Fresh April 2010
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Free
Pullout special: pages 13-16
Elections Results!
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The RSU is moving!
R
oehampton Students’ Union are excited to announce that we will be moving over to Froebel this Easter! Our brand spanking new offices will be located in the former Montefiore residences (opposite Froebel Bar) and we’ll be there from Thursday 15th April 2010. Taking our place in Hirst Building will be the Department for Social Sciences, many of you will be having lectures and seminars where Brenda and Tracey’s once were which should be an experience! On that note, we are still locked in progressive discussions with the University on the development of Froebel Bar into a larger Union space. We are very confident the development to the space over the summer will be a fantastic surprise for all those returning in September, with our two favourite ladies right in the mix thanks to the hard work of the Union and the ‘Save Brenda and Tracey’s’ campaign team. If you’re worried about the Belfry going in Easter, don’t be. The last day of term (June 11th) will be the Belfry’s very last day in operation, we encourage and invite as many of you to give it the proper send off it deserves! We invite all students to come and see us in our new offices, your first opportunity will more than likely be to buy Summer Ball 2010 tickets, which looks to be a fantastic event. We’re all very excited about the move and truly believe a fresh start for the Union will mean better services for you and a brighter future for the experience of Roehampton students. If you have any questions or concerns about the Union move, please email Gary Coates on gary.coates@roehampton.ac.uk or pop in for a chat.
Campaigns:
Go Green Week review, Don’t Diss My Ability preview and we look at the dangers of Methadrone, the new party drug
Page 18 & 19 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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Editorial Anant Naik, Editor in Chief & Production, VP Communications Hello Everyone Firstly I’d just like to thank everyone for taking part in the 2010 RSU Elections, whether you were a candidate that won, lost or a victim to the daily soap box that the LRC entrance morphs into annually, thanks – we had our highest voter turnout this year, with 1530 votes counted, we do have one of the highest proportions nationally, so it was great to see that trend grow and I was glad to be a part of it! Now to this issue of Fresh! Inside you’ll find info on NUS conference, the general election, tips on how to calculate your degree (!), an interview with BBC star Stacey Dooley courtesy of Josh, about the campaigns we’ve got our eyes and ears fixed on at the moment, oh, and of course, the real reason you’re flicking through (ant probably wont read this until you’ve read ‘that’), the full Summer Ball 2010 line up! Finally, coming back to the theme of politics, it is essential that as students, you use the platform you have to cast your vote in the general election this year, to decide on the government that you want, not to moan about it being ‘just a puppetry system’ when the shit could hit the fan this summer. So please please please, for everyone’s sake, register to vote and go out and vote! You can do so via www.voteforstudents.co.uk !
Josh Paterson, Editor, Student Media Officer Well Roehampton, what a month it’s been! The last two weeks saw the RSU Elections taking place to assemble the new RSU team for next year. Everyone who was involved will tell you it was a great experience, and we all had such a laugh. I was a candidate and I just want to thank everyone for all their support! I didn’t quite make it, but the good news is you have the brilliant Anant Naik, Becca Newton & Sam Kirby taking care of your RSU media for 2010/11 and I know they will all continue to do a fantastic job! As for this month, it’s all been a bit of a whirlwind in the run up to the Easter vacation. Everyone is stressed about deadlines and work, but the RSU are still putting on some stellar events and activities that you would be crazy to miss out on! We have Go Green Week, Roehampton’s turn at taking action to save the planet, (or our own little bit of it) as well as your last Bop, Fez & Grand before Easter! We also have the exciting announcement of the Summer Ball 2010 Headliners! I for one cannot wait to see what we have install for what is tipped to be the best Ball yet!
Cheers, and don’t forget that we’re moving to Froebel over Easter – come visit us! Anant x
Sam Kendall Kirby, Editor, Student Media Officer Hello Roehampton, After the stresses of the Elections, we all seem to still be stressing to get our work done before the deadlines! But don’t forget to chill out and have some me-time, and that includes a few drinks too! Well done to those who were successful in the elections and commiserations to those who didn’t get the positions!
Coming from a 3rd year student, your time at Roehampton really does fly by so quickly, and its really your choice how immersed in the student life you want to be. But I think that there’s really no reason not to get involved in the events and activities. The RSU strive to enhance every And thank you all for Voting, single students experience here and its time to get involved and make the most of your Union! Keep it cool Sam Adios Amigos! Josh x
Fresh
Do any of the mainstream political parties actually relate to you? Or do they all just talk in colours? - Page 9
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, Roehampton Press, NUS Press, Ghaz, Tessa Willy, Sam Mason, Anna Faulkner, Jason Alexander Wain, Becca Newton, Gemma Kelly, Matthew Hilliard, Joseph Booth, Luke Springett, Shaun Hill, Richard Williams, Tim Birkbeck, Adam Le Breuilly, Banquet Records, Chris Davis, Jonny Green, Nyha Pasha, Ruth Price, William Morris, Aman Pathiara and Rochelle Harvey!
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 30th April 2010.
Interview: Stacey Dooley - Page 12
Easter food - Page 12
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 Whitelands College comes top in the RU Unplugged energy reduction competition! We are pleased to announce that Whitelands College have won the University’s campus wide energy reduction scheme. The scheme encouraged colleges to reduce their energy consuption, with the competitive element being that the winning college would recieve 50(thats £2500’s worth! Summer Ball 2010 tickets to distribute amongst students. The competition reached its climax last Friday(26th March) as part of the annual Go Green Week. We can reveal that Whitelands came top, reducing by 12% in total, Digby then followed with a 3% cut, however sadly and oddly enough Froebel and Southlands actually used more power based against figures from last year, with each college using 6% more energy! Poor effort! In other green news, we are very pleased to announce that the RSU has aquired a Bronze award in the Sound Impact Awards. The Sound Impact Award is an environmental accreditation scheme with an awards element designed specifically for students’ unions. Joseph Booth, current Environmental Officer said of the news: “This was our first year entering the scheme, and we’re very chuffed with the bronze certificate, so here’s to going one better and aquiring a silver or gold next year!”
Student Film wins competition Roehampton student film Blood On Your Hands has won the SEE Brighton Documentary Film Festival Student Film Competition. The online public vote closed on Thursday 4 March and Blood on Your Hands won with a grand total of 1,572 votes. As winners of this prestigious prize, four Roehampton graduates will receive a host of prizes, including a year’s membership to the Shooting People Independent Filmmakers Network and the chance to screen their work at next year’s SEE festival. Blood On Your Hands follows the story of the battle between Harrods and the Coalition To Abolish The Fur Trade, who are campaigning to stop the sale of fur inside the famous store. Harrods is now the only department store in the UK that continues to sell real fur garments, even though the production of fur is illegal in the UK. The Student Shorts section is a first for the SEE Documentary Festival and features four films from the region’s top student filmmakers. Roehampton Press
AbleChildAfrica comes to Bands Night! Bands night provided an excellent opportunity for the AbleChildAfrica Student Ambassadors to promote the rights of disabled young people and children in Africa. We were very pleased with the support and interest that people took in us and our work and were proud to be student ambassadors at Roehampton University. AbleChildAfrica works with partner organisations in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania to provide help and support for children and young people with disabilities. The charity focuses on the inclusion and rights of disabled children and young people and aims to improve their access to healthcare, education and employment opportunities. The evening was a great success with some excellent bands and a great atmosphere in which to promote a cause which is very important to us. We managed to raise a small amount of money and hopefully informed other students about how to get involved with organisations such as AbleChildAfrica in the future. Having the opportunity to highlight AbleChildAfrica and its work provides hope that if supported, charities like AbleChildAfrica can make a real difference to the lives of disabled people in Africa. More information can be found at www. ablechildafrica.org Sarah Lewens and Jennifer Meeds
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Roehampton joins London Orchard Project On Monday 15 February, staff, students and members of the wider community were joined by Justine Greening MP for the planting of the University’s new orchard. Plum, apple and pear trees were planted in Garden Court, Froebel College, as part of the London Orchard Project. Coordinator Tess Willy said the London Orchard Project aimed to improve communities’ access to local food and therefore contribute to carbon absorption, reduce the carbon footprint of fruit consumed in London and support biodiversity conservation. The Roehampton planting, carried out by volunteers involved with the University’s allotment, will raise awareness of the importance of locally sourced, healthy food, and training local communities to grow produce. Tess said: “These newly developed skills will then be replicated in other parts of the University, raising general awareness of growing our own food, reducing food miles and the consequent positive environmental implications. “We hope to take this project out into the wider community, running planting workshops and encouraging the growth of orchards in local residential areas, as well as working with local youth groups to help clear and rejuvenate existing orchards.”
RSU Sabbatical team to attend NUS Conference this Easter NUS National Conference is the key decision making body of NUS. It takes place each spring, runs for three days and has almost 1400 people attending. Every students’ union, guild and association is entitled to send at least one representative to participate in Conference, passing policy that sets the priorities of the national union for the coming year. Roehampton University is no different, and this year three of your current RSU sabbatical officers, Becky Aston (VP Welfare), Natasha Blake (VP Activities) and Anant Naik (VP Communications) will all be making the journey up to Newcastle Gateshead, where National Conference will be taking place this year. The event will run from 13th-15th April 2010. Over the three-day period delegates and representatives will debate and discuss several issues key to students. Aside from passing policies and motions at conference, attendees also vote on who will be running the NUS in the forthcoming academic year, from electing the next NUS Presidents and Vice-Presidents, to electing a further fifteen members of the NUS executive committee(also known as ‘Block’ or ‘Block of 15’). As spaces on conference were extremely limited this year, it is vital that you make yourselves familiar with your RSU representatives, feel free to ask us anything about the candidates standing from election, or what you want us to bring to the table at Gateshead. We can only promise to do our best. A condensed file of all candidate manifesto’s can be found online here: http://resource.nusonline.co.uk/media/resource/NC2010_ FTOManifestos_CD10a.pdf As ever you can get in touch with the sabbs in person at RSU offices, or alternatively via the emails below… Becky Aston – becky.aston@roehampton.ac.uk Natasha Blake – Natasha.blake@roehampton.ac.uk Anant Naik – anant.naik@roehampton.ac.uk
www.roehamptonstudent.com
Any Other Business Roehampton Student running in the Virgin London Marathon 2010 Rosie Platts, one of our 1st year Combined Honours Photography students is well into her training for the London Marathon taking place on April 25th. It’s said to be the biggest fundraising event in the world, raising nearly 47million pounds in the past years. Rosie’s running for a London based charity, Greenhouse. Greenhouse enables kids in deprived areas to experience sport and the performing arts with top coaches. Rosie says: “I finally got around to taking part in this amazing event. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for years and believe it or not I’m enjoying the training despite the great British weather. Many people think I’m mad, whilst some knew that already. The charity I’m running for is making a real difference to young London kids’ lives, enabling them to experience sport and the performing arts with top coaches and performers. This is something they would never get the opportunity to do without Greenhouse, and they have already nurtured some potential stars. They run sports and performing arts sessions in 31 schools and 7 community clubs. I’ve been to see them at work and it’s really uplifting. The coaches are brilliant, successful in their field, and have boundless dedication and energy. Check out their website to see more at www. greenhousecharity.org. This is my 1st Marathon and I’m looking forward to it - no really. I just wish I didn’t have quite so many assignments to do at the same time as the training ...... The training’s going well and I did a half marathon recently to get in the spirit of things. I’m up to 20 miles in training now and going strong. I’m aiming to raise £2000.00 for Greenhouse and it would be really great if you could sponsor me - every bit counts, and it’ll make the pain worth it!” The charity is taking over a pub on the route at mile 21, so if you want to join them and take in the party atmosphere, then that’s the place to be. It’s The Crown, 667 Commercial Road, London E14 7LW http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/RosiePlatts
NUS News
A round up from the national voice for students.
