Friday 27 September 2019 15.2
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InQuire
“Your campus, your voice”
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Interview
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Conservative Candidate for Canterbury, Anna Firth
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Romanian artist Ileana Sbârcea-Mureșanu
Canterbury cries for help
The march halts. Thousands arrived in Canterbury to protest inaction against climate change in a global event. Photo by Yasmin Ali
Special report “You do not wait for change to happen, you make change happen”
By Jeanne Bigot Writer On Friday, 20 September, environmental activists across Canterbury called for a global climate strike. In Paris, New York, and here in the South East, people marched out into the streets to demand governments take action on climate change. Inspired by the Swedish teenage
activist, Greta Thunberg, and a vast majority of school children and students, more than 150 countries have taken part in this month’s major climate strike. This comes only three days before the Climate Action Summit at the United Nations. Signs across the march produced slogans such as “raise your voice, not sea levels”, “system change, not climate change” and “there is no planet B”.
The crowd, although mainly made up of schoolchildren, gathered non-students and students alike. Some parents came with their young children, with one girl mentioning that her school had let students out to strike and march that day. Many teenagers, most of them not even 18 yet, took up the megaphone and shared the reasons they were striking that day, keen to stress the urgency of
the situation. A 16-year-old speaker declared: “if nothing changes, by the time I’m 100, New York will be underwater.” Civil disobedience was the word of the day – a concept the environmental collective Extinction Rebellion pushes for as a vector of change. Continued on page 3...
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Friday 27 September 2019 InQuire
News Meet the team Committee Editor-in-Chief George Knight editor @inquiremedia.co.uk
Newspaper Editor Bill Bowkett
Lecturer fires at ex-PM Cameron for trying to “salvage his legacy”
newspaper.editor@inquiremedia.co.uk By Alejandro Javierre Website News Editor
Website Editor Caitlin Casey website.editor@inquiremedia.co.uk
Matthew Goodwin, a Professor of Politics and IR at the University of Kent, has criticised David Cameron’s new memoir, released last week. Writing for Daily Mail Online, Professor Goodwin accused Cameron of trying to “salvage his legacy”. Mr Goodwin teaches students in the School of Politics and International Relations and writes extensively on populism in politics. Goodwin described the memoir as an “exercise in self-flagellation” and said: “Cameron’s memoir is not one-nation. It is instead a plea,
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Editorial Jordan Ifield Newspaper News Editor newspaper.news@inquiremedia.co.uk
Alejandro Javierre Website News Editor
On the attack, Matthew Goodwin targets the former PM. Photo by University of Kent.
website.news@inquiremedia.co.uk
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Josh West Website Opinion Editor website.opinion@inquiremedia.co.uk
Ellie Fielding Newspaper Features Editor features@inquiremedia.co.uk
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Blue-Belle Kulpa Newspaper Lifestyle Editor newspaper.lifestyle@inquiremedia.co.uk
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Emily Webb-Mortimer Website Entertainment Editor website.entertainment @inquiremedia.co.uk
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Emma Leach Science and Tech Editor science@inquiremedia.co.uk
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Anna Marie Hughes Website Sports Editor website.sport@inquiremedia.co.uk
Joe Acklam Satire Editor InQuire takes complaints about editorial content very seriously. If you would like to make a complaint, email Editor-in-Chief George Knight at editor@inquiremedia.co.uk.
and apology.” David Cameron, the ex-Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the party leader who first proposed the Brexit referendum in 2016, published a memoir charting his experiences of the referendum which was released this week. In the memoir, along with charting his experiences as prime minister, Cameron also spoke about his childhood and his private-schooled upbringing. Cameron also revealed that while at Eton, he would row to a small island in the Thames and smoke cannabis, despite introducing tough laws on drug use during his time as Prime Minister.
“This is an exercise in selfflagellation”
Assault complaint prodecures are “failing” students By Jordan Ifield Newspaper News Editor UK universities have been accused of failing victims of sexual assault with extensive and ineffective complaint procedures. A Freedom of Information request by the BBC found that last academic year, over 700 allegations of sexual misconduct were made at 81 universities. Of those 700, 110 were complaints of sexual assault whilst a further 80 allegations of rape were also made. Particular emphasis in the investigation was placed on the complaint procedures universities carry out during such cases, with students reporting that universities were hesitant of taking action in fear of damaging their own reputation. One student told the BBC investigation that their university suggested she sleep in the library after she said she would be too frightened to sleep in her own accommodation. Another student felt that “I was the
Want to join InQuire? Come to our writers meeting at the Student Media Centre, above The Venue, every Monday @ 18:15. For more information, contact George Knight at editor@inquiremedia.co.uk
one who was on trial” and that despite the proceedings finding the accused guilty, they were only made to write an apology. At one stage she admitted that “I had to sit on the same side of the table just a couple of seats away from him, while I was cross-examined by his lawyer”. Last year, the University of Warwick was engulfed in a scandal over its handling of a rape inquiry, resulting in protests on campus and making national headlines. In this incident both men accused were banned from campus and the University are currently carrying out an investigation into its handling of the case. Currently there is no mandatory process universities must undertake during a report of sexual assault. There is also no set punishment on such allegations, with consequences ranging from expulsion from university to sending a letter of apology to the victim. Last academic year Kent Union established a drink spiking kit at on-campus nightclub Venue, to help prevent sexual
assault. Universities UK, a collective organisation for universities, last established recommendations on how they should handle allegations of sexual assault in 2016, including introducing a “zero-tolerance culture” and that “some, but not all cases, may involve a police investigation and potentially a court case”. Earlier this year wellbeing and sexual health charity, Brook, found that 56% of students had been victim to an act of unwelcome sexual behaviour but that only 8% had reported such incidents to the police or their university.
If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual assault at the University of Kent contact the Student Support and Wellbeing Team on 01227 82 3206, or use the anonymus reporting tool at ink.kent.ac.uk
Mail and Office: Student Media Centre, Above Venue, Kent Union, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NW Additional copies may be found online at issue.com/ inquirelive or on our website www.inquiremedia.co.uk Please report suspicious activity at our distribution racks by emailing marketing@inquiremedia.co.uk. © MMXIX InQuire Media Group, in partnership with the Canterbury Media Group. All rights reserved
Corrections •
An advert was featured on the front of the last issue of InQuire encouraging students to join the newspaper. Unfortnatley, one of the lines asked the question: “Looking for to meet new people and have new experiences?” When in fact it was meant to read: “Looking to meet new people and have new experiences?”
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A News article was published, titled: “A day to remember: Kent’s class of 2019 graduate.” The author printed in the byline was Jordan Ifield. It was meant to say that is was written by Josh West, Website Opinion Editor.
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A Lifestyle article by Katinka Pim titled “Homesickness and how to get past it” had the advice “Bring things to decorate your room” printed twice.
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A series of Sport promotional articles, titled “Students open up about why joining a sport team has beneifted them,” had a piece by Luke Davis, Polo Club President. A photo accompanying the article was not of a polo player, but of a equestian horse rider.
We will report any inaccurate information published as soon as the error is discovered. Editorial corrections will be printed on this page. For more information, contact George Knight at: editor@inquiremedia.co.uk
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InQuire Friday 27 September 2019
News
Students turn out for climate strike
The march continues: signs and placards aloft as the crowd makes its way to Westgate. Photos by Yasmin Ali and Jeanne Bigot
... Continued from front page Dr. Charlie Gardner, lecturer at the University of Kent in conservation biology, has praised civil disobedience before, as reported by Kent Online. As he put it, people complaining over civil disobedience are like the ones complaining about fire alarms, “but [fire alarms are] essential for you to have any chance of putting that fire out. And we are the fire alarm”. The impression that could be gathered from attending the march was a fascinating mixture of despair and overwhelming hope. There was a real sense of strikers being aware of the urgency of the
situation. Canterbury City Council was one of the first local councils to declare climate emergency back in July, while still being hopeful and willing to stand up for what they believed in. Leaders of the march reported that Rosie Duffield, the Labour MP for Canterbury, who was unable to attend the march, was enthusiastic to see such events taking place in Canterbury, and that the youth was getting so involved in the process. In the many speeches that day there was a strong emphasis that was being put on the current economic system and the ways in which it could be responsible for the vast majority of our environmental situation. One speaker said: “We cannot go about business as usual, because there is no business on a dying planet.” The general feeling around the protestors was one of anger towards an apathetic system of governance, and of not settling for political agreements. As another speaker declared, beyond patting ourselves on the back for declaring climate emergency or setting up agreements like the 2015 Paris Agreement, we need to think about the ways in which our global economic system, however green you try to make it be, can only hurt the environment – you cannot have infinite economic growth on a finite planet. Ellie, a second-year student at the University of Kent, attended the march, and stressed how enthusiastic she was to see so many people in Canterbury gathering to speak up against climate change, especially
younger people. She also mentioned that she was glad people encouraged others to change their behaviours (towards meat consumption and modes of transportation) without putting the whole burden of saving the planet on individuals’ shoulders, and still reminding that big corporations were the first ones to be blamed for the environmental emergency we all face today. Recently, protesting has become a daily reality for climate activists with many schoolchildren still striking every Friday, joining Greta Thunberg in her “Skolstrejk för klimatet”. The internet and social networks have made community organising and activism a common occurrence, with organisations such as Global Climate Strike and Extinction Rebellion extending their activities and spreading their presence online. As one teenager said at the march, “you do not wait for change to happen, you make change happen”.
The protests in numbers: •
Over 200 events, organised by the UK Student Climate network for the day.
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Over 3,000 miles, the distance Greta Thunberg sailed over the Atlantic to avoid a larger carbon footprint.
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300,000 people, amount of people who participated in the strikes across the UK, roughly 100,000 were striking in London alone.
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4 million people Estimated total of protestors globally, Germany is expected to have recorded the highest on strike at 1.4 million.
Science and Technology: Page 20
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News
At a glance Liverpool University medical services “let down” parents of suicide victim Medical services at the University of Liverpool have been labelled as “unacceptable” after it was revealed they did not contact the family of a student who had attempted an overdose. Ceara Thacker, a student in philosophy at the uni, further arranged to see mental health advisers in February last year, before being allocated an appointment two months later. She was found dead at her on-campus accommodation in May 2018. Father Ian said: “Sadly, when her mental health began to decline she found herself falling through the cracks, with mental health services, her GP and different departments within the university failing to communicate with each other to ensure that she was provided with the support that she desperately needed.
Friday 27 September 2019 InQuire
Meet Anna Firth, the Tory trying to win back the Garden of England
Crazy golf course planned for Canterbury
From living in a small bungalow to working as a barrister, Anna Firth has stuck by causes including Brexit and the role of families. Now she is faced with the daunting task of defeating Rosie Duffield and repainting “God’s constituency” blue. An office block in Canterbury has been earmarked for renovation into an entertainment space including indoor crazy golf. Located opposite Odean in Lower Bridge, Newingate House is also potentially set for a rooftop restaurant overlooking the area in “glass box”. The plans were submitted by the Girne American University, who themselves are located round the corner, and are looking to renovate only two floors of the block into a social space. A decision about whether the plans are to go ahead will be made later this year, and will be subjected to an ongoing yearly licence. Beyond that plans to open the floors to more office space are in the work
Canterbury Debenhams to close After much speculation and a High Court case, Debenhams have announced that their branches in Canterbury are to shut. Stores in Canterbury, Ashford, Chatham and Folkestone are to all shut, potentially forcing 1,200 out of work. The high street retailer’s fortunes have been turbulent even after its purchase from the business tycoon Mike Ashley last year with many stores having to renegotiate rent agreements with landlords. The four stores set to shut in the South East were earmarked to close in April but landlords forced Debenhams to the High Court.
