FRIDAY 10 MARCH 2017
Issue 105
2017 SU O ff Elections icer ...
RESULTS
INSIDE
2017 SU OFFICER TEAM ELECTED Will Morgan Comment Editor Kieran Maxwell has been elected President of Sheffield Students’ Union. The third-year History and Politics student won with a large majority of the votes cast once all preferences were taken into account. He is the third consecutive
Chair of Sheffield Labour Students to win the presidency. Following his victory, Kieran thanked his large group of supporters before reflecting that: “There was a lot of talk during this campaign about a politically neutral Students’ Union and I’d like to say I am a: feminist, a trade unionist and a socialist, and we will keep fighting
for what is right. We will do this locally, nationally and at the NUS, though it needs reform.” He finished by quoting the George Michael hit ’Freedom! ‘90’: “I won’t let you down, so please don’t give me up because I would really, really love to stick around.” Maxwell ran a policy focused campaign that promised: the
recording of all lectures, to open the University Health Service on Saturdays, a priority pass for Pop Tarts and a food van for SU club nights. He beat... ...continued on page 5
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Editorial
Forge Press Editorial Team Editor
editor@forgetoday.com
Anna Gillies
Deputy Editors editor@forgetoday.com Dan West Hallam Roffey Managing Editor f.gillard@sheffield.ac.uk Freyja Gillard Head of Online
editor@forgetoday.com
Caro Kyllmann
Head of News Lisa Latham News
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Josh Peachey Hope Cunningham Rachael Bunyan Comment
F
inally, we have our winners! Two weeks of intensive campaigning, 38,911 votes cast, and a whole lot of hard work are now over and the new Student Officers for the next academic year have been chosen. I’m sure the winning candidates are basking in their success but it’s a different story for me I’m afraid. Months of planning and a hectic few weeks of organising have sadly left me highly dependent on Lemsip Max Cold and Flu Tablets to get me through; it’s all totally been worth it though. I’m so proud of everything Forge Media have done in these elections. I’m still amazed after being part of Forge for three years the quality of coverage all three outlets, Press, TV and
Radio produce, given it’s entirely student run. A quick mention goes to Charlie and Tom, the Station Managers of Forge Radio and Forge TV respectively. They’ve been great to work with and without their hard work the elections fortnight would not have been as successful as it has been, well done guys! I have a few special thank yous to make. Firstly, I need to give a massive shout out to our Games Editor, Nick. He joined the Forge Press team this year with little design experience and has created the most spectacular election design for the issue, I’m sure you’ll agree it looks fantastic. Go to page right now! I also need to thank my two deputies, Hallam and Dan. Of course it was print day when my
illness hit and Hallam led the team so well to ensure the issue went to the printers on time. Dan has been fantastic in helping out TV and Radio with tech and also ensuring we had great pictures from the election night to make our pages even more beautiful. This whole process would have been a lot more stressful without their support! I also need to thank Freyja, the SU Specialist Development Co-ordinator for Media and Performance. Aside from the fact that she bought party rings (a surprisingly vegan snack to add to Lifestyle’s list on page 25) for Election Night which was an obvious hit, she’s been a great source of support for not only myself but also the whole rest of the team. It’s been great to have some
SU support over these busy few weeks. That just leaves a massive thank you to the rest of the Forge Press team for contributing to a fabulous issue. In the chaos that is Elections Week we’ve got a really great issue of Forge Press for you with plenty of great content as well as all your Election news. On that note, all that’s left to say is congratulations to the winners, and well done to the whole Forge team for the amazing coverage this year. Enjoy your election special of Forge Press.
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Will Morgan Michael Chilton Features
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Jess Davis Ellena Rowlin Laura Mullan
Coffee Break
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James Pendlington Lifestyle
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Joseph McKay Florence Mooney Sport
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Hallam’s
Happenings What not to miss over the following fortnight, curated by our very own Deputy Editor, Hallam Roffey
Sheena Sidhu Ed McCosh Hugh Dickinson Music
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Harry Chambers Emma Williams Games
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Ashfaq Emritte Nick Burke Arts
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Matt Wickens Laura Mulvey Screen
St Paddy’s Day Bash Why haven’t you ever met an Irish law student? It’s because they know they can’t pass the bar. Hahahaha. It’s St Paddy’s Day so come along for green cocktails, green candyfloss and lots of giveaways! 17 March. 23:00. Foundry, Studio & Fusion. £5.
Forge Press AGM Forge Press are having their annual AGM this month where we elect a whole new team, so if sitting in a lecture theatre for hours so that you can work on a paper that will take up all your time and make you fail your degree sounds up your street, come aboard! 20 March. 18:00. Arts Tower Lecture Theatre 1.
Vegan Festival No I know, putting the word ‘festival’ in front of vegan doesn’t make it sound any more fun. Also, how do vegans introduce themselves when everybody already knows they’re going to be a vegan? Feat. live music. 25 March. 12:00 - 21:00. Students’ Union.
Varsity Boxing This one isn’t for me. Being surrounded by people screaming ‘f**k Hallam’ gets a bit disconcerting after a while. On the other hand I can close my eyes and just listen to the Poly side chant my name just like in my dreams. 11 March. 19:15. Octagon.
Platform Festival Like music? Like dancing? Like acting? Like helping out good causes? Then you should head over to Platform Festival, a perfomance arts festival in aid of Cavendish Cancer Care. Starts 10 March at 9:00.
OJ Simpson Vs The People This isn’t strictly university related but this is my section and I make the rules. Except for the pages and pages of rules that the paper has to follow. But anyway I think you should watch OJ Simpson Vs The People because it’s the best thing on Netflix right now. Netflix.
Unite the Union in association with Film Unit I, Daniel Blake. 19 March 15:30 & 19:30. Free.
Give it a Go Pick Historical Crime and Murder Tour. 14 March.
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Luke Baldwin Beth Andralojc
Copy Editors Harriet Hales Harry Gold Kimberley John Shaun Thomas Katharine Swindells Tom West Holly Overton Molly Kerkham Jessica Green
Want to get involved or got a story to share? We always welcome writers, photographers and artists to join us here at Forge Press. Come and pay us a visit in the Media Hub situated in the Students’ Union or email our editor at editor@forgetoday. com
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Four-storey social sciences building and gym plans revealed that this facility has to offer Josh Peachey students and staff, not only in the News Editor Faculty of Social Sciences but also The University of Sheffield has across the whole university. revealed plans for a new Social “The faculty of social sciences Sciences building and a new sports is leading the way in impactful centre on Northumberland Road in learning, teaching and research. Broomhill. The new facility will secure The planning applications for the future development in these two projects have been submitted to areas by bringing our students the Council and if they are accepted, and academics together in an work will begin on completely innovative, interdisciplinary transforming the area opposite environment.” the Children’s Hospital. The Social T h e Science Building (pictured) will S o c i a l feature a research hub, teaching and social spaces and will be built on the site of the 3G sports pitches opposite the Hospital with new sports pitches being installed at the campus in Norton. The new sports suite will be three storeys tall and will eventually replace the Goodwin Centre. It will feature a bigger gym and new swimming pool for students. Professor Gill Valentine, vicePresident and Head of Faculty for Social Sciences, told The Star: “We are truly excited about the potential
Sheffield’s hidden rivers to be revealed Sheffield City Council is embarking on a programme to expose Sheffield’s ‘hidden rivers’ that run under major landmarks in the city. Sheffield residents were reminded of the river network when a hole exposing the River porter appeared in a Decathlon carpark earlier this year. Head of city regeneration and chairman of the Sheffield Waterways Strategy Group Simon Ogden said the discovery in Decathlon’s car park pointed a way forward for Sheffield’s ‘mysterious, fascinating but often hidden waterways’. The Council’s plans aim to create ‘attractive’, natural new features within the city.
Sciences Faculty is the University’s biggest with more than 9,000 students across 13 departments. The proposed building will also provide departmental bases for the Departments of Economics, Politics, Sociological Studies, the Sheffield Methods Institute and the faculty of Social Sciences office. The neighbouring Elmfield Building, which currently houses the department of politics, will become the departmental home
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for the Information School, Journalism studies and the School of Education, positioning them closer to the Sheffield University Management School on Conduit Road. Construction of the new sports centre, which will face directly onto Northumberland Road, will not begin until the social sciences building is finished.
In Brief... Sheffield chosen for Boeing’s first European site
Charges dropped for tree protester Charges against nine people who protested against the felling of trees on February 6 have been dropped. Alison Teal, Green Party Councillor, was among the six women and three men to be detained after preventing contractors from felling a tree in Nether Edge. The protesters were initially charged with preventing lawful work under Section 241 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations Act 1992, but were informed on Thursday 23 February that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute them.
The US airline giant Boeing has chosen to build their first European site in Sheffield. The £20 million factory will be where the company produces complex parts for their planes, such as the “actuators” which move the flaps on the plane. The new factory will create atleast 30 jobs and will be located at Catcliffe in Rotherham. The decision also indicates that the airplane manufacturer is keen to bring manufacturing in-house instead of subcontacting work out.
It’s International Women’s History Month
Hope Cunningham News Editor March is International Women’s History Month and to commemorate the occasion, the Women’s Committee have organised a wide range of events in celebration of women and their history. The first event took place earlier this week and tackled the topic of feminism; the BME committee led the talk on why there is a lack of BME women who identify as feminists and delved into concepts of culture, tradition and representation. Debates, film screenings, and poetry writing are among the variety of events happening this month, a full list can be found on the WomCom Facebook page. Women’s Officer Serena Cavasin comments: “This year, the theme for our SU’s Women’s International History Month is celebrating women activists and changemakers, and the whole idea behind the theme is that any woman can be an activist and a change-maker. For this reason, the events this month are exploring the contributions and changes women have made, and are making in a wide range of fields: from the arts to STEM, as well as in campaigns for social and climate justice. I am personally really looking forward to the guest lectures and talks, but all events are incredibly interesting learning opportunities for everyone - of all genders”.
Sheffield MP confronts new Bishop over “troubling” views Louise Haigh, MP for Sheffield, Heeley, has publicly requested to meet with the new Sheffield Bishop over his controversial opposition to the ordination of women. Rt Rev Philip North is due to be elected into the position this month, but has faced backlash from other members of the Church of England over what Haigh calls his “troubling” views. Haigh wrote an open letter to the incoming Bishop, in which she said: “I would urge you to engage with congregations and individuals within the church to answer questions that are troubling people in Sheffield and to establish if your views can possibly be reconciled with the pastoral and public image of the church in Sheffield.”
UNICEF host 24 hour fast Unicef on Campus Sheffield are taking part in FAST 24, a sponsored 24 hour fast. The money raised will go to support Unicef’s work to combat malnutrition in Liberia and there will be a whole week of events. The fast itself will be held from Thursday 23 March evening to Friday evening.
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UoS named one of International Officers get best UK workplaces heated at Forge Debates Lisa Latham Head of News
•• The University was ranked 25 out of 100 and was the only university included in the list. The University was ranked 25 out of 100 and was the only university included in the list. The Sunday Times has named the University of Sheffield one of the best places to work in the UK for the second year running. The institution placed 25th on the list of ‘100 Best Companies’, an annual survey and ranking scale conducted by The Sunday Times to determine Britain’s best employers. The University has also received a Best Companies two-star accreditation status in recognition of ‘outstanding’ levels of employee engagement. Sheffield has risen in the ranks since last year’s survey, in which it was placed at 32, and remains the only University on the list. As a widely acclaimed and extensive investigation into Britain’s employers, the release of the ranking scale is highly anticipated in the UK’s business calender. Andrew Dodman, Chief Operating Officer at the University of Sheffield, said: “This ranking by The Sunday Times shows that the University of Sheffield is one of the best places to work in the
UK and is an organisation where talented staff from all over the world are given a platform to succeed and become leaders in their fields. “We have worked hard to create an environment in which staff can pursue the extraordinary in a creative and diverse workplace. The city of Sheffield has also contributed to this ranking by being such a great place to live. It’s friendly, vibrant, modern and fun, which provides the perfect setting for one of the world’s best universities with a talented workforce.” Professor Shearer West, Provost and Deputy ViceChancellor at the University, added: “I am delighted that the University has been recognised in this way. We are only as strong as the people who work here. People who teach students, carry out research, and who support vital work from running our libraries and laboratories to student accommodation and IT provision. “It is our dedicated and talented staff from around the world who make this institution a place of high educational standards and an excellent place to work.” The Sunday Times’ 100 Best Companies list was published on February 26 2017. In January 2017, the University of Sheffield was included in Stonewell’s Workplace Equality Index 2017 and heralded for its commitment to gender equality, diversity and inclusion.
Rachael Bunyan News Editor Last Thursday saw International Students’ Officer candidates come to blows at the annual Forge Debates. This came as a surprise for many as historically it is quite a tame debate, but instead it was filled with tension between the candidates’ differing opinions and misunderstandings. The debate involved discussions not only on the surprisingly controversial topic of free printing but also Brexit. The debate started relatively slowly, with the candidates Santhana, Chibuik and Daniel firstly outlining their manifesto aims. Gigi was unable to attend the debates. Midway through the debate, tensions between the candidates heightened in light of mention of free printing with regard to how the candidates aim to enhance the rights of international students. Nervous laughter was heard from the audience during the
more tense moments, particularly with Santhana being unafraid to challenge and interrupt her fellow candidates. Whilst Chibuike was stating that we should be getting “more value for the money that we are paying” and believes that getting “free printing” would improve this, Santhana cut across him, in a manner that would become a common characteristic of the debate, saying: “Free printing is never going to happen” to which many in the audience nodded in agreement. Defending his stance, Chibuike argued that 500 free pages per semester could be achievable and free printing doesn’t have to be unlimited. Becoming exasperated with the surprisingly controversial topic of free printing, Santhana continued to cut across Chibuike by saying that the library couldn’t afford to give students free printing whilst “spending so much money on our journals and articles”. Challenging this point, Chibuike pointedly said: “You say that the library wouldn’t have enough money but we are paying for fees.” Looking incredulous, Santhana passionately stated: ‘We are paying fees, but we aren’t paying fees for the library, we are paying fees for the lecturers pay and that takes out a huge chunk!” Defeated, Chebuike chuckled and said “Alright”. The debate heated up even further with Santhana and
Chebuike criticizing Daniel’s point for lobbying MPs to “give international students the right to work after university if they choose to stay in the UK” as it seemed too broad. Presenter Alex inadvertently joined in with the general criticism by asking both Santhana and Chebuike, “both of you don’t seem to think Daniel’s point is feasible. But are any of your manifesto points feasible at all?” Anna, laughing explained, “I didn’t mean to make it sound that harsh.” In the later stages of the debate, Santhana accused Daniel of discriminating against people who don’t speak English, after he claimed there was a problem with language barrier at the University, whilst referencing his own experiences international students not understand his accent. In response, Daniel seemingly frustrated explained, “I am not discriminating, you don’t seem to be getting my point.” His point was that if we want to increase integration, “we have to involve everyone and address issues such a language barrier and ask why are some international students are not getting involved.” The passionate speech and being unafraid to challenge her fellow candidates seems to have worked for Santhana, with her being elected for the International Officer position.
Sri Lankan Society take home ICE win Hope Cunningham News Editor Last week, the annual International Cultural Evening took place at Sheffield City Hall marking the 45th years since its commencement. The event aims to give international student groups a chance to openly embrace their cultures and this year saw performances from nine societies, including the Pakistani Afro-Caribbean societies. Through dance, music and plays the night was a representation of the global diversity among University of Sheffield students. The event usually concludes with a fashion show which celebrates traditional national clothing however this year the organisers
dedicated the parade to solidarity in light of the global refugee crisis. Chair of the International Student’s Committee Santhana Gopalakrishnan said: “There are so many bad things happening in the world right now, we just wanted people to know that we’re in this together.” The seven judges came from similarly diverse backgrounds including University staff, Students’ Union staff, External Trustees and a City Councillor. At the end of the night Sri Lankan Society came out on top with 1st place, improving on their 2nd place score last year. The Malaysian Societies came in 2nd this year and Romanian Society took home 3rd place.
In her closing speech on the night, International Students’ Officer Ana-Gabriela Popa said: “the International Students’ Committee has organised the International Cultural Evening for 45 years. And for 45 years we have used art to send across the message that we celebrate our differences and we stand together as a Global community.” “It was an amazing event with a record of people attending (sales were around 1700 excluding guest list, VIP and performers) and all the feedback received revolved around how magical the night was and how beautiful it is that Sheffield is so diverse and welcoming.”
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2017 SU Officer Team Elected (cont.) Will Morgan Comment Editor
•• 8,187 students voted in this year’s elections •• Eight students have been elected to fulfil the eight paid roles that commence from July
...continued from Front Page ...second place Rish Kumar with a majority of more than 800 first preference votes. Rish’s campaign focused on more abstract issues than Kieran’s, with policies to “build bridges not walls” and “promote equality and accessibility”. He also suggested his election would send a clear message to Prime Minister Theresa May.
As President, it will be Maxwell’s responsibility to oversee the Officer team and represent the student body on various boards and committees at the executive level. In total 8,187 student voted in the election, which had a turnout of 26 per cent. This is an increase of more than 2,000 from the previous year. Only 5,301 of these students ultimately placed a vote for President, whilst a much larger group of 6,112 voted on the race for Sports Officer. The election was held 6 - 9 March, with seven candidates running for the position of President. Though only one of the students was female, three of the students running were BME, making it one of the more diverse fields in recent years. Outgoing President Dom Trendall said of the election: “we always strive to have a greater diversity of candidates and a great deal of work has gone into monitoring this”. The election’s other victors were: Reena Staves as Welfare Officer, Santhana Gopalakrishnan
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as International Students Officer, Megan McGrath as Development Officer, Tom Brindley as Activities Officer, Flo Brookes as Sports Officer, Celeste Jones as Women’s Officer and Stuart Macmillan as Education Officer. The President and Officers-elect will assume their roles from July 1. This year’s elections proved to be particularly contentious as candidates were called out for lying about being involved in the support service Nightline and student society Save Our Sandwiches. Other controversies included the proposal of pepper spray for all female students, the potentially illegal use of a drone and Kieran Maxwell declaring his dislike for the Harry Potter series. In addition to the Officer Elections, more than 4,800 students went to the polls to vote on Sheffield Students’ Union various referenda during this year’s SU Election season.
House of Lords against linking TEF to tuition fees Joseph Davies Contributor The Government’s plan to link fee rises to universities’ performance in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) was rejected by the House of Lords on 6 March 2017. An amendment proposed by Lord Kerslake, Lord Stevenson and Baroness Garden was backed 263 to 211, saying the results of the the TEF should not give universities the right to increase fees in line with inflation. This comes as a blow to the Government’s Higher Education and Research Bill, unveiled last year, which threatened to allow high-performing universities to increase fees by £250 as early as the next academic year. While Lord Kerslake accepted the need for fees to rise to reflect inflation, he argued that the TEF did not represent an adequate tool for evaluating universities’
performance. He said: “The TEF rating will relate to the university, not the subject or course… it is perfectly possible to have a mediocre course in an otherwise excellent university, and indeed vice versa’. The Government’s plans were also criticised for potentially disadvantaging poorer students and punishing under-performing institutions. Baroness Deech argued: ‘the established - we might say “better” - universities will be able to charge more and will attract those students who can afford to pay it and who can afford to choose. By and large - of course not always - less-established universities will come out lower and will not be able to raise their fees. Not so well-off students will go to them.’ The amendment marks a significant step towards a reversal of the University’s decision to increase fees next year. Student movements, such as the ‘Shef Better Than TEF’ campaign,
GOOD WEEK FOR Ed Sheeran The release of his third album ‘÷’ is one of the fastest-selling in UK history, managing to shift 432,000 copies in the first three days. The album sold more copies in its first day (232,000) than any album did in a week in 2016. David Bowie’s Blackstar had the highest one-week sales last year with 143,455.
Chicago Public Schools Grammy award winning hip hop artist Chance The Rapper donated $1 million to public schools in his home town Chicago to help with ‘arts and enrichment programming’. Speaking to reporters he said: “This isn’t about politics, this isn’t about posturing, this is about taking care of the kids.”
Forge Follows the Fornight... Stavros Flatley 20-year-old Lagi Demetriou, who was the kid from the comedy dancing duo who rose to fame on Britain’s Got Talent in 2009, was arrested last week after the police found £56,000 worth of cannabis plants growing in a flat he owns. The flat below phoned the fire service after a leak from the plant watering system started coming in through the ceiling.
which announced its support for a National Student Survey boycott to prevent the TEF from gaining the data it needs to operate, will see this as a small victory. However, it remains to be seen how the Government will react with the Bill returning to the
Commons. Conservative MPs are likely to be instructed to strike down the amendment, forcing the Government’s original plans through.