NUS welcomes lifeline to avert student places crisis NUS today welcomed the creation of 20,000 additional student numbers (ASNs) for the next three years announced in this afternoon’s Budget by Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling. NUS also warned that the newly created additional places must be fully funded as part of the newly announced £270 million university modernisation fund and that the full costs of student loans and grants must be met by the Government if the scheme is to be both fair and sustainable to students and their families.
NUS also praised the extension of the guarantee to 16 and 17 year old of work, education and training, along with the guarantee of education or training to young people who have been unemployed for six months or more.
Students feeling the pinch as accommodation costs rise by 22% Students are paying 22 per cent more for their accommodation this year than in 2006-7, according to a new survey of providers carried out by the National Union of Students (NUS) and Unipol Student Homes. This rise comes despite the fact that student support has increased only to account for inflation, yet the rental rise is 13 per cent above inflation over this period. Student housing charity Unipol and NUS expressed concern at ever increasing rents with fewer property types being available for rent. The report calls for universities and private providers to ensure that affordability and choice are reflected in the development of accommodation.
NUS Awards 2010 launched Nominations have opened for the third annual NUS Awards. The awards, held in partnership with Endsleigh Insurance, recognise the inspirational work carried out by individual students, student media and students’ unions across the UK. The awards are made up of eleven categories including Endsleigh Student of the Year, Campaign of the Year, Best Student Media and Students’ Union of the year. This year will also see the second Lifetime Contribution Award given which will recognise the long-term contribution of one individual to NUS and the student movement. Full details are available at www.nus.org.uk/ awards This year’s ceremony will be held on Thursday 1 July at the University of Warwick and is set to be a dazzling evening showcasing the talents and hard work of NUS members across the country. NUS President Wes Streeting said: “The NUS Awards are a unique opportunity to demonstrate the successes of students and the valuable contribution they make to their fellow students, university or college and the wider community.” Ian Passmore, Endsleigh Managing Director said: “We are delighted to support these awards because they celebrate such well deserved individuals and students’ unions who make such a positive influence on the student experience” A full list of categories and criteria can be found at www.nus.org.uk/awards
Wes Streeting, NUS President said: “With record demand for places at a time of looming cuts, we welcome this urgent announcement to fund additional student places. The creation of additional student numbers for science, technology and maths will help to ensure that many students with the ability and aspiration to benefit from higher education will not be left out in the cold this autumn. “It is vital however that these additional student places are fully funded and that those who are offered them receive full loan and grant entitlements. We await the full costings of these proposals and will scrutinise them carefully to ensure promises are kept and that the money is provided to deliver additional plalces.”
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Blogs President, Gary Coates Elections…done! I co-ordinated this year’s elections and must say what an experience it was! Candidates swarming all over the place, posters, chalk, flyers, facebook pages… it all kicked off! Congratulations to all the successful candidates and particular well done to Alex Murray, my successor who I know will do you all proud and steer the Union in the right direction along with three fantastic Vice Presidents. Don’t forget Top Up elections coming up on May 10th. More info later. I’ve also been meeting with the new Heads of Departments to talk about the future of the University and their plans to get students more involved in the work of the departments, some really positive stuff coming out of there too. Go Green Week… a fantastic success; I may now cancel the budget request for a private jet to take me to Whitelands and back in light of what I’ve learnt. I was also lucky enough to attend the Graduation ceremonies on 10th March and see a fantastic range of people picking up everything from MBA’s to doctorates. Congratulations to everyone who succeeded. There was also the small matter of interviewing for a new Digby Student Welfare Officer, with Will Cooper as the successful applicant and I wish him the best of luck in his new role, which also means Jo Granger will be leaving the University this May. I’d like to take this opportunity to publicly say a huge thank you to Jo and how much the University and Digby Community will miss her, she was a fantastic pillar of strength and support for me during my time as a student and Digby College President and I sincerely hope it’s not the last I see of her! I also look forward to attending the official launch of ‘Within These Halls’, an absolutely brilliant production headed up by Nicky Reid, the University Money Doctor. If you haven’t already, watch it on You Tube! Can’t wait for the last semester; see you all on the other side of Easter!
VP Activities, Natasha Blake Well hello roehampton! What a semester it has been, Amsterdam, Elections, Sport roehampton Awards nominations, talks of the union move and a whole flurry of other exciting topics. As always I am busy up in the RSU towers working alongside the sabbaticals, staff and officers to maintain a flow in activities that are brought to the student and staff of Roehampton. Elections are over now and I am happy to inform you I have been RE-ELECTED as VP Activities, this year has been one of excitement and hope that with the new union structure we can keep activities sustainable so that each student and staff can get the most out of their university experience. Thank you to all the people that took the time to vote! We have the new and improved Sport Roehampton Awards and Dinner coming to us on the 8th May 2010, this will be a black tie event that all are welcome to at £30 a ticket you will be wined and dined, listen to some joyful music and you never know, if your a part of SR you may even receive a prestigious award. Tickets can be bought from the RSU Reception, non refundable. We also have other activities to look forward to such as the 10k Fun Run on June 5th, Fun times fortnight from Monday 31st may-11th June 2010. This looks to be filled with fun activities for you to end the year with events such as Street war Graffiti, trips away to Brighton, Avenue Q and Thorpe park, sports day, activity taster sessions. Put these dates in your diary to, Roehampton awards Wednesday 26th May and Society achievement ceremony Tuesday 25th May. Make sure you also look out for information on volunteering and fundraiser events. HCPT, Yellow River Charity and Right to Play are amongst some of the charities the union works alongside. It is really important that you all start thinking about future prospects for jobs and life goals. We currently have a volunteer brokerage Service at the university, these sessions happen on the first Tuesday of every month, 12-2pm, student Advice centre, Lawrence building Froebel and Every Third Thursday of every month 12-2pm,Ground Floor, Library, Digby Stuart, the friendly staff will help you look for opportunities that will suit your volunteer needs. One last thing during the next semester we will be having Four Clothes Banks in each campus, this will be for those of you who want to get rid of unwanted clothes, which will all be distributed to the needy, Further details to come. I hope that’s enough to start thinking about and hopefully you can make everything, if there are any questions do not hesitate to contact me at Natasha. blake@roehampton.ac.uk Thanks again guys, until next time. RSU, continuing to make activities better!
VP Communications, Anant Naik I’m always the last of the Sabbs to write my blog as I’m the only one I can trust to stick to a word count! And with the customary novel by Blake, just above this month will be no different. Unless you’ve been stuck indoors with mumps, you would have noticed we’ve just had our annual elections. This year was the highest turnout in terms of votes posted and candidates running. Congratulations and commiserations respectively to everyone who threw their names in the etch-asketch shaped hat this year! I would like to thank everyone who voted, not just for me, but for each of the candidates, who I’m confident will really excel this union further next year! I also want to say how chuffed that I am that Sam Kirby and Becca Newton will be your Student Media Officer’s next year! Over the Easter holidays I will be heading to NUS National Conference in Newcastle, with Tasha and Becky as a delegate on behalf of the RSU, this is an event where we get to debate, but also vote on who runs the NUS next year(more info on pg 4). So please get in touch with us if you want anything aired during conference! I’m going to make this an open letter, so please get in touch with me with any questions! I look forward to seeing all of you in our new home when you get back from Easter. Have a good one and buy as many Mini Eggs as you can before they’re all gone!
VP Welfare & Campaigns, Becky Aston So we are looking towards the last semester of this academic year with loads of things on the horizon. The welfare department has got the last of its campaigns for this year, with Don’t Diss My Ability and RSU’s version of International Women’s Week, with the potential to add a few more things in there! One of the big things that has been discussed recently is ‘legal high’s’ and the dangers associated with this, so RSU have decided to do an awareness raising campaign which will be ongoing until the end of the year. There is so much stuff that no one knows about the potential dangers associated with ‘legal high’s’ and with recent press coverage, the Welfare department felt that we should be educating students as much as possible on what we do know, and also on where to get help. I hope everyone has a good Easter break and comes back refreshed for the last semester, where there are so many amazing things going on; it’s definitely going to be one to remember! Take care and see you around, Becky x
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Digby Stuart, Harry Harris Exams, Elections and Essay’s: As I write my College blog in Aspen (traitorous I know) I think its best to cast our minds back two weeks… As the dust settles on this years RSU elections I would like to offer a huge congratulations to not only those who won entrance into the world of RSU but to all those who went up for the campus inspection. Having run in two Union elections I understand how stressful the process is and I have the utmost respect for anyone who feels strongly enough about things to get involved in the Council. I do have to offer a special congratulations to Luke “Bede” Holliday and Adam Le Cheese on being elected as next years College President and Social Sec, I know you guys are gonna do a great job and I offer you the best of luck. So as Easter approaches essays and exams are once again on the agenda. For many of us it heralds the end of three years of hard slog. I hope that all of you Digby students get the marks and Degrees that you want. All I know is that over the next month many of us (myself included) will be forced to go into “essay hibernation”. After the stress of exams we do have some cracking times ahead. Frigby, Summer Ball and this year we have the end of the Belfry Party. If all things go to plan that night promises to be one to remember: TRUST. I will leave you with congratulations to the Digby Lions who have just reached the final of this years Cup competition. The team are seemingly on an unstoppable march to Frigby this year; Zebras beware. Harris Out.
Froebel, Nikki Watson Hi Guys, Hope everyone is nearly done with dreaded dissertations and deadlines and getting ready for an awesome Summer term. Would just like to congratulate everyone who will be part of the RSU Team 2010/11 and commiserations to anyone who ran for a position and didn’t get in! I would like to remind everyone that the Student Union Council meetings are open to anyone to attend, as we discuss important issues, it would be good to see some new faces there to discuss University wide issues. We are looking at a number of issues - fir example the work that is being carried out in Froebel and how this is effecting teaching and learning as well as living for some students. We are also going to look at how on-line voting for RSU positions may be better for the Union. If you have opinions on either of these matters, or there is anything else you would like to hear discussed, please don’t hesitate to contact me: watsonn11@roehampton.ac.uk Nikki xx
Southlands, Alex Murray Hello party people, So, elections are finished and the new officers chosen. We’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who participated with the RSU elections this year. Some people don’t believe it concerns them but the people who are elected are those who shape the university you go to. We encourage you all to take an active role within Roehampton and help to make it the best place we can for everyone. Massive congratulations to Adam Ozdemir (College President elect) and Steve Molyneaux (College Social Secretary elect) – the big dogs in charge of Southlands next year. The Yellow River Charity campaign hosted a talk and soup kitchen in Southlands hall and canteen on the 16th. Very successful night, highlighting the charities work in China for the homeless and even hosted a soup kitchen in the Southlands canteen dishing out soup and baozi dumplings for a small donation. The evening rave was crazy; lots of people showed up and had a great night skankin out until the late hours! Southlands community has grown massively over the past few months, all the banter and Southlands faces at the RSU events. In the words of one of the girls “it makes me feel all fuzzy inside!” (Gordon, 2010) With all the changes being made, it’s good to see college spirit is still strong. I hope the Southlands banter continues into the summer months and is out in force. Hope you all have a good Easter break! Big love, Southlands x
Whitelands, Tadashi Suzuki Hi, guys. Welcome back to the Whitelands blog! Lately people talk about who got flat rep positions for next year. One of the great advantages of the Whitelands campus is how convenient it is - this is because of the surrounding fast food and grocery facilities that are available to students and residents. I used to moan about the library (and other facilities of main campus) being a ten minute walk away but considering how many shops are close to Whitelands, this concern becomes irrelevant. After all, I go to the shops a lot more than I go to the library.. haha. Anyway, I have good news! We have finally got a common room for students from 22Mar. Now we can play pool anytime (well, the area is open Mon to Fri, 8am to 11pm as of now) and off campus students have a new option where they spend time on campus. Hopefully this area (Barcode) will be the social centre on Whitelands Campus!! In the mean time, we have started to plan for the May Day Festival. It will be held on Saturday 22nd May. This is a long tradition, since 1881, held on Whitelands field. It involves the very traditional dance performed by May Monarch and many former May Monarchs will come back with their original outfits. A lot of Whitelands graduates will return to the college and enjoy the day with current students. More information will follow!
www.roehamptonstudent.com
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Everybody should be talking about... General Elections 2010
Red or Blue? With the UK General Elections just around the corner from us, Sam Mason attempts to disect which party if any, reflects you the most and why you should take note ahead of May 6th...
