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Issue 814 | 14.10.14

Comment

newspaper of the LSE Students’ Union

Men’s Rugby Leaflet Scandal

PartB

Reaction to Men’s Rugby Men’s Rugby Reading List Pages 8-11 Page 14

Stirling work? Judgement day looms for Saw Swee Hock

LSESU Disbands Men’s Rugby Hari Prabu

The Saw Swee Hock building, home of the LSE Students’ Union, will find out whether it has won the prestigious Stirling Prize for Architecture in a ceremony this Thursday. The building is up against the Library of Birmingham, the London Aquatics Centre, Liverpool’s Everyman Theatre, the Manchester School of Art and the Shard.

THE MEN’S RUGBY CLUB WILL be disbanded for the academic year and banned from representing LSE or LSESU in all competitions, according to an updated LSE Students’ Union statement released just minutes ago.

On the evening of October 7th, the widespread speculation about what would happen to the Men’s Rugby club, following their publication and distribution at Freshers’ Fair of a deeply sexist and homophobic leaflet, came to a halt with the news that the club would be disbanded for this academic year.

Nona Buckley-Irvine, the General Secretary, justified this decision as necessary due to ‘a culture within the club that is unable to challenge misogyny, sexism and homophobia’ and which has undermined ‘the overwhelmingly positive contribution that other sports clubs have on our time at LSE’. Moreover, Nona reasoned that a collective ban had to be enforced due to ‘not one person within the club [being] willing to take responsibility for the booklets’ and due to the Men’s Rugby club being previously found guilty for many similar incidents. Such scandals have included members of the club ‘blacking up’ and

pretending to be Guantanamo detainees while imitating prayers in front of Muslim students as well as taking part in a Nazi themed drinking game that resulted in an assault on a Jewish student. In her e-mail to the LSESU student body, Nona declared that this latest incident proved that the attempts to ‘rehabilitate the club’, by ‘apply[ing] the appropriate sanctions’ after these and other previous infringements, had failed yet she emphasised that the ban was not a ‘negative, punitive measure’ but an opportunity for the Men’s Rugby club to ‘restart in the following year’ more positively.

LSESU’s decision though to respond to this incident with a collective ban has ignited debate over whether this course of action was fair and whether it will achieve long-term change in the Men’s Rugby club. A key criticism of the ban has been that it holds all members of the Club responsible when some argue that only the individuals directly at fault. Malvika Jaganmohan for instance, a third year undergraduate law student and author of the Beaver’s feminism blog, judged LSESU’s action to be “heavy-handed and superficially impressive.”

Continued page 3

Comment: A Resounding Victory for Student Democracy SU decision to postpone rushed Student Council plans is the right call

Christopher Hulm THE GENERAL SECRETARY’S decision to scrap the idea of a Student Council can be dressed up in a number of ways, but the unequivocal reality of the

News Council Motion Postponed Page 7

situation is obvious. The idea has been kicked into the long grass to avoid the motion’s annihilation.

While I appreciate and commend the decision to prioritise collaborative positive action following the Men’s Rugby scandal, this is not the real reason for ducking the UGM debate. If the Union’s focus of positive community action was the genuine stimulus for the its shelving, then this decision would have been made a week ago.

Instead, as our opposition

campaign started to gain momentum in week one, Houghton Street woke up to smell the coffee of what the motion truly entailed for student life.

A Council would have smothered student politics of all its wonders, replacing direct democracy with a sofa government. In the process, it would have eradicated our separation of powers between the authority of the LSESU Executive and the mandate of a student-led UGM vote.

The motion criticised the UGM’s limited and cliquey nature, but sought to solve this very nature by further limiting the decision-making body. A Student Council made up of only 45 representatives, 30 of whom would not have been directly elected, would have replaced the UGM, where every LSE student can vote on every issue.

As the week went on, the support for the opposition campaign metastasised, and our General Secretary was only too aware of

this. The decision to park the issue was analogous to a government U-turn, with ministers scrambling to hide behind the veil of an ambiguous consultation period to avoid the embarrassment of defeat.

Whether or not the motion does resurface or not remains to be seen. But in the event of its renaissance, I relish the opportunity to debate the motion properly to ensure student democracy prevails. In the meantime, students can claim a victory.

The City

Features

THE NAB

Sport

Rocket Internet IPO Page 21

The Kurdish Question Page 25

LSE Mascot Scandal Page 28

Netball Firsts Page 32

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

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Executive Editor Jon Allsop

editor@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Managing Editor Alexander Fyfe

Tuesday October 14, 2014

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The Collective: A Afridi, A Badwe, A Doherty, A Fraser, A Fyfe, A Howells, A Laird, A Lulache, A Moro, A Qazilbash, A Santhanham, A Tanwa, A Thomson, B Arslan, B Phillips, C Anguelov, C Holden, C Hulm, C Loughran, C Naschert, C Hu, D Hung, D Lai, D Sippel, D Tighe, D Wong, E Arnold, E Forth, G Cafiero, G Kist, G Manners-Armstrong, G Rosser, G Saudelli, H Brentnall, H Maxwell, H Prabu, H Toms, I Mosselmans, I Plunkett, J Allsop, J Cusack, J Evans, J Grabiner, J Heeks, J Jackman, J Jinruang, J Mo, J Momodu, J Ruther, J Wacket, K Kalaichelvan, K Kenney, K Owusu, K Parida, K Pearmain, K Pezeshki, K Quinn, L Hill, L Kang, L Kendall, L Mai, L Montebello, L Weigold, M Akram, M Banerjee-Palmer, M Brien, M Crockett, M Gallo, M Jaganmohan, M Johnson, M Malik, M Neergheen, M Pearson, M Pennill, M Petrocheilos, M Rakus, M Rakus, M Strauss, M Warbis, N Antoniou, N Bhaladhare, N J Buckley-Irvine, N Russell, N Stringer, O Hill, O Gleeson, P Amoroso, P Gederi, R Browne, R J Charnock, R Chouglay, R Chua, R Huq, R Kouros, R Park, R Serunjogi, R Siddique, R Uddin, S Ash, S Barnett, S Crabbe-Field, S Donszelmann, S Kunovska, S Sebatindira, S Thandi, T Maksymiw, T Mushtaq, T Poole, V Harrold, V Hui If you do not appear on this list and have written three or more articles, please email: collective@thebeaveronline.co.uk

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Jon Allsop on the Men’s Rugby ban and the welcome decision on Student Council plans

From the Executive Editor WHEN I THINK BACK OVER the last seven days, the phrase ‘baptism of fire’ springs to mind. It was at about the time of going to print last week that the Men’s Rugby scandal hit national headlines. I certainly didn’t expect to spend week one of Michaelmas term phoning around the Evening Standard and Daily Mail and being driven to the BBC to discuss student reaction to the incident. After spending five seemingly interminable hours on a bus back to Plymouth desperately attempting to keep abreast of developments via the Somerset countryside’s best impression of 3G, my hopes of watching Plymouth Argyle take on Swindon Town in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy on Tuesday night were scuppered the minute I sat down at a computer to discover that LSESU had disbanded Men’s Rugby. It has, to say the least, been quite a week. And I’ve only been covering the affair.

The Student’s Union’s swift decision to disband the club is, on the whole, worthy of praise.

Faced with a nascent nationallevel crisis, the SU reacted quickly and decisively. The action taken is regrettable insofar as collective punishment is never a perfect solution, inherently unfair on innocent members of the club who played no part in promulgating the offensive material, and in particular on new arrivals at the School keen on representing it in high-level sporting competition. Having said this it is undeniably true that Men’s Rugby put Nona Buckley-Irvine and her colleagues in an unenviable position last week. The response has provoked controversy, but inaction was simply not an option.

The other issue which arose just as we headed for print was the postponement of the motion to replace UGM with a Student Council. As indicated by our prominent placement of Christopher Hulm’s (very) last minute comment piece this is a decision that The Beaver would like to strongly endorse. The SU was indeed unfortunate that the Men’s

Rugby scandal blew the debate on this issue out of the water by grabbing hold off the news agenda, although the bottom line remains that this motion was proposed with inappropriate haste. After all, without the Men’s Rugby incident, this totemic change to the way we do student governance would have gone to a vote already by now. We remain deeply concerned by the idea of a Student Council and will continue to oppose the idea throughout the impending consultation if it retains anything approaching it’s current form. The fact that a consultation has been granted, however, is in itself a victory. Students will now have a proper opportunity to examine our student democracy. If you have a view we urge you to get involved. Write for our Comment pages. Propose your ideas on student governance.

The School and the Students’ Union needs your input. This postponement is a victory for democracy, but the victory will only be sealed if you seize this chance to have your say.

From the Managing Editor

Alexander Fyfe on getting staff involved in debate on campus

REACTION TO THE MEN’S Rugby scandal was not particularly polarised, yet it engendered an intensity of discussion rarely seen upon campus.

In particular, the discourse surrounding both the leaflets themselves and the wider culture of Men’s Rugby at LSE enfranchised a member of LSE staff; a group rarely represented in The Beaver.

Michael Etheridge’s letters bravely crossed the line that, until now, divided staff and students as separate entities.

Powerful, and at times moving, his testimonies’ exemplify just how serious the cultural problem at the heart of the Men’s Rugby Club is. He breached staff convention, taking a risk in publishing a deeply personal plea to Nona Buckley-Irvine and Professor Craig Calhoun.

His letters were, by far, the most popular articles published

by The Beaver on the topic; commanding one fifth of all web traffic. The resonance of the submissions, I believe, reflect Mr Etheridge’s breach of the traditional barriers between staff and students. It reflects the gravity of the situation, in a way few other LSE students’ doings have done; a member of staff actually got involved with campus discourse. In a way, and this is a crude comparison, it feels like the moment a parent leans over your shoulder, reads your latest tweet and lets out a disdainful sigh.

It is oft forgotton that staff members, at all levels, have a stake in this university too.

Thus, they have a right to be involved with debate about campus culture. It feels to me that this episode has been a turning point in this respect, and I hope staff will no longer

turn a blind eye to such goings on.

The hugely positive reaction to Mr Etheridge’s correspondonce demostrates its value, and I hope it empowers others to get involved. Regardless of your position, or job. we’d like to hear from you.

This is our first thirty two page edition, and we’re pleased that so many new writers have got involved. Our mailing list has over five hundred names on it, and we’re sorry to anybody whose work we couldn’t fit in this week; we’ll find a home for it online or in print.

It’s exciting to see how much The Beaver has covered, and grown over the past week, so thanks go to all those who have helped us out. It was somewhat of a baptism of fire, but it sets an exciting tone for the coming year.

Tweet @FyfeAD

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Letter to the editor Dear editor, What a disgrace to see the disgusting hierarchy of the LSE ban Men’s Rugby for a year. Fresh from educating the sons of dictators, they are now along with their cohorts in the SU engaging in further tyranny. The Director’s comments that women or LGBT students may have access to counseling, betrays an insidious negative stereotype of gay people and indeed women that we are so soft that we need to be therapised at the mildest transgression. LSESU Men’s Rugby Team’s material was crass and disgusting- but not illegal.

Does no one at LSE stand up for higher ideals now though, like freedom of speech or freedom of expression? It seems not. The institution is too busy educating secret policemen and torturers.

A bunch of morons publishing tasteless and foolish buffoonery have now becomes martyrs. There is a campaign going on right now amongst former alumni of the Rugby team- who form powerful cliques in the City of Londonto halt graduate recruitment from LSE as a result of this.

They have made it a cause celebre on a number of trading floors. One of them, the Head of Trading at a major Investment Bank has already told his HR department not to pass on any CVs from the LSE to his team. For the rest of us yet again our LSE degrees have been devalued by negative publicity.

Kyle LSE Alumnus Former LSEAU Football Team.

Former LGB Society member.

Liam Hill @liamjhill @HelenKeats perhaps good to remember here that Beaver first and foremost means dambuilding, semi-aquatic rodent Eric Gade @ecgade @nonajasmine we should make that shirt extinct, along with the incredibly gaudy and ridiculous ‘£$€’ shirt Guardian Students @gdnstudents Best of #student media: Rugby to be disbanded for academic year, picked up elsewhere from @beaveronlinew

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News

Tuesday October 14, 2014

Section editorial:

THIS IS THE WAY THE term has started, not with a whimper but with a bang.

This week, The Beaver has not been alone in its coverage of the issues surrounding the Men’s Rugby Club as the School, and some of its students, have come under global scrutiny yet again. Internally, students discussed the introduction (and subsequent postponement) of a motion bringing a Student Council to replace the Union General Meeting and its implications for student politics. Meanwhile, the LSE must also be commended for its exceptional efforts in increasing student outreach and bursaries as well as its introduction of scholarships available for asylum seeker students. We at News have been busy covering all of this.

I’m very excited to introduce our new column “Word on Houghton Street”.

Featured this week on page 6, this column aims to be a permanent feature where we will collect student opinions on everything from social mobility at LSE to the quality of coffee from the Garrick.

We’re looking for reporters to get involved in this exciting form of street journalism so please e-mail me if this sparks your interest or keep your eyes peeled for a reporter on Houghton Street if you would like to give your two cents.

With Week One being eventful I’m looking forward to what the rest of the year has in store. Whatever happens, you will certainly be able to read about it in News.

News

Sophie Donszelmann

Section Editor: Sophie Donszelmann

Elections for a second News editor next week Details on page 7

news@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Athletics’ Union Critical of Men’s Rugby Disciplinary Decision Kit Moran FOLLOWING CLOSE ON THE heels of a quick decision by the Students’ Union to sanction the Men’s Rugby team for distributing offensive flyers, the LSE Athletics Union has released a press statement condemning the season ban.

Following what the LSE Students’ Union General Secretary describes as an inundation of complaints from students at last weeks inaugural Freshers Fair, the LSESU was sent scrambling to look into the distribution of offensive materials by the Men’s Rugby team. A rapid two day investigation of the team was launched, led by Students’ Union General Secretary Nona Buckley-Irvine. The hearings consisted of both email communications and in-person meetings with the club’s executive. In a statement released to the press, the Students’ Union characterised the process as

both wide and deliberate with consideration not only of the specific incident, but also of the club culture. Speaking about the hearings, Ms. Buckley-Irvine says the committee acted quickly but she stands behind the decision to ban the whole club. “I thought about a lot of options such as having the Freshers start a rugby club, but there was so much history I didn’t think we would be able to change the club. So there were options considered but it just did not seem feasible to achieve the outcome we wanted”.

Questions have been raised, however, about the nature of the disciplinary process. In addition to the General Secretary, the committee had only one other member, a Students’ Union staffer whose name and position The Beaver has been asked not to print. The Union’s bylaws, however, state that disciplinary committees ‘typically’ should be composed of at least two members of the executive and two

LSESU Disbands Men’s Rugby Continued from page 1 She explained that the offending members of the club would now not care to understand the fault of their actions but instead would be ‘overwhelmingly resentful’. The LSE Athletics’ Union (AU) shared a similar sentiment in condemning the decision of LSESU which they stated ‘serves to brush these issues [of discrimination in the AU] under the carpet’ and represents a ‘lost opportunity’ to positively engage with the offending club members in changing their behaviour.

In the same statement, the AU announced that it would appeal the disbanding to the Trustee

What happens next? Will there be an appeal process or is it final?

There can be an appeal made to the trustee board.

Will men’s rugby members be banned from social events like Zoo Bar? We are encouraging individuals who would have been a member of rugby to join another team and get involved. We are not able to ban people from so-

Board of the SU. Many people though have come out equally strongly in support of the SU’s actions including the Women’s Officer, Gee Linford-Grayson, who responded to criticism of the decision by pointing to the risks posed to the AU’s external funding by the reputational damage done to it by the Men’s Rugby club. Moreover, she criticised what she saw as members of the Club being treated as the victims of the incident and claimed that the warnings to the Club following on from their members’ previous serious misdemeanours justified the severity of disbandment. Alex Leung, the LGBT Officer, said that, while he ‘respect[ed] the

cial events such as Zoo as that is dealt with externally.

Will any provisions be made for new members who want to play Men’s Rugby?

We will have social sport running as part of the Active Lifestyle program and we will provide assistance to students to join London clubs.

Would the Men’s Rugby

other union members, which can be staff or students. In response, Ms. Buckley-Irvine insisted that the byelaws were observed, claiming that “typically four people are (involved), however on this occasion this was not considered appropriate given that nine investigations had to be conducted on the first day of term, and the evidence was available up front and was not complex or requiring significant interpretation”.

In a statement released via Facebook, the Athletics Union has taken the LSESU to task: “The Students’ Union has acted in a manner that merely serves to brush these issues under the carpet, delaying progress for another academic year”.

The Athletics Union, led by President Taylor Rampton, has decided to challenge the SU decision in an appeal. Four other Athletics Union teams have also issued statements in support of the action to appeal the sanction. In a press statement release

through the Athletics Union, the LSE Women’s Hockey team condemned the actions of the rugby club, but took issue with a decision they perceived as ”undemocratic and [which] failed to take into account the views of AU members, let alone members of the [Students’ Union] as a whole”.

Regarding the upcoming appeal from the Athletics Union on behalf of the Men’s Rugby team, General Secretary Nona Buckley-Irvine commented, “I wish them good luck, I really do”. But in the end “it was a club effort”, she said. “No one took individual responsibility for the production of the booklet”.

The executive of the Athletics Union were unable to return requests for comment on the appeal to The Beaver, pending consultations with the Students’ Union.

Reaction in Comment, pages 10-11 AU’s appeal’, the SU were warranted in their action given that ‘no single individual has taken responsibility for the leaflet’.

Perhaps though, the most influential support came from LSE Director Craig Calhoun who in his e-mail to LSE students with regard to the incident said he felt ‘proud of the LSE Students’ Union for taking prompt and decisive action’. Professor Calhoun has made clear that this will not be an LSESU only issue and that the School will ‘draw up plans… to combat bias and abuse based on gender or sexual orientation’.

Despite the ban on the Men’s Rugby club representing the School or the Union, Nona has confirmed to this paper that

club be allowed to form a private club not affiliated to the SU or school? We can’t control whether they do this or not so yes, they would be able to. It’s not a case of us allowing them.

What will happen to Men’s Rugby’s budget?

It is being used to fund activities related to diversity and tackling discrimination in sport.

they cannot be prevented from forming their own private club.

Moreover, they are still able to attend external AU social events such as Wednesday nights at Zoo bar. The effect of disbanding the Club though has resulted in money from the Club’s budget being transferred to fund campaigns on diversity and anti-discrimination within the AU. Furthermore, it is hoped that students will still have the opportunity to play competitive rugby this year through LSESU working with the Rugby Football Union to find London based clubs to take on ex-members and first year students. However, while the debate surrounding disbandment eases away, the SU’s investigation into the role

What happens next?

The Beaver sent some questions to General Secretary Nona BuckleyIrvine to clarify issues arising from the scandal

News

Tuesday October 14, 2014

UGM Loses Protected

LSE Launches New Award for Asylum Seekers Saira Ali From 2015, The London School of Economics has pledged to offer two awards worth up to £20,000 for asylum seeker students who have been offered a place to study at the School. The financial award will be made available to those of an asylum seeker status or for offer-holders who have been granted limited leave to remain in the UK as a result of an asylum application.

The award largely entails of a ‘partial fee waiver’ and a maintenance award where the offer holder will only pay for the LSE UK Home fees, estimated around £9,000, as opposed to the LSE Overseas fees of approximately £16,000. The award will not only allow the individual to pay for the £9,000 fees, but also allow them to access up to £11,000 for maintenance and living expenses.

