November 2017

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AN INVISIBLE CRISIS? MENTAL HEALTH ON CAMPUS

OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF ROYAL HOLLOWAY STUDENTS’ UNION

ORBITAL BOARD EDITOR Abbie Cheeseman DEPUTY EDITOR Stephanie Bagnall

Inside This issue contains references to suicide, self harm and sexual assault throughout.

NEWS Maria Green Shannon Gray

FEATURES Dominic Barrett Amber Choudhary LIFESTYLE Victoria Chapman Chloe Buck ARTS Josip Martinčić Georgia Beith SPORTS & SOCIETIES Louisa Wicks Rebecca Owen SCIENCE & GAMING Clara Cohen Ryan Gulliford OPERATIONS Joanne Archer PHOTOGRAPHY Fab Piolini-Castle MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA Ruby Rogers SUB-EDITOR Sreeja Karanam ONLINE Beth Gooding DIGITAL Sarah Jane Oxley DESIGN Emma Halahan Michele Theil Cover Photography Fab Piolini-Castle Matthew Phillips ADDRESS Media Suite, Students’ Union, Royal Holloway University of London, TW20 0EX WEBSITE www.theorbital.co.uk

EDITORIAL

COMMENT Natasha Phillips Izzy Swanson

Abbie Cheeseman EDITOR

It’s the end of first term already?!

Time flies when you’re having daily meltdowns, eh? Well, on that note – welcome to our mental health edition.

In all seriousness, this issue tackles some incredibly important issues surrounding mental health. From student counselling services on campus, high functioning mental illness and the suicide statistic to how sport can be an incredible help to your mental health.

I’d like to take a second to say an enormous thank you to everybody that has contributed to this issue – be it articles, photography, digital, design or illustrations – everyone has pulled together to create one of the most beautiful Orbital Magazine’s I have ever seen.

Whilst the magazine does highlight some incredibly sensitive and difficult issues, we also have our regular lifestyle slots to keep the reading light. Check out your

Orbital Magazine is produced monthly by a team of student volunteers.

The magazine is published by Royal Holloway Students’ Union, but the views presented do not necessarily mirror those of RHSU or the editorial team.

If you would like to make a complaint or comment about our journalism, please contact the Editor, Abbie Cheeseman, on editor@theorbital.co.uk in the first instance.

Rohoroscopes and some winter fashion tips in Lifestyle!

This issue is particularly special to us as our chosen charity this year is the Cameron Grant Memorial Trust. Cameron was a student at Royal Holloway in 2014 when he completed suicide. His incredible family have created the trust in his name to raise awareness for young suicide and young people who are struggling with their mental health.

It’s an incredible charity that we are so proud to support and by dedicating an entire issue to the cause, we are hoping to do our bit in raising awareness.

On Tuesday 21st November we have a Mental Health & the Media panel. We will be discussing all aspects of mental health from student life to careers in the media and how the media portray mental health. It’s open to everyone so if this sounds like something that you’re interested in then please feel free to drop along.

On a final note before you tuck into the magazine, if you are struggling – don’t suffer in silence. There is help out there.

Have a lovely Christmas from everyone in the Orbital team and we’ll see you in the New Year!

ORBITAL CONTENTS DEBRIEF: Deputy Editor Stephanie Bagnall talks to Royal Holloway’s own Dr Will Jones to discuss his work with ‘Refugees Say’.

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ROHOROSCOPES What have the stars got in store for you this month?

Our resident mystic, Chloe Buck, predicts your life at Holloway for the next month.

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NECESSARY DISCOMFORT Louise Jones discusses Royal Holloway University’s recent win in the ‘UK’s Most Beautiful University’ competition.

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THE SUICIDE STATISTIC On behalf of the RHUL Mental Health Network, Emma Halahan discusses Royal Holloway’s choice to not keep the suicide statistic.

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HASHTAG SOLIDARITY Bethany Gooding looks at the recent allegations against Harvey Weinstein and the mass campaign that rose out of them.

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MENTAL HEALTH AT UNIVERSITY If you don’t feel like you are drowning at university, are you really doing it right? Abbie Cheeseman discusses.

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Beth Gooding talks about Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird and the news of a recent book ban that emerged out of a public school in Mississippi.

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ONLINE GAMING: REDEFINING SOCIAL INTERACTION Deputy Science & Gaming Editor Ryan Gulliford explores the significance of promoting social interaction in today’s games.

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KICKSTARTING MENTAL HEALTH Louisa Wicks talks to the presidents of Men’s and Women’s Football about mental health in football.

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ILLUSTRATION CREDIT: JAZ KAUR

RHUL NAMED MOST BEAUTIFUL

STUDENTS WIN TECH COMPETITION News Editor Maria Green reports on the team of five Royal Holloway students who won the Cisco University Challenge.

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team of five Royal Holloway students have won the Cisco University Challenge.

At the annual event, over 70 students from the UK’s top universities compete against each other in a two-day hackathon: a competition in which teams of developers build products to address a set of challenges.

This year, Royal Holloway sent two teams of students to Feltham to compete in the challenge that took place on the 26 – 27 October. The winning team, referred to as Team Shark, comprised of Megan Goh, Hugh Wells, Dulcie Jackson, Awen Saunders and Shaurya Puri.

The winning team’s entry to the competition was a programme called TrainShark, aimed at improving IT throughout the rail network in the UK. Their programme would allow train passengers to determine which carriage

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is least crowded before they board their train, made possible by using existing WiFi access points on the train to generate a relative ‘busyness score’. This score is represented in a user-friendly traffic light model, showing customers which carriage to board.

The topics of other teams’ challenges ranged from shopping to virtual reality.

The hacking time lasted only 24 hours, and the team worked tirelessly throughout the night to complete their challenge.

Upon being crowned the winners by Cisco’s expert judges, Team Shark were awarded an entire lab’s worth of Meraki equipment, including 6 APs, a firewall, two switches and an IP camera, as well as their individual prizes of an Amazon Echo Dot and a smartwatch each. •

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT: EMMA HALAHAN

ROYAL HOLLOWAY DECLARED ‘MOST BEAUTIFUL’

Louise Jones discusses Royal Holloway University’s recent win in the ‘UK’s Most Beautiful University’ competition.

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oyal Holloway has recently picked up the prize for the ‘UK’s Most Beautiful University’. It beat off competition from 14 other universities to claim the coveted prize and attracted over 21,000 votes through the Holiday Lettings website. The university won with 31% of the votes.

With the new flagship Emily Wilding Davison building and the historically renowned Grade I listed Founders building, it should come as no surprise that Royal Holloway was a shoe in for this award.

The state of the art Emily Wilding Davison building, which was officially opened last month by Her Royal Highness Princess Anne, continues to impress visitors and students alike. Needless to say that Founders still stands as impressive and eye catching as always.

Principal Paul Layzell said of the win: “We are proud to have been officially named the UK’s most beautiful university. Thank you to everyone who voted for us.”

He further stated that “Thomas Holloway could have built

a modest college but instead he built the magnificent Founder’s Building in stunning surroundings.

Today, the university buildings and the new Davison Building continue to be a statement of the ambition we have for our students and our determination to provide them with the resources they need to find their purpose and succeed.”

Furthermore, a spokesperson for HolidayLettings.co.uk said: “We picked 14 lovely universities that showcased the beautiful variety of UK’s university campuses. We are delighted to reveal that after running our online competition for just under three weeks, Royal Holloway, University of London has been voted the UK’s Most Beautiful University.

With its stunning architecture modelled on the famous Château de Chambord and 135 acres of parkland, this vibrant campus seems to have charmed voters for the win.” •

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PAEDOPHILE HUNTED News Editor Maria Green reports on Staines man Ashley Emery, who has been jailed after being exposed by vigilante ‘paedophile hunters’.

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shley Emery, 44, has been jailed for a year for attempting to meet a 15-year old girl for sex.

The football coach from Staines-upon-Thames was exposed by two vigilantes from the Internet Interceptors Group after they posed as a school girl through messages.

After exchanging explicit messages, Emery suggested they meet in central London, where he was confronted with two ‘paedophile hunters’ instead. They filmed the encounter and posted the 10 minute clip on Youtube, in which Emery can be seen sitting with his head in his hands on a bench outside Parliament. The film was then given to police.

Emery was convicted in September after trial at Southwark Crown Court. He was sentenced to 12 months in prison on 3 November . He has also been made subject of a sexual harm prevention order and made to sign the sex offender’s register for 10 years.

The court heard of the ‘catastrophic’ consequences for Emery and his family since the footage of his encounter with Internet Interceptors Group was posted online.

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Defending Emery, his lawyer, Sophie Morris, said that his elderly parents had received death threats as a result of the video.

Condemning Emery’s actions, the judge said ’It was potentially a naive 15-year-old girl and you turned it carefully around to matters of sex and it became increasingly sexual in nature.’

He added that ‘There must be a necessary element of deterrence to protect young girls from predatory men such as yourself.’

Chief Constable Simon Bailey, national lead for child protection at the National Police Chiefs’ Council, refuses to condone paedophile hunters. He claims they are ‘putting the lives of children at risk’.

However, he told the BBC earlier this year that police may consider working with these groups, as police were ‘not winning the conversation’ in urging them to stop. •

NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT: EMMA HALAHAN

SIGNPOSTING HATRED Deputy News Editor Shannon Gray explains the recent anti-left-wing campaign that has led to bold posters being spotted around Englefield Green.

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number of posters have been spotted around Englefield Green stating “it’s okay to be white”. These posters began to appear around the 1st and 2nd of November near St Jude’s School and Victoria Street.

They are supposedly the product of an anti-left wing campaign launched by the web forum 4chan. An anonymous user posted the ‘game plan’, which stated the posters were to be put up on campuses worldwide around halloween, as costumes would provide anonymity.

