BlueMoon - May 2013 by Kate Stephenson

2013

once

M a y

your free magazine by students, for students !

Inside What’s

this

Issue:

next for

our students ? p .23

moving on…

here’s looking

at you kid S.R.E A wards

After Study Abroad

S ocial

R esponsibility

Interview Wear

H arry P otter S ociety

table of contents

Michael Gillett - Vice President Communications & Media So

t h i s i s i t t h e n , t h e f i n a l e d i to r i a l

this with mixed feelings;

editorials

this year but sad

Writ ten,

designed,

p r o v i d e d by

and

edited

students,

UHSU

Print Editor: E l i s a b e t h S c hu e t z p r i n t . e d i to r @ uh s u . co . u k

K at e S n o w d o n p r i n t . d e p u t y . e d i to r @ uh s u . co . u k

Associate Editor: Kealie Mardell

h av e ac h i e v e d

Designers: S t e p h e n F r o s t , Z o e F i s h L i n , A l i c e K ay i n g L aw

Contributors: M i c h a e l G i l l e t t , K at h e r i n e M o r g a n , O l i v e a D r a i s e y , C l a r e A b b ot t , V i d h ya b a m a A p pa l a s a m y , A b i s e s h a n a M o h a n , P e n g S i a n g L o h , A n to n i c a J o n e s , A n n a N i c h o l l s , M i c h a e l D’ s o u z a , M o h a mm a d A f k h a m i , Jerrica Leong, Amira Amiruddin, Vanessa Gomes, S t ua r t H o l l a n d

Social Media Editor: Abiseshana Mohan

Cover Design: Joel Ericsen, Saahil Dossani

Contact: uh s u . co mm s @ h e r t s . ac . u k

UHSU C o mm s & M e d i a University of Hertfordsire Students Union H at f i e l d H e r t s , AL10 9AB

Published By: Stroma Ltd U n i t 17 142 J o h n s o n S t r e e t Southall Middlesex UB2 5FD

bluemoon.uhsu.co.uk

write

year.

I a m n ot a lo n e i n h av i n g t h i s m i x e d f e e l i n g a n d i t c e r ta i n ly s e e m e d to b e a t h e m e o f t h e SRE wh e r e t h e r e wa s a n a i r o f c e l e b r at i o n a n d y e t f i n a l i t y . H o w e v e r , i t i s w i t h e xc i t e m e n t a n d i n t r i g u e I lo o k f o r wa r d to t h e s umm e r a n d t h e co m i n g y e a r . I c a n ’ t wa i t to s ta r t w o r k i n g w i t h t h e n e w s a b b at i c a l t e a m a n d to g o o n t r a i n i n g w i t h t h e m o v e r t h e s umm e r a n d I’ m e s p e c i a l ly lo o k i n g f o r wa r d to s e e wh at S h a n n e n R o c k c a n ac h i e v e w i t h UHSU M e d i a . W e a r e i n t h e p r o c e s s at t h e m i n u t e o f a p p o i n t i n g s t u d e n t s to r o l e s w i t h i n M e d i a f o r n e x t y e a r a n d i t lo o k s l i k e t h e r e w i l l b e a g r e at t e a m i n p l ac e . S o wh i l s t i t ’ s m y l a s t e d i to r i a l p i e c e f o r B lu e M o o n a n d o n e o f m y f i n a l o ff i c i a l ta s k s to d o f o r UHSU M e d i a I a m r e a l ly lo o k i n g f o r wa r d to wh at UHSU M e d i a i s a b l e to ac h i e v e n e x t y e a r t h r o u g h b u i l d i n g u p o n i t s s u cc e s s e s f r o m t h i s y e a r . A l l t h at r e m a i n s f o r m e to s ay i s t h a n k yo u to a l l t h o s e wh o h av e b e e n i n v o lv e d i n UHSU M e d i a t h i s y e a r a n d m a d e a l l o f t h e g r e at ac h i e v e m e n t s p o s s i b l e a n d to e v e r yo n e e l s e , w i t h i n t h e SU a n d U n i v e r s i t y , wh o I h av e w o r k e d w i t h . F i n a l ly , I’ d l i k e to w i s h a l l t h o s e wh o a r e l e av i n g t h i s y e a r t h e v e r y b e s t o f lu c k f o r t h e fu t u r e a n d p l e a s e k e e p i n to u c h . sure

H ere we are , the MOVING ON. T he theme

Saahil Dossani

B lu e M o o n . I

h a s co m e o n s o mu c h

I f e e l a lot at t h e m i n u t e I t ’ s b e e n a g r e at y e a r f o r a wh o l e h o s t o f r e a s o n s ; I’ v e m a d e s i g n i f i c a n t c h a n g e s to M e d i a , I’ v e r e p r e s e n t e d yo u w i t h i n t h e S t u d e n t s ’ U n i o n a n d t h e U n i v e r s i t y a n d , m o r e t h a n a n y t h i n g e l s e , I h av e m a d e s o m e g r e at f r i e n d s . I’ m p l e a s e d w i t h wh at b u t s a d t h at t h i n g s w i l l s o o n b e c h a n g i n g a n d f r i e n d s w i l l b e m o v i n g o n . I’ m 2012/2013

Joel Ericsen

Photography:

B lu e M o o n

w o n ’ t r e a l ly b e i n v o lv e d w i t h i t n e x t y e a r .

Elisabeth Schuetz- Print Editor

will write for

fac t t h at s e n t i m e n t i s r e p r e s e n tat i v e o f h o w

Head Designer:

Head

h a p p y t h at

a s w e co m e to t h e e n d o f t h e

Editor:

I’ m

last issue of this academic year and the theme is is pretty accurate considering that now is the time

many students are moving on to jobs , new courses and other adventures .

what you have to look forward to in this issue are features like how to dress in your new work environment , what to do after coming back from

S tudy A broad , V ice -C hancellor , the perfect preparation to move on to a summer outside of U niversity . T alking about moving on , it is also time for me to move on . T hree years of my undergraduate degree are over and a year of being P rint E ditor as well . I t was an amazing experience with amazing people . I t is always good to see how much talent we are surrounded with and how much effort everybody involved puts into their articles , designs and photo shoots , a fact that was just celebrated at the S tudent R ecognition E vening , which is also featured in this issue . I look forward to see how UHSU M edia and especially P rint will continue next year and to see new students , and with that , new talent coming in . I hope you , as readers , have enjoyed this year ’ s issues of B lue M oon and continue to read or even get involved if you want to . H ave a great time at UH, enjoy the issue and remember : “W e create our tomorrow by what we dream today .” employer ’ s top tips when applying for an interview with the

Kate Snowdon - Deputy Print Editor A

role model of mine,

is about a journey.

Carol Bronze,

contents : crush radio

Crush Crushed It!

science 04

E ac h i s s u e s h o u l d ta k e i t s r e a d e r o n a j o u r n e y f r o m - a n d to b e h o n e s t , t h i s s e m e s t e r i t h a s b e e n a j o u r n e y f r o m i s s u e to i s s u e . F r o m t h e N e w B e g i n n i n g s i s s u e to t h e R e l at i o n s h i p s i s s u e , t h r o u g h to T a l e n t a n d M o v i n g O n - W e h av e c h a n g e d , w e h av e d e v e lo p e d , w e h av e n ot a lway s g ot i t r i g h t , b u t h o p e fu l ly w i t h t h i s i s s u e , t h e f i n a l i s s u e o f t h i s ac a d e m i c y e a r , w e h av e . I t i s a l s o m y l a s t i s s u e a s t h e UHSU D e p u t y P r i n t E d i to r . S a d ly , a s t h e c h a l l e n g e s a n d p r o m i s e s o f g r a d uat e l i f e a p p r o ac h , I h av e r e ac h e d t h e e n d o f m y j o u r n e y t h r o u g h UHSU M e d i a , wh i c h h a s s e e n m e m o v e f r o m co n t r i b u to r , to f e at u r e s e d i to r , a n d d e p u t y e d i to r o f b ot h p r i n t p u b l i c at i o n s , a n d I h av e m o v e d f r o m t h e U n i V e r s e to S o a p b ox to B lu e M o o n . W h i l s t a l l p l at f o r m s h av e b e e n d i ff e r e n t a n d r e q u i r e d d i ff e r e n t d e m a n d s f r o m m e , I h av e l e a r n t t h at m e d i a a n d U n i l i f e i n g e n e r a l i s a l l a b o u t t h e s to r i e s yo u c a n t e l l ( ta k e n ot e n e x t y e a r ’ s UHSU M e d i a t e a m ). I h av e b e e n lu c k y e n o u g h to s h a r e s to r i e s w i t h i n s p i r i n g , ta l e n t e d p e o p l e , i n c lu d i n g m y J o u r n a l i s m a n d M e d i a L e c t u r e r s (S h a r o n M a x w e l l -M ag n u s , J o h n M u r p h y , P h i l i p C o wa n , S y lv i e M ag e r s ta dt , I a n F i n l ay s o n ) a n d m y J o u r n a l i s m t u to r s f r o m m y e xc h a n g e y e a r (J o s e p h F e r n a n d o , C a r r i e C ox ) a s w e l l a s g o to h e a d - to - h e a d w i t h o n e o f t h e m o s t w o n d e r fu l co m p e t i to r s yo u co u l d a s k f o r , t h e l at e D e j i O s o b u ko l a . D e j i ’ s u n wav e r i n g s p i r i t i n s p i r e d s o m a n y at UH a n d k e p t UHSU o n o u r to e s , a n d s t r i v i n g to b e b e t t e r - I w i s h I co u l d t h a n k h i m a l i t t l e m o r e f o r t h at . A s p e c i a l m e n t i o n a l s o g o e s to T h o m P a l s e r a n d F i l i p H n i z d o , b u t p e r h a p s m y m o s t m ot i vat i o n a l co ac h i n g c a m e f r o m i n d u s t r y p r o f e s s i o n a l s T e r r y M a n s f i e l d and the afore mentioned Carol Bronze. F i n a l ly , I p r o b a b ly s h o u l d m e n t i o n a l l t h e t i m e s I’ v e c h a l l e n g e d o u r w o n d e r fu l UHSU s ta ff , M i c h a e l G i l l e t t , S e a n H o w l e t a n d C i a r a n O’B r i e n . C a r o l B r o n z e u s e d t h e p h r a s e “R e g r e t t h e t h i n g s yo u d i d n ’ t d o , n ot t h e t h i n g s yo u d i d ” d u r i n g o u r m e e t i n g , a n d T e r r y l e f t m e w i t h t h e w o r d s “ h av e fu n , c r e at e m i s c h i e f ” - I h o p e m y “ m i s c h i e v o u s d o i n g s ” d i d n ’ t c au s e yo u to o mu c h s t r e s s . S o I w i s h t h e b e s t o f lu c k a n d e n co u r ag e n e x t y e a r ’ s t e a m to r e ac h f o r t h e s ta r s (U n i V e r s e a n d B lu e M o o n a r e , a f t e r a l l , t h e b e s t s e t t i n g to d o t h i s ) a n d to a l l m y p e e r s t h at I’ v e w o r k e d w i t h i n m e d i a t h e l a s t 4 y e a r s , I’ l l s e e yo u i n t h e g r a d uat e a r e n a . I f yo u c a n ’ t b e g o o d , b e b r i l l i a n t .

@UHSU _B l u e M o o n

tech

Online Education

Yuppee

at the university

literature 16

Book Launches

After a Successful Series

Creative Writing

S.R.E. Awards

travel

UH Facts

Cultural Kinetics

film

Office of the Vice-Chancellor

Being an International Student

Where are They Now

Summer School

Blue Steel

Letters to Juliet

Jacob Klimaszeski

After Study Abroad

r e c e n t ly to l d m e a m ag a z i n e

pag e to pag e

/uhsuBlueMoon

table of

social responsibility

Greener Things

Student’s Responsibility

photography

societies

Harry Potter

UHSU Karting

employability

Up and Coming

food Sushi

Spicy Chicken Masala

The Interview

Alumni Association

nostalgia

Humanities M.A. Programme

Mosaic

Student Magazines

advice

support

10 Years Ago Today…

ents

Flokstock Festival

music

Gamble Street Radio Show

Music Photography

quizzes

Moving On

fashion

Sean Howlett

Interview Wear

Ask Olivia…

What to Wear After University

bluemoon.uhsu.co.uk

arts

/uhsuBlueMoon

@UHSU _ B l u e M o o n

crushed

s . r . e . awards

it ! B y : M i c h a e l D’ s o u z a D e s i g n b y : J o e l E r i c s e n

B y : K a t e S n o w d o n D e s i g n b y : J o e l E r i c s e n

Once a year the Students’ Union holds its Student Recognition Evening (SRE) to celebrate the successes of the students and the various SU projects that have been undertaken throughout the course of the academic year. These include volunteering projects, society collaborations, Raise and Give fundraising initiatives and much more. The evening saw the Forum Auditorium transformed into a glamorous sit-down venue catering for 300 attendees, including University Chancellor Lord Salisbury, Vice-Chancellor Prof Quintin Mckellar CBE and the Mayor of Welwyn Hatfield; Helen Bromley. Aside from the many awards given, there were performances from the Drama Society, Chamber Orchestra Society, African Dance Society and the Acapella Society and Dr Peter Lovatt had the whole audience dancing on more than one occasion. Exchange student and nominee Joel Ericsen, who has been on study abroad since January, says of his first SRE experience; “It was a lot of fun and good to be in a room with such amazing and talented people. I’m thoroughly impressed with all the work that goes on behind the scenes”.

s . r . e . awards

crush radio

crush

a full list of winners here : S ocieties W inners Society of the Year Society Committee of the Year Society Committee Member of the Year Best Society Event Best Society Collaboration Most Improved Society Best New Society Society Community Volunteering Society Charity Fundraising

Drama Society Skirmish Society Rebecca McBride Malaysian Society - “Malaysian Night” Drama Society & Chamber Orchestra Society Pool & Snooker Society Acapella Society St John Ambulance LINKS Believers Loveworld Society

S tudent R epresentatives W inners School Student Rep Organiser of the Year Student Representative of the Year Student Representative Staff Champion Student Representative Outstanding Contribution

Kunal Gohil Leslie Tang Mariana Lilley / Heather Thornton Phillip Mason / Caroline Coates

V olunteering W inners

ine months, many hours of organising and a couple of thousands of pounds raised for charity mean that another year of Crush has almost come to the end. For me, this year brings to an end three years of hard work culminating in taking on the role as the Assistant Station Manager for this year. At the start of the year Radio was at one of its weakest points with only a handful of previous members on board. We needed a strong group of people to join to strengthen this media. Facing challenges which included hours of filtering application forms and hours of training new members, we ended up with a strong team of presenters and DJs. The quantity and quality of this year’s Radio cohort rivals any previous group certainly during my time. This academic year the station has been very activate with a succession of events. Semester A was a building term but Semester B just oozed with creativity. We started off with the Crush Showcase, a broadcast designed to showcase the new and exciting talent from both Crush and Crush Underground. This was then followed up the

bluemoon.uhsu.co.uk

phenomenal 76 hour Comic Insomnia broadcast. This show was the most emotional show I have ever been a part of, the twists and turns of which have never been documented before. Whilst we didn’t officially break the record we are happy that Comic Relief received over £2000 for the effort of not just Radio but the whole SU. Also introduced was the Crush Breakfast show, which assembled (for the first time) a dedicated team for breakfast with it bringing a new platform for societies and students to interact. As we approached the end of the semester, Crush hosted the second annual Easter show (read more on Page 47). Other Projects are still on-going this year but the focus is now on the future. Crush is in the best shape it has been in going from one year to the next. Many candidates have stepped forward to take on the three managerial roles, one of which I currently hold with pride. Furthermore, Crush with the rest of UHSU Media will move into its new digs at Hutton Hall during the summer. Gage Holding has already been reappointed Station Manager. But the main question is whether Radio can pick up Best Media Committee for another

/uhsuBlueMoon

Volunteer of the Year Community Champion Best Volunteering Group Student Links Volunteer Project of the Year Project Committee of the Year

consecutive year? With my peers chomping at the bit to take on Radio I feel that my work here is done and I very much look forward to the creative and engaging ways the committee of tomorrow take forward both Crush Radio and Crush Underground. So after nine months I can sign off from this article and my time as the Assistant Station Manager with a smile on my face knowing the future is bright, the future is Crush.

