contents 3 The Board - Owen Martin, Assistant Honorary Secretary 4 This Month We Love... Discovering America 5 Feature- Don’t Let Exams Get You Down 6 Feature - The Ultimate Revision Playlist 7 How-To- Survive Exams 8 Feature - Beer Bar Banter 9 Comment- Student Democracy At Its Finest 11 Comment - One Dress, One Month 12 Comment - Digesting the Referendum: A Tentative Post-Game Analysis 13 Film - Stoker & Flight 14 Comment - And The Award Goes To... 15 Music- Macklemore: Not as F**cking Awesome As You Might Think 17 Events - The GUVMA Rodeo 2013 18 GUSA- The Glasgow Taxis Cup Convener of Libraries Editor-in-Chief Claire Flynn
If you’d like to contribute to the GUUi in any way (editorially, writing or photography) email: libraries@guu.co.uk
Contributors Owen Martin Eva Milne Harriet Johnstone Lucy Keown Breffni O’Connor Linus Sioland Kate Whitaker James Yates Rachel Davies Caitlin Kelly
The opinions expressed in this publication do not represent those of Glasgow University Union.
Editorial Hello! Welcome to the March edition of the GUUi. Before I launch in to what we have in store for you this month, let me first introduce myself. I’m Claire Flynn, the newly elected Convener of Libraries at GUU, which makes me the Editor-in-Chief of this very magazine. Enough about me- lets talk about what we have for you this issue. With exams creeping up we thought it only fair to provide all you stressed out students with some advice on how to deal with revision hell. From Lucy Keown’s How-To Survive Exams to Harriet Johnstone’s Ultimate Revision Playlist we should have you covered. Plus in order to procrastinate you can continue to read on about the latest film releases, the news from GUSA and much more. And remember if you ever want to get more involved with the magazine then don’t hesitate to get in touch! Happy reading! Claire Flynn Editor-in-Chief
The Board
Hello and welcome to the first edition of the GUUi from the brand new Board of Management 2013/14. Our new Libraries Convener, Claire Flynn, deserves a very warm welcome for putting this fantastic issue together in just a number of days. From what I’ve seen in this week alone I am positive the magazine is in great hands and I think she’s going to do a Flynncredible job! My name is Owen Martin and I’m the new Assistant Honorary Secretary of the wonderful Glasgow University Union. I’ve now been on the Executive for the best part of 3 days and I can confirm already it is an extremely hard working trio made up of Gavin Tulloch, the new President, Imogen Dewar, the Honorary Secretary and myself. I was a PSM last year so have gotten to know the place extremely well and have grown to love it in a way I never could have imagined; spending most of my days here doing everything I can to please all you guys, the members. One of my main focus areas is working with as many clubs and societies as I can to secure affiliation with the Union. My goal is to save these clubs and societies as much money as possible through many means such as free room hire on certain days and discounts on booze! If you are on the committee for any club or society I really would love for you to get in contact with me so I could talk you through all the perks of affiliating with GUU. All you have to do is send an email to assthonsec@guu.co.uk if you have any questions at all and I can talk you through the affiliation process. So enough about me, we have loads of exciting events coming up at GUU over the next couple of months and I would urge you to come along to them if you haven’t been to much since the Hive closed. GUU is still the place to be on a Thursday night with the Beer Bar open and buzzing until 2am. We also still have karaoke, now in the Reading Room, and a DJ playing in the newly kitted out Debates Chamber. Open Mic also has a new home in the beautifully fairy lit Reading Room on Friday nights. When we come back after Easter, the Libraries will be a great study area with free tea and coffee and the Beer Bar will be have lots of drinks promotions for those who need a break from the hellishness of exams! So please come down and have fun cause that’s really what we do best here! Owen Martin Assistant Honorary Secretary assthonsec@guu.co.uk
www.
.co.uk
This Month
This Month We Love... Discovering America Discovering the Kelvin Ensemble...
I can’t sing, but that’s not the end of my failures. My parents, bless ‘em, in a desperate effort to affix any degree of musi-
So, I was pretty darn delighted when I was offered a ticket to see the Glasgow’s own Kelvin Ensemble perform their latest concert in Bute Hall, “Discovering America”.
cal talent to me, threw a magnitude of instruments my way when I was a kid: a recorder, keyboard, violin lessons... and
In truth, I was genuinely convinced that it was a CD playing
er, bongo drums. I think we realised at that point, through
when the orchestra began: it was just that perfect. I also kept
my inability to even create a half-tolerable melody with the
thinking about what these guys would be like at Open Mic
palms of my hands, that I was indeed, and always will be, a
with all the fairy lights; that I probably would cry hysterically
lost cause to the world of song.
because I’m that sentimental. I sat there mostly green with envy at the flawless symphonies my peers so seamlessly piped
Alas, I am no Beethoven, nor Guetta. But this profound lack
out... why the bloody hell did I never learn to play a piccolo
of musical talent does not rob
or contrabassoon!? Meanwhile,
me of the inherent human love
Chris Swaffer led the orchestra
for the beauty of sound. In fact,
of nearly 80 students impeccably
I’ll clap my hands to just about
through Our Town by Adam Co-
every genre out there from Em-
pland, American Suite by Antonin
inem to Dido, some good ol’ 1D
Dvorak, and Symphony No. 2 by
or the metal waves of Led Zepp-
Charles Ives – 3 tunes by 3 out-
lin – hell, I’m even a prominent
standing American composers.
