Fresh Newspaper - January 2010

Fresh Re

January 2010

RSU Elections 2010 just around the corner

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rst Our fi he of t issue e! decad

Free

New music 2010 special

Photos from the Xmas Bash

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Why feeling like dropping out is natural

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Third Years, summer ball The Ball is in 2009 your court again! saturday 30th may|froebel

A

ll final year students can help secure additional funding for the headline act at this year’s Summer Ball, simply by filling in the National Student Survey (NSS). Each year, the independent survey company Ipsos MORI contact final year students via email as well as post to measure students’ university experience across the UK.

college|1pm til 5am

GROOVERIDER MISTAJAM

the twisted funk lounge

| headphone disco last gang | the volt | the mom rsu residents | fa cup final eraths | simon evans | magician | fireworks | fairground | food court survivors photo | ice crea m van | plus more tba tickets on sale 9am thursd

The greater the number and cross section of students who participate directly has a huge impact on the usefulness of the sampled results. Following our collaboration with the University to ensure higher participation last year, the University will again be granting the RSU additional funding for our annual Summer Ball, which is set to take place on Saturday 29th May 2010. There is a catch though, in order to gain additional funding, we need 80% or more final year students to complete the NSS. Doing so would actually put us in line with some of the top participating institutions across the country.

ay 30th april - rsu reception - first 1000 tickets @ £45 each student can buy a maxim - general sale £50 um of 2 tickets

www.roehamptonstudent. com/summerball

The RSU and Roehampton University will be launching the NSS during the Refreshers Fair this coming Friday 15th January 2010, and to help kick-start the campaign there is a special incentive. Yes, the first 300 final year students who complete the survey will receive a free ‘MYRU’ T-Shirt and free entry into the Refreshers Week Bop that night! These are limited and so are strictly going to be given out on a first come first served basis.

Therefore, if you are a third year it is crucial you get down to the Refreshers Fair extra early to ensure you grab some extra goodies!

Last years Summer Ball proved to be a huge success and after reaching the participation target and receiving further funding from the University, we were able to book two headliners; The Zutons and The Sugababes. With your help, this year we can look to doing the same and making Summer Ball 2010 the biggest and best that Froebel lawn has ever played host to. So third years, the ball is well and truly in your court!

e 10! the NS S, hea d ove r to pag For mo re inf orm ati on on

Extra funding last year meant that the RSU were able to book two headline acts, The Zutons, and the Sugababes(pictured)

Campaigns Pullout:

Read all about R.A.G. Week 2010

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This issue of Fresh was printed on recycled paper. Please make sure you re-use/recycle it too, or at least leave it aside for someone else to read later. All content is available online at www.roehampton.ac.uk

Fresh Newspaper

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www.roehamptonstudent.com

Editorial Anant Naik, Editor in Chief & Production, VP Communications So here we are, a new year, a new decade, and most importantly a new issue of Fresh newspaper! I hope you all had a fantastic time at home and weren’t too bogged down with stressays over the winter period!

Now, I’ll be honest, there’s not much to report on since December’s absolutely packed issue, well apart from all the usual end of year Christmas parties and liquid lunches (yes, I’ll move on…). We do have a great deal to give you a heads up about though! This week is Refreshers Week, the perfect chance to celebrate being reunited with familiar faces, a new term and the Queens head lining your wallet once more, I’m sure. It’s also a great way to pick up the pieces of last term and get finally immersed in the RSU way of life for example by joining a society or sport if, for whatever reason you missed out last term. The pinnacle of the week has got to be the Refreshers Fair, which this year will see us launch not only the Volunteer Roehampton scheme, but also the launch of the annual National Student Survey, which is coupled with the Universities MYRU scheme. Make sure you harass as many of your mates that are final years as possible, because if we reach our target of 80% of leavers completing the survey, then once again we will receive additional Summer Ball funding (see the front page/page 10).

I hope you have a brilliant start to 2010, and that if you have dissertations you start them soon so you can party when it comes to April. Head over to page 6 for my Communications blog!

Anant x

Josh Paterson, Editor, Student Media Officer

Sam Kendall Kirby, Editor, Student Media Officer

Fresh This issue of Fresh Newspaper was brought to you by: Editor in Chief & Production - Anant Naik Student Editors - Josh Paterson & Sam Kendall Kirby With special thanks to: The Sabbs, Harry Harris, Nikki Watson, Alex Murray, Tadashi Suzuki, Paul Markham-James, NUS, Aran Suddi, Adam Le Breuilly, Shane Dickson, Max Hopkins Fagain, Gemma Kelly, Katherine Stanley, Nyha Pasha, Agnetha Adisson, Luke Springett, Luke Holiday, Shaun Hill, Ryan William Cooper, Last.fm, Banquet Records, Chris Davis, Iris Boudier, Nhya Pasha again, Ruth Price, Hannah Daisy, Rochelle Harvey, Tom Arkell and Jack Bottomley!

Summer Ball 2010 Rumour mill: The best so far

WRITERS WANTED.

Are you interested in writing for Fresh?

Is there something you're not happy with and think you could improve on?

Send in any articles you would like published to either fresh@roehampton.ac.uk or anant.naik@roehampton.ac.uk The deadline for the next edition of Fresh will be 5th February 2010.

Launch of University wide energy saving contest (p.8)

Tennis team: Going from strength to strength (p.26)

For all advertising/marketing enquiries please email Chris O’Boyle on c.oboyle@roehampton.ac.uk or phone 020 8392 3221 RSU, Hirst Union Building, Digby Stuart College, Roehampton University, Roehampton Lane, London, SW15 5PH

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Fresh Newspaper

News RSU Elections: Your chance to draw up your perfect Union

down the line. Particularly at Roehampton. If you know what it’s all about and want to discuss ways in which we can fight it or find out what RSU have been doing to combat a rise in fees, come along as well!

What’s that coming over the hill? It’s an election!

Roehampton welcomes new Chief Security Officer

That’s right, just as soon as we all get over Swine Flu, Roehampton will be hit with election fever! From March 1st, nominations for elected positions within RSU will be open.

The University is pleased to announce the appointment of it’s new Chief Security Officer, Paul Markham-James.

This is your chance, regardless of age, race, gender, sexuality or political beliefs, to get involved with shaping and changing the experiences of Roehampton students. Positions vary from Part time voluntary officer posts such as Student Media Officer and Environmental Officer through to full time paid sabbatical posts. If you’re interested, come and see the elections stand at Re-Fresher’s Fair on January 15th or speak to Gary Coates, Elections Co-Ordinator for 2010. (gary. coates@roehampton.ac.uk) Getting involved with RSU can be a rewarding and exciting experience, but it also comes with responsibility to represent the student population as effectively as possible.There will also be strict guidelines on the application process so please ensure you give elections your full commitment should you enter the race! Even if you’re not interested in running, make sure you vote when the time comes! There are also still plenty of ways you can get involved with RSU’s campaigns and activities, all you have to do is check out or website or visit us in the Hirst Building, Digby College.

Top Up Fees Masterclass Never ending student loan repayments, greater financial burden on you after your studies regardless of how much you earn… sounds like a great life ahead!

Do you have any idea what this Top Up Fees malarkey is about? Why is it such a big issue for students?

What impact will it have on your future? If you’ve ever asked yourself any of these or are just curious about what it’s all about, come down to Jebb Auditorium, Froebel College on Friday 2nd Jan from 12.301.30pm. RSU will take you through the basics of why this is such a huge issue facing students now and further

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After completion of his education Paul joined the Royal Marines in 1984 and later transferred to other duties within HM Forces. After completion of 23 years service that included various operational tours Paul retired and embarked on a brief career within HM Prison Service, Pentonville.

Having grown frustrated at life within Pentonville in 2006 Paul applied for the position of Security Manager at Queen Mary University of London and was appointed.

“in everything Security do our ultimate purpose is student and staff well-being” - Paul Markham-James, Cheif Security Officer

During Paul’s enjoyable time at Queen Mary University of London he soon adapted to life in Higher Education and thrived on enhancing the Security Service amongst Queen Mary’s student population. With aspirations to lead his own Security Service Paul successfully applied for the position of Chief Security Officer at Roehampton University and started in January 2010.

Paul has commented that his aim is to enhance and deliver a totally professional Security Service that our students and staff can be proud.

Ultimately to set the standard that all other Universities will want to achieve. Paul continues to highlight his Security Service vision of “in everything Security do our ultimate purpose is student and staff well-being” as key to the service he intend to deliver.

Socially Paul enjoys rugby and arguably football (Watford!). He also enjoys his lame attempts to learn guitar and speak Italian. Not at the same time!

Finally, Paul adds that if you are unhappy with the Security Service or have concerns you wish to discuss you can either call him on 07717778915, email at Paul.Markham-James@Roehampton.ac.uk or alternatively call in to his office. He is located in Mount Clare and also has an office in Digby Stuart at the “Security House”.

Last but not least Paul wishes all student’s a fantastic and safe New Year at Roehampton University.

Read about the Volunteering Fair on page 18

www.roehamptonstudent.com

Any Other Business No honour in “honour” killings “There is no room for a cultural defence of the murder of women, full stop.”

Following her role as an expert adviser at the controversial murder trial of Tulay Goren, Dr Gill, a Senior Lecturer in Criminology at Roehampton University, said nothing could excuse this murder: “There is nothing honourable about the killing of a young woman – a daughter, by a father who is supposed to love and protect her.”

Tulay Goren disappeared in January 1999; her father Mehmet Goren was found guilty of arranging her murder and was given a life sentence with a minimum term of 22 years.

