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Erasmus funding failure Page X
Some Sussex students have been waiting for over two months for their Erasmus mobility grant payment, throwing their budgets into disarray. Student tells The Badger that they would reconsider studying abroad if they knew about delays
Epso Jack Williams News Editor Many UK students studying overseas on their Erasmus year abroad, including dozens from the University of Sussex, have experienced prolonged delays in the payment on their mobility grants, pushing scores of them into financial hardship. Students studying on the Erasmus+ programme, which enables thousands of students to study on a year abroad at some of the most elite universities in European Union countries, were due to receive their Erasmus mobility grant, worth up to 272 euros a month, by the
start of term in September, but due to bureaucratic problems at the British Council, some students have not yet had the money transferred to them. The two-month delay means that many students are facing the reality of amending their budgets, with a considerable amount of Sussex students telling The Badger that the mobility grant was fundamental factor is reassuring them that it was financial viable to study abroad. A number of students have also reported that their grant has been slashed by around a third, meaning students will no longer get 10 months’ worth of grant money that was originally promised to them.
The complication stems from a delay by the British Council in processing certain institution’s grant agreements, which is required by the European Commission to authorise the payments. The British Council have offered their apologies for the complications and stressed that the circumstances were “beyond our control”, but accordingly to a number of affected students, have offered no indication of when the problem will be resolved, leaving them in financial uncertainty. In an e-mail exchange between David Brimage, Executive Office of European Programmes at the Sussex Study Abroad office, and the British Council helpdesk, it
was confirmed the University of Sussex’s grant agreement was being processed. A representative of the British Council said in the email: “I can confirm that your institution’s Grant Agreement has been processed and due to the value, it has been sent to London to be signed by senior management. “We will issue the payment as quickly as we can once the Grant agreement has been countersigned. I’m sorry I can’t give you a better time frame”. This information was relayed to overseas Sussex students on the 3 November. Several students studying abroad at the University of Amsterdam and Uppsala University have told The Badger that they are now left in a dire financial situation, with some saying that they are finding it difficult to pay for food and rent. A petition has been created by an overseas University of Sussex student requesting that the British Council set an official date of when universities can expect to be allocated with Erasmus funding. At the time of writing, this petition has attracted 86 signatories. Ellen Blakemore, A University of Sussex who is studying on a year abroad at the University of Amsterdam, told The Badger: “If the British Council had notified me earlier that there was going to be a problem or had given me some idea when I was going to receive my grant I would have been able to come up with a plan of how I am going to manage my finances. “I was hoping on my year abroad to make the most of the beautiful country I am living in but as it currently stands, I’m barely going to have enough for food for the next month so it’s impossible to do this. The British Council can apologise for the situation all they like but when they offer no hope of a solution, they’re just empty words. “The Study Abroad team at Sussex have generally been responsive and helpful to our situation, but their hands are tied as
they can’t pay us until the British Council give them the money to do so.” She also said that if she had known that there would be problems with the mobility grant payment, she “would probably have reconsidered doing a year abroad in the first place”. A spokesperson for the University of Sussex said: “Students have been kept up to date via email about the current delay with their Erasmus grants. “We emphasise that the Erasmus grant will not cover all costs incurred in studying abroad and that students should ensure they have enough money set aside to cover all initial expected costs as the first payment can be delayed.” Explaining how the living without the mobility grant is affecting her, Amy Williams, A Sussex student studying abroad in Amsterdam, commented: “I calculated that with the grant and my student loan as well as money I saved from working at Sussex that I could afford the year - but now I’m rapidly slipping into my overdraft. Harriet Dunn, who is studying at Uppsala University, said: “My decision to study abroad was based on the knowledge that I would be receiving this grant to finance my studies, and my student loan just can’t cover me at the moment. “I have already asked my daily for money several times, and am in debt to a number of good friends here who have lent me some money for food shopping. At the moment I am unsure how I am going to pay this months rent. Bethan Hunt, Students’ Union Education Officer, said that: “Studying abroad is such a fantastic opportunity and it would be such shame if it was only an opportunity for wealthier students. I would implore the British Council to consider this when making their decision.” The University of Sussex currently have 69 students studying abroad of the Erasmus programme, with a further 9 leaving in the spring term.
the badger
17 NOVEMBER 2014
IN PICTURES More autumn celebrations at Sussex
in pictures • 2
Editor-in-Chief Deborah Batchelor badger@sussexstudent.com News Editor Jack Williams Tech/Science/Features Editor Jordan Ellis Comment Editor Victoria Farley Arts Editor Tom Powell Head of Publicity Lili Pammer-Zagroczky News Sub Editors Daniel Green, Zoe Halse, Alex Ferguson, Rosie Dodds badger-news@ussu.sussex.ac.uk Tech Sub Editor Connor Cochrane badger-tech@ussu.sussex.ac.uk
Cara Paul
Features Sub Editor Ryan Bourne badger-features@ussu.sussex.ac.uk
Cara Paul
Cosmo Sanderson Science Sub Editor Jade Groves badger-science@ussu.sussex.ac.uk Comment Sub Editors Miriam Steiner, Alice Nettleship badger-opinion@ussu.sussex.ac.uk Letters Sub Editor Louis Patel badger-letters@ussu.sussex.ac.uk
Hal Furness
Arts Sub Editors Victoria O’Donnell, Ioana Matei, Raymond Jennings, Lily Cooper, Jessica-Lily Harvey-Cox badger-arts@ussu.sussex.ac.uk Hal Furness
Sports Sub Editor Vladislav Hristov Grozev badger-sports@ussu.sussex.ac.uk Photo Editors Aditi Sreevathsa, Sophie Jones thebadgerphotography@gmail.com Publicity Coordinator Lenart Celar badger-publicity@ussu.sussex.ac.uk Online Editors Steve Barker, Pete Humphreys badger-online@ussu.sussex.ac.uk Media Development Officer Paul Millar mediadevelopment@sussexstudent. com Communications Officer
Cosmo Sanderson
Michael Segalov Cara Paul
communications@sussexstudent. Sophie Jones
the badger
17 NOVEMBER 2014
Union staff to vote on whether to have a living wage referendum Matthew Fallon
It has emerged that a vote is to be held amongst Student Union outlet staff about whether the question of raising the basic wage for Union staff to the living wage should be posed in an all-student referendum within the next few months. The Students’ Union has decided that becoming a ‘living wage employer’ would be a necessary step to take in order for it to stay true to its principle of being an ‘ethical’ employer. However, after a significant amount of feedback from staff and with a number of concerns raised, it has chosen to put the question of the living wage to Union staff first before it is potentially put to the entire Union within the next few months. The main concern needing to be addressed appears to be to do with how an increase in the Union wage bill would affect the rest of its finances. It is to be expected that pay for Supervisors and Assistant Managers would also be boosted in order to reflect the increase in responsibility, thus raising the wage bill further. This issue was acknowledged by Operations Officer Dan Greenberg in a recent email sent to Union staff in which he stated that although the company would be likely to continue to make a surplus in the “immediate future”, a rise in the wage bill would bring the company closer to its
break-even point. Potential issues that could arise from a dip in the company surplus include a tighter management of “staffing ratios”, the ratio between staff costs and turnover. There would also be the potential for price rises on certain goods and, as a last resort, consideration of cutting staffing costs. When asked about the issue of the living wage, Co-op Customer Service Assistant Amy Daniels initially supported raising the pay. However she also stated: “I’m happy with my current wage” and “if it’s going to negatively affect the SU’s
ability to fund other things, it is going to take something away from the university experience for the large majority of the student body or at least make it more expensive which nobody wants” She then went on to say “I think a referendum for the whole student body is unnecessary to be honest, but if people know the funding for services they use is going to decrease so that a small fraction of students can earn more in less time I think most people will say no” The ‘living wage’ is promoted by the Living Wage Foundation and is based on the amount an individual has to earn to cover
the basic costs of living. Political support for it has been widespread, however employers have been reluctant to embrace it despite this support and media coverage. The wage itself varies across the country but is set at a rate of £7.85 per hour outside of London. A Customer Service Assistant at the Sussex campus Co-op currently earns £7.28 per hour. Michael Segalov, Communications Officer said: “ the Students’ Union needs to be at the forefront of fair paying conditions for staff. We can’t demand a living and an end to the abuse of zero hours contracts, if we don’t do it ourselves”.
