INSIDE: GUIDE TO BALI/ ONLINE STALKING/ THE OSCARS/ THE CRIBS/ THE TRUTH ABOUT BOUNCERS
FREE
The independent student newspaper of the University of Sheffield. Est. 1946.
Issue 80 Friday March 6 2015 @ForgePress /ForgePress
INSIDE
Fuse
Sex in films: art or just porn?
‘WE ARE ANGRY AND WE WANT REVENGE’
Features
Is stalking on social media a problem?
A. Whittingham & E. Farell Roig
Comment
Student elections: neither perfect nor pointless
Students from the Free University of Sheffield occupied Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg’s constituency office in Fulwood on Wednesday. The protest began at 11am with 10 members of the campaign occupying the waiting room of the Sheffield Hallam MP’s office. The Free University of Sheffield, who were also behind the occupation of the University restaurant Inox Dine last December, wanted to transform the space into an “autonomous collectively-run learning space in the name of free education.” The protestors were not permitted to remain in the building for long, however, as the
police were called. South Yorkshire Police said: “The incident was reported at 11.35 this morning. Officers attended the scene at 11.40. At 11.50 a dozen people were reported as being at the scene. No arrests or violence were reported.” The group accuses Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrat party of going back on their election promise to end tuition fees. A Liberal Democrat spokesperson said “Earlier today, a small group of people briefly entered the office. They were asked to leave by a member of staff but refused. “The police were called and the group left peacefully after a short sit in protest.” Clegg was believed to be
attending Prime Minister’s told them explicitly and we Questions in Westminster and showed them that we didn’t want was not in his office at the time of to cause any trouble. the occupation. “We were there to protest but Josh Berlyne, a member of the clearly they felt the need to bring Free University of Sheffield, said: the police in to get us out.” “The aims of today are to remind Justine Dias, another member the country and remind students of the Free University of Sheffield, what Nick Clegg did. Students said: “We went in to protest are still angry with Nick Clegg tuition fees in particular, Clegg and we see it as our duty, as and the Lib Dems had promised students of Sheffield, to hold Nick no tuition fee increases and Clegg to account. He promised to now we’re paying £27,000 for a abolish tuition fees but instead degree. As his local constituents, tripled them. in a constituency which he won “It’s disappointing the Lib because of the student vote, we Dems didn’t want to cooperate could not let this go unpassed. We and that the members of staff in are angry and we want revenge.” Nick Clegg’s constituency office felt threatened by us. We were as Continued on p3 civil as possible and we welcomed them to join our seminars. We
Who will be your new SU president?
Find out who’s in the running on page 4-5
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Editor
elsa.vulliamy@forgetoday.com
Elsa Vulliamy
DEPUTY EDITOR Tom Schneider Managing Editor
j.may@sheffield.ac.uk
Jon May
fuse editors fuse@forgetoday.com Phil Bayles Kate Lovatt HEAD OF ONLINE matthew.smith@forgetoday.com matthew Smith News news@forgetoday.com Patrick O’Connell Naleem Tailor Adela Whittingham Estel Farell Roig Will Morgan Keri Trigg Comment comment@forgetoday.com Lauren Archer Isaac Stovell COFFEE BREAK letters@forgetoday.com Helen Hiorns Features features@forgetoday.com Kemi Alemoru Will Ross Polly Winn Lifestyle & travel lifestyle@forgetoday.com Isabel Dobinson Nikita Kesharaju Sport sport@forgetoday.com Joseph Bamford Edward McCosh Thomas Pyman Music music@forgetoday.com Rachel Bell Rebecca Stubbs Games games@forgetoday.com Samantha Fielding Robin Wilde Screen screen@forgetoday.com Joe Brennan Sophie Maxwell Arts arts@forgetoday.com Chloe Coleman Joscelin Woodend COPY EDITORS Lucy Barnes Elizabeth Cunningham Friederike Dannheim Declan Downey Helena Egan Claire Fowler Ellie Tudor Karen Wong M edi a H u b, U n io n o f Student s, We s t e r n Bank , S hef f ie ld, S10 2T G 0114 2 2286 46
Forge Press is printed on 100% recycled paper
Forge Press is published by Sheffield Students’ Union. Views expressed are not necessarily those of the the Union or the editorial team. Complaints should be addressed to the Managing Editor in the first instance, although a formal procedure exists.
in brief...
FOOTBALL
ALUMNI
Keri Trigg
Adela Whittingham
A petition calling for Sheffield United to rename a stand at Bramall Lane in honour of superfan David ‘Shred’ Spencer has received 1,800 signatures. Fans left tributes at the ground and online after his death was announced on February 27, while the main flag at the stadium was lowered to half-mast. Sheffield United are welcoming suggestions on how best to honour ‘Shred’ and will consider the petition, which is to be handed in on March 6, after consulting his family.
Writer of Wolf Hall and University of Sheffield graduate Hilary Mantel has been made a dame by the Prince of Wales for her services to literature. The 62-year-old was honoured during a ceremony at Buckingham Palace. Mantel’s damehood was announced in the Queen’s Birthday Honours last year. Her trilogy of novels about the life of Thomas Cromwell during the reign of Henry VIII has been widely critically acclaimed, winning the Booker Prize in 2009 and 2012.
CHARITY
WOMEN
ENTERTAINMENT
Keri Trigg
Lisa Latham
Will Morgan
A Coronation Street star has shown his support for the fundraising campaign for a new helipad at Northern General Hospital. Joe Duttine, who has played Tim Metcalfe on the soap since 2013, lives in Sheffield with his wife Nisa, an A&E nurse at the hospital. He began supporting the campaign, which aims to raise £2 million, after he was airlifted following an accident while out walking last month.
To mark International Women’s Day, Sheffield City Trust has announced that all women in Sheffield can get involved in sport for just £1 this Sunday March 8. This is part of Sport England’s ‘This Girl Can’ campaign; women will be invited to join in with activities as an attempt to increase cross-gender participation in sport. A downloadable voucher is available from the Sheffield City Trust website.
Showroom Cinema has begun a campaign to raise £250,000 for refurbishments. The four-screen independent cinema is planning on using the money raised to fit new seats, carpets and lighting equipment to the twenty-year-old cinema. The director of the BFI Film Fund, Ben Roberts, said: “[Showroom Cinema] helps to boost audiences for independent British film across the north of England.”
TRAMLINES
SHOPPING
Will Morgan
Keri Trigg
The New York hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan are set to play this year’s Tramlines Festival in Sheffield. They will headline the main stage on the Sunday of the festival. Other big acts announced for the city’s award-winning festival include the dance music duo Basement Jaxx and the folk activist Billy Bragg. Festival organisers have also begun to prepare for huge crowds as they recently announced a move to the larger Ponderosa Park from the traditional Devonshire Green site for the headline acts.
Sheffield’s vintage shopping scene has been recognised as one of the best in the UK by travel website GoEuro. It hails West Street and Division Street as retro bargain hotspots, thanks to stores like Mooch (pictured), Cow and A New Shop, as well as praising Sheffield’s renowned vintage fairs Sheffield Does Vintage and Lou Lou’s Vintage Fair. The list, which puts Sheffield in the UK top five alongside London, Glasgow, Manchester and Belfast, was compiled based on the advice of UK fashion editors.
Blades to honour fan
News from the Steel City
£1 S’Women
Soap star backs helipad
Mantel damed
Showroom seeks funding
Sheff confirmed ‘Hipster’
Enter the Wu-Tang
Popular Sheffield store Mooch Vintage
inside this issue... News
Uni’s Vice Chancellor backs Labour tuition fee policy
Comment
“ Politicians should look after people, not themselves”
Features
Snapchat’s ‘best friends’ feature and social stalking
Lifestyle
Meet the fresh face of the UK’s plus-size industry
Coffee Break
Inconveniently named American towns
Sport
Match debate: should there be a winter World Cup?
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YOUR CITY
Students occupy Clegg’s office in tuition fee ‘revenge’ bid Continued from front page
A. Whittingham and E. Farell Roig Two members of the group climbed onto the roof, before one of them was led away by a policeman. Police attempted to detain the individual before he fled from the scene. Prior to this, another protestor, was refused entry to the office by police, alleged he was kicked off the doorstep by a police officer. Protestors were also prevented by the police from displaying a banner that said “Fuck Capital Fuck The State” as it breached the Public Order Act. Police spoke to members of the public and local businesses before the banner was taken away. Protestors instead displayed banners that said “Nick Clegg Betrayed Us We Want Revenge” and “Free Education”. Over 20 more students from the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University arrived to support the group at around 12.30pm. They held banners from Unite and the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition. However, by 1.30pm all the protestors had dispersed from the Fulwood office and had returned to the Students’ Union, where several Students’ Union
officers greeted them. Earlier that afternoon, the hashtag #OccupyClegg began trending in Sheffield. Welfare officer Tom Harrison said: “We, the student officers of Sheffield Students’ Union support the aims of the occupation and call on Nick Clegg and all political party leaders to engage with their demands and support free, fair and sustainable education systems, funded by
progressive taxation, in line with the Sheffield Students’ manifesto. “Students and young people have for too long been represented by politicians who break pledges, disenfranchise and further embed a marketised education system. We again call on all party leaders to engage with the commitments laid out in the Sheffield Students’ Manifesto and support student action that
A policeman leading away a protestor
Photo: Lisa Latham
actively resists neoliberal politics of despair. “Any police presence in response to the occupation must be proportionate and responsible and not interfere in any way with the right to peaceful protest.” SU President Yael Shafritz said: “I think it is really important that students can protest against, not only a politician who lied and abandoned the student vote, but also one who has furthered the marketisation of education in a way that has been massively detrimental to students, particularly students from different socio-economic backgrounds, such as part-time or mature students. “I think it is very important that students remind the public and Nick Clegg that you can’t abandon these people and get away with it. “I think it is really important that police response is proportionate. It is always worrying when peaceful protests are stopped and I think that we should encourage peaceful protests, at all levels.” ■ Additional reporting by Tom Schneider, Will Morgan and Lisa Latham
YOUR UNIVERSITY
Officer denies segregation claim
SCIENCE & Technology
First look at bionic reconstruction Until recently, bionic technology relied on the use of electrodes implanted into healthy nerves and muscles. However, a novel technique implemented in a recent study has enabled bionic technology to overcome even irreparable nerve damage: bionic reconstruction. The study, published on February 24, restored lost hand function in three patients by selectively implanting leg nerves and muscles to create useful nerve signals. After their hands were amputated and replaced with prosthetics, the patients underwent 9 months of cognitive training to control and strengthen these signals which successfully enabled them to manipulate the prosthetic hand in all three cases. Sophie Chick
A plague of bad reporting A pro-rat media blitz claimed black rats were absolved from guilt for the bubonic plague, incorrectly implicating gerbils as the true culprits. However, the original study merely proposed the century long plague was maintained by reservoirs of infected rodents in Asia. Research neither excluded rats’ involvement nor demonstrated that gerbils caused European plagues, and is therefore unlikely to overturn scientific consensus on black rats’ key role in spreading the deadly bacteria.
Stephen Heaton
Liam Deacon & Tom Schneider SU Officer Malaka Shwaikh this weekend spoke at an event where the seating arrangements appeared to be separated by gender despite the law forbidding gender segregation in public lectures. The Education Officer’s official Facebook and blog page shared a photo of the Malaysia-Sheffield twinning event that aims to “bridge the border gap between Sheffield and the wider world”. The photo shows men sitting nearest the speaker on the right of the room with women sitting on the left. The Equality and Human Rights Commission recently published legal guidance on gender segregation at events organised by universities. “It confirms that gender segregation is not permitted at most events. The courts are likely to consider any such segregation to be unlawful.” The Commission clarifies that “genuinely voluntary gender segregation is permissible under the law. However, it would be impracticable for organisers to be certain that there was no implicit or explicit expectation that men and women should sit separately.” Despite the appearances of the picture, Shwaikh denied that the event was segregated. She said “everyone was free to sit wherever they wanted. Everyone
Photo: Creative Commons
Limpet teeth found to be strongest biological material Malaysia-Sheffield twinning event appearing to show gender segregated seating was happy and comfortable sitting where they sat.” She also said it was not “her job” to intervene in any situation where gendered seating occurred and denied there were any implicit expectations that the audience should have done so. “I am the Education Officer; it is not my job to stop people sitting where they want to”. The latest incident follows a high profile case at UCL where physicist Professor Lawrence Krauss refused to speak to a segregated room in 2013. Universities UK (UUK) then initially issued guidance saying segregation was permissible. 8,000 people then signed
a petition in protest to the guidelines arguing that ‘separate is never equal’ and protests were held on London. UUK then withdrew their previous guidance and the Equality and Human Rights Commission published their updated legal guidance seven months later. Commenting on the SheffieldMalaysia event, SU President Yael Shafritz said “women and men were sitting interchangeably but if the audience chose to voluntarily segregate themselves and the Union tries to intervene, then we are denying them agency”. She refused to hypothesise about whether there was an
Photo: Malaka’s blog implicit expectation of gender segregation at the event which would put the Union in contravention of the law. Shafritz confirmed that the Union backed the position of the Equality and Human Rights Commission on gender segregation. “The line of where the Union needs to become involved is when the voluntary aspect is removed.” The Prime Minister said he felt “very strongly” about segregation. “[I] do not believe that guest speakers should be allowed to address segregated audiences.”
Engineers at the University of Portsmouth have found limpet teeth to be the strongest biological material known to science. Unlike human teeth, limpet teeth are located on their tongue or ‘radula’, which they use to scrape their food from the surface of rocks on the seashore. This feeding behaviour has led to the evolution of extremely strong teeth composed of tiny fibres of the iron-containing mineral Goethite held together by protein. This discovery could one day lead to the development of stronger materials to be used in aeroplanes, cars, boats and dental fillings.
Rob Brown
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YOUR STUDENT OFFICER President
M a x B e ll
m Ada
Ferringto
n
No to socialism No to banning
CLUCKIN’ ‘ELL VOTE BELL!
Activities
H
• Julia Denton
• Joe Diviney
• Annie Gainsborough
Branacto
AT A GLANCE:
There are from
DOWN
35 candidates 46 last year.
this year,
13 female candidates this year, 27 last year.
There are from
DOWN
1 female Presidential candidate, DOWN 5 last year.
There is from
Foster: Good Call.
E
• Jas Davies
• Enrico Salvatore
r
nsures there is adequate support provision for students, provides a student voice in finance, Candidates: housing, safety and transport matters. • Gabrielle Binnie Works to improve • David Dike student well-being.
Candidates:
• Phillip Park
us Foste
Welfare
elps in the running of societies, represents student activities, improves and expands student activities.
• Alex Monks
M ar c
• Alex Lumsden
Development
C
ampaigns to make the University and Students’ Union more sustainable. Feeds students’ Candidates: demands into the financial • Isaac Eloi governance of the • Georgia Nolan-Rose SU. • Harry Owens • Evette Prout • Isaac Stovell • George Truman
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ee
bé D ’a
i ll é L o k k i t
SI,
Wa
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ELECTION CANDIDATES 2015 C
ty h ris
M c M o rr o w
n Jo a
n a S u tt o n - Kl
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n Higher Aspirations, Diverse Opinions, Dynamic Union
Vote McMorrow for Your Union’s Tomorrow!
Education
R
epresents student opinions on learning and teaching to the University, collaborates with academic department representatives and Candidates: supports student campaigns on • Pete David educational issues. • Minesh Parekh
International
Ready, Steady, Jo!
Sports
R
epresents student sport and sporting issues within the SU and University. Organises and promotes Varsity. Candidates: Supports clubs and individuals • Emma Burgoyne to participate in • Robert Moran sport. • Felicity (Flic) Wilbrahim
R
epresenting and supporting international students in the SU, University and wider community. Promotes a diverse Candidates: student experience • Alina Schumacher on and off • Ana-Gabriela Popa campus. • DeeDee
Borgstrom • Peggy Lim
• Nic Wood • Charlie Joe Wright
Women’s
R
epresents women students and other under-represented Candidates: groups, including BME, LGBT and disabled • Sharmin Jahan students. Campaigns • Jenny Poulton for positive change on liberation issues locally (withdrawn) and internationally.
Voting opens today (March 6) at 10am and closes Thursday March 12 at 5pm.
