Issue 19 by The Leopard

official Goldsmiths student newspaper

@leopardnews

DiSRUPtiNG tHE CollEGE MACHiNE

ElECtioN PUlloUt read the manifestos of candidates running in the Student Elections. P14

www.theleopard.co.uk

2014

elections

WAtERloG StoPS SPoRtS Constant wet weather has affected our sports teams P26

Colin Fancy remembers Goldsmiths during the 1980s miner’s strikes P9

By Courtney Greatrex

weekly layout.”

he infamous Goldsmiths Students’ Union club night, Club Sandwich will move Thursdays after reading week following consecutive unsuccessful Wednesday nights.

First year design student and Stretch loyal Oliver George Lake was shocked at the idea of changing Club Sandwich to Thursday, but agreed that it makes sense. He said: “It’s kinda better though because you have a break between club sandwich and pub quiz”

staLe cLuB sandwich T

shiFts to thursday

Th is news comes after a general meeting that took place before on 11 February in which students had the opportunity to share their thoughts about the future of the Students’ Union bar, The Stretch. The bar, which reported a deficit of nearly £40,000 last financial year is looking for strategies to improve profitability and become more appealing to students.

Lettuce party on!

Issue 19 February 2014 Free

The Stretch manager, Saner Gursel told The Leopard that the decision to change the club night’s day came: “as we are always listening to the feedback from students, we have decided to trial moving the ‘infamous’ Club Sandwich to Thursdays to bring us in line with national trends and refresh our

Goldsmiths comedy co-president, Megan Landon highlighted that Thursdays are usually the day of Comedy nights at The Stretch, however was positive about the move. She said: “It means we’ll have to move our future events, although may work in our favour if people turn up on a Wednesday thinking its Sandwich but stay for the comedy anyway. “ A member of the Goldsmiths thirds Football team highlighted that those sports teams, who generally play on Wednesdays would be left feeling “homeless” after their games. He said: “it leaves players without a place to go on a Wednesday night.”

ucu threatens marking Boycott By Zak Thomas

he UCU has threatened university management with a marking boycott if the national pay dispute is not resolved by April 28, following months of inconclusive industrial action. The boycott would mean that members of the union would

not mark students work, communicate marks to their employers, give feedback to students or attend examination board meetings. The union has said that the marking boycott still could be avoided if “serious” negotiations could be agreed upon, but have become driven to the measure by a lack of response from the negotiating body (UCEA).

Graduation disruption? Thomas Henri, Goldsmiths UCU President told The Leopard: “Th is form of labour withdrawal negatively disrupts two of the core functions of the university - assessing students academic achievement and awarding degrees. “I’m sure many students will be perturbed to hear that their assessment and potentially their graduation might be dis-

rupted by this action but it is the employers who have forced our hand to this tactic. “I would ask students to address their concerns to the college’s management as to why they are not prepared to negotiate a fair pay award for the rank and fi le staff. I would also like to reassure students that as soon as the dispute is over, we will work tirelessly to get the marks processed as quickly as possible.” ...Continued on p. 3

NeWS

news in BrieF No ShoW: UNIVerSITY ChaLLeNGe TeaM FaIL To MaKe The CUT By ella Jessel

The Goldsmiths University Challenge team has failed to make it to the televised rounds of the show. Th is year’s team was made up of team captain Matthew Moore (BA Social work), James Holland (MA Anthropology, Lorna Scott (BA English and Creative Writing) and Megan Whitehorn (Msc Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience). The last Goldsmiths team to get through was in the year 2011-2012 and they were eliminated after the fi rst round. The team made the headlines for taking a kettle along

The Leopard est. 2010

editor-in-Chief: Courtney Greatrex Layout: lia Quijano News editor: Ella Jessel Features editor: Gaëlle laforest Culture editor: Emmet Simpson Sports editor: olly Bellamy Classifieds editor: Harriet Sumner Social Media editor:

Julia Haase tHE Leopard, Dixon Road New Cross SE14 6NW interested in becoming a contributor in any area of the leopard? email: leopardnewspaper@gmail.com

as their mascot- a thinly veiled protest at police tactics on student demonstrations. Claudia Turkington, activities assistant for Goldsmiths SU said: “It’s notoriously difficult to be one of the 28 teams that get through to the televised rounds, and I guess goldsmiths found out the hard way! I’m really proud of our team though, who were all dedicated and incredibly driven. I know they are disappointed by the news, and I am for them, but I know they’ll be back next year!”

One student who wishes to remain anonymous was in the kitchen at the time the fi re broke out. She said: “We were all just in the kitchen, didn’t leave the pan, and the fi re just started. Nobody’s entirely sure how, but there was quite a bit of oil in a deep pan so when it caught that it was quite a powerful albeit small fire.”

FIre IN SUrreY hoUSe By Courtney Greatrex

A small fi re broke out on the evening of Thursday 13 February in Surrey House after a deep pan with hot oil caught alight.

She continued: “[we] put the fi re blanket on it, then the extinguisher but [the fi re] didn’t seem to go down so we all got out and the firemen came.”

The Leopard FEBRUARY 2014

Fire fighters were on the sight within 15 minutes of the fi re breaking out and described the damage as “minor.”

smiths Admissions Office, said: “We are taking care of it, we sent out some emails in error. All applicants should have been contacted informing them of the error.”

adMISSIoNS #FaIL by Cristina Lapadean

Applicants to Goldsmiths this year have not received the ideal fi rst impression, after the admissions office sent out numerous e-mails addressed to the wrong people. Taking to twitter and using the #goldsmiths hashtag, prospective students complained that the university was making them nervous by addressing correspondence to the wrong people. The situation was not improved when apology e-mails were sent out – still with the incorrect names. Esther Lumutenga from the Gold-

eLection nominees announced By Courtney Greatrex The nominees for this year’s student elections were announced this week, with the largest number of positions being contested in recent years. The elections are one of the biggest events in the Union’s calendar, as the next set of student leaders are voted on by the student body. There are 14 candidates running for four full time paid positions and 33 candidates running for 21 part time positions within the union.

students running representing a range of student groups at Goldsmiths.” Two candidates, Howard Littler and Frederico de Melo will be campaigning head to head for the position of Union President. Current president, Conrad Grant spoke about his fi nal months at the Students Union: “It’s a strange feeling as I’ve been at Goldsmiths for nearly 5 years, I will definitely miss the SU but when the time comes to leave I will be ready to go”

Ibby Mehmet, Democracy and Representation Manager at the Union said that the turnout of students running in this election is “really good”.

He hopes that the next Union President will “be able to mobilise large amounts of students into understanding and acting on the increasing marketisation of education which I have found to be a far from easy task.”

He said: “We’ve got the most women running in recent history, we have the most contested positions since I can find record on and a great demographic of

There are three other full time paid positions including Welfare & Diversity Officer, Campaigns & Activities Officer and Education Officer.

The three candidates fighting for the position of Welfare & Diversity include Roshni Nagaria, Naki Ossom and Bahar Mustafa. Th is is the fi rst year of Campaigns & Activities full time position, previously known as just Campaigns, but the Union was forced to change the title due to lack of interest in the position. Last year, just one candidate ran for the role. Th is year however, four candidates will be running. They are Apsi Witana, Dylan Tynan, Shay Olupona and Doug Robinson. The fi nal position, Education officer is the most contested, with five candidates competing; Marina White, Seanan Forbes, Tom Chivers, Sarah El-alfy and Ziggi Szafranksi. Students will have the opportunity to grill the candidates on their manifestos in the Question Time event held in Café Natura of the Students’ Union on the 27th and 28th of February.

Candidates will be campaigning most when voting opens, between the 4th and 7th of March. The Union are aiming for a voter turnout of 22 per cent of the student body, something Mehmet is confident in achieving. He said: “We have the most voting stations ever, we are giving candidates more support than they have ever had, it’s important to know that if there is an increased turnout, it’s also because of the success of student assembly this year.’ Grant offers advice to campaigning students. He said: “Enjoy speaking to as [many] students as possible during campaigning as you’ll need all of that information gathered when elected”. For a full list of candidates running and their manifesto’s, go to the Students’ Union elections pullout on page 14.

FEBRUARY 2014 The Leopard

NEWS

WIRED JOINS THE RADIO ASSOSCIATION

“I fail to see how any university can claim to have students’ best interests at heart if it is not pushing for talks with the union to resolve this dispute. Even now the timetable we have set provides a generous window of opportunity for the employers to address our just demands, which we, and students, hope they take.

paying for too, in order to make a statement.

Mixed reaction from students Mollie Kneath, 18, who is studying English Literature and History at Goldsmiths said:

Geoff Stanning, 30, who is studying BA Social Work at Goldsmiths said:

By Courtney Greatrex After an absence of over six years, Wired Radio has rejoined the Student Radio Association, the national and industry accredited body for student radio stations in the UK. Membership of the SRA allows Wired to run for national awards, attend the annual SRA conference, and grants access to regional training and resources which Wired hosts and members can attend and make use of. This latest development follows an exciting year for the station which has seen it move home to a purpose built studio on the upper floor of the Students Union. Wired Radio broadcasts from 8AM-11PM seven days a week. Tune in online at www.wiredradio.co.uk or via the TuneIn app available for Android and iOS mobile devices.

...Continued from p.1

No alternative UCU are currently compiling guidelines for its members, if the marking boycott were to go ahead. These include not marking students work, not communicating marks to their employers, not giving feedback to students and not attending examination board meetings. UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: “A marking boycott is the ultimate sanction, but an avoidable one if the employers would negotiate with us over pay. No member I have spoken to wishes to see this dispute escalate, but in the continued absence of meaningful negotiations from the employers, we are left with no alternative.

“I don’t know who UCU are, but I personally don’t think I could support that; it would affect the students negatively and disrupt our learning again. While I’m sure it has some effect on the people paying them, mightn’t it have a more negative effect on student’s attitudes to university? I don’t think it’s fair to allow our education to suffer, which we’re

“But don’t get me wrong, I totally feel there should be better pay for teachers and markers, as they are not appreciated enough. I just think we need to find a way of negotiating such changes without disrupting innocent bystanders.”

“I think it sounds like quite a good idea, because they need to do something that will actually effect the university, and maybe if they do a marking boycott there won’t be stats for the university to publish how well they’re doing. I don’t mind getting my results a bit later.”

Angela Phillips, MA Journalism Course Convener told The Leopard: “Incidentally I don’t think a lot of the new students really understand the issue at all. They have no real understanding of how hard it is for people to become academics, how long they have to be in education, how monstrous their debts are and how little (relatively) they are paid. As with most things it is particularly hard in London. “Most academics I know do a six day week, and evenings in term time in order to make a bit of research/writing time,” she added. The last time UCU enforced a marking boycott was in 2006.

Academics working six-day weeks

Lecturers petition against migration to Goldsmiths cloud By Antoni Devlin and Ella Jessel Staff at Goldsmiths have started a petition against the university’s plans to migrate all data located on desktop computers around campus to a central server – the Goldsmiths cloud. The decision to migrate to the new scheme was taken in 2012, and has only just started to be implemented by Goldsmiths IT services. The stated aim of the Migration Project is to provide more flexibility and accessibility to the user. Against the Cloud

But some Goldsmiths staff, particularly those in the Media and Communications department, are concerned about the security and privacy of their data and have started a petition against the Migration Project. Dr. Marianne Franklin, instigator of the petition, is a professor of Global Media and Politics at Goldsmiths, as well as the Co-chair of Internet Rights and Principles Dynamic coalition at the UN Internet Governance forum. Franklin contacted the IT department in 2012 when the migration option was first put on the table,

voicing her concerns about the security issues surrounding all data being stored in a central location. She told The Leopard that her input was largely ignored and her concerns not taken into consideration. The online petition to shut down the migration initiative has 240 signatories at the time of writing. The petition outlines the reasons for the discontent, stating demands such as: “No to having our harddrives wiped. No to outsourcing of e-mail and calendar services.” That the ‘cloud’ remains on campus is a positive but Franklin is keen to point out that the wider issues – retaining autonomy, the reliability of servers and centralized data storage – remain unsolved. “High-Calibre” signatories

Many senior lecturers have signed and left their reasons in the comment sections beneath the petition. Francis Spufford, author and lecturer on MA Creative Writing wrote the following comment: “The idea that the availability of cloud computing should lead us to abandon the basic decentralised convenience that came with the creation of the personal computer

thirty years ago is ridiculous. “Leaving aside the (very important) issues of security and corporatisation, running an academic department’s work as a set of queues for shared facilities would be grossly inefficient. Academics are self-managing as teachers, as markers, as researchers: they need tools to support their actual mode of work. And at the moment, we possess them. If Goldsmiths insists on doing this stupid thing, I will simply bring in my own laptop and printer from home, which I can use as I see fit, and ignore whatever slaved box the college provides.” A main concern held by Franklin is the negative impact the migration will have on already dwindling administrative privileges. “Our admin rights require anything, uploaded, downloaded, upgraded to be done via our IT support services that cannot respond to the demand,” she said. No forced migration

A spokesperson for Goldsmiths, University of London insisted that no one would be forced to take part in the migration. They said Goldsmiths has responded to the petition by clarifying the facts as they relate to Goldsmiths both

on the website, and in face-to-face meetings, in an attempt to clear up misunderstandings. “This migration is to an internal cloud, set up by Goldsmiths. Plans to move to this cloud have been made in consultation with staff, and will provide more reliable and flexible storage, access to the latest software, improved performance on networked computers, and a more secure environment. Students have been using this system for the past year and it has been very well received. “Consultation with staff has been taking place over the past year and we have had academic representatives from across the university on our project board and they have shaped the project as it has progressed. We are working hard to accommodate the needs of all staff so that we are able to provide a flexible service that will support them in whichever way they choose to work.” Petition to be presented after reading week Responding to University’s statement, Franklin told The Leopard that making migration to the cloud an option rather than com-

pulsory for academic staff was “a step in the right direction” but pointed out that it was not yet clear whether migration was still being enforced in some departments or for non-academic staff. She elaborated: “According to reports from some staff, administration staff are apparently having their hard-drives stripped and are being moved away from local data storage and printers nonetheless, so in this respect the migration as envisaged is going ahead.” Franklin also feels that the original consultation exercise was ‘not comprehensive’, nor were the communications about the extent of the initial Migration project plan adequately conveyed. The petition, including comments from signatories, will be presented to the senior management after reading week.