According to the LSE website, the award will be included in the

School’s overall financial assistance programme for undergraduate students who are of low-income backgrounds. The £4 million financial package is available to UK, EU and Overseas students.

Catherine Baldwin, Director of Recruitment and Admissions at LSE, said: “Asylum seekers do not qualify for home fee status, nor are they entitled to government grants and loans. Most asylum seekers do not have permission to work. We hope that these LSE awards make our degree programmes more accessible to some of the brightest and best students from around the world.”

Queen Mary University of London is also another London university that has pledged its support for asylum seeker students requiring financial assistance to pursue their studies. Such students who qualify for the award are entitled to a partial fee waiver as well a grant of nearly £10,000.

The support made available for asylum seekers reflects the

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potential difficulties students who have lived in the UK for nearly all their lives may face. This comes interestingly after the case of LSE student Chrisann Jarrett who, despite being offered a place on the prestigious LLB (Laws) course at the School, had difficulties regarding access to finance. Speaking to the Guardian, she describes that she was initially not able to gain access to the student loans available and was thus required to pay fees of £16,000 due to her unsettled immigration status.

Although Jarrett is not of an asylum seeker status, her case reflects the tougher rules faced by students whose unsettled immigration status means they are not treated as home students with access to loans and instead must pay the higher international fees.

With an increase in tougher rules for students of an unsettled status as well as a lack of legal aid, many are left in particularly worrying situations regarding their future.

Jon Allsop Executive Editor

CHRISTOPHER HULM

The Beaver has learned that the Union General Meeting (UGM) has lost its protected timetabled slot on a Thursday afternoon.

The UGM, which is usually held in the Old Theatre, has always been timetabled from 1-2pm on Thursdays, with all students being given a free period during this slot to enable them to attend.

This year, however, the School has taken the decision to timetable some lectures and classes during the time of the UGM, with students in the departments of Government, History, Anthropology and the Gender Institute amongst those affected.

The Beaver first learned of the change when some students complained that they were unable to attend the first UGM of this year, which discussed the Men’s Rugby leaflet scandal and the subsequent decision to disband the club.

One affected student was LSESU Women’s Officer Gee Linford-Grayson, who had been scheduled to give a statement on the offensive leaflets. LinfordGrayson told The Beaver that “It’s very disappointing that the one hour reserved exclusively for students to participate in the democracy of the Students’ Union has been eroded. I had to miss the UGM about the Men’s Rugby team as I was somewhat ironically in a class by the Gen-

der Institute. Additionally it has hampered my plans for the year, as I was intending to propose several motions to expand the roles of the liberation officers and create more safe spaces on campus”.

LooSE TV President Gareth Rosser was also affected.

He told The Beaver that “I feel as though I’m being forced to choose between being engaged with my SU and being educated. I don’t understand why the previous policy was changed this year without student consultation”.

The origins of the decision to remove the timetabled slot were shrouded in confusion last week, as members of last year’s and this year’s Students’ Union executives denied having driven the reform.

The Beaver has learned that the reform has been mooted for several years now and was principally spurred by the School attempting to ease pressure on timetables. This pressure has increased substantially this year due to the impending redevelopment of the LSE Centre Buildings and the subsequent loss of teaching space.

Information obtained from Timetables suggests that the change was discussed at a Student Numbers and Fees (SNAF) meeting in January and that it was subsequently agreed by Pro Director Professor Paul Kelly and former General Secretary Jay Stoll. The Beaver understands that the decision was reached before current General Secretary Nona Buckley-Irvine began her tenure. However,

Politics and Forum Soc Debates Men’s Rugby, Russia, Student Council, Human Rights and the NUS Alexander Fyfe Managing Editor The Politics and Forum society kicked off Michaelmas Term campus political discourse with a lively debate on Monday night. Featuring campus political titans such as GenSec Nona Buckley Irvine, Jon Allsop, Hari Prabu, Josh Hitchens, Samantha Jury-Dada and Gee Linford Grayson, the debate was competently hosted by Christopher Hulm.

Given it was the first event of the year, it drew a large and varied crowd; no doubt all eager to hear about the Men’s Rugby scandal which had just gone national.

A statement read by former Men’s Rugby Captain Sam Cooke provided a starting point for the discussion, with Gee Linford Grayson expressing sadness and dismay immediately afterwards. Interestingly, the scandal was perhaps the only topic during the evening that the panel was united in opinion on; with the teams actions engendering scorn and condemnation across the board. Notably, Conservative Society President Josh Hitchens described Men’s Rugby’s apology as “bollocks”, stating he didn’t believe that their contrition was genuine.

Instead, he argued that he felt rugby were only sorry they got caught.

The next topic of debate

came somewhat of a surprise to the panel, as Hulm asked their opinion on the ongoing Ukrainian crisis. Specifically, the panel were asked if they believed sanctions against Russia were an appropriate measure. The panel were a little divided on this issue, with some arguing that sanctions were inevitably going to be ineffectual and others responding that a show of strength was sadly needed to let Russia know that its violation of Ukrainian sovereignty was unacceptable.

Questions from the floor resulted in some lively discussion, particularly when one Russian attempted to make the case for his nation’s interventions in the country.

The Students’ Union proposed abolition of the UGM in favour of a Student Council, which was postponed indefinitely on Sunday night, was another discussion point, dividing the panel’s opinions. Jon Allsop led the charge against the motion, knocking it back on numerous fronts to the enjoyment of the audience. Prabu and Hitchens rallied round, and Ms. BuckleyIrvine was left fighting a losing battle at just the first public debate of one of her flagship policies. NUS disaffiliation was the second UGM motion to grace the discussion; with proposers Josh Hitchens and Hari Prabu claiming the £36,000 given to the body by the LSE yearly to be a waste of money. They

argued that the money would be better spent here, on LSE students rather than on an undemocratic executive-led body.

Nona clashed with them over the issue, listing the numerous successes NUS campaigns had achieved, and the fact that LSE students would lose their NUS Extra discount cards.

Overall, the debate was an interesting insight into the future of student politics to come over the following year. We can certainly look forward to follow up debates regarding both the future of the UGM itself, and NUS disaffiliation. It was also heartening to see the level of interest from students present at the debate, many of whom were new to the university.

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News

Tuesday October 14, 2014

Slot in Timetabling the current Students’ Union executive does have the power to appeal the decision through the Academic Registrar.

Students’ Union emails seen

by The Beaver seem to corroborate this, noting that the SU was finding it ‘increasingly difficult’ to justify reserving the Thursday lunchtime slot exclusively for UGM. The email continues that the Union was effectively given a choice between retaining the current hour or seeing teaching time hours extended to 8pm on weekdays. Classes and lectures currently finish at 7pm.

The email also notes that with UGM attendance stuck at below 100 and the introduction of video capture and online voting reserving the slot for all students no longer seems necessary. Students nevertheless told this newspaper that they were frustrated by their inability to personally attend this week’s debate on Men’s Rugby, which was not accompanied by an online vote on a specific motion.

The timetabling developments

came as a debate on the replacement of weekly UGMs by a new Student Council, planned for this Thursday’s UGM, was postponed by the Students’ Union. The motion, already postponed once, had mooted the the introduction of a 45 person body with the power to vote through policy by a supermajority (of two-thirds of members present). The plans will now be subject to a broader consultation during Michaelmas term. The motion was to be proposed in the room by Buckley-Irvine, and would have been seconded by the President of Passfield Hall, Michael Needham. It was to be opposed by Christopher Hulm, President of Politics and Forum Society, and Jamil Mustafa, committee member of LSESU Debate Society.

The Beaver welcomes the upcoming consultation as it will give students a fuller opportunity to debate the future of student democracy at LSE. If you have a view, why not write for Comment?

NUS Votes Down Iraqi Solidarity Motion Liam Hill Design Editor THE NATIONAL EXECUTIVE Committee of the National Union of Students has voted not to back a motion endorsing solidarity with the Kurds against Islamic State.

The motion, entitled “Iraqi Solidarity”, was backed among others by the NUS’s International Students Officer Shreya Paudel and had been co-written by Roza Salih, a recent graduate of Kurdish descent who is the Vice President Diversity & Advocacy at Strathclyde Students’ Union at Strathclyde University.

The motion had already been passed at Scotland-wide level, and it was noted that some of those who voted for the motion in Scotland failed to do so at a UK level.

At UK level, the motion was opposed by the NUS’s Black Students’ Officer Malia Bouattia, who argued that the motion was “Islamophobic” and “proUSA intervention”.

The motion’s resolutions included commitments to “work with the International Students’ Campaign to support Iraqi, Syrian and other international students in the UK affected by this situation” and to “make contact with Iraqi and Kurdish organisations, in Iraq and in the UK, in order to build solidarity and to support refugees”.

The fourth resolution of the motion was “[this union resolves] to condemn the IS and support the Kurdish forces fight-

ing against it, while expressing no confidence or trust in the US military intervention”, bringing into question Ms. Bouattia’s claim that the motion was “proUSA intervention”.

One of the proposers, Daniel Cooper, complained online after the result that the NUS President had failed to properly facilitate the debate, claiming “after only a single round of speeches, Toni Pearce moved the debate on. This was wrong: there was no opportunity to respond to Bouattia’s allegations.”

Cooper, who made headlines in 2012 for declining to lay a wreath at a Remembrance Day service, criticised “the stranglehold of “identity politics” on the student movement” and the notion that “if a Liberation Officer opposes something, it must be bad,” pointing out that the NUS leadership had previously passed motions relating to Julian Assange and the Socialist Workers’ Party despite the opposition of Liberation Officers.

Much of the coverage around the decision so far has included reference to a tweet

by Aaron Kiely, a member of the NUS Executive, in which he praised Malia Bouattia’s speech against the motion for challenging the “Western, racist narrative around ‘ISIS’!”

Tom Maksymiw, LSE Students’ Union Education Officer, condemned the NUS leadership’s decision not to support the motion on Twitter, calling it “disgraceful, beyond selfparody”.

LSE Top University for Equal Financial Opportunities Kanan Parida THE HIGHER EDUCATION FUNDING COUNCIL FOR ENGLAND (HEFCE) and The Office for Fair Access (OFFA) awarded LSE the highest proportionate spender on student outreach and bursaries in July of this year.

As a part of the widening participations scheme, LSE has expanded to include summer schools and taster and part-time degree courses, examples of its commitment towards student outreach. In the 2014-15 academic year, LSE predicts a spend of £3,474,000, or 48 per cent of its additional income fee on student outreach and bursaries in the UK, a figure which will rise to 50 per cent including EU students. Comparatively, the

University of Oxford predicts an expenditure of 35 per cent of its additional income fee and the University of Cambridge predicts an expenditure of 29.2 per cent on student outreach and bursaries.

The granting of this ranking follows the Fabian tradition of Sidney and Beatrice Webb, Graham Wallas and George Bernard Shaw upon which the LSE was founded in 1895. The university was conceived as an institution for the best and the brightest in social sciences, regardless of their socioeconomic background.

Additionally, out of the Russell Group, a conglomerate of twenty-four research universities in UK including universities like Oxford and Cambridge, LSE is one of the highest proportionate spenders on bursaries and grants

and thus one of the most committed universities to providing equal opportunities to students universally. The LSE provides full grants to 21.2 percent of the student body; this includes all students receiving bursaries with a family income of £25,000 or less.

As compared to the national average of 27.7 percent expenditure on bursaries and grants, LSE predicts an expenditure of approximately 20 percent higher. One of the most versatile universities for financial support, LSE offers bursaries, scholarships, loans and more in order to retain the socioeconomic diversity of the student body.

LSE also offers ‘sliding scale bursaries’, meaning that partial bursaries are provided to students with family incomes of up to £42,611 as compared to most

universities, which only provide bursaries to students with family incomes up to £25,000.

Hence, LSE has been on an upward trajectory with regards to expenditure on bursaries, moving from 42.2 per cent in 2012-13 to 48 per cent this year to an expected 69.5 per cent in 2016-17. Thus, the promotion of equal opportunities for students of all socioeconomic backgrounds has become an increasingly recognised issue at the LSE and the university is making efforts to level the playing field for all students in the UK and EU. Though the LSE has made tremendous progress, by being named one of the highest spenders on student outreach and bursaries, it still has a way to go before equal opportunities are available to students of all socioeconomic backgrounds.

In Brief Saw Swee Hock Student Centre Official Opening FRIDAY OCTOBER 24TH WILL be a day of festivities celebrating the official opening of the Saw Swee Hock Student Centre – LSE’s newest building currently shortlisted for the prestigious RIBA Stirling Prize!

The festivities will kick off around noon and will continue throughout the day until late evening.

The official opening ceremony will take place from 5-6.30pm and will be hosted by LSE Director and President Professor Craig Calhoun. Guests will be treated to a spectacular visual presentation at this drinks reception to celebrate this award winning piece of architecture and central hub for student life at LSE. All LSE staff and students are invited to register for a place at the opening ceremony. Registration will online from Monday 6 October.

Gender, Politics, and Civil Society - new course at the Gender Institute WITH THE ARRIVAL OF THE Women’s Library at LSE, the Gender Institute is offering an innovative new course, available to all 2nd and 3rd year undergraduates, that draws on this remarkable collection. The Women’s Library holds an abundance of material, both written and visual, recording the social, political and economic changes in women’s lives and relations between women and men in the past 200 years.

Gender, Politics and the State will use this material as a resource through which students can learn both to use archive material and to employ that material not only to illustrate, but also to examine critically, assumptions about the past.

#AsktheDirector is back

DO YOU HAVE A QUESTIONfor the LSE Director? Professor Craig Calhoun (@craigjcalhoun) will be live on Twitter to answer your tweets from 3-4pm on Wednesday 22 October.

Feel free to ask him a question in advance, or during the ‘live hour’, using the hashtag #AsktheDirector.

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

News

Tuesday October 14, 2014

The Word on Kelly Benguigui Do you want to be our roving reporter for a week? E-mail news@thebeaveronline.co.uk For the past week, several opinions have been shared on the leaflet distributed by Men’s Rugby Club and on the Student Union’s decision to disband the club for the rest of year. Representatives of societies raised their voices about the issue, making it clear that the SU’s decision led to various reactions...

But what do students, after following the story throughout the Beaver, the national press or their LSE inboxes, have to say?

The aim of ‘ Word on Houghton Street’ is to have a general sense of the LSE students’ thoughts on different topics. Each week, a reporter will wander around Houghton Street with a new question in mind and will ask students to share their viewpoints. Unsurprisingly, students were asked how they felt about the SU’s decision to disband the Men’s Rugby Club for the year.

“I think that the decision to disband the rugby team was probably fair under the circumstances of what happened but I don’t think it goes down to the root of the problem, and we might get a similar situation next year. The Men’s Rugby and sports teams should think of other ways to advertise their sports.”

Anthony Dwek, first year undergraduate, BSc Government and Economics.

“I agree with the decision that was took although it might seem harsh. It is a way for preventing these things not to happen again. It shows to the other students what might happen if they do something like that at university.”

Alejandra Raño, MSc in Environment and Development.

“I am disappointed by these things happening. I heard of rugby as gentleman’s sport and that kind of behaviour is really far from it. It seems like a wise decision, this behaviour doesn’t belong in any university, and in any sport.”

Johan Hermitad, MSc in Political Economy of Late Development.

“I think it’s a really fair decision. What they did is not something that you would expect from a good university like LSE, and especially from this popular student organization like the Men’s Rugby Club.”

Joy Coa, MSc in Local Economic Development.

“I think that they will be more cautious now, especially in their daily lives, speaking to their friends, which is good. They shouldn’t have done it, and I guess they got what they deserved. Although, I think the decision is only going to solve the problem temporarily.”

Anonymous, second year undergraduate, BSc Social Policy with Government.

“I think that it is a good and a bad decision at the same time. It is good because what they have done is obviously not appropriate but I don’t think it should be related to all the members of Men’s Rugby Team. It should be more to people who actually done it. The Men’s Rugby Team should still be on, getting new people to do it.”

Yana Berahavaya, first year undergraduate, BSc Government and Economics.

“LSE brand is a big brand. We are trying to maintain the brand as much as we can, so I don’t want the reputation of the school to go down. In this decision, I think the SU’s cared about LSE’s reputation. They only disbanded the Men’s Rugby for one year, which is not that significant.”

Anonymous, MSc in Management.

“As far as I’m concerned, I was myself involved in an AU and I find that there’s quite an insane attitude towards alcohol and the way they perceive entertainment. It’s definitely not the way we should perceive sport so if they can’t understand that, then I think this decision will serve as an example for other AU not to go too far. I think there’s more to it than a few words on a flyer, it’s a whole mentality that they have to change.”

Anonymous, second year undergraduate, BSc Accounting and Finance.

“To the SU: How does it feel that you have totally swept up all of the problems of the rugby club straight under the rug, and that you lack total consistency?”

Anonymous, second year undergraduate.

6

LSE 2nd Most Googled British University Megan Crockett Deputy News Editor The London School of Economics and Political Sciences (LSE) was voted eighth most googled university in the world, according to a table produced

by Google at the request of the BBC. The Open University ranked the most googled British university, ranking third over all, after the University of Phoenix, which topped the charts, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology that followed second. However, the School did beat rival universities such as the University of Oxford, which came thirteenth and the University of Cambridge that came eighteenth.

It does not come as a complete surprise that the School is so often googled with the vast array of public events it hosts, such as today’s two: AIDS in 2014: tell no lies and claim no easy victories and ‘Secure the Borders!’

The Cost and Consequences of Europe’s ‘Fight Against Irregular

Migration’.

The Saw Swee Hock has also received a lot of online attention, with websites from architecture. com to the Guardian online discussing the ‘architectural origami’ of the new Students’ Union Building. The success of the Saw Swee Hock with awards such as the Royal Institute of British Architects Regional Award and the AJ100 Client of the Year Award has only boosted the School’s online profile, solidifying its position as eighth most googled institution of higher education.

Despite the School’s popular online presence, LSE still only ranks twenty fourth in the Times Higher Education’s World Reputation Ranking while Cambridge and Oxford came fourth and fifth respectively.

Recently the School has seen an unexpected rise in its online presence, but only time will tell if the current interest surrounding the actions of the School’s disbanded rugby team will boost the School’s presence in Google search bar and the School’s ranking in the next table.

LSE Plays Host to Sprint Programme Emma Yuen Between September 10th-12th, the Sprint programme sponsored by RBS, EY and BP was held at the LSE for its female students and alumni. This event brought together individuals ranging between second years to those who had graduated in the summer, that were keen to kick start the year with some inspiration and invaluable tips on how to walk the road to a successful career.

The programme was largely interactive and included various group exercises which allowed students and graduates to practise important career skills with their peers. This included practising talking about personal qualities and presenting to the group something they were passionate about. In turn, feedback was received from the audience regarding how it was delivered, and many individuals found that they were made aware of qualities and habits to potentially change that they had not previously noticed themselves. Interview, and networking tips were all shared by the professional hosts as well as those given by other graduate recruiters who also attended the event. This had students scribbling down notes; many of whom

were looking to apply for internships or real jobs this year.

Aside the career focus, different interpersonal skills and attitudes were discussed, and soon, it became evident that the skills being focused on were not limited to a careers context, but to many other aspects of students’ lives. Together, the group looked at scales of assertiveness, ways to manage emotions, how to adapt to change and considered where their individual support networks might lie. Very quickly, the groups that took part had felt a new support network develop amongst them.

Several guests were invited by the programme sponsors to spend the day with students and graduates, taking part in the session and to network with them. Guest speakers also delivered inspirational presentations on how they made it in their careers, and the audience were given the opportunity to ask questions afterwards.