The reactions of left-wing individuals would inform white people that they are ‘hated’ by the left wing, and thus they would sway towards far right views.

The posters have been seen on multiple US campuses such as Tulane, Princeton and Rocky River, Ohio. US citizens have taken to twitter to call the posters “a disturbing hate crime”, and a “reactionary response when the right refuses to hear the suffering of minorities”.

Whereas others have defended the statement by equating it to the Black Lives Matter movement.

legitimate liberation movement.

Acknowledging racial privilege is not equal to hatred of a race.”

Royal Holloway, however, seems to be the only UK campus on which the posters have appeared. It has faced heavy backlash from local residents who have also taken to social media to express their outrage.

The arrival of these shocking posters followed Hate Crime Awareness Week, in which the UK police announced a shocking 29% increase in hate crime over the last year. The report, which covers England and Wales, noted four spikes in racially or religiously aggravated offences - June 2016, and March, May and June 2017.

These spikes coincided with the Brexit vote, the Westminster Bridge attack, the Manchester Arena bombing and the attacks at London Bridge and Finsbury Park Mosque.

One local resident posted on the Facebook group Englefield Greenies about her discontent with the posters. “It will just cause arguments”, she stated, “racism is a big thing nowadays and we need to stand together as one”.

Students have also been taken aback by the posters, suggesting that they may be seen as mocking or even counteracting the work of genuine anti-discrimination and equality movements. Many have called for them to be taken down.

Malick Doucore, an International Relations student at Royal Holloway, spoke about the posters online: “nobody ever said it wasn’t okay to be white, that’s not the point - nor has it ever been the point - of any

Earlier in the year, Home Secretary Amber Rudd commented on hate crime, saying: “There is absolutely no place for hate crime in our society.

This Government is taking action to tackle it. No one in Britain should have to suffer violent prejudice, and indications that there was a genuine rise in the number of offences immediately following each of this year’s terror attacks is undoubtedly concerning.” •

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PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT: BIANCA SHIRK

THE HIGHER YOU FLY, THE HARDER YOU FALL Michele Theil discusses her experiences with a high-functioning mental illness.

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hear the same things constantly; you’re so confident, you’re so outgoing, you’re so happy. I’m not trying to boast and, of course, on the surface, those seem like compliments.

But, they’re often coupled with statements like: ‘you have a mental illness?’, ‘How can you have anxiety and depression? It’s not possible!’

sphere, they often don’t have the same level of access to mental health support, sympathy and understanding from professionals and people alike. People don’t offer people like me, the same considerations they would to someone who is visibly suffering from an illness physical or mental.

your mind. When you see someone who is visibly upset or curled up in a ball, physically unable to do something, it is easy to reconcile such an image with the idea that they have a mental health issue. This is unsuprising. But, if a person isn’t visibly upset, it doesn’t mean they’re not suffering.

Mental illnesses

Mental illnesses of all types are stereotyped and stigmatised intensely.

People expect you to always have a dark cloud over your head if you suffer from depression or to be a constant bundle of nerves if you suffer from anxiety. This is often not the case, actually. People have many different ways of coping with their personal struggles - I write an article or extensively research the most inane topic for example. These are, in fact, just another symptom and people need to start to have more of an understanding of something that they can’t physically see.

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All of these statements drip with condescension and incredulity. What of all types are people often don’t understand is stereotyped and that my confidence and outgoing personality is actually a façade, a stigmatised intensely. symptom of my mental illness. I suffer from a ‘high-functioning mental illness’, A broken leg is accommodated for which essentially means that my internal struggle is rarely portrayed on and believed because of the empirical evidence that is presented. Depression, the outside. anxiety and other such illnesses don’t Many people suffer from similar strands have the same luxury. This has always been a problem; the intangible entity of mental illnesses and are often not that is mental illness. regarded as ‘true’ sufferers of mental illness. These people are considered That is why it has been so important to privileged, due to them being able to ‘pass’ among those that luckily do not have discussions about mental illness suffer from a mental illness. As they are and to firmly come to grips with it as a not seen to be struggling in the public physical detriment that occurs within

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Be sympathetic. Not everyone copes or acts the same way - the world would be boring if they did. •

COMMENT

THE VALUE OF EXPERIENCE Rebecca Owen criticises the nature of unpaid internships and working for free.

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nternships are a great way for university students to gain practical experience and skills to prepare them for graduation, and are key to building a network of contacts and industry knowledge in a field that perhaps their degree doesn’t offer them. That being said, are all these internships worth their salt?

We’ve all seen the internship and graduate job descriptions brandished under the alluring title ‘opportunity’ that incorporate the key phrases “entry level”, “must have X number of years experience” and “unpaid”.

It would seem the reward is heavily disproportionate to the skills the intern would be providing the company.

It’s Catch 22 — you’re applying for something to give you the experience, but are being denied the opportunity because of your lack of experience.

Not only this, but the Sutton Trust reports that 31% of university graduates work as unpaid interns.

A six month unpaid internship will cost a minimum of £5,556, excluding travel costs for a single person living in London. As many of the most prestigious internships are in London, it simply is a case of having to give these jobs to those who can already afford to live comfortably.

These roles are almost integral to landing a great job in the future, but unpaid internships are an automatic deterrent for enthusiastic, driven students who simply cannot afford to not get paid for their work. It denies the student access to a greater career path, but also denies the employer a larger talent pool. Alan Milburn, Chair of the Social Mobility Commission said unpaid internships “have become a route to a good professional job, but access to them tends to depend on who, not what, you know, and young people from low income backgrounds are excluded because they are unpaid.” The most notorious culprits of the unpaid internships lie within media, marketing

and performance arts, but ultimately with an influx of graduates, it’s sure that even more industries may begin to use the exploitative strategy of the unpaid intern.

Of course, a short-term work experience stint may be beneficial — it could gain you essential skills, perhaps place you in a professional working environment for the first time and help land you a job upon graduation.

But anything too extensive is taking advantage of their intern.

Is the company really valuing their employees if they’re expecting them to work for free?

Paid interns will ultimately get a greater experience — not only is it paid, but their employers will make sure they get their money’s worth, resulting in more rewarding experience for the intern.

After all, a great CV and experience do not pay the bills. •

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THE SUICIDE STATISTIC: IT MATTERS

On behalf of the RHUL Mental Health Network, Emma Halahan discusses Royal Holloway’s choice to not keep the suicide statistic.

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n 2016, 146 students in England and Wales committed suicide, a 94.6% increase from 75 students in 2007 (Office of National Statistics). The university mental health crisis is real and it is growing. Yet in its wake, universities and colleges seem to be frozen in fear with very few rushing to collect any data about these issues. Royal Holloway is one of them.

Whilst mental health difficulties presents in many more ways than the few who do die by suicide each year, keeping the statistics of how many students complete suicide is important. It illustrates the number of students in severe crisis and allows students to hold their universities accountable for better mental health service provisions as a result.

The RHUL Mental Health Network submitted a Freedom of Information request to Royal Holloway asking for data on how many students had completed suicide over the last seven years.

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They responded that they did not keep this data. In response, the RHUL Mental Health Network submitted Freedom of Information requests to seven other University of London colleges asking for their data on the amount of students dying by suicide each year. All but one college did not keep the data. Most justified this by the fact that universities do not receive a coroner’s report after a student death and receive little information about the circumstances surrounding their death.

However, University College London (UCL) reported that, although they have no specific reporting system on student suicide, since 2014 they have kept a record of suspected suicides through the student wellbeing team who talk to close relatives or friends of the deceased.

In 2014, Cameron Grant, a student at Royal Holloway, completed suicide weeks after his 21st birthday. In response, his parents established the Cameron Grant Memorial Trust who work across hundreds of UK

universities advertising student support services in his memory. Disappointingly, Royal Holloway, even after championing the Cameron Grant Memorial Trust and awarding a plaque in Cameron’s name each year, have chosen not to hold the suicide statistic.

Holding the suicide statistic isn’t always easy, it involves keeping track of student deaths and relying on families to disclose information to the student wellbeing team. But it is possible and it is important to keep.

Without it Cameron’s death and, inevitably, the death of others on this campus can be ignored. It is only by holding data do we, as students, have the agency to stand up and demand for better mental health services.

By not holding the suicide statistic, Royal Holloway and universities across the UK can fly under the radar and avoid answering tough questions about the nature of mental health crisis on their campus.

It isn’t enough to work with charities like the Cameron Grant Memorial Trust and then not take vital steps to collect the data that would examine the extent of the mental health crisis at Royal Holloway. We will never know how many students have completed suicide at Royal Holloway, but we can ask the college to be held accountable now.

Today, you can join the RHUL Mental Health Network in asking Royal Holloway College to begin taking steps towards holding the student suicide statistic. Sign their petition at the RHUL Mental Health Network page on Facebook. • A spokesperson for the College commented: “There have not been any student deaths on the Royal Holloway campus in over a decade. We do not provide student suicide statistics as we are not privy to details of inquests when a student dies away from the campus and as we are respectful of the privacy many families request in the event of an unexpected death.”

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HASHTAG SOLIDARITY Online Editor Bethany Gooding looks at the recent allegations against Harvey Weinstein and the mass campaign that arose from them.

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n 5 October , the New York Times revealed numerous allegations of sexual assault against Harvey Weinstein, a Hollywood producer. These allegations stretch over three decades and it was revealed that at least eight of them were paid off. Many women have begun to speak out about the harassment they experienced from Weinstein.

Among those women are well-known actresses including Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow. The coverage of these allegations encouraged others in the industry to come forward including Jennifer Lawrence and Reese Witherspoon.