NEWS

The Leopard FEBRUARY 2014

London Student and ULU By Courtney Greatrex Article one

The death knell sounded for ULU this month, as the University of London revealed a document outlining plans for its Malet Street home. The document explains that the University of London Union (ULU), will cease to be a federal student union on 31 July 2014, but its social, sporting and entertainment functions “will continue to be run be the professional staff that are currently running them”. The decision to close ULU was made in May of 2013 by the Collegiate Council and University of London board of trustees who were dissatisfied with the representational function of the union.

The document says that a large planning group consisting of both staff and student representation across the University is developing a basic business plan for when management take over. At the same time that the University of London are hatch plans for ULU, there have been several others forming in attempt to maintain its democratic and representative function for London students. Of these, a campaign to save ULU emerged along with alternative union plans including the London Union of Students and NUS London. The only plan that the University of London management acknowledged is NUS London. In the “Future of ULU” documents, the noted that the body would “provide representation on a wide range of

Goldsmiths named greenest University in London By Zak Thomas Goldsmiths has been named the greenest University in London, according to an online survey conducted by the University of Indonesia. More than 300 universities from around the world participated in the UI Greenmetric Ranking of World Universities, which saw Goldsmiths ranked 40th in the world and 7th in the UK. The online survey asked universities to list information on the size of the University, its location, amount of green space, energy use, transport, water use, recycling and waste treatment. The survey also asked universities to provide evidence of how they are establishing green policies. Nicola Hogan, from the Greening Goldsmiths team, said: “40 out of 301 is a good result considering many of the other institutions that scored better than Goldsmiths are larger and have more resources. Having said that, we fully expect to do better next year as our sustainable initiatives progress even further. “I think the fact that we have a small singular campus helped. This automatically reduced our environmental footprint. The fact that we are a relatively densely populated institution located near a large city that utilises public transport certainly aided us.” Hogan also noted that all of Goldsmiths waste was incinerated and that none of it went to landfill. She also thinks Goldsmiths use of solar panels and commitment to other green projects helped with the ranking. Including Goldsmiths commitment to the NUS campaign, Green Impact, which supports universities to carry out environmental polices and rewards them for their efforts.

issues that affect all students in FE and HE institutions in London.” ULU president, Michael Chessum has argued that the Save ULU campaign is not over, but is entering a new phase. ARTICLE TWO

Is this the end for the beloved pan-London student newspaper the London student? An article written by current editor, Oscar Webb entitled: “Editorial: Thank you and goodbye? The future of LS” discusses the financial challenges the London Student faces, writing: “it’s quite possible that we won’t have the money to print an eighth issue”. A spokesperson for the University of London has confirmed that the new student centre initiative

replacing ULU will not fund the London Student. They said: “The post of Editor will no longer be funded from the College subscriptions which have now been redirected to support Student Union activity within each individual College in the federal University.” They continued: “In future, if the student body wants to run a university-wide student newspaper it can of course do so. If it also wanted to pay for an editorial staff it could presumably do so from sales or advertising revenue – but this is up to the students.”

structure, which currently does not have funding. He said: “This is all in process; we’re also looking for funding.” Webb told The Leopard that when they cannot fund print editions for the paper, all they are likely to transfer their efforts into the papers online edition. He said: “Hopefully either the decision to shut ULU can be reversed and colleges can be persuaded to put the money back into ULU or a new pan-London union can be founded and [London Student] can be funded by that.”

Chessum has high hopes for the paper’s future, commenting: “The [London Student] position is likely to continue. However goes on to say that it isn’t confirmed how, possibly within the NUS London

Flood damage to Richard Hoggart Building “only cosmetic” The flooding caused by burst water pipes, which saw the RHB evacuated last month, has not caused any structural damage to the building. Thames Water told The Leopard that whilst installing a water meter outside the University’s concourse, a water pipe was accidently damaged. Water gushed from the mains inside the building, with jets of water spraying out of the walls. In some places, tiles from the ceiling in the main corridors came loose and fell to the ground. History student Rachel Treadway, 20, was in a lecture when the alarm went off, and was hit on the head by a ceiling tile as she left. “There were over fifty people trying to get down one staircase and I suffer from panic attacks, it was awful! “In the end I just decided to walk down the staircase with the water and as I got to the bottom a ceiling tile fell on me. It was only one

of them plastic or foam ones but it made me jump,” she said. The high volume of water caused fears about the damage the building would sustain, carpets in many of the ground floor classrooms have been ripped up and not yet replaced.

However a spokesperson for the Goldsmiths University has said that the damage was not serious. “The damage sustained was mainly cosmetic, not structural, and we’ll be working to ensure the building is back to looking its best as soon as possible.”

NEWS

FEBRUARY 2014 The Leopard

Goldsmiths student starts inter-collegiate journal A Goldsmiths undergraduate has started an academic journal for students and academics across the University of London. Postliminium, created by Robert Hall a third year English and Comparative Literature student, has already received a ‘huge variety’ of submissions and its creator hopes it will serve as no less than an inter-collegiate link for the University of London as a whole. Hall told The Leopard that he hoped Postliminium would

strengthen the ties between the University of London’s diverse institutions. He feels that as a whole UoL is devolving and growing apart and that increased tuition fees, student protests, and inter-collegiate competition have empathized this. “I wanted to create a symbolic platform that would represent collective thought where students of the [University of London] could publish work,” he said. The journal has both a student

editorial and an academic advisory board that spans nine colleges. During the early stages Hall took advice from Tim Parnell, the head of the ECL department at Goldsmiths but will take on the editorial role himself. How important are journals to the world of academia? “They promote free speech, and provide the opportunity to explore radical ideas and say the unsayable,” said Hall. “I believe that the more publications encouraging

Students call for the resignation of University of London boss By Ella Jessel Students and activists are turning up the heat against University of London’s management by calling for the resignation of its vice-chancellor, Adrian Smith. ‘Sack Smith’, is one of the aims of a demonstration called for next Friday February 28 being organized through a Facebook event titled ‘Take back the University’. The group also lists UoL’s plans to scrap ULU, violent police presence on University campuses and the ‘3cosas’ campaign as reasons for the demonstration. The facebook page states that UoL management has ‘lost all legitimacy’ and it should be abolished. It calls instead for the installation of “democratic processes comprised of and accountable to the University’s students, workers and academics.” It continues: “Mass arrests, missing teeth and blood on the streets: as Adrian Smith and the other University of London managers force through their vision for higher education, the past six months have clarified that the only argu-

ment they can present to effective opposition is that of police brutality. The police and the University claim such actions are necessary to uphold “Public Order.” Animosity between management and students came to head at the end of last term as Sir Adrian Smith accused students of trying to ‘generate headlines’ after students were violently evicted from University buildings by police. Howard Littler, campaigns officer, said a Goldsmiths delegation would be supporting the protest. “I’m thankful to Adrian Smith for helping to politicize a whole generation of young people. Through his own actions, which have both brutalized and criminalized the very students he’s paid so much to have a duty of care over, he’s ensured that the governments vision of education as a marketized commodity will be met with fierce resistance wherever and whenever it rears its ugly head.” Commenting on the

protest’s support for the ‘3 Cosas’, which recently came to Goldsmiths to talk about their campaign, Littler said: “Goldsmiths students have been very supportive of the 3 Cosas campaign. It really has inspired against all odds a wave of localised workers struggles on campuses all over the UK and I know their energy will outlive that of any crusty university manager”

collective, critical, egalitarian thought, the better.” So far, Hall said that the Journal has received a huge variety of submissions. “We received submissions from professors, students studying in Slovakia, and a published author, amongst others, and topics covered have ranged from The Hunger Games, to Beckett, to the formation of Pakistan and the geopolitics of contemporary China,” he said.

Hall hopes that his creation will eventually establish itself as a reputed publication in both amateur and professional circles. He also added that in a perfect world, Postliminium would establish world peace and perhaps depose the monarchy. The first issue of Postliminium has been compiled and is ready for print, and will hopefully be available in the next couple of weeks.

‘Fantastic’ counselling service sees rise in students seeking help By Zak Thomas The number of students experiencing “mental health difficulties” at Goldsmiths has risen according to the Goldsmiths Counselling Service annual report for last academic year. The report says the most common issues were anxiety, depression, anger, mood change or disorder, and academic issues. The number of issues seen by Goldsmiths Counselling Service rose by over 32% between 2011 and 2013 according to the report. The report shows that 734 issues were seen by the counselling service last academic year, compared to 497 two years earlier. Cases of anxiety more than doubled in a year, with the counselling service seeing 102 cases two years ago, compared to 223 cases of anxiety last academic year. The number of cases described as depression, anger and mood change, more than doubled in three years with 167 cases reported last academic year compared to 76 three years earlier. Issues of self and identity also more than doubled from 18 to 40 last academic year. However, cases of abuse actually fell from 33 to 18 last academic year.

61.5% of students considered counselling to have helped them stay at University. Whilst 69% of students considered counselling to have improved their self-esteem and 77% of students considered counselling to have helped them feel more positive about the future. Søren Goard, Education Officer at Goldsmiths Students’ Union told The Leopard: “The number of people reporting mental health problems has been increasing. It may or may not be related the rise in fees and the increased pressure people find themselves under. Anecdotally, I think it is true that students are under far greater pressure then they were ever before. That has an effect on their stress – on their capacity to work. This is compounded by the fact that because people are under financial pressure, they have to work as well. “In those circumstances, given how hard it is to get counselling on the NHS, it’s absolutely integral that a university should have a very well funded counselling service. The people that we do have in the counselling service are fantastic, if anything they deserve more support - they deserve more resources and I think the university needs to take it more seriously.”

CoMMeNT

The Leopard FEBRUARY 2014

no more eXcuses - students shouLd have a say on management pay Photo credit: Students' Union

why are we striking? By Jack oliver-Blaney

he current strike action is not in vain. It is to highlight and tackle the inequality of teaching staff receiving a 1% pay increase for the fourth consecutive year – well below UK inflation and in stark contrast to the warden’s 9% pay increase this year. While those at the top are rewarding themselves wildly, everyone else is fighting for fair pay. Seeing so many people disgusted at what they receive from an institution that markets itself as liberal and radical made me realise that there are two Goldsmiths: one a cold faced business, and the other a university with students and staff trying to teach and learn; one holding the power and the other the correct intentions. It is an opaque and undemocratic way to run a ‘public’ institution. It humiliates the losers and holds the individual as insignificant and powerless. I’m of the belief that education should be universally accessible to the highest possible level, allowing anyone the chance to do what they want within society without being restricted by the amount of money available to them. However we’re all paying £9,000 per year for this ‘right’ and whether we like it or not this makes us customers. There’s no other business that charges clients such a monumental amount of money, then turns around and stops caring about the way the product should be delivered as soon as the cash is handed over; let alone one that actively abuses its product. Goldsmiths is underpaying its staff, the staff who are

the university. A number of the university’s services have been outsourced, with our security guards and cleaners now on minimum wage. No diligence by senior management has been shown to try and fi x any of these issues. Instead the most overt and insensitively hypocritical actions have been taken: pay increases for those at the top. Marketing Goldsmiths seems to be the sole concern of the management team, maybe because the college receives funding subsidies on every student – they’re trying to stuff as many kids in the classrooms as possible. Promotion has become the quick fi x that boosts brand awareness and application figures. If only this obscenely large budget was spent on fair pay for staff, student experience would be incredibly improved, and Goldsmiths would attract the best staff in the country. This again would bolster the league positions management care so dearly for. Essentially, the university would be a place people can be proud of and aspire to get into, not because they’ve seen a £250,000 advert on the tube, but because it would embody the values of enlightenment and equality. Both the students and the staff who actually run Goldsmiths deserve to at least have a democratic say in how the university is run. There is growing optimism within the movement that its relatively mild demands will be met. However this is an on-going struggle situated within a wider fight to gain back power within our own universities, and save higher education from the grip of privatisation. Try and think about how this affects you beyond a lost lecture.

SU column by howard Littler, Campaigns officer

ate last year this newspaper lifted the lid on Goldsmiths warden Pat Loughrey’s 225k a year salary, revealing that in 2012-13 he received a 9% pay increase. This was particularly galling to university staff, from porters to professors, who weren’t so lucky - facing a 13% pay decrease in the past 4 years. This paints a very unequal picture of Goldsmiths in 2014. But how did we get here? Because the salary of management is off the pay scale (three are paid between 100-109k and one other is paid between 110-119k), their pay is decided by a special body of the college called The Remuneration Committee. Haven’t heard of them before? No surprises there. They don’t release minutes as everything discussed is ‘con-

fidential’, are unaccountable for decisions they make, and none of their members are Goldsmiths students or even staff. So who does attend one of the most important and powerful committees at Goldsmiths? The meetings are chaired by Baroness Estelle Morris of Yardley, ex MP and now a life peer who sits in the unelected House of Lords. Next up we have Dan Lambeth, an executive director of J.P. Morgan, one of the largest banks in the world. Then we have Cathy Runciman, international executive director of Time Out Group and finally Mary Stacey, a prominent employment judge. I’ll repeat what I’ve already noted - no student or staff member sits on this panel. Not quite representative of anything really. But what can be done? Goldsmiths Students’ Union’s position on this is very clear: management can’t on the one hand wax lyrical about how much they

love student input on all the key decisions, whilst on the other, express horror at the thought of a student sitting on the panel that decides where a generous portion of their fee money goes. Are we really in a situation where the opinion of a high ranking JP Morgan executive is valued above and beyond that of a student? I will repeat here what I have already said to Pat Loughrey and other members of management in person: show some leadership. Again and again you champion Goldsmiths as a radical institution. Prove that mantra is more than a sentence thrown into those glossy open day brochures, stick your head above the parapet and publicly support a student sitting on the remuneration panel. No more excuses!

