812 by The Beaver

THE NAB FRESHERS PULLOUT | News: LSE drops in National Student Survey

Beaver

the

Issue 812 | 28.09.14

newspaper of the LSE Students’ Union

LSESU To Debate NUS Disaffiliation Kallum Pearmain News Reporter LSE STUDENTS WILL BE ASKED WHETHER they want to remain in the National Union of Students (NUS), after the Presidents of two leading political societies submitted a motion to the Union’s Democracy Committee outlining a referendum on disaffiliation. Josh Hitchens, the chair of LSESU Conservatives, and Hari Prabu, the chair of LSESU Liberal Democrats, are set to argue that the NUS is unrepresentative, undemocratic and expensive for LSE students, noting that whilst the LSE Students’ Union paid almost £35 000 in membership fees in 2013-14, its two representatives to the organisation were only able to vote on around 50 per cent of NUS business. The referendum motion, which has been seen by the Beaver, argues that the “vast majority of the seven million students represented by the NUS have minimal awareness of, let alone affinity to, the organisation and its work”, adding that it prioritises political campaigns

on issues like far-right politics and the Arab-Israeli conflict which have little direct relevance to students. The proposers of the motion suggest that the money that would be saved by disaffiliation should form a ringfenced gift from the Students’ Union to the LSE, to be spent exclusively on helping disabled LSE students with the cost of living. This is likely to become a key talking point in the referendum. Nona Buckley-Irvine, General Secretary of the LSESU said that “LSESU was one of the founding members of the NUS. We needed it back then, and we still need it now. While this motion claims that the NUS isn’t working, the recent U-turn by the government on cuts to Disability Support Allowance follows a high profile campaign by the NUS which was a clear success”. The referendum is slated to take place during week four of Michaelmas term, between 29th and 30th October. If successful, LSE would join a relatively small group of students’ unions to be unaffiliated to the NUS, including St Andrew’s, Southampton and Imperial College.

PartB

iPhone 6 Reviewed Page 14

Sport:

Your AU President Page 16

BAMBOO-ZLED!

Comment: Welcome to the Best University in the World Nona Buckley-Irvine LSESU General Secretary NEWCOMERS, WELCOME TO THE BEST university in the world. It genuinely is. And returning students, welcome back. LSE is unique. Our student body is the most international in the world. We’re the most active student community: with over two hundred societies, fifty clubs, and thousands of events that take place every year. My role is to lead this community as General Secretary of the LSE Students’ Union (LSESU) and get the best for students, whether it be at a Union or university level. I studied Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method at undergraduate level.

I was RAG President, Beaver staff reporter, and a decidedly social AU member, and ran for General Secretary in my third year. I loved my time at LSE. It’s a small campus but full of activity. Every day is different; one day Bill Clinton may be visiting, the next day the BBC filming on campus. Expect the unexpected, and make the most of it. What does the Students’ Union do? I lead the SU with a team of three other officers: Alastair Duncan, Activities & Development; Tom Maksimyw, Education Officer; Sebastian Bruhn, Community & Welfare Officer. Together, we campaign on student-related issues to the School: whether it be sports facilities, improving the educational experience, building a stronger community, or making living at LSE more affordable. Continued page 4

Page 12: Harry Maxwell reports as LSE is accused of sending a “racist” e-mail. PLUS a brief history of LSE gaffes, scandals and cock-ups.

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Beaver

Executive Editor Jon Allsop

editor@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Managing Editor Alexander Fyfe

Sunday September 28, 2014

Established in 1949 Issue No. 812- Sunday 28 September 2014 - tinyurl.com/beaver812 Telephone: 0207 955 6705 Email: editor@thebeaveronline.co.uk Website: www.beaveronline.co.uk Twitter: @beaveronline

managing@thebeaveronline.co.uk

News Editor Sophie Donszelmann

news@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Comment Editor Sebastien Ash

comment@thebeaveronline.co.uk

PartB Editor Vacant

partb@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Features Editor Vacant

features@thebeaveronline.co.uk

The Nab Editor Amelia Thomson

social@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Sport Editor Vacant

sports@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Design Editor Liam Hill

design@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Online Editor Harry Maxwell

H.R.Maxwell@lse.ac.uk

Collective Chair Vacant

collective@thebeaveronline.co.uk

The Collective, as of March 2014: A Afridi, A Badwe, A Cameron, A Dawson, A Doherty, A Fraser, A Fyfe, A Laird, A Manawapat, A Moro, A Qazilbash, A Santhanham, A Tanwa, A Thomson, A Wright, B Arslan, B Butterworth, B Phillips, B Rogers, C Loughran, C V Pearson, C Naschert, C S Russell, C Hu, D Hung, D Martin, D Mooney, D Poole, D Sippel, D Wong, E Arnold, E Forth, F Bennett, G Cafiero, G Kist, G Manners-Armstrong, G Rosser, G Saudelli, H Brentnall, H Burdon, H Fenton, H Thompson, H Toms, I Mosselmans, I Plunkett, J Allsop, J Anderson, J V Armstrong, J Cusack, J Evans, J Grabiner, J Heeks, J Jackman, J Jinruang, J Mo, J Momodu, J Ruther, J Wacket, K Farzad, K Kenney, K Owusu, K Pezeshki, K Quinn, L Hill, L Kang, L Montebello, M Akram, M Crockett, M Gallo, M Harrath, M Jaganmohan, M Neergheen, M Pearson, M Pennill, M Petrocheilou, M Strauss, M Warbis, N Antoniou, N Bhaladhare, N J Buckley-Irvine, N Russell, N Stringer, N Thangarajah, O Hill, O Gleeson, P Amoroso, P Gederi, R Browne, R Chouglay, R Chua, R Huq, R J Charnock, R Kouros, R Park, R Serunjogi, R Siddique, R Uddin, R Williams, S Ash, S Barnett, S Crabbe-Field, S Donszelmann, S Hang Low, S Kunovska, S Parmar, S Sebatindira, S Thandi, T Barnes, T Maksymiw, T Meaden, T Poole, V Harrold. If you do not appear on this list and have written three or more articles, please email: collective@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Any opinions expressed herein are those of their respective authors and not necessarily those of the LSE Students’ Union or Beaver Editorial Staff.

The Beaver is issued under a Creative Commons license. Attribution necessary. Printed at Mortons Printing

Jon Allsop on why inclusivity has to be The Beaver’s top priority for the year ahead

From the Executive Editor THE KUNG-FU PANDA SCANDAL which thrust the London School of Economics into the national headlines a fortnight ago highlighted two things which are deeply indicative of life at LSE. The first is that our institution is richly multicultural. The second is that the LSE has a unique propensity to attract fierce debate. Both these factors make our institution a uniquely fascinating place to study. Whether you are a new or returning student, welcome to the melting pot. It is precisely because LSE students come from such diverse places and have such diverse things to say that my priority as executive editor is inclusivity. Whilst writing for The Beaver has always been easy and fun, we have too often failed to let people know that this is the case. Inclusivity is vital because new voices will ensure the healthy future of The Beaver, whilst making our content bet-

ter and more representative of the student body. To get people into the habit of contributing, we will be inviting new students to come into the media centre during Freshers Fair to play with editing software and write short articles, in the hope of producing an issue entirely put together by first year and postgraduate students. To make contributing easier, we’ve launched a brand new online submission system so that you can upload content without having to be on a single mailing list. To get more people involved in the longer-term management of the paper, we’ll be electing new section editors for Sport, Features and PartB and at least two new News editors, one of whom will have to be a first year. If writing or editing isn’t for you, we will also be looking for cartoonists, photographers and a revitalised Beaver business team, which will represent the paper to po-

tential sponsors and advertisers and vice versa. If you have something to offer us, then we will undoubtedly have something to offer you. It is my immense privilege to welcome you to the Freshers edition of The Beaver. Whilst the paper is normally 32 pages long and released every Tuesday morning, we thought we’d bring this snappier edition straight to halls for you to enjoy from the first minute of your LSE experience. In the following pages you will find all of the sections that we normally include, plus a one-off Freshers pullout from our irreverent new section- the NAB. We hope this first edition will inspire you to get in touch. If you want to write, either go to www.beaveronline.co.uk or e-mail editor@thebeaveronline. co.uk to find out more. We’d love to hear from you. An LSE newspaper with only a handful of contributors really isn’t a very ‘LSE’ newspaper at all.