Actress, Alyssa Milano, tweeted on 15 October encouraging assault victims to use the hashtag #metoo to demonstrate how huge the problem of sexual assault is in 2017. She says “This was really

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about showing this happens everywhere. That it’s not just Hollywood. That it’s not just actresses. It’s women on Wall Street. It’s women in hospitals. It’s women walking down the street.”

The response to this tweet was astounding and sparked a hugely successful campaign which I believe had an incredibly positive impact in bringing the widespread issue of sexual assault to the forefront of many peoples minds. Social media has been flooded with women declaring ‘me too’ and telling their stories of sexual assault. In three days the hashtag had been used 825,000 times on Twitter and on Facebook there had been more than 12 million posts engaging with the ‘me too’ campaign.

When talking to my friends about this, some of them disagreed with the campaign, arguing that this was

a personal thing and should not be broadcast so openly on social media. But why should women have to keep quiet about assault they have experienced?

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Social media has been flooded with women declaring ‘me too’

It is 2017 and it appears that there still remains a stigma against speaking up about sexual assault.

Women are still afraid of revealing they have been victims of a terrible crime because they believe they will be blamed for it. They are often told that they must have been ‘asking for it’ even though they are blameless victims.

The social media campaign that sparked from the Weinstein case has allowed numerous women to

finally feel able to come forward about abuse they have experienced. The huge number of victims joining the social media conversation displays how powerful this movement was. Members of the European Parliament have even joined in with the campaign, holding placards and arguing that attitudes and laws across Europe need to change to combat the problem of widespread sexual assault.

There is still a long way to go in order to end the stigma around talking about sexual abuse, but I believe the campaign was incredibly positive in allowing women to speak out and display how prominent this issue remains in our society today.

The wide reach of social media campaigns means that the issue could not be ignored. Hopefully this is a step on the road to greater changes in the attitudes towards sexual assault. Something needs to change and the problem should not be ignored. •

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PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT: BIANCA SHIRK

Carly Newman explains why current media coverage and public perception of mental health difficulties is perpetuating stigma and misunderstanding.

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veryone has mental health and whilst we’ve been conditioned to think that sounds radical and scary, it’s true! Misunderstanding and stigma when talking about mental health is rampant, and part of the problem is related to a misuse of terminology, and lack of understanding.

We hear the term ‘mental health’ in the media all the time, but this is often misused. In most instances, what we really mean to say when we say ‘mental health’ is in fact ‘mental health difficulties’. This has led to a collective misunderstanding of what mental health actually is, and what it means.

Consistently using the term ‘mental health’ with negative connotations has led us to believe that mental health is always bad and that someone only has ‘mental health’ when they are struggling.

In fact, we all have mental health - and just like our physical health, we have it all the time. Whether we are well or not, physical health is something that affects all of us, and that is exactly the same for mental health. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, mental health means ‘a person’s condition with regard to their psychological and emotional well-being’. So what we really mean when we say ‘mental health’ is our mental and emotional state – our internal processes, feelings and emotions.

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The problem surrounding the understanding of the true meaning of mental health is widespread. From the media to our emergency services, I have heard paramedics saying that they “aren’t trained to deal with mental health”.

Again, they mean to say that they aren’t trained to deal with people whose mental health is suffering, or who are just struggling with how they feel at that moment.

This misuse leads to ‘mental health’ having such negative connotations that people who are struggling are seen as ‘the other’, as different, and as someone who is stuck for life with ‘mental health’.

This has to change. In order for people who struggle with their mental health to be seen in the same light as those who struggle with their physical health, we have to start talking about mental health in the right way. We can all contribute to this.

The best way to think of it is that if you find yourself talking about mental health, think to yourself “would this make sense if I was talking about physical health?”. If the answer is no, then try to rephrase it.

Parity of esteem between mental and physical health is something we should all contribute to and work towards.

So, let’s all make an effort to talk about mental health in the right way, and not just when someone is having mental difficulties. •

FEATURES

FREE SPEECH FOR ALL?

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e have all been there: sat in our kitchens and seminars, facing the overwhelming urge to bang our heads into the table as someone says something we fundamentally disagree with. Everyone has the right to an opinion, but there is nothing more annoying than someone who believes their view is the only viable view. With this considered then, is it good news that the government has announced that universities are now being expected to pledge to uphold free speech on campus, or face being blacklisted?

Changes announced by Universities Minister, Jo Johnson state that plans are in place to challenge the culture of so-called ‘safe spaces’ and to force universities to answer for the behaviour of Student Unions’ that “no platform” controversial speakers. He also said any that failed to protect freedom of speech could be fined, suspended or ultimately deregistered by the new Office for Students (OfS). Johnson told The Times in October that “noplatforming and safe spaces shouldn’t be used to shut down legitimate free speech”. While Johnson’s rhetoric is admirable, arguably it’s nothing new and whether it will be effective remains to be seen.

Royal Holloway, as an institution prides itself on its ‘no platform’ for fascists and for its safe spaces. You only have to look back to this time last year, when students organised counter protests after Neo-Nazis gathered outside the campus to protest two cleaners being fired after they reportedly attended an anti-semitic protest, to demonstrate the student body’s commitment to antifascist ideas.

However, whilst this would suggest Holloway’s support of freedom of speech is good, the page ‘Royal Hateoway’ on Facebook is a prime example of the potential dangers of too much free speech. Anonymously, the page encourages students to express their opinions about things they hate about the university, and the people in it. This has lead to

some rather extreme posts and threats being made on the page. This kind of intimidation can not surely be considered a valid opinion, yet many would argue that people have a right to express their frustration.

According to spiked-online.com, Royal Holloway Students’ Union has received a red status for the past two years for freedom of speech. Spiked-online.com ranks universities according to their policies on free speech, and has stated that the “Students’ Union collectively create a hostile environment for free speech… banning fascists and racists … which restricts offensive and judgemental speech”. The website makes this sound bad, however many students would argue the university is doing the right thing.

Whilst free speech is incredibly important, how much free speech should truly be allowed, when some hold views that are not only controversial, but offensive and even dangerous? Charlottesville is one extreme example of what can happen when free speech goes too far. As a student myself, I cannot help but feel an odd sense of foreboding that Charlottesville may only be the beginning of these kinds of demonstrations, and potentially violent incursions on campuses. Universities should be a safe space for all of us and whilst Johnson’s policies can be said to be a good thing in promoting freedom of speech, they can be said to be going too far.

Johnson’s heart may be in the right place, but disciplining universities that do not support all views, including ones that are discriminative or even politically extremist, is dangerous. Equally, shutting down someone’s opinion just because it is unpopular, or you do not agree with it, is not the way forward either. We, as a campus, need to evaluate our principles of free speech and, despite what Johnson says, consider what we can, and cannot, allow to be said. •

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WHAT HAPPENS AFTER YOU ATTEMPT SUICIDE? Shannon Gray draws on personal experience to explain what services are available for those who have attempted to take their own lives.

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hen I was 16 years old, my father had to drive me to our nearest accident and emergency unit for an illness he didn’t know I had. For years, I had been suffering from depression, anxiety and borderline personality disorder, all undiagnosed, all of which I had been hiding.

But it was necessary, and I knew that. I had to be able to talk about what I’d been through in order to recover. When I had answered every question they had, I was sent back to the waiting room. Another hour or so later, my name was called again. This time, I was met by my crisis team support worker.

I refused to let anyone know how broken I was.

Partially so no one would pity me, but mostly because there was such a stigma around mentally ill teenagers that I would rather suffer in silence than speak up and be mocked. I struggled for years to maintain the facade of being unbothered. I would make fun of myself before other people had the chance, I would be loud and bubbly so no one would think they’d bullied me into passivity, I changed myself into a person I couldn’t recognise.

I didn’t know what they were at the time, but a crisis team is a group of individuals who come together to support you throughout your mental health crisis in your own environment - at home, school, or work - and they set out a foundation for your treatment following your crisis.

One day that person collapsed, my hidden illnesses were taking their toll far more than anyone could have known. It was at this stage that I decided to take my own life. I failed.

When I arrived at A&E we waited for hours.

Attempted suicide was a ‘minor ailment’, and therefore I was low on their list of priorities.

When I was finally seen, I was taken into a small assessment room where they apparently ran identical tests on all patients regardless of their reason for visiting - they tested my blood pressure, they listened to my heart, they put me on a heart-rate monitor.

Then the personal questioning began: what method did you use? Why did you do it? Why did it fail? It was invasive. It was personal. It was the emotional equivalent of being on a treadmill with a broken leg.

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I was nervous. I had to bare my soul to her, I told her everything I’d been through, how it had all built up, how I had been struggling for years. She took notes, but mostly she just listened to me. She made me feel safe, cared for, and understood.

Over the next few days, she would visit me at both my house and my school.

Though I didn’t know it at the time, I suspect that she was trying to locate the source of my trauma, trying to understand what had caused my illnesses to reach a level of such severity.

Truth be told I didn’t really have an answer for that

myself, and it’s hard to point someone in the right direction without knowing which direction that could be.

My support worker also spoke to my parents, which was I assume partially to help them understand me, and partially to help alleviate my anxieties around telling my parents how I felt. The older generations haven’t always been clued up about mental health, particularly in teenagers, and the last thing I wanted was to air my grievances only to be shot down with a “don’t all teenagers feel that way?”.

This way, I at least wasn’t alone in having to explain myself. I think her presence helped them to know that whatever was happening, it was more real than just teenage drama.

It was also my crisis team support worker who arranged for my psychiatric evaluation, which took place a week after I’d attempted to take my own life. This was what terrified me. I had tried several times to speak up about how I felt to friends and teachers, only for them to paint me as an attention seeking liar.

I was too fragile to hear that again.