Aleida Cristina Borges Bhaveshan Moorghen Cedars Park Conservation READ Book Project MS Society Operation Christmas Child

TRAKS W inners TRAKS Trainer of the Year TRAKS Champion

Sharmin Sarna Joseph Djokey

R a G W inners Committee Member of the Year Project Group of the Year RaG Outstanding Contribution

Laura Walia Comic Insomnia Paul Amanatidis

M edia W inners Best Media Committee Best Radio Show Best Feature or Article Best TV Programme Best Design Best Photo Media Outstanding Contribution

Radio Crush Breakfast Show Clare Abbott “Aunty Clare” Harlem Shake Elisabeth Schuetz “UniVerse, Vol 21, Issue 10, 4th March 2013” Saahil Dossani “Girl with Guitar” Kate Snowdon / Elisabeth Schuetz / Comic Insomnia Team

O ther W inners Student Officer Award Union Fellowship Award @UHSU _B l u e M o o n

bluemoon.uhsu.co.uk

/uhsuBlueMoon

Mohammed Imran Hossain “International Students Officer” Alan Borgars @UHSU _ B l u e M o o n

facts

D e s i g n

Hopefully as students of UH we are all aware of the University of Hertfordshire Students’ Union. But what is it exactly that they do? I made it my mission to find out what they have achieved. This is what I found: UHSU A c h i e v e m e n t s

- Delivered Induction Lectures to over 3,200 Freshers - Made it easier than ever before to make your views heard - Student Rep system more integrated, improved partnership between UHSU and UH - Student Ideas Forum - over 160 ‘ideas’ submitted! - Societies register approximately 1,600 new students per year and work together on joint projects - Joint Projects with UH Graduate Attributes and Careers & Placements

Advice & Support - Independent & Impartial Academic & Welfare support & Legal advice - Over 600 visitors between September - March

- Over 105 houses let to over 520 students. Championing Landlord Accreditation Scheme. - Launching of the Landlord Accreditation Scheme - Improved quality of housing for students, which UHSU lobbied for. Funded by UH and the Borough Council Committee

Joel

Media In 2012-2013: - 22 new UnionTV videos - 40,342 views of Harlem Shake video - 17 issues of UniVerse - 5 issues of BlueMoon - 178 articles published online - 24 media meetings took place - 45 articles per print issue - 51 radio shows scheduled per week - £2,113.12 raised by 75 Hour ‘Comic Insomnia’ world record attempt! - 2500+ hours of radio shows broadcast - 11 hours of podcasts made - 100 radio listeners per day (on average) - Over 30 interviews with staff, students and the wider community - 137 students joined UHSU Media - 20 students had UHSU Media committee roles TRAKS - S t u d e n t

Lettings

skills

Representation - More Training, More Support, More Results! - 704 Student Representatives - 18 SSROs

The Students’ Union co-runs the AU. It organises activities like Sports Tour Volunteering with around 500 volunteers per year and runs Active Students

Volunteering

OVER 18,886.5 hours worked by students from September to February this academic year. Up from last year: 1629.5 hours. 251 Jobs available in January 2013, up from 110 in January 2012! August 2011 - August 2012: they helped students earn over £470,281 in the UHSU Shops, and in the 2011-12 financial year: £77,504 was paid in Students’ wages from the bakery and Co-Op! The Forum put over £332,562 worth of wages into students’ pockets in 2011-12. RaG In 2012-2013: - Over £15,000 raised so far… -18 students, sabbs and staff climbed the Three Peaks - 50 students helped to arrange and run events - Societies, volunteers and media students also raised funds Societies In 2012-2013: - 1657 society members - 90 student societies- 30 new ones this year! - 401 society committee members - £5,250 awarded by UHSU in society grants - 837 society room bookings, guest speaker bookings and StudyNet posts made - 4 societies federation meetings - 193 students attended!

bluemoon.uhsu.co.uk

training

- 14 TRAKS trainers - 447 TRAKS student attendees - 52 TRAKS workshops held - 7 new workshops introduced

Sports

Job Centre

by:

By: Kate Snowdon Ericsen & Kealie Mardell

B y : K a t e S n o w d o n D e s i g n b y : J o e l E r i c s e n

espite spending 4 years here at UH, up until this month, I have had very little idea of what happens at the top end of the University. It was during a recent focus group of ambassadors, in which the only member of senior staff that could be named was Andrew Clutterbuck - thanks to his Twitter presence (@UH_Andrew), that I decided it was time to bridge that gap, and BlueMoon would be that very bridge. Some students were fortunate enough to meet the University’s Chancellor, Lord Salisbury at the Student Recognition Evening awards ceremony in April. The Chancellor’s serves as a figurehead to the University, but as he is a non-residential head, the job as Head of Governors and Chief Executive falls to the Vice Chancellor Quintin McKellar, who works from within the department known as the O.V.C (Office of the Vice Chancellor). From what I could tell from my visit, the O.V.C is a hub of activity. I was shown around by the VC’s secretary Wendy Jeffrey, who explained that the department has recently had a makeover to seem more bright and friendly, and all of the art work on the walls had been purchased from the UH Arts Collection. Of the 16 O.V.C staff members, several are based at the MacLaurin Building, but most have their offices along the O.V.C at College Lane. Dean of Students Ross Renton’s desk can also be found along here. Upstairs houses the governors’ boardroom where fortnightly meetings take place. These involve the university’s governors and some (if not all) of the senior executives that make up the Strategic Business Unit. Lord Salisbury meets student at the S.R.Es

The UH Senior Executives are: Professor Quintin McKellar Alix Green/Richard Brabner Professor Graham Galbraith Wendy Jeffrey Philip Waters* Annette Courtney Paul Hammond Monica Kanwar Kathleen Kwan

Alan Combes** Min Rodriguez-Davies Alistair Moffat Dr Andrew Clutterbuck Professor Barry Hunt*** Julie Newlan**** Professor John Senior Dr Stephen Boffey Ross Renton

Head of Improvement and Planning Office Head of Equality Group Finance Director Pro Vice-Chancellor Student Experience Pro Vice-Chancellor International Pro Vice-Chancellor Enterprise Pro Vice-Chancellor Research Pro Vice-Chancellor Regional Affairs Dean of Students

Below the Dean of Students are the ten Deans of Schools representing the various schools that make up the University.

s students, we are all aware that the Vice Chancellor exists. But do we actually know what he does from day-to-day? Professor Quinton Mckellar, who has been the University’s Vice Chancellor since January 2011, fulfils the roles such as the Chairman of the Academic Board, creating the Student Charter, being a part of the University’s governing body and overseeing quality assurance within the University. He was happy to meet with BlueMoon and discuss a typical day in the life of the V.C.

UHSU E x p e n d i t u r e - £1,163,306 is spent on paying student staff, who work in all areas of the Students’ Union. This is the biggest single investment that they make. - Once you factor in all the other costs of running the Forum (Finance staff, HR staff, Marketing staff, Posters, Flyers, Advertising Contracts, other staff ), it actually operates at a slight loss. This is justifiable - they see the Forum as being a service to students since Hatfield is severely lacking in other night-time recreational activities. - Last year they spent £164,118 on Student Activities – media (UniVerse, Crush Radio, BlueMoon), societies, volunteering & skills training. - Last year they spent £99,669 on Advice & Representation. - They don’t see over £370,000 of the UH Grant – it goes straight back into paying the contribution to the Athletic Union and rent for occupying the Forum.

/uhsuBlueMoon

Vice-Chancellor Policy Deputy Vice-Chancellor Head of Vice-Chancellor’s Secretariat Secretary and Registrar Head of Governance Services Head of Internal Audit Service Director of Occupational Health and Safety Head of Legal and Compliance Services

* Retiring September ’13 to be replaced by Sue Grant – Current Academic Registrar. ** Retiring in the Summer to be replaced by Gill Sadler *** Retiring in the Summer **** Director of Marketing and Comms

- 1503 registered students - 14 full one-day projects in the local community - 138 new volunteering opportunities - 8 new student led projects created - 48 student-led project leaders

office of the v . c .

uh facts

uhsu

office of the v i c e c h a n c e l l o r

I usually start my day at 6.30am with a session in the gym at the de Havilland campus Sports Village and recently have been walking back to College Lane, now that the weather is getting better. But today was a little different, as I had to go to Heathrow to collect my wife who had returned from her trip to South Africa. It was a bit of a rush to get back here for 8am, but I had to get back to interview two candidates for the Deputy Vice Chancellor role, as the current Deputy Vice Chancellor is about to retire. This was followed by a meeting with a member of staff; talking with BlueMoon; and discussing noise levels in the LRC with a student that had issued a complaint. After lunch, I have to interview another candidate for the Deputy Vice Chancellor role and also interview four candidates that wish to become governors. The afternoon will conclude with dealing with a mass of paperwork, which has built up after annual leave over Easter. The Vice Chancellor’s job is not a 9-5 job. I’ve had a function every night this week that have gone on until at least 10pm, although that’s not normal. Usually I have functions only two or three times a week. These include sit-down dinners, this week I’ve been to the Weston Auditorium to a talk given by the new Commissioner of Police and Crime and yesterday I was in London at a conference for higher education funding with the Minister for Higher Education David Willetts. This year the Vice Chancellor’s top three projects have been: • Encouraging higher participation in the National Student’s Survey • Further linking employability into the curriculum • Creating the new student hub on the College Lane campus (the new home of the Student’ Union)

@UHSU _B l u e M o o n

bluemoon.uhsu.co.uk

/uhsuBlueMoon

@UHSU _ B l u e M o o n

students’

greener things

interview with uh environment

sustainability team

article and design by:

Together, students, staff and the local community have the power to

make a real difference to the world we live in. At the University of Hertfordshire the Environment and Sustainability Team actively work to make our University a more sustainable place to live, work and study. With initiatives such as Green Impact, Car Sharing and the Environment and Sustainability Policy, the team demonstrate a commitment to reducing the University’s environmental impact. BlueMoon met with Katherine Mayfield and Liz Wagner-Dempster from the team to encourage awareness of what students can do, and the ways in which values and lifestyle choices are instilled, which can be continued as they move on from the University in the future. What is the role of the Environment and Sustainability team? Katherine: We cover everything from waste management, to energy management to sustainable procurement and we work to engage staff and students to improve our environmental performance. Why do you feel that an environmental policy is important for UH? Liz: I think it’s important to show that senior management are committing, and that’s what the environmental policy does. It shows staff and students that they are committed to making a difference to the environment. It then underpins the work that we do, within the commitments of the environmental policy, it details what sort of things we’re going to work on and we use of the environmental management system to meet those requirements from the policy. Which are the most crucial issues that you try to address? Liz: I think we base most of our work around 10 significant impacts that we have on the environment. We assessed all of the activities and products of the University, and what the impacts might be. The 10 areas that we focus our work on are; waste, emissions to air, discharges to water, procurement, transport, energy, water, biodiversity, construction and community. Katherine: Student and staff awareness in covering all those areas. I think the main things which management are most focused on at the moment are carbon emissions, the energy used in our buildings, how we dispose of our waste, where we purchase and how much water we use. Carbon emissions are the big talking topic of both what we do here and what other businesses are all doing. In what ways does the University impact on the local community? Liz: The main issues are around parking. Because of the policies we have at the University and the travel plan, we’re trying to discourage single occupancy car use. I think this has a knock on effect in making people park locally in the residential areas. I think there are impacts on the community in terms of development work that we do on campus. Waste is a really big impact, so we try to encourage students to recycle as much as possible.

bluemoon.uhsu.co.uk

responsibility

article and design by:

Kealie Mardell

How can students help to support the environmental responsibility of UH? Katherine: One of the programmes we encourage for students on campus is power down, which encourages students to turn lights and computers off when not in use, and to recycle more. We try and imbed those sustainable behaviours, so that when they leave the University, they are a little bit more aware of how much things cost. Liz: Water use is another issue, if there are not sensor taps in use and taps are left running this can cost the University a lot and also impacts on carbon emissions. Thinking about how you use the water on Campus and also in your personal life. Katherine: Think about what you are buying as well. Whether it is local or fair trade, consider the long term impacts. We are a fair trade University, so Food Hertfordshire and the Student’s Union buy fair trade and local products whenever they can. What are some of the biggest areas of progress within the University? Liz: The biggest changes I’ve been involved in are in terms of waste and recycling. We’ve increased our recycling rates dramatically over the past few years, both in halls of residence and academic areas. In 2008 we were recycling about 30% of our waste, and now it’s 83%. Katherine: I think waste is the biggest thing visually. There has also been a marked decrease in our carbon emissions. This is achieved through things such as light sensors, solar panels, and various technology aspects which control how the buildings work in terms of heating. We monitor this annually and it has been heading in the right direction. Liz: We are also one of only 5 Universities to be awarded the globally recognised ISO: 14001 standard and EcoCampus Platinum award for systems improvements and environmental management. How are you planning to continue to improve UH’s environmental responsibility? Liz: There are areas where it’s harder to make progress, but we are working harder. Embedding sustainable procurement into the University is one of those areas we are developing. We’re looking at training procurement staff and trying to develop guidelines for the University on how to start thinking about their environmental and social responsibility when they are purchasing things for the University. Also with the Estates 2020 Vision, there’s a lot of new building going on over the next few years, and within the key areas looked at one of those is sustainability. All new buildings will have to meet minimum targets for sustainability. Katherine: I think another area that needs further investigation is Education for Sustainable Development, which is about incorporating sustainability into the curriculum. Not just within courses such as geography and environmental sciences, but courses such as medicine, nursing and engineering.