From the Managing Editor Alexander Fyfe starts another year at LSE with tray bake and a new Beaver website IT’S SATURDAY AND MY MOTHER is attempting to remain dignified on a station platform whilst seeing me off for another year at LSE. She presents me with a cling-filmed slab of tray bake as a parting gift; I don’t know whether she is aiming to impress my friends with her baking, or ensure that I don’t lose too much weight. I enquire if it has any alcohol content, as this is crucial should I share it with friends. It doesn’t, but I put it in my suitcase regardless. We’re standing out in the first class no-mans-land at the very end of the platform. My mother insists on this. If I squint, I can see some of my friends queuing for standard class. I move to join them, but my escape attempt is thwarted. “You can speak to them on the train” says my mother. I attempt a wave of acknowledgement to a teenage smudge on the horizon I think

I recognise. I receive no reply, and the other customers interpret this as a condescending, pseudo-regal gesture. I decide to stop waving. The gap between first and second year has been busy, particularly with preparation for The Beaver. We have made numerous changes to the paper for the following year, many of which Jon has already outlined. I have been particularly busy with the relaunch of our website, beaveronline.co.uk, making it easier to use and featuring exclusive content. The website also serves as the portal for any LSE student to contribute to The Beaver; all you need to do is register with your LSE email address and submit your articles. You can view topics our section editors want written too, just click ‘Write For The Beaver’. It’s going to be a very exciting year at The Beaver, and I personally hope everyone will find some way to get

involved with it. Back on the platform, the train is arriving. My mother becomes flustered, running through a checklist of items only applicable to students in the 1980s, like casserole dishes and dusters. As the doors open, she simultaneously kisses me and forces some more vitamin tablets into my hand. She then steps back, preventing me from disposing of them. I contemplate dropping them onto the track, but the guard is already eyeballing me suspiciously. Mother smiles smugly, knowing I have no option but to accept them. At halls, the tray bake is offered around. Everybody declines a slice. I decide it will make a good breakfast item anyway, so keep it for myself. My mother phones, innocently enquiring about the tablets. I tell her I will use them, but only so I don’t have to carry them home again.

News

Room 2.02, Saw Swee Hock Student Centre, LSE Students Union London WC2A 2AE

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Beaver

From the editor: LAST ACADEMIC YEAR, THE News section of the Beaver saw everything from strikes as the University and College Union demanded fairer pay for teachers and staff, to protests within the University of London calling for reform and “cops off campus”. We listened in on Union General Meetings and highprofile speakers such as Boris Johnson addressing the “Libyan School of Economics” and the strident protests that greeted UKIP leader Nigel Farage. Term elections always provided plenty of gaffes and the national media made sure to cover some other controversies, such as the Atheist and Humanist Society at Fresher’s Fair. And that’s just the beginning of it. Every week, News evaluates the issues that matter most to students and holds our Sabbatical Officers and administration accountable for their actions. News is fact-based, informative and relevant. If you want to have a finger on the pulse of what is happening at LSE, send us an e-mail and write about what matters most. Sophie Donszelmann

News

Sunday September 28, 2014

LSE Drops Five Per Cent in Student Satisfaction Survey Megan Crockett Deputy News Editor A RECENT SURVEY CARRIED out by the Times Higher Education supplement ranked student satisfaction at the London School of Economics (LSE) at 83 per cent, down five per cent from the previous academic year. The survey, which was completed by over 320 000 students, was split into seven separate areas of satisfaction, including: teaching, assessment and feedback, academic support and learning resources. From these categories “teaching on [the] course” scored best overall at 86 per cent, while assessment and feedback fared worst with only 72 per cent of students claiming they “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that their assessment and feedback had been ad-

equate. Despite the School’s fall in student satisfaction, campus universities continued to perform highly, with their undergraduate satisfaction scores hitting a ten-year high. The University of Bath, Keele University and the University of St Andrews shared the top spot, all reaching ninety three per cent satisfaction. Brighton and Sussex Medical School and the Courtauld Institute of Art scored best out of all the institutions entered, scoring 96 and 100 per cent satisfaction respectively. The School’s disappointing outcome may not be unique to Houghton Street, as the Times Higher Education claims that the majority of higher education institutions in London fared poorly; with London Metropolitan University, University of the Arts London and Ravensbourne scoring lowest of all.

Liam Matthews, a second year Social Policy and Politics student, and Ellen CooperTydeman, a second year Social Policy student, suggested they may have been more satisfied if “classes had been led by lecturers” rather than GTAs; this issue had been highlighted last year by Professor Paul Kelly, the School’s Pro Director for Teaching and Learning, amongst others who sat on the Teaching Task Force 2 board. Kelly claimed that students choose to study at LSE because of its “prestigious faculty”, but that these professors do not teach many classes. In addition, Professor Kelly said “there is no getting away from the fact that the headline results are disappointing. Although there are some rays of light amongst the gloom, the School has a duty to its students to improve in those areas

where it scored particularly poorly. To this end, work will be undertaken across the coming year to review LSE’s approach to assessment [and feedback]. The School is also reviewing the Academic Advisor system, the recommendations from which should address the discontent some students evidently feel from the School’s academic support resources. We are already working with the Students’ Union sabbaticals to ensure that student concerns are reflected in these initiatives.” Greg Clark, the Universities Minister, said, “it is vital that higher education institutions further enhance teaching quality and improve the experience they offer students”, shadowing the opinions of many students on campus. Satisfied with your LSE student experience? Tweet @beaveronline

The Beaver Needs You! We’re electing new members of the editorial board within the next month, which is a great way to get more involved with The Beaver. We will be electing section editors for Features, PartB, The City and Sport. We will also be electing two News Editors, one of whom will have to be a first-year undergraduate student.

To stand and vote in all elections, you must be a member of the collective. Currently you must have written for or contributed to three print editions of the paper to gain collective membership. We are hoping to change this to widen collective participation, and to reflect online submissions, soon. We’re also looking to appoint photographers, cartoonists and a Beaver business team. E-mail the editor if you are interested.

LSE Research Finds Ethnic Bias in University Admissions Rachel Chua Reporter RESEARCH FROM LSE HAS SHOWN that applicants from black and ethnic minority backgrounds are less likely to receive conditional offers than comparable white British students. The research, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, looked at 50 000 UCAS applications, and found that even after considering academic attainment, family social class background, sex, and the type of school attended, applicants from a non-mixed race minority group were much less likely to be offered a university place than their white British counterparts. The research, which is the most comprehensive study of its kind, estimated that Pakistani candidates received seven fewer offers per 100 applications than white British students, while Bangladeshi and black African candidates received five fewer offers.

Dr. Michael Shiner, Associate Professor in LSE’s Department of Social Policy, pointed out the alarming nature of the findings, stating that it “raises concerns about the fairness of the admissions process”. Nonacademic factors, he also mentioned, greatly “influence the offers [non-mixed race minority students] receive and the choices that are available to them”. While Chinese, Black Caribbean, and Indian applicants were also overall less likely to receive offers when compared with equivalent white British applicants, the research found that mixed-race applicants were not similarly affected. Chinese candidates, the research also found, were only less likely to receive offers once non-academic factors were taken into account, suggesting that their apparent equality in attaining offers when compared to white British students were masked by their high levels of attainment. Responding to the research findings, David Lammy, the La-

bour MP for Tottenham, heavily criticised the under-representation of ethnic minority students, labelling universities “unreflective of wider society”. The research, Lammy went on to say, “raises yet more questions about the diversity of our universities and the processes that determine who is given the opportunity to attend them”. The likelihood of a student receiving an offer from a university also heavily depended on the type of school that was attended. Attending an independent or grammar school, the research found, greatly increased a student’s chance of being offered a university place. Factors such as the A-level subjects taken and academic attainment also heavily came into play. The suggestion of an element of racial bias in the admissions process by the research findings have led to calls for a racially-blind applications procedure. Jeremy Crook, director of the Black Training and Enterprise Group, is one such

advocate of this. He has argued that “given these ethnic disparities, UCAS should now consider introducing a nameless application process”. The study, which focused mainly on ethnicity, also reveals that applicants from privileged backgrounds were much more likely to receive offers than applicants from a lower social class group. Tariq Modood, Professor of Sociology, Politics and Public Policy at the University of Bristol, blamed this on the different application preparations that schools provide pupils, arguing that “young people from lower social class backgrounds and some ethnic minority groups are less likely to attend schools that are geared towards getting pupils into higher education or to come from families that are familiar with the application process”. Professor Modood then called for “universities to do more work with schools to ensure that the process is fair to all”.

In Brief Library News: Fines and BoB Access THE LIBRARY IS CHANGING ITS policy for overdue books during Michaelmas term. If you have an overdue loan you will no longer be charged a fine- but you won’t be able to borrow anything else until your overdue book is either returned or renewed. Books that have been requested by another student must be returned. The Library has moved to Library Search, a new collection management system, and as part of this change the Library is trialling this new approach to overdue books. The Library believes that this will make it easier for LSE students to manage their Library accounts, while ensuring that books are circulated promptly and fairly. The Library will review the policy at the end of the Michaelmas term. Additionally, LSE students and staff now have access to BoB (Box of Broadcasts), a shared online TV and radio recording service for UK higher and further education institutions. BoB enables viewers to choose and record any broadcast programme from 60+ TV and radio channels, including BBC, ITV and Channel 4. The recorded programmes are then kept indefinitely and added to BoB’s growing media archive of over 1 million programmes, with all content shared by users across subscribing institutions. The Library purchased its subscription for BoB following a consultation with the LSE academic community. To sign up to BoB and start using the service, please use your LSE account to login.