FEATURES

FEBRUARY 2014 The Leopard

Student housing – dormitory or death trap? By Cristina Lapadean

etting the accommodation that you need is more important than you think. Your living arrangement affects everything from your academic experience to the way you socialise. Many students find that after a year in student halls, they are ready to step away from the small living boxes they knew as fresher’s. We know if you’re a student who hasn’t rented privately before, this task can be particularly daunting, especially if you feel you’re running out of time. Here’s a non-exhaustive list of steps to follow when you’re looking to move out of your halls of residence, whether you’re well seasoned in the art of renting or just trying it out for the first time.

When you move out of halls, first thing you want to do is find housemates that you won’t want to kill the minute they forget to take out the trash or lose their keys and ring you at 3am to open the front door. Perhaps you already have friends willing to move in with you at which time you’re good to go! However, if you’re at a loss, the Students’ Union have official housing Facebook group, and you can always take advantage of the countless notice boards around Goldsmiths to pop up an ad seeking housemates – just

#1. Consider finances.

If, like most students, you have a tight budget to stick to, it’s worth thinking Credit: Abbey Hendrickson about how much rent you can afford to pay monthly. make sure you get to know Remember you may also need to them before the move-in date! consider bills, food and transporIf all else fails, take to the tation – things that we usually don’t think about, especially Internet, but be wary of the when living on or around campus. numerous creepy people that like to prey on students. Tread with Most tenancy agreements run caution and if you’re meeting for 12 months (although break someone you’ve talked to online, clauses can be negotiable), so always choose well populated you should to factor in a year of areas or even take a friend. rent and all of the above. If you #3. Location, location, location. find yourself in a bit of a jam, don’t forget that Goldsmiths has When looking for a space to rent, grants and hardship bursaries, they say location is vital. More which you can find out about so for us as students because at http://www.gold.ac.uk/stuwe don’t want to be far away dent-services/student-funding/. from school, good transportation links and last but not Also, if you’re going through a least, party life – fortunately, letting agency, be aware that most New Cross has them all. of them will usually charge fees, If you already have your eye on a although they can’t ask you for a spot, think about these things: deposit to hold down a house for you. So if anyone mentions that, • How much is the rent? run in the opposite direction! Can you afford it? • How close is it to Gold#2. Find people you like. smiths? Are you happy with

• •

the transportation links? Do you need a guarantor when putting down a deposit? Do you have to go through a letting agency or will you deal directly with the landlord? (If dealing with private landlords, always make sure they’re registered with the National Landlords Association and reliable.)

#4. Ready, set, move in!

But before you do, make sure to go over certain things with your landlord. Do not pay your deposit until the tenancy agreement has been signed and always read the fine print. Ask your landlord if there are any requirements to living there – keeping quiet, bringing strangers in the building etc. Howard Littler, Goldsmiths Campaigns Officer told The Leopard: “The key thing to remember: don’t sign too quickly and get your contract checked through by the Students’ Union first. You should also make sure when handing the deposit over that you get the deposit protection scheme documentation – ask for this.” Littler also reminded us that when moving in, there are a couple of less obvious things you should do. “Take a reading of the electricity meter, make an inventory list and if possible, take photographs of the property.” These will be vital if the landlord decides to blame you for any damage. You can find a pool of information on renting online. We recommend consulting Goldsmiths Housing 101 on the SU website, as well as this comprehensive list of things to check when renting: http://bit.ly/N3M71m And remember: if you have any questions, queries or doubts about a housing issue, the Students’ Union members are always happy to help.

Goldsmiths to get Neighbourhood Plan? By Gaëlle Laforest

oldsmiths MA student Tessa Gooding, along with neighbour Goldsmiths graduate John Bingham-Hall, are creating a forum in the hope to develop a Neighbourhood Plan for New Cross.

Driven by their love for the area and the wish to protect its community and culture while ensuring its positive development, they are proposing that locals come together as The New Cross Forum and outline what the pressing needs are in New Cross. Goulding said: “We think New Cross could benefit from community members ensuring that change in the area is well-managed and benefits both existing and future residents. “This is more important now than ever, given the increased private investment in the area, following it being identified as an Opportunity Area in the London Plan, as well as a Regeneration and Growth Area by the London Borough of Lewisham.” Their main focus are improving the public realm and boosting the local economy, as well as making sure affordable housing remains available in the area. “This is particularly vital due to recent changes in policy, meaning that any social housing demolished due to new developments are likely to be replaced by ‘affordable’ rents at up to 80% market value, which many local residents will be unable to afford.” Goulding mentioned that with several big developments being in planning or early construction stages in the area (including Goldsmiths’ 10 year masterplan), this is a great time for local residents to make themselves heard to balance economic ‘growth’ with social and environmental need. They will be having their first meeting on March 6 at 7pm in RHB 137a. For more information, find them on Twitter @theNewCross or on Facebook at /thenewcrossFB.

FEATURES

The Leopard FEBRUARY 2014

Flirting: you’re doing it wrong. the absence of any previous interaction. However, what shifts a catcall from innocent attraction to objectification is the decision to act on it. A catcall reveals indifference for the woman’s humanity, the possibility of her discomfort or irritation or fear, and signals that a woman is nothing more than her body or the ways in which she chooses to dress it. 4. It’s disempowering.

catcalls, and getting offended by one of these “compliments” makes them “too sensitive” or a “bitch”, and in many cases, subject to physical violence. People confuse catcalls with compliments, and understand it as a way of flirting or flattering a woman. Let me lay out some reasons why catcalling is neither of those. By Olivia Cassano

hile most of us were getting ready for Valentine’s Day celebrations—chocolate, flowers, lingerie and what have you – on February 14 one billion people all over the world were dancing to demand the end of violence against women for the One Billion Rising campaign. A common form of violence towards women is street harassment, widely known as catcalling, understood as any action or comment between strangers in public places that is disrespectful, unwelcome, threatening, and motivated by gender or sexual orientation. Despite it being widely dismissed, it is a human rights issue because it limits women’s ability to be in public as often or as comfortably as most men. In March 2013 the United Nations Commission on the Status of

Women included several clauses about sexual harassment in public spaces in its Agreed Conclusions for the first time. It expressed “deep concern about violence against women and girls in public spaces, including sexual harassment, especially when it is being used to intimidate women and girls who are exercising any of their human rights and fundamental freedoms.” What does this have to do with Valentine’s Day? Aside from the shared date, both underline the connection between men and women. While one is the celebration of love and relationships, the other demonstrates how misogyny and patriarchy run rampant in our daily lives. Despite catcalling being officially recognized as a form of harassment, many fail to accept that every woman is targeted by it on almost a daily basis— regardless of her age, class, race or appearance. Women are expected to be flattered by

1. It’s about control. “Smile sexy!

Turn around! Come here! Let me see that pretty face!” Catcalls are directives that assume at their most basic level an ownership of the woman. While many understand them to be harmful playful requests, they are actually a form of entitlement that gives the message that men have the right to take control of women’s bodies. 2. It’s embarrassing.

19% of 223 reported incidents of street harassment examined for a sample study by HollaBack! and Worker Institute at Cornell University occurred with bystanders present. An unwanted sexual advance is awkward in itself, but when it’s done in the presence of others, the imposition of explicit comments can make the person receiving them feel shame for simply existing. 3. It’s dehumanizing.

It is not surprising for a heterosexual man to find a woman sexually attractive, even in

A catcall enacts the misguided patriarchal ideal that a woman’s self-worth is determined by how desirable men find her. Therefore a catcall is not a compliment, but rather the establishment of a power relation where the catcaller determines the woman’s value by deeming her “sexy” enough for him. To view street harassment (be it a “nice legs” or “smile, gorgeous”) as a compliment is to assume that any woman, at any time, should be grateful for the attention of any man. The word “smile” on its own may not irritate, but the idea that someone could believe himself entitled to the expression a woman’s my face — or a thankyou, or a date, or sex — does. 5. It’s invasive.

Harassers insert themselves into a woman’s personal space: during her commute, her daily jog, her walk to dinner. This puts women on the defensive on a daily basis, where ignoring the comments isn’t seen as an absence of a reaction but instead a transgression and justification for more verbal assaults. 6. It’s scary.

Last year, a man pulled his car up to a 14-year-old girl in Florida and offered her $200 to have sex with him. When she refused, she was grabbed, choked, and ran over multiple times. This is not an isolated incident. Women have been stabbed, shot, and sexually assaulted for ignoring catcalls with alarming regularity, making it inevitable for women to feel threatened and scared when receiving catcalls. Women have been taught to believe that the ultimate arbiters

of their appearance are men, who have also been told their opinions on women’s appearance matter greatly. This makes women believe that anything they do with their appearance is or should be “for men” – that’s also why, in our society, it is normal to assume that a woman wearing revealing clothing is doing so to receive attention. All this results in many men, even honest and well-intentioned ones, believing (however subconsciously) that women’s bodies are for them (to look at, pass judgment on, and for them to bless with a compliment if they wish to do so.) Catcalling is a serious indication of much deeper problems engaging with civic life, and a woman’s rights to privacy, autonomy, and safety. However, finding a random woman attractive, or wanting to tell her she is does not make you a bad person. I am not stating that every time a man compliments an unknown woman on her appearance, it makes her uncomfortable, or that it is harassment, because what harassment implies is lack of consent. Flirting is a healthy expression of human sexual interaction, and should beconducted in a way that doesn’t embarrass, offend or intimidate a woman. How do you know if you are doing it correctly? Simple. If she genuinely thanks you and engages in conversation, shows interest in you, gives you her number, agrees to go on a date with you, and generally does not seem annoyed or repulsed by you, you’re doing a good job. While I realize that not everyone may have the confidence to approach a woman in a social context and pay her a compliment, it does not make it okay to get to harassment. I assure you, 100% of the time, catcalling a woman will result in her being disgusted by you. To quote Soraya Chemaly in an article for the Huffington Post: “Let me put this as simply as possible: If your way of flirting scares and repulses people, then you need to stop and find a new way of flirting”.

FEATURES

FEBRUARY 2014 The Leopard

“Disrupting the college machine” – An activist remembers supported the Asian women on the Grunwicks picket lines in 1976? It wasn’t the Labour Government. It wasn’t the TUC. It was miners who stood in solidarity with them,” she said. The miners need money, for petrol so they can travel the country as flying pickets, and to feed their families. Lindsey calls the first meeting of the Goldsmiths’ Miners Support Group. We rattle buckets all around college crying: “Dig deep for the miners!” We propose a solidarity motion that is debated and passed at a packed Students’ Union meeting. We paste up posters saying ‘VICTORY TO THE MINERS’ all along Lewisham Way and down Deptford High Street.

It’s 1984 – not what Orwell had in mind but just as grim. Thousand strike under Thatcher’s Britain against pit closures and job cuts. In Goldsmiths, Richard Hoggart is dean, and Colin Fancy, 23, who just started studying Media and Communications, decides to join the Students’ Union in supporting the miners’ strike. Thirty years later, he shares his memoirs of the time with The Leopard, and tells how it made him the socialist activist he remains to this day. Spring term 1984

A group of Goldsmiths SU activists are chatting in the bar when we hear that the National Union of Miners (NUM) have come out on strike. It’s bad timing for both the miners and for me. It’s the beginning of spring so coal is in less demand, while I was about to ease up on being so active in the SU because of first year exams looming. Oh well... Talk in the bar turns into a heated discussion about the miners strikes of the 70s; the power cuts which plunged us all into darkness and eventually brought down the Tory government. We would love to see history repeated and an end to the Thatcher regime... “Maggie, Maggie Maggie... OUT! OUT! OUT!” There’s something in the air, something is beginning. So far being at Goldsmiths has felt like living on an island while South East London roars past, but the outside world is about to impact all of us – and in my

case affect the rest of my life. Summer term 1984

When we return after Easter the miners’ strike has spread across the country, except in Nottinghamshire coalfield where most miners are refusing to join in. A call goes out for a mass picket and march in the heart of Nottinghamshire, so a coach full of Goldsmiths students and other local strike supporters heads North. “Here we go, here we go, here we go,” everyone sings as we parade down Mansfield High Street, holding high the Goldsmiths SU banner. A National Coal Board (NCB) train trundles across a bridge above us piled high with coal - the NCB are boasting that the strike isn’t biting and power cuts are a long way off. After a long and down-hearting day, it takes Lindsey Roth, a third year nursing student and experienced trade unionist, to offer another perspective. “Who

My department, Media and Communications, announces that lecturers are to be cut from the small staff team. The SU calls a meeting on the College Green to begin action. Some people suggest letters to the College Dean whilst we call for an occupation. The anti-cuts campaign begins with petitions, motions and lobbying the governors but soon picks up speed. Before we know it we are occupying the Administration building (which would later be renamed Whitehead building). James Curran, the recently appointed Head of the Communications department, is known for his book, Power Without Responsibility – and with the addition of a question mark this phrase is emblazoned on a huge banner hung across the occupied building. Passions of all kinds are running high during the occupation, there’s a constant fear of eviction by the police, days of debate, visits from students, miners and other trade unionists; we sleep on the hard office floors. For over a week the experience is exhilarating but also exhausting. The mood is fairly serious and as activists we are always looking to make the occupation as effective as possible. But having reached the ripe old age of 23 avoiding responsibility of any kind, I definitely find the collective

responsibility of running the occupation a challenge and, being a local boy, sneak off to my family home for Sunday dinner and a bath. I’m soon back in the throng, drawn by the little taste of power that we have achieved through disrupting the college machine... The end of year exams are approaching like a ten ton truck hurtling down Lewisham Way. These exams are the most important I will face at college as they are the gateway to two more years of free education, and a grant to live on while I make short films and pursue my other passions. But, what will the piece of paper I may receive at the end of the degree enable me to do? Return to the uncertainty of unemployment and depression of the early 80’s, exactly what I came to college to escape? In the occupation I get to know a lot of different people. One is a second year Communications student – hearing I’ve got an essay deadline hanging over my head he loans me a paper written the previous year. I sit in a quiet corner and plagiarise... Richard Hoggart, the College Dean, is reaching retirement and plays a waiting game rather than call the police – not that we do much to provoke him. With summer holidays approaching we end the occupation after eight days and sit our exams. The cuts to staff are postponed and we cautiously celebrate.