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YOUR UNIVERSITY
Burnett backs Labour’s £6,000 tuition fee cap Neelam Tailor The University’s Vice Chancellor Sir Keith Burnett has said that he “really welcomes” the Labour party pledge to reduce the tuition fee cap to £6,000 per annum. Before Labour’s announcement on Friday February 27, Keith Burnett spoke to Radio 4’s Today program about how he is glad that the financial burden of £9,000 on families could be reduced. Mr Burnett said: “I talk to my own students and my own family, and this [student loan debt] is a serious issue going forward in people’s careers. “The real issue here is how they will fund the gap”. In contrast to their stance at the last general election, the Liberal Democrats have said that they would block Labour from cutting tuition fees to £6000 if the parties went into coalition after the next election. Lib Dem Business Secretary Vince Cable said: “Labour’s policy is based on a soundbite, and as a result, is completely financially illiterate. “It will do great harm to universities and create a costly
black hole in the national budget. “For a party presenting itself as a government in waiting they are showing staggering ignorance of how university finance works.” When asked about the consequences of the black hole in funding that will open up with a fee reduction, Burnett said: “The consequence will be that we won’t be able to pay for the important courses people need to get jobs afterwards. Engineering courses cost about £12,000 per year to run rather than £9,000 or even £6,000”. Mr Burnett emphasised how university is not just for private investment but public benefit as well. He said: “We have to think as a whole, how many STEM people are training, engineers, foreign languages, all the sorts that the country needs as well. “Universities should teach people new ideas and new industries, that’s what we focus on in Sheffield.” NUS vice president Megan Dunn echoes this opinion and believes that education is a public good which should be fully publicly funded.
Sir Keith Burnett
YOUR CITY
North of England on track for brand new trains in five years Keri Trigg Sheffield rail travellers are to be treated to brand new trains as part of a franchise deal that will see 30-year-old carriages scrapped in favour of speedy new models. Replacing the rickety Pacer trains, some of which have been on the tracks since 1984, is one of the requirements for companies bidding to take over the franchises currently run by TransPennine and Northern Rail. Shortlisted bidders, including Arriva and Stagecoach, will also have to set out plans detailing how they intend to increase the number of services by over 200 per day, tackle crowding and spend £40 million on modernising stations. The services currently provided by Northern rail should see a 57 per cent increase in capacity, while the TransPennine routes will see 43 per cent. This means Sheffield commuters will have around 5,000 extra seats to choose from during peak times in the morning and evening. The services, which connect Sheffield to other Northern towns and cities including
Leeds, Newcastle, Manchester and York, will be taken over by the winning bidders in 2016. The requirements, set by Transport Minister Patrick McLoughlin, are the minimum expected of the successful companies, with all improvements expected to be complete by 2020, at which time the old Pacer trains will be deemed to be contravening
disability discrimination law. Initially intended to be a temporary solution to a stock shortage in the 1980s, the Pacers have been living on borrowed time for a decade as they were predicted to last just 20 years. A number of companies bidding for the franchises are in talks with train manufacturers Vivarail, meaning new trains on the tracks could be revamped
Northern Rail’s outdated trains are set to be replaced
London Underground carriages. Nick Clegg said of the plans: “This is an historic moment for the North. Improving rail links in the region has been much anticipated. “It will encourage business, boost tourism and give commuters the journey they deserve; one that is fit for a 21st century metropolis.”
Photo: Creative Commons
YOUR UNIVERSITY
Discovery Night science event returns to Uni Patrick O’Connell The world of science will be explored next week as the University of Sheffield opens its laboratories and lecture theatres for an evening of activities. Discovery Night will take place at the University on Friday March 13 from 4pm-8pm in Firth Court and the Alfred Denny Building. The event is open to visitors of all ages and will feature demonstrations and mini-lectures from science, engineering, medicine and dentistry. Visitors will be able to hear about quantum computing, see inside a molecular biology lab or watch research robots action. Held as part of the Festival of Science and Engineering, the event is one of many in which world-renowned researchers will be hoping to inspire the next generation. The Festival, which began on Monday March 2, will see more than 60 free public exhibitions, talks and demonstrations with 250 school events taking place throughout the month. At the last festival, Discovery Night attracted over a thousand people and this year’s event is expected to be just as successful, with the chance to find out everything from animal behaviour to dentistry and nuclear energy to psychology. Over 30 different activities will be on offer during Discovery Night including the Robot Foundry, where visitors can discover the world of robotics, from flying quadcopters, to talking humanoids. Also on offer is Extreme Ice Cream, where guests will be able to try liquid nitrogen ice cream.
YOUR UNIVERSITY
Pre-tax Tampax poll launched Patrick O’Connell The Women’s Officer of the Students’ Union has launched a new petition to sell tampons and sanitary towels at a pre-tax level. Miriam Miller, SU Women’s Officer, said: “I was inspired to set up this poll because other students’ unions have taken similar action. For example, Goldsmiths are now selling their tampons profit-free.” Sanitary products such as tampons and towels are currently subject to a five per cent ‘luxury’ tax. The vote uses a new Student Voice polling system on the SU website. Each poll needs 25 ‘like’ votes to prompt a discussion with the relevant managers or officers. Miller’s poll currently has 95 ‘like’ votes and one ‘dislike’ vote. Miller said: “I will next be taking a proposal to the manager of Our Shop and asking that we get this idea implemented.”
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YOUR UNIVERSITY
Students’ Union welcomes Big Issue vendor (and dog) Estel Farell Roig
The Students’ Union is set to welcome a Big Issue vendor after a petition was lodged by Development Officer Jack Wyse. The seller, who is allowed to bring a dog, will be by the trophy cabinet in the SU entrance. They will be permitted to sell between 7am and 8pm seven days a week and will take up their post after the Easter vacation. Derek Pickup, who is currently a part-time Archaeology student at the University and was homeless for ten years, said: “It is probably going to be one of the most successful pitches in Sheffield, especially because it will be indoors and protected from the weather. “The University is supposed to be accessible, but that is not the case for everyone. With measures like this, we are trying to address this problem. We are reaching the most disadvantaged people in Sheffield and improving their lives.” It has not yet been decided who the vendor will be. “It can’t be someone who will only turn up once a week”, Pickup said. “We will have another meeting with the vendor they chose on April 8 to show them around.” The times they will be working will be decided by the seller. Pickup said: “Weekdays are the busiest days in the Students’
Union so they will probably be better for the vendor. But it will be completely up to them.” Wyse, who has been working on the petition with Pickup, said: “All the Students’ Union officers and staff are supporting
Derek Pickup and Jack Wyse with a copy of the Big Issue
it. The University was set up by the local community so we are morally obliged to give back as much as we can in as many ways as it is possible. Having a Big Issue vendor is one of them. It creates a real opportunity
Photo: Estel Farell Roig
for people who are homeless. It is a way of employment so it is empowering.” Big Issue coordinator for South Yorkshire Ben Stevenson said: “This is fantastic. We used to have a Big Issue Vendor there and it was a very successful pitch. It was very busy and we look forward to having it again. “We are really grateful to everyone involved in the Students’ Union who has helped us get this off the ground.” There are between 30 and 40 Big Issue sellers in South Yorkshire. For each copy sold, a Big Issue vendor makes £1.25 profit. They first have to buy the magazine, which is sold at £2.50, from Big Issue. The Code of Conduct for Big Issue sellers says that they can’t be under the influence of alcohol and drugs. They also cannot use aggressive techniques or have the appearance of begging. Mr Pickup said: “The Big Issue is a great way of getting people off the streets. It worked for me and other people I know. It would be good to have a Big Issue Vendor in every Students’ Union of the country.” Nicole Cunlisse, from the Big Issue in the North, said: “It will be brilliant to have a vendor in the Students’ Union. Most people who buy the Big Issue are old so it is really good to have students interested in the magazine.”
YOUR UNIVERSITY
Democracy delayed for 70 days Neelam Tailor
Photo: Lisa Latham
XXXXXXX
Union council did not take place on Thursday March 26 because it failed to reach a quorum. The meeting, which was set to take place in Hicks lecture theatre two, was four members short and could not go ahead. The next union council meeting will take place on Thursday April 23, meaning that council will not have sat for 70 days. Evette Prout was set to Chair the council meeting for the first time after being unanimously elected as a new Chair to replace Christy McMorrow at the previous council meeting. Ms Prout said: “I was a little disappointed that the meeting couldn’t go ahead as planned, however I know that the majority of councillors consistently make a real effort and commitment to attend every meeting, which is very much appreciated.” This was the sixth union council meeting of this academic year and the second one which failed to reach a quorum after union council on December 18. Key issues on the agenda included a proposal to publicise council to increase participation, as well as updates on vital Students’ Union policies such as equal access and gender quotas XXXXX for NUS delegates election.
National News Buyer calls police on drug dealer A drug dealer who tried to fool a customer with garden grass instead of skunk cannabis was seized when the buyer called the police. Demier Edwards-Campbell, 21, charged £225 for 50g of grass, Kingston Crown Court was told. Detective Constable Paul Lawlor said: “The customer went back, detained the dealer and demanded his money back. “When Edwards-Campbell refused, the customer called police claiming he had been robbed.” Police later found more than 100 wraps of heroin and crack cocaine in his home. Edwards-Campbell was found guilty of possession with intent to supply class A drugs and was jailed for three and a half years on February 20.
Estel Farell Roig Lollipop man ordered to stop high-fiving children A man locally called “Scotland’s happiest lollipop man” has been ordered by West Dunbartonshire Council to stop high-fiving children as they cross the road. The fun-loving lollipop man, 73-year-old Nkosana Mdikane, said the “kids are unhappy” about the council’s decision to stop high fives. An online petition has now reached over 10,000 signatures in support of Mdikane and calls for a reversal in council policy. A spokesperson from West Dunbartonshire Council said: “All patrollers are instructed when crossing children over a road to remain static with one hand on their stick and the other stretched outwards. This ensures that they can be seen and effectively provides a barrier between school pupils and the traffic.”
Will Morgan
Photo: Creative Commons Criminal takes nap after breaking into house Wales’ real-life Goldilocks has been jailed after being caught fast asleep in his victim’s bed. Matthew Waters, 30, had broken into a house in Newport when he decided to take a nap. The careless criminal then became the star of a Crimewatch appeal after the 51-year-old homeowner walked in on him snoozing on the job – having first polished off a tub of ice cream. He was handed an eightmonth prison sentence and ordered to pay £100 to his victim by Newport Crown Court. Keri Trigg
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NEWS UniNEWS
Interesting stories from other universities around the world Kanye West struggles with ego
Kanye West has become the latest addition to the long list of high-profile guest speakers at Oxford University. Around 350 students welcomed the rapper to the Museum of Natural History with a standing ovation, before settling to hear what wisdom he had to bestow on them. He delivered a 45-minute talk on humanity, art, and philosophy, with plenty of name-dropping and insights into his private life. Highlights included: “One of my biggest struggles has been my ego. And if I, Kanye West, can remove my ego, I think there’s hope for everyone.” Keri Trigg
Photo: Creative Commons Students’ porn sex lessons The majority of students watch porn to find out about sex and don’t rate the sex and relationship education they receive highly, according to research by the National Union of Students (NUS). 60 per cent of respondents watch porn to learn about sex, despite 75 per cent saying it creates unrealistic expectations. Of the 2500 students surveyed, 75 per cent said the sex education at their school was poor and not practical enough. The topics covered in class were more biology based, such as puberty and contraception. Consent was never touched upon for 75 per cent of responders. The NUS is calling for sex and relationship education to be compulsory in schools.
Estel Farell Roig Uni’s misogynistic questionnaire
The National University of Ireland at Galway is set to review their job application process after their health questionnaire came under fire for asking, what some lecturers called, “invasive” and “misogynistic” questions. The questions on their health survey included: “Do you suffer any problems with your menstrual periods?” and “Have you ever been treated for gynaecological problems?” Both are likely to be irrelevant to the university. A lecturer at NUI Galway called them “borderline misogynistic” NUI Galway announced last Friday that they will review the process, stating that: ““No person is deemed unfit for employment on the basis of the information disclosed on the occupational pre-placement health assessment form alone.”
Will Morgan
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YOUR CITY
Students to live in £35m Ecclesall development Alice Farmery Plans have been unveiled for a new commercial development on Ecclesall Road that will play a key part in the area’s ongoing regeneration. The project will transform the site of an old car dealership which is currently used as a temporary furniture warehouse. It is situated between Summerfield Street and Pear Street, near the old Wards Brewery. The £35 million development will generate an estimated 300 jobs during the construction phase, with an additional 100 permanent jobs once the building is complete. The construction will be carried out by Sheffield-based firm Hallminster Ltd and partly managed by MAF Properties, who currently own 76 student properties across the city. Dan Simpson from Hallminster told the Star: “It will incorporate environmentallyfriendly measures, modern methods of construction and the utilisation of materials that have a relatively low embodied energy will make the development sustainable throughout its life. “There is also a large landscaped communal courtyard at the heart of the development
Photo: Bond Bryan Architects with a variety of native species of plants and trees encouraging biodiversity and providing a habitat for wildlife.” Current plans propose a mix of retail and residential units, with approximately 120 apartments designed for single people, couples and families and a further 44 student apartments.
The development is likely to appeal to a growing market of affluent young professionals, due to the high quality of internal fixtures and fittings, modern design, and proximity to the city centre and station. The student apartments will be targeted at international students, who are increasingly
YOUR CITY
demanding a better standard of accommodation and are willing to pay a premium price. However this bespoke and luxury design is likely to be reflected in the price; a threebedroom apartment in a similar nearby development currently costs upwards of £96 per person per week.
Local MP calls on Parliament for improved mental health services Patrick O’Connell
Paul Blomfield MP has called on Parliament to listen to young people’s concerns over the state of mental health services available in Sheffield. The Sheffield Central MP pointed to the fact that young people voted mental health a priority issue in Youth Parliament. Blomfield also said young people had personally raised the issue of mental health during his ‘Big Conversation’ community talks last year. Speaking during the debate in Parliament on Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Blomfield said: “We cannot keep talking about reducing stigma, eradicating stereotypes and ‘parity of esteem’ between physical and mental health care on the one hand, but not funding services properly when people, especially our young people, seek help. “We have serious questions to answer that our young people – in Sheffield, in the Youth Parliament – are rightly asking us.” The MP also raised concerns from Chilypep (the Children & Young People’s Empowerment Project), Young Healthwatch and STAMP (Support, Think, Act, Motivate, Participate), a group of
young people aged 14-25 aiming to improve mental health support for other young people. Blomfield spoke about the need for adequate resources and early intervention to tackle problems as they arise and proper provision for 16 and 17 year olds in the gap between accessing child and adult services. Speaking after the debate, Laura Abbott of Chilypep said: “Young people working with Chilypep in Sheffield are delighted that Paul has spoken up in Parliament advocating on their behalf. “Young people often find themselves on the edge of mental health service provision and can feel very far removed from the decisions that affect them the services they receive. It’s really important that their voices are heard by those who make the decisions.” Sophie Clark, President of University society Mental Healath Matters, said: ‘It is good to hear that Blomfield has raised the issue of mental health, a topic that is still often seen as taboo. Considering that studies have found that local authorities in England spend on average just 1.36 per cent of their public health budget on mental health it is great to hear calls to change this.’
Paul Blomfield
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YOUR UNIVERSITY
University told to raise number of disavantaged students by 2020 Polly Winn The University of Sheffield has been told by Admissions watchdog the Office for Fair Access (OFFA) to increase its intake of disadvantaged students. The OFFA wants to see the number of disadvantaged students attending Russell Group universities increase by 56 per cent in the next five years. It calls for elite universities to increase admissions of the UK’s poorest students from 3.2 per cent to five per cent, meaning that by 2020 student numbers could reach 40,000. In 2011, the highest number of students from poorer backgrounds attended university, with numbers reaching 22,000, yet, middle class students are still 6.8 times more likely to attend Russell Group universities than those from poorer backgrounds. The proposal, targeted at Russell Group universities, which includes Oxford and Cambridge has spurred angry reactions from some universities who claim that they can “only do so much” for poorer students if they are not able to achieve the required grades.
A spokesperson for the Russell Group who spoke to the Times said: “Universities do not have the power to solve the root cause of the problem of the underrepresentation of students from disadvantaged backgrounds.” Under-representation is a significant issue within the UK higher education system, with CentreForum finding that highly selective universities often fail to push students from deprived families into graduate jobs. Professor Les Ebdon, Director of the OFFA commented on the new policy in a statement released on their website: “the participation gap between the most and least advantaged at these institutions is still much too high.” Ebdon has stated that he “welcome[s] the efforts” that selective universities are making, but highlights that “now is the time to cement this progress, and ensure that people from disadvantaged backgrounds with the potential to succeed at highly selective universities are much more likely to realise the opportunity to do so.” Ebdon has described the plan as “ambitious” but he trusts
that universities will “rise to the challenge” stating that this proposal will allow the UK higher education system to “make significant progress towards breaking the link between your background and your chances of going to university.”
