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THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER

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Tuesday 4 March 2014 • Issue 621 • www.exepose.ex.ac.uk • Twitter: @Exepose • www.facebook.com/Exepose

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Graduations under threat?

Society concern over online elections Meg Drewett Editor

Photo: University of Exeter

University decline to comment on any plans to ensure students graduate as threat of UCU marking boycott intensifies Owen Keating News Editor THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER have refused to confirm if there are any plans in place to combat the marking boycott that has been announced for this summer. When asked by Exeposé if there were any plans for emergency measures to ensure that students’ work was still marked in the event of a boycott, the University did not respond. University and College Union (UCU) have confirmed that a marking boycott will be enacted from 28 April, which would result in students’ dissertations and final exams not being marked, which could in itself result in students not being able to properly graduate. The boycott was announced after UCU

claimed that employers have refused to return to pay negotiations. There have been six UCU walkouts since October, with significant disruption being caused to classes and seminars. The Exeter branch of UCU say on their website that the current pay offer “will result in a further decline in living standards for staff in Higher Education staff now are 13 per cent worse off than staff on the same pay grade five years ago as a result of repeated below-inflation pay offers”. They also indicate a belief that “the Higher Education sector is sitting on vast reserves that it could choose to release to improve staff pay”. They suggest that the recently reported 8.1 per cent pay increase that Vice Chancellors have received (a pay rise which Exeposé understands that Steve Smith,

MUSIC: Interview Eliza and the Bear - PAGE 20

Exeter’s Vice-Chancellor, has not taken) undermines the idea that widely held talk of “sharing the pain” of education cuts is inaccurate. UCU’s website also cites statistics which indicate that industrial action has had proven results in terms of securing increased pay for academics. In addition, a lengthy article critiquing the University’s recent and intended expansion claims that “staff are increasingly alienated by a culture of hierarchalism, distrust/hostility towards criticism of ‘management’ and growing differentials of both pay and status, without transparency about the bases of any of these differentials”. Furthermore, they denounce what they perceived to be the University’s use of “meaningless” performance management models to measure staff performance, as well as demanding that

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a policy of “enhancing social norms including norms of dissent and debate - rather than managerial sanctions” is implemented. Students are, understandably, increasingly agitated at the prospect of potentially not graduating, with many taking to Twitter to voice their displeasure. Elia Shipton (@EliaJayne), a third year student, tweeted: “Think @UniofExeter need to sort out these strikes. Uni degrees being ultimately ruined by these disruptions”. A ﬁnal year student, whose work may be directly affected by striking markers, told Exeposé: “In addition to the other pressures of ﬁnal year, the last thing students should be worrying about is whether or not academics will actually be marking their dissertation.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

FEATURES: Discuss female leaders in Christian Unions - PAGES 12-13

AT least 30 student societies have so far opted-out of the Students’ Guild’s new online society election system, with more expected to do so over the coming weeks, voicing concerns over the suitability of the new system for their societies. The online voting system, which was announced to society presidents two weeks ago, allows Guild societies to host the voting for their committee elections on the Guild website. Society committees will be able to set the details of their elections, including the available committee positions and the voting period, and members will then be expected to head online to cast their votes. Those societies opting-out of the new system will retain the traditional voting system of paper ballots at their Annual General Meeting (AGM). The decision to move to an online system was taken after consultation at the Societies Executive, a representative body of all Guild societies. The system is the same as the one used for the Sabbatical Ofﬁcer elections, and has already been used by a number of large societies, such as RAG, CA and the Bracton Law Society, to hold elections in the past. It aims to make the handover period between committees easier, as it will automatically grant admin access to the newly elected committee at a scheduled date, and to encourage greater engagement in elections from society memberships. Ellee Dowell, President of Sociology and Anthropology society, told Exeposé: “The new online voting system will be great for our society. It will not only make the transition from old to new committee simpler, but also means CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 FIND US ONLINE AT

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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.

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

Twenty new societies Highly successful affiliated this year glass Thomas Davies News Team TWENTY new societies have come into being over the ﬁrst six months of the academic year. This brings the total number up to 206 societies at the University, 39 more than at the University of Oxford and 38 more than Cardiff University. The societies in question represent a diverse selection of interests and activities. Some have already become quite established, with Tenpin Bowling Society running a singles handicap league and boasting coaches from the British Tenpin Bowling Association and the United States Bowling Congress regularly on hand. The Facebook group of Esports Society for competitive internet gaming has already got 61 members and friends, Game of Thrones Society’s page has got 324 likes and 89 talking about it and the group for Nerf Society has 39 members ready to shoot foam darts at each other on a regular basis as of 26 February. But the most popular Facebook group appears to be Pokémon Society, which shows 99 want-to-be trainers. Jak Curtis-Rendall, VP Participa-

tion and Campuses, commented: “The number of student-led societies within the Students’ Guild increases yet again, and I am absolutely delighted that these new groups have chosen to seek formal

Societies are a significant part of the Exeter experience, so I would encourage any students thinking about starting their own society to come and see me Jak Curtis-Rendall, VP Participation and Campuses affiliation to the Guild. Affiliated societies gain access to Guild spaces for their activities, and training and support from the Activities & Volunteering team. Societies are a significant part of the Exeter experience, so I would encourage any students thinking about starting their own society to come and see me”.

Prospective societies have to fill in an application form, have 30 students who have registered interest in the society, and then have discussions with the Societies Officer as well as give a five minute presentation to ‘representatives of each society category’. If after that the application stands, they are officially a society. Other newly created societies include Sherlock Society, Indonesian Society and Liberal Arts Society, all of which have a presence on the Guild website, although the latter only says “we’ll add something once we’ve written it!”. As for the rest, four do not have a registered page on the Guild site and those that do; Shakespeare, Mixed Touch Rugby, Gliding and MedSin ,have nothing written on them yet. Any students wishing to join these new societies should consult the Guild website or social media pages. In addition, the Students’ Guild have very recently affiliated with four further societies: Art, History & Culture (which reflects new degree options available at the University), Real Ale Society, British Red Cross, and Hindu Society.

Wilkinson to play show at Lemon Grove Louis Doré News Editor WILKINSON, the artist and producer behind the single ‘Afterglow’, will be performing at the Lemon Grove on Friday 7 March. The event is for students only, but those with a ticket are able to bring a guest. The Students’ Guild has said that it “will be transforming the Lemon Grove into a rave with state of the art lasers, lighting rig and decor thoughout the venue, alongside a huge 10k soundsystem” promising that “this will be the event of this term!” ‘Afterglow’, released by RAM records and Virgin EMI in October 2013, peaked at eighth in the UK charts and ﬁrst in the UK dance charts. Wilkinson and vocalist Becky Hill performed the song in BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge on 17 October 2013. Hannah Barton, Guild President, commented: “I am really excited to

welcome Wilkinson to the Lemon Grove. By working closely with Collegiate to develop a one-off opportunity we have secured this exclusive event at amazing prices. I hope students are looking forward as much as I am to

what promises to be a great night”. The set has been booked for 9pm to 2am, and advanced tickets are priced at £4 per person. Tickets are available for purchase through the Guild website or via the Guild Info Point.

Photo: Drum&Bass Arena

recycling continues Lucy Payn News Team

A HIGHLY successful glass caddying scheme is being made available to students as the end of term approaches. The scheme is aimed at students who dispose of a large amount of glass, but have no access to a vehicle and do not live close to a glass recycling point. It is run by the Student Community Wardens in collaboration with the Students’ Guild, and helps reduce the amount of glass that is taken to landﬁll. The scheme was trialled in June 2013, and proved so popular that it was continued into the festive season. Since it began, around ten tonnes of glass have been collected. Building on this success, there will be further collections, both this term and in term three. Rory Cunningham, VP Welfare and Community, said: “We are delighted with the positive response we’ve received from students and local residents alike. This initiative has helped to address the practicalities of not having a car and not living close to a bottle bank – particularly important as we continue to encourage students not to bring cars to Exeter. Due to the popularity of the scheme we hope, with the Students’ Guild’s support, that collections will now become a permanent ﬁxture at the end of each term”. Student households often produce more glass than average as many housemates shop separately. Students are also less likely to use traditional methods of glass disposal, such as car park bottle banks, as many choose to have their food delivered by supermarkets rather than making the trip themselves. The University is committed to the Waste and Resource Management Strategy, which aims to recycle and compost 45 per cent of all waste by the end 2014/15. For recycling stations on campus see the Recycling Campus Map. Students can get involved with this scheme by making a booking with the Student Community Wardens, who will have a stall in the forum throughout the week commencing 10 March. For more information, streetwise@ex.ac.uk.

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Graduations threatened by boycott She added: “I am very worried that my degree is at risk, and feel that my last term at Exeter could be blighted by these strikes”. The NUS have added their full support to the strikers, with their National Executive Committee voting unanimously to support staff, laying the blame for the proposed strike squarely with management. They criticise the “belligerence” shown by university managements thus far, and call the fact that students may not graduate or progress a “disgrace”, as well as stating their belief that “management will attempt to drive a wedge between students and staff in order to break the strike”. Hannah Barton, Guild President, commented: “The Students’ Guild is working with the University to ensure that any impact of a marking boycott on students, and graduating students in particular, is minimised. We continue to meet with UCU and senior University management to encourage a productive dialogue that will bring this dispute to a satisfactory resolution for all parties. Over the coming weeks the Guild will be working to raise students’ awareness of the deeper issues underlying the recent industrial action”.

Uni clarifies student intake figures Louis Doré News Editor THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER has maintained that it “has not recruited more students than it has planned for”, despite holding emergency planning meetings with the Students’ Guild and resorting to external accommodation providers to house students. The University has released a statement in response to Exeposé’s investigation into its expansion last issue. The institution disputes two figures it provided Exeposé in response to a Freedom of Information request, figures that indicated more students had enrolled than initially predicted. A University spokesperson stated: “The two sets of figures are based on two different populations and should not be used for comparative purposes as they are ‘apples and pears’. “Once the University understood the purposes for which the data were being used, we supplied the more appropriate figures. However this is a complex area and the terminology uses very specific definitions. The most appropriate approach to gauging the scale of any over-recruitment is to consider new enrolments against planned targets. The overall undergraduate admissions target for 2013 was 5,192 and we recruited 5,153. At postgraduate taught

level, our admissions target for taught programmes was 1,921 and we recruited 1,644. Therefore the total target for taught programmes in 2013 was 7,113 and the actual intake 6,797. In short, the University has not recruited more students than it has planned for”. Exeposé understands that the University held emergency meetings with the Students’ Guild at the start of the academic year, to discuss a higher student intake than anticipated. According to the Times Education Supplement, Exeter accepted 35 per cent more applicants in 2013 than in 2011, and made a total of 4,385 offers to potential undergraduates in 2013. In October 2013, Exeposé reported that “University approved” housing in the form of Printworks and UNITE accommodation had been implemented in October 2013 to house 600 extra students, following a 33 per cent boom in applications to the University. The University also reopened James Owen Court and Moberly in September 2013 following temporary closures, having scheduled Lazenby and Hope Hall for conversion to ofﬁce space. UCU issued a statement on February 26 that voiced concerns over student staff numbers with regards to University growth: “The 2015 lifting of the cap on student numbers might allow further expansion, but this would only

Student votes Student societies voice to take place concerns over online elections in March Owen Keating News Editor THERE will be two student votes taking place between March 17 and 21. The two motions being debated are to extend the long standing ban on Nestlé products for another three years, and to stop Sabbatical election candidates from using paper in their campaigns. The motions, which every student will be able to vote for, were put forward through the Students’ Guild ‘Have Your Say’ programme. Voting will close on Friday 21 March at 5pm, and students can vote through the Guild website. Nestlé products have been banned in Guild outlets for several years, in protests at the company’s alleged mistreatments of workers and natural resources. Similarly, some candidates in this year’s Sabbatical elections actually campaigned without using flyers in order to highlight the environmental implications of such use of paper. Alex Louch, VP Academic Affairs, commented: “Have Your Say exists to allow students to shape their Guild. The student votes on flyering during elections and the Nestlé boycott will ensure that the Students’ Guild policy continues to reflect the priorities of our members”. Students are urged to look out for more publicity surrounding both votes, including the creation of ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ campaigns for each in the coming weeks.

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the opportunity of running and voting is much more accessible for our members – meaning more people will be involved in the whole process”. However, not all society Presidents have been so welcoming of the move and have already opted-out of the system, voicing concerns over its flexibility, and citing fears that online voting will damage the turnout at the AGM that all societies are required to hold. Liam Taylor, President of Freedom Society, said: “Whilst online elections sound good in theory, in practice they will make life disproportionately difficult for small societies, whose meetings tend to be more informal and who require more flexibility to ensure they have a full committee to carry the society forward next year”. Another society President, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “Society elections simply aren’t comparable to the Sabbatical Officer elections,

where any online system works well. For the overwhelming majority of societies, the speeches and questions asked at their AGM are a crucial part of enabling their members to make an informed vote, and online voting undoubtedly discourages AGM attendance”. Jak Curtis-Rendall, VP Participation and Campuses, commented: “The Students’ Guild hopes that the use of online elections will have beneﬁts for the majority of our student societies such as automated vote counting, higher voting turnout and a smoother committee transition. However, I understand that our student societies have signiﬁcantly varying needs so I encourage any group wishing to opt out to speak to me or a member of the Activities & Volunteering team to explore what they feel is the best option for their membership. A great experience for our student societies always remains my top priority and that of the Guild”. Photo: Niklas Rahmel

Photo: Niklas Rahmel

exacerbate our position as the leading University with the worst student: staff ratios (even allowing for subject mix) unless we invest heavily in extra staff numbers, which would highlight problems with our capital stock. While private investment will build student accommodation, it cannot provide teaching and research space for staff, but heavy investment in this will divert revenue away from addressing the staff shortage”. A Students’ Guild spokesperson commented: “The Students’ Guild is involved in the University planning activity, so is aware of forecasted numbers for the following academic year. It also

receives updates based on termly census data that evaluates the number of students currently registered. The methodology behind the ﬁgures we have is different from the methodologies outlined by the University so we are unable to verify”. Vanessa Tracey, a second year student, said: “It is alarming that the University are disputing the ﬁgures obtained by Exeposé that prove there was a higher intake of students than expected. More transparency is required if the University is expected to meet the rising demand”.

Jon Jenner Editor

Guild has made every effort to mitigate the effects of this unexpected change that is completely beyond our control. We have made urgent arrangements to ring-fence the full funding required to ensure that no society will be ﬁnancially affected for the 2013/14 academic year. Societies will be fully supported by us throughout the change, and they will continue to process all their requests as normal”. The removal of the exemption is expected to have an impact on a signiﬁcant number of societies. Last academic year, a total of 35 societies made use of cultural exemption, and 34 have already done so this year, with the majority of them making use of it more than once. Some of the bigger theatre societies will likely be making hundreds of pounds less on their shows next year. Magda Cassidy, President of Shotgun Theatre, said: “Cultural exemption is a really important factor for us when considering what projects we can take on; with the additional VAT costs I worry that we’ll have to make extensive cuts elsewhere in order to maintain the high standard of performances we have been able to achieve”. Any enquiries about the changes in VAT exemption, and how it may impact on your society, should be directed to Jak Curtis-Rendall, VP Participation and Campuses.

Student societies could lose money after VAT changes SOME of the Students’ Guild’s biggest societies are set to lose profits on their events next year, due to a change in VAT exemptions enforced by Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC). Societies will no longer be able to claim on a specific VAT exemption for ‘cultural’ events, meaning that events featuring live performances stand to lose 20% of the profit from their ticket sales. Other events put on by arts, music and drama societies will also now have to pay VAT. The changes are being made in the wake of a legal battle between Loughborough University’s Students’ Union and HMRC, as Loughborough lost their appeal against the HMRC’s decision to refute their cultural exemption. Societies can no longer make use of cultural exemption from VAT with immediate effect. However, the Guild’s Finance and Audit Committee – made up of the Sabbatical Officers as well as student and external trustees – have declared that the Guild will pay all VAT that would have been subject to cultural exemption until July this year. This is to factor in societies whose budgets would have been drawn up around the VAT exemption. Jak Curtis-Rendall, VP Participation and Campuses, said: “The Students’

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National Student News Lauren Swift Copy Editor

Library fines breaching consumer laws OVER 170 universities and higher education groups have been warned by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) that they may be breaching consumer laws by preventing students graduating or continuing their courses due to owing money for matters such as late library books or accommodation arrears. The OFT completed the investigation after a complaint from the National Union of Students (NUS) and found that about 75 percent of establishments had terms and conditions which obliged students to pay fees in order to graduate or progress to the next academic year. Nisha Arora, from the OFT, told The Guardian that “Preventing progression or graduation not only affects students’ educational experience but could also significantly harm their future employment prospects and ability to pay off their debts”. It is hoped that universities will now work with the OFT to find new ways to put in place alternative policies and ways of helping students to pay off outstanding fines.

Cambridge beats Oxford in 2014 global rankings THE UNIVERSITY of Cambridge has topped league tables by being ranked best in the country in 14 areas of study, with rival Oxford being placed as best in ten subjects. The survey by QS World University Rankings judged over 800 universities worldwide, each of which was evaluated for the quality of 30 individual disciplines. The results show that although Oxford is number one in the world for English language and literature, modern languages and politics, the USA dominates the rankings: Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology came out top in 11 and nine respective academic areas. Other British universities which excelled on a National level were The London School of Economics, for Sociology, Economics and Media Studies, and Reading for Agriculture. With the rising importance of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM disciplines), however, it is predicted that the leading Asian institutions in China, Hong Kong and Singapore will emerge as serious competition on future league tables. The University of Exeter was ranked 156th overall in the QS Rankings, including placing joint 21st in the world for Geography.

Gamblers react to narrow losses as they do to wins Vanessa Tracey Copy Editor NEW psychological research led by the University of Exeter and Swansea University has uncovered the changes in the brain that lead gamblers to react in the same way to near misses as they do to winning. Dr Natalia Lawrence, Senior Lecturer at Exeter University, and Dr Simon Dymond of Swansea University, have shown that near misses produce similar increases in brain theta activity to wins.

The researchers studied male gamblers and non-gamblers, exposing them to simulated slot machines presenting win, loss and near-miss outcomes. Those studied underwent a brain scan using a technique which measures both the timing and location of the brain responses to different gambling outcomes. Dr Natalia Lawrence said “Our ﬁndings show for the ﬁrst time that gamblers have an exaggerated theta response to almost winning in brain regions related to reward processing, which could contribute to them continuing to gamble despite their losses.

“If replicated, these brain activity changes could help us identify those vulnerable to gambling addiction and might be a useful measure of the effectiveness of therapy for gambling related problems”. Near misses are actually losses for gamblers but previous research has shown that they may promote continued gambling as the brain interprets them as similar to wins. These increases in theta activity are also linked to both the severity of someone’s gambling history and their susceptibility to developing a future gambling problem.

Samantha Ewing, a second year Psychology student commented “I think it’s great that our very own Psychology lecturers are uncovering ﬁndings that will have such large implications on the diagnosis and treatment of those with gambling addictions”. A conference organised by the Responsible Gambling Trust (RGT) in December 2013 displayed research that the number of people addicted to free standing betting machines represents less than 1 per cent of the total number of gamblers, but that they contribute up to 50 per cent of industry betting revenue.

International Sports Month Student warden scheme encouraging participation to hold interviews Hannah Butler News Team THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER’s International Sport Month 2014 is well and truly under way. The event, ﬁrst launched in 2012 and this year running from 16 February to 15 March, aims to engage students from across the University body, encouraging participation in sport through various taster sessions, tournaments and spectator events. With taster sessions being offered free of charge to all University of Exeter students, in activities ranging from netball and badminton to archery, golf and table-tennis, the event offers students the opportunity to try out a wide range of sports and activities. The events aim to widen participation, providing a fun, pressure-free way of sampling the vast array of sports offered by the University. Exeter is a leading UK university in terms of sporting success, ranking

5th out of 153 institutions in the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) 2012/13 League Table. Exeter’s Athletic Union currently manages 49 student sports clubs, open to all abilities and experience levels, of which over 6,000 of the University’s roughly 18,500 students are presently a member. In addition to this, around 3,000 students take part in intramural sport or sports volunteering in the community. The International Sport Month aims to further increase sports participation among Exeter students through spectating as well as competing. Events such as the Swimming Varsity, on 1 March, and Rugby Varsity – postponed until March due to the weather – encourage students to watch, support and learn more about sport at Exeter, contributing in various ways to the sporting experience here at the University. Further information about upcoming International Sport Month events can be found on the University of Exeter Sport website.

Bethany Baker News Team THE UNIVERSITY has opened applications for an existing community warden programme. Each year the Community Warden scheme employs ten students to support university students living in off-campus accommodation. Wardens work with the Students’ Guild, the police and Exeter City Council to encourage integration between students and the community. Duties include conducting ‘walkabouts’ in their area, directing students with community-related queries and attending community meetings. Student Wardens also have termly opportunities to develop their own community projects, as well as facilitating existing campaigns. Rory Cunningham, Community Liaison Ofﬁcer for the University, told Exeposé: “We are keen to employ ten students who are outgoing, motivated and have some experience of living off cam-

pus. Experience in working with community projects would be an advantage. The project has gone from strength to strength since its launch in 2008 and we have received some excellent feedback from a range of community partners”. Recent projects and campaigns carried out by the Wardens include a street party in Prospect Park last September, the ongoing ‘Glass Caddying’ recycling programme, and the ‘Students On The Move’ refuse removal scheme, operated in the third term, which aids refuse collection for students leaving before or after bin day. Wardens work in teams of ﬁve to cover the areas of St James, St David’s, Pennsylvania, Newtown and Polsloe. Students can approach their local Wardens directly with concerns or queries, or email streetwise@ex.ac.uk to arrange appointments. Any student seeking more information on applying for the role is advised to contact to Rory Cunningham, Community Liaison Ofﬁcer, by emailing r.j.cunningham@ex.ac.uk.

Volunteers wanted for Rugby World Cup Clara Plackett Deupty Editor VOLUNTEERS are being sought to assist with the Rugby World Cup in 2015. Exeter’s Sandy Park Stadium has been chosen as one of 13 host venues for the event in 2015. The prestigious tournament will take place in England and Wales from 18 September to 31 October. There will be various opportunities for student volunteers to assist with the tournament. Volunteer interviewers (VIPs) will be required to support the recruitment and selection process for the 6000 volunteers. Volunteers will conduct daily one-to-one interviews to ensure that the volunteers chosen will provide the perfect welcome for international visitors. VIPs will also ensure

the success of the Try Out selection, which will take place at the University of Exeter on 21-27 July 2014.

The eyes of the nation and indeed the world will be focused on Exeter Pete Edwards, Exeter City Council Leader Students can also apply to volunteer for “The Pack” separately. The Pack can volunteer in Exeter or elsewhere, and will help to run the Tournament in various different teams, such as Spectator Services and Transport. Students can register their interest up until 17

March on the ofﬁcial Rugby World Cup website. Pete Edwards, Exeter City Council Leader, said: “This is fantastic news for Exeter – I am absolutely chuffed to bits! Once again, this puts Exeter on the world map and the city will be doing its uppermost to contribute to this thrilling sporting event and provide a genuinely warm welcome to UK and international visitors. “We have been working closely with the Exeter Chiefs to make this happen and will continue doing so right up until the kick off in 2015, when the

eyes of the nation and indeed the world will be focused on Exeter.” A third year student commented: “I think it’s fantastic that students can be involved in such a massive international event, especially considering that rugby is one of the university’s most popular and successful sports”.

