The independent student newspaper of the University of Sheffield // www.forgetoday.com
Issue 16 // Friday November 6 2009
Hilary Mantel Fuse pages 6-7
We don’t pay £3,000 per year to sit on the floor Rachel Blundy Union councillor Harry Horton has initiated a campaign for the University to address the cutbacks within the Mathematics department. At Union Council last Thursday, Horton outlined how teaching cuts have led to overcrowding in lectures, meaning many students have had to sit on the floor. He said that the University has failed to restrict the number of places per module after students were forced to choose new modules when one was cancelled, resulting in some now running over capacity. Seminar hours for second year Maths students have also been halved, he said. Horton reports students frequently struggle to find seats in lectures held in the Arts Tower and the Hicks building. He said: “The lecturers seem confused and unsure of how to deal with the new system. “In one module we didn’t have a tutorial for five weeks, and further to that the lecturer told us not to email her with questions about the work. To cut our contact time in half and expect the standard of education to remain the same is ridiculous.” Education Officer Holly Taylor is in talks about the issue with the Pro-Vice Chancellor of Pure Science, the Head of the School of Maths and Statistics (SoMaS), and the Pro-Vice Chancellor for
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Learning and Teaching. She said: “Students do not pay over £3,000 a year for teaching hours that are spent on the floor because there are not enough seats. “For our students who have disabilities this is even more of a problem and I’m shocked that the University has clearly not even considered this. “In the case of overfilling lecture theatres the University needs to be careful because it breaches fire and health and safety regulations.”
Have your say Comment on this article at Forgetoday.com Send a letter to letters@forgetoday.com A spokesperson from the University of Sheffield said: “The Director of Teaching within SoMaS will be reviewing the timetable to see if alternative times are available for lectures to reduce possible overcrowding. “The SoMaS courses at the University have grown enormously in popularity in recent years and intake has more than doubled since 2004. While this increase in the number of places has been welcomed, it has inevitably stretched teaching resources and increased lecture sizes.” Continued on page 8
COMMENT
Eurogamer Expo 2009
A Sheffield student is apprehended by security staff after being caught urinating yards away from the city centre war memorial, where Philip Laing (page 2), sparked national outrage. Full Carnage investigation p.14-15
Carnage: all mouth, no trousers NEWS
Welcome to Tapton Islamaphobia Towers hotel justified?
Full report and Would you want your games reviews parents staying in Univeristy halls? Fuse pages 8-9 Comment page 11
Muslim students offended and worried by Debating Society vote News page 3
LIFESTYLE
More//inside
Bad boys and wild girls
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Features
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Travel
Lifestyle page 18-19
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Coffee Break
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Sport www.forgetoday.com
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Forge Press is part of Forge Media Forge Press is published by the Union of Students. Views expressed are not necessarily those of the University, the Union or the editorial team. In the first instance all complaints should be addressed to the Managing Editor, although a formal procedure exists. Forge Press is printed on 100% recycled paper
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HALLAM
Student found dead A 21-year-old student is thought to have hanged himself after starting university this year. The body of Richard Daniel Wise, a fresher at Sheffield Hallam University, was found hanging in the garage of his family home near Doncaster last week. Wise, who had just started a HND in Building Studies, has been described as a “wonderful lad” by his family. An inquest into the former shopfitter’s death has been opened and adjourned while police continue investigations. Leanne Rinne
FORGE PRESS Friday November 6 2009
Shamed Laing ‘could be jailed’ Sheffield Hallam student who urinated on war memorial told that he could face prison, as District Judge criticises Carnage organisers Paul Garbett A Sheffield Hallam student who sparked national outrage by urinating on a war memorial, has been warned he could go to prison. Philip Laing, 19, admitted urinating on poppy wreaths during a Carnage bar crawl in the city centre. District Judge Anthony Browne said he was “disgusted” by Laing’s actions and told him that “all options, including prison, are being held open by the court.” He said: “The image of you urinating on the poppy wreaths on the war memorial will make most people turn away in disgust, shock and sadness. It has undoubtedly distressed and upset many. “The war memorial is a sacred and special place. The court takes a very serious view of this offence and this case will be adjourned for a report to be prepared by the probation service.” The District Judge also condemned bar crawl organiser Carnage and claimed its events promoted irresponsible behaviour. He said: “Carnage is the name of the organisation who promote this type of activity and some might say that somebody should be standing alongside you [in the dock] this morning.” Laing, smartly dressed and wearing a poppy, was escorted through the back door of the court by police due to fears for his own safety. He spoke only to confirm his name, address and date of birth and bowed his head for most of the proceedings. Ian Conway prosecuting, told the court that Laing had taken part in a Carnage UK bar crawl on Sunday October 10, which saw 2,000 revellers take to the streets. The court heard that Laing joined the event following rugby training and had downed a bottle of whisky with friends before heading out. Mr Conway added: “In the city centre, the defendant was drinking pints and taking part in drinking games.
“During his police interviews he said he was ‘very, very drunk, the drunkest he’s ever been since he was at uni’.” Privately-educated Laing was first spotted asleep in a shop doorway by a newspaper photographer shortly after midnight, the court heard. The photographer then captured him urinating on the war memorial about 10 minutes later. Those photographs appeared in the national press later that week, causing public anger and widespread condemnation of Laing. Mr Conway said that the 19-year-old had no recollection
of the incident, until he was contacted by the Sheffield Hallam University press office the following Tuesday. Tim Hughes, defending, said Laing had become “caught up in a drinking culture” and said he had “learnt an “extremely hard lesson”. Mr Hughes added that Laing was deeply ashamed of his behaviour, particularly as both of his grandparents had served during World War Two, and he himself had done work experience in the army. He said: “He has the capability to fully appreciate what he has done and it was by no means a deliberately indented act.
UNION
ACCOMMODATION
Sikhs host Gatka display
Photographers waiting outside court to catch a glimpse of Laing.
Officers on HE boards
Housing list to be released
Two Union Officers have been chosen to represent students nationwide. Finance Officer Martin Bailey has been elected to the NUS Zone Committee for Union Development, while President Paul Tobin is one of 20 students appointed to the National Student Forum, which advises the Government on higher education policy. Tobin said: “It’s a great opportunity for us to contribute to the national student community and have a positive impact on issues that affect all students.” Rosie Taylor
The Union and the University are running a joint campaign to help students prepare for the househunting process. The Smart Move campaign aims to explain that students should not feel pressurised into signing for a house too early. Follow links on the Union website for help in finding a good landlord and answers to any questions about the househunting process. The University’s housing list for next academic year will be released on Tuesday, November 10. Ellie Neves
Jason Brown The Sheffield Sikh Society hosted a live Gatka martial arts demonstration in the Octagon last week. Students and families from all over the North enjoyed the skills that the Gatka practitioners demonstrated, with some travelling from Doncaster, Manchester and Leeds to take part. A first year Sheffield Sikh Society member said: “I already knew about the Gatka tradition, I just wanted to come down and really learn what it’s all about”.
Photo: Sam Bennett “He has faced considerable public reprobation as a result of this, which has caused him to suffer far greater personal anguish than people charged with more serious offences. “It’s difficult to articulate how embarrassed and ashamed this young chap is. “He is from a decent family and had come to university to study a course he was looking forward to completing.” Laing, of Rotherhead Drive, Macclesfield pleaded guilty to one charge of outraging public decency. Sentencing was adjourned until Thursday November 26 for pre-sentence reports.
Gatka is an ancient martial art practised by Khalsa or Soldier Saints of the Sikh faith, with the sword as the primary weapon. It emphasises the importance of spiritual strength as well as physical strength. During the demonstration the audience were treated to showcases of solo weapon skills, sparring and an allon-one attack against the leader of the Gatka group, Jaskeerth Singh. Following this Mr Singh used a sword to chop bananas from the mouths of two of his group, and clove a melon in half from off the stomach of a brave volunteer from the audience; all whilst he was blindfolded.
FORGE PRESS Friday November 6 2009
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‘Islamophobia’ debate sparks racism worries among Muslims
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UNIVERSITY NEWS
Accidental death verdict for Ka Yi Wu
Rachel Blundy A debate held by the Sheffield Debating Society this month revealed that 25 per cent of participating students believed Islamaphobia is justified. The debate has been condemned by Sheffield’s Islamic Circle as “racist”. Vice-President of the Islamic Circle, Hafsah Qureshi, claimed that the motion ‘This house believes Islamophobia is justified’ was defeated by 42 votes to 27 on a vote of conscience, with 10 students choosing to abstain from voting - meaning 25 per cent of voters agreed that Islamophobia is justified. President of the Sheffield Debating Society, Rajin Chowdhury, has said that these figures are “roughly correct” but that the committee do not record statistics about debates. Chowdhury said that the motion was also passed on a vote of competence, which asks the audience to assess who were the most effective speakers at the debate. On behalf of the Debating Society, Chowdhury defended the motion, stating: “We chose a debate that was relevant to society. “It was definitely one that people wanted to see. “We do pick controversial subjects, but that is the whole nature of a debate”. But Qureshi said the definition of Islamophobia was “twisted in such a way so as to make a racist concept seem legitimate.” She said: “Many people suggested to the Islamic Circle that we should complain to the Debating Society and make sure that this debate did not go ahead.” Instead of boycotting the debate, the Islamic Circle said they decided to attend the event to show that they are willing to answer questions about their religion. Qureshi said: “The Debating Society would probably not have a title such as ‘this house believes anti-Semitism, or homophobia or racism or any other form of prejudice is justified’, so why Islamophobia?”
Ka Yi Wu, known as Joyce. Michael Hunter
Members of the Islamic Circle are concerned about the “Islamophobia” debate. Welfare Officer Jennifer Hastings said: “I think the Union has a responsibility to ensure we are providing an inclusive environment that all students feel comfortable in and so I am sorry that some students don’t feel this has been the case. “However, I don’t believe that there was anything fundamentally wrong with the debate taking place.” Chowdhury stated that because Islamophobia is not in
the dictionary, the proposition decided to define Islamophobia as a criticism of an ideology. He said: “We did not intend people to be offended by our debate, but there is normally at least one person who takes offence at every motion we stage.” But the offended students have refused to accept this definition. Qureshi said: “It makes no sense to define Islamophobia as a rational criticism of Islam when a phobia is by definition an
Photo: Sam Bennett
‘irrational fear’.” Abdur Rahman, of the Islamic Circle, said: “People were agreeing that Muslims scare people and yet we were all sitting in the same room together during the debate and nobody was scared.” Activities Officer Claire Monk said: “If the Debating Society are to consider any other debates which could be seen as sensitive, perhaps they could consult the relevant groups and approach such issues more sensitively.”
Council asks Carnage UK to pay for damages Rosie Taylor Bar crawl organisers, Carnage, could have to start footing the bill for the damage their events cause after the city council passed a proposal this week to make the company pay. The Liberal Democrats put forward the motion which was agreed to by the council and now Carnage UK will be responsible for paying any extra costs the public have to pick up as a result of the bar crawls they organise, including cleaning. The council have also called on the police and NHS to ask Carnage to pay the extra costs they incur because of the events. The proposal comes as Sheffield Hallam student, Philip Laing, faces the possibility of a prison sentence for urinating on a war
memorial during a Carnage bar crawl. Cllr Paul Scriven, Leader of Sheffield City Council, said “In my view a private company should not be able to make a profit from encouraging young people to binge drink and cause mayhem. “But regardless of the moral arguments, if these events leave a trail of destruction behind them then it’s clear to me that Carnage UK should be paying for the resulting costs rather than leaving the taxpayer to foot the bill.” The company organises bar crawls in 45 towns and cities across the country. Students pay £10 for a t-shirt and free entry into bars and clubs, many of which hold cheap drinks offers on the night. Following criticism of Laing’s
Carnage.
Photo: Sam Bennett
actions, a Carnage UK spokesman defended the bar crawls the company organises. It insisted that the focus of the events was not on drinking but on integrating students into the wider university community. He said: “Our events are heavily focussed on group identity, social & ethnic cohesion and fancy dress themes. “The only criticism [of our events] we are aware of, are those created by our competitors, the student unions across England. “These are the very same student unions who themselves are operating dangerous and irresponsible drinks promotions. “Our marketing material always carry the ‘Drink Responsibly’ message and the Challenge 21 policy which we strictly enforce.” Five people were arrested at the last Carnage event in October.
A University of Sheffield student had blood coming from both nostrils after she was knocked over and killed by a taxi on her way home from the Information Commons, an inquest has heard. Ka Yi Wu, 19, died from head injuries including a fractured skull less than 30 minutes after being hit by the taxi on Manchester Road in Broomhill, Sheffield Coroner’s Court was told. Wu, originally from China and known to friends as Joyce, was a second year Business Studies student at the University. Assistant Deputy Coroner David Urpeth said: “Whilst the death of anyone is always a tragedy, the death of somebody so young is particularly poignant. “This was a young lady who had been a long way from home. The reason why she was out so late was that she was studying hard. The fact that she met her death in the way she did is an utter tragedy.” Wu had been studying in the IC on Saturday, April 24 and took a bus from Weston Park to Manchester Road shortly after midnight. She got off at the bus stop facing Tapton House Road and tried to cross Manchester Road from behind the bus as it pulled away. The driver of the taxi, Mohammed Shafique, said he was driving at around 30mph in the opposite direction to the bus when he heard a loud bang at the side of his cab. Wu had been wearing dark clothing on the night which left her “virtually invisible”, said PC Jarrod Barton, a collision investigator for South Yorkshire Police. But PC Barton said a police reconstruction suggested Wu collided with the front of the cab, contrary to Mr Shafique’s evidence. The impact of the collision left Wu immediately unconscious. Her black tights were torn and there was a smear of blood where her body landed and slid across the road. A right handprint was uncovered on the bonnet of the taxi where she had been carried for a short distance, while the number plate was dislodged. PC Barton said the taxi would have been unable to stop even if Mr Shafique saw her emerge from the back of the bus. Mr Shafique was released without charge after being interviewed by police earlier this year. The coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death.
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NEWS UNIVERSITY
Call for student loans chief to quit Alexandra Rucki The president of the National Union of Students (NUS) has called for the head of the Student Loans Company (SLC) to resign after it was revealed over 100,000 students have yet to receive their loan payments, a month into the start of term. Figures revealed on Tuesday, October 27 by the SLC show that 31,000 loan applications are still being processed, whilst 39,000 students are still awaiting further information. A further 39,000 students have been given only an interim payment and are waiting for the rest of their loan. NUS President Wes Streeting criticised the SLC head Ralph Seymour-Jackson for putting blame onto students for incorrectly filling out their forms, instead of admitting to making mistakes himself. He said: “SLC bosses have failed to acknowledge the distress they have caused to students and have sought to apportion blame anywhere other than their own doorstep. “It is time for Ralph SeymourJackson to take full responsibility for this shambles and resign immediately.” The amount of students applying for student loans has risen since 2008, with 985,000 applications being made this year in comparison to 903,000 last year. Universities have been funding students who are currently struggling with hardship loans and accommodation offices are accepting delayed rent payments in light of these continuing circumstances. Seymour-Jackson, who has been the chief executive of SLC since 2003, has refused to respond to the resignation demands. He said: “We have been, and continue to be, working very hard to resolve these issues as quickly as possible.” Jordan Davies, a geography student at the University, lived off his overdraft before he received his student loan in late October. He said: “It took over two weeks after I sent off my second application form before I received my loan.”
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FORGE PRESS Friday November 6 2009
Students ‘takeover’ city centre A two-day Town Takeover campaign in Sheffield sought to raise awareness of the problem of rising tuition fees and crippling debts Tommy Handley A student campaign took over the city centre this week to protest against rising tuition fees and student debt. The two-day event involved a mixture of University and Sheffield Hallam students who wanted to show the city what it would miss if students could no longer go to university because of soaring fees. A street party showcased the talents of university societies and sports clubs, including flamenco dancing and cheerleading, while other students chanted and held up placards. Some students paraded a large “Save Our Students” banner directed at local politicians attending the event.
Have your say Comment on this article at Forgetoday.com Send a letter to letters@forgetoday.com The campaign was led by Union President Paul Tobin and Vice President of the NUS, Aaron Porter, who vowed to “pile the pressure on politicians”. Shane Chowen, Vice President of NUS Further Education, raised concerns about the effect tuition fees might have on current Sixth Form students going to university. He said: “Many of these students are not aware of the amount of debts which they will face. Furthermore, those students who are made aware of the debts will be forced abroad or into foundation degrees.” Members of the public stopped to watch the demonstrations. Local resident Joan O’Neil said: “This event has only reinforced my positive view of students; a fabulous effort. One of my daughters is currently paying off £18,000 of debt with just a minimum wage job.” Another passerby, Peachrie Willis, said: “I’m not sure if tuition fees should be lowered because I am not sure where the money to do this would come
Students unite for the Town Takeover event in the city centre. from.” The answer to this question was debated by politicians in the Town Hall after the event and will continue to be discussed during the run-up to the next general election. Fearnley Evison, a first year student at the University, said: “I want people to know that students are not made of money. “I am lucky enough to have parents to support me, but it
upsets me that future generations might not have the same opportunities due to financial constraints.” Sheffield Hallam student Debbie Loukes said: “My sister has recently got married and she and her husband are already in £30,000 of debt from tuition fees.” Nikolaos Kavvadias, who was watching the campaign, said: “I come from Greece, where
Photos: Stephen Findlay
education is all free. Education must be free.” Education Officer Holly Taylor thought the event was a great success. She said: “I feel we have raised awareness among locals, especially people with young children. “I hope people are encouraged to speak with their vote at the next election and I hope it has changed perceptions of students for the better”.
