834

Beaver

Issue 834 | 29.09.15

the

Newspaper of the LSE Students’ Union

44 Lincoln’s Inn Site Named ‘Paul Marshall Building’ Ellen Wilkie Executive Editor

Sun shines on Freshers Fair at the end of LSE’s scandal free Freshers week

FOLLOWING A LARGE AND unprecedented donation by philanthropist and financier Paul Marshall, the 44 Lincoln’s Inn Fields site currently under development by the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) will be named in his honour.

The donation of £30 million was received by the school in April 2015 to fund the creation of The Marshall Institute for Philanthropy and Social Entrepreneurship. The institute is set to become a leading centre for innovation and expertise in philanthropy and social entrepreneurship. The gift is the largest private donation in LSE’s history and includes £20 million for the redevelopment of 44 Lincoln’s Inn Fields.

The Marshall Institute will be situated in the Paul Marshall Building and will provide teaching (including a master’s programme), research and a collaborative forum that will enable current and future leaders in philanthropy and social entrepreneurship to increase the impact and effectiveness of private contributions to the public good.

The building will also be home to LSE academic departments, research departments and sports facilities.

Paul Marshall is the chairman

and Chief Investment Officer of Marshall Wace LLP, one of Europe’s leading hedge fund groups.

Marshall is also a founding trustee of ARK, the children’s charity, and chairman of ARK Schools, one of Britain’s leading academy chains.

Paul was appointed lead non-executive director of the Department for Education in 2013. He is also chairman of the management committee of Centre Forum, a liberal think tank. Paul has written extensively on education, amongst other topics, having penned ‘Tackling Educational Inequality’ (2007) and edited ‘The Tail: How England’s Schools Fail One Child in Five’ (2013).

Commenting on the announcement, Marshall said; “We look forward to creating a building which will be a magnet and a meeting place for social entrepreneurs and philanthropists. There could be no better place than LSE in Lincoln’s Inn Fields, a square full of history right in the heart of London.”

Craig Calhoun, Director of the LSE added that “We are hugely grateful to Paul Marshall for his contribution to the School, and are delighted to name the building in his honour. The redevelopment of this site is another crucial step for LSE as we seek to create a worldclass campus to match our global reputation.

Continued page 3

Comment: Get Stuck Into LSESU’s Societies

Perdita Blinkhorn Collective Chair LGBT+ Alliance President

OH YES, IT'S THAT TIME OF year where the smell of excitement and freshers fills the air. Back in my early days of being nought but a wee first year I was eager to throw myself into the student life and begin the journey to adulthood. But what made my first year the best of my life? The single greatest factor in becoming an accomplished fresher had to be getting involved in the Students’ Union and various societies. Whether you want to give

the Cider Appreciation Society a spin, or fancy tryout the badminton club, you will find it impossible not to be welcome somewhere in the LSE community.

Some freshers may dedicate themselves to one society, some may be very casual members, and some like myself sign up to 500 different societies, particularly the ones who give out free pens at Freshers' Fair. The great attraction of such groups is that, at LSE in

particular there is something for everyone. You can arrive a lost and lonely newbie and within a matter of days be part of a readymade community, full of peers who share your interests. It's exciting stuff.

For me, the student groups I got most involved in were the LGBT+ Alliance, the Feminist Society (FemSoc for short) and of course our very own Beaver publication. It didn't take me long to take a committee role with FemSoc

Give The Beaver A Go The Venue, Saw Swee Hock Centre 18:00 - 21:00 - 8/10/15

either which really allowed to get a first-hand understanding of what running a society was like.

The diverse range of options for students of all disciplines and years means there's plenty of chances to make amazing new friends, take part in unique events and join in some of the best socials in London.

Particularly as now there are more non-alcoholic as well as alcoholic events than ever, Continued page 7

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

the

the

Beaver

Established in 1949 Issue No. 834- Tuesday 29 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 Akinboyewa 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 Doherty, A Fyfe, A Laird, A Leung, A Lulache, A Moro, A Qazilbash, A Santhanham, A Tanwa, A Thomson, B Phillips, C Holden, C Loughran, C Morgan, C Hu, D Hung, D Lai, D Sippel, D Tighe, E Arnold, E Wilkie, G Cafiero, G Harrison, G Kist, G Linford-Grayson, G Manners-Armstrong, G Saudelli, H Brentnall, H Prabu, H Toms, I Plunkett, J Cusack, J Evans, J Foster, J Grabiner, J Heeks, J Momodu, J Ruther, K Budd, K Owusu, K Parida, K Quinn, L Kang, L Kendall, L Erich, L Mai, L Montebello, L Schofield, L van der Linden, M Banerjee-Palmer, M Crockett, M Gallo, M Jaganmohan, M Johnson, M Neergheen, M Pasha, M Pennill, M Strauss, N Antoniou, N Bhaladhare, N Buckley-Irvine, N Stringer, O Hill, O Gleeson, P Amoroso, P Blinkhorn, P Gederi, R Browne, R J Charnock, R Huq, R Kouros, R Serunjogi, R Siddique, R Uddin, S Ali, S Crabbe-Field, S Kunovska, S Povey, S Sebatindira, T Mushtaq, T Odayar, T Poole, V Hui, Z Chan, Z Mahmod

To join the Collective you need to have written for 3 or more editions of The Beaver. Think you’ve done that but don’t see your name on the list? Emails collective@thebeaveronline.co.uk to let us know!

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 her complete lack of a timetable and what it represents in the School

From the Executive Editor THIS WEEK HAS BEEN A trying one for me, as I’m sure it has been for many of us. New students have been plunged head first into their new lives at university with a rigorous schedule of Welcome Events and (occasionally forced) fun. School and SU staff have barely had a rest since move in day as they worked to make that plunge as smooth as possible. Returning students have had to contend with their complete lack of a timetable and the fact that their campus is being torn apart at the seams in pursuit of a Global Centre for Social Sciences. We here at The Beaver have dealt in the last week with a complete domain name collapse, an advertising related catastrophe and a whole lot of heavy lifting to get 5000 newspapers to halls and around campus. And of course, let us not forget that we’ve all had to come to terms with the sad image of the leader of this country inserting his pecker into a porker.

University will always be a tiring experience. There will always be social, academic and extra-curricular strains that will at some point or another drag all of us down. These stresses are inevitable. What is not inevitable, necessary or to be expected, though, is that these stresses be inflicted on us by the school itself, as the appalling Student Satisfaction scores given to the LSE in the National Student Survey prove to be the case here. Placed well below the rest of the Russell Group, these results are an unavoidable embarrassment for the school and action must be taken to give the student body the experience we deserve and, let’s face it, the experience that we pay through the nose for.

It would have been reasonable to expect a department whose whole raison d’etre is to create timetables would be able to fulfil their only task on time at least once. As Freshers should be notified and return-

ing students will doubtlessly remember, this is far from the first time that Timetables have done this to us. Whilst the late arrival of our timetables may be a relatively minor niggle, the cumulative effect of these minor niggles, overlooked and left unaddressed by the School, is what has made students so dissatisfied. It is about time that these issues were taken seriously by the body that is supposedly responsible for them.

LSE clearly has its problems.

The NSS results demonstrate that. It is however worth noting that for the first time on record (or at least in my LSE experience) we have managed to come out the other end of a Freshers’ Week without even a whiff of scandal in the air. Whilst that does make The Beaver cover stories lack a little flavour, it also demonstrates that the school and this union are taking their first steps on the path towards a more friendly, tolerant and cohesive community on campus.

From the Managing Editor

Megan Crockett on why you should head out and “give it a go” this week

HAPPY TUESDAY FOLKS. I hope Week One is treating everyone well. It doesn’t take long to get back into the old (or new for those of you who are just starting at the School) routine.

But, before you start pulling all nighters in the library because of the essay you completely forgot about or before you get into the habit of choosing a bacon butty from Wright’s Bar over your Thursday morning lecture, you should throw yourself into some society give it a go sessions. Societies are probably the best way of meeting people and getting more involved with LSE life. Well, the life beyond the books.

Personally, and I may be a little bias (who knows?), I think the Beaver give it a go session would be the best one to attend.

