The Voice - Issue 18 (February 2014)

FEBRUARY 2014 - Issue 18 www.thevoiceworcester.com www.worcsu.com

NEWS

FEATURES

WILL BUS CUTS AFFECT FINDING YOUR IDEAL STUDENTS? P3 STUDENT HOUSE P6

COMMUNITY

GO GREEN WEEK 2014

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SPORTS

RUGBY TEAM TOP OF THE LEAGUE Back Page

WORCESTER F LO O D I N G C AU S E S DISRUPTION

&

DAMAGE

By Georgie Bull

A fortnight of severe flooding has disrupted university services, travel, and business in Worcester.

E ID S IN S W IE V R E T IN E T CANDIDA

By Joe Hayes

and with a menagerie of animals!

It is that time of the year again, the Worcester Students’ Union’s Leadership Elections! Candidates’ nominations closed on the 24th February and we can now move to the most important stage of all: the voting, where you the electorate can decide who you want to represent you. To be able to vote, all you need to do is simply register an account on the Worcester University Students’ Union website, rather than on the SOLE page as in previous elections.

The positions to be challenged include: President, VP Education, Vice President Student Activities, Mature Students’ Officer, Chair of Student Council and finally two delegates to the National Union of Students. As the elections continue, there will be the Candidate Debates on the 3rd and 4th of March in the Studio at the Hive and in EE1026 on St. John’s Campus respectively, where they will discuss their manifestos.

At 8:00 on the morning of Tuesday 4th March the elections begin; all students not registered to vote will receive an email inviting them to do so. Polling booths will be stationed in the main SU building allowing students to vote there as well. Here students voting will receive a glow in the dark wristband after voting which

The system being utilised for the elections is Alternative Transferable Voting, which helps guarantee that candidates are ranked in order of the elector’s preference. You can go to the Students’ Union’s website where they have a video to explain this system in a much better fashion

can be used for 10% off at the Pear Tree Bar during the voting period (not in conjunction with any other offers.)

Of course an often neglected part of the election process is the dialogue between candidates and the electorate. To ensure this, both candidates and part of their election teams will be wearing colourful T shirts with an easy to recognise design. The candidates will also wear a rosette to distinguish themselves.

Inside this issue there are interviews with the candidates standing for student elections, so that you will know a bit about who you are voting for! Be sure to check out the Students’ Union Twitter feed to stay informed and remember these candidates will be representing you! So make sure to vote and choose your candidates wisely.

CONTINUES ON PAGES 8 & 9

The flooding began to escalate from the week of the tenth of February. That week saw the most disruption to travel within the city with all the bridges in Worcester closed, and access into the city from outside of Worcester severely reduced.

Sabrina Bridge was closed on the twelfth by police as the River Severn continued to rise, and re-opened on the fourteenth, just in time for Valentine’s Day. The closure of the busy footbridge meant, that for many, the only way to travel between the City Centre and the residential area of St. John’s was by shuttle bus, provided free by Worcestershire County Council.

Although lectures were cancelled on the twelfth and fourteenth and some of the University buildings closed, the University of Worcester remained mostly unaffected by the flooding.

John Ryan, University of Worcester Secretary and Pro Vice Chancellor Students, said the closure of university buildings, including the Arena, Riverside and the Hive were ‘unfortunate’, but explained, ‘the Arena and Riverside were closed not because they were inaccessible but because emergency services could not get access due to the flood gates. The Hive was closed because some water flooded into the plant room, however, this was quickly resolved’.

University campuses were unaffected by the flooding, however, lectures had to be cancelled due to staff and students being unable to get there. John Ryan noted, ‘the people most affected by the Continues on Page 3.

2 NEWS THE VOICE

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WORCESTERSHIRE FLOODS 2014

Issue 18 Publication Date: 27/2/14 Visit us online: www.thevoiceworcester.com

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NEWS

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WILL BUS CUTS AFFECT UNIVERSITY STUDENTS? Credit: Green Lane (Creative Commons)

@thevoicepaper

Advertising d.tomkins@worc.ac.uk Email thevoice.uow@gmail.com Editor James Dilworth Head Designer Martin Price Designers Tiberiu Ion

By Claire Shipman

In November 2013 Worcester City Council announced proposals to cut £3 million in subsidies affecting 88 local bus services and eliminating 43 bus routes. However, due to a public response of over 8500 signatures, the Council has reversed its proposals, providing £1.1 million to keep the ‘’most important routes’’ running. This money was sourced from occupants paying council tax in the recently built houses ofWychavon. Original proposals failed to adhere to the 1985 Transport Act, which prevents the removal of all financial support to buses in a county.

Photography Editor JD Grant Website Editor Tom Davis Community Editor Matt Soanes Sports Editor Alex Harris Features Editor Claire Shipman News Editor Georgie Bull

Richard Udall, St. John’s Councillor, strongly opposes the remaining cuts, revealing that Worcester evening services will be removed, which

Issue 17 Amendments Georgie Bull’s article was unfortunately not printed. When notified, The Voice printed inserts for the newspaper. If you missed the article you can view it on www.thevoiceworcester.com Creative Commons Photographs Occasionally it is not possible to take the photographs that we would like. When this happens, we look to use photographs with Creative Commons licences.

Every photograph that is used under a Creative Commons licence has the photographer credited. We’d like to take the chance to thank those photographers for their images.

-----------------------------------Want to contribute to The Voice?

We’re looking for designers, photographers and writers.

Contact us at thevoice.uow@gmail.com for more information!

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By Georgie Bull

Continued from front page. floods were staff who live outside of Worcester who drive and were forced to cross the river outside of the city.’

But he also stated that ‘the 2007 flood was much worse and led to both staff and students being forced to stay the night on campus and in hotels’.

Councils have estimated that repairing flood-damaged roads across Herefordshire and Worcestershire will cost millions, BBC News Hereford and Worcester reports. Worcestershire County Council has ring-fenced £700,000, while Herefordshire Council estimated it would cost £2.85m to fix potholes and other defects.

Businesses in Worcester have ‘really suffered’ due to the closure of Worcester bridge, making it difficult to visit the City Centre form the

west and south, says Adrian Gregson, Leader of Worcester City Council.

The City Council’s website states that Gregson called for action after Prime Minister David Cameron visited Worcestershire counties to see the flood damage for himself. Worcester County Council hopes that the government will pay for and build a second traffic bridge in Worcester ‘so that the city can keep moving when the River Severn floods’.

Plans for a second traffic bridge have been discussed since 2010, but there has been no progress on the proposal.

BBC News Hereford and Worcester issued a health and safety warning to Worcester residents whose homes had been flooded. ‘Contaminated water in an area of Worcester affected by flooding contains bacteria levels nearly 60 times what is considered safe’, the website reports. But Public Health England said: ‘the levels

were not unusual after flooding’.

Worcester resident Kirsty Baxter told The Voice, ‘the water in the streets looked disgusting and was starting to smell really bad. In calls on the radio people were saying they had seen sanitary towels floating in the water’.

BBC Hereford and Worcester reports that more than forty houses were flooded in Worcestershire and nineteen in Herefordshire. In addition, Western Power Distribution said about 3,600 homes in Worcestershire and 2,000 in Herefordshire were without power.

Worcester News reports that households in the Malvern Hills district that have suffered flood damage will be eligible for a £250 emergency flood grant from the council. The grants will be available to residents whose houses have suffered flood damage to habitable rooms.

he feels could ‘’hurt the student population, as it may mean long walks home at night’’. Coupled with plans to turn off street lamps at night, he said that ‘’Worcester is really going back to the dark ages!’’. Richard explains that ‘’Every single commuter will see the difference... It will remain much more difficult to get to work, school, university and home safely’’.

Dan Smyth, a second year Drama student, is pleased that some bus routes will remain, ‘’For me the buses serve as a sort of lifeline... Last year I was living in the city and the bus service was essential in getting me to lectures on time’’ he explains. Dan was most opposed to the removal of evening services, ‘’I think it’s a horrible idea. I’ve never found the city centre to be the most desirable place to walk

through in the evening and for it to be the only option would be ridiculous. ‘’ He feels that the local community will be most disadvantaged by the cuts, ‘’ there’s absolutely no reason they should have to walk the streets late at night to get from A to B, for some older residents it isn’t even a viable option ‘.

