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20 March 2015

Issue 10.12

INSIDE: Meet your five new Sabbatical Officers and read about their main manifesto points for 2015/16. See Page 3

Sophie Waeland Is a humanities degree a waste of money?

See Page 7

Photo by Sam Allard

You voted in the elections and now the results are in, here are your Sabbatical Officers for 2015/16.

£43,000 for Dame Julia

Sarah Osborne Website News Editor

rofessor Dame Julia Goodfellow, the ViceChancellor of the University of Kent, received a £43,000 pay rise last year. The Vice-Chancellor’s wage increase has been calculated as the fifth largest annual percentage increase of anybody in her position in the financial year 2013/14. Goodfellow’s salary was £222,000 in 2012/13 and now stands at £265,000. The University and College Union (UCU) accused the University of attempting to “obscure key information” by providing heavily modified

records of the meeting that decided the Vice-Chancellor’s salary. Michael Moran, regional official from the UCU, commented on the report findings: “This report exposes the huge variations in senior pay in our universities, and institutions’ refusal to be open and transparent about why university bosses are paid what they are.” Moran further believes that “many staff and students will be amazed at the size of the Kent University Vice-Chancellor’s pay increase, especially as it came at a time when staff were having to take strike action just to secure a two per cent pay

rise”. As Vice-Chancellor, Professor Goodfellow’s responsability lies in the administrative and academic running of the University of Kent, primarily upholding the University’s high reputation with politicians and industry leaders. The University’s Financial Statement of 2013/4 states that the Vice-Chancellor’s pay is determined by the Remuneration Committee and “takes into account performance during the year and data from comparable institutions”. A spokesman said: “The University of Kent believes that senior management pay needs to reflect what it takes to attract

and retain the very best leaders, in what is a global market for leadership talent. Higher education continues to be one of the UK’s most successful sectors. “The University is worth £0.6 billion to the economy of the South East, with its students contributing £211 million to that total, and directly or indirectly supports almost 6,800 jobs in the region.” The spokesman defended accusations of hiding key information and said that the meeting “contain[ed] a significant amount of personal data” which was withheld under the Freedom of Information Act.

Dan English Editorial: An ode to student union elections See Page 9

Eliott Bayliss and Fraser Whieldon The Great Kanye debate See Page 16

News Editor’s Note

Hello all, Issue 10.12 - you’re in for a treat! Following in the spirit of all the elections excitement, find some thoughts on the General Elections in News. Moving on to Comment, don’t miss the excellent satirical piece on Jeremy Clarkson and then some great editorials - without wanting to blow my own horn. Otherwise, get in the mood for spring with the Holi Festival in Culture, or summer if you’re keen, with a festival special in Entertainment. Emma x 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: Sarah Osborne- News website.news Dave Cocozza - 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

A £6,000 tuition cap? Joe Day

introduced in 2012 by the coalition government, would uition fees would be cost the taxpayer an additional reduced to £6,000 per year £281 billion by 2030. for students in England under Referring to a vow a Labour government. made by the Liberal This was the pledge Democrats prior made by party leader, to the 2010 Ed Miliband, should General Election Labour be voted to oppose higher into power in May’s tuition fees, General Election. Miliband called Miliband claimed the current system that the current fees “the most expensive system of £9,000 broken promise in a year, the history of British politics”. The Liberal Democrat Energy Secretary, Ed Davey, described the policy as “stupid”, and Business Secretary, Vince Cable, said that his party would oppose such a cut if it entered into a Photo by Department of Energy and Climate Change

future coalition. Nick Clegg criticised the policy, saying that it did not properly address the issue of maintenance grants. The Conservatives have not laid out any plans for tuition fees in the lead up to the election, however Conservative spending plans for the next parliament have predicted a £50 billion cut to public services. Speaking at the 2014 Conservative conference, Margot James, a member of the Prime Minister’s policy board, said that “fees in the future may even have to rise”. The Labour leader also promised a £400 rise in the maintenance grant received by less well-off students, to be funded by a 1% increase in the interest rates of student loan repayments for wealthier graduates. This policy is also to be funded by a 25% decrease in tax relief on pensions. Paul Green of the insurance provider, Saga, accused Miliband of “playing Russian Roulette with people’s futures”.

Business Secretary Vince Cable added to the attacks on the Labour leader, calling the policy an indication of “financial illiteracy”. Ed Miliband also faced scrutiny from within his own party. A previous aide to Tony Blair, Huw Evans, stressed that the financing of the plan endangered pensions, adding that the industry needs reform, but “this is not the way to do it”. Evans also said: “we need a focus on reforming pension tax […] rather than piecemeal cuts”. Miliband insisted that the pensions raid would only hit the wealthy, adding that “the scourge of [student] debt is… holding back our young people”.

Photo by William Warby

Breaking Barriers in the workplace Ruby Lyle Newspaper News Editor

reaking Barriers is a series of talks to be brought in by Student Employability, which focus on discrimination in the workplace. The week will take place on the Canterbury campus from 23 to 27 March. Becky Lamyman, Student Experience Support Officer, said: “Student Employability: Breaking Barriers is a week that is designed to equip students with an understanding of what struggles still exist for individuals in some workplaces, both in the UK and beyond, and most importantly, to educate them as to what they can do to challenge and overcome discrimination that they may experience, either first hand or that they witness occurring. “Unfortunately, discrimination and prejudice do still exist in society, and students need to be aware of what their rights

are, what discrimination may look like, especially when it is subtle and non-overt, and most importantly, what they can do to challenge it. “We are proud of the fact that students at Kent leave university as well-rounded,

well-educated individuals and valued citizens of the world, and Breaking Barriers will help make that world a better place.” Speakers will include those from the Everyday Sexism Project, Breaking Down Barriers, and the Race Found.

Topics will feature women in engineering, everyday sexism in the workplace, being out in the workplace, being transgender in the workplace, and race in the workplace and the NHS. Breaking Barriers also took place on the Medway campus.

News

Meet your new officers! President

Welfare

Education

Activities

Sports

Tammy Naidoo

Rory Murray

Jack Lay

Tom Currie

Nina Mehmi

Tom CURRIE

Tammy NAIDOO Manifesto points

“I’m overjoyed and proud! I’m happy that everyone believed in me for a second year and thank you to my team.”

“I’m so excited to be re-elected. There’s so much I still want to do so it’s great that I have the opportunity to do it.”

• Lobbying the University over the shuttle bus service, creating a Union run letting agent, supporting students regarding guarantors. • To give students more choice about what happens on campus, make it easier for students to run campaigns, and introducing a loyalty card system. • To create questions and answers sessions between students and the Vice Chancellor, making what the Union does more transparent to students, from campaigns to our funding and how our money is spent. • For more core texts to be available in an e-book format, to increase the amount of social space, and additional funding for Oaks Nursery.

Manifesto points

Mehmi 2,071 votes

Currie 2,470 votes

Lay 2,561 votes

Murray 1,251 votes

Jack LAY Naidoo 1,378 votes

Nina MEHMI

“I’d like to say a massive thank you to my campaign team. I can’t wait to get started.” • A £2 Meal Deal in Essentials and Library Café. • Free City Wide Wi-Fi for students. • A puppy room during exam time, to help you de-stress. • Sexual Health and Guidance Week on campus. • A rogue landlords list for when you’re renting.

Manifesto points • Pilot an online banking system for student groups and roll out a full system by 2017. • Overhaul society training and develop a progressive year long training system. • Deals for students involved in extra-curricular activities. • Greater recognition and respect for extra-curricular activities. • Obtain an Activities Common Room.

Rory MURRAY

Photos by Sam Allard

“I’m really excited to get started again. I’m the first ever sports VP to get re-elected so I’m really happy!”

• Continuing to work on: an online banking system, a more affordable transport tender process, showcasing the links between sport and wellbeing, showcasing the links between sport, academic achievements and graduate employability, Let’s Play, relationships with Student Media, building the Team Kent brand, gaining sponsorship and funding from national governing bodies for every sports club. • To work on: gaining an overall sponsor for Team Kent. • To continue lobbying for: termly Kent sport memberships, increased funding for students, free Wednesdays for all, the future development of grass pitches and a swimming pool, improve facilities and support for clubs that train off campus, Varsity specific funding. • To lobby for: facilities-only memberships, women-only gym classes, independent learning plans for sports scholars, non-term time sporting activities.

“It’s fantastic that students have placed their faith in me for another year.” Manifesto points • Replace library fines with a fairer system of lending. • Expand ‘work-free Wednesdays’ to include mornings off for sport. • Introduce anonymous coursework marking. • More study facilities at the Medway Campus. • Expand postgraduate study space.

News

The rise of TV debates in British politics Your News

Ruby Lyle Newspaper News Editor

he General Election of 2015 will be the second time in British history that the leaders of the main political parties shall participate in live televised debates. These debates were introduced during the 2010 elections, inspired by the American system, to pit prime ministerial candidates directly against one another for the benefit of the British electorate. The debates are intended to take place on 2, 16 and 30 April as part of a collaboration between the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky. They will feature the seven primary parties; the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, Labour, Plaid Cymru, the Green Party, UKIP and the Scottish National Party. The final debate shall be however broadcasted on Channel 4 and Sky, showing a debate only between Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, and the Prime Minister. The upcoming debates have garnered a high level of controversy of late, nominally centred on David Cameron. Most recently, Cameron has refused to participate in more than one debate, rather than the three proposed and countering those he took part in during his 2010 campaign, while not holding office. The Prime Minister has stated that he shall not take part in multiple debates as “there has been chaos” since the debates were proposed, particularly regarding “holding debates in the short campaign”, meaning the plans for them to be held weeks away from the General Election. Cameron further justified his position by suggesting a “desire to exclude the Greens” by Labour and the Liberal Democrats from the debate process, and protesting the introduction of the seven-way debates which do not feature the Democratic Unionist Party. A letter to the participating broadcasters from Cameron’s Director of Communications,

Craig Oliver, stated: “This is our final offer, and to be clear, given the fact this has been a deeply unsatisfactory process […] the Prime Minister will not be participating in more than one debate,” Furthermore, Cameron has insisted that the debate should take place before April, rather than throughout the course of the month as has previously been arranged. Additionally, the debate would last 90 minutes, rather than the scheduled two hours. This move has come under heavy criticism from his political opponents. Despite the controversy and insistence of the current Prime Minister, the four broadcasters have elected to continue with their plans for all

Your Comment Karisma Indra

s Britain gears up for the General Election in May, it is inevitable that all of us who are planning to vote are turning our minds to the televised debates. It feels like it was not that long ago that we watched Brown, Clegg and Cameron battle it out - perhaps for some, the coalition seems to have lasted an age (were tuition fees raised only two academic years ago?).

debates, which has sparked off many complaints from the incumbent government- with Cameron even threatening not to attend all of the debates.

“The proposed decision is rightly seen as a further attempt by the broadcasters to marginalise Northern Ireland from the national debate.” DUP leader and First Minister Peter Robinson Farage and UKIP? Sturgeon and the SNP? Bennett and the Greens? All of this indecision aside, it is important to have these televised debates, even

“Come on David Cameron, you haven’t got your own way so accept it and take part.” Nick Clegg, Liberal Democrats Photo by Lubs Mary

three debates. Writing to the Director of Communications, the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky replied to Cameron’s proposal: “We very much hope that all invited leaders will participate in the broadcast debates. However, in the end all we can do - as impartial public service broadcasters is to provide a fair forum for debates to take place. It will always remain the decision of individual leaders whether or not to take part. “The debates will go ahead and we anticipate millions of viewers will find them valuable as they did in 2010. Our invitations will remain open to all the invited leaders right up to broadcast. We’ll set no deadlines for final responses. We very much hope all the leaders will participate.”