Make sure you vote!
The Parliamentary election must be held by June this year. In order to vote at this election your name must appear on the register of electors.
Just last week I was on a national express coach on the way back to London. With a few hours to kill and with nothing to entertain me, I thought I’d make polite conversation with the old lady sat next to me. Seeing the Daily Mail on her lap I asked “what are today’s headlines?” What followed were 45 minutes of bitter complaints about the economy, social care, the NHS, greedy politicians and the mess of our country.
Council elections will be held on Thursday 6 May 2010 and again you must be registered in order to vote in these elections. If you are not yet registered you have until Tuesday 20 April 2010 to complete and return a voter registration form and if you wish to vote by post in these elections you have until 5pm on the same day to complete and return an application form. If the Parliamentary Election is held on the same Daily Mail on day the same deadline dates apply.
Seeing the In the political arena, with no more than 2 months to go now until the her lap I asked “what are Poll cards for the council elections will UK general elections, the fight is on today’s headlines?” What be delivered to every eligible elector by to convince the likes of old women Tuesday 6 April 2010. on national express coaches that followed were 45 minutes of something can be done to transform bitter complaints about the If you are a student studying away from our country for the better. In a recent home and your name appears on the conference to the Conservative party, economy, social care, the register of electors in respect of both your David ‘Time for Change’ Cameron declared he “has got what it takes to NHS, greedy politicians and home address and term time address, you will be able to vote in respect of both on turn this country around... only the the mess of our country. 6 May 2010 (please note that there may Tories can give this country hope for not be local elections taking place for the the future.” In the red corner, Gordon address where you live at home). ‘Grizzly Bear’ Brown isn’t convinced. Proclaiming labour’s courage, passion and brilliance Mr. Prime Minister is going into the election When it comes to the Parliamentary election you can choose which of assured that their values best reflect Britain’s mainstream. the two addresses you would prefer to vote in respect of. It is against the law to vote in respect of both at this election. As it stands, the latest surveys show that 32 per cent of Britons are giving Gordon Brown the thumbs up.The other 68 per cent are using You can vote in the local elections if you are British, a citizen of a a different finger.The Tories do have the lead at the moment but the advantage is decreasing and it seems that these elections are going to qualifying Commonwealth country, or the Republic of Ireland. You are also eligible to vote in these elections if you are a citizen of a be a lot closer than we might have first thought. Watch this space. British Overseas Territory or the European Union. If you are undecided which way you want to vote in the general If you are a European Union citizen, you will not be eligible to vote in elections or not too sure which end of the political spectrum you the Parliamentary election. However, this does not apply to British stand, left or right, red or blue or yellow or green, then get on www. citizens and citizens of Cyprus, Malta and the Republic of Ireland who politicalcompass.org and take the 5 minute test. have full voting rights. Sam Mason For details of how to register and to view more information regarding the forthcoming elections go to www.wandsworth.gov.uk/vote, call (020) 8871 6023 or email electoral@wandsworth.gov.uk
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Fresh Newspaper
Comment “Where Next?” asks President Coates
in sessions with our careers advisers are available to students from 12.45pm to 2.45pm during term time and longer sessions are available if booked in advance.
First Bill Clinton, then George Bush and now Gary Coates. All of us have left presidencies wondering … “where next?”
Got an opinion on this piece? Email gary.coates@roehampton.ac.uk.
For some, the process may be slightly easier than others, as not many will have the expertise of representing students to the ‘Roehampton Community Forum’, or saving Whitelands College from a nuclear disaster, however the question still stands. Where is the next step? How in God’s name do I work out what I’m doing? I know I find myself in the same position as many final year students this year, Post Grad or Under Grad. The recession is still looming heavy despite the ‘green shoots’ promises and students are leaving with more debt than ever before. Also, for a lot of Undergraduates particularly, I leave thinking, is my degree actually worth anything? How am I going to get a job with a Drama degree? No chance?! Actually… is there a light at the end of this seemingly endless tunnel? I decided to arrange a meeting with Gill Harvey, one of the University Careers Advisors, someone who has been in Roehampton for 15 years advising students, eagerly watching and guiding their progress from panicking final year to fully fledged employee. Initially, I had misjudged preconceptions about what my experience with Gill would be like, would she be the careers advisor from my secondary school who told me, despite being an atheist, that I should be a religious leader? No. She couldn’t tell me what I wanted to do because quite frankly, neither did I. What proved interesting is that, when addressing concerns of the lack of Graduate jobs out there for me and the thousands of other graduates this year, Gill confidently claims that with the current job market, there is “too much rather than not enough”. I must say that after looking through all of the big recruitment websites (monster, guardian jobs etc)… she’s definitely right. Where I have been going wrong in my initial hunt for jobs has been don’t look out at what’s on offer, look at what you can offer. Yes, my Drama and Creative Writing degree doesn’t mean I immediately possess the explicit skills needed for graduate employment in the same way as a BA Education degree, but something this whole process has made me realise is that during the duration of the degree itself, I’ve learnt to develop so many skills, whether it’s from group work to making a class presentation, working independently or even juggling my time between work, play and a part time job in the Belfry. For so many people this could be the same. You could live off campus, hold down a job, be a single parent and still manage to get through your degree and not even consider the unbelievable skills and attributes you’ve picked up just from doing that. Gill and the rest of the careers team are fully trained in helping people realise their potential and actually helping people be proud of what they’ve achieved. Roehampton graduates in particularly represent a very unique group of people, who come from a huge variety of backgrounds and experience. That is actually a positive in that we are not all white middle class Oxbridge students whose Mummy and Daddy were members of the Bullingdon Club and we are not all going on to be Lawyers and City Bankers, that’s not what we’re bringing to the table and nor should it be. It may be that Roehampton graduates continue on in Academia, developing their research throughout their careers, or become self employed entrepreneurs, the list can go on and on. I can’t begin to tell you of the way my brief meeting with Gill has opened my eyes to the possibilities that lay before me, the careers service here is something people would pay good money to use outside of this environment, you’re even allowed to come back and use them up to 3 years after you graduate! I know the possibility of making a living off of after dinner speaking is thin to say the least, however at least I’ll have the confidence and tools to make myself whatever I want to be, as do all Roehampton students. It’s just knowing who can guide that development in these first initial stages. The Careers Service is based in Lower Lawrence, Froebel College. Daily drop
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Students celebrate their Bright Ideas The 6th WestFocus Bright Ideas Competition attracted more entries than ever before. Students from across the WestFocus consortium submitted 175 entries with some students entering in teams, bringing the total number involved to 275. Ideas were varied in origin and style, including social enterprises, enterprise projects, and products and services with commercial targets. Online software solutions were popular; other examples included a vital aid for health care providers in the prevention of deep vein thrombosis and a mobile phone application to help college and university students with their writing and referencing skills. The Final Event took place on 23 February at the historic Regent’s Campus of the University of Westminster. Final Event Speakers Robert Parrington: An experienced entrepreneur with understanding of the internal needs of a business, and proven ability in identifying market development opportunities about the importance of perseverance, his belief in student ideas and this ability to form a successful enterprise, even during an economic down turn. Naomi Jane: Founder of The 4WD Foundation which aims to see young people become more self-aware and positive about their own lives and previous Bright Ideas Winner, talked about what entrepreneurship means to her, her struggles and successes and the importance of learning from mistakes. Stephen Hughes: Director of Research and Business Development at Roehampton University, spoke on behalf of the judges. Stephen discussed what he saw as the hallmarks of a successful idea: intellectual property, a clear description of the target market and the problem to be solved, and workable ideas for how to implement the idea. Martha Mador: Leads the WestFocus Entrepreneurship Centre, spoke about the importance of failure in the entrepreneurial process. Most successful entrepreneurs had failures and identify the lessons they learned from these were critical to their subsequent success. To those who did not win a prize in this round of Bright Ideas, Martha’s advice was to keep working on the ideas, and looking for opportunities. Bright Ideas Prizes: WestFocus cash prizes: 6 prizes of £1,000, and 16 prizes of £250 Healthcare: a prize of £1,000 for the best idea in Healthcare. Following the speeches and prize giving, students, staff and guests had the opportunity to network over refreshments. We would like to thank everyone who entered the competition, with congratulations to the winners and commiserations to those who did not win - this time. Finally, we wish to thank first and second round judges who gave their time and careful consideration to all of the ideas presented. Each entry was scrutinised twice, then a short list was drawn up. Short listed entries were then scrutinised by two further judges. The final judges spent 3 hours considering the relative merits of the short listed entries. Their help has been invaluable. Anyone who is still at a WestFocus university next year should start planning for the next competition, which will launch in September 2011. For more information, please contact: Anna Faulkner WestFocus Entrepreneurship Centre
www.roehamptonstudent.com
Academic Support How to predict your degree: A dummies guide!
•European Modernities and Modernism 1870-1940 •Orientalism •Gender & Sexuality and Religion •Imperial City London in the 19th Century •Dissertation •Art and Society •Gender & the Body in Classical Art •Muslims, Jews & Christians in Medieval Iberia •Culture, Gender & Sexuality in late 19th Century
Bachelor’s degrees will be classified according to the following scale: First Class Honours Second Class Honours (Upper Division) Second Class Honours (Lower Division) Third Class Honours
70% and Above 60% to 69% 50% to 59% 40% to 49%
Outstanding Above Average Average Satisfactory
Classification will be decided on the basis of the average of the best 200 credits at levels HE2/3, irrespective of subject, and with no weighting between levels. However, in the case of the BA Primary Education programme the basis of classification will be 160 credits at levels HE2/3. On most programmes the majority of students get 2:1’s or 2:2’s Students Please Note: 1.Year 1 modules don’t count towards the degree classification but you do need to pass them and develop your understanding of the marking criteria used. 2.The average best marks over 200 credits covering year 2 and year 3 will be used to create your degree classification. This means you can calculate which marks might contribute, which ones you won’t use and then as the third year progresses the kind of marks you will need in remaining modules to get the degree classification you want. 3.Take note of the number of credits each module is worth. It’s worth putting effort into those worth more credits. 4.Take note of the % marks awarded to each assessment component in a module and plan your time accordingly 5.Talk to your lecturer and use feedback to be clear exactly what is required on each module for e.g. 60% – 69% or 70% or above.