Liberal Democrat student poster likens Paul Scriven to Jesus Harriet Di Francesco The University’s Liberal Democrat society has sparked controversy after producing a poster claiming Sheffield City Council leader, Paul Scriven, can change the world. The student Lib Dem organisation created a poster picturing Cllr Scriven surrounded by iconic figures including Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Jesus Christ and Barack Obama. The poster’s caption reads: “These people changed the world...Now let this man do the same! Vote Paul Scriven for Sheffield Central.” The poster has been on display in the Union for about four months but caught the eye of Labour students this month. They sent a
The poster. Photo: Robbie Cowbury
photograph of it to local press to air their concerns. Jon Narcross, Chair of Sheffield Labour Students, said: “The picture is amusing, but rather than inflate their candidate’s ego the Liberal Democrats should really consider how to fairly fund our education system and deal with the day to day issues affecting students today.” Chairman of the University’s Liberal Democrat society, Richard Heinrich, claimed that the poster should not be taken seriously. “It’s a bit of light-hearted mockery aimed at Paul Scriven and the campaign in general. It didn’t really have any motive other than making people laugh, and perhaps think a little more about the next election in Sheffield,” he said. The Union building where
the poster is displayed is the workplace of Paul Blomfield, Cllr Scriven’s Labour opponent for the Sheffield Central seat at the next general election. Mr Blomfield is currently the Union’s General Manager. He told Forge Press that the Lib Dem students needed perspective. He said: “A sense of humour is important in politics, but so is a sense of perspective. “To compare a local Lib Dem councillor with the likes of Nelson Mandela and Jesus Christ is clearly ludicrous, but also deeply offensive to many people.” Members of the University Liberal Democrats remain adamant that their humour is in good taste. Heinrich added: “Labour need to develop a sense of humour. It’s a light-hearted student poster and will stay for
the moment, until we produce any new posters at a later date.” Cllr Paul Scriven had not seen the poster until he was contacted by local press. He said: “I have to say I think it’s quite funny. I haven’t a problem with young people getting involved in politics and having fun with it. “Obviously Labour in Sheffield has had a sense of humour bypass if they can’t see the funny side.” The Lib Dem students have decided to auction the poster on Ebay describing it as the “bigger than Jesus poster, as seen in the Sheffield Star...” Five bids for the poster have been made so far and the highest bid stands at £5.50. The money raised will be given to the Sheffield Children’s Hospital.
FORGE PRESS Friday November 6 2009
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UNIVERSITY NEWS
Hundreds of Uni rooms to spare Leanne Rinne
Members of Sheffield Activist Network hung a banner from the Octagon roof.
SAN scale new heights in protest Leanne Rinne
Students from the Sheffield Activist Network (SAN) climbed onto the Octagon Centre’s roof on Tuesday to protest against the University’s connection to the arms trade. Activists hung a banner reading “University Arms Trade” from the Octagon roof to protest against companies appearing at a recruitment fair hosted by the University. In a statement released shortly after the protest, Sheffield Activist Network said: “BAE Systems,
Rolls Royce, QinetiQ and Thales were all present in the Octagon today and are all companies involved in the construction of weaponry that is indiscriminately sold to the highest bidder and then used in countless wars and other conflicts. “We believe students and staff should have a say in how money is spent and where funding comes from in this University instead of it being run as a business in the interests of profit. “This is especially important when it comes to careers fairs selling our graduates on to employers such as BAE.”
Building work delayed Rosie Taylor The building work planned to start in the Union building this Monday has been delayed for two weeks due to a “breakdown in communication”. Although work has started in University House the build has not gone ahead as scheduled in the Union because the builders have not completed preliminary work, including moving the Box Office to the East Entrance, fitting doors into Coffee Revolution to create a new entrance and moving the Union’s clocking-in machine. Finance Officer Martin Bailey said: “The work hasn’t been started simply because there was a breakdown in communication
between the University, who are essentially leading the work, and the builders. “The builders weren’t aware that the atrium and SuTCo office were empty for them to begin work until last week. “They also misjudged the amount of time it takes for supplies, such as the new Coffee Revolution doors, to arrive.” Bailey said he was still certain the build would be completed on time. He said: “The situation is really unfortunate but we are still confident that we will finish on time because the builders are now doing some of the work in University House.” Work on the Union building will now start during the week commencing November 16.
A University spokesperson said: “The University of Sheffield supports the democratic process and the right of students to express their views within the law. “In the past, students have handed out leaflets outside the Octagon during recruitment fairs, and we are happy to allow this form of peaceful demonstration by students. “We will continue to develop our partnership with companies such as BAE in order to position the University of Sheffield as a research-led university in the global environment.”
The University are renting out hundreds of empty rooms to the public this year in a bid to generate income from “wasted” accommodation. A total of 650 rooms at Tapton Hall and the Endcliffe and Ranmoor Villages are spare because students had already chosen their accommodation before the building work on Ranmoor was completed. A spokesperson from the University of Sheffield said: “As in previous years, we always anticipate having a number of available rooms in University accommodation after we have met our accommodation guarantee for students. “We currently have around 650 available rooms, the majority of which are at the newly completed Ranmoor Village. “This is more than is usual, but was a consequence of the accommodation being built when most students had already made their accommodation choices. “This year, we are being more proactive in promoting available accommodation to existing students and staff, as well as external customers. “We are offering a great value option for short and long-term accommodation for the current academic year.” All of the University’s accommodation requires funding to operate, including the rooms that are empty. This is the main
reason why the University is advertising to the public and students’ families. The spokesperson added: “By offering accommodation in this way we also help create diverse accommodation communities which include returning students, postgraduates, families, international students, visiting staff and students in addition to first year students.” In an email sent to students, the Accommodation and Campus Services (ACS) at the University, said: “If you’re planning to invite friends or family to visit you in Sheffield we have some great value rooms available in University accommodation. “All rooms have tea and coffee making facilities, bedding and towels. “This could be the perfect solution if your friends and family keep asking to come and stay.” Some double en-suite rooms are available for less than the price of a city hotel. Welfare Officer Jennifer Hastings said: “In theory, it’s a great idea, as ACS can then hopefully use this extra income to go towards subsidizing student rents, or at least preventing an increase. ACS have always opened rooms to external visitors, however they are making use of greater advertising this year as there are more spaces in the residences.” Hastings added that security will not be an issue because students will not be put in flats which are occupied by the public.
Welcome to the Tapton Hotel?
Photo: Edd Wright
Graduates jobless due to errors Ellie Neves More than 60 per cent of job applications sent by university graduates are immediately rejected by employers because of “simple errors”, a recruitment website has revealed. Research conducted by Gradfutures has found that basic mistakes cause graduates to “trip at the first hurdle”. The study found that 45 per cent of applicants were rejected for forgetting to attach a CV or covering letter to an application, and 40 per cent were turned down for failing to mention the name of the company in their covering letter. Other reasons for rejection
included graduates who described qualities that did not fit with the job they were applying for, along with simple spelling and grammatical errors. Union Education Officer Holly Taylor said: “It is very worrying that graduates, who should theoretically be more than able to demonstrate their academic ability, are making basic mistakes. “The demands of graduate job application processes are high, so there’s no point in rushing them because it will just be detrimental to the application.” Chris Canty graduated with a 2:2 in Molecular and Medical Biology from the University this year and is struggling to find employment.
He said: “I’ve been job hunting constantly since I graduated four months ago, and there have been several occasions where I’ve not even had a response from an application. “The idea that applications may simply be ignored is worrying for students who have pumped so much money and hard work into earning their degrees.” Taylor said that the recession may be to blame for poor-quality applications. She said: “There is low morale amongst final year students and graduates who feel the odds are stacked against them. “Some students have a half-hearted approach to job applications which is reducing their overall quality.”
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FORGE PRESS Friday November 6 2009
NEWS UNIVERSITY
Locals inspired to follow their dreams Leanne Rinne, Alex Bobocica & Abi Brown Students and staff from the University of Sheffield held a week-long event in the city during the October half-term to inspire locals to fulfil their dreams. Throughout the week, students put on a variety of fun-filled activities at the Winter Gardens, Millennium Square and Peace Gardens to show Sheffield residents all the University has to offer the community. Greg Oldfield, the external relations manager for the University helped to organise the event. He said “Dream Bigger Dreams has been set up to promote and inspire people to dream their dreams, whether that is to become a student and go to University or to do anything else they dream of. “We are not here to promote the University of Sheffield itself but to show the public the positive contribution we bring to the city”. Throughout the week a range of different activities were put on to encourage local children to get involved, including samba drumming, a circus skills display, hip hop dance and musical performances. Science demonstrations led by students and furry friend, Professor Fluffy, (pictured) proved popular during the Dream Bigger Dreams week. Debbie Woodhouse and Mel
Oxley from Stannington in Sheffield had brought their children along to watch the demonstrations. Debbie said: “The kids are really enjoying it and the science experiments here are really grabbing their attention. I remember when I was at school I just lost interest in science so it is important to make it interesting.” Tom Jayen, a third year Physics student, volunteered at the event. He said: “I think it is important to get people interested in science at a young age because the numbers applying for Physics are definitely dwindling. “Today I’ve been teaching kids about the solar system interactively and another science stall is focusing on electricity.” Dr Susan Cartwright, a senior lecturer at the department of Physics and Astronomy, said: “Parents and grandparents have been bringing their children along and having fun. Children are fascinated by physics at a young age but by the time they reach secondary school this fascination has declined. It is important to engage children and ask them questions.” Lauren Wright, aged seven, said: “It’s really fun, when they were using the balloon. It was my favourite thing because it was really loud when it went bang.” At another stall children from local primary schools donned lab coats and gathered around
Schoolchildren learn about science. third year Chemical Engineering student, Rio Griffies, and Science and Engineering Outreach Assistant, Rob Gunby. The pair were teaching the children about chemical reactions using “Fantastic Foam”. The experiment simulated a
volcanic explosion by putting bicarbonate soda in a plastic bottle and pouring a mixture of vinegar, washing up liquid and food colouring over it. The result was thick, red or green foam that continued to pour out of the bottle long after
Photo: Stephen Findlay
the initial reaction. Gunby said: “The activities are meant to give something back to the community and get children interested in science.” At the end of the experiment, one child exclaimed: “I could be a scientist!”
RAG donate £117,000 to charity Alexandra Bobocica
A member of Flying Teapots.
Photo: Sam Bennett
Flying Teapots showcase circus skills in the city centre The Flying Teapots was just one of the groups that entertained the crowd during the Dream Bigger Dreams event, writes Abi Brown. The group demonstrated their skills in the Peace Gardens on Wednesday, October 28. Liam Hardy, vice-president of the Flying Teapots, said: “I think this is a good way to show people that students are doing so many things that you don’t even think about.”
Linda Santhouse, a Sheffield resident watched the University of Sheffield circus skills society, the Flying Teapots, with her grandchildren. She said: “The kids seem to be having fun and getting involved with the students,” she said. “It’s showing us that university students are not just wasting their time. “I’d like to say thank you to the University for putting it on.”
Representatives from Sheffield Raising and Giving (RAG) handed over a cheque for more than £100,000 to local charities as part of the Dream Bigger Dreams event. The group raised a total of £117,000 through a number of fundraising activities in the last academic year. RAG were joined by Councillor Paul Scriven to present the cheque to representatives from Edale Mountain Rescue, Burton Street Foundation and Cavendish Cancer Care, just a few of the local charities who will benefit from the money. Last week also saw participants from this year’s sponsored hitchhike, Bummit 2009, donating thousands of pounds to Cavendish Cancer Care on behalf of Sheffield RAG. Students presented the charity with a £22,000 cheque to help cover the organisation’s rent and bills for one year. The money will also help provide free support for individuals and families affected by cancer. To present the cheque Bummit participants danced the conga in a line from Bar One to Cavendish Cancer Care’s base on Wilkinson Street, Broomhall. A giant cheque was then handed over to staff at the centre. A champagne reception was held to welcome the Bummit
RAG hand over the cheque to representatives from local charities. fundraisers to the centre. have the best reputation and The £22,000 contribution it’s good to see them involved in was the single largest donation initiatives like this, supporting received by the Cavendish Cancer and enriching the local Care this year. community.” Rachel Colley, Chair of RAG This year’s RAG events aim to said: “It was an excellent way help the local community during to hand over such an important the current economic crisis. cheque, representing the hard “We hope to break £80,000 work that the Bummit sub- this year,” said students’ union committee put in. community fundraiser, Emma “It also shows how much of a Damian. difference students can make to “Sheffield RAG was a small the local community.” society a couple of years ago A Cavendish Cancer Care but now it has grown and we’re spokesman said: “Students don’t making a real difference.”
FORGE PRESS Friday November 6 2009
LOCAL NEWS
Report reveals divide of city’s education postcode lottery Abi Brown A new report has shown a significant gap between the potential educational achievements of inhabitants of different areas of Sheffield. In Hallam, inhabitants are four times more likely to achieve a degree than members of the Brightside constituency, where only 15.38 per cent of people have degrees. The University and College Union (UCU) states the national average for a degree-level qualification or above is 29.01 per cent. In the Hallam constituency, only 3.39 per cent of residents have no qualifications, compared to the national average of 12.39 per cent and 22.85 per cent in Brightside. The research, conducted by the Social and Spatial Inequalities Research Group at the University of Sheffield’s department of Geography, has shown that in spite of local and national government intervention, many of the past inequalities in Sheffield continue and some have increased. Sheffield Brightside MP and former Minister for Education, David Blunkett, commissioned the research. He said: “Sheffield is a microcosm describing the divide that exists in England more widely between health and wealth on the one hand and poverty and inequality on the other. It is vital that the lessons of Sheffield are learned”. Blunkett, however, also described recent GCSE results in the north of the city as “phenomenal”, as Sheffield has moved into the national top five in terms of improvement.
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The researchers analysed information from a variety of sources, including South Yorkshire’s Local Area Statistics On-line Service (LASOS), NHS Sheffield and Sheffield City Council, as well as national data sources such as the Office for National Statistics, Neighbourhood Statistics and HM Land Registry. Councillor Paul Scriven, Leader of Sheffield City Council, said: “Labour’s policies to close the inequality gap, both nationally and locally, have failed. “Speaking as someone who is the son of a dustbin man and has come from a modest background, I know just how important it is to tackle inequalities.” Scriven believes that Labour have taken a “postcode lottery” approach to distributing investments. He added: “Every individual and family who are entitled to support should receive it, regardless of where they live”. Speaking about the findings, co-author, Dr Bethan Thomas said: “While there have been improvements and in many cases the gap between the best-off and worst-off parts of Sheffield has narrowed, high inequalities remain, and in some instances, such as for standardised mortality ratios, the gap is actually widening.” Co-author Dr Dan Vickers said: “This report reveals how people’s chances of health, wealth, education and dying vary greatly across the city depending on the neighbourhood in which they live. With the likely reduction in central government intervention in the coming years and Sheffield Council’s changed priorities, we fear that what improvements there have been may well be reversed in the future”.
Local schoolchildren dressed to scare at Fright Night.
Photo: Jason Brown
Hallowe’en costumes and took part in the range of activities on offer, including fairground rides, face-painting, games and an illusions sideshow put on by the University of Sheffield. A new event for very young children, Fright Night’s Little Brother, took place on The Moor in the afternoon before the main action kicked off. Some participants took drastic steps to raise money for charity
on the night. Former Lord Mayor, Councillor Peter Price, sat in a bath of live maggots for the Macmillan Cancer Appeal. Organiser of Fright Night, Scott Barton, said: “This year we have had the most amazing night considering that we had a bus strike and a few showers. “It’s the biggest turnout we’ve ever had and we couldn’t be more pleased.”
Record turnout for Hallowe’en event Rosie Taylor More than 40,000 people attended Britain’s biggest Hallowe’en party in Sheffield this year. The event, on Sunday, October 25, saw a record turnout despite rain throughout the afternoon and a strike by First Group bus drivers limiting access to the city. Thousands dressed up in
Prescott backs regeneration of Yorkshire’s coal industry Leanne Rinne
Politicians have been discussing the regeneration of Yorkshire’s coal industry and climate change issues at a high-profile conference in Sheffield. In an interview with Forge Press John Prescott, who hosted the event, outlined the Government’s solutions to global problems. When asked about the Government’s plans to create a cleaner coal industry in Sheffield, he said: “At the moment 20 per cent of the world’s population, rich countries like ours, are poisoning the world with carbon. “We need to start thinking about the 80 per cent now and that means introducing clean coal technologies in Yorkshire.” The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) has recently called for a £200billion government investment to safeguard energy supplies and cut carbon emissions. Mr Prescott admits that climate
change technology will cost but said there is no alternative “Young people will have to live with the consequences if we don’t have the courage to take the decisions now,” he said. World leaders will meet to discuss a new global agreement on climate change in Copenhagen next month but Mr Prescott, who played a major role in securing the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, thinks it will be difficult to reach an international agreement. He said: “Forty-six countries were involved in the emissions control which came about at Kyoto, but Copenhagen will involve 187 countries where billions of people are living on less than two dollars a day. “Copenhagen must try and bridge the gap between the wealthy and developing world to reach a global agreement.” Mr Prescott said students should count themselves lucky and adjusts their lives to combat climate change. He said: “Don’t talk to me about
students - compared to the two dollars a day people are living on in 80 per cent of the world, we all have to make adjustments. “Students should say to themselves if we don’t make these changes we will suffer the consequences.” Mr Prescott also stood by the controversial comments he made criticising people in Sheffield who are opposing a new wind farm development. He said: “We have to have so much energy from wind and 20 per cent is the Government’s target. “But only 25 per cent of the planning decisions are agreed to for wind farms on shore.” He said that people who object to new climate change planning decisions are “usually in those areas were people have got chocolate box pictures and say, ‘I don’t want my area affected by this’.” Mr Prescott recommends that everyone watch the film The Age of Stupid.
