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Meet the team

Committee 2022/23

Samyukta Vidyashankar Convener/ Editor-in-Chief

Evan Colley Co-Editor in Chief

Ana Negu ț Production Officer

Alex Ballester PR and Graphics Coordinator

Lina Leonhard Events and PR Mentor

Morgan Carpenter Travel & Lifestyle Editor

Selen Shah Politics Editor

Rochelle Chlala Campus Editor

Eliza Checkley-Mills Arts & Culture Editor

Finn Macdonald Showcase Editor

by Eliza Checkley-Mills . Don’t

Ask, Don’t Get

Growing up, my dad would always tell me two main mantras – ‘life is not all beers and Skittles’ and ‘don’t ask, don’t get.’ I know, two sentences couldn’t possibly contain more wisdom if they tried. The latter always seemed so obvious to me and yet, I found it so difficult to put it into practice. I suppose the people pleaser in me always felt that what I had was enough and I shouldn’t burden someone for more, that I shouldn’t risk putting someone else’s nose out of joint. And the anxious person in me didn’t dare stray from the confines of my comfort zone. And so, I hardly asked people for anything and when I did, the guilt was crushing.

My first year of university was one of the loneliest years of my life. Don’t get me wrong, I had a few friends and I adored them, they made the year just that little bit better. But on the whole, I spent most evenings in my tiny accommodation room watching Netflix and scrolling through Instagram, seeing other people live that classic, romanticised university life that I so desperately craved. You would think that feeling such loneliness would encourage me to step out my front door more often, but it didn’t. Instead, I completely receded into myself – I hardly texted people to hang out, bar a few friends to whom I clung like a leech. I kept wholly to myself. However, it has only been until recently that I realised just how true my dad’s phrase is. How can you expect someone to make an effort with you when you make none with them? If you don’t ask, how will you ever get what you want? No one is a mind-reader.

First Year had finished, the pandemic ridden Second Year had rolled around and after months of being in my little house and my little town, I was itching to talk to people other than my parents and, on occasion, my dog. I was living in a flat on Great Western Road with my two closest friends and I had a whole new attitude.

This time, I would make an effort with people. This time, I would seek out friendship. This time, I would have a damn social life. And thus, second year was a social haven. I bought a picnic blanket and was going to use it - I invited countless people to join me for boozy picnics in Kelvingrove, surreptitiously hiding the alcoholic evidence. While some people were stranded on islands of their own solitude, I was walking out my front door a nauseating amount. I became spontaneous – something that is not usually synonymous with my character (most of my friends will attest, I am a maker of plans). In short, I endeavoured to see friends and so, they returned the favour. It turns out that when you ask the universe for something and you genuinely mean it (at least I believe), you will get it eventually. It has taken me nearly my whole teenagehood to realise that nothing comes unprompted, you have to chase it in order to obtain it. Nothing great ever came so easy. And anyway, everyone loves to be asked for their company, so why not do it for them? I can assure you; they will do it back.

I am now in my fourth year and after two years of COVID affecting my university life and spending six months in Russia on an eventful year abroad, I am finally able to get back on the social horse. I can confidently say that I am in for a good one this year because I have done something First Year me didn’t dare do – I’ve gotten involved with student life. I’m now an editor for the magazine, I’m on Libraries Committee, I’m joining societies and I can say that so far (touch wood), it is going swimmingly. I have bloomed into a bit of a social butterfly. I have gone from watching other people live gregariously to doing it myself. I am on my journey to becoming, for lack of a better phrase, that bitch. And all it took was for me to listen to the fountain of knowledge that is my father.

“Don’t ask, don’t get.”

It turns out that when you ask the universe for something and you genuinelymeanit(atleastIbelieve),youwillgetiteventually.

photocredittoAlexeyDemidovviaPexels

David Bowie - the ultimate shape shifter.

by Charlie Catterall .

photoviatheNationalPortraitGallery

Bowie or Bowwie?

It takes a certain level of fame to have the pronunciation of your name be a topical debate. 26 studio albums, 21 live albums, 46 compilation albums, 128 singles, 3 soundtracks and 12 box sets, 72 music videos and 30 movie roles. David Bowie has securely nailed his position as one of history’s most infamous music artists. The release of his new documentary ‘Moonage daydream’ and his face plastered across music shops and memorabilia around the world showcases he has no problem in staying relevant. He has managed to gain an ethereal, other-worldly energy in his music. But what about Bowie channels this universal love and immortality?

Throughout his time Bowie has been a Mod, Ziggy Stardust, Halloween Jack, the Thin White Duke and finally departing with the Blind Prophet. Each album takes on a new character and style, experimenting with folk, pop, new wave, glam rock and experimental jazz to name a few throughout his career. No matter the form he takes his music is continually adored. The characters of ‘Ziggy Stardust’ and ‘The Thin White Duke’ are especially interesting to explore as markers of the two most infamous periods of Bowies career.

