InQuire 10.11

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6 March 2015

Issue 10.11

I was raped at UKC and they’re “failing victims” An open letter to the University of Kent: I was raped on the University of Kent’s Canterbury campus. This might be difficult for you to read, but it is something that you must pay attention to. It was in my halls in my first year and subsequently I have suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and still live with it today.

If the University does not act on the services that it offers, it’s failing victims. Victims who do not feel like they can come forward because they will not be believed, because Canterbury is so ‘safe’. This may be statistically true, but to deny help and access to those who need it is to the detriment of that safety.

Taking action on this will not deter new students; it will make Kent a safer place to study. It will not hurt your intake of students, it will help those who need it the most.

Alison Phipps’ article in The Telegraph said, “Institutions do not want prospective students and their parents, or potential donors, to be put off by stories about sexual victimisation, especially that occurring on campus. Furthermore, they are loath to take action in case by doing so they create the impression that their campus is worse than elsewhere.”

Union staff members have admitted that this is the behaviour of our own University. Which to be frank makes me feel sick. You are complicit in rape culture and must take responsibility for the detrimental effect you may be having on student victims’ lives if you do not change your policies.

You have the opportunity to change this, students have fought for this through the Union, but there is only so much that those directly affected by the matter can do without the full support and action of the University.

It took me a long time to come to terms with what happened to me and and to pull myself together to complete my degree. I didn’t have to justify to anyone how I reacted to what happened. It happens a lot more often than it is spoken about.

This isn’t an attack at the University, but a plea. That you stand up and make a difference instead of cowering away.

Sincerely, A University of Kent alumnus

The University, Union and Police have responded to the letter Dr Wayne Campbell, Director of Student Services “The University does not tolerate sexual harassment or assault and treats all reports of such incidents very seriously.

“Over the years we have taken significant steps to increase the personal safety and wellbeing of all our students and we work with Kent Union to continually review and improve our support

systems and networks. These include the College Masters and their offices, a team of trained Harassment Contacts and the offer of a confidential service of support that includes counselling.

“We would encourage anyone who has experienced sexual harassment or assault to either contact us, the police or East Kent Rape Line.”

Megan Wells VP (Welfare)

“I would say that the University needs a better system in dealing with rape and sexual assaults.

You seem to get passed from pillar to post, there doesn’t seem to be a key process.

“From my understanding and my experience with talking to students here, you can get sent somewhere, and I appreciate that they are not the experts, because they are not the experts, but I think there needs to be a

clearer thing of if a student has had to experience that, the last thing they are going to want to do is go from one place to another, to another, to have to retell everybody their story, and that’s what’s happening at the moment.

“There needs to be a clearer process for students to go to one place and that’s all they have to do. They have to say their story once. I think there

needs to be a better connection with the police with how we can support students, both through the emotional stuff and as well as the pressing charges and supporting that student if they want to take action.”

Kent Police and Campus Watch were contacted but they declined to comment.

To contact East Kent Rape Line, the helpline number is 0800 458 28 18.

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News Editor’s Note

Dear readers, This week, we made a collective decision to publish an anonymous letter from a former Kent student and rape victim. It was an issue close to the hearts of the InQuire team, and one we felt needed to be addressed more publicly, concerning this university and others nationally.

We do however see the potential risk of offense or upset caused by such a controversial front page, and we apologise in advance. This was not our intention.

Best, Emma InQuireMedia

2014/2015 Editorial contacts: Natalie Tipping - Chair chairwoman Emma Shelton - Newspaper Editor newspaper.editor Emily Adams - Website Editor website.editor Newspaper: Ruby Lyle- News newspaper.news Alice Bryant - Comment newspaper.comment Katyanna Quách - Features newspaper.features Julia Mitchell - Culture newspaper.culture Meg Weal - Entertainment newspaper.entertainment Dan English - Sport newspaper.sport Website: News website.news Comment website.comment Cerys Thomas - Features website.features Grace Beard - Entertainment website.entertainment Natalie Turco-Williams Culture website.culture Henry Sandercock - Sport website.sport Irene Antoniou Distribution distribution LaShanda Seaman Promotions and Events events Tina Stavarianou - Design design add @inquiremedia.co.uk

Kent’s freedom of speech ranked red Ruby Lyle, Newspaper News Editor, spoke with Doctor Joanna Williams about the Spiked Free Speech University Rankings. Kent’s rank was published in the last issue of InQuire.

Dr Williams is an Education Editor at Spiked, the Programme Director for the PGDip/MA in Higher Education and a tutor on the ATAP/PGCHE Programme at Kent.

What was the purpose of the Free Speech University Rankings?

The Spiked Rankings have been widely disseminated – they’ve got a lot of publicity and they’ve also been very controversial. But I think the

I’ve been really looking at Kent and what’s been going on here.

I was very surprised to see that Kent Student’s Union has this No Platform Policy because it’s a complete relic from a bygone era. At one point, lots of universities had one but they’ve been widely rescinded.

I don’t know if you’ve seen on the Spiked site you can actually drill down and look at the policies and you can look at the groups that are actually mentioned in the policy, it’s groups like Combat 18 and Hizb ut-Tahrir. I may be wrong, but I think that most 18-years-olds have not heard of Hizb utTahrir and Combat 18.

Nowadays, the groups that people are more interested in

So sometimes, the green policy isn’t necessarily, “the students here are wonderfully in favour of free speech”, it might be just a sign of apathy that they haven’t bothered to get round to banning anything yet. If they thought about it, maybe they would.

On campus I notice there are lots of active students

being in favour of censorship.

But the problem with it is, because the small minority are not triggering the debates, they actually prevent the rest of the students from getting involved.

If instead of banning Blurred Lines it was said, “we’re not going to ban it but let’s discuss what we think of this song.

Could it promote rape culture?

“I think it’s, perversely, a sign of students being more interested, more engaged, that they ban more things” aim of them is just to bring attention to the issue of campus censorship in general because it’s something which is not being done as a conscious decision.

I don’t think there is a conspiracy where people are getting together and saying “let’s see what we can do to suppress free speech”.

I think it’s more just separate little issues, institution by institution, and I think a lot of the time people have very good reasons for wanting to ban certain things. People are very well intended but the problem is when lots of little things happen and it seems to be quite random at different places and sometimes you need to take a step back and have a look at the bigger picture overall.

Spiked specified Kent’s No Platform Policy as the reason why it was ranked Red. What can you tell me about this?

I have to say I was very surprised because I’ve been taking more of an overview of the table and I haven’t been looking specifically at any one institution as such. So it was only really the last few days that

banning and restricting, I guess, it’s people with presumed links to Al-Qaeda, or there was the whole thing about Marine Le Pen at Oxford University, so you can tell even by the names of the people who are mentioned in the Kent policy that it is a real relic.

I assumed the reason behind the policy was post 2001?

No, this is a very old policy but it is obviously something that gets renewed every three of four years. But I guess what’s surprising then is that Kent has kept on to this whereas other universities have lightened up a bit.

Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) overlap a lot, such as with our Medway campus and the radio station, CSR. However, CCCU have been labelled as green. Why are the two so different while there is so much overlap?

It’s really complicated. In some cases, I think it’s, perversely, a sign of students being more interested, more engaged, that they ban more things, ironically, and so are more likely to get the red policy.

Photo by Veronica_Sawyer

campaigning for a whole variety of causes.

Well, I think that’s a really important point because again, a bit of a health warning to you about the Spiked league tables, it can create the idea that students are walking around with placards saying ban this, censor that, and I don’t think that’s true at all.

There is a small, but vocal, minority of students within universities who are much keener and they tend to be the most vocal who are able to get their way. I think it’s a small minority. It would be dangerous to caricature all students as

Could it trigger who have had horrible experiences?”. let’s have meetings, let’s talk about it, let’s discuss it.

Then you’d be treating people like adults, capable of reaching their own conclusions and opinions. In allowing the debate to take place, you’d be involving students in student politics. I think the problem with just a small minority is that in just banning it, it puts people’s backs up, “what, do you think we’re kids? We can go in to town and just listen to Blurred Lines there, instead”.

To read the full interview, visit InQuireLive.co.uk.

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Sexual assault “A great place to work” policy at Kent T Sarah Osborne

Ruby Lyle Newspaper News Editor

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he University procedures regarding sexual assaults follow the Regulations on Student Discipline in Relation to Non-Academic Matters Internal disciplinary procedures classify sexual assault as a “major offence” and state that action outside of collecting statements and evidence would be delayed until a resolution was found by criminal justice system proceedings.

However, the Vice-Chancellor may choose to temporarily or permanently exlude the offending student from the University (either the entire

campus or partially). Similarly, the Vice-Chancellor could suspend the student from any activities, academic or otherwise.

Following a decision by the Courts, the University may take further action through disciplinary proceedings, depending upon the wishes of the victim.

The University has told InQuire that they have “established links with Beech House, the Kent Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Maidstone”.

Furthermore, students would be directed towards Student Support and Wellbeing for councilling services, should they attend the Kent Sexual Assault Referral Centre.

he University of Kent has scored highly un the Best University Workplace Survey; distinguishing itself as one of the top universities to work for nationally. The survey, hosted

by Times Higher Education, compiled the final results based on online questionnaires and detailed commentary provided by 140 institutions across the UK in 2014.

Kent has been placed second under ‘I would like to recommend working at my university,’ third for ‘my university offers a fair deal to its employees in terms of working conditions and benefits’ and fifth for ‘my work responsibilities allow for a healthy work-life balance.’

Since the University of Kent’s

with volunteers receiving a boarding pass and passport, and travelling around the various training sessions to get their passes stamped as qualified Welcome Helpers.

Speaking about this year’s huge team of helpers, Steph Hughes, Volunteering Manager for Kent Union, said: “Arrival’s Weekend would not happen without these volunteers, so we really really appreciate all of their hard work and commitment.”

Each of the college committees had a large team of Welcome Helpers; whether it be by carrying boxes, directing new students to their rooms and around campus, reassuring

worried parents or organising events for the first week of term, the Welcome Helper experience was not to be missed this year.

Speaking about her experience, fourth year Politics and International Relations student Claudia Hill said: “Being a Welcome Helper is a great experience not only because you get to feel proud that you’ve given the new students a warm welcome to campus here at Kent, but it’s also a great opportunity to meet new people and welcome in the new year in style.”

If you want to be a Welcome Helper next September, sign up online at www.kentunion. co.uk/welcomehelpers.

founding in 1965, the University has achieved a notorious name

as one of the largest employers in the South-East region, with

more than 3,000 academic and professional services staff.

Alison Ross-Green, Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development at the University of Kent commented: “We are obviously extremely pleased that for the second year running our employees have given such a positive endorsement of Kent as a place to work. The sector is a challenging place to be at present, and our employees show great resilience and positivity in the face of the pressures that are upon them while still providing inspiration to our students. As our environment changes, we will keep working hard and with an eye to the things that matter, to ensure that Kent continues to be regarded as a great place to work.”

Maisie Golding, KTV News Co-Ordinator, has been speaking with InQuire about the upcoming Candidate Question Time broadcasts.

So, what is Candidate Question Time?

Candidate Question Time is a live show produced by KTV for the Sabbatical Officer candidates to speak about their manifestos and answer questions from the student population. It will run across two nights, 9 and 10 March. The first night covers Sport, Activities and Welfare candidates, while the second day focuses on the Education and Presidential candidates.

It's a platform for each of the candidate's to showcase themselves and for voters to ask

questions important to them. you can watch live from 7 pm at http://www.ktvlive.co.uk/.

Is there a way for viewers to interact with the show?

Yes. KTV will have a research hub for Candidate Question Time and Results Night Live on 12 March.

Viewers will be able to tweet in questions through Twitter (Kent_TV) using the hashtags #CQTWelfare, #CQTSport, #CQTEducation, #CQTActivities, and #CQTPresident.

We will also be running an anonymous form on our Facebook page, Kent Television.

This is your chance to ask possible representatives what you want.

Photo by Daniel John

Time: A warm welcome Question Your leadership elections Natalie Tipping Chairwoman

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o welcome the new influx of students at the start of each academic year, Kent Union organise and train groups of Welcome Helpers to assist each college in giving their new students a great start to life at Kent. Over 450 volunteers became Welcome Helpers for the 2014/15 academic year, supporting colleges around campus with the hectic arrivals weekend.

Each Welcome Helper was trained over the course of two days in the run-up to Welcome Week, and the training this year was themed around an airport,

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News

UK General Election 2015: Your Comment Photo by Keith Ivey| Flickr

Your News Ruby Lyle Newspaper News Editor

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tudents must now register themselves to vote under Individual Electoral Registration.

In June 2014, the Government changed the “outdated” system of allowing one person from each household to register all who lived at that address. This affects students in particular, who previously would be registered by their universities.

