Beaver
Issue 833 | 19.09.15
the
Newspaper of the LSE Students’ Union
LSE Takes £40,000 Donation In Return For Inaccurate Review ACCORDING TO REPORTS written by the Mail Online, Times Higher Education, Civil Society and The Times, the London School of Economics (LSE) was paid almost £40,000 to write a glowing report about the Kids Company, a charity set up to provide support to deprived inner city children. The report, that wore the LSE stamp was often cited by Camila Batmanghelidjh, the founder of the charity. Claims made by the LSE research paper have since been discredited. In addition, the fact that £39,537 was paid to The School by Kids Company was not disclosed in the research, which has been the source of some criticism. The research which was entitled “Kids Company: A Diagnosis of the Organisation and its Interventions” and was published in September 2013 was carried out by a team of six people headed by Professor Sandra Jovchelovitch, all from the Department of Social Psychology. The report concluded that “Kids Company works with the most vulnerable children and youth” with services reaching “36,000 children, young people and their families”. It goes on to
suggest “Kids Company makes a substantial difference in the lives of its clients; its actions have [a] positive impact on multiple areas including practical knowledge to deal with financial issues and access to services, housing and accommodation, engagement with family members, criminal involvement, substance misuse, educational attainment and overall physical and emotional wellbeing ... Programmes ... have a positive impact on the cognitive, emotional and social capacities of the self.” The research team went on to argue that “much remains to be done, in particular in the current economic and policy climate. Kids company requires support from society and from the state to continue developing the excellence of its overall model of work”. However, state support for Kids Company has now come under scrutiny as, according to the Guardian, MPs question how £3m grants was given to Kids Company before the charity went into financial collapse. In the preface Jovchelovitch said, “I am delighted that we have been able to study the language of love that Kids Company makes available to some of the most vulnerable children and young people in the UK”.
Students make sizeable collection to be donated to Calaid, a charity working in aid of the current refugee crisis
Features
Far from causing growth, the Eurozone crisis and underlying competitiveness challenges are now causing many EU members’ economies to stagnate Page 15
Continued page 3
Credit: Flickr: MPD01605
Megan Crockett Managing Editor
Comment: Why Student Politics Matters To You
WELCOME WEEK SPECIAL
dents may seem a gulf through the often convoluted words and actions of politicians, but we cannot allow politicians, human like ourselves, to sour the ideal that is politics. While the major decision of making the country can seem to be a world away, in reality it is firmly rooted in the actions of yourself, your friends and your family, and it impacts you all as
NAB
Trip Advisor: LSE Freshers Week ProTips
well. This is often spoken about in very broad terms such as the state of the economy affects us all or global warming will change all of our lives, but it can be broken down far simpler. A great deal of the things you care about most in your life right now from: the barriers you were up against in getting to university, the cost of tuition, the cost of living in London, how safe you feel on a night out,
the chances of securing that flat share for next year, the chances of getting a job when you graduate, and the chances of your parents still earning a decent wage by the time you graduate are all in the realm of politics’ influence. Influence though is a two-way street, and while politics works to shape our lives, it remains open to being transformed and challenged by us. Continued page 6
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Freshers Mixtape Bargain Wine Tasting
Credit: Flickr: Laurent Hoffman
Hari Prabu Politics and Forum Society President
‘POLITICS’ IS A LOADED word these days, and the ingrained reaction of many students to hearing it mentioned is to express either their uncertainty as to what politics really means or their certainty that whatever it is it contains politicians who are up to no good which is enough information for them. The distance of political life in Westminster from ordinary hardworking stu-
Room 2.02, Saw Swee Hock Student Centre, LSE Students’ Union London WC2A 2AE Executive Editor Ellen Wilkie
editor@thebeaveronline.co.uk
Managing Editor Megan Crockett
Beaver
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the
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Established in 1949 Issue No. 833- Saturday 19 September 2015 - tinyurl.com/beaver821 Telephone: 0207 955 6705 Email: editor@thebeaveronline.co.uk Website: www.beaveronline.co.uk Twitter: @beaveronline
managing@thebeaveronline.co.uk
News Editors Esther Gross Suyin Haynes
news@thebeaveronline.co.uk
Comment Editors Mali Williams
comment@thebeaveronline.co.uk
PartB Editors Kemi Akinebowa Vikki Hui
partb@thebeaveronline.co.uk
The City Editor Alex Gray
city@thebeaveronline.co.uk
Features Editor Taryana Odayar
features@thebeaveronline.co.uk
The Nab Editor
nab@thebeaveronline.co.uk
Sport Editor Vacant
sports@thebeaveronline.co.uk
Online Editor Gee Linford-Grayson
online@thebeaveronline.co.uk
Collective Chair Perdita Blinkhorn
collective@thebeaveronline.co.uk
The Collective:
A Afridi, A Badwe, A Doherty, A Fraser, A Fyfe, A Howells, A Laird, A Leung, A Lulache, A Moro, A Qazilbash, A Santhanham, A Tanwa, A Thomson, B Phillips, C Holden, C Hulm, C Loughran, C Morgan, C Naschert, C Hu, D Hung, D Lai, D Sippel, D Tighe, D Wong, E Arnold, E Wilkie, G Cafiero, G Greenwood, G Harrison, G Kist, G Linford-Grayson, G Manners-Armstrong, G Rosser, G Saudelli, H Brentnall, H Prabu, H Toms, I Mosselmans, I Plunkett, J Allsop, J Cusack, J Evans, J Foster, J Grabiner, J Heeks, J Jackman, J Momodu, J Ruther, J Wacket, K Budd, K Kalaichelvan, K Owusu, K Parida, K Quinn, L Hill, L Kang, L Kendall, L Erich, L Mai, L Montebello, L Schofield, L van der Linden, L Weigold, M Akram, M Banerjee-Palmer, M Brien, M Crockett, M Gallo, M Jaganmohan, M Johnson, M Malik, M Morissette, M Neergheen, M Pasha, M Pearson, M Pennill, M Petrocheilos, M Rakus, M Rakus, M Strauss, M Warbis, N Antoniou, N Bhaladhare, N BuckleyIrvine, N Stringer, O Hill, O Gleeson, P Amoroso, P Blinkhorn, P Gederi, R Browne, R J Charnock, R Chouglay, R Chua, R Huq, R Kouros, R O’Rourke, R Park, R Serunjogi, R Siddique, R Soni, R Uddin, R Watt, S Ali, S Ash, S Barnett, S Crabbe-Field, S Donszelmann, S Kunovska, S Povey, S Sebatindira, S Thandi, T Maksymiw, T Mushtaq, T Odayar, T Poole, V Hui, Z Chan, Z Mahmod
Any opinions expressed herein are those of their respective authors and not necessarily those of the LSE Students’ Union or Beaver Editorial Staff.
The Beaver is issued under a Creative Commons license. Attribution necessary. Printed at Mortons Printing
Ellen Wilkie on coming to the LSE and a portrait of the ideal Beaver writer
From the Executive Editor IN HAVING THIS SPACE TO welcome new students to the LSE, I have found myself reflecting on what I would have wanted to hear when I was a fresher. Having come from a humble (read: terrible) Sixth Form, the hallowed halls of the London School of Economics felt a very intimidating location to take on the next stage of my education. I would never have anticipated myself even managing to complete a reading list (check) or get a first in an exam (check). It was beyond my wildest expectations that I’d become Executive Editor of The Beaver (check, obviously). I would like to use this privileged position not only to offer a word of welcome to all new students and to give my sincere congratulations on getting a place at the LSE but also to give a word of encouragement. The LSE experience is, like many things in life, only what you make of it. This is an incredible, unique institution where you should take every opportunity available throughout your years here. Do not consider yourself too
junior as a first year to put yourself forward and to get involved, as you are just as well equipped as we seasoned LSE-ers are. Following that sincere sentiment, with the genuine intention of encouraging new students into positions they may not otherwise have the confidence to run for, I would like to segue seamlessly into discussing the numerous vacancies on The Beaver Editorial Board. The details of these vacancies can be seen in the column to the right of this editorial. Whilst the exact details of the elections have not been confirmed, thanks more than anything, to a fuck up in the room booking system, the vacancies are open to application, now. More information on elections (and the room booking fuck up) will be provided as we have it. If you don’t want to commit to a full editorial position just yet then there are a number of deputy editor and staff writer positions open to students of all levels of study and experience. This breadth of opportunity leads on neatly to the final point
that I wish to make. While compiling this edition of The Beaver I have spent a lot of time looking back over the Freshers edition of last year both for nostalgia and inspiration purposes. One thing that struck me in particular was the then Executive Editor, Jon Allsop’s editorial where he put inclusivity firmly on the agenda for this paper in the coming year. Since then, the Editorial Board has gone from being almost entirely male to being almost entirely female; it has gone from being almost entirely white to a diverse mix of races; almost entirely made up of the British middle class to an international group of students from all backgrounds. My editorial header promises the portrait of an ideal Beaver writer and this was a slight tease. There is no particular gender, race, level of education, economic background, experience level or political view that a Beaver writer must conform to. All we ask is for commitment, passion, genuine interest, and to get articles to us before deadline.