Memorable tips included not rushing into things or getting through them as quickly as possible in order to see results, and to focus instead on building a solid foundation that supports our future careers, as well as practicing ‘excellence’ as a habit on a day to day basis, and small opportunities to do this for we won’t suddenly become excellent when it counts.

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News

Tuesday October 14, 2014

U(GM)-turn: Student Council Motion Postponed by Students’ Union The Beaver editorial board THE UNION GENERAL meeting which had been planned to take place on Thursday 16th October will no longer involve any discussion of the motion ‘LSESU should include a Student Council’.

The General Secretary Nona Buckley-Irvine posted on her ‘LSESU General Secretary’ tumblr, that “Unfortunately recent events have meant that insufficient scrutiny has been given to a motion coming up to introduce a Student Council...

“While the Student Council idea is something I strongly believe in, I also feel that we

need to prioritise collaborative positive action following the LSE Men’s Rugby scandal. As we work on strengthening our community, now is not the time to vote through such a considerable change. So, it seems fitting to postpone a vote on this motion until we have had a full-scale consultation. This will allow societies, clubs, and halls to all have their say on how they would like to see representation working within the Students Union.”

The consultation is due to be finished at the end of Michaelmas Term. Whether the motion would be re-introduced after the consultation during LentTerm, perhaps in an altered

form, remains unclear.

In a move without recent precedent, the entire Beaver editorial board had been planning to run an editorial condemning the Student Council proposal and strongly recommending a vote against the motion.

The planned editorial had included comments that “the Student Council motion had been rushed to the floor without adequate time for debate and proposes to break the principle of one-student-one-vote in a way that must be considered a threat to the inclusiveness of LSE democracy. “[The Beaver editorial board] is insistent that such a radical proposal to reform

student democracy should not be finalised less than a week before the vote,” the editorial continued.

The planned editorial concluded that the Student Council motion was “the wrong motion, being pushed in the wrong way, at the wrong time… It is a motion which could create gridlock or equally empower a small group of students to pass policy which would not clear UGM. It is a motion which disempowers LSE students and it is a motion which must be rejected this week.”

The fact that The Beaver’s entire editorial board had planned to endorse a stance against the Student Council

motion had already been made clear at a Politics & Forum debate involving Beaver editor Jon Allsop, who had condemned the motion in strong terms, calling it “rushed, undemocratic and complicated”. Ms. Buckley-Irvine, who was also on the panel, replied that the UGM was not working for ordinary students, and in particular international and postgraduate members of the LSE community. She said that critics needed to move away from a “romanticised” view of student democracy.

It is unclear whether there will be any Union General Meeting this Thursday and what, if anything, will be debated.

The Beaver is holding elections for some of our editorial board positions We need to elect the following: News editor x1 Features editors x2 The City editor x1 PartB editors x2 Sport editor x1 Collective chair x1

“Vot

e for

me!”

The Collective Chair is in charge of internal Beaver democracy and the upholder of The Beaver constitution.

To stand and to vote you must be a member of the Collective, which can be found on page two. To be on the Collective you must have written three articles for the print edition of The Beaver. If you believe you have but are not on the Collective, email collective@thebeaveronline.co.uk Manifestos should be no more than 150 words long, send them to editor@thebeaveronline.co.uk. The deadline is Friday 17th October at 10am.

Hustings will be held on Monday 20th October at 7pm in 32L.G.03 and voting will be open online for 24 hours immediately afterwards.

Comment From the Editor: IF YOU’RE WONDERING why the men’s rugby club scandal is far from the only item on the agenda in Comment this week then there’s a simple answer: the debate, it seems, is over. And so it should be. There isn’t really any need for equivocation on the pernicious attitudes of the rugby club. Instead, for the most part, this weeks articles evince a post-debate mentality that cuts the through any adversarial politics, and takes a thoughtful look at the repercussions of a week of great tumult.

Back to our usual business then but the pace doesn’t let up at all. The student body is still faced with big decisions about how it wants to be run and I’m sure that over the next few weeks we’ll be hearing a lot about not only the (now postponed) UGM-Student Council toss up, but how we should be restructuring the SU to deal with prejudice and discrimination, as well as reaching a decision on the big in-out NUS referendum.

However, taking a step back from all the madness for a moment, it’s nice to be able to say something positive about the School again.

Comment

Sebastien Ash

Tuesday October 14, 2014

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

8

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Good Council?

Keeping the UGM would be better for our student democracy

Rian Watt IT IS NO SMALL IRONY THAT less than a week after being solicitously welcomed to the ‘greatest university in the world’, Freshers found themselves perilously close to being robbed of one of the essential qualities of that University: the Union General Meeting (UGM).

For those who, like me, initially came to the LSE with little knowledge of the school and even less of the machinations of the Students’ Union, a primer: the UGM is the sovereign body of the Students’ Union of which we are all, by default, members. Its motions set binding policy to which all executive officers of the Union must be faithful. And here’s the kicker: it is held weekly, open to all students, and introduction of a motion for debate requires the assent of only two members.

You read that right. At pre-

sent, with what one assumes would be significantly less effort and certainly fewer people than it takes to arrange a ménage a trois, you and your mate can introduce a motion that, if well-argued and well-defended, will become the binding policy of the Students’ Union. Flushed from victory, you can then retreat from public life, never cross the UGM threshold again, and retreat to the pub for another pint.

The key point here is that on any general issue on which you feel impelled to take a stand, you are presently at liberty to do so in as direct a form of democracy as is possible. On issues you don’t give a damn about, you’re equally at liberty to not give a damn about them from the comfort of your couch.

This system is at present under attack of a particularly insidious form: republicanism. A proposal has been made – and recently delayed, thanks to student outcry – to abolish the UGM and replace it with a form of Students’ Council. In place of the lean and direct democracy hitherto practiced at LSE, an extra layer of representation would be draped over the student body. Unfortunately, I am far from convinced that the current climate will bear the extra cloth, or be better for it.

I am speaking from a point of some experience. Although I

am less than two weeks into an MSc in Public Management and Governance, I am new to neither the LSE nor student governance.

Two years ago, I spent a year at LSE on the General Course, where I served as that group’s President. Upon my return to my undergraduate institution, I was elected President of our student body and there presided over a Council system of government.

Having experienced its frustrations and ineptitudes firsthand, I cannot recommend it to the LSE. The advantages its boosters point to – essentially, the development of a ‘professional class’ of student representatives to interpret and then actualize student views – are wholly rejected by experience. Rather, experience suggests that elected Council members rise to office on the back of a pet project or two, make a number of more or less effectual attempts at implementation of said project, and then fade into apathy and inaction. There are of course exceptional student representatives who defy the type, and I was privileged to serve with a few of these as President. But there is a reason they are described as exceptional.

In four years in student government, the truest thing I have learned about being an effective student leader is that the vast majority of students don’t give a

damn about the vast majority of things. Besides being perfectly understandable – they have job searches and modules to worry about, after all – this simple fact means it is incredibly important that, on the rare occasion when a student does give a damn, their voice be heard as loudly and clearly as possible.

The UGM has come under laughing criticism in recent years for the less than stellar attendance of its typical meetings. This criticism is missing the point. I would argue that UGM fulfills its critical purpose if, for even just one week out of the year, the Old Theatre is bursting with students ready to lend their voice to whatever issue has brought the campus alive that week.

And of course, anyone who has spent time at the LSE knows that we get up in arms about something at least once a term.

When we do, I’d prefer that we were able to make the change ourselves rather than yelling at somebody we barely know, barely trust, and who barely got elected in late October to do it instead.

General-Secretary Nona BuckleyIrvine’s decision, late Sunday, to delay consideration of the motion until later in term affords us all the opportunity to get this right.

The UGM is easy to dismiss when we don’t need it. It’s much harder to replace when we do.

An Open Letter from Pepita Barlow, Netball Club Captain 2011-12 DEAR LSE AU MEMBER, I doubt the subject of this letter requires any introduction.

Contempt for the content of ‘those leaflets’ has been widely expressed, and the subsequent decision to disband the Men’s Rugby Club has been widely debated.

I am not writing for either of those purposes. I am writing as a former Club Captain of the Netball Club – with the support of 293 others – to implore you as members of the LSE Athletics Union to do one thing: make it your legacy to prevent the AU from ever again being associated with misogyny or homophobia ever again… or actions with disregard for any minority, for that matter.

Last week, when I learnt of recent events, I was struck by many emotions. But amongst the outrage and abhorrence I personally felt, one emotion trumped all: heart-breaking disappointment.

Whilst at the LSE, I was appointed Captain of the Netball Club (2011-2012). I was, to my knowl-

edge, the first openly gay captain of a major sports society within the AU. The same year, the LGBT society co-ordinated a pledge with the AU, in which all AU members committed their support for eliminating homophobia in sport, and for the LGBT community at large. Whilst misogyny and homophobia were still present in many forms, in 2012 it felt like progress was being made, however marginal. I hoped that would continue, and I am told that many liberation officers and AU members have since made a concerted and noteworthy effort to do so, with several successes.

Nevertheless, recent events constitute major digression from that progress. In my personal disappointment at this diversion I attempted to mobilise the support of LSE Alumni in expressing the following message. Signatories include 3 former Athletics Union Presidents, 6 former LSE SU sabbatical officers, 18 former and current club captains and club executives, 61 LSE Alumni, 73 cur-

rents students (who signed even though the appeal was made to LSE Alumni), and numerous others from John Hopkins University, Harvard University, Oxford University. In addition our disappointment in recent events, we: Implore members of the Athletics Union, and in particular the rugby club, to constantly question the misogyny and homophobia that is propagated within the AU. We ask you as members of the AU, but especially the rugby club, to be brave and vocalise any concern with such misogyny, homophobia, or oppression of any community.

Forego the opportunity for ‘banter’ at the expense of marginalised groups - and educate yourselves as to why what constitutes ‘banter’ in your eyes can be hurtful to others. Educate yourselves and your peers about the historic oppression of women and nonheterosexual persons. Crucially, understand how this materialises in your day to day lives… even without being aware of it (!). And finally, make this your legacy: be

the Athletics Union that eliminated misogynistic and homophobic attitudes for good.

It is worth emphasising at this point that I am not writing to you as a Union because I believe you are all to blame for recent events.

In my time at the LSE when there were several similar ‘scandals’, I was continuously frustrated that the reputation of the whole AU suffered because of the actions of relatively few individuals. Nevertheless, the Union as a whole has significant collective power.

As an AU member, you can educate yourselves and one another, suggest and support initiatives to change the culture residing within the AU, embed this commitment into future Exec manifestos, and speak out against people who are (sometimes unknowingly) acting to the detriment of a marginalised community. Silence and complacency a factor that allow hateful actions to perpetuate; collective, proactive engagement is the only things will change. And it’s high time they did.

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Comment

Tuesday October 14, 2014

Two Systems, One Nation?

Protests are advancing, precipitating the arrival of democracy in Hong Kong Ellie Furuya THE 17 YEARS OF GROWING public scrutiny of Beijing’s involvement in Hong Kong’s political affairs took off recently in the form of Occupy Central with Peace and Love movement, widely known now as the ‘Umbrella Revolution’. Photos and videos circulating the web have tugged fiercely at the heartstrings of Hong Kong youth all over the world, as they watched fellow classmates sleeping on highways, sharing food and first aid, getting pepper-sprayed and tear-gassed

by Hong Kong police, and standing as one despite relentless tor-

rents of abuse by anti-protesters.

In this, the media played a pivotal role in strengthening and legitimizing Hong Kong protesters’ fight for universal suffrage to the rest of the watching world? #OccupyCentral, #HongKong, and #UmbrellaRevolution are only a few of the hashtags that have been making rounds on Facebook, Instagram and the Twitter-verse, and have brought together a lively online community of supporters and critics alike. People sporting yellow umbrellas in major cities such as New York City and London have been observed rallying for Hong Kong within their respec-

tive cities. Many have changed their Facebook profile photos to various symbols of the movement to show support, whether it is an image of a yellow ribbon or an eponymous umbrella. But in response to this outpouring of support, China has blocked the social media application Instagram to stem the flow of images promoting unity among Hong Kong’s pro-democracy supporters.

Since the 1997 British handover reinstated China’s jurisdiction over Hong Kong, the Beijing Communist Party has not relinquished its grip on Hong Kong’s political scene. Beijing has open-

ly rejected Hong Kong’s appeals for a democratic electoral system by 2017, and the current Hong Kong chief executive C.Y. Leung has refused to step down from his post despite demands by protesters for his immediate removal.

“Never in my life have I felt a stronger sense of national pride and identity.”

These young individuals have successfully captured the atten-

tion of international media in their fight for universal suffrage and in doing so have effectively set themselves apart from China by reasserting their own national identity and more ‘western-style’ political values. Being born and raised in Hong Kong, never in my life have I felt a stronger sense of national pride and identity than when I viewed the stirring images of Hong Kong protesters standing arm in arm, forming a human barricade to protect those getting physically abused by anti-protestors.

Although the number of protesters has started to dwindle in recent times, the international media recognition of Hong Kong’s unique identity and the protesters’ efforts for justice is doubtless a stepping-stone on the path to democratic reform.

While many of the older generations remain opposed to the protests due to the consequent disruption of everyday life and the inconveniences presented by the mass sit-ins, protesters remain unmoved and resilient in their common fight for justice.

Although the end of the road is not clear as of yet, the next generation of Hong Kong has spoken, the recently renewed round of protests is still ongoing and the international community is watching.

Going out for a Bangladeshi?

One of Britain’s most thriving communities doesn’t get the credit it deserves Mahatir Pasha With an estimated 2.5 million people across the country enjoying curries every week, the good old curry has become an integral part of our British culture. Around 10,000 restaurants employ 80,000 staff, making the so-called ‘Indian’ curry industry worth a staggering £3.6 billion. Almost half of all of these restaurants are situated here in the capital; one of which- The Dhaka Tandoori, in Walthamstow- belongs to my family.

Having worked the occasional shift at our family’s restaurant, nothing pleases me more than to satisfy our customers.

However, the satisfaction would significantly increase, if the Londoners really knew about their beloved ‘Indian’ restaurants. It is the Bangladeshis who run 85-90% of all Indian restaurants in the country, not Indians.

The Bangladeshi community are very much the pioneers of this industry.

Sheikh Din Muhammad, a

man from the Bengal region in what was then India, opened the first Indian restaurant in the UK in 1810 in London. By the 1950s and 60s, the number of restaurants rapidly grew and by 1982, “going for a curry,” became a conventional night out.

“Despite there being close to half a million Bangladeshis living in the UK... it seems that the community hasn’t yet received its full recognition.”

Upon sharing this fact with some of my friends, another problem came to the surface.

The rather ignorant question of, “what is the difference between an Indian and a Bangladeshi?”

Despite there being close to half a million Bangladeshis living in the UK, and over 220,000 aboding in London, it seems that the community hasn’t quite yet received its full recognition.

When the British Raj ended in 1947, India, then made up of Bangladesh, Pakistan and modern-day India was split into two nations- India and Pakistan.

Pakistan consisted of two parts, East Pakistan and West Pakistan with India lying between the two. By 1971, a civil war took place and the Eastern wing of Pakistan became an independent Bangladesh. Bengal is the region that covers Bangladesh and parts of eastern India including the states Assam, Tripura, Bihar, Jharkand and Odisha. People from this region speak the Bengali language. Subsequently, all Bangladeshis are Bengali but there are a number of Bengalis from India.

Now that it’s been ascertained that Bangladeshis dominate the curry house, its unfortunate news that later generations

of British Bangladeshis have a declining involvement with the industry. Many regard the sector as having a bad image whilst many restaurant owners and workers have higher ambitions for their children including law,

“The Bangladeshis in the UK are a thriving community who have brought a great deal to London.” medicine and accountancy.

Sahamat Haque, a student and a second-generation Bangladeshi, who works part-time in a Bangladeshi restaurant said, “I love working here but I can’t see myself doing it forever. Working in a restaurant is apart of the British Bangladeshi culture and

I’ve learnt a lot from the experience.” He added, “when the day comes that I must leave, I’ll be saddened, but it’s the best option for my life.”

The Bangladeshis in the UK are a thriving community who have brought a great deal to London, and the country as a whole. Bangladeshis are scoring above the national average in GCSE’s and continuing education at university. They have gone onto become notable figures, including politicians (Rushnara Ali MP for Bethnal Green and Bow), media personalities (Konnie Huq) and journalists (Faisal Islam, Political Editor for Sky News). But most importantly, for the everyday Londoner, Bangladeshis have pioneered and monopolised the Indian restaurant industry, making it possible to enjoy a tasty, authentic meal.

For that reason, perhaps it’s time we rephrase the question we ask our friends every weekend to “going out for a Bangladeshi tonight?”

Comment

Tuesday October 14, 2014

10

Men’s Rugby: Your Reactions Find all of The Beaver’s coverage and comment pieces online at beaveronline.co.uk

Lost Under A Pile Of Leaflets

How we’re forgetting all the good things that LSE does too

Natasha Valladares IN THE LAST WEEK THE NEWS has been dominated by stories condemning LSE’s Men’s Rugby Club – and rightly so. The Club produced leaflets which went beyond the pale, making outrageously misogynistic and homophobic comments, and distributed them at the Fresher’s Fair. Naturally, the Club has been promptly sanctioned, undergoing disciplinary investigation and has been banned by the SU for the upcoming year. Everybody already knows this, as it has been covered here in the Beaver and by the national press… extensively.

There’s no doubt about it, the leaflets were abhorrent. The aftermath is a re-evaluation of tolerance at LSE in particular, and a conversation about the state of discrimination at universities in Britain generally. But for me, there seems to be more to this than a condemnation of the Men’s Rugby Club’s behaviour. Rather, it seems the whole university is under attack. In an article by Rhiannon Lucy Coslett for the Guardian, the questions are asked: “What has happened

to Britain’s universities? Or more specifically, what has happened to the London School of Economics?”

“What I find telling is the lack of attention the university recieves when it excels.”

As is often the case, the LSE is at the receiving end of very harsh judgement because of the actions of one group of people.

What I find telling is the lack of attention the university receives when it excels. In the context of a discussion on equality, tolerance and diversity, how is it that no mention has been made of the LSE’s commitment to those from lower income families. Or what about disabled students and the provisions the LSE makes for them?

As a student in my second year, when it should have been my third, I am extremely grateful for the LSE’s treatment of

both groups of people. I receive an LSE bursary each term, and when I needed the extra year due to illness, I had the option, if I had need of it, of applying for funding for just such a cause, through the Janetta Futerman Scholarship.

When I took on a paid position for the LSE Annual Fund to further earn financing for my studies, I was proud to be raising money for more bursaries for future undergraduates that need support. And when I became too ill to work, the position was held open for me indefinitely – more than can be said for many other employers.

With a few chronic illnesses and some mobility issues, I was worried that my university career would be cut short. Having to have surgery mid-term and see a handful of consultants on a regular basis I didn’t know how I would be able to continue studying. I was terrified the university would want nothing to do with me, and I couldn’t have been more wrong. LSE’s Disability and Wellbeing service, along with my academic advisor and every lecturer and teacher I’ve

had have gone above and beyond to make my life easier. From temporary funding while I apply for DSA, to offers for note-takers to enable me to keep abreast of my work from home, I was inundated with support. The support for disabled and chronically ill students at LSE is more than I could have ever expected. It is comprehensive, confidential and unwavering.

I didn’t know how ill I was going to be when I started my studies, but LSE was ready even when I wasn’t. I honestly believe that if it weren’t for my bursary and the support from staff with regard to my health I wouldn’t be in higher education at all. I really value the opportunity they made possible, yet this incredibly positive impact on the lives of myself and others who need financial or non-financial support is ignored – even when there isn’t a scandal of depravity to take precedence.