We’re doing a “Meet The Beaver” session where our fabulous Editorial Board will be in the Venue, talking about what they do and how you can help! Because, good people, the Beaver needs YOU! We’re looking to hire a whole load of Editors, Deputy Editors and Staff Writers and this is the perfect way to dip your toe in the water! If you do find yourself at a loose end on Thursday 8th October, say at 6pm, then head down to the Venue and meet the friendly faces that put together this fabulous publication week in week out.

If you’d much rather just read than contribute to the Beaver then I guess I can forgive you.

But don’t ignore welcome events and taster sessions, because who knows, you

might find something amazing that you wouldn’t have if you hadn’t ventured out of your digs without the proviso of shots. Whether it be AU Trials, RAG info sessions or any another event being held on campus over the coming weeks, make the effort to go to a handful. The hermit I am, I steered clear from these sorts of events in my first year and am now kicking myself. I think I might crash them all this year while I still have the chance! Don’t put it off, because before you know it you won’t just be looking for a summer job, but a job, period. Three years flies by so grab every opportunity you can while here at LSE, or who knows, you might find yourself sat in the Beaver Office regretting it like I do.

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: 1x Music 3x Film 3x Theatre 2x Fashion 2x Food & Drink 2x Visual Arts 2x Literature 2x Technology Gareth Rosser @GarethRosser1 There will be a day when I move on from @beaveronline - clearly it wasn’t this weekend. Freshers’ editions are ready!

Nona Buckley-Irvine @nonajasmine Final Orientation talks ever this week, so emosh.

Katie Budd @klebudd It’s the most wonderful time of the year (Welcome Fair)! #helloLSE Tweet us @beaveronline to see your 140 characters in print!

News | 3

44 Lincoln’s Inn Site Named continued from cover

Section Editors: Esther Gross Suyin Haynes Deputy Editors: Vacant

Alongside recent and forthcoming building projects, the redeveloped Paul Marshall Building will help us to provide a greatly improved student experience, better resources for research, and an enhanced capacity for public engagement.”

LSE announced the name of the site as it launched an international design competition for the redevelopment of the site purchased from Cancer Research UK in 2013. The School is once again working with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) to run the competition, and has invited architects to express their interest.

Following a similar competition in 2009, the award-winning architects O’Donnell + Tuomey were selected to design the Saw Swee Hock Student Centre, shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize in 2014. Likewise, after a competitive process in 2013 LSE selected Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners for its major Centre Buildings redevelop-

ment, which is already underway.

In its invitation to architects and designers LSE has indicated it is looking for a design which will be environmentally sustainable, provide innovative teaching and research workspaces, enhance the public space around Lincoln’s Inn Fields, and inspire future generations of students and academics.

Students Protest Proposed Change to Maintenance Grants Rahat Siddique Staff Writer

O N T H U R S DAY 3 0 T H September, the Students’ Union (SU) will be launching its Campaign Network; one of its central campaigns this year is the #CutTheCosts campaign that aims to lobby the government against scrapping the maintenance grants. In this year’s summer budget, Chancellor George Osborne announced the plan to replace maintenance grants with a larger maintenance loan of £8,200. The maintenance grant is a means-tested grant available to students from low income backgrounds, families with a total income of less than £25,000 are entitled to the full £3,387 a year.

The SU are campaigning against these cuts, who like many, believe the cuts will have a devastating effect on the poorest in society. So far, they have

been writing letters to local MPs and lobbied the government on National Lobbying Day. This year-long campaign aims to tell the government that they should ‘cut the costs not our grants’.

Nona Buckley-Irvine, General Secretary of the London School of Economics (LSE) SU, has said, ‘LSE struggles to be socio economically diverse and the number of students from low participation neighbourhoods has declined in recent years. If LSE really wants to get the best students it should be opposing the cuts to maintenance grants, and unfortunately our Director is currently refusing to do so’.

The National Union of Students (NUS) have also expressed their concerns with the proposed plans and have often highlighted how these new reforms will deter financially disadvantaged students from applying to university. Earlier this week the NUS began taking legal action against the government, urg-

News

Gen Sec Named As One of London’s Most Influential People Suyin Haynes News Editor

THE GENERAL SECRETARY of the London School of Economics and Political Science’s (LSE) Student Union (SU), Nona Buckley-Irvine, has been listed as one of London’s top thousand influential people in 2015. The listing, carried out by the free daily London newspaper the Evening Standard, selected Buckley-Irvine as part of its ‘Thinkers’ category, joining other categories such as ‘Campaigners’, ‘Rising Star’ and ‘Literati’.

Buckley-Irvine joins those ranging from politician George Osborne, artist Grayson Perry and campaigner Baroness Lawrence on the diverse list, with LSE law professor Christine Chinkin and School Director Craig Calhoun also receiving nods. The General

Secretary’s, citation describes her as a feminist and mentions her decision to disband the LSE men’s rugby club after the distribution of homophobic and sexist leaflets at last year’s Freshers’ Fair.

When asked about her achievement, Buckley-Irvine told the Beaver: “It was pretty surprising to be in the top 1000, and I’d be intrigued to know the criteria involved. All I can say is I’m so grateful for having the opportunity to represent LSE students and hopefully the next year I can do our Union justice both on campus and in the wider world”.

A Third Year Government student told the Beaver, “I was over the moon when I saw Nona’s tweet. It makes me proud to be an LSE student; as a student body we are influential and it’s only right our General Secretary gets the recognition she deserves!”

ing them to consider the equality implications of the reform.

They believe that students from minority backgrounds will be negatively affected, making access to education much more difficult.

What remains to be asked, is how will students be affected by the scrapping of grants for a more generous loan scheme?

The central problem is the increased student debt, which will inevitably create a more unequal, economically stratified society. Nobel Laureate and economist, Joseph Stiglitz, when speaking on student debt in the USA, emphasizes the affect high student debt will have on access to opportunity. Although students graduating from university are statistically known to have higher incomes than those that don’t pursue further education, high levels of student debt means that graduates will typically have less purchasing power. Increasing tuition fees

and the cost of education, will mean that students will be lumbered with large amounts of unmanageable debt, much like the 2008 housing crisis.

The #CutTheCosts campaign will effectively lobby the government against toxic student debt and promote a fairer, more socially mobile society at LSE and in Britain. The effects of unmanageable debt have already been seen from the 2007 housing bubble, which the economy still hasn’t fully recovered from. You can take part in the campaign by writing to your local MP or by attending the Campaign Network launch which will take place at LSE on Thursday 30th September.

For more information on the Students’ Union bid against the proposed changes, visit: http://lsesu.tumblr. com/post/129142794783/saveour-maintenance-grants

4|

Tuesday September 29, 2015

LSE Management Students Celebrate Eid in Style Masters’ in FT’s Top Five Mahatir Pasha BME Officer

Suyin Haynes News Editor THE LONDON SCHOOL OF Economics and Political Science’s (LSE) global Masters in Management programme has placed within the top five of this year’s Financial Times Masters in Management ranking. The Global Alliance in Management Education’s (CEMS) Masters in International Management has climbed to fourth place – up one position from last year, and three positions from 2013’s ranking.

A global alliance of twenty nine of the world’s leading business schools and universities, CEMS offers a pre-experience Masters in International Management programme to over one thousand students worldwide.

Through the programme, students from LSE can spend terms abroad at other leading CEMS institutions learning business at a grassroots level, undertaking professional internships, developing language skills and immersing themselves in local culture.

The LSE is the only UK

member school of CEMS, and has been part of the alliance since 1991. Students at LSE who choose to join CEMS are awarded a dual degree qualification, graduating from both the LSE Master’s in Management degree programme, and from the CEMS MIM degree programme.

Professor Sandy Pepper, Programme Director of the LSE MSc Master’s in Management commented: “LSE’s Department of Management is committed to educating the next generation of global business leaders in an environment that prizes critical thinking, innovation and social betterment. We are delighted to be the only school in the UK to offer the highly-ranked CEMS Master’s in International Management programme, which is an integral part of our prestigious two-year MSc Management degree. The success of this programme is a testament to LSE’s outstanding teaching, its global reach, and most importantly, our exceptional faculty and students.”