Amie Wilson, studying Sports and Psychology, says that the buses were immensely important to her when she lived on St John’s campus. ‘’I used the bus in order to be able to get from campus to the station in time to catch the train on a Friday night. The bus is an easy way to get from town to campus & vice versa, so without the buses, students will have to factor in the walking time when thinking about commuting.’’. She believes that bus routes to hospitals

are the most important. ‘’The bus is probably the easiest and cheapest way for older people, who may not be very mobile, to get to the hospital.’’

Bus Users UK explain that they are aware that Worcester Council needs to make ‘substantial savings’, but bus services are ‘not simply a dispensable luxury’.

They highlighted that buses ‘provide an alternative which is sustainable’ and cuts to services could potentially ‘stifle economic growth’. Richard Udall believes that cuts to services could also cause ‘congested streets and people struggling to get to work’.

He states that public transport should be made ‘affordable and available’ and ‘there is no need to cut a single bus route’. The bus routes to be saved will be publicly announced in May or June.

UNIVERSITY PLANS TO PROVIDE

FREE

By Joe Hayes

In a move that will inevitably be treated with unanimous approval across the student community, discussions have started between the SU and the University to address student printing costs. The cost of printing at the University and The Hive is currently 5p per page for students, which is often a challenge for those forgetting to update their printing credit and can have serious ramifications to assignments In a recently conducted poll for The Voice, 20% of those responding declared that their expenditure on printing per year exceeded £20 and another 20% noted that their printing credit even reached up to £50.

Furthermore, according to the website

PRINTING

‘Bright Knowledge’ the average university student spends £11.46 per week on printing and photocopying, constituting a considerable chunk of money in students’ budgets.

Student Union Vice President for Education Tom Clarke noted that in a recent conference he had attended printing credit had been discussed, and many other universities had made allowances to assist students in relation to the costs of printing credit. Proposals will therefore be made to implement this at the University of Worcester, ensuring that students are not deprived of provisions offered at other universities.

However, before everyone becomes delirious with excitement over the

CREDITS

prospect of infinite amounts of printing, it is highly improbable that the printing credit will become completely free of charge. During the interview Tom referred to the University College London, which almost became bankrupt as a result of offering free printing credit!

Proposals for assistance with printing credit must also consider the University’s environmentally conscious Green Impact. This is perhaps especially important with the recent ‘Go Green Week’ highlighting universities’ responsibility to be kind to the environment. Any proposal would need to ensure that entire forests are not destroyed and it is more likely that a certain amount of credit will be provided for each student.

Tom contacted students to ask for estimates of how much they spend on printer credit each year, with a number of history students stating as much as “£40”. According to Tom Clarke, The campaign will be the subject of further discussion at the monthly meetings between your sabbatical officers and the Vice Chancellor, Deputy Vice Chancellor and Pro Vice Chancellor (Students). Therefore, it would appear that the printing credit initiative is well under way.

Plans are also being developed for the submission of assignments online, as opposed to paper copies, therefore the proposed measures for printing will assist students while the implementation of electronically submitted assignments progresses.

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NEWS

STRIKES: WHAT NEXT?

By Matt Soanes

The latest wave of strikes by lecturers and support staff is a continuation of protests by unions including Unite, Unison, UCU and EIS in Scotland over a 1% pay rise offer. Unions claim that the pay rise offer would mean that their members have faced a 13% pay cut in real terms since 2008. Since 2008 the income of workers has been squeezed by the economic downturn and rising inflation. As UCU representative on campus at the University of Worcester, senior Geography lecturer David Storey explained “there are increasing demands upon us (as lecturers)... we are concerned with delivering a high quality of education for students... we should be paid appropriately for what is an increasingly expensive education (for students.)” Inequality of pay between staff has also been noted as an issue nationwide. A report produced by the Young Greens last year highlighted shocking disparities between pay for top university executives

and for low paid support staff.

Pay negotiations are taking place at a national level between the various unions and the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA), who represent university employers. Universities have recently attracted controversy and threats of legal action from UCU after threatening to deduct a full day’s worth of pay in response to two-hour walkouts by union members. John Ryan, Pro Vice Chancellor Students at the University of Worcester, noted that the 2 hour strikes represented ‘partial performance’ on the part of the strikers and that the university intended to follow the advice of UCEA in deducting pay for the walkouts.

Over 40 universities across the country have taken similar action against staff.

Mr Ryan reiterated that “lecturers may be angry at the university” for pay deductions, but fundamentally this remained a national dispute. David Storey commented that the two hour walkouts “more problematic” for union members as they have taken place outside of normal teaching hours. “Some of our members are

less convinced that (the two hour walkouts) are effective... they aren’t particularly visible.” He did however say that “we are not desperately happy” with possible pay deductions.

Mike Webb, senior lecturer in Politics and Sociology, voiced his strong support for the aims of the strikes, stating that “many of our freedoms today... have been won by previous employees being willing to strike.” However, Mr Webb also expressed reservations with the recent strikes. “I just don’t think these strikes are working. I think we need to find a new 21st century way of making universities face up to their responsibilities. Students putting pressure on managers would help.”

With the pay dispute unresolved future strike action looks likely to continue.

Unions and union members across the country have threatened a marking strike if the issue of pay remains without a solution. David Storey refused to speculate on what may happen next, but cautioned that “industrial action is not something (union members) take lightly.” John Ryan revealed that the University had responded to a request

from UCEA to all universities about the possibility of a revised pay offer and had suggested a pay rise offer of 2%. However, the University was in a very small minority in proposing an increased offer. On the possibility of a marking strike Mr Ryan stated simply that “we don’t know what is going to happen next” but pledged to “do all we can” to mitigate a marking strike “if it happens.” He expressed his hope that strike action could be resolved, possibly through bargaining on a local level, citing occasions in the past in which pay complains have been settled with a compromise agreed between the university and union members.

It is unclear whether this issue will be resolved in a situation as optimistic as John Ryan describes. The relative ineffectiveness of strikes so far means that students will probably continue to see industrial action and disruption over the next few months. Further strikes seem likely alongside more punitive action as both unions and universities largely refuse to budge on their demands.

WORCESTER WEEK 3

By Lesley La-Croix

The University hosted the last of the Worcester Weeks in the week commencing 27th January 2014.

Worcester Week 3 highlighted careers in the teaching profession enabling students to gather information towards gaining PGCEs (Post Graduate Certificate in Education) and explore career opportunities in primary and secondary education.

PGCEs focus on the development of teaching skills, but not necessarily in the subject you intend to teach. It is recommended that students have a good understanding of their chosen subject(s) at degree level before training. A PGCE qualification course generally lasts one to two years and some secondary and primary courses

are planned and linked with schools, assessed in partnership with OFSTED. Worcester Week 3 was not limited to teaching careers; the week also explored job opportunities in areas such as Journalism and Media. Students met BBC Hereford and Worcester radio presenters and journalist presenters Andrew Easton and Nicola Goodwin.

Andrew was an original member of the ‘BlackThunder Crew’ but now presents the ‘Drive Show’ each morning.

There was also a Creative Writing seminar in which some of the writers gave tours of their careers from humble beginnings. One member of the panel told us she began her career as a music teacher before becoming a Children’s author. Julie Fulton now writes the ‘Mrs McGready was ever so greedy’ books.

In the Arts Heritage seminar Maureen Gamble opened a talk on a career as an Archivist, for both the University Archives and Worcester itself, touching on Palliography, the art of reading old handwriting. Marc McCleod from the Museum Hospital also spoke on careers stating that most people change their career paths at least 5-12 times in their lifetime. Seeking volunteer assistance in the Museum, he told the audience that there was plenty of scope for learning historical information potentially enhancing the volunteering.

He reminds students that it is most important to be flexible not just in career paths but also in preparation for one’s studies; ‘If you fail to prepare’ he said, ‘you might as well prepare to fail’. The best advice offered was that whatever job you choose to do you need to use it as a building block to

other opportunities and achievements.

