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FRESHERS 2016 | FREE
STUDENTS’ UNION
OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF STUDENTS’ UNION ROYAL HOLLOWAY
EDITOR Holly Pyne DEPUTY EDITOR Louise Jones
THIS ISSUE
SUBEDITOR Rosalie Falla NEWS Anna Robinson Paco Tijdink COMMENT Abbie Cheeseman Cemre Camuz FEATURES Yasmeen Frasso Tomike Adeniji LIFESTYLE Annie Pantry Elizabeth Rosenberg ARTS Joanne Archer Beth Carr SPORT & SOCIETIES Jess Hines Alice Reynolds OPERATIONS Nebiu Samuel
THE UNION
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AN ODE TO SA Zara talks about her experiences with SA.
THE SHH BUS
The easiest and safest way to get home.
THE SABBS
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NATASHA
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LAURA
President of Education and Campaigns.
Co-President of Welfare and Diversity.
PHOTOGRAPHY Cameron James Seymour ONLINE Imogen Trinder MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA Emma Halahan ADVERTISING Hannah Foord EVENTS & TRAINING Georgia Austin CO-PRESIDENT SOCIETIES & MEDIA Pippa Gentry COVER PHOTOGRAPHY Jessie Beach-Thomas ADDRESS Media Suite, Students’ Union, Royal Holloway University of London, TW20 0EX TEL +44 1784 276 744 EMAIL editor@theorbital. co.uk WEBSITE theorbital.co.uk
THE SABBS
MEDIA
PIPPA
of Societies 16 10 Co-President and Media.
STEFF
of Sport 12 Co-President and Development.
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RHUBARB
Joanne Archer talks to station manager, Jon.
INSANITY
An interview with station manager, Charlotte.
September 2016
Royal Holloway Student Magazine | ORBITAL
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WELCOME
A warm welcome to the Students’ Union from the President (Education and Campaigns), Natasha Barrett.
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o you’ve just arrived at Royal Holloway, it’s probably slightly nerve wracking but mostly exciting and you are probably trying to juggle picking a society to join, understanding how your department works and looking for the cheapest place to buy lunch.
that reason my main piece of advice would be to throw yourself into everything: try new things whenever you can, talk to plenty of new people because you will continue to make friends every year and just don’t rule anything out. You never know what new hobby or passion you might discover until you try it and if you hate That said, first year is it, you never have to do it absolutely brilliant and you again, so you have nothing will have an amazing time to lose! whether your focus is joining a sports club, partying every It’s important to remember night or finding a great spot that life exists outside of on campus to relax with a Egham – our campus is one good book. The great thing of the most friendly and about our university is that comfortable places I’ve lived there are a million different in but as with any university, ways to make the most of it sometimes you need a and find the experience that weekend away to gain some suits you best. perspective. I think most people would say they’ve changed a lot during their time here, it’s a part of your life when you do a lot of growing up and personal development. For
Finally, I think the biggest thing I wish I knew when I first started at Royal Holloway is not to panic when things change. Starting university in itself is an enormous change,
but you will also pursue new activities and roles every year or even every term, your friends will vary over time, you might lose a few but you’ll also consistently meet lovely people. Basically it’s important to keep in mind that new experiences may seem scary but usually you’ll look back on them fondly. Make sure to drop by the SU at some point to meet your sabbatical officers; myself, Pippa (VP Socs and Media), Steff (VP Sports and Development) and Laura (VP Welfare and Diversity). Our job is to make sure you have the best possible student experience and we are always happy to offer advice or listen to any ideas you may want to see implemented at your union.
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ORBITAL | Royal Holloway Student Magazine
CHEER
Credited to Jessie Beach-Thomas
AN ODE TO STUDENT ACTIVITIES Zara Gillick talks about why it is important to get involved with sports, societies or media.