Tulay was murdered for “shaming” her family by having a relationship with Halil Unal, a man from a different Kurdish faith group whose religious and cultural differences would have been considered utterly unacceptable in Kurdish society. Dr Gill said so-called “honour” killings cut across ethnic, class and religious lines: “In an honourbased society, the man is defined as the head of the family, and it is his duty to protect it against any behaviour that might be regarded as shameful. It is through the conduct, actions and social performances of women that families attain and retain their honour and prestige.”

“There is nothing honourable about the killing of a young woman – a daughter, by a father who is supposed to love and protect her.”

- Dr Gill, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, RoehamptonUniversity

The United Nations Population Fund estimates that each year 5,000 women worldwide are killed in the name of “honour”, with the majority of these crimes committed in the Middle East and Asia. Although there are no official statistics on “honour” killings in the UK, an incomplete survey of the cases that received coverage in the national media reveals that, during the period 1998–2007, an average of 12 “honour” killings were investigated by the police each year. Dr Gill said: “Although there have been more focused and determined efforts to tackle ‘honour’-based violence in recent years, both by the criminal justice system and by related agencies, much remains to be done to improve the quality of support for victims and survivors.” This latest case highlights that, despite undoubted progress, many “honour”-related crimes and so-called “honour” killings were “not on the police radar”, and police response has been described by experts as “a postcode lottery”.

Dr Gill said: “The high-profile response to this murder shows that the criminal justice system does now regard so-called ‘honour’ killings as serious crimes that require a policy of deterrence, with harsh punishments being meted out to offenders. And the fact that there have been discussions about implementing national guidelines and providing training for all police officers shows that the police and Crown Prosecution Service are now taking the issue of so-called ‘honour’ killings increasingly seriously.

“Too often, multiculturalism is applied in such a way that policies and practices fail to interrogate the norms and values of different cultures or question the behaviour of their members. There is an assumption that sensitivity to cultural diversity requires certain actions to pass uncontested, even when they are in conflict with fundamental human rights."

Simon bought the Oddbins wine merchant chain, which had previously been run by his father, in 2008 and then called in fellow Roehampton graduate Martin. Simon said: “I told him the wine trade has to be more fun than wearing out planes and singing karaoke in Korea, and it has worked out brilliantly. For us, it’s all about the right staff, the right merchandising and having a clear message. And all of that we learnt here, at Roehampton.

“When I came to visit for the first time, I took one look and thought ‘yes, there’s something about this place, this campus’. The size of the University has a lot to do with it – it’s big enough to be diverse, but small enough to really feel like a community and that you can get involved and make a difference.”

Martin said he looked back fondly at his time at Roehampton: “You know the course is quality because all these years later, we’re still drawing on it. One particular lecturer we had was the best teacher or mentor type I’ve ever had in my life. I can still hear his voice and what he taught us still resonates.

“I think the fact that whoever was teaching us had real-world experience added to the credibility of what they were saying. Their relevant business experience made it relevant to us.”

NUS News

A round up from the national voice for students.

Student Hardship In Scotland: Mind The Gap As students across the country take local action to highlight student hardship, NUS Scotland has released new findings into the gap between the financial expectations of Scotland’s freshers and the harsh realities of the student support system. NUS Scotland’s report, Mind the Gap, shows that while the majority of this year’s first year students gave thought to their finances prior to Freshers’ Week, three quarters have grossly underestimated their living expenses.

Almost 70 per cent of freshers believe they will take up paid employment if money gets tight, despite rising unemployment and the well-documented problems faced by students seeking work over the summer. Less than a third of first year students expected to use commercial debt such as overdrafts and credit cards.

Liam Burns, NUS Scotland President, said: “The reality for students starting this year, in the current economic climate, is that many of the traditional safety nets students have relied on have been ripped away. Students have been sold the false hope of adequate student support. Many have underestimated how much they will have to spend to stay in education, wrongly guessed that debt is something they can avoid and think they can turn to alternative sources of cash which we know are rapidly becoming harder to secure.

NUS warns that students will not foot the bill for others’ mistakes In response to the proposed £600 million cuts from the higher education and science and research budgets outlined as part of £5 billion savings announced in today’s Pre-Budget Report, NUS has warned that students will not be prepared to pay more for less. The Pre-Budget report states that the £600 million savings will be made from a combination of changes to student support within existing arrangements, efficiency savings and prioritisation across universities, science and research; some switching of modes of study in higher education; and reductions in budgets that do not support student participation.

Business alumni inspire students at guest lecture

Wes Streeting, NUS President said: “It is disappointing to say the least that universities facing swingeing spending cuts. It is hard to believe that students will not be detrimentally affected. In the context of the current review of tuition fees, I want to make clear to politicians that under no circumstances will students be prepared to pay more for less in order to foot the bill for these cuts.

Alumni Simon Baile and Martin West recently returned to the University to share the secrets of their success as current Managing Director and Marketing Director of Oddbins with the current crop of Retail and Marketing Management students.

“Any proposed savings from the higher education budget must be carefully thought through, and must not come at the expense of students. Higher level skills are vital in enabling economic recovery and must not be jeopardised by cuts in provision or damage to the student experience.”

In a guest lecture aimed at inspiring the students, the pair spoke of their real-world experience of current market trends and how they were tackling the current financial crisis. Simon and Martin, who met in their first week at Roehampton, have enjoyed success in various marketing roles in the wine and retail trades since both graduating with combined degrees in Business Studies and History in 1991.

Today’s announcement follows the announcement of efficiency savings in higher education earlier this year and £340 million in savings recently outlined for the learning and skills sector. NUS has welcomed the announcement of financial support for 10,000 low-income undergraduates to help them carry out internships in professions and give their career prospects a boost.

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Blogs President, Gary Coates Happy New Year y’all! I’m hoping you’re all rested up and ready for another semester of Roehampton chaos! We’ve got a lot of stuff to cram into this semester… RAG Week, Elections, Go Green Week, Top Up Fees, Programme Rep Forums and the National Student Survey. I’ve also arranged to meet with Justine Greening, our local MP, to discuss the issues facing students so if there’s something you want to get across, now’s your chance! There will also be the first ever ‘Talking Allowed’ event, being put on by the Human Rights team, where students, staff and hopefully some well known faces will come together to discuss and debate issues of the day ranging from celebrity culture to the phenomenon of social networking. Keep your eyes peeled! Until next time, have a great semester and good luck with New Year’s resolutions!

Speaking of which, mine (along with Gemma Kelly, our Academic and Finance Advisor) is to run our annual 10k Fun Run in under an hour... Can we do it? Watch this space!

VP Activities, Natasha Blake Happy New year everyone, hope you had a well rested Christmas and were not stressing over essays. The new semester is starting off with a bang and are refresher’s fair on Friday 15th will give you a chance to grab some goodies and sign up and talk to myself about activities and some of volunteering companies which I know some of you are eager to do. I’ve been using some of the holidays to catch up on plans that are coming up this year and 2010 looks to be a year of fun filled activities! My love for getting up and out there is something that makes this role so much fun and adventurous and I want to ensure that the students of Roehampton fill the same. The weathers been a bit rubbish recently so outdoor activities won’t be as frequent as I’d like, however as the weather gets better we can look forward, to another Campus Bike ride, plans of a table top sale, Big Art Attack, 10k run, Trips away such as Lion King, London Dungeons, Amsterdam and Go-Ape. We have Give it a Go classes still continuing, at really cheap prices we will always beat competitors outside.

I also have the pleasure of organising the AU dinner with AU president Rochelle Harvey, as well as other projects that are coming up. At the RSU towers I’m always working in collaboration with other departments, lecturers and the staff and students here to create better opportunities for those interested in activities. Whether it be for fitness, fun or socialising, doing a activity is perfect for everyone.

Make sure you look on our website and Facebook pages to keep updated on what’s going on, as VP Activities I want to hear what you have to say, improvements, ideas etc. If you need to contact me email natasha.blake@roehampton.ac.uk My new year’s resolution even though I hate the word is to be more healthy and active, it’s been a few days and I’ve cut the junk out my diet and have been to the gym every evening, come join me we can get Beyonce bodies together!

VP Communications, Anant Naik Welcome back Sprites! I hope you’ve all recovered from last term or an exciting break by now, or both. I hope even more that most of you will be free from stressays and actually managed to overcome the frosty obstacle course to make it back here in one piece.

There is a lot to give you a heads up on for the coming few months. With last semester focussing heavily on fresher’s and inductions, this semester we focus on leavers, there are a lot of activities coming up which affect third years, most importantly is the National Student Survey, which we’ll be launching at this year’s refreshers fair! We will also be launching ‘Volunteer Roehampton’, which you can read all about on page 18! Alongside Gary and GM Chris O’Boyle, I’m also following up on our entry into Sound Impact Awards, an environmental accreditation scheme that will hopefully push us up the green university league tables in time for Go Green Week! We also have the RSU Elections coming up in March this year, so keep your eyes peeled for promo coming very soon! There is a lot of change happening this term, and I want to make sure we document it; I’m encouraging all societies and students to upload video content to our video service, RSView. If you’re a Film student, or you’re handy with a video camera, please come up and have a chat with me or get in touch on anant.naik@roehampton.ac.uk My new year’s resolution is to take more photos! I graduated in Photography and Journalism and since working full time find myself shooting less. So I’ve started to blog at least one photo a day on www.anantnaik.tumblr.com , occasionally I’ll talk about Union stuff, so I guess it’s relevant! Have

an amazing year!

VP Welfare & Campaigns, Becky Aston

Digby Stuart, Harry Harris Christmas time, mistletoe and wine.