Activities were spread across many degree modules and there were seminars held in a wide variety of subjects. The Humanities and Arts Institute offered students opportunities to lead workshops in acting techniques and participate in learning to perform with masks. There was also the opportunity to learn Street Dance, pushing students’ physicality to its limits. Some students suggested that Worcester Weeks should be spread out a bit more across the year because they were very close together, however many students enjoyed the talks from presenters and had found their career history interesting and inspiring.

NEWS

5

SU MEETINGS: WHAT’S THE POINT?

By Christopher Newbould

“Annual General Meeting: what does it mean?”

As strikes continue at the University of Worcester and nationwide over staff pay, The Voice talked to people on both sides of the picket line to try to find out where this dispute may lead.

The latest one-day strike by union members occurred on the 6th of February leading to cancelled lectures and picketing across the University of Worcester. Similar strike action took place at universities across the UK. UCU members supplemented strike action with a third two-hour walkout on Monday 10th of February, following similar actions in January.

Keep up-to-date with news on our website: www.thevoiceworcester.com/category/news

This was the question asked by the sabbatical officers before holding the AGM on the third of December. This was the third time the meeting had been attempted this year and the first to succeed in achieving the amount necessary to reach the “quorum” (1.5% of the student population).

Yet with two failed attempts at the meeting, it does raise the question, are students interested in AGM’s?

SU President Kynton Swingle says: “An AGM is an old fashioned thing that needs to be done legally... I don’t think students see the value of it”.

Offers of free pizza and a prize draw attempted to coax students into the meeting, but the threat of potential removal of BUCS affiliation eventually convinced enough students that there

was a reason to attend. The removal of BUCS affiliation would mean that the university sports team could not play at a competitive level in the BUCS leagues, an important issue for sports students which brought many of them to the meeting.

The meeting opened with the financial information of the past two years.

Students were only able to glance at the information on the powerpoint slides presented, though could obtain the figures at request. The auditors, Crowe Clark Whitehill, were voted to be kept on. NUS affiliation was next to be voted on, with NUS affiliation explained as being very good for grants and lobbying at a national level.

Whether the university should continue BUCS affiliation was also voted on, but with the amount of students playing in the BUCS leagues present it was not a surprise that the vote was unanimous.

Finally, it was proposed to drop the

size needed for a quorum from 1.5% of the student population to 0.75%.

The reasons stated were: not enough students attended AGMs (the failed two attempts were cited to support this), and to help the SU change outdated or irrelevant rules in a “timely manner”. This seemingly undemocratic move was challenged by the sabbatical officers present by stating that other universities had smaller quorum sizes than the proposed 0.75%. In a follow up interview with Kynton he still said that it was “more democratic than larger universities”.

Though this problem was addressed, the writer feels that it was not explained in enough detail and garnered little attention from the crowd, with only one vote against the amendment.

The writer also feels that instead of making it easier for a potentially undemocratic rule or amendment to be put forward and passed by the SU, they should put more time and effort into making students understand

what an AGM is and its importance.

The SU accepted that more could be done to get students interested in the political side of the university. Vice President Student Experience Lee Collyer suggested reasons why students don’t engage with the political: “It is the political jargon and wording.

People do not want to sift through it.” He added, it is about “getting a clear and concise message out there.”

Kynton admitted: “We are a long way off cracking it (Engaging students in the university’s political affairs)”.

Should the SU be doing more to get students involved, or perhaps the student body should stand up and take an interest in the important political decisions that are passing them by? The latest AGM meeting certainly points to a lack of student interest. The writer feels this will be a long term issue, and will not be solved by a quick fix.

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FEATURES

FINDING THE PERFECT HOUSE

By Georgie Bull

Many first years have already signed for a house or have been looking, but if you have not yet found a house, do not panic!

The University of Worcester released the password to studentpad. com on the twelve of February.

The website lists available student houses and landlords that have been approved by the University, and is a good place to start looking.

The Voice has compiled a list of tips to help University of Worcester students find their perfect student house. Happy hunting!

LIVE WITH PEOPLE YOU LIKE! Hugh Slater, a first year student who has just signed for a house, says: “Make sure its people you know you can tolerate for a year, possibly two, and who you know you can get along with. If you know you have even one person in the house who is going to disrupt you, that will cause friction for you and the rest of the house.”

A second year student, wishing to remain anonymous, advises against moving in with people that you do not know well: “I only met them once before I moved in, and we should have met up more. We quickly found when we started living together that we have nothing in common and don’t get on.

Definitely live with your friends or at least people you know fairly well.”

LOOK EARLY Jo Ninham, a second year studying Graphic Design, says that she and her housemates looked early for a house:

Jeremy says, “It’s good to meet your landlord. Make sure they’re a reasonable person and are clear on fines and rules of the house.”

“Look early and look at a lot. Don’t wait for the university to release their website – if you find a good deal, go for it!”

Jade adds, “If your landlord seems friendly it should be easier to get on with them, and easier to deal with things that go wrong in the house.”

However, SU President Kynton Swingle advises against panicking and quickly signing up for a house that is not very good, out of fear that you might not find a house at all.

“There’s a misconception that if you don’t get a house quickly you will not get one at all, but there are plenty of houses out there, and more student houses than students. Take your time with it and see as many properties as you can. Ask all the important questions and don’t get bullied into accepting anything by landlords. At the end of the day, you are the ones that have to live there.”

The location of the house is important too, and second year Drama and Screen writing student Jade King says: “The location of the house is important. A house in St. Johns near to the university is better for getting to lectures and makes it easier to walk back from late lectures. But living in town is better if you go out a lot.”

MEET YOUR LANDLORD Second year students, Jeremy Weighill and Jade King, say they were lucky to have a good landlord.

CHECK THE CONDITION OF THE HOUSE Kynton advises students to check houses thoroughly and ask all of the questions that they need to ask of the landlord: “Ask how much utility bills cost if not included, and the house’s energy rating because that will affect how much you pay for bills. Make sure it has got things like phone lines for broadband, double glazing, and fire doors. Check if the radiators are working and if there are enough bathroom facilities for the number of occupants. The best people to speak to are Accommodation. They can help you with a housing checklist.”

Jeremy says, “Make sure the house is in good condition, and check for mould and damp, those are the big ones.”

BILLS – TO BE INCLUDED OR NOT? Andy Marfell, a third year student, says bills in his house are not included and they have a system to make sure everyone pays their share.

“We worked out a system that gives everyone responsibility for the cost of bills and shared items.

We have a Facebook group for our

house to keep up with it all and so everybody knows when bills are due.”

However, second year student Dan Smyth says having bills included in the rent was essential for him.

“Needing as much money as I can get to live off of, it helps when you know exactly what you’re paying for bills. I like that it is already taken care of and I don’t have to worry about any extra costs.”

READ YOUR CONTRACT THOROUGHLY Many students can get stitched up because of things that they missed in the contract. Hugh Slater explains the importance of reading your contract before you sign for a house: “We really liked the first house we saw, but the one we have got now had a much better contract. It had less of a deposit, no retainer and we did not have to pay the first month’s rent when we signed the contract.”

Kynton warns, “Be careful if the house looks like it needs some TLC, Landlords have a habit of saying they will fix things over the summer, but it does not always get done. If they do say they will make improvements make sure it goes into the contract.”

He says, “You can speak to the accommodation department and get them to go over any housing contracts with you. It is also a good idea to use Student Pad because all the landlords are accredited and approved by the university.”

Keep up-to-date with features on our website: www.thevoiceworcester.com/category/features

In February the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) reported a 10.2% rise in graduate job vacancies.

This is a big boost for students, as AGR, who forecast predictions on world employment and annually release these figures on the graduate market, have suggested around

Credit: Uni. of Worcester

It’s not every day students graduate out of university with a degree in hand so, when they do, they want to secure a job in their field of chosen study – or one that would at least validate the fees they have been paying throughout their degree. Younger undergraduates have seen the job market suffer over the years since the start of the recession, witnessing poor unemployment figures within their age group. But things might be on the up with positive news for the graduate job market.

23,000 jobs aimed specifically at graduates are potentially available.

For the past two years, AGR have generally got things right when it comes to predicting the trend in the job market (although the actual percentage figures have been slightly amiss). Last year they predicted an increase of 9% for new graduate vacancies, but the actual figure was just under half that at 4.3 %.

In 2012 they predicted a decrease of 3.9% but we instead saw a decrease of 8.2%. So although not spot on, they are usually on track and that’s good news.

There are a range of areas that are predicted to flourish this year and those looking for graduate careers in IT and Telecoms could benefit the most with a remarkable 40% increase in vacancies from last year. Others areas that are witnessing vacancy increases include careers in public services (20.1%), energy (17.5%), financial services such as banking (15.7%) and professional services such as accountancy (12.2%).

If these sectors are seeing an increase in opportunities then it is certainly worth keeping an eye out for.

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STUDENT COUNCIL MEETING

By Joe Hayes

The Student Council meeting held on February 18th 2014, had an agenda primarily focused on the previous semester, yet issues that have occurred in this semester were also raised. It proved a hotbed of debate to rival Westminster, which was encouraged by the hosting Sabbatical officers.

Ensuring a diverse background of representation was also discussed, with this issue being all the more pertinent as the mature students’ officer, Lisa Preece, recently stepped down from her role. Matters ensuring that diversity was embraced were also lively debated as there were concerns over whether women were being represented enough. Zac Pritchard, the diversity officer, stated that as he was male he felt it was not his place to speak for women, while other student councillors argued that this should not prevent meaningful discussion.

A vote was also passed to initiate queries into whether Halal and Kosher meat can be introduced into the

campus catering services to ensure that all of the student community is supported adequately. There is concern as to whether such facilities would be utilised enough to financially justify them. There was also lively debate over whether the International student officer was properly accountable to the students’ union or to the international centre. Also addressed were queries over whether the Disability and Dyslexia service was effective enough, with concerns about the agency of ATOS, which deals with disability means test. Anxieties over ATOS were severe enough that a national demonstration against took place

on the 19th February in Worcester.

On the topic of support for the student community was the idea of a nightline.

However, in relation to this issue the debate was less about support for the idea of a nightline, which seemed to be unanimous, and more about the practicalities of implementing this. One student councillor noted the problems of having it being run by volunteers rather than paid professionals.

However, the counter argument was made that these volunteers would be properly trained and the nightline could provide experience for some courses.

Also raised was the issue of raising the living wage - with arguments in favour of the £1.34 increase (from the current £6.31 an hour currently paid to all Student Union staff) and arguments against it being put forward.

Kynton Swingle, the Students Union president, noted that introducing it could have some repercussions as it would take around £20,000 out of the Student Union. However, voters agreed that further inquiry onto this should take place. Also discussed was the idea of a hardship fund to help students in exceptional circumstances with figures given for the fund ranging from £20,000 to £250,000.

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IS THIS THE BEST TIME TO GRADUATE?

By Tom Davis

FEATURES

So there should be a real buzz for soonto-be graduates looking for work. But as Stephen Isherwood chief executive of AGR said during the announcement of their findings, it does not mean securing a job will be any easier this year. There may be more around, but he recommends that students remain ‘focused’ in their career search, presenting themselves as best as they can with crucial skills and experience.

This is advice also supported by the University’s Bright Futures society.

“Basically, as we promote in our society, having a degree is just not good enough anymore,” said Lovin Barbu, Liaison Officer for the society. “People need to do extra things and employers look for something extra and the additional stuff. If you get a 2:1 and somebody else gets the same grade as you, but on the Continues on Page 10.

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03/02/2014 14:30:45

8

SU ELECTIONS 2014

The Voice - Issue 18 - February 2014 @TheVoicePaper fb/TheVoiceWSUNewspaper

FOLLOW THE ELECTIONS ON OUR WEBSITE: SU President VP Education CANDIDATES

CANDIDATES

Wesley Hudson

Tom Clark

Tom is running for the position of Vice President Education.

As a candidate for the role of President, Wesley wants to see more opportunities for students to be consulted, including face-to-face meetings and drop-in sessions. He’d like all students to feel that the SU is there to meet their needs and represent their interests, including mature, international and part-time students.

Wesley supports the introduction of a 24-hour helpline for students in crises.

He wants to see the introduction of more regular feedback to students, throughout their modules, more electronic submission and better facilities at the Hive such as free parking for students dropping off books.

Tom wants the University to reveal all hidden course costs and to introduce free printing credit for students at the start of the academic year. He is also determined that more students should be involved in decision-making across the University, including having the opportunity to design Worcester Weeks so they match students’ needs.

Wesley has a particular interest in helping students find suitable housing, so he would aim to produce a detailed housing guide and arrange a housing fair, to help students get the information and advice they need.

STEPHANIE FISHER Standing for President, Stephanie is determined that all students should come away from the University not just with a degree but also with great experience and memories and life skills.

She would work to improve accessibility to financial support for students and to make it easier for them to get cash when they need it. Stephanie also wants to see more opportunities for students to have their say and influence decision-making.

Stephanie is also keen to be more aware of the help available to them, from support for mental health issues to ways of saving money and helping the environment.

EMILY SAUNDERS Emily is standing as a candidate for President of the SU. Having been a Student Councillor and a trustee of the Students’ Union, as well as being chair of a society, Emily feels she has the necessary skills and experience to develop the SU into a union fit for the changing University.

As President, Emily would campaign for honesty around course costs, improved access to additional funding and value for money in University accommodation. She also aims to lobby for improvements in welfare support to match students’ needs and to develop social and recreational events which suit a wide range of students.

Keep up-to-date with the elections on our website: www.thevoiceworcester.com

VP STUDENT ACTIVITIES CANDIDATES

LAUREN ADAMS Standing for the position of Vice President Student Activities, Lauren is determined that all students should have an equal opportunity to participate in activities including sports, societies and volunteering to help enhance their student experience.

Ellen is running for the position of Chair of Student Council. As a member of Student Council for the past two years and with experience of chairing other committees, Ellen aims to use her knowledge and enthusiasm to be an effective Chair.

She wants to work with the University to ensure that Wednesday afternoons are free for students to take part in sports or other interests and to help develop more communitybased volunteering opportunities.

Lauren also aims to work harder to help students living off-campus to feel a part of the Students’ Union.

She recognises the need to be unbiased, impartial, objective and diplomatic and she prioritises good, clear communications.

Lauren is also keen to see improvements to welfare and finance support for students and better help for students with mental health issues.

ABI CLARKE

Charlotte is standing for the role of Vice President Education and is confident that her experience as a Student Councillor, StAR and Institute Rep have prepared her well for the position.

She would work with the University to improve consultation with students on any proposed changes which might affect them, campaign for improved online submission, more student influence on the content of Worcester Weeks and consistent and regulated feedback.

She wants to improve access to an increased range of sporting activities which are accessible to all students, including the introduction of intramural games.

Abi aims for all sports clubs and societies to have the support they need to run well and wants more students to get involved with volunteering.

As a candidate for the role of Vice President Education, Pete’s priorities are to achieve improvements to the quality and promptness of feedback to students. He wants to campaign for more one-to-one tutorials and better quality contact time with academic staff.

Pete wants the StAR system to have a higher profile, so that students know who represents them and how to contact them. He’d also like to see improvements to the module selection process and further development of electronic submission.

By James Dilworth, Matt Soanes, Joe Hayes, Sofia Von Krogerer, Mike Trevelyan & Christopher Newbould. Photography by Paul Beard (SU Photographer)

CHAIR OF STUDENT COUNCIL CANDIDATE

Ellen Joyce

Abi wants all students to have the chance to take advantage of University life, both inside and outside the lecture theatre. As well as encouraging students to feel part of a collective identify, she wants to develop opportunities for students to influence decision-making and support campaigns for improved mental health and welfare support.

PETE ORTON

9

WWW.THEVOICEWORCESTER.COM

Charlotte Goss

Charlotte also aims to ensure that the University is open about the true costs of courses and that students are given help to support their educational experience, for instance with printing costs.

SU ELECTIONS 2014

MATURE STUDENT OFFICER CANDIDATE

HELEN MANNERS

Helen is standing for election to be the next Mature Students’ Officer.

As a mature, commuting student herself who also works part-time, she is keen to give a voice to a group who make up 64% of the student body at the University of Worcester.

She aims to ensure that the concerns of mature students are raised and that issues that impact particularly on mature students are addressed.

Helen would work to increase the representation of mature students in all aspects of the Students’ Union,

including sports, societies and staffing, as well as improving communications with mature students so that they are aware of the services accessible to them.

Ellen feels that her confidence and approachability, together with her good organisational skills, will stand her in good stead for this role, so that she can play a key part in developing Student Council.

CHECk ouT How To

10

The Voice - Issue 18 - February 2014 @TheVoicePaper fb/TheVoiceWSUNewspaper

FEATURES

SU PRESIDENT KYNTON SWINGLE

& VP LEE COLLYER ON THEIR LEGACY IS THIS THE BEST TIME TO GRADUATE?

Credit: JD Grant

Continued from Page 6. side has other experience, they’re more likely to choose that person because they know they took an initiative to do something about their career and job.

By Chris Newbould & Matt Soanes

SU President Kynton Swingle & VP Student Experience, Lee Collyer talk to The Voice about their achievements as well as their personal disappointments. Both Kynton and Lee will be stepping down from their posts as Sabbatical Officers later this year, after two years running the SU. When asked what they enjoyed the most, the pair highlighted the variety of experiences that they had in the job.

“It is the fact that it is not boring, it is so varied... you are never doing the same thing day in, day out” Kynton explained. Both officers expressed pride in increasing the involvement of students in the day-to-day running of the SU. Specifically: the growth of the student council, the numbers of students volunteering, the number of students involved in sports and societies and the four hundred percent rise in money raised for charity in the last year.

Speaking on what he disliked the most about the job, Lee said that “you cannot escape it” and described how students often approach him with problems outside of office hours.

Similarly, Kynton expressed frustration with being expected to have all the answers, explaining that “(it is)... frustrating when you know you have put a lot of effort into something or you have done as much as you can... and you do not necessarily get the thank you.” “Nothing is ever as simple as it seems, especially when it comes to organising events... sometimes it does not work out”, Lee added.

Kynton talked about how he had made life better for students at Worcester, re-emphasizing that he had helped to broaden student involvement in the SU. “We’ve tried to increase the number of students we have not engaged with previously... this year is the first year we have had a society specifically

for students with disabilities (the wheelchair basketball society)... we have held more events than we ever have for postgraduate and professional students... we have opened the SU up.” Lee felt that he had increased the support to committee members in sports and societies. “Looking back to when I was a committee member, the training (for committee members) was very minimal... I tried to change that.”

Both Kynton and Lee felt that they had “built a lot of bridges” with the University administration and increased the respect given to the SU when big decisions are made. Kynton was keen to add “that we (The SU) are not sitting in the University’s pocket” but were communicating better than before with the University. He cited placements specifically as something that he had talked to theVice Chancellor about and measures were put in place to help students as a result of this.

Reflecting on things that they had not been able to achieve, both officers expressed regret about not being able to get out of the office more to meet with students.“It is certainly what is expected of sabbatical officers... but there is a lot of admin, a lot of emails to deal with... that is a hard one to overcome” Lee explained. Kynton added that he was disappointed that the attempts to set up an Entertainment Committee had fallen flat. “It is something that has not really taken place... it is something we wanted to do but we have hit brick walls along the way.”

Looking forward to the elections, we asked what Lee and Kynton would say to those who were thinking of running. Kynton said that “if you are thinking about it, just do it” and Lee added that “you do put yourself out of your comfort zone... the amount you see and learn (during the elections) is quite amazing really.” Kynton

rejected the idea that you have to be a certain kind of person to do the job, noting that “if you look at sabbatical officers from across the country there is a massive mix of people... there is not a set kind of person, you just have to listen, to take on ideas.”

When we asked the pair if they would run for re-election again (if the law allowed it [the Education Act 1994 prevents Sabbatical Officers being in post more than two years]) both rejected the idea, explaining how much the university had changed since they had graduated and stating that they would risk becoming out of touch with the student body.

Touching on what the officers would like to see happen to the university in the future, Kynton said he would like to see more students engage with the SU, stating “It would be nice to see (mature students) get a bit more involved... It would be nice to engage with a lot of the partner colleges.”

He added that he would like to see a lot more engagement with the local community. “The capacity we have here could be massive... we could be one of the leading volunteering organisations within Worcester.” Lee said that he would like to see the consultation process with students improve further, so that the needs of students were placed at the top of the SU’s priorities.

The student election process began with nominations opening on the third of February and closing on the 24th of February. Voting takes place from the fourth to the seventh of March via the Students’ Union’s website www.worcsu.com. The Voice will be bringing you a broad range of election coverage, including debates, candidate interviews and articles about key election issues throughout February and March, including a full spread of the nominees on pages 8-9.

“I think it is imperative to have something on top of your degree to help you get the job.There are opportunities everywhere and although we have a small amount of employers with us at the Bright Futures society, we have huge contacts with different types of employers and we can get in touch with pretty much anyone if a student has a particular interest in a company. I think that’s what Bright Futures is all about, it is creating opportunities for students when graduating and that’s important.”

These latest predictions should act as an incentive for students to push themselves into those opportunities even further. If the jobs are out there this year, then there’s a great chance of getting one with the right application.

Given the figures comprised of 202 leading companies across 19 different industries, there is bound to be something that fits. Graduate schemes especially are looking more and more attractive for university leavers and shouldn’t be passed up either.

Lately, students are constantly told by the media that they have had it worse than any other generation – which is probably right. The job market in this country has been terrible, particularly for those in the 16-25 age bracket.

Tuition fees increased to a ridiculously high amount and the nationals reported last summer (as seen in figures from AGR) that top employers are receiving an average of 85 applications per job. It has been doom and gloom for too long.

This recent news of graduate vacancies is huge, not only for signs that the economy is finally healing but also to show that the days of positivity for students may well be on the horizon once more. 10.2 % would account for the greatest increase in the student job market since the recession.

It could be the best time to graduate for seven years. Positive news for students has been few and far between lately and this is probably the best we have heard for some time. It is also terrific news for students of all years at university, for if the job market is showing such positive signs of increase this year, then hopefully it will for future years to come.

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05/02/2014 12:34

FEATURES

A LETTER FROM AMERICA

By Krister Halvorsen

The UMD has a permanent office on St. John’s Campus managed by Professor Judith Blyckert, a full-time member of staff from the Duluth faculty, and Julia Mathias, part of Worcester’s Academic Support Unit.

American exchange students leaped at the chance to experience the quintessential, American event with a British twist. The annual “Superbowl Party” is staged by the Worcester Royals, Worcester University’s American Football Team with Riley’s Pool Hall, a club sponsor and around 70 people attended.

Andrew Hilfers, studying modules in Biology said “The turn out to the event seemed pretty good, there were a lot more people than I expected.

Watching the game in the UK wasn’t too much different than at home, I was still surrounded by good people, good food, and a good game. Only thing I missed was the commercials.”

Credit: Judith Blyckert

Katie McLeod, undertaking some of Worcester’s Art programmes, added “It was a bit different watching it here because I usually watch it at home, so a different atmosphere was a good experience. I was amazed at how into it everyone in the UK got.”

Liz Allen, a Graphic Design and Animation student explains “It was a good experience, a lot like watching it at home. I agree with Andrew, it helped that you were watching the event with people who knew what was happening most of the time.”

Josh Chambers, a Royals ex-player and Defensive Coach said “I always enjoy the Superbowl Party. The team turnout was great again, though this year the general public attendance did seem a little less than usual.”

We asked about their studying in

UMD Students experience of another country:

“How have you found your time in Worcester and would you consider returning in future?”

Katie: “I’ve had a wonderful time so far in Worcester - I would definitely come back for a visit!”

Andrew: “Worcester is a pretty cool town, a bit wet, but otherwise pretty awesome. There’s a lot to see and do, plenty of pubs to visit, and people to meet. I would love to come back someday, and I really hope to.”

– we don’t have anything like the Cathedral. The strangest thing I’ve found is the fact that the British Police don’t carry firearms, but at the same time, I found them much scarier to deal with than our police back home.”

Liz: “Worcester is a lovely place, as is England generally – except when it’s raining! I’ve had a few ups and downs whilst here because I’ve been so far from home. I will definitely come back to visit in the future, as I’ve met some absolutely wonderful people here that I’d like to see again.”

Judith Blyckert outlined the programme: “We have twenty students from UMD studying in Worcester this year- with 14 attending the programme last year. It’s part of a now thirty year agreement we have with institutions in England.”

“What differences are there in England and what is the strangest thing you have experienced here?”

Andrew: “Coming from a country that barely has a rail service, the ability to hop on a train for 8 or so quid and go somewhere new for the day is invaluable. I have to say the strangest thing I’ve seen here is mayo on french fries, it just ain’t natural!”

Liz: “Public transportation is light years ahead of what we have at home. All we have back home is enough to get you around our home town and trying to go between cities is non-existent there.

There is so much history in Worcester

“The course material and modules offered are checked and approved by lecturers both here and in Minnesota as part of an Articulation Agreement.

This means that our students get the most relevant course material and study for their pathways back home.

All the modules offered here as part of that agreement transfer back into the American College System.”

“On average it costs a UMD student upwards of $25,000 (£15,000) to participate in the one year that they are in the UK. We are pleased to also say that we have had some students already apply to go onto the Study in England Programme next year – so the future for the agreement is looking bright!”

SU OFFICERS EMBARK ON UNI TOUR

By Matt Soanes

Sabbatical officers from Worcester Student’s Union have been ‘on tour’ this week at various locations across the university. According to SU President Kynton Swingle the idea is to “get us (the sabbatical officers) out of our offices and talking to students.”

The officers collected feedback from students in various locations around St. John’s and City Campus as well as reaching out to the University of Worcester’s various partner colleges.

The idea for ‘SU on Tour’ came from a similar scheme put into action

COMMUNITY

by Teesside University Students’ Union, which also aimed to broaden students’ engagement with the SU. SU on Tour forms part of Student Union’s larger commitment to increase student participation in the

SU at all levels, whether it be through elections or sports and societies.

These commitments are set out in the Strategic Plan 2014-2017, which can be found on the Student Union website.

Speaking on Monday, Kynton Swingle

said that the student response to SU on Tour had been good, saying that several hundred students had taken an interest and given feedback. Commenting on the response so far, Kynton said “people were coming up to us just to see what was going on... which is good.”

13

GO GREEN WEEK HAMPERED BY WEATHER

By Ella Jackson

Go Green Week took place between the 10th February and the 14th. Led by students studying sustainability and the University’s Sustainability Officer Katy Boom, attendance at the event suffered due to the recent flooding inWorcester.

For many Americans the Superbowl (the NFL Championship Game in American Football) is the sporting highlight of the year and families gathered round their televisions on Sunday 2nd February to enjoy the spectacle. However, for three American students studying at the University of Worcester, this year’s event was slightly different.

A group of students from the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) are in Worcester for a year, as part of the “Study in England Programme”. They attend modules in the main University of Worcester Degree Pathway which are transferred back to their home institution in America. Students are encouraged to experience as much of the “British Way of Life” as possible with a range of activities on offer, including organised trips around the country.

Keep up-to-date with community news on our website: www.thevoiceworcester.com/

Credit: Bianca Stefnaut

12

The Voice - Issue 18 - February 2014 @TheVoicePaper fb/TheVoiceWSUNewspaper

For the past few years Go Green Week has encouraged students to become more environmentally aware, through light hearted activities and information delivered. This year, encouraging greater student participation was an important factor. Unfortunately due to the weather the Arena challenge event on the Wednesday was cancelled as the arena was closed due to the floods.

Instead students completed the mile walk around the university campus despite being soaked through by the constant rain. The activities throughout the week began with a ‘pimp the milk float’ event and there were nature fairs, litter picks, reconditioned bikes for sale, reduced price bus tickets on offer and a wear green day.

by the NUS Green Fund) promoted its own events. There was a limbo competition asking students ‘how low can you go?’, bringing an element of fun to the serious issue of reducing their energy bills. Like Go Green week, the Energize Worcester Project focuses on environmental issues.

The Project will continue for two years, and the aim of this project is to get students to manage the energy usage of their student houses - with the chance to win a £100 cash prize.

Energize Worcester is run by Project Manager and recent graduate Peng Li

In conjunction with Go Green Week, the Energize Worcester project (run by the Students’ Union and funded

3am KARAOKE Sunday 16th March 2014 8pm - 3am Midnight sing along to irish rover with us

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and uses students of the university as advocates to represent the project and communicate environmental issues.

Two advocates who are involved in the Energize Worcester project are Rosa Kennard, a psychology student, and Jake Forsey, who currently studies environmental science said that “students are not doing enough” to tackle their impact on the environment. Projects like these allow students to get involved with important environmental issues.

The project will initially only run in Worcester, but will expand to

Birmingham next year as well. The hope is that students’ energy usage habits will change, saving them money and benefiting the environment and that this culture will eventually become engrained in society as a whole.

For more information on the Worcester University Go Green week take a look at their sustainability blog: http://susthingsout.com/ The Energize Worcester project has a website here: http://energize-worcester.co.uk/

SPORTS

‘PROUD’ WOLVES PLAYER OWUMI

OFFICIALLY LAUNCHES BOOK It was an evening of inspiration at the University Arena on February 4th as Alex Owumi officially launched his book, Quadaffi’s Point Guard, to a crowd of nearly 100 people.

Guests included the Mayor ofWorcester, the University of Worcester’s Professor David Green, and players and officials from the Worcester Wolves team, who all came out together with members of the public to show their support for the Wolves star’s incredible story, which was covered

by The Voice in November last year.

The charismatic Owumi, who lists the likes of authors William Shakespeare and Langston Hughes amongst his inspirations, took the time to give a presentation on the history behind Libya and the Arab Spring, before fielding questions on his remarkable story. He then took the time to sign copies of

the book for fans, including his coach Paul James and several team mates.

“It’s a great night,” said Owumi, whose story has received global media exposure. “I want to thank the University and the people behind the scenes that got this to work. I’m very proud of this. My family’s very proud, the owners of the Wolves, Coach James and all of my team mates are proud of me and that makes me really happy tonight.

“There are always going to be road blocks in life. There’s always going to be walls that you have to break down.

There are going to be people who say you can’t do something, and I was one of those kids. At high school, I had teachers who, when I said I was going to be a better writer than Shakespeare, they laughed at me. And when I had my book published I sent them a signed copy and they congratulated me.

“There are always going to be doors

Credit: Alex Harris

By Alex Harris

that you have to break down. People are going to tell you, ‘you can’t do this’, or, ‘you can’t do that’. But you have to focus on the people who support you. Get away from the negativity and gravitate to the positivity. You can be anything you want to be.”

On the court, Owumi broke the 1000-point-mark for Worcester Wolves in last month’s British Basketball League Trophy win against the London Lions, and is now the clubs fifth highest all-time leading scorer.

Keep up-to-date with sports news on our website: www.thevoiceworcester.com/category/sports

SPORTS

ROYALS MAULED IN THE LION’S DEN

15

BIRMINGHAM LIONS 51-0 WORCESTER ROYALS

By Krister Halvorsen

The Worcester Royals were beaten heavily by the defending national champions, the Birmingham Lions, at the start of February.

It was a daunting task for the Royals, as several of Birmingham’s team play either for the Great Britain Student’s National Team or the Great Britain Senior National Team. For Worcester, who boast a couple of players who play Senior British League American Football during the summer alongside those who are getting their first taste of the sport at any level, it was a test of their skills and character. This was to be the case with Birmingham running out 51-0 on this occasion.

The Voice managed to catch up with ex-player and now Defensive Coach, Josh Chambers, after the game: So Josh, you could say that this was a fixture to instil fear into anyone against one of the best teams in the whole country.