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etting involved in Student Activities was simply the best decision I made here at university. I went through my first year struggling to fit in and find something beyond lectures to get involved with. However, going into second year, I found myself being elected onto a society committee, as well as deciding to join a sports team- I’m not even
any good at sport! Not only did this help me to find a niche and have a lot of new and fun experiences, but it also allowed me to make new friends and helped me to gain so much more confidence; not to mention bulking out my CV! It’s not always easy to put yourself out there. I’m the first to say that arriving at uni can be a very overwhelming experience.
But the lifeblood of the university experience of many people is the Student Activities department and all of the societies and sports who work as hard as they can to be inclusive, representative and most of all, fun. With 3 Media outlets, over 30 sports clubs and 40 societies, there is bound to be something to get stuck in to here at Royal Holloway. Zara Gillick
September 2016
Royal Holloway Student Magazine | ORBITAL
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THE SSHH BUSES
Joanne Archer explains what this service is and why these vehicles will be your saviours for the next three years.
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hat is the Sshh Bus?
The Sshh Bus is a non-profit scheme set up by the SU to provide students with a safe alternative to walking home. The buses pick up students from outside the SU and Medicine on function nights and transport them to their homes, be it Kingswood Halls, Englefield or Egham. The ‘Sshh’ in Sshh Bus stands for Silent Students, Happy Homes and not only helps with student safety, but ensuring residents in the local area are not as disturbed by the noise of students making their way
home. The bus will transport students to anywhere within a three-mile radius.
How do you use the service?
Tickets can be purchased from either the SU, medicine or Kingswood’s 8Bar9 at the price of £1. You can The drivers are students also buy a pass at the start employed by the Students Union. To get a job as a Sshh of the year for £20 which I would highly recommend as bus driver you must have it saves the hassle of having passed your test at least 2 to worry about saving £1 years prior to applying and hold a clean record. The Sshh for the end of each night out and guarantees you can get bus service runs until all students and staff have been home safely. It’s definitely a better option than walking taken home so, if you ever find yourself as a passenger, home alone. remember how long they have been driving intoxicated Make sure you make the most of it in the next three students home and treat them like the saints they are. years, you won’t regret it. Who are the drivers?
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ORBITAL | Royal Holloway Student Magazine
NATASHA
BARRETT
Louise Jones talks to the President, Education and Campaigns, about her plans for the year ahead.
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hat changes can students look forward to
hearing about? The biggest change people can look forward to is definitely the refurbishment of the SU building. It’ll allow a lot more social space and a streamlined help desk to avoid students being bounced between offices. We also have a massive range of plans we are working on as a sabb team that will be announced soon! What are you most looking forward to doing this academic year? I’m most looking forward to meeting new students and creating productive relationships with them that allow us to make positive change. How are you feeling now that you are well and truly settled into your roles? It’s still a little scary and hard to
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I think it’s important to remember that things may not be exactly what you expect from day one but give it time.” comprehend but I am mostly just massively excited! Really looking forward to this year.
In short, briefly outline what your role is for those who don’t know? My role is President and I deal specifically with education and campaigns which means my objectives are centred on academia but also lobbying the university to make sure student voices and suggestions are heard and accurately represented. What is the best piece of Fresher’s advice you can give? In my freshers’ week, I don’t
think I went out as much as most people. It took me a while to settle in but by my second week I was having the best time, I’d made great friends and I was spending time with them most evenings. I think it’s important to remember that things may not be exactly what you expect from day one but give it time because the experience will ultimately be fantastic. Where are you located and when are you available for students to come and visit you? I will be located upstairs in the SU building, students are very welcome to email me or drop by with queries but I will also be setting aside a specific time every week to make sure I’m available for chats. Visit www.su.rhul.ac.uk to learn more about the Sabbatical officers.
NATASHA
Credited to Jessie Beach-Thomas
LAURA
Credited to Jessie Beach-Thomas
September 2016
Royal Holloway Student Magazine | ORBITAL
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LAURA
LEWIS
Louise Jones talks to the Co-President, Welfare and Diversity, about what you can expect from her role.