Every general election sees the birth of a new problem. During the last campaign Brown’s ill-judged comment about Gillian Duffy being a ‘bigoted woman’ courted controversy. This election has seen the birth of the question of which party leaders do we want to see in our television

“He can keep running from these debates with me and show himself to be a weak leader running from his record. “Or he can agree to the debates which the British people deserve and that our democracy needs.” Ed Miliband, Labour

cope well under pressure. I hate to bring it up, but if you can’t deal with pressure and questions from the public in a more informal setting, then

if only to see how politicians hold their own when under fire - they are after all, the future leaders of our country. Ultimately, the politicians may feel that they should be able to ‘opt out’ of being in televised debates, often because they fear that they will be completely outclassed by their opponents. Yet, it was their choice to run for election and their choice to choose to be a high-flying member of their party, therefore they have the duty to show the electorate why they are a worthy choice to be the future of the country. It is understandable why some like Gordon Brown in the last General Election would be unsure about putting themselves through the gruelling process of a televised debate, if they do not

how are you going to manage if you actually come into power? The most likely politicians to jump at the chance to be in the television debates are of course the underdogs. The Liberal Democrats came out incredibly well after the last General Election TV debates, perhaps in part because they were a breath of fresh air from the ‘Big Two’ political parties and their leadership. Indeed, two opinion polls taken immediately after the debate, by YouGov and Populus, suggested that Nick Clegg had come on top. This was something that was supported by political experts, including BBC’s Nick Robinson. Of course, judging by that Farage and any other smaller parties that may in the future field candidates in the debate should be eager to do so. As the General Election draws ever nearer there are many who speculate that this year’s debates will be even more controversial than the ones in the past. I am not willing to say that politicians should be forced into these debates against their will, but in my opinion if they choose to be in the spotlight, then the debates come with the job. To that end, television debates, whilst they may not be favourable to Cameron for several reasons, should still be a necessary ill, because by avoiding them he is affording more fodder to his rivals, as is anyone who ducks out of this part of the election process.

Comment

Mental health support at the University of Kent Is UKC providing adequate mental health services for its students? Your Comment India Bottomley

was diagnosed with depression and generalised anxiety disorder when I was 16. I got better, started university, had a great first year and then my ‘grey cloud’ made another show last term. After spending about a month reliving the familiar feelings of regular panic attacks, exhaustion, lack of concentration, and teariness, I realised that I needed to get help again. Because I had had mental health issues before starting my course, I have

Your News Ruby Lyle Newspaper News Editor

ental health services at Kent have been the topic of controversy throughout the recent Sabbatical Elections. Rory Murray, the newly elected VP for Welfare, had a manifesto point promising: “I’ll work with the University to double the counselling services on campus. A 20 week waiting period is too long for such a vital service.” Furthermore, during the

an Individualised Learning Plan (ILP) which details what kind of extra help I may need from my tutors and explains why my attendance might get patchy if I’m having a bad week (or a month or two in this case). People are often scared to admit that they’re having a hard time at university, after all, we’re supposed to be having the time of our lives, aren’t we?! The concept of telling people something so personal when you’ve only just met them is daunting, but fortunately, mental health awareness is continually building. Yet still, admitting the University Medical Centre are of a high quality, and that they host a good range of proactive work alongside their duties of counselling. “The issue for both is the amount sessions that students can access. There needs to be a bigger capacity of the service so that students can continue their sessions if they feel they need to. “With severe cuts to mental health services in the NHS, Universities are starting to pick up the strain, which will eventually lead to more investment needed in

“I’ve struggled with mental health issues the entire time I’ve studied here and suffered through long waiting lists, too few councilling sessions, and a lack of understanding from academic staff.” Hannah McIntosh, Women’s Officer KTV Candidate Question Time broadcast for the position of VP Welfare, two candidates spoke of failing mental health support at the University. The current VP Welfare, Megan Wells, held the position: “Overall I think that the mental health provision both at the University and at

University services.” Last year, the NUS found that 20% of higher education students considered themselves to have mental health problem, with 13% of them having suicidal thoughts. When questioned about recent complaints regarding the Student Wellbeing waiting list,

to a tutor or friend that you need help is scary and leaves you feeling exposed. In my experience, reactions have been overwhelmingly positive. As one of my tutors said, if you’re willing to meet staff half way and tell them why you’re having trouble they’ll be more than willing to help you out. I have however had cases of writing long emails detailing why I couldn’t make it to whatever meeting and having no reply, which then makes you more anxious about the next meeting. But these things happen, and that’s something everyone just has to deal with,

sadly. The doctors at the Medical Centre have been wonderful and incredibly understanding. They have written letters to my school, sorted out medication, therapy and just generally been amazingly supportive. My experience has been very much positivewell- as positive asbeing depressed can be. With the support of the Medical Centre I got a new diagnosis and am now receiving a form of therapy that could rid me of my symptoms for good so I can’t really thank them enough. If I had to give advice to

anyone going through a rough time at the moment, it would be to seek help. Go to the nursing services, talk to your GP or just have a chat with a tutor. And make sure you tell your friends, they’re your family away from home and a strong support network really does make all the difference - as I’ve found out!And make sure you have some kind of extra-curricular activity; going to music rehearsals was the only time I left the house at some points and I can’t express how much that couple of hours when you’re just doing something for fun can help you to clear your mind.

Photo by Allan Fergudon

Dr Wayne Campbell, Director of Student Services, said: “The increasing demand for mental health and counselling services from students indicates that they are aware of the services available and are willing to come forward. “Also, staff across the University are identifying students with mental health difficulties at a much earlier stage and referring them to Student Support and Wellbeing for help. We welcome all students seeking support.”

“Learning support and councilling are not accessible enough for students.” Clara Easthill

How to Access Help

o recieve mental health support at Kent, students can be referred, or refer themselves, to the Wellbeing Team. Student Support and Wellbeing can be found in Keynes and the office is open between 9am and 5pm, Monday through to Friday. Students will then be offered appointments with a Wellbeing Advisor or Counsellor. A further option would be to attend drop-in sessions. Those who have recieved a medical diagnosis of a mental health condition shall be offered mentoring support.

If a student requires counselling support, they will be invited to attend an assessment appointment. Following this, if sessions are recommended, students will be offered appointments. Students may be referred to the University Medical Centre for primary care services. From here, they may be referred to specialist secondary care services. Student Support and Wellbeing will recruit additional counsellors during peak periods. Student Services, Kent Union and Turing Point work together to provide a drug and alcohol advice service to students.

Comment

Is ‘LAD’ culture really still an issue at UKC? On the 8 March, it was International Women’s Day. This prompted InQuire to question sexism on campus; is ‘LAD’ culture an issue that is as prominent as it once was? Amber Murphy argues that yes, LAD culture is still going strong at UKC, whilst Newspaper Comment Editor, Alice Bryant argues that things aren’t as bad as they once were. Yes

erogatory terms, misogynistic attitudes towards women, peer pressure and aggressive animalistic behaviour are all still prominent traits for some of our male peers- meaning lad culture is still remaining ingrained in our society, it’s certainly a stain we haven’t been able to rid.

This behaviour is seen most often in sports teams — it’s not just the sexualisation/ objectifying of girls but their aggressive and carnal ways of conducting themselves. It’s a group mentality that has become intimidating for women and other men. Groups of men are behaving like animals in nature, trying to seem the biggest, the strongest and the best in the group and

Photo by Allan Ferguson

Photo by Alan Ferguson

Characters such as Dapper Laughs have gained ‘fame’ by feeding off of the controversy of ‘laddism’, showing the extremities of the culture. This has caused people to retaliate negatively to its popularity and rightly so, however, he did not invent this culture, but merely brought it to light in the media by becoming a public product of laddish overgrown egos. By giving a name to this behaviour we’ve given credibility to it and made it a media buzzword. The term has become problematic — it gives an excuse for ‘lads’ to act in a certain egotistical way legitimising what at times is prejudice with an alibi. Sexist and discriminating behaviour should never be seen as acceptable because it’s masked by humour. Disguising rowdy and chauvinistic attitudes as a form of entertainment does not justify their degrading views. Lad culture is often linked with drinking and club atmospheres, but this isn’t always the case. Often it doesn’t end with the morning after, in fact it’s become more of a behavioural trait within everyday society.

therefore acting disrespectfully towards their peers in order to engage in what is now known in slang terms as ‘banter’. It’s as if certain men have regressed to a primitive state engaging in competitive primal ways with one another, competing with one another to see who drink the most and who can sleep with the most girls. There are many examples in the media where lad culture has implanted itself into universities, however, this does not mean that all university male students engage in this behaviour. It also doesn’t mean that lad culture is only at home in universities. Lad culture has been a permenant fixture in society for some time. Lad culture shouldn’t be the expected behaviour, however, we should be more aware of it. It should never be acceptable to intimidate other people whether that be sexualising women or pressuring others to engage in a loutish way. I’m not sure whether the worst is behind us or if this is a culture that will continue to embed itself into our society in one way or another.

honestly thought that lad culture at UKC was pretty much dead. I hadn’t heard anyone refer to their chum as ‘the Archbishop of Banterbury’ in at least three years, which I felt was a good indicator. But then my friends reminded me that I had probably just matured; I am now hanging out with people that I actually like rather than attempting to impress some drunken bore in Venue by downing four ‘cheeky’ shots of tequila and licking someone’s ear ‘for a laugh’ (#bants). ‘Lad culture’ incorporates many elements: thinly veiled misogyny, terrible but incredibly accessible humour (because it relies heavily on penis and boob jokes), and drinking lots of alcohol. The thing with lad culture is

that, at university, I feel like its just an intermediary between adolescence and maturity - albeit an unnecessary one that many of us manage to just skip altogether. Girls and guys cling to it in the search for an identity, playing their role in order to fit in. These students act like dickheads in order to get the approval of their mates; they behave as if everything and everyone is a joke and some of them develop shitty, misogynistic views along the way. In my view, it’s just another pack mentality that stems from self-doubt and anxiety. I mean, if you have to demean an entire sex in order to feel a bit more powerful, how insecure can you be? More and more students aren’t flinching at the word ‘feminist’ (although we still have work to do, people), sexism on campus is actually actively spoken

about, and, if anything, I feel that being dubbed a ‘lad’ is deemed a little bit passé. I mean, come on, are you from 2010? Are you Jay from the Inbetweeners? Are you going to talk about clunge and try and casually cup my boob? No, the ‘lads’ are growing up into men, slowly but surely. I like to think that it’s because we’re paying £9,000 a year, we’ve been through years of austerity, and now we’re actually looking after one another a bit. I mean, if we don’t, who will? Society has told the world that Dapper Laughs isn’t funny, mostly just pathetic. We’re now laughing at the misogynists, rather than nervously laughing with them. Beyoncé and Emma Watson stand amongst us, and the movement is forever building momentum. Gender equality is on the rise.

I challenge you: give up meat. Lora Christy

n June 2014 I made one last pilgrimage to Nando’s — the home of all that is holy, namely grilled chicken wraps with lettuce, sweet chilli jam and yoghurt mayonnaise — and it was a bittersweet farewell. A month earlier, I had overheard a drunken hostel conversation on Eating Animals, a book by Jonathan Safran Foer. In that moment, the carpe diem hippie mindset that often attends backpackers smacked me in the face. I absorbed these fragments, they stuck, and a day later I bought the book. In reality, I think I was looking for a way to challenge myself. It’s been a rewarding journey so far. Buying meat isn’t always student-budget friendly, so I save money. I also eat more fruit and vegetables to make up for the lack of meat, which makes me eat healthier meals and has a domino-effect of motivating me to exercise. A vegetarian diet has made me a happier, healthier human. Animals become a lot less delicious when you think about how they get from the farm

to your plate. I am part of the pre-Jamie Oliver school dinner boycott generation that recalls with nostalgia-glazed fondness Bernard Matthews Turkey Twizzlers. Yet I know that once you scraped past the tangy tomato marinade the meat was grey in colour. I suspect, too, that the factory conditions turkeys endured were dubious. In 2015, little has changed; over 80% of the UK’s meat comes from factory farms, and 73% of chickens in UK supermarkets contain campylobacter, a food poisoning bug which infects 280,000 people every year and can be fatal. Eating meat is a risky, diseased business. People often get defensive when they find out I’m a vegetarian. They’ll tell me eating meat is natural — “Why do you think you have teeth if not to chew meat with?!” — that I am soft, naively sympathetic towards a species that doesn’t think and feel as I do. We have to ask what is at stake if a person gets outraged at another’s decision that does not affect them; it

suggests there is something uncomfortable in the idea of eating meat that needs to be defended. My decision to give up meat has made me rethink my relationship with animals. What gives me the right to an animal’s life, and why can my enjoyment of food override an animal’s suffering? After all, as cliché as it sounds, it’s a biological fact that humans are animals, too. So, I challenge you: give up meat. Read the book, do the research — what do you have to lose? The only thing that stops people is the reluctant realisation that what you learn might change you.

Photo by Ariel Waldman

Comment

Is a humanities degree a waste of money?

STEM Subjects are heavily valued in today’s job-orientated modern university. What is the value of a humanties degree in 2015?