LSE Alumnus in Satirical Film Project LSE ALUMNUS AND INDIE FILMMAKER Matthew Lee is shooting the pilot episode of a TV series aimed at getting young people interested in politics and satirising elitism in British society. Set around a London private school, “Ruling Class” shows that politics and power structures are relevant to us every day through a host of eccentric power-hungry teenagers, even more absurd teachers, the next best rock band in the world, and an extra silver spoonful of utter chaos. Follow them @Ruling_Class. If you are an LSE staff member, student or alumnus with an announcement to make then News in Brief wants to hear from you! Email news@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Comment From the Editor: THE BEAVER IS THE ONLY student newspaper where the phrase ‘cutting your teeth’ is both figuratively and comedically appropriate. Or at least I will presume it is since I’m not an expert on the biology of beavers. Take this advice, however: writing for The Beaver can be daunting, yes, but it’s also a unique opportunity to interact with the student community. Truthfully, what you write on the Ukranian conflict is unlikely to be much more than what you’ve scraped from all those Op-Eds you read. But what writing for Comment will be is a chance to guide the discussion on student issues at LSE, whilst at the same time getting a taste for writing on a regular basis- and you should jump at it.

Section Editor: Sebastien Ash Deputy Editors: Vacant comment@thebeaveronline.co.uk

The Neverendum

Do you agree with this week’s writers? Tweet @beaveronline

In Scotland, some questions still need to be answered

Alexander Fyfe RESENTMENT IS FESTERING North of the border; resentment at the middle classes that recline casually back into the safety Westminster provides. The establishment has run roughshod across the hopes of many Scots, who came so close to rocking the bourgeois boat. I am of course talking about the Scottish Independence Referendum: a democratic wedge now driven deep into Scottish society. The cracks in our increasingly unequal community have suddenly gotten wider, as many with nothing to lose have suddenly lost something, something that fleetingly seemed so close. The independence referendum enfranchised the young, the poor and the unemployed; it gave hope to many that the distant and elite rule of Westminster could be overthrown, replaced with a fairer society. On the other side of the fence, inde-

pendence presented a challenge for the ruling classes: economic stability would be questioned, university funding cut and the security of Westminster stripped from beneath them. Resentment is growing between these groups as a previously disenfranchised group perceived gaining a voice, and losing a voice at the hands of an elite. This segregation emerged fairly early on in the process, as the Yes campaign achieved a previously unseen political resonance with many of Scotland’s disenfranchised young. In politically inactive areas of Glasgow and Dundee, areas experiencing high deprivation and unemployment, Alex Salmond articulated their plight. Not only that, he promised that independence would be the key to improving their lives; shifting the blame for their situation onto Westminster. The Yes campaign gained traction, scooping up those at the bottom of the economic ladder and those who agreed that an independent Scotland would be a fairer Scotland. Hope was finally a realistic emotion for many who felt that Westminster ignored their plight. The polls swung, and suddenly, with a week to go, Yes was ahead by a small margin. To lose from this position engendered national disappointment amongst Yes supporters. As

the result was played out across the country, those who had invested themselves emotionally in the Yes campaign were inevitably dejected. The establishment had ground down the resistance, and promises of more powers were swiftly dashed by Westminster. The defeat is made only more cutting due to the close fought nature of the vote; the Yes campaign had broken Westminster’s poker face, forcing them to show their hand. The disappointment of the result was shared across

social media: “dejected and heartsick”, “This is the end for Scotland.” and “This Unicorn is STILL in shackles!!” Scotland has been divided, much like the UK almost was. Yes in one camp, No in another. Two groups separated by their feelings for Westminster and each other. Finishing this article was tough, and I do not wish at all to sound like Russell Brand here, but is a Scottish revolution coming? Forty five precent of the country certainly hopes so.

Photo Credit: Kay222

Comment

Sebastien Ash

Sunday September 28, 2014

Welcome to the Best University in the World ... continued from page 1

When it comes to campaigning, you take the lead too. Through our democratic systems, you have the opportunity to hold me and my team accountable, pass policy, and make the changes you want to see in your SU. Be active. Get involved. There are very few institutions we are a part of that will allow such input and influence. Last year, our sports captains passed policy demanding that the Athletics Union receive more funding. Now, the AU has an extra £15,000 to play with as a result: these are the changes that you can make. We’re facing unprecedented challenges. Student numbers are growing at LSE, but our campus is undergoing redevelopment at the same time. This means that spaces for students are going to

be limited for the next six years: it’s up to us to fight together to make sure that we get the space that is needed for studying from the School, whether it be space to work hard, or play hard! We are also here to ensure that it is your voice telling the School what they can do to increase your satisfaction with your course, your department and the School as a whole. For a world class university, this isn’t a world class teaching experience – and we do deserve the best. We need to make sure that as numbers increase, so does the quality of your course. Throughout the year, we’ll want to hear your views on what you love about your education at LSE, and what can be done better, so we can get the School to make the changes necessary to improve your time here.

Getting involved with the SU means that collectively we can campaign for better. Post Orientation, we’ll be launching our campaigns for the year on these issues, so stay tuned. For now, enjoy getting orientated into the

best student community around! Speak to as many people as possible, come and say hello to us, and get to know the ropes. This place is insane. It’s exciting, it’s challenging. It’s LSE. Welcome.

Comment

Sunday September 28, 2014

Saying No to Anti-Rape Nail Polish

Anti-rape nail polish is glossing over the real issues Jessica di Paolo WALK HOME IN A GROUP. Don’t get drunk. Remember to wear “anti-rape underwear”. Don’t wear short or too provocative dresses. Don’t forget the pepper spray camera. And bear in mind that hanging out after midnight is always a terrible mistake. Those are only few of the pieces of rape prevention advice given to women every day. According to four students at North Carolina State University, women’s safety is now protected by another anti-rape invention. And this is called “Undercover colours, the first fashion company empowering women to prevent sexual assault.” Basically, as the team - Tyler Confrey-Maloney, Stephen Gray, Ankesh Madan, and Tasso Von Windheim posted on their Facebook page, “It is a nail polish that changes colour when it comes into contact with date-rape drugs. With our nail polish, any woman will be empowered to discreetly ensure her safety by simply stirring her drink with her finger. If her nail polish changes colour, she’ll know that something is wrong.”

Imagine that you’re having fun in one of the coolest clubs in London and an awesome guy starts to speak with you. The atmosphere is perfect, but yesterday you bought this fantastic new anti-rape nail polish. And in order to see the results you have to dip your fingers in his drink. Weird? Crazy? I believe this is pretty useless. The whole thinking behind this anti-rape strategy is totally wrong. In order to end rape the entire society should not focus its attention on women by giving them tips on how to prevent sex attacks. It is not the responsibility of the woman to protect herself from being assaulted, women are only victims of these attacks, and they should not be blamed for rape. Sometimes I hear people (men and women) arguing that “Yes it’s to be expected. Look at her dress, it’s too short and sexy.” But it’s not fair. There should be more campaigns and projects in order to educate both men and women to promote gender equality and women’s values. School curricula should include such educative programmes for their students. We need to embrace sexuality, sexual ethics, the abil-

ity to talk openly about sex, and teach men that “a sexy dress is not a yes”. As the website Identities.Mic reports, “Data shows that many men will confess to the act of rape as long as you don’t use the word ‘rapist’. In fact, if you start asking college students about their behaviors with questions like ‘Have you ever had sexual intercourse with someone who did not want you to because they were too intoxicated to resist?’, you end up with a lot of them volunteering the information that they have, without realizing that this counts as rape.” And an anti-rape nail polish cannot stop or prevent rape actions. It is just a clever marketing idea that exploits something that’s extremely sensitive and traumatic for many women because they see a potential gap in the market. Also, I believe it’s really important to share opinions with other women on the topic in order to raise awareness of the issue. Therefore, I asked some LSE students what they think about the anti-rape nail polish. Jin Yan, 22, a Media and Communications student, argues that “at the first sight, it was a great idea but now I don’t like

This House Believes...