Belieber. But it doesn’t peak Certainly,
there.
the
Kelvin
Ensem-
ble’s story is pretty remarkable... My favourite genre? Well, that
Founded in 1991 by a gang of
just so happens to start resonat-
impassioned students seeking to
ing itself through the adrenaline
establish a standing source of clas-
pumping tracks by Hans Zimmer in The Dark Knight and
sical music at the University of Glasgow, their dedication
Gladiator soundtracks, or the melancholy scores of Ludovico
cannot be faulted: the ensemble is completely student-run,
Einaudi in I Giorni and Nuvole Bianche... Going a bit further,
funded entirely by ticket revenue and bake-sales, donations
I do in fact fancy Debaussy. And Bach. Maybe Mozart too.
from their mates and membership fees.
And well, I’m quite honestly madly in love with classical music. For me it’s not about snobbery or elitism, because, for one
And they’re still here, over 20 years later – a subtle remind-
thing, who even knows what a concerto or oratio actually is?
er that classical music is neither inaccessible nor irrelevant,
Nope. It’s about taking your mind on an entirely emotional
even to a digital generation instantly gratified at the click of a
journey; a road that, let’s admit, has been caution taped off if
mouse on iTunes.
you try to get there via Call Me Maybe. - Eva Milne
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Feature
Don’t Let Exams Get You Down It’s that time of year… coursework has been finished and
to the point of harming their health and mental well-being,
handed in, the Easter Holidays are about to start and sum-
then things get a little less laughable.
mer is only just around the corner. So everything’s great… right?
So what’s the point in me getting all serious about this? After all you don’t need anything more to bring you down at this
Wrong.
time of year and exam stress is an inevitable part of student life. But we should all be aware of the potential detriments.
For students across the country this is probably the worst time of year due to one reason and one reason only. Exams. Silly, stupid, stressful exams.
‘For students across the country this is probably the worst time of year due to one reason and one reason only. Exams’.
Yep that’s right exams are looming right behind the end of the Easter holidays for many of us here at Glasgow University. If you’re not already it won’t be long before you’re tearing your hair out or crying in frustration because you just can’t find that set of notes that have suddenly become vital in your revision and without them you will, most definitely, fail everything.
Student Beans found in a survey of 1000 students that it impacts on a fair few even enough to affect their health. They
The tears, the rants, the screams and even the panic at-
discovered that 92% of students said they felt worried dur-
tacks- I have experienced them all, from myself or from my
ing exam time whilst one fifth revealed they had suffered
friends. I understand the pain of exam stress.
anxiety attacks before their exams as a result of the stress. Furthermore 61% cited lack of sleep or insomnia as a result
The thing is we all laugh and joke about them, about how
of their worry, 51% claimed to suffer from headaches and
little we know and how we’ve done no revision and how
migraines and 47% admitted turning to food to relieve their
we are completely and utterly screwed, maybe hoping that
stress (53% obviously lied about that one).
our smiles will hide the fact that we are freaking out on the inside.
So as we all knew, exams are not fun and games, in fact they are seriously stressful and can affect a student’s health and
Maybe you aren’t like that; maybe you are chilled out and
mental well-being.
confident about the upcoming assessments. However, I know, from personal experience, that this isn’t often the
So as hard as it is don’t let exams get you down. Do your
case.
best not to cry, scream or have a panic attack, either before the exam or, worse, during it and having to be led out of the
Exam stress has become a far more serious and noticed is-
hall (that actually happened to a friend of mine last year).
sue in the last few years. The pressure students are under,
Get through them and I’ll see you for a drink on the
either from themselves or from others has only increased if
other side.
anything, making the weight of exam time all the heavier. It’s fine to joke but when students stress themselves out
-Claire Flynn
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.co.uk
Feature
The Ultimate Revision Playlist With
the assistance of YouTube, Spotify, 8tracks and
see why. so Give Married Life a try.
Soundcloud music feels so much more available through any medium, pretty much however you want it. And you know
5) For those of you reading this who don’t know me…I am a
what they say, it’s been scientifically proven that music helps
huge Kanye West fan. When he got on stage and went crazy
you concentrate…or something. So crack on the tunes and
at Taylor Swift, I was like ‘YEAAAAH!’ (And guess what?
get your head down in the library; here are my top ten go-to
He was right. Beyoncé did have one of the best videos of all
study songs.
time and should have won that award, whatever it was… Boo Taylor Swift). Better to go for old Kanye then now, something
1) Stay (Moss Remix) – Rihanna. Rihanna pulls it out the
slower like All Falls Down. Not so sure how I feel about him
bag once again, and this is something I can have on repeat
since this whole Kim Kardashian phase. I trust that he’ll pull
for hours. The remix makes it a little more interesting and,
through though.
if you’re in need of procrastination, the video’s one to watch. She looks
6) Au Seve - Julio Bashmore…or any
incredible.
Julio Bashmore. Because he’s just great. No other words needed.
