Rejecting the beaten path: Exeposé Travel Special Escape Exeter this summer with Lifestyle’s travel tips (pages 1213) and Books’ holiday reads (pages 20-21)
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Student Students express concern over racially queueing clubbers NEWS, PAGE 3 assaulted at Quay Photo: Joshua Irwandi
CROSSING THE LINE?
• Proposed plans suggest demolishing half of campus • Guild unaware of plans • Proposals found by student
Jon Jenner Editor A STUDENT has been physically assaulted in the Quay car park, in an attack that was seemingly racially motivated. The student, a British national of Chinese origin, was punched in the head by a local young woman that was reportedly calling her a “four-eyed Ch***y bitch”. The woman managed to punch the student numerous times and pull on her hair before the two were separated. After being spotted by CCTV in the Quay car park, the woman was arrested by police and spent a night in the cells. At the time of writing, the student intends to press charges, and the case could go to court due to the racist implications of the attack.
EXCLUSIVE Harrison Jones and Tom Elliott Online News Editors
£500k fee for Russell Group Owen Keating News Editor THE FOUR newest members of the Russell Group have each agreed to pay a joining fee of £500,000. A Freedom of Information submitted by Times Higher Education revealed that each university has agreed to pay an extra £100,000 annually over the next five years in order to join the group, which they became part of last August. The four institutions, Exeter, Queen Mary, Durham and York, all announced in March that they were leaving the 1994 Group to join the more prestigious Russell Group. Their joining fees mean that their annual subscriptions to the Group over the next five years will be £159,000, compared to the £22,000 paid
by members of the 1994 Group. A spokeswoman for the Russell Group said that the joining fees had been sought “to cover the one-off costs of the expansion and in recognition of the investment...made by existing members when developing the organisation”. The Russell Group has 15 full-time staff, and encompasses 24 universities. The 1994 Group now has only 11 members, after St. Andrews, Bath, Surrey and Reading all withdrew following Exeter and co.’s decision to move to the Russell Group. Some have criticised the quartet’s decision to pay the Russell Group’s joining fee. Rob Cuthbert, professor of higher education management at the University of the West of England, told Times Higher Education that “clubs [for] rich universities” were “like shops where if
Screen: Assess the summer’s biggest blockbuster: Gatsby - PAGE 18
you have to ask the price you can’t afford it”. Cuthbert added that “the new members of the Russell Group obviously think it is worth diverting nearly 60 student fees from teaching and learning to advertise their exclusivity”, and that “the surprise is not so much the price but that the Russell Group chose to make itself less exclusive”. A spokesman for the University of Exeter said: “Membership of the Russell Group is a brand asset for the University which also benefits our students. It means that Exeter is recognised as being amongst some of the best Universities in the UK, which has a positive effect on the quality of research and teaching as well as the employment prospects for our graduates. We believe it is well worth the cost of joining.”
Matthew Bugler, a second year English student, said that “the fact that an Exeter spokesman said belonging to the Russell Group is a ‘brand asset’ says all we need to know about the purpose of joining. Exeter University may have some of the country’s best researchers and lecturers but does it really need to spend so much money on its image?” Nick Davies, Guild President, said: “One of the key benefits of Russell Group membership is the enhancement of the University’s reputation and related improvement in future student prospects. Given the significant increase in student fees, it is important to understand the real return on investment from membership of the Russell Group and whether it is worth more than addressing key issues for students such as hidden course costs or improved teaching facilities.”
Music: Preview the best festivals
Features: Tackle the sensitive
of the summer
subject of PTSD
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“It was an absolute shock to my family, friends and I that racial attacks could occur in such an ethnically diverse area like Exeter” The affected student Based on Exeter’s Tremough campus, the student was in Exeter visiting her boyfriend, also a student at the University. On their way to visiting the Quay, they were stopped by four men and a woman sitting on either side of the path. The group, drinking cider, asked the pair about the Islamist attacks in London, and if they would join in with rioting if “the Muslims started”. After replying that they didn’t know and moving away from CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 FIND US ONLINE AT
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Students snap up luxury apartments
James Smurthwaite News Team EXETER’S “largest and most luxurious student accomodation” has been snapped up fast for next year. Dean Clarke Lofts released ten properties as part of the first phase of their development of the former Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital and they were all let by the “end of March”. This large demand has led to the second phase being released ahead of schedule. The properties, which are based at Southernhay, just behind the Cathedral, are priced between £100 and £190 per week. They feature: “on site professional management, flat screen smart HD TV, TV license and CCTV.” There has been noticeable interest from the international community at Exeter in the development of these properties. Ryan Siyi Dong, a PhD student, and former president of the Chinese Society, was used to translate the website to make it more accesible for Exeter’s international community. Mark Edworthy,
“I am excited to soon be living at Dean Clarke Lofts. The lofts are amazing” Kwame Amponsah, student the project’s managing director, praised the “incredibly supportive” Chinese Society for all their help with the project, which led to “exclusive tours” for Chi-
ON 5 June this year Exeter will host the fifth annual Student Engagement Conference at Reed Hall. This conference is part of the University’s Students as Change Agents project in which students are encouraged to actively engage in making their experience at Exeter the best it can be through identifying areas for improvement in teaching and learning and discussing solutions with their peers. After the success of the previous four conferences the agenda for this year’s Student Engagement Conference includes a number of interesting sessions regarding the improvement of education within the University. Over the past year the project has identified four key areas for student engagement within the university which include student engagement with learning, with quality assurance and enhance-
Plans to remove city centre bins James Crouch News Team
nese students. Steve Travé, marketing the development, states that the flurry of lettings “affirms his belief that there is indeed demand for this type of luxury student accommodation in Exeter”, and says that “enquiry rates have been high from both international and UK students”. Kwame Amponsah, an Accounting and Finance student who recently let an apartment says: “I am very excited to soon be living at Dean Clarke Lofts. The lofts are amazing, so big, roomy and very luxurious, and the location is right
in the centre of Exeter, near the shops and restaurants.” Grace Hopper, VP Welfare and Community, said: “The popularity with the newly built Dean Clarke apartments in Southernhay shows the need for student accomodation still in Exeter. The number of students will build each year so it is comforting to know that accomodation is readily available for students. The vast range of accomodation is also encouraging, to suit the needs of every student, to support them adequately during their time of study”.
Reed Hall to host Student Engagement Conference Emily Tanner Deputy Editor
Exeposé
ment, with the academic community and with extra-curricular activities - which staff and students will be discussing at this year’s conference, dealing with over 100 projects which have taken place this year.
“An event like this shows that the University is keen to connect to students” A second year English student The workshops available to attendees at the conference this year have been created to address the different areas of engagement which the scheme has defined. These sessions range from ‘Feel the fear and do it anyway: liberating the curriculum’, which will deal with the fear both students and staff experience regarding students’ ability to control their own learning experience, to ‘Should Colleges be doing extra for extra-curricular activ-
ity?’ where the conference will consider the role of the academic College in students’ extra-curricular experience, touching on examples which include the Psychology Volunteering Project and the Care Homes Reading Project. A second year English student commented: “I think the conference is a great thing. It saddens me that there are so many students who do not make the most of their time here and if you don’t get involved you are not making the most of your time here in Exeter. An event like this shows that the University is keen to connect to students and their experiences and will hopefully encourage more students to take control of their university life.” The success of the event over the past four years has demonstrated the importance of student engagement at Exeter which the 2013 conference will address through its discussions and workshops.
PLANS to remove more than 12 litter bins from Exeter city centre have been criticised amid worries over way the decision has been arrived at. Exeter City Council is removing 12 bins from the High Street, Sidwell Street and Fore Street for a trial period, down from the current 36. Councillor Kevin Mitchell criticised the decision making process, saying: “I am concerned that this decision has not been discussed at the city council’s scrutiny committees and, to my knowledge, no city centre business has been made aware of this decision.” Councillor Mitchell also raised concerns about the affects of the litter bins removal: “[The] cut in the number of bins could lead to an increase in rubbish within our vital retail sector and that this could ultimately damage our economy.” According to a Exeter City Centre Transport Study in 2011, carried out for Devon County Council, public suggestions for improvement to the city centre involved increasing the number of litter bins. However, council officers still believe that there will be a sufficient number in the city centre. Councillor Greg Sheldon, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Leisure, said: “We are not removing all
“[The] cut in the number of bins could lead to an increase in rubbish within our vital retail sector and that this could ultimately damage our economy.” Kevin Mitchell, Exeter City Councillor bins, just a number that we believe are surplus to requirement and often barely a third full. “We don’t feel this will exacerbate the situation – if people are going to drop litter they will do it regardless of where the nearest bin is and we have powers to deal with these offences.” Helen Schnabel, a second year English Literature student, told Exeposé that she would be against any plans to remove the bins. “Fewer bins means that people have more of an opportunity and more of an excuse to litter. All this means that there is an increased chance of a dirtier, less environmentally friendly high street. I personally don’t think you can have too many bins.”
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‘Rate your Shag’ pages taken down
Plans to save streetlights after Exeposé and Guild Campaign
Louis Doré News Editor
Louis Doré News Editor
DOZENS of Facebook pages allowing students to publicly rate their sexual partners have been shut down, following comment from the National Union of Students. The pages, commonly entitled ‘Rate your Shag’, invited students to name their sexual partners and give them a rating out of ten on the public Facebook pages, in some cases ‘liked’ by thousands. Liam Burns, the President of the National Union of Students, condemned the Facebook pages as “tantamount to bullying”. The pages that associated themselves with universities nationwide were shut down within hours of the comment. Nottingham and Bath ranked among the most popular of the pages with dozens of ‘reviews’ appearing before the pages shut down. Exeter’s equivalent page was relatively unpopular, attracting only a few posts. A University spokesman said: “We take a very dim view of these things. We think it is very unwise for students to post comments about others because there is evidence that increasing numbers of employers look applicants up on social media and take a view on their suitability based on what they find there. Social media is a great tool for communication...but it has to be used responsibly.” Grace Hopper, VP Welfare and Community, said: “It is reassuring to hear that the page has been shut down. Speaking about women, or men, in this manner is unacceptable under any circumstance, but especially on social media, heavily seen and used by students in particular”.
DEVON COUNTY COUNCIL is initiating consultation on street lighting in student living areas of the city, following plans to cut costs and carbon emissions associated with late night street lighting. The Council is inviting local county councillors, Exeter city councillors and the Police to provide their views on the initial proposals. Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Highways, said: “This is the start of the consultation on streetlighting in Exeter and we’re keen to gather the views of stakeholders and residents in helping us draw up the final plans. We are also aiming to develop a network of busy “walking home routes” which will remain lit all night. We have already gained some useful input from the University of Exeter Students’ Guild following their presentation to the Exeter Board last November. The proposed final plans, which will be drawn up over the coming months are for some street lights in residential areas to be switched off between about 12:30am and 5:30am, before coming on again, until dawn. The St. James and St. Luke’s areas, inhabited predominantly by students, are now proposed as part of the protected areas that will remain lit, including popular routes home throughout the city. Councillor Andrew Leadbetter, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Exeter, stated: “The input from local councillors, Police and the Students’ Guild will give us a solid starting point on which to consult further, so that
we can produce a scheme in which we will all have been able to play a part.” Since January 2010, over 35,000 streetlights across Devon have been converted to part night lighting. This has already saved around 4,000 tonnes of CO2 and approximately £1.2 million from the Council’s electricity bill. This has been contested by a campaign from The University’s Students’ Guild and Exeposé, which has had a large following of support from students. Devon County Council is responsible for nearly 77,000 street lights, costing £2.2million in electricity and producing nearly 20,000 tonnes of CO2 every year. The switching off of the streetlights at specific times of the night is part of a wider package of carbon saving measures, which also includes night dimming and the use of low energy equipment and LED technology. Grace Hopper, VP Participation and Campuses, said: “The discussions that
the Students’ Guild has had with Devon County Council have been very constructive in recent months, leading to the much-changed starting point for proposals that we have seen today. Throughout this process, we have recognised the County Council need to cut carbon emissions and find financial savings; but we don’t feel these should be offered up at the price of community safety and the resulting wider costs to the public purse. ” She added: “The overwhelming support our campaign has received from students and resident groups; as well as local Police officers, County & City Councillors, Ben Bradshaw MP and national safety agencies demonstrates the depth of feeling on the matter. We are pleased the new drawings we have been shown are reflective of these concerns.” Exhibitions on the new plans are likely to be held in July. Dates and locations will be confirmed in due course on the County Council website.
Photo credit: Joshua Irwandi
Student racially assaulted at Quay Photo credit: David Glaves
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 the pair were rushed by the woman, who was shouting continuous racist abuse. The woman punched the student and pulled her hair, before the student’s boyfriend stepped between the two. The group of men eventually pulled the woman away after she had rained punches down upon both students.
“Having heard the recent news about the racial attack on Exeter Students, I am appalled” Grace Hopper, VP Welfare and Community The student, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: “I would like to say a big thank you for everyone’s concern, help and support. It was an absolute shock to my family, friends and I that racial attacks could occur in such an ethnically diverse area like Exeter. I hope incidents like this can help to highlight the underlying issues of racism present in Britain at such turbulent times and I implore anyone who has been attacked in such a way to come
forward.” A second year English student at the University said: “This isn’t the first time I’ve heard about trouble down at the Quay. I definitely wouldn’t go running there on my own anymore.” Grace Hopper, VP Welfare and Community, stated: “Having heard the recent news about the racial attack on Exeter Students I am appalled. I would always hope Exeter would be free of this kind of behaviour, and am deeply saddened to all those involved. To anyone affected by this despicable occurrence the Guild support channels are available including the advice unit found in the Forum. Helen Booker, Equality and Diversity Administrator for the University, said that she was “deeply sorry that student experienced racial and physical assault at the weekend”, before adding that there are several support mechanisms that students who feel harrassed or threatened can turn to. Students wanting more information should see www.exeter.ac.uk/equality/ harrassment/network
NEWS
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Concerns over queueing clubbers Simon Dewhurst News Team EXETER students have raised concerns about long nightclub queues as the end of term approaches. Arena and Timepiece have been particularly busy since exams finished with advance tickets selling out up to three weeks in advance. This has re-
“The end of exams brings one week where the club gets very busy and we see students queuing early” Alex George, Arena Manager sulted in some people having to queue for over two hours to get in, leading to concerns about crime and dehydration. Staff at the nightclubs are working with Exeter City Police to keep students safe and ensure they do not drink in the alcohol-free zones in the city centre. In previous years, there have been reports of people collapsing from dehydration in queues whilst the potential for trouble is also greater when nightspots are busy. Police are often seen in attendance at the queues on particularly busy nights. Alex George, Arena Manager, explained: “We see this every year as the end of exams brings one week where the club gets very busy and we see students queuing early. If they are unable to secure advanced tickets, then they do not want to miss out on celebrating with their friends. Alcohol is being taken off students drinking in the queue and we also assure that staff and barriers arrive early to keep people safe.” Inspector Andrew Webber, Exeter Police Inspector, said: “We are unaware of any problems with the queue and have not been alerted to any disturbances. It is always a concern that people may spill out onto the street and block the path and students must remember that it is an offence to drink in public.” Matt Laventure, a third year Sports Science student, said: “The fact that I had to start queuing at 8pm for a club that doesn’t open until 10pm astonishes me. I just finished a degree but queuing that early makes me feel pretty stupid.” This view is shared by many other students who have felt the negative effects of the long queues. Beth Wright, a second year English student, told Exeposé: “Seeing as Arena is the most popular club in Exeter, it’s pretty ridiculous that it seems impossible to get in on busy nights. Nowhere else would you have to queue for two hours to get into a club that doesn’t actually fill up ‘til midnight. The mix of tickets, wristbands and queuing is so unreliable.” Jon Bagnall, VP Participation and Campuses, said: “Celebrating the end of exams has seen an increase in attendance at many social venues around Exeter which means queueing time has extended. We advise students to plan their events in advance and also ensure they are drinking responsibly, taking in regular amounts of water to stay hydrated.”
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Liam Trim Site Manager
EU students owe £50m in student loans
HOT on the heels of Exeposé’s exclusive about the possible demolition and construction plans at St. Luke’s campus, the Exeter Express & Echo is reporting that the traditional cricket pavilion, at the Devon County ground opposite campus, could be demolished to make way for “high quality student flats”. According to the Express and Echo’s website, long-serving Exeter Cricket Club chairman Bob Price thinks that the building plans should cause no “real controversy”, because the alternative to the “limited development” is that the ground’s pitch and open space would be lost for future
Durham University criticised for buying £1.4m of art THE UNIVERSITY OF DURHAM has come under severe criticism in recent weeks after spending £1.4million on works of art, including pieces by the world famous Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol. The works were purchased, in addition to several specially commissioned pieces and work by artists from the North East, to be put on display in a number of refurbished buildings, including the new administrative Palatine Centre, the Law School and a library extension. Durham was forced to reveal the costs of the artwork, following a Freedom of Information request from the University’s student newspaper, Palatinate. However, it is understood that the University initially opposed responding to the request based on security grounds. A spokesman for Durham University said that at least £1.1million of the cost of the artwork had been paid for out of savings from the “capital programme as a whole”.
Exeposé
Cricket pavilion could be dismissed to make way for luxury student flats
Meg Drewett Editor
THE STUDENT LOANS COMPANY has been forced to recently hire a team of private investigators to track down hundreds of EU graduates from UK universities who have failed to repay their loans. After a recent Freedom of Information request by the Independent on Sunday, the SLC revealed that they had employed “international trace agents” to locate the missing graduates. The SLC have taken this step after the amount owed by EU nationals who had studied in the UK had risen to £50m in 5 years. Since returning home, many EU graduates have slipped off the SLC’S radar, having either failed to provide details of their salary or crucial information about where they are living to the SLC. Kevin O’Connor, the head of SLC repayments, told the Independent on Sunday: “We are currently in the process of reviewing accounts of both UK and EU borrowers who are known to reside overseas and are in arrears, with a view to issuing further legal proceedings against those who do not respond to us.” The SLC was established in 1989 to provide loans and grants to students studying at UK colleges or universities. Since it became obliged to offer financial support to EU students at UK universities in 2006-07, it has loaned more than £117m to EU students.