So when the doctor began asking his questions, personal and invasive, I shrunk in on myself, I looked at the floor, and I twiddled with the thread of my jumper. Perhaps it was this shyer, nervous demeanor that influenced his diagnosis, or maybe it was merely the time constraints he was under - after all, everyone wants a quick fix to save a suicidal 16 year old.

Within our hour long appointment, he focused only on my suicidal ideation, my self harm scars, and my low mood, ignoring my explosive anger, my extreme mood swings, my self-destructive impulsive behaviour, my psychosis, and my anxiety attacks.

He diagnosed me with clinical depression, set up a psychotherapy appointment for me within a week, and handed me a prescription. Suddenly I’d gone from having no mental health help whatsoever, to having everything I needed to get better put in place.

It wasn’t perfect - two years later I found out that two illnesses had been missed during my diagnosis. While both serious, one was more severe than the other; anxiety and borderline personality disorder.

The problem, of course, was not in the failings of the doctor himself, but in the failings of the NHS to provide us with anything more than a rushed diagnosis.

Doctors are given an hour at most to diagnose mental health problems, which is not only far too little an amount of time to truly know what someone is going through, but it is also far too little an amount of time to have patients on 6-12 month waiting lists for.

Do patients have to be in crisis just to be able to get treatment? We deserve more. Every person suffering from mental illness deserves more.

These services save lives. I am alive. And I am only alive because of the care and support I gained from the NHS. The people who helped me overcome my crisis let me know that sometimes suicide is not the end.

People who attempt suicide are not lost causes, and we are not without hope. We can get better.

We are survivors, and we should be proud of that.

So please, if you are feeling suicidal, call 999, or if you need to talk to someone, call Samaritans on 116 123. •

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THE STUDENT COUNSELLING SERVICE Daniela Georgieva and Oli Rushby explain the process and benefits of student counselling.

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A

recent YouGov survey of Britain’s students shows that one in four students suffer from mental health problems.

Anxiety, stress and depression are a few of the issues causing a growing number of students to drop out of university. Research finds that student suicide numbers have nearly doubled in the past decade. Consequently, the demand for student counselling services on campuses has risen by 33%.

The decision to seek help can be a difficult decision that most students struggle with.

Daniela: Approaching student counselling definitely made me nervous, fortunately I had a friend who was willing to come with me to make the appointment. Having someone there made me feel more comfortable, afterwards I realized this is nothing to be ashamed of, as most people feel just as uncertain in the beginning.

Oli: I was ‘diagnosed’ with depression in 2016, but had struggled with the ‘classic’ symptoms for years before. It was one of my housemates that eventually persuaded me to go to counselling. I initially saw going into counselling as a negative thing because I thought it showed I was not strong enough to look after myself at uni; effectively I saw it as an admission of defeat.

There are many reasons why counselling can help, including giving you the opportunity to share with someone, which can help the counsellor give you specific suggestions on how to help yourself. It’s important to remember that they are professionals, and experienced with talking and listening to students and helping them.

Counselling might not be the ultimate solution to your issues, but the counsellor will do their best to help you with coping.

Daniela: Your counsellor could always refer you to other sources of help as well. It could be selfhelp books, or even going to the Health Centre for a consultation.

Oli: Just a few counselling sessions helped me to realize that what I’d done was a vital step in getting through one of the most difficult times of my life.

A counselling session usually lasts 45-50 minutes. One session could be enough, or you could decide to attend a number of sessions. The session will start with them asking you questions such as why you decided to seek out help, what is troubling you, and if you’ve had any experience with counselling before.

Daniela: At first, I was nervous about what the counsellor expected me to say and the questions that I had to answer. Then I realized that no one expects you to answer every single question, and they certainly don’t expect you to know the exact reason behind what is happening to you – their main goal is to work through your issues.

Usually the counsellor will try to focus on your feelings and guide you through the process of talking about them before giving advice. They might give you a few suggestions about what you can do, and they will discuss them with you before creating a plan.

Oli: After one session I began to feel like I could start to tackle the problems I was facing with my mental health because I now had the proper support to do so; a professional, impartial counsellor to voice my concerns to. I developed new, healthier coping mechanisms to help me get through difficult days.

It is extremely rare for a counsellor to disclose anything you have shared with your department, or anyone else, unless you want them to. If they think that you are in a danger of causing harm to yourself or others, then they might feel the need to tell someone, but they would address their concern with you first.

The university has a full team of professionals who are prepared to talk to you and try their best to assist you in any way they can.

Daniela: At first, I didn’t think that counselling would help me, but it made me see the underlying issues that I hadn’t been dealing with. Talking to my counsellor made me think about problems I had been ignoring for a long time and I believe anyone can benefit from this.

Oli: Going to counselling sessions it not something that people should be embarrassed of doing – all it means is that you are strong enough to admit that you need the extra support for a brief period while you work to resolve the problems you are facing in your life.

No issue is too small or too big when it comes to seeking out help - counselling can help you if you let it. • You can register with the counselling service by visiting their office in Founder’s West 171.

Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 9am - 4pm

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20

IF YOU DON’T FEEL LIKE YOU’RE DROWNING AT UNIVERSITY, YOU’RE NOT DOING IT RIGHT.

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f you don’t feel like you’re drowning, you’re not doing it right’ - the mantra that is drilled into the psyche of the majority of students.

Students are under an incredible amount of stress and that’s understandable- you might have a million commitments to different societies, clubs and media outlets; you’re probably desperately applying for internships at every spare moment or even figuring out what you want to do with your life before it’s seemingly too late. Everyone is facing a wealth of different pressures, and on top of all this we have degrees to contend with.

This isn’t a ‘snowflake’ jibe at being simply under too much pressure, in fact it’s quite the opposite – its university, and it’s supposed to be some of the most challenging years of our lives.

Degrees are supposed to be hard and we’re all quickly coming to the realisation that being an adult is too.

However, that one phrase – ‘if you don’t feel like you’re drowning, you’re not doing it right’ should not epitomise university.

The age group in which most people are in the student environment is the most vulnerable to mental health difficulties – that is a fact. So why are academics telling students that they should feel as though they are drowning?

Yes, everyone’s different – some people thrive on stress. That does not mean that they want to feel like they are drowning. Even saying that phrase to the strongest and most successful person can make them feel like they are not doing enough.

To tell someone that they should feel like they are drowning is to consistently push their boundaries of success and not in a positive way. Success means something different to everyone, but generally a healthy way to measure success is by how much you can do at any given moment without ruining yourself.

I’m under no doubt that we’ve all had that rising feeling of panic inside us – we’re students with what feels like 4 million deadlines. We want to be pushed by academics, we want to push ourselves and we want to succeed.

That does not mean that we should be exposing ourselves to the dangers of academic burnout.

Mental health difficulties are nondiscriminate – it is not something that the strong, successful type can simply avoid. We’re in a vulnerable enough environment as it is and academic burnout can lead to serious illness.

Academics should not tell students that they should feel as though they are drowning – it’s unhealthy, irresponsible and dangerous. • ABBIE CHEESEMAN

ILLUSTRATION CREDIT: ELLA BARON, FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE GUARDIAN JUNE 2017

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DEBRIEF: Orbital Magazine’s regular sit down with people inspiring change on issues that matter.

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DR WILL JONES Orbital Magazine’s Deputy Editor Stephanie Bagnall talks to Royal Holloway’s own Dr Will Jones to discuss his work with ‘Refugees Say’.

O

xford graduate Dr Will Jones is a lecturer in International Relations at Royal Holloway.

He is also the co-founder of Refugees’ Say. Refugees’ Say is an Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) that looks into various ways to make “the resettlement of refugees, in the West particularly, more intelligent, more efficient and to return some dignity and agency to refugees going through that process”. While studying Social Sciences at Balliol College, Dr Jones finished a three-year project funded by the Leverhulme Trust that looked at The Nation Outside the State: Transnational Exile in the African State System.

This project led to the creation of the book Mobilising The Diaspora: How Refugees Challenge Authoritarianism, a text co-authored with Alexander Betts. It is a book that currently sits in our library as a good reference for those wishing to learn about refugees in the world.

Dr Jones has also published numerous articles and papers on similar topics that has earned him great acclaim in the field. He has lectured and tutored at both Pembroke College and St Anne’s College. His work now looks at how diasporas mobilise against controlling regimes and authoritarianism.

I had the pleasure to catch Dr Jones between his meetings, where we sat in Crosslands for a quick interview. We start by discussing his work with Refugees’ Say. I asked Dr Jones how the group attempts to achieve the aims it sets out in trying to resettle refugees more efficiently. He then introduces me to ‘Matching Theory’. He explains that “using matching theory is a brand of microeconomics which is about any situation where you have two sides and they need to match in order for some of the transaction to take place”.

Using further examples, he details it further: “So dating is a matching market and in order for that to happen, you have to agree to go on a date with someone and they also have to agree to go on a date with you. That’s a match.” Although a simple analogy, it helps to explain the situation so much better than simply stating the ideas of microeconomics.

Refugee crisis is one of the largest and most urgent humanitarian changes that we face today we have very recently just reached the largest number of people displaced in the world since World War Two.

“

According to the British Red Cross, there are an estimated 118,995 refugees living in the UK. This is 0.18% of our total population. The British asylum system is an extremely difficult process, with just 28% of decisions in 2016 being grants of asylum or humanitarian protection. Many refugees have to rely on courts rather than the government to provide them with the protection they need.

This has created a nightmarish situation. Under the European Union’s current asylum scheme, refugees have astonishingly little say in where they end up and many communities feel they are being asked to deal with more than they are capable.