Ziggy Star Dust is Bowie’s most notorious counterpart, his fame coming one with Bowie’s in many ways. It’s this character that begins Bowies otherworldly transition, his portrayal of Ziggy has a unignorable energy. Ziggy is born with Space odyssey in 1971 and later gets his own album ‘The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Star Dust and The Spider from Mars’ in 1972. The album tells the story of Ziggy, an alien rock star sent as a messenger from space to regenerate hope in the final five years of the world and eventually dies as a result of his own fame. Ziggy symbolizes the celebrity culture of the time. This story can easily be followed through the album but beyond this understanding there is simply amazing pieces of music performed by a man in makeup and Lycra. His angular face and mismatch eyes are unchangeable parts of the true Bowie, but paired with glittery make-up, orange hair and skintight outfits he becomes a fashion and music icon by standing out. This character continues with the next album ‘Aladdin Sane’, branded with Bowie’s iconic red and blue flash. There’s a continuation of Ziggy here with the albums tour being ‘Ziggy goes to America’. Both albums contribute to the glam rock genre, we hear theatrical rock songs etched with meaning relative to the story of Ziggy. This alien persona contributes to the making of his own allusive ethereal character that lives on through his transitions.

With the mid 70’s Bowie changes form, taking the 80s in his stride he becomes what’s now perceived as ‘The Thin White Duke’. He ditches his skintight clothes and glitter for three-piece suits, his tall thin frame making these suits just as striking as his old Lycra. The beginning of this period proves controversial for Bowie with him making pro fascist statements which were later described as ‘theatrical’ remarks by the duke rather than Bowie. The character is primarily associated with his album 1976 album ‘Station to Station’ but a less drug fueled deception of the character is carried on throughout the 80’s. He continues to wear these impressive three-piece suits throughout the decade. There’s a change of style of music with the transition, Bowie begins to experiment with synthesizers following the 80’s new wave pop music. This shift is seen in the pop-ier style of ‘Heroes’ and much of the music in ‘Modern Love’ in 1983 and Low in 1977. ‘Modern Love’ gives us a very 80s sound making some of the biggest dance songs of the time like ‘Modern Love’ and ‘Let’s Dance’ to name the most infamous. This turn for Bowie is a far step from the allusive Ziggy laced with a symbolic narrative with simple up-beat dance songs but is just as equally well received.

Bowie states he has ‘always collected personalities.’ This ‘collection of personalities’ transpires in the transitional aspect of both his music and character, from Ziggy Stardust to The Thin White Duke his musical talent and performance is hypnotising. This role as the ultimate ethereal shape shifter has a central role in success of his music career. It is in this style he and his music will live on long into the future whether that be as Ziggy Stardust, The Thin White Duke, Halloween Jack, or the Blind Prophet.

The British Are Coming!

by Ricky Blake .

In 2001 the then foreign secretary Robin Cook said, “Chicken Tikka Masala is now a true British national dish - Chicken Tikka is an Indian dish…” Mr Cook was half-right in what he said, Tikka Masala is indeed a favourite dish in Britain, however it does not exist in India. So where is it from? And what does it mean for something to be a British dish?

Firstly, I would like to ask what it means for something to be British, or Indian, or from anywhere else for that matter. The issue is reminiscent of Theseus’ ship, if all the components of something are replaced with new ones, then is it still the original object? Taking the example of Indian food, is it that it is made in India, or that it is made by Indians, or even that it is made using chicken reared in India, using vegetables grown in Indian soil, under the Indian sky that makes it Indian? Most would be unanimous in considering that a Tikka Masala made in Britain is not true Indian food, but then I think most would say that it is not entirely ‘British’ food either. Curry is now firmly part of British culture, but what is consumed in Britain is very different from Indian curries. Take the chicken korma - is it even curry? Part of the definition of curry is to have spice and korma certainly doesn’t have that.

Curries were developed in Britain in the mid-20th century by immigrants from the Indian sub-continent. It is because they were developed for the British folk of 60/70 years ago that is the salient point. British people are naturally conservative and are afraid to move out of their comfort zone. This was a time where the main spices were called salt and pepper, a time before pasta in Britain, and where you could best describe the motto of the British pallet as being ‘I know what I like, and I like what I know!’. could best describe the motto of the British pallet as being ‘I know what I like, and I like what I know!’. Even when the British were in India, they refused to move out of their comfort zone; during WWII whilst preventing a Japanese invasion of India, the British Army relied on imports of corned beef and potatoes whilst the Japanese sensibly lived off the land in the jungle.

When immigration grew in the mid-20th century it brought a clash of cultures, with the new communities not wanting to forsake their familiar cuisine and the British recoiling from any hint of flavour. It naturally followed that the Indian curries were altered and toned down to market them to British audiences. This was a success and now the curry has become a British staple. The British palette is growing, with The Times of India (TOI) reporting in 2011 that the once supreme Tikka Masala had been replaced with the spicier Jalfrezi in terms of popularity. (It is interesting to observe that the TOI article felt necessary to give descriptions of the curries mentioned for the benefit of its Indian audience.)

