The Middlesex Echo, Issue 3 (Freshers Edition)

MIDDLESEX UNIVERSITY’S FREE STUDENT NEWSPAPER

SEPTEMBER 2019, ISSUE 3

TheEcho

WE ARE THE REAL VOICES OF MDX

Catching you up with the biggest and best news from our university this summer, including highlights such as graduation and London Pride.

Pages 3-4

WELCOME TO MDX CLASS OF 2019/20 A LEADER IS A DEALER IN HOPE

TIPS, ADVICE & INFO FOR FRESHERS Page 5

Pages 11-19

OUR DEMOCRATIC RIGHT FOR BREXIT Page 8

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Editorial

INTRODUCING: YOUR NEW STUDENT MEDIA! Over the summer, the heads of Student Media have decided to throw out the old brand of POW! Media. Instead, each separate strand of Student Media has developed their own brand: The Echo, SMTV and MDX FM! All three branches are now on the hunt for students to help them establish this new brand and contribute to it!

The Echo is looking for sharp and keen reporters to become department editors for news, features, commentary, culture, science & technology, and sports.

We’re also looking for driven students for the following roles: Art Director, Director of Social Media, Head of Advertising, and Online Editor.

MDX FM! will be in need of DJ’s, radio hosts and podcasters to drive the vast majority of programming this year.

However, for those who have the determination and imagination required, more senior roles will be available. The station will need a Social Media Manager, an Advertising Consultant and a Deputy General Manager.

SMTV is recruiting creative students keen on expressing their student voice through broadcasting, reporting, videography and editing!

We’re looking for videographers and presenters down to cover campus events, including society events, and get involved in more long-term projects SMTV is brainstorming over.

We’re specifically looking for an Assistant Head & Social Media Director.

Student Media’s Marketing Manager will also be recruiting for several roles to fill his team.

The roles are: Legal Officer, Maintenance Officer, Deputy Marketing Manager, Communications Officer & Content Producer.

PHOTOGRAPHY ON FRONT PAGE: (COVER) ADAM TAYLOR; (LEFT TO RIGHT) MDXSU, BAHI59 VIA INSTAGRAM, JOHN CAMERON VIA UNSPLASH

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THE TRUTH IS RARELY PURE AND NEVER SIMPLE. OUR EDITORIAL TEAM INTRODUCES US INTO A NEW ACADEMIC YEAR. “I feel like a child who’s just learnt how to walk,” says Natalie Rose, the Editor in Chief. “Last year we were crawling along. This year, though, we’re going to use our feet and stamp our way through the university.”

When we first set out to create The Echo in early 2019, it was a distant and vague dream. We had no real aims or any idea of what we could become. All we knew is that there was an absence of the student voice on campus, and that the lack of any form of publication at the university was disappointing.

Since then, we’ve been on a rollercoaster of stress, hard work and emotional outbursts. It’s been a difficult ride to get from that starting point to this publication that you now hold in your hands; but the journey has taught us so much about ourselves and what we hope to become.

During the summer just gone, The Echo began a massive restructuring project. Using information and advice from other student publications, including some award-winning newspapers, we made the executive decision to change pretty much everything about the way our paper is run.

One of the biggest changes to happen was our rebrand.

Our voice was a little lost before, and we resembled a missmatched, jumbled-up group of students from across the campus, with various writing styles and largely different opinions and voices. We had no ethical standpoint, aims or anything that really makes a newspaper.

The decision to become a red-top tabloid was not taken lightly. It involved several meetings and discussions, and a lot of convincing.

Red-top tabloids have often been criticised for being too sensationalist, for being too intent on provoking the public to care about the facts.

... the truth, never pure, never simple, but always true.

That’s not us. We care about the facts here at The Echo. But we know that there’s no point presenting the facts if no one will read them. We needed to find some way to capture the attention of the student body at Middlesex University, and keep them. We want to test ourselves out this year, push boundaries, find out what we can do. If that involves pushing buttons, then that’s what we’ll do.

So, we’ve adopted a nice fresh new red-top on our newspapers, and a whole new design to go with it. We love hearing feedback from our readers, and following their suggestions we have tried to adopt a more colourful and photo-centric layout. Looking back at our previous designs now, we’re pulling all kinds of cringe-faces.

But with each attempt, we learnt a little bit more.

Our new red-top is also significant as it represents our new message.

The quote used above in the headline is by Oscar Wilde, an extremely witty author from the twentieth century who, in his later years, was imprisoned for homosexuality. The institutions that governed him would not allow his truth to be pure or simple, but it was truth, nonetheless.

Being a new publication, there are things that we struggle with, especially breaking barriers, and printing the truth.

We’re not making accusations of censorship. Rather, largely it’s been our own fault. Lack of knowledge, under-researched evidence, bold and ambitious statements.

Not pure, not simple, and arguably truthful. But no longer! Our editorial team have been bunkered up educating themselves on everything to do with newspapers, publications and media law.

This is not a battle between us and the institutions. In fact, we hope to develop wonderful relationships, particularly with the university and the Students’ Union. We want to work side-by-side with the officers, academics and boards that dictate so much of our life here at university. We hope to inform them as much as they inform us, to help them as much as they help us.

But mostly, more than anything, we hope to continue to help the students. We are, after all, the student newspaper, and it is the students’ voices that we represent.

Our main aim for the year ahead is to increase connectivity and bring

TEAMS & CONTACT Editorial editor@mdxecho.com Editor in Chief | Natalie Rose Chief Publisher | Lucy Holland Production Manager | Tyelle Render

Classified classified@mdxecho.com Advertising advertising@mdxecho. com

News news@mdxecho.com Features features@mdxecho.com Culture culture@mdxecho.com Opinion commentary@mdxecho.com Sci & Tech scitech@mdxecho.com Sports sports@mdxecho.com Health health@mdxecho.com Pepper pepper@mdxecho.com

Come to our drop-in sessions on Friday 27th September in C125, 10am - 12pm or 3-5pm to find out more about our available business and editorial roles.

You will also have the opportunity to meet the editor-in-chief and talk about your student media.

more students together. We will do this in two ways: Firstly, by opening our doors to contributors from all over the university. Regardless of your experience level, we will find a spot for you.

Throughout the year we will be accepting in applications for new reporters, designers and photographers. We will provide training in each of these areas, and hands-on support and guidance.

During our restructuring, we also created several new roles within our editorial and business teams.

These roles will be filled by students from all areas of expertise.

We’re hoping to find individuals who are passionate about the newspaper and can dedicate themselves to their role, throwing their whole heart into it the way we have so far.

With this influx of new members of The Echo team, we hope to grow into a little community, bringing a variety of students together who may normally have never met.

But the other way in which we hope to improve connectivity is through information. Before us, students were largely unaware of anything that took place outside of their own courses, societies, student groups and friendship groups.

We aim to bring to you all the best and most important information concerning your university.

But mostly, and always, we aim to bring to you the truth. Never pure, never simple, but always true.

@MDXECHO WWW.MDXECHO.COM Corrections & Clarifications The Echo aims to produce entirely accurate content, but mistakes are innevitable. If you spot anything you consider to be false or inaccurate, please email corrections@ mdxecho.com and include the article title and the issue number.

News

SEPTEMBER 2019 | ISSUE 3

Students feel “disconnected” from student body Our Editor in Chief, Natalie Rose, examines the levels of student engagement and participation at Middlesex University over the last few years.

This is according to figures revealed by the university and interviews with student group leaders.

Middlesex University has revealed statistics that show the levels of student engagement and participation rising from 2018 to 2019.

These figures are despite growing complaints from society leaders that the student body has grown more disconnected in recent years, leading to a decreased level of involvement in student groups, societies and Students’ Union events.

Katya Turikova, 21, Head of Student TV and in her 3rd year of BA Business, said that “there is no student body” due to a lack of connectivity between the students.

“I would like to see a university where the student body is more united.” She argued.

This included more collaborations between societies, a less “distant” Students’ Union, and a greater sense of excitement from students to be a “part of things” at the University.

However, the statistics provided most recently by the university show that students are getting more involved lately, not less.

According to official information released by the university, figures show that 21% of students completed their Module Feedback Forms in 2019, compared to just 1% in 2018. With a total of 14,805 students enrolling or re-enrolling at the start of the 2017/18 academic year, that 20% growth represents approximately 2,961 students becoming more actively engaged in their courses.

Other figures show that the number of students attending their

graduation ceremony has also increased. 45% of students attended their graduation ceremony during Summer Term in 2018, compared to the 55% who attended during Winter Term in 2019.

Despite this, only 778 students were reported to attend 100% of their classes in 2018, meaning that around fourteen-thousand students did not attend all their classes that year. In fact, during the academic year 2017/18, the average student only attended 61.58% of their classes.

Dr Anna Charalambidou, BA English Programme Leader and Senior Lecturer in English Language, claimed that she was “very fortunate” to have students with a desire to engage in the University’s community outside of their classes.

She explained that despite her good fortune, “not all students are able to afford that time” due to part-time jobs, long commutes and other family or caring responsibilities.

The argument that Middlesex University students have particularly difficult schedule to manage is one that is backed up by the current elected President of the Students’ Union, Anas Badar, who in an interview with The Echo earlier this year explained that one of his main driving forces for running for the position was his own long commute and how that affected his ability to get involved in activities outside of his studies.

International students were also a key factor highlighted by Anas. “I don’t really see them as much involved,” he said, pointing out that

MIDDLESEX FLIES RAINBOW FLAG AT PRIDE PARADE there are additional communication barriers and work commitments for students who have travelled to the UK for their studies.

The Students’ Union have responded to this claiming that society memberships have risen by over 2,000 in the last year.

Despite this, although seeing an “increased number of student events”, the numbers in attendence have remained “level”.

They also promised to be “committed to providing opportunities and services which are accessible and relevant”, particularly in working with students who have encountered “barriers”, such as commuters and carers.

These statistics contrasted with the student opinion begs the question: How can we get students to engage more outside of their courses?