The social media site has come under criticism for how it has handled sexualised images of children. According to a BBC investigation, there are secret groups where people exchange pictures and videos of child pornography. Out of 100 indecent pictures which the BBC reported through Facebook, only 18 were deleted.
BAD WEEK FOR
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An investigation into the cost of the SU Officer Elections Rachael Bunyan News Editor
•• University of Sheffield spends £9,115 on the SU Officer Elections •• This year’s voter turnout is higher than last year In light of the SU Election Results, Forge investigate the cost of the elections. This year’s election turnout for was over 2,000 people higher than last year with 8,605 students voting, compared to 6,599 in 2016. Despite this, when looking at the percentage of the student populace who voted turnout was only 26.39%. However, Dom Tendall, the outgoing SU President remains positive and told Forge: “I am thrilled that so many people have engaged in the Officer elections this year and I think this is reflective of an intelligent use of resources.” Scouring SU Audited Accounts for 2015/16 , Forge found a number of interesting figures concerning the
Students’ Union financial activities. Firstly, the SU does indeed keep up with its promise that all income is reinvested straight back into the SU. Whilst the SU spent £10,755,270 on a variety of facilities and membership costs, £2,095,773 was spent on membership engagement. Under the broad umbrella term of membership engagement comes the cost of the SU Officer Elections. Of that just £9,115 is spent on the Officer Elections, after discounting the cost of permanent salaried staff, just 0.08% of total annual expenditure. It begs the question of whether an increase in an allocation of the funding towards the Officer Elections could increase the voter turnout. In response to this question, Dom Trendall said: “I’d say that we review the elections process every year and we will consider that question then. We need to look at it with all the information available and come to a considered judged.”
Prime Minister wants Sheffield to kick start UK engineering revolution Josh Peachey News Editor Sheffield can take the lead and captain a new engineering revolution for the UK according to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister wrote a piece for The Star specifying how she would like cities nationwide to follow Sheffield’s example of securing major investments from companies like Boeing, McLaren and even Sheffield tech stars The Floow. Mrs May wrote: “I want the model being pioneered in the city to be copied across the country. “Combining the research expertise of Sheffield University with the craftsmanship and skill of the city’s workforce, along with the drive of local leaders, has created the backdrop to the multi-million pound deals struck with two of the world’s most famous engineering names. “It is this ambition and determination that is allowing the
world’s first Steel City to forge a new identity. The city’s potential for cutting edge technology and engineering clearly hasn’t been lost on international investors. And it’s not just McLaren and Boeing who have spotted it. “Today’s announcement of a £13m investment into Sheffield’s thriving tech sector by three firms, including foreign investors, demonstrates the faith they have in the future of Sheffield. The Prime Minister was keen to express how investment from big businesses is good for the whole of Sheffield. She wrote: “McLaren will generate about £100m for the area and create more than 200 highly skilled jobs by 2020. They’ll also be investing in science and research, which is a key target for my government. While Boeing’s plans for a civil aerospace factory mark another £20m of investment. “Attracting one of the world’s most famous car brands and one of the leading names in aerospace to Sheffield were deals built on
the city pooling its skills and working together. I want to see the prosperity that areas like London and the South East have enjoyed replicated across the country.
“That means developing and supporting key sectors to inspire an economic revival in places like South Yorkshire, and all our great regions and cities. In providing this
support, I will also ask that cities do everything they can to play their part. I’m pleased to say Sheffield is doing that already.
N O I T LEC E E L
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A I C SPE
40 Candid ates 2 Weeks
8 Winners.
1 Once voting has closed, all ‘first preference’ votes are counted (like a standard election).
2
3 This carries on, with candidates eliminated and votes redistributed until only one remains!
4
Tim Bisley
When voting, you list candidates in order of preference.
The candidate with the lowest number of ‘first preference’ votes is eliminated, with their votes redistributed on ‘second preference’ basis.
Candidate Name
Final Stage
1,789 1,289
The number of voters who named the candidate as their ‘first preference’
First Pref
The total number of votes the top two candidates received before they were eliminated - or won!
Your new...
T N E D I S PRE Kieran Maxwell
I’m completely blown away and can’t describe the feeling
Photo Credit: Dan West
T
he new SU President will be Kieran Maxwell, cochair of Sheffield Labour Students, SU Counsellor and NUS National Conference Delegate. Maxwell’s campaign “Take it to the Maxwell” proposed the introduction of a Pop Tarts priority pass, the installation of food vans outside club nights, a Saturday health service and recorded lectures. He also aims to increase access to higher education by creating student-led volunteering groups, who will help people from disadvantaged backgrounds complete university applications. On stage, Maxwell thanked those involved in his campaign, reiterated his manifesto aims and admitted he’s not actually from Newcastle, though he was born there. Speaking to Forge, Maxwell said “I’m completely blown away and can’t really describe the feeling.” “Everyone has worked so long and hard for this.
“We need an SU for all students, and that means representing them on issues they’re passionate about.” Maxwell said he disagreed with arguments during the campaign around whether the SU should be politically neutral. He said: “Having a politically neutral Students’ Union is completely wrong. “Students are political and deserve to have their views reflected by their president. “We need a strong SU to put pressure on the Uni. We need to start demanding more for our money. “The Union does not belong to one single person, not least the president.”
Campaign Platform: Role Summary: » Support the other officers and manage the team direction
» Lectures recorded as standard » Health service open on Saturdays » Widening access to education
» Champion students, the SU, University and beyond » Strategically oversee the future direction for the SU
Kieran Maxwell Final Stage
2,439 1,896
Rish Kumar
First Pref
1,623 1,081
Harshil Hirani Sukayna Najmudin 890
Lewis Elliot
603
Daniel Whitehead
Jeremey Heywood
268 255
RON 169 139
8
9
Your new...
ACTIVITIE S
Officer
Tom Brindley T
om Brindley is the new SU Activities Officer with just 555 votes more than the closest runner-up, Emma
Campaign Platform:
Lord. Brindley ran his campaign under the slogan “Bring on the Brindley” and capitalised on strengthening student relationships with residents of the city, helping the homeless, promoting inter-society events and creating more rehearsal spaces. He plans to liaise with volunteering groups around Sheffield and the SU’s
‘Save Our Sandwiches’ to open a soup kitchen and increase donations and aid to the Sheffield’s residents. Brindley also notes the importance of mental health in his manifesto, and says he will work with the new Welfare Officer to organise mental health training sessions with members of the Students’ Union Committees. Following the announcement of his win, Brindley said “I don’t really know what to say! Have a wonderful night, I love you all!” When asked about his new role and how he feels, he said: “It feels great,
» Inter-society events » Help the homeless and open a soup kitchen » Increase connections between Sheffield city residents and University students
the first thing I did was apologise to every other candidate. We’re all really good friends, we had such a sense of community and I just felt so bad for everyone who had to go through that sadness. It’s not really sunk in yet I don’t think.” “I don’t think it was “me” that gave me an edge, I think it was that my friends who helped me that were so determined and enthusiastic. They thought I’d be a good candidate.” Brindley said he’d be celebrating with alcohol after the Elections, and was planning on joining new Development Officer Megan McGrath in a duet of Les Mis’ ‘One Day More’ in Bar One Karaoke.
Role Summary: » Assist the Societies Committee & Acitivites Department » Improve, expand & promote student activities
It’s not really sunk in yet I don’t think
» Represent students
Photo Credit: Dan West
Daniela Orrego
RON
Fred Gill
Niall. Johnson
859 156
554
Tom Brindley Emma Lord
2,240 1,755 1,073
982
Final Stage First Pref
1,628
T N E M P O L E V DE
Officer
Your new...
Megan McGrath I still feel like this is a dream
M
egan McGrath is your new SU Development Officer after winning a whopping 55 per cent of the vote share with a landslide 2,576 votes. When it was announced that Megan had won, she said: “Thank you to everyone who campaigned with me. I couldn’t have been here without you. Massive thank you to my boyfriend Alex who made me believe that I could do it when I doubted myself.” The woman behind the “Make it
matter, make it Megan” campaign ran a campaign focusing primarily on sustainability. Under the AV voting system used in SU Officer elections, the winning candidate needs to win 50 per cent of all votes cast plus one. This means that voters rank their preferences in order and votes are redistributed until one candidate meets the quota. Unlike the elections for all the other positions, the SU Development role was won by Megan in the first round of voting, with Joe Flanagan coming in second with 696 votes and Patrick Brierley in third with 688. In a post-result interview, Megan told Forge: “I still feel like this is a dream. It’s amazing.” She also said that Bar One Karaoke was on the cards for celebration and looked forward to taking over from Michael Kind who in her words “does an amazing job”.
Campaign Platform: Role Summary: » Support the other officers and manage the team direction
In her manifesto, Megan wrote: “I’ve campaigned on many issues whilst at university, for renewable energy systems, more environmentallyconscious lifestyles, the combatting of food waste, against higher education cuts and have led events on local homelessness, animal testing and refugees.” One of Megan’s key campaigning tactics was engaging with students and finding out why they thought sustainability is important. She also went round with a giant painted cut out of her iconic green jacket and red hair getting supporters to pose as her. Her policies mirrored her drive for sustainability by pledging to reduce the amount of plastic used on campus. She said she would ensure that hot drinks would be cheaper when students use a reusable mug instead of a disposable one, that she would introduce cardless library access by allowing students to use the iSheffield app if they forget their card. In order to reduce waste, Megan also pledged to host student-led secondhand fairs for buying and selling unwanted possessions.
» Cheaper hot drinks using disposable mugs » Cardless library access Better cycling facilities, » second-hand fairs and food waste bins on campus
» Champion sustainability in the SU, University and beyond
Photo Credit: Dan West
» Strategically oversee the financial direction for the SU
Joe Flanagan
RON
10
Adam Fairclough
Madawi Alahmad
191
2,576 696
688 356
150
Patrick Brierley
Megan McGrath
First Pref
Your new...
Stuart McMillan Final Stage
Ed Robinson
First Pref
1,721 1,176
1,858 1,338
Bethany Wiles Grace Wallace
810 778
Tawfik Alhashemi
259
Education
Officer
Kaitlyn Keenhold
193
RON
141
Stuart McMillan S
tuart McMillan has been elected as the new Education Officer with 1,338 first preference votes, Ed Robinson followed close behind with 1,176 first preference votes. Stuart had the campaign slogan of “VoteStu for a grassroots SU”. In his acceptance speech, Stuart said: “I’m feeling really happy, really proud of what we have done in the campaign.” In a post-result interview, Stuart told Forge that his campaign has been, “about free education, it has been political and we should be proud and we have had integrity in what we have done.”
With a vision for “free and accessible education for all”, Stuart expressed a strong a desire to put students at the centre of campaigns. Influenced by his participation in ‘The Free University of Sheffield’ activism group, one of the main points of Stuart’s manifesto was to stop ‘TEF’ and fee rises, and he aims to achieve this is by continuing to “build the NSS boycott next year, employ new tactics, and put students at the forefront of campaigns.” He went on to say in his interview: “I’m really happy that I won, but also that we have won on a platform of anti-TEF.”
Campaign Platform: » Stop ‘TEF’ and Fee Rises » Defend international students » More study spaces
Photo Credit: Dan West
We have won on an antiTEF platform
Role Summary: » Represent student opinion on learning and teaching » Work with departmental academic reps » Support student campaigns on education
11
Your new...
L A N O I T A N R E INT Santhana Gopalakrishnan
Daniel Goodlive
Chibuike Obianyor
Gigi Barrionuevo
577
She knew her
Final Stage
1,545
1,415 1,045
RON
Officer
potential
1,129 First Pref
1,018
- Ana Popa
195
Santhana Gopalakrishnan Campaign Platform:
S
anthana Gopalakrishnan has been elected International Students’ Officer with 52% of the votes, beating Gigi Barrionuevo who came in second. Her tagline “Shine with Santhana” and iconic sun mascot worked to reflect the candidate’s desire to illuminate the needs of international students during her campaign. Being the Chair of the International Students’ Committee motivated Santhana to run for this position in order to continue to help the Students’ Union thrive as a “global village”. She was also elected NUS International Student Delegate last year and helped to construct the NUS immigration hub, an online resource addressing questions regarding immigration. In her manifesto, Santhana states that she is passionate about protecting the rights of international students, she says
she wants to: “persuade the University to decrease the year in industry fees, thus making it affordable for international students to apply for work experience.” In the Forge Debates Santhana was formidable opposition, boldly stating that “free printing is not going to happen”. Instead she wanted to focus on empowerment by working with the Welfare Officer to develop permanent Quiet Rooms as well as getting the University to invest more money in University Counselling Services and the Student Advice Centre in order to be able to cater to international student-related issues. Society mash-ups and running cultural-themed Give It a Go programs in student villages are also on the table for Santhana in order to promote diversity and to allow non-international students to experience new cultures.
Role Summary: » Support international students within the union and beyond
» Protect the rights of international students » Foster a diverse SU community » Empower international students
» Promote a more diverse student experience » Act as a representative for the union on international matters
12
13
Your new...
SPORT
Officer
Flo Brookes F
Campaign Platform: » Expand existing campaigns to promote equality » Keep Wednesday afternoons free for sports » Single day access passes to the gym
lo Brookes secured the Sports Officer position in last night’s SU Officer elections after a very wellproduced campaign video parody of Bruno Mars’ ‘Uptown Funk’. Over 6,000 votes were cast for the Sports role, the most out of any position including President. In her speech, Flo said: “Thank you so much. I had the best campaigners ever, we really raised the bar. I’m so so passionate about moving sports forward in Sheffield.” Flo’s campaign ran with the slogan “Go with the Flo” and
hosted a variety of promotional sporting events on the Concourse during campaigning, including skateboarding and longboarding, snowboarding, a football penalty shootout and volleyball and badminton tournaments. Flo, who has been Snowboard President over this last year, expressed a strong desire to improve accessibility to all sports through organising more Give It A Go sessions and increasing the publicity of and funding for Social Sport. In her manifesto, Flo wrote: “I am passionate about making sure everyone feels they can get stuck in! “By working closely with the Women’s Officer and
International Officer, I will expand on existing campaigns such as #weareinternational, and #thisgirlcan to promote equality throughout the University. I will increase awareness of and support for disability sports in Sheffield, by launching a #weareable campaign.” In a post-result interview, Flo told Forge: “I’m super keen and I think the energy really helped me win it. My friends have done so much. I think having fun on the Concourse each day helped. “I want to launch the #weareable campaign first, which will help get mental health sufferers and disabled students into sport. Me and Reena can work on that together.”
Role Summary: » Represent sport within the union » Organise and promote Varsity
I think having
» Support and increase participation in sports
fun every day on the
Photo Credit: Dan West
concourse
Katie Rourke
helped
Yasmin Beldaci
397 116
291
1,878 1,102
Final Stage
2,821
2,351
Millie Behrens
RON
Jake Atkinson
Flo Brookes
2,328 First Pref
Your new...
E R A F L E W
Officer
I never envisioned actually winning
Reena Staves Reena Staves
Final Stage
First Pref
2,229
2,207
Robbie Morgan
2,039
2,055
RON
187
Photo Credit: Dan West
Campaign Platform: Role Summary: » Ensure there is an adequate provision of student support » Work to improve student wellbeing » Provide a voice for students on issues of safety, housing and transport
14
» Improve mental health and wellbeing services » A ‘wellbeing buddy’ system for SU nights » Better housing and financial support and ‘find-a-housemate’ events
T
he new SU Welfare Officer is Reena Staves, who received a total number of 2,207 first-preference votes against Robbie Morgan’s 2,039. After winning the position at the SU Election Results, Reena looked emotional and said: “Thank you so much, I can’t
believe it, I don’t know what to say. “Thanks to Robbie for being a good opposition, thanks for all the support I’ve gained from other candidates and friends. Thanks for believing in me!” Her campaign was titled ‘Make Waves with Staves’ and focused on three key student issues: mental health, housing and financial support and student safety. Reena pledges in her manifesto to implement mental health first-aid training for residence mentors, collaborate with the Counselling Service to introduce peer-led student support groups and lobby the University to direct more funding to the UCS. She also plans to work with
the Welfare Committee to host ‘find-a-housemate’ events and with the Student Advice Centre to initiate workshops on money management and housing contracts. She will work closely with the new Women’s Officer, Celeste Jones, to promote ‘gettinghome-safe’ schemes and has proposed the introduction of a ‘wellbeing buddy’ system for students on nights out. In an interview with Forge following the announcement of her win, Reena said, “Throughout this whole campaign I never envisioned myself actually winning, I thought Robbie would win. I wish we both could’ve won.” When asked how she won the vote, she said: “I think it was the focus on mental health, it’s just not being giving the resources it needs and not enough is done to tackle the stigma. I feel so passionate talking about it and speaking out.” When asked how she was planning on celebrating her success, Reena said: “Sleep! This campaigning process has been absolutely exhausting.”
Your new...
Celeste Jones Final Stage
1,502 907
First Pref
Hannah Holden
1,455 792
Jodie Assinger Georgia Nolan Rose
693 689
Mayeda Tayyab
WOMEN’ S
Offfificceerr O
Eden Ladley RON
614 537
265
Celeste Jones C
eleste Jones is your new Women’s Officer, winning a majority of the 4,497 votes cast and beating five other candidates. The final year law student believes she is capable of representing women students as well as under-represented groups, such as LGBTQ+, BME and disabled students. Everyday sexism, ensuring women’s safety, empowering women, and campaigning for free periods, whilst encouraging students to be themselves and respect themselves are outlined in Celeste’s manifesto as important her role. There was controversy around Celeste’s manifesto in which she says she is “a call-taker at
Nightline”. Earlier this week the candidate was made to clarify that she was in fact an observer preparing to take her call-taker test. By supporting the already existing women’s mini bus and safe City Taxi’s Scheme, Celeste aims to keep women protected and wants to see buses running every half an hour. She speaks passionately about domestic abuse in her campaign video. In a post result interview, Celeste screamed her excitement saying: “I actually have no words I genuinely don’t feel like I’m in my own body” and wished her opposition well saying: “regardless of this result I know that they are going to do amazing things”.
I don’t feel like I’m in my own body
Campaign Campaign Platform: Platform: women’srumquid » Ensuring » Ficti corempo safety on campus quo est pe d »
Role Role Promoting quissexual arum aut » Aquodsafe relations volorpostis Summary: Summary:
» Combating dolumeveryday qui alia sunih » Encourage » » Assist the collaboration Societies sexism ilicimpor. between Committee representative & Acitivites groups Department Photo Credit: Dan West
» Pursue liberation expand issues & » Improve, promote student » Represent activities women and other under» Represent represented groups students
15
Election Night Production Team
Should Sheffield SU remain affiliated to the NUS?
Lisa Lathan Hope Cunningham Josh Peachey Anna Gillies Hallam Roffey Will Morgan
418
Abstain
1,507
Rachel Bunyan Laura Mullan Nick Burke
2,683
No
Yes
Congratulations to:
Do you agree with the proposed changes to the SU Constitution?
SU Councillors Gabe Milne Russian & Slavonic Studies
Ana Tralhao Dolan Modern Languages
745 1,092
Trustees
No
Sarah Deria Cate O’Brien
1,911
Abstain
Yes
Design
Do you agree with the amended policy regarding twinning with the Islamic University of Gaza?
Nick Burke
Photography Dan West
Managing Editor 825
Freyja Gillard 1,385
Abstain
1,778 No Yes
Social Media Coordinator Laura Mullan
17 FORGE PRESS
FRIDAY 10 MARCH 2017
COMMENT
press.comment@forgetoday.com
Think YOU could do a better job with Comment than the current editors? Then come take their jobs! Forge Press are holding their annual AGM on 20 March in Arts Tower Lecture Theatre 1 at 6pm. We’ll be electing a a whole new team to take over the running and production of our award-winning paper. It’s great experience, looks amazing on your CV and is good fun too. You don’t need any prior experience, all you need to do is give a short speech about why you think you’d be right for the position and answer a couple of questions. Look out for further details on our Facebook page.
The Oscars have gone from bad to irrelevant
I
Faith Ridler Journalism MA Student
n case you missed it, this year’s Academy Awards didn’t go as planned. This year, the annual blunder of the evening happened during the award presentation for Best Picture.
To recap: Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway wrongfully announced La La Land as the winner, and the Oscars let the producers get half way through their acceptance speech before confirming that, in fact, Moonlight had taken the prize. And this was far from the only flub of the night. During the “In Memoriam” segment, in which the Academy pays tribute to figures from the film world who have died in the previous year, a photograph of a very much alive film producer was accidentally included. The image of Australian producer Jan Chapman appeared alongside text honouring her friend and costume designer Janet Patterson, who died in October 2016. Unsurprisingly, these were the facts that creeped up time and time again media coverage of the
event. Well, alongside Moana’s Auli’i Cravalho being knocked in the back of the head with a flag, and Brie Larson refusing to applaud Casey Affleck’s Best Actor win.