The day after the Digby Christmas party last year I awoke fully dressed still in my suit to the sound of one of my Fresher’s banging on the door, apparently I had taken the Christmas Tree from our living room and put it out in the hallway, I have no recollection of said event and I feel this is a good barometer of just how mad the College Christmas Party was this year. Thanks be to you all who came (even if someone did blow the speakers). At the writing of this report term has not yet started and so I have no clue as to how the coming semester or coming year will pan out but we look forward now to 2010 and hope that it lives up to our expectations, cause for some us it will be the start of the rest of our lives, I hope you have a great year.

I have been asked to write my New Year’s resolution at the end of this Blog so here it is... smoke less, drink less, eat better, hit the gym, go running and keep my room tidy (things haven’t started well though)

Froebel, Nikki Watson Happy New Year folks, and welcome back to what is shaping up to be a blooming marvellous term!

We have fantastic days out planned, great entertainment at the bar, some really good Bop and Fez themes, and of course the lead up to the Summer Ball!

On that note I would like to give a plea to all the third years out there....you will probably all have had the same feeling of dread as I did over the holidays when you realised “oh no, only a few months left to graduate and find a real job, pay council tax, bills and rent - all that with no student loan?” yea its not good...but instead of thinking of the bad, lets look at the good!....Last year the Summer Ball was the best yet, however, we have the chance to make it even better! Get the NSS forms filled in and the uni has pledged to give £10,000 to the Summer Ball 2010! But we do need 80% return on these so please please please get involved!

To the freshers and 2nd years, I wish you all the best. Make sure you make the next few years the best they can be coz it really does go in a flash! And if you know any 3rd years that haven’t filled in the NSS form, give them a kick coz its your Summer Ball too!

Nikki xxx

Southlands, Alex Murray Happy New Year party people.

Welcome back for the start of a new decade – 2010! I hope everyone enjoyed the break, got some nice gifts and the waist lines are ok ;-) The Christmas deadlines are coming up, so make sure you celebrate by joining in with the re-Freshers events. Come down and check out Southlands bar before the evening events kick off. We have a busy year planned for Southlands, so make sure your looking out for the posters and facebook messages :P Look out for Southlands Saturday in March – guaranteed to be a great day and night!

Holding on to the festive spirit – Southlands New Year’s resolution is: to make an effort to speak to more Southlands students you haven’t spoken/meet before. This is in light of the extra Arton Wilson students joining us this term, so help them all to feel welcome to the Uni. Southlands x

Whitelands, Tadashi Suzuki Tadashi Suzuki, Whitelands DP

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope that everyone had a good break over Christmas and you are all ready for the new semester. As always the Welfare and Campaigns department has been working on a number of different projects. In terms of campaigns we have R.A.G. Week coming up at the beginning of February, as well as L.G.B.T. History Week from February 22nd to 26th. I have also been working on the Energy Saving competition that the University is running, as well as continuing with work on tuition fees, and getting students to register to vote for the upcoming general election.

Hello from Whitelands! The year 2009 was quite something and it all started with Freshers Week (drunken madness). I’m totally happy with the quality of the freshers and for their amazingly friendly vibe. 2nd year guys became quieter than last year probably because of the increased amount of course work and pat-time jobs. This happens every year. The 3rd year guys became even more serious about academic life with more essays and dissertations…bad times. Now we are facing New Year, 2010. What are we gonna do? Well, we will enjoy it even more. And remember, this end of the academic year, like May and June, will be the best time.

The Welfare and Campaigns department has also taken on a new project, by re-launching Student Pad to help students who are looking to move off-campus. Student Pad provides the details of landlords and letting agents who are University recommended as they have met particular criteria. Make sure that you keep up to date on what is going on with all these projects by checking out www.roehamptonstudent. com, or add Rsu Welfare on Facebook.

Please, please finish all essays and preparation for exams before that, so that we can have parties everyday in the nice warm and sunny weather. Picnic, drinking, sunbathing and more drinking. I’m sure I showed how to party hard at the beginning of last year but I’m even more sure that I will go crazier at the end, the end of my Uni life. So be ready for that!

Hope to see you all around soon, and that you enjoy the first few weeks back!

The greatest, the awesomest, Whitelands!

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www.roehamptonstudent.com

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Environmental Launch Of University wide student ‘Energy Reduction’ contest Last year, RSU assisted in a project run by the University ‘Property and Facilities Management’ department, which encouraged halls of residence across the campus to reduce the amount of waste they produced and also recycle more effectively.

The competition proved so successful that we’re trying it again, but with a different focus. This time, we will be measuring the amount of energy reduction produced in each college. Although the process of collecting the data is complicated, the ideas are the same.

The college with the highest energy reduction will win 50 free summer ball tickets, the winners of which will be drawn at random from the residents in that college.

The official launch takes place on January 26th and the results will be announced during our annual ‘Go Green Week’, taking place from the 22nd March. Good luck to all on campus residents and remember, this whole project is aimed to raise awareness of how much energy we are wasting, it will also be useful to get into good habits for reducing the cost of your bills when living out of halls too!

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www.roehamptonstudent.com

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Fresh Newspaper

Features

So, what is the NSS? The National Student Survey or ‘NSS’ is conducted by an independent company Ipsos MORI and is funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HE and FCE) and has been running since 2005.

The idea behind the survey is that all final year undergraduate students across the country are asked a series of 22 questions on the service that they received at their respective University or Further Education College. Questions range from teaching and assessment to learning resources and more personal development.

The results are then put into a league table, pitting institutions against each other.

This table is open to anyone’s eyes, meaning that press, lecturers, politicians and more importantly, prospective students can see where we are placed.

the past: by the NSS in d te p m ro p es g Chan ed cyber café ,000 •Opening of Wir cost of over £300 a at ss ne fit

e iv

Act g the in •Opening of Roe ud cl in d te ea cilities cr 0,000 •Range of new fa a cost of over £14 at a) re A es am G orked.

MUGA(Multi-Use lls now fully netw ha in s m oo dr be t •100% of studen e created. tr en •Welcome C e life easier for ak m to s ur ho ng teri •Extension of ca students.

E and part-time C G P mpus. , te ua ad gr post ailable across ca av rs te pu m co ss ce •Now 365 open ac An important point about the NSS is that it is not run by the University themselves, but the government. In the past, those who have not filled out the survey have been subject to follow up phone calls and emails asking them to complete it. So please bear in mind that it’s not the University or the RSU behind this.

Our advice remains the same, get it done ASAP! As someone leaving the University, it is a great method to feed back to the University on what you did and didn’t enjoy about your experience. In the past it has prompted the University to change its ways and to improve facilities and services. So, the NSS is an effective way of provoking change within Roehampton University and with a bigger and better Summer Ball, there is no greater incentive to complete the survey, and to shout about it to al of your friends, flat mates, and course-mates.

Summer Ball 2010 rumour mill in full swing as per usual It’s that time of year again. With one term up, we begin to think of just how fast it’s all flown, and look to the end of the year. The pinnacle being the annual RSU Summer Ball. Last year we welcomed The Zutons and Sugababes through Froebel gate, and rumours have already started to come in, no matter how ridiculous or just they may be. Here are the best facebook rumour groups so far...

“We’re not ruling out any rumours just yet, apart from these four.”

- Jon Foley, RSU Entertainments Coordinator

Earth Wind and Fire Who: A hugely seminal and inspirational R&B band who formed in 1969 Era: 1970’s Book them because: They are actually living legends and also played for Barack Obama recently.

Don’t book them because: Doing so would bankrupt the RSU Group Mambers: 470

Creed Who: Christian rock outfit from Tallahassee, Florida.

Era: 1994 -2004 (now active again) Book them because: You’d be booking one of the most commercially successful rock bands of the late 90s and early 2000s Don’t book them because: You’d have to listen to Creed play live for at least 45 minutes to an hour.

Group members: 64

Jim Corr/The Coors Who: B* Witched with ballads.

Era: 1990-2006 Book them because: “It’s Jim’s time to shine” according to the group.

Don’t book them because: They have actually disbanded, and their website is, at best, atrocious!

Numbers: 47

Blackout Crew Who: The pinoeers of the ‘Donk’ scene Era: Tail end of the naugties, unfortunately.

Book them because: Three piece suits and shell-suits in the same place would be quite ironic and thus, funny.

Don’t book them because: They don’t even have a Wikipedia page for me to lift embarrasing facts/reasons from.

Numbers: 23

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Dropping out?

Have you considered dropping out of university? Are you on the brink of doing this? Before you make your decision, consider the facts!

Student Retention is common issue in most universities. To try and combat and understand the issue her, Roehampton has had a retention strategy in place now for two years. In addition, the University’s Strategic Plan and the Learning and Teaching Strategy both make retention – and many factors related to retention – one of their priorities. Some of the recent retentionrelated initiatives at Roehampton include: • • • • • • • • •

Implementation of university-wide student surveys which will help to develop a culture of student consultation and feedback; Improving and expanding Fresher’s Week and Induction; Locating student services into one clearly identifiable place (the Student Advice Centre); Introduction of welfare officers and 24 hour pastoral care; The flagship Money Doctors service that helps students organise finance; A new module on writing academic English introduced in 2006/07 for international students; Expanding E-learning facilities; General improvements to academic and social facilities as outlined in the Campus Strategy; Having no exams and less summative assessment in semester one of the first year (from 2007/08).

There have also been lots of improvements to hall reps training, programme rep training, support for off campus and mature students.

