That doesn’t necessarily mean that either way is wrong. It is possible to get too serious too soon, and there can be problems with this. But if you are comfortable with the speed of the relationship and if you have a partner that wants the same thing out of the relationship as you do, does it matter how soon you get serious?

Working it out

Emma Sudderick zones you into a high flying career EVERY student in Exeter, and probably the world, has at some point experienced the draining quarter-life crisis which makes you question everything you do. Am I ever going to get a job?

What am I doing with my life? Is it really appropriate to spend THIS much time on Facebook in a onesie?

Part of being a student is learning how to survive in the big bad world I have yet to meet a single person who knows exactly where their life is going. And that is okay. Part of being a student is learning how to survive in the big bad world without your parents telling you to do your homework and without excessively going into your overdraft. Whilst I can’t promise to help on the second one, there are a few pointers about how to get proactive and gain some valuable work experience.

1. Don’t be too picky There are several placements out there, but you’re never going to get one if you’re always finding faults with the role they’re offering. Instead, think of the position you’re applying for as a

stepping stone. It may not be exactly the future career you had in mind but work experience is work experience and it may lead to better opportunities. It will certainly make your CV look appealing.

2. Always proof read your CV/application I cannot emphasise the importance of this enough. You may have the most ground-breaking material on your CV and application, but if you use the wrong grammar or spelling then it doesn’t matter if you became Prime Minister at the age of four, have read every Shakespeare play in existence, or saved your town from a nuclear meltdown, your application will lose credibility.

3. Application-Bomb You’ve heard of the phrase CV bomb, when you relentlessly assault small coffee shops and high-street stores in desperate hopes that one of them will take pity on you and hand your CV over to their manager. Application bombing is the same. Submit as many applications as you can. Do not depend upon just one application because, chances are, you will not get it the first time round.

4. Sell yourself Obviously I mean this in a strictly professional way. Don’t offer yourself up

as goods, but there is absolutely no harm in blowing your own trumpet.

This is perhaps the most difficult thing to do on applications. You don’t want to seem too headstrong and proud, but at the same time you don’t want to sound like you have the charisma of a wet mop. If you have achieved something then tell them!

5. Avoid words like ‘Passion’ and ‘Love’ They know you want the position. You do not need to emphasise your passion for filing paper, or your adoration of phone conferences. Nobody will hire you if you seem like your sole source of entertainment is playing with stationary all day. That’s not to say you shouldn’t be confident in telling them what your interests are. If you enjoy a particular aspect of the job then tell them! They’ll want you to enjoy the position because then you’ll work harder at it.

6. Think of obscure places to apply Companies like Proctor & Gamble and Deloitte are always popular, which means they are ridiculously over applied to and often your applications won’t even make it to the HR team. Instead do some more obscure research.

Something I found when I was applying for my internship was that charity organisations have a surprising number of

work experience positions available – from HR positions to publishing work – and because most of them are volunteer based, they are just as eager to have you on board as you are to be there.

The biggest hurdle is knowing where to look for applications 7. Do not expect to get paid This is a given. The work experience is in your best interests and most places will re-imburse your travel. Anything else is an added bonus.

The biggest hurdle is knowing where to look for applications and often it can feel like you’re hopelessly blitzing companies with CVs that they’re never going to read. If you need advice on how to write CVs and applications or just a shove in the right direction the Career Zone offers one to one meetings.

Or if like me you are determined to do all your applications solo then many university websites have very good (and free!) step by step guides on how to/how not to produce a application.

EXEPOSÉ

| WEEK EIGHTEEN

www.exepose.ex.ac.uk

Which dancer are you?

Kristina Hill looks at the least seductive dance moves that should be put in the corner WHEN the Flood ends what does God tell Noah to do? “Go forth and multiply.” Which means, assuming the rain has finally stopped, it’s time to get it on *cue Barry White*. (Please say it’s stopped. It can’t possibly STILL be raining.)

But, rain or no rain, we’ve just had Valentine’s Day and spring is around the corner. All the sheep are making cute, fluffy lambs and although repopulating the earth isn’t currently on my agenda, the daffodils are rising up and I am in the mood… for dancing.

Dancing has long been a human mating ritual. Back when Jane Austen was around they all danced ‘sets’, as in routines that everyone had to learn. The Macarena still gets quite a lot of support on a Cheesey Tuesday but most of the time we’re left to freestyle, with varying degrees of success. So if you’ve run out of people to match with on Tinder, try the old school way with a few well chosen dance moves.

1. The Smiley Shuffle.

This is the safest and most popular dance style. Impossible to criticise and easy to remember you simply step side to side with a bit of a bounce, bend your arms, add a slight bobbing of the head and flash that dazzling smile. Congratulations, you’re now easy to approach and don’t look like an idiot.

Dancing has long been a human mating ritual 2. The Hips Don’t Lie. Another very popular type of dancing - particularly amongst girls. Basically, shake that booty. I’m yet to see this homage to Shakira fail in its quest for a spring fling.

5. The Jump.

Sometimes this type of dancing is necessary. For example, ‘Mr Brightside’ requires jumping. In moderation this dance move can make you look fun and shows your appreciation for the song but after a while you risk becoming that annoying person who fractures people’s toes.

6. The Mime.

There are some songs everyone sings along to and it’s a sad, but true, fact that we all know the words to One Direction’s ‘What Makes You Beautiful’.

Someone will invariably start to point and pull pained expressions at that one lucky person who will then stare at the ground in acute embarrassment. This is the Stinking Bishop of cheesy dance moves and is to be avoided unless you want to induce vomiting.

7. The Grind.

This is standard Timepiece dancing.

It involves grinding against someone from behind until they eventually turn around. It has varying degrees of success - you may be lucky and hit it off, or you may get a slap in the face.

8. The Snake Arm. An unusual method of dancing; this involves wiggling your arm around before, ‘accidently’, placing it on someone’s waist. Only use this if the girl/ guy you’re trying to impress

has a sense of humour and some wacky dance moves themselves, otherwise it comes across as veerrrryy creepy.

9. The Enthusiast.

Bound to scare anyone within five feet away. Simply throw your arms in the air, gyrate, sing loudly and make sudden, thrusting movements. Perfect for when the dance floor gets crowded as this dance move will ensure you that extra bit of space. Although this has not yet been known to attract potential suitors I can assure you that it’s great fun.

The temptation to re-enact scenes from Dirty Dancing is almost unconquerable 10. The Couple Dance.

So you’ve finally found the one. The temptation to re-enact scenes from Dirty Dancing is almost unconquerable. But spare a thought for those still waving their hands to Single Ladies and try not to act like you’re an extra in Wolf of Wall Street.

So... which one are you?

LIFESTYLE

Columnist

Maddy Everington talks food fads and healthy images

IT STRUCK me, whilst out for a meal the other day, how much of the food we now choose depends on what it looks like and whether it ticks the right boxes. A waiter placed in front of me a meal which I expected to be ‘Pan fried Scottish salmon with hollandaise sauce on a bed of our fresh, home-grown salad’. What sat before me was a large white, ceramic slab on which sat a small piece of salmon and one green leaf.

Someone had half-heartedly daubed a teaspoon of sauce on the fish, and rather more enthusiastically drizzled olive oil in artistic swirls around the 70 per cent of the plate left without any food on it at all. Taking this obsession with what I will call ‘food image’ outside the restaurant, however, more and more we feel pressured to eat only what is considered ‘healthy’.

So much of what we consider healthy is based on what we are told is good for you, and what that is based on is anyone’s guess.

Food image is something which affects far more of us than you would think Sometimes I feel we have strayed too far from the old fashioned sensible idea of a healthy lifestyle.

“People who are too fat, have only to eat less and run more. It’s very simple.” And I agree. The image of not only what we should look like, but now also what our food should look like, is pushed at us again and again from superficial magazines, the mainstream news and supermarkets.

It is too much – what we should wear, look like, apply make up to and where we should live, go on holiday and be seen are all d i c t a t e d by the media

3. The Slut Drop.

Desperation called. You’re being taken to court on charges of plagiarism.

4. The Backward Bend.

Embarrassingly, this is one I’m all too prone to when I’ve been on the Southern Comfort. It can serve to show off a toned stomach, but generally people just assume you’re so drunk you’ve fallen over. Or, more awkwardly, you’ll fall over in the process.

RUBY Modern Diner p layed C upid an gave Ex d eposé Lif estyle a meal fo r o m r two in antic a private Valenti booth o nes Day n . Well d one to o winner, ur Lucy H arrison

17

in our consumerist society. Let our diet be free from hypnosis.

One of the more “recently” discovered new superfoods on the market is quinoa (for those who have not yet been taught how to pronounce it properly, it is said “keenwah” not “kwin-oa”), a fine example of a food suddenly eaten because it is in Vogue. In fact discovered by the modern world over 500 years ago when the Spanish conquistadors came across it being eaten in South America, quinoa was at first rejected (no doubt it was something to do with its frogspawn-like appearance and apparent sawdust flavour), yet several centuries later we have all suddenly embraced it for its wonderful nutritional value. I bet the men who decided to import tobacco instead of quinoa are kicking themselves. They could have made a bomb and we’d all have been a lot healthier for it.

Food image is something which affects far more of us than you would think. On an everyday level you feel compelled to pick the healthy option on the menu. Or do exercise, not because you want to, but because that’s what is good for you and will make you look good. When talking to a girl I had just met she informed me after only three minutes of conversation that she was starving because she was on a liquid diet. I was unimpressed but enquired as to what a liquid diet consisted of and whether you had to blend your meals into juice before ingesting them?

The sharpness in the stare she gave me afterwards I shall account to the terrible hunger she must have been feeling having not eaten anything tangible for the past two days. The point is, why was she doing it? She didn’t need to lose weight; did she just feel she had to do it because that’s what everyone who looks good has to do? I’m sure I’d rather eat a Sunday roast the conventional way as opposed to through a straw.

Of course listen to doctors and dieticians who know what they are talking about when they let you know what healthy food is. Be interested in what well-informed sources have to say on diets and superfoods, but do not let it rule your life – don’t let it become a fad-ish obsession.

18

LIFESTYLE

18 FEBRUARY 2014 |

Monthly Makeover www.exepose.ex.ac.uk

EXEPOSÉ

Every month Exeposé Lifestyle gives you the opportunity to try out a new look. This issue, Emily-Rose Rolfe, Lifestyle Editor, restyles the gorgeous Carys Goodwin Before

She may not be on trend, she may not care about flair, but I immediately spotted her grace and poise.

While she doesn’t avidly follow big fashion issues, she is a “big fan of wardrobe sharing with my friends though, and quite often eyeing up their new clothes”. Isn’t that what having girlfriends are for?! As time at University moves forward, the Berlin Wall separating women’s wardrobes is slowly broken down until you’re not entirely sure which top is yours. So the question is, what’s going to happen when she puts her wardrobe under the lens?

During the makeover itself Carys had a smile pinned on her face as she perused the rails. The idea of being able to take home complementary clothes that she would not naturally be drawn to put a sparkle in her eyes. Afterwards she joyfully exclaims how much she enjoyed shopping for her outfit during the makeover. “It was nice to be able to browse and not feel guilty for eating into my overdraft! Sadly, the main place I’ll probably wear the dress is work, as Exeter isn’t much of a place for dressing up, but will try and drag some girls out for a cocktail night just for an excuse to wear it!” Now that’s the spirit. Getting a whole new outfit to justify having a very happy hour.

I love how versatile all the pieces are

WE set off with an £80 budget, an over-excited Lifestyle Editor, and a vast array of it-shops to explore in the delectable and fashion-forward Princesshay.

THE lovely Carys is a first year philosophy and political economy student. Her reaction to being in the ‘Monthly Makeover’ was exuberant; she was bored and keen to try out a new style. She applied to be restyled because “I’m pretty lazy with my dress sense so thought it would be fun to give some new things a go, and hey, who doesn’t want a free new outfit and a day of attention and dressing up?” Hear hear!

When asked to describe her style she said: “It’s pretty casual, don’t really go for a specific look, just get whatever takes my eye, generally jeans and some kind of patterned top – I’m not really one for browsing fashion magazines or spending hours internet shopping, would rather be on Buzzfeed or planning my next imaginary holiday”. What about fashion feeds on Buzzfeed, Carys? It’s not “Too crazy or out there, not terribly classy or sophisticated either”.

Obviously, during the restyle, we couldn’t just stick to talking about how the makeover is going to change her style; we just had to ask her what the most mortifying item in her wardrobe is… “The Chang vest, which any gap year kid will recognise as the essential Khaosan Road purchase. Luckily I’m embarrassed enough to keep it just as a pyjama top though!” Brogues and Barbours off to you, that is a truly Exeter answer.

There is a pressing debate that spreads far beyond the Exeposé Monthly Makeover, and indeed far beyond Exeter; it is brought up in dinner party conversations throughout the UK – is refusing to change your style lacklustre, or each season should we revamp our wardrobe with new fads? “I would recommend mixing up your style every so often, as it’s very easy to get stuck in a rut, the only issue is that you’re then attracted by a whole new wardrobe!” Whilst student loans don’t cover a spending spree every season, you should contemplate sacrificing a boozy extravaganza for a trip to Princesshay.

Carys can’t see herself suddenly dressing up for lectures, but what girl doesn’t have a spring in her step when she is complimented on a new skirt?

Photos: Niklas Rahmel

Has being restyled changed the way she shops? “I definitely think I’ll be more adventurous trying stuff on when I’m shopping in the future, whether the stuff will make it out of the changing rooms will remain to be seen!”

After

I would recommend mixing up your style every so often

Now… at the climax of the makeover, I take a deep breath and ask her for the final judgment. What do you think of the outfit? Would you wear it again?

“I absolutely love my new outfit, I love the colour of the dress and how I can dress it up or down so easily.” The versatile dress “may become my new essential LOD (little orange dress) as my go-to piece”. I have to admit I agree; when I first saw the LOD my immediate reaction wasn’t to make it grungy but to pair it with stilettos and a Mulberry clutch bag. There’s a lot of panache in orange. It can be clean and modern chic, or it could simply make an outfit pop. Orange is to S/S 14 what cobalt was to A/W 12-13 – flexible, electrifying, revitalising. Another way I was going to style the dress was to search for a statement necklace and purchase a cropped white jumper that cut off nicely at the waist. It looked elegant and fresh. However, as soon as Carys bashfully admitted that she wouldn’t wear the jumper again, but would make the jacket a staple I dismissed the idea and marched to the tills. Whilst yes, this is a makeover, you still have to feel at ease in the whole outfit – whether paired together or with your day-to-day style.