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My role focuses on student welfare and promoting inclusivity on campus, so making hearing about? sure students are well The entire Union is being resupported and well branded and reconfigured to make it easier for students to represented during access our services, so it’s going their time here.” hat changes can students look forward to
to be much easier for students to get involved with the SU and also get the support they need while they’re at Royal Holloway. What are you most looking forward to doing this academic year? I’m really excited to build our Mental Health campaign, especially since we’ve just elected our first ever Mental Health Board who are going to play a big part in running new and different campaigns surrounding Mental Health.
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How are you feeling now that you are well and truly settled into your roles? It’s been really fun planning all of the things we want to do in our roles this year, so I’m looking forward to the start of term when we can start meeting everyone around campus! In short, briefly outline what your role is for those who don’t know? My role focuses on student welfare and promoting inclusivity on campus, so making sure students are well supported and
well represented during their time here. What is the best piece of Fresher’s advice you can give? Make sure you go to lots of different events to see all the ways you can get involved in the Union! Not everything will work for you, but there’s something for everyone. Where are you located and when are you available for students to come and visit you? We’re located upstairs in the SU, and people are welcome to come in any time for a chat. Otherwise, you can email me at VPWelfare@su.rhul.ac.uk! Visit www.su.rhul.ac.uk to learn more about the Sabbatical officers, and their roles at the Students’ Union.
PIPPA
Credited to Jessie Beach-Thomas
September 2016
Royal Holloway Student Magazine | ORBITAL
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PIPPA
GENTRY
Louise Jones talks to the Co-President, Societies and Media, and learns how she is feeling about what is to come.
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hat changes can students look forward to
hearing about? The staff and I, with the help of our new Passport and Employability Coordinator, are taking big steps to improve the employability of students so you can look forward to more development opportunities, more careers focussed activities, and more networking opportunities, hopefully all working together towards brighter futures for our graduates! What are you most looking forward to doing this academic year? We ratified loads of new societies last year so I’m really looking forward to see them develop over the year, see their ideas realised, and hopefully help them to be really successful societies that will last for years to come. I’m doing a lot of work
around RAG this year so I’m really looking forward to seeing the positive outcomes of the changes we’re making in regards to our charity fundraising efforts. How are you feeling now that you are well and truly settled into your roles? We’ve learned so much over the summer and have got to spend a lot of time planning out our objectives for the year so right now I just feel really excited – really excited for the year ahead, really excited to meet all of the new students, and really excited to see some of my manifesto points to come into fruition!
What is the best piece of Fresher’s advice you can give? Obviously I’m biased, but the best piece of advice I could give a new student is to get involved with the SU. My involvement in clubs and societies really shaped my time here and I had more fantastic experiences, and made more amazing friends, than I ever could have wished for.
Where are you located and when are you available for students to come and visit you? We’re all located in the open plan office on the top floor of the SU and free for a chat In short, briefly outline should anyone wish to pop in. I what your role is for those am also contactable via email who don’t know? As Co-President of Societies and at vpsocieties@su.rhul.ac.uk. Looking forward to meet you all! Media, it is my job to look after our society groups, our three Visit www.su.rhul.ac.uk media outlets and our RAG. It’s my job to be a voice for students to learn more about the in regards to issues surrounding Sabbatical officers and their societies and media on campus. roles at the Students’ Union.
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STEFF
MILNE
Louise Jones talks to the Co-President, Sports and Development, about student experience and involvement with the SU.
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hat changes can students look forward to
hearing about? Firstly the SU building layout has changed! There will now be a shiny new help desk upstairs where students can come to get all the answers to any questions they have and to seek any help they need! Student Opportunities is growing and with the addition of more staff and lots of new ideas, Student groups are now better supported than ever before! For Sport in Particular Sarah, our new Sports Clubs Coordinator is a great addition to the team! In short it’s going to be a great year! What are you most looking forward to doing this academic year? I am really looking forward to Freshers’ Festival and meeting all the new students as they get involved with the SU! This year I want to focus
on unifying our Sports Clubs and Societies implementing a scheme where we facilitate collaborations between specific Sports Clubs and Societies from the outset and help with the planning of events to develop a broader Student Opportunities experience for members. Also, I am super excited that our Bears will finally have a Varsity! Watch this space Surrey!