Working example.
Jane has studied BA single Honours in History She has 120 1st year credits.
20 Credits 20 Credits 20 Credits 20 Credits 20 Credits 20 Credits
56 60 65 58 53 62
In her 3rd year Jane has 120 credits in the following modules with the following grades. •Dissertation •Art and Society •Gender & the Body in Classical Art •Muslims, Jews & Christians in Medieval Iberia •Culture, Gender & Sexuality in late 19th Century
40 Credits 20 Credits 20 Credits 20 Credits 20 Credits 240 Credits
68 64 61 66 69
Jane can drop her 40 lowest credits which are... •Politics, Society and Religion •Art and Politics in Renaissance France
Jane now needs to total all grades for each module. 120 + 130 + 116 + 124 + 272 + 128 + 122 + 132 + 138 = 1282 Jane now needs to take the total and divide by 20 (which is the amount of how many marks she has added together to get the total). Jane can now calculate the total 1282 / 20 = 64.1% Jane has achieved Second Class Honours (upper Division) Bachelor’s degrees will be classified according to the following scale: First Class Honours (1st) Second Class Honours (Upper Division) (2:1) Second Class Honours (Lower Division) (2:2) Third Class Honours (Third)
70% and Above 60% to 69% 50% to 59% 40% to 49%
Outstanding Above Average Average Satisfactory
Well Done Jane! This is a working example of how to calculate a single honours degree. To work out combined honours the calculations are the same, but the number of credits from each subject may differ depending on Minor, Majoring or Equalling degree. Please see the total for each in tables below:
In her 2nd year Jane has 120 credits in the following modules with the following grades. •Art and Politics in Renaissance France •European Modernities and Modernism 1870-1940 •Orientalism •Gender & Sexuality and Religion •Politics, Society and Religion •Imperial City London in the 19th Century
20 Credits 60 x 120 20 Credits 65 x 130 20 Credits 58 x 116 20 Credits 62 x 124 40 Credits 68 x 272 20 Credits 64 x 128 20 Credits 61 x 122 20 Credits 66 x 132 20 Credits 69 x 138 200 Credits
20 Credits 53 x 106 20 Credits 56 x 112 40 Credits
Jane needs to work out the value of each module.To do this, the mark for a 20-credit module will be regarded as two marks, that for a 30-credit module as three, that for a 40-credit module as four, and so forth
Equalling degree e.g. BA in History and Psychology
Subject A:
Subject B:
BA/BSc Degree (excluding Primary Education)
100 at levels HE2/3, of 100 at levels HE2/3, of which at least 40 must be which at least 40 must be at level HE3 at level HE3
Major/Minor Degree e.g. BA in History with Psychology
Subject A:
Subject B:
BA/BSc Degree (excluding Primary Education)
120 at levels HE2/3, of which at least 60* must be at level HE3
60 at levels HE2/3, of which at least 20* must be at level HE3
Combined Studies degree e.g. BA Combined Studies or BA Combined Studies (major in History) BA/BSc/Bmus
If the subject spread does not fall into one of the above categories but a student has passed 360 credits with at least 200 at level HE2/3, then the terminology ‘COMBINED STUDIES’ will be used. However, if the subject spread includes at least 120 level HE2/3, with at least 80 at level HE3 in one subject the terminology ‘COMBINED STUDIES (major in SUBJECT ?)’ will be used.
This guide should help you in working out your predicted degree classification, if you are unsure you can talk to your personal tutor who can talk you though this, also you can see advice from the Academic and Finance Advisor in the Student Union. Please note that this won’t give you a definite answer until all marks are approved at examination boards, but it should give you a rough guide for what you are on for. Jane is purely a fictional character and some modules titles may have been changed
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Fresh Newspaper
Environment/Food Interview: Stacey Dooley
Star of BBC’s ‘Blood, Sweat & T-Shirts’ and Stacey Dooley Investigates’ In 2007, fashion fanatic Stacey Dooley’s life took an unexpected turn when she travelled to India for Blood, Sweat And T-Shirts to live and work alongside the people in the Indian fashion industry making clothes for the UK high street. In the cramped backstreet workshops of the Mumbai slums she came face to face with child labour and what she saw there changed her life. Stacey realises that this is a global issue and now has her own TV series, ‘Stacey Dooley Investigates which sees her travel to parts of the world such as Mumbai, Kathmandu and the Congo in Africa, campaigning to change lives of child labourers and human rights. Stacey paid a visit to Roehampton to talk about her experiences she has had on her travels fighting for ethical rights. After your first TV show Blood Sweat & T Shirt’s and your unbelievable experience in India, how did this have an effect upon your outlook on your life as a young person in Britain? India changed me I think massively, I think visit and hanging out with the people in India, was a real influence on me now. I think it changed my consumer habits, what I bought what I thought and my whole latitude to garments and clothes completely changed. It just inspired me to do my bit as well you know, its quite easy to plod along and be English and have it nice and kushti here but just to do bit more I think for others. From all of the experiences in India, what one memory really sticks out and really changed you life? India… the biggest memory… there was a few! There was two, when I spent time with all the kids in the orphanage, and I spoke to this lad and he was telling me how abusive his life in the factory was and how horrific he was treated. It literally blew me away and made me think just do my bit because we are so lucky, that was a real memory I still often think about. And I also think how much of a struggle every thing was there, it was a struggle to work in the heat, it was a struggle to do the job, it was a struggle to eat, it was a struggle to feel well, I was just so poorly and so gross the entire time! The only thing that keeps you going is to keep thinking “I’m going home in four weeks, I’m going home in four weeks!” so for people who haven’t got that to look forward to I don’t know how they carry on. Can you explain to us the real cost of throwaway fashion? Oh, throwaway fashion is a massive huge no no! Our fashion is so fast now. I read the other day that there used to be four seasons, and now there’s something like 16 seasons in fashion so for it to be that fast and to be in the stores that quickly you have to take corners and exploit people, exploit children and you have to just used people to get fashion that fast. You just have to start loving your clothes and respecting them a bit as well, that sounds really miss world but I think that’s what we have to do! How do you think events such as the upcoming LFW can help to promote ethical fashion and fair trade? I think lfw is such a big deal here, we even get coverage in America and everything, and I think ethical fashion is slowly creeping in I do believe that. I went to LFW last year, and I was wearing my big ‘Love Fashion, Hate Sweatshops’ t-shirt on and the paps were there and everyone was quite interested we got a bit of coverage. It’s not even like I growl at everyone who works for the high street and I want everyone to wear ethical clothes, its not about that, its just about thinking where your clothes have come from, and if you don’t feel comfortable with it doing something to feel comfortable with it. When we begin to think about the real cost of high street fashion, what can we as consumers do to try to be more ethically minded when it comes to high-street shopping? I think High street shopping, I’m not saying boycott it, because I think that would do more harm than good. Just use your common sense, look at the garment and if it’s really intricate and beautifully made and looks like hours of work has gone into it, either lots of beading or sequins, and its only £20 - £30, its probably not been ethically made. Just use your brain, think about your purchases. I used to be the one to run round ‘I want it all and need it all!’ and then in a couple of months you’re not interested. You just have to change your thinking Can you name well-known high street brands and stores that are still using unethical forms of production? I think really and truly, there are stores that I think that are reasonably ethical. Gap did a massive U-turn; they were named and shamed with ‘kids kids kids’, but they held their
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hands up and said you know it is a problem and we are going to deal with it and they’ve come right around. I think as well it’s easy when your outsourcing such massive bulks its easy to lose sight of where everything is and where every garment is coming from, but I think as a consumer you have that responsibility. Finally, how can we as university students be more ethically minded? Thinking about your purchases, who you want to give your money to as a consumer, if you want to sling yourself down to Primark and buy eight tops for a tenner its probably not the best thing to do to be ethical! Things like recycling clothes, swapping clothes, charity and vintage shopping, mending little holes and just respecting your clothes more. Josh Paterson
Easter Cooking Welcome to Fresh Food, the new column that’s all about eating! If there’s one thing that unites all students, it is that they love to eat. Not all, however, love to cook; and that is going to be one of my sole aims of this column – to get you cooking. Over the coming issues I hope to include some basic recipes for wholesome meals, supermarket shopping advice, seasonal specials, and more. When people think about student life, their minds tend wander over drinking, socialising, drinking and possibly studying. Eating is not usually a prominent thought, yet it is a rather essential part of survival. Now the operation of the electric microwave is not such a momentous challenge, but it is amazing how many will not venture beyond the take-away. My first piece of advice to the reluctant chef would be to get some inspiration. Go to WHSmith and flick through the recipe books or magazines, or watch some cooking programmes. As it so happens, MasterChef is on at the moment, so why not log on to BBC’s iPlayer and watch an episode or two? It won’t be long before you’re craving some sautéed potatoes with pan fried halibut, I promise! It is also worth checking out the websites of well known chefs and food magazines, as these tend to have some good free recipes. Anyway, it’s nearly Easter, so doesn’t it seem right to treat ourselves and indulge in something a little egg-stravagant? (Sorry, couldn’t resist!) If you want a sure-fire way to get in the good books with your flatmates or family, simply rustle up some of these chocolatey bad boys:
Mini-Egg Chocolate Truffle Bites Time: 30mins (plus 1 hour cooling) Cost: 21p each. Ingredients (Makes 12): 150g Dark chocolate, broken into pieces 60g Unsalted butter at room temperature 125ml Double cream 6 (90g) Digestive biscuits 20 (60g) Mini-Eggs Method: 1)Blitz the digestives in a blender or crush them by hand until like sand. 2)Melt 35g butter and mix with the digestives. The result should be a ‘wet sand’ texture. Add a dribble of milk to help if necessary. 3)Place the chocolate and 25g butter in a large bowl. Pour the cream into a sauce pan and bring to the boil. Pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and butter, then stir gently until the chocolate has melted. Add mini marshmallows if you’re feeling a little fly! 4)Line either a small, deep roasting tray or shallow oven dish with greaseproof paper. Spoon the digestive mix into the dish and spread evenly across the bottom. Add your mini eggs to the chocolate mixture, then spread it on top of the digestive base. 5)Place in the fridge for 1hour. 6)Remove from fridge a few minutes before consumption. Enjoy! Jason Alexander Wain
www.roehamptonstudent.com
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Fresh Newspaper
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www.roehamptonstudent.com
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Fresh Newspaper
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Wall of Fame/ Shame
Go Green Week 2010! Photos courtesy of Becca Newton, Dave Tinham & Mr. Gary Coates
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Fresh Newspaper
Campaigns Don’t Diss My Ability!