Bill Bowkett
F Newspaper Editor
ew stories are as tragic as the Conservative party’s demise at the 2017 General Election. After Theresa May called an early snap election hoping the increase her mandate to deliver the Brexit she aimed to set out, many had not predicted the chaos that was soon to follow. The party fell victim to a manifesto that still haunts its faithful, losing its majority to a Labour party which had been revitalised under the charismatic leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, who struck a chord with voters – young people, especially – thanks to his progressive manifesto aiming to rebuild a society ‘For the many, not the few’. The Conservative’s fall was reminiscent of Thomas Beckett. As Chaucer’s pilgrims in search of enlightenment, we witnessed the tragic decapitation of Tory MPs who had fell out of touch with their fellow servants; none more dire than that of Sir Julian Brazier in Canterbury. A senior figure for more than three
decades, Brazier lost his seat to the relatively unknown and inexperienced social democrat Rosie Duffield, a move which shocked the realms of Westminster. This was a constituency that was Conservative since World War One. The shock result cost Brazier his job and ever since 8 June, 2017, the party have been in rehabilitation mode. This summer, the party held its primary to choose the next person to regain what many describe to be the ‘Garden of England’. Hundreds of people applied, but Grieg Baker, the then local chair, whittled the candidates to a longlist of eight who were then whittled down again by the Association Executive to just four who faced a large special general meeting. After an intense round of voting in Tokyo Tea Rooms – a joint owned by Tory supporters – chaired by former party leader Lord Howard of Lympne, Anna Firth, 53, came through with a first-round majority that automatically gave her victory. The Sevenoaks chairperson and councillor rejoiced at her “delight” in being chosen, which came as a result of her pitch to local members promising to put “Canterbury back on the map”. InQuire sat down with Anna for her first ever interview as prospective parliamentary candidate. Wearing a chequered blue and white blazer, blue skinny jeans and bright gold eyeshadow – and displaying vivid blonde hair unmissable to the eye – Anna agreed to speak the morning before she was set
to help out with the Kent University Conservative Coalition’s stand at the University Welcome Fayre. Although Firth does not reside in Canterbury, Whitstable or any of the surrounding villages, she professed her endearment to the city through her experience as a campaigner and has been tipped for some time to become an MP. Looking back at the leadership campaign, Anna said she “applied to Canterbury because Kent is my county”. Anna avouches that she was the only person in the final four shortlisted to have “a clear vision for what I wanted to do in Canterbury”. She was also the only candidate to boast county credentials, which may help head off the traditional line of attack of rivals that she had been parachuted into the seat. Anna was brought up in a small bungalow by her mother who would work extremely long hours in order to raise her two children and enable Anna to go on to study at Durham, train as as a barrister and then serve as a local politician. “My mum taught me that if you work hard, then anything should be possible. Where you’ve come from is nowhere near as important as where you’re going and that you must always give back.” This, Anna said, is one of
the reasons why she is a conservative. “I stand up to the underdog whenever I can and I return to that value, even now.” Growing up and raising three children has also made Anna realise the importance of the family in relation to the state. “If we want society to succeed, the family must succeed. Families must be able to bring up the next generation and also care for the older generation.” However, Anna pondered whether she was a feminist. In the end, she said no. “I believe in equal opportunity for everyone. I don’t really identify with the traditional form of feminism where women burn bras and chain themselves onto railings. Maybe because I was extremely lucky when I became a barrister. There were women in my chambers, but not many. And it never occurred to me that there was any prejudice. I didn’t feel I had to rail against something. I felt as if I was accepted on my own merits.” In selecting Firth, Canterbury Conservatives opted for someone who has been tipped to become an MP for some time. She has been a Parliamentary candidate before, contesting the Erith and Thamesmead constituency. She reached the shortlist for Thanet South in 2014 – losing out to Craig Mackin-
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InQuire Friday 27 September 2019
News “I stand up to the underdog whenever I can”
for the people of Canterbury. That’s my job.”
O lay – and came close to being selected as the Conservative candidate in the Rochester and Strood by-election in 2014, losing out to Kelly Tolhurst who recaptured the seat in 2015 by only 36 votes. More recently, Anna stood in the South East region in the recent European election, where the party managed to save one MEP in the South East, Daniel Hannan. The party has suffered electorally since 2016. When asked what went wrong for the party in the last election, Anna pondered for a second before admitting: “I don’t think that we had a very good manifesto at all. I was campaigning hard during that election in one of the target seats for one of my friends in Dagenham. And it was going incredibly well. We were 22-points ahead when we started that election. And there was a great response on the doorstep. And then she issued that manifesto. And literally overnight, the reaction changed. They didn’t like her stance on fox hunting. They didn’t like the stance on taking away children’s free lunches. And in particular, they didn’t like the stance on the dementia tax.” At the same time as the party having an unpopular message nationally, locally Labour and the Liberal Democrats coalesced. Furthermore: “Julian [Brazier] was sent out of the
area by CCHQ in the last two weeks of the campaign. He spent eight days of that in marginals around the place. He wasn’t allowed to campaign in his own patch.” In reaction to what has happened in the local and national elections, Anna has been unafraid to take her own party to task. In an article for Conservative Home, she blamed “Westminster ineptitude” for the severe losses of “hard-working local Conservative councillors across the country” in May’s local elections and that “it did not have to be that way and it must not be allowed to be that way again”. Anna thinks that the party needs the opposite approach from two years ago. “We have got to have a good manifesto, with policies, proper conservative policies that are going to actually appeal to people.” For Firth, that means lower taxes, set taxation rates at levels which will attract investment as well as more investment in public services. Her vision of Canterbury focuses on developing a new medical innovation centre, tourism and better public services. “Canterbury and Whitstable are national jewels. This is God’s own constituency. Seven and a half million visitors come to Canterbury every single year. I don’t think we’ve actually got the investment in the infrastructure
that Canterbury needs.” Elsewhere, Firth wants more town police officers and better jobs for young people. She commented: “It’s not acceptable to me that the average salary in the city is 22,000 pounds, and that the average national salary is 28,000 pounds. That is not acceptable.” The University, Anna emphasised, is part of her additional plan to develop a medical innovation centre in Canterbury. She said the establishment of the medical school at UKC was “fantastic” and wants Canterbury to “lead the way in life sciences”. Anna made headlines this summer when she claimed she can convince Boris Johnson to build a Kent and Canterbury super hospital, but many MPs have been critical of the initiative. Damien Green, former Deputy Prime Minister and Ashford MP, branded the idea “mad”. Anna said that there will have to be a consultation on the different options in East Kent but argued: “It’s absolutely clear if you go to the three hospitals, and you talk to people, there has been more investment in the other two sites. Logically, it’s our turn here in Canterbury to get some investment in our health service.” In response to Green, Firth retaliated: “Whatever the other MPs say, I will be battling and fighting to get what’s good
ne thing that was evident in our encounter was her reluctance to criticise the current incumbent, Rosie Duffield. “I don’t want this election to be all about personalities,” stressed Firth. “I would rather that we talked about policies and issues and who is actually the Prime Minister that we want to be running the country. So that would be my focus.” It has been rumoured that Duffield may not be standing as a Labour/Co-operative candidate come next poling day, and that she may be switching to the anti-Brexit Liberal Democrats who want to revoke Article 50 without a ‘People’s Vote’. A fervent Brexiteer, Firth saddened by the current state of British democracy. As of writing, the Supreme Court has ruled that Boris Johnson’s decision to prorogue parliament was unconstitutional. “We’ve been divided as a party, we’ve been divided in families, friendship groups have been divided over Brexit, you know, people have declared their positions on Facebook and been shocked at the reaction of their friends.” On the other hand, Anna says this democratic deficit had revitalised political participation and engagement. “I’ve got friends abroad, who ring me or message me and say, ‘Gosh, your parliament is just absolutely amazing’. And they’ve been watching our Parliament over the last eight months and seeing the debates.” Firth co-chaired Vote Leave’s Women for Britain and gave insight into her vision of a Britain outside the EU. “Brexit is a process,” she reiterated. “Brexit is a way for us as a country to be able to forge our own trade deals again, all around the world. It was the reason that I was pro-Brexit in the first place. For me, it was all about sovereignty, the world is changing, you know, regional
trading blocks are not the future any longer. We need to be able to trade freely around the entire world. The sooner we get into a place where we can actually start to do those things, the better. For me, it wasn’t about immigration, that wasn’t the big issue. I believe we should have a fair immigration policy and treat everybody fairly.” Despite working alongside the same campaign as BoJo, Firth backed Chequers, a paper which resulted in Johnson resigning as Foreign Secretary. She said it was a “compromise deal, which I [could] live with” but was still sceptical of some of the finer details, in particular the backstop and the facilitated customs arrangements. Fast-forward a year and Firth publicly endorsed Johnson for No 10, a man who said that Britain will leave on October 31 “with or without a deal, no ifs not buts”. The majority of students voted for Jeremy Corbyn at the last election and remaining in the EU respectively. One Tory aide noted how the “students will loathe her”. But Anna wants to change the stereotype and recognise their needs more. She cited May, and how she never saw her at a youth rally. Compare that with Boris: “He engages far more with young people and likes them. That is our starting point; you’ve got to be out, you’ve got to actually want to speak to young people, how can you represent people that you don’t even speak to? My approach will be to try and talk to the university, to come when I’m invited and speak as much as possible and to listen. You can’t represent people unless you know what they actually care about, so listening comes first.” As to her prospects of winning, she is unlikely to have a better chance of fulfilling her ambition of sitting in the House of Commons. And with a snap-election rumoured to be looming around the corner, she may get that chance sooner rather than later.
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Friday 27 September 2019 InQuire
Opinion
Humanities degrees are an expensive library membership
Elisabeth Few H
E
very student knows the same uplifting feeling after receiving the text from Student Finance confirming they will receive their maintenance loan in the next 2-3 days. But whilst for some students this means they will be covered for the next 3 months for all their financial needs; other students are facing a reality of just scraping by with the minimum loan. For these students that text can forebode the worry of next term as they have another 12 weeks of budgeting and financial strain placed on their shoulders. The comical role of the poor student is funny until it’s you that has to play it. The student who wanders around the poorly heated house in 4 layers of clothing, eating the remainders of their budgeted monthly food shop, as they wait for their next maintenance loan to come in only to be swallowed up by rent payments. Student loans are no longer fitting to an individual’s needs and the lengthy application process appears little worthwhile; especially when the letter from Student Finance arrives and it is confirmed that minimum maintenance loan has been allocated to you based on your parent’s annual income. Being measured on your parents’ income makes no sense when it comes to the practicality of most cases. With bigger wages comes bigger tax payments and, in most cases, larger bills to be paid. Parents end up paying taxes in order to watch other people’s
Photo by Pixabay children buy luxuries with the inability to fund their own children’s food payments. As young ‘adults’ we should be being assessed as individuals not as products of our parent’s income. Whilst some are barely scraping rent on the minimum they receive, others are living the luxury of takeaways 2-3 times a week and ‘treating’ themselves to regular online
“As young adults we should be being assessed as individuals, not as products of our parents’ income” shopping hawls. It creates tension between the student population as a class divide emerges between the wealthy and poor student. There is rising bitterness between the student population which could have been minimised had the excessive amounts some are given been reduced in the first place or, even bet-
ter, every student is given the same amount. Sure, “they’ll have to pay it all off in the long run,” but try telling that to the students who are currently working both during term time and holidays in order to pay off the overdraft they had to resort to using in order to get through the term. As they work all hours to dissolve their overdraft, others are off spending their remaining loan on exotic holidays and nights out. It’s almost ironic - it is not your ability to live off the minimum loan or ability to budget that is shown on your piece of paper at the end of your degree. The overall grade reflected on a degree is no longer just the effort and studies put into one’s work, but different people’s financial situations. First-Class degrees mean so much more to someone who worked their entire student life, juggling work schedules and studying with that constant financial stress on their shoulders. Whilst student loans have a good 30 years to be paid off, overdrafts don’t. Some students are turning to extreme methods to stay out of the red whilst others just next door are sat eating their second or third takeaway of the week and scrolling down ASOS for the next item of unnecessary clothing they can afford. Whilst some students lose precious study time through working, others have all the time in the world to study and get the best grade possible. Fair? I think not.
