The Beaver - #929 (15 November 2023) by The Beaver

Issue 929 | AT Week 8

Read The Beaver. Online.

Making sense of LSE since 1949

Escaping the London International Christian Church LSE student and former member describes their turbulent experience, page 8

by Kaviesh Kinger and Sheila Mutua, Social and Review Editors. Photographed by Ben Chen. Model: Isabel Sherriffs.

FEATURES

NEWS

OPINION

Campus walkout with New investigative se- Why I’ll be arrested students and staff in ries: Breaking down after protesting with the LSESU Just Stop Oil support of Palestine Page 3

Page 6

Page 9

& flip for Boba Bot

Meet the team

Photographed by Ben Chen and Angus Timmons Executive Editor Alan Nemirovski executive.beaver@lsesu.org Managing Editor Eugenia Brotons Batista managing.beaver@lsesu.org Flipside Editor Sana Agarwal editor.flipside@lsesu.org Frontside Editor Vanessa Huang editor.beaver@lsesu.org Multimedia Editor Claire Yubin Oh multimedia.beaver@lsesu.org News Editors Iraz Akkus Chenoa Colaco Features Editors Liza Chernobay Amadea Hofmann Opinion Editors Honour Astill Kieran Hurwood Part B Editors Emma Do Julietta Gramigni Review Editors Christina Jiang Sheila Mutua Social Editors Rhea Jethwa Kaviesh Kinger Sports Editors Robert Khandzhyan Matt Sudlow Beaver Sound Editors Kate Banner Laila Gauhar Illustrations Editors Francesca Corno Mithalina Taib Photography Editors Ben Chen Angus Timmons Videography Editors Lamisa Chowdhury Valerie Schwane Torres Rebecca Stanton Website Editors Hila Davies Christine van Voorst Social Media Editors Emma Gallagher Fay Qian

Issue 929 | AT Week 8 www.thebeaverlse.co.uk

Fangirling, unapologetically Claire Yubin Oh Multimedia Editor

Living with someone who’s (overly) excited about muscles and preserved fetuses and ancient diagrams of the circulatory system is certainly an experience. Yes, I’m talking about you Miss Kang; yesterday, I visited the Hunterian Museum with my flatmates to see the museum’s collection on the history of modern surgical knowledge, located only a minute away from CKK. As much as the exhibition pushed my hemophobic mind to the limits, our walk back home after the two hour tour (or rather wait for me) listening to her talk in length about the collection was truly an inspiring and almost a gratifying experience – no sarcasm intended. Maybe it’s the inescapable curse of spending too much time in the Media Centre talking about news and problems in the school, or how I

start conversations with my closest friends with updated rants about my life – I increasingly find myself fixated with the negatives amongst the million little sensations I feel a day. I’m starting to realise how finding happiness is an exercise, an activity that not only requires a cautious search of the many feelings for the day, but more importantly a conscious effort to name the many excitements and enthusiasms in my everydays and to share them to people around me. So I am relearning how to love. It’s really my version of My Favorite Things: the crisp edges of the sourdough bread for breakfast, a Hiroshi Sugimoto exhibition happening only minutes away from home, a photograph hung on the walls of my favorite bakery. It’s continuing to fangirl about the little things I love and learning to sing the tiny sparkles of joy they bring, to the people who happened to walk into and stay in my life.

Film recommendations no one asked for Vanessa Huang Frontside Editor

Take This Waltz (2011) because never has the line, “I want to rape you with a pair of scissors,” sounded so devastatingly beautiful. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972) for scathing class satire so absurd it makes Glass Onion look positively sterile. Minding the Gap (2018) because modern masculinity, escapism, and teenage angst make for an unassuming gutpunch of empathy in cinematic form. The Territory (2022) for self-documentation as self-protection in the face of genocide, an unrelenting eulogy for a fast-disappearing natural world. Talking About Trees (2019) for an ode to cinema more unabashedly earnest than any other, eschewing pretension and celebrating the simple

Wherever you go, Beaver Sound has a podcast ready for you! Scan below.

wonder of communal storytelling. West Indies (1979) as theatre captured on film, a history of colonialism as abrasively musical as it is shamelessly didactic.

Bergman Island (2021) for a (loving) deconstruction of one of cinema’s greats, enveloped in the warmth of delightful meta-fiction. Name Me Lawand (2022) for a sensorial examination of language and its social confines, illuminated with youthful sincerity. In the Heat of the Sun (1994) because we remember our formative years with the warm glow of nostalgia, our predilection for self-mythologising easing us through the passage of time. Songs from the Second Floor (2000) for a series of disjointed vignettes – each as bizarre and macabre as the next – gradually coming to resemble the despair of human existence.

Do you see something on campus that you want us to investigate? Send a tip to the editor! executive.beaver@lsesu.org

Any opinions expressed herein are those of their respective authors and not necessarily those of the LSE Students’ Union or Beaver Editorial Staff. The Beaver is issued under a Creative Commons license. Attribution necessary. Printed at Iliffe Print, Cambridge. Room 2.02 Saw Swee Hock Student Centre LSE Students’ Union London WC2A 2AE 020 7955 6705

News Editors Iraz Akkus Chenoa Colaco news.beaver@lsesu.org

NEWS

LSE UCU pass motion in support of Palestine

LSE community walks out for Palestine

The Beaver Newsroom

Iraz Akkus News Editor Photographed by Sana Agar wal

n 10 November LSE’s branch of the University College Union (UCU) announced that they had passed the motion “Solidarity with Palestine and Academic Freedom”. The LSE UCU called for the British government “to change their position and join rising international pressure for an immediate ceasefire,” “the immediate establishment of humanitarian corridors… to Gaza,” “UN protection for Palestinians,” and for “humanitarian and international law to be enforced in Gaza and the West Bank.” Moreover, the LSE UCU called for “the release of Israeli and Palestinian hostages,” “an end to the Israeli siege of Gaza,” and “UK military, financial and political support for Israel.” The LSE UCU additionally resolved to “pressure LSE to di-

vest funding and refuse to engage and support any research collaboration… or research project with any company that collaborates with the Israeli military” and endeavoured to hold LSE accountable “on respecting its own ESG policy adopted in November 2022 to avoid investment in weapons manufacturing that contribute to the ongoing genocide.” The LSE UCU also stated its support for LSE’s “sanctity of academic freedom and freedom of speech” and “staff and students being targeted over their solidarity for Palestine.” Following a post on X urging her followers to “[j]oin this demo[nstration] in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle,” Dr Mahvish Ahmad, Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology, was accused of “legitimising Hamas.” Dr Ahmad deleted her account on X; it has since been restored. In their final point, LSE’s UCU

branch affirmed its commitment to anti-racist politics, including their position against Islamophobia and antisemitism. The motion was passed at an Extraordinary General Meeting on 7 November, with 28 votes in favour, 3 votes against, and 7 abstentions. On 9 November Associate Professor in the Department of Government, Dr Florian Foos, announced the resignation of his membership from the UCU and LSE UCU on X, following the Extraordinary General Meeting. He wrote that this was “the last straw in a series of motions, votes and actions” he “firmly disagree[d] with”. Dr Foos also posted on X on 10 November that it was “a relief ” that the motion posted by the LSE UCU was a “much shortened amended version” of what was heard at the meeting.

n Thursday 9 November LSE students and staff took part in a national walkout to show support for Palestine, call for an immediate ceasefire in the ongoing conflict within the region, and end the Israeli occupation. The initiative was part of a transnational call for a “shutdown” in aid of Palestine and suspending violence and brutality. Many across the globe attended similar “Shut It Down for Palestine” walkouts and marches. A representative from The Beaver reported that there were a large number of people who attended the walkout. The demands expressed at the rally on 19 October included calls for a ceasefire and urged LSE to fully disassociate from “investments complicit in Israeli apartheid”.

tive of the conflict. They highlighted the need to stay educated and stated that spreading information without the historical context of violence was detrimental. Many speakers, including both students and staff, expressed a continued need to speak out for Palestinians amid increasing suppression of free speech. Home Secretary Suella Braverman previously characterised pro-Palestine demonstrations as “hate marches.” Alex*, a third year student in attendance, described the event as a “visual presence of solidarity with Palestine.” After the walkout, attendees walked around campus towards the outside of the Marshall Building, where they began a sit-in to show further support for the cause. Various LSESU societies have continued to raise awareness and aid for Palestine.

*Names have been changed to LSESU Hands Off hosts first ‘Locker preserve anonymity. Attendees emphasised that the Room Talks’ Terms like ‘lad culture’ and the The AU has established further media has shaped a false narra-

Sana Agar wal Flipside Editor

n 6 November, Hands Off LSE and the Athletics Union (AU) hosted the first ‘Locker Room Talks’ with the aim of fostering discussion around sexual violence and harassment culture in LSE sports clubs. The event was hosted by Charlotte Lewis and Georgie Andrews. Several prominent AU committee members, including Women’s Officer Tito Molokwu, spoke on the panel. Issues raised in the first women’s forum hosted this year were discussed. These included catcalling on campus, Carol security, and spiking at LSE events.

need to adhere to the standards of peers were highlighted as some of the reasons for problematic behaviour, especially within male-dominated sports societies. LSESU Rugby captain Ben Cox admitted, “Contact sports breed a culture of toxic masculinity, but there had been a shift in that the past year.” These issues were also discussed in relation to digital spaces AU societies are involved and present in. The success of Consent Ed was praised by all speakers. AU president Adriana Beattie expressed that it has “expanded people’s knowledge and given them a space to go to.” Additional support from captains of sports societies has also helped the push for Consent Ed.

precautions, such as mandatory Consent Ed sessions before Carol for all societies. LSESU Men’s Cricket has also made this a requirement for attendance at Wednesday socials.

The panel also discussed some of the positive changes enacted by the LSESU, such as the introduction of drink covers and weekly reports from the Sway AU night that are overseen and evaluated by the AU President. AU committee members reiterated their zero-tolerance policy for sexual assault and discussed the need to distinguish their personal relationships from executive duties. As a response to this, Beattie has promised to work on a standardised process for tackling cases of sexual misconduct and reporting within the AU.

NEWS

Sports clubs struggle with Old Building refurbishment Oona de Car valho Contributing Writer Illustrated by Mithalina Taib

efurbishment work taking place in the Old Building, set to last until September 2024, is putting a significant strain on sports clubs that previously used the gymnasium facility in its basement. Sports clubs face new struggles as they compete for limited training space on campus.

pressed how “existing members are definitely reluctant on the Tuesday class (held in the Weston Studio) because they know it’s a smaller space.” The Weston Rehearsal Studio also lacks storage space for equipment and training mats, forcing committee members to transport the material from the Sports Hall in the Marshall Building. Secretary of LSESU Brazilian Jiujitsu, Mithalina Taib, shared that the team has to carry 80 to 90 mats for

each session. She described how this “wastes half an hour before class and half an hour after class”. Clubs additionally face shortened training hours. Muay Thai used to offer two-hour sessions on Tuesdays, however they now only have an hour and a half; they no longer have time to do warm-ups or put out mats. Weller shared that “it’s hard to train on hard floors and it’s quite dangerous if you fall down.” This means

Several sports clubs have been allocated training spaces unsuitable for their needs. A number of martial arts clubs offer training sessions in the Weston Rehearsal Studio, a space designed for art and dance recitals.

that scheduling disruptions are also impacting the safety of practising sports. Some clubs have been allocated mid-day time slots which has affected turnout. Boxing, a club with around 250 members, has had only 20 participants in some of their Thursday 3:30pm training sessions. Over 40 of their members claim that this slot clashes with their lectures and classes. Boxing has a ‘pay as you go’ training fee of £3 per session, meaning that a low turnout directly impacts the club’s finances. President of LSESU Boxing, Katherine Lo, commented: “We’re losing members, we’re losing revenue in our first term.” The closure of the Old Building facilities is also disrupting the organisation of Fight Night, one of the most anticipated Athletics Union events of the year, as training sessions used to take place in the Old Building.

President of LSESU Muay Thai, Oliver Weller, commented: “The Weston Studio is small. There’s not really much space to move around, and Muay Thai is quite a space-demanding sport because there’s kicking and punching involved.” President of LSESU Taekwondo, Nevin Chellappah, ex-

Lo commented on how the club is searching for exter-

nal training venues: “It has been quite stressful … We’re training very frequently and we need good time and good space so the boxers have time to rest … External venues can be really quickly filled up too..” Sports clubs feel that there is a lack of transparency and communication from the LSE Students’ Union (LSESU), which is in charge of allocating facilities, and would like greater support. Lo expressed: “I just want students’ voices to be heard … and [for the SU to] work with us, not against us.” An LSE spokesperson has responded to these concerns: “LSE Estates are aware of the feedback from the SU Martial Arts Society and have been reviewing how additional space can be allocated. The LSE Estates space management team will investigate and assess what additional options might be available but, at this stage, the space of the Old Building gym is required for the duration of the refurbishment.”