I ask him about the importance of Refugees’ Say in this context. He said that the “refugee crisis is one of the largest and most urgent humanitarian changes that we face today we have very recently just reached the largest number of people displaced in the world since World War 2. This is a particularly urgent challenge for liberal democratic states to know how real those commitments are and when they will be able to deal with a challenge in this way.”

We move on to talk about the future of Refugees’ Say. He talks about how he wants to “shift the conversation” and to “actually start asking refugees what they want”.

This is the kind of change he and his NGO hope to instil in the future with regards to refugees globally.

Thanks to academics such as Dr Jones and the work with Refugees’ Say, we can hope to see governing bodies take a step forward in the right direction in the midst of this crisis.

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WINTER FASHION Kirstin Seitz outlines some of the latest fashion trends for this winter; which are suitable for everyday and which are not.

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s the temperature falls, the sun sets earlier and the nights get colder, you can definitely tell that winter is coming. But that’s no reason to get sad about the change in temperature. When a new season comes around it tends to come with many new fashion trends. For that reason I have made a list about some of the winter fashion trends, which are actually suitable for everyday life and others not so much.

Everyday suitable fashion trends: Gaudy sweaters - The first fashion trend is one I really like because it is easy to do, perks up every outfit and makes the day better. You can either style it with jeans; you can do colour blocking if you are courageous or wear it underneath a blazer for a smarter look.

Winter floral - Floral clothes are one of the fashion trends to wear for winter season. The end of heat doesn’t mean the end of floral prints. If anything it’s the opposite, the flowers may have ended their bloom but you can keep them alive by making them a part of your wardrobe.

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Velvet - I have to admit that I love velvet. You can get nearly anything in velvet, be it shoes, trousers, tops, sweaters, dresses, skirts... This season, dress up any look with the classic elegance that velvet brings.

Feather, fluff, and fur - You can wear anything with feather, fluff and fur.

I personally would just wear one of these and not for example one outfit consisting of fur only, you want a statement piece!

Autumn colours - red (all-over red even), mustard yellow, Bordeaux red, pink, beige brown, shades of blue and khaki.

Not every day suitable fashion trends: White/big cut-out ankle boots - The reason why I don’t find this fashion trend suitable for everyday life is clearly the weather. Especially here in the UK you never know if it is going to rain when you leave your home in the morning. It’s always best to go for a brown or black boot to stop them getting dirty from the rain.

The same for cut-out ankle boots, do you want to have wet feet? Ankle cut boots or brightly coloured boots can be great attributes to your wardrobe but maybe it’s best to save them for the summer so they don’t get ruined by the awful British weather!

Baker boy cap - I love hats and caps but I don’t wear them that often when I have classes. They are not unwearable at all but I think one doesn’t wear them that much during the week when there are courses, it’s great to save them for occasions on the weekend where you can break one out and everyone will notice you’re wearing something different.

Jewellery - Maybe you can wear one silver item for your everyday outfit but this fashion trend supposes to wear everything in silver. I personally find this too much for a normal day.

My list is of course subjective so if you disagree with me, go on and wear the clothes anyway because always remember one thing: it is your life so dress the way YOU want. •

LIFESTYLE

ROHOROSCOPES What have the stars got in store for you this month?

Our resident mystic, Chloe Buck, predicts your life at Holloway for the next month.

Scorpio

Sagittarius

Capricorn

23 October - 21 November

22nd November – 21st December

22 December - 19 January

Love: Stop trying to make something work that clearly won’t.

Study: Get to the library early and you’ll finally get one of those window seats.

Travel: A weekend trip away is exactly what you need.

Love: Take things slow, and don’t rush into anything.

Study: Don’t always put work first, have a bit of fun every now and again.

Travel: Instead of travelling try and develop some new hobbies, it’s certainly cheaper.

Love: Maybe love is waiting for you at Toast on Monday.

Study: You know that group presentation next week? You should probably do it.

Travel: A trip to Windsor Castle is exactly what you need.

Aquarius

Pisces

Aries

20 January - 18 February

19 February - 20 March

21 March - 19 April

Love: Don’t stress yourself out, go buy some chocolate and eat your feelings.

Study: Moodle is your best friend at the moment.

Travel: Go and get a drink in Crosslands.

Love: One argument doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world.

Study: Bright colours and colour coding!

Travel: Get some fresh air and head to the beach.

Love: Maybe they are the one.

Study: Take a break, have a KitKat. Travel: The Magna Carta Memorial is closer than you think, go and learn something new.

Taurus

Gemini

Cancer

20 April - 20 May

21 May - 20 June

21 June - 22 July

Love: The right person for you is just around the corner.

Study: Study super hard this month, it may pay off.

Travel: Kaspas is so close, go and have a cheeky munch.

Love: Listen to Taylor Swift and tell them that they belong with you.

Study: Buy a new fancy pen, it may inspire great things.

Travel: Go somewhere you’ve never been before.

Love: Keep an eye out for that person you thought was cute.

Study: Maybe you should do a little bit more research before your next deadline.

Travel: Visit the Oxford Street festive lights, they will brighten up your day.

Leo

Virgo

Libra

23 July - 22 August

23 August - 22 September

23 September - 22 October

Love: Love is just not for you this month, maybe next month.

Study: Go and talk to your lecturer about that essay.

Travel: Your family is missing you, maybe a trip home will do you good.

Love:Think about somewhere fun to take someone special.

Study: Try and read a book for pleasure, when was the last time you did that?

Travel: A group Wagamama’s trip to Staines is what you need.

Love: Stop putting people in the friendzone, that’s where you are going wrong.

Study: A good walk around Virginia Lake will clear your head and put you in a studying mode.

Travel: London’s always a fun time at this time of year.

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BETHAN REES DETAILS HER HARROWING RECENT EXPERIENCES WITH ALCOHOL

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or me, the first week of second year certainly did not go the way I expected. The temptation of Freshers Week won me over and by Saturday I had successfully completed 5/5 events, but one more wouldn’t hurt? Right? Wrong. The preconceived idea for every fresher; “Will I even survive freshers?” is often undermined and being a second year, I was prepared for the carnage ahead.

Little did I know that the decision between going back to our house or walking straight to Medicine would dictate the next 3 months of my life.

“

Before returning back to the reality of studying 9-5, a night at Freshers Formal in the company of Scouting for Girls, I believed, would be the perfect way to end the week.

Having pre drank at our new house before going, everyone was in good spirits. Founders quad looked beautiful and Scouting for Girls definitely didn’t disappoint. The night was still young, and since everyone was heading down to Medicine for more drinks, we wanted to as well.

Being lucky enough to live just minutes away from campus, we decided to go back to our house to change from our heels and to have a few more drinks. Little did I know that the decision between going back to our house or walking straight to Medicine would dictate the next 3 months of my life.

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Back at the house, we were all very much intoxicated. A few drinks later and wearing flats instead of heels, we were about to leave for Medicine when I went upstairs to grab a few things. As I made my way back downstairs, it was evident that the alcohol completely took over and my balance was nonexistent.

They say that 13 is an unlucky number, and in my case, it definitely was. After falling down 13 stairs I was taken to A&E and diagnosed with an unstable C2 spinal fracture to my neck. Spending 6 days in hospital before being discharged, the doctors and nurses frequently told me how lucky I was, and that most individuals in my case end up paralysed, or with severe neurological impairments for the rest of their lives.

On a lighter note, as of today I am 5 weeks into my recovery stage with only a week left of wearing a heavy duty neck brace and returning back to university. I am very fortunate to have sustained recoverable injuries.

I would like to use this opportunity to inform students on the use of alcohol. I’m sure many of you would read this and think “yes but I’m not like her” or “I know how to handle my drink” and I am positive that would be my exact answer months ago. Being someone that would go out up to three times a week, my alcohol tolerance was relatively high.

I’ve definitely learned that you don’t need litres upon litres of alcohol to enjoy yourself. At university, where students are encompassed by social events, for both new drinkers and frequent drinkers the dangers of alcohol consumption must become more apparent. •

FROM PRE-DRINKS TO PARAMEDICS

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NECESSARY DISCOMFORT Beth Gooding talks about Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird and the news of a recent book ban that emerged out of a public school in Mississippi.

S

et during the 1930s Great Depression in Alabama, the classic American novel tells the story of a white lawyer, Atticus Finch, who helps to defend a black man who has been falsely accused of raping a white woman. The racial theme has made To Kill a Mockingbird one of the most banned classics in America.

The recent banning of the book from a public school in Mississippi is simply one in a long line of challenges the book has faced since being published in 1960.

The book has been banned for various reasons including the use of language in the book such as the ‘nigger’ and ‘whore’, for containing adult themes such as sexual intercourse and rape and for ‘conflicting with the values of the community’. However, the most recent reasoning for the banning of the novel certainly deserved the backlash it received. The Biloxi School Board simply stated that the book ‘made people feel uncomfortable’.

People took to twitter after hearing of the Mississippi school’s banning of the book, claiming that the whole point of the novel was to make you feel uncomfortable.

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The use of the N-word throughout the book should make readers squirm. Racism is still an issue today, and teaching students about it through novels such as To Kill a Mockingbird can only be a positive thing. Twitter users posted that readers need to question why it causes them discomfort as that is the whole point of reading. Books that cause us to question our values and society should surely be the most valuable in existence.

Twitter users were also criticising this decision as it appeared to be attempting to ‘erase history’ that a few individuals felt uncomfortable about. If students are not taught about the history of racism, they will be unable to recognise racism in society today.

On 23 October, the Mississippi school announced that the book would be returning to the school and students could learn about it but only after receiving a letter of permission from their parents.

Although this is a positive move, it still leaves the book marginalised on the school curriculum. To Kill A Mockingbird needs to remain a central novel in today’s society as the issues it presents are just as prominent today and should continue to make people feel uncomfortable until racial prejudice has been ended. •

ARTS

DEFYING DIFFICULTIES Michele Theil attended the Mental Health workshop for Creative Arts societies.