The Electoral Commission said on the matter: “While institutions can still provide details of students to electoral registration officers, they can no longer use these to register students as a block – something that some, but by no means all, institutions did previously – although Electoral Registration Officers can use this information to invite students to register.”

To register either online or by post, students must provide the name, address, date of birth, and National Insurance number. This will automatically place voters on both the Full and Open Register. It is possible to opt out of the latter.

The Full Register is used purely for electoral purposes while the Open Register consists of both names and addresses. The Open Register can be purchases by any person, company or organisation.

Students may register to vote at either or both their home and university addresses, however, they may only vote once.

With the introduction of the Individual Electoral Register, student registration has dropped.

The Electoral Commission has reported that between December 2014 (after the electoral change came in) and February/March 2014 (when students could be registered by their universities),

Canterbury has 396 fewer people registered to vote.

Nationwide, there has been a drop of 920,000 registered people.

To combat this, the government has invested £380,000 in an NUS competition to find the best ideas to encourage students to get out and vote. 30 student’s unions will receive £1,000, 20 will gain £5,000, and five can win £10,000 to be spent on the best ideas.

A further £150,000 has been given to organisations in further education. These include Active Citizens FE, the National Association of Managers of Student Services, and the Sixth Form Colleges Association.

Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, said: “This year will be the first time many students get to vote in a General Election. Like going to university, it’s a vital rite of passage that I believe everyone should be proud to be part of.

But to have your say, you have to register. You may already be registered at your parents’ address, but if you want to vote in the constituency where you study, you will have to register there.

“It only takes a few minutes with our new online system, and I am delighted that the NUS and other student organisations will be working with us to make sure everyone has the opportunity to get on the register and take part.”

If you are unsure whether you are already registered to vote, contact your local electoral registration office.

For Canterbury, you can email the office at www.canterbury. gov.uk, or write to them. The postal address is: Electoral Registration Officer Electoral Services Military Road Canterbury CT1 1YW To be able to vote in the General Election and the Local Council Elections, both happening on 7 May, you must be registered.

Annie Trafford

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ith the General Election getting closer and closer, the campaigns from the various political parties are gathering speed. In terms of exercising one of the basic rights of adults in the UK, for me, there are very few things that are more important than voting.

I don’t want to sound too much like my grandma, but women didn’t chain themselves to the fences of Parliament for me to not then use the right they fought for.

And guys, you’re not exempt from this train of thought either, as activists have fought through the centuries so that people our age of all backgrounds can register to vote.

Like many of you reading this, I have always been too young to vote in a General Election before, so this is the first time I’ll vote – exciting huh?! When I came to register, I was worried that it would take ages or be an arduous task to complete. Quite the contrary. All you have to do is

go to the Government website, type in some brief details about yourself, and you’re all set – so easy and so worth doing.

It worries me sometimes that students don’t think they can incite change by voting, so don’t bother to register or to vote because they feel that it’ll make no difference. Although when you register you can choose to vote either here in Canterbury or back home, wherever home may be, the student population of towns such as Canterbury means that the student vote has the potential to have a massive sway over the result.

After previous elections have ended badly for us young’uns, you have to wonder what these student votes could have changed if they’d been registered and polled, maybe the tuition fee crisis wouldn’t have happened, maybe a different party would be in power, who knows? It is such a shame that student activism only stepped up when suddenly the tables were turned and they felt betrayed.

Best not to dwell on the past though, so let’s look at the future instead.

This year, the Pledge to Vote campaign has gained much attention from Kent students, with students having the opportunity to access various discounts at Union outlets if they’re wearing the wristbands. I hope that people wearing these bands know that the point of them isn’t to get £2 snakebites at Venue or £1 curly fries at Woody’s, but to show that they are engaged in politics and will vote when the General Election takes place on 7 May. Think about it this way, according to UK censuses, there are over seven million young people aged 18-24 in the UK. In 2010, the Conservatives won a narrow majority of seats with 10 million votes, but Labour were a close second place with eight million votes. With only two million votes in it, who says students don’t have the power to change the face of politics?

The power is in our hands, all we need to do is make sure we’re registered to vote, and make sure we use our democratic power this May, in order to forge a future that we can truly be a part of.

Photo by Ludovic Bertron

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Get ready to vote on 7 May The UKC Current Affairs and Politics Society hosted a General Election Hustings on 12 February. Six of the Parliamentary candidates for Canterbury and Whitstable were in attendance and spoke about a number of local and national issues. InQuire Chairwoman, Natalie Tipping, summarises some of the highlights below, and Otto Ilveskero gives his thoughts on why students don’t seem to engage with politics.

Your News Natalie Tipping Chairwoman

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he hustings was chaired by the UKC Current Affairs and Politics Society, and involved six Parliamentary Candidates for the Canterbury and Whitstable constituency, including the candidates for the central parties.

The candidates in attendance were: Julian Brazier MP, Conservative.

Robert Cox, Socialist.

James Flanagan, LiberalDemocrat.

Jim Gascoyne, Ukip.

Stuart Jeffery, Green Party.

Hugh Lanning, Labour.

Over the course of the evening, the candidates spoke about a number of local and national issues, a few highlights of which are included here.

On the biggest challenge for the UK in the coming years Brazier: Unfortunately the answer to this is still the economy.

Gascoyne: The UK needs to regain its position in the world, and it is constrained by membership to the EU. Jeffery: The current living wage is a poverty wage, education should be free, and we need to tackle inequalities in gender pay.

Lanning: The poor and public servants are paying the price of austerity, not the people causing it. We need more jobs, more housing, and a living wage that people can survive off.

On issues specific to the Canterbury and Whitstable area Cox: No particular issue is affecting Canterbury more than anywhere else, no matter where we live, the problems are the same. The economic system is run by the minority, not the majority, and changing it isn’t in their interests.

Flanagan: Youth unemployment is a major issue

in the local area. Congestion and pollution are also major issues.

Lanning: The focus on the NHS should be care, not privatisation and profit. He would look to invest on proper living wage and care services.

On the UK-EU relationship Brazier: The Conservatives are committed to renegotiating the UK’s role within the EU. Flanagan: There are lots of benefits to being in the EU that aren’t talked about. There are things that need to be changed within Europe, but also within

Westminster.

Gascoyne: The UK should take charge of their own affairs when we get the Referendum, IF we get the Referendum.

Currently we are suffering the consequences of an external government.

Jeffery: If we want the right to live and work in Europe, then we should be willing to give Europeans the same rights here.

Lanning: Governments in Europe need to be more transparent and democratic.

On the lack of female candidates for the

constituency Lanning: Equal opportunities need to be addressed within political parties.

Jeffery: “My biggest concern when running was that I am not a woman.”

On the First-Past-the-Post voting system Gascoyne: Ukip would much rather have a proportional representation voting system.

Flanagan: First-Past-the-Post works for elections contested by two parties, but with the rise in political parties, the system seems lacking.

Photo by Telegraph.co.uk

Your Comment Otto Ilveskero

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oung people’s apathy has been one of the burning issues of recent years. Only 44% of the 18 to 24 year-old Britons bothered to drop a numbered piece of paper in a ballot box in 2010, marking a slight rise from the 37% low in 2005. To be fair, as the total voting turnout in the UK has seen a dramatic drop since the 1990s, it is not just the young people who are less active in voting, if it seems to be the case that the older you get the more likely you are to vote.

As a young person studying politics, this is a subject which it is difficult to write about without coming across as patronising. I do not share the

absolute sense of alienation that some of my fellow students seem to feel, at times quite defeatist. I would like to see a change in people’s attitudes towards voting, as, in theory, we live in a system where the people mandate the power of those who represent us.

Nonetheless, we should not be fooled by the lack of participation in party politics and be careful not to view it as a complete absence of political activity. After all, student involvement and interest in politics outside of the party system is alive and kicking. A major chunk of the political activity of students has moved online and is presented in hashtags and comment articles. Thus, the question should be, why don’t students

engage with party politics?

To most disillusioned students, the problem is the lack of representation. For a politically aware student, Westminster is no more than a twisted playground for rich and entitled old white men – which unfortunately isn’t too far from the truth. With broken promises regarding tuition fees, combined with condescending attitudes and perceived favouring of the elite, it is no wonder that the parties find it difficult to attract young voters.

But will the system change without the students’ involvement? I doubt we can just ignore party politics for now – or protest against the whole establishment on the other extreme – and expect it to change for us. A modern

On NATO membership Gascoyne: NATO doesn’t always work well but we should remain members. We should not get involved with things that have nothing to do with us however.

On the deficit Brazier: Growth is picking up, unemployment is dropping, we need to carry on in the vein we’re in now.

On minority groups in society Brazier: Children are the most under-represented minority, the recent problems in Rotherham prove this.

Cox: There are only two groups in society, the majority and the minority. The minority splits us up to try to keep control, and the majority hold little power.

Overall the evening was a great success, with a huge turnout of many students and members of the local community, who felt the evening had helped them decide who to vote for.

Please note: all comments in this article are paraphrased unless explicitly quoted.

Full responses online at inquirelive.co.uk politician’s primary goal is to be elected, and thus politics is made for those who are the most certain to vote. So much so, that while the Bite the Ballot campaign has described the drop in the amount of students registered to vote as a ‘crisis’, there appears to be little urgency in Westminster to actually tackle this problem.

Currently, it has been estimated that student voters would be able to affect the result of 10 to 12 seats in May. Likewise, students tend to be more pro-Europe than the general population, and thus it is important that these voices are heard. Polls suggest that students have an interest and opinions on politics, but do they have the will to make themselves heard by the rules we currently have?

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Comment

Money matters: not-so hidden costs of being a student With the cost of university courses at an all-time high, it can be difficult to make ends meet at times. Sophie Waeland looks at the cost of travelling on Southeastern trains, whilst Jimmie Franklin tells us why we should all stay away from overdrafts.

Sophie Waeland

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s both a Londoner and a student at the University of Kent, I often have to use the Southeastern train service, and it’s burning a hole in my pocket. On Saturday, I caught a train from Canterbury West to my home town Bromley, and gulped when I saw the £30+ price of the ticket – and that was only a single. Even with my 16-25 railcard, that is just unaffordable. Because of this, I now rarely visit home as I dread the cost; I shouldn’t be made to choose between seeing my family and friends, and not being broke – especially when I live so close – but for many students, this is the reality of train travel.

In a survey of 27,000 passengers, Southeastern scored the lowest of London services with only 74% customer satisfaction, which has dropped 11% in the last year. Eight in ten also thought fares were too high. As of January this year, fares have increased by 2.2%, “the lowest for five years” according to National Rail. But why increase at all? I for one certainly haven’t noticed an improvement in the service; I nearly missed the train because they changed the departure platform at the last moment, and there certainly aren’t enough staff on the platforms as there was no one in sight to whom I could ask to check if I definitely had the right one.

Another passenger on my train heard me grumbling over the price and sympathised, telling me her daughter often buys a child ticket to save money, and in doing so, puts herself at risk of criminal charges. Speaking to a Railway Enforcement Officer on a Thameslink train, I found out that if caught with a child ticket, or any other incorrect ticket, an adult over the age of 18 is given not only a fine (£20 or double the cost of the ticket), but is given a formal criminal caution, and can even be taken to court for the offence. I know of so many

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young people who struggle to afford train tickets and are in danger of being seen as ‘criminal’ as a result.

From my local station, Hayes, I can buy a ticket into central London for £6; so why is it so much more expensive for Canterbury? Living in London, I am used to delays and diversions from works or from other causes, and have not had too much of a problem with Southeastern. But it is the pricing system I cannot get my head around.

The Green Party have suggested the railways stop being run for profit for shareholders and become publicly owned again, and this could not make more sense.

In the last few years, London stations seem to have had construction work non-stop, and there can’t possibly be much more to do. Surely the average traveller would hope this would mean the beginning of the end of unaffordable travel; alas, it appears not to be. With season tickets to London now costing around £4,000-£5,000, it’s obvious that some people are getting very rich from these ticket prices, whilst the rest of us are struggling to afford travel.

Jimmie Franklin

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ollowing a year as a fresher on the breadline, at times living off tins of soup and pre-drinking with Lambrini, I decided to look into getting an overdraft. By September of my second year, my overdraft had already been eaten into a fair bit, but the lull that is offered by the prospect of it being interest-free clouded my senses. Alas, by the time I reached second term, I had neared being as much as £400 into it and my maintenance loan all but shrivelled up after my rent went out. It was only when I realised on my third week in that I had £300 to live off until 11 May if I didn’t want to go into the overdraft again then maybe it wasn’t such a wise idea after all.

As students, we are unwittingly being fed into an unhappy marriage with the bankers, constantly waning in and out of debt. That’s what an overdraft is after all, just a nicer way of saying debt.