Students’ Union Council International students resupports marking boycott funded 5% fees increase Alexander Ferguson News Sub-Editor The Sussex Students’ Union Council has voted in a Union Council meeting, held on 10 November, to come out in support of the marking boycott. The vote follows news that academic staff at 69 UK higher education institutions, including the University of Sussex, are currently taking part in a marking boycott as the next step in ongoing industrial action by the UCU (University and College Union). The boycott is as a result of anger against changes to university staff pensions and wages which, according to numerous university Students’ Unions, will “cost university staff thousands of pounds a year in lost benefits and create inequality between institutions”. In response, the management of these universities have announced that they have the right to withhold the pay of those who take part. The amount of withheld pay could reach up to 100 percent. However, in an email sent to University staff, Sussex University management has stated: “In the first instance, the University will withhold 25% of pay per day for the period in which you participate in the action”. The email later stated: “The payment of salary for the remaining 75% is discretionary and ex-gratia on the part of the University. Please note that the University reserves the right to increase the percentage withheld to 100% during any period where it judges the impact of the partial performance on our students and the University to
have become even more serious”. During the Union Council meeting, Bethan Hunt, Education Officer, personally voiced her support for the boycott saying: “historically the Students’ Union has had a good relationship with the UCU” but she also claimed to understand that “it is very frustrating for students”. When asked what the impact of the boycott would be on students with coursework deadlines and formal January assessments, Council members where met with answers from the Fulltime Offers of “your guess is as good as ours” and “who knows?” In the same email sent to Sussex staff, the University also said: “the University regards the action called by UCU as fundamentally contrary to the interests of our students and their learning experience and considers that the action has the potential to have a serious adverse effect on our students”. The Students’ Union will be putting an online statement about the boycott for Sussex students to sign.
Michael Segalov, Communication Officer said: “ I’m glad to say the Students’ Union will be supporting the boycott . While not receiving marks is frustrating, it’s important to remember this is an action not taken lightly and proposed changes will leave some staff up to £20,000 a year worse off. This comes while Vice Chancellor salaries have risen by 5.1 percent.”
Zoë Halse News Sub-Editor
It has been announced by the University’s Director of Finance, Allan Spencer, that the 2014 5 percent fee increase will be waived for international students who registered in 2011-12. The waiver is a result of the University’s consultation with the Student’s Union which was spurred by student complaints regarding the issue. The University had not complied with its own commitment, specified in it’s guidelines, that any affected students would be notified of fee increases for 2014-15 by January 2014. The International students involved were apparently not formally notified of the increase by this deadline, and it was therefore decided that the increase would be cancelled. The 5 percent increase equates to an extra £750 for students. To show the significance of the planned increase, Post Graduate Association (PGA) chair, Andrea Block, pointed out in a letter to The Badger recently that the amount would be the equivalent of 115 hours working in a restaurant. The letter also states: ‘Our concerns also add up to existing frustrations concerning the lack of communication towards students in general and international students in particular. Many have thus perceived this absence of notification
as a lack a consideration and respect. Moreover, for doctoral researchers, the absence of many essential services crucial to our professional and personal development throughout the PhD (decent office space that are not overcrowded with access to computers and printing facilities, material resources such as business cards to circulate in academic events, sufficient financial aid to attend conferences and research events, etc.) makes it all the more difficult to accept this arbitrary hike in tuitions when the quality and access to these services have not been equally increased.’ The University has commented that: “We were pleased that we were able to work with the Students’ Union on this matter and to jointly agree a satisfactory outcome. The University will continue to engage with the Students’ Union to improve the student experience”. Education Officer Bethan Hunt explained: “We essentially had to present the University with their own guidelines and a number of complaints about the issue for the reversal of the increase”. She also stressed that “this isn’t the end of the tuition fee campaign” and the Union will be presenting the aforementioned letter from the PGA to the University’s Director of Finance. It demands changes to any future tuition hike, such as the establishment of a “fix tuition policy” and should a raise in tuition fees arise, students should be
NEWS • 3
NEWS IN BRIEF The creation of an effigy depicting the former Scottish First Minister, Alex Sammond was not a criminal offence, according to the Crown Prosecution Service. The effigy was present at the Lewes Bonfire celebrations. Following an swathe of complaints about the effigy, Sussex Police took the issue to the Crown Prosecution Service, who later declared that no criminal offence occurred. Sussex Police said in the statement: “The event organisers have made it clear that there was no intention to cause insult to anyone or any particular country by the choice of effigy: simply that the person chosen has been a popular media figure in the preceding 12 months.” A report by the University’s Teaching and Learning Committee showed that the proportion of graduates receiving ‘good’ degrees (first and upper second) have increased. Sophie Jones The percentage of graduates receiving a first or a second class honours degree increased to 76 percent from 73 percent. 80 percent of students registered with learning disabilities also attained good honours degrees, 4 percent above the average for Sussex students. The British National Party faced embarrassment last week as they tweeted a remembrance day message a day late. The BNP tweeted a message on the morning of 12 November, before subsequently tweeting an apology and deleting the original message. The post of chair is Scottish Universities could become an elected position in a move to make their institutions more accountable. The Privy Council could also be scrapped in replaced in Scotland as a new committee is set be reform to recommend changes to the way universities are run. Universities Scotland convener, Prof Pete Downes said: ““We urge careful appraisal of whether government action now will enhance universities’ implementation of the principles which are at the heart of our autonomy and success.” properly notified by email personally sent at least six months in advance. USSU President Abraham Baldry told The Badger: “I am delighted that our lobbying efforts have been successful in getting refunds for the students who weren’t notified. There has been insufficient transparency over how tuition fees are set and how they are spent, and I’m meeting the university later this week to discuss how we can best work towards the introduction of fixed fees for international students, and to publishing a breakdown of how student fees are spent”.
the badger
17 November 2014
NEWS • 4
Sussex invests £400,000 into fossil fuels FOSSIL FREE SUSSEX CAMPAIGNING TO MAKE THE UNIVERSITY PULL ITS SUPPORT FOR THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY
Daniel Green News Sub-Editor The University of Sussex has as much as £400,000 invested in fossil fuels, according to a student-run campaign. Fossil Free Sussex, a Student Unionbacked campaign, is part of a growing movement to get institutions to recall their investments in fossil fuels. Following a Freedom of Information request, Fossil Free Sussex were able to discover that the University outsources the management of its £8 million endowment fund to a third-party, CCLA Investment Management. The company then invests the money in a portfolio, 5% of which is devoted to the oil and gas industry, equating to roughly £400,000 of the University’s fund. The campaign is still in its first year and has already attracted 600 signatures, with Brighton Pavilion MP Caroline Lucas expressing her support for the campaign. The campaign hopes to achieve its aim sometime in 2015, a year seen as pivotal due to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, which is seen by some as one of the last chances to reach an effective deal on cutting carbon
emissions. Jack Miller, a key figure in the campaign, said that the Paris Conference offers the perfect chance to “put across the public message that we want action to be taken.” He added that there are also economic reasons to divest, as “shares in the fossil fuel industry... are becoming more and more risky” as extraction becomes more expensive. He also called upon others to join the campaign, saying: “Our generation has a moral obligation to act about climate change in general and this is one of the most effective ways in which students can get involved in climate change activism”. Fossil Free Sussex hopes to follow in the footsteps of the University of Glasgow, which recently became one of the first universities in the United Kingdom to recall their investment of fossil fuels. The Fossil Free movement was launched in 2012 in the United States, with hundreds of divestment schemes taking place at universities, cities and religious institutions across the Western world. The University were not given enough time to reply.