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Climate change unlikely Exeter study reveals 42,000 marine to reduce winter deaths turtles harvested legally each year Amy Young News Team RESEARCHERS from the University of Exeter Medical School and University College London have discovered that climate change is unlikely to reduce the higher winter death rates in the UK. Published in the journal Nature Climate Change, their study analysed data from the past 60 years, and found that the causation link between winter death rates and colder weather has reduced since around 1971. According to the study, cold winter days were highly linked to winter mortality from 1951 to 1971. Since then, winter mortality has been increasingly linked to cold and ﬂu activity, and in the period of 1991 to 2011, they argue that ﬂu became the main cause of additional deaths during this time of the year. The research team suggests that this previous link between “excessive winter deaths” and extended periods of cold weather can be disproved by improvements in housing, income, healthcare and a better awareness of the risks during the winter months. These results have caused the leaders of this study to raise concerns over the future plans of politicians and health

professionals in terms of maintaining and improving health and environmental security. Lead researcher Dr Philip Staddon, from the University of Exeter Medical School, said: “Both policy makers and health professionals have, for some time, assumed that a potential benefit from climate change will be a reduction in deaths seen over winter. We’ve shown that this is unlikely to be the case. Efforts to combat winter mortality due to cold spells should not be lessened, and those against flu and flu-like illnesses should also be maintained”.

Efforts to combat winter mortality due to cold spells should not be lessened Dr. Staddon, University of Exeter As climate change progresses, there may be extreme ﬂuctuations in weather. However, their study suggests that if the UK were to experience a warmer winter, this could lead to more “excessive winter deaths” than in colder periods.

Fiona Potigny News Team 42,000 MARINE turtles are legally harvested in 42 global territories according to an Exeter study. The research, which was carried out by Blue Ventures Conservation and Exeter’s Centre for Ecology and Conservation and collated data from 500 publications and in-country experts, revealed that all seven species of the captured turtles are IUCN Red Listed, 80 per cent of which being green turtles. It was also found that global capture peaked at 17,000 tonnes in the 1960s, with 380,000 turtles harvested in 1968 alone. An international increase in campaigning, action and awareness has since caused this ﬁgure to drop, and 178 countries have now signed the CITES agreement (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), an act prohibiting the trade of turtle products. This is the ﬁrst study of its kind to have comprehensively assessed legal harvesting, which is predominantly concentrated in the wider Caribbean region, including several UK Overseas

territories, and the Indo-Pacific region constituting nearly three quarters of the total yield. Frances Humber, research leader and PhD student, labelled legal take a “major source of mortality”, but added that there are “greater threats from illegal fisheries and bycatch”. The sale and trade of bycatch – unwanted fish and other marine creatures caught by commercial fishing nets – remains a controversial issue. Exeter farm shop Greendale recently received heavy public criticism

after selling a 15-foot Thresher Shark, an IUCN Red Listed species, which was reportedly caught as “bycatch”. Members of the public took to Greendale’s Facebook page to express their disgust. The full article “So Excellent a Fishe: A global overview of legal marine turtle ﬁsheries”, which borrows its name from the ﬁrst marine life protection legislation in 1620, is published in the journal “Diversity and Distributions”. Photo: fantom-xp.com

Exeter team involved Lemon Grove to host University in international casino charity event senior staff reshuffle adult stem cell trials James Smurthwaite Online Screen Editor

Gemma Joyce Games Editor A TEAM from the University of Exeter are contributing to the largest ever trial of adult stem cell therapy alongside international partners. The €5.9 million study, known as BAMI (Bone Acute Myocardial Infarction), is being funded by the EU and trials will involve 3,000 patients, recruited throughout 21 partner nations. It is aiming to increase survival rates of people who have suffered from heart attacks. The procedure being trialled will involve injecting patients’ own stem cells, extracted from bone marrow, into their damaged heart within days of suffering an attack. Researchers hope to prove that survivors of heart attacks can beneﬁt from being treated with their own stem cells. Dr Christine Hauskeller, a senior Philosophy lecturer at the University of Exeter, and her team have been allocated €70,000 to go towards monitoring standardisation and ethical harmonisation throughout the study. The cross-national nature of the project means that due to differences in hospitals and general practice the process must be carefully checked so that results are produced accurately and according to a standard procedure. She explained, “We will systemati-

cally record and analyse what happened and how the trial proceeds across the partner nations. This provides valuable, concrete information for the improvement of European Ethical Harmonisation protocols and policies on international medical innovation”.

This provides valuable, concrete information for the improvement of European Ethical Harmonisation protocals and policies on international medical innovation

Dr. Christine Hauskeller, Senior Philosophy Lecturer According to the British Heart Foundation 103,000 people suffer heart attacks in the UK each year, so research on the heart that can decrease threat to life is always well funded and supported by UK institutions. If the trial is successful the procedure could become widely used to help heart attack sufferers recover more effectively.

ON FRIDAY 14 MARCH the Lemon Grove will be transformed into a glamorous, Vegas-style Casino to raise money for Enactus. The Casino Night will offer the opportunity to gamble on both Blackjack and Roulette tables, however there will be no ﬁnancial risk involved. On entry, you will be given a certain amount of fun money, the more fun money you win, the more chance you have of winning one of the prizes Enactus are offering in a rafﬂe. These prizes include: vouchers for The Waterfront, theatre tickets for The Bike Shed Theatre and a Walkabout tab. >> Enactus volunteers in Uganda

The event is being run to support Enactus Exeter’s sustainable social enterprises in the local community, and in Uganda. Also on offer will be a chance to see the Rotten Apple Orchestra and a Vegas photo area. Early bird tickets are £10 and standard tickets £12.50. Niobe Shaw, one of the event organiser and third year PPE student said, “This is the ﬁrst larger-scale fundraising event that Enactus have held so we’re really excited about the evening! There’s something there for everyone whether you’re into casino games or not, so it’s a great opportunity for everyone to get dressed up and have a good night out!” Image: Enactus

Ricky Freelove Arts Editor

CHANGES to senior management have been announced by Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Steve Smith this week, with a cascade effect across many senior positions. The changes come as a result of the resignation of Claire Baines as Chief Operating Officer. Her resignation, which takes effect as of 28 February 2014, will reshuffle the upper-tier of University management with Geoff Pringle replacing her as Chief Operating Officer for a period of 18 months, and Phil Attwell will be replacing Geoff Pringle’s previous role as Director of Campus Services. Furthermore, Professor Neil Armstrong will become the University’s inaugural Provost, a position traditionally associated with Oxford and Cambridge colleges but becoming increasingly common amongst Russell Group universities. The addition of this role will enable further oversight of internal operations within the University with the new Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer, Andrew Connolly, reporting to the Provost. However, with Professor Armstrong’s resignation as Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the end of this academic year, Janice Kay has already been lined up to take over the role from 1 August 2014.

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Fees rising further would be a disaster, plain and simple First of all, the main issue of the debate – that of tuition fees. 50,000 students marched through London in 2010 protesting against the proposed hike in fees, from just over £3,000 to a cap of £9,000. It didn’t make a difference, as the decision had essentially been made. The vast majority of students studying at this University are now paying £9,000 for the privilege. Incredibly, there are people that believe students should be paying more; Professor Andrew Hamilton, Vice Chancellor of Oxford University, hinted that students should be paying closer to £16,000 a year to cover the cost of their education. Equal opportunities are wonderful, aren’t they? Politically speaking, Labour have promised that they would lower fees to £6,000 a year, but every-

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Speak now, or forever pay more fees

USUALLY, this editorial concerns itself with our biggest news stories, hoping to shed a bit of light on them and offer an opinion on why we think they matter, to you the students. This week is a little different; we’re not writing about our front page, but we’re deﬁnitely writing about something that should matter to you. It affects you and every other student in the country, and if that isn’t important, we don’t know what is. On Tuesday 4 March, the day this newspaper is printed and distributed around campus, a campaign is being started by Alex Louch, VP Academic Affairs. It’s starting with an open debate, featuring the NUS President Toni Pearce and our very own Vice Chancellor, Professor Sir Steve Smith. The motion is “This house believes that tuition fees should not increase”. The debate will undoubtedly consider issues that all students should be clued up on and, if we may be so bold, issues that all students should actively involve themselves in.

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one else is remaining quiet on the issue. Fees rising further would be a disaster, plain and simple. The increased debt would hit every future student hard, but the bigger problem is the amount of students that would be put off coming to university in the ﬁrst place. £9,000 is already too much for the poorest students. How many more would miss out at £16,000? £20,000? £25,000? This problem gets starker with the fact that the National Scholarship Programme has a third of the budget it did just four months ago; without consultation, the government inexplicably slashed their budget from £150 million to £50 million. That programme exists to help the poorest students reach the institutions that they deserve to. It will be assisting even fewer students if fees rise further. It’s also worth considering what’s going to happen once you’ve paid all that money, and you have to pay it back. The government has decided to start selling off student loans to private companies at a massive discount. £900m of loans were sold for £160m last year. Thousands of people are concerned that more loans will be privately sold, and that this could result in increased interest rates. The government has assured that this will not happen… For loans taken out pre-2012. There are no such assurances for loans post-2012. First years, that means you. In terms of the money you’ll be paying back, and, one day, in terms of the potential children you’ll be wanting to send to university, this will affect you. When the fees went up to £9,000, the decision had been made before students could rightfully raise their voices against it. This time round, nothing is set in stone. Students can and should do their best to make sure that their voices are heard and respected, and that any decisions made are in their best interests. Alex is going to be campaigning for the voices of Exeter students to be heard in all of the coming decisions on higher education in this country. Make sure that yours is one of them.

Thanks to those who helped proof this issue: Charlotte Earland, Lauren Swift, Vanessa Tracey, Adam Smith, Flora Carr, Kayley Gilbert, Emma Hutchings, Jack Wardlaw, Emily McIndoe, Laura Christopher, Alice Belton, Emma Thomas, Josh Mines, Harry Shepherd, Alex Bonner, Lara Hopkins, Ben Pullan, James Beeson, Pavel Kondov, Sarah Gough, Sam Brewer, Bethany Baker, Jessica Thomson, Eamonn Crowe, Will O’Rourke, Marcus Beard, Ciaran Willis, James Pidduck, Sophie Harrison, Sabrina Aziz, Isobel Burston, Bethany Stuart, Emily Leahy, Tristan Gatward, and members of the Exeposé editorial team.

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Keep Calm and Use the Career Zone

“Creative job hunting is all about networking so make the most of any contacts you have”: Exeposé Comment chat to Rachel Coombes of the Career Zone to hear what the service can do to help you Photo: exeter.ac.uk

Rachel Coombes ANYONE else feel like this academic year is ﬂying past? The evenings are starting to get lighter, the weather is … (well still on the damp side really but slowly improving!) and the majority of internship and graduate recruitment deadlines seem to have either passed or are fast approaching. It’s at this time of year that I start to see an increase in students worrying about the fact that they have not secured a graduate scheme or internship. My advice – don’t panic! There are still lots of options available to you. The ﬁrst thing to be aware of is that these large graduate employers only represent a very small percentage of the total jobs available on the market overall. This means there are hundreds of smaller/medium sized employers out there who may have the perfect opportunity for you. But how do you access them? Well, most may advertise directly via their website but if not then you can approach

them directly with a CV and covering letter to ask about opportunities. Sometimes they may also advertise through recruitment agencies so don’t forget to include them in your job hunting action plan.

The first thing to be aware of is that these large graduate employers only represent a very small percentage of the total jobs available on the market overall Creative job hunting is all about networking so make the most of any contacts that you have. Make the most of the Exepert Scheme which the Career Zone offers, speak to family and friends, people on your course, tutors and spread the word. Don’t forget the power of social media and get yourself on LinkedIn to develop some networks and start contacting people.

If you’re not sure how to draft a covering letter, what a recruitment agency is or even what career you might like to do your first point of call should be the Career Zone. Start by having a look at the information and resources at www.exeter.ac.uk/careers. Here you will find details about how to get started with your career planning, creating a graduate level CV, finding an internship, applying for international opportunities, getting involved in the Exeter Award or Exepert Scheme and much more. You will also find links to My Career Zone where you can book on to the many different events we run where you can hear from employers, develop your employability skills or search for job opportunities. So as I said earlier – don’t panic, you are in control of your career and the Career Zone is here to help you, so make the most of it!

8 COMMENT

Josh Creek AS a pianist I love having a piano available to play in the Forum. It’s nice to be able to have a quick tinkle on the ivories when strolling out of a lecture or seminar, and allow the dulcet tones of hammers on strings to gently soothe the strains of a busy timetable. True, it’s almost always already taken by a crowd of talented students who casually play incredibly complex and beautiful classical pieces but merely having the piano there is glorious for pianists. As a student though I’m very much against having a piano available in the Forum. When working nearby it is very distracting, and even when wearing noise cancelling earphones with the volume turned up to unhealthy limits the damned instrument is still clearly audible. If I had made the effort to go to the library or Forum to do work that’s what I expect to be able to do. Work. I don’t expect to be subjected to a

Dear Editors, As a follow up for the story in Exepose’s last edition, please ﬁnd below a statement from the University. The University’s original re-

RE: Issue 619 Cannabis worth £250K seized in Exeter Fiona Potigny I felt it necessary to respond to an article in the last issue regarding the seizure of a crop of cannabis by the police and further dispel some myths and misinformation regarding this wondrous plant. I want to frame this with the successful e-petition, put forward by progressive Green MP Caroline Lucas, asking for the House of Commons to debate the current drug laws which passed the 100,000 signatures it needed to be considered. Alongside that is the recent debate staged by the Exeter University Debating Society which saw the proposition ‘This House would decriminalise all drugs’ win by a comfortable margin. Firstly, there is no conclusive evidence that cannabis causes schizophrenia or any other mental health disorders, in actual fact one of the active chemicals, CBD, has been found to be an anti-psychotic. Despite what the NHS says there have been countless studies alongside a huge amount of anecdotal evidence showing the therapeutic beneﬁts of cannabis for

sponse included all newly enrolled students in 2013, as requested. However, it is important to understand that this includes a wide variety of students on both credit and non-credit bearing courses, exchange students, partnership students not based on a university campus and those studying at INTO. The number was accurate for total university enrolments, but it is not appropriate to use this ﬁgure for all purposes. If trying to gauge the impact of new enrolments on Unia vast range of conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis, Crohns disease and asthma to name just three. There is also current research into the very real possibility that it can contribute to curing some cancers. As an agricultural crop it could be hugely beneﬁcial to the environment reducing deforestation and our reliance on fossil fuels as it can be used for a number of products from paper to oil for plastics. Finally as a recreational substance it is a far far safer alternative to alcohol both socially and personally and I know of many individuals who use it as an important aid to their wellbeing. Surely in a free liberal democracy an individual should have the right to choose what he or she uses to relax of an evening after a hard days work? A responsible government would not leave the youth vulnerable to the criminal underworld but develop a legal and regulated system that could also generate millions and millions for the exchequer. So please, no more ignorant comments on this subject as it is high time for a mature evidence based policy and not one based on heresy and lies. Jules, 2nd year Anthropology student and member of Exeter Hemp Society

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raucous rendition of one of Rachmaninov’s piano concertos or Yiruma’s ‘River Flows In You’, or whatever else whomever is currently sat at the piano deigns to serenade us with. I completely understand why having a piano in the Forum is useful. Before Christmas it was used by musical societies for carolling, and was largely only played by students around lunchtime, at least that was the case whenever I was working in the area. But when it is being played, usually loudly, at any and all times of the day when the majority of those within earshot are trying to work, it is detrimental to the academic environment of the Forum and the Library. Those playing the piano (other than the rare few who play it so quietly that even those very close to them can barely hear it) are selﬁsh and inconsiderate to say the least. The major attribute of ‘University Life’ is the vast workload experienced by students, and the excessively loud piano playing in the Forum makes doing that work signiﬁcantly harder.

LETTERS RE: Issue 620 Are we growing too fast? Louis Doré

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versity facilities, or compare actual enrolments against targets, it is better to use a more defined population. We would suggest using a count of full-time equivalent (FTE) students on full credit-bearing programmes only since this more accurately represents the number of students using our campuses on a daily basis. This was the figure which Admissions provided you with. The two sets of figures are based on two different populations and should not be used for compara-

RE: Issue 620 Internships lead to art attack Flora Carr Dear Editors, I am emailing from the National Galleries of Scotland about your article “Internships lead to art attack” published yesterday. I would like to clarify that no painting was stolen from the Scottish National Gallery. We issued a statement last week about this video, and I would be grateful if you could update the information given in the article as

RE: Issue 620 I wanted to stop but I couldn’t Sophie Harrison Dear Exepose, Although I am writing to the paper, I would actually like to address this message speciﬁcally to Sophie, the author of last week’s featured article on anorexia. Dear Sophie,

Send your letters to the editors to editors@exepose.com tive purposes as they are ‘apples and pears’. Once the University understood the purposes for which the data were being used, we supplied the more appropriate figures. However this is a complex area and the terminology uses very specific definitions. The most appropriate approach to gauging the scale of any over-recruitment is to consider new enrolments against planned targets. The overall undergraduate admissions target for 2013 soon as possible. Our official statement is as follows: We are aware that a video was posted on Youtube recently showing a group of young people appearing to remove an item from the Scottish National Gallery. We can confirm that no items were taken from our collection. This incident was observed by NGS security staff who were able to confirm that this was a student prank involving a reproduction of a painting. Please let me know if you have any questions. Very best, -Adeline I also suffer with anorexia and often feel guilty or ashamed of my weird behaviour around food. I struggle to hide it in social situations because if I told people I know they wouldn’t understand. But your anecdotes really resonated with me - for example, being too weak and cold to walk your puppy (I also struggled to walk my dog at my lowest weight) - and brought home the fact that i’m suffering from symptoms of an illness that I shouldn’t be ashamed of. Mainly, thank-you for being so

was 5,192 and we recruited 5,153. At postgraduate taught level, our admissions target for taught programmes was 1,921 and we recruited 1,644. Therefore the total target for taught programmes in 2013 was 7,113 and the actual intake 6,797. In short, the University has not recruited more students than it has planned for. Regards, A University of Exeter Spokesperson

RE: Issue 620 Any Last Words Ricky Freelove Dear Editors I just writing to inform you that I thought Ricky Freelove’s Any Last Words haiku regarding Hermione Granger and the “things he would do to her after book two” was highly inappropriate. Please stop ruining my childhood books with your poor attempts at poetry. Yours, A disgruntled Hufﬂepuff brutally honest. I really think your piece will help people understand that anorexics aren’t just stuck-up girls obsessed with dieting and by no means choose to be like this. It certainly helped me realise that about myself. I wish you the best of your luck with your recovery.

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Turkish Delights Enjoying his Erasmus escape to Europe’s Eastern gateway, Dom Madar tells all about his year of Turkish belly dancers, political turmoil, internet censorship and a healthy dose of tear gas THE police are at it again, deterring the on-going protesters with an effective combination of water cannons and tear gas. Since May 2013, riots have broken out sporadically in response to the growing authoritarianism of the current regime. The latest bout of draconian internet regulation sparked last Saturday’s demonstration, causing our highly anticipated night out on the town to be reduced to something scarcely better than the Lemmy. It’s a trend you have to get used to in Turkey. From the potential destinations offered on the Erasmus programme, I chose Istanbul precisely for its lack of ‘Europeanness’, above culinary paradise in Italy and fear and loathing in Amsterdam. One half of the city remains in Europe’s periphery, while the other resides on the Asian bank of the River Bosphorus. Istanbul lies at the heart of Eurasia, ﬁguratively as much as geographically. The saturated metropolis is home to an estimated ﬁfteen to twenty million people, (roughly twice the size of London) as workers, families, students and tourists swarm its impoverished transport links and ancient streets. The University itself is two buses and a subway ride away from the city centre – a journey that becomes no less tedious, no matter how many times I’m forced to make it. Unsurprisingly

there’s a plethora of things to see and do, plenty of which remain un-ticked on the endless list. That’s after ﬁve months here; I do wonder if it’s truly possible to know the ever evolving city inside-out. It certainly makes a refresh-

Her (presumably) naturally dark hair had been sacrificed for a grotesque shade of dyed blonde, in order to satisfy the Turkish (male) obsession with fair hair. As the dancer neared, she beckoned me repeatedly to join her upon the table ing change from the dreariness and monotony of Exeter. The eternal presence of wind and rain back home is something I’m constantly mocked for by fellow exchange students. February, for the

most part, brought swathes of cloudless sunshine and t-shirt temperatures resembling early British summer. That in itself is a reason to leave the comforts of home behind and experience student life outside the UK. I’ve had the fortune of meeting a vast range of personalities from a variety of countries and regions; some of whom magnificently live up to their famed national stereotypes and others who entirely defy them. Either way, that intangible sense of optimism and excitement feels omnipresent for those of us living in foreign lands. Carpe diem is a phrase absolutely befitting of exchange students; the relentless energy drives me to go out and experience things, rather than wasting my best years on TV re-runs and Facebook. A recent experience encapsulated everything that is so simultaneously wonderful and dreadful about Turkey: a large birthday dinner in the city centre, complemented by copious amounts of food and Raki – Turkey’s default, aniseed flavoured spirit. Getting there proved hazardous

enough, owing to the evening’s protests. Guided by the Turkish students, we circumnavigated the worst of the mayhem, though still caught sight of a frantic scramble beginning to kick

Like a true Englishman I bowed to the pressure and awkwardly placed a tip in the bra of the expecting dancer off. Tensions weren’t helped by the Galatasaray vs. Beşiktaş derby taking place in the city that very evening; if you think English football fans are mental, then think again. Most Turks may classify themselves as followers of Islam, yet they seem at least as dedicated to Galatasaray, if not more so. From a safety point of view, I’m glad I’m not a Chelsea fan. Anyhow, the

dinner proceeded in gallant fashion as stomachs swelled and alcohol infested brain cells died. Then came the live music and the intriguingly clad belly dancer; I have yet to figure out the perplexing paradox of Islam and frivolously dressed girls dancing even more frivolously. This is, after all, a Turkish tradition, rather than something enjoyed exclusively by Istanbul’s liberal elite. Unfortunately her (presumably) naturally dark hair had been sacrificed for a grotesque shade of dyed blonde, in order to satisfy the Turkish (male) obsession with fair hair. As the dancer neared, she beckoned me repeatedly to join her upon the table. My embarrassing lack of dancing prowess, combined with my Turkish girlfriend’s watchful stare made the situation a living nightmare. The possibility of aggravating her (on her birthday) combined with making an utter fool of myself, was side-stepped as the dancer mercifully moved on. Like a true Englishman I bowed to the pressure and awkwardly placed a tip in the bra of the expecting dancer. Am I really in Turkey? Judging by the music that accompanied her, then most definitely so. The raucous Turks

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danced on the restaurant tables and sung their hearts out to the ceaseless playlist of national classics. The exchange students joined in to varying degrees of fun, laughter and disbelief. Many of my Turkish friends at uni are relatively ‘western’ in their habits and interests, though you wouldn’t guess it once the traditional music plays. Despite my efforts to assimilate to the sound, my patience was sorely tested by the end. There is – in my admittedly biased opinion – a good reason why nobody plays Turkish music in England. It may be

For those Exeter students not endowed with trust funds and six figure earning parents, a year studying in Europe really doesn’t have to be that pricey different and exotic, but even verging on good, it unfortunately is not. The night was further soured by a pay dispute; something not all that uncommon, given the lack of contracts and official recognition of them in much of Turkish custom. Passion is a lot more prevalent than logic here. Considering everything, the lavish evening had been relatively cheap. Other than the hefty taxes levied on alcohol, it’s generally an inexpensive place to be. For those Exeter students not endowed with trust funds and six figure earning parents, a year studying in Europe really doesn’t have to be that pricey. Tuition fees are generously waived for Erasmus students, while a healthy sized monthly grant is also provided. Do you really need more reasons to study abroad? Particularly considering rent and living costs in the majority of placements will be sufficiently lower than in England. An extra year postponing the ‘real world’ has the significant benefit of allowing for more time trying to figure out what exactly you want to do with your life; the more people I talk to, the less I’m convinced that even by our third (and often final) year of University, most of us really know. Many of the Turks approaching their mid-twenties at my university appear

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equally indecisive. Though the economy has expanded rapidly over recent decades, Turkey still resembles a nation stuck in a major identity crisis. Although technically a secular democracy, Islam flows confidently through the majority of the state, particularly in the conservative east. This region, bordering Iran, Iraq and Syria, is culturally far closer to the Middle East than the liberal democracies of Western Europe. The more affluent and cosmopolitan west coast, driven by Istanbul, attempts to drag the nation towards Europeanisation in the face of staunch resistance from rural Turkey and the current government. Tradition means a hell of a lot in a country still dazed and confused in the post Ottoman hangover. Back then Turkmen tribes conquered civilisations and territories galore, stretching from the Balkans to the Middle East and North Africa; the sultans reigned supreme. Those really were the glory days in the eyes of many Turks: the era when the whole of Europe feared the might and power of the Ottoman sword. The incumbent Prime Minister since 2002, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, faces increasing criticism across Turkey. Allegations of a tapped phone call with his son involving money smuggling broke recently in the press. His unpopularity is felt acutely amongst students and the urban youth of Istanbul; it is here in the cul-

tural, historic and economic hub of the nation that the protests are most severe, rather than Ankara – Turkey’s relatively unknown official capital. I managed to get caught up in the madness less than a couple of months ago. As always, the University issued frantic statements, warning us to avoid the riots at all costs. A dangerous combination of foolish curiosity and audacity on my part, however, led me to the battleground in downtown Taksim. Admittedly we arrived on the scene fashionably late, to catch merely the tail end of the action. Hoards of armed police patrolled the streets for any sign of fresh renegades. Some had remained, vociferously defiant from earlier skirmishes with the authorities. A few final chants and hurled rocks sprung the cops into action, as they unleashed tear gas into the crowd. People raced immediately towards where I was standing, covering their faces as they went. Rooted to the spot in fascination, I naïvely watched on for a brief moment, before the effects became apparent. Though relatively far away, the gas took little time in spreading. My eyes began to water uncontrollably, as I blindly spluttered and felt my way towards the nearest

side street. For a few further minutes, I continued to spit and cough my way to recovery. I left the scene unscathed, with only sore eyes to show; however those in the close vicinity must have felt the effects far worse, not to mention those unlucky enough to experience the water cannon.