On the 6th of July 2019, Middlesex University marched at the LGBT+ Pride Parade in London to show their support for the cause. Inês Viola covers the event.

Middlesex University frequently celebrates its LGBT+ community, and the university has had an active participation in London’s Pride Parade since at least 2016.

Natalie Rose, a student at Middlesex University and Editor in Chief of The Echo, talked of her experience on the day, saying that it was really “a chance to feel proud.”

The “feeling of solidarity” that she felt between the students and staff that were there was “amazing”, and it was great to see all the organisations that are “helping to create a more inclusive and accepting community” by showing support for their LGBT+ staff, members and students.

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Lisa Hunt, President of MDXSU’s LGBT Liberation Group, argued that it was important for Middlesex University to continue its tradition of participating in the Pride Parade considering the “dynamic diversity” on campus.

She hopes to re-establish “a prominent committee” as it was two years ago, including “frequent movie screenings and meetings”.

Campus is “a place of love, friendship and safety for a lot of people.”

With her plans, she hopes to “create that space where people can feel themselves.”

Regarding the future of the Pride Parade, Natalie Rose commented that “there’s been a small move towards ‘showmanship’” with some corporate organisations trying to showboat themselves as “accepting” by spending large amounts on their floats.

Although, she argued, it’s “a waste of our time” to worry about this when instead we must be “celebrating the positive direction we’re moving in.”

There have been an extensive number of other events throughout the year which have been focused on inclusivity for these communities and sexual health education.

This includes the Night of Controversy, a night of performances and sexual education. This evening was an idea first started by Erica Ramos, VP for Business and Law 2017-2019, as part of her campaign to raise awareness of these issues.

All the proceeds of these events were donated to various charities, including Coppafeel, a charity focusing on breast cancer awareness based in London.

The performances of the evening included burlesque acts and sexual health quizzes. They also occasionally included performances from drag queens.

No confirmation has been given on whether the Night of Controversy will continue next year.

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News

MDX PAVILION: INNOVATION, LEARNING & SUSTAINABILITY

Melissa Nabre reports on the project started in 2017 by Architectural Technology BSc students, as it is finally finished as they make their mark on campus.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY RENEE GORDON

SEPTEMBER 2019 | ISSUE 3

“We all spent our degree crying, laughing, stressing, screaming and changing...” * * FROM THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH SHEMEKKA C PROUD

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ADAM TAYLOR

Petria Koumi (health correspondent) touches base with some of the recent graduates of Middlesex University to find out their highlights, and brings to us the student perspective of this once-in-a-lifetime day.

Between the 8th and the 12th of July, over 9,000 academic students were awarded their degrees across 12 graduation ceremonies.

“This group of students are probably the only such class that have had the opportunity to put into practice what they were learning. As the first cohort to graduate, they have now left a legacy on the campus that will inspire the future cohorts... What the students have achieved has been amazing and they have experienced something that will stay with them for a very long time. These students were not the geineau pigs [sic] of this new course but the the [sic] cohort that led the way and left a trail for the others to follow.” - Prof Mehmet Karamanoglu, Head of Department for Design Engineering and Mathematics.

After two years of hard work, the new MDX Pavilion has finally been created.

This was a major project to create a sustainably designed learning, event, community and wellbeing space on campus.

It presented a unique opportunity to take the construction theory and technical know-how that these students had learned and apply them in a real project.

The project was developed for the Architectural Technology BSc students. They took the lead on designing this space on campus.

In 2017, they launched this project in collaboration with industry professionals.

The Pavilion now stands proudly by the main path that runs from the Burroughs to Grove Park alongside Portakabins 6 and 7.

The idea behind the Pavilion was to create a design that was intimately connected with nature, and that could be modified by future Architectural Technology

students.

The project’s core centered around innovation, practice-based learning, and sustainability.

The initial idea for a small construction project to be built on campus came from Tong Yang Senior, a Lecturer in Construction Architecture & BIM. Tong teamed up with Homeira Shayesteh, a fresh face to Middlesex, joining as a Senior Lecturer in the same field, to develop the plan further in spring 2017.

What was originally a design for a tree house later evolved into a Pavilion as Tong and Homeira incorporated the Architectural Technology modules each of them lead. The pair managed to make the entire project fit within the University’s five year strategy, through assessments based on the project deliverables from design to planning, preparing a business case and construction detailing.

The Pavilion now acts as a flagship for collaboration between aca-

demics and students.

The message has already spread to different departments, such as BA Photography, where students were able to document the construction of the project, and other collaborations which involved working together to promote and develop this new space on campus.

The idea behind the Pavilion was to create a design that was intimately connected with nature...

With possible uses including as a space for welcome events, exhibitions, student societies and outdoor films, speed meets, and more, the Pavilion provides a learning space close to nature.

Keep your eyes peeled to see how it’s used during Welcome Month.

Families from across the world came to visit Middlesex’s Hendon campus to support someone who had studied at Middlesex. They were found gathered around the campus (including at the new MDX Pavilion) for memorable photos after their ceremonies.

Graduation is the pinnacle of a student’s journey at Middlesex.

But it is also an opportunity for the university to celebrate and reward the successes of its’ alumni, particularly those individuals who have reached the top of their profession or made a significant impact to society.

During graduation week, the University honoured individuals who have excelled in their fields, including: Maggie Appleton, the CEO of the Royal Air Force Museum; Dr Neil Bentley-Gockmann, OBE Chief Executive of WorldSkills UK; and Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji, President of the International Criminal Court.

The event this year was particularly successful for the Alumni Communications and Engagement team who signed-up over 2,000 graduates to the Alumni Association, ensuring that students are still part of Middlesex University after they graduate.

With 27,054 macaroons eaten and 18,036 glasses of Prosecco served, graduation 2019 was defiantly a merry one!

Being the culmination of all the hard work throughout each individual course, extra-curricular ac-

tivities and everything in between, graduation was brought to a close with a sigh of relief. Students found themselves overwhelmed by having finished their courses and, with tears of nostalgia, started remembering the first time they stepped foot on campus.

Shemekka C Proud, recent graduate, described the day as having an “atmosphere of achievement and celebration” and described the ceremony as being “the fulfilment, the goal, the aim.”

“I have never felt the way I felt at graduation at university before,” she continued. “It always feels like a lonely struggle when studying, but the smiles and the outfits, the glamour squads and the proud family members, make you realise we won over the struggle. Alone, but ultimately together.”

Every student studies as individuals, but at graduation, the student body celebrates as a whole.

With a total of 21 different gowns worn, including the honorary graduate, the incredible diverse range of subjects that MDX offers are brought together to celebrate as a community.

Middlesex university was a buzz with excitement, praise and overwhelming emotions.

Many students were found to be live streaming the celebrations after the ceremony on Facebook and Instagram and creating boomerangs by throwing their caps in the air.

Many student posed in their gowns and held the ‘A Middlesex grad looks like this’ photo board, showing social media what they have accomplished.

Features

SEPTEMBER 2019 | ISSUE 3

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a comment on this but have not yet received a response.

Lucy will continue to strive for better quality and more affordable housing for the students in her second term as student officer in MDXSU.

A LEADER IS A DEALER IN HOPE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DIOGO ANTUNES

How our elected student officers from 2018/19 followed up on their manifesto promises (or didn’t)...

Editor in Chief, Natalie Rose, and reporter, Melissa Nabre, follow up on each of the elected student officers for 2018-19 to see if they lived up to the promises made in their election manifestoes.

In 2018, Ayah Benberna, Erica Ramos, Rahma Ali and Lucy Holland were elected to lead the Students’ Union for the full academic year.

They were championed by the Students’ Union for being the first all-female leadership team.

Their successful election campaigns depended largely on their manifestoes, the full details of which can be found on the MDXSU website.

According to a blog post on their website, this was an “amazing year” for the student officer team at MDXSU, with a series of successful campaigns, schemes and programmes to prove this.

Both Ayah Benberna and Rahma Ali promised in their manifestos to address concerns around catering, specifically that it was too expensive and did not offer enough variety for students with specific dietary requirements.

Following this, several of the catering outlets on campus increased the dietary options that they provide. This included Streat, Broosters and Pizza i Made, who all in-

troduced Halal options into their menu’s in December 2018.

Streat also introduced a Gluten Free Policy which added a disclaimer onto their menu stating that the gluten free food they provided was non-packaged and therefore may be contaminated.

Meanwhile, food and drink prices at all catering outlets remained stationary, despite attempts to decrease prices from the student officers.

In response to this, Middlesex University have referred us to a statement from August 2019 by James Kennedy, Chief Financial Officer at the University at the time of this statement, now acting as Interim Vice-Chancellor.

This statement was concerning the renewed contract between the University and Chartwells, the catering provider, where it was admitted that catering “has not been at the standard that we would wish to serve the diverse needs of our students and staff.”

The new contract, however, has outlined several ways in which they hope to “significantly enhance the catering experience for Middlesex over the next seven years” which includes more options for Kosher and Halal, as well as a 10% reduction in overall costs at their cafes and restaurants.

Mr Kennedy felt “confident” that these changes, as well as the many

MDXSU elected student officers for 2018-19 (left to right): Lucy Holland as VP for Art & Design and Media & Performing Arts; Erica Ramos re-running as VP for Business and Law; Student Trustee and NUS Delegate, Rahma Ali as VP for Health & Education and Science & Technology; and Ayah Benberna as President. others mentioned, would “provide a much needed step change in our on-campus catering.”

Chartwells have been contacted for a comment on this but have not yet responded.

The ‘We Need To Talk’ campaign was launched to focus on mental health awareness and support.

This was following promises in the manifestoes of Lucy Holland, Rahma Ali and Erica Ramos to increase provisions for students struggling with these issues.

This campaign saw the introduction of the monthly ‘Chill Out Hub’, a place to relax, pet dogs and get advice on mental health services.

Later they introduced a series of events entitled ‘Make It Happen’ in partnership with the Students’ Union itself. This was a recurring weekly drop-in session during the exams period which provided a relaxing atmosphere for students and provided them with advice on how to manage stress and prepare for deadlines.