John Prescott with Professor Lenny Koh of the University of Sheffield. He said: “They might call us the age of stupid if we don’t make the right decisions.
“At least I will be on the right side turning in my grave even if you don’t make the changes.”
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NEWS UNIVERSITY
‘I want to put students and staff first’ The new Registrar speaks to Forge Press about being a slow learner, marathons and his plans to guide the University of Sheffield through tumultuous times Robert Golledge Philip Harvey is a man with very important job. Tasked with ensuring the University’s £400million turnover and network of 4,000 professional services staff works effectively, he certainly has a lot of work on his hands. Maintaining the University’s operations and delivering highquality professional services following the loss of five per cent of staff will be no easy task, especially considering the uncertainty surrounding the future of higher education funding. The 51-year-old started life from humble beginnings. His father was a pilot in the RAF and his mother worked as a school secretary. Dr Harvey admits he was a slow learner while at his local comprehensive school. “My education was varied, I excelled in some areas and performed atrociously in others,” he said. “My strongest subject was Geography, which I went on to read at university, but I was weak at subjects like Art.” A passionate sportsman, Dr Harvey still cycles and runs. Recently he has cycled across France and Spain, and run a number of marathons - his personal best is three hours 41 minutes. He was the first person in his family to attend university, studying Geography at Oxford Polytechnic (now Oxford Brookes University). It was his time at university that fundamentally changed him and helped mould him into the man he is today. “What transformed my life was that at university I was surrounded by a committed group of academics who were absolutely enthused by their discipline. “They drew away from my eyes a blindfold of middle classness that I was used to. They showed me that there were other ways to view the world – that was really refreshing and very exciting.” Dr Harvey went on to study at Oxford University’s Department of Educational Studies and then
Dr Philip Harvey, the University of Sheffield’s new Registrar. completed a PhD at Durham after receiving one of 30 competition awards available nationally from the Economic and Social Research Council. After 17 years working at Warwick and Exeter universities, he became Registrar of Sussex University in 2005. When asked what attracted him to Sheffield he instantly replied: “Keith Burnett, “So much of my time will be spent working alongside the ViceChancellor (VC) and it was very important for me to identify with that individual; someone with considerable aspirations and ambition for the University, a lot of vision and tremendous belief and passion in what he’s doing. “It’s also important that a VC can communicate effectively to the staff and student bodies and I think Keith has all those
qualities.” As well as Professor Burnett’s attributes, Sheffield’s academic prowess and a city committed to education were draws for Dr Harvey. Now, four weeks into the job, he knows where he wants to see the University going in years to come. “I’d like to see the University
continue to achieve against a strong teaching and research mission. “That integration of outstanding research into the Sheffield curriculum is absolutely right and I’d like to see that represent what the institution’s values are. “The University needs to do that on a much larger international scale and the scale
The role of the Registrar explained The Registrar is responsible for all the University’s operations that lie outside the academic faculties and that comprise of professional services. He is a member of the ViceChancellor’s University Executive Board (UEB) and the directors and heads of professional services report directly to him. The Registrar is secretary to
the University’s Court, Council and Senate and works with the chair of Council and other independent members to ensure good governance and advises on current or potential factors which may influence the achievement of the University’s aims. He attends or is a member of all key policy-making committees within the University.
needs to increase – in having faculty teach abroad; for more international students to study for Sheffield degrees; and to have more exchanges in place so the students here can engage with other courses and communities.” Grasping a handful of papers he enthusiastically recites numerous achievements by Sheffield students in the past few weeks. Dr Harvey wants to celebrate and engage with student activity across the University. “I want to put students and staff first, people will get to know me as the year goes on as I work with the Students’ Union and the departments. “One idea I’ve had is for the University to celebrate students’ achievements in an official way - a letter signed by the VC or faculty head, or even an end of year function when we get all the achievers together. “Expect to see me around the University getting involved in projects. I certainly won’t be a faceless bureaucrat.” When tackled on the shape of the UK’s higher education system and student finance, Dr Harvey said he doesn’t see a return to the era before tuition fees, instead he believes the country needs to contribute a greater proportion of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to higher education and that student support is the sector’s top priority. Labelling Sheffield students as “the lifeblood of the University” Dr Harvey is clear in what he wants students to get out of their time here: “My message to students is: enjoy living and learning in Sheffield for as much time as you have here. “It is still a major achievement to be in an institution like this surrounded by so many people who are at the cutting edge of their subjects – in many cases world leaders. “It is something I hope they will look back on with pride and an immense amount of pleasure. I urge everyone to get involved and be active in the community. Make the most of your time here because later in life there won’t be the kind of opportunities that are available to you now.”
Water Amnesty continues University cuts affecting Maths department Continued from Page 1
Laura Anderson A University campaign has been encouraging students to reduce how much water they waste. For the past four weeks students have been given tips on how to save water as part of the Water Amnesty campaign, which will be running over the next few months. The University will pass on 40 per cent of the annual profit it makes from the campaign to The One Foundation, which provides clean water for African communities. Union President Paul Tobin said: “Changing people’s day-today habits can be very difficult so the campaign will be continuously running in the background.”
Paul Tobin promoting the amnesty.
Holly Taylor believes not enough has been done in the Maths department, despite the efforts of staff to ensure the staff cuts did not affect teaching. She said: “The Voluntary Severance Scheme (VSS) left little time for thorough planning and rescheduling of teaching time but this is not something students should put up with. “I still haven’t been assured that the department have come up with a suitable solution.” In an email on September 9, the incoming Director of Teaching for the department, Dr Frazer Jarvis, informed all second year Mathematics students that three lecturers in the School of Mathematics and Statistics had
decided to take early retirement. This had led to a number of cuts being made. He asserted that the staff changes had partly been driven by the need for economy, with the savings being used to improve the staff-student ratio in the remaining sessions. He also said that the cut in contact time would help Level 2 students move up to Level 3. Philip James Bowen, a second year Maths student, said: “I feel that the feeble excuse of the reduction aiding the transition to third year is merely covering the real reason - that there have been budget cuts and we have had to pay the price, even though we already have to pay the price of tuition fees”. A spokesperson for the
University said: “In a move to improve the provision of tutorial support, level 2 tutorials are now given on alternate weeks. “This is something that has resulted in an increased student attendance rate at tutorials and it is likely that this accounts for the perception that there has been no improvement in staffstudent ratio, which has in fact improved by 29 per cent from the corresponding classes last year. “However it is clear that there are still some concerns felt by students in the department and we welcome the fact that this has been brought to our attention.” Students who believe they are spending their contact hours in unsuitable rooms should contact Holly Taylor at holly.taylor@shef. ac.uk.
FORGE PRESS Friday November 6 2009
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LETTERS
Have your say
Write: Forge Press, Union of Students, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TG Email: letters@forgetoday.com Please include your name, course and year of study. We reserve the right to edit letters for clarity and space.
Islamophobia is certainly not justified Dear Forge, Recently the Debating Society held a debate entitled ‘This house believes Islamophobia is justified’. As Muslim students, our initial reaction was indignation that the Debating Society would have such a controversial title. Many people suggested to the Islamic Circle that we should complain to the Society and make sure that this debate did not go ahead. However, instead we decided to participate, and show why Islamophobia is not justified. We cannot ignore the fact that Islamophobia does exist, as clearly reflected by the fact that 27 of the 79 people who attended voted in favour of the motion, and 10 people abstained from voting, meaning that almost half the people in the room did not outrightly oppose Islamophobia! And considering that the widely accepted definition of Islamophobia is a fear and prejudice of Muslims and Islam, this is worrying for me as a Muslim student at the University. I have been at this university for over three years. I have many non-Muslim friends and have never been a victim of Islamophobia on campus. Hence I was shocked by the results of the debate, as were my non-Muslim friends. Thus, I feel it is important that
Star letter is sponsored by Your Harley
The winner receives a free meal for two and a Lock-In membership at Your Harley it be expressed why Islamophobia is not justified, and that any misunderstandings about Islam and Muslims be cleared up. In the debate, the proposition argued that Islamophobia is justified because to criticise Islam is like criticising any other ideology, like communism. If this were the case, we would have had no objection, for we welcome people questioning us about aspects of our faith they do not understand or disagree with. However, Islamophobia is not a scholarly criticism of Islam. Islamophobia is ‘a hatred of
Islam and a fear and dislike of all Muslims’. It makes no sense to define Islamophobia as a rational criticism when a phobia by definition is an ‘irrational fear’! Islamophobia is when I am verbally abused and called names like ’Bin Laden’s daughter’ because I wear a headscarf. Islamophobia is when people throw bricks at a Muslim person’s house or when mosques are burnt down in arson attacks. Islamophobia is when Sikhs are attacked and murdered because of a hatred of Muslims held by people who don’t even know who Muslims are– attacked purely because of their appearance– not because of an educated criticism of the religion! Hence, Islamophobia is nothing but a disguise for racism. People are discriminated against, attacked, even killed because of Islamophobia – how can this ever be justified? Some people may argue that it is justified to dislike Islam because they may think it has unjust teachings. The Quran and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) teach us that there is only One Creator of the Universe so he alone is worthy of worship; to establish prayers so that we may remember God in our daily routine; to give at least 2.5% of our savings to charity at least once a year; to fast in the month of Ramadan so that
Bibs myths
we may learn self discipline and empathise with the starving; to honour our parents and respect the elderly; to be firm in justice; to love for our fellow humans what we love for ourself; to speak good or remain silent; to seek knowledge of both worldly and religious matters; to educate our children; to give rights to women; to stay away from intoxicants so we don’t lose self control; to dress modestly, guard our chastity and be faithful to our spouses, and to be good, well balanced people. Is this anything to fear? Islamophobia creates an environment of suspicion and hostility, creating divisions between Muslims and nonMuslims for no justified reason. Muslims and non-Muslims may have different priorities and beliefs but that does not justify us hating and fearing each other. People may try to equate the right to disagree with Islamic teachings, which is justified, to Islamophobia, which is most definitely not justified, making the demonisation of Muslims more and more acceptable. However, if intelligent students at this university will fall for this deception, then what hope do we have of keeping the BNP at bay? Yours, Hafsah Qureshi Medicine Fourth year
No such thing as privacy online
Most football fans are not idiots
Dear Forge,
Dear Forge,
I read Duncan Robinson’s feature on employers vetting their staff through Facebook (‘OMG: Why a status like this could get you sacked, LOL’, page 14, issue 15) and was rather taken aback by computer users’ ignorance of the machines they’re using! As a massive computer geek I probably fall into the “pedantic and cynical” category when it comes to this, but why when a random email arrives saying “Give me your identity details and personal info, I’ll keep them safe I promise” is it met with skepticism, yet websites such as Facebook, MySpace and Bebo aren’t? Is it because we ‘know’ who runs them? In the case of Facebook it’s a company now worth £11 billion from selling access to its users’ data. In the case of MySpace it’s owned by News Corporation, notorious for censorship of the truth and anything not in their business interests. If a random stranger isn’t to be trusted, why are companies which are known to do evil? I implore your readers to take on board the following when connecting to the Internet, along with the reasons underneath: You need to assume that everything you ever send across the Internet A) will be seen by anyone and everyone; B) can never be taken down; and C) will at some point become associated with you. When you consider that the Web was invented to prevent suppression of scientific knowledge, that the Internet was designed to suffer no disruption
during a worldwide nuclear war and that current AI research uses the entire Web as its ‘knowledge base’, then these are easy to prove. No amount of passwords, buttons labelled “private” or clever pseudonyms will change this and kidding yourself otherwise doesn’t make you a “digital native”; it make you a backwards-looking conservative. Either you embrace openness on the Web, or you log off, because you won’t like it. Even banks know this; they don’t bother with “good security” (it doesn’t exist). They put up a few hurdles and invest in good insurance, which is more than paid for by the extra profit made from being connected. In short; every “Send” button on the Web has a CC to your parents, your partner, your boss, your kids, news services, intelligence organisations, criminals and everyone else, and there’s no such thing as “delete”. Whilst this attitude defies the point of sites such as Facebook, that’s OK since these sites are traps built on lies anyway. If you wouldn’t post it to a public access site or blog, then don’t put it anywhere. If you would, then do so, since locking it up temporarily in a walled garden only serves to split up communities and deny knowledge to those who could do great things with it (at least until the next security breach, leak, buyout, etc.). Yours, Chris Warburton Physics with Computer Science Free Software Society President Fourth Year
I was very disappointed, but perhaps not surprised, to see Chris Rogan go down to the welltrodden but ill-informed path of tarring all football fans with the same brush with his article in the last issue (‘Why are football fans idiots’, page 29, issue 15). Mr Rogan seems entirely unsure whether he is criticising the ‘pathetic and brainless minority’ who dared to feel aggrieved by a footballer deliberately inciting them or whether all fans are ‘idiots’. He points to recent high profile examples of fans’ idiocy or misbehaviour, conveniently forgetting that 99 per cent of fans go to a football match with the single intention of supporting their team and enjoying the match.
As a season ticket holder at Sheffield Wednesday who has travelled as far as Newcastle, Crystal Palace and Port Vale to follow my team, I realise my ‘low levels of brain cells’ probably render me incapable of putting forward a coherent argument in the eyes of Mr Rogan. However, I feel it is important to point out that not all football fans are flare-hurling hooligans. I invite Mr Rogan to attend a match at Hillsborough where the pens to which he refers have long since been torn down and fans are now treated like human beings; a notion which is presumably unthinkable to your writer. Yours, Craig Nicholson History Third year
Dear Forge, Andre Nunn (‘Biblical Studies U-turn triumph for students’, page 13, issue 15) hopes that the course in Biblical Studies will now begin to attract more students. But here’s the nub: Biblical Studies is regarded as part of Theology and/or Religious Studies. It isn’t; we do not do theology, nor do we teach religion. Rather, we are studying a core cultural text using history, archaeology, languages, literary theory, cultural studies and philosophy. We are perhaps the most interdisciplinary (and possibly central) subject in any University Arts Faculty. The Bible has never been taught in schools, nor very widely understood by the public, in the way we study it. Our students do understand that and, regardless of entry qualification, their degree classes are as high as anyone’s. Our huge international postgraduate community also understands it. Yet maybe we have to start by explaining to many of our University colleagues what we do and convincing them that our world-famous Department has a major role and responsibility in the development of the Arts Faculty in Sheffield. Recruiting higher numbers of undergraduates will take more time and effort, of course - and resources - but that is indeed the larger challenge we will also have to take on. Yours, Philip Davies Professor Emeritus
Corrections and clarifications The editorial ‘U-turn on department closure is a divine victory’ in issue 15 should have stated that students in the Biblical Studies department have been specifically informed that the department is not subject to further review. Plans being prepared are about how to assist the department’s future rather than whether it should have one. We apologise for any confusion caused. During the Union building works, the Advice Centre will not be moving to Glossop Road, as previously reported on page 3 of issue 15, but will remain in the Union building.
Does racism exist within the Union?
Shabia Shohid Human Science First year
Anthony Jay Aerospace Engineering Second year
Puri Chiou Naseeb Saqlan Nursing and Midwidfery Mathematics First year researcher Second year
I haven’t had any problems. The University seems welcoming to different groups.
I don’t think so. I’ve been to other cities, where there can be racism, but Sheffield is very united.
People here are very nice to me. We recently had a party and invited some of the locals.
I’ve worked as a bouncer in clubs where there’s a racist element, but there isn’t a problem here.
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FORGE PRESS Friday November 6 2009
www.forgetoday.com // comment@forgetoday.com
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COMMENT
Quality, affordable accommodation welcome to Tapton Towers hotel
Uni life ain’t as much fun when Mum and Dad are sleeping next door
Family and friends will appreciate the chance to experience Uni life first-hand
Students should be left to their unashamed antics in first year halls
Andre Nunn
I’m sure it’s happened to all of us. You go away to university, spend a semester learning new things, embracing new opportunities, and meeting people from all over the world. Then you go home and struggle to explain to everyone just how good your last few weeks at uni have been. “I’m having a really good time” - while not being insightful - tends to sum it all up. Now, thanks to the Uni’s masses of empty accommodation, this problem could be a thing of the past. A recent email to students offers family and friends the opportunity to stay in halls instead of a hotel. For the first time, parents visiting their precious firstborns snatched away from them by university life will be able to get a small taste of their youngster’s time away from the nest. My experience is that your parents never appreciate how much work you do and how independent you are and how much fun you are having, so the Uni’s new initiative may be the best opportunity to get all of this across. Not to mention all of the time spent away from your home comforts will be significantly reduced with mummy and daddy
just up the road on hand to whisk you round Tesco or roast that Sunday dinner. I know there have been times in my two years at uni that I desperately wanted to roll out of bed to find a plate of bacon and eggs ready waiting for me.