High Holborn experiences faulty lifts, heating, and laundry Chenoa Colaco News Editor

rom the beginning of the academic year, students living in LSE’s High Holborn residence have faced several facility issues: including falling lifts, lack of heating, and faulty laundry services. These problems culminated in a petition started on 24 October and sent to the residential hall management team, describing the problem as affectomg “crucial amenities” which have “not been properly serviced or repaired,” “leading to various inconveniences and additional expenses for the residents”. The petition also requests a fee rebate equal to one week’s worth of rent. On 17 October, several students on the High Holborn WhatsApp group chat report-

ed lifts falling from the second to the ground floor of the building whilst tenants were inside. Other residents expressed shock at the malfunctioning of the lift, retierating its life threatening risk level. Consequently, one of the two elevators was unavailable from 17 to 26 September. The management opened the freight elevator for students to use as a temporary solution. For the last month, students have not had access to consistent heating in the hall. One student reports that at one point, they “didn’t have hot water or heating for nearly 4 days.” The petition described this situation as “uncomfortable, and at times, unbearable.” These issues have also extended to the laundry facilities in the building. Students have noticed clothes getting dirt-

ier after using the machines, leaving a brown residue. One student sent a message on the WhatsApp group chat stating, “Imagine paying to get your clothes dirty.” Sophie*, a student affected said, “I had to do my laundry twice, because the first time made my clothes dirtier. I was told that I couldn’t get a refund for the first wash.” Between 23 to 24 October, laundry services were also suspended due to heating issues. “Almost every resident here is suffering from these issues,” one student told The Beaver. “They just email us saying that they are taking these issues seriously, but there is no real action.” The petition cited Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act of 1985, wherein emergency

repair such as heating in cold weather or no hot water must be addressed within 24 hours.

In an email sent to students on 27 October, the High Holborn Residence Operations Manager, Stephanie Bitty, acknowledged the petition and apologised that the “first few weeks at [the] hall haven’t been up to [their] usual standards”. They also emphasise that the hall has “consistently scored highly in [their] annual accommodation satisfaction survey”. As of 1 November, LSE’s Head of Residential Operations Hannah Kearns updated students on the status of High Holborn’s issues. They have announced that the heating, hot water, and lifts are now all functioning properly, and further action, including communication with Washstation and

renovation of High Holborn’s heating systems, will occur. Kearns also assured tenants that the possibility of a rent rebate was being considered. An LSE spokesperson has said: “The LSE Residences team is working closely with partners to ensure long-term solutions to recent facilities issues at High Holborn Residence. Following quick repairs, hot water and heating are now working well, and all laundry machines are serviced weekly by an engineer. Although it has taken longer to fix the lifts due to a shortage of parts, alternative lifts have been in operation throughout. Additional specialist maintenance staff have also been deployed to the hall to closely monitor services.” *Names have been changed to preserve anonymity.

NEWS

Tier 4 student visa causes late enrolment for international students Thanaporn Prayoonrat Staff Writer

n recent years, Tier 4 student visa applications have become a barrier to international students’ journeys to LSE. The application process is expensive and complex, particularly for students from South Africa and Asia; this has meant many MSc Media, Communication, and Development (MCD) students have struggled to enrol this September. Late enrolment in the MCD programme has primarily revolved around visa issues. Over the last two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has created complications in the visa process, with family and personal health concerns emerging as secondary causes. Professor Shakuntala Banaji, Programme Director for MSc Media, Communication

and Development expressed: “Most of the students awaiting visas and arriving late have been either from Pakistan or from the continent of Africa. One was refused a visa after a six-week wait, with no explanation; another was told she did not have enough money in the bank to cover the full fees – scholarships complicate this.” Late enrolment is worsening as waiting times for visa appointments at British embassies and application centres increase., It can take up to 12 weeks from submission of the application to receive a decision. Alinaswe Lusengo, an LSE masters student, described her visa application experience: “It’s been such a long and tedious journey in getting my visa, especially as my first application was unfairly refused,” the process has been “time consuming but also costly.” She missed the first few weeks of

term, stating that other African students have faced these issues. The significance of these delays prevents many students from being able to enrol, meaning they must drop out or defer their studies. Those who do manage to arrive late may face difficulties in keeping up with their coursework and meeting deadlines. They may also struggle to bond with their cohort and miss out on lectures and seminars. While LSE issues the necessary letters for visa applications, it appears that few measures have been taken to support international students facing these specific difficulties.

Professor Banaji suggests that it “would require an entire rethinking of the punitive UK immigration policy, which sees immigrants and students as a burden to be suffered, rather than as vital resources for society and the economy,” highlighting the role of historical racism. “At least a quicker turnaround, transparency and parity of treatment for white and non-white students should become the norm.” An LSE spokesperson said: “LSE has specialist visa advisers within the Student Advice

and Engagement Team, based in the Student Services Centre. If a student’s visa application is taking beyond the normal processing times, we advise them to contact our team, who can offer advice and contact the UKVI and request that the application be expedited where possible. “You can contact the team using our enquiry form on the following web page: How to get specialist visa advice at LSE.”

There is growing sentiment that a more proactive approach is needed, including stronger advocacy to address issues faced by these students.

Universities see a rise in piracy among students Maya Aziz Contributing Writer

his current academic year has seen an increase in the illegal downloading of academic material by university students across the UK. Academic publisher Perlego recorded 300,000 searches on piracy sites in September of this year. The surge in illegal downloads coincides with a rise in the cost of living in the UK. The Office for National Statistics reported that more than 90% of university students said that their living costs had increased

compared to the previous year. On LSE’s ‘Assessment Discipline and Academic Misconduct’ webpage, which students can consult for information about proper academic conduct, there is no information regarding the download of illegal material and its consequences. When asked, LSE students gave mixed answers surrounding whether they had pirated academic material during their studies. Sonya* told The Beaver that they regularly download material illegally as they find LSE’s

resources to be “too limited”. Tilly* disclosed that she regularly downloads material from external websites, stating that while LSE often has the physical versions of the texts she requires, the online access is limited, and “downloading it online is more convenient”. On the other hand, Alex* reported that she has not pirated any academic material whilst at LSE because she has not needed to, concluding that “LSE does a good job of providing resources for free to all students”. Erin* said that, although she had illegally downloaded material at her previous university, she has not had to do so at LSE because the “free material is vast”. Multiple students expressed that the material that appears on reading lists should be accessible online through LSE’s Moodle page, as a minimum. Emil* explains that processing times factor into his decisions to pirate academic resources: the time it takes to get hold of

material “is often longer than students are willing to wait, given assessment deadlines”. Alice* added that when materials are only available offline it is “irritating”. As an international student, Sonya pointed out that academic resources being “mainly in English” encourages them to pirate materials that are in their native language. For many students, both those who had and had not illegally downloaded material, the general issue with LSE’s access to academic materials was not lack of material, but rather, lack of online access. An LSE spokesperson said: “LSE Library is one of the largest social sciences libraries in the world and is a national research library. It provides a number of services to students, to support student learning and research, with extensive collections including books, journals, statistics, government publications, news-

papers, datasets, and more. “Titles on all reading lists are available through the library, and are purchased in online formats where possible, or in print if not. This ensures that all students can access what they need to read, whenever they want, wherever they are. “The Library Resources Guide covers what is available across all collections, and students can use Library Search to search for specific titles. If students cannot find the materials they need at LSE Library, they can use our Get It For Me service to recommend that we purchase a title or a specific chapter. “LSE students can contact their department librarian with any questions about resources, and also have access to the University of London’s central library, Senate House Library.” *Names have been changed to preserve anonymity.

FEATURES

Features Editors Liza Chernobay Amadea Hofmann features.beaver@lsesu.org

Unveiling the union: The anatomy of the LSESU Amadea Hofmann Features Editor Claire Yubin Oh Multimedia Editor

This is the first article in “Unveiling the Union” , a series investigating the inner workings of the LSE Students’ Union.

o many students, the LSE Students’ Union (LSESU) feels like an amorphous body that operates quietly in the background. While most students know that the LSESU exists, there seems to be a pervading sense of confusion regarding its structure, purpose, and functions. Lola*, a first-year student,

of an Athletics Union club, expressed frustration about the LSESU lack of “communication and transparency.” For example., when her club applied “for over 2,000 pounds for funding, but … only received 500 pounds,” they weren’t provided with an explanation. Even James Relf, current LSESU General Secretary, confesses that before assuming his role, he “didn’t really know what the Union was.” He remarks that many students likely ask themselves: “What is this blob that sits on campus in this triangular building?” At its core, James explains that the LSESU has

“At its core, James [Relf] explains that the LSESU has three main aims: (1) amplifying student voice; (2) acting as a student hub for community and student life; and (3) guiding students along their journey at LSE.” notes that “there is not a whole lot” that she knows about the LSESU, remarking that – apart from Freshers Week – their “presence isn’t felt that much.” For other seasoned members of the student body, the opaqueness of the SU causes more frustration than apathy. Alex*, a committee member of two societies, laments: “I feel like the SU’s job is supposed to be representing us — but I don’t think the SU is very successful in this.” Alex is particularly frustrated with the “aggressive” manner in which the LSESU enforces rules, often resulting in perceived instances of “power trips.” He recounts his experience of the LSESU threatening to shut down his committee’s booth at the Welcome Fair if more than two students were working at the booth. Dana*, a committee member

three main aims: (1) amplifying student voice; (2) acting as a student hub for community and student life; and (3) guiding students along their journey at LSE. In pursuit of these overarching objectives, the LSESU is designed to operate like a giant machine, with different actors acting as cogs with distinct purposes.

The SU and LSE LSE and its Students’ Union are formally “separate legal entities.” Yet under the Education Act 1994, the LSE is bound to the LSESU as the “supervisor and principal funder,” with duties to ensure that “the affairs of the Union are properly conducted.” Ben Whittaker, CEO of the LSESU, summarises such a relationship as “two sides of the same coin,” where “we both

rely on each other, we both bring different things to the table that we need from each other…. And that’s not always easy, but [he thinks] broadly there’s a really good relationship between LSESU and LSE.” But in practice, the lines are more blurred. According to Elena*, a former member of the Trustee Board, the LSESU is often “beholden to its home institution in a way that is actually problematic,” especially regarding funding. Every year, the LSESU must renegotiate its funding from LSE. As a result, “LSE often dictates [LSESU] priorities,” Elena recalls. “If they paid for it, they want to see it done.”

The trustee board Legally speaking, the LSESU is registered as a company, with the Trustee Board being central to its operations. The LSESU Articles of Association, a legal document that governs and regulates its internal affairs, sets out that the Trustee Board has the right to “exercise all the powers of the Union.” All committees within the LSESU operate “with delegated authority of the Trustee Board” and have a duty to report and seek approval from the Trustees. However, a series of interviews with past and present Trustee Board members reveals that the Trustee Board has significantly less power in reality. The LSESU requires all trustees to undergo a mandatory induction upon their election. Most of these sessions consist of the “legal and fiscal implication[s] of being a trustee,” Onyeka, a current external trustee, explains. While most external trustees have past experience in governance or human resources, the two- to three-hour induction sessions are “simply not enough” for student trustees to acquire sufficient financial

and legal understanding, according to Eileen*, a past student member of the Trustee Board. “We don’t really have any sort of idea how [the LSESU] functions,” Eileen adds. “It’s a complete black box.” Moreover, Eileen comments that the Board’s procedure “is sort of a rubber stamping exercise.” Throughout her term, she constantly struggled with “disappointment and frustration,” often asking herself: “What is the Trustee Board for? Am I really making an impact on the students?”

Similarly, Jason*, a former student trustee, recalls that he constantly had to “compromise [his] expectations” and found himself “disappointed about what [they] couldn’t get done.” So, what has limited the Trustee Board from making the impact its student members are eager to see? “A part of the problem is that the delineation of trustee responsibilities is actually very, very, very unclear,” Eileen explains. Trustees are precluded from undertaking any “political” projects because these

“All committees within the LSESU ... have a duty to report and seek approval from the Trustees. However, a series of interviews with past and present Trustee Board members reveal that the Trustee Board has significantly less power in reality.”