The ‘Make It Happen’ also includ-

ed a visit from the charity All Dogs Matter who brought several of their rescue dogs onto campus to help students relieve stress.

This was despite the failure to implement the “kitten and tea rooms” promised by Rahma to help destress students in her manifesto.

Ayah and Lucy both prioritised issues regarding housing and promised to try and provide more resources and support for students.

This included those in university accommodation and privately rented houses.

Together, they attended a meeting with the London’s mayor’s housing team to discuss selective licensing and the effect this has on students.

There they had the opportunity to consult with London Citizens, a regional chapter of Citizens UK, a community organising group focusing on social justice and democracy.

There has been no news of any progress on this since the initial meeting.

We have contacted Citizens UK for

Rahma Ali and Erica Ramos aimed to increase awareness and protection surrounding hate crime, harassment and student safety on campus.

Rahma’s campaign following this focused largely on academic discrimination, where she partnered with the Disabled Students’ Liberation group to highlight hidden fees facing disabled students throughout their time at university.

Erica’s focus was on her ‘We Believe You’ campaign, which pledged to support victims and survivors of sexual harassment and violence. The campaign promoted a zero-tolerance culture towards this issue.

Despite gaining momentum fast, the campaign saw little success over the year, and shifted its focus to sexual health awareness.

Partnering with the Burlesque Society, Erica continued to host The Night of Controversy, an evening of performances and activities surrounding sexual health awareness. This event originally started two years ago and aimed then to promote sexual health and raise funds for an LGBT+ charity.

The evening occurred several times in the past year, where it raised money for the Terrance Higgins Trust, the UK’s leading HIV and sexual health charity.

The Students’ Union have stated that in 2018-19, the Night of Controversy events “also incorporated some of the ‘We Believe You’ campaign by talking about consent/ sexual harassment.”

However, according to Petria Koumi, Vice President of the Burlesque Society, the Terrance Higgins Trust was selected because of its focus on sexual health awareness, and the evening was therefore geared in this direction.

She explained that there was “no mention of sexual harassment” in any of the meetings held to plan these events and was unaware that the campaign was intended to address these issues.

There was no record of any successful campaigns focusing specifically on hate crime or student safety.

Continued on next page...

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Features

All four of the Student Officers were responsible for a collaboration with Love Not Landfill, a campaign to donate unwanted clothes to charity, focused specifically on young adults living in London.

This project saw the acquisition of a clothes bank on campus, which is one of only nine set up by this organisation in London.

They also continued work on the MDXSU Community Placement Scheme, which successfully placed four Middlesex University students in paid placement positions this past year.

Some of their other successes included the establishment of two new student communities, the HealthCare Students Community and Erasmus/Exchange Community, and the installation of four extra microwaves on campus.

Several promises from each of the elected Student Officer’s manifestos saw no action during the year.

This included aims to introduce more modernised learning spaces, provide extra funds for students and ensure earlier release of timetables.

There were also promises of a sexual health clinic, a helpline for students on placement, a monthly grocery market, and a student-led arts magazine which all failed to make any movement.

SEPTEMBER 2019 | ISSUE 3

Reply from the SU Officers: “Great ambition is the passion of great character” In 2018 we were all elected to represent students MDX students and to lead the students’ union. For Erica it was a re-election having successful convinced students to give her a second term, for the rest of us it was a completely new experience and the start of a rollercoaster of a year. When you stand for election you try to identify problems which students face and to come up with ambitious solutions.

We were not elected promising to do the same things and we still have differences of opinion, but over the year we worked together, learnt from each other and genuinely tried our hardest to improve the student experience for Middlesex Students. We were proud to be led by the first woman president in a decade, we were proud to represent the diversity of students who study at MDX, coming from different faith backgrounds, different nationalities and different ethnicities. We were prouder still to be the first all women sabb team in the history of MDXSU. We didn’t just challenge the glass ceiling, we did our best to absolutely smash it!

During our year we tried to encourage scrutiny and to lead the SU in an open and transparent

way, pushing through governance reforms which will open up our democracy to more students than ever before, supporting the development of an independent thriving student media and producing regular updates on what we had been doing.

(5) We launched the ‘chill out hub’ a space for students to relax during the most stressful times of the year, something which has subsequently become ‘make it happen’ a rolling program of activities to support students which we know will go from strength to strength

But it wasn’t all plain sailing, there are times when leadership is tough and when you have to take tough decisions and to sacrifice personal priorities for the collective good. Leadership is also about not always seeking immediate credit, there were things that happened in our year which were the result of hard work by our predecessors, and we hope that our successors will have successes which are the result of work that we began.

(6) We teamed up with love not landfill to acquire a clothes bank on campus so that unwanted clothes can be donated rather than ending up damaging the environment by being dumped into landfill

Having left office we received an enquiry from MDX Echo asking us about what we had achieved.

We really welcome this, not only because we passionately believe in scrutiny, but also because it has made us stop and think. When you’re a student officer everything seems to be moving at 100mph and so you never reflect on your successes.

(1) We made huge strides in improving the universities reporting systems for sexual harassment and hate crime, conducting focus groups with students and using the results to stream line the process and ensure that students can easily access the information they require (2) We raised money for the Terrance Higgins Trust through our hugely popular ‘nights of controversy’ (3) We challenged the university to demand more from Chartwells.

As a result of which we have secured an average saving of 10% for students on all food on campus, with the 20 most popular items being reduced in price by 20%. We have also secured a £1.3million investment into transforming the catering facilities on campus so that the quality, cost and choice of food improves for students every year for the next 5 years (4) After 5 years of campaigning by the students union we were the team who finally secured dedicated microwaves on campus to allow students to bring in their own food and to heat it

(7) We developed a relationship with the Mayor of London’s housing advisors, conducted London wide research into the housing crisis which students face and secured agreements for future meetings and work involving our successors (8) We convinced Barnet council to resettle 30 refugee children over the next decade as part of a national campaign to resettle 10,000 refugee’s over the next 10 years (9) Right up to our last day in office we continued to push for improvements in the university, indeed on the 30th of June (our final day as officers) we found out that we had been successful in convincing the university to drop its requirement for students with chronic health conditions to produce multiple doctors notes, saving students who face the most challenging circumstances hundreds of pounds a year.

There is more that we could list.

However, one of our reflections on the year was that in many ways the most important things we did as officers are things we started but didn’t finish, the long term (often confidential) projects which can affect major systematic change revolutionise the student experience. It is easy (especially in politics) to simply look for low hanging fruit, but very often the right thing to do isn’t to chase the easy quick visible success, it is to tackle the long term, hard challenges that you know you will never get credit for but non the less really matter.

We are proud to leave behind work which we have begun and our successors will continue. As officers we were lucky to be standing on the shoulders of giants, our predecessors who reformed the student union and worked tire-

lessly to make it relevant to students again. In some small way we hope that we have contributed to that legacy, for example we have worked on plans with the university to modernise learning spaces, to release the timetable earlier and to review how it distributes financial support for students.

Finally as officers we recognise that there are areas where progress is very difficult or in some cases isn’t possible, where a manifesto promise had to be adapted or where students priorities changed. When we wrote our manifesto’s we didn’t expect Brexit to become such a defining issue of our times. If we had stuck rigidly to our manifesto’s we would have ignored it, but given the potentially devastating impact it might have on young people and students that would have been wrong. We didn’t want to be the officer team who sold out EU students and didn’t stand up for their rights. As such we spent large amounts of our year ensuring that students voices were heard by government, whilst information and support was provided by Middlesex University.

At the start of our year we were nervous and intimidated, collectively we felt a sense of imposter syndrome, and didn’t really know where to begin, to quote Hamilton ‘winning was easy, governing is harder’. But by working together and remembering why we stood we (a group of 4 women from different backgrounds with different priorities) were able to support each other to achieve a huge amount. The reason we think this matters is because we genuinely believe that if we can do it then anyone can do it! If there is something you’d like to change, if there is a difference you’d like to make, if there is a problem you want to solve, then you should be the change you wish to see.

We would encourage every single student at MDX to consider running to lead MDXSU, we did and we never regretted it once!

Our only advice would be don’t be afraid to be ambitious, the thing that you want to achieve that everyone says isn’t possible will only happen if you are prepared to be ambitious.

Ultimately as the Ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus said ‘Big results require big ambitions.’

SEPTEMBER 2019 | ISSUE 3

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COMMENTARY

SEPTEMBER 2019 | ISSUE 3

OUR DEMOCRATIC RIGHT FOR BREXIT! WE KNOW IT WILL DEFINITELY HAPPEN, BUT HOW WILL IT AFFECT US AND HOW SHOULD WE RESPOND? On the 24th July, Boris Johnson took office as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, replacing Theresa May. His Cabinet, which consists largely of Conservative Party members, has one clear goal – to leave the European Union on 31st October 2019.

Aaron Fenton-Hewitt comments here about the effect this decision may have, especially for students here at Middlesex.

I’ve never seen a more Conservative Cabinet in my life.

I will not share how I voted in the Brexit vote, but I do find it democratically insulting that we have not left the EU yet. Britain voted Leave, and that’s what we should have done by now.

I believe that this Cabinet does have the testicular fortitude to deliver Brexit, regardless of how anybody else feels. Failure to do so will be an undermining of democracy, furthering the narrative that the average citizen doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things; instead, our fates remain in the hands of the elite, who have their own sinister agendas.

It’s clear though that this Cabinet’s main goal is to deliver Brexit.

According to surveys by YouGov, 71% of 18-24-year olds voted to Remain.

I must confess, this research did not surprise me. I have seen young millennials and Generation X marching with anti-Brexit slogans and other left-wing messages at campaigns countless times. They treat the rise of Jeremy Corbyn as the second coming of Jesus Christ, with promises to ‘tax the rich’ and chanting his slogan ‘for the many, not the few’ like a hypnotised army.

It’s not hard to figure out that, in general, most university students are very left wing, and Middlesex is no exception to this.