I have enough money left over from my grant (that’s right, I had a grant!) to take a trip to Thailand with my good friend and now eminent Goldsmiths Professor and UCU activist – as the trip was partly financed by us returning with suitcases full of counterfeit branded sportswear he better remain nameless... (Hi!) Lindsey graduates and it takes time for me to recognise that she lead our group of activists with such a sophisticated and unassuming manner that it was easy not to realise she was doing so. Perhaps ‘guiding’ us better describes what Lindsey did, with much patience, persuasion and determination. I’m the first to admit that when it’s left to me to co-ordinate the

group; I fail to do so without annoying several supporters. Autumn term 1984

Amazingly the miners’ strike is still going strong when we return to college, and I have passed my exams. But a shortage of funds and food means things are now more desperate for the miners’ families. Women from the mining communities are playing a more and more crucial role as the strike fights to sustain itself. Two women from the Shirebrook Colliery in Derbyshire come to our Union meeting. Though nervous and reluctant to speak they tell moving tales of hardship, solidarity and resilience. The SU president chairing the meeting is a Liberal Democrat (don’t ask!) and insists: “Questions only, no speeches.” In response to the questions the women describe breaking out of their former lives of kids, kitchen and mundane jobs and how they’re “never going back.” I raise my hand and the

10 SU president reminds me: “No speeches, only questions...” We hope more students will actively support the strike so I mention the meetings and activities of the Miners Support Group and our coach to a mass picket at Tilbury power station. As I do so, the President keeps butting in: “Ask a question Colin, or sit down...” I say to the Derbyshire women: “We’ve collected £347 this term... Do you want it?” “Yes please,” they smile appreciatively. Surprisingly, Goldsmiths has its own local coalfield – there are five pits less than an hour away in Kent. One Sunday afternoon in December a coach load of students head down to Betteshanger Colliery with some Christmas presents. We have an evening in the Miners’ Social Club and are put up in miners’ family homes. We rise before dawn to join the other miners and students marching down the dark country lanes to the pit, singing: “I’d rather be a picket than a scab.” Not a single miner has crossed their

FEATURES picket line, but neither have they persuaded the foremen at the pit to join the strike, so the picket is a dignified but frustrating affair and we’re soon back to the social club for sausage sandwiches. Our host, Alan, laments: “We’ve been left to fight Thatcher alone – Labour and TUC abandoned us.” As well as marches, meetings and pickets of power stations, many benefit gigs, comedy and social events are organised to support the miners. Evenings of drinking, dancing and laughter raise spirits and well needed cash. At one gig a friend is so incensed that the band isn’t acknowledging the miners that he harangues them; they shout back that they had done many benefits for the miners but also have to earn something for themselves. I grab a beer mug and stand at the door collecting as people leave. Despite increased hardship and the failure of Trade Union leaders to organise strike action there is generous solidarity from supporters (over a third of the population support

the miners) and the miners stand firm through Christmas and into the New Year... Spring term 1985

Fatigue is affecting everyone involved in the strike, but rattling buckets back in the college bar still raise some money and some debate. “What about the violence on picket lines?” asks one student. “When the police aren’t around there is no violence,” I answer. The student attends the Miners Support Group the following week to pursue the debate further. She introduces herself as Kirsti and a month later joins the final Victory to the Miners march across London. Almost a year into the dispute I’m grateful to have someone to carry the Goldsmiths’ Students Union banner with. “Here we go, here we go, here we go...” The most militant miners lead part of the march down Whitehall towards No. 10 Downing Street – Thatcher hasn’t erected those metal gates at the time. The police are determined to stop the crowd, push turns to shove.

The Leopard FEBRUARY 2014

“The workers united will never be defeated,” everyone chants, linking arms. Fighting breaks out, a reflection of the bitterness, determination and frustration of the miners and their supporters. In a photo taken by a fellow Communications student, me and Kirsti are holding up the banner. From these beginnings our friendship grows, we become comrades in arms, partners in crime and end up today living together with our two teenage children (who will feel the delights and difficulties of being a modern student very soon, no doubt.)

ued to do so down the decades... VICTORY TO THE MINERS! (By the way I got a 2.1 – activity and academic achievement can mix.) Colin, now 53, recently stopped working in arts education due to budget cuts. He is still a SouthEast Londoner and still fighting for a better world for all. Dedicated to the memory of lifelong socialist, Lindsey Roth - a warm, determined and hopeful

The strike ends in defeat. This will impact on the country for decades. The women and men of the mining communities fought an astonishing battle and were made to pay a bitter price by the government. Those of us at Goldsmiths who fought alongside the miners gave something of ourselves to support the strike but received so much more in return. In sometimes small, but significant, ways we have contin-

person. 1953 – 2011 “She had a kind word to say for everyone – except the Tories.”

Shiny new walls for Lewisham Way’s favourite caFE By Melanie Smith

s many coffee-craving, beans on toast-loving students will know, the New Cross landscape shockingly changed over the Christmas break. It’s probably en-route to an inevitable “last minute” panic essay session that you came across a horrific sight: Goldsmiths Café, the cheap and quirky restaurant facing the RHB, was shut. Turned into a construction site, its floors ripped open, it left an empty space in our hearts and rumbling bellies. The café is not only used by students, but builders, shop owners, local residents of the area and so on; I myself was devastated. The immediate thought among my group of friends was that it had been shut down – but have no fear! As many of you would have now discovered, the café

has actually gone through a swanky refurbishment. Students will now get to experience a modernised New Cross, with a brand new Goldsmiths Café and its expanded eating area, in addition to the shiny new RHB and its modern patio entrance. I went to talk to one of the staff, Oktay Dogan, to ask him about the ambitious building project. The café is a family business; its employees are either close family or cousins, all originally from Turkey. Goldsmiths Café has been running for about 50 years, but current owner Mustafa Dogan and his family only took over about 10 years ago. “The previous owners didn’t work hard enough, so it wasn’t a successful business,” said Dogan. In recent years, many other cafés opened on Lewisham Way and in the area. “They definitely copied us!” he joked. Asked about food, Dogan unsurprisingly told me the Eng-

lish breakfast is the café’s most successful dish, with students, builders, and most people on their way to work usually buying it. I asked about the ambitious expansion. “The café was always so packed and busy, especially at lunch time, there wasn’t enough space to accommodate people properly,” Dogan explained. To provide a better service, they needed to redecorate and improve the room. This was their first time expanding, but Dogan said they would probably do it again in a few years to keep the cafe rejuvenated. Were there any issues during the project? “Time was our main worry, the building work over-ran and we’re still not done!” The sign and outdoor space are still to be completed – but I have been assured it will be finished within the next few weeks. Dogan also mentioned a few mistakes were made during the works, but the main problem

was time; overall the project went great. Have customers been reacting positively? “Yes. We’re all happy! It’s turned out well and people seem to like it.” Nearly finished, the café’s interior is wood themed, in warm and simplistic browns. The menu is the only thing that hasn’t changed, and if you don’t already know it by heart, it’s time to go pay a visit to Goldsmiths Café.

FEATURES

FEBRUARY 2014 The Leopard

Lessons in fashion from this year’s Awards Season Dresses and trousers - together!

By Darian Nugent

Exhibit A: Emma Watson at the Golden Globes in Dior Couture

This is the grown up version of that thing you did in secondary school, when you couldn’t decide whether jeans or a dress were better, so you wore both together, namely in the form of bootcut denim and floral baby dolls. Emma Watson couldn’t look better. The cut is great, the colour a gorgeous pop against her porcelain skin and everything else about ‘Hermione Granger’ could never be anything but perfect. But it’s the unexpected, the slim-fit navy trousers, that make this completely modern, something more than just a

pretty girl in a pretty dress. Take cues from this in two ways: (a) don’t be afraid to take risks and (b) a dress and trousers is completely acceptable, even post autumn 1999. Keep it slim fitted, à la Emma, preferably navy or black, and no spaghetti straps up top. Fitted waists and empire lines work best, with a flattering neckline or cut-out opening. You want people to know it’s you under all that material! Time to relish in comfy trousers without sacrificing a pretty dress! More is (sometimes) more. Exhibit B: Jennifer Lawrence at the Screen Actor’s Guild Awards in Dior Spring/Summer 14

From a distance, it’s a slightly holographic navy blue, simply

Emma Watson uk.eonline.com

cut and perfectly fitted. But up close, it becomes the thing of a glitter-obsessed eighyear-old’s dream, all rainbow sparkles and gleaming sequins. Unlike her normal red carpet choices, this looks like something that Jennifer (and all other twenty-somethings) would completely pick if given an unlimited budget and access to the not-yet-on sale collections; like a longer, more elegant version of an early noughties clubbing outfit, all tight-fitting and unashamedly ‘bling’. Thing is, sparkle, sequins and glitter needn’t remain in clubs tarnished with glow paint and still pumping the slow, almost silent beat of Daft Punk’s ‘One More Time’. They are in fact completely ok in public, encouraged even,

Jennifer Lawrence fashionbombdaily.com

this side of the millennium. Just pick your gilding, and go with it: gold two-piece suits from The Kooples, Topshop sequin T-shirts dressed down with jeans, Chanel holographic trainers peeping out from under every hemline you own – ok, maybe not, but there are plenty options and no excuses to be anything but shining. Make it Fit. Exhibit C: Margot Robbie at The Critics Choice Awards in Ellie Saab

I don’t mean to sound like your mother, but sometimes, just sometimes, your clothes are allowed to fit. Not to demean the value of a good chunky oversized knit, an elegant but roomy

Margot Robbie media2.onsugar.com

boyfriend blazer, or a leather jacket with room for two, but this jumpsuit worn by Margot Robbie is a nice reminder that sometimes it’s ok if the clothes you wear are the same size as the body inside them. Tight but demure, lacy but covered up, this jumpsuit, fitting perfectly, and not overshadowed by flashy jewellery, ugly platform heels or heavy make-up, errs just on the right side of sexy. Sure, it’s a jumpsuit, and so oversized is not an option unless babygro-wearing-adult is the look you’re craving, but this pays as a lesson in the value of a tight sleeve, impeccably cut trousers and an outfit that actually fits your body.

At Full Volume: Ukraine makes oppressed voices heard By Emmet Simpson The media is flooded with news from Ukraine these days. This is not surprising, as the wave of protests sweeping the country is one characterised by deafening voices. The Ukrainian people have been calling for President Yanukovych’s resignation. Ukraine has not failed to hear the protesters on the streets and, while voices are not physically heard beyond the country’s borders, the people have achieved international media attention which is serving as an additional means to their desired ends. After the EU deal was turned down in November 2013, people with a pro-Europe attitude formed the so-called “Euro-

maidan” movement. The bad economic situation, anger at the close ties between President Yanukovych and Russian head of state Putin and the elite’s anti-democratic ideologies eventually lead to popular unrest. Additionally, respected freedom fighter Yulia Tymoshenko is still imprisoned. Considered the heroine of the Orange Revolution of the 2004 Ukrainian presidential elections, she was sentenced to spend seven years in jail due to a controversial judgment from the court on her actions as former prime minister. The Ukrainian government refuses to release Tymoshenko and other political prisoners, and the public are no longer prepared to ignore this injustice.

large part of society is still supporting the regime’s views?

But Ukrainian society is deeply divided, with many citizens still loyal to Yanukovych, especially in Russian-speaking Eastern and Southern areas of Ukraine that still have a close bond with Russia. Advocates of the European Union and a freer market, however, hope that joining the EU will lead to more transparency in the country’s politics, but how can that be when a

The situation is undoubtedly tense, and not free of violence. State forces intend to spread fear amongst protesters by torturing leaders of the opposition held captive. Still, protesters on the street told the press that they were not intimidated, only encouraged. The rest of the world, most notably the EU, is expressing a fair amount of reserve. The European Parliament is debating sanctions and restrictions with regard to the Ukrainian regime’s use of violence, but wants to ensure stability in its relationship with Moscow. Meanwhile, the US has put the

heat on, with Foreign Secretary Kerry stressing the need for a committed European Union for a strong transatlantic partnership. The EU is in a dilemma. Is there hope for a civil society? Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Asarow resigned in order to allow a “peaceful solution to the conflict“. Was that truly self-sacrifice for the good of Ukraine and its people or a hypocritical pretense to maintain his reputation? There is a long road ahead for the Ukrainians to obtain what they’re asking for. Until then, they will continue to raise their voices in demand of reforms. The volume won’t be turned down. They will not be silenced anymore.

features

The Leopard FEBRUARY 2014

THE STUDENT PORTRAIT by Q and BBC 6Music now, and quite a few labels came down to our show in Islington a couple weeks ago. We had an agent down at our last gig in London who loved it, so we’re hoping to get some really good festival slots this summer and hopefully a support slot on tour with a bigger band… Ideally, Elbow!