FEATURES 7 fall within the scope of the Sabbatical Officers. However, for Eileen, the divide between “trustee work and Sabb[atical Officer] work is unclear,” and the LSESU chooses to “narrowly define what is political and what is not.”

SU management

So when trustees try to promote an initiative, Eileen finds that the process becomes “an exercise in every single thing you cannot do.”

Ben Whittaker, CEO of the LSESU, confirms that “students [on the Trustee Board] tell us to do something through our democratic structures … we are responsible for the implementation of that … [and] we have nearly 40 [peo-

For instance, Jason found that his initiative to plan a student

While the Trustee Board is tasked with determining the political strategy of the LSESU, the LSESU staff has the operational responsibility of turning ideas into action.

“LSESU staff treat the Sabbatical Officers ‘like elected leaders; they get reports on accountability … given options on what we need to do. But the day-to-day operations are being delivered by staff who have expertise in those things ...’” event kept “getting postponed and postponed and postponed.” He “needed the support of the Sabbatical Officers and so on, but … everyone was just so busy.” By the time the initiative started to take shape, it was cancelled because of the “short notice” and “financial constraints … that could not be resolved [on time]”.

ple on the] staff running inside of the organisation doing all kinds of things.”

However, Onyeka has a different interpretation of her role, arguing that the function of the trustees is not to start new initiatives, but rather, to provide an “advisory role of some sort,” a “checks and balance perspective… and helping with guiding the organisation and the Chief Executive Officer to deliver everything.”

Ultimately, Ben argues the LSESU staff treat the Sabbatical Officers “like elected leaders; they get reports on accountability … given options on what we need to do. But the day-to-day operations are being delivered by staff who have expertise in those things … there needs to be a professionalisation of the services behind the scenes.”

Nonetheless, Eileen comments that most of her work was “highly internal,” and she spent most of her time managing “staff grievances and disciplinaries,” which could have been easily dealt with “internally by HR.” Jason echoed a similar sentiment, arguing that “the Student Union definitely could have done more for students.”

“Say you are a part of a club and you want to put on an event, that goes to Student Communities who approve your form and risk assessment. They manage that side of student activity,” James explains.

The sabbatical officers Each year, the student body elects four paid, full-time Sabbatical Officers who are responsible for representing student interests. The Activities and Communities Officer; Welfare and Liberation Officer; and Education Officer, who each have specific purposes and sub-committees. In contrast, the General

Secretary has more of a supervisory role. The General Secretary acts both as a director of the LSESU and a director of the LSE. This means that, upon election, the General Secretary automatically sits as a member of both the Trustee Board of the LSESU and the LSE Council, the governing body of the School. James suggests that the LSESU essentially is “a pyramid structure … [the General Secretary is] chair of the Executive Committee, chair of the Trustee Board, manager of the CEO … it’s a non-stop job.” Alongside managing the internal operations of the LSESU, a large part of his job involves liaising with the LSE, and “representing student voice” within these structures. In recent years, the Sabbatical Officers have been tasked with another challenge. According to James, student unions across the United Kingdom have been experiencing an “identity crisis,” as they are still “trying to bounce back” from the disruption of activities caused by COVID-19, For the LSESU, the identity crisis is leading to a re-examining of “lots of structures that have been in place within the Union, which [have] been there for so long, that no one’s really questioned them as to why they’re there.” As we find ourselves at a new turning point for student unions, it becomes more important than ever to critically examine the LSESU structure, subject it to scrutiny, and explore opportunities for potential change.

More articles in the “Unveiling the Union” series are currently in progress. If you would like to submit a tip or speak to us, please email the Features team at features.beaver@lsesu.org.

The diagram above illustrates the division of roles within the Students’ Union and relationships between LSE, the LSESU, and the LSESU’s actors responsible for its daily functioning.

FEATURES

Escaping the London International Christian Church

“

’m gonna be honest, I’m not the best Christian.”

In 2022, Alex* believed that joining the London International Christian Church (LICC) would bring them closer to becoming a good Christian. But after a few months of intensive Bible study, they had to cut their ‘journey’ short. Today, Alex claims that instead of bringing them closer to God, the LICC attempted to indoctrinate them, preying on their insecurities. Like many young people in the UK, Alex grew up with the church: dressing in their Sunday best, singing hymns of praise and worship with their family, and attending Sunday school while their parents listened to the pastor’s sermon. However, Alex did not feel part of the community at their home church. “I’d see [the other children] around, but I never really got to interact with them,” they told The Beaver. “I think because of that, I never really felt that connected because I didn’t really have Christian friends.” Coming to university, Alex wanted to “find more people [their] age who relate[d] to God” in hopes of establishing the connection to the Church that they had yearned for throughout their youth. Alex was first introduced to the LICC at the beginning of their second year at LSE. Since then, they had stopped going to their home church almost entirely, except for when accompanying their parents.

Alex was recruited at the LSE Welcome Fair, and spoke of other students who were recruited right on the campuses of their respective universities. Alex’s first interaction with the LICC was an innocent conversation with a woman representing the church. The woman was “very friendly” and unassuming, casually approaching Alex complimenting their hair. Following a brief discussion, she asked Alex if they were a Christian. Confirming their Christian faith, Alex expressed their desire to join a religious community. The woman, who was now Alex’s “discipler,” invited them to the LICC, and exchanged Instagram handles with Alex. “I remember kind of stalling for a bit,” they recall. But after receiving several messages from their discipler, Alex ultimately decided to test the waters at a Sunday service. Since the first service, Alex found the lead pastor Michael Williamson “quite charismatic,” energetic and passionate, speaking with conviction. More importantly, they were drawn to the spiritual focus of his sermons. At home, Alex grew tired of hearing the prosperity gospel, often asking themselves, “Isn’t there more to God than that?” They liked that Williamson preached about the personal qualities that Christians should develop, as well as the spiritual importance of prayer and reading the Bible. Through university recruitment, consistent Instagram DMs and WhatsApp messag-

es, London’s young people are slowly accomodated into the church. Alex described an eight-part course, which you are required to complete if you want to transition from being an “outsider” to a full member of the LICC. Each step of the course involves Bible study classes, which Alex attended multiple times. Already in the second part of the course, Alex felt intense pressure to keep up with the “homework” given on top of attendance at weekly service and study sessions. When Alex struggled to keep up with the commitments of the church, they often felt like they were reprimanded. LICC’s Bible study sessions were unlike any Bible studies Alex had ever been to. The “discipler” would preach to the room using a lesson plan, cherry-picking Bible verses to support the ‘message of the day’. Meanwhile, another member of the church would be present in the room, watching silently and taking notes. According to Alex, it felt less like they were learning and more like they were being “cornered.” Alex recalled a time when they unexpectedly ran into a friend from school at the church. When the LICC discovered that they knew each other, they insisted that Alex have separate Bible studies because it was something that had to be done alone. For Alex, the constant peer pressure was a defining quality of their Bible study course. The LICC repeatedly celebrated members who completed the course within a month, or even two weeks. Alex felt as if they were in competition with both themselves and other recruits. If they were hesitant or expressed doubt, their devotion to God was questioned. “They’ll call themselves brother, sister, but they’re not really calling you that. You know you’re an outsider,” they say. But despite the discomfort, Alex’s desire to finally feel connected to a religious com-

munity persisted.

church.

Over time, Alex started to feel “exhausted” by the expectations that came with the LICC. At the beginning of their engagement with the LICC, Alex was asked to rate both their happiness and closeness to God on a scale of 1-10. When they attempted to distance themselves from the church and their discipler, Alex was reminded in a message: “I remember you said your happiness level was about five. And that correlated with how much you were seeking God?” An unfalsifiable correlation

Additionally, Alex shared that the LICC allegedly only allowed members to date other LICC members upon approval of their recruiters, who would heavily monitor these relationships. They suggested that this practice of endogamy titled ‘Kingdom Dating’ was built on “purity culture,” but also mentioned that they weren’t “allowed into that kind of space” until they became a full member. While Alex managed to leave the LICC and found anoth-

“When Alex tried to distance from the LICC, they were frequently asked: ‘Aren’t you willing to seek God with all your heart?’’’ was made by the discipler, as Alex described how they were guilt-tripped into committing themselves to the church. When Alex tried to distance from the LICC, they were frequently asked: “Aren’t you willing to seek God with all your heart?” As a fairly new member, Alex didn’t struggle with mental separation from the church. They stopped responding to the persistent messages they received and blocked their recruiter on all platforms. Nevertheless, Alex is adamant that their experience is not representative of many other recruits at the LICC. Upon becoming a full member, people in the LICC are integrated into the religious community with greater intensity. Alex revealed that the church becomes increasingly involved in their members’ personal lives as they progress through the course. They shared stories of other members, who were allegedly encouraged by the church to confront their parents, who were distrustful of the LICC, or started living exclusively with other members of the

er church that allowed them to develop their relationship with God at their own pace, many have not been able to do the same. Alex highlighted that having an established social circle as a second-year student provided them with the necessary external support to leave the church. Unfortunately, LICC’s methods can be much more effective on confused, vulnerable freshers who have just moved to London. The International Christian Church, which is the LICC’s parent organisation, has global reach with establishments set up across the world. Despite this, it has for the most part remained free from scrutiny and criticism. Its prevalence across London university campuses raises a timely warning about the vulnerability of student populations to such intrusive organisations. It is therefore essential to amplify these experiences: after all, one story may become the voice of reason for someone else. *Names have been changed to preserve anonymity.

OPINION

Opinion Editors Honour Astill Kieran Hurwood opinion.beaver@lsesu.org

An apology to my mum; or, why I’ll be arrested Cameron Baillie Staff Writer

hen I first expressed an interest in joining Just Stop Oil (JSO) and attending meet-ups ahead of moving to London to begin my MSc, my mum’s near-immediate response was what one would expect of any parent, and more of a high-achieving criminal barrister: “Just don’t get arrested.” She said it could affect my job prospects, hinder my ability to travel abroad, or disrupt my masters studies. It was, in short, a very bad idea. The message was mirrored by our Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan when writing to UK university vice-chancellors. Her letter, picked up by the Mail Online (who else?), advised universities to warn students about the perils of joining “the eco-group’s ‘horrifying’ plan to infiltrate freshers week and build an army of impressionable undergraduates”. It also bade them to be vigilant of unlawful activity by the “militant eco-activists [who] will descend on universities” this term. If convicted, students could face fines, community service, even imprisonment, plus a criminal record that “would follow them through their lives”. They also quoted Dartford’s Tory MP, Gareth Johnson, who chimed in saying: it’s “one thing to protest for a cause, it’s another to indoctrinate others to carry out criminal offences”. He separately called for JSO to be labelled a ‘terrorist group’ in light of actions which closed down the Dartford Crossing and M25 last year. The infantilisation of ‘impressionable’ students and sensationalist discourse from both the Tories and press are hilarious. Last year, 177 climate activists were killed, primarily in South and Central America, for speaking truth to power – were they ‘impressionable’, or were they fighting desperately?

How could I sit by while they made such a sacrifice? But, then again, Keegan’s letter did mirror my dear mum’s advice. Consequences for one’s future of illegally protesting, or rather of being convicted, are real. Under normal circumstances, such concern would be perfectly valid. I’d like to travel without worrying about conviction-related visa troubles. I’ve been a teacher, and I don’t want to perjure that important part of my life with dodgy DBS checks. I’m well aware of personal consequences I could face. But I also want the children I’ve taught to have futures. I’m desperately aware of the consequences that failure to act now will have for the fate of human civilisation and our collective future. Perhaps you see climate collapse as a problem for those in the Global South, not us. You might wish to adhere to this reasoning, but you should also consider the facts of our hyper-globalised world economy and our delicate planetary ecology. I don’t have space for comprehensive science, but for anyone still needing convincing on why drastic action is needed now, here are some key words for your research: ‘carbon-bomb projects’, of which 95 are currently underway; ‘permafrost thaw’; ‘multiple-breadbasket failure’; ‘environmental refugees’ (of which the IPCC predicts over a billion), ‘tipping-points’; ‘ecological collapse’. If these headlines don’t unsettle you, then I’m really not sure what would. So why, against my mum’s best wishes, will I be arrested? There are multiple ways to interpret that question. The first are motivational: slow responses to climate collapse are central to climate activism. Specifically, our government’s announcements in September of full-scale plans to squeeze “every last drop” out of remaining fossil fuel reserves, in spite of overwhelming evidence that we cannot continue to do so. Rishi Sunak has made it perfectly clear that he would

gamble our futures against his slim chances of reelection, with an anti-‘woke-eco-mob’ culture-war stance, in a desperate appeal to anybody still blind enough to not see his government’s destructive and wilful ignorance. The irony of such terrible policies being billed as ‘Long-Term Decisions’ will not, I hope, be lost on most. They would sooner put oil-shareholder value before humankind’s fate. It is them who would have criminal records in the eyes of generations to come. There are also structural reasons. The Public Order Act was revised last year to expand police powers and restrict our civil liberties, by lowering the threshold for ‘public disruption’ from ‘severe’ to ‘moderate’. The law came into power in May, making slow marching, a building-block of any social movement or protest, now effectively illegal. Refusal to disperse upon implementation of Section 12 orders on specific protests then becomes arrestable. I believe that our fundamental right to peaceful protest is now on the line. So, unless I rescind peacefully protesting at the first threat from the state – wouldn’t that be convenient? – I’ll be arrested. Lastly, here are my final motivations for being arrested, or what I hope to achieve in doing

so. It is a statement: about the desperation we’re facing; about the government’s (literally) disastrous policies; about the Public Order bill. Slow marches and occupations are only as disruptive as any strike, despite media furore, and there is no other viable non-violent option. There is a long, rich history of civil disobedience movements, the predecessors and inspirations for JSO’s tactics: the Suffragettes, Civil Rights, anti-war, anti-apartheid, workers’ movements, etc. All were labelled ‘radical’ by corners of political and media establishments. And all of them stand on the right side of history today. The science is unequivocal as to which side of history Sunak’s government will fall on, as they would sooner crack down on peaceful protestors than address the looming crisis at hand. But no amount of disruptive protest could ever compare to the global devastations that climate change is already unleashing on the planet. Recently in the Netherlands, thousands took to the streets to block the A12 motorway, calling for the Dutch government to end billions of euros of annual fossil fuel industry subsidies. After over 9,000 arrests, the police stated that they would not continue arresting people, placing responsibility on the government to open negotiations with climate

activists. The matter of ending subsidies was then successfully brought before the Dutch parliament. Political empowerment has never been given; it must always be acted for and taken. I encourage anybody who cares enough to join me in doing just that. So there is precedent for what we’re doing, and there remains hope, so long as people are willing to stand up to the state’s failures and authoritarianism. I am privileged to be able to take such a stand, as a white British man, and recognise that not everybody can. I’m not at risk of deportation, nor am I likely to be sexually assaulted by Met police or face racial discrimination, and I can afford a small fine. And, unlike the climate heroes of South America, my life really isn’t on the line (even if career options might be). But such privilege is merely entitlement if it serves only me. So while I owe apology to my mum for ignoring her caring advice, I would owe far greater apology to those on the climate frontline, and all future generations, for doing nothing. That’s why I’ll be arrested. JSO will be running student actions and slow marches the week commencing 12th November in Central London and around the UK. Join the climate calling now.

OPINION

Toilet politics: The dirt and the dignity Anouk Pardon Senior Staff Writer

ublic restrooms are universally unloved. They involve horrible odours, long queues, and unpleasant surprises. Yet, when nature calls and there is no restroom in sight, we gladly embrace all of these discomforts before considering the alternatives. But public facilities are more than just conveniences that we avoid talking about. In fact, public toilets are microcosms of much larger political and societal phenomena. It’s time to break the silence and acknowledge that they have always been the invisible, smouldering battlefield of social justice issues and interpersonal politics. My friend first alerted me to how these seemingly mundane facilities can be a stage for the more practical aspects of diplomacy. During her internship at an international organisation, she observed that conversations within restroom confines were remarkably candid, devoid of the usual hierarchical dynamics, often with more meaningful exchanges. What we termed toilet diplomacy had already been documented in a 2006 Guardian article that reported on an unusual encounter at the ASEAN Regional Forum. According to the newspaper, the foreign ministers of Japan and China “ran into each other on the lavatory” and were able to engage in “a meaningful discussion [...] at the toilet”. What makes these restroom encounters so uniquely powerful? According to sociologist Erving Goffman, public restrooms serve as the backstage to our public performances: “here the performer can relax: he can drop his front: forgo speaking lines, and step out of character”. To apply this to our tough negotiators: toilets make it impossible to conceal our undignified needs, which fosters a humbling sense of unity and might make

reaching a compromise easier. I imagine that collective suffering inspired by the desolate state of the toilets also helps. Human connection thrives in times of shared pain, and there is undoubtedly no better conversation starter than a good complaint. Nowhere is this unity more evident than in female public toilets. During turbulent party nights, it is paradoxically the epitome of dirtiness: club toilets become a shining sanctuary. Girls freely share mascara and advice, empathetically listen to tragic stories, and exchanging compliments. The restroom stalls become a canvas for weirdly poetic and relatable words, offering a glimpse into deeply personal understandings of womanhood. The posters on

stall doors advising on how to handle harassment and where to seek help in times of sexual assault remind us that this is a safe space. The scribbles

“[T]oilets can also be places of surprising beauty, whether it’s because you ran into your negotiation partner and were able to finish some business, or because you were showered with comforting words from complete strangers.” and posters are covert forms of conversation, fostered by same-sex joint experiences. As public bathrooms represent the ultimate sex-segregated spaces, it is no wonder that they have increasingly become the battleground of gender identity debates. Videos on social media capture heated discussions in public restrooms concerning who is allowed in which toilets and who is not. Some see female bathrooms as sacred and safe spaces, while others view using the restrooms of their chosen gender as a self-affirming act or believe in the complete dissolution of sex-segregated bathrooms. Do we have to rethink sex-segregated bathrooms? While many diverge on the issue, this debate reminds us that even the most unassuming places can become politicised. But the story is much older than that – public toilets have a history of being subject to political and social issues. Especially in the past they have mirrored inequality. Before the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Jim Crow laws mandated racial segregation which extended to public toilets. African-Americans were frequently allocated distant and inferior facilities. The film Hidden Figures, which depicts the story of the black female mathematicians at NASA who helped sending the first American into orbit in the early 1960s, includes a fictional yet symbolic scene that reminds us of these struggles. Katherine Johnson, played by Taraji P. Henson repeatedly arrives late for work because she has to run across campus to find a “coloured” bathroom. When

her white boss Al Harrison, played by Kevin Costner, discovers this, he has the only valid response to this issue by dramatically knocking down the “Colored Ladies Room” sign and delivering the very visual and poignant line: “Here at NASA, we all pee the same colour.” Similarly, the scarcity of female public toilets also roots in women’s past exclusion from the public sphere. During the Victorian era, women were expected to be homemakers, making public toilets for them unnecessary. To this day, women are still only provided with half as many facilities as men. Furthermore, especially in places of decision-making, women’s toilets are also situated further away than men’s. As Caroline Criado Perez demonstrates in her book Invisible Women, this is exacerbated by the fact that women on average take longer than men to use toilets due to factors like pregnancy, menstruation, and the higher likelihood of being accompanied by children. Adding the fact that women cannot make use of space-efficient facilities like urinals also explains why the infamous long queues are mostly found in front of women’s bathrooms. However, such issues receive little attention in policy-making due to them being deemed a societal taboo. The toilet is often being seen as a source of embarrassment. Disgust and dirt are key themes that feature in this sentiment. When Hillary Clinton made her way back to a presidential debate after haven taken a restroom break, Trump was prompted to shout “that’s disgusting.” While this sort of rhetoric is most commonly observed in kindergartens, it also underscores the idea that polite society generally avoids conver-

sations about this topic. One goes to “the powder room”, “for little girls” or is “excused for a second”, but as soon as someone announces that he or she has “gotta pee”, we immediately assume that they have no manners. In fact, much of your socioeconomic background can be gathered from the way you announce your intention to go to the bathroom. Your access to bathrooms or lack thereof often correlates with your socioeconomic class. Take homeless people who are already the most vulnerable in society and struggle to find places that help them maintain hygiene on a daily basis. The people that regularly clean toilets often also come from lower-socioeconomic backgrounds and have little access to better paid jobs. They are crucial in maintaining these essential facilities, but the stigma surrounding their jobs often makes their service go unseen and undervalued. In my opinion, we need to appreciate public toilets more and acknowledge that these humble facilities hold a unique place in the fabric of our society. While visiting one can undeniably be “adventurous”, public toilets can also be places of surprising beauty, whether this is because you ran into your negotiation partner and were able to finish some more business, or because you are showered with comforting words from complete strangers. They are, however, also emblematic of the societal inequalities and challenges we still need to overcome. While toilets can certainly stimulate meaningful discussions, we also need to engage in more meaningful discussions about them. It is time we shine a spotlight on them, addressing both the dirt and the dignity.

OPINION 11

Politics over policy: Why the HS2 story matters Joe Card Contributing Writer

t the Conservative Party conference in October, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that the long-awaited high-speed rail line from London to Manchester (HS2) would be scaled back, and only connect London to Birmingham. Although this announcement is unsurprising, it again highlights a long-running problem with decision-making at the heart of British governance: politics is prioritised over policy. At every stage of the process ministers have made choices based on political expediency rather than what might be in the best

Transport Secretary, made her position clear in an announcement rejecting a third runway at Heathrow, again at Tory conference, in favour of a new high speed rail connection from Manchester and Leeds to London via Birmingham. Villiers chose to highlight HS2’s economic and environmental benefits as compared to a Heathrow expansion, as well as improvements in capacity and journey times, promising 45-minute journeys from Birmingham to London and an hour and a quarter from Manchester. The subsequent announcement of the policy by Andrew Adonis, then Labour’s Transport Secretary in 2010, emphasised economic ben-

“At every stage of the process, ministers made choices based on political expediency, rather than what might be in the best interests of the country and its future.” interests of the country and its future. The debate over cancelling the Birmingham-Manchester segment of HS2 had been rumbling on for over a year but seemed to reach a fever-pitch in the week before Tory conference, with government ministers and Sunak repeatedly refusing to confirm or deny media speculation that the line would be cut. Controversial decisions to scale back HS2 aren’t new: since the initial proposal in 2009, HS2 has gone through multiple iterations with plans regularly changing. The most significant changes have been to the budget: in 2009 the total cost was estimated at £37.5 billion, but estimates from a government commissioned review placed potential costs at £107 billion. And while inflation and delays due to COVID have inevitably played a role in that increase, at least some of the blame can be placed on the UK government’s slapdash approach to policy decisions. HS2 has its origins way back in 2008 when Theresa Villiers, then Conservative Shadow

efits with a promise of £2 of economic benefits for every £1 spent, as well as capacity and journey time improvements. It is now abundantly clear that no government could have chosen to go ahead with HS2 in any of its many iterations based purely on policy considerations. Even in 2011, the evidence from other countries with developed high speed rail networks suggested that the promised ‘rebalancing’ of the national economy towards the North and the Midlands, now known as levelling-up, was unlikely to materialise. Furthermore, the model used by the Department of Transport to judge the value of lower journey times, and ultimately make its HS2 business case was later dismissed by the Department itself, as well as the Institute for Transport Studies. The capacity argument for HS2 was equally clearly dismissed by House of Lords Committee report in 2015 which argued that overcrowding on existing lines was an issue, but one largely confined to “Friday evenings and weekend services”, and that there was no evidence that