Clubs and Societies to get involved with! The Development part of my role allows me to improve opportunities for members to get involved with volunteering, coaching and officiating throughout their time here to increase their skills within sport! What is the best piece of Fresher’s advice you can give? Get out and get involved in as many events and taster sessions as you possibly can! We have some awesome events and showcases lined up this year so there really is something for everyone!
How are you feeling now that you are well and truly settled into your roles? I’m definitely feeling increasingly more excited by the day! I am going to make the most of every day as Co President Sports and Development because before we know it the year will be over! Where are you located and when are you available for In short, briefly outline students to come and visit what your role is for those you? who don’t know? Remember that shiny new help Essentially I am here to represent desk I mentioned earlier? I’m the Students of Royal Holloway located just behind there but both in meetings with College will be setting aside a number of and at a National Level. I also hours in my week to get out of help make sure our campus is the office and onto campus! more fun, with over 100 Sports
STEFF
Credited to Jessie Beach-Thomas
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ORBITAL | Royal Holloway Student Magazine
ORBITAL MAGAZINE
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escribe The Orbital in one sentence. The student magazine dedicated to providing RHUL students with a voice, and the opportunity to learn a variety of creative skills from journalistic writing to photography. How can people get involved? There are numerous ways! You can go to our website: www. theorbital.co.uk/getinvolved/ and fill out the form there, or send me an email at editor@ theorbital.co.uk. However, the easiest way is to visit us at the freshers’ fair! You can come talk to me or any member of the team and it is a great way to learn more about what we do. What can people get involved in? As the official Students’ Union magazine, our members can be journalists, photographers and designers. If you have enthusiasm and are interested in being a part of student conversation, we can find you a role that suits you.
What made you go for your role? I have been involved in The Orbital since first year. From there, I have been Comment Editor and Deputy Editor. It was a natural progression to run for the editor position. A big goal for me is to create a Science and Gaming section, which we will be launching after Christmas. I want more of our student body to be actively involved with the magazine. The section would use the knowledge of students and academics here at the university. What events do you run through the year? Events include launch nights for new issues of the magazines, and careers events, in which speakers from the journalism sector share their knowledge. These events also include networking opportunities for members so you can ask more specific questions and talk on a more personal basis with the professionals. Our training events include learning skills such as using InDesign software, learning media law and getting to
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EDITOR
Holly is the Editor the Students’ Union magazine
grips with photography. These events are free to our members and teach skills which can be used within the Orbital but are also beneficial for a wider use. What is your favourite Royal Holloway memory? Societies’ Ball last year was a great night, even if it did involve a nerve-racking speech from myself and previous Editor, Laura. It was a great way for us to celebrate the achievements of our members and the wonderful board of last year. Also, it is just a great night of eating, drinking and dancing; what’s not to love. It is a night every student should be involved in at least once! Biggest achievement of your media outlet? Last year’s redesign of our magazine and website. We won two highly commended awards at the Student Publications Awards 2016, one of which was for the design of our magazine. We’re in a great place moving forward; we can’t wait for the year ahead! Interview by Joanne Archer.
HOLLY
Stood in front of the magazine covers
JON O’SHEA
Showing off his amazing camera skills
September 2016
Royal Holloway Student Magazine | ORBITAL
RHUBARBTV
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escribe rhubarbTV in one sentence. Royal Holloway’s student TV station with a heart of gold and a sassy edge.
also introducing various teams this year: if you like creating posters or have ideas for the next big SU event, the Publicity Team is for you!