These curries whilst not being ‘authentically’ Indian are a result of a mixing of cultures. As Britain becomes more multi-ethnic, aspects of culture will naturally evolve to reflect this, and certain things will be adopted. Some may see this as a negative thing, some will firmly insist that the only things that can possibly be British are pie and peas or fish and chips. Let us not forget that the chips would not be possible if Walter Raleigh hadn’t introduced the potato in the 17th century. How long did it take for potatoes to be considered British? Others may see it as a negative that Indian cuisine is being watered down for British tastes, this merging of cultures is only natural, and is a positive reflection of changing British life. On a global scale this is a trend that is only increasing as the world becomes more interconnected, it’s far easier for aspects of cultures -music, recipes- to be shared and exported than it ever has been. This takes me back to Theseus’ ship, and what makes the cuisine ‘authentic’? I would propose that to begin experiencing authenticity, you would need to travel to that country and immerse yourself in that culture to view the food in its context. However, this doesn’t stop you from finding a recipe and trying to recreate a hint of that culture in your own kitchen.

I urge you to keep enjoying your curry and be thankful that your takeaway isn’t limited to fish and chips (however nice they are) and think of the story of history and the greater interconnection that has allowed you to enjoy these flavours. Just don’t kid yourself that you are eating authentic Indian food, or that a meal can only be British if it is included in Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management.

On a global scale this is a trend that is only increasing as the world becomes more interconnected, it’s far easier for aspects of cultures -music, recipes- to be shared and exported than it ever has been.

photocredittoNspirementviaPinterest

TheRomanticsHollywood

by Kseniia Mikushina .

Jane Austen’s books have always been a vibe, well-rounded characters, the romance, the banter - I truly wish I could’ve read them in school instead of grim Russian classics.

For the fans like myself, Netflix has a few adaptations to offer; ‘Pride and Prejudice’, ‘Sense and Sensibility’, and the newly released ‘Persuasion’, featuring Dakota Johnson.

Fair to say, the movie is nothing like the book. Even though the plot twists and the general storyline is pretty much the same, they’ve changed the main character Anne completely. If we look at the book the heroine is described as more of a wallflower type; timid, quiet, and self-contained, a complete opposite to Dakota Johnson’s character. I guess it wasn’t just the changes of personality; the sarcastic humour, witty remarks, and the movie starting with a binge-drinking scene, but also a choice of the actress itself. I’m not trying to put a label on anyone, but I feel like Dakota Johnson’s filmography might’ve played in favour of the production and contributed to the overall takes-noshit attitude.

This brings me to the very idea of the article, whether by making such adaptations of the ‘golden standards’ literature, we might be ruining the ultimate iconic love stories just to make it more appealing for the public.

There are always two sides of this argument. On the one hand, it corrupts the high morals presented and adaptations should either be as accurate as possible or just left alone. And on the other, it’s quite difficult to introduce the youth to the classics and so, the modern adaptations are better than nothing.

However, I think the hype of it all is simply not something that can be taken away. We can talk as much as we want about the high art and the impregnability of it, but it does still come down to the average consumer not being incredibly well-versed in such matters.

Therefore, the trade-off between the true thought and épatage of it is very real. We all know that ‘Mona Lisa’ received its fame after the theft scandal; before that not many people knew about its very existence. Like it or not, people are naturally drawn to cool, flashy stories.

A good example would be ‘Clueless’, which is loosely based on Jane Austen’s novel ‘Emma’. In the movie the main character Cher loves giving makeovers and does good for the community by matchmaking. The thing about ‘Clueless’ is that for my generation, it has become a classic itself, along with films like ‘Breakfast Club’ and ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’.

I think even though the original ‘Persuasion’ written by Jane Austen is an ultimate classic to us, it certainly does not evoke the same feelings in book form as the Netflix adaptation does. It’s obvious that nowadays, you must add a modern outlook to evoke the same feelings that were felt by the 18th century readers of Austen.

Though it could have been done in a more subtle way, I quite liked the contemporary lens on the film in certain places; the concept of mansplaining and dumbing yourself down for a guy, or the awkwardness between the exes and ‘he’s a 10, but…’ meme. However, it can certainly give off a wrong impression for the people who aren’t familiar with the communication norms back then, it overly modernises the norms and wipes out the original customs of the book.

I suppose frequently the books and the movies have slightly different purposes. I would say that I usually watch romcoms and chick flicks just to relax and unwind, whereas books serve more ‘educational’ purposes. Maybe that’s why movies tend to be on more of the superficial side of the spectrum, they don’t have the expectation of being educational.

Overall, as long as it is explicit as to where the plot is coming from, and the audience has a choice to watch or read the original, everyone can decide for themselves.

photocredittoNetflix

Alexa, Paint Me Something

by Alex Ballester .

It does not come as a shock when I say that painting and the creation of art has been around for generations, however, in recent years the world has seen the rise of graphic art and the use of AI technology to create art. Can you even consider a painting made on a computer a painting? This is what I aim to discuss.