The LSE was named one of the UK’s biggest university spenders on bursaries and outreach, on which they spent 42.2% of additional income in the 2012-13 academic year and yet this has received no mention.

When you google ‘LSE rugby’ the first things you see are national media reports on the inexcusable situation with the Men’s Rugby Club, but google ‘LSE bursary spending’ and the only pages you’ll find are LSE’s own.

It’s not wrong that the disgusting behaviour of the Rugby Club is under scrutiny, but it is wrong that positive action by the university on outreach and funding for students in need of support is apparently not worth mention – especially when it’s the sort of information some students need in order to feel able to go into further study.

So while the SU addresses the issues with the Men’s Rugby Club, and hopefully brings about positive change that will enable female and LGBTQ students to feel welcomed and continually supported at the LSE, I felt that someone needed to commend the services the school already provides to make sure that other vulnerable student demographics are welcomed and supported.

I personally wouldn’t choose to study anywhere else, and without the LSE’s continuing help I wouldn’t be able to study at all.

learnt to tolerate. The ‘ironic’ sexism, the lad drinking culture or whatever else was the basis of bonding for so many people around me, that I did not feel that I would be understood. Everyone else was watching, no one seemed shocked, why should I complain and ruin the fun?

Which leads onto my next expression of gratitude: Thanks to Nona, Gee, FemSoc, LGBT and other members of the LSESU. It has been reassuring to see that a strong decision has been made. It was great to see that women, FemSoc members, LGBT members and other groups have an opportunity to express themselves. I am therefore glad the disbandment took place because of the support it suggests, even though this leaflet is the most in-your-face example of certain issues in LSE and outside. I understand the people that say it was unfair to the rugby freshers who had nothing to do with it. I also understand that

the decision was taken because certain individuals did not take responsibility for it. But at the same time, this is not only about the leaflet but something that requires us to challenge the system and the roles that people play (including the no talking to girls until 9 pm rule).

Many of us have been pressured to behave in a certain way, including me not complaining about the initiations. Whenever you enter an environment, the natural thing to do is to fit in to the extent that your beliefs let you. To oppose it, you need to be confident that something is wrong, and also to be comfortable to express yourself, which is harder to do if you’re alone. I imagine that the Rugby members negatively involved this week may feel a similar sentiment, however, after a certain point, the collective mentality needs to stop and individual responsibility begins. That point came way, way, way before the leaflet.

Thank you.

Thank You, Rugby Scandal Recent events have brought out the best in some of us

Christina Mysko ANOTHER COMMENT ON men’s rugby, I know, but there are quite a few of us with a lot of feelings. In midst of the initial shock, apologies, discussion, decisions, meetings and then complaints this week, I had a chance to reflect on my own university experiences, particularly the sexist ones. In light of this reflection, I just wanted to say thank you, genuinely, to a few people.

Thanks to the freshers who gave in complaints this week.

Your complaints reminded me about the extent to which I

had normalised sexist lad culture. The tolerance at my end started early on in my fresher experience. I remember going to the first AU event, where, upon arrival, I was informed that Rugby guys were not allowed to speak to any girls before 9pm.

Who made these rules? I don’t even know. Well, this may not be a shocking policy, but it’s an example of how these small rules start to build up until you don’t notice anymore whether you should bother to say you’re offended or not. Many more things have happened since, resulting in my decreasing attendance of AU events, which eventually meant that when I first saw a copy of the leaflet this week, I can’t say I was shocked or even surprised.

However, I have learnt to compartmentalise this behaviour during my first two years; I categorised lad culture and sexist things in the AU as a phenomenon within itself that I wouldn’t let affect me in the same way as other areas in my life- clearly a

worrying sign.

Furthermore, I remember my initiations for a committee position at my Hall of Residence during which I and other girls, were informed that we should put condoms on cucumbers with our mouths as part of the initiations task. Even though I said I didn’t want to do it, the reply I got was that I didn’t have to feel forced.

Yet, at the same time, elections had not taken place yet and the initiations would still carry on for the others whether I would take part or not. Essentially, I did it.

Afterwards, I was distraught.

Doing that in front of perhaps 90 people, mainly guys, and feeling forced to do it was sexist and, even though it was only a cucumber, it felt violating. I didn’t complain though, for numerous reasons. Firstly, it sounded utterly ridiculous. Why would I cry over putting a condom on a cucumber? It sounded like I should just get over it. I also didn’t complain because that kind of thing was part of a culture I had already

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Comment

Tuesday October 14, 2014

Bigger Than Lad Culture What turns a rugby club into a headline?

Georgia Haigh IT’S BEEN A STRANGE FIRST week back at LSE. Lectures had not begun before details of the Men’s Rugby Club leaflet had found their way into the national press. Since then, the issue has been a constant topic of conversation around campus.

Many were horrified by the leaflet, and disgusted by what they saw as overt ‘lad culture’.

As the week drew to a close, significant action has been taken to show that LSE does not tolerate such behaviour; the Men’s Rugby Club has been banned for the year, discussion groups have been held for women and members of the LGBT community, and Craig Calhoun and Nona Buckley-Irvine have stressed their desire to turn this negative situation into a positive. To ensure that this is successful, we as an LSE community need to establish exactly what problem we are trying to tackle. Though it would be easy to say that the issue is simply lad culture, I would argue that it is a larger problem: that in any collective situation we can be in danger of losing sight of our personal values, simply to remain part of the group.

There is a general assumption that ‘lads’ are the only people on campus, or even in

society, who stigmatise, ostracise and intimidate. With high profile cases like the men’s only Bullingdon Club in Oxford, or various other instances of male sports teams behaving badly, or US fraternity initiations, it is easy to believe that men are the only people who act in intimidating and discriminatory ways.

Such an assumption is wrong.

It generalises all men. And, fixating on ‘lad culture’, or in this case ‘Men’s Rugby culture’ or even ‘AU culture’, does not address the issue that any group can be guilty of similar crimes, if no one is willing to speak out against something they know to be wrong As conversations with friends about the leaflet have continued this week, one thing has stood out. While no one thinks that the rugby leaflet was acceptable, many think that there is a wider problem of ‘group mentality’, rather than simply a ‘lad mentality’ problem. Of course, in this instance, it was the Men’s Rugby Club, but last year, for example, the LSESU Atheist Secularist and Humanist Society (ASH), who wore t-shirts at Fresher’s Fair that many considered to be offensive. As Julia Ryland, captain of the Women’s Rugby team stated in an interview with BBC Radio One, “Individually they’d [the Rugby boys] never say some

of these things, but as a whole it does seem this lad culture brings out the worst in everyone.” In a group, it is embarrassingly easy to get caught up in actions that individually you would not support.

In any situation, but particularly university, it is too easy to fall victim to this group mentality – described by the now somewhat infamous BBC sports commentator David Icke, who, said that “The human race is a herd.

Here we are, unique, eternal aspects of consciousness with an infinity of potential, and we have allowed ourselves to become an unthinking, unquestioning blob of conformity and uniformity.

A herd. Once we concede to the herd mentality, we can be controlled and directed by a tiny few.

And we are.” Equally, the sociologist Emile Durkheim stated that “two consciousnesses exist within us – the one comprises only states that are personal to each one of us (individuals) – the other comprises states common to the whole of society.” We each have a collective, and an individual consciousness, and we should be employing our individual consciousness more readily – calling out instances that we know not to be politically correct. We come to university to think, and yet often we do not.

If it had been another group

who had written an equally offensive leaflet, I hope that it would have been treated in the same way. Nona said at the Union General Meeting (UGM) that even if the national press had not been involved she believes that she would have handled the leaflet no differently. For LSE to prove that it does not tolerate discrimination of any kind, the SU must establish a clear stance that is maintained by successive Sabbatical teams.

“We should all ask ourselves, not ‘what will happen to me if I say aomething,’ but rather, ‘what will happen to us if I don’t?’”

This article is not denying that there is a problem with the Men’s Rugby club. It is simply stating that aspects of this incident are not just a problem with Men’s Rugby or the AU, but a problem that can arise in any group in society at large. The language in the leaflet is completely unjustifiable, and the fact that no one in the team decided

that it was not acceptable is worrying. Going forward, we need to think about not simply what it means to be a member of the Men’s Rugby Club, or a member of the AU, but what it means to be a member of an LSESU societies, and what it means to be a member of LSE – how to be exclusive and inclusive simultaneously.

I was apprehensive about writing this article, and wading into this debate. But, as I was walking home from Zoo Bar on Wednesday night, after a night with my team mates from the Women’s Rugby Club, I saw a sign that said “Do one thing a day that scares you,” and it made me think. Speaking out in situations that you know to be wrong is often scary. In this instance, it would be wrong to simply tackle this as a problem of lad culture, despite its obvious presence in this situation. But it is also important to note that if someone in the rugby team had decided to not distribute the leaflet, or someone had stopped previous scandals from occurring, we may have had this discussion years ago, and there would probably still be a Men’s Rugby club at LSE this year. Perhaps in future we should all ask ourselves, not “what will happen to me if I say something,” but rather, “what will happen to us if I don’t?”

Right Principle, Wrong Practice

What the SU got wrong about its decision Ryan O’Rourke LET’S BE CLEAR. THE leaflet handed out by the Men’s Rugby Club at Freshers’ Fair was, at best, highly offensive. To hold such sexist, homophobic and misogynistic views either in private or in a small clique should in itself be condemned.

To print such comments, distribute them on a leaflet to first year undergraduates, and seemingly take pride in doing so is quite another matter. Not only does this offend, but also puts pressure on those who want to join the club to accept such views at risk of being isolated in the team.

To label the internal culture in the Men’s club simply as lad banter is wrong. Dressing up as Guantanamo inmates to purposely offend Muslims at Friday morning prayers, or breaking a Jewish persons nose as a consequence of a Nazi themed drinking game is a wide divergence from ‘lad culture’. To state that it isn’t is to concede such incidents are not sexist, are not misogynistic, are not blatantly racist.

The fact however- and it is something that is largely missing in most coverage of the story this week- is not every member of the Men’s Rugby Club holds such views, as anyone who knows members of the team will testify.

This in itself feeds into the debate on whether the action taken by the student union was justified. There are two issues at play here. First, was banning the club the right thing to do in principle?

And secondly, did the student union go about it the right way?

The answer to the first is clearly yes.

Many of us here will end up either working for either a public institution or a multi-national company of some sorts. If you think for one moment such employers would tolerate such behaviour you’re naïve. It is stated very clearly in any job contract you sign that such behaviour will be firmly dealt with and a disciplinary process initiated. In most instances, the accused would be fired.

Why then should the Men’s Rugby Club be treated any dif-

ferently? University is as much about studying as it is about acquiring life skills. To have let the issue slide under the carpet, as it seems has happened before with other incidences would have been a travesty.

The argument that some form of positive discipline, such as attending workshops on gender equality, is commendable.

But this misses the point that what seems to have happened in the club is not just down to individual views or opinions, it seems to have been due to select individuals holding those views, and using the internal dynamic and their individual influence within the team to make such views part of the ‘culture’. Using workshops as positive discipline would not solve this, particularly since not every member of the club upholds those views.

This is precisely why the action taken by the Union is misguided. Banning the Men’s Rugby Club for the year has already been referred to as a knee jerk reaction in light of the national media attention it has drawn.

This does seem to have been the case. However, the extension that this is undemocratic is not so clear. The Student Union has a dual mandate. First, it is elected to represent us, the students of the LSE and our views, and to take appropriate action. Second, it is an internal institution whose responsibility to the LSE is to ensure the school’s reputation is not affected by student behaviour through its social activities.

The trade off between the two is for each person themselves to decide, but it is unfair to label the decision as undemocratic.

What the union can be accused of is a knee jerk reaction in the ban itself. It punishes first year students who want to play men’s rugby for university out of love for the game. Not only is this deeply unfair but it truly misses an opportunity. Such students are going to be here for three years. By allowing them to play, the club could have started out completely afresh, with the support of both the Athletics’ Union and the Students’ Union in creating a positive club culture

diametrically opposed to the old.

In banning the Men’s Rugby Club outright, the Union has shown itself to be decisive but simultaneously weak and reactionary. It fails to punish those who are responsible and punishes those who are innocent. It should revoke the initial decision and allow only first years to form a team. Previous members could join conditional both on helping the union and on future conduct. Such a solution would be both fair and in-line with the LSE tradition of progressive policymaking and Liberal thought.

This is more then a trivial matter. Remember, some members of the current union may in a decade’s time be directly shaping the laws that we live by. Better to start making proper policy decisions now as students then as politicians or civil servants when such decisions could affect far more people in a much graver way. Starting with a change in policy towards the Men’s Rugby Club would be good. The sooner, the better.

Library Services

The Beaver 09.10.2012

PartB Credits: Pierre Holtz / UNICEF CAR

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Tuesday October 14, 2014

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LITERATURE

Men's Rugby Reading List A ROOM OF ONE’S OWN RECOVERY BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN M VIRGINIA WOOLF JOHN BERRYMAN ANNIE PROULX inorities

rejoice! The institutionally sexist, classist and everything else-ist Men's Rugby club has been disbanded and whilst that means a lot less oppression, intolerance and unease on campus, it also means a hefty number of idle rugger boys twiddling their thumbs every Wednesday night for the rest of the year. Now lads, sigh no more sighs. Here is a veritable zoo of literature to fill the place in your heart left by the actual Zoo that’s gone from it. Maybe these books can teach you why banter is not at all funny (even if it is a bit funny).

ELLEN WILKIE

Literature Editor Ellen Wilkie compiles a reading list for men's Rubgy Club members now looking for something to do on a Wednesday night.

A seminal feminist text written by one of the most prominent feminists of the 20th century, A Room of One’s Own argues for equality of education for the genders.

A poignant semi-autobiographical insight into the intellectual man’s struggle with alcoholism.

Brokeback Mountain is a much acclaimed short story about two hyper macho ranch hands that closet their homosexuality to devastating conclusion.

Opens with the very familiar situation of waking up with no memory of where you are or what you’ve done. In the book however, you find yourself not in an unfamiliar hall of residence with half-dressed girl from RVC, but in a sterile hospital room being treated for your addiction to strawpeadoing Sainsbury’s Basics wine.

Woolf theorises that if Shakespeare had a sister, she would have all the talent but none of the opportunities that William had. The ‘beast like women’ of the Women’s Rugby Club will be able to draw some parallels; although I doubt the Tudor literary scene were witness to as much chest beating as goes on in the present day.

This is proof that homophobia is hugely damaging and that ‘homosexual debauchery’ can be quite romantic.

I hear LGBTea and Scones is a really fun event.

Yes, it may be all 'fun and games', but when you’re still necking jagerbombs to get yourself through the 9-5 days of your graduate career then you’ll be wishing you’d joined the CU over the AU.

Even if the heavy feminism is too much to handle, perhaps the text can rally a bit of respect for 'Strand Poly', where Woolf was briefly enrolled in night classes and has an eponymous building on Kingsway.

Are you a Men's Rugby Club member?

If you do decide to follow the reading list, we'd love to print your review!

Email literature@ thebeaveronline.co.uk

Photo Credits: Penguin UK, Focus Features, Thunder Mouth Press

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

Ellen Wilkie

Conor Doherty, Will Locke & Dominic Tighe

Rohan Soni

Vacant

techonology@thebeaveronline.co.uk

theatre@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Jade Jackman Maryam Akram

literature@thebeaveronline.co.uk

music@thebeaveronline.co.uk

visualarts@thebeaveronline.co.uk

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Tuesday October 14, 2014

MUSIC

The Fabric Birthday Weekend And why LSE students should not miss it O nce again Fabric has proven the allure in holds in the worlds of house, techno, and the other offshoots of these two genres. The London club’s 15th birthday lineup serves palates across the board - from the most discerning head to the most laidback partygoer.

On the Friday Fabriclive pull in the vanguard of Four Tet, Loefah & Goldie, as well as keeping their ear to the ground and enlisting Terror Danjah & Champion to play a groundbreaking back to back set of funky house, grime and every eccentric niche in between. Four Tet has, obviously, surpassed expectations in more genres than a layman can name, and recent DJ sets have been praised ubiquitously for breaking the oft-mythicised balance between eclecticism and dance floor focus. With him pitched on a lineup alongside Swamp 81 boss Loefah, D&B royalty/part-time Bond villain Goldie, and grime’s new wave, we can simply not recommend it enough.

However, as much as we can wax lyrical about the merits of Friday’s fabriclive, worshippers of the Farringdon venue will know that - between 18th-19th October - the real festivities heralding in 15 years of Fabric as one of London’s premier clubs occur during the witching hours of the Saturday/

Sunday marathon. Stalwarts such as Craig Richards & Terry Francis rub shoulders with across the board Berlin royalty, ranging from the controlled minimal sound of Ostgut Ton’s Ben Klock & Marcell Dettmann to the romantic sonics of Dixon & Âme, and UK upstarts such as the much revered selector Ben UFO. As well as these much revered DJs, there is also the Chilean deity Ricardo Villalobos, playing amidst rumours of alleged exclusivity agreements leading to unannounced gigs at secret London venues.

Nevertheless, Fabric’s birthday weekend shows that they still hold the zeitgeist for big room clubbing in the capital. The good people at Fabric have illustrated their club’s pulling power by providing an illustrious lineup that LSE students would be ill advised to miss.

The Friday night will set a student back £14 on the door, but latecomers should be aware of Fabric’s infamous queues. The Saturday/Sunday price is £23 for students, but the real bargain is £15 to witness the magic of the Sunday all by itself.

BY CONOR DOHERTY AND JOHN HARDY

Caribou Our Love: Review D an Snaith has built a career that centres around no particular genre. Instead, he has chosen to draw from a plethora of styles throughout his illustrious musical career, with the meticulousness that is typical of an academic such as himself.

This has helped create a back catalogue that manages to pay due respect to its influences whilst also being unmistakably Snaith’s own original work, drawing him both critical acclaim and an evergrowing cult of fans. Performing and producing under a variety of aliases, he has moved from pulling apart intelligent dance music under the guise of Manitoba, through vibrant psychedelia and krautrock as Caribou, to his side project Daphni, under which he creates celebrated and purposeful dance music on his Jiaolong label. What remains constant in Snaith’s work however, is an accessibility and playfulness that is achieved without watering down the content of his music, a mix that so many musicians yearn for.

However, what is most notable about Our Love, is that it marks the least significant shift in style from Caribou’s preceding album, Swims, despite the latter record

being released four years ago.

Swims was significantly influenced by deep house palettes and rhythms, and marked Snaith’s first moderate and potentially accidental foray into dance music. The success and critical praise of Swims spawned alter alias Daphni, an offshoot that made deliberate and forward-thinking dance music, inspired, unsurprisingly, by a range of genres, that include house, techno, garage, among many others. Released on Snaith’s own Jiaolong label, the success of Daphni’s Jiaolong EP, which fathered the inimitable club favourite ‘Ye Ye’, left Snaith in a peculiar position. With two lauded yet conflicting alter egos looming over him, he has attempted to create a record in Our Love that strikes the balance between the intimate complexities of Caribou, and the club-friendly jams of Daphni.

Some tracks on Our Love harmonise the best of Caribou and Daphni to aplomb. ‘Can’t Do Without You’, the album’s leading single, is perhaps the prime exam-

ple, and one that soundtracked many of our summers. It’s heightening waves of sub bass, noise, and percussion swell, luxuriate, and inevitably crash, in a warm and emotive house build that

any producer would be proud of.

