a n d a sk wh e th e r o r n o t o ur e l e ct ed rep re s e nt at ive s h ave a ctu a lly do n e th e
j ob s th e y s e t o ut t o do
It i s i m po rt a nt t o re m e m be r th at o ur full t i m e o ff i c e rs a re paid a g reat dea l t o rep re s e nt th e n eed s o f stu de nts, a n d th at de m o cr a cy i s c e ntr a l t o a v ib r a nt un ive rs i ty c o mm un i ty. A s such, c a n didat e s wh o f ai l t o i te r at e u po n th ei r m a n i f e st o p ro m i s e s threat e n t o un de r m i n e th i s i m po rt a nt
a s pe ct o f stu de nt l i f e gair rhydd , a s pa rt o f o ur re tro s pe c -
t ive a n a lys i s o f th e a c ade m i c yea r,
l oo k ba ck at o ur o ff i c e rs ’ m a n i f e st o s a n d su b j e ct th e m t o scrut i ny. O n t op o f c e l eb r at i n g th ei r a ch ieve m
Can someone tell me where the past year’s gone?
In what seems like a blink of an eye, we’ve reached the last issue of gair rhydd 820 pages have been made during the year, reporting on all areas of the Cardiff University experience Although I will refrain from turning this editorial into a long, gushing thank you –I’ve saved that for the end of the year in review pull out –but I would like to take this
opportunity to thank you for reading and contributing to gair rhydd this year. We hope you’ve enjoyed reading it as much as we’ve enjoyed making it.
In addition to the usual paper, this issue has a ‘pullout’ (an I use that ter m loosely, as it’s stapled into the rest of the paper), where we look back at the past year of g air rhydd It features some of the best bits, a review of the biggest news stories that we’ve broken and the best photo g raphy. It’s a bit of a nostalgia trip,
so have a reminisce!
It really has been a g reat year, despite the speed at which it’s gone. I’m delighted to be able to continue in this role, continuing the pro g ress that has been made
If all goes to plan, this is the final issue before all the future issues will be delivered to students’ houses, which is rather exciting (for me, at least.)
All that’s left is to thank and cong ratulate this year’s team on their incredible effort. It’s been g reat.
BIOSCI exam blunder continues year of errors for the department
Georgia Hamer
News Editor
The on-going frustration of first year Bioscience students came to a head last Tuesday when students were interrupted three times during a one and a half hour exam due to mistakes in the paper.
Around 20 minutes into the exam students were stopped and infor med that they were not to answer question 28 of the paper, which supposedly consisted of 30 multiple choice questions and 12 short answers. Five minutes later students were interrupted again as the head invigilator announced that, although the paper instructed students to “answer 12 questions,” upon reassessment they had, “only counted 12” (by which he meant 10)
An hour in, invigilators added to the mass confusion of students by instructing them not to “fill in the circles for the multiple choice questions 26-30” but to “write the answer next to the options in the machine readable book” and to “now answer question 28”, in spite of earlier instructions. Following this, students were requested to raise their hand if they had any questions, at which around a couple of hundred students signaled their bemusement and requested assistance.
The farcical nature of the exam did not end there. One student reported having only received half of the exam paper, stating: “I had to fill out an extenuating circumstances for m All the pages were there but about halfway through the paper all the pages turned completely blank.”
At the end of the exam students were reassured that an incident for m had been filled out to account for the mistakes and the disruption caused to both the exams held in the Talybont Sports Hall that afternoon. However, this was not enough to satisfy many students who feel that the department has let them down consistently over the last year. One student described the event as summing up Biosciences‘disorganised and full of mistakes.’ This year the department introduced a common first year, designed to give a ‘broad base of knowledge’ and to allow ‘those who are not sure
which de g ree scheme they would like to follow the option to change at the end of the year.’ However, a number of students have reported that they were not aware of the changes to their course until they enrolled and are dissatisfied with the way in which the course has been run.
The last minute decision, which came as a result of not enough staff and lecture theatres to accommodate all the individual Bioscience subjects, has meant that the course delivered has not been the same as what was advertised to many of the students when they applied. As a result, a number of students have expressed their re g ret at taking the course, Joshua Cunningham, one such student, said: “The fact that it has been mis-sold and that we are all paying £9000 for it makes me really hope that there is something that can be done to make up for it.’
In response to a complaint, Dr. Woodgate, the course leader, defended the department’s decision to introduce a common first year in an email, adding that: ‘It is inevitable that there are teething problems on a new course and we are working to solve these.’
With reference to Tuesday’s exam she said: ‘Any issues that arise in relation to exam irre gularities are recorded and dealt with by the exam board so that students are not disadvantaged by genuine irre gularities, so that issues that arose will be addressed.’
It would appear that the department has struggled to cope with the sheer number of students taking the course. Throughout the year marking deadlines have not been met, with some assignments being returned months after they were due, an issue which has been attributed to understaffing within the department. Students have also reported that the marking of assignments has been ‘questionable and inconsistent to say the least.’
Dr Woodgate stressed that the department carries out ‘quality control processes in respect to coursework marks and marking throughout the year, to ensure consistency,’ adding that, ‘it is often difficult for a year 1 student to appreciate the nuances in marking
between their peers.’ When contacted by gair rhydd a spokesperson for the University said: ‘We re g ret that there have been some transitional problems in the implementation of the new Year 1 Bioscience course and apologise for any frustration this has caused our students.
‘The new curriculum has been designed to enrich the learning experience with a renewed focus on practical laboratory-based lessons and skill centred teaching, which was not available in previous years.
‘Due to the popularity of this year’s course, the School has encountered some initial problems in its handling of such a high volume of students. The School is steadfastly committed to improving the course’s delivery and procedures are now in place to ensure that any problems are quickly and sufficiently addressed.
’
In reference to Tuesday’s exam they stated that the incident ‘will be taken into account by the relevant subject Exam Board as well as the Composite Exam Board. No student will be disadvantaged with respect to the multi-choice question, which is currently under scrutiny.’
Following concerns from students that their exam papers would not be marked in time for the resit period, the department confir med that: ‘Examination scripts will be marked within nor mal deadlines for the May/June examination period.
’
Members of staff within the department had also been linked to an error in a Medicine exam paper, which was sat by second year students in April.
In response to this a University spokesperson apologised to those involved, stating that they: ‘acknowledge that there were some inconsistencies in the Year 2 Medicine exam paper A, where 7 out of 140 questions were found to be errant and more aligned to exam paper B. The questions were therefore out of sequence.
‘No student will fail the assessment as a direct consequence of the 7 questions...There are robust processes in place to ensure that mistakes such as this are avoided in future.’
Coursework return dates: Assignment
BI1001 Data analysis 1
BI1001 Data analysis 2
BI1001 Formative Essay
BI1001 Presentation
BI1002 Practical
BI1002 Practical 2
“I feel the department have let us all down and failed to provide us with the after we had been accepted onto the course, and failed to notify anyone of this change. ..Out of 16 pieces of written coursework, not one was marked on time. I was told this was due to staff cut-backs and an increase in students, that’s all very well but why are we having to pay the price for their lack of organisation? They expect us to stick to deadlines, surely we should expect the same from them? They shouldn’t have enrolled so many students if they couldn’t support them...had I known it would be like this I would have chosen another university.”
Connie Pritchard, First Year Biomedical Science Student
“Many have found that our tutors either couldn’t care less about us or are late handing feedback on essays we have written, some people have not seen or First Year Genetics Student
my course. Instead of learning about the brain and nervous system I have had to study a whole module on the environment which involves bacteriology and ecology, which bear very little to no relevance in neuroscience. I appreciate by learning about a broader number of subjects I will have a more informed choice in the future of which areas I wish to specialise in but I think there could be much better ways of structuring the course.”
Harry McMahon, First Year Neuroscience Student
“Myself and friends have complained like many other’s and get the same response “We are sorry for the inconvenience” and “There was bound to be teething problems but there’s not much we can do” and my personal favourite “We can only hope to improve for students next year” I’m a student now!... £9000 for a test year that has failed completely and doesn’t even count towards a grade, £9000 wasted in my eyes. What I want to know is what are they going to do about it, I don’t want an apology and told they can’t do anything about it, that’s not good enough.”
First Year Bioscience Student
“Where to start - every single piece of coursework has been handed back to us late. We haven’t been given past papers for any of our exams, and our January marks were also given back really late - way after everyone else had got theirs back. And lastly, the exam today was just awful. There were pretty much no marks from most of the topics on the module, and instead came from topics that only had one or two lectures, one of which being from September containing just pictures. Then the mistakes, and the general confusing manor in which they were dealt with.”
First Year Biology Student
“Mistakes do happen. Today was an example of one too many mistakes taking place. I agree that this is unacceptable as exams should be thoroughly checked...there are various avenues now being investigated by Dr. Woodgate and the exam board. A decision will be made regarding the mess up and we can only wait and trust that the decision is made with the students best interests in mind.”
Bioscience Student Representative
“Personally one of the problems for me was the order of marking. It makes sense that when you submit a piece of coursework followed by a different one a week or fortnight after....that the coursework marked and given year, that coursework that was set at the beginning would be marked and marks released months after, whilst coursework set very recently, their marks might come back straight away. Just a bit all over the place really.”
Kasia
Persjanow, First Year Bioscience Student
Law exam plagued with errors
Third year Law students sat the Law of the European Union examination which contained two questions with errors, which were not identified until the exam started. These errors were queried by students during the exam as, in context, the questions were impossible to answer.
The EU articles referenced in questions 8 and 9 were wrong; question 8 referenced Article 28 TFEU, not Article 34 and question 9 listed Article 54 rather than 56
The exam, which was 100% of the module, has been described by an anonymous student as ‘a tall order’ , even without errors and interruptions. With 30 credits resting on the paper, and tactical revision meaning that for some the questions were their only option, the time lost in the exam and the confusion caused g reat anxiety for students.
Module Leader, Dr. Sara Drake, sent an email round to the stu-
dents after the exam apolo gising for the errors and acknowledging that it would have caused distress. They have reassured students by saying ‘that the EU marking team will take this into account when marking your papers.’ In spite of this attempt to rectify the situation they have been criticised for the exam being a ‘shambles’ and students have complained to the university.
The errors have been reported to both the Head of Examinations at Cardiff University and Ollie Wannell, current VP of Education. A further investig ation into the issue may yet occur.
Michael O’Connell-Davidson
News Writer
will be signed by both the Union and the University itself.
Cardiff University currently offers extensive mental health support for students in ter ms of the counselling and student support services. In addition, the university (particularly CUBRIC) has produced a large amount of leading research into both the causes and effects of mental illness.
ination.” She notes that the motion w
“
m
unanimous
ly” by Cardiff University students. As part of the pledge, the union must submit an action plan to show what action they will take to lead to chang e. “Our aims are to raise awareness about mental health, encoura ge open discussion, reduce stigma, and improve mental health support for students at Cardiff University”
The signing will take place in front of the main building at 9:15, and staff and students are encoura ged to attend. The initiative
Tom Jones, a Cardiff University student, said that while the university may not do enough to combat mental health stigma, “considering everything else that [the University administration] has to be mindful of, they do a pretty good job on the whole.” He added: “Mental health is important, but it shouldn’t be at the top of the University’s list.”
However, some students believe that more could be done. “While the University does not do much to overtly entrench mental illness, neither the university nor the union have a full culture of acceptance,” said one second year English Literature student.
University Council call for Sir Martin Evans to continue as Chancellor
Georgia Hamer
News Editor
Following the shambles which surrounded the appointment of Cardiff University’s Chancellor, the University Council reconvened to further consider the matter, concluding that the incumbent Sir Martin Evans should be nominated to continue in the role.
The University were left red faced last month after the University Court halted the appointment of comedian Griff Rhys Jones less than an hour before the ceremony was due to take place on April 10th after it emerg ed that Sir Martin was not offered the chance to be reappointed.
In a meeting of the Court, Sir Martin stated that he probably would have accepted an offer to renew his appointment had it been given to him Professor James Whitley, a member of both the Council and the Court, the two highest decision making bodies, stated that he was not made aware of Sir Martin’s eligibility for another ter m and therefore supported the motion to return the matter to Council. Whitley stated that he believed that other Council members were
also unlikely to be unaware.
Griff Rhys Jones was put forward as a candidate for Chancellorship by the University Council, but required final approval to be g ranted by the University Court.
However, as a result of the embarrassing debacle, Rhys Jones stated that he no long er wished to be considered for the role, adding that although he felt ‘honoured to be chosen he acknowledg ed that his ‘presence only makes this a more complicated process for everyone concerned.’
The handling of the appointment was described by Professor Brian J Ford as ‘g rossly embarrassing’ who stated that whoever was responsible for the matter was ‘unfit to remain in office.’
A University spokesman apologised for the handling of the issue, adding that it was ‘very sorry for creating the circumstances that led Griff Rhys Jones to step aside.’
After the Council reconvened last Tuesday, Jayne Dowden, secretary to Cardiff University’s council, said: “The Council, the University’s supreme governing body, has recommended that Prof Sir Martin Evans continues to serve for a further ter m in the
honorary, ceremonial role of university chancellor.”
The debacle appears to be heading for a resolution and the recommendation now awaits approval by a special meeting of the University’s Court in which they will consider and confir m Sir Martin’s appointment.
Rowan Whittington News Editor
6 NEWS
Get It Out For Cardiff, an annual end of ter m waste, recycling and charity collection scheme, is returning this year to, in their words, ensure that, ‘moving out at the end of ter m is stress free’ for students and ‘leaves our communities clean and tidy.’
The campaign encourages students to donate their unwanted items in support of local charities.
18 ‘Green Zones’ will be set up in halls of residences and Student Unions across the city where students can donate unwanted clothing, food (providing it is unopened), small electrical items, books, CDs, DVDs and kitchen items.
Last year the campaign proved to be a g reat success with over 16 tonnes of items collected at halls
of residence and Student Unions.
The scheme benefits a number of charities including FareShare Cymru who support communities with the aim of relieving food poverty. Clothing, electrical items, media and bric-a-brac are collected for the YMCA, via YMCA re-use banks which are in place all year round, to directly reinvest in projects and services for homeless people at Cardiff YMCA Housing Association.
In ter ms of waste collection, the last two kerbside general waste collections will be on 11th and 25th June, and recycling and food waste will be collected on 18th and 25th June. Students are reminded that waste should be put out after 4pm on Tuesday’s and bins should be removed as soon as possible after collection. No additional kerbside collections will be taking place.
As tenants it is students re-
Last week 17 students attained their Level 1 certificates as part of the British Sign Language course provided by the Skills Development Service, a Student Union department dedicated to providing students with transferable skills to increase their employability potential.
To attain this qualification students were required to attend evening sessions twice a week and sit three practical assignments.
John Steele, Training & Development Manager, stated that the results came as ‘a culmination of dedication, commitment and hard work,’ which be gan in the first week of the Autumn ter m
The students came from a range of academic backg rounds including English, Geog raphy, Maths, Medicine, Nursing, Physiotherapy, and Psycholog y.
John Steele expressed that he is ‘extremely proud of the students and their enthusiasm and dedication’ which ‘was absolutely outstanding this year, hence the 100% success rate.’
He added that: ‘they have become friends and acquaintances by for ming a highly supportive network in which to practice their skills and
sponsibility to remove all rubbish from their properties before leaving Landlords may be entitled to deduct money from any deposits given for rubbish that is left on the property or in g ardens.
Cardiff Councils city wide ‘zero tolerance’ policy will continue to be promoted with on the spot fixed penalties being issued to anyone who dumps rubbish outside of the collection window If students do require additional services they can arrange a bulky waste collection at an additional cost by calling 2087 2087. Alternatively, recycling and waste can be taken to a local Household Waste Recycling Centre free of charge, these are located on Lamby Way, CF3 2HP and Wedal Road CF14 3QX
For more information visit: http:// www.cardiffdigs.co.uk
knowledge each week between the actual lessons. I am also g rateful for the expert tuition provided once again by Bob Lewington who has been delivering this course for at least the last 7 years.’ Students responded to the achievement with g reat pride.
Rebecca Perks, a second year OT student who completed the course said: “I would like to thank everyone that has supported my learning experience on this course. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time and will continue to use the skills learnt”.
Victoria Weare, a Psycholog y student, anticipates that the qualification will aid her in her future career and remarked: “I plan on doing a speech and language therapy de g ree and working with deaf children, so I’ ll hopefully use it then!”
Nina di Cara, a Maths student added: “I really enjoyed the course and the topics we studied – it was fantastic to have the opportunity to learn through the SU at that price since I spent many years wanting to but unable because of the cost.”
Speaking about what he has gained from the course, Lee Raye who is undertaking his doctorate explained: “I now have insight into sign language and how it is expressed (syntactically and g rammatically), so I can speak with much more authority about sign
language matters. I have also learnt a lot about deaf culture.”
Abigail Boxall, a Nursing student described the course as a “Very high standard. There were always opportunities to practice and ask for more help.”
The certificates were presented by Helen Dent, VP Welfare, to a number of the students who were
able to attend the award ceremony in the Centre For Skills, Enterprise and Volunteering on Thursday 22 May.
Summing up, John Steele said: “These students showed what can be done in considering how important it is to focus on more than just a de g ree for one’s future. They have something very appetising and tan-
gible for their CVs and I wish them all the very best in their future careers.”
If students would like to know about completing a sign language course at the Skills Development Service they can contact: email sds@ cardiff.ac.uk. The 2014-15 course is provisionally full but places may become available.
Geor
Georgia Hamer News Editor
HAVE THEY DONE WHAT THEY SAID THEY WOULD DO?
Cari Davies - Students’ Union President
There hasn’t been a public split happened last year at the AGM.
All officer teams will have their ups and downs! We spend so much time with each other often under a lot of pressure so there’s no way the ride is always going to be smooth, last year one particularly difficult moment happened to be in a public setting, I guess we’ve just been lucky this year in that sense. Both teams have had very talented individuals on them and achieved a lot for students in their time in office, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed being a part of both of them
In the build up to elections, you put a lot of focus on getsitions. Is the fact that there’s
Whilst the gender imbalance is certainly disappointing and perhaps indicative of certain attitudes amongst the student body. The campaign was focused on getting more women to put themselves forward for election and this was achieved.