Student loans need to change Disclaimer: The author of this article has chosen to remain anonymous.
umanities degrees are becoming more of a degree formed around the walls of a library than of the lecture theatre. Whether this is Templeman or the online version we Kent students access hungover from under our bed covers, humanities degrees are little else than a very expensive library membership. The degrees have an average amount of contact hours of around six hours in second year and can be as little as three hours in third year, barely enough to cover a singular school day in sixth form. What are you supposed to do with all this ‘free’ time when you aren’t in the classroom? The idea behind the lack of contact hours is that you are privately studying in between each lecture in preparation for both your seminars and assignments. But let’s face it, no one is going to spend their remaining week studying the whole time. The majority of people end up either going out drinking with friends or sat in bed watching TV waiting for the last week of term to roll around so that they can write a mediocre essay they should have started weeks ago. The luxury of having 2 or 3 days off in the middle of the week means that Students end up lacking the motivation to study and complete assignments. They push back their time spent in the library with false promises of ‘I’ll start tomorrow’ after having over-slept and not rolled out of bed until halfway through the afternoon. It is not just the students work that suffers, but also their relationship with their peers. Due to the lack of contact hours in a humanities degree, students do not get the opportunity to get to know their peers as much as they would in other disciplines. A humanities degree almost becomes the anti-social course as you end up spending more time completing work individually
than you do in a seminar room with other students. Through increasing a humanities degree’s contact hours to up to one lecture a day it would mean that students would actually begin to build rapport with each other, rather than having to stare around at the unfamiliar faces that fill the seminar room once a week. Lecturers say you are free to talk to them face-to-face about any queries on assignments you may have in their office hours, but that is only one hour a week. If you really are struggling with an assignment, there does not appear to be a lot of help in or out of the classroom. Students are only given 2-3 assignments a term for each module, which is normally formed of an essay or two and some wacky creative assignment task an academic has whacked out in a last-minute panic before term starts. Even if the thought process for these assignments can be seen, does anyone really want to pay £9,250 to rummage through their housemate’s bin in the form of an ‘excavation’? Humanities degrees are designed to shape one’s ability in essay research and writing. However only being asked to submit work in such small quantities hardly feels like it. Perhaps if students were being given more work to complete during the term to compensate for the lack of contact hours a humanities degree would feel a bit more value for money. Even so, they are said to give you more transferable skills than a science or maths-based degree. As a consequence, it simply comes down to whether students have the self-motivation to complete the work with the few contact hours a humanities subject offers them. If not, they may be better off with a subject that has more contact hours as it gives them more structure and opportunity to speak to lecturers personally. Photo by Eliott Reyna | Unsplash
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InQuire Friday 27 September 2019
Y
Are we democratic?
es, we are. The UK might be going through tumultuous times, and political parties may be experiencing internal turmoil, but we still live in a democracy. Our Parliament is called ‘the mother of all parliaments’, and rightly so. Democracy in the UK has endured for centuries and never succumbed to totalitarian dictators or fallen to a power-hungry monarch. These are some of the many aspects of our system to be proud of. Nevertheless, our system is not perfect. Indeed, the unelected House of Lords used to be more powerful than the elected House of Commons. Referendums have only recently been a feature of British democracy, with the first referendum over the status of Northern Ireland in 1973. Regarding ‘Brexit’, there have been calls for a second referendum or a ‘People’s Vote’ in an attempt to cancel the result of the first referendum to leave the European Union in 2016. While it is legitimate and democratic to protest a government’s course of action, it seems dubious to me that so soon after a referendum another one is called for. Furthermore, the explicit call by the Liberal Democrats to revoke Article 50 appears to be nothing other than a flat negation of that referendum. If they were to win a general election, however, they would have a mandate to implement that decision. One of the curious aspects of recent political events is the supposed tension between referendums and representative democracy. It is fair to say that referendums are an unusual feature in British politics, however it is important to remember that the House of Commons voted to have the Brexit referendum, and to trigger Article 50. Direct democracy and representative democracy need not be at odds with each other. Indeed, there are serious matters of debate that transcend party political identities – such as euthanasia, abortion or the implementation of the death penalty – that ought to be put to the nation due to their personal nature. It would not be fair or just to force individual MPs to follow a party line on such a matter. The same goes for our constitutional arrangements, such as
Opinion our membership of the European Union. While the major parties (especially the Liberal Democrats or UKIP) took a view on whether or not the UK should be a member of the EU, individual MPs and party figures were free to pursue their conscience if they did not agree with the party line. For the nation to have these important conversations honestly, it is essential everyone is able to disclose their point of view without fear of being forced out of a political party if they are a member of one. There are issues within our democratic system. The confusion around prorogation, and the extent of the executive’s remit within our constitutional framework – made worse by an unwritten constitution – is what undermines it. I am not a legal expert by any means, but the High Court ruling that prorogation is a political and not a legal matter does makes sense. It may be unpopular in some quarters, but there is precedent for prorogation in our democracy. Temporary prorogation – temporary being the key word – is not undemocratic. It is undesirable to suspend parliament; there may be times, such as in preparation for a Queen’s Speech, when it is necessary. If the House of Commons is failing to rally around an alternative government; or an election, where prorogation may be the only recourse for a government to put forward or refresh its policy agenda. Irrespective of one’s personal political affiliation, it is difficult to argue that we do not live in a democratic system. Parliament is front and centre of national attention, the purpose and use of direct democracy is very much being considered in the political discussions of the day. I hope it continues. Unless we relentlessly examine how we may improve our democratic institutions, then we will surly fall to dark tyrannical forces.
In light of today’s turbulent political climate, Michael Noctor considers whether the UK can truly be regarded as a democracy.
Photo by Pixabay
Listen to what Cameron has to say: it is as pertinent as ever
Olivia Warr
D
avid Cameron’s opinion on Brexit since the day he lost the 2016 referedum has been one of the most eagerly awaited events in the political calendar. He is, after all, the reason why the country is in the process of leaving the EU. His book, For the Record, was published on 19 September 2019 and offers his thoughts on the current political climate. However, the former PM has come under fire for his comments criticising the current man in number 10 and Bullingdon compatriot, Boris Johnson, as well as other politicians such as Michael Gove. Cameron claimed Boris never truly believed in Brexit and that he backed leave in order to further his own career. In For the
Record, Cameron states that Johnson “risked an outcome he didn’t believe in because it would help with his political career”. Many do not feel that it is right for Cameron to make these comments before the Brexit outcome has occurred. However, before his resignation, Cameron was, of course, hugely involved with the referendum. Therefore his comments and opinions on the situation are important and pertinent. Cameron is more than entitled to let his point of view be heard. The fact that For the Record has been released a month before the United Kingdom is expected to crash out of Europe does carry some moral issues. Breaking his silence at this time raises the question as to whether it could have something to do with furthering profits. His first comments about the prime minister were given just a week before the release of his memoir and publishing his book before Brexit occurs does appear to have a profitable motive. This, nevertheless, should not really matter. Why wouldn’t Cameron want to release his book at a time when it would sell best? Just because he is
trying to get the most amount of money out of his book deal doesn’t make his opinions any less valid. Cameron’s opinion of today’s politics and the outcome of the referendum is so relevant to Britain’s current situation that it seems strange that he has been criticised for putting it out. There is anxiety over what could potentially happen after October as Britain is experiencing fear of the unknown. The more information that we are able to gather can help us to form our own thoughts on the situation; this is a notion that should not be viewed negatively. Freedom of speech dictates that everyone should be allowed to say whatever they like, whenever they like; and this should apply to politicians just as much as it applies to everyone else. Cameron’s memoir contains opinions that many are eager to hear. After being mostly silent on the matter since he resigned in 2016, it is good that we are finally able to hear what the man behind the referendum has to say about the situation he had a hand in instigating.
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Friday 27 September 2019 InQuire
Opinion
Labour Students disassociation Editorial has grounds for Remember justification to have a safe night out C
oming to Kent is an exciting, memorable experience, but it can also be daunting. While it is easy to get caught up in the fun of freshers, it is important to stay level-headed. We want to offer guidance on how to make the most of your experience. In recent years, there has been stories detailing sexual assaults on campus and in Canterbury, in particular the University Road victim from several years back which we interviewed for our This Girl Can special edition back in 2018. Not only that, but rumours continue to surface of wrongdoings occurring on Eliot footpath and in Hales Place. Shockingly, one in four students have suffered unwelcome sexual advances during their studies, with these findings not just common at UKC but also across other higher education institutions. The University, Kent Union and local government has the biggest responsibly in solving the wider issue at hand, but as students we are able to find ways to help ourselves. Sticking together and staying in numbers, drinking in moderation and making plans are just some of the many ways to look after yourself in the dark. We would also recommend looking at the services which the University and the Union offer – like Nightline and the SafeZone app – or promote like the Student Safe Taxi Scheme which allows you to order a ride home without worrying about payment straight away. There is no need to go to university worried and scared, and you will no doubt have a great time, but do not let your degree be ruined by something that could have been easily prevented. Look after yourself and others and have the best nights out.
B
efore their annual conference, Labour has chosen to disaffiliate their student branch, Labour Students (LS). In a motion from Jon Lansman, a founding member of pro-Corbyn group ‘Momentum’, LS was accused of failing to pay affiliate payments and disclose political rules to Labour’s National Executive Committee. LS has rejected accusations, with Chairwoman Rania Ramil stating they paid all fees in July. The movement has proved controversial, with some labelling it politically motivated. Former LS national secretary Luke Akehurst proposes “Momentum wants to destroy moderate” groups and re-establish a more “left leaning” student body. Lansman disagreed, claiming it was administrative and because LS were failing students. Lansman observations are not baseless. Since February, students across the UK have rejected LS. Labour groups at Oxford, LSE and Kent have all withdrawn. Kent Labour Students (KLS) Chairman, Dimitri
Andreou, noted that KLS “never felt” their existence relied upon LS and therefore disaffiliated in March. These views are shared by Swansea Labour Students President Michael Bawden who told the Tab that LS were an “undemocratic clique … out of step with actual students”. Despite LS dissatisfaction, Labour maintains a large student following and should not underappreciate this support. Students formed the backbone of Labour’s 2017 boom, especially in Canterbury where 8,000 student voters helped Labour MP Rosie Duffield win. Jess Phillips, who also won with student aid in Yardley in 2015, concluded students were “work horses” and their removal is an insult. LS requires reform and the opportunity to do so with student aid has been eradicated. With the Brexit deadline and a potential election looming, student participation could have been rallied from the isolated students spread across UK. It could have drawn students directly into political engagement like in 2017. Instead, Labour has chosen to remove their failing student wing and aims to build another, without any plans or student involvement at time when both are crucial.
Make yourself aware of support networks at Kent
G
etting to university is a huge task in itself. First you have the UCAS application, then your exams and results to see if you have actually made it, once you have got into a university then you have to think about moving in, meeting new housemates and making new friends. You then realise after all this hassle you actually have to get the degree you first applied for. Not the easiest of moves. Remembering to bring kitchen utensils and trying to work out the map of campus is enough to tire anyone, but what students often forget to think about is something right inside your own head: mental health. YouGov recently reported that one in four students experience mental health problems at university. Whether essays and assignments are putting pressure on students, it is clear that students are likely to struggle. Cultural shock, loneliness, financial worries or home problems can all be solved and supported by these services right here on campus. What may be more comforting, though, is knowing which services are on campus and where to find them. Here at Kent, we have a surprising wealth of support to choose from. Everything from the Wellbeing Centre (located in Keynes) and University Medical Centre (between Park Wood and Turing), to the nursing services (Keynes), Nightline and Student Learning Advisory Service (behind Grimond) help to keep the student life a little less stressful than it needs to be. Students can also use the help of college masters to point them in the right direction for assistance – these masters deal with everything from sexual assault to housing issues and can write confidential reports for evidence in more critical matters. It is helpful to know the extra options these services give you too. Take a note that the Wellbeing Centre does a crisis drop-in clinic from 2pm-4pm every weekday and that the nursing services are open at all hours of the day free of charge. The Student Learning Advisory Service offers one to one appointments on study skills and written communication, as well as workshops to choose from, whereas the Medical Centre offers a range of medical clinics for all students from mental health therapies to sexual health services. Whether you use all of these services (or none) just making yourself aware of what is around gives a comforting start to university life. In a year where the Office for National Statistics published that the number of student suicides has doubled in twelve years, it is helpful to know that the University of Kent is offering these services to assist us on campus. Help is always around, and these services are here for all and every worry or concern. Signing up to the UMC after a severe case of the fresher’s flu might seem an obvious necessity, but as a student it is worth familiarising yourself with when and where they are because you never know when yourself (or a friend) might need it.
Have something you want to say? Write a letter to us and be featured in the next newspaper at newspaper.editor@inquiremedia.co.uk. Please include name and telephone numbers.