T

wo weeks ago, as part of VP of Sports & Development Steff Milne’s HealthyU campaign, the RHUL Mental Health Network hosted a workshop looking into mental health in the creative arts. The workshop was originally suggested by Philipp Kostelecky, president of Comedy Society. It was then further developed

by RHUL Mental Health Network chair and vice-chair Emma Halahan and Carly Newman alongside Milne and VP of Welfare & Diversity Willow Wong.

I spoke to Philipp about what gave him this idea and he spoke about how he found solace within the “1-2 hour Comedy Society workshop” when he experienced personal difficulties. He said “I realised how important Comedy Society and comedy in general was for me and mental health so I thought it’s highly likely other people felt the same way for their respective creative arts”.

Thus, the Mental Health in Creative Arts workshop was scheduled for 20 October. All creative arts societies’ presidents, committee members and members were encouraged to come and the turnout was really good.

Around 30 people attended, most of whom representing societies like Savoy Opera Society, Drama Society, Shakespeare Society, Gospel Choir and more.

Those in attendance were told split up into little groups, each sitting on picnic blankets in the SU Main Hall. Halahan led the discussion at first, talking broadly about mental health provisions at university as well as the effects the

creative arts could have on people. The workshop ran like this: Halahan asked a question and each group conferred and discussed with each other possible answers to the question, mind-mapping it with colourful markers.

Questions included what positives we could gain from the Creative Arts, what stresses there were to deal with if you were a part of a Creative Arts society and how we could know and subsequently help a member of a Creative Arts society if they were struggling with a mental health difficulty.

Emma Halahan, speaking on behalf of the RHUL Mental Health Network gave this statement in response to the workshop: “It’s great to have run such a unique workshop that deals with specific issues within the creative arts as we realise that this is often an untapped area. The RHUL Mental Health Network is committed to raising awareness of the experience of mental health difficulties of people on campus ranging from societies, sports clubs, academic groups and more.”

Willow Wong said that she believes that “Royal Holloway is making good progress on destigmatizing mental health, so it’s important to ensure the campaign is constantly moving forward with strong support from the Mental Health Network.”

It is encouraging to hear this from those who can help us talk about mental health and affect change at this university.

Hopefully, we will see similar workshops in the future. •

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THE NOBEL WRITER Helena Keeble describes hearing the 2017 winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, Kazuo Ishiguro, at UEA.

T

his month, the University of East Anglia welcomed previous student Kazuo Ishiguro, the most recent winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, as the seventh winner to talk at UEA. Since receiving his Masters degree in Creative Writing at UEA, Ishiguro has received four Man Booker Prize nominations and won the award in 1989 for his novel ‘The Remains of the Day’.

His 2005 novel, ‘Never Let Me Go’, was named by The Times as the best novel of 2005 and this year the Swedish Academy awarded him the Nobel Prize in Literature. They described him as a writer ‘who, in novels of great emotional force, has uncovered the abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection with the world’.

In conversation with Professor Christopher Bigsby, Ishiguro admitted his shock at receiving the Nobel award. He claimed rather wittily that ‘The Nobel Prize people think it’s a good idea to announce it to the press and then try to get through to you on the phone [and ask if he’d accept the prize]’, despite it already being all the newspapers’ next headline. Ishiguro believes that being a Nobel Prize winner is a symbol, standing for something much bigger than themselves, stating that ‘[he has] been given a symbolic role which I may or may not fulfil but it’s a lot more than about me and my writing.’

Ishiguro initially wanted to be a lyricist and singer/song writer; successfully writing for the singer Stacey Kent before proceeding to his career as a novelist.

While writing Ishiguro consistently goes back to this,

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believing when he’s writing he is ‘just one guy with an acoustic guitar’; which he owns many of. Ishiguro is often criticised for the desolate tone in his novels, which Stacey Kent also commented on, insisting that as a singer she needs a bit of hope to work with.

Ishiguro mockingly admitted that he too always likes a tiny bit of hope in his work, yet it is more of a ‘kind of hopeless optimism’ that he calls ‘consolatory hope’.

“

Being a Nobel Prize winner is a symbol, standing for something much bigger than themselves.

Ishiguro interestingly described his idea of genre as an ‘arbitrary’ thing, confirming that he simply writes his stories using everything he can; it is once his books have been published that people begin to categorise them.

He strongly believes that we have become too obsessed with genres and by categorising a novel into a specific genre ‘you are not looking at the real content’, but simply the ‘surface trappings’.

At the end of the event the audience filed through Waterstones waiting to get their books signed. They were now acutely aware of the categorisation of genre that lined the walls around them. All were discussing with strangers the fascination that had arisen in them from this sell out event, and their wonder at the novelist Ishiguro and his highly deserved Nobel Prize in Literature. •

WHY DO WE LOVE TO BE MISERABLES? Timeless and loveable, Kyriakos Kosta discusses Les Miserablés and its impact on today’s society.

I

t’s unbelievable how one book can change your life with the magical quality that only literature has.

Especially when that book is also a well-known musical. Les Miserables, from the great novelist Victor Hugo, was first published in 1862, and was followed by many re-publications and big screen adaptations.

In 1980, it was first presented as a musical, with the music composed by Claude-Michel Schonberg, with French and English lyrics-libretto written by Alain Boublin, Jean Marc Natel and Herbert Kretzmer respectively.

Since then, this musical phenomenon has been presented to over 75 million people in 42 different countries worldwide, a truly special honour for the book, which is an achievement in modern literature.

The book discusses the history of the convict Jean Valjean, whose great poverty and hunger forced him to steal a piece of bread. This results in his long-lived conviction in a French prison. After his release, as he tries to redefine his life, he also finds plenty of ‘miserable’ people in the same conditions of poverty as him. At the same time, his faithful opponent, inspector Javert, follows him in a relentless chase in order to restore the law.

In this eventful journey, we can easily find many sad similarities with today’s reality. How many Valjeans are forced to steal in real life? How many Javerts obey the law blindly? How many mothers sell their bodies in order to raise their children, as Fantine did. In addition, she could be considered as a martyr as well.

In this way, the story gains a timeless and ecumenical dimension. It is tragic to comprehend that in our age of development and technology, problems such as those described in Victor Hugo’s book still torment mankind.

All these ‘miserable’ people remain miserable through the

ages, however, the author gives them the homage that they deserve by writing this great novel.

Another relevance of the story in today’s reality is the focus on religion. In the book, there is given a significanttimeless importance of that matter. After the release of Jean Valjean, the only person that accommodated was a bishop. The bishop was wealthy, the temptation was too great and eventually Jean Valjean could not resist stealing from him. To his misfortune, he was caught by the local authority. This is where the miracle happens: ‘Don’t forget. Don’t ever forget. You have promised to become a new man. Jean Valjean my brother you no longer belong to evil. With this silver, I have bought your soul. I’ve ransomed you from fear and hatred, and now I give you back to God.’ With these words, the bishop defies the authorities, giving away his stolen silvers. At this point lies the word of God; the truth. Here, Victor Hugo, just like a ‘bishop’ of literature, gives us strong, meaningful lessons of repentance, fraternity and humility, as with this act, Jean Valjean manages to carve a new path in his life, a path towards the light.

Putting into consideration the aforementioned example, the book is obviously considered to be one of the greatest Christian masterpieces. This is a work of art that is deeply humane and true and which speaks to each one of us independently. Whoever has the luck to read the book or watch the performance or even the films, will undoubtedly acquire a spiritual wealth.

Fantine sings: ‘I dreamed a dream…’ Be a part of that dream at Queens theatre in London! •

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MILD SPOILERS AHEAD

George White reviews the new season of popular Netflix show Stranger Things and talks about the strangest things to be found within it.

U

nless you live your life as a certified hermit crab, you’ve likely heard at least whispers of the latest phenomenon of popular culture, Stranger Things. The greatly anticipated second season of the Netflix Original was released on 27 October, to both critical and commercial acclaim. This season certainly lives up to the formidable legacy left by the first, possibly even surpassing it in terms of quality. While the narrative of this season feels completely fresh, the lasting effects of last season’s trauma are still very much present.

The captivating opening scene to the series broadens the immersive universe of the show, yet there is a lasting impression that this season only scratches the surface of the immense backstory of the ST universe. This scene, accompanied by the final scene of the series, very conveniently lays foundations for a third season, though admittedly it may be a tad early to be speculating.

The largest aspect of the new season worthy of praise is the character

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development. The existing entourage of characters flourish under the spotlight of the second season, all of whom (save one) become much more three dimensional in this season. Eleven gets a badass makeover, Steve moves away from the stereotypical American jock, and Will is no longer absent for about 90 per cent of the season. We are also introduced to a plethora of new characters, including, but not limited to, Sean Astin, whom unless you’ve been living in a box you’ll know as Samwise flippin’ Gamgee.

However, truly the strangest thing about this season is the complete and utter disregard of last season’s protagonist, Mike. He is completely sidelined for almost the entirety of the season, and has little effect on anything relevant to the plot, making his presence feel entirely forced. While his character was never particularly likeable, especially in comparison to the rest of his Dungeons and Dragons posse.

The show’s creators, the Duffer Brothers, seem to have a complete lack of respect for the boy who was once

the main character. It’s a real shame he remains Hawkins’ resident buzzkill, as (his actor) Finn Wolfhard’s character in Steven King’s It (2017) proved he can pull off Dustin-esque comedic characters masterfully.

The creators evidently caught on to the fact that fan-favourite Dustin stole the show in the first season, and he was put very much in the spotlight this season, armed with a new set of dentures. He is accompanied by Lucas and new character Max, whose love triangle becomes the primary romantic sub-plot of the narrative.