When you arrive in Hertfordshire, you are greeted with the words ‘The

County of Opportunity.’ As University of Hertfordshire students we find ourselves in a unique position to embrace the opportunities available to us, and leave our mark before moving on. Being a student is not just about going to lectures, submitting assignments, and going to the Forum on a Friday night. As part of the university experience there is a certain degree of responsibility, both within the University and the local community. With so many opportunities available to enhance your time here, from societies, volunteering and more, the possibilities are endless and the choices are yours to make. Our very own Editor at BlueMoon is one such student, who is actively involved in many aspects of the University. Her experiences range across UHSU Media, Swing Dance Society, Discussion Society, student reps, student ambassadors, volunteering projects, study abroad promoter, TRAK’s training, Soapbox and more. When Kate first started out it was about meeting people and enhancing her CV, but now she sees the value in networking, “It’s not about a bullet point for the CV or a certificate for the folder; it’s now about really becoming involved in the Uni and caring about what’s happening in the Uni.” She added, “Once you’ve got involved in a project you want to try and make it better for the people around you, and the next set of people, you start really caring about your peers and their opinions, creating a good learning environment for them and genuinely caring about the University.” The UHSU Volunteer Centre provides students with opportunities to get

“it’s

now about really becoming involved in the Uni and

.”

caring about what’s happening in the Uni

involved, gain experience, and take part in training programmes. Volunteers work on a flexible basis, supporting a variety of events around the University and local community. Volunteers are rewarded with a recognition scheme, based on the hours of time they have dedicated to volunteering opportunities throughout the year. As volunteering is one the things which Kate dedicates her time to, she

added: “It’s so valuable to yourself, your personal growth, you gain confidence and meet so many people, you are a lot more employable… if you stop thinking of it as giving up time, and think of it as doing something valuable, there’s so many pros.” Alongside this, there is also a Raise and Give team, who fundraise for different charities, and support fundraising events throughout the University. This year the RaG committee chose to support the charities Breast Cancer Campaign, War Child UK and Haven House Children’s Hospice. RaG events included a Zombie Chase, Men’s and Ladies Nights and Jailbreak. They also collaborated with Crush Radio to fundraise for Comic Relief as part of the Comic Insomnia 76 Hour Show, and recently with the Outdoor Society for the 3 Peaks Challenge in aid of Campaign to Protect Rural England. Assistant RaG Officer Hannah Smith said: “I got involved with RaG last year as it is a great opportunity to raise money for charity, giving a great sense of achievement and self-satisfaction, along with having fun in the process.” From special events to small-scale fundraisers, this is a worthwhile experience to be involved in, where you can truly make a difference for causes outside of the University. New member Kat Morgan who joined the committee as Street Team Leader this year, said “I’m really enjoying RaG as I’ve met some great people through it!” The University of Hertfordshire also prides itself on the strong connections with its alumni students, our graduates who give back the University after they have moved on. Being a part of student life is a responsibility that you take, it’s an opportunity to leave a legacy behind you, and give back to those who made your time here possible. Herts Alumni Association shared: “Alumni give for many good reasons, from good education or because of an experience that has had an impact upon them. But nobody is obliged to do anything they don’t want to! Alumni can support the Uni through more ways than one.” Whether you are in your final year considering moving on to the next stage, or you are returning to the University next year, take a moment to consider your own responsibility as a student. Take the time to reflect on your university experience, and what you can do to become part of the bigger picture. In Kate’s words :“To me, a student’s social responsibility is about being a student and wanting to give back…appreciating that as a student you are part of not just a University, but a University town, a community.”

What things can students do to get involved and spread the sustainability message? Liz: One thing they can get involved in is Green Impact, we run two volunteer opportunities, they get training with us and can support staff teams or auditing. We have the paid Eco Rep opportunities, which are advertised every September / October time. Katherine: In the past there was an Environmental Society, which was run by students. This has fizzled, so if students are keen on getting involved we are more than happy to support them where we can. We have events throughout the year, awareness stands, and competitions, if students want to find out more come and talk to us.

social

social responsibility

moving on to

/uhsuBlueMoon

herts.ac.uk/about-us/our-environmental-policy/home.cfm

@UHSU _B l u e M o o n

bluemoon.uhsu.co.uk

/uhsuBlueMoon

@UHSU _ B l u e M o o n

societies feature

e n d… o r

THE INTERVIEW

it?

harry potter society

what are employers looking for ?

by:

D e s i g n

Antonica Jones by: Kealie Mardell

B y : A b i s e s h a n a M o h a n & K a t e S n o w d o n D e s i g n b y : Z o e L i n

“Harry Potter helped me once. Because of him, I have a new family. Guess that’s kind of what Harry Potter is all about. But there comes a time when you have to let even Harry Potter go. And that’s okay…” - Voldemort, A Very Potter Senior Year

SY YOUR ciene our F &FUTRE uture T ech

this is the

In today’s harsh graduate landscape, students need all the support and advice they can get when it comes to starting out in the world of work. Whilst it’s all well You might not expect such heartfelt words from the Dark Lord,

but even Voldemort can’t deny the awe-inspiring success of the Harry Potter franchise. There’s something bittersweet about this quote, though, which marks the end of A Very Potter Senior Year, the final Harry Potter musical from the American drama group, ‘Team Starkid’. And with no more books, no more films, and now no more musicals to look forward to, do we really have to “let go” of Harry Potter? Potter’s Army – University of Hertfordshire’s Harry Potter Society – would disagree. Although this June will mark 16 years since The Philosopher’s Stone was first published, Harry Potter fandom is still going strong, and there’s still plenty to get excited about! Earlier in the year, the Society ran a trip to the Edinburgh Snow Ball, featuring top Wizard-Rock bands such as Harry and the Potters, Riddle TM, and Siriusly Hazza P. Potter’s Army will also be visiting the Leavesden Warner Bros. Studios later this year, and a few of its members are lucky enough to be attending LeakyCon in August – a four-day convention of meet-ups, panels, and concerts for Harry Potter fans. We might be at the end of an era, but this community grows stronger by the day – and it’s never to late to join in! You can join Harry Potter Society at either of the UHSU desks on campus, and find out more about their meetings and events at: facebook.com/UHSUPottersArmy.

uhsu

karting

society

the british universities karting championship

by:

/uhsuBlueMoon

Your attitude is a very important element

An employer knows that a fresh graduate with good attitude will be willing to learn and be a great team player. Graduates with such good attitudes tend to have an open mind and a pleasant personality. This personality will not clash with existing company cultures. This is extremely important when getting into a new agency as fresh ‘meat,’ being modest, yet extremely communicative, will take you a long way. The graduate should project their abilities to take on a job and deliver what is expected and even beyond.

Confidence and dynamism are also very important. A graduate that holds those traits will be sought after as the company feels that they are an asset. The employer will also see if the graduate will stay long term with the company. In other words, is the graduate is looking for a job or a career? This quality is especially important to an employer as these days, as the Generation Y graduates are seen to be job hoppers with no clear goal of building a career. An employer will be investing money and time grooming and training their new hires and the last thing they want is to see it wasted on an employee who has no intention of staying with the company. Although there are many other qualities an employer would look for I feel these are some of the key fundamental qualities that an employer will look for besides the necessary paper qualifications for the job.

Top Three Tips For Securing Placements

I spoke to Take a Break‘s Senior Feature Writer, Punteha Yazdanian, to ask what top three attributes she looks for when considering students for placements. Her top three tips are: *If you make a contact, get in touch with them quickly, even if it’s just to say ‘it was nice meeting you. ’ They are more likely to remember you and think of you if internships or work experience slots come up in the future.

going today. Over 60 teams from all over the country compete annually with the goal of becoming university champions. The 2013 season got underway in November 2012 at Bayford Meadows in Kent with Herts A taking victory. Every round since has been blighted by bad weather. A round at Buckmore Park was postponed due to six inches of overnight snow and the next round was moved from Warden Law near Middlesbrough to the nearby Ryehouse circuit for the same reason. After winning the opening round Herts A endured mechanical problems putting them down the championship order. However the whole UHSU Karting team displayed great teamwork and speed to accumulate four round victories sometimes being challenged by the other Herts teams. Heading into the final round of the championship Herts A are currently second and are still in contention to win the title for the second time. In its way are leaders Southampton A who lead by five points. As well as Herts A, UHSU Karting also fields three other teams in the main championship and an additional one in the Rookie championship. The other teams have had respectable performances with Herts B leading the championship after five rounds whilst Herts C are hovering around the top 20. We wish UHSU Karting all the best (and better weather) at the final round of the 2013 BUKC, Monday 24th June at the Whilton Mill circuit near Daventry.

bluemoon.uhsu.co.uk

M i c h a e l D’ s o u z a

The British Universities Karting Championship is the fastest university sport

and good to be told by our lecturers and the Careers and Placements Service what it is employers are looking for, BlueMoon decided to go further and investigate what industry professional have to say about entering the world of work. After speaking to the Executive Creative Director at an advertising firm, I was given access to the insights of an employer’s mind. What are they looking for in a fresh graduate and how do we get on their good side?

*If you are offered work experience, be polite, courteous and ask the editorial team what you can help with whenever you’re done with a task. Don’t wait for stuff to be handed to you. If you have any feature/news ideas, sound them out with the team. It will impress, even if your ideas are not quite right. Often, editors and senior staff are looking for bright work experience staff with potential to develop into talented writers. *Be persistent. It’s OK to be told no and come back a few months later and say you’re still interested in any work experience placements. Tell them which dates you are available any career updates. Tailor your email/cover letter for each magazine. Tell them which features you enjoyed in a recent edition of the publication and why. Bog standard copy and pasted cover letters are more likely to be binned, along with your CV. Personally, I look a lot at a person’s attitude and I’m always impressed by those who have a clear idea of what they want to do, be it features, news, health, beauty – whatever. Those who show drive and vision for their future stay in my mind. Thank you calls and cards go a long way too…maybe I’m old fashioned but it doesn’t happen enough these days so if you have a good placement and are grateful to the person who helped you get it, let them know it. The gesture will stick with them. Charm is an excellent quality to have in this industry!

@UHSU _B l u e M o o n

bluemoon.uhsu.co.uk

/uhsuBlueMoon

@UHSU _ B l u e M o o n

by:

Kate Snowdon

s this edition of BlueMoon is the ‘Moving On’ issue, the University of Hertfordshire wants to send an important message to its final year students, about to leave the student life behind: being a graduate does not mean to leave, but to advance to a new level of skill and achievement.The University of Hertfordshire Alumni Association means that even when you’ve left the lecture halls and exam rooms behind, the University doesn’t have to be a part of your past. The Association provides, through its annual Futures magazine and monthly e-newsletter e-futures, a way to remain as much a part of the University as you wish to be. The magazine is produced to help you to remain very much a part of the UH community. The Alumni Association says that currently, they are in contact with over 120,000 UH alumni across the world, keeping past students up-to-date with UH news, benefits, reunions and events, on their website. If you receive a HND, BA(Hons), BSc(Hons), Masters or PhD, then you automatically become a registered member of the free service, but the Alumni Association also recommends getting the most of the services they provide by replacing your student ID card with a free alumni membership card, which can be obtained through their website. The association have made arrangements with a variety of companies to access discounts and exclusive offers for alumni card holders. Being a member of the Alumni Association entitles you to a range of great benefits, as well as having the opportunity to continue to make the most of the campus facilities, including access to the LRCs, Weston Auditorium, Hertfordshire Sports Village and the Forum and the events taking place around the calendar for both social and professional activities. The Alumni Association say; “Remember – this is your University and you will always be welcomed back. So keep in touch! Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, we remain committed to supporting your future.” All of these are listed on the website, and we have something for everyone in the ‘personal and leisure’, ‘travel’ and ‘business and academic’ sections.

Facebook (facebook.com/HertsAlumni) LinkedIn group (‘University of Hertfordshire Alumni Association’), Twitter (@HertsAlumni)

C a r e e r s Fair For an opportunity to put BlueMoon’s advice into practice, why not attend the Careers and Placement Service’s Jobs and Careers Fair later this month? Jobs and Careers Fair Date: 22-May-2013 12:00PM Venue: The Forum, College Lane Summary: The Jobs and Careers Fair is the recruitment event of the year where an exciting array of employers give students the chance to network and discuss employment opportunities face to face. For more information on this event please head to the following page: careerhub.herts.ac.uk/ViewEvent.chpx?id=295545

programme

/uhsuBlueMoon

@UHSU _B l u e M o o n

m.a. for

you?

B y : K a t e S n o w d o n D e s i g n b y : J o e l E r i c s e n

ast Month, BlueMoon brought you a special feature about getting literary work published. This month we take a look at the possibilities of furthering your career options within the media arena. Whilst some students are lucky enough to know exactly what they want to do at the end of their degree, others are still looking to decide on their career path and hone in on their skills. On May 8th the School of Humanities are holding an open evening for their MA programmes. The event will be taking place from 6pm – 8pm at the Atrium on de Havilland Campus, with a specific focus on the MAs in Journalism & Media Communications and Film & TV Aesthetics. MA Journalism and Media Communications lecturer Sharon MaxwellMagnus says the strengths of the programmes here at UH include the fact that they are so ‘career focused’. “The programme of study combines elements of journalism and public relations to help students gain a variety of industry skills to prepare them for work,” she says. I spoke to UH Alumnus Claire Harris who, following the completion of her Masters in Journalism and Media Communications, successfully obtained a job as a Corporate Affairs Assistant at Salamander Energy PLC. “At the job interview I was asked about the MA and the skills I’d gained from it,” she says. As it was an interview for a oil and gas company, my dissertation on Corporate and Social Responsibility was extremely relevant and spoken about at length. But they were mainly concerned with finding more about the practical skills I learnt from the MA and used during my various Internships.” “The good thing about the Journalism and Media Communications course is that it is very practical. It is focused on providing industry based knowledge and skills to offer employers. Skills which I use every day in my job” Claire arranged work experience alongside her study, despite selecting the option of a dissertation. “I chose to do the dissertation with a PhD in mind, as you have to have done a dissertation at Masters level to be considered for PhD study. But I also used the time to do a placement”. “It is very important to get the academic knowledge, but I think you need the experience of an internship too. And my interviewer personally called the PR agency where I interned to get a reference for my work there, so it certainly played a big part in me getting the role I am in now” Claire says it was the content of the course that sold it to her. She describes the course as providing a broad but detailed overview of magazine production, advertising, public relations, media, and producing print publications. “The pace of the masters is much quicker than an undergraduate degree, with lots of tight deadlines. It’s a big step up, but it’s good and definitely the best decision I’ve made.” Claire completed an internship at the beginning of 2012 and was asked to return for paid work as soon as her Masters work concluded. Two months after this placement ended she stepped into her role at Salamander Energy. Her job as a Corporate Affairs Assistant sees her dealing with internal and external communications. Claire has been involved in overseeing the design and print production of the Annual Report, running the company’s Intranet, maintaining the company website, writing CSR case studies, devising brand guidelines and designing print advisements. All using the practical skills that she gained from the MA course.