Transgender Awareness Week 2014
Rennett Stowe
Final member of Park Village human trafficking gang jailed Rosie Dodds News Sub-Editor
NCAA Daniel Green News Sub-Editor Last Friday marked the start of Transgender Awareness Week, a week dedicated to raising the visibility of transgender people and the issues that these communities face. The week comes to a close on 20th
November, which marks Transgender Day of Remembrance. TDoR, as it is often abbreviated to, was started by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith in 1998 to memorialise the murder of Rita Hester. Since its inception, it has now been observed in more than 20 countries.
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Attila Kolompar, the eighth and final member of a prostitution gang, has been jailed for two years and nine months. The gang came under scrutiny by police in 2011 for trafficking more than 50 women as young as 18 from Hungary into south-east England. Kolompar, 37, along with the other members of the gang, recruited young woman from disadvantaged parts of Hungary and charperoned them into brothels and hotel rooms across Sussex, as well as the Park Village student residences on the University of Sussex’s campus. Among the women he brought over was a 17-year-old who was denied entry to the county due to her age. In the three months Kolompar was in the UK, the court heard that he sent £10,757 back to accounts in Hungary. Judge Richard Hayward accepted that Kolompar did not play a role as big as the others involved in the operation, but told the defendant: “You all played your part. This was a joint enterprise and you should take responsibility for what took place. The evidence from flights suggests you came into the country in December 2011 and left on March 2012. “But I do not accept that your involvement was limited to that very short period. Females were being recruited in you are where you lived both before and after those dates.” David Fairclough from the Home Of-
Beth Partin fice Immigration Enforcement Criminal Investigations team, said: “Kolompar took adavantage of these vulnerable young women and controlled them mentally, physically and financially. “They were coming to the UK in the hope of improving their lives but were exploited so that Kolompar and his associates could run their despicable criminal network.” Spokeswoman Jo-Anna Welsh from the women’s support charity, Brighton Oasis Project has commented on the charity’s shock at the scale of the gang’s operation, and the extent of the abuse inflicted upon the women. She said: “That kind of exposure over a long period of time has a lasting effect on mental health and in some cases would lead to a diagnosis of post trau-
matic stress disorder.” The seven other members of the gang have already been sentenced after being found guilty of conspiracy to control the activities of prostitutes for gain, conspiracy to traffic into the UK and conspiracy to traffic within the UK. Following a trial in January, Mate Puskas, Victoria Brown and Zoltan Mohacsi got six, three and four years respectively. Brothers Istvan and Peter Toth got five and four years. However, nine months have been added to these sentences after they were convicted of contempt of court for breaking bail. Both are still on the run. Sandor Mohacsi and Csaba Safian were jailed in August after pleading guilty to conspiring to traffic women into the UK for sexual exploitation.
the badger
17 November 2014 RE:CYCLE• 6
RE:CYCLE Sussex Bike Hire Co-Op General Meeting - all welcome Lyndsay Burtonshaw Activities Officer Your chance to become involved with RE:CYCLE Sussex Bike Hire Co-Op - the incredibly popular student-led recycled bike hire scheme at Sussex. Everyone welcome - especially those who have hired RE:CYCLE bikes. We hire bikes with locks and lights for £20 a term, reducing landfill by recycling bikes abandoned on campus and bringing them back to tip-top shape, to hire out to Sussex staff and students for a friendly price. We want to reduce emissions, landfill, transport monopoly, stimulate self-sufficiency, co-operation, healthy living, safe cycling infrastructure, and most of all spread the joy of cycling! Our first general meeting of the academic year is on Monday 1st December at 6pm. Here we will be electing the committee roles of RE:CYCLE Sussex. From 6pm on we will have some food and at 7pm
the meeting will start. Everyone is welcome, especially people who have hired RE:CYCLE Sussex bikes - this is your co-op. Please bring vegan food to share and consider the roles you may like to go for. AGENDA: - election of people for committee roles of: Co-op Sectetary (Trello and Google Drive), PR (social media, website, Wordpress), Comms (Gmail and Google Drive), Finance/treasurer (liaise with Activities Office), Mechanics (working with Freewheelers), Bike hirer team, Membership engagement lead, Community engagement lead (working with Sustrans and Bike Train). We will also reevaluate our Co-Op Constitution. We look forward to seeing you there. Please contact recyclebikehire@ gmail.com or find us on Facebook (“RE:CYCLE Sussex Bike Hire CoOp”) for more info.
n In the DRC, Determined Wome t and Revenue ec sp Re r fo ls il Sk w Ne n ar Le Entrepreneurialism Ends Poverty. Global Entrepreneurship Week 17th – 23rd November 2014 @GEWUK & @emergePF helping him by covering some of the family’s expenses,” she said. Furaha’s experience goes to the heart of the link between development and gender equality. SUPPORT US! We are asking Sussex University to support us in anyway you want to, from fundraising, following or even interning! To get involved contact Francesca Purcell on fran@emerpovertyfree.org and tell us what you would like to do!
Be part of a global event that highlights how being an entrepreneur means you CAN CHANGE THE WORLD & END POVERTY! Tweet us @emergePF, like us on FB, check us out on Instagram, share your voice and thoughts! Respect. We all want it and we know we have to earn it. For women who have never been given a chance to learn, and who grapple each day with the crushing burden of extreme poverty, that can be quite a challenge. It doesn’t mean they crave respect any less. Furaha Borive, a 40-year-old from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, has now got it. And that may be the greatest gain from the tailoring programme she signed up to a year ago.
Furaha’s husband is a teacher, but his salary did not stretch far enough to cover the family’s needs. Last year, Furaha decided to take matters into her own hands and enrolled in a tailoring class run by emerge poverty free in partnership with the Bunia Children’s Hope Centre and The Aspire Foundation. “I have already opened my own shop and started sewing clothes for customers,” said Furaha. Now, she helps cover the household costs, and sews clothes for her four daughters, her mother and herself. But there is something else. This has given me some power in the family, because before I had to wait to get everything from my husband. These days, my husband gives me much respect because I am
emerge poverty free is an international development charity that enable’s people to fight their own way out of poverty, will be hosting a digital event. This event will highlight how people living in some of the poorest countries in the world find empowerment through entrepreneurialism. Working in East and Central Africa, emerge poverty free will showcase how young men and women living in post conflict and fragile states, work their own way out of poverty by using their entrepreneurial skills. This year, Global Entrepreneurship Week from November 17 - 23 is driving a worldwide movement to engage and support female entrepreneurs, like Furaha. It has designated November 19 as Women’s Entrepreneurship Day to celebrate, engage and empower female entrepreneurs. The idea is to promote female entrepreneurship and focus attention on female development and empowerment to help strengthen the ecosystem as a whole.