Some research was carried out at the university a couple of years ago, which involved students that had dropped out of university at Roehampton and the reasons why? This pointed out that many students left because of ’the wrong course’. Any of these were students on combined courses and who had come through clearing. The Government has now limited the amount of students that can attend each university; students are now less likely to get a place through clearing. With Roehampton last year not entering clearing at all. Roehampton has also reduced the number of combined courses. The new reorganisation aims to help every student feel at home on a course with an easy identifiable tutor, department office etc. With Roehampton now offering a more informed and better induction, personal tutor scheme and open days it is hoped that students who choose to study here, actually find they are happy here and on the right course.

www.roehamptonstudent.com

Services on offer at

Roehampton

If you dislike your Programme You can chat to your Pe rsonal tutor, School ac ademic advisor or to the students union Academic and Finance advisor.

(Gemma Kelly).

Finance Issues There a number of pe ople you can talk to if you have issues with your finance. Stu dent Funding (Studen t advice centre) Studentfunding@roeh ampton.ac.uk Money Doctors (Stu dent advice centre) N.Reid@roehampton.a c.uk Student Welfare Of ficers Digby Stuart: j.grang er@roehampton.ac.uk Froebel: a.joyes@roeh ampton.ac.uk Southlands: b.stott@ro ehampton.ac.uk Whitelands: e.ejoh@r oehampton.ac.uk Academic Difficulti es (Writing) Dyslexic /Disability Su pport (Student Advice Centre) disabilities@roehamp ton.ac.uk Academic Writing – En glish Language Unit.

A.chapman@roehamp ton.ac.uk Academic Writing –Inte rnational Students.

ELUenquiries@roeha mpton.ac.uk Accommodation Pr oblems Accommodation@roe hampton.ac.uk (Stud ent advice centre) Loneliness RSU Welfare Officer Be cky Aston (Student Un ion) Becky.aston@roeham pton.ac.uk Student Welfare Offic er (See above) Careers careers@roehampton.a

c.uk (Student advice cen

tre) Personal Well Bein g Health and Well Being Advisor (Student advic e centre) Stephen.messinger@ro ehampton.ac.uk

One major change with regards to improving retention was the re structure of the academic year, from 2007, the long break 6 week break from semester 1 and 2 was reduced significantly as many students were having to wait too long to see how they were doing and having to return to university. The university introduced more formative feedback for these reasons and is now increasing the number of student mentors and academic learning support assistants (ALSA’s) so there are people linked to programmes who can offer particular advice and support.

Students can have a number of reasons for wanting to drop out of university, this maybe financial, medical, academic difficulties etc… but it is important to remember that the university has a number of support systems in place in order to help students who are finding things difficult.

Gemma Kelly RSU Academic and Financial Advisor

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Fresh Newspaper

Features Student Slash Parent Hello Mature and Student-Parents, and Happy January! Katherine Stanley here, your Mature Student’s Officer on the RSU. I’m stepping up to the plate this issue for the Student Parent blog-spot. I’m going to go all serious on you this month.

It’s a new year, a fresh page, and a clean slate. Or is it? We all feel the urge to make resolutions about how it’s going to be, changes we want to make to things we do so that we can live a virtuous and easier daily life.

As students, every one of us has the common goal of wanting to be better organized, to get our assignments done ahead of time, to see friends and enjoy what the campus has to offer. With each new term I start out as if this one will be the one where I figure out how it all works.

Then life intervenes. I am in my third year and am still taken by surprise every semester when I eventually crack. Every time, I decide I cannot get it all done, and wonder what made me think going back to uni after such a long break and with children waiting for me at home was a good idea. It’s like re-inventing the wheel. I do it every term. That’s two terms times three years. That’s a lot of stress! I have wanted to leave uni, and really believed it, on three occasions including this past November. But I’m still here.

This term I have a new resolution. I am not making any changes to what I do, but will go into it fully expecting that it will, at some point, overwhelm me. I am going to know that I will feel guilty when I am working well, because I am not taking care of things at home. I am going to know that when I am doing well with the things at home, children happy and cared for, that I will feel like my uni work is sliding out of my grasp.

This term I have decided that when the fear hits, and the guilt finds me, that I will give myself credit. I am doing something that a lot of people will not do. I have gone back to university, I am retraining, and I am following a dream. I am setting a good example to my children that one does not have to rest on one’s laurels and accept an unfulfilling life.

My children can see from example that the world is out there for the taking, and that doing things outside of the box is not only possible, but also exciting and life extending

Mount Clare: truth or scare?

I remember driving up to Mount Clare with my mum and her saying ‘let’s turn back’. I’m not going to lie; I did consider it and I wanted to move to somewhere ‘nicer’ straight away. It didn’t look like student accommodation; the building looked dated and unappealing. I’m not selling this to you am I? Well, it honestly just took me a day and I was fine with where I was living, have you seen the size of the bedrooms?

Everyone (including people who don’t live here) has pre conceived ideas about Mount Clare and half the people haven’t even visited it. How can you make an opinion on a place you haven’t seen? I kept hearing the same things over and over again during Freshers week.

There’s something about this place and I can’t put my finger on it, call me crazy but I love it. I decided to stay on here for another year, so it can’t really be that bad. Mount Clare may not have big kitchens and en-suite bathrooms but we do have community spirit and a friendly atmosphere through all the blocks.

Everyone seems to know one another and I think that’s a great thing when we are quite far away from main campus. Yes it can be a trek walking to the bar or the library but we are lucky enough to have our own computer suite. We may be far away from campus but we’re very close to 170 and 430 bus stops and the shops, including the Chinese which is a bonus!

So much work has been done over the summer to make Mount Clare a better place to live, including the new paint job. Showers have been put in the upstairs bathroom and there is a flatscreen TV in the main common room with freeview, which has been the centre point of many X factor nights!

Mount Clare might not be everyone’s ideal accommodation, but I have made some incredible friends because of it. I honestly don’t think it matters where you live as long as you get on with your flatmates. Isn’t that the most important thing?

Nyha Pasha

When I start thinking that I wish I hadn’t started down this path, my resolution for this New Year isn’t to change one thing, but to know that the amount of ready meals my children eat is far outweighed by the example I set. I am so very proud of my children, but the really great thing about being a Student-Parent is how proud they are of me.

It’s not going to make my life any easier, but in my books that is a really healthy family dynamic.

On another note, next month I present to the Senate Student Experience Committee on being a Student Parent at Roehampton University. I would like as many of you as possible to have input and attend a focus group meeting, prior to that on the 21st of January, room tba. Please contact me for further details at kstanley@me.com.

Katherine Stanley, Mature Students Officer

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www.roehamptonstudent.com

?

MORE SOME O T T N O A H W RSU P E H T A INE T VISIT Y ONL udent.com R E L L GA ptonst S oeham PHOTO www.r H T ESE E FROM E E S TO OR ANY M D PLUS M EVENTS AN OUR S E ITI ACTIV

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Fresh Newspaper

Campaigns Pullout R.A.G. Week 2010!

R.A.G (Raising and Giving) Week is nearly upon us, and we are sorting out the last fundraising activities so that we can beat last years total raised, and get as many people as possible involved in the campaign. As you are hopefully aware the charities that we will be supporting this year have been voted on and chosen, and they are...

Regenerate Regenerate is a charity which works in the local community with the aim of bringing hope to transform lives and communities. They work within various urban communities, such as Roehampton, where they focus on working with children, young people and their families. They work to provide the opportunity to empower people to make positive changes in their lives and the lives of others through their relationships and creative initiatives.

For more information on this charity please visit www.regenerateuk.co.uk Help For Heroes This is a charity which provides practical and direct support for wounded members of the armed forces.

To find out more information about Help for Heroes and the work that they have already done please visit www.helpforheroes.org.uk Just a Drop Just a Drop is a charity which raises money to build wells, install boreholes and hand pumps, as well as carry out sanitation and health education programmes in some of the poorest parts of the developing world.

-

Hi! I’m Agnetha, this years R.A.G officer. R.A.G stands for Raising and Giving, and thats exactly what we are planning to do lots of between Feburary 1st & 5th 2009!

This year we’ve worked hard to hopefully have a successful and amazing RAG week. Last year we managed to raise over £5000 for our charities, our all time highest! so lets go one better this year guys! I’m really confident that with your help we will have an amazing week! look out for posters around the university about the events and where and who all your money is going to, as well as the info on the RSU website and make sure you get involved!!!! look forward to seeing you at the events :)

Agnetha Adisson, RSU R.A.G. Officer

For more information on this charity and the work that they do please visit www.justadrop.org For more information on R.A.G. week please check the RSU website www.roehamptonstudent.com or to get involved in R.A.G. week email becky.aston@roehampton.ac.uk R.A.G. Week - what to expect!!

Throughout the week, we will have a variety of different day and night time activities, so there is plenty to choose from. We have college nights, quizzes, sport matches, film screenings, prize giveaways, auctions, raffles, Krispy Kremes on sale, Wild West Clapham Grand, dRAG Fez to name a few. To round of the week we are having a Casino Royale (James Bond) themed Bop, where you not only have the chance to get all suited and booted in your finest, but you will also be able to try your hand at a few traditional casino games. This is one that is not to be missed!

Also make sure you keep up to date on all the events planned for RAG week by going to www.roehamptonstudent.com or alternatively join the RAG 2010 facebook group.

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A message from our R.A.G. Officer...

“Last year we managed to raise over £5000 for our charities, our all time highest! so lets go one better this year guys!”

R.A.G. AL! SPECI

Lastly, If you’re interested in boosting your CV a bit, we are always looking for people to volunteer at the events,collecting donations etc. Please contact me by email; addisona@ roehampton.ac.uk or Becky Aston at becky. aston@roehampton.ac.uk Bye for now!