From the Managing Editor Megan Crockett on dwarf hamsters, KIGH and how wonderful the Beaver is! HELLO FRESHERS AND welcome back those of you keen enough to read the “Freshers Edition” of the Beaver. I’ve spent a little while thinking about what to write in my first editorial as Managing Editor and the first editorial of term. I’m sure you’re all expecting some sort of “the beaver is blooming wonderful” jargon and I would absolutely hate to disappoint! So here it is, why I, Megan McKenzie Crockett, think the Beaver is great. I’m a home student, I never moved into halls for my first year, I moved out briefly in my second year but found I was working ridiculous hours just to pay for my rent and travel and therefore put uni work on the back burner (not good). So here I am, in third year and I’ve found myself living in my parents garage with my boyfriend and our dwarf
hamster (who is lovingly named The Duke of Trumpington). As I wasn’t in halls, I found Freshers’ Week incredibly daunting. I ended up just doing things I wanted to do rather than attempting to take part in Battle of the Halls or Freshers’ Crush, as I was nervous everyone would be clinging to the people they had met on moving-in day. So, I went to a Breaking Bad party, watched Kids In Glass Houses’ penultimate London gig and went to see Wicked before Matt Willis stopped being Fiyero. The only “LSE” thing I did during my Freshers’ Week was attend the Beaver giveit-a-go session. There, I met people from all different courses, years and walks of life. I sat in the East Building listening to Chris Rodgers introducing his various section editors and I knew that I wanted to be part of The Bea-
ver Family. Two years on, I have served as News Editor and am looking forward to being your Managing Editor. But it’s not only editoral experience I have gained. I’ve made a lot of friends from the Beaver, something I am very thankful for. Being a home student isn’t all that hard, but I am so glad I found my place and friends at the Beaver while everyone else had found theirs in their halls. Of course there are class mates and course mates too, but I think it’s important that you all know that the Beaver is here, ready to welcome anyone who wants to join the team! The only condition being that you don’t mind being sucked in by crazy student politics and are willing to write for us (even if you do have an essay due two weeks on Tuesday). But trust me, the Beaver really is great,! It’s the best thing I’ve done at LSE!
Editorial Board Vacancies OUR EDITORIAL BOARD is still in need of a few more members before we will have a full team of Beavers. To stand for election you do not need to be a member of The Collective or have any editorial experience, you just need passion for your section and commitment to the paper. The positions we are seeking to fill are as follows: News Editor
x1
Part B Editor
x1
Features Editor
x1
Sports Editor
x1
Events Officer
x1
To apply for any of these positions email an 150 word manifesto to collective@thebeaveronline.co.uk. Hustings information will come out for these positions shortly. There are also a number of non elected positions which we are recruiting for, that can be seen below. To apply for these, register your interest by emailing editor@thebeaveronline.co.uk. 6x News Staff Writers 3x News Deputy Editors 1x Halls Correspondent (from each hall) 3x Comment Deputy Editors 3x Features Deputy Editors 4x Sports Reporters 1x NAB (Satire) Editor 3x The City Deputy Editor PartB Deputy Editor Team: 2x Music 3x Film 3x Theatre 3x Fashion 3x Food & Drink 2x Visual Arts 2x Literature 2x Technology Harry Maxwell @harrymaxwell I hate how reality stars refer to themselves as businesswomen and entrepreneurs. No you’re not, you’re a fucking idiot. #cbb LSE Students’ Union @lsesu The total is in... We’re proud to announce our @lsesurag team raised over £100k last year! Aysha AF @ayshafekaiki Banner making for national day of action for refugees today on 1st floor of SAW at @lsesu materials provided! #refugeeswelcome
News LSESU Responds to Low NSS Score Ellen Wilkie Executive Editor
Section Editors: Esther Gross Suyin Haynes Deputy Editors: Vacant
FOLLOWING A LOW student Satisfaction score for the London School of Economics (LSE) in the 2015 National Student Survey (NSS), the Students’ Union (SU) Sabbatical Officers (Sabbs) have written a statement of demands for the school. The NSS result places the LSE five points below the National Average and six points below other institutions in the Russell Group, such as Oxbridge, Exeter, Kings and Imperial. The Equality and Diversity figures show disparity, referred to by the Sabbatical Officers as ‘disturbing’, between the satisfaction of students with Dyslexia and students with no known disability, between Asian or non-white
students and white students and between female and male students. In their recent blog post, the Sabbatical Officers suggest that “these results come after a year where there has been little effort to prioritise students and implement substantial change”, adding that “things will only get worse”. They claim that “we need to be striving to improve the education, our teaching standards, assessment and feedback, and ensuring that students are satisfied irrespective of disability, race, gender or sexuality”. In a joint statement written by the Sabbatical Officers, the school is criticised for its failure to prioritise students and to implement substantial change. The statement includes a comprehensive list of demands for the school to remedy the satisfaction
figures. These demands include: academic advisor reform, a comprehensive review on assessment and feedback, including the implementation of exam feedback across all departments, a review of the current Deans’ system, completed by Michaelmas, ready for implementation in Lent Term, with reform of the current system and introduction of LGBT+ and BME advisors, full online lecture capture for every course, the introduction of resits for all student, the introduction of compulsory training for teachers and academic advisors, especially with regard to disability, mental health, and the implementation of ISSA’, a full consultation with disabled students when developing new educational strategies, to implement ISSA and disability training with aca-
demics, review building access, and introduce full online lecture capture among many more. The School ranks third on The Complete University Guide league table; the same league table shows that graduate prospects at LSE outrank those at Oxford. However, student satisfaction at LSE is drastically lower than at Oxford and Cambridge, ranking 3.95, 4.17 and 4.18 respectively. Although some may find LSE’s position in league tables comforting, for many, Sabbs included, this is not good enough, reinforced by the Sabbs plea “LSE, Stop Failing Your Students”. The full SU’s statement can be read at http://lsesu.tumblr. com/post/126498227423/lsestop-failing-your-students.
LSE Recieves £40,000 From Kids Company Megan Crockett Managing Editor Continued from page 1
News
However, several commentators have asked how the LSE missed many of the problems highlighted by civil servants concerned about the charity’s use of public funding, which, according to the Times Higher Education, amounts to a reported £37 million over the course of its nineteen year existence. An LSE Spokesperson told The Beaver, “this paper was not an audit of Kids Company finances” which is arguably where the majority of the scrutiny aimed at Kids Company has stemmed from. “The report ... analysed the model of intervention and care by the charity. It has a particular focus on the psychological impact of Kids Company’s approach”. This August, Kids Company closed after allegations of financial mismanagement, drug taking and sexual abuse and is currently the subject of a statutory investigation by the Charity Commission. Since its closure, Batmanghelidjh has pointed the finger at “rumour-mongering civil servants, ill-spirited ministers and the media”. This summer, Batmanghelidjh announced that she would leave her role after twenty years as ministers refused to hand over any more public funds until she was gone. The School told The Beaver, “University departments are regularly commissioned by charities, businesses and the government to undertake pieces of research”; this is what they argue happened with Kids Company. In response to why the £39,537 paid by the Kids Company to the School was
not disclosed an LSE spokesperson told The Beaver, “as part of a pre-exisiting, on-going review of research policy, the School is looking at how sources of funding can be more clearly signposted in reports. With all funding arrangements, academic impartiality and integrity continue to be of paramount importance”. It has also been brought to The Beaver’s attention that as well as a one-day conference there were a number of researchers who worked on the study and they were all paid for their time. So, what may have initially seemed like a large sum of money has, in actual fact, been spent on funding the research, paying wages and the one day conference that was held. The report, Kids Company: A Diagnosis of the Organisation and its Interventions, was carried out by a team of researchers rather than being a central LSE report. With regards to the study being discredited, the School told the Beaver that “universities have a duty to support their academics’ freedom to produce research but they do not adjudicate on an individual’s methodology or findings”; the research team reported their qualitative finding as they found them. The Kids Company is currently subject to an inquiry at Scotland Yard due to allegations that drug-taking and sexual abuse took place on its premises. This seems to be somewhat contrary to claims made by “Kids Company: A Diagnosis of the Organisation and its Interventions” as it claims “Kids Company [makes a] positive impact [on] criminal involvement, substance misuse and [the] overall physical and emotional wellbeing [of its clients]”. The research conducted by Professor
Jovchelovitch was said to be carried out by interviews with staff and volunteers at Kids Company. It could be argued that this type of research is liable to bias which would explain why some parts of Kids Company did not come under scrutiny by the report. It remains to be seen whether
or not the School’s review of research policy will have an effect on the transparency of further research. One can only hope that sources of funding will be “more clearly signposted” in future to prevent the School being pulled into the national news for similar reasons again. Photo: Flickr: NHS Confederation
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Saturday September 19, 2015
LSE Welcomes Refugees Perdita Blinkhorn Collective Chair
THE CONFLICT CURRENTLY ongoing in Syria has led to what many mainstream tabloids have coined a “Migrant Crisis” across Europe as victims of the violence are attempting to flee to safety. Both the use of the word “migrants” as opposed to refugees and the inability of the British government to respond quickly to the crisis has sparked anger throughout the country as activists claim we are not doing all that we can to “take our fair share” of Syrians. This has left many stranded on the other side of the Channel in Calais, often with few provisions and little assistance. Recently, however, students at the London School of Economics (LSE) felt that this was just not good enough. A national outcry has led to a huge number of donation collection points to be set up for the estimated three thousand
refugees now taking residence in the squalid conditions in the makeshift village coined “the jungle 2”, in Calais. LSE became one of those collection points, with Community and Welfare Officer, Aysha Fekaiki, appealing on social media for “any clothes, sanitary items and toiletries, sleeping bags, blankets, tinned food [or] fold up chairs”. Gee Linford-Greyson, last year’s Women’s Officer, also helped lead the effort as she assisted the Students’ Union (SU) in their appeal and even turned her house into an additional drop off point. After just one day of opening for collections, the ARC in Saw Swee Hock was inundated with donations, so much so that those heading the drive had to temporarily ask people to stop bringing items in. It took the volunteer team hours to sort through the piles of donations, with over one hundred bags having been filled. They were then squeezed into a van driven by another volunteer over to Calais. Fekaiki assured students that dona-
tions would resume at a later point. Despite the huge success of the LSESU’s donation drive, controversy has still surrounded this supposed outpouring of generosity, as the aid effort only gained the huge levels of national coverage since the media published images of Aylan Kurdi, the child refugee who drowned on his crossing to Europe. Many have expressed shame that this kind of compassion was only possible after the horrific and emotive images were published, however it is clear that there has been a strong desire among the student body to support those fleeing war from the offset. Many of those involved in the collection also attended the large, London, protest on 12th September to show their support for welcoming greater numbers of refugees into the country. It is clear that LSE students are passionately behind the cause and will continue to do whatever it takes to let the world know that refugees are welcome here.