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InQuire Friday 27 September 2019
Lifestyle
Food & Drink
Canterbury’s hidden coffee house
By Josh West
“Honey latte or Kinder Bueno hot chocolate” Nestled down Butchery Lane, in the shadow of the cathedral and hidden behind Jack Wills is Lazix Coffee House, undoubtedly Canterbury’s best café. Whether it be for the chilled friendly atmosphere, the amazing coffee or the unbelievable cakes, Lazix certainly shows the advantages that independent shops have over big chains like Costa. Run by Milos and Elyse, Lazix (a play on Milos’s last name Lazic) first opened in August 2017, aiming to bring a touch of Paris and Rome to Canterbury’s coffee. And some good old-fashioned friendly hospitality. Whilst offering the usual selection of coffee: latte, Americano, mocha and so on. and a wide selection of black and green teas. Lazix also allows you to try traditional Greek coffee or affogato (espresso poured over ice cream); not to mention their signature inventions of a honey latte or Kinder Bueno hot chocolate. Whichever
Photo by SVG Silh Google
of these you have, you cannot help but be delighted at the taste of their blend of Brazilian, Colombian and Ethiopian coffee. It melts on the tongue, has a caffeine kick and has a smooth ending. But if you, like me, prefer or must have decaffeinated coffee, Lazix does not fob you off with a cheap alternative; their decaf is imported from Italy and is just as good as the regular blend. And if you fancy something stronger, they offer a wide selection of wines and spirits. To go with your coffee, there is an incredible selection of handmade cakes and pastries. And alongside the British classics like apple pie and lemon meringue pie, they also offer Turkish baklava and Italian cannoli (flavours including pistachio and chocolate). Also popular is the unusual chocolate-orange cake (a must for Jaffa Cake fans) and the freshly prepared Belgian waffles, with your choice of ice-cream or whipped cream. But for me, the lobster tails
steal the show, crisp puff-pastry horns filled with chocolate or lemon ganache. There are also savoury dishes of salads with toppings like halloumi or mozzarella, soup of the day (made by Elyse herself). And Mediterranean-inspired sandwiches and paninis including Antipasto (prosciutto, salami and mozzarella), Arabesque (falafel, tomato and hummus) and Cuban (pastrami, ham and Emmental). Lazix also recently started offering an evening menu on Fridays and Saturdays of cured meats, cheese boards and baked camembert. But above all things, what makes Lazix stand out is its service and atmosphere. Believing in the value of customer satisfaction, entering Lazix is like being welcomed at your gran’s house. You are always greeted with a hello and some small talk if you are inclined; it is more like a common room than a café. The haze of yellow halogen lights and the stylish Parisian
“Comfortable, relaxed and friendly atmosphere” decor gives a wonderfully relaxed atmosphere. And the upstairs is perfectly harmonious and quiet should you need to study outside the library. The friendliness of Lazix is also contagious, I doubt there has been a time I was in there and not met someone new or made a new friend. The culture-vultures among you will also appreciate the influential locals of poets and artists that frequent the café, including internationally renowned artist George Fitzgerald. If you are looking for a comfortable, relaxed and friendly atmosphere to meet with friends, go on a date or revise, then Lazix is the place. It offers the communal, cultural atmosphere and the tastes and smells that chains like Starbucks and Costa could only dream of.
Lazix, 10 Butchery Lane, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 2JR
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Friday 27 September 2019 InQuire
Lifestyle
The ultimate go-to autumn snacks and meals Photo by Steve Jones Unsplash
W
ith summer drawing to a close, a new wardrobe of woolly jumpers, socks and scarves are the choice for many. And that is the easy part; you know the weather’s going to be traditionally cold and breezy. But knowing what snacks and meals to prepare to accommodate the autumn season can feel like quite the task. Whether you want to eat on the go or prepare a homemade treat, here are some go to autumn snack and meal ideas:
Crispy apple and cinnamon rings:
A quick, healthy and nutritious study snack, crispy apple slices with a dusting of cinnamon fit the autumn spirit perfectly. Simply core and slice an apple into slices, bake in the oven with a small dusting of cinnamon for a snack to satisfy your sweet-tooth cravings. If you’re feeling extra ambitious, try drizzling some toffee sauce on top or serve with some peanut butter.
Chocolate orange rice cakes:
With chocolate and yoghurt-covered rice cakes already an invention (a somewhat boring invention) why not add a taste of autumn to it with a chocolate orange flavour? Melt some chocolate orange
in a bowl over a pan of boiling water, dip the rice cakes in it and set aside to cool. You can either melt some Terry’s Chocolate Orange or add some fresh orange juice to plain chocolate; which would make this autumn treat suitable for vegans too.
Tuscan bean soup:
There’s nothing I love more than coming in from a long and chilly day to a warm bowl of soup. Instead of cracking open a tin of Heinz tomato or cream of chicken why not push the boat out and try a homemade Tuscan bean soup. Consisting of beans of your choice, fresh vegetables, and spices, this is a one-pot dish that can be enjoyed by everyone and is the perfect late-night autumn meal.
I personally love to add small amounts of pasta to create a nice balance of crunchy and soft textures in the soup.
Pot pies:
Pot pies are a student’s best friend with so many warming and seasonal ingredients in one dish. What makes pot pies such a student-friendly meal is the marvellous creation of pre-made pastry, and that you can add whichever fillings you like. This makes pot pies great for both meat eaters and vegetarians. Vegetables, chicken, bacon, potatoes and butternut squash are all excellent choices to name a few. Play around with different flavour combinations and add some spices to complement this autumn meal.
By Grace Pulford
A note on New York
Memories I remember fondly from my week-long holiday to New York will be the ones where I got to know the city, not the ones where I queued in hour lines to get a glimpse of a popular sight. I will remember when my boyfriend and I accidentally sat in a $4000 reserved seat, in a luxury bar which holds the best views of the
“As a first-time traveller to New York”
Photo by Alice Tomlinson
Manhattan skyline. Making acquaintance with the New York rich who were all so happy to let us sit at the table for the rest of the evening. I remember the proposal we took part in underneath the Brooklyn Bridge, and the many Subway rides we took in the wrong direction with one heading towards Coney Island. I will remember scrambling through a ball pit in a gallery designed by local artists and the cuisine from independent restaurants and food stalls. It is the memories my boyfriend and I stumbled upon in unplanned places that will be the ones I will hold onto forever. But the problem with a place such as New York is that it holds prerequisites, a set of prior expectations that begin as soon as you land at JFK. The memories I made in New York that consisted of popular tourist activities became memories that I had to check off a list to say I had seen them; rather than experiences I wanted to have. New York is a city flooded with the recognisable, every turn I took in Manhattan, whether it was the Financial District or the Upper East Side, there was the element of familiarity.
The feeling of standing at the base of the Statue of Liberty or looking down at the city from the top of the Empire State building and though it was surreal it was also familiar. I had already seen these scenes and images in filmography or social media and when seeing them in person it created an odd mix of excitement for finally seeing these so often seen views. This was combined with a slight sense of being underwhelmed from the commonality of what I was looking at. These are not memories I will treasure from my holiday but memories that paid the tourism office. These memories were hand-picked for me to do on a New York pass which was priced accordingly, not memories I stumbled upon on my own accord.
“Underwhelmed from the commonality of what I was looking at” When going to a city, especially somewhere as popular as New York city, a traveller needs to strike a balance between seeing the famous sights but also delving into the city and creating a holiday where you get to know the city, not just the tourist destinations. That balance can be found in limiting the tourist desti-
“Popular tourist activities became memories that I had to check off a list” nations and not going to the typical chain restaurants. As a first-time traveller to New York I believe it’s a rite of passage to go to these tourist destinations; they are worth seeing to an extent but it’s important to not neglect the rest of the city. The best traveller lives as a local would whilst still ticking off a few must-see sights. Which for me meant going up the Empire State building in the morning and then coming down to eat a slice of dollar pizza on the sidewalk for lunch, then walking around Chelsea market looking at the local goods in the afternoon and finishing the day with authentic Mexican tacos– it’s all about balance.
By Alice Tomlinson
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Travel Memoir Series
InQuire Friday 27 September 2019
Lifestyle
My Vietnam adventure
By Dominic Jordan
Part One
Photos by Dominic Jordan
F
rom July 5 to July 25 of this year, I visited Vietnam, joining two friends who had been travelling through South East Asia for several weeks prior. I knew the risks – I was going to be playing the third wheel. We ended up becoming a strange sort of family unit over the course of the trip, and we discussed all sorts of amazing topics, from prostitution to police brutality to gender roles to Star Wars. Travel seems to facilitate bizarre thought processes; maybe it’s something in the air. I arrived at Noi Bai International Airport, Hanoi at about midday, after a long flight. It was a connecting flight of about 14 hours, and so I stopped off at Doha, Qatar for a couple of hours on the way. Arriving in Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital, I took a cab to my hostel, located in the Old Quarter – the city’s “urban core”. The taxi driver was friendly, and he had never heard of the Rolling Stones – he greeted me by tossing a pack of cigarettes onto my lap. Hanoi is a strikingly different and perhaps challenging city to a suburban Londoner such as myself. One traveller I spoke to at a hostel in the rural north of Vietnam described it as the “last true Southeast Asian city”, while another called it “the Rolls Royce to Saigon’s Toyota”. I had planned to surprise my two friends, who were already in the city, by finding out which room in the hostel they were staying in, and walking in unannounced. Unfortunately, I had
booked the wrong hostel (be careful of similarly named places). When I finally made a rendezvous with my friends from back home we decided to celebrate by having a few beers in what seemed to be a James Blunt-themed bar. Word to the wise – DO NOT flush toilet roll in Vietnam, ALWAYS place it in the bin adjacent to the toilet. It doesn’t go down too well. The next day, we wandered around the city in search of ice cream. We were approached by a late-middle-aged gentleman, I think he was Swedish, who had also spent extensive amounts of time in London, apparently with Paul Weller and Joe Strummer? Anyway, he seemed to be an English teacher, and asked the three of us to interact with his students and converse with them in English. We conversed with the kids for about an hour or more, before getting some food and visiting a museum dedicated to “Uncle Ho”, Vietnam’s legendary Prime Minister turned President. Ho Chi Minh was a man utterly dedicated to his people and was a key figure in the country’s struggle for freedom from Western intervention. The young Ho Chi Minh travelled abroad, working among other things as a pastry chef in places as diverse as London, Brooklyn, New York, and Paris. It was in Paris that he first became acquainted with Marxist ideology, and, influenced by the burgeoning Civil Rights movement in the US, and so sought to bring independence to his
people. It is a long and complicated story, but completely fascinating – I highly recommend the Ken Burns documentary “The Vietnam War” available on Netflix to anyone interested in learning more. The museum itself was fantastically curated, with dozens of artefacts from the American War and the preceding revolts against the French occupation. After a long day of local history, I returned to my hostel, where it transpired that they had a couple hours of free beer at the bar. Unfortunately, the beer tasted like cement. In an effort to liven up the night a bit, I asked my drinking buddy if she wanted to join me at a local jazz bar. I am not massively into jazz music normally, but this was one of the most atmospheric live performances I have ever seen, and I felt like such a boomer smoking a cigarette and drinking whiskey in the dark while the band played. The next day, we moved on to the mountainous Sapa via bus (six hours), a welcome escape from the extreme crowds and traffic of Hanoi. What immediately struck me about Sapa was the coolness of the air. It was a very peaceful little town, bordered by mountains and rice terraces. The mountains were green and misty, and reminded me of Jurassic Park, or Arthur Conan Doyle’s ‘lost world’ of dinosaurs. We wandered toward the rice terraces in the evening and found ourselves following a fairly steep path away from the main town. We saw a water buffalo, and a consid-
“He greeted me
by tossing a pack of cigarettes onto my lap ”
“Reminded me
of Jurassic Park, or Arthur Conan Doyle’s ‘lost world’ of dinosaurs”
erable crowd of people surrounding it. I was not entirely sure what was going on – we saw a young girl who could not have been older than about 14, being dragged away in chains. We got talking to a ten-year-old kid called Martin, who spoke excellent English and showed us around the area. He explained that the girl in the chains had been caught stealing food from one of the homes. It was a rather harrowing glimpse into a completely different world to the one I came from, made surreal by how fleeting it was. We continued with our little tour of the farming village and got some amazing views of the rice terraces. We decided we wanted to climb Fansipan – the highest mountain in the country – without a guide. I was a little scared – people had died on this mountain, but Danny was sure we could do it. We set off early – about 5am – packed with Banh Mi (Vietnamese baguettes, stuffed with all kinds of interesting ingredients), fruit and cookies. We made it to the roof of Indochina. It probably took about six hours to hike all the way to the top, and it was exhausting but so rewarding. The air felt different up there. Apart from the flag, there was not really anything to see at the top because of the thick layer of white mist; so, we immediately got the cable car back down to Sapa.
To be continued in our next issue.
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Friday 27 September 2019 InQuire
Feature
Painters of all countries, unite!