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generations of Exeter residents. A family trust has allowed both Devon Cricket Club and Exeter Cricket Club to play at the ground, rent free, since 1902. However, next year this long term lease will finally run out, forcing Exeter Cricket Club in particular (the only amateur team in their division) to seek new forms of income. Mr Price told the Express & Echo: “We sub-let the adjoining squash club and we will lose that income when the lease is up. How are we to replace that income?” “We don’t pay any of our players. We want to play simply for the beauty of the game. We will retain the ground and we will have a sizeable amount of money to build a new club house next to the squash club”, he added. It is not yet clear whether the stu-
Photo: Niklas Rahmel
dent accommodation Mr Price is proposing would be approved by the university, or a private venture. However, the plans came as a surprise to the Students’ Guild. Grace Hopper, VP for Welfare and Community, told Exeposé that “the new article from the Express & Echo was the first I’d heard of anything”. She added though that she would now be “inves-
“It would be a travesty to demolish such a beautiful, traditional pavilion that makes the Cricket Ground what it is: a quintessential Cricket Pitch” Sam Plater, University of Exeter Mens’ Hockey Captain tigating the alleged plans”. There are already strong indications that the plans to knock down the pavilion might encounter considerable opposition. Councillor Percy Prose explained to the Express & Echo that “temporary listed protection status” had been used to save buildings in the past and he thought there was scope for a “Save Our Pavilion” campaign. A council spokesman has also stated that there are “no current planning applications” and that any such applications would be subject to both “legal tests” and the new St. James Neighbourhood Plan. The Western Morning News website suggests that the Neighbourhood Plan may give res-
idents a say in the future landscape of the cricket ground. Many students would welcome a say in the future of the pavilion, as it is used to host Athletics Union events. Men’s hockey captain Sam Plater told Exeposé that the building was used to host his society’s match teas. He went on to condemn the possible plans: “it would be a travesty to demolish such a beautiful, traditional pavilion that makes the Cricket Ground what it is: a quintessential Cricket Pitch”. Confusion reigns over the exact purpose of the potential planned flats and their benefits to students. Mr Price told the Express & Echo that the flats would accommodate students close to campus, so that they are not “taking up houses in the city”. Does this mean that they are not intended for first year students, who would usually live in university accommodation, either on campus or nearby? Second-year History student, Oscar Maddox questioned whether there would be a demand for flats on the edge of campus among second and third years. He said: “While it would be nice to live near campus, I would worry about how much it would cost. Also I think there are lots of benefits to living nearer town, so I’m not sure how many people would want to live there”. Whether the development will even go ahead or not remains to be seen, and the future of cricket in Exeter is also uncertain.
The Voice seeks Activities and talent in Exeter Volunteering Fair Ricky Freelove Arts Editor
Magda Cassidy, President of Shotgun Theatre said: “This was done to
TALENT scouts from The Voice arrived at Exeter University on 29 May in search for potential contestants for the prospective third series of the popular talent TV show. The hit BBC show is currently on its second series. It is broadcast on Saturday nights, and attracts over 7 million viewers every week. The show is in direct competition with ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent, which appears to be winning the ratings war, pulling in on average over 10 million viewers per show. Students were asked to prepare a 90-second piece of any style for the scouts, but reminded that the ‘audition’ was merely an ‘informal pre-talent stage’ due to the third series not being formally commissioned by the BBC. The talent scouts set up in Knightley Seminar Room between 10-12 and waited for Exeter’s talent to be showcased. Society presidents were emailed by the Music Office and asked to share the news amongst their members, but to not publish it on social media networks so that the auditions would not become too high-profile.
“It’s nice to know that those who wouldn’t necessarily apply for a television programme may get the opportunity to show their skills” Lauren Swift, first year English and French student avoid timewasters so they just auditioned people who could actually sing.” She continued: “It’s nice to see that we’re being recognised as a location for potential competitors” Lauren Swift, a first year English and French student, commented: “There’s a lot of singing talent at the University what with Soul Choir, Semi-Toned, The Choral Society et cetera, so it’s nice to know that those who wouldn’t necessarily apply for a television programme may get the opportunity to show their skills.” It is not known yet if any Exeter students have progressed further than an initial audition.
Olli Whittle Activities Coordinator
THE ACTIVITIES & Volunteering Fair (A&V Fair) is an integral part of the year for all student groups and the Students’ Guild is always trying to improve the way the Fair is run. We are keen to make sure that student groups have the best possible experience on the day, that newly arrived students are able to easily sign up to the groups that take their fancy and also that feedback from the previous Fair has been taken into account. This year the Guild are making two very important changes to the way the A&V Fair is run; these are related to the taking of membership fees during the Fair and the signing up of new members to student groups. Following on from the A&V Fair 2012 the Guild received feedback from student groups. We have listened to that feedback and incorporated it into our planning and delivery of the event. This year student groups will be able to take cash at their stalls which will then be taken by student committee members to the Guild Finance Office to be banked and added to their group’s account. This change is in direct response to student feedback and will mean that student groups control the process of signing up
and taking cash from their members. The second change regards taking memberships at the Freshers’ Fair. Each student group will now receive a sign up pack with sign up sheets which will be filled in at the student group stand with details including Student ID Number and contact details. These sign up sheets will be collected and scanned by the Guild to upload to the MSL system. This will mean that membership details will be processed and added to student groups membership pages on the Guild website within a week of the Fair itself. As well as the sign up sheets on the day of the Fair, online memberships will be opened before, during and after the event to allow for those who do not want to sign up at the Fair as well as any members who sign up throughout the rest of the year. A guide to how the Activities & Volunteering Fair 2013 will work has been sent to all student group Presidents and has also been put on the Guild website for information. Alongside this we have been running drop in Q&A sessions to respond to student groups’ queries. For more information, please contact guildaandv@ex.ac.uk. We are really looking forward to the A&V Fair on September 22nd and look forward to working with all the student groups to sign up new members and plan for the year ahead.
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“From the resounding success of the Forum to the achievements of our sports teams, many parts of our university have gone from strength to strength” to be to the growing achievements of our sports teams, who look set to finish 5th in BUCS this year, many parts of our university have gone from strength to strength. We were named the Sunday Times University of the Year back in October and joined the Russell group, although admittedly this seems to have come with a hefty price tag. The Guild’s streetlights campaign, as Exeposé has exclusively revealed, has also appeared to have emerged victorious as the Council open further consultations into turning off streetlights with student areas ring-fenced. However, it hasn’t all been highs. Our student community has been divided a number of times, perhaps most obviously over the Safer Sex Ball’s tribal theme or more recently over whether or not to ban The Sun from Guild outlets. Exeter hit the national headlines after the SSB blow job scandal, calling our University’s reputation into question all around the world and meaning that if RAG wants to hold another landmark ball next year, it may have to return in a different form. For most graduating students
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Students set for summer
EXAMS are finally over, the sun has come out at least twice and academic buildings are suitably deserted as students begin to revel in their freedom and head home for the summer. Some of them will be saying goodbye to their degrees for good. It’s been a rocky year for Exeter as a university. From the resounding success that the Forum has proved
EDITORS
though, these won’t be the things they remember about their time at Exeter. It’ll be the Cheesy Tuesdays at Arena, the hours spent volunteering with whichever society you’ve found a home with whilst at Exeter and most importantly the Ram’s curly fries and Firehouse pizzas that have an everlasting place in the minds (and stomachs) of our graduates. For those returning students, a number of questions need to be asked about what sort of University we want to be next year. With the second generation of Exeter’s £9000 fee payers coming through the Forum’s doors, there are sure to be questions about value for money education and how students can access the best of our resources. With several academic buildings set to be refurbished over summer, we’ll be coming back to revamped campus and students will want to make the most of it in 201314. At Exeposé, this year has seen some of our biggest headlines yet – from ‘Cocaine on Campus’ to our investigation into the ethics of the Forum’s funding - and a massive
“We wave goodbye to a number of outgoing editors, who have worked tirelessly to make their sections the best they could be this year, and wish the best of luck for the future” growth in our student engagement. We wave goodbye to a number of outgoing editors, who have worked tirelessly to make their sections the best they could be this year, and wish them the best of luck for the future. To our readers and writers who return in September, see you then and have a great summer.
Thanks to those who helped proof this issue: Vanessa Tracey, Lauren Swift, Charlotte Earland, Beth Stuart, Tom Payne, James Crouch, Ronald Liong, Jaz Sansoye, Emily Lunn, and members of the Exeposé editorial team Exeposé would like to apologise to any readers who may have been offended by ‘The Welsh Exedus’ (Issue 609, Page 13). No insult was intended.
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Meg Drewett & Jon Jenner Clara Plackett & Emily Tanner
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The future of the St. Luke’s campus
“The main problem with Luke’s is the perception that it carries. Luke’s needs a PR rep”
Kitty Howie
Lifestyle Editor ST LUKE’S campus is a pleasant place. It’s also very quiet because it sees relatively little student footfall. It’s a sad truth that St Luke’s remains completely irrelevant to the vast majority of students who study at Streatham. I was placed in Rowancroft halls as a fresher. Lots of people in a similar situation to mine lived out the daily “commute”. A half-hearted assimilation into “Mongrel” life happened along the way, mainly going to the Bop a handful of times and using the library. As it was only ten minutes away from Rowancroft, its location was useful to me. After living in the Mt. Pleasant area, it’s location is still useful for me – and also to everyone else who lives round there. When you stop to think about it, it’s amazing how few students based at Streatham actually think to go and use Luke’s. It’s not in the forefront of our minds, so we mostly forget about it and trudge to the Forum. A shame considering it’s only ten minutes away
from Mt. Pleasant. The most important thing to think about when considering these building plans is that they’re long term – it’s not like they’re going to go straight in with a bulldozer and knock the whole thing down. At least I hope not. Luke’s library may not offer up state of the art tech like irritating automatically opening windows like the Forum library, but it has been renovated to a high standard. It’s smaller, more intimate, and has a sense of identity.
“Rather than knocking it down and starting again... the better option to me seems like putting strategies in place which change the way Streatham students feel about the space” The main problem with Luke’s is the perception that it carries. Luke’s needs a PR rep. The library ain’t broke, and doesn’t need fixing – I always get a seat away from a serial texter / nose picking weirdo. There does need to be
a higher level of student participation and engagement with the space. Rather than knocking it down and starting again, or knocking it down and transferring everything to Streatham, the better option to me seems like putting strategies in place which change the way St reatham students feel about the space. If there’s more on offer there individual options and drawing points (other than an indoor swimming pool), then more people would go there. Especially if there’s a shuttle bus (take the hint). Even if there isn’t, I see no reason why second and third year students in the Mt. Pleasant area shouldn’t be encouraged to walk ten minutes “in the wrong direction”. If anything, I am glad that building plans have been discovered because they have confirmed a truth that we have all known for a very long time – Luke’s certainly isn’t being used to the best of its potential. Rather than taking dramatic action with the bulldozer, I hope efforts are put into ways of communicating and improving an image of Luke’s which is welcoming and inclusive to all. Luke’s needs people to love it, rather than think of it as obsolete and irrelevant. Cartoon by Ricky Freelove
Exeposé
| WEEK TWENTY-nine
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The Sun sets on campus Ben Murphie
THUS the farce of playground name calling that defined the vote over banning The Sun newspaper from Student’s Guild retail outlets has ended. It remains to be seen whether the results in Exeter strike a blow against domineering ideology or reveal a hidden undercurrent of bubbling misogyny within university culture.
“Facebook and other methods of online publishing now allow for a democratisation of public opinion. Whilst more people than ever before can have their say, this opportunity for expression comes at the expense of any kind of quality control” Yet rather than tread the hackneyed ground of debating the motives behind the “No more Page 3” campaign versus the right to free speech, it appears the entire campaign process is a much more revealing indication of some of the problems inherent within university society. Facebook and other methods of online publishing now allow for a democratisation of public opinion. Whilst more people than ever before can have their say, this opportunity for expression comes at the expense of any kind of quality control. Rather than seeing a meaningful intellectual clash over the issue of Page 3 being distributed on campus, we were treated to infantile snipes about the universal benefits of “wobbolahs” and Rachel Brown’s lamentable piece on Exeposé Online that hoped for a “more visionary male stereotype”. The opportunity for anyone apparently representing one side of the campaign to launch conjecture on the unsuspecting online public revealed the lack of
a united front on both sides of the argument. It was this childish infighting that saw most of this debate devolve into immature disarray, obscuring any real issues at hand. Matters were not helped by the Students’ Guild who sought to use the media furore to further their own profile by reminding us after the campaign failed that “if you have your say the Guild will always listen.” This statement is completely redundant as no further action was required after the vote. I cannot see how the Guild should be congratulated for changing nothing. I also wonder if they would be willing to take the same stance if the motion had been carried and they were tasked with petitioning the university to actually stop selling The Sun, something the administration has said it has “no plan” to do. It seems to me that the campaign to remove The Sun newspaper from campus was a poorly executed and highly self-interested affair. It ended with both sides trading insults whilst the Students’ Guild tried to take credit for democratic student expression. The fact that Facebook has allowed for a tedious and messy airing of personal beliefs regarding this matter is not anyone’s fault, yet it certainly seems that a little modesty of opinion would not go amiss. It was Joseph Addison, founder of the political
“It was Joseph Addison, founder of the political magazine The Spectator who said “modesty is not only an ornament but also a guard to virtue.” At the end of this campaign I feel there are several parties who could do well to protect their own modesty” magazine The Spectator who said “modesty is not only an ornament but also a guard to virtue.” At the end of this campaign, I feel there are several parties who would do well to protect their own modesty.
LETTERS
RE: Goodbye St. Lukes? Issue 609, page 1
Dear Editors,
The headline on Exeposé’s recent article on the future of St Luke’s entitled ‘Goodbye St Luke’s?’ caused some consternation. Just to make it absolutely clear, the University has no plans to close St Luke’s. Indeed, we are thinking about the best way to invest in the campus over the next 10-25 years. The Exeposé article focused on an estate plan for St Luke’s which shows the potential future devel-
opment of the campus. There is no secret about any of this and, indeed, a copy is lodged with the city council. It is normal practice to produce campus development plans which give a broad indication of how things might shape up in the future, but no funding or firm plans have yet been produced beyond the refurbishment of two Medical School buildings and some improvements to existing teaching and learning spaces and Library provision. Best wishes, Stuart Franklin, Director of Communications and Marketing, University of Exeter
Alasdair Wood THE referendum on banning The Sun was an issue I remained split on until the end. On the one side it seemed illiberal to ban a newspaper, but on the other, it would have been just one small organisation making a democratic decision to stand against The Sun. Most people on both sides of the campaign seemed to agree that Page 3, the reason for the ban being wanted, is degrading towards women. It trivialises the role of women and is inappropriate for a “family newspaper” with such a large audience. We want to protect children especially from this, so boys don’t grow up to see women as objects and girls know they can aspire to be more than a pretty face with nice tits. You only had to look on the “Yes” group on facebook to see the extent of which many men see women as objects. One lad described “Yes” supporters, as
Maddie Soper NEWS has broken of Angelina Jolie’s double mastectomy. The most beautiful woman in the world has elected to remove those body parts that, for many actresses, define not only their femininity and appeal to a male audience, but often the trajectory of their careers. Exeter’s decision to ban of The Sun on campus seems oddly apt at this pivotal moment in the discussion on female body image. Breasts are strange things. They are paradoxically viewed as both central to what makes a woman a woman, whilst simultaneously being viewed as entities in and of themselves. The depiction of women and their bodies in The Sun is horrific to say the least. Not only the fact of Page 3 itself, but its rampantly sexist reporting, and the message constantly bombarded at
“If The Sun had been banned, the Guild wouldn’t have suddenly taken on North Korean style censorship powers” “Booby haters,” and used “woman” as an insult towards a male supporter of the campaign. While another lad made the statement, “I respect any woman who will flop their baps out for the boys.” The girl proposing the motion also faced much more personal attacks. It’s all damming evidence that “Lad” culture is proud and unashamed on campus.
“Every day we see men treating women as objects. Harassment in the streets, inequality in the workplace” Some tried to dismiss these lads, as “Trolls”. Which, of course, just means internet bully, but we too often use it casually to describe “friendly banter”. There is nothing funny about this women that your body is what defines you; the sole factor that makes you desirable and worth something. Yet Page 3 is merely symptomatic of the epidemic of misogyny enshrined within the entire mainstream press. Whilst I may hate the publication with the fire of a thousand suns, that does not mean I feel my opinion should in any way infringe the ability of others to ‘read’ the paper should they so desire. The “No Campaign” is not an endorsement of what The Sun stands for, nor it’s horrendous depiction of women. It instead stands in fundamental defense from the threat of censorship and infringement of individual liberty. As a dedicated supporter of the No More Page 3 Movement, I feel time and energies would be much better focused elsewhere: raising awareness of the true extent of the misogyny spanning all manner of publications, often in forms more subtle, and therefore more damaging, than that of The Sun. I shall continue to campaign wholeheartedly for the removal of Page 3 itself, but not for
banter. The disrespectful things they say makes you worry about how they must treat women in day to day life. Every day we see men treating women as objects. Verbal or physical harassment in the streets, inequality in the workplace, and its ugly face shown in destructive relationships. We must all, male and female, confront such things. Sexism isn’t to be casually dismissed and laughed about. We should shout at and shame the harasser, we should campaign against gender inequality in the workplace and we should try to get our friends out of abusive relationships. If The Sun had been banned, the Guild wouldn’t have suddenly taken on North Korean style censorship powers. But it also wouldn’t have caused Rupert Murdoch to change his mind about Page 3. Getting rid of Page 3 is merely a small part of our struggle against the objectification of women. the paper’s removal from individual campuses. Indeed, both stories have been widely publicised in the news recently, but there is a poignant message in the coincidental timing of Jolie’s decision to remove her breasts and the increased conversation surrounding the press’ objectification of women. One is inspiring a generation of
“Whilst I may hate the publication that does not mean I feel my opinion should infringe on the ability of others to ‘read’ the paper” women to make strong choices that empower them and their sexuality, whilst combating the press’ obsession with defining women by their bodies. The other is concerning itself with removing but a singular symptom of the ever-growing tumour of sexism that plagues the British press today.
Send your letters into editors@exepose.com RE: The Welsh Exedus Issue 609, page 13 Dear Editors,
I am writing to you to express my displeasure with an article entitled ‘The Welsh Exedus’. As someone who is half English and half Welsh, I am practically an expert on the rivalry that exists between the English and Welsh peoples. But I wanted to point out to you, and your writer Richard Monnickendam, that there is a difference between walking the line of ‘nationality banter’ and sounding like an ignorant muppet.