We had an increase in the percentage of candidates that were women from 30% last year to 40% this year, hopefully the work will continue next year and we’ ll see a 50/50 split.
Some completely and others I’ve be gun putting the wheels in motion. The University can be frustratingly slow at times but there are certainly a number of the changes I wished to see on their agenda and there are projects I’ ll be handing over to Elliot to continue.
not pay by card in cafés and that
It has. All restaurants on campus now take card and after this successful trial, card payment is being rolled out to all cafes by September. The University is also now looking to develop a cashless payment system using the current student cards.
What is your proudest achieve-
From the start of the year I’ve stressed the importance of the Union needing a culture shift. We’ve traditionally been a g reat sports and social club (not that that should change by any means, I’m a recovering Lash addict myself) but that shouldn’t be the sole purpose of a Students’ Union. We’ve needed g reater focus on academic representation, student democracy and active campaigning and to embed inclusivity into everything we do. There’s still a lot of work to do but I’m proud of the steps we’ve taken and the new strate gic plan we’re developing for the future.
To get out of the office and spend more time talking face to face with students. It’s easy to get bogged down in meetings and emails which leaves little time to really engage with students in person.
Don’t have work emails to your phone! (Though I know he won’t listen to me) You need to be able to switch off from it from time to time and having emails to your phone isn’t conducive of that.
Cari Davies, last year’s AU President, was elected Students’ Union President last year on the back of a cleverly worded manifesto which made no explicit promises, but highlighted a number of issues which she intended to change. Davies has worked hard to increase the number of women in leadership positions at the Students’ Union, as well as leading a feminist agenda, which has achieved a number of successes including moves to tackle ‘lad culture’. As well as this, Davies has pushed for a decreased focus on drinking as the central focus of the Union’s purpose for students. She also pushed for an increased number of women to run in student elections; this year the number of female candidates increased by 10%.
Additionally, she worked to help secure the funding for the redevelopment of Solus, which will be ready in time for the arrival of next year’s freshers.
HAVE THEY DONE WHAT THEY SAID THEY WOULD DO?
Ollie Wannell - Vice President Education
You proposed, and helped pass, a
creased union support for your
From August there will be a rejuvenated Student Voice team with two Student Voice Coordinators
It’s not about removing the University from the process. Clearly for student representation to work properly, it has to function as a partnership between the Union and University. My motion was about redressing the balance between the two and crucially, making sure that the student voice is channeled through the Students’ Union as the recognised channel for student representation and not through the University’s own systems. It’s been really successful. The University have been supportive of the transition and the Student Academic Rep system is going to be added to the Students’ Union and University’s relationship ag reement with clear division of roles and responsibilities.
Last year at the AGM, you opposed (and beat) a proposal to change the roles of the elected rent structure has been successYes, absolutely. Not having the Officers split by Colle ge hasn’t been a problem at all. Gemma and I have worked together on the Colle ge of Biomedical and Life Sciences with her focusing more specifically on Heath based schools than me and it’s been really successful. Moreover, had we introduced a VP Education & Welfare for each Colle ge I believe we would have run the risk of losing something Helen has worked on some fantastic welfare projects this year, her guarantor scheme being just one of them I’m interested in Higher Education policy and ensuring the quality and enhancement of learning and teaching I’m less interested (perhaps controversially!) in the welfare side of things. If we have three VP Education & Welfare all of whom, like me, prioritise the Education above the Welfare we would, in effect, not have a Welfare officer and that would be a bad situation to be in. Whilst I ag ree with the argument that Education and Welfare are linked, it’s kind of like a Venn diag ram – the being the academicwelfare type stuff (e.g extenuating circumstances) But, there’s a whole load of wider student experience welfare work to be done that isn’t intrinsically linked with the Education portfolio and that’s what we would lose.
You’ve pushed hard for in-
joining our current Democracy Coordinator. This means that for the first time we will have a member of full time Students’ Union staff who has the dedicated responsibility for aiding the VP Education in coordinating Student Academic Reps and another supporting the Officer Team more generally. It will mean that Rhys has more time to spend on representation and strate g y than admin and organizing and will hopefully mean all of next year’s officers are infor med on local, national and international student issues.
duction of the Lecture Capture
Anyone who speaks English as a second language or anyone who has a learning disability will benefit from having a recording of their lectures. This is particularly important now as thanks to David Willets we’re unsure about the future of Disabled Students Allowance and how this might impact on the provision of note takers and the like. It’s also really useful for anyone who may have a valid reason for missing a lecture such as a student with caring responsibilities or a physical disability who just can’t make it in to Uni. It also gives lecturers the opportunity to make their module a bit more interesting and develop their teaching style. For example sending out a recording of the lecture content and using the lecture time to do something different. And then, of course, it helps everyone who has misheard something and wants to use the recording to supplement their note taking or aid their revision.
budget for next year (2014-15) That won’t remove the reliance on fines so clearly it’s work that needs to be continued by the Students’ Union. We have introduced reminders this year though so you get an email or text to tell you your book loan is about to expire before it actually has expired rather than an email demanding payment once the date has passed which has been the practice up until now
Mostly yes. There’s only one that hasn’t been done at all and that is “name and shame under perfor ming lecturers and tutors”. This means removing the gag on Student Staff Panels that means Student Academic Reps can’t make complaints about individuals. It’s something I’ve advocated all year but I think Schools still tell Reps that they don’t want names to be named. The other that has been half done is getting Course Based Societies involved in academic representation. More Student/Staff Panels have a Course Based Society seat this year than last year – this came about after I briefed School Student Rep Coordinators and asked them to invite their Society. Next year, as the Union takes organizational control of SSPs, we will be able to make it compulsory. I’ve also ensured that when the new Student Voice team is up and running, the Student Voice Coordinators act as a secondary contact (after the Societies Coordinator) to Course Based Societies so they have the support they need to take on this role.
What is your proudest achieve-
Aside from inadvertently ‘coming out‘ to 700+ people at the AMM, it’s either lecture capture or increasing uptake on Student Academic Rep positions. Now 1 in 28 students are an Academic Rep - I like that stat!
I had a project titled ‘Educate & Liberate’ that I never finished. This was a report on retention rates for typically disadvantaged g roups with the aim of introducing a staff Liberation Officer in each school and then ‘thematic’ Staff Liberation Officers at Colle ge level that mirror our Part Time Officers. It would be a network of staff LGBT+, BME, Women’s (among other) Officers who would make sure the University’s Equality and Diversity is up to scratch and that we are a bastion for liberation which, as an educational institution, I believe we should be!
Don’t try to go to every University meeting you’re invited to, there just isn’t time and you have to prioritise. When you’re in those meetings sit in the centre, never at the back, and don’t be afraid to speak up. You’re the only person in that room who has been elected so are the only person who has a direct mandate from students to be there. Also, open your biscuits before the meeting starts – no one likes a noisy late wrapper opener!
tive VP Education candidates including yourself, but nothing appears to have changed. Why
Budgets are set months in advance of the new academic year so the library budget for 2013-14 was decided long before I took office. However, the Libraries are the only ‘professional service’ in the University to have received an increased
VP Education Ollie Wannell has had a commendable year in his post. He championed the introduction of a Lecture Capture system which will ensure that all lectures are recorded over a two-year period. This will begin in the new academic year for 2014/15. His ambitious manifesto was based on his experience as Chair of the University Forum and being an academic rep. Wannell outlined nine policies, which he claims he has delivered upon. These included guaranteeing greater support for Student/Staff Panels from the Union, increasing course based societies more involved in student representation and encouraging communication between sister schools for integrated courses. There doesn’t seem to have been a noticeable change to the library fines system, assessment feedback that he promised to reform. This is a popular policy for candidates running for VP Education year on year, yet once again nothing appears to have changed. All candidates that ran for the post year made reference to improving library facilities. After a successful motion at the AMM to redress the balance in the student between Union and University in student representation. This aimed to ensure that the student voice is channelled through the Union and not through the University’s own systems. Wannell says that the University has been ‘supportive of the transition and the Student Academic Rep system is going to be added to the Students’ Union and University’s relationship agreement with clear division of roles and responsibilities’. On the back of his year as VP Education Wannell ran unsuccessfully for the SU Presidency which went to his colleague, VP Societies & Campaigns Elliot Howells.
10 NEWS
HAVE THEY DONE WHAT
THEY SAID THEY WOULD DO?
Elliot Howells - Vice President Societies & Campaigns
You introduced the tier structure to societies this year. It has been met with a mixture of feelings. Do you think it’s been successful?
The tier structure that Edore and I introduced to clubs and societies this year has done exactly what we intended it to do. It has allowed our student g roups to explore different areas of activity and has promoted several key messages, inclusivity in particular. By rewarding g roups for particular activity or attendance at core events, we have significantly increased our re gular engagement with societies which can only be a good thing The structure was developed following student consultation in the for m of the respective elected executive committees and this year was always spoken about as a trial period. There have been teething issues, as there are with any new project and I was writing my recommendations for next year just this morning As a whole, the structure has been successful and feedback has been largely positive. I look forward to seeing how Bryn and Barney develop it even further.
It was clear from an early stage this year that you wanted to become next year’s president. Was the societies role merely a stepping-stone to that?
I wouldn’t stay a stepping-stone is the exact phrase but you’re right, I’ve wanted to be SU President since my first visit to Cardiff University back in Year 11! I’m a strong believer in the fact that the President should have an extra level of understanding of the Union, the University and their activities and being a Vice President first allows you to get this. My passion for the Students’ Union came from being involved in student activities, in particular as a President of a society, and I wanted to use this passion to shape the future of Cardiff societies as VP Societies & Campaigns. While doing this over the last year, I have developed this extra level of understanding and I’m really excited to continue my work here in a different role.
You beat Barney by a mere 15 votes in last year’s election. Will it be strange handing over the role to him this year now that he’s won?
Most certainly not. Barney and I have worked really closely together over the last year in his role on the Societies Executive Committee. His passion is clear and the fact he re-ran after such a close election last year just demonstrates this.
Barney has some fantastic ideas which both build on my work and introduce some new concepts and ideas which is really exciting during a period of such extensive change for the Students’ Union. It will be g reat to see his ideas turn into reality while working with Barney over the next year.
You will continue the tradition ing President. Are you worried that the more educational part of the role will suffer?
You’re right! There does seem to be a bit of a tradition, doesn’t there?! I’m not worried about the other side of the role, more excited to learn than anything else. I was a Student Academic Rep in my first year so already have a taste of what it takes to have a more educational role within the University. That is obviously on a slightly different scale to SU President but I see it as a real opportunity to learn about the University and explore a new set of skills and interests myself. I certainly don’t think the educational side will suffer. If anything, I will be particularly cautious to give it my most attention as it is such a new area for me. I’m sure Rhys, with the experience he already has and his ambitious plans for the role of VP Education, will be a fountain of knowledge and I’m looking forward to learning with him
This year’s elections were especially bitter, with a number of candidates receiving thinly veiled attacks from their peers via the platform of Electwit.
As this is clearly unacceptable, how will you act in your role as President to ensure that this is
not repeated next year?
I’m not entirely sure bitter is the word I’d use to describe this year’s elections but I am, of course, aware of the issues around drawing the line between scrutiny and personal attacks. There’s a lot of work to be done and I think we have a responsibility as a Students’ Union to facilitate scrutiny and stop personal attacks. I will be working closely with our Democracy Coordinator and new Student Voice team to work out how we go about doing this and explore what our platfor m for scrutiny looks like. We had some really useful feedback from candidates following elections and we will be working to act on this appropriately over the coming months.
What is your proudest achieve-
It’s really difficult to pinpoint a single achievement and I know that sounds like a cop out! We’ve done so much to improve and simplify things for committee members but this would mean nothing to anyone outside the circle of committees. I guess the thing I’m really pleased about is being able to provide committee members with a for m of certified recognition for the work they do. Most don’t even realise they’re volunteers which is what prompted me to look into a way we could certify their work. This led to Cardiff Students’ Union applying to be providers of the Millennium Volunteers certification which means every society, sports club or Student Media committee member can get a certificate that recognises the time they spent volunteering as a committee member. This stays with them for life and is nation-
ally recognised when it comes to applying for jobs or further education. We were accepted at the start of this year and the project is g rowing and g rowing On top of this, we have increased society memberships by a massive 35% to nearly 8,000 students this year and, although I don’t take sole credit for this, I’d like to think that my work has had some part to play in this massive achievement.
What do you wish you’d achieved this year that you haven’t managed to?
Not that much, actually. I’ve at least made a start on everything I set out to and more which has been really rewarding I guess the best way to look at this is to consider what I would do with another year in the job. I would make some changes to the tier structure to tailor it to certain g roups, hold a winter showcase for societies, look at the way we support and provide opportunities for course-based societies and lobby for an arts centre and theatre on campus! Take note, Barney!
What piece of advice would you give to Barney for next year?
Just to enjoy every single moment! It is scary how quickly the year goes so make the most of it. It seems like just a few weeks ago that I was reading last year’s team’s answers and to think a year has passed since then is unreal. This job is unique in every sense. You get the opportunity to do things that most people wouldn’t get to do until very late on in their career and I think we sometimes take that for g ranted.
Elliot Howells was elected VP Societies & Campaigns last year, beating his successor Barney Willis by 15 votes. Howells, who speaks both English and Welsh, had made no secret of his desire to run for the Union’s highest elected office. In this year’s elections in March he successfully campaigned for the SU Presidency, a role that he will undertake from the beginning of July.
Howells’ manifesto last year was short, detailing only three policies. It is difficult to judge whether or not he has fulfilled these promises, as they are vague; unsurprising considering the low number of them. His manifesto for the elections this year has been more detailed, listing 10 different policies. In his manifesto for his Presidential campaign, Howells proposed a number of popular policies, such as improving transport links between halls and campuses, creating social learning spaces with IT facilities for group work, and making sure the University and Union help to improve employability.
While Howells has been in office, the number of society members has grown by 35%, and he has introduced a system whereby society committee members receive a certificate to prove that they volunteered for a society.
HAVE THEY DONE WHAT THEY SAID THEY WOULD DO?
Edore Evuarherhe - Vice President Sports & AU President
The conduct of sports teams this year has gained a lot of negative attention. Do you think you’ve done enough to tackle potentially unpleasant culture within University sport?
Just the one sports club. Generally our sports clubs have been excellent this year and many have been far more inclusive than in previous years, not to mention training prog rammes put on for clubs hosted by our excellent Part-Time officers. So, for the most part I’m happy that the culture of sports clubs is far more pleasant than it has been in previous years.
In your manifesto you promised that you would put ‘IMG completely in the hands of the AU.’ This hasn’t happened and there’s been continued confu-
sion and disorganisation around this level of sport. Why hasn’t it happened and will it happen next year?
It was a far more difficult process than originally thought. As it stands AU staff are at full capacity dealing with their day to day tasks, our sports clubs and the relevant issues facing them and to include IMG operations, administration and running of the clubs was not capable for the AU staff structure as it currently is. If there were staffing additions then it’s very possible for IMG to come back into the AU but the way it currently stands and the time involved it is incredibly difficult to put it in the AU. With re gards to IMG, IMG netball and 7-a-side have generally run relatively smoothly with clubs in those sports saying how much bet-
ter communication has been this year and the main stumbling block has been with 11-a-side football which at times is more difficult to operate because of the impact of bad weather and Cardiff Council being less willing to provide us with access to pitches as well as hiking up the price of pitches. This is because they have significantly cut their budgets in Sport and recreation. And as a result we are feeling the effects.
What is your proudest achieve-
Having a full sized all-weather pitch being built is a really proud achievement of mine! Some of the events this year have been absolutely fantastic as well, Freshers’ Fayre was an amazing day as was the annual Dodgeball event but what I’m most proud of was the Welsh Varsity. It was the biggest Varsity event and we won the most events ever, so I’m extremely proud of all members of the Athletic Union and everything they’ve achieved this year. Working closely with CUTV was one of my manifesto points and to get a chance to work with CUTV sport was been fantastic and being able to showcase our sports clubs more often and to a wider audience they really were excellent. From
the Blues Cup in October to the Varsity Coverage the video highlights have been fantastic and I am incredibly proud of these.
What do you wish you’d achieved this year that you haven’t managed to?
I really wished we were able to hold a Disability Sports Day. It was something the Students with Disabilities officer came to me about and I thought it was a fantastic idea. But here we’re stumbling blocks with finding a venue, then Disability Sport Wales were moving offices and unable to help with the event at the time we wanted to hold it and by that stage we were too close to Varsity for there to be another viable date so I choose to cancel it. Having been to one in the past it has potential for a really g reat event to take place and I was really gutted that it couldn’t in the end. It would be fantastic if this could be run next year
What piece of advice would you give to Bryn for next year?
Enjoy every minute of it because the year goes by so quickly! It’s the best job in the world and you’ ll make mistakes (I’ve made plenty!) but so long as you’re honest with clubs and yourself you’ ll have an amazing year.
Edore Evuarherhe, Athletic Union President ran as the ‘Fresh prince of the AU’ in last years elections, and his manifesto consisted of promises for fresh facilities, ideas, change and IMG. Reflecting on his year in office Evuarherhe is proud to have arranged for a full sized all-weather pitch to be built, had a successful Freshers’ Fayre, Dodgeball event and Welsh Varsity. Evuarherhe has been widely criticised by IMG teams for not supporting them or delivering on his promises to put IMG completely in the hands ot the AU and ensure that there are proper referees and pitches. He has said that this is a more difficult process than he thought and in hindsight, the AU staff are at full capacity. He has also said that the rising cost of pitches and the bad weather we have seen this year have left IMG feeling the effects. More involvement in Cardiff Student Media’s outlets was a key point in his manifesto. Evuarherhe has improved the relationship with CUTV sport and introduced a weekly column ‘Ed’s note’ in the gairrhydd Evuarherhe worked closely with Rachel Jones, the Students with Disabilities officer to try and organise a Disability Sports Day. Unfortunately there were problems with finding a venue, and Disability Sport Wales were unable to help with the event. This led to the event being cancelled, but Evuarherhe hopes that it may run next year.
Helen Dent - Vice President Welfare
In your manifesto you promised to ‘Introduce a night bus for free and safe ride back to halls.’ This was a very popular pledge, but nothing’s happened. Why?