Honorary mentions go to the abundance of D&D references, as well as the new style of horror. Season two moves away from supernatural suspense, and more into the realm of The Exorcist, while also providing some low-key tentacle porn. Something to look forward to?

Stranger Things 2 certainly pushed all the buttons a sequel should, and certainly has my commendations - and I very much believe it could also win over yours.•

SCIENCE AND GAMING

A MATTER OF DARKNESS Jessica Copeland describes International Dark Matter Day 2017, celebrated by Royal Holloway’s Physics Department, and the theories behind Dark Matter.

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n 30 October, the Physics Department at Royal Holloway celebrated International Dark Matter Day 2017 with an evening of events. The event was hugely attended, with more than 500 people registered online and Windsor Auditorium packed for the evening’s first event, a lecture given

by Dr Jocelyn Monroe.

With dark matter now estimated to make up a quarter of the matter in the universe, the theory was first proposed in the 1930s when the observed rotation speeds of nearby galaxies was found to be too fast to account for the visible mass of the stars and planets them. Confirmation of its existence came in the Cosmic Microwave Background in the 2000s and even more recently in observations of gravitational lensing – where light is bent around huge invisible mass and a magnified image can be seen.

However, as of yet there is no clear phenomena that can be called Dark Matter; we can only see its effects.

However, there are some strong candidates including sterile neutrinos - a particle so unresponsive it would take the entire age of the universe to observe even one interaction – or axions – particles first proposed to solve a strong force problem in the 1970s.

In her lecture, Monroe discussed her research into a primary candidate, WIMPs, a theoretical weakly interacting particle that might give rise to Dark Matter. It would have low velocity in comparison to the speed of light; low mass similar to that of the proton and it would be uncharged. This all leads to problems in detection as it hardly interacts with itself, light or matter around it. and the problems there are in trying to detect a particle that hardly interacts.

The floor was opened up to questions from the audience, which concerned the applications of dark matter in new technologies (we just don’t know yet), where it might have originated from and the difference from dark energy - a theory to explain the accelerating

expansion of the universe and estimates give that it makes up nearly 70% of the energy in the universe .

“It was truly exciting hosting a Dark Matter lecture on the occasion of the International Dark Matter Day!” said Anna Christodoulou, SEPNet Outreach Officer for Royal Holloway and organizer of the event. ”Professor Jocelyn Monroe gave a very interesting lecture to a 300 people audience and unravelled the exciting research taking place at Royal Holloway. Our group participates in international collaborations (DEAP, SNOLAB) and we just got a new Dark Matter Time Projection Chamber.”

The evening concluded with guided tours of the department’s laboratories and astrodome; a live connection with the DEAP experiment at SNOLAB in Canada, where they are trying to observe dark matter interactions in liquid argon in a former mine deep underground. • Visit https://www.royalholloway. ac.uk/physics/events for other events and more information on their dark matter research.

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ONLINE GAMING: REDEFINING SOCIAL INTERACTION Deputy Science & Gaming Editor Ryan Gulliford explores the significance of promoting social interaction in today’s games. Is online gaming a key tool in aiding people with social anxiety?

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ver the last two decades, the world that surrounds the gaming industry has expanded undeniably, often leading the way in social and technological developments. Often, there has been a negative stigma associated with gaming and young people, where people feel that playing video games deprives you of social interactions. In today’s society, the phrase ‘social interaction’, has a complex definition, particularly with online gaming communities providing their own take on what it means to express yourself socially. So, does gaming really have an effect on mental health?

Online gaming communities are paramount to exploring this question, with multiplayer gaming being at the very forefront of the games industry, its social impacts are hard to ignore.

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Millions upon millions of people share a common interest, in the form of a particular game. The popularity of gaming has surfaced in most homes and in some cases, offers a virtual escape from the pressures of the outside world.

In a sense, online gaming still offers a similar level of social interaction with new people, but with the added confidence of being able to step away if you should want to. Gaming with new people removes any of the harsh judgement some people face in real-world situations, with the game world being a place where someone can remove their mask if they so wished.

With the ease of global communication in today’s society, the social ability of gaming is working its way into the

central ethos of many game developers. Multiplayer gaming has undergone somewhat of a paradigm shift.

people in particular, to play, connect and interact, with the potential of making some new friends along the way.

What was a platform made to challenge and improve a game, is now a catalyst for forming long-lasting friendships and subsequently, memories.

The main opinion here revolves around multiplayer gaming becoming a safe place for a lot of people, an escape from the sense of pressure surrounding real-world scenarios and interactions. While some online personalities aren’t catered for everyone’s tastes, this problem is still apparent in any other real-world context.

Simply connecting with someone over a game you both love could have the potential to bring best friends together, even though you haven’t physically met. Situations like these show just how far the games industry has contributed towards what we deem to be social development in today’s era.

Digital worlds are quickly becoming a place where social anxiety could be ever so slightly subdued, encouraging young

We are experiencing the emergence of a new era, where gaming represents support, friendship, respect and most importantly, being an advocate of mental wellbeing.

Whether you’re on console or PC, there’s an online community just around the corner and anyone is welcome. •

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THERE’S SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE SUN It turns out we don’t know our Sun quite as well as we thought we did.

Simon Williams explains the latest developments in solar exploration.

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omething is wrong with the Sun. It seems that the Sun has lost 1500 times the mass of the Earth, and no one quite knows why. There is a hole in our knowledge of the Sun, and we don’t know what fills it.

This is an important problem not just because the Sun is the source of our heat, and ultimately life on Earth, but it is in fact what we base most of our understanding of stars on. If we have the Sun wrong, then we’ve probably got every other star in the night sky wrong too.

It is thought that our Sun is mainly comprised of light elements such as hydrogen and helium, which are the source of our star’s nuclear fusion (the bringing together of two light nuclei to make heavy nuclei). However, along with these two light elements are some heavier elements such as carbon, nitrogen and iron, which came from the explosive deaths of other nearby large stars.

The heavier elements are few and far between inside the dense plasma of the Sun, and make up approximately 2% of the Sun’s mass. Despite their scarcity they play a very important role in conducting the heat from the centre of the earth to the surface.

The problem of missing mass first came about during the 1990s in Copenhagen, when Martin Asplund, now at the Australian National University, noticed that there was a big simplification in the modelling of the Sun’s surface.

Astrophysicists at the time had been using one-dimensional models of the surface of the Sun, but like most things in the Universe the solar surface is in fact three-dimensional. Not only that, these models seem to leave out the presence of heavy elements. Asplund thought this could be significant, and so devised a model that represented the Sun’s surface in three-dimensions. This is where the fun began.

In 2009, Asplund released his findings, and they were not what anyone expected. 25% of the heavy elements that had been predicted, and ‘observed’ were simply not there. The Sun

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seemed to have shed 1500 Earths in one scientific paper.

These outcomes conflicted with well established methods of solar observation such as helioseismology (the study of seismic waves on the surface of the Sun). It suggested the outer layer of the Sun was thinner than it looks and that sound travelled through it at a different speed.

Hoping to resolve the issue, earlier this year an investigation into the contents of the Solar Wind was performed, and they found evidence supporting helioseismology. However this evidence can not solve the problem, because the proportions of the elements found disagree with all other observations. The hole would be filled, but in contradiction to all other evidence.

25% of the heavy elements that had been predicted, and ‘observed’ were simply not there. The sun seemed to have shed 1500 earths.

“

Someone is wrong, but finding out who is wrong could be hard. Our best bet is neutrinos from the centre of the Sun, specifically those produced by the heavy elements, so called CNO neutrinos. However these neutrinos are very hard to distinguish, and it is the aim of experiments such as SNO+ in Canada to find these illusive particles.

Until now, there has been no direct evidence of anything that can fill the hole in our knowledge, but theories are popping up from all over the place trying to explain it. Could it be that at the centre of our closest star there is a huge mass of dark matter?

Perhaps the hole could open paths into the realms of dark energy! Could it be the answer to how to perform nuclear fusion, and solve our energy needs, who knows? But what we do know is that we don’t know the Sun quite as well as we thought we did, despite seeing it everyday. •

STEPHEN HAWKING’S THESIS Hawking’s thesis is an insight into an exceptional mind and the first steps of discovery in what has been a remarkable scientific journey. Camillia Imorsario explains more.

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tephen Hawking, perhaps the most famous living scientist in the world. After receiving a first-class degree in natural science at University College Oxford, he moved to Cambridge in 1962 where he completed his PhD studies. By 1963 he was diagnosed with motor neuron disease and given two years to live.

He’s now 75 years old, communicates using a single cheek muscle attached to a speech-generating device, and continues to work and lecture internationally. His doctoral thesis “Properties of Expanding Universes” was published in 1966, and was released online on 23 October. Whilst it is now available online for everyone to read, it may not be your preferred bedtime story.

“By making my PhD thesis Open Access, I hope to inspire people around the world to look up at the stars and not down at their feet; to wonder about our place in the universe and to try and make sense of the cosmos. Anyone, anywhere in the world should have free, unhindered access to not just my research, but to the research of every great and enquiring mind across the spectrum of human understanding.” Said Professor Hawking, adding that “Each generation stands on the shoulders of those who have gone before them, just as I did as a young PhD student in Cambridge, inspired by the work of Isaac Newton, James Clerk Maxwell and Albert Einstein”.

Hawking’s thesis effectively illustrates that the Big Bang theory was physically possible. So, how did young Stephen Hawking prove this? In order to explain this, we need some background physics.

In 1915 Albert Einstein published his theory of General Relativity and introduced the idea of “space-time”: the framework of our universe which combines threedimensional space and one-dimensional time.