First, let me demonstrate where you seem to have confused what is funny with what is unintelligent. Welsh students leaving the valleys to study in England has nothing to do with some innate Welsh shitness but rather is because Welsh students, like English students, like to have options. In addition, all those places that your writer seemed to have such distain for are at maximum half an hour’s drive from lush green countryside. You can’t pick and choose a few locations and then label the place crap because the builders of those specific locations had a few too many breezeblocks available to them, in
your opinion. Finally, I don’t know exactly what was crossing the mind of your editors when they choose to illustrate an arguably already offensive article with the image of a sheep, playing into an unbelievably unfunny set of sheep-shagger jokes that revolve around the Welsh. No matter how funny your writer may or may not have been trying to be, your choice of image was not amusing. It’s not a clever joke; it’s not even mildly witty, and really Exeposé, I expect a lot better. Yours, An unimpressed student
Exeposé
| WEEK TWENTY-nine
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Features Learning normality
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Alexander Carden & James Roberts features@exepose.com
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Jade M bravely speaks of the abuse she suffered in her past, and the ongoing struggle to come to terms with it. In her article for Exeposé, she explains what it has been like for her on the long road towards normality Readers should be aware that this article explores issues that some people may find distressing. WHEN people meet me for the first time, I often wonder what they must “see.” A small, petite young woman? Someone in desperate need of a new bottle of hair dye? A musician? Someone with a dry sense of humour and the inability to say “no”? I am all of these, but we all have our secrets too. To the outside world I am a lively, fun and warm student. Only the few closest to me know my true identity. Student, yes: but also a survivor of severe abuse. Throughout my childhood I was abused; emotionally, physically and sexually. I went through varying degrees of torture, witnessed horrific things, and every day was filled with a horror of some description. Living in fear and in pain very quickly be-
“I’m writing this article not to talk about the abuse I suffered, but to help people understand recovery, posttraumatic stress disorder and what the fallout can be” came normal for me, as was the battle of wills: they wanted to break me, but I wanted to stay strong enough until the day came where I could escape. I escaped briefly, but was then quite seriously abused by my partner, but I managed to escape from this too. I won. I’m free. Now it’s time to fight back and help others. There are articles everywhere about what abuse may consist of. But what about the aftermath? I’m writing this article not to talk about the abuse I suffered, but to help people understand recovery, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and what the fallout of such severe abuse can be. I started university with almost no memories of my childhood; I had
‘blanked’ almost everything. This is quite common; as a child the trauma was too much to cope with or even comprehend, so the memories were blanked. Once safe at university, the memories started to surface through flashbacks and nightmares.
“I started university with almost no memories of my childhood; I had ‘blanked’ almost everything. This is quite common” What are flashbacks? They are not just simply remembering. A flashback is re-living a traumatic event. My flashbacks can be extremely violent and can take a group of adults to restrain me. I must point out here that I am 5’ 1” and 7 stone; I don’t consider myself strong. However, when put in a situation that is frightening enough, the adrenaline pumps and suddenly I seem to turn superhuman. I re-live the event. I don’t just remember. I re-live the pain, re-live the emotions … I can smell, hear, feel. I believe I’m there, in that situation, alone and trapped. Sometimes I can hear my friends in this world trying to communicate with me; trying to wake me up, and this is helpful. Apparently they see me kicking, screaming, crying and thrashing around, and it can be quite evident to them what was happening to me.
“I re-live the event. I don’t just remember. I re-live the pain, re-live the emotions. I can smell, hear, feel. I believe I’m there, in that situation, alone and trapped” What can anyone do to help? Some of my friends ask me this. I cannot actually stress how valuable something so simple as holding a person’s hand,
“As my memories surface, I am forced to see how I was betrayed and hurt continuously. My childhood was robbed from me, as were my teenage years.
I am now on a crash-course of ‘normal life’ and having to learn very quickly what normality is”
whilst re-living such horrific trauma, can be. At the time of the abuse I was alone. There was nobody to comfort me. For me to feel someone holding my hand, it helps me realise the abuse isn’t happening at that specific moment; it’s a flashback. It helps me know that there is someone waiting to hold me when I wake up. I know I’m
“For me to feel someone holding my hand, it helps me realise that the abuse isn’t happening at that specific moment; it’s a flashback” not alone. I’m cared for now, and this is the most incredible thing for me. If you see someone in a flashback, try and gently talk to them; tell them that they are actually safe, and where they actually are. If you can’t think of anything to say, it’s alright … just hold their hand. You’ve no idea how amazingly helpful that can be. Flashbacks are one of the symptoms of PTSD. Approximately eight percent of all adults will develop PTSD during their lifetime, and an estimated one out of ten women will get PTSD at some time in their lives. According to ptsdalliance.org, the greatest risk factors are: • Rape (49 per cent chance of developing PTSD) • Severe beating or physical assault (31.9 per cent) • Other sexual assault (23.7 per cent)
“Some days I feel ready to take on the world, and other days I want to curl up somewhere and never wake up” PTSD is a mental health illness which can follow a traumatic event, and as the above shows, almost half of
cases are caused by rape. It can include depression, anxiety, eating disorders, flashbacks and nightmares. What has recovery and PTSD been like for me? A crazy rollercoaster. Some days I feel ready to take on the world, and other days I want to curl up somewhere and never wake up. I’ve been plagued by flashbacks and nobody could have warned me of how difficult recovery would be; surely if I’m safe, it should be easy? Not so. As my memories surface, I am forced to see how I was betrayed and hurt continuously. My childhood was robbed from me, as were my teenage years. I am now on a crash-course of “normal life” and having to learn very quickly what normality is. I have some very good days, and the most incredible friends, but it will never remove what happened to me.
“Please don’t underestimate what impact abuse can have on a person. Just because a person is safe, this does not mean that they don’t need support” Please don’t underestimate what impact abuse can have on a person. Just because a person is safe does not mean that they don’t need support. The NHS waiting list is long, and it concerns me that victims will just stay trapped in silence. You are strong; believe in yourself, and for friends of victims - never doubt how powerful simply your genuine care can be. If a person is abused; raped, beaten and crushed emotionally, the impact can be extensive. I want to make sure the world realises this, and we can all fight abuse together. Exeposé would like to thank Jade for being brave enough to share her story with our readers. Jade also has a blog, ‘fightingtheabuse.wordpress. com’. Her name has been altered to protect her identity.
If you need support or advice, contact: University Wellbeing Centre wellbeing@exeter. ac.uk
VOICE 01392 724000 8pm-8am
Devon Rape Crisis
Tel: 01392 204174 Mon 3.00pm-6.00pm, Wed 10.00am-1.00pm & Fri 6.00pm-9.00pm.
Student Health Centre 01392 676606 studenthealth@exeter. ac.uk
Samaritans Exeter 01392 411711 jo@samaritans.org
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Exeposé
Enduring Honduras Joel Mason reflects on the problems faced by Honduras, and his experience of living there “WHEN the great fall out, the weak must suffer for it” – so finishes the fable of ‘The fighting bulls and the frog’. Yet for the gently-spoken teacher sit-
“People across Central America feel powerless victims of forces beyond their control” ting reading to the group of children assembled in front of him, wearing whatever collection of rags of uniform they could muster, this fable wasn’t just another story – it was their story. Sitting in the school on a picturesque hillside in rural Honduras, charged with teaching about 30 pupils of all ages and abilities in just one classroom, he recognised in Aesop’s tale the plight of his own country. Just as the frogs in the fable are trampled on when the bulls fight, so too do ordinary people across Central America feel powerless – victims of forces beyond their control. At the time this occurred (the summer of 2009), the parallel had been thrown into particularly sharp relief for the students of that school, and the many like them across Honduras. The then-president
“The notoriously corrupt police are barely able to keep track of all the violence, let alone prevent it” Manuel Zelaya had just been ousted by the army in a coup, and much aid to the country had therefore been cut in response, including the daily ‘merienda’ funded by the World Food Program. The merienda provided all students in school with a simple meal during the
morning, and for many poor pupils this was the only thing which stood between them and severe malnutrition. These people simply wished to get on with their lives – the political manoeuvrings of the country’s military elite were just news that filtered through to them on the radio and when traders passed through. Tegucigalpa, the capital, may as well have been a foreign country to them. Yet it was they, and not the powerful generals or corrupt politicos, who were punished when the bulls fought. This feeling of being a dispensable pawn
o n some larger battlefield, echoes tragically once more in Honduras’ present situation. Since Nixon first declared the ‘war on drugs’ in 1971, it has consumed ever greater resources, with over $1 trillion spent on it to date by the US, but there is woefully little to show for this vast expenditure. This piece is not about the claimed rights to drugs of users in the US, nor about the Sisyphean futility of the task – cracking down on drugs, driving prices up, and thereby making drug trafficking an increasingly appealing option to poor, ill-educated people in countries with few opportunities. Instead,
I wish to highlight the oft-forgotten impact this has on ordinary people in
“Though younger than almost everybody at this university, they would often carry pistols” their everyday lives. As the resources lavished on the traditional culprit, Mexico, gradually began to make drug trafficking there more difficult, the drug trade and its associated prob-
lems have gradually been pushed down Central America into countries which are even poorer and even less able to cope than Mexico. Now, it is estimated that 80 per cent of the cocaine which goes to America passes through Honduras, the majority of it overseen by powerful gangs.
“Now it is estimated that 80 per cent of the cocaine which goes to America passes through Honduras” Indeed, the emergence of gruesomely violent gangs across Central America, known as maras, has been exacerbated by the deportation of many who had been incarcerated in the US for drug of-
fences. These people returned to Central America, replete with ruthless attitudes and experience of violent gangs, to countries already lacking the basic protection of law and order and awash with weapons. Central America now finds itself inundated with violence; the murder rate in Honduras is the highest in the world outside a war zone, with an average of twenty people killed each day last year. San Pedro Sula, which should be a thriving industrial hub on the sweltering north coast of Honduras, is instead the most dangerous city
in the world, in which street gangs murder with impunity. Of course, with the notoriously corrupt police barely able to keep track of all the violence, let alone prevent it, many young people are drawn to gangs by the safety and opportunities they appear to offer. With guns freely available, and the country growing ever more violent, the incentive is there for an ever-growing number of people to try to get their hands on weapons, which in turn leads to more violence, heightening the sense of fear, and so the vicious cycle continues. Even in the small, rural village in which I lived for a year and a half between 2004-2005, it was commonplace even for respectable members of the community to walk around armed, pistols casually tucked into belts. I often used to go with friends to visit their little plots of land or tend to their cattle; though younger than almost everybody at this University, they would often carry pistols. In a society lacking the rule of law, and with a severe problem of alcoholism thrown into the mix, it is not hard to
envisage the bloody end which is all too often the result of this toxic combination. In the year and a half I lived there, in my village and the surrounding area alone, with fewer than two thousand people, there were fourteen murders. This was, we were told, a good period. Having since been back, the problem has worsened significantly.
“In the year and a half that I lived there, in my village and the surrounding area alone...there were fourteen murders” Looking at the problems faced by countries such as Honduras, and the effect these have on the lives of ordinary people, it is hard not to feel a sense of despair. Yet perhaps if more thought can be given to the lives of ordinary people as these great battles rage on around them, then there can be the prospect of a more optimistic future. Indeed, there is a growing cacophony of indignant voices which, appalled at the carnage they see, are calling for a change in the policies pursued by the US.
“Perhaps more thought can be given to the lives of ordinary people as these great battles rage on” Ultimately, until people can harbour hopes of a better future from legitimate activity, they will continue to be drawn to drug trafficking. Until they can expect safety from the law and the state, they will continue to be drawn to violent gangs and the reassurance of weapons. The challenge faced by Honduras and other Central American countries is of how to achieve peace and prosperity when every day they face more bloodshed. For the sakes of the friends I have who live there, and the many people like them who simply wish to live their lives, I hope a solution can be found.
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Tweets of the week Tweet us @ExeposeLStyle STACEY HOWE @StaceyHowe7 Thats it...Finished my degree!!Amazing 3 years! #done #exeteruni #partytime ADRIENNE @adrienneeface It’s a beautiful day. I have no work at all. Life is pretty damn good. ALEX PHELPS @Phelpsy93 First beer after exams. So begins the journey of my liver to Valhalla ANNA GLEDHILL @glenda_ gleds Today I got shat on by a pigeon and a cute email from my Mum #youwinsomeyoulosesome
This one time on my gap yah... Milly Hindle gave tactical chunder a whole new meaning after her hair-raising trip around Peru There were two types that we encountered all too frequently: the ‘combi’ and the ‘Cruz del Sur coach’. A combi is a bit like a mini van; reminiscent of those littles buses that public schools use to cart their sports teams around for away matches. Except, in Peru, the seats are half the size and the jovial banter is replaced with yelps of pain from the taller members of my team, hitting their heads on the ceiling once more. It is also worth noting the non-existent suspension, which instilled a new dread of potholes, road bumps and unexpected red lights, causing me to hurtle into strangers’ arms and rapidly forget my once cherished British reserve. My balance is awful at the best of times, so on an average combi journey, I spent a good deal of time clinging to the nearest available limb of the person next to me, only for us
both to lurch backwards, locked in a rather painful gymnastic double act.
upset tummies, the runs and all manner of travelers’ health delights, but no one had expected just how often these would occur. Neither had we considered fate’s capacity to inflict these upon the team whenever we had a ten hour plus, inter-city coach journey. Waking up from already fitful sleep to find the people beside, in front and behind you retching into carrier bags is just gross and would make even the strongest of stomachs similarly wobbly. Taking a ‘tactical chunder’ suddenly acquired a whole wealth of new meanings... I found that any type of automobile in Peru seemed to lead to disaster on my gap year. Of course the places I saw and the people I met were well worth it, but I can’t deny that a tiny part of me wonders if, maybe next time, the Peruvians wouldn’t mind coming to the UK?
MATT FOX @foxxation Buzzing for Arena at 8.25. #Tragic
AFTER a twelve hour plane journey, I consider it normal to feel a bit dazed and groggy. Upon landing in Peru, I was not only feeling dehydrated, but had started to develop a weird kind of heat rash across my chest. I suppose this was caused by the very fluffy cable knit jumper I had worn, heeding my mother’s wise advice that it might be cold on planes. Lima, however, wasn’t cold. Far from it. The combination of thirty degrees and humidity left me peeling the jumper from my skin, which was now coated in a downy grey fluff. I’m sure the locals were thrilled to meet a furry type of Englishwoman, whilst my teammates remarked that it looked as if I hadn’t shaved my armpits in weeks. This jumper is no longer a favourite. Closely following the plane journey, buses have got to be one of the worst gap year experiences I had.
NIKLAS RAHMEL @niklasRen Who doesn’t love some casual half one frisbeeing outside the forum?
Travellers’ compact capsule essentials
LAURA ROBERTS @thelauraroberts Since finishing my dissertation all I tweet about is food. Need to up my game... MEGAN FURBOROUGH @meganfurborough With the help of factor 50 I avoided getting burnt yesterday and have instead acquired a lot of lovely new freckles. Ginger kid: 1, Sun, 0. BELLA JOLLY @bella_jolly Ooh I snapchatted the world last night #oops #dangerous
KAT HODGE @KayJayHodge @TheArenaExeter I love you RONALD LIONG @ronfiles Did a bit of research - apparently, my body clock is on Hawaiian time. Perfect! BEN WINSOR @BenWinsor1 Had to protect my tweets, it’s a sad day for thoughtless swearing. CARMEN PADDOCK @CarmenPaddock Nothing like a computer malfunction to make you question the meaning of existence and your own mortality #firstworldproblems
“I’m sure the locals were thrilled to meet a furry type of Englishwoman” A coach, you might assume, sounds like a glorious alternative to such a higgledy-piggledy ride. Perhaps we would hail ‘Cruz del Sur’ the King of Peruvian transport - clean, comfortable and tourist friendly. Surely this regal vehicle entered my travels with the joy of Jesus received to Jerusalem? I’m afraid not. Don’t be fooled by the plush name. In terms of design and presentation, these coaches were wondrous - it was just our circumstances that were not. We had been warned by our mentors that we might experience
Krissi Hill on ways to avoid sacrificing summer style when travelling
WHEN I first mentioned backpacking, my parents burst out laughing, convinced I would not be able to cope with the luggage restrictions of my old, and still smelly, D of E rucksack. Admittedly it was a squeeze but I refuse to compromise on fashion in Rome, no matter how grimy the hostel I’m staying in is (there was mould in the shower - I just closed my eyes). With this in mind, and the fact I’m so weak I struggle to lift my course books up Stocker Road, I packed very carefully. Firstly do not underestimate the heat. Carrying a heavy rucksack complete with bottles of water and cereal bars to save money on breakfast is tiring and you will get sweaty. Even my friends who actually run for fun (I have an inherent aversion to all exercise) found themselves with embarrassing
marks from our massive rucksacks. So tip one, wear sheer fabrics. They don’t take up much space, will keep you cool and stop you getting burnt (this is especially important if you’re a ginger like me). I’d recommend Warehouse, which has loads of sheer shirts in beautiful patterned fabrics, my favourite is the mosaic print. (Added bonus: most are baggy, so you can accommodate a healthily growing food baby.)
“I refuse to compromise on fashion in Rome” My next must for girls is a summer dress. Well, I say “a”, I took five, but that’s because I have an obsession. Go for floaty ones with a high waist (or drop-waist if you can pull off the 20s fe-
ver that has hit the catwalks). Flattering yet practical –an outfit in one item. Just remember to bear in mind the possibility of Marilyn Monroe moments when choosing your underwear. Also invest in a pair of “joggers”, not Adidas tracksuits, but the patterned silky ones that have made their way to the high street, finally. Zara and Topshop have some great choices at the moment. These keep your legs covered from midge bites and adhere to Catholic rules if you plan to visit many churches. Bearing modesty in mind, you’ll need a scarf for visiting churches and museums if you’re city hopping. It also can double up as a shawl if it’s cold, a sunshade if you’re burning and forget your sun cream, or even as a barrier against bedbugs! Lastly, don’t forget a hat! The last
thing you want is sunstroke. One of my more forgetful friends (I know you’re reading this) nearly passed out from a nosebleed due to dehydration and sun exposure. Let me assure you that running around Florence looking for a taxi to go to the hospital at 3 in the morning is not fun. Luckily the men chasing us only wanted directions. I have so many wonderful memories from backpacking and adhering to these few tips meant I’m not completely embarrassed by grungy clothing, sunburn and sweat marks in photos. If you’re about to head out around Europe or something similar this summer, I hope you have a fantastic time. Seriously, I’m extremely jealous and you may find I’ve tried to squeeze into your luggage amongst the sheer shirts.
Exeposé
| WEEK TWENTY-nine
Bikini body shapes
Eleanor Davis discusses the politics of working for a bikini body LAST month, I was struck down by what I now call “bikini fever”. I have never owned a bikini and rapidly developed the symptoms: bikini stress sweats, belly bulge hallucinations. Time to eat a carrot and pretend it’s the best carrot you’ve ever had, laughing at the old you who thought melted Mars bar on Ben and Jerry’s tasted better than celery…Let’s face it, celery tastes like solidified rain water and makes you want to cry inside. How many of us worry about baring flesh by the side of a pool? I can hazard a guess at around 98.9%, minus celebrities and those with an unjustifiably high metabolism. Glamour magazine recently did a piece on “Your Best Bikini Body”. Fab, I thought, as I scoured the pages for a perfect bikini to make me look like Mila Kunis (possibly… from behind). Alas, I came across something most disturbing. Beau-
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tiful Drew Barrymore in a black, halter-neck bikini and a caption that read “APPLE SHAPE”. Seriously?