Personally, I count myself lucky – God knows what kind of mess I’d end up in if my

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overdraft stretched as far as four digits. I have friends who are verging on being as much as £3,000 in debt to the bank and, with no way to pay it off, are maintaining the ‘student lifestyle’ whilst in negative numbers.

By the end of a university career, being overdrawn simply becomes additional debt, on top of the hefty amount in fees and maintenance loans that we are already going to have to pay back in the future. Moreover, we will no longer have the cushion of student finance to help us through and thus will lose the privilege of a student account, instead being converted to a different one. These can pose even greater risks, with interest being charged between 9.9% AER and 19.9% AER if you go over your agreed limit. Whilst it is possible to get a graduate account with many banks such as Santander and Lloyds offering up to £2,000 interest free in your first year, it is surely healthier to budget and live within your means.

Overdrafts are something that culminate in stress.

What is the point of trying to maintain a lifestyle you don’t have the funds for by

Photo by Matt Buck

falling into debt? It deludes me that students complain about having no money, but then go to restaurants and buy tons of drinks when they go out. We need to stop throwing money away on stuff we cannot afford and live within our means. Students shouldn’t be bothering with Waitrose gourmet food, and really, we should all be lingering around the budget brands at our local supermarket.

Whilst opting to live frugally is not exactly glamorous, I am happier doing so because, at the end of the day, an overdraft is, like all loans, an expensive way of making it to the next payment package. We get lent the money and thus have to pay for the privilege of doing so. This deed ends up with us splurging on items we really don’t need and are by no means in our budget in the first place. Whilst £3,000 interest-free cash seems luxurious when we first get our hands on it, it is just the beginning of a slippery slope into low balances and debt that the banks want us to be in to them for the rest of our lives.

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Comment

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Sabbatical Elections 2015 If you could change one thing about how things were run here at the University of Kent or within Kent Union, what would you change?

I would get more copies of books for the library. If it’s on the reading list for a module, they should really have more than one copy in the library. Same goes for DVDs for film modules, recalling isn’t enough.

With the Sabb elections fast approaching, it’s important to make students feel like their ideas can make a real difference, so they are encouraged to vote.We had many responses some more serious than others. Here are our favourites.

I would install a cheese fountain in the plaza because Kent students need more calcium. Each day would be a different type.

Imagine Mozzarella Monday or Swiss Sunday. YUM!

Improve the transport link between the Medway and Canterbury campuses.

Although I love Woody’s full English breakfast, I’ve made some notes: Bacon ten out of ten, mushrooms bingo, minor criticism: more distance between the eggs and the beans. I may want to mix them, but I want that to be my decision, use a sausage as a breakwater, but I’m nit picking, on the whole a very good effort seven out of ten.

I would refurbish Eliot accommodation into something a little less prison-like.

Photo by Daniel John

Consult students a lot more often, instead of just doing something.

Try not to charge an arm and a leg in supposed damages after you move out of uni accommodation. Oh, and let you know when you find problems at the time, not a week or two before you are due to return to university and money is tight.

Improve the kitchen facilities in campus accommodation.

I would put airconditioning in all seminar rooms, some of them are hotter than the sun.

I would have lecturers be held truly accountable to their students for the quality of teaching.

Photo by Daniel John

Have all essay submissions be online only. I am not fit for humanity when I stagger to hand in an essay.

I would change the fact that Kent Union doesn’t campaign about student rights anymore. It’s just a corporate body now.

There should be an owl sanctuary.

I know another university that has a cracking owl sanctuary.

I would get Bake and Bite to start supplying bacon baps during lunch time, because the burgers and sausage rolls just aren’t doing it for me.

I would change the Kent Wheel returning in the summer: it blocks the view of the Cathedral, ruined the grass on the hill and leaves less space for chilling and studying on the grass. Plus it’s an eyesore!

Paying for sports facilities seems like a pisstake when you’re already paying for your tuition. Keeping fit and staying healthy shouldn’t be something you have to pay for.

Especially when the University still seems to ignore the number of students involved in sports clubs and teams.

Photo by jennicatpink

I would switch up the nights at Venue. There are a whole host of students on campus whose musical tastes aren’t catered for, and it’s such a shame.

Install a stairlift up Eliot Hill. Perfect for disabled students and girls who want to keep their makeup intact.

The Union should stop spending money on KTV and cut the prices in the essentials instead.

Offer a discount on uni accommodation where students are paying to be constantly disturbed by jackhammers and angle grinders. The University could at least have the courtesy of warning students before they choose their accommodation that they will have constant construction next to their windows.

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Editorial

Why I wish I could delete Facebook Katyanna Quàch Newspaper Features Editor

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f Holden Caulfield were to magically lift himself from the pages of The Catcher in the Rye and become a real human being, I’m sure we would get on well. Our friendship would be based on our mutual hatred of all things phoney and on our list of the phoniest things ever would be Facebook. Here’s why: It’s fake!

People only share the good stuff going on in their lives and use Facebook to show the

world how they would like to be perceived. It’s obvious that they are popular, good-looking and successful, right? And everything they do is oh so fun and exciting. Someone once said to me, “You look like quite the party girl” and this is just so untrue. Those group photos tagged ‘BFF’, ‘my hot bitches’ or anything of that sort are unrealistic.

In reality, all those smiling people probably rarely hang out, and only meet to go on a ‘crazy’ night out where they will end up too drunk to properly socialise with their so called BFFs anyway.

Stalking This is the real reason why

Photo by Sam Michel

people use it and anyone who tells me otherwise is probably lying. Apparently, the mean number of Facebook friends is 338 and let’s say there are around 20-50 people you do actually stay in contact with, that means you only really talk to 5-15% of your Facebook friends. It’s obvious you only keep other people on your friends list so you can be nosy and find out what they are doing with their lives, and then secretly judge them.

No new friends I don’t want to be friends with people who are friends with a friend who is a friend of my friend - they’re not my friends. Since Facebook is predominantly used for stalking and judging purposes, then I definitely don’t want people who I don’t know to be able to find out personal things about me.

Selfies and likes Don’t you get bored of scrolling through and looking at the same photo all day?

It’s the same people that

Photo by Nate Bolt

post selfies with the most ridiculous poses: the duck face, the awkward hand on hip whilst lunging, the gangster squat. The worst one is when guys post topless photos just because they have been to the gym and lifted a weight or two and tag it with #progress more like #dick. They just do it to see how many likes they get so they get a quick ego boost.

Facebook just encourages selfcentredness, as if there isn’t enough of that going around already.

Chat Facebook has supposedly revolutionised the way we communicate. This thought

depresses me. People messaging me starting conversations with “hey wuu2?” just immediately repulse me. I can already tell that this conversation is going to go nowhere. I don’t know you very well and you’re only talking to me because you’re bored.

What happened to real conversations that require eye contact and communication that isn’t through a computer screen?

Saying all this, I haven’t deleted my Facebook. I like the stickers too much, but I have deleted people who I don’t really consider a friend. Sorry.

Graduation is coming. Run for your life.

Megan Weal Newspaper Entertainment Editor

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raduation dates have been released and fear and dread has been instilled in the hearts of all upcoming graduates.

You realise that you should probably start applying for a job, that you have no money and that student loans will no longer be a thing. And if you have applied for jobs, there’s a very good chance that you’re sitting in a corner waiting for any kind of reply. Crying is inevitable, as is overspending on biscuits in Essentials.

But there are three things that you really shouldn’t say to a student on the brink of graduation: 1. Do you have a job lined up?

Do you know how hard it is to get a job? Do you realise how much it sucks to only be able to apply for a job over the Internet? Gone are the days

where we can walk into an office in a sharp suit and polite manners and dazzle the boss with our eloquent explanations of why we’re the one who deserves the job. Oh no, now we have to sit at a kitchen table, wearing a dressing gown, and try to type a reason that doesn’t sound obvious or make us sound like a 21st century

graduate robot.

2. Where are you going to live?

Yep, probably back at home with my parents. Unless, of course, you’re willing to lend me thousands of pounds a year to secure me some rent and make sure I’m not found in a corner rotting from starvation and no heating.

Why yes, that does make me feel as though all the independence that I’ve gained from living by myself for four years is being taken from me.

No, don’t be silly, I’m looking forward to driving my younger siblings around and making dinner for everyone!

Yes, I know all the jobs are in London. Don’t you think

Photo by European Student Think Tank

that’s just going to make this situation worse for me? Now I have to pay triple the price of anywhere else in the country just to have a good job AND I’ll be in one of the crap parts of London where I have to overspend on commuting every day. Any and all suggestions are welcome though.

3. When I was your age I was married with kids AND a job!

Oh. Ok. Well, my apologies for not spreading my seed by 22 and my left ring finger being colder than yours was in the harsh winters. AND you had a job! Well, kudos to you for not having to spend your evening hyperventilating into a paper bag because you’ve got such a perfect little life.

Did you ever think that maybe I don’t even want to settle down and have a 9-5 job? Maybe I like cuddling a cushion when I get in at 3am from my late night bar shift, smelling like tequila and beer and not being able to feel my feet. Didn’t think about that, did you.

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Features

Revenge porn has been criminalised Alice Taylor

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he act of spreading sexual images of someone without their consent or knowledge, also known as revenge porn, has been criminalised. The Ministry of Justice put forward plans to outlaw revenge porn last October, and the amendment to the Criminal Justice and Reports Bill has now been made.

This means that revenge porn is now punishable with a maximum sentence of up to two years in prison.

As the term implies, this is most commonly carried out by an ex-partner seeking ‘revenge’. In some cases, however, the victims of revenge porn have had their private email or social media accounts hacked and explicit images stolen, such as the celebrity

nude photo leaks seen last year.

The problem of revenge porn is complex and on the rise. Eight police forces in England and Wales reported having received 149 allegations of revenge porn, however, due to difficulties in proving criminality, and loopholes in legislation, only 5% of these cases ended in prosecution. These figures only worsen, when considering the potential hundreds of other victims who did not report the crimes committed against them.

Like rape, victims feel humiliated and shamed. It causes more than just embarrassment, but can jeopardise relationships with family, friends, and in work. And in the worst cases, it has led to victims committing suicide.

All this begs the question, why has the

Photo by Pablo Ruiz Múzquiz

government not sought to outlaw this sooner?

Sadly, we currently live in a society which blames the victim. Rape is still stigmatised. In 2013, government statistics reported that a shocking one in five women in the UK will experience some form of sexual violence in their lifetime, with 400,000 women being sexually assaulted annually. The report also reveals that only 15% of these crimes are reported, due to the shame which still comes from being raped or sexually assaulted. A common remark towards victims of revenge is “you shouldn’t have sent them in the first place”.

This was certainly evident in the recent hacks and spreading of revenge porn on various female celebrities, such as Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Upton. The so-called ‘fappening’, attracted unprecedented attention and caused vast swarms of content online slandering the victims of the hacking scandal, calling them “slutty”, and shaming them for taking nude photos.

But the blame should never lie with the victim. People should not be made to feel ashamed of their sexuality. The blame should be put on those who believe it acceptable to invade personal accounts and then feel entitled to use this content against them.

Disgustingly, it seems the lack of

consent behind these images is part of the viewer’s appeal to them. Journalist Emma Holton was a victim of revenge porn. She received hundreds of messages from men asking for more images, threatening to show them to her family and colleagues at work. She identified that her humiliation was part of the intrigue, that “the absence of consent was erotic”.

This is victim blaming on a new level. In their eyes, she was a “slut” for taking those photos, and she deserved the abuse she was receiving. She said: “What was I aside from a whore who had got what she deserved?”

Although males are often the perpetrators, they are sometimes the victim too. Dylan Sprouse who starred as Zack Martin in the Disney sitcom The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, was a victim after his ex-girlfriend posted his nude pictures online.

This non-consensual objectification of the body is not uncommon, and can be seen everywhere in our society, from street catcalling, to the weird trend of Women Who Eat On Tubes.

This new legislation marks a step towards gaining social equality.

Through proper sentencing of individuals who spread revenge porn, we are showing the world that shaming and victim blaming of people for their bodies is unacceptable.

others and being able to sense other’s emotions. Scientists believe damage to this area may underpin cases of psychopathy and mental illness.

Despite various government and media warnings about the long-term effects cannabis can have on mental health, many young people still use it regularly and according to the British Drugs Survey 2014,this numver is

increasing.

A study conducted by the World Health Organisation over 20 years, estimates that around one in ten of all cannabis users and one in six teenagers develop a dependency.

Although it is impossible to fatally overdose from cannabis which is possible with the use of harder drugs, cannabis is addictive.

Cannabis may bring on mental illness Malika White

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xcessive cannabis use has been shown to have a direct correlation with the onset of mental health problems, particularly paranoia and psychosis. Yet many young people still use it as a means to relax, curb stress and socialise.

Photo by Prensa 420

There is now sufficient evidence to show those who begin using cannabis in their teens have an increased risk of developing a psychotic disorder such as Bipolar Disorder or Schizophrenia.