THE LONDON SCHOOL OF Economics (LSE) Students’ Union (SU) hosted an Eid Celebration Social on Thursday 24th September which was open to all students old and new. The invitation was “for everyone and anyone who wants to experience the Muslim festival of Eid

and how it’s celebrated! Come for some food, some music and chilled conversation.”

That is exactly what happened. Around one hundred students took to the Faith Centre on Thursday evening to celebrate Eid-al-Adha, with Communities and Welfare Officer, Aysha Fekaiki, being one of the attending students.

“The food was finished in the

first fifteen minutes”, one student told The Beaver, with another adding “Everyone seemed to be in the mood for celebrations. It was lovely to see such community spirit at LSE. Religious holidays can be hard when you’re away from home and your family. The celebrations at LSE made it so much easier; you don’t feel as if you’re away from home at all.”

Changes to Room Booking System Disrupt Beginning of Term Megan Crockett Managing Editor

as new building work has taken place on campus which meant timetables had to overcome the loss of teaching and office space in the East Building. That, paired with the fact new room booking software was being introduced, was claimed to be the cause of this year’s delay.

The new room booking software made it impossible for Timetables as it prevented them from booking any rooms for lessons or lectures. This also affected societies on campus as the times, dates and locations of their give it a go sessions were also published late.

In addition, The Beaver has caught wind that Union General Meetings (UGM), that have historically taken place in the Old Theatre 1-2pm on a Thursday, will now be taking place in the Denning Learning Cafe on the first floor of the Saw Swee Hock. This comes as a result of the problem with the room booking system, as supposedly, the First Floor Cafe is not reserved through this system.

However, the feeling among many students on campus is that this may cause havoc; trying to hold a UGM in an open cafe, at a time that is typically used for

lunch. A Third Year History and Government student told the Beaver, “Given the SU’s supposed commitment to democracy, it seems ridiculous to pay it so little respect by holding our democratic meetings in a popular social location. The functionality of both the cafe and the UGM will be interrupted if this plan goes ahead.”

Although many students have now received their full timetables, there were a handful of students

who only had incomplete timetables on Sunday evening. This was potentially problematic given lectures could start the following morning.

For now, students can only wait and see whether Exam Timetables will be published on time. One can only hope that the changes to the room booking system will not have a prolonged affect on the day to day goings on around campus.

Photo credit: Wikipedia

THE START OF THE 2015/16 academic year at the London School of Economics (LSE) has not surprised its seasoned students. In true LSE style, students received their timetables later than expected, with personal timetables being published on Friday 25th September, only two days before the beginning of Michaelmas Term.

This is not the first time that students have received timetables late. In the last academic year students were due to receive their personal exam timetables by the second week of Summer Term, however, this was delayed too.

During the situation last Summer Term the Students’ Union (SU) wrote, “While we are pleased that the issue was resolved swiftly, it is unacceptable that this should happen, especially for a second year in a row. Students are right to expect that LSE has better checks in place to ensure exam timetables are published when promised. Other universities are able to publish their exam timetables well in advance of LSE, and we see no reason why LSE can’t

publish all exam timetables, at the very latest, by the end of Lent Term. The school must review its processes for next year (especially with the changes to the academic year and possibility of Lent Term exams) to ensure students are not inconvenienced by exam timetable delays again.”

In addition to this, the SU made suggestions on how we could prevent a similar situation happening in future, “We are in communication with the Pro-Director of Planning and Resources about how to resolve what happened this year with exam timetables, and how to make sure it does not happen again. We are exploring the idea of financial penalties for service departments who fail to deliver on key students services such as this, and will update you on what they come back with.”

The introduction of penalties may be one way of overcoming the problem being continually experienced by students, however, nothing seems to have been implemented thus far.

This term, students were once again left waiting longer than they should have for timetables. However, The Beaver has been reminded that this year was unique

RAG Start The Year As They Mean To Go On Kallum Pearmain Staff Writer EVEN BEFORE STUDENTS begin to grace the halls of the NAB and the Old Building, before classes and lectures start back and LSE life gets into full swing, the London School of Economics (LSE) Raising and Giving Society (RAG) have raised close to £25,000.

This is a staggering amount considering that in 2012 GKT RAG (the Raising and Giving Society for Kings College London) raised £39,936.71 in total for the whole academic year, a total that LSESU RAG is not far from already.

The money raised during Welcome Week came from sales of the RAG Pack, which went on sale in mid-August offering freshers entry

to four nights out, a Battle of the Halls T-shirt along with discounts to a number of bars, restaurants and shops in and around LSE. Money was also raised through the Monopoly Challenge which saw students racing round London in pairs to take selfies at as many Monopoly locations as possible, despite the poor weather.

LSESU RAG summed up their Welcome Week in numbers on Fa-

cebook, “One week. Four Nights.

2,500 People. 250 inflatables.

3,000 Glow Sticks. One incredible committee.”

RAG are aiming to top last year’s grand total of £101,000 and reach an impressive £200,000 this academic year. This means that they need to be raising £10,000 a week on average; Welcome Week has set them in good stead to reach their target this coming year.

News | 5

London Uni Roundup KING’S COLLEGE LONDON has fallen to nineteenth place in the QS world university rankings. The College has fallen three places from sixteenth last year, but managed to cling on to its “one of the top universities in the world” status.

The rankings scored Kings highly on numbers of international students, which make up half of the undergrad and postgrad body, as well as on academic and employer reputation.

Despite being declared “worldleading” in its research earlier this year, King’s scored relatively poorly in the QS for “citations per faculty” due to a change in methodology used by the ranking body.

NEW DATA FROM MONEY Supermarket reveals UCL to be the worst value university of the second year in a row. These results are based on accommodation prices, the cost of student essentials and insurances, which is higher for UCL students due to higher prices (and crime rates) in central London.

UCL is the most expensive of any university based in London, with UCL students paying approximately £185 per week on accommodation while Imperial students pay only £126. It’s not all bad news though, as UCL’s alcohol prices remain competitive, with a pint costing £2.40, only thirty pence more than a student would pay in Durham.

TWO SOAS ALUMNI WERE elected to parliament in the general election that took place this May. David Lammy was returned as the Labour MP for Tottenham, where he’s sat since 2000. In Hornsey and Wood Green, Liberal Democrat Home Office Minister, Lynne Featherstone, was ousted by Labour and SOAS alumni, Catherine West, who took more than half the votes cast.

West studies for a Masters’ degree in Chinese Studies at SOAS while Lammy graduated from SOAS with an LLB in 1993 before going on to study at Harvard Law School. He served as a minister in the last Labour government and has been a visiting lecturer at SOAS. Lammy is planning a bid to be Labour’s candidate for London Mayor.

6|

Tuesday September 29, 2015

The Private School Monopoly

Go directly to power. Do not pass meritocracy. Do not collect diversity.

Connor Mew Undergraduate Student

Comment

Section Editor: Mali Williams Deputy Editors: Vacant

EDUCATION: THE RIGHT to learning and personal development to which every human should have access. This fundamental right forms a key part of the backbone of Britain and its democratic values. However, why does access to a better education, and often better future prospects as a consequence, correlate with spending more money?

We only have to look at the education of an overwhelming majority of our present and former Westminster ministers to see why a private school education is widely associated with power, wealth and ameliorated prospects. A majority of the current members that constitute the House of Lords have, for the most part, received their education from institutions like Charterhouse, Winchester, Westminster School, Eton, Harrow, and St Paul’s, to name but a few.

The Old Boys’ network is perhaps the most prominent feature of a private school education, that catalyses routes into positions of power. Being part of a cohort who go on to secure the most privileged places is an obvious pull-factor for those who can afford to attend such schools. A prime case is the network that Eton is renowned for gluing together. Boris Johnson and David Cameron both attended Eton

during the same period, and both subsequently attended Oxford University, where they famously (or perhaps infamously) found mutuality in the Bullingdon Club. Is it therefore any surprise that the members of this club, including Cameron, Johnson, and George Osbourne, are now working within the same Conservative government? Quite literally, the country is being run by former classmates. Whether or not these individuals would have had the same success had they not attended Eton or St Paul’s is a subjective debate, however, what cannot be denied is the huge role their schools have played in their ascension upon the rungs of power.