“My best advice is not to shop for shape. Shop for confidence.” If she is an apple, I’m a watermelon. I don’t believe in “body shapes”, we are all completely different so get over it. The politics of bikinis is so over thought, it’s written about year after year but no-one ever says the obvious. Baring your body in public is scary! No one I know would happily go to Tesco in their knickers (I hope) and most of the time Britain is no hotter than the freeze r section. So, why do it? Well, to all you bikini avoiders, I will let you into a secret. It’s fun.
Scouting the shop floor opened my eyes to a world of swimwear fashion. There were body lengthening bright colours and patterns, slimming block colours and 50s one-pieces to express some personality. Mix and matching bikinis saves money whilst being creative. A light shirt worn over a bikini gives coverage but looks effortlessly chic. Open knit jumpers over bikinis will keep you warm as the sun goes down. Playful stud earrings and friendship bracelets accessorize perfectly. My best advice is not to shop for shape. Shop for confidence. Find a bikini to survive dive bombing and water rugby, your “bikini fever” will be cured. A friend told me, “confidence is what matters”, and it’s true. It’s not a question of “daring” to bare, you’re not in Tesco, you’re at the pool so find your free spirit and bare it to the world!
Sorority sister Our new columnist, Holly Alsop, is taking a year abroad next term. Here she talks pre-departure preparation. MY preparation for my year abroad in America has not got off to a flying start. Having spent $200 on the wrong visa and already forgetting my new email password, I’m terrified I’m not getting some crucial messages. Not bad omens, I hope. Otherwise, I have devoured my booklet Introduction to American Life which provides gems such as ‘try not to get pregnant’ and the promise that ‘more subtle British styles of humour are puzzling to those in the United States”; oh what joy. Another source of preparation is the internet. Apparently, the top three questions British students are asked by the American peers are “what does Butterbeer taste like?” I would imagine its sweet and crisp, but then again I wouldn’t know. “Do you know Kate Middleton?” I mean, of course I do! I’m going to be godmother and tea with the Queen is divine. And my favourite: “what part of Australia are you from?” To this I have no reply. I’ve joked to my friends that they won’t recognise me on my return, stating that I’ll be obese from all those burgers and speaking with an American twang, but this is actually a real fear. I do not run, I do not exercise. I prefer extra fries. My college does provide free gym membership which
Revitalise your beach body Jaz Sansoye shows nothing tastes as good as a beach body feels TONE your fiendish flab and tighten up your beer bellies – here are my top tips on how to get that beach body after binging.
EXERCISE It may be obvious but it’s the best place to start. If you’re planning to lose weight, do cardio AND weights. We know all know how girls mainly stay upstairs doing cardio while guys mainly head downstairs to the weights and stay there. The best way to a beach bod is to mix it up (and the best way to get the money out of the gym is to use all its facilities!). If you need to tone up, resistance machines and weights are the way forward, as well as toning exercises on exercise balls. My personal favourite is stomach crunches on the ball. It requires more flexing of the muscles because you have to balance on the ball and exercise simultaneously. CUT DOWN THE BOOZING If you really can’t resist, choose lower calorie and sugar options. No more VKs for you. Generally, the darker the spirit, the more calories it has. Vodka has a mere 52 kcals per shot whereas
whiskey has 56 kcals, although the latter varies on the brand. Ditch beer and cider – some bottles of cider can add 300 kcals to your daily intake. Beer is slightly better but still contains copious calories, hence the term ‘beer belly’. Take your time and leave your bendy straws at home. NO MORE DRUNK MUNCHIES We are all guilty of a cheeky post-Arena Domino’s. The thought of going home and cooking isn’t ideal. Prepare something satisfying to eat before you go out to take out the strain of drunken cooking. Baked chips have less calories than fried ones. If you can be arsed, cook them during predrinks and then reheat them for a bit when you come home. If you want to feel naughty, buy some light mayo or reduced sugar ketchup and dig in! As for pizza, making your own pizza is very easy and healthier because you can control the sugar and salt content as well as toppings. It’s also a lot cheaper. So, when you’re topping up that tan or chucking a ball around the beach, just remember to thank me.
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is a bonus (take a hint Exeter) but what I’m lacking is willpower. As for the accent, I’m told I’ll become more British but then again, I have the annoying habit of mimicking the accent of the person I’m speaking to which has landed me in hot water many a time. Not least with the Indian takeaway chap who insists I’m a prank caller.
“I’ve joked to my friends that they won’t recognise me on my return ” I have begun introducing thoroughly British phrases to my vocab like ‘how do you do’, ‘quite dreadful’ and ‘chuffed to bits’, words that I would never normally use, so that when I hop over the pond, they’ll be second nature to me and everyone will worship such a quintessential British lady. Maybe I’ll even change my name to Sybil. Other than that, I have no idea what to expect and how to prepare for life overseas. I guess I’ll just have to stumble through the year and try not to step on too many toes with my quaint British customs and when I inevitably do you’ll be the first to hear.
5 Word Thoughts What are you most looking forward to this Summer? SIMON DEWHURST Playing cricket on the beach LOUIS DORÉ Disregarding sun cream on holiday #britsontour EMILY-ROSE ROLFE Jet-setting around Europe #firstclass KATIE BARRY Not walking up the forum hill KITTY HOWIE Beer, BBQ, Beach, Birthday! #BBBliss ROB HARRIS Avoiding sunlight at all costs EMMA HOLIFIELD Catching rays on Grecian beaches! ALICE NICHOLSON The World’s End! Wright’s Film #notapocalypse Tweet us @ExeposeLStyle
Exeposé
| week twenty-nine
Music Mon 3 - Sat 8 June Arts Week Festival Various Thu 6 June Example Bristol O2
Magda Cassidy & Josh Gray music@exepose.com JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP Exeposé Music
What the actual folk? Josh Gray, Music Editor, chats to local legends Show of Hands before their final tour date at the Barnfield Theatre
divides folk fans, Steve diplomatically responds that “The jury’s still out. Mumford are not from the English folk scene, but if people enjoy hearing harmonies, banjos and melodeons and want to hear more of it, that’s maybe less mainstream, then it could be a good thing.”
Interview
Thu 6 June Toro Y Moi Bristol Thekla Fri 7 June Chas & Dave Lemmy
“If people enjoy hearing Mumford’s harmonies, banjos and melodeons, then it could be a good thing”
Fri 7 June Drenge Bristol Louisiana Fri 7 June Olly Murs Powderham Castle Sat 8 June OPM Cavern Thu June 13 Hugh Laurie Bristol Colston Hall Sun 16 June Cliff Richard Powderham Castle Fri 28 June Johnny Marr Phoenix Mon 23 Sep Madina Lake Cavern Sun 20 Oct Babyshambles Great Hall Sun 17 Nov Bellowhead Great Hall
“IT’S nice to come back to the venues that supported us in the early days,” muses Steve Knightley, singer and creative centre of Devon-spawned folk duo Show of Hands. “We’re probably well known here as bands that are famous around the country”. The band consisting of Steve and fiddler/guitarist/sailing instructor Phil Beer, met in Exeter while in their teens and bonded over a mutal love of music and drinking in the Black Horse; and so their two night stint at the Barnfield Theatre at the end of their UK
Daft Punk Random Access Memories Columbia .......................
One to Watch
Chas & Dave @ Lemmy ‘The Rockney duo never tried to be anything but themselves, and raised a smile on all but the sourest faces’ It’s Chas & Dave. Do we really need to say anything to get you there?
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FOR those who somehow have yet to get their (cybernetic) mitts on the most highly anticipated record in living memory – so for the Tumblr generation, like, a month – it’s best to not approach it with expectations of good or bad, vibrant or flat. Random Access Memories isn’t a case of “Oui, affirmative” or “Ça ne compute pas”;
tour is a spiritual homecoming. “We’ve seen some extraordinary things here,” remarks Phil, a big man with a big per-
“Roxy Music were a terrible, posing, artsy band” sonality. “One time The Who headlined a summer ball at the University. We also saw Roxy Music’s second gig in the refectory. I think we wandered off Daft Punk speak in binaries in order to dissolve them, in this case all into a luscious, lengthy prog-disco-soft-rock mush. The first hurdle for expecting ears is the bare presence of EDM proper – that oh-so-American acronym that took the US by storm via Discovery and a series of pyramid spectacular live shows. Numerous orchestral flourishes introduce with pomp, not blistering post-Skrillex boshers, but swathes of clean-cut pop, all riding the most tightly engineered disco grooves this side of the galaxy. At times this leads to moments of limp sterility; there are perhaps one too many duff instrumentals and sad robot ballads. But these moments, on ‘The Game Of Love’ and ‘Within’, serve, at the very least, a dynamic purpose: framing the most flamboyant tracks of the record.
“A luscious, lengthy prog-disco-soft rock mush” For example, far superior to the opener’s sonically flaccid claim to ‘Give Life Back To Music’, the
to the bar because it was so awful. They were just a terrible, posing, artsy band.” None of these labels would fit Show of Hands, a duo so grounded they’re practically growing roots. This doesn’t stop them from appreciating the wider rise of folk in the UK mainstream though, and Steve highlights Bellowhead and Seth Lakeman (who he co-write last year’s single ‘Haunt You’ with) as the artists pushing the genre forward. When questioned about the fabled ‘Mumford Effect’ that so grandiloquent ambition of ‘Giorgio by Moroder’ represents the album’s greatest successes. There, clips of that eponymous pioneer of electronic disco narrate his autobiography in terms of EDM history, by churning out a progressive monster. Starting with the bare bones of a click track (“so I put a click on the 24-track”, relays Giorgio in awesome synchronicity), it gives way to a Moog progression that, though initially underwhelming, launches into OTT-crescendo on dense arrangements of strings, vinyl scratches and a wacky guitar solo. So too does the slow-burning album itself toy with low-key moods and grooves before playfully dishing out the gold – in Daft Punk’s case, the best vocoder robo-harmonies in existence: see the mid-section of ‘Touch’, where the album’s supreme melodic phrase is joined by a full choir and horror film strings. As that song proves, the dynamic shift between opposites is Daft Punk’s plaything. Guest vocalist Paul Williams’ cracked vocal emerges and re-emerges out of robotic distortion and hyper-produced musical mechanism – it’s a love song, fundamentally. Like ‘loud’ and ‘soft’, ‘Analogue’
In concert, Steve and Phil are impeccable showmen, trading jokes and stories with both each other and the audience. Musically, despite the dizzying array of different guitars, fiddles and mandolins, their voices remain the focal point. Some of the harmonies they produce with unofficial third Hand and cellist Miranda Sykes are dizzying, especially in set closer and country classic ‘Cousin Jack’. The theatre is mainly filled with local middle-aged folk fans but Steve is optimistic about widening the scope of their fan-base. “The theatre crowd tends to be middle aged and middle class, but because we do so many festivals, we encounter a younger audience who then come to the shows as well”. So if you’re heading to pretty much any folk festival in the South this summer, you might as well catch a show... Of Hands. and ‘digital’ coalesce and juxtapose across RAM in weird and wonderful ways. Perhaps best put by Phar-
“Numerous orchestral flourishes introduce with pomp not blistering post-Skllex boshers but swathes of clean-cut pop” rell himself (hoisting up the album’s mid-section like a funky tent pole with deserved hit ‘Get Lucky’), it “feels like the only click track they had was the human heart beat, and that’s what makes it really interesting because these are robots”. There could be more tunes, and you do have to wonder at the biggest musical event for some time being explicitly nostalgic fare, but in most parts RAM lives up to the stupendous hype – marrying the ‘good’ with ‘bad’ is up to the listener. CALLUM MCLEAN
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Exeposé
Festival Rundown
Exeposé Music brings you an eclectic countdown of the top festivals this summer. So get out your Ray-Bans and ignore the rain, Festival season 2013 is here The Isle Of Wight Festival Where: Ummm... The Isle Of Wight? When: 13-16 June Who to see: The Killers, Everything Everything and Lianne La Havas Who to avoid: Emeli Sandé and Bon Jovi. What do they even do besides ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’? Fun Fact: David Bowie played his last ever gig at IoW Festival in 2004.
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Beach Break Live Where: Newquay, the gleaming jewel of Cornwall When: 20-24 June Who to see: Jake Bugg, Gentlemen’s Dub Club and AlunaGeorge Who to avoid: Devlin maaaaaaate Fun Fact: Beach Break runs an event called ‘Speedo Dating’. Yup, speed dating in speedos. It’s a thing.
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The Green Man Festival Where: The Black Mountains in Wales. Literally the furthest place from civilisation in the UK
Where: Somerset, oo-arrrr
When: 15-18 August
Who to see: Ghostpoet, Art Brut and The Ukes of Hazard
Who to see: Stornoway, Johnny Flynn and Kings of Convenience Who to avoid: There’s no-one that bad, as folk is the most inoffensive of all the genres, so I’ll take this moment to ask why the hell Fuck Buttons are playing at a folk festival?
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Isle have what he’s having
Josh Gray, Music Editor, chats to Exeter alumnus John Giddings, manager of our choice festival: the Isle of Wight “I’M obsessed with music from the past, present and future” claims Isle of Wight Festival big cheese John Giddings, “People always ask me who’ll be headlining festivals in 20 years’ time, and it’s my job to help create them to be perfectly frank”. The revamped Isle of Wight Festival has been going strong for 12 years now, and with acts as diverse as The Stone Roses, Willy Mason and Emeli Sandé playing this year, John’s assertion that he’s committed to musical variety at festivals stands up. His passion for shining the spotlight on new bands was the reason he went to Exeter University in the first place, claiming he didn’t care about getting a degree and only ever wanted to be the Student Union social sec so he could organise shows. He claims he even walked into the previous social sec’s office on his first day at uni to exclaim ‘I want your job’. The Exeter Uni he describes is
completely different to the one we experience today; it was a bed of hedonism where people running for president would hold Nazi-themed rallies dressed as stormtroopers, students could get away with driving a flock of sheep
“Exeter is one of the best gigs on the university circuit” through campus and a savvy social secretary could steal the University minibus to head to gigs. “There were only three and a half thousand people at the time” John remembers, “And so they were losing loads of money on events. Then I came up with the genius idea of opening shows to the public”. In John’s words Exeter was and is ‘one of the best gigs on the university circuit’, it just needs cunning organisation behind it.
THE FIRING RANGE: Where Songs Go To Die... Jessie J Wild
THIS is the epitome of a Year 7 dance show: bollocks. Not only is it a waste of time, but 12 year olds are going to be her only audience. Adopting the popular Calvin Harris-esque build up, but not committing to the genre, the bridge builds up to a disappointing chorus, which simply repeats the bridge again. Jessie never utilizes her impressive vocal abilities and spends more time echoing B.I.G Sean and Dizzee Rascal. Bigman Sean monotonously treads through his verse and Dizzee sounds like the Kersal Massive. It’s the ideal song to go and get a drink at the bar with. RICKY FREELOVE ARTS EDITOR
Farmfestival
Demi Lovato Heart Attack
IT’S not often that a song leaves you praying for a cardiac arrest, but on balance it’s never been more appropriate. ‘Heart Attack’ explores the singer’s deep emotional anxiety with delicate lyrics which come across with all the subtly of a defibrillator to the head. Fortunately the music video recaptures the song’s emotional core via Lovato (played by a brooding Rebecca Black) pressing her face against the lens just long enough to show the audience several layers of makeup. And levels of naked emotional apprehension. Obviously. THOMAS LING
When: 26-27 July
The Parklife Weekender Where: Manchester, Heaton Park. Not to be confused with Eton Park, both geographically and figuratively hundreds of miles away When: 8-9 June
Who to avoid: Don’t go and see The Lovely Eggs, they’re an absolute yolk
Who to see: Jurassic 5, Simian Mobile Disco and Disclosure
Fun Fact: Arty types will be pleased to note the festival hosts a best hat competiton and parade. Hatters gonna hat.
Who to avoid: Example. He’s still about allegedly
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Fun Fact: There are 15 after parties. Too many in our opinion.
Bristol goes dotty Magda Cassidy, Music Editor, shares the highs and lows of the Dot to Dot Festival BAD news welly enthusiasts, Dot to Dot, the urban festival, won over Bristolians for the ninth consecutive year last May. Cramming the latest and greatest bands into a mere 14 hours, festival-phobes nationwide can rejoice as Dot to Dot’s reputation for showcasing established talent and discovering the best up and coming bands was once again reinforced. We began our voyage at Thekla, catching Saint Raymond, Sam Bradley and Indiana, who’s Ellie Goulding-esque vocals were neither unpleasant nor worth the thirty minute wait. After a few catchy alternative pop songs from Sons & Lovers at The Fleece, and one embarrassing tweet later, I realised that headliners The 1975 had skipped the Bristol leg of the festival to play Radio 1’s Big Weekend, we shunned the remaining afternoon headliners in favour of an exploration of the festival’s more unique locations and acts. After a while of wandering aimlessly, we headed to The Birdcage, a satisfyingly hip café/vintage shop/music venue, where we were treated the beautiful, haunting and melancholy musings of Leeds based quintet Dancing Years. Formerly known as Joseph and David, these folksters were no doubt my favourite find of the day, and with approval from BBC Introducing and an impressive clutch of festivals lined up for this summer, they’re only going to get bigger. What’s most refreshing about the band, aside from their unique, atmospheric sound is their visible and audible passion for what they do, and despite sporting an array of trendy cardigans, they’ve managed to replace the ‘sohip-it-hurts’ attitude attached to many young indie bands with an intense, emotionally evocative stage presence. Leaving The Birdcage with a new favourite band and a bargain pair of
Levi’s cut-offs, we decided it was time to head to the O2 Academy to catch the headliners we we’d all been waiting for. Luckily we were much more queue savvy this time, and although we missed Tom Odell, one of the festivals most exciting up and coming performers, we caught both acoustic singer/songwriter Benjamin Francis Leftwich and folk rockers Dry The River, who were incredible as always. With a set list featuring both unreleased tracks from the new album and old crowd pleasers like No Rest, the crowd consensus feeling from our position at the very front of the stage was incredible, with the band’s loyal followers chanting every lyric as if each song was their own personal mantra. Several drinks later, we headed to Start The Bus for the evening’s entertainment, and the rest is a mystery to us all. Overall, Dot to Dot does not disappoint, and I would highly recommend it to any future urban festival-goers. Although there’s a bit of queuing, the venues are all in such close proximity to one another that it’s not an issue. With so much to offer in so little time it’s unlikely you’ll see every band you wanted to, but the beauty of the festival is that everyone has an entirely unique experience of it, and although not every band you find will be gold among the rocks, you’ll treasure the ones that are.