At emerge poverty free, we have seen the effects of this empowerment on the ground in East Africa, where we run a variety of projects to educate and train women, working closely with local partners like the BCHC in eastern DRC. Each day of week emerge poverty free will introduce you to a new person living in the DR Congo, Uganda and South Sudan, giving you a glimpse into the lives of people who use their courage, ingenuity and entrepreneurial skills to provide for themselves and their families. This digital event will have in-depth information on how entrepreneurialism plays a vital role in projects, feature a Double You Dosh fundraising game, podcasts from the field, an opportunity to meet our staff. So follow the event, on line, tweet us, play #DoubleYourDosh and learn more about how entrepreneurs can end poverty. In countries where infrastructure has been destroyed by civil war, creating employment for yourself is crucial and often the only way to provide for yourself and your family. So, it is within this context that we aim to highlight how Entrepreneurialism Ends Poverty. Tweet us @emergePF, like us on FB, check us out on Instagram and share your voice and thoughts! TEXT TO DONATE £5: Text ‘EMPF10 £5’ to 70070 and support emerge poverty frees projects, that give people access to tools, knowledge and skills to become independent and free from poverty.
the badger
17 November 2014
FEATURE • 8
FEATURE
Eva Rinaldi - via Flickr
Tsange - via Wikipedia Commons
Jim Thurston - via Flickr
Can we call LGBTQ* celebrities role-models? Louis Patel discusses ‘coming out’, LGBTQ* role models and the effects that the media has on the perceptions of LGBT celebrities.
Louis Patel Letters Sub-Editor Growing up, everybody has a role model. You haven’t really experienced being young if you haven’t, at some stage literally felt like someone famous is the greatest person on earth. My own icons were a tad obscure. When I was fifteen, John Barrowman was my idol, and I had big plans to marry him. When that didn’t work out, I became infatuated with Stephen Sondheim; teenage boy and lover of musical theatre, it was all a bit obvious. My icons aside, everyone likes to have someone to look up to. But does being gay and a celebrity make you a valuable role model? Today in Britain, there are plenty of gay men and women who are out in public, and that’s great. Coming out, famous or not, should be celebrated. Back in 2009, when rugby player Gareth Thomas came out, it opened the flood gates starting a much needed discussion about homosexuality within sport. It was a big moment, and he’s been cited by other sportsmen and women to come out. However, coming out is too often used as a publicity stunt. Tom Daley’s vlog, while brave for someone of his age, came across has trying to actually hide from being gay. The line in the video, ‘I still like girls’, was dropped a few months later when he declared that he was, actually, gay. For me, that killed a lot of the
power in his ‘coming out’, and it just looked too carefully planned. Coming out, and anyone whose had to endure doing it, is no walk in the park. The fact that Daley’s coming out looked like it had been scripted by Max Mosley from inside the walls of HMP Brixton, just turned it into a stage show. The media, of course, was very quick to offer its opinions, with some saying it was wonderful and others saying he was too young et cetera, et cetera. The media turns every coming out story into a reality show. You only have to read the comments at the end of articles on Tom Daley to see how people have been egged on to spout incredibly uninformed views. And it’s in those comments that you realise how many people are subtly homophobic. As a gay teen, I used to take a lot of those comments to heart, and I’m sure they affected my trepidation in coming out. Being gay is still perceived to be a sneaky secret. The reaction to Harry Styles’ recent passing comment about how gender doesn’t (or shouldn’t) matter in a relationship confirms that. It was a just a comment but, of course, it suddenly became the big question which needed answering. Say that he is bisexual, and that he comes out, does that make him a role model? Not really, it just means he’s a singer who happens to be bisexual. Big flipping deal. So what then? Is coming out just a cynical publicity stunt, or is it a brave decision which creates a role model? Aren’t role models desirable? Don’t
they affect change? Well, the problem with labelling a gay celebrity as a role model, is that you make their being gay the most interesting thing about them. It’s also the media who decide who is worthy of being called a role model. Both Gareth Thomas and Tom Daley have been labelled as role models. But when MP Crispin Blunt came out, it seemed like he was punished by the media because he was a middle aged politician, about as exciting as a lukewarm cup of tea. But wasn’t his decision to come out just as brave as Thomas and Daley? The media also loves to create role models out of gay men. When a woman comes out as bisexual she is sexualised by the media. When a woman comes out as a lesbian she is often ignored, or the story gets little leverage. But it’s the figures who come out quietly, with dignity who I think serve as better role models. Women like Clare Balding and Sandi Toksvig are great figures for LGBTQ* people. They’ve both chosen to take part in LGBTQ* activism. Similarly, I feel indebted to men like Ian McKellen who really have changed the lives for gay people. I think it’s a media misconception to label famous gay people as ‘role models’. From my experience of growing up gay, I spent a lot of time wondering what people would think, would they care? I trawled through endless YouTube videos of people talking about being gay, or I’d make the mistake of watching a show like ‘The Big Questions’ where a room full of straight middle
aged white folk discuss gay marriage. Going back to John Barrowman (all good things go back to John) I used to read a certain bit of his autobiography over and over. The section where he talked about the fear of coming out, I found it relatable, but it didn’t inspire me to come out. Because for all the reasons I liked him, his being gay wasn’t one of them. It was interesting to compare our stories, but I didn’t feel like I needed him, or any other famous person to be gay.
“Well, the problem with labelling a gay celebrity as a role model, is that you make their being gay the most interesting thing about them.” Because a celebrity is alien, it doesn’t really matter what or who they are, they don’t live in reality. Hearing them discuss their journey to coming out is all very well, but I don’t think it really inspires a young gay person. What inspires people to come out is the desire to be accepted. Celebrities can lend a hand at wiping out homophobia, whether they be straight or gay. But it’s all about being supportive to gay teens on a daily and local level. For me, having less stereotypical gay characters on TV would be a start. Characters on shows are too
stereotypical, and the narrative for gay characters is this: you’re an outsider, you can meet another outsider, hold hands, get bullied, the end. Being gay shouldn’t be portrayed as scary or daunting, because after all, it’s just about who you fall in love with. A person’s sexuality should be the most uninteresting thing about them. I love being gay, but it shouldn’t define who I am. It shouldn’t define Gareth Thomas, or Tom Daley, or Clare Balding or anyone. The real role models are the everyday people coming out. The boy who tells his religious parents. The school girl who tells her friends. The teacher who no longer wants to hide. Those are the people to celebrate and encourage. And if you’re one of them, you’re my role model.
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on What’s
Autumn Term
STUDENT PRICES ALL THE TIME: £3.20 Strongbow/ Fosters / Snakebite £2.50 rum/vodka mixer 3 for 2 jager, sambuca, tuaca Pre-drink Hour: 8pm-11pm (Skint prices)
FOOD
Mondays from 5pm 2 for 1 burgers Wednesdays all day burger+pint £5 Thursdays £10 steak + 3 sides FRY...days fish&chips/halloumi&chips 2 for £10
Mondays (monthly)
Drawing Circus
7.30-10pm. Circus themed life drawing £5 students, £6 nonstudents.
Wednesdays
Skint
Strongbow, Fosters & Snakebite £2 Rum/vodka + mixer £2.50 Shots of tequila/ sambuca £1.85 3 for 2 Jagermeister
Thursdays (Monthly nights)
Fem Rock
Thurs 30th Oct, Thurs 27th Nov: Monthly FemRock Night: Renowned amongst Brightonians for showcasing the best local female-fronted performers, FemRock is an inclusive event for people of all genders. FemRock nights are about celebrating women in music, raising money for charity and promoting local artists!