Rate me? “I wouldn’t like to put an out of 10 figure but safe to say I’m very happy with it. Thank you so much Emily-Rose!” Oh stop, you’re going to make me blush.

The Exeposé Monthly Makeover is brought to you in conjunction with Princesshay, where “effortless style meets great shopping and fabulous dining”.

We can vouch that the shops restaurants and cafes cater for every taste and budget. If you fancy trying out a new style, and receiving up to £80 worth of clothes TO KEEP, just email lifestyle@exepose.com, and you could be the next student to be restyled!

The items in this feature have been purchased from the following retailers: Dress, Topshop, £41.40. Jacket, Miss Selfridge, £32.76. Beanie, Miss Selfridge, £4.50. (all including 10 per cent student discount) Photos: Niklas Rahmel

EXPAND YOUR HORIZONS • EXPERIENCE NEW CULTURES • ENHANCE YOUR EMPLOYABILITY • FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE

in China

Study abroad

study

this summer

International Exeter scholarships of £800 are available to eligible students to travel to one of China’s most prestigious universities this summer

Peking University, Beijing Study in English at Peking University’s Summer School International (30 June – 25 July 2014) Applications must be made via Exeter initially using the Summer School and Short Programmes Scholarship application form - http://www.exeter.ac.uk/international/abroad/summerschoolandshortprogrammescholarshipfund/

Deadline for applications: Friday 28 February 2014 For more information, please contact Sarah Hector at S.Hector@exeter.ac.uk or visit

www.exeter.ac.uk/international/abroad/summerschoolandshortprogrammescholarshipfund/pekingsummerschool Eligibility requirements apply.

EXEPOSÉ

| WEEK EIGHTEEN

MUSIC

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @ExeposeMusic

Listings Wed 19 February Cara Dillon Barnfield Theatre Wed 19 February Thumpers Kink @ Cavern

MUSIC

www.exepose.ex.ac.uk

21

MUSIC EDITORS

Magda Cassidy & Josh Gray music@exepose.com JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP Exeposé Music

When I Get That Feeling...

Josh Gray, Music Editor, takes a trip down memory lane to reaquaint himself with the mid-noughties princes of the punchy pop hook: The Feeling

Thu 20 February The Black Tambourines Cavern Sat 1 March Bonobo Colston Hall Bristol Tue 4 March Rizzle Kicks O2 Academy Bristol Sun 7 March Newton Faulkner Great Hall Sat 8 March George Ezra Cavern Mon 17 March Bombay Bicycle Club Great Hall Wed 19 March The Feeling Phoenix Tue 25 March 65daysofstatic Phoenix Wed 26 March Lee Scratch Perry Phoenix Thu 27 March The Stranglers O2 Academy Bristol Sat 29 March Stiff Little Fingers O2 Academy Bristol

One to Watch

WHAT’S that you say? You had no idea that The Feeling, creators of such mid-noughties smash hits as ‘Never Be Lonely’ and ‘Fill My Little World’, were still going? Shame on you, they’ve never been away. Their latest album Boy Cried Wolf was released

On Together our label had such control over our creative process that only half the album was what we wanted to make last year and the band are preparing to hit the road on an extensive UK tour to remind the world at large that they’re still going strong.

Bombay Bicycle Club So Long, See You Tomorrow Island Records .......................

George Ezra @ Cavern Bristol based George Ezra brings his bluesy, acoustic ballads that would not be out of place on a Texas porch to Cavern next month. A winner of BBC Radio 1’s Sound of 2014, this smokey voiced soulman is headed for the big time.

IT IS very hard for bands to continuously build upon good album after good album; Bombay Bicycle Club arguably

“The response to Boy Cried Wolf has been incredible”, drummer Paul Stewart tells me, “Critics are giving it four stars across the board and the fan reaction has been overwhelmingly positive”. This is welcome news for the band after the lukewarm reception of their previous album Together We Were Made, which received a somewhat tepid 1/10 from NME in 2011, “On that album our label had such control over our creative process that really only half the album was what we as a band wanted to make”.

This has all changed now that the band have moved to BMG and got themselves a far more advantageous distribution deal, though they have had to trade orchestras for creative control; “I think everyone in the industry is tightening their belts somewhat”. For a band that briefly held the musical

world in the palm of their collective hand, this could be terribly depressing, but Paul claims the band has no regrets on this front, “It’s nice because the songwriting process feels a lot more similar to on the first album (2006’s Twelve Stops and Home), it’s just the five of us sat in a room writing the songs we want to write”.

have. As a band Bombay Bicycle Club’s musicality has grown significantly during the last few years and is set to continue, if this album is anything to go by.

I was rather worried this album was going to replicate A Different Kind of Fix and potentially tire out Bombay’s sound.

And yet the band have rewired their music with punchier riffs and more electronic beats, something which they do successfully.

From the Indie roots of I Had the Blues But I Shook Them Loose to the much fuller sounding So Long See You Tomorrow, the band have developed a big sound, complemented by sophisticated lyrics. When describing the new album, Jack Steadman, the lead singer said ‘we have finally made an album our audiences can dance to’ and this is portrayed in a number of euphoric, uplifting songs.

The inspiration of the album has arguably come from Jack Steadman’s travelling during the inter-album period. This travelling is noticeable in the writing of the album and in particularly ‘Luna’ and ‘Feel’ both which originated in India, shown through the Bollywood elements. So Long See You Tomorrow combines the rock elements of their first album with a more sustaining up beat electro sound and an incorporation of other genres. The result is admirable.

A major factor when considering the album is the timing; previous albums by the band have only taken a year to produce where as the latest one has taken over two. As a new band they had to create according to producers’ inputs but their latest album is produced in their own studio, something the band has found ‘liberating.’ This has allowed them to spend longer crafting their al-

Fans tell us we soundtracked their school years, but are still really into us Boy Cried Wolf is an album that could only be made by The Feeling, packed full of pop melodies and lovelorn lyrics and coming off a bit like The Fray with a sense of fun. But this

fourth album is, as Paul tells me, “a far more mature effort”; and this is entirely appropriate considering the band’s aging fan base. “We often meet fans who tell us that we soundtracked their school years when they were 14, but are still really into us now that they’re in their early 20s,” I’m informed, “But we also get some interesting older fans. There was a middle-aged German farming woman who liked us so much that she sent us a massive hamper of home grown produce, most of which we couldn’t name”.

So if you used to feel The Feeling’s music back at school, maybe now’s the time to give them another spin. Either way, they’re bloody well not finished yet.

The Feeling will play The Phoenix on 19 March bum, something that has greatly benefited the overall sound.

Bombay’s successful change of style has similar parallels to Coldplay’s move from Viva La Vida and Death and all His Friends to Mylo Xyloto.

Like Coldplay, the band may lose some hard-core fans due to the introduction of electronic beats and loops; however, this change should not be derided but praised. Many bands have refused to change their sound resulting in album sales plunging. Alternatively, even more bands have changed their sound but lost all of their quality in doing so. Bombay Bicycle Club have avoided both so lets embrace this musical change rather than fear it.

LUKE TAYLOR

22

MUSIC

18 FEBRUARY 2014 |

www.exepose.ex.ac.uk

Belieb it or not, Justin is cursed...

P.K.’s Korner

It is hardly a rarity to see Pavel Kondov discusses the best and worst of celebrity albums IT is hardly a outside rarity to see celebrities thecelebrities music outside the music industry try their

hand at singing or playing industry try their handan instru-

ment in a desperate attempt to seem modern-day Renaissance atlikesinging or playing anpeople.

While vanity albums by the likes of Paris Hilton are cially recognised instrument in offi a desperate by the UN as crimes against humanity, there to areseem some like who modernhave proattempt duced tolerable, or even good music. obvious success story here dayThe Renaissance people. is Jared Leto’s 30 Seconds to Mars which started outthis as a trend space/progWhile we owe rock project, only to evolve into a stadium-fi lling band gained vanity albums bythat thehas likes credibility outside its creator’s popularity.

LessHilton known and but equally of Paris Brucegood is professional pretty boy Ryan Gosling’s rather interesting Willis, which are offialternative cially indie-folk duo Dead Man’s Bones.

When it comes solo as projects recognised by thetoUN there are a couple of honourable mentionsagainst besideshumanity, the annoyingcrimes ly multi-talented Hugh Laurie. Iron Man Robert Downey has shown there are some whoJr. have his sensitive side in an album of pop ballads. Also, as if it wasn’t enough produced tolerable, or even to have won an Oscar, Jamie Foxx has won not one but two Grammys. good music.

Doesn’t that make you feel motivated to achieve something in life?

The obvious success story Luckily, you can still cringe at Russell trying to30be Bruce here is Crowe Jared Leto’s Springsteen, or Ricky Gervais singing post-punk Secondsintomake-up Mars in Seona Dancing.

That last one which started was a bad example actually. out as Seriously, a space/go listen to that. Now.

prog-rock

EXEPOSÉ

Connor McGovern ponders the rise and inevitable fall of Bieber

SOMEHOW or other, I can’t imagine Justin Bieber would have ever envisaged this when he was recording videos in his bedroom all those years ago. “This” being smiling into the camera of Floridian police, pompadour and all, after being arrested for

Not The Saddest Crowd

Sarah Merritt caught Seth Lakeman at the Cathedral last week

drag racing through the streets of Miami. Under the influence, too. Whether or not he genuinely believed he was living out Need for Speed, the grim reality of life, which is so often blurred between the realms of stardom and normality, has come knocking.

It’s hard to remember the boy we first met in 2009 (and let’s call him that, because his transition into manhood has been indistinct, if at all existent): fresh-faced and baseball-capped, singing his innocent first choruses with a burgeoning feminine fanbase. Since then, our minds have been littered with images of him wandering through hotel lobbies shirtless, smoking, spitting, picking fights with a London paparazzo and now – perhaps inevitably – posing for not another God-forsaken selfie, but a mug shot. How delightful. What the hell happened?

The Bieber Empire, furiously built on relentless publicity and social network domination, is in turmoil. His notoriously beyond-devoted “Beliebers” and hundreds of millions of YouTube hits seem a long way away from a Miami custody desk. I wonder to myself if he was wondering “What happened?” when he was let out on bail. Of course, when you have nearly 50 million Face-

book likes, and are forever surrounded by borderline sociopathic teenage girls wailing “#WeWillAlwaysSupportYouJustin” in every single possible medium available to you, you must think you’re something special. A demi-god. Invincible. But of course, a God wouldn’t get in a car, drunk, to be arrested and appear

Nourished by the warped ideals of the music industry, he has passed through puberty with a mangled perception of life in court. And more obviously, the boy, whose supposed ‘retirement’ was being discussed just weeks ago, is not invincible. He is merely the cherry-picked product of a digital age, moulded by the mono-dimensional obsessives who buy his music, not least the monopolising moguls in charge of him, who, I’m sure, are staying well away at the moment, during this (in Hollywood standards) most mediocre of meltdowns. The problem here is not necessarily what he has done this week, but that Justin Bieber has been fed a constant diet of self-inflation pills for the last five years. Nourished by the warped ideals of the music industry, he

Best of Exe:

has petulantly passed through puberty – the most defining stage of human existence – with a mangled perception of life and of himself. It has resulted in him simply believing that he is utterly invincible, which is arguably more dangerous than invincibility itself. He has believed that he can go where he wants, say what he wants, and most frighteningly, do what he wants. Remember his bringing a monkey into Munich airport, anyone?

At a time like this, it is only natural to remember 2007, Britney Spears’ annus horribilis, or those countless mug shots of a botox-tainted Lindsay Lohan between her spells in rehabilitation centres. Yet in all that, there seems to be a pattern emerging. Justin Bieber, for all his worth, is simply a victim of the infamous ‘too much, too young’ curse, that has affected many before him, and will do so to many after him. That aside, let’s not forget, however, that drag racing under the influence could have killed somebody. I hope there is Justice for Justin, therefore. Then, perhaps, when he is sitting in a cell or mopping the floor of a youth centre in the Bronx, he might realise what went wrong. Perhaps this might be a lesson to him and his poisonous swarms of fans that actions have consequences. And perhaps most importantly, he might reflect on his experience and put together even a half-meaningful set of lyrics, too.

Kaleidoscope Eyes

Josh Gray, Music Editor, heads to the Ram for a chat with Exeter’s newest rock powerhouse IF any of you readers headed over to Timepiece for the second round of Campus Bands’ Battle of the Bands last Monday, then you will doubtlessly remember the electrifying performance of Kaleidoscope Eyes, who are now through to the semi finals on the merit FOLK artist Seth Lakeman brought his Word of Mouth tour to Exeter Cathedral on 6 February. The performance, at times as rabble-rousing as a 17th Century alehouse, at others haunting and reflective, granted the Cathedral a newfound energy. The sheer enthusiasm of Seth and his live band brought half the audience to their feet, creating a middle-aged, folk fans’ equivalent of a mosh pit. The Cathedral was an effective choice of setting, with the multi-coloured lightshow around the stone pillars invigorating the usually still, silent building.

Lakeman is an incredible performer, stamping his foot to the rhythm and playing with such attention to his instrument that the concert feels as much private as it is inclusive. Songs such as ‘The White

Hare’ and ‘Portrait of My Wife’, which Lakeman commented had been recorded in a similar setting, have an ethereal beauty that was enhanced by the cavernous space. At the other end of the spectrum, Lakeman performed the stirring ‘Kitty Jay’ with such fury that he had to replace his bow. A majority of Lakeman’s songs, such as ‘Lady of The Sea’, ‘The Saddest Crowd’ and ‘The Bold Knight’, focus around local folklore, and snippets of spoken word included in the concert evoked an appreciation of history.

Word of Mouth, released 3 March, is the seventh solo album from Lakeman. Playing more than seven instruments, and with a natural flair for vocals, I’m glad that he seems highly unlikely to stop anytime soon.

My dad brought me up on The Beatles, so I learnt from that and went on from there of their performance. “It was nice to get through on the popular vote”, firstyear bassist Harry Voge tells me, a huge smile plastered across his face; “We got some really good feedback”, drummer Alex Hoather adds, similarly chuffed by the rapturous reception.

A relatively new but tight-as-hell three-piece, the group are led by Simon Allington on guitar and vocals, backed up by Alex and Harry who provide a solid rhythm section over

which Simon’s songs really soar. The band, who formed in November after a Campus Bands jam session, put part of their remarkably fast rise to being one of the most exciting bands in Exeter down to the benefits of playing as a three-piece, which Simon argues helps as “It becomes a lot more polished a lot more quickly”.