Evidently, the ‘who you know’ card that is strategically played

by Old Boys has a huge amount of socio-economic power. Nevertheless, Boris, Dave and his pals have not only secured their power through being dormitory buddies.

The values that a private school education cultivates go a long way in developing an individual’s confidence and a creation of a superiority complex that can result in future success. The academic rigour, internal structure and the extra-curricular societies that these schools foster make it a perfect playing field for power and confidence. As an example, look at the boarding traditions that are still upheld by the likes of Rugby and Uppingham. One

learns from an early age to exert one’s authority and compete with other boys and girls amongst house systems and the internal ranks of age such as Grecians and Erasmus. The result is a microcosm of quasi-parliamentary power that parallels the external society and promotes climbing the ladder of power through selfachievement and healthy rivalry.

A fee-paying private education is generally only available to the wealthy pockets of the country.

Of course, there are increasing numbers of bursaries and scholarships available, but they are still an underwhelming minority. This becomes apparent when an economically disadvantaged child is accepted on a scholarship to Eton or Harrow and makes front page news. The result of the feepaying monopoly is that many of these institutions are saturated by the same sort of families earning the same sort of income. This engenders lowered social mobility and a worrying lack of socioeconomic diversity in the schools.

If a large percentage of these schools are still largely constituted by the sons and daughters of stock brokers and company directors, how can we expect there to be a shift in social mobility and a raised standards of living?

A viable alternative which has served the country well for centuries and created huge improvements in social mobility is grammar schools. In any democ-

racy, a meritocracy should be the prevailing fuel for achievement and social mobility, rather than one’s bank account. The fact that grammar schools foster similar values to private schools means a pupil is getting access to an excellent academic environment and an opportunity for personal growth, minus the £30,000-ayear price tag. This promotes the idea of meriting success, reward and achievement through one’s own capabilities. The fact that grammar school attendees come from a vast range of social demographics means the unifying quality is intelligence and talent, rather than family income.

Unfortunately, the focus on grammar schools has become less pronounced during recent years, and there is a worrying lack of them when compared to private schools. It is about time we began investing more into grammar schools, and stopped existing ones changing into fee-paying schools.

Alas, private schools still remain the somewhat fetishized institutions associated with the ruling members of society. Whilst few of us would refuse the rich experience that they offer, what many of us would turn down is the hole that this educational privilege burns in one’s current account. What is the solution? It is more scholarships, more grammar schools and, above all, more meritocracy.

Refugees: Why We Must Help

The rest of the UK can learn from charitable activities in North Devon Adam Crowther Undergraduate Student

I COME FROM A SMALL town in North Devon and I recently organised a march within the area to rally the local government, specifically the district council and my constituency MP, to take a positive stance towards refugees and to create a ‘sanctuary’ status. The reactions to the march were mixed, but on the whole, I was pleasantly surprised. A lovely group of approximately 70 people arrived outside the Council buildings, ready and eager to make a difference. I received countless messages from people that could not attend but longed to be there, along with their best wishes. There was an amazing feeling of positivity and we set off loud and proud.

Throughout the march only a few people openly confronted us, and there were occasional scowls and little comments, but I expected this, as the topic of refugees is a controversial one. The reaction from the majority of people how-

ever, was one of bemusement. It seemed that lots of people were a little confused.

This is why I think it is so important to clarify some things; because we must help. These people aren’t migrants immigrating to our country (which is a different debate in itself), but people fleeing war, starvation, and a dictatorship that imprisons people for doing the very same things that my fellow protestors and I did last week. These people travel hundreds of miles, crossing seas, walking in the dead of night, through torrential rain and unbearable heat, to get to a country such as the UK. They may have family here, they may have been offered shelter by a contact, or they may even just understand some of the destination country’s language.

When they get here, currently, they are turned away and are forced to live in camps with no water, no real clothing, and very little food. They are considered to be, as Katie Hopkins wrote infamously in The Sun, ‘vermin’.

With a little compassion, I am sure we could accept many more

refugees than the 20,000 that has been promised by David Cameron.

Moreover, we’d benefit from it, despite what some national newspapers suggest. These people are dedicated families who want to be a part of a community. They want to be positive forces in British society; they want their children to grow up happy and safe, away from the brutalities of their home country; they want to be accepted. If we open our hearts, we could soon see a Syrian refugee working as a doctor at a rural hospital in the Lake District, and caring for your elderly relative in one of Glasgow’s nursing homes, and as a teaching assistant at an inner-city school in London, and maybe even driving an ice cream van at my local beach back in Devon.

Britain is a beautiful place full of caring people. I see it daily with the massive support for charities.

I have also seen it in the reactions people have when a member of the community passes away before their time, and the touching moments people have to remember these individuals. Things are be-

ing done as I write this to help the refugees by a great group of people. A lovely woman back home is doing an amazing job of organising collection points throughout North Devon, and I saw that vans full of stuff from LSE was donated and driven to help people in Calais, whilst the increasing amount of grassroots support is continuing to change public opinion on these refugees.

Yet, more needs to be done.

Let us rally together. Let us show that we are equally compassionate for these refugees as we are for all the amazing stuff we already do in our lives. Let us make sure that next time we see a Syrian child, it is them playing in one of London’s great parks, rather than washed up on a beach. Hopefully, with a positive attitude based on hope rather than fear, we can start to deal with this crisis and help our fellow human beings, whether they are your next door neighbours or people from the other side of the continent.

If you would like to learn more, search Facebook for ‘North Devon Refugee Solidarity’.

Comment | 7

End Our Student Dissatisfaction

LSE must address its recent low student satisfaction scores for its own sake Megan Crockett Managing Editor

its students coming from a variety of ethnic, religious and economic backgrounds seems to ignore the dissatisfaction of the minorities on campus. For example, the satisfaction rate for students with dyslexia is a low sixty seven per cent, somewhat lower than the eighty two per cent suggested by students with no known disability. In addition, white students had an eighty one per cent satisfaction rate, while Asian students had a seventy four per cent satisfaction rate, and nonwhite students a lowly seventy one per cent. Female students are also less satisfied than men, scoring sixty and sixty six per cent respectively.

The Sabbatical Team wrote “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.” I could not agree more. The School need to stop priding themselves on parts of the institution they are all too ready to ignore.

The School is looking to increase the number of students attending to twelve thousand. With such a large proportion of the student body dissatisfied, I don’t believe they are in any position to start increasing. The School needs to sort out the problems experienced by current students before they even think about inviting more to join; I have a sneaky suspicion the increase is due to money, and we all know that students bring a lot of it with them when they begin to study, but it’s time that we put greed aside and focus on what is important to those students already on campus.

So, what can we do about it?

Although it may seem that constant UGMs and lobbying is falling on deaf ears, I believe it is extremely important that we continue to use these forms of communication with the School. The School must be continually made aware that, firstly, we are not happy and, secondly, we will not rest until something is done about it.

Credit: Flickr: Evan Bench

I AM SURE IT COMES as no surprise to eager Beaver readers, or just those of you who keep up to date with news on campus, that the London School of Economics scored extremely low in this year’s league tables for student satisfaction. This just is not on!

In a post on the LSESU Tumblr, Nona, our General Secretary, told the School it needs to “stop failing [its] students” and this article is going to reinforce Nona, and the whole Sabb team’s view entirely.

Undergraduate home students are paying £27,000 for the privilege of receiving an LSE degree; that’s just a bit more than £50 an hour. That may sound horrendous, it is a lot of money, but us home students are relatively fortunate compared to the fees being paid by international students and postgraduates. The most expensive postgraduate course, Executive Global MSc Management, will this year cost students £27,000.

With the sheer amount of money students are paying in order to study at the School, I think it is only right that our satisfaction is of the utmost importance. Sadly, this does not seem to be the case.

LSE’s student satisfaction now sits five points below the national average and six points behind its fellow institutions in the Russell Group. For a university that prides itself on student employment prospects and its academic excellence, it seems that student satisfaction is overlooked. The SU have pointed out that in the last academic year “there has been little effort to prioritise students and implement substantial change”.

Anyone who has been at LSE for a year or two will, no doubt, be well aware of the ongoing debate and lobbying for exam feedback.

Last year, Tom Maksymiw, former Education Officer, was only successful with some departments; many departments are still dig-

ging their in heels against giving exam feedback, despite it being extremely important to the student body. I honestly don’t think it is that complicated; if students (who are paying to study at the School) have asked for something like exam feedback, then implementing it should surely be at the top of the agenda. If academic excellence is what we’re aiming for, then feedback can only help students reach their full potential.

On coming to LSE I was shocked at the lack of feedback I received. Perhaps my Sixth Form had just been over-generous, but at some points I felt completely abandoned, only getting a mark back and some circles on a feedback sheet. Of course, you can utilise office hours to talk through essays and the marks you have been given, but this isn’t always feasible.

Especially when there is only one hour per week for everyone in that class/course. From talking to students on campus, it doesn’t seem that I am on my own either. Many students wish there were more contact hours, better feedback, and just generally more support. Students are not satisfied. The worse part is, it’s not through a lack of trying.

The low student satisfaction scores won’t be missed by prospective students either. Applying for university is a huge ordeal, the late nights spent perfecting your personal statement and battling with teachers to up your target grades is not carried out in vain. Students looking to apply to LSE will see that it scores a lot lower than other institutions; we might miss out on some fantastic students. This will have a knock on effect for LSE’s status as a world leading institution. If students are not fighting for places at the LSE, put off by low student satisfaction, it seems only too likely LSE will lose its ‘prestigious’ title.

I remember being sat in the Peacock Theatre as Craig Calhoun spoke about how varied the student body is at LSE. It’s horrendous that a university that boasts about

Get Yourself Stuck In With LSESU Societies Perdita Blinkhorn Collective Chair

Continued from Cover You can be sure we have something to cater for everyone; even if we don’t, starting your own society or club is simple.

Undoubtedly, this was the best way for me to get involved in my university’s community. Not only have the LGBT+ Alliance in particular provided some of the best nights out for both LGBT+ and straight students

that I have experienced, LSE societies have allowed me to meet some of the most inspiring people I have ever come across.

So far, I haven’t even touched on the sports clubs in the LSE Athletics Union, which is where the fun begins for many.

Personally, the Hockey Club is where it’s at for me; it’s an incredibly friendly and sociable club that cares about bringing sports to students of all abilities and backgrounds. Being part of the undefeated women’s first team last year and a member of the Club of the Year was pretty

sweet too. However, there is so much more to the AU, from volleyball to rowing, as well as our famous Wednesday social events - they can get a bit sticky (you have been warned) but you can never have more fun than with your team mates.

While some students may be concerned about the reputation of university sports in the, shall we say, ‘respectability’ department, the AU executive committee are working harder than ever to make sports open to everyone.

Writing for the Beaver was

also an immense pleasure in my debuting year here, as I could writing about almost anything I wanted, and essentially get my rantings published. It was great to develop my writing skills on a flexible basis and it has allowed me to research items that I found useful in my studies. I would encourage giving it a go as it is highly rewarding, and this year we have exclusive perks for our best and most frequent contributors.

It was not without some trepidation that I took on as much as I did, as getting involved in

so many societies took a lot of time and effort. Despite this, I have never once regretted being a part of the SU family; in fact, it encouraged me to become even more involved this year.

Oh, when will I ever learn?

Do you agree?

Tweet @BeaverOnline or email

comment@thebeaveronline.co.uk

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042730-380x285-LSE.indd 1

23/09/2015 14:46

Inside

OMG What can I disband as a kneejerk expression of power now?!

SHOCK AS LSE SURVIVES FRESHERS FAIR WITHOUT SCANDAL

The NAB 1000:

LSE’s Most Influential People

LSE100 lecturer In the HQ of London’s premier free newspaper, The Lets set the scene: they’re on stage, holding a microphone NAB, there was a lot of criticism of that fish wrap- in front of a captive audience. Captive, obviously, in the per The Evening Standard’s grading of London’s most sense that their sleeping minds are ripe for suggestion. influential people. Even on this campus Calhoun and Whatever this lecturer says in a level, hypnotic tone will Buckley-Irvine don’t get a look in next to these movers be nested in those First Years subconscious forever. and shakers. Hold-orn while we list the most influential people in Holborn.

Tuns Bartenders Influence over whether to enforce the minimum card limit That fresher that’s always posting on the hall page is influence over whether you drink two pints or one and Don’t tell us that we were the only ones checking out what thus influence over whether you end up attending lectures trainers this guy was wearing in the #banterous picture or in A&E having your stomach pumped. where he had a piss on the Virginia Woolf Building before going to Saucy Executive Editor of The Beaver Chooses which unflattering photos of BNOCs will appear The Faceless SU Bureaucrats in print that week (see above).

These puppeteers congregate on the 3rd Floor where they tug on the the strings of everyone below them. No- John Sweeney body is exempt; we all were stuck to them with red tape Not a fit and proper person to have influence at the LSE on registration.

Jack Tindale The Econ student that falls asleep in the Peacock theatre 30 years later, he’s still holding on. Now only rolled out and all the photos go online for ceremonial occasions but when he talks, we still listen.

Lets face it - this banter may be tired, just like this student, but when they delicately rests their forehead on the Liam Hill point of their Bic Medium, we’re all drawn to replicate Ditto (but nobody listens) that tiny smudge of biro ink Head of Co-Operative Food Paul Kelly Tramping all over our fond memories of £2.99 pizza in Hot Sweats up the lift so that you can’t see yourself in the mir- with his clean, salmonella free, well lit food shop. How ror on the way up to GV100 lectures dare he uphold Food Hygiene standards like that.

Whoever it was that decided to fuck up Houghton St You, yes, you have influenced everyone at LSE for the worse. How are we supposed to get to the Aldwych now?!

And on that note...

The Lady in Wrights Bar Every day she takes on the big decisions that really make a difference, like what seemingly arbitrary price your sandwich will cost and whether she’s going to increase your cholesterol with excess salt without asking Photo credit: Flickr: SomeDriftwood

The one guy that checks all the mandatory course readings out of the library This individual will do anything to get to the top. We all admire and envy them in equal measure. Nobody else has such a power to irk the student body.

Jason Wong Managed to get the Executive Editor of The Beaver to stand down based on criticism he received for an interview with Jason that wasn’t even printed. Well done mate, pat on the back, but please don’t come for me next...

10|

Tuesday September 29, 2015

Corbynomics or Corbynmania?

Corbyn is not a danger to the UK economy, rather his programme is a recipe for sustainable long term growth

Section Editor: Alex Gray Alex Gray Labour Society Member Deputy Editors: Vacant

The City

THE ELECTION OF JEREMY Corbyn has been controversial to say the least. Politically, there is no doubt that he is among the most left wing leaders the Labour party has ever had. Economically however, he is far less extreme.

In a recent open letter to the Guardian 41 economists, including a professor from the LSE, wrote to say that it was not Corbyn’s economic policies that were extreme, but the current regime of austerity. Given the response from the mainstream media, this letter appears to have had little impact on public discourse, so it is worth echoing its sentiment here.

As will be familiar to most readers, the current government policy is focussed on eliminating a government spending deficit that, at its peak, stood at 10.2% of GDP. This figure is admittedly unsustainable. The way that the government has gone about cutting this deficit is by reducing government spending, whilst leaving taxes more or less alone, bar the rise in VAT to 20%. This has, according to the ONS and others, meant that the poorest in society have been hit the hardest. Last week, in an inaugral ruling, a coroner linked a suicide directly to the DWP’s attempt to enforce benefits sanctions.

This is not only cruel, in making those who were by no

means responsible for the crash paying for its consequences, but it has not worked. Osborne has failed by nearly all of his own measures on the deficit, as evidenced by him all but abandoning all of his previous targets in the 2015 budget. In the 2015 election he was extremely lucky: aided greatly in the collapsing oil price leading to an improvement in real wages, even when nominal growth is historically low. Employment was also astonishingly resiliant, given the depressed demand conditions.

Yet the recent surprise fall in tax receipts adds credence to the notion that the relatively good performance of employment figures has been fuelled by low paid self employment, rather than the sort of high waged work that one would hope for.

“We can start to invest in services that not only people, but business sorely needs” This is not, however, the only way. The recent election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader, with a huge mandate (around 60% of the selectorate, higher than Tony Blair’s) brings some hope to this situation. Mounting public debt, as the shadow chancellor has outlined, is no doubt a problem. To spend more on servicing debt than on the police force, as we currently do, is doubtless not an ideal situation.

These arguments that the deficit should be under control are almost universally agreed upon by the UK public who are so used to hearing talk of ‘getting Britain back in the black’.

Corbyn’s plan to tackle this deficit, which now stands at a much more reasonable 4.9% of GDP is not only more compassionate, but potentially more effective. To narrow the gap between what the government spends and what it takes in, Corbyn’s plan is to bolster receipts rather than to cut expenditure.

He has stated that the way to do this is less to raise taxes on corporations, but to ensure that the corporations simply pay the taxes that they already owe. Given that corporation tax is currently the lowest in the OECD at 19%, this is surely not a massive ask. Even if Corbyn’s figure of £120bn is a bit steep, as a principle it stands as an ideal way of funding services.

It is this money, the money that we are owed, that we can use to start to invest in the services that not only people, but businesses sorely need. Policies like investment in high speed internet connections, a better rail network and the like will help businesses connect and trade with other firms across the UK, boosting international competitiveness. A national investment bank, like they have in Germany and many other countries, would be an excellent way of ensuring that the investment in the UK infrastructure is coherent and effective. Again, this is not only to the benefit of the

people of Britain, but also to their employers.

An idea that has come under much attack is his proposal for ‘people’s QE’. That is, the idea that the Bank of England would create money and use this money to fund infrastructure projects across the country. To argue that this is a radical policy, whilst not arguing the same about the current monetary policy of the BoE is inconsistent.

The current policy of the BoE creating money and using it to buy government and corporate bonds is, in principle, the same policy. The difference is that instead of the banks getting the money, it would be the workers and manufacturers working on the project that was the recipient.

This may indeed be inflationary, but the same also applies to “normal” QE. At a time when inflation is at 0%, and with Corbyn being clear that this is not a policy that would be used in times of moderate levels of inflation, many of the perceived “dangers” of the policy are simply proxies for people’s fears of a politically left wing government. This is, at best, disingenuous.

In short, whatever Corbyn’s political failings, his economic policies are far from extreme.

Economists should welcome the debate, and challenging the economic policies of the government which have, by their own measures, failed almost entirely in cutting the deficit or tackling the structural problems the UK faces.

City Societies AS A N YONE W HO attended freshers fair will know, there are a huge range of City and Economics related societies at LSE. Whilst many are aimed at helping you get your foot on the ladder for your chosen career, there are many whose scope is less career focussed.

To echo the Freshers edition note, my aim this year is to get as many of the societies, and different people across the LSE engaged with the Beaver by both reading and contributing.

With this in mind, althought many of the societires are still waiting for the booking rights, some upcoming society events that might be of interest to City readers are listed here:

The Occupy LSE movement has an introductory meeet and greet at 17:00 on 29/09 KSW.1.04 The LSESU Entrepreneurship Society is holding a free social on 06/10 at the Jerusalem Bar and Kitchen starting at 18:30 The LSESU Consultancy Society are holding a meet and greet at 18:00 on 30/09 with the room TBC, check their Facebook for the location

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LSESU EconSoc is planning a Freshers Pub Quiz in the King George IV campus 05/10 at 19:00 LSESU Women Leaders of Tomorrow are hosting a breakfast with Morgan Stanley at The National Gallery on 05/10 at 08:30

Have an opinion?

Tweet us @BeaverOnline or email city@thebeaveronline.co.uk

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The leaking of data from Ashley Madison exposed not only cheaters but also exceptionally exploitative business practices.

Billy Wildi Undergraduate student

Features

ASHLEY MADISON IS A terrible company. Market capitalism means they have an active incentive to encourage people to cheat on their partners; which they did through exceedingly misogynistic, fat-shaming advertising. That information, though, was already public; what the August data breach showed was just how exploitative this company actually was. The data leak wrecked Ashley Madison and other sleazy sites like it, and that is why I am supporting it at the Debate Society’s first show debate of the year.

Ashley Madison charges users (more specifically men) for messaging women, or to read messages that have been sent to them. Ashley Madison admits publicly that ‘For Your Entertainment’, they generate fictional female profiles, who are not obviously identified as duds.

However, users are still charged for interactions with them.

The data leak revealed further though that less than 1% of the women registered on the website actually used the site; the majority of the 5 million female accounts were fake.

Leaked emails showed the company was paying people to create fake profiles and send messages. Add to this the fact that users had to pay to delete their accounts, which were then of course not actually deleted; Ashley Madison was undoubtedly a multi-million-dollar scam. The data leak uncovered just this, doing large financial damage to Ashley Madison, and hopefully making users more wary before they sign up to similar websites.

However, many argue that

A Note From The Editors: As another academic year commences, the Features team at The Beaver is beginning its search for prospective student journalists and editors.

We are currently looking to hire three deputy editors. Applicants should be extremely keen and committed. So if you are an avid writer, or interested in getting involed with

this was not hacktivism uncovering a malicious site, but rather a gross infringement of the privacy rights of individuals who had their personal data shared, making them vulnerable to public shaming, family breakup and possible blackmail. Ashley Madison, in a series of brilliantly crafted and deeply affronted press releases, described the leak as an “act of cyberterrorism” against “freethinking people who choose to engage in fully lawful online activities”, and complained about those who “have turned the focus of the criminal act against Ashley Madison inside out, attacking us instead of the hackers.”

Furthermore, it is important to recognise that spouses deserve the right to know what kind of person they are in a relationship with, and that this should accrue more importance than any claimed right of an individual to pursue adultery.

Blackmailing is obviously condemnable, but note that Ashley Madison was already extorting its users beforehand. In the long-run, the data leak is likely to mean less people get exploited because fewer of them are going to sign up to Ashley Madison or their competitors.

The Ashley Madison data leak seriously hurt a company with an extremely dubious premise and exploitative business practices, that ironically treated its members with about as little respect as the members gave their spouses.

If you would like to hear a different opinion then come and listen to some of the best debaters in London tackle the motion, “This House supports the Ashley Madison Data Leak” at LSE this week. There will be high quality discussion followed by one of the Debate Society’s renowned socials hope to see you there!

The Pocket Philosopher Edmund Smith Undergraduate student Credit: commons.wikimedia.org

Section Editors: George Harrison Taryana Odayar Deputy Editors: Vacant

This House Supports: Ashley Madison Data Leak

Features | 11

The Beaver’s new Pocket Philosopher columnist briefly summarises Gottlob Frege’s move away from intuitionism, towards absolute certainty in the validity of mathematical proofs; at the end of the nineteenth and start of the twentieth.

GOTTLOB FREGE WAS A philosopher and mathematician who worked at the very end of the 19th century, and at the start of the 20th. In his time, intuitionism in mathematical proofs was the nor m. The chains of reasoning in proofs would often include intuitive leaps of judgement.

These leaps would often be quite uncontroversial for a time, and a few decades later a clever counterexample to the logical structure of the proof would be found - demolishing both the proof and any further work that had been done atop it.

Frege, therefore set out to construct an artificial language within which all the reasoning needed for mathematical proofs could be done.

Features to help us provide indepth analyses of current issues and interesting interviews with interesting people then send us an email stating your interest to features@thebeaveronline.co.uk or alternatively, come along to our give it a go session on Thursday 8th October, at 6pm in the Venue.

If you would like to join our mailing list to receive weekly story lists and ideas then sign up online via the LSESU website and look for the Beaver Society.

If you would like to write for Features or have any story ideas you wish to share, do not hesitate to get in touch with

features@thebeaveronline.co.uk

In his language there would be no leaps of intuitionism, and thus absolute certainty in the validity of mathematical proofs.

But how is such a language to be constructed such that it is not built in an arbitrary fashion? As it so happens, much of the philosophy of language that underpins Frege’s logic is arbitrary for example - his treatment of proper names.

But it is hard to see what the alter native could be. After all, how can one reason about what one is going to count as reasonable?