Agnetha Adisson RSU R.A.G. Officer

www.roehamptonstudent.com

Local: Regenerate National: Help for Heroes

The R.A.G. Week 2008 committee: Spot any farmiliar faces?

Global: Just a drop

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Fresh Newspaper

Wall of Fame/Shame

ON CAPTI ST! CONTE

X-MAS 2009 BASH AL! SPECI

Send in your captions to us via email at fresh@roehampton.ac.uk with ‘Caption Contest Jan’ in the subject bar .

Whoever comes up with the best one will win a date with Mr. Alex Murray* *Alex is yet to be asked/agree on this.

Photos courtesy of Chris Perry

Page 16

www.roehamptonstudent.com

Page 17

Fresh Newspaper

Societies

President’s roundup Welcome back one and all, I hope your Christmas Break was fun and everyone got to see friends and family. I hope even more that you’re looking forward to the new university term and that everyone is geared up and ready! I know there is going to be plenty to do and to see this term with societies really putting on a good show. It’s a new year, resolutions have been made and it’s the time we start to think about bettering ourselves. So why not join a society or club and find a whole new thing you can be good at!

Re-fresher’s fair is upon us, so turn up and sign up. Seriously, it’ll be a great way to see what societies have done over the past term and what they’ve got planned for the future. Everyone should know roughly what their work load is and how much free time you have, so why not join a society it’s only a few hours a week and a good way to meet new people and make new friends.

I don’t want people to just think about societies though, there are so many things happening on and around campus. It’s a great time to join the gym or a sports team, and volunteer work is always important at this time of year. I don’t want to take away from the altruistic nature of these activities but they look great on a CV, and some of us are going to have to start thinking about what they want to do after Uni, we only have two more terms left!

It would be great to see more people turning out to societies events too, nights at the bar are always a laugh. Usually there’s a good theme, good music and drinks promotions. Let’s support those societies that are trying not just to get us drunk. Film nights and demonstrations around campus are always happening, so come on get involved!

After Christmas is also a great time to start a society, if you’ve been around for a term and still haven’t seen something you’re interested in let me know my email is springel@roehampton.ac.uk It’s so easy to set up a society and both Natasha Blake and I will do everything we can to help you. Just come up to the RSU and I’m sure we’ll be able to sort something out.

Happy new year!

Luke Springett Societies president

Roehampton Players announce a brand new performance for 2010 Sparkleshark is an enchanting mix of home truths and quick wit, using bold characterisation to capture the audience and get their imaginations working.

The play centres around a 15 year old boy named Jake who is taking refuge on the roof of a tower block in order to write his stories, ‘Sparkleshark’ being the title of his current piece. Jake is a victim bullied by the other boys and avoided by the girls. The tower block roof looks across the football pitch and before long seven others come up from the pitch to see what Jake is doing and in the case of the boys so that they can bully him. Within this group of 8 onstage and 1 offstage we see all the natural stereotypes that any group of people tends to produce - the bully, the bitch, the geek and the “wannabes”.

After beginning to taunt Jake his initial reaction is to hide, but he then

Page 18

uses his talent of storytelling to fight back. Soon the whole group is totally captivated and involved in his story, becoming a part of it themselves, enacting a fantastic tale that resonates with the dynamics of their own friendships.

Luke Holiday Co-President of the Roehampton Players Society

Volunteer Roehampton to launch at Refreshers Fair 2010 Volunteer Roehampton, a new volunteering scheme run by the University in conjunction with Wandsworth Bureau and the RSU will be launched this year at the annual Refreshers Fair, which will take place on Friday 15th January in Digby Chapel between 10am and 3pm.

“We have an opportunity here to develop within our university and how we can make sure it continues to grow for years to come”

The scheme is aimed to entice more and more students at Roehampton to become active with volunteering and supporting the local community in general.

With job shortages and unemployment levels high, it is no secret that employers look for additional qualities, such as volunteering, when hiring graduates, and so - Natasha Blake, VP Activities we are hoping that the volunteering fair will really help Roehampton Students to keep ahead of the game by engaging with volunteering, especially those that are in their final years of study.

RSU VP Activities Natasha Blake said: “The fair will be a chance for you to get an understanding of how important volunteering is and how it can change lives from all different backgrounds.

We have an opportunity here to develop within our university and how we can make sure it continues to grow for years to come”.

The fair will see a host of organisations present. Amongst those organisations will be; Brendoncare, Activenture, Peabody Trust, Victim Support Wandsworth, Battersea Thrive, Tara Arts, Royal Hospital for Neuro-disabilities, Southside Partnership, Wandsworth Oasis Trading Co Ltd, HMP Wandsworth Community Chaplaincy, Spires, Police Cadets, YOU, and Scouts.

www.roehamptonstudent.com

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Fresh Newspaper

Music Ten for 2010!

New music l! specia

have been really championing Local Natives and have a string of headline shows coming up in 2010, so watch this space.

Every year various publications (NME, BBC, Guardian etc) come up with a list of new bands or artists to make it big that year, here is our definitive list of artists set to make it big in 2010.

Ellie Goulding

www.myspace.com/elliegoulding

The Drums

www.myspace.com/thedrumsforever Expect to hear a lot about and of this New York four piece in 2010, The Drums are set to be one of the biggest if not the biggest thing to come from across the pond this year. Last year saw them release the wonderful ‘Summertime EP’ which featured one of the songs of 2009, ‘Let’s Go Surfing’. They are going to release an album this year and are set to appear alongside the likes of The Big Pink, Bombay Bicycle Club and The Maccabees on the NME Awards Tour.

The Drums craft wonderful summery pop songs that are reminiscent of The Cure at times and with songs such as ‘Don’t Be A Jerk, Johnny’, ‘Saddest Summer’ and ‘I Felt Stupid’ expect this band to go on to big things this year.

Friend of Marina and the Diamonds, Ellie Goulding is yet another female British star that is set to take 2010 by storm. In previous years we’ve seen the likes of Kate Nash, Adele and Laura Marling to extremely well both commercially and critically. This year could see Ellie Goulding’s wonderful mix of electronic and female vocals take off big time.

Having already won a Brit Award (Critics Choice for 2010) and appearing on ‘Later… With Jools Holland’ Ellie Goulding is heading for the big time. Her album ‘Lights’ will be released by Polydor and will feature such tracks like ‘Starry Eyed’ and ‘Under The Sheets’. The beautiful blend of electronic and pop will see Ellie Goulding propelled into mainstream status in 2010, mark my words.

Wolf Gang

www.myspace.com/thisiswolfgang Wolf Gang is the stage name from former student at the London School of Economics Max McElligott who writes the perfect electronic pop songs.

His new single, ‘The King And All Of His Men’ has received much airplay from the likes of NME, XFM and the BBC.

Marina And The Diamonds

www.myspace.com/marinaandthediamonds It would be lazy journalism to compare Marina and the Diamonds to that of Florence and the Machine from last year, however if last year is anything to go by Marina could have similar success to that of Florence. Originally born in Wales, Marina Diamandis (her real name) moved to London from an early age and has just recently signed to 679 (UK) and Atlantic Records (USA). Her new wave, power pop style has already landed her several headline shows and a big record deal and 2010 will see her become even bigger.

The new single is released on the independent record singles label Neon Gold who has previously released songs by Passion Pit, Marina and the Diamonds and Ellie Goulding. So they have an ear for a hit record or two!

This year is set to be a big year for Marina with her album, ‘The Family Jewels’, set to be released in February. Featuring such tracks as the beautiful ‘Obsessions’ and new single ‘I Am Not a Robot’ Marina and the Diamonds could just well be the biggest new British female of the year.

Dance pop / punk trio Chew Lips (sometimes written as CHEW LiPS) are from South London and cite their main influences from the likes of LCD Soundsystem and Prince. Female lead singer ‘Tigs’ has strong vocals that are apparent on their first single ‘Solo’ which has received much attention from the NME over the summer.

Chew Lips

www.myspace.com/chewlips

Delphic

www.myspace.com/Delphic

BBC DJ Steve Lamacq personally asked them to feature on the BBC Introducing Stage at the Electric Proms a year or so ago. With new single ‘Unicorns’ out this year and an album Chew Lips are tipped for the top.

Hailing from Manchester Delphic are a four piece who have already appeared on the infamous BBC flagship programme ‘Later… With Jools Holland’. The Manchester foursome has just recently signed to Polydor and their debut album ‘Acolyte’ is set to be released this month.

Little Comets

www.myspace.com/littlecometsmusic

New single ‘Doubt’ is already gathering some storm across many of the Radio channels, with the BBC already championing Delphic as one of the bands for 2010 with them placing the band third on their annual BBC Sound of list. ‘Doubt’ is a catchy electronic song which is likely to get the masses dancing. Songs such as ‘Counterpoint’ and ‘This Momentary’ take off where Friendly Fires left off in 2009 as this style of electronic pop continues to be extremely popular into a new decade.

Representing the North of England (the real North), Newcastle boys Little Comets are a four piece that consist of two brothers. Their post-punk indie is in a similar vein of fellow Northern boys The Futureheads. The likes of BBC’s Huw Stephens, Zane Lowe and Sara Cox have been giving their single ‘One Night in October’ plenty of airplay.

Two Door Cinema Club

www.myspace.com/twodoorcinemaclub It’s been a long time since a band from Northern Ireland had much mainstream success (in fact I cannot think of any, can you?)

However Two Door Cinema Club look set to change this. This trio from Bangor are tipped for big things in 2010, and by listening to their songs you can see why.