Trying to describe their sound is tricky, as, in Alex’s words, “It jumps about a bit, but if we had to bolt ourselves it’d probably be to a modern take on classic rock.” Simon’s songwriting style is definitely an oldschool one, “I’ve been songwriting since I can remember, my dad brought me up on the Beatles so I learnt from that and went on from there” he explains, but cites The Arctic Monkeys and The Black Keys as recent bands who also influence his style, theough I’m also assured by Alex and Harry that “We add our own tweaks!”

The band now nearly have an album’s worth of material, and are performing as often as possible to refine the songs, including upcoming gigs

at the Cavern on Thursday and the Firehouse on the 23rd, but it’ll be the upcoming Battle of the Bands semi-finals and final in March that’ll really test the bands mettle. “There’s also a lot of new bands who have just appeared as if from nowhere” Alex notes, “There’s quite a variety of bands, but overall this year there’s a generally really high standard”, adds Simon, before picking out Academic

The last people I’d want to be are the judges Audio, Saudade and DeathStar Disco as the fellow competitors who contribute to the challenge of victory. It’ll be tight, nevertheless Kaleidoscope Eyes could have what it takes to fall on the top of the pile. But, as Alex tells me “The last person I’d want to be throughout this process is the judges”.

EXEPOSÉ

| WEEK EIGHTEEN

Young Fathers Dead Big Dada .......................

DEAD is the first full length studio album from genre-busting Scottish hip-hop group Young Fathers. The understated electronic production contrasts well with sounds from the members’ African roots, the beats and hooks are original without being particularly groundbreaking or diverse but the real strength of this release is in the lyrical imagery in its stories.

Before I listened to this I was expecting decent bars to go over some amazing instrumentals, but it is completely the reverse. The emotive, if a touch repetitive, backing electronica provides a springboard for the real feature – and some of the wordplay these guys are fronting both warrants and needs a couple of listens at least.

The word “poetic” gets bandied about far too much but if you want what I would describe as a psychedelic poetry reading in hip-hop format this is it. They have maintained their unique character we heard on their first EPs

Broken Bells After The Disco Columbia .......................

ALMOST four years after the release of their debut album, Broken Bells are back with the long awaited After the Disco.

Danger Mouse and The Shins’ frontman James Mercer have joined forces once again to release this vintage inspired album that brings the past into a futuristic world, twisting it into something retro.

The title song, ‘After the Disco’, is the first to spark memories of the debut album but it isn’t until ‘Holding On For Life’ that we really remember what it is we love so much about Broken Bells: the electronic background complementing James Mercer’s cool yet sombre vocals creating an almost Bee Gees inspired sound. Its otherworldly yet altogether recognisable tones add to this realm that they’ve created. ‘No Matter what You’re Told’ is the second most exciting song on the album with its youthful vibe. The lyrics “We’ll blow all our chances thinking we know all the answers”, reiterate this

MUSIC

www.exepose.ex.ac.uk

Tape One and Tape Two, but this album has much cleaner production as you’d expect from a bigger project.

They haven’t shied away from the style we heard on those tapes which didn’t receive much attention and are showing no signs of reacting to the attention that is coming their way now.

Strikingly genuine lyrics reflect the turbulent lives that the guys in Young Fathers have led, having grown up in Nigeria and war-torn Liberia, but Dead puts across a message of strong resolve which will inevitably win over listeners. The headline track released as a single, “Low”, exemplifies how Dead switches between ambient flows and punchy chanting hooks, and has burned up alternative radio waves and dancefloors across the country with good reason.

Strikingly genuine lyrics reflect their turbulent lives growing up in Nigeria and war-torn Libya I still don’t feel that Young Fathers have fulfilled their potential of a full length album yet, but Dead is a solid release and an encouraging sign that they wont compromise on their gritty and energetic flavour in the face of real attentio. Having supported Hip Hop powerhouses like Run the Jewels they are definitely a group to keep an eye on. Fans of electronica, alternative pop or hip-hop, give it a listen.

JACK MCNOUGHER idea of the naïve arrogance of a young mind. Rolling Stone have even suggested Broken Bells on their list of “greatest stoner songs” and, naturally, this album would fit perfectly into that category.

The repeated sci-fi tones throughout the album evoke a psychedelic strangeness, as if you’re floating around in space.

The band released two teaser videos last year, building anticipation for what we all knew would take us deep into their extraordinary minds. The first, ‘Angel and the Fool’, tells the story of Oliver (Anton Yelchin) dealing with a monotonous life by dreaming of a girl that curiously resembles a woman from a painting. Transported into another world – escorted by snippets from the album – he meets and falls in love with Helen, a timid astronaut (Kate Mara). Oliver is constantly transported from his colourless reality into this sci-fi dreamland; though his dreams are beginning to pervade his reality, his reality is obstinately rejected by this bizarre new world. In the second video, ‘Holding on for Life’, Oliver is refused access into a space-nightclub until he changes into more appropriate clothing, that is, space gear. He is drugged by the musical duo and it all then becomes rather philosophical…

Unlike the first album, where the music and vocals seem more evenly weighted, the music in After the Disco predominantly works in Mercer’s background. It is also edging slightly further into the precarious “Pop” category. Nonetheless, it is a great album in its own right, disregarding everything we already love about them.

AMRITA PAL

Metronomy Love Letters Because Music March 10 .......................

METRONOMY are back, plying the distinctive trade of smooth synth and seductive falsetto that got the Devon-based band nominated for the Mercury Prize back in 2011. The four person group, led

by Joseph Mount, have grown in stature and popularity due to their poppy and effortlessly cool sound over the last few years, but the upcoming March release, Love Letters, represents somewhat of an understated effort.

The album opens up with ‘The Upsetter’, a song that hints at the simplicity and verve that has come to define the group: a few wandering guitar riffs of cool delicacy overlaying a steady acoustic strum and the melancholy refrain “You’re really giving me a hard time, tonight”.

This song sets the tone of the album: if the mercury-nominated Riviera was the Technicolor sound of a cider fuelled barbeque on a rare Devon summer’s day, then this is a murky house party, with all

Various Artists Frozen (Original Soundtrack) Walt Disney .......................

AS 2013 fizzled away into the freezing, drizzly 2014 that we have all been treated to, it was blessed with one of the greatest creations to ever grace my ears. You know exactly what I’m talking about – the soundtrack to Disney’s Frozen.

I can’t say that I was expecting much when my house of 18/19-yearold guys, buzzing with Christmas spirit, decided to take a trip to the Cinema to see a U-rated Disney film. However, we soon found ourselves pleasantly surprised when we were captivated by the infectious melodies that lace this animated extravaganza. Not even ten minutes into the film we hear to the internet-famous ‘Do You Want to Build a Snowman’, a heart-wrenching ballad performed by the film’s protagonist, Anna. Of course, there wasn’t a dry pair of eyes in the whole room (except

the highs and lows. The middle of the album feels and sounds like the songs that didn’t quite make it into MGMT’s Congratulations.

The album reaches its catchiest peak with ‘Love Letters’. The title song punches out the trumpet fuelled hook with enthusiasm, but it feels slightly forced, slightly repetitive, slightly not quite right. There’s an essence of ABBA which dates horribly, there’s an element of pushing too hard for a standout song.

‘The Most Immaculate Haircut’ is lyrically entertaining, but that’s about all that can be said for it.

In contrast, ‘Reservoir’ simply glides through melodies with the fusion of guitar, bass and oscillating synth that we all craved from this album. The longing-filled and ambitious ‘Never Wanted’, leaves the album a little flat and melancholy, with the sadness-tinged refrain “does it get better?”.

It’s a shame you leave the album feeling that they’ve returned to an electronic sound that does not sit well in comparison with the four piece’s previous outing. In fact, it’s hard to tell that this is a band outing, the depth of sound has been reduced so. Whilst melodies zigzag up and down, in a distinctly bubbly Metronomy trademarked fashion, they carry almost none of the oomph behind them. It feels like Oscar Cash and Gbenga Adelekan have been told to tone it down, and the result is a rather disappointing medley of songs that feel either dated already, or instantly forgettable bar one or two joyous exceptions. It may grow on me, and it isn’t a terrible album by any stretch, it’s just not the album anyone was anticipating.

23

THE FIRING RANGE

will.i.am ft. Miley Cyrus, Wiz Khalifa and French Montana Feelin’ Myself I REMEMBER a time when will.i.am had dreads and wore tracksuits. I remember a time when the early music he made with The Black Eyed Peas actually had some heart. But that man is dead now.

With a myriad of artists throwing in drab self-congratulatory verses to the background of a repetitive blare, ‘Feelin’ Myself’ thuds like a four minute-long group-masturbation session with a beat reminiscent of an awkward parent knocking on a teenager’s door. It may be considered ‘phresh’ in some circles, but for anyone who’s been following will.i.am’s solo career this is yet another monotonous nail in the coffin of his musical credibility.

ROB HARRIS SCREEN EDITOR

LOUIS DORÉ NEWS EDITOR for mine, obviously) when Anna’s tiny voice whispered the song’s final lines.

When you’re listening to this soundtrack, there are some important things to remember. Firstly, that this is a children’s film. As much as I’d love to hear a Thom Yorke-inspired electronic symphony accompany a Disney film, it just isn’t going to happen. Also, these are actresses and actors singing, not musicians, and with that in mind the quality of the vocals is actually very impressive.

In fact, the songs aren’t nearly as cheesy as some of Disney’s previous offerings (Bare Necessities anyone?) and are actually exceptionally well written.

Perhaps the film’s greatest highlight is the fact that the soundtrack has a little bit of everything. It has the staple power ballad ‘Let It Go’ which is possibly the most uplifting song ever to be written and is renowned for being absolutely impossible not to sing along to. In addition to this, you have the bubbly ‘In Summer’ which bears one of the greatest lyrics in musical history – ‘Winter’s a good time to stay in and cuddle but put me in summer and I’ll be a… ‘Happy snowman!’

Needless to say, the songs of Frozen have been on repeat in our house ever since and there is nothing more beautiful than hearing a bunch of lads try to reach the notes that Kristen Bell does.

If you haven’t heard it yet then drop whatever you are doing right now and go and listen, for it will undoubtably be an enlightening experience.

LEWIS NORMAN

Reverend and the Makers The Only One I DON’T even know how I started liking Reverend and the Makers, but I’m happy it happened. ‘The Only One’ is the standout single from their fourth album Thirty Two, which follows the rugged charms of 2013’s @Reverend_Makers. This new single continues the tinnies and tight vocals approach to indie-dance that the band are known for, but with an added potency that suggests a more refined creation process than previously.

The band have promoted their new album by playing house gigs in terrible towns, though this single is surely destined to be played on a grander stage than a shit living room in Hull.

OWEN KEATING NEWS EDITOR

Head online for even more album reviews, including Katy B’s Little Red

24

SCREEN

SCREEN FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @ExeposeScreen

Newsreel Netflix to invest heavily in new content The streaming giant has stated that the company are planning to spend $3 billion on new TV and film content in 2014, with plans to spend over $6 billion over the next three years. This move suggests a strong response to the rising costs of securing international rights and commissioning new shows, which could potentially hamper the company’s expansion and profits.

Netflix also hopes to raise $400 million to fund more original programming as well as expand upon their emerging success throughout Europe. Despite total revenues of $4.3 billion last year, due to licensing costs and other expenses, the company ended 2013 with a net profit of only $112 million.

AMC to adapt Preacher The TV studio has revealed that they have begun work on a drama-series based on Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon’s popular comic-book series. It was also announced that Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg will serve as the show’s executive-producers. The story follows Reverend Jesse Custer, a minister on the cusp of renouncing his faith, who merges with a force called ‘Genesis’. After gaining almighty powers, Custer goes on a journey in search of answers from God. Given the franchise’s adult themes, past attempts to bring the series to the screen have proven fruitless, with screenwriter Mark Steven Johnon declaring that it was “just too dark and too violent and too controversial” after HBO rejected the show in 2008.

18 FEBRUARY 2014 |

www.exepose.ex.ac.uk

EXEPOSÉ

SCREEN EDITORS

Megan Furborough & Rob Harris screen@exepose.com JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP Exeposé Screen

R.I.P. Philip Seymour Hoffman

After the passing of the legendary actor, Exeposé Screen look back on and celebrate his extraordinary life and career on and off screen AS The New York Times so aptly declared, Philip Seymour Hoffman was “perhaps the most ambitious and widely admired American actor of his generation.” With the news of his untimely death two weeks ago, we thought it most necessary to immortalise this Hollywood great with a look back over his spectacular, albeit far too brief, life.

cer-stricken Earl Patridge in Magnolia (1999), he didn’t just make you believe he was the character, he evoked a certain sympathy for them in the most ingenious, effortless manner.

Known for his sometimes painful dedication to his craft, Hoffman was a spectacular transformative performer who was used to radically changing his appearance for parts. His most famous and highly ac-

Hoffman was one of Hollywood’s most exceptionally talented actors

claimed role being his portrayal of Truman Capote in the 2005 biographical film, Capote, for which he received numerous accolades including the Oscar for best actor.

He leaves behind three children, an unforgettable legacy and a dedicated legion of fans Having joined the LAByrinth Theater Company in 1995, Hoffman was also regarded as an accomplished theatre actor and director, performing and directing in numerous stage productions.

Notably he received three Tony Award nominations: two for Best Leading Actor in True West (2000) and Death of a Salesman (2012) and one for Best Feature Actor in Long Day’s Journey into the Night (2003).

In 2006, Hoffman openly admitted to suffering from alcohol and drug abuse, saying he abused “anything I could get my hands on. I liked it all.” Regrettably, this was to be the reason for his demise; he was found in his apartment by friend and playwright David Bar Katz, supposedly having suffered from an overdose.

He leaves behind three children, an unforgettable legacy and a dedicated legion of fans who have enjoyed his work over the decades.

Standing at 5ft 10 and adopting a somewhat scruffy presence, he appeared as more of an out-of-work actor than a star. However, one shouldn’t be deterred by his appearance; Hoffman was one of Hollywood’s most exceptionally talented actors, who shall be forever remembered for his unique capacity to disappear into his roles and hone his craft into a series of memorable performances.

Hoffman established a highly successful and respected film career, continuously breathing life into any role that he adopted. Whether he was a charismatic cult leader in The Master (2012), a German counter intelligence agent in Charlie Wilson’s War (2007) or the male nurse of can-

HARRIET LARGE

Justin Kurzel’s Macbeth begins filming StudioCanal and Film4 have announced that filming for See-Saw Films’ latest adaption of the Shakespeare classic is now underway across England and Scotland. Starring Michael Fassbender in the titular role and Marion Cotillard as Lady Macbeth, Kurzel hopes to create a fierce and gritty representation of life and conflict in the war-torn landscape of 11th Century Scotland. On top of the acting and directorial talent, with the likes of Academy Award winners Iain Canning and Emile Sherman producing the picture alongside Laura Hastings-Smith, this will be one adaptation to look out for in the near future.

