gair rhydd
In this week’s issue: The truth about being a fresher, Talybont Gate opens, meet your elected officer team, and how you can get involved in Gair Rhydd
Monday September 15th 2014 | freeword | Issue 1032
Pictured: Artist’s Impression of the new club with its glass ceiling
Union completes £3m development New nightclub named ‘Y Plas’ and two new nights announced
Georgia Hamer
Y
Plas, a brand new nightclub in Cardiff University Students’ Union, will open its doors for the first time following the completion of the £3.4m redevelopment of the second floor. The nightclub, previously known
as Solus, will be unveiled at the beginning of Fresher’s fortnight, and translates into English as ‘The Place’ The £3.4m cost of the project was covered by the University, following their £1.4m investment last year in the third and fourth floors.
Plans for the redevelopment stated that the project set out to modernise and diversify the use of each of these areas whilst resolving a series of maintenance issues. As it stood, the design of Solus, a 2200 capacity venue, was geared towards
that of a nightclub, making it suitable for a limited number of uses. As part of the refurbishment a glass roof has been installed in the nightclub to allow natural light in. It is hoped that this will enable the venue to be utilised during daytime hours
Also inside:
Summer Ball makes 20k loss Page 4>>
Cardiff Central Candidate Q&A Page 17>>
Cardiff Leukemia Breakthrough Page 18>>
Continued on page 5 >>
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EDITORIAL
free
EDITOR Tom Eden CO-ORDINATOR Elaine Morgan DESIGNER Michael O’Connell-Davidson NEWS Georgia Hamer Katie Evans COMMENT Anne Porter Olivier van den Bent-Kelly Zach Hughes COLUMNIST Jason Roberts POLITICS Carwyn Williams
word
Bright future for the Union It’s Y Plas to be. Apparently.
A new glass ceilinged nightclub, the highest satisfaction in years and an officer team with great potential; things are looking positive for the year ahead. Year after year, Cardiff University Students’ Union is ranked as one of the best in the country and it
offers a vast amount to enhance your time at Cardiff. From the nightlife, to every conceivable activity through to academic representation, the Union is an invaluable element of university life. Whatever your interests or problems, there’s bound to be something on offer, just investigate
and ask questions; it’s your union, after all. Of course, it all begins in Freshers’, with various fayres to joining societies and sports teams, as well as everyone’s introduction to the new nightclub and the new nights, however ridiculously they’re named. (YOLO, really?!?)
SCIENCE Shanna Hamilton Meryon Roderick SOCIETIES Hannah Sterritt TAF-OD Steffan Bryn Jones Morgan Owen SPORT David Hooson Rory Benson Joe Atkinson PHOTOGRAPHER Taliesin Coombes Want to join the team? Come to the first meeting on the 1st October at 3pm in the Great Hall to find out how. Heard any news? Got an idea for a story? Think that Michael & Olivier’s names are obscenely long and spoil the design above? Get in touch: tweet us: @gairrhydd email us: editor@gairrhydd.com online at: gairrhydd.com Gair Rhydd would like to offer our congratulations to Daniel Palmer, Cardiff Students’ Union’s Chief Exec on his marriage to Tamlyn Tyson over the summer. At Gair Rhydd we take seriously our responsibility to maintain the highest possible standards. If you believe we have fallen below these standards, please write to us at: Editor@GairRhydd.com You can view our Ethical Policy Statement & Complaint procedure at: www.cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk/ complaints
Generally speaking, the election starts now The race to become the next Cardiff Central MP is wide open. Have your say.
In just eight months, the country will chose its next government and for the vast majority now at university, it will be their first opportunity to vote in a general election. This generation of students are saddled with £9,000 tuition fees; a political decision that was made to affect people who were unable to vote at the time. The backlash from students against the Lib Dems for
their fee-pledge betrayal and the Conservatives for being the driving force behind the tripling of fees could be felt hard, especially in areas like Cardiff with very high student populations. Cardiff Central, currently held by a Lib Dem, is comprised of 30% students. It’s far from a safe seat, so each vote truly matters. Whatever way you intend to vote, recent changes mean that every person will need to individually register for
the privilege. Thankfully, it’s really easy - you can now do it online (www.gov.uk/register-to-vote). In the build up to the general election, Gair Rhydd will be an invaluable source of information about the politics that affect you, both on a local and national level, including interviews from candidates from each party; the first of which - a question and answer with Labour candidate Jo Stevens - can be found on page 17.
Get involved in Gair Rhydd Yes, you.
Gair Rhydd would like to offer you a very warm welcome to Cardiff, and to this newspaper. It’s probably not the first welcome you’ve had, and it certainly won’t be the last, but this is the first chance we’ve had, so we beg forgiveness. Let us introduce ourselves. Gair Rhydd was first created in 1972, and is the most recent embodiment of Cardiff University’s student newspaper, a legacy that dates back into the 1800’s. ‘Gair Rhydd’ is Welsh for ‘Free Word’, and when pronounced correctly (no easy feat) rhymes with the Welsh for Cardiff; Caerdydd.
Tom Eden VP Media & Marketing
T
here has, once again been drastic changes to the Students’ Union over the summer, this year with the biggest project yet: a complete renovation of the club formerly known as Solus. It’s rather sad to think back to all the good times spent in that nightclub, regardless of how dated and dark it was. I have no doubt, however, that as soon as Freshers’ begins and Y Plas opens its doors
Within these pages, over 25 million words have been printed, covering every aspect of student life, exposing scandal after scandal and hopefully bringing the odd smile to many people’s faces. For thousands of students over the years, the time spent making this paper into one of the most successful student newspapers in the country, (we’re currently the second best publication in the UK), has been the highlight of their university experience. And it is open to everyone; all the stories are written and the pages are designed by Cardiff students. It’s an incredible opportunity to build valuable skills, gain CV
worthy experience and to have a lot of fun doing it. This is our invite; we would love for you to be part of making this paper each week of term. There’s a wide range of things to get involved with, from uncovering and writing of the stories, proofreading, to joining our editor team and deciding on content and laying it out on the page. We’re having our first meeting on the 1st October at 3pm in the Students’ Union Great Hall (on the first floor), along with the other three student media platform - Quench magazine, Xpress Radio and Cardiff Union TV, so we will hopefully see you there!
for the first time, those nostalgic memories will quickly be forgotten. And that’ll be nothing to do with the Zwack (ask your Grandparents/3rd years about what Zwack was...) Although I think I should point out Gair Rhydd was 42 years ahead of Y Plas in the ‘difficult to properly pronounce its name’ stakes... During Freshers’, you’ll see hundreds of people buzzing around the Union in red T-Shirts, probably with some friendly cliched greeting written on them; something along the lines of ‘Hey, ask me about your Union.’ They’re the Welcome Crew, and they are some of the most helpful, enthusiastic people you’ll meet
while at university and they are there to help, direct and, erm, welcome you during your arrival to Cardiff. Keep an eye out for them, and don’t be afraid to ask for help -Freshers’ can occasionally be quite daunting. On a final note, if you were here last year, you’ll have noticed that Gair Rhydd has undergone a complete redesign. The plaudits should go to Michael O’Connell-Davidson, who took up the challenge of giving the paper a nicer design. It’s something that I think we’ve achieved, and we hope you like it! That’s it from me; I genuinely hope you have a great time here at Cardiff. I definitely am.
EDITORIAL
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News in brief
Here’s what happened while you were gone (or before you arrived...)
Michael O’ConnellDavidson
Drake fans rejoice: Cardiff Students’ Union has renamed Wednesday’s club night “YOLO,” after its previous name, “The Lash,” drew criticism for encouraging drinking culture. Drake’s representatives did not respond to requests for comment. No word yet on whether or not the sentiment behind YOLO will encourage people to act any more sensibly than they did before. The Students’ Union has also announced the “give it a go” scheme, where students will be offered new experiences and encouraged to try new things. They’ve even got a hashtag, #IGaveItAGo, because, well, YOLO. Contain your excitement: bin collection dates for student areas have been revealed. You can sign up for text alerts by texting the word ‘Tidy` followed by your house number and postcode to 60066. Not only does it help you remember bin day, but once a week you also get the illusion of being popular when you get a text. Cardiff University Enterprise have announced a series of events for the next academic year. If you fancy yourself the next Mark Zuckerberg, they’re running a series of activities to help you get going with your first start-up. Ever wanted to go on the Apprentice? They’ve organised a four-day business boot camp that will see teams pitch their ideas to professionals. Make your own products? They’re running a creative-focused Christmas Market. These events and more will be running all year, so go to http://sites.cardiff.ac.uk/cuenterprise/ for dates and accompanying info. Incepto Media were successfully shortlisted for the final round of the Santander Universities Enterprise Awards; the first prize is £20,000. The company, formed by three undergraduate students, hopes to deliver 2D animated news stories for children aged 4-10 that will be available on a mobile app and on their website.
Cardiff Students’ Union was voted the fifth best SU in the UK in terms of student satisfaction. 85% of those surveyed said that they were satisfied with the institution; St. Andrews came first. It’s OK, guys - Cardiff ’s nicer than northern Scotland, any day of the week, so we’re the real winners. In terms of the University itself, almost nine out of ten Cardiff University students ‘definitely agree’ or ‘mostly agree’ that they are ‘overall satisfied’ with their student experience. Cardiff University remains above the UK-wide sector average of 86 per cent and above the Welsh average of 85 per cent. Full breakdowns of all the results will be featured in the next issue of Gair Rhydd. Ignoring the hellish opening ceremony, the Commonwealth games were a great success - and not just for Scotland. Cardiff Students Natalie Powell and Sally Peake both took home medals in the games (a gold and silver respectively), which meant Cardiff University students were more successful than the countries of Bangladesh and Pakistan. How’s that for a result? (More on pages 25-28) Cardiff University’s Chaplains have come together to try and tackle student food poverty by offering weekly student meals costing only £1. Everyone is welcome, with food being served from the chaplaincy buildings on Park Place. Rumours that they will be attempting to serve everyone with Fish and loaves are, as yet, unconfirmed. Other international events where Cardiff Students were in attendance was the UEFA Super Cup, which the city hosted in late July. Cardiff Student and Breakdance society president Sophie Lodge performed in the opening ceremony, and described it as the “most amazing experience of [her] life.”
Cardiff Student Musicians continue to experience success in their relative fields. Radstewart and Houdini Dax both contain members who are current students or recent graduates of Cardiff University, and both have recently released new material. The former was awarded Quench Magazine’s ‘best local band’ award last year. Wales’s leading Medical Research Council centre, The MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics (Please don’t attempt to say this after a night in Y Plas), based at the University’s flagship Hadyn Ellis Building, has secured additional funding over the next five years. Officially opened in 2009 by the then First Minister Rhodri Morgan, the MRC Centre plays host to some of the world’s leading experts researching psychiatric disorders like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s. A new partnership between Cardiff University and the University of Namibia has been announced, whereby Cardiff will work with the University of Namibia to share knowledge, training and resources. Cardiff University students will also be able to take part with the opportunity of placements in Namibia to benefit both their education and the project; The University is working towards getting 17% of students to spend at least four weeks abroad during their degree. Finally, Cardiff University Vice Chancellor Colin Riordan has recieved an Honorary Degree from the University of Essex where he used to be Vice Chancellor. The honour is in recognition of his contribution to higher education, not only within the UK, but also internationally. Because apparently a Salary of £252,000 wasn’t quite enough recognition on its own. Thank you, Essex, for righting this wrong. Justice has finally been served.
Do you have news of your own to share? Self-promotion that needs spreading? Or perhaps you just feel alone. Big or small, email tips to news@ gairrhydd. com with the title ‘Campus News’ and we’ll consider it for inclusion in next week’s issue.
NEWS
tweet us @gairrhyddnews email us news@gairrhydd.com or visit us online at gairrhydd.com/news/
Pictured: A deserted dancefloor at last year’s Summer Ball Taliesin Coombes
Summer Ball makes nearly £20,000 loss Future of event in doubt after only 1,400 attend ‘Greatest Show on Earth’
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ardiff’s Summer Ball made an estimated loss of £20,000, leaving the annual event likely to be axed by the Students’ Union. Despite being branded as ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’ and featuring the headline acts of Labrinth, Gorgon City and Sigma, only 1,400 students attended the Ball, held for the first time in the Motorpoint Arena.
Pictured: Headline act Labrinth Talesin Coombes
The second floor redevelopment forced the change of location; the first year since 2010, that the Summer Ball has not been held in the Students’ Union. With a capacity of 12,500, the Motorpoint Arena is Cardiff’s biggest music venue and felt noticeably empty due to the poor attendance. Tickets were priced at £25 on the first day of sale and £35 thereafter - a price which many students were not prepared to pay. The Students’ Union has confirmed that there will be a review into the Summer Ball and the viability of the event in the future. With the huge financial loss, Gair Rhydd understands that the chances of it reoccurring are not good. VP Media & Marketing, Tom Eden, said that the future is up in the air: “There will be a full review of the event and consideration for what the future of the Summer Ball will look like. This year’s event was a lot of fun, it was just a shame that the turnout wasn’t as high as hoped. Every year it’s a challenge as the exam period is so long; by the time the Ball comes along, many people have returned home or chosen to attend various club, society or course based end-of-year balls instead.”
6th May - 13th June 2014
Coming to a library near you!
The chequered history of the Summer Ball 2010: The last Summer Ball to be held away from the University was in 2010, when it was located at Cooper’s field, near Cardiff Castle. The event made record losses of £58,775.80. Acts included Pendulum, Scouting for Girls & Calvin Harris. 2011: The following year, the decision was made to bring the event back to the University, where it took place around in the grounds of the Main Building. It made a loss of around £30,000 2012 & 2013: The end of year event recieved a re-brand, with the gimmick of being from ‘Dusk ‘til Dawn’. Held within the Students’ Union, they made small losses.
gair rhydd gair rhydd gair rhydd Monday October 04 2010 | freeword – Est. 1972 | Issue 930
Clegg visits Cardiff News has a little chat with the Deputy Prime Minister << Inside
Monday February 20 2012 | freeword – Est. 1972 | Issue 970
Monday June 13 2011 | freeword – Est. 1972 | Issue 954
TURF WAR - Round II
The Ball’s in your court
In December, the Summer Ball was cancelled for making a loss of £58,775.80, last year.
External promotions teams wreak havoc
<< page 2
Union asks for students’ ideas for new £27,000 end of year event
In May, the replacement May Ball made a loss of £30,000.
Inside this week:
Balls.
Underage drinking
Seven sellers named and shamed: gair rhydd revealsCardiff ’s underage drinking hotspots. News, page 2
Poisoned chalice
Our resident columnist discusses the Ed Miliband’s new appointment, and discusses what can be done for the Labour party. Columnist, page 11
Fashion crisis
Opinion breaks down the concept of attractiveness as a cultural construction, and gets to the bottom of fashion stigmas. Opinion, page 8
Complete Balls up Cardiff Students’ Union is forced to evaluate the end of year celebrations Pippa Lewis and Morgan Applegarth News Editors The 2011 Cooper’s Field Summer Ball has been cancelled, due to record losses. The decision, made by the Board of Trustees for the Students’ Union, occurred after the 2010 Summer Ball incurred a record loss of £58,775.80. The Board – made up largely of Elected Officers – deemed the summer event unsustainable in the wake of the current economic climate. An official Union source com-
mented: “In the current financial climate the Board of Trustees of the Union feel that this is not something the Union can afford in the coming year.” In addition, Darryl Light, Finance and Commercial Officer, told gair rhydd: “The team this year have had many discussions with staff about the event, and the general consensus is that this money could be better spent in the Union.” The Ball, as currently known, is one of the biggest in the country, costing around £250,00-£300,000, thus carrying huge risks. The decision to go ahead with last year’s Ball was “extremely dif-
ficult” admitted Students’ Union President Olly Birrell, with the go ahead being given after a small majority vote by Student Council, despite them knowing the financial implications. It is not just the financial loss of previous years that influenced the decision to pull the 2011 Ball. With the uncertain future of Higher Education funding looking to affect the financial support the Union receives from the University, concerns regarding greater losses in the future have grown. “The Board of Trustees of the Union felt that going ahead with an event on a budgeted loss of up to
£50,000 would be irresponsible and neglecting our duties to students,” said Birrell. In addition, unease expressed by the local council regarding noise levels helped sway decisions. The success of the Ball relies partly upon the popularity of the acts, as well as the reputation upheld by previous years. Since 2008, the Summer Ball has seen the likes of Calvin Harris, Feeder, Pendulum, Scouting for Girls and Professor Green grace it’s stages.