For more information on furthering your career, business and networking see Better Business magazine. Pick up your free copy at College Lane LRC, de Havilland LRC or the Forum Foyer.

bluemoon.uhsu.co.uk

the

Alumni Association h u m a n i t i e s

herts.ac.uk/alumni

can

Y our F uture

what

bluemoon.uhsu.co.uk

UH Alumni are encouraged to select the University of Hertfordshire as their Masters institution by being offered a 20% discount on tuition fees. If you are interested in the MA evening or looking for further information the Masters programme, please email s.magerstadt@herts.ac.uk

/uhsuBlueMoon

@UHSU _ B l u e M o o n

are great !

B y K a t e S n o w d o n D e s i g n b y : K e a l i e M a r d e l l

Student media is great. This was the first thing I wrote down following

my meeting with magazine guru Terry Mansfield CBE about the work of BlueMoon magazine. With 50 years experience in magazines, and having been the president and CEO of the National Magazine Company, Terry’s word can be trusted. If this doesn’t have you convinced, the Editorial and Creative Director of Oxford Street publishing Agency Publicis Blueprint, also recently supported student magazines when we took a copy of the publication to her desk, saying; “Terry [Mansfield] knows that talent is coming from universities, and it is”. With that in mind, last month I went along to Cosmopolitan Magazine’s first ever Careers Masterclass in London’s Metropolitan Grand Lodge to hear a panel of inspiring female media experts give tips and industry advice, and ask the question: “with the rapid pace of change in the media, are degrees becoming outdated?” - here’s how I got on… The most encouraging message I took from the The Cosmopolitan Careers Masterclass was that experience, albeit in the form of student media, counts for a lot in the graduate employment pool. In fact, Cosmopolitan Editor Louise Court said; “Student media is a great start, and can only help you. Any way you can put yourself out there is good.” I was surprised to learn that several members of the panel, which consisted of Cosmo’s Digital Editor Pat McNulty, TV presenter Cherry Healey, the Daily Mail’s Life and Style Editor Nicole Mowbray, co-founder of Inside/Out PR Chloe Melick and head of PR for Benefit Cosmetics Jazz Kaur, believed that having a mediaspecific degree is not essential. This surprised me mainly because I remember my first ever in-house work experience of journalism when I was 14 years old. It was a small local newspaper that drilled into me the mantra that “you must get a journalism or PR degree, and you must get NCTJ (National Council for the Training of Journalists) accreditation.” The professionals at the big-time nationals however, say (usually) a degree is still preferred but that isn’t as important a criterion as it once was. Instead, experience is the key. I think that its pretty much a given that advances in technology are

changing every job, but obviously with magazines and newspapers being available across platforms; in print, online as apps and tablet versions, and being adaptable to social media (a phenomenon known as ‘content hubs’) I put the question to the panel of whether degrees can keep up with the advances of the ever-changing industry, or whether they too may become outdated. After some deliberation, BBC 3’s Cherry Healey answered: “yes, I think there may be a time when a degree in general is less important [for this industry] and experience counts for more”.

So how can university students like us get that experience? The panel’s top tips were: • Contact companies you are interested in with a well written, professional email • Do your research about the company/magazine first – make sure you know their publication inside out. • Make emails brief and to the point: say who you are, what you want, and how you think they can help you. • Bullet point any questions (no more than three bullet points per email) • Stand out by making application & CVs creative - set the bar high

with

UHSU

societies coordinator

B y : A n n a N i c h o l l s D e s i g n b y : K e a l i e M a r d e l l

his month, BlueMoon Magazine spoke to UHSU Volunteers and Societies Coordinator Sean Howlett about his experience as a graduate. At the age of 22 and fresh from the University of Liverpool, Sean began his job at the Students’ Union here just weeks after finishing his Communications, Media and Popular Music degree, and looks to prepare some of the final year students about to find themselves in the same position of what the road ahead may bring…

So how long have you been part of the workforce now and no longer a student? About 10 months now, actually… There wasn’t much of a grace period between the two; I started my job before I’d graduated!

Can you tell us a little about what your experience was like at university?

Well I originally went to another university before moving up to Liverpool… I started off with lower expectations the second time round and it just blew my mind. I had such a ball, and the three years just went by in what feels now like seconds! I went back to University knowing what I wanted to do, like get involved with the radio, and knew that the course was something I wanted to do, I didn’t feel like ‘oh I’m good at that, I may as well do it’ – I had done English and Film Studies before moving up north.

What was the best bit of being a student? Just the constant meeting people and getting to know people! I lived in a great big flat in halls – there were 18 of us – and that was fantastic. There were also only 11 of us on my course, so we got to know everyone really well very quickly. We went away on holiday in our first year, which was brilliant. I never stopped meeting people, actually. I was always out and about, doing radio bits, other societies… It was fantastic having this great group of people around me.

And what was the worst?

“Be distinguished, don’t be a small cog”

Student housing in my final year was pretty rank, and our landlord messed us about. But really, I guess the worst thing about being a student was the assumption that you’re a bit of a lay about.

I’ve listed here some of my favourite pieces of advice from the Careers Masterclass from each panellist

If you can offer any advice to future students who are about to graduate and are a little anxious about what lies ahead what would it be? The one thing I really didn’t expect was how suddenly it all stops. Final year, final exams – done, everyone moves home, no one’s around, then you move on – that sudden ending really hit me. It didn’t help that I moved down here so suddenly; I wasn’t able to tell a lot of people and have that… god it sounds like a relationship doesn’t it… that closure I guess. You really are in your own little bubble and, even though you know it’s coming to an end, you don’t really believe it – well, I didn’t anyway! When you know how cut off from all your friends you feel, it gets harder to pick up the phone because you don’t know if they’re feeling the same but seriously, do it. One month, three months, six months down the line, get in touch with them – I didn’t know that my friends had been feeling the same and no one really prepares you or tells you that this whole ‘party’s over’ feeling is coming! I used to feel like I was being such a loser by not going out every week as a student, but that fear of missing out goes quickly. Also, don’t be afraid of growing up a bit. Perfect example – the other day I woke up and was like ‘I’m gonna buy an iPad’. Then I heard HMV were selling off stock at 20% off, so I went into the Galleria. I couldn’t find said iPads so I decided I really REALLY needed a suit. But then, I thought about it and was like ‘you know what mate you need some new pillows’. So I went and bought some new pillows. On the way home I had a really horrible realisation that I’d rather be comfy than have a new toy to play with, but I’ve embraced it. And now have some comfy-ass pillows.

And finally any career tips you could offer future

What does your role of Volunteer and Societies

graduates?

Cosmopolitan Editor Louise Court: “Be distinguished, any way you can put yourself out there is good”.

Coordinator entail?

Cosmo’s Digital Editor Pat McNulty: “The best advice that no one ever tells you is to be brave. Have a faith in what you can do, and what you want to do, and be brave about it.”

What doesn’t it entail! On a basic level, I’m here to help people find out about voluntary opportunities, participate in and run student-led projects, help with societies running events, money, bookings, membership, all the boring paperwork like Risk Assessments – yay! I love it though. Also I work with student media so basically the go-to person for the radio lot to come and nag! [laughs]

Oh gosh.. Start early. I was applying for jobs throughout my final year, but I also know people who applied around this time and walked into a job. Others haven’t been so lucky, but getting in touch with your careers people or someone who knows you will really help you whittle down your strengths so you can really focus on applications. If you’re going to join online CV sites like LinkedIn, make sure you commit to it. No one’s going to bother hiring you with something that’s half-arsed. Make those horrendous spelling mistakes, where you only realise it in the middle of the night two weeks after you get a rejection letter. Always ask for feedback; even if they don’t give you any, if you apply again they should be able to see that you’re inquisitive and want to better yourself. Recognise your achievements but don’t make a song and dance about it. Watch what you say on Twitter! And a lot of luck is involved, so good luck!

Daily Mail’s Life and Style Editor Nicole Mowbray: “You need to find one thing and be an expert at it - even if its fixing the photocopier”

Do you find you can draw on your previous experiences

TV presenter & BBC 3 documentary maker Cherry Healey: “in this job you have to be prepared to start early and stay late”.

in the role?

Co-founder of Inside/Out PR Chloe Melick: “Networking is key, don’t be a small cog”

Oh for sure – it’s the reason I applied for the job! I did a lot at uni with running societies, working with staff and the sabbatical officers, promoting elections, doing voluntary work. It’s a completely different kettle of fish though because there’s a lot more support here, which means a lot more is possible. Being able to help with that is great.

Head of PR for Benefit Cosmetics Jazz Kaur: “Be yourself and be comfortable in your own skin.”

talking life after university

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the party ’ s over :

W hen

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industry experts say

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& tech

B y : M o h a m m e d A f k h a m i D e s i g n b y : S t e p h e n F r o s t B lue M oon

B y : K a t e S n o w d o n D e s i g n b y : J o e l E r i c s e n

takes a look at how the new age of the online degree and how it can play its in part in the battle of

debt vs demand …

he internet these days is a lot like my childhood experiences of a car boot sale. It first makes stuff cheap and then when it sees you can’t afford to pay it, out of the goodness of its heart it decides to give away the VHS/batman figurine/SEGA cartridge your 10 year old self so achingly desires. Just in case you’re confused, here in this analogy, the VHS and other retro stuff represent all the intellectual property we find so cheaply and legally (or not so legally) at our fingertips when surfing the net and the internet is the 40 year old superhero figurine collector. What a nice man the internet is. Up until recently all this free information was just raw, just Wikis and news. However in recent times we’re now finding that information is being given to us wherever we go, that is as opposed to having to read and teach it to ourselves. Universities from the Mass Institution of Tech to our own humble University of Hertfordshire have slowly been putting their course material online for free or in an interesting Youtube vlogging format. But they are also giving the option of an official course, paper qualifications and all. More and more people and institutions are turning to e-learning to cut down costs and waste less teacher time. Lectures can be pre-recorded and only done again when the information needs to be updated and teacher time becomes devoted to discussion and marking work material. From a student’s point of view it’s flexible and often tailored to them. Of course there are those that decry the loss of the “human element” in teaching and this is clumped together with arguments about the loss of teacher jobs as conventional roles are outperformed by machines. A good response to this comes from Sal Khan of the Khan Academy, an internationally renowned online education resource which currently out competes the likes of MIT’s open courseware and

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a few other elite universities in the eLearning market. Giving his thoughts on the future of eLearning, Sal rejects the either/or perception of eLearning as a tool. That is, they complement and not compete with each other. His aim is for eLearning to get the “real learning aspect” of learning out of the way as soon as possible, as this in turn gives more time to the more creative,

MSc in Business management at Essex University. Go on any University’s website and you’ll be able to see an online learning prospectus or have a paper copy sent to you. So to the most important question: is it recognised by employers? The stats are mixed. The truth is that different industries think differently. Understandably, IT and media industries have a positive attitude towards online courses as long as they come from accredited universities and you have the documentation to prove it. But industries that require more people skills, like medicine and politics have overwhelmingly negative attitude. In any case admitting you took an online course, proving that the accreditation of the course and talking about how you organised and motivated yourself to do distance learning around other life responsibilities, ideally while working at some level in the industry that requires the course, will show autonomy to the employer that many demand from an effective employee. To conclude, for anyone considering an online course out there, the risk is only worth taking if you don’t have any other option and you have family or work commitments. In such a case, an online degree could potentially open many doors.

hands on, types of learning. So what is out there and how useful is it? The Open University has been working on its’ eLearning material for years now with some of it’s lectures are the most downloaded podcasts on iTunes. But there are more prestigious alternatives to OU. Accredited degrees delivered online are usually called distance learning courses and there’s a huge range of topics to pick from for a UK-based student. There’s everything from courses on ergonomics at Derby University to an

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tech

yuppee

harrods or car boot sale ?

niversity of Hertfordshire alumnus Ricky Carbis knows how hard it is for aspiring journalists to get industry experience. In fact, when he graduated, Ricky set up online magazine Yuppee to provide a platform for students that found themselves in the same position that he was in during his degree and struggling to get published. Nine months on, Yuppee has grown from a little site with less than 10 contributors to a site with over 500 registered contributors and over 1,500 published articles. Despite its leap from a little site with less than 10 contributors, to having hundreds of registered writers, Ricky explains that Yuppee still has a strong connection to UH with many of its writers studying here. “I think there has been somewhat of a snowball effect whereby writers who write for Yuppee and study at UH have told each other about the site,” He says. “I would say that UH is probably the highest represented university at Yuppee - if it was a competition of course.” Although it was an idea that Ricky had always had, he says he had never really set goal of how successful Yuppee could be. “The site has grown from students looking to put their name out there, to more experienced writers looking to write about subjects that they can’t necessarily write about in their jobs. There is a good balance of writers on the site”. So what can the students writing for you gain from writing for a site like Yuppee? Well, aside from the opportunity to add to your CV, there is the chance to publish to a platform with a real audience; one which can offer feedback and whereby you can learn from each other. Ricky hopes that aspiring journalists use the connections that the site provides to read each other’s articles and to network with people in the same situation. Current UH Journalism student Katie Oldham was one of the first registered writers for Yuppee back in June 2012. “I was approached over Twitter by a journalist and journalism graduate from this University (Ricky Carbis) who asked if it would be something I’d be interested in getting involved with”, she says. “Writing for Yuppee has been unbelievably beneficial. Not only has it improved my writing, it has taught me the journalistic values of news-worthiness and essential time-keeping to get a story out as soon as it becomes relevant.” “Since 2012 Ricky has helped me out a lot with personal career problems, like he was the first person I spoke to when I was thinking of dropping out of university and getting an NCTJ instead, and I’ve often gone to him with professional problems where I’m not sure what to do. He’s always been an invaluable help and so willing to help out too.” Katie also sees the benefit in making connections with the many other journalists on the site, which she is sure, will come in handy in the future. In fact Katie has found meeting other journalists from Yuppee and the feedback they have given her so helpful that she championed the idea of a ‘birthday party meet-up’ for the site’s first birthday this summer.

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science

online education

Ricky explains: “We are trying to arrange a meet up between the writers for Yuppee’s first birthday. Obviously it can be a little difficult finding a place where ‘most’ writers can meet up as there are writers all over the world who contribute to Yuppee, but I think we will try to arrange something for as many writers as can make it.” “The meet-up was actually my idea.” Katie tells me excitedly. “I approached Ricky with the idea of putting together a birthday piece to celebrate the first anniversary, and a lot of people started coming forward saying that they thought it was a good idea. As Yuppee is entirely operated online, I thought it would be fun and beneficial to the team if we actually met up in person, to see who are virtual colleagues actually are. Then we meet everyone, celebrate the first anniversary and also do a bit of networking.” I’m curious to know what is next for Yuppee, but when I ask Ricky, he is a little coy. “If the site could maintain the growth it has had since it began for the next year or so, then who knows. I have a few ideas I would love to implement on the site over the next six months or so... but you will have to wait and see what those are!” One of his ambitions that, as the parting deputy editor of BlueMoon interests me a lot, is his musings of maybe one day producing a printed Yuppee magazine, featured in universities around the UK. “I would love the idea of a student from UH being able to pick up a magazine that they have contributed to and read articles from another student in Scotland, for example, and then being able to network with each other through the site and gain valuable journalism friends and contacts”, he says. “I would say one thing though; I would love for more students to be aware of Yuppee and more universities to be aware. I would love to see lecturers maybe mention the site to their students as a good way of getting some experience and exposure. We don’t ask for much when writing for the site, obviously as everyone who writes for the site does so as a volunteer, so we are happy to let people contribute as little, or as much as they want, obviously students get busy with deadlines and assessments so Yuppee is always there when they have time - it’s better than spending a night at the local pub, no? Although I’m sure many students would disagree with that.” Well, here at BlueMoon, we are happy to spread the word of Yuppee and support a fellow UH student, albeit one that has moved on. For more information visit: yuppee.com/

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By: Kate Snowdon D e s i g n b y : J o e l E r i c s e n

move on …

travel

cu lt u r a l k i n et i c s

keep calm and

being an international student

By: Vidhyabama Appalasamy D e s i g n b y : K e a l i e M a r d e l l

We live in a globalised world. UHSU’s Ciaran O’Brien believes that

with so few places in today’s world that are untouched by globalisation and the mixing of cultures, there should be a safe place to engage in discussion about culture, faith and current affairs and has set up a blog and accompanying Facebook page to allow for just that.

“In today’s world, there are so few places that are untouched by globalisation and mixing of cultures, there should be a safe place to engage in discussion about culture, faith and current affairs.” Ciaran explains: “when I was doing my Masters I found that so much of the literature about culture was academic, and there was a lack of analogies and passionate discussion”. He decided to put some of the ideas and research he’s read into layman’s terms and pool resources together to make them more accessible. From here, Cultural Kinetics was born. Within the realms of a multicultural, multinational university such as the University of Hertfordshire, having a place online to learn about culture

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and faith (and the way they are interconnected) and talk about current affairs in a non-controversial way is important. Ciaran wants to encourage not just cultural communications students, but students across the university, and international students alike to start thinking about and challenging the misconceptions we often have about religion and faith. “Quite often, people in the UK don’t understand other people’s backgrounds. I want to use the Cultural Kinetics blog to examine two sides of an argument without jumping on the media bandwagon.” Ciaran has been an intercultural training consultant on a freelance basis for community groups and charities in the past, and explains that his background in inter-faith training is about aiding people to enter dialogue with people from different backgrounds. Having also worked in universities for eight years he can see the value of students developing an understanding of cultural awareness. He explains that, “often there is a lack of understanding between arguments, and this just needs to be mediated”. I asked why he has chosen to try and deliver this service and information on an online platform and he tells me that a social media forum often gives people the confidence to talk about things that they may not be comfortable with discussing offline. Soon the Cultural Kinetics blog will hold a fortnight of daily blogs each focusing on the stereotypes of a different faith, and the cultural differences within that faith. Find out more at http://culturalkinetics.wordpress.com/

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when I think about the time when I boarded my very first international

flight, bound for London, it will be one of the best memories of my life. It had been my lifelong dream to be independent, to be able to travel outside of my own country for once, and here it was, staring right into my eyes I had to bade my family goodbye at the airport. I thought it would be easy, but all the love they showed me had taken over me. It is going to be tough to be apart from them for a whole year! But, if it wasn’t now, then it was never going to happen. With tears in my eyes, I bid them farewell, and boarded my flight to London. London! I am going to be spending an entire year in London, new cultures, food, weather, community, friends... and the list could just go on and on. Just the thought of me being in London was overwhelming, I was excited, and partly upset, but it’s a whole new country just waiting for me to explore. “When I landed, the temperature was about 15 degrees, and, I was coming from a country where the daily average is 35 degrees! I love the weather here, but literally was too tired to feel the difference in temperature at that time. My brother picked me up from the airport, the sun was out on that day, it was a lovely scene, I loved everything I was seeing, and it was a feast to my eyes. The cottage houses, the green trees, the curvy roads, people walking from one point to the other, sunshine with cold breeze, and not forgetting, the four seasons were just how I had envisaged London to be like. I couldn’t wait to get to university, and experience it all.” Gradually, winter set in and this year, it came late. Being an international student, I had countless sleepless nights just waiting for it to snow. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, frost on trees. It was almost as if an angel had sprinkled white dust all over, it was lovely! I loved what I was seeing, and soon, it snowed. The landscape in this part of England is simply magnificent. I had to slowly adapt to the changing weather and to wrap up in layers and layers, it was exciting at first, but after having almost five months of cold miserable weather, I was missing the sun back home. There comes a time where we would appreciate

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what we had and not know if it till we go through it. I was in that state. Every day I would look out the window hoping to see sunlight, but all I got was grey skies. I never knew how it had affected my emotional being, talking with family and friends had closed the gap of loneliness in me. The food was another problem for me. Back in Malaysia, we could get food at almost every time of the day or night, and being Indian, my food had to be spicy. I literally got a shock when I found out chilli sauces were not a necessity here! Fresh produce was almost impossible to obtain, all we had were frozen and microwavable meat and vegetables. Gradually, I did learn how to cook, but I was, and still am, terribly missing my mum’s cooking. Just for this reason, I can not wait to return! Most of whom I have met here were welcoming, made me feel warm and welcome, I must say. But of course, I had learn how to say please and thank you, the two magic phrases that needs to be known by everyone coming to the UK. It was a token of generosity practised for many years. Car boot sales were the one event I enjoyed the most being here. The atmosphere was lively, people were bargaining, it was simply wonderful. I am surely going to miss my time spent here. The late sleep in’, the peaceful environment, cooking easy food just to fill the hunger, the freezing cold weather, the snow, and most of all, my own crib! Looking at the bright side, I had become a strong, independent woman than I was before, and I can proudly say that, I survived a whole year being alone and also a graduate of University of Hertfordshire!

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summer schools travel

travel

not ready to move on from university?

verona

B y : J e r r i c a L e o n g D e s i g n b y : K e a l i e M a r d e l l

By: Mohammed Afkhami D e s i g n b y : J o e l E r i c s e n

travel

letters to juliet W ith the academic year over why not take some time to travel? Even better if you can

Ahh, another year of frantically running around handing in coursework and slavishly filling exam

learn and travel at the same time!

papers is nearly over. For those of us who barely made it through the last round, we might as well have been to Mordor and back. Battle worn from our experiences and stronger but assuredly tired, we can’t wait for it to all end. How we long for our own beds with breakfast, lunch and dinner prepared without any effort on our part. All we can do right now is to comfort ourselves with that all-purpose line from Living On A Prayer, “baby it’s okay, someday”. But legend has it, there is another breed among us; those that claim to “like” it all. They are beings forged in the battlefields of knowledge and its sugar rich stimulants. They are those who can cope or maybe even thrive, in a state of ecstasy while repeating the cycle of writing pointless essays on obscure literature, referencing it all and can actually remember what they wrote afterwards. Those who come to this hallowed cathedral of knowledge to actually, wait for it, learn stuff. It just so happens that for these academic Spartans, the University has another testing regime in mind; short courses and summer schools. Dramatics aside, if you feel the need to practice the skills you were taught so far, want an environment to enrich your knowledge or just want to follow a niche research interest, there are short courses you can pay to attend. These paid courses, which are normally discounted to students, are useful if you want training or preparation in a topic that you weren’t taught in the normal academic year. In the School of Life Sciences there are courses from stem cell research to how-tos on immunology. There are also custom courses for the computer science students. For the Humanities people you have everything from creative writing to media law for business. Such courses can range from a few hours to a few days, so you might need to sort accommodation out beforehand. Also the prices can range from around £100 for a day course to £500+ for a longer programme. But there are rumours of up to 20% discount for students, so just ask the person running the course. Also if you want an international experience the University runs summer schools, three-six weeks long programmes, where students are sent to partnered Universities all across the world. In previous years students have had the opportunity to go to Mexico, Germany and even South Korea among others. Just keep an eye on StudyNet for any updates on this. According to the website “information is released late February to April each year”. All this appears to be coming from the same department that full time global business degrees are organised, so it seems there’s some experience behind the placements. So if you don’t have a placement or holiday planned across the coming two and a half months, why not consider a little more self development? Go to the University’s summer school and short course pages below to find out more. And whether you continue the noble quest for knowledge or just lounge on the beaches of idleness, I hope you have a great summer!

If you are an English Literature student do not miss out on a trip to Verona, Italy! Remember the movie Letters to Juliet in 2010? Well the Club di Giulietta was not made up for the story of the movie but truly a club that replies to letters written to Juliet by people all over the world. For more than 10 years now the people in the club, known as Juliet’s Secretaries have been receiving letters about the problems of people and replying to them helping these people get through their most difficult period. Although many people wrote to Juliet without expecting that they would actually get a reply from Juliet’s Secretaries, the secretaries work hard to learn about the person’s problems and even consult specialists on some occasions on how to best help these people. They do not just randomly answer letters like we would have expected and the secretaries actually have to undergo a series of training before becoming officially Juliet’s Secretary. If you do not wish to visit the club and the secretaries you could always head on over to Casa di Giulietta. Although researchers have claimed that William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet is only just a story, the Veronians like to think that the place where the balcony stands was really part of Juliet’s home in the 1700s. According to Juliet’s Secretaries, it could even be that Romeo and Juliet really did exist and their story was told over and over again until it reached William Shakespeare’s ear and Shakespeare only copied the story down rather than really coming up with it.

Short Courses (just select discipline on the left and then short courses): herts.ac.uk/courses/schools-of-study/

Summer Schools

herts.ac.uk/international-students/study-abroad-and-erasmus2/summer-schools/summer-schools_ home.cfm

Lovers can go to the courtyard of Casa di Giulietta and write down their messages or even buy a beautiful lock from the shop nearby and tie it around the gate for luck in their relationship.

There is even a statue of Juliet where it is said that if you touch her breast you would get luck in finding love. There is also a tomb of Juliet where people leave their letters to Juliet’s Secretary to collect and answer!

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travel

study abroad t h e and B y : K a t e S n o w d o n D e s i g n

by:

Joel Ericsen

T his

photography

after

coming

mont h w e a s k e d a h a n d f u l o f s t u d e n t s w h a t i s n e x t

for the m n o w t h e a c a d e m i c y e a r c o m e s t o a c l o s e ...

Study Abroad will be the best year of your life! Everybody tells you this,

and it’s true. You will see things you never dreamed you’d see; you’ll meet the most interesting and inspiring people; you will miss home occasionally, but the exciting new adventures that fill your life will make up for that. But before you know it, it’s time to come home. As a ‘Study Abroad Survivor’ I can honestly say, nothing prepares you for how hard that will be. Since returning home, I became a Study Abroad promoter for Humanities, a Study Abroad referral ambassador and help run the UH Humanities Study Abroad Facebook page (yes, apparently I’m that desperate to cling on to my exchange experience) and the one question I’m always asked is “Is there one piece of advice you wished you’d known before you’d left?”, and often I give some true, but scripted spiel about finance or weather conditions or how you should never try out drink an Aussie, they don’t even BBQ shrimp and Fosters isn’t made or drank in Australia(?!). As fascinating as those facts are, however, what I really wished I’d been told is “When you’re year is done, you will not be coming back home: for there is no “back” home. There is only a new and peculiar home now, and sorry kiddo, but you’ve been re-cast”. But before you reach for the razors or choose a melancholy song to make a YouTube video to of you turning over a series of depressing story cards to; there is hope. You will get over it, you will stop feeling like all the fun and energy has left your life and you’ll even manage to go more than a day without wishing you were anywhere but England (maybe...). On a serious note, I did genuinely suffer pretty badly when I got home. Within the first few depressing weeks of my returning semester I was diagnosed as having reverse-culture shock, referred to counselling and left wondering what the hell was wrong with me that I couldn’t handle coming back to the place all my family and memories and 21 years of my life were. But if you find yourself trying to justify that too, don’t. The reality is, most of the people you started your degree with will have graduated (you’ll find yourself looking at their graduation day photos of Facebook in pure envy - why do they get to be done and you’re stuck doing ANOTHER year of this damn degree), the people in your new classes have already spent the last two years together and are all best friends that hate you (I can’t remember if this was my life or the start of Mean Girls), your lecturers likely have no clue who you are anymore and will probably call you Katie Oldham for the entirety of your final year (yes Katie, I’m scowling at you) and even the Student’s Union staff and Sabbatical officers will have changed and won’t realise that before you exchanged, UHSU Media was your entire social life, your free time, your essay procrastination, the

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love of your life and your worst enemy, and you won’t even have that anymore (yes Michael Gillet, I’m scowling at you too). The long and short of it is, it’s crumby. But it’s up to you to change it. Sit moodily in your room for an entire semester wishing you could win the lottery and fly away again, or cry every time you see a meme about top koala-ity hugs on Facebook (like I did the start of this year) or get out there, get over it and get on with it and join in with absolutely everything UH and UHSU has to offer to distract you from your misery (like I did this semester). Here’s my top tips for being a top koala-ity returner (if you don’t get this joke, you haven’t been reading properly, have you?). 1) Before you leave your exchange university/country drink it all in - and I’m not referring to alcohol (although that helps too). What I mean is, take a mental snap-shot every so often of the places you see, the people around you, the way you feel, etc. Freeze frame the entire moment and stamp it into your brain, I can’t tell you how much you will be returning to those detailed memories. 2) When you get back, take some time to adjust - I started back at my old job 3 days after getting back from Australia: jet lagged and not even feeling like I’d caught up with my family and friends, in hindsight, this was a bad idea. 3) Talk about your experience (but only to the people that want to hear about it) - there is only so much your friends and family want to hear about your trip and they’ve probably already see all the photos on Facebook anyway. Stop boring them with it - this is where you can get involved in promoting and endorsing Study Abroad to the next set of students, because they actually want to know all your stories and advice and UH will love you for it. 4) Ask for help - Don’t expect the people in your lives to be desperate to help you settle back in - you left them for a year, their lives carried on (just like yours when you were away), just because you are home now doesn’t mean any one owes it to you to help you back on your feet. Instead of getting bitter at the people around you, talk to a personal tutor or the UH counseling service and even the UHSU Advice and Support Centre. They will be better a equipped to help you and you won’t have to feel guilty about burdening them. 5) Move on - it will happen, if you let yourself. Eventually you can stop checking your exchange uni’s online portal, or reading the news and weather from that country, and when you get really brave unfriend your favourite nightclub out there on Facebook. You don’t want to see what drink deals they have or who’s posing with the sexy bar staff nowadays anyway. Let yourself believe the bar staff are in mourning of your departure.