12 |

Tuesday September 29, 2015

DEMOCRACY AT LSESU How To Get Involved

RUN FOR ELECTION The big decisions about the Union’s strategy, finance and day-today running are made by elected student officers, known as Student Reps.

Elections take place twice a year - in Michaelmas Term and again in Lent Term. There are lots of different roles that you can stand for; some are full-time, some are part-time and some are paid. For more info check out www.lsesu. com/elections

PARTICIPATE IN THE UNION GENERAL MEETING Each week there is a Union General Meeting (UGM) where the Union’s stance on different issues is debated. You can then vote online for or against the proposed policy at www.lsesu. com/vote

HOLD YOUR ELECTED STUDENT REPS TO ACCOUNT The elected Student Reps are here to serve you. Make sure they’re listening to your views.

Quiz them at the UGM or via email, read their blogs and come along to Annual General Meeting (AGM).

SUBMITTING A MOTION FOR DEBATE IS EASY Use the online form at: www.lsesu.com/yourunion or send it via email to su.democracy@lse. ac.uk.

It must adhere to the following structure: 1. This Union notes (facts about your policy) 2. This Union believes (why you think these facts are relevant/important/good/bad) 3. This Union resolves (what the Union should do as a result)

The Union

YOUR DEMOCRACY YOUR DEMOCRACY YOURDEMOCRACY DEMOCRACY YOUR DEMOCRACY YOUR COMMITTEE COMMITTEE COMMITTEE COMMITTEE COMMITTEE

PREVIOUS SUCCESSFUL MOTIONS INCLUDE: Introducing BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) Students’ Officer, condemning human rights abuses in Sri Lanka and supporting free education.

If there’s something you want to change within the Union, or a big issue that you think it should have a stance on, proposing a motion is the way to do it. An in-depth guide on how to submit it at www. lsesu.com/yourunion

We have beenbeen elected to make sure sure that that democracy processes at at We have elected to make democracy processes Wehave have been elected make that democracy processes We been elected totomake sure that democracy processes We have been elected to sure that democracy processes at atat LSESU run smoothly andmake are open tosure everyone.

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Meet The Democracy Committee:

KATIE FLYNN FRYER BELLBELL KATIE FLYNN JAKEJAKE FRYER FRASER FRASER Katie Flynn Fraser Bell Jake Fryer KATIE FLYNN JAKE FRYER FRASER BELL KATIE FLYNN JAKE FRYER FRASER BELL UGM Chair Democracy Committee Returning OOcerOOcer UGM Chair Democracy CommitteeFRASER Returning KATIE FLYNN JAKE FRYER BELL UGM Chair

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Returning Democracy Chair Chair Democracy Committee Returning Returning OOcer Democracy Committee Returning OOcer Officer Democracy Committee OOcer Committee Chair Chair ChairChair

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HARI PRABU HARI PRABU Committee HARI PRABU HARI PRABU Committee Member Committee Member HARI PRABU Member

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JOSHUA IP IP JOSHUA Committee JOSHUA JOSHUA IPIP Committee Member Committee Member JOSHUA IP Member

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The Union | 13

Welcome To LSESU RAG James Wurr RAG President

A HUGE WELCOME TO LSE from everyone at RAG Headquarters and an even bigger welcome back to all returning students. Being at one of the most intense universities in the world means you need to let off steam and there’s no better way to do that than by fundraising for charity and getting involved in RAG. But what exactly is RAG? We are the Raising And Giving society, which means we are the fundraising arm of the Students Union. RAG runs events and challenges as well as offering support and advice to encourage students to get involved in fundraising and volunteering.

Last year, we raised £100,000 for charities including Spires, IntoUniversity and War Child and this years target is an ambitious £200,000.

RAG raises money for 10+ charities every year. Four of these are challenge charities (more about that later) and you, the students, choose three others. Every year we have a local, a national and an international charity, that apply and are then shortlisted by the RAG committee; a record breaking 128 applied for 2015/16! The next step is to give you, the student body,

the opportunity to vote on which charities you want to raise money for. The vote is taking place between Tuesday and Thursday this week so log on to www.lsesu. com/vote to have your say!

RAG raises money for these fantastic causes through events and challenges held throughout the year. Our events are some of the biggest on campus and the RAG Pack Welcome Week club nights raised an incredible £23,000. We also run Pub Crawls, a Winter Ball and film screenings on campus. These events are in addition to our Annual RAG Week in Lent Term Week 3 where the whole student body engages in volunteering and fundraising! This year we’ve also introduced a new and exciting event – RAG On Tour. Effectively this will involve taking a busload of LSE students to another city in the UK, possibilities include Birmingham, Reading and Oxford, for a weekend.

Here, we will collaborate with another RAG to do a bucket collection, go on a big night out and do something cultural before bringing you back to London! Stay tuned for more info.

Moving away from events, RAG also runs challenges throughout the year of which there are two main types – external and internal. Our external challenges raise huge sums of money for preselected chari-

ties and range from the London to Paris bike ride in aid of Breast Cancer Now to running the Amsterdam Marathon to our legendary treks of the Atlas Mountains and Kilimanjaro.

Info sessions will be in Week 2 so come along for a life changing experience.

Our internal challenges are highly anticipated and include three hitchhikes, Tough Guy and a Santa Dash. Our three hitchhikes range from RAG Gets Lost where you’re dropped off in an unknown location and teams race back to London, to escaping the LSE prison in our Jailbreak, to our European Hitch at the end of Lent Term. Alternatively, if you think you’re tough enough then take part in Tough Guy when 50 RAGlets will take on mud, fire and the cold in the ultimate obstacle course. Finally, around Christmas expect to see Santa’s running their way around campus fuelled by mince pies and mulled wine in the first ever RAG Santa Dash!

As you can see we have a huge number of events and challenges planned this year. If you want to get more involved with RAG then come along to our elections and welcome talk on Tuesday 29th September at 6pm in the Saw Swee Hock Centre First Floor Café. Here, we will have nine wider exec

positions up for grabs including a Postgraduate Officer, RAG Week Officers, Hitchhike Officers, RAG On Tour Officers, RAG Campaigns Officer and Tough Guy Officer. Alterna-

tively, if you don’t want to run then get involved by taking part in our events and challenges as they all raise money for incredible causes! #EatSleepRaiseRepeat

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Tuesday 29 September , 2015

BENEVOLENCE NOT BENEFICENCE:

A BREAKDOWN OF BANKY’S DISMALAND Ollie Norman CONCLUDING ITS MONTH long run at the derelict Tropicana lido in Weston-Super-Mare this Sunday, Dismaland is simultaneously amongst the best, and worst things that Banksy has ever contrived. Dismaland promises so much; a clever, cynical take on the ‘big issues’ of our time, Banksy calling it a theme park ‘for the left’, acknowledging ‘inequality and impending catastrophe’. Visitors leave the park slightly bemused and depressed, if they possess the awareness to see past their selfie stick.

On its own merit much of Banksy’s work is effective on the level of a glib joke, you’ll chuckle along, but you already know the punchline (which is of course that capitalism is bad, the state is spying on us, that we’re self-regarding consumer slaves, and no-one really gives a shit that Diana died etc.).

This is because whilst claiming to

be subversive and political, these exposés of society are no such thing. It is not as if we, upon viewing one of Banksy’s oh so subtle warnings (see picture for case in point) will break free from our false consciousness, and act according to our true interests. I would consider this a pretty certain scenario, as (conscious as ever not to fall into a plagiaristic pitfall) Peter Sloterdjik contends, we are postmodern cynics now, passively critiquing consumerism and ideologies of market liberalism, and yet considering them unavoidable. All this kind of plaintive mockery does is to reinforce that if so called political art continues to produce reiterations of shop-worn denouncements of capitalism (and the like), all it is doing is bearing witness to its futility.

But wait one minute. That sentiment in fact is precisely what Dismaland managed to convey in this slightly beery spectator/reviewer (the Thatchers factory shop being a convenient halfway point stop to

pick up some supplies) – a sense that for a supposedly subversive theme park with a ‘message’, that the supposed critical content just wasn’t there, and we didn’t really care. A sojourn to the centrepiece of the park illustrates this point most clearly. The crashed pumpkin carriage surrounded by paparazzi (ranks swollen by keenly snapping spectators) does little but remind you that, “oh yeah, that happened”. Am I dead inside? Similarly the experience of paying for a pack of bus shelter ad-busters is the kind of performance art piece which embodies the dead-end micro political ‘art’ form of resistance of Bourriaud’s Relational Aesthetics.