LSE Alumni To Speak At Disrupt London Kanan Parida Staff Writer A FORMER STUDENT OF the London School of Economics (LSE), Alexandra Chong, who graduated from the School in 2006 with a Law degree has been invited to speak at TechCrunch’s Disrupt London taking place on the 7th to the 8th December 2015. Disrupt London is one of the most hotly anticipated technology conferences of the year, consisting of a weekend-long hackathon, followed by a four day event including one-on-one discussions with guest speakers and the famous ‘Startup Battlefield’, where fifteen companies pitch their ideas, vying for a £30,000 cheque. Chong will be speaking along with other start up and tech geniuses as a guest speaker following the success of her social app, Lulu. Following university Chong began working for the legal department of a music licensing start up, before starting her own business four years later with her friend and business partner, Alison Schwartz. The pair created Lulu. Lulu is a social app made for women looking for dating and relationship advice.
The app also provides the user with the ability to rate men on the app, somewhat similar to the popular app, Tinder. Lulu’s business model has been dubbed by Wall Street Journal as “niche marketing”, insofar that the members were targetted directly. As a social network, Lulu began by directly approaching potential users. Starting with a beta in two colleges in Florida, amongst sororities and fraternities, Lulu grew extremely popular and this model expanded to universities all over the country. In 2013, Lulu was nominated as Tech Crunch’s “Fastest Rising Startup” so it comes as no surprise that Chong is a guest speaker at their Disrupt London event this year. Five years on, Lulu has been recognised as the number one private network for women. Chong, who grew up in Jamaica, is now based out of New York, as Lulu’s primary base in the United States. The app has over a million users, the majority of which are scattered over United States, Brazil and Mexico; the company have plans to expand globally. Chong commented, “I realised that women needed their own network for sharing with other women – and that nothing
‘University Challenged’: CEO Panel Debates Value of Higher Education Mali Williams Comment Editor AN EXPERT PANEL OF CEOs debated the true value of university education for job prospects at a Times+ Talk in London on Monday 14 September. With ‘eye-watering’ tuition fees and an increasingly competitive job market, the crux of the questions posed to the panel was whether university is truly worth the time and money spent by many young individuals each year. Helen Fraser, CEO of the Girls’ Day School Trust, in support of higher education,
expressed that the three years spent at university are possibly the only time ‘you are able to live your life entirely as your own person’ in the rules-free zone between school and employment. She pointed to the continued annual increase in the number of undergraduates as evidence that students are not deterred by higher tuition fees, and that many in fact think of student loans as a form of tax rather than as a debt. As the only non-graduate on the panel, Charlie Mullins, founder of Pimlico Plumbers (which last year turned over £25m) left school at the age of fifteen with no formal qualifica-
tions; he argued emphatically that school leavers ought to be made aware that life without a university degree exists. According to Mullins, more value is found in workplace education than within the walls of any university building. It is telling, he said, that those serving customers in Starbucks are, more often than not, university graduates rather than apprentices. From a business perspective, he asserted, many individuals go to university completely unnecessarily, which results in nothing more than ‘wasted time’. Avin Rabheru read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford and worked in invest-
ment banking for several years before he later founded Housekeep. In his view, an assessment of the value of university education should be based on the usefulness of the institution, the experience, and to individual prospects. He reminded the audience of the well-told story of the American college drop-out who went on to create Facebook, but warned of the countless other examples to the contrary. Founder of the Oliver Bonas stores, Oliver Tress, expressed that for him personally university had been almost a ‘divergence’ from work experience; he seemed to conclude that university education is neither neces-
sarily an asset nor a hindrance to job prospects. Interestingly, Tress revealed that within his company, for the specific graduate vacancy of ‘company wordsmith’ he had questioned whether a 2:1 English degree was actually good enough, giving fifty per cent or so of graduates some food for thought. The debate, which was supported by Uni’s Not For Me and the News Academy highlighted the many diverse paths to success. While the panel did not reach a consensus on the value of university education, the overwhelming message received was that the route to success lies in following your passion.
Men’s Rugby Reinstated With Conditions Esther Gross News Editor FOLLOWING A DECISION taken this summer by London School of Economics (LSE) Students’ Union’s (SU) Trustee Board, the Students’ Union has announced the reinstatement of the Men’s Rugby club from the beginning of the 2015/16 academic year. The club was disbanded last year after members of the club distributed a widely criticized leaflet at Freshers’ Fair. The contents of the booklet were deemed sexist and homophobic, and brought wider concerns about the overall club culture. After sustained attention inside The School when the scandal was first uncovered, the story reached national newspapers at the time. Whilst Men’s Rugby is allowed to play again, several conditions apply to their reinstatement, some of which include the implementation of a “one-strike system”. This means that if the club were to be found to act “in a manner that is contradictory to SU policies”, it risks automatic disbandment. On top of that, only one team will be fielded to British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) this year, down
from the club’s previous three teams. Further teams may be created “depending on progress made”, and the creation of a development team has been announced. Amongst other conditions, one stands out: the new coach needs to be approved by both the club itself and the Students’ Union to ensure the club upholds new values on and off the field. Whilst the position is still open, the new coach should be selected before the start of Michaelmas Term, something which both SU and Men’s Rugby members are positive will happen in due time. Katie Budd, LSESU’s Activities and Development officer and leading figure in the SU’s involvement with the coach selection, told the Beaver, “the key thing is we’re not just looking for someone who is a great rugby coach, but someone who’s prepared to take an active role in building a positive culture in the club”. Whilst this sounds like the Men’s Rugby Club is well and truly on its way to a healthy rehabilitation, some have expressed doubts over specific points in the Board’s ruling. James Wurr, a member of the Men’s Rugby Working Group (MRWG), which spent the year focusing on im-
proving the culture of the club, putting on several workshops such as the Good Lad Campaign which reached over 90,000 people on Facebook. In an article for the Beaver, he expressed his concerns over the conditions imposed on the newly reinstated club. Lamenting the lack of input from the MRWG for the Board’s decision. Wurr points out several problems with the decision, one of which is the limit of only having one competitive team, “the development team will create issues for the reinstated club as it will only increase the number of non-playing social members
which goes against the MRWG principle of “creating a club dedicated to playing rugby rather than socialising”. On top of that, the strong BUCS league and the team’s lack of training over the past year are a tough combination for the new team, since it will force them to rely on a new intake of first years, which Wurr says is unlikely to happen given the club’s past reputation. Whilst he remains grateful for the reinstatement of the reinstatement of the club, Wurr’s concerns highlight a possibly difficult beginning for the new Men’s Rugby Club.
ALONGSIDE THE commencement of the Centre Building Redevelopment, Estates have been working hard to ensure that the impact of the School community is minimised. To compensate for the loss of the old dysfunctional facilities in Clare Market and East Building, new purpose built facilities have been created, along with the refurbishment of some existing areas. To ensure sufficient student study spaces are available the following new facilities have been provided: 20 Kingsway (24 iMac PCs and soft seating), Parish Hall (3 seminar rooms), Tower 2’s 4th
Floor (3 PC study rooms with a total of 84 PCs), Tower 2’s 2nd Floor (2 seminar rooms plus social space), Old Building’s 4th Floor (new teaching room), Library 4th Floor (PhD Academy, plus 219 study spaces), Library 3rd Floor (72 more informal seating/study spaces) and Library 1st Floor (new laptop drop in centre and 26 extra study spaces with access to power). For more information about further changes that affect facilities around campus, please visit: http://www.lse. ac.uk/intranet/LSEServices/ LSEFacilitiesGuide/home. aspx
In Brief A Busy Summer For LSE In China THIS AUGUST, NOT ONLY DID LSE hold its annual summer school partnership with Peking University, it also staged its sixth graduation ceremony in Bejing, and staged its fifth LSE China Conference. The summer school, which spanned over two weeks, welcomed over three hundred students from five countries. The program was headed by some of LSE’s leading academics, including Professor Danny Quah, and several PKU colleagues. LSE’s sixth graduation ceremony in China, which took place in Bejing, was led by Pro-Director for Teaching and Learning, Paul Kelly. Also taking place in Bejing, LSE’s fifth China Conference was focused around the theme “Telling the China Story: Media and Communications in a turbulent age”. The event hosted over three hundred LSE friends and alumni. Amongst its most notorious contributors was David Barboza, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and th New York Times’ China correspondent
Simon Hix Named Inaugural Harold Laski Chair At LSE
New Study Spaces To Be LSE Second in League Found Around Campus Table for Social Sciences LSE Estates Division
News
Kallum Pearmain Staff Writer T H E LO N D O N S C H O O L of Economics and Political Sciences (LSE) has been ranked second in the world for Social Sciences for the third year in a row, according to the QS World University Rankings. The QS World Rankings for 2015-16, which were released on Tuesday 15th September, rank five faculty areas: Arts and Humanities, Engineering and Technology, Life Sciences and Medicine, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and Management. The rankings see LSE jumping thirty six placed from seventy first to thirty fifth in the overall ratings as well as retaining its number one position in the UK for Social Sciences; rating higher than both Oxford and Cambridge. QS ranks LSE as the best place in the UK to study Economics and Media and Communications. This year’s rankings also put LSE in the top eight of nine subject areas in Social Sciences. The School was also ranked second in the world for Geography, being beaten only by Oxford. With regards to overall rank-
ings, employers rate LSE as the fifth best university worldwide. In addition, the School is ranked eighth for the size of its international student body. LSE Director, Professor Craig Calhoun, said in an article on lse.ac.uk, that he was delighted with LSE’s latest QS ranking. “This is an outstanding result for the School, its staff and our students. It reflects both LSE’s longstanding global leadership in social science and its continued creativity.” “I’m pleased to see employers recognising the value of an LSE education. And we will keep working to channel our intellectual distinction into an ever-more dynamic and satisfying student experience.” In the same article, Ben Sowter, QS Head of Research said, “the London School of Economics is a world-class institution is not news. Indeed they have been a firm fixture in the QS Top 100 for over a decade, but in any ranking system that places emphasis on Medicine and Sciences, their strength in their areas of speciality are never likely to shine as brightly as they ought to. The QS methodology now evens the playing field and LSE climbs thirty six places to be counted, rightfully, amongst the world’s top forty.”
