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JUNE 6 2005
ISSUE 790
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NUS/DAILY MIRROR STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR
NUS Wales President under fire
Security flaws exposed University halls investigated
James Knight refuses to resign after being accused of failing students By Will Talmage News Editor
PHOTO: Will Talmage
NUS WALES President James Knight was fighting to save his political career following calls from politicians and union leaders for him to resign. Following the debate at the National Assembly on Tuesday May 24, where Assembly members voted against top-up fees in Wales, Knight’s role has been called into question. The NUS Wales President called for Assembly Members to postpone the debate until the Rees report was published, which subsequently recommended fees. Janet Ryder, Plaid Cymru AM, said: "If we had waited, fees would certainly have been introduced. It was clear from the interim report that they were going to recommend fees." On Friday May 27, Cardiff University Students’ Union President, Gary Rees, along with four other Welsh students’ union leaders sent a letter to Knight calling for his resignation. In the letter, they cited Knight’s "actions, and indeed, inactions, over the course of the past 10 days concerning the fight against the introduction of fees into Wales" as the predominant reason. The letter was signed by presidents from UWIC, Swansea, Swansea Institute and the Aberystwyth Guild of Students. The letter went on to say: "You have been mandated to campaign against fees and you failed. You have an executive, who you did not mobilize. You claim to represent student views, you do not." Days before the plenary debate in the National Assembly, a press release was sent to all Assembly Members calling for a cease-fire and asking them to wait until the Rees report was published. The release, quoting James Knight, clearly calls for Assembly Members to vote against the debate, which would have been a blow to the anti top-up fees campaign. The press release said: "NUS Wales is calling on all the parties in the National Assembly to wait until Professor Rees, and the group working with her, release their report next week." James Knight added: "The Rees group was set up as an independent investigation and NUS Wales wants to praise Teresa Rees for listening to all sides of the argument and taking evidence from all interested parties." Jenny Randerson, the Liberal Democrat AM, received the press release from NUS Wales. She said: "James Knight fell into the same trap as Professor Teresa Rees – working on behalf of the Minister. “I was particularly surprised by NUS Wales as they always oppose top-up fees. You don’t give up at the first hurdle. I’m very disappointed the NUS didn’t stick to its guns." Janet Ryder added: "I was amazed I received a lobby from the NUS. The fact that NUS Wales chose to say no to the opportunity to get rid of top-up fees in Wales was unbelievable."
When questioned about his motives for attempting to postpone the debate, James Knight said: "NUS Wales was instrumental in getting the independent Rees report set up and it was only courteous to wait for the report to be released before we debated the issue." Knight defended his position by saying: "We initially had a press release [which said NUS Wales called for a cease-fire over fees] but on the Monday before, when the strength of opinion became clear, NUS Wales was there at the Welsh Assembly lobbying AMs to ensure they voted for the motion." Jenny Randerson responded to this claim by categorically stating that she was under no impression that NUS Wales or James Knight wanted her to vote for the debate: "I received no follow up correcting press release, nor did any member of NUS Wales tell me to vote for the debate. When I cast my vote, it was clear NUS Wales was lobbying against the opposition. "When I talked to sabbatical officers from Cardiff University Students’ Union, I was surprised that they were encouraging me to vote for the debate as it was completely different to the stance NUS Wales were taking." A motion of censure against Knight was submitted to the NUS national Council last Tuesday by four students’ unions in Wales, although the motion was not debated. Mel Whitter, NUS Wales Women’s Officer and the Welsh representative on the National Council told gair rhydd that the motion could not be debated at the meeting due to the lack of time. However, James Lloyd, the NUS National Secretary, said: "To my recognition nothing was handed in, even though I personally gave her [Mel Whitter] a copy of the motion." James Knight remains adamant that he won’t resign. He said: "I was elected with a clear majority at the Spring conference and the people who are calling on me to resign now are the same people who did not support me or vote for me when I was re-elected. "We cannot change a democratic election just because some members didn’t agree with the result."