I’m not pretending that life in halls is idyllic It’s also a chance for family or friends to help quell those pangs of homesickness, when visiting home during a particularly-long semester is too expensive or difficult to organise. Student accommodation is first and foremost for students, but I see no reason why empty halls shouldn’t be offered to people who will use it. Contrary to popular belief, students aren’t a bunch of angsty
teens desperate to get away from the confines of home life. A lot of us are close to our families and an opportunity to spend some time with them is always welcome. Starting at around £20 a night for a standard room, it’s a comfortable weekend away for parents or grandparents who can’t afford to splash out on similar accommodation in the city centre. I’m not pretending that life in halls is idyllic and everyone’s idea of a perfect pad. But if the noise, mess and weekly trips to the launderette are all part and parcel of your uni experience, then why shouldn’t your guests get the opportunity to sample it for themselves? And the chance for them to see their baby living independently first-hand would surely be embraced. For a lot of students, the chance to combine the thrills and spills of uni life with the f a m i l y comforts they’ve come to l o v e would be the best of both worlds.
DARTS
Emmanuelle Chazarin
From one night to several months, the University is offering rooms in student halls for anyone who wants them as a cheap alternative to a hotel. Hardly a surprising move when you consider that 650 rooms of University of Sheffield accommodation is currently unused. Some will say resorting to such desperation serves the Uni right for building more fancy halls than they can fill with students in the first place. In practice, the scheme doesn’t quite stand up. Student accommodation is not the place for nonstudents to hang out. In my experience, halls are a place where bad things happen. Bad things, certainly, for anyone who’s not a fresher. Parties are held almost every other day in different flats, resulting in the occasional puddle of sick in the stairs. Fire alarms go off at 4am on Sunday nights, while new couples can be heard having sex in a nearby room or corridor. People smoke spliffs in the courtyards, and noon is accepted by all as a decent time to get out of bed. But halls are the only place where students can be students without shame. It would be inappropriate for them to feel uncomfortable or out of place in their own
One family enjoys Sheffield’s nightlife. Art: Natasha Maisey little cocoons. Picture the scene. Your gran comes to visit for a few days. She rents a student room, wanting to experience your day-to-day lifestyle. She leaves her flat for a morning walk when a bunch of glittery and neoned-up teens stumble back to the neighbouring flat at 7am. An awkward silence ensues, followed by a cordial nod. Maybe even a smile. Then, a shuffle for some keys and bang! The old lady is left outside, bewildered by ‘today’s youth’. As for your friends coming to visit, they would more happily sleep on your floor for free than in a comparatively expensive room, far from your house
or halls. If not, they’d go straight to the cheapest youth hostel in town. When my parents come to visit next month, I’ll kindly point them to the nearest B&B. They’ll get a chance to have nice morning chats with civilised people over a plate of traditional English breakfast, all the while enjoying the host’s exotic Yorkshire accent. That’s what I want them to go back to France with: a fascination for the lovely British culture that I’m now a part of. Not a traumatising experience induced by debauched scenes that are customary in the aftermath of Sheffield’s weekly Skool Disco.
Forge Press takes its satirical aim
WOMEN’S COMMITTEE FREE-FOR-ALL
FLOOR + MATHS =
LAYING AROUND
A new bye law being pushed through Union Council will allow “all self-defining women students” to join the women’s committee. It will mean that anyone who defines themselves as a woman will be able to run for the committee and become part of discussions on women’s
The Maths department apparently has so little space for its ever-growing number of undergraduates that students are having to sit on the floor. Most people find it hard enough getting to lectures in the mornings. With students having to choose between bed or the cold floor while a lecturer drones on about Pythagoras, Darts is shocked they are still making the effort.
Protesters obviously had a bone to pick with Royal Bank of Scotland at the Graduate Fair this week. Three students were seen laying on the floor in front of the RBS stall, preventing people from getting past and causing a considerable disturbance. The people on the stall looked on perplexed as the security men dragged them across the floor and out of the nearby fire exits.
welfare. Darts is interested to know how the committee will vet for authentic transsexuals. What’s to stop a cheeky chappy turning up at a meeting and claiming he is the next Nadia in order to get an undeserved seat? Stranger things have happened.
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COMMENT
Get big on small town spending to stifle the London graduate magnet The allure of Britain’s economic powerhouses makes a return home easy to resist Peter Brennan
In the past three years there has been a significant growth in the number of people attaining degrees. Graduate rates of those of working age increased from 26.6 per cent in 2005 to 29 per cent in 2008, much owing to Labour initiatives aimed at making university education more accessible. The Government particularly targeted those from poorer areas of the country with historically lower levels of higher education participation. And, to an extent, it has been a successful initiative with a far more diverse social background of university graduates representing a wider geographical area. However, England is a historically centralised country due to London’s economic dominance.
Our uni has a high rate of graduate retention It is the largest commercial centre on these shores and is often seen as the place to be by the educated classes seeking to establish their careers and make their fortunes. Nearly every sector is based in the capital, particularly marketing, accountancy and the media.
Editorials Realities of staff losses beginning to be exposed Following the results of the staff Voluntary Severance Scheme (VSS), the University promised that action to “ensure academic quality and sustainability” would be taken. In fact, the University even stated that it believed it would find itself in “a stronger position within a changed economic and political environment.” But it appears that the loss of five per cent of the institution’s staff (320 in total) has already had a negative impact on students’ education, despite the implementation only being in its early stages. To expect students to sit on lecture theatre floors due to overcrowding is not only unacceptable, it is a malignant mockery. Maths students are rightfully dismayed that the axing of staff and modules has lead to a slashing of seminar contact time. Other departments are due to lose academics, professional services and support staff throughout the semester, this surely will result in an ominous future. With the number of students in seminars escalating, many will be questioning what they are getting out of it as tutors are forced to address the class like they would a lecture. Remaining staff are having to take on their departed colleagues’ workloads and whispers are rife throughout the corridors of University departments of fears over a workforce growing stressed and disgruntled. We all know that we are in difficult times economically but this ‘quick-fix’ solution to the University’s budget deficit is beginning to look like it could have disastrous consequences for the University’s number one priority: to provide a world-leading education.
Seymour-Jackson out
A study suggests graduates flock to the capital. While the Government has succeeded in increasing the outreach of higher education, it has failed to decentralise the English economy. Imagine a student from Barnsley getting a good degree and wanting to become an architect after seven years of study. What is likely to be the most attractive option? Returning home where prospects are limited with the main building requirements being cheap housing, or going to London to live the dream of working for a major firm and designing the next Gherkin? I want to go into the media. And while my home town in Gloucestershire has a newspaper, it isn’t quite
as attractive a prospect as going to the capital to work for the national broadsheets. But what will be the effect of this cycle of educating people across the country only for them to migrate to cities such as Manchester and London?
Nearly every sector is based in the capital It can only be detrimental having a lack of skilled people in the less glamorous regions and increase the English economic
Art: James Wragg centralisation. This can only be tackled by further investments in poorer places in order to encourage skilled graduates to use their educations at such places. Sadly, this means increased local authority spending. And in the current financial climate, that isn’t freely available. Sheffield is an established economic centre and has successfully swam against the turbulent tide. Our uni has a high rate of graduate retention, with students happy to stick around after their degrees. But while large cities profit from the education of their students, less glamorous areas struggle to attract graduates. And that’s the problem.
This newspaper called for the chief of the Students Loans Company (SLC) to resign or be sacked in the first issue of the academic year following the abysmal handling of applications for loans and grants. More than 100,000 students are still awaiting these crucial loans and grants - two months into the academic year. With the news that NUS President, Wes Streeting, has waded into the argument by calling for Ralph SeymourJackson’s head, it is about time we see action from the Government in removing Seymour-Jackson and his band of merry-morons. Students are being hit in the pocket as well as in the lecture theatres. It is time for a unison of student complaints to local MPs and councillors. Pressure must be applied now to stop this sort of chaos from ever happening again and disrupting the education of far too many.
Successes and shame
It is a tale of two types of student: in one corner you have the magnanimous RAG volunteers who have raised an astonishing £117,000 for local charities, and in the other you have the scantily-clad, boozed-up louts who fuel their bodies with alcohol until they are neither in control of their bodies or aware of their actions. It is important that we distinguish and praise those who contribute to the Sheffield community throughout year and not be smeared by the actions of foolish and naïve individuals.
Forge Press Editor, Media Hub, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TG, forgepress@forgetoday.com
Remember to attach a CV to your job application form Olivia Morley A significant impact of the recession is that it is even more difficult for students to get jobs soon after graduating. But when we consider the sheer laziness of the majority of recent degree holders, it bemuses me as to why they moan so much about struggling for work. Results published on a graduate recruitment website have revealed a whopping 60 per cent of applicants are being immediately rejected
by employers for easily avoidable reasons. It seems that those ohso-intelligent BAs, BScs and MAs are failing to provide the most basic of information required in order to simply apply for a job, let alone a secure one. GradFutures found that almost 45 per cent of unsuccessful candidates had failed to attach covering letters and CVs to their applications. A further 40 per cent were found to have submitted cover letters that made no mention of the company they were applying for.
You could argue that although such graduates hold a degree, they could have never worked or applied for a real job in their lives.
Some of the mistakes made are unforgivable Yet such naïvety and inexperience doesn’t account for applying for the
wrong job and misspelling the company’s name within the application. You can’t expect that because you have a degree you will instantly be handed a job. The real irony here is that there are an array of means within universities to help graduates prepare for the real world. At our Uni, we have an excellent careers service that offers help with writing CVs and covering letters. But, clearly, barely anyone is taking advantage of such services.
Some of the mistakes made are unforgivable at a time of economic uncertainty. And as the graduate jobs market is currently in such a sorry state, more effort needs to be put in if graduates are to be in with a shot. Students can’t continue thinking everything will be handed to us on a plate when we leave. Congratulations must be awarded for completing degrees. But I fear graduates are forgetting why they chose to study at tertiary level in the first place.
FORGE PRESS Friday November 6 2009
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COMMENT
Losing faith and interest in the tuition fees debate Whingeing about the top-up system won’t get me my money back Michael Hunter
Warning: the following article contains numerous references to the NUS and tuition fees. Please refrain from turning the page or clicking ‘back’. Not that you wouldn’t be justified in doing so. The NUS’s war on politicians and the top-up fee system might well be a noble one. But it’s the sort of war which lacks testosteronetempering armoury, and instead involves a load of bland speeches and placard-driven lobbying. For 24 hours earlier this week, a fresh battle was fought right on our doorstep as the whistlestop Town Takeover tour reached Sheffield. It was an opportunity for the NUS to openly reengage students in their fight. To tell us why it all matters (again).
I’ve already paid three years of tuition fees But the takeover drew only a smattering of support, while the evening’s debate with NUS president Wes Streeting and local
politicians was sparsely attended. It might have been different had Streeting brought with him and M16 or an AK-47 to help wage his crusade. However, the only fiery exchange came when the three main parties bickered with each other over comments they supposedly made in the media. With little prospect of any Sheffield Central candidate limping out of the theatre with a flesh wound, your average apolitical student would, frankly, rather be assassinating a 12-yearold Japanese boy on Call of Duty. Because – and I’d whisper this if I could so as not to startle tuition fee-centric politicians – most current students don’t actually care about tuition fees. I’ve already paid three years of tution fees. And no amount of campaigning or complaining will get me my 9,000-odd pounds back. As I said, it’s a noble campaign. It’s a campaign that stands to benefit, in practical economic terms, nobody involved in it. Rather than targeting Students’ Unions for support, the NUS would be better served doing a national Playground Takeover at various secondary schools and lobbying support from 15and 16-year-olds currently gearing up for mock GCSEs. That’s if Streeting can convince the youngsters that tuition fees are a more important issue than arranging who they’ll hold
hands with over the park on Friday night. I want to care about future generations of undergraduates, just like I want to care about my great-great-great-greatgreat-granddaughter who is going to die in a ball of flames because of my carbon footprint.
The takeover drew only a smattering of support
But I still can’t be arsed to look for the Bag For Life before I go down the shops, and I still can’t be arsed to rinse the tomato juice from a tin of beans so it can be recycled. Owing much to my own apathy, I applaud those who took time to stand up for students on Monday, including the Union Officers. The message behind the Town Takeover, though, wasn’t entirely convincing. “Save Our Students,” it pleaded. But this city, nor any other, will ever be without a vibrant student community. There are plenty of prospective students who are more than happy to pay more, especially with demand currently outweighing supply for university places. The NUS should stop trying to score easy political points on the undivided issue of tuition fees and
Students from both Sheffield universities united for Town Takeover. Photos: Stephen Findlay concentrate on making itself more relevant to the average student. Each year, a referendum is held on whether our Union should be affiliated to the NUS which is barely opposed. It costs the Union £50,000 annually to be affiliated to the NUS. families out of the top Those who are fully universities. Who but the engaged in student politics wealthiest would be able to can sufficiently weigh Paul afford to pay up to £45,000 up its democratic and for a degree? Blomfield commercial merits. But We need to reduce student for thousands of others, debt, not increase it. the only apparent blow But simply calling for in losing NUS affiliation Labour Parliamentary Candidate, fees to be scrapped is a con, would be missing out on Sheffield Central because our universities a 10 per cent discount at need the resources for I was delighted to add my Topshop. teaching and academic support to the National It’s time for the NUS to support. So what’s the become more visible to the Union of Students campaign answer? everyday student, and drop for a fair system of student In 2003, I made the case its systematic bleating over funding at the recent ‘Town for a graduate tax, which is Takeover’. tuition fees. now proposed by NUS. It’s an important time to This system would mean be campaigning because all graduates making a some of our top universities contribution based on what are pushing for the current they can afford, not on undergraduate fees cap what they have to borrow. to be lifted, as they did in Those who earn most will Students should be 2003. pay most. careful when choosing who Nobody would have a fees to vote for though. As more debt, because fees would be of us get involved with abolished. politics we become more of Even a modest graduate a target for opportunistic tax, rising to just a couple politicians looking for of pence on higher earnings, voters. would raise more money for Scriven has weighed in our universities than the on student issues heavily current fees. And it would since becoming leader of be fairer. the city council. Over the last 12 years, They want a US-style So it might not be a Labour has massively market in higher education, coincidence the Sheffield increased spending on Central seat he will contest with variable fees of up to higher education. in the Election has a large £15,000 a year. New facilities, like the The Confederation of Information student demographic. Commons, British Industry (CBI) is If policies are only have been built. developed to lure students also calling for bigger fees More people than ever into voting, it could leave and higher interest loans. are reaching university. I campaigned against Sheffield’s long term Now let’s have a funding variable fees six years ago. residents uncared for. system that supports the A market in higher opportunities that have Hopefully the politicians would price been created. will realise this, just as education students from ordinary Ghandi would have.
We need fairer funding for higher education
The next Ghandi for Sheffield Central? Kate Lloyd According to a Liberal Youth poster, Paul Scriven, Sheffield’s council leader, is going to have as much of an impact on our planet as Ghandi and it’s easy to see where they are coming from. Ghandi may have helped lead India to independence and inspired worldwide civil rights movements, but that’s nothing c o m p a r e d to Scriven’s accomplishments. He has promoted farmer’s markets to reduce ‘food miles,’ and
tried to reduce the class sizes in Sheffield’s schools. Lets be honest, Ghandi’s only more popular because of his good looks and charm. Scriven just needs to wear shoes less and massive glasses more to get ahead. The melodramatic poster has been up in the Union for a number of months and was created in jest. It’s actually really exciting to see a group of students who are enthusiastic enough about politics to make a poster. Young people are often stereotyped as too lazy
to vote and too ignorant to make a contribution to society, but more people than ever voted in the Student Council elections this year.
Scriven has weighed in on student issues At a time when the most famous student in the country is a boy who urinated on a war memorial, it’s pleasant to know that, despite how we are often portrayed, students care about the world we live in.
In 2003, I made the case for a graduate tax
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FORGE PRESS Friday November 6 200
FEATURES
Sheffield’s night of student carnage After Sheffield’s Carnage bar crawl causes national outrage, Forge Press checks out the event which has shamed Sheffield’s students.
Paul Garbett A council worker throws a bucket of sand to soak up vomit on the stained pavement. It’s 2.30am and while Sheffield’s students stumble home with their kebabs, the cleanup operation is underway. Carnage is over for another semester.
A female student is arrested for trying to steal a policeman’s helmet
Just two weeks after Sheffield Hallam student Phillip Laing sparked national outrage by urinating on a war memorial,
Carnage UK defied calls to cancel its notorious student bar crawl and brought another night of chaos to the city centre with five students arrested for public order offences. Despite the anger towards the organisers, there was never any danger of Carnage being cancelled. After all, the crawl makes thousands for Varsity Leisure, the company which owns the Carnage UK brand, charging pubs a fee for being involving in the mass bar crawl as well as pocketing around £20,000 from T-shirt sales. But while Inderpaul Bahia, the 29-year-old director of Varsity Leisure, rakes in thousands from the comfort of his luxury Buckinghamshire home, Sheffield’s council and police are left to deal with the consequences of a mass student booze-up described by council leader Paul Scriven as “a trail of destruction”. Despite it being a Sunday night, seven more police officers are required on duty than a normal Saturday night out, while bulky security guards surround the war memorial where Phillip Laing urinated on the wreaths placed in
A girl is so drunk she needs to be carried by other bar crawlers.
remembrance of those who died, just weeks earlier. With over 2,000 students taking to the streets, it isn’t long before trouble breaks out. At 11.45pm, police and event stewards begin to move revellers away from West Street after a scuffle breaks out between students and a local man.