What did you think of the game?

Josh Chambers: “The game was tough as it was expected to be. People got hurt

(with two Worcester players having to leave the game with shoulder/arm injuries) and tired, it was a tough loss but there are positives that can be taken away from it.”

How did you think the Royals performed up against Birmingham?

JC: “From a defensive perspective there were a lot of positives to take away.We only allowed Birmingham to chalk up 4 scores against our defense. Our defensive line and linebackers were a dominant force. And we did manage to make big plays and stops against them. The highlight was definitely our defence shutting out Birmingham and not conceding a touchdown in the entire 3rd Quarter. There is always room to improve though. We had some issues with our secondary and defensive coverage, resulting late in the game with players getting tired and making some mistakes.”

What was it like testing yourselves (both players and coaches) against a quality team such as Birmingham?

What was it like testing yourselves (both players and coaches) against a quality team such as Birmingham?

JC: “Birmingham are one of the best, if not the best, team in the league.They are better prepared and better drilled than anyone

else we will play this year and it shows.

When you play them you have to rise to the challenge. As a coach you have to instil in your players the confidence to go and play them and go toe to toe with the best.They are the measuring stick for sure but we did show Saturday how far we have come this season.

Going forward, the team have three regular season games (against Nottingham Trent, Loughborough and Lincoln) with a chance to advance to the PostSeason Playoffs, and the annual Varsity game against Gloucester coming up to finish the season.

How do you think these will go?

JC: “My thoughts for the rest of the season are very positive. We still have a couple of very tough games ahead but the positives and knowledge we take from Birmingham will really help us. If the defence continue to play the way they have all year, there is no reason to expect anything but good things.”

Upcoming fixtures: 16th Feb: Loughborough v Worcester Royals (Epinal Way - 12pm) 19th Feb - N Trent Renegades v Worcester Royals (Clifton Campus - 12pm)

ADEPITAN CHAMPIONS ARENA

WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL LINKS The Paralympian, who first represented Great Britain in the Sydney Paralympic Games in 2000, had his first taste of playing at the University of Worcester Arena as his side, the London Titans, beat GB Coyotes at the Hylton Road venue in the Great Britain Wheelchair Basketball Association (GBWBA) League Division One Central back in December.

By Alex Harris

Credit: Garry Knight (Creative Commons)

14

The Voice - Issue 18 - February 2014 @TheVoicePaper fb/TheVoiceWSUNewspaper

When TV presenter, actor and wheelchair basketball star, Ade Adepitan MBE, started playing wheelchair basketball aged twelve, he was restricted to school sports halls and playgrounds with netball posts.

And the former children’s television personality, who has presented shows such as XCHANGE and Sportsround for CBBC as well as being key in the coverage of the London 2012 Paralympic games was in awe of the facilities, which are a far cry from the ones he had to use when he started the sport.

“I was introduced to it (wheelchair basketball) by some physiotherapists based in East London and I was lucky, but we didn’t have facilities like this. Nowhere near the standard of this. We were playing in sports halls or out in playgrounds with netball nets,” Adepitan told The Voice.

“I think these facilities are fantastic.

It’s a world-class facility, it’s accessible and it’s a great venue

to

play

wheelchair

basketball.

“This Arena is light years away from when I first started and, for me, it’s really exciting. If I was a youngster, I would love to be growing up in this era of wheelchair basketball,” he added.

Adepitan moved to Britain from Nigeria when he was just three years old after losing the use of his legs from polio.

And the London Titan player has a very personal interest in the development of disability sport after he was an Ambassador for the London 2012 bid, and a torch-bearer in the build up to the Stratford based Games.

“I think it’s a really good opportunity for the people of Worcester to see disability sport at the highest level, and also for up and coming youngsters to come out and try the sport.

“I’m with

jealous,” he his trademark

added grin.

The University Arena, which opened in May, is currently used as the training base for Great Britain’s wheelchair basketball teams.

RESULTS & TABLES FOOTBALL Men’s 3rd

TABLE - Midlands 4A (6 Team League) 4 Nottingham Trent P6 W2 D1 L3 GD: -4 5 Worcester P5 W2 D1 L2 GD: +7 6 Derby 4ths P6 W0 D1 L5 GD: -23

PTS 75 PTS 7 PTS 1

Men’s 4ths

TABLE - Midlands 4D (5 Team League) 3 Derby 4 Worcester 5 Coventry

P5 W1 D2 L2 GD: +3 PTS: 5 P3 W1 D0 L2 GD: -5 PTS 3 P4 W0 D1 L3 GD: -10 PTS 1

HOCKEY Women’s 1st

RESULTS

5th Feb Birmingham 3rd 11-0 Worcester

TABLE - Midlands 2A (6 Team League) 4 Nottingham 5 Warwick 6 Worcester

P8 W3 D1 L4 GD: -5 P9 W2 D1 L6 GD: -18 P8 W1 D2 L5 GD: -23

Women’s 2nds

PTS 10 PTS 7 PTS 5

RESULTS

5th Feb Lincoln 2nd 1-0 Worcester

TABLE - Midlands 4B (8 Team League) 6 Nott’ham Trent 7 Worcester 8 Lincoln

P6 W2 D1 L3 GD: -29 PTS 7 P5 W1 D1 L3 GD: +7 PTS 1 P7 W0 D0 L7 GD: -69 PTS 0

Men’s 1st TABLE - Midlands 1A (6 Team League) 4 Loughborough 5 Nott’ham Trent 6 Worcester

P9 W3 D3 L3 GD: +5 P8 W3 D1 L4 GD: -2 P8 W0 D0 L8 GD: -33

Men’s 2nd

PTS 12 PTS:10 PTS 0

RESULTS

12th Feb: Harper Adams 1st 15-4 Worcester

Table - Midlands 4A(6 Team League) 4 Oxford Brookes P8 W2 D1 L5 GD: -4 5 Worcester P7 W2 D0 L5 GD: -46 6 Bedford P5 W0 D0 L5 GD: -45 PTS 0

NETBALL Women’s 1st

PTS 7 PTS 6

RESULTS

12th Feb Loughborough 36-48 Worcester Midlands Conference Cup Last 16 5th Feb Worcester 44-29 Nottingham 2nds

TABLE - Midlands 2A (6 Team League)

1 Worcester P9 W9 D0 L0 GD: +171 PTS 27 2 Loughborough P9 W5 D0 L4 GD: +17 PTS 15 3 Warwick P8 W4 D1 L3 GD: +33 PTS 13

Women’s 2nd TABLE - Midlands 5A (6 Team League) 1 Worcester 2 Harper Adams 3 De Montfort

P8 W8 D0 L0 GD: +255 PTS 24 P9 W5 D0 L4 GD: +61 PTS 15 P8 W4 D1 L3 GD: -11 PTS 13

RUGBY Women’s 1st

RESULTS

5th Feb Oxford Brookes 0-37 Worcester

TABLE - Midlands 1A (6 Team League) 2 Cambridge 3 Worcester 4 Bedford

P8 W7 D0 L1 PD: +231 PTS 21 P7 W3 D0 L4 PD: +59 PTS 9 P8 W4 D0 L4 PD: +6 PTS 9

Men’s 1sts RESULTS 12 Feb Oxford Brookes 5-29 Worcester 5 Feb Bedfordshire 0-22 Worcester 29 Jan Warwick 3-15 Worcester

TABLE - Midlands 1A (8 Team League) 1 Worcester 2 Nottingham 3 Warwick

P12 W11 D0 L1 PD: +264 PTS 33 P11 W7 D0 L4 PD: +76 PTS 21 P11 W6 D0 L5 PD: +99 PTS 18

AMERICAN FOOTBALL Men’s 1st

RESULTS

1st Feb Birmingham Lions 51-0 Worcester Royals 1st Dec Worcester Royals 6-7 De Montfort Falcons

TABLE - Midlands Athletic Conference (11 Team Conference) 5 Coventry Jets 6 Worcester Royals 7 Warwick Wolves

P5 W3 L2 PD: -1 P5 W3 L2 PD: -35 P6 W2 L4 PD: -23

Source: BUCS. All tables correct as of 14th Feb 2014 For more up to date tables, fixtures and results go to www.bucs.org.uk

