Graduation By .............................
A souvenir graduation storybook brought to you by Cardiff Student Media
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Contents 4. A Story of Your Life A mad lib to reveal your destiny beyond Cardiff 5. Foreword By the President of the Students’ Union 6. Chapter One The stories of 2007-08 are discussed 8. Chapter Two A moment of reflection on 2008-09 10. Chapter Three Fond memories of the academic year 2009-10 12. Chapter Four Build your future in the form of a paper doll 14. Chapter Five Everything you need to know about the day 17. Chapter Seven How to doff 18. Time To Go Home Cardiff in pictures 21. Epilogue -3-
A Story of Your Life In order to finish the story, you will need to fill out this mad lib. When you reach the epilogue on page 21, fit your answers into the spaces that correspond to the question number. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24.
An exclamation Your name A body part Your name (again) Your grandmother’s occupation A type of food Another body part A ride in an amusement park Your favourite film A cherished childhood toy A type of fluid Relative Mode of transport Restaurant in Cathays Deformity Type of junk food An obscure hobby Drug Your name (again) Verb Adverb A personality trait Your name (again) The most important thing in life
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Foreword Congratulations! You’ve made it to the finish line and entered the increasingly impressive Cardiff University Alumni. I’m sure today will be filled with nostalgic thoughts and happy memories as you’ve looked across the hall and seen all of your friends in those ridiculous caps and gowns, learned about the middle names you never knew they had and said your emotional farewells as your parents drag you away to wherever you’ve booked for lunch. This is a million miles away from that equally anxious and exciting time when you arrived in Cardiff, but just think about how much of an impact these last few years of studying have had on your life. Regardless of whether you’re leaving the University, the University will never leave you. You have made friends and learned skills and lessons for life, and that is what it’s all about. I would like to end by saying that it has been a pleasure to work for you this year and I wish you every success for your future. Good Luck.
Ed Carey, Students’ Union President, 2009-10
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Chapter One: 2007 - 2008
The death of the Duck was just one of numerous stories on
structural and commercial changes to Cardiff University Students’ Union that cropped up in the year 2007/08. The decline in numbers attending Rubber Duck after Christmas resulted in the announcement that the once-popular night had to be cancelled in March, an announcement that means very little to anyone who never attended this phenomenal institution. The biggest story of the year, however, erupted over the controversial £28 million redevelopment plans for the whole Students’ Union building. They proposed that the Taf, Games Room and CF10 disappear in a bid to change the way that space was used in the Students’ Union. The plans also added more space for societies, the Athletic Union and student media groups, a new gym on the fourth floor and, most controversially, new “social learning and network spaces”. Students aired both their anger and support on gairrhydd.com, while a number of groups were set up on Facebook both for and against the plans. Two years on, and the frustration of the period appears to have been rather futile, because the Union has since made it clear that any redevelopment will occur in phases rather than being conducted in one huge restructuring project.
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Students went on patrol in 2007
as gair rhydd reported the implentation of the new Student Police Initiative. This scheme was launched by third year student and Special Police Officer Sam Tappenden as a pilot scheme in association with the local police force. The scheme involved Special Police Officers patrolling the streets of Cathays. It has and has proven successful in raising awareness among students about crime prevention. The evening patrols focus on student housing in the early evening to deter would-be burglars, and as the night wears on they concentrate their work on the Students’ Union and the local pubs to ensure that students are safe after nights out. In February 2008, the then Student Liason Officer PC Bob Keohane reported that crime was on the decrease in the student areas of Cardiff. However, although crime was decreasing, opportunistic burglaries were still occurring in Cathays. The key message the police enforced throughout the year was that students need to be more vigilant in order to protect themselves from the opportunistic thieves that prowl the student areas.