...that LSE is a great forum for debate

Christopher Hulm THIS FINE INSTITUTION HAS helped cultivate some of the leading thinkers in the world since its formation in 1895, and it has done so by enabling an environment in which students can come together and argue about things. One should never neglect the privilege of being able to argue about things in safe and tolerant surroundings. In the words of Christopher Hitchens, “time spent arguing is, oddly enough, almost never wasted”. Even the most obstinate of students will start their university life proud and self-righteous about the views they so dearly hold. They will obnoxiously flaunt their opinions around the various sambuca-sodden floors of LSE’s Freshers Week; blissfully unaware of the misbegotten ideological path down which

they are trying to lead their peers. But the power of diverse political discussion on Houghton Street has the ability to curtail stubbornness and drive new perspectives on critical issues. (Admittedly, this whole paragraph is drawn from personal experience, and I can only apologise for my outbursts in the autumn of 2012.) Of course, certain individuals will never change. Typically, those who see the European Union of 2014 as a backwardlooking coterie of suppurating vileness are unlikely to convert to Europhilia. And this is not to say that a student starting in October as a member of UKIP will be marching down Kingsway with the Socialist Workers Party

by Christmas. But a climate of healthy argument and debate can foster a grounding of opinion, a humbling of ideas, and it can graciously expose ideological fraudsters for who they really are. There is simply no denying that LSE’s curious concoction of cultures can ignite the most potent of student altercations, and it is high time that this is celebrated. On Monday 6 October at 7pm, the LSESU Politics and Forum Society will be hosting their first event of the year, a ‘Question Time’ panel debate between some of the main representatives of student politics on campus. The event will be free and open to all LSE students.

it. It was like this product seems putting women into a position against the rape. Men should change, not women. Additionally, if a guy wants to rape a girl, he would try everything, not only through drugs.” Miu Miu Choi, 22, History of International Relations student, agrees with Jin. “I am against the idea. I think sexual /self - protection and education are more useful to end rape. If anti - rape nail polish works, then there will be anti rape hair spray, clothing, shoes. I think these are just accessories and their effects are useless. In order to prevent sexual attacks women shouldn’t go out alone at night or get drunk.” But, according to Elsa Mariani, an Accounting and Finance student, “a solution to end rape actions could be improving how universities handle sexual assault. Starting from the schools is important. We need to have schools commit to properly punishing rapists. If cheating on a test is a violation of a school’s code of conduct, why shouldn’t rape be a violation as well? And also encouraging media to talk critically about those anti-rape accessories

is fundamental. When media represent women’s issues they always tend to give advice on how to avoid rape and sexual assaults. But a talk show which educates men on sexuality, sexual ethics, and how to respect women still doesn’t exist.” Sharanya Shriram, a Media, Communication & Development student, believes that “although it is indeed an admirable attempt, it isn’t entirely foolproof. Also, the nail paint will have to be constantly updated to keep up with detecting the various drugs use for date rapes- there are actually over 100 different kinds. Like every test, this could give false positives and could possibly ruin good relationships as well. The rapists aren’t preying on just any woman, they are on the prowl for incapacitated women. They could wait till the girl is absolutely drunk before spiking her drink.” Women don’t need protection, men need education. But educating people is always a hard challenge in terms of money and time, and therefore a nail polish becomes the easiest and cheapest solution.

A “+” For LSESU

Alex Leung

MANY PEOPLE ASKED ME WHY I would like to change the name from LSESU LGBT Officer to LSESU LGBT+ Officer and even submitted a motion to the Students’ Union for the official name change. It is troublesome, it causes debates and I need to fill in different application forms etc. and yet I still insist on doing it. Here are my reasons. On campus, everyone wants to find somewhere where they belong and fit in. Therefore we have different officers to represent their own liberation groups. As the current LSESU LGBT Officer, I represent students who identify as a wide variety of minority gender identities and sexual orientations. The gay community should offer everyone a place where old and narrow restrictions don’t apply. The “+” sign is an umbrella term to represent minority gender identities and sexual orientations not included explicitly in the term LGBT. LGBT+ community is more than people identified as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered. We also have Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Allies, Pansexual, 2-Spirited and all sorts of minor sexualities.

A good friend of mine, who identifies herself as skoliosexual in LSE, does not feel like she is an L, G, B, or T, yet absolutely feels part of the community. The addition of a + symbol makes sure everyone gets included in a way that makes them feel respected just for who they are, and does not force them to try and fit into a label. Part of our role as the LGBTQQIAAP(+2S) community is to make space for everyone. I feel like it is my job to make surethat we acknowledge that people vary and make the campus an inclusive place. A place where everyone can just cut the crap and be who they are, out and proud. I want students to be able to comfortably wear rainbow shirts and shorts, and also professors. Several institutions have renamed LGBT societies and associations as LGBT+/LGBTQ. For example, Oxford, Cambridge and UCL all have renamed to LGBT+/LGBTQ Society/Alliance. The term LGBT+ does not detract from the recognizable LGBT term. It is still short and easy to use, and it includes everyone. Let’s make LSE a more inclusive place by renaming LSESU LGBT Officer as LSESU LGBT+ Officer.

The City WELCOME TO THE NEW ‘CITY’ section of The Beaver! To me it always seemed mad that despite being a university full of students seeking careers in business and finance, there was no section of The Beaver to reflect this. I made it one of my manifesto points, and as the elected Managing Editor, I’m pleased to say that this is the result. The section is very much still developing and I am keen for it to become a section that reflects its readership. If you have any ideas, articles you would like to write, or weekly features sugegstions, then please email me. We are already excited to be going into partnership with the LSESU Entreprenuership Society and the LSESU Trading Society, so look out for their material over the coming weeks. We will also be electing an editor of the section later in the term. If this sounds like something you would be interested in, please keep an eye out for further annoucements.

The City

Alexander Fyfe

Acting Editor: Alexander Fyfe managing@thebeaveronline.co.uk

PartB: Sport: The Hundred-Foot Journey USA: the only way? Page 15 Page 16

The Meteoric Rise of Alibaba Alexander Chronopoulos ALI BABA OF THE ONE THOUSAND AND One Nights tales was a poor woodcutter who discovered the legendary treasure of the forty thieves and managed to turn around his life. Last Friday Jack Ma, the founder of the Alibaba enterprise, reminded the financial world that sometimes tales do come true. Mr Ma twice failed the national university entrance exam and could not even find a job at the KFC of his hometown in east China. Nevertheless, after his company’s initial public offering (IPO) at the NSE, he is one of the world’s 100 richest men with a fortune of $21 billion (£13 billion). The 50-year-old businessman founded Alibaba with a group of friends in 1999. According to The Economist, this small firm evolved from solely connecting businesses to each other into letting them sell directly to the consumers (Tmall) and enabling the public to sell to each other (Taobao). These different services processed together 1.1 trillion yuan ($170 billion) in transactions last year, surpassing the Amazon and eBay figures

combined (table 1). The Wall Street journal highlights the fact that even though the initial share price was $68, this number had to be revised upwards a number of times due to the popularity of the stock. The first trade changed hands at $92.70 whereas the closing price was $93.89, giving the company a market value of $231 billion, larger than Procter & Gamble Co., Amazon and Facebook (table 2). Furthermore, Dealogic stated that this 38 per cent jump handed buyers of the offering paper $9 billion in profits and surpassed the average 26 per cent increase for U.S.-listed technology and internet deals this year. As far as Mr Ma is concerned, he did sell $1 billion worth of stock but continues to hold an $18 billion stake in the organisation, demonstrating that he is not going to go anywhere anytime soon. The reasons behind this astonishing IPO performance which is already characterised as the AntiFacebook IPO were best described by Bbc. Alibaba is responsible for 80 per cent of online e-commerce in China, so supporting the company is the best way to invest in the underlying commercial and technological growth in the coun-

try. After all, China has by far the largest population of internet users but most importantly only half of its 1.3 billion residents have signed up online. Therefore, there is plenty of space for Alibaba to grow even more by taking advantage of China’s middle class growth and the company’s expansion to other parts of the world. Nevertheless, there are still dangers involving an Alibaba investment with most apparent one the exposure to the Chinese economy. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that corporate borrowing costs have increased this year by 50 per cent in the country, whereas Goldman Sachs reduced its forecast for the Chinese economy to 7.3 per cent, the lowest since 2009. These developments are more than likely to lead to economic uncertainty that will damage Alibaba’s business-tobusiness services. However, the biggest concern is the firm’s ownership structure.

Market-Watch states that investors are not buying shares directly in Alibaba but in a holding company in the Cayman Islands which has a profits contract with Alibaba. Thus, if the Chinese company acts against the investors’ interest, they would have no or little say on the matter. That was also one of the reasons that the NSE was chosen for the IPO over Hong Kong’s stock exchange, since the U.S. is tolerant of dual-class share structures, which concentrate voting rights in the hands of management. Alibaba enterprise is without doubt the latest phenomenon of the tech market. What remains to be seen, however, is if it will be remembered as the pioneer company that opened the borders of Chinese industries to American investors, or as the big fail that slowed down the realisation of a real global market. Only time will tell.

Awaken Your Inner Entrepreneur... Nick Whitworth MAKE YOUR LSE EXPERIENCE more than just tiresome theories and ceaseless calculus. Awaken your inner entrepreneur! The LSESU Entrepreneurs Society is offering you the opportunity to join us at Freshers Fair on Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd October, to find out more about what we do and how you can get involved. Sign up to the society that has hosted easyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou, and Shazam co-founder Dhiraj Mukherjee. Network with your fellow student entrepreneurs and make friends that will last a lifetime. Meet the team that will be bringing you Sparks 5.0, and learn more about what the largest student-run entrepreneurship conference has to offer. As if that wasn’t enough,

we’re offering one lucky Fresher the chance to make their Freshers experience extra indulgent, with the award of our LARGE CA$H JACKPOT!!! The winner will be whomever makes the closest guess at the value of coins in our jar. Find us at Freshers Fair for your free entry - we look forward to meeting you then. In the meantime, find us on Facebook to stay up to date with upcoming news and events.