Their catchy style of indie rock comparable to the likes of Bloc Party hits you instantly and new single ‘I Can Talk’ is a song indie legends Death Cab For Cutie would be proud of.

With a new album, ‘Tourist History’, set to be released in March, a line of headline shows and hit singles coming up 2010 might just be the year a band from Northern Ireland receives some mainstream attention.

Local Natives

Little Comets are known to play gigs in all sorts of places (University Lectures, trains, trams, street corners) so expect them to be playing somewhere near you very soon (place to be confirmed, by band!)

New single ‘Adultery’ is likely to be played by such DJ’s already mentioned as the band look to seek out success in 2010.

Washed Out

www.myspace.com/thebabeinthewoods Perhaps not likely to gather as much mainstream success as the above mentioned artists Washed Out is somewhat of my wild card. Ernest Greene who goes by the moniker of Washed Out produces low-fi indie shoegaze pop. Already being talked about by such publications as Pitchfork and Drowned in Sound, Washed Out who comes from Georgia is set to lead a new crop of lo-fi chilled out pop music for 2010.

With songs like ‘New Theory’, ‘You’ll See It’, ‘Belong’ and ‘Feel It Around’ it is not hard to understand why Washed Out could well be the sound of the summer for a lot of people. ‘Belong’ in particular has a dreamy sound to it that makes you feel instantly relaxed, a great song for summer, no doubt. Washed Out cannot come highly recommend enough.

www.myspace.com/localnatives Local Natives another band from across the pond (this time Los Angeles) are expected big things this year. Having already released their album ‘Gorilla Manor’ in late 2009 things are set to take off for the Los Angeles five-piece with their debut album already receiving critical acclaim.

If 2010 needed a new Fleet Foxes then in Local Natives are just what the doctor ordered. Songs such as ‘Airplanes’, ‘Sun Hands’, ‘Camera Talk’ and ‘Wide Eyes’ provide the perfect combination between indie and folk to produce some truly stunning music. XFM

Some other bands that I did not manage to mention that might interest you include the likes of Hurts (Manchester, UK), Everything Everything (Manchester, UK), Joy Orbison (London, UK), Chapel Club(London, UK), Summer Camp (London, UK), Small Black (New York, USA), Surfer Blood (Florida, USA) and Sleigh Bells (New York, USA).

In every issue, we pair up with Banquet Records in Kingston to bring you their favourite albums of the month gone by, according to their in house staff! This time things are a little different however, here’s Banquets staff albums of 2009...

The Pains of Being Pure At Heart The Pains of Being Pure At Heart Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavilion Mumford And Sons Sigh No More

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The xx XX

Tubelord Our First American Friends Slow Club Yeah So

Grizzly Bear Veckatimest

Broadway Calls Good Views, Bad News Florence And The Machine Lungs Jamie T Kings And Queens

The Xcerts In The Cold Wind We Smile

Our Time Down Here Live, Love, Let Go

Shaun Hill

www.roehamptonstudent.com

Live: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Newcastle 02 Academy, 3rd Dec 2009 The war cry that inspired a generation in the 90’s from Definitely Maybe brings a new meaning to the 00’s Well... it’s nearly Christmas now and I thought that this would be a good a time as any to take a break from my usual role as sports correspondent – partly due to the fact that it’s freezing outside, there’s snow lying on the ground and no one would be foolish enough to endure this foul weather for organised sporting purposes.

Anyway, as I’ve been perusing the pages of Fresh over the past few months, I couldn’t help noticing on the ‘what Roehampton’s been Listening to...’ section of the paper, that the Yeah Yeah Yeahs (YYY) have been consistently up in the top ten (and rightly so I thought!).

Therefore, a few weeks ago when I was rung late at night by an old friend offering a spare ticket to see the New York trio, I bloody jumped at the chance.

evening’s proceedings.

So on the 3rd December, I made my way back home – to the North Well... you can’t really talk through a concert like you can a football East – to see them live at the Newcastle 02 Academy. And after leaving match; it’s something you just had to be there for. But it would be Roehampton at 7 o’clock in the morning, borderline criminal not to mention their epic missing my bus, forking out a further £35 to “Well...you can’t really talk through a number Maps, which had everyone in the get another ticket and getting rather drunk concert like you can a football match; it’s academy singing in darkness and left me with in Victoria for four hours whilst waiting for a strange tingle down my back for hours – something you just had to be there for” my new means of transport – I arrived in beautiful.. but haunting! A good mixture of old and new material, with Date with the Night and Heads Will Roll being personal highlights.

Everyone was disappointed that it had to end. This gathering of the Geordie Indie elite wanted to sing, clap and stamp their feet until the break of dawn. But all just had to be content with spilling out into Newcastle’s many cheap boozes and summon up memories of what they had just seen.

And after drinking my fill, I finished the night with a cheeky Sub of the Day – truly, a man could be happy...

Ryan William Cooper

Newcastle at 8 o’clock (after a high speed dash from Durham bus station to Newcastle central in a friends small Toyota, breaking every rule in the Highway Code and disregarding all courtesies for other road users.) But bugger me... it was worth it!

I only caught the end of the last support act due to my lateness. But even if I hadn’t I wouldn’t have mentioned them – they simply sounded rubbish and with the YYY fast approaching, I had no time for piffle or this post electro techno nonsense.

The atmosphere was not electric, but thick. Of desperation and adoration from the legions of adoring fans that spanned from young teenlets who looked like they’d never been to a gig before, to seasoned pro’s in there forties. A good mix in all that created a good vibe for the

Top Artists: 1. Yeah Yeah Yeahs 2. Modest Mouse 3. Flaming Lips 4. Smashing Pumpkins 5. The Cure 6. Weezer 7. Bloc Party 8. Nirvana 9. The xx 10. Late Of The Pier

The Libertines: Climbing ‘up’ the Roehampton chart

Top Tracks: 1. The Libertines - Up The Bracket 2. Bon Iver - Blood Bank 3. Moldy Peaches - Jorge Regula 4. Babyshambles - Carry On Up In The Morning 5. Fleetwood Mac - Oh Daddy 6. HEALTH - Die Slow 7. Surfjan Stevens - O Holy Night 8. Smashing Pumpkins - Christmastime 9. Maths - Wilderness 10. Late Of The Pier - Bathroom Gurgle

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Fresh Newspaper

Books What’s in store?

This new decade provides us with a sense of change, of new beginnings and reflections on the past, and turns our eyes towards the future. Writers, through utopian (and dystopian) novels have shared with us their version of the future. George Orwell predicted cameras watching our every move, H.G.Wells foresaw skyscrapers, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman imagined women as the dominant gender.

The future has always been a fixation for novelists as it brings to light growing problems of contemporary society through showing their possible outcomes, and also sparks an imagination that has no limits, as convention becomes putty in their hands. The future is a subject I feel is going to be brought up a lot over the year within Literature, as day by day it is slowly being compromised. In a time of global warming, economic collapse and war, it may soon be simply impossible to imagine a utopia.

Solar Author: Ian McEwan Published: Out later this year What do we have to look forward to? Ian McEwan follows the successes of Enduring Love and Atonement with a look at the world’s big issue, global warming. The aptly named ‘Solar’ follows Michael Beard, an uninspired noble prize-winning scientist, who is leading a team to deal with global warming.

His personal life is a wreck, but he takes the chance to redeem himself through saving his marriage and maybe the world. The writing style is still thoroughly McEwan, which still analyses every tick of the human condition in extreme circumstance.

This is both beautiful and frustrating, as it tends to become tedious. In a recent interview he admitted himself, ‘already I know that about half the readers [will] see the names of those gases and their minds white out’, so at least he’s aware of its potential weariness. What’s new with this novel is McEwan’s first attempt and writing a comical novel. Being so serious in previous novels it is hard to guess that he has a funny side, but the comedy, often satirical, is weaved between his ticks of description and facts associated with the subject matter, to form a rich tapestry of both one man’s self-deceptions and the world’s end.

Liked this? Try... ‘A Week in December’ by Sebastian Faulks

The Book of Dave Author: Will Self Published: 2005 So, what happens if Michael Beard fails? What does our distant future hold? The Book Of Dave, in its simplest definition, is the mother of ‘what ifs’. This darkly funny and satirizing novel tells the story of Dave Rudman, a frustrated and borderline psychotic London cab driver who creates a book for his son.

Heart-warming gesture? No, for the contents of this book are the tirades of a misogynistic beast whose thoughts on women and custody rights stem from his battle to see his Son, who his ex-wife has custody over. He prints it in metal and buries it his ex-wife’s back garden. Jump into an unstipulated time in the future, and we find a not so familiar England, which-following a flood of a biblical scale-now has a new religion, the ‘bible’ being, (yes you’ve guessed it) Mr.

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Rudman’s book, hence ‘The Book Of Dave’. The books message is read loud and clear, questioning blind faith and the origins of the religious texts we use today, as Self states himself, “This challenges the assumption of whether people should follow something just because it is written in an old book”.

I have one qualm with this book, Self’s style can be cringingly pretentious, ‘necklaces on their Kevlar decolletage’, but this is combated by originality, as we are presented with a new language build on phonetics, that resembles text-messages, ‘Eye gotta tayk yer bak 2 ve manna’. This novel is fun, new and an interesting look at how the future can be less space age and more a reversion to primitive culture.

Liked this? Try... ‘The Quantity Theory of Insanity’ by Will Self

2010: Odyssey Two Author: Arthur Clarke Published: 1982 That’s how one man sees our future, but how did others see the far-off futuristic year of 2010 in the past? ‘2010: Odyssey’ is the sequel to the infamous ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’. It is widely accepted that this novel didn’t have the same impact as it’s predecessor, as Clarke himself said a sequel would be ‘impossible’.