“shouldn’t we focus on the fact Hollywood is diversifying enough to name Moonlight... Best Picture” In fact, aside from lists detailing who won what, you’d be hard pressed to find any coverage of the event which doesn’t lead with one of these ‘controversies’. If these blunders are what we and the media deem most significant, perhaps we should be asking whether or not these award shows really hold any meaning anymore? Shouldn’t we focus on the fact Hollywood is diversifying enough to name Moonlight — an entirely POC-casted film centring on a LGBTQ character — Best Picture, rather than re-posting articles either condemning, or laughing at, the way they received their
award? It even seems that individuals in the film world aren’t as blown away by an ‘Oscar winner’ title as they used to be. Speaking to the Los Angeles Times last week, actor Samuel L. Jackson shared a skeptical view of the Academy Awards. “I don’t think an Oscar moves the comma on your cheque like it used to,” the one-time nominee said. “It’s all about putting people in seats.” You could argue that this is an easy stance for him to take, having
never won an Oscar himself, but Jackson isn’t the only actor to speak out about the awards in this way. Octavia Spencer, who won Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Help, said of her experience post-win: “The reality for me is that I thought my phone would be ringing off the hook, and it wasn’t. I didn’t feel like anything was changing.” It seems that despite the all the fuss the Oscars don’t really hold much significance anymore. Once upon a time this might not
have been the case, and the gold statue might have kickstarted a career of hefty pay checks, but not anymore. Instead, all we seem to gain from the annual celebrity extravaganza are days of who said what, who wore what, who photobombed whose picture, and who messed up onstage. Perhaps that’s all the Academy Awards are now — a glorified opportunity for the most influential names in Hollywood to be in the same room. Good for the media, but completely irrelevant for everyone else.
FORGE PRESS 18
FRIDAY 10 MARCH 2017
COMMENT
COMMENT DEBATES
Is Varsity a load of old balls? With Varsity round the corner, Michael starts his own funeral pyre by taking a stand against the massively popular sporting event.
I
ARGUING FOR Michael Chilton Comment Editor
t isn’t because I hate sport, I should preface my argument with that at least. My main problem with our annual sporting event is the ethos around it. It is a corrosive, base, vile and tribal tradition that needs change- now. Sporting events can be so much more; just look at the Olympics as a glowing example of this. An event that treads the line perfectly between friendly competition as well as a sense of unity and comradery. Varsity on the other hand is plagued by classism and sexism which generates the polar opposite of what sports ought to be about.
“The uninformed disdain Uni of has towards Hallam begins with events like Varsity” Such a toxic environment only then propagates itself while on
the other hand you have the incompetent SU council with half-baked attempts to ban such chants. What this ill thought out attempt has done is only ingrain these unhealthy attitudes further. Can you imagine if the Olympics was in anyway similar to Varsity? It would be shut down before you could even watch the 100 metre sprint. And there is good reason for that. Sport should above all bring people together, not just rival groups and teams but everyone. The uninform disdain Uni of has towards Hallam begins with events like Varsity where we have an unwarranted feeling of superiority that does nothing but make us look like elitist arseholes. Varsity is the ugly head off all this. The attitude we perpetuate as a university and all that is bad with the student stereotype is at the fore when we compete. I’m not advocating that we drop Varsity, far from it, what I want to see is it change to a sporting event we can be proud of as students, communicating all the positives about that fact and not the awful stereotypes
T
ARGUING AGAINST Hugh Dickinson Sports Editor
his weekend, the Varsity circus rolls back into town. Normally six men trying to punch each other in a room full of people so pissed they won’t remember it is considered a typical night out on Carver Street, but this weekend Varsity Boxing is the height of Sheffield’s entertainment. Every year the more sour-faced in this University remind us that our chants are classist, Hallam’s chants are sexist, and the whole shabang divides the city’s student community. They’re right, of course, but I don’t care. Varsity isn’t about friendly competition, it’s not about the Varsity Oath, and it’s not even about sport. It’s all about winning. Every year we try and kid ourselves that this isn’t the case. We tell ourselves that it’s the taking part that counts, that we’re lucky we can have such a sporting spectacular. But if we lost, I’ll be honest, I’d rather we didn’t have Varsity at all. Let’s remember, the quality of a win is only as good as the
opposition it was achieved against. Any win is better than any loss, but the fact that Sheffield and Hallam are sporting equals makes victory all the sweeter. With this, we’re luckier than we know. At countless other universities Varsity is an annual walkover, for example with
“It’s not about the Varsity Oath, and it’s not even about sport. It’s all about winning.” Lancaster v York the home side always wins. There was a time when this was the case in Sheffield, when Hallam won every year, but now it’s in danger of see-sawing the other way. This year could be our fifth in a row, and so there’s a little bit of me that hopes Hallam win to balance the books. Actually, no I don’t. Winning is everything. And to those who don’t like sport, competition or winning, take Tom Lehrer’s lyrics to heart: “it’s only for a week so have no fear, be grateful that it doesn’t last all year.”
FORGE PRESS 19
FRIDAY 10 MARCH 2017
COMMENT Comment presents:
The Cringe Report: Every year, for just a week or two, the Students’ Union descends into an electoral frenzy. Lectures become a hunting ground for votes, the intense leafletting on the concourse destroys small swathes of rainforests, and your friends (who once lived for Tuesday Club) don their best cardigans in an attempt to look like responsible adults. As with every student election, the short period of time in which campaigning takes place means that much of the content that is spammed onto every student related Facebook group is fairly poor. Shit memes flood the internet, poorly chosen campaigning images burn on to the back of your eyelids. As such, Comment is here to give you some catharsis through our collection of some of the finest election-themed cringe.
- Student Elections 2017 CRINGE FACTOR: 3/5
A good effort from Megan here. She astutely recognises the omnipresence of the Trainspotting poster in student flats, but misses the point that having one of these is the edgy first-year version of hanging a sign in your living room that says “Love” or “Home”. In fact, the various instructions to choose things like “more bike racks” and “better ticket resales” somehow manages to have the opposite effect of the original, making me reach for the nearest pile of hard drugs.
CRINGE FACTOR: 4/5
ELECTORAL GOLD: 5/5
Make the university time a joyful experience a line so pregnant with meaning it could have fallen from the lips of Hamlet or Jaden Smith. It is a slogan so universally inoffensive and agreeable, I find it hard not to be drawn to this master of politispeak. Undoubtedly, Tawfik’s groundbreaking campaign of non-participation in the electoral process, whilst participating in the electoral process, will undoubtedly shape global political campaigns for decades to come.
I’m not entirely sure where to start with this one. As a Literature student, I have spent the past week pondering the connection between Georgia’s campaign and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, applying all £27k worth of my tuition in an attempt to understand it, but drawn a blank. Indeed, the White Rabbit’s line in the scene doesn’t even contain any of the same words as this poster, only sharing a theme of time (“I’m late. I’m late”). Overall, this effort is an almost robotic misunderstanding of what will make people go to the polls, though it is also a very human misunderstanding of Lewis Carroll.
CRINGE FACTOR: 5/5
CRINGE FACTOR: 2/5
We all hate the “find your XYZ” shite that swills around the cesspool that is the Facebook newsfeed, so Kieran definitely toes the line with this one. The content is an undoubtedly dire obvious attempt at relevancy. However, the true awfulness of this meme saves it, making Kieran’s parody a rare example of intentional cringe-comedy in a turbulent sea of unintentional campaign cringe.
At Comment, we usually enjoy applying cynicism to anything that represents a sincerely held belief. However, this poor attempt at being different and cool is easily the cringiest flyer of the entire election season. Beliefs are one of the few things that students are rich in and this election, whilst obviously irrelevent to the wider world, is one fought over what we collectively believe in. It’s not hard to see the common set of values we hold represented in the electoral process, as many campaigns share a focus on: the safety of women at night, making the Union sustainable and ensuring it is accountable to the student body. So congratulations are in order, despite trying your hardest to be cool, your SparkNotes understanding of Nihilism is the most delicious cringe of all.
20 FORGE PRESS
FEATURES
FRIDAY 10 MARCH 2017
press.features@forgetoday.com
Are we really just Barbie girls in a
Barbie world? Shiny blonde hair, plump pink lips and legs for miles. Barbie has been the ‘It Girl’ since 1959, but what does she really mean for the future of womanhood?
FORGE PRESS 21
FRIDAY 10 MARCH 2017
FEATURES
“L
Jessica Davis Features Editor
et’s go shopping!” “Math is hard!” These aren’t exactly statements we want young girls to believe. However in 1968 Barbie muttered these as her very first words to every child that idolised her. Despite statements like this and the general stereotype that Barbie is a classic dumb blonde, her career ventures are something we can all aspire to. She may not be who first springs to mind when you think of feminist icons, when it comes to careers Barbie is truly ahead of the game. Debuting in only a zebra-stripe swimsuit, gold hoops and an eyeliner flick that puts all of ours to shame, Barbie Millicent Roberts (to give her her full name) started as a replica of the Californian golden-age bikini beauties. However, over decades her career prospects have smashed through the metaphorical glass ceiling. Barbie has turned her perfect plastic hand to basically everything. From dentist to figure skater, it’s fair to say her CV is pretty jam-packed. Despite having held over 150 careers, her life hasn’t been full of career empowering moments, instead she’s received harsh criticism throughout her lifetime. At only 11 and a half inches tall, critics have slated her for
“Over decades her career prospects have smashed through the metaphorical glass ceiling” promoting unrealistic ideals for women, such as negative body image. Up until last year Barbie was nearly always the same blonde with the impossibly tiny waist, perky boobs and teeny tiny arched feet. A scientific study once determined that when converted
on a human scale, her frame lacked the body fat necessary for a woman to menstruate. Despite this, Barbie has been a role model over the years as her careers have got more progressive and grown with society. Astronaut Barbie landed on the moon four years before Neil Armstrong, and in the 1980s, CEO Barbie arrived in the boardroom just as women broke into the C-suite. After years as a flight attendant for different airlines, Barbie finally made the career leap to pilot in 1999. It’s clear that Barbie is nothing but persistent. She’s run for
“Critics have slated her for promoting unrealistic ideals for women” president a total of five times, first in 1992, 14 years before Hillary Clinton became the first female to lead a major US party’s presidential ticket. Dr Emily R. Aguiló-Pérez, Sociology lecturer at Penn State University and researcher of all things Barbie, has devoted years to Barbie’s career choices and what they mean for the young girls that play with her. “Her career changes are interesting because she originated as a teen supermodel. That was her career and as a result for the first years her identity centered on fashion. In 1965 Barbie became an astronaut, which was very progressive at the time.” Dr Aguiló-Pérez found that girls and women didn’t always assign Barbie dolls to the same career she had. Rather, they would make their own stories about whom Barbie was and often she was someone completely different from what the box described. “Girls explored different careers rather than ‘conventional’ ones thanks to the Barbie Empire. In one piece of research, two sisters enjoyed interacting with a book where Barbie shows different careers to aspire to and explained what each job was. The girls sometimes
incorporated those careers into their play with the dolls because they use them to imitate what ‘real’ people do. One of the girls wanted to become a fashion designer, so played her Barbie in that role, encouraging her to draw out designs and later on start her own clothing line.” Barbie’s realistic makeover scored her the number two spot on Time Magazine’s list of ‘Most Inspirational Fictional Characters of 2016’. She’s set to continue along her path described by Mattel as “taking on aspirational and culturally relevant roles while also serving as a role model and agent of change for girls”. Long story cut short, she’s on her way to empowering young girls to be whoever they want. Following two years of declining global Barbie sales, and with girls increasingly turning to other toys like Disney’s Frozen dolls, electronic toys and tablets, Mattel changed its marketing strategy to sell their dolls as more than just a pretty face and to highlight that any woman, as the ad campaigns say, can “Be Anything”.
“The concept of Barbie empowerment goes so much further than who is in the box” Barbie’s worldwide sales increased 15.8 per cent by September last year, showing that little girls want more ‘realness’ rather than a doll focused on looks. She may not always have been the world’s best idol for body image or self-love, but her work ethic and career mindset is undoubtedly something that young girls should aspire to be. The concept of Barbie empowerment goes so much further than who is in the box. It’s about dreaming your fantasy life and going after it.
22 FORGE PRESS
FRIDAY 10 MARCH 2017
FEATURES
press.features@forgetoday.com
DOES DO POLITICS POLITICS REALLY REPRESENT DIVERSITY?
F
Tim Adams Features Contributor
ake News. Alternative Facts. Turns of phrase that just two years ago meant nothing are now the words on everyone’s lips. Is your Facebook feed a sanctuary of honesty or full of made up memes with fake facts to sway your vote? Politicians have never been expected to be fully honest and the criticism of politicians’ ideas and policies is nothing new, but the kind of defamation they now receive has taken Western countries by storm. Political parties stand for a particular belief, with the hope that their representatives can persuade the public to vote for them. We see Labour and Conservatives battle it out in the UK and Democrats and Republicans across the pond. However, when somebody starts out in politics there must be an incentive for them to get involved. People believe that they can change society for the better and it’s how they plan to do it which determines how they are separated from others the political world. The lack of diversity in politics rightly attracts both attention and criticism. In a democratic society, a government should not simply be a wealthy group of aristocrats deciding how the public should be run without the input from the public. Surely a diverse nation such as the UK, or indeed the US, should expect a diverse group of people representing them. Politics is a funny old game, though. And unfortunately for minorities, it’s a game where white men take the role at the front of the grid, whilst those representing BME,
and disabled communities are forced to start in the pit lane. Diveristy in the House of Commons’ is definitely improving, but the severe disparities leave communities without a strong voice. In 1979 there were three women MPs in Parliament. Now we have our second female prime minister and a record number of 192 women sitting in the iconic green seats. But the fact that they still only make up 29 per cent of Parliament is worrying. It is worth noting that minority representation has increased. 6 per cent of MPs are from an ethnic minority background, while the number of female BME MPs doubled from 1.5 to 3 per cent between 2010 and 2015. However, there’s a long way to go until we get a political diversity jackpot. Out of the 650 MPs, 32 classify themselves as LGBT+, while just two,
Robert Halfon and Paul Maynard, have a disability. Religious diversity has also improved but is still badly underrepresented in proportion to the population. Between the last two elections, eight new Muslims were elected, but make up just 0.2 per cent of the Commons, while Muslims make up 4.5 per cent of the UK. And some faiths, such as Sikhism and Judaism, suffered terribly in the last election. Although Sikhs make up 0.8 per cent of the population, they have no representation in the Commons for the first time since 1992, after none of the 20 Sikh candidates won. Ruth Smeeth, a Jewish MP, who criticised Jeremy Corbyn on policy, received hate messages because of her faith. One antiSemitic comment from a fanatic threatened to hang her “from the gallows.” And we wonder why minority representation is scarce? Last year Bernie Sanders said:
FORGE PRESS 23
FRIDAY 10 MARCH 2017
FEATURES “One of the greatest tragedies that we face today politically is that most people have given up on the political process. They understand the political deck is stacked against them.” While it’s refreshing to see women lead in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Germany, the difficulty of getting into that position must not be underestimated. Only one female ran for Students Union President this year. A sign of the times, one could argue. The UK Youth Council’s push for increasing diversity has seen the gap close, though. Just over half of the MYPs are women while 29 per cent represent the BME community. Recent voter turnouts highlight the importance of enfranchisement within politics. A lot of minority groups believe their vote won’t matter or do not have the motivation to vote, because even if their representative is elected the likelihood is they would be a minority in government. In the UK the first MP from an ethnic minority background was elected in 1892. Little progress was made until 1987, when four Labour candidates – Paul Boateng, Bernie Grant, Keith Vaz and Diane Abbott – were elected. In Tottenham, it is easy to see why the importance of BME
diversity within UK politics is so significant. Labour MP David Lammy grew up, like so many in the area, on an impoverished council estate and has served the constituency for 15 years. His childhood encouraged him to work hard and speak up for those who he felt he could connect with in the future. Lammy became the first ever black Briton to study at Harvard University and went on to achieve first class honours. Last year, after he spoke of equality being the heart of democracy in a speech at the Stephen Lawrence Memorial Centre, Lammy headed a Government-commissioned report into racial bias within the justice system. Tottenham’s population is predominately made up of Black Caribbean and Black African backgrounds who statistically earn less, which Lammy acknowledged in his speech, telling the story of his single mother working two jobs a day to bring up her children. It also has the fourth highest youth unemployment in the country, and it’s important for people from that area to not only see themselves represented politically but also to know that they can follow in Lammy’s footsteps. It is then perhaps unsurprising that since his by-election triumph
“People have given up on the political process. They understand the political deck is stacked against them...”
in 2000 Lammy has never received a share of the vote below 52 per cent, so far ahead of his rivals that they need binoculars to spot him. It may be easy to only think of political representation as the number of minorities sat in Parliament or Congress, but the importance of a familiar voice is key to bridging the gap. When Obama spoke the truth as he saw those who felt like they were strangers in their own neighbourhoods saw their perspective reflected back to them. Obama’s keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention told a tale of a young boy from Chicago, bullied at school because of his colour and shut out of sports teams due to the way he spoke, a story of slaves around a fire singing freedom songs, the hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores and the idea that a mill-worker’s son could defy the odds and become President. Social and racial injustice in the US has largely been stamped under the carpet from where it was 100 years ago, but many minorities, especially Latinos and Hispanics, feel stereotyped as people who cannot have a shot at the American Dream. The Arizona SB1070 law, passed in 2012, allowed law enforcement officials to stop and search anyone suspected of being
an undocumented immigrant. In response to this, The White House concluded that, “no American should ever live under a cloud of suspicion just because of what they look like.” Just like in the UK, many believe that the minority inequality gap in the US is improving, but Clinton’s loss to President Trump in last year’s election raises new issues. The fact that 95 per cent of Black women and 70 per cent of Hispanic women voted for Clinton while 62 per cent of white women voted for Trump speaks volumes of the gravity of the US’ diversity problem. Clinton embraced the idea that the woman should not be afraid to express themselves. She made jokes out of her iconic pantsuits and appeared in Vogue, essentially telling the American people that this is who she is and if they don’t like it then don’t vote for her. Her defeat to Trump raises questions. Was her failure because of her campaign or because of her gender? Will there ever be a female US President? In 2020 it is highly
“Only one female ran for Students Union President this year. A sign of the times, one could argue.”
likely that the Democrats may choose one of Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand or California Senator Kamala Harris to go forward as the candidate against Trump. The newly elected President’s cabinet contains just two women, Betsy DeVos and Elaine L. Chao. But the Supreme Court’s three females, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, preside over the rule of law. Only time will tell if the US is ready to see a woman ruling the Oval. Women holding positions of power are now more frequent in the UK Government. Home Secretary Amber Rudd, Justice Secretary Liz Truss and Education Secretary Justine Greening preside over three of the most important offices of state, while across in Japan the new leader of the opposition Democratic Party, Defence Minister and Tokyo’s governor are all women. So women reaching levels of power whilst not unprecedented, is unfortunately still noteworthy. How can both the UK and US,
improve political representation and diversity? Diversity is a prerequisite for representation. The more often that politicians can connect their story to the people they represent, the more forceful and meaningful the message and the greater the chance of voter interest and turnout in elections. In Rwanda, there are legislated quotas at every level of politics, which at the last election resulted in a lower house in which women occupy 51 of the 80 seats. Labour have embraced women only shortlists and currently have almost double the number of female MPs than the Tories in Parliament. Quotas for LGBT+ and BME candidates is another option. While the political environment has changed over the 50 years, representation and diversity have tried to adapt but failed to catch up at the required speed. As societies continually shape themselves, many minorities worry that stereotypes may haunt their lives.
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LIFESTYLE Vegan chilli three ways FOOD & DRINK
A versatile recipe that’s cheap, good lookin’, full on flavour, and 100% vegan. #milkismurder Ingredients For the Chilli: • 100g Soy Mince • 1 x tin chopped tomatoes • 1 x tin red kidney beans • A couple of garlic cloves • A hot hot hot chilli pepper • Assorted herbs and spices To accompany: • Avocado • Salsa • Taco Shells • Tortilla Chips • Wraps • Salad-y stuff • An array of various sauces • Whatever else you fancy. You do you, man.
Editors Note: When I cooked this meal I just kind of made it up as I went along, but stick with this recipe and you’ll end up with something vaugely resembling Chilli. Probably. Hopefully.