‘We need to come down hard on those using binge drinking to make a quick buck’ Paul Scriven, leader of Sheffield City Council Two hours later, a 21-year-old female student is arrested after trying to steal a policeman’s helmet,
Photos: Sam Bennett
with officers having to pin the woman to the ground. The visible security and police presence doesn’t put off one student though, who is caught urinating on the street just yards from the memorial where Laing provoked a national outcry. After being spotted by security, the student sprints across the street, hitting the side of a parked car before being stopped by a council worker. He is detained by police and arrested. My eyewitness experiences of Carnage are nothing unique. Similarly shocking scenes have been replicated across the county, with Carnage UK operating bar crawls in 46 university towns and
cities nationwide, wit around 350,00 students takin part each year. The event have angere universities an alcohol abus campaigners who claim th bar crawls promot binge drinkin and irresponsib behaviour. Chris Sorek chief executive Drinkaware, said: “Pu crawls often encourag drinking to get drun but this kind of activit can result in sexua assault, having serious accident or bein a victim of crime. “Binge drinkin can also increase th chances of serious healt conditions like live damage, some cancer and depression.” Carnage UK insist that these incidents ar rare and their event do not promote bing drinking. They also claim that their team of studen volunteers are on hand t steward the event an prevent drunken student from causing trouble. However, the Forg Press can reveal tha Carnage stewards receiv little meaningful trainin and are enticed to take part b the offer of free alcohol. While stewards aren’t allowed t drink alcohol during the bar craw they receive five free alcohol drinks at the final club with som getting so drunk they can barel stand. One steward, who did not wan to be named, said: “You have to d some training but it’s mainly jus being told to be polite and give lot of pleases and thank-yous. “Most of the night is a good laug and once you’re in the final clu you get five free drinks to help yo get pissed.” Some believe that Carnag should have to provid professionally trained steward
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FORGE PRESS Friday November 6 2009
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FEATURES A Night of Carnage
A Night of Carnage
11.45pm West Street, Sheffield, S1 Police and event organisers shepherd students away from West Street after a local man is involved in a scuffle with a group of students. 12.45am Barkers Pool, Sheffield, S1 A student is arrested by police after being caught urinating on the street, just yards away from Sheffield’s war memorial. He is issued with an £80 fixed penalty for being drunk and disorderly. 1.55am Barkers Pool, Sheffield S1 A 21-year-old female student, believed to be from overseas is pinned down to the ground by police after trying to steal a police officer’s helmet. She is arrested for being drunk and disorderly and fined £80 after being taken back to a police station. 2.30am Barkers Pool, Sheffield, S1 Thousands of students leave Embrace nightclub, some vomiting on the street. Others are too drunk to walk and are carried into taxis. One drunken student staggers into the road and is nearly hit by a taxi cab. like at major sporting events, instead of recruiting inexperienced volunteers from their website. The sleazy fancy dress and boozy antics of Carnage seems much of the attraction for students, but the reality is that this event costs thousands for the police and council to maintain and has brought Sheffield’s students into disrepute.
Seven more police officers are required on duty than a normal Saturday night out
Paul Scriven, leader of Sheffield City Council said he is furious that Varsity Leisure are profiting from “encouraging young people to binge drink and cause mayhem.” He said: “Regardless of the moral arguments, if these events leave a trail of destruction behind them then it’s clear to me that Carnage UK should be paying for the resulting costs rather than leaving the taxpayer to foot the bill.
‘You have to do some training but once you’re in the final club you get five free drinks to help you get pissed’ Volunteer steward “There is nothing wrong with young people or anyone else going out to enjoy a drink in Sheffield’s many excellent bars, pubs and clubs. “However, we need to come down
Female students joke with a police officer. Another girl was later arrested for trying to steal a policeman’s helmet. hard on those who we think are considered when reviewing pub’s in the same week that District using binge drinking as an easy alcohol licences. Judge Anthony Browne condemned way of making a quick buck.” At a meeting of Sheffield City Carnage for encouraging anti-social Last month’s Carnage could be Council on Wednesday, councillors behaviour. He said: “Carnage is the last time the bar crawl hits voted to investigate ways of the name of the organisation who Sheffield’s streets. recovering the costs of cleaning promotes this type of activity and In a bid to clamp down on future up after Carnage and urged South some might say that somebody events, Cllr Scriven has written Yorkshire Police and the NHS to should be standing [in the dock] to all of the city’s bars and clubs consider billing the promoter for alongside you [Laing].” reminding them of their licensing the extra police and ambulance In October, universities and responsibilities and stating that services needed for such events. venues in Birmingham managed to participation in bar crawls will be The city council’s action comes get a Carnage UK event cancelled
Photos: Sam Bennett after claiming that Varsity Leisure were hijacking union affiliated bar crawls which raise thousands of pounds for local charities. And in April, the National Union of Students made policy dictating that students’ unions were not to associate with Carnage UK. But while council regulations may clamp down on future events, Carnage’s 350,000 customers will ultimately vote with their feet.
Student caught with his trousers down 1) A student is stopped by security after being caught urinating on the street in Barkers Pool.
2) He scuffles with police after attempting to run away from security, hitting a parked car.
3) The student is spoken to by police officers, having been caught with his trousers around his ankles.
4) The man is arrested for being drunk and disorderly. He is loaded into a police van and later fined £80.
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FORGE PRESS Friday November 6 2009
FEATURES
Expanding student suburbs test community relations With thousands of students continually moving into Sheffield’s affluent suburbs, Forge Press investigates if anti-social behaviour is causing neighbourhood tensions. Duncan Robinson John Betjeman, the former poet laureate, once described Broomhill as the “prettiest suburb in England”. At 2am on a Thursday morning, Broomhill looks far from it. Students in fancy dress are being dumped from taxis and squawking their way into fast food shops. There’s a lot of noise: a mixture of swearing, shouting and taxi engines straining their way up Witham Road. Take-away containers litter the pavement. For students, this is the end of a great night out. For residents it’s another night of lost sleep. “On freshers’ week and the first few days following, I was woken up every single night [at] around 3.30am,” complains John Birtwhistle, a Broomhill resident, and prominent neighbourhood activist. “Since then, I have been woken less frequently but still more than once a week.”
‘Broomhill is changing from being a mixed community to a student ghetto’ Dr. Stuart Bennett, Resident He’s not the only one. Another resident, who lives just off Witham Road, described “really loud oafish yelling” as well as students “pissing in our refurbished park” at the start of term. The charge sheet against students who live in the Broomhill and Endcliffe area is a long one. Cars are regularly vandalised, including one last year being covered in the contents of a skip. Chanting on the way to and from nights out is commonplace. Litter is a constant sight, as patrons of the various Broomhill take-aways often fail the simple task of putting it in a bin. As a result of all this, the University receives 180 complaints a year – one every two days. Mr Birtwhistle thinks this is an underestimate. “Those complaining are a small fraction of those offended. Most of the nuisance is so transient and anonymous, that by the time anyone can be called the noise has passed and the damage done.” As a result, many disturbances go unrecorded. Dr Stuart Bennett is Chairperson of the Broomhill
Leafy Broomhill has seen an increase in anti-social behaviour. (Inset) car trashed by students. Photos: Sam Bennett and John Birtwhistle (inset) Forum, an umbrella organisation numbers]. We’ve gone from 3,000 in Crookes for more than half darkness, right across the road,” that allows local, interested students to 4,500, which has a century. They are a retired complained Geoff. But Betty parties – such as residents, had quite a disruptive effect on couple with strong links to the stuck up for students. businesses and the universities – people who live near Endcliffe area, having lived in this part of “The problem is there are to talk to one another. Vale Road. The other issue has Sheffield for all their lives. For all sorts of youngsters around When I met him to talk about been the number of Houses in the past decade they have lived getting drunk, but students get relations between students Multiple Occupancy.” next to students. the blame. You just don’t know and local residents, he had the Houses in Multiple Occupation really.” previous day found cheese and (HMO) are often the houses The University does make chips smeared all over his car that would once have been the an effort to limit the problems windscreen. preserve of first time buyers and caused by anti-social behaviour For a man who claims to have young families. by students. his car vandalised in a similar “The concern is that we’ll end “Last year we increased the fashion two or three times a year, up, if we’re not careful, with size of the security team so that he is remarkably calm about it. students and old people” Dr the number of patrols could This is possibly because it Bennett said. be increased,” a University was a lot worse a few years ago: This is hardly the fault of spokesperson said. On top of this, “You’d wake up in the morning students. Landlords are simply the University has also launched and find footprints on the roof [of taking advantage of a ready the ‘Staying Up, Keeping it Down’ your car]”. market and the authorities’ campaign, reminding students to Dr Bennett is not a NIMBY failure to legislate properly. be quiet after nights out. with a grudge against young Not all of them are, however: But despite the University’s people. But he is concerned about “There are a few landlords who efforts, residents are still plagued the future of Broomhill. do it, just as the anti-social “As far we’re concerned we’ve by bad student behaviour. “I think Broomhill is probably behaviour we get is from a few never had any problems,” said Residents are fed up and the close to the tipping point. It’s students.” Geoff when I went round for a police are said to be launching changing from being a mixed Anti-social behaviour: litter, chat and a cup of tea. a crackdown on anti-social community to being a student vandalism and noise. These are “We’ve seen wheelie bins put behaviour. The police’s Operation ghetto.” what many residents think of on cars. One of the worst things Dark Knight might make a “There are two issues,” when students are mentioned. that ever happened was when difference - and Broomhill might continues Dr Bennett: “One is the But not all do. Geoff and Betty some students took some wheelie become the prettiest suburb in big, sudden increase [in student Kay have lived on Western Road bins and lined them up in the England once more.
Cars are regularly vandalised, one being covered in the contents of a skip
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FEATURES
YouTube star Charlie McDonnell believes that the Internet is such an integral component of most kids’ lives, the majority would hate to be without it.
Addicted to the Internet: could you live without it? Mark Duell How did our parents survive without it? Whether it be emailing lecturers or friends, reading a journal, checking the news, researching an essay, watching a video, listening to a podcast, ordering a book, blogging, sorting out finances or social networking - the Internet is an essential part of our learning and living. Having access to an online world has resulted in very different lives for this generation compared to those lived by our parents, but there are major concerns that too many young people are addicted to the Internet.
‘They’re addicted to sex or gambling and they use the Internet as a tool’ Dr Mark Griffiths, Professor A report from online charity YouthNet, Life Support: Young people’s needs in a digital age, considered the importance of the online world to our lives. It found that 75 per cent of young people cannot live without the Internet and 45 per cent feel happiest when online. The report’s author, Professor Michael Hulme, of Lancaster
New research highlights the increasing numbers of young people becoming socially dependent on using the Internet University’s Institute for Advanced Studies, said: “The Internet is central to the lives of young people - it exists for them as part of the fabric of the world. “Unlike older groups, the Internet is not a place they purposively go to in a self conscious manner, it is just part of the natural behaviour of life.” Charlie McDonnell, 19, from Bath, is the third most subscribed video blogger on YouTube in the UK with more than 20million hits overall. He said: “I think when you ask kids: ‘Could you live without the Internet or not’, they will say: ‘Oh no, definitely not’, because it’s such a part of their lives. “If you took a computer away from a kid for a week - maybe after about a day, they’d be [saying]: ‘I want to search for something on Google’. But after about a week they would understand it’s not completely vital to have the Internet all the time. “For me personally, the Internet is my career on top of everything else, so I’d have to drastically change my way of living and my life plans if someone pulled the hypothetical plug out on the net.” McDonnell has helped contribute to the huge amount of videos on YouTube. The sheer scale of this availability makes it very easy to spend far more time than you first intended on the website. But this concept of there always
being something else you can look at is a feature of most sites. Advertisers try to catch your eye, or there might be another article internally for you to read. As long as you know when to stop and set yourself time limits for going online, there should be no problem. It is when you cannot think or talk about anything else except for using the Internet that help must be sought. Leading psychiatrist Dr Jerald Block argued last year in the American Journal of Psychiatry that Internet addiction is now a serious public health issue which should be officially recognised as a clinical disorder. He identified excessive gaming, viewing online explicit content, emailing and text messaging as causes of a compulsive-impulsive disorder. Symptoms include not eating or sleeping, experiencing genuine withdrawal symptoms if deprived of the Internet, requiring better technology or time online, fatigue, having more arguments and feeling isolated from society. But Dr Mark Griffiths, Professor of Gambling Studies at Nottingham Trent University, has pointed out that some people who are seen to have an Internet addiction are actually addicted to something else. He said: “A lot of these people aren’t addicted to the Internet - they’re addicted to sex or gambling and they use the Internet as a tool.
“You can’t classify an addiction in terms of its medium - if someone’s addicted to gambling and spends all their time in a betting shop, we don’t say they’re addicted to betting shops.” A clinic opened in Amsterdam three years ago to offer the world’s first treatment for computer game addicts - including those of online games such as World of Warcraft - and it was an immediate success. Keith Bakker, the American director of the Smith & Jones clinic, is a former drug addict and explained more about the results of computer addiction. He said: “These are perfectly decent kids whose lives have been taken over by an addiction. Some have given up school. They have no friends. They don’t speak to their parents. “It is not a chemical dependency, but it’s got everything of an obsessive compulsive disorder and all of the other stuff that comes with chemical dependency.” The rise of online gaming and social networking has led to many people becoming more obsessed with their own online identity than their real life. But McDonnell said: “There’s no such thing as a virtual friendship, unless you’re sitting at home trying to have a conversation with your toaster, or replying to a bit of code that you’ve built. “There are some people that I’ve been working with online for years that I’ve never met
in person, but that’s not to say that my relationships with those people aren’t real.” Andrew Kingston, 21, a thirdyear Geography student at the University of Sheffield, is currently writing a dissertation about the Internet’s impact on people’s perception of their own social identities. “Much research has been undertaken upon Social Network Sites (SNS) in recent years notably on aspects of addiction to a user’s created online persona,” he said. “People investing abnormal amounts of time into their online personalities can be at risk of having their online personas affect their behaviour and influencing their real world identities.”
‘They have no friends. They don’t speak to their parents’ Keith Bakker, Clinic Director Psychologists are still debating whether to label Internet addiction as an addiction indeed or as a mental-health problem. But the condition exists and the aforementioned research suggests some people might have it without knowing. There is no doubt that our lives have been changed dramatically by the rise of the Internet. But this has presented us with a challenge - to keep it as something that we can use. Not something that we must use.
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Lifestyle Four of the best: Redheads
Fashion Food & Drink Health & Fitness Technology Sex & Relationships
FORGE PRESS Friday November 6 2009
Hero of the fortnight Heidi Klum For ditching clichéd costumes and going scary on Hallowe’en
Does everyone love a ba Everyone loves a bad boy, and everyone loves it when girls go investigates why.
Kate Lloyd Steve Hughes
Lily Cole: The kooky super model turned actress, turned student is famed for her glossy red locks. Lily studies at the prestigious Cambridge University. She also carries the heavy burden of being Heath Ledgers last leading lady.
Rupert Grint: He’s famous for playing Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter films, but is gaining credibility as an actor, starring in the soon to be released indie film, Cherry Bomb. Also, in future Potter films he gets to kiss Emma Watson.
Nicola Roberts: Nicola has laid off the bleach and fake tan and has finally started embracing her fair complexion and red hair. Nicola has created a make up line for paler complexions and has modelled for the amazing Vivienne Westwood.
Florence Welch: This is a girl who, let’s face it, has it all. She can sing, has gorgeous hair, and definitely has a less annoying and high maintenance style than fellow red head La Roux, who bleaches her eyebrows. Which let’s face it, is weird.
With the madness of freshers’ week over and your wild oats well and truly sown, you might start to toy with the idea of finding a girl. You start going out and you’re honestly trying to find yourself someone nice. Then suddenly you realise that a lovely reliable girl is the last thing you want. There are loads of types of girls out there, but which one is for you? Soon it becomes all too clear that you want a Miss Wild. If you’ve ever been lucky/unlucky enough to date this type of girl you’ll know she’s a handful. Nevertheless that’s what you love about it. She’s an exciting, rebellious, unpredictable handful. Capable of introducing you to things you never knew existed... granted some of those things may be slightly illegal. Miss Wild is in some ways your perfect woman, even though she is unreliable, sly and totally disobedient. However when you flip this around you realise that the exciting seductive, run-away may have been the best girl you’ve ever had. You want to be with her because she is always going 100mph: seducing her way through a life fuelled by alcohol, rock music and cheap thrills. This is the type of girl you want to get out of bed for in the morning and stay in with at night. They’ve rebelled their way through life, put two fingers up to education and have more often than not got more tattoos than a regular at a working mans’ pub. You love her and you want her, because she’s the only girl you can never have. Try and convince her to have a relationship with you and she’s likely
to bolt like Usain. You know that it’s better to steer well clear, she’s not going to change. This is the variety of girl who sees you as a play thing rather than a real person. She won’t text back when you organise something but merely turns up when she requires amusement, sometimes she might not even remember your name! Despite all of this you cannot stop yourself going back for more. The reason for this is clear when you consider the alternative to Miss Wild, and that’s Miss Nice. She seems, on paper, perfect. She’s sensitive and warm-hearted. ‘Always ready to please’ this girl has smiled her way through life, never made an enemy but has never really ventured out of the house.