“Creating something is all about problem-solving” I think a major part of Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s magnetism was his ability to seem entirely everyday on screen even in the most diverse and dynamic roles. His acting genius snuck up on viewers, and only days later when those performances were still ingrained in their minds would his unforgettable, outstanding artistry become apparent.

CARMEN PADDOCK

So many of his memorable roles are completely different from each other, and that’s part of what made him such a great actor. His role in Magnolia could not be more different from The Hunger Games’ Plutarch Heavensbee and also from Truman Capote. Cinema will be diminished without him.

It may sound somewhat paradoxical, but it was the unflashiness, the quiet understatedness of his performances that drew the viewer’s eye. Sadly gone but not forgotten, cinema’s favourite everyman will continue to captivate screens and his brilliance will dazzle generations to come.

There doesn’t seem to be any particular role that Hoffman did that stands out to me. This is in no way bad, it is simply because each performance was so masterful that the majority of his turns were award-worthy in their own right. It was often his most understated moments that showed how great an actor he really was.

ELLI CHRISTIE BOOKS EDITOR

MEGAN FURBOROUGH SCREEN EDITOR

ROB HARRIS SCREEN EDITOR

EXEPOSÉ

| WEEK EIGHTEEN

SCREEN

www.exepose.ex.ac.uk

25

Rich pickings? “I like your style, doc” Two Broke Girls Created by: Michael Patrick King, Whitney Cummings Cast: Kat Dennings, Beth Behrs, Jennifer Coolidge 2011-present E4 Season 3 THE THIRD series of the American import, 2 Broke Girls, is well under way on E4 and if you have yet to try out the award winning comedy then I suggest you give it a go. It centres around two waitresses at a Brooklyn diner; streetwise Max (Kat Dennings) has spent her life waiting on tables, while Caroline (Beth Behrs) is a former billionaire’s daughter who lost everything. With Caroline’s business background and Max’s baking ability the two embark on building a cupcake business together.

The chemistry between Behrs and Dennings has grown Fast forward three years and 48 episodes, and the comedy duo are still going strong. One of the many things I like about the show is the writers never let it get stale. We’ve already seen them

open one unsuccessful shop and are now working out of a walk up window in the back of the diner. Then, in the last episode, Max began attending pasty school, adding a whole new dimension to the show. I was slightly dubious about the introduction of the pastry school aspect, however, I could not have been more wrong. New characters have helped to freshen up the show without relegating the older, more established “diner family.” Deke (Eric Andre) is an especially nice addition to the cast. Fresh from the sitcom Don’t Trust The B--- In Apartment 23 his easy repertoire with Dennings has already made him a new favourite and the potential of a romance for Max will certainly liven up the rest of the series.

The chemistry between Behrs and Dennings has grown throughout the seasons and their relationship gives the show heart. Behrs herself commented; “Kat and I are really great friends and I think you can see that chemistry onscreen, and I hope that’s why people watch. Because we’re having a good time and I think that shows”.

The comedy has met with a lot of criticism because of its near the knuckle humour and certainly some of the jokes makes you cringe rather than laugh. But, for the most part, the jokes are funny and if you’re looking for an easy watch with some loveable characters then you can’t really go wrong with 2 Broke Girls.

CHLOE FORSYTH

Rosy Blake takes a trip to the Dallas Buyers Club

Dallas Buyers Club Director: Jean-Marc Valée Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Jared Leto, Jennifer Garner 117 mins (15) DALLAS BUYERS CLUB is based on the true life story of Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey), an electrician/cowboy from Dallas, Texas, who is diagnosed with AIDS in 1985 and given just 30 days to live. Defying the odds, Woodroof sets up a ‘buyers club’ with his business partner Rayon (Jared Leto), which distributes unlicensed imported medicines to HIV/ AIDs patients. This heart-wrenching

film deals with the taboos and prejudices of the time; marking the beginning of the AIDs epidemic, people’s understanding of the disease and how it is transmitted is not the same as our understanding today and Woodroof becomes ostracised by the cowboy community. We follow the transformation of Woodroof’s character from a drug taking, woman loving, homophobic cowboy to a tee-total, almost abstinent entrepreneur whose second hand man is a transvestite.

McConaughey’s dramatic weight loss, which has hit the headlines, is not the only impressive thing about his performance throughout the film he is utterly convincing and the audi-

ence feels his tenacity and triumphs with him. The lack of sentimentality displayed by McConaughey’s character does not deter the affection we feel for him and our hopes that he will win the case against the US Food and Drug Administration. The rough and rugged character of Ron Woodroof contrasts some of the romcom supernova’s McConaughey has played in the past and the performance has truly elevated him to A-rated actor, up there with the likes of Leonardo Di Caprio. Ultimately, McConaughey’s performance does justice to Ron Woodroof’s story and an Oscar would be thoroughly deserved.

The Golden Raspberries: the cream of the crap

With awards season around the corner, Joshua Mines takes a look at the ceremony you should be following WITH the Oscars just round the corner, it seems only natural that most will be captivated by the display of talent, quality and diversity that the world’s most prestigious film award ceremony brings. However, whilst it’s important to annually recognise the achievement of the world’s best directors, actors and film-makers, it’s equally vital to give credit to the people who have showed the year’s best displays of ineptitude and stupidity.

The prestigious ugly sister to the Oscars, these awards aim to name and shame some of this year’s biggest flops That’s where the Razzies come in.

The prestigious ugly sister to the Oscars, these awards aim to name and shame some of the year’s biggest flops and those involved in making the mistakes. It’s a chance to not only have a good laugh at the failings of some of Hollywood’s worst but also look back at how easy it can be for renowned actors and directors to make a really terrible film. And the Razzies have certainly seen some howlers in their 34 year history. Even the esteemed Robert De Niro is not immune to the glaring tin glow of the Razzies, having gathered a whopping 31 nominations over the years, adding three more to his growing list on the 2013 nominations.

This year’s awards boast some particularly impressive entries. Grown-Ups 2 leads the list with eight nominations, featuring Adam Sandler on the hunt for his third consecutive Golden Raspberry for worst actor. Special mention should also be given to the abomination that was After Earth, a film that once again

desperately tried to convince audiences that Jaden Smith has some acting talent. The box office disaster that was The Lone Ranger also features in numerous categories, proving that a glittering career can’t save you from the Razzies’ snare (we’re looking at you Johnny Depp).

If the golden Oscar is Superman, then the Razzie award is without doubt the Batman of Hollywood

wins – Sandra Bullock in particular told reporters that her Razzie and her Oscar share the same shelf on her trophy cabinet. But Sandra Bullock aside, it’s still a ceremony we need for more than cheap laughs. They show us the unchangeable nature of Hollywood and its ability to bring us good alongside shamefully horrible movies.

The Razzies act as a much needed reminder to audi-

ences of both how difficult it is to craft a truly excellent film, as well as how easy it can be to make a terrible one.

The awards are influential in demonstrating how quickly our perception of what is ‘really bad’ can change, and the frequency at which the boundaries of mediocrity are repositioned.

If the golden Oscar is Superman, then the Razzie award is without doubt the Batman of Hollywood. Not the hero the film industry deserves, but the one it needs. A silent guardian. A watchful protector. A dark knight, lurking in the background, ready to shine a light onto the many festering bruises on the arse of the film world.

The 34th Annual RAZZIE Awards will take place on Saturday 1 March.

Admittedly, the Razzies’ purpose alongside the Oscars doesn’t really reach beyond comic value. Some (a select few) actors have even taken pride in their Golden Raspberry

As Hot As... the hot or nots of this week’s film news SHIA LABEOUF – In another strange turn, the actor recently walked out on a press conference before donning a paper bag with “I am not famous anymore” scrawled across the front at the red carpet event for Nymphomaniac. Umm…

Floods

INDEPENDENCE DAY 2 – Will Smith has poured cold water over any prospect of returning for a potential sequel to the popular box-office darling. So long as Jaden Smith doesn’t come anywhere near the project, we can live with it.

JAMES FRANCO – After acquiring rights to a book that tells the behind the scenes story of the production of The Room, Franco is planning to adapt it into film. We’re deeply conflicted.

You’re tearing us apart, James!

ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK – With plans for a trilogy centred on the origins of Snake Plissken, the films will apparently take inspiration from 2011’s Batman videogame Arkham City.

Batman makes everything better.

THE LEGO MOVIE – After a strong release, everything has clicked into place. The movie made $69.1 million in the first weekend in the US alone.

Rumour has it that the next movie is already being made, brick by brick.

Pugs

EXEPOSÉ

| WEEK EIGHTEEN

BOOKS

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @ExeposeBooks

Book Shelf From the beauty of its rolling hills to its horribly tempestuous weather, the scenery of the South West is a place of extremes. Following our poetry theme, here’s a run down of some important figures in the wordy world of the verse that have been connected with and inspired by our county.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge Even before the existence of tar barrels, the beautiful village of Ottery St Mary was famed for being Coleridge’s birth place. The Devon countryside features in many of the poet’s best known works. The River Otter supposedly offered inspiration for The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, so beware of albatrosses if you visit!

Elli Christie & Emma Holifield books@exepose.com JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP Exeposé Books

Literature’s new mind set?

Lucy Forsey explores how portrayals of mental health have developed through the centuries ONE of the first things I thought about when faced with the subject of mental health and its relationship to literature was Freudian theory. Even if they have become less fashionable, Freudian ideas have been very influential to how we perceive and try to understand our own mental processes. They are generally interested in human fears, desires, anxieties, ambitions, and surface/ego and depth/subconscious balance, and how literature processes all of this. From a

Lord Alfred Tennyson Torquay was venerated by Tennyson, who commented that it was “the loveliest sea village in England.” Historians believe that Tennyson wrote his last poem, ‘Crossing the Bar’ , which references his impending death, in his friend’s impressive house looking over the Salcombe estuary in South Devon.

Ted Hughes Devon quickly became the scene of tumultuous times for the former Poet Laureate. The following year his North Tawton home became the scene of his affair with Assia Wevill and subsequent separation from Sylvia Plath. Hughes has a memorial stone at his favourite spot on Dartmoor.

EMMA HOLIFIELD BOOKS EDITOR

27

BOOKS EDITORS

Freudian standpoint, there are psychological undercurrents to every work of literature, each piece a production of the thought processes of the author. Mental health has always been a strong current running through all forms of literature.

However, what has been subject to historical change is society’s willingness to accept this topic as something which needs to be talked about.

Rudyard Kipling Unlike many of the listed authors, Kipling was not full of praise for Devon. He considered his house in Torquay to foster unease and unhappiness and his time there, although productive, was wrought with depression.

John Keats Keats left his mark on the town of Teignmouth. 20 Northumberland Terrace, where he wrote many of poems, is now more commonly know as Keats’ House. Although the writer was fond of Devon, he recognised its meteorological flaws. In fact, his description of it as a “splashy, rainy, misty, snowy, foggy, haily, floody, muddy, slipshod county,” is certainly something that we can relate to at the moment!

BOOKS

www.exepose.ex.ac.uk

Rolling back some 400 years ago, take a look at William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Freud would argue that Hamlet’s fragile mental state and apparent inability to repress pre-Oedipus urges induces a state of ‘madness’ (in a nutshell). Such an issue of madness

Poppy Shakespeare Clare Allan Bloomsbury 2007 CLARE ALLAN’S fun but unsettling novel on a seemingly sane individual thrown into the clutches of the dreary British mental health system, is a rare and brave attempt at tackling sensitive issues within mental health from the inside out, taking the reader on one hell of a journey on the way.

When Poppy Shakespeare, an impossibly normal woman dressed up to the nines, finds herself in a room full of ‘dribblers’ (day patients at the Dorothy Fish mental health hospital in North London) she can hardly believe her eyes. Desperate to return to life outside the hospital where her daughter awaits, Poppy longs to get out. This is much to the surprise of ‘N’, a fellow patient and unlikely new friend, whose sole ambi-

tion is to never be discharged.

Refusing to get used to the hospital, however, Poppy discovers her impossible position: in order to be discharged she must call on legal aid, but to pay for legal aid she must be declared sick to access MAD money (benefits provided by the Ministry for the Advancement of the Deranged). To leave, she must, conversely, pretend that her condition has worsened.

A bold and uneasy look into a world that’s harder to swallow than unwanted medicine While it’s difficult to tell whether Allan is pointing a satirical finger at the current state of British mental health, or

is equally explicit in and important to the plots of King Lear and Macbeth. Renaissance England undeniably did not understand mental illness as we do today, although there were theories in place which attempted to understand madness as a general concept. Whilst today we use medical terms to actually diagnose individual mental illnesses, the

people of Renaissance England maintained the Aristotelian view that madness was linked to divine motivation. If you were mad, you were also shameful. Early Modern literature presented madness, but the cultural beliefs of the time categorised mental illness as a ‘taboo’ subject, something to be feared.

It is easy to say from today’s view that later novels which included characters with some form of mental disorder similarly did not properly attempt to unpack the ‘what’, ‘why’ and ‘how’ of mental illnesses. Some have argued that Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre can be accused of doing just this. Mr Rochester’s wife is described as a madwoman in the attic, who presents a prevalent threat, although it is never explained or fully explored why she is ‘mad’. Robert Louise Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde has been considered simply making a statement about the nature of madness and who has the right to apply such a label to another person, the reader is constantly on the side of the patients who just never seem to

get better. This is mainly down to the failings of the hospital and the mindsets in which they have been trapped. ‘N’’s endearing commentary on the inner workings of the centre, as well as Poppy’s frustrations at the paradoxical problems faced in achieving her escape, drive a real desire in the reader for their conditions to improve, but the depressing real-

by some to be extremely damaging, offering an inaccurate presentation of how borderline personality disorder works.

Both texts are examples of perhaps dated literature which potentially mistreats the topic of mental disorders.

All things considered, since the 1900s significant advances have been made in our understanding of mental illness. Indeed, the most significant advances have only been achieved very recently, medically and in terms of literature’s ability to handle mental illness. But over these last 100 years, the initiative to discuss the topic in any great length of detail has been raised by a number of prominent literary names: Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper, Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar and Mark Haddon’s A Curious Incident of the Dog in the

Literature is just one way to counteract the taboo about mental health Night-Time, for instance. These are three books I think everyone should read. We are living in an age which is working to eliminate the stigma of mental illness, and to improve mental health access for all that need it. Literature is just one way to counteract the taboo about mental health. Sebastian Faulks new work, Human Traces, considers schizophrenia on a heavily-researched, scientific basis, a sign that things are moving forward. The power of literature is incredible, so let’s use it to spread the awareness of mental health.

ities of the system don’t always allow for such desires to be fulfilled.