The Students’ Union Education Officer Malaka Mohammed Shwaikh said that making the increase would be “a really good step. The University of Sheffield Executive Board has agreed to grant two full scholarships for local asylum seekers as well as
Professor Les Ebdon
a full fee waiver for a student from Gaza. These two steps along with others do prove that the University is trying hard to get things done to support disadvantaged groups of students nationally and internationally.”
Photo: The Guardian
Forge Press: blast from the past March 1965: DARTS discusses University officer election apathy
SU President in 1965: Viv Astling
ith the student officer elections W approaching, Forge Press have been looking at the past coverage of
university student officer elections. 50 years ago this month, Viv Astling was elected President of the Union in one of the lowest polls the University had seen. The total poll for the 1965 presidential election was 39.9 per cent. This was following a controversial resignation of the current President a few weeks before. Astling did, however, poll twice as many votes as the second most popular candidate, Dennis Finlayson. Last year, Yael Shafritz was elected the first female in 11 years to become president of Sheffield Students’ Union, winning with just 83 votes more than second place candidate Annie Lapik. Following the 1965 election, DARTS asked Astling’s running mates for comment. Denis Finlayson said: “I enjoyed the campaign. I disagree with the proposal that the President should be elected by Council. I think that the low poll was a result of the lack of contact between candidates and students.” Another candidate, Roger Barker said: “I am disgusted at the low poll which strengthens the argument that the President should be elected by Council.” Last years election saw the highest turnout in recent years at the University of Sheffield. 9,209 confirmed votes, around 36 per cent of the student population.
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Western technology and money is complicit in the Israeli occupation Khalid Omari warns western consumers to be aware of the companies involved in the policing and detaining of Israeli children
Khaled Omari Imagine living under a regime where kids as young as five years old have to be searched by occupying military forces every day on their way to school. Their bags are searched, their school books and stationary are checked and in some cases they are asked to prove they’re not hiding anything under their clothes. If this does not make your stomach turn, there is more to it; these children can be detained, chained, interrogated in dark rooms, threatened with sexual harassment and even prosecuted in military courts. This horrific scenario is not a sick figment of imagination, but rather an example of the existing routine of suffering Palestinian children have to experience at the hands of Israeli occupying forces in Palestine for the last 48 years. The real nightmare comes when we realise that this regime is capable of committing these crimes because of the Western world’s financial and military support. Since Israeli forces occupied Palestine in 1948, the recognized ‘State of Israel’ has been receiving more than $2 billion USD of financial aid from the USA every year. The European Union, on the other hand, provides a booming trade worth hundreds of millions of USD per year to Israeli bodies that directly
participate in the illegal occupation of Palestine. In addition, some multi-national companies have engaged in business deals to provide technological devices used at illegal checkpoints and settlements. By doing so, such companies have become complicit in those war crimes. One major company that does this is Hewlett-Packard (HP). HP provides Israeli checkpoints with biometric systems that facilitate the identification and segregation of Palestinians from Jewish settlers in a disgusting apartheid manner. It also supplies illegal settlements with technological products, and provides the Israeli military with technological infrastructure that helps it manufacture its weapons. This deadly technology is then tested on Palestinian civilians during Israeli offensives, to be later advertised as ‘field-tested’ weapons and consequently sold for high prices. In response to this incredibly inhumane capitalistic war machine and to the apathy of the international community, the Palestinians have called for the civil communities worldwide to support them in boycotting and divesting from companies that are complicit in the Israeli occupation (such as HP). For when each individual decides to join the boycott call, then that individual is contributing actively and cumulatively to deconstructing those illegal checkpoints that stop a five year old child on her way to school every morning. Photo: Kashfl Halford
Ukip’s flipflop on immigration reveals them as the sham we always knew they were Robin Wilde UKIP have a history of backpedalling like a time-travelling Lance Armstrong when it comes to their policies. At the slightest criticism they have folded on most of their manifesto commitments from 2010 - including a commitment for traditional livery on trains and taxi drivers’ uniforms, among others. But the recent announcement that UKIP are dropping their flagship immigration policy that would cap immigration at 50,000 takes the fruitcake. Leader Nigel Farage explained the decision, saying: “I’m not putting on caps or targets. You need to have more flexibility than that … You cannot have anything in politics without people obsessing over caps and
targets and I think people are bored of it.” Resistance to immigration is to UKIP what the NHS is to Labour or support of the City is to the Tories. It is the cornerstone upon which the entire edifice is built and it is impossible to imagine the party without it. It therefore becomes bewildering to see why they have done this. Of course, the policy attracted criticism - and rightly, since it would be hugely damaging to our society’s prospects - but it was broadly backed by the vast majority of UKIP
supporters. It betrays something very telling about UKIP - that, as they claim the main parties do - they bend and twist in the media wind just as readily. Regardless of the unpopularity of individual policies which parties may possess, it is unwise to abandon them for the approval of a hostile media if it means alienating one’s core support. Tony Blair was able to use that strategy in order to win two landslide victories, but that came only after the preparatory work of Neil Kinnock and John Smith in detoxifying his party. UKIP are attempting to come straight off the back of ingrained and deep toxicity. They are the most commonly disliked of the five main political parties. This attempt at ditching an unpopular policy will not convince those who didn’t like them in the first place, and will Photo: Duncan Hull / Artwork: Banksy
disenchant those who did. It is hard to see would benefit from of it. If UKIP’s support falls, there is no natural repository for votes from those who were disengaged enough from modern politics that they lent them their support in the first place. Would the far right, currently on life support, would rise resurgent with the same anger that drove the BNP to their polling height of 8 per cent? It may be that the main two parties would regain some support - albeit less than they initially lost - but realistically the main beneficiaries of a UKIP collapse on the back of them wilfully and gleefully abandoning their flagship policies would be the biggest voting block at the last election the non-voters. More cynicism and discarding of deeply held principles from parties is bad for politics, even if they are principles with which we disagree. Doing so damages politics as a whole, and a lack of public faith in democratic processes is a damaging thing indeed.
FO R GE PRESS Fr i d ay March 6 2015
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The fat cats that got the cream Robert Langley argues that the latest ‘cash for access’ scandal is just another example of MPs using the political system to line their own pockets
Robert Langley We should all have a bit more empathy for MPs Jack Straw and Malcolm Rifkind. We have all been there before - a mysterious Chinese conglomerate asks you to sacrifice your integrity and abuse your position of power for a price of your choosing. It happens to me every other week.
I go along willingly, of course. How else can I be expected to “maintain the standard of living that my professional background would normally entitle me to have”? Malcolm Rifkind’s aforementioned quote was an astute deflection of criticism; what better way to win the public’s heart than to appeal to our inherent sense of inferiority? Bizarrely, his comment did not have the desired effect and only served to intensify the backlash. That the humble public should question a man’s desire to better himself and maintain his lofty position is the very antithesis of neo-liberal capitalism. If the free market says he is worth so much money then he must be, the market is never wrong and even when it is, it will ultimately correct itself. This is a man who earned an annual ministerial salary of £67,000, raked in a further £60,000 for sitting on the board of the private firm Allianz Medical (who, incidentally, won a £80m
contract for supplying cancer scanners to the NHS despite their bid being undercut by an NHS consortium - though I am sure this was just a coincidence), and claimed parliamentary expenses for milk and paperclips. I can only assume that he fashioned the paperclips into some kind of device to prod poor people and gave the milk to an over-privileged cat. Let us not forget his righthonourable colleague, everyone’s favourite barnyard furnishing Jack Straw, a man who by his own admission behaved with “probity and integrity”. This wild statement indicates that either he is a liar, or that he is so deluded that he actually believes it. The latter is more worrying, and in all likelihood, more indicative of western democracy. His expectation for a day of hard vocal graft and advocacy would be somewhere between £5,000-8,000, which seems perfectly reasonable considering this is the man who gave us such oratory delights as his 2005 Iraq war speech where he announced: “We are in Iraq for one reason only: to help the elected Iraqi government build a secure, democratic and stable nation.” He probably believed that too. They may have acted within the boundaries of the law, but that is not the point. Our
politicians are supposed to look after the interests of the people, not themselves. In a time of inequality, austerity and apathy, the tyranny of the privileged and the greedy needs to come to an end. Unfortunately, the cash for access scandal was no bombshell. The only thing that surprised me is that they did not ask for more. Maybe we could create a fictitious multi-
national and hoodwink a hapless politician through a crowdfunded bribe or ‘consultancy fee’. We could use our access to push for an altruistic agenda, and build a society where we all get our fair share of paperclips and milk.
Student elections: neither perfect nor pointless Chris Saltmarsh Sheffield Students' Union is in the midst of incredibly exciting times; Sabbatical Officer elections are upon us! But is everybody experiencing the same uncontrollable thrill of the #leadershiprace or do some (or most) see student democracy as an irrelevant annoyance? Maybe most peoples' reality is at least a bit more nuanced than this dichotomy, but it certainly seems like student politics tends to be dominated by a dedicated few and ignored by an uninterested majority. So for the super-engaged student-politicos, is it all worth their time? And is the average student justified in their disengagement? As a representative democracy, SU politics is inevitably flawed. Representative democracy is actually neither representative (when are all groups ever adequately represented by the powerful?) nor truly democratic, due to its hierarchical and indirect nature where the people have littleto-no say in policy after the election. A disconnect between voters and the decisions which are eventually made by the elected representatives (or 'leaders' as the Union has somewhat disturbingly labelled them) leads to understandable disenfranchisement for most people. Why
would you get excited about any election, student or national, when you know that your vote is just one insignificant drop in the ocean, and the system isn't really set up to serve your interests anyway? So are student elections worthwhile for anyone, including the people who are
“Let’s be honest and recognise that sabbatical officers don’t have the swathes of power we might like to imagine”
running? Let’s be honest and recognise that sabbatical officers don't have the swathes of power we might like to imagine. Candidates can and will make all kinds of ambitious pledges, to get elected, and it’s not that I necessarily doubt their integrity, but it is unlikely that their role will allow them to implement them. Their position at the top of the Union hierarchy is largely tokenistic, and they certainly won't be in a position to spearhead any revolution. That said, for now we are stuck with this system so the politically active might as well use it for whatever advantage they can, surely? Officers can be useful in supporting students in their campaigns through providing resources or funds and acting as a link between student campaigners and management. With this in mind it can
definitely be helpful for the politically active to have allies 'in power'. My preferred model of Students’ Union democracy would be non-hierarchical, directly democratic and operate through general meetings where all students have equal influence over how the union runs. Maybe we could have officer-style individuals, who the Union supported financially, to work purely as an organiser for a year, but I don't think it is conducive to good democracy to elevate certain students above others in a hierarchical system, and say that only these people have access to the people with real power. Until this marvellous utopia is realised, though, I see value in the politically active using the system for the benefits of their campaigns. However, we must continue to recognise the huge limitations of filling such positions and that for a truly democratic SU, we must strive for a radically different system. Got an opinion on the topics discussed this fortnight? Contact us: comment@forgetoday.com
CULTURE
Stuffy Oscars are behind the times Chris Hedges The Oscars have come and gone once again. Finally we know that Birdman is better than Boyhood, and that Eddie Redmayne is a better actor than Benedict Cumberbatch. These are the most prestigious awards given in the film industry and yet there’s a sense in the air this year that they don’t really mean anything anymore. Winning, or even being nominated, for an award means more publicity and bigger profits. But few genuinely believe that Birdman was better than Boyhood, and the fact that David Oyelowo wasn’t even nominated for Best Actor has led to accusations of institutional racism. Not many know how the winners are decided, which is fortunate for the Academy because the current system is strikingly ineffectual. There are 6,124 members of The Academy who rank the nominees of Best Picture in order of preference. If a film receives 3,063 votes it wins. If it doesn’t, the least popular film is removed and the ballots which listed that film first is re-counted giving its vote to the film it ranked second. This process repeats until a winner arises and it effectively means that the film that is preferred second or third by a lot of people wins rather than the films that were preferred the most. This is why safe, boring, conservative films are more likely to win than those more avant-garde that may be loved by some, but disliked by others. Winning is about meekly satisfying the masses, not making a striking piece of art. In 2012 (it’ll be slightly different now but not by much) 77 per cent of Academy members were male, 86 per cent were over 50, and 94 per cent were white. This makes the Oscars an intrinsically conservative institution, which will almost never recognise or celebrate new or radical methods of film-making. These members may have been very good at making films once but they likely won’t care for anything progressive. During their times impressionist painters were ridiculed by the establishment, as were Cubists and jazz musicians and more or less every new medium of expression we now consider to be significant; it is not by the endorsement of the establishment that new art is allowed to flourish. If you think the Oscars is anything but a redundant and archaic organisation, find footage of Eddie Murphy announcing Best Picture at the 60th Academy Awards. Ask yourself if anyone today remembers any of the films that were nominated (except Fatal Attraction I suppose), and consider how 30 years later his remarks about racism are still profoundly resonant. We do not need the Oscars to tell us which film is the best, and even if we did they could not provide us with the answer.
Fri day March 6 2015 F O RG E P RESS
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Reject EU austerity - for Greeks’ sake Malte RohwerKahlmann A spectre is haunting Europe – or, is it? More than a third of the Greek people elected the far-left party Syriza their new leaders. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Yanis Varoufakis, his finance minister, stormed onto the political stage and into the headlines. They promised an end to austerity and for half of the £239 billion debt to be written off, but were soon dampened by Europe’s political reality. Finance ministers, especially Germany’s Wolfgang Schäuble, weren’t having it. Syriza had to backtrack and compromise on further austerity measures to secure a four-month extension of the bailout package they were granted in 2010.
“The media maintains the narrative of the diligent German and the lazy Greek” What many forget is that Germany, the most reluctant party in the debate, has in its history benefited from debt relief itself. Under the1953 London Debt Agreement, a significant amount of post-
war loan debt was written off and the remaining payments linked to economic performance. Also, Nazi Germany forced occupied Greece to grant them an extensive loan that has never been repaid. Yet the media maintains the narrative of the diligent German and the lazy Greek. Instead of reporting Syriza’s political agenda, many outlets patronise Greece and focus on the fact that Tsipras and Varoufakis are not wearing ties. German tabloid BILD, that reaches 12 million readers, even resorted to downright propaganda by publishing a page that read “NO! No more billions for the greedy Greeks” and urging readers to take selfies with it. The bigotry works. In a recent poll, conducted by TV channel N24, 52 per cent of Germans said Tsipras and Varoufakis behaved shamelessly. Now, I am all for the EU but its values and objectives have evidently become mere lip services. The Treaty of Lisbon, signed by all member states, stipulates “respect for human dignity” and “equality” as two core EU values and the promotion of the “well-being of its peoples” as one of its main objectives. Not surprisingly, conservative forces are intimidated by Syriza’s success and are eager to make an example out of Greece before say, Spain and the rising Podemos party replicate it. But, against everything
Editorial Mass debating of a rock hard election Hello! First of all, I’d like to apologise for accidentally publishing a Christmas editorial last issue and making everyone depressed about our Narnia-esque not-Christmasbut-still-freezing Sheffield weather. The actual editorial I intended to publish is available on our Issuu page, which can be reached through our website. Highlights include feminist rants about a certain book and movie franchise and discussions about extraterrestrial life. Just in case you’ve been living under a rock (or aren’t as utterly enamoured with student politics as myself and my fellow Forgeites) it’s worth reminding you that the confusingly named Leadership Race, known to its friends as the SU officer elections, is well underway. As your editor, it’s my job to care a lot about the Leadership Race so that you only have to care about it a little bit. Luckily for you, we’ve made all the information about the elections super easy to get hold
of. We’ve been live-tweeting and blogging about candidate Question Time, and we’re collaborating with Forge TV to bring you Forge Debates with all election candidates, being broadcast on the March 9 and 10. What’s more, we’ve conveniently given you an exhaustive list of all the election candidates in the news section of your paper, and what’s more there’s going to be an election special coming out the night after results are announced (that’s Friday 13) with full coverage of the whole night and interviews with your brand new shiny officers! Well the only thing left to say is vote vote vote! Democracy doesn’t work if you don’t take part in it. Let me put it this way: if you don’t vote in SU officer elections you absolutely are not at all allowed to ever complain about any aspect of the Union for the whole of next year. That’s the rule! Voting opens on March 6 and closes at 5pm on March 12. Happy reading!