After speaking to the police, the drivers of the current safety bus and other members of Students’ Union staff I was advised against the idea for safety reasons. However, in order to achieve the same goal of improving night time safety I heavily promoted the Safe Taxi Scheme and dramatically increased it usage.
You pledged to extend library opening hours. The opening hours are the same as last year, why has this failed?
I ag ree that this is an important education issue and I put this in my manifesto as an example of how
I would help students to reduce exam stress. To achieve this aim, I successfully lobbied the University to release exam timetables earlier than last year and ran the Revision
Aid campaign to support students during the exam seasons.
With both a Union-run Advice and Representation centre and a University-run Student Support Service, where does the role of
I am the direct liaison between the Union and the University on all non-academic issues including the counseling service, disability and dyslexia service, money advice, residences, and health care.
My work as VP Welfare this year has included:
lobbying the University to release exam timetables earlier than last year
whereby the University will act as guarantor for students without a guarantor
troduce a waiver for the difference between international students and home students fees for asylum seekers
by running campaigns and signing the Time to Change pledge
Centre to set up a new volunteering g roup aiming to raise awareness of students’ rights.
These initiatives that I have put in place I hope will have a lasting benefit to student welfare.
What is your proudest achieve-
I successfully lobbied the University to set up a scheme whereby the University will act as guarantor for students without a guarantor. This will particularly benefit international students, EU students and students who are care leavers. My research showed that without a guarantor, some students are required to pay up to 12 months of rent in advance of their tenancy. This high upfront cost is very difficult to meet so I believe that this scheme will be very beneficial to students in the future.
What do you wish you’d achieved this year that you haven’t managed to?
Feedback from fresher’s shows
that first year students would like to improve the community within halls. Other Universities and Students’ Unions have social structures within each hall so that it is easier to meet new people. It is a shame that I did not have time to achieve this, but it is an exciting prospect for the future.
What piece of advice would you give to Danial, your successor?
Make the most of your year, it goes by very quickly!
Helen Dent was elected VP Welfare last year on the back of a lengthy manifesto featuring no fewer than 14 policies. A number of these were popular, but appear to be left largely undone a year on. Raising awareness of ‘dodgy’ letting agencies was one such policy; a number of letting agencies in the Cathays area are renowned for their poor treatment of student tenants, and Dent has arguably failed to use her position to bring this to the attention of the student body. Additionally, her pledge to extend library opening hours was an empty promise. She also failed to implement the widely popular policy to introduce a ‘night bus’ to provide students with free transport back to halls after dark. She cited her promotion of the Safe Taxi scheme introduced by her predecessor as a concession to this, but use of the scheme is still minimal.
12 NEWS
HAVE THEY DONE WHAT THEY SAID THEY WOULD DO?
Tom Eden - Vice President Media & Marketing
I didn’t decide to run again until the last minute, but I knew that there was still much more progress I wanted to achieve and genuinely thought I was the best person to do that. I think there’s a lot of benefits to doing it for a second year – I’ve had a year of experience, I’ve learned from mistakes and will be able to hit the ground running The difference from last year was that during my time as news editorI worked closely with Chris (my predecessor) - and knew that I wanted to do this job. Once I’d decided that, I came up with a gimmick and then a manifesto. This year, I had developed a number of ideas for my manifesto, so the whole process was completely the other way around.
I largely agree with this. Although more content has been uploaded online across the platfor ms than ever before and website views are much higher, there’s still a great deal of work to do on promoting and sharing them online. Like you mentioned, Quench has really led the way this year with this, showing how it should be done. One issue has received 2 2 million views. Their online presence has really carved out a clear tone and relationship with readers and I think this is something that the other sections will work towards next year. I think part of the problem is that the promotion of content has been much more of an after thought – we should really be shouting a lot more about the great content student media produces.
Having said that, online presence is something that can continually improve and making more progress is something we’ll continue to strive for.
The plan is to develop apps for the platfor ms so that you’ll be able to read, watch and listen to all of student media wherever you are and whenever you want. Xpress Radio has taken a lead on this, with Owen Richards developing a great app in time for people to be able to listen to their excellent Varsity coverage.
It was an issue of what the role should involve and the proportion of time the person in charge should devote to each platfor m The reality is that we have four very different sections, requiring different ranges and levels of attention. The blanket policy to spend ‘equal time on each platfor m’ is reductive and would be detrimental. Ultimately, it’s a juggling act in consistently changing situations. It’s what makes the job so fun, unpredictable and busy! The fact that this debate played out in such a public forum portrayed student media as far more divided than it is. One element that has practical implications for this issue is the training the officer receives. This position is the one with the greatest need for practical knowledge – having to be able to make newspapers, magazines, as well as the technical elements of radio and television production. The Union is great at providing training for the more intangible elements of the sabbatical officer role, such as leadership, but there’s currently no provision to train anyone in these essential practical components. I want to make training in all four platfor ms an essential part of the introduction into the role – so that anyone could come into it and be confident in each area.
inspired me to run again; it’ll take a great deal of time and work over the summer – something that wouldn’t be possible for someone newly elected – and I’m looking forward to making it happen! The first paper should be delivered before freshers’
It’s hard to judge because, looking back, my manifesto was fairly vague, with few measurable promises. The majority of the media candidates has very similar manifestos, with general aims rather than specific promises - the role is such that it’s largely reactive.
One of the main points was about adverts/coverage of sports teams and societies and I think these are two areas that the paper has excelled this year. The coverage of sport in particular has been as comprehensive than any time in the 42 year history of the paper, so hats off to the sport team this year and Taliesin, whose photographs have really brought a wonderful visual element to the section.
I haven’t counted since elections, but at the beginning of March, we’d featured over 180 different societies and sports teams. The paper is a fantastic platfor m for them to advertise what they’ve been up to and the plan for delivery will only increase their exposure.
As I mentioned earlier, this year the manifesto promises, including the delivery one, were ideas developed over a year in the role - so are clear, measurable promises.
Nothing that’s been achieved this year is down to me alone; there are so many dedicated volunteers who make up student media that make all that we do possible. I suppose from this year, the biggest accolade was gair rhydd being awarded the title of second best publication in the UK. As you’ll probably gather from the rather gushing ‘thank-you page’ in this issue, there’s a huge number of people to thank and it’s the people I’m proud of, rather than achievements alone.
Tom Eden was elected last year to the role of VP Media & Marketing, the role responsible for overseeing the University’s Student Media platforms; gair rhydd, Xpress Radio, Cardiff Union Television and Quench. This year he was re-elected, the first person in his role ever to achieve this.
In his original campaign, Eden’s somewhat vague manifesto promised to offer free adverts to societies on all media platforms, improve Student Media’s online presence, build links with industry professionals, and increase revenue for student media.
There’s the endless pursuit for the illusive perfect issue of gair rhydd; one that’s free of typos like ‘Daily Maily’ – which is one that I doubt I’ll ever live down. As I mentioned, the delivery of gair rhydd and Quench is a massive project that will hopefully have been achieved successfully by next year. I also would like for student media to assume the role of scrutinising the elections. Obviously this year it wouldn’t have been appropriate with me running in elections, but next year there won’t be that issue – I’m not allowed to run again. The fact that an apparent lack of adequate scrutiny of the candidates led to Electwit fulfilling that duty was a disaster. Although motivated by the right reasons; the execution was poor. It should be student media scrutinizing and infor ming in a professional manner.
A number of these promises have arguably not been fulfilled, although Quench managed to gain an incredible 2.2 million online views for one of its issues.
In November at the Annual Member’s Meeting, Eden came under intense scrutiny when a motion was submitted which would force him, and all subsequent people in his role, to spend equal time with all four platforms of Student Media. After a lengthy debate with Adam Duce, LGBT+ Officer and Cardiff Union TV’s Marketing Officer, Eden defeated the motion.
I am so excited about this. It’s the most ambitious step forward for the print elements of student media and it has the potential to be a massive success – dramatically increasing engagement and the reach of gair rhydd & Quench. In ter ms of how it will work, We’ll gather a list of Cardiff University students’ houses and develop an online opt in or out online system, so that people can choose either way. We’ll be paying students the Living Wage to deliver them to the houses of Cathays and Roath, with the potential for postal delivery to houses further afield.
It’s a massive project with lots to sort out over the summer, from gathering advertising to organising the actual delivery. It’s something that
Eden was re-elected to the same position in March by over 1000 votes, with the policy to have gair rhydd delivered to student houses at the forefront of his campaign. He also pledged to increase CSM’s engagement with digital media by overseeing the creation of apps following the creation of an Xpress Radio app by the station’s Marketing & Events exec, Owen Richards. Additionally, Eden promised to advertise JobShop opportunities in gairrhydd, as well as holding media workshops for local schools.
In summary, the academic year under Eden was a successful one for Student Media. gair rhydd was named the second best student publication in the country, Quench’s online presence and transition to a monthly publication has been overwhelmingly successful, Xpress Radio were awarded third best station in the UK at the Student Radio Association Awards for their achievements in the 2012-13 academic year and CUTV were highly commended for the Tim Marshall Award for Special Recognition at the National Student Television Awards.
HAVE THEY DONE WHAT THEY SAID THEY WOULD DO?
Gemma Wheeler - Vice President Heath Park Campus
Students at the Heath have additional specific needs that students elsewhere in the university do not have. Statistics from external surveys show that Heath based students are significantly less satisfied with the Students’ Union compared to students on other courses. There are approximately 6 500 students on courses that are based at the Heathbut the vast majority of these spend time away from the Heath itself. In the case of medical students, they can be based all over Wales for up to eight weeks at a time for three academic years; allied health professionals can go to hospitals around South Wales from their first year; dentists are based in hospitals outside of the Heath from third year, so to even say they “study at the Heath” is misleading!
This presents problems as they are not always in University buildings, and so a level of representation is required to ensure the same standards are met (for example, accessing Wi-Fi whilst on placement - in some hospitals, where we are unable to provide eduroam, students aren’t even able to access their emails!) Not only are the physical aspects different, but communication is also difficult as students are on wards or clinic during a typical working day (9-5) which is when the Students’ Union and the University do most of their communication - everything seems to take longer as it has to be done out of hours!
Those students based at the Heath who aren’t on professional courses are usually postgraduate researches, who have the same difficulties with time commitments. Additionally, a lot of the events run in the Students’ Union, and by the University too, are based on Park Place which can be difficult to reach, either because they are during the working day, or because they start at five and students based at the Heath (and elsewhere) don’t have time to get to them How can we expect these students to integrate when what we provide isn’t easily accessible?
Finally, the majority of courses studied at the Heath are “professional” courses, which come with their own issues such as occupational health and additional Fitness to Practice considerations, which are rarely encountered outside the Heath, but, as a representative, knowledge of these is invaluable at times in meetings with university members of staff and to improve the services we offer I know there are
other groups within the university which might benefit from additional representation, but my focus is on the Heath and that is why I believe they need additional representation.
In a word, no (but I would say that!) When I was thinking about running to be an elected officer, I was half way through my fourth year of dentistry. I was pretty much at the peak of my learning, with finals to sit in September of my fifth year, and applications to foundation schemes following shortly after that. The thought of taking a year out between my fourth and fifth year terrified me; I didn’t want to de-skill.
I was fortunate enough to come to an agreement with the Dental School and the Students’ Union whereby I would do one day a week clinical practice, but would make up for the hours during the rest of the week. This hasn’t always been the easiest of tasks - my team were great at understanding that one day each week I wouldn’t be able to help (although I was always spending my lunchtimes checking emails) and working four long days a lot of weeks really exhausted me, but I wouldn’t change it. It was just a case of explaining to people why putting meetings on the same day each week would mean I would never make it. I don’t feel that it stopped me from doing anything - but it might have been a bit of a pain for others!
Now we’re getting down to the nitty gritty. This makes me smile, because my manifesto was written before I had any idea about the full scope of the Students’ Union, and before I realised just how long it can take to make any changes! But if we break it down: Push for the improvements YOU want:
Instead of running yet another survey, I have used results from the previous Placement Experience Survey and Heath Park Campus Survey to lobby for changes. I am working with INSERV (the University IT department) to develop a College-wide online placement forum for students to input, and search for, practical infor mation about their placements.
I have also worked with groups of students to make changes to life at the Heath Park, such as getting hold of microwaves for the Healthcare Common Rooms (something I was made aware of via SSPs) an in-
troducing female only gym sessions at CMC Sports and Social Centre. Campaign to increase YOUR union’s presence at the Heath: This has proved to be particularly difficult, as it depends not only on my motivation, but also actually getting other people to believe me that a trip up to the Heath is worth it. Personally, although it might not be immediately obvious, I do genuinely believe there has been a shift in attitude within the Students’ Union, with members of staff putting the Heath on the agenda! I have worked hard with Neil, the Heath Hub coordinator (who is great, by the way) to encourage the Students’ Union’s own departments to get up to the Heath, hosting a “Heath Week”, where all departments spent a day at the Heath. We had our own Heath refreshers week; we have had increased ARC activity; the Skills Development Service have run courses at the Heath for the first time; we got our own dedicated section of Student Media, Park Life, which is student led thanks to Vidya.
I can’t take all the credit as I have been helped by other elected officers, such as Elliot and Ed’s tiering system requiring sports clubs to recruit, advertise, and do some activity at the Heath to gain a certain level; then again I did use the word campaign - it can’t always be a one woman band!
Work alongside other VPs to improve academic support wherever you feel necessary: I helped Ollie with training of academic representatives at the Heath, and attended at least one StudentStaff Panel in each of the Schools I represent.
So, I feel that I can justify my statement that I have lived up to my manifesto’s promises, but only students can truly hold me to account there by telling me whether they have experienced an improvement as a result of my year in office.
Without a doubt, the most difficult thing you have asked me. I could probably give different answers depending what day of the week it was! A really proud moment was handing over a cheque for almost £5,000 to Cardiff and Vale Health Charity after Heath RAG, thanks to the fundraising efforts of Healthcare students (and the impressive organisation by Niccole, my exec member) I was really proud to see what students can do as a collective. On the other hand, on a more personal achievement note, I am really proud that a document I put together outlining the need for student social space at the Heath is being used by the university in their new estates masterplan. Then, there is the day to day stuff, in which case getting the microwaves in the Healthcare Common Room was a really practical thing I was able to do which actually has had a significant impact on student experience.
Probably running events for students, to encourage integration for events. I attempted to run a Medics Varsity with Bristol or Swansea Medics, but unfortunately that didn’t really materialise. I had hoped to run one a ter m, but other things ended up taking priority. This year Cardiff University underwent Institutional Review (kind of like Ofsted Inspections, but for Universities) which I was more heavily involved in than I had anticipated - I kind of expected it to be Ollie and Cari’s job I guess. The time spent in meetings about IR, putting together our own SU document, and preparing for the review itself, meant that something had to give, and I think these events were it.
You can make this role what you want it to be - so make it yours! When I first started the role I was probably more interested in “activities” than “education” but as the year has gone on, my focus has been completely different from what I thought it would be. Use the flexibility in the role to your advantage and focus on the areas you think need the most development. VP Heath Park is a primarily representative role, so as long as you are representing the best interests of the students based at the Heath you can act that out in whatever way you want to.
Gemma Wheeler is the VP Heath Park officer who is in charge of the representation of students at the Heath Park campus where the University’s medical courses are taught. Students at the Heath are regularly found to be the group of students least satisfied with their student experience, and the least engaged with the Students’ Union, due in no small part to its distance from Park Place. With her remit encompassing the representation of welfare and educational issues of students at the Heath, Wheeler has found herself working closely with VP Education Ollie Wannell to fight for improved educational standards.
The role’s importance comes from the differences between medical degrees and all others taught at the University; Heath Park students frequently work longer hours, and spend more time on placements than students situated at Park Place.
This year Wheeler worked alongside VP Media & Marketing Tom Eden & Vidya Brainerd to facilitate the introduction of the Park Life section of gair rhydd; a section dedicated to Heath Park issues.
7
lots of joshing about, walked
REVIEW OF THE YEAR
THE YEAR IN NEWS
Scandals & stupidity
gair rhydd has covered its fair share of controversial stories in its 42 years, and issue 1015 was no exception.
The front page article concerned a social put on by Cardiff University Football Club, where amongst other things, it was alle ged that a powerpoint advising attendees to target girls with low self esteem ‘as they are easier to have sex with’ was shown in public.
Following its publication, the story received national attention, appearing on the BBC website, the and even the Daily
The club was banned from organised activity for two weeks, and while threats to prohibit the team from playing in the Varsity fixture were empty threats, members of the club were forced to take part in awareness campaigns for the Womens’ Association.
APRIL
‘StudentSenate,aptly held on April Fool’s Day, became a total farce when it was revealed that the votes cast during the four hour meeting were not valid and that it would have to be rescheduled.’
So read the front page of issue 1027, which covered the farcial annual student senate meeting in April. Despite over four hours of debating, it turned out that due to the minimal turnout, the votes were non-binding and the meeting would have to be repeated in the future.
Much of the meeting was devoted to arguing over motion five, which controversially proposed that the Union should take an official pro-choice stance.
MAY
The scandals continued throughout, when the University Court blocked the appointment of Griff Rhys Jones as the next Cardiff Chancellor, despite the University being poised to announce his appointment, with photos of Mr Rhys Jones posing in the Chancellor’s robes being prematurely in the public domain.
Accompanied by a letter to the Vice-Chancellor, in which Mr Rhys Jones announced his resignation, gair rhydd revealed exclusive details about the attempted forcing-out of Sir Martin Evans.
The breaking point came in a ‘confrontational and highly critical meeting’, where the University Court failed to ratify Mr Rhys Jones’ appointment, in a highly embarrassing episode for the University and the Vice Chancellor, who was visibly ang ry in the meeting
JANUARY
In a time of austerity and pay cuts for lecturers, it was surprising to learn that 234 of the University’s employees earned in excess of £100,000 last year. The President and Vice Chancellor Professor, Colin Riordan, took home the highest wa ge: £252,000. The figures also revealed that, up until July 2013, 240 staff members earned between £100,000 and £149,999. There were 18 staff members that earned between £159,999 and £199,999 and one staff member earned between £210,000 and £210,999.
In comparison, MPs receive an annual salary of £66,000 whilst the Prime Minister earns just under £143,000.