With more cigarette butts, un-politically correct nicknames and imaginative uses of the ‘F-word’ than anyone can comfortably experience in a mere few hundred pages, Allan’s novel is a bold and uneasy look into a world that’s harder to swallow than the Dorothy Fish patients’ unwanted medication.

GEMMA JOYCE

28

BOOKS

Human Traces Sebastian Faulks Vintage 2006 THE recent controversy surrounding the pressures facing the University’s Wellbeing Centre reminded me of Sebastian Faulks’ Human Traces. The (fairly lengthy) novel explores the very early days of psychiatry, in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

The narrative follows the fortunes and setbacks that befall its two central characters, Thomas Midwinter and Jacques Rebière. These two naïve young men set out together on a lifelong quest to attempt to find a cure for madness, an aim which soon proves impossible to achieve. The reader follows their journey and witnesses the many ways in which the previous assump-

18 FEBRUARY 2014 |

www.exepose.ex.ac.uk

tions of these two characters are called into question as they become professional ‘mad-doctors’ and

eventually set up their own lunatic asylum in the Austrian mountains.

The novel is epic in its scope, spanning over five decades and encompassing English country houses, poor rural Brittany, California and even a trip to the centre of Africa, a region depicted as wonderfully exciting and remote. This temporal and geographical range is surely a reflection of how the notion of insanity is one which is common to so much of humanity, regardless of time or location.

Terms such as ‘Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder’ and ‘Post-Traumatic Stress’ are relatively well known to most modern readers, and are fortunately now seen as a fairly routine occurrence, but just a century ago such symptoms still flummoxed much of the medical establishment. Through the depiction of the horror and appalling suffering endured in enormous Victorian lunatic asylums it is clear how the treatment of those deemed ‘mad’ has similarly undergone such a radical transformation in modern times.

The notion of insanity is one which is common to so much of humanity

the mentally unwell can always be improved. One of the most memorable parts of the novel depicts the recent qualified Dr Midwinter note that an admission to a lunatic asylum is not ‘mad’ at all, but just blind.

Human Traces also raises another question; whether we are all, in some ways, ‘mad’. The reader sees Dr Midwinter, a quick-witted and passionate Cambridge graduate admit to occasionally hearing voices. Even the previously serene Dr Rebière is described anxiously by his wife during the closing stages of the novel as ‘a little eccentric’. Faulks powerfully suggests in Human Traces that being mad is a phenomenon that is common to all of us. This is a message that is, perhaps, worth bearing in mind as Mental Health Week approaches.

The novel demonstrates that even in the modern world, the treatment of

BEN WEBB

Can’t books ever just be books?

Emma Sudderick discusses whether analysing literature ruins the enjoyment of a text

OSCAR WILDE stated in the Preface to A Picture of Dorian Gray that “books are well written, or badly written. That is all”. Whilst this may not be the most popular view to take, especially as an English student, it has almost become a motto for many as they bumble through the dense pages of their set texts. In the stress of having to analyse, assess, reanalyse and sweat out a beastly essay on the complexities of Renaissance courtly life or feminism in Victorian classics, it is very easy to slip into the belief that ‘all art is quite useless’.

When seeing your favourite book on a module, it is common to think that heaven has opened up and dropped you a First in a novel sized package. This is a mistake, a horrible mistake, because there is something incredibly soul destroying about analysing your favourite books. You stop loving the book for its fantasy, or romance, or excitement and

instead start having an inner debate about whether or not the narrator is unreliable and whether there is enough misogyny in the book to write a 2,000 word essay.

That said, sometimes studying a novel can make you appreciate it more.

There is a great satisfaction afforded by researching T S Eliot’s The Waste Land, a poem notorious for being complex

Sometimes studying a novel can make you appreciate it more beyond comprehension and leaving the reader with the feeling of having buried their head in a pot of clotted cream. By analysing the piece you stand a chance of understanding maybe one, or two stanzas (if you’re lucky) and feeling like a deity for the next few hours.

Often analysing a book makes you recognise something which you wouldn’t have initially seen had you not been highlighting the life out of the pages of your £7.99 paperback. Analysing books also provides very useful talking points at parties (although, I’m not sure what parties you’d be talking about the complexities of novels at – probably not very good ones), and allows you to sound effortlessly intellectual and pompous.

It’s this pomposity which makes analysing a text both satisfying and irritating. In an academic sense, seeing how much you can get from one sentence is proof of your critical rationality and can enforce an open-mindedness which allows you to explore the world through different viewpoints. Unfortunately, by analysing some texts it can ruin the initial reaction that the reader has. Sometimes it is more satisfying and

more productive to accept that you don’t understand a text. Sometimes it’s more rewarding to recognise the beauty of a novel for beauty’s sake. You wouldn’t pluck the petals off a flower to see what makes it beautiful. You just look at the flower, say it’s pretty, and admire it.

It is sometimes violently nauseating to try and figure out what the author intended, especially when sometimes the author probably didn’t intend anything at all. By trying to understand what authors mean, very frequently we find ourselves trying to outsmart the author. This is a very unfortunate situation, because you are constantly thinking that you’re not looking at the story the right way. But the beauty of reading is that there isn’t a right way. Books are wonderful because they don’t have to be analysed to be special. Analysis is important and often rewarding. But sometimes books should just be left as books.

Creative corner: Poems

The Tulip

Digging for Victory

The blooming tulip dances in her hand Smell of cinnamon-spice, red-orange of fire, Once small petal crushed, but what’s the worry She sees only shining eyes, soft sapphires, Warm and crinkly-edged with bashful delight Look down, and up, and back down to the flower, Hand goes through hand, arm snug against her own, They fly like dreamers through their creekside hour.

The tulip, blazing brightly in the dusk, Catches young plans of tomorrow unfurled, Hears their rambling, aimless aspirations, Glimpses a guileless, honest, unscathed world.

Little fox with the clay eyeballs, waxwork elephant and dead girls’ dolls all whisper tall tales to the Norwegian sailor, his hearty teeth and duct-taped jaw an inside joke for every fossil-eyed traveller and local, child in one hand and war time relics in the other ‘still digging for victory’ they’ll say, and ask for the shipping times as they hand over coins; see, already is this week’s news a white chalk on my sleeves, but, still again comes the man with the gun-powder hat, battering away chatter of crystalline healings from the wide-eyed rosary-sniffer, and still, above sneers the mayor with the oil-paint complexion, perpetually pissed at the wandering prehistoric people

CARMEN PADDOCK

EXEPOSÉ

Any Last Words?

This week we attempted to combine both our themes of love and poetry by asking you to write a haiku to your favourite literary character.

I love Tyrion For bitch-slapping King Joffrey, Making masses cheer.

LIANA GREEN Dear Sydney Carton, If you had not lost your head You’d be my Valentine.

CARMEN PADDOCK When I was just ten, I ran through Oxford with you, I miss you Lyra.

RORY MORGAN He gets all the girls That hungry caterpillar, He has cake on tap.

ROB HARRIS Oh Hermione The things I would do to you But after book two.

RICKY FREELOVE You’ve a lonely soul, Oh sad Smaug the Terrible Have a dragon hug.

JOSH GRAY Albus, thanks a bunch For all of your Horcrux help.

SO BLOODY CRYPTIC! EMMA HOLIFIELD You would persuade me With your nautical knowledge Captain Fred Wentworth.

ELLI CHRISTIE I like Jay Gatsby, His silk shirts are so divine.

He dies in his pool.

OWEN KEATING Very old and wise With piercing and knowing eyes He looks through half moons.

JO WATTS

UnRe to ch membe epos eck ou r ever é Book t Exs On y Fr crea iday for line tiv m from e writin ore g Exe ter and their whale-bone spears, denting little holes into linoleum floors and never catching the notorious pot-thief – no, not that kind, but I’m certain everyone in this place is pretty damn high.

NICKIE SHOBEIRY

If I could unwrite Notes for you in the mornings, Unpour the cups of tea – Empty out our house And walk backwards Through our front door To a place where I have No ring of whitened skin On my fourth finger.

If I could unpick The flowers from the vase Unspeak your name until It wasn’t precious Just to begin again When I sat down And said “Hello”.

CHRISTY KU

Poor Luna Lovegood, The Quibbler is so bizarre, As are you, weirdo.

CLARA PLACKETT Dear Edward Cullen, I love it when you watch me When I am asleep.

WILL O’ROURKE

Any Last Words is a quick and easy way to get in the paper, with a question every fortnight which can be answered through the Exeposé Books Facebook group, @exeposebooks, books@exepose.com.

NO QUESTION TOO BIG Box Office.

Postal and fax service.

NUS Extra Card Collection.

Students’ Guild Room Bookings.

Ticket sales: Lemmy, Society events, Ball, Exeter FC & bus tickets Full postal service including next day delivery.

We’re experts in Audit, Tax, Advisory and fish & chips Show us your expertise this February for your chance to win a prize!

When trying to secure zero VAT rating for sales of hot takeaway foods for the fish frying industry, we didn’t just research fish and chips. We became experts in it.

Now we’d like to see your expertise. Show us your special hobby, a skill you’ve mastered, or even your own unique way of doing something mundane. We want to know whatever it is that makes you an expert – the weird and the wonderful.

Visit KPMGexpert.co.uk and send us a photo or video – the most original and imaginative entries could win Amazon vouchers, an iPad mini, or a £1,000 travel voucher! And if being an expert is your thing, you can also find out about our graduate opportunities.

KPMGexpert.co.uk

© 2014 KPMG LLP, a UK limited liability partnership, is a subsidiary of KPMG Europe LLP and a member firm of the KPMG network of independent member firms affiliated with KPMG International Cooperative, a Swiss entity. The KPMG name, logo and “cutting through complexity” are registered trademarks or trademarks of KPMG International.

Students' Guild Information Point, Level 1, The Forum, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4SZ Tel 01392 723528 e-mail Guild-Info-Point@ex.ac.uk We are open Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm Term Time and Monday to Friday 10am - 4pm during the holidays

Stand out from the crowd The Exeter Award is an achievement award for current undergraduate and taught postgraduate students. It is designed to enhance the employability of students by providing official recognition of extracurricular achievements and activities.

With around 300,000 graduates entering the job market each year, a degree is no longer enough to get you started in your career.

Employers are looking for candidates who have developed their skills, abilities and ambitions.

Make sure you stand out from the crowd. Register for the Exeter Award now.

The Exeter Award is sponsored by

university of

exeter

www.exeter.ac.uk/exeteraward

EXEPOSÉ

| WEEK EIGHTEEN

ARTS

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @ExeposeArts

Arts Diary Our regular Arts Diary column shows you all the important events going on in Exeter this week...

Art S Mark Gubb: History is Written by the Winners @Exeter_Phoenix 28 March - 10 May

Comedy Reduced Shakespeare Company @Exeter Northcott 2 March Exeter Comedy Club @Exeter Corn Exchange 7 March

Dance Robin Cousins’ Ice (Touring) @Westpoint Arena 19-24 Feburary Vienna Festival Ballet: Cinderella @Exeter Corn Exchange 12 March

Theatre Hammer and Tongs @Exeter_Phoenix 21-28 Feburary Alice Through the Looking Glass @Barnfield Theatre 26 Febuary - 1 March

www.exepose.ex.ac.uk

ARTS

31

ARTS EDITORS

Sophy Coombes-Roberts & Ricky Freelove arts@exepose.com JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP Exeposé Arts

Internships lead to art attack

Flora Carr reports on the extraordinary story of how far students will go I AM browsing through Facebook when a girl from school pops up on my newsfeed. “Can’t believe we got away with this today!” she writes excitedly, “Extreme dedication. #StudentsStealArtforInternship”. Underneath is a link to a video. Intrigued, I click on it. The 36 second video shows two girls, dressed all in black, removing a small painting from a wall within a gallery and walking out, heads bowed, to the complete confusion of a couple of security guards.

I almost laughed – there was something so St. Trinians about it, from the ballsy way the girls (including the girl from school) stroll nonchalantly out, the painting tucked under one girl’s arm, to the way they were both dressed like the robbers from Home Alone, complete with black beanies and gloves. It all seemed like a scene from a movie. And yet the theft was a genuine one – and from the Scottish National Gallery, no less.

It was on 7 February that ‘The Portrait of Cecilia Margaret’, dating back to 1826 and painted by the artist Christen Købke, was removed from the gallery. The video I saw on Facebook was also sent to The Student by the team of six students who had master-minded the theft... and all this for an internship. In its briefing to applicants for its internship, KesselsKramer, a communications agency based in Amsterdam and London, gave students

30 hours to “visually communicate the word ‘Notoriety’ in their groups”, telling them that “conceptual thinking will be applauded loudly. Sitting on your ass will not. So be reckless, be ambitious and make it heard”. They also

joked that they wouldn’t bail out any group arrested, but would visit them, a joke that now seems ironic given the pretty serious, albeit amusing nature of the theft.

Fullist states, the students’ actions

are likely to turn out to be “the perfect crime” – the picture goes back on display in the gallery, no one gets in trouble and these guys get the internship they deserve”, it makes you think not only about the extreme competitiveness of gaining internships today (sorry fellow students), or even the effectiveness of the security guards in the Scottish National Gallery, but also about how far conceptual art has come. From Marcel Duchamp’s 1917 signed urinal Fountain to Tracey Emin’s dishevelled bed, Damien Hirst’s suspended shark and Andrea Fraser’s 2004 video Untitled, a document of her sexual encounter in a hotel room with a collector, it is amazing how much our concept of art has shifted.

A dead shark in formaldehyde can represent the idea of death in the mind of the living, whilst a video of two students stealing a painting from a national gallery can represent just one word; and whether they return the painting, are arrested or win the internship, all of the six students have succeeded in creating a hilarious piece of conceptual art. More than that; they’ve succeeded in becoming ‘notorious’.

Political art capturing hearts

Hannah Butler discusses the use of art in political campaigns

WHATEVER you thought about the slogans attached to each candidate’s campaign in the recent Sabb elections – whether they struck you as ingenious, or merely a bit of over-the-top cheese qualified with a forced rhyme – one thing is almost certain: they made an impact. When you battled your way through the cascade of flyers to wherever you were headed, regardless of knowing the face of the candidate or even their full name, that slogan was probably still floating around in your windswept and rain-addled mind.

Those rhyming, alliterative, or pun-fuelled catchphrases effectively turned the campaigners using them into artists. For isn’t that one of the purposes of art? To take raw materials – canvas, clay, or in this case, words – and from them, craft something which grips hold of an audience’s mind, re-

fusing to be shaken off and eliciting all sorts of conflicting attitudes? These campaigners used words to generate art which would both represent their cause in a fun, light-hearted way, and create a lasting impression on audiences.