BIG BROTHER ISN’T WATCHING: A camera at Senghennydd Court where our reporters found serious lapses in campus security By Will Talmage & Thom Airs AS WE EMERGE into a communal kitchen on the ground floor of Gordon Hall, Archaeology student Andy Evans looks alarmed. And so he might. With two gair rhydd reporters arriving unannounced in his corridor, the first-year student is keen to hear our explanation. When we make it clear that we are investigating the security in halls of residence, Evans is quick to tell us how he found a burglar in the corridor after the Easter break. Over the course of the day, stumbling into the kitchens and corridors of students in University Hall and Senghennydd elicits similar response. Having breezed through the unlocked doors or gaping windows of the University’s accommodation buildings, the slightly bemused residents often recount incidents of recent burglaries. Back in the ground-floor kitchen of Gordon Hall, which we had accessed thanks to a side
door being left on the latch, Andy Evans is clearly used to thinking about the security of his accommodation: “We always have to lock our door, even if we’re only out for four or five minutes. Just after Easter I saw a guy looking in through my window. He came in through the front door and passed just three feet away from me. I rang security but they couldn’t find him. When the police later arrested him, he pulled a knife on the officer and was found to have stolen a laptop, a camera and girls’ clothes.” As we leave Evans’s kitchen and walk unopposed through the long corridor and to the front door it is clear that it takes little effort to reach the possessions of the residents. Outside, a glance to see if our actions are being captured on camera reveals lenses pointed away from both the front and side doors we’ve just passed through. In Senghennydd, the third biggest halls in Cardiff, we again encounter wayward-pointing CCTV, but no unlocked doors. Instead, as we walk down the narrow alleyway at the rear of
the building, we find dozens of ground-floor windows propped open. Most remain tethered to the window frame, allowing them to only open a few inches. At least four, however, have come free from these metal constraints and hang temptingly open, revealing books, hair dryers and video games within easy reach. The owners of one such window speak openly of their security fears. Tom Hamilton, a first year French and German student is aware of the dangers: “Flat D got their PlayStation stolen. The thieves got in through the window.” Also in the kitchen that we’ve just walked in on is 19-year-old Sociology and Politics student Becky Clisset: “Security here could be a lot better, the security guards don’t really walk around much. At Uni Hall there’s locked gates; just because we pay less it doesn’t mean our security should be compromised. It’s elitism.” Despite the perimeter gates at both ends of University Hall and the recent refit to East Wing, we still manage to uncover a sur-
prisingly large number of flaws in the security of Cardiff’s second biggest halls. Gaining access to Garden Wing was simply a case of pushing open a door that should have been locked. Closer inspection of the lock itself revealed a missing latch, making it impossible to secure. Our journey through Garden Wing was made easy by further damaged and missing locks. More of the same greeted us as we entered Birchwood, where we met three students who wished to remain anonymous. One of them, clearly surprised by our presence, echoed the comments made by the residents of other halls: “Security here is pretty lax. One of the doors to the halls is always open. The keys are only supposed to open one corridor, but mine opens a few. A couple of people have had a few things stolen, such as my mate’s laptop. He went to the toilet and left his door open. This term’s been better, but you used to be able to get into one door that let you into the whole of Birchwood.” Continuing our tour of the
city’s halls, we moved on to the largest of the University’s halls: Talybont. Although reputed to be one of the most secure halls of residence, we quickly discovered a door completely missing its lock. The door, in Talybont North, gave access to a whole staircase and is known to have been without its lock for over two months. To its credit, Talybont South had a very visible security camera presence, and all doors were securely locked. During four hours of attempting to break in to halls of residence, not once did a security guard question our activities. Only a cleaner in Gordon Hall queried our actions, although she was easily convinced that our motives were not malicious, without us having to produce any form of student identification. Assurances have been made by the Residences and Catering division that all of the security risks that we have highlighted either have been or will be fixed by the time of going to print. Full investigation on page 3
Referee shortage in Wales By Thom Airs Sports Editor WELSH FOOTBALL could be facing a serious lack of referees according to a recent investigation. The BBC’s ‘Eye on Wales’ claims that the paucity of trained officials in the Welsh League and Cymru Alliance is nearing crisis point. Roger Gifford, the national referees’ officer for the Football Association of Wales, said: “[If the] current trend of recruitment continues, in the Welsh League in the south and the Cymru Alliance in the north, we will not have referees and that will be a very sad day indeed.”
The drop in the number of people training to become officials has been blamed on high-profile assaults on players and referees. Wayne Davies, from Ammanford, hung up his whistle after being spat at and verbally abused during a game in Llanelli: “Up until this incident I was loving it. You have ups and downs, but it is getting OTT.” A shortfall in the number of new recruits is also threatening lower-league football in Wales. Some observers believe that the number of trainee men in black – who have to be at least 14 yearsold and have ‘OK’ eyesight by order of the Referees’ Association – is falling due to the way Premiership referees are treated.
Chris Howard, head teacher of Lewis School in Pengam, says football’s superstars have a lot to answer for: “When watching that game [Manchester United against Arsenal in the Premier League] I did think what chance have we got if youngsters in school behave the same way. “What worries me is that people see authority figures being abused and I’m sure that over time that kind of thing does rub off.” With refereeing courses set to be introduced to the University’s Intra-Mural Games next year, Cardiff students will be hopeful that the trends in the national game don’t spill over onto the pitches of Pontcanna.
The battle for Columbia’s white gold In Columbia, Ingrid Betancourt, a former presidential candidate, has been held hostage for over three years by a gang of drug traffickers. She is believed to be one of 3,000 hostages kidnapped by the militant group Farc
(Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia). The group’s strong links with America’s cocaine trade has alerted American forces, who are intent on smashing Columbia’s gangs of drug smugglers. Full story: World News, p.5