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Photography

bluemoon.uhsu.co.uk

by:

Saahil Dossani. Design

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by:

Joel Ericsen

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photography

photography Ayaz Ahmed Siddiqui I am an International Postgraduate student of Journalism currently working on a dissertation on press freedom in the UK. I am very optimistic that my work experience back home and the amazing connections I have made with all the wonderful people here will lead to a dream job in the publishing industry by the end of this year. I have a penchant for the bizarre, the underdog and the untold stories. I absolutely love new experiences and hope to become a gonzo styled writer one day. I maintain a blog where you can find my professional portfolio and musing on life, culture, satire in the United Kingdom and Pakistan. teandcigarettes.wordpress.com

George Worby

I’m a History with Journalism and New Media Publishing student and my next step, after a month of playing golf and going fishing, is to work as a Ticket Sales and Information Assistant at Buckingham Palace. I love history and decided that it was something I wanted to get into in terms of a career. Initially I had planned to volunteer at local museums for the summer, but then I saw a vacancy on the British Monarchy website and decided to go for it! I had an interview inside the Palace in March which was brilliant. I’m really looking forward to getting started and playing a small part in London’s fabulous past. I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to work at Buckingham Palace and it might even lead to something else (fingers crossed!). If it doesn’t, then what a fantastic experience and not a bad place to enter the job market. I’m hoping that future employers will take my application more seriously with the experience gained in the summer. My interviewer told me that the Royal Household have a football team, which makes it even better!

Rebekka Sivertsen I am a Norwegian artist and songwriter currently studying Music Technology at the University of Hertfordshire, hoping to learn more about the recording process and the music industry. This year I teamed up with a producer from Bergen who helped me release two singles. In the future I want to write and record more music and start preforming live. I love the idea of exspressing feelings, thoughts and ideas though art, and music is an artform that comes very naturally to me. facebook.com/rebekkasivertsenmusic

Christopher Thomson I am going to be getting into showbiz. I am a born actor, filmmaker, comedian and an overall performer! Expect to see my name in credits somewhere… christopherjthomson.com

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photography

photography Kate Snowdon I spent much of my final year, and indeed the 3 years I’ve been at UH using the amazing resources it provides, such as the Jobs and Careers service, CareersHub, FiT Student, TRAKs, Ian Finlayson’s employability module and the networking opportunities of Enterprise to make myself stand out to employers. It is my belief that this, coupled with the experience of studying abroad and the skills I’ve gained through working with UHSU Media have led to me being lucky enough to already have a job lined up after uni – before I’ve even finished my course, let alone gotten my results. I shall be starting in the next few weeks as a PR and Media Officer for Morston Assets and Yours Business Networks, which will see me posted to Edinburgh to gain media coverage of a new branch of the business empire being opened there. I’m both excited and terrified to be leaving the student life behind to enter the world of work, mostly because it will mean leaving the University of Hertfordshire behind. I’m sure I’ll be popping my head back through the door for a visit before too long though.

Kealie Mardell I’m nearing the end of my second year, about to embark on the most exciting journey of my life (so far), a year abroad studying journalism at California State University, Long Beach. As I prepare to move onto this next stage, I vow to treasure every moment, embrace every opportunity, and remember each and every incredible feeling.

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“ bluemoon.uhsu.co.uk

Victor Nwaorgu I studied Political Science at Madonna University in Nigeria. After four years of my studies at the university, I found much love in pursuing a long time passion as an inspirational speaker. This passion as an inspiration speaker prompted me in taking up an appointment with a publishing company known as the Golden - Pine Konsult Limited, there I wrote and published my first book titled Life Is An Investment the book was a success. I have since published a magazine called Fresh and presently am working on two new books. My passion for changing lives in my own little way and improving my quality of life prompted me more in seeking further studies in University of Hertfordshire so as to gain further exposure and as well meet well likened minds. ”A wise man uses his past to gain his present and uses his present to credit his future”

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“

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food music food

sushi

spicy chicken masala

T he great thing about university, particularly the University of Hertfordshire, is that

T h i s is a very simple dish to prepare. Follow my recipe and you will be on your

there are plenty of international students from all over the world. It’s great to meet people from different corners of the earth, to find out about their traditions and cultures, including their favourite dishes. This edition of BlueMoon has a brilliant and easy recipe by Antonica Jones for making sushi, a dish enjoyed by the Japanese which is great for lunchtime or a tasty treat. Also you can also add whichever ingredients you wish, be as crazy as you like!

food F ood

international recipes:

way to making home cooked delicious curry in no time. Try it and impress your flatmates!

B y : C l a r e A b b o t t

B y : V i d h y a b a m a A p p a l a s a m y

D e s i g n

by:

Kealie Mardell

Design

by:

Kealie Mardell

Tip: To make onigiri rice balls, shape leftover rice into rounded prisms, cut a nori sheet into 4x6cm strips, and place one around the bottom of each ball of rice!

This dish could be served with rice, chapatti, parotta, or just eaten with bread!

ingredients : (makes 2 rolls)

1 x cup sushi rice 1 ½ x cups cold water (plus extra as needed) 2 x sheets nori seaweed sheets 1x tbsp salt

to serve (suggestions) Soy sauce Wasabi Pickled ginger

suggested fillings Smoked salmon Prawns Tuna Crabsticks Tofu Raw bell pepper Avocado Cucumber Carrot

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method : 1. Soak sushi rice in salted cold water, covered, for 30

7. Holding the filling in place if necessary, roll the

minutes.

sushi tight in the bamboo mat or cling-film – being careful not to catch the film inside the nori!

2. Prepare the fish and cut the vegetables julienne.

8. If using cling-film, twist the edges and press the

3. Cook

rice in a covered saucepan, according to packet instructions (or on low-medium heat until soft and sticky, adding more water as needed.)

4. When all water is absorbed, remove rice from heat and leave to stand for 15 minutes.

5. Very lightly toast nori paper over heat. Lay nori on bamboo rolling mat – or on a sheet of cling-film on a damp tea towel. Layer rice from the bottom to 2/3rds up the nori sheet.

roll tight. If using bamboo mat, press the roll tight, remove from mat and place on a plate. Refrigerate 1-2 hours.

9. Slice the sushi, in a sawing motion. Wet the knife under warm water when it gets too sticky.

10.

Arrange sushi on plate, and serve with soy sauce, wasabi, and pickled ginger!

½ kg chicken, washed and cut into pieces 3 tbsp curds 1 tsp red chilli powder (adjust to suit your spice level) ¼ tsp turmeric powder Salt to taste

make a paste :

6-7 cashewnuts 4-5 tbsps coconut milk Dry roast to make fine powder: 1” cinnamon 10-12 curry leaves (or coriander) 3 cloves

other ingredients : 3-4 tbsps oil 2 big onions finely chopped 1 large tomato finely chopped 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste 1 tsp coriander powder

6. Place fish/vegetable fillings in a thin strip, halfway up the rice layer.

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marinate :

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3/4 tsp black pepper powder ¼ tsp cumin powder Coriander leaves for garnish

method : 1. Marinate chicken pieces in chilli powder, turmeric

powder, curds and salt for 20 minutes. While the chicken pieces are marinating, make a paste of cashewnuts and milk. Keep aside.

2. Dry roast cinnamon, cloves and curry leaves for 1 minute and blend to make a powder of them. Keep aside.

3. Heat 1 1/2 tbsps of oil in a pot. Add the onions

and sauté till cloudy. Add ginger-garlic paste and sauté further for another 3-4 minutes on medium heat.

5. Add the tomatoes and let it cook for 3-4 minutes. Combine well and cook till oil separates. Turn off heat. Cool and grind the cooked masala. Keep aside this masala paste.

6. Heat 1 1/2 tbsps oil in a cooking vessel and add

the marinated chicken and cook on high flame for 4-5 minutes, reduce heat and cook covered for another 4-5 minutes.

7. Add the ground masala paste, cashewnut paste and ground powder of cinnamon, cloves and curry leaves and combine well. (Add a cup of water for more gravy consistency). Cook till chicken pieces are soft and you get the desired curry consistency.

8. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

4. Add

coriander powder, cumin powder, pepper powder and combine well and fry for another minute.

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Mosaic

Peng Siang Loh

fashion

section nostalgia M usic banner

interview wear Photography Saahil Dossani Styling Amira A. & Andrew L. Models Abi M., Christopher M. & Katie O. 30

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fashion M usic

academic with

fashion

embellish

qualifications

individual style

B y : A m i r a A m i r u d d i n & P e n g S i a n g L o h

Design

by:

Peng Siang Loh & Joel Ericsen Photography By: Saahil Dossani

F ashion fades, but style is eternal. Your individual style is what leaves a lasting impression on others. Time and again we are reminded of the importance of a

first impression. Some of us may find it a tad bit overwhelming to dress to impress. In this last issue, our stylists have shown us the effortless way of transitioning from the University to the working life with wardrobe staples the likes of blazer jackets, formal vests, jeans and swing skirts.

Concision in style, precision in thought, decision in life. 32

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- Victor Hugo

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all

comes in

shapes

and

forms

fashion

effort

s tyling oneself for specialist job interviews doesn’t always have to echo the traditional formality of interview wear. Introducing personal style is an appreciated

feat when going for job interviews in the Arts, Fashion and Communications field , for examle. Simply; putting together an ensemble is a way to portray your creativity and channel your individualism. Intermixing silhouettes, using a palette of colors and layering textures are the key in showcasing your imaginative side in dressing and speaks volume of both your creativity’s breadth and depth.

Particularly in the fashion industry, personal style is what fuels your career – infusing current trends into your wardrobe like donning colorful blazers, patterned

pencil skirts and adorning statement jewellery are just a few ways you can amplify your look. Abi’s “It-girl” look is enhanced by pairing a structured pastel pink blazer – perfect for the Spring – over a floral corset top and a playful swing skirt. Combining a pair of patterned pants over a boyfriend blazer and a silk camisole is also another way to look perfectly chic. Chris’ blazer-and-jeans combination can do no wrong – it’s cool and nonchalant, and you could play it up a notch by wearing brogue shoes, patterned blazers or donning a fancy shirt over skinny jeans.

T he fun in dressing up lies in the chance of getting to play around with it until you feel the look describes ‘you’. Preppy, avant-garde, or artsy. You name it. Formality isn’t necessary. Looking stylishly refined by playing with different kind of textures, colours and prints will definitely make you stand out from the crowd.

Preppy Chic Katie’s earthy ensemble marries ‘preppy’ and ‘vintage’ together, with a sleek yet artsy tweed blazer over a caramel-coloured shift dress, paired with black tights and a brown satchel.

Classy Monochromes Abi’s casual-cool houndstooth dress worn under a boxy grey blazer lends a polished look, and having a pop of color with a blue tote bag with brown accent renders the look playful yet sophisticated.

Soothing Neutrals Chris combines a wool cardigan with navy blue, crimson red and white accent at the end of the sleeve over a crisp white shirt, and adding the multi-coloured striped scarf adds visual focal point to the ensemble.

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what to wear after uni changing your style from

walking c.v.

dress

student to

“real

world”

fashion

you’re

B y : J o h n s o n G o l d

impress

D e s i g n

by:

Joel Ericsen

S tepping into the real world is also like stepping into a new style, from the cool super-stylish relaxed student, to an intelligent, sophisticated and classy

employee. How you dress reflects your position in life, what you are and what you do – so I’m going to give you style tips into stepping into the real world.

“Making your boss like you and your style – bonus!”

F a s h i o n i s u n i v e r s a l a n d i s a n a r t i t s e l f. B e i n g e x p e r i m e n t a l i n y o u r w a y o f d r e s s i n g highlights your creativity and level of imagination. Inter views require a cer tain d e g r e e o f f o r m a l i t y, b u t y o u a r e y o u r o w n b r a n d a n d h o w y o u c a r r y y o u r s e l f

When going for a job interview or your first day at work, you want to look office-appropriate and also on trend. Let your work ethic appear as bold

p o r t r a y s w h a t y o u c a n o f f e r t o y o u r f u t u r e e m p l o y e r. I t ’s i m p o r t a n t t o l o o k

as your style, but most importantly keep it simple and consistent. The best colour to work with is black and white, in other words, monochrome. Why? It’s

polished yet always add your personal

easy to work with, they are the most appropriate colours to wear in a working environment and you can never go wrong with it. Monochrome is on trend

twist to showcase your fun personality through

your

fashion

this year, and with a good combination; it gives you a brave, team-player and motivated look - showing that you’re ready to work in the real world.

ensembles.

Being young, life is a constant series

experimentations,

and fashion resonates with this notion. Playing with textures, and

colors,

silhouettes

prints can

transform your day-to-day look in exciting ways.

“

As the late Alexander McQueen would

s a y,

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It’s a new era in fashion—there are no rules. “Look office-appropriate and also on trend.” /uhsuBlueMoon

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fashion

B y : K a t M o r g a n D e s i g n b y : S t e p h e n F r o s t

W e can easily reminisce 10 years ago; a simpler time with no impending essays or stressful student loans. But what were some of the

biggest stars today doing a decade ago? Let’s have a look…

In 2003, Jennifer Aniston was named the celebrity who appeared the most in magazines, along with her then husband, Brad Pitt. They were seen as the power couple of Hollywood until announcing their divorce in 2005. Fast forward to 2013, Brad has made happy families with former wild actress Angelina Jolie and Jennifer is happily and reportedly married to Justin Theroux.

So what were are our British celebrities up to 10 years ago? Keira Knightley shot to fame in the rom-com classic: Love Actually. Skip forward to 2013 and Miss Knightly and her to die for lips are still one of the most successful female actress, famous for starring in period dramas, such as The Duchess and Atonement, 2003 was a big year for Keira who went on to star in Pirates of the Caribbean alongside Johnny Depp whose legendary role as Captain Jack Sparrow has become what he is most well-known for.

“How you dress reflects your position in life, what you are and what you do – style yourself into the real world.”

Leading on quite nicely, in

section nostalgia banner

10 years ago today … 2003, Angelina Jolie was busy giving interviews left, right and centre about her now iconic role as Lara Croft Tomb Raider. Speaking to Cosmopolitan, Angelina said she ‘highly doubted’ she would marry again following her messy split from Billy Bob Thorton. I guess no one could have predicted the birth of Bragelina!

Having had a turbulent year i n 2 0 1 2 in which Mr Depp, split from his longterm partner and mother of his children Vanessa Pardis, 2013 is looking up. It has been reported that Johnny will be working with the Pirates of the Caribbean director, Rob Marshall in a remake of The Thin Man.

Whether you know how to style yourself or not - preparing your work wear can be very easy but nerve racking trying to wear the correct clothes. Most worn pieces in

a working environment for a guy is a suit. Get yourself a black blazer or waist coat and pair it with some black trousers – when accessorizing is optional but a colourful pocket square with print could show your creativity. Formal shoes are a must and a white shirt gives a safe look. After a while you may want to switch up your suit, if you’re brave feel free to get yourself a navy or grey suit – this can show how comfortable you’ve settled into the environment.

For a girl, you want your style to look professional yet feminine, be creative and stylish but keep it consistent. The most worn pieces in a working environment for a girl

are quite flexible. You can either wear a simple sophisticated black dress (or navy and grey) with some black heels; though heels aren’t for everyone flat shoes can bring comfort when working 40 hours a week. If you’re not that dressy type of girl, go for a black blazer paired with some trousers or even a skirt and a white clean shirt. Accessorizing can be more fun, so add a few sparkles, but not too much.

Work-wear is quite basic, but you have to do it right. Let your style show your personality and be ready for the real world. Styling yourself for work does have rules and

you can’t let your style be too loud or crazy but allow it to blend into the new scene with appropriate clothing – but also let your style elevate you to the top.