Sophie Waeland

mongst students, there is an ever-present debate over which subjects are worthless, ridiculous, and will never get you employed. ‘Geography is just colouring in’, and ‘English is easy’ are common criticisms by those who study very different subjects. It is true that most STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) subjects are usually designed towards a certain area of employment: for example, radiology will prepare you for a career as a radiographer; and maths can lead you to be an

investment analyst or chartered accountant; for someone who studies a humanities subject, the vision isn’t so clear. When someone is studying a humanities subject, such as History, it is often joked that they will only end up as a teacher of that subject, carrying on an endless, ‘pointless’ cycle. Speaking to my housemates on the matter, one argued that subjects like Philosophy are useless as Science has disproved the ancient beliefs and theories of the natural world. These subjects are dismissed as ‘outdated’. Yet, despite this, we are becoming more and more fascinated with the past: tracing ancestry

Jean-Etienne Minh-Duy Photo by Jean-Etienne Minh-Duh Poirrier

and family trees has become a primary hobby for some. Many websites and programmes have been commissioned for this very purpose; our cinemas and TV screens are filled with period dramas and historical films – Downton Abbey, The Mill, Agatha Christie and Poirot mysteries, Les Miserables – the list is endless. Part of Classics is to study ‘dead languages’, such as Latin, which is highly important for modern day medicine, which uses Latin in names of diseases, phrases, prefixes, and so on. In terms of employment, studying a humanities subject opens so many doors. You are not restricted to one career that you have studied for. You can find a job you never expected you would get to through your degree. What happens when a student studying Dentistry decides that being a dentist is not for them? They are back at square one because they are only qualified for that particular job. Whereas an English Literature student can become anything from a journalist, to a teacher, to an arts administrator, to a lexicographer, and anything in between. Studying English gives you the skills to write and interpret language to a high

Photo by Masahiko Ohkubo

standard, gives an in-depth understanding of a country’s history and culture (even its religion and mythology), and, of course, trains you for some of the most satisfying creative outlets – poetry, journaling, and novel-writing. Those who disregard the humanities are missing out on a world of understanding and culture. In a society where everything is now abbreviated into ‘text speak’, and where seven second videos have become a trend, is it not important to take time to expand our minds through studying the past and the beliefs around us? Without language degrees, we wouldn’t

have subtitles on our favourite films, or translations of our favourite books. And for all the fans of the Harry Potter series, we may not have had those books in existence without degrees in Classics, as J.K Rowling herself is a Classics graduate, and her imagination may have been more limited without her studies. Why should this technologyobsessed era be allowed to forget the importance of history, literature, the performing arts and religion, which have all shaped the modern world? If we leave behind these captivating subjects, we leave behind a part of our own existence.

PrayersForJeremy@ButThinkOfTheChildren.com Ginny Sanderson

icture the scene: It’s a work do, and you’re under the influence. You’re a techie, you’ve got the munchies. A colleague tells you the food isn’t going to be your usual swan and steak with a side of caviar, and it’s going to be (DUN DUN) cold. What is this? You hungry and a man’s gotta eat. Naturally, you shout and swear at this petulant fool who does not satisfy your every whim. When all this seems inadequate, you straight up (allegedly) punch them! Oh my gosh you are such a funny guy, you go, good sir, representin’ freedom of speech. Keepin’ it real. Preventing civilisation from crumbling into totalitarian dictatorships over here! YOU’RE WELCOME

SOCIETY. Wait, you’re SUSPENDED? WHO COULD HAVE FORESEEN THIS? It’s not like that time when you may-or-may-not-butpossibly said the ‘n’-word wasn’t hilariously roguish and relatable. Or when you used racial slurs that one time to demean an otherwise historically oppressed people - that was FUNNY. F-U-N-N-Y. Why don’t you people get it? In any other workplace, this kind of behaviour would be unacceptable. Why, then, has a petition to reinstate such an individual received over 800,000 supporters? Oh, right, it’s for Jeremy Clarkson. Defender of free speech, champion of dinosaur modes of thought (remember good ol’ British Imperialism!) and

all around funny man’s-man. Ah yes, and cars. This guy is irreplaceable, so why are the loony lefties of the BBC trying to crush his glorious spirit?

Of course, since Clarkson is such an underdog, David Cameron leant his thoughts to the debacle, defending his “friend” (oooh, friend!) by

Photo by Michael Kral

saying that he “regrets some of what happened”. Well that is big of him, but I wonder how sincere such limited regret can really be when the self-styled maverick is already making ‘banter’ with his chums about it on Twitter. If one good thing has come out of this, at least we’ve all learned that the word ‘fracas’ exists. But anyway, if you’re going to sign a petition today, forget about the millions displaced across the world by conflict, forget about hunger, poverty and environmental tragedy: save Jeremy. Because being a middle class, middle aged white man is so oppressive. Please send your love, support, and large donations to the email PrayersForJeremy@ ButThinkOfTheChildren.com.

Editorial

Democracy is dead: a look at student politics Natalie Tipping Chairwoman

n 12 March the Kent Union sabbatical officers for the 2015/16 academic year were announced. VP (Education) will be Jack Lay, VP (Activities) will be Tom Currie, VP (Sport) will be Nina Mehmi, VP (Welfare) will be Rory Murray, and Union President will be Tammy Naidoo. Do some of those names seem familiar to you? That’s because they are. Four of the current sabbatical officers from 2014/15 were re-elected, and Megan Wells, current Vice-President (Welfare), who has already run two terms after being re-elected last year, was replaced by Rory Murray. This only goes to show the sad state of affairs at the Union in terms of democracy. I want to make it clear right from the off that I fully congratulate the elected sabbatical officers, but seeing so few students run for the election against the current officers, and with a very low turn-out in terms of the vote, I have to question whether student democracy is dead.

It is a common theme with General Elections that political parties don’t tend to get voted out of parliament after only one term, which is why I’m not holding my breath for a Tory defeat at this year’s election, no matter how much my Northern roots will it to happen. But with Union elections, sabbatical officers are re-elected each year, and with the Union’s supposed purpose being to protect and campaign for the rights and wishes of students, one would hope that students would want to get involved with it. This year, just over 4,000

students turned out to vote, either at the polling station or online. This is just 23% of the student body. Despite being such a low figure, the Union is celebrating it, saying it’s one of the biggest voter turnouts ever for the full-time officer

#KentVotes “To save time and money the Union should just stick a picture of Rory Murray’s face over Megan Wells’ on the posters”

elections. Isn’t that a massive issue though? 23% of the student population is a BIG turnout? If 23% of the British population turned out for a General Election, it would be deemed a disgrace. Why is this any different? When you throw in the fact that four of the existing sabbs were re-elected, and let’s face it, the only reason Megan Wells wasn’t is because she couldn’t re-run, the whole election seems a total farce to me. Tweets came flooding in on #KentVotes saying such insightful things as “to save time and money the Union

Photo by Kent Union/Natalie Tipping

should just stick a picture of Rory Murray’s face over Megan Wells’ on the posters”. Doesn’t that worry you, Kent Union? Because it worries me. Jack ran unopposed, Tom and Nina ran against basically one other person, and all three won with a clear majority. Some voters might say that the Presidential election was a closely fought contest between Tammy Naidoo and second place Dave Cocozza, but when you take into account that Tammy won by over 300 votes – almost 10% of the overall voter turnout – that argument falls flat. Let’s face it, people don’t get re-elected for their policies, they get re-elected because their name is semirecognisable, and people are sheep. It’s not democracy, it’s a popularity contest, and it’s like being in high school all over again. Again, I’m not saying that the re-elected sabbs didn’t deserve to win, they’ve all done a good job in one way or another this year, but the fact they got reelected so easily surely shows nobody pays much attention or care to student politics, and they really should. At least that way next year’s election might be a bit tougher to call.

Breaking barriers? More like building them. Emma Shelton Newspaper Editor

reaking barriers? More like building them. With a whole week dedicated to discussing forms of ‘minor’ discrimination in day-to-day life, preparing students for the not-so-perfect workplace, and Laura Bates headlining the event ‘Everyday sexism in the workplace’, I was excited, to say the least. I’m one of many women who are fed up of hearing people belittle the female sex in such a casual, conversational way, and over-stereotyping us like they have us all worked out and neatly defined under the word ‘woman’ in the dictionary, yet equally, I’m one of many women who are fed up of hearing other women use and

abuse the same arguments against misogyny. Laura Bates is fresh and topical; she has original things to say that hopefully will stimulate new debates. But then I saw the branding for the Canterbury campus ‘Breaking Barriers’ week and almost did a U-turn. A row of people in black suits, standing in line, with one person stepping out, breaking the barrier. Oh wait, not just any person but a shapely, bare-legged, red stiletto-heeled woman. I say a row of people, and not men, because there is another woman but she stays in line with the men; she’s clearly too boring in her more ordinary grey suit and black kitten heels. If that’s not everyday sexism, I don’t know what is. As a woman, it takes guts to step out, when you know that all eyes are staring at you, judging you, exactly

what I’ve just done looking at these two women in the advert. The Breaking Barriers series is about breaking down stereotypes that lead to various forms of discrimination; I only see what stereotypes have been reinforced by this advert. Either sexuality is the only way for a woman to step out, her body playing a more significant role than her intellect, or the opposite, that women should not conform to the male-dominated workplace, like the retreating, pushover girl in grey, and embrace their womanhood ignoring the norm and stepping out with confidence and pizzazz, wearing whatever the hell they like. This woman is either condoning male appropriation of the female body or she’s conforming to the stereotype of the rebellious, unleashed and overtly sexual woman. About the branding, Becky

Lamyman, Student Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI) Officer, said: “The University does not condone or promote stereotyping, discrimination or prejudice of any individual. The images are in line with the University brand guidelines and both the Medway and Canterbury promotional materials feature a mixture of genders and (where discernible) ethnicities and ages in accordance with the ethos behind the Student Employability: Breaking Barriers series.” To be fair, the advert for the Medway campus is comparably less outrageous but again, for the sake of singling one person out of the crowd, the woman is wearing a garish red shirt. I’m sure the colour is used simply to make her stand out but really, it reduces her to a flowery red blouse. Is it that hard to show a woman step out

and still look professional, to show a woman step out for just being a woman? Becky Lamyman further said that “unfortunately, discrimination and prejudice does still exist in society, and students need to be aware of what their rights are, what discrimination may look like, especially when it is subtle and non-overt, and most importantly, what they can do to challenge it”. Well I now know what discrimination looks like and it’s not subtle, nor challenged. It’s wearing scarlet six-inch stilettos – yes, authority and respect is granted to those superior in height, however shaky they might be - and hats off to that woman, those heels look murderous. To see the picture and find out more about the Breaking Barriers series, turn back to News, page 2.

Editorial

An ode to student union elections Did you miss out on the elections? Fear not, Dan English, Newspaper Sport Editor brings you a few rhymes that should bring you up to speed. Rejoice, Kent students, rejoice, When walking through the Plaza, You no longer have to make a choice, Of to go round or through it faster. Election season has now ended, And we can all breathe a sigh, With policies our brains they’ve blended, Throwing leaflets with a cry. It was another year of slogans, Of catchy rhymes and songs, Being fired at us like blowguns, And irritating like male thongs. But for all the campaign shouting, And cardboard signs that were made, There certainly was no doubting, Their passion never strayed.

The last debate of the night, Engrossed like at Imax, Us viewers couldn’t wait. It was the turn of Welfare, In which there were seven, If you were interested in our on campus care, This was purely heaven. Sebastian promised smarter pricing, Funding was in his plan, With Medway Clara was dicing, Ensuring equal rights for woman and man. Petar’s leaflets formed a lotus, And planned to make a Welfare Centre, While Anne-Marie wanted us

But then we reached the finale, Up stepped our Presidents, Host Nat asked them to rally, To make Kent Union their residence. There were eight voices for us to hear, Each with different points to make, To promise to lend us their ear, And under pressure to not shake. Taking part we had Tammy, Whose slogan promoted ‘Trust’ Student choice was her policy whammy, And she delivered with great gust.

head. Hey Mona! is another who wanted our vote, One idea was microwaves so we can have our own food, Longer Essentials hatch time in her policies she wrote, Her ‘make everybody happy’ put us in a jolly mood. Then there was Hope, With no manifesto did she submit, Yet her answers were broad in scope, Perhaps as President she’d fit? Eliza promised kitchens to make lunches more simple, And was always standing in

But soon we got to Hustings, KTV and InQuire did them best, The SMC was bustling, While CSR had a rest.