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Screen
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Exeposé
SCREEN EDITORS
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Newsreel Blue is the Warmest Colour Abdellatif Kechiche’s threehour coming of age love story starring Lea Seydoux and Adele Exarchopoulos has won the coveted Palme d’Or award. Many critics considered the graphic sex scenes to be potentially too risqué to win Spielberg’s approval.
Days Of Future Past Bryan Singer has confirmed that Evan Peters has been cast as Quicksilver in the new X-Men movie, days after Joss Whedon spoke about using Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch in the Avengers sequel. With Peters potentially appearing in two sprawling franchises, the question remains as to Whedon’s plans for the character.
Another week, yet another remake… If your hunger for remakes, reboots and re-imaginings hasn’t quite been filled by the recent Hollywood epidemic, get set for a new Time Cop film. The 1994 Jean-Claude Van Damme sci-fi action classic is being picked up by Universal for a re-boot, although it doesn’t seem like Van Damme is involved. We grudgingly await further announcements.
Summer films to watch out for Much Ado About Nothing Dir. Joss Whedon, Starring Amy Acker and Alexis Denisof World War Z Dir. Marc Foster, Starring Brad Pitt and Mereille Enos The Bling Ring Dir. Sofia Coppola, Starring Emma Watson and Leslie Mann Monsters University Dir. Dan Scanlon, Starring Billy Crustal and John Goodman Only God Forgives Dir. Nicolas Winding Refn, Starring Ryan Gosling and Kristen Scott Thomas Kick-Ass 2 Dir. Jeff Wadlow, Starring Chloë Grace Moretz and Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Megan Furborough and Rob Harris, Screen Editors, saw Baz Lurhmann’s The Great Gatsby at the Picturehouse - and did not agree...
THE 3D Megan: What did you think overall? I definitely came out of the cinema with a lot of concerns. Rob: I went in knowing it would be Lurhmann’s The Great Gatsby, not Fitzgerald’s, and so despite the first 20 minutes by the end of the film I was really impressed with the visual and stylistic direction. M: I completely agree about the first 20 minutes. I’m usually fine with 3D, but the fast cuts, crappy CGI and wobbly 3D meant that I felt sick throughout the first half. It was a real shame because the opening framed the film so negatively for me. R: It was definitely a slow, weak start but I disagree. I’m usually put off by the idea of 3D but for me it actually ended up being one of the movie’s greatest aspects. M: In terms of the film as a whole, for me 3D worked best in the party scenes, as it gave a depth to the shot that meant Fitzgerald’s descriptions were very vividly recreated. There were so many layers to the party and you could see every single one of them. R: It worked in small ways too; the way every single white petal on the flowers that were brought in for Gatsby and Daisy’s meeting just seemed to flank the characters, which made a beautifully realised scene even more memorable. PERFORMANCES M: Leo as Gatsby? Will he FINALLY get that Oscar? R: In my opinion his performance was one of the film’s biggest triumphs but I don’t think it was his best performance. I still hope he gets an Oscar. M: I much preferred DiC ap rio than Robert
Redford. His age was used to his advantage and it really paid off, particularly in scenes with weaker characters. R: Who do you think were the weaker characters? M: Carey Mulligan. It just didn’t seem like her full weight was behind the character – she was gentle and vulnerable to the extent of fading into the art deco wallpaper, despite the fabulous costumes. R: I disagree – she was nearly perfect as Daisy. Her performance may have seemed irritating and placid to the point of being outshone by the acts of Gatsby and Buchannan, but surely that means that she’s nailed the character? M: What did you think of Tobey Maguire as Nick? R: I think he ended up being a good choice overall. I didn’t just see him as the guy that played Spiderman anymore. M: I wasn’t quite sure when watching the trailers but in the end his performance did a good job at setting the tone of the film. THE SOUNDTRACK M: In terms of the soundtrack, one of my favourite parts was when ‘Izzo ( H . O . V. A ) ’ started playing over the party scene in the New York apartment. For
me it was one of the best places where the non-diegetic soundtrack worked, which I was a tad hesitant about before. One particularly irritating thing however was the overplaying of Lana Del Rey – it had around six appearances whereas some tracks only had a 15 second clip shoved in! R: The mix of old and new music in the party scenes was the movie’s crowning achievement, it perfectly embodied the gaudy eccentricity of the new money lifestyle in a city swept up in the exuberance of the 1920s. M: Despite points where the soundtrack jarred, the music did compliment the overall tone of the film – something you might not necessarily get just listening to the soundtrack. Even something that sounded as alien as The XX worked really effectively. R: All in all I believe that despite a small case of Lana Del Ray overload, the score was expertly utilised throughout the movie. It actually managed to make me like a Will.I.Am song, which in itself is an amazing feat. CHANGES FROM THE NOVEL M: I don’t really feel that the sanatorium added anything except a convenient way of introducing Nick’s voiceover. It was quite a modern, very American, approach – let’s bung him in therapy – to dealing with the after-effects of a decade of partying. Plus the awful CGI snow fluttering across the ocean only served to make me more angry at the film’s opening. R: I can sort of understand why they did it, I suppose
simply setting the film off straight from the beginning of the book with Nick’s commentary with no proper cinematic introduction to the character might have seemed a bit strange, but I agree that it wasn’t the right choice; it did nothing but add an unnecessary plot line to a story that doesn’t need fiddling with. Anyway, where the hell was Gatsby’s father? And what about the other people at the funeral? I think we should just wrap up before we both have a hemorrhage.
FINAL THOUGHTS M: If I were to give it a star rating, it would be three out of five stars. The excess of the 1920s that Fitzgerald was writing about worked with the excessive visual tone of the film, and DiCaprio was an inspired Gatsby, but ultimately it left me wishing for less. This was a lazy adaption that placed all of the emphasis on Daisy and that famous last sentence (even writing it out on screen) and somewhere within the glitz and glamour that engulfed the film on and off screen the beautiful subtlety of the novel was lost. R: I’d give it four out of five stars. Yes, it wasn’t a perfect interpretation of the book and yes, it did seem to gloss over some major aspects and tamper with things that didn’t need to be tampered with, but there is no avoiding one major thing – it’s simply a tonne of fun to watch. As I’ve mentioned, this is Baz Luhrmann’s Gatsby, not Fitzgerald’s, and having a director of such notable flair made the parties wilder, the music louder, the setting grander and the atmosphere all the more energetic. Dig a bit deeper and you may be disappointed, but sit back and take it at face value and you can’t help but enjoy it. MEGAN FURBOROUGH SCREEN EDITOR
ROB HARRIS SCREEN EDITOR
Exeposé
| WEEK twenty-nine
“Can’t repeat the past?... Why of course you can!”
James Dyson considers the merits of remaking classic films IT might be useful to acknowledge two starting points concerning my view on remaking classics. The first is that as a general rule of thumb there is nothing that inevitably consigns any remake to be inherently ‘bad’ before filming has begun; even if the film being remade is bad or remakes are by nature somewhat unoriginal, with enough skill it’s perfectly possible that a particular remake can be a good one. On the other hand, secondly, there is often a good deal of dismay particularly from die-hard fans of any given classic when news of a remake is announced - and not without good reason. Most remakes end up being bland, failing to recapture what the original did so well whilst simply going through the motions. The Thing (2011) was a remake (well, technically a prequel, but it copies the original to such an extent
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that it might as well be a remake) of John Carpenter’s horror classic (itself a remake of a film made in the ‘50s), and whilst not bad it just seemed to be a lazy re-tread. Yet as this example should indicate, just because something is a remake doesn’t mean it can’t be great, even so great as to become a classic itself. So why do remakes tend to fall so far off the mark? I think part of the answer is the same reason why so many films seem to be sequels, prequels or adaptations of other mediums. In short, because it just seems like good business. If people respond positively to, say, the old King Kong movie, why not give them more of what they like? It would be a far safer bet to remake something people like than invest in a new idea that might not be as well received. And, if the film is a classic, so much the bet-
ter, or so the logic goes. You can’t really blame the movie companies for doing this; it does seem like good financial acumen. But the problem remains that this intent seems to be reflected in the final product; the movie just feels like a lazy grab at the cash-cow and you end up with a film far inferior than its original, often accompanied with a lot of hurt fans. So the question of whether remakes of classics are worth it or not really comes down to one important aspect; how one treats the source material. When treated as simply a safe investment, with minimal effort required in re-doing the movie, the answer is probably ‘no’. If, however, the original is respected and handled with enough skill there’s nothing that discounts any remake from being a great film.
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Screen Asks This week, Screen asks which songs you would have preferred to have heard in your favourite film moments: Not entirely sure it was released at the time, but I think mixing ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’ by Depeche Mode and the scene in The Breakfast Club where they all lose their shit in the library would have been pretty special. OWEN KEATING NEWS EDITOR Anything but ‘100 black coffins’ in Django. Literally anything. Don’t think I’ve laughed so hard at anything in a long while. NATALIE GARCES-BOVETT Supposedly ‘Paranoid Android’ was going to be used over the end credits of Memento rather than Bowie, but they couldn’t get the rights... would have made the film ten times better in my opinion. ALI GILL
Instead of Hall and Oates in the awesome parade scene in 500 Days Of Summer, have Tom gangsta-strolling to some ‘99 problems’, then he wouldn’t care when that bitch left him. I’m not bitter. LOUIS DORÉ NEWS EDITOR ‘The Birdie Song’ in all the dance scenes of Saturday Night Fever. Would’ve given disco a certain panache. JESS O’KANE ONLINE SCREEN EDITOR Opening of Saving Private Ryan to the Benny Hill theme. It may have lightened the mood a bit. @phelpsy93
Headshot: Baz Lurhmann
What I’ve Been Watching: The Great Gatsby (1974) ANYONE who studied The Great Gatsby for A-Level English (aka anyone who studied A-Level English), will have seen Jack Clayton’s 1974 film version. Unfortunately for everyone, from the class swots who wanted a useful companion to their reading, to the kids who hadn’t read it and desperately needed to know what happened, Clayton fails to hit the heights of the novel. The screenplay, written by Francis Ford Coppola, doesn’t inspire any of the emotion of the text itself. It trundles along, not really doing anything to anyone, seemingly content in its own dull opulence. Robert Redford’s Gatsby is disappointingly limited, as the ver-
bose, glamorous man worshipped by Nick Carraway in the novel becomes a slick-haired shadow who seems more concerned about whether his suit has a stain on it than how he’s going to get Daisy back.
“This film would be better with the sound off” Similarly, Mia Farrow’s Daisy highlights the worst parts of the femme fatale’s character. She is inane and weightless, and her torment over brutish Tom and alluring Gatsby is as su-
perficial as it is painful to watch. These characters only scratch the surface of what should be an immersive, complex viewing experience. In some respects, it’s saved by the glamour of the setting. Over $6 million was spent on the film’s production, and every dollar of jewels and fine linen shines on screen. This grandiose 1920s, with its thrills, temptations, and terrible consequences, is meant to test these characters as they try and negotiate the high life of the decade. Instead, it swallows them whole. This film would be better with the sound off. Its setting is luxurious and awe-inspiring, but its actors are dull and insipid. If you want to know Gatsby pre-DiCaprio, then just read the novel instead. OWEN KEATING NEWS EDITOR
WITH his adaptation of The Great Gatsby recently swinging into cinemas to mixed reviews, Mark Anthony Luhrmann (better-known by the aptly peculiar name of Baz) is the director of the hour. Growing up in a tiny town in Australia, many don’t realise that the Ozzy director began his career as an actor, appearing in many film, TV and theatre productions. He has since flourished behind the camera, winning numerous awards, including two BAFTAs. When he controversially missed out on a nomination for Best Director for his bizarre but brilliant tragic-romance Moulin Rouge (2001), an irritated Whoopie Goldberg told the audience “I guess it just directed itself.” Although not linked through plot, his use of theatrical iconography has led Luhrmann’s debut films Strictly Ballroom (1992) and Romeo + Juliet (1996) to be dubbed alongside Moulin Rouge under the label ‘The Red Curtain Trilogy.’ Like many big-name directors, Luhrmann is well-known for re-casting the
same actors throughout his films. For instance, Leonardo DiCaprio plays the title role in Romeo + Juliet and, of course, The Great Gatsby. Similarly, Nicole Kidman starred as the ill-fated courtesan Satine in Moulin Rouge and Lady Ashley in Australia (2008), while Australian actor Arthur Dignam and Polish performer Jacek Koman have featured in three of his movies. With viewers appreciating their eccentricities, Luhrmann’s movies are revered as modern classics. However after his lengthy romance Australia – which I personally adored – was harshly received by many, his popularity with critics has somewhat diminished. With The Great Gatsby receiving highly mixed reviews (not least from Exeposé Screen editors) can Luhrmann regain the dizzy success of ‘The Red Curtain Trilogy’? Or is this hope as misguided as Gatsby’s naïve belief that he can recapture the past? With no news of any upcoming features it will certainly be interesting to see how Luhrmann’s future projects pan out.
EMMA HOLIFIELD BOOKS EDITOR
As Hot As... the hot or nots of this week’s film news
THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE - Tom Six has started production on the third entry in the series, with a casting notice recently sent out for extras to form a 500-strong centipede. Try not to vomit all over the paper.
James Gatz
RYAN GOSLING - Only God Forgives has been shown at Cannes to mixed reviews, with some critics lauding it and others walking out of the screening. Here at Screen we’re just happy that Refn and the Gos are back together again.
MEL BROOKS - The comedic industry legend is set to receive the 41st AFI Life Achievement award. What with the likes of Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein and The Producers under his belt, it’s surprising that it hasn’t happened earlier.
IRON MAN 3 - The final instalment of the trilogy has now grossed over $1.142 billion worldwide, overtaking the likes of Transformers: Dark of the Moon and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. In other words, money be fallin’ like rain.
ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT - It’s back. It’s fantastic. Finish reading the Screen section, put down the paper, walk over to your computer and watch it. Don’t give us that lip, just do it!
Jay Gatsby
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Book Shelf The results are in! Following our online poll for the travel issue here are the top five fantasy lands that our readers would like to live in. 1. Middle-earth Forever fixed in the public’s mind as a land filled with galloping armies this universe stormed the vote like orcs at the siege of Helm’s Deep. J.R.R. Tolkein’s fantasy epic continues to capture the imagination of multiple generations. Unfortunately the closest we can get at the moment is a holiday to New Zealand. 2. Narnia
For all the students that are hoping that they never have to grow up, Neverland is the perfect destination. J.M. Barrie’s most famous character, Peter Pan, is able to stay entirely free from responsibility in a land that is different for each child that visits. 4. Discworld The Discworld’s first tourist, Twoflower, loved this world so much that he stayed for a couple of years and this is despite facing numerous close shaves with death. Clearly this satirical world has much to offer. 5. Mount Olympus From the original Greek myths to Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief the Olympian gods have always held a fascination and Exeter students have proved this once again. Who wouldn’t leap at the chance to control the destiny of mortals while sipping ambrosia all day? ELLI CHRISTIE BOOKS EDITOR
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Travel alone or with a Lonely Planet?
With summer approaching Rory Morgan, Online Books Editor, reveals how the safety net of the guidebook has saved him from more than one pitfall As someone who likes to be fairly spontaneous and avoid a strict structure when travelling, I used to turn my nose up at those who swore by guidebooks and let them define and rule over their holidays. However, my attitude significantly changed when I found myself in the middle of New Delhi all by myself with no knowledge of the area and four days to kill. This is when Lonely Planet’s Guide to India became my new best friend. Not only was I able to read all about great places to visit and made aware of local scams, it also felt comforting to read other people’s experiences of the culture shock and helped me feel a little less overwhelmed. The biggest advantage of carrying a guide however has to be its ability to
“My guidebook became a sort of security blanket” connect you with other travellers. When I was alone in New Delhi the thing I wanted most was to talk to people, but I often found it hard to judge what kind of places would have lovely, sociable people and not conning psychopaths. This became the main, and sometimes
sole, use I got out of my guidebook when travelling around the rest of Asia, as once I met people at these advocated places I was told about other more concealed and unspoilt locations, along with new friends to travel to them with. I would never advocate following a strict guidebook-orientated itinerary, but they do have a great value in highlighting travellers’ hotspots. My guidebook also became a sort of security blanket that I could use to prevent being ripped off or offending the local customs and culture. After all, it’s thanks to my cherished Lonely Planet (or Vanessa, as I nicknamed it) that I avoided an unnecessary twelve hour bus ride in Cambodia and understood that a turned off meter in a Thai taxi means you will be royally ripped off by your driver. One thing I will say, however, is be subtle when using the guide in said occasions, nothing screams ‘I am naïve and ignorant to this country’ like a Rough Guide or Lonely Planet does. If you pick the right guide you can also get great contextual information regarding the places you are going. After I briefly read about the Cambodian genocide in my guide it made me feel I really understood the ways of the country
more, and this introduction also gave me an important overview that helped when I read other historical sources and visited the memorial sites. Guidebooks should be used more like an introduction or catalyst for ideas rather than a tick off list, and I think this
“Guidebooks should be used more like an introduction or catalyst for ideas’” is where a lot of people go wrong with them. It is important to find those hidden gems, but using guidebooks does not necessarily mean you sacrifice this aspect of a trip. If you think of a guidebook as a ‘guide’ and not a set of rigid instructions, the advantages and flexibilities they bring are far clearer. A
Emily Tanner, Deputy Editor, promotes rejecting the beaten path for the unknown When packing to go away for your summer holiday this year, many of you will undoubtedly grab the latest Rough Guide to Rome or Lonely Planet’s Tour of Madrid and hurriedly stuff in it your backpack alongside the sun cream and summer shorts. Whilst guidebooks definitely serve their purpose for travellers, those of you who rely on them to quite literally guide you through your holiday adventures are surely missing out on some of the world’s greatest hidden gems.
