Forge Press issue 30

The independent student newspaper of the University of Sheffield // www.forgetoday.com

Issue 30 // Friday December 3 2010

Best of 2010 Fuse pages 8-9

Occupiers claim Uni dirty tricks

Blacked up: Sinterklaas is coming to Jessop West page 3

The University has threatened court action against a group of protesters occupying the Richard Roberts Auditorium.

Protesters have occupied the building since 3.30pm on November 30.

Director of Estates and Facilities Management, Keith Lilley, told protesters exams are due to take place in the auditorium next week and, unless they moved, the University would be obtain an injunction to remove them.

Lilley offered the protesters the option to move into the Hicks building, or face the threat of legal proceedings.

Occupiers demand that there is no rise in tuition fees, that Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is reinstated, and state they are against all cuts to education and welfare.

A statement from the protesters said: “We are a peaceful and non-violent occupation. We see ourselves as part of a broad and united movement that has successfully mobilised against the ConDem attack on education and the rest of the public sector.”

A 24 hour occupation of two lecture theatres took place in Hicks on November 24.

When the Hicks occupation started University staff told protesters more people would be allowed in and out of the occupation the next day.

Staff provided bottled water and allowed food to be brought in and out of the lecture theatre until 9pm.

But the next day no more

protesters were allowed into the rooms and the occupation’s website said there was an “unprecedented change in the agreement that was made with security last night, without consultation or mediation.”

The occupation ended after the building was evacuated following a fire alarm, although protesters believe University security might have set the alarm off.

An occupation statement said: “We managed to get a few more people into the occupation whilst the security were pushing and shoving us about.

“Then, coincidentally, the fire alarm went off. We were highly suspicious that the security set off the alarm to try to get us to leave. This is because of the timing - they were aggressively preventing people from entering the occupation.”

A University spokesperson said: “The University takes allegations made against our security staff very seriously and will investigate these claims made by the occupiers.

“We can confirm that the fire alarm was not set off by a member of University staff and on hearing the fire alarm, security staff followed the correct procedures and evacuated the building to ensure the safety of everyone in the building.”

The Auditorium occupation began following a planned march to Nick Clegg’s constituency office.

When Forge Press went to print protesters were debating whether to move to the Hicks building or stay in the Richard Roberts Auditorium.

A University spokesperson said: “We understand the concerns of students and are proud of those students who have shown dedication and commitment to supporting and championing a cause that won’t necessarily affect them but will instead have an impact on future generations.

“The University of Sheffield fully supports freedom of speech and the right of students to express their views within the law. However the University does not condone occupation of lecture theatres, which will undoubtedly cause disruption to lectures and seminars for students.

Students’ Union Finance Officer Tom Hastings said: “Sheffield Students’ Union encourages all students to do as much as they can within the next seven days to put as much pressure on the government as possible.”

Occupiers are allowing lectures to continue in the Auditorium while they remain in the building.

The protesters said: “Geography students and their lecturer were perfectly happy to have their lecture in the occupied space, undisturbed. Also several seminars have run through the afternoon.

“Management have claimed that our occupation would disturb the education of students, yet it is them who are moving education from the building whenever they can.”

University College London has already appeared at the High Court to seek an injunction to stop occupations that have been ongoing on their premises for a week.

LIFESTYLE

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Project Buzz

Right to Recall

8

letters

13

FEATURES

Matt Burgess

Traditional Sinterklaas costumes.

Photo: Astrid Photography

NEWS

Fashion prospectus Floss of hearing Five pages of vintage The man with the fashion perfect for New tooth in his Year’s, shot in Firth Court ear Lifestyle pages 21-26

News page 4

Supporting local children in their community Features pages 13-15

The arguments for and against the NUS campaign Comment page 9

21 Lifestyle 27 Travel 29 Sport

2

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FORGE PRESS Friday December 3 2010

NEWS UNIVERSITY

Awards and Rusko visit for Forge Radio Hannah Louise Pearson A University of Sheffield journalism student has won Broadcast Journalist of the Year at The Guardian Student Media Awards.

Rob Setchell, who graduated with a BA in Journalism Studies, won the award for a piece he submitted as part of his broadcast journalism portfolio in third year.

He said: “It was a great feeling.

I owe huge thanks to Katie Stewart, my broadcast tutor at Sheffield, and to the university as a whole.

“I will always look back fondly on the days when broadcasting consisted of breaking the world record for ‘the number of maltesers held in your mouth’ on Forge Radio.”

His feature on unusual university degrees and whether they can be justified in a time of higher education cuts was said to show fresh and dynamic on-air talent.

It was the first time a radio feature has won the broadcast category in the history of the awards. Setchell won a months’ work experience at The Guardian, which he will undertake next year.

He hopes the experience will help him fulfil his ambition of a career in broadcasting.

The awards range from prizes for reporting to photography and are judged by some of the biggest names in journalism including Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger.

Rusbridger said: “The students entering this year’s Guardian Student Media Awards are facing one of the most challenging journalistic environments in the history of the awards so far.”

Forge Radio also enjoyed a visit from dubstep producer Rusko this week.

Journalism student Sam Moir, recently nominated for a Student Radio Award, said that meeting the producer was one of his best experiences at university.

“Rusko’s one of the first dubstep producers I listened to so it was fantastic for me, as a fan.

“He was unbelievably friendly and a pleasure to have on the show,” said Moir.

Rusko was live on Forge Radio before playing at Tuesday Club.

During the show he played some of his early releases, talked about his life in America and revealed who he has worked with recently.

Left: Snow in Firth Court. Right: Icicles hanging off Firth Court. changes to teaching. It advised Kirsty McEwen them to: “take a common sense approach in the event of the The University of Sheffield weather changing significantly.” cancelled teaching all day Performances scheduled to Wednesday December 1 and in take place at the University on the morning of December 2 as Thursday night were cancelled. heavy snowfall hit Sheffield.

All buses and trains around Some areas of the city were Sheffield were cancelled on covered in up to 30cm of snow.

Wednesday, with some services The Information Commons and gradually returning to normal on Students’ Union remained open as Thursday. many University buildings were Hospitals around Sheffield closed and lectures cancelled. The closed on Wednesday apart from Endcliffe and Ranmoor student emergency procedures. villages also remained open as BBC Radio Sheffield appealed usual. for any medical staff who could The University set up a walk to local hospitals to offer webpage to keep staff and their services. students regularly updated on Sheffield Hallam University

also closed, and hundreds of schools around South Yorkshire remained shut.

South Yorkshire was one of the worst-hit areas in England.

Sheffield City Council said that it has spread 4,800 tonnes of salt on the roads so far this winter.

They currently have another 20,500 tonnes in stock and are awaiting further deliveries.

Gritters are focusing on ‘Priority 1’ roads, designed to allow access for emergency service vehicles, access to hospitals, and major public transport routes.

Over 100 people around Sheffield have volunteered as Community Snow Wardens, who receive training and salt from the

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Editor

News

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Josefin Wendel

news@forgetoday.com Matthew Burgess Nicole Hernandez Froio Kirsty McEwen

Managing Editor

Comment

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fuse

Helen Lawson

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Mary Anne Hobbs

WEB EDITOR Mikey Smith

comment@forgetoday.com Amy Claire Thompson Josefin Wendel

LETTERS

letters@forgetoday.com Katie Davies Bryony Dent

features@forgetoday.com Harriet Di Francesco Jonathan Robinson Emily Travis lifestyle@forgetoday.com Kate Lloyd Victoria Watson

Travel

travel@forgetoday.com Caroline Vann Jones

Photo: News Editors council to clear pavements and streets in their local area.

The A57 Snake Pass road between Manchester and Sheffield was closed.

Over 100 drivers spent the night in the South Anston Methodist Church near Sheffield after being stuck on the road since Tuesday.

Snow is currently predicted to last until Friday, with temperatures expected to fall to -5°C over the weekend. It is officially the worst snowfall in Sheffield since 1919.

The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings, and police are advising people not to travel.

sport@forgetoday.com Jack Burnett Anthony Hart Adam Shergold

Games

games@forgetoday.com James Garrett James Wragg

Screen

fuse@forgetoday.com Lizzie Palmer

screen@forgetoday.com Ashley Scrace Alex Sherwood

Music

Arts

music@forgetoday.com James Bollington Jordan Tandy

arts@forgetoday.com Kristiane Genovese Alexandra Rucki

Forge Press is printed on 100% recycled paper Forge Press is published by the Union of Students. Views expressed are not necessarily those of the University, the Union or the editorial team. In the first instance all complaints should be addressed to the Managing Editor, although a formal procedure exists.

FORGE PRESS Friday December 3 2010

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3

UNIVERSITY NEWS

University keeps Dutch Christmas traditions hidden behind closed doors Josefin Wendel Students are being asked to wear “blackface” in an event organised by a University department and cloaked in secrecy.

The Department of Germanic Studies has celebrated the event for over 20 years, often behind closed doors.

Guests received mulled wine and traditional Dutch biscuits while Sinterklaas gives out presents,assisted by his helpers, called Zwarte Piet (Black Pete).

Two students are chosen each year to dress up in the medievalstyle costumes, and cover their faces with black facepaint. They also wear afro-style wigs.

The dressed-up students are asked not to reveal their involvement, supposedly to keep the Sinterklaas legend alive.

The Dutch Sinterklaas figure is the original Santa Claus, and is widely celebrated in this way throughout the Netherlands and

Belgium. Sinterklaas is one of the most celebrated traditions of the year in the Netherlands.

Dozens of staff and students attend the event, one of the main cultural celebrations within the Department of Germanic Studies, and described as an important part of the Beginners’ Dutch module.

Students’ Union International Officer Mina Kasherova said: “It is very positive that many departments within our University try to bring their academic curriculum to life through celebrating internationalisation and cultural diversity.

“I am surprised and disappointed, however, that academics may not have taken into consideration the wider principles of diversity and equality, which both the University and the Students’ Union believe are fundamental.

“It is not acceptable for one country’s traditions to be

Sinterklaas, played by a University staff member.

celebrated at the expense of offending a large group of our students. ‘Blacking up’ based on mimicking colonialism is racist, and that, I believe, has no place on our campus. This practice will offend some of our students, and this must be considered in the future.

“I will be looking to contact the Germanic Studies Department to investigate the future celebrations of Sinterklaas.”

Dr Henriette Louwerse is the Dutch lecturer who organises the Sinterklaas event at the University, with the help of colleagues and students.

She said that no student involved in the celebration has ever raised objections, though some years ago a passer-by complained to the Black Students Committee.

Dr Louwerse said: “I then talked to the president, put the celebration into context and that was the end of it.

“However, I fully recognize that Sinterklaas and in particular his Pieten appear strange to an uninitiated audience. That is why we discuss the tradition and the context and how it has changed over the years during seminars.

“Even though there is no suggestion that the Pieten are from former Dutch colonies or that they are slaves, Zwarte Piet does display features of a stock white representation of the black ‘other’, wearing an Afro wig and often bright red lips.

“Zwarte Piet is also generally, though not exclusively, played by a white person blacked up.”

Black Students Councillor Barbara Oyoo said there is a thin line between racism and tradition and that she understood why this has caused controversies although she herself sees it as a celebration of Dutch culture.

Oyoo said: “Other students may not feel the same, therefore when

From the University’s 2008 Sinterklaas event. hosting a celebration you need to backgrounds.”

A University of Sheffield keep in mind the offence it may bring to others and your objective spokesperson said: “As language of celebrating Sinterklaas or stick can only be understood in the context of culture, this is to Santa Claus.”

Dr Louwerse said: “The figure considered a vital part of the of Zwarte Piet gives rise to students’ studies and ensures they controversy inside and outside of complete their courses equipped the Netherlands. Outsiders often with a broad understanding of associate Zwarte Piet with racist the subject.

“Sinterklaas occupies an representations from their own important date in the Dutch history.” calendar and its “Sinterklaas is an important cultural date on the cultural calendar of celebration has therefore been the Netherlands and Flanders a long running tradition within and every student of Dutch the Department. It is something students of all backgrounds have should know about it.

“Sinterklaas offers an always engaged with as a vital opportunity for a truly inclusive part of their studies of Dutch celebration and that is what cultural traditions and those of I believe we do in Germanic other Germanic languages.

“The Department has never Studies.

“Many people in the Netherlands received any complaints regarding including myself believe that now the celebration.”

At the time Forge Press went is a time that we need Sinterklaas more than ever. As a non– to print, the Department of religious and specifically Dutch/ Germanic Studies were still Flemish festivity, it makes for an planning to celebrate this year’s excellent inclusive celebration for Sinterklaas event on Friday people of all colour and religious December 3 in Jessop West.

Sheffield students take to the street in anger over fees hike Kate Lloyd and Dale Griffin Students in Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg’s constituency were restricted from protesting at his Sheffield office by police last week.

The protesters from local schools, colleges and universities, planned to demonstrate outside the politician’s constituency office in Fulwood on Tuesday November 30.

This followed a march by 2000 protesters on November 24 to Sheffield Town Hall, aiming to raise awareness of the NUS’ Right to Recall campaign.

The protesters gathered at Sheffield Students’ Union at 12pm and proceeded through the City Centre before arriving at the Town Hall, where students heard speeches from the Union Officers.

Marchers were told by South Yorkshire Police they were banned from protesting at Clegg’s office.

It was announced on the morning of the protest that only 100 people would be permitted to demonstrate in an area 40 metres from the office for just two hours.

Around 250 students marched

to the office but their path was blocked by around 30 officers.

Police carrying riot gear were placed in nearby streets and around University buildings.

The protest took place peacefully despite some demonstrators’ attempts to break through police barriers.

Some protesters called the large police presence “excessive”, claiming the police management of the protest restricted their right to free speech.

Superintendent Martin Scothern, leading the police operation in Sheffield, said: “The planned protest site did not lend itself to large-scale assembly and immediately adjacent to the constituency offices are business premises and a children’s nursery.

“This gave grounds for fearing that the rights of those not involved in the protest would be disproportionately affected if South Yorkshire Police allowed the protest to go ahead as planned.

“We are not trying to restrict people’s right to protest.”

University of Sheffield student, George Wood, said: “It is important that people are able to be politically mobile. People

should be allowed to make a stand about opinions that they feel passionate about.”

Sean Leary, protestor and student at King Edward VII Upper School said: “I go to a school where many pupils come from homes in Clegg’s constituency.

Our brothers and sisters voted for him because of the promises he made about education and abolishing tuition fees. They used their first vote to vote Lib Dem. He has broken his promise and they feel exploited.”

The protest was primarily directed at those MPs who might vote for an increase in fees, after pledging before the election not to do so.

Much of the anger was directed at Deputy Prime Minister and Sheffield Hallam MP Nick Clegg.

Clegg appeared on BBC Radio 2 later that day, where he said: “We’ve put together a package which will actually make it fairer for people who aren’t presently going to university.”

Local sixth form and college students attended the protest at the Government’s proposal to withdraw the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) for students from low-income backgrounds.

Photo: Marek Allen

Walkouts were seen at schools and colleges across the city at 11am, despite warnings from teachers that absences would be considered unauthorised.

Hundreds signed various petitions at the event. Many non-students said they were attending on behalf of children and grandchildren who are considering a university education. There was also support from Sheffield City Council leader Paul Scriven.

He said: “As long as they are not going to cause disruption to anyone else then it is absolutely right that their voice is heard.”

Union Education Officer Joe Oliver said the march is not the end of the protest: “We’re encouraging all students to email and write to their MPs telling them how important the issue is to them.

“As we face a crucial vote in Parliament in a matter of weeks, we’ll certainly be planning further protests to pile pressure on politicians to keep their promises.”

The Government’s proposed recommendations include increasing the annual tuition fees to £9,000 and budget cuts of up to 40%.

www.forgetoday.com // news@forgetoday.com FORGE PRESS Friday December 3 2010

4

NEWS LOCAL

Hospitals plan to save £100million

Miner discovers the awful tooth

Olivia Morley Sheffield’s hospitals are aiming to save £100million of their £800million annual budget to keep up with NHS targets.

The NHS hopes to save £20billion nationwide in line with budget cuts.

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust manages the Northern General, Hallamshire, Weston Park, Jessop Wing, and Charles Clifford Dental hospitals, which face further income cuts as services move to the community.

Money-saving measures include recruitment freezes, a two-year pay freeze, and recruiting less skilled staff.

Physiotherapy sessions for orthopaedic patients will also increase from weekdays to seven days a week so patients can leave hospital sooner.

Sheffield’s Children’s Hospital also faces cuts as it aims to save 5 per cent of its annual budget over the next three years. It could also lose £4.9million in “top up” fees it receives to cover the more intensive specialist care that young patients need.

