The Beaver - #903

The Beaver Making Sense of LSE Since 1949

Newspaper of the LSE Students’ Union

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beaveronline.co.uk

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Issue 903

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Monday 23 September 2019

Inside Today News

Through the Ages A retrospective of LSE’s history since 1895

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Comment

Challenges Ahead What is LSE’s biggest upcoming challenge?

Eleven students share.

Features

A Globe, a Strategy, and a Building Walk Into a Bar...

Morgan Fairless Executive Editor

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his week, LSE welcomes a new batch of undergraduate students to a renovated campus. 2019/20 marks the inauguration of a landmark new building, the full start of the much advertised LSE 2030 Strategy, and the first year of LSESU as a fully staffed organisation.

After years of heavy construction, LSE has finally opened the Centre Buildings this summer. The public plaza will once again reconnect the whole campus. Students who have endured the incessant building works have welcomed the new building with glee. The student

common rooms and social spaces are particularly well-liked. New students will not escape the din of LSE construction, however, as the Marshall Building – next to the LSE Library – is still being built.

After approximately 5 years of falling student satisfaction reports, the university has attained a slight growth in its satisfaction grades.

Perhaps as a consequence of Director Dame Minouche Shafik’s new management of the university, it is yet to be seen whether the improvements are here to stay. LSE’s 2030 Strategy has set out to tackle the problem head on. As the first full year of implementation of the strategy, 2019-20 will be a test for whether the strategy’s good intentions will materialize into actually improving a lacklustre student experience.

The LSESU is facing changes of its own; after a 10-year staff sharing arrangement that saw ARTS SU and LSESU sharing a pool of staff for both student bodies, LSESU has broken off from the arrangement and moved management staff in-house.

With full time teams now managing societies and AU clubs – mostly populated by undergraduates – the LSESU hopes its efficacy at handling student activities will improve.

However, the first months since the breakup in August have been rocky in handling key society actions such as room bookings.

Uncertainty over Brexit, university funding, and increased competition in the higher education market has pushed LSE to diversify its course offerings, attract other market segments, and appeal to the

Climate Emergency

How is the LSE community responding to it?

international community. Just this month, the university featured in the news for opening the LSE India programme and widening the offer of their online courses to include Egypt. Non-credit bearing short courses and summer courses are also on the rise.

Societies and student groups will be putting on their best show in a bid to recruit new members to their ranks. Weeks 1 and 2 will host give it a go sessions and trials, as freshers settle into their new lifestyle in busy London. This freshers issue should help.

FLIPSIDE

QUEER EYE IS THE ONLY QE LSE NEEDS

Part B

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Fighting the Blues

Your Guide to Getting Mental Health Help at Uni

Illustration by @beepa_la

DON’T FORGET TO FLIP OVER FOR REVIEW:

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SOCIAL:

A BROKE GUIDE TO LSE

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The Beaver

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Monday 23 September 2019 | The Beaver www.beaveronline.co.uk

Established 1949 | Issue 903 | Newspaper of the LSE Students’ Union

Meet the team Executive Editor Morgan Fairless editor@beaveronline.co.uk Managing Editor Isabella Pojuner managing@beaveronline.co.uk Flipside Editor Christina Ivey flipside@beaveronline.co.uk

Design Editor Colette Fogarty Editorial Assistants Ross Lloyd Jamie Boucher Illustrators Rebekah Paredes-Larson Raphaelle Carmarcat Emma Duper

News Editors Anu Jain Laura Zampini news@beaveronline.co.uk

Sweet, Sweet September: Fresh Starts and Societies

Highlights from this week’s issue

New Managing Editor Isabella Pojuner opens up about failure and friendship. Also, joining the Beaver.

Isabella Pojuner Managing Editor

managing@beaveronline.co.uk

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t the time of writing, I’m not so excited about entering my third year. Second year was tough. I was dealing with depression, steadily declining grades, and honestly - an insane workload that I put on myself in attempts to increase my self-esteem. It was a cycle I’m still trying to break out of. As Will Banks’ article on mental health points out, 78% of students at UK universities struggled with mental health in the last year too.

But coming back to the Media Office, where The Beaver resides, was coming home to happiness.

(Though Morgan wins on the excitement scale, he self-reported as “giddy” on the morning of our first edit day). I’ve been working for almost two years. Countless of my best LSE memories were made during my second year with the people who work here too - especially when I was at my lowest.

We all have writing or design or multimedia in common, but be-

yond that we’re from all corners of the world, socio-economic backgrounds; we all have diverse and even polarising tastes in film, music, TV and the best newspapers - and many of us the feistiness to defend them to the grave. When I ran as Managing Editor, my primary policy was enhancing the community nature of this paper - its best feature.

If there were two pieces of advice I would give to any fresher, or any other student at LSE, it is to get involved with a society; two - don’t join ten like I did in first year. But with my experience of many Give It A Go sessions, socials and committee meetings, the best societies at LSE are community-based. My rule

is: put more time in, get more out.

Also if you need mental health support, try to get it sooner rather than later - you can find resources on page 15.

If you’d like to get involved with us, you can join our society for free on the LSESU website, or join our team as an editor, staff writer. Best of all - contribute. We’re a great training ground if you want to be a journalist, designer, or someone in the media industry.

Come say hi - we’re around in the Media Office (2nd Floor of the SU) all week and have a stall at the Freshers’ Fair. It’s a new year, a new paper design, a new team - and that sweet September fresh start.

Comment Editors Lucy Knight

Samuel M. Caveen comment@beaveronline.co.uk

Join Us!

Features Editors Emmanuel Molding Nielsen Marianne Hii features@beaveronline.co.uk We don’t have any Part B editors at the moment!

If you’re interested in arts and culture, go to beaveronline.co.uk/vacancies partb@beaveronline.co.uk Review Editor Amber Iglesia partb@beaveronline.co.uk Sport Editors Seth Rice sport@beaveronline.co.uk We need a Social Editor! If you love gossip, satire and sex (ayyy), go to beaveronline.co.uk/vacancies. union@beaveronline.co.uk Collective Chair Eileen Gbagbo collective@beaveronline.co.uk

Join our team as an editor or staff writer. More information at beaveronline.co.uk/vacancies.

Follow us on social media and join The Beaver’s Community FB Page to get closer to us. (We are not a cult. We promise).

Get a FREE membership to The Beaver Society, this will get you into our events, socials and trainings, as well as subscribe you to our fortnightly newsletter.

Collective members have contributed content three or more times for The Beaver.

Room 2.02 Saw Swee Hock Student Centre LSE Students’ Union London WC2A 2AE 020 7955 6705 Any opinions expressed herein are those of their respective authors and not necessarily those of the LSE Students’ Union or Beaver Editorial Staff.

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Attribution necessary.

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News

Email us: news@b ea veronline.co.uk

LSE Through the Ages

For the first issue of the year, the News Team explored LSE's rich history. The following timeline documents some of the most important events that have occurred at the School.

Busy as a Beaver: The Story of Felix Anu Jain News Editor

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dopted in February 1922, LSE's beaver mascot was selected by Edwin Cannan, Professor of Political Economy at the time. The beaver was chosen because of its attributes as a “hardworking and industrious yet sociable animal”, traits that founders of LSE hoped its students would possess and aspire to.

Yet in his 1922 Oration Day speech, Director at the time Lord Beveridge jokingly remarked: “One writer at least has been found to assert that this reputation is undeserved; ‘that for five long months in winter the beaver does nothing but sleep and eat and keep

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Section Editors: Anu Jain Laura Zampini

warm" and that "summertime for him is just one long holiday… with never a thought of work from morning to night,” and that in fact, he never works at all except for when final examinations are held. Surely a compelling analogy of the average LSE student, no?

Historically, Felix’s place at LSE has been somewhat contested. In 1983, King’s College London students famously ran off with LSE's beaver mascot, one of the many practical jokes played as part of RAG activities.

The beaver was adopted the same year the school motto was chosen. In 1922, the School Secretary offered a prize of one guinea (equivalent to around £30 in 2017, according to the National Archives) to the best suggestion.

Notably, Abraham Wolf, Professor of Philosophy, took a somewhat fond (albeit humorous) approach, paying homage to our beloved mascot with “Burrow and Build” and “Beaveracious” as suggested school mottos.

Cannan eventually suggested “Rerum cognoscere causas”, translating directly as ‘to know the causes of things’. The full quotation, taken from Book 2 of Virgil’s ‘Georgics’, is “Felix qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas” or “fortunate who was able to know the causes of things”. It is highly likely that this is where our mascot’s affectionate name, Felix, stems from.

In 1925, the SU acquired a wooden beaver carved by Alfred Southwick, a sculptor based in Camden Studios. He was endear-

The News Team Zehra Jafree

ingly named 'Felix Q' and enrolled as an honorary LSE student. It is unknown where he has since disappeared to.

Although a seemingly elusive character on campus, Felix has not been forgotten by the student body.

A number of student-run organisations still make heavy use of our mascot today, including, of course, this very publication (though the retention of its name has been challenged this year!). With this paper touting our mascot and a number of AU sports kits continuing to feature our favourite furry friend, it seems that Felix is safe for now.

Deputy Editor

Amelia Jabry Staff Writer

Low De Wei Staff Writer

Molly Horner Staff Writer

1895-school founded

1895

1896-LSE Library opens

1922-beaver chosen as mascot

1915

1935

1939-LSE moves to Cambridge for World War II

1955

1949- The Beaver releases its first issue

Illustrations by Colette Fogarty

Our Scholarly Social Spot Zehra Jafree

Lucy Knight

Deputy News Editor

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o the current LSE student, the Library symbolises the most frustrating stairs known to mankind, free lollipops, and resident rodents. The Library hasn’t always been like this however. This week, The Beaver takes a deeper look into the history of one of LSE’s most iconic spaces.

The Library, officially called The British Library of Political and Economic Science, was founded a year after LSE in 1896. Initially based in the Adelphi Terrace, it moved to Passmore Edwards Hall in 1902. It was only in 1978 that the Library settled in the Lionel Robbins building that it occupies today.

The redesign of the building transforming it into the place we know and love today began in 1999 and was completed in 2001. The long sought after architects of the redesign are Foster and Partners. Interestingly, the official LSE webpage on the History of LSE Library focuses on the redesign, “allowing maximum daylight penetration without problems of glare and solar gain” but carefully avoids any mention of the staircase.

LSE's hangover: what is a social life at LSE? Comment Editor

The stairs are a major point of contention though. An LSELove post from October of last year read “Petition to replace the LSE library stairs with a continuous ramp?” It has over 300 reactions and 40 comments. The Beaver reached out to the Library for a comment on this but has not yet received a response.

This week, we have also covered the evolution of LSE’s social life.

The answer is probably the Library.

Open 24/7 to all students of LSE, people are always working. Wye Yew, a first year Economics student often frequents the Library during the weekend. When asked why, he said: “due to my outrageous inability to study back at my hall, I always head to the library during the weekend to get things done. Honestly, it’s been more of a social spot for my common group to cry at how far behind we are!”

Marco Estrella, a first year History student said: “The best thing about the library is that at 4am you think you’re alone, and you’re not alone."

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SE today often carries a reputation of being a career-focused hub with a lagging social life, perpetuated by consistently low levels of student satisfaction. The natural evolution of social events within LSE has been documented by the Beaver for the last 70 years, but current patterns suggest that student socials need to be revamped.