John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars has a moment when the main character Hazel is discussing with her mother the shirt she is wearing that has a pipe on it and the saying “Ceci n’est pas une pipe.” For those of you who don’t speak French, that means “This is not a pipe.” Her shirt comes from the famous painting by René Magritte. Now both Hazel and Magritte argue that the drawing of a thing is not the thing itself. The painting of a pipe is not the pipe and the drawing of a pipe on a shirt is not a pipe itself. In the same fashion, a graphic painting could not reasonably be considered a painting because it is not the physical painting but merely an imitation of it. The same argument applies with the Ship of Theseus, if you replace all rotten planks of a ship is that ship still the ship of the same name or a new ship.

There’s no way to deny that graphic art has changed the world, but graphic art is a different entity than physical art. NFTs try to make a different argument by selling paintings and images for cryptocurrency, yet you never see or receive the actual physical entity. While the demand for graphic art is going to increase exponentially as technology becomes more and more integrated into our lives, it’s not physical art. It is still art, whether created by a person on their iPad, AI, or with a brush in hand. Art is art. However, you cannot argue that you made the work if it was computer programming that created it. Effort still goes into drawing with an Apple Pencil or some other kind of online art base, but AI generated art cannot be created by a person, but an object, AI. Now you’re probably thinking, but Alex, someone made the AI that’s making the art, and yes that’s true, but while they could’ve designed the software, they are not making the art themselves.

Art will always be important, however, I do not believe that physical art is dying out quite yet. Graphic art has made such an impact on society because of how much the internet and the online space has taken over society in the last 20 years and I do think that with time, our definition of art will change which could lead to the dying out of physical works of art. However, physical art will always be physical art and there will most likely come a time when all of the museums in the world will stop showcasing physical art and instead, the wealthy and the art metaverse will be booming with NFTs and whatever else people want to create to make money off fake objects. But you can never say that these art forms are physical art and physical paintings. You are not painting the work unless you are there with a brush in hand or using some type of physical canvas or objects to create that work. Would you consider a portrait of a person, the person themselves? Of course not, it is merely a replication, and probably idealisation, of the person and not the person themselves. In the same way, you cannot consider the shirt with a drawing of a pipe to be a pipe, and you cannot consider a ship to still be the same ship with all the floorboards changed. The argument comes with the discussion of liveness and the inability to replicate a work of physical art because you will never be able to consider an exact replica of a painting to still be that exact painting. No matter how much graphic and online art can create beautiful works, they are not physical art and nothing can be done to change that.

The painting of a pipe is not the pipe and the drawing of a pipe on a shirt is not a pipe itself.

photocredittoLisafotiosviaPexels

photo credit to artbreeder via https://www.artbreeder.com/

photocredittoLisafotiosviaPexels

The Sir MaxwellJohn School

by Martin Mullaney .

I was born in Glasgow in 1952. I spent the happiest days of my life, from 1964 till 1969, at the Maxwell School. I left to pursue a career in 1975. I did not return, barring the occasional visit to an erstwhile relative, until 2022.

My firm had sent me to help a new client, Mr. Asif, with his new business venture, the funding for which he sorely lacked. After spending the morning convincing the pompous little man that he would need to sell a small flat in his possession, I decided I was owed a long lunch.

I took it on a bench opposite what remained of the Maxwell School. Its once-proud brickwork was dilapidated and crumbling, its windows were intermittently cracked and boarded and a bothersome plantgrowth clung lecherously to its walls. Despite all this, I gazed up at that building and found myself in another time.

Standing there, I could feel the howling wind on my scalp through my thinning grey hair, and my brittle hands shook with cold. The rain came soon after. As I made for cover, I couldn’t help but notice the tree to which I had once tended, its branches naked, and its trunk buckling pathetically under the weight of years.

The library, it surprised me to learn, was much the same, having become something of a museum for the community’s various artefacts, including a plaque, dutifully polished, with the words ‘Maxwell School’ proudly emblazoned on its face. The DUX board. The one with my name on it.

‘It’s history, isn’t it?’ said Ms. Frost, the librarian. ‘At least, that’s how I see it. It means something to who we are now’.

In my case I felt her sentiment to be slightly ironic. There I was, an unremarkable man in an unremarkable job – not a career, a job – who found himself staring back at the proudest moment in my seventy years of life.

I left the library in a hurry, bidding Ms. Frost a curt goodbye, and trudged back round the corner. I was late. This, I discovered, was something that my client did not tolerate.

‘You can rest when the job’s done,’ he muttered irately. ‘Now is the time to work.’

Thereafter, the firm began sending me to Glasgow a lot more often, partly because no one else particularly wanted the assignment, and partly, I think, because they didn’t quite know what to do with me. I was a dinosaur, no question; I had trouble with technology, and didn’t understand a word of what the dozen or so young hires in the office were saying. Nevertheless, I was a satisfactory worker, as I had always been. More to the point, I absolutely refused to retire.

To tell the truth, this reminded me of another old teacher. He was a wiry, diffident man, who would send any and all misbehaving students off to Mr. MacTaggart of P.E., as he hardly had the guts to punish them himself.

To this day, I have no idea why he stayed in the business for so long.