Elsa Vulliamy - Forge Press editor elsa.vulliamy@forgetoday.com
the EU stands for, they are doing this on the back of real, living, breathing human beings.
“It is time to give the benefits of the EU to the people”
“pretending and extending” a bailout package that might save the banks of Greece but starves its people. It is time to give the benefits of the EU, that have been harvested by big business and banks for so long, to the people. It is time to wake up.
Greece’s GDP has shrunk by almost a quarter over six years. The unemployment in Greece rose to 25 per cent with almost 50 per cent of under 25-year-olds out of work. 3.9 million people are at risk of poverty or social exclusion. Malaria has returned to Greece for the first time in 40 years because t h e government had to cut back on disease prevention schemes. Quite rightly, Tsipras calls the situation a “humanitarian crisis” and it is time to stop, as Varoufakis puts it,
D.A.R.T.S.
Forge Press takes its satirical aim
Uninspiring electoral campaigns of the fornight
Voting isn’t cool. Everybody knows that. Whether it’s the Students’ Union’s awkwardly named ‘Leadership Race’ or the general election’s mind-numbing ‘choice’ between two suited middle-aged white men, everybody is bleakly aware that a little tick in a little box every few years doesn’t really make much of a difference. What better then, to inspire to apathetic masses, than the cast of TOWIE stood near a double decker bus? Yeah. Great. Jess Wright (who is admittedly one of the few people who might be able to convince me to waste my time at the ballot box) told the Daily Mirror: “There’s no other way - we’ve got to get our votes out for the lads. Otherwise how does anything change?” Rightio Jess. I don’t agree or anything but your hair is amazing and I can’t really be bothered to argue.
Quote of the fornight “Soft porn as a concept is just boring. Make it hard!”
Patrick O’Connell: news editor, no description necessary
Twitter account of the fornight I am a 20-year-old woman. But I have had three beers and I am willing to say it: I love One Direction. Moreso, I love Liam Payne. Liam might not be the brightest spark in the fuse box (I’m not even sure that analogy makes sense), but he is two crucial things: a) a member of hit pop group One Direction and b) dead fit. Anyway, he has a Twitter. Here it is. Enjoy.
FOR GE PRESS Fr i day March 6 2015
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“When I am riding, I do not feel disabled”
Meet Talan Skeel-Piggins - Motorcyclist, multi-world record breaker, winter ski champion... and paralysed from the chest down
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concern.” Talan lost the use of his legs after a car collided with his bike. He was dragged underneath the car for several metres before blacking out, which worsened the state of his central nervous system. But throughout his paralympic career, Talan still made time to hold talks for schools as well as focus groups, sourcing a well of emotional stories and experiences in his well-used skill for inspirational public speaking. He often jokes about impressing ladies with his wheelchair wheelies and the fact that he supposedly uses an “XL catheter.” “When I am riding, I do not feel disabled, I feel free from my wheelchair, I enjoy the sense of excitement and independence just as I used to. “Getting to this point has been a struggle, but it has been worth it. I wanted to help other disabled motorcyclists have the fantastic feeling of being back on a bike, without the falls and setbacks I suffered, so The Bike Experience Charity was established.” 12 years after his accident, Talan is still riding bikes. He spends his time inspiring similar victims of fate, helping them realise their dreams and for some, to once again experience the feeling of riding a motorbike. “You become part of the machine. It’s a living thing with you riding, it gives you a great sense of freedom, of independence… It just makes you feel so alive when you are riding a motorcycle.”
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I really foolishly got myself run over by a car...
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f an avid biker loses the use of their legs, you’d think they would no longer be able to use a motorcycle. But this isn’t necessarily the case. There’s an app for that, or rather a place to go when all seems lost. Founded by Talan Skeels-Piggins in 2011, The Bike Experience is a programme which helps disabled ex-bikers find their feet once again. Since its founding, TBEX has helped hundreds of disabled people learn to ride, and many more who rode bikes before they became disabled. Many of these people lost the use of their legs in biking incidents in the past, but TBEX has helped them overcome the trauma of their accidents and get back on two wheels. It’s a long process, says Talan, 44, who became paraplegic way back in March 2003: “Well, after I really foolishly got myself run over by a car, I was lying in hospital and a friend came in who suggested a few charities I could work with to help me get over my predicament. “My girlfriend at the time broke up with me after she decided that it was too hard for her to live with a disabled husband, but I powered through, and eventually got myself back up again, so to speak. “Another millimetre of movement and I would have been paralysed from the neck down. So I always consider myself fortunate that I still have the use of my arms. “My first thought was simply, ‘switch off all the life support machines.’ I was never going to cope with being paralysed. My life was about physical activity, about doing stuff.” “After a while I ventured out to Colorado, where I discovered what they call sit-skis, a seated uni-ski used in paralympic winter sports. They’re supposedly hard enough to control with the use of your lower body, so you can imagine how much I struggled at first. I spent the first week falling over, but gradually found myself getting further and further down the mountain without tumbling.” As a paralysed sit-skier by day, Talan found that his original tumbles and crashes often lead to more extreme injury than he knew of at the time. “I can’t feel anything from the chest down, and so some of my more serious crashes ended up in fractured bones and heavy bleeding. But I had no idea until someone pointed these out to me, which was a cause for
A brief Skeel-Piggins history 2005-11 - Member of the British Disabled Ski Team 2006 – Makes history by becoming the first officer in the Royal Navy to be retained in active service after being paralysed 2006 – First Paraplegic to reach the edge of the Victoria Falls in Zambia 2010 – Attends the Vancouver Winter Paralympics, comes 15th in the Giant Slalom 2011 – Makes history by setting up the world’s first Motorcycle Training School for disabled motorcyclists, The Bike Experience 2011 – Awarded Honorary MA from the University of Chichester for outstanding sporting achievement
By Will Ross
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@ features@forgetoday.com
Forge Press Friday March 6 2015
15
The Trilogy Dilemma In light of the wild extension of the Hobbit franchise into three unnecessary movies, Will Ross explores the theory behind movie trilogies...
T
here are so many reasons why the Hobbit trilogy shouldn’t have been a trilogy at all. First of all, it was an utterly commercial decision on Peter Jackson’s part to turn the 300-page novel into almost eight and a half solid hours of bullshit. Originally set to span only two movies, Jackson and his cronies worked out that they could make more dosh by spreading out the story further than necessary. In this, we find way too many splashes of slapstick comedy, such as the focus on the dwarf Bombur being really fat, and completely unnecessary romance triangles, seemingly to promote inter-species equality. Secondly, as a story about an eponymous hobbit, Martin Freeman’s Bilbo Baggins has very little screentime in relation to Tolkien’s book. Instead, we’re forced to sit through a grumpy dwarf being grumpy, poorly constructed graphic landscapes and the irrelevant inclusion of Legolas, other than the fact that he’s related to the current king of the elves. He’s not even in the book, they just knew that Orlando Bloom would sell. But where does this obsession with trilogies come from? Many popular smash hit franchises of the past six years have been written for the purpose of being three movies. This is a step up from spontaneous sequels, but still not always a good thing. The number three pops up in academia almost everywhere you look; from religion to historical mathematics, physics to artistic reasoning, things generally come in threes. And taking theories from Aristotle as an example, we can compare the ‘need’ for three movies to the theory of the Potencies of Intellect: Imagination, Cognitive Power and Memory. In many of these movie threesomes, it seems as if the primary film was the product of a simple story, which is then followed by a need to continue the namesakes behind the production, and eventually the filmmakers’ need to be remembered for their work. The issue of movie trilogies, or multi-sagas for that matter, ultimately comes down to greed. In so many examples of ‘bad trilogies’, such as The Hangover, Paranormal Activities 1-293 and Shrek, you have to question the motive between continuing what were relatively successful standalone films. In many cases, the
writers simply thought of an idea they missed out the first time round, and so decided to mush them lazily into sequels. Take, for example, the Lion King trilogy. That’s right, there are two more. Who’s even seen the second and third installations of what was arguably one of the most successful Disney movies of all time? Wasn’t the original movie enough without exploiting the scraps of leftover plot? On this train of thought, it’s fair to assume then that recent blockbuster Frozen is likely to receive a two-movie extension, due to its incredible success. Now, I’m not the only person to have picked up on the flaws in Middle Earth fiction, oh no. The internet is full of criticism and counter-criticism, flying insults and tearful fans. But what does this controversy mean for the future of cinema? Well, it seems as if many film franchises are taking their time with their projects. For example, Marvel are making their audience wait more than just a year for each installation of the Avengers series, giving themselves much more time to build up excitement, but more importantly giving themselves more time to think things through thoroughly. Even the Despicable Me series, which isn’t bound by the strictures of typical production hype, is taking its time, watching and waiting for the right moment to strike. Despite the worldwide success of their Minions as a merchandising strategy, their second movie was ultimately a flop. But instead of following in the footsteps of the Shrek saga, which rapidly found its way downhill, Illumination are taking hold of their most successful feature, the minions, and combining it with the successful concepts found in the Ice Age series. Another popular reference to threesomes is Dante’s Divine Comedy - better known as Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso. In film theory, this epic poem is related to the concept that a major protagonist, that is, the main goodie, has to overcome a series of challenges in order to restore the state of equilibrium in their world. For example, Luke Skywalker stops the baddies, Zombieland’s Columbus finds a family and Marty McFly goes Back to save the Future. Hence the
journey from a hellish situation, through indifference and an almighty struggle, through to a happy ending. Perhaps controversially, I strongly believe that the Matrix trilogy was unnecessary. As a stand-alone movie, fine, it was unmistakably a cracking 2.5 hours. But it’s the rest of the story that follows that seems a waste of time. Filled with plot-holes throughout, and seemingly without excuse for continuation, Reloaded and Revolutions merely exploited an audience who would otherwise have been content with the nicely wrappedup primary. Similarly, the Bourne saga could have stayed as just the one movie, as the sequels get progressively poorer as time goes on. The fourth installation wasn’t even about the same character, for goodness’ sake. And it all comes down to greed. However, James Cameron seems to have got it. He took almost 12 years developing Avatar once Titanic was released, working on only two side projects in between. The result? Two of the most successful movies of all time. This is how it should be done. It doesn’t take much to be clever about cinema, but it seems the more money a film makes, the greedier the producers, directors and writers get. Modern cinema has, then, its own conceptual Midas Touch; and this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It just means that filmmakers need to work out where to stop, even before they’ve started.
number “Thethree pops up in academia everywhere
James “Cameron
seems to have got it
”
”
@forgefeatures /forgepress
@ features@forgetoday.com
Friday March 6 2015
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Forge Press
The Truth about
Bouncers
Many people have had a range of different experiences when to club bouncers. Mared Gruffydd has looked into some pers experiences in order to try to crack the bouncer taboo.
B
ouncer. The word means something different to everyone, depending on their own experience. Some think of big, muscly, scary looking man in black whose only objective is to be aggressive and attack innocent drunken people. Others think of kind security guards who are there to help and look out for the patrons of the establishment. Unfortunately, these days we hear more about the bad stories than the good involving these doormen. On Friday February 20, a bouncer at infamous Sheffield nightclub Corporation was caught on camera attacking a second year student and making homophobic remarks. This case was caught on CCTV and has gained a lot of attention and media coverage. Following the media coverage, the Police became involved in the incident; the Corporation bouncer has since been suspended and the nightclub released a statement of apology. Unfortunately, not all cases are caught on CCTV, and therefore do not gain as much attention, meaning that often the most unreasonable bouncers face no repercussions for their actions. According to a Vice article, after a similar act of Bouncer violence in Norwich where a bouncer mistook a man for someone else and beat him to the ground, the police did very little and the bouncer was not arrested. Features asked several first year students about their experience - good or bad - with bouncers in Sheffield during their first few months in the city. The feedback was varied but most found the bouncers to be quite agreeable, only kicking people out of clubs if they were too drunk or being a nuisance to other people. One student said: “If you’re friendly and not being a pain in the arse then you generally get the same back to you,” which he believed was fair. Another student who works as a barman in Vodka Revolution thinks that the bouncers there are “very supportive and protective, not
just of me but of anyone who may be being harassed.” Some students were more specific with their tales. A girl from Bristol explained how “one came and asked if I was alright once when I was sat by myself; they’re definitely nicer than the bouncers down south!” A boy from North Wales even said that “a bouncer called Michael on the door at Rondevu is amazing!” Many students praised the Students’ Union bouncers, one student stating “I asked the doorman at Bar One where the cash point was and he lent me £10. I did pay him back!” This student admits she will remember this particular bouncer and believes it was not a huge thing, but it was “lovely of him.” Another shares a story of an SU bouncer giving first aid to a girl who had fallen flat on her face who then proceeded to look after her until her friend arrived. However, not all students think bouncers in Sheffield are kind to drunk girls. One student said “they’re willing to chuck out young vulnerable girls on their own. It happened to my friend; I had to chase after her so I didn’t lose her.” Another told us about her friend who got assaulted by a bouncer: “He pushed her over and she banged her head on the curb, blood everywhere, I had to take her to Northern General Hospital in an ambulance.” Others had similar stories, insisting that bouncers personally targeted them, one student said “I was wearing what I can only describe as an army jacket and a bouncer stared at me all night and told the other bouncers to watch out for me. At the end of the night another bouncer came up to me and apologised to me for his friend’s behaviour.” Another said: “My friend had a cauliflower ear drained so had a bandage on his head. Some bouncer at Viper Rooms wouldn’t let him in because he could’ve fallen over and ‘bled all over the club floor’. Totally unreasonable about it all.” Although some students we spoke to
job of “aThebouncer is very dangerous
”
had a bad experience with bouncers, most had good things to say, and many of the students appreciated the work of the Students’ Union bouncers. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the Students’ Union takes its role in students’ lives very seriously and one of its objectives is to ensure it is sensitive and reactive to changing student needs. Tom Harrison, the Students’ Union welfare officer works with the University to provide adequate welfare provision and support for students, so if and when a student has a complaint about a Union bouncer, it is dealt with immediately. Tom explained that there are strict complaint procedures which go straight to the Chief Executive’s office and the Students’ Union has zero tolerance for sexual harassment and racism. He added that the SU does not have external security guards and that their bouncers are highly trained to make every individual’s night out as safe as possible. The Union is also part of the Good Night Out Pledge; a UK-wide campaign that trains club and bar staff and aims to end harassment on nights out. Students who encounter any problems on nights out at the Union can report it to a member of staff immediately, but Tom let us know that bouncer problems within the SU are very rare. Similar to the Good Night Out Pledge is the Security Industry Authority (SIA), which is the organisation responsible for regulating the private security industry in the UK. They provide a structured training programme that results in a recognised qualification and every bouncer has to have a Level 2 Award for Working as a Security Officer within the Private Security Industry and has to wear a SIA badge to show that they are licensed. According to the Guardian, the SIA has made a big difference to the bouncer industry; previously, clubs and pubs would hire anyone as security, but
now it is dif unacceptably badge away, work in the p But what ab how do they at Plug told F being a boun with and ta every night, chose to bec was simple: enjoy it, and However, writing for thought of never saw bouncer “wip after many d But he believ and more in banging num office.” His a is to have em anger, restra He admits tha challenging a fact that som unconscious o to knife me.” The job of a and on a da situations an choices abou do. They at dealing with
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Forge Press Friday March 6 2015
n it comes sonal
fferent. If any bouncer acts y the SIA can take their y, making it illegal for them to profession any longer. bout the bouncers themselves, view their work? A bouncer Features that the best part of ncer for him is the interacting alking to different people and when asked why he come a bouncer his answer “Because I thought I would I do.” a bouncer from London Vice said that he never becoming a bouncer and himself as a 30-year-old ping phlegm from my face” drunken people spit at him. ves bouncing is a better paid nteresting job than “finger mbers into Excel in a study advice to aspiring bouncers mpathy, an ability to express aint, and a sense of humour. at the job can sometimes be and that he had to accept the metimes he would be knocked or a “gangster would threaten
a bouncer is very dangerous, aily basis they face difficult nd have to make difficult ut what is the right thing to t least deserve credit for h drunken people who are unbelievably annoying; those among you who have been to a party or a club sober will know that. So, is bouncer aggression understandable at times? Or is it totally unacceptable at all costs? The debate continues. But one thing is for ouncers’ aim to do everything wer to ensure that every the club has a fun, safe night, en save someone’s life, and ften without a thank you.