Lauren Astbury “Why do the good girls always want the bad boys?”, Gwen Stefani asks in No Doubt’s ‘Bathwater’. Nine years later and Alexandra Burke’s latest single is still mulling over the same question. Despite the fact that our generation has supposedly learnt when, ‘He’s just not that into you’, we seem fascinated by men that aren’t interested or good for us; the notorious heartbreakers or the rebels without a cause. Popular culture indicates that all these Bad Boys are still very much ‘in’. Considering that the latest obsession is vampires, it doesn’t seem a stretch to say women are intrigued by dangerous guys. It’s hardly a new thing. For years fictional love triangles have a girl torn between the nice, but dull boy and the ‘Bad Boy’. Bridget Jones struggled between Mark Darcy and Daniel Cleaver, whilst Gossip Girl’s Blair couldn’t resist Chuck despite having golden boy Nate.
If you’re ever lucky enough to meet this girl, you know she’s a handful “Why do good girls always This is the type of girl who agrees with everything you say and would snuggle on the sofa with you until want bad boys?” the morning. All of this is a problem for you, because she’s predictable, indecisive and treats you like one of her teddy bears. On the upside a reliable, caring, do-gooder who could actually maintain a relationship for more than a week, is worth the gamble. But her drawbacks seem so much worse then Miss Wild’s. For instance a lack of excitement and adventure means a wild night out could mean snuggling on the sofa, watching Disney films while she strokes your hair. You’d always be entirely sure of which house/city/country you’ve woken up in, and where is the excitement in that? This type of relationship may last more than a week but without passion, thrill and the occasional healthy row, you’ll have more fun knitting with your Nanna. Ultimately, a balance is needed between the two. You might get lucky and find a Miss Nice with a naughty side. Ultimately, settle for something in between.
The idea that women want the ‘villain’ is prevalent everywhere. I’m not immune myself: my first television crush was vampire Spike from Buffy and my current one, much to the disgust of my friends, is the rebellious and frankly, chavvy Cook from Skins. This attraction is not just limited to fictional characters. Known bedhoppers Russell Brand and Steve Jones still get lots of attention in spite of their reputations. Even in your own life, there’s probably that one boy in your seminar or halls that you’re curious about even though you know, for sure, it won’t e n d well.
Surely a reputation for being a ladies Why are Bad Boys seemingly irresistible? The benefits of going after Bad Boys are clichéd, but ring true. The early stages of a relationship, the ‘Will we? Won’t we?’ are bound to extend a bit longer and you get the thrill of the chase. It gives you the chance to rebel for a little while. Ultimately, we’re still young and there’s no rule that says we have to commit anytime soon. The best cliché to forget is the idea you’ll be the one to tame him. If you haven’t learnt t h e h a r d w a y
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Gadget of the fortnight
Product of the fortnight
Villain of the fortnight
Tefal Toast ‘n’ Grill £48.99 This new invention is a combined toaster and mini oven, perfect for making a speedy bacon sandwich.
DJ Hero £89.99 Comes complete with your own turntable and is the DJ version of the hugely popular Guitar Hero.
Marlon King Punched a student who denied his advances, while out celebrating his wife’s pregnancy.
addie? wild. Lifestyle
Review: Beanies Vicky Shaw In the words of Richard Hawley: ‘Fuck Tesco, go to Beanies’; on this assertion I decided to take a look for myself. The red-fronted shop on Crookes Valley Road was established in 1986 as a worker’s co-operative; it currently employs over 20 members of staff meaning the ethical values of its workers are reflected in the ethos of the shop. Yes, it might seem more convenient to grab your fresh stuff from the supermarket but have you ever stopped to think about trade issues such as eating organic produce, ‘food miles’, supporting local food producers and fairtrade? If you are worried about these issues then shopping at Beanies is an easy way of supporting such causes. On my first visit to Beanies I was surprised at just how much time you could spend perusing a greengrocers shelves and at how
many products were alien to me, Umeboshi plums anyone? They don’t just sell fruit and veg either, there was also a range of dairy products, drinks, bread and cakes, and environmentally friendly domestic products to name but a few. ‘Fuck Tesco’ indeed. Beanies is also great for anyone with special dietary requirements as they stock vegan, wheat-free and gluten-free products. For the foodies amongst you who like tasting new, wonderful and weird things Beanies sell Indian, Mexican and Oriental specialities. The friendly staff are more than willing to help you out, if like me you don’t have a clue what a ‘sea vegetable’ is. My Beanies shopping experience got me feeling really enthusiastic about cooking with some of the ‘new’ ingredients I’d discovered. Some of the prices may be a little higher than the supermarket but the quality is definitely better and I for one don’t mind paying a few pence more for my apples if I know they have been ethically sourced.
You can’t miss the bright red fruit and veg store.
The elephant in the room: Mental Health
Photo: Sam Bennett
Bright ideas
Clare Mcpartland
man should put you off, shouldn’t it? yourself, then you probably have an unfortunate friend who has. These boys are happy just the way they are. What’s more they like having all the power and don’t want to change. In the same way Twilight has romanticized vampires, the Bad Boys in real life are nowhere near as complex, handsome or intriguing as the ones on the television screen. They don’t have a team of script-writers able to redeem their behaviour, or a makeup-department to get them more gorgeous. Most girls will have the sense to recognise why Bridget picked Mark Darcy in the end. The idea of a Bad Boy is exciting but the reality doesn’t match up. Really, you want someone who is going to call you and make you feel special. Being screwed over gets tiring after a while and sometimes it’s better to trust someone than care about the thrill of the chase. If Noel Gallagher or Chris Brown are ‘Bad Boys’, that’s enough to break my attraction. It seems the best place to admire some men is from the safe distance of your couch.
“I almost wish someone had warned me about how hard university could be. For me it was simply the loneliest time of my life.” – three weeks before she admitted this, Anna Hughes dropped out of University. Anna, who spent 18 months secretly battling bulimia may have been an extreme case, but she is one of thousands who struggle with mental health problems while at university. James Hunter describes his first two years as absolutely amazing, but his final year as hell. “I got myself into quite a bit of debt, and my money problems just spiralled in third year. That along with the workload meant I could never go out, and after a while I just found it easier to stay at home on my own to avoid the questions I got when I did go out. I was sick of the sound of my moaning and sick of my own company. Things just went downhill from there.” One in four students suffer from a mental health problem of some variety whilst at university, which means the chances are you will know someone with one. You may even find yourself in need of a helping hand. Unfortunately, one of the main problems with university is you are very rarely told how hard it can be before you go. To many it is sold as a three year party with a handful of work thrown in for good measure. And for many this is the reality. It may sound a cliché, but while many cope with the adjustments of student life, others can struggle with the upheaval of moving out of home, pressures of deadlines and
Leaving them on is costing you. Emily Williams
Don’t avoid the subject; speak out if you need help. stresses of financial problems can easily lead them astray. Triggers such as arguing with your house mates, poor physical health or relationship or family troubles can all seem a lot more extreme when you’re far from home, leaving you extremely stressed. Which may be all it takes. Mental Health Matters aim to raise awareness of mental health problems, but also of the ways you can seek help. If the support network is increased and it is made easy for people to get valuable help, then the stigma attached to mental health problems can eventually be reduced.
Cartoon: Kate Carson
Although university life can lead to problems, there are also plenty of routes you can take to help yourself and give yourself the amazing experience you deserve. The University counselling service for example, offers one on one counselling, but also workshops on topics such as relaxation and stress management. Mental health problems are not unusual and can be resolved. If you think you may need some extra support or know someone else who might, reach out for it. Important information regarding counselling services and drop-in hours is available on the Mental Health Matters union web page.
As we get closer to the oh-so-pricey Christmas season and the student loans sadly dwindle away, money will be at the forefront of most students’ minds. Moreover as the weather gets colder, bills are inevitably going to rise. To avoid being hit hard, here are some easy tips to reduce energy consumption. 1. Put your heating on timer, for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening. This ensures that it is not accidentally left on for long periods of time and that the house is warm when most people are likely to be home. 2. Turn your thermostat down as reducing the temperature by just 1°C can shave 10 per cent off your bills. If you are feeling chilly, put on an extra layer. 3. Make sure that any lights or electrical equipment are switched off (not just left on standby). Leaving them on when you aren’t even in the room or using them is just a waste of money and bad for the environment. These may seem like small things but when it comes to the student budget, every penny counts and when the changes are this simple, you’d be foolish to ignore them.
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FORGE PRESS Friday November 6 2009
Lifestyle
Madame Whiplash:
The great outdoors
D
ating has n e v e r been my
thing. I’ve always had a major fear of the social awkwardness that comes with such a night out. I always felt like dating was two people having some forced conversation, while ultimately deciding whether they want to have sex with each other. I often sit there while my date runs through his hobbies, trying to work out whether his snaggle tooth is a deal breaker, and then scolding myself for being so fickle. Nonetheless, despite all of this I decided to go on a date with a guy from work. I would be embarking on what was my second date ever. I hoped for excitement and butterflies. What I didn’t bank on was the constant stream of text messages from my friend with benefits (FWB). I tried to concentrate on my date’s conversation, instead my mind kept wandering to the constant stream of filth building up in my mobile’s inbox. I should have felt awkward, but instead, it turned me on. As the date sat there telling me jokes, all of which I’d heard before, I was convinced that I should be with my FWB. My date told me over and over again how attractive he found me, but not once did his hand venture towards my knee. I wasn’t in the mood for coy, I wanted action. I left my date as soon as I could. You could taste my anticipation as I stepped off the tram to find my FWB waiting for me. There was no way he could hide his intentions, finally some passion. Despite how rather cold it was outside, the intensely passionate sex alfresco-style certainly warmed up what had started as a very dull night.
Can high-end translate to the high street? Viki Imrie It seems everyone wants a piece of the high street these days with designers and celebrities alike taking it upon themselves to bring their high end fashion to us mere mortals. Let’s take Christopher Kane and his capsule collection for Topshop. Inspiring? Sadly not. As the original creator of the now legendary body-con dress I expected a couple of modernised variations on this favourite along with a few quirky day pieces but instead we get baggy black cotton and an abundance of silver studs. Luckily the accessories are a lot more inspiring, especially the leather and mesh platform boots and boxy eyelet clutch, both of which would look great with this season’s embellished shoulders and an oversized blazer. Accessories from Henry Holland and Mytights. com are also more fashion forward. The opaque
alphabet and house print tights are infused with House of Holland’s eccentric charm. This range works because it’s so Henry Holland; it’s a little morsel of his quirky charm as opposed to Kane’s slightly tacky reincarnation of a catwalk theme. Again looking beyond the high street to the web, Peaches PPQ for very.co.uk is a very savvy collaboration. Designed by Miss Geldof and inspired by her own vintage wardrobe the range includes velvet body con florals, high waisted shorts and cute mini dresses with oversized collars and buttons. At the tougher end of the style spectrum is New Look’s new range ‘Idol’; a collaboration with Donovan Pascal of Religion and modelled by Alison Mosshart of The Kills. But with designer names comes a frenzy of frantic women. Some couldn’t even get a look in at the Viktor&Rolf range for H&M, not to mention Matthew Williamson’s collection which sold out in just one hour. Some men among you will share in this shopping based frustration after the recent and rapid disappearance of the Matthew Williamson for men range went hot off the shelves of this same high street favourite. To ease their disappointment and cash in on the new found male phenomenon of designerenvy, New Look has launched a brand new Giles Deacon range featuring brightly checked shirts and dark straight leg jeans. And of course I can’t discuss designer ranges on the high street without mentioning Topman which has always been on the ball in this department; currently showcasing Dexter Wong and Carolyn Massey, perhaps not household names yet but definitely exciting new talents as far as menswear is concerned. So, famous names brought to the masses. Currently a tad hit and miss but definitely worth some attention.
Everyone loves a catfight Kat Reynolds
The best or worst of friends?
It seems we all love a good barney. Be it between A-listers with veritable talent credentials or the latest tabloid fodder from the murky realms of reality TV, and unfortunately it seems to pertain towards the female of the species. Barely a day goes by without news of a bust-up on the set of the latest Hollywood blockbuster between its leading ladies, or rivalry between female presenters competing for the top slot on our primetime TV shows. Throw in a man (either ex or current) and the cat fights
only escalate. However, our incessant interest in fighting and drama seems to be undermining one important thing: shouldn’t we be more interested in supporting each other’s achievements and encouraging each other in our chosen roles, be they as a rival or not? Whilst it’s true that it’s impossible to get along with everyone the media penchant for perpetuating ‘bust-ups’, ‘rivalry’ and ‘feuds’ wherever two successful women are placed together only seeks to undermine their position and right to be there, as does our interest in and encouragement of it.
So much more than your average social.
Photo: John Reynolds-Wright
Society of the fortnight: Lemon Fresh Lauren Merryweather Forgive me for being dubious. I was embarking on a pirates’ treasure hunt, fronted by a society with the same name as a popular washing-up liquid fragrance. On my early and apprehensive arrival, organiser Laura Knowles tells me that Lemon Fresh is the pioneer of alternative socials, offering something more quirky and creative than the usual bar crawls. With the committee decked out in yellow t-shirts and yielding an impressive homemade treasure chest, I could only agree that this certainly was different. An enthusiastic and easy-going crowd gathered on the concourse, although, to my disappointment, nobody had dressed up in their buccaneering finest. Treasure maps and cryptic clues in hand, the teams were off across the city’s student territories in search of booty. The race was on to crack the code. With the weather on our side,
the hunt lead us on a merry trail over Crookesmoor, Weston Park and around the Union buildings, some riddles more baffling than others.
Lemon fresh offer quirky and creative fun It came to an end where X marked the spot; the prizes in store included Union vouchers and Hallowe’en treats. All this and still time to pop back for a cosy drink and chat in the Union; quite a perfect way to meet new people and have a laugh, whilst appealing to your inner child. Lemon Fresh have plans for many more ‘memorable’ socials, including an intriguing Murder Mystery event later this year. How about trying the Lemon Fresh Photo Challenge on November 18.
FORGE PRESS Friday November 6 2009
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TRAVEL Foreign Correspondent
The language of love Jo Wendel I’ve pulled my first German. I can honestly say it was a milestone on par with opening a German bank account or enrolling at my German university. I’m aware this is a travel column, but pulling a foreigner is an exchange of culture not just body fluids. If you want to understand a new country you have to explore all parts of it. Consider it a crash course. Flirting speeds up the learning process. How quickly is up to you.
The giant ‘doll house’, St Basil’s cathedral and the Kremlin (Russian for castle or fortress) situated in Red Square, Moscow.
From Russia with love
Flirting speeds up the learning Russia is the perfect blend of tsars, winter Siberian landscapes and process Instead of stiff and official vodka-fuelled banter “how do you do? I’m pleased to meet you” conversations, you’re getting down to the nitty gritty and learning how people truly interact. It’s all the cultural bits that they never taught you in school. In all honesty which would you rather know: how to politely ask a waiter to recommend a wine or how to effectively chat up a native? The main beauty of dating people from a different culture is that it really teaches you that deep down we are all just humans. Sexual urges are natural animalistic instincts and they exist in everyone. Having an English boyfriend was probably the thing that taught me the most about Britain. We may be of different nationalities, celebrate different cultures and speak different languages but love is a universal concept. And love doesn’t need words. Just a few shots of Jägermeister. The only words strictly necessary to know are: do you have a condom?* Often flirting requires no words at all. As I arrived in Britain fresh off the boat two years ago I quickly realised those 10 years of English lessons had been largely wasted, at least as far as half the population was concerned. I’m fluent in English yet the only words I speak that boys actually understand are “I’m Swedish”. Footnote for your pleasure. How to say ‘do you have a condom/protection?’ across Europe: Swedish: Har du kondom? French: T’as une capote? German: Hast du ein Kondom? Spanish: ¿Tienes un condón? Dutch: Heb je een condoom?
Read Jo’s blog and see pictures at www.forgetoday.com
Beth Main Two weeks, over 5,000 kilometres and about 30 shots of Vodka – two weeks on the Trans-Siberian railway took me right into the heart of Russia. I have always had an image of Russia as a perfect blend of Tsars, winter Siberian landscapes and vodka-fuelled banter. It turns out I wasn’t being completely naїve. Once you make it through all the visa applications and customs declarations to Moscow, it is everything a capital city should be. It is exciting, edgy, metropolitan, imposing and engulfing. The basic layout of Moscow follows five ring roads that radiate out from the centre. The last ring road is known as MKAD and coined the phrase ‘There’s no life after MKAD’. At the centre is Red Square with the famous St Basils Cathedral that looks like a giant, onion-domed dolls house, GUM (the Harrods equivalent of Moscow) and the huge Kremlin (equivalent of 10 Downing Street and Buckingham Palace combined.) Muscovites can seem unfriendly to foreigners and certainly to the rest of Russia, they love their city and see no reason to leave. Lalita, 25, who I met on the train from Poland had just been to see U2 play in Warsaw. This had been her first trip out of Moscow in her life, a girl who had seen the tanks roll past her window in 1991. We only spoke for a
matter of hours but as I left she pressed a present into my hand. Every single Russian I met gave me a present, everyone. I was invited to a 21st birthday party in one of Moscow’s many four room apartments. To be honest it wasn’t the vodka drenched affair I had imagined.