Despite this he tried, and what it resulted in was weak characterisation and plot discrepancies. The Russo-American space race to Jupiter continues, (it oddly changes from Saturn), and HAL9000 is no longer ‘paranoid’. But is more interesting about this novel is its vision. Published 14 years after the original, the progression of scientific knowledge and the understanding of the universe that took place are evident in the novel. The functions of technology are explained, and planets better described. The vision is both ambitious and unprogressive, as we see space stations, inter-solar travel and artificial intelligence, but we also see the U.S.S.R still intact, and a limited imagination in terms of comprehension of the universe. Clarke’s idea of what 2010 would be like is both accurate and inexact.

Liked this? Try... ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?’ by Phillip K Dick

Chris Davis

www.roehamptonstudent.com

Fashion Topshop: Reasons Behind The Sucess...

Since its creation in 1964, Topshop has become an incontournable of British fashion; and has woldwide presense, with stores in no less than 30 countries, and several projects of expansion on their way. But why is the brand so attractive to customers?

The clothes are trendy, sometimes you may think some of them are too avant-gardiste for your liking, and then you will find yourself looking for this feather top in every possible Topshop, because you realized that you had to have it. How does this happen? A safe guess would be that it is thanks to the marketing of Topshop, which is very well-rounded.

Indeed, they know how to attract the fashion addicts, by offering clothes which are original, vintage looking for most of them, (you can find floral dresses and quirky lace tops aplenty), and the stock is constantly renewed, from a week to the other you are not likely to find the same clothes. Yet this feeling of urgency, (which every fashionista must know), making you buy straight away, as you know that it might well be sold out really soon.

The quality of their website: the Topshop website is constantly updated, showing customers the ‘fashion fix’ of the day, giving them advice on how to be the trendiest, along with the possibility to view the clothes in details on the online store (360° view) and to buy/return them really easily, that is when they are not sold out…

Finally, Topshop attracts because of its ‘friendly prices’, especially for students who get 10% off all year round with a valid student ID card.

Some may say the prices are a bit too expensive for a highstreet shop, but the clothes are of a good quality, and it is important to draw attention on the fact that Topshop moved to the runway this year, with a show at the London Fashion Week last September, thus making another step towards bigger recognition and success.

Iris Boudier

Their offers are vast; whether you are tall or petite, they have a range of key-pieces adapted to your morphology. Looking for something more ‘pricey’? Then you are likely to find your dream clothes in the Premium Topshop range, made of expensive looking fabrics. Pregnant? The maternity section is here for you, along with the ‘Topshop mini’ for your baby, because you can never be too young to be stylish! And of course, let us not forget Topman, for all the stylish boys out there.

Thanks to their collaborations, with celebrities or ‘hot’ young designers. The Kate Moss for Topshop collection, launched in 2007, was such a huge success that is has been carried on ever since, and every new collection continues to attract the fashion crowds, craving for any piece from the style icon. The last collaboration in date was with Christopher Kane, launched in September 2009. This young British designer created dresses and bodies filled with circular sequins -his signature- and crocodile printed shirts for a reasonable price; the collection was another huge success, everything was sold out in a few days.

Kate Moss: how did Topshop spin Heroin Chic in their favour?

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Fresh Newspaper

Films Avatar Directed by James Cameron I don’t think words can describe this film, but I will try. Initially I wasn’t that concerned with seeing this film even though I was aware of the hype surrounding it. It has taken nearly 15 years to create and costing $300 million to make. This movie has been written, directed and produced by James Cameron (The guy behind Titanic).

Jake Sully a former marine is given the opportunity to get his ‘real legs’ back in exchange for information and intelligence from the native planet of Pandora. He also has time to fall in love with one of the natives. If I’m honest the plot isn’t brilliant, but that doesn’t matter at all. This film is incredible. I have seen it in 2-D and 3-D and will happily see it again and again.

The planet of Pandora is visually spectacular and all the 3-D effects work perfectly with this film. The end battle is the best part of the film. If you haven’t seen it yet then you really should. More films should start incorporating 3D into their films. If this is a taster of what cinema is going to be like in the future then I can’t actually wait. One of the best films I’ve seen in 2009!

Nyha Pasha

Sherlock Holmes Directed by Guy Ritchie I’ve been seeing trailers for this film for the last six months and I finally went to see it the other week.

I must admit I was pleasantly surprised as I didn’t really have any expectations. The film kept me hooked throughout

and I really enjoyed it. The roles of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson have been portrayed well by Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law.

THE FILMS Y OU SHOULD HAVE SEEN OV ER X-MAS!

Guy Ritchie has presented us with an allaction blockbuster filled with exciting fight scenes, humour between the characters and great chemistry between Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law. The plot works well and the movie follows well. Overall there has been a positive response and rumours of a sequel are on the cards.

Movies to look out fo r in

2010

• The Road - 8th January • The Lovely Bones – 29th January • Valentines Day - 12th February • Shutter Island - 19th February • Alice in Wonderland - 5th March • Green Zone - 13th March

NP

• The Losers - 9th April • Iron Man 2 - 30th April

Nine

• Robin Hood - 14th May

Directed by Rob Marshall

• Prince of Persia - 28th May • Sex And The City 2 -28th May

The director of Chicago has made what is being called ‘2009’s Chicago’.

• Grown Ups – 25th June

• Toy Story 3 - 18th June • Twilight Saga: Eclipse - 9th July • Shrek Forever After – 9th July

With an all star cast led by Daniel Day-Lewis, the film sees Guido (Day-Lewis) an Italian movie director going through a midlife crisis. He begins to struggle with his latest film role and all the women in his life. His mother (Sophia Loren), his wife Lusia (Marion Cotillard), his mistress Carla (Penelope Cruz), his film star muse Claudia (Nicole Kidman), His costume designer (Judi Dench), fashion journalist Stephanie (Kate Hudson), and a prostitute from his youth (Fergie).

There has to something for everyone in this film really?

Maybe one for the guys?

• Step Up 3D – 6th August • Hairspray 2 – August (date unknown) • Unstoppable – 12th November • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 – 19th November • Rapunzel – 24th November • The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader – 10th December • Tron Legacy – 17th December

If you enjoyed Moulin Rouge and Chicago then its likely you will love Nine. The film is interesting, funny and deep in places. It has the makings of a good musical but with quite an edgy feel to it. As for the singing, all the female cast sing exceptionally well. However Daniel Day-Lewis probably shouldn’t give up his day job! If you are planning to see this movie then you should, even if its for the cast alone NP

Waking Life (2001, Richard Linklater)

CLASSIC REVIEW

As we begin the new decade I thought it would be appropriate to review what I deem to be a classic film of the ‘noughties’. After recently watching Waking Life for the first time, I was so impressed that it left me with one question unanswered; why isn’t there more publicity for films like this? However, I feel that now I have seen it, I am one of the lucky few to experience an extraordinary classic this side of the century mark.

Waking Life is an animated production, this style of filmmaking may conjure up a negative undertone for some, nevertheless, after watching it you will understand why it had to be made this way. The over-lapping layering What a day for a dream of images and unsteady moving frame genuinely creates the dream like state this film bases its subject matter around. We follow the character of Wiley Wiggins as he journeys through an uncanny land where everything seems ‘real’ yet it is not so. He is having trouble with his concept of actuality as he keeps waking up in his dreams blurring the line between his dreams and his real life.

Reflecting on this film, I believe that analysing it in depth would remove what makes this moving image so brilliant in its entirety. It is a film of personal discovery through the medium of the main character, who receives advice, philosophical teachings and answers to unasked questions. As a spectator, I found I could relate these teachings to my life and my views therefore breaking up its structure for interpretation would ruin it for others. This film is for you to construe the way you want to, therefore I do not want to explain what it meant to me. On the other hand, I want to spread the word about this particular film and explain the idea briefly as it’s very rare that a movie comes a long and makes you question your own existence!

This film is fascinating in exploring the philosophies behind our existence in the world and the world of our dreams. Richard Linklater (Slacker, Before Sunrise) poses the question, Are we sleepwalking through our waking life, or wake walking through our dreams?

And this film really is about questioning. You will hear questions, receive answers and be left with your own questions. To me that is what makes it so great; it requires interacting and not numb observation unlike some typical Hollywood film forms. It may not have the popularity or respect it deserves but it genuinely is a fine piece of cinema from the last decade.

Jonny Green

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www.roehamptonstudent.com

Live and Local Spotlight On: Bev Lee Harling As part of the Mediaeval Baebes, who have impacted on the world of classical music not only through their juxtaposition of mediaeval lyrics and modern scores, but also in associating what has been seen as an old fashioned and outdated genre with modernity, youthfulness and beauty, Bev Lee Harling was bound to be an interesting interviewee. Ruth Price spoke to the singer, songwriter and violinist about the Baebes, her solo project ‘Bev Lee Harling and The Kitchen Sink’ and having eclectic musical tastes...

How long have you been singing and playing?

I’ve been playing the violin since I was 5 years old. I heard my older sister playing and desperately wanted to be like her. I’ve always sung, but didn’t think about it seriously until I was about 18. I was auditioning for Universities and didn’t want to do classical violin anymore, but I wasn’t sure what else to do. So I just turned up and sang a jazz standard and hoped nobody noticed I didn’t really know what I was doing!

How and when did you realise that you wanted to make music?