By Gaëlle Laforest, Features editor

edro Kirk, 31, is a man of many projects. After ten years in bands touring around the UK, he settled down three years ago for his first dip in higher education. Now in his final year at Goldsmiths, his time is split between learning, teaching, coding, playing, and building musical education softwares for children.

What’s the priority for you – music or computing?

If we were offered a massive tour, I’d try and do it. But I have so many projects on, so many responsibilities – I also teach music in schools and give private lessons, and I’ve just taken on another project helping stroke rehabilitation patients… I’d just have to take each day as it comes.

Start with telling us more about yourself!

When one of the bands I was in split up, I thought: “Right, I want to go to uni.” I saw Goldsmiths had an MA in Music, Mind and the Brain, but it was too much without a first degree so I picked the BA in Music Computing instead. Goldsmiths was the only place with a music and computing combination and I knew that was my doorway in – I’d never done a line of code before my first lecture! I’m doing a lot more coding than music in my course now, but it was something that I’d always wanted to be better at. Last year you built an iPad app, what are you working on at the moment?

After releasing Pablo, an interactive app-based children’s book, I’m now trying to build a website as my final degree project, which I’ve never done before. It’s a musical education website which analyses in real time what children sing in. On the side, I also work for HomeRoom, a company that teaches children to think in computational ways. With them I’m building an app to

How do you manage to keep on top of everything?

teach children about if-then-else statements: if I do this, a certain thing will happen, and if not it won’t. It’s in a fun, play environment but still relates to the key computer science ideas. People in this country aren’t that computer literate, and if you can get them excited about it at a younger age, they’re more likely to want to engage with it later in life. Education seems to be at the heart of what you do, is this something you’re

passionate about?

I’ve been teaching music for a long time; when you’re in a band it’s hard to make a living so you teach a little bit on the side. I do really enjoy that, but not all the time. Teaching is interesting though, children are impatient and have to see a form of result very quickly, the material has to be engaging and cut in small chunks they can put aside if they don’t like it. And children are very honest with their opinion: if they don’t like

something, they say it straight away. You have to find strategies to get them interested! And on top of that, you’re the guitarist of the band Small Engine Repair…

Yes, the band’s been going for about three years but it seems to be really going somewhere, it’s awesome! We play very low-fi music; it’s quite different from the pop-rocky bands I’ve been in before. We’ve been picked up

It’s been quite a struggle actually – time management is a hard one. I use a few different systems, and apps to measure my time, but it’s also important to know your limitations. Most of the time I say yes to everything – maybe I’m crazy – but sometimes you just have to say no. I also do a bit of meditation every day to avoid getting overwhelmed by everything. What advice do you have for students who want to get involved in big projects/create things/change the world?

You have to stay positive. Pessimistic people don’t see what’s coming along and will miss out on things, when university is all about making the most of the time and opportunities. Just focus and keep going – at least until the end of May!

FEBRUARY 2014 The Leopard

CULTUre

cLassiFieds

eLeCTIoNS

The Leopard FEBRUARY 2014

2014

elections

The student elections are here and it’s your chance to vote for the people you think will make a real difference to life at Goldsmiths. Over the last couple of weeks we’ve been taking nominations from students who feel passionately about student issues and now we have our candidates in place, it’s over to you to decide who will represent your union. don’t miss the opportunity to have your say!

part-time pOsitiOns

STUDENT ASSEMBLY Black and Minority Ethnic Students Officer Campaigns Coordination Officer Disabled Students Officer Ethical and Environmental Officer Housing Officer International Students Officer LGBTQ Officer Mature Students Officer Palestine Twinning Officer Societies Officer Sports Officer Student Parent Officer Union Chair Volunteering Officer Women’s Officer

- Ibrahim Abdille - kate Hurford

Student Trustee

- Alex Etches - Thomas Ankin - Flik Wolf

NUS Delegate

- Jamie Wright - Adrihani Abd Rashid

- Michael Armaah - Bartholomew Gwynn - Diana Robinson - Alastair Simba Leverton - Ibrahim Abdille - Alex Etches - Conrad Grant - kate Hurford

- Gracey Morgan and Cyd Thomlinson - Marcia Hibberd - Setti Elrrakik and Tara Mariwany - Liam Fishwick - Greer Robinson - Evan Sozan

MEDIA Leopard Editor

- Michelle Evans - Luke Hyland - Libby and Ela - Alex and Siwan - kariima Ali and Stacey White - Serena and Alice-India

- Bart Foley - Zak Thomas

Made in Goldsmiths

- Margaret Jennings

Smiths Editor

- Taylor and Hannah

Wired Station Manager

- Robin Hunter & Grace Lee - Rob James

eLeCTIoNS

FEBRUARY 2014 The Leopard

full-time pOsitiOns

uniOn president

FREDERICO DE MELO

HOWARD LITTLER

My name is Frederico De Melo and I am currently pursuing the role of President at the Goldsmiths Student’s Union.

VOTE HOWARD LITTLER #1 FOR SU PRESIDENT

In my role as president, I propose to draw focus to the rights and wellbeing of students here at our institution. I believe that the performance of sports teams has suffered as a result of being overlooked and underfunded in the past years and aim to change the way the university looks at sports and societies, hoping to give students greater access to the resources they require to enhance their university experience. I also aim to tackle the issue of housing as the university has clearly failed to provide in this arena in the past term. Having been a student at Goldsmiths for the past 5 years, I have seen presidents come and go, thus I believe that in my experience that one of the most important qualities required in a president is the aspect of accessibility. I aim to be available to as many students as possible on a personal level, with the intention of hearing out any problems or complaints they may have with regards to the service provided at this university. The goal of the president is to serve the people, and I believe that I will be able to be the voice of my fellow students, working together with the other officers, both full-time and part-time in order to make university life at Goldsmiths a wellrounded and wholesome experience.

“Hi everyone! Last year as Campaigns officer I won concessions for students on a number of key areas, and I put housing on the agenda as a major issue facing students. If you decide to elect me as president, I’ll go even further. Here are just some of my ideas: Housing • On-campus lettings agency run by the SU, for students not profit so no fees! • Events & notice boards to find houses/housemates and an advice service. • Campaign against extortionate rent in halls and bad landlords locally. Employment • Part time work: free training and experience on bar, retail, marketing skills and more! • Graduate level: 1-2-1 advice and workshops for those thinking about life after uni. • Trade union support for students facing exploitation in the workplace. Student Spaces • Keep the SU bar open, whilst pushing for more investment and a building truly fit for students. • Reclaim empty buildings on campus & transform them into gallery, gig and performance spaces. A Fighting & Winning Union • Celebrate sports and societies with support & investment so they can grow. • Fixed fees for international and part time students. • No more management pay increases! • Support national & local campaigns for social justice, champion liberation & oppose marketisation of education. For more ideas, see my full manifesto at votehoward. co.uk”

ELECTIONS

The Leopard february 2014

Campaigns and Activities Officer

Shay Olupona

Doug Robinson

Dylan Tynan

The national campaigns we run are excellent, but I aim to also develop campaigns for more local changes that currently affect our students within Goldsmiths and New Cross. As the current Sports Officer, Men’s First Team football Captain and a Departmental Student Coordinator I have been able to identify key areas which need to be developed to ensure YOU, as students, are given the best experience possible during your time at Goldsmiths. The following are what WE should be campaigning for at Goldsmiths: Employability. We should be building relationships with ethical businesses and developing links with alumni to help secure places for graduates. This includes continuing the work of the Innovation Award across ALL departments.

Hello everyone! I’m Doug and I have worked behind the bar in the Student Union for two years. In this time I have gained a huge appreciation for the work of the various departments of the union, and I believe that I could make a huge difference in an area that has arguably become very stagnant over the last few years. My policies have three main strands. Firstly, I fully intend to continue the work of my predecessor, supporting, promoting and participating in campaigns across the local area, the University of London, and indeed nationwide. I also plan to introduce more student-based campaigning as I feel that a lot of students do not feel involved in the work of the union and the more people who are bought in on a grass roots level, the more people we will have committed in years to come to the larger scale campaigns. Secondly, I will fight to keep the Stretch Bar open, as it provides valuable jobs and work experience for the student staff who work there, as well as a social space that is open for all Goldsmiths’ students. I do also appreciate that the bar needs a lot of work to make it more welcoming, attractive and sustainable, and as such I will lobby the university for funding to provide for a large scale rebuilding of the premises to secure its future. Finally, I will hugely increase the presence of activities in this role. Sports has been embarrassingly under-represented in the Union for many years, and I will focus on talking to team captains, the sports officer, and anyone else who has an idea of how we can bring sports and the Union closer together, whether that’s more funding, specially provided spaces, or even something as simple as a sport-based night at our bar! I hope you will consider me for the role of Campaigns & Activities officer for the coming year, and thank you for reading!

I am asking you to give me #1 vote to me Dylan Tynan for Campaigns & Activities officer. I have been Campaigns Coordinator Student Union parttime officer for the past two years, and in that time I’ve been involved in numerous campaigns, on and off campus, including the fight against fees, cuts and privatisation to education, anti-fascism and housing rights. I will continue to escalate these and many other issues that are important to you. I will work with the part time liberation officers, LGBTQ, Women’s, Disability and Black Minority Ethnic officers and the full time Welfare & Diversity officer on their campaigns to undermine oppression and increase activities participation.

Activities. We must push the University to improve the quality of services and facilities provided for students who participate in activities, whether it’s Student Media, Societies, or Sports Clubs. Schemes. We must introduce reward schemes and develop support systems for part time officers. Timetables. We should unify timetables to avoid clashes and develop policies to discuss keeping Wednesday afternoons free for student activities. Location. We must campaign for the development and access to suitable student spaces for gigs and performances. Engagement. We must widen accessibility for liberation groups. This includes campaigns to get more self-identifying women involved in activities. I stand for this position aiming to change the direction of the Student Union. Vote for someone who is willing to fight for change at Goldsmiths one campaign at a time. “Your needs are my goals.” Vote Shay for Campaigns and Activities Officer.

I know that Goldsmiths can be at the forefront of student activism and the voice of change in difficult times. As your Activities representative I will work with societies, sports teams, their membership, presidents and officers to improve resources, participation and to make the SU accountable in how it handles sports and societies. My job will be to work in the background so that you can enjoy the many activities that Goldsmiths offers. I have been involved in multiple societies including Wired Radio, the Goldsmiths Palestine Campaign and many leftwing campaign groups on and off campus.

ELECTIONS

February 2014 The Leopard

Educations Officer

Apsi Witana

Tom Chivers

Sarah El-Alfy

New services for students • Housing - full support for students seeking housing with drop-in advice sessions, a charter of approved landlords, push for the university to act as guarantor for students who need it, events to meet new flatmates • Work - work with the careers team and departments to create more opportunities for part-time work and work after graduation, host skills workshops within the union • Money management - provide sessions for budgeting etc. and training for these roles within the union Improvements via funding • campaign for more funding for sports, societies and Wired Radio • campaign for more funding for the disability team and improvements to make all buildings accessible • campaign for more funding via grants and bursaries for postgrad, part time and PGCE students • campaign for more space for theatre productions • campaign to make Goldsmiths a greener and more sustainable environment Connecting students with the union • encourage students to become more active and create their own campaigns • effectively use social media to reach a wider number of students • survey students regularly to ensure their needs are being met Specific activism • build interest in local and national campaigns • create more discussion around body positivity • more opportunities for liberation groups - social outings and activism Support of NUS campaigns • campaign against education cuts - industrial action against staff wage cuts, FE fees for adults aged 24 and over in higher education, funding cuts for 18 year olds, support action against policy changes to A-levels • welfare - challenge proposed bill to remove the right to campaign, challenge immigration bill which targets international students seeking housing and healthcare from the NHS

I believe that education is a right, not a privilege.

Hi, I’m Sarah - a third year Undergraduate student, your current Palestine Twinning Officer, a past ULU activities committee member, a dynamic member of several current campaigns, and I’m running to be your next Education Officer. I know the fantastic things the Union is capable of, and how our student experience can be bettered by working within it.

That’s why I’m standing to be your next Education Officer. My principles are clear: Goldsmiths is a learning centre, not a profit centre. Whether it’s cuts to student funding, pay freezes for lecturers or selling off the student loan book, we must ensure that university is affordable for everyone. That’s why I will oppose any unfair cuts to higher education. We need to increase the participation of course reps by rewarding their work with printer credit, while also reaching out to postgraduates, mature students and part-timers so that no student’s voice goes unheard. That’s why I will work closely with all DSCs, and ensure that all departments and courses are listening to the concerns of their students. We need better access to course reading materials, more financial support for placements and more choice in course modules. That’s why I will make sure that the university spends money in places where students need it most. The delays in feedback are making it harder for students to improve and be confident in their work, so we need to make sure that all departments give students enough time to discuss their studies with lecturers. That’s why I will work to give students greater access to tutorials, and ensure that feedback for assignments is prompt and helpful. The IT system is a huge source of frustration for students, and many departments aren’t communicating effectively with their students. That’s why I will demand a review of these systems so they serve students better. During my time as Postgraduate Officer, I’ve worked hard to ensure that all students have the best possible education at Goldsmiths. I’m asking for your vote so I can continue my work as Education Officer, and bring equality back to education.