Wall Street Journal

From the Editor:

Sunday September 28, 2014

E D

I S

N I Y N O T O N O M LSE

KUNG-FU PAN-DUH L

SE has formally apologised for a technical error in an email to incoming undergraduate students. In the emails, some students saw their names replaced with ‘Kung Fu Panda’.

Speaking to an online student publication, one student commented “I’m worried by the flagrant racial stereotyping which LSE have seemingly refused to apologise for in their vague follow-up email”, although they were quick to add “I can certainly see the funny side of the email”. LSESU General Secre-

tary, Nona Buckley-Irvine, described the error on Facebook as “racist at best, incompetent at worst.”

In an official statement, LSE stated that “a welcoming e-mail that LSE sent out to some successful applicants contained an error as a result of a technical problem with coding in the database used”. “This meant that the e-mail did not pick up some of the fields correctly.”

“For example, instead of inserting the applicant’s name, the email included the name from a test record which is ‘Kung Fu Panda’.”

“The use of this ‘name’ merely reflects that a member of staff who set up the test record is fan of the film. The e-mail was sent to all students and did not target students from any particular background.”

swiftly sent out when the error was detected and the correct welcome e-mail was sent later the same day.” The technical glitch was reported by several national news outlets, including BBC News, Huffington Post, Metro and Evening Standard. By HARRY MAXWELL

“An apology e-mail was

PLUS: YOUR CUT-OUT-AND-KEEP GUIDE TO LSE GAFFES GADAFFI-GATE

SKI-GATE

SWEENEY-GATE

LSE gets into hot water after it emerges that the son of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi had made a whopping financial gift to the school whilst ‘studying’ for his PhD. LSE director Howard Davies resigns and is punished by being made to discuss airports with Boris Johnson. Davies’ failure to play it ‘Saif’ with donations to the School was found by the Wolff Report to have damaged the LSE’s Tripol-A (sorry) academic credit rating.

The LSESU Ski Trip ends in controversy after allegations of anti-Semitism are levelled against senior AU figures. Certain individuals are accused of playing racist drinking games, such as ‘Nazi Ring of Fire’. The disgraceful episode attracted national media attention.

An LSESU Grimshaw Society trip to North Korea is infiltrated by a high-level journalist on a secret mission to reveal that the people who run the country aren’t very nice. No, we’re not talking about former PuLSE radio head Mike Pearsung-il, but busybody Panorama journo Kim-John Sweeney. Sweeney’s stunning revelations that the Democratic People’s Republic was neither democratic nor a republic briefly shocked the nation, although the nation remained more surprised that Sweeney had passed himself off as a credible academic.

A.S.H-GATE

The LSE Atheist, Secular and Humanist society is ejected from Freshers Fair for refusing to remove ‘Jesus and Mo’ t-shirts depicting the Prophet. Richard Dawkins, forgetting to pick on people his own size, took to Twitter, with predictably controversial results.

Sunday September 28, 2014

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Sunday September 28, 2014

egree: Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method. The Philosophy Department here was founded by Karl Popper! Philosophy here is very science-based. I was interested in the relationship between religion and science and where morality fits into that. I preferred the political philosophy really, but there’s hardly any of it! I chose to do the course because I went to a course on death and the meaning of death, so death is what brought me here. Originally from: I’m from Crawley. We’re a really diverse town. The rest of Sussex is really white and middle class but Crawley is a really nice melting pot of different nationalities. Sum up your role in one sentence: Leading the SU in making sure that students have the most incredible experience they can possibly have. What are your priorities for the year ahead? My main priority is working on the cost of living for students, looking particularly at halls of residence. We’re developing a women in leadership program to try and get more women involved not just in politics, but looking at law and banking and other areas important to female LSE students. We’re preparing for the general election this year, so we’ll be lobbying on behalf of international students and developing a sense of community at LSE and working to integrate the different parts of our student community - to really bring people together. What motivated you to stand? I love LSE and I hate LSE. I wanted to run to support the good parts - its diverse student body, and the philosophy of bettering the world. But the downside is that when you come here, you’re often not very well supported, there’s a sink-or-swim mentality when it comes to your degree programs, and it’s expensive.

egree: History and IR. I loved the degree because It’s quite geared towards contemporary events. I especially enjoy modern history because I feel it’s relevant to the world we experience at the moment. I also did Spanish in my third year. It was really challenging but gave me so much. Originally From: I am from Denmark originally. I was born in a borough in Copenhagen called Frederiksberg. I lived there during my childhood, but I’ve now lived here in Britain for the majority of my life. I still feel Danish in many ways because the rest of my extended family lives there and I have retained the language, but I also care for Britain and have been affected a great deal by its culture. On top of that I went to an international school here, so I have a deceiving American-esque accent. Sum up your role in one sentence: I’d like to think it’s to support the students in having the most enjoyable, enriching, and safe experience that they can here at the LSE. What are your priorities for the year ahead? As a team, we want to foster an environment that makes people want to come here for more than just the name. We think there should be more of an LSE identity. A lot of people have told me that when deciding to go to LSE they felt they had to give up the student experience for the name and the reputation - which we think is wrong. That’s the Sabb goal for the year, cultivating a more cohesive LSE community. I was on the committee at Rosebery, so on a personal level a part of my heart is with the halls. I’m hoping to formalise our relationship with the committees, offer them more training and support, and increase general communication with residents. Halls really are instrumental in shaping your experience at university. I’m also really keen on celebrating our incredibly diverse community by, for example, working with the PTOs and relevant societies to expand past successes, such as Global Village. I’m also hoping to help disabled

I think what should be the best experience possible isn’t quite there yet. I also think the Students’ Union has some way to go in terms of having fun on campus. I did genuinely want to run to give people a better experience at LSE. Share with us a campaign or an issue that is particularly important to you? For me, cuts to legal aid is important. People close to me haven’t been able to access the legal system and pursue their cases because of these cuts. Feminism in general, but leadership campaigns, which relates back to the Women in Leadership program, is also a personal issue because I have personally experienced sexism. Everyday sexism campaigns, again, because myself, my friends and my family have all experienced sexism, and I think it is getting worse, so that’s significant for me One piece of invaluable Freshers week advice for new students? Go to everything! Go to all of the events, weird ones you could never see yourself going to. Speak to people and put yourself out there as much you can. It’s the one week where there will be so much student activity and you’ll be exhausted, but you’ll have an amazing time. So just go to everything that you can.

Nona BuckleyIrvine

General Secretary

After LSE sent out a notification to new students addressed to ‘Kung-fu Panda’, which cartoon character are you most similar to and why? Ooh! I was warned about this question. I was told there would be a difficult question. Let me just revisit my childhood. Simba out of the Lion King? I’m eager and powerful, on the cusp of glory! Don’t put that in. Smurfette? But I can’t substantiate that. Put me down as Nala from the Lion King. She was a strong women supporting people around her. I also really like cats. No, actually I’d choose Mulan, because she was brave, bold, and able to fight in a man’s world. and disadvantaged students as much as possible. What motivated you to stand? Firstly, there’s the history of the Union and university and its founding principles, which I wanted to add to and support. Second, while I was a student here I was involved in various committees and societies. I felt like it gave me at least some insight into the challenges of students that I could use to have a positive impact on the overall experience here. Share with us a campaign or an issue that is particularly important to you? There are a few, but a current campaign that I’m quite curious about is the general movement towards more awareness surrounding the environment and sustainability. I feel like the related discussions have been halted for too long and it’s exciting that its sense of importance seems to be increasing internationally. One piece of invaluable freshers’ week advice for new students? Just throw yourself out there. Search for the services the school provides. Talk to as many people as possible. You’re all in the same boat. Just get to know the various societies! You can always sign up to them later online. After LSE sent out a notification to new students addressed to ‘Kung-fu Panda’, which cartoon character are you most similar to and why? It’s hard to say, I’ve never really thought about this to be honest. I want to say someone like Homer Simpson. There are some resemblances, but still many differences. He tends to play the clown a lot, but at the same time he generally seems to follow his heart and stick to what he believes no matter who’s in his company. There’s an honesty and pureness about him that I really like. So yeah, I can be clumsy and I make mistakes and although I know I’m certainly still far from his more idealistic characteristics, they’re things that I like to think I try to aspire to.

Sebastian Bruhn

Community and Welfare

Sunday September 28, 2014

egree: Politics and Philosophy. I really enjoyed it. More than I thought I was going to. I enjoyed going to Philosophy band socials.