A recent study by researchers at King’s College London has confirmed that 24% of all new cases of psychosis

are cannabis induced, and cannabis users are five times more likely to have psychotic episodes. An anonymous source who has been using cannabis regularly said: “I began using cannabis at 15, and following a psychotic episode at 18 was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. I began to think my house was bugged and that everyone was plotting against me. My mother called an ambulance in the middle of the night and I was taken to a secure ward in a mental hospital. The doctors hoped it was a one-off, but since then I’ve been through the cycle of mania and then depression many times. Without my anti-depressants and mood regulators I would be unable to live a normal life. I’ll never know if the cannabis contributed to my Bipolar Disorder, but I suspect it could have. If I had my time over again I wouldn’t touch it.”

Comparing the brains of chronic cannabis users to those of non-users, experts have suggested that structural connectivity or ‘wiring’ of the brain starts degrading with prolonged marijuana use. The biggest differences were seen in the orbitofrontal cortex region of the brain, which is responsible for making us feel empathy towards

Photo by Alan Ajifo

Features

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PhySoc celebrates LGBT scientists Fraser Whieldon

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s part of a number of events marking LGBT History Month, the University of Kent Physics Society hosted an evening at the Ingram building to commemorate the contribution that LGBT scientists have paid to the advancement of science in the fields of physics, medicine, and technology.

The event was well-attended, with a number of people milling around, enjoying the wonderful display arranged by the society, which was composed of a series of posters.

Each poster was dedicated to a different LGBT scientist, and was put together by a member of the Physics Society.

If you missed this event, here are some of the scientisists celebrated.

Alan Turing - Mathematician Despite breaking the Enigma code, which helped the Allies win World War Two, Turing was later convicted of homosexual acts, and chose chemical castration over prison. Turing later committed suicide in 1954. His legacy remains and the University of Kent took the step to name their brand-new college after Turing, celebrating his life and his achievements.

Angela Clayton – Nuclear

physicist Born a man in 1959, Clayton later underwent sex-change surgery after living for several years as a woman. She was awarded an OBE for her services to gender issues in 2005, and combines her LGBT work with her career as a renowned expert on nuclear criticality safety.

James Pollack - Astrophysicist He identified the composition of the particles which made up the rings around Saturn. As well as being an

incredibly important scientist, Pollack was also a homosexual, who suffered great institutional prejudice (once being refused treatment at a university medical centre for being gay), only to overcome it and make his great contribution to humanity’s knowledge of the stars.

Alan L. Hart - Physician Alan Hart was one of the first transsexuals to undergo a female to male sex change, undergoing a hysterectomy and gonadectomy in

Photo by Sam Allard

1917. A year later, he moved to Oregon to set up his own medical practice but was forced to move when a former medical schoolmate revealed him as a transgender. As a result, this strained his marriage with his first wife due to financial problems and they divorced in 1925. Hart was dedicated to medical research and was one of the first physicians to understand how tuberculosis spread in the body.

Lynn Conway – Electrical engineer A pioneer of microchip design.

Because she was originally born a man, Conway was not properly credited for her enormous contribution to IBM technology in the 1960s, especially her work on improving computer performance. Conway was eventually fired by IBM for being a transsexual, yet has gone on to have a very successful academic career, combining this with her work as an activist for the transgender community.

Conway’s struggle, and the struggles faced by all of the people featured on the display, are testament to the immense challenges to the LGBT people. The display created by the Physics Society demonstrates how far we have come in recognising and respecting both LGBT people, and their contribution to society.

InQuire Sudoku Too lazy to get up and exercise? Give your brain a workout instead

Medium

Hard

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Features

Feel inspired after Varsity

After watching Varsity, you may feel encouraged to get involved with sport and there is no reason why you can’t start now. Read below for gu

Get the most out of gym classes on offer at UKC Emily Adams Website Editor

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e’re already half way through the academic year and I’m betting there are a lot of gym memberships feeling quite neglected and betrayed.

The promises of a ‘New Year, New Me’ are long gone and the whole “summer bodies are made in winter” just sounds like too much effort. So here’s how I keep myself motivated: gym classes.

They’re led by professionals telling

you exactly what to do, so you’re not left looking perplexed at what all those mystical machines do in the fitness suite. You’re surrounded by other wannabe beach babes just trying to get a little bit fitter, so you’re not intimidated by the likes of the ‘weight room’ and best of all, they’re a lot of fun.

Our gym has a lot more to offer than just the fitness suite. And this year; there are 50 classes for the 50th anniversary, and whilst trying them

Photo by Herald Post

out, I’ve found a few that I really enjoy.

Me? Enjoy? The gym? Yeah, I know, it’s laughable, so you know they must be good.

Drums Alive This is a new one for our Sports Centre, and it’s certainly unique.

Imagine a room filled with aerobics balls and 20 people hitting them and jumping around them with drumsticks; well, that’s it. Maybe not the most strenuous class but it was created to test your mental ability and coordination, as well as your fitness, so it’s great to keep those cogs turning when essays are scrambling your brain.

Every time I finish the class, I come out feeling so stupidly happy. I love it and would definitely recommend it (but if you steal my place in next week’s class, I swear to God, I’ll find you).

Body Pump The day after every class, my body feels like it’s been put through a mincer and then crushed by a truck. So at least I know it’s had an effect! It’s lifting weights, targeted at different muscles, to music. It’s tough but I do enjoy it, because I actually see results

with it. Plus, each of the instructors are incredibly well informed and great motivators, which is exactly what I need to stop me picturing the biscuit tin when I finish the class…

Ab Attack It’s only half an hour and it simply focusses on strengthening and toning your core. Be aware, it hurts like hell to begin with it, but if you want that elusive summer body, a little pain here and there might be needed.

Legs, Bums and Tums I mean, just look at that name, you know it’s going to be fun. It’s a bit like Zumba, but with more focus on those three typical ‘problem’ areas. It’s high energy and guaranteed to make you lovely and sweaty. If you fancy a bit of dancing (you don’t have to look good doing it), and you want to tone up those tums, I recommend this energetic workout. ...and then there’s Circuits It’s the stuff of nightmares. I went once, long, long ago and walked (nay, crawled) out 15 minutes before the end.

Enter at your own peril. You have been warned.

Sport etiquette: the do’s and the dont’s of the gym Rebecca Fatharly

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he gym should be an enjoyable experience; a place to work out your frustrations or simply get your 30 minutes of recommended exercise.

Where you can take time out to get away from all the stresses of essays and tests. However, there are few things that can infuriate any gym goer, here are just a few.

Clean up after yourself The gym is a communal place where multiple people will use the same machine on any given day. Sweat is a major problem at the gym as it is unpleasant to get onto a machine that has been drenched in another person’s residue. A bit of sweat that disappears almost immediately is fine; what I am talking about is the waterfall of sweat left behind by someone who really went for it. Please, for everyone’s sake, just take two seconds to wipe it away after yourself.

Don’t be a hoverfly During peak times it is understandable that there may be a queue for certain machines, but when there are many machines that are unused, it is awkward and

embarrassing to have someone hovering around you when you are exercising. Firstly, it is off-putting and makes the person exercising selfconscious, and secondly it is annoying.

No one wants to be tutted at when they have just cycled for 25 minutes.

Don’t hang around the weights The weights part of the gym is intimidating enough for someone going alone to the gym, so when you enter and see a bunch of hard-core gym guys hanging around one machine chanting at their friend using it, it makes you want to go straight back to the safety of the bikes. Focus on your own work out; the gym is not the place to have a catch up around the weights that everyone else wants to use.

Grunting Unless you have earphones on you, the unnecessary grunting of weight lifting is irritating as you try to exercise.

We get it, you’re having a great workout. Good for you, but there is no need to share it with the rest of the gym community. Everyone just wants to get on and do their own thing, but the grunters interrupt that by drawing attention to themselves. Please, you are at the gym, not the zoo.

Personal space is personal At peak times it is normal to see every machine filled, but at other times there is usually space for people to exercise away from one another. It is confusing and odd when there are three unused

treadmills on the opposite side of the room, and a stranger decides it is acceptable to take the machine next to you. The gym is a place full of sweaty people exercising, so personal space is definitely desired in these situations.

Photo by Health Gauge

Features

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and rejuvinate your body

uides concerning what to do and not do at the gym, what classes are on offer, how to fit in the sporty crowd and what to eat healthily. Enjoy!

Too lazy to exercise? Just pretend you do anyway

Manon Charles

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ometime in the last two years, the world went fitness mad and these days campus is filled with sporty looking people dashing from the gym to a lecture and back again.

With Varsity over, it seems its more important than ever to get like those fitness people. So if you, like me, have not quite boarded the fitness bandwagon yet, here are my essential items for fooling everyone around you into thinking you do sport.

Trainers

Photo by Daniel Lee

No sporting outfit would be complete without the essential footwear, and with brands such as Nike creating such sleek designs (but shops such as New Look do them for a much more reasonable price), trainers have never been so fashionable. They are the perfect shoe for those quick sprints to early morning seminars. When choosing your ultimate trainer, it is important to remember that your level of perceived sportiness is directly correlated to how neon your shoes are, so the more blindingly bright, the better.

Cropped leggings (for the ladies) If you want to take your sporty look one step further, wear some cropped leggings with a pair of trainers.

Leggings have come a long way in the past few years, and most shops now offer a selection of patterned leggings (if you prefer your bottom half to make a statement). Shops like H&M now have a sportswear section, so you are not short of options when choosing your ideal pair. Wear these to lectures and everyone will think that you have come from a quick session at the gym,

and with well-known brands making fashionable leggings, there is no excuse to ignore this trend.

Hoodie This is the ultimate piece in a faux sportswear outfit. We’ve all seen the Photo by Movimiento base

Photo by Colin Davis

gym bunnies on campus running around in the full Kent Sport kit, but any hoodie works (Primark do a very nice zipped up hoodie for only £7) but if you can get your hands on a Kent Sport hoodie, all the better! This item can turn any outfit from casual to sporty chic so don’t forget it.

Shoulder bag At some point on campus, we have all been victims of the shoulder bag barge. This seems to be a key piece in the sportsman’s attire and it seems that bigger really is better. Using a massive shoulder bag (available from shops such as Sports Direct), creates intrigue.

No one really knows what is in those bags. Books? Kit? Bricks? A whole running machine? It’s hard to tell, but we know they’re heavy.

Water bottle Now this might seem like an odd one, but get the right water bottle. The more industrial looking the better and if you can find one with words such as Protein or Muscle emblazoned on it, you will be thoroughly accepted as the faux sporty King or Queen that you are.

Eat like a Champion and cook up these recipes Katyanna Quach Newspaper Features Editor

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ny serious sportsperson will tell you that diet is just as important as exercise when trying to get fit.

You won’t survive a half-marathon or a weight-lifting contest running on red bull and pizza. So have a go at making these healthy recipes that are full of carbohydrates and protein, and improve your cooking as you go.

(Breakfast and Dinner by Jess Duncan, and Lunch by Tina Stavarianou)

Photo by seoulfully

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Super scrambled eggs

Tofu tacos

Aubergine surprise

Ingredients 2 eggs 1 large tomato Handful of spinach 1 spring onion

Ingredients 350g extra-firm tofu, drained 32g cup whole wheat flour 32g cup nutritional yeast 2 teaspoons onion powder 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon turmeric 8 corn tortillas, warmed salsa

Ingredients 1 large aubergine 5 cherry tomatoes 1/4 onion 1/2 a mozzarella ball

Method 1. Crack eggs into a microwaveable bowl, cook in the microwave for 1 minute 2. Stir and add chopped spring onions, cook for another minute.

3. Grill tomatoes in a hot oiled pan, and sauté the spinach in the same pan.

4. Toast slices of wholemeal bread.

5. Serve the eggs, onions and spinach on top.

Photo by Jessica Duncan

Optional: onions, cilantro, greens, potatoes, avocado, etc Method 1. Drain tofu and cut into cubes 2. Sprinkle flour, yeast, onion powder, garlic powder and turmeric and toss together with the tofu.

3. Heat a large pan over medium heat until hot.

4. Add tofu mixture and cook, stirring until tofu is browned and crisp in places.

5. Warm the tortillas by placing them in the microwave for 30 seconds.

6. Wrap the tofu mixture with salsa and place in the tortillas.

Method 1. Cut even rounds of aubergine, place on a tray and lightly oil.

2. Top with chopped tomatoes, and finely cut onion. For more flavour, add a squeeze of tomato puree or a teaspoon of tomato pasta sauce.