However, with the establishment of this new Cabinet, how will Middlesex students react and what changes will happen?

Let’s take the Erasmus programme, for example. Erasmus is a fantastic

opportunity for students to travel to EU member states to work and study, a reflection of one of the perks that come with being an EU member state.

The programme is one of Middlesex’s main features. When Brexit happens – and it will happen, no matter how much we try and avoid it – the United Kingdom will no longer be an EU member state, thus rendering the UK and all its universities (including Middlesex) ineligible for the Erasmus programme.

What would this mean for potential students wanting to study abroad in a European country?

Perhaps they would have to do everything manually. Brexit is not a reason why a student cannot study abroad in a European country; it just means that their study will not be partly or wholly government subsidised. Students would have to oversee their own affairs in their entirety, including work, visas and passports, living expenses, utilities etc.

Britain is not going to become an isolated, social pariah in the political arena, as some Remainers would have you believe. We will still have a relationship with EU member states, just not in the same capacity as we are now. We won’t suddenly disappear of the face of the Earth and become irrelevant. Students will simply have to take on greater responsibility for themselves and their education.

I don’t see a problem with that. It’s not the government’s responsibility to care about my education, it’s mine. Nobody else is responsible for my education except me. Sure, not having the Erasmus programme makes things more difficult undoubtedly, but not impossible. Fearmongering from Remainers should not make you scared to pursue your dreams.

There’s a big problem here though – for a student to go to all this trouble, they must still want to come and study in the UK. That might be tough when we have a Prime Minister who has a knack for offending minority communities.

There is a difference between making a joke or comment in bad

PHOTOGRAPHY FROM ANNIE SPRATT VIA UNSPLASH

We have to stop acting like children and realise that democracy works both ways... taste and being an actual racist or xenophobe. A joke or comment by itself (within a context) is isolated and should not be a true reflection of a person’s genuine views or beliefs.

However, because we are talking about the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom – a world leader – the rules and effects of making certain comments are different.

Boris Johnson is a man who has described burka-wearing Muslim women as ‘letterboxes’, compared gay marriage to bestiality (in his 2002 book, ‘Friends, Voters, Countrymen’), described African natives as having ‘watermelon smiles’ and wrote a poem about President Erdogan of Turkey using colourful language that cannot be repeated here.

As I said before, there’s a difference between making a racist joke and being an actual racist. I am not accusing Johnson of being racist, xenophobic or homophobic.

Regardless, however, when you have a world leader making controversial remarks such as these, questions must be asked. This is a world leader, not a comedian or any other public figure for entertainment purposes. Anything he says reflects how Britain is viewed in the international political arena, as well as how he is viewed by the British public.

We pride ourselves at MDX on

being inclusive and tolerant of all communities.

If you have a Prime Minister making comments that contradict our inclusive attitude, we have a problem. This can be detrimental to the morale of our students, as well as students across the country.

Middlesex University boasts many international students from all over the world. Some of these students might be put off by Johnson’s comments, and may look elsewhere to further their education.

And let’s not forget out student exchange programmes from our partner universities including one in Dubai, which is a majority Muslim country. If I was a Muslim, and I heard a world leader make certain comments about my religious wear, I’d think twice about wanting to go to that country.

All that being said, I do feel that students should still feel more optimistic about their future.

Brexit is happening. Fact. Whether you like it or not, we will leave the EU and uphold the democratic vote.

What I have noticed is an attitude of defiance and rebellion against this vote, which I feel is a direct threat and insult towards democracy. Had we voted to Remain, I guarantee there would not be all this uproar and civil unrest.

As students – and adults – we must

learn to accept things that don’t go our way. Okay, most students probably voted to Remain, but the majority vote was to Leave. Tough.

We have to stop acting like children and realise that democracy works both ways. It’s not democratic when things go your way, but undemocratic when they don’t. We don’t get to pick and choose when democracy applies, because that defeats the purpose of democracy. We have to have more resilience against challenges and disappointments.

This should not affect our morale going forward in life.

Life is hard, and there will be more failures, more sadness and more disappointments along the way.

Are we going to crumble every time we don’t get our way? Are we that arrogant that we think life should play to our rules? Do we believe we are above disappointment?

For me, the future is bright.

It seems clear to me that Middlesex University will go through a transitional period during Brexit.

It will have both positive and negative effects on the student body.

I can only hope that students overcome this hurdle and pursue their dreams, and not be totally influenced by contemporary media.

Commentary

SEPTEMBER 2019 | ISSUE 3

“But you look so well!”: An insight into the lives of the ‘Invisible Illness Club’ Health correspondent Petria Koumi comments on the difficulties of everyday life for members of the ‘Invisible Illness Club’, a hypothetical group of people who suffer from chronic but ‘invisible’ illnesses.

This is part of a series of pieces under the theme of the ‘Invisible Illness Club’ which will cover various different chronic illnesses, focusing particularly on those that effect students at Middleses University.

Brave face, big smile and ready to take on the day. Ish. Having a long to-do list, not a moment to take a breath. All the while looking like you’re ‘winning at life’, strong and nothing bothers you.

Truth is, the struggle is right there, but just hidden under an invisibility cloak that only you can see through.

Those of us in the Invisible Illness Club know that the most common thing, and most annoying thing, said to us is: “But you look so well!”

Yes, on the outside, when I’ve caked my face with makeup, and managed to hide the dark circles under my eyes (which are only there because I have been up all night in pain).

There is no way of calling in sick to work and saying, “Sorry, I can’t come in today, because although I look and sound okay, my insides feel like tiny men with knives and a vendetta are having a party. Yes, it’s been like this for a week but each day is different.”

One of the hardest things is having to explain your condition.

You end up feeling like a consultant, throwing out all this technical vocabulary to only have people stare blankly back at you.

Because it can’t be seen on the outside, it is almost impossible to explain what you are feeling. It almost as though no illness can be real unless you can convince others that the pain is there.

But how? How much do you say?

How can you explain yourself without anyone jumping to conclusions, thinking you’re looking for sympathy, exaggerating or just making it up?

One second you may be dancing around, drink in hand and laughing and the next you may not be able to stand.

It makes it all seem unreal – how can you be unwell when you seem so okay?

Whatever the illness, visible or

not, it is there. It is part of you and having to live with it every day makes it part of your life.

Most of us living with a hidden illness, day in and day out, don’t look any different from a completely healthy person. There is absolutely no indication of it just by looking, but it is still there.

Being repeatedly told, “You don’t look ill,” comes with a wave of guilt. Are we not living up to what people expect of us?

It can drive us to take on too much, despite our ill-health, and consequently end up worse off.

The world around us teaches that there is no time to be unwell, as we will miss out on opportunities, particularly those in the working world, and those studying.

The best thing we can do for ourselves is to accept that some people may not understand our illness, no matter how much we try to explain. This inability to understand is on them and not on you.

The struggle is there, it is a hard and unseen fight, but you are winning.

* Quoted: Nikki Rowe (ww.nikkijadecollective.com)

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THE FEES KNEES

Arron Wilder comments on tuition fees. He asks the question: Can and should students be forced to suffer the financial burden of tuition fees in order to acquire the tools to succeed in a job market where the bar for entry seems to always be rising?

If you, like me, have been born into a system where tuition fees are the responsibility of students and their families, you might find it difficult to picture a utopia where the government paid for everything.

If you were to travel back in time to 1962 you could step into a Britain where the government actually paid your tuition.

But did this help students in the long run, or does the current system in place provide more opportunities?

In a University setting, I feel like trying to start a debate on the pros and cons of tuition fees and student loans is considered bad etiquette by almost everyone. It’s always assumed instantly that you’re not in favour of this monstrous legislation that’s slashes the expectations of hundreds and thousands of soon to be financially disenfranchised students, who will apparently be swimming in debt until the day they drop.

That being said, I do have a different opinion to most when it comes to tuition fees.

I am in support of the fees. To me, they are the realisation of a government who, prompted by reality, decided to keep the option of education open to all and were simply forced to make some sacrifices to do it. Or perhaps, more accurately, were forced to ask us students to make a sacrifice in order to achieve an education.

PHOTOGRAPHY FROM RAPHAELA VERGUD VIA UNSPLASH

“She was always fighting a battle, but her smile would never tell you so.” *

I think £9250 is a bit too much to charge though, and suggest that the spending cap could be dropped to £6000, or something similar, in order to help students accumulate less of a debt over their course, whilst also contributing to their education.

Some articles claim that tuition fees drive hopeful applicants away with their high costs. This is not surprising, and statistics do show that every time the spending cap has increased, applications have declined slightly. But the thing that I feel is not reported enough is that the number always bounces back, and then some.

Studies conducted by the Department for Education between 2010 and 2014 clearly show that applications for Universities have been steadily climbing and show no signs of slowing down. It’s not just upper-class households. Hopeful students are emerging from both upper- and working-class families at higher numbers now than ever before, and I think this was all made possible by student loans.

I think it helps that our repayment model for student loans is brilliant.

I believe that it’s inarguably fair that I eventually contribute to the education that will one day award me the qualifications I need to become successful in the world today.

The best way to realise how good we actually have it in this country is to compare the system in place here to America. Going unchecked, badly regulated and corrupted by greed.

The American student loan crisis has gotten worse and then a lot worse, never seeming to let up. In 2018, Forbes reported that the total student debt in the USA came to $1.52 trillion, a debt that was shared by 44.2 million students.

Students who all share the worst kind of debt. In the US, you can’t claim bankruptcy on student loan debt. If a student winds up dead in tragic circumstances, their loan will actually be passed onto their parents who will then have to pay.

In Britain, we have a spending Cap which means Universities can only charge up to a set amount

which prevents people from going into the red about £100,000 deep.

Obviously, some Universities are going to require you to move away from home, I myself am not from London but moved here from the sunny, little, coastal town of Eastbourne (near Brighton). I didn’t have enough money to move, but with a maintenance loan I can afford to live here quite comfortably.

And when it comes to repaying your loan, I’m a really big fan of how we do it here. In Britain, we base the amount of money we pay back on the amount of money that we earn. You’ll have to make over £21,000 before you start paying back and, even then, it will only be 9% and it will only get higher if you earn more. It is designed to only take what you can definitely spare.

I know there have been some complaints about the loan rising in interest so much that you end up paying more then you should. But compare this system to the American model and I think a big sigh of relief is the only appropriate response.

But all of this is not the real reason I am in favour of tuition fees.

I’m not here to brainwash anyone, I simply believe that with higher education growing the way it is, and considering the size it has already achieved, it would be ridiculous to ask the government to foot an impossible bill.

The NHS, transport, infrastructure, the environment, national security. These all cost money, but the government has an incentive to use taxes to improve these pillars of society because they benefit everyone.

Educating the students of tomorrow will of course benefit the country. It’s an immeasurable investment. But education helps the individual more than it helps the community, so it is only fair that you pay your dues in order to walk through the doors that university will open down the line.

There are plenty of reasons to agree with abolishing student loans and tuition fees, but I think most people only root for it because the grass looks greener when you’re not paying for it.

Commentary

BREAKING DOWN THE WALL ON RELIGION: WHAT DOES IT REALLY MEAN TO LOVE GOD? Head of Student Media TV and President of the Salem Campus Fellowship, Katya Turikova, addresses some of the most common preconceptions about religion.

Can you believe in God and still have fun?

Well, that depends on your definition of God. If you see him as a tyrant, or as a loving Father.

A couple friends of mine of openly profess their faith yet live adventurous lifestyles, filled with exciting and dynamic activities.

And have you ever been to a Full Gospel church? Please, their worship sessions alone beat any party you’ve been to. Hillsong’s annual conferences are nothing short of loud, fun, filled with soul, creativity, and life.

So, to answer the question, can someone believe in Yahweh and still have fun? Absolutely.

Can religion be dogmatic?

Well, yes and no. There are an intrinsic set of beliefs that lay as a foundation, of course. However, it doesn’t mean that your whole life must follow a set of rules and be limited to that.

The Old Testament heavily focuses on the fact there are certain

things you have to do before you gain God’s approval. The New Testament however, clearly says that it’s not a result of works or rituals that you get the approval of God, but through faith (Ephesians 2:7-8).

Now, I understand that many churches have become very religious, sending hellfire and all. But that’s not the true Gospel (which translates to Good News).

The Good News is that we have access to God’s mercy, love, and grace simply by believing in him and trusting in him. And when we follow the teaching of Romans 8, living in the spirit, you learn that the day will come when the true worshippers will worship God in spirit and in truth.

All this means that God isn’t looking for people to praise him with their lips while their hearts are judgmental (Matthew 15:8), but he wants a true relationship.

The easiest way I can explain a true relationship with the Father is – following the voice within. When people say they follow their intuition, or inner voice. It’s that ability to know right from wrong without needing anyone to tell you.

Is there Freedom in Faith?

2 Corinthians 3:17 says that where

the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. The Bible says God is love, and he who does not love does not know God (1 John 4).

What I’m trying to say is that God is unconditional love. So, when someone is judgemental, or condemning, in that moment they are not being Godly. They are not a good or worthy representation of who God is.

It’s a different kind of freedom. It’s an inner freedom, beyond anything you have ever experienced.

It’s the freedom that comes with feeling completely accepted and loved.

It’s biblical to feel whole, complete, connected. The Bible tells us that God wants us to be gifted, beautiful, loved, excellent, and step into our callings and gifting boldly.

Why is there such a gap between the word “God” and the average Joe? It’s sad that nowadays when people experience the supernatural, the first thing they go to is witchcraft, tarot cards, reiki, crystals, psychics, wicca, etc. But no one goes to God? I guess the people in church have at times misrepresented the supernatural creator of all things.

They have limited him to a dogmatic set of rules. That’s not God, that’s people misrepresenting God. Revelation speaks of him being the one who is and was and is to come. That’s a supernatural being outside of space and time, how can he be limited to a room at a church service an hour a week?

What does it all mean to me?

I used to have an issue with the word God as well, until I realised that what I had an issue with wasn’t God, but the people representing God. 1 Corinthians 13 speaks of the virtues of love. God is a supernatural God with giftings and healings.

Today you have people like Charles Finney, Katheryn Kuhlman and Oral Roberts who all demonstrated the power of God and the truth of what his presence can do in a room.

Housing thousands per service.

People lining up at 4am for a 9am service, running in to worship, be touched by God, be healed from crutches and various diseases (Katheryn Kuhlman services).

Where drug dealers and murders would be converted.

Now if that ain’t God, then I don’t know what is.

“what I had an issue with wasn’t God, but the people representing God ...”

PHOTOGRAPHY FROM POLINA SIROTINA VIA PEXELS

DO YOU LOVE STIRRING THE POT? ARE YOU FULL OF CONTROVERSIAL OPINIONS? LEARN HOW TO CONTROL YOUR ARGUMENT AND DEBATE WITH MORE POWER BY BECOMING A COMMENTARY WRITER FOR THE ECHO.

SEPTEMBER 2019 | ISSUE 3

WANT TO BECOME A COMMENTARY WRITER?

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SEPTEMBER 2019 | ISSUE 3

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WELCOME FRESHERS CLASS OF 2019/20

On 23rd September 2019, Middlesex University’s Students’ Union will begin their Welcome Week - five days full of activities and events to help you find out what’s on offer for students at Middlesex University. We’ve collated the best advice and most important information here for you so that you can get the most out of your Fresher’s experience.

PHOTOGRAPHY FROM MATHEUS FRADE VIA UNSPLASH

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SEPTEMBER 2019 | ISSUE 3

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Visit mdxsu.com/events to see further details & more SU events for Welcome Month.

DESIGN BY LOU KISS

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SEPTEMBER 2019 | ISSUE 3

SOCIETIES “The student groups I joined in my first year gave me everything I could have asked for - fun, friends and once-in-a-lifetime experiences.”* Our editorial team have worked with MDXSU to pull together a list of all the societies that will be active in the upcoming year at Middlesex University, with information about any events they may be throwing during Welcome Month.

Not sure what society to join?

Come along to Freshers Fair on 25th and 26th September to meet these societies and find out more about what they do.

Some of these events do not have a confirmed location. Please check in with the Students’ Union for further details. * Quoted: Natalie Rose, Editor in Chief

Liberation Groups: Liberation Group & Communities Speed Meet: Meet the Liberation Groups and Communities at this Speed Meet! Thurs 26th Sept at 4pm in MDX House.

LGBT+ Liberation Group: Coffee Mornings: Thurs 3rd Oct and Thurs 10th Oct at 9am. Follow on Facebook @MDXSULGBTstudents or Instagram @mdx_lgbt Women Student Liberation Group: Tea & Coffee Afternoon: Thurs 3rd Oct at 1pm.

Black Group

Students’

Liberation

Disabled Students’ Liberation

Group: Follow on Facebook @mdxsudisabledstudents

Student Media: MDX FM: Drop In Session: Mon 7th and Wed 9th Oct at 2pm in the Radio Studio. Give It A Go Session: Thurs 10th at 2pm in the Radio Studio.

Student Media TV: Info Sessions: Thurs 26th at 5pm, Fri 27th Sept at 10am and 5pm and Thurs 10th Oct at 5pm in the Student Media HQ. Follow on Instagram @smtvmdx

Fundraising & Volunteering: RAG (Raise and Giving): Macmillan Coffee Morning: Fri 27th Sept at 10am in MDX House. Follow on Twitter @MDXRAG and Facebook @MiddlesexRAG First Aid Society: Meet & Greet: Thurs 3rd Oct at 5:30pm. Follow on Instagram @mdxfirstaidsoc Plastic Reduction and Sustainability Society: Party on the Pavillion: Fri 4th Oct at 11:30am in the Pavilion.

Hive Potential Society: Follow on Facebook @HiveSocMDX or Instagram @hivepotentialsocietymdx

Society or Instagram @mdxindiansoc African-Caribbean Society: Jam Session: Tues 1st Oct at 1pm on the MDX House Terrace. Dodgeball: Wed 2nd Oct at 5:30pm on the MDX House Terrace. Meet & Greet: Wed 2nd Oct at 6:30pm.

Black History Month Women’s Empowerment Event: Tues 8th Oct at 6:30pm in MDX House.

KPop & Culture Society: Icebreaker Night: Tues 1st Oct at 6pm. “Viral” Dance Class: Wed 2nd Oct at 6pm. Game Night: Tues 8th Oct at 5:30pm. Korean Language Class: Wed 9th Oct at 6pm.

Tamil Society: Meet & Greet: Wed 9th Oct at 6pm. Follow on Facebook @middlesex.tsoc or Instagram @mdxtamilsoc Afghan Society: Follow on Facebook @mdxAfghansociety or Instagram @mdx_afghansociety Arab Society: Follow on Facebook @mdxarabsociety Malayali Society: Follow on Facebook @mdxmalayalisoc MDX CSSA: Add as a friend on Facebook @chenglong.tang.927

PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED BY MDXSU INDIAN SOCIETY & BOLLYWOOD SOCIETY

Religious Societies: Salem Campus Fellowship Society: Meet & Greet: Wed 2nd Oct at 6:30pm. Follow on Facebook @ salem.middlesex.98 or Instagram @salem_mdx AhlulBayt Islamic Society: Follow on Instagram @mdxabsoc Islamic Society (ISOC): Follow on Facebook and Instagram @mdxisoc

Academic Societies: Debating Society: Show Debate: Fri 4th Oct at 7pm. Follow on Instagram @mdxdebsoc Maths & Coding: Drop In: Tues 1st Oct at 12pm. Follow on Facebook @ MathsCodingSocietyMDX Complementary and Alternative Medicine Academic Society (CAMAS): Join the Facebook group: Complementary and Alternative Medicine Academic Society (C.A.M.A.S.) Entrepreneurs Society: Follow on Facebook and Instagram @ mdxentrepreneurs European Law Students’ Association (ELSA): Follow on Facebook @ELSAmdx Journalism Society: Follow on Facebook @mdxjournalismsociety

Polish Society: Follow on Instagram @polsoc_mdx Cultural Societies: Indian Society: Meet & Greet: Mon 7th Oct at 7pm in MDX House.

Follow on Facebook @MDXIndian-

Portuguese Society: Follow on Facebook and Instagram @MDXPortugueseSociety

Recreational Societies: Burlesque & Circus Society: Welcome Event: Wed 2nd Oct at 7pm in MDX House. Follow on In-

stagram @mdxburlesquepolesociety or Facebook @Mdx-BurlesqueAnd-Pole-Dance-Society Harry Potter Ceremony & Thurs 3rd Oct Facebook and HarryPotter

Society: Sorting Film Screening: at 6pm. Follow on Instagram @MDX-

Singers & Musicians Society: Karaoke: Tuesday 1st Oct at 6pm in MDX House. Follow on Facebook @SingersMusiciansSocMDX or Instagram @musicians.mdx Anime & Manga Society: Follow on Facebook @MDXAandM or Instagram @animeandmangamdx Bollywood Society: Follow on Facebook @mdxbollywoodsociety Dance Society: Follow on Facebook and Instagram @MDXdancesociety Games Society: Follow on Facebook and Instagram @mdxgamesociety MDX Hack Team: Follow on Facebook @mdxhackteam Musical Theatre Society: Follow on Instagram @mdxmusicaltheatresociety Painting Society: Follow on Facebook @mdxpaintingsociety or Instagram @mdxpaintingsoc Science Fiction & Fantasy Society (SFAF): Follow on Facebook and Instagram @mdxsfaf

GO TO MDXSU.COM TO JOIN A SOCIETY

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ESSENTIAL GUIDE MDX FRESHERS 16

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SEPTEMBER 2019 | ISSUE 3

Whether you are a fresh-faced student joining Middlesex University this year, or a seasoned party-goer ready for one more year of fun experiences, these are my tips and tricks that got me through my last few years of Freshers.

Melissa Nabre, a third year student, gives her advice on the best tips and tricks to survive Freshers at Middlesex University.

My number one tip to survive Welcome Month is: a portable phone charger, aka. the lifesaver of the new age.

As members of the 21st century, it is a given that we are glued to our phones almost 24/7, and who doesn’t love a good snapchat on a night out?

Bringing a portable charger is a must!

Not only can it be used to make sure you keep up with all your forms of social media, but also to ensure you have a means of communicating with the people you came with.

Keeping your phone alive also means that it is one step easier to call that uber home, ensuring a safe end to your night of fun.

It is so easy to find some good quality chargers, small enough to fit in your bag or purse. And for no more than £15, it would be a waste not to get one.

Also, getting one of those wires that accommodate not only your phone, but also other brands too, could make it easier to help your friends survive the night with you.

Send us your photos and best stories from Freshers 2019 on Facebook or Twitter @MDXEcho for a chance to be featured in a future issue of the newspaper.

Something for those forgetful souls out there: emergency contact number cards.

This little card can be used to hold all the numbers to call in case you lose your phone or are too out of it to remember.

Just write down your emergency contacts before a night out, keep it in your bag, inside your phone case, or pocket, and have fun!

At least then, you know that you can easily contact your friends or family in case something does happen.

Another tip I discovered during my days of partying during freshers: using my bus pass or card holder as a mini purse.

These handy little holders are not only useful for keeping your oyster card, but can also be used to hold your credit cards and ID, as well as the little emergency contact number card!

This not only reduces the space needed for a purse or wallet in your bags or pockets, but also conveniently keeps all the important cards in one safe place.

Though, it also means that you’ll have to make sure not to misplace it, since losing it could mean a headache no one wants to experience.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DIOGO ANTUNES

Not to sound like a nagging parent, but staying hydrated is very important, especially when alcohol is involved!

Bring along a little bottle of water for the night and you will be sorted for when you want a drink without the kick.

Freezing the bottle before your night out would also make it refreshingly cool, a nice contrast to the hot dance floor, without you having to constantly push your way to the bar just for a glass of water.

Condoms - Now, now, don’t you snicker. We’re all adults here.

Plus, you never know when you could get lucky, so you better wrap it before you tap it in order to have the best uni experience you can get!

Don’t forget spare shoes!

All the ladies out there, I’m pretty sure I don’t have to tell you, but a whole night out in 6 inch heels is not going to be fun, no matter how good they make your legs look.

Get yourselves a pair of pretty little roll-up ballet pumps for when your feet can’t take it anymore, and pop them into your bag. It’ll help, trust me.

Don’t be afraid to be friendly with the security guards.

The security guards are usually really approachable, and it doesn’t hurt to have a couple ‘bants’ with them as you line up to enter MDX House.

This way, they’ll remember your face, and they will be able to spot you in a crowd later.

This might not sound great, but it’s perfect for those wondering drinkers who like to adventure and get into trouble.

It could never hurt to have a packet of tissues on you during freshers.

It could be for a spilled drink, or to wipe up the little icky left on someone’s chin after having a bit

TO 2019

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Find a list of all welcome month parties and activities on MDXSU.com too much to drink, but tissues are definitely a handy thing to have on you when on a night out.

Plasters - No one ever has one when someone needs them, so why don’t you be the savior and bring them along?

Be the prepared one and save someone’s battered feet, or bleeding fingers.

My last little tip for you potential party goers: get yourself a little disposable camera.

Okay, so it’s not an essential, nor will it really help you survive the chaos that is freshers. But it will help you to remember the things

you cannot after a little alcohol induced amnesia.

The best part is that with disposable cameras, you can’t delete the photo after. You’re capturing the moment in its truest form.

Plus, it’ll make a good laugh amongst your fiends once the photos are developed.

And that’s it.

Those are my tips and tricks to surviving Freshers at Middlesex, tried and tested throughout the years by someone who has attended (almost) all the parties and events Welcome Month has to offer.

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An Idiots Guide To:

Running A Successful Society or Student Group

Petria Koumi (health correspondent) gives some useful tips for students who’ve just made it into a society committee. She has been a committee member for several societies during her two years at Middlesex, including: Vice President of the Burlesque and Circus Society, Finance Officer of the Harry Potter Society, Inclusions Officer at RAG. She also acts as the Chair of the Student Groups Executive Committee.

What does it take to run a successful society?

Before that can be answered, you need to ask yourself, what does it mean to be ‘successful’?

Let’s imagine you were part of the rock-climbing society (there isn’t one at MDX but how cool would that be?!), and as a team you will enter rock climbing competitions.

If all you do is practice, over and over until your arms ache, is that a society?

Seeing your ‘team mates’ only to speak about your practice, is that a society?

Or is having a sense of family what makes a society? Having trust and love for those you meet at least once a week to do something you love, is that what makes a society?

At the foundation of every society is their committee.

Before even beginning to introduce your new freshers and existing members to each other, a good level of teamwork and trust needs to be established between the committee.

If the committee are always arguing, that will be mirrored by the members, and a bad atmosphere is never fun!

Introduce the members to each other.

Creating a fun and light welcome event at the start of term will give the new members a chance to get to know each other in a relaxed environment.

The first event does not need to be too heavy with information.

Use this as an opportunity to have some fun whilst learning about the society.

Allow yourself to make mistakes.

Being on the committee for several societies in all three years of study at Middlesex, I learned that running a society is no piece of cake.

There will be times when things don’t go right, people you relied on let you down and sometimes you will want to give up, but don’t.

There is absolutely no way that you will get through the year without a hiccup or two, but don’t

blame yourself. This is normal, particularly while the committee are just starting to get the hang of things.

Be honest with your members when something hasn’t gone to plan, and don’t be afraid to ask them for help.

Remember to enjoy the experience.

Running a successful society is

also about giving yourself praise for what you achieve, and having fun along the way!

Fill every meeting with passion and enthusiasm and your members will do so too.

This is definitely key during freshers week!

Make an impression and there will be a queue waiting to sign up.

There is absolutely no way that you will get through the year without a hiccup or two...

It is important that you stay organised throughout the year.

Plan events in advance to allow enough time to prepare. Not only will this make your lives less stressful, but it will also give enough notice so that anyone who wants to attend can.

If you’re a society that requires a lot of rehearsal, make sure to schedule in some social events throughout the year, so that everyone can have some down time together.

I learnt that running a society is no piece of cake ...

PHOTOGRAPHY FROM ABIGAIL KEENAN VIA UNSPLASH

Culture

SEPTEMBER 2019 | ISSUE 3

FAT WALLET + THIN WAIST + GOOD HEALTH = PROSPEROUS LIFE

HOW TO SURVIVE IN LONDON ON A STUDENT BUDGET. Katya Turikova gives her top tips and advice on how to live well in London on a student-sized budget.

“The chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken.” - Warren Buffet If I’ve learned anything in my lifetime, it is that life is an accumulation of habits.

I don’t know about you, but I want to be financially literate. I want to be someone who manages their finances well, who’s financially prosperous.

Starting today, I plan on diligently and intentionally budgeting, and respecting and approaching my finances wisely. If you’re clever, you’ll join me on this journey of financial self-discovery.

1

Keep an eye on your finances.

Save your receipts and document your monthly expenses. That includes the quick coffee you grabbed on your way to class!

You will then be able to see where your money is really going and properly confront yourself about your spending.

2

Plan all your meals in advance.

Map out all your meals for the week before you go grocery shopping. Try and plan to invest in cheaper foods that last longer, like

rice, pasta and frozen peas, or my personal favourite, buckwheat.

That way you can even plan out your veggies so that they don’t have to be thrown away (common student problem). You’ll be able to get lean, fit and healthy, plus your wallet will thank you!

3

Find ways to organise your money.