1.) Soy Mince is this weird dry flakey stuff that costs something like £2 a bag that lasts a goddamn while. Get on the hype. It needs rehydrating before you can eat it though, so get a pan of boiling water on the go and dissolve a vegetable stock cube into it, and whack around 100g of the good stuff in to simmer for 20 minutes or so.
press.lifestyle@forgetoday.com
LIFESTYLE RECIPE
2.) Nicely dice up whatever vegetables you fancy for the chilli (onion, carrot, celery and whathave-you) and soften them up in some oil. If you want to put your chilli pepper in at this point rather than later it’ll probably have less kick, so that’s your call, y’know? 3.) Now that everything’s all nice and flavourful, throw in a tin of chopped tomatoes and a (drained) tin of red kidney beans. At this stage you’ll want to throw in your garlic as well, and an assortment of various herbs and spices / chilli sauce to your liking. Keep tasting it and checking. 4.) Leave it be and let it simmer down for around 20 minutes so all the flavours can mingle around and have a flava party. P.S. You might want to put some rice on as welll. 5.) To top it all off, throw your soy mince in for the last five minutes of cooking. BONUS STEP: Get an avocado out of its skin and onto a chopping board, get on some lime juice and tobasco, and smash it up with a fork and you’ve got yourself some fresh GUAC boiii. Three ways 1.) Have it with some rice and nachos with the guacamole and salsa on the side. 2.) Same again but on a wrap and you’ve got a burrito. 3.) Same again but on tacos with some salad leaves and you’ve got, you guessed it, TACOS. - Joseph Mackay
JOSEPH MACKAY
Lifestyle’s regular section exploring the University of Sheffield’s Best Student Ink. This tattoo is an overly nostalgic tribute to a small village in North West England where I spent the first 18 years of my life. There’s not much in Rainford, and there’s not much to do that’s particularly exciting if you’re over the age of 14 (i.e. you don’t want to go for a bike ride to the woods), but it was a great place to grow up. It’s where I was born, it’s where I went to school, it’s where I wasted entire summers faffing around in farmers’ fields, and it’s where I still return every couple of months to raid the lone charity shop. It’s a tattoo for Rainford, but also for my childhood. As for the image, it was either the Church, the infamous charity shop, the bakery, or the local Co-op. Whilst a Co-op tattoo certainly has potential, I’m glad I went with the Church. Do you want to be featured? Fire us an email @ press.lifestyle@ forgetoday.com
TATTOO CORNER
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LIFESTYLE Five surprisingly vegan foods!
LIFESTYLE LOVES
FOOD & DRINK
By Joseph Mackay DL E OO
TN ig # bee fy P O
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other flava th
ith Soy Milk!
FASHION
Since I was 14 years old I have exclusively worn skinny fit jeans: blue, black, men’s, women’s. Whatever. BUT THIS ALL CHANGED last week when I bought some motherflippin’ WATERPROOF straight cut jeans in M&S. My legs feel free again. I am waterproof. I feel librated. I fully recommend.
Ab
Chilli
ritos! (No heatwave do
!
Veganism doesn’t have to be boring! Here are five foods you kooky kidz probably eat ALL THE TIME that are vegan AF, and you probably don’t even know!
ew Custard mad
! Spr
read
it sp
iscu off b
Bisc ead cuit!
a bis
Some creamy creamy Oreos! (Crazy, right!?)
LIFESTYLE REVIEWS
Nam Sông Coffee House FOOD & DRINK
Lifestyle contributor Ben Kempton reviews the traditional taste of Vietnam... in Broomhill.
L
ocated in the perhaps not-so-exotic Broomhill, the bright orange Năm Sông provides luscious escapism from rainy grey Sheffield. On arrival, you become lost in the soothing colourful glow and the perfect staff-selected playlist – never before has a coffee shop had such a great soundtrack. There is a carpeted area for customers to slip their shoes off and in true Asian style, sink crosslegged onto the comfy cushioned floor. The real challenge is getting up to leave afterwards, you will never want to. For food, the unique Asian menu ranges from their speciality make-your-own step-by-step Banh Mì baguettes, to delightfully moreish banana fritters. The real show stopper is the traditional Vietnamese Phin filter coffee, a superbly sweet condensed milk treat which makes your bog standard Costa coffee seem extremely dull. Năm Sông is kind on the
student wallet, with prices that are just right. A Phin filter coffee is a humble £2.50. The lovely staff are enthusiastically welcoming and the chilled setting serves as a perfect place to change up your surroundings and get some uni work done. Owner Jim Rose said the café is influenced by his travels around Asia, “my girlfriend hated coffee but the coffees in Vietnam
changed her mind and being a coffee lover myself, I loved them and it gave us the idea to start this place”. The café is also more than meets the eye he explains, “the orange theme is to raise awareness of the on going effect of the chemical weapon ‘Agent Orange’ that was used in the Vietnam War, and 10% of our profits goes to charities helping this”. Rose also mentioned his intentions for
evolving the café, “I want to turn it into a bar where people can get drinks in the evening, listen to great music and snack on prawn crackers. I’m just waiting for the license.” If you are ever in the Broomhill area make sure you check this place out, one visit and you’ll be hooked on the cool vibes of Năm Sông.
FOOD Gather round friends. Welcome to Joe Mackay’s Vegan March 2017, where I cannot go one hour without telling somebody that I’m Vegan. Although I’ve been doing a lot of cooking for myself [hint hint nudge nudge look at page 24], I can fully recommend the SU shop vegan meal deal (which comes with Nando’s crisps) and Interval’s Vegan Enchilada.
TRAVEL LITERALLY ANYWHERE IN THE GODDAMN WORLD because I have been introduced to Google Flights and am now very invested into the notion of putting in random dates and locations to see how much it costs. Great way to book a round trip to Azerbaijan after a night out.
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LIFESTYLE
A beginner’s guide to photography FEATURE
Lifestyle Editior Florence Mooney meets with photographer James Reilly to learn the basics behind the art of photography
T
he word photography stems from the Ancient Greek words ‘photo’, meaning light, and ‘graphia’, which means writing or drawing. Thus, photography is the art of writing and drawing with light. Pretty cool, huh? Last Saturday, I spent the afternoon with Second Year Medical student and photographer James Reilly to see if I could pick up some of the skills to successfully draw with light. James frequently takes photos for events such as Soul Jam and Pretty Pretty Good nights at venues all around Sheffield including The Night Kitchen, Hope Works and The Harley. From smartphone cameras to DSLR and 35mm film cameras, we discussed the ins-and-outs of all sorts of photography and how to get the best of your pictures. There are three main types of cameras worth mentioning:
Compact Digital Cameras These are similar to phone cameras. They are small, light, compact and pretty easy to use. Their low price and versatile nature makes these cameras apt for most basic photographic needs.
Bridge Cameras These are the next level up on the camera ladder. Bridge cameras combine elements of both compact digital cameras
and DSLR cameras – as the name suggests they bridge the gap between the two. They produce higher quality images and allow the photographer more control over some settings such as ISO and white balance. Other settings are often entirely automatic, making it a great camera for the amateur photographer.
DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) A digital single lens reflex camera, allows the photographer much more control over the photos they are taking and produces images at a far higher quality than either compact digital or bridge cameras. They work via a series of mirrors and prisms, using a mechanical system to take a photo. Although phone cameras can produce impressive and high quality photos, they cannot match the quality of a DSLR camera. DSLR cameras are very robust and have a whole manner of adjustable settings and variables which can alter how your images look. After spending the afternoon taking photos with James, the most important of these variables seemed to be the shutter speed, aperture and ISO.
Shutter speed The shutter speed is really just what it says on the tin: it is the length of time that the shutter is open for. By varying the shutter speed, you can alter the length of time which light can fall upon the sensor or film, altering the amount of movement in the photo. A faster shutter speed (e.g. 1/200 second) captures less light and is ideal for moving objects or in a bright environment such as on a sunny day. Long exposure
photos are created when the shutter speed is slowed (e.g. 1/2 second), and can beautifully capture movement and bustle.
Aperture The aperture changes the amount of light let into the lens. A wider aperture (such as f/1.8) is ideal when it is dark, or you want a shallow depth of field – with a blurry background. Conversely, a narrrower aperture (such as f/11) is better suited to a situation when you want to take a photo with more of the contents in focus – a bigger depth of field, such as a landscape.
ISO ISO is how sensitive the camera’s sensor is to light. Essentially, the higher the ISO, the more sensitive the camera is to light; the lower the ISO, the less sensitive the sensor is. The ISO can be adjusted depending on the situation – in a dim room, a higher ISO allows a photo to be taken without flash whilst still picking up light. However, using a higher ISO will increase the “noise” in the image, making it grainier. After having learnt some of the theory behind a good photograph, we went on an exploration around some of Sheffield’s most loved landmarks to put my new knowledge into practise. After a little editing on Photoshop later the next day, James produced some photographs from around Sheffield. Whilst exploring Sheffield, it became apparent to me how much a photographer’s eye sees which I, someone with little experience in photography, miss. Paying attention when walking around, it is apparent how many
opportunities there are for taking photos, noticing things such as symmetry, reflection and shadows. The afternoon made me realise how much beauty there is around us, certainly inspiring me to pick up a camera again - maybe one day I will be able to capture this.
James’ top tips of photography James left me with his top 5 tips for any budding photographer to improve their photos: 1. Whatever camera you are using, spend time to learn what it is capable of. Even on an iPhone, there are some settings that you can control, such as exposure compensation (after tapping to focus, place your finger on the yellow square and move up or down). 2. Try to avoid flash if possible. Natural light will usually look better. 3. Think about the composition of your photos i.e. where the contents of the photo are. One demonstration of this is the rule of thirds. This rule suggests that if the photo is split up into a noughts and crosses style grid of 9 squares,
the subjects should be placed at the intersections of lines, with the horizon on either the top or the bottom line. Allowing ‘linear’ components of photographs to move between thirds of the photos often results in an image that is more aesthetically pleasing. However, all rules are made to be broken and in some cases it is more effective to place the subject in the centre. 4. Edit your photos afterwards. For photos taken on a DSLR camera, programs such as Photoshop give you endless possibilities to alter your photos and change how they look. There are also plenty of apps to allow you to alter your photos with. VSCO is particularly good for iPhone. 5. Finally, take and look at as many photos as you can. You will learn what works, what doesn’t, and what you like. Trial and error with both taking pictures and editing them will help you will discover what is most effective. All photos by James Reilly.
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FRIDAY 10 MARCH 2017
28 FORGE PRESS
LIFESTYLE Europe’s undiscovered capital: Forge’s guide to Zagreb TRAVEL
Lifestyle Editior Florence Mooney shares her highlights of the Croatian capital
O
f Europe’s many diverse and beautiful capitals, Croatia’s Zagreb is one of the less frequently explored. However, Zagreb is a beautiful Mediterranean city with the bonus of far fewer tourists than many other European capitals. The city still has plenty to do and is well worth a visit. When arriving in Zagreb, what is most striking is how different
it is to other European capitals. Sure, it still has lots of beautiful architecture, a good array of shops and numerous bars and restaurants. But rather than the busy rush of cities such as Budapest or Berlin, Zagreb is somewhat slower and more laid-back. The lack of tourists certainly makes it feel less busy, and the locals seem in no rush to get anywhere. This seems to be an unusual trait for a city in the 21st Century, but is definitely something to be welcomed. It is first worth exploring the Old Town. Despite lacking hordes of tourists, Zagreb still has much to offer when it comes to the traditional tourist sites. Zagreb upper town is the medieval hub of the city and
contains the city’s Cathedral which dates back to the 13th century. It is a beautiful example of neo-gothic architecture, and with its two spires reaching 105m, it is the tallest building in Croatia. The upper town is a maze of narrow winding streets climbing uphill, containing an array of craft and food shops as well as restaurants and bars. On an evening this area of the city is lively with a mix of locals and tourists enjoying food and drink. Continuing north, past the upper town and out of the city centre, you will reach the Mirogoj cemetery. The impressive entrance was built in the later part of the 19th century and was designed by Herman Bolle in the style of Mediterranean Roman architecture. Covered in beautiful greenery, Mirogoj is a perfect place to escape to and relax for the afternoon. Back in the city, Zagreb is certainly not lacking in providing a vast array of museums for visitors. The Museum of Contemporary Art is the biggest museum in Croatia and provides an incredible range of modern and contemporary art from Croatia and beyond. Of Zagreb’s range of museums, the best is the unique Museum of Broken Relationships. Starting as a touring exhibition, the museum found a permanent home in Zagreb in 2011. The museum exhibits a collection of artefacts people from all across the globe have donated
from previous relationships. From an axe used by a woman to chop up her ex’s furniture to a suicide note written from a mother to a son, this museum presents an emotive range of objects with beautiful, powerful and heart-breaking stories of people’s past relationships. After a day visiting the different sites and museums Zagreb has to offer, head to dinner at one of the many restaurants Zagreb has to offer, or for a pint at one of the hidden bars. Following dinner, the best place to head to is Zrinjevac Square in the centre of the town. The square is perfect to relax in during the day, but in the evening there is
A day out? ‘Alpaca My Bags’ REVIEW
Lifestyle contributor Joshua Astley shares his adventure at Mayfield Alpaca Farm
M
aybe you have heard rumblings around Sheffield of the alpacas, or perhaps you are totally oblivious to Sheffield’s haven for the alpaca species. Either way, if you haven’t been to see the alpacas at Mayfield Alpaca Farm, you should. About 3 miles outside the centre of Sheffield is a whole world of alpaca related fun. It is a small farm in the countryside that breeds alpacas and is home
to various other animals. You turn up at a small farm with a little building and numerous fields with animals milling around. A ticket costs only £3.50 and grants you access to the small animal enclosure inside, which contains meerkats and various small mammals. It also gets you into the outside enclosure. Boundless fun awaits with reindeer, pigs and llamas all ready to be stroked and fed. Then comes its namesake, the alpacas. You can buy a bag of feed for 50p from the shop and it’s well worth doing because it really does go a long way! There are around five in the first field, and with the same enthusiasm of a hungry student, they come bounding over as soon as you open the food. My personal favourite was a black and grey
one with a great 80s style hair do. There was a very pushy blonde one which always stole the food so if you go make sure the whole family get fed and save some food for the other fields. There is a trail detailing the history of the alpaca which is interesting and well worth a walk particularly if it’s a nice day. Word of warning, wear suitable shoes. It’s a farm and none of the paths are paved so your corp shoes will probably be fine, but don’t risk your new trainers. Afterwards there is a cozy coffee shop where you can get milkshakes and snacks. I would recommend the chocolate brownie to top off a sufficiently fluffy day.
often live music and pop up bars with a lively atmosphere. Zrinjevac also gets a special mention for having free wifi, fulfilling all your millennial needs. Although Zagreb is less frequently mentioned on lists of must-visit European cities, it is still definitely worth visiting. If you are attracted to a slower and more relaxed break than the bustle of larger capitals, Zagreb is a beautiful alternative with a lot to offer.
LIFESTYLE REVIEWS
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GAMES
press.games@forgetoday.com
RED LIGHT for
P
C marketplace giant Steam recently announced their Greenlight system will be ending after five years. Greenlight allowed users to vote on small indie games and those that received enough votes would be sold online via Steam. The intention was to prevent the site becoming flooded with basic games made by one guy after a quick buck whilst allowing the genuinely talented developers who would otherwise go unnoticed get their chance in the spotlight. The result however was rather the opposite. Greenlight allowed anyone with a snazzy premise, catchy pitch and maybe a few good screenshots to release their shoddy (often unfinished) games onto one of the biggest gaming platforms in the world. Greenlight’s replacement forces developers to pay a publisher fee (a number currently anywhere between $100 and $5000) to Steam in order to sell on their platform followed by a check “to ensure that the game runs on the operating systems it says it does and that there is some game-type content”. This may seem harsh on small up-and-coming developers but it is absolutely the right decision. Some may argue that this makes Steam no different from the triple AAA publishers such as EA but Valve argue that the fee will absolutely be recoupable, especially if the game is good enough to gain popularity. The final product should be reminiscent of Apple’s App Store, which follows a similar procedure. One of the main criticisms of the App Store is that, unlike Google’s Play Store, this stifles smaller app creators. However, it’s
more accurate to view it as quality control; Play Store has roughly 30% more apps then the App Store, which considering there’s a much wider range of apps on Apple devices is quite telling to how the tech industry is going. And gaming is no different. Many believe that the current state of the industry, particularly the over saturation of the market with poor quality games (both indie and triple AAA), is indicative of a second video game crash. The current climate is edging dangerously closer to how it was in the early 80s, just prior to the previous crash. The main difference is that the industry is far larger than it was in 1983, meaning the consequences of a crash would be far more monumental. In a world where many argue that games can be art, there should be no room for poor quality, regardless of how big the developer is. Steam removing Greenlight is just the first of many steps which are essential in seeing the industry survive.
Luke Baldwin
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GAMES
r/12in12 G
aming can be a pretty solitary activity. Even if there’s the option to get together with laptops and play via LAN or online with distant friends, chances are most of us choose new games and complete them without a great deal of discussion or debate. Nearly all my friends are gamers, but it’s still not something I’d expect to talk about much, especially since we rarely play the same games. Over in a small corner of Reddit, users have found a way to create an atmosphere from the shared passion of gaming, and it’s totally lovely. Subreddit r/12in12 encourages gamers to challenge themselves and share gaming goals. The forum has been active for around a year, with about 1,300 subscribers. The idea is to assign yourself a game (or two, or four) to play every month for the next 12 months. The incentive is to start clearing out any backlog you’ve built up over the years, and to really give your games some attention by playing one at a time. There are even set genres for every month, with accompanying discussion threads if you’re determined to expand your gaming horizons. But the best aspect of r/12in12 is that gamers from all over Reddit have come together and made a really pleasant community. Rather than seeking out specific games or getting into fights, everybody is encouraged to post their game list, their thoughts, and to generally engage with one another. In the spirit of engaging with fellow hobbyists, I asked some Redditors why they got involved and compiled their thoughts. The main motivation for joining the r/12in12 challenge seems to be a lack of motivation. Turns out I’m not the only one who quits every time at 70% complete. Obviously, s o m e games
don’t really end, but setting yourself a target number of hours for the relevant month seems to be a popular equivalent to completion. That extra bit of support also encourages us to get past those frustrating in-game challenges. Cult hit Psychonauts has haunted me for the last three years because I can’t get past the circus tent and come June I will be facing that particular demon. In fact, being able to share minor irritations as well as fan theories seems to be a major motivation, with responses and tips coming from people who’ve also been there. Communities like these reinforce that small goals are the best goals. It’s not going to change your life, but turning your favourite lazy hobby into an achievement you can share with others is actually genius. My life is full of unchecked to-dos, but now I can chill out online after the library and feel like I’m still getting something done. (I guess I am pretty into lists though. The next step would be to make myself badges. I love badges.) The Redditors I spoke to seem to love r/12in12 because, like me, they don’t spend time waxing philosophical for hours about games in real life. The discussions get seriously detailed, and the addition of the challenge just makes it all the better. It’s fun to spot trends in neglected games, which are often those picked up in bundles and forgotten, or bigger time-sinks like The Witcher III: Wild Hunt and Dark Souls. One moderator from r/12in12 commented that Skyrim seems to be a particularly popular choice this year, in light of its recently released remaster. In general, games seem a bit underrepresented in the age of Goodreads, Letterboxd and Spotify. Books, films and music are readily accounted for when it comes to social media outlets, but it’s harder to find a good site to organise games. For me, Reddit has been one of the best. If you’ve got some spare time and a pile of games gathering dust in the corner, set yourself a challenge and go check out r/12in12.