Again only two appeared, Even though there should’ve been more, But which was the most sincere, Who seemed they knew the score? Naser wanted more funding, Nina promised that too, Both were obviously sport loving, What was a voter to do? But then came the climax,

First up to be told was Education, That’s what our host Barnaby did say, As the countdown ended on Kent’s TV station, The winner was Jack Lay! Welfare next to be decided, As Venue watched and waited, A Rory win! His team had guided, Stress-relief puppies, a policy rated.

And now for Sport, For which there were two, The announcement was short, Nina, it’s you!

Irina and Tom Currie, Went into a debate battle, Reciting policies in a flurry, Making each other rattle.

Activities was fast, it flew on by, As Hustings rattled on, But the next debate was nigh, Sport was the next one.

As we sat in from of KTV that evening, Soon we had the answers we’d been waiting for, Were the current SABBS staying for leaving, Who had been shown the door?

Announced up next, Activites, Between Tom and Irina, Tom Currie won, cue festivities, Another returnee made a winner

First up live were activities, For which there were only two, They kicked off the festivities, Wishing to be the candidate to won through.

‘More space for clubs’ Irina said, ‘Re-elect me please’ went Tom, Too many ideas inside my head, Which one to choose from?

A result night at venue meant a morning head of fuzz, Whose manifesto has been tossed?

Next up was the big one, What’d we’d waited for, Which candidate had won? Who’d let the Champagne pour? Photo by Kent Union

to notice, Of fortnightly paydays she was the inventor. Next was Make it McIntosh, Who Swift’s song she did use, While Rory promised staff better dosh, And a puppy room for stress to lose. Let’s not forget Go for Grace, Who wanted more local veg, That was the end of the first night’s race, But just who had the edge? The second night was just as fun, But for Education ran only one, Re-standing was VP Jack Lay, Hoping to enforce ‘Work-Free Wednesday’.

Andre Lewis was campaigning, Under the nickname Dre, In this debate he was not straining Inclusion, Opportunities, was what he had to say. Then we had Count on Dave, About Dame Julia he caused a row, On tampons he wanted us to save, And used his pen to rub his brow. Hannah Lennox ‘Make them Listen’, That’s what her manifesto said, In the debate she certainly glistened, Ideas about buses and accommodation came from her

the Plaza, campaigning always cheerful, During Question Time her answers sometimes did crimple, But they were still strong responses making her rivals fearful. Beverley promised Nandos like loyalty cards much to our delight, Then livening up the evening later by bringing the set down, Every student matters, that what Bev thought was right, But were her ideas enough to make her the new President in town. Then came Thursday and the campus was a buzz, Who has won and who has lost,

It was Trust in Tammy, that’s what we were told, Time up for the others, taking defeat in grace, Her spell in office now two years old, Will it be a success? Watch this space. But the results attracted much criticism, As four of the five retained, For next year’s team there’s pessimism, Relations between students and Union are strained. The dust is settled and the Plaza quiet, Voting was low, did the Union fail? New ideas for the Union to start to pilot, Pressure’s on to make this a year to hail.

Features

Rejoice! Our childhood is officially not over Karisma Indra

hat is an adult? Most of us would say that once you are 18 you are considered to be an adult. You can vote at 18, purchase alcohol and even get married at 18, and for all of us, we are at university, which gives us parental independence. Recent research by scientists shows us that neurologically speaking, however most of us are not in fact adults. At 18, we are not scientifically speaking an adult. In fact most of us can breathe a sigh of relief, because of recent scientific developments we are not adults until we are 25 years old. So that means more parties, fewer responsibilities and more fun! The research suggests that those of us in our early 20’s can be referred to as “kidults”, admittedly not a very mature sounding name. A leading psychiatrist in this research has found that teenage impulses and desires in the brain increase once we left home and had to fend for ourselves. In which case, all of us living here at university are actually becoming more teen-like rather than heading into adulthood. In fact, child psychologists are now being given directives to advance their age range from 0-18 years to 0-25 years, on the basis of this new research. There

Photo by TZA

is still on-going research into the brain as scientists still have much to discover, suggestions have been made that the brain may actually mature into as late into a person’s 30’s, in which case we can perhaps even say that adulthood does not begin until 30. According to research there are three stages of adolescence: early adolescence (12-14 years), middle adolescence (1517 years) and late adolescence (from 18 years and older). It has shown that a young person’s cognitive development continues far later than we typically believe (that of 18), emotional maturity, self-image and judgment is affected until the brain has fully matured in terms of its prefrontal cortex. The big question of course is, if adolescence continues for so long, when do parents let go? For most of us, we still think that by 18 we should be able to take responsibilities for our actions, and are by all intents and purposes an adult. In light of this, it seems that we may be flying the nest too soon. Of course, like all scientific research, this should be taken with a pinch of salt. After all, if we followed all scientific advice we would all be very confused (salt or no salt? Eggs or no eggs?) If adulthood does start at 25, then perhaps we should all be grateful to have a bit more fun, but without the watchful gazes of our parents - it’s a win-win.

Futuristic technology in contact lenses Sarah Osborne Website News Editor

s a wearer of contact lenses and a victim of bad eyesight, it’s exciting to learn that researchers are currently developing telescopic lenses - lenses that allow you to zoom in and out on objects of interest. Immediately I ask, how can these contact lenses possibly work? The telescopic lenses, just over a millimetre thick, have a central unmagnified optical path, as well as a surrounding ring of optics that magnify the view by 2.8 times. Liquid crystal shutters then act by blocking one or the other of these optical paths, allowing the user to switch between regular vision and magnification. For the readers scrunching their faces in confusion, this basically means that the contact lenses enable you to zoom in and out to your heart’s desire. Funded by the US Defence Research Agency, the lens has been tested on a life-size model of the human eye by Eric Tremblay and colleagues at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and at the University of California.

Using the life-size eyeball as the ‘eye’, the team modified a pair of Samsung 3D TV glasses by building in an LCD shutter mechanism to simulate the crystal shutter effect. The researchers are optimistic and believe the LCD technology can be easily built into the lens, but have not yet revealed how users will be able to switch the lenses on and off. There was however a problem during their research: “although the magnified images were clearly visible in our tests, acuity fell short of the design specification.” The zoom function did not was not to a high enough resolution to be used in the contact lens. The researchers, optimistic and impassive to this fault believe they know how to fix the problem by improving the refraction of the light entering the lens. By moving away from the current experimental hard lenses made with clear, hard plastic, to a rigid gaspermeable material that allows fresh air to get to the eye, the telescopic lens has further predicted benefits. This new material is particularly useful for people with age-related macular degeneration. People with this condition lose vision

in the central area of the retina and have to wear clunky ‘bioptic telescopes’ fitted to their spectacles to magnify objects. The telescopic lenses could however replace this awkward device. The head of optometry and visual science at City University London, Chris Hull, said: “The switchable telescopic contact lens is fascinating technology – but it will need to compete with existing low vision rehabilitation technologies in terms of clinical performance and cost.” The possibility to be nosy without

people’s awareness is probably appealing to many, and undoubtedly to frequent contact lens wearers as well, as people with 20/20 vision will try to get their hands on a pair of telescopic lenses. Unsurprisingly, this development has faced criticism; the ability to magnify scenes without appearing to be wearing any obvious equipment does breach privacy. But this question is one that belongs in the far future just like these futuristic contact lenses.

Photo by Jeremy Kunz

Features

Fifty Shades of romanticised abuse Shalyia Arumugathasan

here has been much discussion, debate and controversy around the recently released film 50 Shades of Grey, adapted from the trilogy by E. L James There have been mixed reviews as to whether it is an elating sexually adventurous story, or a story which glorifies abuse. To me, it is clear the latter is a more appropriate way to describe both the novel and film. The plot entails a man and woman who become involved in a complicated relationship based fully on controlled bondage. Each character has their own problematic attributes, let alone the problems which can be highlighted from their relationship. The protagonist, Christian Grey, is effectively a degrading, sex obsessed, abusive character. Although he is written to be a seducing male lead to draw in a female audience, he should actually be having quite the opposite effect. Throughout the three novels, he emotionally blackmails Ana, the female lead, intimidating her and more or less stalking her. His character is also obsessed with BDSM. Not only does the story promote male dominance, but also intimidation and physical violence supposedly only for sexual pleasure.

Additionally, a critical issue with the story is the promotion of a submissive, vulnerable woman through the character of Ana. The story more or less begs her to be inferior to Grey and give in to his control. Needless to say throughout the film, the emotional and romantic rejection she receives from Grey is intolerable. He refuses to have any sort of relationship with her other than a physical one. The film goes beyond controlled bondage and sexual experimentation. Ana’s character having to sign a nondisclosure agreement is effectively a legal way to abuse her. It more or less implies what they are doing goes beyond the usual harmless playful fighting in the bedroom. A contract which requires her to do certain things in this physical relationship more or less removes any freedom of Ana’s; it is a way for him to completely control her. In the first film Ana requests to find out what would happen if she “breaks the rules”. Firstly, implications of their being any sort of rules in the first place completely encourages and exaggerates the idea of the patriarchal male character. Secondly, even though she has had a taste of the rough sexual intercourse which Christian Grey likes, the “punishment” she receives takes it a

step too far. She is whipped with a belt six times, which she is made to count out loud to herself. This is not playful intercourse, but explicit abuse, he makes her feel weak and vulnerable. If anything, this scene mirrors slavery not sexual pleasure. It is evident that both the novel and

film glorify abuse in the most grotesque ways. It’s popularity is dangerous as it glamorises and romanticises submissive relationships with emotional abuse towards women. Christian Grey’s behaviour and actions do not make him a hot and powerful man but abusive and dangerous.

Photo by Ex-InTransit

InQuire Sudoku Medium

Waiting for your pizza to melt and crisp round the edges? Why not do a sudoku puzzle in the meantime.

Hard

Features

Guys, graduation is not that bad Anne Suslak

’m graduating this year, and for the first time at university I don’t have any exams next term. By the 10 April I’ll be completely done. Even though I still have a few weeks to go, I feel like it’s the last days of school before the summer holidays. I keep expecting my seminar tutors to announce that, instead of doing actual work, we’re all just going to watch a DVD. I have to keep reminding myself that I still have to read a 700 page

novel, complete a 6000 word project and write an essay. I cannot wait for the day when I print off my final essay, submit it on Moodle and then delete Moodle from my internet favourites. Remarkably, after three years of studying English at Kent, I now only have one book left to read: Phineas Finn by Anthony Trollope. I’m on page 47, which sounds more impressive than it actually is, because the first 45 pages were just the introduction, which I skipped. Hopefully by the time this article appears in the paper I will have

made it to page 50 at least. While I’m extremely ready to leave university so I can write whatever I want and read whatever I want (or, more accurately, just watch a lot of TV) I will miss lots of things about the University of Kent. Admittedly I won’t be sad if I never go to Venue again, or stand in the ridiculously long queue at Essentials, but I’ll miss the seminars and the social atmosphere of university. Unless the Chocolate Café in town branches out into a nationwide chain, I’ll be coming

Photo by Nottingham Trent Univerisity

back to Canterbury a lot anyway. I’ve made friends for life at the University of Kent, and I’ve also met some really unpleasant but hilarious people who will make great anecdotes. I’ll never forget all the times Campus Watch showed up to my corridor in first year, or the disastrous Summer Ball in second year when I ended the evening sober, furious and with bruises from all the people who had trodden on my foot. There are some aspects of university life that I haven’t taken part in, but I don’t feel that I’ve missed out. I have never been to Varsity, I have never done an all-nighter in the library (why would I when I could get it done in the day, go home and sleep?) and I have only ever been to the Sports Hall for exams and registration. I don’t necessarily feel like I have become a grown-up during my time at Kent, but I have learnt to cook a few things. I’ve also learnt to navigate my way around Rutherford without getting lost, even though it looks like it was designed by whoever built the asylum in American Horror Story: Asylum. I’m definitely looking forward to the day when I can wear my Kent School of English T-shirt as pyjamas, but mostly I’m just looking forward to finishing this enormous book.