I believe education ought to mean: • Flexible learning: students shouldn’t have to choose between private obligations and their education, so promoting e-learning would mean students could catch up with recorded lectures and any presentations uploaded online. • Transparency: rather than the short description students are now expected to use to choose modules that will shape their degrees, various networking events could be held for students to gain a real feel for courses before choosing. • Fair Feedback: assignment feedback ought to correlate to how much work students have done and what grade they have received. • Friendly communication: Students also ought to feel comfortable asking tutors for assistance and DSC programmes can be developed and expanded to hear students’ voices more effectively. • More choices of tutors, classes and resources across the university - by defending the parts of our university that are affected by government cuts, students will have better standards of learning as well further alternatives. I feel the role of Education Officer is someone with clear goals to help create a strong academic environment, as well as someone who is willing to support all the issues that surface during the year. Goldsmiths already leads in verve, intelligence and creativity, but needs people to continue pushing for better resources and higher standards. So vote for someone who will work hard to let Goldsmiths’ students continue leading.

eLeCTIoNS

The Leopard FEBRUARY 2014

eduCatiOns OffiCer

SEANAN FORBES

ZIGGI SZAFRANSkI

MARINA WHITE

Goldsmiths students live and study in challenging times. Fees are rising, the teacher-student ratio is increasing, and money is being spent on pretty façades. In the face of budget cuts, universities are compensating by giving tutors minuscule pay rises whilst taking in more and more students, and failing to providing the support students need in order to get what they paid for: an education.

As a PAL Mentor and DSC for the past two years I’ve spent a lot of time listening to students and trying to deal with their problems, and I’m passionate about making student experience at Goldsmiths the best it can be. One of the biggest issues I’ve come across is a lack of communication from staff to students – we’ve got a great system with DSCs and student reps reporting upwards but so often the staff fall behind on talking to their students and, if elected, this is one thing I want to change. Students are becoming increasingly more invested in their education (in more ways than one!) and Goldsmiths isn’t moving fast enough to accommodate them. Students want to know where their money is going and already concerns are being raised about why, for example, the main entrance to RHB has been re-vamped and yet lecturers are striking over pay issues. We need to get those lines of communication open all the way to the top of the University. I feel I’ve already got a good working relationship with the Warden and some of the pro-Wardens, and I’d want to build on that and really work to make sure that student views are heard and dealt with much more frequently than they are today. I also want to make sure that every student feels like they’ve got a chance to be heard – so often I’ve encountered students who didn’t know who to talk to and, if you elect me, I’ll make sure that I’m more visible and available to meet students, particularly if they don’t feel they’ve got anyone else. We need to close the circle of communication and make ourselves heard and if you Vote Ziggi, that’s what you’ll get!

Hi, I’m Marina White, currently a 3rd year BA History degree student and Captain of the Women’s Football Team. I want to focus mainly on current issues within the university, as well as supporting national campaigns, fighting privatisation, marketisation and cuts to education, to create an improved student experience within Goldsmiths.

I finished my BA at Goldsmiths in 2000. Since then, I have returned to complete Master’s degrees and start on an MPhil/PhD. I have seen the changes, and I know how they affect higher education on all levels, from first-year undergraduate to PhD. I will fight tuition increases and demand accountability for how fees are spent. I will listen to your concerns so that I can give them – and you – a voice, locally and nationally Having studied at all levels, I can support and guide students at all levels, as well as those who want to move on to higher degrees of study Over the years, I have developed good working relationships with support and academic staff across the college. I will put those connections to work for you. I have been an overseas student, home student, and an undiagnosed and diagnosed disabled student. Having experienced higher education from different perspectives, I can more easily see your viewpoint and speak on your behalf. Goldsmiths has a diverse student body, and each of us deserves representation and a high-quality education. As Education Officer, I will stand for all students, including those who are traditionally underrepresented: postgraduates, parent-students, mature students, and part-timers. Goldsmiths exists for one purpose: to teach you. The role of Education Officer is to represent every student. Together, we will be heard, and we will make a difference in education, so that everybody has a chance to learn.

For more information feel free to go to vote.ziggi.me

Improve the library - Have more relative books and journals for courses, as well as more digital copies, as many students need to use the same sources for their modules. I would also like to introduce the idea of the library loaning laptops, as computers are often hard to come by and gives more options for students to choose where to work within the library. Lectures / Central booking system – This would allow lectures and seminars to be on the same day and possibly less classes on Wednesday, so there is a reduced conflict with sports teams’ fixtures. Also more efficient timetabling, reducing the number of clashes and back to back long lectures. Along with allocating rooms of a suitable size for classes. Introduce a texting system so that students know when lectures have been cancelled last minute as not all have constant access to their e-mails. This could also be used to notify students of strike actions. International students – Provide extra help for those who struggle with the level of English required, as it leaves them at a disadvantage. This could be achieved by forming study groups, allowing all students to record classes and having access to the lectures notes/slides (even if made available after the lecture) for them to go over at their own pace. Employability and careers – Giving the Careers Services more publicity and working more closely with them to provide students with the information and skills they need, such as training.

ELECTIONS

February 2014 The Leopard

Welfare and Diversity Officer

Bahar Mustafa

Roshni Nagaria

Naki Ossom

As Welfare and Diversity Officer I will support ALL who study and work here; whether you are an undergraduate, postgraduate, mature, part-time, fulltime, international, or Open Book student.

Hi! I’m Roshni and I’m running for Welfare and Diversity Officer.

I present myself for the position of Welfare and Diversity Officer. I bring to this position a strong empathy with the notion of diversity and a commitment to bring out the very best in every student irrespective of background. My guiding philosophy in life is to see each person as part of a particular community linked by a social structure. In the case of Goldsmiths we are all part of the student community and our overriding concern is advancing the Welfare of this community for everyone.

Experience: • As a part-time Women’s Officer I committed to weekly drop in service open to ALL self-defining women and none-binary folk who have struggled with issues ranging from harassment, to childcare and access needs. • I set up the Women’s Forum and the Survivor’s Support Network for students who had experienced sexual violence and abuse. • I organised Feminist Society events, open to all genders, to cultivate a strong sense of politics and discuss issues affecting our daily experiences. I promise to: • Challenge cuts to our education – fight to protect Sports, Arts and Humanities, counselling services and support the struggle of our teachers and staff for higher wages. • Support the Disability Campaign and ensure Mental Health awareness remains a visible presence on campus. • Provide drop-in services for students struggling with part-time work while studying. • Give advice to part-time students on benefits who are being threatened with sanctions or having them removed. • Keep fighting changes in Welfare that target immigrants, making it harder for international students to secure NHS healthcare, housing and work. • Continue to support “Cops off Campus” which affect our BME students who are targets of racial profiling and police brutality. • Campaign for Gender Neutral changing rooms in the Sports building to ensure better accessibly for our students, particularly LGBT*Q. • Keep campaigning to make Women’s Officer a FULL-TIME position - 66.3% of Goldsmiths students are self-defining women and we need representation. I will struggle with ALL liberation officers to fight for full-time positions. ZERO TOLERANCE on homophobia, queer-phobia, trans*phobia, racism, Islamaphobia, misogyny, ableism, cis-sexism, and classist behaviour. For more info please visit: bahar4welfare.wordpress.com

Since first arriving at Goldsmiths, I have been passionately and enthusiastically involved with the Students’ Union. Working alongside students representing many different beliefs and identities, has taught me that there are still many ways that students feel under-represented. Though the union is actively working to address those issues and has been successful in mobilising a large number of students and staff, there is still much work to do as the ongoing struggle continues. If elected, the vital areas I will focus on are: • Strengthen international student support, addressing issues such as language barriers in learning • Provide equal support for postgraduate students to undergraduates, addressing issues such as lack of fellow student network and low educational guidance • Proactively increase student action and awareness of environmental campaigns on campus, an area that currently lacks visibility • Enhance support and awareness for students with disabilities, special educational needs and mental health concerns • Continue to provide a diverse range of volunteer opportunities, building community relations, providing new experiences and helping to enhance and utilise student skill set • Fight for student rights, tackling discrimination and supporting fair and equal access to university space. Using my experience and knowledge from the last three years as a student officer, trustee and union user, and building on the fantastic momentum that has already been created, I hope to continue carrying forward the vital work of the union and of the welfare and diversity role in proactively and wholeheartedly supporting students and the community, fighting for equality and inclusivity, student needs and actively advocating justice. I hope you will take the time to read my manifesto, support me in my campaign and consider me as your Welfare and Diversity Officer 2014-2015! Thanks :)

Where do I intend to focus on developing our community if I am elected to this position? For me three areas are key: Communication, Accessibility and Representation. I will strive to improve the existing communication channels by creating an adequate easily accessible and strong forum. Concerns will not only be voiced but will be heard and concrete proposals put forward will see the light of day. I intend to be the driving force behind this forum and strive to move our words into actions. Access to better on-campus health care, will for example, be one of my main campaigns. As a prospective Officer in the Goldsmiths Students Union, I put great stress on the importance of the word “Student”. With time spent in the Women’s Football team both as Captain and as a dedicated player I have had a lot of opportunity to speak to a wide variety of students, and as such I am in an excellent position to both relate to and understand the student body. The students need a face that they know and trust, and this face I strongly believe is my own and I will continue to build on the good work started by my predecessor.

CULTUre

The Leopard FEBRUARY 2014

Leopard recommends / condemns Here, once again, is our rundown of things we back and things we don’t. We really need your contributions to stop this section from becoming the formatted blabberings of our Culture Editor, so if you have any suggestions (be it a new gem you’ve discovered or something you’d like to see banished) email Emmet at lifestyleed.leopard@gmail.com

NekNominations

Not leaving Digital Footprints

Techie or not, recent revelations about who is watching what we do online have concerned a lot of us. VPNs are one of the best ways to ensure you’re protected from prying eyes but can cost a fair bit. ZenMate, a Chrome plugin, is a particularly userfriendly way to encrypt and anonymise what you get up to online while also removing the issue of annoying regional content blocks. It’s currently free to use, but the makers are planning to charge in the future, so get on board while it’s going for nothing.

People always say that the internet connects us and helps the spread of ideas as if that’s a good thing. In steps the NekNomination phenomenon and disproves all of that. The offl ine version of the NekNomination, betting someone they can’t down a drink, has served us well enough for years. This just goes to show that some things really are just better in analogue. Sochi 2014

Considering the wealth of well publicised reasons for boycotting this $51bn ice party, who is actually left watching this thing? How have people been lead to believe they give a toss about sports that no one in the is country actually practices? A controlled slipping contest brought to you by one of the most oppressive and corrupt governments in the modern world, with help from the good guys at CocaCola, Dow Chemical and McDonalds.

Getting Rid of Facebook

If it wasn’t the time to do this a year ago, when people stopped using Facebook for anything other than bitching about their peers, it certainly is now. The pathetic desperation to get us involved again is almost upsetting. A one minute slideshow of the photos we have been reluctantly tagged in over the last 7 years isn’t going to cut it. LIBERATE! DEACTIVATE!

the Wind

Silk Road in Camberwell

Water has been on the receiving end of some pretty ruthless press over the last few months, but no one seems to be paying the least bit of attention to the fact that the wind has upped its game quite significantly. Its as if the more attention we pay to the water, the more ruthless with jealousy the wind becomes. The mangled umbrellas strewn across pavements are brighting the place up a bit though, so it’s not all bad.

We’d back this for the title of best Chinese food under a 10 minute bus journey from New Cross. Silk Road has had its fair share of critical praise from the press and the blogosphere alike, but has kept its prices reasonable despite this. The best dishes on the menu are those less familiar to the british palate, coming from the Xinjiang region in the northwest of China. Recommended for group dinners in particular as portions often border on comically generous. Magnum tonic Wine

The true taste of Dancehall culture, yours for just £2.50. Those unfortunate enough to have stumbled across the infamous Buckfast in the past will find a certain familiarity in this 16.5% syrupy swig. But Magnum trumps its Benedictine brother with the inclusion of “Vigotron 2”, an aphrodisiac potion so lacking in medical evidence it caused the drink to be taken down from Tesco’s shelves.

Ah Reddit… your source for everything that ends up on BuzzFeed and Twitter, two days before it ends up on BuzzFeed and Twitter. A website that has somehow built a community made up entirely of procrastinators, which serves as the ultimate procrastinator magnet. Condemned in this issue after months of us having convinced ourselves it’s more than a complete waste of time. Those valueless internet points aren’t half moreish though…

culture

FEBRUARY 2014 The Leopard

A night of Goldsmiths Comedy By Ed Barnes Comedy aficionado Ed Barnes gives us his rundown of a night of comedy at the SU hosted by the Goldsmiths Comedy Society on Thursday 13 February.

pening the night is cult comedy legend Phil Kay, who takes to the stage accompanied by a makeshift black crow on the end of a stick. Phil is the night’s MC and from the moment he takes to the stage we are treated to some of the most absurd, fastpaced and frequently improvised comedy I have ever seen. Kay’s material (if you can call it that) often relies on the audience’s willingness to suspend their disbelief and follow him through the tangents of his mind, and whilst the crowd started off a little perplexed, his rapid-fire insanity and overbearing enthusiasm soon had them on his side. With the crowd suitably warmed up, Kay made way for the first act of the evening, John Wood. Wood’s set was a mixture of jokes, anecdotes, and political observations - perfect for a night at Goldsmiths. His self-awareness kept the crowd at ease at all time, finishing his weaker material with ‘that needed a better punchline’. His set brought to mind the likes of Steve Hughes and Mark Thomas, ridiculing the status quo and corporatism, before suggesting his own tiny ways to get back at the system. After some more barely-controlled chaos from Phil Kay, it was time for Hackney based comedian George Colebrook. Dressed in skinny jeans, doc martens and a baggy white t-shirt, he instantly launches into a tirade against his home borough and its inhabitants - with a tongue in cheek reference to his own attire, of course. His energy is boundless, and his stories of bizarre middle-class life

are accompanied by exaggerated gestures bringing to mind two of the Russells - Brand and Kane. Following the interval, it is time for Phil Hatchard. As soon as the glassy eyes and fixed grin are presented to the crowd, we know it is going to be a character act, and as the set starts it appears that it is just going to be a run of the mill geeky teacher persona, but Hatchard has more in store for us than just that. His increasingly obsessive poem, directed to Michael Gove, has much of the Tim Key to it, and his visual representation of Nick Clegg’s career - accompanied by an rendition of Non, je ne regrette rien - soon descends into apocalyptic insanity. This is a highly polished character piece, and an excellently off-kilter twist on a familiar stereotype. Headlining the night is Harry Deansway, another character act. The first of his personas, a robot version of himself with an extraordinarily long name and a penchant for attacking hecklers, effectively satirises formulaic stand-up with a few small references to comedy techniques. This is followed by a caricaturised observational comedian, and a hack warm-up guy. Although these all belong to the same Stewart Lee school of mocking mainstream comedy, it is the character’s hidden backstories that really get the laughs. His pastiche of a ‘Live at the Apollo’ mainstream act descends into a mental breakdown due to his inability to ‘stop noticing stuff ’, and his warm-up character ends up revealing a little too much about his (and Harry’s) personal life in a game of ‘Translations’. The night is anything other than slick, but the chaos that reigned throughout - from Phil Kay licking a used pizza box to the audience fart that threatened to derail Harry Deansway’s set meant that this would certainly be a gig to remember.