Cooking clever
Features investigate ‘quick fix’ cooking, and let you in on some of their own easy and delicious recipes to get your mouth watering... Features, page 17
Hungry for change Our Science Editor delves into the global food crisis which is leaving roughly 15% of the population hungry Science and Environment, page 20
News Editor
Sheri Hall
Woman’s world
Politics get to know some of the most important women in the Political sphere in this regular feature Politics, page 15
Morgan Applegarth News Editor gair rhydd can exclusively reveal that the inaugural May Ball has made a loss of £30,000. The joint-held event between the Students’ Union and the University was the first of a three-part end of year celebration, organised in replacement of the Coopers Field Summer Ball. Last year’s Summer Ball was
The Word On...
Will Viles gives you The Word On the latest blow to Welsh football: the Bellamy fiasco Sport, page 27 And more, in Wales’ number one independent student newspaper
Continued on page 3
cancelled due to making a record loss of nearly £60,000. Figures from the May Ball Review document reveal that a total income of £12,000 was made through ticket sales, bar sales and sponsorship, however expenditure totalled £42,000. Comments taken from the Ball Review say: “The decision was made by the [Elected] Officers to invest more money into the event, knowing that it might lose more money, to ensure that those who
went had a really good time. “The event was budgeted to lose money as a contingency so the loss won’t affect the overall budget for this year.” Approximately £10,000 was spent on acts, which included circus performers and musicians. A total of £9,232 was spent on set up costs for this year’s Ball, compared to £11,800 spent on set up for Coopers Field last year. A total of 850 tickets were sold, with 613 recorded entries, although
the number of attendees is believed to be more than this when taking into account guest lists. Tickets for the May Ball went on sale back in December, with a “Beat the VAT” package deal available to students, enabling them to purchase tickets for the Ball, Drink the Bar Dry and Cardiff University’s VIP area at this summer’s Beach Break Live for a reduced price. “The May Ball combo sales have driven sales in Drink the Bar Dry… and also our VIP Beach Break tick-
Performances from
ets,” states the Review, continuing: “Even though the event itself lost money, it has driven some interest into these other events. “[The] loss was supported through existing departmental budgets.” The Elected Officer team came under criticism in the run-up to the Ball over the date of the event, which fell on the eve of the spring examination period.
Plans to hold the end of year event at Cardiff Students’ Union were finally revealed at last week’s AGM, with a mostly positive reception although some students have their doubts. The Union have decided to cut their losses and invest a ring-fenced budget of £27,000 into this year’s event, encouraging students to have maximum input. Last year the Summer Ball made a loss of £30,000, an improvement upon the previous year’s £60,000 loss, but the Union have decided they can no longer afford to waste money which could be spent else-
Uni buying £675k house for new VC Matt Jones
News Editor
PHOTO: CHRIS GRIFFITHS
Georgia Hamer
where. Finance and Commercial officer, Nick Matthews said: “Discussions were had amongst the Board of Trustees and we decided that times are tough and the organisation cannot afford to lose that kind of money again. The amounts lost in previous years, at times, have been equivalent to the whole of the society’s budget - which is too much money to lose.” Nick Matthews took to the stage at the AGM and disclosed the controversial changes, which were at first met with negativity, but eventually saw an optimistic response
from students once questions were answered. Before Christmas, the Union sold a total of 1,100 deposits at a one-day ticket sale for the end of year event to gauge a minimum level of interest, which would give a budget of £21,000. Elected Officers decided it was not feasible to try and double their sales to break even at last year’s budget of £45.000, so have opted to change the event entirely. Plans are in place to increase the budget further by holding more ticket sales, ring-fencing profit from an end of exam Lash and money
made from drink sales on the night, giving an estimated £27,000 total budget. Although the event has been labelled as ‘less extravagant’, students were appreciative of the Union’s practical approach. George Jackson tweeted: “sensible budgeting from the SU team. Realistic approach to end of year ball.” The end of year event will be held at Cardiff Students’ Union and will see a three tier ticketing system which will give students access to a range of services dependent on the priority of their ticket.
Continued on page 4
Cardiff University is currently planning the purchase of a reported £675,000 house for new vice-chancellor Colin Riordan. The property, whose exact location has not yet been revealed by the University, is said to be within walking distance of the Cathays campus, and will be owned by Cardiff University. It is planned that the residence will be used for hosting meetings with important visitors. However, the purchase of a house of this expense is likely to cause some opposition, especially in the context of widespread cuts in higher education. When gair rhydd asked how the university justified spending such a large sum of money, a university spokesperson said: “At a time of intense competition among UK universities to develop their education and research, Cardiff needs strong relationships with national and international partners in the academic, business, professional and policy-making sectors. “In building these relationships, the University requires a variety of venues for formal and informal events with existing and potential partners.
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caPPella • aSummer • The Issue • Belly dancing •
TA K EOV E R
• SlaSh hiP hoP • BaSS12 •
6ed o fistons Mai - 13egof o fisjunk Mehefincollected 2014 Two for ‘Get It Out for Cardiff’ MTV R3WIRE and Varski
Yn dod i lyfrgell yn agos i chi!
Katie Evans
Cardiff University, Cardiff Metropolitan University and the University of South Wales (USW) diverted 220 kilos of waste from landfill at a ‘Take My Junk’ event, organised for students to sell and swap their unwanted items. The event, aimed at reducing the amount of unwanted items left on the streets of Cardiff at the end of term, was held at the Woodville pub in Cathays on 12th June in conjunction with Cardiff
Council’s ‘Get it Out for Cardiff Campaign’, an annual end of year recycling, waste and charity collection initiative which is designed to help students in Cardiff move out of their accommodation whilst ensuring that the local community is left clean and tidy. Students at the event were responsible for pricing, negotiating and selling their items and were able to keep any profit made on the day. Any unsold items were
cardiffstudents.com/revisionaid
Fairground arEa
MTV area with giveaways
Battle of the Bands
Winner
collected by the City of Cardiff Council andStarling donated to charity. radicalS Cardiff’s Student Liaison Officer, Emma Robson, who works in partnership with the City of Cardiff Council, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff University and USW, stated that she was “delighted that the University entrepreneurial departments have come together to maximize opportunities for re-use.” She added: “Events such as ‘Take My
Junk’ encourage students to recycle more of their unwanted re-usable items, instead of disposing them as waste. “This type of partnership working is invaluable for the community as a whole, not least for the environment. It really showcases ongoing partnership commitments to civic pride and dedications to recycling.” “We are always looking at inventive ways to increase the scope of the ‘Get It Out for Cardiff’ re-use campaign.”
Pictured: The Summer Ball failures, as covered by Gair Rhydd. Note our restraint this year; not using a ‘balls’ based headline. We deserve a medal.
NEWS
5 Pictured: Artist’s impression of Y Plas from the balcony
Solus renamed ‘Y Plas’ New nightclub will be home to two new nights: Yolo & Vinyl
Continued from page 1
as well as at night, transforming the space into a multipurpose venue. On top of this, a U-shaped mezzanine balcony level has been installed in the existing nightclub in order to increase floor space considerably and make it available for conferences and exhibitions. The floor has also been levelled so that the venue will be available for use by societies for rehearsals or practices. Another notable change is the expansion of the food outlets in the area formerly known as ‘The
Kitchen.’ Although the actual names are yet to be announced, it has been confirmed that there will be four separate outlets; serving primarily coffee, noodle based food, burgers and salad respectively. A new nightclub would be nothing without club nights, so the Students’ Union have introduced two new nights: YOLO, to replace the Lash, and Vinyl as a regular Monday night. The Union scrapped the widely loved ‘Lash’ due to concerns about the connotations of exces-
sive drinking. Students have not reacted well to this news that the Union caved to outside pressure, especially after it’s replacement was announced. Hundreds of students have taken to social media to condemn the move and ridicule the new name.
reaction
A Cardiff University Students’ Union spokesperson said that “YOLO was chosen because we felt it was a good representation of youth and we wanted something that was going to be bigger and better than the lash – which it will be. “Cardiff Students loved the Lash, but with a new nightclub, it was time to update it. We’ve picked the best bits of the lash and added new DJs and better incentives for sports teams and societies. It’ll be an incredible ‘in your face Wednesday night.”
Vinyl, the new Monday night event, “will cover an eclectic mix of musical genres and will be the cheapest night at the Union”, confirmed a Union spokesperson. It is hoped that it will fare better than the last attempt to run a club night on a Monday – Ctrl Alt Delete was an alternative night launched in 2012 that only lasted two months before being stopped due to very low attendance figures.
He’s right - the only one we could find...
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NEWS Pictured: The newly built Talybont Gate
Talybont Gate welcomes first students Latest addition to Talybont accommodation complex opens
Katie Evans
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he brand new Talybont Gate has opened to welcome new Cardiff students. The £6.4m halls of residence has been built on the existing Talybont complex to meet the growing demand for accommodation across Cardiff University. The large development will house both undergraduates and postgraduates and boasts 179 ensuite rooms, two of which are wheelchair
accessible. Great attention has been paid to its design, with a focus on large communal areas that include Freeview TV and Wi-Fi access. The University’s on-going commitment to sustainability was also considered in it’s build and planning, with environmentallyfriendly features such as solar panels helping to reduce the University’s carbon foot-
print. The application for the building ran into controversy in 2012, as local residents raised concerns about the over-development of the area. Its proposal was initially rejected by local councillors, a decision that was later over-turned by Welsh Government officials. The Gate is just one in a series of recent development projects for the University.
The entrance floor of the Students’ Union underwent a multi-million pound redevelopment over the summer recess, including the refurbishment of the old Solus nightclub and Taf pub. £13.5 million was also invested in a new state-of-the-art Business School building as part of an on-going initiative aiming to develop world-leading facilities at the University.
Uni warns against dangers of railway trespassing A campaign launched in partnership with the University hopes to raise awareness of the dangers of trespassing railway lines following the tragic death of a student earlier this year. Pro Vice-Chancellor of Student Experience, Professor Patricia Price, has warned against the inherent dangers in using railway tracks as a short-cut and hopes to prevent other students from endangering their lives for the sake of a shorter journey home. British Transport Police, Arriva Trains Wales and the University are working together on the co-ordinated campaign to discourage students from endangering their lives on the railway around the student areas following the recent death of an 18 year-old. Student William Paynter was walking along railway tracks on the way back to his halls from a night out when he was struck by a train. He later died in hospital from
severe head injuries. The tragic death led the University to launching a campaign around campus, in association with local authorities, begin-
ning with a series of sobering posters, in the hope of preventing other students from endangering their lives by using the railway as a short-cut home.
Police Community Support Officer, Joshua Hopkins, spoke to the BBC about the campaign: “Following January’s tragic incident, we became aware that students were using the railway as a route home after nights out in Cardiff city centre.” PC Hopkins described these revelations as “extremely worrying” and a practice that he is “anxious to prevent”. He added: “Working with the university and other partners, we hope the campaign will ensure students are fully aware of the very real dangers and legal consequences of trespassing, with the ultimate aim of preventing any such tragedy from occurring again.” Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Price commented that, “despite the obvious dangers, and the fact they’re committing a criminal offence and risking a hefty fine... some students risk injury or, at worst, their lives by taking a short-cut home along railway tracks.”
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The tragic death led to the university’s campaign
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Katie Evans
NEWS Students’ Union takes hard stance against DSA cuts
Pictured: Beth Button, NUS Wales President, who is an outspoken critic of the policy change (Credit: NUS Wales)
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ardiff University’s Students’ Union has lent its support to a nationwide campaign against the proposed cuts to funding for disabled students in England. On June 6, the SU joined in the NUSled #DontCutMeOut twitter campaign opposing the proposed cuts to the Disabled Students’ Allowance for those studying over the border. The cuts will not be implemented in Wales, where the education system remains devolved from Westminster, but the changes are still likely to affect Welsh universities, with English students more likely to study here now due to the Welsh subsidies available to DSA eligible students. The non-means tested grant is paid to students with disabilities, long-term health conditions and learning difficulties to help meet additional costs while studying at Higher Education. Cuts tot he allowance include the termination of funding for laptops and computer software, note takers and scribes, and, perhaps most worryingly, the costs of specialist accommodation for disabled students. The policy has been described by it’s critics as the latest in a series of discriminatory governmental policies against the disabled. Back in April, former Minister for
Universities and Science, David Willetts, announced in a written statement to Parliament that cuts will be introduced for students entering HE as of September 2015. ‘We are changing our approach to the funding of a number of computer equipment, software and consumable items through the DSAa that have become funded as ‘standard’ to most students,’ writes Willetts, adding that the ‘additional costs of specialist accommodation will no longer be met by DSAs, other than in exceptional circumstances.’ Most notably, the changes will transfer the responsibility for the majority of funding to individual institutions n order to ‘rebalance responsibilities between government funding and institutional support’. Writing for the Guardian, Dr Sarah Lewthwaite shared her fears that, ‘by shifting the responsibility for disabled student’s support to universities, the UK government is effectively exporting the responsibility for disabled students to universities it does not fund, most significantly in Wales.’ Dr Lewthwaite warns that the cuts ‘will dismantle equality’ between English and Welsh students, as well as amongst disabled and non-disabled students. Over 50% of full-time undergraduate
students studying in Wales are from England, with this figure rising to approximately 65% for Cardiff University. English students have long gravitated towards the university, leaving leading figures within the University guessing as to what effect the cuts and the likelihood of an increase in DSA eligible applicants will have on their own budgets. Understandably, the NUS (National Union of Students) is ‘deeply concerned’ about the measures, which Willetts claimed will ‘modernise’ the current system. In his statement, the former Minister claimed that the reform ‘will ensure that the limited public funding available for DSAs is targeted in the best way and to achieve value for money, whilst ensuring those most in need get the help they require.’ But Willetts’ claims are at odds with that of the NUS and several MPs, who believe the cuts will further exacerbate disparities between disabled and non-disabled students. The NUS claims that ‘it is incredibly important that we outline how dangerous these cuts can be. At a time when the government has already made savage cuts to disabled people’s benefits and cuts to local government funding, we cannot let this continue.’ NUS research has revealed that those
students receiving the DSA are more likely to obtain a 2:1 or First class honours than other disabled students who do not receive the grant. Ironically, the measures will be introduced alongside the government’s ‘Widening Participation in Higher Education’ initiative, which claims: ‘Anyone with the ability who wants to go to university should have the chance to do so, whatever their economic or social background.’ NUS Disabled Students Officer, Hannah Paterson, spoke out against the proposed measures: “These cuts will undo years of work that has helped open up higher education to disabled students.” She warned that “the prospect of deeply unfair cuts to support for disabled students should concern us all. We already know that disabled students are under greater financial strain than others”, adding that the changes are “arrogant and out of touch”. Cardiff graduate and President of NUS Wales, Beth Button, also spoke out against the measures, lending her support to the twitter campaign and commending the DSA for helping her through her studies whilst at Cardiff. The measures are set to be implemented in September next year, but will not affect existing DSA claimants.
Cardiff academic: “Ongoing threat” of radicalisation Katie Evans
A Cardiff University academic has warned that the radicalisation of young Muslims is an ‘ongoing threat’ in the city. Dr Suraj Lakhani’s warning comes after the release of a Jihadist propaganda video, which reportedly features two men from Cardiff, made headlines across the UK back in June. It is believed that Reyaad Khan and friend Nasser Muthana, both 20, who appear in the recruitment footage together, travelled to Syria in November to join the fundamentalist group ISIS. Nasser’s younger brother Aseel, 17, followed them to Syria in February.
Speaking to BBC Radio Wales, Dr Lakhani claimed that the issue of radicalisation has repeatedly been raised by several concerned organisations across South Wales. “As far as I’m aware, there’s been an issue in Cardiff for a while now”, says Dr Lakhani. “This is a concern that’s been raised by, not only the intelligent services and the Welsh Government, but also South Wales police and members of local Muslim communities as well. “People have been saying that something needs to be done in Cardiff, they need support.”
Lakhani, who recently completed his doctorate thesis on radicalisation in the UK at Cardiff University, went on to say that it was not the Mosques, but the internet and “face-to-face interaction” that most likely indoctrinated the young men. “There’s lots of research out there and even Heads of Counter-Terrorism say that very, very little radicalisation happens in Mosques now. They’ve done very well to help this problem and take back their Mosques.” The news has deeply saddened the families of the men and shocked Muslim communities across Cardiff. Imam Zane
Abdo, of the South Wales Islamic Centre, has spoken out about the growing radicalism in the city. “We’ve been trying to stop this type of thing from happening way before the media... we’ve spoken out loud about this way before anybody was really paying attention.” South Wales Police Assistant Chief Constable, Nikki Holland, reassured residents that Cardiff was not faced with a unique threat, adding that “I don’t think Cardiff has any greater problem than anywhere else in the UK.”