‘Don’t Diss My Ability’ is a new disability awareness campaign that RSU have decided to add to the campaigns calendar for the year, and is planned for 4th to 7th May. Throughout Roehampton there are a number of different services that are available to students with disabilities, and this campaign is to not only promote these services, but to also look at highlighting potential issues that students may be facing, and how we can resolve them. Disability Services Disability Services are based in the Student Access Centre and aim to empower and support disabled students throughout their time at Roehampton. They can communicate with your academic school, make exam arrangements, and help you apply for the Disabled Students Allowance. They have a team of Tutors and Learning Support Assistants who can work with disabled students individually or in workshops. Do I have a “disability”? Disabled people are protected against discrimination by the Disability Discrimination Act, 1995. A person is considered disabled under the Act if they have: “…a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.” There are many conditions that can adversely affect your studies: •learning difficulties like dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD and ADD •mental health difficulties like anxiety, panic attacks, depression, bipolar disorder, self-harm, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and eating disorders •wheelchair use or mobility difficulties caused by Cerebral Palsy, Arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis or other medical conditions •being blind or partially sighted, a Braille user or having other conditions that affect vision •deafness, being hard of hearing, a British Sign Language user, hearing aid user, or deaf in one ear •Aspergers Syndrome or another Autistic Spectrum Disorder •medical conditions like arthritis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, ME, Lupus, Diabetes, Sickle Cell Anemia, Asthma, Multiple Sclerosis, Epilepsy. There are obviously many other conditions or diagnoses not listed here that may affect your day to day life and learning. If you think you may have a disability contact disability services to discuss your situation with an adviser. Alternatively the Access Centre has drop in sessions which over March and April run at the following times: March – Wednesday 31st, 12 till 2pm April – Wednesdays and Thursdays, 12 till 2pm Note - Tuesday evening drop-ins will run again from Tuesday 27 April, 4-6pm. Disability Services are available throughout the year, Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. Visit them at Student Services in the Lawrence Building, beside Froebel Lake. You can contact them by phone on 020 8392 3403 or by e-mail: disabilities@roehampton.ac.uk or find out more information about what they offer at http://studentzone.roehampton.ac.uk/ disability/index.html Library Disability Services Students with disabilities may be entitled to take advantage of additional services that are available in the Library; however students must have discussed their needs with Disability services. Additional services include – •Extension of 1 week loans to 2 weeks for the first loan period. Thereafter renewable for 1 week loan periods •Priority booking of study rooms in the Library. There are 2 priority rooms available with specialist equipment. Book these rooms at the Library Welcome Desk or book in advance via the Library web pages http://studentzone.roehampton.ac.uk/library/lrc/studyrooms/ bookroom.asp •Search and collect (book retrieval) service. Up to 5 Library items can be requested for collection at Whitelands or the University Library by completing a for available at http:// studentzone.roehampton.ac.uk/library.searchandcollect/index.html •Borrowing materials by proxy. Nominated helpers may borrow materials when students’
disabilities prevent them from visiting the Library. •Roaming Profile. This enables users to save their software settings between sessions. More details available via IT Helpdesk: it.helpdesk@roehampton.ac.uk There is also a Digitization service which is available for students who are blind or partially sighted, have uncorrectable sight-loss or have a physical disability which makes it impossible for them to hold a book or move their eyes. For Library Enquiries please use Virtual Librarian. There is a link under My Tools in My Zone or phone 0208 392 3770 for assistance. For more details and information on Library services for disabled students visit the Library Disabled users web pages on http://studentzone.roehampton.ac.uk/library.disabledusers/ index.html Don’t Diss My Ability The idea of ‘Don’t Diss My Ability’ came off the back of an NUS campaign, and is something that we have tried to tailor to Roehampton by making sure that this is an entirely student run campaign by setting up a ‘students with disabilities steering group’ which is an open forum for all students to come to. The aim of this is to find out what students with disabilities think we should be campaigning for and how they think we should be doing it, as well as to discuss all the services that are provided to support them during their time at Roehampton, and make sure that all students are getting the most out of their University experience. If you would like more information on the ‘Don’t Diss My Ability’ Campaign or any of the Roehampton Disability Support Services then please email becky.aston@roehampton. Final details for this campaign will be available on www.roehamptonstudent.com
Becky Aston
Go Green Week: A Review So Go Green Week 2010 has been and gone and it’s been a good one! We have bled sweat and toiled to bring the best possible events that we could. We’ve had great events every day of the week and encompassed all campuses in our bid to make Roehampton go greener in 2010. The week started out on a fantastic note with the launch of Meat Free Monday, bid to get Roehampton students to lower their carbon food-prints by cutting meat out of their diets for just one day. We also had showings of two films: Crude (during which we charged each entrant one can to be recycled for entrance ) and Age of Stupid. Both films seemed to be a pretty big success and the day drew to a close.Tuesday saw People and Planet competing with ‘alternative’ belly dancers and the gods gifts of precipitation during a take over of Southlands bar. Folk, world music and rockabilly were the orders of the night with students left asking for much more of the same in the future.
“We have bled sweat and toiled to bring the best possible events that we could. We’ve had great events every day of the week and encompassed all campuses in our bid to make Roehampton go greener in 2010”
Wednesday saw the return of the - Joseph Booth, Environmental Officer Fair Green Fayre, loads of stall holders packed out Duchesne and liberated Digby car park from use. Notable stall holders were the Kew eco village who provided drum circles and benders during the day and the relaunch of the Roehampton food co-operatve. After the fayre we were treated to a fantastic lecture on radical left politics by the lord Tinham esq. Thursday brought Critical Mass to the sprawling campuses of Roehampton, as a 28 strong team of cyclists saddled up and glided across the campus, and then for a few short moments reclaimed Roehampton lane for the use of cyclists only. Whose streets...? Friday saw the announcement of the Whitelands based winners of the RU Unplugged energy reduction competition, and People and Planet’s surprising and tantalizing take over the
Bops ‘Green room’. The week was a big success but only needs to get bigger. Students of Roehampton your university and your race need you! People and Planet need new members so that we can continue to do amazing things in the world of Roehampton. If you are interested then drop a message to boothj11@roehampton.ac.uk. Joseph Booth
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Methadrone: The dangers of the new party drug also known as ‘meow meow’ What we do know Methadrone (also known as ‘meph’, ‘m-cat’, ‘MCAT’, ‘Miaow’, ‘miaew’, ‘4-mmc’, ‘bubbles’, ‘white magic’ and ‘plant feeder’) is a stimulant which is closely chemically related to amphetamines. Users report that methadrone produces a similar experience to drugs like amphetamines, ecstasy or cocaine.
What you need to know You can’t know exactly what your taking if you take a ‘legal high’, so the effects can be very unpredictable, and just because they are legal to possess does not mean they are safe. Most of these substances are illegal to sell, supply, or advertise for human consumption, under medicines legislation because of the effects on the body. Legal highs can contain a range of potentially dangerous chemicals, and their chemical make up changes all the time, so you can never be 100% certain what you have bought, and what the effects might be. The chemicals in legal highs have, in most cases, never been used as drugs, so have had no tests performed on them to show that they are safe, nor do they have a long history of use, so health problems would not be apparent. Legal highs can carry potentially serious health risks.
Side Effects/Risks
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The Government is obliged by law to consult the ACMD as part of the process of deciding whether or not a drug should be controlled. If the Government decide methadrone and other similar drugs should be controlled then the legalization has to be drafted and put through the parliamentary process. This has to be done carefully and unfortunately does take time. At this moment in time methadrone is illegal in Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Israel. As of January 2010 it became a controlled drug in Germany.
Roehampton University Drugs Policy Roehampton University has a ZERO TOLERANCE policy on drugs, and this looks at a whole range of issues concerning both legal and illegal drugs. For a full copy of the Roehampton University Drugs Policy go to http:// roehampton.ac.uk/about/policies/DrugsPolicy.pdf 8. The University does not condone the misuse of legal drugs, including alcohol or drugs in sports, and is committed to reducing the risks associated with alcohol and drug use within its community. Whenever it is appropriate the University will take disciplinary action in response to unacceptable behaviour associated with the misuse of legal drugs. 9. The University will provide supportive harm minimization strategies which reduce the risks associated with drug use, including making available confidential counseling for those who are experiencing difficulties associated with drug use. Internal Support Health and Wellbeing Advisor (Student Services) - Stephen Messinger Tel - 0208 392 3668 Email - Stephen.messinger@roehampton.ac.uk Student Welfare Officers Digby Stuart College – Jo Granger Tel – 0208 392 3204 Email – j.granger@roehampton.ac.uk
There is no current clinical literature on the effects of methadrone or other derivatives, so most information is based on anecdotal reports from users of the drug.
Froebel College – Anne Marie Joyes Tel – 0208 392 3304 Email – a.joyes@roehampton.ac.uk
Many people who have used methadrone and similar drugs have reported their experiences to be similar to taking amphetamines, ecstasy or cocaine, producing a sense of euphoria and well being. People who snort these substances can have extremely sore nasal passages, throats and mouths, with burns or cuts caused by the chemicals, sometimes leading to nose bleeds.
Southlands College – Belinda Stott Tel – 0208 392 3402 Email – b.stott@roehampton.ac.uk Whitelands College – Ejiro Ejoh Tel – 0208 392 3502 Email – e.ejoh@roehampton.ac.uk
Like other stimulant drugs, the cathinone derivatives can have an impact on the heart. Some users report heart palpitations, or an irregular or racing heartbeat, which may last for some time after taking the drugs. Users often experience blurred vision, hot flushes and muscle tension, particularly in the jaw and face, and some people report that their fingers and other extremities have taken on a bluish pallor after using methadrone. Nausea and vomiting has been reported, particularly if mixed with other drugs such as alcohol or cannabis.
RSU, VP Welfare - Becky Aston Tel – 0208 392 3736 Email – becky.aston@roehampton.ac.uk
A particularly concerning feature of many reports about methadrone use is that once users have started using the drugs in a particular session it is very hard to stop, with compulsive use leading to a number of unpleasant side effects, including insomnia, involuntary muscle clenching and hallucinations. In some cases, it seems, regular or heavy use may develop into psychological dependency.
External Support
Student Medical Centre Tel – 0208 392 3679 Email – smc@roehampton.ac.uk
FRANK Tel - 0800 77 66 00 Text – 82111 http://www.talktofrank.com
The law The legal position around this group of drugs is currently very complex. The parent drug of all these substances is cathinone, the active constituent in khat. Cathinone is controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act as Class C drug. The Advisory Council on the misuse of Drugs (ACMD) has been asked to consider the harms associated with cathinone derivatives (such as methadrone) and whether they should be brought under the control of the Misuse of Drugs Act. The ACMD is expected to publish a report in March 2010.
NHS Direct 0845 46 47 If you think you are having a serious negative reaction soon after taking a drug, go straight to the Accident & Emergency Department of your nearest hospital.