3. Slice mozzarella on top and place in the oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

Photo by Jessica Duncan

14

Entertainment

John Smith - the perfect storm

Rebecca Fatharly

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enowned acoustic artist John Smith played in the Marlowe studio on 15 February. It was a small, intimate setting usually reserved for smaller scale companies and shows. But the location was perfect for the touring solo star. The room was filled with purple lighting that hinted to the audience as soon as they entered the room that this was to be a chilled, intimate evening.

Armed with just a guitar, the concert began with the support act, Louis Baker, a folk singer travelling from Wellington, New Zealand. He played a set of five songs from his debut album, some of which he had written when he was just a 17-year-old. His collection had a range of simple but innocent titles, from the melodic ‘Bird’ to the nostalgic “I Love You So”. Each song resonated with yearning to be at home with those he loves, which I’m sure most of the audience could relate too. His voice was gravelly and rugged, but carried

Photo by The Marlowe Theatre

the sensitivity required of a successful singer-songwriter.

Once Louis had finished, there was a brief interlude and then John Smith launched straight into his 15 song set.

The first song had similar themes to Louis’ of travelling around England and of the longing to be with your love.

His voice was piercing, echoing around the room and resonating with each audience member. A lot of his songs had similar themes of love and loss, but each one played with different aspects within

those huge motifs.

My favourite song, ‘The Perfect Song,’ conjured up powerful imagery of storms that translates well through his lyrics.

One lyric that was particularly strong was ‘what is love if not the perfect storm,’ which combines the romantic notion of being at sea and the heated ache of love affairs. It was clearly a very personal song for him, judging from the intensity of his performance. He poured his soul into all of songs.

He was a very endearing performer,

as he kept thanking the audience members between songs. His gracious demeanour showed when he became flustered half way through the concert and lost his timing. Instead of losing his cool, he engaged with the audience and apologised about messing up, which if anything made the whole set more personal. He would litter the gig with personal anecdotes and introductions to his songs.

He said he wished that he could perform in Canterbury every week, and the audience agreed heartily with him.

Hopefully he will return one day with an even bigger range.

Want to review shows?

Join us in our meetings in KLT2 on Mondays at 6:15pm.

Can’t wait until then?

Send us an email with your ideas.

Fifty Shades of alright Coming up for change Sarah Osborne

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henever somebody mentions Fifty Shades of Grey, not many people will jump at the opportunity to defend the trilogy’s bad reputation. The trilogy has had tons of criticism - particularly focusing on the idea that the books promote a dysfunctional relationship with sexual acts that could be deemed as rape. Why then, have tons of women (and a few men) flocked to cinemas to watch the first movie release?

Like many other people, I didn’t want to read Fifty Shades of Grey, but seeing hundreds of women reading the books on the beach a few summers ago, I became intrigued by its popularity and apparent explicit sexual content. When I’d read the first book, I unwillingly wanted to read the next two as well.

So I read all three books and thought: okay, the narrative is pretty lame, it gets a bit irritating having to read about two people having sex all the time – the initial ‘excitement’ wears off. But despite the poor narrative, it’s still got its appeal (and I even know a few guys who have hesitatingly admitted to having read the books).

I went into the cinema with an open mind, I wouldn’t have been surprised if the first movie was a disappointment, but I was intrigued by the idea of how the books would be presented on screen. I was however, taken aback by how ‘good’ the movie was. I found myself cringing at moments, but at others, laughing along – the director has done a good job of adding subtle

humour to make the movie a bit lighthearted considering the dark nature of Christian’s world. Others have said it was just ‘okay’.

My only criticism would be that the ending was a bit of a disappointment, the movie built up to... well, nothing really. I also saw huge parallels with the Twilight Saga, Christian plays the piano, Christian is rich, Christian is ‘messed up’ by his past, Christian is adopted - just like Edward. And Anna is an innocent virgin studying at university just like Bella.

The marketers were brilliant in releasing the movie on Valentine’s Day, considering the ticket sales were boosted significantly. But all the same – I think women should still find the time to go and watch the movie with their friends and giggle the whole way through. For those who doubt its worth, I do recommend the movie and think if you can go in with an open mind, it’s definitely worth a watch.

Photo by Walls Field

Jack Hadaway-Weller

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his Irish four-piece has never been known for writing genius lyrics, but this was easy to gloss over in their debut LP In A Perfect World; a folkinfluenced, melody-driven album with a few killer singles and some sublime music videos. However, what devices they had that were worth showing off seem to have been dropped completely for their sophomore effort.

Abandoning folk almost completely, the band have decided to swap in a very large production and subtle electronica, which is one of the least expected routes for this band to take, given how acoustic-based their first album was.

Lead single “Honest” and second single “The One” are examples of the ‘big production’ side of things, and though lead singer Steve Garrigan delivers some catchy melodies and strong vocals, they are both less genuine than their original music and it is not,

ironically, very honest in its approach.

The beginning to tracks “Autopilot”, “Human Again” and “Unclear” all seem to pay a cheap homage to Kid A era Radiohead before moving into a generic, almost funk-influenced remainder. “Lost” seemed to skip by completely without me realising anything was playing, and “Ready” and “Better” resemble an even cheesier Muse.

Probably the most interesting song, compositionally, was “Coming Alive”, which had a repetitive ‘drum n’ bass’ beat to it, but with soft ‘poppy’ folk instrumentals overlaying it, which led to a pretty messy Photo by Mary Chang listen. Like a mix of Rudimental and Frank Turner. The only two songs I enjoyed were the ones where Kodaline stripped back and stuck to their roots, with Everything Works Out In The End and album closer Love Will Set You Free.

In a mix of clichéd song titles and a wide range of influences, it appears that Kodaline have tried too hard to fix what wasn’t already broken.

It’s Dragtastic

Entertainment

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Dragtastic Playlist

To celebrate LGBT History Month, Rebecca Fatharly attended Dragtastic, an evening of full of makeup, drag, education, fun and entertainment.

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ragtastic was an event organised by the LGBT community at the University of Kent in honour of LGBT History Month. It covered all the tricks of the trade when it comes to learning to put on Drag make up in a professional manner. There was a team of two women, Terri and Liz, who demonstrated how to put make up on a live model, allowing the audience to watch as a student was transformed into a fabulous Drag Queen.

The full ticket price was a suggested £10 donation that went towards the Albert Kennedy charity. This charity helps homeless LGBT people who may have been cast aside by family members or co-workers and are in need of financial help. The demonstration included professional before and after head-shots and a 60 minute makeup demonstration, followed by a two hour workshop. It was perfect for any aspiring Drag Queen, and just fun for those intrigued by the world of makeup.

Liz, who is from the face-painting company Follies, began the discussion about the different techniques and types of make-up that Drag Queens can use.

She then handed over to Terri, who has worked at Madame JoJo’s, a night and cabaret club in the middle of Soho. She began work on the first model, who took his place at the front of the seminar room.

Terri walked the group of followers through specific techniques and tips on how to perfect the Drag look. She first smoothed down the model’s eyebrows by blocking them out with spirit gum.

This allowed the make-up artist to start with a blank canvas to draw on more spectacular eyebrows later. She also told the audience, comprised mainly of students, that they could use Pritt Stick as a cheaper alternative.

She used a silk fan to dry the eyebrows rather than a hair-dryer as it does not dry out the skin. Once the eyebrow wax (she recommended D32) which is used to block out colour. She used a silk fan to dry the eyebrows rather than a hair-dryer as it does not dry out the skin. Once the spirit gum was dried, she used a thin layer of eyebrow wax (she recommended D32) which is used to block out colour. It has a red tone to counteract the blackness of the eye make-up, which she moved onto later on.

Before the eye transformation, Terri turned to face powder and full-coverage foundation. She made the point that the skin tone of the model did not have to be an exact match to the foundation, as the look is not going to be naturalistic anyway. She worked her way from the model’s cheekbones to his eyebrows.

She then drew huge, dark eyebrows to replace those she had blotted out for extra impact. She drew them in straight lines, emphasising that sharp angles were the way to go.

She then moved onto the eyeliner. For this she used a fat brush rather than a smaller one, in order to blend so the eyeliner almost meets the eyebrow.

Terri called this the ‘Winehouse effect’.

She then placed fake eyelashes on him and a wig, and the model was transformed. He looked so fabulous that the audience was in awe.

Photo by AnrewDesigns.

Lady Gaga - “Born This Way” The feel-good album of the noughties that reminded us all that we don’t have to fit in to feel good about ourselves. The catchy dance beat and quirky lyrics mean that it’s one that’s easy to belt out in your living room. And remember, in the words of Gaga, “Don’t be a drag, just be a queen”.

Katy Perry - “Firework” With Perry dedicating the video of this catchy little number to the LGBT It Gets Better Project (IGB) in 2010 and subsequently tweeting “everyone has the spark to be a FIREWORK”, it’s no surprise that the song became a huge emblem for loving who you are and not caring what other people think. The lyrics might be a bit weird in places (no Katy, I’ve never felt like a plastic bag) but they’ll getting you singing along for sure.

P!nk - “Raise Your Glass” “So raise your glass if you are wrong, in all the right ways” preach it P!nk. Known for her strong LGBT following, this singer never shies away from telling the world what’s right. Ballsy and upbeat, this song raises your mood, gets the blood pumping and leaves you ready to shine with all your differences on show.

All photos by Daniel John

Mika - “Love Today” Remember Mika?! He was great and this song just captures what it feels like when everything’s going your way. Mika said in an interview that, “Everyone is looking for the same thing - to love somebody and be loved back.” So bear that in mind next time you think about picking out someone’s differences. We’re all just on the hunt for the same thing.

In a band? Making a movie? Fancy yourself as a comedian? Got a successful YouTube channel? We’re interested.

Contact newspaper.entertainment@inquirelive.co.uk for more details.

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Entertainment

Songs on Repeat Jack Hadaway-Weller Crows – “Pray” Crows, a noisy four-piece from London have played with Girl Band, Viet Cong and Meat Wave, have finally released their first single, “Pray”. This intelligent hardcore punk, surf-rock hybrid features a massive riff coupled with a dark repeated verse structure. Perfect for those who like their rock music aggressive yet complex.

“Pray” comes out 30 March on Brace Yourself Records.

Photo by thepoppunkkids

Purity Ring – “Bodyache” Canadian two-piece, Purity Ring, make dark electronic music with thumping bass and sporadic computerized percussion complimented by a soothing yet haunting female vocal tone. Their latest single, “Bodyache”, is an exquisite example of how electronic music can be thoughtful as well as danceable to. For fans of Grimes and Chvrches.

Their new album Another Eternity comes out 3 March on Last Gang.

How British are the Brits?

Megan Weal Newspaper Entertainment Editor

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s a child I was in awe of the Brits.

The best British talent was jammed into one room. There was anticipation and speculation. People crossed their fingers in hope that their favourite artist would pick up the beloved trophy. But if last weeks ceremony was anything to go by, it seems that everything has fizzled out into something predictable and boring.

If it wasn’t for the Americans dotted throughout the room, there would have been very little to write home about.

Unsurprisingly, Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran walked away with more than one award, and there were numerous ‘nice’ acts whos performances just filled a few minutes of air time (George Ezra).

This isn’t to say that these artists didn’t deserve to win or that their performances weren’t good, they were just expected. There was no glittering anticipation - even the winners didn’t look that shocked. We’ve labelled ourselves as a good bunch of nice, polite performers with guitars and some strong lungs - but not much else.

Fortunately, some of our American friends had flown across the ocean to provide an otherwise dull evening with a sprinkling of entertainment. You would have been hard-pressed to log onto Twitter and not be confronted with an onslaught of tweets telling you that Madonna had tripped on her cloak and fallen arse-over-tit to the floor. It was the most tweeted about moment of the evening.

T Blur – “Go Out” Out of nowhere Blur announced their first album, The Magic Whip, in 12 years and dropped a huge new track, “Go Out”. The song features a smooth funky bassline which works well against Graham Coxon’s often jagged guitar and Damon Albarn’s almost lethargic unique vocal delivery. A bit odd on the first listen, this track definitely improves on a return vist.

The Magic Whip comes out 27 April on Parlophone.

overwhelming but you knew it was happening for a reason and the message was loud and clear. There were people in hoodies and balaclavas, and did I mention the flamethrowers? Half of the performance was censored and muted and it was still the best fourminutes of the three-hour ceremony.

And that was because it wasn’t being polite or withdrawing from itself. It wasn’t politely clapping from a seat or being said in a well-constructed speech or interview. The Americans made themselves watchable and unforgettable.

Kanye said it himself: “Wake up Britain! You’re ignoring your most talented peoples.” He’d called up underground British Hip-Hop artists on stage with him and proved that we’re a country that doesn’t always have to be polite. And when we’re not, great things happen.

Even Kim Kardashian-West’s selfie with Ant and Dec was more memorable than who won Best Single (Mark Ronson for Uptown Funk) or Best British Group (Royal Blood) (I had to Google both those facts). And, of course, Taylor Swift was always close by for some awkward dancing.