Hollow Earth
Thurs 23rd Oct, Thurs 20th Nov: Monthly Hollow Earth Nights - Expect kaleidoscopic visuals, psychedelic performances and the full-range of drinks deals! The new monthly experiment at The Globe, Middle Street. Featuring UK debuts from Brooklyn psych-rock band Woodsman, plus label-mates Ancient Ocean - followed up with classic Brightonian hip-hop ‘till 2am. The event is broadcast by event sponsors Resonance 104.4fm, URF and Mixcloud and is brought to you via your Students’ Union. Free entry for students with a valid student card - no need to book a ticket in advance, just turn up and show your student card. Tickets for non-students are £4
the badger
17 November 2014
Comment • 10
Anti-drug laws are killing this nation’s high Harry Howard With the recent release of a government report highlighting that there is “no obvious” link between tough laws and levels of illegal drug use, there surely needs to be a change of direction in drugs policy. Since the dawn of the recreational drug revolution, governments across the world have attempted to curtail the distribution and consumption of a multitude of narcotics. As is becoming increasingly clear, the original goal of these policies – to stop people from consuming drugs – has comprehensively failed. Nowhere is the whiff of cannabis stronger than on numerous University campuses around Britain. Instead, the government are spending millions every year combating the illicit drugs trade, an enterprise that – like bootleggers in Prohibition America – has arisen in response to demand. If current policies reflected scientific evidence rather than the outdated assumption that the threat of punishment is any form of deterrent, then these criminals would be significantly weakened. Indeed, it is the fact that drugs policy fails to respond to evidence that is so infuriating. In 2009 Labour Home Secretary Alan Johnson sacked Professor David Nutt, the Chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), after
the Professor was critical of the government’s decision to reclassify Cannabis from Cass C to B. Nutt, with some legitimacy, accused ministers of politicising drugs policy by distorting the available evidence to suit their own agenda. At the time, Liberal Democrat Chris Huhne said, “What is the point of having independent scientific advice if as soon as you get some advice that you don’t like, you sack the person who has given it to you?” Equally shocking was current Home Secretary Theresa May’s decision to ban the stimulant khat, which has mild stimulant effects and is popular amongst many African communities. The ACMD said in relation to khat that there was insufficient evidence to suggest that its consumption causes health problems. The end result of this policy is that minority communities from countries such as Somalia are being defined as criminals when all they are doing is consuming something that is part of their culture. As the ACMD points out, ‘there remains a demand for khat even in those countries where it is prohibited,’ making May’s decision all the more ridiculous. The consequence of this policy will be that the sale and distribution of khat will transfer to the hands of criminals, who will use the revenue generated to expand their enterprise and move into
other illicit operations. Imagine the billions of pounds saved every year from fighting drug related crime if a policy of decriminalisation and legalisation was implemented. A significant chunk of this saving could be transferred to educating chil-
dren about the dangers and drawbacks of different drugs. An additional potential benefit would be the tax revenue generated from the sale of certain drugs which could provide the Treasury with much needed additional income.
Undoubtedly, the time has come for an evidence-based approach to drugs policy, yet the blinkered politicians in Westminster will continue to dig their heels in as part of an effort to maintain and extend the nanny state.
West Midlands Police via creative commons
Putting the legal industry’s inherent sexism on trial Isabelle Le Gallez In a recent article on Stylist.com, the lack of women at the top of the judiciary was discussed and made me wonder what it is that is going so incredibly wrong that the supposed pillar of our society is in fact not reflecting modern-day society in the slightest. It has always been the case that men have dominated the courts, but really the fact that this is still the case in 2014 is disconcerting. The consequences of not having hardly enough women in the upper echelons of the court system mean that, in the words of the Stylist article, ‘our nation is run from a largely male point of view’. How can this be fair, when women make up around 51% of the population, surely their point of view should be reflected? It seems that maybe the reason for a lack of women is that the male judges are trying to maintain the ‘status quo’. In late 2013, the only woman ever to be in the highest court of our system; Lady Hale discussed the appointment of the senior judiciary and highlighted that the men dominate this process. She hinted at this idea of maintaining male dominance when she stated: ‘It would not be impossible to speculate that it is always much easier to perceive merit in people who are like you’, alluding to the fact that men may be more willing to hire other men instead of women. The statistics in relation to female
representation within the judiciary depict the dire lack of gender equality, as noted above Lady Hale is the only female sitting in the Supreme Court and even that poor statistic is better than the fact that not even one Head of a Division is a woman. However, the limited presence of women in the legal profession is not limited to those who are wearing the wigs. Indeed, there is a worrying statistic highlighted in the Stylist article which shows that despite 63.5% of trainee solicitors being female, the percentage of those reaching the position of partner ‘rarely goes beyond 20%’. Yet again, we are being barred from the upper, more rewarding level of the profession. The biggest question is clearly why? Rosaline Sullivan argues that ‘women are lost to the profession due to its unwillingness to offer flexible way of working’, this seems to me a strong argument, but it is not justified. Just because we may at some stage wish to have children does not mean that we can be looked upon as unworthy or less suited for the higher more challenging possessions within the legal professions. An additional argument is that women may not suit the masculine working environment that requires ruthlessness and constantly involves networking in the pubs near Chambers or the office. All these reasons are also, it may be suggested, putting off women from entering the legal profession,
in particular relation to the judiciary Sullivan describes ‘a reluctance to apply for the judiciary’. So it seems that we are stuck in an incessant cycle, of reinforcing the old, stereotypical all male judiciary and also alienating the new generations of lawyers in the process. There is one glimmer of hope that Lady Hale, the leading Lady of Law, highlights: ‘things are improving in the lower ranks of the judiciary’. It remains to be seen whether this will spread through the system. Her observation is supported by the Stylist article in which it was concluded that ‘there are green shoots of change’. I amongst many am waiting for these very small improvements to flourish specifically in the upper, prestigious areas of our legal system. It is clear that women do not lack the necessary ingredients to be a successful lawyer in these higher levels and something needs to be done to change it. Do attitudes need to change from the core, which I believe would be difficult, or is it that women just need to keep persevering to be treated as equals in the legal world, which clearly does not view them as this? Indeed, when reading ‘The Children Act’ by Ian McEwan, it hit me that the protagonist Fiona, a strong willed, extremely effective High Court judge, may be confined to the fictional world, due to the arguments above. What a great shame that would be.
First Women UK
the badger
17 november 2014 ARTS • 14
ARTSThrough the Wire: Drill Festival 2014 Arts Editor Raymond Jennings called Wire’s Colin Newman about all things Drill last week, chatting about Wire, the festival itself and the ethos behind it; read on to see what he found out.
MPAD Media
If you couldn’t tell from my preview a few weeks ago, we’re a little bit excited about Drill festival here at the Badger Arts team. There a lot of reasons for that; in this issue we’re going to try and explain them all to you. In order to do that accurately, I thought I should probably seek out the words of a more authoritative figure than myself. And so I did. Somehow, through a combination of sheer luck and a fair amount of emailing/begging, I managed to arrange a phone interview with Colin Newman; frontman and guitarist of Wire, the band responsible for the Drill series of events. My conversation with him began at the most logical starting point: why put on a festival? Drill has had two previous incarnations, one in London and the other in San Francisco, but neither have been quite the scale of this four-day extravaganza. “I thought it would be quite interesting to do a festival”, Newman informed me, before adding that it was “a bit of a recipe for disaster”. I can see why he’d think that – putting on a festival takes a fair amount of money and a lot of time, which are a couple of things I doubt the frontman of a renowned and yet somehow criminally underappreciated band has in abundance.
“Festivals these days are about the rite of passage of sitting in a field and taking drugs, the music isn’t really the focus most of the time, so we wanted to do something a little bit different” – this point made by Newman is, sadly, a little bit true. I myself can remember my first festival experience was more of a drunken camping trip than it was any real musical endeavour, with the most memorable thing I saw being an absolutely massive Tuborg advert above an overpriced bar tent. The fact that Wire and One Inch Badge are approaching this festival from the position of music lovers, and not from the perspective of profit-hungry events managers, is brilliantly refreshing in today’s music climate. The entire premise of Drill is to get people who love a variety of interesting music to an affordable festival full of acts that play interesting music. “There are two ways to do a festival like this”, Newman told me, “one is with a lot of money, and the other is without it. You can guess which one we went for.” How, then, could such a remarkable line-up be assembled, if not without a lot of money? Simply put, through savviness. Many of the bands playing are friends of Wire, such as Toy or Savages (who were apparently a “little
bit miffed” not to be asked to play the previous incarnations of Drill). Headliners Swans, one of the acts we’re most excited for here at the Badger, were actually booked through a kind of swap; they agreed to play Wire’s festival on the condition Wire play at Le Guess Who?, a festival they themselves are curating. One Inch Badge also had a big hand in booking the bill; the local promoters knew well who would be touring in and around the area, so could make recommendations to Wire. Booking bands who were on tour in the area anyway means that there is no need to pay to fly them in, and that they can be paid their usual club rate as opposed to higher festival fees. This unusual and smart approach to booking a music festival has meant that it could be done without the need for corporate sponsorship, without selling vast amounts of tickets resulting in there being no guarantee of catching your favourite acts, and without raising the prices to extortionate levels. If you were to purchase tickets to see any two of the four headliners alone on their own tours, you’d pretty quickly be approaching the £60 price tag. Ultimately, the only criteria for curating the festival was a fairly sim-
ple one: if their music is good and the act can be booked, book them. The line-up, and the ethos of the festival, also represents Wire as an entity; the band, who Newman describes as “hidden but in plainsight”, are widely known for what they did, but not necessarily for what they do. “Most people know us for a particular album, usually Pink Flag” noted Newman, which is sadly probably true. While Pink Flag stands as one of the great post-punk albums of the late 1970s/early 80s, it scarcely defines a band who have experimented with the form of their music for decades now. That experimentation has led to the band influencing a wide range of musicians who play a wide variety of styles, and Wire too have been influenced by a smorgasbord of music that isn’t limited simply to punk. This line up reflects that: many of the bands playing are, in one way or another, clearly indebted to Wire, while other acts have recently been sources of inspiration for Wire themselves. “There’s a generational aspect to it – one artist puts something out, another later responds to it. It creates an artistic dialogue.” That dialogue Newman mentions is at the heart of this eclectic festival; you could, if you were so
inclined, probably draw a chart of influence linking most of the acts together. Eclecticism is key to both Wire as a band and to the festival they’re putting on; Colin put it better than me by simply saying “If there was a Wire festival full of only post-punk bands, we probably wouldn’t want to play it!” Drill, then, is a very interesting festival. Not only does it boast a superb line-up, the highlights of which we’ve picked out for you on the following pages, it also represents a way of doing things differently in the music world. Drill is not about making money, nor is it about corporate sponsorship or buzzwords or social media hype. Drill is all about the music. The fact that the music is so good, and the fact that the festival is so affordable, is quite frankly astounding considering how the event has been booked. Drill, for me anyway, represents a model of what music festivals should be: a long weekend of no frills fun centred on a bunch of people listening to great music. Drill is exciting, unique, and if you ask me, important. But perhaps more important than all that preachy stuff, Drill is going to be a lot of fun.
the badger
17 november 2014 ARTS • 16
LIFESTYLE
Talks – ‘Is Technology Improving or Ruining Art?’
Ten Green Bottles
Victoria O’Donnell With such a provocative notion at its heart, the second instalment of the First Edition Talks was bound to be an exciting, if not controversial, discussion. In a darkened, yet stylish room on the top floor of The Hospital Club in Covent Garden were a panel made up of four industry experts. The organisers, Katie Glass and Zara Shirwan were evidently not afraid of mixing a bunch of people who would set each other off in all manners of ways. On one side of Katie sat visual artist Davide Quayloa and YBA (should it now be OBA?) Mat Collishaw whilst on other sat Nimrod Kamer, a satirist notorious for his cutting if not childish look at the postmodern and art critic David Lee. What soon became apparent were Lee’s archaic opinions being opposed and vehemently attacked by the contemporary artists, whilst playfully mocked by Kamer’s random and nonsensical interjections. Although Kamer did make some interesting comments surrounding the difference between art about technology such as social media versus art which using technology, he largely came across as a rather annoying presence who was thrown into the panel - much like a comedian often is on The Graham Norton Show. Once you ignored Kramer, the discussion boiled down to an argument between the past and present. Having an established career as an art critic and historian, the outspoken Lee virtually dominated the discussion with his antiquated views on art and how it should progress. Frustrating and arrogant, he an-
Ten Green Bottles
Lily Cooper
Victoria O’Donnell swered the main question as if it were matter-of-fact and declared that technology is ruining the traditional mediums of art such as drawing and still life by replacing it with things such as video art. Much to the dismay of Quayloa and Collishaw, Lee rambled on and on about his thoughts on art and its future, or lack thereof it apparently, thanks to technology. Despite assertions by the only artists on the panel (it’s debatable whether Kramer is indeed an artist – probably not by Lee’s terms) that technology was allowing the practise to be made easier and more experimental, Lee exclaimed his views on how new technology is forcing artists to produce work too quickly. He even brought up the example of
David Hockney’s wildly successful show at the RA in 2012 to back up his statement on how a great artist could produce crap work by becoming indulgent and lazy with new technology. Even when Lee would pause for just a second, it became very clear that his bizarre set of rules on what is and isn’t art based on its production are exactly what drive artists such as Quayloa and Collishaw to create ground breaking works of art. Just because someone made a bad piece of video art five years ago does not necessarily mean that the method cannot be applied to a more original and inventive work both now and in the future. There is also a stark difference between an artist’s work itself and where
a curator places it in a gallery; the significance of placing it in a gallery must be respected, but at what cost? The general consensus was that, no, technology is not ruining art, but that its aid to improving art is still subjective and not an easy one to generalise. Although advertised as having a Q&A session afterwards, barely anyone in the audience was allowed to speak due to time restraints and a very odd question revolving around a chess-playing app. How on earth that really linked to the discussion as a whole stumped the panel themselves, let alone those who left wanting to hit Lee over the head with a Grayson Perry pot.
Perfectly ordinary: why I love Girls’ Hannah Jessica Middleton
Having just watched the first season of Girls I feel liberated. This may be the first time I have actually identified with a female lead. Hannah is not super skinny, perfectly made up or dressed up in every scene we see her in. When she wakes up she looks like she has just woken up! She is not a size zero! She is not ashamed of her body! This is potentially revolutionary stuff, and I devour the season in a weekend, watching it at every possible moment. This is bizarre. Usually when I watch a new programme part of its appeal is that I can silently partake in a fantasy world that has no resemblance to my own. I now know that I have been fooling myself into believing that anything realistic would not be entertaining. After watching Girls I realise it is because I identify so much with the lead - the awkward situations she finds herself in, her hopes, her dreams
Bar of the Week
- that, for me, the show has become sensation. Hannah has set a new standard of character for other shows to meet: one that can actually present its women in some realistic way, one that represents them as more than just perfect versions of themselves. Hannah is trying to face a dilemma that, as university students, we are all presently trying to deal with: what are we going to do with our lives? We are taken on this journey of selfdiscovery where the girls are trying to live “the dream one mistake at a time” as the slogan goes. Awkward, weird and most of all scared, Hannah is trying to become who she is when she doesn’t know what she wants, and as a result we empathise with her. She can be annoyingly inconsiderate,
selfish and embarrassing at times, but can’t we all? Unlike most TV shows we see her in her entirety, which makes her even more that endearing as she is real. This is what has been missing from our screens. In an industry obsessed with female perfection, Hannah does not make us feel inferior, as she, just like us, does not have the perfect relationship, job, or body. The show has been criticised for her nudity, but I feel that it is there because it adds to it; you see so much of her naked, so-called ‘imperfect’ body that you become desensitised to it. You get used to seeing a female on screen that is neither toned nor can be classed ‘skinny,’ and best of all, she is not guilty for it. I rejoice in that. Lena Dunham, creator, writer and
“She can be annoyingly inconsiderate, selfish and embarrassing at times, but can’t we all?”
director of Girls (as well as the actress who plays Hannah) said she created the programme because she never saw herself or her friends represented on TV shows. For me, that is no longer true. Hannah is not perfect, but she is not meant to be, and that in itself is refreshing. There is not an unrealistic expectation set for young women to achieve with her as the lead, and she becomes like a friend to you, one that helps you feel better about not having figured everything out yet. In life you make mistakes. You get things wrong. But do you know what? That’s OK. Life goes on. So thanks, Hannah. I, and I’m sure many other girls, appreciate you for not being just another outrageously successful, beautiful, superhuman leading lady. Thank you for being perfectly ordinary.