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Fresh Newspaper
Music Liars - Sisterworld (Mute Records)
8
Liars the three-piece from New York (via Australia and Germany) returned in 2010 with the release of ‘Sisterworld’ this month after a two and a half year absence. ‘Sisterworld’ begins with ‘Scissor’ as it opens pretty sombre and you find yourself waiting for it to become a Liars track after a very subdued start, which actually acts as quite a beautiful intro. With the lyrics “I’m supposed to save you now, but my hands are freaking out” the anticipation is building for a dramatic twist in the song. One minute and forty-two seconds sees the change in guitar, vocals, drums and just everything and you get that smack in the face you’ve been waiting for. Originally categorised as a ‘dance-punk’ band Liars have done everything in the past few years to stray away from that tag. ‘Sisterworld’ is a rock record, no doubt about it; it is loud guitars and intense vocals. What all the songs have though is a strong and raw sense of emotion that not many bands are able to capture quite like Liars.‘No Barrier Fun’ carries on where ‘Scissor’ left off and what this album manages to do with so many of the songs is craft songs which have both gentle and rougher moments. Liars are the masters are writing songs that one minute scare you to death and the next minute make you feel incredibly calm and still. The different rush of emotions you go through listening to a Liars record is just like no other. ‘Scarecrows On A Killer Slant’ is Liars of old and is just a perfect example of what this band does so well. Other songs like ‘Here Comes All The People’, ‘Too Much, Too Much’ and ‘The Overachievers’ are brimming with intensity and raw emotion. Many have suggested this could be a break through record for Liars, it is not. If you do not like Liars already then this album will not get you “into” them, if you are into Liars already then you will thoroughly enjoy this wonderful piece of music.
walks the tight-rope of becoming just a little too maudlin for its own good. Sadly, this album may well be over looked by the masses in favour of current industry darling Ellie Goulding and her saccharine beats and bleeps, but ‘I Speak Because I Can’ is an engaging record which will hopefully see Marling’s popularity and confidence continue to grow. Richard Williams
Deftones - Diamond Eyes (Warner Bros/Reprise)
9
Being one of the pioneers of melodic metal, you would think Deftones would have really dropped off the pace of things. If you thought this you could not be more wrong. The American power house return with the beautiful Diamond Eyes. Not many people would associate the word beautiful with the metal genre, but wait to you hear this album and you will totally agree. Built up of hard hitting riffs, booming drum beats, all topped off by the unmistakable voice of Chino Moreno. Deftones haven’t lost any of their edge that gained them huge popularity in the late 90’s. Still playing with the same down tempo sound that really makes you think this band are years ahead of their time when they first broke onto the music scene. Like a fine wine Deftones have got better with age as they have grown into their sound and managed to create such a great album so far into their career. It is no surprise that with the release of this album their performance at Download festival is even more highly anticipated then it was originally. One thing that makes this Deftones album stand out above others like White Pony. You can listen to it all the way through and not find a dull song. Songs like ’CMND/CRL’, ’Sextape’ and ’Beauty School’ are the big stand out songs on which can only be described as a master piece of an album.
Shaun Hill Tim Birkbeck
Broken Bells (Columbia Records)
8
Since the announcement of the Broken Bells project back in September of 2009 there has been an awful lot of hype surrounding the band. Broken Bells are a two piece super group including James Mercer (the front man indie heroes The Shins) and the other half is made up by Danger Mouse (of Gnarls Barkley fame) although Mr. Mouse is billed under his real name of Brian Burton. This month sees the release of their self-titled debut album; many have suggested that Broken Bells are just a Shins spin-off; an understandable criticism considering the two bands share the same lead singer. However Broken Bells are more than just James Mercer, Brian Burton is a well established drummer and excellent producer.The production on the record is fantastic and some of the songs are James Mercer at his absolute best. New single ‘Vaporize’ is such a great song, and is James Mercer at his lyrical finest as the following lyric proves: “Why should we waste it on, buying into the same old lies? The longer we wait around, the faster the years go by.” Thankfully the album is not made of just one hit; it is a record full of hits. ‘The High Road’ is a splendid mix of Burton’s drums / production and Mercer’s incredible voice. A criticism of many bands albums is that they have weak endings, but not this band as the album goes from strength to strength. The last two songs, ‘Mongrel Heart’ and ‘The Mail & Misery’ especially are beautifully put together pieces of music by two wonderful musicians.Further on from that ‘The Ghost Inside’, ‘October’ and ‘Citizen’ are all very different in their own right but show the band’s depth and quality. Broken Bells are always going to receive the Shins comparisons but they are very much their own band and proof that with the right vocals and front man (Mercer) and brains (Burton) something beautiful can be produced. Shaun Hill
Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can (Virgin Records)
8
Laura Marling was just 18 when she released the Mercury Award nominated ‘Alas I Cannot Swim’, featuring songs that defied her tender years, the record turned the heads of critics and the public alike. Now two years older and wiser, it was interesting to see how she would follow up such a nearimmaculate debut. Well, musically it doesn’t stray too far from the folky template of its predecessor; softly strummed guitars, strings, cello, piano and rumbling percussion are all still present, over the top of which Marling’s voice has developed nicely. Those who love a bit of indie gossip speculated that this would be a break up album (she split from Noah and the Whale’s Charlie Fink shortly before recording), but while Marling touches on subject - “You never did learn to let the little things go / you never did learn to let me be” for example, Noah and the Whale’s album ‘First Days of Spring’ deals with it much more explicitly. Instead, lyrically ‘I Speak Because I Can’ is more reflective than bitter - “I only believe true love is frail”, whilst “I want to be held by those arms” perhaps refers to her new found happiness with Marcus from Mumford and Sons. Her excellent Christmas single ‘Goodbye England Covered in Snow’ provides the centre piece to an album which is coherent and full of heart, but at times
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Grizzly Bear/Beach House
Camden Roundhouse, 13th March 2010 Grizzly Bear are one of the hottest touring bands right now so when they announced a tour with support from the much
hyped Beach House it was always going to be a much talked about gig. The Roundhouse is a fitting venue for two incredible live acts, and the venue and sound did not let down the bands playing it. Beach House as the support band (who could have easily headlined themselves) played a set that can only be described as short but sweet. The Maryland band played a set of songs mainly from the new critically acclaimed album ‘Teen Dream’. Running through such hits as ‘Zebra’, ‘Norway’, ‘Used To Be’, ‘Take Care’ and more. Beach House are definitely a band worth checking out in 2010 as they set to hit the big time with the new album and their live show did not disappoint. Onto tonight’s headliners Grizzly Bear who have been mesmerising crowds not just up and down this country but the whole world. The New Yorkers began the set with the opening track, ‘Southern Point’ from the new album ‘Veckatimest’, always a crowd pleaser it went down incredibly well. They ran off such hits like ‘Lullabye’, ‘Ready, Able’, ‘Cheerleader’, ‘Knife’ and the biggest cheer of the night went to ‘Two Weeks’ in which they were joined by Victoria Legrand from Beach House. Seemingly finishing the set with the beautiful ‘On a Neck, On a Spit’ the band went off to great applause. They would return for a wonderful rendition of ‘All We Ask’ and then left the stage for good. Every song mentioned above was pretty special to see, however some of the songs not mentioned did not carry themselves very well live. Many of the songs from the new album struggled to work live and some of the older material from ‘Yellow House’ felt laboured. Despite this criticism it was worth the 20 pounds entry fee to see the songs mentioned and the wonderful Beach House. Shaun Hill
LIVE
You Me At Six
2 gigs, 1 night
Brixton Academy, 20th March 2010
There is a new line of teenage pop-punk bands that seem to have emerged over the last few years. If you are a fan of this genre of pop then tonight you have been a dream come true, as three of the finest bands took to Brixton Academy. Tonight You Me At Six came back to London to show of latest album ‘Hold Me Down’.
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witnessed their crushes perform one of their best live performances to date. Even if you are not a fan of YM@6, based on tonight you can’t say they don’t deserve to be where they are. Tim Birkbeck Top Artists:
Andy McKee
Union Chapel, 20th March 2010
1. Radiohead 2. David Bowie 3. Yeasayer 4. Muse 5. Gorillaz 6. Modest Mouse 7. Bon Iver 8. Mumford & Sons 9. Tom Waits 10. Los Campesinos!
First of the two opening American bands was We The Kings. This four piece has already been tipped for great things in the future by several people and on tonight’s evidence these people are spot on. Right from the get go they had the crowd jumping up and down and singing along to their very catch choruses. Even though We The Kings were full of energy and life they summed up the night perfectly (and the average age of the crowd) by ‘tip toeing’ around the subject of sex, this just showed both the bands and the crowds immaturity. The saving grace of their set was a rendition of Jimmy Eats World’s ‘Middle’ which once again unfortunately only the older members of the crowd knew what the song was.
Through the popularity of a certain Youtube clip, Andy McKee has become famous through the use of complicated guitar techniques, finger tapping, over the fretboard strumming, and creating a drumbeat while all of this is happening. This talented musician has got a name for himself alongside the likes of Michael Hedges, Don Ross, and Antoine Dufour.
It was then Dallas’s Forever The Sickest Kids job to keep the fun filled atmosphere inside the academy at a high. FTSK have a very fun outlook on life and this shows through on stage. Playing a heavy style of electro-pop, which the crowd loved every second of as front man … minced around on stage making every teenage girl in the venue scream at his every move. The unusual thing about FTSK’s set was that their new material was better received then old favourites like ‘Phone Call’ and ‘Hey Brittany’. As well as the crowd enjoying their performance, the band seemed to enjoy themselves as their drummer even got up and stood on his drums he got so carried away.
The quaintness of Islington Union Chapel, whereby many musicians have previously performed created the most perfect atmosphere for the 800 strong audience that came to see Andy McKee. Without support he relied on his 2 hour set, made up of old and new guitar-only songs to show off his expertise. As a guitarist myself I was personally surprised as to what this man could do with the instrument. The sounds produced were only emphasised by the perfect acoustics created by the Union Chapel. Every note played carried perfectly across the ears of every audience member present. His instrumental prowess extended when he whipped out his harp-guitar and played this overtly beautiful device.
Soon the moment everyone had been waiting for was going to be upon us. The anticipation was unbearable for some as the sound techs came onto the stage girls went crazy thinking it was the band. When You Me At Six finally stepped out to perform their biggest headlining date they were greeted by a sea of screaming girls. Right from the first song Brixton Academy was rocking and everyone was singing every word. Once the energy level for the night was established YM@6 took a brief break so that their stage could be transformed into a tank made up of all their equipment. The crowd was so transfixed by what they were witnessing front man Josh F had them like putty in his had and could make them do what he wanted, and that’s exactly what he did. Making them create a ’circle pit’ then demanding all the girls get on the nearest guys shoulders, the crowd were more than happy to do as they were asked. There was even a guest appearance from Emo heart throb Sean from the Blackout to make the noise level in the Academy go into overdrive.
The set list was made up of some of his best known tracks, as well as new tracks from his new album ‘Joyland’ of which the promotional tour focused on. As well as his own pieces, the performances consisted of a couple of Andy McKee’s ‘favourite’ songs from the 80’s, of which were ‘Africa’ by Toto and ‘Everybody Wants To Rule The World’ by Tears for Fears. The most famous track he played, and which most people know being ‘Drifting’ with over 28 million views on Youtube, and without any introduction, this is the song which got the most applause.
When the night was done you could see a sea of girls close to tears and they had just
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! Here’s how February looked...
Jon’s Record... The Soft Pack - The Soft Pack Mike’s Record... Dr Rubberfunk - Hot Stone Dave’s Record... Alkaline Trio - This Addiction
Mumford & Sons: Local celebrities from Barnes!
Top Tracks: 1. M83 - Don’t Save Us From The Flames 2. Los Campesinos! - Romance Is Boring 3. Joy Division - Disorder 4. Two Door Cinema Club - Something... 5. Late Of The Pier - Best In The Class 6. Bon Iver - Skinny Love 7. The xx - Crystalised 8. Girls - Lauren Marie 9. Weezer - My Name Is Jonas 10. Gorillaz - Clint Eastwood
Upon finishing Andy McKee mentioned that he would be at the back of the venue for people to meet him, at which a good 500 people from the audience jumped at the opportunity. The gig was a personal favourite and I recommend buying his new record ‘Joyland’.