How to manage your time effectively at university Chris Chambers

recently discovered the only real point of having a calendar or a diary is to see how much time you don’t have each week. Deadlines, seminar reading, lectures, part-time employment, a social life... all of these things never quite seem to fit into the average students weekly schedule. Help is at hand, with this rundown of five simple ways to manage your time at uni. Prioritise Although it may seem obvious, it is extremely easy to forget that the primary purpose of attending university is to get the best degree you possibly can. In other words, no matter how tempting it is to catch up on the latest episode of the Walking Dead or embrace Canterbury’s wild nightlife, you have to consider whether you really have the hours in your day (especially around essay deadline time) to put uni work to one side. Say no to your boss! If you don’t have a part-time job to absorb seemingly colossal amounts of time from your week, I hate you. A lot. The trouble often resides with this: £££. Every time my manager asks

me to work overtime and gives the accompanying “think of the money” speech, I prove to be ashamedly weak and envision a date with Topman. This is not necessarily disastrous; every student needs money, after all. The trick with a part time job is to accept overtime in those quieter uni periods and blackout the fortnight before an essay or significant piece of work is due. Learn to love the morning From my experience, most students are not morning people. However, a good relationship with the a.m. is essential to managing your time. There have been several studies to suggest your brain is at its most productive in the morning, and I personally love getting to lunch time on a day when I’ve managed to make an early start feeling extremely motivated by everything I have already done in the day and remaining motivated by the fact that there are so many hours left in it. Tell your phone who’s in charge Snapchat and Facebook are responsible for all of my bad essays. I should claim damages, then I wouldn’t need my degree. For the time being,

your time management will fail spectacularly if you don’t have control of your phone. Texts, notifications and snaps can destroy your concentration and cost you hours of your life each week as they take you off on a tangent about an upcoming night out or Katie Hopkins most recent diatribe. Turn off your Wi-Fi, and put your phone in the deepest, unexplored part of your bag, next to all the pens and pennies you’ve lost this year. Don’t let people take advantage of you Relating to the second point, your boss is not the only person who can be overly demanding. As a clean and tidy person, I regularly find myself cleaning up after other people’s mess and doing the jobs other people are too lazy to do. Despite the damage part time jobs and technology can do to the hours in a day, many students suffer most time loss as a result of other people being inconsiderate. Don’t be afraid to tell your housemates to get their act together and help out more around the house. Just remember, your degree should not play second fiddle to other people’s dishes.

Photo by Jlhopgood

Features

How to Spruce Springsteen up your student room Manon Charles

ith spring just around the corner, there is no better time to redecorate your room. Get rid of all the cobwebs and brighten the place up. Here are my top tips for getting that spring feeling. Open the windows Now that the weather is a little bit milder, it is the perfect time to air out your room. Open the windows to get rid of any stuffiness lingering in there. It’s amazing how much this can transform the feel of your room. Change your bed sheets This is a basic staple when spring cleaning your room. After moving away from mum and dad, it’s easy to forget to do this, but there is no better feeling than slipping into clean bedding, so strip your bed and put on some new sheets and you’ll feel like a new person.

Photo by Wonderlane

Photo by Steel Wool

Get rid of clutter Redecorating your room for spring is the prime opportunity to get rid of some clutter. They don’t call it a spring clean for no reason. Clear out your desk space, and get rid of anything you don’t need. The lack of clutter will make it so much easier to concentrate on work. Bright posters This is a really good way of brightening up your room for spring. We’ve all visited the poster fair held on campus during Fresher’s week, but now is a good opportunity to switch things up a bit and get some new posters. If you don’t want to buy any more, why not swap with some housemates? By getting some fresh posters on your walls, it will feel like a different place.

Candles These are a really cute way of beautifying your room, perfect for those spring nights when your room needs a little warmth, and with scents such as apple and red raspberry, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to keep using candles during spring. Flowers This is one of my favourite things about spring. As soon as March rolls around, I am first in line to buy some flowers. My personal favourites are daffodils as they’re so bright and remind me of home. Any flower will

Photo by julie

Photo by Bea

work, and when put in a pretty jar (beer glasses work just as well!) they easily brighten up a room. Flowers can be bought from any supermarket, or take a look at the market stalls in town for some deals. Anything in Tiger I will be one of the first people to admit that Tiger might just be one of the best shops that has come to Canterbury (except for Primark of course!). In this shop, you will find an array of items suitable for all seasons (one of their best qualities is their ability to quickly change displays from one season to another). Check out the cute spring display they have at the moment!

Racial inequality in higher education Conor Thompson-Plant

t has recently emerged that there are only 17 black female professors in the UK at this time. What are the reasons for this staggering inequality? There are of course two different problems tied up here, race and gender. Why are black men and especially women shunned in this arena? There are a few explanations, but large scale racist indoctrination and affirmative action seems very likely, either conscious or not. This occurs on two levels, in the hiring process, and in the education system itself. Starting from the education system, to get the best positions available in any institution it is obviously beneficial to go to the best universities. To get into the best universities it is near necessary, at least in Oxbridge’s eyes it seems, to be white. Only 27 black students were admitted into Oxford in 2009 for example, with black students in both Oxford and Cambridge having much lower acceptance rates than their white counterparts. This clearly shows a racial disparity in the education system, meaning there are less black applicants graduating from the most prestigious universities. This is also not helped at all by the fact that 20% of Vice Chancellors are

privately educated (compared to 7% of all students in the UK), a system known for it’s snobbery and institutionalised racism. Vice Chancellors are also almost exclusively male and in their mid fifties, a generation growing up amid rampant racism and sexism in the 1970’s. Thus, even if they think themselves to not be racist or sexist, it is likely that racist and sexist views have over time been instilled in them and so are unconsciously prejudiced when considering applicants for professorial positions. At professor level, this then ties into gender and the glass ceiling also, which of course disadvantages black females in two different ways. Even though at lower academic levels, women hold 45% of roles, at some universities in 2013 for example, only 1 in 10 professors were women. This is especially prominent in prestigious research-led universities. This again is probably due to instilled sexist values in the higher echelons of universities, but also due to women being turned off by the male dominated professorship. How can this be fixed? It is true that as the older, generally more prejudiced generations are replaced by the new, professorship will begin to reflect this shift. But this can only be supported by continuously changing attitudes in

the current generations. It is useful to push current higher education elites to support more women and people of colour in professorial roles. For longer lasting and more cohesive change, however, it is necessary to change the way people think about gender and race right now. This would set up the new generation of vice chancellors and university leaders as socially aware and less prejudiced. This can be done in a number of ways, organisation of campaigns,

spreading awareness of these issues through social media, even just talking to people about problems of prejudice in your everyday life. Hopefully this can turn the tide of the recent move of some of the younger generation and students over to the right. Parties like UKIP, who recently argued that racism is no longer a problem in the UK, are deluded, and we must fight against these fascistic forces if we are to ensure race and gender diversity in University professorship.

Photo by ASFC

Entertainment

House of Cards falls flat Megan Weal Newspaper Entertainment Editor

ouse of Cards thrives on evil. Our main protagonist, Frank Underwood, is the epitome of asshole – he’s selfish, his morals are about as twisted as you could imagine and he’ll manipulate anyone to get just what he wants. And, at the risk of littering this review with spoilers for anyone frantically trying to catch up, let’s just say that Underwood’s change in job runs in parallel with the series’ change in tone. Underwood’s still the same old dick, but he’s not the guy we love to hate anymore. We just straight hate him. When I watched the first episode of the first season, I was blown away in how involved I felt with the intimate relationship between Underwood and the viewer. The asides-to-camera technique made me feel like a naughty accomplice. I knew secrets that even his wife didn’t know yet and I knew who

Dates for the diary BBC Introducing In Kent’s 7th Birthday Party - 22 March, The Marlowe Theatre The Tiger Lillies - 23 March, The Gulbenkian Canterbury Songwriters’ Circle 25 March, The Gulbenkian Cafe Live - The Fez Comedy Club 26 March, The Gulbenkian Romantic Masterpieces - 28 March, Colyer-Fergusson Building Gulbenkian Music Night - 29 March, The Gulbenkian Rat Pack Live - 5 April, The Marlowe Theatre Curzon Curates: A Most Violent Year - 6 April, Curzon Cinema PPA Live Event - 6 April, The Marlowe Theatre Girl Model - 7 April, Gulbenkian Cinema Lee Nelson: Suited and Booted - 8 April, The Marlowe Theeatre Richard Herring in conversation with Olly Double - 8 April, The Gulbenkian An Evening of Burlesque - 10 April, The Marlowe Theatre

he hated and who he loved. But Frank’s closed himself off. Our relationship has hit that point where he’s not telling me those secrets anymore and I have to find them out just as everyone else involved does. The asides to camera only really appear when he’s stressed and needs to vent. It’s not evil and exciting – he’s just a stressed middle age man. So, my first, and most important, critique of season 3? Underwood’s character-viewer relationship has decreased massively, and it just leaves us with a bitter taste on our tongue. Many have criticised the oftenincorrect political details of the show and thrown their hands in the air over minute details. Obviously Underwood shouldn’t be using a personal iPhone in the White House rather than the secure phone lines within the building, but the show is so much more developed than these minute details that I find myself not caring. Yes, maybe these are silly, easily fixable mistakes – but stop being so pedantic, it’s only a show.

What the season lacks in attentiveness to detail, it makes up for in the shining role of Claire Underwood, Frank’s wife. Claire’s fought her way from wife to co-lead in the most perfect way. There’s a trueness portrayed in her emotions that allow you to sympathise with her, even though we know she’s just as messed up as her husband. And while Claire’s twisted emotions shine, the only thing that shines a little brighter is the widening separations between her and her husband. The unconventional (to say the least) gaps that have been apparent from the beginning become blatant voids that create a meaningful depth to the seasons narrative. It’s engrossing, but that’s really the best part of the whole season. So, even though I watched the entire season and admired a good handful of the character developments that took place, I think House of Cards may be proof that once you’ve hit the top, there’s really only one way to go – and that’s down.

Canterbury’s yungest Francesca Brindle

multi-coloured lights of Club Burrito never fail to capture the party spirit hey may be a young band on the of carnival. During Feel It, Mike Doig scene but they’ve already become played segments purely on the fret massively popular after playing board, no strumming. BGB dominates their first two shows. Yungest Son on the drums on every tune and is the latest creative four-piece from demonstrates he knows his way around Canterbury, reaching capacity at Club a cowbell. Charlie MacKenzie shares Burrito for their vocals with front debut and followman Josephidou up show. They’ve on “Stone overcome some Cold Lullaby” challenges in a and on their matter of weeks newest untitled and they’ve track, while already got a commanding from single recorded the helm of the and an album in bass guitar. the works. Their An amazing and debut single set original new band for release this but hey, if you month has already don’t believe me become a clear you can hear the Photo by Yungest Son teaser trailer for favourite among their blossoming Stone Cold Lullaby fan base. The on their Facebook reception of “Stone Cold Lullaby” shook right now. Having already played at the room last night; a genius elision Ramsgate Music Hall, they’re also in the of modern Brit rock, think Tribes or line-up for City Sound Project this May Peace and Tom Josephidou’s northern in Bramleys. drippy vocals, with soul and just a little sadness. Want to review shows? One of the most impressive aspects Join us in our meetings of the band is their innovation; despite in KLT2 on Mondays at only having a handful of songs, each 6:15pm. has it own identity, music that’s upCan’t wait until then? beat and honest, sometimes heavy but never boring. Their most recent gig was Send us an email with a resounding success. Judging from all your ideas. the ‘wooing’ and empty shot glasses, the

Songs on Repeat Jamie-Leigh Jansen Sia - “Elastic Heart” The unmistakable voice of Sia is heard on her new song “Elastic Heart”. Although she seems to have a voice that only appeals to some, this new song is definitely worthy of a place on anyone’s repeat playlist.

Photo by Furkan

Rihanna, Kanye West and Paul McCartney “FourFiveSeconds” Despite the unusual collaboration, this trio have created a very emotional acoustic song. Rihanna’s distinctive voice has the lead vocals on the track and Paul McCartney plays guitar. Throw in some Kanye West style rap/singing and “FourFiveSeconds” is a pop dream.

Photo by Nikos Kontovas

Ellie Goulding - “Love Me Like You Do” Love or hate Fifty Shades of Grey, this song from the sound track is definitely on my repeat list. The combination of unique vocals and the romantic lyrics make a powerful number one hit. So if you are looking for a romantic song for that special someone, this is most certainly a song for your playlist. Taylor Swift - “Style” Taylor Swift’s new album 1989, is the first of her albums that is completely pop and “Style” is no different. The lyrics of the song are simply stylish and fit well together to make a very catchy, albeit typically Taylor Swift, song. It has definitely been on my repeat playlist the last week.