2) Let Her Go – Passenger. I’m glad Passenger seems to be getting a bit
7) Blood Bank – Bon Iver (Flic Flac
more exposure. He performed at
remix). This is a song that’s become
Arches last month and apparently is
a classic on my iPod and has an in-
even more stunning live. He’s some-
teresting twist. A brilliant remix, and
one to look out for in the coming
dare I say it, is possibly better than
months. His recent cover of No Dig-
the original…
gity/Thrift Shop with Ed Sheeran is great too.
8) Blood – The Middle East. It’s the song from the end of Crazy Stupid
3) Love You So – Delilah. She’s the
Love; just to remind you that, even
girl who sang on Chase and Status’s
though you’re in the library, buried
song Time, but her 2012 album From The Roots Up is beautiful,
in revision, people like Ryan Gosling exist.
simple music from a British artist with a stunning voice. I’ll be first in line to get whatever she gives us next.
9) High For This – Ellie Goulding’s cover of The Weeknd. I’m not even a big Ellie Goulding fan, I think she’s kind of an-
4) Apparently you’re supposed to listen to instrumental
noying and shrill, but this is an absolute blazer of a song; The
music to help concentration, so various exam prep lessons
Weeknd’s an artist who should receive wider recognition. I’m
at school taught, and I stumbled across something great the
a big fan of acoustic covers anyway: Florence Welch’s Take
other day (give it a chance). A playlist on 8tracks led me to
Care, originally by Drake, anyone?
the Disney Pixar Up Soundtrack; soft instrumentals that you know you’ve heard before, but that may not necessarily have
Finally, 10) In The Sun – Weezer. Because let’s be honest, who
been on your iPod. In the year it came out the film score won
doesn’t want to day dream a bit about the heat of summer
a Golden Globe, Oscar, BAFTA and a Grammy. It’s not hard to
and drinking in beer gardens? -Harriet Johnstone
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How-to
How-to Survive Your Exams Name one person who enjoys exams. Just one. Stuck? That’s what I thought. Exams have to be, without a doubt, the absolute worst time of the year. Forget the annual trip to your great aunt Doreen’s for broccoli soup, the day when you find out you’ve lost your flat’s security deposit, or the entire month of January – exam time sucks so much more than all of the above, and has to be the most stressful, depressing and downright unpleasant part of your year. Who invented testing as a fair form of working out how much someone knows anyway? They ought to be tied to a lamppost every exam time and be subjected to exam questions from every exam-hating passer-by. Which will include the whole population, obviously. There are ways, however, to make exam season less tragically painful. Although they are extremely few and very far between, they do exist – and may just save your sanity for the upcoming weeks of testing.
YOU WILL NEED •
a positive attitude
TIPS 1.
Be prepared. Print out and colour code your exam timetable, write it into your diary, or tattoo it onto
your forehead; if it makes you remember it, do it. 2.
Stock up on stationary - it’s a great excuse to go crazy and buy every possible colour of post-it notes
and sparkly gel pens (definite necessities) 3.
Take short 5 minute breaks every hour of studying to keep yourself energised. This might include
a walk around your flat, a few sit-ups... or my personal favourite, singing the Mulan soundtrack with my flatmates. Knowing ‘Be a Man’ is on the cards after another hour of study is a terrific motivator. 4.
You’ve probably worked out your best studying environment by now, so make sure you actually
work there; be it at home or in the library, with or without music, or whatever – now is not the time to try and change these habits; stick to what you know works and you’ll be more likely to succeed. Or if not fail miserably at least. “Oh well. There’s more dick in the every sea.” time you get a certain amount done. For example, when I cover a topic I 5. plentyReward yourself reward myself by watching Maury videos (you know, the American Jeremy Kyle). The people on this can only make you feel infinitely better about your life as they are mostly 13 years old, pregnant, have around 7 potential baby daddys and wear the worst clothes ever. Funny and self-esteem boosting. “I JUST WANT SOME GOOD SEX!” 6.
Eat well, ‘cause exams are bad enough without the inevitable comfort-eating weight gain or face full
of spots. And getting your 5-a-day makes your brain work better apparently.
There’s no denying that exams will always be horrendous, no matter how you approach them – but doing even some of the above may help you feel a bit less stressed or at least less suicidal. Preparation is key when tackling them, so stop leaving things to the last minute, we all know cramming is never the answer. Go all Bear Grylls and view exams as being a situation you can make the most of to survive and succeed. But for the love of God, don’t ever try to drink your own piss. Please. -Lucy Keown
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www.
.co.uk
Feature
Beer Bar Banter Just to give you that little bit of extra assurance that there are people are in the same situation as you are and to give you a few more tips on how to cope with revision hell we asked some students in the beer bar how they cope with the stress of exams. Here’s what they said:
‘I’m a massive GUSA lad so to relieve stress I like to exercise before and during exams. ‘
‘I bite my nails and drink excessively. Class A drugs also help.’
-Sean Kelly
-Jamie Cousland
I’m actually highly intelligient so I don’t worry about exams.’ -Stuart Morrison
‘I refuse to study the day before- it never works. Also one time I just took a ton of lucozade tablets, which kept me buzzing the whole way through the exam.’
‘WE HAVE EXAMS?!’