THIS SUMMER, LSE ANNOUNCED the creation of a chair in the memory of Harold Laski, a prominent socialist figure in the UK who taught at the university from 1926 until his death in 1950. A controversial figure, Laksi shaped Labour Party policy throught the 1930s and 40s. Several of his students went on to become leading political figures themselves,including Raph Miliband, a sociologist and leading Marxist thinker in the UK. Simon Hix, a professor of Political Science at LSE, studied as an undergraduate at LSE until 1990 before returning to tach in 1997. A prolific writer on European politics, he will give the Chair’s Inaugural Lecture on the 30th September, addressing “The Future of Britain and Europe”. The Professor called this appointment a “great honour”, and told the School, “I have tried throughout my academic career to make my teaching and research relevant to politics and policymakers, and I hope I can continue to do so in this new role, keeping alive Laski’s legacy at LSE”
Seven LSE Professors Elected New Fellows Of British Academy LSE DIRECTOR, PROFESSOR Calhoun, LSE Pro-Director for Research, Professor Julia Black, and professors Oriana Bandiera, Michael Lobban and Cheryl Schonhardt-Bailey are among the academics elected British Academy New Fellows for 2015. The title comes as recognition of their outstanding research, and was awarded to just forty-two academics from eighteen UK universities, making the high number of LSE academics a shining achievement.
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
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Saturday September 19, 2015
LSE Must Divest From Fossil Fuels
Actions must be taken over LSE’s unethical investment portfolio universities in the US, and so it does not actively manage its funds. This means that it gives the money to JP Morgan, who then do what they can with that to make a profit out of that investment.
Section Editor: Mali Williams Deputy Editors: Vacant Nona Buckley-Irvine LSESU General Secretary
Comment
DIVESTMENT FROM FOSSIL fuels, tobacco, and armaments - it is not the usual discussion that goes on at the LSE, and you might not have a clue what it is about. After a long campaign by LSE Divest, we students have the opportunity to influence the LSE to divest from fossil fuels, and become leading with respect to ethical investments. If you were not here for the past year (and welcome!), there has been a substantial campaign to get LSE to divest from fossil fuels. What does this mean?
“This is rare, this is exciting, and this is an opportunity for you to have genuine input”
LSE has an investment portfolio, like most other universities in the UK, and indeed in the US. This money is invested to make money for the School, and is essentially reinvested into your education - most of the time. The question that we as students have to answer is, where should this money be invested? Does ethics have a role in investment? Currently our money is invested in various different funds. LSE does not have a big endowment like
“This is about reputational damage in an age where climate change is real” There is a growing movement for universities, and indeed other sectors, to be divesting from fossil fuels. This means telling fund managers to not invest our funds in the fossil fuel industry and giving companies like Shell and BP our money. Different reasons exist for doing this; there could be a financial impact if share prices are devalued as a result, but importantly it is about reputational damage in an age where climate change is real, and having a transformative effect on our environment. For us as an institution, the key reason to divest from fossil fuels is not financial. Our endowment is so small that it has a relatively limited impact. However, the reputational damage that can be caused by the LSE withdrawing funds from fossil fuels is enormous. We are all aware that LSE purports to be on the cutting edge of social science, world leading and pioneering. Internationally our university is well respected and regarded. Yet, there exists a tension between what the LSE says, and what is does. At the moment, the research does not match up to how LSE runs as a ‘business’, and this is not just limited to fossil fuels. It has world leading research on inequality, and yet it has created an inequitable education system where money defines whether you are able to study at postgraduate level, and money defines whether you are
able to afford living in halls. That is not what I’m here to talk about today, but it should be stressed that these tensions exist throughout LSE in terms of how it operates as an institution. And so, when we are faced with an opportunity to address these tensions, we have to grab it with both hands. Coming up is a key decision about how LSE can match up what it says with what it does, and this is with the question of divestment from fossil fuels, tobacco, and armaments. This is rare, this is exciting, and this is an opportunity for you to have genuine input in how your academic institution is run and what global impact it can have. There will be a town hall meeting on 5th October, at 4pm in the Shaw Library. We need to make sure that students’ voices are heard loud and clear with respect to how LSE invests. While a UGM motion has mandated that our Union sup
ports divestment from fossil fuels, the School and I want to hear your views on tobacco and armaments, and to what level we want to potentially compromise the returns on our investment portfolio. It is a pretty complicated issue and I’ll be collecting your views to present at the Town Hall in the run up to it if you cannot make it. For more information, follow our Facebook pages or get in touch with me personally. Lastly, this is the first of many decision to come in the year at the LSE - there will be consultations on education, the cost of living, our mental health. But this is a unique opportunity to potentially shape the political landscape with respect to our approach to climate change and investments, both within the higher education sector and beyond. I look forward to you joining me in leading the way on this as a Union, and working to change our world for the better.
Photo: Flickr:Tim@SW2008
Why Student Politics Matters To You Hari Prabu Politics and Forum Society President
Continued from Page 1
The obvious way to do this is by registering to vote and then turning up to the polling station once a year, or less, but don’t wait until then: make yourself matter now. You are already well and truly connected with the world of politics whether you like it or not just by being alive and a student, but you are something more, a student of social science in a place of fever-pitched campaigns and debate. The ballot box may be your
pilgrimage site but the LSE is your battleground. Each and every day you listen to, read and embrace or contest more and more ideas and you become highly equipped to share the thoughts that really matter, your opinions. While it is the LSE that initially feeds those thoughts, it is LSESU, your students’ union, which offers the platform to test them and to motivate you to keep on engaging with others and changing your mind. Debates are regularly hosted by Union societies on current issues ranging from the future of the EU to censorship on campus and often feature high profile public figures for you to question directly.Moreo-
ver, if there’s an issue which really strikes a chord with you, the Union is there to help you bring it to the fore through its regular meetings (UGMs) which it holds to pass policy via online voting and the vast resources it can offer to help build and give your campaign momentum. It has been concerned students just like you that have campaigned to commit the Union to significant changes such as opposing the government’s Counter-Terrorism and Security bill, introducing meat-free Mondays in its catering outlets, and adopting a policy of zero-tolerance towards sexual harassment. Politics may have a damaged
reputation but it will affect your life regardless of how you perceive it. At its heart, it’s about how you feel about the things that matter most to you so don’t let it become the tired, dull institution you are told it ought to be; get involved and show the cynics that you’re not just another cynical student and that you are going be heard. On Thursday 1 October, the Politics and Forum Society and the Grimshaw Society are holding a debate on the topic of, ‘This House believes that we should accept the one-state reality.’ Speakers will include notable professors, alumni, and the head spokesman of the Israeli Embassy. Venue TBC.
In Solidarity With The Refugees
Comment
LSE students’ response to refugee crisis showed compassion that must continue
Aysha Fekaiki LSESU Community and Welfare Officer ON SATURDAY 12TH September, a collective of LSE students consisting of freshers, postgraduates, as well as returning students, came together behind a beautiful LSESU banner that was made specifically for the demonstration to voice our solidarity with the rights of refugees to seek asylum in the UK. The rally was sparked in reaction to the photo of Aylan Kurdi, washed up on a Turkish beach after drowning with his mother and brother in the sea. The international response was much needed, albeit incredibly late, to the catastrophic refugee crisis that is shocking the world. The demonstration in London shed light on the European Union’s policy over the last four years, which has consisted of closing its borders to vulnerable refugees,
building higher fences and increasing state brutality to act as a deterrent to incoming peoples. In the UK, we have a population of about 61 million people and a total refugee contingency of 193,500, but the government’s rhetoric has been incredibly hostile and racist. Turkey meanwhile has accepted 2 million, Lebanon 1.3 million, and the UK in comparison will only be taking 20,000 over the next four years.