One of the earliest records LSE has detailing its social events is from the 1910s, whereby the 1914-15 Director’s report stated that the “social life of the students has undoubtedly suffered from the War. There have been, for instance, no dances”.

The appeal for more formal events has been consistent throughout LSE’s history, resurfacing as a campaign issue of key General Secretary candidates in the SU elections in Lent term. One of the very first publications of the Beaver in 1949 included an extensive report on the ‘Commemoration Ball’, concluding that “somehow in the morning, faded and chilly, we slid once more into insignificance… How silly we looked going home in the tram in

evening dress!” It seems that many parallels can still be drawn today to our conception of life at LSE. For the last 70 years, The Beaver has been reporting on the social events around campus. From reporting on the Underground Dance Music Society’s parties in the 1990s, to publishing pictures of named and shamed students getting ‘more than friendly’ in AU trips abroad.

The reputation of the AU socials has been questionable, with 100 LSE students “rampaging drunkenly through neighbouring King’s College”, in an event known as ‘Barrel’, since renamed ‘Carol’.

The fleeting lifespan of the LSE’s own student nights are also a notable part of LSE’s (lack of a) social life. Launched in 2014 to celebrate the opening of the Saw Swee Hock Centre, ‘Saucy’ became disbanded in May 2018. Whilst it was rebranded under the name ‘Nachos’, this too was cancelled in February 2019, as a result of “little demand” for the event.

Arguably, the heart of our social life now lies in the Library, from library-focused meme page LSE Airport to the vague descriptions of fourth-floor hotties on LSELove.

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Join our News Team as a staff writer and help us report and investigate LSE news.

For more information, visit beaveronline.co.uk/vacancies

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News

Monday 23 September 2019 | The Beaver

Being Better than Everyone: A History

Sexy Beaver Scandals

News Editor

Staff Writer

Laura Zampini

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SE's rivalries with other universities date back to the early twentieth century, and have lived through famous academic debates with Cambridge in the 30s, "ragging" and mascot stealing in the 50s and 60s and again in the 80s, light hearted AU disputes in the 90s, and even an attack on the Three Tuns in 2002. Today, they are expressed online as insults on LSELove.

As universities entered the era of "ragging," LSE faced an internal debate as to whether or not to participate in such demonstrations, dominated mainly by King's College London and University College London, who have been rivals since King's was founded in the 1820s.

Many at LSE disagreed with the practice of ragging, ridiculing rival universities who participated in it.

In a January 1953 edition of The Beaver, a student mocked the behavior of "those who inhabit that prison-like building in the Strand, known as King's College" parading and chanting loudly on the streets with their mascot.

In November 1962 the wooden carved beaver mascot was stolen (below) from the Porter's Lodge by two unknown girls. At the time, there were rumors that rival schools had sent the mascot to President Eisenhower or Lord Beaverbrook in Jamaica, and LSE students were determined to restore it to LSE. Once again in 1983, King's students stole the mascot from LSE. More than 30 years later, the rivalry is reflected in headlines announcing football match results in

The Beaver with King's referred to as "Strand Polypathetic" after a 6-0 loss to the LSE's 3rd football team in 1997. The same edition reports on LSE's 4th team 7-0 win and the story reads "easy victory over the fat, greasy, medical students of UCL." Even losses were opportunities for insulting headlines such as "LSE Fall to Imperialist Scum" published in November 1998. Wins motivated even more provocative match descriptions such as "the ritual humiliation of a hapless Imperial side, with them suffering what can only be described as DICKING of truly great proportions" published in the same year.

On February 6 2002, this light hearted AU rivalry was taken to another level when a small group of King's students invaded the Three Tuns with eggs, flour and stink bombs and launched an attack ending in police arrests and Tuns being closed for the day.

It's hard to imagine that not so long ago, disputes with rivals went beyond LSELove posts such as "added up the price of our takeaway and accidentally got a maths degree from King's."

1970s-four LSE alumni win nobel prizes for economics

1995

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ex, complaining about the absence of sex, and just plain creepiness. No, I’m not talking about the posts on LSELove, but in fact old copies of The Beaver.

With worrying headlines like "Netball Look Forward to Sexiest Season Yet" and "Wet T-Shirts Solve Loan Delays", it is easy to see a problematic, but sometimes funny, narrative emerge from our old issues. A lot of this objectifying talk was, unsurprisingly, found in the sports sections. A caption from under a women’s rugby match report reads: "Women’s Rugby celebrate their win against the Essex opposition - Essex being the only rugby team in the world to have fifteen hookers in their team".

Another rather disturbing event that was reported on was Calella Fest ‘04 when the whole of the AU went on tour to Spain. The story was not reported in so many words, but rather multiple pictures of people passed out, drinking, and snogging, even one captioned "anything goes at Calella, even incest". This was not a substitute for Carol however,

which was around then too (known as Barrel).

In her last detailed sex column written, where a very open anthropologist wanted to "go out with a bang", The Beaver recounted some of her crazier adventures, including running naked through the library.

Our sexy articles were not totally debauched - we had some useful ones too, like: "Top Ten Places To Have Sex at LSE". Some places, such as "the glass bridge between the library and St Clement’s building" may aneed updating (and possibly a rethink?).

Even before the 90s, LSE had a reputation of being a very ‘asexual’ university. These grievances were intimately discussed in an article titled "SEX: Yes Please… Oh Sorry, I’m at the LSE". The postgrad who wrote this amusing article describes her experience at "LSE’s new club night: Cultivate" and blames the School for "over-intellectualising sex, empty dance floors, and anti-socially designed halls of residence".

In a surprising turn of events, we also had contributors from SU officials, including the old SU treasurer: "LSE SU Treasurer Refutes an earlier blink article claiming that LSE students are ‘asexual’".

2019: Towers renamed for suffragettes

1983: King's steals Felix

1975

Amelia Jabry

2004: New Academic Building opens

2019

Leading Ladies of LSE Sophie Gregory

Guest Contributor

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arlier this year, LSE renamed its towers after three central figures in the UK’s suffrage movement: Emmeline Pankhurst, Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence and Millicent Garrett Fawcett. This was to mark 100 years since (some) women won the right to vote in parliamentary elections.

The significance of the renaming was rooted in the rich history of the towers. The site that they stand on was formerly the London headquarters of the Women Social and Political Union.

From its very inception, LSE has taken women in academia seriously, with Beatrice Webb being a major social reformer herself. Between 1895 and 1932 women made up 20% of the total regular teaching staff at LSE. Always a pioneering university, LSE was also home to the first ever female Professor of Economic History, Lilian Knowles, who went on to become the first female Dean of the University of London in 1920.

Further female pioneers can be found in the university’s history:

the women’s rights activist Maureen Colquhoun, who studied at LSE during the 1940s, was the first openly gay woman in Parliament; Edith Abbott, who studied at LSE in the early 1900s, was the first American woman to be appointed the dean of a graduate school in the United States; Dame Mary Eugenia Charles, who studied at LSE in the late 1940s, became Dominica’s first female prime minister; Eslanda Robeson, who studied at LSE in the 1930s, was at the forefront of work on African independence.

These pioneers are a significant part not only of the LSE’s history, but of the advancement of women more generally. Many of them continued to advocate for women’s rights.

However, without the help of one particular figure, these women may never have been given the chance to thrive.

Charlotte Shaw was LSE’s first benefactor and gave the school and the Shaw Library its first home, providing the first space for the university

we know today. According to Beatrice Webb, Charlotte was “a socialist and a radical” because “she [was] by nature a rebel”.

There are significant numbers of feminist thinkers, economists, reformers, and public figures who have passed through LSE, and who continue to teach, learn, and study here. With the Women’s Library at the heart of campus, it’s clear that

Illustration by Raphaelle Camarcat

LSE’s relationship with powerful, inspiring, and determined women is an important part of the university’s identity.

Reflecting on the role of women within LSE during the twentieth century, it is clear that much of it was a feminism of the more privileged women in society. To continue being at the forefront of work on feminist thought and the advancement of equality generally, LSE must continue making strides to be nuanced, critical, and intersectional.

Diversifying the curriculum and hosting inclusive events, such as the recent panel on ‘Black British Feminism: past, present and future’ and hosting workshops run by leading feminists such as Kimberlé Crenshaw, the founder of intersectionality and a visiting professor within the Gender Institute are an important part of continuing LSE’s commitment to equality. The 2015 launch of the Centre for Women, Peace and Security reflects an aim to promote gender equality within the context of LSE. Alumni continue to make strides

in the world of feminism, with former student Caroline Criado-Perez, who studied for a Master’s in Gender Studies, recently publishing the book ‘Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men’.

LSE celebrated International Women's Day 2018 by launching #LSEWomen along with the University of London. LSE Director Minouche Shafik was included in the campaign and commented: "I believe through this campaign, we have an unprecedented opportunity to promote equality throughout our society and beyond.

The history of LSE cannot be separated from the advancement of equality for women. Although there have been recent critiques on the lack of women on course reading lists, this legacy is one that must be critically engaged with today to ensure that the university continues to educate and inspire, to consistently be at the forefront of progressive and empowering work, and to attract future pioneers.

Comment

Monday 23 September | The Beaver

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Comment Editors Samuel Caveen Lucy Knight

Email us: comment@beaveronline.co.uk

What is the biggest upcoming challenge for LSE? Eleven members of the LSE community make their case for the biggest challenges the university faces, both within the university and in the Students’ Union.

The Systemic Problem of Mental Health at Universities

Gabriela Cabaña and Catherine Whittle PhD Anthropology Students

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growing movement at LSE, the Climate Emergency Collective, is asking for the university to join the rapid efforts to address the climate emergency. A net zero institution by 2025 - as per Extinction Rebellion’s deadline - is nothing short of the necessary goal.

However, we must be careful not to transform this into a new box-ticking exercise. It would be a waste of time and energy to pretend to achieve this objective by trimming the edges of some carbon-intensive activities, or relying on off-setting strategies while keeping LSE functioning. Crucial for making this process a truly green transition is to acknowledge that the way this university works is energy and resource intensive, to a level that demands a radical rethinking of its whole structure.

LSE is not alone in this. All our higher education institutions have been built on the (false) assumption that nature and energy come cheap, with the hope of expanding their material footprints ad infinitum. This cannot continue. Not if we want to keep our planet habitable.

People like to argue for an immediate response to the climate emergency by reasoning that climate change “will affect us all.”

That’s true, to a point, but glosses over the huge

inequities of climate breakdown.

It is the world’s most marginalised people, especially indigenous people, who in many cases are already

The SU needs to provide greater support for mental health

“ Rather than just

Will Banks BSc Economic History

educating us to change other places, why not start right here?

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Rethink academia, save the Earth

suffering and even losing their lives because of climate change.

LSE prides itself on being a global leader, as our 2030 strategy reiterates. What could be a more important challenge than redefining how learning can happen in a postfossil fuel, ecologically respectful university? Rather than just educating us to change other places, why not start right here? For instance: how do we escape from our addiction to building new facilities, as construction is one of the more polluting industries? How do we move away from the conference model in which we travel overseas for a 15 minute talk?

To become net-zero by 2025 would be a way for LSE to refuse future complicity and declare that no people or place should be sacrificed for the convenience of others.

Especially as our university receives people from all over the world, we have a unique opportunity to imagine what type of university LSE could be if it put environmental justice and an integral project of decolonisation at the centre.

U Register online to contribute beaveronline.co.uk

K universities have a mental health problem, and LSE is no exception. With student satisfaction below 80%, and 43% of students citing a need for improvements to the counselling service, there’s clearly work to do.

But working out exactly what needs to change is tricky. Surveys like the LSESU’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Consultation are subject to too much inclusion bias to be of specific use, and narrative evidence can vary broadly depending on who you ask.

Some people - myself included - give glowing personal reviews of services such as the LSE counselling service and the Mental Health Adviser scheme. Others tell horror stories (some real, some exaggerated), of months-long wait times and rude or unhelpful staff. A particularly jarring testimony from one student notes that the reputation of LSE’s wellbeing service is so poor that they did not want to reach out for help.

So, what can LSE do?

The first step should be to identify the specific nature of the problem.

78%

of students at UK universities have struggled with mental health in the past year.

A sufficiently wide-reaching survey on wellbeing has not yet been conducted, but would be easily achievable were the school to pursue it.

For example, while undergraduate surveys are of increasing use to departments, they are not yet being used to identify mental health and wellbeing issues. These results should be the basis for targeted and fast change at both a departmental and university-wide level.

Secondly, The Disability and

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While undergraduate surveys are of increasing use to departments, they are not yet used to identify mental health and wellbeing issues.

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LSE and the Climate Emergency

Wellbeing Service would benefit from clearer and louder communication. While the LSE website does a good job of explaining what services are available, a more proactive approach to promoting the services on offer would be welcome. Fundamentally, students should know what services are available before they need to use them.

System-wide change will never happen overnight, with 78% of students at UK universities reporting to have struggled with a mental health issue in the past year. But universities have a duty to accept their role in a nationwide phenomenon, and to ensure that those who suffer from mental health issues know where to get help quickly and reliably. Consistency and communication are the way forward.

Comment

Monday 23 September 2019 | The Beaver

Re-shuffling the Students’ Union How will the Administration’s re-shuffle impact students, if at all?

On Free Speech Absolutism Is there any bargaining room for free speech?

Lucy Knight Comment Editor

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Morgan Fairless Executive Editor

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ver the summer, the LSESU broke up a 10-year staffsharing arrangement with Arts SU, which has meant a complete overhaul of the Union’s staff structure. The LSESU has promoted this move as a “new start as an independent organization.” With a larger pool of staff, working full time, it is expected that the administrative management of the Union’s activities will become more efficient.

A Beaver investigation published last year found that more than half of societies asked found it difficult to work with the Union. The main issues found by the investigation were complaints about asphyxiating bureaucratic processes, failures in the room booking system, and com-

“ The re-shuffle will mean that more time will be dedicated to managing societies and AU clubs.

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munications.

Students and society heads have mainly welcomed the move. The reshuffle will mean that more time will be dedicated to managing societies and AU clubs, including the fact that the management of societies and sports clubs will now be carried out by different staff teams.

The challenge for the SU will be to oversee a smooth transition into this new system. This will include re-training, re-structuring, and hiring new personnel.

With student satisfaction being a main preoccupation for the university, it will be interesting to see whether a streamlined Union with more time and resources to take care of students will improve the experience at LSE. If this re-shuffle improves the experience, and this leads to a jump in student satisfaction, it could prove a regular feeling among many students: that the union’s shortcomings in managing student activities have impacted the student satisfaction scores at the university.

After facing the stresses involved in the re-shuffle, members of staff who remain in the Union and elected officials have welcomed the changes. Whilst Secretary General Zulum Elumogo ran his re-election campaign on having achieved this milestone, the process has been an ongoing one before his tenure, it remains to be seen what role exactly the elected officials can play in this mainly managerial process.

Illustration by by @beepa_la

he debate over an absolute freedom of speech on campus is one of LSE’s biggest challenges. This complex and broad debate is one that will spring up again and again within university life. It covers more than political discourse - it’s everything from who LSE allows to study, what we study, the books in our library, the alumni we celebrate, and more.

LSE has often been at the forefront of these debates, such as the international interest in cases of controversial student admissions.

Last year, the university came under fire for its controversial admission of Peter Cytanovic (who openly took part in the neo-nazi Charlottesville protest back in August 2017), and the son of former Libyan dictator Colonel Gaddafi, back in 2008.

Critics argued that by admitting them, LSE became complicit in views which were polar opposites to many who study here.

It has become a cliché that students are too eager to call out “examples” of free speech, whether this be racist halloween costumes, or group chats (such of those last year at Warwick, discussing which of their female peers would be easiest to rape).

And how could we forget that globe? Difficult to miss on campus, the globe caused a lot of negative attention for LSE from everyone, be it Palestinian students and their allies, or the Chinese government.

Whilst censorship of the art installation is not in the control of the LSE Directorate, it tapped into the core of the problem with this absolutist stance on ‘free speech’: it hurts the very people it attempts to protectsthe students.

The dilemma that appears with free speech in a university context, is that there is little bargaining room between the arguments for and against, making it hard to resolve these tensions. LSE, as a university, is a place for free speech to thrive -

every student has the same rights to explore, research, learn, and grow.

At the same time, the ideal of total free speech is often used as a ‘get out of jail free’ card. Many students use their ‘inalienable right to liberty’ in order to continue hatred of marginalised groups without accountability for their actions. These defenders vilify the term ‘political correctness’, in an attempt to turn a blind eye to the extensive history of hate that these groups have faced.

What is often forgotten, a point that seems obvious to say, is that the dilemma of ‘free speech’ is not a university-specific problem; it’s part of

“

This debate is something that will spring up again and again in university life. It challenges everything from who LSE allows to study, what we study, the books in our library, the alumni we celebrate, and more.

“

6

a wider epidemic of increasing levels of partisanship within our lives. The constant retelling of the cliché that it’s only a problem for universities means that people in all corners of society can skip accountability for their words or actions. This debate is not one that I can solve, as a student lucky enough to have a soapbox within the student body, however we must educate ourselves on campus and beyond the struggle that marginalised groups have fought (and are still fighting) for rights, recognition, and respect.

The Post-Grad Experience More cohesion needed for postgraduate students Bilal Bin Saqib Former Post-Graduate Officer, 2018-19

D

uring my experience as a Postgraduate Officer, I have had an immensely wonderful time working with the management team at the Students’ Union and addressing the concerns of students to the authorities. However, my primary concern was to enhance students’ experience on campus to build a society where students of all backgrounds and diverse fields feel connected and heard.

Especially for postgraduate students - who constitute 60% of the student population at LSE - the Students’ Union biggest challenge for the upcoming year is to engage these students into activities building a network in the student body, utilising their talents and abilities in arranging events, and providing them a platform where they feel connected to the institution’s mission of improving the world through better understanding. This is only possible when equal opportunities for engagement and networking are given to the majority of the students’ population on campus and Students’ Union has the potential of bringing it into reality. Hence, postgraduate students must be actively involved in social activities and events providing them not only the chances of networking but also learning under one roof from professionals and experts of today.

It is due to the LSESU’s sheer efforts of creating an atmosphere for students which has led LSE itself to believe in its mission of being a “world-leading” institute where students are not just academically trained through a world-class educational experience but are also given chances to connect to a wide range of students’ body enjoying a global experience of networking. Hence, the challenges faced by LSESU are stepping stones for the union to help students become the best versions of themselves during their time at LSE.

Engagement in the Students’ Union Akash Mehta Former Member of LSE Court of Governors

I

feel the biggest challenge before the LSESU is to get the opinion of the majority of students on what they expect from the union, and how they want their union to work. A lot of good things have been done in the past and many are in the pipeline; for that, I really want to congratulate the LSESU. But I feel the population size currently taken to base many of the Union’s decisions in

the interest of students is still too small. The union must seek more suggestions from students to make their stay worthwhile.

I propose that the union should have a regular update committee to update/inform students about queries in a time bound manner. This way an accountability mechanism could be put in place; essential for any democratically elected body.

I also think the union should organise a fortnightly conversation about the utilisation of union funds and seek students’ sug-

gestions. With greater transparency and a participation driven process, we can expect a much more enriching experience for students. I hope the concerned authorities will look into my suggestions and will act upon it.

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Email us: comment@beaveronline.co.uk

Keeping Student Activism Alive

Miranda Imperial MSc Politics & Communications As a one year Master’s student, my time at LSE has been short. My experience of the university cannot be compared to that of undergraduates. I know I cannot hope to be as familiar with the university as they end up at the end of their degrees. However, it is my position as a graduate student that leads me to consider what I see as LSE’s most considerable struggle: encouraging an environment where the university and students alike collaborate to improve the student experience, and, particularly, student activism.

Being a graduate student, I cannot help but hold LSE accountable to my previous university’s standard in this regard. LSE has created an environment that does not foster collegiality and striving to make student life better. In Cambridge, society life was the core of my positive experience in a small university town. I thrived on the sense of community and activism that pervaded the university. Cambridge University’s Student Union (CUSU) supports a series of ‘liberation campaigns’, both financially and logistically.

These campaigns exist to fight for the interests of students from marginalised backgrounds. This opportunity boosted my confidence as an 18 year old. Being a queer woman in Cambridge, I came to understand, was perfectly fine.

I lost this vibrant atmosphere of empowerment when I graduated, and I could not find it again at LSE. I rushed to become involved in LSE’s Pride Alliance to reclaim that feeling. Rapidly, my disappointment grew as events we would run lacked attendance, and that my ideas for new events were not feasible given the generalised apathy towards activism that seems pervasive at LSE. I came to understand that initiatives like the Pride Alliance receive no more support from the School and

the SU than sports or careers societies. We rely largely on self-sourced sponsorship money -and, due to the political nature of queer activism and companies’ wishes to remain apolitical, this number is unlikely to increase.

Too much is left on the plate for individual students to shift paradigms within the school; in practice, bureaucratic impediments are the main cause for this. I am still unfamiliar with some of the procedures surrounding student society involvement, and it baffles me that students need 3 years at LSE to create minimal tangible change. One year Master’s students cannot hope to navigate this cantankerous arena of paperwork in such a limited time frame. And, since postgraduate students constitute almost 60% of LSE’s student body, disengagement out of complication might be at the

“Too much is left on the plate for individual students to shift paradigms within the school.

“

How LSE needs to better foster an environment of student activism

crux of LSE’s low student satisfaction.

“LSE is a world class institution,’’ the words from my LSE Welcome Presentation ring in my ears.

But I ask myself: how can an institution that does not allow for students to fight for their own rights, that does not actively foster community and engagement, be great at all?

Students from marginalised groups are already particularly at risk of isolation and of mental health issues. For LSE to remain a “world class institution”, LSESU and the school administration must work together to reassess the organisation of student activism.

If not the SU, then who?

Supporting the Victims of Sexual Violence The SU needs more support to victims of sexual violence Ella Holmes Women in Politics Society President

C

ompared to other universities, LSE’s support mechanisms for victims of sexual violence are shambolic. While Oxford has a specialised support service with permanent staff, LSE has one sexual violence counsellor who visits once a month, they will only see female students and can only be booked for a maximum of three sessions.