South London’s Fat White Family are heading West By Sarah Jane Cullinane

f you like lo-fi, hard nosed rock music and anarchic rogues then you might find more than an hour’s entertainment in the company of the Fat White Family. The subversive, antagonistic spirit of the band comes across in tracks from their debut album Champagne Holocaust and is reflected in lyrics tracks such as Bomb Disneyland and Cream of The Young. The band’s shambolic appearance and manic stage presence belies the intensity of their political motivation as they represent an increasingly rare and much mourned minority: the strident, politicised young rock band. The ideology of insubordination is central to their political ethos as well as their artistic output and is a large part of what makes their stage performances so compelling. Their support of local South London protest group Yuppies Out and their infamous banner waving upon Margaret Thatcher’s death signal their particular variety of activism: assailants of gentrification and active participants in a pressing class war.

Each member of this seditious sextet adds their own dimension to the group’s dynamic: forthright frontman Lias oscillating between engrossed vocals, stalking the stage and provocative crowd play. Guitarist Adam is so absorbed in his performance he seems almost oblivious to the audience while bassist Joseph is a man who likes to be watched: alternating between a libidinous courtship of the crowd and enraptured cradling of his guitar. Nathan’s fervent keyboard playing is a site to behold as he strikes (and sometimes humps) the keys for all they are worth and is contrasted by guitarist Saul’s understated, self-possessed (if somewhat menacing) stage presence. Underpinning the often idiosyncratic performance of his bandmates is the percussion of drummer Dan who manifests a dynamic tension in the sheer physicality of his performance, to great effect. The Fat White Family are steadily building a reputation for forceful and compelling performances, and with accolades knocking on the door of their South London den, you might think this a band in the ascendency, approaching artistic

and financial freedom. But you’d be wrong, as their self checkout swindles and recent crowd sourcing venture proves. Having been invited to tour America, but lacking the capital to exploit the opportunity, the band made an appeal to their supporters offering a trade of their time and their talents in return for financial backing. There were no homemade cupcakes on offer however pledgers were given the chance to enjoy a night out with the band, a primal screaming workshop or a special Fat White massage in return for their donations. So keen is the band’s desire to give America a taste of the controversy that surrounds them around South London that frontman Lias assured us, the public, “there is no low to which we shall not comfortably stoop; the future of bad taste is in your hands”. Transatlantic and proud home-based fans alike will be pleased to know the band have surpassed their target, and the tour looks set to go ahead. Prepare yourself, America. To hear the Fat White Family for yourself, check out their BandCamp page: fatwhitefamily. bandcamp.com

Culture

The Leopard FEBRUARY 2014

Warpaint, 22nd January, Electrowerkz

By Stephanie Gorman

metalworks situated on a quiet side street might sound like a rather peculiar place for a gig, but then again, this is London. Islington’s Electrow-

erkz, which moonlights as a gig venue and nightclub, was where all-female four-piece Warpaint took to the stage two days after the release of their second, self-entitled album. Electrowerkz is relatively small, and its size worked in the crowd’s favour. Those fortunate enough to make it to the front row were literally inches away from lead vocalists Emily Kokal and Teresa Wayman. Warpaint kept the crowd waiting and didn’t make an appearance until around 9pm. But suffice to say we were rewarded for our patience with a long set comprising some of their greatest numbers, such as standout single ‘Love is to Die’ and the mesmerising ‘Keep it Healthy’. They also raided

their back catalogue, performing ‘Bees’ from their first album, and ‘Billie Holiday’, taken from their earlier EP, “Exquisite Corpse”. A slightly awkward moment towards the beginning of the latter track saw one instrumentalist playing off-key, leading to an exchange of quizzical looks among the band. Despite this, Warpaint quickly recovered, demonstrating their superior show(wo)manship by completing the dreamy, hypnotic song faultlessly. Thankfully, they overcame the obstacle of an errant projector screen to play an extended version of ‘Elephants’ as part of their encore. Its narcotic melodies were even more dizzying than the original, proving their musical talent through slowly bringing the song down to

a diminuendo before pulling the volume back up to full roar. Often, the bass and drums are the most overlooked components of a band. This is not so with Warpaint; two of their greatest strengths lie in bassist Jenny Lee Lindberg and drummer Stella Mozgawa. The interaction between Lindberg’s entrancing bass lines and Mozgawa’s tranquillising drumming is even more evident when listening to them live than on their recordings. Warpaint have recently been announced to play the Reading and Leeds festivals this summer, as well as Field Day in London’s Victoria Park. If you get the chance to see this supremely talented quartet live, grab the opportunity with both hands.

experience writing about food (hence my inability to avoid sexual innuendo throughout this piece), but I understand the idea is to explain to the reader why the

able to make them. I’ll never be able to buy them chilled from a supermarket and nuke them into being. The only way I’ll be able to get my hands on them is to go to a good Chinese restaurant and pay more than my student budget allows on them. This means I’m not at any serious risk of ruining them for myself. But why must they be so far from my reach?! Oh soup dumplings, you little teases…

Xiaolongbao: the perfect food could not like these things. By Emmet Simpson

his week I came to realise something that has me as wholly elated as it does disheartened. I think I may have found the very best food in the world. Now now, I know what you’re thinking: “but taste in food is perhaps the very definition of subjectivity.” And yes, I suppose you’re right. People like different things. Marmite managed to create an advertising campaign based on this notion so widely sympathised with it has entered the mundane joke vernacular of the nation. I used to subscribe to that idea as well. I used to think that people were within their rights to dislike whatever foodstuffs they desired. But the delicate perfection that is the shanghai soup dumpling (Xiaolongbao) has changed all of that. I refuse to believe that anyone

Have you ever tried caviar? I did once when a friend came back from a trip to Russia. It was truly awful. The problem with caviar and other fish eggs is that they taste like old, gone-off sea. What is it then that has convinced people it’s worth shelling out big bucks for these little spheres of future fish? I’m going to assume it’s the oral experience. The experience of biting down on something so visually perfect and beautiful, smooth on the tongue and complete with a pleasing ‘pop’ is unquestionably fantastic. The issue is that within fractions of a second your mouth is filled with stagnant fish goo and you’re left cold. If only there were a food that could provide you with the delicate visual appeal and exciting masticatory experience and not taste like South End. Well there is, obviously. It’s the thing I’m writing about, obviously. It’s the soup dumpling.

Essentially what we’re dealing with here is a small steamed parcel made from a thin breadlike wrapper. Inside is a filling of pork, crab, prawn, vegetables or a combination. But what is special about the soup dumpling is the golden elixir contained within. Once carefully negotiated towards the consumers lips, the soup bursts out, flooding the lucky recipient’s mouth with the savoury liquid gold. There are various different techniques used to consume soup dumplings. Some will poke a hole in the side of the dumpling and allow the soup to flow into a spoon. I say forget this. Live dangerously. Take the dumpling by its folds and transfer it to a spoon, dunk it in a bath of soy, vinegar and ginger, put it back on the spoon and slide into your mouth. Yes it could be hot and could scald your mouth, but you could have been hit by a bus on the way to the restaurant. Carpe diem and all that I don’t have all that much (any)

Trust me, they’re worth it. food in question is good, why it is not so good and why they should or should not eat it. But this presents me with a problem. I’m not sure there is anything wrong with this dish. There is nothing wrong with this dish and everyone should eat it. As much as I don’t want to believe I have reached the epitome of culinary experience at just 22, I fear this to be true. Perhaps the best thing about soup dumplings is that I’ll never be

For some great, freshly made Xiaolongbao and authentic god-awful customer service, I recommend Dumplings’ Legend in Chinatown. Their soup dumplings go for £6 for a basket of eight. Trust me, they’re worth it.

culture

FEBRUARY 2014 The Leopard

Small Engine Repair Serve Yourself By Rob Barber

P Opera: don’t knock it until you’ve tried it By Justyna Siodlowska

believe that you can only truly make your mind up about something once you have experienced it first hand. University is the perfect time to expand your horizons and try new things, so why not think a little outside the box of usual university nights out and try something different? Why not go to the Opera? Although it might sound a little repelling to some of you, the truth is that the majority of people who don’t like Opera are those who have never been to one. I’m not saying it’s everyone’s cup of tea, but is it not worth giving it a go? Despite the first opera I ever saw having terrible reviews, it didn’t matter. The evening was great and I felt something after seeing it. I had opened up a door to a whole new art form, one that is in many ways as varied and dynamic as cinema or popular music. Since then I’ve seen many different performances. Some of them were beautiful, thought provoking and moving and others left me puzzled. And by puzzled I mean that I had no idea what I had been watching for the past 2 hours. But that’s ok. In Opera, just as

in other art forms, personal taste rules. The good news for newcomers to the Opera is that there is such massive variety on offer. From modern operas telling the stories of Hollywood celebrities to the 200 year old tried and tested classics, the world of Opera caters to all tastes. Although it might seem old-fashioned, elitist and irrelevant you will be surprised how much you can relate to an Opera. It form explores the feelings we all struggle with in our lives; love, romance, hate, death, loss and pain. It deals with the feelings that worlds can’t explain. The most intense facets of the human experience can be expressed through this form in ways unlike any other. The long, repetitive, dramatic performances of the opera allow for reflection in an almost meditative way. There is something about sitting in in a room with hundreds of people in complete silence while a performer cries “I LOVED YOU” 20 times that becomes cathartic. An opera is also, at very least, a special event. So much hard work goes into every performance. It is an exhibition of people who have devoted their whole lives to mastering their craft, to perfecting

their voices and performances. Even if a performance fails to move you, you can’t help but be amazed at the work that has gone into it. A night out at the opera provides a chance to enter a world that has traditionally be the reserve of the upper classes, but this is no longer the case. You don’t have to dress up. Opera will welcome you regardless if you wear trainers or heels, suit or jeans. It’s not about how you look or who you are any more, it’s about the experience. Living in London gives you an advantage to see world’s top performances, and if you play it right you don’t have to spend a fortune. In fact, the Royal Opera House offers a students pricing scheme where you can buy tickets at a drastically discounted price. The cheapest of these are a mere £10 (that’s two and a half bottles of beer in some postcodes!) At that price, it’s worth it even if just to say with certainty that you don’t like opera! For more information about Royal Opera House student scheme visit: http://www.roh.org.uk/for/ student

edro Kirk of Small Engine Repair could soon be joining the list of notable musical Goldsmiths alumni. A list that includes the likes of Blur, Katy B and the current winner of the Mercury Prize, James Blake. Now in his final year, Kirk and his fellow Small Engine Repair bandmates have just released a new album entitled ‘Save Yourself ’ and Kirk admits Goldsmiths has influenced the formation and sound of his band. Small Engine Repair rose from the ashes of pervious endeavours that fell victim to the tolls of touring. According to Kirk, “in 2009 Phil Twigg called former band mate Dan Lewis and asked him to lay some drums on a few solo tracks he’d written during a self-imposed 18 month musical exile. After releasing an EP back in 2011 I joined the band that by then was a three piece with Tom Harrington playing bass for the band. It became apparent that after producing the EP another member was required to help replicate the recordings live. That is how I became involved playing initially clarinet and guitar before the addition of saxophone, lap steel and keys in for good measure”. For a band to be successful it needs to be made with the right ingredients in order to stimulate charisma, creativity and promote an organic feel to the songwriting process. For Kirk, Small Engine Repair is a perfect blend which has allowed the band to create their own raw sound. “With Small Engine Repair there is a simple and very effective formula that has really worked well. Twigg writes the top line of lyrics and basic chords then we will all work together to decide what the song needs, if anything to help

build it to match the vocals. At every point from start to finish of a song we are all thinking about the song and how that can be made to convey the musical message better not just an obsession by someone who has written a part and wants it in. We are not afraid to sit back and not play anything in sections of the songs if that’s what we agree is the best way forward. I end up not playing much at all on some of the songs but that is more orchestral in its musical voicing’s and I really enjoy working in this way”. Small Engine Repair released their current album ‘Save Yourself ’ at the tail end of January. Kirk describes the current offering as “an understated yet dynamic one with songs orchestrated to create a backdrop for Twigg’s lead vocal to sit on top of. I first jumped at the offer to join as I felt his voice had such a brilliant laid back delivery like Johnny Cash or Bob Dylan. We wanted to create an honest record with no heavy studio production. Keeping the songs true to their origins and only adding in additional layers when the song really called for it. The album was all recorded DIY in Tom Harrington’s spare room and we are all pleased with the result that keeps the simple songs focusing on lyrics and vocal delivery”. The title track from the album is a laid back guitar-centric number which sets the tone for the rest of the album. Highlights of the release include “God’s Given Up On Him”, which builds to a magnificent mix of the band’s unique instrumentation. The full album can currently be streamed on the band’s SoundCloud page, so you have no excuse not to give it a listen, if not a download. For more information, head over to www.smallenginemusic.com.