Yet it is no wonder that art and campaign often go hand-in-hand. The aims of the artist and the campaigner are remarkably similar: both want to convey a particular perspective to the public, and both hope to impress upon audiences the merits of their idea, potentially inspiring others to empathise with their views. Therefore, more often than not the campaigner becomes the artist.

Egypt is a prime example of this.

In the on-going battle for women’s equality, rights and fair representation, campaigners in recent years have

turned to street art to convey a very potent message. Noon El Neswa and the Mona Lisa Brigade are among various visual campaigns aiming to ‘challenge the low status of Egyptian women by painting them in a positive light.’ This simple phrase, reported by The Egypt Independent, represents the power of art to provoke new perceptions and help campaigners to illustrate their cause in a way which makes audiences take notice. Shady Khalit, co-founder of Noon El Neswa, stated aims of “reclaiming women’s rightful position in public spaces” by filling streets with images of popular Egyptian female icons. These campaigns use art to confront audiences with scenes they are not used to seeing, challenging widely-held perceptions on women’s position in society, and illustrating both the possibility and the benefits of revers-

ing these perceptions.

Also in Egypt, Campaigners for Operation #ColoringThruCorruption cover public surfaces such as walls, water pipes and fencing with colourful paint. Raising awareness of a ‘shameful’ reality created by a corrupt government not using money to sufficiently care for its citizens, the campaign uses art to make audiences look at mundane objects in new ways, provoking attention to issues the campaigners feel of vital importance.

It can be argued that art and campaigning will always remain intertwined. As demonstrated both on campus and in the wider world, the use of art in campaigning is both logical and effective. After all, art in itself is a campaign, to translate a reality recognised by one into a message that can influence and inspire others.

32

ARTS

18 FEBRUARY 2014 |

www.exepose.ex.ac.uk

EXEPOSÉ

Five stars for Campus Theatre

Student performing arts societies secure spectacular reviews on the Northcott stage Exeter University Theatre Company

Exeter Footlights West Side Story Northcott Theatre

29 Jan - 1 Feb WEST SIDE STORY, directed by Jordan Murphy, has been the most highly anticipated student show during my time at university. For the first time ever in Footlights history, the Northcott Theatre was sold out four nights in a row.

Despite never having seen West Side Story before, I felt a fond familiarity as I had helped release weekly character blogs on the Exeposé Arts website. This made me even more eager to watch the performance, but also nervous, as doing justice to one of the most well-known musicals of all time is no easy feat.

From the start the dancing was phenomenal and the rivalry between the two gangs was performed excellently. Every detail, each scowl and shove, added further to the tension.

The singing throughout the show was impressive; especially the ensemble pieces which further highlighted the cultural differences between the gangs. My absolute favourite number was “América”, sang by the Puerto Rican Shark girls. Their flair was explosive, and if I had to choose a side, the Sharks won me over.

With so many different aspects to cover; dancing, singing, acting, I was amazed how the cast excelled in every single area. The acting was polished throughout, with leading man Nick Kenchington as Tony, leading woman Amy McIntosh as Maria, and Will Kelleher as Shrank giving particularly strong performances.

The star of the show, however, was Vital Mazor, who played Anita. Whilst some of the actors had

minor slippage out of their accents, Vital’s accent and entire demeanour was impeccable throughout.

Although the second half was notably shorter than the first, it contained the most entertaining dance. “Gee, Officer Krupke”, performed by the Shark boys, was hilarious, and had the audience in fits of laughter.

Their flair was explosive, and if I had to choose a side, the Sharks won me over The musical accompaniment of the orchestra really shone throughout, and is not to be forgotten. I could hardly believe that the music was live, as it was consistently flawless.

Overall, I cannot fault Footlights.

Every aspect of the performance amalgamated to create an exceptional evening. The show was of a standard which was nothing less than professional. I am in absolute disbelief that we have such a high quantity of outstanding talent within our university.

GIVERNY MASSO ONLINE ARTS

Henry V Noël Coward Theatre

Ends 29 March 2014 WITH Jude Law taking the lead role in Michael Grandage’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry V, the audience were expecting to witness a very strong performance.

Law manages to delicately balance his portrayal of Henry, initially bearing the charisma and confidence of a young king who rejects any challenges from his adversary, the French Dauphin. However, his swagger all too quickly turns to turmoil as Henry V has to prove himself as an effective ruler of his country – something that the play constantly questions.

Leading his men to battle in Agincourt, France, Law convincingly captures the conflicted King as he contemplates his lonely powerfulness, ruthlessly condemns some of his men to death, and tries to rouse the doubtful spirits of his army with the famous St. Crispin’s Day

speech: “We few, we happy few...”.

The fragility of Henry is tempered with moments of comedy and buoyancy – a pleasant surprise in this Shakespearian history play. Following on from brood-

August: Osage County Northcott Theatre

5 - 8 Feb EUTCo’s PERFORMANCE of Tracy Letts’ August: Osage County was an evening of powerful and heart-rending acting which showcased the talent and excellence we have in the university.

It deftly switched from darkly hilarious to emotionally poignant without ever feeling forced or unbalanced. Although its two and a half hour running time was risky, the strong EUTCo cast entertained right until the curtains closed and received a well-deserved standing ovation.

The entirety of August’s simple, yet lengthy, plot revolves around the sudden disappearance of ageing poet Beverly Weston from his house in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. This incident prompts the dysfunctional Weston family to reunite after decades of avoiding one another, with explosive consequences. The show takes place solely within the old family home, now inhabited only by the cancer-ridden pill-addicted matriach Violet Weston and Cheyenne house servant Johnna.

The majority of the show is an intense power struggle between mother and daughter, Violet and Barbara, as the rest of the family compete against one another simultaneously, resulting in absolute bedlam. This chaotic and in-turmoil family was shaped wonderfully by co-directors Lucy Hirst and Jamie Manton, who captured the many faces of each character and their different relationships remarkably well.

Katherine Stevens impressed throughout with her flawless portrayal of Barbara Weston, the main protagonist. She pering over his army, Law’s king must navigate his way around what should be an amorous and charming pursuit of the French Princess Katharine, played by Jessie Buckley. The awkward and bashful King coaxed out many a laugh from the audience, as did the French Princess’ English lesson, which resulted in some slips of the tongue.

Ashley Shangazha was also a stand-out, who took on the

fectly conveyed the middle-aged divorcee’s mixture of bitter isolation and heartfelt altruism. Hannah Lawrence also lit-up the role of Violet, the sharptongued mother who could have been played in a charicatur-ish and annoying way. Instead, Lawrence injected the character with a perfect combination of pathos and humour.

This chaotic and and in-turmoil family was shaped wonderfully EUTCo’s production very rarely stumbled in its valiant attempt to perform such a challenging play at the Northcott Theatre. The set was phenomenal and captured the audience members with its two-storey high building which had been constructed out of cunningly covered scaffolding to create an incredibly convincing Weston house. Every room had conveniently had its fourth wall removed, allowing the audience to get an insight into every room and observe every combined role of the Chorus and Boy. Decked out in contemporary clothes, such as a Union Jack t-shirt, the play raised the matter of linking the medieval period and our contemporary culture and warfare. This is something that Grand-

The fragility of Henry is tempered with moments of comedy and buyancy - a pleasant surprise in this Shakespearian history play age could have played on more, to avoid contradiction as the remainder of play was performed in line with its traditional arrangement.

Indeed, a very simplistic stage – a “wooden O”, as it is called in the prologue – was consistent with the play’s 15th century setting. Nevertheless, lighting designer Neil Austin and set designer Christopher Oram made use of the full

character’s actions - even when they weren’t the main focus on stage.

The play’s strongest section was undoubtedly the middle, which holds a brilliant set-piece scene revolving around a disastrous meal and a tear-jerking conversation between the three sisters. The first third felt weaker but this was largely because the central characters remained offstage. Similarly, a particularly awkward and unromantic scene felt very out of place in the last third and felt like it had ruined the delicateness of the scene preceding it. However this was soon forgotten after yet another concluding revelation, which brought the entire audience to futile compassion for the onstage characters.

Overall, the show was a sensational success and I look forward to seeing EUTCo’s next show, The History Boys, which takes to the stage on 12 March.

JOSH GRAY MUSIC EDITOR

scope of the stage’s space with doorways, additional depth, and trapdoors.

The aged timber of the high curved walls proved to be the perfect canvas for light, which played a significant role in suggesting the monumental combat taking place just offstage.

Despite Henry’s David-and-Goliath-scale victory against the French, the King emerges as a flawed hero in Michael Grandage’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic. The audience is truly absorbed by this lucid and fluent production which fragilely balances the darker moments of war with often comedic courtly scenes.

Michael Grandage’s directorial run at the Noel Coward Theatre in London’s Covent Garden was a 15-month season, which finished with Henry V, with over 100,000 tickets priced at just £10. The five plays boasted of names such as Judi Dench and Daniel Radcliffe, as well as Jude Law. LAUREN SWIFT COPY EDITOR

R

O G U IL D. C

M

W

V

W N’ DO

.

E

E

ER

X

GOOD DEEDS DAY

EM TT

E

T

H

BE

T

IS

WERE BETTER. M S AK G IN ET H T H

/S

MONDAY 24 FEBRUARY City Centre Community Centre Redecoration Queens Crescent Spring Garden Project YMC A Love St. Davids Project

to sign up please email Joy Taylor J.L.Taylor@exeter.ac .uk

34

GAMES

GAMES

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @ExeposeGames

18 FEBRUARY 2014 |

www.exepose.ex.ac.uk

EXEPOSÉ

GAMES EDITORS

Gemma Joyce & Becky Mullen games@exepose.com JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP Exeposé Games

What’s the write way to play?

Rosanna Howard argues writing is key to a game’s success THE LAST OF US, released in the summer of 2013, was seen by many as a game changer in the industry. The game most recently won a Writers Guild of America award for outstanding achievement in video game writing, as well as winning countless awards for storytelling and best game. It also became the fastest selling PlayStation 3 game in its first three weeks, selling over 4.1 million units. So what is it that has made The Last of Us so successful, both commercially and critically?

As the most recent award suggests, The Last of Us has been praised for its writing and storytelling. The game is set in a post-apocalyptic 2033 that has been struck by an infection, which causes its victims to become zombie-like creatures.

The player takes control of protagonist, Joel, as he escorts a young girl named Ellie to a group of resistance fighters, known

as the Fireflies. From the description, this game sounds quite clichéd, jumping on the zombie-horror games, films

What makes The Last of Us unique is its ability to connect the player to the story and literature trend. It seems that people have become fascinated by the idea of a post-apocalyptic world, where pockets of survivors do what they can to carry on against an impossible threat. Many reincarnations of this plot have been extremely successful, such as The Walking Dead TV series and game, as well as recent blockbuster World War Z. However, what makes The Last of Us so unique is its ability to connect and engage the audience in the story, with its high focus on the narrative and exploration of character separating it from the rest of the genre.

Video games have an advantage that many different medias don’t, in that the player can directly interact with the story beyond what is experienced through films or books. You don’t watch Joel fight to survive and protect those around him, you are him. This is true of any game, but The Last of Us excels in the realistic portrayal of its protagonists. You become truly affiliated with the characters, which, though it sounds clichéd, are incredibly ‘human’. The game deftly explores the human condition, questioning the motivations behind different people’s actions, as well as starkly exploring the consequences and motivation of sacrifice and loyalty.

The narrative is beyond doubt a vital element of this game, but to be truly successful the gameplay must also be engaging. The developments in motion capture technology and AI in this game mean the characters and environments become more interactive and realistic, heightening the story telling even more.

Even the AI reflects the way in which the player engages in the story. When playing as Joel during combat, the AI enemies will call for help, take cover and take advantage of the player’s weaknesses. The environment is open-world and interactive, so you can explore almost anywhere and during combat take cover behind anything around you. This means the player has to make survival decisions without the game shaping them.

What makes this game so unique is clearly its ability to connect the player with the story being told. The player becomes undeniably affiliated with the characters, though it cannot always be said that emotive story-telling is necessary for a successful game. The Last of Us, though extremely successful, was somewhat over shadowed by the release of Grand Theft Auto V last year, a game that could be argued as focusing more on gameplay than story. Many games feature hours of gameplay that have nothing to do with the main plot, and many successful games seem to have no overarching narrative at all. Then there are games at the other end of the spectrum, focusing heavily on story with gameplay very much taking the back seat. Heavy Rain and Beyond Two Souls are two games that instantly come to mind, severely invested in narrative but featuring relatively passive gameplay.

However, I believe The Last of Us achieves a perfect balance. The storytelling is exciting and engaging while the gameplay doesn’t suffer as a consequence. I hope this success leads to future releases following in its footsteps.

Harry Shephard says it isn’t necessary

BOTH The Last of Us and Grand Theft Auto V fought a hard battle for game of the year 2013, and the former won out for its story. In fact, developer Naughty Dog can add a Writers Guild of America award to their already well-decorated game. Excellent scripting, dialogue and characterisation combined to achieve an experience that will live long in the memories of gamers. However, Journey proved in March 2012 that there are other ways of composing a narrative, and squeezed into a two hour story one of gaming’s most powerful experiences.

There are successful examples of narratives composed without dialogue thatgamecompany’s Journey introduces you to your diminutive, maroon-cloaked protagonist with no narration, no speech or dialogue, nor even a HUD to give you your mission objective. What the player does have is the imposing mountain peak sparkling at them from a distance, inviting them to begin their unforgettable adventure.

What follows is a remarkably rich colour palette, as the player travels initially through yellow desert wastes, onto vivid orange slopes at sunset, then to deeply melancholy blue caverns and treacherous, white mountain peaks. The score in combination with the game’s presentation is spectacular, varying between the optimistic, orchestral music of the opening, to no music at all to emphasise the unsettling spookiness of the world’s oceanic depths. The player will inevitably feel the emotion of the

situation without the need to be explicitly told. They will feel joy and hope, basking in the bright sunlight of the opening stages, but will also naturally absorb the hopelessness of the caves and mountain peak. Not too shabby when you realise you have no idea of your little avatar’s name or even the particulars of his story, which is ambiguously but delightfully conveyed through a series of interpretative moving graphics and storyboards.

Journey’s ability to grip the player emotionally extends beyond its presentation and sound, as its multiplayer impacts in a very different way. Journey borrows from FromSoftware’s infamously challenging Demon’s Souls, as players can spontaneously join in with your game. But in Journey’s case to help as opposed to potentially hinder. While my friend was playing, she pointed out another similarly clad figure helping her in her journey. From this point onwards, her and her new friend became inseparable, and by the game’s end she was demanding that I help protect this other person too. The fact that we were undertaking this journey together only made the experience that bit more powerful, despite the fact that it was a total stranger that we had only just met.