Given the recent events in the Ukraine, the Turkish leadership appears more paranoid than ever. Istanbul can have a disorientating affect even at the best of times At least a few deaths have occurred on occasion, when the ﬁred gas canisters have inadvertently struck citizens on the head. To lash out against the regime and throw objects at its police force in a country as politically fragile and erratic as Turkey requires tremendous guts, whether for the right reasons or not. There is palatable unrest on show, with general elections looming in the coming months, as scandal upon scandal engulfs the government. Given recent events in the Ukraine, the Turkish

leadership appears more paranoid than ever. Istanbul can have a disorientating affect even at the best of times. Speaking of disorientation, a strict ban on alcohol on campus has never really sunk in. The internet censorship (including a total ban on pornography) is being ramped up to alarming levels by the day, while students aren’t allowed in dormitories of the opposite sex past 11 o’clock. Like most good adolescents, I tend to ignore the majority of these unnecessarily oppressive laws, though their presence provides food for thought. Despite the obstacles, living in such a bustling city steeped in history, culture and even turmoil, is utterly exhilarating. I recommend an exchange or Erasmus year abroad to anybody still sitting on the fence or too afraid to leave home for so long; the reasons for such an adventure are boundless. For all the skills acquired and improved on whilst living abroad, it is the constant stream of novel experiences that really sticks in the mind. The eternally passionate Turks are in the most part friendly and compelling people; although I confess to sorely missing decent beer and bacon sandwiches, no matter how many drunken kebabs I devour. I’m looking forward to further bewilderment and mystique in the old world of Turkey: a unique country full of delight.

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Christian Union:

With society elections just round the corner, Flora Carr asks if university CUs are ready for a female ascendancy IT’S a Sunday morning. For most students, this is usually the cue to engage in some kind of leisurely activity, for example sleeping, browsing Facebook, sleeping, eating leftover cheesy chips from Saturday night and, if they can squeeze it in, more sleeping. But not today. Today, over breakfast, I’m midway through a religious debate. It’s the kind of debate where both parties hurl quotes at one another and you only realise you’ve been at it for an hour and a half when you vaguely notice your porridge has gone cold. Sufﬁce to say it’s heated (unlike my porridge). And it’s not as though this hasn’t happened before. This friend and I live in the same set of halls, and so often see each other at mealtimes. Only our friendly discussions will often, without either of us really meaning them to, turn into full blown debates, where audiences gather to watch us and water breaks are required half-way through. In the blue corner is my friend, an Evangelical Christian who enjoys answering my questions about his beliefs. Rather, at least I think he does. In the red corner there’s me. I’m a solid, dependable agnostic; but I also grew up in a church. As a chorister from the age of eight to 13, I essentially lived in York Minster Cathedral, simply down to the number of services I sang in. Looking for a psalm? A nice Bible passage to read this Easter? I’ve got you covered. My friend and I had already discussed his and the Bible’s view on homosexuality; gay marriage; sex before marriage; Hell and even Satan. All interesting stuff. But the topic we talked about today somehow felt even more relevant to us. We were talking about sexism in university Christian Unions. Let me backtrack here. Earlier in the week I had had a conversation about ECU, Exeter’s Evangelical Christian Union – of which my friend is a member – with another friend visiting from another university. As she is a member of her own university’s CU we were discussing committee membership, and essentially she explained to me that a woman wouldn’t have a chance of becoming President at her CU. Walking ahead of me, it took her a while to realise that the thud she’d heard behind her had been my jaw hitting the ground.

Although I had read about how legislation to create women bishops didn’t get through in the General Synod, the church’s legislative body, in November 2012, I hadn’t given much thought about it in relation to the beliefs of student Christian bodies. Somehow, I had pictured groups of young, cool Christians shaking their heads at the decision, saying, “We’ll do it differently when our time comes.” I had, perhaps foolishly, associated the Synod’s rejection with age and an aversion to change, rather than the most crucial thing of all for a Christian: belief. Which is why, on a quiet Sunday morning, I spent my time questioning an Evangelical Christian’s belief on female leadership in the Christian Church. He explained to me that certain passages of the Bible, for example Paul, explicitly state that women should not take on roles of leadership within the Church. We then talked about gender roles in Genesis, my friend reminds me how Eve, the ﬁrst woman, gave in so easily to temptation, and led us all down the path of sin. “Wait a minute!” I butted in. “At least Eve weighed up the pros and cons. In the Bible we actually look at her thought process – on the one hand there’s disobeying God, on the other there’s becoming more intelligent, more like God. With Adam he just accepts

Eve’s judgment blindly! In the case of Genesis, surely it’s Eve, the woman, who displays more leadership-like qualities!”

Somehow, I had pictured groups of young, cool Christians shaking their heads at the decision In the audience watching us there was some nodding of heads. I was sure I’d won some small victory. But my friend then went on to say that after this God speciﬁcally gives Adam the task of leadership in order to make up for both his and Eve’s actions, and this is echoed throughout the rest of the Bible. It’s a belief he shares with many members of Christian Unions throughout the country. In fact, in 2012, there was plenty of media coverage of the decision made by Bristol’s Christian Union not to have visiting female speakers unless a male speaker accompanied them. This was described as ‘outrageous’ in one Guardian article: “It is apparently still deemed acceptable to treat women as inferior under the banner of ‘inclusivity’”. The article also talked about “the unbroken lin-

eage of male Presidents (in BUCU)”. I couldn’t help but wonder: not a single female President. Intrigued, I decided to find out how many female CU Presidents there currently are. The task wasn’t easy. With no official statistics on the matter published on the website of the Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship (the mother ship of CUs), I narrowed my search to Russell Group universities. After trawling through websites, sending emails and asking around, the results I found were conclusive, to say the least. Out of the 24 Russell Group universities, of which Exeter is a member, there are only two stand-alone female CU Presidents, at Birmingham and Cambridge, whilst both Cardiff and York have sets of two presidents, one male and one female. As a young woman living in today’s society, my experiences with school, magazine articles, books and parents have conditioned me to identify moments of sexism. And, looking at these figures, the word my mind is screaming is “discrimination”. But is it discrimination? My Evangelical friend also told me that he was all for equality for women outside the church, just not in it. Apparently you can find female feminists in CUs, passionately advocating the importance of a female presence in government, who at the same time disagree with women becoming church leaders. While it may seem sexism in practice, it is down to faith. In a ‘Comment’ piece during the media

backlash against Bristol’s Christian Union in 2012, Beccy Smyth, then News Editor of Exeposé, wrote that, “these news reports

encourage people to attack perfect strangers’ integrity for making a decision based on what they honestly believe is right according to their faith, according to what they truly believe God is saying, which, as Christians, presumably is the most crucial part of their identity”. If, then, this lack of female leadership – not only in the higher rankings of the Christian Church, but in Christian Unions as well

EXEPOSÉ

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Sons of God?

– is all down to faith, what exactly are we dealing with here? Is this sexism at all? Is it theology? Or is this some

religious, hybrid form of sexism? And if so, is sexism in the Church a monster that can never be slain? Then again, to try and clump all Christians and all their beliefs together, to casually refer to ‘Christians’ as one homogenous mass, would be just as discriminatory. That isn’t to say that all of today’s ECU members are against female leadership in the Church. Jessie Toohey, a

first year me mbe r of ECU, says “I believe in [supporting women] in and out of the Church… personally, I believe times have changed and that God looks at men and women equally!” The idea that ‘times have changed’ is an important one here. Those who support female leadership within the Church often talk about how many of the Bible’s teachings lose their religious significance when looked at in context and from a modern perspective. In Leviticus, for example, one passage tells us not to mix wool and cotton. It may seem ridiculous to us but, in fact, it violated the Israelite prohibition against mixing things. Times have definitely changed, for both mixing wool and cotton and, surely, female leadership. Amy Oxenham, another first year member, agrees: “I believe that God loves every one of His children equally and unconditionally, so there is no way that He would refrain from giving half of them the gift of leadership – I know so many amazing woman leaders in church”. In fact the Bible actually talks about several early female leaders of the Christian faith: Dorcas, Lydia and Phoebe, the last of whom reportedly served as a deacon (Romans 16:1-2) and a benefactor in the Church. Can the monster really be slain by something as simple as context? However, Amy also told me, “I haven’t come across many churches that still hold true to the whole womennot-leading-thing, but have noticed the slight lack [of female leadership] in university CUs.” Amy seems right about the Church itself becoming more flex-

ible; in November 2013, the General Synod backed revised proposals for the possible consecration of women bishops. While it had been thought they could not be voted on until July 2015 at the earliest, on 11 February the Synod approved a hastened timetable, which could allow the proposals to be voted on this July. If it is approved, the ﬁrst women bishops could be appointed this year. The question is, then, if the Church itself is responding to calls for change, why are CUs not? It occurred to me to

Those who support female leadership within the Church often talk about how many of the Bible’s teachings lose their religious significance look into leadership amongst other religious societies at Exeter. MethAng (the Methodist and Anglican society), Exeter’s Catholic Society and J-Soc (the Jewish society) all have female presidents whilst NOOMA (which describes itself on the Guild website as a Christian

group of the ‘charismatic’ persuasion) and ISoc, the Islamic Society, are led by males. Indeed, I later spoke to Emma Lauren Rosen, president of J-Soc, and Mohamed Mohamed, president of ISoc. Emma told me that “Jewish Societies across the country are lucky not to have that issue (of a lack of female leaders) – currently there are 32 male J-Soc President’s and 33 female”. When I asked for Mohamed’s thoughts on female leadership he was happy to tell me that he’d recently encouraged a female member of ISoc to run for President during the next committee elections. When I asked why, he told me, “she’s got the experience and the qualities to lead the Islamic Society... and on an ‘Islamic’ level, there have been many fantastic female role models and leaders in Islam”. When I mentioned the lack of female CU leaders he said, “I won’t deny it, Islamic Societies across the UK also go through similar patches of sexist behaviour, but at Exeter we know from Islamic understanding that such matters should never be an issue. I don’t know why Exeter particularly, but I guess we’re just laid back young Muslims living in the ‘West’. We try to leave our cultures from our countries behind (like Islam encourages us), and only live by Islamic teachings. All misogyny and sexism comes from male indoctrination of how they view women in their given societies”.

FEATURES

Perhaps there is something to learn from the Islamic Society’s attitude. I asked my Evangelical friend to picture a scene: there are two candidates for ECU President, a very qualiﬁed woman and a less qualiﬁed man. Who would he pick? Although he eventually chose the woman, the length of time he deliberated, eating his (stone cold) bacon, scared me a little. And the many articles about the BUCU Watergate-moment of 2012 make, I must admit, depressing reading. A Christian Union is, after all, different from a church; a simple fact that can’t be overstated. Although one can respect someone who believes that women cannot lead in Church because, despite its questionable context, it undeniably says so right there in the Bible in black and white, where in the Bible does it say that a group of Christian students can’t be led by a girl? However, at Exeter at least, there are some hopeful signs. Whilst many of

There are two candidates for ECU President, a very qualified woman and a less qualified man. Who would he pick? the Christians within ECU hold varying views about the role of women, ECU as a group does not have any speciﬁc policy on the matter, and this is seen through many of the activities and meetings run this year. For example, ‘Love at the Lemmy’ was entirely organised by female members, whilst girls regularly run prayer meetings. Indeed, of all of the guest speakers this year, over half have been women – without any male speakers to chaperone them. This is on top of other fantastic schemes such as ‘Text a Toastie’, which has been held on average once every week across the halls, and has proved immensely popular. So, although not everyone enjoys two-hourlong religious debates, and CUs indeed have a rocky path ahead of them on the uncertain road to female leadership, it is beyond dispute that everyone loves a toastie.

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Best in the South West

Carmen Paddock urges you to venture further into Devon to Totnes FOR hippies, history buffs, and those looking to explore a unique local area, Totnes is an ideal day trip. Situated an easy* forty minutes’ train journey or an hour’s bus ride from Exeter, this small Devon town is most famous for its alternative, new-age scene but also features relics of past centuries.

Health foods, gluten-free bakeries, spelt pizzas, organic menus, allnatural wellness, yoga and meditation programmes Before my ﬁrst excursion to Totnes I was told by a local that it is the hippy capital of Devon. He was not lying. You cannot walk more than a few paces along the main streets (Fore and High, just like our good ol’ Exe) or any of the numerous small side streets without seeing signs advertising health foods, gluten-free bakeries, spelt pizzas, organic menus, all-natural wellness, yoga and meditation programmes, and book stores with well-stocked holistic health and alternative spirituality sections. Willow Vegetarian Restaurant is one of the most fa-

mous and well-established; its seasonally changing menu of soups, salads, mains, and cakes is freshly prepared every day. Vegetarians are not the only ones catered for; there are always several vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, and wheat-free options available for those who require more speciﬁc dietary requirements. You can get full meals for under £10 and light lunches for around £5. Whatever your favourite food, a day in Totnes would not be complete without at least a small snack from one of these unique independent places! If afternoon tea is your thing, Totnes has two fantastic options: Grey’s Dining Room and the Totnes Cat Café. The former garners rave reviews for its exquisite high teas, with people coming from all across Devon for its massive scones and antique atmosphere. Yes, you read the second

one correctly – there is a Japanese-style cat café in this tiny hippy town. You have to book a slot ahead of time, but there is no cover charge, and planning ahead for the privilege of tea and cake whilst

cuddling adorable kitties is a small sac-

size, Totnes has

Fashion and Textile Museum; although small, its rotating exhibitions feature some stunning relics of past clothing trends. Every Tuesday, the Elizabethan Society ﬁlls the Civic Square for their charity and craft market, and yes, all vendors are in full Renaissance garb. Perhaps the most notable (and noticeable) of Totnes’s historic offerings is its Norman Castle,

quite a few historical attractions. The Tudor M e r c h a n t ’s House on the High Street houses the Totnes

situated an easy ten-minute walk from High Street. The castle, a classic motte and bailey situated on a hill above town, was constructed soon after the Conquest to maintain order in the Saxon region. It is open every day during the summer and at weekends until 31 March 2014; admission is £3.20 for concessions – a small price for the sweeping views of the town, countryside, and

This small Devon town is most famous for its alternative, new-age scene but also features relics of past centuries riﬁce. For

its

The best of the rest

Sabrina Aziz delves deeper into Devon DARTMOOR. If you’re feeling desperately conﬁned in civilisation and want to escape the big city buzz (small, barely-a-city murmur) of Exeter, then look no further than Dartmoor. With almost a 1000 square kms of deserted marsh land, you couldn’t get any further into isolated nature past boarding a plane and hitting the Sahara. Dartmoor is an excellent day out for those who enjoy walking and being one with nature, just beware of the bogs! Recommended mode of travel is by car as there are no trains to Dartmoor. It only takes 15 minutes in the car from Exeter! In the summer months head to the gorgeous Chagford Swimming Pool, an open air, river

fed public pool. The stuff dreams are made of. For now, huddle in a pub with amazing food and drink – for the most part, you’re guaranteed to get locally reared meat, excellent local ales and fresh cakes and breads.

For the most part, you’re guaranteed to get locally reared meat, excellent local aleas and fresh cakes and breads Newquay. Not quite the quirky, hippy haven that is Totnes. Think more

Nike clad locals and a pasty shop on every corner. Despite lacking glamour, Newquay is a party town and hosts a whole array of fun. The Newquay nightlife may be a little grimy (Sailors anyone?) but it is deﬁnitely something that has to be experienced at least once and would make a great weekend away trip! There are bars, arcades and clubs a plenty which offer far cheaper drinks than the likes of TP and Arena. They all also stay open past 2am! During the day, Newquay proves a popular surf destination with Town beach right in the centre of town and Fistral beach (which usually boasts bigger waves for those pro shredders) only a 15 minute

walk away. Journey time by train: 3 ½ hours Return price with railcard: £8.25 Mawgan Porth. A beautiful beach town, Mawgan Porth is so small that there is only one point in the whole village that receives phone signal.

Move over Topsham, because it’s all about the Dawlish dozen. This mammoth pub crawl is a must do during your time as an Exeter student

For those looking to escape, Mawgan Porth is the place. It boasts one of the most beautiful beaches in the South West and is an excellent surfer destination, with many surf hire places available for rent. The local café, Coasta

River Dart! Totnes is a recommended excursion to any Exeter student looking for a change of scenery, a new-age vibe, some history and culture, or all of the above! (*easy, were it not for ﬂooded tracks!) Coffee, is a deﬁnite must just for the laughs alone. Recommended means of travel is also by car, and it only takes an hour and a half. Dawlish Warren. Move over Topsham, because it’s all about the Dawlish dozen. This mammoth pub crawl is a must do during your time as an Exeter student. Dawlish itself is a beautiful beachside town renowned for its strangely good weather. Apart from during the storms. Awkward. During peak time, the beach can get incredibly busy so I recommend hitting Dawlish in Spring to fully enjoy that smooth, sandy coast. Save this one for balmy evenings when the railway line is repaired – get the train to Dawlish Warren, follow the railway lines towards Dawlish, and stop off to have beers and BBQ on top of Red Rock Cliff. Magical.

LIFESTYLE

4 MARCH 2014 |

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EXEPOSÉ

Sartorially Challenged:

Emily-Rose Rolfe, Lifestyle Editor, smartens up the Exeter University Cha Before

WE set off with a £250 budget, an over-excited Lifestyle Editor, and a vast array of it-shops to explore in the wonderful and fashion-forward Princesshay. Geoffrey Sage, captain of the University Challenge Team, is the starter for the team. Degree & year? First year PhD – Arab & Islamic Studies. How would you have dressed to impress the nation before the restyle? Would you have geared towards the normal style of ‘elderly knowledgeable academic’, or tried to go more ‘I have all these useless facts stored up because I go to the pub quiz with my mates every week’? I’d dress the ﬁrst, but the second is more my personality. How did you ﬁnd the shopping experience? I would have expected more shops than Next to have a green jumper. You’re the captain of the team and the face of Exeter! Does this new attire do that heavy burden justice? Well, it’s in approximately Exeter green and white, so it doesn’t have much choice. What do you do in your spare time apart from top up your trivia? HARRY HEATH, second year historian, cheeky chappy, token jock, and Vic pub quiz regular talks style trivia.

I try not to spend all day watching Pointless repeats. I usually fail. How will you feel when you are under the spotlight and the glare of Paxman’s putdowns? I think the other team will be receiving a few more of those than we will! University Challenge Question: Which popular television presenter uses catchphrases “bangers” (a term for women’s breasts) and “You go girlfriend”? I’ve got no idea. Blame it on being American. You lose ﬁve points. The correct answer is Gok Wan.

It’s in approximately Exeter green and white, so it doesn’t have much choice When will we expect to see you on TV? Mid-to-late summer I expect. Unless we really wow them. And finally… How will Jeremy Paxman rate your outfit? I think he’d award me ten points for the shirt and another 15 bonus for the jumper. a bit of time up at the sports park, so come find me there.

What would you have worn on national television before the restyle? I think I’d probably have just worn a shirt and chinos, but I’m not entirely sure.

Why did you want to be on University Challenge? I think I’ve always watched University Challenge and wondered what it was like to be on there so when the opportunity came to ﬁnd out, I thought there would be no harm in trying out.

Did you enjoy shopping? It was good fun; there aren’t many opportunities to get free clothes so I made the most of it.

Are you excited to be stared down by Jeremy Paxman? Very excited. I hope the beard isn’t too distracting...

Were there any major disagreements with the stylist? I don’t think so, I think we both had a pretty similar idea of what would look good and what would look less so.

University Challenge Question: Which high street store has had exclusive collections with top designers including Karl Lagerfield, Stella McCartney, and Roberto Cavalli? Hmm, that is a tough one, my first thought was Topshop, but I’m pretty sure I remember seeing Stella McCartney doing something for H&M, so thats my educated guess. Ten points to Gryffindor.

Will you be representing Exeter students well with this outfit and your quick answers? I haven’t seen that many jackets around campus, but I think I’m probably representing an Exeter stereotype if nothing else! Where in Exeter would we find you to grill you? You can probably easily find me rushing to lectures outside the forum on most days. I also seem to spend quite

And ﬁnally… How will Jeremy Paxman rate your outﬁt? I’m sure he’ll love it; he is a very well dressed man himself!

After

EXEPOSÉ

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LIFESTYLE

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: Tailoring team players

allenge Team prior to buzzing into their debut onto national television Before

What’s your normal style when you’re ambling between lectures on campus? Usually jeans and jumpers (and my backpack which is usually full of lab coats/library books because I’m cool). I’m quite a casual person... You’re more likely to see me in what I slept in the night before than sporting ‘Wills’ that’s for sure.

tling!