Every Russian I met gave me a present Things simmered along with some jokes, a game of charades and some beers. As the numbers dwindled the beer turned into Baileys, turned into Absinthe… Soon we were toasting international friendship, promising to visit each other next year and swearing bilingually. My first official TransSiberian train pulled out of Moscow as I tentatively met my cabin mates for the first time: Vladimir and his wife Tanya. Before Vladimir even knew my name he had sat me down and given me a handful of apples from his mothers’ garden, the ones he used to eat as child. He became my compass to all things Russian. Our journey turned into the longest dinner and discussion ever. Although everyone speaks Russian, there
are many minority groups with cultures similar to those of Kazakhstan and Mongolia. Guaranteed, any Russian with your attention for long enough will gradually turn from melancholy fatalism to patriotism to mild racism back to nostalgia for the motherland. In contrast Tanya was the epitome of Russian class, although she rarely left her bunk she was always fully groomed and sat with the posture of a Tsarina. The mind may boggle at the idea of five days on a train but the time really flies. In between impromptu cabin picnics, making new friends and pacifying the provodnitsa (carriage attendant) there is many a Kodak moment to be had on both sides of the window pane. Siberia is easily recognizable by the quaint painted cottages and stray dogs running around. There are large industrial hubs like Perm and the smaller more historical towns. If you’ve ever seen the beginning 10 minutes of Borat you probably have the image about right for Siberia. But the people are friendly, always eager to share food, drink, jokes and stories with you. They are so used to the vast distances in Russia and its tumultuous history that they are quite hardy folk and very patient. Coming into Irkutsk my watch was wrong, I’d lost two hours to logic and two hours to the track. Crossing five time zones in four nights while the trains always run to Moscow time is so confusing, every morning the whole carriage would synchronise watches. The train itself is comfortable, western toilets and a samovar full of boiling water as standard. Try to get a coffee from the restaurant car and you’ll find they only have beer and vodka. At worst I didn’t shower for five days. I’d do it again in a second.
Fact Box: Russia Russia is the largest country in the world. It covers a seventh of all of the land on the planet. Russia neighbours more countries than any other on Earth. It boasts an enormous variety of landscapes, ranging from tundra to steppes, from deserts to mountains and from glaciers to volcanoes. Around 145 million people live in Russia and it is home to more than 100 different ethnic groups.
Russian is the country’s official language. It uses the Cyrillic alphabet (rather than the Latin one favoured by most Western countries) that contains 33 letters. Russian Orthodoxy is the main religion, followed to a lesser extent by Islam, Christianity, Protestantism and Judaism. The national symbol of Russia is the bear. Vodka is made from potatoes. Russia had many potato crops and it therefore became the country’s national drink. Russia’s most famous animal species is the Siberian tiger, the largest cat in the world. There are around 100,000 rivers in Russia.
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FORGE PRESS Friday November 6 2009
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PUZZLES & HUMOUR
Coffee Break CROSSWORD
Across
Down
1. Inverse (10) 7. Curt (7) 8. Crib (3) 9. Sentinel (6) 10. Hinge joint (4) 12. Remedy (4) 13. Cask (6) 16. Mythical bird (3) 17. Fishing boat (7) 18. Duty (10)
2. Bizarre (9) 3. Disregard (6) 4. Wealthy (4) 5. Nimble (5) 6. Arithmetical operation (4) 8. Lowest female singing voice (9) 11. Empty (6) 12. Freight (5) 14. Entice (4) 15. Male deer (4)
Issue 15 crossword solution: Across: 1. Worry, 4. Adage, 7. Fig, 8. Reacted, 9. Rook, 10. Author, 13. Wisdom, 14. Omit, 17. Garnish, 19. Tea, 20. Sewed, 21. Farce.
Down: 1. Wafer, 2. Region, 3. Yarn, 4. Abacus, 5. Act, 6. Eider, 11, Hamster, 12. Copied, 13. Wages, 15. Trace, 16. Chef, 18. Raw.
mOST POPULAR web CONTENT:
1. A Little Bit Of What You Fancy (Radio show)
2. Cake, craft and community: Sheffield’s new WI takes off 3. OMG: Why a status like this could get you sacked, LOL 4. Win a canvas - as seen on X Factor 5. Climbing team dominate championships
OVERHEARD IN SHEFFIELD Outside Tesco on Ecclesall Road: Woman: “Excuse me, do you have a pound coin to swap for this change so I can get a trolley?” Big Issue Seller: “...” Daytime Hallowe’en on Ecclesall Road: Pre-teen boy: “You’re allowed to throw eggs at people’s houses at this time of year.”
PICTURE OF THE FORTNIGHT
SUDOKU
In the Union:
Boy: “Yeah, maybe I’ll just do a load of coke and then I’ll be able to get all my reading done.”
Girl 1: “Bollocks - that’s another word for balls.”
Boy 1: “So did you stay at hers last night then?” Boy 2: “No, I just walked her back to hers.” Boy 1: “Gutted.”
Photo: Jason Brown One brave soul approaches the world’s scariest child at Sheffield’s city centre-wide Fright Night on October 25. See your pictures here; email: features@forgetoday. com.
COMPETITION
Outside the IC:
In Crookesmoor:
Keep up to date with Forge Media by visiting forgetoday. com; featuring articles, podcasts, listen again shows, video content and lots more.
Girl 2 (choking): “Not whilst I’ve got sausage in my mouth!”
The Mixmag Tour hits Shuffle on Saturday, November 14, and we have three pairs of tickets to give away, courtesy of Plug. The stellar line up includes (deep breath): a headline DJ set from Friendly Fires (pictured); a turn from the ruddy brilliant Count (aka Herve) and Sinden; an appearance by Radio One’s Alex Metric; DJ sets from MODA’s Jaymo and Andy George; and a live performance from Crystal Fighters. Phew.
To win a pair of party tickets for yourself, just tell us: Which rapper appeared on The Count and Sinden’s 2008 single ‘Beeper’?
Email: features@forgetoday. com with your answer and contact number. Good luck!
Art: Kate Carson
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FORGE PRESS Friday November 6 2009
SPORT FEATURE
Oldest club shows others how it’s done Matt Duncan Many football clubs around the world lay claim to being the world’s biggest but there is only one that can call itself the first, Sheffield FC. Founded in 1857, the club are officially recognised as being the “World’s first football club” by FIFA (football’s governing body) and are the only club apart from Real Madrid to have received the FIFA Order of Merit. Formed as a way to keep cricketers fit through the winter months, the club is seen as the birthplace of modern football. The first rules were written down in a greenhouse at Olive Grove, near Bramall Lane in 1858 and became the foundations for the phenomenon that football has become. But far away from the showiness and the often brash nature of the modern game, Sheffield FC still exists in the way that a football club should, with a strong emphasis upon the local community. Lee Walshaw, Community Support Manager at the club and former Sheffield United player, explained about the community work that the club undertakes: “We are currently working in 40 schools in and around Sheffield. That is not just with football coaching either. “The sessions all focus on general fitness and co-ordination and on having fun. We try and break the process down. We don’t just get the kids playing football; we break the skills down to basic steps and try to improve their coordination.” A massively important part of
the club’s ethos is the inclusion of all in the football world. They believe that the beautiful game is something that should be shared with everyone, not just the reserve of an elite few. The club has three disabled teams and last year one of these
‘Rather than being looked after, they get a bit of independence which is what they want’ Lee Walshaw, Sheffield FC reached the national final in London, losing to Exeter. The disabled scheme is not restricted to football. The players meet during the week and partake in activities that help them to live more independent lives. “It’s all about giving them the confidence. On Mondays they will make a shopping list and then will go and buy, prepare and then cook the food. Rather than them being looked after, like many of them are all the time, they get a bit of independence, which is what they want.” This effort to include everyone stretches right back into the work the club do with schools. Walshaw said: “Sheffield has 13 or 14 schools for special needs and we are in 10 or 12 of them on
At the 150th anniversary celebrations Pelé was the guest of honour.
a regular basis, whether that is once a week or twice a year. “It is such rewarding work. We have been with some of these kids for three or four years and not only have we seen them progress in terms of football, we have seen them grow as people. “These are the kids that often feel like they don’t belong but we have seen them grow in confidence as the years have gone by.” Every club in the Football League now has to have a football in the community programme, but this is not the case in non-league football. Ian Feeley, head of operations said: “We are the lowest placed club in the country that has a community programme in place. “The big clubs do it because they have to. They do not do it because they feel that it is the right thing to do.” Walshaw added: “Because we do it out of choice, we feel we offer a better product. We also know that we can’t just fall back on our brand. The name is getting out there but it is not the same as with the top clubs. The club also look abroad as part of their work. The Boots for Africa charity, where old football boots are sent out to South Africa for those who can not afford their own boots, is a Sheffield FC initiative. Feeley said: “Initially we were aiming to get 2,010 pairs of boots out there building up to the World Cup next year but we have gone past that now and we have just had all 92 league clubs sign up to the project.” There is definitely something different about this club. The ground, even on a cold Tuesday morning was alive with people working. According to Feeley, on any given day there are normally six to eight people working at the club, whereas at a normal nonleague club you would be lucky to find anyone in the middle of the week. In terms of the development of the club, it was recently announced that they will be moving back into the city centre from their current base in Dronfield, which is technically in Derbyshire, just outside the city limits. The new ground will be at the Olive Grove site, just south of Bramall Lane. The move will signal the next stage of the club’s attempts to expand their brand. Feeley said: “When we move over to Olive Grove we will hopefully keep the site in Dronfield and use this for our reserves and ladies teams and have the first team play in the city. “Also there is the scope to have other matches there and even for it to be used as a potential training base for the 2018 World Cup, should it come to Sheffield. We will also have a museum housing all the memorabilia that we have acquired. “The aim for us as a club is to be everyone’s second team.”
Above and top: Community work in action.
FORGE PRESS Friday November 6 2009
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Don’t let boxing be banned Matt Duncan Comment Tomorrow sees David Haye take on the giant Russian Nikolai Valuev in Germany for the WBA Heavyweight championship in what could be a great spectacle but there are many who would be much happier if it did not go ahead at all. I am not one of those people. For me boxing is one of the most graceful and exciting sports in the world. I have often been confronted by people who have told me that boxing is simply barbaric and that there is no place for it in the modern world. These people are wrong. Whilst there is clearly violence inherent in boxing, with the simple aim being to knock the other boxer out, boxing is not simply violence. There is a common
misconception amongst boxing’s critics that all that happens in a fight is the two pugilists throwing endless punches at one another with a lack of real, tangible skill involved. Rubbish. The skill involved in a top class fight is at least the equal if not the better of many sports. It takes more skill to be a world boxing champion than it does to be a world 100m champion for example. To win a running race, all you need to do is run. There is a huge amount of training involved obviously but the innate skill on show is the simple ability to put one leg in front of the other. To be a good boxer you need to do more than just throw punches. The co-ordination on show in a boxing match is incredible. The footwork of some of the greats has seen them compared to dancers, Mohammed Ali was said to float around the ring. People do get hurt when they box. This is an undisputable fact but it is not enough to base an abolitionist campaign on. The British Medical Association has been campaigning for a total
ban on boxing since 1985. They claim that there is no place in modern society for a sport that causes so many serious injuries and deaths. But let us look at the statistics. In 2007, 12 people died as a result of accidents in equestrian sports. In the same period three people died as a direct result of boxing. Medical authorities claim that boxing is different, that it causes degeneration of the brain and leads to serious illness later in life. But still this is no reason to ban a sport where all the participants have chosen to be there, a sport which for numerous contestants is their best chance of making a lot of money and also the life dream of many. Boxing is still a predominantly working class sport. Equestrianism, with its higher death rate is certainly a middle to upper class sport. The question needs to be asked whether this class disparity has anything to do with the call to ban boxing. I do not honestly think it does. Perhaps of greater importance is the activist culture that we all
COMMENT & NEWS SPORT
live in now. There is a percentage of the population that think it is their duty to protect everybody else even if they do not want protecting. This is another case of that disease. Even the families of those who have died because of boxing do not want a ban. The brother of boxer Steve Watt, who died after a fight in 1986, has said that he would not want to ban boxing because it takes away the chance for people to find the satisfaction that his brother found in the sport. Those who wish to ban boxing do not understand it. They are coming form the outside and deciding on behalf of society that it is not fit for modern consumption. They are talking about a subject they do not understand and are interfering in a profession and a sport that is amongst the oldest on earth. We can not allow these people to succeed in their crusade. They would rob the public of one of the great sporting sights and the fighters of a livelihood and a dream.
Cyclists’ hard work prevents trophy loss Edward Harris The University cycle team battled hard to regain the BUCS National Hill Climb Cycling Championship crown, but were just off the mark on the day. The event, taking place on October 26 in the heart of the Derbyshire Peak District welcomed nearly 200 racers from universities across the country. Sheffield appeared as reigning hill climbing champions on the steep Peak District contours and put up a brave effort. They doggedly battled it out in gruesome weather conditions, recording excellent individual times. Cross-county captain Eoin Elliot was the best placed at 16th at 06:17, and road captain Helen Clayton was recorded 9th in the women’s category with a blistering time of 08:45. Club captain Michael Guildford shattered his previous year’s time by 24 seconds. Despite the gallant efforts by the team, the results weren’t enough to follow up last year’s victory. It was Durham and Leeds Met who were the fastest teams in the men’s and women’s categories respectively. Sheffield were placed seventeenth in the women’s team and joint ninth in the men’s with Birmingham. A superb performance by Lancaster University’s Adam Pinder gave him victory by nearly 30 seconds to take the men’s individual. Michael Guildford, the cycling club captain underlined the team’s plans. He said:“We will be training on rear wheels specially built to be slightly smaller in diameter than our front wheels, mimicking an uphill gradient, hopefully improving our hill-climbing speed.”
British Universities & Colleges Sport fixtures NETBALL Leeds 2nd v Women’s 1st Women’s 2nd v Newcastle 3rd Sunderland 2nd v Women’s 3rd
WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 11 BADMINTON Men’s 1st v Manchester 1st York 2nd v Men’s 2nd Women’s 1st v Liverpool Uni 1st
RUGBY UNION Northumbria 2nd v Men’s 1st Northumbria 4th v Men’s 2nd Men’s 3rd v Newcastle 4th Loughborough 1st v Women’s 1st
BASKETBALL Men’s 1st v Sunderland 1st Women’s 1st v Leeds Met 2nd FENCING Newcastle 1st v Men’s 1st Leeds 1st v Women’s 1st FOOTBALL Leeds Met 2nd v Men’s 1st Northumbria 4th v Men’s 2nd Men’s 3rd v Hallam 3rd Huddersfield 2nd v Men’s 4th Teeside 1st v Women’s 1st Hull 1st v Women’s 2nd
LACROSSE Men’s 1st v York 1st Leeds Met 1st v Women’s 1st
BASKETBALL Men’s 1st v Northumbria 2nd Hull 1st v Women’s 1st FENCING Men’s 1st v Leeds 1st Women’s 1st v York 1st
SQUASH Men’s 1st v Newcastle 2nd Men’s 2nd v Bradford 2nd Men’s 3rd v Hallam 2nd Manchester 1st v Women’s 1st
FOOTBALL Men’s 2nd v Leeds 2nd Leeds 3rd v Men’s 3rd Women’s 1st v Durham 1st
TENNIS Leeds 2nd v Men’s 1st Men’s 2nd v Sunderland 2nd Women’s 1st v Leeds Met 3rd VOLLEYBALL Leeds Met 2nd v Men’s 1st Women’s 1st v York 1st The rugby team in action.