HS2 was an appropriate solution. In reality, these announcements had more cynical motivations and unsurprisingly, on closer inspection, these claims didn’t hold up. In evidence to a House of Lords committee, Dr Richard Wellings, from the usually Conservative-supporting Institute of Economic Affairs, argued that Villiers’ announcement was a sop to Conservative voters in constituencies around Heathrow: rather than being based on clear policy objectives, the decision was “reprehensible vote-grabbing”. Labour’s decision making was no less nakedly political, with Peter Mandelson writing in 2013 that the decision was “partly politically driven”. At the time of Labour’s announcement Mandelson was a senior Cabinet Secretary and wrote that when the decision to adopt the Conservative policy involved no consideration of “detailed facts and figures”, and that the choice was made on the “eve of a general election” to “paint an upbeat view of the future” following the 2008 financial crash. There could hardly be a more blatant expose of how governments rank the political forces of the day over their responsibility to deliver the best long-term policies for Britain. The clear prioritisation of politics over policy wasn’t limited to the start of HS2’s tortuous journey. Many of the later changes which so drastically undermined the policy benefits of investment w e r e

motivated by pure politics. In particular, the choice in 2012 to increase tunnelling and cutting on the route through the Chilterns has been blamed for some of the significant cost increases from the initial proposal. Although Justine Greening’s eventual announcement that tunnelling would be expanded and diverted was presented as environmentally motivated, it’s difficult to imagine that the high profile resignation threats from ministers and the pressure in safely Conservative, Home Counties constituencies had no impact. The decision by Rishi Sunak to scrap the Northern arm of HS2 was equally based on politics rather than policy. This is not to say that it was a sensible political decision – I for one can’t see why Sunak chose to delay his decision, only to announce it in the very city that would have benefitted from the investment. The suggestions that Andy Street, West Midlands Regional Mayor and one of the Conservative party’s few credible figures, might’ve resigned live on TV at conference demonstrated just how risky Sunak’s move was. Nevertheless, he clearly saw an opportunity to drop an increasingly unwieldy spending commitment that seemed to be growing uncontrollably, at a time when the Labour Party’s new commitment to fiscal discipline and the fiasco of Liz Truss’ brief government

threatens the Tories’ traditional ‘responsible fiscal policy’ argument. By ditching HS2 Sunak is able to (credibly or not) claim he can fund other rail projects in the North without new borrowing, while throwing a bone to Conservative fiscal hawks who never liked HS2 anyway. Once again political factors have won the day over any suggestion that the UK can be relied upon to take and then stick to long-term investment decisions. What construction firm now would bet on a major government contract being followed through to completion without a hefty break clause? The UK evidently has a serious problem with how longterm government investment decisions are made. We have schools falling down, a shortage of hospitals, and a rail network that is hopelessly out of date. All of these problems have one thing in common: their only solution is sustained, long-term investment. This requires politicians to move beyond the immediate political pressures of one-week news cycles, short ministerial tenures (with a new Transport Secretary every two years since 2010), and five-year parliamentary sessions – something neither the Conservative nor Labour leadership teams show any signs of.

MULTIMEDIA

Edited by Claire Yubin Oh

Click the QR Code to listen to the new episode for our podcast series, Chowdown Londontown!

Frieze 2023: Impressions from the Art Fair Produced by Ben Chen, Angus Timmons, Eugenia Brotons Batista, Mithalina Taib

“The oil paintings, sculptures, and woven/textile work were some of the better works at the fair. The photography was frankly quite boring: nothing new or subversive about its content or form.”

“I appreciate the effort in trying to explore new mediums in creating digital art. But works left much to be desired, they were generally aesthetically unappealing and meaningless. Digital artists should aim for more than creating stylized versions of Nyan Cat.”

“Around me stood a labyrinth of galleries all vying for the pockets of ultra-rich Russian oligarchs in a frenzy to showcase their own Damien Hirst. It seemed as though the scores of people in outfits each more elaborate than the next were simply window shopping, mouths agape at the shiny trinkets on display.”

“Galleries like i8 from Reykjavik had some impressive minimalist art. Successful in conveying the purest form of emotion: with no excess, just simplicity. Recurring themes included contrast order and chaos, the lone and the social, and many forms of natural beauty: oceans and rivers, trees and forests, fires and clouds. Their addition of Ólafur Elíasson’s works are always a pleasure to experience.” “One interesting feature was the use of different mediums and textures in geometric art. You saw more than just shapes painted onto canvases. Artists used woven material, metal, and paper; introducing interesting perturbations into standard geometric art.”

“Art fairs are not curated exhibitions: it’s a mix of many things, but great for exposure.”

“A highlight in my opinion was an Anish Kapoor piece – a giant, purple concave mirror which stretched and pulled the world in different directions as you passed it. A visually striking sculpture, it evoked in me an excitement about art that other works simply had not.”

“Frieze London fell short of expectations due to the commercialised atmosphere, with prices hung underneath every piece of art shown.”

“Rather than making an effort to engage with the issue in a genuine way, many of the collections we saw relied on cliché to pander to audiences flush with cash but short on attention span. Take for example the headache-inducing hyperpop art of Martin Eder. The paintings we saw looked as if Eder had collected the zeitgeist of the internet, fed it into ChatGPT, and submitted the first fifteen images it generated. While aesthetically interesting due to its saccharin style, it ultimately felt soulless, vapid, and kitsch.”

“The vast majority of galleries I visited barely merit mention – I struggle to remember a single work seen in this category, as there was so little of note.”

“The sculptures towering above you as you enter drum up a suspense that gradually dissipates with every corner turned as the numbing effect of the fair’s bland products disguised as art takes hold. It becomes apparent very quickly that the self-indulgent political messages found in much of the art was superficial, rehashing tired messages in a way that seeks to be provocative simply for the sake of it.”

“Simone Prouvé and Peter Collingwood’s weavings were especially impressive. It’s unfortunate that woven work rarely receives much attention in the art world…”

“Gallery Vacancy showcased an impressive display from Chinese artists Hao and Jiayun Shi. Hao Ni’s sculpture ‘Dedicatory Stele for Me’ has a beautiful mix of form, texture, and totality, displaying a fascinating morbidity surrounding car crashes. It contrasts deeply with the lush artwork from Jiayun Shi, whose skill with a paintbrush and meticulousness radiates warmth and comfort. “

MULTIMEDIA

Edited by Claire Yubin Oh

Click the QR Code to listen to the new episode for our podcast series, Chowdown Londontown!

Frieze 2023: Impressions from the Art Fair Produced by Ben Chen, Angus Timmons, Eugenia Brotons Batista, Mithalina Taib

“The oil paintings, sculptures, and woven/textile work were some of the better works at the fair. The photography was frankly quite boring: nothing new or subversive about its content or form.”

“Art fairs are not curated exhibitions: it’s a mix of many things, but great for exposure.”

“Frieze London fell short of expectations due to the commercialised atmosphere, with prices hung underneath every piece of art shown.”

“The vast majority of galleries I visited barely merit mention – I struggle to remember a single work seen in this category, as there was so little of note.”

“Simone Prouvé and Peter Collingwood’s weavings were especially impressive. It’s unfortunate that woven work rarely receives much attention in the art world…”

SPORT EDITED BY ROBERT KHANDZHYAN AND MATT SUDLOW

A Sporting Sisterhood #2

by SHANI ADESANYA

Fifteen players either side, the minimum requirement for a rugby match. This number is needed for a balance of strength, skill and tactical versatility as each member of the team has a specific role to carry out. At LSE, however, there is an under-subscription of members for the Women’s Rugby team, with the club not having enough playing members for a full squad of the 15 player starting team and a substitutes bench. Just why? A clear reason for the limited membership of Women’s Rugby at LSE is its lack of mainstream exposure. The sport isn’t widely popular, especially in comparison to women’s football which has seen substantial growth in members at LSE as covered in our last issue. Women’s football in general has significantly grown in popularity, and this has led to a growth in members at LSE, largely a result of the success of the England’s Women’s National Team at the 2022 Euros and the overall growth of women’s football at a global level following the Women’s World Cup that took place earlier this year. On the other hand, women’s rugby has not had this type of exposure and so the lack of growth is understandable. However, the LSE Women’s rugby team is the perfect place to access the world of rugby. There is a place for everyone whether you’ve never played before or if you are well accustomed with the sport. It is totally normal to feel intimidated by it! When I was considering joining, I accompanied the team to training and after speaking with our new coach, Dom, I was convinced to partake in that session. He assured me that there was no need to be scared or intimidated by rugby stating that “injuries are a part of all sports but serious injuries are unlikely at university level and to just give it a try and see if you like it”. Since then, I have continued to go to the weekly training sessions and I am ultimately really glad that I joined. As well as gaining exposure to a sport that may be out of your comfort zone, joining this team also gives you the opportunity to socialise and make new friends. There are multiple opportunities for bonding experiences from the train journeys to the training ground, winding down at the pub after training and socials every Wednesday. So feel free to come along and give womens rugby a go, it may be out of your comfort zone but it is worth trying something new and joining a team that has a place for everyone.

The Sultans of the Net by SU YESILDERE This year, Turkey celebrates its 100th year of the Republic. Over the last year, there had been a lack of hope in the country with the aftermath of the 6th February earthquakes and the General Election. The current government, re-elected in May, continuously expresses its hatred towards the LGBTQ+ community and does not uphold women’s rights in the country, as seen with the withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention that acts as a protection from violence for women. The political climate in Turkey has been polarised, especially since the elections. However, the Women’s Volleyball team have managed to unify the population as one. The success of the Sultans of the Net, in the last year, has left a stamp on history. The team won the European Championship and the Nations League back-to-back, in addition to qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympics. They are now ranked first in the FIVB Senior World Rankings. Since the summer of 2022, there have been important changes. Giovanni Guidetti had been coaching the National Volleyball team since 2017. Although he led the Sultans to some success, the tournaments never ended with victory. Thus, at the beginning of 2023, he left his place to Daniele Santarelli. Santarelli brought new energy with him, changing some of the players who were invited to play for their National team. One of the most important changes that he made was to place Gizem Orge as the primary libero - the defensive specialist position. Liberos do not serve and are not in the rotation, which is why they are usually not on the focus. However, Orge had an exceptional performance defending unsavable spikes against some of the best spikers in the world, being one of the biggest contributors to the success of the team. Another change in the team was the addition of Melissa Vargas. Vargas was transferred to Fenerbahce, the defending champion of the league title, in 2018. Three years after that, in 2021, she got her Turkish citizenship and had to wait two more years to be included in the National team. Although it was her first time with the team, this did not stop Vargas from becoming the Most Valuable Player in both the European Championship and the Nations League. Vargas and Karakurt playing together reduced the chances of other teams winning as they became an unstoppable attacking duo, contributing drastically to the victories. To the women and the LGBTQ+ community of Turkey who are continuously oppressed and limited, the team represents freedom and independence. The team has two players who openly identify as LGBTQ+, Karakurt and Vargas, who achieve great success even if society, because of the underlying biases, bets against them every day. The team is empowering, and pushes individuals to pursue their dreams, despite how big they are. The next target is the gold medal in the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics. Hopefully, the Sultans will unite the divided parts of society to celebrate their accomplishments once again.

photograph from Balkan Insight

Hala Ronaldo by KAVIESH KINGER & illustrated by FRANCESCA CORNO Billboards across Riyadh earlier this year exclaimed ‘Hala Ronaldo’, welcoming Cristiano Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia. Newspages crowned Ronaldo as the new ‘Prince of Arabia’. Excitement ensued as social media pages were taken by storm in the Middle East, with #HalaRonaldo becoming a popular phrase for many in the Gulf. ‘Hala’, translating to ‘hi’ or ‘welcome’ in Arabic, serves as the perfect representation of the expansion of Arabic culture into the mainstream through sports. In early January 2023, Cristiano Ronaldo signed a two year deal as captain for the Saudi football club, Al Nassr as well as playing as a forward. The infamous Portuguese star is captain for the Portuguese national team and played for Manchester United. Joining Al Nassr, Cristiano Ronaldo was made the world’s highest paid football player, earning US$200 million a year. Within less than a day, Al Nassr’s social media pages skyrocketed with 3.4 million more followers on Twitter and a 400% increase on Instagram. Cristiano Ronaldo’s entrance into Al Nassr is not the Public Investment Fund’s (Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund) only activity in the sports industry. Rather, this is an ambitious move by the country to expand and diversify its economy and soft power, a mission the government itself has vocalised. Saudi Arabia’s ‘Vision 2030’ is a multi-pronged approach to diversifying and expanding the oil-dependent nation’s economy with various programs. One of which is the ‘Public Investment Fund program’ attempting to make “bold, broad, and wise investments” according to the Vision 2030 webpage. It is of no doubt that sports fits perfectly into this mission. Saudi Arabia’s Sports Minister, Prince Abdulaziz has acknowledged that the country’s ultimate goal is to host the Olympic Games to news agency AFP. This mission comes with an expansive investment into sports, with some of the biggest names in football joining Saudi clubs. Saudi also owns an 80% stake in Newcastle United, and is hosting the 2029 Asian Winter Games and the 2034 Asian Games. Contextualising this investment into Saudi Arabia’s position both internationally and regionally gives far greater insight. After the successful 2022 FIFA World Cup was hosted by Qatar, the first Arab country to do so in history, analysts have begun describing Qatar’s authority in football as a pathway to expanding soft power and cooperation. Indeed, ties between other countries in the GCC and Qatar thawed due to the World Cup. Just like Saudi, Qatar also has a ‘Vision 2030’ which cites investments in sports-related areas as an important strategy to transform Qatar into a sporting hub. Other areas in the region have also utilised sports and culture widely to expand their international position such as Abu Dhabi, owning Manchester City and hosting the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Indeed, it may be that Saudi Arabia is following this pattern of growth. In an emerging modern world, Saudi Arabia is still a traditional nation with deep ties to culture and religion for Muslims globally. Developing this deep respect for tradition alongside a greater integration into the global economy serves as a tricky balance for Saudi Arabia, one which sports may help to stabilise. For example, Al Nassr’s recent advertisement for

Saudi Arabia’s national day displayed Ronaldo in a traditional Saudi dress performing an Arabic dance. Additionally, Ronaldo’s partner, Georgina Rodríguez, worked with Saudi perfume company Laverne on an advertisement, discussing the warmth of Saudi culture and values. By merging Saudi culture with iconic names in sports, Saudi investment in the industry can give greater return by way of tourism. From 2014 to 2023, Saudi has spent more than US $1.5 billion on sporting deals, with its sports event industry estimated to grow to US$ 3.3 billion by 2024. Greater investment into sports fits into Saudi Arabia’s agenda more widely on attracting tourism. Recent efforts such as investment into the Red Sea and Amaala tourist destinations, as well as an explicit acceptance of LGBT visitors on the Saudi Tourism website all display this. In 2021, 63.83 million people visited Saudi as tourists, a number that climbed to 77.84 million in 2022. Through a heavy emphasis on sports, Saudi Arabia may be taking a page out of Qatar’s book, expanding its cultural reach and curating a comfortable balance between economic openness and traditional governance and values.

Driving Change in Motorsport by SKYE SLATCHER

Over the last few years, the Formula Series have seen rapid growth in their fanbases, especially among women, with a 47% from 2021 to 2022. However, since Formula One’s conception in 1950, only two women have ever competed. A woman has not participated in an F1 Grand Prix since 1976 when Lella Lombardi raced in Austria. Why not? Attitudes towards women in racing generally replicate the historic status quo of Britain. It is sexist, it is a patriarchy. A lot of people argue that there is a performance gap and that women drivers just aren’t as good as men. Danica Patrick, for example, despite being an IndyCar race winner, described the sport as inherently ‘masculine’ and said that ‘the mindset that it takes to be really good is something that’s not normal in a feminine mind’. The reality is that women aren’t given the opportunities, track time, and sponsorships needed to succeed. Instead, they receive damaging stereotypes. This is true not just of the drivers, but of mechanics and managerial roles too. At Mercedes, just 6.1% of the Grand Prix workforce are women, teams at the forefront of the sport failing to promote gender equality is incredibly disappointing. F1 Academy does not, however, tackle the issues faced early in the pathway to Formula racing. Karting is a costly sport and finding sponsors can be difficult. Many rely on their parents. For those who do not have a parental safety net, however, the funding challenge is even more pronounced for girls. Stories of women in sport often feature repeated knocking on doors, met by ‘no’s. To see the necessary fundamental shift, something needs to be different from the grassroots. Change is beginning to take place. It helps that there is support coming from people in high places. The fact that there are drivers like Lewis Hamilton and team principals like Toto Wolff supporting change, and icons like Susie Wolff spearheading a revolution means we might soon see the tidal shift we are looking for. We might finally be able to drown out the voices of those who don’t think women can succeed. Hopefully, soon, we will be able to get rid of the stereotype that women are poor drivers, that we don’t know how cars work, or that we can only drive ‘entry-level’ ones. Women need to be encouraged to climb to higher ranks of motorsport teams, in driving, technology, and management. Given that women are to thank for some fundamental advancements like the GPS or windscreen wipers, imagine what change might be seen if there were a few more of us around.

PART B EDITED BY EMMA DO AND JULIETTA GRAMIGNI

excitement, urging me towards my dreams. It’s in your perceptiveness when sadness eats into my mind. I never have to tell you, you simply know. You dissipate it like fog in the sunlight with your songs. You remind me not to stop loving the summertime; how could I? I’m a girl born to the land of pure, scorching heat after all; not the lukewarm tepidness I have come to know. I learned to sing from you Desh, and 13 years later, when my heart is run ragged in turbulent disrepair once more, you teach it to me all over again.

I’m returning to Desh

You will urge me back home, and ready your coconut oil: your laughter, your spices, your food, your people, your cha, your bright colours red and green. I relearn songs from you, my Desh. You replenish my emptiness with songs, and I sing for you once more.

Oh my country, How did you know my heart yearned to be back home, when even I did not? How did you pinpoint my soul’s festering desire? To the point it was a tortured scream that you could hear, but only a whisper to my own ears I craved kindness, only to be met with the coldness of the West; When you have been kind to me all along; Gently keeping me from their cold gazes with your anchal; You dress me in sharis when my hands can’t move - when tugging a t-shirt over my head feels akin to drowning. You drape golden chains around my neck, loop earrings through my ears, and fix a teep on my forehead, holding my shoulders secure. I remember distinctly the day you kissed me, and told me I was born for gold. My skin is brown, only because of its hue, and its hue alone was destined to carry your gold. I feel like you are readying a lonely adult like me for school, placing a tiffin in my hand. You hold my raw heart in your healing green hands, When I am sick with grief I cannot see, you fly me away: ”Come back home, my child.” You brush my hair and dress it with coconut oil - like a balm over my heart in turbulent disrepair. “Come back to Desh.”

Lessons from the undressing of the trees

by LAMISA CHOUWDHURY & illustrated by FRANCESCA CORNO

You untangle me from the men of countries so suffocating and complicated, coaxing me home. You whisk me away and tell me to look neither forward nor back. You ask me what I desire, like an over-lenient mother. Be it a mango bar or unconditional, soothing conversations in morning monsoon rain, So long as I come home, you will replenish my empty everything with your pure, doting love. You know I’m overdue for your warm embrace, when even I don’t know what’s good for me. It’s in your people. It’s in your tea. It’s in your bright colours, red and green. Your spices, your laughter, your

by SAHANA RUDRA & photographed by BEN CHEN

There is a light within me that grows when I’m with my sweet dog when I’m writing or when I’m around living things. Autumn stretches her legs as I open my window, welcoming the crisp air. Autumn tells me to take my time. To pause before leaving the house to decide whether I need a jacket or not. A few more minutes to stay in the luxury of warm sheets. Autumn is exuberant Summer’s wiser sister. Every year at university showers me with more lessons and blessings. I hug my friends tightly and finally attend my lectures. As the days shorten with more crushes or assignments or nights out, the warmth of my tea echoes in the chambers of my heart. There is time, here, to rest. To sit back and dedicate an hour, or two, or days, or a lifetime to understanding the networks that brought you here to do what makes the light inside of you grow. The trees dance in the breeze with a rhythm I could never replicate. But, of course, it’s already within me. I imagine my dog sitting next to me or waiting for the cars to stop on the sidewalk as other people walk their dogs and wait for the cars to stop. There is something holy about this moment and I think it is everything. I am enamoured by it all. I walk slower than my normal London pace and stop to look at every flower bursting from the crack of a sidewalk. I am like the sun that gives them their life as they give me mine, our energy and molecules dancing together for all eternity. Here, inspiration never wanes because nature has always been generous. Take a minute. Turn off your phone. Breathe into the sound of your life unfolding and blossoming beneath the crunching of the leaves under your feet as you hurry to your next destination. Breathe into the sound of silence. Let the light within you stretch beyond your physical body, and coat the entire world in one final layer of solace before the sun goes down.

Swan Song

by DEFNE ECE YAVUZ & illustrated by MITHALINA TAIB

You can grab a bird by its neck, Press two palms over your ribs, keep the gates closed, and make her live forever. You get a miserable choice: To live is to live with your own voice ringing around the brass. Stand bent at the back and don’t look behind you, To walk out is to kill your bird. Or you open the door. To live is to ascend the steps and to turn to lose Instead of being alone to face the world, Choose to drag, carry, wear your grief like a wordless sash around your body. Choose to sing for her, many songs, where people will and where people won’t hear.

The loneliest profession: Inside the world of Wong Kar-wai by SEBASTIAN CHING & illustrated by PAAVAS BANSAL Life, as we live it, appears to us as a successive series of events. It is the asymmetry of this that prompts the deepest of our anxieties. Examining events on their own ignores the totality of one’s lived experience and identity. Examining events in the present fails to fully contextualise the past, and memory is frustratingly fickle. In truth, the past simply cannot stand on its own before us; we can only retroactively reconstruct it to make sense of our present. This is its own paradox: all events are determined in the past, but also such events can be subject to reimagination and reinterpretation. As such, we cannot truly revisit the past, nor can we glimpse into the future beyond the certainty that death is a predetermined event. Our shared fatalism is not a particularly thrilling prospect. We are trapped within a vague notion of the present, its current directing us nowhere. Simply put, we live our lives without fully knowing how it will unfold. Unlike most stories that possess the comfortable trappings of a defined genre or narrative, we never know for certain whether the choices we make are the ones we should have or the ones that truly represent the force of our whims and desires. This anxiety has formed the basis for many a storied filmmaker’s attempts to push the limits of how film can portray our varied lived experiences, but it is the films of Wong Kar Wai that best capture the sense of alienation

distinctly attributed to modernity. Oftentimes, the world moves so fast that one’s sense of time and memory gain a certain sense of fluidity, the visual representation of which is now synonymous with Wong and his frequent collaborator, cinematographer Christopher Doyle. I agree with these observations. These are stylistic and thematic elements present in all of Wong’s films. However, it is only when we appraise Wong’s filmography as a whole that we can truly appreciate what he is trying to achieve as an artist: to assemble the narrative of one’s lived experience and apprehend it in its totality. To do so, they must stand outside of the world they inhabit. Hence, Wong’s directorial and visual style is voyeuristic, intimate yet disconnected, characterised by a sense of lacking and yearning. It is then, a mischaracterisation if one simply considers his films to be sentimental or nostalgic. More precisely, they are an expression of grief, an inability to actualise and replicate the past within the present–to loop a single moment in eternity. Paradoxically, this is what a film can do. Hence, Wong’s characters become a representation of the liminal space the artist occupies. In the Mood for Love is a fatalist’s romance: As vivid as Mr. Chow and Mrs. Su’s feelings are for one another, they will never act on those feelings. Indeed, the question of whether a relationship founded on an attempt to reenact their spouses’ infidelity and betrayal can ever survive the transition into one built on sincerity. Their relationship could have flourished, had they discovered one another after separation from their spouses. Instead, they find themselves in a twisted facsimile of a relationship. This tension between possibility, loss, and the passage of time is a topic continuously revisited by Wong throughout his work. Ashes of Time is a lamentation of lost love and opportunity. Its protagonist declares that once we experience the irreversible loss of another, the only thing we can do is to ensure we never forget them. Ironically, he remarks, that the more you intentionally try to forget someone, the less they recede from your mind. Your memory of them becomes ever more vivid. The irreconcilability of creating a lasting connection amidst the currents of time is a constant theme throughout Wong’s work. This is perhaps singularly encapsulated in The Hand. It might also be the best expression of Wong’s filmography. A short film within the anthology film Eros, The Hand explores an unconventional romance between a courtesan and her tailor. Here the tailor cuts a lonely figure. Hunched alone in his workshop, the meticulous pattern cutting, shaping, and embroidery of his creations lend an air of unconsummated intimacy. Their relationship is an impossible one– the cause of their relationship is precisely what prevents its actualisation. They are left with only desire and imagination. Building up to a tragic and cathartic conclusion, The Hand is romantic to a fault.

