the
Beaver Tuesday November 12 2013 | www.thebeaveronline.com | No 797.
The Feature Interview: Nick Cohen “I don’t see the point of your Students’ Union”
FREE Newspaper of the LSE Students’ Union
Disputatio Ergo Cogito: “Spying on allies”
page 23
- the debate, page 11
Panel fails to pick a winner for new
£90 million building Team C
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THE PANEL charged with selecting the winning design for the LSE’s new £90 million Global Centre for Social Sciences (GCSS) has failed to reach a decision. The panel was supposed to select a winning submission in HDUO\ 1RYHPEHU QR VSHFLஊF UHDson has been given for the delay, but Architect’s Journal is quoting an anonymous source who said: “‘It was possibly over-optimistic that the jury panel could reach a decision after one or two PHHWLQJV ڕ )ٺٺٺٺLYH GHVLJQV IURP LQWHUQDtionally recognized architecture ஊUPV DUH RQ WKH VKRUWOLVW IRU ஊnal selection. In October, the LSE held a campaign to exhibit the designs to students and faculty. The exhibit was publicised as a way to allow both groups WR LQXHQFH ZKLFK GHVLJQ LV XOtimately chosen. Given the delay in selecting a winning design, The Beaver asked LSE Students’ Union (SU) General Secretary Jay Stoll - an active part of the ongoing deliberations -- for his impression of the role that the student input will play in the selection process. ٺٺٺٺ6WROO FRPPHQWHG WKDW ڔ,Qvested individuals, particularly students, perceived that they ZRXOG EH DEOH WR LQXHQFH WKH GHVLJQ ڕ+H ZHQW RQ WR VWDWH WKDW he had “ brought up the outcome of the vote from the Library exhibition a few times in proceedings to make sure that our members’ voices are heard…the nature of discussions in the panel extend
far beyond immediate aesthetic impressions – therefore the student vote cannot be taken as gospel as the panel deliberates the virtues of pitfalls of the variRXV HQWUDQWV ڕ ٺٺٺٺ6WROO GHFOLQHG WR VD\ PRUH about the selection process due to the ongoing nature of deliberations. No plans have been announced to give students further input on the design outcome. ٺٺٺٺ2IILFLDOV DW WKH /6( KDYH offered few details on the delay; however, the complexity of the project and problems with WKH TXDOLW\ RI ஊQDO VXEPLVVLRQV appear to be contributing factors. According to Julian Robinson, Director of Estates: “Each of the schemes has interesting ideas but there is some further work to do by the practices and the School. It may be to do with the design brief constraints and sheer scale of what we are atWHPSWLQJ ڕ ٺٺٺٺ$UFKLWHFWXUH PDJD]LQH %' LV UHSRUWLQJ WKDW WKUHH RI WKH ஊYH GHVLJQ ஊUPV KDYH EHHQ WROG WR upgrade the quality of their submissions, although The Beaver has not been able to independently verify this as of publication time. ٺٺٺٺ1HZV RI WKLV GHYHORSPHQW comes just as the LSE has announced plans for another international design competition to be held for redevelopment of the site at 44 Lincoln’s Inn )LHOGV 7KH VFKRRO DFTXLUHG WKH site from Cancer Research UK for £80 million last month. Cancer Research UK will continue to occupy the property until 2016.
Living Wage Week at LSE Olivia Gleeson
THE THIRD TO THE NINTH of November marked the second ever ‘Living Wage Week’ in the UK, a campaign designed to raise awareness about the living wage concept and to encourage businesses to convert to becoming living wage employers. In a tweet, LSE Students’ Union (SU) General Secretary Jay Stoll stated that the SU and “LSE have been paying the living wage to VWDஉ VLQFH ڕ ٺٺٺٺ7KH /LYLQJ :DJH LQLWLDWLYH was launched in 2001 by hardpressed parents in East London who felt that minimum wage jobs were insufficient to live on in London. The living wage is an hourly rate calculated annually on the cost of living both in London and the rest of the UK. This year, the ‘Living Wage Week’ coincided with the unveilLQJ RI WKH QHZ OLYLQJ ZDJH ஊJure for 2014 on Monday, which saw a rise from £7.45 to £7.65 throughout the UK, and from £8.55 to £8.80 in London. ٺٺٺٺ7KH /LYLQJ :DJH UHPDLQV D voluntary ‘opt-in’ system for employers. This week, the group has rolled out a vast social media campaign and sponsored several events and talks in businesses and universities to highlight the EHQHஊWV RI WKH OLYLQJ ZDJH ERWK for businesses, the economy, and individuals. ٺٺٺٺ7KH GLYLGHQGV RI WKH OLYLQJ wage for employers is, according to the campaign, a rise in VWDஉ SURGXFWLYLW\ DQG SHUIRUmance, with a study carried out by the living wage group showing that absenteeism in organizations with the living wage has fallen by almost 25%. ٺٺٺٺContinued on page 3
IN THE NEWS England’s social classes slow to evolve
Islamic Society takes part in Charity Week
Barber: Euro creation a ‘political project’
LSE research shows that social classes evolve slower than expected.
LSE’s Islamic Society has raised £12,000 so far for Charity Week.
Lionel Barber has called the creation of the Euro a huge ‘political project’.
NEWS page 2
NEWS Page 3
NEWS page 4
Meet Chris Wood, Postgraduate Officer
NEWS page 5
Halliday Memorial Lecture Director Craig Calhoun presented the Memorial Lecture on 5th November. NEWS page 2