A wide range of significant motions
were passed at Student Council this year, and gair rhydd sought as ever to fully explain and analyse the Union’s new policies. In November 2007, gair rhydd clarified the somewhat confusing situation with regard to the implementation of smoking areas in the Union in the wake of the smoking ban. Since those reports, the trial smoking areas on the balconies have been established on a permanent basis. Another major issue which Student Council tackled was the environmental performance of the Union. In March 2008, gair rhydd led with the story that two motions had been passed; one implementing a Domestic Air Travel Policy which precluded flights for matters of Students’ Union business, and the second requesting the Union President to lobby the Vice Chancellor to appoint a full-time environmental manager. gair rhydd has often criticised the University for its poor environmental performance, and is pleased to see that it has made significant improvements since highlighting its shortcomings. -7-
Chapter Two: 2008 - 2009
Questioning, campaigning and digging for the truth
were the three vows of the gair rhydd office in 2008-09, and we started as we meant to go on. The first issue of the year attacked the University for a decline in its environmental performance, despite a year of self-congratulating in which they claimed to have improved. We kept the pressure on throughout the year, and are extremely happy to report that the University has gone from 84th position in the Green League to 77th in the past two years. That wasn’t the only happy ending, however. When gair rhydd investigated the University’s investments in arms and discovered that they had actually increased - despite a motion from the Students’ Union calling for them to divest themselves of their investments in arms - we ran the story on the front page. A bold piece of student activism finally led to the University’s withdrawal from arms investments. The biggest campaign of the year, however, was to save cuts at the University’s Lifelong Learning Centre. Having backed the department, gair rhydd campaigned alongside other protestors and the Students’ Union, and it was decided this year that humanities courses would continue. Hooray for us!
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IS IT GOING
Letting agencies received a nasty wake-up call
as gair rhydd launched its first ever housing survey, which provided a shocking insight into some of Cardiff ’s worst letting agents and gave us the evidence we needed to name and shame them. Horizon came out as the worst letting agent, which earned them the insulting toilet-roll house award, which they unsurprisingly refused to accept. A report of a student who fell off a balcony at a Union club night might easily have been dismissed as old news, since a similar incident had occurred earlier in the year. After a lot of digging, harassment and Facebook stalking however, gair rhydd managed to access the CCTV footage, which showed something that nobody had expected. The UWIC student appeared to have deliberately jumped off the balcony of the Students’ Union - a 20 foot drop. This led to one of the best - albeit most perplexing - front pages of the year.
The University learned that it is probably not a good idea to let the chaplain on television.
gair rhydd
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ISSUE 899 JUNE 01 2009
WHY EUROPE CANCELLED? MATTERS Elections Special,
FESTIVAL IN STRUGGLE TO SECURE PLANNING PERMISSION - News, Page 3 Pages 14-16
OMFG! University Chaplain argues on television broadcast that most paedophilia in the Church is ‘committed by homosexuals’ Emma Barlow News Editor The University’s Catholic chaplain has sparked controversy after claiming that homosexuals are the main perpetrators of child abuse within the Catholic Church. Father John Owen made the comments live on BBC One’s The Big Questions on Sunday May 24, while reviewing the recent Ryan report. The 2,565 page report revealed that sexual abuse was widespread in Irish Catholic industrial schools and orphanages run by the Church, and was compiled using testimony from former pupils, inmates and officials. Father John, who as well as working at the University chaplaincy is also the communications officer for the archdiocese of Cardiff, was asked by the show’s presenter, Nicky Campbell, whether the church cared more about its own reputation than the welfare of children. Father Owen replied: “These matters are so ghastly that people don’t want to look at them, and they can’t believe these things are taking place within the orbit of a Christian church - a perversion of Christianity. “Let me tell you of course before you go too far, most of the offences are being
committed by homosexuals.” The Students’ Union’s Education and Welfare Officer Nick Yates said: “The Students’ Union is utterly appalled at the comments of Father John Owen. He appears to be of the opinion that what the priests did is either somehow excused or explained by the sexuality that he prescribes to them.” One panellist on the show, the writer and executive director of Amnesty International Ireland Colm O’Gorman, who has recently published a book about his abuse at the hands of a Catholic priest, was especially offended by the comments. He said: “As a gay man I am not going to allow you to perpetrate that kind of lie.” In response Father John asked O’Gorman to “be silent.” Father John continued: “Stick to the facts: the vast majority of the abuse cases in the country – certainly in America - were not taken against what I would call children but 95% of the time taken against teenage boys, now what does that tell you?” Radio talk-show presenter James O’Brian, who himself had been taught by monks in a Catholic school as a teenager, replied: “The monks who ended up facing criminal charges for abuse were paedophiles, not homosexuals and I find your attempted defence of these crimes repellent.” continued on page 5
IMAGE: BBC
AHEAD?