The broken beat percussion, and interwoven synth and flute leads of ‘Mars’ amount to one of the most danceable and engaging tracks on the record, with ‘Julia Brightly’ also deserving recognition - an

impish, sweeping garage number, which at only two minutes long, is over all too soon. Perhaps the most impressive song on the album however is ‘Back Home’, an unashamedly fragile love ballad, which suits Snaith’s brittle vocals.

He croons ‘I can only take so much, your kiss and your touch are both like a poison’ as surging synths swirl powerfully above a thumping arpeggiated bass line, in the most stirring track on Our Love.

However, Snaith finds himself off the mark when attempting to achieve the same blend with other tracks on Our Love. In particular, the album’s second single and title track ‘Our Love’, and its closer ‘Your Love Will Set You Free’ both fall frustratingly short, and find themselves confused, lacking direction, and shallow - attributes that are not commonly associated with Snaith’s work. ‘Our Love’ degrades from a promising crescendo of rolling high hats and woozy vocal samples to a depressingly generic deep housepastiche, and on ‘Your Love Will

Set You Free’, Snaith attempts to forge an otherworldly and effectheavy conclusion to Our Love’s tales of intimacy, but it’s dull vocal hook, repeated to the track’s end, fails invoke emotions more complex than disappointment.

Overall, Our Love is Snaith’s most personal album to date, echoed in its simplistic title. He sings more plainly than ever before about often uncomfortably personal subject matters, including the divorces of his close friends, to create an album which, in his own words, aims to please his fans, which to a large extent, he has achieved. However, Our Love had the potential to be a masterpiece, given Snaith’s evolution since 2010’s Swims and his undoubted talent not only at creating music but listening to it.

Instead, despite stand out tracks and the album’s warm and satisfying production, Our Love finds itself somewhat more middle-ofthe-road than I had hoped and expected. To me, it is at best an uncontroversial sideways step from Swims, and leaves me wondering what this album could’ve been.

WILL LOCKE

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Tuesday October 14, 2014

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FASHION

FASHION MONTH HIGHLIGHTS

New York Fashion Week VICTORIA BECKHAM The once Spice Girl, now mother 4 and wife of David Beckham has officially arrived as a master of fashion. With the launch of her Dover Street store last month she has demonstrated her fashion nobility with a chic concrete, solid, minimalist vibe that beautifully compliments the refined quality of her creations.

Beckham has come a long way since her “posh” girl band and fake boob days. Her fashion line is going from strength to strength and she is firmly carving a name for herself. At such a developmental stage of her fashion career Beckham decided to strip her SS15 collection down the bare DNA of the VB brand.

Thus, the DNA is comprised of midi lengths, impossibly neat tailoring, muted tones from white, black and nude with sporadic pops of colour as the “perfume” that finishes off her collection.

We saw timeless army jackets contrasted against a new age pink floral print, the slickest of jackets and air of luxurious wearability which is all too rare during many a fashion week show.

The SS15 show also marked Beckham’s first foray into footwear, 21st century pointed cowgirl flats, huge velvet teal platforms alongside bags that looked as sumptuous as ever.

London Fashion Week TOM FORD

Massive platform clogs to make legs look the longest they could ever be. Ford’s inspiration for SS15 was a vintage Carlo Molino photographs and some of his most successful designs from the nineties and his time spent at Gucci.

Black, black and all black, flared suits, deep necklines and a finale of black gowns.

The Tom Ford SS15 collection IS black and legs; that’s all you need to remember.

Photo Credits: Victoria Beckham, Tom Ford, Givenchy, Lanvin, Chanel and London Fashion Week.

Think of dirty mods from the sixties, dishevelled hair and makeup from last night’s antics.

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Tuesday October 14, 2014

FASHION

FASHION MONTH HIGHLIGHTS

Paris Fashion Week GIVENCHY Givenchy SS15 dresses are full on fierce. Fierce dresses emphasised by almost fetish thigh-high boots were perfected with the divine craftsmanship that Ricardo Tisci is known for. The lace was so fine it looked like it could have floated right off, up into there air were it not anchored with leather strips spliced into those pleats, or harnessed down with backless waistcoats crafted from stiffened leather with crocodile panels. Pirate blouses flounced like ship’s sales, while humbug black and white striped narrow-shouldered jackets festooned with corseted lacing kept the silhouette tight and lean. With legs clad in leather leggings or spray on jeans, the detail was all about up top. The only sighting of colour amongst this entirely monochrome collection came in the shape of a fleshy pink leather dress, plunging, tight to the body with a pleated and ruffled skirt. The presentation was decidedly dark, sexy and feminine.

LANVIN

Looking to the past to celebrate the future, for Lanvin, Alber Elbaz celebrated the brand's 125th anniversary with re-worked versions of some of his biggest hits as modelled by icons past and present including Amber Valletta and Edie Campbell. Fifty-two 30s to 50s inspired pieces set the catwalk alight with, satins fused with florals, butterflies and dragonflies, inflated sleeves and a touch of fur.

The SS15 show demonstrates super sophisticated tailoring for today's woman, with rough edges and open seams for design distinction. Party dresses were molten and metallic and had the signature sumptuous air to them: lace, pearls, classic luxury. There were a series of light and floaty printed tunic dresses. They came in vivid yellow and red. The take away from this collection was Elbaz's ability to design and cater for a multitude of women just as his model line-up proved. And that is the key to Lanvin's success right now; catering to real women.

CHANEL

If you don’t find Karl Lagerfeld’s supermarket theme with models in trainers hilarious last season, you will definitely be stunned by what he achieved in Paris Fashion Week in September. In his SS15 show, he created an entire Parisian district and staged a feminist march. The collection has its roots in the 70s – an era associated with the growth of the women’s rights movement. Cara Delevigne with a megaphone shows up other top-models armed with placard with slogans including ‘#HeForShe’, ‘History is her story’ and ‘Ladies First’ and the Chanel show turned into a protest scene. Some of these were later seen written on the label’s iconic bags. Ironic really, considering the fat shaming and undermining of women I think we've all come to expect from Lagerfeld. Maybe he has been inspired by reminiscence of Chanel’s founder. Coco Chanel was a pioneer in adopting fabrics, pieces, and silhouettes that had been previously reserved for men. She changed the way women dress and was a true role model for women.

The SS15 show is all for the ultimate street style collection - pinstripe tailored suits, top-stitched coats, frill-collar blouses and wide-leg culottes. A mix of masculine inspiration and femininity than Chanel herself would be proud of.

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Tuesday October 14, 2014

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visual arts/film THE WELLCOME COLLECTION-AN IDIOSYNCRATIC A TO Z FOR HUMAN CONDITION Bidder's commisions, is a display of multiple paintings, depicting historical demonstrations of faith, including religious ones including the Virgin Mary.

T

he Wellcome Collection, located at 183 Euston Road London was founded by the American-British pharmaceutical entrepreneur, Sir Henry Solomon Wellcome. On the website the Wellcome collection is described as ‘the free destination for the incurably curious’. The Wellcome library, funded by the Wellcome trust - a foundation with the world’s largest amount of funding for animal and human health, has many free attractions including an extensive library and visual arts collection. Sir Wellcome’s original fascination with medially related artefacts is evident in the exhibition - An Idiosyncratic A to Z of the Human Condition, however it is complimented by a range of contemporary art relating to the human condition.

By conjoining areas such as philosophy, medical science and faith in the same exhibition, the Wellcome library celebrates diversity of science and belief systems.

The gallery space is organised with different themes marked by a letter, with painted lines leading to different artefacts. One display

includes an impressive collection of binders on a bookshelf containing the first printout of the human genome-2007. Interestingly, the exhibition presents philosophical and ethical questions to the visitor in seemingly neutral ways, allowing the viewer to consider their own personal response. For example in black letters on the wall is the statement, ‘are you ever too old to have a baby?’ The question expresses the evolution of social norms with the rise of assisted reproduction. The majority of visitors’ answers (yes) are visible by the black and white chips resting in the relevant box.

Similarly, on the topic of modern birth, across the room a box TV displays a video of the birth of Louise Brown 1978, the first test tube baby. The exhibition’s commitment to including a diversity of varying cross-cultural and historical approaches to the subject matter of birth, is evident as adjacent is a description of what appeared to be the catastrophically inaccurate horoscope of Iskander Sultan ibn Umar Persia 1411 at birth. Some other questions directed at the visitor include: ‘during a pandemic,

should people be forcibly quarantined?’ and ‘is war inevitable?’ The scope of the exhibition's questions varies from medical ethics to the fundamentals of human behaviour.

Unfortunately an Idiosyncratic A to Z of the Human Condition ended on Sunday 12th October, however perhaps champions a new form of modern exhibition, allow-

ing more interaction and intrigue and most of all emphasising that historical artefacts and visual arts are for everyone to enjoy in an environment that gives them freedom in how they wish to do that. Furthermore, the Wellcome Library is undergoing expansion, with a Wilkinson Eyre Architects spiral staircase planned.

Maryam Akram

The exhibition also achieves an uncommon dedication to interactivity for its visitors including participation during the visit, such as pinning on a map where the person travelled from a bin to throw ‘your troubles’ in. Away from the exhibition visitors are welcomed to send in images of their facial expressions or on the theme of urban living, which are then displayed. The interactive options available ranged from creating a ‘moment of delight’ to the more sombre memorialisation of a deceased loved one by inscribing their initials on a candle.

What makes an Idiosyncratic A to Z of the Human Condition stand out is the interesting inclusion of a section devoted to faith, which appears to have no singular approach to the matter. One section displays paintings created by Rob Bidder of recollections of accidents which have prompted feelings of faith. Opposite to Rob

THE MAZE RUNNER: A Film Review

M

aze Runner: It sounded like the name of some computer game- a territory that I dare not and will never trespass on (Me playing League of Legends is the epitome of ‘disaster’). However, when my 45- year old mother told me how ‘amazing’ the film was- I had to see it. Maze Runner chronicles the experiences of a group of adolescents trying to escape from a Maze, called the Glade that they are put into. Thomas (Dylan O’Brien), the main protagonist, alongside with Teresa (Kaya Scodelario), whom he has a telepathic link with embarks on a journey to lead his friends out of the maze.

The two-hour film felt like minutes. The film frequently shocks its viewers, with its plot that is characterized by an accelerated pace and unexpected plot twists. The fate of Alby (Aml Ameen), the leader of the Glade, is especially dramatic- almost too drastic to keep up with: (Spoiler alert!)

His injury, his recovery, his recollections, his sacrifice… In particular, the

several encounters that the children have with the Grievers never failed to keep me on the edge of my chair- it was an overwhelming feeling of thrill, anticipation and horror. I left the cinema with a racing heart and a headache, owing much to the 2-hour long adrenaline rush. (As an 18 year old, I cannot believe I am saying this, but I guess, I am too old for this.)

The technicalities of the film impressed me as much as its plot did (ok.

I am not qualified in any way to judge). The sound effects of the film were always on point, regardless of whether to create suspense or to stun its viewers. Computer- generated imagery also credited the film. The Griever was a repulsive and monstrous spectacle, truly living up to its name. I was awestruck by the scene of the ‘Blades’ at District 7. The scene showcased the meticulous designs of the set and the explosive sound effects- the scene of chaotic beauty proved almost too much for my eyes to take in. 1.

The young actors of the film- Dylan O’Brien and Kaya Scodelario certainly put forth an admirable effort to play their characters. However, effort does not make up for O Obrien’s stiffness- he has not gone far from playing the dorky Google Intern Stuart in the Internship. Scodelario, on the contrary, won me over (only slightly) with her tearful performance as Teresa was reminded of her past-life. Yet, Teresa’s first encounter with the boys of the Glade on top of the tower after she regains consciousness was nothing short of awkward acting. Nevertheless, the other elements of the film over-compensated for the feigned acting.

In short, Maze Runner did not disappoint. Be prepared for a 2-hour mental marathon of adrenaline and excitement. It sure would be an excellent way to spend your Saturday night in the cinema indulging in relaxation as intense as this.

ZITA CHAN

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Tuesday October 14, 2014

TECHNOLOGY

Back To LSE: Technology Guide A new year at the LSE brings the need for new technology to keep up with our demanding academic lives, as well as activities to take our minds off work. Here is our guide to the best technology for your student life in London.

LAPTOPS A laptop is vital for most students, for independent study in the Library, taking notes in lectures and doing readings for class. However, the occasional movie or episode of Game of Thrones is allowed!

TABLETS Tablets are increasing in popularity to work or read on the go, and their convenient size makes them easier to carry around university than a larger laptop.

• MacBook Pro with Retina Display (£999): the most powerful of the MacBook range, and complete with a gorgeous HD Retina display, perfect for browsing photos, catching up on TV shows and typing out that last-minute coursework assignment! Remember, Apple also do a student discount on many of their products. Head to the Apple Education store and enter LSE details to get the money off.

• Microsoft Surface Pro 3 (£639): this tablet essentially doubles up as a laptop. With an attachable keyboard, it would be possible to write essays on this tablet. However, it may not be the most comfortable screen to read from for a number of hours. It is still versatile, light and packed with powerful features.

• MacBook Air (£749): a featherweight laptop, with a huge amount of power in the form of an Intel Core i5 processor and 4GB RAM for academic work, watching movies and multitasking.

Easy to carry around campus and has the enticing glowing Apple logo.

• iPad Mini (£319): the perfect size to carry in a handbag or rucksack, with a 7.9-inch screen to do some last-minute readings on the bus or play your favourite game to pass some time. Versatile with over 500,000 apps available from the App Store.

• Samsung Chromebook 2 (£349): a very reasonably priced laptop, with all of the essential Google applications required for your studies.

It uses Google Chrome to surf the web, wordprocessing and photo editing applications and Google Drive to upload and store files.

• Amazon Kindle Fire HDX (£199): the latest in the line of Amazon Kindle products, with a 7-inch touchscreen, this is a significant advance in technology from the previous generation Kindles.

Primarily designed for reading, the choice of 8GB, 16GB or 64GB means the HDX has capacity to hold books, applications, movies and music. It is a reasonable and capable tablet for students.

AUDIO As a student, music is important in our lives; whether listening to our favourite tracks on the walk to campus, an energetic soundtrack to our workouts or pumping tunes for predrinks.

• XMI X-Mini II (£19): a small, cheap, durable speaker which is perfect for pre-drinks. Although the sound quality is not perfect, it packs a punch with good bass when left on a hard surface. An 11hour battery life means fewer recharges and the 3.5mm jack can be tucked away into the base of the speaker.

• Beats Pill (£169): the Beats Pill is a great sounding party speaker, with the ability to reach a high volume and with strong bass, this speaker is for the discerning party-goer. Available in 8 colours, you can find the Pill to match your personality.

• Bose SoundTrue In-Ear (£90): a small set of in-ear headphones, which fit snugly into the ears.

They are perfect for gym workouts and blocking out the sound of London traffic. Great sound quality for such small earbuds, regardless of the genre of music playing.

FUN After a busy day, there is nothing better than relaxing with some television, a good movie or a game with friends.

• Apple TV (£99): arguably one of the best additions for your TV, with the ability to connect to Netflix, iTunes and YouTube. Also, AirPlay allows you to connect any Apple device to the TV in order to stream movies, music and shows straight from your computer, iPad or iPhone.

• Chromecast (£30): Google’s dongle connected to the HDMI port of your TV to provide access to catch-up services, Netflix, YouTube and music streaming.

• Canon Powershot ELPH 340 HS (£150): although most people tend to use their phones to take pictures nowadays, digital camera technology has improved. This small camera packs 16 megapixels and a 12x optical zoom. It even has WiFi so you can upload your snaps straight to Facebook or Twitter.

• Sony PlayStation 4 (£349) and Microsoft Xbox One (£399): the two giants of the gaming world once again go head-to-head. Everyone has their preference, but if you can afford to, these consoles provide great gaming experiences, both online and offline; perfect for the quick game (or 6) of FIFA against your flatmates!

ROHAN SONI Technology Section Editor

Feel free to email any Technology articles or interesting stories to techology@thebeaveronline.co.uk

The Beaver 09.10.2012

PartB

Photo Credit: naomi118500

The City

Tuesday October 14, 2014

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

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Features: Sport: Chaos in Catalonia Squash interview Page 24 Page 31

The Launch of an Unpredictable Rocket

“The most aggressive man on the internet.”

Camilla Naschert City Correspondent Rumours about a potential debut on the stock market had been circulating for months. On October 2nd, the internet start-up company Rocket Internet launched an initial public offering of 5.6 billion Euro in Frankfurt to an excited German and international clientele. Order books were full, hopes were high – but the first week on the stock market left the initial investors with a 20 per cent loss in value.

Rocket’s story began in 2007, when the brothers Oliver, Marc and Alexander Samwer founded the firm in Berlin. The idea: building a platform to boost and develop online start-ups that are then sold on to big corporations.

While CEO Oliver Samwer compares the company to Alibaba, an innovative online service provider, Rocket Internet mainly focuses on cloning existing services and applying strategies that work in already established online markets to emerging economies with relatively weak online retail infrastructure and a young growing middle class, for example the Philippines and Brazil. Initially, the enterprise very quickly sold its start-ups to the likes of eBay or Groupon. Now it is holding on to its portfolio for longer.

Critics are wary of the hype.

Rocket’s portfolio includes over 60 companies, of which only eleven are advertised as “proven winners” – all of which are losing money. The business model is unique and the portfolio highly diverse, which makes the success

of Rocket Internet extremely unpredictable.

Although the owners emphasise the company’s German-ness by claiming to make successful online services more efficient, easier and more widely available, the strategy of cloning is not a safe bet. One of Rocket’s success stories, the online fashion retailer Zalando, served as a template for the Brazilian shopping site Dafiti – who were subject to a series of complaints due to untimely delivery, quality issues and an unsatisfying returns policy.

Oliver Samwer is notorious for a forceful leadership style.

Rocket continuously attracts those ambitious young professionals who otherwise would strive towards the likes of McKinsey and the Boston Consulting group. At Rocket, they get the chance to travel, obtain respon-

sibilities and network globally.

Samwer once said he is “looking for soldiers, not captains.”

Anecdotes of high-stress work environment and immediate dismissal of those who fail to meet expectations continue to feed into Samwer’s self-proclaimed image of ‘the most aggressive man on the internet.’

While the first week on the stock market was not promising, it is almost impossible to forecast the course that Rocket Internet will take. Hope for the company is high in Germany. Many in the tech industry are watching the rocket with amazement and optimism. Success would rush capital and global attention on to the conservative and comparably slow-moving German digital market – and would encourage more online entrepreneurs to reach for the stars.

Hong Kong: Still One of the Four Asian Dragons?

In 2010, the Hong Kong Dollar was the eighth most traded currency in the world. Hong Kong has always been one of the leading financial centres in the Asia- Pacific. Milton Friedman even dubbed Hong Kong “the world’s greatest experiment in laissez-faire capitalism”.

Angry masses, suspension of schooling, blockage of main roads- all culminated into drastic falls in the Hang Seng Index.

Hong Kong shocked the world with images that evoke the horrors of dystopia. Amidst utter disarray, not only the people of Hong Kong, but its identity as a financial centre also suffered blows.

Firstly, it was the domestic economy of Hong Kong that

came to a hiatus. The heart of the Umbrella Movement was situated at the financial districts of Hong Kong. With traffic completely blocked, offices of the financial industry cease to function normally.

Apart from the financial industry, the retailing industry also suffered.

With the ongoing feuds between police troops and the masses of demonstrators, retailers were unable to do business as it were with the vast decrease in the number of customers. The economy of Hong Kong is mainly composed of the financial and retailing sectors. With these two sectors coming to a halt, Hong Kong’s economy has lost millions.