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The NUS is ‘deeply concerned’ about the measures
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Cuts to allowances for laptops and other costs incurred as a consequence of disability
Katie Evans
7
NEWS
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Gair Rhydd & Quench posted to over 20,000 students’ houses Eden delivers on manifesto promise
gair rhydd
Georgia Hamer
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since. Last year, Gair Rhydd came runner achievement, saying “I’m delighted to have air Rhydd & Quench are now being delivered to thousands of been able to accomplish this by the start of up at the Student Publication Association awards, having previously won various the new academic year. It is the most amstudents’ houses in Cardiff every other awards, including The Guardian’s bitious step forward for the print elements week, free of charge. of student media since their creation and I Student Newspaper of the year. Quench The promise was at the forefront of believe it has the potential to be a massive began in 2003 as a fortnightly lifestyle and Tom Eden’s campaign for re-election into Monday March 11th 2013 | freeword – Est. 1972 | Issue 1000 entertainment magazine, but has since the role of VP Media & Marketing. Hav- success. “Both Gair Rhydd and Quench demon- gone monthly but doubled in size. ing been re-elected in a landslide victory, Reports that another student paper – strate the incredible talent and dedication Eden has worked to implement this highly of a huge number of Cardiff ’s students. It entitled ‘The University Paper’ – will be popular policy. starting up across the country, including The award winning publications are be- is exciting that it will now reach a far wider in Cardiff, has been welcomed by Eden. audience. ing delivered to the homes of over 20,000 He said “Student papers are a great way “This will hopefully mean we are able students by the Royal Mail, with the list to more effectively inform students about for people to gain invaluable experience in of addresses having been provided by the a uniquely safe environment, so the more everything that’s happening, both across council who have an almost comprehenopportunities that are available, the better. campus and in the city.” sive list of student residences in the Cardiff “The new editor at the Cardiff paper, Gair Rhydd was first published in 1972 area. and over 1,000 issues have been produced Mike [O’Connell-Davidson], is incredibly Eden spoke of his excitement about this
talented, so I’m looking forward to seeing what him and his team produce.” Asked about the future of Gair Rhydd and Quench being delivered, Eden stressed the need for it to be financially self-sufficient to continue: “Unfortunately, it comes down to money. There will always be financial pressure, but I’m confident that we can generate the advertising revenue to keep it delivered. The amount of people who will now read them has increased dramatically, so it’s a far more appealing investment for prospective advertisers.”
It is the most ambitious step forward for the print elements of student media since their creation and I believe it has the potential to be a massive success
If you would like to advertise in Gair Rhydd or Quench, please email Editor@GairRhydd.com for more information
Tom Eden VP Media & Marketing
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CARDIFF
STUDENT
MEDIA
RECRUITMENT MEETING 1ST OCT - 3PM - GREAT HALL QUENCH
Quench Quench Quench Quench
CARDIFF UNION TV
ISSUE 144 - MAY ISSUE2014 138 - OCTOBER 2013ISSUE 2013 138 - OCTOBER 2013 ISSUE 141 - 2014 FEBRUARY Features 5 LGBT+ 11 Columnist 13 Fashion & Beauty 15 Food & Drink 22 Travel 26 Photography 30 Culture 34 42 AFTER THEIR SELLOUTVideo SHOWGames AT CARDIFF Film & WE TV 46 STUDENTSʼ UNION, SPEAK TO Music 52
CUTV is Cardiff’s very own online TV station. It features a range of live and prerecorded shows, as well as covering most of the Union & University’s big events, from Go Global to Varsity. As part of CUTV, you are able to develop skills both sides of the camera. Whether you’re interested in presenting, filming, editing or producing, there’s a role in CUTV for you.
Quench is a monthly student lifestyle and entertainment magazine bringing you
PLUS:the best features on everything from music to fashion. Features 5 AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW LGBT+ 11 MANCHESTER In theWITH past Quench interviewed a vast range of people, from the Directors of THE year, DIRECTORS OF Fashion & Beauty 16 ORCHESTRA Food & Drink 25 Turner, Chvches Sherlock and Dr Who, as well as Bombay Bicycle Club, Frank ISSUES AND Travel 34 and The 1975. PLUS: Culture 38 CHILDHOOD Video Games 46 PLACES TO TAKE WE SPEAK TO Film & TV 50 47 FRANK TURNER BAD DATES Music 58 RHIANNA PRATCHETT ONHISTORY LGBT+ MONTH MIRRORʼS EDGE, TOMB RAIDER & DISCWORLD XBOX ONE &
SHERLOCK CHVRCHES
DR WHO: THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY 52
XPRESS RADIO PL
PS4: REVIEWED
U S: S K PH OC EE O IA P T TO L H SH CLU E F O B AIT O H T
8P P TO AG LU CA E G S: RD UI IF DE F
OVER
One of the best student radio stations in the UK, Xpress broadcast live from the Students’ Union every day of the week. With an incredible range of shows, there’s something to suit every taste. Getting involved in Xpress is an unbeatable experience and an opportunity to present or produce your own radio show,broadcast to the world.
8 SU PA PP GE IN LE SW SI M D EN N E T
IT’S
GAIR RHYDD
The independent, award winning, student newspaper for Cardiff students brings you the latest news, views, sport and much more every week of term. There’s so many ways you can contribute to Gair Rhydd, from joining the editorial team, to unearthing and reporting on news across Cardiff, to proofreading and design.
NEWS FEATURE
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Introduce yourself… I’m Elliot, your Students’ Union President. This is my second year as an Officer having spent a year as VP Societies & Campaigns. I’m in the middle of my BSc Business Information Studies degree and will return to study next September. I have a keen interest in the arts and if I can find a spare evening, perform with local theatre groups. Find out more about me at cardiffstudents.com/officers!
ELLIO T
What is your role? Unlike the other Officers, I don’t have a set remit or group of students that I represent. As President, I lead the Elected Officer team and the Stu-
Introduce yourself… My name is Danial Faraz Alauddin and I am the new VP Welfare for the Students’ Union. I was born just outside Cardiff in Penarth and have lived my entire life in the area. I studied and graduated from BSc Economics.
FARAZ
What is your role? VP Welfare works as a direct liaison between the Union and the University on a lot of nonacademic issues in the best interests of students, representing your welfare needs to the University. A flavour of what this involves includes: housing, finance, mental and
Introduce yourself… My name is Claire Blakeway and I am the Vice President for the Heath Park Campus. I am 21 years old and have just recently graduated with a Radiography degree, making me a qualified radiographer. I have a keen interest in sport and enjoy running, playing netball and Korfball.
IRE
A CL
BA
RNEY
What is your role? My role for the coming year is to help and support students studying at the Heath Park Campus, representing them in everything from academic issues to sports clubs and societies.
Introduce yourself… Hi – I’m Barney, the new VP Societies and Campaigns! I am responsible for overseeing our 8000 strong community of student societies and for organising some of the best events at the Union such as the Cardiff Fringe and Go Global festivals. I am a 21 ex-historian from Kent with interests in politics and an enjoyment of singing. Some call me posh. I wouldn’t know anything about that… What is your role?
dents’ Union. I’m the key link between the Students’ Union and the University as well as the NUS and other stakeholders. My role involves chairing the Board of Directors and Trustees and being responsible for the financial position and performance of the Students’ Union. I’m also a Trustee of Cardiff University. It’s safe to say that no day is the same! What do you hope to achieve this year? My manifesto and list of priorities for the year is fairly lengthy so I guess I’ll just cover the highlights. I want to secure a Students’ Union building on our Heath Park Campus. We have over 5,000 students there and they’re often forgotten about! I also
sexual health, safety, transport and much more! What do you hope to achieve this year? The two big thing are getting a GP Clinic on Campus and setting up a Residents’ Associations at our halls. It would be a tremendous step forward for students and staff at the university if we could get a GP practice on Park Place and the Residents’ Associations would hopefully change halls from simply a place to live into a more welcoming place home and also build community spirit too. I’m also looking to get more out of hours welfare support as the current provisions are good but have a long waiting list. Students who have welfare and
What do you hope to achieve this year? I am particularly focused on improving the facilities and student experience at the Heath Park Campus. My main priorities are: •Secure a Students’ Union building at the Heath Park Campus •Organise a Heath Park Sports day •Organise a medics varsity between Cardiff and Bristol University healthcare students •Create an online learning programme so students can continue to learn whilst away on placement If you could go back to your first day at University and give yourself once
I’m Vice President for Societies and Campaigns - I help out our student societies and organise fun events like the Cardiff Fringe and Go Global Festival! I also help our student led services/campaign groups in any way I can. What do you hope to achieve this year? Lots of things! I want to see the lives of committee members become easier, with online tools for society accounts, room booking and vehicle hire. I also plan on holding a December showcase of soci-
plan to introduce an all-in-one cash and building access card, develop our current building and get students voting in the 2015 General Election. If you could go back to your first day at University and give yourself once piece of advice, what would it be? I think it would be to learn to iron earlier! Shamefully, the first time I ironed a shirt was when I started my first year in office. Which living person do you most admire, and why? I think it would be Tim Rhys-Evans MBE. Tim set up and conducted a choir I performed in when I was a teenager and his passion, enthusiasm and drive was re-
counselling needs can’t afford to be waiting long periods of time when they have problems they need to sort immediately. This can also be helped by promotion of the new well-being team. Healthy eating at the SU and earlier release of exam timetables round off my main priorities for the year. If you could go back to your first day at University and give yourself once piece of advice, what would it be? Don’t waste time!! In first year you get so much free time to do stuff so go and do everything you can. Get involved in clubs and societies, do something new, volunteer, literally anything. Just don’t look back in 3 years
piece of advice, what would it be? Don’t take on too much. When I first came to University, I was trying to balance a part time job, my radiography course, netball and going out with my friends. My first term life was so hectic that I sacrificed lots of nights out with friends for other commitments. I missed out on a lot of fun things and important socialising, luckily by my second term of first year I managed to strike a healthy balance. Which living person do you most admire, and why? This is a really difficult question as so many are in contention. Though I think
ety activity to promote all the wonderful things people do at the end of the first term. Finally, I want to hit some targets: 200 societies and 10,000 members by the end of the year. If you could go back to your first day at University and give yourself once piece of advice, what would it be? Don’t worry about being cool – that ship sailed a while back. Instead, do what you want and be unashamed of it. You get 70 odd years on this planet – don’t spend
ally infectious. The choir was an idea he had while growing up which aimed to rejuvenate the Welsh male voice choir scene. He was told that it would never work but now, 5 years on, they have performed on some of the world’s most prestigious stages, released two albums and came third on Britain’s Got Talent. Having turned 21, I’m now too old to be a member but follow their progress and Tim continues to inspire a generation of young men in an area not explored before. Making a difference is what I aim to do every day and Tim really epitomises this. Tell us a secret… I’m terrified of chickens. Like, actually terrified.
The first time I ironed a shirt was when I started my first year in office Elliot Howells President
and regret the hours you wasted sitting in your room and watching cat videos on youtube. Which living person do you most admire, and why? Christian Bale. He’s batman and the original genius playboy billionaire philanthropist Tell us a secret… I’m the first and only person in Cardiff University history to have taken a selfie on stage at a graduation ceremony. If Tom’s feeling nice he may print it sometime.
It would be a tremendous step forward for students and staff at the university if we could get a GP practice on Park Place Faraz Alauddin VP Welfare
I would have to say Paula Radcliff for her determination and hard work that enabled her to become a world class athlete. She is strong, passionate and committed and not only a good role model for women, young and aspiring athletes but for anyone who wants to achieve. Her dedication to athletics is still apparent today as she helps train young athletes and campaigns to stop drugs in sport. Tell us a secret… People often don’t believe this when I tell them but I used to be a massive chess geek! At the age of eleven I was ranked 5th in the UK for my age group. I used to play at least one chess game a day against
I am particularly focused on improving the facilities and student experience at the Heath Park Campus Claire Blakeway VP Heath Park
them worrying about what others think of you! They probably spend more time thinking about themselves anyway. Which living person do you most admire, and why? I did History – all the people I admire are quite dead. With that said, Morgan Freeman is pretty cool.
I did History – all the people I admire are quite dead
Tell us a secret… Wouldn’t be much of a secret if I told you now would it!
Barney Willis VP Societies & Campaigns
ELECTED OFFICER Q&A Introduce yourself… Hey, I’m Tom Eden. I’m a Journalism graduate, originally from a place near Reading. This is my second year in this job, having been re-elected; somehow that’s the first time it has ever happened, so hopefully it’ll be another successful year for student media and the Union.
through www.cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk The job is incredibly varied and it’s a pleasure to work with so many incredibly dedicated people. If you want to get involved in student media, we’ll be at the societies fayre, and having a big meeting on the X of October. Everyone’s welcome, regardless of course or experience. Hopefully see you there!
What is your role? Along with all the Cardiff Student Media volunteers, there’s a massive amount we do. Firstly, to create this paper every week throughout the academic year. Then there’s our incredible magazine Quench - which comes out monthly, full of everything related to lifestyle and entertainment. We also have student radio station; Xpress Radio, which broadcasts live everyday from the Cardiff Student Media office on the third floor. Last, but by no means least, is our TV station, CUTV (which stands for Cardiff Union Television). There’ll be an incredible array of things for you to watch during to freshers’ and through the year, so make sure you have a look; all of it can be found
What do you hope to achieve this year? The biggest part of my manifesto for this year was the delivery of Gair Rhydd and Quench to every students’ house in Cardiff. I am delighted that I’ve been able to achieve it in time for the year’s first issue they’ve been sent to over 20,000 students’ houses; an achievement that must rank alongside some the biggest steps forward for Cardiff Student Media’s history. Elsewhere, I’ll be focusing on maintaining the incredibly high standards of previous years and making sure as many people get as much as possible from student media, whether that’s as someone involved in the production or consumption.
Introduce yourself… Hi I’m Bryn Griffiths this years’ AU President. I’m taking a year out from studying for a BSc Biomedical Science degree. I came to Cardiff as an Ice Hockey player and am now also a Ballroom Dancer.
I came to Cardiff as an Ice Hockey player and am now also a Ballroom Dancer
What is your role? I’m here to facilitate as many students as possible to get involved in sport and exercise during their time at Cardiff. I represent those who play competitive or participation sports and work to support our student led clubs as well as liaising with, and lobbying, the University Sport Department.
ties to reduce the saturation of Talybont Sports Centre, the overcrowding of the gym facilities and bringing our provision up to the level of other universities. Working with the University Sport Department to bring in a flexible gym membership option. This would ideally be a student friendly monthly rolling membership without any contract as are available elsewhere. Again working with University Sport, implementing a centralised online booking system for all sports facilities – similar to the one in place for booking rooms in the Students’ Union – available to both club committees and individual students.
Bryn Griffiths VP Sport & AU President
What do you hope to achieve this year? Three of my top priorities for the year are: Securing new multipurpose sports facili-
If you could go back to your first day at University and give yourself once piece of advice, what would it be?
Introduce yourself… Hi, I’m Rhys Jenkins VP Education. I’m 21, lived in Cardiff all my life and studied Law at Cardiff University. I was an Academic Rep whilst in Uni, Treasurer of Cardiff University Law Society and President of Cardiff University Archery Club.
What do you hope to achieve this year? I will be working with the University to improve learning facilities and libraries to be tailored to students’ needs. I have been and will continue to feed into the revamp of the Personal Tutor System to ensure tutors are well trained and provide students with the best support possible. I will improve and utilise the Student Academic Rep System to be even more effective at gathering feedback and representing the student voice. I will be working with the VP Welfare, Faraz, to lobby for earlier release of exam timetable and to improve the organisation and execution of assessments. I will also be working with our Campaign officers to look at why BME students, mature students and disabled students are more likely to achieve a lower classification than other students. Overall I will also be representing student opin-
I’m unashamadly passionate about politics, and am therefore very excited about covering the upcoming general election Tom Eden VP Media & Marketing
A tip for all non welsh students: always, always carry waterproofs & umbrella. Rhys Jenkins VP Education
What is your role? I represent all students on academic issues to the University, lobby and negotiate with the University to encourage them to enact your feedback as well as liaising with the Information Services including libraries to improve facilities. I’m the Chair of the College Forums and Academic Council and am responsible for overseeing and promoting the Student Academic Rep system. Along with the President, I am also a Trustee of Cardiff University.
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I’m unashamedly passionate about politics, and am therefore very excited about covering the upcoming general election. Oh, and hopefully reporting on a few juicy scandals throughout the year!.