12 months 12 games Sophie Maxwell
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GAMES
ometimes a game, film or piece of music is so fundamentally perfect, it makes critical analysis incredibly daunting – where to even begin? It is nevertheless a privileged position to be in, and Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is one such case. There’s no point beating about the bush, this game is incredible. Once again, players take control of the courageous knight Link, who has woken up after a 100-year nap with no memory of who or where he is. What follows is an adventure which sees Link trek to all four corners of Hyrule in a hope to find his purpose, defeat the evil Calamity Ganon and save the titular princess. Generic premise perhaps, but the freedom bestowed upon the player to discover, combined with a lack of handholding means that Link’s journey is as immersive and rewarding as if it were the player’s own. Two adventurers could be 30 hours into the game and have wildly different experiences, all the while
scratching the surface of what the game offers. Such is the sheer scope of Breath of the Wild. The first thing that will strike most players is the gorgeous art style. A unique mix of the cel shading of Wind Waker, the photorealism of Twilight Princess and the awe-inspiring vistas of Ocarina of Time. The game looks truly breathtaking. The vast world, both huge and filled with opportunity, is one of the game’s greatest features. In typical Zelda fashion, very rarely is the player told what to do or where to go. Exploration is key and with horses, paragliders and climbing all at Links disposal it’s both fun and easy. It’s not often in open world games that the player can look at a mountain in the distance and freely reach its summit, much less in whichever way they choose. Gameplay is your typical Legend of Zelda affair. Puzzles, combat and travelling all feel perfectly balanced, challenging yet fair. Additional gameplay mechanics such as weather, cooking and stealth all add an extra twist but work seamlessly with the rest of the game. It’s best to keep details here to a minimum as half of the fun of these features is the player discovering them, but rest assured the number of possible approaches to a given task is mind-boggling. The fact that these mechanics are all so intuitive with every aspect slotting together is just one example of the game’s brilliant design. Nintendo have clearly taken some of the greatest aspects from other
RPG franchises like Dark Souls and Elder Scrolls without losing sight of what makes a Zelda game. The only gripe here is that some of the voice acting fell flat, particularly Zelda’s, possibly due to poor translation. This wasn’t too much of a problem though, as most of the time voice acting is replaced by the exasperated anime-esque sounds that we have come to expect from a Zelda game. A minor stain on an otherwise flawless delivery. Breath of the Wild is a strong contender for both the greatest handheld game of all time and arguably the greatest Zelda game of all time. It absolutely compares to a modern-day Ocarina. There’s certainly no doubt that in the future, Breath of the Wild will command the same prestige within gaming history. Buying a full price Nintendo Switch with its current lack of games will put a lot of people off. But when you’re given the opportunity to play a game this good and this big on a handheld console, the asking price seems a hell of a lot more worth it.
Luke Baldwin
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press.arts@forgetoday.com
Arts in Review
ARTS
So first of all, what does your role as Activities Officer entail? My role covers a lot, so whatever doesn’t belong to any other officer belongs to me: faith, performances, arts, activities, booking rooms, some of bits CiCS, some international and global projects - a lot of things! What are your favourite arts opportunities that are available in the Students’ Union? One of my favourites is probably Stitch Soc. I’ve never joined myself as I can’t stitch to save my life, but I come down from work now and then and they just sit in the Activities Zone and stitch. It looks really creative and friendly, like a happy little family. Another is SUTCo. They put on so many productions and you can get a role in any of them. There was the 24 Hour Musical a couple of weeks ago. SUTCo is super, and that musical was really good. Were you involved in any creative societies during your time as a student?
have been put in so people can dance safely. Sometimes, when I’m walking home from work, I see people rehearsing in the corridors which is obviously not ideal. There will be more space in the residences as well, which will help with storage space as the societies have so much stuff and not many places to put it. Do you have any favourite arts venues around Sheffield? I don’t go to many galleries but I do a lot of dancing. I go to Bloo 88 for the salsa social, and I stay until midnight to do some salsa dancing. I also go to Revolucion de Cuba, Cubana, and more. You can pay a membership and every other Monday they do salsa classes. It’s great fun! What would you say to students who are nervous about getting involved with dancing or performing arts or other activities? I’d say do one of the Give it a Go sessions and take a friend along. Grab one of the booklets, have a look through it and see if you can find any funny or random classes to take on, like Swedish Massage!
No, I wasn’t. I’m not the creative type! I was mainly involved with charities and fundraising. I did UNICEF, Amnesty International and then I collaborated with Stop the Traffik and other fundraising platforms.
What do you see as the role of the arts in today’s political climate? Every day on Facebook I see arts making a political statement. At the same time, there are a lot of arts which are simply fun to get involved with. For instance, people find SUTCo fun as it allows them to be someone else for an hour.
Did thoses role ever include creating art? Oh yeah, all the time! With Amnesty International, we made a lot of banners for demonstrations and campaigns on the concourse. We used two big sticks and a wire fence to hang a big banner that said ‘Build Bridges, Not Walls.’ Apart from that, there were lots of other arts and crafts, like making photo frames to take around campus.
Do you think it’s important for the SU to facilitate the chance for students to cross boundaries and experiment with their identity?
What do you think the purpose of art is during protest?
Yes, totally! We prioritise diversity and let people do what they want to do. Our jobs are to provide equal opportunities for everyone.
In protests, it just jazzes it all up a bit! It’s much easier to pay attention to something that has visual aids than just people talking at you, and getting people involved with the arts and crafts. It’s nice to have a debate every now and then, but you also want to sit down and read and doing some cutting out and colouring!
How do you hope the new Activities Officer will be able to carry on supporting the arts?
Looking back over your time as Activities Officer, how have you been involved with the creative societies?
I’ve come from a very non-performance, nonarts background, so obviously my knowledge of the arts is not that thorough. If the new Activities Officer is from a performing society or a performing background, they will understand the specific needs of those groups.
I’ve been trying to get more rehearsal space in the different buildings around campus. In 38 Mappin Street, sprung floors
With the results of the SU Officer Elections upon us, Arts Editors Matt Wickens and Laura Mulvey caught up with outgoing Activities Officer Anna Berestova to capture her reflections on an exciting year for student creativity.
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ARTS INTERVIEW
Directing Dr. Faustus Maddie Murphy Director of SUTCo’s Dr Faustus With SUTCo’s four-day run of Dr. Faustus well underway, director Maddie Murphy gives us her insight into how a production like this comes together. Dr Faustus is an Elizabethan classic. What makes it relevant for an audience today? I really think Marlowe’s characters are what make it so exciting for a modern audience in that they’re entirely unique. He does an amazing job of making characters relatable for an audience member from any walk of life, especially Faustus and Mephistopheles. We all have parts of them in us, I think!
LYCEUM THEATRE
A Passionate Woman
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Rosie Boon Contributor
ay Mellor’s play tells the story of Betty (Liza Goddard), a woman consumed with passion and secrecy. Based on a true story, Mellor’s development of A Passionate Woman has the audience laughing within the opening minutes and welling up by the end. A wedding day is inevitably filled with heightened emotion, and that’s certainly the case for Betty. While seeking solace in the attic, she comes face to face with the regrets and insecurities of her past, embodied by her lost love, Craze (Hasan Dixon). Her son Mark (Antony Eden) and husband Donald (Russell Dixon) persuade her to come down from the attic and her hysteria. A highly dysfunctional family scenario reveals a myriad of relationships: a mother and son’s deep bond; a strained marriage held together by family values and a clashing father and son relationship, all of which are centred around a matriarch
The emotions those two characters explore are experienced by every person in their lifetime. That’s what makes this text so relevant even today. What are some of the challenges involved with adapting such a well-known text for the student stage? I think although it’s such a wellknown play, the difficulties came from the fact that Elizabethan theatre is not easily accessible to an audience, especially a morality tale like Dr Faustus. I knew I wanted to make a horrifying play, but the concept of hell and demons just isn’t enough to scare people anymore. Because of that I really had to make Faustus’s world horrifying, so I turned to a lot of horror tropes like flickering lights and slamming doors. The language is really challenging to overcome as well.
In my adaptation I’ve moved Dr Faustus into a very domestic space by giving him a wife and a child, and there’s something really hard about showing intimate family moments with such old language because it can seem forced. But the cast are really amazing and they do a fantastic job with the language. They’ve turned it into a strength. What aspect of the process has been the most fun so far? Definitely spending time with the cast. They’re all such amazing people and I haven’t worked with the majority of them before, so it’s been a lot of fun getting to know them over the last couple of weeks. We have such a laugh when we’re together! How did you develop your vision for the production? I have quite an overactive imagination, so when I’m reading
something I’ll often start to see parts of it in songs I hear or films I watch. As an actor I’ve always imagined texts from an acting perspective and how a certain character should move or how I would want it to appear on stage. One day I heard the song ‘Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene’ by Hozier, and from there I started to think about the idea of Faustus and Mephistopheles having a sexual relationship, and that was that! Once I had the idea, I was constantly thinking of ways to flesh the characters out. A lot of the play is drawn from people in my life, even if the audience and cast don’t know that. If someone looks a certain way or says something in a certain tone and it strikes a chord with me, I found a way to include it. From there I had a clear idea of what I
with her own deep-set insecurities. Whilst the romantic-comedy does border on being cringe-worthy at times, the tackling of serious issues with light humour keeps you absorbed in the moment.
“A Passionate Woman is a play from the attic that should be shouted from the rooftops.” Having premiered in 1992, over 20 years on A Passionate Woman is still an evocative story. This production makes use of immersive staging and sound, with stellar performances from the cast. A far cry from the BBC television adaptation in 2010, this new performance remains up-to-date by including contemporary cultural references to appeal to fresh eyes, though some may go amiss on a younger audience. The second act leads to a rushed, anticlimactic ending that somewhat juxtaposes the emotional journey you were began in the first act. A Passionate Woman investigates loss, love and passion with delightful humour.
MILLENNIUM GALLERY
What Can Be Seen
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Laura Mulvey Arts Editor
hat Can Be Seen appears at first glance to be an absurdly banal title for an art exhibition. After all, the vague promise of something on display meets only our most basic expectations of a gallery, or indeed, a museum. This collaboration by Tim Etchells and Vlatka Horvat falls somewhere in between these categories, as the core content of the exhibition has been carefully selected from the archives of Museums Sheffield. Assorted artefacts, photographs and paintings are meticulously arranged by the curators and presented in a minimalist white space. The result is an intriguing and genuinely thought-provoking experience that lays bare the blurred boundaries between art
and everyday life. Housed at the Millennium Gallery, What Can Be Seen is a treasure trove of human curiosity. The unassuming room opens onto two cabinets, the first filled with a rainbow of sea creatures and insects perfectly preserved within flat glass slides. From ferns with each frond frozen in time, to pink jellyfish with every tentacle flattened and splayed, the spectacle is a fascinating if slightly disturbing view of life under the microscope. In the second cabinet lie rows of pocket watches, some ornately decorated and pristinely kept, others smashed to disparate fragments and coils of metal. A notice on the side reveals that they fascinated the Victorian market with their fusion of craftsmanship, science, and artistry. This, really, is what makes the whole exhibition so compelling. Many of the works are outstanding products of human innovation and artistry, such as the strips of bright images from a magic lantern, stretched out to display
wanted, and how the characters would look, move, and speak. In a sentence, why should people come and see the play? I think that it is a very different take on a very well-known play, and if nothing else, it will be entirely unique! Dr. Faustus runs until Saturday 11 March at the University Drama Studio.
their mechanism. Others simply utilise artistic forms to document developments in knowledge, like the detailed sketches of Saxon burial sites. But running throughout the collection is the feeling of something invisible; the forces of nature, of science, of progress. What can be seen here are simply fragments of human responses. Truly, we are just observers. Not content with revitalising these old exhibits, Etchells and Horvat also break down the fourth wall between observer and curator. Notecards from back-of-house filing systems give us a rare glimpse into the bizarre, mysterious world of the archives. One bluntly declares: “One skull. No further data.” Another simply reads: “useless destroyed.”, creating a sense of profound unease that defies any explanation.
“Questioning what you see and guessing its purpose unlocks a childlike curiosity that’s almost impossible to resist.” The experience culminates in an enormous glass case at the end of the room, filled with an overwhelming mixture of curious objects. Ornate silver sugar shakers, formidable cannonballs, crystals of quartz and a gigantic stuffed porcupine fish all find a home in this cornucopia of discovery. Questioning what you see and guessing its purpose unlocks a childlike curiosity that’s almost impossible to resist. Interesting, educational and outstandingly accessible, there’s more to this exhibition than meets the eye.
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ARTS THEATRE DELICATESSEN
Alphabet Rosie Boon Contributor
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opens Let’s Talk About Sex theatre lphabet
INTERVIEW
Talking About Sex.
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Navya Hebbar Contributor
he Let’s Talk About Sex Festival is running at the Moor Delicatessen during the month of March. Forge caught up with Festival Director, Sarah Sharp, to ask her about how the festival came together. What was the central idea behind the Let’s Talk About Sex Festival? The festival is a way of providing a main programme of theatre shows and performance events, which is supported by an ancillary programme of participatory events and discussions to open up the topics of sex, gender and identity. These are issues we still find difficult to articulate ourselves upon, and the festival is an important way of using theatre and art as a tool for expression and investigation in a safe and encouraging environment.
“While it remains a topic people often find embarrasing, it is a vital part of being human.” The issues surrounding sex are often embarrassing at best and a taboo at worst. How receptive do you think the audience at Sheffield will be? We hope that the audiences will be open to exploring new forms of theatre and art to uncover feelings and issues concerning sex. While it remains a topic people often find difficult or embarrassing it is a vital part of being human on emotional and biological platforms. Each event is different from its predecessor, with plenty of choice on offer for a range of audiences. We have created a programme of
theater and workshops that is open to all in the hope that something (if not everything) appeals to each sector of our community. What was the logic behind selecting the acts you’ve got on for the festival? The artists have come together through a range of different ways: work that has been developed with Theatre Delicatessen; work that is touring; and then a carefully hand selected few who specialise in work like this. We wanted a programme that was wide reaching, attracted different audiences and addressed different topics. The rest then normally gets finalised as the programme is about to go to print, such as additional workshops and fun last minute events like ‘Happy Birthday Clitoris’ that we just couldn’t do without.
festival and leaves you speechless. Alphabet performed by Billy Taylor and written and directed by Sheffield’s resident artist Joe Bunce pushes the boundaries with this explorative piece. Alphabet ran on opening night of Theatre Delicatessen’s Let’s Talk About Sex Festival; a festival of theatre which opens societal discussion and breaks taboo, Alphabet does just that. This developing piece surrounds the pressures of teenage selfdiscovery, self-doubt and the becoming of a ‘man’. What makes Alphabet so shocking is its accuracy, the cleverly constructed performance of this piece rings true to most teenage boys lives. The poignant references to Snapchat, Call of Duty and pornography surmises a typical lad culture, the fuel to the flame of the demise of the love story. What could shake some audience members to their cores is how unrestricted and direct the performance is, how a supposed
romance can quickly turn to a horror story. Sam (Billy Taylor) is a young teenager who writes poetry, plays the guitar and loves David Bowie. He decides he loves Lucy, Lucy doesn’t love Sam. So Sam creates a plan, what starts as an innocent plan with references to romcoms to express himself steadily declines into entitlement. Full use of the space while performing means you’re entirely
“What could shake some audience members to their cores is how unrestricted and direct the performance is.” immersed in Sam’s world. What Joe Bunce does
is
“We hope that the audiences will be open to exploring new forms of theatre and art to uncover feelings and issues concerncing sex.” How does a festival like this one come together? Contacting artists, finding funding, finding partners, lots of publicity and then probably quite a bit of gin! What do you think are the expectations of people coming to the festival? What should they expect of a subject as this one? This is a programme of new and very exciting work. The performers are extremely talented. The shows are of incredible quality and are exploring topics that are increasingly important to society. Coming with an expectation that they will have a fun, fruitful and perhaps, poignant evening, will open our audiences’ experiences. The Let’s Talk about Sex festival runs until the end of March at the Moor Delicatessen in the centre of Sheffield.
SITE GALLERY
Material Truths
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Jack Spacey-Helder Contributor
ite Gallery’s minimal yet well-formed exhibition Material Truths comprises an international collection of works focusing on and interrogating the congruences between what we see and what we know, drawing inspiration from John Berger’s highly influential art criticism essay Ways of Seeing. Curated over the course of two years, Material Truths coincides with the recent
passing away of John Berger in January 2017. Fittingly, the forms with which the artists communicate their questioning of material truths vary significantly. The audience is invited to sit and watch Susan Schuppli’s narrated film Trace Evidence which delves into ecological nuclear disaster and marine contamination. You can click through related images on a monitor in Penny McCarthy’s Folders, or question the irony of a pair of swimming shorts and a towel printed with an illustration of the deep-web in Eva and Franco Mattes’ Deepweb. Finally, stand by the charming, rattly 16mm projector as it zooms out from microscopic
articulate the prevalent problems surrounding pressures from social media and masculine ideals. The millennial mentality, lad culture and alpha-male mentalities are carefully shown in the piece through the recordings of Sam’s friends and influencers. The differentiating voice of Sam’s friends and technology bring to life and humanizes the storytelling. Some scenes are uncomfortable to watch because of the mirror they hold to real life. Alphabet progressively brings to the forefront of your mind the dangers of influence to human nature. Accolades can be made to Joe Bunce and Billy Taylor as this well-rounded performance is quite simply unforgettable. You can see more original works from the festival until the end of March at Theatre Delicatessen.
landscapes on individual frames of film in Anouk de Clercq’s Atlas (helpfully the gallery attendant solved my quizzical inspections of the projector by switching it on). Each piece offers a distinct perspective on the intricacies of and divergences between seeing and knowing. The processes of viewing are variously scrutinized by means of comedy, magnification and algorithmic workings. Trace Evidence raises concrete and allegorical questions over cause and effect of ecological disasters. Hard science explanations of the water-borne journey of radioactive isotopes may not be what you had in mind when visiting an art gallery, but Schuppli’s examination subtly reveals the void between what we see and what we feel. The dissemination of nuclear particles is invisible to the human eye, but the damage it causes is tangible, enduring and devastating. Site Gallery will soon be closing its doors to the public for 12 months while an extensive expansion is undertaken, with gallery-goers encouraged to offer their views on the ambitious and exciting growth of a Sheffield art gallery.
Material Truths can be seen at Site Gallery until Friday 10 March.
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MUSIC
press.music@forgetoday.com
Rama Alsammouah interviewed the rising stars of indie-punk ahead of their gig at Sheffield’s Plug.
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ast Thursday, Vant played at Plug to a room jam-packed with eager listeners. Everyone was hungry for the indie-punk band to start playing songs from their recently released debut album, Dumb Blood. Vant’s set list is certainly dynamic, as they play loud and upbeat fan favourites like ‘The Answer’ and ‘Do You Know Me’. They also play slower and newer tunes like ‘Put Down Your Gun’ and ‘Peace & Love’. The crowd instantly formed a pit, with sweaty bodies aggressively bumping into each other to the rhythm of the song
(which seemed quite ironic since the song talks about peace and unity). It is fair to say that with the layout of their songs you’re always on your toes eager to hear what they’re going to play next, never bored but always amused. Every band member’s performance was simply on point and flawless. Singer and guitarist Mattie has a haunting presence - one which is as captivating as his song lyrics. He’s quite animated on stage but then he speaks softly between songs checking that his fans aren’t being crushed in the pit. Both Billy (bass) and Henry (guitar) do a bit of backing vocals
while bobbing their heads and moving about the stage. So, whichever way you looked onto the stage you were being entertained thoroughly. Their show ended with their most popular song to date, ‘Parking Lot’, which was a bitter sweet ending. They leave you yearning for more, pumped with adrenaline from having their best tune played last. It feels criminal and very cruel to be left on such a high with no more of their songs to get your hot fix from. But the same time, it felt just right because nothing else could have topped an ending like that.
A Vant gig is not for the faint hearted as they are known for their legendary mosh pits. But, to get the full experience of a Vant gig, you have to head bang along to their music, get in the pit and get the bruises to prove it. Vant are a band made for live shows and so without a doubt they’re a must see for any rock fan. You should take advantage of the intimacy of the relatively small venues that they play at now, before they blow up even more.
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MUSIC Your debut album Dumb Blood is out now, so how does it feel to finally have it readily available for your fans to hear? Great yeah, the record we’ve been working towards since we started the band. It’s nice to finally have it out in the world for everyone to hear and experience - we’ve had a really amazing reaction so far. Especially playing our songs live and seeing the reaction there, it’s been amazing for us. What was the writing process like for your record? Fairly easy really. We obviously had a lot of time to construct a track list and then before we signed with Parlophone, we recorded the majority of the record and we intended on releasing it ourselves. But then when we signed with Parlophone we were given an opportunity to continue to write and create songs for a longer period of time. It meant that we built up a big pot of songs which is why we were fortunate enough to be able to release a deluxe album as well. Is there anyone in the industry that you’d love to work or collaborate with? It’s hard to say, I think it depends where we go with the new record and I don’t particularly ever imagine collaborating directly with an artist. But, there are a lot of producers that I admire. I really
VANT
like Joe Mount from Metronomy and the guy who did the new Childish Gambino record is really great. You need to be open to everything as an artist, you can’t really close yourself off and say that a collaboration wouldn’t work. It’s not really something that I’ve thought about with any intent. So you’re on tour right now. Do you have any pre show rituals? Nothing in particular, just stretching and warming up our voices. It’s fairly boring to be honest. And not eating too close to stage time is really important. What are the best and worst parts about touring? The best bit is getting to travel and seeing new places, new cities and meeting new people. The worst thing is what I’m doing now which is being sat in a van between two places, quite often with a hangover. Yeah, so the travelling and travelling really! Your music is quite politically charged, so how important is it to you to keep politics at the centre of your music? Wherever we’ve gone in the world it’s humbling for us that everyone cares about the issues that we sing about and cares about trying to push for equality and a more unified planet. For me, it’s quite important to talk about these
issues in the medium of music and use that platform as an opportunity to talk about subjects which we feel passionate about. The thing that keeps us writing is the conversations that we have with our fans. Do you think musicians like you with a punk sound will be more sought after in light of the politics of today? I’d like to think so but I don’t know, I think rock music in general is pretty dead, apart from a few exceptions. It’s just not what people want to listen to at the moment. And it is something that we obviously thought about moving forward towards the second record. It seems like you’re just as likely to see someone at a Stormzy show as you are at a Wolf Alice gig. There is a much more open demographic where people like what they like. So, I don’t really think punk as a genre is a thing anymore but punk as a mentality is definitely something that I hope can encapsulate the youth of today. For example bands like Cabbage or Declan McKenna. and Stormzy obviously on his new record has quite a lot of political themes on there. I think that desire to include politics within music is coming back quite heavily and I think that’s a really positive thing.