Children’s hospitals are currently paid 78 per cent more than adult hospitals for each procedure they perform, but this could be cut to 25 per cent under proposals by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley.

Walkley Labour Councillor Ben Curran has started a petition against the proposed cuts.

Labour group leader Councillor Julie Dore told The Star: “This cut in funding will affect the hospital’s ability to properly treat not only local children, but some of the most severely ill children in this country.”

Barnsley East Labour MP Michael Dugher told The Star: “Why is the Government wasting billions on an expensive and unnecessary re-organisation of the NHS rather than putting money into front-line care where is it needed?”

Yorkshire Unison Head of Health John Cafferty said: “I don’t think it’s scaremongering to say that we risk heading back to a return of the NHS of the Eighties and nineties, when people waited for hours, or days, on trolleys.”

Sheffield Children’s Hospital

Photo: Chris Conway

“Look at this ‘ear”: Stephen Hirst and his troublesome tooth.

A former miner who suffered from thirty years of excruciating earache has finally found relief after doctors removed a tooth from his ear canal.

Stephen Hirst, 47, of Torksey Road, Shiregreen, was in constant pain and struggled to hear anything because of the tooth jammed deep in his ear canal The father of two claims he has no idea how the tooth got there in the first place, especially since he lost all his own teeth years ago.

Speaking to Forge Press, he said: “It’s a big mystery as to how it got in there. Nobody knows where it came from.

“Everybody’s got a theory, but I’ve not heard one that makes sense to me yet. There’s theories

saying I could’ve shoved it in there when I was a kid, which I can’t see happening really. It’s just a mystery how it’s got there, nobody knows. I was in disbelief at it. It was incredible. I’ve no idea how it got in there.

“I’ve been asked loads if I think the doctors will get to the root of it. A nurse said it might have been the tooth fairy had got it the wrong way round and just left it there. There have been too many crazy theories to remember.

“After getting it out I rang my wife Denise and said ‘You are never going to guess what they’ve found in my ear canal’ and so she starts guessing. ‘Spider? No. Some sort of insect? No. Cotton wool? No.’ And she kept going, but none of them were right.

“So I let her keep thinking about it until I got home. When I

showed her the tooth she couldn’t believe it.”

Hirst’s wife Denise, 43, said: “I’ve no idea how it got in there but it’s fantastic that after all these years he has been cured.”

Hirst had suffered ear pain since his early teens and attended hospital countless times in an effort to get to the bottom of the condition.

He said: “I’ve had many ear infections, which were very painful.

“I started getting terrible earaches in my teens and I’ve had for thirty years, probably more, a pain, infections, and when I was younger it was that bad sometimes I used to bang my head against the wall. I mean I’d really literally sit and bang my head off the wall. Earache is an awful thing to have to live with.

Night buses are back in Sheffield

Cathedral plans multimillion refurb

Burngreave building to lose £3.3 million

Harriet Collier

Chen Guo

Carri-Ann Taylor

Sheffield City Council has introduced night buses from the city centre for early Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Three services will run from Leopold Street in the city centre at 1, 2 and 3am and will cost £2.50 per journey.

Councillor Ian Auckland, Cabinet Member for Transport, Business and Skills at Sheffield City Council said: “We have received lots of requests from local people for night time bus services. The night buses will provide a safe and reliable way of getting home.”

Services will run through to Chapeltown via Crookes, Hillsborough and Parson cross, to Hemsworth via Ecclesall, Woodseats and Batemoor and Handsworth via Manor Top, Intake and Woodhouse.

All buses will be fitted with CCTV for the passengers’ and drivers’ safety.

Sheffield Cathedral has unveiled a £5.4million improvement scheme funded by a £32,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

Consultations are being held with business leaders and the public to consider improvements to the Grade I listed building.

Proposals include major improvements to the building’s access and exhibitions to bring its history to life.

The Cathedral will install under floor heating, redo the entrance, and install a brand new pipe organ to replace the one dismantled in 1997.

Cathedral Dean Peter Bradley said: ““We are very excited to be working with the HLF and other community partners on this project, which promises to enable us to open up the wonderful heritage of Sheffield Cathedral to the wider community in South Yorkshire.”

A city centre building bought and refurbished by Burngreave New Deal for Communities (BNDfC) at a cost of £4.5million could be closed and sold for less than a quarter of its value.

Experts say that Sorby House, on Spital Hill, may fetch as little as £1 million if BNDfC fail to secure further government funding after their current grant expires on March 31 next year.

The £3.3 million loss is equivalent to around £6 for every one of Sheffield’s residents.

Formerly used as DSS offices, Sorby House was given a highspec revamp two years ago as part of BNDfC’s £52 million regeneration programme.

The building was meant to be self-sufficient, with some of its floor space used by community groups whose rents would be subsidised by other commercial tenants. But more than two years after opening only 48 per

Chris Conway

“My wife used to have to wake me up because I’d be screaming in my sleep sometimes with the pain from my ear.”

Hirst was determined to discover what was causing the constant pain.

Doctors from the Royal Hallamshire Hospital found the tooth and removed it using a microscopic probe and a pair of tweezers.

Hirst said: “I decided to go to the Hallamshire and basically they finally managed to get it and it was a tooth. I’ve visited the ear, nose and throat department many times and it’s never been spotted by many different people, but I think the Hallamshire Hospital is brilliant, what they’ve done is fantastic and I thank them everyday. They’ve given me something to keep.”

cent of the building is occupied and rental income is insufficient to its running costs.

The ‘New Deal’ project which subsidises Sorby House’s bills will end in March after a decade, so the building needs to attract sufficient tenants to cover running costs. Otherwise it will be closed and sold with proceeds going to the government.

A Sheffield City Council spokesperson said: “The BNDfC Board hoped to be able to secure a future beyond this date, but has been unable to get approval for a Succession Strategy from Government due to the challenges of the current economic climate.

“Sheffield City Council is working closely with the BNDfC Board and central government departments to develop a way forward that provides ongoing benefits to people in Burngreave and limits the liability to the local tax payer. As the Accountable Body for the programme the Council will play an important role in supporting and advising the BNDfC Board.”

FORGE PRESS Friday December 3 2010

www.forgetoday.com // news@forgetoday.com

5

UNIVERSITY NEWS

UK language assistant scheme reinstated following protest

University Challenge team success Afrika Granger

The British Council came under huge criticism for stopping the popular language assistant scheme.

Jo Wendel The British Council has reopened its language assistantship programme after nationwide lobbying from universities and language students, following months of uncertainty.

It was unclear whether the scheme would run next year following cuts to the Department of Education, and applications for 2011/12 were suspended.

The British Council English Language Assistantship Programme pays students to teach English as a foreign language in schools and colleges abroad.

French tutor Dr Wendy Michallat wrote in an email to students during the decision period: “As it stands, a month after the application process opened for Scotland and Ireland, we are still waiting for news. We have lost patience.”

At the time, second year

German, French, and Dutch student Aimée Hardy said: “We keep getting e-mails from the staff saying they are still waiting on an update, and it has been a long time now since applications were suspended.

“If all things had been normal we would already have sent them off! We have no idea if it is going to be totally cut, if it is going to be down-sized, nothing.”

The University of Sheffield’s School of Modern Languages and Linguistics (SOMLAL) tutors wrote to local MP Nick Clegg and the Education Secretary.

The British Council announced on November 24 it had received funding and that the scheme would go ahead for 2011/12.

University language departments across the country lobbied to keep the programme, and within a few days more than a thousand people joined a petition group on Facebook.

Professor David Walker, from the Department of French, had

a letter about the assistantship programme published in The Guardian.

He wrote: “The work placement is a paid position to defray the cost of study abroad; it offers classroom experience to those considering a teaching career, engagement with workplace disciplines and immersion in a foreign language; and it enhances intercultural skills.

“It beggars belief that the socalled Minister for Education should be so blind to the scheme’s benefits that his officials are hesitating over funding the British Council to play its part.”

SOMLAL chair Dr David Wood, wrote to SOMLAL staff and students: “A note of thanks to all of those who lobbied MPs and other political figures on this front.

“Our efforts are recognised by those at the British Council at least, and I’d like to think they had an impact, along with the efforts of our students, in reversing

World Food Festival celebrates twentieth birthday in style Nicole Froio The World Food Festival celebrated its 20th birthday on Saturday November 27.

It was the biggest since it was established.

Over 1,200 people attended the event.

It was organised by the International Students’ Committee and 17 national societies took part to bring their local dishes, desserts and drinks to Sheffield.

The Belly Dance Society opened the entertainment for the night, followed by a dance lesson from the Salsa Society.

The performances ended with the Samba Society performing on their drums.

Entertainment also included karaoke and an after-party.

A Shisha stall was also available and the International Students Committee gave away brochures on how to eat healthily.

Awards were given to the best societies of the night. The Sri

Lankan Society won the Public’s Favourite award and Singapore Society won the Best Service and Hospitality and the Best Stall awards.

Best Dessert award was given to the Mauritian Society.

The Omani Society came away with the Best Food award and winner of the World Food Festival overall.

Students’ Union International Officer Mina Kasherova said she was very happy with the turn out.

She said: “There was food from almost every continent, and I was really pleased with the number of families, staff, local residents and British students attending, who learned a lot about other cultures by exploring their traditions and food.

“Many guests made new friends with members from the participating societies, and to me having that contact and the evidence that integration is an active process on our campus is what the entire event is all about.”

Photo: Mina Kasherova

the decision. The reversal of this decision is incentive too to lobby on the broader picture of funding for higher education, and I encourage you to make your voices heard on this front.”

At the University of Sheffield, the language assistantship is one of three possibilities for students to do on a year abroad, along with university studies and work placements.

Last year, almost 2,400 English language assistants took part in the programme. One of them was Andrew Byrne, a fourth year German student who taught English at a college in Hamburg.

He said: “I’m a big supporter of the assistantship programme.

I feel my German improved far more than it would have in a university environment. I’m still in contact with both the teachers I worked with and some of the students as well.

“I feel bad for the second years having to deal with so much uncertainty.”

The University of Sheffield University Challenge team have again triumphed, this time in their second round match against University College London. They won 250 points to 230 in the closely-run match, regaining the lead in the final three minutes.

The team consists of postgraduates Andy Bolton and Tristram Cole, and undergraduates Hugh Bennett and Tom Thirkell, the team’s captain.

They correctly answered questions from a diverse range of topics including the Nobel peace prize, calculus and carboxylic acids, the laws of science fiction and naming actors playing musicians in film.

The second round match follows their victory against the University of Newcastle by 315 points to 70. They will now play in the quarter finals.

Professor Paul White, ProVice-Chancellor for Learning and Teaching at the University of Sheffield, said: “We wish them every success in the next round of the competition.”

UCL had previously defeated Hertford College, Oxford by 170 points to 125.

Last year’s Sheffield team lost to Exeter by five points in the second round.

Students interested in being in the 2011 University Challenge team can attend auditions on Thursday December 2 and Friday December 3 at 6pm-8pm in the Richard Roberts Auditorium.

Entrants can choose between two exams: science and general knowledge at 6pm-7pm, or humanities, arts and general knowledge at 7pm-8pm.

They can take either one or both of the exams. Contact Activities Officer Rachel Colley for more information.

Charity wins Sheffield jungle ‘People’s uncovered Millions’ Nicole Froio

David Parker

Local charity St. Wilfrid’s Centre has won £49,585 in the ITV People’s Millions Awards.

The charity received 17,700 votes in the poll, which took place November 25.

The money will be used to buy two laser cutting machines which will provide therapeutic work for people with mental health problems.

They will be used to engrave glass and create signs and personalised clocks for sale to the public.

The Students’ Union, Sheffield Volunteering, and Sheffield SIFE have all worked with the charity in the past to support its cause.

RAG has also made donations to the charity.

St. Wilfrid’s Centre provides support to socially excluded citizens in Sheffield and aims to boost their confidence and selfesteem. Individuals build on new found skills and contribute to the local area.

University researchers have uncovered records of an exhibition featuring exotic animals and circus acts.

The Sheffield Jungle took place in 1910 and gave locals the opportunity to experience many foreign species for the first time.

It featured an elephant which could play the drums, trained mice, llamas, camels, and over 100 lions. It also had a number of unusual sideshows, including giants, midgets and fasting people.

Researchers at the National Fairground Archive hope to revive the legacy of the Jungle through their website.

Researcher Ian Trowell said, “The Jungle was like nothing Sheffield had ever seen before and the impact on the city at the time was immense.

“We hope this will encourage more people to come forward with their own experiences or recollections of the Jungle.”

www.forgetoday.com // news@forgetoday.com FORGE PRESS Friday December 3 2010

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NEWS UNIVERSITY

Nick Clegg: ‘I make myself very available’

RAG ejects committee member over ‘unauthorised’ mass email controversy

Carri-Ann Taylor and Hannah Walker

Matt Burgess

Sheffield MP Nick Clegg has urged students to look again at the coalition’s plans for tuition fees before taking part in further protests.

Speaking at the Hugo Young lecture at The Guardian offices in London on Tuesday November 23 Clegg asked students to “examine our proposals before taking to the streets. Listen and look before you march and shout.”

Students’ Union representatives from the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam have accused the deputy Prime Minister of breaking his election pledge on tuition fees.

But Clegg says his plans will make higher education open to everyone.

Hundreds of students gathered to protest outside the lecture hall where Clegg delivered his speech to journalists, public sector representatives and party supporters on Tuesday night.

Students said they felt betrayed because the Liberal Democrats won over many young voters with a signed pledge that they would not back any rises in tuition fees.

But under new proposals from the coalition fees could increase from to the current £3,300 to up to £9,000 a year.

In his speech Clegg said: “It is no secret that the government’s planned reform is not the plan I campaigned on.

“They are not the plans I campaigned on but they are the best considering the current challenges we face.

“It is taking some time for everyone to realise that, in coalition, parties are not always able to deliver their preferred policy option.

“There is a lot of anger about higher education at the moment, I am angry too, but here is what makes me angry.

“I am angry that Oxford and Cambridge take more pupils from just two schools, Eton and Westminster, than from among the 80,000 pupils who are eligible for free school meals.”

In an interview with Forge Press Clegg said that Lib Dem MPs planning on abstaining from the tuition fee vote were making

A Sheffield Raising and Giving (RAG) member who sent a message criticising another society and promoting his YouTube video has been removed from the committee.

RAG committee members passed a vote of no confidence in Raghav Munjal, a committee general, after he sent a message on Facebook to members of the Sheffield RAG group.

The Clinical Dentistry student’s message, sent to almost 2000 people, included details of RAG spending and criticised a sports club.

There was also a link to his personal YouTube account.

The vote of no confidence was proposed at the RAG committee meeting on November 18, where a secret ballot was held.

RAG members voted 16:3 to remove Munjal from the committee.

The original message said: “All sports societies gave 50p of their tickets to Sheffield RAG...except the tennis society who thought differently.”

RAG Chair Emma Harrabin said: “I believe some members were upset by his actions and were concerned that RAG’s reputation might be jeopardised.

“Equal arguments were held for and against the motion.

“This meant that the RAG committee could make a proper and informed decision.”

Munjal said: “I’m very sorry for sending the message out and hope that I haven’t offended anyone.

“I sent it with good intentions, I wish the issue could have been resolved in a more decent manner.

I feel a sense of betrayal by some of the committee and wish they had been more open with me.”

“I accept that I had made a grave mistake in sending out an unauthorised message and this has tarnished the reputation of

Nick Clegg asked students, very nicely, not to protest. their own choice.

He said he hoped they looked at the policies closely before acting: “In the coalition agreement it is very clear that for Liberal Democrat MPs who don’t feel that the policy meets what they want to see that there is a clear collation agreement that Liberal Democrat MPs can abstain but that is something that we need to discuss amongst ourselves.

“I hope that what will happen over the next few weeks is that people will start looking a little bit more at the detail.

“I think that what has happened frankly at the moment is that the headlines have created

Students march to Nick Clegg’s constituency office. Photo: Marek Allen

Photo: BBC

a great sense of alarm, which I understand, and it’s kind of obscured the fact that if you look actually work out what it means for people in practice.

“It means that for instance a Nurse goes into nursing having graduated from University and starts on £21,000 and over her career goes up to £27,000 or something, under our scheme that Nurse would pay £7 a month on average, whereas at the moment under the current scheme she would be paying £45 straight off.”

He added that both parties have worked hard to develop a fair system for higher education funding.

“We have really, really tried very hard to actually do what many demonstrators are telling us to do and indeed the Labour Party are telling us to do which is to create a system that is fair based on the ability to pay.

“And that is what our graduate contribution scheme entails.

“I accept that it is complex but I hope that people will look a little bit at the complexity and I think that they will see that it is actually a much fairer system than the one that we have at the moment.”

In addition to higher education funding woes, Clegg’s constituents have accused him of neglect to his constituency. But Clegg says he has always made himself available.

He said: “I am here week in and week out and I email and I write. I make myself very, very available, always have done.

“I have met the Presidents of the Students’ Unions here several times and I will do again. Of course I make myself available.”

Sheffield RAG.” Munjal sent out an apology message on the Facebook group Harrabin said: “I do not think it was Raggy’s intention to deliberately jeopardise RAG. He was very apologetic and we of course accept his apology.

“No matter what happened, it is always a shame to lose a member of your committee and I hope there are no hard feelings.”

Munjal said: “I have always tried to promote Sheffield RAG wherever I went and to everyone I know at Uni. It’s something that I’ve really enjoyed being part of. I know I have made a positive difference and can leave with a heavy heart.”

Harrabin said: “All committee members attended extensive training on how we operate within the Union, how working committees run, the roles and responsibilities of each individual committee member and how to uphold the constitution.

“Unfortunately, the unauthorised Facebook message still went out.

“As a consequence of this, we will be sure to go over committee code of conduct even more thoroughly at training next year and all committee members, other than myself, the secretary and the three members of our publicity team, have been removed as admins from the facebook group.

“We are hoping this will avoid such unauthorised messages being sent out in the future.”

The vote of no confidence was overseen by Students’ Union Activities Officer Rachel Colley.

She said: “It was a committee decision to make, the proposal was seconded, and the vote shows the feeling of the RAG committee on this action, so it is important to stress that it was a committee decision.”

RAG recently raised £66,000 in one event as part of the Bummit event, a charity hitch hike, from Sheffield to Budapest.

Students raise over £1,400 for Sheffield Red Cross Harriet Collier University of Sheffield students have raised over £1,400 for the Sheffield branch of the British Red Cross.

Students collected money in Fargate, fundraised in the Coop supermarket in Crookes and organized a “Charity Rocks!” gig.

The gig took place in the Raynor Lounge and featured local artists Smuggler’s Run and Disco Kiss.

Students’ Union Activities Officer Rachel Colley said how pleased she was with the fundraising activities on and around campus: “I am continually impressed and very proud of the dedication from the students at Sheffield to charitable fundraising.” “£1,400 is an incredible amount. Over 4,700 students were involved in fundraising last year through the Students’ Union, and this year is set to

see an increase in that number once again.”

“This should show that the stereotype of lazy students simply is not true. We do care about a range of causes and are willing to give up considerable amount of time - and penniesto support them and involve as many students as possible in the process,” Colley said.

Fundraising Officer Will Belcher said he was proud of how many people have taken part: “It’s really great that so many students are getting involved in giving something back to their local community – one that welcomes students each year.”

Launched at the Activities Fair in 2010, the University of Sheffield Red Cross Student Society have also organised First Aid training for others and raised awareness for World AIDS Day on December 1.

The group of fundraisers have also developed plans for a local project to help young refugees.

FORGE PRESS Friday December 3 2010

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UNIVERSITY NEWS

Swimming club left high and dry as USport pool closes

RAG’s 24 hours of fundraising Nicholas Carding

The Cofield pool will be closed for the next three months.

Matt Burgess USport has announced that the swimming pool at the Goodwin Sports Centre will be closed for the next three months after refurbishment works revealed a problem with the air system.

The Cofield Swimming Pool was closed during refurbishment to the S10 Health changing rooms. During these works it was discovered that the air handling system cannot maintain the pool’s “air” temperature.

A University spokesperson said: “It has therefore been necessary to close the pool to allow the system to be improved. At the same time it is the University’s intention to carry out asbestos abatement works within plant areas. This work can only be undertaken when the pool is closed.”

The closure means the Swimming and Waterpolo Club have nowhere to train.

Club Captain Jenny Dean said: “Not many places have anywhere deep enough for waterpolo so it has been difficult.

“We’ve had both our swimming and waterpolo British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) championships in the last couple of weeks and with no training facilities we did not perform to our best, which was disappointing.

“Also, as we had to buy gym membership in order to train with the team, many of our members feel they are out of pocket, paying for a pool that they cannot use.”

Dean said that the club is searching for a new place to train, but is facing problems with cost, travel distance, and opening times.

University student acquitted of assault Nicole Froio A University of Sheffield student has been acquitted of assault after punching a man who tried to “gouge his eyes out”, Sheffield Crown Court has heard.

Third year Mathematics and Statistics students Andrew Thomas was taking his brother Kevin to hospital after he was assaulted in West Street.

They claimed to have been insulted by Richard Chell and his friend Christopher Sell as they crossed Devonshire Green outside Corporation nightclub.

Chell and Sell allegedly laughed at Kevin Thomas’ injuries.

Andrew Thomas told the court: “It was the same laughter when someone trips, it made me look up.

“I was upset already I felt like I let my brother down, you shouldn’t let this happen to your little brother.

“So I walked over there, I was shouting for an explanation and an apology.

“And he pushed me for some space between us and I instinctively pushed back. I was tired, so my legs went under me and there was a struggle.”

He said that Chell, 6’ 6” and 13 stone, quickly took the “dominant position”.

Kevin Thomas allegedly punched Chell off Andrew.

When police arrived they arrested Andrew for punching Chell.

Kevin was arrested the next morning and both were charged with assault.

Both pleaded not guilty.

Kevin Thomas told the court he had no recollection of punching Chell : “The punch wasn’t thrown by me and I couldn’t have done with my accused arm.

“I pulled Chell back as he was trying to get Andy and I told him to fuck off and go home.”

The court heard that all four were under the influence of alcohol, as Sell said he had drunk 16 double vodkas in Corporation nightclub.

They have considered Hillsborough, Ponds Forge, and King Edward’s School.

Dean said: “We also asked Hallam waterpolo team if we could share a training session at Ponds Forge with them before our women’s waterpolo BUCS tournament. They had been very understanding but after going to committee vote, the majority voted against us and we could not get a session before the tournament.”

Dean said that she did not hear about the works until Friday November 12 when she was on her way to the swimming BUCS chamipionships, when she was told the club’s training was cancelled until further notice.

She said that club members have been told they will receive partial refunds for the pool closure.

They had also planned a charity

Photo: Millie Travis

swimathon with RAG which now cannot take place.

Dean said that Andy Cox, Club Sport manager, had been a “great support.”

Students’ Union Sports Officer Emma Bird said: “Teams are already looking really hard for elsewhere to train and are being helped out greatly by Andy Cox.” The University spokesperson said: “The University apologises for the inconvenience caused by this unforeseen and unplanned closure. The pool will be closed until further notice, but the work is expected to take at least three months.

“USport is in direct contact with its customers via its customer database and will continue to keep customers informed and updated with any new developments.”

USport had not commented at the time of going to print.

Cash machines don’t have enough cash Sarah Bramham Union President Josh Forstenzer has said the Union is trying to solve the cash machine problems that have plagued students since the Union rebuild.

He said that they are aware that many of the machines around the Union are often out of order.

Most are empty of cash but others have had problems with the phone connections to banks.

Forstenzer said: “The main problem is that all of the cash machines, including the ones in the bank, are actually managed and stocked with cash by companies that operate away from the building.

“They are not familiar with the Students’ Union trading patterns and busy times. We have provided them with information, but it seems to be taking a while for them to update their records.

“There are also security reasons why they will not share the schedule of maintenance and cash refilling with us.”

The Union will soon install new cash machines at the front of the building, outside Coffee Revolution.

These will be in addition to the existing two Santander machines, one in Interval and one in Bar One. The machine in the Union’s East Entrance will remain until the new ones are installed.

Forstenzer said: “This situation is clearly frustrating. But we are working with the operators to try to improve their response at busy times.

“And we are confident that, as they adapt to working within our Union, students will find it much easier to withdraw the cash they need.”

Finance Officer Tom Hastings said: “As well as increasing the amount of cash available, we have also reduced the card limit in the Students’ Union Shop to just £2, to make cash-back easier to obtain.”

Hastings said these new measures should help end the problems.

Sheffield Raising and Giving (RAG)’s annual RAGathon raised £1324.21 last Friday.

The 24-hour event took place in and around the concourse and one group led a zoo-themed charity walk to the train station.

Competitions included Touch It!, where entrants had to hold onto the RAG car for as long as possible to try and win an iPod touch and Guess How Many Balloons.

The University’s Rugby Club also rowed for 24 hours, the Geography Society coloured all round the concourse and there was also a cake sale.

RAG Chair Emma Harrabin said: “We are thrilled with the total and thank all those students and members of the local community who took part or supported the event.”

“The Touch it event went really well, the last four participants all decided to let go of the car at the same time, at 2am after 13 hours of touching it.”

Thomas Gallagher, Kelvin Canty, Ali Jones, and Jamie Penny all won the Touch It event.

Becky Montacute won the Guess how many balloons competition, guessing 342 while the actual total was 343.

She said: “I just had a number in my head so I just guessed. It was extremely lucky.”

Harrabin said: “We smashed last year’s total for the event and had over 100 students taking part in one way or another.

“The entire committee really got behind the event, willingly giving up their day (and night) to promote RAG and raise as much money as possible for local charities.

“They are really looking forward to our Christmas Charity Cheque Handover in a couple of weeks, when we will get to meet the charities and donate over £7,000.

“This would not be possible without the help and support of Sheffield students; their generosity and willingness to donate to charity is incredible and we really cannot thank them enough.”

Photo: Thom Arnold

FORGE PRESS Friday December 3 2010

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LETTERS

Have your say

Editorial misled on Porter Dear Forge, In response to the Forge Press Editorial (Issue 29), I believe this editorial to be very unfair and, perhaps more importantly, dangerously misleading to the students reading it.

Let me make this very clear: Aaron Porter, NUS President, was absolutely correct in condemning the behaviour of the 200 militants who took part in what you described as direct action, but is perhaps better described as vandalism and causing grave bodily harm. There are three main reasons as to why this is and I think you should have given light to all three of them in your coverage of the National Demonstration.

Breaking property, causing bodily harm and almost committing manslaughter is not an acceptable way of protesting. I understand there is a desire for civil disobedience when one objects to certain laws on liberal grounds. It is, however, very important that it is kept in mind exactly how disobedience is shown and that the laws that are broken are those that are objected to. If someone objects to ID cards, a good sign of protest would

be refusing to participate in an ID card scheme. In the case of tuition fees the same logic applies, or lack thereof in terms of the militants.

The militants also served to completely take over the entire positive and constructive message of the campaign which had, after all, brought almost 50,000 students to London in the first place. Aaron Porter was doing exactly the right thing when he was speaking for each and every one of those students who got to London to protest peacefully and to put Education cuts, tuition fees and EMA on the political agenda. Instead, many feel they might as well not have been there and the debate in the media was centered on the limits of legitimate protest. By disassociating himself, Aaron Porter has thrown his weight behind 50,000 students rather than 200 militants, surely fulfilling his role as a representative of students.

Thirdly, the militants managed to completely throw away all the political goodwill which the demo was hoping to gain. In order to win the battle on cuts we need to get the general public on board. Only then can we hope to make the coalition, and especially

all MPs who signed the pledge against higher fees, to change their minds on the government proposals.

Instead of bringing the public to our side, peaceful demonstrators were verbally abused in London on their way back to the buses and are branded as thugs in the media.

Lastly, your personal attacks on Aaron are simply uncalled for. Many students will not know Aaron Porter at all so a real profile of him as President of the NUS could help. You could focus on the policies that got him elected to the highest elected student position, perhaps focus on what he has achieved as Vice-President of Education or even wish to speak to him about the challenges Higher Education faces in Britain. All of these options are preferable to your framing of his character and judgement.

Yours, Alex Erdlenbruch MA European Governance and Politics Union International Officer 2009/10 NUS International Students’ Committee

I am writing in response to the articles entitled ‘Muslim leaders warn fees hike could defy Islam finance beliefs’ (News, Issue 29) and ‘Catering for minorities isn’t a top priority in a recession’ (Blogs and Comment, November 22).

With the tuition fees rising to £9000, every student who applies for a degree from 2012 will be affected. Why Muslims feel the need to single themselves out is beyond me. The fact that 50,000 people (myself included) protested through the streets of London and it had no significant impact on the government’s decision to raise the fees goes to show there is really not very much we can do about it.

Nevertheless, Muslims are trying to use the angle that it would break Islamic rules on finance. Even if by some miracle the government agreed that yes, okay just to ensure we are being ‘politically correct’ we will raise tuition fees for all students except for Muslims, should Muslims really be happy with that outcome?

Most days I open the newspaper or read the BBC news website to find an article on something

related to Islam. I search through every single article hoping to find some news on Christians, Jews, Hindus or Sikhs, but no, just Muslims. The famous quote “there is no such thing as bad publicity” is really not applicable in this case. Every article written about Islam since 9/11 has just given people of all other faiths a reason to believe that Muslims are ‘different’. Isn’t this how Jews were singled out before the Holocaust?

Having researched the Sharia Islamic Law, I found that “making money from money, such as charging interest, is usury and therefore not permitted” (http:// www.islamicmortgages. co.uk). Therefore I do fully understand how Muslims believe they would be committing a sin by taking out a tuition fee loan and disobeying these laws.

However, does this not mean that no Muslim is allowed to take out a loan, such as for a mortgage?

And what if they have a credit card that it is a sin to repay a day late when interest will be charged?

In the UK any amount of money stored in a bank will generate interest. By following the Islamic Laws, should Muslims not have to give back any interest their

Royal engagement coverage: exciting or just plain excessive?

Abi Rice Microbiology PhD student

Natalie Ralph History Graduate

Noel Garvey Chemistry Second year

I support the monarchy as it is part of our history.

I think the wedding is exciting.

To be honest, I think the best thing about the wedding is the prospect of a national holiday!

The wedding has no impact on me. I personally feel indifferent towards the monarchy.

Chris Welbrook Politics PhD Student

Philippa Lewis History First year

Ben Latham Law Second year

I’m not in favour of the monarchy. The wedding seems convenient in a time of economic depression.

The monarchy is part of our tradition and a figurehead of our country but the cost of the marriage is excessive.

I think the wedding is important. It patriotically unites the country in a sense of English pride.

Corrections and clarifications

Angered by the media representation of religion Dear Forge,

Email: letters@forgetoday.com Write: Forge Press, Union of Students, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TG Please include your name, course and year of study.

We reserve the right to edit letters for clarity and space.

money makes? I am aware that the regulations of Islamic banks are different but is it not only a small minority of Muslims who use the facilities?

Under the Sharia Law “investment in companies involved with alcohol, gambling, tobacco and pornography is strictly off limits” (http://www. islamicmortgages.co.uk).

How many Muslims do YOU know that work in an off-licence or newsagents that sell cigarettes, alcohol, lottery tickets and pornography magazines?

Last week the Pope shocked the world when he finally admitted that the use of condoms is probably justified to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. Should Islamic leaders be doing the same with some of their outdated laws?

I myself am a Muslim and want to be proud of it but when controversial issues such as the Islamic centre in New York or even this article on Islamic finance beliefs fuel the already scorching fire, I feel ashamed to call myself a Muslim.

Yours, Naomi Laskar Medicine Third year

In Issue 27, a headline incorrectly identified Lem Lem Hussein Abdu as Ethiopian. ‘Ethiopian woman faces deportation’ was wrong: Lem Lem Hussein Abdu is from Eritrea. We apologise for any upset caused.

FORGE PRESS Friday December 3 2010

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COMMENT

Debate: Should the Students’ Union be involved in the campaign to recall dishonest MPs?

It’s the moral principle, not Clegg himself Amy Claire Thompson

Blame me: I voted Liberal Democrat. I did it to keep the Tories out, and because at the time I honestly agreed with Nick. Look how that worked out for me.

Back in March, I attended one of Clegg’s town hall meetings with some friends. One of them asked Clegg about his plans for tuition fees. He looked us in the eye and told us that he would oppose all rises in tuition fees and that the Lib Dems would push for them to be scrapped.

We knew that the latter was unlikely to happen during an international economic crisis, but it gave us hope. How times change.

I believe that the University of Sheffield Students’ Union is doing the right thing in promoting the Right to Recall petition.

Thousands of Sheffield students turned out to vote for Clegg on May 7, and all he has done is betray them.

Is it not right, then, that they have the chance to unseat him?

Some have suggested that the Union’s actions regarding Right to Recall are morally wrong, and in some ways illegal because the Union is technically a charity.

However, the law allows charities (including students’ unions) to undertake political activity provided that they are not party-political, and are in

line with specific charitable objectives.

Our Students’ Union’s charitable objectives, as laid out in the Union constitution, regard national and local political representation.

In light of this, it seems to me that what the Union is doing, in backing the NUS and supporting Right to Recall, is only right.

They are protecting our votes and facilitating our involvement in politics at a national level.

“They are protecting our votes” The information that the Union provides about the campaign also clearly says that it is “not about targeting one political party or politician.” They are allowed to run the campaign, as long as they don’t personally target one

politician.

In many ways it is quite obvious that the brunt of our Students’ Union’s campaign is aimed at the Lib Dems, and, more specifically, Nick Clegg.

But that’s only natural: he is our MP. Technically, the Union isn’t breaking any rules.

The petition that the Union is currently backing states explicitly (and in capital letters!) that they believe all politicians should honour their commitments.

It could be said that the Union is blindly following the NUS policy. If you think so, fair enough.

At the end of the day, though, this all comes down to one simple question. Do you honestly want to be represented by someone who can make such rapid U-turns, against the will of his electorate, as Clegg has?

If you don’t, you should back the campaign and sign the petition.

Right to Recall is a slippery slope of politicisation Nicholas Carding

Our Students’ Union is dangerously close to becoming a platform on which the National Union of Students (NUS) can spout its ignorant tripe.

The Union is encouraging us vigorously to join the NUS in campaigning for the Lib Dems to honour their election pledge to introduce the right to recall MPs. Well, has anybody realised what the Right to Recall system actually is?

It’s not a way of recalling MPs who simply break their pre-election pledges.

The process is a lot harder than that.

If the Right to Recall is passed by the government, it means that MPs have to be found guilty of “serious wrong-doing” -basically fraud or corruption- before any recall proceedings could begin.

Even then, it would be up to a parliamentary committee made up of other MPs to decide whether people power could be used to fire the MP. The NUS has assumed that Nick Clegg’s Right to Recall pledge means removing MPs who simply break their promises, but that is just not the case.

So what gives our Students’ Union the right to join an NUS campaign which is based on factual misunderstandings? The Union is supposed to represent us students in a non-biased capacity.

It’s fine that the Union supports protests against the tuition fee rise as they have a free education policy. But it’s not fine that they are becoming ever more political and starting to badger students about issues that it’s not even entitled to have an official opinion on. Where will it end?

“I don’t want to see my Union turned into an NUS puppet” The Right to Recall campaign includes campaigning against the proposals to end the Education Maintenance Allowance scheme (EMA).

This is not directly linked to the issue of tuition fees and so effectively the Union is stepping out of its own boundaries when it urges us to support the Right to Recall campaign.

This is a slippery slope for the Union as it will face further pressure from the N U S about

issues which the NUS is campaigning for. I do not want to see my Union turned into a puppet for an organisation which has encountered more than its fair share of controversy in the past.

Why can’t all this campaigning be left to another society inside the Union rather than being done by the actual Union itself? That way anyone would realise that it is only students involved with this society who stand for the Right to Recall or scrapping of the EMA. Others, who prefer to be disassociated with the activities and protests organised would therefore be seen to be doing just that.

The status quo now is that the Union is making it look like all of us are backing the NUS campaigns and want the Right to Recall enforced.

This is about a broader issue than tuition fees or the Right to Recall. It’s about me having my own opinion, being entitled to it, and not being made to look like I stand for something else.

Picture: Sussex Students’ Union

Student life isn’t badass no matter how hard you try David Parker Think of the age-old student stereotype.

It conjures up images of lazy, untidy teenagers who can’t cook, can’t clean, and would rather spend a night on the town than study.

It is an image that many would strongly reject. Why, then, have students at Oxford University recently chosen to brand themselves the ‘worst behaved in Britain’?

In a study of seven

British universities, Oxford undergraduates boasted about binge drinking, and drug taking.

They also claimed to act more ‘oafishly’ than their counterparts at less prestigious institutions.

One in three students told how they get so “out of their heads” that they urinate or vomit in public at least once a week. Threequarters of those asked revealed that they enjoyed being sexually promiscuous “whenever they had the chance”.

This study surely does not help us overcome the stereotype, but it would

strike many as odd that it’s Oxford students who now hold this

‘accolade’.

Surely one of the most prestigious universities in the world can’t be full of boozy, drugged-up layabouts?

The majority of students blamed “ u n r e a l i s t i c expectations” for this behaviour.

Maybe, contrary to what most people believe, it is the prestigious universities whose students are ‘badly behaved’?

There may be some logic behind this.

Maybe, their way of finding comfort, to combat this pressure, is in the form of boozy nights out, drug sessions and casual sex.

But from my experience of university life, I get the feeling that students are not as ‘badly behaved’ as those at Oxford claim to be. Sure, I’ve seen West Street on a Saturday night.

And I’ve heard many a story encompassing sex, booze and drugs, as most students have.

But I’d argue that these aren’t such big parts of student life as Oxford might like to think. I can’t think of too many people I

know who really publicly humiliate themselves on a regular basis.

There is perhaps more to Oxford’s claims than meets the eye.

Maybe the stereotype that Oxford are trying to embody seems just that bit more glamorous, to them.

I suspect that they’re trying to create their own stereotype. Perhaps they just don’t want to be seen as mollycoddled, upper class kids who never go out.

And maybe the only way they saw themselves doing this was to declare themselves the ‘baddest’ of the bunch.

FORGE PRESS Friday December 3 2010

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COMMENT

Hey students - don’t judge it until you’ve occupied it

Security Services Manager.

Twelve hours later, most had been broken, without any prior warning.

He said: “In the event of a fire alarm, according to health and safety regulations, you have to vacate the building. There will be no tricks played.

Let me make this plain and simple.”

As I am typing this, it is still unclear who or what set off the fire alarm which eventually forced the occupiers out of the Hicks building.

Yates also promised that his staff “will respect you, they will not treat you any differently than how I’m treating you now, which is with respect, with courteousness.”

Jo Wendel

Occupation is the new black. As a wave of occupations follow in the backwater of the anti-cuts student demonstrations, it seems student discontent is trending, and I don’t just mean on Twitter.

Within students’ unions across the UK, there is growing frustration. The feeling that peaceful demos and petitions just aren’t going to cut it anymore is bubbling up to the surface.

Even the National Union of Students (NUS) are singing a different tune nowadays. Up until this week they had stayed away from direct action.

But NUS president Aaron Porter has now publicly supported student occupations, stating: ”Wherever there is nonviolent student action, NUS should and will support that. ”What we are facing is utterly disgraceful and for us to engage in some kind of internal civil war is exactly what our opponents would want.”

He has a point in that we need to unite against tuition fees and cuts rather than break into fractions.

But talk about jumping on the PR bandwagon.

The media coverage of the NUS-organised November 10 ‘Demolition’ in London did not pass anyone by.

As much as it pains me to admit it, the riots caused more attention than any peaceful protest ever could have.

The second regional marches on November 23 once again caught the world’s attention.

Not because of the tens of thousands of peaceful, law-abiding students, but because of student riots and the ‘kettling’ tactics of the police.

Pictures of masked

“As part of a HE institution, we really are all in this together”

protesters demolishing a police riot van were wired across the globe, and subsequently published at a frequency that made me wonder if that was the only rebellious behaviour that photographers were able to get a good shot of.

(Why was the police van abandoned in a crowd to begin with?)

“Talk about jumping on the PR bandwagon” In Sheffield, protesters from the November 23 demo went straight from the rally outside of Town

Hall into the lecture theatres of the Hicks building. The same thing happened in Cambridge, Birmingham, Warwick, Leeds, Oxford, London, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Essex, Cardiff, Bristol, Plymouth and Manchester.

This is the biggest education political stance we will have to take during our time as students. And it’s a revolution that will be televised, or at the very least tweeted.

The University College London (UCL) occupation has got almost 3000 followers on Twitter, and they’ve only been in occupation for a week.

But the UCL occupation is (at the time of print) still going strong. Students and staff are using the space for debates, lectures, speeches and socials. Last weekend they even organised a stand-up comedy night.

The first Sheffield occupation may have lasted less than 24 hours, but the next week students were back. And this time they weren’t going to be forced out.

Given that student occupations have been taking place at this University since the ‘60s, one might think that University management would be used to dealing with them by now.

D.A.R.T.S. Strapped for cash Has anyone actually seen a Union ATM that works?

Last year’s Finance Officer Martin Bailey raved about all the free cash machines we would have after the Union refurbishment. But it’d be great if they actually worked once in a while.

The Union blames it on the machines not being refilled enough. It’s like not even the banks believe students have money.

But both parties seem to be eternally locked in trenches: security dislike the protesters and the protesters have become inherently sceptical of anyone in a uniform.

I was initially very apprehensive towards the protesters’ cynicism, but watching the behaviour of the University’s representatives made the occupants’ position more understandable. A snigger says more than a thousand polite words.

On the first eve of the first Sheffield occupation protesters were given a number of promises

by Richard Yates, the University of Sheffield

But when I returned the next morning, all security staff met me with was a condescending attitude.

I’m personally against direct action, but I’m still pro honesty and openness.

Breaking the law to make a stand is not my cup of tea, but the University needs to rethink its behaviour towards those who do. As part of a higher education institution, we really are all in this together.

Whether you agree or disagree with the occupation, or even the cuts to higher education, I recommend you pay an occupation a visit.

At the very least, you’re guaranteed an interesting debate. And if you’re lucky, there might even be some communal hummus left.

If another fire alarm forces them out, just wait until the next occupation.

Because yes, I’m convinced there will be a next time.

With or without NUS and University support.

Forge Press takes its satirical aim

Winter quote of the fortnight:

“...teaching resumes at 1pm today [...] and anyone who snowballs me, fails.”

- Senior lecturer in an email to his students. We’re guessing that’s not part of the official module outline.

Standing up for their right to colour in Our Sabbatical Officers do love their paint and glue.

With the “Cuts are Nuts” campaign they’ve really let their creativity flow.

From black and goldthemed banners, to a ‘marketisation’ stall (complete with hats and cut out Nick Clegg masks), there are no limits to what our Sabbs can do with the right campaign budget.

Their office corridor is a heap of balloons, fabrics,

paint and cardboard.

Hopefully visiting pupils get shown it on their campus tours. They’d feel right at home.

But now that the tuition fee vote in parliament has been announced for December 9, the Sabbs won’t be able to colour in as often.

They might even have to focus on their other tasks - such as running our Students’ Union.

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COMMENT

Royal frenzy catering On the first day of the occupation, the Uni said to for a new generation me: ‘Come back after tea’

Editorials

Hannah Frost

In November we saw awful moustaches, early snow and a hell of a lot of angry students. Oh, and someone said something about an engagement?

In response to the royal engagement the world went crazy. The newspapers analysed every part of the announcement, from the sincerity of Kate’s smile to the psychology behind Will’s choice of ring.

Tesco made its own version of the Queen’s potential dress and it sold out within an hour, while Church of England Bishop Pete Broadbent slagged off the monarchy and was later forced out of his position.

In short, the royals finally burst back into the spotlight. But do people really care?

Our generation hasn’t seen much of the royal family until now. Although aware of the Queen mother’s death, we’ve basically only known of Harry’s persistent misdemeanours.

These aren’t the kind of things that would endear the monarchy to young people.

Our world is ruled by government, however unfortunate that may be, and so the idea of a royal family seems, to many, a little outdated.

But this is a chance for Queen Liz and co. to become relevant to a modern audience, using the Princes to prevent young people forgetting about them.

They could be our Charles and Diana.

The split in opinion is clear: news of the engagement was met

with a resounding silence from some. Others were beside themselves with excitement.

“A chance for Queen Liz and co. to become relevant” The Queen’s visit was the same – there were crowds, sure, but there were also a lot of people going about their daily business, oblivious to the buzzing of the police helicopter overhead and the abundance of florescent jackets.

In some peoples’ opinions, maintaining a monarchy

is merely perpetuating inequalities and is simply undemocratic. In the eyes of others, it’s clinging to a period when Britain was “great”, despite our place on the world stage in modern times.

Considering the constitutional nature of our monarchy, it may be difficult to understand why it matters that we have a royal family. As a Queen with next to no power, Elizabeth is more of a symbol and a symbol of wasted public money, in many people’s eyes.

In the middle of a recession, a lot of people are asking who will be paying for this big fancy wedding.

Then there’s the five billion pounds the economy is

predicted to lose as a result of two consecutive four day weekends. Couldn’t that money be used elsewhere?

Similarly, in an economic downturn people are questioning whether we should have a monarchy at all. On the face of it, they receive millions of pounds every year for doing very little, like glorified spongers.

In reality, it’s not that simple. The majority of the money the royal family receives is spent on staff salaries, garden parties and state visits, not just frittered away on silly hats.

Additionally, the royal family does give Britain a significant income, albeit indirectly. Visit Britain estimated that the royal family generates around £500 million in a typical year, through tourism alone. Add a royal wedding and that estimate could be a lot more.

Of course people want to visit our little nation.

Internationally, the British monarchy is incredibly important. The Queen in particular symbolises unity between 54 countries across six continents, creating a unique bond between more than two billion people.

Aside from this, maybe we need a good celebration, to get away from the doom and gloom of the current economic climate. A good distraction could be just what’s required. I’m sure the government will agree.

Have your say:

▪ Comment on this article at ForgeToday.com ▪ Send a letter to letters@forgetoday.com

When you’re told that you can leave an occupied lecture theatre and be guaranteed re-entry, I think you’d have good reason to feel aggrieved if the decision is reversed at extremely short notice.

On the opposite page, Comment editor Jo Wendel makes the excellent point that the action by University management towards the occupiers was appalling. I won’t encourage you to either agree or disagree with her view on direct action - such things are intensely personal opinions - but I heartily endorse the sentiment that honesty and openness must radiate from the University.

These brutal cuts to education will affect the University’s funding and the way it can provide tuition and facilitate research. On this occasion, the University and the occupiers do not appear to be natural opponents, so it is baffling as to why their approach has been so antagonistic.

It is equally baffling that the Vice-Chancellor, Registrar, and Pro-Vice-Chancellors have left the matter entirely to the Department of Estates. Is the department actually making the decisions itself, or are the orders being given from above?

The University must be transparent in its dealings with all students. Dishonesty and concealment will not do.

The occupiers are not selfish students with only selfinterest at heart: they will not experience undergraduate cuts themselves, but are concerned for those who won’t get their chances.

Any student who feels this way should be supported by the University, not misled.

Season’s greetings from Forge Press

The autumn semester can feel like a real drain, and this semester’s snow has fallen earlier than we might have expected. Cue the usual hysteria over the weather, and the annual anger at the entire country grounding to a halt. I can only hope that you are all far more sensible than I am, and do not fix any anti-grip attachments to your shoes the wrong way round. That realisation certainly solved the mystery of why my boots had sprouted holes and my socks were soaked, and why I slipped my way past the Hicks building. Oops.

Heck, the University holiday couldn’t come any sooner.

We’ll be taking a break from Forge Media’s printed edition until the start of Semester 2, but you can keep fully up to date on all things Sheffield in the vacation with a visit to ForgeToday.com (which will soon sport a brand new look, fancy).

It only remains to wish you all a fun, safe and peaceful holiday, however paradoxical those sentiments may seem.

See you in the New Year!

Forge Press Editor, Media Hub, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TG, forgepress@forgetoday.com

Cuts aren’t nuts and the Union should admit that Joseph Markham With the student protests making the news almost every day, you could be forgiven for forgetting that students hold more than one point of view on the current proposals.

Even within the ranks of marching students, there is by no means a consensus of opinion.

The point of view that I, like many others around the country, hold is that the policies being introduced are perfectly fair.

One of the charges most often levied against the proposals is that they would make education

unaffordable.

But is this really the case? The repayment rate is not in any sense ‘crippling’, so whatever your beliefs, to make this argument is simply misleading.

“Opinions that are perfectly legitimate are being ignored” Is university education really a benefit to the economy? It is difficult to see how, in purely economic terms, more Arts degrees actually benefit anybody except the graduates. And I’m speaking as an Arts student myself.

To make the country

wealthier we must instead encourage more young people to go into work-based training or apprenticeships, thereby increasing productivity and skills.

This is not to say that I don’t appreciate the value of a university education for social reasons. It is of course desirable to have a more educated population.

But at the time of a recession, can we really afford to place the ability to critically analyse Tolstoy above, or even equal to, the services of doctors, nurses and teachers?

The proposals see the government ensuring that universities who raise their fees offset this by making more grants available to poorer students, thereby increasing social mobility.

I accept that many students will still dislike the proposals, and that the mandate of our Union to campaign against tuition fee rises is legitimate.

But it

is fair to say that little effort has been put forward by those in positions of power to welcome beliefs that oppose their own.

This has left considerable areas of student opinion unrepresented.

After receiving several emails from concerned students, Philosophy councillor Chloë Ashley put a motion before Union Council to officially acknowledge that there are many

students who do not share the sentiment of the Cuts are Nuts campaign. But the proposal failed to win support.

I worry that amongst the fervour of the campaign, opinions that are perfectly legitimate are being ignored by those who were elected to represent the student body as a whole. It is somewhat shocking to realise little or no effort is being made for open discussion about these proposals.

I welcome the motion put forward by Ashley at Union Council and urge students from all sides who feel their opinions have been shouted down to contact their councillors and make their voices heard.

Joseph Markham is chair of the Libertarian Society.

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What’s the Buzz about?

Project Buzz is a community-led charity in Sheffield. Forge Press investigates how it supports local children and their families Words & Pictures: Harriet Di Francesco

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I

n the heart of Sheffield city, hidden behind the hustle and bustle of West Street, is Springfield Primary school.

The Victorian building stands awkwardly beside a housing estate and a rather unwelcoming Gell Street park.

The area has a dark reputation, wellknown for gang crime, drug-dealing and shootings. Last year a young man was killed in a drive-by incident achingly close to the playground gates.

The school, however, is a striking emblem of guiltless youth and creativity. But it is not the majestic exterior that is most remarkable about this place, rather what is going on inside.

Project Buzz is a registered charity that runs an afterschool club for children aged 4-11-years-old. Founded in 1999, the club has continued to grow and now hosts a conglomerate of sports, educational activities, events, and excursions.

Project Buzz provides an insight into how local non-profit organisations work. On a daily basis it provides fundamental services to a variety of people. It offers support to local families and like all charities it gives others a chance to give something back to the community.

Daniel De Arriba, a recent graduate of the University of Sheffield, is Volunteer and Sports Coordinator at Project Buzz. He defines the charity by its versatility: “Project Buzz helps people grow; children through fun child-led play, parents through skill courses, volunteers through new experiences and training, staff through responsibility and freedom. This all happens in a supportive and safe environment,” he says.

One of the most important principles of Project Buzz is to listen. Children are encouraged to voice their feelings and opinions whilst having the capacity to listen to others at the same time.

In this sense, the club provides basic life-learning and social skills outside of the schooling environment.

Parents also spend time at the club and are on first name basis with the staff. Constant communication is the foundation of the club’s support.

Their modest website says: “At Project Buzz we believe everyone should feel heard and valued and able to make a difference.”

‘Making a difference’ works on a very practical level. That is, parents and children are asked about their needs and wants. What activity would you like to do next week? What film would you like to watch? What place would you like to visit? These are the sorts of questions that encourage participation and imagination in a community where these services are not so widely available.

“Without Project Buzz they would probably be lonely at home!”, Miriam*, a local mother, tells Forge Press. “I have two sons and a daughter who come here. The best thing is that they can be with their friends. Especially in the winter, there’s no where really to go for them to play. Even I have made a couple of friends,” she says.

The club offers a warm, friendly and welcoming environment for safe play, without the stresses or pressures of academia. In fact, there is no work or studying at Project Buzz. Playing and interacting is at the core of their creed.

By listening to families, the project is led by the community’s wants and needs.

Paula Higgins, Children and Families Coordinator, says: “Our work every day is focused around our ethos and values for the project. We are led by the needs of our community.

This is reflected through our ‘action zone’, where children and families are consulted on what activities they would like us to provide for them on a daily basis.”

For parents, this is the most important part. Speaking to Forge Press, some express how much this interaction means to them. Matthew*, whose son attends Project Buzz every

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“

Our work every day is focused around our ethos and values for the project. We are led by the needs of our community Paula Higgins, Children and Families Coordinator at Project Buzz

”

Top: Circle time where the children reflect on their day Middle: A reminder of Project Buzz’s core principle: ‘Listen to others’ Bottom: Two boys compete on Mario Kart

day, says: “It’s so convenient. They always report on what the kids are doing. They maintain a relationship with us parents which is so important.”

His child’s wants are also heeded. “It’s really good; my son loves sports so they’re doing that all the time too.” He says.

Fatima*, a mother of two with a PhD in Molecular Biology, was able to complete her full time research and can now work because of the support she has received. “The children enjoy it and if I’m working it’s really useful that they come here,” she says. “They can socialise and make friends.”

Hafsah*, another mother, agrees: “It’s refreshing to see them. The negative energy just goes away. My daughter loves the dancing. She comes home and does special moves that she’s learnt.”

Events are organised for the whole family. These include cultural and social activities, embracing different backgrounds and customs. Recently the club hosted an international day that gave them an opportunity to do street, salsa, and Russian dancing, try on African and Chinese clothes, henna and face painting, and learn basic mandarin and Chinese songs.

Volunteers are a crucial part of the club’s community. Janine Pursey, another graduate, feels like part of a team with a strong ethic: “The best part about working for the project is the people and the working atmosphere, as well as the knowledge and helpfulness of the staff. Project Buzz has not only taught me new skills but helped me to understand the area and the people in it better,” she says.

Over summer the President of the Students’ Union, Josh Forstenzer, spoke to the children about going to university. Societies and clubs have also got involved. The Salsa Society, The Sheffield Confucius Institute and the Frisbee, Netball and Basketball Sports’ Clubs recently volunteered.

At Project Buzz it’s all about what the kids want to do and many of the activities are organised at request.

Hafsah says: “It’s the first time I’ve seen these kinds of activities put together just for the kids. The best thing is when I see my children doing things they enjoy, especially sports.”

Project Buzz obviously inspires both notions of work and play for everyone involved. For some volunteers, Project Buzz is a step in the direction of a specific career. Amy Chapman, a Children and Playwork student at Sheffield Hallam University, is collecting research for her degree.

“Project Buzz has certainly taught me that my ideal work place is out there and that there are organisations that believe in child participation the way that I do,” she says.

With such an unpromising economic climate in Britain, how do charities such as Project Buzz forecast their next steps? Fundraising events will be strong on the agenda. But also to expand and provide more to the community.

De Arriba says: “The next step is to branch out parts of the project which at the moment do not exist.” The charity already has its own girls’ and boys’ football teams, film and dance clubs, crèche and skills for life opportunities.

But the options are endless and the need is constant.

The charity, like many others, can only dream of having no limits. Staff and volunteers wish to continue reaching out to more people. “We want to move our work more into the local community, supporting families that need it most,” Higgins adds.

When asked to reflect on his work, De Arriba concludes: “The most difficult part in reality is to see children struggle. To hear of their difficult backgrounds and things that they sometimes have to go through is heart-breaking. But the best part is seeing people grow. Children and volunteers become confident, do things they never knew they could and have moments that will forever stay in their memories!” *Names changed at parents’ request

Top: Playing basketball with volunteers from the University of Sheffield’s Basketball Sports’ Club Bottom: One child tallies the scores on a blackboard

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ACCESS ALL AREAS

Anyone can have a say, whether you are a huge corporation or just someone who messes around with computers at the weekend Jenny Sharp, secretary of the Free Software Society

”

Accessing the code of your computer programmes is, as Forge Press finds out, a modern day right in the eyes of those working to give us free software Words: Josefin Wendel

W

hether you know it or not, you have definitely c o m e across free software.

From browsing the web in Firefox, to creating a website in WordPress, opening BitTorrents, or searching the Star library catalogue on the SUN Solaris computers in the IC. It is everywhere.

Free software allows users to see the programming code, and alter it.

It’s ‘free’ as in freedom, not free beer, and offers personalisation far beyond changing the screen saver or colour theme.

It started in 1984 when an American academic named Richard Stallman got a new laser printer for his lab.

The machine itself worked fine, but Stallman found the software driver to be useless and decided to rewrite it.

When he gave the new driver to the company who sold the printer, Stallman was accused of breaching copyright laws, making his actions illegal.

The problem is that software lies in the land between creative art and the machine. All software is based on a code which has to be programmed, or ‘written’, by someone. Therefore programming is essentially a creative process, and software is legally considered a product of creative work.

Chris Warburton is a free software advocate and founded the University of Sheffield Free Software Society while studying Physics with Computer Science here. ”Software is essentially a bit like

a machine, in that it does useful jobs,” Warburton says. “People get all protective over their music and say ‘this is my perfect masterpiece that I’ve made, no one is allowed to change it’, whereas if you’re using something every day for a job, then you should be allowed to change it.”

Since the dawn of computers, programmers have been altering software to fit their needs. Free software, as defined by Stallman, is largely a formalisation of what was already happening.

The concept is based on four principles: the freedom to use software in any way, to see the source code and alter it, and redistribute copies to ”help your neighbour”. Any software which allows this is labelled as free software.

When users can change the software to fit their own needs, a more efficient system is created.

Supporters argue that copyright and closed source software are inherently inefficient, because one version has to fit everyone.

The lack of transparency in traditional ‘closed source’ software is another issue. Rather than just clicking a few buttons, you should be able to see what the software is actually doing.

Warburton, who runs his own computer completely on free software, argues: “It’s a principle. It’s the fact that it’s your machine, so you should be able to know what it’s doing.

“If you have got access to the code, you know that for example if you type your credit card details into your computer, it will not get sent to anyone else.”

Software may be considered a creative work, but it can, unlike a

“

It’s your machine, so you should be able to know what it’s doing Chris Warburton, founder of the Free Software Society

”

painting, be reproduced in infinite number of copies to an extremely low cost. And for the free software industry, the freedom to redistribute software copies, whether altered or unaltered, is a basic right.

The fact remains however that selling new and updated software versions is a large source of income for many corporations. For that to work, they need to hide the code from users, which means only the company itself can change the software and fix errors.

Warburton explains: ”With non-free software, it’s kind of packaged up and you’re not allowed to see it. It’s like a sealed container: it just does what it does and that’s it, no complaints. Then if it doesn’t work, it’s really annoying, because they’ve been charging you for it.”

‘Free’ might be in the title, but there are opportunities to make money even with free software. Instead of paying for licensed software which can’t be altered, companies and users pay programmers to write or tailor free software to fit a certain task.

After graduating this past summer, Warburton now works as a full-time free software developer. ”If there is something out there which will give you exactly what you want, and it’s perfect and great, then it’s already there so there’s no point in paying for it - just go out and use it. But there never is something that’s perfect. So you hire people to write it for you,” he says.

Many of today’s biggest IT companies base their products on free software. Google is largely built on free software, and even companies such as Apple use a lot of free software.

Warburton expands: ”OS X itself is essentially lots of free software bits stuck together and then Apple has put a shiny layer on top to make it look all nice.”

Over the last few years free downloadable software such as Firefox has boomed. Mozilla Firefox is now the second most used browser in the world, with almost a third of all web users using it. Awareness of the alternatives was hyped even more in 2008 when Google launched its Chrome browser with a large advertising campaign. ”With Firefox you can go onto their website and their plug-in section and anyone can then put plug-ins up there,” explains Jenny Sharp, a Chemistry student and secretary of the Free Software Society.

“With Internet Explorer any plug-in has gone through Microsoft; it’s been approved like fifty-billion times. So most of the stuff that people would like to have doesn’t get through.”

There is still a stigma attached to free software. The sceptical view is that if the free software was any good, the creator(s) would be charging, or charging more, for it.

On the other hand, the socialist aspect of free software means there is a global community ready to help if you get stuck. People all over the world volunteer and write things because they like to, not because they are employed to do so.

Sharp says: ”That’s one interesting thing about the free software community. Anyone can have a say, whether you are a huge corporation or just someone who messes around with computers at the weekend.”

Fred Sonnenwald, a Civil and Structural Engineering student and avid free software programmer, says: ”If you report an error, they will want to hear back from you again to say: ‘Ok, does this fix it?’, or, ‘Do you need some more information?’. It’s a twoway dialogue; you’re very much a part of the problem-solving process as well.”

You don’t even need to know programming; by using the software you are contributing to the project.

The incentive to help is not a problem, since improvements benefit all users.

With free software, you are less of a consumer and more a member of a community.

ADVICE: Give free software a chance.

All software takes a bit of time to get used to.

You don’t need to know programming to use free software. If instructions are sometimes given as ‘commandos’, rather than telling you to click this and that, it’s to make it easier for you.

If you want help installing free software, or other computer advice, the Free Software Society run regular Installfests. The next Installfest is Dec 8, 1-4pm, in the Gallery Eye in the Students’ Union.

For more information about free software and various licences: GNU.org

USEFUL F R E E SOFTWARE Mozilla Firefox (mozilla.com): open source web browser which offers thousands of add-ons with everything from ad blockers and coloured tabs to price trackers for online shopping.

OpenOffice (openoffice.org): an office software suite similar to Microsoft Office, for word processing, spreadsheets, slide show presentations and more.

Pidgin (pidgin.im): universal chat client for e.g. MSN Messenger, ICQ and Yahoo!, which allows you to use multiple chats at the same time.

VideoLAN (VLC) (videolan.org): media player which plays anything. No need to pay for codecs or worry about regions or file formats.

GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) (gimp.org): free programme similar to Photoshop, used for e.g. retouching pictures.

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Streets in the sky Sheffield-based artist, author and musician Peter Jones speaks about his experiences in Park Hill Flats and how they have inspired him in his work Words: Beth Main Pictures: Cameron Clarke

P

ark Hill flats loom ominously over Sheffield like a dark and distant memory.

Today’s onlookers may easily dismiss it as a derelict council estate on a hill, but after the Second World War the plan for Park Hill was a bold and revolutionary one. The story behind the mammoth skeleton of apartments is one of an entire community and their broken utopia.

Designed by Jack Lynn and Ivor Smith in 1945 to solve the post-war housing crisis, its aim was to transform the devastated slums of Sheffield into new inter-city developments.

Park Hill was the first large-scale slum clearance after the Second World War in Britain. It was built in an austere ‘brutalist’ style which was popularised in the decades following the war.

Lynn and Smith were inspired by the modernist Swiss architect Le Corbusier, whose principle was to lift communities into the sky.

They decided to maintain the prewar slum map by simply stacking neighbourhoods on top of each other, with the same house numbers and street names as before. Sheffield families could still live on Gilbert Row, Norfolk Row or Hague Row, for example.

Building of the ambitious project took over four years, but like virtually all estates of its kind the result was far from the collective paradise that Lynn and Smith imagined.

Peter Jones, a Sheffield-based artist, author and musician, lived in Park Hill flats between 1993 and 1999.

His experience there was far from pleasurable. “After six years there I was as depressed as the place,” he says.

Having spent much of his life in high-rise flats, Jones put his memories and reflections into print in his book, Streets in the Sky. The title was inspired by the original conception behind the flagship apartment blocks - to elevate people into a progressively modern way of life.

Jones started out in a one-bedroom flat. He later transferred to what to a much larger two bedroom flat just down the landing.

He made his mark there, warding off the threat of mischievous kids by writing ‘Fuck off’ on the back door.

The ceiling leaked incessantly. Water dripped rhythmically into pots and pans and became a source of musical inspiration for Jones. He describes the patter as a “chuffing orchestra” that would reach a tender pace, “creating a nice adagio section.”

Like many Park Hill residents, Jones knew his neighbours well. He says: “up the landing was Mr Flannegan

Left: Park Hill flats Right: A view up one of Park Hill’s stairwells Far right: Long Henry Row, a street in the sky

“

After six years there I was as depressed as the place Peter Jones, artist and ex-resident of Park Hill flats

”

who had abandoned the flat I’d just moved into.

“I think emotionally he was still attached to his old flat as for the first few weeks he often popped round to explain one or two quirks.”

Park Hill was designed to be more than a standard flat complex. Built into the scheme was a primary school and a pub, along with several playgrounds and shops. Other blocks were built to a similar design in Sheffield, notably Kelvin and Hyde Park flats.

As the twentieth century came to a close, the optimism of modernity and welfare of the 1950s withered away. In turn, these buildings quickly became synonymous with the failures of social reform. “The concrete and people were both falling to pieces,” says Jones.

The area fell into disrepair; plagued by crime, vandalism and drug use.

The labyrinthine layout provided the perfect getaway. “The windows were boarded up. The boards got ripped off, so even the boards got boarded up,” says Jones.

Eventually Park Hill became known as one of the worst housing estates in the UK. Some residents named it after the notorious American jail, San Quentin.

Like many council estates, it became associated with unemployment and state-dependency. Jones admits that he was “on the dole like everyone else” but kept himself busy reading papers, busking, drawing pictures and taking photographs.

Jones taught himself how to draw.

He says: “you could just take a piece of paper and start drawing from the middle outwards.”

Most of his artwork has been inspired by his different homes, including the Park Hill flats.

The sharp, bold sketches of his pieces mimic the chaos and insecurity of life on the estate, whilst incorporating the building’s imposing

physical presence.

Jones also developed a passion for photography and has a large portfolio dedicated to Park Hill. Images of highrise balconies and long, ominous corridors have captured his feelings of isolation and decadence.

In 1998 the Park Hill apartments were granted Grade II listed building status. This meant that the residents knew they wouldn’t be moved and, according to Jones, many felt “frozen in time.” Jones had hoped it would be demolished. “It makes me angry and makes me laugh” says Jones.

Drug gangs, sniper style shootings and muggings continued to haunt those that lived there. Jones’ worst memories are of the suicides. “There were several of them, plus one murder that I witnessed. It became so common that it seemed normal in the end,” Jones muses.

Some Sheffield locals may see Park Hill as a tragedy. “Many people see it as a piece of shit, unless you are an architecture student and then it becomes fascinating,” Jones says.

“About five years after moving out I was still haunted by the memories.” As a means of getting over his experience Jones chose to lay his thoughts onto paper.

Jones is still not used to living on the ground.

His experiences are a part of who he is. “High-rise flats are institutions. Live in them for long enough and you become institutionalised,” he says.

Today, the flats are slowly coming to life with splatters of colour. It has been adopted by a private British property developer company, Urban Splash.

Founded in 1993, Urban Splash have renovated numerous industrial warehouses, mills and Victorian terraced houses across the country.

“Utopian visions don’t come much bolder and braver than Park Hill,” they state.

Urban Splash plan to convert

“

Many people see it as a piece of shit, unless you are an architecture student and then it becomes fascinating Peter Jones, artist and ex-resident of Park Hill flats

”

Park Hill into homes, council flats, offices and retail opportunities. More specifically, the design includes a piazza surrounded by bars, similar to Leopold Square, and a safe and comfortable passage to Sheffield’s train station. It hopes to be an attractive asset to the city of Sheffield; wild flower meadows and even a bowling green are on the agenda.

The ultimate plan is to have a mix of incomes and tenure types, social rents, market rents, professionals, families and students all in one place.

Like their post-war counterparts, the plans are bold and daring.

The company are optimistic about the project. They believe it is a “victim of circumstance” and that “all it needs is to be loved.”

Last year, however, the private developers were forced to accept a bailout of £3.8 million from the Homes and Communities Agency.

Although construction has continued, the setback, along with an uninspiring state of the property market, could be an omen for things to come.

If they succeed in injecting a “little romance” into Park Hill then it may well become a place where people strike to live and work.

Today, Jones continues to sell his postcards and pictures of Sheffield. He has not returned to Park Hill. Would he ever want to? “No. I would never have moved into that place if I knew what it was going to be like.” Although he admits that it’s looking much better.

The future of Park Hill is a dubious one. It is too early to tell whether there will be a revival of the post-war optimism or whether this new project will be met with any success.

There are still those locals, such as Peter Jones, who believe the estate casts a pernicious shadow over Sheffield’s past. The new project, hopes to offer a brighter future to others.

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Lifestyle

The University Of Forge.

Fashion Prospectus 2011.

Picture: Ed Miller

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Lifestyle

FORGE PRESS Friday December 3 2010

Fashion talk from behind the scenes.

Amy Claire Thompson speaks to the stylists, make-up artists, hair team and photographers about their festive style secrets.

Fashion Food & Drink Health & Fitness Technology Sex & Relationships

Thinking outside of the sartorial box The best thing about shopping vintage is that there are no rules.

Pieces are not stocked in various sizes or listed as for men or women so try on anything that appeals and experiment.

There are no laws stating how pieces should be worn- so tie them up, tuck them in or cut them off.

Our shoot saw male and female models wearing the same shirt in different manners.

It saw girls wearing party dresses with boots and thick jackets and wearing jackets with nothing at all.

Many of the models cringed at some of the pieces before putting them on but actually ended up liking them.

Whether it’s just wearing a brighter colour or throwing on some Minnie Mouse ears or even an Indian headress, have fun with your fashion and mix it up a bit.

Picture: Jason Brown

Behind the scenes at Firth Court Amy Claire Thompson

From left, Bekki: dress, Cow, £24, Vicky: shorts, Freshmans, £14, Sam: shirt, Cow, £14, Dawn: lace leotard, £8, skirt, £14, both Cow, Rhys: t-shirt, Cow, £16, Katie: top, £14, denim shorts, £12, both Cow, James: check shirt, Freshmans, £10, Ina: lace leotard, Cow, £8

Picture: Ed Miller

It’s 9am on a frosty November morning, and I’m standing on the pavement in front of Firth Court feeling distinctly warm in my cardigan and jeans as I watch models pose in their mini dresses and heels.

Frostbitten, they all arrived at 8am, with pancakes and biscuits ready to wake them up, to have their hair styled and their make-up applied.

Backstage, everything is a bit manic.

We’re running to a tight deadline.

We only have five hours to recreate a perfect Christmas party, to style it, to shoot it, and, inevitably, to clean up the mess afterwards.

It’s a good job, then, that everyone is so willing to chip in.

Had I been asked to stand on the steps of the dominating Firth Court building, dressed up to the nines, as the sun rose over Sheffield, I’d almost certainly have said no – especially with the added bonus of random students, members of the public and even Union President Josh Forstenzer wandering past and looking a bit confused.

The first photos are very much on the party theme, with cute dresses and heels being the look of the day for the girls, and with the guys dressed in… well, what guys always wear to parties, really; shirts and jeans.

When Sam is asked to wear a Red Indian style headdress, though, he’s not all that reluctant.

As the models pose on the steps of Firth Court I can’t help but think that they look a bit like a colder, more British version of the cast of Gossip Girl.

Think all the way back to season one when they sat on the steps of Constance and planned their own spectacular parties.

The preppy, chic looks that the stylists have gone for are classic Gossip Girl – vintage, with that modern edge which makes it stand out.

The shades, too, are perfect for this season.

Camel (a euphemism for “a brownish shade somewhere close to beige”) is this season’s go-to colour, as well as being near-perfect for the surroundings, with the red-brick of the old heart of the university bringing out the shades in the clothes and accessories beautifully.

From left, Ina: (as before), Dawn: (as before

From left, Rhys: jacket, Cow, £15, James: t-sh Cow, £14, skirt and top as before

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Caitlin, make-up artist “I adore embellishments, you can get away with anything at Christmas, even if you look like a decoration!”

e), Vicky: fur coat, Freshmans, £25, Bekki: (as before)

hirt, £16, cardigan, £20, both Cow, Dawn: denim shirt,

Caroline, stylist “I can’t wait to get home to splurge on eBay! You can get lots of inexpensive Topshop stuff on there.”

23

Miki, photographers’ assistant “Christmas is a chance to wear something you don’t usually, isn’t it? I love the darker colours of winter, and the heavier materials, like velvet.”

Make 2011 a vintage year Charity shops, second hand stores and vintage retailers have been student haunts for decades, but 2011, a year of apparent austerity, is the year to buy vintage.

Look for flattering classic shapes, unusual textures and high quality fabric and you’ll get a unique outfit that’ll last you much longer than one from Primark for half the price of a Topshop party dress.

It’s tricky though, finding your perfect purchase, whilst rummaging through mounds of moth bitten pieces, so we thought that we would provide you with some shopping inspiration.

Mixing high street basics with stand-out vintage pieces we created statement party looks, perfect for New Year’s Eve and every night after.

Picture: Ed Miller

Picture: Jason Brown

Picture: Jason Brown

From left, James: military jacket, Freshmans, £18, Vicky: dress, Freshmans, £15

Picture: Ed Miller

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Lifestyle

Fashion Food & Drink Health & Fitness Technology Sex & Relationships

Super styling

Picture: Jason Brown

Picture: Jason Brown

You don’t need expensive hair products and make-up to create dramatic looks.

Some of the most exciting looks from the shoot were simple to do and involved super cheap products.

Craft gems (£1.50 from the Early Learning Centre) were stuck to the faces of both the girls and the boys, using eyelash glue, to give unusual sparkle: an interesting and easy take on festive glittery looks.

Tape was used to create stencils for graphic eyeshadow looks in bright colours. Stick the tape to your hand first to get rid of some of the ‘stick.’

Make a shape on your face with it and dust eyeshadow over the top before removing the tape.

For a less alternative look, try vivid lipsticks which give added drama without looking over done.

Try Barry M’s bright shades for around five pounds.

Hair wise, the shoot saw giant top knots, high ponytails and lots of braiding on the girls.

French braid front sections of long hair to add interest, or twist sections back for a similar and easier look to achieve.

Add interest to an updo by piling hair onto the top of the head, securing with kirby grips and twisting braids into in the bun.

Party hair for the guys? Standard.

We used a little styling wax to rough it up into beach hair or an indie side parting, before adding some interest with hats and fancy dress head pieces.

Katie: top, £14, denim shorts, £12, both Cow, Vicky: shorts, £14, Freshmans, top, charity shop bargain, tights, ASOS

Picture: Ed Miller

FORGE PRESS Friday December 3 2010

Amy, make-up artist “I love Christmassy make-up. Deep lipstick shades are a must, but not expensive brands. For lipsticks, I’d always say L’Oreal.”

Clockwise from left, Katie: dress, Freshmans, £15 coat, charity shop bargain, James: jacket, Freshmans, £25, Bekki: dress, Cow, £24, Vicky:dress, Freshmans, £15, Rhys: shirt, Cow, £8, Dawn: blouse, £12, culottes, £18, both Cow, tights, ASOS, , Sam: check shirt, Cow, £15, Ina: dress, £15, jacket £30 both Freshmans

From left, Sam: aran jumper, £20, sleeveless jacket, £10, both Freshmans, James: check shirt, £10, Freshmans, Rhys: jumper, Cow, £17, hat, charity shop bargain, chinos, American Apparel

Picture: Ed Miller

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Elliot, stylist “Guys can find anything they need in Topman, but I’m going to buy the camel shirt from the shoot. Always wear v-necks to look slimmer.”

Picture: Ed Miller

Dawn: (as before)

Emma-Jane, hair stylist “Wearing dresses is the best thing about Christmas. I love Topshop and Lipsy, when I can afford it. I adore KG heels!”

Picture: Ed Miller

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Annabel, make-up artist “I’m really hoping for some lovely new Kurt Geiger shoes for Christmas from my boyfriend. I’ve been dropping hints.”

Ina and Sam: (as before)

Picture: Ed Miller

A big thankyou to our fashion alumni . . .

Fashion photographer Ed Miller Behind-the-scenes photographer Jason Brown

Photographers’ assistant Miki Tillett Models Bekki Derham Dawn Kelly Ina Fischer James Ashford Katie Davies Rhys Jones Sam Moir Vicky Coghlan

Stylists Caroline Jackson Elliot Pettigrew

Stylists’ assistant Alexa Adam

Make-up co-ordinator Jill Warren Make-up artists Amy Larkin Annabel Barton Caitlin Lyons Rachael Hearty

Hair stylists Emily Spencer Emma-Jane Jones

Behind the scenes reporter Amy Claire Thompson Clothes Cow Freshmans Picture: Jason Brown

To see the rest of the photos from the shoot visit: www.forgetoday.com

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FORGE PRESS Friday December 3 2010

Lifestyle

SEASONAL SPECIAL

A students’ guide to Christmas Main Course An orange roasted gammon joint is the way forward. Although not traditional, it’s cheaper than turkey and tastes miles better.

Stick to these traditional trimmings, or feel free to improvise.

Picture: Annabel Barton

Picture: Hannah Middleton

Xavier Bruggen Christmas has landed, but things have changed for a lot of us - we don’t count down the advent calendar with our siblings and pets anymore, we do it with our housemates.

One of the drawbacks of a student celebration is the cash constraint, but festive feeling is still attainable

What you’ll need 2kg middle cut gammon joint 2 large oranges 1 jar of a good, thin-rind orange marmalade Rosemary Salt 4 carrots 300g garden peas 2kg roasting potatoes 400g sprouts 400g cauliflower Stuffing mixture

on a budget.

Dinner is the most important, difficult part of the festivities.

Get into the “Christmas spirit” and pool money with your peers, it avoids the catastrophe of compromising on food quality.

For £7 a head you can have this decent dinner between as few as four (with plenty left over for sandwiches).

Method Pre-heat your oven to 170°C/325°F/ gas 3.

The gammon should be pierced along the top and placed in a medium sized roasting dish (a deep baking tray will do).

Halve two oranges and squeeze them over the joint, leaving the fruit in the dish.

Take half a jar of marmalade and rub it into the meat with the rosemary and salt.

Roughly chop the carrots and lay them around the meat.

Put the gammon in the oven then begin to wash and chop your potatoes.

After 20 minutes, take the gammon out; it’ll have a crispy top where the fat has cooked and the marmalade will have started to caramelise.

Cover the dish with foil and put in the oven for another hour.

Chop the potatoes into large chunks, boil for 15 minutes, drain,

The comfortable pillow plays music at a suitable level without disturbing anyone around you and is perfect for a great night sleep.

glimmer.

With this item, you are able to ‘brighten up even the dullest of days’.

Picture: Marleena Cronvall

Better than a chocolate orange Emma Stokes It’s hard to decide what to buy a loved one for Christmas, but fret no more, with these unusual presents, you’re about to make someone’s Yuletide a whole lot better.

Who? Your brother What? A heat sensitive t-shirt Where? Firebox.com Perfect for the chilly weather on dark winter nights, these heatsensitive fluorescent tees change colour when touched.

Not only a unique present, you can now give someone that warm fuzzy feeling for less than you thought.

Who? Your sister What? The iMusic Pillow Where? forherfromyou.co.uk Everyone deserves their beauty sleep, so why not do it in style?

The Wiki iMusic Pillow allows you to listen to your iPod or MP3 without the use of head phones.

Who? Your boyfriend What? A periodic table shower curtain Where? Firebox.com Why not give your boyfriend a present which is both fun and educational. (His parents will love you for that).

The Periodic Table Shower Curtain is a perfect gift for students who enjoy “a bit of tongue in cheek bathroom-based fun”.

Spruce up your shower times, get squeaky clean and learn something!

Who? Your girlfriend What? A fibre optic umbrella Where? ParamountZone.com You are about to make drizzly days more enjoyable with this Twilight Umbrella. (Sorry, we’re not talking Edward Cullen.)

The black canopy opens up, revealing twinkling fibre optic lights.

By pressing a simple button on the handle, the lights begin to

Who? Your dad What? The Cup Warmer Where? iwantoneofthose.com A perfect present for dads who make drinks and leave them to go cold.

(And then moan afterwards!)

For only £9.99, the Cup Warmer will prolong your drinking time by 30 minutes.

Simply slot the USB port into your computer and pop your cup onto the ‘hotplate’ whilst browsing the net.

Who? Your mum What? A massager Where? iwantoneofthose.com All mothers deserve to be pampered.

The unique and futuristic looking Omni Massage Roller is the perfect relaxation present for a stressed mum.

It is waterproof so can be used in the bath, and is designed to reduce back pain and stress.

cover in butter and seasoning, and roast for 15 minutes.

Boil the sprouts, peas, cauliflower and carrots together (6-7 minutes) but give the carrots a two minute head start so the sprouts don’t overcook.

Make the stuffing, following the instructions and you’re ready to serve.

The juices and orange from the roast are a fruity gravy for the meat.

Dessert Now for a well earned Christmas Apple Strudel Cocktail.

What you’ll need 50ml vodka 12.5ml honey 12.5ml blackberry cordial Dash sugar syrup 75ml apple juice Cinnamon

Mix your ingredients in a fancy glass and you’re ready to get merry!

Picture: Annabel Barton

‘Tis not the season to be jolly Eabha Doherty Christmas time is great, but it is also a time when we are forced to see people we don’t like (weird uncle Steve anyone?), receive gifts which we never wanted (the awkwardness when granny buys you a reindeer g-string), and eat foods that no one really enjoys (we all know turkey’s too dry, it’s time to stop lying).

A large number of students dread leaving the cold husk of their university accommodation and returning home to a blinding glow of fairy lights and night sounds, not of wine-induced raving, but of the Last of the Summer Wine theme tune.

Sound like you? Don’t despair!

Lifestyle, as honourable members of the community, have compiled a number of suggestions to help make your festive season less festive.

1. Get away For some non-fans of Christmas, the idea of being at home is simply too much to stomach.

More and more students are saving up to go on winter holidays with friends or partners.

One Christmas-hating student who’s spending Christmas travelling around Europe said, “Tinsel is itchy.

Also, there’s just too much pressure on everyone at home to get along and be happy at this time of year.

Why should it be different to any

other time of the year?” Word.

2. Enjoy being reunited with TV at a time when programming is mildly better than usual Festive TV is undoubtedly the upside to the down-time season.

Take the month’s holiday as an opportunity to watch your favourite films.

You could easily spend your entire winter break in front of the TV to distract yourself from the disgusting merriment that surrounds you.

Disclaimer: you could, however, end up overly high expectations of romance after watching one too many Disney films.

3. Go on a snowman killing spree If you’re unlucky enough to be burdened with a white Christmas and sadistic enough to fancy this idea, you could always try taking your spite out on those smug guys who get all the love and attention on cold winter nights. Weapon = optional. Rage = mandatory.

4. Stay in Sheffield Lecturers and students from Sheffield and Hallam university, are volunteering their time to show international students the festive sights and sounds of the city.

For more information, visit: christmas-vacation@sheffield.ac.uk

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TRAVEL

It’s beginning to look an awful lot like Christmas You don’t need to head all the way over to Germany to find that truly festive Christmas when there is so much seasonal charm to be found right here on our doorstep KEEPING IT LOCAL

Location: The Peace Gardens, Sheffield City Centre Entry: Free Dates: Thursday November 18 until Thursday December 23 Times: 10am - 9pm daily

FRANKFURT COMES TO BIRMINGHAM Location: New Street and Victoria Square, Birmingham City Centre Entry : Free Dates : Thursday November 18 until Thursday December 23 Times : 10am - 9pm daily

Birmingham’s Frankfurt Christmas Market has been running for ten years now and this year’s market promises to be one of the biggest and best yet.

With over 180 different stalls offering everything from Bratwurst to Glühwein and Berliners to Christmas decorations, there’s endless fun and frolics to be had in Britain’s second city this festive season.

As the biggest Frankfurt-style

AVOIDING THE GREAT OUTDOORS

Understandably, the colder days may mean that you’re not as keen to go outside. In this case, there is perfect alternative right here in Sheffield too.

Cute little craft shop, Jam Jar Beads on Leopold Street, is putting on several Christmas themed events throughout December, including gift-making and decoration-making

Most of you have probably been living in Sheffield long enough to know it like the back of your hand but now the city takes on a new dimension in the form of the Christmas Market.

Boasting an open-air ice rink and over 70 stalls, the market is the perfect place to have some fun with friends and get into the yuletide spirit It also makes for a more enjoyable Christmas shopping experience than the usual trawl of the high street.

The little wooden huts and carol singing make you feel like you’re in a foreign country rather than just opposite the Town Hall. Not only is there a warm and cosy atmosphere but as it sells everything from homemade gifts, such as ceramics and jewellery, to delightful edible Christmas treats (the chocolate and mint fudge comes highly

Christmas market outside of Germany and the largest outdoor Christmas market in Britain, this timeless tradition is guaranteed to fill you with that warm winter glow no matter how cold it gets.

Not only is it a great cultural experience (test out your German and prove that Anglophones aren’t all as hopeless as JFK) but it’s also the ideal way to take time out with friends and family and celebrate the Christmas period in true European style without the hassle of getting on a plane. Why not join the other two million visitors and get merry with the help of a of glorious cup of Glühwein?

Cathie Wright

workshops. So if you’re stuck for that perfect, thoughtful present, this could be the answer.

Prices range from £10 to £25 depending on the event.

Find out more details on their website at: www.jamjarbeads. co.uk

recommended) you’ll be able to find some truly unique presents to put under the tree this year.

To really get into the Christmas mood, head down at night and indulge in a cup of mulled wine, eat plenty of Christmas food and soak up the ambience. It may not be the biggest Christmas Market around but it is good fun, festive and best of all, right on your doorstep.

Hannah Walker

VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF CHRISTMAS

Location: Several venues across Manchester city centre but the epicentre of Mancunian festivity is found in Albert Square.

Entry: Free Dates: November 18 until December 21 Times: 10am - 9pm daily

The annual Christmas Market in Albert Square has the variety of the world’s best European markets without the danger of getting swallowed up in the hullabaloo and raucous hard sales.

The food is spectacular, if slightly overpriced at times. The German hog roast in particular offers a filling

BRATWURST IN BRISTOL Location: Broadmead, Bristol City Centre Entry: Free (but some attractions cost) Dates: Thursday November 11 until Wednesday December 22 Time: 10am - 8pm daily (with a bar and food on offer until 9.30pm) Bristol’s Christmas market is brand new this year so if you fancy being one of the first to check it out, head down south this month. This market specialises in everything local to the area from food and drink (it doesn’t get much better than authentic West Country cider) to artwork and crafts made in the region.

GIVING THE MARKETS A MISS...

Whilst for many of us Christmas markets are the pinnacle of festive cheer, for others the thought of battling through hoards of Bratwurst enthusiasts is enough to induce a cold sweat. Luckily though, you can still enjoy this holiday season even if meandering through a network of tiny huts and drinking copious amounts of mulled wine does not appeal.

One alternative to the market scene is a visit to the beautiful Westonbirt Arboretum in Gloucestershire.

Although it is a little further afield, the trip is definitely worth the effort. It’s an

lunch for less than a fiver.

Here you will be able to find a gift for anyone, no matter what their tastes due to the diverse range of stalls. It’s not only the usual arts an crafts you can get your hands on, but fashion, jewellery and cosmetics stalls also feature heavily.

Alternatively, wander down Brazennose Street and pick up some Paella and Goulash if you feel like splashing out. For desert you can see the Swiss doing what they do best (apart from pocket knives) - a forest fruits strudel with vanilla custard. The jewellery sale in the Town Hall offers a more quiet venue to browse around - some temporary solace from the olfactory sensation that is the Manchester Christmas Market.

Xavier Bruggen

It’s also worth checking out the small German market. With only thirty wooden chalets to look around, this is a quaint little attraction but still has a lot of offer. You’re definitely guaranteed considerable Christmas eating success if nothing else, with many European delicacies, such as crepes, being sold at every corner.

Finally, finish off the Christmas experience with a visit to the temporary outdoor ice rink in Quakers Friar at the Cabot Circus shopping centre. Although not quite New York, it’s situation amongst a variety of exclusive shops and restaurants makes for a more civilised skating experience.

Caroline Vann Jones

interesting place to stroll through at any time of the year but the Forestry Commission ensure that they go all out at Christmas.

The trees are strung generously with fairy lights, forming an enchanting trail for visitors to follow.

A choir is also on hand to serenade you along the way.

The illuminated trail is open to the public on all Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings until the 19th December. It takes around forty five minutes to walk and wellies are highly recommended.

If you don’t want to stray this far from home though, you might want to check out the annual Christmas event at the Sheffield Botanical Gardens.

With its very own illuminations, hot food stalls, small scale rides and carol singing, this makes for a relaxed and festive evening as we draw ever closer to the big day.

The ‘Magical Christmas’ event runs for three nights from Friday December 10 until Sunday December 12 from 4.30 till 8pm every day and entry costs £5.

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FORGE PRESS Friday December 3 2010

PUZZLES & HUMOUR

Coffee Break The real news this fortnight German couple rescued from river after kinky car sex

A couple in Germany had to be rescued from the Rhine after their car rolled into the river during a steamy sex session.

The couple had been getting down and dirty in their motor when their raunchy antics went wrong.

They kicked the automatic gear stick into drive, sending their car into the Rhine river in Cologne.

A police spokesman explained what had happened: ‘The car had been running to keep the interior warm and before they realised what had happened it had shifted from ‘park’ to ‘drive’.

Luckily the couple were swiftly rescued, with no major injuries besides a serious case of mood kill.

omg, Have you seen...?

The coffee Break Christmas Word search

google it:

Flush Tracker

Can you find these festive phrases?

Cards Carols Christmas Dinner Elves Family Fruitcake Icicles Jesus Lights Nativity North Pole

One of our new favourite, if very slightly immature websites: Flush Tracker lets you find out where your latest turd has travelled to based on the time and your location and when you flushed it away. Simply type in your post code and watch just where your poo has ended up.

Youtube it:

HarryPotterHimself

© Dave Fisher - puzzles.about.com

School principal defends video of naked students A school principal has defended a web video in which naked students frolic with farm animals and ride tractors.

Peter Gustavsson from Sweden’s Natural Resource Use Programme high school said that the eight-minute clip is nothing out of the ordinary for the country.

Scenes include the likes of half-naked men in a pig pen, a trio of women showing their boobs to a cow (apparently) and another woman lying bareback on a horse with her bottom on show.

‘This kind of thing happens all the time,’ Gustavsson remarked. ‘There’s nothing wrong with being naked.

That’s still allowed.’

He added: ‘I think the film is rather nice, actually. No one is drunk; there is no alcohol, no drugs. It’s just a bunch of naked kids having fun.’

When the film was shown to around 30 people it reportedly ended with its stars bursting into the auditorium... naked again.

mOST POPULAR web CONTENT 1: Protesters occupy Hicks Building 2: Queen Visits Sheffield 3: University occupation forced to end after fire alarm 4: Live Day X coverage 5: Union President meets with Nick Clegg 6: Snow forces University to shut

Woman stuck in bathroom for three weeks finally saved A trapped woman has finally been freed by rescuers – after being stuck in her bathroom for three weeks.

The 69-year-old, living in a Paris suburb, survived by living off tap water after accidentally breaking the lock on November 1.

Her flat is on the second floor and has no window, so she couldn’t call for help or do anything except bang on the wall at night. Some of her neighbours even moaned about the noise – but they had no idea where it was coming from.

Reportedly, she kept her spirits up by taking lots of showers and repeatedly brushing her teeth, before police arrived on Saturday.

Eventually, firemen forced a window in the bedroom of the apartment and then smashed the bathroom door down. ‘She was eventually taken to hospital. The woman is reported to be a very popular lady, but apparently most people presumed she was away on holiday.

After a night out:

Flatmate 1: “So he gave me a Shitmix” Flatmate 2: “He gave you a what?”

Flatmate 1: “It’s a drink” In West Street Tesco, two guys looking at champagne: Boy 1: “I’ve got a bottle on permanent chill for when Margaret Thatcher dies.”

In a Sheffield flat:

8 Muslim leaders warn fees hike could defy Islamic beliefs

Student: “My grammar is awful, I wish I’d gone to a grammar school.”

9: Appy Feet: Meadowhall’s foot loving fish

In Western Bank Library:

10: Fund raises over £30000 in memory of medical Visit forgetoday.com to keep up to date with all aspects of Forge Media, from articles and podcasts to listen-again shows and video content.

Think you’re a bit of a Potter fan? Well, think you can beat Harry Potter Himself, who can wear Harry Potter clothes every day for three months without wearing the same outfit twice? Do you have home-drawn pictures of JK Rowling on every wall of your house - and her autograph tattooed on her arm? Harry explains all in this hilarious, if slightly creepy, video, where he lays down his challenge to Potter fanatics the world over...

Download it: Durex Baby App

overheard in sheffield

7. Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

student

Presents Reindeer Santa Snow Stocking Tree Yulelog

Girl 1: “You’re from Essex, yeah?”

Girl 2: “No, I’m from Wales.”

Girl 1: “Yeah. Suppose that’s like the same thing.”

Is your best mate just not being careful enough with the birth control? Luckily, you can now remind them constantly (or, just make anyone’s life a living hell) by downloading the Durex Baby App. After downloading, you’ll be able to ‘knock up’ a friend’s iPhone and give them a newborn ‘baby’ to look after that’ll constantly cry, want attention, and update their facebook status with baby themed events. And the best bit? They’ll only be able to get rid of it by scanning the barcode on the back of Durex condom packets. Want to see the advert? YouTube search: ‘Durex Baby App.’

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SPORT

Scrutineering Adam Shergold

Fans should vote with their feet An autumnal Sunday afternoon by the seaside. Blackpool are playing Manchester City at Bloomfield Road. In a febrile encounter, City move onto the shoulder of Chelsea at the Premier League summit with a 3-2 win.

Well, at least we think they do. Trouble is, Alan Green, the hyper-opinionated Five Live summariser, can’t actually see what’s happening. His line of sight has been blocked by 1,500 standing, singing City supporters. And boy is he letting us know about it.

Standing at football grounds is an issue which, as reliably as an Alex Ferguson media blackout or Arsene Wenger’s myopia, will crop up – at some point, somewhere – every season.

Year-on-year it is the politician’s populist trump card and the vocal supporter’s ideal, but do we see any practical moves towards repealing the legislation and introducing safe standing areas in top-flight stadia? No. This debate is crystallised in the city above many others.

We must, of course, remember those 96 who perished in the Hillsborough Disaster because nobody should under any circumstances fear for their life at a football match.

We must also remember that it was over two decades ago and almost every aspect of football has changed irrevocably since.

I’ve followed my team, Boston United, up and down the country for years and I can honestly say I have never sat down at a single match. It doesn’t seem right to me. To sit down would be to sacrifice the atmosphere and I’m not

BUCS Fixtures WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 8 HOME FIXTURES Badminton Men’s 1A Firsts v Newcastle Uni. Firsts Women’s 1A Firsts v Leeds Met Seconds

Fencing Women’s 1A Firsts v Keele Uni. Firsts

Football BUCS Cup, Third Round Men’s seconds v Leeds Met Seconds

exactly a quiet supporter.

Admittedly, there aren’t many all-seaters in the Conference North but if people can attend a match in the lower leagues, stand for the 90 minutes and not come to any harm, then it can be done at the top level.

With the removal of the terraces in the early 1990s came the death of the atmospheric English football ground.

Today, we have sets of home

fans frightened of raising their voices for fear of having their extortionate season tickets revoked and frightened of standing up during exciting passages of play for fear of irking the corporate masses behind them. This is not football for many, this is purgatory.

The annoying thing is that most Premier League clubs have magnificent arenas capable of catering for both those who want to sit and

those who want to stand and sing. And this is both in home and away sections.

A Guardian poll from April this year found that 92.4% of fans favoured the introduction of safe standing areas in English football and, as in many other things, Germany leads the way.

To see a photograph of Borussia Dortmund’s Sudtribüne (above) in full cry is breathtaking, to stand on it must be spine-chilling. 25,000

Hockey

AWAY FIXTURES

Rugby League

BUCS Cup, Third Round Women’s firsts v York St John Seconds

Football

Men’s Premier North York St John Firsts v Firsts

Netball BUCS Cup, Third Round Thirds v Teesside Uni Firsts

Rugby Union Men’s 2B Seconds v York St John Firsts Men’s 3B Thirds v Leeds Met Fourths

Squash Women’s 1A Firsts v Newcastle Firsts

Table Tennis Women’s 1A Firsts v Newcastle Firsts

Men’s 1A York St John Firsts v Firsts BUCS Cup, Third Round Leeds Met Thirds v Men’s fourths

Hockey Men’s 1A Sheffield Hallam Firsts v Firsts

Lacrosse Men’s 1A Keele University Firsts v Firsts

Netball BUCS Cup, Third Round Newcastle University Fourths v Firsts

Rugby Union BUCS Trophy, Second Round Warwick Uni Firsts v Firsts

Table Tennis Men’s 1A Leeds Uni Firsts v Firsts

Tennis Men’s 1A Durham Uni Firsts v Firsts

people can be accommodated in Europe’s biggest nonseater grandstand, one of a number of examples (16 of the 18 Bundesliga stadiums have safe standing) in a country whose philosophy on the football experience could, frankly, teach us a hell of a lot.

The benefits are self-evident.

A superior atmosphere – without hint of trouble – is a given. Those who wish to sit are not inconvenienced, meaning fewer recriminations for clubs. And increased capacity means reduced costs for the fans.

A comparison – a standing ticket at Bayern Munich, the reigning champions, costs from £6.50 or 65p for children as opposed to £46 or £23 at Chelsea. I’d rather that extra £40 for a moulded piece of blue plastic be my plane ticket to Bavaria.

We all know that those impressionable late teenage years are when a bond to a particular club is sealed – top English clubs are missing a trick by charging such ridiculous prices for tickets in stadiums designed as anathema to youthful passion.

Germany has shown us that safe standing is practical, technologically-available and beneficial for all. If it can be done there, why not here? Is it the merciless profiteering of our leading clubs? Or does the spectre of Hillsborough still hang over the English game?

Are other factors at play?

This is not a return to the terraces, nor a return to the bad old days. This is the future and a way to make the best league in the world better.