A Romanian artist speaks out about communism’s creative censure. By Tímea Koppándi Newspaper Culture Editor
“I am an honest and shy person, with a lot of common sense and I had to suffer because of that”
I
n a conversation about the artistic censure, Ileana Sbârcea-Mureşanu revealed to me her story as a painter during communism in Romania. As a Romanian student, whose parents have spent most of their youth living under the communist regime, this subject has always been present in my life. I learned about it at school, I had various exams about it and ultimately the tales told by my family were something that stuck with me. I haven’t lived in these times, but many of our parents did, and I believe that the injustices that happened shaped not only our mindset but many of our habits. I met Ileana Sbârcea-Mureşanu while she was exhibiting her work at a gallery. She started to tell me about her experience with the communist censure in the seventies and so an impromptu interview was born. Her story is still so relevant and important because there still are places in the world where freedom of speech is a luxury, where the power of expressing yourself is stripped from you and where your individuality and opinions do not matter. This is the story of a painter who managed to maintain her voice and artistic integrity in a time where self-expression was almost non-existent. Arising from a bright family of doctors, and many other talents, Ileana’s interest in art started in her 11th grade, when she was 17. “My first work was made during a math class. It was Ponte Vecchio from Florence, which I was copying from a postcard. The teacher saw me looking at the postcard, after all I was sitting in the first row. He asked me to bring it forward and when he saw my work, he said ‘either you paint me one for tomorrow, or I’ll grade you with a four’, which was a very bad grade. I made one and my teacher pinned it on the wall”. I pointed it out how detailed this work was for someone so young, at which she replies jokingly: “Well it’s certainly better than a four.” After WWII, communism took a dark twist leaving many Eastern European countries stranded in harsh conditions. In Romania, the communist regime begun its instalment during the years 1944 –
1947, and after a year the People’s Republic of Romania was born. A number of restrictive changes emerged in the country which reshaped the whole system of the society through terror. Culturally, Romania entered a time which was defined as the culture of the proletariat. The Romanian academy was dissolved, and numerous libraries, publications and bookshops were closed, all of which were considered a threat to the communist ideology. The role of any artistic or literary work was solely to promote subjects with a national, militant and revolutionary character. Overtime, the system seemed to get worse and worse, and in 1965, Nicolae Ceauşescu and his wife came to power. Surprisingly, his reign started with a period of ‘cultural defrosting’ where the communist party was more
indulgent on western oriented works. In 1971 the regime became almost unbearable, with food being limited, as well as heating, warm water and electricity. Ceausescu’s face was present on the front cover of every existing book and classroom. Many intellectuals and students were imprisoned and tortured for their liberty-oriented ideas and remarks against the regime. Those who were left and still active were classified as illegal and marginalised, the communist censure banning more than 80,000 books, countless writers, poets and artists. The crowd could not bear it any longer and the revolution of December 1989 ended with a bullet through Ceausescu’s head, leaving the country in a state of confusion, its people ecstatic and their future unclear. I can hardly describe the state
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InQuire Friday 27 September 2019
of my people when the revolution ended. It was such a moving feeling to know that we are finally free, yet panic started to arise because we had no idea what to do with ourselves. Romania was the only country in which communism has fallen through bloodshed. Sbarcea finished her art studies in 1972 at the University of Cluj. “I didn’t learn much about drawing during my studies, the teacher wasn’t helpful at all. I never had an actual teacher when it came to art. I used to steal techniques from my colleagues who had a better artistic academic training and already had a style of work. We used to align the easels in a semi-circle and then the professor would come around and discuss them.” The university did not provide them with enough workshops, so when someone was lucky enough to find one, there were usually about three artists assigned to it. Ileana was not too fortunate with her workshop colleagues, as they occupied all the space and left her none. “I never had a workshop before. Only now at 77, I finally have my workshop.” Refering to a room filled with paintings in her lovely apartment: “My dad often allowed me to paint in the kitchen at evenings. I used to soak the paper with water and play with the colours, layer it with another paper and spread the colour evenly. Out of these experiments with colours resulted my knowledge of chromatics.” Her work is very lively and colourful, with almost childlike use of shape and form. It gives the viewer a very light and free feeling, quite the opposite of what the regime was aiming to do. “I was completely against the regime. In our family we didn’t discuss politics, but we definitely knew that we weren’t for the communist regime.” In 1983, Sbarcea decided to become an art teacher at school number 14. She speaks highly of her students and remembers many of them fondly, telling me that her work as a teacher and her pupils have helped her overcome certain hardships in life. After a few years had passed she moved to Bucharest, where she met a family of painters. “The wife worked for an artistic union and she was making skirts. I also started doing all sorts of things, because after all I had to sustain my family. There I discovered velvet and I had the brilliant idea of painting on it,” she told me. It was a creative loophole for which she could escape painting Ceauşescu’s portrait because the movements of the velvet when painted would distort his face, which would never have been allowed and even seen as an offense. “I’ve seen Nikita Mihalkov’s film, Burnt by the Sun, where in one of the scenes they lift up a veil with Stalin’s face painted on it. As the wind was blowing the veil, it completely distorted the image of him. And
Feature
I thought to myself, I had that idea first!” Ileana exclaimed. Her determination for creative freedom led her to be one of the few artists that have managed to paint on such a difficult fabric, one which moves the paint constantly. “My work didn’t fit into graphic painting anymore, but rather decorative art. I became unique by painting on velvet. I used to paint two a day, about 1 metre long and 80-cm wide.”
C
ivil liberties were highly controlled by the communist censure. “We had to paint factories, workers, fields with tractors, blocks of flats, portraits of Ceauşescu and propaganda. I couldn’t stand to paint such things. We weren’t allowed to paint flowers, and I loved nature! You had to paint certain things and that was it. I worked in all sorts of conditions, but I never gave up. And that was very important because I ended up doing what I loved.” “There were few of us, unfortunately,” she told me. The artistic censure was fierce, and the corruption was too often found. “Those who sold themselves and their art to the regime lived well during these times. One time, I visited a sculptor in his workshop, and as soon as I walked in, I noticed sculptures of Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu. I instantly felt sick. I couldn’t sell my art and I had to suffer because of it.” All of the paintings were evaluated by a censure commission before allowed to be a part of an exhibition. They ensured that the artistic work was following along the lines of the communist ideology. The union of painters usually arranged and handled the exhibition alongside the artists. “I was a member of this union only after 1989, when things changed”. In her exact words: “I didn’t lick anybody’s trail to get into the union”. A nice expression to those who had no ethical values and sacrificed their integrity to obtain a position. When reminiscing about her life during those times, Sbârcea says that she had lived a hard life, many of her sorrows caused by the oppressing regime. Yet after years of working hard to do what she liked and after living a life dictated by circumstances built from the egoism of people, she managed to create an environment where she is truly happy. After the interview, I visited one of her exhibitions in both our hometown Brasov and she said to me at the end: “I didn’t have an easy or exceedingly happy life, but I couldn’t be more content with what I have.” The story of Sbârcea is important. She faced and challenged the rights to creativity in a time that had little hope, a time that many people who are still alive went through. A time, that you as a Kent reader probably had no idea of. She taught me to recognise the luxury of freedom and creativity that we have in a time that seems so dark. What stuck with me the most is when she told me: “In life anything can happen. Live your life the way you should, don’t make a mockery out of it. Make beautiful things.”
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Friday 27 September 2019 InQuire
Entertainment
Film & Television
It Chapter Two: A good comedy but a tepid horror The sequel to 2017’s adaptation of Stephen King’s bestseller entertains a large cast of colourful characters, whose hilarious chemistry helps make up for the unfortunately mixed horror elements. Adapted by screenwriter Guy Dauberman and director Andy Muschietti, It Chapter Two explores the second half of King’s novel, where the Losers’ Club, now as adults, return to their hometown Derry to finish off the devilish entity It (Bill Skarsgård) once and for all. The young Losers – who return in flashbacks – are recast successfully and play well off of each other, particularly Bill Hader and James Ransone who star as Richie and Eddie respectively. To the films credit, there is focus on character development and giving satisfying conclusions to the Losers’ Club’s separate story arcs. All of the characters are still haunted by the ghosts of their past; Beverly, traumatised by her abusive father, is stuck in another cycle of abuse by her husband while Bill continues to feel guilt over his brother Georgie’s horrific death. It acts as a metaphor for all the trauma the Losers’ Club experienced as children and confronting him serves as a way to show them finally dealing with their baggage. Mike (now played by Isaiah Mustafa) brings the Losers back to Derry, which is when the horror really begins, including It breaking up a reunion dinner with creepy fortune cookies and a shocking message that shakes the group to their core. There are a few more solid scares in this instalment, such as the sequence featured in the trailer in which Beverly (Jessica Chastain) returns to her childhood home where a ‘kind’, elderly woman lives and a tense fun house scene
Photos by Warner Bros
Boasting an A-List cast but failing to find its feet, Jake Yates-Hart explains why It Chapter Two can’t decide what it wants to be.
“Pennywise in particular does not feel as scary this time”
with Bill (James McAvoy) that was not originally in the novel. However, these scenes are spread out across a nearly 3 hour movie, and while the comedy is pretty great and helps balance out the darker elements of the story, it also undercuts a lot of tense and scary sequences, giving them less impact for the audience and the characters. The younger Losers’ Club take It much more seriously, but just because 27 years later they are now adults does not mean that the situa-
tions they are forced into are not terrifying. Consequently their reactions seriously affect its presence in the film in a negative way; Pennywise in particular does not feel as scary this time, and that is a huge issue, especially for the climax of the story. It Chapter Two does not find a way to mix the horror and comedy as well as the first instalment did, but the film has heart and relies on its amazing cast to give the story more impact. The most successful accomplishment of the film is that through
two lengthy chapters, the adaptation commits to the themes of the novel; a story of friendship and how you can create your own family from age-old bonds.
It Chapter Two is showing at the Gulbenkian on 8 October (£3 per ticket)
Amazon’s Carnival Row is far from spellbinding
A world corrupted by war and a city flooded by those fleeing it. But not just any city or any war; in Carnival Row, magic and myth intertwine with human conflict. Clearly, Amazon thought that adding some pixie dust to this overused plot would work real magic. And it almost does. The refugees of this war are Fae and other mythological creatures fleeing to the capital city of The Burgue, whose human inhabitants are less than happy with so-called ‘Critches’ taking over their home. The Fae and those like them are subjected to scorn and mistreatment by the humans of The Burgue; they are forced to work as maids, servants, prostitutes and any other jobs deemed too low for humans. The imagery of Fae women being prostitutes is emphasised through raunchy scenes in a brothel located in Carnival Row, aiding the character and plot development. Early on in the series, the troubles of the Fae are worsened by a series of murders committed in much the same fashion as good old Jack the Ripper, only instead of killing prostitutes he is killing Fae. The series progresses with this plot of murder
Pho to by Jan Thijs
A world corrupted by war and a city flooded by those fleeing it. But not just any city or any war - in Carnival Row, magic and myth intertwine with human conflict. Lifestyle Editor BlueBelle Kulpa examines Amazon’s new fantasy title.
and fear slowly spreading, while also introducing us to characters played by some familiar faces. Orlando Bloom adorns the black coat and top hat of mysterious detective Rycroft Philostrate, and somehow also has a bad cough or something similar and so speaks in a forced husky voice throughout the series. We are then introduced to his ex-lover Vignette Stonemoss played by Cara Delevigne; she is feisty, she is sexy, she is a confused character. Her journey starts with fleeing from the villainous Pact soldiers and washing up on the shore of the Burgue, becoming the lady’s maid to Miss Imogen Spurnrose, played by Tamzin Merchant. Much of the series’ tension is found in the civil rights struggles of its characters. The Burgue council is torn between helping the refugees liv-
ing in their city and kicking them all out to try and reclaim what their city once was. Sadly, it seems to lose focus after the first few episodes, with plotlines that could have been drawn out longer discarded too quickly. Overall, I thought Carnival Row season one was half decent. The plot was interesting and had a few good twists in it, whilst character development was reminiscent of Game of Thrones and to a degree tied in together, though sometimes not very well. Protagonists Vignette and Rycroft were disappointingly lacking in development and unconvincing, and I often found myself wanting to know more about emotionally interesting side characters. The setting of a fantasy Victorian era city plagued by the victims of war and dark secrets is a good one; especially when the religion and culture of these magical creatures’ conflicts with those of the humans. In the same vein, the series does question morals of segregation, racism and the horrors of war. However, you get the feeling too often that undue emphasis is being placed on sex scenes rather than what is happening to people on the streets or in the war zones. Here’s hoping for a more focused second season.