Originally From: I grew up in Loughborough, but now I have moved to Leicester proper. We beat Manchester United 5-3. Sum up your role in one sentence: To represent students on all matters academic. What are your priorities for the year ahead? Three main priorities: feedback, space and academic culture. Feedback and space are fairly obvious. I want better standards for feedback and more and better student space on campus. We’ve got this lovely building (the Saw Swee Hock Student Centre) but we’re losing academic space. The third one is the most difficult to define, the academic culture. I mean really getting to grips with this issue of some students never interacting with their academics outside of the classroom and never having one-to-one time with some of the top minds in their field. Some departments are already doing great things about this, like the Philosophy socials, and the IR department is rumoured to have a football tournament coming up, which would be amazing. It’s about breaking down those barriers between academics, undergrads, postgrads, general course students and international students and getting everyone more engaged with the activities around the school. What motivated you to stand? Someone just mentioned it to me. Sounds tragic, but they knew I spent quite a lot of time in the library, quite a lot of time studying. I was quite engaged with classes, speaking in lectures, heaven forbid! Someone said, just as an offhand comment, ‘you’d be good at that’. And then I spoke to the last education officer, Rosie Coleman, who was really encouraging and helpful. I thought I might just go for it, because I had experienced LSE for three years and I

egree: Government and Economics. A really interesting bunch of people take it. You’ve got people who are, say, diplomats’ children and then people like me, so a really good range of people. But it is a wannabe PPE! Originally From: I’m from Mitcham in South London. That’s where I’m living, and where I lived in my third year, too. Something I found out recently is that, according to Wikipedia and a stone thing on the cricket pitch, Mitcham has the oldest cricket pitch that’s still in use in the world. Sum up your role in one sentence: Everything extracurricular at LSE: societies, clubs, media group, RAG, volunteering and oversight of events like Saucy on Friday nights. There’s a lot in one role. What are your priorities for the year ahead? I am very keen to improve on-campus sports facilities, specifically ensuring that the School put a sports hall in the 44 Lincoln’s Inn Field plans. This is the new building which will be rebuilt in roughly six years. It’s something that can be done and something that I have been working on. There will also need to be squash courts in the building because they will be going when the East building is knocked down in Easter. After that, a lot of progress has been made on the Students’ Union promoting and recognising our students’ successes more actively. That includes using emails, the online calendar and public notices on-campus promoting and recognising society events and club achievements. It’s about filming and taking photos of what they do. Last year the AU (Athletics Union) Exec made videos of their events. I thought it was a really good way to show prospective students that we do have a lot of fun at LSE. Having a great montage video at the end of the year with all those things would be so much better to look at on Youtube when you type in LSE than watching ‘the LSE problem’ with some animated guy saying “I want an internship at the Goldman Sachs”.

think I knew what could be changed and what would really benefit students. I just put myself out there and students agreed. Share with us a campaign or an issue that is particularly important to you? Ukraine, at the moment. My surname is Ukrainian. I’m not, and I don’t speak it, but it’s a big part of my identity. I do care deeply about the situation there at the moment. The Students’ Union passed a motion that I supported siding with Ukraine, for it’s autonomy. It’s a campaign I am emotionally engaged with. There are a lot of campaigns that I think we should really do, but in terms of real emotional weight, that’s the strongest one at the moment.

Tom

Maksymiw

Education

One piece of invaluable freshers’ week advice for new students? I think try out societies and activities. I didn’t really do that in my first year. I waited until my second and third years, where I did a bit of boxing, a bit of volleyball, a bit of debating. But I’d recommend doing that in your first year. Actually, this is my recommendation: do something you’ve never done before. After LSE sent out a notification to new students addressed to ‘Kung-fu Panda’, which cartoon character are you most similar to and why? I have many answers to this question! In terms of personality, obviously, I’m probably something like Eeyore. But I did actually have the nickname - am I going to say this? At school, people said I look like Randall from Monsters Inc. or the llama from Emperor’s New Groove. If I had to pick just one, actually, I’m like the Dog out of Up, throwing another one in there. No, probably Eeyore. I quite like Eeyore. But don’t put a picture of Eeyore with the interview. Use a big picture of the llama. I look most like the llama.

What motivated you to stand? Overall I did enjoy my degree, although like everyone, there were times when I didn’t. I quite often felt that it didn’t live up to my expectations. That led me to take up a lot of extra-curricular things. So I was head of news for PuLSE, I had my radio show, ‘The Naughty Step’, I was presenting events for RAG, like RAG’s Got Talent and Get Your Own Back. I was playing for the football club and I was also a peer supporter. I felt like I was really interested in allowing and helping other students to get involved outside their degree, using it as an opportunity for them to discover their interests. I think that’s one of the things that motivated me to run. Sometimes I think the focus of our sport at LSE isn’t right. Sometimes we prioritise alcohol and the social side over sporting achievement and I think we really need to push our achievement more than we do. Share with us a campaign or an issue that is particularly important to you? I’d say I’m the least political out of the Sabbs. But there is one thing I’m very strongly opinionated on, which is having more respect for women and fighting sexual harassment. That’s very close to my heart. It’s something I get very emotional about. One piece of invaluable freshers’ week advice for new students? The first thing is to get involved as much as you can. You only have one first year, one Freshers week. There are two other things that come with that. Not everything for your whole university career is going to come down to your freshers’ week. After LSE sent out a notification to new students addressed to ‘Kung-fu Panda’, which cartoon character are you most similar to and why? That’s a really good question. My friends always used to say I look like Wallace from Wallace and Gromit . They would pull my cheeks and make me wave. I’ve got very stretchy cheeks, so I look like him when I do that.

Alastair Duncan

Activities and Development

Sunday September 28, 2014

Society Listings

RAG *ALL EVENTS INCLUDED IN RAG BAND* Monday 29th - FreshBook SU Welcome Party -The Venue 10pm start

Tuesday 30th - Suits and Gowns Shaka Zulu 10pm start, Dress code: formal No individual tickets available Wednesday 1st - Heroes and Villains - Rise 10pm start, Dress code: fancy dress Individual tickets can be bought online and at the SU on Monday 29th September. Thursday 2nd - Battle of the Halls - Scala 10pm start, Dress code: wear the colour of your hall The night will include competitions to decide once and for all which hall is the champion. Individual tickets can be bought online and at the SU on Monday 29th September.

Amnesty International stall at the Fresher’s fair. We are the largest human rights campaigning group at LSE with a reach of over 500 members online. We won the Best Campaigning group SU Award last year for our campaigns on Women’s Rights, Children’s Rights, Human Rights and LGBT rights to name a few. We just published our annual Journal, Justitia Omnibus, whichhas a focus on Human Rights around the world, and will be distributing copies on Houghton Street. As well as this, we collaborated with other London universities for the London Conference focussing on LGBT rights in Russia and child labour.

Watch out for our committee elections which will take place in the first few weeks of Michaelmas term. There’ll be the opportunity to get involved as part of the executive committee, be a campaign officer, fundraiser or be part of the Journal/blog team. LSESU POLITICS AND FORUM SOCIETY

LSESU MUSIC SOCIETY Contact: lsesumusicsoc@ gmail.com LSE Orchestra Auditions Date: Monday 6th October Time: 18:00-21:30 Venue: Shaw Library, 6th floor Old Building Details: Informal auditions with a prepared piece and sight reading. All instruments welcome. LSE Choir First Rehearsal Date: Tuesday 7th October Time: 18:00-19:30 Venue: Shaw Library, 6th floor Old Building Details: Repertoire includes Vivaldi’s Gloria. No audition, all welcome. LSESU Houghtones Acapella Choir Auditions during week 1, su.soc. acapella@lse.ac.uk to sign up OR find us on Facebook. AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY Please come to the LSESU

Monday 6th October Question Time debate 7pm, room tbc See Christopher Hulm in Comment for details LSESU UNITED NATIONS SOCIETY facebook.com/lsesu.unsoc In the first week of Michaelmas, we will be having a speaker event followed by a Joint Crisis Cabinet Simulation based on recent developments in the Ukraine. For the Give-It-A-Go festival, we will be conducting a Walk-In Model Parliament in collaboration with Politics and Forum to encourage the spirit of public discourse. Last but not least, we will becollaborating with the MUN Societies of UCL and KCL to host ULMUN, a 1 day taster MUN conference on the 25th of October to introduce our freshers to MUN at a university level.

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Features

Sunday September 28, 2014

About the section:

Features

AFTER HAVING BEING VOTED the most improved section of The Beaver last year, whoever takes on Features is going to have a big task: bringing together the section that informs readers on the sterling work of our societies over the course of the year, as well as dissecting the big questions at LSE and in the wider world with vim, vigour, and clarity. This week’s piece is a great example of the insight you could gain into societies and other LSE organisations by flicking to Features each week. Hopefully, we will be continuing with our successful societies column, which has been a virtual highlight reel of the best things that students do and can do during their time at LSE. If that all sounds like something you liked to be involved with, then consider applying to be our new Features editor, for which elections will be held soon. And remember: watch this space.