In Edinburgh, I must admit, I knew no one, and could never shake this bizarre disaffectedness toward the place despite having lived there for decades.

Glasgow was different. I could talk to people there. Not especially well, and not for especially long, but I could sit in a quiet corner of the pub with the other old men and feel welcome. As weeks turned to months, however, the conversations became richer, and longer, and a welcome became an acceptance.

I would see the school as well; in fact, I made a point of doing so on most days. On others, I stop at the library, admire the board and chat to Ms. Frost.

She was an intelligent, direct young woman, seeing fit one day to ask me why I didn’t retire. As I prepared my usual reasons, she looked knowingly at the DUX board on the wall, to which my gaze always seemed to return.

‘You know, I think that if I was moved from here, to another library that is, I don’t think I’d go. Even if it were a promotion, I guess. I like my life as it is, and,’ her piercing green eyes looked right at me just then, ‘if you don’t do whatever you can to enjoy every part of your life, then what’s the point?’

She really was a very bright girl.

I see the school every day now. I see it and feel grateful for the time I spent in its walls, but also for the time I have now. The sunlight shines in a brilliant kaleidoscope through the hole in the roof, and the flowers growing on its walls begin to bloom. I see something very different to what I once did, and look forward to seeing it again the next day.

Mr. Asif found a buyer for his property. The last of the furniture is on its way from Morningside.

Dear youth:

Birthday Eulogy

Breathe my love, My life.

Hold up your head and collect the tears

In an empty bottle

To open when the world caves in again.

Believe that this is new, and that does not mean alone - the child we are is carried through this, hold her hand and keep her close, let her weep and wipe her eyes for she

Is not alone.

Let the girl run as fast as she can

And when she trips over the roots of time

Let her cry

We will so bleed youth and we will so bleed life

And she will scar,

And she will be afraid

And you’ll wash her wounds and hands in the salt of something new.

She was rain, a shower, a droplet

A memory forgotten

And today is an ocean

Of endless cerulean

Cast her line and show her the world

From the little tugboat where we healed her.

Don’t let her apologise. This is not bittersweet. You were not wasted on me

I’m thoroughly aware of your sadness, our life in the hands of a young decade, wandering.

Dear youth, it’s okay.

I have lost my youth to sleep, Gifted my seconds to an enveloping darkness, dreamed of this new age and begged gods to have mercy, Have mercy on me

When my hands shake and my resting heart vibrates

Like an agitated metronome.

But this is a love song.

For her.

by Francesca Lorelai.

Finding Cheer this Year

by Morgan Carpenter .

* The Holiday period can be a difficult time for everyone. If you are struggling with your mental health, please seek help wherever you can. Call The Samaritans - 116 123 or Student Counselling - 44 (0) 141 330 4528 for support.*

Everywhere you look, charming markers of the festive season are popping up as if summoned by November’s closing days. While for some it’s the Most Wonderful Time of Year, if twinkling lights and the scent of mulled wine are bringing you more dread than excitement this time around -- you’re not alone. The winter holidays have a unique penchant for highlighting the year’s sore spots: those missing from the table, the distance from home, the traditions that have gone by the wayside. This time of year poses mental health challenges that range from the mild stress of overcommitting yourself to too many holiday parties, to struggling with pervasive isolation in a family-oriented season. Wherever you fall on that spectrum, it is important to know that you’re not the only one experiencing the trials of the season and that there are steps you can take to support yourself through the next few weeks. Regardless of what you celebrate at this time of year, it’s tough to avoid the feeling that everyone around you has grand, merry plans with family and friends -- and even tougher to sit and watch these events unfold on social media. If you are spending this holiday season on your own, or are missing certain loved ones, try to be proactive and reach out to friends and acquaintances (even if it feels uncomfortable) to make plans. It can be incredibly helpful to find someone with whom to celebrate, commiserate, or seek distraction. If you feel like there is no one you can reach out to, look into the community around you for people in similar situations. Other students who aren’t able to make it home for the holidays or local volunteer organisations are great places to start. It’s easy to settle into the loneliness and feel that reaching out to people around you isn’t worth the energy, but you will likely benefit even from a low-commitment activity like grabbing a festive flavoured coffee with another holiday straggler. Along the same vein, reaching out to loved ones for video chats or online viewing parties can help you to feel slightly more involved in the festivities.

If instead you are surrounded by loved ones this season you can still find yourself struggling to cope with bereavement, stress and anxiety, or built-up homesickness from your time away. When this is the case, the best thing you can do is reach out to the people around you and be transparent about where you’re at and how you’re feeling. If this sounds scary -- that’s fine! You don’t have to unpack the full extent of whatever’s plaguing your mental health, it is sometimes enough just to be heard when you say you’re not feeling particularly jolly. There is relief in honesty, and you will likely be surprised by how many of your loved ones are feeling different shades of the same blues. Leaning on the people around you can feel daunting, but is particularly important when you’re adjusting to a personal loss during the holidays. It’s inevitable for memories of those we’re missing to resurface during this season, and it can render the sting of old losses as harsh as if they’d just happened. Surround yourself with people that make you feel comfortable, and that you can practice the aforementioned radical honesty with. Find ways to spend the days positively, try doing festive activities that you normally enjoy but that perhaps aren’t tied too strongly to the absent. Invent new traditions when all else fails, the more ridiculous and distracting you can make them, the better. If you find that nothing really soothes the ache of holiday transition periods -- find comfort at least in the fact that the season will pass in a matter of weeks. It may feel eternal, but have patience with yourself and be forgiving of whatever you find yourself feeling. Celebrate that even if you leave December feeling battered and bruised, you have made it through another year. Besides, perhaps the twinkling lights aren’t all that bad to look at.