@forgefeatures /forgepress
@ features@forgetoday.com
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Friday March 6 2015 Forge Press
“There are two types of people in this world: People who stalk other people on social media and liars.� Sheena Sidhu discusses how spying has become the new normal and how social media is making us antisocial. @forgefeatures /forgepress
@ features@forgetoday.com
Forge Press Friday March 6 2015
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Gone are the days when, in order to get to know a person, you actually had to… get to know them Officially, “stalking” is defined as unwanted or obsessive attention by an individual towards another person. Lately though, it’s been distorted into a casual verb of endearment with regards to social media. For example; “I was stalking him on Facebook the other day, and I found out he likes to play paintball and listen to Eminem. He also likes to eat grapes, owns three dogs and a hamster, and uses a yellow toothbrush.” By the time you get somewhere, the person you are due to meet is probably well aware of what time you left your house (WhatsApp), your attire (Instagram) and that you’re “so hungry omfg can’t wait for dinner maaan” (Twitter). In 2012, divorce lawyers surveyed by Divorce-Online UK said that the social network was implicated in a third of all divorce filings the previous year, which seems pretty ridiculous, but when you break things down to a more basic level, it seems less so. Facebook enables you to access nearly anyone at nearly anytime. This means that what may have once been a harmless crush that existed only in the privacy of your brain now has a paper trail in the form of your search history. Harmless browsing through profiles of attractive individuals may not seem so harmless to your significant other should they find out. Facebook isn’t the only aspect of social media that can cause relationship problems. Snapchat’s dangerous but addictive ‘best friends’ feature meant one could easily jump to conclusions about someone’s relationship with others based on who they had as their top friend. It was straight-forward: the more you ‘snap’ a person, or they snap you, the higher up they appeared on your list. I’ve personally seen couples get into genuine fights over this: “Who the hell is ‘Davey94’ and why is he ranked above me!?” Snapchat eventually eliminated this tool, to the dismay of creepy stalkers and paranoid boyfriends everywhere. It didn’t matter that they also introduced a host of other features via its ‘Discover’ section. It didn’t matter that it was trying to grant us further access to current events via news organisations and special online content from television stations we still kicked up a fuss: we wanted ‘best friends’ back. We liked being nosy. So many features Snapchat still has can aid us in our stalking quests without a need to know who our ‘best friends’ supposedly are. We can see who’s viewed any
39 per cent of people spend more time socializing online than in person
of our stories, exactly when someone has opened a snap, and if they’ve chosen to (violate one of the most basic rules of Snapchat) screenshot it. Surely we know who we Snapchat the most. The only explanation for the drama that followed the update is that we no longer get to pry into other people’s business. To the relief of many, Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel has revealed that they do intend to bring back the feature sooner rather than later, claiming that they were working on a way to figure out how to cater to those Snapchat users who wanted to keep their usernames to themselves. Sometimes, it’s almost as though if you don’t post a picture of a social event, it didn’t actually take place. Not too long ago, we didn’t feel the need to know exactly where someone was and who they were talking to. Now though, we’ve got to tell everyone what we’re doing and where we’re doing it all the time. In fact, it would be quite easy to track down someone in real life and ‘coincidentally’ run into a special someone at the restaurant they just checked in to. Gone are the days when, in order to get to know a person, you actually had to… get to know them. You had to dig deep in order to unearth their quirks and pet peeves, their hopes and their fears. These days, people hardly even scratch the surface. Rare is the art of learning to converse with someone face to face. Who’s got time to engage in an actual conversation? Who’s got the attention span to keep listening? Given the above, the temptation to shut down some of my social media accounts has arisen more than once over the past couple of months. I haven’t given in to it however, with the excuse of “how am I supposed to see which pictures I’m tagged in?” prevailing time and time again. But in reality, I have my social media accounts because I want to be able to present a version of myself that I think will appeal to people. It’s ridiculous how much we rely on the internet to discover information about a person, when we’re painfully aware of exactly how much we manipulate our own material to present the best possible version of ourselves, meticulously edited profile picture and all. You see, that witty bio is going to paint us in the way we want to be seen when maybe, hopefully, that person whose pictures we were flipping through last night decides to stalk us too. How romantic.
1/3 of divorces in UK are due to Facebook
“Who the hell is ‘Davey94’ and why is he ranked above me!?”
Up to 5 million people experience stalking each year
75 per cent said that social media affects romantic relationships “negatively”
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LIFESTYLE&TRAVEL
@forgelifestyle /forgelifestyle lifestyle@forgetoday.com
#AskHerMore
Lifestyle loves by Isabel Dobinson
Beauty
Lush: R&B hair moisturiser Beat the hair blues with my favourite Lush product, R&B. It is safe to say that my characterising feature is my big uncontrollable hair. Hard to tame and with a mind of its own, I needed a hair treatment that conditioned and de-frizzed my locks. R&B is packed full of rich oils and butters that calm your scalp and hydrate your hair, leaving it gleaming and conditioned. After years of using failed hair products, R&B is now part of my daily routine and like all Lush goodies, it is made out of natural and sustainable ingredients, producing the best results. Although pricey, it lasts forever. I bought my first tub of R&B last November and months later it is still going strong! Simply scoop the desired amount onto wet or dry hair and use when needed to say goodbye to frizzy locks!
Food
Image: Flickr
Avocado I am certainly no health freak, but I admit I have been completely taken in by the avocado hype. The avocado is a unique fruit Image: Wikipedia to say the least. Not only does it contain more potassium than bananas, is loaded with fibre and packed with antioxidants and health fatty acids (I’ll refrain from boring you with more health benefits), it is ridiculously tasty and easy to incorporate into your diet. Believe me, just one look at Buzzfeed’s recent ’21 impossibly delicious ways to eat avocado for dinner’ article will have your mouth watering. Why not try asparagus, snap pea and avocado pasta, grilled salmon with avocado salsa or if you’re feeling adventurous, avocado filled burgers or charred corn and avocado pizza?
Feminism
BBC: Suffragettes Forever! The Story of Women and Power International Women’s Week kicked off on Monday with the University putting on a number of events, including Dr. Rania Masri’s Feminism Against Imperialism talk, a screening of the film Philomena and Women in the History of Philosophy lecture. Why not continue Womens’ Week over the weekend and give Suffragettes Forever! The Story of Women and Power a watch? Presented by writer and historian Amanda Vickery, this series takes you through the history of Britain’s women and their struggle for equality, which continues to this day. This is an interesting and entertaining watch and with her engaging comImage: Wikipedia mentary, Vickery proves that not all history documentaries are boring. Another inspiring and informative d o c u m e n t a r y, this time on the portrayal of women in the media is Miss Representation, now available on Netflix.
Celebrating International Women’s Week, Lifestyle writer, Kate Brown looks at the #AskHerMore campaign . Inspired by this year’s Screen Actors Guild Awards, this movement cherishes women for more than just their appearance. Picture the scene: you are a reporter for the Oscars 2015. There are so many famous actors and actresses walking down the red carpet, you don’t know where to look.
There is Emma Stone, Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightly… but wait, here comes Bradley Cooper! You manage to call him over, thrust your microphone in his face and ask him, “So Bradley, how long did it take you to get ready for tonight’s event?” His reaction resembles something of a rabbit in headlights. You wonder why he looks so confused. When you asked Jennifer Lopez the same question ten minutes earlier and she replied without hesitation. The #AskHerMore campaign highlights how at events such as the Oscars, female celebrities
are asked questions to do with their appearance such as “Who are you wearing?”, resulting in mundane interviews, as opposed to questions concerning their careers or the films that they have been nominated for. This campaign took off after
“We’re more than just our dresses”
actresses were asked to show their hands to a ‘mani cam’ at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. This was an actual camera for which actresses could show off their nails and jewellery, but several stars including Jennifer Anniston and Julianna Moore refused to do. The #AskHerMore campaign was in action at this year’s Oscars to promote equality between male and female actresses. Thankfully the dreaded ‘mani cam’ was not present at this year’s ceremony, The campaign involved using the hashtag on social media of #AskHerMore along with a
question for reporters to ask the stars. For example, Felicity Jones who stars in The Theory of Everything was asked “What advice would you give to your childhood self?” She replied to this by saying, “Not to worry too much. Overthinking and worrying is not healthy.” The media’s differing attitude towards male and female celebrities continued to be highlighted throughout the night. For example, when the camera unnecessarily panned Cate Blanchett up and down, she questioned the cameraman, “do you do that to the guys?”
Reese Witherspoon is also an enthusiastic supporter of the #AskHerMore campaign and proudly posted about it on Instagram to promote the fact that she wants to be asked a wider range of questions that do not just involve her appearance. Reese stated, “This is a movement to say we’re more than just our dresses”, and her Instagram post included questions that she and others would like to be asked, such as “What accomplishment are you most proud of?” This campaign aims to allow
Lifestyle investigates...
actresses to talk about things that are important to them and for female and male actors to be regarded as equals in their profession. Unfortunately the campaign didn’t take hold of everyone, for example, Alexa Chung was reporting for Sky News said: “I want to know more, but I really just want to know what you’re wearing.” This is a campaign that should be promoted, as despite the fact that the stars probably did spend hours getting ready, their careers are a much more significant part of their lives and take up a lot more time, as opposed to what they wore to the Oscars one particular evening. Image: Wikipedia
Steaks, carbon emissions and your input
Are you a sucker for late night kebabs and beef burgers? Emily Hodgson’s investigation into the unforeseen impacts the consumption of meat has on the planet may stop you in your tracks. Car shares, switching off lights, reusing and recycling are just a few of the ways in which we’re all encouraged to help lower carbon emissions and reduce the impact of global warming. But have you ever considered that the food in your fridge could be having a significant impact on the environment, too? Recent headlines have shown the food you eat could potentially be harming the environment.
There are a number of reasons why people choose to remove meat and fish from their diets, whether it’s for religious reasons or health benefits. However, recent studies have proven that vegetarianism can also help you do your bit for saving the planet one step at a time. Unfortunatley, this means that meat, particularly red meat such as your beloved beef burgers or juicy steaks could potentially be having an unforeseen impact on the environment. According to a recent article in The Guardian, it’s estimated that giving up red meat is more successful at cutting carbon emissions than it is to swap your car for walking or cycling to work. Surverys conducted by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) reveal that the production of hamburgers can use the same
amount of fossil fuel as it does to power a small car for 20 minutes. Is the convenient post night out kebab or beef burger and chips really worth this staggering amount of harm to the environment?
As stated in the Huffington Post, it is estimated that emissions produced by meat eaters are almost double the amount that vegetarians produce. It’s not necessarily the actual meat
Image: Wikipedia
about food and water shortages in the next 30 to 50 years. Overall it is estimated that meat-eating accounts for approximately 15 per cent of all emissions produced.
Image: Wikipedia
on your plate that is increasing the risk, it’s mostly down to cattle-farming and the efforts of maintaining the agriculture, such as the vast amounts of water and feed needed to maintain the livestock. This is a huge concern for experts worrying
Image: Public-Domain
The benefits of vegetarianism for the planet are endless and it’s true that every little bit helps. It’s not just skipping red meat; for example, scientists estimate that if all US citizens skipped one portion of chicken per week, the carbon dioxide savings would be the same as taking more than half a million cars off US roads. This illustrates that the smallest lifestyle change can help make a difference. Imagine the impact an entire population could have.
So why not give it a go? Maybe swap one meal a week with some Quorn, tofu or soy products for the environment’s sake. These meat substitutes are not only eco-friendly but are high in protein and low in fat. There are plenty of vegetarian blogs such as tinnedtomatoes.com and thevegetarianexperience.co.uk which offer a variety of inspiring and delicious meal ideas. Meals without meat don’t have to be boring and tasteless. Why not be adventurous and try cooking spicy three bean ‘sausage rolls’ or a 100 per cent vegetarian Sunday dinner? Or treat yourself to a meal out at a number of Sheffield’s vegetarian restaurants such as Arthouse Cafe and Deli on Church Street or Pure On Raw in Shalesmoor.
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LIFESTYLE&TRAVEL
Society Spotlight : Pom cheerleading Looking to just let your hair down after long stints in the IC? Mojo Abidi highlights exactly why cheerleading is a fun sociable and healthy activity to do if you want to fill up your free hours. Cheerleading is one of the fastest growing sports in the UK right now, and our University has its very own award-winning pom cheerleading squad. Cheerleading at uni is a great way to meet new people, keep fit and try something new and challenging.
Don’t let our cheery smiles and poms distract you, really we’re hardcore athletes. Cheerleading requires flexibility, strength, endurance and of course, rhythm. We dedicate lots of our training time to learning our routines and perfecting them before we
perform them.
A huge congratulations are in order for our comp squad, who recently came first in the Future Cheer University Nationals 2015, ranking us number one in the UK! They competed against eight other teams in their category and their Michael Jackson themed routine absolutely smashed the competition. Apart from competing all across the country, we also cheer to thousands of spectators at Varsity events and support multiple sports teams. You will see our team performing at rugby, ice hockey, netball and basketball during this upcoming Varsity season.
Image: Sabrecat Pom
Fashion
Carys Macbeth First year, Zoology Wearing: Shirt from River Island, top from ASOS, jeans and boots from New Look and necklace from Select.
It’s not all hard work and training though. You might have seen us in our uniforms around the Students’ Union selling cupcakes that we baked to support Marie Curie Cancer Care on World Cancer Day. The bake sale was a great success, and we want to thank everyone who supported us and purchased our delicious goodies. We also
participated in the ‘Do It For You Day 2014’, where we joined other athletes, dancers and even musicians for a fun filled day with dozens of youngsters being treated for cancer.
We have a “work hard, play hard” mentality, and regularly hold socials with other Sport Sheffield teams. You’ll see us in ROAR most Wednesdays, usually dressed in ridiculous outfits. Our squad is like one big family. We train together, socialise together, and even go on holiday together! The annual tour to Salou that usually takes place in the Easter holidays is coming up. We are totally excited to spend some days by the beach before putting on our fancy dress for nights out. There is definitely something for everyone in cheerleading, whether you are a gymnast, past cheerleader, dancer or even a beginner. We don’t look for any previous experience at all. All we require is lots of energy and enthusiasm, alongside a willingness to learn and work hard. We also hold Give It A Go sessions and auditions during freshers week, and would love to see you there. So bring your best moves, dedication and cheer faces and join our cheer team!
Image: Sab
recat Pom
y wick Photograph Image: Chris Chad
Concourse couture
George Sumpter First year, Physics Wearing: Jacket from Ralph Lauren, shirt from Urban Outfitters, jeans from River Island and shoes from Reebok.
by Mared Gruffydd
Lynn Yan Postgraduate, Education Wearing: Coat from Whistles, dress from Topshop, boots from Selfridges and bag from Longchamp.
Sam Jarvis PhD, Politics Wearing: Coat from American Apparel, jumper and boots from Cos, jeans from Reiss and scarf was a present.
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LIFESTYLE&TRAVEL
@forgelifestyle /forgelifestyle lifestyle@forgetoday.com
Georgina Grogen
Inspiration, beauty blogger, high street model, entrepreneur
When Georgina Grogen began her beauty and fashion blog as a work distraction, little did she know that her hobby would transform her life. Lucky Lifestyle columist, Jay Harrison catches up with old friend turned award winning fresh face of the UK’s plus size industry.
A few years ago, whilst attempting to survive my first Christmas in retail at Meadowhall, I had the privilege to work with Georgina Grogan, or “GG” as she is known to me and her friends. A wonderful and kind individual, she got me through that first winter and we became – and remain – good friends. At the time, GG had not long started a fashion blog as a hobby outside work, and has since persevered, becoming one of the most popular plussized fashion and beauty bloggers to date, with her award winning blog “She Might Be Loved”. Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Georgina and talk to her about the whole experience; from sales assistant to part time beauty blogger to fashion model, here she is: Georgina Grogan.
“I loved make-up but I never thought it would be a realistic avenue to go down” Firstly, I asked her why she decided to enter the blogosphere in the first place, to which she responded, “I loved make-up, but I never thought it would be a realistic avenue to go down”. With constant changes to her life goals and aspirations shifting between training as a lawyer, an English teacher or as she describes it “a ballerina one week, and an astronaut the other”, blogging provided somewhat of a distraction to exercise something that she loved to do - writing. Inspired by another plus sized blogger, Fuller Figure Fuller Bust, Georgina dove straight in. Despite despite the difficulty some bloggers have getting a blog off the ground, GG believed she “had it easy” due to an existing following from microblogs she had run on other social media sites, and believed that her sarcastic humour was one of the reasons people were drawn to her blog (and I can vouch for this personally). Within weeks of starting her blog GG was approached by a clothing line, which sent her a sample and asked her to review it for them. At first, GG was overwhelmed by this, stating, “I didn’t understand why the wanted to work with me, why were they sending me things? But that’s the norm now.” Having seen GG grow and watching her blog develop since she started up, it’s amazing to see so much support coming from brands who wish to support more local talent, “When companies like you and feel they can get good advertisement out of you, they will just throw things at you. I’m fortunate in that I get sent nice clothes!” GG also said that sometimes if a product is not right for you, then a polite e-mail is enough to express that, and “sometimes they won’t want to work with you again, but that’s their problem and not yours”.