Probably my Grandad. He has such a wealth of knowledge; some of it’s even useful. He’s probably inspired me the most, from his unfailing kindness and generosity, to his political outlook and faith in people.
If you could go back to your first day at University and give yourself once piece of advice, what would it be? Last year my answer was something along the lines of get involved as much as you can early on. While this still holds true, it’s become a fairly cliched piece of advice that’ll be thrown at you so many times, especially during freshers. Therefore, my advice to ‘fresher Tom’ would be to have kept some sort of blog or diary - throughout your time at uni, there’s so much you get up to, it would be amazing to be able to have an account of it all; there’s inevitably so much I’ve forgotten.
Tell us a secret… I know lots of secrets that, unfortunately aren’t printable. One about me is that the scars on my face are from a car crash. It’s not actually a secret, but it’s something that people are surprisingly reluctant to ask about. It’s fine; I’ve had them for 20 years now. (And no, I wasn’t driving...) The only thing that bothers me it not having a better anecdote about how I got them. Suggestions would be gratefully received!
Which living person do you most admire, and why? Such a tough question;,there are so many.
Throw yourself into your course and give it a chance but, if you really decide you don’t enjoy your course don’t mess around – speak to Student Advice (3rd Floor of the SU) about changing to a course you’ll enjoy. I took until part way through my 2nd year to jump ship so had a long wait until the following September to start my new course. Which living person do you most admire, and why? I wouldn’t say I have a particular idol, but I have a lot of respect for Mariusz Pudzianowski. He is a Polish athlete most well known for being five times World Strongest Man – the most titles won by any competitor to date. He was ever the smart athlete always using his brain and new techniques (as well as a lot of brawn!)
ion on major University projects. If you could go back to your first day at University and give yourself once piece of advice, what would it be? Try and get involved early. Sort out your CV find the skill holes and deal with them. That way in the later stages of your degree you can focus on achieving academically. If I’m allowed a second one – a tip for all non welsh students: always, always carry waterproofs & umbrella. You’re in Wales now – it may look sunny but it will most likely rain later on. Which living person do you most admire, and why? This is difficult as I admire different people for different reasons. For example, I admire our recently retired external trustee Sir Donald Walters for his abil-
TO
to gain an edge over his opposition. I admire him for continually challenging himself – rather than retiring to a quiet life as a world famous athlete he took up a totally new style of training and competed as a professional mixed martial artist. Last year there was even a rumour the 143kg powerhouse had signed for a 3rd Division Welsh Sunday league rugby team - Fortunately for many that was not the case!
M
BRYN
Tell us a secret… I was once the champion of a Crab Catching competition in Cornwall – it’s 98 to beat, take up the challenge if you’re brave enough… and have far too much free time!
ity to hold a conversation at every level. By that I mean he can, for example, talk about complicated finances (he was a highly successful banker) with our Director of Finance, yet talk with the officer team about it in such a clear and understandable manner. Another person would be Prof. The Baroness Finlay of Llandaff, our SVC Patron. Not only has she broken many barriers for women within medicine and other fields, Baroness Finlay continues to practice as a Palliative care consultant and can go from clinic to creating law in the House of Lords within a matter of hours.
RH
Tell us a secret… I was the Junior Welsh Open Champion in Archery.
YS
One in four people in the UK will experience mental health difficulties each year, meaning a quarter of those reading this are likely to be affected - including lecturers, staff and students.
Shocking, isn’t it? The UK has the highest recorded rate of self harm in Europe, and many continue to suffer in silence. But it doesn’t have to be this way. This year, Cardiff Student Media would like to do their part to help fight stigma and raise awareness of mental health difficulties and the support available for those in times of crisis. That’s why we’re announcing the One in the Four campaign. For more information on what we’re doing and how to get involved, see http://bit.do/1in4 PLUS: Inspired by the Time to Change Pledge, Mind Media Awards 2013 nominee Michael O’Connell Davidson investigates mental health support at university as part of Quench Magazine’s new digital content initiative. Read parts 1-7 here: http://bit.do/1in4putp (Parts 8 onward will be released later this year).
Quench
Cardiff Student Media
COLUMN
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Welcome, Freshers. Confused? Overwhelmed? It’s OK. Jason Roberts is here to help.
Pictured: Cardiff Bay and the Senedd
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It’s never actually sunny, there are just rare occasions when there’s no more water left in the sky
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ello Freshers. You’ve made it. This is it, the promised land. Unless you applied somewhere else, and only got here through clearing. In any case, welcome. You’re at one of the best universities in the U.K., not only in terms of education but atmosphere too. And since you’re a fresher, the whole ‘education’ thing doesn’t matter until next year. So there’s really nothing left to do but enjoy what will be the easiest year of your life. You’ll have undoubtedly received hundreds of pieces of advice already, from parents, teachers and the university. And while I’m sure their intentions were good, and some of their advice may have even been a little bit useful, the vast majority of it you could have figured out yourself. You’re not stupid. You know not to eat chicken if it’s bright red in the middle. Most of the advice given to you before you arrive here is only said so that if you screw up or die, somebody can say, “I TOLD YOU SO. I TOLD YOU THAT YOU SHOULDN’T USE BEER AS A MIXER.” Or something along those lines. Well, I’m not going to insult your intelligence. You are a goddamn grown-up now, and you’re perfectly capable of making dumb decisions on your own. Instead, I will not offer you advice, only some truths about the place you’re going to come to know as home for the next few years. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Whenever a rep says to you, “Tickets are selling fast!” they are lying through their filthy mouths. Reps are one of the worst kinds of evil that university has to offer. They
knock on your door with faces lit up full of false cheer, and when you let them in, they’ll say something along the lines of, “HEY GUYS ARE YOU GOING OUT ON (random night of the week)? COME TO (random club)! WE’VE GOT £1 JÄGERBOMBS (if it’s £1, it’s not Jägermeister)! WE’VE ALSO GOT (random Z-list celebrity that you’ve never heard of,) SO YOU CAN MEET HIM/HER! TICKETS ARE SELLING FAST SO HOW MANY WOULD YOU LIKE?!!!!” This is a lie, and it will always be a lie. If tickets are selling so quickly, how come you’re stood here and not putting photos of your dinner on Instagram? Realistically though, you’re presented with a couple of options here. You can say you’re not going out, but then you’ll be met with a condescending look that will remind you of how boring you are. Nobody wants that. You could buy the tickets and hope for the best, which never works out well because clubs that need to go out and convince people to come are probably going to suck. Your best option is to say, “Sorry, we’re going somewhere else.” Don’t worry about hurting any feelings, all reps are dead inside anyway. The worst part of all this is that one of your friends will become a rep sometime around November and you’ll have to mute their notifications on Facebook. The rain will never ever stop. Ever. There are plenty of misguided stereotypes about Wales, but sadly the weather isn’t one of them. Similar to tumbleweed in the desert, Cardiff has thousands of broken umbrellas scattered across its streets like the world’s worst modern art project. It’s never
actually sunny, there are just rare occasions when there’s no more water left in the sky. It’s not even courteous enough to rain all day. It rains in long patches, invariably when you’ll be outside without an umbrella. Then it’ll clear, and you’ll think you might actually get to do something with your day, only for it to start again when you’ve stepped outside. It is hateful weather. This is especially annoying for sports teams who are constantly rescheduling games. So get used to it, and buy a decent umbrella. If you don’t do anything in first year when you’ve got loads of free time, doing it in second year becomes a lot more difficult. You may be surprised to learn that you can’t spend all of your free time drinking. You can try, but you will not succeed. Eventually you’re going to need to do something to kill some precious time. Luckily, there are literally hundreds of different societies and sports clubs to join. You’ll make different friends, have something to look forward to when your course gets boring and generally have a better time. If you decide to wait until second year, not only will you have wasted an entire year not doing something, you’ll have actual work to do. There will be at least one housemate who you don’t like. But on the plus side, there will hopefully be some that you at least find tolerable. You’re not going to get on with everyone here, just like you probably didn’t get on with absolutely everyone at school. Dealing with people you don’t like is just another life skill you’re here to learn. And if you think that everyone
gets on well? You’re the housemate they don’t like. Congratulations. Regional differences will become a point of contention. Different accents and different words will be debated far more than they should ever be, and the North-South in particular will be argued to death. Lets clear this up: the north begins at Stoke and the Midlands is a real thing. Please can we stop arguing about this now? At least once, you will worry about failing first year. Don’t. I’m firmly of the belief that you can put less effort into first year than you did into your GCSEs. Just remember that first year is designed to get you accustomed to the idea of independent study, as opposed to the following years in which you have to confront the actual realities of it. As long as you end up with 40%, it’s as good as 100%. Note: if you’re a Medic, ignore everything you just read. All your fears about failing first year are totally valid. You will look your worst in front of people far more than you look your best. Whether it’s making breakfast in your dressing gown with no make-up on, or passed out in a pile of your own vomit, people will see you at your absolute worst. Probably far sooner than you’d like, as well. Fortunately, you will see all of them looking just as bad, if not worse. If someone looks good all the time, they’re not having enough fun. Finally, if anyone ever makes fun of you for being a Fresher, they’re only doing it to mask their own jealousy. Enjoy the best year of your life. You only get to do it once.
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Whenever a rep says to you, “Tickets are selling fast!” they are lying through their filthy mouths.
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Jason Roberts Gair Rhydd columnist
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COMMENT
tweet us @grcomment email us comment@gairrhydd.com or visit us online at gairrhydd.com/comment
The first week of the rest of your life
Pictured: Freshers week revellers NB: ‘Revellers’ makes it sound like an article from the Daily Maily
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he escape from your old home has begun. No matter where you come from, if you attend University, your freshers’ week is an unavoidable experience. For some, it is more positive than for others. I loved freshers’ week – but I am certainly different now to the person I was then. Was the alcohol fuelled freshers’ binge the perfect start to University – or not? Coming to university, I had the nerves that everybody does. I was waving goodbye to my family, friends and homecooked meals. Senghennydd Court was my new home (House K, Flat 12, Room 1, if you’re interested). As the shy, polite and middle class girl (something I was soon to embrace) I was taken under the wing of my three housemates on the first night – and was joined by another girl the next day. Not drinking a great deal before University meant that one of my housemates told me that she was going to ‘ruin me’. Being handed a Zwack bomb (memories of Union drinks past - these are no longer served) was the start of the drinking. This seemed to be a natural progression to the start of my University life.
I made the choice to drink alcohol at University. But I can see how for those who do not drink it would be hellish. More and more students are choosing not to drink at all. Even those who say that they will just ‘have a few’ may feel outdone by the ‘Down it, Fresher’ culture that is prevalent in Cardiff University freshers’ week. The Students’ Union has come under great scrutiny for encouraging binge drinking. The Union Wednesday club night, formerly known as ‘The Lash’ is being renamed because this title supposedly advocates alcohol culture. I think that ‘The Lash’ should have stayed. From personal experience it is hardly the club night that people go to for a ‘quiet few’. Of course people will drink there. How heavily they do this is up to them – these people are now adults who are free to make their own choices (and inevitable mistakes) – we should let them. It is not just Cardiff freshers’ week where alcohol plays a big part in the experience. Before I left home I had been told various stories by my parents about their time spent drinking at the University they both attended – my Mum was
the President of the Real Ale society, and my Dad spent regular nights drinking with his rugby friends. My sister, as someone who drank relatively little throughout her 4-year University experience, tells me stories about her college having its own wine cellar. So it’s not just Cardiff where drinking is part of the University culture. Alcohol is a large part of the University experience. Yes, we should offer alternatives to alcohol fuelled nights out, but they are undoubtedly popular. There are positives to a seemingly negative alcohol culture. Alcohol is a great ice breaker. Without alcohol, it is fair to say, I would have found freshers’ week frightfully isolating. Have you ever been sober in a room full of rowdy drunk people? It’s no fun at all. Clutching a bottle of something in a room that, at the time, was full of complete strangers (some of whom I would never speak to again, there’s no point pretending that all of the people you meet in freshers’ week will be your friends for life) made things far easier. That said, there are also other things that made freshers’ week easier. Living in a flat with 4 other people made hangovers
far easier to cope with and sorting out things that Mum and Dad were no longer around to help us with became a breeze. As terrifying as new situations are sometimes, it made my University experience far easier when I could literally pop across the corridor to have someone to talk to. Don’t be the person who sits in their room all day and refuses to talk to anyone. Make tea, buy milk and bread and offer people medicine for their headaches. It pays off. Unexpected relationships are formed in freshers’ week – finding something in common with a stranger, standing in line for your freshers’ wristband next to someone you would share a house with in your second year, meeting someone at a house party who would become an integral part of your friendship group. Alcohol is not always necessary for these to form – but it can make conversations flow. Embrace what your Students’ Union has to offer, but you’re allowed to say no as well. University brings together people from all walks of life who will have different views on what is acceptable. Make University your own experience – with alcohol, or without.
Life in the big city
Cardiff is an incredible city to study in, and has so much to offer students Anne Porter
So you’ve made it to University. It’s highly likely that you didn’t come to University in Cardiff on a whim, and that you gave your choice of University at least some thought. You have made a good choice. Excuse my sentimental nature, as a third year, but Cardiff really does have it all. I moved from the English Home Counties to come to the city. Not only was my Mum pleased that I moved somewhere that had a regional accent, but I know that I came to a fantastic city. Great nightlife, shopping and a plethora of places to eat out are accompanied by huge parks and endless things to do. That said, Cardiff is not without its problems. Housing four universities in a city of three million people means that Cardiff has a huge student population. The city houses Cardiff University (it’d be slightly worrying if you were unaware of that), the University of South Wales, Cardiff Metropolitan University (Cardiff Met for short, formerly known
as University of Wales Institute, Cardiff ) and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Throughout their lifetimes the various universities in Cardiff have existed in various guises. Perhaps most easily compared with Cardiff University itself is Cardiff Met. The Universities are unrelated but co-exist within the city, the latter offering more arts- and sports-based degrees. Impressive connections with other nations ensure that Cardiff Met has a great number of international students alongside the home students. Their employment figures shine too – with 95% of their graduates in employment within six months of graduation. That said, the age old rivalries of attending Cardiff ‘proper’ still exist. Without doubt, the biggest rivalry that exists in South Wales is that between the cities of Cardiff and Swansea. The Varsity held each year between Cardiff and Swan-
sea only encourages this. A series of matches between the University sports teams culminates in a rugby match, played for the past four years in the Millennium Stadium Cardiff. Of the 28 different sports in the Varsity, in 2014 Cardiff won 22 of the matches. It seems that our sporting abilities form a great part of the rivalries that exist between Cardiff and Swansea. That said, despite rivalries that are beginning to appear between Universities in Cardiff, the simple fact is that the city is able to attract so many students because it is a great place to live, work and study. Cardiff has so much to show us as students. Embrace the inevitable Winter weather that seems to last for an age and cosy up inside. There’s also nightlife catering to every possible taste (a personal favourite being Live Lounge), parks to explore, a beach on nearby Barry Island, three shopping cen-
tres and a group of arcades. You are never bored in Cardiff. A day trip to Bristol or the Swansea Gower is also an option, but there are so many reasons to stay in the city. Cardiff Bay provides culture and history (…and the Doctor Who Experience). A beautiful city location means that filming for TV is popular, such as BBC shows Sherlock and Doctor Who. The main building of Cardiff University was a star of the first episode of Sherlock. Music is another large part of Cardiff ’s culture, with larger bands playing at the Motorpoint Arena year round, while others play the Students’ Union (these are frequently sell-out gigs) and Queen Street in the city centre is regularly home to music of all sorts. So Cardiff as a city should embrace its large student population, forget its rivalries, and encourage its students to come together. I have spent two years in this city so far, and I am nowhere near bored. Walk, get lost and explore.
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They renamed ‘The Lash’ because it might have promoted alcohol culture. I think it should have stayed.
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I have spent two years in this city so far, and am nowhere near bored
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Anne Porter
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Freshers’ Week presents a whole range of opportunities, challenges and choices, like whether to drink...