I’ve always known I wanted to make music, but I never really knew exactly what kind of music I wanted to be making. As a result, I always felt like a bit of a musical nomad and was always being told by people as I was growing up that I should focus on one thing. I never could do that, but didn’t understand why until I started writing my own songs. Then suddenly it all made sense to me. The big musical tangle that was my life started to unravel itself into song, and focus itself in its own unique way.

You’ve been involved in making many different types of music... do you have a favourite?

I’ve loved recording my debut album, which will be released in a few months – it’s been incredibly exciting working with Stefan Rogall, a Berlin based producer. We’ve worked together before in his project Rogall and The Electric Circus Sideshow, alongside Earl Zinger (Galliano), Hugo Race (Nick Cave) and Henry Rollins.

for others along the way too.

You never know who you’re going to meet, and that’s part of the fun of it. I remember doing a gig which wasn’t particularly good about 5 years ago. When I came off stage feeling a bit deflated, another songwriter asked me for my number because she needed some string players to play through an arrangement for her. I turned up at her flat and met another violinist called Katherine Blake; we got on well, and she asked if I’d sing some of my songs at a night she was running on Goodge Street. I did the gig, and had a really nice night and then, 3 years later, and completely out of the blue, she called and told me there was an opening in her band. That was how I ended up being in the Mediaeval Baebes, touring the world, making albums and being part of a project that’s been No.1 in the Classical Charts!

What has been your favourite moment so far?

It was pretty amazing to look around me on stage, at the first gig I ever did as Bev Lee Harling and The Kitchen Sink at Wilton’s Music Hall, and realise that I was playing with some of my favourite musicians, and that they were all smiling at me and having a good time.

“I’ve been playing the violin since I was 5 years old”

It was a huge thrill to be working on my own songs. Plus, we had a lot of fun running round his

studio making instruments out of rubbish and old pieces of kitchen equipment.

Who is your favourite band/musician?

I think as a musician/writer you have to completely fall in love with different music every day. It’s how you keep yourself inspired. I was played a CD of a Bulgarian women’s choir the other day and I’d never heard anything like it in my life. That’s my new favourite... if you ask me again tomorrow, it will be something else!

How did the opportunities you’ve had come about?

A mixture of hard work and luck, I think. Opportunities always come to you through other people, so I think it’s important to have good relationships with everyone you come into contact with, and to create good opportunities

Who or what inspires you?

A long-standing inspiration for me has been Bjork. She’s managed to really beat her own path in the music industry and not compromise her artistic ideas. I’m also inspired by my Dad, who owns a foundry, which he built up from nothing into a successful business. He’s worked hard, but has also managed to remain creative and enthusiastic throughout his working life.

What advice do you have for others that might want a career in music?

This sounds so obvious, but you’ve got to love it. You have to love what you do, or what’s the point? The ability to be able to make music is a gift, and the more you love doing it, the more others will love you doing it and want to pay you for it.

- Bev Lee Harling

To find out more about Bev and her work, visit: www.myspace.com/bevleeharling www.mediaevalbaebes.com www.myspace.com/rogalltheelectriccircussideshow Support Bev in The People’s Music Awards by visiting: www.thepeoplesmusicawards.com/bevlee Ruth Price

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Fresh Newspaper

Sport Roehampton A.U. Presidents round-up!

Welcome Back and a Happy New Year!

Hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and you all got everything you asked for, I got my new hockey stick so im not complaining!

First of all i want to start by saying get down to the RE-Freshers fair and sign up for a sport if you haven’t or of course the gym if sport isnt your thing theres plenty going on and you should all really take advantage of all the activities that will be going on this week and this semester! I’d like to mention that we’ve got a great turn out for tour, so those of you that have paid your deposits pay off the balance as soon as you get your loans! Here at SportRoehampton we’ve got loads of opportunities coming up so keep your eyes and ears peeled!

There will be another A.U. Social coming up February time, we really need to raise some more money for this years A.U. dinner which we hope to make bigger and better, this also leads me to remind you to all work hard in teams and as individuals because you never know whos going to be up for the sports colours! I want to remind those of you who have been playing sport and have not paid your membership to please get paying, its not fair on those who have paid... you know who you are!! And those of you who havepaid please go and collect your membership cards from Jenny in the SportRoehampton office please you will need to start taking them to training while we sort this problem out...

Im really looking forward to this semester with all you guys and i really think we can do amazing in all our matches especially Tennis who are so near to the cup semi finals and finals, we are all behind you!

Here’s to a great year!

Rochelle Harvey A.U. President

Tennis: going from strength to strength.

The Roehampton Tennis Club has gone from strength to strength this year right from day one. With over 10 tennis club members braving the frosty fresher’s fair morning (I blame that tennis coordinator), fastest serve and longest rally stations were set up around the campus – proving to be a big success. Each station was rarely free with over 130 people declaring their interest in tennis over the course of the day. As a result we currently have 60+ members of all different standards playing at least once a week.

Hugh Davies aka Hoo Davies, for the past year and a half has invested an endless amount of his time to support both the tennis club and sport at Roehampton but sadly his rein has come to an end, we as a club would like to thank Hugh for all his hard work, making the second team a “hugh” success.

Jack Lane has lost only one match this year has been a hero this year playing in both teams when needed. Sadly jack has been unable to compete the last 4 to 5 weeks as his love for call of duty modern warfare 2 has taken over his life, clocking up 3 and a half days worth of play and a 36 kill streak. Padraig Fairburn has unfortunately been out with a knee injury for most of the year, but has still supported the team both at training and matches. When Padraig isn’t playing golf, he is also the Roehampton Competition organiser and has successfully established a maintained the tennis box leagues.

Max Wellings has improved greatly over the years having and as a result has only lost 1 singles match this year. Two balls in the eye at training (not like that) so far this year but the man just battles on.

Ben Bothwell pulled out his first singles win EVER!!! Thankfully, it has only been 2 and a half years in waiting to beat someone worse than Dave Bush. To be fair to Ben he has been busy concentrating on Training on the MUGA at Froebel his singing career, producing hits like “In for the kill” and “Bulletproof”.

We had two extremely strong intakes into the 1st team this year, Krushmi Chheda and Mekaya Gittens, Mekaya has been winning consistently at number 1, and Krushmi is really yet to play as she has had serve back problems all year, but the couple of fixtures she has played, she won comfortably.

“Since Tom has become single, he has really struggled with the ladies, so if anyone knows Tom, he is an average looking guy, with a massive sh***y afro and sort of resembles a cheesestring. His number is 07984174405...”

All three competitive teams are currently in a strong position to win their league with the Men’s 2nd and Women’s 1st teams topping their league at Christmas and the Men’s 1st team with a game in hand to go top. The men’s and Women’s 1st teams are also in a strong position to bring home a BUCS cup. This has been achieved by having a super intake of fresher’s, a friendly and welcoming group and a well organised structure which of everybody contributes to.

The captain, Hannah is well known around the University for being an absolute mess, and doing rollie pollies down Putney heath, a moment she is extremely proud of, not to mention pissing into a male’ s urinal. All the other girls by comparison are normal, although Lizzie Gudgen is a massive hoe bag and unlike Tom Arkell is a hit, so boys her contact number is 0759502584. Not forgetting Bianca Jones, who is Mrs Facebook, leaving everybody at least 50 notifications per day about nothing. O and also winning the award for being the worst dressed on the tennis team.

The current 1st team captain, Jack Bottomley (winner of the McDonalds happy meal worst surname world championships 2009 – also a strong contender for the 2010 award) is undefeated this year having played some top class tennis. If Jack did as well with the Men as he does on court, he wouldn’t need to do his sock wash so frequently/ clean his chair. Tom Arkell, our number 1 player is still (amazingly!) undefeated in singles over four years, and only lost twice in doubles, on both occasions partnering a Mr Jack Bottomley. Since Tom has become single, he has really struggled with the ladies, so if anyone knows Tom, he is an average looking guy, with a massive shitty afro and sort of resembles a cheesestring. His number is 07984174405, get in contact if interested/blind. Reinis Miljons, is our scholar from Latvia and our mystery man.

He rivals Tom Arkell on the court, but off it he just talks about Indian toothpaste, and laughs at things that just aren’t funny.

Alex and Ravi also deserve a big mention for captaining the newly introduced tennis teams this year thanks to the high demand. We hope to enrol these teams (and more) into the leagues next year to give more people to the opportunity to play tennis. Finally, our Mascot also deserves a mention - thank you Sarah Cummings (Silver medal at the McDonalds happy meal worst surname world championships 2009)for all your hard work over the year.

Fresher No. 1, Dave Lester, has played a large role this year in the 1st team. His consistent style and fast meerkat like scurrying around the court makes him hard to beat. Dave also happens to be the star of Meerkat Manor BBC1 at 7 on Fridays. Fresher No.2, Edward Fielding at the ripe old age of 26 knows his way about the tennis court and is the oldest human ever to grace a bop. Although to be fair to the lad he still has game, Ed – How is your sister’s best friend? Fresher No.3, Ashley Mount was the final great addition to the 1st team, technically the world’s best but mentally....fruitcake.

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Tennis at Roehampton is not only about the teams. The introduction of Luke Ball as the recreational tennis leader has been a great success with around 8 recreational tennis members attending the three rec tennis sessions held on Froebel throughout the week.

If anyone would like to get involved in tennis at any level, whether it be recreational tennis, team tennis, Box leagues, nights out, coaching qualification opportunities and many other events, then please email Tom Arkell on tom.arkell@roehampton.ac.uk.

The Tennis Club would also like to thank Ian Pickup and the rest of the Sport Roehampton Staff for all their hard work over the last 4 to 5 months.

Bring on 2010, WOWZA Jack Bottomley

www.roehamptonstudent.com

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