@forgesport Follow our Twitter account for live updates on Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday home games, plus all the latest news from the world of university sport.

www.forgetoday.com // sport@forgetoday.com FORGE PRESS Friday December 3 2010

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SPORT LOCAL

Inconsistent Blades pay the penalty again Adam Shergold The positives from Sheffield United’s dramatic 3-2 win over Crystal Palace last weekend were immediately undone by a three-goal loss at Bristol City on Saturday.

The Steelers lead the way in what could become our future national sport if recent weather is anything to go by.

Photos: Steelers Official

Belfast Giants end Steelers’ hot streak Jack Burnett Sheffield Steelers lost 4-2 against the Belfast Giants on November 24 in a defeat that put an end to a fantastic nine game winning streak for the Sheffield side.

In a double header against the Giants, with both games in Belfast and within the space of two days, the Steelers came out on top in the opener but failed to do so in the second fixture.

The Steelers had reason to be optimistic after their opening 2-1 win, and were looking to achieve quite some feat by going the whole of November without losing. The Giants put paid those hopes though by netting four times, with three of their goals coming from powerplays.

The Steelers found themselves two down at the end of the first period, after Brett Hemmingway and Brad Smyth capitalised on Steelers’ penalties to net for the Giants.

Considering the visitors then faced 12 minutes of penalties in the second, they may well have considered themselves fortunate to only concede once more in that

period when Mike Hoffman added a third for the Giants.

Defenceman Jerramie Domish pulled one back for the Steelers in the third, but hopes for an unlikely comeback were dashed when Dan Welch slotted into an empty net with Steelers having pulled their goaltender. By the time Robert Dowd doubled Steelers’ tally, the game was well and truly buried.

Having come from behind to beat the hosts on the previous day, Steelers fans will no doubt be disappointed to have come away from the game empty handed, a sensation that has become something of a rarity this season.

Their stellar form puts them among the favourites for the Elite League title; though they currently lie six points off the pace set by the table-topping Giants, the Steelers have four games in hand on them. Accounting for this, their 2-1 victory appears all the more critical in the title race.

The Steelers will seek a swift return to winning ways at Hull on December 4 before they entertain the Braehead Clan in Sheffield 24 hours later.

The Westcountry side leapfrogged the Blades after the comfortable success at Ashton Gate, helped by Richard Cresswell’s dismissal for violent conduct.

Brett Pitman scored two penalties, the second conceded

by Cresswell on a nightmare afternoon, in the first-half before Jamie McAllister sealed the points on the hour mark.

It means United enter their home match with Reading (Saturday, 3pm) just two points above the Championship relegation zone, a familiar position in a season where priorities have been quickly downgraded from promotion challenge to staying up.

Manager Gary Speed (pictured) suffered further bad news when left-back Stephen Jordan was ruled out until after Christmas after damaging ankle ligaments in Saturday’s match.

Influential winger Mark Yeates is also rated ‘touch and go’ should the Reading fixture beat the snow.

Up front, Cresswell and Daniel Bogdanovic, sent off late in the Palace fixture, are suspended for Saturday and forthcoming pre-Christmas clashes with Barnsley and Swansea City.

After being the beneficiary of two penalty decisions

against Palace a week earlier, Speed was left ruing a change of luck.

“I think that is six penalties we have conceded this season and the second one against Bristol City just shouldn’t have been given,” he told the club’s official website.

“Against that we believe that we should have had 8-10 good shouts for penalties turned down. But having said that, we can’t keep allowing these things to affect us or the results.

“We will spend more time in the video room watching at how players at other clubs fall over or tackle because we are too naïve and it is costing us.”

United were handed a home tie with Premier League Aston Villa in the third round of the FA Cup, to be played on either January 8 or 9.

Festive Fixture List

DECEMBER Sat 4 Reading (H) Sat 11 Barnsley (A) Sat 18 Swansea City (H) Sun 26 Hull City (H) Tue 28 Norwich City (A)

JANUARY Sat 1 Burnley (A) Mon 3 Doncaster (H) Sat 8 Aston Villa (H) FA Cup Third Round Sat 15 Coventry City (A)

Mandaric comes to Wednesday’s rescue Anthony Hart Sheffield Wednesday’s future looks more certain after SerbianAmerican businessman Milan Mandaric agreed a deal to take over the debt-ridden League One club.

The club’s board issued a statement last Friday saying they are to sell the club to Mandaric’s company, UK Football Investments. The deal must be approved by shareholders at an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) on December 14. The club have said they have received assurances that 43.6% of shareholders will vote in favour of the deal.

The key points of the package is that the club itself will be bought

for just £1, and has also agreed a deal with the Co-operative Bank, to wipe out the clubs debts. At a High Court hearing on November 17, Wednesday were given 28 days to pay £1.4 million owed to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, who issued a windingup order over an outstanding PAYE tax bill.

Furthermore, agreement were reached with other creditors, such as Dave Allen who own loan notes. Allen, the former club chairman, will be repaid in full should the Owls ever be promoted back to the Premier League, where they have not played since heir relegation from the division in 2000.

The new board will be chaired

by Mandaric, who has a lengthy career in football, He saved Portsmouth from administration

in 1998, and under his tenure Pompey won promotion to the Premier League in 2003, before selling the club to Alexandre Gaydemak in 2006.

He then took over Leicester City, where the club were relegated and then re-promoted to the Championship, before

a playoff semi-final defeat to Cardiff last season, before selling the club to a Thai consortium.

Current chairman Howard Wilkinson and chief executive Nick Parker will also stay as board members.

Wilkinson has fulfilled every major role at the club, as well

Festive Fixture List

DECEMBER Sat 4 Swindon Town (A) Sat 11 Bristol Rovers (H) Sat 18 Exeter City (A) Sun 26 Tranmere (A) Tue 28 Yeovil Town (H)

JANUARY Sat 1 Peterboro (H) Mon 3 Huddersfield (A) Sat 8 Bristol City (A) FA Cup Third Round

as a former player, he managed the club between 1983 and 1988, before taking over as chairman from Lee Strafford earlier this year.

“Our trials and tribulations have been well documented, but I can now see a brighter future for Sheffield Wednesday.” Wilkinson said.

However current board members Kenneth Cooke, Geoff Hulley and Robert Grierson will leave the club.

On the pitch Wednesday travel to Bristol City in the third round of the FA Cup, after a 3-2 victory over Northampton, but are out of the Football League Trophy after a 3-2 defeat to Carlisle in the Northern Area semi-finals on Tuesday night thanks to goals from Fracois Zoko, Lubomir Michalik and Ben Marshall.

FORGE PRESS Friday December 3 2010

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MID-TERM REPORT SPORT

Free-scoring football Football Adam Shergold With a free-scoring first team and three other sides right in the promotion picture, the men’s football club will most definitely be on the trophy trail in 2011.

The firsts have banged in 18 goals in their opening five league and cup fixtures, a brilliant start as they chase a second consecutive championship. Club Captain Richard Brough highlighted an impressive 2-1 away success at Hallam in late November as the best moment so far, with a 6-1 away BUCS Championship rout of Nottingham Trent not far behind.

A 4-2 home defeat of St. Mary’s in their last game has set up a tough assignment against UWE Hartpury in the New Year, though few opponents will hold any fear on current form.

The seconds currently sit in second place, right on the shoulder of Northumbria, who inflicted their sole defeat to date.

A 6-0 Cup win against Newcastle thirds last week also proved their goalscoring pedigree, though a round three draw against Leeds Met seconds will be a tricky one

on Wednesday.

Five points clear going into the Christmas break, the thirds look nailed on for the title, especially after putting rivals Bradford in their place with a 2-0 win last time out.

Unusually, the fourths compete in the same division and currently lie third having acquitted themselves well after promotion.

They’ve also been touched by the magic of the cup, having eliminated York seconds and Hallam thirds en route to a clash with Leeds Met thirds in the next round.

“Overall, I am delighted with every single player in the club,” said Brough. “All four teams have had an excellent start and hopefully we can continue if the weather gets better. After Christmas, all four teams will be pushing for promotion.”

The women’s firsts have been flawless with five wins from five and 19 goals to boot. Currently top of League 2B their match with title rivals Durham, when it gets rearranged, looks like being all-important. And after netting an astonishing 13 times in their opening couple of League 4B matches, the seconds could easily make it a trophy double for the club.

Hockey in the hunt Hockey Anthony Hart The men’s hockey teams are still in the hunt at the end 2010. The first team sit third in Division 1A of the Northern Conference, having won three of their first six games, and sit just three points between city rivals and division leaders Sheffield Hallam. Despite losing to Hallam 5-1 at Goodwin at the start of November, a win against Durham last week will give them confidence going into the winter break.

The second team have embarked on a cup run, and victory against Hull’s firsts in January would take them into the quarter finals of the Northern Conference Cup. The seconds and thirds are enjoying mid-table safety after promotions the previous season. The fourths, who battled relegation last season, sit in midtable.

“I am really happy with how this first half of the season has gone for the whole club, with all teams performing well and looking to build on this into the new year,”

Photo: Marek Allen

said club captain Joe Stanbridge.

“It’s an exciting time for SUMHC and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can achieve in the rest of the season.”

The women’s firsts have made a perfect start to the season, with four wins from four and sit proudly top of Division 2B of the Northern Conference, and still in the Northern Conference Cup/ “i would love to mention an exceptional season so far for Heather Shillitoe as captain as well as Rachel Sharp, Laura Cooper and Jane Chamberlin who have all been very strong in defence. I would also like to mention the ease at which the freshers have settled into the squad,” said women’s club captain Cerys Bate.

The seconds, however, would have hoped for a better start.

They sit bottom of Division 3B. Their newly assembled squad has picked up just one point from their opening five fixtures. The thirds sit mid-table, while the fourths are challenging for promotion in Division 6B. They are six points off the top of the league, but have a game in hand over the leaders, Sheffield Hallam’s thirds.

Sheffield’s football teams have made a solid start to the BUCS season.

Photo: George Garantziotis

THE STANDINGS

Football

Northern Conference Men’s 1A Manchester 1s.......................................................

Sheffield Hallam 1s...............................................

York St John 1s...................................................

Sheffield 1s............................................................

Lancaster 1s..........................................................

Central Lancashire 1s...........................................

Pts 12 9 6 6 0 0

Netball

Pts Sheffield 1s............................................................ 12 York St John 1s...................................................

9 Leeds 2s................................................................. 9 Newcastle 2s.......................................................... 3 Leeds Met 2s.......................................................... 3 Leeds 3s.................................................................. 0

Pts Sheffield Hallam 1s................................................ 12 Leeds 2s.................................................................. 9 Sheffield 1s............................................................. 6 Hull 1s..................................................................... 6 Durham 2s.............................................................. 3 York St John 1s ...................................................... 0

Northern Conference Men’s 1A

Northern Conference Men’s 1A Pts 12 12 6 3 3 0

Hockey

Sheffield 1s............................................................

Leeds Met 1s.........................................................

Lancaster 1s..........................................................

Manchester Met 1s...............................................

Keele 1s.................................................................

Northumbria 1s .....................................................

Northern Conference Women’s 2B

Rugby Union

Lacrosse

Northern Conference Women’s 2B Sheffield 1s...........................................................

Durham 1s............................................................

Leeds Met 3s........................................................

York St John 1s..................................................

Leeds 1s...............................................................

Sunderland 1s......................................................

Northern Conference Women’s 2B

Pts 15 12 9 6 0 -3

Manchester 1s.......................................................

Liverpool 1s............................................................

Sheffield 1s............................................................

Leeds Met 2s.........................................................

York 1s....................................................................

Leeds 2s.................................................................

Northumbria 2s......................................................

Newcastle 2s..........................................................

Pts 18 9 9 9 9 6 3 0

Northern Conference Women’s 2A

Northern Conference Women’s Premier

Pts Sheffield Hallam 1s.............................................. 13 Manchester 1s...................................................... 13 Sheffield 1s........................................................... 10 Liverpool John Moores 1s.................................... 7 Durham 2s............................................................ 5 Leeds Met 1s........................................................ 2

Pts Sheffield 1s............................................................ 12 Durham 3s.............................................................. 9 Leeds Met 1s.......................................................... 6 Leeds 2s.................................................................. 6 Manchester 2s........................................................ 0 Sheffield Hallam 1s ............................................... 0

Leeds Met 1s..........................................................

Edinburgh 1s..........................................................

Manchester 1s.......................................................

Loughborough 1s...................................................

Sheffield 1s............................................................

Northumbria 1s......................................................

Rugby

Netball

Lacrosse

Sheffield’s Rugby teams have endured a mixed season so far.

Though the men’s Rugby Union firsts are level second on points with three other sides, they lie far behind pacesetters Manchester, who, having played one game more than Sheffield, have racked up double their points total. Sheffield scuppered the chance to move clear into second when they lost 24-11 against Liverpool on November 24.

The women’s first team, competing in the Northern Premier, find themselves narrowly above the relegation zone, six points ahead of Northumbria, who face an uphill battle to keep up the pace having been deducted three points.

In the men’s Northern 2B division, Sheffield seconds are three points off first, behind Hull and Durham.

Sheffield lie in mid-table in Rugby League, behind a closely contested battle at the top of the table.

With two wins and two losses in League 2B, the firsts remain well-placed to challenge for promotion with a strong second half to the campaign.

A commanding 70-12 rout of York St. John in their first fixture has surely been the easiest game, though heavy cup victories against Leeds Trinity and Huddersfield must come close.

Newcastle fourths await in the third round of the knockout competition next week.

The seconds have cruised to the summit of League 4B with a 100 per cent start to the season. A hard-fought 37-36 win against Northumbria last time out preserved their first place entering the Christmas break, with this week’s trip to Newcastle falling victim to the weather.

And the thirds can also boast an immaculate record so far, though remarkably they aren’t top of League 7B as Leeds Uni fifths have the superior points difference. The sides were due to meet this week.

A series of convincing wins has propelled Sheffield’s men’s firsts to the top of their division, with a recent 16-2 demolition of Manchester Met on away soil demonstrating why they lead at this stage.

An easy 27-0 win over Manchester Met on the opening day was followed up by a number of high-scoring victories and the side need just two more goals to reach a century.

The women’s firsts also hold a commanding lead in their division having won each of their games, racking up an enviable goal difference in the process having netted 71 times in just four games.

Their first match, a 11-10 victory over Leeds University proved the tightest, with subsequent successes against Durham, Hallam and Manchester being more comfortable.

Both teams can expect to pick up silverware in the next few months.

Northern Conference Men’s 1A

Pts 15 10 9 7 3 -3

Jack Burnett

32

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FORGE PRESS Friday December 3 2010

SPORT Match of the sleigh: snow wipes out BUCS schedule Local Sport Page 30

Half-term Report Page 31

Forgey the Snowman was the only person of a black and gold persuasion on a sports pitch this week as record November snowfalls forced the cancellation of both outdoor and indoor university fixtures. Pitches which usually buzz with activity on a Wednesday afternoon where deserted, coated in several inches of snow, while indoor matches also fell victim to the weather as opposing teams were confronted with a frozen transport network

World Championship success for Sheffield trampolinist Adam Shergold

University of Sheffield student Bryony Page has achieved Britain’s highest placing for seven years at the Trampoline World Championships in Metz.

Following a long and anxious wait for other competitors to complete their routines, her score of 38.600 was enough to secure a fourth place finish and a massive boost for the British Team entering 2011.

Page narrowly missed out on a podium place, with China’s Dan Li (40.300), compatriot Shanshan Huang (39.800) and Canada’s Rossanagh MacLennan (39.100) taking home the medals.

With the World Championships being staged

in Birmingham next year, her success in France has inspired the entire British team.

“I felt calm and confident.

Making the final of the World Championships was incredible! And hearing the GBR crowd in the stands I wanted to go for it,” she said.

Paul Greaves (pictured with Page), a high performance coach at the Abbey Flyers Trampoline Club in Sheffield, who oversaw Page’s preparations, said: ““I just can’t believe it. I’ve been so pleased with her mental strength throughout the whole competition.

“The support from Team GBR has been fantastic and really motivational. It’s such good grounding for the future.”

She also paired up with Amanda Parker to record

a score of 43.300 and a seventh place finish in the Women’s Synchro Final.

This competition was won by Irina Karavaeva and Victoria Voronina, of Russia, with a score of 47.500.

Club Sport Manager Andy Cox added: “We are so proud of Bryony’s outstanding achievements and I’m sure she will be going on to greater achievements in the future.

“It’s fantastic for Bryony and her coach Paul and great for the University and Club.”

261 trampolinists (150 men and 111 women) from 34 countries competed in the Championships across a variety of individual and synchronised formats.

The Trampolining Club train at Goodwin on Thursday evenings 8-10pm and Sundays 5-7pm.