Section Editor: Vacant features@thebeaveronline.co.uk

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The Student Services Column Features... Peer Support @ LSE

Intellectual Development is Important, but so is Emotional Wellbeing LSE IS UNDOUBTEDLY ONE of the best places globally to flourish intellectually. However, in an environment where academic excellence is the norm there can be many misconceptions on emotional wellbeing. Have you ever been in that

complete confidence. Only in rare circumstances will confidentiality be extended when there are concerns of self-harm or harm to others. However, this does not mean we will not continue to support you. You will be fully informed of this extension which is in place in order to protect you, peer supporters and the LSE community.

situation where you don’t know who to talk to or where to turn? Or perhaps you are experiencing something which you feel cannot be discussed with family or friends? Or maybe you have had those niggling thoughts at the back of your mind, but decided to bottle it away? That’s where Peer Support can help. Peer supporters provide a time and a place for you to talk in confidence with selected students who have undergone extensive training in order to listen, question and respond to your issues in order to help you to come to your own resolution. Peer supporters facilitate somewhere for you to voice your feelings, when it may feel like there is nowhere else for you to be listened to. Crucially, what makes a peer supporter different to support provided by a friend or anyone else is the connection- the connection is one based on confidentiality and independence. When you meet with a peer supporter all discussions remain between yourself and the peer supporter only. The peer supporter will always be completely impartial to allow you to talk through your worries in

This is important because for many moving to university is an exciting experience, but coupled with the demands of your course, it can prove rather daunting. Sometimes it may be overwhelming moving to a new city, or even maybe a new country. For others the transition to an unfamiliar environment and the need to create a new social circle can make one feel isolated. Peer supporters are equipped to help provide support to any worry, regardless of its type or magnitude. No matter is too small or insignificant. You may have an issue which is important to you but which others may consider to be unimportant: for peer supporters every concern is important and deserves to be listened to. Similarly there can be the pressure of being seen to adapting to university life quickly and without problems. Yet in a cosmopolitan environment like LSE where there is a spectrum of people, beliefs and cultures, it can often be hard to find a sense of belonging. Nonetheless, having concerns is completely normal. Experiencing problems is nothing to be ashamed of; nor is talking

Grace Webster Peer Supporter

about them. Everybody needs support sometimes: even peer supporters experience their own problems with both past and current peer supporters having used the service. We are all part of the same community and our primary aim is to help you. Thus we will undergo further training sessions during the year and attend supervisions from the counselling service in order to support you to the best of our ability. Peer Support is not limited to students living in halls: in fact peer supporters are available to everyone. Although there are a proportion of peer supporters living in or attached to halls, you can contact any peer supporter of your choice. Opening up to a peer supporter can be a liberating experience and leave you incredibly empowered; helping you to move one step closer towards solving your problems. You alone have the ability to solve your problems but remember a problem shared is a problem halved! Therefore, although LSE is an academic institution, it is a place for you to grow as a person. No matter what your back-

ground is, the experiences you have whilst at LSE, the good and the bad, are integral to who we are and shape who we will become. Peer supporters are here to support you on your journey at LSE. Why not come and say hello to us at the Student Services Showcase or Freshers Fair? To find out more about us and keep up to date with our news and campus events during the year, like our Facebook page or follow us on our new twitter account @LSEPEERSUPPORT. Similarly, you can e-mail a peer supporter personally via their e-mail address (found at lse.ac.uk/peersupport) or you can email Peer Support at tlc.peer.support@ lse.ac.uk and a peer supporter will get back to you. If you see any of us around campus, feel free to come and talk to us or alternatively drop us an email. We are looking forward to introducing ourselves to you over the upcoming year and wish you the best of luck at LSE! Want to be featured in the Society Column? E-mail the editor

Sunday September 28, 2014

PARTB

iPhone6

WELCOME TO PartB

PartB is The Beaver's arts and culture pull-out supplement, published every week. Ordinarily PartB is an eight page affair, encompassing Film, Food, Theatre, Visual Arts, Fashion, Literature, Music and Technology. If you are new to London, PartB is the section you can use to find out about the city. From the best theatre, to the best coffee shops; PartB covers something for everyone. We're open to everyone too! If you've been to or done something great, write about it. You can get in touch with the section editors using the details below, and submit pieces using our online portal at beaveronline.co.uk. We also feature artwork from LSE students on our PartB covers, so if you are an aspiring artist please get in touch! Alexander Fyfe (Acting Editor)

Win a £10 Hungry House Voucher with PartB Food! akeaways are a dime a dozen, so it really stands out when students get offered something more.

Hungry House, the takeout platform, is giving students who register with an .ac.uk email address student-dedicated offers and special discounts. They have over 9 000 partner restaurants across the UK, so there's something for everybody. Check it out here at: http://hungryhouse.co.uk/blog/student-discount/ To kick the year off, their Feeding Fresher's campaign is offering 25% off your takeout bill. You have till 5th October to sign up, at: http://hungryhouse.co.uk/blog/studentdiscount/

alking into a lecture at the LSE will invite a glance at a sea of glowing Apple logos from students busily typing notes, or alternatively browsing their Facebook News Feed. The announcement of the new iPhones on 9 September 2014 was a cause for celebration for Apple fans worldwide. Tim Cook’s keynote speech in California brought forth two new iPhones: the iPhone 6 (with a screen size of 4.7 inches) and the iPhone 6 Plus (with a screen size of 5.5 inches). Despite the larger screen real estate, Apple have once again managed to slim down the iPhone 6 to 6.9mm, which is 0.7mm thinner than your current, bulky iPhone 5. Furthermore, in terms of hardware, the camera has been upgraded to provide an f/2.2 aperture and 1.5 micron-pixels; and the lock switch has been moved to the right hand side to accommodate for the larger size. With the release of iOS8, a host of new features become available, not only to the newest in the iPhone line, but to a number of previous generation models. The most interesting being able to access your SMS messages and phone calls via a Mac, meaning you do not need to have your phone to hand to reply to that important text message about tonight’s drinks plans, or make a quick phone call to check in with Mum. The ability to create a WiFi hotspot from your iPhone has become a lot easier, useful for those tricky spots where the Library WiFi is not working adequately to load your Twitter feed. A new health and fitness application uses data gained from sensors in the iPhone to track daily calories burned, heart rate, blood sugar and cholesterol, among other indicators. This data can then be shared with your doctor to keep track of your health. The ability to see this data will hopefully encourage iOS users to lead

a more active lifestyle, so your AU matches combined with dancing at Zoo Bar will help visibly shift some calories. Finally, the introduction of a system called Apple Pay has the ability to revolutionise our lives in more ways than imaginable. The system places credit card details onto your iPhone, and using NFC (Near Field Communication) technology, can pay for items using the contactless reader in a shop, restaurant or retail outlet. Security is one of the main concerns regarding credit and debit cards. Apple have attempted to minimise these apprehensions by generating a unique payment number and device account number which are encrypted and stored securely. This means that the retailer will not know your credit card number, nor will Apple access account numbers or the payment amount. Touch ID means payments are only authorised with your fingerprint, and if you lose your iPhone on a night out, all payments can be stopped. As a result, this could help combat the level of credit card fraud occurring, and the problems associated with losing and cancelling cards could potentially be eradicated. Although Android devices have had NFC chips in them for a couple of years, limited contactless infrastructure has meant problematic adoption and use. We are looking forward to buying a beer at the Three Tuns and purchasing notepads at the SU Shop with our iPhones in the near future. Hopefully, the universal motivation for retailers, shops and payment receivers to adopt Apple Pay will make NFC a more viable technology, thus making our wallets redundant in the coming few years. ROHAN SONI

Photo Credit: Apple Inc.

What's more, they are offering LSE students the chance to win a £10 hungry house voucher; we have five to giveaway so spread the news! Email food@thebeaveronline.co.uk with your lse email address, subject title: Hungry House Student Deals. Competition closes in 2 weeks time, Sunday 5th October.

PARTB EDITORIAL TEAM PARTB

FASHION

FILM

Alexander Fyfe (acting) Deputies: Vikki Hui & Alexandra Lulache

Sanya-Jeet Thandi

Jade Jackman Maryam Akram

partb@thebeaveronline.co.uk

FOOD

Dorothy Wong food@thebeaveronline.co.uk

fashion@thebeaveronline.co.uk

film@thebeaveronline.co.uk

LITERATURE

MUSIC

TECHNOLOGY

THEATRE

VISUAL ARTS

Vacant

Conor Doherty

Rohan Soni

Vacant

literature@thebeaveronline.co.uk

music@thebeaveronline.co.uk

techonology@thebeaveronline.co.uk

theatre@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Jade Jackman Maryam Akram

visualarts@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Sunday September 28, 2014

PARTB

CARDAMOM-SPICED STICKY

TOFFEE PUDDING

A Review of The Hundred-Foot Journey

he Hundred- Foot Journey reminds me of a cardamom-spiced sticky toffee pudding. I admit, my expectations were not high to start with, thanks to my pet peeve of shying away from any film with “Journey” in its title (Don’t even talk about “Journey to the Centre of the Earth”). Nevertheless, I decided to give the movie a shot, purely to honour my (self- proclaimed) identity as a ‘Foodie’. It is, after all, a film about an Indian chef- Hassan Kadam’s (Manish Dayal) journey towards becoming a world- renowned Michelinstarred chef in France. I described the film as a cardamom-spiced sticky toffee pudding because I feel that the film has perfectly encapsulated the idea of ‘fusion’ (and of course, because I simply adore the dish itself). The Indian flair, like cardamom itself, possesses an occasional yet dominating presence throughout

the film. The flamboyant nature of the Kadam family and the vibrant music that often accompanies their appearance are reminiscent of traditional Bollywood films (confession: I am not totally qualified to be the judge of that since the only Indian film I have watched is “Three Idiots”).