British music and their consequential award shows are just a bit lack-lustre.

Right now, our music industry is like a curry with no spice, Rice Crispies without the snap, crackle and pop, a pizza with no toppings - it’s crap and plain and boring.

British music needs to stop being polite, because the 2015 Brits is not the best that we’ve got in us.

Live music night returns to the Gulbenkian India Bottomley

Photo by Bianca Barrett

Closely behind Madonna was Kanye West’s performance of his new single “All Day”. Stylistically flawless as always and captivating throughout - it was the best performance of the night. No questions, no arguments. There were flamethrowers on stage.

It was like a musical embodiment of a riot - it was intimidating and

he Gulbenkian played host to the second instalment in Beautiful Town Music’s monthly live music night on 26 February. The aim of these concerts is to provide an outlet for a wide range of local musicians. This Thursday’s lineup was Beautiful Town Music’s founder Emily Watts along with Avi Simmons and Midé, who hailed from London.

A great turnout meant that there was a buzzing atmosphere around the Gulbenkian’s stage as Emily Watts introduced herself and sat down at the piano. Her set of songs she had written herself were all very well received by the audience, from “Serenade” to “Shipwrecked.”

In between two of her songs, the singer spoke of how her newer songs were inspired the view from a beach hut she’d written in as part of an artists’ residency. Her songs were beautiful

and relaxing, her strong, emotional vocals were accompanied by soft piano cords for the first few pieces, before she was joined on stage by a guitarist to accompany her newer work. Before leaving the stage, Watts spoke of her plans to release an EP in the near future - definitely an artist to keep an eye on.

Following on from this, came Avi Simmons. Announcing that her set would include both original songs and covers, she sat down with her guitar and launched into her first song, “My Love”, exposing the audience to her beautifully vulnerable sounding voice. Her set flowed between original songs and covers perfectly, with her arrangements of well known songs making them sound like she’d written them for herself. A highlight was definitely her cover of Coldplay’s “Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall”, which was a true ear worm and has stayed in my mind ever since she played it. Much like Emily Watts had done previously, Avi Simmons

made the most of having an audience to announce the upcoming release of her EP and to urge people to follow her on social media to find out about new music and gig details.

The last set of the night came from Midé (pronounced midday, as he told the audience). He had travelled to the concert from London and, judging by the warm reception from the audience, he had either brought fans with him or already had a fan base locally. His imposing stature dwarfed his electric guitar and his voice was stunning and soulful.

Much like the other artists, his emphasis was on songs he had written himself and inviting people to take a look at his EP which had already been released. His set provided a lovely end to a great evening and if this night’s lineup is anything to go by, the next instalment of Beautiful Town Music’s concert series is definitely worth putting in your diary.

Culture

Read and Avoid Anne Suslak

Read

The Basic Eight by Daniel Handler

This is the first novel by author Daniel Handler, who is better known as Lemony Snicket, the author of A Series of Unfortunate Events. The Basic Eight is targeted at adults, but has the same dark humour of the Snicket books. It’s narrated (unreliably) through the diary entries of Flannery Culp, a teenage girl who committed a terrible crime along with her school friends, the Basic Eight.

It’s dark, hilarious and finishes with one of the best twist endings I’ve ever read.

Avoid

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

This is the worst book I’ve ever had the misfortune to read.

I gave up after the first half, because I found the gimmicky misspellings, parts written in colour, and abandonment of punctuation infuriating.

The story, about a boy whose father died in 9/11, had the potential to be interesting, but the unbelievable and unrealistic pretentiousness of the nineyear-old narrator made the story feel artificial and seemed to trivialise a very serious subject matter.

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Beat student stress with creativity Jess Duncan

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hen essays get too much, we all need a good book to just relax - and not necessarily one you read.

Recently publishers and bookshops have seen an increase in sales for colouring in books for adults and, sold as a de-stressing activity, it seems that us students could channel our stress creatively. Here are my suggestions for books you should be investing in for the rest of this term, all at a friendly price (especially on Amazon)!

Photo by atibens

An obvious example is Wreck This Journal by Keri Smith, in which there are many activities to take out your frustration, ranging from jumping on

Feeling inspired?

Give it a go yourself!

(Don’t forget to add fire)

the book to drawing as many circles on a page as you can. Whether you want to spend a few minutes or an hour away from your work, any of Smith’s activity books are perfect for wound up students, with others including Finish This Book and This Is Not A Book.

Ryan Hunter and Taige Jenson worked together to create a grown up colouring book, an especially good one for us students is the Colouring for GrownUps College Companion which, unlike Wreck this Journal, you only need colouring pens and don’t even need to leave the house. From decorating your student room to a bingo board of all the things that so often annoy you on campus, you might never want to get back to your work.

A more interactive activity book which de-stresses while re-educating you is Daniel Smith’s Think You Know it All? in which he tests you on simple things such as bird names and the order of the planets. So whilst you’re reminiscing about the song you learnt in junior school to remember the planet names, you won’t be thinking about looming deadlines, but you can still consider it an educational break.

The Mindfulness Colouring Book:

Anti-stress art therapy for busy people is an aptly named book full of easy designs, illustrated by Emma Farrarons. Reaching to the edge of all the pages, there’s no limiting your creativity. The repetitive images are great for restoring calm in your hour of need, and the book itself fits perfectly in your bag, so wherever you are, your calming influence can go with you.

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Culture

Elephant Man visits the Marlowe Theatre Stopping off in Canterbury on its 2014-15 tour, Julia Mitchell Newspaper Culture Editor spoke to Steve Green, creative director of Elephant Man, about his role and the inspiration for the show.

Firstly, tell me a bit about yourself. What made you want to be a director?

I was an actor first and foremost and from that, I found my way back to directing, which is something I did a lot of at university. I can’t paint with a paintbrush sadly but I love painting pictures on stage and that is what I love about directing for theatre - the realisation of an image or a sequence of images is something I find quite special and something I thoroughly enjoy exploring and creating with a roomful of actors.

For those readers who don’t know, what is Elephant Man about?

I doubt there are many who’ve never heard the fabled story, but basically it’s about the life and times of a freak show act named Joseph Merrick. Joseph was horribly deformed and as such was billed as the Elephant Man, touring up and down the country and throughout Europe exploited by a collection of freak show owners and showmen. It is a beautiful and tragic story in equal measure and one which forces us to look at the human condition.

What has been your main inspiration while directing the play? Are there any particular scenes in the film that inspired you?

I haven’t seen the film since I was a boy and that is a positive thing, especially in regard to adapting the story for the stage. It has been important to find the story for

ourselves and to tell it anew as opposed to relying on past interpretations. The story I wanted to tell was a different one to David Lynch’s film and although I highly regard the film, it had its own historical inaccuracies that I felt I wanted to address.

As for inspiration, when directing the play, it’s been all about the characters to be honest, the two leading men in Joseph’s life, Frederick Treves and Tom Norman. They are fascinating human beings who account their life and times with Joseph very differently. That to me has been fascinating and something we have explored a lot in the rehearsal room.

How has the production developed since its launch at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe?

Hugely. A complete rewrite and a number of other developments too. This has been the pleasure of remounting it after a previous successful run. We’ve had time to really go back to the story, look at what worked, r&d certain new scenes and relationships and develop the script to where it is at now. It’s been a real privilege to have been afforded the time to develop it over the last few years prior to touring.

What challenges have you faced while directing the Elephant Man? Wow… tricky question. I’ve been blessed with a wonderful cast of actors, actors I know really well and trust implicitly, so that is a great start! The challenges have been ensuring, as with

any play, the rhythm of the piece is right. A great play is like a great album: no B - sides and no poor A - sides, it feels like a whole as opposed to a collection of great pieces.

The flow of a play is always what defines its success to me, and getting a play of this nature to flow is difficult as the text and storytelling is quite dense and the relationships incredibly complex. This is great but it also delivers challenges too! I hope we’ve overcome them.

How has the character of John Merrick been brought to life?

With physicality and the use of a beautiful structural costume, which represents his deformities by placing him in a wire cage. No prosthetics and no make-up. This was something I insisted on at the outset, basically no tricks. Let’s find the truth of him without the gimmicks, the aesthetic and symbolism of this fascinating costume piece does that beautifully without impinging the actor at all.

Were there any particular qualities that you looked for while casting his character?

An actor who can move and who is fearless. We found him in Daniel Chrisostomou.

Does the Marlowe Theatre add anything extra to the performance compared to other venues on the tour?

Yes it does in many ways; we were here last year delivering a sell-out season of Christopher Marlowe’s work and it is a real pleasure to return to

the city and the beautiful theatre too.

We’ve got fond memories and we are really looking forward to returning to Canterbury, it is definitely earmarked as a highlight of the tour.

I know that we have many students at UKC who would love to do your job. Do you have any advice for aspiring directors?

Try and get in a room to observe or assist a director to learn their way of working, it will change from room to room and play to play but observation is key in my opinion. That way you start to find your own voice and process by default. Equally, whilst at university direct, direct, direct and act. The best directors tend to be those who understand what it is to be an actor, they tend to connect with actors better because they know the journey and know what is needed at any given point.

Directing is man-management with creative flair; sometimes you need to kick someone, other times it’s an arm around the shoulder, add that to the ability to really listen and see, and you’ve got a good director. It’s not rocket science, but it does require a clear way of working and a strength in your convictions and concept - actors don’t trust easily, sadly as a rule, you have to earn it and you earn it from good prep and strong leadership. All of this comes with time!

And to finish off, how would you describe the Elephant Man using only three words?

Visceral, challenging and rewarding.

...And then we decided to give it a review Megan Weal Newspaper Entertainment Editor

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hen you walk into a small studio theatre and hear a soft grunting, a man covered in a cage struggling

Photo by StueyB

to breathe, you’re not too sure what to do with yourself. The show began as a freak show would, with a ring leader addressing the audience and the performer behind a curtain, ready to be revealed. The “freak” in the cage is Joseph Merrick, known as Elephant Man, naked and squirming in pain, the deformities cleverly created by chains and wires around the body.

Elephant Man was performed in The Marlowe Theatre Studio on 26 February, by Fourth Monkey Theatre Company. A near-perfect space for the production, the physical closeness to the actors was intimidating, engrossing and captivating. This was most notable in a scene in the second half of the play - a young nurse begging not to be raped, crying and contorting as a man tried to rip her clothes off while a deformed, anxiously-mute man writhed on the

bed, wanting to help but left powerless and immobile due to his deformity. It was harrowing, uncomfortable and amazingly performed.

The five actors on stage worked together with ease and interchanged roles clearly. The best actor on stage was Daniel Chrisostomou who played Joseph (the Elephant Man) with such commitment and subtlety that the deformity and pain felt almost real.

His eye contact with the audience was unnerving in the best possible way and his sadness heartbreaking.

The play questions who is truly deformed. Is it the man with the medical deformity or the society around him? Everyone is guilty of their dissent towards the man - the leader of the freak show, the doctors that marvel at him, the nurses, the high-society that invite him into their lives to show their

goodness. People hesitate to touch him, they back away from him as if he were a monster, and society haunts his nightmares.

No concrete conclusion was given to the audience, but what was obvious was that the monster of the story was definitely not Joseph Merrick. The show ended with the chains falling from Merrick’s body, leaving him naked in bed and unconstrained by his deformity.

Elephant Man was insightful, it made me uncomfortable and it was exceptionally powerful in its delivery.

The show was nominated for the Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2012 and it was easy to see why. Cleverly executed and dramatically thrilling, Elephant Man is a must-see.

Culture

Ultima Vez at the Gulbenkian Rebecca Fartharly

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ance troupe Ultima Vez brought their show What Our Bodies Don’t Remember to the Gulbenkian, an energetic and emotive piece of dance choreography, that has toured since 1987. The show debuted in New York with their director Wim Vandekeybus.

The composers of the show, Thierry de Mey and Peter Vemeersch received the Bessie Award for the brutality that the dance portrays. It returned to the stage in 2013 for the 25 year anniversary, with a new cast and musical company, for a world tour.

The dance depicts a disjointed reality that explodes with rage and life, showing a strong confrontation of dance and music. The show treads the fine line between attraction and repulsion, which often ends up with battles between couples, between

groups, between dancers and music, and between basically every set of binaries. The underlying fractures make the show compelling.

The dancers all wore dark tones, with blacks and greys and browns, to reflect the underworld of rage that they were portraying. The body is strained and distressed, and at times becomes very chaotic.

At one point, the performers throw bricks as well as dodging them, which made me physically wince each time I thought one was going to be hit.

This level of intensity meant that the audience were on the edge of their seats throughout the whole performance, as it made them very aware of their own bodies.

Seeing the dancers put their bodies under extreme pressure, reminded the audience that they have their own physicality (that is very often ignored).

What Our Bodies Don’t Remember plays on this relationship between mind and body.