BADMINTON Men’s 1st v Lancaster 1st Women’s 1st v Bangor 1st
RUGBY LEAGUE Men’s 1st v Lincoln 1st
TABLE TENNIS Northumbria 1st v Men’s 1st Leeds Met 1st v Men’s 2nd Durham 1st v Women’s 1st
HOCKEY Newcastle 1st v Men’s 1st Newcastle 2nd v Men’s 2nd Teeside 1st v Men’s 3rd Men’s 4th v Leeds Met 2nd Leeds Met 2nd v Women’s 1st Women’s 2ndv Durham 3rd Women’s 3rd v Huddersfield 1st Women’s 4th v Hallam 3rd
WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 18
GOLF Leeds Met 2nd v Men’s 1st HOCKEY Durham 2nd v Men’s 1st York St John 2nd v Men’s 2nd DVC v Women’s 5th LACROSSE Leeds Met 1st v Women’s 1st RUGBY UNION Men’s 1st v York1st Women’s 1st v Edinburgh 1st
Tennis have made a solid start. SQUASH Men’s 1st v Leeds 2nd York 1st v Men’s 2nd Men’s 3rd v Newcastle 3rd Keele 1st v Women’s 1st TABLE TENNIS Men’s 1st v Manchester 1st Manchester 1st v Women’s 1st TENNIS Men’s 1st v Teeside 1st VOLLEYBALL Women’s 1st v York St John 1st
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FORGE PRESS Friday November 6 2009
SPORT REPORTS
Spirited Uni not good enough Rugby Union firsts University of Sheffield Sheffield Hallam
8 25
Men’s Football firsts University of Sheffield University of York 4ths
Matt Duncan The men’s rugby union team remained upbeat despite losing to rivals Sheffield Hallam in a crucial top of the table clash at Norton. In spite of the disparity in the score, there was not much between the two sides, with Hallam getting the victory thanks to two breakaway tries and a couple of missed Uni opportunities. The first of those chances came in the opening 10 minutes, Uni just failing to get the ball down over the line. It was Uni who put the first points on the board with a penalty from Matthew Poulton. This lead was not to last very long though. A scrappy scrum was won against the head in their own half by Hallam who quickly moved the ball wide. A good run by their winger saw him offload to the fly-half who went over the line to leave the Uni team looking shocked. The conversion attempt was successful. The game then settled into a period of physical, slightly scrappy play. Hallam looked more composed on the ball with Uni being guilty of looking to offload at the wrong times. Hallam extended their lead through a penalty after Uni were given offside at the breakdown. Soon after, Uni had a chance to cut the gap after good pressure at the scrum led to a Hallam infringement but Poulton missed the kick form 25 metres out. The visitors soon regained control of the game and despite some good defending, Uni conceded another penalty which was converted to leave them trailing 13-3 at the interval. The first 10 minutes of the second half were all Hallam. However some great defensive work form Uni kept the visitors out although the hosts appeared
Men’s Football seconds 0 3
Chris Rogan The men’s second team easily fell to defeat against rivals Hallam in showery conditions at Norton Playing Fields . The performance from both sides was left something to be desired, resulting in nitty-gritty midfield play. Consequently the level of entertainment was adequate at best. It was Hallam who dominated the first half, with goals early on and late in added time. Both goals were the result of somewhat tired defending, and this was the case throughout the match. In the brief flurries of Uni attacks, the final ball was lacking every time, which, coupled with loose defending, resulted in clear frustration from the home team. In the second half, Uni seemed to become slightly more positive
12 0
Anthony Hart
Uni put in a brave performance but couldn’t get anything from the match with Hallam Photo: Edd Wright to be struggling to keep hold of and was always willing to throw both with and without the ball. the ball and have any meaningful himself into the middle of the As the game drew to a close Uni spells in possession. action. struggled to get quick ball and Seventeen minutes into However, Hallam only needed a after another Hallam turnover the the second half and Hallam couple of minutes to extend their visitors broke and added another were reduced to 14 men for 10 lead once again. The visiting try to their tally. The conversion minutes. Their loosehead prop centre carved through the Uni was missed but it didn’t matter was adjudged to have been defence with some great angled with the final whistle going a deliberately offside and the running. The conversion was minute later. referee showed no hesitation in made to leave Uni trailing by 12 Uni coach Terence McLoughlin sending him to the side. points with around 15 minutes said: “We were well prepared for The hosts capitalised on left. this match and as team we got their man advantage almost Poulton nearly cut that gap but really stuck in but Hallam had a immediately. Patient phase based was held up just short of the line few good individuals in their team. play resulted in Poulton going after another spell of pressure James Caddy led like a warrior over the line after a delightful near the Hallam line. out there, he was magnificent. dummy. The flyhalf could not The frustration in the Uni team Keith Wardley and John French convert his own try. was evident, Caddy showing his were also both excellent today. Uni captain James Caddy by getting involved in a scuffle “We have to remember we are sensed a chance for his side and with a Hallam player away from still second in the league and just continued to offer great shouts the ball. Despite this, the Uni keep working, keep winning and of encouragement to his team skipper was fantastic throughout push Hallam all the way.”
Lacklustre display from Uni as they fall to Hallam University of Sheffield Sheffield Hallam
Football firsts destroy York
in their attacking play, but still errors were being made evident at the back. In the last 20 minutes, Uni seemed to galvanise however, and place high pressure on the Hallam side. A shot from one of Uni’s forwards beat the keeper, but failed to beat the post, proved that it just was not the home team’s day. Soon after this, Hallam looped the ball past the Uni goalkeeper against the run of play, and ending any hopes of Uni gaining a positive result. Sheffield captain Richard Brough was taken off in the 75th minute with a hamstring injury and was not happy with the performance. “They were a lot more up for it than we were, we just didn’t look like we were putting the effort in. “I’m not certain how we can improve really, we’ve got lots of talent on the pitch. I think we were just too nice in midfield today and we need to battle harder.”
Uni struggled against a passionate Hallam side.
Photo: Edd Wright
Four goals from Sam Pekam and a hat-trick from Olly Wayne saw Sheffield’s first string footballers win their first round match of the BUCS Men’s Northern Conference Cup in convincing fashion with a 12-0 hammering of York’s fourths at Norton last Wednesday. Sheffield dominated from the start against a team that plays four divisions below them and managed to get on the scoresheet after just seven minutes with Sam Pekam breaking the deadlock. The home side scored two further goals within the first half hour, with full-back Andy Forster and Will Doyle finding the net. The match was in effect over within 32 minutes when Olly Wayne’s tap-in at the far post gave the home side a 4-0 lead. After 41 minutes, Jack Hands got in on the act to give Sheffield a comfortable 5-0 lead at half time against a tiring York side. The second half was even more resounding. It took until just the 51st minute to see Sheffield’s first goal after the interval, when Pekam grabbed his second of the match. Wayne then scored two goals in three minutes to give the hosts an 8-0 lead with 57 minutes played. Doyle then scored his second on 65 minutes, before Pekam rounded York’s goalkeeper to complete his hat-trick, and put Sheffield into double figures, with 23 minutes still to play. On the 79th minute Joe Poste, who came on as a half-time substitute, added to the visitors’ woes and put Sheffield 11-0 up, then with four minutes left Sam Pekam completed the rout with his fourth goal, and Sheffield’s twelfth, to finish off the biggest victory of any of the first round ties. After the match, Sheffield’s first team coach Peter Cooper was happy with the result and complimented his team. He said: “They do as they’re told, and carried out what they’re asked to do. I’m highly delighted, and think they’ll have a good season. “They worked hard. They took their chances well, and do simple things early and easy. I ask them all to do what they’re good at. “This was never going to be a difficult match for the team but I’m happy that we didn’t get complacent and that we put in a very professional performance.” He went on to stress the importance of the responsibility of each player on the football pitch. Sheffield’s first team will play Newcastle’s seconds in the next round of the competition on November 18. Elsewhere the Uni seconds will play Leeds thirds at home, and the Uni thirds have also drawn West Yorkshire opposition, facing Leeds seconds away. The firsts will now resume their impressive start to the league campaign having won their first two matches, as well as the cup tie. This result against York will only promote confidence in the already strong side.
FORGE PRESS Friday November 6 2009
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REPORTS SPORT
Dominant performance from women’s rugby team
Netballers continue fine form
Women’s Rugby firsts
University of Sheffield University of York
University of Sheffield Northumbria University
43 7
The women’s rugby team never looked troubled in a comfortable victory. parallel to the more dominant play Gruchy’s kicking improved, converting three of the four second half tries. Although there were moments of slick movement, Sheffield’s passing work still needs improvement if they are to compete with the best sides in the country. The real key to the team’s
performance was an impenetrable defence, one that ensured their opponents very rarely made any ground at all, and effective counter-attacking. Overall Sheffield were good value for their win. Team captain Gruchy added: “We have some hard teams coming up, but if we keep playing solid rugby our way then we should
Photo: Helen Munro do well, although our main aim this year is just to stay up in the Premiership. “We are currently trying to give the team more exposure because women’s rugby is still not a huge sport at the University, and hopefully through links with the men’s club and results like this we will be able to create more interest in the women’s team.”
Hull crushed by Uni Sportsperson of the Women’s Lacrosse firsts University of Sheffield University of Hull
16 1
Chris Rogan A strong performance from the women’s lacrosse side ensured that they remained unbeaten in their first two league games as they thrashed Hull at Abbeydale. Braces from Georgie Matthews, Imogen Lyons and captain Sophia Saunders allowed Uni to dominate and really enjoy themselves against a lacklustre Hull. Matthews’ performance also earned her the player of the match award. Sheffield’s attractive style
50 8
Charlotte Duncker
Ross Turner The women’s rugby team captain praised her side’s hard work after an unstoppable performance against Northumbria, in which they scored seven tries. Jo Gruchy said: “It was our first home game and we were expecting quite a tough match, so I’m delighted that we managed to put in the effort that we did. “Even though it was one that we really had to win, none of us could have predicted this scoreline and how well we played today. We did beat Northumbria last year 25-7 but this is still a huge improvement and it shows that the rugby team at Sheffield is going from strength to strength.” Sheffield started brightly, dominating possession from early on and getting a try within the first 10 minutes, with Tess Saltana running steadily from the half-way mark to score. The team never looked back from this initial supremacy in the match and constant turnovers in Sheffield’s favour soon aided a second try, created through good running and link up play, and finished by Hannah Evans. This try seemed to galvanise Northumbria and was followed by a decent spell of possession for them; however, excellent defensive work from Sheffield prevented them from scoring. This hard work from the home side eventually paid off when a spectacular breakaway run led to a try from Tolu Osinubi. Although captain and placekicker Gruchy had missed the first two conversion attempts, on the third effort she found the sticks. After half time, Northumbria were barely given a look-in as Sheffield ran rampant for a large period, controlling every aspect of the game. Tries from Meghan Poole, Alysa Amore and two from Rachel Simpson added to the score in swift succession, and in
Netball firsts
of play and higher quality of defending was the difference. After an uncertain start to the season, losing an experienced team from last year and losing one of two friendly games, the side haven’t looked back after the official start to the season, winning both matches. “There was a complete reshuffle after we lost a few players this year,” said Saunders. “But a lot of decent freshers have come through, which is amazing because lacrosse is not a high profile sport.” Saunders praised the dedication of the team. “We played really really well today. We were missing a key player but we all stepped up and it was a very solid performance.”
fortnight: James Caddy Every fortnight Forge Sport will be awarding Sportsperson of the fortnight to the person they feel has offered the best performance in University sport in the previous weeks. This fortnight we are proud to announce that the inaugural winner of the award is James Caddy, captain of the men’s rugby union first team. Despite his side losing to Hallam on Wednesday, Caddy’s performance on the pitch was the epitome of what a captain should be. He put his body on the line for the entire game and whenever he could he was shouting encouragement to his teammates.
Throughout the match his voice could be heard above all others and even at the end he was determined to remain positive and put the defeat behind him and move on. Caddy not only acted like a leader but also played like one. He was always willing to carry the ball into tackles and never backed out of a big hit. Coach Terence McLoughlin summed it up perfectly by describing him as a “warrior.” If you feel a player in your team has produced exceptional sportsmanship and performance and wish to nominate them for Sportsperson of the fortnight, get in touch at sport@forgetoday. com
The netball first team recorded an emphatic victory against the University of York thirds at Goodwin to progress to the next round of the BUCS Conference Cup. An impressive defensive display meant that York were unable to score in the first quarter while Sheffield managed to net 10 goals. With the goal keeper and goal defence working well together to make it extremely hard for York to score, and good team work across the court from Sheffield, York found it hard to get the ball to their attacking players. York looked lively after the short break but it was Sheffield who scored first with some excellent passing and movement around the court. The work of the wing attack was particularly impressive in helping to get the ball up to the goal shooter who continued in great form, helping Sheffield to score 13 times in the second quarter. The half time score was a convincing 23-3 to Sheffield and it looked nigh on impossible that York had the capability to produce a victory. However, after being rallied by their captain at half time and making a few changes in the team, there was a hint that York were going to try and turn things around in dramatic fashion. Unfortunately for them, Sheffield’s defence worked too well and intercepted many of their passes and attempts on goal, meaning York only managed to score once in the third quarter. In response to this Sheffield’s impressive attacking form continued with the attacking players scoring 16 times. The match continued at a highly energetic pace which led to the Sheffield wing attack limping off with an injury, but even with the changes in the team the home side still dominated in the final quarter. Imposing play from every member of the Sheffield team led to them scoring another 11 times taking the final score to 508; a resounding win for the home side. Olivia Mason, Sheffield’s captain, was thoroughly impressed with her team, saying: “I think we played really, really well, and to get a score this high really reflects the quality of some of our play today. “We had a chance to structure our game and get used to playing with each other. I am really happy about our performance and victory today especially on the back of a hard game last week against Leeds Met.”
To get involved, e-mail sport@forgetoday.com or come to our next meeting on Monday November 9, 5.30pm in Chemistry LT1
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SPORT
Rampant table tennis firsts smash Teeside
Table tennis.
The birthplace of football Page 24
FORGE PRESS Friday November 6 2009
Match Reports Page 26-7
Controversy as lacrosse fall to first defeat in years
Photo: Sam Bennett
Ross Turner The University men’s table tennis firsts thrashed their Teeside University equivalents to maintain their unbeaten start to the season on Wednesday. The win, which makes four successes in four matches so far, finished with Sheffield losing just one game in a match where the side permanently looked comfortable and in control. The individual scores themselves reflect Sheffield’s dominance. Tristan Gretton continued his 100 per cent form this season, winning his four games 3-0, 3-0, 3-1 and 3-1. Morgan Boudet was also on top form, winning three games 3-0 and the other 3-1. The men’s captain, Aaron Self, led by example in a perfect performance winning all his games 3-0. The only dropped point of the match came from Ramon Husein, who won three out of his four games. Self commented after the match: “It was a great team performance, only dropping one point, and it’s great to continue our winning streak this year. With only three matches left this season, we are confident of winning the league this year.” Ramon Husein praised the Teesiders’ manner and professionalism in the match, adding: “It was an exhilarating exhibition of sports and sportsmanship, and the games were played in a friendly but competitive manner.” Also on Wednesday, the men’s table tennis seconds played Leeds Met at home, losing 9-8 to the strong side that are expected to challenge for the title. With two players making debuts for the side, captain Clyde Johnson was pleased by his team’s performance despite the loss. The two debutants won three of their eight games and Johnson said afterwards: “Considering it is their first game for the team I’m very impressed with their performances today, it was a very promising start.” Johnson himself won two of his four games, although before the match he had been expecting to win all of them. Matt Goold suffered a nightmare loss in his first game, losing 3-0, but bounced back to win his next three. A loss in the doubles match took the final win from Sheffield’s grasp, but they will still be pleased with the end result. Despite winning their first game 17-0, the men’s seconds have now lost the subsequent two against good sides and hold ambitions of finishing the season in third place.
Photo: Helen Munro
The men’s lacrosse team lost amid controversial circumstances.
Men’s Lacrosse University of Sheffield Durham
9 13
Matt Duncan Controversy surrounded BUCS lacrosse this week as Sheffield’s championship-winning men’s team lost their first game in over two years. The ranks of their Durham opponents have been swelled by a number of American students, brought over as coaches by the English Lacrosse Association to help promote the sport. These players are normally placed at clubs but due to a lack of professional sides in the NorthEast, 10 Americans have been placed at the University. Durham has also dropped its international fees, allowing the American players to enrol as students cheaply and become eligible to compete in BUCS matches. Amongst their Americans, Durham had Johnno Lindenberg, a three-time Division One All
American, meaning that for three years he was amongst the top 15 high school lacrosse players in the States. A strong second half performance by the visitors saw them defeat Sheffield but not without questions being asked of their methods. There was further controversy before the start of the match. Durham complained that Uni had not provided a fully qualified referee and were going to play under protest until one of the spectators, who happened to be qualified, said he would officiate. Uni captain Tom Leahy said: “I thought that was a bit pathetic to be honest. It is almost impossible to find referees, we have rung five this week but none could do it. “We were lucky that someone watching could stand in for us.” The match finally got underway and after 40 seconds Uni were ahead. Good play down the right caught the Durham defence off guard and resulted in a simple finish. Durham came back strongly and dominated possession for the next 10 minutes, scoring two goals in the process.
Uni failed to lie down, however, and in what was becoming an increasingly physical clash, they scored twice to take a lead into the first break. The second quarter started with Durham again having most of the ball and playing the more patient game. They were rewarded with an equaliser, the first of seven goals scored by Lindenberg. In the move that led to the goal, Uni’s Mark Ashworth suffered a dislocated shoulder and had to be taken to hospital for treatment. This seemed to upset Sheffield and Durham soon opened up a two goal lead. But yet again the hosts refused to simply let Durham have it their own way and against the run of play managed to pull a goal back to make it 5-4 at half time. Immediately after the break the match was level again after some patient play from Uni resulted in a well-worked team goal. However Durham’s much bigger squad had the legs on Uni and soon began to dominate in the latter stages. Lindenberg showed the quality that made him one of the best high school
players in the States to dismantle Sheffield’s resistance. By the end of the third quarter Durham had opened up a five goal gap to lead 10-5. The final period of the game saw Durham give a few minutes to some of their British players, a phase which saw Uni close the gap from a maximum of six down to four. There was never much chance of a comeback but the fight shown by the team will have been of great comfort to the captains as they prepare for the rest of the season. After the game Uni’s Tom Bailey said: “I thought we played very well. Obviously we are very disappointed to lose, it has been such a long time but we did well today.” Commenting on the influx of Americans he added: “I don’t think it is going to help if they are not going to play their British players. They just seemed to be on the side for most of the game, how is that meant to make them better players? “Saying that, I would love to play a game like that every week, the quality was much better than other university matches.”