What motivated you to apply to be on University Challenge? It’s been my dream for years, and, sadly, I’ll never be able to represent Exeter in sport…. This is sort of my lacrosse. But obviously it’s a bit less cool.

University Challenge Question: At London Fashion Week this February, which British designer took inspiration from Ancient Greek attire? That is a great question, I’ll have to go with Stella McCartney because she’s pretty British. No I’m afraid you lose 5 points. The correct answer is Mary Katrantzou.

What’s it like to be a trivia queen? I wouldn’t say I was! I know a lot of random stuff, but if you looked at my exam results you would see that none of it’s useful. You’re the only girl on the team… What’s it like to be repping the ladies? There’s a lot of pressure. Lots of the teams will be just four guys… I’m very worried that I will go completely blank and will spend half an hour smiling vapidly at the camera as my team mates answer everything brilliantly and therefore I won’t have done anything to change the portrayal of most women in the media.

Katie Barry, second year biologist and quirky social butterﬂy gives us the score on being fabulously quizzed up

How does your Mum feel about you being on TV?! To say excited is an understatement.... she’s made t-shirts. The audience usually politely claps a contestant with a correct answer, but I can guarantee my mum will be the one shouting and whis-

Photos: Niklas Rahmel

After

How will you feel when Paxman introduces you to the live audience and the expectant eyes of your fellow students? Very nervous. The idea is making me nervous now. I don’t want to think about it. I’ll have some support in the audience which will be nice though!

And finally… how will Jeremy Paxman rate your outfit? I feel he has far rather important things to do than look at outfits, such as perfecting his scoff when someone has a really outlandish answer. Any further comments? Thank you Exeposé for a lovely, sunny morning! The Exeposé 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: Geoff: Shirt, Moss Bros, £37.50. Jumper, Next, £28. Harry: Blazer, Moss Bros, £99

Katie: Shirt, £32.40; Necklace, £7.65, both Topshop (both inc. 10% student discount), Shorts, £30; Earrings, £6, both River Island.

Geoffrey Sage wins ten points for his answer on what it’s like to represent Exeter on the most intellectually stimulating show in Britain I WAS asked to write a few words about what it takes to be the ultimate University Challenge team member, but the more I think about it, the more the individual member is less important that the abilities of the team as a whole. Without a team with members that complement one another, how brainy you are is irrelevant. It’s a team competition, and that’s what truly matters. We’re lucky on the University of Exeter team to have a really well-rounded team. We’ve got two history students, a biochemistry student, and two PhD students in the social sciences (one student is a reserve). Where some of the other univer-

It’s a team competition, and that’s what truly matters sities or the Oxbridge colleges might have really specialized teams, we’ve got a broad range of knowledge, including topics outside of our individual subjects. Unlike some of the other teams I’ve seen on the programme, I feel we’ve got some excellent team chemistry, which is

always an advantage. I don’t know how other universities decide how to choose their teams or what practice they go through, but the Guild arranged our tryouts, which were fairly intense. Out of more than one hundred students who took the first round of general testing, they selected twenty to take a second, specialist round of testing, with five of us selected for the team, including the reserve. But we know that other universities and colleges don’t go to quite the same lengths. That’s why I’m confident we’ve picked the five team members who are going to be quite successful. We’ve already seen the evidence when we went up to Bristol to be interviewed by the BBC at the end of January. When we went through the interview and testing process with BBC (an additional two tests), we came out re-

ally well. That’s no mean feat when you consider that only about ﬁfteen percent of eligible teams make it to the ﬁlming stage. That being said, there’s a few things that have me a bit worried. It’s not because of our skillsets, but rather the format of the program. It’s quite possible we’ll get a tough team as part of our ini-

tial draw. Exeter has a history of getting tough opponents in the ﬁrst round, and I’m anxious to see us through to the second round and beyond. Similarly, I’m worried we’ll get a set of questions that we simply don’t know. We all have those additional strengths beyond our subject areas, but if there’s a question on Shakespeare or Thomas H a r d y, we

might be a bit out of our depth. We’ve got things like Geography and American History covered well, but there’s always questions you just have no clue. I am excited for the music and picture rounds though! I think we’re all proud to represent Exeter. It’s a great opportunity to show the country that we’ve got some top ﬂight minds studying here, especially as we’ve really tried our hardest throughout the preparation process. But, it’s not just being brainy (or having a really in-depth knowledge of random facts) that counts. It’s also about being bold enough to buzz in and make that educated guess about the answer. I know we have a team that’s not afraid to take risks, and that’s what I think will really set us apart. We’ll be in there answering those starters and getting those bonuses from the start. So far, the whole experience with University Challenge has been really positive. We’ve had some great support from the Guild, other students, and from each other. Even when I spoke to the BBC when they notiﬁed us we’d made it into competition, I received really positive feedback from them. We’re in a really good place and ready to win, so I think we’ll go far in the competition.

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EXEPOSÉ

Campus and Catwalks Eamonn Crowe sums up the Jack Wardlaw anticipates future AW14-15 trends current Exe trends I HAD a moment of crisis when I realised I couldn’t critique or applaud every type of style at Exeter. While Exeter is derided for its skin-tight Lycra and fur trimmed Parkas, there is far more to our style than meets the eye. For the purpose of this article, I am, however, going to make sweeping generalisations and box everyone into tiny, limited style categories, in the spirit of true ethical journalism. The first and most known Exe style is that of the Rah. I have previously described Rahs as lovers of ‘homeless chic’, but I have since come to realise that there are in fact two subdivisions of Rah. The first division are the ‘Rich and my god don’t we know it’ rahs. These mostly appear in the form of guys decked out in a shirt, gilet, chinos, backpack. Accessories include an umbrella big enough to cover centre court at Wimbledon and a Costa Coffee cup. These guys love the colour beige and anything with a check pattern as much as they love telling you about their gap yah in Burma. The second subdivision of Rahs the ‘Rich? Moi?’ Rahs. This group just want you to know that they’re normal. You can spot these Rahs via their perfection of homeless chic: quilted cardigans, messy unwashed hair and battered satchels. Their most popular phrases include ‘“rust me, Holland Hall is nothing special” and “mate, I am the furthest thing from posh”. Convincing stuff. The second Exe style is the ‘Sexy Sportspeople’. This group is defined through their hard core belief that it is never an inappropriate time to wear gym clothes. Lady folk in this crew exclusively wear Lycra leggings, (hey, we’re not complaining) Nike running

trainers and an Exeter sports team hoodie. The guys opt for the same hoodies, jogging bottoms that should never have seen the light of day, and battered trainers. One dire Saturday night at The Lemmy, (don’t even ask) I saw a girl dressed head to toe in running gear, complete with obligatory sweat patches. She had willingly dressed in sporting attire to go to a nightclub (granted, it was the Lemmy, but still). Now, if basing your entire wardrobe around a physical activity is not dedication to your craft, than I don’t know what is. The third and ﬁnal Exe style is the textbook Students (See what I did there?). These guys wear the clothes that are considered stylish by the masses, but there are two ends of this spectrum. First, the high street crowd, who look like they just walked out of the Topman catalogue (beanies, printed tees and skinny jeans). At the other end are Exeter’s vintage lovers, who scour independent shops to ﬁnd one off statement pieces; such as the guy I saw strutting through Birks in a giant Macklemore-style fur coat. This crowd wears the clothes you want to, but know you’re not quite cool enough to pull off.

AS THE fashion circus does its bi-annual rounds of the four major fashion capitals - starting in New York and moving to London, Milan and ﬁnally Paris - for the Autumn / Winter 2014-15 season, blogging websites and fashion magazines all over the world are busy picking through the hundreds of shows in order to bring you the hottest trends in time for when the clothes come into stores in September. Here at Exeposé, we’ve beaten them to the punch and are giving you a quick snapshot of the key trends you’ll need to know for the season, so you’ll have all year to plan your wardrobe in order to make sure you’re looking hot when the temperature begins to drop. London is fast becoming the staple of the fashion week calendar for brand new, upcoming and exciting designers. This season did not disappoint, with some incredible clothes being shown by a vast array of designers, both great and small. The message coming out of London this time was simple: forget the heavy jumpers and wellies, next winter is all about being fabulously impractical. The ﬁrst big trend you need to know about is skirt length. Ladies,

ditch the trousers and invest in a knee length skirt. They were seen on catwalks everywhere: Vivienne Westwood, Daks, Tom Ford, from grungy vinyl at Christopher Lane to fresh prints from Holly Fulton, and glittering evening dresses appearing at both Jasper Conran and Julien MacDonald. If you want to look good this winter,

If you’re not covered in goosebumps you’re not doing it right you’ll have to either brave the bare calf or invest in a trusty pair of tights! Another big trend for Autumn/ Winter is flashing flesh. Yes, you read that right. Come September, if you’re not covered in goosebumps, you’re not doing it right according to designers. If you’re a committed fashion fanatic, try taking on the trend for cutouts seen at Felder Felder, Simone Rocha and David Korma which tantalised audiences with slices of midriff on display, or try another take and expose the neck and décolletage just as the girls at Antonio Berardi and Erdem did. If you’re not feeling quite that brave, you’re in luck however, as a whole heap of designers cut you some slack by using sheer fabrics, giving you the same allure but without the blue fingertips! Take your cues from Meadham Kirchhoff, Felder Felder and Burberry for the sophisticated way to to sheer next winter. Love it or hate it, fur is here to stay next winter, as it made appearances in just about every incarnation on runways, from fur stoles at Emilia Wickstead to fur-covered shoes at

Jean-Pierre Braganza. It formed the centerpiece of the eagerly anticipated Topshop Unique collection, appearing as details on jackets, as entire dresses (again knee length) and as luxuriously decadent gilets and oversized coats. For those of you who shudder at the thought of wearing fur, don’t despair! An alternative outwear option came from Orla Kiely, Richard Nicoll and Belstaff who all renewed the classic Trench Coat for another season. Now, you can’t talk about London Fashion Week without mentioning the fashion colossus Burberry. This season they put on one of the most beautiful shows in recent fashion history, featuring exquisitely crafted, hand-painted, one-of-a-kind leather bags inspired by the Bloomsbury set. A group of writers, painters and intellectuals. There were floral patterns, while others were adorned with geometric patterns cut from velvet. The clothes that accompanied the bags were delicate, airy and incredibly feminine, all cinched at the waist and accompanied with some stand-out outwear. This included, as expected, the definitive version of the trench coat for this winter - a looser fit and painted with floral and natural images, as well as personalised ponchos, providing a more fashion forward option for people seeking to hide from the chill of winter. These delicate looks were accompanied by some of the freshest British musical talent. It was quite the spectacle to round off a bumper year for British talent in the fashion industry, and it no doubt left Milan and Paris slightly anxious as to how they would top such a vibrant, diverse and dynamic season of fashion.

Columnist Maddy Everington slams snapchat OF the more recent phenomenons that have taken over our everyday lives, Snapchat is one of the most irritating. On the surface it is a harmless app which brings great amusement and simplifies sending pictures to friends. However, the deeper effect on our everyday lives

is something which I believe has not yet been properly explored. Snapchat has two sides. The first is the hilarity we derive from pulling horrifying faces to send to others (who usually don’t miss the chance to screen shot it for later blackmail) and receiving equally fascinating ones back. This surely is all harmless fun. The other side of this is an unhealthy obsession. Snapchat can to some extent take over your life – you use it everywhere: during predrinks, after finishing your essay (although this will inevitably be preceded by numerous “bored in the library” snaps), having a cup of tea,

in lectures, with the dog, look who I bumped into, what you cooked for supper... Even if I did have the urge to jump on the bandwagon and take photos of what I was doing every single minute, as the affectionate yet distraught owner of a Blackberry this privilege is denied to me. I cannot help but feel relieved. Although harmless in small doses, the moments you spend with a group of people can become focussed on sending ridiculous and meaningless photos and videos to others who aren’t there. Sometimes we can be guilty of not living in the moment,

because we are more concerned about letting everyone else know what we’re doing, instead of enjoying what is there in front of you. Like studies done on social media and Facebook in particular, a constant stream of videos and photos from others who always look as though they are partying or laughing at something hilarious or just making an obscene face can be depressing for we begin to feel as though nothing exciting ever happens in our lives (or in that particular moment anyway). Mindlessly sending Snapchats to a contact list of people that

perhaps we don’t know particularly well shows how impersonal it can be. It’s another medium that gives us the opportunity to compare our social lives with others, something which is becoming easier and easier in our photo-obsessed society. Facebook images, Twitter feeds, Snapchat... They are wonderful tools for communication, but over use them and I am sure that we begin to compare our lives too much to the seemingly never-ending happiness found in a constant stream of smiles, jokes and hilarious situations which apparently entirely make up other people’s lives.

NETWORKING SKILLS

from Exeter Graduates

18:30 - 20:30 Friday 21 March 2014 Career Zone, The Forum

The Alumnae Group (an established group of female graduates) are returning to Exeter to provide advice and exper tise to current University of Exeter students.

To book your place please visit

exeterguild.com/graduate-networking

MUSIC

Listings Fri 7 March Newton Faulkner Great Hall Sat 8 March George Ezra Cavern

4 MARCH 2014 |

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Eliza Do-a-lot...

Harriette Casey chats to the Satellite Tour’s very own Eliza and the Bear

Mon 10 March Reverend and the Makers The Fleece Bristol Mon 17 March Bombay Bicycle Club Great Hall Wed 19 March The Feeling Phoenix Thu 20 March New Band Showcase ft. DeathStar Disco Cavern Fri 21 March Craig Charles DJ Set Phoenix Mon 24 March Howler The Louisiana Bristol Tue 25th March 65daysofstatic Phoenix Wed 26th March Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry Phoenix Sun 30 March Wild Beasts 02 Academy Bristol Mon 31 March Stiff Little Fingers Phoenix Tue 1 April St. Vincent O2 Academy Bristol

One toWatch

DESPITE its city status, Exeter was one of the locations picked for the Satellite Tour, which has taken two upand-coming bands and one great new solo artist travelling to some of the country’s smaller music venues. One of the bands on this unique tour was Eliza and the Bear, an indie rock band from London (“Essex”, the lead singer James whispers at me under his breath). The ﬁrst thing to tell you about this band is that there is no Eliza, the band is made up of ﬁve men: James Kellegher [lead vocals, guitar], Callie Noakes [vocals, keyboards], Martin Dukelow [vocals, guitar], Chris Brand [bass], Paul Kevin Jackson [drums]. The band actually takes its name from a collection of poems by Liverpudlian writer Eleanor Rees. James tells me she still sends cards every time the band play in Liverpool; he hopes one day she’ll come down to one of the gigs

“[so] we’ll ﬁnally meet her after all these years of using her name”. “All of us have created quite a strong bond on this tour, because we’ve been on top of each other so much,” says James. Upon embarking on tour the ﬁve band members climbed into a bus with the four members of the band Sons and Lovers, London-based songwriter Fred Page and various crew members making up 14 males on one bus. It appears that it soon got competitive between the crowd, as he tells me that they actually split up into two teams to play Laser Tag at one of the venues. However, the friendship between the artists is clear to see at the gig in The Cavern later that night, as Sons and Lovers stand behind me singing Eliza and the Bear’s lyrics along with them, and members from both bands get up on stage to help Fred out with a song.

Eliza and the Bear themselves have been making steady waves in the music industry: currently on back-to-back tours and having played at Hard Rock Calling last summer, as well as with big names such as Paramore. “It kind of snowballed pretty quickly,” James comments, and indeed it has, with their

You realise that you’re actually doing something right, and people are listening brilliant new song ‘It Gets Cold’ hitting 100,000 plays in 2 months. The boys have also been nominated as HMV’s top tip for 2014: “It’s pretty mental actually. It’s one of those things you don’t expect to get when you start. Getting things like that in, it makes you realise

that you’re actually doing something right, and people are listening and that it’s important,” says James. The next big plans for the band are to record a video for their new single, which is due to be released around April. “This one is going to be very interesting to say the least, it’s not similar to anything we’ve done before,” James hints. After their next tour, the New Faces tour, starting the day after this gig in Cavern, the band are planning to ﬁnish writing their new album, hoping to start recording by the end of the summer. Eliza and the Bear has so far been signed up to play at Truck Festival in Oxford and Y Not? Festival in Derbyshire, with a couple more offers still to come in, so they’re set for a busy summer, with DJs and journalists predicting ‘It Gets Cold’ to be a big summer hit.

Monkeyin’ Around

Abby Draycott recounts 3 Daft Monkeys’ performance

Bombay Bicycle Club @ The Great Hall As Luke Taylor pointed out last week, on their latest album So Long, See You Tomorrow, “the band have rewired their music with punchier riffs and more electronic beats, something which they do successfully”

SATURDAY 15 FEBRUARY saw Cornwall’s gypsy-folk band 3 Daft Monkeys grace the stage of the Exeter Phoenix to celebrate PhonicFM’s six birthday. The band delivered an energetic performance ﬁlled with a plethora of songs from their eight albums, including their most recent – Of Stones And Bones, released in October of last year. Support band Dumber Than The Average Bear suitably warmed the crowd up for the even livelier 3 Daft Monkeys; for an hour and a half that went by far too quickly, the band

took its audience on a mystical journey, telling Cornish folk tales through their enchanting and dynamic music composed of two guitars and a violin. The running theme of the group’s songs seems to be the disappearance of Cornwall’s coastlines, intertwined with anecdotes about the people who once inhabited those areas, such as their charming song ‘The Lovers of Porthgwarra Cove’. Not knowing quite what to expect from the trio, I was highly impressed at the band’s performance. Exeter Phoenix’s intimate space meant that the crowd inevitably became a huge

part of the show; we were encouraged to sway to their hit ‘Social Vertigo’ and dance along to both their upbeat and slightly slower songs, in particular ‘Agnes The Giant Killer’ and ‘Sarah’, The Devil and Jack, respectively. Both the band and crowd seemed to be having the time of their life, making it impossible not to join in with the fun. The show proved that 3 Daft Monkeys deserve more acknowledgment than they currently have, but I’m sure we will be seeing more of them in the future. A performance of theirs is not to be missed.

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Best of Exe: The Big V Josh Gray, Music Editor, catches up with the blues-rock behemoths in studio

MUSIC 21 It is hardly a rarity to see

P.K.’s Korner

Pavel Kondov discusses the best and worst of celebrity albums BAND reunions are a tricky one – it’s

easy to get excited over opporcelebrities outside thethemusic

tunity to finally see your favourite

band, or even new music industry try hear theirsome hand

by them. Then again it’s even easier,

for them atexperience singingshows, or playing anto crush your dreams. Luckily for you, I am

here to present with this year’s instrument in you a desperate

top self-help guide: Coping with Re-

unions©. to seem like modernattempt “I’VE found a pair of pants” exclaims drummer Joe Breban, holding up a pair of knickers he’s found behind the sofa in the band’s studio, which also functions as their home. “They’re not mine, I’ve only had sex in the studio once!” responds Emily Johnstone, lead singer and founding member of the band. Thus I am introduced to the world of The Big V, ﬁve-piece purveyors of dirty, guttural blues or, as they describe it, “shit hot funkadelic rock’n’roll”. The best way to describe their sound is probably like Heart with balls, or maybe Led Zeppelin with tits.

I’ve only had sex in the studio once! The core of the band are siblings and vocalists Alex and Emily Johnstone, who tell me they’ve been writing together for eight or nine years. Joe joined them early on, and then along the way they poached guitarist Richard Amor, and, after a long roster of bassists (one of whom was instantly ﬁred as “he didn’t like The Beatles”), ﬁfth member Josh Levontine joined them

last July to complete their line-up. The band effectively co-inhabit the studio owned by Alex and Emily’s producer/ father, and now live, as Emily puts it, “a glorious musical existence, at least on paper”. “We’ve had three different studio situations”, keyboardist/singer Alex tells me, “ﬁrstly down in Salford, then on a studio out on a farm, and now we’re here”. The studio looks somewhat like the warehouse from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, covered as it is from wall to wall with various bizarre trinkets, musical and otherwise. As soon as I arrive a beer is pressed into my hands and I’m given a brief tour of their cluttered but advanced studio set-up, where the band have already recorded a couple of EPs and an album, The Big V III. Unsurprisingly, their lives consist of a fair bit of music. “When we’re not writing we’re recording, when we’re not recording we’re jamming, when we’re not jamming

we’re enjoying ourselves!” Emily tells me, “Gambling with 5ps is always fun”, Richard chips in. When I ask just how many songs the band have recorded, they refer me to an A3 sheet of paper on the mixing desk behind me. “We’ve probably got over 100 songs recorded” Emily tells me as I gaze at the endless list of tracks on the page in front of me “and that’s just half the story”, Alex adds, “ﬁghts break out over which songs we play”. Despite the effort the group put in, Exeter is a hard place to come from as a band. “We’re desperate to escape,” Emily informs me, “There is no music scene here.” Live, The Big V are an absolute tour de force. I catch them at the Cavern for The Mike James Rock Show Battle of the Bands. Richard

crouches over his guitar like a brooding Angel of Death, Alex crunches

It’s the job of guitar bands out there to write the songs out alternatively pretty and gnarly chords while Emily struts across the stage like a latter-day Debbie Harry, ensnaring many a foolish boy in her seductive web (my mate was literally unable to talk about anything but her legs for the duration of the night). “You gotta put on a show” she laughs. “It’s an artist’s duty” adds Alex. The band aren’t daunted by the limited exposure of blues-rock on this side of the Atlantic. “It’s the job of guitar bands out there to write the songs”, reasons Alex, quoting Jamie Cook of The Arctic Monkeys. The Big V might just have the songs, they might just have the talent and they might just have the show. Catch them before they escape Exeter.

The first rule of reunions is – do

not get too excited. people. Second rule of day Renaissance reunions is – do NOT get too excit-

ed! If the reuniting While weband oweis this trendwithout a key figure, especially if he or she is

dead, don’t botherby (except if they are vanity albums the likes

Alice in Chains). YouTube is a power-

fulParis tool. See whether they’ve still got of Hilton and Bruce it and save yourself thirty quid and a

lifetime of disappointment. As for reWillis, which are ofﬁcially

union albums – take the chance. They

are always either good or recognised bysurprisingly the UN as laughably bad.

Finally, be critical of your idols. crimes against humanity, Nowadays you can find a tribute

band of almost every artist who ever there are some who have

existed. Chances are, these guys can

hit the notestolerable, and play the your produced orsolos even favourite band cannot anymore.

And play with the passion your guys good music.

used to. In such a market, you’d need a pretThe obvious ty damn good excuse to reunite story and risk disuccess here luting your legacy. Take note,Leto’s Queen is Jared and Paul Rodgers –30mySeconds wound still bleeds.