COMMENT
15
Not voting is a vote for apathy Zach Hughes
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s I began research for this article on the upcoming 2015 General Elections, the drop down options of the trustworthy Google Omnibox told a sad but accurate story. The top hits being searched around next year are as follows: 2015 Calendars, 2015 Holiday dates, The 2015 Rugby World Cup and the 2015 London Marathon. For me, Google’s top hits reflect the current climate engulfing political interest within the UK’s youth communitythere is an apparent lack of it. My experience of political debate with young adults suggests there does seem to be some political awareness. We kind of know who we’re angry at. We’re fairly sure who there is to vote for and roughly when. Yet despite this awareness many seem to resolve with the attitude of not bothering with voting or actually engaging with politics due to there being little point or progress ever made with it. My aim is to convince you that it is seriously important that over the next eight months you comprehensively engage with politics, and when that fateful day meets us on the 30th of May next year, you get out there and you vote. A poignant starting point for my plea for political engagement would be the 2014 European elections that took place
earlier this year. The success of the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) came as weighty sucker punch to the majority of the political community. I could easily divulge my less than favourable opinion of the sly-grinning “Peoples man” that is Nigel Farage, but for now my focus remains on the importance of the vote. We’ll put a rain check on Nige. The results left a bitter taste in the mouths of both The Labour Party and The Conservative Party, shaking the political world and reflecting unprecedented changes within the values of active voters. The Lib Dems don’t get a shout out here due to a certain taste in my mouth, coupled with their shocking performance. Despite all the hot air during the build up and aftermath of this political event, what shocked me most was the turnout of this vote. An embarrassing 34.9% of people turned up to vote. That isn’t a percentage drawn from the whole of the UK… that is the percentage of able, adult voters in the UK. It doesn’t take a genius to deduce that the results are undeniably unrepresentative of the whole UK if only a third of people turn up to vote. Compared to the recent EU votes, General Elections do have greater turn outs. In 2010 there was a 65% turnout.
Whilst this is significantly higher than the EU turnout, there were still millions that failed to turn up and do there bit. With turnouts decreasing election-onelection it’s safe to say that I’m apprehensive about what the next one has in store for us. Russell Brand is a bit of a marmite kind of guy. I, for one, love his comedy, his witty “trews” blogging, his activism and usual forward thinking attitude towards politics and all therein. That said, I was left confused and unfortunately in strong disagreement with the message he conveyed during that iconic interview where he took on Paxman. The sentiment of his message I can sing to all day long; change is needed, there has been political stagnancy and for many politics is frustrating. However I feel his attitude of “Not bothering” to vote is a dangerous and misguiding one. It is idealistic to imagine that in not turning up real change is coming for those who are frustrated with the current party in power. All that happens, like with the EU elections, is that the vote is casted predominantly by angry people from the other side of the coin, leading to a skewed and misleading result. As a supposedly well-rounded and fully developed society, our voting system lies in the cornerstone of the democracy
that we pride ourselves on. For this voting system to operate as a fully democratic machine that decides the powers-that-be, surely everyone that is going to exist under them should be part of the electorate process. Wanting every single person to vote is possibly idealistic as Brand’s bizarre imagining that a revolution will be caused by everyone doing nothing. Still, I think it is time for our generation to become passionate about politics, to engage with politics and to get out there and vote! If you find yourself in a tight spot because you’re not quite sure who to support, dig deeper, explore further and really take time to read their manifestos. Inevitably one of these parties is going to take over this country next year. Whether it is for the lesser of a series evils or a party you’re genuinely excited by and passionate about, get out and vote. Vote for change. Vote for the same. Vote for all those who have given to allow you to. Please do your part and contribute to a system that separates us from so many oppressed, silenced and manipulated humans around the globe. Then and only then, when the results come in, can you hold your head with pride and accept that there’s nothing more you could’ve done.
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During the EU elections, only an embarrassing 34.9% of people turned up to vote.
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Russell Brand was wrong: democracy is the only path to change
For more info on how to register to vote, visit aboutmyvote. co.uk
POLITICS
tweet us @gairrhyddpol email us politics@gairrhydd.com or visit us online at gairrhydd.com/politics
Pictured: The Senedd building in Cardiff Bay
Welcome to Welsh politics Gair Rhydd's guide to politics in Wales
Carwyn Williams
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o many of you reading this, welcome to Cardiff, and welcome to Wales. For those of you not native to Wales or unfamiliar with how it's run, here is your guide to Welsh politics and it's National Assembly, based right here in Cardiff. Devolution is a fairly new term used in UK politics, and simply means the transfer of powers from central Westminister to the assemblies of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Following the successful devolution referendum in 1997, the National Assembly for Wales was formed, establishing a degree of self-governance over different Welsh services such as it's NHS, local councils and culture projects. However, the Assembly’s influence was limited and it’s policy-making powers remained in the hands of the UK Parliament. In 2006, with the Government of Wales act, the Assembly was granted additional powers to legislate laws within it's devolved power, such as in health and education. Wales now has its own NHS and educational curriculum as a consequence. However, up until 2011, Westminster retained the power to veto legislative proposals, limiting the Assembly’s law-making powers. In 2011, another referendum was held to increase the Assembly’s influence and legislative power. Following the referendum’s success and the subsequent
law-passing, the Assembly Government implemented some of its most iconic changes, such as free prescriptions and reduced student tuition fees for Welsh students. The Welsh Assembly Government has several buildings across Wales, although the home of the government and it’s debating chamber is in The Senned, situated on the waterfront in Cardiff Bay. It was
officially opened in 2006 and is well worth a visit at some point during your time at Cardiff. Other government offices are located in Cathays Park between some of the University buildings, so you may even catch sight of government officials while walking around campus. The current leader of the Welsh Assembly Government, also known as the First Minister, is Carwyn Jones. Mr. Jones
has been the Welsh Labour leader and First Minister since December 2009, and brought back a Labour minority government after the 2011 election with half of the available seats. The assembly is formed of 60 Assembly Members (AM’s) who are elected by the Welsh people; with the next election scheduled for 2016. The voting system is slightly different to Westminster’s voting system, in that 40 AMs are elected from single member constituency by first past the post, as in Westminster elections. The other 20 members are elected from regional closed lists using an alternative party vote, to create the best democracy in Wales. The National Assembly is currently funded by the UK government, which some argue leaves Wales underfunded. Welsh AM’s, including Carwyn Jones, dispute the current Barnett formula for calculating the Welsh budget, claiming that Wales comes up short by about £300 million due to it’s higher than average social needs. As to the future, the Wales Bill is currently making its way through the Houses of Parliament and hopes to grant the Assembly greater powers and even a chance to vary income tax subject to another referendum. Gair Rhydd will look closely at the developments in the Assembly over the next year as, in the words of Ron Davies, former Secretary of State for Wales, devolution is "a process, not an event."
POLITICS
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Q&A: Jo Stevens Labour’s Cardiff Central candidate on tuition fees, the Lib Dems, and the qualities that make Miliband a good leader
Pictured: Jo Stevens, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for the Cardiff Central seat.
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he introduction of £9,000 tuition fees after the Lib Dems had pledged to scrap fees completely has left many potential student voters with a huge amount of debt and a distrust of politicians’ promises. The Lib Dems have historically performed strongly in areas with a high student population and with students making up almost one in three residents in Cardiff Central, the Lib Dem held seat is certainly not safe. Labour’s candidate Jo Stevens is a trade union lawyer and mother of two who wants to restore young people’s trust in politics, and will certainly have to work hard if she is to overturn the Lib Dem’s 4,676 vote majority from 2010.
What inspired you to get into politics?
I’ve been politically active since I was a teenager, experiencing the rise of inequality, greed and injustice whilst growing up under Thatcher. From seeing discriminatory bullying in school, to families torn apart by unemployment and the beginning of mass privatisation of our assets, it made me angry and so I got involved to try to help change it.
Why are you running for the Cardiff Central seat?
I’ve spent 25 years living in Cardiff and working as a trade union solicitor fighting for working people against big business and organisations. You can push legal boundaries, but to really change the law, you need to become a lawmaker. I don’t think we’ve had effective parliamentary representation from the Lib Dems in this constituency and I believe I can change that for the better.
What is your stance on tuition fees?
I have always believed that a graduate tax would be a better and fairer method to fund higher education if free education is unaffordable. In Wales, we have protected our students from the astronomical fees and debt that the Lib Dems and Tories have imposed on students from England. It’s a desperate situation for the current generation of students and graduates. Even if you get a job, we have a low pay economy, with insecurity and exploitation is rife. How will young adults ever pay off their debts, let alone buy a home?
What is your opinion of Ed Miliband’s leadership?
The test of a true leader is someone who will stand up against the strong on behalf of the weak. Ed has done this on the energy companies who are ripping us off, against Murdoch and on military intervention in Syria. He’s a brave, honest and thoughtful leader.
Will you be at the Societies’ Fayre during Freshers? Pictured (right): Jo Stevens campaigning in Cardiff with Labour leader Ed Miliband and Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones
I’ll be coming back mid Labour Party conference in Manchester especially and I’m really looking forward to meeting as many Freshers as possible. Come and say hello at the Labour Students stand!
What would you do to improve the experience of students in Cardiff?
I’m already working closely with the Labour Councillors in Cathays, Roath and Adamsdown to improve the experience
of private renters in Cardiff. From better information about rights and enforcement for tenants, to campaigning for safer, secure homes and capping letting agent fees, which a Labour government will introduce.
Why should students vote in Cardiff, rather than back home?
This is a marginal seat, as is Cardiff North, and if you want a government next year that will govern for the many not the few and that will deliver on its promises, then please register to vote in Cardiff (it’s easy, you can do it on-line at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote) and vote Labour. Your votes counts for more here and Cardiff University students can and will determine the result.
What do you think of the political record of the current Cardiff Central MP Jenny Willott?
It’s a Tory record implementing Tory policy that Cardiff Central didn’t vote for; Tax cuts for millionaires, Gagging Law, Bedroom Tax, Royal Mail and probation privatisation, NHS sell off in England. You name it, she’s supported it.
Can young people trust the promises of the Labour Party?
Yes. We deliver on our promises. Others don’t.
Which three people would be your dream dinner guests?
Aneurin Bevan, Sir Vivian Richards, Caitlin Moran. I like to think that we’d all get on.
If you want a government next year that will govern for the many not the few and that will deliver on its promises, then please register to vote in Cardiff and vote Labour Jo Stevens Labour Parliamentary Candidate Cardiff Central
SCIENCE
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Pictured: University Hospital of Wales, where Cardiff researchers developed the test.
Leukaemia breakthrough developed at Cardiff
Shanna Hamilton
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he prognosis for patients with the most common form of leukaemia can now be predicted with a test developed by researchers at Cardiff ’s School of Medicine. Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia is a blood cancer that causes white blood cells to grow uncontrollably and is incurable for many patients, with over 4000 new diagnoses made each year in the UK. An accurate prognosis for patients after diagnosis has always been a challenge for doctors, with the huge range of cancer forms and widely varying outcome in each and every case. By having an accu-
rate test to predict clinical outcome, it is hoped the most appropriate and effective treatment course can be followed more easily. A research group at Cardiff University has focused on telomere length, suggested by others as a valuable prognostic indicator of survival in cancer. Telomeres are stretches of DNA at the end of chromosomes that protect our genetic data from damage. However, ever time our cells divide, telomere length shortens. This shortening process is associated with aging, cancer and a higher risk of death. The Cardiff researchers, led by Profes-
sor Chris Pepper of the School of Medicine, used a pioneering technology to carefully measure and analyse telomeres from 200 blood cancer patients called Single Telomere Length Analysis (STELA). Telomere length was then compared to records of patient outcome. The findings published in the British Journal of Haematology, show that patients with short and dysfunctional telomeres were far more likely to have a poorer prognosis than those with longer telomeres. Just a small percentage of the 200 patient cohort with shorter telomeres were found to be alive after ten years, whereas 91% of patients with a slower form of the disease with longer telomeres were still alive after this time period. These findings were then also independently confirmed in a second patient cohort by another group. Professor Chris Pepper commented on his work, funded by Cancer Research UK and Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research: ‘For the first time, confident pre-
dictions of clinical outcome can be made for individual CLL patients at diagnosis based on accurate analysis of the length of telomeres in cancer cells. ‘This should prove enormously valuable to doctors, patients and their families and there is no reason why there should not be widespread implementation of this powerful prognostic tool in the near future.’ Henry Scowcroft of Cancer Research UK, said, ‘These promising findings need to be confirmed in larger trials, but being able to work out an accurate outlook for someone with CLL would help doctors tailor treatment more effectively. It could also have an important psychological benefit for patients who have just been told they have cancer. ‘One of the most difficult aspects of a cancer diagnosis to cope with can be the waiting and uncertainty, and anything that could help patients plan their lives and immediate futures can only be a good thing.’
This should prove enormously valuable to doctors, patients and their families and there is no reason why there should not be widespread implementation Prof. Chris Pepper Cardiff School of Medicine
Cardiff led team trap monopoles in ‘spin ice’ Meryon Roderick
A ‘far from equilibrium’ state is a state of matter or energy that is extremely far from normal and therefore are usually very short lived. Examples of this are thunder and lightning or even many of the molecular processes that occur in our own cells. Discovering the mysteries of these ‘far from equilibrium’ states can be an extremely complex problems to solve but an expert at Cardiff University has collaborated with scientists in Grenoble, UCL, Oxford and Kitakyushu to create a simple and appealing system that does just that: a magnetic material known as “spin ice”. Spin ice is an unusual magnetic material and the ice part of the name comes from the fact that it has some properties
in common with ice, namely that the particles that make it up should theoretically have some entropy (or movement) at absolute zero which is an extremely unusual concept, rather than it being made up of water. Often the material used is dysprosium titanate or holmium titanate. Another interesting property of spin ice is that it contains the magnetic equivalent of electrical charges which are called magnetic monopoles. It has attracted attention on account of the currents of these charges forming a magnetic equivalent of electricity or “magnetricity”. Normally, the number of magnetic monopoles in spin ice diminishes as the temperature of the material goes down.
The monopoles or charges disappear at extremely low temperatures as positive and negative charges annihilate each other. The team used a technique that utilises magnetic fields to create a hot vapour or gas of magnetic monopoles in very cold surroundings which then sucks the heat out of the magnetic monopole gas, resulting in many magnetic monopoles trapped at a fraction of a degree above absolute zero. The frozen monopoles could no longer annihilate each other but instead could be made to flow by applying magnetic fields. This research has the potential to uncover a lot of new information about how magnetic charge carriers move and
recombine, especially in these ‘far from equilibrium’ states which until now have been extremely difficult to study.
Pictured: Artist’s impression of a hot gas of magnetic monopoles in very cold surroundings.
SCIENCE
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Cleanest UK rivers in 20 years Cardiff study reveals positive news about the state of our waterways
Shanna Hamilton
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Cardiff University study of over 2300 rivers covering 20 years of records has concluded that the UK’s urban rivers are the cleanest they have been for two decades. By studying insects, snails and other minibeasts found in major rivers, Dr Ian Vaughan and Professor Steve Ormerod from the School of Biosciences have found that certain species of invertebrates are making a comeback, linked to cleaner waters and improved habitat quality. Climatic change over the last 20 years is thought to have warmed rivers by up to 2oC and these findings give hope that improved pollution control can offset the damage. Dr Ian Vaughan said: ‘Our analysis
showed clearly that many British river invertebrates are sensitive to climate for example; because they require good supplies of oxygen that decline as rivers warm up. However, it seems that efforts over the last 2-3 decades to clean up pollution from sewage and other sources have allowed many of these sensitive organisms to expand their range despite 1-2 °C warming trends and several periods of drought.’ The researchers examined the occurrence and distribution of 78 types of river organisms, questioning whether temperature, water quality or river flow could explain any changes. Over half of these organisms have become more prevalent and this is explained by lower pollution levels, rather than due to climate change.
This is particularly encouraging in showing that pollution control can counteract ill effects of climate change. Dr Ian Vaughan, first author on the paper published in Global Change Biology, said, ‘Our analysis showed clearly that many British river invertebrates are sensitive to climate - for example; because they require good supplies of oxygen that decline as rivers warm up. However, it seems that efforts over the last 2-3 decades to clean up pollution from sewage and other sources have allowed many of these sensitive organisms to expand their range despite 1-2 °C warming trends and several periods of drought.” Professor Ormerod commented, ‘These results reveal part of a larger pattern in which organisms dependent on
cleaner waters, faster flows and high oxygen concentrations have been progressively recolonizing Britain’s urban rivers: Atlantic salmon, mayflies, and Dippers are prime examples. We need to protect these and other river organisms against climate change effects – and solving other problems such as pollution clearly helps. ‘Away from Britain’s urban areas, some pollution problems are increasing, and our analysis shows some negative trends among sensitive organisms such as stoneflies that are typical for rural hill-streams. It’s important that our efforts to protect Britain’s rivers against pollution or climate change are extended to the farmed, rural, upland landscape.’