SporT

The Leopard NoVEMBER 2013

iNtEREStED iN WRitiNG? GeT INVoLVed IN The Leopard! liKE US oN FaCeBooK AND TWITTer

LeopardNeWSpaper

@LeopardNeWS

SPORT

Sport

FEBRUARY 2014 The Leopard

Singh When You’re Winning

Hockey Report By Evie Beaven

hrough the wind and the rain we battle, still happy nevertheless. Our teams’ spirits couldn’t be higher, even against the storm. The only thing that makes us mad, is when a team who has more players than us gets a goal ahead. Suddenly the laughter, the singing and the general joyfulness gets swept away with the wind, and suddenly our game faces appear. The pushing and the shoving then starts, we run harder and faster than ever before. We are the women’s hockey team. It’s not until after the game that we realise we’re yet to lose a match and it’s because of that why we’ve yet to laugh. Even after losing a game - our first defeat and only by 1 goal. That fear made us really vamp up our performance and we played some excellent hockey. We’ve even had a few of the third year students creep out from the woodwork to join us, which was amusing to say the least, as well as heart warming. Other games have proven difficult with the horrendous weather but we’re still hopeful for some exciting ones ahead, except our game away to Ipswich that may prove to be both an interesting and laborious journey. Training is getting a touch up, with our captains deciding to incorporate more fitness related drills resulting in a number of injuries early on, but that will be a necessary hurdle to improve the teams cardio. Specific fitness drills include sprint workouts that involve chasing after a ball that has been passed from behind us or simply sprinting back and forth from point to point, set out similarly to a clock face. Though some people have struggled to work out where 12 o’clock exactly is. Nevertheless, we always have a giggle, a team once said “we love playing you guys, you are always jovial” but that’s probably because we just danced and sang to ‘we are gold’ and ‘I’m coming up’. Our ability to remain in high spirits always extends off the pitch, we’ve all been drunk at birthday parties, we’ve all had sleepovers and socials. But we definitely can’t wait for the AU dinner, THE event of the year. Not that we’ll definitely win any prizes (fingers crossed) but because we can just get absolutely trousered together, that’s what it’s all about, right?

By Leigh Simmons Rugby Correspondent Star man Rory Singh helped propel the Greyhounds to victory over the Old Boys 28 - 24 in a hard fought match consisting of the current starting 15 vs the very best of ex-Goldsmiths players.

rguably one of the most important games of the season, it was old dogs dishing out new tricks as the Greyhounds, who have only had one game in twelve, took on a powerful Buffaloes team. The opposing squad was made up some of the Goldsmiths hall of famers such as Zade, Briel and number 10 super kicker Rio. The game started at a high tempo with the Buffaloes rucking hard and dominating set pieces. But a deep burst through the line by Rory Singh went against the grain of play to score the first try of the game. The second came moments later after the greyhounds passed out and in with great pace and hands.

The old boys played their own game, dominating lineouts and linking up with some quick moves to score under the posts. The hounds were rattled and a poor pass by Dan Benson, which allowed captain, Rio, to burst forward and score after an 80-metre sprint, severely denting the teams early gained momentum. With the early lead severely diminished, greyhound captain Will Barnes gathered his men for a team talk to restore morale. The greyhounds second came through star of the match Rory Singh, who took advantage of his impressive pace and change of direction to weave his way to a second following the greyhounds set him up through their superior scrum. With just one point in it and the growing crowd going wild, Goldsmiths had the old guys on the ropes who were showing increasing fatigue against a much younger and fitter greyhounds team. The tensions between both teams began to show after a scuffle broke out disrupting the flow of the game. Yet despite this the Goldsmiths Greyhounds continued to pile the pressure on which resulted in Andy Miller scoring the winner.

Ratings 1. (7) Leigh Simmons. Played strong and was an advantage in the scrum. 2. (7) Alex Townie. Looking fitter every game. 3. (7) Arthur Hawksworth. Powerful eight minutes from the tight head. 4. (7) Glynn Webster. Did well to play on despite being injured at 60 minutes. 5. (8) Perry Moody. One of his best games in a hounds shirt this season. 6. (7) Nick Winchester. Getting better with every game. 7. (7) Rory McBoner. Did well on the break and worked hard. 8. (8) Andy Miller. Great game and great winner. 9. (7) Dan Benson. Ran hard and was unlucky with the interception. 10. (9) Rory Singh. Two great trys. 11. (8) Will Barnes. Solid running and created space. 12. (8) Niall Docherty. The gym sessions pay off as Niall was hand full all game. 13. (7) Kit Winchester. Did well to set up Niall throughout. 14. (5) Ben Lacey. Poor game overall for the winger, went missing all day. 15. (7) Jordan Brant-Witcombe. Calm hands as always.

SporT

tales told, stories shared and a couple of sugary sweets carelessly eaten just before bed. While on other coaches reports surfaced of an entire bus of students on ketamine and another which quite literally turned into a sex orgy on wheels.

snow society trip By olly Bellamy

t may come as a surprise to know that Goldsmiths has its very own snow society. Obviously here in central London we somewhat lack the correct geological formations for skiing, however every year a merry band of

waterLog causes BackLog For sports teams By olly Bellamy

individuals catch an 18 hour coach ride to the French Alps. Despite not fielding a large number of people Goldsmiths were joined by Cardiff Metropolitan University for what we found was one of the tamer coaches. In typical Goldsmith party-hard style a number of movies were watched,

eather, it’s been reported just about everywhere recently, Somerset is effectively under water and the rest of the country is gripped by high speed winds and menacing weather forecasts. One effect the downpours have had is on the Goldsmiths sports teams, which have found their playing opportunities limited. The Loring Hall sports ground, home to the Goldsmiths sports teams, is currently a small pond that hasn’t been played on since well before Christmas. With Britain experiencing one of the wettest winters on record, it’s no surprise that the majority of teams playing outdoors have had their matches cancelled because of the weather. While sports like volleyball and

Now as somebody who has never even skateboarded before, my path of learning to snowboard is somewhat more comical than of somebody who actually has any idea of centre of gravity or balance. It was very clear from the start that snowboarding was something that I did not possess a natural talent at. I could tell that my rigid pose and inability to listen while correcting various parts of my body simultaneously caused a significant headache for my instructor, who’s vocabulary was quickly whittled down to “bend the knees” and “slow down by turning you dangerous boy” by the end of the first day. By the second day we’d moved on to one of the slightly steeper baby slopes which provoked a violent uprising by many of the

cheerleading, which are done indoors, have been unaffected, most of the sports are paying a significant penalty in terms of fitness and are proving to be a headache for captains. Shay Olupona, sports officer for Goldsmiths commented that “training hasn’t been affected [for football] because we have an indoor facility. But we haven’t played a fixture in nearly two weeks due to the weather which is worry because we need some games under our belt to make sure we all have good performances at varsity.” With the amount of available playing opportunities dwindling fast, players are becoming increasingly worried, with rugby captain Will Barnes explaining that “due to the series of cancelled fixtures and lack of Wednesdays to play them in, our chances of promotion and cup run have been seriously tarnished.” While Naki Ossom from the women’s football team has had more fortune, stating that “luckily we’ve been able to

The Leopard FEBRUARY 2014

students, yet despite our protests the demonic teacher continued to spurt out her 2 sentences and was particularly thrilled by my controlled stops that were made up of me either using one of the various obstacles at the side of the slopes or literally throwing myself on the floor at high speed to slow down. Towards the mid week I think my teacher had given up on me and had proceeded to focus her scorching efforts on another poor student which obviously prompted me to throw myself precariously down the side of a hill as fast as humanly possible during group runs down the green slopes. By the end of day three my lessons had ended, my teacher condemned me through her limited use of the English vocabulary and hastily left before one of us had a chance to catch up while we snowballed down the piste. It was at this point where the majority of us decided to tempt fate and brave the slopes all by ourselves, obviously a series of trips, falls and bruised tail bones occurred however much to my

reschedule our matches for a later date, but we hope the weather is good enough then.” While game time has been limited, especially for the men’s rugby team, games against clubs on artificial grass have provided a refreshing chance to play. Although in order to play on such pitches like that at Blackheath the games have had to be held on a different day of the week to normal, making it harder to field a full squad and substitutes. Indeed the problem also extends to the football team who too have had to resort to artificial pitches in order to have any sort of training. Ossom feels that “it would be great if the league or the sports departments of the participating unions of the league teams could get indoor pitches of this half of the season considering how bad the weather gets around this time of the year.” Countries like Spain who’s climate in the south is unable to properly grow grass tend to heavily rely on artificial turf,

disappointment none of the group managed to get anything on camera that could get me my £250 off you’ve been framed. It was at this point that I decided instead of sticking with people roughly around my skill set I should instead embarrass myself by joining the rest of my university, who quite clearly had a lot more skill and training than I did. The majority of people seemingly glided down the hill, gracefully carving the snow while tanked down with the elegance of an elephant on skates. Despite my obviously blatant disregard for personal safety I declined to join the university up to the top of the mountain to an event called ‘Folie Douce’ (yes, it sounds exactly like douche much to my amusement as well) which from their descriptions involves a lot of expensive drinks and some music. For the full article, visit the Leopard website www.theleopard.co.uk For more information, get in touch with society President, Helen Wyatt helenlucywyatt@gmail.com and visit the society’s Facebook page Facebook.com/goldsmithssnow

something that may have to be investigated by universities if traditional grass pitches get too hard to maintain. Certainly the women’s hockey team have had little issue with the weather because of their astro turf pitches. Yet a lot of players dislike artificial pitches due to their lack of authentic feel that often makes it easier for faster players. While the question of cost would very well mean universities like Goldsmiths would be unable to afford pitches of a very high quality. Despite the inconvenience caused, most teams have been working around the issue of rain, with rugby training usually being replaced by focused work outs or using pitches that are less strictly maintained. Only a few years ago they were unable to play any games in the second half of the season due to poor weather, something that should no doubt be taken into consideration by the university when approaching the long term future of the Loring Hall sports ground.

Sport

FEBRUARY 2014 The Leopard

VOLLEYBALL ROUNDUP Very often we don’t get to report on one of the most popular sports at Goldsmiths, a game that uses strength, focus and team spirit to deliver a fun, high intensity game that comes in the shape of volleyball. Adrihani Abd Rashid, a second year psychology student and self professed lover of free food gives us the lowdown on how the volleyball team have fared so far this year.

he mixed volleyball team at Goldsmiths have had a history of success, finishing top of the league and winning team of the year award in 2012. Despite having a strong and varied set of players, this year, like a number of other teams at Goldsmiths, they’ve struggled with league matches.

planning the academic timetable. Wednesdays are usually reserved exclusively for sport by most University of London college members, and reflects badly on teams that are unable to field players.

A lack of players and difficulties with scheduling have made it increasingly more difficult for the team to live up to their reputation, particularly with day time matches on Wednesdays, where players will often have a clash with lectures or seminars.

Because of these conflicts a number of matches are being given away as walkovers, which is obviously frustrating as well as costly to the team in the long run. Another issue is that the team do not have kits, which at first glance seems like an irrelevant issue, but on closer inspection affects team morale, especially when facing teams that clearly have more funding for sports that allow them to have matching gear.

This raises an important problem with the university scheduling system, which will often fail to take into account sports when

Most recently the mixed team played Kings College at home near Hoxton in a hard fought match that really tested the

stamina of the team. Goldsmiths managed to keep up throughout the game, matching Kings set for set. The final score came to 2-2, with Goldsmiths eventually conceding due to time constraints which handed Kings an unfortunate victory. This result, while being unlucky did hand a number of starts to players who had never played in the league before, providing essential experience for later in the season. However, despite a shaky start to the season the team do seem to be picking up and with any luck, will be able to step up their game in their next league match against University of the Arts on the 27th. Without doubt Goldsmiths biggest old time rivals, this game will give them the greatest taste of victory and experience of what to expect at varsity this year.

Goldsmiths Lions to Attack Competitors in Competition By Olly Bellamy

ou don’t often associate cheerleading on a competitive level, yet it’s becoming one of the fastest growing sports around the country for both men and women. Traditional rivalries like that of Oxford and Cambridge are increasingly becoming reported on by university newspapers, with competitive comparisons being drawn between cheerleading and the Oxford/Cambridge boat races. Making it as much of a sport as any at Goldsmiths. With one of the largest squad they’ve ever had, the Goldsmiths Lions will no doubt be hopeful

of walking away from their first competition of the year at the end of February in high spirits. On a university level competitions are held around the country where universities compete against each other in a number of different levels ranging from 1 to 6, with higher levels being progressively harder to perform in all aspects. The sport itself is judged in a number of key areas ranging from the choreography of the overall routine down to how well each person performs their part in the performance. The routines themselves often take a substantial amount of time to plan, with choreographing often starting as much as six months before hand. Training takes place anywhere between 2 and 4 times a week and often

will last around 2 hours. Depending on their positions, cheerleaders will usually focus on specific areas to improve with workshops in cardio, core and upper body strength as well as flexibility often being held regularly. While at a university level there’s often a large difference in ability, however all members are expected to perform at least rudimental levels of tumbling. More advanced athletes may incorporate significantly harder stunts such as summersaults and flips. Despite tumbling often being pinpointed as an area of improvement, stunting is seen as the most important aspect of cheerleading, taking a significant amount of time and dedication to master. During a

performance specific cheerleaders, referred to as flyers, are lifted by anywhere between 1 and 4 people in order to perform stunts and tricks in the air. In the final performance all of these three areas are pieced together usually by the head cheerleader who has to try and incorporate a certain number of actions into the three minute space, where things like how quickly and gracefully each person can transition between set pieces. This year the team are at a huge advantage in that they are being coached by two ex-goldsmiths cheerleaders Claudia Carrington King and Alexa Buckler, who alongside captain Ellie Gay set them in great standing for their first tournament of the year.

2014

elections question time 27th-28th february 18h Cafe natura

voting open 4th-7th march

results night 7th march 20h the stretch