PTS 6 PTS 6 PTS 4

SPORTS

#TEAMWORC - FEBRUARY 2014 - Issue 18 www.thevoiceworcester.com www.worcsu.com

RUGBY MEN’S 1ST

TEAM SECURE LEAGUE TITLE

RESULTS & TABLES BASKETBALL Women’s 1st

RESULTS

5th Feb Worcester 77 - 40 Nott. Trent 1st 29th Jan Oxf. Brookes 1st 58 - 79 Worcester TABLE - Midlands 1A (8 Team League) 1 Worcester

2 Loughborough 3 Birmingham 1st

P8 W8 L0 PD: +274 PTS 24 P9 W7 L2 PD: +131 PTS 21 P9 W6 L3 PD: +69 PTS 18

Men’s 1st

RESULTS

12th Feb Worcester 84 - 66 Leeds Met 1st 5th Feb Loughborough 1st 82 - 76 Worcester TABLE - Premier North (6 Team League)

2 Sheffield Hallam 1sts P9 W7 L2 PD:+34 PTS 21 3 Worcester

P10 W5 L5 PD:+18 PTS 15 4 Leeds Met 1st P10 W4 L6 PD: -47 PTS 12

Men’s 2nd

RESULTS

5th Feb Derby 1st 88 - 64 Worcester 1st 29th Jan Uni. Birmingham 1st 47 - 48 Worcester TABLE - Midlands 1A (6 Team League)

Credit: Paul Beard

3 Northampton 1st 4 Worcester

5 Cambridge 1st * - 1 Pt Deducted

By Krister Halvorsen

The 2013/2014 season has been an extremely successful one on the field for the Senior Men’s Rugby Team.

With just two fixtures remaining to complete their campaign, the 1st Team have already wrapped up the BUCS Rugby Union Midlands 1A Championship, having lost just one game out of the 12 played so far against the University of Bath 2nds. The title was sealed with a 22-0 win away at the University of Bedfordshire in early February.

Club Chairman Ollie Day spoke to the Voice to give his view on the success.

Can you give me your view on how the season has gone so far for the various teams within the club?

Ollie Day: “Our 1st Team have had a one of its most successful seasons in the club’s history. We have managed to build on the strong foundations set up last season and we’ve now successfully carried this on. The introduction of several full-time staff and the achievement of becoming a “Performance Team” has reinforced this, resulting in the instilling of a really competitive and clinical atmosphere and attitude in all of the players.

We’ve had some real battles this season, notably away against Warwick (resulting in a 15-13 victory at the end of January).

They were camped on our try line for the final 10 minutes of the match, throwing everything they had at us. This was met with a cold, solid, uncompromising

Worcester defence to secure the win.

On a personal level, those last 10 minutes were the calmest I’ve ever played as I knew that the men either side of me were not going to miss their tackles and would throw themselves towards what ever came at them. Those 10 minutes sum up exactly what the team is about and how our season has gone, Clinical, solid and uncompromising.”

How have the 2nd Team fared this season?

OD: “The 2nd Team, who are nicknamed “The Waratahs”, have had a difficult season due to some horrific injuries to key personnel. We, unfortunately, lost four players to such injuries in the opening few fixtures. They have been up against some really strong opposition in a really tough league (they currently sit 5th in an 8 team League with 7 games still left to play). But they have stood their ground, and taking into account postponed games and injuries, are in a strong position to take on the league and push for the top and further. They have had a solid run in the cup and are currently in the last 16 with real potential to go and win the competition.”

What it was like when the final whistle went in the actual league winning fixture?

OD: “It was an emotional moment, I won’t lie about it! Two years of hard work and sacrifice had finally come to fruition. It was a moment of manic excitement throughout the team but it was also a realisation of the next step up. Next season is going to be a massive

P7 W5 L2 PD:+124 PTS 15 P9 W3 L6 PD:-152 PTS 9 P7 W3 L4 PD: -11 PTS 8*

Men’s 2nd

RESULTS

5th Feb Derby 1sts 88 - 64 Worcester 29th Jan Uni. Birmingham 1sts 47 - 48 Worcester TABLE - Midlands 1A (6 Team League) 3 Northampton 1st 4 Worcester

5 Cambridge 1st * - 1 Pt Deducted

P7 W5 L2 PD:+124 PTS 15 P9 W3 L6 PD:-152 PTS 9 P7 W3 L4 PD: -11 PTS 8*

task, so it was a brilliant moment but also a reminder of bigger things to come.”

Men’s 3rd

How do you think rest of season will go?

OD: “I think the rest of the season is going to be the continuation of what has been achieved so far. We have some real competitive games coming up against Oxford Brookes (this was played on February 12th – with Worcester winning 29-5) and, of course, the old enemy Birmingham.

This will take place on Wednesday March 5th at Sixways (home of the Worcester Warriors), with a 2pm kickoff. I’ll appeal to those who aren’t doing anything to come and watch. It’s our last home game of the season and for a majority of the squad will be their final match at home for Worcester. It would be nice to create an atmosphere to remember to send them off! The only thing that we can hope for the rest of the season is that we have made the University proud of our efforts both on and off the field and that the 2014/15 season is as successful as this one.”

TABLE - Midlands 3A (8 Team League)

How do you think the upcoming Varsity fixture will play out against Gloucestershire?

OD: “Varsity for us is a must win match.

We’ve reached one of our objectives set out in September of winning the league and Varsity is our second. It’s annoying that were away again this season, but Gloucester do have outstanding facilities.

It’s going to be our final act as a team this year, so it will be a tense and emotional 80 minutes. However we are going to approach this the same as any other match.”

RESULTS

5th Feb Worcester 90 - 53 Uni. Nott’ham 2nd 29th Jan Worcester 59 - 51 Lincoln 1st 1 Worcester

2 Cambridge 1st 3 Northampton 1st

P6 W6 L0 PD:+203 P6 W5 L1 PD: +93 P6 W4 L2 PD:+91

FOOTBALL Women’s 1st

PTS 18 PTS 15 PTS 12

RESULTS

5th Feb Worcester 1 - 1 Uni. Birmingham 2nd 29th Jan Worcester 11 - 0 Uni. Bedf’dshire 1st TABLE - Midlands 1A (6 Team League) 2 Nottingham 3 Worcester 4 Loughborough

P8 W6 D0 L2 GD: +10 P9 W5 D2 L2 GD: +15 P9 W3 D1 L5 GD: +3

Women’s 2nd

PTS 18 PTS 17 PTS 10

RESULTS

12th Feb Worcester 6 - 0 Coventry Uni. 2nd (Midlands Conference Cup Last 16) 5th Feb Derby 1st 3 - 0 Worcester TABLE - Midlands 2A (6 Team League) 4 Wol’hampton 1st 5 Leicester 1st 6 Worcester

P6 W4 D0 L2 GD: +1 P7 W0 D3 L4 GD: -14 P7 W0 D1 L6 GD: -20

Men’s 1st

PTS 12 PTS 3 PTS 1

RESULTS

5th Feb Worcester 0 - 4 Uni. Birmingham 1st 29th Jan Worcester 1 - 0 Coventry Uni. 1st TABLE - Midlands 1A (6 Team League) 3 Coventry 4 Worcester 5 Oxford

P7 W3 D1 L3 GD: -1 P9 W3 D0 L6 GD: -9 P8 W2 D2 L4 GD: -6

Men’s 2nd

PTS 10 PTS 9 PTS 8

RESULTS

29th Jan Uni. Birmingham 3rd 2 - 2 Worcester 22nd Jan Worcester 5 - 1 Nottingham 2nd TABLE - Midlands 3A (6 Team League) 1 Warwick 2nd 2 Worcester

3 Nottingham 2nd

P8 W5 D2 L1 GD: +1 P7 W3 D2 L2 GD: +5 P8 W3 D1 L4 GD: +2

MORE OVERLEAF Source: BUCS. All tables correct as of 14th Feb 2014 For more up to date tables, fixtures and results go to www.bucs.org.uk

PTS 17 PTS 11 PTS 10