Crash landing for Flappy Bird Emma Sudderick gives her review of the much loved game now consigned to hisFlappy Bird .GEARS Studio

iOS/Android No longer available JANUARY has seen the gaming world gone cuckoo. For some reason bird games are incredibly addictive, and this latest phenomenon has stormed to the top of the ‘most popular’ charts in record time. Flappy Bird is aptly named, not merely because it requires you to sit aimlessly for hours on your phone or tablet making an animated bird flap its wings, but also because it has the effect of

making the player flap about in distress.

Flappy Bird was developed in May 2013 by Dong Nguyen, but only became popular at the start of this year.

To play, you simply tap the screen to make the bird fly through the gaps in a series of pipes. It sounds relatively easy.

You would be wrong. Very, very wrong.

The Independent described the game as “obnoxiously difficult”, and it most certainly is. I’m no expert, but if a game is making you want to eat your own phone to avoid playing it then you should probably delete the app. But there’s nothing like listening to your housemates groan every time they get a score less

than seven. As an onlooker, it’s even more entertaining to watch your novice housemate attempt the game for the first time and crash their bird to the floor in a jumble of feathery dissatisfaction, even before the pipes come into view.

Flappy Bird also has the ability to spark stress-induced debates, or furious outbursts: “It doesn’t even look anything like a bird!”. These reactions have become as much a part of the gaming experience as the bird itself.

Since it was pulled from app stores, Flappy Bird’s value has soared even higher, with gamers willing to bid over $99,000 for a phone with the game in-

stalled. For something with such a simple premise it is questionable as to how the game has become so popular. Unfortunately, the game threatens to be extremely detrimental to studies. Even if you’re lucky enough to have it installed, it is still unwise to play Flappy Bird unless you want to have fowl-infested dreams or develop a life-long fear of pipes.

o

EXEPOSÉ

| WEEK EIGHTEEN

GAMES

www.exepose.ex.ac.uk

35

Fly through space, help cure cancer

Cancer Research UK has released it’s first ever video game which is enabling gamers to make a difference Play to Cure: Genes in Space Cancer Research UK

Android/iOS Out Now

A Dog’s Dinner

YOU are a pilot for ‘BiFrost Industries’, and your mission is simple. Fly through the stars collecting ‘Element Alpha’, a substance used for medicine, engineering and construction.

The plotline seems typical. By collecting clouds of Element Alpha dust, you upgrade your spaceship so you can collect more dust. The challenge comes through the navigation of asteroid fields, but if you spam the ‘fire lasers’ button it’s not much of an adversity, that’s it. Review over: two stars.

But it’s not over. Play to Cure: Genes in Space is the first smartphone game made by Cancer Research UK. The clouds of dust you manoeuvre your spaceship through is actually a real analysis of cancer data. It takes a cancer research scientist several hours to analyse that data, but it’s the equivalent of one level of Genes In Space.

But how does it work? Before each level you need to map a course for your spaceship to navigate through.

As you’re collecting ‘Element Alpha’, you navigate through the areas that have the highest concentration of it. This represents a cancer research scientist ‘travelling’ through a data set. The gamer identifies where the high and low points of the data are, which are the parts most likely to have mutations and attention.

So far more than 200,000 people have classified almost two million cancer images. It’s reported to have reduced the time taken for researchers to analyse a subset of breast cancer samples from 18 months to just three.

Let’s re-evaluate Genes in Space.

The art style is actually pretty good, hitting all the right nostalgia buttons because it looks enough like a retro-arcade space shooter to keep your attention. The number of bonus points for collecting ‘Element Alpha’ is satisfyingly large, giving you a sense of satisfaction when you upgrade your ship. So if you’re encouraged in-game to collect more ‘Element Alpha’, then the game encourages you to make more accurate analysis of where the high density areas are.

The tilt controls are pretty smooth, with the option of the virtual joy-

sticks if you don’t like accelerometers.

It’s not a perfect game, of course.

The difficulty curve is non-existent, as the asteroids are easy to deflect and asteroid fields are rare. There is a needless animation at the end of every level of your spaceship going into ‘Warp Drive’, that takes a good five seconds and breaks the flow of the

It’s reduced the time to analyse cancer samples from 18 months to three game. Also, and I’m usually loathe to say this, I think this is one of the few games that would actually benefit from microtransactions. The players would get better upgrades to the ship faster.

As a game, I can’t give it more than three stars. But as a tool for analysing data, using a video game spaceship to help cure cancer, this mediocre game is helping to make the world just a little bit better.

ADAM SMITH

From top dog, to delayed, to cancelled. It’s still a tough ride for Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs WHEN Ubisoft’s Jonathan Moran took to the stage at Eurogamer last year, talking animatedly about Watch Dogs’ exciting five year development process, there were few clues as to the troubles the developers were experiencing.

The game, originally intended as a launch title for next generation consoles, was delayed to Spring 2014 in what was described by Ubisoft as an “intense decision,” after the company saw pushing back the release date as a move that would be in the interest of the product.

Such delays have been frustrating for gamers with high expectations of the game but, under the un- d e r s t a n d ing that the game will be incredible on release, consumers have so far been forgiving.

With Watch Dogs currently expected in late April, Ubisoft has run into further problems since a prankster managed to forge ‘Request for Express Abandonment’ documents, including a fraudulent signature from the CEO himself, that led to widespread conspiracy that the company had abandoned the title all together. Acting quickly to reinstate the trademark, Ubisoft insists that the game is in no way ‘cancelled,’ that it had no involvement in the filing of such documents, and that the costly prank has not affected the games continuing development. While such mischief might be encouraged in a game about bringing down the powers that be through clever means of hacking, Ubisoft clearly isn’t too pleased about a real life attempt to sneakily cause havoc for their futuristic game in the works.

It’s unfortunate that the rumours spreading across the internet of Ubisoft abandoning the game were not met with any sense of great surprise. The company’s relative quietness on release dates and issues that are prolonging Watch Dogs’ aquaintance with shop shelves has led to a growing ambivalence towards whether the game is even released or not.

With any luck, Watch Dogs developers will be more vocal in coming weeks and consumers can begin to get excited about what looks to be an exceptional game once again.

GEMMA JOYCE GAMES EDITOR

Double-Jump for Wellbeing Boost your mental health with quests, wins, and the gaming good WE are bombarded with news stories of the negative impact of games. When Grand Theft Auto V came out late last year, it took little time for newspapers to be reporting the negative ideals that it was teaching children. Now, while I consider this a debate over whether their parents should be letting them play those types of games, one has to wonder if games are having a negative impact upon us gamers.

I believe they don’t. I am strongly passionate in the belief that games can have a positive impact upon us, despite all of the pessimism surrounding them. I want to give some examples of how games can and will continue to be used for good.

Jane McGonigal is a game designer who believes that games are a force of good. She believes that reality can only take us so far, and that games allow us to unlock a more successful life. She explains that games allow us to experience more positive emotions, achieve more than we ordinarily would in everyday life and have more in depth social relationships. Not only this, she is also creating games that help others in real life problems. The example I want to share is SuperBetter.

This game attempts to help people dealing with problems such as depression, anxiety or even terminal diseases. The players give themselves goals known as ‘epic wins’ which they can move towards. These wins allow people to give themselves the feeling of satisfaction and the pride that they have had a positive, productive day.

This is supplemented by noting their obstacles or ‘bad guys’ which the game encourages the player to tackle.

It allows people to focus on something other than their problem and make steps in order to help themselves gain a more rewarding and optimistic life. YouTube videos and forum posts from the participants prove that SuperBetter has helped

SuperBetter helps people with depression, anxiety, or terminal diseases them to work through their problem.

Depression Quest is a game that has been created in order to help people who are dealing with mental health problems. The text based game lets you

live days of an unnamed person’s life, giving you choices on how you would combat aspects of his life. Yet, the game crosses out choices as the character becomes more depressed. This helps us to understand the frustrations that stem from the inability to discuss their issues without fear of judgment.

The game not only aids understanding of mental health, but it also helps those who are dealing with it. The game emphasizes that taking steps forward, opening up to people, not getting frustrated with oneself and taking professional help can move them towards a happier life. Also, the unspecific nature of the character allows empathy, so people can read how his life is getting better, and how theirs can do the same.

To answer the question posed in the title, yes. Games can be hugely beneficial in life. They can teach us valuable lessons and help us to solve challenges within our own lives. But more so, they can help people to tackle illnesses through encouraging socialisation with others and setting goals, helping them take steps forward to improve their lives.

DANIEL BIRCH

36

SPORT

18 FEBRUARY 2014 |

www.exepose.ex.ac.uk

EXEPOSÉ

Photo: Niklas Rahmel

Goulding goes for Gold

Feature

With his BUCS final bout on Friday in Sheffield, Louis Doré, News Editor caught up with EUABC’s most successful ever pugilist and Club Captain, Richie Goulding RICHIE, you’re through to the BUCS finals in Sheffield, but first, can you guide us through your semi-final win?

I boxed against last year’s champion Tom Davies from Liverpool University. I’ve dropped down a weight category for this competition, so I ended up having a huge height advantage over my opponent.

I didn’t box my best as I think I was slightly drained from making the weight, but I managed to score the win without too much trouble.

I forced the bout and was the more aggressive of the two, and I think my superior fitness led me to become stronger over the four rounds. I was so happy to get the win, and can’t wait for the final.

Your progression in the competition marks the best result the club has ever seen, what do you attribute your success to?

I’ve had a very active season thus far, this being my fifth fight of the season. Being so active has given me the relevant experience to succeed in BUCS. I’ve been training for BUCS since September so I’m taking it very seriously this year and I’ll be disappointed if I don’t come back with the gold. I’ve also got a great coach who has helped in my progression by changing some major faults I had in my style.

Alongside your individual performances, you are currently the club captain. How do you balance your time between duties and individual performance? Do you feel you are doing equally well in both aspects?

I was encouraged to get involved.

I don’t really see this as an issue many people complain about how they don’t have time to train but who can’t spare an hour or two every evening?

I don’t feel as if training for an hour and a half in the evening or a morning run detracts too much from my duties as captain and I’m fairly used to it anyway.

Definitely. Each year the club has grown in terms of sheer size and we’ve achieved a lot more in competitions each year.

This year we had a record number of sign-ups and we managed to field our first ever full squad of boxers at the Lemon Grove show.

As a result of that show, interest in the club has never been bigger and more people than ever want to compete. This bodes well for future years, as many of the people who are beginning to compete this year will be of BUCS standard soon enough hopefully next year we’ll have more than one finalist.

I’m taking BUCS very seriously and I’ll be disappointed if I don’t come back with the gold Personally I think that it’s good for the club captain to set an example to the rest of the club by competing regularly, especially in an individual sport like boxing.

Judging on the improvements we’ve seen this year, I think I’m doing okay with both aspects.

With recent events such as the boxing in the Lemon Grove, do you feel the club is growing in interest and participation?

How did you get into Boxing?

Are there any big future plans for boxing at Exeter?

I was 13, overweight and unfit. I wasn’t any good at any team sports and a lot of my family had boxed before so

We plan to hold two shows next year (maybe

more) in the Great Hall - it will be just like the Lemon Grove but on a much larger scale.

With the success of the first show in mind, we think it’ll become one of the major events in Exeter’s sporting calendar.

Our squad is growing all the time and next year we’ll be much more of a dominant force on the University boxing scene. Next year we’re hoping to enter many more into BUCS and build a bigger reputation for our club.

I want our club to become one of the best University boxing clubs in the country and I don’t think that is an unrealistic goal in the long term.

Looking forward to the fight, do you know anything about your opposition?

I’ve got a lad from Derby University but I don’t know a lot about him.

I’ve seen a little bit on YouTube and he looks like quite a strong guy who likes to throw wild hooks.

If I’m on top of my game I should be able to win, I just need to box cleverly. I’m expecting a tough four rounds but I’m going

in after a massive confidence boost from the semi’s and I’m gonna give it everything.

Do you think you will keep boxing after you leave Exeter?

Definitely. I’m hopefully staying for a MA next year and will run for captain again.

I want EUABC to become one of the best boxing clubs in the country. Not an unrealistic target I’d like to compete for as long as I can and when I’m finished I think I’ll give something back to the sport by coaching.

Before we wish you good luck for the fight, any last words you’d like to give while you have the chance?

Let’s just hope you’ll be interviewing me again in two weeks time after winning the gold!

Richie will be boxing for Exeter as part of the BUCS Gatorade Nationals, the largest annual multi-sport event in the UK which this year returns to Sheffield. 130 universities compete in 11 different sports.

EXEPOSÉ

| WEEK EIGHTEEN

SPORT

www.exepose.ex.ac.uk

37

EUWBC lose out in BUCS thriller

W����’� B��������� Alex Bonner Sports Team

EUWBC Southampton Solent

53 58

THE WOMEN’S 1STS lost out to Southampton 53 – 58 in what proved to be an incredibly tight game of basketball.

This result means Exeter now lie bottom in the Southern Premier League, with the team losing all of their fixtures thus far.

The score certainly symbolised an extremely close match, with both teams performing well throughout the game’s duration. Despite eventually succumbing to Southampton, the intensity of Exeter’s performance should be applauded, which will certainly give them some much needed confidence when preparing for their next BUCS fixtures.

The game’s opening quarter gave witness to some exciting passages of basketball, with Exeter’s Ali performing well in the match’s early stages,

Cheung capitalised on some loose play to sink a crucial three pointer, giving Exeter the lead which succeeded in propelling Exeter into an early lead.

Contact between both sets of players was frequent early on, with both sides committing fouls. Solent’s number nine capitalised from a foul to net both her shots from the foul line, demonstrating the quality Solent had on offer. Both Exeter and Solent’s coaches decided to take a time out opportunity, with Exeter’s coach in particular delivering a passionate speech.

This seemed to give the team some

Photo: Edwin Yeung

much needed motivation when approaching the match’s second quarter.

With Exeter losing the first quarter by two points, they approached the second quarter in a much more positive fashion.

Cheung, latching on to some loose play, capitalised to sink a crucial three pointer, with this particular shot propelling Exeter into an early second quarter lead.

Despite regaining the lead, Exeter failed to prevent Solent from scoring freely, meaning the score continued to fluctuate in favour of both Exeter and Solent during this passage of play.

With a fresh quartet of Exeter players introduced, the team looked reinvigorated, with Exeter now looking far more solid as they began to dictate proceedings in the latter phase of the second quarter.

Exeter utilised this shift in momentum to take a four point lead with the second quarter coming to a close. The score, 29–27 to Exeter, symbolised a strong first half for the women’s team.

Having lead at half time, the third quarter produced the most exciting quarter of the match, with both teams frantically trying to assert themselves upon their opponents.

The match looked to have turned in Solent’s favour when Southampton’s number 8 netted a brilliant three pointer. This shot was subsequently followed up by further scoring opportunities, with these opportunities expertly despatched, which propelled Southampton into the lead once again.

A number of decisions seemed to go against Exeter during this phase, with Exeter’s Rosenblum looking particularly frustrated at the official’s decisions during the latter phases of the third quarter.

Exeter’s frustrations were certainly heightened following a succession of Solent three pointers, which saw Exeter trail by four points during the concluding phases of the third quarter. Exeter,

having won a dubious foul, went on to score with both attempts from the foul line, to trail Solent by four points at the conclusion of the third quarter.

With the scores being incredibly close at the start of the fourth quarter, both sides approached the start of this quarter in a far more offensive frame of mind, with Solent gaining some early impetus through successive scoring opportunities.

Capitalising upon these opportunities saw Southampton extend their lead

to six points. Solent also continued to defend stoutly and resolutely, which achieved in heaping additional frustration onto their Exeter opponents.

Exeter, having trailed for the majority of the fourth quarter, chose to implement a time out, in order to restore some much needed momentum at a crucial point in proceedings.

Exeter’s Paukert seemed to benefit from this time out, as Paukert, utilising her strong dribbling ability, latched upon successive opportunities to give

Exeter a glimmer of hope in the match’s concluding phases.

Solent, having defended resolutely until this stage, scored a decisive two pointer inside the arc to cement Solent’s eventual victory over Exeter.

Exeter, losing the match 53–58, showed visual signs of disappointment at the match’s final whistle.

With Exeter leading at half time, the team will likely feel disappointed with the loss, especially as the team had a number of excellent scoring chances.

universities of Bath, Southampton and Portsmouth to retain the top spot.

chased on the door costing £4.

Prior to their Varsity, EUSC swimmers will compete at the upcoming Long Course BUCS competition in Sheffield, held over three days from 21 February to 23 February.

This follows the club’s success at the Short Course BUCS competition, in which they competed in December 2013. At the Short Course BUCS contest, three club records were broken and club swimmers made two finals.

Exeter looking to defend title at Varsity Photo: Josh Irwandi

Exeter’s A-team will be defending their title this year after coming top of the Varsity last year

S������� Meg Drewett Editor

EXETER UNIVERSITY SWIMMING CLUB (EUSC) will be hosting their annual Varsity competition at the Pyramids Leisure Centre in Exeter on Saturday 1 March.

Teams from the University of Bath, the University of Portsmouth and the University of the West of England Bristol/ the University of Bristol will compete against teams from Exeter, as well as against the Exeter ‘Legends’ team, comprised out of Exeter alumni.

The Varsity will be raising money for the Phyllis Tucker Hospice Charity, which supports terminally ill patients

and their families.

Last year’s EUSC Varsity raised over £550 for the Penny Brohn Cancer Care charity.

Exeter’s A-team will be defending their title this year after coming top of the Varsity last year.

At the 2013 EUSC Varsity, Exeter’s A team defended their 2012 title and overcame competition from the

They finished nine points clear of Southampton and eight points ahead of Bath.

However, both the Exeter B team and the Exeter ‘Legends’ alumni team were beaten by Portsmouth at the 2013 contest.

Tickets for this year’s Varsity can now be purchased either directly from members of the swimming team, or at upcoming fundraising events, such as a bake sale hosted by EUSC in the Forum during the week commencing 17 February. Tickets brought prior to the event will cost £3, with those pur-

The Varsity will be raising money for the Phyllis Tucker Hospice Charity, which supports terminally ill patients and their families To support the club at their Varsity, head down to the Pyramids Leisure Centre on 1 March.

38

SPORT

The Final Whistle Here is your guide to a few upcoming sporting courses, classes and events: 19 February Korfball Taster Session 10:00-14:00 FREE Forum Piazza

21 February

UV Volleyball Tournament 18:00-22:00 £30.00 per team Sports Park Entry Deadline: 19 February Contact: au@exeter.ac.uk

24 February

Tennis Clinic – Back Hand 18:00-19:00 Exeter Tennis Centre Member: £6.00 Non-member: £7.00 Contact: 01392 723699 xtc@exeter.ac.uk

21 February

UV Volleyball tournament 18:00-22:00 £30.00 per team Sports Park Entry Deadline: 19 February Contact: au@exeter.ac.uk

23 February

Yoga workshop – Core strength fuelling the inner fire 13:00-16:00 Students: £15.00 St Luke’s Sports Centre Contact: 01392 724940

1-2 March

Level 2 Award in Coaching Basketball 09:00-17:00 University of Exeter Students £195.00 St Luke’s Sports Centre Contact: 01392 722039 Email: p.d.mouland@exeter. ac.uk

1 March

Swimming Varsity 14:30-16:30 Pyramids Swimming Centre £3.00 in advance £4.00 on the door Contact: au@exeter.ac.uk

18 FEBRUARY 2014 |

www.exepose.ex.ac.uk

EUNC through to BUCS quarters

EXEPOSÉ

EUMHC 2s beat

N������ Nicky Savill

EUNC 1st Team Captain BUCS Last 16 EUNC Loughborough

55 36

IN the round 16 of the BUCS Championship knockout s Exeter netball 1st team faced Loughborough 1st team in a much anticipated clash of 2 rival Universities.

Exeter started the first quarter with a bang, with some spectacular turnovers in defence which were confidently brought through court and delivered safely to the attack.

Great vision and feeding from the centre court players into the circle was backed up by some superb shooting from Katy Lynch, who was absolutely solid under the post and from any position in the circle throughout the game. At the end of a strong first quarter Exeter were ahead by ten by (16-6).

Exeter’s starting seven remained unchanged, knowing Loughborough were going to hit them hard at the start of the second quarter, Exeter maintained their composure, did the basics well and put the goals on the board. Any mistakes by Loughborough were pounced on and converted, putting Exeter in front leading 27-13 going into the half time break.

Exeter maintained their composure, did the basics well and put the goals on the board Some changes were made at half time, with Ellie Gibbons brought on at GA and a switch in the mid-court. Exeter adapted to the changes well and maintained momentum throughout court, with some beautiful long balls put into space in the attacking circle.

An inspired interception from Ashleigh Jay captured the tone of the match and the attention of the crowd, as Exeter pushed on and attacked their lead to finish the quarter 41-27.

With 15 minutes left on the clock, Exeter knew they had to refocus and keep pushing on to see out the match, which they did, maintaining intensity until the final whistle to seal the victory 55-36.

A fantastic squad performance with absolute commitment, determination, persistence and a consistently high work rate throughout the game.

EUNC now travel to Manchester in the quarter final who finished top of the Northern Premier League. If they manage to beat Manchester the semi will be against either Cardiff Metropolitan or Northumbria University.

M��’� H�����

Cillian Dunn Sports Team EUMHC 2s UWE 1s

3 1

A DOMINANT first-half performance ensured that the Men’s Hockey 2nds advanced to the quarter finals of the BUCS trophy, with a 3-1 victory over the University of the West of England (UWE) 1st Team at the Water Astro last Wednesday.

The 2s scored all three of their goals in the first half, ensuring that, in spite of an improved display from UWE after the break, there was no way back for their opposition.

Exeter were in the ascendancy from the off, controlling possession and peppering the opposition goal with shots.

One was blocked by a defender, another sailed narrowly wide, before a tidy finish from Sam Plater put Exeter in front, following a sweeping move down the left hand side of the field.

The second goal wasn’t long in coming, a powerful strike from George Creed finding the bottom corner, from just inside the ‘D’.

UWE then had their first real chance of the game, forcing Exeter Keeper Todd Dudley into a sprawling save, but it was to be a brief respite, for moments later Exeter had their third.

A powerful free hit, taken by Myles Locke from all of thirty yards, was

helped into the net, though whether it was an Exeter attacker or UWE defender who got the final touch is impossible to say.

It was a fine start from Exeter, but by half time they might even have been disappointed that they hadn’t scored more, such was their dominance.

Were it not for a succession of fine saves by the opposition keeper, they certainly would have scored further goals.

A powerful effort from the excellent Plater went just wide before he was forced into the first of these – a dramatic dive following a goalmouth scramble. Moments later, he saved with his hands following a lofted effort from Jamie Jones, then his feet from Ben Brandt.

EXEPOSÉ

| WEEK EIGHTEEN

SPORT

www.exepose.ex.ac.uk

UWE 1s in Cup

Crossword No. 58 by Neveu

Photos: Niklas Rahmel

Across

There was still time for yet another stop from Creed, before he was given a respite with the half-time whistle.

The second half initially looked as though it would follow the same script as the first, with the long-suffering UWE keeper forced into two early saves, but Exeter received their first warning when a UWE forward seized possession, momentarily appearing as though he was through on goal, before being denied by an excellent challenge from an Exeter defender.

Alfie Gilbert then had an excellent chance to extend Exeter’s lead, after being played in by Plater, but he delayed his shot for too long, enabling the UWE keeper to parry it wide.

It was a miss made all the more regrettable by the fact that UWE were to

strike back so soon afterwards, with a well worked short corner ending in a neat finish.

By half time the 2s might have been disappointed that they hadn’t scored more due to their dominance in the first period. The prospect of silverware is a very real one Ultimately, however, this proved to be little more than a consolation goal, though still one that evidently annoyed

the home side to the extent that they redoubled their efforts, bombarding the UWE goal with further shots, most notably when Gilbert was again unfortunate in seeing his effort miraculously cleared off the line by an opposing defender, with the keeper beaten.

The game ended on a somewhat controversial note, as Exeter saw Albert Thornton sent off, but in the grand scheme of things, this mattered little.

Exeter advance into the last eight, with the prospect of silverware seemingly a very real one.

Next for the 2s is a home quarter final against either Cardiff 1s or Loughborough 2s.

Down

Across

Down

2. Back and forth (10) 7. Nothing (3) 8. Lingo (5) 10. KISS: Love __ (3) 11. Erroneous (5) 12. James likes them shaken (7) 13. Judged incorrectly (13) 15. Silent Charlie (7) 18. Pachelbel’s Canon (5) 20. Many eras (3) 21. Anagram of 11 across (5) 22.Writers tip (3)

1. Begin again (5) 3. Pasta dish (7) 4. African river (5) 5. A star avian (7) 6. Forensic evidence (10) 9. A purpose (3) 10. Shining wetly (10) 13.“The Scottish play”(7) 14. Permit (7) 16. Art of reason(5) 17. New prefix (3) 19. Prestigious prize (5)

39

40

SPORT

SPORT

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @ExeposeSport

18 FEBRUARY 2014 |

www.exepose.ex.ac.uk

EXEPOSÉ

SPORT EDITORS

Will Kelleher & Mike Stanton sport@exepose.com JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP Exeposé Sport

EULC storm into BUCS quarters Photo: George Keleny

W����’� L�������

Lara Hopkins Sports Team

BUCS Last 16 EULC Newcastle

10 3

THE WOMEN’S Lacrosse 1st team endured harsh conditions to beat Newcastle 10-3 in their BUCS last 16 clash at the Rubber Crumb last Wednesday.

The morning of the first round of the BUCS knockout stages began with torrential rain and howling winds. Fortunately for Exeter Women’s 1st Lacrosse team this did not interfere with their play, as they reached the quarter final stages after their dominant win over Newcastle.

With the side-line packed full of supporters despite the abysmal weather, Exeter won the ball at the start with Clare Brennan making a scorching run

and scoring almost immediately.

After some excellent defence, Sophy Coombes-Roberts made a fantastic break from a Newcastle foul, making a pass to Brennan to score her second goal of the game.

With Exeter’s flying start, Newcastle needed to do something special to keep their hopes of reaching the next round of the competition alive.

The attempted fight back began after a terrific save from the visitors goalkeeper. The ball was quickly moved upfield leading to Newcastle’s first goal after an Exeter foul.

However, that was the end of Newcastle’s scoring in the first half. After some hilarity when the goal blew over in the violent winds, Exeter put an increasingly high amount of pressure on the Northern side.

After a slip from an Exeter attacker on the water filled rubber crumb, the home team regained the ball and their two goal lead, bringing the score to 3

In this issue of Exeposé Sport...

– 1.

With some tremendous attacking mixed with powerful defence, Newcastle could not stop Exeter and the goals kept coming, with the lead stretching to 7-1 at the break, leaving the visiting team very frustrated with an extraordinarily difficult task ahead of them.

Newcastle’s problems continued with Exeter rapidly accumulating further goals at the beginning of the second 30 minutes, scoring almost immediately from the start and making another soon after. Newcastle never looked likely to trouble Immi Bodimeade, the Exeter goalkeeper, and in their increasingly desperate position they soon called a time out.

At first, the time out appeared to have no impact. Exeter’s attacking threat continued as they scored yet again after much patient passing around the front of the goal. However, the pace of the game then slowed and although they’d had no attacking plat-

form for much of the game and had been dropped the ball often, Newcastle breached the Exeter defence, making the score 10 – 2.

The visitors then appeared to grow in confidence, gaining both territory and possession, putting sustained pressure upon Exeter for the first time in the match. Although, the home team defended with immense strength for an extensive period, Newcastle finally breached the resistance to score the last goal.

While Sophy Coombes-Roberts was incredibly pleased with the first half performance, she stated that the aim for the quarter finals was for the team to keep up their levels of intensity and to “play for a solid sixty minutes”.

She also (understandably) hopes for “better conditions!”

Although the Exeter girls played extremely well, the real heroes were the grounds men. Without their hard work enabling this match to move from Top-

sham to the Rubber Crumb, painting and re-painting the pitch lines after the rain washed them away and also sweeping the flooding water off the pitch, this game would not have happened.

The girls will now travel to Birmingham in the quarter final, a draw that came about after BUCS controversially ended the regular season despite Cambridge playing one more game than all their playoff competitors.

All teams apart from top placed Cambrige and bottom side Cardiff played nine matches due to the inclement weather.

Exeter’s match with Bath two weeks ago was cancelled and a likely win would have put them into second above Bristol who had a tough fixture with Oxford cancelled.

This would mean a bye in the last 16 and a probable quarter final against either Nottingham, who were placed third in the north division, instead of second placed Birmingham.

Interview: Goulding goes for Gold

EUMHC 2s into quarters of BUCS cup

- page 36

- page 38