“Those who rely on them... are surely missing out on some of the world’s greatest hidden gems’”
If any of you were to look at my family’s Rough Guide to Pembrokeshire or the Lonely Planet guide we took to Paris a few years ago you may think much of what I have to say about guide books sounds hypocritical. After four years of holidays in the beautiful South of Wales one Rough Guide we have is sea soaked, with pages torn, edges crumpled down and service station receipts reminding us of the pages we thought contained places that looked fun. Guide books have brought me great pleasure on a number of holi-
days but I really don’t think they should ever be relied upon. So many of my favourite holiday meals have taken place down winding country roads in pubs no one but the locals seem to have heard of and which barely feature in any of the many guide books we’ve bought and some of the best beach spots are the secluded, deserted ones which have passed the guidebooks by. Exploring a holiday destination for yourself can be so much more exciting even if, as I did one year, you end up taking the three hour country walk into the nearest town because you didn’t listen to the map. My 14 year old self missed out on some of Iceland’s most dramatic and stunning scenery as my head was burried inside a variety of guidebooks from which I may have gained substantial knowledge about Iceland and its historical and geographical make up but this ultimately meant that I missed out on some beautifully breathtaking waterfalls and rugged glacial landscapes which I may never again have the opportunity to see. Travelling in such places is all about the immersing yourself in the country and not expecting the guidebook to create your experience. As for foreign cities there is always too much to cram into the 300 or so pages of a guide that if you take one to use as your city bible you will definitely miss something you’ll later wish you’d
small book rigorously detailing the unknown places you’re going to visit, what have you got to lose by packing one?
found. Although in Paris it was a guide book which led me to probably the world’s best bookshop – Shakespeare and Company, for any book lovers who will be there this summer – it was this same guide which led me on an hour long wild goose chase for one of Paris’s few vegetarian restaurants only to finally find it didn’t seem to be there anymore, having closed down a few weeks before my visit. Instead stumbling upon a quaint bistro close by, which the guide didn’t seem to mention at all, gave us a delicious, reasonably priced meal and a delightful conversation with the enthusiastic waitress who was keen to improve her, already exceptional, English.
“There is always too much to cram into the 300 or so pages of a guide...you will definitely miss something you’ll later wish you’d found” We all go on holidays, trips and travels to make memories we will treasure and indulge in new, vibrant experiences which we don’t see on our doorsteps. Whilst I have to admit that it’s
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The land that filled so many childhood dreams and adventures came in a close second. Perhaps some voters had ambitions of following in High King Peter’s footsteps or simply just wanted to meet the infamous Aslan.
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quite nice to have a guidebook in your bag at times, even if only for the map at the back and the security of knowing there’s at least somewhere to go in an unfamiliar city, don’t ever let it guide your travels. When you get back from your trip this year, make sure when someone asks ‘What did you do on your holiday?’ you’re not just giving them the guide book you took but that you’re writing your own.
Exeposé
| WEEK TWENTY-nine
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Condensed Condensed Classics Classics The Behaviour of Moths Poppy Adams FOLLOWING on from the successful theatre adaptation, there has been a revival of interest in Mark Haddon’s The
“I would recommend it - suspend all judgement and just enjoy the story” Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. (This is a fantastic book, if you haven’t read it, put
down Exeposé and start reading immediately!) Poppy Adams’ The Behaviour of Moths is a fantastic debut which has been compared to Haddon’s novel, for its dark humour and quirky style. This book would be a perfect summer read, as it is a novel which had me gripped from beginning to end. The story revolves around the reunion of two sisters, separated for forty-seven years. It opens with Ginny, a reclusive and slightly eccentric moth expert, who waits in the Gothic mansion that was her childhood home. She waits for Vivien, her outgoing and headstrong younger sister, who has not returned to the family home for decades. Against this menacing Gothic backdrop, the past returns to
upset the present, in a humorous yet dark story of family ties.
Inferno Dante Alighieri
battles become monotonous and deathly dull, it is possible to overlook these elements for a more entertaining read. This said, the epic never loses its ability to distress the reader with macabre images of bodies with their heads on backwards, heretics trapped in flaming caskets and, in one instance, a tree which bleeds. These are to name but a few of the punishments our narrator il-
Perhaps not everybody’s idea of a dream holiday, Dante’s Inferno depicts one man’s journey through Hell as he seeks to find his way back to the world of the living. With the help of Roman poet, Virgil, our narrator explores the nine concentric circles which make up the Underworld encountering winged devils and tortured souls on the way. Aside from being one of the most renowned textual explorations of Hell,
“Our narrator explores the nine concentric circles which make up the Underworld” Dante’s epic acts as a chilling examination on the human psyche and a historical study of medieval Florence. As unexciting as this may seem his philosophical and political debates work much to the poem’s advantage and if the extensive allusions to fourteenth century political figures and
Letters Mary Wollstonecraft So, let’s set the scene. We find ourselves in late eighteenth-century Scandinavia. Our company for the trip? The writer and feminist campaigner, Mary Wollstonecraft, who is in hot pursuit of a lover’s stolen treasure ship. Sounds like the basis for a nice, straightforward travel narrative, right? In fact, Letters Written During a Short Residence in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark (1796), deals with themes ranging from individual subjectivity and the imagination, through to the intimate dynamics of gender relations. The reader is taken on a journey, which not only maps out different philosophical theories, but also lays down the trail for Romantic poets such as Coleridge and Wordsworth.
Put into modern terms, Wollstonecraft is definitely more Bill Bryson than Rough Guide. It would be a mistake to pick up Letters hoping for a neat, little pocket guide to Scandinavian topography. However, if you are interested in exploring how travel can enable deeper thought, this may well just be the summer read for you. Wollstonecraft herself stated, “The art of travel is only a branch of the art of thinking”; a foray into the wilderness of the mind, so to speak.
“It would be a mistake to pick up Letters hoping for a neat, little pocket guide of Scandinavian topography” Ever seen the flow of a waterfall as a portal into Romanticism? Well Wollstonecraft certainly does: “Reaching the cascade, or rather cataract, the roaring of which had a
“This book seems to prompt a Marmite effect from readers” Ginny narrates the novel throughout, which is a mix of the present and snippets of the past. Much like Haddon’s Christopher, she has a unique voice which is at times both amusing and disturbing. The jumps in the narrative hold you in suspense throughout, from childhood memories to facts about preserving moths (very Haddon-esque!). This book seems to prompt a Marmite effect from
“The epic itself has all the best qualities of Paradise Lost without the pretentious author”
readers - some love it, whereas others complain that the events in the book are improbable. I would recommend it - suspend all judgement and just enjoy the story for what it is: a modern Gothic tale, with fantastic characterisation and a final unexpected twist. Emily Lunn
Best w ishes and good l uck to Emily L Bond unn and T , Boo om ks 2012/ Editors 13! ed classic to read by the pool this summer then perhaps this is not the book for you. However, there is a sense of achievement which completing the text gives. Not only does it make the reader feel much better about any bad holiday they may have experienced, it is also one of the most influential, harrowing and enlightening texts in history and is well worth the read.
Emma sudderick
lustrates as the poem progresses. Each circle entered by the narrator and his guide acts as a prison, incarcerating sinners in a state of perpetual suffering equal to that of their crimes committed on Earth. Though Inferno is renowned for its allegorical representation of the soul recognising sin for what it really is and even more renowned for its lengthy, sometimes tedious prose, the epic itself has all the best qualities of Paradise Lost without the pretentious author. Do not be deceived, Inferno is a difficult read (expect headaches!) and if you are looking for a light-heartlong time announced its vicinity, my soul was hurried by the falls into a new train of reflections.” The language may seem overly effusive for a lounging by the pool, type of holiday pick, but don’t be put off. The concepts underneath are actually really interesting and well worth the read.
“In modern terms, Wollstonecraft is definitely more Bill Bryson than Rough Guide” Delving into Letters may well spark a whole new mode of viewing the natural world for you; and if not it might just make you stop and think when selecting your next holiday guidebook. Katie Morum
The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Douglas Adams (1979) “You may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist’s, but that’s just peanuts to space” Arthur Dent’s house is about to be destroyed by a bulldozer, but worse still his friend Ford Prefect reveals that the Earth is about to be destroyed by the Vogons. He also lets slip that he is actually an alien, an explorer who has travelled around the galaxy with the help of the ultimate travel guide: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Inspired by drunken stargazing in a field, The Hitchhiker’s franchise started as a radio series. Adapted into a five book ‘trilogy’, the series is renowned for its eccentric plot lines and fabulously peculiar characters, such as the wonderfully named Slartibartfast and Zaphod Beeblebrox. The first in the series follows Arthur and Ford as they escape the Earth as stowaways on a Vogon starship, ending with the gang deciding to go for lunch at The Restaurant at the End of the World, the title of the next book in the series. Brilliantly bizarre and with tips such as the utility of towels to travellers, the series may even help you in your own travels around the globe. Emma Holifield BOOKS EDITOR
Any Last Words? For our travel themed issue we asked what your favourite literary journey was, whether metaphorical or epic Piggy’s journey off the side of a mountain to his death in Lord of the Flies...I justify this by pointing out that an extremely irritating child actor portrayed the (no doubt loveable) bespectacled outcast in an adaptation I was forced to watch at school. LIAM TRIM Cain and Abel - the epic journey of two men whose worlds keep clashing and yet never properly meet one another. RICKY FREELOVE Odysseus takes years to get home. Sleeping with beautiful goddesses, eating dodgy plants, blinding a Cyclops and killing lots of bad guys! RORY MORGAN
When Spot goes to the the beach in Spot Goes on Holiday. He meets a brown cocker spaniel and becomes his friend. It was awesome. ROB HARRIS The Hobbit! Heart of Darkness! Ooh too many. @DK_Travel Peter Rabbit vs. Mr. McGregor, surely. Part one: an animal’s journey to avoid being a guy’s dinner. Part two: the return of the rabbit as he has to save his cousin. Part three... doesn’t his entire family get kidnapped by that crazed farmer?! It’s a bloody epic. CALUM BAKER
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Arts Diary Our regular Arts Diary column shows you all the important events going on in Exeter...
Art
Arts on the Move @ Poltimore House and Grounds 9 June
Comedy
Exeter Comedy club @ Exeter Corn Exchange 7 June
Theatre
Two Gentlemen of Verona @ Northcott 4-8 June
Festivals
Ignite Theatre Festival Ignite is a 6 day celebration
of over 65 new live performance work. 1 show for £6 3 shows for £15
@Cygnet Theatre/ Pheonix/ The Bikeshed 3-9 June
Arts on the Move ARTS ON THE MOVE is The University of Exeter’s very own Glastonbury: A daylong performing arts festival located at the charming house and grounds of Poltimore House. Featuring theatre and music, arts and comedy- all creativity is catered for and welcomed. Arts on the Move offers its audience the chance to get involved with a multitude of up and coming contemporary performance in an exciting historic venue. Not just for arts lovers, the festival aims to be as inclusive as possible, so expect a large variety of work. The festival offers the chance for new work to have a platform, as well as a showcasing existing work to have in a different setting. It aims to find and celebrate new, up-and-coming talent in theatre as well as comedy and film. In addition to
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Sophy Coombes-Roberts & Ricky Freelove arts@exepose.com JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP Exeposé Arts
A Proper Photo-shoot
Giverny Masso, Online Arts Editor, interviews critically acclaimed, high-speed photographer Alan Sailer A PHOTOGRAPH can achieve many things; it can cement a moment in time, allow us to see what would otherwise be impossible, and turn the ‘ordinary’ into something quite extraordinary. Alan Sailer’s high-speed photography does all of this and more. It captures the millionth of a second in which an everyday object explodes on impact with a pellet shot from an air cannon rifle. Alan Sailer is an engineer from California, who captures everyday objects exploding in his garage on impact with a pellet shot from an air rifle cannon. In order to capture the high-speed objects which he shoots on film he told me he needed a camera which could capture the millionth of a second of a shattering explosion, so he built his own high speed camera which flashes at a millionth of a second as opposed to a normal flash which on average is a thousandth of a second. High-speed photography is a dangerous science, and lucky for engineer Alan a substantial knowledge of physics is essential. The flash unit runs at 17,000 volts: “I used to think that it was ‘death for sure’ but I have read about at least one person who took a hit from a similar unit and survived”. S e n s i b l y, Alan spends a lot of time thinking about safety. Some of his precautions include double insulation, grounding things, and, of course, wearing a face protector. Having nev-
er been shocked, Alan now perceives the flash as “safe” (“or maybe I’ve just been lucky”), and tells me that it is the shooting which is more dangerous. His biggest mishap occurred fairly recently when the steel bearing from the air cannon was propelled towards him, rather than deflected, resulting in a painful injury to his finger.
all this, music is a large part of Arts on the Move with bands and orchestras all featured in a wide variety of styles. As well as the arts, the festival also supports local businesses, and as no festival is complete without a beverage, all the talent on offer can be enjoyed with a cocktail from The Cocktail Caravan as well as some delicious pizza from our Pizza Oven, or if that is not to your taste there will be a selection of local ales.
ents in a new location. This is only the second year for the festival, and it hopes to draw on and expand upon the success of last year . All art work is now welcome including artists from outside the University and looks to incorporate the whole community as a way of bringing together imagination in Devon. Project manager Zoe Vernon-Jackson commented: “We aim to provide an annual platform for artists to play, create and relax and encourage them to explore the artistic talent in Devon. It is a privilege to be located at Poltimore House and Grounds as it is such an inspiring setting and we are looking forward to raising enough money to refurbish future spaces within the building for next year’s festival!”
“It aims to find and celebrate new, upcoming talent” Arts on the Move was founded by students at the University of Exeter who wanted to celebrate the wealth of creativity in the South West. The festival started last year as a way to raise money and appreciate the heritage of Poltimore House, and it transformed into the perfect location to showcase student’s tal-
“The flash unit runs at 17,000 volts I used to think it was death for sure”
Whilst the science behind the photography is fascinating, it is the motion transfixed within each photograph that is breath taking. The detail captured is far beyond anything the human eye could even begin to observe. There is something awe-inspiring in the destruction of everyday objects, which explode in ways we could never imagine. Alan shoots all kinds of familiar items including toys, food and decorations. Different objects create different tones, from the beautiful tsunami of colour formed by a line of chalks, to the humorous eruption of a ba-
nana. What is Alan’s favourite thing to shoot? “My all-time top favourite target is still Christmas bulbs filled with
Date: Sunday 9th June 12-10pm Tickets: £5 www.poltimore.eventbrite.org CAMILLA BORGES
gelatin. The contrast between the brittle bulb and soft gelatin makes fantastic patterns when hit.” I told Alan that my first sight of his work had been a photograph of an exploding rose featured in National Geographic, and that my current favourite objects are the chalks and crayons. Alan commented: “other people tend to like things that they recognize. Roses, crayons, food; it helps them get orientated in a very confusing visual environment.”
“It is a lot better to learn how to take good pictures, than start trying to promote yourself” As well as high-speed photography, Alan also photographs landscapes. The way the light falls in his sunset photos creates a seemingly fantasy setting. How does he achieve this effect? By using a “hand held density filter... it is an attempt to compress the light-
Exehibition Each issue, Exeposé Arts will be featuring a piece of student art. This week, it’s student photographer, Ellie Collins THIS piece is centred around the idea of perfection, the ‘ideal body’ and the stereotypes of women have been continually portrayed throughout art history, and the media today. Women are under continual pressure to look a certain way, often resorting to eating disorders, plastic surgery and other drastic measures to conform, changing their bodies in a desperate desire to obtain this perfect Barbie figure. Particularly focusing around the idea of plastic surgery, the collage of text and images from magazines promoting women to conform to this ‘ideal body’ and melted plastic is stitched together in a way that is reminiscent
er sky into a dynamic range that the digital camera can capture. The human eye has a much higher instantaneous dynamic range compared to a camera, so the filter makes the scene look more like what we see.” Alan describes his recognition as “a complete internet accident”, however the photos speak for themselves; it is clear Alan’s praise is well deserved. What advice would he pass on to aspiring photographers? Firstly, to learn how to ‘see’: “as dumb as it may sound, learning how to paint or draw teaches you how to see. It’s much harder to figure out how to fill a blank canvas than to compose a photograph, so if you can learn how to paint a decent canvas, then composing a picture becomes easier”. Secondly, try not to get ahead of yourself: “it is a lot better to learn how to take good pictures, than start trying to promote yourself. I’d be embarrassed to do it the other way round.” For more of Alan’s work take a look at his Flickr, user profile: alan_sailer. of stitches or sutures from surgery, and the textures of the melted plastic are comparable to the textures and creases of skin.
To have your art featured in Exehibition, contact arts@exepose.com
Exeposé
| WEEK twenty-nine
ARTS
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A Good Book Has No Ending...
Emma Holifield, Books Editor, examines the ongoing adaptation of literary works to stage musicals BEING Books Editor it’s safe to say that I’m a little bit fond of literature. But dare I say it, there may be one thing I like even more is musicals. I’m not an all-singing, all-dancing lunatic waiting to burst into song as if I’m in Glee (although I would be in full support of other people who could actually sing doing this). But there’s something about the intensity of musicals that makes the emotions expressed a whole lot more epic, not to mention providing a catchy tune or two to get you through those boring essays.
“Do musicals add welcome razzmatazz to tones or do they bastardize the litrary canon?” Musicals inspired by books are everywhere in the theatre world, combining my two loves in one wonderful package. There’s the hugely successful such as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera, a reinterpretation of Gaston Leroux’s classic French novel. The musical is now celebrating an astonishing 27 years on the West End. Then there’s the not so successful. For instance, the musical version of The Lord of the Rings, famously plagued by cast injuries, ran for only a year, with the epic trilogy crammed into a three hour musical romp failing to appeal to critics and audiences alike. Other smash-hit adaptations are rife, with Wicked, Oliver and Les Misérables being personal favourites (the latter of which I LOVED way before the film … #hipster). Poetry has also been used as musical theatre inspiration, with T.S. Eliot’s whimsical poem Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats inspiring Andrew Lloyd Webber’s famous produc-
Romeo and Juliet The Lemon Grove
23-24 May 2013 WERE we going to dance alongside the cast and hope we would be able to hear Shakespeare’s famous lines over the sound of Nikki Minaj? As we sat sipping our drinks I started thinking I was a little underdressed before suddenly those who I assumed to be fellow audience members started speaking loudly in a definitely renaissance style. I thought the production was fantastically adapted to fit the club scene and the movement of the audience kept us actively involved. Romeo’s slightly drunk gang of friends were funny and completely plausible and though I’m unsure why Mercutio’s death was scrapped whilst Tybalt’s remained, I have little but praise. The setting made what normally seems an over the top and unlikely romance believable. We all know how alcohol makes situations all the more melodramatic and the nurse played by Lucy Hirst became the bored and slightly drunken messenger I have too often been myself. Lucy Hirst’s and Jack Wrighton’s performances were the most
tion Cats. Even The Bible and now, The Book of Mormon have inspired hugely successful musical releases. As with all adaptations one can question which is better? Do musicals add welcome razzmatazz to tomes or do they bastardize the literary canon? Always liking to experience the literary inspirations for adaptations, I rushed to get my hands on a copy of Wicked and Les Misérables after becoming obsessed with their musical counterparts. In some cases I enjoyed the original more, with the book of Phantom of the Opera inciting a sense of trepidation that I hadn’t felt during the musical.
However, with others I was hugely disappointed. Although, irrefutably good stories (I’m not about to criticise Hu-
“The show is an allsinging, all-dancing musical masterpiece” go’s monumental work), I found that the literary originals lacked the hype and excitement of their musical offspring. Somewhat naively, I was hugely disappointed that my favourite tunes didn’t spark up during important moments and eventually, I must concede, I got so bored I gave up; apparently there’s only so much I can hear about a very pious, but none-the-less very boring French bishop, without needing a song to perk things up. I’m not saying all books can be improved by being turned into musicals; Lord of the Rings is testament to that. In fact, not all books should be adapted in this way. For instance, I doubt even Andrew Lloyd Webber could make a coherent musical out of The Odyssey (although, I’m horrified to announce that someone has tried). But with plenty more book to musical adaptations set to grace our theatres in the future, I will continue to watch in awe at the sets, costumes and of course songs that revitalise many books, bringing some into the spot-
Sophy: Do you feel pressure tampering with such a well-known story as Little Women? Will: Not really, because I haven’t actually read the book. I suppose a lot of people have a preconceived idea of what they imagine the characters to be like, which is great because then we can just ruin it and show everyone why our interpretations work. S: The musical only ran on Broadway for four months, do you think people were uncomfortable seeing the classic on stage? W: I reckon audiences may have felt as if the book didn’t warrant music, it is so famous, everyone knows the plot and it is very easy to ask ‘why are they just randomly singing’. However, I think the songs really lift the show. S: The big question is: does it work? Is the musical adaptation successful? W: Yes, and you should all come and see it! But be warned, the audience will be very close, it will not be very dark and from on stage you can see all of the audience which is kind of weird
MAGDA CASSIDY: Cutting art completely contradicts the idea of providing students with a rounded education; I can’t remember the last time I used trigonometry, but I use the skills I developed through GCSE art everyday - in my degree and in both of my part time jobs.
“Their symbolic ‘marriage’ in the Lemmy loos on the other hand - not so classy.”
KRISTINA HILL
EXETER FOOTLIGHTS’ performance of Little Women the Musical is hoping to transform the classic children’s novel by Louisa May Alcott to an all-singing, all-dancing sensation.Six generations have read this story – this one will sing it. I chatted to Little Women cast member Will Kelleher to get the low-down on the adaptation of the book.
perfect chance to doss around.
innovative and I really loved the way they patronisingly dealt with Romeo and Juliet’s fleeting romance.
Heidi Lawry’s Juliet was young and petulant and hopelessly infatuated with her Romeo. The frustration she showed as she repeated those most famous lines (Romeo, Romeo. Where fore art thou, Romeo? ) prevented what can easily become a cliché scene from being added to the list of dramatic failures. Similarly, Phillipe Edwards was a convincingly smitten Romeo and I loved the slow motion meeting of eyes across the dance floor; their symbolic ‘marriage’ in the Lemmy loos on the other hand, not so classy. The production was light hearted and succeeded in not taking itself too seriously, picking up on Shakespeare’s jokes but still managing to make me tear up at the end.
Sophy Coombes- Roberts, Arts Editor, catches up with Footlights’ Will Kelleher to dicuss book made musical Little Women
Should Art be Cut from the National Curriculum? THE future of English Art in schools is hanging in the balance. After the Duke of Edinburgh declared the core of academic subjects to be: “ English, Mathematics. History or Geography, the sciences and a language,” there is no secured guarantee that art will remain on the curriculum. Is art an opportunity for the youth to develop a creative streak and express themselves, or the
OWEN KEATING: The potential decision to remove the arts from the National Curriculum is a depressing one, as is the reasoning behind it, that these subjects are less worthwhile than science or maths. Rubbish. Creative, imaginative students who happen to prefer easels to equations will struggle in what could become an increasingly dull, cynical education system. ROB HARRIS: I remember my GCSE Art classes at secondary school. By that I mean I remember the unspoken rule that you mustn’t, under any circumstances, actually do work. Speaking honestly, most people I knew just wanted a break from other subjects for an hour, so why not give them that instead?
as you end up singing to people you know. However, this means that everyone can get really close to the characters and really engage with them. S: Which musical adaptation of a novel do you think has been most successful? W: Les Miserables for sure, I have seen it 6 times and I don’t think a day goes by when I don’t sing a little bit of Les Mis. It is beyond anything else. S: Is there a line we should draw, are some books untouchable with regards to adaptations? W: YES! At the moment people are making literally anything into a musical and it is ridiculous. There are so many bizarre musical adaptations in production at the moment that completely cross the line: The Shane Warne musical, The X Factor Musical, 50 Shades of Grey the Musical (to be named ‘Cuff Me’) S: Why should people come out to see this production? W: Little Women has a tremendously talented cast with three people in the show already accepted to drama school for next year. It is a lovely story, a bit of a tearjerker at times, fun, an exciting adaptation. Little Women will be on stage in Reed Hall from 3-5 June (with a matinee and evening performance on 4 June) Tickets £8
EMMA HOLIFIELD: The weeks spent painting fairly uninspiring arrangements in my school’s annual still life were a great time to chat, but didn’t exactly progress my artistic skill. However, on the whole art was one of my favorite subjects and it would be a huge shame for it to be taken off the curriculum, offering opportunities to use arts materials that many don’t have access to elsewhere. ClARA PLACKETT: This is a ridiculous idea especially when so many studies have proven that young people’s participation in arts subjects improves their cognitive ability, literacy and overall academic attainment. Schools should be providing access to art, and if art is ever cut from the curriculum the government will have managed to make art more elitist whilst simultaneously devaluing it. JOBE BRUZAS (BBC TELEVISION JOURNALIST):The UK is admired for its contribution to the arts. The N/C should allow students to develop interests & make their own choice.
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GAMES
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GAMES EDITORS
Gemma Joyce & Becky Mullen games@exepose.com JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP Exeposé Games
One box to rule them all? Tom Ffiske and James Dyson go head to head on features, privacy, and the multi-media goals of the Xbox One
THE Xbox One has been having a harsh time, hasn’t it? In theory, Microsoft’s premise seems so simple. By defining the Xbox One as a multi-media system where users can play video games, listen to music, and watch TV/movies in one package, Microsoft is attempting to dominate the living room space. But the
“Microsoft isn’t taking a wonky step forward, but a measured step in the right direction” backlash against Microsoft’s plans have been, to put it lightly, quite dismissive. During the announcement conference itself, legions of Twitter followers were frantically typing obscenities about the Xbox One, denouncing the core features of the console. The Playstation seemed on the verge of winning the nextgen war, as Sony’s stock value remarkably rose during the conference. That’s unbelievable in itself, but it only got worse. After the conference ended, criticisms against the machine spread like wildfire. Joe Vargas, a well-respected industry journalist, decided not to support the machine unless E3 makes the console seem more attractive to the core-gaming consumer. On websites such as Reddit, many consumers had decided to side with the upcoming PS4, which seems to dedicate its time and resources to game development far more than the Xbox. And shockingly enough, Microsoft has disabled the comments on their reveal video
so that consumers are not informed of the hate pouring from Youtube’s users. Therefore, it might seem mad that anyone would defend the Xbox One at all. However, I would like to point out that the Xbox’s future isn’t all doom and gloom, but rather a smart business choice, which will reap great rewards in the future. The most common critique against the system is its emphasis on TV and movies. The hardcore gaming audience fears that Microsoft is moving away from its core gaming roots. This is a null argument. Firstly, no one should take the conference at face value as a ton of games will likely appear at E3 which will reignite the gaming aspect of the console. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, they are starting to
compete in markets other than gaming, a smart move. By advertising itself as an all-in-one box of TV, movie and console entertainment, consumers hoping for a less cluttered living space would most likely buy the Xbox One. In other words, Microsoft isn’t taking a wonky step forward. It’s a measured step in the right direction. Additionally, gamers seem to forget that they do not need to actually use the features the new Xbox will provide. Microsoft will still focus on supporting
developers and their games, and gamers will most likely still have a great time with their friends and family. And just because the PS3 has Netflix on it, I don’t spam Internet forums with how it’s ‘moving away from it’s roots’. I simply ignore it. With that said, I must point out that the console has some incredible flaws within itself which should be rectified. For example, the fact that it’s always online (kind of) would likely piss off the three people who do not have Internet in the UK. Additionally, while charging a fee for used games may be beneficial for Microsoft in the short term, it will definitely force some users towards the PS4. And finally, the fact that three of its eight gigabytes of RAM is dedicated solely to its operating system may be a problem when games developers try to utilise all the power of the console. There is no denying that the new Xbox has severe flaws. Yet with that all said and done, Microsoft is taking a bold move in the right direction. Gamers forget that the games industry is an oligopoly with not much space to gain the upper hand. No matter how much money these companies pour in to win over consumers, there is little chance that one company shall become dominant over the other companies through games alone. By competing in other areas, Microsoft hopes to gain the upper hand in this competition. Only time will tell if they are successful in their endeavours.
TOM FFISKE
I’M less psyched about the console that’s supposed to ‘change everything’ than Microsoft’s marketing department seem to be. Partly it’s because I’m being swayed towards a PC, but even if I weren’t so inclined, there would still be a whole host of grievances I could complain about. First and foremost is the rather Orwellian idea that the Kinect component of the Xbox will always be on, listening for the commands like ‘Xbox on’, and recording facial expressions, heart rate and so forth. A number of gaming websites have noted that the way the Kinect operates could raise serious privacy issues. Even if this does sound slightly paranoid (but that’s what they want you to think!), the idea of a console filming me whilst I play, and one that has to be connected to the internet at that, sets me on edge a bit. Though, in fairness to Microsoft, the full details of how the Kinect’s settings will work haven’t been announced yet. This raises two other issues. I, like roughly 70 per cent of current Xbox 360 users, don’t really care about the Kinect features of the new Xbox. The addition of voice commands and suchlike isn’t really going to persuade me into shelling out for a new games system. Secondly, needing to be connected to the Internet just to play the discs I’ve brought is irritating, especially if that required me to pay for an online account. It would also mean that I couldn’t borrow (or lend) a game from a mate without having to pay and download it for myself. This sounds a bit cheap, especially as Microsoft is
attempting to let game producers add an online fee for second-hand games. While primarily a financial move to stop game retailers depriving producers from making a profit, at the end of the day it also has a knock-on effect on the customer. At the same time, a potential hazard for this cloud-based gaming is that those with poor or no Internet connection seem to be largely cut off from playing the games they’ve brought in
“The way the Kinect operates could raise serious privacy issues” hard copy. On another note, the extra bells and whistles, such as being able to use Skype, watch TV, integrate with smartphones and tablets and whatnot, also seem to be exactly that: bells and whistles. Ignoring the fact that I don’t own these gimmicky gadgets, I’m not really sure what’s supposed to be so revolutionary about these features. I can already connect to the Internet with my laptop, watch TV and play films with a television, and I really don’t see the value in being able to Skype or attach secondary devices to a bigger screen via an Xbox. If we’re talking about multiple functions here, the elephant in the room seems to be the PC; on that device I can use Word, the Internet, games, and a billion other things. So all in all, I’m not that impressed the fluffy new features of the next-gen console.
JAMES DYSON
26
GAMES
Metro: Last Light
Destruction plagues post-nuclear apocolyptic Russia: let the games begin! Metro: Last Light 4A Games
PC/PS3/Xbox 360 Out Now EVERY time I reflect on the long evenings I spent with Metro: Last Light, one single image always skulks its way into my head. It wasn’t a memory of a mutated sewer-beast pinning me against the wall, or an intense gunfight echoing through the tunnels, but one of a small group of children sitting transfixed as an old man made shadow puppets against the light of a glowing lantern. “Is that a demon?” one of the children asked. “No,” the man replied, “it’s a bird… they were like demons but… beautiful.” In just a passing moment, one which I could easily have chosen to ignore, the entire tone of the game crystallised in front of me. This is a world where there is no
“In just a passing moment, the entire tone of the game crystallised in front of me” beauty left, a world that has spawned a generation that knew nothing of what
4 JUNE 2013 |
www.exepose.ex.ac.uk
society was before, a world where you learn to appreciate the small things in life. My word, is it a remarkable one. Picking up one year on from the events of Metro 2033, players once again find themselves in the boots of Artyom, a young witness of the nuclear apocalypse fresh from being officially adopted by an elite group of soldiers called ‘The Rangers’. Despite their previous efforts to wipe out a mysterious race of mutants known only as the ‘Dark Ones’, it soon becomes obvious that there had been at least one survivor of the blast. The stage is then set for a journey that drags Artyom through the nooks and crannies of Moscow’s irradiated underground in a struggle to seek and destroy the last member of the elusive species. We’ll get the simple stuff out of the way first. The action is immaculate, with all the spectacular highs and lows you would expect in any other of today’s AAA shooters, but that’s really not the point. The reason you stick around isn’t for the combat, but for the bleakly whimsical atmosphere that developers 4A Games have so impressively shaped from the smouldering forge of Dmitry Glukhovsky’s original book series. Nearly every NPC you come across in the many
makeshift towns or outposts has a story to tell, be it through a hushed discussion of hearsay or the way they go about their daily business: polishing their guns, drinking at the local bar or lying back and blasting Russian death metal through their headphones.
“The action is immaculate, with all the spectacular highs and lows you would expect” On occasion there may be the odd technical quirk (say, six hours of your progress being magically wiped from your system) and the pattern of walking through damp corridors made up of varying shades of grey sometimes gets tiresome, but all of these problems soon become peripheral in nature. Small moments, like when you wipe blood and water from your gasmask after a frantic shootout in the rain, or something as unassuming as a homeless man playing the accordion in the street, means Metro: Last Light will stay with you long after you put down the controller.
Column Spotlight Showcasing the best of Exeposé Online’s new columnists. Taking a break from his witty biographical ‘My Life in Gaming’ , Tom Seaman takes a look at how new generations ofconsoles have matured games and their content. AS I look on and bite my nails at the choices these people made are often arrival of 8th generation of video catching up to them and although life game consoles, I suddenly realise seems to get better, it is subtly getthat eight is a lot of generations. 40 ting more stressful and dangerous. years and eight generations ago we This major turn in the franchise were looking at a very altered set of was certainly a risky move, but was games, and a wildly different indus- executed so well that they escaped try and market. You could attribute becoming another repeated sequel. a lot of these changes to faster pro- In the previous games I would often cessors and advancements in graph- skip large chunks of narrative, having ics cards, and although these factors no reason to care for the characters helped, it was not the main driving or the progression of the story. But force for the change we have seen. now the only reason I was playing The industry evolved around an ag- was to reach the next episode of ing market, moving from children Niko Bellic’s life. This tonal shift was to teens to adults, with each age something, that in hindsight was bracket wanting something much needed. If the sequels of different or more out of GTA kept to the old style, I the games they played. would probably not be The Grand Theft excited or consider not Read more Auto franchise is a buying GTA V at all. Exeposé Games pertinent example In the same of this. Before GTA columns online at way that individuals IV hit the market, the X-media.ex.ac.uk choose to read differGrand Theft Auto series ent literature, or watch was best described as a different films, they have wacky open world sandbox, also chosen to play different with a story to simply serve the games. I have noticed as I have progression of further mayhem. The gotten older that I direct my attention games were filled with crime, sex, vio- towards games that have novel ideas lence, drugs and zero consequences. or explore unique or controversial I personally loved these games and topics. With the explosive expansion enjoyed their over the top nature and of Indie games due to lower develsatirical jokes towards American pop opment costs, more people can tell culture. I, like many people, could more stories with a variety of originot wait for the next instalment of nal mechanics. In my opinion it has ridiculousness to hit the shelves. But turned the video game medium into GTA IV, although similar in gameplay, more of an art form, with autocratic was not really what I was expecting. design allowing people’s visions to It was dark, dreary, and some- become reality. At the same time I what depressing. Your character isn’t find some larger titles having superb there to kick ass and chew bubbleg- mechanics and graphics, but lacking um. He wants to make a new life, in in overall direction as the hands of the land of opportunity, but instead publishers and executives dirty the finds himself needing to protect his original design. A camel is a horse family while slowly being sucked designed by committee is a provinto the underworld. No one seems erb that I find applies well to this. to be happy in this world either. The
ROB HARRIS, SCREEN EDITOR
Band of Spartans
Alex Phelps shares his thoughts on the Halo franchise getting the Spielberg treatment
THE highlight of the otherwise disappointing Microsoft conference was the appearance of the cinematic legend Steven Spielberg. The creator of both of the incredible television series’ Band of Brothers and The Pacific, Spielberg announced he would be giving that high budget treatment to a Halo TV series. I squealed. Spielberg has a long and difficult journey in transforming the vast expanse of the Halo universe to the one hour episode format. The mass of material to work with is both a blessing and a curse. It is wonderful in that there is much scope for showcasing the stories and characters we do know, or taking it to completely new worlds and characters. That scope could also be the downfall
as fans could receive characters or stories that they just do not care about. The best example is the Halo: Forward Unto Dawn series. It was a short and sweet mini-series on YouTube based around a training academy that was attacked during the Covenant Wars. The acting was top notch and the original story engaging. If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out because it is just so brilliant. But the big question we all want answered is: what about the Chief? It would be foolish to completely ignore him, so he will have to make a few appearances if he is not the focus. Despite there being some scope for the series to go wrong it is such an exciting prospect. Giving Halo the HBO treatment is just what is needed after
years and years of speculation. Halo lends itself so well to such a series that I could easily see it rivalling the likes of Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad. Personally, I want to see huge space and land battles that show the epic nature of the Covenant war rather than small scale battles. An origins story of the Spartan programme would be really popular. My advice to Spielberg would be tread carefully and listen to the fans and creators. They know what they want from their
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beloved franchise and in his
hands their desires can hardly go wrong. So get ready, people, because great things are happening for both games and television.
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29
International honours for Exeter students
After an unprecedented year for University of Exeter Sport, Mike Stanton, Sports Editor, catches up with Exeter’s globetrotting international stars ahead of a jam-packed summer of sport. IT has been a stellar year overall for the University sport, looking to come 5th overall in BUCS, an amazing achievement and the highest to date. Topping last year’s record breaking year when the University came 7th. The University of Exeter is renowned for its sporting prowess and it has the international accolades in its student body to prove it.
“The University of Exeter is renowned for its sporting prowess and it has the international accolades in its student body to prove it ” With students representing their respected countries in men’s and women’s Rugby Union, Rugby League and Lacrosse it is set to be a fine summer of sport for Exeter students. Amber Reed, who has been playing rugby union for England Women’s, is set to travel on the tour to New Zealand. The squad will face three tests against the current World Champions between the 6-22 July.