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InQuire Friday 27 September 2019
Music
Entertainment
Charli XCX delivers her best material yet on a career defining album, Hal Kitchen writes. The long awaited third studio album by British post-pop artist Charli XCX offers her best showcase yet, presenting a collection of some of her best ever singles and her weirdest, most beautiful deep cuts. The album has a lot in common with her recent mixtapes Pop2 and Number 1 Angel, as it features many guest vocalists including Troye Sivan, Lizzo and indie-pop girlgroup Haim. However, Charli’s presence is so massive that it overshadows every other artist in her orbit, the most successful guest appearance by French artist Christine and the Queens, who lends her vocals to the stunning single Gone, which goes way harder than any previous Charli XCX track. Blame It on Your Love featuring Lizzo is a finished version of Track 10 from Pop2. While I have heard some people say they prefer that unfinished version, that is what it sounded like to me, unfinished, whereas Blame It on Your Love is an absolute anthem with a heavenly synth drop. Of all the singles which I am angry did not become popular, this one mystifies me the most; it’s so obviously, demonstrably a hit. Much of Charli XCX’s music has displayed a kind of tension between her futuristic aesthetic and Charli’s personal nostalgic version of the past. Her debut album True Romance defined her synth heavy pop-future bass sound, whilst her follow up album Sucker was a bubbly throwback to late 90s teen pop. Even her breakout features
on tracks like Fancy by Iggy Azalea and I Love It by Icona Pop displayed her affinity for and influence from the era, as she belted out her timelessly infectious declaration “you’re from the seventies but I’m a nineties b*tch!”. This contrast continues in miniature on this record, the album’s lead single a kitschy, ebullient track 1999 with Troye Sivan featuring lyrics like “I just wanna go back, back to 1999, take a ride to my old neighbourhood”. This transforms the track’s generic ‘memberberry’ nostalgia into a genuine sense of longing for a lost sense of youth, freedom and innocence. The album closes with 2099, where she and Troye deliver the most intense and out there single with delicate plucky notes on the verses, a blossoming futuristic whirlpool of synths on the chorus and machine-gun drumming on the outro. Another previous polarity in her music, reconciled here, is between her bold musical experimentation, best showcased on her noise pop mixtape Pop2, and her lovestruck tuneful pop stylings of her previous studio albums and many singles. As much as she hates to be conventional, she also clearly loves the aesthetics of mainstream pop and wants to create music that makes people get up and dance and she combines the two seamlessly here. Using more conventional structures and electronic instrumentals with her signature intuitive song-writing style and noise breakdowns, she alternates slick, perfect pop tunes with more introspective, dangerous and experimental electronic tracks. Rather than progressing her synesthetic sound, she perfects and defines it, refining and polishing her tracks to a high sheen, resulting in her best and most complete album to date.
Photo by Atlantic Records
Charli: The best yet from the princess of art-pop
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Friday 27 September 2019 InQuire
Culture
Theatre
Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet
Photo by New/Adventures
For the youth, by the youth
Photos by The Marlowe Theatre
Breaks the societal boundaries that would have never been permitted in Prokofiev’s time. By Emily Webb-Mortimer, Website Entertainment Editor & Tímea Koppándi, Newspaper Culture Editor Two bodies lying on a cold metal table. That’s the start of Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet which stirred an explosion of emotions in the audience. The twists in the plot make this ballet almost nothing like Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. The main concept of the pure and idealised love is kept throughout the entirety of the ballet; however, Bourne gives the protagonists their own individual space and way of dealing with traumas. He reshaped the settings of the story and therefore the context of the characters’ actions. They are portrayed as patients of Verona Institute. Even though nothing is stated clearly, there are many indications that this place is an institute for the mentally ill. The stage is stark and minimalistic, a white wall with two doors marked “boys” and “girls”, pristine and unwelcoming – an apt allegory for the world in which the two teen lovers find themselves in Shakespeare’s classic. There are no Capulets or Montagues, only the boys and girls, constantly separated, not by strict and unforgiving parents, but by the strict and merciless guards. Without giving too much away, the fact that Romeo is shown to come to the institute later on than Juliet, shaped her reactions and experience towards Romeo. What impressed the most was the choreography and the ability to focus on each individual’s experience while maintaining the focus on the protag-
“The dancer’s performances were sharp, and their acting was absolutely beautiful”
onist’s love story. The dancer’s’ performances were sharp, and their acting was absolutely beautiful. The music was that of Sergei Prokofiev’s original score written for the 1938 Romeo and Juliet, in particular his Dance of the Knights was used to great effect. It links the tradition of this particular play within the ballet with the unique, more modern style of dance iconic to the avid Bourne fan. Strong, sensitive and purely stunning. As students, whose youth was filled with classical ballets and opera shows which respected rigorously the scores and didn’t stray away from the ‘right way’ of doing things, Bourne’s ballet impressed us because of his attention towards sexuality, gender, the issues the youth deals with and their desires. A scene which shows the characters having a ball quickly after Romeo’s arrival at the Verona Institute, plays beautifully with the duality of human nature. The characters adopt a more reserved way of dancing while there are being watched by the guards, however as soon as the lights turn off, there is a burst of energy, attraction and desire. Bourne includes the opposite gender in the groups, playing with the concepts of femininity, masculinity and queerness. He also makes clever use of space and movement when depicting different types of love and their depth, in a scene where Romeo and Juliet are isolated while dancing with the group, by the light and their shy movements filled with desire and curiosity. This performance is touching, and beautiful and noticeably accessible. If you are looking to get more involved with theatre, in particular ballet, but are worried you will not be able to follow it or do not know where to start, we suggest this triumph as the perfect place to start. Overall, Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet is a brilliant show, witty with intense feelings stirred by the exceptional choreography.
www.marlowetheatre.com
By Tímea Koppándi Newspaper Culture Editor Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet made an appearance at the Marlowe Theatre on 17 September. Filled with a youthful vibe, with movements hinted of a child-like nature, the show successfully combined profound emotions with the simplicity of juvenile thought. The ballet’s production team focused on bringing the stage closer to the younger part of the society, on tackling issues and behaviours which they can relate to. Neil Westmoreland, the professional cast and resident director explained to me a bit more about the ballet. TK: How difficult was it to stray from Prokofiev’s version? NW: We really wanted to do a very alternative version, which is quite typical of what Matthew Bourne does. He works with big classical ballets and big classical scores and does original works. In this vain of doing a spin on a classical ballet, we tend to go quite far from what the original classical version is. This was a youth project. It was all about finding something relevant for today’s youth culture, having young people in the cast and the creative team, so it was very youth driven. We wanted to find something relevant for today that young people will connect with and understand, and to make it pertinent to the culture that we are in at the moment. So that was a big driving force. We had a young female choreographer working alongside Matt, a young designer, a young composer and conductor, so all over the border there has been this development of a young cast. We have 6 local dancers under each venue, so as you can see it’s quite a huge undertaking. TK: How come this project was so youth oriented? NW: I think it was an important thing to be doing right now. To be looking forward. What better story to use, then the story of two young people falling in love? It was one of the few classical ballet scores left, in terms of doing a different version. The song order is mixed up and is linked up in a very different way, which helped Matt and the team to tell the story about this world and the characters and build the tension to a correct moment. Without giving the story away, it’s not your typical Shakespearean Romeo and Juliet, but the two main protagonists are there and they do fall in love and it is a tragedy. TK: What do you take into consideration when choosing a cast? NW: Different factors. The quality of the movement, what kind of movers they are. Because each show has a very different feel to it. A lot of people are cast for lots of different reasons. I guess with Romeo and Juliet we knew it was going to be very contemporary based movement, young show with young characters in. I suppose we were looking for young interesting characters that moved in a very particular way. TK: What is your favourite part? NW: ‘I love it all but I really like it when the story gets darker and Juliet has some amazing moments and some beautiful duets. Although it is difficult to watch people breaking their hearts every night. And the music is absolutely incredible, I know the score very well and it means a lot to me.’
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InQuire Friday 27 September 2019
Books
Review: Casualty of Power By Dakarai Jane Bonyongwe Writer Mukuka Chipanta is a Zambian born author and aerospace engineer, currently living in Washington DC. He grew up in Kitwe, a Zambian mining town which makes his book A Casualty of Power all the more relevant and interesting. The award-winning novel explores the relations between the Zambians and the Chinese migrants coming in to run the mines. It also follows the life of Hamoonga, a university student whose life is stolen from him by the corrupt actions of those in power, a narrative familiar to many. If we are all playing a game of cards, what do you do when the cards you are dealt look like they are destined to ruin you? Born into poverty, at the mercy of life’s inequity, Hamoonga manages to defy the odds and make his way to university where he is set to graduate and make something of his life. From this point it should have been easy and yet, at the book’s conclusion, Hamoonga has nothing to his name. It was not due to a lack of willingness or opportunity, rather it all boiled down to an ill-fated meeting. Never trust a self-made person until you know what they did to make it— It is the lesson Hamoonga should have learned before he met Lulu, the catalyst for his misfortune, a lesson which stays with you long after you have read the book. Chipanta is good at making readers weigh right and wrong, and we are left wondering whether Hamoonga’s fate is a consequence for his small lapse of judgment when treading on the line between faithfulness and disloyalty to Maya, the woman he loves. As readers, our simple desire is for the protagonist to end up living peacefully or to die an honourable death. In A Casualty of Power, the only thing you want for Hamoonga is justice. Caught in the middle of schemes bigger than him, Hamoonga is dragged through hell and back
before he is thrust into it forever. His family does not know where he is or if he is alive, and those he finds solace with, end up being the epitome of betrayal, stabbing him square in his chest. His life shifts from being about supporting his family, studying, falling in love and living his “best life” to one which revolves around other people’s greed and corruption, before ultimately being stolen from him, leaving nothing for him to hold on to— not even his character. The parallels between fiction and reality blur as Chipanta expertly combines the two, writing about the failure of cultural coexistence and the social and political impact it has. In this book, the need to have international ties comes at the expense of the small man’s voice: only he suffers to line the pockets of those that cause his tragedy. Nothing in Chipanta’s writing is ever as black or as white as it seems, but on fact remains true: the casualties result from an abuse of power. It is a never-ending cycle of deceit, corruption, and power plays in this epic novel. You will not want to put it down, and when you do you will have more commentary to give than you know what to do with. I highly recommend you buy a copy of this phenomenal book and find out why I am so excited! Visit the Weaver Press website: http://www.weaverpresszimbabwe.com to join in on the epic discussion the book offers.
Photo by Lubuto Library Partners
Culture Photo by Dakarai Jane Bonyongwe
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Friday 27 September 2019 InQuire
Culture
“I Made Mistakes”: Robert McNamara’s Vietnam War Policy, 1960-1968 by Dr. Aurélie Basha i Novosejt
Books
Where to buy books for university
Photo by jgk1995/Flickr
By Jeanne Bigot Writer
T
o any History, Politics or American Studies student, the words ‘Vietnam War’ and ‘Robert McNamara’ bring back rather dull memories of yet again going over some of the darker days of US political history. However, it seems that Dr. Aurélie Basha i Novosejt has managed to both bring back the subject and give a fresh look on one of the most controversial historical figures of the 20th Century. On Thursday 19 September, Dr. Basha i Novosejt, lecturer in American History here at the University of Kent, launched her new book entitled ‘“I Made Mistakes”: Robert McNamara’s Vietnam War Policy, 1960-1968.’ After briefly explaining how she came to be passionate about this particular historical event, Dr. Basha i Novosejt gave a short summary of the ins and outs of her in-depth study of McNamara’s influence over the Vietnam War. To give context, McNamara was the Secretary of Defence from 1961 to 1968 during the start of the Vietnam War, and was one of the officers who hurried and increased the launch of American troops in Vietnam, even though he knew the war was pointless and a lost cause, causing the death of thousands of US soldiers and Vietnamese soldiers and civilians. If that story rings a bell, in a nutshell, this is what the Pentagon Papers, released by the New York Times and the Washington Post in 1971, summarised. (I would encourage you to
see The Post, a film with Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep, which cleverly tells the story of this political bomb and the effect it had for the American government and its image at home and across the world) Needless to say, McNamara is not a well-liked figure of American culture. However, from the presentation Dr. Aurélie Basha i Novosejt gave this Thursday, I had the feeling that more than tackling a prominent political figure of the United States, she tackled the even more important subject of trust and accountability in politics. McNamara was not particularly in favour of the war in Vietnam, and he knew that it was a lost battle from the beginning, yet he did not say or do anything to ring the alarm, and watched as the disaster he knew would unfold eventually did. Even worse, rather than taking the blame and admitting his mistakes, when confronted about the issue later on, McNamara argued that he did what he did out of respect for hierarchy and loyalty to the government. In the current chaotic political context, both here, with a Brexit deal that never seems to be found, and internationally with the rise in power of Trump, Putin, and controversial farright figures such as Marine le Pen in France or Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, Dr. Basha I Novosejt’s historical study of loyalty, accountability and ethics in politics and international relations seem more important than ever. The issue of accountability and moral values in politics appears as the key to understanding both contemporary issues and western political culture.
By Petr Malasek Writer
E
ven though there were only three books to purchase for the module, your bank account started crying the moment you entered the pin code in. Books, just as bedsheets, Kent hoodies or a K-Pass are one of the first essential purchases you will make before the term, however, unlike bedsheets or other necessities, the prices can get to enormous heights. Fortunately, there are ways to get the stuff you need for a lower price and save some money.
Blackwell’s The most convenient stop for any student on campus, where they can find almost every book from the ‘must read’ section of any module’s reading list. Some modules sell book bundles, where you can get everything you need for a discounted price. Also, Blackwell’s sell (and buy) second-hand books, so if you cannot find a used book, you can get some cash back after the term.
Amazon If I said that Blackwell’s is close, why not look for an online store? Amazon offers a giant variety of books (alongside literally anything else), first or second hand. They deliver goods straight to campus, so there is no reason to run to the city or even to central campus. Plus, it will be a valuable use of your £10 Amazon gift card voucher you got from that email survey.