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MUSIC ÷
sound to compliment the lyrics of the track: She played the fiddle in an Irish band/ But she fell in love with an English man.
Ed Sheeran ««««
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“Ed has some tracks reminiscent of his oldest, and arguably most popular tracks to date”
Emma Williams Music Editor
veryone was expecting big things from Ed Sheeran’s latest album ÷ after his two pre-released singles ‘Castle on the Hill’ and ‘Shape of You’ reached more than 13 million combined streams in just 24 hours. It’s safe to say that it hasn’t disappointed. With a mix of his old and new style the album is an easy listen, with something to capture every mood.
“‘Castle on the Hill’ and ‘Shape of You’ reached more than 13 million combined streams in just 24 hours”
Gang Signs & Prayer Stormzy ««««« Ben Kempton Music Contributor
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tormzy, a cult name that had graced the grime scene but not punctured into the framework. Almost seen as a bit of a novelty grime artist with his one known hit ‘Shut Up’, Stormzy had some proving to do to reach the lofty heights of his peers and ride the current wave that is the grime scene. Not many of us were expecting what was to come from Stormzy. Gang Signs & Prayer rockets straight into grime how we know it - heavy booming bass lines and heart pumping aggressive bars comprise the first three tracks. The opening ‘First Things First’ was intended to be a “punch in the face” and his stamp of authority in the grime world rings as a message out to the genre. Big Mike is no joke, he’s here to take over. ‘Blinded By Your Grace, Pt.1’ is a shock. And a beautiful one at that. A monumental twist in the genre which sees grime mellow. It’s like the big man himself is giving you a back massage, there is something
The album has more than just his solo, acoustic sound with greater production on some tracks such as ‘Bibia Be Ye Ye’ or probably the catchiest song on the album ‘Galway Girl’. Although it’s nice to
hear the ‘classic’ Ed Sheeran tracks, consisting of his looped voice and acoustic guitar, it’s also refreshing to have a new sound on his long awaited third album. The presence of strings makes an authentic Irish
The Irish theme runs on to ‘Nancy Mulligan’, one of the later songs on the deluxe edition of the album. This song has a similar catchiness to it like ‘Galway Girl’, but sings from the perspective of an older character, speaking with 22 grandchildren, 60 years after marriage. It adds an interesting twist to Ed Sheeran’s work and many of the songs in the charts today. Sheeran has managed stay true to his traditional heartfelt songwriting but rather than listening to the same old love story, the listener hears the song through the perspective of another character making ‘Nancy Mulligan’ one of the
standout songs on the album. That being said, ÷ has some tracks reminiscent of his oldest and arguably most popular tracks to date. ‘Perfect’, ‘Hearts Don’t Break Around Here’ and ‘Supermarket Flowers’ all have the slower, more heartfelt feeling to them. ‘Supermarket Flowers’ is a particular stand out song, written about Sheeran losing of his grandmother. Lacking the guitar, the track comprises of the melody and a piano creating a very gentle, touching tone. Ed Sheeran’s ability to combine a variety of styled tracks, from different perspectives comprised of different instruments is commendable and will show old fans that the album has been worth the wait. Yet it also offers something new through his experimentation of faster, upbeat tracks. It is definitely worth a listen and makes you wonder what records are left for him to break.
quite distressing about it at first, as it breaks all the boundaries from what we know about angerinduced grime. But Stormzy executes this new tone perfectly. He proves himself as a talented singer with a soothing melodic voice and in the space of 2 minutes 40 seconds, opens up the genre to a whole new audience, who before this wouldn’t have gone anywhere near it.
“The juxtaposition of the different tones somehow work together in perfect harmony” These new tones are carried on throughout the album, noticeably in the exquisite ‘Cigarettes & Cush’. It doesn’t kill out the traditional grime vibe though. Radio hits ‘Big For Your Boots’ and ‘Shut Up’ are the grime bangers that people want and expect from Stormzy. The juxtaposition of the different tones, somehow, work together in perfect harmony. This is grime meets Good Kid, M.A.A.D City in style and potentially influence. Kendrick Lamar’s album has already changed the whole face of rap and Stormzy looks to be evolving grime in a similar fashion. The ‘100 Bags’ opening monologue from his mother, something we see at the end of Kendrick’s ‘I’m Dying
Of Thirst’, adds to the impression of a family orientated Stormzy.
“‘Blinded By Your Grace, Pt. 1’ is a shock. A beautiful shock”
Alongside this, his joyous charisma and silver toothed smile allude to him being a grounded and hugely likeable character. The outro ‘Lay Me Bare’ encompasses the hybrid of tones and leaves a glowing reflection of
Gang Signs & Prayer. Evolutionary and revolutionary, this album is a perfect innovation.
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White Lies @ o2 Academy ««««
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“White Lies are all about understatement until the music kicks off”
David Anderson Music Contributor
eturning to Sheffield after nearly three years away to show off their fourth studio album Friends, White Lies seemed unchanged from the group who burst onto the scene with a number one debut album in 2009. Stepping onto stage at the o2 Academy, retaining the same modesty they conveyed when touring To Lose My Life… eight years ago, the band needed no flashy outfits, backdrops or expensive stage props to engage this crowd. In fact, the only sightings of the new album cover were on Jack Lawrence-Brown’s drum kit and on the chests of dozens of die-hard fans who had splashed out on the
Love
Lana del Rey
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in their lyrics. You wouldn’t say White Lies write happy songs, but there’s certainly something euphoric about their ruthless tackling of sensitive subjects. An encore of ‘Big TV’ and ‘Come
Ethan Hemmati Music Contributor
ollowing an absent 2016, the self-confessed ‘sad girl’ and atmosphere queen Lana Del Rey has quietly returned to the music scene with her new single ‘Love’ anticipating the arrival of her forthcoming fifth studio album. Following 2015’s dream pop chronicle Honeymoon, Del Rey has kept a relatively low existence, concentrating instead on her European tour, and making a small but memorable appearance on the Weeknd’s album Starboy. In a press release accompanying the release of ‘Love’, Del Rey was quoted saying that her new album will be “for my fans, and about where I hope we are all headed”. Listening to ‘Love’, Del Rey’s intentions seem startling and impressively clear. On the surface, ‘Love’ isn’t that much of a departure for Del Rey: the same youthful, romantic and aesthetically pleasing protagonists are still lurking around in their vintage flannel. However, now Del Rey is the onlooker, a wise saintly figure watching over the next generation, as the artwork suggests. After years of discussing adolescence from the midst of the cool crowd, Del Rey is now looking
tour t-shirt. The front two members of the band, Harry McVeigh (lead vocals, guitar) and Charles Cave (bass guitar, backing vocals), were dressed humbly in jeans and black tees. White Lies are all about understatement – that is until the music kicks off. Anthemic new single ‘Take It Out On Me’ got the gig underway, but the crowd, which varied widely
in age, really got going when the drums kicked in for the classic ‘To Lose My Life’ after just three songs. The band fitted six tracks from Friends into the set, with four of these squeezed into the first half before a flurry of oldies took over the second period. Encouragingly, these new songs felt just as spirited as the classics, with many fans already singing along to every word.
at youth from the other side of the abandoned car park. The shades of political dissatisfaction that have recently crowded her social media presence have crept into her work too; her kids have “seen so much, you could get the blues” she sings, shaking her head and sighing.
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“There’s a gritty realism to Love” There’s a gritty realism to ‘Love’ that’s been missing from her previous work. An almost Springsteen-esque attitude is what her younger generation have now adopted, she argues; kids who dress up “to go nowhere in particular”, and then diligently return to their work at “the coffee shop”. Musical cues cleverly reference 2012’s Born To Die, citing familiar territory, yet never truly return to that wild and destructive period. The music, lush and ethereal as always, is sharper, more finely-tuned, suggesting longing and restlessness in a postTrump American Dream. “It doesn’t matter if I’m not enough/For the future or the things to come” Del Rey sings on the outset. Purposefully or not, ‘Love’ is the millennial anthem of the moment.
The big singles were interspersed with the slower ‘Unfinished Business’, ‘A Place to Hide’ and the goose bump-inducing ‘From The Stars’, which McVeigh performed alone at centre-stage under a single spotlight. Aside from their catchy guitar riffs and rousing choruses, what really endears White Lies to their fans is their ability to tackle difficult feelings of love, life, fear and death
On’, the set was fittingly closed with the only track from second album Rituals to make it onto the set list, the thought-provoking, captivating ‘Bigger Than Us’. Devoted White Lies fans will wonder why the band has had so little air play since their debut album. But, if it means they’re still regularly treated to this kind of intimate gig, none of these fans will be complaining any time soon.
Amber Run
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Molly Finch Music Contributor Amber Run released their first album 5AM in 2015 which broke the UK Top 40 and earned them a legion of fans. Since then, the band has somewhat struggled with the realities of the music industry, however the release of their second album For A Moment, I Was Lost signifies their successful return to the public eye, and beautifully explores the band’s journey thus far. The album begins with the understated track ‘Insomnia’ however the pace and tone soon pick up as the band’s exploration of a heavier sound is introduced by tracks such as ‘No Answers’ and ‘Perfect’. Although they begin slowly, like the album itself, these tracks soon burst into grungier, darker sounds in which the band’s struggle and frustration are prevalent. This new sound is exciting and extremely well executed as it is backed up by impassioned lyrics which show the motivation behind this potential new direction. One of the things that make this album such a success is that fact that this change in the band’s sound is very authentic in the record. Instead of sounding like a
commercial hollow transformation, there is a sense of natural progression to this heavier sound created by the fact that the textbook Amber Run feel of their previous album is not drowned out. The raw and heartfelt lyrics of songs such as ‘Haze’ and ‘Fickle Game’ add a great emotional depth to the album without consuming it or creating a onedimensional record. In fact, these songs are notable highlights as they demonstrate the unapologetic honesty of the album and create a real connection between the band and the listener. One notable change from the firsts album is the heavier use of a synthesizer on tracks such as ‘Haze’. However dubious this may sound, it is employed skillfully and intelligently as instead of adding cheesy pop sound to the ballad it is used to heighten and intensify the powerful lyrics of the song. When combined with tracks such as the beautifully delicate ‘Machine’, which appears towards the end of the record, these songs constitute a stunning collection of
ballads which poignantly deepen the impact of the album as a whole. In contrast some tracks, such as ‘White Lie’ take time to blossom as you listen to the album for the second, or third time, as they lack the initial impact found in other tracks. However, as you listen more, their merit is revealed and it becomes clear that they are vital to the records overarching sound. The album is in many ways a record of two sides as the heavier, more politically charged songs contrast with the peaceful, ethereal ballads which are extensions of the first album. It has to be said that both sides are deeply successful. Amber Run have created an album that beautifully and candidly explores the journey that they as a band have been on both personally and musically. It is an album which is full of emotive and powerful music to be thoroughly enjoyed and celebrated.
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Just what is the life of a film maker like? Screen contributor Gethin Morgan spoke with Sheffield Alumna and budding film creator Rabia Sultana to explore the world of story telling on screen.
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S
itting in her apartment sipping PG Tips, which is hard to come across in New York City, Rabia Sultana has come a long way from her days studying archaeology at the University of Sheffield. Born and raised in London, she fled the nest at age 21 to the Big Apple, where she began studying filmmaking in 2015. Her passion began on a field trip with our very own university. Visiting a Roman archaeological excavation site in Menorca, she began filming footage of the site and interviewing specialists. Perhaps it was fate that she found the camera. After all, she has always seen herself as a storyteller: “I’ve written from the start of time. I don’t remember when it started. I was first published in an anthology. This natural talent shines through in her first short film, Rosetta’s Blues, which she both wrote and directed. For a first film, it’s been extremely successful. It was screened at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in 2016, where she shared a cinema with Robert De Niro and saw an early screening of Oscar Foreign Film winner The Salesman. She chuckles that the “important people” like De Niro get to sit at the front, while aspiring filmmakers like her have to go to the back of the cinema. Her ambitious nature is clear though: “There’s gonna be a day when I’m sitting right at the front of that stage.”
Her ambition is well earned too, having had her film accepted into seven festivals and winning three awards at the Global Independent Film Awards, including a silver award for Best Emerging Filmmaker. She aims to move onto a feature film next, with her script Daughter of Eve, about a refugee girl who goes through female circumcision, almost finished. She clearly doesn’t hide from the hard hitting topics, with Rosetta’s Blues addressing loss and grief. She stresses the importance of writing about issues close to the heart: “Writing about things that you care about provides a more authentic story. This is certainly true of her first film, which she wrote just a month after the passing of her grandfather.” Taking inspiration from Martin Scorsese, documentary filmmaker Michael Moore and anime legend Hayao Miyazaki, her plans transcend genre. “I don’t ever want to restrict myself,” she says, acknowledging it would be “amazing to direct a documentary”. She’s busy learning too. She approaches directors she admires in an enviably casual manner; she recently met up with one for coffee to soak in as much knowledge as possible. She’s also passing that knowledge on to the next generation of Scorseses, working as a teaching assistant with young teenagers on weekends. She’s clearly passionate about it, expressing her excitement at the thought of creators who start from a younger age when there’s no stress of making mistakes that could damage your career.
We discuss recent films as she gushes about Barry Jenkins’ Best Picture winner. “I’d love to make a film like Moonlight,” she professes. It seems that she’s attracted to films about truth and reality, with Manchester by the Sea also catching her eye, a film following the same subject as Rosetta’s Blues. A dreamer but also a realist, she appreciates how tough the industry can be, especially for women. She shares that “sexism is something I’ve definitely experienced”, when she discusses her entrance into the world of filmmaking. But for every male who has discredited her, she emphasises that she has many supporters. She’s well aware that “you need to have thick skin to move forward”. That’s something which doesn’t faze her, however, as she chooses to look on the positive side: “I work with an amazing mix team of all ages, races, male and female. That’s the beautiful thing about New York City.” Just a half hour conversation was enough to suggest that this alumna has the passion, drive and talent to have a long and prosperous career in the industry. A career that by some small part has been helped by our very own university: “Honestly my three years at uni were so crucial to me developing as a person”. There’s no doubt that Rabia Sultana, who until relatively recently could be found working in the IC or hiking in the Peaks, will one day be gracing Hollywood with the stars.
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aking place in a bleak future where the mutant race is close to extinction, Logan is vastly different in tone to every X-Men film that has preceded it. The plot follows Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) as he juggles caring for his ailing mentor and father-figure Professor X (Patrick Stewart), while suffering from his own health problems. When the pair encounter a young girl, the first new mutant born in decades, they are faced with the challenge of keeping her safe from her nefarious pursuers. Where previous entries in this series have dabbled in brainless blockbuster action, Logan is a much smaller-scale story more concerned with packing an emotional punch – and it’s all the better for it. The complex bond between Wolverine and Professor X is used to great effect, anchored by very strong performances by both Jackman and Stewart. Meanwhile, Dafne Keen is superb in the role of Laura, conveying an impressive range of emotions in a role which involves little actual dialogue. While the focus of Logan is very much on human drama, there are of course a number of action sequences sprinkled throughout the runtime. They display a level of brutality previously unseen in this franchise, but such violence is never glorified. Indeed, one of the film’s main themes is the heavy «««« toll that a life of David Craig violence has on the Screen Contributor soul, with an older Wolverine finding himself tortured by both the horror he And the current state has experienced, and that which of superhero films he has inflicted on others.
SMALL SCREEN
SS-GB «« David Peacock Screen Contributor
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S-GB takes place in 1941 in an alternative timeline of history in which Nazi Germany has won the famous Battle of Britain and now exerts complete control over the United Kingdom. Actor Sam Riley plays the starring role, an emotionally absent yet deeply concerned Detective Superintendent Douglas Archer, who is faced with the challenge of battling his own demons whilst grappling with the interests of his nation. In spite of Nazi occupation, the British resistance continue their war against the Nazis. His high ranking in the police force makes him an important figure to both the Nazis and the resistance. As such, the underlying question of what behaviour is appropriate in such a situation, be it survival by cooperation or death by defiance,
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After playing the character for seventeen years, Logan is supposedly Jackman’s final performance in the role of Wolverine; this is a fitting send-off for a character who may well define his entire career. While those looking for a fun super-hero blockbuster would be better served elsewhere, Logan succeeds as a powerful character study which may well leave you with tears in your eyes.
“A fitting send-off for a character who may well define Jackmans entire career” Logan is the latest example of just how rapidly the landscape of superhero movies is changing. While the sub-genre has existed for several decades, it began a rapid evolution starting with the release of the first X-Men movie in 2000. After the demise of both the Superman and Batman franchises of the 80s and 90s (caused by increasingly bad sequels), superhero films became a viable investment once again. In subsequent years, movie studios implemented the same template for each of their superhero films, causing some to declare the genre exhausted of its potential.
“Logan is the latest example of just how rapidy the landscape of superhero movies is changing” That was until the next great shift came with the release of Iron Man in 2008, which kickstarted the age of “cinematic universes”. Indeed, the idea of a shared world in which a vast number of superheroes could reside, akin to what had been done in the comics for half a century, had been considered an idea that wouldn’t be welcomed by mainstream audiences. Of course, the opposite proved to be true, and the success enjoyed by the Avengers films has led to numerous attempts by rival studios to replicathe formula. As the genre continues its rapid evolution, the future direction of the superhero film is far from decided. A war is currently waging between
is a central motif throughout the series. However, Superintendent Archer’s difficult situation means that things are not as simple as they may seem. Though the action takes place against the backdrop of a narrative with such enormous potential, SS-GB so far is somewhat of a disappointment. Writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade co-wrote five consecutive James Bond films, and as much as Bond will always be popular, they are representatives of incredibly predictable TV and Cinema. In spite of it’s interesting context, this holds true for SS-GB. Predictable characterisation makes the future plot easier to envisage. If you’re after a series which doesn’t serve as a beacon for easy-to-anticipate and annoyingly unadventurous TV, then this is not for you. Revolutionary or exhilarating TV is not going to be found here, because as much as SS-GB is at times fairly entertaining, it’s fierce preoccupation with glamour, class and beautiful women, makes it essentially a spinoff of James Bond - only the hero is Detective Archer, and the baddies are the Nazis.
three styles of comic-book adaptation: the light and fun, the dark and gritty, and the R-rated. Indeed, after years of being married to the PG13 rating the likes of Deadpool and Logan have made film studios open to more adult-oriented superhero films with restrictive age ratings. Vocal comic-book fans have called for more of such films, but there is resistance. Kevin Feige, the producer of films set in the Avengers universe, has explicitly stated that entries in the so-called MCU will never be R-rated while he is in charge. The Marvel Studios technique of light superhero films for the whole family has been a huge financial success, but there is a growing sentiment that this formula restricts creativity and leads to formulaic offerings.
“A war is currently waging between three styles of comicbook adaptation: the light and fun, the dark and gritty and the R-Rated” Meanwhile, Warner Bros. (who produce films based on DC Comics) find themselves at a crossroads. By far their greatest comic-book success story has been Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, which remains one of the only super-hero movies to be recognised in a major category at the Oscars. Nolan is no longer involved in their films, but the studio has clung to his “dark and gritty” stylings in the hope they will replicate his success with critics. This hasn’t worked and claims that the upcoming Justice League is a “lighter film” suggests that they could be adopting a style more in-line with that of Marvel Studios. But in doing so, they risk being branded derivative of the MCU and could alienate those who have advocated darker super-hero films. While the future of the genre is unclear, one thing is for certain: comic-book fans are difficult to please.