You don’t have to unpack the full extent of whatever’s plaguing your mental health, it is sometimes enough just to be heard when you say you’re not feeling particularly jolly. There is relief in honesty.

photocredittoLisafotiosviaPexels

Finding Home Away from Home

For me, university was an exciting new opportunity to live on my own and be more independent. This is probably more true for me than most having grown up in one house, in the West of Scotland without really experiencing living somewhere else or being away from my parents.

Not to say that there isn’t still a lot that I found scary about university, as with freedom comes the freedom to make mistakes. Specifically, I was worried about more practical things like managing my money, doing all my own shopping and cooking, etc... However, I was also worried about the social side of things such as making friends and missing my family. All this while having a degree to pass! Thankfully, your first and second years give you a bit of breathing room to find your level before you have the exam crunch in Honours Years.

For this article, I presented a short survey focusing on the change between living at home and working in a very structured school system and moving to a much more open style of university learning. The survey helped account for people who have experienced much more change than me such as those who had to move countries, experience completely new cultures, and possibly speak a second language.

The first thing to mention is, obviously, some students don’t move away from home. Some of my best friends are home students still living in Glasgow and other local areas around Glasgow. Particularly with the current shortages of housing in the West End and the rest of Glasgow, the number of Home Students at Glasgow is rising. In my survey, about one in ten students said that they were Home Students. There are some definite advantages to staying at home like rent, cooking and shopping. However, there are some big drawbacks like having to leave socials early and not being able to go to nightclubs so they can get home before the last bus/train home. There are still great ways for Home students to meet people at socials and mixers that are at more acceptable hours. To Home Students I recommend getting involved in the Home Student Society, which organises traditional society activities like pub quizzes, pub crawls, and de-stressing activities like visiting places around Glasgow! All of this done, at the end of the day, with the idea of ending the socials at times which people can still get home. Happily, this means that you can still be involved and meet people without worrying about missing out because you have to leave early!

Secondly, students who have moved for university. When these students were asked out of a range of things about university that they found challenging, the most common answer was being away from family and friends from back home. I think while there is often no substitute for your parents, the best thing to do is to always build a strong support network of friends, so you still have people to rely on. I am in the fortunate position where I can go home and see my parents every fortnight or so and watch my local football team play on Saturdays. A lot of people don’t have this luxury or time, however. Yet, no matter where you are, it’s a good idea to set aside time every few weeks to catch up with members of your family that you can’t see frequently, to lightly touch base, and stop yourself feeling like you’re missing out on things back home.

Finally, on making friends at university, which is something everyone can relate to. As I said before, having a strong support group is really important. However, it’s very different from when you’re in school! At school, it’s the same small group of people you meet nearly everyday regardless of what you have in common. At university, you’re exposed to thousands of students all the time who you meet very spontaneously. Sometimes you can go weeks, if not months, before meeting people that you speak frequently enough with.

However, in my survey, interestingly enough, about 70% of people say that they found making friends easier at university than they did when they were in school. In my opinion, I think that this stems from the ability for you to be able to gravitate towards people who have the same interests as you. Unlike school, you’re not forced to speak with people you just don’t get on with. Joining clubs and societies you’re interested in is a great way to come across people that have the same natural interests as you.

Thus, just in summary, when people take all these things together; independence, friendship and being away from home, over 90% of people in my survey said that they preferred university as a whole compared with the school environment. Considering the scale of the change to university and how scary it can be, that’s a wonderfully positive transition!

by Angus Macdonald .

PLACE WHERE SOMETHING FLOURISHES, IS MOST TYPICALLY FOUND, OR FROM WHICH IT ORIGINATES.

THE DISTRICT OR COUNTRY WHERE ONE WAS BORN OR HAS SETTLED ON A LONG-TERM BASIS.

A

THE

FAMILY OR SOCIAL UNIT OCCUPYING A PERMANENT RESIDENCE.

photocredittoHossainTakirviaPexels

It’s Time for

it is fair to say that this transition has been difficult for almost everyone

for Class!!!

by Molly Mallinder .

Heading towards the end of 2022, we are adapting to life as it was pre-pandemic. However, COVID cases are still creeping about, and so as we transition back to ‘normality’, we enter an entirely new world all together. One filled with COVID restrictions, isolation rules and fitting back into those routines we once knew and loved (at least some of them anyway).

For university students, this transition has been particularly hard. From screens to seminar rooms, we have seen our fair share of problems. However, were there any benefits to our online era? Should Zoom stick around? Or are we ready to ditch the masks and face the fight for a seat in the library once again?