-Holly
-James Yates
‘I stay relaxed by getting massages and facials... and also consuming a lot of alcohol.’
‘I get my hairband on to keep my lovely blonde locks out of my face and I get to work.’
-Heather
-Rory Slater
‘I just eat lots and lots of crap, unhealthy food.’
‘I tend to rock back and forth in the foetal position.’
-Gordon
David Robinson
-Interviews By Lucy Keown and Claire Flynn
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Comment
Student Democracy It’s been almost impossible in the past few weeks NOT to know that elections were coming up. I don’t know about you but it was ALL OVER MY FACEBOOK NEWSFEED. Now I’m as guilty as the next person; I shared pages for several friends, urging people who didn’t really care to vote for them, even drawing a picture of my friend Teddy winged and topless, riding a horse and holding a flaming sword (I have to do something in lectures). For many students, elections feel like a day or two when annoying people in t-shirts leap at you and bribe you with drumstick lollies and force leaflets into your hands. For some, it’s a day when you are incredibly annoying and loud, approaching anyone and everyone, wearing at least three jumpers to protect yourself from the standard Glasgow weather. But for a rare few, it is incredibly tough and nerve-wracking. Putting yourself up and out there for any position is admirable. Regardless of whether you win or lose, everyone should be praised for their bravery and at least having a go.
Queen Margaret Union Let’s kick off election season on February 28th at the QMU, who gained a brand new shiny board. It was a race of Obama/Romney proportion for president, James Ansell, and Calum MacInnes, ending with Calum triumphing by just 13 votes. The Honorary Secretary positionswas also contested between Emma Jewson and Eugene Zhdanov with Emma Jewson emerging victorious. Sean McFadden was elected uncontested as Honorary Assistant Secretary, alongside Emmalenna Käkelä for Campaigns and Charities, Yasmynn Llyod for Events, Alasdair Beard-I-Mean-Begg for Publications and Jo Reid for Social The roles of two year current student representatives were awarded to Emily Boldry, Craig Cuthbertson, Aonghas Maxwell and Melanie Schwab whilst Shaun Patterson, Suki McFarland and Kathryn Duncan all achieved the role of one year Current Student Representative. There are, however, still two seats available, as well as two first year Current Student Representative Roles and a position as a former student member for those life members. QMU have just announced they’ll be holding a By-Election for these positions on Tuesday 16th April. Nominations open on Monday the 18th of March and close Friday 22nd.
Student Representatives Council This was an intense two day race for the candidates running for SRC this year. Jess McGrellis was uncontested as SRC President, as was Louise Graham for VP Student Support, and, fortunately. Oli Coombs (the one with awesome hair) and the political force that is Viper asked people to ‘Vote For The Fro’, and succeeded in being elected VP Education with over 1000 votes secured. Breffni O’Connor (formerly a PSM at GUU) was also elected as VP of Student Activities...She’ll be a Bref of fresh air for the SRC…ha ha ha. The College Convener positions were filled by Natalie Mosson, for Arts, John Williamson, for Science and Engineering and Donald Mackay, for Social Sciences. There are far too many more positions to talk about all of them but it is interesting to note that, as well as several positions being uncontested, Age and Race Equality Officers remained unfilled as did many of the school representatives, the MVLS position and all the Postgraduate Convener positions... Election Watch, everyone favorite election commentary station, asked people to make a sweepstakes of how many people voted; Rosie Doyle guessed bang on the dot 3350 votes were cast. Hope they’ve sent you those Haribo by now Rosie. Not that anyone ever needs to eat Haribo EVER AGAIN after this week…
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.co.uk
Comment
cy At It’s Finest Glasgow University Sports Association Council Trying to get to the Stevie was a battle of wading through leaflets, dodging people’s eyes and flailing arms to get your attention, and attempting to get sweets (DRUMSTICKS WAHOO) without anyone seeing you. Stuart Law will be taking over from Chris Millar as President, having served on GUSA Council for three years previously and Kirsty Nicoll is now Vice President. This meant the highest position competed for on GUSA Council this year was Secretary. Both Tom Gebbie and Chris Clarke had incredible campaigns, and it was another exceptionally close contest with 34 votes in it, and Tom securing his position. Maybe if Chris had slapped on some fake tan and a V-neck, and had gone back to his Geordie roots? Or was it once again, the case that the power of Viper was just too much to compete with? There were only three uncontested Convener positions: Finance went to Caitlin ‘HOCKEY’ Kelly, Travel went to Sean ‘doesn’t know how to get to Newcastle’ Kelly (and, before you ask, YES he can drive a minibus) and Health and Fitness went to Connie ‘the Germanator’ Zehentmeier. The contested Convener position results were as follows: Olivia Edgar was elected as Alumni Convener, Chiara Biscontin as Club Sport Convener, Sandra Perry as Recreation Convener, Chloe Duffus as Welfare Convener, Alison Eadie as Funding and Outreach Convener and Stuart Morrison was elected as Publicity Convener.