As the year drew to a close, gair rhydd caught wind of a controversial statement that the then University chaplain had made on a BBC programme. Father John Owens appeared to be stating that paedophilia and homosexuality were somehow linked. Our incredulity, and the incredulity of the student body, was reflected in the front page, which carried the notably controversial OMFG! headline. It was a headline which attracted a great deal of criticism from University officials, but nevertheless failed to attract a single complaint from the student body. In the weeks following the event, the University distanced itself from the chaplain, and Father John has now been replaced by Trystan Hughes. So far, so good...
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Chapter Three: 2009 - 2010 POLITICAL
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ISSUE 922 MAY 03 2010
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CARDIFF'S STUDENT WEEKLY
Inside this week...
fashion prepare you for the party season
"Darling, you have a pubic hair in your mouth!"
film review Cardiff soundtrack festival music pick their album of 2009
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ISSUE 912 DECEMBER 07 2009
Politics get cheeky with MP Lembit Opik, page 16
Gherkin' off
gair rhydd presents the first ever edition of...
Creativity
...showcasing the very best of Cardiff Students' creative writing, artwork and photography
All the latest... Gareth Ludkin News Editor Continued overcrowding issues in the Julian Hodge 24-hour computer room have once again raised questions over the need for more library and computer facilities for students. Students have complained of overcrowding in the building, with reports of queues forming throughout the day. Students have also been forced to wait on the stairs outside the only 24-hour computer room available at the University. Despite the overcrowding issues, capacity has greatly improved since last year. 160 seats are now available to students, with further seating and Wi-Fi connection for laptop users available in the café area. A spokesperson for the University stated that 50 more computers
are avaliable this year than last year, but a member of staff at Julian Hodge suggested that there had actually been almost a five-fold increase in the number of 24-hour computers available. With students experiencing such overcrowding, many have questioned why the Main Building is not open 24hours a day during such busy times as exam period, when demand for computer and library facilities is high. Library opening hours have been extended in the past two weeks in order to cope with the high demand for facilities. Trevithick Library is currently open on Wednesday and Thursday nights until midnight, while the Aberconway, Bute and Humanities libraries have had Sunday opening hours extended to 10am until 9.30pm Michaela Neild, the Students’ Union Academic and University Affairs officer, has worked hard to extend opening hours and will continue to pressure the University to provide
more 24-hour facilities. She said: “This isn’t acceptable. Armed with testimonies from students, I will be challenging the University to respond to the pressing demand for more 24hour working space during the exam period. “I would like students to send me their experiences and need for the facilities so that I can take it as evidence to the University to see what emergency action is feasible for the exam period.” You can send details of your experiences relating to the lack of 24-hour facilities to Michaela at: academicofficer@cardiff.ac.uk. Despite library opening hours having been extended recently, there are no 24-hour library facilities currently available at Cardiff University. There are a number of problems involved with opening 24-hour facilities, particularly those concerning staffing and student welfare. The make-up
of the libraries at Cardiff is one of a number of problems preventing the expansion of 24-hour services. A spokesperson for the University said: “Providing 24-hour access to libraries across campus is not currently feasible given the number of separate libraries, their design and locations. “However, we recognise the increased student demand for 24-hour access to study facilities, and will continue to work with the University to further extend opening in a limited number of the libraries. “It should also be noted that a very wide range of electronic resources are now available via the Information Resources tab in MWE from any location and at any time.” Providing staffing throughout the night is an issue, and for the extended opening hours to be achieved, extra staff would have had to be hired. >> continued on page 4
Film Music Photos Features Interviews Travel Food Fashion Books Arts Gay Going Out ...and more!
Emma McFarnon News Editor An investigation is underway after members of the engineering rugby team supposedly caught food poisoning after they ate gherkins that had been inserted into their anuses during an initiation. The Council's Communicable Disease team is looking into the incident, which took place on November 11. The initiation, which began at Roath Rec and finished at The Lash, involved ENGIN rugby team members taking part in what the Facebook event page described as "gruelling challenges" that tested "Strength of Stamina”, "Strength of Character" and "Strength of Stomach". The team members were encouraged to lick milk up off a muddy floor and eat gherkins that had been inserted into fellow team member’s bottoms. The players involved are rumoured to have developed food poisoning as a result of the antics. The Facebook initiation event page urged members to "check out photos of the last two years", which depict a player inserting an egg into his bot-
tom, and another revealing his penis to the camera. Photos of team members inserting toilet paper into their backsides and then setting fire to it (right) can also be seen. None of the team members were available for comment when contacted by gair rhydd. Olly Birrell, Athletic Union President, said: “The Engineering rugby team is not recognised by the University or the Athletic Union as an associated club and we have not been made aware of the incident.” Cardiff County Council’s Marketing and Communications Officer, Elaine Cripps, said: “I can confirm the Council's Communicable Disease team are investigating the issue. I am unable to provide any further details until the investigation has been concluded.” She went on to say that the investigation is ongoing and that more information might be available at a later date.
ISSUE 910 NOVEMBER 23 2009
In this week's issue... ...
Photos
reveal all...
Newton Faulkner, Frank Turner, living rough, and couchsurfing in the USA
Creativity
Rugby team investigated for violating health and safety rules
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No expense spared gair rhydd exposes questionable claims on Union expenses made by the 2008/9 Sabbatical Officers Ceri Isfryn News Editor
Summer Ball 2010
gair rhydd has obtained the expenses lists of the 2008/9 Sabbatical team, and can reveal that several dubious claims were made during their Sabbatical period. The claims filed under ‘food and drink’ or ‘refreshments’ by the team over the year came to a total of £7,507. Nearly a quarter of the food and drinks total - £1,665.60 - was spent during a four-day training course in Tenby for
LINE-UP ANNOUNCED! FRIDAY, JUNE 11, COOPER'S FIELD
Tickets available at the box office or at www.cardiffstudents.com
the outgoing and incoming sabbatical officers. One meal during the Tenby stay came to a total of £653.00, including alcoholic drinks. The meal was held at the Baytree Restaurant, where the cheapest main meal is £15. The officers and Union officials trained and stayed in the four-star Heywood Mount Hotel and Spa, at a total cost of £3,012.55. Rich Pearce, the Union’s Finance and Commercial Officer, said about the claims: “At the end of our tenure and at the beginning of that of our
successors, we have several days of training in Tenby as a celebration of our year and to welcome the new team in a way we feel is appropriate for the magnitude of responsibility we are handing over.” The ‘food and drink’ sum also includes a £919 bar bill incurred during the March elections. Campaigners and their teams were provided with drinks towards the end of the week, and also enjoyed a free bar during the delay in announcing results, which occurred due to technical difficulties. “We were given enough free drink
Features This week's housing special exposes the good, the bad, and the ugly of Cardiff student letting agencies >>pages 12-16
Sport Sport interview Cardiff undergraduate Nathan Cleverly about his life as a British and Commonwealth boxing champion >>page 31
to get us all pretty drunk,” said one campaigner, who wished to remain anonymous. When asked what he thought about it the expense coming from Sabbatical Officers’ budget, the candidate replied, “I didn’t realise it did, and the total cost is pretty high. But I think we deserved some recognition of the work we did, and I suppose the drinks were the best way of doing that.” This was a sentiment echoed by the President at the time, Andy ButtonStephens, when asked about the claim in question. >> continued on page 2
There was uproar in the rugby community after gair rhydd revealed what really goes on during initiation...