Has Banksy perhaps managed to achieve a meta-commentary on political art in Dismaland? In case this claim seems unsubstantiated and wildly over-academicized, then consider that Banksy has not in the past shied away from self-referential and ‘meta-‘ pieces, such as his 2010 film, Exit Through the Gift

Shop. On that occasion, the subject of Banksy’s own fame was playfully twisted about such that he was able to play the voice of conservative disapproval against the protagonist ‘Guetta’, a proto-Banksy.

With Dismaland, I contend that Banksy has achieved a great deal.

He has found that his work can be positive and emancipatory, he has transcended the cycle of impotent critique through real action, admittedly beginning last year, when an artwork was painted on a piece of wood outside Broad Plain Boy’s club in Bristol which was facing closure. The ‘mobile lovers’ artwork raised £400,000 for the club, abating their financial worries.

Likewise, Dismaland is projected to have boosted the local economy by £7 million, with a projected 4,000 visitors per day (a sorely needed intervention; if you are unfamiliar with Weston, imagine the woes of a declining seaside town, the

FASHION

FASHION SOCIETY VICE PRESIDENT ANDRE BOGUES SHARES HIS THREE FAVOURITE LONDON FASHION WEEK LOOKS Photos: Andre Bogues

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South West’s Blackpool/Great Yarmouth if you will, except that the attraction of ‘sea’ and ‘sand’ have been replaced with an expanse of sticky mud and estuarine waters with the opacity of a good cup of tea).

Banksy has managed, with a disappointing theme park, full of anti-capitalist, anti-statist propaganda, to attract people and capital to an heretofore underdeveloped and neglected portion of the English coastline, thus re-appropriating his highly commodified art though considering for once its context.

Well, put it this way, whether fully part of Banksy’s intention or otherwise, finding myself in that godforsaken place for the first time since a Year 8 Geography field trip, I didn’t feel like I’d had quite such a Weston.

VISUAL ARTS

FOOD&DRINK

SHIKUMEN RESTAURANT REVIEW

CAROLINE SCHURMAN-GRENIER Shikumen has a very modern Chinese restaurant vibe to it. With long tables and subdued lighting, it looks sophisticated but not overwhelmingly so. Attention is paid particularly to the setting of the tables. We fell in love with the plates and contemplated the idea of stealing them to take them back to our respective flats.

Thankfully we didn’t.

We started off with some steamed vegetable dumplings. We weren’t quite able to put our finger on exactly what flavors were present, but whatever they were - we loved them. The dumplings were light and colorful, an added bonus for the aesthetic look of the plate. We also ordered salt and pepper squid, this was a lovely dish because it was not too battered; it was just the right amount to be crispy but not so much that you felt bad about eating fried food. A killer combination in my books. We then moved onto crispy duck pancakes. The duck was a little dry, but still had some good flavors in it; with some hoisin sauce and vegetables, it tasted absolutely lovely.

Eager to try the rest, we moved onto noodles with beef and eggs, pork belly buns, steamed veggies and eggplant with minced chicken. The noodles and eggplant were phenomenal, they were not too oily, and the flavors were present and varied. We were not big fans of the pork belly as the sauce was too thick and the pork belly didn’t have quite enough taste to our liking. That being said, considering how much we loved the rest of the food, I wouldn’t write off Shikumen just for the pork belly. The service was very efficient, our plates were always changed and we were constantly asked if we were doing alright. Save up and try Shikumen out!

SHIKUMEN DORSETT HOTEL 58 SHEPHERD’S BUSH GREEN LONDON W12 8QE

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VISIT US AT BEAVERONLINE.CO.UK OR TWEET @BEAVERONLINE

Welcome To The AU

Whether a complete beginner or an olympic athelete the AU is for you Guest Editor: Alex Dugan Deputy Editors: Vacant

Julia Ryland AU President

Sport

MY FIRST WEEK AT LSE was hard. Having just moved into High Holborn and I felt more out of my depth and lonely on those first few nights than I ever had before. But the AU saved me.

After three days of partying with people I didn’t really know, I wandered around the Welcome Fair exhausted, hungover and a bit despondent. Until I arrived at the AU stalls. I had always played hockey at school but was really interested in trying rugby. As I approached the rugby stall I was grabbed by a hugely enthusiastic Women’s Rugby 1st team captain who screamed at me that I had to join the rugby team because they were a family who all looked out for each other and that playing rugby would be the most fun I would ever have. While I was soon to find out that this was very much the case, it was no different from what all the other clubs and societies had told me (admittedly at a slightly lower volume).

Whilst I took a leap of faith in joining Women’s Rugby - now with the Give It A Go Sessions, anyone can now pick up a sport from scratch. I knew I wanted to play sport at uni and choos-

ing something new didn’t seem daunting at the time, however I know that for some people it is a big decision. That’s why these sessions are so important and I would encourage anyone and everyone to give a sport a go!

I can only speak of my experience with the Rugby Club but I know that I speak for most of our 40 clubs when I say I was made to feel immediately welcome and part of the family. Having always been a sporty person I very quickly found people I clicked with, some of whom soon became some of my closest friends.

“I was made to feel immediately welcome and part of the family” All too soon the all important *cough* ‘Welcome Social’ came around. While admittedly I was terrified, it was nowhere near as bad as all the hype. Yes I drank a lot, but I was not forced into it and I was not bullied or intimidated. I woke up feeling hungover but a lot closer to everyone in the club, particularly my ‘Rugby Mum’, whose job it was to explain how everything worked and, most importantly, to look out for me.

Since those early days, the AU has been a fundamental part of my social life at LSE. At first it helped to give me the sense of identity I needed to feel confident and happy at uni. Today it helps to give my week structure and keep up a good fitness level, as well as a chance to let my hair

down in Zoo bar every Wednesday. My aim, as your AU President, is for as many people as possible to have the same positive experience of the AU as I have.

“The AU has been a fundamental part of my social life at LSE” It is partly this that has inspired the AU for ALL campaign. This campaign aims to promote inclusivity and diversity in sports at LSE. It has already begun with every Club at Welcome Fair pledging their commitment to welcome all abilities, respect diversity, be LGBT+ inclusive and empower women. I want to ensure that every student who wants to participate in sport at LSE is welcome. We also want to encourage students who might never have considered sport before to get involved. While the health benefits of getting active have been well documented, it is less well known that being active in sport can improve mental wellbeing. A high pressure institution like LSE should be doing everything it can to encourage participation. Whether this is through joining a sports club or getting involved in an Active Lifestyle programme, the benefits of getting active are endless.

This should be a central focus for the AU, LSESU and the School.

As AU President this year I hope to make some changes.

Nothing fundamental, just a shift of focus. The AU currently has a reputation of ‘a drinking

club’ that is not completely undeserved. But I’m keen for those outside the AU to see that it’s not only about that. Wednesday night Zoo bar will always be a key part for a lot of Clubs, but it shouldn’t be forgotten that we are actually very good at sport and Wednesday nights gives the clubs a chance to celebrate their success. Many Clubs play at premiership level and everyone puts in hours of their time for training and matches every week. So it’s not all about the drinking, it’s about love for the sport we play.

It’s about pushing ourselves and our teammates to achieve the best we can. It’s about the thrill of winning when all our hardwork pays off. This year I hope we can show off our pride and enthusiasm in our teams; more so than the Wednesday night reputation. With better communication of successes and information about matches we can spread the word that the LSE AU is a very successful Sports Club!

“It shouldn’t be forgotten that we are actually very good at sport” I want the AU to get the reputation it deserves: a successful sporting community with a healthy level of competition between clubs that welcomes everyone and throws some really good parties! My one piece of advice to anybody new to LSE: join the AU, you’ll get friendship, fitness, identity and the best three years of your life!

The Beaver Needs You 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, details of which can be found in the right hand column of page 2.

To apply for these, register your interest by emailing