SHOWROOM SPOTLIGHT
The Student ««««« Matt Wickens Arts Editor
W
hen you consider the title of new Russian release The Student, you might expect large glasses of pure vodka and late night parties in the depths of the Moscow night. Instead, what greets you in the movie theatre is the text of the gospels, spewed from the mouth of a fanatical teenager who has found Jesus and wants to talk about him more than your flatmate wants to tell you the spoilers to last season’s Game of Thrones. Despite having the words of the good book peppered throughout every orifice, The Student isn’t a preachy film. It is an excellent piece of Russian satire and social commentary which focuses heavily on power, governance, education, religious fundamentalism, antisemitism, xenophobia, communism and
most prominently, homophobia. The Student focuses on the life of Venya. He’s your average high school kid who everyone else thinks is a little weird, likes to nail a cross to a wall, get naked in sexed class, pull on an ape costume when he’s being taught about evolution and jump fully clothed into a swimming pool. As Venya’s idolatry gets more pronounced, it begins to affect the lives of those around him more and more intimately: the life of his mother, his teachers, his priest and his friends. He brings out debates in classrooms, in bedrooms and on the beach as people seek to understand this teenage conundrum. The film is beautifully shot, with director Kirill Serebrennikov using lengthy, moving long takes that offer an increasingly unsettling sense of unease in a film. For a film which focuses so heavily on traditional religion, this movie is refreshingly disturbing in its themes and bringing into a satirical clash the forces of old and new.
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BIG SCREEN
Viceroy’s House «««« Emily Mason Screen Contributor
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n Viceroy’s House, Lord Mountbatten (Hugh Bonneville) faces the impossible task of negotiating terms between the Muslim, Sikh, and Hindu regions of India. The film focuses on the challenges facing the Mountbatten family once Britain returns India’s freedom and independence. Conflicts begin to rise within the Indian population as the future of India and how it should
D
irected by Richie Keen, Fist Fight is billed as a comedy but is quite frankly a punch in the face of common decency. It’s the last day at Roosevelt High and Andy Campbell (Charlie Day) is an unassertive English teacher struggling with impending lay-
D
irector Peter Berg tackles the horrific events of the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombings, focusing on a number of different perspectives. Cop Tommy Saunders (Mark Wahlberg) finds himself in the thick of the tragedy and works with an FBI agent (Kevin Bacon) and Commissioner Ed Davis (John Goodman) among others to capture the two terrorists behind the bombing. The events of April 2013 no doubt still sticks painfully with Boston as a city and with the US as a country, and Berg does a fine job of reminding us of the horror of what took place, as well as paying tribute to the victims and survivors of the attack. During the first act of the film we’re taken through the build up to the marathon, where all the characters are neatly introduced, and then the terrifying moment when the bombs explode and chaos ensues. This is incredible. Knowing what’s going to happen only makes it more tense, and when it finally does the film does a great job of capturing the distressing scenes that must have followed.
be governed is debated. This increases the difficulty of Mountbatten’s job. The film not only follows Mountbatten’s struggles, but also the trials facing a young Muslim woman and a young Hindu man within a divided India. Huma Qureshi (Aalia) and Manish Dayal (Jeet) give an excellent portrayal of the couple fighting to find their own way through the film’s violent and ever-worsening environment. Viceroy’s House encompasses the celebration of India’s rich beauty, through its conscious attention to the details of India’s landscape and colours, with harsh, grossly distressing scenes of violence. The film’s thought provoking nature starts with the quote ‘history is written by the victors.’ Immediately,
this draws on the question of who really won in this history. Set in a period which many are likely to know little about, the film propunds that there was no victor and that perhaps, in any conflict; there is no real winner.
offs and family responsibilities. During the course of a stressful morning of senior pranks (and more penis jokes than necessary) Campbell gets the ill-tempered Mr. Strickland (Ice Cube) fired, and is challenged to the eponymous fist fight. You’d think there’d be more to a movie that runs for 93 minutes… and there is. Though this mainly consists of poorly constructed characters and toxic gender stereotypes. It blatantly glorifies violence, with Campbell being regularly referred to as a “pussy” over his reluctance to get beaten to a pulp when the bell rings. This damaging perspective on masculinity is reinforced over and over as his colleagues and even the emergency authorities tell him to “man up”. Though Day’s performance isn’t terrible, his constantly flustered persona results in him shouting most of his lines, and though occasionally amusing, this quickly becomes exhausting to listen to.
While none of the actors give bad performances, no awards will be won from this film. None of them stand out, and the characters are all so shockingly one-dimensional there is little room for any kind of depth or development. Ice Cube plays intimidation well, but also brings little more to the story than being inexplicably aggressive. Christina Hendricks plays Miss Monet, another teacher at the school whose role is never really clarified beyond popping up occasionally to make the odd psychotic gesture. However, as far as characters go, the guidance counselor (Jillian Bell) is by far the most disturbing. She does drug deals with students and openly lusts after them in a predatory fashion, a running attempt at a gag that the writers have clearly thought more funny than cringeworthy The humor of the film is juvenile at best, relying on shock value and cheap gags to get laughs, such as students drawing penises on the board when the teacher isn’t looking. The whole film drags, is unapologetic with its product placement of Apple and lacks any real deep
Scarily real make up doesn’t hold back as we see blown off legs and streams of blood. Sharp editing and the use of handheld cameras places you right amongst the action and bring humanity to the screen as the audience is put in the victim’s shoes. The explosions themselves are particularly well done, as we see them multiple times from various different angles. It feels truthful and reflective of what happened, rather than trying to make it more cinematic.
“Some spectacularly good moments but also some very poor ones” It’s after the bombing that the film goes off the rails a little bit. Visually it begins to look less original as it stoops into a slightly more clichéd thriller. It also drags on a little, after such a compact, intense beginning it feels like the film could’ve been at least 20
“Unforgetable, deeply moving film and a cinematic pleasure”
to draw parallels to our own lives. In an age where Brexit and President Donald Trump are a reality, Viceroy’s House demands us to recognise the power of unification and the sheer destruction to homes, families, and relationships that absolute division brings. Viceroy’s House is an unforgettable, deeply moving film and a cinematic pleasure. With great skill, direction, and production, this film subtly reflects on the concept that history will, forever, repeat itself.
This is not a film created to answer the questions most of us have as an audience: Who was right and who was wrong? What should have been done, what could have been done? Instead, it shows us an important sequence of historical events and invites us
minutes shorter. However, the film does pick itself back up towards the end as attempts to capture the terrorists come to a thrilling climax. The other major flaw is the several moments which are unnecessarily played for laughs. No doubt it’s to try and give the film some lighter shades, but they’re poorly timed and don’t sit well at all. There are some spectacularly good moments but also some very poor ones, and there are times when it loses focus. Overall though, Patriots Day is an enjoyable, emotional and important film that pays tribute to the heroes of its story with class.
Gethin Morgan Screen Contributor
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underlying message. Trying to enjoy this film means fighting a losing battle. Save your money and give it a miss.
Ingrid Johnson Screen Contributor
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COFFEE BREAK
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FILL IN THE GAPS Jez4____
Don’t be _________, vote for Harshil
No, not the beloved loser Jeremy Usbourne from Peep Show, this was the
My personal favourite of all the campaign slogans, Harshil Hirani
campaign slogan for Jeremy Heywood in his bid to become SU President.
campaigned under the aims of improving safety after dark and the
With a pledge to “Make university worth the price tag” I can only assume
University’s financial transparency. Surely his whole life has been leading
Jez is personally ensuring that all us students will instantly gets a job with
up to the point where he could finally use this rhyme. He was truly blessed
a salary of £27,000 once graduating.
to be born with such a sloganworthy name.
_____ in for the Gill
Say Yes to ___
There was a disappointing lack of fish related policies surrounding Fred
Archery enthusisast Yasmin Beladaci campaigned with a short but simple
Gill’s bid to be Activities Officer. He instead campaigned to improve the
slogan. Gotta be honest, I don’t have a joke with this one, I genuinely liked
room booking system across the SU. Was Gill Brill or a White Sucker*?
the slogan and wanted to include it. I was aiming for something about The Archers but it never materialised. Apologies.
*You can check, that is actually a fish.
Get your Assinder voting _____
Rose to the _________
Once again we find someone truly blessed with a fantastic name as we
Past tense slogan? Posing as the woman from the American WWII “We
turn our attention to Jodie Assinder. In her bid to become Women’s Officer
Can Do It!” poster? Was Georgia Nolan Rose running a campaign to take
Jodie took a stand against most phobias and isms, highlighting: sexism,
things back to a simpler, more traditional time? Her ideas such as creating
racism, homophobia, transphobia, and ableism. Not sure where she
all-gender inclusive self-help groups and making support networks for
stands on feminism, though.
LGBT+ students are clearly bloody backwards.
Who needs an ________ with Daniela?
Make _____ with Staves
Other than her name rhyming with the missing word I literally have no
The waviest candidate running for the position of Welfare Officer,
clue with this one. Is she claiming she can control the weather? Is she
Reena’s campaign centred around subsidising the prices of vintage shops
referencing the Hong Kong democracy protests? Or maybe Daniela
and keeping Night Kitchen open. Oh no wait, that was going to be my
Orrego is simply advertising Colombia’s much better weather than we
campaign pledge. [Reena unfortunately beached herself losing out to
have here in the UK, who knows. DANIELLA, LONG MAY SHE RAIN.
single opponent Robbie/ Reena surfed her way to victory against single opponent Robbie.]
Now that the SU has finished with its annual three days of democracy I thought I’d take a look back at some of this year’s most memorable campaign slogans. I would like to add that I’m writing this in advance of the election results and contrary to popular belief the media don’t rig elections (well we might do but nobody’s told me). To anyone who I mock, if you do actually win I take it all back and accept you as my autocratic overlords. To everyone else, see if you can fill in the gaps above.
Coffee Break Editor Connection grid (in any order): Berries, Birds, Parts of a piano Fill in the gaps: Jez - Pres Harshil - impartial Rose - challenge Yas - Yes Assinder - booth Gill - Going Staves - waves Daniela - umbrella Answers
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COFFEE BREAK
SUDOKU
Easy
Hard
Medium
CONNECTION GRID PEDAL
GOOSE
STRAW
HAMMER
Connection 1
STRING
BLACK
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KEY
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GROUSE
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Connection 4
1
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1
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I've filled in one connection for you to explain how to play, best of luck!
CROSSWORD
Across
Down
1. Tepid (8)
2. Disentangle (7)
6. Baby’s bed (3)
3. Go astray (3)
9. Aquatic mammal (5)
4. Astounded (6)
10. Liverpool racecourse (7)
5. Fashion model (9)
11. Quick look (7)
6. Greek island (5)
13. Fit out (5)
7. Bind (3, 2)
14. Dismal (6)
8. Counterfeit (6)
15. Common, crude (6)
12. Staff (9)
19. Forbidden (5)
16. Nazi secret police (7)
21. Loss of memory (7)
17. In truth (6)
22. Afternoon show (7)
18. Inn (6)
23. Be of use (5)
19.Faint-hearted (5)
24. Lair (3)
20. Conductor’s stick (5)
25. Midday meal (8)
23. Ash (3)
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SPORT
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SportsThoughts.
Varsity 2017 is just around the corner, and Sport Editor Ed McCosh is considering the events that may prove vital this year. Tim Adams bemoans the plight of cash-strapped League Two strugglers Leyton Orient as they are haunted by the spectre of liquidation.
Orient staring into the abyss Tim Adams Sport Contributor “They think it’s all over...it is now” defines English football’s greatest moment. In two weeks it could sum up Leyton Orient’s worst. A club with generations of history, one that has inspired and let down supporters on the pitch since 1881, may be forced to liquidate over an unpaid £250,000 tax bill. On March 20 at the High Court, it is potentially do or die for owner Francesco Becchetti. If he or one of his representatives fails to turn up, then the Leyton Orient’s Fans Trust (LOFT) may be forced to use their £100,000 recovery fund. If liquidation does occur a phoenix club may be the only option, but it would not be surprising to see fans choose not to wait until March 20 and ask for administrators to help solve the financial situation. The loss of 12 points would relegate a team bursting with bright youngsters to non-league football for the first time in their history. Becchetti’s dream for Orient has plagued the club. His deluded rhetoric has brought chaos to generations of history, summed up by confusing press
releases, erratic behaviour and an ego that has soured and now destroyed the relationship with fans. The biggest problem Orient face is that the person who makes the decisions cannot admit he is wrong, and either sulks, blames someone else, or refuses to speak when he knows he is. From his claim that he would listen to offers just two months ago his office is now motionless. This week one American firm proposed to buy the club for Becchetti’s asking price of £4m, but the Italian’s silence was deafening. In his two-and-a-half-year tenure, Becchetti has appointed ten managers, yet repeated failures mean that Orient on the verge of dropping two divisions in that time. His quick fire firing solution and autocratic style in team selection have suppressed managerial authority, giving the impression he was the only significant person at Orient. The latest accounts of Becchetti’s holding company for Orient, for his first year of control to 30 June 2015, show that at that point, his investment in the club was cited as £9m.
The club itself made a loss during that relegation season of £4.4m and had outstanding creditors of £9m. Barry Hearn saved Orient from financial oblivion in 1995 and transformed the club, including the oversight of the construction of three new stands. The decision to sell Orient to Becchetti is his Iraq moment. MP for Leyton, John Cryer, said: “The local football team in my
constituency, Leyton Orient, has been served with a winding-up order. “The order was served because the owner, who’s caused mayhem in two and a half years, and has taken the club right down from actually some of its highest points to some of its lowest - has not paid the HMRC for over a year.” To many Leyton Orient may seem a distant dream. For a bundle of communities
in South Essex and North East London, they hold it to the highest affinity. To many, it is their second club. Dwarfed by the shadow of the London powerhouses, little old Orient always struggled to attract attention. Now they have, it may be too late. Image: Wikimedia Commons
Varsity 2017 preview: Potentially pivotal points
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Ed McCosh Sport Editor
t goes without saying that all of Varsity is worth watching. From the boxing to the badminton, canoe polo to climbing, frisbee to football, the biggest event in the Sheffield university sporting calendar is compulsive viewing. Every point is fought over bitterly, with neither side willing to allow their deadly rivals an advantage - in fact, only 14 events changed hands completely last year. There will be, as ever, plenty of thrills and spills. We will see results go with the formbook, and said formbook will also be thrown out of the window. The following are just a handful of the flashpoints that could come to define Varsity 2017.
Boxing One of the most well-attended events at Varsity, around 800
spectators will fill the Octagon to take in an exhibition in pugilism. The University of Sheffield triumphed in 2015, but the two sides played out a thoroughly entertaining 3-3 draw last time out. The twelve fighters meet in the Octagon arena on Saturday, and a win would lay down a marker ahead of the glut of Varsity action that follows.
Men’s Football 1s Varsity begins in earnest at Hallam Sports Park, where one side could forge a commanding lead and gain a psychological advantage over their nemesis. The Women’s Rugby Union tie will be an intriguing watch after a shock Hallam victory last year, while the Men’s Cricket and Women’s Cricket sides will both be confident of ending a run of Varsity defeats. There are six points on offer for football, which could be decisive on the day. Hallam have typically
dominated the two women’s games, so all eyes will be on the Men’s Football 1s fixture. Sheffield were victorious in a thriller last year, overcoming Hallam 3-2 in a gripping tie. The year before saw another closefought game, but with the same side celebrating success as Sheffield prevailed 1-0. However, a potentlooking Hallam side will be looking to turn the tables on their rivals and claim a vital point.
Volleyball There will be drama aplenty at EIS, but the two previous editions of Varsity point to volleyball as the source of the most intrigue. In 2015, Sheffield won the women’s event, with the Hallam men’s side securing a point. Last year, their fortunes were reveresed entirely. The goal for the Sheffield men is to provide a repeat performance, while the women will seek to take advantage of the topsy-
turvy recent history of the event.
Women’s Hockey 3s They are not the most likely of heroes, but the Women’s Hockey 3s have made a name for themselves by taking a unique place in Varsity history. It was they who sealed Varsity triumph in 2015, a comfortable 4-0 thrashing claiming the winning point. They managed to repeat the feat a year later, the timing of results
elsewhere meaning their tense 2-2 draw was enough to drag Sheffield over the line. To ‘win Varsity’ for the University of Sheffield three years in a row would defy all odds - but after the events of the last twelve months, who would bet against it? You can read reports on every Varsity event in our 2017 pullout, which will be out on Thursday 30 March, or online at forgetoday. com/varsity. Image: James Blencowe
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press.sport@forgetoday.com
Hockey 3s miss opportunity against YSJ Daniel Cross Sport Contributor
BUCS Hockey
University of Sheffield Women’s Hockey 3s York St John University Women’s 1s
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he University of Sheffield Hockey Women’s 3s secured a well-deserved point in their fight against relegation with a 1-1 draw against York St John 1s. Sheffield came into this game in poor form, having taken just 1 point from their last 4 games, conceding 14 goals in the process. York St John made the trip down to South Yorkshire in excellent form, having not lost a game since midNovember. Predictably it was the visitors who started the game on the front foot, pushing high up the pitch and forcing several good blocks. Nicola Rhodes in the Sheffield goal
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did especially well to intercept two low passes from the right flank as York St John dominated the early possession. Sheffield continued to defend well but were unlucky to concede a penalty corner after the ball took a deflection off a defender’s foot. YSJ looked to have missed the opportunity to score before finally forcing the ball over the line after a goalmouth scramble. Rhodes in the Sheffield goal managed to get a foot to the ball but the shot was hit with such power that she could do nothing to prevent the visitors taking a 1-0 lead. Sheffield struggled to push out of their own half as YSJ won another
penalty corner, but YSJ failed to capitalise as a visiting attacker sent a high, curling shot well wide of the Sheffield goal. Lottie Thomas looked like Sheffield’s best attacking threat and showed her skill with a fantastic run; this time forcing an excellent save from the St John goalkeeper before Becky Jessop slotted home the rebound at the far post to level the scores at 1-1.
“Rhodes produced a fantastic save to push the ball over and keep the scores level.” The second half began in similar fashion, with YSJ looking to score an early goal and the Sheffield defence holding firm. However, as the game went on, Sheffield began to push further up the pitch, dominating possession and winning two penalty corners in quick succession. They were unable to capitalise on these opportunities, with their poor ball control on the
edge depriving them of any clearcut scoring chances. As the game approached its closing stages Sheffield were in danger of being caught out on the counter and had their goalkeeper Rhodes to thank for keeping the scores level. A weaving run from a St John defender found a teammate in a one on one situation with Rhodes who produced a fantastic save to push the ball over the goal and keep the scores level. Sheffield pushed for a winner in the closing stages and saw several efforts roll narrowly wide of YSJ’s goal, but the game ended with a deserved point for Sheffield against a very good side. Captain Rosie Walker told Forge Sport: “I feel like we could have pushed it to a 2-1 win. “Normally our penalty corners are our best part but for whatever reason we didn’t follow through with them. “We’ve had a rough patch, to have a result like this is pretty great and coming up to varsity it’s looking hopeful for the team.”
Owls frustrated by well-drilled Albion Jacob Reid Sport Contributor
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EFL Championship
Sheffield Wednesday
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Burton Albion
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professional and well organised Burton Albion left promotion chasing Sheffield Wednesday frustrated, with the spoils being shared at Hillsborough. Sam Winnall had Wednesday’s first clear goal scoring opportunity. Barry Bannan expertly found Ross Wallace on the right hand side, Wallace’s cross found Winnall, whose shot looked to be goal bound but was blocked by unfortunate team-mate Fernando Forestieri. Bannan let fly from some 25 yards after some good forward
play, but his rasping drive flashed inches wide of the right hand side of the Burton goal. The increased Wednesday pressure finally paid dividends on the fifteen minute mark. Wallace picked up the ball just inside the Burton half and was allowed to carry it some distance, set his sights, and unleash a powerful, low left footed effort which found the back of the net via the post. Burton goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin might feel he could’ve done better, but it was a sweet strike nonetheless. Wednesday goalkeeper Kieren
Image: Joe Bamford
Westwood was then called into action for the first time, making two superb stops in the space of a few seconds. Firstly Marvin Sordell let fly from distance, and Westwood parried. The ball then found its way to Dyer, whose cross was met by Sordell, but Westwood was there again to deny the Burton man and divert it for a corner. This clean sheet was to be short lived. Christensen’s corner was headed clear only as far as Burton midfielder Jackson Irvine, who unleashed a stunning first-time left-foot volley which flew into the Wednesday goal after clipping the post, leaving Westwood stranded. Irvine won’t hit a sweeter strike in his career. Burton were to have the final chance of the half. Dyer raced on to an immaculate through ball from Kyle McFadzean, only for his left foot drive to be blocked for a corner. The second half began in opposing fashion to the first. It was a much slower tempo and both sides struggled to create chances. As Burton began to sit deeper to defend their point, some great build up play from the home side resulted in the ball finding substitute Adam Reach just outside the area, but his powerful drive was well saved by McLaughlin. With 15 minutes to go, the lively Reach again utilised his searing pace to evade Brayford, and his dangerous cross was well cleared by the Burton centre-back under his own crossbar.