The Engineering (ENGIN) rugby team came under fire in December after it was rumoured that some of their players had contracted food poisoning after their initiation ceremony. Despite ENGIN fiercely denying these accusations, a gair rhydd investigation uncovered photo evidence of various degrees of innappropriate behaviour. Some photos showed players licking milk from a muddy playing field, whilst others depicted food being inserted into the boys’ anuses. It was alleged that this food was then force fed to Freshers. This caused outrage on gairrhydd.com, where members of the team staunchly defended their initiation antics. The team claimed that the alleged food poisoning came from a meal that some members had eaten in the Trevithick refectory, but further investigation from gair rhydd found that this was not the case. ENGIN rugby maintained their view that sports teams are entitled to do as they please, however, in the wake of recent media attention on initiation ceremonies, our story called into question how far some teams are willing to go.
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PREDICTIONS
2009
Overcrowding in libraries became a big issue during the exam period. Students working in the Julian
Hodge 24-hour computer room complained of severe overcrowding during the exam period. Reports emerged of students having to queue throughout the day in order to have access to the library facilities, whilst others were forced to move out into the corridors and the Julian Hodge cafe to do their work due to the shortage of space and computers.
gair rhydd revealed the truth about how Sabbatical Officers’ spend the Union’s money.
In November 2009, gair rhydd obtained the expenses list of the 2008/09 Sabbatical Team and found that several dubious claims were made during their period in office. It emerged that the Sabbatical Team had filed various questionable claims over the year, including spending an extorionate £7,507 of the Union’s budget on food and drink. Members of the Sabbatical Team were also given certain privileges which cost the Union money. These included guest tickets for various Union events and a VIP bar at the Summer Ball, at which guests enjoyed £97 worth of free drinks. This caused the current Sabbatical Team to lead a review into expenses, and at year end, they had managed to reduce their expenditure by 50%. - 11 -
Chapter Four: build your future This is a paper doll. 1. Carefully cut out the doll and all of her clothes 2. Dress her in the outfit most appropriate to your career using the tabs 3. Aspire to be the doll
Chapter Five: Everything you need to know about graduating
What to do during the ceremony At the start of the ceremony, graduates and guests will stand as the academic staff proceed into the hall. Following a welcome and the reading of the Proclamation, graduates will be greeted by the Vice-Chancellor who will present them with their awards. You will be prompted by a member of staff to move forward in the order listed in the programme. A presenter (a senior member of the academic staff) will read out your name and the names of your fellow students. When your name is called, you should ascend the stage, walk towards the Vice-Chancellor and shake his hand. You should then leave the stage and stand with your group, facing the stage. The Vice-Chancellor will then formally present you with your award. You “doff ” in reply and are then re-seated by staff. When all graduates have been presented with their award, you will be asked to stand to receive the University’s Greetings. Graduates of the Health Profession will be asked to stand to recite the Oath (the text of which will be detailed in the graduation programme). At this point, the academic staff onstage will also stand. A student will read the Oath, first in Welsh and then in English. Unless there is an emergency, graduates are expected to remain in the auditorium throughout the ceremony.
What to do after the ceremony The Taf is open throughout graduation, so you can always have a cheeky pint before the ceremony if things are getting too stressful. The best way to get back to the Union after your graduation ceremony is via a couple of bars. If your parents are paying, head to the Hilton for a couple of swanky cocktails. But if you’re left to foot the bill, then any of the bars along Park Place, including Cardiff Arts Institute and The Pen and Wig, make a good alternative, and you’re bound to meet lots of your friends along the way.