New origin for form of breast cancer uncovered Meryon Roderick
A new study carried out by Cardiff University researchers and published by the Journal of Pathology has made advances in the exploration of what drives breast cancers to look and behave so differently from one another. One of the most dangerous aspects of breast cancers is that they exist in such varied forms and understanding why this is the case is vital in the effort to produce therapies that are tailored to specific patients. This spares them unnecessary treatments which can sometimes have quite unpleasant side effects. The study was carried out by using two varieties of genetically modified mice in which the cancer was developed from different types of cell. First, the same genetic errors were caused in both cell types and then different errors in the same cell types to determine whether the appearance of breast tumours depends on the type of cell they come from, the type of gene mutation that causes them or both factors at once. The results of the study found that cancerous tumours that originate from cells called ‘basal cells’ look exactly the same regardless of what mutation causes them but also that the tumours that developed from these cells resembled an extremely rare form of breast cancer mean-
ing the results from this part of the study are not very useful for the majority of real human cases. However, in a type of cell called ‘oestrogen receptor negative luminal cells’, different types of tumour developed from different genetic errors and some of these closely resembled common human breast cancer types including two very prominent forms known as oestrogen receptor
negative and oestrogen receptor positive disease. These cells were already thought to be the source of the oestrogen receptor negative cancers but had never before been linked to the oestrogen receptor positive forms. The research was spearheaded by Dr Matt Smalley, conducted in collaboration with colleagues from Spain, Brazil and
the UK and was funded by Breakthrough Breast Cancer and Cancer Research UK. “The ultimate aim of this research is to be able to take a more personalised approach to medicine.” said Dr Smalley. “These results add to our understanding of the origins of breast cancer diversity and emphasise the importance of understanding the biology of this cell type to better understand how breast cancer develops.” First author of the study, Dr Lorenzo Melchor, Post-Doctoral Training Fellow in Molecular Haematology at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, said: “Our findings show that multiple forms of breast cancer can originate from a single cell type, which could have implications for how we target and treat the disease […] but we have shown that the initiating mutation plays a bigger role in dictating how breast cancer develops than we previously thought.” Part of the aim of this research was to create a standard work of reference for mouse breast cancer research as there is currently no other benchmark for this type of work. This would allow more cohesive and standardised research internationally and hopefully huge strides in the detection and treatment of this disease in the future.
Pictured: The River Taff running past the Millennium Stadium
SOCIETIES
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A note from Barney
Barney Willis
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i there! I’m Barney - Vice President Societies and Campaigns at Cardiff Students Union. My full time job (if one can call it that!) is to help students join and form societies as well as to support our liberation groups. Here at Cardiff, we have over 175 societies to choose from, each with an organised approach to getting new people involved! The Fresher’s Fayres on the 22nd and 23rd of September are a great chance to meet the lovely people running these groups and perhaps join some - if you’re anything like me, you will look back on it as one of the best decisions you made at Uni. On top of the slightly overwhelming variety of experiences offered by societies, there are several events in the Union calendar specifically for showcasing the great stuff Cardiff students get up to throughout the year. Go Global and Cardiff Fringe will be making a return this year, displaying the brilliance of our international and performance based soci-
eties. We will also be having a brand new event in December to show off some of the amazing things Societies get up to before the Christmas break! We finish the year with a big fancy awards evening, recognising the frankly humbling dedication shown by so many students to their societies. So that’s my pitch - join a Society! Before I came to Uni, I was told to say yes to everything and throw myself at new opportunities. I can say this advice isn’t just good - it’s essential! It made my time at Uni far more varied and eventful. Joining societies and clubs isn’t just about trying new things either; the friends you will make will stick with you long after your degree. That alone is good enough reason to come to the Societies Fairs and have a look around! If you have any questions, problems or are just hankering for a chat, please come find me on the 3rd floor of the Union or drop me an email at VPSocieties@cardiff.ac.uk
Excited? Here are some highlights from the year ahead:
Joining societies and clubs isn’t just about trying new things either; the friends you will make will stick with you long after your degree Barney Willis VP Societies & Campaigns
Societies Fayre 22/23rd September
Cardiff SU launches Give it a Go scheme
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Refreshers January
Go Global February
Cardiff Fringe Festival (March)
Cardiff Fringe Festival March
Societies’ Ball May
ive It A Go is a brand new programme for 2014. It has opportunities to try something new, discover new places and meet new people. Everyone at Cardiff University Students’ Union loves to travel the UK, learn new things, try sports, be creative and generally do some pretty wacky stuff. We would love you to join in! Activities will be running during Freshers’ week and through the whole year. This incredible programme will include a little bit of everything; from Society and Sports Club tasters to enterprise sessions, language tasters to skill sessions and much more. As well as these tasters from Students’ Union and University departments, we’ll be starting a whole host of other activities like day trips, weekend trips and some crazy events (think Zorb Football and you’re on the right lines!). The variety of activities and events to get involved in is huge; so don’t miss out, try something new! You don’t need to be a member. You don’t need to be an expert. Just check out the programme and sign up at cardiffstudents.com/giveitago. If you have any questions, please contact: giveitago@cardiff.ac.uk Facebook.com/GiveItAGoCSU @GiveItAGoCSU #IGaveItAGo
Becky Gardner Societies Coordinator, Cardiff Students’ Union
tweet @taf_od email tafod@gairrhydd.com online gairrhydd.com/tafod
Gair Golygyddol Steffan Bryn Jones & Morgan Owen
Steffan Bryn Jones
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Croeso nôl! Yn hytrach nag ailadrodd yr un ystrydebau am y flwyddyn newydd sydd ar ein gwarthaf, awn yn syth at galon y mater! Ac yn wir, dyna fwriad eich golygyddion eleni, Morgan Owen a Steffan Bryn: mynd wrth wraidd bywyd Cymraeg y Brifysgol. Mae Steffan yn astudio’r Gymraeg a Gwleidyddiaeth; astudio’r Gymraeg a wnaf innau, Morgan. Mae’n falch gen i ddweud hefyd mai Steffan yw Swyddog y Gymraeg eleni, ac er nad yw’r swydd o gyd-olygydd Taf-od a Swyddog y Gymraeg yn gorgyff wrdd, bydd profiad Steffan yn rhinwedd ei fod yn Swyddog y Gymraeg yn ein galluogi i achub unrhyw gam a wneir â ni siaradwyr Cymraeg yn y Brifysgol; ac yn hynny o beth, dymunwn fod yn fwy heriol
TAF-OD
nag y bu’r adran hon o’r blaen. Dyma yw eich llais chi! Byddwn yn cyflwyno elfen ymgyrchol na welwyd mohoni yn y gorffennol. Ceir yn y Brifysgol, yn ogystal â Chaerdydd ehangach, fywyd Cymraeg byrlymus. Bid hysbys i chi lasfyfyrwyr y croesawn eleni bod gwledd o ddigwyddiadau Cymraeg yn eich ymaros! Rydych siŵr o fod wedi clywed rhyw sïon ar led am y Gym Gym. Nid oes gwell enghraifft o’r hyn y gellir ei ddisgwyl— siaradwyr Cymraeg y Brifysgol o bob cwrs a chefndir yn cyfeddach ac yn meddwi’n un. Ymhellach, byddwn yn cyhoeddi adroddiadau o’r crôls, gan ddechrau gyda’r Crôl Teulu, sef crôl cyntaf y
Croeso !
elo ‘na! Steffan ydw i –Swyddog y Gymraeg dros y flwyddyn academaidd nesaf. Cefais fy ethol ym mis Mawrth i gynrychioli holl fuddiannau’r Gymraeg a’i siaradwyr yn Undeb y Myfyrwyr a thu hwnt. Ble mae dechrau dywedwch?! Mae’n rhaid cyfaddef bod y swydd hon yn her sydd yn fy nychryn cymaint ag y mae’n fy nghyffroi. Ar ôl blwyddyn yng Nghaerdyd rwy’n fwy nag ymwybodol o’r ffaith nad yw pethau fel y dylent fod. Fodd bynnag, hyd yn oed yn ystod fy nghyfnod byr yma ym Mhrifysgol Caerdydd rwyf wedi gweld llawer o newid. Cymerwch, er enghraifft, lasniad Cynllun Iaith Gymraeg diwygiedig y Brifysgol cyn gwyliau’r haf: dyma fynegiant clir o’r awydd i wella’r ddarpariaeth o’r lefel uchaf un. O ran darpariaeth academaidd, mae’r newid sydd ar droed yn anhygoel. Yn wythnosol bron iawn fe welwch swyddi darlithwyr a staff cynllunio a gweinydddol yn cael eu hysbysebu dan nawdd y Coleg Cymraeg. Fel y dywedwyd yn lansiad y Cynllun Iaith mae sylweddoliad nawr o du’r Brifysgol bod angen iddynt fel Prifysgol y Brifddinas gynhyrchu graddedigion a all weithio yn y Gymru fodern, hyderus a dwyieithog sydd ohoni. Yr her i ni dros y flwyddyn nesaf yw sicrhau bod y llwyddiannau yn y maes academaidd a pholisi —y llwyddiannau “ffurfiol” hynny os mynnech—yn cael eu hefeylchu ar draws y Brifysgol a’r Undeb o ddydd i ddydd. O ran yr Undeb ei hun, dyfarnwyd y llynedd yn y Cyfarfod Cyffredinol y dylid llunio Polisi Dwyieithrwydd ar fyrder. Hyd yn hyn, nid ydyw hynny wedi digwydd,
sy’n hynod siomedig. Mawr obeithiaf erbyn yr amser y byddwch yn darllen hwn ganol Medi y bydd y Polisi yn barod i ddechrau ar ei daith drwy strwythurau’r Undeb gan ddod yn rhan o’r “Is-Ddeddfau” neu’r Cyfansoddiad sy’n llywodraethu’r Undeb. Ni fyddaf yn bodloni i ymrywmiad yr Undeb at ddywieithrwydd gael ei nodi yn unman ond y Cyfansoddiad— y lefel uchaf un. Eisoes, rwyf wedi cael cyfarfodydd buddiol gydag Uwch Swyddogion a Staff yr Undeb i bwysleisio cymaint o gyfle oedd ail-dadtblygu’r Ail Lawr yn yr Undeb yn ei gynnig o ran y Gymraeg. Unwaith eto, oherwydd nad ydw i wedi gweld y gwaith gorffenedig, amser a ddengys a fydd fy nhrafodaethau wedi dwyn ffrwy ai peidio. Ymysg y pethau y bûm yn eu trafod oedd ail-enwi tafarn “THE TAFF” yn yr Undeb yn“Y TAF” gan ddathlu Cymreictod y brifddinas a’r Coleg trwy’r dyluniad yn y fan honno a phwysleisio’r angen am arwyddion hollol ddwyieithog gyda’r Gymraeg yn gywir ac yr un mor amlwg â’r Saesneg trwy’r holl ddatblygiad. Rhaid bachu ar bob cyfle fel hyn i weithio’n gadarnhaol o blaid y Gymraeg. Rhof groeso gofalus i’r brwdfrydedd yn yr Undeb am fwy o ddwyiethrwydd. Fodd bynnag, gweithredu ar addewidion fydd yn profi a fydd yr Undeb yn llwyddo i ddod yn sefydliad gwbwl ddwyieithog ai peidio. Bydd gofyn cwestiynau megis— a all myfyrwyr gyfrannu yn Gymraeg at bwyllgorau’r Undeb, er enghraifft, yn un ffordd o fesur yr uchelgais. Er nad oes gennym ni siaradwyr Cymraeg mo’r fraint yn Undeb Myfyrwyr ein prifddinas o gael Swyddog cyflogedig, llawn amser i ymgyrchu ar ein
hanner ac i gynrychioli ein buddiannau fel y ceir ym Mhrifysgolion Bangor ac Aberystwyth, rwy’n addo y byddaf yn gwneud popeth yn fy ngallu i’ch cynrychioli yn deilwng o fewn y drefn sydd gennym—heb unwaith fodloni i’r drefn honno wrth gwrs! Yn wir, roedd diff yg cynrychiolaeth myfyrwyr Cymraeg yn rhywbeth yr addewais i fynd i’r afael â hi yn fy maniffesto. Gobeithiaf gyd-weithio ag Elliw Iwan a Changen Caerdydd o’r Coleg Cymraeg a’r Undeb i sefydlu fforwm Myfyrywr Cymraeg i geisio gwella’r sefyllfa. Wedi’r cyfan, rwy’n credu bod ymdrechion sy’n codi o du’r myfyrwyr eu hunain yn aml yn gallu dwyn ffrwyth. Rhaid profi ein bod yma, ein bod yn bodoli ac am weld ein hanghenion ieithyddol yn cael eu diwallu yn llawn. Ar nodyn terfynol, deallaf nad yw pawb am fod yn ymgyrchwyr iaith— er mawr siom! Ond, byddwn i’n erfyn ar bob un ohonoch i wneud y pethau bychain. Manteisiwch ar yr holl gyfleoedd sydd ar gael i chi, ceisiwch gymdeithasu’n Gymraeg— ystyriwch mor ffodus ydym ni fel siaradwyr Cymraeg yn ein prifddinas i brofi diwyllaint cyffrous ac unigryw. Rwyf yma i bawb – p’un ai’r ydych yn astudio drwy’r Gymraeg, yn aelod o’r GymGym ai peidio, yn dymuno cymdeithasu yn y Gymraeg o bryd i’w gilydd neu yn wynebu unrhyw ragfarn neu gam yn gysylltiedig â’r Gymraeg. Byddwn wrth fy modd yn clywed gennych – cysyllwtwch: SwyddogCymraeg@Caerdydd.ac.uk neu @SwyddogCymraeg ar Twitter ac mae gennyf dudalen Facebook yn ogystal.
flwyddyn i urddo’r glasfyfyrwyr yn aelodau o’r teulu mawr. Felly trowch atom am yr holl lol! Yn hyn o beth, mae cyfle i unrhyw un cyfrannu, fel y bydd trwy gydol y flwyddyn ar ystod eang o bynciau. Byddwn yn sicrhau cydbwysedd rhwng yr ysgafn a’r difrifol, fodd bynnag, gan gynnwys erthyglau mwy arbenigol eu naws yn ymdrin â gwleidyddiaeth, llenyddiaeth a’r bywyd Cymraeg yn y Brifysgol yn ei amryw weddau. Heb gyfranwyr, fydd yr adran hon yn wag, felly os oes gennych ddiddordeb cyfrannu, eler ati, ac fe gewch groeso cynnes oddi wrthym. Gellir cael gafael arnom drwy ebost neu drwy Twitter. Cofiwch fwynhau ac i ymgadw rhag gweithio’n rhy galed! Rydym yn edrych ymlaen at eich gwasanaethu. Eich golygyddion anrhydeddus. Ymlaen!
Y Gymdeithas Gymraeg Dyma’r unig gymdeithas o blith Urdd y Cymdeithasau sy’n cynnig gweithgareddau uniaith Gymraeg ar eich cyfer. O’r Crôl Teulu a chrôls eraill i’r daith rygbi flynyddol, mae ymaelodi yn gyfle euraid i siaradwyr Cymraeg y Brifysgol gymdeithasu â’i gilydd ar lefel gymunedol. Deallwn fod y gymdeithas wedi ennill ailenw fel “Y Gymdeithas yfed Gymraeg” —bydd rhaid i chi brofi drosto’ch hun a ydyw’r enw hwnnw yn un y mae’r Gymdeithas yn deilwng ohono! Cadwch lygaid agored am stondin YGG yn Ffair y Glas yn Undeb y Myfyrwyr. Mae’n debyg mai dyma’r Pwyllgor mwyaf “cydradd” yn hanes diweddar y Gym Gym gyda niferoedd cyfartal o fechgyn a merched, o “gogs” ac o “hwntws” wedi’u hethol, amrywiaeth eang o bynciau gradd yn cael eu cynrychioli gan yr aelodau a’r cyswllt hollbwysig â Llety Talybont yn parhau drwy Heledd! Wrth i aelodaeth y Gymdeithas barhau i gynyddu ymhell i’r cannoedd, dymunwn yn dda i chi wrth eich gwaith—fe fyddwch yn brysur tu hwnt!
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TAF OD Adroddiad o Gynhadledd Rhyngwladol Y Coleg
Catrin Williams & Cara Llwyd
Cyflwniad Sefydliad sydd â chyfrifoldeb dros sicrhau darpariaeth Gymraeg mewn nifer o gyrsiau addysg uwch ym Mhrifysgolion Cymru yw’r Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol. Y bwriad yw datblygu ychwaneg o gyrsiau cyfrwng Cymraeg dros y blynyddoedd, ac i hybu’r cyrsiau hynny – cynigir ysgoloriaethau ar gyfer rhai cyrsiau – mwy o wybodaeth ar eu gwefan. Roedd y Gynhadledd yma - a oedd yn para tri diwrnod, gyda 300 wedi cofrestru ar ei chyfer, y cynta’ o’i math ac yn gosod cynsail gref ar gyfer y dyfodol. Y Fasgeg mewn addysg uwch: cyflawniadau a heriau Dyma beth oedd gwledd! Darlith yn yr iaith Fasgeg, felly ni oedd y rhai y cafodd y clustffonau cyfieithu am unwaith! Yr Athro Jasone Cenoz yn cyflwyno data a’i chanfyddiadau o’r llwyddiannau a’r heriau sydd yn wynebu’r system addysg yng Ngwlad y Basg o ran addysg trwy gyfrwng y Fasgeg. Syndod oedd sylweddoli pa mor debyg oedd sefyllfa’r Fasgeg a sefyllfa’r Gymraeg. Er hyn, mwy o syndod oedd sylweddoli bod y Fasgeg yn brwydro yn erbyn dwy iaith; sef Sbaeneg a Saesneg. Braf oedd gweld bod niferoedd y siaradwyr Basgeg, yn gyffredinol yn cynyddu, yn benodol ymhlith pobl ifainc. Wrth gadw hyn mewn golwg, roedd gweld llwyddiannau’r system addysg, yn benodol yn system addysg Cymuned Ymreolaethol Gwlad y Basg, o Addysg Gynradd a’r holl ffordd i Addysg Bellach yn ysbrydoledig a dweud y lleiaf. Pwysleisiwyd pwysigrwydd cynllunio ieithyddol trwy’r holl lefelau addysg ac yn benodol yn y Prifysgolion, gyda Phrifysgol Gwlad y Basg yn arwain y ffordd o ran syniadau , ysbrydoliaeth a dylanwad. Syniadau a phwyntiau diddorol i’w nodi: Addysgu staff(academaidd a chynorthwyol) y Prifysgolion mewn Basgeg a sicrhau eu bod yn cymryd profion er mwyn profi eu gallu yn y Fasgeg a chynnydd yn dilyn eu gwersi. Heriau a nodwyd: Cyhoeddi gwerslyfrau a deunyddiau academaidd eraill yn ddwyieithog neu mewn Basgeg yn unig, addysgu’r staff yn yr iaith. Felly heriau a thirwedd sosio-ieithyddol tebyg iawn rhwng Cymru a Gwlad y Basg.
Yn sicr mae gwersi i’w dysgu a syniadau i’w mabwysiadu. Panel gofal pia hi, iath yn y maes iechyd Neges bwysig a ddaeth o’r panel trafod ynglŷn â’r defnydd o Gymraeg yn y maes gofal ac iechyd oedd, pa mor hanfodol yw’r Gymraeg fel rhan o’r driniaeth a gofal. Pwysleisir fod cleifion mewn cyflwr bregus a nerfus, ac felly drwy ddefnyddio’r Gymraeg fod hyn yn eu helpu i deimlo yn fwy chartrefol a cyfforddus gyda’r staff meddygol, sydd yn y pendraw yn rhan allweddol o’r broses gofal a gwella. Wrth edrych ar wasanaethau cymdeithasol, nodwyd fod angen newid yr agwedd sydd yn bodoli o fod gofyn am gael defnyddio’r Gymraeg yn waith ychwanegol, neu am cymryd rhagor o amser – a’i bod yn anodd canfod rhywun sydd yn gallu ymdrin a’r mater yn y Gymraeg. Honnir fod pobl yn tueddu i feddwl os ydynt yn gofyn am wasanaeth Cymraeg, fod rhaid gwneud bob dim yn y Gymraeg – o’r trafod, i’r gwaith papur, ond nid dyma’r sefyllfa. Os yn dewis cael gwasanaeth Gymraeg, mae modd gwneud y trafod yn unig yn y Gymraeg, a wedyn y gwaith papur drwy gyfrwng y Saesneg. Pwysleisir ei fod yn hanfodol fod y cyhoedd yn deall fod hyblygrwydd ar gael, a fod gofyn am wasanaeth Cymraeg ddim am arafu’r broses neu effeithio ar y gofal a dderbynnir yn y pen draw. Panel arloes iethyddol: cyfrawng a chynnwys Cyfraniad e-lyfrau at addysg uwch drwy gyfrwng ‘ieithoedd bychain.’ Unwaith eto, braint a phleser oedd cael y profiad o wrando ar y panel trafod hwn. Roedd yn amlwg o’r teitl nad yw’r Gymraeg yn iaith farw. Mewn gwirionedd, doedd dim angen panel trafod ar wahân i ddweud hynny wrthom, roedd bodolaeth y Gynhadledd ei hun yn ddigon. Er hynny, fe wnaeth y neges honno daro deuddeg go iawn yn y pwnc trafod hwn. Cawsom agoriad llygaid i’r holl ddatblygiadau arloesol sydd yn digwydd yn y maes addysg bellach ac uwch yng Nghymru ar hyn o bryd. Mae’r rheiny yn cynnwys datblygu e-lyfrau o gyfrolau a gwerslyfrau ayyb o’r llyfrau hynny sydd allan o brint yn y Gymraeg ac sydd yn annhebygol o gael eu ail-argraffu. Nodwyd bod diffyg deunyddiau, megis llyfrau, yn un o’r rhesymau
pam bod myfyrwyr yn peidio a pharau ag addysg trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg mewn addysg bellach ac uwch. Wrth ystyried y cyd-destun hwn, braf oedd clywed bod y Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol wedi ariannu prosiect DECHE (Digido, E-gyhoeddi a Chorpws Electronig) sydd yn gyfrifol am ailgyhoeddi’r gweithiau ysgolheigaidd Cymraeg hyn sydd allan o brint. Bwriad y prosiect yw ail-fywiogi’r disgwrs academaidd yn y Gymraeg trwy gyfrannu at gorpws ysgolheigaidd Gymreig, a fydd, gyda lwc, ysgogi myfyrwyr i barhau gydag astudiaethau Cymraeg yn y dyfodol. Dysgu o Bell drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg: ateb yr her. Cyflwyniad byr i un o ddatblygiadau newydd y maes addysg mewn addysg cyfrwng Cymraeg. Trafodir y ddarpariaeth o Ddysgu o Bell a Dysgu Rhan-Amser trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg.Dengys hyn yn glir bod datblygiadau yn y maes addysg, bellach yn barod i symud ymlaen oddi wrth y dilyniant addysg draddodiadol (h.y. Addysg Gynradd-Addysg BellachAddysg Uwch). Bydd y cynllun newydd hwn, a noddir gan y CCC, yn gosod y seilwaith ar gyfer darparu Dysgu o Bell trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg trwy grybwyll y cefndir cyffredinol ar gyfer dysgu o bell; esbonio nod ac amcan y cydweithio sefydliadol; esbonio sut y bwriedir cynnig hyfforddiant i staff academaidd a llawer mwy. Crybwyllwyd hefyd i gloi y dulliau marchnata a ddefnyddiwyd i hybu’r cynllun. Roedd rhain yn sylweddol a thrawiadol felly heb os, bydd y cynllun yn ‘hit the ground running’ fel petai pan y ceir ei lansio Fis Medi. Creu llwybrau dilyniant ieithyddol: Cafwyd neges bwysig gan Carys Swain fel rhan o’r papur hwn a’r neges sylfaenol oedd pwysleisio pwysigrwydd cofio am y sector addysg uwch wrth ddatblygu darpariaethau cyfrwng Cymraeg yn y maes addysg, er mwyn gallu creu llwybr o ddilyniant ieithyddol. Trawsieithu: canfyddiadau myfyrwyr ôlraddedig cyfrwng Cymraeg. Eglurhad bras o beth a olygir gan drawsieithu, manteision ac anfanteision hynny yn ôl darpar athrawon ar raglen Tystysgrif Addysg i Raddedigion (TAR). Yn gyffredinol , adnabuwyd manteision trawsieithu.
Roedd rheiny yn cynnwys gwell ddealltwriaeth o’r gwaith. Er hynny, adnabuwyd sawl anfantais hefyd, gan gynnwys yr amser a’r ymdrech sylweddol yr oedd yn ei gymryd, a hynny o dan gyfyngiadau amser tyn iawn. Casgliwyd bod y manteision yn gorbwyso’r anfanteision yn y pen draw. Er hynny, sylweddolwyd bod angen cymorth ac arweiniad cadarn, i’r rhai llai profiadol yn enwedig, er mwyn gallu meithrin a pherffeithio’r sgil er mwyn gallu cyflwyno darn o waith ysgolheictaidd safonol. Pam cyfieithu i’r Gymraeg? Astudiaeth o amcanion addysgiadol, gwleidyddol a hunaniaethol cyfieithwyr Cymraeg yr ugeinfed ganrif. Dyma gwestiwn, mae’n debyg, nad ydyw wedi croesi meddwl unrhyw Gymro Cymraeg. Ond diddorol oedd yr atebion. Sbardunwyd y cwestiwn gan brosiect sydd ar y gweill ar hyn o bryd gan sefydliad Mercator ym Mhrifysgol Aberystwyth, prosiect sydd yn llunio llyfrgell ddigidol o gyfieithiadau i’r Gymraeg o’r ugeinfed ganrif mewn amrywiaeth eang o feysydd. Nodwyd, ym mlwyddyn gyntaf y prosiect, ei fod yn amlwg bod y cyfieithwyr cyfnod y Dadeni Dysg (Oes Aur cyfieithu yn ôl Dr Dewi Huw Owen) ag amrywiaeth o gymhelliannau wrth gyfieithu eu testunau, gan gynnwys cymhelliannau addysgiadol, gwleidyddol a hunaniaethol. Gwelwn felly bod llawer i’w ddysgu o gyfieithwyr y Dadeni Dysg, megis J.T. Jones (a gyfieithodd torfau o ddramâu Shakespeare i’r Gymraeg) a T. Gwynn Jones (gweithiau cyfieithu yn cynnwys casgliad o epigramau Groeg a Lladin). Dengys yr
PUZZLES
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Cymraeg Cenedlaethol 2014 ymdrechion hyn bod y cyfieithwyr yn gweld gwerth i’r Gymraeg, yn yr ystyr bod gan y Gymraeg le yn y byd ysgolheigaidd a bod y Gymraeg yn gallu cartrefu’r arddulliau tramor hyn. Gloywi: Pam bod iaith yn cael ei loywi? Hynny yw, beth yw’r nod o loywi iaith, yn enwedig os mai rheiny sydd yn astudio’r iaith eisoes sydd yn cael eu ‘gloywi’? Cyn ateb y cwestiwn hwn, ystyrir beth yw’r iaith sy’n cael ei loywi? Wrth edrych ar hynny gwelwyd bod ‘gloywi iaith’ wedi ei gyfyngu i gyweiriau penodol o iaith. Gofynnwyd beth yw effaith hynny, neu yn hytrach diffyg effaith ‘gloywi iaith’ ar gyweiriau eraill o’r Gymraeg. A fydd hyn yn arwain at ddyfodiad ffurf o ail dafodiaith?! Ceisio cywair rhwng y llafar a’r llyfr (ystyriaethau cywair i’r byd cyfieithu ac i weinyddu drwy’r Gymraeg) Canfyddiadau astudiaeth yn canolbwyntio ar Grwp Ffocws o Fôn a Sir Gaerfyrddin, yn edrych os oes angen i ‘lafareiddio’ ffurflenni a dogfennau, er mwyn annog pobl i ddefnyddio’r fersiwn Cymraeg yn hytrach na throi at y Saesneg.Ym myd cyfieithu yng Nghymru, anelir at gyfieithu i Gymraeg cywair llenyddol ffurfiol. Ond a yw hynny yn gywir? A ddylid newid y pwyslais hwnnw i gywair mwy ystwyth...A ddylid defnyddio Cymraeg llafar, ac os felly, i ba raddau? A ddylid rhoi mwy o ystyriaeth i’r gynulleidfa darged? Awgrymir bod angen mwy o ymchwil yn y maes hwn er mwyn sicrhau bod y Prifysgolion a rheiny sydd yn gyfrifol am gyrsiau gloywi iaith yn anelu fwyfwy at weinyddu drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg, a hynny’n gywair priodol a darllenadwy. Panel y syniad o hawliau mewn addysg uwch Un o’r paneli trafod ar y diwrnod ola’ yn ymdrin â’r syniad o hawliau mewn addysg uwch, panel a oedd yn pigo cydwybod. Cafodd difrifoldeb sefyllfa iaith ym myd addysg yn Iran ei archwilio yma. Caiff dros 8 iaith wahanol ei siarad yn Iran, ond iaith swyddogol Iran yw Persian, a dim ond yn Persian mae modd derbyn addysg. Un o’r prif resymau am wrthod
addysg yn yr ieithoedd eraill yw, yn bennaf rhesymau gwleidyddol. Mewn ffordd drwy gymharu sefyllfa’r Gymraeg gyda ieithoedd lleiafrifol yn Iran, mae gennym le i fod yn ddiolchgar – er bod dim statws cyfreithiol i’r Gymraeg yn y byd addysg. Yna bu i Jacob Ellis bwysleisio pwysigrwydd ‘ymgyrchu dros hawliau ieithyddol dros addysg a chymuned Gymraeg yn y sector addysg uwch’, a bod sefydliad fel Undebau Myfyrwyr yn allweddol yn hyn o beth. Honnir nad oedd Swyddogion yr Undeb bellach yn cwffio er mwyn hawliau myfyrwyr, ond yn hytrach yn cydymffurfio i’r ‘system’. Cyfeiriodd tuag at ymgyrch lwyddiannus Prifysgol Aberystwyth er mwyn sicrhau goroesiad Pantycelyn, gan nodi pwysigrwydd ymgyrchu dros fater sydd yn bwysig i chi – a dim eistedd yn ôl. Clo Ysgogwyd llawer yn dilyn y gynhadledd yma, gan fod negeseuon cryf a dylanwadol wedi deillio o’r holl sgyrsiau, gan ein hatgoffa fod sefyllfa’r Gymraeg yn obeithiol, ond fod gwaith datblygu angen ei wneud. Un o’r ystadegau sydd yn aros yn fy nghof yw fod 97% o bobol y byd yn siarad 4% o ieithoedd y byd – ac felly fod achos i ddatblygu byd fwy amlieithyddol. Neges bwysig o’r Gynhadledd oedd fod pobol ddim yn teimlo yn unig, oherwydd fod sefyllfa’r Gymraeg yn gyffredin dros y byd, a bod modd sicrhau ffyniant y iaith, drwy edrych dramor – megis Gwlad y Basg am arweiniad.
Across 1. Incensed (7) 5. Inspection of accounts (5) 8. Tentacled sea creature (5) 9. General pardon (7) 10. Eccentric person (7) 11. Wingless parasitic insect (5) 12. Spruce (6) 14. Astronomical distance (6) 18. Radius, ulna, etc (5) 20. Commonly used pain-killer (7) 22. Miracle (anag) (7) 23. Saunter (5) 24. Organism causing fermentation (5) 25. Pharmacist (7)
Easy
Down 1. Run away (7) 2. Stuck (5) 3. Bureaucratic procedure (3,4) 4. Lethal (6) 5. Render void (5) 6. Talk about (7) 7. Aromatic herb (5) 13. Cure for all ills (7) 15. Conciliate (7) 16. Nunnery (7) 17. Road-surfacing material (6) 18. Crazy (5) 19. Chic (5) 21. Leader of a Jewish congregation (5)
Hard
Llongyfarchiadau Cymerir y cyfle hwn i longyfarch Heledd Gwyn Lewis, Prif Ddramodydd Eisteddfod yr Urdd Meirionydd eleni. Disgrifiwyd Heledd gan y beirniaid, Arwel Gruffydd a Huw Foulkes, yn “ddewin geiriau”. Dyma, meddent, “awdur aeddfed sydd â’r Gymraeg yn arf yn ei (d)dwylo.” Gêm wyddbwyll sy’n sail ac yn ddelwedd ar gyfer myfyrdodau gwraig wedi i’w gŵr grogi’i hun sydd i’r ddrama fuddugol “Gwyddbwyll”. Yn wreiddiol o Gaernarfon, graddiodd Heledd â gradd yn y Gymraeg o Brifysgol Caerdydd ac ynghyd ag astudio am radd Feistr yn yr un maes y llynedd, bu’n Gadeirydd Aelwyd y Waun Ddyfal. Fel rhan o’r wobr, bydd Heledd yn treulio cyfnod gyda’r Theatr Genedlaethol a chyda’r BBC. Eleni, bydd Heledd yn parhau i fod o gwm-
pas y ddinas yn dilyn cwrs ymarfer dysgu gyda’r bwriad o fynd yn athrawes Gymraeg uwchradd. Braf yw gweld un o gyngyfrannwyr TafOd yn gosod y safon ar lefel genedlaethol! Pob hwyl iti, Heledd.