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@UHSU _B l u e M o o n

In October 2003, Cheryl Cole (then Tweedy) was found guilty of actual bodily harm and was sentenced to 120 hours of community services and to pay her victim £500. Fast forward to 2013, Cheryl Cole has gone through a marriage, divorce, malaria, and became the ‘Nation’s Sweetheart’ through her appearance on The X Factor. What a difference a decade makes?!

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Moving on to reality TV, 2003 only had around half of these types of shows which now fill our screens each weekend. Michelle McManus won Pop Idol and was last seen on a Scottish TV channel presenting a lifestyle show.

In the world of music, teenage boy band Busted got their first number one single with “You Said No” in April. The bands split up in 2005 and have gone their separate ways with Charlie Simpson forming a new band Fightstar and Matt Willis winning I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here in 2006.

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literature

Book Launches

n e w w a y s o f r e a c h i n g a u d i e n c e s A r t i c l e

and

Design

by:

D oes

the

series

the end of a successful series mark the end of a literary career ?

A r i t i c l e

Kealie Mardell

Picture the once humble book launch; a quiet bookstore, authors and

publishers surrounded by dusty tomes, sipping at lukewarm coffee…fast forward to the evolution of media, as the digital word takes even the book launch by storm. In 2011, Jay-Z and Bing search engine joined forces for the Decode launch campaign. This innovative and ambitious launch found the most obscure locations adorned in pages from his book, and a quest to unearth each page was unleashed on the city. Over 200 pages from Jay-Z’s new autobiography were launched into the real world, blown up on New Orleans rooftops, Manhattan billboards and Miami swimming pools, and shrunk down to fit in guitar cases and cheese burger wrappers. The development team Vertigo created an immersive online game, a unique scavenger hunt, answering questions, solving clues, and navigating through aerial and street views to unfold the story. Elements of the Decode narrative were brought to their contextual grounds, with the digital world providing audiences with an exciting online competition and interactive art experience. This has extended outside of the launch arena, to create new ways to interact with audiences. In recent years, several websites have launched to try and build a literary forum online.

a f t e r

M any of our favourite authors have reached success through a popular series of books. The ability to keep an audience coming back for more, and build a rising interesting throughout an on-going series is admirable; but when the series comes to a close – What happens next? After saying goodbye to some of the biggest names in literature over recent years, it’s time to see what their creators have been up to. Last July saw the launch of iDream Books, a website offering book reviews from professional critics. Users can browse different categories or genres, or locate specific books. The site proposes, “We aggregate book reviews by critics to help you discover the very best of what’s coming out each week.” This takes a different approach from the typical user review format seen on most sites, instead opting for high quality professional critique. Books are given a ‘Readometer’ score, created from all the reviews available, and rated as ‘Must Read!’ or ‘Don’t Read!’ iDream Books is similar to movie review sites such as Rotten Tomatoes, using a simple system and user friendly focus to bring you interesting reviews. Small Demons is unique and original literature site, which places books into the real world, with an interesting ‘Storyverse’ concept, exploring aspects such as places, people, music and movies.

E.L. James

This creates an innovative journey, offering much more than a standard review, allowing you to explore details within books and the connections between them. The imaginary world of literature becomes real, and users can explore their favourites and link to new reads. Every spark of imagination becomes a new discovery. Online content and social media is reshaping the literature world. With the attack of e-readers and smartphones, some questioned the future of books, but the answer appears to lie in their adaptation. By taking the trusted form, and engaging with it in new ways, books are able to evolve and thrive.

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Last summer things got heated with the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, nicknamed ‘mummy-porn’ – James’ debut series took the world by storm. Whether you were a fan or not, you can’t deny that these books were unavoidable. Now the flame has withered out, and what’s left? We’re had an array of copy-cat style books, piggy-backing on James’ success, but after such a whirlwind entrance, can James’ shock us again? There are the expected continuums of Fifty Shades, with rumours of a film, and The Classical Album, featuring James’ inspirational tracks. On the literature front there are whisperings of a ‘paranormal romance’, but whether or not this can live up to the hype of fifty shades, we’ll see. My advice – Watch this space.

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and

Design

by:

section literature L iterature banner

what’s

de-coding

Kealie Mardell

J.K. Rowling After growing up following the adventures of Harry, Ron and Hermione,

many doubted whether Rowling could leave the world of witchcraft and wizardry behind. In 2012 the Harry Potter series was cast aside, with the breakthrough novel The Casual Vacancy; a tragicomedy for adult readers. Diminishing the doubt that Rowling only had one trick up her sleeve, the novel is set in an idyllic tourist village, which hides a darker reality and the secrets of society, unearthed by the death of the Parish councillor. An immediate success in the charts, but perhaps not the most critically acclaimed, it is yet to be seen whether this is something we can expect again in the future. Rumours are currently circulating that Rowling’s next book will be aimed at young children, marking her as an versatile author for all the family!

Stephenie Meyer

The Twilight series was instant success, fuelled to fame by the film franchise following in its footsteps. Twilight unearthed a realm of teenage vampire-lit, much to the dismay of some critics! After the final instalment of Twilight, Meyer persevered to keep the franchise going with a follow on chapter from Edward’s perspective, and the novella The Second Life of Bree Tanner, both of which were available online. In amongst the Twilight saga Meyer released The Host (2008) which was recently adapted into a film. Another teenage science fiction, that doesn’t stretch too far from the Twilight ideals. Most recently, Meyer has turned her attention to film production, and earlier this year launched the film Austenland, a book adaptation about a woman obsessed with Pride and Prejudice, who travels to a Jane Austen theme park in search of her perfect gentleman.

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By: Vanessa Gomes Design by: Kealie Mardell

now?

the last goodbye

are they

By: Olivia Draisey D e s i g n

by:

literature

where

film

creative writing

Stephen Frost

A nyone remember Keenan and Kel, a comedy programme about two friends who loved orange soda? Well begs the questions… where are they now. Their hit show is still running now on NickTeen. But we have not heard of them for a while. How about the cast of friends… Comedy Central keeps running with the show every day, but where are all the stars now! Let’s find out…

here’s a pile of flattened cardboard boxes and a large suitcase blocking the room door. Sitting on the bed, I scan the room that I have built over the past eight months. ‘Everything in this room has to fit into that,’ I think to myself, looking at the boxes. Just the mere thought of packing brings me to bawl buckets of tears. I’m not ready to leave. It’s funny, really. When I first came to the UK, I couldn’t wait for my course to be over so I could return to the comforting embrace of my country and most importantly, my family and friends. The thought of making new friends and starting new seemed like a tiring task. Also, coming from a tropical country, I didn’t like the idea of the day ending at 4pm and walking out with at least three layers of clothing to keep me warm during winter. There were bits and pieces of home that I brought with me, hoping to make the transition easier. I put up pictures of my family and friends around my mirror and posters on the rest of the walls. A little altar was made at the corner of one of my shelves with a crucifix and rosary. It took me a while to settle into this foreign room, but now this is home. I’ve built a family away from home with the wonderful housemates that I’m blessed to have met. Just like how I stripped my room back home to come here, I now have to strip this new home (away from home) and return home. Leaving my friends… no, family that I’ve built here is harder than I imagined. Promises all around the house to keep in touch, but the inevitable has to happen, life has to move on. The day was 18th May 2012. I rolled my luggage to the hallway and took one last look into my room. It didn’t look the same, it was empty. If the law of physics could be defied, I would have hugged my room and thanked it for being my home for those few months. My taxi was waiting at the Robert’s Way security gate and my housemate walked me to the taxi. We loaded the luggage into the boot, and then we stood there staring at each other for a few seconds. Mentally, I knew I was not going to see him anytime soon but I felt alright.

‘Take care, be good, and I’ll Skype you soon!’ he said, just before hugging me.

Keenan and Kel – Who loves orange soda?

‘I will. Promise we’ll keep in touch?’ I felt the tears fill my eyelids.

Following 68 wonderful episodes of Keenan and Kel originally produced for Nickleodeon, the pair separated and went on to pursue separate careers. The more active of the two, Keenan Thompson, has since appeared on Saturday Night Live and gone on to make numerous films. Most successful are the films Fat Albert and

‘Promise.’ I got into the taxi and he stood there, watching the taxi pull out of the parking lot and drive away. It felt a lot like a movie, because I stared out the back window until he was out of sight. Then, it hit me. Everything was not going to be the same. He won’t be there to give me my daily hugs, or go on random trips to St. Albans, or just enjoy an iced cold beer on the field. The dam that held all my tears in the last few weeks broke and I was bawling my eyes out in the back seat of the taxi. It was a bittersweet moment; I was glad I was finally going home to my family, but at the same time, I was leaving the family that I built. But I knew it would all be okay. Coming to the UK was not just an educational learning opportunity. I learnt to be independent, cooking my own food everyday (trying to get it to taste like mum’s), so that I can save money. I learnt how to make new friends, knowing who to trust and whom not to. The most difficult part was not having anyone take care of me when I was ill, unable to move from my bed. Looking back, I’ve come a long way to be where I am today. I’m definitely not the same person I was nine months ago. University will never be forgotten and for the experience that I’ve gained, thank you.

Good Burger. Currently, Keenan is an active cast member of Saturday Night Live. As for Kel Mitchell, comedian, actor and musician, he has gone on to make himself known in all three of his domains releasing singles such as, ‘Watch Me Do My Thing’. He has also had many roles in both further TV and film series.

Friends – I’ll be there for you! Now, for one of the biggest comedy series of all time. I think we can all see where Jennifer Anniston (Rachel) has been starring in many hit films and now, a TV advert for broadband. Same goes for Matt LeBlanc (Joey), who had his own comedy show Joey. However, what happened to the rest of them! Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe) is now the proud star of many a programme and film, including the heart-wrenching P.S I Love You and the hilarious Easy A. She is currently starring in Web Therapy, airing on Showtime – in its second series. David Schwimmer (Ross) has had quite a few roles also, one of my personal favourites

is him as Melman in Madagascar. Courtney Cox (Monica) has also made quite the name for herself away from Friends. She is one of the leading stars of sitcom ‘Cougar Town’ and has even tried her hand at directing the programme herself. Mathew Perry (Chandler) has also been in and out of the media since Friends, another personal favourite is his role in 17 Again, though, I think we can all agree the ‘supposed to be him as a lad’ Zac Effron was much nicer to look at!

Sabrina the Teenage Witch - Clarissa explains it all! It was a much loved programme about a teenage witch with crazy aunts who loves to meddle in people’s business to solve problems with magic. But where is she now? Apparently, doing very well for herself, she is now an accomplished actor, producer, director, writer, singer and businesswoman. Her business is the Sweet Hearts Candy shop which opened in May 2009. What a woman! 42

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there is a small round up of a few of

the

old

G et

/uhsuBlueMoon

favourites ,

yourself on

want

know

more ?

W ikipedia !! H appy G oogling !

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film

B y : A n n a D a n i e l s & K a t e S n o w d o n

blue steel

He fails.

B y : K a t e S n o w d o n

Design

by:

Joel Ericsen

lot of people graduate from university thinking they’re going to save the world. Larry is a bit more liberal about it then most. Under the guise of Blue Steel, a spandex wearing superhero, Blue sacrifices friends, love and any hope of a normal career in order to become his town’s masked avenger.

This is the premise of Blue Steel, an online series written and directed by UH graduate Lawrence Essex. With one series of seven 10 minute episodes complete and another, longer series (10 episodes) to be filmed in June, Lawrence is now seeking funding to adapt the story into a feature film. Lawrence explains to me that the concept of the series gets a little more complex, involving a pompous, meddling councillor whose self-staged death kick-starts a video game apocalypse. Yes, it sounds bizarre, but lending itself to audiences that enjoy the likes of Kick-Ass and Wreck-It Ralph, it’s all a bit of fun. “The first series received some funding from the Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, which is why it features a local councillor,” Lawrence says. “The councillor’s character wants to save the town and blames the media, particularly video games, for break down of society. He stages his own death by trying to set up Blue Steel to make everyone hate him. “Blue Steel becomes hypnotised to think his video games are the real world, and eventually things spiral out of control and the whole town ends up thinking they’re in a video game,” he says. The series began production during Lawrence’s final year at University of Hertfordshire with a small crew, which has grown with the series. “We made the first episode for a university project in my final year, but ended up making the whole series under the radar in my third year. For the first episode I was the write, but I ended up directing them,” Lawrence explains. “Our goal is to capture the essence of growing up – the uncertainty and fear that comes with the final steps from post-adolescence to adulthood. Being launched straight out of university into your early twenties can be a bit disorientating; Blue Steel wants to be a superhero because he’s terrified of losing his dreams of making a difference in the 9-to-5 slog. His friends would rather work, because they want to eat. Both of them are a little wrong.” Lawrence is looking for more funding to make the series into a film, and says at the moment they are funding the second series themselves. They are looking into the option of crowd-funding, having set up a page on Indiegogo.

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Design

acob Klimaszewski is a First-Class graduate of the University of Hertfordshire’s BA Film and Television programme. He has a strong background of work in creative and business oriented amateur and experimental setups, including the construction, management and artistic direction of a multitude of film companies, projects, theatre shows and community operations projects. BlueMoon interviewed Jacob to find out what life has been like since moving on from UH. Jacob tells us that growing up in Cambridge he found himself storytelling and writing and focused on grand fantasies and more intricate narratives for little storybooks he’d make. Flash forward to 2005, the end of his secondary school days, and he used the experiences of those little ‘projects’ to put on an independent theatre show - having written the script, cast the production, and produced and directed it through to the final curtain. “I found film in a camera given to me as a birthday present four days later, and the rest is history! I wrote screenplays, and built an amateur production company in 2006 to facilitate small film production in Cambridge with an eye for learning-by-experience. At its height we had over forty members, working on projects that we all believed in!” Jacob explains that enrolling at the university in 2008 meant leaving the film company he had put together behind, to embrace new horizons.

your area of interest since leaving University?

It’s been extremely difficult. In a couple of weeks it would have been two years since I submitted my final works for assessment, and left Hatfield. Starting off, I was actually offered several runner jobs in London for little music videos and films - however the producers of these projects had no money (or no will) to pay for my travel from Cambridge to London (£44 per day at peak times). As I had no money at the time, having foregone a student job to focus on study, I had to turn down jobs because I couldn’t afford to work them. This bizarre scenario seems common across the industry, and, in fact, any industry where jobs are low in number and high in desirability. I’ve sent off applications to several internships, entry-level jobs and experience placements and heard little back - as is the experience for most. I subscribe to several industry newsletters and networking communities, attend workshops and events and try to meet people who share my situation. Also, I regularly am involved in little projects, such as writing the narrative for an independent video game a couple of months ago, and completing freelance videography contracts within the local community.

at the University?

studio in Cambridge, how do you

One thing that cannot be said is that my course was boring! Outside of the BA, I had a great time presenting on Crush Radio, performing with the Drama Society, and bantering with the Discussion Society! I always tried to keep busy, and make the most of the community I was a part of! When times were hard in the course, having other interests can be instrumental in keeping on top of everything.

plan on doing this?