The discordant nature of the Indian and the French culture has instigated conflicts that spans through the movie, but ultimately becomes a synergic harmony: fusion brings forth Renaissance for Madame Mallory’s restaurant and starts Hassan Kadam’s successful career.

On the other hand, the French finesse equally present provides a lingering intrigue, just like the sweetness of the pudding. Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren) governs the Michelin- starred restaurant across the street like the Iron Lady, with refinement and strength as she struts around in her suits and heels. In the restaurant, the tables are covered in white linen and classical music is played softly in the background.

What makes cardamom sticky toffee pudding exceptional is its lengthy cooking time- the outstanding performances of both Helen Mirren (no surprises there) and Om Puri, who played Papa Kadam, definitely make the film truly extraordinary. Mirren and Puri both portrayed characters that are tough on the exterior but soft at heart extremely well. The moments of genuine kindness seeping through the façade of faux enmity between the two brings comic relief.

Against the backdrop of a tranquil French village, the Kadam family has brought unprecedented vitality to the village.

However, I feel that the focus of the plot has not done the film justice. The majority of the plot documents the feud between the Kadam family and Madame Mallory. Though the feuds are hilarious and fun, I feel that more of the plot should have depicted the challenges that Hassan faced (Spoiler Alert!) while working at Madame Mallory’s restaurant to gain classical training in the French cuisine. All in all, One- Hundred Foot Journey is a mouth-watering and satisfying entrée. It fuses the flavours of Bollywood with Arthouse, and is brewed masterfully by its star-studded cast and seasoned to perfection with sprinkles of Romeo and Juliet-style romance (and who doesn’t like starcrossed lovers?). ZITA CHAN

STUDENT SHORT FILM COMPETITION LAUNCHED

ye Want Change is a short film competition that aims to celebrate ideas, creativity and the positive impact that technology can have on reporting. Started by students for students, amidst the cuts to the arts, Eye Want Change hopes to encourage others to think creatively about societal issues that interest them. Our main condition is that films must be shot on a smartphone or tablet, and relate to a social matter - one that influences society yet is opposed by a considerable number of individuals within it. We hope that the smartphone 'restraint' will produce works that place innovation and creativity above access to equipment, large budgets or technical expertise. The #selfie generation is often given a bad name. We call on you to reclaim the mobile phone through an exploration of how it can be used, and consider the ways in which new technologies have the potential to democratise the mainstream media.

Entrants are invited to produce a film up to ten minutes long. These short films should then be sent to our team, who will upload them onto this website. In keeping with the mission of Eye Want Change, the competition will be greatly enhanced by your online engagement with it: films will be upvoted by the general public. Following this, the ten films that receive the most votes will be reviewed by our panel of judges and prizes will be announced accordingly. Eye Want Change is hugely excited to announce that our panel is comprised of Kate Blewett, Richard E Grant, Nick Broomfield, Tim Travers Hawkins, Emma Dabiri and Hazel Thompson. The first prize is £500, with £150 for the two runners up. More details can be found on the Eye Want Change website, www.thesmartfilmcompetition. com/ and Facebook page.

MUSIC

Interview the Shires for PartB

PartB is looking for some students to interview country music duo The Shires. The band is playing at the University of London Student Central on Wednesday 1st October, at 6pm. Duo Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes have swiftly become one of the buzz bands of 2014. Getting together in May of last year, and with only a handful of live dates under their belt, The Shires have secured the support of a host of industry tastemakers in no time. Decca won the hot contest for their signatures just before they made their official live London debut at the second annual Country 2 Country Festival at London’s 02 Arena. This is a great opportunity for a new student to get involved with PartB, and to interview a fantastic up-and-coming country duo. If you would like to be part of this, please email managing@ thebeaveronline.co.uk no later than Monday night.

Sport

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Acting Editor: Gareth Rosser Email: sport@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Hot Off the Prez(ident) Taylor Rampton AU President WELCOME, FRESHERS, TO THE BEST three years of your life. Let me start by saying congratulations; you’ve made it to LSE, an incredible achievement in itself. You’ve worked hard to get here, and as I’m sure you’ll be told in a dozen introductory lectures, the work starts here. By the end of your first week you may be feeling overwhelmed. That’s why I’m extending to a you an invitation to join the lighter side of LSE. The Athletics Union, or AU as it’s known by every-

one, is the LSE’s largest society with over 2700 active members. Alongside the other societies, we’re the one you’ll come to when you need a break from studying. From badminton to boxing, and from handball to hockey, if you’re looking for a sport, we’ve got a team you can join. And if you can’t find the sports team you want, we’ll help you set one up. Our teams compete against the best of other universities, and we do well. Last year 19 teams won a title or a cup in the BUCS Leagues, and every year the AU Exec have fought for greater funding to help our teams even more. Last year was no exception, and our AU is well funded to support teams and individuals who want to become even better. We’ve got

great facilities on campus, including squash, basketball and badminton courts and our brand new Exercise Studio and Gym. Meanwhile, further afield in our spiritual home of Berrylands we’ve got seven football pitches, two rugby pitches and two netball courts. Beyond the training and competing, the AU is also renowned for its socials. Events like Take Me Out, Mr LSE, AU Ball, Fight Night and Carol are key fixtures on the LSE calendar, open to AU members and non members alike. So whether or not you want to make friends, keep fit, or simply have an excuse to join in on our legendary Wednesday nights at Zoo Bar, join the AU. I promise you won’t regret it.

From L to R: Pointy; Sheepy; Titchy; Trampy; Pouty; Molly

University Sports: Is the Only Way USA for the UK? Ameya Badwe Deputy Sports Editor AS QUESTIONS CONTINUE TO be raised about LSE’s public and private funding, I can’t help but wonder how this might impact university level sports. Is there a future where the LSE’s Athletics Union is run in a manner more akin to American institutions? The broadcasting of intercollegiate sports in the US began with Yale and Harvard’s first Boat Race in 1852, but has since developed into a massive industry. Now universities such as Texas University earn $100 million in revenue for college football alone. Last year the Big 10 Conference made $1 billion from broadcasting. In light of such

numbers, it is not difficult to see why UK universities might want to follow this trend. The major stumbling block to a semi-professional system for athletics in UK universities is the fact that most UK students receive government loans to attend university. This discourages budding athletes from attending university, especially as their sporting careers in the short term are unlikely to benefit from gaining a university degree. In contrast, US students receive entire scholarships on the basis of excelling at athletics, which has allowed attending university to become a means of pursuing professional sports. If the UK were to follow this model, it would be unlikely that it would be implemented by univer-

sities such as LSE. Durham and Loughborough, who are already leaders in Intercollegiate Athletics, appear more likely candidates to adopt this model. I imagine universities would begin to prioritise either academia or athletics, depending on which option would maximise their earning potential. In addition, making university sports semi-professional would make a student-run Athletics Union a thing of the past. These bodies would become totally administrative, run by professionals seeking to balance academic principles and profit movies. This specialisation might be a good thing. Specialisation often leads to greater expertise. Universities like Imperial College and Loughborough have worldwide reputations thanks to specialisation.

This is already true of LSE itself, a specialist for the social sciences. So the quality of university sports might well increase in the UK in an American-style athletics system. Yet it could be a good thing in itself if universities begin to specialise in either academics or athletics. LSE itself is a university which has chosen to specialise on social sciences. So maybe having universities dedicated to athletics may not be a terrible idea. If what I’m saying seems like a distant reality, I politely disagree. The BBC already broadcasts the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race, and, as in the American system, there’s no reason broadcasters might not chose to broadcast university rugby, football or cricket. If the market is there, it will happen

sooner or later. The scary truth is that these fundamental changes may not even be up to the students if profit for universities is the key factor. Would British students even accept an Athletics Union run by staff that have to balance sporting revenue and academic principles? The question at hand is: to what extent may UK universities go to increase their earning potential? As education in the UK increasingly becomes a private industry, a future in televised intercollegiate sports can’t be dismissed. One day in the future, maybe our graduates will be able to watch LSE’s Rugby Firsts play on Sky Sports. Got something to add? Tweet @beaveronline

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