When asked about any negativity she had faced with her blogging, GG said it was “weird to say because negativity is the norm now,” but she had faced absoutely no negative comments or trolling whatsoever, which she was particular surprised with “especially due to (her) size”. She said, “People have been making me cry with the things they’ve been saying recently, telling me how much I deserve it, because it’s acknowledging how hard I have worked to get here”. GG is now the cover girl for Scarlett and Jo, a plus-size range in the high street retailer Evans. The owner designed a dress for her after noticing her at the plus size awards and invited her to model the dress; “It was in a beautiful Georgian house, I was absolutely in my element. He could see how much I liked it all. To get advice from someone who has been in the industry for so long was amazing.” Although she didn’t think much of the approach at the time, when she saw the designs for the dress she was awe-stricken; “Oh my god it’s blue, oh my god it’s lace, oh my god it’s maxi!”. Everything moved lightning fast for GG after that, with offers to model the dress followed soon after with an offer to be the face of Scarlett and Jo, GG described herself as “so grateful” for the opportunities she has been presented with. One of the final questions I asked GG was about her size; when asked if she minded being labelled as “plus-size”, she responded simply with a “No, nothing offends me. You can call me fat and I would probably laugh and agree, nothing offends me!” She also described the shift from name calling about her size to being described as an ‘inspiration’ as an odd transition, due to the stigma you expect to receive as a plus-sized individual, “it helps people find me on Google!”.
“Sometimes they won’t want to work with you again, but that’s their problem and not yours” GG has been invited back to Scarlett and Jo to model their summer range, and fully intends to accept the opportunity. When I asked her if she would model again, she said that she was “in talks with agencies” but did not want to give up what she loved altogether – the writing side of it all. When we worked together, GG told me that she would be writing full time if she could, and it has become obvious that her dream is well on its way to being realised! If you get the time, check out her blog ‘She Might Be Loved’ which is bursting with make-up tips, clothing reviews, beauty regiments and even restaurant and travel guides!
All images: shemightbeloved instagram
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LIFESTYLE&TRAVEL
Guide to Bali, away from the beaches
TRAVEL Bali may be famous for its beaches but it is more than just sun, sand and sea. Lifestyle contributor Mojo Abidi, chooses �ive of her favourite activities that you simply need to do if you ever visit this heavenly Indonesian island.
Stunning volcano trek Despite being an active volcano that last erupted only 15 years ago, Mount Batur is a very popular hiking destination for Bali’s tourists. The walk itself is not too dif�icult, only lasting three hours or so. As a bonus, if you wake up early enough, you can watch the sun rise from the top. There are tons of restaurants surrounding the volcano, so after you �inish your hike you can grab some authentic Balinese food as you admire the view.
Relaxing waterfall swim
Bali’s beautiful beaches and all-yearround sunny weather make it the ultimate getaway. With accommodation ranging from backpacker hostels to luxury beach resorts, Bali caters for holiday goers on any budget. But this little island in Indonesia offers more than a place to top up your tan and laze on the beach. Find time to dust the sand off your feet and venture off the beaches and you will �ind an abundance of natural treasures and a unique cultural experience that is most de�initely worth your time.
Hidden away in Ubud lies Tegenungan Waterfall. Surrounded by lush green trees, this is a popular spot to escape the city rush. Make sure to bring your swimsuits as the waterfall is only 15 meters high, and lots of people like to jump in and take a dip in the fresh water. Overlooking the waterfall is a little temple, a couple of stalls selling snacks and drinks and a spot to sunbathe. This is the perfect place to sip on fresh coconut juice, soak up some sun and enjoy the view.
Try the world’s most expensive coffee
Bali’s coffee plantations are famous for producing the rarest and most expensive coffee in the world - Kopi Luwak. Retail prices can reach as high as £50 per cup! Also known as Civet coffee, these coffee beans are
LIFESTYLE REVIEWS Florence Wright tells you how to pole to your fitness goal. Try out the classes run by the University of Shef�ield Pole Fitness Society, for the perfect balance between a relaxed friendly atmosphere as well as helpful guidance from both the teacher, Gemma Hopkins, members on the committee and other people in the class.
Held in A Pole New Adventure on Carver Street, there are multiple classes that you can attend through Pole Fitness Society throughout the week. Classes cater for every level of ability and there are always opportunities for curious beginners to have a go. The class began with a guided warm up to help beginners get use to exercising with the pole. Although the class I went to was mixed ability, with many girls being regulars, the warm up helped introduce me to �itness moves including pullups and tucks. Following the warm up you are left to work at your own pace and Gemma was always on stand to help and assist.
This was my second go at pole �itness and although I was slightly apprehensive at the beginning of the class, it didn’t take long for Gemma and the committee girls to show me the ropes. Beginner spins such as ‘the �ireman’, ‘the chair’ and ‘the front hook spin’ required a lot of core strength. However, after a few goes and with a lot of enthusiastic assistance, I managed a few moves, though perhaps not as gracefully as some of the other girls. As with all skills, practice makes perfect!
The class ended with a stretching session to improve �lexibility. While Gemma was clear and friendly in her directions, there was a relaxed and chatty atmosphere and it was clear that there was a great relationship between the instructor and class.
collected from the droppings of the Asian Palm Civet, (a wild cat-like animal) which eats the berries from a coffee tree, but can’t digest them. From here, coffee harvesters take the defecated beans and begin to process them. There are many coffee plantations you can visit to learn more about the process. You can also hold and play with an Asian Palm Civet, and if you’re feeling brave enough, try some of their Kopi Luwak.
Watch the sunset over the temple in the sea
For the Balinese people, Tanah Lot is one of the most important sea temples. This temple sits on a huge off-shore rock, which has been shaped by the ocean tide over the years. Tanah Lot literally means ‘Land in the Middle of the Sea’ in the Balinese language. When the tide is low enough, you can walk through the water to the base of the temple, which is thought to have been built in the 16th century. This is supposed to be the best place to watch the
Pole Fitness After chatting to Amy, the society’s charity and fundraising of�icer and social secretary, Bethany, I realised that pole �itness really is a great sport to get involved in. Both girls had been part of the society for over a year and absolutely love it, so much that they have their own pole in their house for extra practice. As well as classes, the society takes part in showcases with their latest one having taken place on Sunday March 1, where members had the opportunity to perform and show off their moves in front of an audience. My class at A Pole New Adventure showed me that pole �itness is a great and fun way to gain core strength and keep �it. Coupled with a strong support system in the instructor, committee and society members, I can see myself wanting to continue this in the future.
Its relaxed and friendly environment and almost certainly a better alternative to a lonely trip to the gym. Along with building up muscle, pole �itness also improves balance and �lexibility. Pole �itness can also be incorporated with musical interpretation and dance, making it not just a sport but also an art. All images: Florence Wright
sunset, making it a big tourist spot. There is also a huge market nearby if you fancy doing some shopping.
Visit the monkeys in the Monkey Forest Bali’s famous Monkey Forest forms a sanctuary for its resident monkeys, who are considered sacred and are well protected. Visitors can wander through the forest and see the monkeys up close and watch them play and eat. There are even stalls there selling bananas for you to feed to the adorable monkeys. It’s great to see them in their natural habitat. They are very friendly and playful but watch out as they will steal any food you may have on you! The walk is a lovely scenic route, and the forest houses three beautiful holy temples that you can also visit. All images: Mojo Abidi
Lifestyle’s Cocktail Corner Springtime Sensation
by Kara Sangha & Beth Gerrard
Get yourself ready for spring with this cheap and cheerful cocktail. This fruity number is just what you need in your drink for a chilled night in with friends or as an alternative to your usual pre-drinking choice. With the orange and cranberry juice counting as two of your �ive a day, there are no excuses not to try this cocktail with an exotic punch. Get your hands on your own cocktail making kit by searching websites such as Amazon and Very. Ingredients: •1 shot of vodka •1 shot of Chambord •Cranberry juice •Orange juice •Teaspoon of lemon juice Method:
1. Measure one shot of vodka (or two depending on preference) and one shot of Chambord into a cocktail shaker.
2. Fill the shaker with lashings of orange and cranberry juice until it is about three quarters of the way full.
3. Add a teaspoon of lemon juice to add a little bit of zing to your creation.
4. Put a glass over your shaker and shake until the cocktail has changed colour slightly and is mixed well. 5. Pour contents of the cocktail mixer into a separate cocktail glass and serve.
6. Feel free to garnish with a slice of lemon to the side, which works perfectly with the sugar as well as some straws and cocktail umbrellas for those �inishing touches. Try adding a sprinkle of sugar around the rim of the glass to complement your mix.
All images: Beth Gerrard and Kara Sangha
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COFFEE BREAK March 6th in History 1475 - Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, Italian sculptor, painter, architect, poet and engineer was born
released his album “Lies” to finance his defence against murder charges
1982 Susan 1825 - Beethoven’s Birmingham made Opus 127: String loudest recorded human Quartet No. 12 in E flat shout at 120 dB major was performed for the first time. 1983 – U.S. Football League began its first 1900 – An explosion season trapped 50 coal miners underground in West 1987 - A 6.8 earthquake Virginia hit Ecuador and killed 100 people 1960 - Switzerland granted women the right 1997 - Britain’s Queen to vote in municipal Elizabeth II launched elections. the first official royal website 1970 - Charles Manson
@FPCoffeeBreak /forgepresscoffeebreak
Did you know...
Inconveniently Named American Towns Summer is very slowly approaching, so this week Coffee Break decided to bring you some of the most entertaining travel options in America before stopping off at Mock City, Washington.
Climax, Georgia
Okay, Oklaholma
Waterproof, Louisina
Gaylordsville, Connecticut
Photograph of the Fortnight
Intercourse, Pennsylvania
Why, Arizona
Dates for the Diary Photograph: Emily James
Who knew Division Street could look so beautiful?
Word
of the fortnight:
Zelig, noun: 1. A person who is able to change his or her appearance, behaviour, attitudes, etc., so as to seem comfortable or appropriate in any circumstance; esp. one who is unexpectedly associated with important people or events.
March 6th is National Frozen Food Day! Where would we be in exam time without frozen chips and ready meals? What could we do with our excess chilli without some Tupperware and some strategic freezer stacking? How could we possibly deal with one of those days without a spoon and our best friends Ben and Jerry? Today is the day to celebrate the wonder that is frozen food. No need to cook. Microwaves only. March 8th is International Women’s Day! The roots of International Women’s Day go back to the late 1800s and early 1900s. These days, it’s a worldwide event sponsored by the United Nations, and well worth celebrating. Women are pretty great.
March 14th is National pi Day! Almost everyone will admit pi is an incredible and fascinating mathematical concept and today is the day to truly celebrate it. Not only is March 14 represented as 3.14, it’s also Albert Einstein’s birthday. Unfortunately, unlike pi National Pi Day comes to concrete end… as soon as Sunday rolls around. March 15th is Everything You think is Wrong Day! Today is the day to recognise that we’re not infallible and we can all make mistakes. It’s a special day to mark the fact that everyone has a bad day once in a while.
March 16th is Everything You Do is Right Day! In contrast to yesterday’s celebration, today is the day for success, sunshine and optimism. We sincerely hope everything goes right for you today.
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COFFEE BREAK
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Puzzle Page: sudoku Easy 3
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Quotes of the fortnight
“
I don’t have pet peeves, I have whole kennels of irritation.
”
Whoopi Goldberg
“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm ” Winston Churchill
“ I have noticed even people who claim
everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road.
”
Stephen Hawking
Crossword: Matthew Sapsed Across: 1. Hobble (4) 3. Barrier (to progress) (8) 9. Shining (7) 10. Frame (for drying laundry) (5) 11. Be in charge - clothless hat (anagram) (4,3,5) 13. Roll of parchment (6) 15. Charitable race? (3,3) 18. Kiss of life (5-2-5) 22. Freshwater mammal (5) 23. Alternatively (7) 24. Clamber (for this game?) (8) 25. Prepare work for publication (4)
Down: 1. Writer of words for a song (8) 2. Copy - sitter (5) 4. Ado (6) 5. Rubbish (5) 6. Museum guardian (7) 7. Deserve (4) 8. Crayon (6) 12. Promptly (at a given time) (2,3,3) 14. Bird (calling early?) (7) 16 . Expose (6) 17. As someone wishes (2,4) 19. Pulse (5) 20. Turn over (5) 21. Leader (of a company) (4)
dingbats Dingbats are visual word puzzles from which you must identify a well-known phrase or saying. 1.
2.
EDAM WORKED PAID
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New issues every fortnight! Want to write for us?
.com/get-involved
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FO R GE PRESS Fr i d ay March 6 2015
@ForgePressSport
SPORT
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Matchdebating Should we have a winter World Cup in 2022?
As options go it’s the We’re running out of best of a bad bunch time to save face Tom Pyman As fashionable as it may be to slate every decision FIFA makes, I’m personally really warming to the idea of a winter World Cup. At least from an England supporter’s perspective. An increasing number of football fans and experts are citing the lack of a winter break as a reason for England’s continued failure on the major international stage. Germany and Spain – both of whom have of course enjoyed recent success in summer tournaments – famously implement a domestic break of around a month where no Bundesliga or Primera Liga fixtures take place. Many believe this period of dormancy is a major contributor to the Germans and Spanish being fresher, less fatigued and more focused when it comes to the summer months than their English counterparts. Of course, one could argue that a healthy number of those World Cup winners in the German and Spanish squads ply their trade in the Premier League, thus rendering the argument somewhat foolish. However, it would certainly be interesting to see the teams compete on something more of a level playing field. The main reason why the World Cup in 2022 in Qatar needs to be played in the winter rather than the summer is simply the climate: it’s simply too hot and completely unrealistic to expect the players to perform at the required standard
– which was so high in Brazil in 2014 – in such conditions. Again, you could suggest that the World Cup shouldn’t be held in such an environment anyway, but personally, I’m a big fan of bringing such a great footballing festival to all continents and all corners of the globe. Putting economic factors to one side – there was unrest in both South Africa in 2010 and Brazil last summer with regards to the government prioritising a month of football over fundamental policies like housing and education – the joy it brought to thousands of locals was obvious. Residents interviewed by the BBC, ITV and other media organisations covering the tournament spoke of their delight at having such a famous footballing festival take place in their back yard. There was, of course, a similar effect with the Olympic Games in London in 2012. It’s not just the sport going on that’s the attraction, it’s the coming together of people from all continents and all walks of life: a melting pot of cultures. Surely in a country like Qatar, where there is not the kind of football culture that is synonymous with Europe and South America, it would help develop the popularity of the game, and make it a truly
worldwide spectacle. Also, are we not all of the opinion that a World Cup at Christmas would be, well, frankly, pretty cool? Do we not love the idea of putting the stockings on the wall as England crash out again on penalties? Think of the joy retailers will have in coming up with new ways to con us out of our hard-earned. There’ll be Christmas trees complete with footballs rather than baubles and available in St George’s red and white. It’ll be gloriously over-the-top. Greg Dyke, the Football Association chairman, described it as “the best of bad options” and, after weighing up all the possibilities, it’s difficult to disagree.