Einstein’s idea showed gravity to be a “twist” of space and time, where the curvature in the space-time framework is caused by the presence of mass or energy, which creates a

“dip” into an otherwise flat framework. Einstein’s equations were subsequently used to investigate what happens to space-time in different situations.

Black holes, for example, are objects in which all matter is concentrated into a single point, where the gravitational effects are so strong that they cause the space-time curvature so be so extreme that not even light can escape.

The density at the centre of a black hole is infinite, making it a “singularity”. The final chapter of Hawking’s thesis focuses on the idea of such “singularities” for the entire universe.

If the universe is expanding, in the past there must have been a time where it was smaller and denser, where all the matter and energy must have been concentrated in a single point.

“

Over a large scale, the contents of the universe must be evenly distributed and look the same in every direction.

The “Robertson-Walker metric” is the solution to Einstein’s equations which is able to satisfy these conditions by describing a universe in which space itself is expanding. In the 1920s, Hubble showed that other galaxies are moving away from us, therefore suggesting that the universe really is expanding.

So, if the universe is expanding, in the past there must have been a time where it was smaller and denser, where all the matter and energy must have been concentrated in a single point. This is the basis of the ‘Big Bang’ model.

At 24 years old, Hawking mathematically proved that singularities were expected features of nature and not just a theory. This demonstrated that general relativity allowed for a universe that began in a singularity: the Big Bang theory. •

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M

ental Health Awareness has always had such a huge presence on campus, and mental health in sport has become an increasingly discussed topic. Both football clubs have always been active supporters for mental health awareness, taking part in social media campaigns and bringing it into their training sessions. I spoke to the two club presidents, Henry Hodge and Laura Vinton, to see how football effects mental health, and what they’re doing to raise awareness this year.

Why does your sport have such a positive impact on mental health? How does it positively impact your members at training?

Men’s Football: Football and sport in general is an amazing opportunity to escape from the busy student life and the stress it brings.

Within Football, we offer training sessions and fixtures every week which allows our members to let off steam and keep their bodies fit and healthy. As football is a team sport we like to instil the idea of team bonding, we do this through off the pitch social events. This, we find, gives a sense of belonging within the team and being there for each other no matter what the situation.

Women’s Football: Playing football is a great way to relieve the stresses of uni. Between kicking a ball as hard as you can and having a laugh with your teammates, it is so easy to let go of the worries that may have been building up over the week. Also, our club is a strong community and so social support from other members is always readily available.

What events has your club done in the past for mental health awareness?

MF: This term already we have held our first of many Mental Health Awareness Campaigns. We went around campus with Women’s Football to campaign for the charity MIND to try and get students feeling more comfortable in discussing mental health. We are also currently in the process of carrying out Movember for our charities Prostate Cancer and Mental Health Awareness. Through heavily advertising this on our large social media pages we have been able to raise money to help combat the illnesses whilst also encouraging people to talk.

WF: Every year we take part in the #itsoktotalk campaign which aims to break down some of the stigma and silence surrounding mental health, and encourages people to be open about their mental health.

Also through various events we raise awareness for Beat and MIND each year, as these two charities do wonderful work for those tackling eating disorders and other mental health issues.

What have you got planned for mental health awareness this year?

MF: The football club has a few more events planned for Mental Health Awareness this year. These include a charity 7-aside tournament, another campus awareness campaign and a workshop.

WF: This year, alongside our usual campaigns, we are also planning on doing a mental health talk in affiliation with one of our alumni, who is now working on developing an app that aims to support people who are experiencing mental health difficulties. •

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PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT: ABBIE CHEESEM

MAN

SPORTS AND SOCS

KICK-STARTING MENTAL HEALTH Louisa Wicks talks to the presidents of Men’s and Women’s Football about mental health in football

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Louisa Wicks looks at how being part of a sports club or society can have a positive impact on your mental health.

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ne way to help improve your mental health is to get involved with a sports club or society.

By getting involved with new things, such as a sport that you’ve never tried before, you will be able to meet new people and make unforgettable memories.

Also, if deadlines, homesickness or just university life in general is taking a toll on your mental health, doing exercise or society activities is a good way to put those worries at the back of your mind.

Whether you’re at a training session, or just at the gym on your own, sport can improve your self-esteem, reduce your stress levels and lower your risk of depression and anxiety – especially if you’re doing a sport that you enjoy.

Royal Holloway’s sports clubs have done several events and campaigns in the past surrounding mental health. The #ItsOkToTalk campaign has been the most widespread on campus, with sports clubs encouraging their members to speak up about their mental health.

Another successful campaign was #HealthyU week, run by the Students Union. This involved several clubs and societies talking about how being part of a student group can really help improve mental health.

From women’s football to Orbital Magazine itself, many student groups stepped forward to talk about how their members overcome stress and what sort of things they do as a club or society. I spoke to the VP of Sports and Development, Steff Milne, to find out more about how sport has helped her, and how the university is getting involved with mental health awareness.

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For me sport and exercise has always allowed me time to forget about everything else I’ve got going on and focus on something different.

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“For me sport and exercise has always allowed me time to forget about everything else I’ve got going on and focus on something different. Sport is where I have made some of my best friends and is a social outlet as well as being a way to keep fit and healthy. Going to the gym and playing tennis always make me feel good about myself and being active and joining a club helped me overcome the stresses of university life! Our clubs have been telling us why being engaged in extracurricular activity helps their mental health. Check out the profiles on the Students’ Union Social media as part of the #HealthyU campaign.”

This level of awareness is so important as it encourages more people to talk about their mental health and starts to remove the stigma surrounding it. If more people share their own experiences, then hopefully society will begin to better understand mental health and the difficulties surrounding it.

The mental health charity Mind has a section of their website dedicated to sport and physical activity. To find out more about how sport can positively impact your mental health, go to www.mind.org.uk/sport. •

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT: ABBIE CHEESEMAN

MENTAL HEALTH & SPORT

DELVING INTO DIWALI Diwali was celebrated in style on campus this year, Bryony Locks delves into the celebrations.

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he Hindu society celebrated one of the biggest festivals of the year on Thursday 19th October.

Diwali is the Hindu festival of light- the festival celebrates the victory of good over evil, light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance. It is a time typically celebrated with friends and family, which of course isn’t always simple when you’re miles away from home at university.

The Hindu society hosted a huge celebration at Medicine to bring everyone who wanted to rejoice together. When I asked one girl if she missed her family during such a festive occasion she replied, ‘this is my second family,’ which was really humbling to hear.

The room was a sea of colour. Everyone looked gorgeous; I fell in love with every sari I saw, with their detailed embroidery and rich colouring. The boys also looked extremely handsome, not to be outdone by the girls. It was lovely to see everyone joining in the dancing, and they seemed to be having a genuinely great time.

There was a clear hybrid between the Hindu culture and university culture with music from the UK’s top 40 to Bollywood classics. As the night went on, more and more

people flooded onto the dancefloor. A few dancers definitely impressed and stole the spotlight, showing off some of the finest traditional and contemporary moves.

When the dancing got too much, one was drawn in by the delicious scent of Indian food being served throughout the night. This fuelled everyone’s appetite and meant there was absolutely no excuse why anyone couldn’t dance the night away.

There was clearly a great sense of belonging for everyone in the room, and a huge sense of welcoming to anyone who didn’t typically practice the religion. One group told me that they didn’t practice Hinduism but adored the culture, and wanted to be part of such an uplifting celebration.

The president of the Hindu society claims there are around 67 members of the society. It’s a great way to meet people who share the same beliefs as you, or even to learn about new beliefs. They’re a lovely bunch and it’s never too late to join. Simply go to their page on the SU website for more information.

Happy belated Diwali! •

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To Kill A ...

What organisation did Dr Will Jones co-found?

THE PUZZLES

Who wrote Les Mis?

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What is the name of the President of Men’s Football?

Who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2017?

It is thought that our Sun is mainly comprised of light elements such as hydrogen and...

The name of the Hindu festival of light What is the name of a famous mental health charity?

Which Hollywood producer was recently accused of sexual harassment and assault?

Where was the Cisco University Challenge held this year?

Which Netflix Original series released its second season on the 27 October?

Sudoku is easy to play and the rules are simple. Fill in the blanks so that each row, each column, and each of the nine 3x3 grids contain one instance of each of the numbers 1 through 9.

Easy

DiďŹƒcult

SQUASH RISOTTO This warming dish is incredibly delicious, surprisingly easy and super healthy.

Perfect for you to impress your housemates!

4 Vegan Sausages 1 tbsp vegetable oil ½ small squash, peeled and diced 1 onion, diced 1 clove garlic, crushed 1/2 tsp ground cumin A few sprigs of thyme and rosemary 200g risotto rice 1 litre hot vegetable stock 2 spring onions, sliced 50g vegan parmesan, grated 2 tbsp chopped parsley to serve Preheat your oven to 200°C 1. Cook the sausages according to package instructions.

2. Roast the pumpkin on a baking tray with a splash of vegetable oil for approximately 15 minutes.Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan and cook the onion for 5 minutes or until softened.

3. Stir in the garlic, cumin and herbs and cook for 2-3 minutes.

4. Stir in the rice and cook for 2-3 minutes until the rice is coated in the spices.

5. Increase the heat, add a cupful of the stock and stir until the liquid has been absorbed.

6. Repeat with the remaining stock until the rice is cooked and all the stock is used, adding more or less as necessary.

7. Stir in the squash, spring onions and ¾ of the parmesan and cook for a further 1-2 minutes.

8. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

STUDENT RECIPES

INGREDIENTS:

9. Serve the Sausages sliced on top risotto with a sprinkle of the remaining parmesan and parsley.

Serve with fresh basil and garlic bread.

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