The Big V will play The Revelry on 15th March

The Deadline Kennedys

THE FIRING RANGE is

Kate Burgess makes the best of essay season and gets full marks in her aural examinations “HAPPINESS can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the [music]” Movie Dumbledore speaks wise words in the face of evil (deadlines). Perfectly logical reasoning leads us to conclude that precisely because the British Identity is made up of glass half-empty types, queuing and tea, perpetual cynicism is necessary. Britain needs us to be miserable gits. Yet we all are attracted to the idea of being a glass half-full person. On any other day I shudder at the twee ‘silver-lining’ philosophy. I’m perfectly happy being unhappy thank you very much. However, deadlines are approaching... (I can only apologise profusely for being a ‘fresh’ with the sheer cheek to use the D-word. All those with dissertation drafts due soon; I’m sorry for suggesting you have time for anything other than silence and tears. *Hunger Games whistle and salute*). This is where I ﬁnd my fervour

for perusing any zest in life, at all other times I’m too lazy to bother. So, where do I find anything remotely positive in the deadline experience? Well, apart from being a time where you can justify a beer and half a pot of Nutella before lunchtime, deadlines offer an opportunity for the sweetest type of procrastination: discovery of old (and new) music. As I write, another window is open, some shit about homodiegetic narrators, let’s leave that unread if you please. Thanks, no time for that; I am on a journey of [re]discovery! Youtube is open, NME, Fader, Sofar Sounds too. So let’s all just listen to Sweet Baboo! There is nothing better than the sweet justification given after three hours of procrastination (or auditory education) when you find that track by that-band-you-stum-

bled-across-ages-ago-but-couldn’t-remember/spell-their-name-who-it-nowtranspires-NME-is-salivating-all-over (and way after you did). I would go so far to say there is no better feeling amidst the depressing cloud of work. So what have I rediscovered? Andrew Bird - ‘Imitosis’ The whole of ‘Armchair Apocrypha’ actually. Indie folk/rock for the thinking man/ woman. Orange Juice - ‘Rip It Up’ Such a welcome pick-me-up after blankly staring at the opening pages of Persuasion for forty minutes. Disco post-punk 80’s from the original post-punk Glasgow Art School outﬁt. Vampire Weekend - ‘Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa’ After the hype of Modern Vampires of the City it’s easy to forget their older

stuff that was the soundtrack to all our incredible post-GCSE summers. Poppy alt-rock with a Hawaiian ﬂavour Ayanna Witter-Johnson ‘Roxanne’ An awesome cello reimagining of The Police’s classic by some gal who is named as if Exeter and Guildford had a lovechild conceived ‘that time we went to Perrah’

Coldplay hardly Midnight

a rarity

to I LIKE seeColdplay. celebrities I know outside some people

hate the musing melodies of their

the earlymusic days but industry I relishedtry in them. theirI’ve stayed a fan over the years, through

at leastattwo major changes in sound hand singing or playing

and all of Chris Martin’s stupid hat

an choices. instrument But someinthings a desperate are a step

too far and ‘Midnight’, the murky syn-

attempt thetic mess to that seem they’ve like released modernin the place of a new single, is just that.

Alt-J ft. Mountain Man - ‘Buffalo’ One to cry to as it suddenly is 8pm and you don’t know how. Chilled alt-folk, not actually old enough to ‘rediscover’ as such. Also ﬁttingly in Silver-Linings Playbook soundtrack - this silver lining? Some tunez to accompany deadline disaster.

dayI Renaissance honestly don’t know people. which part

So, what will you next [re]discover when you should be working? Embrace it, the essay will sort itself out.

mental sound,by it’s just recognised theplain UNatrocious. as

of the song is worse: Martin’s dis-

While gustingly weautotuned, owe thisrobotic trendvocals, reminiscent of him screeching his

indecipherable lyrics a megvanity albums bythrough the likes

aphone, or the relentless electronic

beat designed to induce coma after a of Paris Hilton and Bruce

full five minutes of it. Either way, this

Willis, is not thewhich Coldplayare I love, ofﬁ and cially as much as it may be pitched as a new experiMEG DREWETT EDITOR

HAVE AN IDEA FOR AN APP? FINAL APPLIC ATION DEADLINE

28 MAR

MOBILE APP COMPETITION

PRIZE FUND of

£30,000

www.exeter guild.com/ignite/app The competition is being r un by Research and Knowledge Tr ansfer in par tner ship with Exeter IT and the Students’ Guild

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Newsreel Star Harold Ramis remembered After the star’s death at the end of last month, thousands flocked to give their condolences, including the likes of former film partners Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd. Best known for his role in the cult-classic Ghostbusters and for directing the philosophical comedy Groundhog Day, Ramis passed away after suffering from autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis, a rare disease that causes swelling of the blood vessels. Also holding numerous writing credits, ranging from Animal House to Caddyshack, he remained a powerful presence on and off camera throughout his career. Ramis leaves behind his wife, Erica, sons Julian and Daniel, daughter Violet and two grandchildren.

Rogen and Goldberg get their game on As well as working on the long-scheduled adaptation of the popular Preacher series, Seth Rogan and Adam Goldberg have picked up another rather unconventional project. In a deal with Sony Pictures, the pair will pen a script based on the forthcoming non-fiction book Console Wars which explores the fraught rivalry between Sega and Nintendo during the 90s gaming boom. Author Blake Harris will get an executive producer credit on the film, with Rogen and Goldberg co-writing and co-directing. It may be somewhat niche, but charting an event that helped kick off a $50 billion industry could make it a dark horse at the box-office.

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Let it go, let it go...?

Ciaran Willis debates the merits of 2D vs. 3D animation in the modern age THINK for a moment about the films you watched when you were a kid. Did you watch Snow White, Bambi, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Aladdin, Tarzan or The Little Mermaid? Perhaps you watched all of those films. And, if you’re anything like me, watching them probably brings about a sense of nostalgia and a comfortable familiarity – like meeting old, long lost friends, with whom you share your earliest memories. But soon the art form used to make these films may be a faint memory, as traditional 2D animation is dying out; or rather, it is being pushed out of the market by the growth in popularity of Computer Generated Imagery. Classic animated films were handdrawn, with scenes and characters painstakingly drawn and re-drawn with slight adjustments. At 24 frames per second this entailed t h o u sands of frames,

and therefore lots of people, time and money. For example, Disney’s The Lion King required more than 600 artists and animators, whilst The Nightmare Before Christmas contained 109,440 different frames. The big breakthrough for CGI was Pixar’s Toy Story (1995), the first film animated purely using CGI. Though it had been used a bit before, for example in elements of Beauty and the Beast, its use in Toy Story was unprecedented. The process was still very complex and painstaking, with Woody alone needing 723 motion controls, including 212 for his face. Nevertheless, it was incredibly popular and (importantly) financially successful, grossing over $350 million and heralding a new era in animation. The most popular animated films of the last few decades have been ones using 3D CGI: Shrek, Monster’s Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles. Admittedly I think all of those are fantastic films, but stylistically they are very different from the classic films we grew up with. Meanwhile, 2D animation has been neglected like an old toy at the back of a shelf, occasionally resurfacing but soon disappearing again. It would be sad to see the death of the artistry and strange magic of classic films we grew up with. There is a beautiful integrity and purity, a painstaking art to classic film; the

beautiful ornateness of the drawings and transcription of ink onto celluloid. M o r e o v e r, traditional 2D animation captures the magic and fantasy of the cinema – its dream-like nature. In new CGI films human faces can sometimes seem too unrealistic and wooden – like dolls rather than people. The beauty in Disney films is often in the lack of realism, like a painting come to life. Where CGI films like How To Train Your Dragon come into their element is in the incredible versatility of the camera, in the flying scenes and their own dreamlike nature - a far cry from Aladdin’s magic carpet.

2D has been neglected like an old toy at the back of a shelf Though traditional animation has declined in popularity I do not think that we should be mourning its passing just yet. As long as people are making creatively different and interesting movies there will be a place for traditional animation. Brilliant artistic ﬁlms like Spirited Away, The Illusionist and Waltz With Bashir have all been made relatively recently using aspects of traditional animation. In many ways the fate of tradi-

tional animation may be similar to that of stop motion animation – of using models or puppets to film, as in Chicken Run, Wallace and Gromit, and (the very fantastic) Fantastic Mr Fox. These films show that unusual and classically-made films can still be successful. Perhaps though, in the future they will be more marginal, even cult films. With the announcement that Disney are not planning to make any more traditionally animated films, the future looks like it may be a computer generated one. In Hollywood, if it sells, it’s made, and at the moment CGI sells. But though there is no happy ending, I think there is still hope for traditional animation, a knight in shining armour; a kid drawing in a sketchbook.

Peter Dinklage wanted for The Beast of Valhalla Already a HBO darling for his popular turn in the sensational Game of Thrones, the studio will likely cast the actor in a TV adaptation of George C. Chesbro’s Mongo book series. In the role of Dr. Robert Frederickson, A.K.A Mongo the Magnificent, the story will follow the circus acrobat turned private eye and his fantastical run-ins with some of New York’s strangest underground societies, including cults of warlocks and tarot readers. For now, the series is set to hit sometime in 2016, but this could be pushed back further depending on when Game of Thrones is finally wrapped up.

What I’ve been watching: Coupling IF you’re a fan of Stephen Moffat, but want to watch something that doesn’t leave you wanting to throttle him, look no further. Coupling is a very much overlooked TV show loosely based on his relationship with his wife, Sue Vertue, and explores every day events in a variety of entertaining ways. With its combination of silliness, knob gags, clever plotlines and incredibly engaging characters, it’s a must see for anyone looking for a good British sitcom and a change from the American ones

saturating our screens. It features an array of laugh-out-loud speeches on subjects as varied as toilets, cushions and nakedness by the main charac-

What really endears the show to the viewer is its relatable nature ter, based on Stephen Moffat, who is played excellently by Jack Davenport of Pirates of the Caribbean fame. His

entertaining monologues are paired with the bizarre theories and ideas of his best friend Jeff – including the giggle loop, melty-man and nudity buffer – and are hard not to applaud sometimes. What really endears the show to the viewer is its relatable nature. It’s simply a show about six very ordinary people living very ordinary lives, a far cry away from Moffat’s other writing. This means that the focus is on the interconnection between the characters and their reactions to events we might

all experience at some point. Without any effort at all, you get drawn into their lives and relationships, as though you’re alongside them at the pubs at which they frequently meet. The complete show is only four series long and is the perfect thing to get sucked into amongst the panic of deadlines. I thoroughly recommend it to anyone eager to learn when to take your socks off before sex, or how it’s possible to have too many legs. NICHOLAS TERRETT

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Safety first: Is the Academy too predictable? Carmen Paddock takes a long, hard look at what exactly makes an award-worthy picture THE pure subjectivity of film awards guarantee controversy, scrutiny, and difference of opinion. Certain standards of acting, cinematography, and production determine which films stand out – for example, 12 Years A Slave, American Hustle, and Gravity are all excellent pieces of cinema. But which is the best? Which, out of the very different films in vastly diverse genres, can be definitively said to be the greatest film of the past year? The Academy Awards fall at the very end of the awards season, after the majority of the nominees have already won BAFTAs and Golden Globes. Typically the ceremony goes eerily as expected. The previous awards results may already ‘decide’ the ‘best’ before Oscars night, but that does not quite explain the quasi-political undercurrent to its predictability. The films which consistently do well are those deemed ‘artistic’, ‘worthy’, and ‘groundbreaking’ without being

radical. Oscar winners tend to be safe. The Academy’s demographic makes this hardly a surprise. In 2013 the United States’s average age was around 37. The Academy’s average age was 63. The total populace’s gender ratio was ever-so-slightly skewed

The films which consistently do well are those deemed ‘artistic’, ‘worthy’ and ‘groundbreaking’ without being radical in women’s favour. Only 23.9 per cent of the Academy was female. Lastly, 63.7 per cent of the population reported as non-Hispanic or Latino White in 2010 (removing the ethnic distinction, 72.4 per cent reported as white); the

Academy is 92.8 per cent white. Judging by this representation, America is a nation of old white men. When surprise wins happen, they tend to occur in favour of safer ﬁlms at the expense of those outside normative comfort zones. When Brokeback Mountain, which had swept preceding awards ceremonies, lost to the relatively unheard-of Crash, the (unsurprisingly) conservative Academy was accused of homophobia. Three years later Sean Penn won the Best Actor Oscar for his role in Milk; the thoroughly deserving performance was largely viewed as ‘damage control’ from the previous controversy. The gritty Saving Private Ryan lost to the historical romance Shakespeare in Love. Pulp Fiction, The Shawshank Redemption, and Forrest Gump were all three worthy of Best Picture, yet Gump was the most decorous and consequently successful. Taxi Driver’s intense psychological study lost to Rocky’s feel-good

“She’s not just a computer” Dominic Woodcock reviews Jonze’s bittersweet new film Her

Her Director: Spike Jonze Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Rooney Mara 118 mins (15) THEODORE TWOMBLY, as well as having a pleasingly Beatrix Potter-esque name, is already worthy of ranking alongside my favourite characters in cinema. Sweet and adorable, he is exactly the sort of man who ought to attract women and inspire fellow men. Instead, he finds himself professionally writing love letters for other couples by day, and treating his broken heart with sex chat lines by night. His decision to purchase an artificially intelligent operating system called Samantha (Scarlett Johansson) transforms him, and he grows to prefer her company to that of human partners. Twombly’s tale explores every fleck of his experience with Samantha from their sensual pillow talk, arguments and

even their sex life. In a sequence where he wanders in public with Samantha and dances as though they were really together, their chemistry is tangible and, remarkably, their relationship is genuinely heart-warming. Joaquin Phoenix’s development is mesmerising: his banner roles thus far such as his portrayal of

The introduction of theme music as a substitute for a couple photo is as unconventional and evocative as romantic cinema can be Freddie Quell in The Master and Johnny Cash in Walk The Line suggested his foremost strength laid in playing alcoholic wastrels. The gentle, soulful and melancholic character here is a page out of a different book and easily his most

touching performance yet. Perhaps Her’s most impressive feat is that one never looks down on Twombly for his unorthodox relationship. Enthralled in the narrative, one even feels for Samantha as she laments her lack of physical form. Following this, the introduction of theme music as a substitute for a couple photo is as unconventional and evocative as romantic cinema can be. Indeed, the genre fusion of ‘romantic science-fiction’ is one rarely touched due to its difficulties but Jonze confidently rebuts any doubts by uniting an inimitable narrative with strong performances. As a comment on the potentialities of technological advancement, Her perhaps functions as a quirky feature-length form of the ideas proposed by Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror. Yet, as prodigious as Brooker’s series has been, Jonze’s film touches similar posts with a tad more subtlety and heaps more heart.

underdog tale. And Citizen Kane lost to How Green Was My Valley; an innovative drama which drew unflattering parallels to real figures had no chance against a family tearjerker. 2014 illustrates the politicised template flawlessly. Nebraska is the ultra-artsy film no one has seen (and thus will not win). Philomena is the impeccably-acted small British film, and Her is the ‘modern’ rom-com drama; both will look splendid on the ballot (but will not win). Captain Phillips is a near-perfectly crafted action drama starring the consistently fantastic Tom Hanks and an unknown talent (that said, it will not win). The Dallas Buyers Club wins points for superb performance dedication and for tackling

The Lego Movie Directors: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller Cast: Will Arnett, Elizabeth Banks, Alison Brie 100 mins (U) DESPITE the successful string of video games, Lego and CGI does not seem the most natural of combinations. Isn’t physicality the whole point of those little blocks? Surely the fact they’re tangible pieces of plastic (with the enduring potential to incapacitate if you have the misfortune to discover one lurking in the carpet) is what Lego will always have over the world of digital entertainment? Surprisingly, The Lego Movie does not forget the Danish classic’s pre-computer heritage. What could have been a mere mass-marketing exercise turns out to be a delightfully nostalgic homage to Lego and its 60-year history. Using an age-old story arc, the film sees a range of minifigure-inspired characters brought together in the quest for the crucial ‘Piece of Resistance’. Inexperienced construction worker Emmet (Chris Pratt) is forced to take on the dictator-antagonist Lord Business (Will Ferrell), who seeks to freeze the Lego universe perfectly in place. Led by Emmet, the Master Builders – talented figures able to build anything without instructions – must stop him in the noble name of creative freedom. The nature of Lego as a global childhood experience is recognised through a selection of real-life “tricks of the trade” with which fans will be fondly familiar. The satisfying ‘click’ of the

a taboo topic (but probably will not win). The Wolf of Wall Street is Scorsese, Leo, and pure spectacle at their height (but probably will not win). Gravity is a possibility due to its groundbreaking CGI, meticulous use of the 3D technology, and Sandra Bullock’s powerhouse performance (but the Academy looks down on sci-fi so it probably will not win). This leaves American Hustle and 12 Years A Slave. The former is a predictably scandalous, non-explicit crime comedy; the latter is a brutal look at slavery with a happy ending. Both are large-budget period dramas, have star-studded casts and renowned directors, and have received huge popular and critical acclaim. Clearly both deserve Best Picture, but deserve it more than the other nominees? That does not matter: they are safe. bricks is not lost with the computer animation: a sort of endearing clumsiness, reminiscent of stop-motion, defines the aesthetic feel throughout. As a U-rated film, it’s necessary that The Lego Movie has a jovial, family-friendly veneer. The flagship tune ‘Everything is Awesome’ is suitably juvenile and ridiculously catchy (compulsive humming is inevitable). Beneath the cheeriness, however, writers and directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller take the opportunity to satirise. The city of Bricksburg features a darker, dystopian edge, complete with wry references to consumer culture and entertainment. Above all, The Lego Movie worships the endless imagination of its intended audience, the child. In the Lego universe, unikitties exist, and Batman can jump gaily aboard the Millennium Falcon to steal from Han Solo. Anything is possible. Perhaps this is a reminder to all of us aspiring adults to ditch the façade of “the man upstairs” and revisit our childhood once in a while. It certainly seems to work: The Lego Movie inspires even me, the painful-footed elder sister to a Lego-mad brother, to return home and demand that we get them all out again. BETHANY BAKER

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Oscars 2014 - Editor’s Picks Exeposé Screen make their Oscar predictions...

MEGAN FURBOROUGH

JESS O’KANE

ROB HARRIS

JAMES SMURTHWAITE

Best Film GRAVITY I really want Her to win. It’s beautiful and thought-provoking – and the fact that you can really feel the chemistry between Phoenix and Johannson is testament to Jonze’s directing – but I think the award will ultimately go to equally stunning Gravity.

12 YEARS A SLAVE A part of me really wishes that The Wolf of Wall Street didn’t have an extra half hour of baggage, but McQueen pulled out all the stops to make a truly engaging piece of cinema more than worthy of picking up the statuette.

12 YEARS A SLAVE It’s been a stonking year with so many worthy winners, but for the best all-round cinematic experience you can’t beat Captain Phillips. That said, the Academy like to honour strong political/historical agendas so 12 Years a Slave might just sneak in.

GRAVITY Gravity represented the pure cinematic experience, pushing the boundaries of what we consider visually possible, all whilst maintaining a strong story with solid acting. It is far from perfect, but I think it’s ultimately deserving of the award.

Best Actor CHIWETEL EJIOFOR We’re all hoping Leo’s eyes will glitter with the light of success rather than bitter, bitter tears on awards night, but unfortunately for him I think Best Actor is going (deservedly) to Chiwetel Ejiofor, who mesmerised in 12 Years A Slave.

LEONARDO DICAPRIO The movie may have been a bit bloated, but his performance in The Wolf of Wall Street stays with you well beyond the three hours. Commanding, invigorating and downright funny, only the snubbed Tom Hanks gave a better display.

SANDRA BULLOCK It’s a toughie – all the leading ladies nominated are commandeering in their own rights and this award really could go to any of the nominees. I’m hoping for Sandra Bullock however; her performance in Gravity fully showcased her acting chops.

CATE BLANCHETT Despite the controversy surrounding Woody Allen since the sex abuse allegations first broke, Blanchett’s turn in Blue Jasmine is undeniably enchanting. Powerful and subtle, it is obvious that she poured herself into the role.

JARED LETO I think Barkhad Ali is in with a good chance, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Jared Leto just edged past him for the dedication and grace he brought to his role in Dallas Buyers Club.

BARKHAD ABDI When you sit down and watch Captain Phillips, the fact that Abdi has never acted before is completely irrelevant. Both menacing and sympathetic, he stands toe-to-toe with Tom Hanks for the entirety of the film.

LUPITA NYONG’O Lupita Nyong’o hands down. She was phenomenal in 12 Years A Slave and frankly it would be nice to see a bit of a break in J-Law’s bid for world domination.

LUPITA NYONG’O She may not have gotten as much screen-time as the other nominees, but nearly every moment she was on camera was shattering. Lawrence may have the hearts of the public firmly in her grasp, but Nyong’o definitely has the edge.

MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY Wouldn’t it be lovely just to see Leo’s little face light up? For the past few years he’s looked like the kid who doesn’t get a party bag. Unfortunately for him, I suspect Matthew McConaughey might get his first win – and cement his dramatic credentials.

MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY As much as it would warm my heart to see Leo scoop the prize, I think he may have to wait. McConaughey is undergoing a personal renaissance, delivering scintillating performances and growing into an acting force to contend with.

Best Actress JUDI DENCH It’ll be an interesting one for leading ladies this year with the two Grande Dames facing off against a younger generation. Popular favourite Sandra Bullock may well get her second win, but my money’s on the elder Dench for bittersweet Philomena.

MERYL STREEP Make sure you get yourself a copy of August: Osage County. Streep fully steals the show, using all her experience to deliver a performance full of humour and depth. She is head and shoulders above the rest of the nominees.

Best Supporting Actor MICHAEL FASSBENDER The hardest category to judge this year, with one complete newcomer. Abdi more than deserves the award for Captain Phillips, but I have a feeling he’s likely to be snubbed in favour of either Fassbender or Jonah Hill.

JARED LETO Jared Leto is the overwhelming favourite for this one and I have to agree. Hopefully this will convince him to step away from the guitar and get back on to the silver screen for a while!

Best Supporting Actress JULIA ROBERTS J-Law reigns again with her third nomination, and of course I’d never say no to more GIFs. I’ve got my fingers crossed for the underrated Sally Hawkins, but I have a feeling Julia Roberts might nab the award for old time’s sake.

LUPITA NYONG’O Lupita’s breakout performance was understated yet undeniably powerful, and harrowing enough to overshadow Ejiofor’s to produce a more true representation of the horrors of slavery - an accolade that comes as no mean feat.

Best Director STEVE MCQUEEN McQueen’s intense style has already amazed in previous films and 12 Years A Slave has the rare quality of being a film that is both heart-wrenching and impossible to tear your eyes from. His eye has created a truly visionary film.

ALFONSO CUARÓN Certain to have picked up the lion’s share of the technical awards, Cuarón reminded us all that, if done properly, 3D cinema still has plenty to offer. Beautifully shot, edited and acted, Gravity was out of this world (sorry).

STEVE MCQUEEN The Academy might go old-school on us and plump for Scorsese but my money’s on McQueen; 12 Years was some of the most exciting and dynamic direction I’ve seen for a long time.

STEVE MCQUEEN Despite already being critically acclaimed, McQueen largely steered clear from the mainstream attention, but in 12 Years a Slave, his vision and belief have resulted in an intense film of true grandeur.

As Hot As... the hot or nots of this week’s film news TED 2 – Really? They’re casting Amanda Seyfried in it now? The actress may be returning to comedy, but there’s Mean Girls funny then there’s stoner, foul-mouthed talking bear funny. Boo you whore.

In-laws

THE FANTASTIC FOUR – The cast is ﬁnally out! Won’t it be cool having Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Jamie Bell and Michael B. Jordan all on one screen? What’s that? You care about Guardians of the Galaxy way more? Yeah…

TOY STORY – A recent theory that Andy’s mother is actually Emily, THE GIRL WHO ABANDONED JESSIE WHEN SHE GREW UP, has basically deﬂowered everyone’s mind. Way to go, internet.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY – The ﬁrst trailer has hit, and it does not disappoint. It may have fan-boys across the globe raring to go see it, but for the everyman there is a tree-person and a kick-ass racoon to keep you truckin’.

MERYL STREEP – They’ve been counted, and they’ve been measured. The actress has been mentioned more times in Oscar acceptance speeches than God. We’re not sure what that says about Hollywood, but we deﬁnitely like it.

J-Law

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BOOKS

Book Shelf To spice up your reading by adding a bit of international flair, take a look at these best-selling translated texts. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2005) Stieg Larsson After Larsson’s untimely death in 2004, the posthumously published Millenium Trilogy became a huge success. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (originally Män som hatar kvinnor or ‘men that hate women‘), tracks Mikael Blomkvist and his tattooed accomplice Lisberth Salander. It is a whirlwind tale of violence, murder and dark secrets. One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967) Gabriel Garcia Marquez One Hundred Years of Solitude follows the Buendias of Macondo. This city of cyclical turmoil is laid to waste by a host of unusual events. Written by a Nobel prize winner, the novel’s seven generation scope is impressive and expansive. The Master and Margarita (1967) Mikhali Bulgakov Bulgakov’s darkly comic Russian novel is a fiery satire of epic proportions. Reveling in the carnivalesque, the story turns Soviet Moscow into a world run by a tyrannical devil. The Master and his beautiful lover Margarita go up against the devil’s destruction. A product of Stalin’s reign, the tale has been heralded as a masterful expression of artistic freedom. Suite Francaise (2007) Irène Némirovsky Irène Némirovsky’s tale was all but forgotten for 65 years. Charting the turbulence of France in the early 40s, the book segways between a group of Parisians fleeing the Nazis and a rural occupied community. The novel’s struggle, strife and surprise is made all the more touching by the poignant realisation that Némirovsky was among the victims of Auschwitz in 1942. The Diving-Bell and the Butterfly (1997) Jean-Dominique Bauby Bauby, editor-in-chief of French Elle was left paralysed by a severe stroke. Unable to speak, the book was the sum of immense effort. Bauby drafted the novel in his head before using his only functioning muscle, his left eyelid, to dictate his tale letter by letter. A prisoner locked in his mind, this touching story has been widely acclaimed, as has its 2007 film adaptation. EMMA HOLIFIELD BOOKS EDITOR

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Co-authoring: a novel idea Exeposé Books talks to Exeter student Charlotte Robson about her novel St. Mallory’s Forever EB: Why a book about St. Mallorys? CR: The idea for the books actually came from our publisher, Mark! When he found out I went to boarding school, he suggested we all work together on a Young Adult novel set in that environment. There’s not been a lot of contemporary boarding school stories since St Clare’s and Malory Towers, and we thought it would be a great opportunity to fill the gap – and tell the world what boarding school’s really like in this day and age, while still paying homage to ‘the oldies’, as it were. The school’s name, as you can probably tell, is a conglomeration of theirs! EB: Did you read similar books when you were younger? CR: I was about 13 when I first picked up the Malory Towers books. I was just about to go off to boarding school for the first time, and I needed something a bit more heartening than Tom Brown’s School Days to convince me I wasn’t going to my doom! I never got around to St Clare’s, sadly, but Mark tells me they’re rather good. EB: Was there anything that particularly inspired you? CR: It was mainly other books of this type that inspired us. Neither Miriam nor myself are massively familiar with St Trinian’s, apart from the new film, and I have to admit I bear a bit of a grudge against it and Wild Child for propagating some of the more ridiculous myths about modern boarding schools. Although my year group did get together in the Upper Fourth to film our own version of the St Trinian’s movie… but that’s another story.

There’s not been a lot of contemporary boarding school stories EB: What exactly is Safﬁna Desforges and how did you become a part of it? CR: “Safﬁna Desforges” is the joint

nom de plume of Mark and his co-author, Sarah. It was the name they used when they first published their massively successful crime novels, and they’ve made something of a brand of it since then. St Mall’s was their first joint foray into lighter YA novels – with our help, of course! We first met Mark (who calls himself “the back end of the Saffina Desforges pantomime horse”, fun fact) when we started writing blog posts for him. He found Miriam via her own blog first, and she, in turn, introduced him to me. Inevitably, we all got to chatting about writing and reading and such – Mark teased us half to death about how young we were, and how we’d missed out on all the great

classics from being born a couple of decades too late. Things rather hit the fan – or, I should say, the page – after that! E.B: What was it like co-authoring a book? CR: Miriam and I had collaborated informally once or twice before we started the project, so we both knew, vaguely, how it was done. Still, it was a bit of a challenge trying to get three people in on it! There certainly weren’t any arguments though – it was mostly just a bit of a palaver on the communication level! Three-way emails make startled spaghetti look organised, I tell thee. Mostly, though, the multiple inputs were a great boon to the story. We didn’t start out with any kind of plan or structure, so it was really easy just to bounce ideas off each other and know there were always other pens – or typing ﬁngers – on hand to pick up if we were falling off the wagon a bit. EB: Do you think it would have been easier to write as a solo project? CR: Cripes, no! There’s no way St Mall’s could have existed at all if it were left to one of us. There are a lot of elements in the story that are dependent on us work-

ing in our individual expertise. Miriam and Mark have never been to a boarding school, she and I were complete newbies to the ins and outs of the actual publishing, and Mark and I have the musical knowledge of duck-billed platypi. EB: Have you written before? CR: Oh yes. I write novels – big fat ones with overcomplicated plots and disappearing characters, maybe the occasional cyborg or dragon if you squint hard enough. Altogether I’ve written about five complete novels (let’s not talk about the half-dozen half-formed abominations lurking in my WIP folder…) since I started writing for proper at about thirteen. Of the two of us ‘newbies’, though, Miriam is the more prolific author by far – she’s written and rewritten multiple drafts of several of her novels. She likes inflicting them on me in their second or third drafts and making me cry. Suffice to say, I exact my revenge in kind. EB: What would you compare the book to? CR: I’d not be inclined to directly compare it to anything much. Perhaps it bears a resemblance to Ally Carter’s Gallagher Girls books, what with the modern setting, humour, and the girls’ tendencies to snoop about in suspicious matters. Of course, there’s the obligatory homage to the old boarding school books too, but we set out on the novel with the intent on making it a bit of something new, and overall I think we made quite a good job of it! EB: Are you going to pursue writing as a career? CR: That’s the plan, certainly. I’m trying to get myself into editing and possibly submitting one of my more recent solo novels for publication sometime in the future, but if full-time authorship doesn’t work out for me, I’d want to work in editing, or perhaps being a literary agent. I’d still be scribbling, too, of course, but I wouldn’t quit my day job.

Three-way emails make startled spaghetti look organised EB: What advice do you have for budding student writers? CR: Write. Revise. Drink copious amounts of sugary drinks. Write some more. First drafts suck, second drafts less so, and make sure you have a trusty friend on hand to hand it over to when you’re sick of chasing commas at three o’clock in the morning.

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4 MARCH 2014 |

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Are there words for everything? Kayley Gilbert helps you to find the word that perfectly describes those situations that leave you speechless AS the third most commonly spoken language in the world, after Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, around 365 million people speak English as their first language. Whilst being the most widely spoken language, there are still a few faults with English – odd spellings and frustrating punctuation rules aside – that other languages can make up for. Ever wanted to sum up a feeling or idea and haven’t been able to find the right words to justify it? Maybe you’ve needed to turn to another language to find le mot juste? This is probably because there are some words that simply don’t exist in the English language. However, they must exist in another language, even if they don’t have direct English translations. Though after reading this list, you’ll wish they did! 1. Kummerspeck (German) – a word used in Germany to describe the

excess weight gained from emotional overeating. The best thing about this word – aside from giving you a new way to describe those gorges after a bad day – is that it is literally translated as “grief bacon”. Could that be more perfect?

It is literally translated as “grief bacon”. Could that be more perfect 2. Yuputka (Ulwa) – the “uuuuurrrgggghhh” sensation of feeling something ghostly crawling on your skin. 3. Tartle – the Scottish word for that panicky hesitation just before you have to introduce someone whose name you can’t quite remember. Almost onomato-

poeic isn’t it? 4. Vybafnout (Czech) – a word that means to jump out and say BOO!! 5. Pelinti (Buli, Ghana) - you bite into a piece of boiling hot pizza, then open your mouth and make a sort of “aaaarrrhhh” sound – we’ve all been there. The Ghanaians have a word for that. 6. Pana Po’o (Hawaiian) – it means to scratch your head in frustration when you can’t quite remember something you’ve forgotten. A word that describes me at least once or twice a day, if not more. 7. Boketto (Japanese) – a word made for those 9am lectures, it means to gaze off vacantly into the distance. 8. Cavoli Riscaldati (Italian) – the attempt to revive an unworkable relationship. Brilliantly, its literal translation is “reheated cabbage”.

9. Nekama (Japanese) – the word used in Japan to describe a man pretending to be a woman on the internet. It is an abbreviation and combination of the Japanese words for “internet” and “male cross dresser”. 10. Have you even gotten up early to hear the birds sing? Ok, me neither, but it is apparently something the Swedes often do, as they have a word for it. In Swedish, gökotta is to go outside early in the morning to hear the birds sing and/or to appreciate nature. 11. Spaegie (Shetland dialect) – pronounced “spray-gee” is a word for the soreness felt in muscles a day or so after working out

– something everyone from BodySoc’s LBT classes will know. 12. Firgun is the Hebrew word for getting pleasure out of someone else’s success, without jealousy or resentment. The opposite is the German word Schadenfreude which means to take joy in someone else’s bad luck.

The Untranslatables

Elli Christie, Books Editor, discusses the merits of translations

A FAVOURITE hobby of journalists, belonging to such newspapers as The Guardian and The Sunday Times, is to make lists of ‘Great Books of Literature’. However, what they conveniently ignore when they compile these lists is that very often classics such as War and Peace, the Iliad and The Count of Monte Cristo will probably be read in translation by the English speaking readers of their papers. Should they therefore

If translation was perfect then there would be no new editions of Anna Karenina recommend the translation that most reﬂects the original or is this always bound to be futile? After all, if translation was perfect then there would be no new editions of Anna Karenina or even the Odyssey being published. The act of translating literature has existed since there have been literate bilingual people around. Chaucer’s famous poem Troilus and Criseyde was

originally described as a translation of a text by his precursor Boccaccio, who in turn claimed to follow an older text as a source. However, those who have read all of these ‘translations’ of a single poem can point to countless differences between them. Nevertheless it seems unfair to claim that Chaucer merely lied when he named his thousands of lines of poetry a translation. He might have believed that his additional central character translated the spirit of the poem even if it was not the exact events or words. Creating a readable translation is a separate feat of literature that should be commended just as much as an original work. Translation demands just as much creativity as any work of fiction might. Not only does a translator have to confidently identify when an author might be attempting word play or subtle nuances in the text, they then have to be able to translate it into another language, which might not have parallel words available. However, while translations can create conflict this should never be a barrier to a text reaching a wider audience. One of my favourite books is The Shadow of the Wind, something I would never have been able to read if it had stayed as La Sombra del Viento, as it is

in its original Spanish. This one translation has now opened a door to Spanish history, literature and culture, all of which do not regularly appear in such a subtle way in other English language books available to me. The possibility of global outreach that translation allows has most extensively been realised by the Harry Potter series. They have been translated into 67 other languages, allowing children from across the world to identify with the Boy who Lived. Yet, even with this international phenomenon there are quirks for each language, so it is not a perfect representation. In French Voldemort’s middle name is (hilariously) Elvis while in the ‘American English’ version bobble hats are bizarrely changed to bonnets. These changes do not detrimentally affect the books even if they do demonstrate that translation can never be exchanging one word for another. Next time you consider reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Norwegian Wood or The Trial remember the poor translator who has written just as many words as the original author but whose credit gets hidden away amongst the end papers. Even if their translation

May You Be the Mother of a Hundred Sons Elisabeth Bumiller

about the diversity of Indian women and acknowledges that she couldn’t possibly include every kind of Indian woman in her book.

South Asia Books (1998) REVIEWING this book seems timely with International Women’s Day approaching on March 8. It tells the extraordinary tales of ordinary women scattered throughout India. It does so by thoroughly examining traditions and conscientiously telling women’s stories. The preamble is almost apologetic, as Bumiller confesses that she initially did not intend to write a book about “women’s issues” but she found that the stories of the women she came across touched her the deepest. She writes

The extraordinary tales of ordinary women scattered throughout India It is extremely well written, ﬂuid and logically structured. Most importantly, it is tactful and sensitive to the complexity and contradictions of Indian life. Rather than depicting Indian women as some type of victim of their society she shines a light on the ways in which a woman’s life experiences can be simultaneously individual and

is not perfect it brings new books to your book shelf whose meaning would otherwise be hidden and unreachable. The cultural overlap that translation creates can never be overestimated or undervalued. universal. It is deﬁnitely a read that will pull at your heartstrings. Perhaps the most devastating were the stories of families who felt they had no choice but to kill their infant daughters because they could not afford her dowry. This book examines a topic that caused something of a personal moral dilemma for me. Namely, the conﬂict between wanting to uphold a woman’s freedom to choose abortion while strongly condemning the abuse of procedures such as amniocentesis to identify and then abort female fetuses. It also considers parts of India in which a woman’s place in society has traditionally been better. That is, in Kerala where women are much more likely to be literate, have many more job opportunities and tend to marry at a later

age. While Bullimer’s feminist zeal can occasionally seep into her writing into what may be interpreted as a bias, her desire to understand rather than judge is easy to pick up on throughout her lucid writing. It is this desire and the subtle reﬂective tone with which she writes that makes this book such a compelling read. Ultimately this book is engaging, factually accurate, respectful and well-written. However, the nature and genre of the book, while intriguing, isn’t the kind of thrilling that means you can’t put it down. That said, I read it overnight and recommend it highly to anyone interested in Indian history, society or women. MUMTAZ MEGHJEE

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The Call of the Weird: Travels in American Subcultures Louis Theroux Pan 2006 IT’S at this point in the university term that many of us start to feel as though we are treading water in a pulpy pool of bookshelves and tears. I read Louis Theroux’s The Call of the Weird: Travels in American Subculture during last year’s exam period as a desperate attempt to ﬁnd some joy in reading again, and was not disappointed. Although this book is hardly a new release,

its relevance remains. Rap culture, prostitution, UFO belief and radicalism are still very much speciﬁc to contemporary society. It is interesting to read back over what were once the cutting edge reports in these issues and consider the changes. The book follows up many of Louis’ documentary subjects as he revisits them years later. He offers more intimate insights into his perception of the people he met than he showed on Weird Weekends through a series of short sections. This makes it the perfect book to dip in and out of at will, but no matter how much you read, you will always be left with your worldly curiosity whetted. Theroux’s famous neutral reporting is crammed with original insights, concluding many of the questions the documentaries left open. Reading his

Many moments in the book are almost cinematic, with Theroux’s work as a broadcast journalist clearly inﬂuencing his writing signiﬁcantly. His attention to detail is intricate but accurate; every word is made to work hard to keep the scene he retells concise but salient. Almost every section ends with a striking image or exchange.

THE best words I can find to describe the works of C.S. Lewis are ‘intriguing’, ‘thought-provoking’ and ‘ridiculously innovative’. Having loved the Narnia books, it was rather inevitable that I would enter into another side door of his elaborate mind palace. The Screwtape Letters is a very different breed to the Narnia series as it pulls away focus from dwarves, talking lions, a ticked-off witch and a magical wardrobe that teleports your kids, to instead explore an ironic portrayal of human life his responsibility as the authoritative voice on a city in the early grip of the 20th Century’s most notorious dictatorship. “I am a camera,” he wrote in his 1939 novel Goodbye To Berlin, “with its shutter open, quite passive, recording, not thinking. Recording the man shaving at the window opposite and the woman in the kimono washing her hair. Some day, all this will have to be developed, carefully printed, fixed”. Isherwood began life as the privileged grandson of a country squire, born and raised in the north of England. From a young age, he showed literary flair, writing a series of stories set in the bizarre world of Mortmere while at Repton School and Cambridge University. It was perhaps due to this streak of flagrancy that he would leave the latter without a degree in 1925, having filled in his second-year exam papers with jokes. Thereafter he drifted from project to project, including briefly studying medicine and working as the

secretary to a string quartet. It was not until 1929 that Isherwood moved to Berlin, then the capital of the fragile but culturally and sexually liberated Weimar Republic, the setting with which his writing is most often associated; his is credited as being the voice to have authentically captured a city on its descent into dictatorship. Led by his friend and literary mentor W. H. Auden, he explored the city and his own homosexuality with enthusiasm, later proclaiming in his autobiography that “to Christopher, Berlin meant boys”. In the early 1930s, though, British publishers were not quite as open minded, and the escapades of the protagonists in Isherwood’s semi-autobiographical Berlin Stories are invariably constrained. However, the collection, comprising the two novellas Goodbye To Berlin and Mr Norris Changes Trains, later received critical acclaim and was listed as one of the Time 100 Best English-Language Novels of the Twentieth Century. In 1933, Isherwood was forced to ﬂee Nazi persecution and his beloved

Berlin with the man considered to be his ﬁrst great love, Heinz Neddermeyer. After his German partner was refused entry to Britain, the two moved ﬁtfully across Europe, before being separated upon Neddermeyer’s arrest by the Gestapo in Luxembourg. In the last years before the Second World War, Isherwood once more joined forces with Auden, emigrating to the United States, where he would live until his death in 1986 at the age of 81. Although avid readers of his novels have no doubt come to love the complex and mysterious characters such as Arthur Norris and Herr Issyvoo, it is Cabaret, the hit stage version of one of Isherwood’s short stories, that has brought the inhabitants of his city to a 21 century audience. It is inevitable that Isherwood’s version of inter-war Berlin has been romanticised, yet it remains a captivating insight into a city and

Any Last Words?

Condensed Classic The Bible

“As Bethel was walking along the road some youths came out of the town and jeered at him. “Go on up, you baldhead! they said... Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled 42 of the youths” IF YOU’RE a Christian you should read this just ‘cause. If you’re an atheist you should read this to gain extra weapons for your Timepiece smoking area theological debates. If you’re just a party-harder literature-loving son of a bitch with a passion for a well crafted tale, like myself, you should read The Bible because it’s a damn good epic. The basic plot is that God makes the world and watches in horror as humanity parties too hard and too fast. It contains more death than a Cormac McCarthy book, more horror than a Stephen King novel and more incest than a George R.R. Martin series. Sure it’s a mite long, but I hear it’s also a best-seller, so it’s doing something right. The apostles are basically the X-fishermen and Jesus is their able-bodied Professor X, who also tells cracking parables and gets his feet oiled up by fine wenches. There’s some of histories greatest villains scattered about: Jezebel, Herod, those damned demon pigs etc. Also, at the end there’s a big dragon and much fire and brimstone.

EMMA THOMAS force remain concealed yet are still implemented to inﬂuence the behaviour of a human being. Do not be deceived: the book pushes itself miles away from the category of any Horror or Chiller (Lewis is much more concerned in entertaining the intellectual side of the brain rather than tickling your goose bumps!) I found The Screwtape Letters to be a superbly enjoyable read as Screwtape’s expression of thought is so elegantly constructed in order to open a wide perspective of the character of God as well as Satan in their relation to the physical world. I believe this book to be both captivating and provocative for any mind-set, whether you have a particular interest in Christianity or not, and would recommend it to anyone wanting to read something considerably ‘different’ from what’s already on their bookshelf.

HarperOne 2013

CHRISTOPHER ISHERWOOD, a proliﬁc novelist, diarist, playwright and translator, was acutely aware of his challenge as a writer to note down for posterity the antics of humans, and

His attention to detail is intricate but accurate

One I found particularly affecting was his depiction of Angel and her co-workers at a Nevada brothel doing karaoke. “All songs of romance and heartbreak, I thought. All love songs,” he concludes. Nothing else could illuminate the dashing of the idealised dreams of these girls in so poignant a manner. I won’t say this book will immediately bring you to a moment of enlightenment upon the state of modernity. Theroux’s book does, however, demonstrate the importance of traditional journalism in the ‘Twitter age’; and it encourages its readers to remain open to new interpretations on matters we may be tempted to consider inevitable elements of our cultural fabric.

from the perspective of a shrewd demon, Screwtape. The Screwtape Letters unfolds the account of a young devil named Wormwood who, with the sinister advice of his senior, Screwtape, contrives to deceive and sow malice into mankind with the utmost discretion. Wormwood is assigned to a human, otherwise referred to as ‘the patient’, in order to fulﬁl the chief objective of averting the human’s conversion into Christianity. C.S. Lewis plays around with the notion of a spiritual reality that conducts itself through and around mankind inconspicuously. I found that this sophisticated outlook of the world and our lifestyle made the book an absorbing read. Not only did it lift me into the pleasure of my own imagination, but it also provoked intellectually stimulating ideas which probed the possibilities of an existing, active transcendent force at work. Throughout The Screwtape Letters, Lewis continually presents how the thoughts and activities of a spiritual

The Screwtape Letters C.S. Lewis

Author Profile Christopher Isherwood 26.8.1904 - 4.1.1986

characteristic commentary, Louis’ liberal inquisitiveness really brings you along; the pages pass with hardly any notice. It is easy reading, truly gripping and intellectually stimulating all at once.

JOSH GRAY, MUSIC EDITOR

DAVID HOLT

indeed a world on the brink of devastation; the Berlin captured by Isherwood’s ever-vigilant camera lives on in the memories of many. HAYLEY JOHNS

After the crazy weather of lately we asked what the most memorable weather events of literature are Until this weather I do not think I fully understood the fatal fury of Dickens’s incredible sea storm in David Copperfield! CARMEN PADDOCK

The Windy Day by Anna Milbourne taught me how kites fly. That was pretty cool. ROB HARRIS

This is not the weather of the world... This is a device of Sauron’s making.

The Tempest. No more needs to be said.

THOMAS DAVIES

BECKY MULLEN

“It was a dark and stormy night”. I don’t think a book opening can get much better than that. WILLIAM O’ROURKE

16 FEB - 21 MAR

A CELEBRATION OF DIVERSITY exeter guild.com/diver sity

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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 Exeter Comedy Club @Exeter Corn Exchange 7 March Murray Lachlan Young @Exeter Phoenix 16 March

Dance The Sugar Dandies’ Tea Party @Exeter Northcott 8 March Vienna Festival Ballet: Cinderella @Exeter Corn Exchange 12 March

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

Barack’s ‘History of Art’ attack

Bethany Stuart reports on Barack Obama’s remarks on Art history last week BARACK OBAMA created some controversy at an appearance last month at a General Electric Plant in Wisconsin with his statement: “You can make a lot more [money] with skilled manufacturing or the trades than you might with an art history degree”. Ann C. Johns, a specialist in late Medieval and Renaissance art and architecture at the University of Texas, was particularly outraged by the comment and received a formal apology form the President himself for his “offthe-cuff remarks”, stating that he was merely highlighting the opportunities for young adults in manufacturing and its role in improving the employment market. However, by using the arts as a direct comparison to raise a point about ﬁnancial opportunities Obama inevitably brings to the fore questions about the relationship between art and money, and the place of art in contemporary society.

of the next generation being groomed for capitalist gain. I’m not in any way suggesting Obama is the ﬁgurehead of a monolithic soul-sucking superstructure, however the absence of any sense of individual vocation in his speech and the side-lining of the arts as something somewhat frivolous necessitates, in my opinion, a re-evaluation of the deeper value of the arts. In his response to Obama’s comments, Jonathon Jones highlights how the art in-

dustry is actually one of the strongest markets: “Auction houses, art galleries and even art magazines all exist to turn art history into cash. The art world is big and booming and it needs knowledgeable experts to grease its wheels”. This rather aptly bursts the bubble of myth surrounding an arts career as doomed to romantic notions of bohemian poverty, showing the fundamental economic value of the arts and proving the likes of art history students not to be idle but productive and erudite members of the next

Art’s purpose is to remind everybody we’re not a homogenous mass of cogs in a larger machine His speech was targeted at “working families”, his overall aim being to use manufacturing trades to “strengthen the middle class” and ultimately aid economic recovery and the unemployment ﬁgures. By removing the arts from this equation there is the suggestion that art is merely for the upper classes, a luxury rather than a necessity, and of little service to society as a whole. Indeed, by encouraging those still in education to enter in to manufacturing trades on the grounds of monetary potential – for both the individual and the country as a whole – there is a somewhat ominous Althusserian overtone

generation of workers. Furthermore, whilst I may be criticised for being idealistic and potentially odiously pretentious, I think it is fundamentally wrong to value the arts by the same economic criteria as the likes of manufacturing. Its purpose is not simply to produce and generate income but to remind everyone that we’re not a homogenous mass of cogs in a larger

There is a suggestion that art is merely for the upper classes machine. Obama commented, “You can make a really good living and have a great career without getting a four-year college education”, implying in some instances that higher education is somewhat futile and largely a springboard for earning potential. Jones has proved art degrees have ﬁnancial prospects, but Obama seems to have tactlessly missed the point in his speech about the value of vocation. If people have a passion for what they do, they’re more likely to do it successfully - fact. If more focus went on encouraging people to pursue their individual interests than on proﬁt margins I think Obama would be pleasantly surprised with America’s bank balance in the future.

Theatre

“History. It’s just one thing after another”

33 @ The Bike Shed Theatre 5-8 March

Emily Tanner, Deputy Editor, looks forward to EUTCo’s The History Boys

The House Jack Built @The Bike Shed Theatre 11-15 March EUG&S’s Lolanthe @Exeter Northcott 12-15 March

THIS week EUTCo are set to storm the stage of the M & D room with their production of Alan Bennett’s critically acclaimed play The History Boys. After the National Theatre production of the play in 2004, directed by Nicholas Hytner, The History Boys has succeeded on stage and screen worldwide and is now being brought to Exeter University on the 6, 7 and 8 March by EUTCo. Bennett’s play follows the lives of a group of sixth form boys, all hoping to gain places at Oxford or Cambridge, from a ﬁctional Yorkshire Grammar School in the early 1980s. The boys are a mixed bunch from varying back-

grounds with different interests, from handsome ﬂirt Dakin who appears to breeze through life unscathed, to the comedic Timms and athletic Rudge, who seems to be riding on his sporting ability far more than his academic skill. On their journeys to Oxford and Cambridge they are supported by three of the school’s teachers; Hector, a homosexual English and General Studies teacher who appears to have a rather unique approach to the boy’s education; young Cambridge graduate Irwin, employed by the school to tutor the boys speciﬁcally for their Oxbridge places and Lintott, a female history teacher often battling against the boys.

After stage success in London and on Broadway, and both an Olivier and Tony Award, The History Boys was adapted for screen in 2006 with a cast who have now gone on to become some of the country’s most successful actors including James Cordon, Dominic Cooper and Russell Tovey. The ﬁlm version opened the play up to an even wider audience and generated further success for what many would undoubtedly declare Alan Bennett’s best play. Now, EUTCo tackle ‘Britain’s favourite play’ this week in what is set to be an outstanding performance. Jack Smail, who plays Rudge in EU-

TCo’s upcoming production, has said “I think it’s an honour to be a part of this production because it is top notch, from the director to the stage manager, and the whole team behind it is really cracking. I think it’s one of the best productions I’ve been a part of and such a wonderful play. It’s great to be able to interpret such a wonderful play in our way and we’re really excited about it”. Tickets are selling rapidly and EUTCo have changed venue in order to accommodate a larger audience over the three day run. The History Boys runs on the 6, 7 and 8 March in the M&D Room.

ARTS

Happy Days The Young Vic Theatre

23 January - 8 March COMPARING the reactions of exasperated or simply bored theatre-goers with those of enthusiastic theatre critics is just one of the entertainments on offer when you go to a Beckett play. During the interval of the Natalie Abrahami-directed production of Happy Days, which has been greeted in the press by unanimous approval, one woman could be heard to protest that she was “not really in the mood for tedious monologue”. Evidently someone had not got the memo. And, in any case, when exactly is one ever in a tedious-monologue-sort-of-mood? Spare a thought, I couldn’t help thinking, for poor Winnie, buried up to her waist in a mound of gravel throughout the ﬁrst act and up to her neck throughout the second, with nothing to amuse her but her bag of possessions and the extremely limited conversation of her husband, Willie (so not quite a monologue, then). She is woken in the morning by an excruciatingly loud, grinding siren, which goes off again whenever she subsequently relapses into sleep, perhaps also serving to rouse a certain audience member from her slumber. Spare a thought, for that matter, for Juliet Stevenson, who has to play the part of Winnie every day. Well before the performance ofﬁcially starts she is already out on stage, her entirely motionless upper body in full view of the audience. At the interval she is denied

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the chance to bemoan the tedium of it all over a gin and tonic, instead remaining put as the mound is built up around her by the backstage crew until only her head protrudes. What else can Winnie do, then, but speak? Buoyed by recurrent catchphrases, she searches for material to talk about, reaching now back into her memory, where a number of amusing anecdotes are at least partially retrieved; now into her bag, the contents of which include a toothbrush, toothpaste, a comb – and a revolver (“a comfort to know you’re there”, she tells it). Willie, meanwhile, keeps things moving by occasionally reading out scarcely coherent fragments from his newspaper. His largest single verbal contribution is a succinct definition of the word ‘hog’ – “Castrated male swine. Reared for slaughter” – to which Winnie responds, joyously, “Oh this is a happy day!” Is Happy Days, finally, a tedious experience? Brutal, I think, would be a better word, but the rewards along the way – and at the finish line – are actually hugely enjoyable. The effort required, an initial investment only, is not one I begrudge. Stevenson’s performance is remarkable: agonizing and electrifying, she is at once fragile and heroic. Beckett demands that we spare a thought, maybe even two, but in the end that isn’t really so much to ask. BILLY WILSON

Jameel Prize Exhibition The Victoria and Albert Museum

Until 21 April THE Jameel Prize, currently on exhibition in an installation at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, is an international award for contemporary art and design inspired by Islamic tradition. The museum describes the aim of the prize as “to explore the relationship between Islamic traditions of art, craft and design and contemporary work as part of a wider debate about Islamic culture and its role today”, a feat it certainly achieves. The artworks on installation are thought-provoking and full of heart and intricacy, but that is not to say they lack a punch. Upon entering the installation you are greeted by the sheer expanse of “Concrete Carpet” by Nada Debs, a piece that plays upon heritage in fabric and font by writing into the arranged slabs beautifully, highlighting one word per panel in an arabic font redesigned for the 21st century. Faig Ahmed’s work explores traditional Azerbaijani rug making to great effect, manipulating perspective in the fabric to make the rug appear distorted, as if the very ﬁbres have been photoshopped or pixellated. This piece acts as a fascinating meld of traditional and modern, infusing traditional aesthetics with 21st century preoccupations with image. Another artist has employed the image of textiles intimately within their piece, Laurent Mareschal’s work involves arranging spices into Middle

Eastern patterns upon the floor, a system that speaks to themes of brevity and fragility. So much so that upon my visit, someone had run their finger across the pattern to see if it would lift, inflicting their own fingerprint upon the arrangement. The winner of the Jameel Prize has already been chosen and is the work of Dice Kayek, a fashion house founded in Paris by Turkish sisters Ece and Ayse Ege, whose dresses speak to the materials and crafting techniques of the Ottoman Empires to create bold contemporary garments. The beauty and sophistication of these dresses is fantastic to behold, and is surely the reason for the choice of the victor ahead of the bolder and louder pieces that dominate the installation. The projection pieces that compete with these works are disorienting and thought-provoking, forcing images of tradition and modernity together with sounds that deliberately isolate the viewer. Upon viewing these projections you are placed firmly within them, a claustrophobic experience that is as considered as it is throwing. This installation is a genuinely affirming experience, one that resonates beyond the obvious observations that exhibitions exploring

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other cultures usually make. I left the exhibition knowing I had observed a fantastic palimpsest of cultures and design, an infusion of what has been before at the razor’s edge of the avant-garde, which is exactly what any exhibition aims to do. LOUIS DORÉ NEWS EDITOR

All’s fair in love and war Esther Docherty reviews the stage adaptation of Sebastian Faulk’s heartwrenching tale of wartime romance

TO commemorate the centenary of the First World War, and following the success of the 2013 production, Rachel Wagstaff’s stage adaptation of Sebastian Faulks’ 1994 novel Birdsong embarked on a nationwide tour earlier this year. The play travels throughout the country until the 5 July, including a visit to the University’s very own Northcott Theatre between 6 and 10 May. The play, directed by Alastair Whatley, takes an unusual approach by using ﬂashbacks to present the novel’s complicated seven part narrative. It opens with sapper Jack Firebrace, played by Peter Duncan,

The audience are not eased gently into the action; the ferocious sound effects and ominous staging bring them straight into war larking around with fellow tunnelers before the sound of bombing overhead brings them back to the reality of the front line in France, 1916. The audience are not eased gently into the action; the ferocious sound effects and ominous staging bring them straight into the war setting. In an event which takes place in the second part of the novel, Firebrace falls asleep whilst on watch, and is wok-

en by the mysterious Captain Wraysford. Wraysford’s story is told through ﬂashbacks after a near

fatal injury which sends him into a dream-like state. The ﬂashbacks were handled well by actor George Banks, who had the task of demonstrating the changes in time purely by re-enacting (or waking up from) the shooting which rendered him unconscious. This worked well to break up the gritty war narrative with the forbidden romance of Stephen and Isabelle Azaire, played by Carolin Stoltz; however it did detract from the development of Stephen’s character, as the full extent of the past which accounts for his strange and cold behaviour is withheld from the audience if they had not read the novel. The most affecting part of the play was the relationship between the sappers and soldiers, who after a hostile start develop a warm camaraderie. The youngest, Tipper, played by Hollyoaks’ Johnny Clarke was particularly brilliant. As would be expected in a stage adaptation, the novel’s long battle sequences were cut, instead with the focus being on the relationships behind the trenches. The ending was brilliantly

moving, with Banks deliberately looking into the audience as he delivered Stephen’s ﬁnal lines, telling how soldiers would keep quiet about their experience so that no generation would ever have to know what was suffered. As members of the audience know that the Second World War would soon follow, this ending was a suitably challenging and poignant way to mark the centenary.

Discover where your golden ticket may take you business start-up self-employment enterprising employee Throughout Spring Enterprise Week, we offer enterprise skills workshops, business showcases and networking events providing you with the opportunity to meet like-minded individuals. Find out whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on at:

www.exeter.ac.uk/careers/enterprise/sew2014

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

A shocking development After the surprise shut down of Irrational Games, Adam Smith looks

KEN LEVINE, co-founder of Irrational Games, the studio behind BioShock and Bioshock Inﬁnite has announced that he is shutting down the studio in favour of creating a smaller task force. Levine has taken only 15 of Irrational Games’s employees with him in his departure, and has left the rights for BioShock with 2K Games. The staff of Irrational Games are set to be passed on to other developers during a special recrutiment attended by Blizzard, Ubisoft and Inﬁnity Ward, and so it is unlikely that any of the other 200 staff will be without work for long. This development was not a total

BioShock is such a beloved francise, one of the best gaming has ever seen surprise for the employees of Irrational Games. The sales figures that Bioshock Infinite would have had to hit in order to keep the studio together were simply too large. Infinite, even. The studio was aware that the writing was on the wall, but for the general public the news still came as a surprise. Levine stated that his new goal is to focus on “narrative-driven games for the core gamer that are highly replayable”, working his way back towards the indie scene. For example, the way that Elizabeth, the key NPC and partner through-

out BioShock Infinite, acted in the same way each time the player went through the game, regardless of their playstyle. This seems rather inconsistent with the “replayable narrative” Levine desires to create. Hopefully, his newer projects could offer more variation in terms of the gamer’s choices influencing the game more, which has been a complaint that many gamers have had about moral choices in AAA gaming. These choices always seem to be polar opposites, and so have been dubbed the “Save-The-Puppy/Eat-The-Puppy” dichotomy. These games lack a moral grey area by insisting players choose a ‘good’ or ‘evil’ side to their playable character. Even more mature games such as Witcher 2 have struggled with implementing a truly difficult choice system. For Bi-

at the future of BioShock

oShock Infinite, this choice was only superficial: do you abuse the inter-racial couple, or not? What jewellery should Elizabeth really be wearing in her life-or-death escape? Choices which essentially change nothing do not make players want to replay games. However, one of the main fears in the gaming community is that because BioShock is such a beloved franchise, without a doubt one of the best gaming has ever seen, 2K Games will always feel obliged to make a sequel. BioShock Infinite’s conclusion was such a meta-analysis of the BioShock brand and the idea of sequels in general that anything coming from 2K Games is very likely to fall flat in comparison. It is the cutting wit and

social commentary that make BioShock so appealing. Furthermore, the only BioShock game not developed with Irrational Games’ backing was BioShock 2, which was made solely by 2K Games. Unfortunately, the title was heavily criticised for seemingly trying to cash in on the success of the ﬁrst game. It utterly failed to live up to its potential. As a prediction for the future, I imagine that Ken Levine’s independent

The spirit of BioShock should live on, while the narrative should be allowed to rest in peace work will be a success, and his reputation as the face of such an excellent series of games will surely generate support for his future projects. While 2K have already promised that the BioShock brand will continue, I personally hope that it will just use the mechanics of the franchise rather than attempt to continue the narrative, given their questionable track record. The spirit of BioShock should live on, while the narrative should be allowed to rest in peace. Remember that, 2K Games…would you kindly?

Fighting for Freedom: Black Flag continues Harry Shepherd reviews the latest DLC for the much loved, much swashbuckling Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag Black Flag: Freedom Cry Ubisoft Montreal

X360/XOne, PS3/PS4, PC

Out now UBISOFT promised that if the serial completionist did everything Black Flag had to offer, it would take them around 80 hours. For gamers that prize length, Freedom Cry will not disappoint, but certain differences do give this batch a distinctive ﬂavour. Now your controllable character is Adawale, Edward Kenway’s former quartermaster. 15 years after the events of Kenway’s narrative, Adawale has become a trained assassin and highly respected member of the Brotherhood but a shipwreck leaves him stranded on the new location of Port-au-Prince. All of the new locations retain all of the graphical beauty of the original game, as weather effects and near-photorealistic animations again look stunning on the PS4. Unfortunately, what also carries over from the main game is the disappointing main mission design. Tailing

and eavesdropping is again the order of the day, and its repetitiveness and limitations are still in stark contrast to the scope and immense opportunities of the world and its optional objectives. But while the plot isn’t terribly interesting and a little confused, it does reach an exhilaratingly emotive climax that is worth sticking around for. While Freedom Cry is structured in a very similar fashion, there are changes that set it apart from the main game. Adawale is forced to relive his past in slavery to rescue and recruit other slaves to his crew. Freeing slaves is really what the whole story revolves around, so naturally plays a key part. Plantation raids are undoubtedly a highlight, as you’ll have to sneak through a restricted area and take out a speciﬁc number of overseers in order to free around 30 slaves. Prison ships, however, can hold up to one hundred prisoners at a time. Taking on their escorting naval vessels will give you more than enough of an excuse to get back on the high seas. The number of captives you free can also unlock new toys, including

weaponry like the Blunderbuss, additions to your ship, and useful perks to use for freeing more slaves. Some missions require a number of side activities, but the chase to unlock new stuff will inevitably distract you from blasting through the four hour story. However, I can’t help feeling uncomfortable over the ‘gamiﬁcation’ of such a serious issue. The slaves you rescue become reduced to a simple statistic. The game is redeemed by Adawale, who is a very different protagonist to Kenway. More commanding, yet reticent and serious, he suits the difﬁculty of the subject matter well. As an ex-slave, engaging with other slaves creates a unique atmosphere and is overwhelmingly the stand out feature. Freedom Cry is DLC done right. It replicates the meaty balance between main missions and optional objectives that the original game nailed, but also manages to distance itself expertly, despite the questionable treatment of such a serious historical issue.

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All Flapped Out? Too late for Flappy Bird? Don’t despair check out the alternative avian apps out now FOR newcomers at least, the legendary Flappy Bird is no more. Infuriating though it is, there’s something addictive about tapping furiously on your phone in order to keep a pixellated bird flying. Perhaps it’s psychological: like kick-ups or the balloon game, keeping something in the air for as long as possible is undeniably satisfying. Thankfully, there are other options around to quell these perplexing cravings without risking your own sanity any further.

Wide Sky This app is great for those who enjoy the awkward challenge Flappy Bird presents. Stylish and incredibly beautifully designed, first impressions of Wide Sky are promising. You are presented with a hedgehog and a retractable rope: the aim is to swing the hedgehog through the sky, Spiderman-style, hunting down orbs to smash and collect the fragments. The gameplay is innovative and the mechanics enjoyable, but manoeuvering the hedgehog is fiddly, and takes some time to master. Still, if you’re going to spend precious degree time learning how to make a small computerised creature fly, at least make it aesthetically pleasing.

One you might have missed Click your way through an indie steampunk adventure with Christy Ku Tiny Wings As the name suggests, Tiny Wings involves another avian protagonist with inconveniently clipped wings. Where Flappy Bird is characterised by its jerky gameplay, success in Tiny Wings comes from maintaining flow and momentum. The technique is similar, involving just one finger. But here you hold to drop and release to fly: the little bird races the sun across the sky, swoops gracefully into dips, over patterned hills and across to new islands, with no pesky obstacles to navigate except the rise and fall of the undulating landscape. Completed by gorgeous colours and rippling music, it’s both rhythmic and relaxing: the perfect antidote to essay stress.

Machinarium Amanita Design

PC, iOS, PS3, Android, Vita Out Now MACHINARIUM is an indie point and click puzzle game developed by Amanita Design, the same people who brought us Botanicula and Samorost. Set in a post-apocalyptic world of metal cities and robots of all shapes and sizes, Machinarium has a beautiful steampunk style with amazing detail. We follow our protagonist, a lovable little robot called Josef (which I affectionately named Banter) as it navigates its way from the scrapheap and through the city, dodging the maﬁa, toppling a bomb plot and ﬁnding his companion. There’s no dialogue in this game or any coherent language, apart from the cute garbled noises of the different robots. Instead, characters communicate through gestures and animated

thought and speech bubbles. Also, the soundtrack (by Tomáš Dvořák) is both quirky and mesmerising – I listen to it when I study, and once played it through three times straight when writing an essay. It’s just wonderful and eerie.

You just don’t want it to end, as it’s a beautiful and charming game Machinarium is single player only, though there is nothing to stop it being played as a group, working through the puzzles together. The game increases in difﬁculty, going from fairly simple to “What on Earth do I have to do?” Hints and clues are available at each level, but I didn’t ﬁnd them very useful, which is a downside. However, a unique feature ofMachinarium is that Josef can only

interact with objects in his reach. This stopped me from waving my cursor all over the screen until I found something I could click on. As a result, you actually explore the setting and the scenery, really taking in the amazing handdrawn details in the artwork. Josef’s little metal torso can be stretched up or contracted down to reach things, and the inventory holds the objects he collects on his journey, which can be used, sometimes by combining them, to solve the puzzles later. Helpfully, it never has to carry more than it needs, so we don’t have to sort through any useless stuff. From the interesting style, to the sweet childhood ﬂashbacks that appear if you’ve been staring at the screen for a while, Machinarium is a beautiful and charming game, and as you follow the endearing Josef completing challenge after challenge, you just don’t want it to end.

Nostalgia Hit: Double Dash!!

Reverse into the past with another Mario Kart classic

Badland Once in a while, a game comes along that is simply flawless. As far away from 8-bit graphics as it is possible to get, Frogmind’s atmospheric side-scroller immerses you in a rich but poisoned forest of silhouettes and shadows. Without any explanation, you are landed with the task of guiding a strange, black, faintly bird-like creature through a threatening obstacle course of spikes, undergrowth and steampunk metalwork. Badland is, for a mobile game, costly: but for such a beautiful app, the price – and your phone – is worth it.

BETHANY BAKER

THE FOURTH Mario Kart game, and the only Nintendo GameCube game in the series, Double Dash!! was an essential part of many a student’s teenage years. While racing around DK Mountain or the notorious Rainbow Road, players transform into Bullet Bill or use Super Star (complete with the classic sound effect), using items to turn what could be a clear-cut race into a frenzied battle royale. Double Dash!! is the only Mario Kart game to feature two characters per kart, one driving and one using items. There are two options for gameplay here: either one player can control both characters simultaneously or two players can work together, each controlling one character and having to both press the z-button simultaneously to switch places. Both characters have to work together to enable drifting around corners, leading to many hours of control stick mashing and triumphant celebrations, particularly when playing with two players to a kart. To manage a speed boost when starting a race, both characters must hit the accelerate button simultaneously to have their kart surge ahead of the rest, propelled by a rocket spouting blue ﬂames. There are four main race modes: Grand Prix, Time Trial, Versus and Battle. Grand Prix is single-player (un-

less the second player control the character using items) and has the player race against seven AI-controlled karts. By winning Cups for four courses players unlock new characters and move up through different engine size classes and difﬁculty levels.Time trials let the player attempt to set their fastest possible time around any course, with their best time saved as a ‘ghost’ to race against themselves. Versus mode allows multiple players to compete against one another on any courses of their choice with the options to change the number of laptops and item frequency. Battle mode features three minigames for multiple players. ‘Balloon Battle’ requires players to race around a battle arena in karts and attempt to successfully hit other players with items in order to burst their three balloons and knock them out of the game. Double Dash!! is, in my opinion, one of the most compelling games ever released for a Nintendo platform. Over ten years since its release it’s still a thoroughly enjoyable

game, particularly when played with a group. The controls are intuitive, the game mechanics are far more realistic than you might expect for a game featuring a dinosaur and an ape racing karts and the graphics, while not exactly cutting edge, have a nostalgic 3D beauty. Anyone with a working GameCube or Wii should grab a copy of Double Dash!! and some GameCube controllers and immerse yourselves in some decade-old kart racing hijinks.

JOSH CREEK

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Badminton 2s two games from glory Photo: Niklas Rahmel

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Alex Bonner Sports Team

BUCS Throphy Quarter Final EUBC 2nds 6 Gloucester 1sts 2 EUBC 2nds gained a 6-2 victory in a crucial cup-tie against the Gloucester ﬁrsts. This result will see the seconds advance to the semi-ﬁnals in the cup competition. Exeter performed well throughout their eight matches, pairing Steve Ford and Toby Hong performing particularly well in both their doubles matches. Gloucester provided a stern test throughout, meaning Exeter had to perform well to overcome their opponents.