Waterstones For someone living off campus, Waterstones (with many stores all over the UK) can be an option for students wanting to buy books. The only downside being the availability of certain titles, alongside particular versions and publishes. Before you run to the city to browse shelves in Waterstones, check their website for the book you desire.
Facebook The Kent Fresher’s Facebook group is good for many things: finding events in the city, getting to know people from your course or your accommodation, and also to get some discounted textbooks! It can save you a lot of money, while helping a second year out - a win-win situation for both of you.
Library An option which is completely free, but I do not advise or recommend it in any way. The Templeman Library has almost an infinite number of books, textbooks or anything else needed for your courses. Just beware that going this path, you will need to learn how to speed read and borrow everything in advance, so that you will have it available for seminars and workshops.
Photos by manhhai/Flickr
In summary, books for university can get pretty expensive, considering also wanting to join societies and enjoy drink deals in Venue, but they are an important part of your study time at Kent or anywhere else. The prices are high, but still not that high as the yearly tuition, so make it count and make your studies at Kent worth it.
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InQuire Friday Friday 29 27 September 2017 2019 InQuire
What’s on... Playmobil: The Movie 22 - 29 September 2019 The Souvenir 27 September - 6 October 2019 Emily Saunders 27 September 2019 Groove onto the Moon 28 September 2019
Sport Photos by The Gulbenkian
Review: Onda by Jambinai
The Mustang 28 September - 2 October 2019 Back to the Future pt. 1 28 September 2019 Kanda Bongo Man King of Soukous 28 September 2019 The Odora Trio 29 September 2019 John Robins: Hot Shame 29 September 2019 Dazed and Confused 1 October 2019 East Kent Walking Book Tour – ‘Not Me’ by Marianne Dissard 1 October 2019 codeHarbour 2 October 2019 - 3 June 2020 Pan’s Labyrinth 2 October 2019 Cancelled: The Enormous Room 2 October 2019 Wise Children 3 October 2019 Jason Byrne: Wrecked But Ready 3 October 2019 SpeakEasy: Zia Ahmed & Belinda Zhawi 3 October 2019
Prices Full - £8.70 GulbCard Member - £6.70 Senior - £7.70 Registered Disabled - £7.70 Student - £6.00 Student GulbCard Member £5.00 Unemployed - £7.70
Photo by Jambinai
Traditional Korean folk music overlaid with rugged experimental flexes of post-rock muscle. By Hal Kitchen Writer Korean post-rock band Jambinai have been building traction in Korea since their self-titled 2010 debut and have begun to earn fans worldwide with their niche combination of experimental rock and Korean folk. Although their lyrics are in Korean, there is little vocal usage on this album, even by the standards of post-rock. The focus is on instrumental performance and the finely balanced mixing, creating eerie three-dimensional tableaux of sound that rise and fall over many minutes. Their instrumentation incorporates the delicate skirls of the acoustic staples of Korean folk like the haegeum and geomungo, as well as electric guitars and drums, as on the opening track Sawtooth, where the guitar lead becomes like a ragged sawblade criss-crossing the track. The mix opens out on the second half of the track Square Wave into a high, level rushing plain of listless haegeum squeaking bracketed by guitars and singing curtaining the stage. Event Horizon picks up with an immediate crescendo to the same ideas as Square Wave, before bottoming out at the one-minute mark leaving behind only Eun-yong Sim’s ragged, creaky geomungo plucking. The track then slowly rebuilds its force into the spiky high-pitched daggers of noise on the outro. We then have the unsteady punk groove of Sun Tears Red followed by the cooling respite of the
contemplative track In the Woods, with its rising, gently swaying guitar melodies and ghostly metallic creaks before the despondent jazzy horns come in. Again, the track builds over its long runtime to a high point of cinematic intensity with rock guitar leads and walls of crushing cymbal, against which the delicate vocals sound extremely precious and fragile. The track Small Consolation repeats this pattern of building and releasing, Bo-mi Kim’s haegeum playing is so delicate and articulate on this track that it sounds electronic in its level of control. This then leads us into the last two tracks, the title track and its acoustic prelude, finally building into a majestic choral piece ending the album with an industrial wall of feedback finally peeling back to reveal a hollow woodwind
“As a calling card, Onda is unimprovable”
flutter. On Onda, Jambinai have perfected their own distinctive and refreshing niche in world music, delivering a superbly mixed and finely tuned collection of avant-garde rock tracks, it only remains to be seen what can be done with this sound on further projects, but as a calling card, Onda is unimprovable. Jambinai will be performing live on campus at the Gulbenkian on Friday 4 October as part of the Korea Day Event starting at 5pm. Tickets are available online via the Gulbenkian website.
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Friday 27 September 2019 InQuire
Science and Technology
UK Climate Uprising By Emma Leach Science and Technology Editor
Scotland tree planting exceeds expectations
Photo by LUM3N | Pixabay
Scotland exceeded their tree planting targets for the year ending 31 March 2019, planting 11,200 hectares of trees, exceeding their target of 10,000 hectares. England fell short of their tree planting target, only planting 28% of their 5,000-hectare target.
J
ust over a year since Greta Thunberg, 16, carried out her very first strike outside the Swedish Riksdag, sparking the beginning of the school strike for climate movement, the youth movement has grown to massive proportions. The movement has spread rapidly, with thousands of protests having been carried out on Fridays across the world, students giving up their time in education to try and make their concerns for the future heard. The climate strikes have reached a new level recently, with the third global climate protests taking place in September. The school climate strike movement has long been calling for the support of adults and businesses, and an increasing number of people have begun to pay attention. The strikes carried out in the UK on 20 September were thought to be the biggest ever environmental protests seen in the country. An estimated 4 million people across the world took part in the strikes, with around 300,000 participating in the UK. Workers walked out of their jobs to join the children. 1,800 Amazon workers reportedly walked out to join the strikes. In addition to people leaving their desks to demonstrate their discontent, some businesses also shut their doors in solidarity for the message. Brands such as Lush and Patagonia closed for the day and over 6,000 websites reportedly supported the strikes either by donating advertising space to the cause or shutting off entirely. With further climate strikes planned in Photo by Paul the future, and an International Rebellion An ambitious plan by the Asman and Jill planned by the activist group Extinction World Wildlife Fund, Sky Ocean Lenoble | Flickr Rebellion beginning on 7 October, here Rescue, and Swansea University is a snapshot of the latest in the climate is underway to restore seagrass in the crisis in recent weeks, in the UK and UK. One million seeds have been collected, beyond. with plans to cultivate them before being planted over this winter season. Seagrass is a wonderful carbon sink, absorbing 10% of the ocean’s carbon annually, and providing home for an abundance of wildlife. 92% of the UKs Fourteen Extinction Rebellion activists seagrass has gone, making this project have been found guilty of obstructing a ambitious and incredihighway in Bristol, following trials on 9, 11, bly important to UK and 18 September. All activists were involved in biodiversity. the obstruction of a road in Bristol, leading to major delays on the M32 which runs through the city. They did this by chaining themselves to a pink bathtub, or by gluing themselves to the road. All protestors were given either 11- or 12-month conditional discharges for their actions and were instructed to pay court costs.
UK Seagrass restoration
Climate activists convicted in Bristol
Elsewhere in the world United for Science finds that policies to lower emissions must at least double A report published on 22 September by United in Science for the United Nations Climate Action Summit has found that policies to lower emissions must triple to meet 2oC limit, and must increase fivefold to align with the 1.5oC limit suggested by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The report also found that carbon dioxide emissions are not estimated to peak in
Demonstrations at London Fashion Week
2030, let alone 2020, and that climate impacts are being felt sooner than previously predicted.
On 26 July, Extinction Rebellion wrote to the British Fashion Council urging them to follow the example of Stockholm Fashion Week, by cancelling London Fashion Week. The open letter called upon the fashion industry to flex its influence, and lead by example to act accordingly to reduce the carbon and ecological footprint of the industry. The letter notified that disruptive action was planned for London Fashion Week if it was not cancelled, the letter stating:
Photo by hpgruesen | Pixabay
New offshore wind plants produce cheaper electricity than forecast The cost of offshore wind plants has reduced by 30% since 2017, meaning that this form of renewable energy is now cheap enough to fall below market price. The latest round of offshore wind plants to be agreed for construction will provide electricity for 7 million homes.
10 Arrested at Dover blockade Ten Extinction Rebellion activists, some aged in their 80s and 90s, were arrested in Dover on 21 September after they attempted to blockade its port. Five of those arrested had broken away from a sanctioned demonstration near the port of Dover and attempted to blockade it. The other 5 were arrested after supergluing themselves to the A20. The activist group has targeted the port to highlight how climate change introduced the threat of food and medicinal shortages, particularly in a country which is highly dependent on food imports. “We, Extinction Rebellion, cannot stand blood on 13 September, and a funeral by this parade of excess whilst the natprocession on 17 September. ural world is being taken from beneath our feet.” Caroline Rush, Chief Executive of the British Fashion Council responded to the letter from Extinction Rebellion, stating that “there are many parts of your letter that I wholeheartedly agree with” and outlining attempts to encourage more sustainable businesses within the fashion industry; however they did not cancel the event. Extinction Rebellion proceeded to stage a die-in complete with fake Photo by Extinction Rebellion | Facebook
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InQuire Friday 27 September 2019
Sport
Martial Arts exhibition The University of Kent Martial Arts clubs came together in an exhibtion to showcase their skills. Head of Design Syan Bateman partook in the event. She details her experience below. Aikido showed different falling and redirection techniques, from the basic roll to a much more advanced jump roll, which looked absolutely incredible and wowed the entire audience. Their training sessions on Sunday from 1pm-3pm. After that was Fencing and MMA. Fencing demonstrated their three different kinds of weapons: the foil, rapier and the sabre. Each had their different speeds and methods of gaining points, and you can join their sessions on Tuesdays 8pm-10pm, Wednesdays 5pm-7pm or Sunday 3pm-5pm. MMA was much more brutal, with a drawn-out grappling session and some sparring. Their sessions happen on Thursday 6pm-8pm and Sunday 1pm-3pm, with a sparring session on Friday 6pm-8pm. The penultimate groups were Kendo and Karate. The UKC Kendo society were hosting the whole event, and definitely showcased their very impressive skills. They showed off some of their training, which included a hit to the head and a
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Sudoku and Crosswords. Compiled by Matthew Sapsed
elcome Week ended with a bang, as various martial arts offered at the university all showcased their skills and fighting prowess. Each had 15 minutes for their various acts, which ranged from patterns of movements to training exercises to actual combat skills. Whatever the martial art, there was something on offer, and all societies were open from beginners to advanced. First off was Kickboxing and Taekwondo. Kickboxing showcased their sparring skills, from trying to throw your opponent to grappling on the ground. For Kickboxing, membership is ÂŁ35 for the year and they have sessions
on Monday 7pm-10pm and 8pm- 9pm for sparring. They focus on Muay Thai on Tuesday at 6pm-8pm. On Thursdays they run the same as Mondays. Taekwondo demonstrated some more flashy skills, performing group forms full of flashy kicks, then smashing boards with jumping kicks and one memorable split kick! If you want to join Taekwondo, head to the Sports Hall on Tuesday 5pm-7pm, Thursday 7pm-9pm and Saturday 12.30pm-2pm. Next was Boxing and Aikido. Boxing demonstrated various sparring forms and a few short matches, and the sound of punching filled the hall. If you want to go to their sessions, head to Hall 2 on Thursdays and Fridays at 4:30-6pm.
lot of screaming, then a few short bouts. Their sessions happen on Saturday 3pm-5pm and Monday 6pm-8pm. Karate had multiple single katas – where people go through choreographed movements, like the wax on wax off from Karate Kid! Their session is on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 6pm-8pm. The final group were Battodo and Jiu Jitsu. Battodo happens on Monday at 7am and practices the smooth drawing and sheathing of the swords and utilises real swords. They chopped bamboo mats while standing and had a short spar with each other using real swords. Jiu-Jitsu demonstrated their large group all rolling together, then some sparring and throwing each other. Their sessions are Wednesdays 7pm10pm and Friday 8pm-10pm. If you are considering joining a martial arts group, check out their Facebook pages and watch some of their videos for more demonstrations, and go to their free taster sessions.
Photos by Syan Bateman
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Sport
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Friday 27 September 2019 InQuire
www.inquiremedia.co.uk/sport
INQUIRE
Photos by Kent Sport Images
By Tom Herbert Men’s Football President “Football is the nation’s favourite and most played sport. From grassroots football to the professional game, men and women alike only play for one reason: the love of the game. Being the highest standard of football available at the University of Kent, joining Kent FC was a no-brainer for me. Our 1st and 3rd team won their respective leagues. Also, we won two out of three Varsity matches, which was pretty sweet. As mentioned above, Kent FC is the highest standard of football available to students and there is plenty of opportunity to progress within our four teams. We take training very seriously and our matches even more so. If you’re looking to play football at the best standard possible then Kent FC is your go-to. One word to sum up the sport is: unreal. With a weekly turnout of around 40 members, our social nights are up there with the best. For me, my uni
experience would not have been the same without the friends and memories I’ve made through football. If you fancy yourself a bit of a baller then this is the club for you. From the moment you join, you’ll be welcomed and made to feel integrated with a great bunch of lads. Our slogan speaks for us: ‘We Wear Black, We Wear White’.” By Oscar Simpson Kent Snow President “Kent Snow covers both snowboarding and skiing, but really, it’s just anything you can do in the snow. The main principle of both is you’re dashing through the snow balancing on a thin piece of fibreglass. If you’re a new student wanting to try it out, we run beginner lessons at the start of the year. I went on a different university’s ski trip before I came to Kent and it was insane, I knew I’d have to get involved once I got here. Spending the days skiing in incredible mountain scenery, and the nights on the wildest socials
Promotional UKC Sport Spotlight possible, it was different from any holiday I’d ever seen. When I got to Kent, though, I saw that Kent Snow captured that spirit, but year-round, they skied every week and had a social every other week, what’s not to love? Unsurprisingly, Kent Snow smashed Varsity once again, going unbeaten against Canterbury Christ Church since the tournament started. We held our position in Kings this year at 5th in the Southern League. This year however, we have a new race captain, Nina, who was born in the Alps, and lives and breathes skiing, who we reckon will take our competitors to the next level across the board, especially during BUDS (the national dry slope championship). We compete in BUDS, all four rounds of the ‘Kings’ league and also Varsity, so those that do want to compete in the sport have plenty to keep them busy, and we run race training sessions every two weeks to keep everyone up to speed. For most of our members, though, the sport isn’t about competition, and that’s where Tour comes in. We organise a winter tour for around 120-150 students to the Alps and that allows all the members to practice the sport at their own pace for a week in the mountains. For those that want to train throughout the year on real snow we also run freestyle sessions at the Hemel Hempstead snow centre. If Boomtown had a baby with Ibiza, that baby still wouldn’t be as wild as any of our socials. Most of our members don’t want to compete in our sports fixtures but still want to get involved outside of tour so we hold around eight socials a term and they truly are unique. We have two dedicated social secretaries who’ll make sure everybody’s keeping up, give the social a wild theme, and enforce our trademark Kent Snow rules. If you like cold slopes, cold brews or fresh snow, you’re in for a warm welcome. People of every skill level find a way to do their sport with us, whether it’s beginner lessons, freestyle, racing, Tour or just coming along to socials, there’s something for everyone. I really can’t explain in full why Kent Snow is worth joining in such a short time frame, so I’d recommend if you’re interested, you come to an event and see for yourself.” By Committeee Trampolining Will Jefferies: “Trampolining is a gymnastic sport, where people can present their acrobatics whilst bouncing. Some members of our club are more experienced than others and, of course,
everyone is welcome regardless of ability. Whether you would like to compete and perform routines against others, or you would like to socialise and use the sessions as recreational fun, all are welcome!” Vicky Lewis: “Like a lot of people, my only experience of being on a trampoline was in the garden when I was a kid, so when I saw the club at Welcome Fair, I got excited to try it all again as an adult! Everyone was really friendly and approachable and with people at all different ability levels I felt comfortable to work on my own skills, at my own pace, and was excited to learn new things!” Eloise Halliwell: “There were many highlights throughout this year for trampolining but the most prominent was winning Varsity. Competing against Canterbury Christ Church was a fun way to display the club’s skills and encourage some friendly competition! As well as Varsity, the medals won from our competitions throughout the year were the biggest achievements. However, our highlights are not only from competitions, as one of the club’s favourite memories from the year was our social at Gravity in Maidstone. Coming together as a group and having fun is a main priority of our club and the socials are a great way to make new friends too!” Lara Mercer: “We run training sessions twice a week on a Tuesday and a Friday, both being 3-hours long. As a team we all help set up the trampolines and then have a warmup. There is always a qualified coach throughout every training session to help oversee the session and with all the new skills people would like to learn. We have two captains who work with the coach to get the best out of all training sessions. We go to around four competitions a year, which you are not required at all to compete at, but we allow any who want to to do so. In addition to this we have our Varsity event at the end of the year which we are very proud to say we won last year after not doing so for the past five years. It is a very social sport due to there only being four people on a trampoline at a time. So many people just come along for a bounce and a chat” Claire Fitzpatrick: “So we have regular socials which are quite varied including some more chill ones and also of course trips to Vensday! We also have some away socials after we participate in competitions at other universities. It’s great to mix with other trampolining committees in this setting and also a lot of fun! As a small club everyone has such a good relationship with one another, which makes for a really good atmosphere at training and socials.”
Katie Hargrave-Smith: “A new student should consider joining because trampolining is a wonderful way to make friends. Though we enjoy going to competitions, training is always very chilled, and people can choose if they’d like to compete, or just use trampolining as a social occasion to meet new people while learning or returning to a great sport.” By Sam Street Cricket Chairman “My dad played cricket to a particularly high standard and so my weekends growing up were spent watching him play. Me and the other kids (also watching their dad’s play) would play our own game off the pitch for hours and I instantly fell in love with the sport. I played my first proper game at seven and haven’t looked back since! It’s a brilliant team game that tests you physically, technically, tactically and psychologically. Joining Cricket when coming to university was a no brainer really. The main highlight from last year was our indoor Varsity victory against CCCU (you can’t beat a victory over the poly!). If I’m being honest, we underperformed in our BUCS matches across the club last year and that is something we will be looking to make amends for this upcoming season. During the winter we play indoor cricket in the BUCS league and also the local Kent indoor league so there’s plenty of matches & opportunities available. In the summer, we have three men’s teams and one women’s team. Our men’s first team are in Division 2 and our women are in Division 1, so we play against some really strong opposition. We also have a full-time level 2 qualified cricket coach. He’s been with us for two years now and he’s really helped us improve. Whether you’re trying it out for the first time or play regularly, he’s great at identifying strengths and weaknesses and developing drills to help improve your skills. We are a very social club. Unlike some societies, our men’s and women’s teams all socialise together which creates a great togetherness in the club. We are regulars at Venue on a Vensday. All of our training is on a Saturday and we always go to Woodys afterwards to socialise also. We also run a number of charity events (including our legendary quiz night) and host club meals throughout the year. Whether you’re looking to join a society to meet new people, try a new sport, join a sport you’ve played for years or
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InQuire Friday 27 September 2019
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Indoor exercise routines for couch potatoes Want to keep fit, but hate exercising? Newspaper Lifestyle Editor Blue-Belle Kulpa has put together a list of all the best exercises for those couch potatoes out there!
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aving a healthy and active lifestyle is always rewarding; but with gym memberships rising in price and there being so many healthy food alternatives and options it is not easy to keep such a balance easily. As a student gym memberships are not the priority; food and social life come first. So how do we keep fit and save our maintenance loan? There is an easy solution, and that is a work out routine to do in your room. There are so many examples online of what you can do within the confines of your room and here are a few of them:
Sit-ups Sit-ups are the go to when starting out a workout routine. This exercise does not target the stomach however as it is a multi-muscle exercise and primarily works the chest, neck, lower back and hip flexors. The exercise should go as follows: lie flat on the ground and bring your knees up so your legs make a triangular shape and your feet are firmly planted on the ground. Then raise your upper body up to meet your knees and back down again. Be wary of this exercise though as you can injure your neck or back if it is done incorrectly.
Squats Squat exercises are good for strengthening your hamstrings, hips, glutes and quadriceps. And it is also a good exercise for your core muscles. Squats are easy to do; simply bring your butt downwards as if to sit but continue past the sitting position until you can feel your core muscles and lower body muscles straining from just join a social group, we cater for all! Anyone can join our society, regardless of ability, so come and give it a go!” By Lalia Shariff Netball “Netball is a fast paced and engaging game which involves everyone on the team whilst still enabling individuals to shine. It uses a variety of skills, providing everyone the opportunity to excel in a position - be it running as wing attack or shooting as goal shooter there is something for everyone in the game. I was really keen to get involved in sport at university as it’s a great way to stay active, on top of that it was a really great way to meet new people, especially people from outside of my course who I wouldn’t otherwise get the chance to meet. The reason I chose netball was because I’d played it before at school and I had heard that Netball as a society was very inclusive and friendly. It’s a society that involves not only the competitive and friendly side of sport but also the social side. It is a really fun and inclusive environment where you’ll have the opportunity to meet new people and stay active
the shift in holding your weight.
The flutter kick One of the more knackering workout routines; you can definitely feel it giving your muscles a good work out. For this simply lie flat on your back on the floor and slightly raise your legs up, keeping them straight, and then move them up and down quickly. Left leg up, right leg down then left leg down and right leg up. This exercise helps with toning your lower body stomach, thighs and hips.
Push-ups Though a hard one to do when just starting off the push-up is a good exercise to master. It strengthens your upper body strength as it works the triceps, pectoral muscles and shoulders.The abdominal muscles are also put to work as they pull inwards during this exercise. All you need to do is put your hands on the floor in front of you and lie flat, push your lower body up using your toes and then use your arms to push yourself away from the floor and lower yourself back down to it. It is understandable though that room exercises are not for everyone. There are many people out there that like to go to the gym, not only because of the equipment, but also because of the working environment it has. Which can aid someone’s motivation to keep going. Try out both and see which environment you work best in. Just remember not to over work yourself and to drink plenty of water.
around the demands of university. Being in a team allows you to bond with people and you make great friends. In addition, whilst we do take playing Netball seriously, we do like to have a lot of fun. For the first time, this year we are also hosting a Netball Ball which will be a chance to dress up to the nines and have fun with others from many different societies.”
We organise regular socials that range from relaxed evenings watching professional hockey, to more lively nights out. New students should consider joining because ice hockey is such an incredible sport which doesn’t get nearly enough recognition in the UK. If anyone is looking to try something new and join an exciting society with big ambitions, ice hockey is for you!”
By Harcey McKenzie Ice Hockey
By Oli Kilner Men’s Lacrosse
“Ice hockey is a sport where players attempt to score goals by shooting a rubber puck into a net using sticks... on ice! I had already been a fan of the sport but never had the opportunity to try playing, so when I found out the university had a team, I was all in. Our advanced team played very well in their division and also at nationals. Meanwhile, our beginners team competed at nationals for the first time! The club consists of experienced players and people who have never been ice skating, which creates a great learning environment for a sport that combines skill, speed and physical strength.
“Lacrosse is a unique sport which has aspects of multiple different ones together. It has the technicality and precision of basketball, the contact of rugby and ice hockey and the stick skills and ball control of ice and field hockey. Each player has a stick which is used to carry, throw and catch the ball. The stick is also used to hit an opposition stick if they are carrying the ball to try and knock it out and you can also hit the opposing player similarly to American football. The game is 10-a-side and the goal is 6ft-by-6ft which players are allowed behind. I decided to join as I wanted to try a new sport when I came to university.
Talking to the members at the Welcome Fair and going to the taster session, I fell in love with the sport and after the first social I was hooked. Because the sport is so unique, most members have never played before and start at the same level, so it is a lot more fun as anyone could be the best, it’s just how much work you put in. This was also a big selling point for me. Our biggest achievements over the year were raising £3,549 which was the second highest amount out of all sports clubs at Kent. Our second biggest achievement was winning Varsity 13-4 which is the biggest margin in recent years, adding to our eight-year winning streak. The sport side is very competitive with a chance for first years to make it into the 1st team. Training is three times a week with one of these being a fresher session. These are fast-paced, intense sessions. As it is such an alien sport to most, the trainings normally involve a lot of the more experienced members helping and coaching the newer members which helps them to learn as much as possible in a training session. The social side of our club consists
of weekly socials on the Wednesdays for post-game celebrations and other days during the week where members meet up for more casual socials and go out together. We also host themed fundraisers attended by many different sports clubs and students who are not part of a sports team, which are always a great night. For the people who don’t drink we also have non-alcoholic socials such as gaming tournaments and game-film nights, and there is no pressure to drink at our weekly socials either. A new student should consider joining because university is great time to try something new. Lacrosse is a sport like no other, everyone starts at the same ability level, so you bond a lot more with the people you join with as there is a shared learning experience and you support each other a lot through this process. We also have a very close bond with the women’s lacrosse team which results in multiple joint socials and mixed games. Our socials mixed with the competitive sporting side will leave any member with friends for their university experience and life as well as many years of good memories.”