The nest was criticised by Welsh MPs and members of the NUS.
Student media success
In November, Xpress radio were awarded Bronze in the Best Station category at the Student Radio Association awards, meaning Cardiff can boast that they have the third best station in the country.
Xpress Radio also came second in ‘Best Outside Broadcast‘ for the coverage of the 2013 Varsity, in addition to both Jo Southerd and Chris Browning being nominated for ‘Best Female’ and ‘Best Male’ respectively.
The success was a testament to the hard work and dedecation of last year’s incredibly professional team, and showcased the development of the digital platfor ms in recent years.
Michael O’Connell Davidson, Editor of Quench, was also nominated for MIND’s Student Journalist of the Year for a feature on mental health.
In May, gair rhydd was recognised as the UK’s second best student publication at the Student Publication Association’s National Conference earlier this month. The judge of the ‘Best Publication’ cate gory, Nick Petrie from The Times said: “A student newspaper has many pressures to balance and must hit several high notes to be considered on top of its game. gair rhydd combines a sophisticated and ele gant design with strong news credentials, maintaining a focus on campus and Cardiff based stories. They have campaigned where appropriate, highlighted and encouraged participation in university life and challenged the university to be better for students. A student newspaper should be a reflection of the community it reports on and gair rhydd perfor ms this role admirably.”
SEPTEMBER
The exterior of the students’ Union has not changed much since its construction over four decades ago, but the interior certainly has.
One of the most ambitious renovations in the building’s history took place in the summer of 2013, when a University-funded £1.4m redevelopment of the third and fourth floors was completed.
While the official opening ceremony took place in October, the area was usable from the start of freshers’ week.
It boasted an increase in the number of meeting rooms, the relocation of student media, the construction of the now-iconic fishbowl, which revolutionized how students interacted with sabbatical officers, providing a gender-neutral, infor mation-driven space which has since proved to be very popular.
THE YEAR IN NEWS Union developments
In early 2013 BUCS prohibited universities from fielding the same players for two sports clubs. While this le gislation at a glance makes sense, it presented a problem for Cardiff University’s medic teams.
It gave them two options, both of which were deemed unsatisfactory by the medics and were described by Sport Editor Arthur Russell as “under mining what university sport is all about - equal opportunities for everyone”.
In what would become a troubling theme for student politics this year, healthcare students did not meet the required number of representatives for the motion to be raised at the BUCS AGM.
The AU however, refuted this claim, stating that the decision to remove Cardiff Medics from BUCS was supported by the AU staff, senior management and the trustees of the Union.
The strike debacle dominated gair rhydd’s pages in the early parts of the year. Following protracted talks between the University and lecturers’ unions, an impasse was reached.
The unions rejected a 1% pay increase on the g rounds that it was actually a 13% pay cut on the wages of five years ago due to the impact of inflation. The body who set the University staff ’s wages – stating that “the offer is a good outcome for staff”, having raised it from an initial offer of 0.5%.
Michael MacNeil, UCU’s Head of Higher Education stated that, “Staff have suffered cuts in the value of their pay. Quite simply, enough is enough.”
A spokesman for UCEA (The Universities and Colle ges Employers Association) said that “the vast majority of their staff understand the reality of the current environment and would not want to take action that could har m their institutions and their students.”
However, the medics were saved after extensive ne gotiations with BUCS. In a joint statement VP Sports & AU President Edore Evuarherhe and Michael Cooper, Captain of Cardiff Medics RFC said “However, after a meeting between all parties, we feel that we have finally arrived at a solution that is best for Cardiff medical sports, Cardiff University, the Students’ Union and BUCS.” BUCS have indicated that Cardiff University will have to enter as a single member, but are allowed to include an umbrella that can designate teams as ‘Cardiff University Medics’ , Separation of University sides will mean “a healthcare student can re gister as a Cardiff medic if they wish to on a year-by-year basis (in football, hockey, netball and/or rugby) and still be able to compete for Cardiff University in a sport that does not have any such medic designation.
Approximately 80 people for med the picket line outside Main Building on Park Place, as well as a few other, smaller locations such as the Glamorgan Building on King Edward VII avenue.
Unite’s national officer for education, Mike McCartney said: “We hope that the strike will focus employers’ minds and they realise their staff are their most important asset and reward them accordingly.”
Cardiff University Students’ Union was supportive of the strike, saying that fair pay is a vital element in ensuring a motivated staff workforce, which ultimately benefits students. The Students’ Union did add a caveat to its support, saying that it wanted students to
STHE BEST OF OPINION
tudent elections are subject to re gular debate throughout Universities. Are they a waste of time, or do they elect people worth their salt? The seven full-time elected officers at Cardiff University are paid £20,000 for their year in office. The nine part-time officer positions are unpaid and candidates here often undertake their work alongside their de g ree studies. Do you know who they are? All of the officers ultimately work to prove the worth of student elections.
Are they successful?
The full-time elected officers are paid £20,000 a year to oversee an institution that they are familiar with. This is no mean wage (about average for a g raduate) and a position means a guaranteed job when you g raduate from the University or take a break from your studies.
However, what is worth noting is that this wage is not huge – and many hours of work go unpaid. For instance, the Vice President of Media and Marketing is not paid any extra for all of the 1am deadline nights undertaken.
The actions of these elected officers are arguably very important. This year’s VP Education, Ollie Wannell, has introduced lecture capture across all large lecture theatres, one of the policies in the manifesto that saw him elected. Vice President of Societies and Campaigns, Elliott Howells, introduced a tier system for societies, giving them increased budgets with a ‘Gold’ status,
meaning the services provided to you by your societies can be even better.
Societies have to satisfy students and prove their development to meet ‘Gold’ standard.
This is arguably just one reason why Howells has been elected as Students’ Union
President next year.
Elected for mer or current students taking a break from studies are there to represent you and your voice. Our current Students’ Union
President Cari Davies was for merly Athletic Union President, and for mer Students’ Union
President Harry Newman was previously Societies Officer before taking on his second role. Of course they were both students at the University too. They both showed the potential to know their institution inside out – and Cari’s job is not at an end yet. I would rather have someone represent me
who knows what it is like to be a student in the current climate than some old fart who thinks that sitting at a desk in a suit is what really matters to students. There are 26,269
night out in Revs the night before.
As you have probably heard, The Lash is to be escorted from our SU on Wednesday, only to head to Salisbury Road for a Mama’s Kebab and tuck itself away into bed for good.
Whether you met the news with fevered disbelief or cries of joy, it cannot be denied that The Lash has provided Cardiff students the most fantastic, tacky, inexpensive and uncomfortably enjoyable nights out imaginable. The Lash epitomises a student night out; it is devilishly cheap (at least before eleven), with all the appeal of last night’s takeaway; you want it, you enjoy it, but you probably shouldn’t. Amidst the sea of blue shirts, ties, and chinos, the fancy dress on display is utterly brilliant.
From the dreary school girls to the sublime Mount Rushmore, variety, ingenuity and originality are highly re garded amongst the punters. Crippling rent stopping you from buying fancy dress? You, kind Sir, are now the appointed Box Man.
Cut two holes in that Corona box, we’re going to The Lash.
Everyone has their own Lash story.
It generally be gins with waking up fully clothed and missing a full day of lectures after a ‘sophisticated’
You examine your pockets and assess the financial damage; small change present? All good. You see last nights pre- drinks; some offerings of Tesco Value vodka, a mouthful of orange juice, a few cans of ‘Premium’ lager and look, someone’s even left the dre gs of their Smirnoff behind. That’ ll do nicely.
You pull yourself to your feet where you kick off last night’s shoes in favour of something a bit more comfortable, a bit more Lash. Those wrecked pair of Vans offer themselves gallantly to protect your trotters. A quick glance in the mirror reveals not too much damage; it’s dark in The Lash, no-one will notice the stain of pepperoni juice left on your chin. Run your fingers through your matted hair and we’re ready to roll out. Before eleven, may I add, because who wants to waste a fiver getting in?
Whilst there, you can indulge in the finest vodka the Union has to offer, which in small quantities will generally not cause long ter m blindness. Double them up, go on.
This is The Lash, not Propaganda.
Feeling queasy? Head for a Coors; watchx the bar staff struggle and wave frantically as another ke g runs out really takes the edge off
students at the University (2012/3 figures) and seven elected officers. That number of officers doesn’t seem so big now, does it?
That said the elected officers have not been without criticism – and for good reason. The Athletic Union president tends to come under such scrutiny, and not just this year. People I have spoken to say that IMG football in particular is still a shambles – and it appears that change is not likely to occur. Sport is something that the University prides itself on and it appears that IMG is in a state. The elected officers each have a job to do – they are not paid to attend The Lash every week. They should focus on providing the best for the students that they represent (oh, and delivering on what the promised in their election manifestos) It could also be argued that the elected officer’s positions, either some or all seven of them, are a waste of students’ money. The Union pays their wages. Could they do their job for less money? Probably. Should they be
your own headache.
Bored of drinking? Why not treat yourself to some casual infidelity? The Lash is more promiscuous than a weekend at John Terry’s house, so get in on the action. Unless you are of course part of the football lot, in which case you must consider yourself amongst the same ranks as Beelzebub and Cardiff Met Students. Hide your tie, make no mention of football, and you may just blend in.
The Lash has made itself a melting pot for controversy; the backlash and torrent of hatred hurled at the football society being one of the more recent. Seemingly, normal rules of conduct do not apply to The Lash. Would you go out in nothing more than a G-string and a pair of trainers? In The Lash, this is fully acceptable, if, rather admittedly, a tad immoral. Even the daintiest of Lash-goers aren’t afraid to give a quick elbow jab to the g roin if need be, so there is plenty of fighting spirit.
The middle part of the evening is generally considered a blur, but it’s not uncommon to find your- self chanting after the DJ has clocked off. As all you Lash-goers know, chanting is often the best way to secure yourself another half hour in the Union, enjoying the heat
the
Do you know w
your elected officers are this academic year? No? I’m sure you’ re not alone. This is YOUR Students’ Union. YOUR money. YOUR voice. Use it! As a Student Rep I have come into contact with Ollie Wannell and I work with Tom Eden (VP Media and Marketing) on a re gular basis through Student Media at the University. Embrace the opportunities given to you at University and I’m sure your familiarity with the elected officers will increase.
Sure, the elected officers may not fulfil all of the promises in their election manifesto, but few politicians in the so-called ‘real world’ do this too (think of David Cameron becoming famous for his ‘U-Turns’ in policy) They are there to represent you, deserve their wages and know what life is like as a student. Use them wisely.
and humidity that a thousand or so bodies generates in a small, confined area.
After exiting onto the streets of Cathays, there are plenty of fine establishments with which to exchange shrapnel for sustenance.
After re g rouping your faculties, you could attempt to find your way home, but why bother when your old housemates live just around the corner? They probably won’t mind, they’d love to see you at four in the morning, kebab in hand. With their kind hearts, they eventually let you in. They lovingly place you on the floor, or an available sofa, where you gain some much needed shut-eye. After waking up in a pile of your own sick, it’s time to make a quick exit back to yours, past the queue of rush hour traffic.
It’s amazing how early in the morning people can judge you, isn’t it? In short, The Lash is a terrible, sweat and guilt-ridden disaster where sobriety and dignity are left behind to dwell with unfinished coursework and seminar preparation. Do you know what? We wouldn’t want it any other way. The Lash will be missed and mourned by many, and we can only hope that after their multi-million pound revamp (which events like The Lash paid for), the Union can supply us with a worthy alternative. So, in proper Lash tribute, let’s crowd the doorways, linger at the bar asking for one last pint, and head home, safe in the knowledge that we will completely re g ret our actions and that it will soon be all over the internet for years to come.
In 1994, the infamous voxpop section returned to gair rhydd after a brief hiatus. In the first issue since it returned, vox pop triumphantly declared itself “the only section of the paper big and brave enough to venture from the gair rhydd office out into the scary world of the unknown, the only section willing to mingle with the masses, to ruminate with the readers, and to cavort with the community.”
vox pop
Over 15 years have passed since vox pop last g raced the pages of gair rhydd, and we at opinion believe that the time has come to bring it back in from the cold. Our inaugural voxpop will borrow its question from 1994, the year many freshers would have been born. We’ve already
Unfortunately, it seems that these boasts were not enough to guarantee its survival, with later gair rhydd editors apparently taking a dim view of a section that prided itself on its “lunacy.”
“The Woods. Oh, you said ‘What’, not ‘Where? ” - Gareth ‘Please speak slowly, I’m French.’ – A Dutchman ‘Ben’ – Mark ‘Mark’ – Ben
Imitation is supposedly the sincerest for m of flattery. While this argument will likely get short shrift from your lecturers, it is a philosophy that we at Opinion have taken wholly to heart.
Following the success of last week’s voxpop section, which ‘borrowed’ its question from issue 503 (published all the way back in 1994), we’ve decided that outright plagiarism is the way forward.
Thus, this week’s question is a trip down memory lane back to issue 508, With energ y prices rising and those nights out looking ever more tempting, many students are struggling for cash as winter rolls around.
So we thought we’d ask those fine folk in The Taf how far they’d go for those worries to disappear. In fact, more than disappear. A million pounds seems like a tidy sum, one that we thought would have Cardiff ’s students queuing up to sell their g randparents, or even move to Swansea. As usual, we were spectacularly wrong Which, in hindsight, is probably a good thing
“Answer this question” – Josh “Two million pounds worth of damage” - Lucy Todd “Let George Osbourne give me a wet willy” - Dave
Prior to Christmas, when you were sat comfortably on your merry way to festive bliss, what did you feel you were leaving behind? Possibly nothing Perhaps the stench of rotting dignity lining the streets of Cathays. Perhaps the aesthetic beauty of our Soviet inspired Students’ Union’s exterior. Whatever it was, I’m sure you’re glad to be reunited with our wonderful capital. It is a city with a mixed public perception of course. For
“The wonderful climate! This is the only place in the world where I can walk outside and instantly become - Charlie
some it is the home of rugby and staunch patriotism For others, it’s the home of an Assembly suckling off Westminster’s teat in order to fund bilingual signs and other redundant nonsense like Charlotte Church and Newport. Many cites have cultural sub-districts like Little Italy and Chinatown. For students, our experience is cold, damp, unhealthy and characterised by a lack of decent food and acceptable moral boundaries. Therefore Cathays shall now be known as ‘Little Swansea’ I’m being cruel though. There are little, arguably trivial delights that we students relish in this fine city. The michelin starred Woodville Fish Bar for example, or maybe the chance to spot Doctor Who looking for a new sonic screwdriver in Homebase. So, with this in mind, we asked a selction of Cardiff Students what they have missed most over the Christmas break.
“The fact that it isn’t Newport” - Sam Lloyd “High quality evening snacks from
What does Valentine’s Day mean to you? If you’re anything like me then nothing at all. Well, all it does is evoke images of boardroom executives high fiving each other after realising that people have actually accepted this non-event as a real thing It’s not a real thing by the way. Apparently it was the only successful occassion in a longline of fabricated money-making ideas. Rejected events include ‘National Divorce Day’ , ‘Deathmas’ and ‘Virgin Week’ The latter conflicting too heavily with the established principals of Valentine’s Day.
“For the two guys I’m seeing to meet each other”– Aimee
It would be wrong to suggest, however, that I am a miserable and cyncical creature, and that goodwill causes me to wretch in the same way that Big Brother or Glam does. Love is, of course, g reat. Yet Valentine’s Day is as far removed from love as The Lash is from Edwardian sophistication. It is more a day for the most awkward in society to feel and act in an even more unco
involved. For the be ggars, for the rejecters, for those without a Valentine, even for those with one. In short, this day should be rebranded February 14th and treated in the same way as the 15th, the 16th, and every other wonderfully dull day.
“To be taken to Live Lounge for a sit down meal” - Alex “Company. I’m locking myself in my room and drinking.” - Anthea
The Lash: it’s the home of an infamous Wednesday night release, of many lost souls and of the Touré brother’s supporter’s club. In recent times it has simultaneously become both a loved and abhorred fixture of Cardiff University. Much like your unhinged Great Uncle, the Lash is irrational, outdated and mocked yet has remained supported by its loyal family of students. Plus it smells of urine most of the time. When the lights were turned on at last Wednesdays ‘Penulti-Lash’ , Politics Editor extraordinaire Matt Harding commented: ‘I just don’t understand why I’m going to miss it.’ Admittedly in the cold light of the Lash reality does hit home pretty hard. That person you’ve just been twerking into a coma turns out to be a bile-stained pole, the sofa you’re sat on is the R
Woodville Fish Bar” - Hannah
THE BEST OF SPORT
Disablity sport
After attending Wales vs. England deaf rugby, Paul Davies investigates the University’s disabled sport provision
Aru g by m atch between Wales and En g land evokes unparalleled passion in Cardiff. It w as, therefore, peculiar walking down deserted streets know in g that a clash between the two nations was about to start.
A t Cardiff A r m s Park on January 26th, Wales took on England in a deaf rugby game. It is a fixture that has been played re gularly for over a decade and involves players with various de g rees of hearing impair ment.
Deaf rugby teams play under the same rules as everyone else. In fact, many of the deaf internationals play their club rugby in ablebodied leagues. The Welsh deaf
rugby team re gularly play against unimpaired teams and are very competitive.
Although the crowds were modest in size, the stadium was full of excitement. There was the same carnival atmosphere associated with Welsh rugby, just on a slightly smaller scale. The spectators made their voices heard as choruses of Calon Lan and Swing Low, Sweet Chariot echoed through the stands.
Wales were the dominant team throughout the match, proving why they are the current world champions. England spent most of the game pinned back in their own half, defending the relentless Welsh attack. Wales fullback Wes Pooley was the star man, with four tries to his name. His quick feet, blistering pace and attacking mentality were constant threats. The game ended with Wales securing an emphatic 36-3 victory.
The standard of rugby was high, especially considering that they were all amateur players. The players on both teams, but especially the dominant Welsh, were physically fit and demonstrated good technical ability.
After the game, I spoke to some of the relatives of the Welsh players. They explained how this game, and other internationals, were just as important to this g roup of players as they were to the Welsh players who are competing in the Six Nations. This was evident in the way that the teams played with passion and were committed to giving it their best. I also learnt that deaf rugby was thriving and that it was developing more and more as an international sport.