The contest attracted a strong crowd, with those faithful to Exeter amply rewarded for their support through some excellent badminton. Proceedings began with two singles matches, with Exeter duo Nick Halliwell and Dan Temp starting both matches in confident fashion. Halliwell utilised the court well throughout the first set to take a commanding lead, meaning his Gloucester opponent had to play catch-up throughout the entirety of the first set. Halliwell, building upon this early momentum, took the first set in confident fashion 21-16. Halliwell, frequently capitalising on his opponent’s errors, raced into a commanding lead in the second set. One particular shot, a smash by Halliwell, drew an immense reaction from both the fans and the team.

The second-set ended 21-15 in favour of Halliwell, meaning Exeter gained an early 1-0 lead. The match between Dan Temp and his Gloucester opponent did not fare

With their opponents looking deflated, Exeter pressed their advantage as well for Exeter, with the Gloucester player causing Temp problems throughout the entirety of the match. The ﬁrst set was very tightly contested, with only three points separating the two competitors at the sets con-

clusion. Gloucester’s player, winning the set 21-18, continued to utilise this momentum to take the match through winning the second set, with the scores ending 21-18, 21-15. The first round of doubles matches were contested by Exeter duo Brendan Foreman and Cameron Levy. The duo dominated proceedings throughout, as the pairing made very few mistakes, meaning cheap points were not easily available for the Gloucester pairing. Both Foreman and Levy combined well to take an early first-set lead, with the set ending 21-8 in Exeter’s favour. The second set was more tightly contested, but the Gloucester duo continued to find play difficult due to the pace and intensity in which Exeter was playing at. The second set ended 21-11 in Exeter’s favour, meaning the match was concluded in a fairly short time period. Exeter pairing Toby Hong and Steve Ford encountered a far more challenging match in the second doubles match. The duo found life difficult in the first set, and eventually lost the first-set in extremely tight fashion 21-18. A momentum shift was apparent in the second-set, as the pairing seemingly found a new lease of life to level the match one set all. The deciding set was extremely close, with both pairings desperate for the win. Exeter’s superior service phases ultimately tipped the match in their favour, meaning the pairing of Hong and Ford ultimately took the match in three sets. Both Nick Halliwell and Dan Temp were in action in the second phases of single matches, with both looking to build upon their performances from the first set of matches. Halliwell continued his strong form to take the first-set in fairly conformable fashion 21-6. The second-set was equally encouraging for the Exeter

faithful, with Halliwell continuing to dominate the court. Fatigue was certainly a factor in proceedings, but Halliwell, utilising his superior fitness, came through in straight sets. Temp again, despite improving his performance levels, found it difficult to compete with his Gloucester opponent. Temp slumped to a 21-15 loss in the first-set, with his opponent building upon his lead to take a commanding 20 -9 lead in the second.

The final match proved to be extremely close The Exeter man fought back to a 20-14 scoreline, however a final smash from his opponent saw the match end in victory for Gloucester. The final round of doubles took place on courts six and seven, with Exeter needing one more win to secure the tie. Exeter duo Steve Ford and Toby Hong started proceedings in a confident manner, as the pairing managed to take a crucial first set lead that ultimately proved decisive. With their opponents looking visually deflated, Ford and Hong continued to press their advantage to ultimately secure the match, and the cup tie, for Exeter. The final match, with Exeter pairing Brendan Foreman and Cameron Levy involved, proved to be extremely close. The pairing won the first set 2118, with the duo then losing the second set by the same scoreline. A tightly contested final set was eventually won by Exeter 21-16. This result meant the final score ended 6-2 in Exeter’s favour, which will see the Green Army march on into the semi – finals.

Heartbreak for Womens Table Tennis W�� T�� T��

Ben Pullan Sports Team

BUCS Trophy Quarter Final Exeter 2 KCL 3 IN a close fought game, Exeter’s women’s table tennis 1s were knocked out of the quarter finals of their cup competition. They had fought well against a tough KCL pairing, tying the closely fought singles games 2-2, setting up a winner-takes-all doubles finale. Fittingly, this turned into a five game epic, which Exeter narrowly lost after an 11-9 defeat in the final game. Exeter were unsurprisingly gutted at such a cruel loss, the two Exeter girls – Prachi Vaid and Zuzana Bakusova – should be proud of the immense effort they put in. One would not have expected that such a thrilling spectacle would develop from viewing the early part of the match.

With no coach, no kit and no crowd for the Exeter girls, the St. Luke’s sports hall did not exactly have an atmosphere fitting for a crucial BUCS knock out match. The early play in the first matches also reflected this, with both teams dishing out unforced errors and compliments to their opponents. However, things quickly began to hot up. Bakusova’s first opponent- Samantha Wong, was a class act, frequently drawing her Exeter opponent into a long rally, before ending it with a trademark cross-court smash. Bakusova, meanwhile, was taking a while to warm up, which her opponent took advantage of well, winning their match by a convincing 3-0 margin (117, 11-6, 11-5). On the neighboring court, things were going better for Exeter. Vaid, who played an excellent defensive game, absorbed the pressure of her contest with Eleanor Stringer, and capitalised on her unforced errors to take an early 2-0 lead. Nevertheless, in what would become

a feature of the match, her KCL opponent fought back well from 2-0 down to win the third game and then strive to the bitter end in the fourth. Both girls traded winners, with Stringer clearly wanting to complete her comeback, but Vaid remained focused, eventually edging the game 1412, giving her a 3-1 victory. This ensured that the girls swapped opponents with the score tantalizingly poised 1-1. Stringer now felt the full force of Bakusova trying to make amends for her disappointing first game defeat. Exeter were utterly dominant in the first two games, winning 11-4 and 11-5 respectively. Nevertheless, like in her first game, Stringer did not go down without a fight. Playing some of her best table tennis of the day, she won an epic third game 13-11, with an answer for everything the Exeter girl threw at her. She came close in the fourth as well, but Bakusova held her nerve to seal a 3-1 victory. On the court next door, arguably the best table tennis of the day was being played. Vaid and Wong, buoyed by their

first game victories, were slugging it out in another classic match. Vaid won the first game 11-9, but Wong once again displayed her quality, using her varied repertoire of defensive slices and offensive top-spin forehands to come back into the match. All this quality made for some thrilling rallies, where both girls would give nothing away. The KCL competitor then embarked on a brilliant comeback, winning three on the bounce, to secure a 3-1 victory. This meant that the two teams were tied 2-2, and the marathon encounter would be decided in an all-or-nothing doubles match. Tensions flared between both pairs, with the pressure of the game starting to show, but Exeter’s play remained at a very high standard, and they won the first game convincingly 11-6. KCL got one back, Exeter then won the third game and were playing much the better table tennis. Then something changed. Wong, who had been quiet for most of the game, suddenly came into her own,

and she led a brilliant fight back in the fourth game, which the KCL girls, with their backs to the walls, crucially won 11-9. This bought the score to 2-2 in matches, and 2-2 in games in the final one, the whole afternoon came down to who could get to 11 first. One of the pairs would be going away with a cup semi final, the other with nothing. With both teams visibly full of nerves, the titanic climax began. It was arguably decided by one moment of brilliance. KCL had begun the game weakly, with Exeter taking an early 5-3 lead, but suddenly, out of nowhere, Wong played the shot of the game, a cross court smash that would cue a fight back to ensure the end of the cup for the Exeter girls. They stayed in the game, but the momentum had shifted, and they were eventually beaten 9-11, prompting utter elation from the KCL girls.

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EULHC win in dramatic shoot-out W��’� H��

Cillian Dunn Sports Team

BUCS Trophy Quarter Final EUWHC 0 (p) Nottingham 0 EULHC 1sts triumphed over the University of Nottingham in a tense encounter that went all the way to penalties, to secure a place in the semi-finals of the BUCs Championship. The match, which finished goalless after extra time, saw decent opportunities created by both sides, but Exeter will feel that on the balance of play their victory was deserved. Overall, however, the game was a scrappy one, as the scoreline would suggest. Nottingham forced an early save from Exeter keeper Lottie Winnett in the first minute of the game, but this was about as good an opportunity as they were to create all half. Exeter, too, struggled initially to retain possession,

Winnett pulled off her most crucial save of all to send Exeter into the semi-finals to face Loughborough but slowly grew into the game, spending long periods of the match encamped in Nottingham’s half. The Nottingham defence stood ﬁrm however, restricting Exeter’s best opportunities to set pieces. In spite of this, Exeter might have felt that they should have been in front by half-time, being denied on several occasions by the Nottingham keeper following well worked short corners. Opportunities created in open play were sparser, although the away keeper did well to keep out JJ Blackstock’s strike

following a low cross from the right. In the second half, Exeter were even more dominant in terms of possession, but once again struggled to create clearcut chances. Their build-up play was, in general, excellent, the final ball unfortunately less so. Nonetheless, Nottingham were still indebted to their goalkeeper once again, most notably when she heroically blocked two shots from close range, following yet another Exeter short corner. She also did brilliantly to parry an effort from Hannah Griffiths, after the Exeter No.42 had turned her marker and driven into the box, although it was even more miraculous that Exeter failed to score from the follow-up, their forwards somehow failing to make contact with Griffiths’ centre. Such wastefulness could well have proved costly, as although Nottingham attacked only rarely, they looked dangerous on the occasions that they did. One such counter attack forced Winnett to save twice in quick succession, from the original chance and then the short corner that followed it, whilst from another Nottingham would have gone through on goal had it not been for an excellent last ditch challenge from Lori Gleeson. For the most part, however, Exeter looked the stronger side, helped further by the opposition’s No.2 being temporarily dismissed for a succession of fouls in the dying moments of normal time, much to the delight of the raucous home support. They were unable to make the extra player count, though, with the Nottingham keeper denying Alice Woods, before the whistle was blown to signify the end of normal time. If the home team were already frustrated, they were to be even more so in extra time, somehow failing to score that crucial goal, in spite of the numerous chances they created. The game was virtually all played

Photo: Niklas Rahmel

in Nottingham’s half, with Exeter forcing a number of opportunities. Kathryn Lane, in particular, was hugely unlucky not to score, seeing shots ﬁzz narrowly past the post from two successive short corners. By the time the full-time whistle blew, Exeter must surely have harboured concerns that their wayward ﬁnishing would be punished in the penalty shoot-out. This proved not to be the case, although the shoot-out itself would have

done nothing to help their nerves. Nottingham missed their first two penalties, but so, incredibly, did Exeter. Bobbie Burkin then gave Exeter the advantage, while Nottingham completed a hat-trick of misses. Nottingham finally ended this appalling run by scoring their fourth penalty; Rebecca Cadwallader did the same for Exeter to keep them in the lead. But the pressure got the better of Annabel Driver, and with Nottingham also scoring their final penalty, the

shoot-out went to sudden death. Cadwallader coolly dispatched her second penalty of the afternoon, meaning that Nottingham had to score, but Winnett, faultless throughout, pulled off her most crucial save of all, to send Exeter into the semi-ﬁnals. Old rivals Loughborough await in the next round which is set to be a close fought affair as both teams seek to secure a place in the BUCS Trophy Final.

Confident EUNC ease into semi final N��

Scarlett Freeman-Bassett Sports Team

BUCS Trophy Quarter Final EUNC 2s 48 Cardiff 4s 37 EXETER 2s breezed past a determined Cardiff 4s team to claim a place in the semi finals after a high intensity clash this week. Despite the pressure of the huge turnout of support and a place in the semi-finals at stake, the seconds started this match on a confident note, scoring two goals in the first two minutes. The fast pace of the match continued and began to push Cardiff into making a number of unforced errors in the early stages, which the seconds took advantage of, making them completely dominant. The positive play from the home side

continued into the second quarter, with brilliant communication and instruction from the defensive force of Ana Kenworthy. The 2s too maintained possession and forced Cardiff to give away the ball on multiple occasions simply due to holding the ball for three seconds. Exeter began to really take control in the second quarter and managed to break away and obtain a comfortable seven goal lead. Despite trailing by a signiﬁcant amount, Cardiff fought back much harder in the third quarter, beginning to obtain possession and dominate the match. Exeter remained resilient and with a little help from the brilliant vocal support on the sidelines, along with some fantastic interceptions and determination from Katie May in centre court, they managed to increase their lead even further to a total of nine more goals. Cardiff fought right until the end and were almost faultless in their bid to win in the last quarter, scoring four goals in ﬁve minutes.

The fatigue in the diligent Exeter side was beginning to show and unforced minor errors gave Cardiff the edge in the dying minutes of the game. Regardless of Cardiff’s efforts, it was all too little too late and the match ended in a comfortable 48-37 win for a resilient Exeter team. Talking to our player of the match Holly Walton after the game, it was clear just how much this win meant for the girls as she explained that: “We couldn’t have asked for a better result or better support and we’re all so excited for the semis. “It’s going to be a tough match, but after today’s performance the squad are feeling really positive about it!’ Without a doubt, if the seconds play with as much determination and grit as they did today, they are in for a long run of wins and the ﬁnals are well within their reach. A brilliant result for a very deserving team.

Photo: Niklas Rahmel

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The Final Whistle Here is your guide to a few upcoming sporting courses, classes and events: 8 March Doubles Badminton Tournament Sports Park 15:00-17:00 £5.00 per pair au@exeter.ac.uk 01392 723573

9 March

3v3 Mixed Basketball Tournament Sports Park 14:00-18:00 £8.00 per team au@exeter.ac.uk 01392 723573

13 March Table Tennis Taster Forum Project 11:00-14:00 FREE au@exeter.ac.uk 01392 723573

14 March

Table Tennis Tournament Sports Park 12:00-15:00 £2.00 per person au@exeter.ac.uk 01392 723573

15 March

Netball Tournament Sports Park 16:00-19:00 £30.00 per team au@exeter.ac.uk 01392 723573

23 March

Yoga Workshop – Building self-practice St Luke’s Sports Centre 13:00-16:00 U of E Students: £15.00 01392 724940

31 March

Mixed American Doubles Tournament Exeter Tennis Centre 10:30-13:00 Members: £8.00 Non-members: £9.00 No partner required 01392 723699 xtc@exeter.ac.uk

7-11 April

NPLQ Course St Luke’s Sports Centre 09:00-17:00 U of E Students: £200 01392 724940

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BUCS long course success

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Loughborough golden

S�� Anne-Marie Clifford EUSC Secretary

UNIVERSITY OF EXETER Swimming Club’s BUCS Squad had a successful weekend away at the BUCS Long Course 2014 Championship in Sheffield with outstanding swims across all events, and many previous club records broken. The Men’s 4 x 100m freestyle relay (Pete Lewis, Alex Winter, Nick Johnson, Dominic Woodbridge) made it into the B final and came 7th place with a new club record of 3.44.60. Likewise, the Woman’s 4 x 100m freestyle relay (Megan Wainwright, Cara Thompson, Lydia Smith, Seun Olusanya) came an impressive 4th place in the B final and broke a club record of 9 years with a time of 4.16.50; with Megan breaking the 100m freestyle club record in the process. There were many individual highlights over the weekend, including Dominic Woodbridge who came 12th in 100m fly in 58.39 breaking the club record by 0.51 seconds as well as 14th place in the 200m fly in 2.14.98 to break the previous club record by an incredible 12 seconds.

There were many individual highlights. Woodbridge broke the club 100m fly record by 0.51 seconds Men’s Captain James Marshman swam an impressive 200m IM in 2.30.68, breaking the club record of 9 years. Nick Johnson came 17th overall in the 200m backstroke with a time of 2.17.63 and Seun Olusanya came 24th in the 50m freestyle in 29.08, narrowly missing the club record by 0.04 seconds. Seun was able to build on her performance in the 100m freestyle, where she came 25th overall with a time of 1.04.68. Other superb performances came from Christine Howie, Dan Crawford, Adele Marsullo, Sam Harvey, Rob Moran, Rachel Vaughan, and Phoebe Weaver. BUCS squad captain Adele Marsullo commended the teams performance saying: “Everyone swam remarkably well and they should all be very pleased that their hard work at training has paid off. The fact that multiple club records were broken is a testament to this. The teamwork shown in the relay teams was outstanding, and they did very well in the B ﬁnals”.

M��’� H��

James Beeson Sports Team

BUCS Trophy Quarter Final EUMHC 2s 1 (1) UWE 1s 1 (2) A.E.T. EXETER Men’s Hockey 2nds suffered cup heartbreak on Wednesday, as they were beaten 2-1 in extra time of their quarter-ﬁnal clash with rivals Loughborough in the BUCS Trophy. In what was a tense game, Exeter will undoubtedly feel a little disappointed with what was an uncharacteristically timid performance from a side that had not lost since November prior to the start of the game.

With the start of proceedings delayed due to the women’s tie against Nottingham (also on the Water Astro) going to a penalty shootout, both teams were raring to go as Loughborough pushed back to begin the match. It was the visiting side whp were the stronger of the two teams, with some excellent swift passing, and a relaxed, confident approach. They were rewarded for this early pressure with a short corner, which resulted in a penalty flick being awarded for an illegal block on the goal line. The flick was confidently dispatched and Exeter found themselves behind. Far from bouncing back after conceding, Exeter looked shaken, and almost conceded again when James Claughton was caught in possession, leaving Loughborough through on goal. Luckily

for Claughton, the Loughborough player mis-controlled and the ball was hacked clear. Exeter’s first major chance arrived around 15 minutes into the first half; Alfie Gilbert finding club captain Sam Plater just inside the D with a precise pass. Plater turned and struck a venomous strike goalwards, but was denied by the post. Loughborough were able to breathe oncemore. This marked the beginning of a good spell of pressure for the home side; Albert Thornton doing well to earn his side a short corner. Unfortunately the corner was hopelessly overplayed and came to nothing. As halftime approached, frustrations were beginning to mount in the Exeter

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n goal puts Exeter out

Crossword No. 59 by Neveu

Photos: Niklas Rahmel

Across

camp, much to the glee of the very vocal travelling fans. A late ﬁrst half sin-bin for Loughborough raised Exeter’s hopes, but it had little impact upon the play, and when the half time whistle blew, Loughborough’s lead remained intact. Unfortunately for Exeter, things didn’t improve after the break. Loughborugh started the second half in a similar fashion to the ﬁrst, forcing two excellent saves from goalkeeper Todd Dudley in the early stages. However, they were once again reduced to ten men after Plater was sent through on goal, only to be hacked down cynically by a Loughborough defender. The resulting short corner, however, was again squandered as Exeter overcomplicated their routine and lost possession.

Just as things were starting to look desperate for the home team, a jinking run by Jamie Sones yielded another short corner. The routine once again was sloppy, but the ball fell kindly for George Creed, who made no mistake and smashed the ball past the Loughborough keeper to level the tie. Both sides now sensed victory. Loughborough responded well to losing their lead, forcing another good save from the heroic Dudley in the Exeter goal. The tie looked to be heading for extra time but Exeter won a late short corner after a fantastic piece of dribbling from Will Baker. However, with tension mounting all around the ground, nerves got the better of Exeter’s corner taker, as he double tapped the ball and gave away

a foul. The final whistle blew and the sides faced extra time and golden goal. Extra time was a short-lived affair. Within five minutes of the restart, Loughborough secured the golden goal to end the tie. An excellent dribble down the right hand side by the winger was followed by a whipped cross into the Exeter semi-circle. As the Exeter defenders closed in, the forward attempted an audacious strike through his legs. The strike took Dudley by surprise, and he was unable to prevent the ball flying into the goal. The referee blew the final whistle. It went 2-1. Exeter were out. The Loughborough players went wild with celebration as they advanced to the semi-finals of the Cup, and Exeter were left wondering what might have been.

Down

Across

Down

1) E.G, for example (11) 7) Hot Room (3,4) 8) Drink of the Gods (6) 10) Compact ____ (4) 11) Stature (6) 14) Encircles (6) 16) Comes before the fall (4) 17) 18 Across is one (6) 18) England, Scotland,Wales (7) 19) Final Markers (11)

2) Limits (10) 3) Improve (6) 4) Mischievous creature (3) 5)Teach (7) 6) Russian Ruler (4) 8) Post dusk (5) 9) Partner in crime (10) 12)Went out with the tide (5) 13) Sailor (7) 15) Austere (6) 18) Busy one (3)

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Lax Men cruise into Semis

Photo: Edwin Yeung

M��’� L��

Freddie Turner Sports Team

BUCS Trophy Quarter Final EULC 23 Nottingham 1 THE MEN’S Lacrosse 1st team moved into the semi-ﬁnals of the BUCS Championship after a crushing 23-1 victory over Nottingham. A fantastic all round team performance, including eight goals from Rich Steventon sent the green army marching on in a one sided affair at Duckes Meadow. With the BUCS Premier South title already in the bag, Exeter went into the game hoping to add a cup run to what has been a very successful season to date. The senior statesmen of the team were also in the knowledge that a loss would make this their last game in a green shirt.

They began like a team possessed, playing at an extremely high intensity which the visitors were unable to live with. Forward Steventon was first to get his name on the scoresheet, after good movement off the ball, which allowed him space to pick his spot past the keeper. It was not long before Steventon was celebrating again after Ben Beebee’s vision gave him space and he casually slotted home. It was evident that there was a gulf in class between the two sides, with Exeter more aggressive, agile and skilled in all departments. It was now Michael Constantine’s turn to take centre stage as a mazy run took him past two defenders before he fired in for a great solo effort, to put Exeter three up. Exeter had monopolised possession and Nick Henderson-William’s powerful run and finish gave them their fourth, before Steventon bagged his hat trick. The sixth goal was the best yet, as a great

In this issue of Exeposé Sport...

team move, combined great movement and passes before Mike Barclay converted into the top corner. When Harley Wallace joined the procession, Exeter had a seven goal lead at the end of the first quarter and the game appeared won. The second quarter began in much the same fashion as the first, with Exeter prevailing over their inferior adversaries, with the scoreboard continuing to work up a frenzy, as Steventon added four more and was joined on the scoresheet by Henderson-Williams and Nick Hudson. The defence, which had been rendered mere spectators for most of the game, impressed when briefly called into action. Marshalled well by co-captain Christopher Adams they were well organised and physical. Behind them, other co-captain Nima Barzin looked infallible between the sticks and his stellar distribution formed the basis of many attacks. At half time it was 13-0, a score which far from flattered the irrepressible

hosts. With a BUCS semi-final all but secured Exeter began experimenting different plays and formations in the second half, in preparation for the tougher opponents to come. This meant the constant flow of goals marginally diminished. However, they were still dominant and Harry Wrench found his finishing boots, scoring his first two goals of the day. Harley Wallace also scored before Henderson-Williams completed his hat trick with a trademark explosive run and finish to make it 17-0 with one quarter remaining. Harry Wrench scored his third next before turning provider for Nick Hudson, who showed great skill to receive the pass and shoot at a frightening pace. Steventon then showcased his poaching qualities to score his eighth and Exeter’s 20th of the game, before Wrench made it 21 unanswered goals. With time running out, Nottingham appeared to gain inspiration in an at-

tempt to take a small consolation on the long drive back to the midlands. This wish was granted as a speculative long shot found its way into the top corner of the net, ruining Exeter’s hopes of a clean sheet. They responded magnanimously however, as Harley Wallace’s classy finish made him the fourth hat trick hero of the day. There was just time for James Bradley to send the Duckes’ crowd into raptures as he made the final score Exeter 23-Nottingham 1 just before the final whistle blew. Afterwards, Barzin told Exeposé, “That was great! Overall it was our best team performance of the season, with everyone playing great. Hopefully we can take that form into the semi which more than likely will be against a very talented Leeds Met side”. That game in a fortnights time looks set to be a cracker with the green army one win away from their first ever BUCS Championship final.

Contentious Golden Goal loss for EUMHC 2s

EUNC into semis with Cardiff win

- pages 38 & 39

- page 37