“This to me was a show of real community spirit, and a genuine display of our support for any type of migrant” The rally of 100,000 Londoners was very special, and not only because it was a sunny day. Everyone contributing had their own signs and their personal way of expressing their anger at the situation which was unconventionally egalitarian in its organisation. This to me was a show of real community spirit, and a genuine display of our support for any type of migrant, whether refugees who are forced to
flee from persecution, or people who come for economic opportunities. This is the community that I want to build at LSE given that we are made up of about 70% international students. Students at LSE historically have been pivotal to social justice changes. We played a huge role in ending LSE’s complicity with Apartheid South Africa, and forcing the school to take an anti-Vietnam War stance by occupying the school with 3000 students. Despite LSE students recently being viewed as self-interested, this was far from the case on Saturday, as I was part of a student body that was standing up and voicing its opinions on what has been the UK’s abhorrent rhetoric and policy towards ‘migrants’. LSESU, with the help of our dedicated students, have helped to raise an amazing amount of donations for refugees in Calais from food, sanitary items and every type of clothing you can imagine. It has been amazing to see a revival of the community vibe blossom on campus for a great cause. This year I hope to continue initiatives like these on campus, bring our community together, and campaign on the issues that matter to us most.
The Red Flag Flies Above Jeremy Corbyn LSESU Labour Society President on why comrades must celebrate historic Corbyn win
Ollie Hill LSESU Labour Society President THE R AT H E R G R E AT unanswered questions of socialist strategy have never yet been definitively answered and clearly I’m not about to succeed where the likes of Rosa Luxemburg, Nicos Poulantzas and Antonio Gramsci did not. And anyway, nobody really wants to read what I think about mandatory reselection or quantitative easing. So what can I say? What follows is mostly personal, narcissistically self-indulgent, and not remotely analytical, but I hope it gives a different perspective on the incredible events of the last few months than you might have read before in the many miles of newspaper columns written on
the subject. It’s hard to overstate the journey longstanding Labour left activists have been on since late May this year. Following the shocking scale of May’s defeat and a dismal first few weeks of the ensuing leadership campaign some friends and I went off to the Cotswolds for a few days to drink, to forget, to attempt to move on. It was the most depressed I’d felt about politics since becoming a member in 2010. In the car on the way there we talked grimly about how hopeless it all seemed and how powerless we felt.
“People keep talking about Jeremy Corbyn’s election as historic, and it undoubtedly is.” Between then and now the world has turned upside down. The only thing more improbable than Jeremy Corbyn finding the 35 MPs he needed to get himself on the ballot paper was winning,
let alone winning by the biggest landslide in living memory. The next thing you’re going to tell me is Bernie Sanders is 10 points ahead of Hillary Clinton in Iowa (that’s for another time). In that time the parts of this tidal wave of a grassroots campaign I’ve been lucky enough to witness were some of the most electrifying experiences I’ve ever had. It’s been heartening, too, to see a great number of amazing student activists who have always (wrongly in my opinion, but understandably) been sceptical of the Labour party getting involved in party politics and throwing themselves behind Corbyn’s candidacy. People keep talking about Corbyn’s election as historic, and it undoubtedly is in more than just the obvious sense of unprecedentedness. I’ve been thinking a lot about my late uncle Raymond, a long-serving Labour councillor who died despairing at the Labour party shortly after the Iraq War, and his is a personal history that is important to me. But it’s also the revenge of the notion of history as a living thing; the idea that history is not just something which happened in the past but something which
“Socialism, the most powerful emancipatory idea humankind has ever known, will not go gently into that good night” is happening now. The proclamation made in 1992 by Francis Fukuyama that we had perfected government and political economy and reached ‘the end of history’ has clearly been wrong for some time, but this result is the first time British politics has recognised as much. Powerful world forces and processes are lined up against any meaningful departure from the neoliberal consensus, but that consensus must be broken. Socialism, the most powerful emancipatory idea humankind has ever known, will not go gently into that good night but rather rage against the dying of the light. When I was asked to write this piece, the futility of trying to
say anything beyond the incredibly glib in 1000 words or fewer quickly became apparent. What does Corbyn’s victory mean in relation to the ‘Allende problem’ (or perhaps the ‘Varoufakis problem’) around the limitations of democratic socialist governments in a world dominated by hostile imperial forces? How do you (re)create a mass workers’ party when parties still function largely on pre-WW2, let alone pre-digital models of mobilisation? In moving on from the great Fabian myth of the benign state, should it be reformed or overthrown? These are the kind of things we will need to think seriously about if this heady daydream is to stand any chance of becoming a reality. But for now, I’m celebrating. Celebrating with comrades old and new the remarkable tendency of human beings to demand that which they’re told is impossible, and their occasional ability to show otherwise.
Do you agree? Tweet @BeaverOnline or email
comment@thebeaveronline.co.uk
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Saturday September 19, 2015 Beaver
Where: Holborn, London
Looking for: Goldman Sachs internship
London School of Economics “ sorry about the Confucion ” Hugh Jintao
Beijing, CN
Glowing (red) reviews! Our server, Craig, was really helpful, even let us pay in our own currency! Saw two students going at it in the pulse booth while being toured round SSH and the video I took of it went viral, haven’t seen them around campus much since though....
“made the best of a bad situation” KiddiesCO
Nowhere, Anymore
staff were more than willing to help us out, politely turned a blind eye to my hideously corrupt features. The truth felt so much better after they massaged it out for us. left a pretty big tip to say thanks, would be back soon but pretty tied up with another London instituion (we only MET recently) at the moment
“must see on the road to the City” Nico Nomist
LSE (the other one)
Was embarking on the long journey from SW3 to the City of London and knew I would need a stop off before I arrived. Had a lovely 3 year stay here on the way to the top (of Canary Wharf) Easy access to Bank, and not just because it’s a few stops away on the Central line
“poor service and funny looks” Desmond.2.2 Strand
Got lost on my way to the Virginia Woolf building and found myself here. Never heard of it before but felt really unwelcome. Everyone kept calling me ‘polly’. When I asked for directions they sent me to McDonalds.. No clue... will be avoiding this place in future. What is a ‘See Saw Hock’?????? Sounds dangerous
“no appreciation of culture” ruggerbugger Berrylands
tried to share some classical literature with friends and the entire national news media reported on it. Was accused of encouraging ‘lad culture’ and alluding to ‘rape culture’, people don’t recognise ‘high culture’ when they see it. The poeticism of the ‘Ode to Beast-like Women’ was too good to be kept to ourselves it was never like this in boarding school
th e
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iillkkie won the post of Beav-er hgeEllW T be en W got his: by umin
lhoun fled The unass y Craig Ca a w e lder all bu m o a t s e a h t la r e o t nd Edit f er k reviewa a o people a o o b lny d e n t ie g fr doin ing uitsy S ar ed off ect more fr . p g x in e d o il s u ), b n te red in r vega once pictu (ed: forme s n a a W g e r. v a e a y is e Guardian aper this h p T e g h t in d in a e s wd r bollock Skepta cro y r u b n o t s l... the Gla ta nyou wil w a t f o e - ak
Name: Ellen Wilkie Position: Executive Editor Species: Mackem Politics: Marxist, but not really Style: Vintage, but not really Hair: Studiously Unkempt Likes: The Soviet Union, being the only girl in the Beaver offiee, te or t aa e, North Korea Dislikes: Not being the only girl in te Beaver offie anny oree, meat, SU’s that are run like North Korea
LSE PRO-TIPS
We made the mistakes so you don’t have to!
Thanks to Megan Crockett, Gee Linford-Grayson and Ellie Peake for the ideas
1. Go out in packs - you’ll less likely to be left alone on the wrong nightbus home 2. Citymapper - Solves the aforementioned ‘wrong nightbus home’ problem 3. Be nice to the people on your floor - no matter how much you dislike them, you ARE stuck with them all year 4. Don’t sleep with anyone during Freshers Week - all it leads to is 3 years of awkwardly avoiding eye contact in the library 5. Citethisforme.com. Seriously 6. Don’t sign up to absolutely everything at Freshers Fair. Work out who you won’t mind getting constant emails from and join those 7. Make a good first impression on your teachers by handing in your first piece work on time 8. Buy a lunch box; don’t be lured in by Pret/Wasabi every day 9. Write for The Beaver Those unable to secure a grad job upstanding, teetotal. virtuous members of the LSE community (if you ask the exec team, that is) ‘AU Welcome initiations. Expect forced Social’ binge drinking (Rumours of homosexu al debauiterny re ain unionfir ed) UGM weekly shouting match (see also: hack) ISOC sign up if you like brotherhood, sister hood and winning SU elections... FemSoc No comment for fear of backlash PTO CV embellishment, no work required (easy road to: BNOC) Houghton Once beautiful, historic hub of St. student activity turned to post apoca lyptic wasteland (and excuse for being late to CLM classes) Wrights haunted by the ghosts of souls Bar lost at zoo bar the previous night Garrick Entry Policy: Macbook, International School education, corporate grad job offera. o eaaany aubjei a allowed.