Answers will be revealed in Gair Rhydd issue 1033
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SPORT
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Commonwealth success for Cardiff University Students
Pictured: Sally Peake ascends to silver in the pole vault for Team Wales (Credit: Press Association)
Natalie Powell wins Wales’ First ever Judo Gold in Glasgow 2014, while Sally Peake achieves silver in Pole Vault
David Hooson
Continued from back cover
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These two medals would have placed the university 18th had it competed as a nation
out in a tight battle in the second round against South Africa’s Siyabulela Mabulu. With Powell’s judo gold having come on the third day of competition, it took a whole week to wait for a second Team Cardiff medal, when Peake took to the pole vault runway on the final night of competition at Hampden Park. In torrential conditions, the athletes struggled to maintain a grip on their poles and to control their run ups. The conditions affected the competition so badly that only the eventual medallists managed to achieve a successful jump. By going clear at her opening height of 4.00m, Peake had already secured the silver medal and then went into first place by clearing 4.15m. It did not prove to be a golden night for the Masters Physiotherapy student, however, as Australian Alana Boyd coped best with the conditions and went on to clear 4.50m. Although the rain prevented Peake from challenging the Welsh record she set earlier in the season, she will be more than satisfied with her performance as she solidifies her place as this year’s British number one in the absence of the injured Holly Bleasdale. Final year English student Hannah Thomas was also in action on the final night of athletics competition, running the second leg for Wales in the 4x100m relay final. There had been a spot of controversy for Thomas and her teammates on the previous evening, as they were initially disqualified from their heat for an invalid changeover. After an appeal, the team were rightfully reinstated and took their place in the final alongside some of the world’s top sprinters. In the final, they held their own by finishing seventh and breaking the Welsh national record for the fourth time this year. With an average age of 19.5, there is certainly more to come from the talented quartet, including Thomas, as they all look towards the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia. Shooter Coral Kennerley entered the Games as one of the youngest competitors in her sport. In her favoured event, the 10m air pistol, the Engineering fresher qualified for the final in seventh place out of the 24 participants. As the only home nations representative in the final, Kennerley managed to improve on this ranking and finish sixth. The day after her 10m exploits, Kennerley returned to the range for the 25m pistol event, where she backed up her earlier performance with a creditable
16th place. Considering that some of her rivals at the Games were more than twice her age, there is every possibility that Kennerley’s experiences this year could represent the start of a very long and successful international career. Nursing student Carol Bridge was called into Wales’ triathlon relay squad as a late replacement for the injured World Champion Non Stanford. With very big shoes to fill, Bridge put in a fantastic performance amongst a world-class field, completing the opening leg of the relay in eighth place. Her teammates managed to maintain this position throughout the race, finishing just three seconds behind Scotland. Bridge will surely hope that this taste of international competition will put her in a good position to challenge for individual selection in future years. There was another last-minute callup for Dentistry student Sophie Clayton, whose selection into the Welsh hockey squad was only announced the night before the Games were officially opened at Celtic Park. Despite starting on the bench, Clayton enjoyed a healthily chunk of time on the pitch in each of Wales’ matches, helping them on their way to a ninth place finish – one position above their pre-Games ranking. Wales’ men’s hockey team, which also finished ninth, included Cardiff fresher Dan Kyriakides. Kyriakides arguably provided the highlight of Wales’ hockey campaign by scoring against World Champions Australia, who remained unbeaten throughout the tournament and conceded only four goals in their six matches. The men’s final placing was also one place above their pre-Games ranking. No Cardiff students were represented at the last Commonwealth Games in 2010, which came just before the University’s High Performance Programme was rebranded. All eight of Cardiff ’s Commonwealth athletes are members of this programme, which will surely be a very encouraging sign for Cardiff University Sport, who are in charge of determining sport policy and delivering sport at the University, along with the Athletic Union. For all of the athletes and for Cardiff University Sport, Glasgow should be seen as a starting point rather than a finish line. It has great potential to be developed upon and learned from to build towards even greater success in supporting students not simply to manage but to thrive while maintaining the tricky balance between academic study and elite sport.
Pictured: Cardiff Student Coral Kennerley was one of the youngest competitors in her sport.
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SPORT Pictured: South Africa dominate Wales at the line out
Wales struggle against Springboks Summer tour to South Africa leaves Gatland with more questions than answers
W
ales embarked on an extremely daunting twoTest tour to South Africa over the summer, which also included a midweek fixture against Currie Cup outfit the Eastern Province Kings. In what had been an extremely frustrating season for Six Nations-winning coach Warren Gatland, the Kiwi was adamant that his troops possessed the physicality and the quality needed to claim a maiden triumph on South African soil. The task of beating the Springboks has historically proved to be a bridge too far for Wales, with their solitary victory against them coming in the inaugural Test match at the Millennium Stadium in 1999. The challenge was made all the more difficult with the tourists possessing a lengthy injury list, with top performers such as Lions skipper Sam Warburton, Gloucester-bound hooker Richard Hibbard, and goal kicking sensation Leigh Halfpenny all missing from the flight to ‘the rainbow nation’. Wales’ problems, however, potentially went deeper than that, with the vast majority of their squad suffering from a lack of game time due to the extremely poor showing of the Welsh regions in the RaboDirect Pro12. This situation led to the Welsh management resurrecting the historic ‘Probables vs. Possibles’ trial match, which for years was a permanent fixture in the Welsh rugby calendar. In reality this was anything but a trial match, with Gatland having the vast majority of his touring squad pencilled in before kick-off, which was made obvious with the squad being announced an hour
after the final whistle. The much-anticipated encounter was in reality used as a method of enhancing the squad’s match fitness before facing the Springboks. However, there was not even a hint that the match might be a competitive affair, with the Probables mauling the Possibles 55-7, having run in eight tries en route. The tourists’ first assignment upon arrival in South Africa was a midweek fixture against the Carlos Spencer-coached Eastern Province Kings. Despite a credible effort by the Kings, the visitors had too much power and class, with James Hook scoring 14 of Wales’ points, courtesy of his kicking success, as well as a 45th-minute try. Wales’ other four tries came from number eight Dan Baker, explosive Scarlets nine Gareth Davies, Blues winger Alex Cuthbert and flanker Josh Turnbull, which meant that they ran out comfortable 34-12 victors. Wales entered the first test at Kings Park in Durban with high hopes of finally defeating the Springboks, with the visitors able to field a strong side despite their injury list. Unfortunately, the Springboks brought a level of physicality and intensity to the game that the Northern Hemisphere side could not cope with, which meant that the Welsh defensive line to fold far too easily. The Springboks scored tries through their star lethal finisher Bryan Habana, debutant Cornal Heindricks, the supremely gifted Willie Le Roux and impressive loose forward Duane Vermeulen, while Morné Steyn maintained a 100 per cent record with the boot, putting over all six of his attempts at the posts. At times it seemed as if they were almost toying with
their opponents in what was on the whole an extremely embarrassing Test match for Wales. However, the tourists did offer their fans a slight glimmer of hope in the second half, with a far tighter game plan limiting the damage. A stunning long distance touchdown for Blues winger Alex Cuthbert did at least give his side something tangible to build on going into the re-match in Nelspruit, despite the final score of 38-16 to South Africa. After the massacre in Durban, Gatland came under severe pressure from the Welsh media and public to drop a large proportion of his senior players, who they deemed to be either out of form or over the hill. However, as usual, the former Waikato hooker stuck to his principals and kept faith in the vast majority of his squad that had served him so well in the past. The only notable absentee was scrum rock Adam Jones, whose substitution for tactical reasons after a mere half an hour of the first test brought back memories of his early days in a Welsh shirt under coach Steve Hansen. This meant a long awaited first Welsh start for destructive scrummager Samson Lee, who put in a performance that defied his tender years. If Wales were slow coming out of the blocks in Durban, there was no ring rustiness this time with the tourists displaying a level of intensity and physicality that few would have expected from them. The South Africans were simply stunned by the Welsh start as they ran into an early 17-nil lead courtesy of tries from Jamie Roberts and Cuthbert, with Dan Biggar kicking the extra points.
Ill-discipline proved to be Wales’ undoing just before half time, with first Luke Charteris and then Biggar sin-binned. A penalty try was awarded to South Africa alongside the second yellow card, which was swiftly followed by another Hendricks try that capitalised on the home side’s twoman advantage. The visitors managed to quickly regain their composure in the second half, thanks to a try bundled over by Ken Owens in the 46th minute. Biggar somewhat redeemed himself with the successful conversion, followed by two penalty successes, to give Wales a 10-point lead. In typical Springbok fashion, the visitors pulled off the most dramatic result imaginable with le Roux scoring again, and relentless pressure forcing Welsh full back Liam Williams to concede a penalty try in the corner, which sealed a one-point victory for South Africa – the final score 31-30 – inflicting further Southern Hemisphere heartbreak on Wales. All in all, Warren Gatland will have mixed emotions about another frustrating tour. The Kiwi will have learnt that his players need to play a higher-intensity of rugby on a regular basis in order to compete with the world’s best. Wales’ next big challenge will come when they take on the ‘Big Three’ Southern Hemisphere nations again in the autumn. The Welsh performance in the second Test did show signs of promise, which Gatland and his players must build on going forwards. A lack of belief and game management problems will be the issues that Gatland will have to focus on moving forward towards the World Cup, which is now just a year away.
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After the massacre in Durban, Gatland came under severe pressure from the Welsh media and public to drop a large proportion of his senior players
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Steffan Thomas
SPORT
The Gair Rhydd guide to sport in Cardiff Joe Atkinson
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With some world-class facilities in a city that breathes sport, there’s plenty to look forward to in the Welsh capital
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Pictured: The SWALEC stadium
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ver the course of an academic year Cardiff plays host to a number of international sporting events of the highest calibre, and with the city being designated European Capital for Sport 2014, there are even more events for everyone to go along to and even get involved in. The variety of sports on show means that there’ll be something for everyone; top-class European rugby and football have already paid a visit to Cardiff in the past few months, with rugby’s showpiece Heineken Cup final taking place in May at the Millennium Stadium, and football’s European Super Cup clash between Spanish giants Real Madrid and Sevilla being played in August at the Cardiff City Stadium. Meanwhile in cricket, Cardiff ’s SWALEC stadium was the location of England’s second One Day International with India. For fans of water sports, Cardiff Bay played host to a leg of the Extreme Sailing Series over the August bank holiday weekend, while earlier this month Cardiff ’s state of the art White Water Centre hosted the annual White Water Fest, which is free for spectators and encourages public participation. As the national sport of Wales, rugby union fixtures take place throughout the year; internationally, Wales will be competing in the Autumn internationals, tackling the likes of New Zealand and South Africa through November. Come February 2015, the Six Nations kicks off with marquee games against England and Ireland sure to attract big crowds to the Millennium Stadium. In club rugby union, Cardiff Blues will be once again competing in the Pro12 League, running between September and May. Tickets are very reasonably priced for fixtures at the Cardiff Arms Park, located just a stone’s throw away from the Millennium Stadium. For football fans, the Cardiff City Stadium will be hosting Euro 2016 qualification games and Wales international friendly matches throughout the year, with games taking place in Cardiff during October 2014 and June 2015, including a
10 dates to remember September 24th: Athletic Union Fayre
October 5th: Cardiff Half Marathon fixture against 2014 World Cup quarter finalists Belgium. Players of the quality of Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey have seen hopes raised for Wales, and with a relatively simple group, Chris Coleman’s team could fancy their chances of reaching France 2016. Following relegation from the Premier League, Cardiff City FC are back in the Football League Championship after a year’s absence. With ticket prices slashed for the second division and the majority of the squad retained, victorious times could soon return to the Cardiff City Stadium, where there never seems to be a dull moment. For fans of cricket, Cardiff ’s SWALEC Stadium will host the first test of 2015’s Ashes Series between England Australia in mid July, as it has done previously in 2009. The SWALEC Stadium also serves as the home of Glamorgan County Cricket Club, whose season is due to end on the 23rd September, and resumes again in April 2015. Sunday the 5th of October is a date for runners, professional and amateur alike, with the annual Cardiff Half Marathon returning to the City Centre and Cardiff Bay area for the 11th consecutive year. 20,000 runners are expected to line-up at the start line, with many more offering support along the thirteen-mile route. If a half-marathon is too tame for you, then a week prior to that the Men’s Health
Survival of the Fittest event takes place in Cardiff Bay, described as a “colossal 10k assault course” that will not be for the faint-of-heart. Last year over 3000 people competed in the gruelling challenge that takes place in four other major UK cities over the course of the year. Other sports clubs in Cardiff include the Cardiff Devils (Ice Hockey), Cardiff Demons (Rugby League), Celtic Dragons (Netball), Cardiff Celts (Volleyball) and Cardiff AAC (Athletics). All of these clubs run events throughout the year and compete at high levels of competition. Excellent venues such as the aforementioned Millennium Stadium, as well as Cardiff International Pool, Cardiff International Sports Village and the Sport Wales National Centre means top class facilities are never far away in a city dedicated to top class sport. In terms of university sport there are 63 sports clubs run by Cardiff University’s Athletic Union, ranging from American Football to Yoga and everything in between, and every student has a chance to sign up at the AU Sports Fayre taking place during Fresher’s week. With extensive IMG and BUCS league networks, there is no lack of competitive sport for every student to get involved with, and the chance to compete at the Welsh Varsity should be motivation enough. Varsity is a date that should be in every Cardiff student’s diary; for one day Cardiff City Centre becomes a sea of red and green t-shirts as students representing Cardiff University and Swansea University come together to cheer on their fellow students competing in a multitude of sports. Highlights include the Welsh boat race along the River Taff, and the men’s rugby match that takes place in the Millennium Stadium, attracting up to 15,000 supporters. Though no date has been set yet, Varsity takes place in late April prior to the end-of-year exams and is a timely relief from revision. Clearly there will be an abundance of sporting events taking place in Cardiff throughout the coming year and this article barely scratches the surface; whether you want to take in top level international competitions or compete yourself, there is truly something for everyone. With some fantastic world-class facilities in a city that breathes sport, there’s plenty to look forward to in the Welsh capital.
10th: Wales v Bosnia Herzegoniva (Euro 2016 Qualifier)
November 8th: Wales v Australia (Autumn International) 22nd: Wales v New Zealand (Autumn International)
February 6th: Wales v England (6 Nations)
March 14th: Wales v Ireland (Autumn International)
April Cardiff University v Swansea University (The Welsh Varsity)
June 12th: Wales v Belgium (Euro 2016 Qualifier)
July 8th - 12th: England v Australia (The Ashes)
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Cardiff students strike gold in Glasgow Natalie Powell and Sally Peake score medals at 2014 Commonwealth Games
David Hooson
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his summer, almost 5,000 athletes from the 71 nations and territories of the Commonwealth gathered in Glasgow to compete for 261 Commonwealth Games gold medals in 18 different sports. Among them were eight Cardiff University students, all representing Wales. The undoubted highlights from a Team Cardiff perspective were provided by judoka Natalie Powell and pole vaulter Sally Peake, who brought home gold and
Sally’s Silver story << P25
silver in their respective events. These two medals would have placed the University 18th in the medals table had they competed as a separate nation, above both Bangaldesh and Pakistan. These performances were backed up by another three top-eight placings by Cardiff athletes in what was a very successful campaign for the Welsh team as a whole. Powell’s gold was the second of five won by Wales across the Games and the nation’s first ever in judo. With an odd
number of competitors entered, she received a bye through to the semi-finals as the top seed in the women’s -78kg category. The Biomedical Science student then swept aside her Canadian opponent to ensure that she progressed through to the final. Powell again dominated the gold medal fight to upset the formbook and beat Olympic medallist Gemma Gibbons of England, proving that she deserved her ranking as the top seed. Immediately af-
ter her win, Powell refocused upon this year’s World Championships in Russia as she continues to build towards Olympic qualification for 2016. Cardiff Business School student Jamie MacDonald was also on the judo team in Glasgow and began the tournament with high hopes. MacDonald claimed a bizarre walkover from his opening fight, when his opponent from Sierra Leone failed to appear at the dojo. In what therefore proved to be his opening fight, MacDonald lost
Our guide to sport in the City Wales struggle in Africa << P27 << P26
Pictured above: Gold Medalist Natalie Powell (Credit: PA)
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