Adam Le Breuilly
Jane’s Record... Motion City Soundtrack - My Dinosaur Life Aaron’s Record... Fabric Elevator Music Vol 1 Milly’s Record... Los Campesinos Romance Is Boring Pier’s Record... FabricLive 50 Autonomic
Tom’s Record... Crime In Stereo I Was Trying To Describe You To Someone Ollie’s Record... Yeasayer - Odd Blood Adam’s Record... Hot Chip - One Life Stand Sean’s Record... Animal Kingdom Signs & Wonders
Harry’s Record... We Are The Ocean Cutting Our Teeth Adam B’s Record... All Time Low MTV Unplugged
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Fresh Newspaper
Books Slice A Day Congratulations to all those elected earlier in the month. April is on the horizon and hopefully the sun will rise above it, so what better time to head to Richmond or Hyde Park and get stuck into one these gems.
Collected short stories J G Ballard Published: 2002 ‘Short stories are the loose change in the treasury of fiction, easily ignored beside the wealth of novels available…short stor[ies] are coined from precious metal, a glint of gold that will glow for ever in the deep purse of your imagination.’ The above quote, taken from J.G Ballard’s introduction to this collection, is one of truth and clarity. The collection holds 96 chronologically ordered science fiction and dystopian short stories that cling to your imagination and play on fears of the future. One of the most prolific British writers of the previous century, his style, vision and language are unmatched throughout the genres. To sum up such a vast collection is problematic, but Ballard’s themes and obsessions seem to creep into each story. His fear and wonder of the growing consumer culture of the 50’s and 60’s creates a blend of technology and sex, the main theme of his later novel ‘Crash’ (1973). Ballard also embodies the genres move into the psychoanalytical, revealing the odd workings of character’s mind that have been warped by certain futuristic events. Highlights of the collection include the opening ‘Prima Belladonna’ (p1), ‘Why I Want To Fuck Ronald Reagan’ (p757) and ‘The Secret History of World War 3’ (p1116), whereas the closing ‘Report from an Obscure Planet’ (p1184) and ‘The Venus Hunters’ (p480) are best avoided. The literary power of these works stems from Ballard’s infusion of the other arts, admitting himself that his surrealist outlook comes from Max Ernst’s work, and the organised chaos of the futuristic landscapes from the Jazz of John Coltrane. For his time he was radical, and his visions are still relevant today, and his recent death is a great loss to British literature. Liked this? Try…‘The Complete Short Stories’ by Frank Kafka
Lonely Londoners Sam Selvon Published: 1956 ‘Divide[s] up in little worlds, and you stay in the world where you belong to and you don’t know anything about what happening in the other ones except what you read in the papers’. In my opinion one of best fictional accounts of the day-to-day struggles of the black community in post-war London. ‘Lonely Londoners’, Sam Selvon’s third novel, follows the lives of ‘The Boys’,
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immigrants from the West Indies and Africa who come to London to work on streets ‘paved with gold’ (p5). This is not the case as the main protagonist Moses knows only too well, and tries to convey to the newly arrived and optimistic Henry Oliver, a.k.a Sir Galahad. We are slowly introduced to minor characters, Big City, Tolroy, Captain, and Five, in a sort of daisy chain of stories about the City, women, class, food, racism and money. On top of its realist subject matter this novel’s strengths are in its stylistic traits. The most obvious is the creolised English Selvon employs, believing that Standard English ‘couldn’t carry the essence of what I wanted to say’ (vi). These grammatical inaccuracies take nothing away, but in fact launch you into the voice and consciousness of the characters creating an empathetic relationship between narrator and reader. Stream of consciousness is also employed, Selvon sometimes banishing all punctuation for pages and pages in the name of oral tradition, which also establishes the novel as subversive towards the contemporary Euro-centric set of literary conventions. The lonely Londoners is as funny as it is dark and original as it is everyday, and from the outset places you into the shoes of others. Liked this? Try…’The River Between’ by Wa Thiong’o Ngugi
Nocturnes Kazuo Ishiguro Published: 2009 Continuing along the theme of collected stories, the recently released ‘Nocturnes’ is the latest from novelist Kazuo Ishiguro. The title has a dual meaning of both describing a classical piece of reflective music, and a painting a night scene. This could not be more apt for the five short stories based around the harmonic themes of music and night. Stylistically the prose is straightforward and at times mundane, and with a story concerned with music I feel Ishiguro could of added a more lyrical element to the prose to reflect the sleek, bustling café atmosphere the stories reflect. But, as with music, it is the soul of pieces rather than the technicality of it that stimulates us. ‘The Cellist’, tells the story of an American woman who teaches a young Hungarian musician, but in fact is so confident of her talent that she knows nothing of the Cello and has no intention of doing so, as she feels she will damage ‘what I was born with’. This line of absurdity and beauty with ‘Crooner’, a singer who divorces his wife, who he loves, so he can make a showbiz comeback. Ishiguro is a largely underestimated writer outside literary circles, despite being on par with Ian McEwan, Salman Rushdie and Martin Amis. His venture into short story after six successful novels reflects the pains of being an artist, the dreams talents evoke and beauty of its two main themes. Ishiguro knows this only too well, busking in Paris and trying to make it as a song writer in his youth. This debut into short story writer only strengthens that fact he made the right career choice. Liked this? Try… ‘First love, last rites’ by Ian McEwan
Chris Davis
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Societies President’s roundup Hi all, Firstly I’d like to say a massive thank you. I’m sure you all noticed the craziness that was elections, hundreds of poster going up over night, free buttons, cakes and stickers being handed out, not to mention perilous trips past the LRC (sorry if I accosted you outside the library). I’m pleased to say that I’ve been lucky enough to be re-elected into the RSU and keep my position as your Societies President. I’m so pleased, because I think I’ll be able to provide societies with the continuity that they’ve been lacking over the past few years. Societies have got plenty to look forward too over the next term, yes people (me included) will have hand in dates and exams but thankfully the weather is going to be gorgeous. So expect plenty of out-door events, whether they be directly run by societies (like the harvest moon festival on 1st may) or events like Frigby and Shitelands. I expect to see everyone making the most of the last term we have this year. If anyone is interested in starting up a new society now is a brilliant time, just get in contact with either me (Springel@roehampton.ac.uk) or our re-elected VP Activities (Natasha.Blake@roehmapton.ac.uk). It seems odd that I would say that now is a brilliant time to start a new society, with it being practically the end of term and all. However now is the perfect time to put in all the groundwork needed, writing the constitution getting people’s opinions (Tash and I will be more than happy to help with any of this). Then start your society proper next year at Freshers’ fair. So if you’re interested in starting any society just get in contact! This time last year both the pole-dancing and the poker societies where just ideas and they have been incredibly successful over the past year! Don’t forget we’ve still got the first ever SAC coming up. The SAC is societies achievement ceremony, I’ll give you more details closer to the event but I can tell you it’s going to be awesome! Just another thing to look forward to next term! So come on, get in contact with any of us if you’ve got any questions about societies! Let’s work together to make next year even better than this one! Luke Springett Societies President
Technology
Q: What do Arctic Monkeys and the iPad have in common? A: Nothing yet, but their sales in one month’s time will. “Don’t believe the hype”, Alex Turner once said at the beginning of the ‘I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor’ video. In January 2006 the following year, Arctic Monkeys’ Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not became the fastest-selling debut album in British history. Forward several years to Friday 12th March and Apple have taken more than 120,000 orders in the US for the newly awaited iPad. Prices start from $499 and with a due date of 3rd April, 99.9% of the buyers haven’t even had a play on the thing- so much for try before you buy, then. But aside from the whirlwind of media coverage smothering the iPad, what does this say about our culture and why are people rushing out spending so much on something they haven’t even touched? Clearly, we are believing the hype. It can’t really be all about the product- the iPad, after all, is just a bigger version of the iPhone, just with the inability to make phone calls. I don’t even think David Mitchell and Robert Webb could sell the iPad to the most critical of buyers, and they too would probably need some convincing. Nowadays, the product seems to have become a reflection of us and the type of people we are, or rather, the type of person we tell others we are. Gone are the days when consumers would buy a product solely because they required the use of its capabilities. Instead, we now buy the product because consumption is the source of our identity. ‘I buy therefore I am’ could not be more relevant to the degree of hyper-consumption our society so readily yet unknowingly endorses. The issue with the iPad, however, is that of its function. Regardless of the tasks it can do, the computer and phone you already have are well equipped and capable of doing said tasks. Therein lays Steve Jobs’ ability to create a product out of nothing. Some will argue that the iPad kills two birds with one stone, however the reality is that it is not an alternative for either phone or computer, but merely another device to add to your collection of shiny, expensive technology. ’Collection’ being the noun of choice here, for it is ultimately the collection of products that give the consumer their identity. The trouble is, when looking back at the sheer success of all of Jobs’ products you almost have to presume that the iPad will become a part of our lives and soon engulf the world regardless; only when it does we won’t get the call about it because we’ll be too busy reading about his next creation on it. Matthew Hilliard
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Fresh Newspaper
Films Kick-Ass Directed by Matthew Vaughn I have been waiting for the release of this film for quite some time and the wait is now finally over! Kick-Ass is like Superbad meets Spiderman (or any superhero movie). The concept of this film is simple and that’s why it seems to work so brilliantly well. Everyday people decide to dress up like superheroes and fight crime. A comic book nerd decides to defend the streets and becomes ‘Kick-Ass’. He then becomes a star overnight thanks to video clips from Youtube. Big Daddy, Hit Girl and Red Mist also get in on the action and become Superheroes. Hit Girl being my favourite and of course Red Mist played by Christopher MintzPlasse (Mclovin to those of you who aren’t aware). Doesn’t the film get far more appealing with Mclovin as one of the stars? I highly recommend this film; honestly there weren’t many flaws whilst watching it. I found it funny, entertaining and a really good comedy movie. The action scenes were highly amusing. I think this is one to defiantly watch out for!
Don’t Look Back (1967, D.A. Pennebaker)
CLASSIC REVIEW
Dont Look Back is a piece of direct cinema that pursues the inspirational yet controversial music icon, Bob Dylan, as he journeys through his tour of England in 1965. The director and cameraman, D.A Pennebaker, was allowed a ‘no holds barred’ look behind the scenes as Dylan & Co embarked on this tour. As a result, he filmed an amazing insight of how this poet/musician was no longer an unsung hero of the times but a revolutionary man inspiring all generations. The film shows footage of how wild fans tried to get to their idol by hanging around outside his hotel, turning up hours early to gigs and even holding tightly onto the roofs of chauffeur cars as they sped away from fanatic fans. This man was fast becoming the next ‘big thing’ and this film captures the moment perfectly. Within the film we also have an inside look at the quieter, more personal times as Dylan writes music with friends (among them, Joan Baez) and reads reviews about his
Alice In Wonderland Directed by Tim Burton The hugely anticipated Alice in wonderland is finally out for release on March 5th. I’m sure we’re all aware of the Alice in Wonderland story, however the film shows Alice returning to wonderland 10 years later. She has no recolation of this place, except in her dreams. After following a white rabbit down a hole she is once again reuinited with all her friends including the Cheshire cat and of course the Mad Hatter. Tim Burton has taken on the role of directing the much loved Lewis Caroll novel with what can only be descible as an immense cast. Some of the stars included in this film are Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Stephen Fry and Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter. The stand out performance goes to Johnny Depp who seems to potray these slightly ecentric roles really well. First there was Avatar which blew us away with the 3D effect and now its time for Alice and Wonderland to do the same. I hope everyone gets the opportunity to see this film in 3D as there were some issues with it being shown in certain cinemas. This is a film worth seeing, you know Tim Burton and Johnny Depp won’t let you down!