LSE PHRASEBOOK
C ut O ut a n d Ke e p
Sabb AU
New Editor Profiles Name: Megan Crockett Position: Managing Editor Ancestory: Cowboy Royalty Fashion Icon: Bride of Chucky Hair: Red, very Politics: Red, not very Likes: Scottish men, Starbucks, pop punk Dislikes: Scottish accents, tax evasion, contradictions
The Beaver Clare Market Review SU
t t y y y y , k x
s
The greatest publication you will ever read and the worst
structure built entirely out of red tape ‘Backing x re elny offenaive V R TO Barnett’ BE MENTIONED Saw Swee An architectural masterpiece, if Hock Centre you’re into exposed brickwork, wasted space and no privacy First Floor Cafe More political meetings than port cullis house Hack Creature found hiding in the Me dia Centre. Exists on a strict diet of iaffeine and aiandal ‘Super Maria’ (see: ‘Backing Barnett’) Zoo Alcohol free venue for appreci ating the music and respecting ones peers (see also: Saucy) BNOC A disease picked up from attend ing too many SU events
10 |
Saturday September 19, 2015
LISTINGS
ALTERNATIVE WELCOME NIGHTS FIND OUT MORE AT LSESU.COM/WHATSON
MONDAY
The Lunch Club -
TRIP TO
Regent’s Park -
TRIP TO
TATE Modern International
Culture Shock Quiz -
Ice Skating Trip
TUESDAY
The Coffee Tour -
Southbank Tours -
The Lunch Club -
TRIP TO
H y d e Pa r k -
Po s t g r a d u a t e Welcome Party -
Bowling Trip
WEDNESDAY Great Places to Study Tour Students With Children
Welcome Breakfast
The Lunch Club -
TRIP TO
Borough Market
V&A Science Museum -
Theatre Trip
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
Southbank Tour -
Southbank Tour -
WELCOME FAIR
WELCOME FAIR
(Don’t miss our The Beaver stall!) -
Pizza and Ping Pong Night
-
-
London Nightbus Tour
From the Editor: Section Editor: Alex Gray Deputy Editors: Vacant
THE CITY SECTION OF THE BEAVER IS STILL A new section, it was only started last year. This means that we have a good opportunity to make the section a more inclusive and hopefully more interesting read for students. My hope is to engage societies, alumni and to have as broad a church as possible. To this end, I want to encourage as many different sections of the LSE as possible to contribute to the section. I will also hope to include prof iles and interviews from alum-
ni not just working in the City, but from a range of different careers. This will be on top of covering the main economic events of that week, ideally including different perspectives from across the economic and political spectrum. If you want to contribute to this section, have any feedback, or if you read anything that you want to respond to, email the section at city@thebeaveronline.co.uk. I want to ignite a genuine debate across the section, and we can only do this by getting as many different contributions as possible. I should be visiting the heads of the City and economics related societies during Freshers week, but please will any who I don’t get a chance to see email me at city@thebeaveronline.co.uk!
In Summary of the Summer
What does a rampant Conservative Party, a socialist Labour leader and a possible Chinese slowdown mean for the UK economy? Alex Gray Section Editor
The City
TO SAY THE LEAST, THE summer has been an eventful time for the UK, both economically and politically. Still f lying high on their electoral victory in May, the Conservatives have introduced their f irst all Conservative budget since 1996. Meanwhile, both China and the EU present real challenges to the UK’s tentative recovery, whilst the Labour Party has responded to electoral defeat by selecting its most left wing leader ever. The budget has been widely credited as an excellent political move by Osborne. Its key surprise was the implementation of a ‘living wage’, a higher minimum wage set to reach £9 per hour by 2020, a higher amount than Ed Miliband had previously pledged in the Labour manifesto. Osborne also played to much more classic tory territory by cutting corporation tax to just 18% by 2020; increasing the inheritance tax threshold to £1million and committing to 2% of GDP on military spending. This has been paid for by changes to tax and universal credit system, with the credits being restricted to two children,
affecting those born after April 2017 and the income threshold for tax credits to be reduced from £6,420 to £3,850. The budget also changes Osborne’s previous targets on def icit reduction with spending set to be £83.3bn higher up to 2020 than projected before the election. The effect of all of these is an exceptionally politically astute budget, by taking Labour’s most popular policies whilst giving the right f lank of the Conservative party enough to keep them satisf ied. The success of the budget was shown by the complete inability of a Labour Party in the throes of a leadership contest to adequately respond. However, there has been analysis by the ONS, among others, that showed the budget to be deeply regressive, with concerns from business about the apparent lack of a plan to attack Britain’s ‘productivity puzzle’ whilst increasing wage costs from the minimum wage. Further af ield, the situation in China continues to worry analysts. Although much less of a f inancialised society than much of the rest of the advanced economies of the world, the crash that began on the 12th July has resulted in huge losses. The ‘black monday’ on 24 August resulted in the Shanghai Stock Exchange losing 8.49%
in a single day. Key indicators like energy and raw materials consumption, which are often considered more reliable than the off icial indicators suggest a downturn that is spreading through the economy. However, although f igures like that for the FTSE would be catastrophic for the UK, the different structuring of the economy and domination of the government has allowed the Chinese government to react quickly and decisively to stem the panic. This appears to have had some initially positive impact, but with the Chinese stock markets having lost more in value than the entire GDP of the UK, it is far from certain. Another massive event of the summer is the election of Jeremy Corbyn with almost 60% of the vote, three times his nearest challenger. His election and its effects look set to dominate the political and economic climate of the UK for the coming months, if not years. His meteoric rise has seen him come from the MP that rebelled more against Tony Blair’s government than any other MP (including the Tories), to assembling a shadow cabinet. Economically, Corbyn’s belief in a def icit reduction program that looks at increasing taxes on the rich and corpora-
tions, and more public investment sees him elected on the furthest left platform since the 1970s. Renationalisation of railway and utility companies has much of the city fearing his resurrection of an apparently dead wing of the Labour Party. Immediately his success has been portrayed by the Conservative party as a threat to the national security of the UK. The appointment of John McDonnell to the shadow cabinet, however, seems to suggest that Corbyn is intent on sticking to his guns, at least economically. Looking ahead, the election of Corbyn will surely inspire Economic debate about the role of f inancial institutions in the wider economy, and a renewed political debate, with both the Labour and Conservative parties respectively at their furthest right and left economically left since the 1980s. Economically the recovery in the UK looks far from assured, despite positive indicators there are widespread claims of a housing crisis, increasing poverty, underemployment and rising inequality from the left. Internationally, the problems in China and the continued struggles of the Eurozone mean that the global economy still appears to be struggling with the aftershocks of the 2008 crash.
Saturday September 19, 2015
Meet Your Sab
The Union
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Nona Buckley Irvine Degree: BSc Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method Position: General Secretary Responsibilities: Chair of the Trustee Board, Chief Representative to the school on all student related matters su.generalsecretary@lse.ac.uk
What campaigns will you be focusing on this year? Building an Arts Community to build the profile of arts on campus, a new Sports Strategy, lobbying the school for better performance and practise space and to build a sports hall. Also to improve society support. If you could only change one thing at the LSE this year what would it be? Building the Arts community is a big one, I don’t think the arts get enough appreciation at the LSE. What do you remember about your freshers week? I remember being very nervous. Our Freshers week wasn’t very well organised so I felt a bit lost. I did meet some of my best friends that I ended up living with, so overall positive. What advice do you have for freshers week? The really cliched answer, but to try everything out! Also remembering to not take LSE too seriously and having as much fun as possible! Did anything surprise you when you arrived at LSE? Even though I had been told, as a British student it was still really sur-
What campaigns will you be focusing on this year? Teaching, after our appalling National Student Survey scores, cost of living, following our work at freezing hall rents last year. We want to focus on the barriers to studying at Postgraduate level, including things like conference fees. Lastly, wellbeing and mental health is a big priority. If you could only change one thing at the LSE this year what would it be? Oooh, I’ll go diplomatic and say whatever students say is the biggest priority. Personally I’d make teaching be seen by the school as equal priority to research. What do you remember about your freshers week? I got really drunk! I promised myself I would never drink again after vomiting a lot and then was back on it by Wednesday night at Battle of the Halls. Freshers week was scary, but it was really fun. What advice do you have for freshers week? Speak to as many people as possible and do things that you wouldn’t expect to usually do. Get involved with the Students Union but also give
prising to come into such an international institution. Which hall did you live in and what did you think of it? I was in Bankside which I found a bit big. The smaller halls have more of a community feel. The facilities were great; my room was massive and it had a great location. Have you got any tips for surviving academic life at LSE? Remember that you don’t have to read every reading on the list. Remember that the academics aren’t everything and you need to have a balance between life and work. What societies were you involved with as a student and which one do you wish that you’d joined? I was involved with RAG from the start, also some of the political societies. I wish that I’d got involved with sports earlier, I didn’t think that they were for me and it was only in third year that I joined. If you were an LSE building which one would you be and why? The Old Building, because it has Student Services and the Advice Centre, and I’m good at problem solving, so it makes sense.
yourself some down time. Did anything surprise you when you arrived at LSE? How nice everybody was! I thought the people would be horrible but they weren’t. Which hall did you live in and what did you think of it? Bankside. The location was great, but it was quite big so it can feel quite anonymous. Have you got any tips for surviving academic life at LSE? Don’t work too hard in your first year because the later years are more important. Work really hard in your second year to secure a 2:1 or a First. Game the system! What societies were you involved with as a student and which one do you wish that you’d joined? Rag (I was Hitchhike Officer, Events Officer and eventually RAG President), The Beaver, Labour Society. I wish I’d been involved with Drama Society If you were an LSE building which one would you be and why? The Old Building! It’s really big and curious and has the Shaw Library.
Katie Budd Degree: BSc International Relations Position: Activities and Development Responsibilities: Societies, AU, Media Group, RAG (Raising and Giving), opportunities and events su.activitiesdevelopment@lse.ac.uk
The Union
batical Officers!
Jon-Rhys Foster Degree: BSc Government and History Position: Education Officer Responsibilities: Represent students on educational matters such as teaching and learning, assessment, feedback and academic advisers su.education@lse.ac.uk What campaigns will you be focusing on this year? The Well Being project which is a year long initiative. It will be combining aspcts of LSE and the SU into one project with the aim of changing LSE culture and prioritising well being as it is ulitimately what helps our academic results. If you could only change one thing at the LSE this year what would it be? Changing the wellbeing culture of the Institution. What do you remember about your freshers week? I was at Kings for my undergrad degree. My freshers week was very peer pressured, I kind of went a bit mental. I had to go out on club nights as it was the only thing we had [to do]. I found my real group of friends in second year, I was lost in first year to be honest. What advice do you have for freshers week? I would say try to organise days out with the people you’re living with. It helps you explore England while you still have time and it’s the best way to get to know other students.