Following this, I met with
Cardiff University’s Students with
Disabilities Officer, Rachel Jones, to discuss disability sports in the University. As it stands, there are no disability sports, or facilities, available at the university. This is despite a reported seven per cent of underg raduate students having some for m of disability.
Cardiff University has a g reat sporting tradition. It has over 63 Athletic Union clubs and Varsity is always a key date in the calendar. It’s therefore surprising that there is no provision for such a large g roup of students to get involved in sporting activities.
According to Jones, there is a real demand for disability sport and it’s a case of finding out “what they [students with disabilities] are interested in and seeing what we can do to facilitate it.”
When asked if anything had been done to try and encourage disability sport in the University, Jones said: “Not in the University, but me and Ed [Edore Evuarherhe, VP Sports] are looking into holding a disabled sports day in March.
“We’re inviting sports teams in the Cardiff area so that people can come along and try things out.”
Although there is nothing available within the University itself, there are a number of different sporting clubs around Cardiff that are suitable for people with disabilities. There is, in fact, an impressive range of sports available –including tennis, cycling, wheelchair basketball and karate. These activities are aimed at those who want to socialise or stay fit as well as those who want to take sport more seriously.
I asked Jones what the Students’
Union could do to help students with disabilities get involved with these local sports g roups.
She said: “I think that, first and foremost, it’s about letting people know what’s out there, and that’s what we are trying to do with the disabled sports day.
“I don’t think the issue is a lack of interest. People just don’t know where to go.”
F inally, Jones spoke about whether there had been a real le gacy following the 2012 Paralympic Games: “I think it did have a le gacy, but we need to draw people’s attention to it more and say “look at what these people achieved.””
She added: “I think that it could have been a bigger le gacy.”
The nature of the Paralympic le gacy is a highly debatable issue. It certainly g enerated g reater interest in disability sport from the general population. Many sportspeople are enjoying a higher profile than they did before the Games and there seems to be a real impetus to involve people in disability sports at g rassroots level.
The fundin g that disability sports require is, however, still lacking In 2013, only 24 per cent of disability sport or g anisations claimed to have the staff and facilities to support increased involvement. Ultimately, the investment in disability sport is still tiny compared to able-bodied sport.
Events such as the Wales vs. England deaf rugby match prove that there is energ y and potential for g rowth in disability sport. The reality, however, is that it needs investment to develop. Without this, there is a real danger that the London Paralympic le g acy will fade away.
LGBT+ in
David Hooson Sport Editor
LGBT+ History Month is the perfect time to reflect upon how far L GBT + ri g hts have come in the last 50 years. It also serves as a timely reminder of the work that is still to be done to address the issues affecting LGBT+ people. This is particularly true in the world of sport, where significant prog ress has been made in recent years, but is still re garded as the ‘final frontier’ in the fight against homophobia.
The extreme shortage of openly gay professional sportsmen is disheartening for many onlookers.
The world of sport, from the outside, can appear close-minded, unwelcoming and even intimidating to young gay fans and competitors. It is a microcosm that is stuck
in the past – the last place in our society where homosexuality is a taboo subject.
The public reaction to the recent coming-out of diver Tom Daley, which ranged from excitement to apathy, accurately reflected the general attitude towards gay people in Britain in the modern day. It was an encouraging landmark in the prog ress of attitudes towards homosexuality in sport. Daley, however, is not alone in his sport. Diving le gend Gre g Loug anis is openly gay and Matthew Mitcham publicly came out prior to winning Olympic gold in 2008.
The situation in team sports is less encouraging There are currently no openly gay professional football players in Britain – both Robbie Ro g ers and Tho m as Hitzlsperg er chose to come out only after they had left the Premier League. In cricket, Surrey wicketkeeper Steven Davies is the only openly gay professional.
IMG’s microcosm
Ross Martinovic Sport Editor
Pontcanna Fields usually cuts a scene of tranquility and restfulness.
O ccasionally, however, there is an unruly interruption of said peace. One such occasion was the annual Welsh Varsity competition last year, during which sport was overshadowed by punch-ups on and off the field, obscene chanting and banners and the ignition of fireworks in unprotected, open spaces, all in the eye of the passing and stunned public.
Two Wednesdays ago, I witnessed another kind of unpleasantness at Pontcanna, one lacking the spectacle value of hundreds of inebriated students clad in red and g reen, smoke bombs, apathetic police officers and oafish bellowing of “You’ve got chlamydia”. This occurred during an IMG football fixture, a competition founded entirely on principles of infor mality, inclusivity and enjoyment for all.
It was my team’s first league match of the season. The game was a fractious affair from the start, but the animosity cranked up a notch early in the second half courtesy of one particular incident.
With our opposition leading by a goal, they appealed vociferously that a ball had been knocked into touch by our winger, a plea upheld by the referee. That was until the intervention of our linesman,
who insisted that it had remained in play. To our amazement, the official then waved play on, allowing us to streak up the field and create a scoring chance while our opponents wailed in disbelief.
Nothing materialised from that burst, but that failed to prevent hell from breaking loose. Several of our opponents surrounded the referee, a fresher only appointed to the game by IMG’s refereeing system in which players from teams not in action that afternoon stand in as officials, demanding to know why he had failed to stop the game after initially awarding them a throw-in. The referee was branded a variety of expletives and subjected to an unspeakably intimidating inquisition in which a number of players invaded his personal space, to put it lightly. After this particular flashpoint settled, the referee continued to find any decision given against our opposition contested with tedious re gularity for the remainder of the match, which we eventually and deservedly lost. It’s safe to say that the sheer de g ree of vitriol aimed at the young, unqualified referee left an extremely sour taste in the mouth. Clearly, the referee made a mistake in letting play go on after initially awarding a throw-in. That said, no justification can be forwarded for the level of abuse he received and, sadly, in my two seasons of IMG experience, it is by no means an isolated incident.
The scenes that afternoon sparked some thought about match official abuse at all levels and of the
PHOTO: Taliesin
THE BEST OF SPORT
sport: at university & beyond
In rugby, for mer Wales captain Gareth Thomas, who came out just before his move from union to league in 2010, and international referee Nigel Owens are the only people to have come out while still active in the sport. Thomas and Owens have both admitted that they considered suicide prior to coming out due to the fear of a hos-
tile reaction towards being gay in their sport.
Meanwhile, in the United States, NBA star Jason Collins became the first openly gay player in one of the major American sports lea gues when he came out last year. This is the perfect demonstration of the pro g ress that is being made to improve the visibility of gay people
in sport, which should be celebrated at every opportunity, but also how slow and limited this prog ress has been.
Elsewhere, the situation is much worse. This year’s Winter Olympics in Sochi have made headlines for all the wrong reasons in the run-up to the Games, highlighting the plight of the Russian LGBT+ community. The 2013 World Athletics Cha m pionships, also held in Russia, drew similar attention when home crowd favourite Yelena Isinbayeva made comments that were widely interpreted as homophobic after winning gold in the pole vault.
It must be said, however, that those sportsmen who have made the brave decision to come out have received largely positive reactions and little backlash. The fate of the first openly gay professional footballer Justin Fashanu, whose career continued on a downward spiral and ended in suicide after
coming out in 1990, thankfully does not look like it will be repeated.
Head of Cardiff Union TV Sport
Huw Ware, who is also a professional darts referee, recently made the decision to come out to the darts world. Speaking to gair rhydd, he described the reaction he received as “absolutely incredible”, adding that he “genuinely could not believe the amount of support”. Ware also commented on the importance of coming out in the world of sport: “Coming out helps to break stereotypes, which no-one should be afraid of doing Sport is for all…I’m very glad now that I did it.”
Cardiff Union’s LGBT+ officer
Adam Duce also spoke to gair rhydd, stating that “being out in sport, whether professionally or at university level, is still a controversial issue”. He also praised both Daley and Ware for taking the decision to come out. Duce has been working in conjunction with AU
President Edore Evuarherhe to continue the g rowth of the Union’s ‘Out in Sport’ policy, now in its second year, which gets sports clubs within the University directly involved in campaigns relating to LGBT+ issues, including LGBT+ History Month. In the more liberal environment of sport in universities, there are plenty of openly gay members of university sports clubs, as well as in IMG competition. However, at university level, there again exists a dichotomy between smaller sports and the major team sports, where an atmosphere dominated by ‘lad culture’ can make for an intimidating experience for anyone who may be perceived as not confor ming to masculine stereotypes. We must hope that the current ethos and tolerance of university sport will continue to improve, and that this ethos will come to spread into the ranks of professional sport.
Football Association’s much maligned Respect campaign, devised to eradicate referee abuse in response to a decline in the number of active officials.
The FA has long insisted that the campaign has succeeded in its stated objectives. Its website quotes statistics such as a “16 per cent” fall in dissent in the Football League and Premier League since the 2008/09 season, “56 per cent of respondents [to a g rassroots survey] reported that their experience of the game had improved” and “The number of misconduct charges such as ‘Surrounding a match official’ also fell in comparison to 2010/11”. Their Referees and Respect guide states: “ when harassment, abuse or challenging behaviour is exhibited referees are asked to use their powers under Law 12.” Law 12 covers the sanctions that can be applied to various law breaches, with “dissent by word or action” classed as a cautionable, or yellow card, offence. Sending-off offences, meanwhile, encompass the use of “offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures”.
The guide continues: “Only the captain can only ask for clarification of a referee’s decision. If a player, including the captain, openly harasses or challenges the referee, they should be cautioned and shown a yellow card. If a player, including the captain, continues to harass or question decisions made by the referee, then a second yellow card should be shown and the player sent from the field of play.”
Fairly straightforward, then. But, as is plain to see, these rules are far from enforced at the top level. Just the night before writing this article, I observed Arsenal players surround and berate the Dutch referee Björn Kuipers for failing to book a Borussia Dortmund player in a Champions League match with impunity.
This lack of respect often overflows into the post-match proceedings and the media – the weekend previous to the Arsenal game, Oxford United striker Dave Kitson publicly described Mark Brown, who officiated United’s surprise loss to Bristol Rovers in League Two, as “possibly the worse referee” he had come across in his career and his perfor mance as “horrific” and “horrendous”. Coaches and spectators are equally culpable – at the start of this season, Ian Holloway spent 38 minutes after a game waiting to remonstrate with referee Mark Clattenburg following the latter’s decision to award a penalty against his for mer team Crystal Palace, while linesman David Bryan was struck on the back of the head by a flare thrown by Tottenham fans in a game against Aston Villa.
But can referee abuse ever be justified? Ben Ricketts, president of Cardiff University Football Club, while accepting that verbal abuse is largely unacceptable, empathises with the frustration demonstrated by individuals in response to perceived poor decisions and believes that refereeing stan-
dards and attitudes must improve to solve the problem
“I often see referees verbally abused, but I can understand the frustration as sometimes the standard of refereeing is extremely poor,” Ricketts said.
“I understand it’s a difficult job, but it does appear that some referees crave the power that comes with being able to wield yellow and red cards to anyone for almost anything
“At higher levels I’ve played at, abuse towards referees is not so prominent. That could be because the sanctions for being booked or sent off for dissent are stronger, or just simply that with the higher level of football, there comes a higher level of officiating.” Ricketts acknowledges that abuse still occurs at the highest levels, but believes that the enormous financial stakes at that level warrant impeccable perfor mances.
“Even in Premier League games, the players are still abusing the referees, but I do feel it is improving, albeit minimally,” he said.
“However, with the money involved and the ramifications of poor refereeing I can understand why people get so frustrated when decisions cost their team
“Why would they bring in systems such as goal-line technolog y if this were not the case?
“The game is changing and decisions must be almost perfect to ensure that teams get what they deserve.
“If punishments for dissent
were fir m and consistent, it would go a long way towards tackling the issue.”
However you choose to view it, it is clear that football has a long way to go in ter ms of banishing abuse, with agg ressive behaviour almost ing rained into its culture and considered “part of the game” by many. I will certainly not be relishing ref
duty this year, even though my two previous experiences passed without major confrontation. While the game waits for its governing bodies to take a harder line in dealing with the issue, it
As the forty-second year of gair rhydd comes to a close, it is only appropriate to thank all those who have not only made these past 26 issues possible, but made them as good as they were. First and foremost is the lovely Elaine Morg an, our Media Co-Ordinator. When she’s not perfor ming in the Eurovision Song Contest, she’s making the gair rhydd office tick over; doing the less glamorous, behind the scenes bits to ensure that we can spend our time thinking of the next side-splitting pun or waiting for InDesign to load.
Elaine has also re gularly woken me up on a F riday morning from my sofa-bound slumber with some elixir of life/a nice cup of tea, following failed attempts at working through the night. Not once has she been tempted to awaken me with either cold water or loud noises, nor has she shaved my eyebrows off while I sleep. For this, she deserves a medal. Alas, all I can offer is some ink in these pa g es; but thank you. I say it often enough, but I honestly believe that the student media volunteers are the most dedicated, hardworking people at this University. They sacrifice so much time (although hopefully not their de g rees) in pursuit of producing g reat content.
The gair rhydd editor team spend hour after hour in the office, week after week, to make this paper. Although you’d be forgiven for thinking that half their time is spent on their Facebook, with the other half spent on someone else’s (usually mine.)
They should be incredibly proud of all their work this year, and to them I owe a big debt of g ratitude, and maybe a pint.
Our sister publication, Quench, has absolutely flourished this year under the stewardship of Michael O’Connell Davidson and Sophie Lodg e. Despite the friendly rivalry, Quench’s improvement and quality has continually spurred the gair rhydd team on to make the paper as good as it can be.
We wouldn’ t be able to print this paper at all, let along with the frequency we do, without three main g roups.
Firstly, and most practically, Trinity Mirror Printers who print gair rhydd every week. A special mention deserves to go to Arthur Locke, who is always at the end of the phone and continuously helpful.
We wouldn’ t be able to fund what we do without both the Students’ Union and our advertisers; predominantly CPS Homes, Domino’s and Endsleigh.
I’ ll allow myself one slightly soppy moment: taking this opportunity to thank my wonderful family & friends for their constant support.
Bring on next year!
Tom Eden
GAIR RHYDD EDITORS 2013/14
Georgia Hamer, Ashley Bebbington, Maximus Eshraghi, Rowan Whittington, Gareth Evans, Bethan Lyons, Olivier van den Bent-Kelly, Jacob Dirnhüber, Jess McFarlane, Charlotte Wace, Matt Harding, Greg Landon, Grace Cole, Scott Davies, David Mason, Anthea Crowe, Vidya Brainerd, Cerith Rhys Jones, Anna George, Arthur Russell, Ross Martinovic, David Hooson, Rory Benson, Liam McNeilly, Oli Dugmore and Katie Evans.
GAIR RHYDD CONTRIBUTORS 2013/14
Aaron Mathai, Abigail Smyth, Adam Brelsford, Adam Cunningham, Alec Evans, Alex Miarli, Alex Smith, Alexander Evans, Alexander Smith, Alistair Corless, Amel Semmache, Annie Muyans, Angharad Jones, Anna Athanasiadis, , Anna Lewis, Anne Porter, Babatunde Valentine, Ben Babcock, Ben Clark, Benjamin Cole, Benjamin Ricketts, , Bethan Miles, Bianca Villiers, Bridget Taylor, Bronwen Weatherby, Bryn
Monroe, Daniel Montague, Daniel Roberts, Dave Riley, David Crole, David Mason, David Riley, Dewi Preece, Dimona Delvere, Dominic
Dudley, Emma Forbes, Emma Giles, Emma Noone, Emma Payne, Erinn Bradley, Francesca Liu, Gareth Short, George Tonge, Geraint Harries, Grace Atkins, Grace Colesworthy, Grant Sugiura, Greg James, Hannah Smith, Hannah Stratton, Hannah Taylor, Harry Elliott. Harry
Sloan, Morgan Owen, Nancy Carney-Holland, Natasha Chilambo, Nathan Catherall, Nick Poole, Nilarnti Vignarajah, Olivia Thomas, Osian
Coombes, Tegan Morris, Thomas Bamford, Thomas Hollick, Thomas Johnson, Tomas Jones, Thu Nguyen, Tim Fulford, Timothy West, Victoria Chandler, Virginia Bonet Morell, Wai Lin, Will Jones, Xue Ying Tan, Zac Knaggs, Zach Hughes, Zhangming Wanng & Zoe Hunt.
SPECIAL THANKS
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Government’s drug policy has gone to pot
Michael O’Connell Davidson Opinion Writer
As far as people who support marijuana le g alisation go, I’m a pretty unusual case. I don’t drink, I don’ t smoke, and I am not, in the words of some, “420 friendly”. Equally, I’m fairly socially conservative, and while I ’d like to describe myself as liberal, I still approach ‘new’ things with the same trepidation as everybody else.
Even so, I think that drugs laws are completely ridiculous, g rounded in the same reality as most
other “ politically sensitive” issues. For too long, the political class have used tightening drug laws as something they can do in an effort to prove that they are “tough on crime.” But there is mounting evidence that, in some cases, this does much more har m than good.
Such is the hysteria surrounding marijuana usa ge that the drug has been repeatedly reclassified as a class B and class C drug in the past decade, placing it in the same cate g ory as keta m ine ( a horse tranquilizer) and speed. Could it be that there was suddenly a surge
in stoned mugg ers? People blazing and driving? Or, more likely, is it another e x a m ple of parlia m ent playing politics with health? If politicians really desired to protect the health of the public, then they would make alcohol and tobacco ille g al. Both are addictive, and both highly detrimental to the human body. A more potent threat to wider society is obesity, yet the political rhetoric tow ards fatty food and soft drinks is lar g ely muted. Dope is not going to destroy the NHS any more than tobacco already has, and with diabetes on the rise, it seems as though the political class is confronting the wrong enemy.
Let’s break down a few common m isconceptions. For starters, I find the idea of a g ateway drug ridiculous; at what point does a coffee drinker start sniffing glue? Marijuana is most often a g ateway drug because dealers have no duty of care tow ards their clients. Though they operate outside of the law, they ’ re businesspeople like any other, and they have to make a profit - and recreational marijuana users are far less profitable than heroin addicts. Indeed, I’d hazard that marijuana is only really a g ateway drug because users are forced to buy their product from people who are living passa ges to the underworld.