Mobile apps such as Yolt, Spending Tracker and Money Dashboard are really useful for actively keeping track of your personal finances. Alternatively, you can create your own spreadsheet, or even use calculators such as UCAS budget calculator. It’s important that you make yourself aware of every penny that goes in and out of each of your accounts.

4

Stay positive.

This might seem cliché or cheesy, but I find that sometimes mantras can help me keep my spirits high.

Little optimistic and inspiring phrases make me feel strong and supported. Find something that works for you and keeps you optimistic about a future of budgeting!

5

Always pay your bills first.

There’s a saying that ‘good things happen when you set your priorities straight’. Putting your most important payments first, such as

rent and utility bills, means that you’ll know exactly how much you have left over to use as spending money. (Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t do this right away though. I’ve been trying this myself for years, and I still haven’t quite got the hang of it every month!)

6

Keep your eyes open for deals and discounts.

There are so many opportunities for students to get discounted products or deals. Get yourself a TOTUM card and check out all the deals that come with that. Make sure you take your student card with you everywhere just in case they offer student discount. Take advantage of every opportunity to save and get a deal. It might seem small at the time, but little actions repeated consistently over time create big results!

7

Switch to cash.

If you need help disciplining your spending on your contactless card, try taking out cash for the week. Plan how much you’ll need and only allow yourself to spend that much. (I’ve realized that when I see cash physically decrease in my wallet, it creates a reaction in me that tapping my card doesn’t.

I actually realise the weight and effect of my spending when it’s in notes and pennies.)

8

Stick to necessities.

Grocery shopping should only include essential items. Cut takeaways out of your life, and ditch those coffee-shop buys! Doing this will impact significant change in your financial life. And then when you do occasionally want to treat yourself, you’ll have the money for something really special.

9

Take advantage of all the free opportunities on your doorstep.

In London, there are so many things you can do during the day for free! Museums, libraries, outings, parks. Even some events and workshops on Eventbrite are completely free to attend. We live in a city full of opportunities to network, go out, meet people, do things, have the time of your life, and all without spending a penny.

10

Don’t be afraid.

Bite the bullet and actually read your bank statements. Notice what you did well, and what you can improve on. Admit to yourself where you need to grow and become more financially mature with your handling of money. If a problem is left unacknowledged then, just like a mould, it will continue to grow and grow, until it gets so out of hand that you can’t ignore it anymore.

19

20

Science & Tech

SEPTEMBER 2019 | ISSUE 3

Middlesex win Innovation Award at robotics competition final hosted in France Eurobot is an international amateur robotics competition which challenges contestants to create autonomous robots that can perform specific tasks. In 2019, Middlesex University’s robotics team, Brainstorm, competed in the Eurobot finals held in La Roche-sur-Yon in France. Johnathan McGrath-Osborne covered the event.

Middlesex University’s Brainstorm team consisted of six students: Artur Graczyk, Camille Croci, Chibuike Okpaluba, Muhammad Ali Hussain Javed, Szymon Klimek and Szymon Malecki.

PHOTOGRAPHY FROM PLANETE SCIENCES

Middlesex University’s robotics team, Brainstorm, were given a special prize for innovation at the Eurobot 2019 finals.

The task was to programme a robot which could identify and pick up different coloured picks without bumping into other robots in the process.

While they did not win the overall competition, the judges had high praise for the innovative use of a robot operating system as opposed to traditional programming language.

Further standouts were a powerful Latte Panda circuit board and a single pull cord system to wirelessly control the competing robots.

The competition was vast with over 200 teams competing from institutions throughout the world.

Brainstorm were identified as one of the few institutions who allows students to compete in the competition outside of their academic course.

Alongside this award, Brainstorm managed to place in the top 20 teams at the end of the competition.

Brainstorm stated that they were able to benefit from the competition despite not winning overall.

The team were able to obtain high value sponsorships from Rapid Electronics and Maxon Motor, which will enable them to complete higher quality work for future competitions.

They hope that it will also provide a pulling factor for bringing new Middlesex students into the fold, which will enable the passing of the torch for future competition strategies.

The team have stated that they believe it was the combination of students with various backgrounds, including computer science and robots, which enabled them to win this recent prize.

Michael Heeney, Technical Tutor of Physical Computing at Middlesex University and a Eurobot committee member, commented on the team’s “fantastic departmental and collaborative effort” and “novel uses of technology” which contributed to their success in the competition and played a large part in the decision to award them this prize.

Middlesex University is not only a competitor in the Eurobot competition but is also acting as Official National Organizing Committee and, in April 2019, hosted the UK Eurobot Finals.

ONCONANO GROUP STUDENTS A “HEAD Natalie Rose sits down with some of the members of OncoNano Research Group at Middlesex University to discuss their aims and achievements so far.

The OncoNano Research Group was founded in 2018 by a small group of PhD students at Middlesex University. Their aim was to set up a platform for research students to share knowledge and news, and to encourage more students to undertake research.

In August 2019, we sat down with them to discuss how they felt their first year had gone, and what they have planned for the year ahead.

The interview was led by Fahim Hayat, one of the founding members of the group and a PhD student at the university, looking at antibiotics resistance research using nanoparticles. With him was Nakul Patel and Nirusha Weerasinghe, two more of the original members. The final member, Amrinder Singh, was not present.

Fahim was immeasurably proud when he introduced the group to us, and he passionately described the story of their founding. “There was no communication between students,” he explained, “so we thought it’d be a good idea to get together and do something that can set up a platform.”

The platform was intended for newly graduated students, or undergraduates, who were considering future participation in research, or thinking about doing a PhD. To create this platform, the group began publishing newsletters to send out to students.

“The reason for newsletters was to put out news of whatever was happening within the department or within Middlesex University,” Fahim explained. “We were doing that for a year before we realised we were giving more information out than actual news, so we thought we would change it to a magazine.”

In May 2019, the group released the first issue of their magazine, Research Matters, which replaced

their monthly newsletters. Students can access it by signing up to receive a PDF copy via email.

Alternatively, all of the OncoNano Research Group’s newsletters and magazines are archived in print copy in the Sheppard Library (Hendon campus).

The group were proud to boast of the magazine’s success so far.

“Each magazine has been read by other 3,000 people,” Fahim explained, excitedly showing us this data on his computer. “This morning, looking at it, we’ve got 3,700 reads on our third magazine.”

Inside each magazine is a wealth of information for students, including an insight into the life of a PhD student, details of what work a PhD might require, and much more.

The group present it in a way “that even the school kids will be looking at it and reading it to see what it’s like to be a scientist or what it’s like to be an economist.”

The magazine also marks a significant change of audience for the group.

Initially, the group aimed itself

at science-related fields, which is why the name OncoNano was chosen, to reflect the members interests in oncology and nanotechnology.

The decision to focus on these fields came from a collective fear of failure, as Fahim says that they “thought [they] might not get support from other people.”

However, the support they’ve received has been “enormous”, leading them to want to rebrand the group entirely so that they “will read more students and hopefully cross disciplines as well.”

This rebrand is planned for Christmas 2019, and will include a change of name and logo.

The group also hope to continue running their events alongside the magazine.

Some of the events they have run in the past include My Research Story, which they are hoping to continue in the year ahead, and other workshops and seminars for undergraduates. They also hosted a talk at the STEM Festival this year.

Science & Tech

SEPTEMBER 2019 | ISSUE 3

GIVES START”

21

ADD A LITTLE ‘PEPPER’ TO YOUR LIFE

PHOTOGRAPHY FROM MARÍA JOSÉ MORALES

AN INTRODUCTION TO A NEW COLUMN BY TIMUR SELIM Timur Selim follows Middlesex University’s very own AI robot Pepper around campus to see what they’ve been up to.

PHOTOGRAPHY FROM THE ONCONANO RESEARCH GROUP

They were particularly proud of the My Research Story series, claiming that “it helped a lot of people.” They bragged of a specific success story of a research student who spoke at one of the events, and at a following event claimed that it had helped her so much that she no longer needed mental health support.

They also talk to students who are interested in finding out more about research or PhD studies, and invite anyone in this category to “come in for a coffee” and they will have an informal chat about the realistic expectations of a research student.

The success of the group, they explained, is down to their wide range of experience.

“And also, I think,” Fahim said, “we are reaching a platform that’s never been done. As a group we create some amazing stuff that usually you would see as something that has been created by someone really professional.” In his opinion, at the core of the group is a knowledge that “as well as helping

others, it’s very important to have skills in time management, leadership and development.”

The interview ended with their wishes for the future.

“I think, working as a group, we have changed things for all PhD students,” they told us. “We’ve set up that standard, and we hope that standards will stay here after we leave.”

In particular, they hope that the levels of communication and student engagement will continue to increase at the rate they have seen over the past year.

In an inspiring tone, Fahim drove through his message: “Look, it’s there. Take part in it, and it will make you look better, as well as developing your own skills.”

The associate members hope to be completing their PhDs in roughly a year.

Following this, they aim to continue to try to set up a multi-disciplinary platform for information sharing between students.

One side of the university that only a few students get to see is the activity inside the Ritterman building. In that building, in one lab, there is a very special project that has been going on at Middlesex for the last three years.

Pepper is a robot that can recognise facial expressions and focuses on building relationships with people by using its ability to detect emotions.

Although Pepper is out of service till the academic year begins, let’s have a quick recap of what she

has achieved so far.

In 2017, the Psychology department and the Science and Technology faculty collaborated, which saw Pepper running a mindfulness class. This was open to any student who had applied to Middlesex University through clearing, informing them how they can remain calm through the process in a novel way.

Possibly Pepper’s largest achievement to date was giving evidence on AI at the House of Commons last year. They spoke about how it can improve lives, most notably for education.

Pepper gave an account of how she has worked with primary school children and helped them

learn mathematics, as well as how she can be used to comfort elderly people.

Pepper also travels with her team to different events such as New Scientist Live and WorldSkills in Birmingham to represent Middlesex. Here Pepper dances, hugs and can even be tickled.

At certain events you could also see Pepper on campus, such as the STEM Festival, where anyone can approach them.