Secondly, Mainland China may be another indispensable factor that requires consideration. Mainland China has risen to become one of the most vital players in world economy with its enormous market size and copi-

ous amounts of resources. One of the main focal points of the Umbrella Movement was China’s rejection of free election in Hong Kong. Aggressive voices against the PRC government may have deterred Mainland investments into the Hong Kong economy, which constituted much of Hong Kong’s economy, in near future.

The ban on group tours in Hong Kong provided us an eye into possible future policies and the attitudes of the PRC government against Hong Kong. In addition, foreign economies may shy away from financial investments in Hong Kong to maintain congenial relations with Mainland China financially and diplomatically.

Without capital inputs from the Mainland and foreign markets, whether Hong Kong can still be regarded as a financial centre is questionable.

Yet, there is no need to be

overly pessimistic. Statistics have shown that figures on tourism actually rose 4.83%1 during the times of the peak of the demonstration. Also, some businesses in Hong Kong apparently remained unaffected. For instance, Sotheby’s auction house located in Central closed the auction of 114 bottles of Romanee- Conti at a recordhigh $1.6 Million2. The Hang Seng Index has also been on a steady rise in the past few days.

Therefore, though Hong Kong’s temporary economy remains relatively unaffected, there is need to worry about its identity as a financial centre in the long run. This conjures up the important dilemma between economy or ideology- the direction to which Hong Kong moves next will have significant implications on the future of the Asian Dragon.

Hong Kong Skyline CC Lisc.

The City

Zita Chan City Correspondent

22

The City

Tuesday October 14, 2014

The Rise of ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ Mika Morissette City Correspondent One buzzword which is bounced around a lot in the business community these days is CSR, or Corporate Social Responsibility. It’s something of an umbrella term encompassing all the ways companies assess the costs and benefits their operations have on their community, the world or the environment. This can be to fill specific regulatory or normative

requirements, or it can be actions which go beyond these requirements, including everything from old-fashioned corporate do-gooder acts (like corporate philanthropy or sponsoring their employees to volunteer) to much more complex projects like rethinking their supply-chains.

In a post-Enron and postfinancial crisis world, the cost of being ‘irresponsible’ is growing as social media and activism websites shed light on things companies could once keep under the rug. On the other hand, the cost of being

Why companies are paying consultants to tell them how to act ethically.

responsible is also growing as companies come under pressure (both from regulatory bodies and the general public) to pay closer attention to their impact at all stages of their production line, whether it be guaranteeing ethical labor standards in a global network of third-party factories or ensuring that offices spread across several locations at home all offer employees of different backgrounds equal opportunities.

Because of this, more and more companies are hiring external experts to assess their activities and the management consultancy industry has found a new niche, CSR consulting.

There are currently hundreds of specialized CSR Consultancies in the UK alone, with firms ranging all the way from small indie startups specializing in specific issues to desks in some of the world’s largest professional management practices including consulting at the Big Four.

There are several benefits to hiring external experts. CSR

consulting can sometimes can involve incredibly complex and technical issues like assessing water wastage in a certain company’s mining operations across several emerging countries where governments do not keep active records of environmental data. Though

“You don’t do CSR for the sake of CSR. ”

some big firms like Google or Coca-Cola have internal CSR offices, most just do not have the logistical capabilities or experience to deal with these issues without specialist help. Hiring a third party is also important for ethical reasons in issues where neutrality and honest assessments matter.

There are limits to this neutrality, however. Ultimately, companies are being paid to ensure that other companies are, or at least are being seen to be, acting ethically.

Undeniably, image is one of the biggest immediate gains companies get from hiring an external CSR consultant. Open an annual report from any Fortune 500 listed company and chances are you’ll find their CSR activities showcased in full-color splendor. So, is it just marketing under another name, or does CSR consulting make a real impact on corporate social and environmental footprint?

“You don’t do CSR for the sake of CSR. You do CSR as part of your reputation management strategy to drive business growth,

LSE: It’s Not All About The City Calum Muirhead City Comment I have a confession to make; I hate wearing suits. In all honesty they make me feel more like a toddler at a wedding than anything remotely related to work.

But I digress, the matter at hand is not the outfit itself but rather what it represents, particularly in the student culture of our very own institution. Even a simple glance through the pages of the Beaver will reveal some article or other concerning the City or career aspects relating to it.

While these articles were in no way devoid of effective journalism, the culture they highlight is one I find concerning, especially for the fresher’s amongst us. For those who may not dream of a Goldman Sachs internship or conquering Canary Wharf single-handed, what is presented upon joining the student body (besides the odd

scandal, obviously) could be mistaken for a careers fair in itself.

The students of the LSE would appear to hold the City in an almost Pontiff-like reverence; it is the solver of all post-graduation anxieties, the remedy to all financial worries....provided you can fill out tens of applications every year and pass online testing of course!

Our union has entire societies dedicated to the sole purpose of connecting students to industries or (without naming names) adding nice little important sounding committee positions to the CV of any budding City worker. In all honesty, aren’t university societies supposed to alleviate the stress and strain of study, rather than add to it by constantly bombarding you with emails and promotions for the ‘next big career/networking event hosted by [generic company in the City] taking place in [important London location] on [whatever date you will attend regardless because hey, you want a

job in the City right]’?

The last thing a fresher needs while having to cope with the combined ailments of adjusting to university life, and freshers flu hangovers is to have career options and networking events shoved in their faces by the very bodies that are supposedly created to draw their mind away from such things (at the time of writing, I’ve already received at least five invitations for career related events on social media from societies that are not directly connected to the relevant industries). We are all intelligent people, we do not need every facet of our university, especially other students, creating a subliminal competition for career opportunities that many of us do not want or need to participate in. It is at best patronising and at worst insulting.

This leads me to the crux of the matter, for those like myself who do not hold a City career as our prime life direction, this culture serves to generate an attitude

of cynicism towards our university and our fellow students who participate in it. We begin to believe that we are somehow lesser beings for not ‘falling in line’ with the militant careerism that exists around us. This does nothing but make us less confident in our own desires, stifling our preparedness to admit that we may choose a different path to that seemingly set out for us. It seems ironic that within a university, institutions founded upon principles including the individual pursuit of knowledge, a student culture exists that serves to represses independent career paths beyond several sectors. All of this results in a new student culture, one you may call ‘underground’, of disillusioned individuals who feel somewhat disheartened and ashamed of their own interests and aspirations.

Yes, I did come to LSE with a desire to improve my career prospects, but a much greater part of me came to expand my knowledge

customer loyalty, and employee alignment” says Kasper Nielsen, executive partner of the Reputation Institute, a think-tank which offers corporate image related consulting. According to his definition, CSR consulting is thus essentially profit-driven public-relations consulting.

PwC, a firm which has recently but extensively branched into CSR and Sustainability consulting, offers a more nuanced definition on their website. According to them, “understanding the impacts a companies’ operations have on the environment can drive improvements to corporate strategy, day to day operations and ultimately on financial performance” and that redesigning a companies’ supply chain can make it more “cost-efficient, minimizing their impact on the environment while delivering products and services on time”.

CSR consulting could therefore also be defined as a type of management consulting focused mainly on efficiency. Growth is a by-product of reducing (social and environmental) waste, or, conversely, reducing waste is a byproduct of a more efficient type of growth.

No matter what, the ultimate aim of CSR consulting remains growth, however, even though this growth can be more ‘ethical’.

Now here is a true LSE-type question: can the ends ever justify the means?

of the world through an amazing institution with a community like no other. I do not believe I should sacrifice my own desires simply because this culture, forced into my face since day one, has hijacked the career trajectories of so many others. I come to university to enjoy my last vestiges of freedom as a young adult, not to consume it by meticulously planning for the next thirty years of my life.

For those who do proceed along the career path towards the City, I hope your intentions are founded in genuine interest. If so, I wish you the best of luck. For those in a less concrete frame of mind, I only offer a quote; ‘Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life’. I don’t know about you, but that seems like a better philosophy than ‘invest in a nice suit’.

The City

Tuesday October 14, 2014

23

Techs and events show market Armageddon, experience and fundamentals tell us to BTD. LSESU Trading Society: Trade Idea

S&P500: Pending Long upon close above 1930, SL: 1896 (previous swing low) TP: 2006 (rough 2.3x RR) Equity Indexes have continued the bloodbath this week- DOW has ended below this year’s open and the DAX closed below the 3 time 9000 support- has the all-feared market correction started to materialize?

Catalysts: -Fed officials previously signaled in the FOMC minutes that a declining EU and Asian economic envi-

ronment can jeopardize US growth, result in a stronger dollar and limit inflation and export gains.

-EU growth momentum remains stagnant- BoAML notes that their Area-wide Leading Indicator matches the ECB view that the economy is losing momentum. S&P also lowers the outlook on France to negative from stable. Q3 Chinese and Japanese PMIs have also shown exceptional weakness-adding further complications to an already tepid global growth situation.

While the Fed has made explicit mention that interest rates must increase next year, the message that we have been getting from them is that rate rises will be slow and gradual, and the Fed Funds rate will rise

to a historically lower long run equilibrium. We think that US markets has overreacted over their concerns of weakening global growth. US exports only account for a relatively small percentage of GDP. The most recent Q2 4.1% GDP growth QoQ proves our point. NFPs have also shown the longest string of above +200k jobs. Furthermore, the quality of jobs has continued to improve.

On the European side, weak economic fundamentals continue to prove to be a significant headwind to equity indexes. Moreover, with the weak uptake in TLTROs, The ECB should embark on some sort of outright QE program soon.

Problem is, this has always been a structural problem that unorthodox

monetary policy is never meant to solve.

We think that central banks on both sides of the Atlantic (US & UK) are taking the first step to increase rates to reduce systematic risks, but are cautious in doing so for fears over affecting a debt-laden economy. Rate rises will come, but will not be detrimental to the economy in the way many people heralded it to be. If History teaches us anything, stocks usually rally for 5280 weeks after the first rate increase.

A high inflationary environment that perpetuates a high interest rate environment is unfathomable at this instance. The Fed will continue to maintain their balance sheet, by reinvesting any maturing Treasury holdings. This will be supportive of US equity markets.

With the October end of QE3, stock market evaluations have to revert to good old balance sheet fundamentals and disciplined corporate governance. We think that the US economy is positioned to help corporate earnings exceed expectations. Consumer confidences are rising.

The other houses on the street are still calling a 2050 and 2150 EoY target.

Our techs show us the following: 1)Break of the 3 year support trendline (Bearish) 2)Break of the 200D SMA (Bearish) 3)Which emphasizes the need to maintain previous swing low of 1896 to give us greater confidence that the bears are not taking control and that this is just another opportunity to BTD 4)A higher low (indicated by a green arrow that is higher then the previous local minimum) (Bullish) 5) We need a close above the trendline to inspire greater confidence to be Long.

We are monitoring next week’s event risks with several big players like J.P Morgan, Blackrock and Citi reporting earnings next week.

Small caps have taken a world of pain this week and the malaise will spread next week to bigcaps if earnings disappoint. We are looking for points of stabilization to give us confidence that indeed the bulls are in control.

A break and daily close below last swing low of 1896 and we might be sellers instead.

Features

Features

THE FIRST FULL, FOUR PAGE Features of the academic year is here, complete with what I think are some excellent contributions. Thanks very much to the writers this week, especially those who contributed very late on with strict deadlines and managed to send me articles that were both well-written and punctual. Namechecks in this regard for Zwan Mahmod and Katie Budd.

Elections for two new Features editors will take place on Monday, and the deadline for your manifestoes is Friday. After that, I am confident that the new editors will be looking to recruit some deputy editors to help them with the smooth running of the section, sourcing articles, filling in when people are away. As a deputy editor of this section from last year, I assure you it is a rewarding experience.

Featurettes this week is entirely about British politics, if only because it is a subject I find easily to write about very quickly and without thinking too much, and I had already written an article about the by-elections earlier this week for BeaverOnline. If you would like to write Featurettes for the section next week, drop me an email and hopefully you’ll have a little more time than me to pick interesting subjects and events from all around the world.

24

Section Editor: Liam Hill (acting) features@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Tweet @beaveronline

Political Chaos Engulfs Spain as Catalonia Threatens Independence Mercedes Doménech Enseñat First year postgraduate AFTER THE RECENT EVENTS of the Scottish Independence Referendum, in which the Scottish people voted to stay in the UK with a majority of 55 per cent, Europe turned its eye to Spain, as Catalonians determined to hold a referendum on November 9th.

Currently and unlike in the UK, such a referendum would be unconstitutional and there has been strong pressure on the Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to allow the referendum to be held.

Despite Scotland’s negative response to independence, Catalonia seems adamant that it will vote for self-governance regardless of the European community supporting a united Spain.

After an emergency call to court, the Spanish government reviewed Catalan President Artur Mas’ Ley de Consultas to determine that holding the elections would not be constitutional as it would not respect the rights of the Spanish people living outside of Catalonia. Unlike Scotland, Catalonia has never been an independent country, which means that having an election for Catalonians only would breach the right to vote for the rest of the Spaniards.

Mario Conde, internationally renowned jurist, argues that the problem dates back to 1978, when the term ‘nationalities’ was first introduced in the Spanish Constitution and which has been interpreted loosely by extremists and independence parties. Arguments for the pro-independence movement include the percentage

Whilst debate took place between the Govern (Catalonian government) and Spanish government, Francesc Homs, speaker for the Govern, reminded newspaper El Mundo that holding elections for 9-N (9th of November) would be ‘impossible’ and ‘illegal’.

Thus, the independence referendum has been temporarily

Source: Flikr: SBA73

Section editorial:

Tuesday October 14, 2014

Catalonians asserting their desire for independence in 2010.

Catalonia contributes to Spanish GDP (approximately 20 per cent as reported in newspaper El País’ digital edition), recent budget reductions due to austerity measures and autonomy in education (autonomous communities have control over regional educative measures) which separates them from the rest of the Spanish Estate.

stopped by the Spanish Tribunal Constitucional (TC), followed by a statement from president Mariano Rajoy who argued that the Spanish government has always maintained that a referendum would be unconstitutional and that “sovereignty resides in the Spanish people in its totality”. As a response, the Catalonian government can-

celled the call to elections as a temporary solution, although an independent election board was set up against the Spanish government’s advice.

As Rajoy’s government released the news of the cancellation, over 5000 Catalonians took over Sant Jaume square in Barcelona to protest and demand the referendum under slogans ‘We want the vote’ or ‘Independence!’.

So what does the future hold for Catalonia? Currently there are two possible outcomes for Catalonians and the rest of Spain. If Artur Mas decides to go ahead with the referendum, the Spanish Estate would likely ban Catalonian sovereignty. Were this to happen, riots would spark and an already weak Spanish economy would suffer from foreign investor mistrust.

However, if Mas rejects the referendum and calls elections instead, speculators already believe separatist parties CiU, Esquerra Unida, CUP and Iniciativa would win and that the new Catalonian parliament could declare independence with an overwhelming majority.

The latest movement from Catalonian government is a PSA encouraging Catalonians to vote this upcoming 9-N and reminder that every ‘Catalonian’s right to vote’ is a priority on the agenda.

Pocket Philosopher: On the Ethics of ‘Poly-bashing’ Shaun Long Second year undegraduate 2014’S ANNUAL LSE FRESHERS fair debacle has again prompted some serious debate on campus.

Last year, freedom of speech and expression because the perennial on-campus debate following ASH’s expulsion from Fresher’s fair and the UGM motions on banning

POLY PARROT

See page 28.

Blurred Lines and giving the SU Exec the power to No Platform speakers to the Students’ Union.

One of the most remarkable debates that has been started in lieu of Men’s Rugby printing deplorable leaflets has been the soulsearching we are now engaged in with our rivals/friends/fellow students across the Aldwych.

Our General Secretary Nona Buckley-Irvine, in one of her statements about the Men’s Rugby leaflets, and I will quote the entire paragraph to aid the comprehension of context, wrote that: “The persistence in which the Club references ‘polys’ and abusing ‘polys’ is not fitting of the LSE community. This snobbery towards students from other universities is unacceptable. The LSE is a great institution, but that doesn’t excuse

elitism or classism. The perpetrators should know that they are extremely lucky to have been granted a place at one of the country’s top universities, and references such as these are a complete abuse of their privileged position.”

Now, as I understand it, the logic behind liberation is to counteract and struggle against the remaining consequences of the historical oppression, subjugation and mistreatment of specific groups. King’s College London students, so far as I can tell, are not a historically oppressed, subjugated or mistreated group.

Is attacking King’s classist anyway? KCL, like LSE, is a Russell Group institution, one of the world’s leading universities and home to many world-class academics. Because LSE is specialised,

King’s alumni are far more likely to achieve great things in the fields of medicine, chemistry and literature than us. And for all the very reasonable caveats about methodology and LSE’s economics and social science bent, King’s frequently outperforms LSE in world rankings tables.

How can elite groups attacking each other be classist or snobbish?

In cities like Leeds or Manchester, some students studying at World top 100 universitites take it upon themselves to insult students at former Polytechnics. There is a strong case for calling this sobbery.

But when The Beaver or LSE Memes or anyone on campus ‘bashes’ the ‘Poly on the Strand’ neither the intention nor the endresult is snobbery, but irony; irony eminently justified by the eminence of our neighbours on the Strand.

The Features section is the home of analysis, essays and interviews in The Beaver.

Sign up on www.beaveronline.co.uk to write for us, and tag your posts under ‘Features’.

If you have an idea for an article or an interview, let us know. Email features@thebeaveronline.co.uk

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Features

Tuesday October 14, 2014

IS, Turkey and Kobane: how events are begging the Kurdish Question Zwan Mahmod First year undergraduate

Source: Flikr: jan Sufti

THE ADVANCE OF THE Is lamic State (IS) in the past year across first Syria and then Iraq both has surprised and worried players in the region. Its incursions into northern and western Iraq led to the fall of Nouri-Al Maliki as Iraqi Prime Minsiter and forced Kurdish involvement.

Ground fighting now is predominantly done by Kurdish forces, whether it be the Peshmerga in Iraq or Kurdish fighters in Syria.

Currently, IS is fighting with Kurdish fighters in the Syrian

town of Kobane, bordering Turkey. Reportedly IS had seized one third of the town yet US air strikes have helped stall the IS advance and slowly push it back.

The town's proxmity to Turkey has begged the question why is Turkey not involved in fighting IS? The answer is simple. IS have inadvertently aided the Turkish government by fighting against the Kurds who are the traditional enemies of the Turks due to a century of territorial disputes.

The BBC's Mark Lowen spoke to Yasin Aktay, the Vice Chairman of Turkey's governing AK Party who stated, "Why is Kobane the most important problem?"

Clearly the ongoing battle for Kobane is not particularly relevant to the Turkish government and is rather a fringe problem.

The Vice Chairman went on to say that both the Kurdish fighters and IS are "terrorists" and that Turkey would not distinguish between them. Although this view had been suspected it had not been explicitly stated before by a member of the Turkish government. The old, worn out cliché that the "Enemy of my enemy is my friend" seems appropriate here. Turkey seems to have found that friend in IS, although an unsavoury one.

The question, for the US in particular, now is whether or not they continue and expand their help to the Kurdish despite Turkey's current reluctance and possible future resistance. After all, the US has supplied arms to the Peshmerga in Iraq but not to the Kurdish fighters in Syria even though both are fighting IS and as of last week the latter are in greater need of them.

The Peshmerga are clearly playing a large role acting as proxy fighters for Western democracies whose populations are too war weary or governments to timid to commit ground troops themselves. So, will the proper and full commitment be made to

all Kurds to allow them to fight against IS which is of course in their interest as well as being a moral obligation? This is the first Kurdish question.