Ed McCosh
The only joy that can be found in a debacle, other than the opportunity for endless schadenfreude, is the assumption that at some point there will be a resolution. Yet when the well of mirth runs dry, and all that lies beneath it is the scourge that nobody has the knowledge or power to clean, a resolution seems as clear, fittingly, as mud. That is currently the situation at FIFA as a blizzard of corruption allegations, investigations and petty arguments swirls around their Zürich headquarters, with the 2022 World Cup in Qatar causing the latest headache for president Sepp Blatter. The whole affair left a rotten taste in the mouth from its very inception in 2010 when, to the surprise of the watching world, FIFA awarded the 2022 World Cup not to favourites Australia or the USA, but to oil-rich Middle Eastern footballing lightweight Qatar. At first, confusion abounded. Surely the election of a nation known for its sweltering summer heat and not for its sporting infrastructure was a mistake. Yet dissenting v o i c e s claimed
that there were darker forces at work. These voices have grown, and now FIFA and Blatter are on the cusp of a crisis. ‘Corruption’ became the buzzword central to the pillorying of football’s highest authority that has haunted it to this day. Despite numerous attempts, no rats have been lured into the trap, and Blatter remains unhoisted with his petard intact. There is no concrete evidence that Qatar won the right to host the World Cup through corruption, yet the whole affair seems rotten to its core. First there was a furore over the punishment that could await homosexual couples or those caught drinking alcohol in public – Blatter weighed in with a joke that gay couples should simply “refrain from sexual activities” – and following that came international outrage over the treatment of workers. Some are trapped in the country, their visa denied, while some were killed, trapped forever in a screaming heap of steel and concrete. The schadenfreude stopped when people started to suffer. The laughter has ceased and FIFA needs to save face now t h e
Forge Sport awards
Sepp Blatter, the FIFA President, has been hit with a number of allegations of corruption
pantomime has taken a much daker turn. At the beginning of March FIFA, citing the unhospitable climate of the Qatari summer, declared that the 2021 Confederations Cup would be hosted by another member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). At this point, with seven years before a ball is kicked at the 2022 World Cup, FIFA may have just stumbled across the last resort – moving the entire tournament away from Qatar. The purported shift to a NovemberDecember tournament would disrupt the vast majority of leagues. Even the hosts’ domestic Qatar Stars League would be disrupted. Luckily for FIFA, there is a solution. Australia, as an AFC member, could be in line to host the Confederations Cup. On top of that their World Cup bid seemed flawless except for the issue of summer heat, which peaks between ten and 15 degrees Celsius below Qatar’s. With the rise of the A-League and the Australian propensity for hosting major sporting events, the infrastructure is there. An Australian World Cup would not disrupt the domestic seasons that rely on a hectic schedule in November and December. FIFA had begun with honourable intentions – to take the Jules Rimet trophy to new lands and people, to extend the Beautiful Game to new cultures. Yet with the whole Qatar fiasco, the beauty has faded. It’s time now for Blatter and his organisation to scrape together what dignity they have left and rescue this dire situation. The answer may lie Down Under. Photo: Wikipedia Commons
Forge Sport editor Ed McCosh chooses his heroes and villains of the week
üü Just four months after Jonas Gutierrez
completing chemotherapy and overcoming testicular cancer, the Newcastle United left back made a return in the Magpies’ 1-0 defeat at home to Manchester United.
Batsmen
ü
The first ever double century, the fastest ever 150, the highest ever team score...batting records are being smashed on a neardaily basis at the 2015 Cricket World Cup.
Pink
û
Referees in Australian rugby’s NRL have inexplicably ditched their pink kit in favour of red or blue, which apparently encourage discipline. The pink was said to ‘undermine’ the referees’ authority.
Adam Johnson
ûû
The Sunderland winger was arrested under suspicion of sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl. The 27-yearold was questioned at a station near his home and later bailed. He has been suspended by Sunderland.
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Sports personality of the week
Forge Sport’s Ed McCosh met cricket captain Edward Pearce for an interview For those who don’t know much about cricket, could you tell us a little about the sport? In its most basic form, cricket is a game between a batting and bowling side, in a similar way to baseball, with the ultimate aim of scoring more runs than the opposition. There are far more complicated rules and loads of different variations and formats that can be played which can go on for five days or a matter of hours! How much does it help being in a cricket-mad county like Yorkshire and in a country that puts a lot of emphasis on cricket? Everyone who knows cricket knows that Yorkshire has a pretty impressive history of producing successful cricketers and the current England set up is testament to that! Unfortunately this does not necessarily mean that we get any special treatment from the England Cricket Board! The Middlesex Cricket Club (MCC) universities get lots of funding which enables them to produce international or county standard cricketers on a regular basis but the rest of the universities in the country have to do it of our own backs! Despite this however, we have a strong group of excellent cricketers here at Sheffield, from throughout the country. This continued high level of talent within the club ensures that we continue to perform at a very high level, despite a lack of
funding and investment. How long have you been involved in the sport? As long as I can remember really! My Dad has always been very keen on cricket so I doubt I ever really had much of a choice but I think the first game I played was when I was about 6 or 7, I had to lie about my age so I was allowed to play! The first time I played in the garden though, I really couldn’t tell you but given that I kicked a ball in one of those baby swings before I could walk it doubt it will have been much after that!
“We believe we’re a unique society, which is hilarious really” What aspects of the sport do you enjoy most? I suppose even when it’s not exactly going your way just
spending time in the sun with your mates in the summer makes it worth while, its a very pleasant summer activity! A lot of people find it really boring, which in some ways is understandable as I’m aware that it’s definitely not everyone’s cup of tea! There’s a lot more to it than people tend to think though, it’s far more than simply just running up and bowling the ball or just hitting it as far as you can, there is a lot more that goes on beyond that! Plus it’s one of the f e w sports that age isn’t a barrier and its something you can play well after your body decides it can’t do anything more rigorous! What do you enjoy most about being part of a uni sports club? The social aspect of any university sports club is a massive selling point. Given that we only play on Wednesdays after Easter, it’s always important to spend time together at other times, and there’s no better way of doing that than on a Wednesday night in The Place
or Roar! Socials are a great way to get involved in a club and ultimately the more you get involved the better you get to know people and ultimately the friends you make through a sports club can turn out to be your best mates at uni! Of course the playing part is great as well, but for me the social aspect and the people you meet through the club is the most enjoyable part about it the uni sports club! How important are events like Varsity in terms of maximising exposure and interest for the club? Varsity is a great platform for the club, recently we’ve played it on the big Sports Park day at Bawtry Road so it gives us great opportunity to get interest in the game however given that cricket varsity is played indoors, it does mean we do have a slightly limited exposure compared to an outdoor game, it’s a small venue which can only really hold 100 or so, but unfortunately given the date of Varsity it’s very difficult to arrange an outdoor game. It’s something we’re working on, as an outdoor T20 game against Hallam would make for a great occasion given the chance! For now though, it’s a well attended event with anyone who is involved in the club making an effort to attend, and the enclosed space does make for a fantastic atmosphere and which is made even better when, like last year we win!
What are the club’s aims for the season? Indoors we have qualified for the national semi-finals of BUCS, something which we’ve done on a regular basis in recent years so in that respect so far its been a success and obviously the emphasis along with that is now to make sure we win varsity! Outdoors the aim is to replicate the success of last season and also to go a step further. The 1st XI went undefeated last season to win the Northern 1A league which was a great achievement given some of the sides we played against. We were however later told that we would not be promoted to the Premier League by BUCS based on their rather unusual promotion and relegation methods, so the plan this year is to try and make sure that doesn’t happen again! The 2nd and 3rd XIs will be looking to build on solid years last year and challenge for promotion from their respective divisions this season.
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Organ at the heart of Sheffield darts progress Darts University Darts UK Open Dan Reid Steve Organ starred for the University of Sheffield darts team as he reached the final 16 of the University Darts UK (UDUK) Open. Organ’s performance in the singles tournament was the highlight of a very promising performance for the darts society, who boasted five qualifiers for the knockout stage of the competition despite falling below standards in the team event. Preparation for the UDUK could not have gone better for Sheffield; progression to the North East Darts League finals was secured with backto-back home victories over the University of Nottingham and the University of Hull. Nottingham and Hull were dispatched in confident fashion with twin 7-4 wins, and despite a defeat to Nottingham Trent a 10-1 thrashing of Sheffield Hallam plus the two victories saw Sheffield comfortably into the finals day showpiece. A 7.30 am start on Saturday morning did not faze the 14-strong Sheffield team that departed Bar One for the tournament at Nottingham Trent University. Saturday would see a nine-man team selected by captain Max Orange take on the universities of Oxford, Lancaster, Nottingham
and Newcastle in the team event, before all fourteen of the Sheffield contingent took part in Sunday’s singles. The draw provided a tougher group stage than Sheffield had hoped for, with favourites Lancaster and last year’s finalists Oxford featuring alongside the highly competent Newcastle and Nottingham. Up first were Lancaster, and despite victories for Steve Organ
and Ed McCosh Sheffield fell to a 5-2 defeat. McCosh secured another point against Oxford alongside Orange, but another 5-2 loss put Sheffield on the brink of elimination. Respite came in the form of a 5-1 win over Newcastle, with Tom Hogg, George Francis, James Douglas joining Organ and Orange in bringing home the points. Jack Lewis and Tom Wright also won their games
The University of Sheffield Darts team in Nottingham
after the five points needed for victory had been earned, with the latter notching a spectacular 77 checkout. Not to be outdone, Rob Matthews went one better and checked out 78. However, the final game of the group stage would only bring heartbreak. A narrow 5-4 defeat against Nottingham, coupled with a Lancaster victory over Newcastle, consigned Sheffield to fourth place in their group.
Photo: Tom Hogg
The full fourteen, plus Sheffield alumni Nick Hood, entered the group stage of the singles on Sunday, but drama ensued even before play began as the draw pitted Ellis Turner, Jamie Barrington and Dan Graves alongside Matthews and Lewis in one Sheffield-dominated group. Barrington progressed from the group dubbed “Little Sheffield”, notching up a classy 102 checkout in the process, while Organ won his group with six wins from his six games. McCosh and Wright, drawn together, excelled with five wins from six games. However, McCosh squeaked through by the narrowest of margins while Wright bowed out. Johnny Kirk became the second Sheffield fresher in two years to reach the knockout stage as he won his group in style, and the four were joined in the final 32 by Francis. Matt Royle also had a noteworthy day by hitting a 180 in a group stage match while Hogg finished a credible third in the tournament’s “Group of Death”. McCosh, Francis, Kirk and Barrington bowed out in the final 32, with the latter knocked out by Organ. But Organ went all the way to the final 16, where he bowed out in a thriller. Despite disappointment in the team event and failure by narrow margins in the singles, the 2015 UDUK Open was another sign of progression for the darts society.
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FO R GE PRESS Fr i d ay March 6 2015
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Posh slice open Blades at the death Football League One Sheffield United Peterborough United
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Jack Wignall Peterborough United dented Sheffield United’s automatic promotion hopes with a smashand-grab victory at Bramall Lane on Tuesday. Posh captain Jack Payne cancelled out Matt Done’s opener in the 88th minute, firing low past home goalkeeper Iain Turner, before Conor Washington smashed in a 90th minute winner to leave Bramall Lane stunned. The Blades went into this game on the back of a six game unbeaten run in the league. However, two draws in their previous three games had stalled their promotion hopes, and this defeat
made an increasingly difficult task seem almost impossible. They were boosted by the return of striker Marc McNulty, the Scot restored to the starting line-up after his equaliser against Crawley. And it was the forward who had the first chance of the game after five minutes when his left-footed shot from the edge of the box was tipped over by Posh goalkeeper Ben Alnwick. Building on a lively start, United started to take control of the game, with Bob Harris sending a shot whistling just over the bar. The Blades’ Scottish number seven – dubbed ‘Flynnaldo’ in these parts – was then set free, and ran at the heart of the Peterborough defence, before laying the ball off to Jamie Murphy, who shot low at the legs of Alnwick. Peterborough’s presence up front was notable by its absence, with all pressure was coming from the team in red and white – and they almost took the lead
through Done. A pinpoint crossfield ball from Chris Basham found Murphy on the left, who in turn fed Harris. His whipped cross just evaded the oncoming Done inside the six-yard box with the goal at his mercy. The game had offered much in terms of endeavour but very little in terms of quality – epitomised by Done’s relentless harassment and pestering of the Posh defence. Blades had created precious little in front of goal, with Murphy, McNulty and Flynn all flattering to deceive, and the home side were nearly made to pay when Kyle Vassell fired straight at Turner. It was with a certain sense of inevitability that the opening goal came courtesy of a long, hopeful punt upfield. The ever-lively Done chased down Posh defender Ricardo Santos, who, instead of passing back to his keeper, attempted to dribble the ball to safety. But Done got his reward for
his persistence – first, he nicked the ball off Santos, then he shot straight at Alnwick. Fortunately for Blades, the ball rebounded straight back to Done, who looped a header back over Alnwick and into the net. Louis Reed’s free-kick into the box narrowly evaded three Blades players as they looked to build on their narrow lead. However they never seemed likely to close out the game, and Payne fired an initial warning shot in the 73rd minute. His right-footed daisy cutter from 25 yards almost caught Turner out, brushing the left-hand post on its way behind for a goal-kick. And, after taking off the exhausted Done, the tempo of the Blades attacks weaned, letting Peterborough back into the game. First, Joe Newell beat John Brayford before crossing to Vassell, whose shot was blocked. Then, in the 88th minute, they went one better. After Jon Taylor passed to Payne in midfield, the Posh captain wasn’t closed down quick
enough. This time his shot found the bottom corner, skimming past Turner’s despairing dive to seemingly rescue a point for Posh. But the away side weren’t done yet. Just two minutes later, Aaron McLean’s hopeful throughball wasn’t dealt with by the Blades defence, and although substitute Conor Washington’s first touch wasn’t the best, he kept his composure to expertly fire past Turner. Those who hadn’t stormed out after the equaliser got to their feet in disbelief. Washington ran half the length of the pitch in delirium, windmilling his arms wildly – an indication that Posh were second best for large periods. But as the away fans chanted in celebration, the home sections emptied as the Blades were left to wonder just how they managed to lose this game.
The game was a fairly stagnant affair until the 17th minute when a long throw from ex-Owl Tommy Spurr, helped on by Chris Brown, fell into the path of prolific dangerman Jordan Rhodes who touched the ball round Westwood and rolled it into the open net. The goal inspired Blackburn and eight minutes later, Westwood was forced into a great reaction save after the ball was headed towards the far corner again by Rhodes. From the resulting corner Blackburn were again denied, Marshall’s corner directly striking the crossbar, with Spurr scuffing the rebound as Wednesday eventually cleared. Attractive football was always going to be at a premium on a pudding of a pitch at Hillsborough; however Blackburn produced one of the moves of the match to double their lead after 26 minutes. Adam Henley played a one-two through the middle of the park with Jay Spearing and was allowed to continue his run all the
way into the box as he gratefully accepted the space afforded to him by the hosts, slotting under Westwood to put the visitors two up. After the break the Owls made clear their attacking intent as Keane and McGugan combined well as the latter saw his effort deflected wide after a neat lay off from Keane on the edge of the box. Minutes later Keane blazed another decent chance over the bar after good work from Jacques Maghoma down the left created the opening for the striker. Blackburn felt the game should have been beyond doubt after 52 minutes when Spearing played a precise through ball into the path of Chris Taylor who appeared to be felled by a clumsy challenge by Claude Dielna, only for the referee and his assistant to remain unmoved. Just after the hour mark, a deep cross from Lewis McGugan found Chris Maguire at the far post, whose initial chance produced a stunning reflex save from Steele, however Maguire
was on hand to fire home the rebound. The goal gave Wednesday real encouragement and the Owls continued to push forward for the equaliser, McGugan hitting a fizzing 25 yard free-kick straight into the hands of Steele. With ten minutes remaining Wednesday had a penalty appeal of their own turned down. Keane won the ball on the edge of the
box and floated a cross towards Stevie May who was engaged in a tug of war with Adam Henley, yet the referee waved away any appeals for a penalty. The final whistle brought Blackburn their first victory in five league games and ended Wednesday’s two-game winning streak.
towards goal before passing to Georgie Lamb, who opened the scoring with a blistering shot past the Manchester goalkeeper. It wasn’t long before the lead was doubled. A solo goal from Anne-Marie Du Preez put Sheffield two goals up in no time as she cut inside from the left-hand side before firing high into the net. Sheffield were dominating possession, but their third goal came from a breakaway following a great tackle in defence. Sarah Gibson, Toby Halliwell and Roisin Doyle dove-tailed excellently before Halliwell fired the ball past the helpless Manchester keeper. Doyle then spun inside from the right-hand side and notched her first of the game as the home
side threatened to run riot. A time-out was called with Manchester struggling to contain the rampant Sheffield forwards. On the restart the visitors grabbed a goal back, some strong running from their forward proving too powerful for the home defence to handle as the ball flew past the home goalkeeper. Sheffield quickly reasserted their dominance, scoring once more before Manchester showed they would not lie down, notching their second to leave the score at 5-2. Moments later Kirsten Simm sprinted through the Manchester defence only for her final shot to hit the outside of the post. Gibson had been running the Manchester defence ragged all afternoon – on this occasion she
chased a loose ball down the right wing before turning swiftly and powering into the Manchester goal-crease. The finish matched the run as she sent the ball flying past the away goalkeeper, before a fantastic pass from Lamb set Du Preez through on goal. She made no mistake and powered home to give Sheffield a 7-2 lead. The Manchester keeper had been given a torrid afternoon, but managed to keep out an effort from Lamb. However, she was given a second chance moments later, and powered the ball home to make it 8-2. It was at this point when Manchester scored two quick goals in reply, and briefly threatened a comeback.