Glasgow University Union Having been fairly merry the night before, I can’t say I felt brilliant heading to the Union on election day to help with some flyer waving, and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one. However, the atmosphere at GUU was uplifting; everyone was so supportive of one another. It was unfortunate that every campaign team was so huddled around the front door as it became almost impossible for anyone to even enter the Union to vote. But clearly some people made it through the crowd of circus-tricks and bubbles as 7pm rolled by and th ballots were counted. Many of the positions were already filled unopposed; Gavin Tulloch as President, Davinder Bedi as Vice President, Imogen Dewar as Honorary Secretary, Stephen White as Honorary Treasurer and Owen Martin as Assistant Honorary Secretary, as well as Heather Whiteside for Convener of Debates, Thirsty-Eyes (Joe Sutherland) for Convener of Games and Tom Deering as Convener of Entertainments. Thus the highest position contested for was Libraries Convener, a position we’re assured is EQUALLY as important as others. Ultimately this went to Claire Flynn, who’s pun-easy surname (Flynncredible anyone?) allowed her to scoop up a win., despite her campaign team spending most of election day providing her with tissues to stem the ever-flowing tears. It was incredibly close in both categories for Presidential Student Members but one year positions went to Douglas Robb (someone I remember from my own freshers week and I probably bugged around the Hive for months after), Saoirse Toner and James Yates. I suppose now we will never know whether Teddy could have manufactured a new Hive out of balloon art. Two freshers were elected for 2 year PSM positions- Catriona Clarke and Holly Ferguson- along with Christen Lauder, Ross Lilley and Rory Slater. FYI Rory’s got boy band hair. Now we LITERALLY don’t have to think about elections EVER AGAIN…till about 1st March 2014, when all the madness will start all over again. -Harriet Johnstone
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Comment
One Dress, One Month For the entire month of February I decided to take part in the peculiar and strange challenge of wearing the exact same dress every day, for 28 days. Cue internal debate about my sanity. All to raise much needed funds for Glasgow Women’s Aid an organisation that provides information, support and refuge services to those affected by domestic violence. I took part in this along with others and opened myself up to issues that are a lot more prevalent than we think. Women, children and young people can all be affected by domestic violence and even once they have removed themselves from the situation there are still many obstacles for them to overcome. Now I know what you’re thinking, I must have really stunk up any room I entered and my hygiene levels must have hit rock bottom for the month; but with daily washing of said garment and plenty of body spray I think I managed to make myself presentable each day. ‘Preparation is key.’
Breffni transformed her dress for GUSA ball. If only I’d taken this simple statement more seriously before choosing my dress. February just so happened to be a busy month for ceilidhs and special occasions. One major issue that I didn’t take into consideration before purchasing the dress was the sweat factor. So deodorant became best friend and never left my side for the month. Many other hassles came up throughout the time, for instance the more I washed the dress the more faded it got; this would have been a bigger problem if I had actually liked the dress but after a week my fondness for it was diminishing day by day. Right smack bang in the middle of the month I had the added challenge of GUSA Ball, a black tie event for sporting clubs at Glasgow University. I think I coped with this quite well, mostly because the novelty of the dress hadn’t worn off yet. Each day I and Louise, another girl participating, blogged about our activity, accompanied with pictures of how we accessorised our dress. My creative side came out as I layered it up with skirts, jumpers and jewellery that usually
never see the light of day. A morning even came when I forgot to wear the dress; it just completely slipped my mind. Where there is negative there is also positive; at the end of the challenge we had raised a whopping £1,800. This was the result of the fantastic effort of all those involved. I want to give a huge thanks to everyone who donated. I don’t think any of us could ever have anticipated a total like that. Funnily enough, I didn’t keep my new year’s resolution of actually using the gym membership I bought back in September, which everyone should be grateful for. I would have likely had no friends left and this would have made for a totally different story. -Breffni O’Connor
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www.
.co.uk
Comment
Digesting the Referendum: A Tentative Post-Game Analysis As it turned out, the Glasgow University mock independence referendum turned out a happy affair for Unionists and a disappointment to the Nationalists. Rejecting the referendum’s question on whether they think Scotland should be an independent country with 1614 votes to 967, the student electorate not only provided the first large-scale, public polling result on the matter, but also managed to defy some pessimists’ – myself included, I’m forced to admit – gloomy predictions of rampant apathy. Some form of electoral fatigue is bound to strike the Scottish electorate before the actual referendum next year, but
“Engaging some 11% of the student body is an impressive feat (which is depressing in itself, but a discussion for another time). It’s as much an illustration of student interest in the matter, as of the Yes Scotland and Better Together campaigns ability to engage them.”
hopefully the fact so many defied the long lines at the polling booths to cast their vote is an indication that when the time
versities is likely to be very different to that of the high school
comes, any such feelings will be overcome by the desire to have
graduate walking unemployed in Govan or Pollokshields. Scot-
a say.
tish Labour has lost a lot of disillusioned working-class supporters to the SNP – could the generally more comfortable life
Engaging some 11% of the student body is an impressive feat
situation of students at a prominent university have skewed
(which is depressing in itself, but a discussion for another time).
the result in favour of a stable status quo, rather than radical
It’s as much an illustration of student interest in the matter, as
change?