Situated on glossy Jubilee Street, this equally glossy bar reigns supreme in matters of Brighton fine wining venues. Chic but unfussy, the place seems to come straight out of a Parisian guide book, and the wine list envies nothing of the French either. If you happen to fancy a slightly more glamorous night out than East Slope be sure to come clink glasses here with a couple of friends. Atmosphere: *** Considering it was a midNovember Monday night, the place was quite busy, with couples and groups of friends. Although not exactly lively, the atmosphere was pleasant, with low music and dim lighting providing a nice backdrop to enjoy wine and a catch-up. The place has different seating options, and we took a seat at the big table in the centre of the room. Sitting alongside other people felt convivial rather than awkward, but the tall tables dotted around the room allow a little more intimacy and the sofas in the window provide a great people-watching spot. Price: £ £ £ The place offers a selection of four whites, one rose and five reds by the glass, with a 125ml glass ranging between £3.90 for a glass of Grenache blanc and £6.00 for a Merlot. The Grenache was lovely, crisp and refreshing, whilst the Dolcetto, at £5.20, was a deliciously smooth red. We also ordered a plate of cheeses and meats which was charged at £9.75 for a selection of four. This was served with bread, crackers, chutney and cornichons, and so generous were the portions that we struggled to finish amongst three. And once I had eaten, and polished off two glasses of wine, the bill came to just over 11 per head - no regrets not spending that on Carnage instead.
the badger
17 November 2014 ARTS • 17
the badger
17 November 2014 Arts •18
Arts
Editor’s Picks
Arts Editor Ioana Matei shares her tips on the week ahead in culture
Visual Art Mutator 1 + 2: Evolutionary Art by William Latham Phoenix Gallery, Brighton Digital Festival Wednesdays-Sundays 11am-5pm (until 13th Oct)
Fuck Buttons
Mac DeMarco Press
Duke of York’s
The Ting Tings Press
GIGS Mac DeMarco Concorde 2 Sunday 23rd November, 7:30pm SOLD OUT His music has been called “Jizz Jazz” and his live shows “raunchfests”. Anyone who secured a ticket for this slacker-rocker should expect to be in for a ride!
GIGs The Ting Tings The Haunt Sunday 23rd November, 7pm £16.50 Following the release of their new album Super Critical on the 27th of October, electro pop duo The Ting Tings have embarked on a UK tour playing the first full shows in three years, so grab a ticket while you still can!
UNION EVENT
PhotoSoc: NUPF London Photohunt
Mandela Hall Saturday 22nd November 9am-11pm £5 The Sussex Photographic Society is going to the photohunt event organized by the National Photographic Society in London, which consists in a competition to find hidden landmarks and capture ten themed photos. The winning teams will be rewarded with prizes and the event will be concluded by a large social where you can meet everyone! Sussex Photosoc is leaving at 9.30am from Brighton Station and anyone with an eye for the photographic arts is invited to join!
Film Cinecity Brighton Film Festival Brighton wide November 20th - December 7th From new releases to film classics, every movie buff will find something to enjoy in this year’s Cinecity programme. You’ve got screenings, talks, Q&As and student exhibitions on offer so why not come along?
Film Sussex Film Appreciation Society: Hunger ARTS A Monday 17th November, 6:30pm FREE
Turner Prize winner Steve McQueen’s debut feature will be the last screening in the society’s “It’s A Long Shot” season, so be sure to check it out!
Cloud Nothings Press
and Nowhere Else, released earlier this year. Their upcoming gig at Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar anticipates intensity to say the least; expect heavy hooks and Cobain-esque vocals, warped in an idiosyncratic roughYou may or may not have been ness in tune with bands like Metz, disappointed at the recent canNo Age and Wavves. cellation of ATP’s Jabberwocky Cloud Nothings are an absolute festival, where Cloud Nothings must see for those seeking the were due to perform among the epitome of grunge in 2014. So, likes of Neutral Milk Hotel, Hook- 20th November: come on down to worms, and Iceage to name a few. get down. The Cleveland-based trio returns to the UK as part of world Laura McIntyre wide tour for their fourth LP Here
FILM Birdman (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) Duke of York’s Picturehouse Thursday 20th November £12 Cinecity’s opening night is lucky enough to boast the nationwide premiere of Alejandro González Iñárritu’s critically-acclaimed film so grab a ticket while you still can!
watch, write, review
Preview Cloud Nothings Sticky Mike’s Thursday 20th November, 8pm £13.80
Get involved in the Arts team by joining us at our writers meetings or searching on Facebook for
Badger Writers
THE Steve McQueen
BADGER
HOW TO GET
Riding a Bike GET WHEEL Go on eBay, Gumtree (Brighton), or go to Freedom Bikes or Cranks in Kemptown), Bike Hub on Grand Parade, Baker Street Bikes on London Road or Gee Whizz in Hove to pick up a second-hand or new bike. A steel, thin-tyred second-hand bike should do you for commuting to uni and beyond. ÂŁ80 - 250 budget should be enough to get a good bike, and you'll make back your money after not getting the bus for a term. Make sure you get strong, thick D-lock and cable (for the wheels) and a good set of lights. If you are a bit nervous, ask the Activities Officer Lyndsay for a confidence session.
GOT WHEEL
KEEP IT WHEEL
Adventure! Cycle around Sussex. Day-trip. Picnic. Go bike touring. Explore your home county. Get the ferry from Newhaven - France and cycle to Paris along the Avenue Verte.
Volunteer for Freewheelers on campus, and Bike Hub and Cranks in town.
Maintain your bike: Go to Freewheelers' bike maintenance society under Falmer House, get cheap spare parts and learn from our student-volunteers how to look after your bike. In town, you can go to Bike Hub and Cranks.
Sussex MTB lend out mountain bikes at lunchtime for Stanmer Woods explorations.
Volunteer. Get involved in RE:CYCLE Sussex Bike Hire Co-Op, the student-led project that recycles abandoned bikes from campus to provide students with cheap transport. Volunteer for Sustrans leading bike clubs in schools and teaching kids how to ride.
Share your passion for bikes. Join a cycling club.