What campaigns will you be focusing on this year? Academic advisor reform, working with course representatives to help students get what they want out of their education, my Beyond The Classroom programme which will emphasise employability. If you could only change one thing at the LSE this year what would it be? A fully integrated course rep system, or a broader cultural change so that research is seen as equal to teaching. What do you remember about your freshers week? I remember doing the cinnamon challenge, and that was a bad idea. I just remember lots of noise and people, good fun! What advice do you have for freshers week? Try things, sign up to anything, but don’t feel like you have to try absolutely everything. Did anything surprise you when you arrived at LSE? I was surprised by how much goes on on a daily basis, by the school, societies and the SU. Which hall did you live in and
Did anything surprise you when you arrived at LSE? Yes, everyone is obsessed with internships. I had never been exposed to that culture before. Kings was nothing like that! Have you got any tips for surviving academic life at LSE? Talk to your academic advisor. Also, make sure you’re working with other students rather than against them. Sharing notes from your readings and helping each other is the way I got through it; it’s definitely the best way to do it. What societies were you involved with as a student and which one do you wish that you’d joined? I did a lot of activism so was involved with LSESU Divest and Palestine Society. I wish I had got more involved with Women Leaders of Tomorrow. If you were an LSE building which one would you be and why? The Old Theatre, because it has a lot of history to it and I did a history degree. I love history so much; I wish I was still doing it. Also, Malcolm X did his speech there!
what did you think of it? I was in intercollegiate halls, which was a bit of an odd experience. Have you got any tips for surviving academic life at LSE? Talk to people! I’ve been meeting to every Head of Department, and they claim that nobody turns up to Office Hours. Whether you have a problem or not, talk to your Course Reps, the SU, the institution, your academic advisor. What societies were you involved with as a student and which one do you wish that you’d joined? I was very involved with Drama through all three years, I was really into RAG in my third year. I regret never joining a sports club, which I regret, although I don’t know which one I could have joined. If you were an LSE building which one would you be and why? I’d like to say the Old Building because of the Old Theatre and my ties to drama, but having met the people that run it, I’d say the library. They are the nicest people and genuinely want to help students. That’s a really sad answer as education officer!
Most Likely To...
We asked the Sabbs which of them was most likely to do a number of very LSE activities. We were going to tell you each of their answers individually but they were unanimous on almost every question (not to call conspiracy, but seems a bit fishy to us...). Here are their answers: ...have to be taken home from Berrylands in an ambulance: Katie ...have to be taken home from Zoo in an ambulance: Nona ...kicking off at UGM: Aysha/Nona ...run for a second term: Aysha/Katie/Jon ...sulk about England losing the rugby world cup: Jon ...be last to leave the SU office at night: Katie ...be last to arrive at the SU office in the morning: Aysha (I’m told the trains are unreliable)
Aysha Fekaiki Degree: MSc Human Rights Position: Community and Welfare Responsibilities: Improving student quality of life, accommodation, Welfare, Healthy Living and General Student Support su.communitywelfare@lse.ac.uk
...be first on the dancefloor at Saucy: Nona ...complain about an article in The Beaver: Aysha/Nona ...do a library all nighter: Katie Receive a Vote of No Confidence: Aysha/Nona
BACCHUS’ FRIENDS TASTE BACCHUS’ FOE: p a r t
14 | Saturday 19 September , 2015
freshers guide to bargain wine Just as Plato’s lover of wisdom is dedicated to wisdom in all its forms, the true Bacchanalian dedicates himself to discovery of all alcoholic tastes, whether they be from the dusty cellars of Cheateau Mouton Rotschild, or from the warehouses of Sainsbury and Tesco. It is to this end that The Sommelier, partB’s new wine columnist, undertook the exploration of some of the latter, with the hope of discovering worthy libations impecunious freshers might partake in without having to take the hammer to the piggy bank. Sainsbury’s Wine Makers Selection - White Zinfandel £1.75 This wine gives strawberry on
the nose alongside a decided aroma of carbonation. More salmon than pink in colour but wholly inoffensive. It has a slight sparkling nature and tastes of a bland fruitiness. Suitable for taking the edge off an unctuous cheesecake. Simply must be served chilled. Vinegar-o-meter: 2/10
Waitrose - Italian Dry White £4.99 I take immediate issue with the description on the bottle. Neither in taste nor in scent is this “floral”, alas, it is not a strong bouquet at all. The colour is inexpressive. The slight fruitiness on the nose is lost on the palate. I can detect a slight sourness but no significant acidity. I would suggest that this is tolerable for day drinking or perhaps a rushed brunch, but I would not recommend consuming more than half a bottle. Perhaps this would be best accompanied by a Waitrose Basics Caesar Salad. Vinegar-o-meter: 4/10
Tescos - Simply - Pinotage was £4.49, currently £3.79 This wine is purpley in hue and quite opaque, but it is clear there has been no significant aging. The aroma has a hint of plum and smells reasonably sweet. On tasting, however, I realise there is a peculiar bitterness to the drink which conjures up memories of medicine I was given in my childhood. It’s extremely tannic yet I am reluctant to finish the glass. It could perhaps act as a substitute to mouthwash, although I doubt it would perform much better in that role (suffice to say that the rouge tooth look is one that should not be pursued). Vinegar-o-meter: 7/10 Lidl - Baywood - Rich Red £2.49 This wine is suspiciously frothy, although that may have more to do with the fact I’m drinking from a pint glass. This, combined with its’ pinkish translucency bring to mind a glass of
underdiluted Ribena. It smells incredibly sweet, as if strawberry gummy bears have been left out for a day or two on a sunny afternoon. Contrary to the advice on the bottle I would not pair this wine with any decent red meat, rather I would soak my gummy bears in it in the way that those that try to avoid the taste of alcohol choose to get drunk. This is more a sugar water than a wine; it is what I would imagine powdered wine to be like. There is no body, tannins or acidity. In fact, I don’t much view this as a wine at all. Vinegar-o-meter: 2/10
B
thing more chemical than organic. It’s not bitter, it tastes like I have stumbled face first into the grass of a sunny meadow. Underneath the sourness and verger, there may be hints of plum, but that may be a hallucination borne of wishful thinking. The bitterness is a sign of tannins, which do provide health benefits; however, I’d rather take this intravenously or via enema than drinking any more. Vinegar-o-meter: 9/10 (don’t ruin you fish and chips with it)
Sainsbury’s - Basics Red Wine £3.65 This wine went against all my principles, I was in fact loathed to finish my glass. It’s very opaque but I can’t place a finger on how to describe its smell, it’s some
MUSIC
FOOD&DRINK LITERATURE
FRESHERS WEEK READING LIST
partB editorial team partB Kemi Akinebowa Vikki Hui music food & drink Vacant
Will Locke
theatre
film
fashion
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visual arts
literature
technology
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There’s a lot of different ways to adjust to university life. Many choose to drown any feelings of homesickness in alcohol, and in their defence, everything does seem rosy after a bottle or two of rosé. Others get aggressively attached to their university work, thinking so much about their GV101 problem set that they don’t have time to think how much they miss their mum. At LSE there is, of course, the fresher that chooses to replace his family with the warm embrace of corporate finance networking event. This list isn’t for those freshers. This list is to assist the fresher of a literary persuasion to ingratiate themselves into LSE life. Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis is the archetypal campus novel published in 1954 by Victor Gollancz. The anonymous red brick institution of postwar Britain that plays setting to the book is not dissimilar to the LSE of that time, as recorded in the pages of The Beaver’s earliest editions following its founding in 1949. Whilst we, as the devoted social scientists of the LSE, can hardly devote our lives to the pursuit of shallow pleasure and counterculture as the writers of the Beat Generation did. We can, however, studiously work our way through On The Road by Jack Kerouac and take some notes from the life lived in such hedonism that even normal paragraph structure is too much of a strain. If there is any time to embrace that pure self indulgence in our academic lives then surely freshers week is that time. The LSE has a fairly remarkable set of alumni but a very slim set that produced any fiction in their lifetime. Thankfully one of the most notable, given his status as a founder of the school and creator of The Beaver newspaper, has a work that is incredibly helpful for ingratiating oneself into LSE culture. That person is George Bernard Shaw and that play is Pygmalion, the story of a working class girl who is taught to be a lady by an upper class gent. This tale neatly sums up my, and many others, experience of coming to the LSE with a broad regional accent and finding ourselves going home at the end of Michaelmas term to the loud and outspoken criticism of home friends that accuse us of having ‘gone posh’. Once you finish these three books then you should probably, yknow, log into Moodle and read your actual course reading list...
EU Debate Comes To Campus
Eurosceptic students are joining the fray with Students for Britain Phil Sheppard
Section Editors: Second Year Undergraduate George Harrison Taryana Odayar I N T E R E S T E D I N T H E Deputy Editors: forthcoming EU referendum? Vacant Agree that the EU needs to change
radically to meet the challenges of the modern world? Fancy listening to some excellent speakers and hanging out with fellow students over a drink or two? If your answer to any of the above is yes, then Students for Britain could be the group for you. Formed this summer for students, by students, Students for Britain exists to ensure that the voice of students is heard in the renegotiation of Britain’s terms of EU membership, and to argue for the fundamental change which the EU needs to ensure that young people can make the most of the opportunities available to us in the decades ahead. Failing that, we will support forging a new relationship from the outside.