There is much more to come though as we go into the next academic year. I will be keeping track of Pepper and her monthly activities to let you know where you can find her and what she is up to.

22

Sports

SEPTEMBER 2019 | ISSUE 3

Sports

SEPTEMBER 2019 | ISSUE 3

THE UNDISPUTED CHAMPIONS MIDDLESEX WINS AGAINST LSBU IN VARSITY

MDX MAKES IT TO THE OLYMPICS

CHAMPIONSHIP FOR THIRD YEAR RUNNING

Men’s Basketball “fought neck and neck to the last second” but the MDX team “narrowly missed out on the victory.” *

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MALCOLM BOYD

Lily Ferreira interviewed Cyrille to find out how significant his time at Middlesex has been in this journey.

In 2019, Cyrille Tchatchet II made the list of refugee athletes awarded with a scholarship by the International Olympic Committee.

This scholarship gives him the opportunity to train and take part of national and international competitions.

Cyrille felt proud to be an example that being a refugee “does not make you less of an athlete”.

Cyrille has had a difficult past. His fear of deportation and his low self-esteem have all threatened to drag him into depression.

Yet, with the support from friends, family and nurses, he managed to overcome these challenges.

His decision to go back to studying was due to a desire to “give back” to the community that had helped

him.

Middlesex University was an “excellent choice” according to Cyrille.

This was based on the success of our nursing courses and sports teams.

He said that he had been looking for a university that could facilitate his interests in both academics and sports, and that Middlesex University was ideal for this.

Giving up weightlifting had never crossed his mind and Middlesex was the only university that offered a nursing course and a weightlifting club that he could be part of.

* Quoted from the Sport & Recreation Newsletter - May 2019

In April 2019, Middlesex University competed against London South Bank University in the Varsity Championship for the third consecutive year. Huzaifa Hareeri reports on the event.

Despite the nature of the sport, Cyrille describes himself as “calm” and “shy”, with a “polite” nature.

He was drawn towards nursing because of the reward of making “a difference in somebody’s life”.

For the final project in his course, he investigated the effects of physical exercise on depression and the role of the mental health nurse.

He now holds an offer to pursue a master’s course from Middlesex University where he can develop his research in this field.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ZOE RANFORD

Cyrille Tchatchet II is a recent graduate from Middlesex University’s. Following a year of success in the MDX Weightlifting Team, he made the list of favourites for the Olympic Games 2020.

23

Middlesex University won the 2019 Varsity Championship against London South Bank University for the third year running.

Middlesex University won nine out of thirteen competitive matches. These were held across ten venues, spanning over two days.

The Varsity Championship contains a series of sporting events that occur over a few days. At the end of the event, the team that won the most matches wins the championship.

Middlesex University has been competing against London South Bank University since 2016.

The event opened with a tie breaker at the Men’s Futsal Match. It came down to penalties, where Middlesex’s team narrowly won with 3-2.

Meanwhile, the Men’s Basketball team went into their match in outstanding form, having won the last 12 competitive matches on the bounce. They failed to bring home the win though, narrowly losing the match by 3 points.

The conclusion of the first day left both Universities head to head with wins.

The second day began with two wins for Middlesex University, as the Mixed Badminton team and Women’s Rugby team dominated their matches.

The Middlesex Badminton team defeated LSBU with the final score of 7-2. In the Rugby Match, Middlesex obliterated LSBU’s team under the leadership of their captain, Summer White. Their final score was 41-10.

Lauren Stansbury was selected as the star performer of the match.

She credited their coach, Michael New, for this success.

dlesex team suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of LSBU with the final score of 26-85, making LSBU winner of both Men’s and Women’s Basketball matches.

At the end of the Women’s Basketball match, Middlesex and LSBU were neck and neck with both the teams winning 4 matches a piece with 5 more matches to be played.

Women’s Football and Women’s Netball was next, where LSBU managed to even out the playing field by taking home two out of three wins.

The day concluded with another victory for Middlesex at the Trampoline Match.

Their Football team won against the Middlesex team with a bitter sore 3-1. Meanwhile, the Netball team managed to score one win for Middlesex, narrowly scraping just above LSBU in the first match.

But then LSBU dominated in the second, leaving the home team with a score of 31-49.

While the netball matches were going on, there was the Women’s Basketball Match where the Mid-

What followed was a wave of victories from Middlesex teams.

This included the Men’s Rugby team with the score 57-10, the Men’s Football team with the score of 3-1, and the Mixed Hockey Team who won a closely contested match with the final score of 2-1.

This made the final score of the Varsity Championship 9-4 in favour of Middlesex University.

The event itself was a massive success for the Sports Office at Middlesex University, who have spent the last few months organising it.

Particular mention goes to Taiwo Oniti, the Sports Development Officer, and his team for being instrumental in these arrangements.

24

Sports

SEPTEMBER 2019 | ISSUE 3

SPORTS TRYOUTS “Being part of a sports team at Middlesex really makes the experience; you keep fit, learn something new, take your stress out and you make friends for life...” * Our editorial team have pulled together a list of all the sports teams and their tryout dates happening during Welcome Week, 23rd - 27th Sept 2019.

SAW: Unsure of what activities you want to do? Try the Social Activities Sport held every Wednesday 1pm to 6:30pm at the 3G Pitches, MACS, and MDX House Terrace starting from Wednesday 2nd October.

Athletics: Tues 24th and Thurs 26th 6:308:30pm at Copthall / Allianz Park.

Badminton (Men’s): Mon 23rd 6-8pm at Crest Academy (H2).

Follow on Instagram @mdxbadminton Basketball: Women’s: Mon 23rd 8-10pm at Crest Academy (H2) and Thurs 26th 6-8pm at Wren Academy.

Men’s: Tues 24th 8-10pm at Crest Academy (H2) and Thurs 26th 8-10pm at Wren Academy.

Follow on Facebook @mdxwomensbasketball or Instagram @ mdxladyballers / @mdxmensbball Boxing: Wed 25th and Fri 27th Sept 5-7pm at Knowlesy Academy.

Cheerleading: Mon 23rd 7-10pm at St James.

Follow on Facebook and Instagram @mdxcheer Cheer Pom Dance: Wed 25th 6:30-8pm in the Fitness Studio.

Follow on Instagram @mdxpomdance or Facebook @MDX Vortex - Cheer Pom Cricket: Fri 27th 7-9pm at Wren Academy.

Follow on Instagram @mdx_cricket Dance Team: Wed 25th 8-10pm in the Fitness Studio.

Follow on Facebook @MDXDANCETEAM18 or Instagram @ mdxdanceteam Football: Mon 23rd 6-9:30pm on the 3G Pitches.

Follow on Instagram @mdxunifootball / @mdxuniwomensfootball Futsal: Men’s: Tues 24th 8-10pm at Copthal Leisure Centre and Thurs 26th 8-10pm at Crest Academy (H1). Women’s: Thurs 26th 6-8pm at Crest Academy (H1).

Follow on Instagram @mdx_futsal

Handball: Tues 24th 6-8pm at Crest Academy (H1).

Follow on Facebook and Instagram @mdxhandball Hockey (Mixed): Wed 26th at Harrow Hockey Club.

(Time to be confirmed, contact the Sports Office for further information.)

Follow on Facebook @MiddlesexUniversityHockey or Instagram @ mdxhockey Judo: Beginner / Intermediate: Mon 23rd 6-8pm in CG14. Advanced: Thurs 26th 7:30-9:30pm in the Fitness Studio.

Follow on Instagram @mdx_judo Karate: Mon 23rd or Tues 24th 7:309:30pm in the Fitness Studio.

Follow on Facebook and Instagram @mdxkarate Lacrosse: Men’s: Tues 24th 7-8:30pm on the 3G Pitches. Women’s: Thurs 26th 5:30-7pm on the 3G Pitches.

Mixed: Fri 27th 5:30-7pm on the 3G Pitches.

Follow on Instagram @mdxlacrosse / @mdxrevolution Netball (Women’s): Mon 23rd 6-8pm at Crest Acade-

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ZOE RANFORD

my (H1).

Follow on Instagram @mdxnetball Pool: Tues 24th and Fri 27th 6-7:30pm in the Hurrican Rooms. (Trials will run in MDX House, contact the Sports Office for more information.)

Rugby Union: Mon 23rd at Hendon Rugby Club / Allianz Park. Women’s: 6:30-8pm.

Men’s: 8-9:30pm.

Follow on Facebook @mdxrugbymens and Instagram @mdxwomensrugby / @mdxmensrugby Real Tennis: Please contact the Real Tennis Centre on 020 8411 6768 for more information about student trials/ training times.

Visit their website murtc.co.uk Squash: Wed 25th 3-5pm at Finchley Manor.

Table Tennis: Tues 24th 6-8pm at Copthal Leisure Centre.

Follow on Facebook and Instagram @MDXTableTennis Tennis: Mon 23rd 6:30pm-9:30pm and Thurs 26th 6:30-8:30pm at the

MACS. Follow on Instagram @mdxtennis Taekwando: Tues 24th 7-9pm and Wed 25th 6-8pm in CG14.

Add as a Friend on Facebook @ Middlesex Tae Kwon Do Trampolining: Thurs 26th at St James. Beginners / Intermediate: 6-7:30pm. Advanced: 7:30-9pm.

Follow on Instagram @mdxtrampolineclub Volleyball: Women’s: Tues 24th 6-8pm at St James. Men’s: Tues 24th 8-10pm at St James. Mixed: Thurs 26th 8-10pm at St James.

Follow on Instagram @mdxvolleyball Weightlifting: In the Fitness Pod Gym. Beginners: Wed 25th 6-7:30pm. Advanced / Mixed: Mon 23rd 6:30-8pm. Intermediate / Advanced: Wed 25th 7:30-9pm.

Follow on Instagram @mdxweightlifting

* Quoted: Summer White, 23, Women’s Rugby Team & International Tourism Management student.

FOR MORE INFO, VISIT THE SPORTS DESK IN THE BASEMENT OF MDX HOUSE