What made you go for your role of station How can people get manager? involved with rhubarbTV? Working as Head of Message our Facebook or Operations last year gave me Twitter pages, or talk to our a real insight into both the production board directly: strengths of rhubarbTV, as everyone is welcoming and well as what can be improved. friendly, and are happy to grab I went for so I can build on a coffee with you and chat the weaknesses identified about television or just general and with the new production life. board ensure rhubarbTV’s sustainability and growth. My What can people get aims for this year are to widen involved in? content variety, improve the Loads of things! There are overall organisational structure the typical television roles and develop our standing categorised as on-screen, for outside the university with example presenting and acting, more training opportunities, and off-screen, for example outreach projects and our producing and editing. We are public relations.
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Everyone is welcoming and friendly, and are happy to grab a coffee with you and chat about television or just general life.”
What events do you run through the year? We host many social events, both alcoholic and nonalcoholic, which anyone can join! We are looking to hold screenings of our content in the upcoming year, and we are
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STATION MANAGER
Jon runs the Television station on campus.
dedicated to ensuring we hold an SU takeover night! Also look out for the various events we will be holding during Freshers’ Week: it’s gonna be massive. (Jon O’Shea is also known by his official title “Lord of the Dance”, so Orbital will take his word for it!) If you were a halls of residence, which would you be and why? Founders! Would love to be a building with a dining hall, a picture gallery and a chapel: it’s just so practical. Biggest achievement of your media outlet? Rebuilding the outlet a couple of years ago due to having a dedicated team of individuals who sought to nurture the brand into a provider of both opportunities for members and a community of friends. What is your VK flavour of choice? Orange and Passion Fruit, always: it forever slays. Visit their channel at http:// bit.ly/rhubarbSub. Interview by Joanne Archer.
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ORBITAL | Royal Holloway Student Magazine
INSANITY RADIO
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escribe Insanity Radio in one sentence. A group of individuals driven by enthusiasm who vary in age, background, music taste and interests but united in a passion for radio broadcasting. How can people get involved in Insanity Radio? In any way possible! Facebook, Twitter, website, Royal Mail or carrier pigeon. What can people get involved in? Anything that is remotely related to radio, Insanity can offer. It could be on-air talent such as presenting a show of any variety- we’ve had Bhangra shows to German electronic hours. Or maybe behind-the-scenes work is more you, such as producing. There’s roles in the music team such as putting together our eclectic playlists, attending and reviewing concerts as well as interviewing artists.
Perhaps you enjoy planning events and club nights, or want to learn how to DJ. There’s the computing side as well, website design, social media, audio technology. If you’re a people person, perhaps marketing and advertising for the station would suit you. When we say we cater for everything, we mean everything! What made you go for the role of station manager? Insanity Radio became one of the most enjoyable and defining aspects of my university career. I’ve seen how individuals can flourish in both confidence and skill throughout student radio- I was one of them- and my single aim is to give future members the same, if not a better, experience that I’ve had. What events do you run through the year? We will be running our usual SU and Medicine Takeovers with our DJs showcasing their talents, branching out from our DJ workshops. We’ll also
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STATION MANAGER
Jon runs the Television station on campus.
continue our involvement in the community with radio workshops for children and raising money for local charities by running 24 hour radio marathons. What is your favourite Royal Holloway memory? It has to be the most recent open day where Insanity was playing out music. We were in the South Quad with the sun shining, there were some wonderfully random occurrences such as a petting zoo, curry stalls and selfie points: it was so quintessentially RoHo! Biggest achievement of your media outlet? Whilst we were playing out music at the Magna Carta Festival, an elderly man came up saying his wife loved our station and asked to take a picture to show her. It was little but really epitomised what Insanity Radio stands for. Visit www.insanityradio.com for more information. Interview by Joanne Archer
CHARLOTTE In the Insanity Radio 103.2FM studio
The Careers & Employability Service
Part-time Jobs Fair Wednesday 28th September Students’ Union 11:30am-2:30pm Careers & Employability
11:30am-2:30pm 28th September 2016
Students Union Our location and a plan of the campus map can be viewed on our website
For more information: Careers@rhul.ac.uk Royal Holloway, University of London Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX