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Leadership Elections 2014
UNION PRESIDENT
VP (WELFARE)
VP (SPORTS)
VP (EDUCATION)
VP (ACTIVITIES)
WHO SHOULD REPRESENT YOU?
VOTE
for the person you want to lead your Union or who knows who’ll be making the decisions?
YOUR VOTE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE VOTING OPENS 6TH MARCH @ 1PM www.kentunion.co.uk/elections or in The Venue Polling Station #KENTVOTES
IT’S TIME TO DECIDE! MEET YOUR CANDIDATES...
MEET THE CANDIDATES A brief note from the InQuire editorial team: The placement of each candidate within this wrap was completely random. InQuire do not endorse any of the candidates.
DARIUS MIKULENAS UNION PRESIDENT
SAMUEL HUGHES-NARBOROUGH
CHRISTOPHER BULL UNION PRESIDENT
TAMMY NAIDOO UNION PRESIDENT
UNION PRESIDENT
DIMITRA RIGA
RASHIDA ADEKUNLE
DAVID COCOZZA
ZACH TOOGOOD
JAKE LAWS
PHIL STEPHENSON-OLIVER
VP (ACTIVITIES)
JOE ISMAIL
CHRIS MATTINSON
NIKKY AKIN
JONATHAN EASTON
UNION PRESIDENT
VP (ACTIVITIES)
UNION PRESIDENT
UNION PRESIDENT
UNION PRESIDENT
VP (ACTIVITIES)
RACHEL LEITCH VP (ACTIVITIES)
VP (ACTIVITIES)
CLARISSA PLACE VP (ACTIVITIES)
VOTE
TOM CURRIE
VP (ACTIVITIES)
VP (ACTIVITIES)
VP (ACTIVITIES)
ONLINE AT WWW.KENTUNION.CO.UK/ELECTIONS OR IN THE VENUE POLLING STATION LEADERSHIP ELECTIONS
InQuire visit our website at - www.inquirelive.co.uk
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alcoholism / peer pressure
comment - page 7
lego movie is awesome
iq entertainment - page 16
cumberbatch apology?
iq culture - page 18
Issue 9.11
28th February 2014
big ballet problematic
iq features - page 11
ukc varsity triumph
sport - back page
green light given to marking boycott
Photo by Jessica Mills
Layla Haidrani THOUSANDS of final year students may not be able to graduate this summer due to a dispute over pay. The University and College Union (UCU) carry out a marking boycott from 28th April if a deal is not reached. Staff have been offered a pay rise of 1% by the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA), after a sequence of below inflation deals in recent years. UCU figures say that this a real-terms pay cut of 13% since 2009, with Vice-Chancellors
receiving an average of 5.1% increase in pay. The boycott could lead to thousands of unmarked exam papers, leaving finalists in limbo. UCU General Secretary Sally Hunt said: “a marking boycott is the ultimate sanction, but an avoidable one if the employers would negotiate with us over pay. “No member I have spoken to wishes to see this dispute escalate, but in the continued absence of meaningful negotiations from the employers, we are left with no alternative.
“I fail to see how any university can claim to have students’ best interests at heart if it is not pushing for talks with the union to resolve this dispute.” This is the second time since 2006 UCU have threatened to stop marking. The UCU have not used a boycott since a pay dispute in 2006. In that dispute, a satisfactory deal for both sides was reached, which meant that all work was marked and students graduated on time. Dr. Owen Lyne, Lecturer in Statistics at University of Kent and branch secretary of University of Kent UCU has stated: “the UCU marking
boycott could still be avoided if the employers, the UCEA, agree to serious negotiations. As yet UCEA has not engaged in meaningful talks over pay. UCEA still has time to talk to us before the boycott begins and get this dispute settled. “If UCEA refuse to do so, UCU staff at the University of Kent will join colleagues around the country in boycotting marking.” University of Kent students have reacted negatively to the marking strike. Rachel, a final year History student said: “I’ve worked hard for the last two years so the possibility that there’ll potentially be a
marking boycott is ridiculous and unfair”. If a deal is not reached by 28th April, participating UCU members will refuse to mark exams, essays, portfolios and dissertations of undergraduates and postgraduates at UK universities. This will not only affect UK students on professional courses, but also overseas students taught in the UK. On 21st February, a joint statement released by the UCEA and the UCU said that they have agreed to discuss new pay negotiations starting to the 26th March.
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News Editor’s Note
Hello everyone, Welcome to the Varsity issue! You’ll notice that most of it has nothing to do with Varsity, but at the back you’ll find three whole pages of match reports, from Badminton to Rugby. Elsewhere, it’s an uncertain time for final years, who could be prevented from graduating by either a UCU marking boycott, which now has an official green light, or by minor University debt like library fines. To cheer you up, you can read about places to escape to and The LEGO Movie. Matt. InQuireMedia
2013/2014 Editorial contacts: Alasdair Lawrence Chairman chairman Matthew Gilley - Editor newspaper.editor Chad Greggor - Website Editor website.editor Newspaper: Christopher Heron - News newspaper.news Ginny Sanderson - Comment newspaper.comment Emma Shelton - Features newspaper.features Rebekah Chilvers - Culture newspaper.culture Emily Adams - Entertainment newspaper.entertainment Dan English - Sports newspaper.sport Website: Simon Terhaag - News website.news Tom Vine - Comment website.comment Tom Hagues - Features website.features Caroline Wadham - Entertainment website.entertainment Natalie Turco-Williams Culture website.culture Hetty Sieling - Distribution distribution LaShanda Seaman - Promotions and Events events Daniel Barnby - Design design To contact the committee, add @ inquiremedia.co.uk to the end of the address under their name.
kent all student vote results: three pass, one falls Aamirah Patel Zoya Javed KENT students have voted in the latest All Student Votes (ASV), which came through after the Democracy Zones brought forward four motions for students’ consideration. The first motion stemmed from a debate surrounding Kent Union lobbying Kent Sport to implement a reduced membership for sports clubs, supported by 258 students and voted against by 51. The originally submitted motion to give them free membership had been overturned. The most approved motion regarded the University being lobbied “to have clear and consistent concessions, extensions and appeals policy that is easily accessible to all students”. There were 290 for and 16 votes against, along with 32 abstentions. A request that was raised by the Tyler Court Committee was for the University to construct a smoking and all-weather
shelter for Tyler Court. If it was successful, then there would be potential for it to be rolled out around all student accommodation on campus. However, this was the only motion that fell, with 137 votes against and 125 for, the motion was the closest-fought in the Spring ASVs. The last motion concerned whether the University should remain associated with G4S, and was a hotly debated topic in the Your Rights Democracy Zone. The debate led to the ASV after a majority voted for the motion, but with dissent in the room still present.
The University currently has a contract with G4S. G4S has come under scrutiny by the general public after the London 2012 Olympics security fiasco and for reported human rights violations in areas of the world such as Nepal, South Africa, Israel and even the UK. The motion was proposed by Kent Palestine Solidarity Society and supported by UKC Amnesty Society, the motion called the Student Union to lobby the University to find an ethical alternative to G4S, the biggest security company in the world. The motion passed after the
ASV results showed 216 voted for the motion, 53 against and 84 abstaining. Kent Union will now lobby the University to end its contract with G4S. Kent Union will also now end its contract with the company, which is used for cash handling purposes, and look for a different company. Students campaigning against G4S are not isolated but are rather a part of an international movement which has seen universities such as King’s College London, Oslo, Edinburgh and Queen Mary terminate their contracts with the company.
referendum petition success glasgow uni elect snowden Benjamin Coode KENT students will vote in a referendum on whether Kent Union should ballot all of its members before supporting any strikes or strike action. Currently, Kent Union supports strike action by the University and College Union (UCU) over pay after a supportive vote from the Union Council last term, but falls short of supporting a marking boycott. That decision had come under criticism from some students, highlighting how small the voting sample was. 150 signatures are needed for a petition to go to a referendum and the petition gathered 161. The proposer was Jules Landrieu, the Stage 2 Politics and International Relations Course Rep and President of the Current Affairs Society.
He said: “I supported the petition because it was the first step in the right direction for students to have a say on Kent Union’s current industrial action policy. “The petition echoes the concerns of members, and the number of signatories shows a need for a referendum, as the Union’s continued support for further lecturers’ strike action has damaged our academic experience.” The referendum will take place between 1pm Thursday 6th March and 5pm Thursday 13th March, the same time as the Kent Union leadership elections. As reported on the front page, the UCU and the Universities and Colleges Employers Association have returned to pay negotiations after the threat of a marking boycott, scheduled to begin from the 28th April.
Sven Bjerg EDWARD Snowden has been elected in absentia as the rector at the University of Glasgow. Students voted for the NSA whistleblower to succeed the outgoing rector, the former Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy. Rectors at the University are expected to be active and regularly visit and interact with the University. Snowden will be unable to carry out those duties as he is currently living in Russia, having received temporary asylum. His election has caused some
protests amongst student groups over his forseeable absence, this is not a new situation. Winne Mandela, the SouthAfrican activist and former wife of Nelson Mandela, was elected rector in 1987. Mordechai Vanunu, the Israeli whistleblower, was elected rector in 2005. In neither of these cases were the rectors were expected to fulfil their full duties, given the political nature of their elections. Snowden, who was nominated by students, won the election in the second round with 51% of the vote. Other nominees for the position included the champion cyclist Graeme Obree, Kelvin Holdsworth, a clergyman of the Scottish Episcopal Church and the author Alan Bissett. In a statement, Snowden said: “I am humbled by and grateful to the students of Glasgow University for this historic statement in defence of our shared values. “We are reminded by this bold decision that the foundation of all learning is daring: the courage to investigate, to experiment, to inquire.”
News 3 universities breaking law over library fines £200bn student loans by 2042 Ginny Sanderson Newspaper Comment Editor UNIVERSITIES could be breaking the law if they prevent students from graduating due to minor fines, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has warned. These debts cover anything non-academic, for instance library fines. It is estimated that around
75% of universities have been following this policy, including the University of Kent. The National Union of Students also drew attention to the fact that simply owing money on an overdue library book could mean a student not being allowed to graduate. Figures have recently revealed that universities across the UK have raised a collective £50m in
Photo by Jessica Mills
library fines over the course of one academic year. At some universities, students have not received the news until their graduation ceremony. In 2008, Ann Watt at Bucks New University in Buckinghamshire received an envelope she believed to be her graduate certificate. It was in fact a letter informing her that her graduation would not be issued until she had paid a debt. The NUS vice-president Colum McGuire reflected that such sanctions are “incredibly unfair”. The OFT wrote a letter to universities recently drawing attention to the fact that these actions may breach consumerprotection law. They have advised that universities review such policies. Nisha Arora, from the OFT, said on the matter “preventing progression or graduation not only affects students’ educational experience but could also significantly harm their future employment prospects and ability to pay off their debts.”
Matthew Gilley Newspaper Editor The government may well be underestimating the value of student loans that will never be paid back, according to a report from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). The report also predicts that the outstanding debt will rise from the current £46 billion to £200bn by 2042. Under the existing system, student debt is written off after 30 years, and the government assumes that 35%-40% of it will never be paid back. But the PAC, a committee of MPs, says that the figure might be too low. Committee chairwoman, Margaret Hodge, said: “The Government assumes that 35% to 40% of the total will never be repaid. “That is some £16bn to £18bn on the current debt of £46bn, and £70bn to £80bn on the estimated value of student loans by 2042. But we don’t have confidence in those figures. “We think that the value of student loans never to be repaid
could be even higher.” The PAC say there has never been a “reliable model” for predicting student loan repayment. Opposition politicians seized on the report as evidence of government failure. Shadow Universities Minister Liam Byrne said the student loan system is “unsustainable” and Rachel Wenstone, NUS VicePresident (Higher Education), said the government had “got its maths badly wrong”.
Margaret Hodge MP Photo from National Archives
catherine bearder mep talk 40% of new graduates still unemployed Caitlin Webb CATHERINE Bearder, Liberal Democrat MEP for the South East, spoke at a discussion on Human Trafficking in a joint event with the University of Kent Against Human Trafficking SVLG and the Classical Liberal Society. In her speech she explained the nature of the European Union and her constituency but also spoke of the importance of awareness of Human Trafficking. “Trafficking happens everywhere in the UK” she said, and stressed how important cooperation with European police forces and Europol, but as a politician she believes that her role is just to “help people open their eyes and see”. In order to combat this crime, she explains that they all need to get involved to arrest those
are guilty of human trafficking. Bearder explained the importance of treating the victims once discovered. Providing support the victims has also lead to arrests and trials, such as the trial of the Oxford ‘child sex ring’ in January of 2013. She stressed that around 80% of human trafficking is for the sex trade, but trafficking for labour was also a massive issue. With talks across her constituency and reforms debated in the European Parliament, Bearder attempts to combat Human Trafficking by educating Europeans on the signs of abuse. She also focuses on lobbying important government figures, such as the Home Secretary Theresa May, as well as the Home Office, to put the elimination of deportation on the agenda.
Rebekah Chilvers Newspaper Culture Editor ALMOST 40% of graduates are hunting for jobs six months after finishing university, according to new research from totaljobs.com. The graduate recruitment website also found that a quarter are still looking for work a year on from graduation. The survey showed that nearly half of all those asked wished they had studied “something more vocational”. The numbers came in spite of a recent report from the Office of National Statistics which showed a decrease in total unemployment to 7.1%. Mike Fetters, graduate director of totaljobs.com, said: “Despite the economic upturn, graduates are still struggling to find work after university. Our research shows that many graduates are starting to wonder if they should have studied for a more vocational qualification as a more effective route to employment. “Although a degree is an essential qualification for some industries, school leavers need to think more carefully about
which route to employment is best for them as some may be more suited to an apprenticeship scheme.” The survey also reported that a third of unemployed graduates send at least one job application per day, and found that a large number of graduates would travel up to 35 miles for a job interview, with one in six willing to travel over 100 miles for the chance of a job. Tanya de Grunwald, the founder of careers website Graduate Fog said: “If someone tells me they’ve sent hundreds
of applications and had no interviews, the best advice I can give is for them to stop. Take time to re-assess the jobhunting methods you’re using. “For example, too many are still only applying for widely advertised roles. Remember - if you’ve seen it, so has everybody else. “It’s a much smarter idea to spend time tapping into the ‘hidden’ job market. Build your network, attend speaker events and apply speculatively to companies you’ve read about that are doing really well.”
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News
leadership elections: what can you expect?
Leadership elections are upon us, with 36 candidates vying for your vote as they aim for election for one the five sabbatical positions, Vice-President positions for Education, Welfare, Activities and Sport, as well as Union President. InQuire has a look at what you can expect from this year’s leadership elections... Christopher Heron Newspaper News Editor LEADERSHIP elections marks one of the busiest weeks at the University, with campaigns taking over campus. Life will be different to usual on campus, with several changes to everything going on. There are 34 candidates running this year: eight for Union President, nine for activities, six for eduction, five for welfare and six for sport. At 12, just over 35% of the candidates over the five positions are female, compared to 22 male candidates. Expect flyers and leaflets from everywhere, and any trip to Essentials risks being approached by candidates trying to win your support. If they convince you, you’ll be able to vote online on the Kent Union website, or at booths in the Venue. Go to www.inquirelive. co.uk, CSR FM and KTV for coverage throughout elections week. Watch out for candidates Question Time, presented by KTV, where candidates for the five sabbatical positions will be quizzed on their manifestos and how they will do. For Education and Welfare, it is Monday 3rd March from 7pm. For Sport and Activities, check it out on Tuesday 4th at 7pm. Lastly, for Union President, Question Time is Wednesday 5th March at 7pm.
Check out http://www. ktvlive.co.uk/cqt-2014/ for information of the broadcast. Any student can get involved with Question Time by sending in their questions to KTV on Facebook or tweeting them to @Kent_TV using the #CQT hashtag followed by the role, for example #CQTWelfare. Also check out @inquirelive for updates throughout the week. Results night will be on Friday 14th March at 9.30pm in the Venue. If you care who is going to run Kent Union the next year then go and vote. A huge number of the decisions that affect students at all the campuses of the University are made by the sabbatical officers. So, watch out for the manifestos, which come out on Monday 3rd March. Hopefully there will be some fun and original campaigns, along with the guaranteed leaflets with the candidate’s faces on! In preparation for the elections campaign, InQuire had a chat with a couple of people involved with elections and how they’re found it last year. Hetty Sieling - Part of a campaign team last year. “There’s lots of cardboard involved... mostly with bright colours! There’s a lot of capitalisation. “The candidates get free coffee
and croissants every morning. They may be knackered but they get free baked goods!” Matthew Gilley - InQuire’s Newspaper Editor - led InQuire’s coverage last year. “Covering the results night was probably the most fun thing I ever did with InQuire last year. The adrenaline running around interviewing the winners, hearing their plans for the year and getting to collaborate with the rest of student media. “We had a few minor hiccups, like our camera broke within about five minutes of being in Venue, but to be honest that just made the evening all the more exciting.” InQuire’s Christopher Heron and CSR’s Rachel Cribbin had
a chat with Alex Murray, the outgoing VP Education after two years in the role, about his experience as a Vice President. Any regrets for things you did or didn’t do in the role? “I think one of the things around the role is that it takes a while to get into it and find your confidence. “And also to shed the previous officer’s shadow as well. My predecessor had a great reputation within the University and did a load of work and I think it takes a while to find your own identity. “It’s not really a regret as much as I wish I could have got onto more was to find that confidence, and work out the fact that a lot of the people in the University really do want to work with you.” Is there an issue in following on a sabb after two years then rather than a single year? “The thing about the role of a sabbatical representative is that it’s such a high profile position that it’s always difficult to follow after anyone, be it one year or two years. “With me, I tried to embrace it. I made a t-shirt for the outgoing sabbatical officer Lauren Crowley saying ‘I’m the original Lauren Crowley’ and one for me saying ‘I’m the new Lauren Crowley’. “I’ve lost it now so I guess I have
“It’s just about wanting to try and change things and I think that’s the important thing to have.” shed it! But you do find that people are really willing to work with you and that staff do try to induct you as well as possible. “The very nature of university is that there is a new cohort of students every year so you find your identity quite quickly.” What do you think it takes to be a sabb? “The only bit of experience you need is to have been a student here! “Even if it has only been for one year, that is the experience that makes you representative of the student body, and that’s the only experience you need to have had. “You don’t need to have gone to the Zones or a Union Council meeting. “As long as you knowthings you want to try and change and have a character to take some the challenges you come across, really you get so much training and support from staff members that it doesn’t really matter if you’ve been the most dedicated of union officers or something like that. “It’s just about wanting to try and change things and I think that’s the important thing to have.”
Comment 5
a marking boycott is a step too far Paul Stanton FROM 28th April, University College Union (UCU) members may refuse to mark students’ coursework and exams and withdraw formal feedback sessions. The union, which represents academic and academic related staff, promise marking boycotts will be avoided if employers agree to further negotiations. After six strikes since October 2013, UCU claims to have no alternative but to threaten student’s assessments and graduations if universities do not return to the negotiating table, according to General Secretary Sally Hunt. Strike action causes temporary disruption to lectures and seminars but no more than a heavy night at The Venue and a missed 9am lecture the following morning. Yet a strike also sends a clear message that academics object to their renumeration and are prepared to continue causing disruption until an improved offer is made. Since the Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt industrial action has been used as a force for improving
employees working conditions, and more notably during the Industrial Revolution when workers became aware of their power in numbers. But a marking boycott is a different animal altogether. By refusing to process essays and exams the university machine will inevitably grind to a halt. It is a loaded gun to the heads of universities nationwide and a move which leaves no room for mutual agreement. A 3.2% pay rise or students cannot graduate. It sets a ominous precedent in the higher education sector and the wider British economy. Unions claim four successive below inflation rises represents a 13% real-terms cut over the last five years and a 1% pay rise offered by universities is unacceptable. But academics are failing to respect the present economic climate by demanding an above inflation pay rise of 3.2%. Statistics from the Financial Times and Department for Business and Skills suggest the higher education sector could face a £1bn reduction in its budget from 2015 onwards, which comes after a decline in demand
Photo by Chris Heron
in undergraduate places following the tuition fees rise. Universities must maintain a healthy balance sheet in the face of an uncertain future. The viability of the institution is more important than a staff pay rise. Nevertheless, academic renumeration should remain competitive globally if British universities are to attract the most talented professors and remain at the summit of
international league tables. A recent study entitled Paying the Professoriate placed British academics in seventh place and behind counties that command less respect in the tables. Furthermore, Vice-Chancellor pay has continued to rise exponentially compared to academics’, which is difficult to defend. VC’s should be rewarded in equal measure with their academic counterparts for they are all responsible for the
success of the institution. Most students would support a modest pay rise as the cost of living escalates, indeed some may support strike action, but holding students to ransom by marking boycott is a tactic that will not garner student support. “It’s completely ridiculous, they’re victimising the completely wrong people” said Alasdair Lawrence, studying for his final year History at UKC. And he is not alone in this view.
uk floods are (sort of) cameron’s fault GinnySanderson Newspaper Comment Editor I can appreciate that it is difficult to be in power; to please everyone. Meanwhile it’s often extremely easy to criticise. With the recent flooding across Britain, it’s easy – and somewhat satisfying – to say “THANKS David Cameron! Thanks a lot for this shitty weather”. But of course this is problematic. As much of an ass sandwich as Cameron is, I’m not sure he’s awful or powerful enough to make it flood. However, what I can blame him for is the effect his government’s crappy policies have had on our response to the floods. The beloved cuts this government has become renowned for hacked at flood defence spending, with almost £100 million a year cut from the budget. Although the coalition could not foresee this weather crisis, in a world of dramatic climate change, anyone studying for Geography GCSE
could have predicted it. But, not to worry everyone! The PM and other MPs are roaming about the countryside in wellies and waders (in Nigel Farage’s case). Cameron backtracked from his cuts, announcing that money would be “no object” for recovery. Well, isn’t that nice. A
Anyone else – the Scottish (who may leave Britain anyway), the North, hospitals and schools – the diagram suggests can sod off. Money is no object except for when you cut vital public spending and have to backtrack because everyone hates you. The flooding debacle is
recent tweet from writer David Schneider (@davidschneider) reflected on this quote via diagram, stating money is no object for Cameron if you’re living in the Thames Valley and you’re going to vote for Tory.
another example of how this government’s short term policies are damaging and more costly in the long term. This is evident in a range of its cuts, most prominently the rising of tuition fees due
to the government cutting its university funding. I’m sure anyone reading this still feels the sting of nine grand a year as though the announcement was yesterday - I certainly do. But not all is lost! We may not even have to pay the astronomical fees back. That is, if you are on a low income job for long enough after leaving uni, your debt is wiped clean. And, considering the jobseeking climate, this is highly likely, and estimated to cost the government £80 billion. Well wasn’t that policy a great deficit-saver! Oh wait... All of this is suggestive of a huge flaw in government priortising. Back to the floods, these aren’t a one-time occurance. Considering the tories sold themselves as the most environmentally friendly party ever in those sycophantic pre-election ads, they have been making a poor effort to address Climate Change. I am, of course, making the naive assumption that parties stick to the promises of their election
campaigns (oops, awkward Nick Clegg!). Greenpeace have attacked the Environment Minister Owen Paterson as a Climate Change denier, and this could well be the case. Climate Change spending has almost halved under Mr-badgersmoved-the-goalposts-Paterson. Not so green friendly. It seems as though politics is less focused on the long term good than short-term success like winning elections. Cutting the deficit has always been the government’s boast, but it has done so with short-sighted vigour which has proved to be unfruitful in more than one case. We are saving money on cutting the budget to Climate Change now, I’m sure. But I wonder if saving money should be the priority instead of focusing on vital changes to the environment as we know it. These floods may become more regular than Camerons and Patersons alike are willing to admit and, as in many cases, prevention is preferable to cure.
6
Comment
jobs: is it what or who you know? Caitlin Webb
HELEN Mirren couldn’t afford the fees for drama school and now winning the BAFTA fellowship for her outstanding contribution to cinema she thanks The National Youth Theatre (NYT) for her acting success. However, she says acting profession is now only for “kids who have got wealthy parents”. With fees for formal drama schools being £27,000, students with wealthy parents are more likely to attend than those who would get into huge debts. This isn’t the only profession where having wealthy parents can help you get ahead. Oxford and Cambridge graduates are still predominantly from a middle class background Oxbridge have a higher employment rate in the top professions because of the prestige of their institutions, but, with thei average graduate being middle or upper class, it doesn’t bode well for those who have the same abilities but whose situation means they can’t afford tuition fees of a private
school or uiversity education. Oxford and Cambridge are being encouraged to combat this with new government quotas and regulations. Katie
Hopkins has been stating that if one is born rich they can make it. She believes that the rich are better “qualified and more able”, which unsurprisingly
started a Twitter argument over the issue. With an increasingly competitive job market, where 1 in 10 graduates in 2013 were unemployed, the inequality of ‘who you know’ should not be a more important part of the job market. In order to stand out in the crowd, graduates are turning to internships to get work experience. But these can be hard to come by without connections. In 2012 Nick Clegg wanted to get rid of the “who you know” culture and create more social mobility. Businesses have joined his scheme to promote fair internships that don’t involve having connections and wealthy parents but instead are based on your own merit. However, he was criticised for making the internships more available but not more affordable. Interns are only applicable for minimum wage if they are classed as a worker. A lot of internships are unpaid. This means that students who don’t have support when working for free are going to miss out,
regardless of talent. Moreover, knowing people should not make you more qualified. Without private tuition and a privileged upbringing it is still possible to be just as gifted and talented, if anything it makes you more talented for being able to overcome the barriers placed in the way. Dame Helen Mirren wouldn’t have been given the time of day if wealth is supposedly the source of talent. If it wasn’t for schemes like the NYT, DanielDay Lewis, Daniel Craig and Matt Smith are among the many who wouldn’t have been on our screens. So how do we address a still seemingly unfair jobseeking environment? I believe that by placing more regulations on internships - such as reducing those that are unpaid - and creating more opportunities for higher education, as well as more fascilities to increase social mobility, we can address this problem Inevitably in a fair society, it should be what you know, not who.
label, buying them also supports local businesspeople and helps reduce your carbon footprint. And after all, the fresher the food the finer the flavour! So I say let’s tag along with the hippies and hipsters and head down to the local market, Goods Shed or Wholefoods when it’s next time to fill our fridges. And why not try local venues such as the Lady Luck, whose ingredients are primarily
sourced locally. Local, organic and free range foods are a good way of being more sure of the quality (and contents) of the product. I’m not insisting everyone buy everything on their shopping list from quaint shops, but perhaps at least your meat, fish, dairy and eggs to avoid any dangerous, or at least ‘pretty gross’, intruders in your favourite meals.
fancy a human hair in your big mac? Beth Donohoe
IF you were to sit down in a restaurant in countries such as China, Indonesia and France, it may be perfectly ordinary to find horse-meat based dishes on the menu; you may have even sampled the delicacy yourself. But in the UK, the consumption of horse meat is far from popular, especially when it’s not on purpose. We all remember the horse meat scandal and we all got bored of hearing about it, too. But the issue raised awareness of problems within the food industry. I strongly believe it’s very important to know what is in your food and where it’s come from. Maybe you found yourself disgusted by the possibility of having eaten Red Rum’s grandchildren or maybe you were annoyed about being lied to by large, negligent corporate companies. Either way, you were right to be concerned. In the wake of the horse meat scandal, more and more of us have been
researching what’s really in our food if you haven’t, here are a few examples of things you’d find under the microscope: shellac (the resin from the lac bug) in sweets, human hair (from L-Cysteine) in Big Macs and even fish bladder (isinglass) in beer and wine! Only recently it was reported that numerous batches of milk whey protein were suspected to be contaminated with a dangerous bacteria. These potentially contaminated packages were distributed worldwide and were even used in formula for infants. It’s difficult to forget the Mad Cow Disease epidemic, which killed 210 people after meatfarmed cows were fed the carcasses of other cows. Or the Chinese Milk Scandal in 2008, which resulted in the death of six babies after the product was adulterated with melamine. The transparency and traceability of the contents of food and drink products has become increasingly difficult and thus I would encourage you to take more care when it
comes to what ends up on your plate. And there’s one simple solution for this: locally sourced products. Like everything else popular more than 30 years ago, shopping at the local market is back in fashion and as much as I hate jumping on the hipster bandwagon, they have kind of got a point. Locally sourced products are not just exactly what they say they are on their adorable twee
Comment 7
peer pressure doesn’t create alcoholism Mathew Magee
“DON’T you think it’s time you admitted you’ve got a little problem?” These are the lyrics to a song called A Quick Drink that I wrote a few months after I was taken to hospital, having snorted too much mephedrone. The song is about those nights when the plan is only to have a couple but things get out of hand. Before you know it you’re wandering through the streets in the AM, searching through your phone book for someone to sort you out. I spent most of my adolescence getting horrendously drunk in parks and smoking vast quantities of cannabis. By the age of 17 it began occurring to me that I had a problem. The hangovers were getting worse, the weed wasn’t working like it used to, and I was plagued by this gnawing feeling that I was selling myself short.
When I started at UKC, at 19, I had just made a fresh resolution not to drink. I had been sober a month by the time Freshers Week started and I felt a lot better for it. The first night at Uni went by fine. I got through all the drinking games on orange juice, though not without feeling slightly discomfited and apart from things. To anyone who questioned my abstinence I said, feeling rather like the Bruce Banner, “Trust me, it’s a bad idea.” But the next night I could feel it rising up in my chest, the excitement. And when someone like me is bent on getting drunk there no earthly thing that can stop him. I marched to the kitchen, cracked open a beer, and downed it, to the accompaniment of great cheers from my floor-mates. The agreement was that after Freshers everyone would help me ease off.
That was soon forgotten. It would be easy to use that tired phrase ‘peer pressure’ to explain my acquiescence, but I see it instead as the indomitableness of my desire to get slaughtered. No one has ever pressured me to drink more than I have myself. The next two years were spent trying to stop on my own mettle. But if the feeling came over me I had no power to resist it. It may have looked like what I was doing was perfectly normal
had been ambushed by the interventions of the Chancellor George Osborne, the Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander who agreed that whichever party formed the next government after the May 2015 General Election, no party would allow a currency union to be formed between Scotland and the United Kingdom. However, on closer examination, the rows over the issue of a currency union and whether an independent Scotland could join the EU are distractions that will do little long-term damage to the cause of Scottish independence. Barrosso also raised the prospect of Spain vetoing Scotland joining the European Union. The suggesting being that Spain may fear a similar feeling in Catalonia which Scottish independence may encourage. But the Spanish Foreign Minister contradicted Barroso, indicating that if Scotland became independent Spain would have nothing to say on the matter. As regards the issue of currency, recently the Scottish deputy first minister Nicola Sturgeon eloquently exposed the absurdity of Westminster
politicians ruling out a currency union, a policy position that could damage business and cause serious headaches at the Treasury. Even if a currency union is unworkable, the introduction of a new currency would not lead to disaster. To give an example, after the ‘velvet divorce’ that led to the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, the introduction of the Czech Koruna on February 8th 1993 did not cause economic chaos .Now the Czech Republic remains the EU’s 11th largest economy according to 2012 IMF figures David Cameron recently stated how ‘personal’ the referendum was to him. But his refusal to debate Alex Salmond demonstrates a greater fear for public embarassment than losing the Union. In September 2014, Scots will stand at the doorway of destiny and make a choice that will define Scotland’s, and maybe Britain’s, future in the 21st century. It’s a choice between choosing a ‘no’ of pessimism, limits and stagnation and a ‘yes’ to dynamic, proud, hopeful future in a country where decisions that matter most to Scots are made by Scots.
for a person of my age: I never drank on my own, didn’t need a drink every day, and I was never nasty, even at my most outrageous. But I was deeply dissatisfied. It has always struck me as strange that university and heavy drinking should be so inextricably associated with one another. I always found the kind of partying I did totally incompatible with intellectual creativity. Other people seemed to cope so much better than I did. It’s difficult to say how typical or exceptional I am, as a UK undergraduate. Two things are for certain: not every student drinks and takes drugs — a realisation that came as a shock to me once I came to Kent — and, two, not everyone that does drink and take drugs does so pathologically. Only you can know if what you are doing is pathological, and the admission does not come
comfortably. It certainly took me a while. It seems reasonable to say that our generation has a problem. A trip to any A and E in the country on a Friday night will scream to you that the whole nation has a big problem. But what we are really talking about when we use the words ‘nation’ and ‘generation’ are millions of individuals, each of whom either does or does not drink alcoholically. While it is absurd to suggest that alcoholism only affects the alcoholic, it is not in anyone’s power to change anything but themselves. To bemoan the drinking problem of a whole country is counterproductive. I like to operate on much simpler terms: Am I drunk now? — No. — Nice work .— Do I think I am God? — No. — Excellent. — Still breathing? — Yes. — Oh, isn’t the sky pretty today? — Quite, quite. It’s working so far.
Nay
THE North-South divide in the UK is an underlying subject that surrounds economics, politics and the media, so we owe it to ourselves to be educated about the argument for the proposed independence of Scotland. There is no doubt
Moreover Scotland would have to change its currency. It could undergo huge financial difficulty becoming independent because the Euro is weak and introducing new currency is risky. A change of Scottish currency would also have a negative knock-on effect for the rest of UK. Personally I don’t think Scotland should be independent
that, militarily, Scottish Independence would be bad for the UK. With no independent armed forces the MoD has suggested an armoured brigade in Scotland. Scotland could also choose to join NATO with other Scandinavian countries, radically changing some of the defence systems in the UK now. From a Scottish viewpoint, not everyone in the country even wants independence. Social attitude surveys have shown support for the SNP since 2007 has remained between 25%35%.
because if less than half of Scotland still supports the SNPs major policy there is a huge flaw in the argument for independence. I also think it’s important to look at the SNP leader, Alex Salmond. When Salmond writes a letter to David Cameron telling him Conservative MPs are bullying him, is this not evidence the battle is already lost? Can I be cynical enough to suggest that perhaps it’s Salmond, and by extension the SNP, who want the limelight for themselves rather than Scotland?
scottish independence: yea or nay? Yea
Andrew Southgate ON 18th September 2014, 4.1 million Scottish voters will decide in a referendum whether Scotland should become an independent country or remain in the United Kingdom. This referendum matters not just for Scots, but for everyone in Britain, as the ramifications of the Scottish decision on independence will be felt for decades. Last week was a poor one for Scottish independence. On Sunday 16th February, the European Commission President Jose Manuel Barrosso stated on the Andrew Marr show that it “would be extremely difficult” for Scotland to be integrated into or reapply to join the European Union.” Political commentators were agreed that Alex Salmond
Francesca Brindle
8
Editorial & Interview
does english have too many letters? Tom Hagues Website Features Editor AS a soon-to-be linguistics graduate with a love of all things languagey, I often stare into the middle distance through eyes slanted in deep thought about the sounds we use and why they work. Recently, during one of these one-eyebrow-raised-toencourage-deeper-thinking moments, I stumbled across the notion that, in the UK English spellings of words, we use more than we actually need. The Americans and Canadians, for example, have cast away their Us from colour and favour etc etc., because they simply don’t need them. So why do we still use things that we don’t really need? Ignoring the fact that this argument can be applied to almost all luxuries, let’s see how we can trim the fat from our over-populated words. 1. Follow that American! Removing all Us from the words that don’t need them.
We can admire the color of a neighbor’s armor as we stand beside the harbor, and Microsoft Word won’t have a sense of humor failure when trying to underline every word as being misspelt. 2. Silent letters are slowing us down All Johns would become Jons, and gnomes, knockers and pneumonia would have to live with exposed Ns at the beginning of them. And as for mneumonics! Well that’s just greedy. Drop that M and run three laps around the block. Should you wake up one day with a gnawing ache to study archaeology, you might have to just deal with a nawing ayk to study arkeology instead. 3. Text speak isn’t all that bad. U no wot I mean? Teens, tweens, the elderly, the very elderly and Michael Douglas (or Mykle Duglas) have all had a go at texting with text speak and it is the most efficient way of spelling. If u can undrstnd wot’s bein sed, it dsnt matter. But we must draw a line at things like FFS, WUBU2
and NSA because these are not words and are quite confusing. Let’s streamline written English and tlk lyk dis! 4. It’s evolving, you’d better catch up. Our language as it is today is, quite frankly, not going to be like this for the rest of time. Before Willy the Conqueror fell off his boat onto the pebbled beach at Pevensey Bay, Anglo-Saxon Englanders were speaking something quite different. It’s believed that if Willy had been caught by a strong current and sailed off to America instead, the English language would sound like a German-Dutch speaker trying to speak Swedish. So don’t wurry if u dont spell things properly. Another Warring William who speaks Flurbledegarb might land and all your spelling practice will be useless and laughable. Language is like your hair. At the beginning you’re told what to do with it, and how you should display it, but as you get older you are left to do whatever you like with it. So take advantage of your new
found freedom! Released from your spelling-shackles, feel free to hand in essays and CVs that are made up entirely of how you think words should be spelled. I mean, I doubt it would benefit you in any way, shape or form,
but taking a stand might be exhilarating. (Eggsilerating) The English language is far from perfect, and its gluttonous use of letters is just a single leaf at the top of a whole growing carrot of problems.
where have all the protest singers gone? Chad Greggor Website Editor THIS isn’t exactly an original debate, but I may as well throw my helpless and untethered opinion out into the infinite space of student journalism, and let it float uselessly like George Clooney in Gravity. You were nothing but a hindrance, George. Recently, members of Pussy Riot were whipped by Cossack Militia as they attempted to perform on the site of the Sochi Olympics. The video of the attack is disgusting. Whips are held at head height and brought down on the women of the band. The intention seems to be to seriously injure, rather than to be a mere deterrent to what could only be classed as busking. It’s a sadistic suppression of the freedom of speech that smacks of a fascist regime. Nevertheless, the band released a video for their song Putin Will Teach You How to Love, using some of the footage of the Cossack attack, as well as some footage of a performance
in front of the Olympic rings. It features the catchy refrain: “Putin will teach you how to love the motherland.” Thanks Putin! But there are more reasons to be angry at the modern world than the rampant homophobia and unashamed suppression of freedom of speech in Russia. There are also the protests in Ukraine, where militia have begun randomly shooting protesters. The NSA are probably spying on you right now, as you read this, making sure you’re not buying drugs or whatever you’re doing you naughty person. Inept UK Politicians with nothing better to do are standing knee-deep in mud helplessly looking at flood waters in Somerset, feigning concerned-faces and taking photographs for PR campaigns. The material is ripe for protestmusic. When last have we heard something like Bob Dylan’s The Times They are A-Changin’ or When the Ship Comes In? When have we last heard something like Billie Holiday’s Strange Fruit? Ah, of course, it was sampled in Kanye West’s Blood on the Leaves, Holiday’s
dark lyrics ladled obnoxiously with ‘Ye’s innocuous, autotuned vocals. West got pretty close to creating a protest song with New Slaves, but mostly ended up pumping his own ego up a little more (as if that were even possible). He told Zane Lowe in that Radio 1 interview that it was about being a slave to fashion. Yeah, real important social commentary there. Kanye is perhaps a good
example of the reason why the music industry is so devoid of protest songs. The issue is that a lot of musicians are focusing internally. De-sensitized by continuous media coverage of horrific events, we feel powerless to write anything but harmless breakup/love songs. It’s funny that, amidst a waning folk-revival, a lot of folk-artists have completely ignored the essence of the genre. Folk-
music is traditionally a musical realisation of many people, not just an individual. The songs tell a story which has a cultural resonance, lending itself extremely well to protest music. Don’t get me wrong, I love modern music and the kind of art that people are creating, but I want something more. All musicians should follow in the footsteps of Pussy Riot and make something meaningful.
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IQ Features 11
for ‘big ballet’, size still matters Emma Shelton Newspaper Features Editor
I love ballet but I hate what it’s becoming. It produces men and women who, from the age of six years old, are transformed into power machines. Every movement is intended to be eye pleasing and delicate but most ballerinas appear as anorexic, muscular corpses, and every lift makes us shift in our seats with unease. There have been times where I have watched a ballet and I seriously fear for the ballerinas’ safety, as their spindly arms and legs look like they might snap in two. Ballet, like any other sport (although so often criticised as not qualifying as a ‘real’ sport) demands passion and dedication, and increasingly, it is incredibly strenuous on the body. The effect it has on the body is certainly damaging in the long run and irrevocable. I, myself, with 12 years of experience, am still inclined to point my toes for no obvious reason, stretch my calf muscles in the evening so as to prevent cramping and to walk up the stairs on tiptoes. However, ballet is so much more than that. It is really difficult to put into words why so many young girls are attracted to it,
but one thing is for sure, the world of ballet is incomparable. Anyone should be admitted as fitness is not a prerequisite; this can be developed through years of training. Therefore, surely, ballet is not just for skinny people. If a larger woman wants to dance, who is there to stop her?
Photo by @ThetaState
Wayne Sleep, the shortest male dancer to have entered the Royal Ballet School, has challenged what ballet has become and created ‘Big Ballet’. This show is specifically aimed at bigger women who are selected for his cast of Swan Lake, based on their natural abilities and talent rather than size, and some are rejected because they are not big enough. However, I feel he has undermined his project in a few ways. He stated:
“We chose them because they’re fat.” Unsurprisingly, this controversial statement caused upset amongst his chosen dancers who found the terminology harsh. So many of the women had their dreams of dancing crushed at a young age because teachers told them they didn’t fit the mould. Sleep, entirely aware of this, with the aim to re-build their confidence has once again belittled their capabilities with this ill-chosen adjective. Another issue I have with his project is that out of the selection of women who applied for a part in the ballet, Sleep and his copartner Monica Loughman’s final cast include the thinnest of the lot, albeit still overweight. Surely this proves a point that although weight shouldn’t matter, it does. Personal experience has taught me that I did not need to be thin to dance to a high standard but the body shape I did have certainly would never have got me into a professional ballet school. On the other hand, what people forget and find hard to admit, is that ballet can be done by anyone who wants to, but depending on your size and capability, it is a sport which has its limits; you can only go so far, and that is the reality.
Ballet is so hard that it physically is impossible for a plus size woman to dance her way up to a professional level. For practical reasons if anything, a man can only lift a certain weight over his head; an overweight woman’s frame would be too heavy for her to support herself on pointes. I received my pointes at the age of 10 years old, but friends of mine waited until they were almost 14 years old, not because they couldn’t dance but because their ankles were too weak and serious damage could be done. I agree with the aims of Big Ballet, to include anyone who has a talent and love for the art. Everyone who wants to dance should dance but for all who take the sport seriously, to a professional level, must also take into serious consideration the demands it has on men and women’s bodies.
Photo by Kryziz Bonny
:-) : a new language to replace smiles Casey Harris
‘Brain adaptation’ brings up imagery of androids and holograms, Blade Runner and Tron, Star Trek and Firefly. But recent research has proven that it is happening now, and it looks more like this :-) That’s right, the simple smiley. Scientists at Flinders University, Adelaide have now proven that people’s brains have been “culturally reprogrammed” to recognise emoticons as actual human facial expressions. We can use emoticons to make words come alive to the reader; whether over email, a blog post, a tweet, a status or a text, adding emoticons gives us the ability to easily transfer our feelings without having to describe them at length. They transverse language barriers and can express emotion for those otherwise unable to do so. In this way, emoticons are a vital new language similar to any other. 30 years ago, writing “Hey :-)” would have been absolute nonsense. Since their creation in 1982, emoticons have become absolutely ubiquitous, to such an extent that we have trained our brains to understand that they
represent a face, and we react to them like an actual face. Scientists from Flinders have concluded that “the pattern of brain activity triggered by looking at an emoticon smiley face is now the same as when someone sees a real smiling human face”. Dr Owen Churches of Flinders says “Emoticons are a new form of language that we’re producing, and to decode that language we’ve produced a new pattern of brain activity.” While this is surely great news for neuroscientists and psychologists, it has some worrying ramifications for the rest of us. While it is truly very
Photo by Iguanasan
interesting that we have been able to teach ourselves to read a collection of punctuation symbols as a human face, how far down this rabbit hole will we fall? Will there soon be a time where it is easier for children to recognise and respond to a smiley than to the faces of their parents? There is no innate response to emoticons, but humans have always had a tendency to find faces and human forms in other places, from putting eyelashes on the headlights of cars, to arranging bacon and eggs on a plate, and the emotion felt is incresingly strong. In this way, can we be described as robotic, by reading signs and being “programmed” to respond to them in unnatural ways? Our generation is the first to be raised in this truly technological age, with computers and phones surrounding us 24/7, and we have no idea what lasting effect this will leave on our collective psyche. Will we someday glean more happiness from seeing a colon-dash-parenthesis than our partners smile? In recent years, psychologists have been seriously concerned about the lack of face to face contact between
members of our technology obsessed society. The Japanese have a term for the growing numbers of people who prefer virtual contact to that of reality: the Hikikomori or Lost Generation. Will we someday in the not so distant future be a race of Hikikomori that can only exchange information in the language of emoticons and 1337? The worlds of Surrogates, Wall E and Akira aren’t as far away as we thought, it seems. So get online, and message your friends, because you know what they say: a :-) is infectious.
Photo by Naomi
12
IQ Features
selfies: a portrayal of vanity? news in science Emma Greenacre
Only a few years ago, in the days of high school, I can remember people criticising a photograph because it looked as if the person in it had ‘obviously taken the photograph their self’, which to a bunch of high school kids meant the person had no friends. People were mocked for being vain when they brandished their newfangled Samsung pebble phone in a mirror with iffy lighting and a pout to rival Victoria Beckham’s. However in the past few years, the selfie has become increasingly popular amongst high school children and adults alike. How has this happened, and is this new craze a good thing or did we have it right a few years ago? Technology has played a massive part in the rising popularity of the selfie. Most mobile phones have a camera on the face of it now making it even easier to capture the perfect picture of yourself without having to turn the camera around to see if the angle was okay. On a greater scale, the Sochi Winter Olympics have enthusiastically sanctioned the selfie by dedicating a whole building to the art. Visitors to the Olympic Park can pop into one of the special booths which scans their face before transforming it into a gigantic 3D portrait, available for everyone to see. This Olympic stage certainly takes the selfie away from its bathroom mirror roots. Numerous social networking sites, such as Instragram, now specifically cater for selfies. With its upmarket photo editing software, it is certainly an app for showing off your best side and,
Stefan Vassalos Like being hit with a fridge
Photo by JohnWDavisJr
unsurprisingly, it has become one of the most popular photo sharing apps. Over 23 million photographs have the hashtag ‘selfie’ and over 56 million have the hashtag ‘me’. Rival app SnapChat has taken the idea of the selfie in the opposite direction, allowing users to send a picture or video to a friend for a maximum of 10 seconds, popularising the so called ‘Uglie’. So if selfies are used to portray the good, the bad and the ugly, is it a vain practice? The Hair and Beauty Company, Dove, released a video promoting selfies as a way of boosting women’s confidence. In the video, they show a group of girls and their mothers getting tutored on how to take flattering self-portraits before the photos are displayed in a professional gallery. Dove presents the selfie as a way for women to take control of their personal image, giving them the ability to represent
themselves in a way which in turn empowers them. The message is all very heart-warming but the idea that a major beauty company is behind the video suggests an ulterior motive. Surely whilst Dove promotes a woman’s ‘natural’ and inner beauty, they are also promoting how brilliant their beauty products are at helping you reach the natural look? In contrast, many people disagree with the idea of hailing the selfie as a confidence booster. I personally see it as a vain project which allows many girls to think that they are beautiful from only a certain angle or with certain Instagram filters. Personally, I think the selfie is fun and fine to do to a certain extent before the person forgets that self-worth should not be valued by the angle the photo was taken.
inquire sudoku
While those who actually play contact sports may know what a hard tackle feels like, the rest of us glued to the Six Nations games can simply wince at the point of impact. Astrophysicist Dr Simon Foster of UCL, however, has combined his interest in maths and sport and calculated the energy produced by the impact of a rugby tackle. In light research conducted for The Telegraph and released on 31st January, Dr Foster explained that this can be done with physicists’ familiar formula: kinetic energy = 1/2 mass x velocity2. Foster used data from the England team captain Chris Robshaw, who weighs 110kg and can tackle at a velocity of 6 metres per second, or 21.6 kilometres per hour. Once those numbers are crunched we’re left with an on-impact energy release of 2000 joules, which Telegraph commentator Gregg Morgan explains is enough to power an energy-saving light bulb for 3 minutes. It’s also an equivalent force to dropping a fridgefreezer from a height of 2 metres, so spare a thought for the players on the receiving end of those tackles.
Cognitive damage from even non-concussive blows In a study published in the journal Neurology on 13th December 2013, researchers announced that sportspeople’s cognitive abilities can be affected by repeated blows to the head, even if none of the strikes result in concussion. Researchers from Indiana University and Dartmouth College used an MRI scanner to compare the brains of 80 varsity American football and hockey players with those of 79 non-contact sportspeople. What they found is that after a single season of sport, the brains of the contact sportspeople showed significant changes in the amount of white matter in the brain. Dr Thomas W McAllister, chair of the Indiana University Department of Psychology, explained that the number of times the players were hit, and the force of the blows, correlated with the white matter changes. It is not yet clear whether the damage is temporary, cumulative or permanent.
IQ Features 13
recipe laws you didn’t know existed of the week Rosanna Shaw
Sian Pratley
Oaty Breakfast Muffins These muffins are really great for those days when I don’t have time to eat a proper breakfast before a lecture and I’m practically running out of the house! I have a big appetite in the morning, which normally only a huge bowl of porridge can satisfy, yet 1-2 of these with some crunchy peanut butter or maple syrup on top are perfectly filling. Ingredients 200g (7 oz) plain flour 140g (5 oz) caster sugar 1 1/4 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon (preferable) 1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional) 1/4 tsp ginger (optional) 1/4 tsp mixed spice (optional) 2 egg whites 3 (over)ripe bananas, mashed 4 tbsp applesauce (I use a chunky type so you get gorgeous bits of apple throughout too) Approx 50-70g rolled oats (I just threw in about half a mugful) 75g raisins (any dry fruit works) 1 tbsp Maple syrup/Golden syrup Instructions Pre-heat the oven at 180 degrees or Gas Mark 4. Mix it all in one bowl in the order of ingredients, making sure the bananas are mashed seperately first though. Then spoon the mixture in to 12 muffin cases and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Best to keep an eye on these after 15 minutes, as if they are overcooked they can be quite dry.
Photo by Sian Pratley
When you think of the laws and protocols which govern our society you’d be forgiven for not immediately exclaiming “oooh how fun!” I am willing to admit that I think they are mostly pretty boring - aside from the important ones like not murdering and stealing. But, by being given the task of finding out some wacky laws, I was surprised by how many are really weird and funny. The UK certainly has its fair share of these bizarre laws. I’m sorry to say to all gents aged 14 and over that unless you are carrying out at least two hours of longbow practice a week (supervised by the local clergy of course) you are actually breaking the law. But cheer up men, it’s not all bad news for you are legally allowed to urinate in public, as long it is on the rear wheel of your motor vehicle and your right hand is on the vehicle. A tad specific but hey, it’s allowed! And just so the ladies don’t feel too left out, when you’re pregnant you can relieve yourself anywhere you want – even in a policeman’s helmet. So that’s something to look forward to I guess. Unfortunately it’s not looking so bright for any Welshman within the ancient city walls of Chester at night. It’s legal for someone to shoot them
Photo by stuarthill
with a bow and arrow! On the theme of bows and arrows, any Scotsman within the ancient city walls of York carrying said weapon, can legally be murdered. Consider yourself officially informed. Weaponry aside there are plenty of other ridiculous UK laws. It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British monarch upside-down. Also you cannot die or wear armour within the Houses of Parliament. Other countries across the globe have a fair amount of odd laws too. Let us begin on an animal themed note! In the state of Oklahoma you can be arrested for making ugly faces at a dog. In Michigan it is illegal to chain an alligator to a fire hydrant (this really makes you wonder how many people did this for it to be made illegal). In Wilbur, Washington it is illegal to ride an ugly horse in public. In Australia you cannot legally name any animal you plan to eat. And in British Columbia, it
is illegal to kill a Sasquatch or Bigfoot if one is ever found - now that’s planning ahead. Now that we’ve got animals covered I’ll finish with a selection of perhaps the most random, and most specific, laws. In Salt Lake County, Utah, it is illegal to walk down the street carrying a violin in a paper bag. In Devon, Texas, it is against the law to make furniture while you are nude. In Kentucky, carrying ice cream cones in your pocket is illegal. In Providence, Rhode Island, selling tooth paste and a tooth brush to the same customer on a Sunday is illegal. In Pennsylvania, it is illegal to sleep on top of a refrigerator outdoors. These laws are clearly not applicable anymore in our countries as they have been over-ridden by other more recent ones. Nonetheless, their absurdity didn’t fail to provide me with a few chuckles.
i’m cisgender. what gender are you? Jessica Mills
Photo by Simmo1024
Facebook has recently created a storm in the internet world, by introducing its new, extensive list of gender options. Up until recently, users were only able to select “male”, “female” or “prefer not to say” as their gender, whereas now the list includes fifty choices, like “cisgender,” “intersex” and “androgynous”. As well as this, the site will allow users to select their preferred pronouns, along with a gender neutral pronoun – i.e. they/their instead of he/ his and she/hers. This move represents a huge step forward for people who want or need to be able to identify themselves as something more specific than just “male” or “female”. Facebook software
engineer Brielle Harrison, herself undergoing gender transformation from male to female, helped implement this new change, stating; “All too often transgender people like myself and other gender nonconforming people are given this binary option, do you want to be male or female? What is your gender? And it’s kind of disheartening because none of those let us tell others who we really are.” Obviously it is not required that everyone display their gender on Facebook, the site has also made it possible to keep your gender private. In short, this move has given people the opportunity to represent themselves accurately and safely, but in addition to this, it has given them the choice as to whether they are happy to do so. As someone who is cisgender – i.e. I identify with the gender assigned to me at birth – I know I will never understand the difficulties experienced by those who struggle with their gender identity, and I cannot speak for everyone. But to me, this demonstrates inclusion and understanding which I hope will set the benchmark for many other companies.
I know to some people this change will not mean anything, and there are a few of the options that are possibly confusing to some people. Many of the comments on The Telegraph’s article show some people expressing confusion over why so many options are needed. It is important to remember in this respect that everybody is different, and what might fit for one person may not for another. For example, the use of Trans* female/male and Trans* person, is important for those who perhaps don’t want to use any gender specific pronouns, rather than defining as male or female. But, despite the confusion some may feel, this move is incredibly important as a first step in showing support for the communities that need it.
Photo by bartmaguire
14
IQ Features
spotted! eating nemo what’s on at
Saturday 1st March Soap presents Crazy Golf Wednesday 5th March Jellibaby Friday 7th March #Trend Saturday 8th March SOAP presents UV Paint Party Wednesday 12th March You vote Jellibaby Friday 14th March Elections’ results night Saturday 15th March SOAP presents St Patrick’s Green Ball Wednesday 19th March Jellibaby Smirnoff Paint Party
IQ Entertainment 15
events nights out without the hangover: yes, really.
A night out clubbing or...
Meli Shannon
Partying until the early hours may be recognised as living the student dream, but when you’re looking for some form of stress relief, going clubbing isn’t the only option. Sometimes the repercussions, especially the day long hangover, make the following day unproductive and just as stressful as the last. To wake up fresh the next day without panicking as you look at receipts, why not try an alternative night out? Student budgeting may leave you with little to spend on quality ingredients to cook at home. So it’s nice to treat yourself to dinner at a restaurant every so often. Being waited on and cleaned up after probably won’t hurt. Spending your money on decent food won’t leave you starving or hungover the next day
and not only is it a more sophisticated option, but it’s an opportunity to socialise without having to shout to be heard. Just as good, and definitely cheaper, are nights in. Not only can you save the hours and efforts spent getting ready, but the money on taxis and club entry can stay firmly in your pocket. So cook a meal with your housemates, make your own cocktails and line up the films. You can expect a quality evening in the comfort of your own home and, in true student style, whilst wearing your onesie. Maybe you fancy a more cultural evening? Head to the theatre if you want to get out and see something. Or the cinema is a safe bet. With student deals around it doesn’t have to be expensive. If you still crave a lively evening, comedy clubs are a great laugh and you can still have drinks without having too heavy of a night. And if you’re really up for something unique, why not throw speed dating in there? It’s possibly a more successful quest than looking for love in your SU, if not equally as hilarious. An active night out isn’t just restricted to dance floors. Evening classes such as salsa dancing and yoga give you
a feast of food at home?
an opportunity to meet new people. If that’s not your style, release your creative energy at art classes like life drawing. These are often cheap, learning a new skill is impressive and you’ll have something to show from it. If you aren’t up to socialising, there’s always the gym. It may be unappealing but it can clear your mind after a busy day and release built up stress. Don’t forget the positive rush you’ll feel afterwards and burning off that takeaway will be so satisfying. Whilst it may feel like you’re missing out on the party, think about the nights out you’ve had in the past. They’re probably all pretty similar, and that just gets boring. Cut down on the tragic mornings and sorry faces. As a student, you can do these activities at half the cost. Exploit your student status and maximise your social life.
new ktv drama encryption in post production Arnie Voysey
KTV’s ambitious new drama Encryption, a new production with a cast of 10 actors and a crew of over 25 individuals is now starting the preproduction stage. The thirty minute pilot episode, written by Oscar Harding, follows the story of Sam Cross whose obsession with creating an artificial intelligence results in catastrophic events unfolding beyond her control. Tara Caple
Photo by Ben Gregory-Ring
Actress Tara Caple will be playing the lead role and will perform alongside Emily Evans, Cameron Williamson, Nick Pearce, Joseph Acanfora, Amrit Kalra, Luke Harding, Joe Bennett, Jack Richardson and Simone Stewart in the science-fiction drama. Filming is going to take place in March under the direction of Arnie Voysey who is collaborating with producers Georgia
Moir, Ray Bohm and Layla Haidrani on the project. Auditions were held on the second week of February over two days and 45 talented actors attended the event in which each person performed a brief monologue. Some candidates were selected for recall auditions on Friday and Saturday of the same week. Every one of the actors were allocated a monologue or duologue from the script and performed it to the director, producers and casting director who had the difficult job of trying to pick between all of the great acting talent. Essential in the production of a drama is the crew and the number of people assembled for Encryption is one of the largest undertakings ever put together by KTV. Each member of the team has an important role in either the pre-production, production or postproduction stage of the project. From having started with only the director, executive producer (Kate Reader) and writer in late January, the production has expanded within only several weeks to a massive and complete crew who are all passionate about the project. During shooting, there will be over 10 crew members at a time working with
Photo by Ben Gregory-Ring
equipment around the actors on set and the production is set to wrap up at the end of March. More information about the drama, along with sneak previews and a “Behind the Scenes” program produced by KTV, will become available over the coming months on the newly created website encryptiondrama.wordpress. com for the drama as well as on their twitter feed @encryptiondrama. Director Arnie Voysey and Producer Georgia Moir
Photo by Ben Gregory-Ring
q&a with arnie InQuire catches up with director of KTV production Encryption, Arnie Voysey, a first year Film Studies student. How did you get involved with Encryption? I was first approached by Oscar Harding who had written the pilot episode script of Encryption and he was very determined to get it produced by KTV. He wanted me to direct it which I was incredibly grateful for as the script was very exciting and I saw great potential in it. What do you get up to as a director? More important than anything, I need to make sure that I have the very best people in the crew to work on the production. I was heavily involved in networking and finding the very best crew. My role is to steer everyone towards a clear and concise concept for how the drama will look I want to give creative control to each crew member. Everyone involved wants to be in the film or television industry so I want everyone to get a valuable and rewarding experience that will greatly help them work towards their career aspirations. Has KTV got anything else lined up like this? Tom Turner from KTV is filming his drama at the moment which should be completed soon. There is also the possibility that Encryption could become a drama series which would be very exciting although, for me, the focus at the moment is just on this pilot episode. Do you have any plans to direct in the future or get involved in the media? I have always wanted to be a director and it is my aim to work on a short independent film project over the summer. I then want to start work on a massive production in September although I am not sure yet exactly what that will be. I am making very great friends with talented people at the University of Kent and I very much want to stay close to them and collaborate with them on a future projects.
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IQ Entertainment
film & tv
listen, watch, use and follow
lego movie: everything is awesome!
Jake Cunningham Listen: Inside Llewyn Davis OST The Coen Brothers’ latest film isn’t up for any big Oscars, but they’ve created their most accessible and enjoyable soundtrack alongside it. It somehow redeems Marcus Mumford, after all his musical sins, for highlight track Fare Thee Well, whilst also providing new listeners an ear into 1960’s Greenwich Village. Watch: Her Spike Jonze has done a wonderful thing with his latest film, Her. In taking one of the biggest Sci-Fi tropes of all time, Artificial Intelligence, and telling not a story of evil but a story of love, Jonze has created one of the most original and memorable romcoms ever made. Use: Mosaika Mosaika won’t be to everyones taste, but for those kids that loved adventure books – you follow the left path, turn to page 69 etc – it’s a guaranteed hit. A mystery/ adventure/detective mash up, Mosaika is a couple of hours of fun, but will leave you wanting more. Follow: @f***ingledge The greatest pastiche of the ‘Lad’ since a certain account with a penchant for chinos. Mr Ledge, who is excruciatingly accurate, engages in insults with Innocent Smoothies, ‘banter’ and anything remotely related to being ‘a Lad’. Laugh sincerely at it however, and you may need to question your life choices.
Stephanie Hartland
In an age of endless technology, where children have access to a never ending supply of gadgets and apps, the Lego Movie brings a refreshing reminder of the joy that the simple plastic blocks can create. Lego has been brought back to life! The hero of the story, Emmet, begins his journey as a model lego citizen, who doesn’t think to question the rules, or the overpriced coffee, of the world run by an evil dictator, known as President Business. He happily follows the daily instructions assigned to him and truly believes that “everything is awesome”, like his favourite popular song suggests. However, his whole world is thrown
into chaos when he’s mistakenly recognized as ‘the special’, and believed to be the master builder who will save the world from the destruction it faces, as President Business threatens to glue the world together and stop all new creations. Despite being clueless about his quest, Emmet goes along with the journey to impress his new friend and love interest, Wyldstyle. Along with her revolutionary team, their high expectations of Emmet are quickly cast asunder when his only creation idea is presented to them in the form of a double decker sofa. The whole tone of the film has a fun and upbeat nature; it is packed with lovable characters, and an unforgettable
Batman, who brings to light the sarcastic undertone within the film perfectly. But although the film is packed with cheesiness, there are also some surprises and unexpected turns along the way. It is evident that the film is an advert for the lego brand, but the ironic set up makes a play on consumerism, which results in something highly entertaining and watchable. This creates a new element of the film, making it more than just a happy go lucky children’s movie, but one which can be enjoyed by adults as well. With appearances from well-known characters such as Wonder Woman, Gandalf, Abraham Lincoln, and even Shakespeare, the film is sure to be a hit. Not to mention the renowned cast members behind the voices, which includes Morgan Freeman, Will Ferrell, Liam Neeson, Chris Pratt and Elizabeth Banks. So if you’re due a well-deserved break from essay writing or in need of a day off from studying in the library, this light-hearted film will be sure to get you laughing. It might even convince you to dust off your old lego blocks.
cowell makes his x factor comeback. and?
Oliver Haslam
After leaving UK viewers high and dry back in 2010, stern-faced Simon Cowell has announced that he will be leaving America to return as a judge on the original UK version of The X Factor. Although stating in a recent interview that “X Factor UK is like my baby and I’ve always loved doing the show”, his return is perhaps more likely due to both the US and the UK X Factors’ falling viewing figures. These dropping ratings are unsurprising; the UK lost their favourite overly harsh and brutal talent scout, and the US don’t capture the cringe of the audition phase quite like the UK. Auditioning Brits have a strange self-awareness of the painful embarrassment that they force upon the viewer, which seems to encapsulate the glory of the UK X Factor so well. Then there’s the occasional insanely talented singer appearing from the dregs of applicants, which I guess helps too. The US X Factor, on the other hand, just feels rather stale, perhaps due to
its hosts severely lacking charisma and the fact that it sits alongside 14 other talent shows on American TV. Despite owning one of these shows (America’s Got Talent), Cowell has described the over-saturation of talent shows in the US as “like a joke”. Now, whilst attempting to leave behind my personal cynicism towards Simon Cowell, The X Factor and, by extension, this specific strain of the music industry, I must admit that I’m rather dubious about his prodigal son return. It would be nice to indulge in the idea of a Simon Cowell epiphany, resulting in him galloping back to England with a burning need to help the undiscovered musical talent desperately lost within the shadows of our country. But realistically, The X Factor has never made much attempt to disguise its other purpose, this being to provide entertainment to viewers as they watch Cowell find his latest signee, criticising and emotionally scarring hundreds of X Factor applicants in the process. I mean, it’s difficult not to envision yourself lying on a therapist’s couch after having Simon Cowell rip apart your beloved rendition of My Heart Will Go On in front of a crowd of merciless laughter. Anyway, although many might try to denounce Cowell’s motives, he
is no stranger to the criticisms of his approach to packaging winning contestants into marketable products. The harsh reality is that The X Factor has never just been about vocal talent. It’s about Simon Cowell and his record label capitalising on them, whilst making the British public cringe, cry and rejoice in the process. With Cowell back in the UK driving seat, things are no doubt looking up for The X Factor. Hitting vulnerable undiscovered vocalists of the British public with a verbal sledgehammer is an art form that only Simon Cowell has been able to truly master, and this rather sadistic form of entertainment will be returning to ITV for the foreseeable future, as Cowell has signed a three-year contract renewing The X Factor until 2016. Yet, I must confess. Personally I find it difficult to feel excited about the return of a man that brought into existence the horror that is One Direction. But maybe that’s just me.
IQ Entertainment 17
music & more
a day in the life of... a student media member albums on the Chris Heron Newspaper News Editor
The issue of an article based around student media is that, unsurprisingly, it is written by a member of student media. While I personally think my own work (being InQuire’s Newspaper News Editor), is the greatest gift to mankind since sliced bread, I doubt the most meta article in existence would be interesting at all.
Instead, I had a chat to Rachel Cribbin, the Head of News for CSR about her role in student radio. For some context, pirate student radio began in Canterbury in 1966, making it the middle child of student media (the original student newspaper, InCant, was first published in 1965, and KTV was launched in 2012). CSR in its current
form started in 2007, and is a mixture of both Kent Union and Canterbury Christ Church Students’ Union.
There endeth the history lesson. Working with news involves incredible amounts of research, even for an article of 200 words, or a news bulletin a few minutes long. When I asked Rachel about her work as Head of News at CSR she talked about how most of her work revolves around “researching and sourcing articles to put in the following week’s news bulletin” and where the information comes from, largely based around local news and the students’ unions for Kent and Christ Church. Interviews are a different story. I recently joined Rachel and Jon Tarrant of KTV as we interviewed Alex Murray, the outgoing VP for Education for Kent Union, about the upcoming elections. All of these go into a news bulletin, but there is a different pressure recording interviews knowing they are going straight on air and online.
She also talked about live coverage for CSR, which she said involves attending events and recording live coverage of the events. She mentioned how recording and producing news bulletins comes from articles written by CSR’s news team, and it’s there where the decision on whether stories should or should not go on air are decided. Keep an eye out for student media during elections week. News is not
a one-person job, and we will be everywhere recording, interviewing and broadcasting, so now is the best time to get involved.
i didn’t expect that: surprising music covers Jack Hadaway-Weller
Dynamic re-interpretations, heavily manipulated remixes and re-arranged editions of loved tracks is a polarising issue amongst a large number of music enthusiasts. There are always those open to a complete overhaul of a piece of music, whilst others feel like originality is key and that covers should be ‘left well alone’.
The Russian Police Choir
A key example of this is The Russian Police Choir’s (РИА Новости) odd rendition of Daft Punk’s Get Lucky which featured in Sochi 2014’s Winter Olympic opening ceremony. Their rendition was a unique, confusing and divisive display of what a large choir can achieve when they tackle a pop song. The comment section for the song’s accompanying video has become a battlefield of disagreement with some deeming the version “hilarious”, “quaint” as well as the “machinery of torture”. So what is it about covers that makes them so alienating for fans of
the original? What is the safest way to cover a song without instigating a torrent of internet hatred? Here’s some ideas which shy away from the more traditional acoustic cover… The A Cappella Initiative: Helped along by screen successes such as Pitch Perfect and Glee, a cappella arrangements have gained a partial revival in recent years with a large level of acceptance. Through exposing the different layers within a hit by solely utilising vocals, a cappella groups can approach a surprisingly number of highly textured tracks from Skrillex’s Bangarang, which was fantastically explored by a Dutch choir in 2012, to Rage Against the Machine’s infamous rock monolith Killing in the Name which was covered by a Serbian choir to an entrancingly good standard. Chances of success: More amusing and vocally impressive than artistic. Still pretty good though. The Stripped-Back Arrangement: An approach favoured by stadium rock bands, Queens of the Stone Age and Placebo, as well as appealing to more minimal acts such as London Grammar and Chvrches. By isolating and removing certain elements present in the original recording, artists focus on creating a more intimate experience for the listener. This can
be seen in Chvrches’ recent haunting performance of Do I Wanna Know? by Arctic Monkeys who in turn produced a beautiful Drake cover for Radio 1 last year. Chances of Success: High, shows off the individual talent of an artist if done correctly.
Chvrches
The Heavy Version: Limp Bizkit, Children of Bodom and Rage Against the Machine have all had a stab at creating ferocious rock covers of hits, the latter having a full studio album solely of covers. The results vary in success, however. With everything being covered from Britney Spears to George Michael, it is easy to identify why these really don’t work for fans of the original or cover artist. More impressive attempts have been provided by shock-rock superstar Marilyn Manson with his take on 80s pop hits Tainted Love, Sweet Dreams and Personal Jesus. Chance of success: Very hit and miss, although some sound great.
Amy Bliss
go
Sun Structures Temples Sun Structures sounds as if Temples have beamed their debut album straight from the 1960s. Whimsical and mellow, drawing influences from the likes of The Zombies, The Byrds and Jefferson Airplane, this collection of tranquillising, hypnotic songs will have you floating around like you’ve just arrived at Woodstock. Reminiscent of a long hot summer, I will have this record on repeat until one has arrived and probably for a long while after too. Near on perfect debut album. Little Red - Katy B This is a strong pop album, dipping it’s toe in the pools of house music and electro, including some dance floor hits and a few delicate songs. It is clear that Katy B has grown on this album, but that is not necessarily a benefit. It’s a good album but it doesn’t quite match up to the magic of its predecessor. It lays the groundwork for impressive things to come. All in all a record definitely worth listening to. Too Much Information Maximo Park Maximo Park’s fifth album follows the recipe that you can find in their earlier albums: simple melodic guitar riffs and uncomplicated, infectious drumming. Paul Smith’s gloomy, melancholic voice delivers romantic and witty lyrics, so cleverly written they will leave you singing along to them for days. Experimenting with electronic sounds on Brain Cells and returning to the familiar on My Bloody Mind, this album really explores the best of the band. Augustines – Augustines Somewhere between Mumford & Sons and Elbow you will find Augustines. They’ve created a successful rock album. The type of record you would listen to in the car with your dad, singing along all the way. Augustines produce beautifully sombre lyrics within a lighthearted melody - a successful transition into a more upbeat sound.
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IQ Culture
that can’t be true...
should cumberbatch apologise for his ancestors’ actions?
Lauren Harris
Carrying on from an article in
IQ Features section, here are some more bizarre, yet hilarious, laws out there that might want some reconsideration. InQuire does not endorse breaking laws, amusing or not. 1. In Missouri, it is illegal to drive with an uncaged bear. I don’t know how easy it is to get a bear into a car in the first place, but fair enough. Only drive with a bear if it’s caged, people. 2. In Venice, you can face a fine for feeding pigeons in St Mark’s Square. But, but, but. Those poor hungry pigeons... 3. In Ohio, it is illegal to get a fish drunk. Well, that’s just common sense, right? 4. In Florida, owners who leave elephants at parking meters must pay the same fee as for a vehicle. I must have the wrong idea about Florida, cause I didn’t know that elephants are often used as transport there. Who knew? 5. In France, it is illegal to name a pig Napoleon. I’m sensing some slight bitterness here... 6. In Connecticut, a pickle is not officially a pickle unless it bounces. I HATE pickles that don’t bounce, they taste awful. 7. In North Carolina, Bingo games can’t last more than five hours. If they lasted more than 10 minutes, surely that’d be too long? 8. In Thailand, it is illegal to step on money. See a penny, pick it up, and don’t step on it, or you’ll get chucked in jail. 9. In Iowa, it is illegal for a man with a moustache to kiss a woman in public. If you’re Ron Burgundy or Charlie Chaplin, stay away from Iowa. 10. In Britain, it is illegal to handle a salmon in suspicious circumstances. Fishy...
Recently, Stacey Cumberbatch, a city commissioner in New York, expressed that she believed British actor Benedict Cumberbatch’s fifth great-grandfather owned her ancestors on an 18th century sugar plantation in Barbados. The New York Times noted the two are “related, if not by blood, then by geography and the complicated history of the slave trade”. Cumberbatch, who portrays a slave owner in 12 Years A Slave, has previously acknowledged the subject of his ancestors’ slave ownership, revealing that his mother once warned him not to use his real name professionally to avoid becoming the target of reparations claims by the descendants of slaves. So should Cumberbatch say sorry? Should he apologise for the offences of his forefathers? The simple answer is: of course not. It is neither just nor productive to make those living today
shoulder the guilt for the past crimes of those they are associated with, whether it is their nation, race or family. This ethical collectivism is lazy and irrational. As hard as it is to imagine in this day and age, in the 18th century these wrongdoings were nationally accepted as ‘normal’. That doesn’t mean the people who did such things are blameless or excused in any way, but it is extremely difficult to judge the everyday life of those from three centuries ago. Would we expect everyone to feel guilt and apologise for what their ancestors have done in the very distant past, or is the media merely focusing on Benedict Cumberbatch because of his fame and ability to attract an audience? At such a time of progress, will we continue to judge people based on anything but who they are? In July 1961, experiments devised by Yale University psychologist Stanley Milgram began - they aimed to measure the willingness of participants to obey an authority figure who instructed them to perform acts conflicting with their personal conscience. This attempted to answer whether Germans are uniquely predisposed to follow orders, as suggested by the behaviour of the Germans to the Jews during World War Two. The experiments showed a consistently
high level of obedience from all participants, despite their gender, race and class, resulting in disproving the ‘Germans are different’ hypothesis. A group of people cannot be judged as a whole, and in quite the same way, a generation cannot be judged against one that precedes it, particularly one that lived decades before. We recognise slave ownership as horrific in the same way we recognise ethnic cleansing as horrific. But to judge Cumberbatch by his ancestors and expect him to apologise for their lives is as ridiculous as expecting every German to apologise for their ancestors’ acts of terror and torture. It will never be okay. It will never be forgotten. But it cannot be a continuous source of blame for those who belong to that family tree. We realise, with the power of hindsight, how cruel and prejudiced and fallible the human race is, but within the historical context of the time, it’s much harder to see right and wrong. Our ancestors did not have our technology or freedom to assert ourselves as we do in the modern age, and we must remember that things have changed. Things have got better. Cumberbatch is no more a slave owner than you or I, and thus has no guilt to absolve. It’s 2014, and as L.P. Hartley so eloquently states: “The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.”
and Ryan Lewis. Macklemore had a commercially satisfying year, especially considering he’s an independent act, but the consensus was that he was punching above his weight, especially considering he was up against Kendrick Lamar, the new golden boy of conscious hip-hop who had been more acclaimed.
Grammy nomination process by a member of the academy on American site, Complex, provides some insight into the nomination process. The article describes an academy filled with a bunch of people reluctant to think critically who just choose the biggest artists and the biggest records. Jay Z released what I believe to be one of the most underwhelming pieces in his discography last year and still found himself the most nominated act on Grammy night. It’s probably not surprising that he opened the show with his wife, Beyoncé. Effectively, these awards, which should be the custodian of great musical values, have sold their soul to the devil that is ratings. Perhaps they’re not bothered about getting it right, maybe they care more about increasing the number of viewers year on year. And what’s the most obvious way to do that? By pandering to the most popular acts. So, when people say that these awards aren’t being judged on artistic merit and it’s based more on following trends, they could be right.
is award season meaningless?
Oluwamayowa Idowu
Every award season, one thing is consistent: a volume of people moan about how clueless and out of touch the ‘expert’ panels are. They accuse them of rewarding mediocrity and feeding our compulsion to compare instead of enjoying things as they are. It almost seems as if the committees and academies who select these awards do so for the sake of being provocative and getting a reaction sometimes, but are they, in actual fact, just ‘going along with the crowd’? The Grammys are probably the greatest offenders of this. In 2010, the most critically acclaimed albums were Adele’s 21 and Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. When the nominations were announced, they were the two most prominent acts. Despite being the most nominated act, West was shut out in the Album of the Year category. His magnum opus apparently being subordinate to Rihanna’s Loud and Lady Gaga’s Born This Way. At this year’s edition, the biggest winner was rap act Macklemore
Macklemore swept the hip-hop categories, won Best New Artist and said what we were all thinking when he posted a screenshot of a text he sent to Lamar in which he apologised for “robbing” him. What does it say when the people winning the awards don’t even agree? The disconnection between critical acclaim and the award industry is staggering. And it’s no longer surprising: a recent article on the
IQ Culture
best and worst: sports films
Sam Howlett
With Varsity having just finished at UKC, it only feels right to look at the best and worst sports films that have inspired audiences over the years. The criteria for a great sports movie is that it should focus on an underdog, but not necessarily have them win, show their struggle to reach the top, but focus on the interesting characters as well as the sport itself. As you’ll see in the worst list, not all sports films work as well as others. My third favourite sports movie is Senna. It’s the only documentary on the list, but surely the best sports doc out there. It is about the life and career of formula one racer Aryton Senna, and it earns its place here not only because it tells a fascinating true-life story about pushing the limits and risking one’s life doing so, but also because it transcends the formula one sport, telling a very human story that can be enjoyed even if you have no interest in formula one. In second place is Moneyball - the most underrated film on the list. Brad Pitt’s baseball drama focuses on the strategic side of baseball and the guys at computers behind the scenes. Also starring a surprising turn from Jonah
Hill and the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman, Moneyball boasts great performances and an underdog team at its centre, giving it a well-deserved place on this list. The best sports film has to be Rocky. There was a time before Sylvester Stallone became a walking joke in bad action movies (that’s harsh, sorry Sly), and this is the prime example. It’s probably the most popular and beloved film on this list, and the reason is Stallone made a film that is always inspirational and memorable, with great boxing scenes to go alongside the dramatic life of Rocky Balboa. The film has received something of a bad rep over the years, mainly because of the decreasing quality of the sequels, but Rocky is surprisingly gritty, raw and exciting. My third least favourite sports film is Goal! Football rarely appears in the world of film, and when it does crop up, it’s sadly unsuccessful. Goal! (yes, the exclamation mark really is part of the title), films its football scenes well, but it’s pretty much a tick list for every single sports film cliché in the book. Stick to sky sports for great football on screen.
In second place is Wimbledon. There are very few sports movies centred around tennis, and this film perhaps explains that. It is basically a generic romantic comedy that just so happens to be set at Wimbledon, with tennis players falling in love. A far superior tennis rom-com would be Woody Allen’s Match Point, and even that has its haters. But worst of them all is Air Bud. Leave logic at the door for this socalled sports film, in which a dog teaches children about the importance of teamwork and also how to play basketball. It may work for (very) young children, but this has none of the originality or even levels of enjoyment that the best three have. Plus it’s about a dog playing basketball. Yawn.
the top 5 places to escape to
Georgia Hingston
When deep amidst second term stress, it’s easy to end up daydreaming about being anywhere else in the world but Canterbury in late winter. So, to try and help chase the winter blues away, here are my top five places in the world I like to dream about and why. India I’ve never been, but I’ll bet it doesn’t get much more different from Canterbury than this. I can’t imagine anywhere more exciting than India: a land that ranges from the Hidden Valleys of Ladakh, to some of the most densely populated cities in the world. Often seen only through the stereotypes of Orientalism, poverty, economy and war, I dream of waking up to smell the spices of India for myself, to climb the mountains, to meet new people, and experience the culture shock of a world unknown.
Route 66, USA As cheesy and clichéd as it might be,
I think every Literature student has dreamed of the Great American Road Trip and the romantic notion of being ‘on the road’. Get me a Mustang and a greasy burger joint, roll down the roof, put on an awesome playlist, and let me feel the wind in my hair. Never mind Kerouac and Steinbeck, it’s our turn to hit the road.
Paris, France Oh yes, the City of Love. Where better to go to muse over my journal and watch the world go by? I would murder a croissant and a good coffee in a typical Parisian café; I love Paris, not in spite of its inherent clichés, but because of them. Sometimes I fantasise about renting an attic bedroom, buying a typewriter, and taking up smoking; yeah, I know I’m a loser. The Lake District, England A place where I’ve always wanted to spend more time. I always think England’s beauty is underrated and the Lake District is the perfect place to get
away from it all, people included. After long days spent in front of my laptop, I wish I could go for a bracing walk on the hills to shake the cobwebs away. A good old-fashioned hike round the lakes would be perfect to get my head straight and to get the inspirational juices flowing. Copenhagen, Denmark Okay, well here I am biased. After spending a year studying in Copenhagen as part of my degree, I am totally in love with this city. Be it its quirky cosmopolitan nature, its distinct and individual districts, its beautiful parks and bohemian cafés, or just its laid back attitude to life, this city is probably my favourite place in the world. Amazing brunches and experiencing the world from a bicycle are just two of its many charms (even if cycling does become somewhat less novel in Scandinavian winter). Forget San Francisco; I left my heart in Copenhagen.
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in other news... Philip Pullman, British author of His Dark Materials, has taken to Twitter to tell the story of a housefly called Jeffrey. The tale of Jeffrey started in November when Pullman first joined Twitter. Author of Alice In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll, hated the fame which came with his books according to a previously unseen letter of his. Carroll was notoriously private, never doing interviews and resenting giving his autograph.
David Bowie received a Brit award for Best British Male at this year’s awards, making him the oldest recipient of the accolade. The 67-year-old won the prize thirty years after he first took a Brit award home. Meryl Streep is set to play Suffragette Emmeline Pankurst in a new film which will follow the actions of the early activists for womens’ rights. Banksy’s famous artwork, Kissing Coppers, has sold for $575,000 in Miami. The life-size black-and-white graffiti work of two policemen kissing was expected to sell for anywhere between $500,000 to $700,000.
A chef in Michigan has created a 10-course taster menu inspired by Radiohead’s album Kid A. Only 36 people will experience the £75 menu, as part of a one-night pop-up restaurant in Detroit, which promises to reflect the “textures and colours” heard in the album.
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IQ Culture
pause for thought It’s almost springtime, which
can only mean one thing: a reappearance from the sun. Well, we can all hope. 19th century American poet Emily Dickinson tells us all about the beauty of this time of year in her poem from 1896.
A light exists in spring A light exists in spring Not present on the year At any other period. When March is scarcely here A color stands abroad On solitary hills That science cannot overtake, But human nature feels. It waits upon the lawn; It shows the furthest tree Upon the furthest slope we know; It almost speaks to me. Then, as horizons step, Or noons report away, Without the formula of sound, It passes, and we stay: A quality of loss Affecting our content, As trade had suddenly encroached Upon a sacrament.
Emily Dickinson
marlowe450 season in canterbury
Henry Broome
Gregory Doran, the artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, has said “2014 is a year of important anniversaries”. Not only is it 450 years since Shakespeare was born, but it is also Canterbury’s own Christopher Marlowe’s 450th birthday. The Marlowe450 season will be running from 12th-28th March at various venues in Canterbury to honour the Kent-born playwright. To celebrate the dramatist’s life and works, the critically acclaimed theatre company Fourth Monkey will be performing a number of his most renowned plays at the Marlowe Theatre and Canterbury Cathedral. The season also includes a symposium at the University of Kent and a number of talks held by celebrated authors. Marlowe’s most well-known play, Dr. Faustus - shown from 12th-14th centres around a physician who sells his soul to the devil in search of knowledge and power. Fourth Monkey, who pride themselves on an ‘evolutionary’ approach to theatre, will portray Faustus, a historically male character, as a woman. The production of Marlowe’s classic promises ‘contemporary grit’ that will challenge the stigmas of Marlowe’s own era.
Fourth Monkey’s rendition has the possibility to have an interesting impact on Ros Barber’s talk (on 12th March) which examines whether Faustus was a projection of Marlowe, the character’s creator.
On 18th and 19th March, the Canterbury Cathedral Crypt will be the stage to one of Marlowe’s historical plays: The Massacre At Paris. The play offers a ghostly reflection of the 1572 Saint Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, which will be no doubt heightened by the crypt’s eerie atmosphere. Louis De Bernieres, writer of the best-selling novel Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, will discuss his family’s
relationship with the 1572 massacre of the Protestant sect, the Huguenots. This talk will be on Tuesday 18th March. The last play of the Marlowe450 season will be The Jew Of Malta staged at the Marlowe Studio from 26th28th March. The Jew of Malta is the tale of Barabas’ ruin and the deceit and murder - including that of his daughter’s - he commits in order to better himself. In response to the play, a discussion is being held on 26th March by leading Marlowe expert, Charles Nicholl. Together, these two events will offer a dramatic insight into a dark Machiavellian world of politics and the controversy of stereotyping race both in historical times and the present. George Metcalfe, the Chairman of the Marlowe Society, is “confident that the brilliant young Fourth Monkey actors will add a new dynamism” to the plays. While Steve Green, the artistic director of the Fourth Monkey, hopes the season will “re-imagine” Marlowe’s work, adding that the playwright is “too often in Shakespeare’s shadow” and that Marlowe450 presents a stage to celebrate another great playwright. For more information about the plays and talks, visit the Marlowe Theatre’s website marlowetheatre.com or call them via 01227 787787
the films that changed my life
Jake Cunningham
Every day we make decisions that change our lives. It may only be to get a peppered steak slice instead of a pasty, but that’s a decision, and it’s a lifechanging one. All decisions we make change our lives in some way, and in the same sense, every film we watch does the same. As a film student, I would be expected at this point to say that at the age of nine I watched 2001: A Space Odyssey and I knew at that point I wanted to watch, make and live films for the rest of time. And I’m sure for some of my colleagues that is true.
2001 is an incredible film, and in my opinion the greatest ever made. It taught me how millennia could be transported in front of you thanks to
the subtle yet mind-blowing (I don’t use that Americanism lightly) combination of match cut editing and the music of Johann Strauss. But it is only one of the hundreds of films that have changed my life. I recently watched a film starring Pierce Brosnan called Love Is All You Need - released in its native country, Denmark, as The Bald Hairdresser - and the film really showed me that not only love was all I needed, but that I also needed a sick bag, a blindfold and ear plugs to endure it. Even better would be a time machine to go back and stop the production of this horrendous waste of celluloid being even contemplated. But, now I know exactly what I never want to do in the world of film: never tick boxes, never be so politically correct that it’s nauseating, never be selfimportant and never, ever cast Pierce Brosnan. I learned as much from Love Is All You Need as I did from 2001. I was laughed at for crying at Mulan as a child and I had not cried at anything since, until recently. Watching Toy Story 3, I somehow kept my cheeks dry; during Gravity I held back the floodgates and, in concentrating on my restraint, didn’t allow the film to have the full effect it should have had on me.
Now, you may call me a blubbering wreck, but I finally let it out, all thanks to Spike Jonze’s masterpiece Her. With a combination of glorious visuals, relentlessly beautiful music and the best science-fiction script since a certain Space Odyssey, I was overwhelmed and couldn’t control myself, I let myself go and it was wonderful. This was one of the more significant changes a film has had on me, but by no means the most important. Festen showed me the capabilities of restraint in film making, Russian Ark the importance of rehearsal, choreography and the power of long takes, Happiness for showing the power held in disgust and Batman Begins for starting my love for a character and set of films I never thought I would. There isn’t simply a film that changed my life - film, in general, changed my life.
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22
Sport
ukc volleyball teams win varsity fixture Stuart Smith
THE women’s volleyball team gave Team Kent the perfect start to this year’s Varsity action with a 3-1 win over Canterbury Christchurch. Kitted out in white and blue uniforms the team looked to dominate from the start and that they did. A strong serve helped them to win the first set 25-12 and sent them into the second looking confident. The second set was much the same; UKC took the lead from the first point and were unrelenting throughout. Some long rallies tested the nerve of the UKC side as Christchurch attempted to get a foothold in the game but the ladies stayed strong to win the set 25-17. A tighter start to the third set was written off by most Kent supporters as a mere blip on the way to a straight-sets victory and it seemed the claims were correct when UKC were just 3 points from the win with an extensive lead over their opponents.
A remarkable comeback from CCCU left Kent reeling and with the score tied at 24-24 a time-out was called. The crowd tensed as the teams came back out and two straight points for Christchurch sent the match into a fourth set. A closely-contested beginning to the set was marred when Çağda Özsoy, UKC’s best player so far, went down injured after rolling her ankle. She was taken to the side-line for treatment
and soon after was substituted off, not to return. You could be forgiven for thinking this could’ve been the turning point in the game, giving Christchurch the psychological upper-hand, but a ruthless Kent did not let it affect them as they won the set 25-12, the match 3-1, and the first Varsity point of the year. Meanwhile, Kent extended their Varsity lead to 2-0 with an excellent 3-1 win by the men’s
volleyball team at Canterbury Christchurch Sports Centre. The men seemed to be mimicking the women as they started off very strongly, swiftly finding themselves in a 10-3 lead. UKC did not let up and a first set 25-10 victory was in the bag. Kent’s first set dominance disappeared at the beginning of the second as CCCU came out the stronger side, developing an 8-5 lead; however, the UKC
Photograph by Daniel Barnaby
team quickly turned it around and the away side led 15-11. The rest of the set was fiercely contested and CCCU refused to lie down and admit defeat, turning a 24-22 deficit into a 26-24 win, tying the game at 1 set all. UKC’s spirit was not dampened by this and a very good performance at the net from Tobias Lindholm put them in a 10-1 lead. An uneventful set was just what Kent needed, eventually winning it 25-15, and putting them 2-1 ahead. Once again Kent came out from the break and asserted dominance over CCCU, which was in no small part down to Josh Breese’s brilliant setting and the reassuring effect it had on his team-mates. UKC worked themselves into a 2414 lead and with the crowd willing them on, they did not disappoint on match point. After a long rally a wayward shot from Christchurch was called out and Kent secured their second Varsity point of the year.
badminton varsity shared ukc edge tense basketball encounter Cerys Thomas AFTER a forty minute delay to the planned start of 9am, the Badminton fixture got underway at Canterbury Christchurch University Sports Centre. It was clear to any spectator that both the UKC and CCCU teams came to the court with one ambition today, to dominate. The fixture was divided into 16 games with 4 games in men’s and ladies’ singles and doubles. Over on the men’s side of the court, amongst the squeaks of dancing rubber soles and swooshes of rackets, were Iven Kong and Kai Foong, two fantastic UKC players who dealt with their CCCU competitors with a powerful assertion of their skills. Indeed, Foong swiftly annihilated his CCCU opponent so much so that the member of the CCCU team was only able to score 5 points over the course of the two sets. Thanks to these two excellent players UKC won all of the men’s singles rounds. The men’s doubles teams sparred stubbornly throughout their fixture, with both sides
demonstrating their enduring competitiveness. However, CCCU’s doubles teams remained too strong for Kent and won and each of the four rounds. On the other side of the court were the ladies from CCCU and UKC itching with anticipation as the sweat began to drip off their brows. CCCU ladies came out in top form, leading to their impressive 7-1 win in Singles and Doubles matches, leaving the girls of UKC disappointed. As a result, the points were shared between Kent and Christchurch after another tight encounter on day two of the Varsity event. For more sport news and photo galleries from the 2014 Varsity competition check out our website at www.inquirelive.co.uk Play for a University Sports Team? Get your match report in the paper! Email newspaper.sport@ inquiremedia.co.uk
Cerys Thomas A fantastic atmosphere and a fantastic turnout for the UKC vs CCCU Men’s Basketball match today. Both teams played with such intense aggression, dexterity and camaraderie that the watching crowds continuously cried with euphoria. It’s safe to say that the UKC team were on top form and were baying for CCCU blood. The first quarter of the game ended with UKC’s J Perez scoring in the final seconds through a beautiful layup which concluded the quarter with a 15-13 win. Tensions began to mount in the second quarter as calls on both sides for fouls were dismissed by the referees. But this didn’t put off the UKC boys who continued to score despite vocal crowds of CCCU supporters attempting to disconcert them and cheer on their own team. The second quarter was also filled with drama as the #7 CCCU player J Gill was trampled after a collision of players which left him painfully lying on the court complaining of shoulder and ankle pains; he was soon taken off by court-side
medics to the applause of both CCCU and UKC crowds. Going into the final quarter UKC were only leading by three points. UKC made sure to keep their winning position by digging deep and returning to the game with as much passionate energy as they exerted in the first quarter. With five minutes left on the clock the UKC supporters grew wild, cheering on #24 D Diciolla as he scored
Photograph Photograph by by Daniel Daniel Barnaby Barnaby
an impressive circus shot as he toppled to the floor. It was clear in the final few minutes that UKC were going to win as #12 J Rowe scored the final shot of the game from a free throw resulting in everyone jumping from their seats, cheering vociferously. The game, so tense it made The Wire look like Driving Miss Daisy, concluded with UKC winning 51-46.
Sport 23
mixed bag of results for kent football 2s and 3s George Dagless
IT was a day of contrasting results on the football pitch of Kent’s men’s 2s and 3s football teams. Playing at Parkwood’s 3G pitches, the games were well attended by fans from both universities. Over to the action then, and Kent FC’s 3rd team came out 4-2 winners in a game that provided much entertainment. It was CCCU who had the brighter start. Taking a 1-0 lead early on, they looked to capitalise on their early pressure but could not extend their lead further. Kent got back into the game after a floated free kick managed to avoid everyone and find its way over the keeper and into the net. This equaliser seemed to give Kent a foothold in the game and so it proved as they moved 2-1 in front, heading in from a corner. Just as half time approached, CCCU were awarded a penalty as Kent’s keeper brought their man down. The spot kick was
converted with aplomb. The second half started tentatively as both sides looked for an opening and it was to be Kent who regained their lead with a fine finish into the bottom left corner. The drama was not over yet, as Kent were then awarded
a penalty of their own with CCCU’s keeper shown a straight red card. The penalty was tucked away into the bottom right to round off a good performance from Kent, sealing a much sought Varsity point. As quickly as the 3s left the pitch to the sounds of cheers,
the 2s stepped onto the playing surface in search of another Varsity point. However, it was a much different feeling for the Kent fans at the end of this match. A disciplined display from CCCU saw them triumph 3-0 against Kent FC’s 2nd team.
Photograph by Daniel Barnaby
The game started fairly open with both sides having chances, but it was Christchurch who drew first blood. A precise pass from the middle of pitch released CCCU’s frontman who made no mistake as he rolled the ball home for 1-0. The rest of the half saw good chances for both sides yet neither team could convert them as the first 45 minutes ended 1-0 to Christchurch. The second half began with a lot of possession for Kent but no real end product as Christchurch absorbed the pressure with five at the back. CCCU scored with their first real chance of the half as a corner was tucked away at the far post. It looked now as if CCCU would counter, aiming to be as clinical as possible, and so this proved as they scored a third goal towards the end of the game. For all Kent’s possession, CCCU’s defence coped well enough and that was how it finished - A controlled 3-0 win from CCCU.
ukc unbeatable at tennis varsity netball 3s clinch win Paul Stanton and Cerys Thomas THE University of Kent recorded a stunning victory over Canterbury Christchurch University, winning all twelve matches in the Varsity tennis. Kent’s Callum Macarty defeated Sam Axton in straight sets 6-2, 6-3, to set a precedent for the remaining gentlemen’s singles matches. The first team captain employed his powerful forehand and tactical use of the slice to prevail against a resilient Axton. Macarty won comfortably after enduring a twenty minute game early in the first set. Afterwards he spoke of difficulty at the beginning of the first and second set but described the victory as: “comfortable in the end, thanks to good movement.” Kieran Martin-Davis was victorious against Christchurch’s Scott Corres 6-2, 6-3, demonstrating his commitment with a lionhearted dive for a wide ball early in the second set. The final gentlemen’s match saw former Christchurch student Patrick Wragg don
Kent’s colours to face Ross Murray. Wragg failed to establish a rhythm, which cost him the first set but started positively in the second set and drew level before winning in the third, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3. Kent’s ladies replicated the success of the gentlemen’s team, winning all their matches. Dani Persaud and Victoria Newell both won in straight sets without dropping a game. Teele Annus faced stiffer opposition against Christchurch’s number one, Charlotte Nichols, but persevered to win 6-1, 6-3. Viktoria Windel’s superior serve was enough to dispatch Jade Wilkinson in straight sets. After the match, seasoned Varisty player Windel said: “it was my last Varsity [singles] match and I enjoyed it.” In the first ladies doubles, Kent pairing Rebecca Kent and Fiona Gassaver-Fleissner defeated Charlotte Nichols and Beth Pulsford over two sets. Kent’s fierce serve combined with Gassaver-Fleissner’s deft drop-shots proved enough to seal the victory.
“We lost concentration at the beginning of the second set but recovered to win the match 6-0, 6-2,” Gassaver-Fleissner said after the match. The evening session hosted the final two ladies’ doubles matches. Viktoria Windel united with Ruby Brown to take a comfortable victory against Christchurch’s pairing. In the men’s doubles Christchurch capitalised on some untimely unforced errors to win the first set and a break in the second set gave Christchurch the advantage, but Kent broke back late and sealed victory in the third, 7-5, 6-4, 6-4. Speaking after close of play, Tennis President Philip Peters said: “It was a good day for Kent, winning all twelve matches.” He added: “It was great to get everyone involved and there was a good turnout.” The win secured yet another point for Kent in the Varsity competition and gave the team bragging rights for another year. But it was a fierce and enjoyable competition for all involved.
Henry Sandercock ON paper, UKC Netball appeared to have the edge over their Christchurch counterparts as they lie two BUCS leagues above them, but the match certainly did not start that way. The first quarter was extremely tight, with no margin for error on either side. CCCU took the early advantage, leading 8-5 going into the second quarter. Tension was bubbling under the surface and threatened to boil over in the second quarter as physicality crept into both teams’ games; Christchurch were dominating play and Kent were trying absolutely anything
Photograph by Adam J Webb
to get a foothold. Their breakthrough came in the middle of the quarter when Alice Davitt repeatedly found Michelle Spiers in the goal circle, who systematically converted the passes into goals. This, coupled with CCCU struggling to hit the target, thanks in part to some spirited goalkeeping from Captain Beth Grimsey, got UKC back in the game with the score 15-13. UKC began to dominate and, as Christchurch tired, pulled out a lead of 18-24. The final score of 33-23 to UKC did not reflect the run of play, but all credit must go to both teams who played some great netball.
visit our website at - www.inquirelive.co.uk/sport
InQuire sport kent win varsity for eighteenth year
Dan English Newspaper Sport Editor TEAM Kent secured the Varsity crown for the eighteenth year in a row with a 23-11 win over Canterbury Christchurch University. Spanning five days, the competition highlighted the best of the sporting ability from both Kent and Christchurch, but ultimately saw Kent’s side dominate the majority of the
fixtures. The final two matches of the competition took place at Canterbury Rugby Club, with the Women’s 1 XV and the Men’s 1 XV doing battle in two rugby matches to bring down the curtain on what has been a fantastic event for both universities. Unfortunately, the competition didn’t go down to the final day, as a stunning performance from the Kent
Swimming team secured the retain at 11am on Tuesday. Moving to the final day of competition, there was still pride, and points, to play for in the Lacrosse, Cricket and Rugby fixtures. It was a crisply cold setting on the final afternoon at Rough Common as the Lacrosse sides looked to retain the bragging rights for another year. Traditionally brutal, neither women’s not the men’s team
disappointed with two huge displays running out 14-8 and 13-2 winners respectively. The Indoor Cricket was a slightly different affair, with the Women and Men’s 2s falling to defeat, although the Men’s 1s picked up the win to earn yet another Varsity point for Team Kent. And then the main event - the Rugby 1s. It may have been a cold night but it was certainly a blazing atmosphere at a
phenomenal performance from the Women’s 1s saw them run out 11-7 winners. Kent’s Men went into the fixture off the back of a difficult season so far. Despite promising plays, they were beaten by a disciplined CCCU 8-24. As the dust settled on the competition, it was Kent who can now once again celebrate and hold the bragging rights over their rivals for another year.
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