The best chance of the half fell to Jordan Rhodes. The tenacious Bannan tricked his way down the left, and the resultant low drilled cross rolled all the way to the back post, where the stretching Rhodes could only manage an effort wide of the target.
Simms in homophobia controversy
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Hugh Dickinson Sport Editor
heffield Steelers’ arena announcer and executive David Simms came under fire this week for homophobic comments made during Sheffield Steelers’ 4-1 home loss to Coventry Blaze last Saturday. During a ‘kiss cam’ segment two men kissed their female partners, before turning the other way to kiss each other. Simms remarked jokingly to the arena crowd: “that’s disgusting – security get rid of them!” There was a fierce backlash on social media, with fan Matty Hogarth writing an open letter to Sheffield Steelers, suggesting that Simms goes on an education course so that he can “offer a genuine apology to those he has made feel no longer welcome at a Sheffield game and be able to keep his focus on the ice.” Simms provided an ambivalent response. He endorsed Hogarth’s letter, repeatedly stated that he “meant no offence” and Tweeted “I realise what I said was unacceptable and apologise unreservedly.” However he also accused critics of being “haters” and deleted a Tweet criticising “liberals” who were “easily offended” (see below).
“Burton Albion were well worth their point; it could prove a valuable one for them in the relegation battle” Burton’s best chance of the half fell to Dyer on 80 minutes. After a neat one-two with Christensen, Dyer swivelled in the box onto his favoured left foot, but could only mis-kick the ball high and wide of Westwood’s goal. Wednesday pushed for a winner but will feel it’s two points dropped in their playoff challenge. Burton Albion were well worth their point; it could prove to be a valuable one for them in the relegation battle. Wednesday manager Carlos Carvalhal said “I’m not unhappy with my players, the opposite. We got into good areas, a lot of crosses, a lot of shots but didn’t put the ball in the net.” Away manager Nigel Clough was pleased with the point, saying “we were magnificent tonight to a man… [the] only disappointment tonight was the goal we conceded.”
Simms’ Twitter account has also since been made private, meaning that only existing followers and those that Simms accepts can see his Tweets. Sheffield Steelers released a statement on Wednesday saying that they “in no way condone” Simms’ comments and have sought advice from LGBT groups on the issue. Steelers’ Managing Director Tony Smith said he had spoken to Simms and that his comments were “foolish and thoughtless.” Simms is expected to remain in his role, and will be under scrutiny when Steelers face Cardiff Devils at Sheffield Arena on Sunday, a week on from their Challenge Cup final defeat to the same opponents.
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Lacrosse fall short in Conference Cup final Adam Bailey Sport Contributor
Lacrosse
University of Sheffield Women’s 1s Leeds Beckett Women’s 1s
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he University of Sheffield’s Women’s Lacrosse 1s finished runners-up in the Northern Conference Cup for the second time in two years after losing 13-7 to Leeds Beckett University in the final. After a brilliant 18-5 victory over MMU last week in the semi-final, Sheffield knew they would have to be at their best to overcome a team who are top of the Northern 2B league and have already beaten Sheffield twice this season. The final in York was by far the closest the black and gold have come to beating Leeds Beckett this season and it was only two late goals that allowed Leeds to breathe easy for the final few minutes at least. It was Leeds who broke the deadlock in the third minute, but Sheffield responded brilliantly both in terms of character and the quality of the goal. Outgoing Sports
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Officer Emily Roche cut in from the left, before firing past the Leeds goalkeeper. Unfortunately for the black and gold of Sheffield, Leeds’ best spell of the game followed and, after drawing back level almost immediately from Leeds’ opener, Sheffield found themselves trailing by five goals just over 10 minutes later. Five goals in 11 minutes, including three goals in three minutes, put Leeds in control. Sheffield were not going to giveup without a fight and they pushed Leeds all the way to the end. Less than a minute after Leeds scored their sixth goal, Roisin Doyle pulled a goal back for Sheffield. Doyle cut inside from the left, before slotting the ball in between the goalkeeper’s leg with a low-angle finish. Three goals in four minutes followed for Leeds to give them a 9-2 lead with just two minutes left
of the first-half. Holly Knowles reduced Sheffield’s deficit to six goals in the final minute of the half as she broke through the Leeds defence and shot past the Leeds goalkeeper. Whatever black and gold captain Naomi Shaw said at half-time seemed to work as Sheffield were the better team in the second-half. It was, however, Leeds who struck first in the second period of thirty minutes, scoring a penalty shot to extend Leeds’ advantage to 10-3. Emily Roche scored two goals in three minutes to give Sheffield hope of turning the scoreline around. Roche ran through the centre of the Leeds defence unopposed, before slotting past the goalkeeper. She completed her hat-trick with a penalty shot to cut Leeds’ advantage to 10-5 with 20 minutes to play. This was the first real moment Leeds’ nerves started to show, while it gave Sheffield the hope of overturning the five-goal deficit. Just as the momentum had shifted in Sheffield’s favour, Leeds scored their eleventh goal. The luck appeared to be with Leeds all game and once again this proved to be the case as a powerful strike from a Leeds player hit the post, before
bouncing into the goal. With over 15 minutes to play and six goals the difference, Sheffield still believed they could walk away with the cup. The black and gold reduced Leeds’ lead to just four goals with six minutes to play after Holly Knowles and Anne-Marie Du Preez scored for Sheffield. Leeds scored two late goals to seal the victory and end the black and golds dreams of going one better than last year. The defeat will only make Sheffield more determined and they play Sheffield Hallam in their last league game of the season next week, before welcoming Hallam to Goodwin for the annual
Varsity match on finals day. Captain Naomi Shaw told Forge Sport: “We have tried to clamp out the mentality this season that Varsity is the only important fixture we have. This year we have shown in both the league and the cup that we are a real contender, especially in this cup.” Shaw added: “Every single match we have played in the cup we have been the underdog, except against Northumbria, and we have defied expectations. We have really grown together this year and I think we want it so, so bad for each other, rather than just being a personal thing.” Image: Adam Bailey
Beckett revenge over Tennis 1s Netball denied by table-topping Hull University of Sheffield Tim Adams Sport Contributor
Tennis
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Men’s 1s
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Leeds Beckett University Men’s 4s
he University of Sheffield Men’s Tennis 1s suffered an agonising 8-4 defeat to Leeds Beckett 4s in the Northern Conference Cup final. It was the third meeting between the sides this year, and while Sheffield were unbeaten in the previous two the final in York did not go by the script. Beckett were triumphant in four of the six matches and stunned captain Tom Dyakowski in the
Image: Tim Adams
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singles, who had not lost a rubber since October. Jack Hird lost 6-1 6-3 after a strong display against his Beckett counterpart. The depth of Hird’s shots did not worry the Beckett number two, a solid defence game from the back of the court proving too strong for the Sheffield player. Ben Stevenson’s gruelling rubber took nearly two hours, with the first set going to a tie-break. Numerous service line rallies went the way of Beckett, and that early triumph carried them to the next. Stevenson’s 7-6 6-3 defeat heaped pressure on to the first doubles match. And what a rubber it was, with Dyakowski and Joe Tingey saving two match points in the championship tie-break. After a 6-2 first set win, Beckett battled back to claim the second 7-6. The third was
a combination of stamina, desire and determination. Both sides inched in front but couldn’t stretch their advantage by more than a point, until Beckett stormed ahead to a 9-7 lead. Not deterred though Dyakowski and Tingey dug deep, saving two match points to storm to victory and close the gap to 4-2. They then opened up their advantage to four points again when Dyakowski struggled to keep up with the accurate shots of his opponent, running ragged across the lime green tarmac in a 6-2 6-3 defeat. Sheffield had to win both their remaining rubbers to win, and when Tingey stepped up to the mark with a 6-0 6-4 demolition job it looked like that an unlikely comeback may occur. And so it came down to Hird and Alex Wood to take the game into a tie-break shoot out. A 7-5 first set defeat was compounded by an early loss of serve in the second. The pair broke back, looking to take the game into a championship tie-break. But failure to take advantage of Beckett double faults proved critical, and so went the set, 6-4, and the trophy.
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Hugh Dickinson Sport Editor
sterling season for the Netball 4s ended in heartbreak as they fell to defeat in the Northern Conference Plate final to Hull 4s. Hull are the only side ahead of them in the Northern 8B, and Sheffield were seeking revenge for their 36-26 defeat in February. Once again however, Sheffield’s lack of height was their Achilles heel as Hull used their reach to their advantage, stealing the ball when they might not have done against a more evenly matched side. Sheffield started sluggishly, attempting to play too elaborately and losing the ball repeatedly in attacking areas. The gifted Hull an 8-4 lead at the end of the first quarter. The black and golds came back strong in the second, and it looked as though nerves had been calmed. Susie Payne and Bethany Pitt found the net with regularity and they cut Hull’s lead in half to 14-12 by the midway point of the match.
It was then Hull’s turn to recover, and this time for good. As Pitt and Payne saw their shots bounce out, every Hull attempt seemed to drop through the net as they opened up a 24-19 lead by the end of the third quarter. As Sheffield chased the game, it was always likely that Hull might run away with it, and that they did, as they ran out 32-25 winners by the full time whistle. Vice-captain Hayley Harrison told Forge Sport: “They were just a bit taller. We all played really well especially because we’ve lost to them twice before, so we had nothing to lose so we just came out and gave it our all but unfortunately it just wasn’t enough.”
Image: Hugh Dickinson
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Lacrosse fall short in Conference Cup final Adam Bailey Sport Contributor
Lacrosse
University of Sheffield Women’s 1s Leeds Beckett Women’s 1s
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he University of Sheffield’s Women’s Lacrosse 1s finished runners-up in the Northern Conference Cup for the second time in two years after losing 13-7 to Leeds Beckett University in the final. After a brilliant 18-5 victory over MMU last week in the semi-final, Sheffield knew they would have to be at their best to overcome a team who are top of the Northern 2B league and have already beaten Sheffield twice this season. The final in York was by far the closest the black and gold have come to beating Leeds Beckett this season and it was only two late goals that allowed Leeds to breathe easy for the final few minutes at least. It was Leeds who broke the deadlock in the third minute, but Sheffield responded brilliantly both in terms of character and the quality of the goal. Outgoing Sports
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Officer Emily Roche cut in from the left, before firing past the Leeds goalkeeper. Unfortunately for the black and gold of Sheffield, Leeds’ best spell of the game followed and, after drawing back level almost immediately from Leeds’ opener, Sheffield found themselves trailing by five goals just over 10 minutes later. Five goals in 11 minutes, including three goals in three minutes, put Leeds in control. Sheffield were not going to giveup without a fight and they pushed Leeds all the way to the end. Less than a minute after Leeds scored their sixth goal, Roisin Doyle pulled a goal back for Sheffield. Doyle cut inside from the left, before slotting the ball in between the goalkeeper’s leg with a low-angle finish. Three goals in four minutes followed for Leeds to give them a 9-2 lead with just two minutes left
of the first-half. Holly Knowles reduced Sheffield’s deficit to six goals in the final minute of the half as she broke through the Leeds defence and shot past the Leeds goalkeeper. Whatever black and gold captain Naomi Shaw said at half-time seemed to work as Sheffield were the better team in the second-half. It was, however, Leeds who struck first in the second period of thirty minutes, scoring a penalty shot to extend Leeds’ advantage to 10-3. Emily Roche scored two goals in three minutes to give Sheffield hope of turning the scoreline around. Roche ran through the centre of the Leeds defence unopposed, before slotting past the goalkeeper. She completed her hat-trick with a penalty shot to cut Leeds’ advantage to 10-5 with 20 minutes to play. This was the first real moment Leeds’ nerves started to show, while it gave Sheffield the hope of overturning the five-goal deficit. Just as the momentum had shifted in Sheffield’s favour, Leeds scored their eleventh goal. The luck appeared to be with Leeds all game and once again this proved to be the case as a powerful strike from a Leeds player hit the post, before
bouncing into the goal. With over 15 minutes to play and six goals the difference, Sheffield still believed they could walk away with the cup. The black and gold reduced Leeds’ lead to just four goals with six minutes to play after Holly Knowles and Anne-Marie Du Preez scored for Sheffield. Leeds scored two late goals to seal the victory and end the black and golds dreams of going one better than last year. The defeat will only make Sheffield more determined and they play Sheffield Hallam in their last league game of the season next week, before welcoming Hallam to Goodwin for the annual
Varsity match on finals day. Captain Naomi Shaw told Forge Sport: “We have tried to clamp out the mentality this season that Varsity is the only important fixture we have. This year we have shown in both the league and the cup that we are a real contender, especially in this cup.” Shaw added: “Every single match we have played in the cup we have been the underdog, except against Northumbria, and we have defied expectations. We have really grown together this year and I think we want it so, so bad for each other, rather than just being a personal thing.” Image: Adam Bailey
Beckett revenge over Tennis 1s Netball denied by table-topping Hull University of Sheffield Tim Adams Sport Contributor
Tennis
4
Men’s 1s
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Leeds Beckett University Men’s 4s
he University of Sheffield Men’s Tennis 1s suffered an agonising 8-4 defeat to Leeds Beckett 4s in the Northern Conference Cup final. It was the third meeting between the sides this year, and while Sheffield were unbeaten in the previous two the final in York did not go by the script. Beckett were triumphant in four of the six matches and stunned captain Tom Dyakowski in the
Image: Tim Adams
8
singles, who had not lost a rubber since October. Jack Hird lost 6-1 6-3 after a strong display against his Beckett counterpart. The depth of Hird’s shots did not worry the Beckett number two, a solid defence game from the back of the court proving too strong for the Sheffield player. Ben Stevenson’s gruelling rubber took nearly two hours, with the first set going to a tie-break. Numerous service line rallies went the way of Beckett, and that early triumph carried them to the next. Stevenson’s 7-6 6-3 defeat heaped pressure on to the first doubles match. And what a rubber it was, with Dyakowski and Joe Tingey saving two match points in the championship tie-break. After a 6-2 first set win, Beckett battled back to claim the second 7-6. The third was
a combination of stamina, desire and determination. Both sides inched in front but couldn’t stretch their advantage by more than a point, until Beckett stormed ahead to a 9-7 lead. Not deterred though Dyakowski and Tingey dug deep, saving two match points to storm to victory and close the gap to 4-2. They then opened up their advantage to four points again when Dyakowski struggled to keep up with the accurate shots of his opponent, running ragged across the lime green tarmac in a 6-2 6-3 defeat. Sheffield had to win both their remaining rubbers to win, and when Tingey stepped up to the mark with a 6-0 6-4 demolition job it looked like that an unlikely comeback may occur. And so it came down to Hird and Alex Wood to take the game into a tie-break shoot out. A 7-5 first set defeat was compounded by an early loss of serve in the second. The pair broke back, looking to take the game into a championship tie-break. But failure to take advantage of Beckett double faults proved critical, and so went the set, 6-4, and the trophy.
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Hugh Dickinson Sport Editor
sterling season for the Netball 4s ended in heartbreak as they fell to defeat in the Northern Conference Plate final to Hull 4s. Hull are the only side ahead of them in the Northern 8B, and Sheffield were seeking revenge for their 36-26 defeat in February. Once again however, Sheffield’s lack of height was their Achilles heel as Hull used their reach to their advantage, stealing the ball when they might not have done against a more evenly matched side. Sheffield started sluggishly, attempting to play too elaborately and losing the ball repeatedly in attacking areas. The gifted Hull an 8-4 lead at the end of the first quarter. The black and golds came back strong in the second, and it looked as though nerves had been calmed. Susie Payne and Bethany Pitt found the net with regularity and they cut Hull’s lead in half to 14-12 by the midway point of the match.
It was then Hull’s turn to recover, and this time for good. As Pitt and Payne saw their shots bounce out, every Hull attempt seemed to drop through the net as they opened up a 24-19 lead by the end of the third quarter. As Sheffield chased the game, it was always likely that Hull might run away with it, and that they did, as they ran out 32-25 winners by the full time whistle. Vice-captain Hayley Harrison told Forge Sport: “They were just a bit taller. We all played really well especially because we’ve lost to them twice before, so we had nothing to lose so we just came out and gave it our all but unfortunately it just wasn’t enough.”
Image: Hugh Dickinson
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BUCS round-up
Hugh Dickinson Sport Editor
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f you’d looked on the BUCS website on Tuesday night, you’d have been hard-pressed to realise that the Northern Conference Cup finals in York were even taking place. Luckily, Forge Sport were aware, and we were rewarded with a great day out for the University of Sheffield teams. The Men’s Tennis 1s started their cup final first, but were unable to beat financial powerhouses Leeds Beckett, whose 4s ran out 8-4 winners (See page 51). The Women’s Lacrosse 1s were also facing Leeds Beckett in their final, but also couldn’t beat their West Yorkshire opponents, as they lost 13-7. The game was not without controversy, as Sheffield played the second half under protest against referees that even their Beckett opponents felt were not of sufficient quality (See page 51). There was better news in the pool, where the Men’s Water Polo 1s brought home the trophy, beating Northumbria 2s 5-3 (See right). And the good news continued, as the Women’s Squash 2s dispatched Lancaster 1s to win Sheffield’s second Northern Conference Cup title of the day (See right). Across the city at York St John’s sports park, the Netball 4s tasted defeat in the Northern Conference Plate final, losing 32-25, but can reflect on an excellent season (See page 51). It’s that time when we look ahead to Varsity, and there were two “dress rehearsals” taking place. Omens are good for the Golf team who beat Hallam 4.5-1.5, but the Varsity betting is now on our cross city rivals for the Women’s Rugby Union as Hallam recorded a 19-7 win at Sports park. The Men’s Football 4s are now just one win away from the Northern 5B title after a 3-1 victory at York.
Star performers
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Whilst headlines were being made in York, the Men’s Table Tennis 1s were wrapping up the Northern 1A league, beating Newcastle 1s 14-3. Their reward is to play in the Premier League next year.
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CHAMPIONS: Squash and Water Polo win BUCS honours
Image: JA Photography
Tim Adams Sport Contributor
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BUCS Squash
University of Sheffield Women’s 2s Lancaster University Women’s 1s
ocky Balboa once said that every champion was once a contender who didn’t give up. Last year the Women’s 2s Squash team were knocked out in the quarter-finals of the Northern Conference Cup. This year they won it. In style. In York, the team of Miriam Emanuel, Natalie Anwyll, Tilly Spence and Chloe Widdowson, who had lost just one game all year, triumphed against the odds to beat Lancaster University Women’s 1s 3-1 in the BUCS Northern Conference Cup final. Lancaster had beaten Durham 2s in the semi-final, who knocked Sheffield out last year. The two sides had never met each other, so
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neither knew what to expect. Hitting a rubber ball against a few walls sounds simple, but the sport is a subtle art. A heavy door slams shut with a bang. The two players are alone in the room. The mental chess-like manoeuvres begin. Anticipating your opponent’s shot in squash is crucial, and from the start, Sheffield exploited Lancaster’s tendency to react slowly. Widdowson’s 11-2 11-4 11-9 victory put the side 1-0 up, and Sheffield were on the verge of victory when Spence won 9-11 11-9 13-11 11-3. It was a gruelling match in which her opponent faded. The loss of just one set in the first two matches meant Sheffield created breathing space - they just had to win two sets in the final pair
of rubbers. And Emanuel’s performance summed up the spirit of the team. After losing a close second set, she pulled through in the third, won the match, 11-6 10-12, 13-11, 11-8, and with it the title. An improbable whitewash would not occur, though, when Anwyll was defeated from two sets up, 6-11, 10-12, 11-7 12-10 11-6. Anwyll was unhappy she had let her side down, but she was supported by her teammates - a mark of the mental strength of this squash team. The question is will there be enough room in the squash trophy cabinet? Sheffield’s Squash Club have already achieved four league titles, three promotions and two division runners-up awards, with a potential Varsity triumph now the target. Captain of the team Emanuel said: “I’m literally buzzing. I can’t believe it. “Everyone played out of their skin; they played amazingly, and it was just a great team effort. “It was, to be fair, not the final we expected. They made it really hard for us, it was a really tough game
and to win it with a game to spare was just amazing. “At Varsity, Hallam unfortunately cannot get a women’s [2s] team for squash, and next year we’re losing six out of the eight girls on our team, so it’s going to be such a tough year. I hope that this gives them the confidence to keep going.” It was the University of Sheffield’s second Northern Conference Cup triumph of the afternoon. At lunchtime, the Water Polo Men’s 1s beat Northumbria 2s 5-3 in the University of York’s swimming pool to become the first black and gold champions of the day. It was a strange game in which the momentum swung based on who was at the shallow end of the pool, with the goalkeeper at that end having the advantage of being able to stand waist deep in the water. Sheffield made the most of it, and scored two goals in the final quarter to take the lead and never looked back. Images: top & left Sport Sheffield, bottom Tim Adams
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