You could certainly argue that if people didn’t smoke weed in the
first place that they wouldn’t end up associating with these sorts of people - but what if we le g alised marijuana and cut them out of the equation entirely? Much of the profit from the drugs trade goes towards funding other crime, and it isn’t enough to just arrest the few suppliers who get caught.
Taking this cash flow out of the hands of cri m inals and havin g supply controlled by a re gulated body would have many more benefits than si m ply enablin g potheads. For starters, there ’s the taxation angle; I’d rather that doctors and the police would benefit from the sale of marijuana than drug dealers, and deriving public funds in that way would weigh on my conscience no more than tax on alcohol.
The hypocritical nature of the m ari j uana debate - particularly where alcohol is concerneddebases most real opposition to it.
I used to work on a local newspaper in a resort town, and countless cri m e stories we reported on would revolve around drunken violence, where those w ithout cri m inal records would e x perience temporary moments of ra ge. The ne g ative health benefits of passive smoking have stigmatised tobacco to the point where it has been all but outlawed in public places. Yet no matter how well you can handle your alcohol, you can never g uarantee that so m ebody
nearby w ill e xceed their li m its and inflict violence on another. I have never - not in my lifeseen anybody inflict violence on another as a result of smoking weed. I have seen plenty of people become a dang er to themselves and others as a result of drinking e xcessively, however. W hile the long ter m effects of alcohol and m ari j uana ( especially w here young er users are concerned) are bleak, short ter m lapses in judgement typically have much more violent consequences when alcohol is mixed into the equation. But the most ridiculous aspect of any discussion on the subject was how frequently it is used as a scape goat. The number of marijuana users in the UK is astoundingly low, and the fact that there is a debate in the first place shows how little concern our political class have in dealing with real proble m s. Movin g m ari j uana around on an ima ginary list won’t do anything to perturb those who deal with ille g al drugs or le g al highs, as they already operate outside of civil society. The British government should stop handing custodial sentences to people smoking marijuana - it’s a plant, for god’s sake - and rethink drugs policies with more than just elections in mind, because you’d have to be high to think the current state of the law made any real sense.
Pressure to appear pristine is harmful to both men and women
Beth Lyons Opinion Editor
I am fed up of women (and to a lesser extent, men) being criticised for their appearance. I know I am rare as I barely wear make up and my appearance is pretty low on my list of priorities. This in turn means that some other women look down upon me , and that men often find
me ‘ugly’ I feel pretty happy with my appearance and I know that I have better things to spend my time on. This is not a critique of women that spend vast periods of time on their appearance, this is a critique of the reasons why women feel obliged to spend so much of their life on looking good.
Why is it that women are encouraged to exude glamour instead of just being allowed to showcase what they are good at? Celebrities have to dress up for awards ceremonies, undoubtedly they look impressive but can you imagine having to re gularly spend hours on your appearance? Or having to pay somebody, or even a team of people to make you look that aesthetically pleasing? Isn’t it about time that we realised that there is more to life than looking good?
Society is the reason that there is so much pressure on women to look good, epitomised through the treatment that Sarah Millican received from the keyboard warriors of social media after the 2013
BAFTAs. She received thousands of messages criticising her appearance when people should have been cong ratulating her as she was nominated for Best Entertainment Perfor mance. Sarah Millican said that for her putting clothes on is a tiny part of her day and that she may as well have been criticised for brushing her teeth differently to others. Her comedic talent is not compromised by her appearance so why should it have even been talked about? Awards ceremonies should be a celebration of talent and appearance should not be taken into account. Being aesthetically pleasing is not a talent. Anyone can look ‘good’ if they spend a lot of time trying to. It is a shame that Sarah Millican’s happiness over being nominated was diminished by the onslaught of ne gativity that was thrown in her direction. She responded to her critics by wearing exactly the same dress to the 2014
BAFTAs, using her dress as a polite way of sticking up two fingers to a bunch of people who have little
better to do than criticise an irrelevant aspect of a person.
Wouldn’t it be fantastic if a major Hollywood actress turned up to a film premiere sans make up?
It would have a knock on effect throughout society and females would feel less pressure to always make up. I appreciate that make up allows many women to feel more comfortable about their appearance, but the fact that make up was ever introduced is ridiculous. How did the notion that looking good improves your life become a thing? A thing that is now a multi-billion dollar industry. An industry that is funded by the low self-esteem of women everywhere. The pressures of society have allowed for companies to exploit female insecurities, be ginning with the advertising masterstroke that is ‘body odour’ , a ter m that was invented by an advertising company in the early twentieth century. The advert suggested that without wearing deodorant, women would have unsuccessful love lives. And so the foundations of the beauty industry were laid; that to be truly happy you have to purchase commodities to improve yourself. Products that suggest that there is nothing wrong with you except your persistent belief
that everything is wrong with you.
If women felt comfortable in their own skin then the beauty industries would collapse. Wearing make up doesn’t make you any healthier. A sense of pressure to look good is creeping into the male psyche. Men are increasingly paying more attention to their appearance and there has been an unprecedented rise in male eating disorders. Eating disorders tend to be associated with women as the number of women affected is higher than the number of men affected. It is a crying shame that any person, re gardless of gender, feels so self-conscious and unhappy with their appearance that they let themselves waste away. It is a huge issue that needs to be more effectively recognised and a condition that deserves more awareness. People with eating disorders are often disre garded as stupid due to a lack of understanding It is a desire to fit in to what is deemed ‘nor mal’ that drives many people to the brink of madness and can result in lives being cut unnecessarily short. People reading this may think I’ve gone off on a tangent, but I believe the way appearance has been constructed within society is a factor within why eating disorders are so common in
modern life. If there wasn’t such an emphasis on appearance then there would be a direct correlation with falling numbers of eating disorders.
One step forward and two steps back
Opinion writer Christopher Page gives an honest account of the trials and tribulations that face a mature student considering dropping out of university
This weekend I turn 29, and will have just one year left before I turn thirty, at which point I think I may have to finally become a proper g rown up. Unfortunately I’m planning a step which will set me back.
This is my second stint at uni, having got a BA in Film Studies back in ’07. As de g rees go it wasn’t the best, and I found myself unemployed and living with my parents after g raduation. There isn’t much demand for film studies g raduates in Swansea. Who knew?
I worked a few different jobs, none of which particularly thrilling, and after four years as a support worker I decided to come back to uni to study nursing
I figured I could be good at itI’m compassionate and laid back so that I can take most things in my stride and keep my head under pressure.
I m ade the enquiries and applied. I loved that I was taking control of my life and building towards a future that would have meaning I also loved how people reacted to my announce m ent. People respected it, and I could tell my family were proud of me. Let me tell you something, the glow you get when your parents are proud of you doesn’t fade as you get older. In
fact, at 27, I was happy to see it again.
I’ve never been in serious trouble, but I have a string of poor decisions and debts that ensure that I’m the screw up of my family. My three sisters, who I love, are at ti m es infuriatin g ly perfect. They’ve all got firsts from universities, and found their niche in life, while causing my parents very little hassle over the years.
Compared to three fleeces of pure white my g rey, stained one ensures I’m the black sheep. The fact that I’m the only one who has stopped going to church doesn’t help this.
So, uni and nursing made me feel good about myself, and my parents happy. They were even willing to help take some of the financial strain and offer a helping hand whenever I needed one.
Being back at uni was a blast.
Sure, I was ten years older than my flat m ates and so nickna m ed “g randdad”, but I’d won the flatmate lottery again and quite liked the relaxed student life again.
Sure, the course was kicking my ass. It had been six years since I’d set foot in a lecture hall and the barrage of science thrown my way left me utterly confused. The last time I’d been in a science lesson
we’d all thought Britney Spears was still a virgin, so a lot of what I was hearing may as well have been in Chinese.
Similarly the 9-3 days of lectures were a shock to the system, back in the day I’d done less than 10 hours a week, which included watching two movies.
But I knuckled under and struggled to readjust to taking notes and w ritin g assi g n m ents, w illin g myself on with the promise of placements and the end goal of being a qualified nurse.
Last week I started my second placement and halfway through a shift I stood before a mirror looking at myself, dressed in the purple scrubs which had seen me nicknamed Tinky Winky.
And then it hit me. One single phrase, which I haven’t been able to shake since.
I don’t want to be a nurse.
I tried to tell myself that I was tired, or freaking out because of the placement, but like the chorus to “Let It Go” it was wedged in my head, and hard to shake. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like the truth.
Do I want to be doing this for the next 30+ years? Will I be happy getting out of bed at 5am to spend hours on wards, underpaid and
stressed? Will I even be a good nurse? I’m compassionate and try to be kind, but I’m easily worn down over time, and if anything’s going to get to you it’s the g rind of working in the NHS.
But what the hell will I do instead?
Go back home to live with my parents and go back to my old job?
A job that by the end I loathed and left me tired and depressed?
Find a new job? Working in a shop, or call centre? It’s a living, but it’s not the life I thought I’d have.
I think when we’re young we all think that we’re going to g row up to make a difference, to live an exciting life. But I’m not an idiot, I’ve realized I won’t save the world from the brink of disaster, or thrill a crowd of thousands at a festival or score the winning try for Wales at a World Cup.
But I don’t think I can happily just g rind out an existence in a simple job.
I still have my dreams. I’ve always wanted to travel, to see the world and try new experiences. The fact is I’ve only really wanted one job since I was a teenager. To be a writer.
It’s why I’m typing this now It’s why I’ve blogged for eight years.
Hell, even my nursing daydreams involved me writing a book of my experiences working for the Red Cross or in A&E. Writing is the one constant that has stayed in place since my teens - crushes, daydreams, fantasies have changed, but in all that time if given an opportunity to work any job I’d have picked a journalist, the only thing that’s altered is what kind of stuff I’d like to write about.
Ideally I’d stay in Cardiff, and study journalism Scribble pieces for gair rhydd or Quench and build and improve my skills so that I could make a living writing But I can’t afford that, especially as I wouldn’t have a student loan. I’ ll head home, move back in with
Why the West has to stop Putin up with Russia
Opinion Editor Olivier van der Bent-Kelly thinks Prince Charles’ comments are right
Prince Charles has likened Vladimir Putin’s actions involving Crimea to that of the Nazis this week. Whilst being shown round a museum in Canada, the crown prince seems to have voiced his opinion on the ever g rowing disapproval of the President of Russia. Whilst, understandably, this has suitably unimpressed Russia, criticism within the West of Putin are so common place that even Royals are jumping on board.
It seems that we have entered an environment where Putin is now portrayed by the West as the Wicked Witch of the East – minus Dorothy’s house landing on him Yes, it seems that in international politics, we have found our pantomime villain. The general consensus is that Putin is living up to the Cold War warrior status that Western media so desperately portray him to be. Putin is an intriguing individual that understandably is seen as a threat to a large part of Europe. Charles’ comments have elements within it that run parallel with Putin – two individuals hung ry to benefit their country by any means
and willing to outright ignore any outcry by any other country or organisation. Like a toddler on a tantrum rampage, Putin has managed to deepen the hostility many Westerners hold towards him Prince Charles is naturally entitled to his opinion, but his remarks will put a rather smug face on pro Ukrainian rebel supporters. A royal endorsement is not to be underappreciated and though it has caused a media stir, it seems there is little criticism of his views.
Whilst memes galore swamp the internet of Putin wrestling various animals and partaking in outdoor activities topless, these macho escapades instill a sense of Russian nationalism that was heavily damaged with the Soviet Union disinteg ration in 1991. He has wooed many conservative populations, particularly those found in rural areas of Russia. Apologies for the Wizard of Oz references but to them, Putin is their Dorothy – the one who has helped return their country back onto the path of success. And in some respects he has. Since his ascension to power Putin has seized every opportunity offered to him to
give Russia stability and restore its status as a g reat power. The threat that Putin gives off is that he has no intention of dissolving his power in Russia. He will further his duration in the seat at the top of the country by constantly using loopholes and tweaking rules to benefit Putin the individual.
But what will it take to stop a man like Putin? Unfortunately he does not seem like a man to settle down and retire to the Dorset coastline. At present he is giving the impression that restoration of the Russia of the past is his ideal retirement plan – overlord of the East and hero of the Motherland. For him, the ‘good old days’ were that of the Soviet Union and the vastness of it should be replicated. Pro-EU eastern Europeans countries are straying away from their mother and into the so-called ‘temptress’ of Brussels, the heart of the EU. It seems le gitimate that governments are retaliating to these actions. Putin may be hosting a flashback to the 80’s night, but the West are not in attendance.
Putin is an interesting creature, revered by many of his country-
men, but like a dodg y curry causes discomfort and anxiety to many Europeans. For him, it appears as if he is only trying to seek something found in the lonely hearts column in the local paper, albeit that everyone knows that there is a sinister layer underneath the action man exterior. Perhaps he has written one - “Eastern European man seeking to rekindle old flame in Crimea, very passionate and will become obsessive once in said rela-
tionship in order to maintain control”, I can imagine that it is proving sensationally popular within Crimea. The elbow room that he has been able to create has allowed him to continue his plan of promoting Russia on the world stage. Whether he will be able to continue this is up for debate, it appears that we will have to wait until the next major international event occurs, and see if our Wicked Witch of the East uses it to his advantage.
Gareth Evans
I agree with Nigel - it’s time we stopped branding Ukip as racist. It lets the homophobes, the misogynists and the climate change deniers off the hook.
Ukip leader Nigel Farage recently found himself humiliated in what has been described as a ‘carcrash’ radio interview Sadly, there was no literal car-crash due to those pesky EU bureaucrats imposing speed limit restrictions across the UK. However, by the interview’s conclusion, Farage had collided head on with LBC host James O’Brien. For an idea of the resulting damage think Smart car vs. the kind of eighteen-wheeler you’d see on Ice Road Truckers
Perhaps the strangest thing about the whole debacle (and there are many) is the fact that Farage was quizzed on the most obvious of subjects: racism, expenses and his links to far-right European parties. Yet he still failed dramatically to convince. Was he sat with four pages of notes on radiog raphy, England’s world cup squad and baking?
If you were to kick a ball into his g arden, he’d claim there were actually ten times as many balls coming over his fence on a daily basis.
It simply serves to highlight what an easy ride interviewers have given him thus far. Stock questions with stock sound bites – tit for tat. It was a different story here though. In this respect he resembles Woody from Toy Story. Until now the media have simply been pulling his string and allowing his set phrases to spew forth with gusto. However, here, O’Brien convinced Fara g e that no humans were around and he came to life in the most detestable of ways.
It be gan when he was asked what the difference was between a Romanian family moving in next door and a “g roup of Ger man children.” Farage’s response? “You know what the difference is.” Sorry Nigel but I really don’t, please could you clarify…yet before he could be pressed on this bizarre response he was talking about “an open invitation to the traffickers”. It seems that, in his swivel eyes at least, Romanians are traffickers whereas Ger mans are not.
Let’s flip the situation on its head. Imagine moving into a new home only to find that your neighbour is Farage. He’d be easily identifiable by the six meter fence topped with barbed wire representing the property line. If you were to kick a ball into his garden, he’d claim there were actually ten times as many balls coming over his fence on a daily basis. Next thing you know there are posters all over the street warning of a massive influx of footballs and how they’re only coming over to enjoy the g reener g rass without actually contributing to the garden in any way.
Queue the statement: ‘We are absolutely not a ballist party. We do not discriminate between balls. We hate them all equallyespecially Ed Balls. Since 1980 British-made balls have declined rapidly as a result of, cheaper, foreign alternatives undercutting
them We must re gain control of our property borders from these council me ga-state bureaucrats.’
It would of course be easy to brand Farage as racist here. However, this interview proved revelatory in this respect. You see, Nigel Farage doesn’t actually know what racism is. I know; it all makes sense now He quite literally asked O’Brien, “What is racism? Is racism between races?” He then continued “Is race about colour? Is race about race? Is it about nationality?” Yes
Nigel, yes it is. This explains so much. For years he has been refuting alle gations that his party is racist to the bemusement of all. However, he simply has no understanding of the ter m “Racist? No! I like all races, the 100m, the 400m even the one with the bloody baton”.
That said he probably hates athletics as it involves many foreigners competing to cross a set border. Although a starting-gun at Calais and a photo-finish at Dover will most likely feature in Ukip’s forthcoming manifesto. The gun will of course be loaded - and aimed at the competitors…repeatedly.
Farage has also complained about “feeling awkward” when hearing a foreign language spoken on a train. Even though, as O’Brien has pointed out, his wife and chil-
dren are native Ger man speakers. When his wife phones home in Ger man, perhaps Farage reacts like most Dads do when a slightly-too-g raphic sex scene comes on during a film He squir ms, blushes, and then leaves the room before tamely asking: “anyone for a cuppa?”
There is a serious point to be made about this however. The Ukip leader referred to statistics that supposedly show a larg e amount of primary schools in London where a majority of the children do not speak English. Yet O’Brien quickly corrected Farage, highlighting how “the children you refer to are recorded as having English as a second language Your own children would fit into that cate gory”. This is by no means the only example of false statistics coming from Ukip. They have previously predicted an influx of over four million Bulgarians despite the fact that Bulgaria’s population is only seven million. It is shameless fearmong ering Ukip represent a physical embodiment of much of the tabloid press. They try to divide and scare for their own profit and political-g ain. It has worked before; we cannot allow it to work again. It is frankly shocking how openly he manipulates and warps statistics to fit his argument. You may say that’s just what poli-
ticians do, but that’s exactly the point. Farage paints his party as outsiders, constantly bemoaning the ‘political establishment’ If more interviewers were to point out his lies and his fiction it would send a clear message; he is in fact no different than the rest. And this difference is undoubtedly a huge reason for Ukip’s current popularity. The reality is of course that he embodies this very establishment. He failed six-times to become a Thatcherite MP, even branding himself as ‘the heir to Thatcher’ Yet many of the towns and cities that were obliterated during Thatcher’s government will be voting Ukip as a protest vote. Why? Because Farage has intelligently placed himself outside of the political class during a time of mass discontent. The electorate is understandably sick of being ignored, and Ukip appear to represent something new And they have played the role of outsider exceptionally well. Many of their votes will
They are in fact an ugly caricature of the politicalelite. Expenses scandals? Check. A white, male, privately-educated, majority? Of course.
come from those looking for an alternative to the supposed ‘Big Three’ , those who feel ignored by the Westminster bubble and those who are ang ry at recent scandals involving MP’s. Yet, when you consider their policies, it becomes clear that they are nothing new They are in fact an ugly caricature of the political-elite. Expenses scandals? Check. A white, male, privately-educated, majority? Of course. If you believe in increasin g political representation in Westminster then Ukip represent little more than a large leap backwards. However, the truth is that the idiotic comments made by Ukip members have rendered their policies secondary. It’s time we started treating Ukip as we treat the other political parties; their polling figures certainly suggest that they warrant it. For example, a YouGov poll conducted last week concluded that ‘at least 60% of the public say they ‘don’t know anything’ about UKIP’s policies on key issues such as the economy and NHS. Why? Because they have minimal policy to understand. Recently on Newsnight Farage suggested that Ukip didn’t need an economic policy for European or local elections, and that “all would be revealed” when they draw up their manifesto for 2015 He also made it clear that Ukip would be providing no domestic policy, despite fielding nearly 2,000
One year Ukraine: Putin you off your dinner
Ukraine
correspondent Jon Chapman
considers the wider implications of a year in tur moil
Hitler. Stalin. Generic tyrannical dictator. You don’t have to be Prince Charles to tarnish Vladimir Putin with the brush these past few months.