The fact that the music is played live adds to the electricity of the room, as the dancers are properly engaging with the beat. At times, when the dancers hit the stage it causes an echo around the room, again bringing the audience into the centre of the show.

The music pierces through you as you sit in your seat, feeling each beat reverberate in your own heart. The dance is shaped by the music, from the sharp strings to the intensity of the percussion instruments, as it leads the drama in which the dancers are permitted to perform.

The speed and ferocity that the performers move, brings its own frantic energy that reminds the audience that their bodies are there to be used; not just to house a mind.

The Ship by Antonia Honeywell Julia Mitchell Newspaper Culture Editor

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iving in the midst of a crumbling civilisation, 16-year-old Lallage Paul was lucky to grow up sheltered by her parents from the greatest horrors of her world. Gripped by poverty and ravaged by violence, the British Museum now provides shelter to hundreds of illegal refugees, and citizens require identity cards to acccess the remains of London’s dwindling resources. Without one of these cards, death is inevitable.

In their increasingly dangerous world, and with nowhere else to run, Lalla’s father, Michael Paul, paves an escape for his family using a ship big enough to whisk them, and 500 worthy passengers, away to a new life at sea.

But for Lalla, living in the safety of her father’s ship isn’t quite the salvation it seems.

In her striking debut novel, Antonia Honeywell provides a frightening glimpse into a struggling London of the future, one that is not so far removed from our own, and faces ruin as a consequence of the human race and its destructive actions. Lalla’s reality is startling; she’s never even seen an apple and eggs no longer exist in shells, as we would obviously expect to find them today. Their world has lost so much of what we have right now, and the book relays a serious warning about what could happen if our society doesn’t change its ways.

The plot itself mainly focuses on life on board the ship, following Lalla’s difficulty with settling into their artificial society, and causing her to

question what it really means to be alive, in a place where nothing new will ever be created. It begs the question: if simply surviving isn’t enough for Lalla, will her father’s vessel even offer her a future worth living?

Photo by Tom Russell

While Lalla may not have enjoyed her time on the ship, I found it fun to read about this little bubble that Honeywell has created, exploring the corridors and delving deep into its endless storerooms. As I read, not only did we discover the ship’s secrets, but Lalla also uncovered the stories of its many inhabitants, who each had their own unique tale to tell. I mean, they had to, if they were to be found worthy by Michael Paul, a character that I found particularly intriguing.

It’s clear from the beginning that Michael thrives on receiving praise

and affection from others. He wants to be needed and, although it’s claimed repeatedly, I don’t believe for a second that the ship was created simply to provide for his only daughter. Lalla, while being equally as interesting to read, was of an entirely different character to her father. An imprint of her mother who was lost shortly before boarding the ship, Lalla cared deeply for those that they left behind in London, and longed to make a difference in their lives.

The book follows Lalla’s journey through, not only coming to terms with her mother’s death, but also her transformation from a girl into a woman who is strong enough to make her own choices, and carve out a future of her own.

The plot is gripping, and the characters are interesting, but what I enjoyed most of all is that The Ship is a story about hope. It’s about never running away, and following the path that we most truly believe in, not the one that is desired by others. It’s clear that Lalla never belonged on the ship and, as the story developed, it became easier for me to understand how the vessel’s other inhabitants could bear to leave the rest of the world behind. No, the ship would not save humankind, but that was never the point.

For me, this book is a reminder to keep fighting, for the less fortunate, for ourselves, and for the entire human race. The future is precious, and The Ship proves to be a direct reminder that the fight to keep it alive is all ours.

The Ship by Antonia Honeywell, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, £12.99.

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Society Spotlight India Bottomley

Music Society

Photo by Matt Wilson

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he University’s Music Society is the hub for Kent’s musicians. Its main focus are its ensembles that rehearse on various evenings throughout the week, and put on several performances throughout the year.

With everything from the University’s Chorus, which is open to everyone, to the Big Band and Concert Bands, without forgetting the Orchestra and Chamber Choir.

Whilst rehearsals and concerts are at the core of the society, there is also a strong social aspect to what we do. Our socials range from trips to the Royal Albert Hall to the more standard fancy dress nights in Venue. The club can’t even Handel us right now (sorry!).

One of the highlights of the society’s year is the annual Cathedral Concert, which is taking place on 14 March.

We have a huge range of performances going on this term, so be sure to search for Kent Music Society on Facebook and @UKCmusicSociety on twitter for details of concert times and how to get your tickets.

Want to see your society in this space? Contact newspaper.culture@ inquiremedia.co.uk.

Sport

Men’s rugby 3s rejoice Henry Sandercock

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ith the score at 19-18 to UKC, CCCU had a penalty right in front of the posts. Yet, in somewhat controversial circumstances, they missed which awarded the win to UKC. Christ Church struck the first blow with a penalty in the first five minutes however their lead was short-lived as Kent retaliated with a converted try, courtesy of the prolific Rory Thornton.

Unlike the fourth team game where both sides were most certainly playing very near to their best, there was a sense at this one that neither team were really giving their optimum

performance.

Whenever a player was allowed to run at the opposition, they seemed to make a lot of ground as both defences were relatively porous.

Two late tries in the first half saw the gap maintained as the teams headed in with the score at 12-8 in UKC’s favour.

The second half started well for UKC. Joe Urry was allowed to dance past the Christ Church defence on the wing and managed to score under the posts, leaving an easy kick for Rory Thornton. This made the score 19-8 to Kent.

Christ Church then enjoyed a spell of dominance as they crossed the line twice to put the score at 19-18 heading into the

final few minutes. With just a minute left on the clock, CCCU were awarded a penalty and controversy struck.

As the Christ Church kicker went to take the kick, a Kent supporter started bleating like a sheep and the kicker missed, sending the referee into a fit of anger. He proceeded to (illegally but fairly) award Christ Church another go.

However their kicker, whose kicks had travelled impressive distances throughout the match, was cramping up and pulled his second attempt wide.

The whistle blew and it was ecstasy for Kent but total dejection for CCCU who had come so close.

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CCCU Men’s volleyball stun UKC with victory Despite not being in a BUCS league, CCCU Men’s Volleyball team breezed past Kent to get their first Varsity point on the board.

James Shaw

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lthough we knew little about this Christ Church team, it is safe to say that Kent will not forget them in a hurry.

They were solid throughout the first two sets, forcing mistakes from a strong Kent team who came into this match on the back of back-to-back victories.

However the third set will certainly linger in the minds of Kent’s team as they were deducted three points in the closing stages.

Christ Church started really well and never looked back.

Frustration settled in especially for UKC’s Eduardo De Lorenzi who, at one point, kicked the ball away in disgust at his performance. Christ Church had their very own canon spike in the shape of Videlin Trufev who gained a lot of Christ Church’s points through his precise hitting.

After two CCCU-dominated

sets, the third saw a strong performance by Kent, as they came out with all guns blazing.

Yet Christ Church still managed to win the set, albeit with some dubious umpiring decisions.

After it was discovered that Kent had failed to rotate properly and that they had the wrong server, they were deducted three points. Having been two points ahead of CCCU at that point, they suddenly found themselves behind again.

Christ Church took advantage and once again never looked back.

The Kent team captain Josh Breese said afterwards: “There were positives to take but we need to work on our weaknesses and take it back to training ready for the next game.

The controversial moment made it easier for them but unfortunately we were not fast enough in the game. We need to improve our mentality but I am positive we can win next year.”

Women’s Badminton win Photo by Team Kent

Men’s football 2s beaten by a superior CCCU side Charlotte Grant

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fter Kent had experienced two wins from two, with both their teams playing against the formbook, there was high hope that three times would be a charm. The difference between the two teams was evident, not only in their different leagues, UKC playing in South Eastern 4B and CCCU 3B.Kent went into the game low on confidence, coming off the back of two defeats.

Despite this, Kent got off to the brighter start, forcing the CCCU goalkeeper to save at his near right post, while an early free kick from Kent narrowly went wide. Chances were few and far between with both teams lacking composure, and an overall lack of finesse in the final third.

The first major chance of the game came in the 35th

minute as Kent’s #18 was one on one with the goalkeeper, after a blistering run past the defenders and receiving a great cross, he merely needed to hit the ball either over the keeper or to his left. Unfortunately, the player hit it wide to the right and the best chance of the game came to nothing. It was then followed up by another one for Kent from their #16, who hit a low drive into the bottom right hand corner, but the keeper was able to save the ball, and the teams went into half time with no goals.

The second half saw Kent start strong, hitting a ball straight at the keeper after 30 seconds.

Their next best chance fell to Kent’s #18, who, after having beaten all of the defenders, and was facing only the goalkeeper, hit the cross bar from five yards out, a mistake that was etched all over the player’s face. CCCU

got the first goal of the game after their #16 slotted the ball to the left of the Kent keeper. It appeared they were in control from that moment, but their focus soon slipped, as roughly 10 minutes after their goal, Kent’s #16 scored his own.

With two goals already scored, the second half was shaping up much better than the first.

CCCU were the winners in finding a second goal, as their #5 scored from close range, after some brilliant counterattacking play. Kent became more erratic and desperate, whilst CCCU stayed defensively strong, hoping to hold onto the win, a feat which they achieved.

CCCU appeared to be the more composed, and definitely possessed the better finishing skills than Kent whose ability in the final third seemed to have deserted them, a fact that helped CCCU record this win.

Natalie Tipping

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ith the match already sealed with four victories, Kent slipped up in their final two games as Christ Church singles second seed Lily Brunning overcame the odds to beat UKC first seed Simran Matharu in a three-set thriller and CCCU first seeded pair overcame Kent’s second seeds.

Despite these two defeats taking the sheen off the Kent victory, it was still a dominant performance from the BUCS South Eastern Conference 3B leaders against a side who do not yet compete in BUCS. It started well for Kent with Matharu making light work of Chloe Bungey in the first seed

singles match and UKC A team, Ellie Wainwright and Helen Baldwin overcoming CCCU’s Alissa Bass & Holly Tun. Lucy Rider had a slightly tougher examination against Brunning in the second seed singles as they remained neckand-neck throughout the match.

However, her ability to handle the pressure saw her through to what looked like a comfortable result on paper. Evidently, the result of this match made Brunning desperate for revenge, as Matharu found out to her displeasure in the final match.

Despite a growing CCCU crowd, UKC managed to shut out the chants of ‘C4 ‘til I die’ to win the fixture 6-2 overall.

Photo by Team Kent

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Sport

Men’s hockey 2s achieve welldeserved win Natalie Tipping

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ollowing wins from both the Men’s rugby 2s and the Men’s football 4s, ‘Manic Monday’ seemed to be set to be Kent’s day, and the Men’s hockey 2s didn’t want to break the winning streak.

The guys came out fighting from the start, with an early attack making the crowd think this was going to be an easy Kent win. CCCU stood their ground however, and despite very even play from both teams for much of the first half of the match, CCCU scored first.

Kent soon equalised and their goal dictated the play for the rest of the half, with both teams playing well and managing to score again, so that by halftime, the score was 2-2.

The second half saw more attacking play by both teams, who were desperate for the match not to end in penalties.

With the final score at 3-3 however, penalties is how the match was decided.

Despite valiant efforts by both teams, the main bragging rights went to the UKC goalkeeper, who managed to keep out two CCCU penalties, making the penalties score 4-2, and giving Kent another Varsity victory.

Webb

Photo by Sam Allard

Men’s football 1s lose in penalty shoot-out Natalie Tipping

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he Men’s football 1s match was the final fixture of Monday 2 March. With the distribution of wins being quite even for the day, neither team wanted to let their university down with a loss.

Despite a couple of good chances, the score remained at 0-0 for much of the first half.

CCCU were lucky to get a shot in the net, but unlucky to have it disallowed due to being offside.

They did not let this phase them however, and a huge throw-in soon resulted in them scoring the opening goal.

Kent were not discouraged; they had a lot of the attacking possession for the remainder of the first half, although the score going into the break was still 0-1 to CCCU.

Photo by Team Kent

After the brief pause to the match, Kent came out attacking from the start, and soon scored an equaliser from a great corner, levelling the score at 1-1.

They soon looked to be in with a shot of going in to the lead from a free kick, but failed to take advantage of this opportunity.

They did however get lucky when the unfortunate CCCU #4 pushed in an own goal following a cross into the box from UKC #2. Kent now had the lead, 2-1.

Thankfully for the embarrassed CCCU player, his team fought back, and managed to equalise once more, bringing the score to 2-2 at full-time, and taking the match to a penalty decider.

The penalties were perhaps the most impressive part of the match, with the teams being completely evenly matched, so much so that after five penalties each, the score was still tied.