Entertainment

Festival season is back Photo by Edward Simpson

Photo by paul reynolds

Photo by Mat Simpson

2015’s best festivals Fantasy festival line-up Max Beckett

estivals are one of the best places to go if you’re looking for complete freedom, a great laugh with friends and, most importantly, to shout every word back to bands you have loved for years. At a festival, everyone is equal. There is no hierarchy amongst your peers. It’s a place where people can be themselves, with no one to laugh at you for being different, because you are at one with everyone. As a result of this, it’s impossible to rank festivals, because you are instantly taking away people’s individuality and inserting a biased pecking order based on your own subjective views. Instead, I will list a number of great festivals based on the genre they promote and the location where they are based. If you’re looking for festivals with the most charttopping artists from the UK, you really won’t have to look much further than V Festival. As well as being a place for seeing the latest upand-coming pop acts (as well as some famous pop veterans near the top of the bill), it provides a nice amount of rock bands as well, aimed for the ‘dads’ or ‘bored boyfriends’ of the attendees here. With superstars Beyoncé and Justin Timberlake recently headlining and Calvin Harris topping the list this year, it still provides a good fix for Capital FM listeners and chart lovers. There are also festivals specifically aimed at the more dance-centred, hiphop-influenced fans, where you can hear thousands of people singing every

syllable back to the artist. Creamfields attracts the best current dance acts, where you are constantly being hit with deep bass and ear-shattering synths, and Wireless Festival is the place to go in the UK to catch the biggest hip-hop/ pop artists from both the USA and UK, such as Drake and Nicki Minaj. If what you’re looking for needs a bit more aggression or if you’re simply into all shades of the genre spectrum, Reading Festival consistently supplies the hottest rock, pop, dance and metal acts, as well as finding legendary, timeless bands who attract a crazy amount of people. This 90,000 capacity crowd can be seen walking from Clean Bandit to Metallica, and no one bats an eyelid because everyone there knows no boundaries where genre is concerned. With decades of legacy for being one of the best rock festivals, it’s impossible to find nothing you enjoy Photo by Kyle Johnson on their line-up. Need even more aggression? Download Festival constantly provides the biggest rock and metal veterans or 21st Century artists. With its many stages, it covers the spectrum of metal, and its headliners are some of the most notable bands any music fan will not want to miss in their lifetime. There are loads of amazing festivals that I was not able to mention here, many of them much smaller than the ones I have listed here, so please look around for others yourself, because you are bound to find some you will absolutely love.

Jessica Duncan

eeing tickets going on sale and big acts being announced online almost daily, it’s that time of year again, where we all dream of a summer spent camping and watching great live music with friends. With the prices of tickets not quite fitting into our student budgets however, it’s easy to fantasise about your ideal festival line-up. Having been lucky enough to see them once before, Florence + the Machine are a magical act to watch and a musthave for any festival. Dressing day-today as though she lives at Glastonbury Festival, Florence Welch is an essential

would have Chase and Status to get the outdoor nightclub feel, and with their collaborations with singers such as Tiny Tempah, Delilah, and Dizzee Rascal, we can only hope they would bring some friends along. As with all festivals, supporting new and emerging acts is a must. Taking inspiration from the BBC sound of 2015 short list, George the Poet, who ranked fifth overall, is an alternative style for my festival, with songs such as ‘“Cat D” and “1,2,1,2” ultimately being performance poetry and creating a more chilled atmosphere. As well as being a spoken word artist, George is interested in social and political issues, aiding in

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Photo by Andy Sheppard

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Photo by Daniel Boud

Photo by Steve Baker

for my dream festival. With dreamy sounds in their earlier songs such as “Rabbit Heart” and their edgier, newer music “What kind of man” there’s something for everyone with her powerful voice. Last year, a brand new festival Mutiny Festival was created, a festival with primarily dance acts. With big acts such as Sigma and DJ Fresh headlining last year, and headliners already announced this year as being Knife Party, DJ sets really get the crowd going. Ideally I

the cultural side of the festival. Closing the festival, a big act such as Kaiser Chiefs will leave crowds singing classics such as “I Predict a Riot” or “Ruby” all the way back to the dull post-festival reality of home. With songs that everyone knows, even if they don’t realise it. They’re a great all-round act who really get the crowd up on their feet. Having produced seven albums worth of music to choose from, they’re spoilt for choice as to which songs to perform.

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.

Entertainment

The best quotes from the 2015 award season Karisma Indra “They are four women, plus, in accordance with California State Law, Meryl Streep.” Jared Leto talking about Supporting Actress Nominees for The Oscars 2015. “Benedict Cumberbatch. It’s not only the most awesome name in show business…It’s also the sound you get when you ask John Travolta to pronounce “Ben Affleck”” Neil Patrick Harris in reference to The Oscars 2014 when Travolta had problems pronouncing Idina Menzel’s name. “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage my very dear friend, Glom Gazingo.” Idina Menzel introducing her copresenter, John Travolta, at The Oscars 2015. “I’ve never kissed a member of the royal family before.” Cuba Gooding Jnr. after kissing Stephen Fry at The BAFTAs.

The great Kanye debate Love him or hate him, there’s no denying that Kanye West is everywhere at the moment. He’s on the radio, on the runways and on the tips of most of our tongues. So, is there anything great about Mr West, or is he just another egotistical musician that we all love to talk about? Elliot Bayliss

ultifaceted, influential, and iconic: Kanye West is a figure constantly in the spotlight. It’s March and Kanye’s been one of the most prominent figures in 2015, but why is he everywhere? Since his debut album The College Dropout, Kanye has proved both innovative and influential, utilising samples and skits in his production that led to comparisons with influential figures like Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA. On Late Registration, West’s production grew using orchestras and a wider range of genres. 2007 brought the electronic Graduation, leading to West’s first UK number one. 808s and Heartbreak popularized auto-tuned singing in a synthetic yet emotive album that influenced Kid Cudi and Drake. In 2010, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy dropped, being hailed one of the best albums of the last 25 years, West’s maximalist sound and roster of feature artists perfectly accompanying egotism. Following 2011’s Watch The Throne with friend and collaborator Jay-Z, Kanye released Yeezus, an antithesis to his past releases, whilst his seventh solo album, So Help Me

God, is on the horizon. Met with critical and commercial success selling 21 million albums and winning hundreds of awards, including 21 Grammys, the most awarded artist of his age: Kanye West is a musician, an excellent one at that, but by no means should he be limited to this. This year alone, Kanye has proved he is far more. Prominent in fashion, West had already collaborated with Nike before his new Adidas line. Debuting at New York Fashion Week, West’s line, including his ‘Yeezy Boost’ sneakers, was met with praise in front of an audience ranging from Pusha T to Alexander Wang. Recently, West has also given a lecture for the esteemed Oxford Guild Society; suggesting his insight is valued off the stage as well as on. Yet controversy followed. Most recently at the 57th annual Grammy Awards, West infamously stormed the stage in response to Beck’s victory of best album, an echo of his 2009 VMA stage invasion of Taylor Swift, an act which led to Barack Obama to label him “a jackass”. Who am I to disagree with the President? Yes, what Kanye did was in bad taste.

Yes, who is Kanye to say who should win, but then, who are the Grammy’s to decide, when in 2014 Macklemore won the award for best rap song AND best rap album? Really? Macklemore? Who are you kidding? Contrastingly, in 2008 Kanye gave away his BET award to UGK and Outkast and AMA to Lil Wayne, also stating that Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black was equally as good as Graduation. Humble. This side of the pond, Kanye recently performed new, heavily censored, single “All Day” at the BRITs, supported by UK grime acts including Skepta, Boy Better Know and emerging grime talent Novelist. This seemed to do more for grime, one of Britain’s unique musical exports, than the BRITs have ever done, whilst many of these artists also joined Kanye, as well as members of Wu-Tang Clan, at his landmark surprise gig at London’s KOKO. Rapper, producer, designer, intellectual, celebrity, enigma. However polemic Kanye West is, he is all of these and more; with “All Day”’s popularity and a new album on the way it seems he will be impossible to escape and it’s going to be phenomenal.

“Tonight we honour Hollywood’s best and whitestsorry, brightest.” Neil Patrick Harris in reference to the fact that every actor/actress nominated in the 20 positions for The Oscars were Caucasian. “It’s like losing your virginity, you gotta goof it.” Andy Sandberg about his appearance at The Oscars performing “Everything is Awesome” from “The Lego Movie”. “North Korea referred to ‘The Interview’ as absolutely intolerable and a wanton act of terror. Even more amazing? Not the worst review the movie got.” Tina Fey checked the Rotten Tomatoes review on The Interview at The Golden Globes 2015. “I hope one day I go through puberty and my voice changes…maybe one of these days.” Ross Matthews on hitting puberty at the SAAG awards.

Photos by Joshua Mellin

Fraser Whieldon

t’s true, “no one loves Kanye, more than Kanye.” This is the perception many people have of the millionaire rapper. The image of Kanye as an arrogant, selfobsessed rapper who’s married to a reality television star who gave birth to a compass point. The incident at the Grammy awards on 8 February, where West seemed to attempt to hijack Beck’s acceptance speech, demonstrate why West is held in such low esteem by many people. Along with West’s hijacking of Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the 2009 MTV VMAs, West does little to dispel the notion that he is an arrogant, egotistical rapper. His parenting style is also something that has attracted criticism, and has maintained the negative public

perception of West and his family. If reports are to be believed, North West was given a pair of diamond earrings and a £30,000 Wendy house, built in the style of a Mediterranean villa, for her first birthday. Surely a one-year-old has no understanding of the value of money, and it is therefore pointless for her to have such a lot of it spent on her? Why should it be wasted on an infant who will live a life of luxury whatever happens? The stage invasions. The name of his child. The bonkers amount of money he lavishes on seemingly unimportant things. All of this feeds the monster which is Kanye West’s public image. That, along with his occupation, some not politically correct comments concerning the Jewish community’s influence on the US government, and some very ill thought-out comparisons

to Jesus Christ, have made Kanye West a pantomime villain. Yet, let me ask you this: aren’t you just a bit jealous of the guy? If you had a kid, wouldn’t you want them to have every opportunity in the world? Kanye has the time, money, and opportunity to make his child’s dreams a reality. Plus, for all this talk of him spending tens of thousands on his kid’s birthday, he has also set up numerous charitable foundations to help underprivileged children, has helped Hurricane Katrina survivors, and has fundraised for Iraq War veterans. I think the problem with Kanye’s public image is that it is an image, not the reality of the situation. He may speak without thinking (and has admitted as much), he may hold himself in very high esteem. But besides that, he’s a talented musician and an excellent self-publicist.

Culture

Read and Avoid Amber Murphy

Read

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Brave New World was recommended to me by a friend and I was certainly impressed by it. Aldous Huxley created a classic dystopian novel, depicting a futuristic world that focuses on science and pleasure but is void of true freedom, genetically test-tube grown humans are intellectually modified to serve menial purposes. The 1932 story is provoking and mentally stimulating, creating a scary version of our own potential future, being overrun by technology yet neglecting morality.

Avoid

Cosmopolis by Don Delillo

Recently I read Don Delillo’s Cosmopolis. Excited by its contemporary promises, I was disappointed to find myself in a postmodern millennium. The story lacks narrative momentum and its protagonist’s mechanical and misogynistic behaviour was completely uninteresting and dull to read. It’s a novel that tried too hard to shock the reader and resulted in a rebarbative story. The 2007 film only made things worse; don’t read the book and definitely do not suffer through 109 minutes of lifeless acting.