The president of the world’s largest country has undoubtedly acted in a way contrary to international interest; the ‘occupation’ of the Crimea, its eventual annexation, and the supposed disruption by Russian special forces in the East of Ukraine, where violence and ceaseless chaos on behalf of both pro-Russians and supporters of the interim government in Kiev seems to have continued right up until the elections held on the 25th May. And so here we are. The for mer president of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, is long gone, relegated to some corner of a Russian field. The thought of Crimea constituting an essential part of Ukraine is also a far flung thought, what with Mr Putin visiting his new province for the first time a few weeks
ago. As per the script of some Cold War-era sitcom, the West, in the blue corner, have spent considerable time, effort and no doubt coin to try and alleviate what they see as an endemic violation of the sovereignty of Ukraine, but also their influence. Sanctions, NATO-mili-
tary build ups and bog-standard political rhetoric have been re-hashed and re-hashed until now, in the twilight of May 2014, the red cornerconsisting of Mr Putin, and, well… his followers-have carved out an entirely new for m of international action. Rubbing up Obama, Merkel and William Hague was never going to be a terse exercise for Russia. The casual besmirching of US and EU sanctions demonstrated that. But after the knife-edge (and still ongoing) crisis in Syria, Rus-
sia’s blatant attempts to get some kind of ideological, political, economic take-your-pick foothold in its neighbour shows not only a cyclical breakdown in what could have been the most basic of diplomacies, in favour of a certified unwillingness to compromise. Gazprom’s share index aside, this ‘conflict’ of interests between the old enemy of East and West is far more than just political points scoring on a global scale. The recently documented plight of the
Crimean Tatars and the hair-trigger furore over whether Russia was going to have to “deal with” an already bloated situation involving dead pro-Russian protestors and deter mined Ukrainian counter-terrorism forces painfully illuminates the mechanisms of agenda-setting by those in power. The reputation of the players and the stability of the state seems to be the main concern for the politicians charged with conducting such diplomacy; both of these facets have gone out the window Donetsk has seen some of the worst violence in the country since the fall of communism all those aeons ago. Towns like Sloviansk, ditto, with bloodshed of both pro-Putin and pro-Kiev citizen colouring the, it has to be said, utterly illegitimate referendums that have sprouted like weeds in the East. Depending on whether you’re tuned into the BBC or RT, diabolical thugs and Russian saviours openly patrol the streets in towns where mayors have been shot and absconded, sometimes both.
And whilst the wool is struggling to pull itself back over the eyes in the for m of Mr Putin insisting that Russia has not fed any troops into the country to destabilize any bluebells of what one might call ‘illegal democracy’ , this proxy conflict
doesn’t seem to be packing up its kit bag anytime soon.
The failure of the US and EU to do anything substantial to stem the unrest should be both applauded and criticized, as we all remember Iraq and Afghanistan…but this isn’t about combating the forces of evil, as was so delicately put in the wake of 9/11. Russia is a per manent member of the UN Security Council. As is Britain. As is the US. It’s become pretty natural for the state to condemn the suffering of citizens yet do very little.
Yet I cannot help feeling that this has now become an unsolvable situation. Depending on the results of the elections held yesterday, it’s unlikely each side is going to back down. Too much has been done. And even if the perpetuity of media coverage of Ukraine dies down when inevitably a new, glossier conflict emerges, such has been the thinly-veiled vitriol between the global superpowers, that the possibility of a peaceful reconciliation between them seems unlikely. Neither Russia nor the West wants war that much is clear. The mystery rests on what they do want from each other in the future, be that trade or the occasional smile at the G20. Hopefully Ukraine won’t have torn itself to pieces by then.
2013/14: Politics’ bigg est stories reviewed
Matt Harding Politics Editor
The 2013/14 academic year has provided a series of stories which ran throughout the year, on-going, changing and developing Ukraine correspondent Jon Chapman has covered one of the most fascinating events of the recent years. The developments in Ukraine has had it all, power politics, a bear fighting political leader and the use of Google maps to legitimise the annexation of Crimea. However, this is just one in a series of stories covered by gairrhydd Politics.
Politics
Another story, which has been prominent this year, has been the rise of Nigel Farage in the polls. Whilst UKIP’s blunders have been well documented by both the national press and the experts of Twitter, Nigel Farage has been working hard as the best PR man in the country, turning his party of apparent racists, into an ‘electable force’ (although this is still to be confir med) The coverage of both European election debates with the leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg, here, Farage was able to demonstrate a trait he has become known for, repeating the UKIP rhetoric at nausea. Not only has gair rhydd Politics covered both the
autumn statement, where for mer olitics editor Thom Hollick, chimed in with a minute by minute account of the report, then, in the spring this was matched with a report written by Matt Harding, the current politics editor. These reports produced for the biggest economic events of the year provided detailed accounts of the winners and losers in each instance, providing insight and analysis.
Politics spent the majority of the first ter m of this academic year studying and reporting on the Syrian crisis, constantly looking for a new angle to approach the topic. This was on going until the Christ-
mas period, where it began to die down. However this is still a situation, which has not received as much coverage as it perhaps, deserves. Despite this, it has certainly been one of the biggest stories of the year. gair rhydd politics also hasn’t shied away from interviewing some of the politicians representing South Wales. For mer politics editor Greg Landon, had regular discussions with the MP for Cardiff Central, Jenny Willott about her constituency, particularly the issues which are effecting students.
Politics editor, Matt Harding, travelled to Neath to interview Peter Hain, a for mer Labour cabinet
member for Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. The interview was about the European elections, and the direction the Labour Party was heading As editor, I’d like to thank anyone and everyone who helped with Politics this year, whether it is in writing, proofreading or even raising your hand for a story and not been picked. You have all helped to make the section as good as it has been this year. As a section we have gone from strength the strength, winning Best Section at the Student Media awards night. As well as this, gair rhydd came second in the Best Student publication in the UK, and again, you have all helped to achieve this.
Deadly attack in Ukraine provides worst loss so far Thai military seize power in coup
Thailand ’s ar my chief has announced that the m ilitary is takin g control of the g overn m ent.
In a televised state m ent, Gen P rayuth Chan - ocha said the m ilitary would restore order and enact political refor m s in the South - East A sian nation.
A daw n attack on a checkpoint in eastern Ukraine has left at least 1 4 soldiers dead, in the worst loss of life for g overn m ent forces to date.
H eavily ar m ed m ilitants attacked the checkpoint in the Volnovakha area, in one of four attacks reported overni g ht in eastern Ukraine. It is unclear who attacked the checkpoint, w ith one Ukrainian officer tellin g the BBC it w as not separatists.
North Korea ‘nearly hits’ South Korean War Ship
North Korea has fired shells into disputed waters near a South Korean warship, South Korean military officials told media.
This happened near Yeonpyeong island, on the disputed western maritime border, Yonhap news agency said. On Tuesday, South Korea fired warning shots at three North Korean ships that crossed the maritime border. The North had said it would retaliate.
TTIP implicated in backroom deals
For mer politics editor Thom Hollick looks at the shady activities of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership
At time of writing, the European Parliament elections had not yet taken place, but by now the UK will presumably have elected its 73 shiny new MEPs (some of these may just be polished up older models) and the political parties and their candidates will be picking over the rubble of their campaigns, already thinking of new strate gies for next year’s general election. But what about the parliament to which we have just elected our representatives?
The paradox of European politics is that as the powers and significance of the elected body have increased, turnout in these elections has fallen. The EP may be more powerful than it has ever been, but still remains in the long shadow left by the European Commission, a much more influential body which remains appointed by governments rather than elected.
There is a powerful demonstration of the Commission’s dominance over all other European institutions being played out behind the heat of the elections: secret negotiations with the USA over a proposed transatlantic free trade area which would cover the two largest economic blocs in the world have continued, albeit to total indifference by most party campaigns. The Commission has insisted that these discussions proceed in private so as to ensure the best possible outcome, and many politicians, including those from the mainstream UK parties seem only too willing to collaborate on maintaining this silence.
Since July 2013, the EU Trade
Commissioner Karel De Gucht has been leading a team in ne gotiations with the US Trade Representative, as part of a so-called ‘High Level Working Group on Jobs and Growth’ , but the details of what is being discussed, and who has been invited to take part in the discussions remain decidedly hazy. De Gucht has suggested that “a certain level of confidentiality is needed in the ne gotiations for the EU to succeed and reach its objectives”, however this appeared unconvincing to critics of the deal who suspected that the lack of transparency is simply to allow corporate lobbyists to participate in the process whilst denying democratic scrutiny.
Criticisms of the deal were inflamed by the leaking of a draft treaty in March 2014 in which the general principles of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) were set out. Of course the free trade area requires the removal of tariffs and economic barriers to trade, but since the US and EU member states have been long-standing members of the World Trade Organisation, the burden of tariffs is already fairly minimal. Instead the deal will work on removing technical barriers to trade, and that includes le gislation by national and, indeed, devolved governments, which could impact on the success of trade within the free trade area.
The possibility of the finalised TTIP including provisions for a le gal instrument known as an Investor-State Dispute Settlement has particularly worried stakeholders across the public and private
sectors. As such, the instrument could mean handing transnational corporations the le gal recourse to challenge governments over policies they claim are har ming trade profits. An independent tribunal could be created with the power to overturn decisions reached by elected parliaments. This should be of deep concern to democrats in all parties, and the Commission should come under considerable pressure to offer substantial assurances that the will of the people can not be overridden by the will of industry.
This is not just paranoid thinking; ISDS mechanisms have been included in similar treaties including the North American Free Trade Ag reement, and have led to a number of high profile challenges to le gitimate public policy. In 2011 tobacco giant Philip Morris launched a le gal challenge to the Australian Government over plain cigarette packaging; having won a le gal challenge in 2009 over environmental requirements for coal power stations, Swedish energ y company Vattenfall are now once again hoping to overturn the Ger man Government’s policy to phase out nuclear power by 2020. In the EU, many are worried that hard-won European le gislation to ban the sale of chlorine-washed chicken and hor mone-treated beef in the single market could be overturned by a US industry which has no such restrictions. Perhaps having be gun down the path towards privatisation, this measure could force the NHS into full-blown competition in the new transatlantic
single market.
So why has there been so little coverage of this historic treaty? This Free Trade ag reement will directly affect 1.3 billion people, changing the way they work, consume, and do business, and yet the national media has paid almost no attention to this important issue.
The relevant Whitehall department, Business, Innovation and Skills, is overwhelmingly positive about the deal, issuing a series of press releases proclaiming the unambiguously positive effects it will have on jobs and economic g rowth. But unless they know something we don’t (admittedly highly possible) they are not even present in ne gotiations, so are equally in the dark as to which non-tariff barriers to trade are insur mountable, and which can be kept in place. We do not yet know the full impact, and the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats in government should be cautious before throwing their full unquestioning weight behind the Commission.
There has been a little interest in the subject in Westminster; Labour MP John Healey led a g roup of politicians in establishing an All-Party Parliamentary Group on ‘European Union-United States Trade and Investment’ , to look into the issue, and were able to secure a back bench debate in the commons on the 18th July 2013, but more focus needs to be put on the developing story, and that requires pressure from elected representatives and governments at all levels to demand transparency, and insist that the European Commission,
and the EU more broadly, does not forget that it must stand up for the interests of people before those of corporate lobbyists.
Although it may not look like it, this is also a very important issue for Wales; BIS predicts a benefit of £1,500m to the Welsh economy, particularly in the energ y and manufacturing sectors which will benefit from increased investment and access to American markets. Of course that is not the only story: a quarter of Welsh workers are employed in the public sector, of which two-thirds are women. Were the TTIP to demand that the public sector be more thoroughly integ rated into the single market, thousands of jobs and services could be put at risk. Wales is in a fortunate situation to have a devolved government in Cardiff; it must use this additional political clout to demand proper scrutiny of this deal before it is finalised. This is far too important an issue to be ignored or left to narrow politicking; the Government in Westminster have been far too complacent in accepting the most optimistic claims of the deals proponents without question. Neither is this the time for lazy Euro scepticism; the newly elected European Parliament must lead the call for the Commission to open up about the trade deal, and they must do so with the support of national and re gional elected representatives of the people. Only by working together can we ensure any future trade ag reement between the EU and the USA has the interests of the people at its heart.
Dogters sniff out prostate cancer to show they are truly man’s best friend
Jack Di Francesco Science Writer
Detecting cancer early can save lives, and now it seems there’s a new method of detecting the disease that can be more successful at detection than laboratories themselves.
A Ger man Shepherd named Tsunami, at the University of Pennsylvania, has a 90 percent success rate in identifying ovarian cancer in tissue samples just by the smell, sitting down when she identifies cancer in a sample. What’s more impressive is that there is currently no effective test for this kind of early detection in any lab.
This kind of super-human detection can be put down to the fact that do gs have 220 million olfactory cells in their nose,
rescue missions, and now there’s increased support of use of do gs by clinicians with studies showing cancer-sniffing do gs can detect prostate cancer by smelling urine samples with 98 percent accuracy.
Gian Luigi Taverna, author of the prostate cancer research, said ‘Our study demonstrated the use of do gs might represent in the future a real clinical opportunity if used to gether with common diagnostic tools’
Questions still exist re g arding whether the use of do gs to sniff out illness is realistic and feasible, with queries particularly being raised over the financial viability, and whether one type of do g is better than another. Therefore, most current research is looking into how to copy the canine ability to smell disease, in order to produce a chemical test or machine to do the work of the do gs.
of prostate cancer, from the results obtained by the study, would have a higher successful detection rate. Currently the PSA tests for prostate cancer give false positives for the disease as much as 80 percent of the time.
In sniffing out the cancer, these do gs are detecting chemicals emitted by a tumor – Volatile Org anic Compounds (VOCs) These compounds can be found in the urine of prostate cancer patients, as well as the breath of lung cancer and colon cancer patients. Training a do g to identify these VOCs takes about six weeks and people such as Dina Zaphiris, a nationally reco gnized do g trainer, and Jeffrey Marks, an associate professor of
surgery and patholo g y at Duke University, are working to get do gs involved in medical care. Zaphiris has even said she’s received emails from people, including one woman in particular who, having received an unclear ma
support
cer detection by both professional and potential patients, questions still surround their feasibility and use. Current and future research is focussed on producing a machine to duplicate the incredible sense of smell of such do gs.
compared to only 50 million for humans. Canines have long been used for help in search and
That being said, this method of literally “sniffing out” cancer would be non invasive for both the patient and the do g; and in the case
The use of dogs might represent in the future a real clinical opportunity
Gian Luigi Taverna
Heartbeat seamingly older than hearts, says starlet sea anemonie
Although humans have only existed for 2 5 million years, a team of neurobiologists have found that the molecular mechanism for our heartbeat is far older. It could be, they suggest, up to a billion years old.
Tim Je gla, Assistant Professor of Biolog y at the Huck Institute, USA, studies evolution of the nervous and muscular systems, and has investigated conserved traits and genes that have been passed down throughout history. The puzzle surrounding the origin of the heartbeat mechanism has been answered by an unlikely source – a sea anenome.
Nematostella vectensis, or the starlet sea anenome as it is more casually known, is a cnidarian, an ancient phylum that contains creatures such as anenomes, jellyfish and corals. They have nervous systems that allow them to respond to their surroundings and coordinate their movement, much like ours, but do not have a brain. This sea anenome is an animal as evolutionarily as far away from humans as possible while still sharing similar neuromuscular systems.
‘‘
At least some of the molecular mechanisms through which we control electrical activity in the heart evolved in some of the earliest animals, long before the existence of hearts or even cardiac tissues
Tim Jegla, Huck Institute, USA
By studying this creature, the lab found that the species contained the same Erg gene family that is responsible for contractions of the human heart. Publishing their findings in the Proceeds of National Academy Sciences, the lab found that the ion channel Erg encodes an important channel that repolarizes the heart after a beat, or action potential, therefore has an ancient origin conserved for between 700 million and a billion years.
Je gla said, ‘This discovery shows that at least some of the molecular mechanisms through which we control electrical activity in things like the heart evolved in some of the earliest animals,
long before the existence of hearts or even cardiac tissues.’
A broad pattern is emergingthat all major signalling systems used in the human body have evolved over millions of years from a common ancestor, adapted to our specific physiological needs.
‘When we compare a human and a sea anenome, we’re looking at somewhere between 700 million and a billion years’ evolutionary separation,’ added Je gla. ‘Only the fundamental mechanisms are conserved. And this gives us a window into what things we have in common that are extremely important. It tells us a lot about the history of how animals evolved.’ Je gla’s next move is in collabo-
ration with Huck Institutes’ Center for Cellular Dynamics neurobiologist Melissa Rolls, to further investigate the evolution of neurons themselves, looking into the fundamentally important cellular and molecular bases of behavior that underpin us.