SOCIAL EDITED BY RHEA JETHWA AND KAVIESH KINGER

What’s In Vogue: The Longchamp Epidemic illustrated by BEN CHEN Join our Social Editors, Rhea and Kaviesh in their analysis of current trends both at LSE and globally. This issue, they do a breakdown of the frenzy over the Longchamp’s Le Pliage bag. Before the start of a new year at university, it’s natural to debate your wardrobe and make some new purchases. We all want to flaunt on campus and keep up with trends, but for most the trickiest item to find is a timeless, inexpensive and practical ‘uni bag’ to take with you everyday. A simple browse around campus- or even in London for that matter will show you that many of us are on the hunt for a uni bag. And some of us have found one: the Longchamp’s Le Pliage tote bag. Longchamp’s most popular bag surfaced in the 90’s fashioned out of washable nylon canvas with leather straps and a snap-closing flap, costing £110 for a large travel bag - it’s marketed as a simple yet practical luxury good. The tote grew a massive following around the 2010s when ‘it-girls’ Alexa Chung, Katie Holmes and even Kate Middleton were spotted wearing it to elevate their preppy aesthetics. From then onwards the classic tote became a staple for many, and has recently surged in popularity yet again after Kendall Jenner wore Le Pliage’s leather sister and of course it’s upsurge on Tik-Tok. The appeal of the bag is clear, it has a simple design and can easily be thrown onto any outfit to maintain that sleek, clean-girl aesthetic. With added benefit, if the nylon body of the bag gets worn away or damaged, Longchamp offers an in-house repair service which rejuvenates around 30,000 Le Pliage totes a year. It also offers an in-store, free engraving of your initials.

joining the masses in doing what everyone does, let’s choose to stray away from what everyone does. If you are walking into the Longchamp store for a canvas tote that’ll put you to sleep, or into Goyard for a monogrammed tote that’ll break your bank and look like plastic: stop for a second. Walk into the store and check out their other styles, explore the fashion ethos of the store and see if it resonates with you. If not, walk out and find another. The options are endless, pick the one that’s right for you. A uni bag is essential and an everyday staple. Pick something customizable and timeless. If the Longchamp Le Pliage resonates with your inner Rory Gilmore, then go for it. But if you’re more of a Van der Woodsen, take another look and choose wisely.

Maple and cinnamon mug cake

by JESSICA-MAY COX & illustrated CHIARA Autumn is a bittersweet time of year for me. The weather is perfect: the cold winter winds don’t bite just yet, but the Summer Sun is finally calling it a day. And, of course, with this time of year comes the return to university. I started to miss the friends I made during first year, as well as the regularity that my timetable provided me, so it wasn’t that big of a deal to come back. Or so I thought. The workload for second year has already piled up in my first month, and it’s a little overwhelming at times. I don’t often have time to bake anymore - a hobby I picked back up again over the summer. Some of my go-to recipes were pineapple upside-down cake and blueberry and lemon loaf. In times of overwhelming academic stress, I’ve resorted to quick and easy comfort. For those who can’t find the time to bake a whole cake, I will introduce you to one of my classics: simple mug cake recipe. A dish that I have become obsessed with this Autumn, especially since it only takes 1-2 minutes in the microwave. You can easily swap out the flavours depending on the time of year and what ingredients you have in stock. In honour of Autumn, I decided on a maple and cinnamon mug cake, with optional pecans. So, grab a microwave safe mug and get ready to cosy up for this quick, seasonal and comforting treat.

As trendy as the bag may be, we come as a voice of reason for those infected with the epidemic of the Le Pliage. A stunning addition for all the preppy darlings at LSE, we definitely think there’s something to say about its accessibility. Does accessibility trump fashion? Perhaps not. We aren’t here writing this same article about the COS oversized side bag rocked by London’s fashion girls. While fashionable and price-accessible, that bag has not oversaturated our surroundings. Our issue is not its accessibility, but the bandwagon of hundreds opting to buy a bag they claim is classic. In reality, the Le Pliage is not a classic, it’s plain simple. To us, the Longchamp Le Pliage is not In Vogue. Apologies to our Tik-Tok girls, but it’s time to move on. Our thoughts reserved for the Le Pliage are the same as those for the infamous Goyard tote. Rather than

Method: 1) Combine all of the dry ingredients: 3tbsp flour, 1tbsp sugar, and ½ tsp cinnamon, in a microwave-safe mug. 2) After that, add 2tbsp milk, 1tbsp vegetable oil, 1tbsp maple syrup, and 1 egg yolk. A simple way to split an egg yolk is by keeping it in the egg shell after cracking it in half, and then passing the yolk between the two halves until the whites have all fallen out.

3) Once all in the mug, quickly mix everything together. You don’t need to worry about little bubbles or bits in the batter, just make sure that everything is combined. At this point, you can quickly stir in some pecans as well for an earthy texture. 4) Microwave the batter for 1 minute, using a toothpick or fork to poke a hole and check if all the batter has solidified 5) Now it’s time to go crazy with the toppings. I like to make the cake look like it took more effort to make than it actually did, so I’ll add a scoop of vanilla ice-cream and drizzle some more maple syrup on top, along with a sprinkle of cinnamon and pecans.

Tips for sensitive souls

by LIZA CHERNOBAY & illustrated by FRANCESCA CORNO Aside from a sudden outburst of Christmas baubles, tacky bunting and dazzling lights all around London, November is that time of year when the wind gets crispier, the drizzle feels wetter, and deadlines start flooding student to-do lists. Frankly, returning back to campus ‘fresh’ after reading week doesn’t feel that fresh at all, and your friends’ rallying cry to hit the floor at Ministry sends the mind into an anxious spiral. The truth is, feeling demotivated, anxious, and generally exhausted from student life at this stage of term is completely normal - typical, even. In fact, it doesn’t matter what time of the year it is, because being human means experiencing a range of emotions, uplifting and not, and this is actually a good sign it means that you are alive! While binge-watching Netflix and indulging in chocolate cake can numb the difficult feelings for a short while, the last episode, or cake crumb, will inevitably bring you back into the tough reality you wished to escape. However, there are a few practical things that you can implement into your daily routine to take care of your body and soul in the long run. Here is a compilation of my personal favourites, tested over the years, which help me regain my balance, positivity and motivation when life gets overwhelming. When you struggle to concentrate: 1) Put on your headphones and tune in to White Noise on Spotify. Such vibrations not only help with focus, but also block off distracting background noises. 2) Try NSDR (Non Sleeping Deep Rest). This meditation technique is designed to help your body experience deep relaxation and re-charge effectively in just 10-15 minutes. I recommend using NSDR when you feel tired but really need to finish that last bit of reading, or when you didn’t sleep well enough and feel sluggish in the morning. 3) Take a break and go for a 15-minute walk, preferably somewhere green (Hello Lincoln’s Inn Fields!)

When you feel demotivated: 1) Dance to uplifting music! While on campus, feel free to shamelessly hide in the toilet cubicle and jiggle away to your favourite beat! My goto tunes are Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off ” and my friend Alice Markham’s “Powerful Lady”. Unbeatable, every time! 2) Practice gratitude, through meditation or journaling. I usually take a few moments after waking up to mentally reflect upon everything that I feel grateful for, or what had brought me joy the day before. Trust me, this simple practice will transform you into a more positive person overnight! 3) Make plans with your friends! Talking to people in real life will not only provide a much-needed emotional fulfilment, but also distract you from thinking about your own problems and bring perspective onto what truly matters. This doesn’t have to be anything crazy - just a little treat at the end of the week to keep your spirits up throughout the monotonous study routine. When you feel anxious: 1) Swap your coffee for decaf, matcha or tea. As much as I love my morning coffee, unfortunately it makes me extra tense and anxious on days when I already feel uneasy. To me, a matcha latte or Earl Grey with a splash of oat milk are satisfying alternatives to a silky warm drink without the coffee jitters. On days when I want to avoid caffeine altogether, I usually drink mint tea or the Twinings Spiced Chamomile and Vanilla infusion. 2) Try the 4-7-8 breathwork: inhale for 4 counts, hold for 7 and exhale for 8 counts. Bonus points if you engage your abdomen and diaphragm on the inhale and exhale, as this will help activate your vagus nerve and calm the parasympathetic nervous system. I usually aim for 10-15 rounds, but ideally, you’d want to practise until you feel a full sense of relief. 3) Take 5-10 minutes off, close your eyes, find a comfortable position and…meditate. My recent favourite meditation for anxiety release is the “Descend to Zero” meditation by Laura Silva Quesada, available on YouTube, but I also love guided meditations on Headspace and Insight Timer apps. Even if you don’t practise daily, introducing an occasional moment of peace into your day will prompt your mind to generate healthy, positive energy. The above techniques are by no means permanent cures for challenging times, and sometimes, seeking professional help is best to properly address certain mental health experiences. However, as a human prone to feeling stressed and overwhelmed, I’ve learnt that taking care of your mind and body starts with the small things. Introducing meaningful habits into your daily routine and staying consistent with them will, therefore, invite long-term transformations and help you savour your student experience, no matter the season!

REVIEW

EDITED BY CHRISTINA JIANG AND SHEILA MUTUA

Anatomy of a Fall by VANESSA HUANG

Did he jump? Did he fall? Or was he pushed? These are the questions swirling around the death of Sandra’s (Sandra Hüller) husband Samuel (Samuel Theis), in a case that moves to trial with Sandra as the prime suspect. Writer and director Justine Triet tiptoes around the rules of the procedural – only to upend them, marrying convention with her more arthouse sensibilities in a work that balances ambiguity with precision. A corrective to the often lurid spectacle of true crime, Anatomy of a Fall lays bare the harsh glare of the courtroom and how it can be so cruel and unforgiving. Perhaps as our secrets unravel, so do we.

Fair Play by GIULIA MAGNI I was casually browsing Netflix when I found one of the biggest surprises of the year. Fair Play has taken both critics and audiences by storm. This thriller, which quickly rose to the top spot on Netflix, offers a thought-provoking exploration of power dynamics in relationships, gender plays and ambition, female empowerment, and the finance industry. Additionally, the visual elements work in harmony to create a wonderful and disturbing cinematic experience. With its determined and claustrophobic pace, reminiscent of 1980s and 90s cinema, Chloe Domont’s Fair Play is a captivating watch. Domont sets the stage for a gripping exploration of the ruthless world of finance. The sterile lighting and distressing colours used throughout the film serve as visual representations of the high-pressure nature of this industry. The cinematography alone is enough to leave viewers on the edge of their seats, as they are drawn into a world where success comes at a steep price. The performances of Phoebe Dynevor (Emily) and Alden Ehrenreich (Luke) are nothing short of exceptional. They bring a level of depth and intensity to their characters that is truly captivating. As Emily and Luke navigate their careers and aspirations, their once supportive and passionate exchanges become more sinister. The film demonstrates how the changing power dynamics can irrevocably alter a relationship, exposing the true cost of achievements - particularly for women - and the disturbing limits of ambition. In my view, Fair Play is definitely an enthralling film that also manages to expose the dark realities of the competitive and ruthless financial world. Indeed, in a moment of desperation, the protagonist says to his boss “This firm has become my religion. You have become my God” which perfectly captures the toxicity of a work environment that can swallow up one’s personal values and sense of self-worth. Domont definitely warns us of the dangers of letting our careers define us entirely. Ultimately, Fair Play is not just an exceptional film, but a wake up call.

Lupin S3 by OPHÉLIE LOGÉ The third season of Netflix’s French hit series, Lupin, was quite as I expected: enjoyable but not groundbreaking as the dynamic was not too different from the previous seasons. Diop’s scheming, perfectly executed plans and costumed disguises are still very present as well as the multiple flashbacks to his childhood. The first episode starts right where we left off, as Assane’s face is now famous, he has to deal with this new challenge of being a known fugitive. However, he seems to dislike hiding in the shadows as he decides to rob the famous Black Pearl while warning the rest of the world in advance about his intentions. He is soon caught up by his past with the surprise (yet anticlimactic) return of his mother and the reappearance of an old enemy named Keller, with whom his complicated relationship is explained through flashbacks, which are nicely inserted for them to hold significance in the present. Other flashbacks however, tend to interrupt the ongoing suspense provoked by the present situation which results in dampening that thrilling feeling of action scenes. We witness a change in purpose for Diop, having successfully wreaked revenge on his father’s boss, his attention now turns to his wife and son as they are placed under the spotlight in light of his fugitive status. Also, to my great pleasure, his loyal accomplice and best friend, Benjamin still stands by his side and continues to help him organise these chiseled plans and even participates in them. It is also the same police duo made of Guédira and Sofia who chase him. The dynamic between those two however does not evolve which gets quite tiring: he’s always picking up the right clues related to Arsène Lupin and she keeps on saying how ridiculous this whole situation is. All in all, the series is a decent casual watch with a bit of action and suspense. I would also like to give a special mention to the beautiful aesthetic and views of this series. Watching this new season has been really fun as the story succeeds in keeping it entertaining despite the jumping back and forth in time and some frustration from the lack of evolution of certain characters. The end hints at a possible new season which we will definitely be on the lookout for.

UTOPIA by WILL HAN

& illustrated by SHEILA MUTUA Travis Scott’s 5th studio album UTOPIA was arguably the most anticipated album in 2023. The 19-track UTOPIA reflects the bold return of the Houston-born rapper/producer with unapologetic creativity and ambitious records. As with the phenomenal Rodeo and trend-setting AstroWorld, Scott’s production is strong throughout the majority of the album. Right away, “HYAENA”’s electronic, discordant harpsichord motif is eyebrow-raising. Songs such as “TELEKINESIS” and “LOVE” mirror the stratospheric, bellowing production that made Rodeo such a groundbreaking project. Addit iona l ly, Kanye West’s influence on UTOPIA is evident. Scott, one of Kanye’s more notable disciples, samples “Black Skinhead” in “CIRCUS MAXIMUS” and “GOD’S COUNTRY” which was originally an instrumental created for Kanye’s Donda. Whilst both songs are arguably two of the weaker tracks on the album, Travis Scott is successful in generating creative, ear-candy production. Some critics point out that UTOPIA’s themes are

wildly inconsistent - focused on creating a megahit project with some of the biggest artists in the world, like the Weekend, Bad Bunny, and Beyonce, instead of achieving instrumental and lyrical coherence. Whilst I agree to some extent, I actually think the diversity on the album is one of its greatest strengths. Yet the eerie, conflicting feel of the album portrays an incredibly powerful ambivalence that anyone could find themselves in. Tracks “FE!N” and “TOPIA TWINS” are suitable for energetic raves whereas “LOST FOREVER” , despite being an equally boastful track, is more unnerving. Similarly, “TELEKINESIS” takes its listeners on a beautiful ascension to the heavens, only to be followed “TIL FURTHER NOTICE” offering a dark, yet equally ethereal ending. From the animalistic to the contemplative, from the positive to the gloomy, Scott’s audience do not know exactly how or what to feel after listening to UTOPIA, except for the feeling of discovering a new emotion or part of themselves that they didn’t know existed, yet not quite being able to pinpoint. There’s no direction you’re supposed to go, but that’s the point.

In more ways than one, this concert was a performance. The calibre of the whimsical set design was eye-catching and impressive, featuring a giant mechanical dog’s head, and magic 8-ball to decide songs. In an apparent challenge to be more extroverted, bassist Pete Wentz left the stage for a moment to let lead singer Patrick Stump entertain the audience alone, which he did in the form of a Mr Bluesky mashup cover. And of course, there were copious amounts of flamethrowers.

Overall, whilst UTOPIA doesn’t top Scott’s debut album Rodeo, it remains in the same league as a well-produced, IMAX-esque project with its incredible highlights overshadowing its lowlights. And barring the possibility that the Metro-JID collaboration or the Ty Dollar $ign and Ye duo drop an alltime classic, I believe Travis Scott likely receives the Grammy which he has long sought for this album.

Aya Nakamura

Mentioned several times throughout was the 20th anniversary of their 2003 debut Take This to Your Grave. Indeed, there was a distinct tint of nostalgia to the show: from the abundance of material from their older albums, to this album’s return to their Folie a Deux producer Neal Avron and older pop-punk sound. There’s something heartwarming about Fall Out Boy still going so strong after two decades, selling out an arena to 20,000 loyal fans when so many bands of the 2000s pop-punk generation have faded away.

by DANIELLE ESOHE

Aya Nakamura’s UK debut was incredible but not without its weaknesses. The MCs prior to her arrival did their absolute best to maintain the crowd’s energy, especially when it became glaringly obvious that she was late. The supporting artist, however, was a poor choice, performing bad covers of

photograph by Christina Jiang Read the full version online.

Fall Out Boy

by CHRISTINA JIANG When Fall Out Boy announced the tour of their latest studio album, So Much ( for) Stardust, I did not pay it much mind. I considered myself only a casual listener, with fond memories from the emo-phase of my earlier teen years. But when a friend invited me to the first of their two London dates with tickets she won in a giveaway, saying yes might have been the best decision of my life. Opening with the lead single of their 8th album, ‘Love from the Other Side,’ FOB spend two hours running through their entire discography. Fans from all generations were never more than a couple songs away from their favourite era, with ‘Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy’ igniting an impressive sing-a-long and ‘A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More “Touch Me”’ lighting up the arena pink. One noticeable absence, though, was 2018’s Mania, an album fans had widely criticised. Still, one of the better songs, like ‘Hold Me Tight or Don’t,’ could have truly made things complete.

photograph by Danielle Esohe popular Nigerian tunes. Alas, it served as a form of comedy which distracted me from Aya’s tardiness. Aya’s performance from a fan’s perspective was astounding, but just okay objectively speaking. She has a stunning voice, which was complemented well by the live band, and the moments when she performed choreography were fun. Sadly, there is not much more to comment on; one can only be amazed by a beautiful woman staring at the audience ominously for so long. It is always appreciated when artists make their audiences feel like part of the show, and I feel as though the concert lacked this aspect. Nonetheless, what made the night was the sheer talent of her dancers. Only four, yet every time they were on stage they absolutely stole the show, performing with passion and absorbing the energy from the crowd that Aya couldn’t. You could tell they were truly enjoying themselves on stage, as were her background singers, which really helped to keep the audience engaged beyond our favourite songs. Overall, as beautiful as it was to hear Aya Nakamura live, her lateness and somewhat half-hearted stage presence let the dancers take over the show, and the experience would have been lacklustre without them.

KAI HUSSEIN: on entrepreneurship at LSE

interview interview by by SANA SANA AGARWAL AGARWAL photography photography by by BEN BEN CHEN CHEN

Anyone who has been on campus lately has probably seen or heard about the new bubble tea machine — The BobaBot in CBG. It stands out almost immediately; a robot making you your favourite beverage definitely sparks curiosity in the minds of many. So for this issue, I knew just who to interview: the entrepreneurial genius behind the project. Indeed, he is one of us — an LSE second-year BA Geography undergraduate student, Kai Hussein.

sat down with Kai on the SU terrace, on a Wednesday afternoon, ready to uncover everything about his journey. When introducing himself, Kai mentioned his affinity for technology and innovation right away. “I grew up in London, very interested in the future. I think that’s something that drives me and I think technology works closely with that.” This perhaps, has been the key driving force behind his project the BobaBot. He added, “I wanted to get bubble tea closer to campus, I wanted to fill that gap. But I didn’t want to just make something very conventional because it’d be difficult to compete and I didn’t have the money. The vending machine idea of a robotic arm is something that I stumbled across ... and thought about for a while.” Kai was met with many silent rejections until he received interest from Aoife Nolan, the Secretary to the Head of estates at LSE. “That was all I needed to go crazy and send a pitch deck. [It took] a lot of presentations, a lot of hard work.” When recalling his first meeting with Julian Robinson, Head of Estates at LSE, Kai exclaimed, “I had a big briefcase. I walked in with it, and [it had] every single thing, in A to Z order, I thought I could ever be asked.” His preparedness resulted in the approval of the project. The project is funded by Kai himself, “I took out a Maintenance Loan last year, the maximum I could get. I’m very kind of conservative, and I saved a lot of money throughout my life. I worked a lot of summers, [and] I did some investing very early when I was maybe 16- 17. I didn’t want to get anyone else’s money involved because it was a lot of risk.” However, Kai’s journey has not been short of struggles, “The hardest part was perseverance.” For Kai, every step brought its own set of challenges, ranging from logistical problems with the machine to opposition from LSE. “The library did not want to house the machine, catering pushed back saying they want to set up a bubble tea cafe next year themselves. So even in the months after the legal contract was signed, there were still entities at LSE that were opposed. A lot of people did not want to be associated with it in case it failed.” “I think the US is a lot more favourable for entrepreneurship, but I in the UK, you need to be prepared to push that heavy rock as far as you can, and it will come back down the hill. But you need to just keep going, because you will have to do 99% of the legwork. Here, entrepreneurship is almost frowned upon; I guess it is part and parcel of the banking culture. So you really to bring something to the table,” Kai remarked, explaining how the environment motivated his own strategic choice of pursuing this project. His project would boost student satisfaction by making campus more vibrant and progressive while keeping a low cost for LSE. Some of the profit from the in-

itiative also goes to scholarships and bursaries at and a driver. At first, it was difficult to balance. LSE — another huge contribution gained by the We’ve got a live chat support now. So you can university. message my phone straightaway.” Kai admitted there were some glitches, or other failures that Despite basing the machine off a model housed have occurred so far. “We have a long way to go, in Australia, he “knew there was going to be a lot but for me, it is worth the hardwork,” Kai added, of back end work, like coding the menu. A lot of giving us a glimpse into his undying determinait was in Chinese, so I had to translate a lot. It was tion and resilience. really a very slow and painful process of learning,” Kai sighed. He also faced issues with shipment “[The project] might be every single pound I ever from China to the UK, and lost money in the pro- had in the world. But to the average person, it cess. “It was the distresses of things like this that makes them smile. They don’t think about the can be so difficult. I don’t want to put people off stresses of what happened to get this. Every time if people were thinking about doing something somebody tries the tea and films it and smiles, I [similar]. But it’s real,” Kai retrospected. gain a lot of satisfaction, and it’s I think it’s warming. There’s so many serious things going on right We proceeded to talk about the selection pro- now in the news or in the world, that something cess of the teas and tapioca, a fairly less stressful small like this that makes people happy and and more fun part of the process. “I didn’t have makes people laugh.” enough money to buy it, so I ordered a little bit of each kind of [tea] by saying to these manu- “I’d like to be the neighbouring universities in facturers: ‘Look, I’m a big company looking to London like UCL Imperial, and in five years, test your things. Can you send out samples?’” [I’d like to start] attacking like public spaces, like Kai’s enthusiasm made me break into a giggle. To shopping centres, really expanding throughout. Kai’s luck and the Bot’s victory, he managed to get And maybe one day, [there are] enough that you some samples. The next test entailed testing to could see all of the machines in London on an tea to choose a winner. “At my accommodation app.” (Urbanest) last year, I put out a stall, I just said to everybody to please try my tea. It’s free. I’d make After hearing the ups and downs of Kai’s journey, sure I’ve noted down any feedback they gave — if I could not help but wonder how he did it without it was too sweet or too milky. There was a clear a formal business or tech background, or even a winner and we went with it!” mentor. “My mentality is that there is nothing that could come up that I couldn’t solve. I’m not “You must have been on cloud nine when the ma- sort of trying to say that I get everything naturalchine first started working!,” I exclaimed. To this, ly, because I definitely don’t. But I just think that he opposed, “I think I was at my unhappiest at if you put enough hard work into something, you that point, to be honest, in the first week, even will get there. And with enough work, you [can] though it was like the machine was doing well.” overcome [any] problem. I think this project also He explained, “the first week of the machine. My gave me a little bit of purpose and motivation.” name was CEO, I was the cook, the delivery guy, Kai perfectly encapsulated the entrepreneurial the social media marketer, the machine manager, zeel behind the project. I was customer service. I was everything, because I didn’t have the money to get anyone else on He also gives credit to his grandfather, who he board right then. I would wake up every morn- has always taken inspiration from, his close set of ing at 4:30 am, drive my car to my grandfather’s friends he could always bounce ideas off, and Jurestaurant where each morning, I would brew the lian Robinson, without whom according to Kai, tea, package it all up in the boxes, drive to here, the project would not exist. get a parking ticket pretty much every day and put the tea inside the machine to get it started.” When asked for final remarks, Kai said, “[It is] A clear indication to the one man army nature of cliche but go for it, today is the best day to start his entrepreneurship journey. your startup idea, make that Instagram or the website. The worst [that can happen] is [you] “I was also quite fragile to any bad advice.” How- learn. It can be an expensive lesson or a cheap ever, Kai rebuttled the criticism with a mix of re- one, but you are always learning something.” I lentless hardwork and determination. “I always could feel a motivational force enveloping the kept in my mind that this is something that will room as his works settled. After an hour of going get better. It’s such a new idea. I think the first through the ins and outs of the BobaBot, it was person that makes something is not always the clear that he really believed in the journey, not best, or the person that is remembered as the one just the end product. that was the highest quality. But it starts a conversation about robots making things like your Kai confidently and gleefully concluded, “Come coffee properly, or your drinks at the bar. And back in five years and see where BobaBot is. that conversation is whats important,” expressed It’s been a long journey, but we are only getting Kai, indicating to the rapidly growing technology started!” around us, and insisting we venture into the future of the beverage and food industry. “It’s still improving every day. Now I’ve got a cook

ISSUE 929

AT WEEK 8 2023

REVIEW

PART B

SOCIAL

SPORT

Lupin S3

Swan Song

What’s in vogue

A sporting sisterhood #2

KAI HUSSEIN & the boba bot