The final consideration is what happens after? What then for the Kurds? The Kurds of Syria deserve an autonomous region of their own, a prospect increasingly likely because of Assad's weakening hold on Syria. The Kurds of Iraq no doubt want an independent state. This has been seemingly impossible for the past century since the incredible myopia of the British and French at the end of WWI. Yet it is looking increasingly possible with the fall of Maliki and continued sectarian warfare between Sunni and Shia Arabs.

The break up of Iraq into three would afford the Kurds a good opportunity for independence; with a legitimate claim as the largest ethnic group in the world without a state, as the force that fought against IS when no one else could or would and as the only democratic buffer in a region dominated by theocracy and dictatorship. Independence (for Iraqi Kurdistan at least) is not as improbable as it once seemed.

This is the second and more important Kurdish question which needs to be addressed.

Kurdish peshmerga fighers in 2009.

A short history of Kurdistan Front line: battle for Kobane 1916: SYKES-PICOT AGREEment between British and French outlined the proposed spheres of influence of each after WWI. 1920s: Turkey and several Arab states were founded but the Kurds did not get a state of their own and lost what would have been theirs to the Turks, Arabs and Iranians.

This meant the Kurdish people were spread mainly across four countries (Syria, Iraq, Turkey and Iran) and ever since then the struggle for independence and statehood has been ongoing.

1968: The Iraqi Ba’ath Party attempts its second coup in five years and gains centralised power over Iraq, including over Iraqi Kurdistan.

1979: Saddam Hussein formally established his dominance and transformed Iraq into a totalitarian society. The Kurds continued their armed resistance and received infrequent Iranian help against Hussein.

The Kurdish resistance forces

are made up of the PUK (Patriotic Union Of Kurdistan) and the KDP (Kurdish Democratic Party) who had been fighting for control in Iraqi Kurdistan militarily and politically throughout their time of fighting Hussein.

1980-88: The Iraq-Iran war provided an opportunity for Kurds to weaken Saddam Hussein and strengthen their position by siding with the Iranians.

After the war ended, in retribution, Hussein used chemical weapons against Kurdish populations on March 16th 1988 in the town of Halabja in North-Eastern Iraq near the Iranian border. An estimated 5,000 people died immediately and a further 7,000 suffered from long term injuries such as birth defects.

1986-89: The attack was part of the wider Anfal campaign which was a large scale repression of the Kurdish.

The attack on Halabja in 1988 remains the largest chemical attack on a civilian population in history.

1) Kobane is a Syrian Kurdish town near the border of Turkey which IS first attacked in mid September. The battle is still ongoing with the Kurdish YPG (People’s Protection Units) fighting IS. 2) Online, millions of Kurds have sent messages on Facebook, Twitter and other platforms arguing for more action from the US and Turkey to save Kobane.

3) There is also a #SaveKobane campaign across Facebook and Twitter requesting international support and solidarity.

4) Muslims in the West, Kurds and non-Kurds, have been using the hashtag #NotInOurName to counter IS propaganda and to suggest that what IS’s actions and ideology are not truly Islamic.

5) Fighting in Kobane since mid-September between the YPG and IS has claimed the lives of at least 533 people, according to the Syrian Observatory on Human Rights, the majority of whom are IS or Kurdish fighters, but 17 of which were executions performed

by IS.

1990: After Saddam’s failed invasion of Kuwait (First Gulf War) and the realisation of the massacres against the Kurds, the US and Britain established a no fly zone over much of northern Iraq to protect the Kurds from further attacks.

1991: The Kurdish Regional Government was established.

2003-present: With the fall of Saddam Hussein in the Second Gulf War, the Kurds aided the

Coalition forces in around Kurdistan to repel terrorist groups and Iraqi Kurdistan has become the most peaceful and prosperous part of Iraq.

2005-14: Jalal Talabani serves as the first elected and the first Kurdish president of Iraq.

By Zwan Mahmod

Featurettes Seismic? Clacton byelection fallout UKIP SECURED A BIG WIN IN the Clacton by-election, as Douglas Carswell became UKIP’s first elected MP. With UKIP securing almost 60% of the vote, Carswell’s victory in the Essex town has been variously described as a seismic, game-changing victory for Farage’s party or an essentially an outlier, since Carswell is a popular local MP and the demographics of Clacton provide it with a predisposition to vote UKIP that ill not necessarily be replicated elsewhere.

Shortly after the election a Survation poll put UKIP on 25%, so perhaps Clacton is the first step in Nigel Farage’s road to power.

The Rochester and Strood byelection, which polling data suggests will be a much closer contest, could become the second after the vote on 6th November.

Labour scrapes win in Heywood and Middleton LABOUR HELD THE GREATER Manchester seat of Heywood and Middleton, vacated by the death of long-serving MP Jim Dobbin, but only beat UKIP by 617 votes. While by-elections do often depress turnout for Labour more than for other parties, the result has cast doubts over Labour’s ability ward off UKIP in traditionally Labour-held areas of the north of England. Plenty more internal ruminating within the Labour party about how to prevent losing votes to UKIP next May can be expected in the coming weeks and months.

Broadcasters propose election debate plan BROADCASTERS THE BBC, ITV, Sky and Channel 4 have proposed a possible structure for 2015 election debates. One debate would be between the two potential candidates to become prime minister, Ed Miliband and David Cameron; one further would include Nick Clegg; and one further would include UKIP leader Nigel Farage. This 2-3-4 format would notably exclude the Greens or any regional parties from the leaders’ debates.

The immediate reactions to these proposals from the Lib Dems and the Conservatives suggest they will probably not be accepted without revision, if at all.

If you are interested in writing Featurettes for next week’s edition, please email features@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Features

Tuesday October 14, 2014

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Public events “I am not profit-orientated”: Sam Povey interviews Muzaffar Khan calendar The Politics of Climate Change by Lord Giddens At this public lecture you will be given a chance to get an insight into the problem of climate change by a former director of LSE and teaching professor Lord Giddens.

The main aim of the lecture is to give a perspective regarding the climate change issue since the publication of ‘The Politics of Climate Change’. Events at Fukushima and Arctic Oil are likely to be discussed in detail as they have been scrutinized by Professor Giddens in his book. Highly recommended as material for LSE100 essays.

Women in Public Life

By Dr Joyce Banda Dr Banda is one of the most famous of anticipated speakers at LSE. This incredible woman had been the fourth president and first female president of Malawi. She will share her experience of being a public figure in a sophisticated political world of Africa. The main focus of the public lecture are influential women and who if not Dr Banda should give this lecture?

A Changing World and China by Wu Jinamin The former Chinese Ambassador to the UN Geneva and Spokesman of Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference will give a lecture on how China does and does not react to global issues, Chinese political climate and relations with other political partners such as US and EU. The forecast of Chinese future politics and business from the foreign affairs expert.

Global News Media: the next horizon

By Andrew Miller This is the one for journalists and business people. Mr Miller will give an insight into technological progress in media, which opens new perspective and creates new competitors. The CEO of the Guardian Media Group will tell how does such a historic news paper survive in the age of technological progress.

A lecture by Serbian PM Alexandar Vucic After being elected as the Prime Minister in April this year this experienced politician is going to share with his experience of being the Prime Minister, Minister of Information and Minister of Defence, challenges of his job and will give a picture of Serbian political climate.

By Kate Khmaruk

Sam Povey Second year undergraduate

Muzaffar Khan is an author, former trader and hedge fund strategist, social entrepreneur and philanthropist. Khan worked as a banker, trader and strategist both in the City of London and on Wall Street. Following his retirement from the financial services industry he focused on his philanthropic activities.

He is currently Managing Director at Alchemy Ventures, a social enterprise which aims to increase social mobility among students. In his role at Alchemy Ventures he provides career advice and mentoring to students around the world.

It’s fair to say that Muzaffar Khan, an LSE alumnus and former City banker, has been pretty busy in recent years. By his own estimation, he has mentored and lectured to 25,000 students at universities across the globe, including LSE, in the past eight years.

All this from a man who insists that, given a chance, “I will be as lazy as possible”.

A lifelong mentor, Muzaffar left the City in 2003, to begin mentoring young people full-time.

Since then he has co-authored the book Racing Towards Excellence and founded Alchemy Ventured Ltd, a company dedicated to helping those from disadvantaged backgrounds get a leg up in the race for the City’s top jobs.

As a mentor, the service he offers is pretty impressive. Not only does he deliver lectures to hun-

dreds of students on careers advice, CV building and interview techniques but he is passionate about one-to-one tuition. “I insist on doing 15 minute CV sessions throughout the day, usually about 30 to 40 CV sessions, for free.”

“When I come to the LSE this year I will have [one-to- one] sessions with 100 students. And I do that every year at at least 10 universities. That’s 1000 students that I speak to one on one”. Why does he do this? Muzaffar sees a large gap between what is offered by university careers services and what students actually need to succeed in the workplace.

“Everything is about economic incentives”, he tells me, “Careers services are very effective at getting investment banks in to put on good shows, but that is not what gets students a job”. Rather, careers services are too focussed on, “keeping their bosses happy”.

According to Muzaffar, this failure is highlighted by the, “many businesses making a tonne of money offering a service which is supposed to be part of what the students are paying £9000 for”.

But to him, this problem is part of a wider cultural issue.

“Until very recently, you didn’t have the concept of a student as a consumer”, and despite the large increase in tuition fees under the current coalition government, “the culture still hasn’t changed”.

Muzaffar speaks of his frustration seeing students being let down: “We tried a few years ago for me, at the beginning of lectures, to say to students, ‘You are the consumers, you have the right to

have these conversations’. Unfortunately nothing happened because there is a natural deference

by UK students towards authority.”

“Will tuition fees eventually lead to that cultural shift?”, I ask.

“Economics would tell us that it should,” he replies coolly, “But we are still waiting to see”.

In the meantime, Muzaffar seems determined to fill the gap that careers services have left. Some businesses will charge, “hundreds of pounds for helping you... I just felt that students needed a break”. What does he expect in return for his time? “Nothing”, he replies, “I am not profit orientated”.

When it comes to LSE’s career service, Muzaffar is a little more coy, insisting that he hasn’t kept up with it since he left LSE. He speaks more fondly of the AIC (Alternative Investment Conference), an annual conference, hosted at LSE, which focuses on hedge funds and private equity.

Founded by one of his mentees, Muzaffar recalls the advice he gave the organisers of the first conference: “Bypass the entire careers service”. And they did: despite the lack of formal support (they raise funding from external sponsors) it has done incredibly well and is in its ninth year running.

Muzaffar seemed keen to emphasise how well those who helped organise the conference have done. “The officers of AIC traditionally get very good jobs in the City because they make those direct relationships [with industry

types]”, he explains, “then they connect the students to those individuals.”

As I spoke to Muzaffar, dozens of eager Freshers were streaming into the library for the first time.

I asked if he had any advice for them. “Surround yourself with very ambitious and disciplined friends”, he told me, “Peer pressure is a powerful stabiliser to our lazy urges”.

Muzaffar should know too: his path through the LSE was rocky to say the least. Having failed his first year, he claims that it was only due to a, “very angry father” that he graduated.

Despite this he maintains that university is, “a wonderful time to make friends, party and have fun . . . you need to allow the joy of being young”. He then adds, “And my entire time at LSE, I never went to a 9am lecture”. Take that how you will.

Muzaffar will be holding a week long lecture series in Week 4 of Michaelmas Term. Muzaffar's university visits typically consist of giving free lectures on how to get jobs, which are followed by one on one CV advice for students.

These events are typically well frequented with hundreds of students receiving free one on one advice and more than a thousand students attending his lectures in any given year. Over a hundred students at LSE alone have had one on one CV sessions with Muzaffar.

This is part one of three articles on Muzaffir Khan by Sam Povey. Look out for the others at beaveornline.co.uk

LGBT+ space: Coming Out in a Supportive Community Alex Leung LSESU LGBT Officer HAVE YOU READ OR WATCHED The Perks of Being a Wallflower?

Growing up is not easy. Everyone has their own obstacles to overcome. Teenage years are hard enough; LGBT people usually find them even tougher.

According to a study by Stonewall (a gay lesbian and bisexual charity) on LGBT people, almost all of them (97%) have heard derogatory language regarding homosexuality and 60% felt they had no one at home or school they could talk to. Some LGBT peers decide not to come out because of social perception, religious reasons, and bullying, among other things. However, I am here to tell you that coming out of the closest was the best decision of my life and why you should do it if you are still in the closest.

I have always thought that I am attracted to boys since I was 9, but I never admitted it. In fact,

I tried not to think about it. I remember that I loved watching reality TV shows and I would think how handsome that guy is. I felt guilty so I tried to work harder to escape my own feelings. I worked to make myself feel better. As a result, my grades were decent, but I was not happy at all. I was still attracted to men. The feeling didn’t go away.

I didn’t have many gay role models to look up to when I was a teen. My situation got to a level that I even thought of suicide one point, but luckily a good friend saved me. I talked to him and he was very supportive. After opening up to someone, I slowly talked to more and more people. It is the best feeling in the world you can ever imagine – the feeling that you are now free. Free to be yourself - coming out as a gay nerd, in my case. You know you have real friends who will support you, and they can finally really know who you are.

I joined a local LGBT community group in Somerset in my

Sixth Form, which they provided resources on different LGBT matters. For me, I felt as though I finally belonged to a group and could get massive support from both peers and seniors. I even stepped forward in a way by playing piano to fundraise for the LGBT group.

Now Tom Daley has come out. Ellen Page has come out.

Ian Thorpe has come out as well.

More and more public figures have come out. Same sex couples can get married in UK. LGBT movements have also advancing stronger and stronger. In 2014, it is the best time for students to come out. We need more role models for the next generation in the LGBT community.

You may afraid that coming out will affect your career or that people will bully you and your friends will stay away from you.

If your friends react to you in this way, they are NOT your friends.

Stay away from them. You will be so relieved to come out and let everyone to know the real you.

Take your time though – it

may be difficult for conservative parents or your best church friends to accept this. Break it down into small part like you solve a mathematics question. Also it is important to find the right moment. Let them know you are still the lovely person they know and it is ok to be gay. Participating in your local LGBT Alliance events is always a good start, as you can get to know some LGBT people and you know you are safe. Talk to the people who are trustworthy or the people you know that are LGBT friendly.

I encourage people show support to their LGBT peers and support LGBT rights, no matter whether gay, straight, bi or trans.

This will make LGBT people’s life better, and form a stronger community. Now it’s time for everyone to be an Ally!

The Features section is considering introducing a specific public forum for liberation groups. Let us know if you’re interested by emailing features@thebeaveronline.co.uk

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Tuesday October 14, 2014

How social services are failing society’s most vulnerable children Geroge Greenwood First year postgraduate THIS SUMMER, I WORKED in Devon County Council Social Services department. My experience there has convinced me that there needs to be a fundamental change in social practice if we are to give children in care the future that they deserve.

The figures on life chances for such children speak for themselves. Only 6% of care leavers ever attend university, 1 in 4 female care leavers leave pregnant or already mothers, and one third of care leavers are not in education, employment or training.

Thus, the average care leaver will ultimately live a far poorer, nastier and shorter life on average than the rest of us who are lucky enough to have a family to call our own.

And why is this? We must not absolve parents who fail to live up to their responsibilities.

But we can’t in the short term do much to change the fact that some people are just unable to care for their children to give them the opportunities and dignity they deserve.

What we can do for them once a normal family life has become impossible, is to give them some stability and some hope within the care system when they enter it.

Looked after children are all too often treated like unwanted broken toys. Passed from hand to hand from social worker to social worker, agency to agency, and ultimately, foster family to family, with no point of stability and

often no love and care to speak of. It is no surprise that many end up being passed from prison to prison.

My issue is not with the horrific decision that sometimes must be made to take a child into care. Social workers must be free to make this decision day to day with a clear conscience. Likewise, I can offer nothing but praise for my team, who did their best in very difficult situations often requiring them to work far beyond their contracted hours to place children in emergencies.

But two fundamental facts about social care practice are letting down our most vulnerable children, and they are depressingly simple.

Firstly, and most depressingly, is a matter of basic human resources.

On numerous occasions, when trying to find a placement for a child in care to, I would find that the child’s social worker was away on leave, and that their line manager or duty worker was simply not aware of the details of the case. This failure to hand over cases properly is simply unacceptable, and contributes to a culture of fire-fighting and muddling through. Children are placed wherever places can be found rather than where they have a good chance of finding real stability.

Additionally, social care departments as with most local government are over-reliant on temps and agency workers. They are often dropped in at the deep end, with little previous training or experience. It is no surprise that they are often unable to cope

with the workload.

Thus, children are left facing placements that fall through due to delays, as well as dealing with so many different social workers that they cannot possibly build any sort of meaningful trust. It is no wonder that they suffer extremely high levels of mental illness, attachment disorders and disruptive behaviour as a result of being treated as numbers.

Secondly, there remains a severe issue with overlapping responsibility. In the bottom-left corner of this page is an extract from a management consultant report into the inadequate performance of Devon County Council’s performance in a 2013 Ofsted rating. As you can see, the responsibilities for a child entering care in Devon is beyond complicated. The really depressing thing is that this diagram was used for serious illustrative purposes, rather than to show how borderline farcically complicated the system is.

The structure of local government social services, despite the horrific cases of Victoria Cilimbe and Baby P, is thus still not working. Children about which concerns are raised can be in contact with literally dozens of different government agencies, without meeting particular thresholds for action from any of them. Thus, despite several organisations having concerns, a lack of ultimate responsibility means nothing is done.

Children are thus falling through the cracks between these agencies regularly. And the real problem is not the extreme cases, which are thankfully rare. But

routine cases of children suffering extreme abuse short of that to be noticed by individual responsible authorities is far too common.

These less extreme but similarly damaging cases never reach the headlines, only the statistics.

Ultimately, we are still in a situation where no agency takes full responsibility for each child. The fruit of this are cases like the recent scandal in Rotherham. And without action, it will be far from the last. This cannot continue.

So what is the solution?

There must be a fundamental change of culture within social services. We can no longer see social practice as a bureaucratic support service, or a boring necessity within local government, but instead see it as the fourth emergency service, albeit, working to prevent emergencies before they emerge in the first place.

While not as glamorous as the image of the police or ambulance services rushing sirens flashing to the scene of a major incident, good social work can and should prevent many incidents happening in the first place. If a child is never subject to the psychological trauma of an unstable childhood, they are far less likely to be subject to their vulnerability being exploited that might lead to a life of crime or violence, that might later require the involvement of the police.

Children who enter care a provided with a named worker with a legal responsibility for that child from the day they enter the care system to the day that they leave it. And social workers working practices must be far more like that of a policeman or hospital consultant than that of an average office worker. And most crucially, that they have an enforceable legal requirement to conduct genuine case hand over when the take leave so that the children they are responsible for are not left in the lurch.

If we can achieve this greater accountability and greater coherence, we can create a far better system. We owe it as a society to our most vulnerable.

The solution that I have presented may sound draconian to some, putting a great deal of pressure on a social practice already under pressure by cuts to local budgets. But this matter is too fundamentally important to leave to chance. If we fail to act, we will create a new disengaged class of former children in care with little opportunity and even less hope. As a nation, we simply cannot let this continue to happen.

corner Katie Budd RAG President It’s been an incredibly busy time at RAG HQ over the last few weeks. After 4 successful RAG band nights out, 2 days at freshers fair, over £10,000 raised, a meet and greet with over 70 attendees and an unacceptable lack of sleep, it’s safe to say that we’re beginning to feel the effects of fresher flu. There’ll be no time to feel sorry for ourselves though, because Week 2 sees much more happening in the RAG world…

On Tuesday evening (6pm – 32L.LG.18) we’re holding an information session for the Kilimanjaro Trek. The photos of last year’s trip are enough to make you buy some hiking boots and run to the airport now! This year we’re running the trip with Dig Deep, who work with local communities in East Africa to provide essential water and sanitation. Team leader Hari and Dig Deep will be at the meeting to tell you all about the charity and lots about the trip itself !