of the Yes Scotland and Better Together campaigns ability to engage them. Prima facie our referendum was a grave read for the
These are just a few of the questions that can, and indeed should
Nationalist camp at Glasgow University or elsewhere, but there
be asked now that we’ve got the numbers. Much online discus-
is more to any electoral result than just numbers. The first thing
sion in the wake of the referendum concerns what’s to be done
to consider, and perhaps the most important for our interpreta-
next, either to keep or gain the momentum, and it’s encourag-
tion of the outcome, is that of the designated electorate.
ing to think that our referendum has forced discussion on the matter into the open, hopefully raising the tone of debate above
Most universities are highly diverse institutions, and Glasgow
emotive screaming. Maybe it’ll turn out that our referendum
is no exception. The student body includes a large amount
perfectly predicted the outcome of the national debate, but I
of international students, European students, temporary ex-
doubt it.
change students, and – perhaps, crucially – a large amount of students from the rest of the UK. While the opinions of anyone
In the end, whether it caught a snapshot of the national mood
resident in Scotland ought to count equally, the composition of
or not will not matter much: the University owes the Dialectic
our Gilmorehill microcosm differs significantly from that of the
Society and its co-organizing societies, as well as all the vol-
rest of Scotland.
unteers, great thanks. It showed the university and its student body from its best side, and should be rightly remembered ac-
Likewise, our part of Glasgow differs socially: the West End is
cordingly.
more affluent than other parts of the city, and the perspective of a person spending four years at one of Scotland’s top uni-
GUUi
-Linus Sioland
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Film
Stoker Stoker is a fascinatingly dark and stunning psychological thriller centred on an extremely unconventional love triangle between daughter, mother and uncle. It thoroughly disregards typical family values, combining harrowing violence and social taboos with a breathtakingly beautiful style of filming to create an intriguing watch. The English-speaking debut of Korean director Park Chan-Wook follows the style of Korean ‘extreme cinema’ that shapes his other productions, such as the horrifying Old Boy. Park uses stock characters and archetypal horror film imagery, such as spiders and dark cellars, but with a twist. The cast echoes the beautiful cinematography; the quiet, friendless and strange teenager, India Stoker, is played by Mia Wasikowska, most commonly known for her role as Alice in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland; Nicole Kidman plays the sultry and stunning but emotionally unstable mother, Evelyn Stoker; and the gorgeous Matthew Goode fills the part of the aptly named Uncle Charlie, an allusion to the suspicious Uncle Charlie in Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt, foreshadowing the film’s sinister plot. However, Stoker could be described as a ‘style over substance’ feature. It is relatively slow paced, with much emphasis on the build-up of tension. Park regularly uses silence and creepy scenery to create suspense making it not the most comfortable film to watch, but expertly crafting an intently macabre atmosphere. Admittedly, the plot is not completely solid and lacks explanation of some events which can leave the viewer feeling slightly unsatisfied. It isn’t the brain-teasing, murder mystery that the trailer seems to imply. Overall though, Stoker is a fantastic watch. The cinematography is truly stunning and more than makes up for any lack of substance. Furthermore, it is seriously freaky and has the shock factor than can be hard to achieve in modern exposed-to-everything audiences. -Kate Whitaker
Flight
Everyone loves a bit of Denzel Washington… I have tried to find a fault with him over the years and I just can’t. He is simply brilliant.
And no less so in his latest feature Flight, in which he plays William “Whip” Whitaker, a pilot who manages to, against the odds, land his crashing plane to avoid many casualties and becomes an automatic, old-fashioned American hero. However, he is also an alcoholic, cocaine user and generally messed up guy, having little contact with his former wife and son, who have both given up on him. The crash forces him to face up to his shortcomings as it is revealed that he had a high level of alcohol and cocaine in his system on the day of the flight, leading to potential charges of manslaughter and jail time. As he fights with lawyers and co-workers to prevent being sent to prison his dependency on alcohol and drugs become more and more apparent. Despite the film being overly long and arguably anti-climactic at the end, it is still a good watch. Both the writing and Denzel’s acting abilities manage to draw you further and further into a poor man’s fight- not against the authorities- but against the damage he does to himself. Managing to touch on religious influence and other American societal issues as well, the director, Robert Zemeckis, is able to keep the viewer engaged throughout. So what are you waiting for? Go and get your Denzel fix for the week. -Claire Flynn
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.co.uk
Comment
And The Award Goes To... Through the dreariness that surrounds the months of Janu-
would go after him. Unfortunately she left it which is a pity;
ary and February, with crappy weather and truckloads of as-
he deserves a slap more than most people, I know.
signments, shines a beacon of glamour which injects jealousy and resentment into the hearts of the majority of us normal
2. Coming in a narrow second is Seth MacFarlane’s ‘Boob
folk. Awards Season, be it in Hollywood, New York or Lon-
Song’. Seth, the creator of Family Guy and Ted, hosted this
don, interests many of us because lets face it, our lives are
years Oscars ceremony. For some reason he came to the con-
boring; we want to see which singer can’t hide their bitter
clusion that in his duties hosting the show, he should sing
jealousy when losing out on a Grammy, which actor gives
about all the actresses which have gone topless in films, and
the most mind-numbingly monoto-
proceeded to do so, accompa-
nous monologue thanking his great
nied by backing dancers and a
grandfather’s extensive stamp col-
choir. What’s great about this is
lection, and how much more creepy
when he mentioned an actress’
Quentin Tarantino looks every sin-
name, the camera cut to them in
gle year. We are offered on a glit-
the audience where they were
tering platter an escape from real-
squirming with discomfort; if
ity; beautiful people in expensive
looks could kill Seth MacFarlane
clothes with envy inducing talent,
would have died several times
which we can longingly sigh after
during that number. Charlize
and wish ‘one day...’. Personally,
Theron was a particular favour-
this year I couldn’t tear my eyes
ite. Hilarious stuff.
away from George Clooney’s beard, 1. In at first place was a brilliant
he just gets sexier and sexier as the years go on. Bastard.