“Just pretent I’m not here”
music/persona (which always managed to produce some laughter). He also meets up with musicians and fans alike to sing songs together and this film beautifully captures these extremely intimate moments to share with a wider audience. As a result of filming this character, Pennebaker also illustrates an impartial view of the shifting sixties. As Dylan repeatedly sang, The Times They Are A-Changin’. This film encapsulates a moment in history that will not be forgotten by those around at the time of Dylan’s tour and in my opinion, the film shows an honest representation of this music icon that rejects the ideas conjured up by journalists of the time. With his strong political lyrics and views, our star is still as relevant today as he was then so I highly recommend getting a copy and watching it if you have not already. Jonny Green
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Live and Local
The Return of Courtney Love Monsters Ball Hole, Shepherd’s Bush Empire, 17th February 2010
Lady GaGa, O2 Arena,27th February 2010
‘The return of Courtney Love’. A term first used circa 2006 when, freshly rehabbed and full of a newfound energy, passion and drive, Courtney Love stormed back onto the music scene with an armful of ‘rehab demos’ and promises of a new album, for which fans eagerly waited. And waited. And waited…
Support bands are never really something I look forward to at a gig, but the two acts warming up for Lady Gaga were incredible. After a short burst of excitement when Boy George entered the arena and took his seat, the crowd were ready for some action, and that is exactly what New York band Semi-Precious Weapons provided.
Almost four years later, the impossible happened. A gig was announced. But not under her solo identity …it was to be performed under the name of her 1990s grunge band ‘Hole’. I should start by being honest: this was never going to be an objective review. Courtney Love has been my icon since I was first introduced to her music at the age of fourteen, and the raw sound of Hole has almost exclusively been the soundtrack to my life since then. Since they dissolved in 2001 (?), the possibility of ever seeing them, or Courtney, play live has always seemed incredibly slim.
“I should start by being honest: this was never going to be an objective review. Courtney Love has been my icon since I was first introduced to her music at the age of fourteen, and the raw sound of Hole has almost exclusively been the soundtrack to my life since then.”
Rumours of plans to reform the band and release Courtney’s long-awaited album ‘Nobody’s Daughter’ under their name began circulating in August last year, but considering the track record of release dates being announced, preorders being offered and
yet still no album ever actually materialising, I wasn’t holding out much hope. So when I found out one evening in January that tickets for an abruptly announced Hole gig had been released and devoured at nine o’clock that morning, you can imagine how heartbroken I was. And then my boyfriend stepped up. Seeing my complete devastation, and probably worrying slightly about the possibility of my selling a limb on the black market in exchange for a ticket, he managed to locate a ticket at the cost of £90. It was the best birthday present I’ve ever been given... but I still had doubts. At the time the gig was announced, the band was still unsure of whether they would legally be permitted under the name Hole, due to a dispute with former band member Eric Erlandson. Everything seemed incredibly unstable, and I worried that the gig would be cancelled at the last minute. I also worried that the new line-up wouldn’t be as good as the old one. I was wrong to worry… There is something indescribably powerful about the sheer presence of Courtney Love. I stood about three people from the barrier, being slammed into, elbowed, and crushed so hard I actually thought I had broken a rib. And it was incredible. The band played the perfect mixture of old and new material, opening with Pretty On The Inside, the song which pretty much epitomises the essence of their early career, and then alternating between crowd-riling classics such as Violet and Celebrity Skin, and tracks from the new album such as Samantha, a song which seems to simultaneously capture the old sound of the band and bring something new and brilliant to the table, and which has already become a firm favourite with fans. The end result? I’d say fans walked out of the Empire feeling exhilarated, amazed and overjoyed. Courtney Love is back. I may have waited five years, but it was worth every minute.
When the glamorous foursome, fronted by the fabulous Justin Tranter, bounded onto the stage with the lyrics ‘I can’t pay my rent but I’m f**cking gorgeous’ and continued their set with on-stage costume changes and a champagne bottle adorned with Justin’s face being passed around the audience, we all knew we were in for a shamelessly self-indulgent and glitter-filled night. Next on were Swedish band Alphabeat, more of whose songs I managed to sing along to than I had expected. Then, after a fairly tedious half an hour during which Michael Jackson was played continuously, the main event was upon us. Lady GaGa was simply incredible. Her voice is wonderful; her stage presence astounding. The show was visually spectacular, with props such as a subway carriage, a giant mirror ball (from which she emerged) and a forty foot mechanical sea monster. The show followed the plot of a story in which she and her friends were attempting to find a place called ‘The Monster Ball’, in which all kinds of different people are accepted and embraced for who they are. And most of the crowd were just as lovely as she hoped – in fact, a guy standing near me insisted I stand in front of him when he realised I was having trouble seeing the stage. All in all, it was a wonderfully unique evening, full of decadent surprises you would only expect from a performer such as Lady GaGa.
Ruth Price
Ruth Price
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Fresh Newspaper
Gaming You Online?
My Gripe With a Gaming Giant
Ahh, the internet. Connecting people as well as pissing others off. Just look at Facebook. Great for us, hell for the Chinese government. Usually internet nuances are left with PC users and totalitarian governments, but at the end February, the internet hit back against PS3’s. I’m sure that you all were aware of the ‘The Day The Earth Stood Still’ or as normal people call it, the day all the PS3’s broke. I was shocked when I read it on the front of the Metro. I wanted to get an old one from CEX but if it’s going to do this every 2 years they I’ll fork out for a new one. It all can down to a leap year calculation that the older models had. Soon as the Playstation network said something different, the PS3’s shut down in protest, making it think that it was fresh off the line. I just think it was funny how quickly the owners of said broken PS3’s turned on their masters. The break only lasted 24 hours because it was a date miscalculation which was fixed when the dates changed to March 1st. But in that time, hate groups had already appeared and started to burn effigies. This shows that we gamers are a fickle and fragile bunch. If something breaks, we scream till blue in the face. Then sit on the floor in the foetal position rocking and muttering till it goes away. No... just me then. The last thing I will say on this is that stuff happens. If your one of the PS3 owners who freaked out and spammed the internet with hate until it was fixed, you have proven yourself to be a twat of internet sized proportions.
The recent attack of the now-infamous 8001050F error code left millions of PS3 users worldwide with a forced 24-hour recess from gaming. A scour of internet sites and forums provided me with a bit of a surprise; namely, the sheer agony felt by gamers having to go a mere 24 hours without picking up a controller. But a larger surprise was the number of Xbox 360 and Wii gamers that decided to take advantage of the situation and profess the superiority of their own consoles. This, in turn, prompted some vicious responses from PS3 owners, referring to the Xbox 360’s ‘Red Ring of Death’, and while there have technically been no massive technical issues with the Nintendo Wii, an alternative option was to simply slate the console as a toy. As an avid player of both a PS3 and a Wii, it made me think: Why is a console which has provided me with some of the best titles I have ever played, being belittled in such a manner?
Will Morris
Reviews: Splinter Cell: Conviction The only notable release of the beginning of April is Splinter Cell: Conviction. When I said that you thought of the 3 Green Eyes, think again. There is no sign of the Green in the single player campaign, but it is still in the 2 player campaign. Yes there are 2 different campaigns for single and 2 player. I mean two entirely different stories. The two player is the prequel to the single player making some sort of connection between the two. In the case of the single player, the stealth is there, but you have many guns so there is not much damage if you mess that up. The two player is has the normal Splinter Cell set up, silencers, Green eyes and all. Overall, it seems like a step in the right direction for the series. It’s been trying to get darker since Chaos Theory but this time it really has succeeded. This one seems like good game and worth the money if you do get it. Splinter Cell: Conviction released April 16th on PC and Xbox 360
Red Dead Redemption The last week of April has many releases but the big one is Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar’s return to the Wild West. To me, Rockstar make games over large areas with plenty to do within them. Red Dead is no different. You won’t run out of things to do in this one. The biggie with this game is the moral choice system. It’s not in Bioshock style with simple kill or don’t kill choices. This one is more in depth with you actions as well as your choices having an effect. On top of this is the way people react to you with a fame system. This leads to you being able fight with the police or shoot at them. This game is one of the most in depth games I’ve seen in a while. The game play though is of normal standard and damages no sensitive ground in the 3rd person style. Even without breaking any ground, the game seems very, and I mean very, well done and worth the money. Red Dead Redemption released April 30th on Playstation 3 and Xbox 360
No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle Let’s get one thing clear, I liked the first one. It may have been on the Wii but I still liked it. Waving my arms pretending I was holding a sword, while screaming at the TV appealed to the little kid side of me. This one is more of the same, but better. This has its bad points because, like the first one, this one can get repetitive in the long haul and for the average twitching 360 player. If you’re the sort of gamer who likes a mature game then this is a game for you. This game is an acquired taste though. This game is well worth a buy but you have to make sure you’re going to like it when you buy it. Otherwise, you might end with a game that you might regret getting. No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle released ‘Sometime in April’ on Wii Will Morris
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To be completely fair, it’s not like Nintendo aren’t at fault for this. It seems that with every quality title, there is an accompaniment of what some politely refer to as ‘shovelware’, and what I like to politely refer to as ‘crap’. For every Super Mario Galaxy, there is a Carnival Games. For every Twilight Princess, there is a cheap movie tie-in, guaranteed to make money off of its name alone (if I’m being completely honest, this is a multi-format issue), and overall, for any quality title, there is a game aimed at a ‘gaming family’, represented by overly happy adverts of the evertogether Ant and Dec. As a long-term Nintendo gamer, I understand the company’s need to aim for a wider demographic; the GameCube did not sell as well as expected, and Sony’s PS2 flew ahead with its wide range of third-party titles and multifunctional abilities, but pure and simply, it seems that this new aim is being prioritized over long-standing fans.
“It seems that with every quality title on the Wii, there is an accompaniment of what some politely refer to as ‘shovelware’, and what I like to politely refer to as ‘crap’. For every Super Mario Galaxy, there is a Carnival Games. For every Twilight Princess, there is a cheap movie tie-in, guaranteed to make money off of its name alone” Admittedly, a remedy appears to have been administered to sufferers like me, with titles Super Mario Galaxy 2, Metroid: Other M, Zelda Wii and No More Heroes 2 looking to temporarily appease fans not looking for a happy family time. But the annoying thing is that from a cynical (and realistic) perspective, this remedy appears to be temporary. If four popular franchises have titles released all in the space of one year, what will be coming out next year? Logic dictates that ‘good, clean family fun’ will be the priority; this emphasis is encapsulated by the Australian release of three Sega-developed Wii titles under the rather patronising name of ‘Welcome to Violence’. Really? Now we’re being welcomed to the concept of violence? This is on a console which is the latest representation of a console line which brought us games such as the Timesplitters series, Killer Instinct Gold, the Resident Evil series and Eternal Darkness, all fairly violent games. Furthermore, a recent announcement by Suda 51, unveiling a trailer of No More Heroes 2, which showed the option of BLOOD (*sarcastic gasp*), seemed to have received as a big deal, since the first game had the blood removed for its European release. Either way, my complaint comes down to this: why is Nintendo’s emphasis on happy families, content with treating a console like a board-game, brought out on weekends when the parents are home, rather than the hardcore gamers who have followed them since the days of the NES? The fact that this has become a large enough issue to bother me speaks plenty, development of these gamesisn’t really the problem, but rather the subsequent lack of quality third-party game development, consumer defection to other companies (2009 would have been very boring for me, gamewise, had I not bought my PS3), and abuse being suffered by, the now seemingly oxymoronic term, serious Nintendo gamers. Come on Nintendo, sort it out.
Aman Pathiara
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