Online learning quickly became the norm, and for many students who started their studies during the pandemic, it is the only university experience they know. This has made the transition back to, or for many, the first time on campus, particularly difficult. In fact, 62% of those asked said that they found this transition ‘significantly challenging’. Several people said that they missed the ‘flexibility’ that online classes brought, with 85% of people saying that they had missed a lecture or seminar because of isolation.

Online lectures ensured people could catch up and allowed students to work through lectures at their own speed, being able to pause and revisit them. The most common suggestion of what students would like to see carried forward from online learning was to keep lecture recordings available. Allowing students to rewatch lectures helped them to gain a better understanding of topics, and many considered it a vital tool in their revision. Students also felt that they had ‘weak note taking skills’ because of the lack of practice, and particularly lacked experience when it came to exams. Online exams were in place for the best part of two years meaning that those in their third year will sit their first in person university exam this coming December. This transition is ruminating stress for many as it is their first experience with university exams and this new experience is counting towards their overall degree!

Furthermore, COVID has had a significant influence on students’ study/socialising balance with 81% of respondents saying that it has had a definite impact on their routine prior to COVID. For some, it has been hard to return to a ‘normal lifestyle’. A busier schedule and tighter deadlines brings more difficulty in finding time to be social. Moreover, people are struggling to find time to fit in their usual activities, such as going to the gym or their daily walk, which people religiously stuck to during lockdown.

However, the return of in person classes has not had a negative effect on everybody, as some students said that it helped them to outline a healthy balance. One anonymous responder said, “It is easier to distance work and social life now – not all done in one place, Library for university work and bedroom for relaxing”.

Additionally, festivals, friends, and families together again are some of the things that we dreamt of during the nightmare that was lockdown and are now finally possible. However, we didn’t get to wash our hands with COVID that quickly! Limitations on the number of people you could meet were enforced. Questions of where and when had people confused of the rules and opting out of socialising to put their life on hold for a little longer. Whilst others partied on with their pals and ignored the new guidelines all together – shoutout to Boris and his infamous cheese and wine nights!

These restrictions were particularly hard for students, with many not having met anyone on their course, let alone making friends for life as the university brochures had promised. Add isolation into the mix and it made it almost impossible for anybody to have any sort of social life. In fact, when asked, 77% of Glasgow Uni students missed out on social events as a direct result of COVID. The lasting effects of lockdown worsened as students said that when these events returned, they felt ‘out of practice’ and had heightened anxiety surrounding socialising.

So, whether you prefer days on campus, finally meeting students and staff face to face, or finding yourself more studious staying at home, it is fair to say that this transition has been difficult for almost everyone. Let’s just hope that we don’t shake off this sense of normality that we have regained just yet!

*All statistics came directly from a survey carried out for the purpose of this article. *

The Balance of State and Federal Power Post Dobbs

by Alex Palmer .

Since the delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia began debating it some eleven-score-and-fifteen-years-ago, the conflict between the Federal government in Washington D.C. and the powers reserved by the fifty State Capitols, State & Legislative Halls has simmered contentiously through peacetime and a civil war fought over some rather contentious ‘rights’ held by the Southern States.

Times change, but in America, some issues never die. In 2016, Gallup found that generally speaking, more Americans had a greater degree of confidence in their State’s Government than in those governing over the country as a whole. Democrats were (perhaps unsurprisingly) more likely to favour the Federal Government over their State House than their Republican counterparts. Ronald Reagan’s famous line “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the Government and I’m here to help” still largely holds sway.

Over the past few years Power has slowly been trending back towards the States, and it is no small matter– particularly as it is largely being attained through Supreme Court rulings by an increasingly conservative Bench. The most secretive branch of the U.S. Government, the Court, all the while conducting most of its business in private, handed out Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organisation earlier this year. And so they overturned 1973’s Roe v. Wade, rolling back the previously constitutionally conferred right to an abortion. States are also now legislating on issues as diverse as LGBT+ education in schools, basic healthcare for transgender teens, and “woke” critical race theory. It’s clear to see who the States’ decisions affect the most, especially when the Republican Party often holds its gerrymandered grip over State legislatures.

States having more rights would sound somewhat more palatable to me if the whole 300-million-strong country didn’t have a now chronic-looking democratic backsliding problem, social views in some places that sound like they’re from the 1950s (yes, editor. I am aware I dress like I’m from the ‘50s, no, I don’t believe we should lock up the gays), and another Trump presidential candidacy looming ominously on the horizon. It’s all well and good (well, near enough) for those living in nice liberal States like California or Massachusetts, but if you’re a minority and living in a solid red State… well. It’s not looking too rosy. The Republican Party is for all intents and purposes far right, and looks to be staying that way.