I wouldn’t mess with Adele if I were you Chris...
and totally unexpected moment. While Jennifer Lawrence was be-
So what most tickled your fancy in this year’s awards cer-
ing interviewed post Oscars victory, Jack Nicholson can be
emonies? Was it Tina Fey’s particular brand of comedy, Jenni-
seen staring at her in the background and sidling closer to the
fer Lawrence’s so-boring-it’s-funny approach to her speeches,
interview. He interrupts her talking, unashamedly checks her
or the plethora of beards on hot men we were graced with
out even when she’s noticed him, and proceeds to congratu-
(shout out to my boy George)? There was so much to choose
late her while stoking her arm and staring at her body. Jenni-
from, but these were the crucial ones. And the nominees are:
fer tries to laugh it off, and looks horrified, but he keeps coming back to tell her he’ll wait for her and that he’s ‘thought
3. In at third place is Adele. Although she’s just generally
about’ her. Now that is the definition of awkward.
great, during the Grammys she outdid herself. As Frank Ocean was awarded Best Urban Contemporary Album, Chris
If you haven’t seen these, get on Youtube immediately - they’re
Brown, whom was also nominated in that category, refused
not to be missed. Another gem was Tina Fey’s opening com-
to stand up and give him an ovation like the rest of the au-
ment about Tarantino at the Golden Globes, he is undoubt-
dience. Upon seeing this, Adele stared out Chris, and as she
edly the most disturbing man ever. Although Ricky Gervais
determinedly strode over to give him a piece of her mind, he
definitely could have said it better. Got your back Rick.
jumped up like a misbehaving schoolboy and begrudgingly started clapping, whilst darting glances at Adele to see if she
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-Lucy Keown
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Music
Macklemore: No Awesome As Yo
2013 has been a good year for music so far. Beyoncé impressed at the SuperBowl. Adele impressed at the Oscars. And Macklemore impressed on YouTube. Yet Macklemore has gone further than appearing in our suggested videos list, with his music video for ‘Thrift Shop’ reaching 140 million views before going on to sell 2.2 million copies in the US, leaving us walking down University Avenue subconsciously singing ‘What what… What… What...’ and very much curious for more. Despite making it big this year, Macklemore a.k.a. Ben Haggerty, from Seattle, has been making music for 13 years, releasing an EP in 2000 under the name Professor Macklemore. By 2005, he had dropped the ‘Professor’ and released his first studio album ‘The Language Of My World’. However, it wasn’t until his comeback in 2009 with ‘The Unplanned Mixtape’, after 4 years of substance abuse, that Macklemore starting making waves, leading to the beginning of a collaboration with producer Ryan Lewis that has lasted ever since.
More EPs followed, some with iTunes Hip Hop Chart success, giving us notable songs such as ‘And We Danced’ and ‘Can’t Hold Us’, until the release of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ latest album ‘The Heist’. Released in October 2012, the album reached #1 on the iTunes album chart within the space of hours. Including previously released songs from past EPs, ‘The Heist’ gave birth to the internet phenomenon ‘Thrift Shop’, reviving business in vintage stores worldwide. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, in line with the entire hipster image they portray, pride themselves on the fact that they got to #1 unsigned, showing that you don’t need a major record label to make it to the top. As Macklemore tweeted soon after reaching #1, ’78,000 sold independently. I could never have dreamed this. Thank you all. #sharkfacegang’. In fairness, the last artist to reach this feat was Lisa Loeb in 1994. However, as revealed in a recent report by Planet Money, this feat wasn’t achieved by Macklemore as much as he makes it out to be.
Macklemore in his video for, smash hit, ‘Thrift Shop’
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.co.uk
Music
Not as F**cking You Might Think
Macklemore and, producer, Ryan Lewis
Yes, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis started off with small shows in Seattle, spreading the word with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and YouTube, making enough money to hire a booking agent, who with strategic bookings, spread the word about the two. By this point, they had received interest from major record labels, but made the decision to not sign and use the money from touring to fund the making of their album, something much easier today with the software available on a MacBook. Although Macklemore & Ryan Lewis made the album independently, even with mediums like iTunes and YouTube, they needed help to get on the charts. It was at this point where they signed to Alternative Distribution Alliance, who would distribute the album for a cut of the profits. Despite sounding like a quasi-independent company, ADA are actually a branch of the Warner Music Group, one of the largest record labels in the world, representing signed acts such as Bruno Mars, Green Day and Wiz Khalifa.