So what, you may ask, is wrong with the EU, and why is such significant change required? Firstly, the substantial changes in the global economy since when Britain joined its predecessor in 1973, have undermined any reason for the EU’s protectionist economic policies. Far from causing growth, the Eurozone crisis and underlying competitiveness challenges are now causing many EU members’ economies to stagnate, while the EU still imposes tariffs on some of the fastest-growing countries in the world, which the UK will increasingly look to for trading opportunities in the future. Secondly, as LSE students, we are proud of our reputation as an international university, producing graduates who travel all over the world during their careers. Why, then, should our horizons stop at the EU’s borders? Unfortunately, the EU has been painfully slow in negotiating free trade agreements
worldwide, holding us back as we seek to tap into emerging markets in Africa, Asia and elsewhere across the world. Turbo-charging such trade efforts should be at the centre of the renegotiation to enhance opportunities for the students and graduates of tomorrow. Finally, despite the failure of the EU to boost prosperity in recent years, the cost of belonging to the club has kept rising. The UK paid £53 million every day in 2013 to take advantage of the dwindling benefits of EU membership (twice what it would cost to abolish tuition fees). This is money that could be easily spent on partially reversing recent cuts to public spending, lowering the tax burden or reducing the budget deficit. More importantly, significantly more major decisions affecting the whole of the EU, such as the EU budget and trade deals, should be
in the hands of elected politicians we can at least throw out if we don’t like their policies. At the moment, most decisions are made by unelected politicians at the top of remote EU institutions. In the months ahead, the Students for Britain branch at LSE and those across the country will be organising broad and inclusive student led discussions and hosting outside speakers from a variety of backgrounds. Students for Britain branches will not affiliate to any political party, and will provide a welcoming environment to people from all backgrounds who want students’ voices to be heard on this vital issue. Just as importantly, we will be putting on a variety of social events to ensure that we get to know each other and have a good time! If you would like to get involved in your Students for Britain branch at LSE or to find out more, please contact p.m.sheppard@lse.ac.uk
On the Ground in Palestine
Features
Shaping the debate firsthand in the Middle East and on Campus Robyn Connelly-Webster Third Year Undergraduate
HAVING AN OPINION IS A huge part of life at LSE. We are constantly encouraged to engage in academic debate and search for nuances in our ideas and arguments. International affairs become divisive and we feel the ripples of them throughout campus and as they overspill into social media. While these conversations entrench intellectual rigour in all of us and satiate our undeniable nerdy interest in all things politics, how much do we actually know? Can you understand a place or community through academic study? When discussing the complex situation in the Middle East, it just doesn’t feel like enough. The ongoing and long-lasting tensions and violence between Palestinians and Israelis is one of the most divisive international affairs here at LSE and throughout most of the world. In order to take the academic debate of this subject to a deeper level, myself and two recent LSE graduates were able to gain ‘on the ground’ experience in the region. This came from the summer internship programme run by FFIPP, an educational network for human rights in Israel and Palestine. We were given a comprehensive education of the current situation in both Israel and Palestine as we toured Israel and the West Bank for the first seven days. For the final four weeks, we each interned with local organisations that shared FFIPP’s main objective: working towards a just peace achieved
through Israeli withdrawal from all occupied territories. Lessons were not only learnt, they were experienced. The occupation was not only explained to us, we lived within it. Whilst we cannot possibly understand what it is to be Israeli or Palestinian, we were able to improve our capacity to empathise. The time we spent makes us all able to vouch, firsthand, for the fact that the occupation truly does affect every part of Palestinian society. Work for the Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute in Ramallah revealed shocking facts about the stifling effect Israeli policies have on economic growth: 200% of Palestinian GDP comes from aid and yet, still, its economy is in a dire state of decline. There is no real possibility for economic
Source: Flikr, Montecruz
development under an occupation. It is simply too volatile a market for any private investment crucial to jumpstart growth. As part of my internship at the Alternative Information Centre, I reported from an Amnesty International press conference where they released their most recent report into the war crimes of the IDF last summer in Gaza. According to international law, the systemic attack on civilian communities in Gaza is not only a war crime but a crime against humanity. We found facts such as these readily available when you’re looking for them. There are alternative narratives and there are people fighting for justice on both sides. However, inevitably, the occupation of the Palestinian territories has become increasingly normal-
ised. For many people, their only understanding of Palestine is as a breeding ground for terrorism. Yet we must remember, the occupation doesn’t only affect those Palestinians who use violence to fight against it. It certainly doesn’t only exist when there is enough of an outburst of violence for it to make the ten o’clock news. For me, my understanding of Palestine is as a country into which I was welcomed with open arms. I was guided, I was taught and I was trusted to take what I was being shown and do something positive with it. I was inspired by graffiti on the separation wall at Qalandia checkpoint (where Palestinians regularly die attempting to cross): ‘Now I have seen, I am responsible.’ This year, FFIPP will be present and ready on campus to facilitate debate and education about international law, human rights and justice in Israel and Palestine. The more people understand what the occupation is, the more we can reduce Israel’s incentives to occupy. Whether you have an opinion ready for an LSE-style debate or not, you are a human being capable of compassion. The change in public opinion of our parents’ generation was a catalyst for the end of the South African apartheid; I hope our children will be able to say the same for us and the end of the occupation of Palestine. Interested in writing for Features? features@thebeaveronline.co.uk
VISIT US AT BEAVERONLINE.CO.UK OR TWEET @BEAVERONLINE
Meet Your AU Exec The new AU executive are made up of: Julia Ryland, who is President of the AU, Jenny Johanson, who is AU Engagement Officer and a team of four students that form the AU Exec.
These four students are: Elin Harding, Tessa Hutchingson, San Puri and Oliver Strong. The Beaver has profiled the whole AU exec below, read on and get to know them!
Julia Ryland What’s your nickname? Jules What sports team(s) are you in? Women’s Rugby 1st XV Why should students get involved with the AU? Perfect way to meet like minded people who you might not otherwise have the chance to meet. What is your favourite thing about the AU? The social network it gives you. Not only do you meet people within your sport you also socialise with all sports on Wednesday nights in the Tuns and Zoo bar. And, if you could give one piece of advice to new AU members, what would it be? Get stuck in! The more you put into it the more you will get out of it (and don’t plan anything important for a Thursday morning…)
San Puri What’s your nickname? San, despite popular belief, isn’t actually my full name. So I guess my ‘nickname’ is San. What sports team(s) are you in? Men’s Rugby Why should students get involved with the AU? A lot of people make the mistake of leaving sports behind at school. The AU will be your home for the next three years if you make the right decision and join. You’ll get the perfect dose of sports and socials. You can’t go wrong really. What is your favourite thing about the AU? “Pints then shots. Pounding beats. Thumping headache. Empty wallet. What a night.” (The Three Tuns, 2012) If you could give one piece of advice to new AU members, what would it be? Take everything in your stride, and make sure you get the right balance of sports and social to fulfil all of your needs. If you have a class on Thursday morning, and like to go out, try and change it to a different day. Or you will not go. Trust me
Tessa Hutchinson
Sport
Section Editor: Vacant Deputy Editors: Vacant
AT THE END OF LENT TERM Elections were held to elect Sabbatical Officers, PartTime Officers and a brand new Athletics Union (AU) Executive (Exec).
What’s your nickname? T-Dawg What sports team(s) are you in? Womens Hockey and Mixed Hockey Why should students get involved with the AU? It’s great chance to meet a great mix of people at LSE and really get involved at LSE What is your favourite thing about the AU? Being able to meet and get to know not only the people in your club but also from others clubs. If you could give one piece of advice to new AU members, what would it be? Get a pair of zoo shoes, trust me you want to wear the same shoes anywhere other then zoo.
Jenny Johanson What’s your nickname? JenJen What sports team(s) are you in? Women’s Football Why should students get involved with the AU? Everyone should join the AU simply because it’s the best part of uni. You get to have fun playing a sport whilst making friends at the same time - there is no better combination! What is your favourite thing about the AU? Is the people! Whether you meet sweating on the pitch or sweating in Zoo bar, you can be sure to find someone like you - or someone that will show you something new If you could give one piece of advice to new AU members, what would it be? The AU is not something you need to survive, but rather enjoy! Throughout the year there will be plenty of games, events and Zoo bar nights which will all add to your great LSE experience. My one advice would be to “do you” and don’t feel pressured into going all out for every occasion - sometimes you need to stay back finishing that essay or simply go to Zoo bar sober to say hi to your friends. And that’s is perfectly fine!
Elin Harding What’s your nickname? Elz, although I did get given the nickname “Thunder Chunder” in my first year… What sports team(s) are you in? Netball Why should students get involved with the AU? It’s definitely been the best thing I’ve done at LSE. Most of my best friends I’ve met through the AU; I can’t imagine life at LSE without it What is your favourite thing about the AU? LSE can be so intense sometimes it’s great to have something else to focus on. The AU gives an opportunity to play sport as stress relief and social events on Wednesday nights offer some much needed mid-week fun. If you could give one piece of advice to new AU members, what would it be? Jump in with both feet; the more involved you get the greater it is. I would recommend a cheap pair of Primark shoes for Zoo Bar (they have a tendency to get very dirty or lost) and prepare yourselves for a lot of fancy dress!!
Oli Strong
What’s your nickname? Who needs a nickname with this surname What sports team(s) are you in? Snowsports, rowing and a bit of FC action. Why should students get involved with the AU? The AU is hands down the best place to meet people whilst having a good time and your LSE experience wouldn’t be the same without regular trips to Zoo! Also, being involved in a sport allows you to get away from the intensity of day to day life in London What is your favourite thing about the AU? Carol If you could give one piece of advice to new AU members, what would it be? Reschedule Thursday morning lectures? Try and get involved with as much as possible and definitely make use of the give it a go sessions to get a taste of different sports.