Wednesday at a cross-Rhodes after Rovers loss Football Championship Sheffield Wednesday Blackburn Rovers
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Sean White A poor first half performance proved costly as Blackburn Rovers condemned Sheffield Wednesday to defeat at Hillsborough on Tuesday evening. Two first half goals from Jordan Rhodes and Adam Henley punished the Owls, who left themselves with too much to do after the break and despite a Chris Maguire strike halving the deficit, ended up on the losing side against a spirited Blackburn outfit. The first chance of the game actually fell to Wednesday, after a cross into the six yard box from the right, the Rovers defence failed to clear and Will Keane hit a shot on the turn straight into the arms of a grateful Jason Steele.
Hillsborough: home of Sheffield Wednesday
Photo: Joe Bamford
Lacrosse breeze to win with ease due to Du Preez Lacrosse University of Sheffield University of Manchester
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Joe Bamford The University of Sheffield’s women’s lacrosse team won for only the second time this season, beating the University of Manchester 12-5 on Wednesday. Both of those wins have come against the Mancunians as Sheffiled received a boost in the battle to avoid finishing bottom of the table on a deceptively cold day at Goodwin. After just a few minutes it seemed as though Manchester had frozen – Emily Roche drove
However, after Manchester pulled the scoreline back to 8-4, Sheffield immediately went up the other end to notch themselves. The ebb-and-flow continued as Manchester replied once more to make it 9-5, however the Sheffield trio of Gibson, Doyle and Du Preez combined to hit double figures. Despite starting the day below their rivals in the table, a dominant Sheffield side battled against the pace and power of Manchester’s forwards. They spread the play well and maintained a slick passing rhythm all afternoon, and got their reward, running out comfortable 12-5 winners.
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Fri day March 6 2015 F O RG E P RESS
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Hockey dish out hiding Men’s Hockey BUCS Northern 1A University of Sheffield Lancaster University
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Joe Bamford The University of Sheffield men’s hockey 1s team thrashed Lancaster University 1s 11-1 for the second time this season on Wednesday as they closed in on the BUCS Northern Division 1A title. Lancaster - who were promoted to this division last season came into the game with a -50 goal difference and expected to gain little from the match, but would have been disappointed to concede within five minutes thanks to Steve Palmer’s opener for Sheffield. From there the floodgates opened as Sheffield were 6-0 up before half-time – Tom Hawthorne, Harry Byrnes, and James Cozens adding three more ahead of Byrnes’ second from the penalty spot. Palmer added his second before the break, with further goals from Byrnes – who completed his
hat-trick – and Cozens, as well as a double from Josh Darlington and a goal from James Wright adding gloss to the scoreline. Lancaster notched a consolation in amongst the avalanche of Sheffield goals, and left the pitch staring down the barrel of an immediate slide back into the BUCS Northern 2A. Of course, the home side expected nothing less than a landslide victory, but even they would have been surprised by the consummate ease with which Sheffield broke through - Palmer slotting home a loose ball to get the party started. It wasn’t long before the Lancaster keeper was picking the ball out of his goal once again, with Hawthorne doubling Sheffield’s lead to put the game beyond Lancaster’s reach within 10 minutes. The crowd on the touchline – who were very much on Sheffield’s side – sarcastically cheered every Lancaster attack, none more so than when Sheffield’s Toby Howard slipped, allowing Lancaster a one-on-one situation just outside the Sheffield circle. However, the pressure of
scoring what would be only Lancaster’s seventh goal this season got to him – he slipped and Sheffield immediately went up the other end and extended their lead further through Hawthorne. Byrnes, playing his final game before returning to Australia, then scored the pick of the firsthalf goals, firing a blistering strike high into the Lancaster net with the goalkeeper rooted to the spot. Cozens added his first goal before winning a penalty flick for a foot on the Lancaster goal-line, and Byrnes did the rest, slotting into the side netting to give Sheffield a 5-0 lead. Hawthorne and Palmer had been combining brilliantly all half, and Palmer converted Hawthorne’s pinpoint cross just before half time, deftly touching home after a slick team move. Shortly after half time Lancaster finally notched one of their own. The comeback was on… momentarily. It wasn’t long before Byrnes completed his hat-trick after another fine team move to put Sheffield seven clear once more.
Sheffield’s men’s 1s thrash Lancaster
This week’s contributors Ed McCosh Joe Bamford Tom Pyman Dan Reid Sean White Anthony Phillips Rob Milne Jack Wignall
The Sheffield forwards moved the ball around at pace before Byrnes fired home. Cozens added his second goal moments later, firing home a fierce strike from close range. Darlington scored his first goal as Sheffield continued to run riot, before quickly adding a second. It was a mark of Sheffield’s dominance that the shenanigans on the touchline were keeping the spectators more entertained than the hockey, and it became less and less of a shock when Sheffield continued to attack and continued to score. The home side were ‘restricted’ to just the 11 goals on the day, though, as James Wright completed proceedings late on, rolling the ball into the bottom corner after pin-ball in the Lancaster circle. Attention now turns to Leeds Beckett’s match against Sheffield Hallam 2s next week – if Beckett fail to win, Sheffield are the BUCS Northern 1A champions.
Photo: Joe Bamford
BUCS Nationals review Anthony Phillips The city of Sheffield hosted the BUCS National Championships for the 8th successive year last weekend as a number of University of Sheffield students competed at the event. The nationals are one of the UK’s largest annual sporting events with over 6,000 athletes competing in 10 sports over the space of three days. Sam Cooper of Sheffield University won the first medal for Sheffield with bronze in the men’s fencing sabre competition. The Uni men’s trampolining team placed second in the men’s team competiton behind rivals Sheffield Hallam despite having an equal score of 669, Hallam won gold due to a higher indiviual score. In the men’s 75kg karate kumite final, Panayiotis Loizides also tasted bronze for the university while the Uni women’s climbing team, led by Katie Maxwell, finished with the highest score in the women’s team rankings with 577 points, securing Sheffields first gold.
Then came the turn of athletics, the biggest event of the weekend, where David Dempsey missed out agonisingly on a podium place. Dempsey finished in fourth place in the men’s 800m final, losing out on a medal by 0.6 seconds after comfortably winning both his heat and semi final. William Mycroft reached the final of the men’s 3000m and placed 12th, the same as Adam Lee in the men’s pole vault final. Josh Bones jumped 14m 56cm in the men’s triple jump final, a result that saw him finish fifth. In swimming, the women’s 400m freestyle relay team finished 9th in a time of four minutes and eight seconds but Luke Howdle swam two minutes dead in the men’s 200m butterfly to add another silver to Sheffield’s collection. Heather Lawson swam two minutes, twenty-seven seconds to finish a respectable eighth in the women’s 200m individual medley final.
Spartans shade Hallam in thriller Men’s Basketball BUCS Northern 2B
University of Sheffield 70 Sheffield Hallam University 64 Rob Milne Tensions were high at Goodwin as the University of Sheffield Spartans battled to a 70-64 victory over rival Sheffield Hallam 2s. Throughout the game both teams were at tipping point. After the Spartans secured the impressive victory a scuffle broke out between the two teams but was quickly brought to a halt by the team’s coaches. The Black and Gold started the contest well with their quick ball movement troubling the visitors but with both teams playing at full intensity the opening quarter was a scrappy spectacle with the high pace leading to mistake after mistake. Amidst the occasional chaos, Spartans big man George Reddington shone for the home side. He scored an impressive 17 points on the night, particularly excelling at rebounding on the offensive glass and shooting impressive shots. His play on the defensive side of the ball also impressed, as the tallest man on the court, dominating around the basket. A dunk from Ben Thomas roused the crowd to start the second; the first and only dunk of the game. Thomas was given a free run to the basket and took the opportunity to wow the crowd. Hallam had open looks from the three point line but was unable to capitalise on the opportunities. The visitors looked off the pace as the second quarter ended 39-34. A brilliant feed from Akin Lisk-Carew to Reddington started the third quarter but that would prove to be the only highlight in a poor third quarter. Hallam had the stronger third quarter as they capitalised on the simple mistakes and lower intensity from the hosts. A pretty reverse lay-up, quickly followed up by a deep threepointer saw Hallam level up the score at 48-48. Sheffield looked stunned at the start of the final quarter, making mistake after mistake with everything going against the boys in black and gold. It was clear the Spartans needed to go back to basics. A three-point score from Liannes Silva revitalised the crowd at Goodwin and prompted a momentum shift, the gamechanging run of plays continued with a smart drive to the rim and simple lay-up by Akin LiskCarew, leading to four point lead. Silva muscled through traffic to score and stretch the lead to six, eventually winning the game 70-64 to continue their push for promotion.
CANDIDAT GU
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Page 2 - 3 President Page 4 - 5 Activities Officer Page 6 - 7 SU Development Officer Page 8 Education Officer Page 9 International Students' Officer Page 10-11 Sports Officer Page 12 Welfare Officer Page 13 Women's Officer
VOTING FRI 6 (10AM) THURS 12 MARCH (5PM)
ADAM FERRINGTON: PRESIDENT
BEE D'ABÉILLÉ LOKKIT: PRESIDENT
CHRISTY MCMORROW: PRESIDENT
JO SUTTON KLEIN: PRESIDENT
PRESIDENT (6 CANDIDATES)
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Voting Open March 6 to march 12.
• Donate 10% of the Presidential salary to charity. • Guaranteed right to SU Representation in meetings with the University. • A strong voice for students with a massive voter registration drive.
DOES This look like a careerist to you?
MAX BELL: PRESIDENT
MARCUS FOSTER: PRESIDENT
PRESIDENT (6 CANDIDATES)
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ALEX MONKS: ACTIVITIES OFFICER
ANNIE GAINSBOROUGH: ACTIVITIES OFFICER
ENRICO SALVATORE BRANCATO: ACTIVITIES OFFICER
JASMINE DAVIES: ACTIVITIES OFFICER
ACTIVITIES OFFICER (6 CANDIDATES)
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PHILLIP PARK: ACTIVITIES OFFICER
JULIA DENTON: ACTIVITIES OFFICER
ACTIVITIES OFFICER (6 CANDIDATES)
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
REFERENDA
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ National Union of Students
Sheffield Students' Union is currently a member of the NUS. You can decide whether it continues to be a member or not.
Constitutional Review 2015
A number of changes to the rules and regulations that decide how the Students' Union operates have been proposed. It is up to you whether they are implemented or not.
Moving from appointed trustees to a mixture of appointed and elected trustees.
Currently our student trustees are appointed by committee, not elected. Do you think Students' Union trustees should be elected?
For all the information about these issues and proposed changes, including arguments for and against, please go to www.sheffieldsu.com/lead
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EVETTE PROUT: SU DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
GEORGE TRUMAN: SU DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
GEORGIA NOLAN-ROSE: SU DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
HARRY OWENS: SU DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
SU DEVELOPMENT OFFICER (6 CANDIDATES)
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ISAAC STOVELL: SU DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
ISAAC ELOI: SU DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
SU DEVELOPMENT OFFICER (6 CANDIDATES)
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8 PETE DAVID: EDUCATION OFFICER
MINESH PAREKH: EDUCATION OFFICER
EDUCATION OFFICER (2 CANDIDATES)
PEGGY LIM: INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS’ OFFICER
ANA-GABRIELLA POPA: INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS’ OFFICER
ALINA SCHUMACHER: INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS’ OFFICER
DEE DEE BORGSTROM: SPORTS OFFICER
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS’ OFFICER (4 CANDIDATES)
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CHARLIE WRIGHT: SPORTS OFFICER
EMMA BURGOYNE: SPORTS OFFICER
FELICTY WILBRAHAM: SPORTS OFFICER
NIC WOOD: SPORTS OFFICER
SPORTS OFFICER (5 CANDIDATES)
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ROB MORAN: SPORTS OFFICER
SPORTS OFFICER
These events at Sheffield Students’ Union are open to EVERYONE. Invite your friends, come along, be entertained and inspired…
07/03: INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL EVENING Hosted by the International Student’s Committee at University of Sheffield
21/03: BACK YARD TO THE BACK OF BEYOND Tales of a Roving Scientists with James Borrell 16/04: GEORGE MONBIOT
09/03: OWEN JONES The Establishment
18/04: HERESY & HEELZ ALTERNATIVE & BURLESQUE FAIR
12/05: NIALL MCCANN 09/03: WIOLETTA GREG Adventure: Presented by Off The Shelf Red in Tooth & Claw
“ HOW WONDERFUL IT IS THAT NOBODY NEED WAIT A SINGLE MOMENT BEFORE STARTING TO IMPROVE THE WORLD” Anne Frank
www.sheffieldsu.com/flash | flashsheffield | flashsheffield
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10/03: SHAMI CHAKRABARTI Presented by The Exchange 11/03: ASH DYKES Breaking Mongolia: The Lonely Snow Leopard
14/05: ROLLER TRIO Presented by Sheffield Jazz
17/07: SIR RANULPH FIENNES A Life at the Limits
12/03: TROYKA Presented by Sheffield Jazz
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ALEX LUMSDEN: WELFARE OFFICER
DAVID DIKE: WELFARE OFFICER
GABRIELLE BINNIE: WELFARE OFFICER
JOSEPH DIVINEY: WELFARE OFFICER
WELFARE OFFICER (4 CANDIDATES)
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WOMEN’S OFFICER SHARMIN JAHAN: WOMEN’S OFFICER
(1 CANDIDATE)
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Dentistry Tulsi Patel Dr Badr Ghaithi
SU COUNCIL BYE ELECTION
As well as Officer Elections, a number of positions are available on the SU Council - the body which determines SU policy and holds the SU Officers to account. The following positions are open and you will have the opportunity to vote for candidates in your department or representative group when you log in to vote.
NURSING AND MIDWIFERY (1 candidate)
Princess Dakeipiri, My name is Princess Dakeipiri, a final year student of the School of Nursing and Midwifery. I am currently an academic student-staff committee rep and also a faculty rep in Academic Representative Committee. I am campaigning for the post of departmental councillor for the School of Nursing and Midwifery because I look forward to represent the department, giving the department a chance to influence decisions in the Student Union. If I am elected, I will make the welfare of the department my utmost priority and ensure that decisions made will benefit the department. Vote me in for efficient, effective and diligent service.
DENTISTRY (2 candidates)
EAST ASIAN STUDIES (1 candidate)
Wenzheng Deng I am immensely grateful for this nomination and eager to serve if elected. I came from the changsha city from China. I have an excellent skill in resolving problems and reconciling issues. If there is a problem, you tell me, I will find the solution or lead the way for you. I will indeed well present all students ideas, thoughts about studying, entertainment and any other issues. I am interested in this position because I can use and develop my communication skills, and do some useful things for peers. I believe this position is best suit for me, please vote!
Tulsi Patel
Badr Algaithi
As dental students we are often wound up in the cycle of clinics and lectures and miss opportunities for our voice to be heard. Now is the time for that to change! I believe that there is much more that we can do and offer, our opinions and views should be heard and acted upon and so I urge that we all rise to the occasion and get involved with the major decisions that are taking place within the Students Union every day! “One person can make a difference and everyone should try.”
Dentists are not just considered as a part of the medical profession, moreover they are considered Artists. we design people's smile, ease their pain and help improve their lives. it is then best to invest in peoples happiness and participate in all aspects of life that draws a big fat smile on our face's. vote for a dentist who wants to help make the world a better place to share a smile.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LINGUISTICS (2 candidates)
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Chen Shen
Camille Brouard
As a postgraduate research student, my school is the very place where I would spend most of my time for the next three years, if not more, doing research and other activities. Helping voices of our School being heard by others in the Student Union, or in the University as a whole is really important for the well-being of each single student within the School. Therefore, I would like to dedicate myself to the work needed for being a representative of our School, and make some changes that are wanted by you!
Hi everyone, I'm an MA ELL student who studied BA Language and Literature at Sheffield, so I'm familiar with the School of English. I aim to represent our needs and help solve problems. I have experienced department politics as a course representative on the Graduate Students and Staff Committee, and also SU council as an ex-Forge Press news editor. If elected I plan to reach students via email and social media so I can be easily contacted. I want Language and Linguistics to have a voice in council – vote Camille for someone who can speak your Language (and Linguistics)!
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