On Thursday evening (5pm 32L.G.17), we’ll be introducing you to a brand new RAG trek, the Moroccan High Atlas Mountains.

With a lower fundraising target and a slightly less daunting climb, this might be the challenge for you! Team leader Leyla and our friends at Worldwide Cancer Research will go through everything it entails and talk about the great cause it’ll be in aid of.

Finally, on Friday Team RAG will be heading to some of London’s busiest tube stations to shake our buckets for World Food Day, in aid of Action Against Hunger.

And on top of THAT, we’ll be opening the votes to decide which 3 charities we work with for the rest of the year. It’s a student-wide poll, so make sure your voice is heard!

After we hold elections for the new Features editor positions on Monday, it is likely that the new editors will be recruiting Deputy Features Editors.

If you are interested please email features@ thebeaveronline.co.uk

Gen Sec Takes Men’s Rugby Scandal by Horns

IT IS POLITICAL CORRECTNESS GONE LAD!

Grauniad Campaign to Disband LSE Over Offensive Mascot

The prestigious/elite/(insert clichéd superlative emphasising privilege here) London School of Economics is under pressure to disband itself, after Grauniad-reading liberal loons took issue with its ‘sexist’ beaver mascot.

Sandal-wearing Lib Dem voters took to Twitter to voice their disgust, with one seething user raging that “words have meaning, even if that meaning is in no way imputed

to the original dictionary definition of the term and has been added as a social construct by puerile schoolchildren”.

The beaver was originally chosen as LSE’s mascot by the playwright George Bernard Shaw, a founder member of the un-patriotic Fabian Society of Stalinist immigrants that founded the LSE. Sighing and rolling noisily in his grave, Shaw told the NAB that in the Shavian alphabet

the word ‘beaver’ does not have negative atmosphere on campus’. a double meaning, and that the school should have listened to him Education Officer Mad Maksymiw and started using it a long time ago. ranted that “the beaver was chosen as LSE’s mascot because it an inLSESU General Secretary Nona dustrious aquatic rodent. Attempts Buckley-Irvine-World-Service told to ascribe further meaning are a rethe Grauniad that she backed their grettable exaggeration of common campaign, writing that ‘whilst it is parlance and a full investigation unfair on the vast majority of hard- will soon be opened up into how working students, who will rightly exactly this confusion was allowed be pissed….. oops…. off, disbanding to occur”, before hurling a table the LSE is the only way to halt the across the room.

VOTE: AN LSE MASCOT FIT FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

HMS CENSOR-SHIP

PIG MAILION

POLY PARROT

HOLIER THAN COW KANGAROO COURT

Tuesday October 14, 2014

BeaverFeed

Top 11 Mail Online Comments on Men’s Rugby Scandal Feel confused about the Men’s Rugby scandal? Looking for a different angle than the self-righteous holier-than-thou condemnation of the entire LSE campus? Then fear not, the Daily Mail is here.

5. Nona to ban knitting at LSE?

Just when you thought the debate was closed, we bring you cutting edge and original additions to this important debate. No informed opinion is complete without reading the comments below.

The NAB has dredged the toxic swamp below the byline and sourced the top eleven for your amusement.

6. Labour can be blamed for literally everything.

It goes without saying that Beaver Online do not endorse any of these comments and that the views expressed beloware solely those of the unhinged.

Enjoy.

1. Taxi for Kings?

2. Oliver Cromwell, never far from drama.

7. UCAS to ask ‘Do you condone debauchery?

1 for strongly agree, 5 for strongly disagree’

8. LSE Hemp sandals, now available at the SU shop

9. Oxford wannabes, to be fair....

3. Didn’t they wear diapers to Carol once?

10. Play with odd shaped balls? I thought they denied all homosexuality..

4. ALLEGED. Houghton Street isn’t real, obviously...

11. It’s all about the economy, stupid.

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Tuesday October 14, 2014

Society Listings

LSESU DEBATE SOCIETY

Did you know that LSESU Debate is 100% per cent proven to make you dress better??

Sorry we made that up. But it is likely to make you betterinformed, more persuasive and friends with some delightful (if quirky) individuals.

Don’t believe us? Come to our Novice Training & Social on Tuesday14th. In case you miss it, we have novice sessions every Tuesday, and more advanced sessions on Thursday. We also organize some of the largest competitions in the UK, and compete regularly on a national, European, and world level. Check out our Facebook for more information!

Novice Training & Social Tuesday 14th October, 6.30pm 32L.G03

STUDENT CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT SOCIETY:

MY FRESHERS EXPERIENCE

BY NEHA MITTAL

Please fasten your seat belts, we are about to land at London Heathrow. Well that’s where it all began …

LSESU ISLAMIC SOCIETY Charity Week 2014:

29th October: Spoken word Poetry eveningInter-uni event with SOAS Room-TBC Charity Collections: 23rd October-tube collections 25th October-street collections 1st November-door to door collections Contact Fathia Begum -F.begum7@lse.ac.uk and Serena Hussain -S.hussain6@lse.ac.uk for further details and on how to get involved 9th November: Skydiving (in collaboration with RAG) near Cambridge Contact Arif Miah -arifmiah@ hotmail.com or Khadija Mamsa K.S.Mamsa@lse.ac.uk Stalls on Houghton Street on the 20th, 21st, 23rd, 27th and 30th October-11am to 4pm

Someone has very rightly said time flies and it does. Sitting in front of my computer, staring at a pile of books that apparently comprises my coursework and contemplating between sleeping and finishing off my readings, I am slowly drifting towards thinking about the awesome memories I collected this past one week at LSE. All these years of hard-work and patience finally paid off when I stood in that queue to collect my LSE registration card. And to reward myself for all the hard-work I again stood in a queue, for a different reason this time of course, ahh damn the London rain and party-dress pooping but anyway who cares it’s fresher’s week!

I happen to be in one of the ‘people’s’ course’s at LSE, Management and Human Resources, so it is not a big surprise when you find people and fellow classmates who are as willing as you are to go out and be peoplelike you know! It was a nice, cozy London morning, one of those where you fantasize about someone bringing breakfast to bed?! I was half asleep only to check my Facebook profile(obviously) and suddenly popped this one notification on my course group page that some of us are planning to pre-drink before one those fresher’s parties (aah nice people). So we all gathered at one place and what happened next was only a thing of the distant memory, well not so much according to the evidences on my camera roll, so I can still share some of them!

You know you are a student when you get drunk on cheap Waitrose wine and it feels good! Budget living they say. So began our night with some cheap wine drinking, sane conversations, not so sane conversations, a treasure hunt to find a bottle-opener, discussing London politics and future aspirations,

On loan from PartB FASHION: What? Frock Me! Vintage Fair When? Starts from Sunday 26th October Subject? 50 stalls of vintage and designer goods Where? Chelsea Old Town Hall Nearest tube? Sloane Square Website? www.frockmevintagefashion.com What? Horst: Photographer of Style When? Until Sunday 5th January Subject? A retrospect of a photographer who has shot for couturiers like Chanel and Vionnet Where? V&A Museum

Nearest tube? South Kensington Website? www.vam.ac.uk What? Hackney Flea Market When? Saturday 18th - Sunday 19th October Subject? Clothes, jewellery, furniture, antiques and good vibes Where? 73a Stoke Newington Church Street, N16 0AS Nearest station? Stoke Newington, Dalston Kingsland Email? hackneyfleamarket@gmail.com

popping some more bottles since clearly we were sober enough to discuss careers and finally blurred lines. Before it could get blurrier we decided to move the party to where the actual fresher’s party was only to have been welcomed by an array of disgruntled faces thanks to the queue outside! With no intentions of ruining the perfect momentum we had already set, we decided to pop some champagne.. lol just kidding cheap vodka shots at some bar in Piccadilly. Dancing – struggling to stand straight- cursing the life out of my heels - dancing some more - and finally taking my heels off, it all happened in that sequence of events, I could possibly be missing out on some irrelevant information out there(!). The night finally ended, oh did I mention we actually bargained for the entry price at different clubs before we went to one and that passerbyes could totally make out that we were fresher’s who were just having some fun?!

Hahah experiences. I realized I was finally living my dream of being in London, studying at LSE while walking towards the bus station, staring at the assemblage of street lights, face tucked in my over-coat, yes eyes were still out, and mind wandering about at the speed of the cold wind hitting my hair. It was all finally happening. Next day was orientation at about 9 in the morning and our faces spoke of the peaceful sleep we had (read not!!).

Our professor probably guessed what had happened the night before considering he let some of us in say almost an hour late? (been there ,done that maybe!?).

Life at LSE has started; I am still recovering from the Fresher’s Flu while trying to book a place at a KPMG Consultancy event and trying to decide where to go on Friday night and did I mention I have three readings due for tomorrow morning? Life of a Beaver.. Work hard, Play Hard! Cheers everyone.

The NAB isn’t just for satire! If you have an article on anything social or lifestyle related we’d love to hear from you! E-mail editor@thebeaveronline.co.uk

VISUAL ARTS: V &A- 6th September 2014-4th January 2015- HorstPhotography of Style Photographer’s Gallery-1st August-19th October 2014-Primose Photography in Russia Design Museum-9 July 2014-12th October 2014-Louis Kahn: The Power of Architecture ICA off site: The Old Selfridges Hotel-Free live events-14th October 2014-18th October 2014 Barbican-25th September 2014-11th-Constructing Worlds: Photography and Architecture in the Modern Age

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Sport

Tuesday October 14, 2014

Meet the Captain: Squash

Acting Sport Editor, Milan Neergheen, caught up with Tom Bearpark, Squash Club Captain to talk all things Squash...

MN: Hi Tom, you’ve recently held trials for the squash team, from your point of view how did they go?

TB: Hectic, but this is part of trials. It was ultimately satisfying because we found some good players, some keen players, and some really nice guys. And some that we’re all three.

MN: How many people did you have trailing?

TB: A lot, I’d say over sixty MN: And for how many spaces in the teams?

TB: About twenty. It’s a logistical nightmare, fortunately I was

helped by excellent Vice Captain Sam Lanham.

MN: What do you think are your prospects for the year ahead?

TB: What I’m most excited about is the depth in the team, in recent years we’ve had a good first team, but our other teams haven’t been as keen. However, this year we’ve had a real influx of freshers who seem really keen, opposed to a large number of masters students who we’ve had in the past, and who have had less time to get involved in all aspects of squash.

MN: So you’ve got a lot of new members then?

TB: Yeah, we’ve got a fantasti-

cally diverse club, full of interesting people, which means a lot to squash. Plus this year we don’t want it all to be about our exploits on the court, but off the court as well, through a more social squash.

MN: 1st Team Men’s Squash last year by all accounts was highly successful, winning 25 of your 26 matches.

TB: The first team did a great job, but this year we want more club integration, and success throughout the squash society.

MN: How can people get involved in squash?

TB: This year a new member of LSE SU staff, James is doing a fantastic job, trying to integrate sport into the average students life, not just for people in the AU. So we’re running a give it a go session where people can have a go at squash even if they aren’t in the society. Also we’re running a squash ladder, which is great way for members not matter if they’re in a team or not, to meet and play others who they otherwise wouldn’t meet.

If you want to get involved in squash get in contact via: AU.CLUB.SQUASH@lse.ac.uk

Cricket Comes Up To Bat For Another Season Rohan Mehta and Manmeet Narula LAST YEAR WAS ONE OF THE most successful seasons for the Cricket Club – the 1st XI won every single match in the BUCS and LUSL leagues. They were brilliantly led by the man himself: Bhavya ‘Sachin Jr.’ Bishnoi. He only went and bloody managed to score a century in every single game (bar one), with a top score of 197 against Kent. Unsurprisingly, he had an average that even the great Don Bradman would have envied. DENCH. On the flip side, the 2nd XI saw a season of ‘interesting’ results, despite the ‘great’ leadership of Ajay #Swagavanam.

Off the pitch, it was another memorable year - spearheaded by the one and only ‘Dhruvy Baby’ Anand Patel who, rumour has it, started on a police officer for being a ‘wasteman’. The year saw the CC travel to Southampton for their infamous #MiniTour. In pursuit of cheap alcohol and re-

grets, the team was not to be disappointed. Proceedings began at Solent, where pennies made their appearance, ensuring that Jesters was to be ‘enjoyed’ by all…

So what about this season, you may ask? At the fresher’s fair we saw a record number sign up for the club, mirroring our own aspirations for the season ahead. We are hoping to build on the solid foundations set by Ricky and his team last year, both on and off the field. We are pleased to announce that we are introducing a mixed indoor league competition courtesy of added female interest – for the first time. Depending on exact numbers, we are planning on fielding a women’s outdoor cricket team, as early as next summer!

Looking for alternative sporting options?

Join our Facebook group by searching “LSE Cricket Club 2014-15”.

DON’T FORGET: cricket trials at LORD’S Indoor Cricket Ground, Wednesday, 12-2PM! Nearest underground station: St. John’s Wood Station. Bring whites.

Table Tennis Look Forward To A New Year Johnathan Ho Firsts Captain TABLE TENNIS CLUB HAD A fruitful season as the Mens First Team was promoted to the Premier South League this year after a tough playoff. We had trials on 8th October and the first social session on 10th October.

The first fixture for Mens First Team will be on 22nd against Imperial College which will be a tough fixture for our first appearance in the Premier League. With some skillful fresh-

ers joining the club this year, I believe it will have a positive influence on the club competitively and socially. As Parish Hall will be under refurbishment this year, we will be moving to badminton court for the time being.

As usual, we will have social and free coaching sessions every Friday afternoon. With the help from James, we are also able to have some of our social sessions in Bounce which is a table tennis themed bar in Chancery Lane.

For more info, please join our facebook page: LSE Table Tennis Club (AU).

Amazing Start for Women’s Football Jenny Johanson, Captain Naida Hadziomerovic, Soc. Secretary THE LSE WOMEN’S FOOTBALL Club has had an incredibly strong start to the new season.

With over 120 sign ups at freshers’ fair, the squad is bigger and better than ever. During the first week, more than seventy girls have showed up at trials, training, social gatherings and for a friendly game at Regent’s Park.

The girls have shown enthu-

siasm and endurance at training, and with our Messi and Neuerlike skills, we are ready for another successful season – both on and off the pitch. Despite the negative focus on the AU during the first week of term, WFC is off to an amazing start. The WFC is proud to represent the AU and wishes to highlight the fantastic sporting achievements at our university, particularly with minority sports that often receive less funding.

The WFC’s friendly and welcoming atmosphere has meant that this year we are very proud

to have an incredibly diverse and international team of undergraduates, postgraduates, general course students, and PHD students.

Our first game is already on Sunday the 19th! It will be exciting to see whether we can make it all the way to the top of the league this year, like we did last year. Bring it on UCL! If you haven’t joined the team but are interested in doing so, it’s not too late. Don’t worry - we don’t take part in any “beast-like” activities!

Sport

Join the Beaver league at fantasy.premierleague.com: 1923555-432233

the

Beaver Netball Firsts Ready for Action

Acting editor: Milan Neergheen Email: sport@thebeaveronline.co.uk

came forth; innocent, unblemished, and untouched up by the seediness of Zoo Bar. (Mate, what colour are the walls?). Frightened and alone, they enter the sweatiest room in London….

A netball sheep fell head over hooves into a Poole. A NOT Rugby cave troll was found in the company of an individual disillusioned with commitment. Or just someone who was very, very drunk. He treated her with a fee-fi-fo-thumb on the dancefloor in return for that nice feeling you get when you destroy a marriage.

One especially sweaty, eager fresher was seen brewing a spell, requiring a special ingredient of a midnight kiss to put in her Cauldron.

In fact, a run-of-the-Mill desperation ran rife though Zoo Bar.

One FC member ran desperately to kiss a disappeared Simba on the cheek. So much for hakuna matata.

Finally, the Bev Report would like to condemn the RFC’s attitudes expressed in the Fresher’s Fair leaflet. The language used was abhorrent and inexcusable.

We are utterly shocked to hear them talk this way about the fine upstanding establishment of Zoo Bar. We’ve attempted to adjust these attitudes over the years, evidently attitudes haven’t changed, and as not one individual has come forward to accept responsibility for this, they are not worthy of the pleasure, the ecstasy, the Eden, of The Zoo Bar. Send the escapades you witnessed to sports@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Netball First Team 2013-2014

We always want to hear from success stories in our AU. Email sports@thebeaveronline.co.uk to be featured

Back (L to R): E Turner, A Platts, M Simmonds, C Chapman

T H E W O R L D waits with bated breath for the only opinion that counts: step aside Daily Mail, here is the Beverage Report.

AUnother year, AUnother scandal. But, being the pinnacle of investigative journalism, the Bev Report can announce the reinstatement of the RFC celebrated by their return to the Tuns on Wednesday. Wait no, it wasn’t Men’s Rugby. It was definitely NOT Men’s Rugby. They weren’t even wearing ties, mate. Their brash, conceited

behaviour and terrible dress sense may have made you think they were Men’s Rugby, but no, they were definitely not Men’s Rugby.

Definitely.

The FC, also in the Tuns with NOT Men’s Rugby, was rather down following the leaflet scandal.

One representative, issued a statement to the Bev Report saying: “The FC would like to extend a full and unreserved apology for not being the ones to not cause a misogynistic scandal this year. We are organising distasteful misogyny workshops for all of our members to carry on with the progress we made last year. We promise to our members, the SU and the School that we will become the most sexist club in the AU.” Despite this, excitement still brewed as a new set of freshers

Eve Turner Firsts Captain

Front (L to R): K Goodleff, M Pearson, A Trynka, L Davies, R Dawson

AFTER A VERY SUCCESSFUL 2013/14 season, LSE Netball Firsts are aiming high, looking for yet another promotion this year.

Last season saw the team reach the semi-final of the BUCS Cup and achieve promotion in the LUSL League. Whilst we may have lost our Welsh dragon, Lucia Davies; one of our star shooters, Rosie Dawson; and our ultra-fit centre court player, Maddy Pearson, the team is not afraid of this year’s competition. Our continuing second and third year players have been keeping fit over the summer and Maisie Simmonds, unable to face the idea of a netball free summer, has kept herself busy by playing for a social league.

We have also had a very successful trials picking up five new freshers including two county players from Leicestershire and the Isle of Wight. Our keenest recruit has to be Harriet Arnone,

who an hour after joining the team, had suggested several outfits for our team to wear to the AU Welcome Party. The enthusiasm from this year’s freshers fills me, as Captain, with excitement for the upcoming year.

For the first time ever, the LSE Netball Club will receive coaching as part of training sessions organized by our Club Captain, Alice Thompson, and Vice Club Captain, Gabby Long. As First Team Captain, I plan to put this opportunity to good use. I hope that it will allow us to present a stronger team unit earlier on in the season against new tough opposition.

The First Team has a promising year ahead and hopes to set the trend for the rest of LSE Netball. With a record number of sign ups at Freshers’ Fair, the standard of play at trials was extremely good allowing all the teams to get a great new group of players. With Eighth team playing twice a term as well for the first time, this year looks to be one packed with sporting successes for the LSE Netball Club.