Makeshift libraries in unusual places Manon Charles

ibraries are old institutions, long ingrained into our society, and when most people think about them, they think of big, cold buildings with dusty shelves and overbearing librarians. Fortunately, this is no longer the case, thanks to a few creative people with these new innovative libraries and micro-libraries that are popping up all over the place. Times are changing and it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Throughout the UK, the concept of creative libraries, particularly post box libraries, has been spreading, and local people are creating their own makeshift libraries in odd spaces. Ice-Cream Van Library This is a mobile library that provides books as well as a little joy. This idea became a reality last summer, when Rebecca Davies set off around the country in her ice-cream van library in order to celebrate cultural rituals. What could be better than a library coming to you? Playground Library This library would be a brilliant idea for kids. There are many children out

Photo by Michael D Beckwith

there who do not have books to read, so by placing a library in an easily accessible place, it ensures that no-one will be missing out. Open-air libraries are no new thing, but placing one in a playground gives it a unique edge. Car Library This concept is similar to the ice-

cream van library, but without the air of nostalgia. This idea is easier to execute as virtually anyone with a car can do it. This makes libraries so much more accessible and fun. This idea has been carried out in Argentina, where Raul Lemestoff drives a mobile library around urban areas. There is something unique about it, however, he drives a tank. While the vehicle once had negative connotations, Lemestoff has managed to turn it into something positive and has called the project ‘Weapons of Mass Instruction’. Vending Machine Library This is my favourite idea. What could be better than a machine where you can select what type of book you want to read. Fancy a romance? Press A2. A thriller? Press D6. Instead of running to Rutherford vending machines for a sugar fix, a healthier option could be a book. Although nothing can beat actually going to a library and browsing through books, this concept could change the whole experience. Bonus point – a vending machine needs no workers and so could run 24/7. Perfect for those late night reading sessions.

An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth Holly Welch

hate exercise. I also hate healthy eating. Yet, last spring, I cut out all chocolate and crisps from my diet and started running three times a week. What inspired this drastic change in me? Chris Hadfield. I’d picked up a free sample of his latest book and it had driven me to the drastic epiphany that becoming an astronaut was the way to

go. Okay, so the motivation didn’t last – I realised that I had way too many ailments to actually pass the medical tests, for one – but I finally got my hands on the physical book and eagerly read it in its entirety. An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth is Hadfield’s first (of hopefully many) publications, which focuses on how his training and experiences aboard the International Space Station (ISS) have shaped him into a human more capable of preparing for every eventuality. He states that, by preparing for the worst, we are able to cope with any situation, even if they actually turn out a lot better than expected. Part autobiography, part self-help manual, the beauty of this book is that Hadfield’s writing inspires us to strive for better in ourselves, and to motivate us to be ready for any situation that life may throw at us. The book is split into three sections – Pre-Launch, Liftoff, and Coming Down To Earth, which deal with different skills that Hadfield learnt, according to the different stages of his expeditions. Friendly advice and support is accompanied by anecdotes of Hadfield’s amazingly jam-packed life, which not only entertain and awe the reader, but also help to demonstrate the necessity of preparation. The book also contains some absolutely breathtaking photographs of the Earth (as

Photo by NASA

seen from ISS), as well as snapshots of the former astronaut’s childhood and career, which illustrate his journey from schoolboy to commander wonderfully. It is a true inspiration to read. So, no. I may not be destined to become an astronaut, and I doubt I’ll ever leave the Earth. But Hadfield’s book has taught me that I don’t need to zoom off into outer space to be a great human being. I’ve also learnt that the key to enjoying life to its fullest is to be ready for anything. An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth is truly delightful – if you haven’t got your hands on the book already, I demand that you discover it.

Culture

Society Spotlight Manon Charles

University of Kent Against Human Trafficking

niversity of Kent Against Human Trafficking Society (UKAHT) are a student-led volunteering group at Kent. The aim of the society is to raise awareness and support funds to combat human trafficking in Kent. They managed to raise £83 for the Purple Teardrop Campaign during a Pub Quiz held by the society on 12 February in Woody’s.

Photo by Moonira Mamoon

In recent events, the society participated in the global campaign of Live Below the Line where participants pledged to live on £1 a day to raise awareness of poverty, which is often the reason why people are trafficked. Perhaps one of their most ambitious accomplishments were the events arranged in honour of Anti-Slavery week. They held a range of events, including a panel discussion where they welcomed distinguished speakers with backgrounds in politics and law. This interesting discussion included debates on immigration and human rights with regards to human trafficking. To conclude this eventful week, UKAHT hosted a film night in conjunction with the film society, on 20 March. All of the funds raised during Anti-Slavery week and the Below the Line campaign will be donated to the charity Save the Children. You can find UKAHT on Facebook at www.facebook. com/UKAHT2014 Want to see your society in this space? Contact newspaper.culture@ inquiremedia.co.uk.

Our Top 4 influential women in culture Alice Taylor 1. Beyonce Topping the Forbes Celebrity 100 list with a net worth of $450 million, and with a Twitter following of 13.9 million (of which I am shamelessly included), Knowles’ influence cannot be disputed. She has used her platform of fame to campaign and bring attention to issues close to her heart, with the hashtag #BeyGOOD, which includes women’s rights. Her extensive catalogue of music includes some storming hits about female empowerment, and her image screams ‘strong woman’. Ditching her own father as manager before the release of her fourth studio album, 4, Knowles holds free agency over her work. This is a refreshing change to much of the mainstream music industry, where artists seem to be mere products of record labels. She has recently become more actively involved in the campaign for gender equality, and a lot can be said for her impact on the popularisation of feminism. Performing her song Flawless at last year’s VMAs, she danced in front of a giant light-up ‘Feminist’ sign, giving her stance on the

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issues of women’s rights pretty firmly. She also endorsed the movement Chime for Change, headlining its concert The Sound of Change in 2013. 2. Emma Watson Since ending her role in Harry Potter, Emma Watson has proved that playing strong-willed Hermione is certainly not the limit of her influence over gender perspectives in culture and wider society. Launching the HeForShe campaign last year at the UN Headquarters in New York, being an active promoter of gender equality has become a priority of Watson’s. As a UN Ambassador for Women, her influence over gender equality is undeniable. She stated that she became a feminist at age eight, when she was called ‘bossy’ for wanting to direct a play, and was frustrated when the same name calling was not applied to the boys. Since then, women’s rights have been an issue close to Watson’s heart. She aims to right the stigma attached to the word feminist, which so often is seen as having ‘manhating’ connotations, and encourages men to join the campaign for achieving gender equality. 3. Lena Dunham With the media so heavily transfixed with the misrepresentation of women, Lena Dunham’s screenplays are a breath of fresh air. The statistics for women in the television and film industry are pretty shocking. According to surveys carried out in 2014, women make up only 6% of directors and 10% of writers. This translates on screen, and causes much of what is produced to have no resonance with half the demographic, largely because of the unrealistic and frankly dully repetitive characters this system produces. Dunham’s co-writing of HBO

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triple-Emmy winning series Girls portrays its characters as complex and independent from men, a formula so shockingly lacking in much of TV and films. Dubbed ‘the voice of her generation’, by many, Dunham was recently commissioned to write a memoir. Entitled Not That Kind Of Girl, she lays bare to its readers about her past, beliefs and her experiences of the industry. 4. Malala Yousafzai Yousafzai’s voice has resonated heavily through the entire international community. Being only aged 17, she is an activist for human rights and education for girls, and has recently won a Nobel Peace Prize for her work. Living as a young girl in the Swat Valley of North West Pakistan, her activism started at age 11, writing for the BBC under a pseudonym which addressed life as a young girl under Taliban rule. Three years later, when refusing to abide by the Taliban ban on girl’s education, she was shot along with her friends on her bus journey to school. Yousafzai has since been campaigning for girl’s rights to education worldwide, bringing the issue to worldwide attention.

Royal Shakespeare Company live screening Rebecca Fatharly

cross the country in selected cinemas, the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) presented their version of the Shakespeare’s classic Much Ado About Nothing, live to the Gulbenkian and cinemas around the UK. The Gulbenkian cinema was packed with families and students alike, all ready to watch an update of one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays. The RSC decided to set the play in wintry Britain at the end of the First World War, rather than sunny Messina in Italy, in keeping with the current season. The play is set around Christmas time, which allowed the set designers to go to town on creating a ginormous Christmas tree that reached the ceiling of the set. It created a

cosiness and intimacy between the characters and audience members, with a roaring fire and soft armchairs, rather than the stone sets seen in other productions of the play. The first half of the play was much more light-hearted than the second, with the actors playing Benedick and Beatrice really using their exaggerated facial expressions for comedic effect. The scene that was arguably the funniest in the entire show was the one where Benedick overhears the other noblemen talking about how Beatrice loves him. With the use of a harness, Benedick was hoisted up and down behind the curtain, pulling funny faces at the audience. He was then put inside the Christmas tree and appeared at the top inside the star, and was then ‘electrocuted.’ It was one of the funniest

pieces of theatre I have seen in a while. The play also had darker elements hidden behind the humour, however. Watching the wedding scene was heart-breaking as Hero is traumatised by Claudio’s accusing of her betrayal. She fell to the floor, and her grief and confusion was palpable, as was Beatrice’s. Even though Beatrice is the female comic relief in the play, the actress really conveyed the tragedy of watching your family fall apart around you and looking on with helplessness. The play’s soundtrack was of the era of Noel Coward, which the musicians deliberately emphasised. The tunes were catchy, leaving the audience humming them as they left the theatre. The RSC were selling the CDs as play memorabilia, which were worth the money for any Shakespeare fan.

Culture

Anne Frank Exhibition in Eliot Hall Rebekah Cox

Photo by This is Awkward

rom Monday 9 until Wednesday 11 March, Eliot dining hall showcased an Anne Frank Exhibition, which was linked to T:24 Drama Society’s production at the Gulbenkian on 13 and 14 March. There were display cards spanning across the top of the hall displaying information in chronological order, first about the events leading up to the war and how Hitler’s rise to power impacted the Jewish community, and then onto the impact this had for Anne and her family, as was recorded in her famous diary. Each one had photographs down the left hand side, some of Anne and her family and some more general images from the period.

Some of them had quotes from either Anne or her father Otto, who was the only member of the Frank family to survive the concentration camps. Quotes from Anne’s diary have been put on the cards to help sum up her experience such as “Not being able to go outside upsets me more than I can say, and I’m terrified our hiding place will be discovered and that we will be shot”. This added to the realism and helped engage the exhibition visitors with the reality of the Nazi occupation for the Jewish community. There were some display cards however which had very little information on. One in particular which was entitled ‘isolation,’ only had four lines of text and a lot of blank space which could have been used to give

more information. In addition to the display cards there was a war themed soundtrack playing in the hall. As the room was not closed off for the exhibition, however, the general noise made by people in the hall made it difficult to hear. This was a shame as the soundtrack played some clips from old radio broadcasts, which would have been nice to hear more clearly and would have added to the atmosphere. There was also an air raid siren, but between these clips there was a lot of time when nothing was being played which I feel prevented it from achieving its full impact. Overall though, it was great to have the opportunity to discover more about Anne Frank, her family and their experience during World War Two.

Holi Festival of Colours celebration Rebecca Fatharly

he Holi Festival of Colours is dedicated to celebrating love. Developing from ancient Hindu tradition, the festival has spread across many parts of South Asia, as well as internationally, and is celebrated by Hindus and non-Hindus alike. In Europe in particular, the festival has

festival, but rather it is a day set aside for fun, partying and playfulness. The next day, people chase each other with dyed dry powder and coloured water to make sure their assailants are covered in multi-coloured streaks. Everyone is a target, and everyone gets involved with

each other sweets. The festival is not only celebrating love, but also reinforces forgiveness and new beginnings, that are supposed to bring harmony to all those in the community. On 11 March, the UKC Hindu Society celebrated the Festival of Colours and

not mind being ruined. The event was free and the coloured powders were provided, meaning students could enjoy the festival without burning a hole in their pocket. The event began at 1.30pm, and was started by committee members throwing cups of colour into the crowd. Yellows, blues, greens and pinks flew through the air and covered the buzzing

Photos by University of Kent

come to celebrate spring, love and colours. Holi celebrates Prahalada’s victory, a Lord Vishnu devotee, over the evil Holika. The festival generally begins with a Holika fire the evening prior to Holi, where people come to sing and celebrate. The fire symbolises negative energy being burned and destroyed. There is no tradition of prayer for this

the fun event. Holi is celebrated on a full moon on the approach of vernal equinox. The date is usually in March, when the spring sunshine begins to return, but it changes every year. There is usually an after party, in which people clean up, wash and greet loved ones by giving

encouraged students to join them. In the sunshine, hundreds of students lined up together on Tyler Hill to await the beginning of the festival. The society asked students to come dressed in white, as this would show off the range of colours that they were covered in best, or clothes that they did

crowd, who couldn’t wait to get stuck into the celebrations. People handed around boxes and cups of colours until they ran out. The whole session lasted about 30 minutes by the time the colours ran out, but people stayed to chat and be playful, really getting into the festival spirit. With spring just around the corner, what a great way to end the spring term.