“There is nothing else like playing for your country, singing the anthem and playing against some of the best teams in the world” “We hope to emulate the 3-0 series win from last November against the Black Ferns,” Reed told Exeposé Sport. “It is a dream come true. Something you work so hard for, putting in all the effort off the pitch, and this makes it all worth-while.” This will be Amber’s first tour with the England Women, but already has eight caps to her name. Zoe Saynor has been selected to make her debut for England in Rugby Union in the England Women’s Development Squad in the Nations Cup being held America this July, already having played for SW England and England U-20s. Zoe has high hopes for the tournement: “Ultimately I hope that England retain the Nation’s cup but also for me to put my hand up for selection for the England Women’s EPS for next season,” she said.
“It is an unbeliveable honour to have been chosen to go on tour with the England Squad. I am nervous but excited at the opportunity to show my potential and look forward to gaining a great deal of experience of being on tour with such an experienced group of players.” The University also has international representatives in Men’s Rugby Union in Rob Coote, Jamie Gray and Mike Pope. Rob Coote has played for England Students throughout the season and is now setting his sights on the GB 7s squad, hoping to be selected for this summer’s upcoming games. Having already played for England Students, Rob knows how special it is to represent his country: “It’s an absolute honour and there is no better feeling in sport than pulling on your country’s jersey.”
“It’s an absolute honour and there is no better feeling in sport than pulling on your country’s jersey” Mike Pope, who had played alongside Coote for England Students, was also aiming for GB 7s before picking up an injury. Jamie Gray also played for England students throughout January, February and March, winning his first cap against Portugal who are 22nd in the IRB rankings. Gray described playing for his country as an “amazing experience” and is hoping to be involved in the set-up again next year. Sophy Coombes-Roberts is set to play in her first senior World Cup for Wales Lacrosse having played in the U-19 World Cup in 2011 where the team came 5th, and the 2012 Senior European Championships where they finished 2nd. She has also been training with the senior team for three years.
“It’s a massive honour and a great opportunity to develop for next season” “The ultimate goal is to win a medal,” said Coombes-Roberts about the upcoming World Cup. “But of course we hope to represent our country to the best of our ability and show the world
how much we have improved in the last four years. The minimum achievement is to improve on last World Cup’s 6th place.” “There is nothing else like playing for your country,” she continued. “Putting on my jersey, singing the anthem and playing against some of the best teams in the world alongside some of my closet friends is what we train day in, day out for.” Xander Seddon is looking forward to making his international debut this summer in the Rugby League Student’s World Cup in July. “I hope we get to the semi-finals,” said Seddon. “If we don’t get the results, I just hope to play some good rugby.” “It’s amazing but at the same time
Colours Awards CLUB COLOURS
UNIVERSITY COLOURS
Ayooluwa, O; Gardosi, J; Collier, T;
Simons, J; Gaughan, T; Seddon, A;
Potter, L; Vallis, D; Wildman, N;
Johnson, T; Nielson, C; Davis, P; Frost,
Hornsby, H
Fleming, K; Irwin, J; Leigh, B; Brad-
J; Pelton, A; Hopwood, S; Bartram,
bury, K; Saynor, Z; Reed, A; Kurlak, Y;
P; Fraser, H; Barrs, J; Smith, S; Win-
Sosnowska, I; Cartwright, T; Zaborski,
terbottom, A; Brennan, C; Butler, A;
E; Coombes-Roberts, S; Gerda, P;
Higson-Smith, C; Skliarov, I; Ellison, J;
Dexter, C; Elkington, J; Townsend, E;
Dexter, C; Mann, H; Abell, T; Morris, F;
Traylen, H; Rea, C; Williams, R; Coote,
Haskins, B; Gray, J; Pope, M; Claxton,
R; Treharne, T; Evans, Ma; Pugsley, H;
O; Blanchet-Dufresne, J; Foulger, J;
Samuel, T; Johnson, C; Cooper, N
a little bizarre, it’s the sort of thing you day dream about when you’re growing up, so to get that opportunity, pretty much out of the blue, it’s a truly special thing.”
“It’s amazing but at the same time a little bizarre, it’s the sort of thing you day dream about when you’re growing up, so to get that opportunity, is truly special” Xander is looking forward to make his debut and is expecting a lot of banter from his team-mates. “I’m making my debut and I am the baby of the group at 19, so I’ll doubtlessly get
Cycling Peter Medhurst Team Member
DURING the Easter holidays six EUCC members travelled up to Oxford for the club’s first attempt at the BUCs 3up team time trial. With six riders there were two teams entered. Despite it being the first time at the event, Exeter had high hopes after a few specific training sessions at the end of the spring term. The first team rode very strongly and all crossed the line feeling exhausted, averaging an impressive 26.5mph. They finished second earning a well-de-
pranked at some point.” Alex Mills-Baker is touring with Rugby League’s GB Pioneers this summer. It will also be Mills-Baker’s debut and he hopes to be selected in the final test of the tour against the full Moroccan national Side. Alex is looking forward to the experience and hopes it will improve his game for the future. “It’s a massive honour and a great opportunity to develop for next season.” With so many students proving themselves on the international stage the University should have high hopes going into the new academic year. Exeposé Sport wishes all the best to our international stars and the best of luck for the upcoming competitions. served Silver medal. The second team also had a great ride, finishing 15th out of 46 BUCS teams. The next week the team travelled back to Oxford to ride the BUCS 10 mile individual time trial, they were also joined by Bethan Stubs and Naomi Armstrong – the first women representing the club on the road at BUCS in recent memory. The girls did a great job finishing 26th/27th in their first ever road event. There was a team prize for the fastest 3 riders and with a strong all-round showing the team came 3rd – narrowly beating Birmingham by 2 seconds.
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Exeposé
Cricket Varsity succumbs to rain with Exeter in control
Photo: Niklas Rahmel
Cricket
Will Kelleher Sports Editor
HAVING put themselves in a commanding position, Exeter were frustrated as the Cricket Varsity was abandoned due to rain after only a few overs of Bath’s reply. This is now the second Varsity match in successive years to fall foul to the weather, however the team’s last year never even made it to the wicket with such a wet summer. Despite the match not counting to-
wards BUCS league points Exeter will be frustrated that such a good event was curtailed, especially as they were virtually certain of recording a win against their South West rivals. The incoming crowds braved the cold to support their men in green and were treated to some enthralling and enjoyable cricket before the storm clouds gathered. The game was reduced to 40 overs before play began to try and fit a full match in but unfortunately it could not be completed. Exeter did, however, complete their 40. After a slow start with some consistent Bath line and length bowl-
ing, and a cruel run-out for opener Tom Abell whilst backing up, Curtis and Morgan helped Exeter move through the gears. Each batted sensibly and punished the bad ball, particularly anything short of length. Both would have been disappointed not to have reached 50, the pair of them falling for 44. The middle overs were probably not as profitable as Exeter would have liked and when only managing just under four runs per over it was seemed they would not reach the 200 mark by the end of their effort. Up stepped Neal Prowse. His fantastic effort of 57
section of both summer and winter nationals Exeter became the most successful University ever. After some intensive Easter training out on the grass, frequented by both beginner and novice players, prospects and hopes for a victorious summer nationals are high; failing that, victory over training partners UWE is a must. Beginners make up the majority of players and teams with the Beginner A team of first years, Fliss Newland, Michael Karlsson-Greenhill and Belle Kennett, leading the charge. Another three teams will also be making the journey to nationals. Unlike previous tournaments, only one Novice team are competing; India Ringer, Lucy Gibson and Harriett
Shaw, all second years who began playing polo last year. After Shaw and Ringer were part of the victorious Beginner B team last year, and Gibson was part of the Beginner A team who came third in the same competition, and the Novice A team from this years winter nationals, hopes are riding high. The open team competing in the highest section is made up of Charlie McLellan, Sebastian Echeverri, Liv Mallach and Harold Hodges. After competing for England U21’s in Australia over Easter, Club Captain Hodges is hopeful of a fourth consecutive open title.
Polo Club riding high
Polo Lucy Gibson
EUPC Publicity Secretary EXETER UNIVERSITY POLO CLUB have had an incredible season so far with the largest playing membership ever, losing just one varsity match. SUPA (Schools and University’s Polo Association) summer nationals is the focal event of third term, held over 7-9 June at Offchurch Bury Polo Club in Warwickshire, welcoming Universities from all over Britain and Ireland. This year we have a record turn out and shall be sending up seven teams across all sections including an alumni. Last year after victories in the open
not out took the home side to 213-6, a score that looked out of their reach with five overs to go. Prowse’s clean hitting, especially to leg with some superb Kevin Pietersen-esque ‘flamingo’ shots were very timely. Prowse’s innings was of great relief to the Exeter support as EUMCC looked far the better side, with only really tight fielding denying them from boundaries. The break for the change of innings provided some liquid entertainment for the gathered crowds, the Timepiece tent did a roaring trade all afternoon and the hog-roast was a
great addition to the event. With 214 to secure the win Bath never really got going. With the score at a less than impressive 37-4 the rain saved further blushes and unfortunately the match had to be abandoned. The event itself was a success with the Club raising a considerable amount. Part of which will be donated to CLIC Sargent Children’s cancer charity. With the match unable to be completed the 1st XI are still unbeaten this season and will be hoping to continue this run in the remaining BUCS fixtures.
Volleyball Rick Smith Jr.
The teams comprised complete volleyball novices to trained veterans, battling it out in the sun with team ‘Green Machine’ taking home the title. In benefit of the charity Get Kids Going, with its goal to inspire and help disabled children and young adults become involved in sport, EUVC was able to raise nearly £500 through team fees, the selling of t-shirts, and a raffle donated by local shops and restaurants. EUVC gives thanks to these for their generousity and support: Bill’s Restaurant, Cotê Brasserie, Tad Surf Shop, Elite Tanning & Beauty, Jeff Goodwin Hair, Volleyball England, KPMG, Timepiece, and Lush. Also all of the participating players and the AU for their continued support of the development of the club.
Thanks from EUVC EUVC Captain
SUNSHINE, light wind, freshly-cut grass. The perfect conditions for some great grass volleyball and even better conditions for a charity tournament. EUVC held their first ever Alumni Charity Grass Tournament at St Luke’s campus over the weekend of the 25 May, with much support from the local community and fellow students. Coinciding with Volleyball England’s ‘Go Spike Big Weekend’, which aims to encourage people to engage in the sport, the two-day tournament featured 12 teams competing in round robin and elimination rounds.
Exeposé
| WEEK TWENTY-NINE
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The Mighty Duckes
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Crossword No. 49 by Raucous
With Touch Duckes 2013 starting on Thursday 6 June, Mike Stanton, Sports Editor, talks to Tom Royds about this prestigious annual event
Photo: Touch Duckes 2012
Across
>> Rob Coote surges for the line in last year’s Touch Duckes tournament
THE EIGHTH annual Touch Duckes tournament will kick off this Thursday and Friday, 6 and 7 June at Duckes Meadows. Touch Duckes is a two day invitational touch rugby and rounders tournament with a focus as much on the spectators as it is on the sport. With free entry, drinks and live music Touch Duckes is renowned as the perfect post-exam celebration. The event was first held in the summer of 2006 by the First Fifteen Club with a simple aim to reconnect old school friends after going to different universities, to raise money for a number of charities supported by the First Fifteen Club and to provide a quality sporting and social event. Speaking to the event manager Tom Royds, he explained the importance of the charity side to the event. “Since its inception the tournament has raised money for the Matt Hampson Trust and the RFU Injured Player’s Foundation. “The Matt Hampson trust provides advice, support, relief and treatment for anyone suffering serious injury or disability, especially those which have arisen from participation in sport.”
“The event was first held in 2006 to reconnect old school friends after going to different universities” “The RFU’s ‘Injured Player’s Foundation’ provides support and information to those who sustain a catastrophic injury as a result participating in rugby union. It works to empower people to lead as full and independent life as possible.”
Royds added that: “this year we will also be making a donation to the Dan Bagshaw Memorial Trust, which was set up in the memory of Dan Bagshaw, a friend of the First Fifteen Club who sadly died at the age of 26, having been hit by a heart attack, similar to that of Fabrice Muamba, at the finishing line of the Hong Kong Triathlon. The trust aims to help prevent sudden death syndrome in young sportsmen.”
“We will be donating to the Dan Bagshaw Memorial Trust for a friend of the First Fifteen Club who sadly died of a heart attack at the age of 26” The event has gone from strength to strength, with team entries and participant numbers increasing year on year. “As the tournament has grown we have formed a partnership with Rampant Sporting, sponsor of our much sought after Touch Duckes beaters,” Royds said. “Building and maintaining these positive relationships has been very important to the First Fifteen Club over the years. We have also had a steep increase in interest in the Rounders tournament, which has been really encouraging.” Last year’s event was a great success, with over 600 players of all standards and from all over the country taking part as well of being very fortunate with the weather. The event culminated in a tantalising final and an emphatic victory for the ‘Touch Dickes’ captained by George
Flemming. Over the years there has been a huge demand for team entries, so much so that the event organisers have been forced to turn down late entries. Royds went on to say that this “has led to their being a focus by the First Fifteen Club to make Touch Duckes an experience for the spectators, as well as the players.” “With a BBQ, live music and a performance from Exeter University’s Cheerleading Club there is plenty going on over the two days, so come along and be part of this year’s tournament,” he said. The event itself is held in Exeter at Duckes Meadow, Salmon Poole Lane so there is an excuse to stay with friends in Exeter or tie in a trip to Cornwall. With the Enchanted Garden Ball 2013 being held on 8 June, Touch Duckes promises to be the start of a fantastic few days. Whether you are enroled in a rugby or rounders team or not Touch Duckes is set to be a fantastic event in the University Calender and one that is not to be missed. Let’s hope the weather holds and
“With a BBQ, live music and a performance from the Cheerleaders there is plenty of entertainment” everyone has a fantastic day in the sun with plenty of flair on show! Even if you don’t have a team, come down to support! What could be better than a beer in hand, some sport to watch and a night out in Timepiece to end your University year?
Across 1. Metres per second per second (12) 6. See 1. Down. 9. English cricketer (5) 10. Eternal (8) 11. Percussion instrument (4) 12. Secret (11) 17. Title (4) 19. Eastern European capital (8) 22. Cowboy exhibition (5) 23. Northern France port (7) 24. Dream-inducing drug (12)
Down 1. & 6. Across. First woman to fly over the Atlantic (6,7) 2. Product of heated sugar (7) 3. Underground train (4) 4. Smell (5) 5. Second US President (5) 7. & 16. Down. A Few Good Men and Moneyball writer (5,6) 8. Hot beverage (3) 13. Samuel Clemens’s pen name (5) 14. Requiring (7) 15. Sniff (5) 16. See 7. Across. 18. E.g. newspapers, television, radio (5) 20. Help (3) 21. Awesome; cold (4)
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EUBC success in second annual Varsity Photo: Josh Irwandi
The Final Whistle Here is your guide to a few upcoming sporting courses, classes and events 5 June
AU Dodgeball Tournament £20.00 – open to all Sports Park Contact – au@exeter.ac.uk
6 & 7 June
Touch Duckes All Day Free Duckes Meadow
8 & 9 June
Grand Challenges Festival 09:30- 17:00 Free Sports Park/Forum Contact Paul Mouland 01392 722039
8, 9 & 29 June
UKCC Level 1 Tennis Coaching Course 09:00-17:00 Students £165.00 Contact Paul Mouland 01392 722039
Cricket Will Kelleher
9 June
Sports Editor
>> The Senior Men’s Quad prepare for their race in this year’s Rowing Varsity against Exeter City Boat Club down at the Quayside
Liv Conroy
Rowing
EUBC Novice Women’s Captain EUBC performed well and won all of the races in the first division at the second annual Rowing Varsity against Exeter City Boat Club last Wednesday The event took place at the Exeter Quayside, after the great success of last year’s inaugural race that EUBC also won; there was an excellent turn out, with crowds gathering for the 5pm warm up practice.
“The warm up practice allowed spectators to get a better understanding of the nature of rowing and the technique of the crews” A new addition to this year’s Varsity, the warm up practice, allowed spectators to get a better understanding of the nature of rowing and gain
an insight into some of the technical practices of the crews.
“For many of the novice crews, the Varsity was a fantastic learning curve and excellent racing experience” The races were spilt into two divisions; the first consisting of the novice women’s 8+, senior men’s 8+, senior women’s 4x. The second division comprised the novice men’s 8+, women’s double, senior men’s 4x. For many of the novice crews, the Varsity was a fantastic learning curve and excellent racing experience, giving them plenty of practice off the start and racing side by side with another crew. With a best of three format over the 400m course, the races were often very close; the University performed a clean sweep of the first division, winning all races, a fantastic achievement.
In the second division we saw several highly contested races, in particular between the women’s double and the novice men’s 8+ who were only just beaten to line by the City crews. Throughout the event there was excellent commentary from a Boat Club Alumni, Tom Rendell, keeping a lively atmosphere as well as helping inform the spectators of some more technical points with regards to the races themselves. Spectators were also treated to a raffle, with Timepiece Gold Cards up for grabs, bottles of champagne and wine, as well as Waterfront vouchers. Overall the event raised around £111 for the University Boat Club, which will go a long way towards acquiring some new equipment. EUBC would like to thank everyone that attended, especially those who stuck out during the rain. The event was a huge success, and we really encourage everyone to pitch up again next year, to watch what we hope will be an even more highly con-
tested regatta against the best from Exeter City Boat Club. The senior crew’s are heading to Dorney Lake, where the Olympic rowing events were hosted last summer, this weekend to race at The MET Regatta. It will be fantastic for all involved to race at an Olympic venue, fingers crossed that our crews are successful.
“Overall the event raised £111 for the Boat Club which will help to buy new equipment” This is in preparation for both Women’s Henley and Henley Royal, which take place later in the summer. Meanwhile the novice crews are racing at Walton and Weybridge Regatta. We wish all crews the best of luck this weekend hopefully we will be bringing back lots of medals and personal bests!
Yoga Workshop: Moving Deeper - The Art of Patience (Yin Yoga) 13:00-16:00 Students: £10.00 Non-students: £15.00 St Luke’s Sports Centre 01392 724940
17-21June
NPLQ Course 09:00- 17:00 Students: £175.00 St Luke’s Sports Centre 01392 7249490
Every Friday
Red Sock Run 5km 07:30-08:30 Free Outside Great Hall Wear Red Socks – All welcome Contact: Martin Hewlett m.j.hewlett@exeter.ac.uk