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A lifelong relationship As a member of the graduating Class of 2010, you are an alumnus of Cardiff University and a member of an alumni community of almost 100,000 people living in 110 countries around the world - a huge and influential international network. You will be able to maintain contact with the University through the University Alumni Relations Office. The University’s Alumni Programme will enable you to keep in touch with each other and with developments at both University and academic school level. To gain the many benefits of this relationship, you need to keep the University informed of your personal details. To do this, make sure that you stay in touch by emailing alumni@cardiff.ac.uk or visiting www.cardiff.ac.uk/alumni
Memories of the day DVDs: 1st Take DVD and Video services are the official video company of the event. They will be recording the ceremony and will be located in St. David’s Hall. Visit www.1st-take.com after the event to order your graduation on video. ONLINE: In addition to this service, your graduation will also be broadcast live on the internet. The recording will be saved on the Cardiff University website after the event for you to view. Visit www.cardiff.ac.uk/graduation/webcast. PHOTOS: Many of you will have ordered official photographs prior to the event, but if you require extra sets these can be ordered from www.edeandravenscroft.com
On the day:
Key: SU = Students’ Union/ SDH = St. David’s Hall
Event
Times for 10.30am ceremony
Times for 1.30pm ceremony
Times for 4.30pm ceremony
Location
Collect robes and seat numbers
8.15am-10.00am
11.00am-1.00pm
1.30pm-3.00pm
Great Hall, SU
Staff available for queries
from 9.00am
from 12.00pm
from 3.00pm
Level 2, SDH
Graduands to be seated
by 9.30am
by 12.30pm
by 3.30pm
Auditorium, SDH
Ceremony rehearsal for all graduands
9.45am
12.45pm
3.45pm
Auditorium, SDH
Guests to take their seats
10.10am
1.10pm
4.10pm
Auditorium, SDH
Ceremony to commence
10.30am
1.30pm
4.30pm
Auditorium, SDH
Ceremony ends
12.00pm
3.30pm
6.00pm
Auditorium, SDH
Robes to be returned
12.00pm-7.30pm
3.30pm-7.30pm
6.00pm-7.30pm
Great Hall, SU
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Chapter Seven:
How to doff 1. Look towards the Vice-Chancellor
2. Nod your head ever so slightly
3. Touch your cap or raise it a little using your right hand. A cheeky wink is optional.
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Time to move on.
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Epilogue
Plug the gap sw your an ith swers from pa ge 4
One day, university ended. “1._______” shouted 2._______, slapping their 3._______ in disbelief. “What do I do now?” For this was a beautiful day indeed. A world of possibility lay at _______’s feet. Acquiring a degree meant that they no longer had to do Plan B and become a 5._______. Nor did they have to return to their old job, in which they had been disgraced following an embarrassing incident involving a 6._______ and their 7._______ . Their time at university had been like a 8._______, but their future promised to be straight out of 9._______. 4.
The next few years looked rosy, and to celebrate they decided to burn their 10._______ and drink several pints of 11._______ kindly donated to them by their 12._______. Light-headed and brimming with joy, all they could think about was boarding the 13._______ of prosperity. “Finally”, they thought. “I can eat in 14._______ every day and rid myself of this wretched 15._______”. Having bought a 16._______ to celebrate, they tied up their last few loose ends in Cardiff. They had already binned their books on 17. _______ but kept their supply of 18._______. “Who knows when it might come in handy,” they chuckled inwardly. The following decades were sublime for 19._______. Every time they thought of Cardiff, they would 20._______ 21._______. And they knew that no matter what happened, they always had 22._______. After all, mused 23._______. The most important thing in life is 24. _______. - 21 -
Edited by Emma Jones and Sarah Powell Original design by Ben Bryant Illustrations by Roseanna Eastoe Photography by Oli Franklin and James Perou With thanks to Laura Som, Lee Macaulay and Nerys Evans
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