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Sport

“We want to be the biggest and best club in England” InQuire chats to UKC Lacrosse President, Max Biddlestone, about their phenomenal season and their future. Hi Max, could explain a little bit about your role in the team? In the first team, I am one of the midfield players, though until this term I was an attacker. I was also the captain of the 2s team until November. Incidentally the 2s have had a fantastic season, keeping hot on the tail of the 1s team. I try to give back what I can to the club in my role of president, which is a lot of work, but highly rewarding. I have a great committee who help, and everyone in the club is keen to help grow the sport and the club. Why did you get involved with lacrosse in the first place? I had seen it in films such as American Pie and thought it was interesting. It’s predominantly an American sport, I only wanted to try it, but ended up getting hooked. When I joined the University team in September 2012, the club was tiny. There was only one team and just 15 members outside of the new intake. Now there are two teams, an intercollege league, an outreach programme and over 50 members. We’re one of the only healthy clubs in the South East of

England. It is enormously violent, does that not put you off? If anything, it made me want to play more! It’s all controlled – I don’t think we’d be allowed to play it if not. The sticks have to suit a certain standard to be legal. Players have to wear helmets and gloves to play, some players choose to wear elbow pads, chest pads, shoulders, pads and more. If you don’t wear pads you’re looking at bruises and broken bones. Of course, some players still get injured: this year we’ve had knee injuries to our vicecaptain, our goalkeeper has had broken bones in his hands, as well as back and ankle injuries across the squad. 15 seconds into Varsity, one of our key players dislocated his shoulder and was taken to A & E. Heading into this year, what were your hopes and aspirations for the team? We wanted to grow, and we wanted to win. We lost a lot of members last year so we really needed to recruit. We’d won Varsity three times in a row, and BUCS once, but had never achieved promotion, missing out by one spot nearly every year. Working off the back of our

Photo by Adam J Webb

Club of the Year Award, the pressure was on me to keep the club performing at the highest possible standard. We also wanted to progress on the work from last year, in working with the community to develop the sport. England came fifth in the world championships last year, and is hosting them in 2018 – we want Kent boys playing for England by then. The club is only six years old, but it has high hopes. We’re working on a three year plan, which includes a third team, reaching the premiership, starting a youth team and winning yet more Varsities and BUCS cups! We of course want to see the 2s remaining hot on the heels of the 1s, winning their league next year. In that respect then, how has this season gone? Fantastically. The 1s have won every single game, earning us a huge Varsity win, promotion (for the first time) and success in the cup . The first team has also contributed over 30 BUCS points to the University’s total so far, which is the highest from any team. The 2s, who are only in their second season, have won two games, and drawn one. Which is a huge achievement, especially when nearly all of the team has only been playing since September. We recruited over 25 new members and they’ve been fantastic, picking up the sport really quickly to earn these wins. Four of our members got into the South East of England University squad, we’re waiting to see who got in to the national team! Has this been the side’s most successful year yet? Certainly, our most recent win against Cantebrury Christchurch was the biggest score against our local rivals yet. We’ve never won every game in the season, nor have we been promoted before, so the proof really is in the pudding. How was taking part in Varsity, and how important was it to win again over CCCU? Taking part in Varsity, and I think I speak for everyone from every sport here, is amazing.

It’s the biggest game of the year and you get the biggest crowds too. Some of our alumni come down to support us and the build-up to the match really brings the team together. We have a fairly good relationship with CCCU off the pitch, but when the whistle blows and the game begins, the rivalry heats up and everybody wants to win. Any game against CCCU is always one of the biggest games of the year – they have a good team with some national standard players – so the win

to get every team playing on campus as soon as possible. There are men’s and women’s sides in lacrosse, do you think it is important that both teams get equal exposure? Certainly. Women’s Lacrosse is more popular in Britain, with it being a big Prep school sport. Both sports are still considered “minor”, however, and Lacrosse needs both forms to grow in order for the sport to grow. The women’s World Championships are being hosted in Guildford in 2017,

“Taking part in Varsity, and I think I speak for everyone from every sport here, is amazing.” feels great. This year’s Varsity was also the semi-final of the BUCS Conference Cup, so the win was more important than ever – with the winner going through to the final. We won, and now we have the chance to win the cup. A lot of your fixtures take place at Rough Common, would you like to see more take place in Parkwood, and how important would this be? The people who run Rough Common are lovely, and they’ve been great in hosting us, but ultimately we play for the University and would love to play there on a permanent basis. We played our first game on the 3G in Parkwood this year, and the support we had that day was invaluable for the teams. The 1s won their game and the 2s drew, so it was a very good day for the club. Varsity was played on Parkwood pitches for the first time in the club’s history and the quality of the pitch was great with a fantastic crowd – it really makes varsity one of the best games of the year. Before we played at Rough Common, we had a space on campus behind Keynes. That pitch is now Turing College, so we don’t have the option of a regular space, but hopefully the Union and University can come together

with the men’s being held in Manchester the year after. What has been your own personal highlight when involved in lacrosse? There are so many. I think it has to be this year, winning Varsity felt extra special. We trained really hard all year and we knew that we could just as easily lose the game as win it. The game was one of the most dramatic games I have ever played, for reasons you really had to be there for. Would you like to see lacrosse become a more main-stream sport? And if so, how do you think this could be achieved? It’s a huge focus for the club. We want to see more youth clubs, which our Outreach Programme will hopefully lead to. If every club invests in the sport as much we do, then the sport could be massive. The English Lacrosse Association works with clubs to make sure that they are helping develop the sport. How can UKC Lacrosse get even bigger? More members, more wins, more teams. We want to extend UKC, too with a UKC Canterbury Youth Team being the first step in this. It really would be great to have our members playing the English National team, too. We want to be the biggest and best club in England – but first we need to conquer the South East.

Sport

Pole dazzles Let’s Play campaign gets UKC moving Ballroom Percival Kleft

Reg Dwight

KC’s Pole Fitness society wowed audiences on 10 March with their showcase. The event, which took place at Ballroom in Canterbury, was an opportunity for the society to display their dazzling array of feats on the pole. Titled ‘Synergy’, the annual showcase was held for the first time off-campus, and celebrated a successful year for the society, which has grown from strength to strength in the last year.

Photo by Sam Allard

aunched earlier this year, the Let’s Play campaign, spearheaded by Kent Sport, seeks to get more of Kent’s students and staff active than ever before. The project offers all members of the University’s community the chance to take up a sport that they may not otherwise have done so, in a completely competition-free environment. The campaign also provides an opportunity to try out the more unusual sports that are available, including softball and canoeing. While anyone can just turn up to events and take part, it is recommended that those interested do book first in order to avoid disappointment. The prices range up to £2, depending on the activity. The campaign also has Kent’s postgraduate students in mind, with events running through the Easter and summer vacations . This means that anyone on campus can still get involved and keep themselves fit during

the term breaks. For further information on the campaign, and how you can get involved, head to www.kent.

ac.uk/sports/letsplay, email letsplay@kent.ac.uk, or tweet @letsplaykent, and get up and get moving!

Gordon Sumner

s the election dust settled in Venue for another year, it was as you were with Nina Mehmi, retaining her role as Kent Union’s Vice President (Sport) for another 12 months. The result marks history for Kent Union, with Mehmi becoming the first VP Sport to re run for a second term, let alone win. Mehmi’s winning manifesto included termly and faculty only sport memberships with Kent Sport. In addition, there is a promise to increase coaching funding to benefit clubs across the University of Kent’s sporting spectrum. A popular policy, which Mehmi also championed, was to introduce ‘Free Wednesdays’ . Nina said of her win: “I’m really excited to get started again. “I’m the first ever sports VP to get re-elected so I’m really happy!”

s the Team Kent train almost reaches the final stop on its BUCS route, there were still some huge wins for the side during Week 20 of the season.

UKC Results 11/03/15 Netball: Chichester Women’s 1s w/0 (walk over) Kent Women’s 1s Netball: Arts Women’s 1s w/o Kent Women’s 3s Volleyball: Kent Women’s 1s 3-0 Middlesex Women’s 1s Hockey: King’s College Men’s 2s 3-2 Kent Men’s 1s Hockey: Kent Men’s 2s w/o Queen Mary’s Men’s 1s

Photo by Let’s Play

Nina returns Mixed week of BUCS for Team Kent sides as VP (Sport) Michael Angel

The headline was undoubtedly the success of the Lacrosse men’s 1s, who beat rivals Canterbury Christchurch 18-4 to not only claim the bragging rights once more following a similar Varsity demolition, but saw them clinch promotion

Photo by Adam J Webb

for the first time in the team’s history. The men’s 2s were not quite as fortunate though, losing 13-7 to King’s College. On the football pitch, the men’s 3s used home advantage to overcome Greenwich 2s, rounding off their BUCS campaign with a 3-1 victory. At the hockey field, the men’s 1s went down to a tough 2-3 defeat to King’s College 2s, but it was a better afternoon for the women’s 1s, who cruised past UCL’s 3rd side in a 3-0 win to end their season on a high. Kent also enjoyed success during Week 20 on the racquet courts, with the women’s squash side winning 4-0 against City 1s. Meanwhile, in badminton, the men’s 1s saw off Essex’s challenge in a 6-2 victory. Kent also came up against Essex in the volleyball, yet the Kent side could not hold off the strength of their opponents, losing 3-0. It was another successful BUCS campaign for Team Kent, with the most successful side, in terms of BUCS points, being the lacrosse team.

Table Tennis: Essex Men’s 2s 16-1 Kent Men’s 1s Basketball: Imperial Men’s 1s 76-52 Kent Men’s 1s Squash: Kent Women’s 1s 4-0 City Women’s 1s Hockey: Kent Women’s 2s 3-0 UCL Women’s 3s Hockey: Kent Men’s 3s 5-0 UCL Men’s 5s Football: Kent Men’s 3s 3-1 Greenwich 2s Lacrosse: Kent Men’s 1s 18-4 Canterbury Christchurch 1s Badminton: Kent Men’s 1s 6-2 Essex Men’s 1s

InQuire sport www.inquirelive.co.uk/sport

Handball score double trophy success

Photo by Adam Wilson UKC Handball

eading into the national championships, UKC’s Handball squad were brimming with confidence. Held between 7 - 8 March, the side were full of confidence, and hoping to bring success, and silverware, back to Canterbury. Kent men’s 1s began with a convincing 6-4 win against Bangor in the Trophy division. Playing top seeds Huddersfield in their second game, the side lost 8-4 after putting up a good fight and taking an early 3-1 lead. Meanwhile, using the defence as their strength, Kent men’s 2s powered through Saturday with two wins, against Keele (9-3)

and Liverpool (3-2). Meanwhile, the women’s 1s were starting their campaign to win the plate. A real desire to play a fast paced game allowed the girls to start with two wins over Bangor (6-1) and Birmingham (5-4). The third game against Warwick had become a very important match to win the plate. Kent’s intensity on display in the previous games took several minutes to come to life, and Warwick drifted away to a 4-2 lead. The women’s 1s fought back and equalised, however, with the last shot of the game, Warwick scored a direct free throw from the 9m line which

brought about a frustrating 5-4 loss to the team. In the last 16, the men’s 1s were faced with a very strong Cambridge team, who had beaten them by more than ten goals just over three weeks ago, narrowly losing 9-7 to the future winners of the trophy. In the plate, the women’s 1s carried on their weekend with two more wins, against Bath (51) and Cambridge (2-0). The side also achieved one draw against Lancaster (5-5) which took them into second place overall, taking a welldeserved trophy back to Canterbury. Determined to remain undefeated and win the plate, the men’s 2s cruised past

Nottingham 2s 6-1 to set up a deciding match against Bath 2s. No team could break the tough defences set by both teams and the game eventually finished in a 2-2 draw, which was enough to secure Kent 2s first place, and the plate, rounding off a successful weekend. If you would like to get involved with UKC’s Handball team, head along to one of the two training sessions throughout the week, held on Mondays between 7pm - 8pm, and Saturdays 11am - 1pm. Both sessions are held in Sports Hall 2. For more information on the club, be sure to visit www. facebook.con/UKCHandball or email ukchandball@gmail.com.

Inside: - Interview with Lacrosse’s President - Pole Fitness ‘Synergy’ Showcase - Team Kent roundup - Athletics Charity run If you want to write for sport, or tell us about your event, email newspaper.sport@ inquiremedia.co.uk