‘We’re collaborating with Melissa Rolls, to look at not just how the channels and the signalling evolved, but also how the structure of the neurons themselves evolved, and when, why and how axons and dendrites evolved. The sea anenome is an extremely interesting model for doing this... for studying fundamental principles of how nerve cells are put together at the level of anatomy and signalling ’
Shanna Hamilton Science Writer
Dave Crole’s dog showing who’s boss
Long, pointy animal of the deep
Jazz Society head to Switzerland for festival
From July 17th-22nd, Jazz Society
will be going on tour to Montreux, Switzerland for the University Big Band to play at the world renowned Montreux Jazz Festival.
The festival was founded in 1967 and over the years the stages have been g raced by all of music’s g reats, from Miles Davis to Ray Charles and from David Bowie to Prince. Other styles of music are now inte g rated into the Jazz Festival’s musical output and for the first time by the University Big Band. The reputation of the festival was made by its ambitious prog ramming choices, and aims to offer musicians an ideal platfor m and an intimate setting for the duration of its two weeks.
The Big Band will be playing three gigs: two at the festival itself among countless le gendary Jazz
stars such as Chris Rea, Buddy Guy, Dr John, Booker T, Stevie Wonder, Paloma Faith, Outkast, Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams, Rodrigo y Gabriella, Jamie Cullum and Van Morrison. The third is in Evian, hopping just across the border to France for an evening gig by Lake Geneva.
This is the society’s third trip since last year’s tour when the Big Band g raced the streets of Cologne, Ger many and played at Idstein Festival. The Jazz Society also spent a weekend in London in February with a night seeing saxophonist
Soweto Kinch at the Pizza Express Jazz Club.
The tour’s aim this year is to appeal to more of the society than just the Big Band. 36 students are going by coach to spend 5 days soaking up the sun and all the festival has to offer, among sightseeing and some much needed leisure time, and hopefully will be an unforgettable experience.
Hannah Sterritt Societies Editor
Ashes cricket to return to Cardiff in 2015
Dave Riley Sport Writer
The news that Cardiff is to host the first Ashes Test match in 2015 has been welcomed by Glamorgan Chief Executive Hugh Morris. Talking to the BBC, Morris said that he was “absolutely delighted”.
The fixtures for next year’s Ashes series were announced on May 12th, with the match at Cardiff followed by the two sides making visits to Lord’s, Edgbaston and Trent Bridge, which are some of England’s more re gular Test match venues. The fifth and final Test
will be held at The Kia Oval.
It was also announced that Australia will visit Cardiff to play a Twenty20 game after the conclusion of the Ashes series. Following this, the sides will play five One Day International matches at g rounds in England.
The announcement follows the stripping from Cardiff of a Test match against the West Indies in 2012, after payments owed to the ECB for a previous Test against Sri Lanka were not paid. Morris no doubt speaks for all Welsh cricket fans that are desperate to see Test Match cricket return to the SWALEC stadium
CURCT impress at BUCS Criterium Championships
Ben Babcock Sport Writer
On May 18th, a g roup of six riders from Cardiff University’s Road Cycling Team braved a 5am wake-up call to head to the BUCS Cycling Criterium Championships in York.
The criteriums took place on a 1020m purpose built circuit at the York Sport Village.
The day be gan with Dan Colman spearheading the attack for Cardiff in the E/1/2/3 race. With such a talented field, the pace was fierce from the start. A g roup of three riders managed to break away from the pack and establish an insurmountable lead. Colman ended up finishing in seventh place, rounding up an incredibly successful campaign for the fresher.
The second race saw four Cardiff riders taking part in the fourth cate gory race. With a large bunch and a technical hairpin bend, correct positioning was key. The early part of the race was marred by crashes, but luckily all four Cardiff riders managed to avoid going down. Unfortunately, Lewis Henry fell foul of other riders’ bad positioning and lost contact with the main bunch, despite a valiant effort to close the gap.
The race eventually came down to a bunch sprint, with Geoff Smart leading home the Cardiff boys, finishing in second place ahead of the fast-finishing Joe Lockett and Ben Babcock, who placed fifth and eighth respectively. With three
riders finishing in the top 10, this marked an incredibly successful race for the club.
This was followed by a very unfortunate disappointment in the Ladies E/1/2/3/4 race. Next year’s ladies’ captain Phoebe Heveron, fresh from a training camp in Mallorca and on for m following a second-place finish in a Surrey league race the previous week, had a nasty crash on the fast hairpin bend. This sadly marked the end of Heveron’s race, but thankfully her injuries were not as bad as first thought.
The final event of the day saw Babcock and Lockett enter their second event, the 2/3/4 race. Despite several attempts, a breakaway never managed to get a gap on the main field and a sprint finish seemed increasingly likely.
With only five laps to go, both Cardiff riders were well placed in an elite g roup of around 15 riders.
However, a crash on the fateful hairpin bend saw Babcock taken out, and the peloton split. Lockett, on the other hand, was on the right end of the split, avoiding the drama and sprinting for a well deserved ninth place.
With five top-ten BUCS cycling results, a nomination for AU Club of the Year and a comprehensive trial Welsh Varsity victory over Swansea, it seems like there’s no putting the brakes on the club’s continued success.
CARDIFF: D Colman, L Henry, G Smart, J Lockett, B Babcock, P Heveron
The venue is most famous for the hosting of what some have ter med the ‘miracle of Cardiff ’ in 2009. After being outplayed by the Australians and following failures from the likes of Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook, Paul Collingwood had put England into a position where defeat could be averted. But with seven overs remaining, a rash cut stroke had Collingwood caught at gully. It was then left to Jimmy Anderson and the man many considered at the time to be the worst batsman in Test cricket, Monty Panesar, to bat out the rest of the match. What followed was an unexpectedly stoic
display of defensive batting and timewasting that will be forever remembered in Ashes folklore, as England held on for the draw England have never lost a match playing in Cardiff. Morris and the rest of the board at Glamorgan will hope the SWALEC will continue to be a Test g round that favours the home side, and which the Australians are anxious to visit. England fans will hope that this means overturning Australia’s 5-0 win in the last Ashes series. If Cardiff can put on a show akin to the one six years before it, Ashes cricket might become a re gular fixture in the Welsh capital.
Work alongside experts in virtually every sector. Learn from leading figures in the industry. Become someone who’s trusted by some of the world’s biggest businesses. It all starts now. It’s your future. How far will you take it?
CURCT took part in a successful Welsh Varsity trial event this year
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Glamorgan looking to build momentum
James Harris Sport Writer
It has been an indifferent start to the 2014 season for Glamorgan County Cricket Club and despite sitting third in the LV County Championship Division 2, they are without a home win in any competition.
It was an emphatic start to the season for Glamorgan, as they beat Surrey by 10 wickets in the opening week, but a series of rain-affected
draws and a defeat at Hampshire’s Ageas Bowl followed, leaving the Welsh county slightly frustrated at what might have been.
Hampshire’s run scoring has helped them to the top of Division 2 currently, but everything so far is suggesting that no one will be easing their way towards promotion, as every team appears capable of beating one another.
Graham Wagg’s career best 6 for 29 versus Surrey and Dean Cosker’s 5-39 off 29 overs against Worcestershire have been the only exceptional individual performances from this side whose batting will be causing g rave concern, having posted over 250 just twice all season.
The 250-run landmark is significant in that it secures two bonus points towards the County Championship. The two occasions on which Glamorgan have surpassed this score came in the match against Leicestershire.
The game against Leicestershire was also significant as the only occasion when overseas player
Jacques Rudolph has ventured into double figures – scoring a half century in both innings. If a player of Rudolph’s class were to find consistent for m, it could mark a significant improvement to Glamorgan’s chances.
Away from the First Class scene, the NatWest T20 Blast campaign is still in its infancy, having only started on May 16th, but Glamorgan be gan in fantastic fashion with a 10-run victory over selfproclaimed Twenty20 specialists
Hampshire, at Southampton. Will Owen’s three wickets and a solid all-around batting performance will give the Welsh county plenty of confidence in their limited-overs game this season. They might be hoping that this for m will rub off on their First Class game as well. An improvement in batting to support what is looking a threatening bowling attack could see Glamorgan genuinely competing for Division 2 promotion, but a lot
depends on where they place their priorities.
Previously, Glamorgan have always targeted success in the oneday for mat and their runners-up finish in last season’s Yorkshire Bank 40 compensated for a disappointing eighth place in Division 2 of the LV County Championship. This time around, they will be hoping to get the balance right between one-day and four-day cricket in order to enjoy success across the board.
Wales U21s suffer European qualifying blow
Harry Elliott Sport Writer
On a torrential night at Swansea’s Liberty Stadium, Wales Under 21s hosted their English counterparts in a qualification match for the 2015 European Under 21 Championship finals. History suggested this tie would be tricky for Wales, with ten successive losses in this fixture, and this proved to be prophetic.
England had a more experienced squad on paper with 516 first team appearances this year cumulatively compared to 277 in the Welsh squad. This experience told as England ran out 3-1 winners.
The night belonged to Norwich’s Nathan Redmond, who impressed by scoring a stunning hat trick. He was a perpetual threat down the left, causing full backs Kieron Freeman and subsequently Danny Alfei a host of problems.
After 17 minutes, Redmond scored his first, cutting inside and finishing at the near post after a costly mistake by Wales’ Lloyd Isg rove. The play preceding the goal suggested that Wales needed something different, and going one behind rallied the team
Within two minutes they were level with Swansea City’s Gwion
Edwards heading his first goal
for his nation from a corner, after a neat turn and shot from Wes Burns. From a Welsh perspective, that was as good as it got, with the ‘Young Dragons’ lacking cutting edge in midfield and consistently inviting English pressure.
This pressure told in the 37th minute, with Redmond notching his second from the edge of the area. The game then fizzled out, and the crowd waited until the 91st minute for the final goal, Redmond this time unleashing a right footed shot, which slightly deflected off Saido Berahino past Wales goalkeeper Connor Roberts.
Some plaudits must go to Roberts, without whom Wales would have almost certainly conceded more. On reflection 1-3 was a fair, and not entirely unpredictable, score line with the quality of the visitors telling
England now head Group One with a nine-point advantage over Moldova, with Wales another three points behind in third. England are almost certain to win the g roup with two games still remaining Wales, meanwhile, must rally to produce better results in their remaining ties, which will be played away in Finland and Lithuania, though they might still be left dependant upon other results going their way to have any chance of qualification.
TeamPld.Pts.
England 822
Moldova 713
Wales 810
Finland 79
Lithuania 77
San Marino 94
City fans know more than most that a Championship campaign can be long and hard. The Bluebirds are facing the task of bouncing straight back into the Premier League next season after their dismal rele gation. The Championship requires a different type of approach to the Premier League. A promotion challenge will almost certainly mean using the squad to the full in order to maintain fitness and morale over the g ruelling 46 game season. Packing that squad with experience and energ y will be vital in building a table-topping team While some of the current squad will undoubtedly be sold in the summer, it will be important to keep some of those who experienced promotion a year ago; the likes of Ben Turner, Andrew Taylor, Aron Gunnarsson and Craig Noone are all retainable and bring real quality to the Championship. Gary Medel, David Marshall and Steven Caulker are those likely to attract suitors after impressing in the Premier League. Finances should not be an issue – rele gation parachute payments and the £62 million gained from TV deals last season mean City can afford to bring in new players too. Those players should be easily integ rated into the squad in order to hit the g round running come next season’s kick-off. Solskjaer’s reputation as a coach has not been too badly dented by his failure to guide Cardiff to safety. However, he has no experience of Championship management and could struggle to motivate his players when making trips to the likes of Brentford and Huddersfield Town next ter m Ultimately, Cardiff have the required experience and resources to successfully mount a promotion push next year. However, failings in the transfer market similar to those made last season could spell trouble and another disappointing campaign. After a disastrous debut in the Premier League, City fans will hope to get back to winning ways in the all too familiar surroundings of the Championship.
Joe Atkinson City Columnist
Wales coach Geraint Williams has cause for concern
Redmond sealed his hat trick in injury time
Graham Wagg took 6-29 against Surrey
Paul Davies
Blues Columnist
With the Blues’ season at a close it’s tempting to look ahead and write about a fresh start, a new dawn and various other clichés. This summer will see a new director of rugby take charge, and a host of players coming and going To a certain extent, therefore, the cliché fits. Unfortunately, there are still a few ghosts from previous seasons which don’t look like settling any time soon.
New director of rugby Mark Hammett, a for mer All Black comes from his head coach position at the Hurricanes where he, frankly, achieved only limited success. His appointment is being seen as a major coup for the Blues, despite the Hurricanes never achieving higher than 8th in the Super 15, in his three seasons in charge. For now, despite my scepticism, I will trust in the views of those more qualified to judge than I. After all, it appears that Shaun Edwards and Warren Gatland were involved in his selection.
Those in charge of recruitment seem to have outdone themselves. Josh Turnbull and Jarrad Hoeata, look set to make a real impact and have already shown their ability elsewhere. In addition, BT have ag reed a lucrative new sponsorship deal with the Welsh re gions, which will help relieve some of the Blues’ financial woes, and they will rename their stadium the BT Sport Cardiff Ar ms Park. Like I said, there are still a few ghosts yet to be put to rest. The Welsh Rugby Union and the Welsh Re gions still have not come to a deal over funding The longstanding ne gotiations, have failed to bring the sides any closer to an ag reement. Whilst various chief executives, board members and honorary chair fillers keep going around in circles, the Welsh re gions and fans continue to suffer.
There is still the problem that every star the Blues unearth is promptly poached by clubs with bigger chequebooks than them With Leigh Halfpenny, Bradley Davies, Robin Copeland and Jamie Roberts all lured away in the last two seasons alone, the Blues will expect to have to fight for their remaining star players.
Wales rugby stars set to play public trial match
Thomas Rugby Club
Correspondant
The Welsh Rugby Union has opted to resurrect the Probables vs. Possibles trial match, which for many years was an annual fixture in Welsh rugby.
The supposed trial match will take place at Swansea’s Liberty Stadium on Friday May 30th, with the Probables coached by Wales attack coach Rob Howley, and the Possibles by Welsh forwards coach Robin McBryde.
The omission that seems the strangest is that of Ospreys flanker Sam Lewis. Despite being uncapped, Lewis has been outstanding for the Swansea based re gion this campaign, with his work at the breakdown proving invaluable.
Almost naturally the selection that has caused the most debate has been that of for mer Welsh rugby golden boy Gavin Henson, who has been selected in the
Probables squad after being in the international w ilderness since 2011.
However, the Bath centre along with team-mate Paul James, and Leicester Tigers outside-half Owen Williams look set to miss a golden opportunity to take part in the trial, with the WRU looking to ne gotiate their availability with Premiership Rugby due to the fixture falling outside of the official IRB window
Other selections that could be deemed surprising are those of Dragons props Owen Evans who remarkably is in the Probables squad, and Phil Price who takes his place with the Possibles. Joining him in the Possibles are the supremely talented Ospreys standoff Matthew Morgan and Scarlets openside flanker James Davies.
With the WRU having already confir med the sale of over 11,000 tickets for the Liberty Stadium encounter, one would think it safe to assume that this trial would have merit in the fact that every player selected should have a genuine chance of earning a place on the plane to South Africa.
But w ith Gatland havin g revealed that he will be announcing his touring party a mere hour after the final whistle, it does not realistically allow many of the Probables much room for manoeuvre.
One possible reason for this arduous exercise would seem to be the fact that Gatland does not want his players to land in South Africa undercooked, and off the pace as they were in Australia in 2012 A trial match full of re gional rivalries, should at least ensure that Gatland’s squad have had a fair hit out before boarding the plane to the rainbow nation.
For the final time this year, hello!
This will be the final ever Ed’s Note so I hope you really savour this one – a review of the year. There’ve been so many personal highlights but here’s a list of some of the ones that have really stood out for me. The first major highlight was obviously the Sports Fayre during Freshers’ Week. Things started off brilliantly as the Fayre was a g reat success and was the first chance clubs had to showcase themselves to students. More importantly, this was followed by the first LASH of the year and apparently I had a g reat time.
Forging excellent links with Cardiff Student Media has been something I am especially proud of. Thanks to the excellent work put in by CUTV members, they have been
The tour to South Africa will undoubtedly test the Welsh in a physical capacity as they seek to better their appalling record of having triumphed only once in 27 meetings with the Springboks to date.
Wales will go head-to-head with
Heyneke Meyer’s side at King’s Park in Durban on June 14th, before getting a rematch a week later at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit. The 2013 Six Nations champions will also play a midweek fixture against the Eastern Province Kings, at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth on June 10th.
The Springboks will be looking to build on an impressive campaign last year whereupon they were successful in 12 out of 14 test matches.
Meyer has selected an extremely experienced squad with recalls for the le g endary Victor Matfield, 68-times capped Stor mers backrow forward Schalk Burger, and
breakdow n specialist H einrich Brussow
The likelihood of a Welsh victory in this two test series does appear to be remote, with injuries to key personnel appearing to concede the initiative to the Springboks. Despite the Welsh possessing some dangerous strike runners behind the scrum, the experienced Springboks look likely to hold all the aces up front. Respectability would seem to be the order of the day for Gatland’s men, with the hope that some of the less experienced players put their hands up as players who could potentially feature at the 2015 World Cup.
able to film and produce excellent highlights packages of some of our sports clubs. I hope the continued media coverage of our sports clubs continues to develop.
The AU Ball was another brilliant event. This saw us celebrate the g reat job done by our clubs and I think I can safely say that all those in attendance had an excellent night and well done to all those who won awards on the night. Again, I apparently had a g reat time. Then there was Varsity. Like every year there were g reat expectations and it definitely lived up to expectations! Not only was it the biggest Varsity event ever, Cardiff also won the most events we’ve ever won, a staggering 24 Not to mention the fact that swimming, canoe polo and boxing were introduced as our three new Varsity sports.
As you can imagine it takes a
lot to bring Varsity together, from staff in the Students’ Union, to those competing and obviously you students watching throughout the day and in the Millennium Stadium So I think because of the massive effort put in by so many people, Varsity has been the highlight of my year and I look forward to attending again in future years. There have been so many highlights this year I can’t possibly list them all. This year has gone so quickly and I would happily do this job for years, but eventually you have to leave so it’s with g reat sadness that I say goodbye and a massive thank you to every student who’s been involved with the AU this year.