Putting aside that limited time is likely to lead to worse service, this could also make victims feel shunned, that their problems are not being taken seriously. Given that 62% of students experience sexual violence, according to Revolt Sexual Assault, this issue cannot be neglected by LSE management any longer. The SU can play a role in two ways: demanding additional support for victims, and information about sexual harassment that occurs within LSE. Firstly, SU officers, societies and AU clubs should have a vested interest in supporting a campaign for a permanent sexual violence support officer, to provide help to students that they are responsible for. The support across various societies and clubs for mandatory face-to-face consent training showed that students recognise many of their peers have experienced or may experience sexual harassment and that

services to address this issue are necessary.

Secondly, the SU, as a representative for student welfare, needs to be fully informed to expose transgressions within LSE. Currently, universities across the UK are awarding pay-offs to students who have experienced assault and harassment, conditional on signing a Non-Disclosure Agreement, with over £87 million awarded by various universities since 2017. Troubling accounts from our partner universities at UCL and Goldsmiths should prompt LSE to release information about whether NDAs are being used following allegations of assault and end the practice if so.

How can we access information and bring about change? Students can campaign via the SU to address this issue in various ways through societies, the SU’s Women’s Officer and the Sabbatical Officers who are mandated to promote student’s welfare and can be contacted about this issue.

Finally, the Women in Politics Society is holding a Sexual Harassment Awareness Week in November with various events looking at the issue of sexual assault within universities and further afield. We are currently looking for students to join our organising committee and work on our campaign, so check our Facebook page to get involved.

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8 Comment

Monday 23 September 2019 | The Beaver

Adam Solomons Executive Editor, 2018-19

B

efore you’ve even got your LSE ID card, you’ll probably have already joined your newfound classmates in complaining about your stats teacher’s poor standard of English. You’ll be well-versed in sighing at the narrow corridor which shepherds you through the Old Building, and a master at rolling your eyes at the fullness of the library’s basement level during freshers week.

I don’t mean to use this space as an attack on LSE’s heritage and the customs that make it what it is, but rather instead to warn all who enter Houghton Street that LSE is about as academic as an academic institution can be. The School’s Directorate, Minouche included, are keen to argue that the pursuit of degrees is the be-all and end-all. And, in case you’ve actually had things to do this summer and have missed the latest rankings data, the numbers reflect that: across thirteen subjects, according to QS, LSE is in the global top ten. In geography it comes second place, and in social policy it’s first.

And with the opening of the swanky new buildings and almost a decade having passed since the School’s reputation was dragged so

acrimoniously through the mud (if you haven’t heard of why that was, don’t google it), LSE’s mission to become a genuinely top-tier institution, rather than just one among a growing club of elite global universities, looks in better shape than ever.

The stormy waters of Brexit

“

A university which derives its appeal in the premium you get from leaving, and the money you might then earn, is almost inevitably capping its ability to give students a well-rounded experience.

“

University life in a school previously riddled with scandals, in a post-Brexit world

have so far been well-traversed, with little evidence of a drop-off in international attention among student admissions. Minouche is generally the first popular and wellknown Director for God-knowshow-long, and Simon Hix is seen as an effective Research Director, largely because of his awareness of keeping students involved in the debates and conversations that form his position.

But even putting the nitty gritty of the student experience aside – in much the same way most generations of LSE management have – there’s still much to be done if LSE

wants to be as good as American TV writers seem to think it is. What the great schools like Harvard and MIT do best is entice people to actually go there, rather than just have graduated from there. It might sound trite, but a university which derives its appeal in the premium you get from leaving, and the money you might then earn, is almost inevitably capping its ability to give students a well-rounded experience.

(For the record, it’s not the case that the most difficult universities are necessarily the most unhappy: a 2018 Higher Education Policy Institute paper reported that sixtypercent of Oxford undergrads selfidentified as “very happy” with their studies, double the average across the rest of the Russell Group.)

So, LSE must focus on what it can do better. The Directorate shouldn’t just talk like the leadership of an elite university, but start behaving like them. Communicate changes with students more, and in more effective ways, whether these changes are new cafes and building projects, or art installations on campus. (And if you want The Beaver to be the mouthpiece, that’s great. Just give it more money, or tell the SU to.) Shift the focus from post-graduation prospects to pre-graduation – otherwise known as the experience of going to university.

60%

of Oxford undergraduates self-identified as “very happy” with their studies.

How do we define ‘Working Navigating class divisions in a university bubble Sadia Sheeraz Social Mobility and Class Officer At the end of the last academic year, I found myself winning the role of Social Mobility Officer. Now I find myself now faced with one of LSE’s biggest class-based problems: who is the LSE working class?

This LSE bubble has bred a weird culture. Someone once told me never to trust an LSE student who called themselves working class unless they are a fellow scholarship kid. I think of this every time I feel deceived upon the discovery of a friend’s culturally and financially middle-class background.

When it comes to being working class, I’ve had my fair share of experience. And there are students at LSE who can say the same thing, despite their exclusion and alienation. Between the code-switching, the desperate attempts to cover up any sign of being financially deficient, and the fetishisation of being poor by a few average middle-class students, it becomes difficult to figure out where to channel the support.

“ Between the

code-switching and the desperate attempts to cover up any sign of being financially deficient, it becomes dificult to figure out where to channel this support.

“

This isn’t a problem exclusive to my role - It’s also important to have friends in the same class as you as it is to have friends with the same interests or music taste as you. Financial status is a determinant of what you can and can’t do - financial anxiety is something best suffered with people who have shared the experience.

The Comment Section welcomes commentary from students, staff, and the wider LSE community. We are here to give the you a space to argue, bicker, criticise and praise. Go to our website for more information on how to contribute.

But how do we define what is working class? Having blue-collar working parents is quite clearly a defining characteristic. Students who were on free school meals as a form of governmental financial support are also pretty obviously participants of the “Social Mobility Show”.

But it isn’t always so clear-cut.

London is expensive, and some students are adamantly independent.

This means that the method of using income as our measure for who is “part of the club” can exclude people who fall into the grey area. What about those who are new to financial insecurity as their households stumble upon hard times? Sure, they may have been raised with an advantage over the more obviously working

“

Universities have avoided the question of how to navigate the world of academia from diverse perspectives, as places for the exclusively white and wealthy.

“

The University Experience and LSE’s Reputation

class as defined above, but does that invalidate their need for support?

And what about those who have spent a lifetime sharing the experiences of the working class, holding on to the mental harm that poverty causes, but have recently found themselves wealthy? Does their current financial security ban them from a space they recognise for a shared culture with their childhood?

I have to admit, I don’t have the answers to these questions. This discussion is something that needs to take place campus-wide, with many more voices than just mine.

But one thing’s for certain; so far, the ivory towers of elite universities have avoided the question of how to navigate the world of academia from diverse perspectives, as places for the exclusively white and wealthy. But 2019, with its accessibility measures and support networks and its higher intake of unconventional students, brings a new urgency to a whole host of identity-based questions. The ones I ask you, as your Class Officer for the next academic year, are these: What is the working class? Who am I supporting? Who do I speak for when I say “we”?

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10

Features

Features Editors Emmanuel Molding Nielsen Marianne Hii

Email us: features@beaveronline.co.uk

Writing the LSE Story Since 1949

Illustration by @beepa_la

Former Features Editor

E

ven as The Beaver has evolved through the decades, its penchant for substantive news coverage and hard-hitting commentary has remained. Here’s a look at the history of our paper from its inception to the present day.

1949 “Bernard Shaw Greets the Beaver,” announced our first ever front page headline, which featured a brief postcard from Shaw that reads, in part, “Socialism will abolish classes: Beaver should organize the sets.” The editors had been hoping for an article from the famed playwright and activist–who played a hand in LSE’s founding decades earlier–but nonetheless thanked him for his “major contribution to provocative thought.”

On the second page an ironically self-aggrandizing political cartoon catches the eye. At the inaugural meeting of the “Newspaper Proprietors’ Protection Association,” an enraged representative for Esquire beseeches his terrified, shivering competitors at the Times, Hearst, the Daily Worker, and Pravda for unity. “So Gentlemen,” he declares, “either we sink our differences and stand together or this new publication ‘Beaver’, will put us all out of business.”

On the fourth and final page, the classics: review and sport. A contributor going by the initials P.E.B. pens a scathing review of a film entitled “Angelina,” which they describe as “slackly directed, loosely constructed, unduly repetitive . . . and technically appalling,” while a piece about the Women’s Hockey Club begins

“Women who play hockey are usually thought of as hardened Amazons.”

1954 The Beaver’s early years were tumultuous. After five issues between 1949 and 1950, the Beaver stopped publishing for two years. The exception was a one-off “revival,” in 1952– an 8-page pamphlet with typewriter font, lacking in the usual frills but still brimming with substantive content.

By 1953, the Beaver was back in action, this time as a more LSE-centric publication.

The editors of this era weren’t afraid to delve into the divisive socio-political topics of the day. The May 1954 edition featured provocative headlines such as “Are Women Wasted Here,” “Homosexual Controversy” and the first of a series: “Pretty Girls of LSE.” Though these headlines may, to contemporary observers, seem crass and antiquated, further inspection finds that they were actually commentaries ahead of their time: they chronicled and championed progress on such topics, rather than arguing for continued conservatism. Even Pretty Girls of LSE featured questions exclusively about academics and career, with the stated goal being to provide “pictoral evidence that at L.S.E. beauty still goes with brains” University life and politics were front and center in this new and improved version of the Beaver. From writing about the Beaver’s rivalry with other student publications–including Clare Market Review, and a short-lived rival paper called Gennet– to “Voices of Houghton Street” to letters to the editor about Student Union and other campus affairs, with one arguing for “More Money for Beaver”.

1964 Oh the times, how they change.

The screaming 60s brought with them a new Beaver, fit for the times.

Retro, metamorphosing, chronicling the massive shifts taking place both at LSE and in society at large. One edition in late 1964 showcases these changes marvelously.

The issue tackled an increasingly dire situation for LSE at the time: overcrowding. In an editorial entitled “LSE secession,” the board pitched an exit from London University as a solution to the problem. It had led to overcrowded classrooms and increased construction projects, which in turn caused noise that made the library “only marginally more conducive to study than Paddington Station.”

In a segment called “Frankly Speaking” the editors of the 60s did what today’s editors often propose to do, but fail to execute: interview professors. In this edition, it was Bernard Crick, a senior lecturer and renowned political theorist. In it, Crick posited that the recent Labour election–which had elevated Prime Minister Harold Wilson–was due to “something of the revolt against the jobbery, snobbery and incompetence of the English gentleman,” adding “I hate gentlemen.”

This edition added some new creative eccentricities, such as political satire: this edition featured an abridged verse from exodus wherein a Jesus-like figure stood for election as the “Chief Prophet” of the “MOB” people.

1973 From the latter part of 1960s to the 1970s, special editions made frequent appearances. Two editions in 1969 featured artfully drawn satirical

cartoons lamenting the state of modern higher education on their front pages.

In March 1973, the editors published the “Evening Beaver,” a one-off issue seemingly parodying tabloid newspapers. On the front page, in massive lettering, was the headline “I FRIED MY FATHER.” The summary of the article read “a London School of Economics Professor professor shocked witnesses today when he confessed to frying and eating his father, while isolated in a Clare Market Office last week.” The graphic for the article was a large photo of a donkey.

In an editorial, the Beaver editors wrote that “the new front page format was chosen after careful consideration” and that “we hope that our new format, along with our increased coverage Nevertheless, even

“ Beaver's The penchant for substantive news coverage and hardhitting commentary has remained.

“

Andrew Solender

in this light-hearted issue, the serious content remained as cutting edge as ever. Including editorials on Toryism and the India-Pakistan conflict, there were features on Greek students fighting fascism, marijuana policy, and the Wounded Knee Massacre.

The latter piece, a grim overview of the state of Native Americans, summarized the situation thusly: “Wounded Knee is not just a colourful name for a massacre, it is the culmination of 600 years of the most systematic and savage race extermination this world has seen, something to put Auschwitz into the Kindergarten class.”

1986 The Thatcher years were fraught with political divisiveness and fierce debates. Who better to chronicle those than the Beaver? On the front cover of the December 1986 issue, the prominent political and social issues of the day–rather than just LSE or SU-related stories, as had dominated previous front covers–were front and center.

“Barclays Dumps South Africa,” read the main headline. The article discussed a major victory for the anti-Apartheid movement, which was rapidly gaining steam at the time, especially among university students.

Further down, another piece discussed the AIDS epidemic and the efforts to ameliorate its destructive effects.

One particularly notable aspect of this issue is the identity of its Executive Editor–Paul Klebnikov. A PhD student from America, Klebnikov would go on to journalistic prominence, becoming chief editor of Forbes Magazine in Russia. In that role, he made a name for himself as a hard-hitting investigative journalist.

Unfortunately for Klebnikov, Rus-

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1993 If the 1990s was the era of punk Gen X 20-somethings and the rise of grunge, then the Beaver editors were either acolytes or contributors to that fad–or both. For all of Lent Term 1993, the Beaver’s logo eschewed a traditional V for something a bit more risque. The V was instead replaced with two fingers giving the V-sign (for international students, the v-sign with the palm facing the signer is a disrespectful and derogatory gesture in Commonwealth culture, akin to the middle finger). What better way to say “fuck you” to the powers that be?

Beaver articles from this era had a rebellious, idiosyncratic air to them.

They combined much of the early Beaver’s biting, tongue-in-cheek hu-

mor with a new cynical twist. Articles vocally lamenting the state of things, like “Co-operating with Corporate Finance. Who’s responsible for this bad joke?” and “Blood, Bolshies and the Balcony, the last ten years of political life at LSE,” were commonplace. One edition, in lieu of traditional front page headlines, simply featured a picture of a young Mick Jagger looking angsty, despite the fact that there was no Mick Jagger or Rolling Stones-related content in the paper.

The editors of “today’s Beaver

would surely have a few points of contention with the 90s editors.

“

sian society c. 2004 was not at all receptive to information-seekers trying to keep those in power honest. Klebnikov was murdered by a contract killer in what would become one of the most internationally high-profile assassinations of its era. To this day, the true identity of his assassin’s patron remains a mystery–suspects include a Chechen rebel leader and a powerful oligarch.

Email us: features@beaveronline.co.uk

www.beaveronline.co.uk

The editors of today’s Beaver would probably have a few points of contention with the 90s editors.

While the formatting is somewhat similar, there are clear differences in substance. We don’t even agree on the proper birthday of the Beaver! The editors of 1993 believed that the true Beaver as we know it was founded not in 1949, but after the sabbatical between 1950 and 1952. The 1953 version, they argue, “became recognisable as the forerunner of todays’ Beaver” and therefore “it is this anniversary we are celebrating.”

2004 This is the decade when the Beaver we know today began to take shape, though there were some key differences. For one, the Beaver was massive – an astounding 40 pages in 2004. Yet the substance took on the more serious, straight news tone it has today. The Beaver of the 2000s also adopted the most LSE-centric news beat as had yet been seen.

One issue in October 2004 contained a staggering number of news stories: Over a dozen pieces were printed on everything from the makeup of the University of London

@beaveronline

Website to exam reform to structural problems at the Garrick and Passfield to the growth of LSE, both in number of students and number of halls.

Even features stuck close to home.

Though there were articles pitching a debate between Michael Howard and Tony Blair, and arguing in favor of the concept of human rights, there was also an interview with an evangelist preacher who often congregated nearby LSE. The author wanted to find out whether the preacher was “a dangerous lunatic or merely an eccentric with a message.”

Though there were some sections that we may not recognize today– such as “Blink,” an analysis section encompassing law, features, politics and international–this edition also featured B:art, a precursor to Part B and Flipside.

2019 The 2010s were one of the Beaver’s most volatile eras. This decade has seen the creation of many shortlived sections. ‘Innovation’, ‘The Union’, and ‘The City’ were all consigned to the dustbin shortly after their inceptions. At the same time, the wellspring of funding that the Beaver had enjoyed from the Union had

11

begun to dry up. Between 2012 and 2018 the number of pages dropped from 40 to the 24 published today.

But even as the page numbers halved, the largest transformation in the Beaver’s history took place. Flipside engulfed a third of the paper. It is the boldest and most creative innovation that the Beaver’s editorial board has ever made.

The Beaver’s reporting has not lost its hard-hitting edge. 2019 has featured groundbreaking news stories on the Consent Now campaign and the impact of LSE Love on student life. We’ve also conducted interviews with prominent figures such as Alastair Campbell, Paul Preston, Vernon Bogdanor, and Sebastian Payne.

Although the Beaver has in recent times had a rocky and occasionally hostile relationship with the SU, the future of the paper looks bright. Student interest in the paper is as strong as ever, and with a new staff taking the reins, incoming students at LSE can look forward to both getting involved with the paper, and to what the Beaver has in store for them in the years to come.

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Surviving First Year: An International Students' Guide Clara de Lataillade Part B Editor 2018/19

W

elcome to the UK! The land of tea, the Queen, and people who say “How do you do?” in a posh accent while holding an umbrella… Or so you thought!

Already perplexed? Fear not!

We’re here to tell you what to really expect once you get to London.

Food (and alcohol) You may already be shuddering at the mere mention of fish finger sandwiches, spaghetti hoops on toast (I still have nightmares), Chip Butties or the worst of all - the legendary Spotted Dick. The stories you’ve heard – they’re all true.

First things first, British people have no concept of what is acceptable or not as food, and, because they never see the sun, they eat disgustingly early: dinner is usually between 6 and 6.30. If you’re Mediterranean, you’ll have to do some major adapting. Our tip: stick to the Friday fish and chips (the one good thing to come out of this country’s cuisine) and never say no to a cup of tea: you’ll have an instant friend. Also – never buy the tomatoes labelled ‘salad’, Brits wouldn’t know a ripe tomato if it was in front of them: get the ones labeled ‘vine’.

Another thing you might not be used to is the drinking. That may

CHEAP

have to change. Brits tend to drink a lot – almost certainly to shed their legendary awkwardness. As any selfrespecting British person will tell you: a real night out ends in either a blackout, tears, or A&E (urgent care). Take it from us – pretending to be drunk works just as well (they won’t notice), and is much less painful the day after.

Here’s a handy grocery shopping guide depending on your budget. One thing to note – shops here are open very late, especially the smaller ones in Central London, which is great when you need to go out for mixers (you know, what you add to the vodka/gin/ rum to make it taste less horrible).

TV

TV is a big part of British culture and they have countless TV shows with strange premises that reflect just how confused some British people can be when it comes to dating – the first one that comes to mind is Naked Attraction, a dating show where… well, you get the premise.

If you don’t like trashy TV, you might think you’ll hate Love Island but trust me: you NEED to watch it, if only to understand the memes. This show dominates all British life during the summer for its six weeks of episodes that are on. Every. Single. Night.

The show itself is hard to describe basically, people date until someone hotter comes along to the island and they ‘recouple’, blaming it on a ‘genuine connection’. Watch it (and get

MEDIUM

hooked) on ITV Hub. If you want to become a True Brit you have to watch the Great British Bake Off. This quintessentially British show is basically a competition between 12 bakers. You’ll come for the showy desserts, but you’ll stay for the innuendos. The show’s already started, but you can catch up on what you’ve missed it on Channel 4’s streaming service, or on Netflix where new episodes are posted every friday.

Navigating the hurdles of British culture won’t earn you a medal, although it’ll feel like you deserve one for knowing that ‘I wouldn’t mind’ means ‘yes’ or for using ‘sorry’ as punctuation (Hi, sorry, would you mind handing me a pen? Sorry!).

However, once you do, you’re in for a treat - you might be able to befriend the mysterious Brit in your class (it’s LSE, there’s probably only one per class) and even get to enjoy great British humour. I promise - the Brits’outer shell of politeness is about as hermetic as May’s many failed Brexit plans.

Sooner than you think, they’ll be (drunkenly) belting out ABBA songs on karaoke with you, and really, that’s all anyone ever wants. *Call 999 (A&E/Fire/Police) in an emergency and 111 (NHS Direct) if it is urgent but non-emergency so that they can recommend what to do next.

Go to 111.nhs.uk for more info.

EXPENSIVE

British Slang Dictionary British Slang Dictionary

Allow it. /a·low·it/ Stop it/leave it. e.g. "Should we walk to uni?" "Allow it mate, it’s too far."

Bait. /bate/ Obvious. e.g. "Look how he’s looking at that girl, he’s baitely into her."

Bare. /bar/ Very. e.g. "I can’t believe you cooked this, it’s bare good."

Butters. /buh·tuhz/ Horrible, ugly. e.g. "You into Tim?""Nah man, he’s butters."

Fam. /fam/ Bro. e.g. "What’s up fam?"

Innit. /in·it/ Isn't it. Qualifier. Added to the end of a sentence for extra effect. e.g. "He’s really annoying innit" Jokes. /jo·w·kes/ Funny. e.g. "That movie is so jokes" Long. /long/ Takes too much efffort. e.g. "Nah mate, I’m not gonna do the dishes, it’s long."

Peak. /peek/ Something that sucks. e.g. "So peak to see my results for this essay, I worked so hard on it" Peng. /p·eh·ng/ Pretty/handsome. e.g. "Daaaamn she’s peng."

Safe. /seif/ No problem. e.g. "Can you bring me my student ID?" "Safe mate, I’ve got it"

12 Features

Monday 23 September 2019 | The Beaver

A Changing Climate at LSE

The past year has seen great shifts in public perceptions of the climate breakdown, partly due to the media buzz that followed Greta Thunberg’s activist work and the launch of Extinction Rebellion. LSE has not been immue to these changes

Managing Editor

2

019 saw activist groups at LSE pass a major milestone for mass mobilisation. In fact, LSE has not seen protests and activism like the School Strikes for Climate since 1968. Thousands of LSE students banded together three times over the past year to call upon the government to act, and for society to reevaluate the way it operates.

In January, student activists organised a coalition of LSE societies and clubs, who would organise their members to support a 'March for the Climate' on the 15th of March 2018.

30 societies met to discuss the strike itself, coordinating direct action outside the university (a banner drop from the Old Building) on the week of the strike. Groups also hashed out predictable political differences.

From the anti-capitalist leanings of 68, Earthrise Journal (which both launched last Michaelmas term) and the LSESU Marxist Society, to the centrist LSESU Liberal Democrats, it was a cross-cutting coalition of interests and complex political leanings. But this widespread support was key to its success, and would help establish an environmental force at LSE. Student Climate Action is a student-led direct action organisation, whose members consist of students from LSE, as well as UCL and King’s College. It was mobilized by existing campus organisers to strengthen

the voice of university students in the climate strikes movement, currently dominated by UKSCN (primary and secondary schools) and to a lesser extent the youth division of Extinction Rebellion.

In spite of the support of such organisations, and the swathes of students who might protest, demonstrations can come with serious consequences. It is easy to see how political opinions might be protected by free speech laws, but taking to the streets is far riskier.

London is the most surveilled city in the world, and activists are more than likely put on a watchlist for participating in any protest. Facial recognition technologies have been deployed at several major UK protests this year without the media attention such shifts in policing deserved.

At King’s College, politically active students (primarily of colour) were prevented from entering campus buildings, despite having exams, because the Queen and the Duchess of Sussex were due to visit.

At our very own LSE, student activists have also been targeted and blocked from entering buildings while staging protests. Both incidents suggest the two closest universities to us are keeping a record of student political engagement: including names and photographs.

This surveillance shouldn’t dissuade participation. By showing up in great numbers and demonstrating our care and knowledge of the ecosystems on which we depend as well as the people who are being severely impacted by the environmental crisis, we are not idealistic or naive. We are informed, often carefully considered, and quite frankly - desperate for change.

Protests are an obvious political route, but individual adjustments -

where they can be made without expense or severe inconvenience - can help shape attitudes towards how to live with greater respect towards the environment.

But don’t forget - only 100 companies are responsible for 71% of global carbon emissions produced between 1988 and 2015, and if they stopped using fossil fuels in favour of alternative energies it would vastly eclipse our combined individual efforts.

LSE has already taken some steps by introducing plant-based milks to every cafe, KeepCups for sale with discounts upon purchase of hot drinks, two fully vegetarian and vegan cafes (in the New Building and the top of the Saw Swee Hock Building). There are even relatively comprehensive recycling bins all over campus.

LSE has also achieved zero waste to landfill, it has ‘save water initiatives’ in place (which you might notice in halls) and crucially, the academic work of the Geography Department has made it the 2nd best in the world - which informs LSE students, the public and policy. Feel free to read LSE’s 2017-18 Sustainability Report for more information.

While students have been striking, a group of academics, Grantham Institute employees, staff and a handful of students - deeply concerned about climate breakdown - have been devising strategy in attempts to transform LSE. Following in the footsteps of Bristol, Newcastle and Glasgow universities, over the next year the Climate Emergency Collective (CEC) will call upon the Directorate to announce a climate emergency, with an emphasis on the university taking concrete action to ‘tidy up its own backyard’ when it comes to divestment and emission reduction. They argue that LSE could always do better in the face of

global ecological collapse.

While LSE espouses sustainability, they say, the collective is “aware that LSE has not achieved the carbon emissions reduction targets set out in its 2011 Carbon Management Plan, with the 2017 unachieved target moved back to 2025. Furthermore, we are aware that `Scope 3’ emissions – including staff travel, water, waste and procurement – are not included in the School’s calculations of its overall emissions. The School’s public statements on its emissions reductions are therefore deeply misleading.

“With all of the above in mind, we call on the LSE to immediately declare a Climate and Ecological Emergency and to act accordingly…

“As a leader in social science, we will demonstrate that we are able to implement democratic social mechanisms to match the scale of the challenge we face. Members of the LSE community have already shown initiative, acting where the rest of us have been silent: the School must invest resources in supporting students and staff self-organising in response to the emergency that they are inheriting, including a dedicated organising space for climate activism managed by students and autonomous from the School.

“We have chosen the path we want to take and are waiting for the School to follow. Where the School takes this challenge seriously it will have the full support of staff and students. Where it drags its feet we will take action to return it to the centre of attention. This is an emergency.”

“As a leading

university in social science, we at LSE must demonstrate that we are able to implement democratic social mechanisms to match the scale of the challenge we face

“

Isabella Pojuner

Credit: Molly Blackall

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Consent

Monday 23 September 2019 | The Beaver

14

Consent and Coercion: A Guide

Article by Isabella Pojuner Illustrations by Christina Ivey

Consent, by definition, cannot be coerced and does not require pressure. Consent requires the freedom to make a choice.

Coercion may occur if someone exerts power and control over another person. For example, if someone intimidates, tricks, forces, or manipulates someone into doing something.

Consent isn’t just about getting laid: it’s about respecting the physical and mental autonomy of everyone, all the time. This can go for something as commonplace and simple as a hug, too.

What to do if you’re sexually harassed You can find examples of what constitutes sexual harassment and details of how to report it on the LSE website: https://info.lse.ac.uk/current-students/what-if/experienced-harassment If you are assaulted on School premises, you are advised to: 1. Report the incident to a member of Security or, if the assault took place in a hall of residence, the hall Warden or their nominee 2. Report the incident to the police (go to met.police.uk or call 999 in an emergency) 3. Notify an LSE contact who can help you receive personal support (go to https:// info.lse.ac.uk/current-students/whatif/experienced-harassment)

Why read when you can watch?

We love the ‘Tea Consent’ video which you can watch on YouTube. It’s a great guide which makes it easy to understand. Use the QR code below to get to the video.

Ensure you and your partner or partners have given full consent to sexual acts Consent is: • Voluntary • Mutual • Active • Informed • Retractable • Enthusiastic • Communicated These are pretty much self-explanatory, but you can google these terms to figure them out a bit more.

For the Law students (and everyone else, really) The Equality Act (2010) defines sexual harassment as: “Unwanted sexual conduct that has the purpose or effect of creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for the complainant, or violating the complainant’s dignity”.

“It’s the body language, stupid!”

It is always important to read people’s body language to understand if they are willingly engaging in sexual activity. We should all aim to be active bystanders and get involved when witnessing situations that seem nonconsensual. With these things, it is better to be safe than sorry.

Call out anyone who brags about sexual assault: ‘lad culture’ is harmful.

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Mental Health

15

Samaritans

Molly Blackall

Comment Editor 2018-19

I

t’s a bummer to have to consider the possibility that stuff may go wrong, or to face up to the fact that you may need some help to deal with ongoing problems in your life. But the fact remains: everyone is pretty much in the same boat.

YouGov estimates that more than a quarter of students suffer from mental health problems, which means that 1 in 4 of your student peers are likely experiencing these issues, and unfortunately this is only increasing. If you do experience mental health problems, of any description, there are places you can go and people you can talk to.

Please don’t keep these things to yourself; it’s completely normal to have moments where you will need help. Asking for help when you need it is a sign of strength and self-awareness. Here are a few ideas if you feel like Illustration by @beepa_la you’re struggling with your mental health, or ences, and how that will notice a friend who might help you cope with yours. be: LSE Life in the Library Talk also have study advisers available every day Academic advisors to think with you about are not only there for study-related difficulties. study-related issues. They also care about your wellPeer Support being at LSE. If you feel you aren’t coping, book Peer supporters can be an office hour and talk it found in halls of residence through with them. They and around campus. They can help you to structure aren’t counsellors but are your workload and conselected LSE students who tact teachers if necessary. have been trained specifYou can book office hours ically to listen, question with them on LSE For and answer. They could You. provide you with someone Also: talk to friends and impartial (and outside of family if you feel comyour circle of friends) to fortable. You may be talk to. surprised to realise how Find out more on how to many people will tell you reach out to a Peer Supabout their own experiporter at: lse.ac.uk/peer-

If you feel distressed or have suicidal thoughts, give the Samaritans a call.

They offer a free helpline to discuss your options, or help just to get things off your chest.

Call: 116 123 to contact the Samaritans.

Online Resources Alternatively, there are also resources available online. The NHS has plenty of support, and the NHS Moodzone is specifically tailored for mental health help: https:// www.nhs.uk/conditions/ stress-anxiety-depression/ You’ll also find lots of self-help resources on the SCS webpage: https://info. lse.ac.uk/current-students/ student-wellbeing/external-resources Disability and Wellbeing Service (DWS)

support LSE Student Counselling Service (SCS) LSE offers free individual counselling sessions. These can be arranged in advance; they also have 20 minute drop-in sessions.

They offer a space to talk things through and think about the way towards getting where you want to be. You can contact the SCS in the following ways: • In person: at the Counselling Service on the 4th Floor of Tower 3 • Drop-In Sessions: 2:45pm, Monday to Friday in the Counselling Service • Email: student.coun-

selling@lse.ac.uk • By Phone: 020 7852 3627 Visit a GP If you want to seek help outside of LSE, GPs can offer a vast range of support. From CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy), counselling services, or medication. GPs can confidentially discuss a wide range of options to find one which suits you best.

Do register with a GP as soon as possible! Just drop by to your nearest one (St Phillips Medical Centre is one on campus) and ask for information on registering.

The role of the Disability and Wellbeing Service at LSE is to ensure that students with any kind of physical disability or mental health issue can reach their full potential at LSE. If your mental health becomes a longer term issue, they can help to ensure that your needs are catered for at the school by putting you in touch with Mental Health Advisors and creating Inclusion Plans to suit you. This will help to ensure that mental health problems won’t stop you from enjoying your time at LSE. You can contact the DWS in person at the Disability and Wellbeing Service on the third floor of Tower 2 or by email at disability-dyslexia@lse.ac.uk.

Alternatively, you can call: 020 7955 7567.

FLIPSIDE VOL. 19

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REVIEW: How to enjoy London on the cheap SPORT: The AUful truth

SOCIAL: Kinds of racism you’ll experience at LSE

ELLA

I see the beginning of so many midlife crises here

MARSHALL

Ella

I see the beginning of so many midlife crises here

Marshall

Ella Marshall is so much more than the “token state school friend” that she’s described herself as.

It was a Sunday outside of term time so campus was eerily quiet when we met. It was also probably the last hot day of the year. And we took advantage of that fact by having a rooftop photoshoot where I talked to her about LSE, mental health, and the upcoming Freedom of Mind festival.

We started off with some quite basic chatter about why she chose LSE of all places. She revealed that she was attracted to the city of London itself, because of its cultural richness and that she’d applied to three London universities: LSE, UCL, and King’s.

She chose LSE in the end because it stood out to her the most “in terms of the environment, the campus, the people.” Although, admittedly, she was torn because she really liked lecturers at King’s.

We’ll forgive her for that one.

She was inspired to create Freedom of Mind after coming out of a severe period of bad mental health. She describes “incessant crying” and not being able to cope with the pressures of education, despite previous success. Eventually things came to a head: “I kind of made some sort of decision – like it’s just silly: I either kill myself or I live and make my life worth living.”

With a new lease on life, she became a member of Youth Parliament and inherited the mental health campaign.

“I took it super seriously, I spoke to so many different stakeholders in Bristol. A charity called Off The Record about their work with young people. I spoke the NHS Commissioning Group, I talked to counsellors, I talked to the Mayor’s Office. I basically started the campaign by doing as much research as I possibly could because I was roughly aware of what mental health was but not really about how it worked.”

Through her mental health campaign, she found the words to understand her own mental health crisis. “I’m suddenly realising what I was going through was definitely some kind of anxiety disorder. But I had never known that, I just thought I was sad and panicky.”

She also realised the big, systemic changes that need to happen - “the education system needs to change, more funding for mental health services”but felt powerless to effect those changes. “You can add your voice to the pressure groups, but there’s so much going on anyway until austerity ends

that’s not going to happen.” She decided what she could do was challenge the stigma surrounding mental wellbeing that had stopped her and so many others from getting help. And thus, the Freedom of Mind festival was born.

The festival is now in its fourth year, and Ella, with a lot of help from a small but dedicated team has managed to bring Freedom of Mind to LSE for the first time.

When asked what she thought was the biggest mental health challenge facing students at LSE, she points to a prescribed idea of success. This is worlds apart from the mental health challenges at her secondary school. She thinks the solution to the relatively poor mental health within LSE’s community rests on deconstructing our perception of success.

“A lot of kids coming here having creative interests maybe but literally just pushing them to one side in order to pursue this whole finance thing. Big finance, or law or those kinds of professions. I don’t think people are very free here… I see the beginnings of so many midlife crises.”

Ella still very much enjoys LSE, despite its reputation for having the lowest student satisfaction in the UK. She enjoys being challenged because of the fact that it’s so different from her secondary school, although she does identify as middle class.

“I relish the opportunity when people challenge me on things I’ve said or the way I think or whatever.

That’s the thing I’m most looking forward to getting back to at LSE. I’m in the best place to grow myself because when you’re being challenged, you’re growing.”

She adds that she thinks the people dragging down student satisfaction down are “the ones that are relatively quiet, that don’t feel as comfortable to get involved with LSE life”. On that note, her advice to LSE freshers is simple: find your community by pursuing your interests outside of academia. “The way that I first found people that I could really relate to and found this like, warm feeling about LSE was through PuLSE radio. I’m so glad that I did that… it’s really important when you first start of to do something like establish yourself in something that you enjoy that isn’t academics.”

Interview and Photography: Christina Ivey

Freedom of Mind LSE 2019 will run from the 7th-11th of October, in response to student demand for a more proactive, rather than reactive, approach to mental wellbeing.

SOCIAL

Cliteracy Class 2: Keeping it fresh y Galore

by Puss

Welcome one and all to a fresh new year of Cliteracy - your LSE source for judgement-free, no shame chat about what we’re all thinking about: sex. For those avid readers of The Beaver (if you’re out there) you may remember my witty introduction back in May, where I dipped my toes into the steamy waters of the LSE Sexual Relations Department.

Well, young skywankers: that was only the beginning.

This year you’ll get a dose every two weeks and I’ll have my work cut out with these freshwankers crawling around campus. So, get ready to dive in: Cliteracy is in session.

For our inaugural class I’ll turn to our newest students for some valuable preparation for the test to come…Freshers’ Week. Moving to university is impossible without receiving the inevitable comment: “Don’t get with anyone; it’ll be so embarrassing when classes start.” The reputation of Freshers’ as a melting pot of new-found liberation, excessive drinking, and clumsy encounters to later regret, strikes a range of emotions from titillation to dread in all students.

Being in a relationship as a fresher I was unsure of how to navigate these herds of horny people without temptation or being perceived as a bore. What I wish I’d known is that your Freshers’ is exactly that. Yours.

This means that if you are out, feeling fit as fuck and want to get freaky with the person making eyes at you across the dance floor... DO IT! Equally, if you want to skip the sweaty hoards, preferring good chat at the local... DO IT! To the judgers out there: grow some unisex balls, take your

noses out of people’s business and have the bravery to do what makes you happy. Do not let people’s judgement disempower you. A walk of shame only exists when you let it. You are a bad bitch, so stride out of that uni room at mid-morning with a mildly sexually satisfied expression (because... these are freshers: None of them know how to have good sex - at least yet).

But wait, for all of us to live our best Freshers’ week we have to respect everyone’s right to do the same. Just follow some simple rules: Consent is everything – it’s not fun if only some people are having fun. Being clear with your intentions is sexy, using people is not – do not drag people along, it’s cruel and makes you a dick. You’re a boss adult, own your decisions – the truth is that most cheeky encounters at Fresher’s will not lead to a long-term love affair. So, if you’re going in for the goal be fully aware of what you are and are not signing up for.

Do not judge or shame – just because someone lives their best life in a different way to you does not mean it is less awesome.

Now, go out my cliterate students and have fun while being respectful as hell. This is a sex positive column, but it is first and foremost a place for shame-smashing and empowerment, so you do you boo!

kinds of racism you’ll face at LSE, by department If you grew up in a country where the population was predominantly people of colour, coming to LSE can be white white world with microaggressions lurking at every corner. In this tongue-in-cheek guide, I’ll take you through the types of racism you’ll face at LSE, by department.

Finance - see: Accounting

Accounting - They will assume you got into LSE through bribes.

Government - They will gloss over the white supremacist thought of major thinkers, and then say you’re making everyone uncomfortable by bringing it up.

Anthropology - They will get offended at you for calling them racist when you point out that they’re overstepping their boundaries, because race is a social construct you know so the boundaries aren’t real.

Economics - Neoliberalism.

Economic History - They will bend over backwards to justify colonialism, because you know, it was good for the economy?

Geography and Environment - When you tell them where you’re from, they will find it appropriate to mention that their sister’s ex-boyfriend once went to a country near your country.

International History - They will bend over backwards to justify colonialism, because you know, it was good for museums?

International Relations - They will happily advocate for regime change and interventionism in your country during class debates.

ey

by Christina Iv

Law - They will imply that your country has no working rule of law and at the same time insinuate that your country is barbaric for laws that were imposed during colonial rule.

Social Policy - The white people here will think they know how to fix racism with zero input from people of colour, because they do social policy of course.

Management - They will be plainly racist, but you won’t understand because they’ll do it in French.

Sociology - The white people here will think they’re qualified to speak over you on racism, because they do sociology of course.

Mathematics - If you’re Asian, you will be assumed to be extremely proficient at the subject as a matter of fact, because god forbid you’re good because you actually put the hours in to practice.

Statistics - They will have a willingness to distort the numbers at had to maintain the racist status quo.

Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method - see: Government, and add a dash of sexism.

Monday 23 September

lifestyle/advice/satire

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A Field Guide to LSE

by C. Hewson

Browsing the SU shop, one often finds oneself wondering why anyone would want many of the goods that they sell. It is important to bear in mind, however, that the items dispensed by our most revered institution constitute an irreplaceable part of the university’s ecosystem.

The officially licensed clothing range in particular has an important role in sustaining the biodiversity of our campus. We have therefore diligently compiled for you, dear reader, an introductory guide to the most salient specimens found on campus.

All creatures detailed below are unsuitable for domestication. (Illustrations: @beepa_la).

Common Hooded Undergraduate Scholasticus Warmus One of the most pervasive species found at LSE, the Hooded Undergrad grows its impressive plumage in preparation for the winter months. It is notable for its rather gloomy expression which resembles that of someone who has spent £30 on what is inevitably to become a glorified pyjama accessory.

Crested Nightmare Family Familius wankerensis The Crested Nightmare Family holds legendary status at LSE. Widely thought to be either a hoax or extinct, F. wankerensis has only been sighted a handful of times in the school’s long history, albeit with consistently unpleasant consequences. Students are advised never to approach if seen and to notify campus security immediately.

Double-breasted Snob Elitus detestabilis One can only speculate as to the decisionmaking process that would lead an individual to wear such a vile combination of objects.

Most alumni are content to carry the LSE brand on their CVs and Facebook profiles.

The tie and cufflinks, on the other hand, are the mark of a being who has fully committed their soul to LSE. E. detestabilis have been consumed by the LSE lifestyle and can no longer be considered truly human.

sexual-groundworks.pilot Friday, I’m on a night out. A fellow dancer and I have been flirting for most of the evening, and it’s clear that the laws of student clubbing demand a one-night stand.

There’s a well-known script for scenarios like this, and, as deep-seated as a truth of nature, it says if you dance well together, you shag well together. Our duty seems clear, follow fresher philosophy 101: sex is great, if you can get it, go for it.

No doubt, student culture deems sex as extremely socially desirable. Everyone talks about it, though mainly as a sort of achievement or, conversely, something that they’re not getting enough of. Who pulls, who gets laid, who’s been doing it. On the other end, not having sex is either “a conscious decision to take some time off” or, slightly sad.

In any case, sexual abstinence seems to require explanation. (Note how abstinence suggests austerity from something covetable and the synonym “celibacy” with its monkish connotation.)

In Freshers’ week, this sentiment seems amplified. Listening in on conversations, reading Tab articles, Facebook posts and Student Room discussions, it almost sounds as if first week at university was the fuck fest we were all secretly dreaming about.

Ironically, all the sources agree on another point: Freshers’ sex is inevitably bad - an awkward mess that might make for funny anecdotes in due time once the itch wears off.

Yet, sex is integral to the Freshers’ week myth: a short period to get crazy with loads of different people.

This is obviously nonsense.

Most students do not get laid during Freshers’ week - they get drunk (if they drink), sleep-deprived (if they party), caught up in a ton of superficial conversations (“Which course are you on?”), and have phone calls with their parents about their “university experience so far”. The few one-night stands that do occur are mostly as bad as predicted, which should be no surprise: after all, they’re between drunk and sweaty teenagers.

Good sex isn’t there for the taking. It’s bloody hard work and it takes some practice too. No matter how cool kids present themselves, few incoming university students are particularly experienced or feel all too comfortable in their own skin. There are a lot of social norms to navigate, and then there is the risk of awkward and genuinely bad experiences.

Does that mean we got it upside down? The truth lies somewhere in the middle.

Sex requires respect for your partners’ and your own boundaries. Don’t do anything for which you don’t feel ready. Take your time and never be afraid to plan or discuss what you like - it will save you a lot of hurt and misunderstanding.

More so, talking about sex shouldn’t be a mood killer; sex is always better when all partners are on the same page. Sexual experiments need consent and common understanding of what’s going on. Communication isn’t an obstacle. Communication is sexy.

Washington’s Peak-billed Quant Coursea generalis Whilst not native to London, C. generalis has flourished here since its introduction. It is easily identified by its call which is between three and five times louder than that of most other species. The Peak-Billed Quant is migratory and travels regularly for mating, hunting, job interviews, and skiing holidays in the Ardennes.

by Merlin Krzemien That caveat in mind, I encourage you to develop a self-determined delight in experiment. In order to have good sex, you want to learn and have some experiences. Within your comfort zone, feel free to go nuts.

Embrace the weird. There’s no one else in your bedroom other than you and your partners (unless you’re into having an audience, which is okay too). As long as you do it together, you’ll quickly learn what works for you and what doesn’t, and you’ll have a lot of fun along the way.

To be clear: the people who tell you what to do (and that very much includes me) are about as clueless as you are. There is no one truth about sex; what’s right will differ. That conclusion doesn’t entail cynicism - on the contrary, it reveals that true ownership over your wants and needs lies with yourself.

Merlin likes to talk about sex, good and bad, and he’d love for more people to join the conversation. If you want to share a thought, story, or criticism, feel free to contact m.krzemien@lse.ac.uk. (Nothing will be shared without prior consent.)

Monday 23 September

lifestyle/advice/satire

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An (Actually) Broke Student’bysSadia Sheeraz, Social Mobility Guide to Surviving LSE LSESU and Class Officer My first year at LSE was a rollercoaster. There were the highs: party invitations, academic seminars, fancy career networking events, a successful election, and coursework going well. These were the things I was signing up to when I accepted my place at LSE. But there were also lows no one had really prepared me for.

I like to think that experiencing these things and continuing to pursue a degree at LSE is character building. But the stats don’t show that efforts from working-class students to attain the same qualifications of their privileged equivalents actually result in favourable or even equal employability. So, there’s no reason for anyone else to experience the same thing.

The application dates for most scholarships have passed but LSE does have info online so it’s worth taking a look for the next year.

Bursaries work differently, and basically every remotely workingclass UK or EU student is eligible for them (if your parents earn £42,611 or below, you are entitled to some amount). These should kick in once you’ve chosen to share your financial details with the university, so if you think you might be entitled and you aren’t

receiving them it’s worth giving the student services centre a visit.

Lesser-known sources of income include the in-course funding and access fund. In-course funding is available for anyone who is facing unforeseen financial circumstances and despite the intimidating forms, the financial support office (FSO) is generally staffed by helpful staff in my experience. Access funds are for anyone struggling with the day-to-day cost of living.

Make friends who come from working-class backgrounds. It’s important to have people around you who can relate to your experiences. Feeling pressured to spend money you don’t have because the people around you encourage you to because they have no understanding of how disastrous overspending can be is not fun.

The constant code-switching is exhausting. It is important to have people who can understand these things.

Take advantage of your professors. Class ignorance is an issue amongst some of the faculty at LSE, and I won’t deny it. But most academics are well-meaning, or at least eager to see their students succeed. So absolutely rinse them of their office hours. £9250 is far too much money for you to pay to not take advantage of the resources that are your teachers and professors.

Get comfortable with the FSO. Financial advice is best from the mouths of those who do it for a living. Get comfortable approaching them for answers before you end up in your overdraft or in debt, like me, because you’ve lived wageto-wage thus far and have never been expected to budget such large sums of money.

Before you join societies, try their give-it-a-go sessions. Make sure that this is something you enjoy and a community you feel comfortable and welcome in. During Freshers’, it’s easy to sign up and pay for societies that don’t actually host any events throughout the year.

Of course, each department is very different but making working-class friends in your department is particularly beneficial for emotional, practical and academic reasons.

But remember to take a break.

You made it to LSE, and already your career prospects are higher than they ever should have been. There is value in relaxation. If you do want to do extra readings for pure interest, go for it. Otherwise, breathe and tell yourself that it’s going to be okay.

Try not to engage with baiting middle-class students who view poverty as a personal deficiency. Or those who will refuse to acknowledge the benefits and privileges of wealth. I cannot stress how harmful it can be to your mental health to engage with people who are itching to present classist opinions to you in the form of an “objective topic of debate”. And your passion and attachment to the subject will only be seen as a negative in these spaces.

My last tip is to join the SU’s Social Mobility Network. It’s free, it’s fun and it’s a space for you to make sure you’re heard. Think of it as a union of working-class students, united against structural inaccessibility. And then log in to the SU website and sign up! llustrations by Emma Duper

Monday 23 September

SPORT W did).

All Work and No Play Makes Sam a Dull Student

by Seth Rice

elcome freshers and commiserations again for not getting into Oxbridge (it’s okay - clearly none of us

What did you all think of over summer when you considered your new university? Studying at one of the finest colleges in Europe? Sitting alongside future world leaders? Securing an internship at Goldman? Well, banish those thoughts immediately and start thinking about the Sport. LSE is truly hitting its peak this year, with a hugely impressive selection of opportunities to get involved with the Athletics Union. Will it be Kabbadi? Netball? Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu? Cricket? Rugby? Football? All of those plus Rowing? Take your time and meet each of the above

C

(plus an obscene number of other societies) before you take your first step into sporting adulthood.

Alongside the endless health benefits that accompany an AU membership, there exists plenty of scope for embarrassing yourself in front of your new pals at one of LSE AU’s many events.

The most notable, of course, is Carol a ritual drinking pageant in which each team within each Sport dresses under a particular theme or inspiration (i.e.

Colonel Sanders and a brood of chickens) and drinks from 7:00am onwards.

It’s quite disgusting really.

If you cannot, for whatever reason, fully commit and/or if aspects of the club are simply not for you then do not fret you prudent fledglings. Each team and each captain welcomes those right

across the spectrum with equally open arms and the pressuring environment that once plagued University sport is rapidly becoming a thing of the past.

This truly cannot be stressed enough.

Following an extremely successful sporting year in 2018/19,* LSE Sport is hoping that you, freshers, will carry on the fine work done by your now unhappy-and-working-in-a-job-they-detest predecessors. As Albert Camus famously said, “Everything I know about morality and the obligations of man, I owe it to sport at LSE.” Or something like that. *with the exception of Men’s rugby** **just kidding

The AUful Truth – A Guide for Women in LSE’s Athletics Union by Amelia Jabry

oming to university is daunting, that is a given. Working out how to get to that awkward lecture on the top floor of the Pankhurst building is overwhelming enough – especially when everyone still refers to them as the towers and proceeds to give innocuous directions.

As you claw through the second day of the Freshers’ fair, presumably hungover because you’re trying to get your money’s worth of your wristband, you spot all the sports stalls. Yet another thing to figure out and potentially join. The question is, is it worth it, and what is life really like for a woman in the AU?

The Good

Joining a sports club is one of the best things you can do during your time at LSE. This university is unfortunately known for its lack of community and business-like culture. A sports club counteracts all of that. Speaking as a rugby player, my club is where I have made some of my best friends as the constant matches, socials and meetups foster a great sense of community. Joining up with a lot of freshers, you get a safe and structured place to get away from uni worry for a while, as in all sports clubs, the events and matches are organised by a committee so you don’t have to think about any-

thing apart from getting yourself there.

This is really empowering, not just for a woman, but for any new student, as you step into a ready-made community with an in-built support network, full of freshers like you but also older students to show you the ropes.

If you’re thinking “why bother, they won’t accept me anyway”, please don’t. Each sports club will happily accept new members. In the small community of LSE – compared to larger institutions like UCL – new members are a very happy addition. No club will ever turn you away for being inexperienced, as long as you have enthusiasm for the sport. I remember joining water polo in the middle of term despite never having played and not being able to tread water very well. I agreed to play in their 2nd team varsity and whilst everyone else was zooming to one side of the pool to another after the ball, I was doing my best not to look drowning Teletubby with my neon yellow head-gear.

10/10 most embarrassing experience.

If you are wondering about the quality of a club or how inclusive one is, LSE has input a system, rating clubs a bronze, silver, or gold medal (or none at all). A few of these include women’s football, women’s rugby, pole fitness, netball, and athletics.

The Bad

This is the point where I could warn you to avoid certain clubs, especially ones which have traditionally been considered to have more ‘lad’ culture than others. The truth is, the members of each club vastly change each year and the problematic club of one year could easily be outshone by some horrid antics of another club the next year. There are dickheads aplenty. They are unfortunately not bound to a certain club.

There have been incidents of sexism within the AU for the last two years I have been here. The only way to combat this is not to avoid being part of some great clubs, but stepping up and being part of the action so future occurrences look pathetic and stupid.

The Ugly

Zoo – in no way, shape or form was this ever going under ‘Good’. As an AU member you will quickly realise Zoo isn’t some fancy LSE club, but a grotty, sweaty mess that lies in Leicester Square. It is so bad it is fun – or at least memorable. On many of the inevitable dress-up nights, you will have glammed up with your team-mates only to find your foundation melting off you in ‘the Cage’ – the LSE room of Zoo. Be wary

that many consider Zoo their holy mating site. Many will trek religiously to it every Wednesday in the hopes of finding ‘the one’ (night stand).

My advice for nights-out and generally interacting with anyone in an unfamiliar environment is: stay aware and keep with your club and the people you know who can easily support you – common sense but has to be said.

Final Verdict

Being a woman in the AU, but really a person of any gender, is on the whole a great experience. Through sports clubs I have met some of the most strong, amazing, and empowered women and the support network you get on this disparate campus far outweighs the negatives you may encounter.

Queer Eye is the only QE you really need to know at LSE

By Rahul Patel - Review Editor 2018/19

If you haven’t already heard of Queer Eye, then what heteronormative rock have you been living under? Queer Eye is the Emmy winning Netflix show where five fabulous queers travel around America imparting gay wisdom on those who need and deserve it the most.

The lessons taught by the Fab Five will come in handy as you begin to navigate university. Each host is equipped with skills and knowledge that you’ll need to survive in a new city and in new environments.

Make your room a comfortable place to live with Bobby’s interior design tips. You’ll spend a significant amount of time in your bedroom, so it’s important that the space is somewhere that you’ll feel comfortable. Allow Jonathan and Tan to teach you the importance of presenting yourself well to others. If you don’t take your image seriously, then who else is going to? As Jonathan says, “It’s not vanity, it’s self-care.”

Plenty of you will be munching on the food provided for you in halls.

But for those who have to fend a little more for yourselves, Antoni is on hand to teach you healthy and simple recipes (which will most likely include avocado). And finally, Karamo is there to make you become the best version of yourself by overcoming your fears and breaking out of bad habits. You have to take care of yourself whilst at university and that involves keeping your mind and body healthy.

Each episode is a delightful bundle of wholesomeness that’ll get the tears flowing, too. Do the world a favour and get going with this show because everyone needs a little QE in their life.

The first four seasons of Queer Eye are currently available to stream on Netflix. A fifth season has been announced as well as a Japanese event special.

REVIEW covers food, film, television and music.

If you want to share your thoughts on (or warn readers against) something you’ve seen, listened to or tasted, submit your reviews to beaveronline.co.uk We look forward to reading your hot takes.

People with bad taste need not apply.

- Amber Iglesia, Review Editor

NO MORE EXCUSES - How to enjoy London on the cheap For an upmarket cinema experience, Curzon offers £6 tickets for off-peak showings with free online booking. The Red Velvet cake is well worth the money you’ll save.

Vue offers £5 tickets all day Monday (excludes Leicester Square).

The Top Secret Comedy Club has free tickets to Monday Night Stand Up, concessions for students in many other events, and is just a 10-minute walk from campus.

Backyard Comedy Club in Bethnal Green offers £3 tickets for students on some events.

Kino Bermondsey offers 2-for1 all day on Tuesdays. Students pay £8.50 all week long.

NUS discount at Odeon gives you 25% off the student price Mondays to Thursdays.

Genesis in Mile End has £5 tickets Monday to Wednesday.

The BFI Southwark screens classics and current films for £3 for under 25s.

The London Philharmonic Orchestra offers £5 or £10 tickets to students.

The jazz bar Ronnie Scott’s has free rooms and the blues bar Ain’t Nothin’ But is usually free (check online).

The National Theatre’s Entry Pass grants concession tickets for less than £10 for people under 26.

The free Young Barbican membership can also get you theatre tickets for just £5, £10 or £15.

The app TodayTix is great to keep an eye on discounted tickets and presales. You can also check theatres to get day seats for many showings.

These are normally around £10-15.

RSC offer £5 tickets for those who become an RSC member between the ages of 16-25. It is free to become a member.

Skoob in the Brunswick Centre is 2,000 square-foot space offering one of the largest ranges of second hand books in London. You can receive a 10% discount if you have a Curzon cinema card or a student card.

The Southbank Centre have a daily book market offering a wide selection of both paperback and hardback books of all genres just underneath Waterloo Bridge up until 7pm.

Book and Comic Exchange in Notting Hill is a quaint bookshop which has a middle aisle of vintage comics and magazines as well as a section of literary treasures available for 50p or less.

Quinto Bookshop in Charing Cross is a spot for those who enjoy books besides your conventional fiction and non-fiction, ranging from archaeology to film scripts all for a reasonable price away from the hustle and bustle.

By Rahul Patel, Amber Iglesia, and Morgan Fairless