The bulk of my creative working since UH has been developing my own cinematic ideas on paper. I’ve written tens of thousands of words for projects ranging from vast epics of Science Fiction to smaller, intimate dramas - all of which I hope to make when the time is right. I’ve been involved in contract work for clients such as students of the Royal College of Music, local dance companies, and the Cambridge Film Festival!

Find Bluesteel online at:

Could

Youtube Channel: youtube.com/BlueSteelandRedBerry Facebook: facebook.com/BlueSteelSeries Indiegogo (kickstarter): indiegogo.com/projects/blue-steel-ready-player-one

experience of working at Cambridge Film Festival?

@UHSU _B l u e M o o n

How difficult has it been for you to find work in

Your goal is to open a small film

since leaving University?

Writer / Director: Lawrence Essex Co-Writer: Elliott Gresswell Editor: Jonny Lee Crew: Martin Lundgren, Elliott Gresswell, Richard Camp, Jonny Lee, Melanie Ayres, Hannah Harding Music by: James Hawkins

Kealie Mardell

What was your experience like here

Tell about the projects you have been involved in

The list of people involved are:

by:

you

tell

little

about

your

CFF is the third oldest Film Festival in the UK, and is a big-ticket event for international cinema. The experience was incredible. Working in the Marketing and Press Office, I had responsibility to help forge promotional partnerships with brands such as John Lewis, make sure that the community both local and global knew what was happening at CFF, manage a team of fantastic volunteers over several street teams and even host some events with my trusty microphone - including film screenings, outdoor events (with big crowds!), and even the world premiere of Woody Allen’s To Rome With Love which was released after the festival premiere last year. I also met some big names, including David Frankel, Director of Hope Springs and The Devil Wears Prada. Gosh, I can bet he thought I was a very strange young man, especially as I was the only one there wearing a bow tie.

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film &banner tv section

interview with jacob klimaszewski

At its heart, all a studio is a small group of people committed to making great films, and seeing it through to the end. I’ve got the scripts, the ideas, and the passion - and now, after my degree, the insights and skills to see those ideas develop into film. I’m currently on the lookout for partners in the East of England and Beds, Herts and Bucks to work with me, bringing their own scripts, ideas and expertise so that together we can make some great work to entertain and inspire audiences. The support networks are there in terms of skills and finance, now I just need the right team, the right moment, and a little dusting of luck!

there

any

advice

you

could

offer

future

graduates who are as passionate about film and how they to can become involved in the industry? My regret is that I wasn’t as prolific with my job hunting and applications as I could have been as my degree ended. Don’t even be tempted to give up - and keep pushing as hard as you can, even if sometimes that isn’t very hard and at other times you’re applying for 20 jobs a day, surrounded by empty coffee cups. Also, volunteering and experience placements are instrumental into getting in - so be prepared to work for nothing, both in your attitude and your finances, for a time. Be as creative with your employment strategies are you are with your filmmaking! Keep the faith, good luck, and I hope you make it.

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H e r t f o r d s h i r e U n i v e r s i t y have offered their Events, Media

D esign and Business studies students to volunteer at the first ever Folkstock Acoustic Festival.

By: Kate Snowdon by: Alice Kaying Law

Local entrepreneur and recipient of Her tfordshire Business Woman Award in 1991, Helen M eissner has star ted an Ar ts Foundation to suppor t new and emerging acoustic, folk and roots musicians and says she wants to help br idge the gap for ar tists who wr ite their own songs, bet ween the music which is taught in schools and colleges and the real wor ld where they have to wor k hard, with a business and mar keting head, to get taken ser iously and ge t themselves and their music ‘ out there ‘. “ This does not come easily to most musicians and quite honestly, it is better

section music banner

arts and ents .

folkstock festival

gamble street

live on the crush radio

e a s t e r s h ow

if they use their time for wr iting new songs. I am offer ing suppor t for all acoustic, folk and roots musicians and have created a framework which means

B y : M i c h a e l D’ s o u z a D e s i g n b y : K e a l i e M a r d e l l P h o t o g r a p h y b y : S t u a r t H o l l a n d

I can help as many ar tists as possible by help them to build their confidence, exper ience and the sk ills needed to be noticed in a sea of stereot ypes.” > Af ter a couple of years pursuing this aim for a number of bands and musicians across the countr y, including The Folk . The Folk are an all gir l tr io of 17yr olds

“I ts pur pose will be to provide a platfor m for all unsigned ar tists,

who wr ite and play their own pop folk music, who some will have seen at last

no matter how much exper ience they have, or how old they

years Summer Ball. Helen is now setting up a communit y interest company called

are, to get advice and heavily subsidised prac tical suppor t on

Folkstock Ar ts Foundation to deliver similar mar keting and mentor ing ser vices to

presenting themselves in the best possible light and ultimately

other acoustic, folk and roots musicians.

to open oppor tunities for aspir ing ar tists to fulfil their dreams”

“I want to help to help them develop their audiences, to reach out and make connec tions with their communit y and also encourage musician s to explore their creative ambitions with their own or iginal mater ial. I nterestingly, it seems this is the only venture of its k ind in Her tfordshire, a communit y interest company focussing on Folk , R oots and Acoustic music, which might help explain why

C rush Radio welcomed students to its annual Easter show on Thursday March 28th. Usually an outdoor show, this year’s edition was

broadcast from inside the EleHouse due to the abnormal spring weather. Despite the change the show continued playing the best music and presenting entertaining features. This year attendees witnessed a Live Blind Date, a very health and safety conscious human wheel barrow race, the Crush Tucker eating contest and a sound clash. Also featuring on the show was a live performance from local band Gamble Street. Gamble Street are a four piece alternative rock band formed in summer 2012. They consist of university mates Nat Austin (Vocals, Piano), Joe Devine (Lead Guitar), Jaime Byrne (Drums) and Henry Green (Bass) and take inspiration from Muse as well as the Foo Fighters. On the day they entertained the audience with a set consisting of tracks such as Sold My Soul and closing with their hit Lucy. Their performance excited the crowd with many taking to social media to share their views. Gamble Street are truly a band to watch out for as the next day they played for BBC Three Counties Radio as part of BBC Introducing. You heard them here first!

Her ts M usic S er vice and all the regional music colleges in the count y are telling their students about it. The word is spreading!” > The programme is designed to cater for ever y musician’s needs from offer ing coaching, mentor ing, branding, presentation to radio and press releases, credible per for mance slots and recording oppor tunities to students and young people who need a confidence boost and a plan of ac tion. Finished radio qualit y EPs are even par t of the subsidised programme. Folkstock Ar ts Foundation will be holding several events over the nex t six months to create a platfor m for the ar tists who are on the programme and to raise the profile of acoustic and folk music in the region. With relaxed acoustic ‘under the stars’ mini festival masterclasses at Church Far m Ardeley, and live events across the count y, such as on the 18th M ay Welw yn Festival and a showcase at one of Her tfordshire’s premier live venues, The Forum, on the 26th June. > Tak ing place on S eptember 21st and with over 70 musicians per for ming, Folkstock at Aldenham “ The biggest of these events is Folkstock Acoustic Festival in S eptember. With an ethos of mak ing good music accessible to all, I want it to be affordable too. We have unusually low ticke t pr ices, at £10 for students, £20 for adults, as we want to get r id of the elitist stereot yping which does new musicians no favours at all.”

Countr y Par k is being billed as Her tfordshire’s answer to the Cambr idge Folk Festival. “I have just had confir mation of the suppor t and involvement of t wo respec ted Universit y of Her tfordshire academics, Dr Linda Wilks and Dr Allan Jepson. They will be ac ting in both an advisor y capacit y and using Folkstock Ar ts Foundation as a case study for their own research. This means that I can increase the positive social impac t and the audience reach for the foundation and have access to best prac tice, which is really exciting. Folkstock Ar ts Foundation is still look ing for sponsors, par tners and benefac tors. And if anyone is interested in stewarding, or volunteer ing in any way - we need photographers and videographers, jour nalists and bloggers and creative people to make the site look stunning so that Her tfordshire beams with pr ide, please get in touch via email to folkstock@hotmail.co.uk .”

The event s lin ed up are 25th MAY 09th JUNE 26th JUNE 29th JUNE 20th JULY 24th AUG 21st SEP T 29th Nov 46

bluemoon.uhsu.co.uk

Under the Stars – wo rksh o p/ f i res i de p er fo r mance / c amp o u t Brighto n Fo lksto c k Fu ndrais er – L ates t Mu s ic B ar N O FEAR event at Th e Fo ru m Under the Stars – wo rksh o p/ f i res i de p er fo r mance/ c amp o u t Un der the Stars – wo rksh o p/ f ires i de p er fo r mance/ c amp o u t Un der the Stars – wo rksh o p/ f i res i de p er fo r mance/ c amp o u t Fo lksto c k Ar ts Festival D elegatio n o f ar tists to p er fo r m at Fo l k al p o i nt Fes t ival G ates head. /uhsuBlueMoon

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music

B y : J e n n i f e r W i l l i a m s D e s i g n b y : A l i c e K a Y i n g L a w

music

photography

Earlier this year I had the chance to gain experience as a gig photographer at a variety of concerts across London. Starting with a promotional festival film project for Luton Council, it ignited a previously unconsidered hobby for me. In previous years I’d seen very little live music performances and so gaining experience in an area relevant to my course (film production) whilst still studying, and seeing an average of one gig a month was incredible and is something I would recommend anyone with an interest in music or photography tries to do.

Jenny’s Stuff Jennifer Williams

My highlight of the experience occurred at a gig for Max Milner (contestant on The Voice). The lighting made photography difficult.

The biggest project I took on was photographing the Hyde Park Olympic Torch Relay Concert, in July 2012. At this I was given the same access and treatment as the professional photographers, got the opportunity to experience the press area backstage and be in pit for performances from some of the country’s leading musicians, including The Wanted, Rizzle Kicks, Katy B, You Me At Six and Wretch 32. This was a tough day, as well as an enjoyable one, with only the length of three songs to get decent shots; I was learning skills rapidly on the job. However, I discovered the artist Tich, who will be performing at the UHSU’s Summer Ball in May. Her presence and natural appearance on stage make her perfect for photographing, her songs are original and catchy, and her performance is still memorable six months on.

In October, after establishing contact with PR companies, I had the opportunity to photograph live performances of Matt Cardle (X Factor), Ryan O’Shaughnessy (Britain’s Got Talent) and Tyler Hilton (Chris Keller to One Tree Hill Fans). I was kindly granted filmed interviews with the latter two, allowing me to build my video portfolio and experience working with talent.

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@UHSU _B l u e M o o n

Getting to attend these concerts not only developed my experience and skills, it helped me learn never to be afraid of being told no. Every time I contacted a PR company or manager about a photo pass I’d remind myself the worst they could do was say no. If they did, I’d be no worse off, if they didn’t more often than not they were more than happy to allow the pass – I’d be in for a great night out and a chance learn new skills and hear new music. It’s not only taught me a lot about photography, but venturing into London, alone, with professional photographers fighting for the same photos, has made me much more confident. Overall getting this is an experience I’d recommend. It has taught me a lot and given me an interesting hobby to talk about when going for job interviews. I’m left me with a new motto. No matter what you learn during your time at university: experience is everything.

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P uzzles & Q uizzes :

quizzes

ask olivia …

By: Olivia Draisey D e s i g n b y : S t e p h e n F r o s t

THIS WEEK’S ISSUES: SOLVING YOUR PROBLEMS TO HELP YOU MOVE ON! Dear Olivia,

I know this issue is more about moving on after uni for third years, but I am a second year student and moving on is obviously still a massive part of my plan. However, I have no idea what I want to do; I don’t have any plans or even an idea as to what I would like to do. I am studying English Literature. Any helpful ideas would be greatly appreciated! Anonymous E

Dear Anonymous E, You shouldn’t worry about this issue not being relevant as you’re only in second year, as even third years are still having this issue! This is the most common question right now and the purpose of this last issue being related to ‘moving on’. We all head to university as it seems like the right next step, but how many of us can say we came to UH knowing fully what our future plan was? I know I can’t. I can recommend a few things… firstly; head to the Careers and Placements office, there is one on both campuses. You can book an appointment and take mini tests you can that will help you decide what area of work may be best. Secondly, get talking! Talk to those around you, parents, friends, colleagues, anyone who you feel knows you. If anyone can see your future it’s them, they see you every day and understand what makes you, you! Any further plans should be based on all of these things. Thirdly, you now have a whole summer to do placements, think of some ideas of jobs you may be interested in and apply for a placement for a week or so. Once you have tried a few things, it will all become clearer, I promise! Best Wishes, Olivia

Dear Olivia, I am a third year student and am graduating this summer with a degree in Sport and Exercise Science, I have a place depending on my final grade at another university doing a PGCE in secondary teaching. But, of late, I have been reconsidering, and now I am worried that I will do all this studying and hate the job, what can I do? I don’t want to let my parents down after they have helped me get this far. Anonymous F

moving on Q & A: B y C l a r e A b b o t t

Dear Anonymous F, Wow, this is quite a problem you have. But, the main thing to remember is that if your parents have supported you this far it is because they are already proud of you and proud of what you have already achieved and wanted to achieve. The last thing any parent wants for their offspring is for their child to be unhappy, and if pursuing your career this way will make you unhappy then they will not be disappointed in you when you say that you don’t want to do it anymore. Before you consider anything else, you must talk to them first, they may be angry in the sense that you have made a plan and am now changing your mind. But parents are there to love you unconditionally and they will help you, no matter your choices. So just talk to them, sooner you do that, sooner you can get yourself sorted and can stop worrying! Best Wishes,

1. What is the official name for the Harry Potter society of this university? 2. It is even more vital than ever to show that you have some sort of work experience on your CV when applying for a job when you have graduated: True or False? 3. The government funds the tuition fees for students who want to do a Masters degree: True or False? 4. How many hours did Comic Insomnia last for? 5. Knowing another language is very useful in this day in age when applying for jobs, particularly international ones: True or False? 6. According to the i-Graduate survey for Council for Industry and Higher Education (2007), around what percentage of the country’s top employers indicate that experience of international study enhances employability? 7. Which band hit number one for the first time in April 2003 with their third album Meteora? 8. Who won the Nobel Prize in literature ten years ago? 9. What six-part British TV serial started in May 2003 on BBC One starring John Simm, Bill Nighy and James McAvoy? 10. What country would you associate sushi with?

Olivia bluemoon.uhsu.co.uk

Answers 1.Potter’s Army 2.True 3.False 4.76 5.True 6.60% 7.Linkin Park 8.J. M. Coetzee 9.State of Play 10.Japan

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Capturing

the essence of moving on is about watching

someone grow, transform and emerge as a newer, bolder version about or

with

themselves.

bettering

the

Artwork

yourself

University and

establishedâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;thoughts,

world. by

Mark Jonathon.

life,

sharing

especially,

your

talents

and

newfoundâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; creativity