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‘To record a #1 album with your own money, is still f##king awesome.’ . Don’t get me wrong, I would be one of the first to put Macklemore on the Beer Bar jukebox. It would be naive to think that someone can get 2.2 million copies sold through the power of social media and a good song. However, as Gary Trust from Billboard says, ‘You really cannot get a radio hit at this point without major label backing’. If anything, this says a great deal about the power artists have in today’s music industry. To record a #1 album with your own money, is still f**king awesome. -James Yates
Events
The GUVMA Rodeo 2013 ASDA Bearsden, as well as handing out flyers and chatting to the public in Anniesland and the West End. Students expertly packed bags and chatted to the public about the GUVMA Rodeo. We received a fantastic response from the public and would like to thank everyone who donated on the day! The raffle committee has received a wide range of gifts for the Rodeo raffle, tickets will be available to buy on the day with prizes ranging from a flying lesson, a signed Scottish Rugby Shirt, a Bikram yoga session, afternoon tea at the Hilton to a family ticket to Camera Obscura. On Wednesday 10th April, the committee has organised a sub-crawl for all veterinary students to raise money and awareness of the event, as well as selling raffle tickets to the public. A final de-stress prior to our professional exams! The GUVMA (Glasgow University Veterinary Medical Association) Rodeo is held annually in April to raise funds for 4 main charities and donations to a few smaller charities. The Rodeo is organised solely by 2nd year veterinary students and we began our preparations for the event this year, on Saturday the 13th of April 2013, way back in October! We meet every Monday evening to ensure coordination between the sub-committees, which consist of: advertising, events organisation, sponsorship, animal tent, raffle, bag pack organisation, and odd jobs! The Vet School Rodeo itself is held on the Garscube Estate right beside the vet school and the small animal hospital. Last year we had 3,000 people attend the event and we managed to raise over £30,000 for the committee’s selected charities.
The Rodeo will be on 13th April at the Glasgow Vet School Campus, Garscube Estate G61 1QH. Parking: West of Scotland Science Park G20 0SP (both sides), and on Maryhill Road. Open: 11am – 5pm Admission: Adult £7 Concession £3 Family £15 The events this year are better than ever before with: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
This year we are hoping to raise even more for our selected charities, which are: • SSPCA • Riding for the Disabled Association. • Vet school development fund And our 3 smaller charities: Lanta Animal Welfare, The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust and The Josh Project. So what’s been going on so far? To fund this charity event, the sponsorship committee has been emailing and meeting up with companies organising donations from 4 generous sponsors: Merial animal health company, Vets4Pets, Burns Pet Food and Hyndland Street Veterinary Surgery; as well as smaller donations from several other companies.
‘Riders of the Storm’ – Scotland’s Elite horse vaulting team A cheerleading display from Glasgow University Cheerleading Club A husky demonstration Falconry displays Duck Herding Chainsaw Sculpturing Small animal and exotic animal tents. Inflatable laser quest A bungee run A rodeo bull A climbing wall Face painters A public Dog Show Pony Rides Over 25 charity stalls
And many more! Find us on Facebook and Twitter – search GUVMA rodeo 2013 / @GUVMA_Rodeo
On the 23rd February, 1st year students and committee members raised money for the event by bag packing in
-Rachel Davies
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.co.uk
GLASGOW UNIVERSITY
SPORTS ASSOCIATION
The Glasgow Taxis Cup On Wednesday the 13th of March the city’s three universities, Glasgow, Strathclyde and Caledonian, came together for a fantastic all day sporting competition, The Glasgow Taxis Cup is Scotland’s largest one day sports event (‘750 students, 18 sports, 3 universities, ONE winner!’) Sports took place at venues across the city (indoor and outdoor) with the final and the presentation taking place at the new Emirates Arena. Glasgow went into the main day of competition on equal points with Strathclyde after coming second in the weekend’s cricket event and then dominating the Athletics event on Tuesday evening. Spirits and expectations were high from all of the athletes, and they did not disappoint. Glasgow took an early lead at the Emirates Arena winning both women’s volleyball and netball. Positive results continued to pour in throughout the day with highlights such as the men’s hockey team winning in their event for the first time in a number of years and the swimming team who put in a fantastic effort to take the number one spot. There were a number of exhibition events taking place this year, which will hopefully be added to the competitive programme for next year’s event. A particular highlight was the track cycling competition, held in the new Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome. The use of the new Commonwealth facilities such as the Velodrome and the Emirates Arena really added to the atmosphere of the day and gave the athletes a further boost to compete to their very best. All of the athletes gathered at the Emirates to watch the final showdown in men’s and women’s basketball before the presentation of the all-important trophy. Previous years had seen Glasgow win with a margin of just one point, but with the constant stream of winning results all day the Glasgow University athletes were on top form and in true Glasgow style created a great party atmosphere in the stands. With Glasgow winning 13 out of 18 events, one of the best results the university has had in the competition, President Chris Millar lifted the trophy with pride to retain the Glasgow cup for a third year. The hard work and dedication from all of the Glasgow University athletes throughout the year was evident with everyone performing to a fantastic standard. Winning the competition in such style is a testimony to this and all competitors should be proud of their achievements. This truly is the cherry on the cake of a fantastic year of sport at Glasgow University. -Caitlin Kelly
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