In their Dobbs decision, the Court stated that they wanted to return the matter of abortion “to the people and their elected representatives”. In an ideal world, the Court wouldn’t sound totally mad saying this. Every single one of the States (or Congress) could have legislated by now to enshrine the right to abortion into law. But they didn’t. If they’d have done that those fifty years back none of this would’ve mattered. Everyone could’ve agreed that by making the decision themselves, they could add some democratic legitimacy, like the Court now apparently desires. Except no one’s had any cause to do so, because the Court did take it out of everyone’s list of legislative priorities.

The Democrats now no longer have control of both Houses of Congress, and even when they did, Bills on issues as contentious as abortion are sure to falls short of the sixty-vote threshold to overcome the filibuster. It is unlikely they will be able to do so anytime in the near future.

No one campaigned as hard as they perhaps would’ve, not nearly as many people tried to pass pro-abortion bills as they might’ve. The Court wants to have its cake and eat it, and it’s curtailing the rights of millions in doing so.

the Court wants to have its cake and eat it

photocredittoRamazBluashviliviaPexels

Transitioning Away From Home

by Omar Atwan.

Home is often defined as some arbitrary place where for a person things seem familiar, or as the place where your family is. What if, like millions of people, you do not define home as such? What if you do not have a home in the first place? Those who were displaced by war, financial struggles, and dictators among other factors often no longer have a home. What if home was never a guarantee for you? What would the place of familiarity be? Would it be the memories you had as a child, which no longer serve a purpose knowing that same place could have been bombed already? We like to say that every person has a right to a home where they feel safe and secure, but do we really mean that?

As a second-generation Palestinian refugee, I have never found a place I could call home. For the past 19 years, I have had to live in 4 countries due to uncertainty and life changes. Growing up I spent most of my time in Jordan where I was heavily discriminated against for being a refugee. I always felt as if I was lesser than others because I was born into a war I did not choose to partake in. I also lived in Cyprus, where being Muslim put a huge target on your head due to disputes with Turkey. Living in Glasgow means that walking down the streets during a football match could potentially be a threat if the wrong team wins. Growing up I always felt scared, alienated, and discriminated against by everyone around me. Being a Palestinian refugee also means that Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza judge you for leaving the miseries of war in pursuit of a better life. I have zero belonging in the world and have made my peace with it but, I am not like others and others are not like me. Everyone’s story is different, everyone transitioning from one home to the other might have different needs that come as a result of family, economic circumstances, etc.

Looking back at my experiences as a refugee, I’ve begun to question whether it is fair for a government that is an accomplice to many wars to not give a home to those displaced. We unfortunately live in a world where a human’s worth is determined merely by race and political alliances.

The war in Ukraine has so far been devastating and has caused many to be displaced. Sadly though, Ukraine is not the only one. Countries like Iraq and Syria have also seen mass refugee crises where the displaced have been treated inhumanely. This paralleled with the Ukrainian crisis raises questions as to whether or not transitioning to a new ‘home’ is easier if your political views align with those who have power or not. One could argue that after the Syrian and Iraqi refugee crises the West has learned to cope better with refugees. However, does being white also play a factor? Is it easier to find a new home and start a new life regardless of circumstance when you are white and western?

The vast majority of EU countries like Poland enforced harmful immigration laws on Syrian refugees yet received Ukrainian refugees with welcoming arms. Simultaneously, however, vast reports emerged that spoke of how non-white refugees were treated at the same Polish border with beatings and being forced to the back of lines. We therefore can see that even at war, a human life’s worth is still determined by race. Is that fair though? Should it be the case that if my views do not align with the West, I should be treated lesser than and be considered more of a threat? Is it fair that because I’m born with darker skin, I am less likely to find a safe place I can call home?

It goes without saying that Ukrainians greatly suffered as a result of the Russia-Ukraine war. It brings some peace of mind seeing the world unite to stand against tyranny to defend those who are devastated by war. However, is it fair that the more welcoming response to Ukrainian refugees was a result of Ukraine’s ties with the West? Had the war taken place in another country, would the West have handled things differently? Handled people differently? My bet would be to say yes, because I have seen it, we all have. There is a double standard in war made clear by how differently Ukrainians were treated in comparison to others. Transitioning is never easy, moving your life is hard and it is even harder when it is not by choice. But the transition, unfortunately, feeds into the centuries-old story that white people have higher worth than others. We do not like to admit it and yet we act like it all the time.

photocreditto PhilipJustinMamelviaPexels

transition plural transitions

1

a

: a change or shift from one state, subject, place, etc. to another

b

: a period or phase in which such a change or shift is happening

2

: something that links one state, subject, place, etc. to another : a connecting part or piece

a

: a passage of discourse in which a shift (as of subject or location) is effected

b : a segment connecting one dramatic scene to another

c

: a passage linking two sections of a piece of music : BRIDGE

3

: a process by which a transgender person comes to live in accordance with their gender identity

4

: an abrupt change in energy state or level (as of an atomic nucleus or a molecule) usually accompanied by loss or gain of a single quantum of energy

ERED MORE OF A THREAT? IS IT FAIR THAT BECAUSE I’M BORN WITH DARKER SKIN, I AM LESS LIKELY TO FIND A SAFE PLACE I CAN CALL HOME?

IS THAT FAIR THOUGH?

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