The match then entered a sudden death penalty shootout scenario, and the tension was tangible in the stands and on the pitch. Many Kent fans hoped that their team’s higher league status would mean they

UKC Tennis men’s singles serve yet another victory

would come out on top, but when the teams reached their eleventh (yes, ELEVENTH) penalty, it’s fair to say nobody could guess which way it was going to go.

It was all down to the goalkeepers to decide it for their teams. The CCCU goalkeeper didn’t disappoint, with a very well taken kick hitting the back of the net and sending his Kent counterpart flying the wrong way. The Kent goalkeeper then had the duty of taking his team to another round of penalties, and had to score to keep them in the game. Unfortunately, the Kent goalkeeper took a poor penalty kick, and gave the win to CCCU. A thoroughly enjoyable match nonetheless, which the Kent side were incredibly unlucky to lose, but the CCCU side worked tirelessly to win.

Men’s lacrosse net another point for Kent

Emily Adams and Emma Shelton

Patrick Kamalu

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espite being unsuccessful in the doubles, UKC won all four singles matches.

Men’s singles 1s: Men’s singles 1s saw UKC Captain Callum Macarty and CCCU Captain James Scales go head to head. After a shaky start, broken in his opening game, the adrenaline kicked in and Macarty took the first set 6-2.

Holding his serve, Macarty breezed through the first game of the second set, undeterred

by Scales’ dominant serve.

Dramatic play ensued from both sides with Scales sliding to the floor, in an attempt to win the point. Despite his best efforts, Scales was unable to claw back the points and Macarty sealed the win 6-2, 6-3.

Men’s singles 2s: In the men’s singles 2s, Matthew Brears took the lead for UKC, playing against CCCU’s Ben Miller. The first set ended 6-2 for Brears and into the second one, Miller tried his best to defend. It looked to be another easy defeat as Brears lead 2-1, but Miller did not hold back. A few uncertain line calls

Photo by Team Kent

and increased involvement from supporters made for a tense atmosphere between the players. Competition was tough but Brears was not here to lose, eventually winning 6-2, 6-4.

Men’s singles 3s: UKC’s Alex Leonard played CCCU’s Luke Williams in the men’s singles 3s. Although they were neglected during an exciting men’s 2s match, all eyes turned back to Leonard as he powered through the first set, which ended 6-2.

Outrageous play from him throughout the match brought

him to a well-deserved victory of 6-2, 6-3.

Men’s singles 4s: A final push from UKC with the last match on the courts saw Dan Schaub Hernandez take on CCCU’s Ross Murray.

Initially trailing Murray 2-3, unwavering support from UKC brought Schaub Hernandez back into the game 4-3, eventually taking the set 6-4.

He then sailed through the second set, winning 6-4, 6-1.

A fantastic finish closing the evening with an overall score of 8-4 to Kent.

n what was to be a hotblooded and high-tempered affair, the UKC Men’s Lacrosse team faced up against the CCCU Men’s team for yet another Varsity win.

Things got off to a great start for UKC as James Cugley gave Kent the lead within the opening 3 minutes. Kent soon doubled their advantage when captain, Sam Perry scored which was soon followed by a third and a fourth to bring the first quarter to a close.

UKC started the way they ended by notching a fifth goal before CCCU registered their first of the game making the score line at 5-1.

However, there was a break in play as a mini-brawl erupted and three players were sent off indefinitely to draw the 1st half to a close.

The second half began in endto-end fashion as CCCU and Kent both scored and conceded goals in quick succession to make the score, 8-4 to UKC at the end of the 3rd quarter.

UKC were rampant in the final quarter however, and were crowned Varsity Champions 2015 with a final score of 11-4.

Sport

Things go swimmingly for Kent Julia Mitchell

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ent opened Tuesday 4 March with another win as they took on Canterbury Christ Church University at the Kingsmead Swimming Pool.

Leading from the first whistle, the gala opened with the 100m medley, which saw Kent take first place in both the men’s and women’s races. Their winning streak continued into the 500m medley relay, where Kent finished in first and third place in the women’s, and first and second in the men’s.

CCCU clutched at a rare win in the 50m men’s butterfly, but Kent were close on their heels, chasing them in at second and third place, and winning the women’s race. The first half closed with the 50m backstroke, securing another two wins for Kent, and adding to their dominating lead.

The halfway tally saw Kent take a huge jump ahead of CCCU with a score of 66 – 38, much to the glee of Kent supporters in the stands.

Team Kent continued to wipe the floor with Christ Church throughout the second half, kicking off with the 50m breaststroke, where they landed first place in both races.

Despite UKC’s widening lead, Christ Church fought valiantly, snatching handfuls of second and third place positions.

Although they gave it their best effort, Kent stormed to the finish of the second half in first and second place for both the men’s and women’s freestyle relays.

Closing on a tally of 111 points to CCCU’s 69, this was a fantastic performance from the Kent swimming team, chalking up another win onto the Varsity scoreboard.

Photo by Adam Webb

Women’s basketball slam dunk CCCU

Photo by Team Kent

Natalie Tipping

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rom tip-off, the Kent girls looked to be the dominant team, working well to spread play across every space of the court, and score some great opening baskets. Kent’s Stephanie Roworth was a force to be reckoned with throughout the match, with spectators near me beginning to assume that UKC would score as soon as she touched the ball.

The score was 10-18 UKC going into the second quarter, and the girls looked to continue to dominate. The girls didn’t disappoint the away crowd, who caused quite a din in the CCCU Sports Hall when the first half ended 15-46 to UKC. With such a huge deficit to make up, the CCCU team would

have been forgiven for feeling a little deflated coming back on to the court for the third and fourth quarters, but they fought through to the bitter end. Everytime Christ Church made a good attacking play, however, Kent would get them on the counter-attack, and soon the score was sailing towards the century mark.

The final quarter saw many a nervous shot bounce off the rim or the backboard, as the Christ Church team tried to decrease the UKC lead. The UKC team could smell the 100 point barrier calling them. Due to the valiant efforts of the C4 side however, the Kent team couldn’t make it to that goal, and the match ended 32-86 to Kent – a massive win for the women’s team.

Netball 1s storm to success Henry Sandercock Sports Editor

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Photo by Sam Allard

ent’s netball firsts made an extremely tight fixture look easy with a barn-storming final quarter which saw them come close to scoring a goal a minute as they overcame CCCU 43-25.

For three quarters of the match, the teams were neckand-neck with nets at both ends of the court. The first quarter saw a nervy Kent throw away numerous chances in the D and a rampant Christ Church team capitalising at the other end.

To begin with, it was a battle of the defences as, at the Kent end, Beth Grimsey warded off numerous shots with her very physical style of play, and at the CCCU end, UKC attacker Rhianna Legg was put under pressure by both Kelly Stubbs and Ffion Griffiths.

Kent soon found some rhythm

so that whilst CCCU had had the upper hand in the opening salvos, UKC had the upper hand heading into the second quarter, as they came back to lead 7-5.

However, Kent’s attackers were still misfiring at the top and so the match remained close throughout the second quarter. This was where Kent’s defence really came into its own with Tynneka Browne making a few vital interceptions outside her defensive D and Grimsey putting her body on the line to intercept anything that came her way.

Heading into the third quarter, UKC substituted the seemingly nervous Legg for Elle Valentine who combined well with fellow attacker Becky Welch to start to put some daylight between them and the hosts. Coincidentally, at this point, the CCCU sports centre’s electronic scoreboard

started “acting up”, which meant that there was a great deal of confusion both on the court and off it, with numerous stoppages as the umpires tried to sort it out.

These pauses in the match did not do anything to harm UKC’s momentum, and with a consistent goal-scorer in the form of Valentine, they began to look like a complete team.

As Grimsey continued to block Christ Church attacks, UKC’s offence was able to run riot at the CCCU end and so came an astonishing passage of play, in the final quarter, which saw them score 14 goals almost unanswered as CCCU seemed to struggle with fatigue. In the end, the score was probably the right one considering all of the chances that Kent had squandered but it was still harsh on a Christ Church team who gave it their all.

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Varsity Results Women’s Volleyball UKC 3-0 CCCU Men’s Volleyball UKC 0-3 CCCU Men’s Badminton UKC 6-1 CCCU Women’s Badminton UKC 6-2 CCCU Women’s Basketball UKC 86-32 CCCU Men’s Basketball UKC 81-71 CCCU Netball UKC 37-24 CCCU (4s) UKC 21-31 CCCU (3s) UKC 33-24 CCCU (2s) UKC 45-25 CCCU (1s) Men’s Football UKC 1-1 (4-2 penalties) CCCU (4s) UKC 1-1 (4-3 penalties) CCCU (3s) UKC 1-2 CCCU (2s) UKC 2-2 (8-9 penalties) CCCU (1s) Men’s Hockey UKC 3-3 (4-2) CCCU (2s) UKC 3-5 CCCU (1s) Women’s Hockey UKC 0-1 CCCU (2s) UKC 2-1 CCCU (1s) Women’s Football UKC 1-4 CCCU Men’s Tennis UKC 8-4 CCCU Swimming UKC 111-69 CCCU Equestrian UKC win Snow Sports UKC 3-0 CCCU Trampolining CCCU win Women’s Cricket CCCU win Women’s Lacrosse UKC 18-7 CCCU Men’s Cricket CCCU win (2s) CCCU win (1s) Men’s Lacrosse UKC 11-4 CCCU Women’s Rugby UKC 0-44 CCCU Men’s Rugby UKC 5-6 CCCU (4s) UKC 19-18 CCCU (3s) UKC 20-13 CCCU (2s) UKC 22-20 CCCU (1s)

Overall Varsity Result UKC 21-13 CCCU

InQuire sport www.inquirelive.co.uk/sport

Team Kent win Varsity ’15

Photo by Sam Allard, Adam Webb, Team Kent and Rob Linton

Henry Sandercock Sports Editor

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rom “Sheep Gate” to penalty shoot-outs, this year’s Varsity has been dramatic and close. Both Kent’s and Christ Church’s teams cannot be said to have given anything but their very best over an intensive five days of sport.

It all got underway on Saturday 28 February with Kent confident of making it an eighteenth consecutive Varsity victory, and Christ Church confident that the winning run would be put to an end this year.

The first set of fixtures between the volleyball sides encapsulated this sentiment perfectly. Kent’s women’s volleyballers enjoyed a dominant three sets to nil victory over Christ Church; however, this was quickly followed by a three sets to nil

drubbing by the Christ Church men’s side. Christ Church most certainly demonstrated that they would not be beaten easily, if at all.

After this wobble, Kent showed that they are in no way ready to relinquish their Canterbury crown. In both the badminton and basketball they dominated Christ Church. The basketball was particularly entertaining as the men’s team, having seen their female counterparts thrash the opposition, came out as unexpected winners despite a tense final ten minutes.

Kent cycling joined the Varsity party for the first time in the competition’s history on Saturday. Christ Church had their rider cross the finish-line in the fastest time, but Kent won overall. Cycling is looking like a sure-fire for points-scoring in next year’s competition.

Sunday saw the netball take centre stage. There were thrills and spills throughout the day and all of the games were close.

Kent came out on top though, with three out of four victories.

The support from the crowd was electric and even included a drum and a brass band that will hopefully return again next year. With Kent, at this point, beating Chrict Church 10-2, it was still all to play for.

‘Manic Monday’ certainly lived up to its name. With five football fixtures, four hockey matches, tennis and the seconds rugby all playing at Parkwood in the space of nine hours, it was sporting chaos. Some of the fixtures were highly dramatic.

The Men’s football fourth, third and first team fixtures and men’s hockey second team match all went to penalties. The football first team shoot-out

was particularly tense, playing 11 penalties each, which Christ Church eventually won 9-8.

Tuesday was a quieter day but proved decisive in the contest.

It started with the swimming which took place at Kingsmead leisure centre. With the poolside acoustics creating a great atmosphere, Kent romped to a 111-69 victory. The action then flew over to Stodmarsh where the rugby thirds and fourths had their fixtures, with the equestrian event taking place next door.

Kent won the equestrian, however, the intrigue was in the rugby where the Kent third team won in controversial circumstances. With the score at 19-18 to Kent, Christ Church had a last minute kick in front of the Kent posts. As he went to take it, a supporter bleated like a sheep, The kick missed

and the referee flew into a fit of anger, but the game was Kent’s.

Also on Tuesday, Kent Snow took on their Christ Church counterparts with their fixture counting towards the overall Varsity score for the first time.

By Wednesday, Kent’s win was confirmed. Christ Church came back however, winning all three of the indoor cricket fixtures and smashing the Kent women’s rugby team 44-0. The day was still Kent’s though as they won both the lacrosse fixtures and the men’s rugby. The men’s lacrosse was a particularly big fixture as it was also a semi-final for the BUCS South Eastern Conference Cup. The men’s rugby win capped off another successful year for Kent as they won 21-13 overall.

But there is no doubt that Christ Church will be even stronger next year.