For those more competitively minded, you can do local sportives, time trials and training at Preston Park velodrome. Lead a Bike Train for other students.
the badger
17 November 2014
SporTS • 20
SPORTS Mohawks shine is Men’s Regional Finals Joseph Cummins Sports Editor
A new competitive season begins and as many teams will testify it is not always easy to drop back into the groove of a winning mentality, and acquire the results to match. But this is exactly what Sussex Mohawks Ultimate Frisbee did by successfully defending their regional crown. The final was tight; a cagey affair forced to one of the tensest points at sudden death the Southeast region had seen, and the win confirmed the dominance Sussex has enjoyed for quite some time. The tournament was successful for every tier of the Mohawk set up also. Entering three teams into a regional competition is something seen regularly but to have all three play so competitively is something only the Mohawks can boast. The second team won out against all other second teams, to finish 6th, humbling a few first teams on the way. The third team the same; they beat all other third teams with a core of freshers new to the sport and ended the weekend in an admirable 16th of the twenty teams in the competition. It’s almost cliché to say, that after retaining the mantel of regional winners for the 5th year consecutively, that Sussex are the pace setters and the team to beat in the southeast. But the Mohawks were forced to prove that
this competition is not a formality on the way to nationals. The usual swagger of the team was shaken by the loss of so many key players and added wobbles ensued as the new boys in the region, Oxford, quickly looked to demonstrate that Sussex would not have it all there own way. The ShowGame website set the tournament up as one that could only end with an Oxford vs. Sussex final and it was the game that everyone was clamoring to see. It was the final each of the teams play deserved and even better was that it was decided by one of the points of the tournament. The sudden death scenario had to be forced by a late pass from the Mohawks that sneaked in and leveled the score at 5-5. The deciding point was even more nerve shredding. What seemed like an age of Sussex possession just outside of the end-zone was concluded by the deft touch of John Maule to find Johnny Arthur who seemed to levitate to catch the winning score. The result was met with rapture and relief as both of Brighton’s Ultimate teams, the Sussex Mohawks and Brighton Panthers, spilt on to the pitch to celebrate the continued dominance of Brighton in university Ultimate. It was a moving touch from the Panthers as the rivalry has always been a warm one with matches between the two being less aggressive. With fifteen
established players leaving Sussex it was the prime opportunity for Panthers to instigate a power shift. But the first team strolled through them to book a place in the semi final against Portsmouth’s Sublime. The Panthers first team enjoyed greater success against the Sussex third team, as to be expected, but when the Sussex thirds met with the Brighton seconds the Mohawks strength in depth really shone out with a resounding 7-0 win. The cry went up of “Bagels for breakfast” (a something-to-nothing final score line) after the first game of the day when the team showed just how far new players could come in under two months in the sport. And it is this air of the new and the
changing in the southeast regional that threw up some of the most interesting tussles of the weekends matches. The introduction of both Oxford and Oxford Brookes provided somewhat of an unknown prospect. It was wildly held that Oxford had the best-equipped first team for the competition but little was known of the strength of their second team. Twice Oxford had the win pulled out from under them. The first ended 6-4 to Sussex after a questionable tactical choice from the Oxford captain had them ‘park the bus’ when they were three points down. The Mohawks responded and slowed their usual high intensity and played five minutes of keep disc.
The second game, a must win for both sides to decide who would have opportunity to stake their claim for the final Nationals spot, was a far more uncomfortable affair for Mo 2. It was their turn to go three nil down inside the first five minutes but the tide turned with the quick tactical nous showed by captain Callum Heath to break from a zonal system to manmarking that played into the athletic and nimble Mohawk line up. Five unanswered points were the result. Victory sealed, the Mohawks were the only team with the chance to have two teams on the bus to nationals. Unfortunately, indoor tournaments are notoriously hard on the body and having only a squad of six, the second team could not keep their momentum into the final game against Kent. It ended 9-2 as the weekend’s exertions caught up with them. The win will serve as the platform and benchmark for the remainder of the indoor season across all disciplines and build team unity moving into 2015. With the exception of the evergreen and ever-influential John Maule the team is a very young one and this win at regionals will only serve to build confidence and instil the necessary winning mentality. The Nationals will begin on the 29th of November.
Sussex Saxons 34 - Southampton Stags 28 Daniel Lloyd
After losing 33-0 last year against the Stags, the Saxons were determined to not get shut out again this year. With the media predicting Southampton to win by 5 scores the odds seemed to be against Sussex. The game was played under floodlights in torrential rain that made the passing game hard for both teams. Sussex opened the scoring with a 55 yard TD run by #3 QB Dom Ashworth, Saxons then went for a 2 point conversion pass to #83 WR James Ratti, which was successful. The Stags leveled the score in
the 2nd quarter then #3 ran in for another TD, this time from 26 yards out. Saxons lead at half time 14-8. Saxons had the ball for the start of the 3rd quarter and drove 80 yards for a TD taking at least 12 minutes off the clock. The TD was ran in by their big lineman who lined up at Full Back #63 Sam Bolitho. The 4th quarter started with the Saxons leading 20-8. The Stags then ran it in for a TD, the score now 20-14. The next Saxons drive resulted in a 74 yard TD catch by #83 WR James Ratti, the 2 point conversion was good which was run in by #33 Ben Stewart, 28-14
Saxons. Southampton then scored twice leveling the game 28-28 at the end of regular time. Overtime: Both teams were now physically and emotionally drained, it was time to dig deep to find that extra boost. Saxons took the field first and scored, 6 yard TD run by #29 RB Paul Capone. Stags then took to the field and had to score, unfortunately they fumbled the snap and the ball was recovered by #63 Sam Bolitho. THE SAXONS WIN IN OVERTIME 34-28! Head Coach Duncan Workman quoted on Facebook after the game:
“Words cannot describe how I feel right now. 34-28 overtime win against number 1 seed. So proud.” Saxons offense passed for 102 yards and rushed for 262 yards, the defence had 37 tackles, 4 fumble recoveries and 1 interception.
The Saxons are hosting a TOGA PARTY fundraiser on Monday 17th of November at Wah-Kiki! Everybody is invited to come along and join the fun!
Open Archery - 29th November What: hour and a half of archery When: 29th November Day: Saturday Where: Sports Hall B of Sports Centre Time: 14:30 - 16:00 Admission: Free Equipment: Provided Training: Provided Archery is the most inclusive sport in terms of age and gender, so please participate.
the badger
17 November 2014
SOCIETIES SPOTLIGHT ADVERTISE YOUR SOCIETY On this page you can find out about what our societies have been up to and what their plans are for the coming weeks! You can view and join all of our 150 + societies online at www. sussexstudent.com/societies. If you’d like to advertise your society on this page, send your articles to societies@sussexstudent. com by 12pm on Wednesdays.
STAR
Millions of people try to escape the miserable living conditions in their own countries, where they are disenfranchised of their basic rights, every day. The Anarchist Society, STAR and the Amnesty International Society are hosting a Migrant Solidarity Week from the 17th to 21st of November! There will be talks, workshops, film screenings, actions and an Open Mic Night in The Globe! You can check out the events for the week on Facebook. As part of this week we want to collect tents, sleeping bags, books, warm clothes, SIM cards and anything that can help someone in one of those camps through the winter, to send to Calais! So if you have any old stuff you think could be helpful, please put it in the boxes in Falmer House Common Room and the Meeting House between until the 21st of November.
Many immigrants, eve- be completely dissolved to ryday, have to go a long, the point they no longer difficult, painful and some- impact our lives. times even deadly way. Let’s Our Qi Gong, Tai Chi, and stand in solidarity with them Baguazhang classes are all and their struggle! ancient forms of relaxed, but powerful mindful movement that can help to open up deeper parts of the body to our internal awareness and can very Sussex Taoist Arts society practically fit into our busy offers a variety of different modern schedules. classes each of which welRegular practice can bencomes all. We’ve had fresh- efit all areas of our lives ers, final years, PhD stu- from increasing our ability dents, and professors all to concentrate without crebenefit from our classes. ating tension and nervous Some had never even exhaustion to being able to heard of Tai Chi, or were relax in any situation and surprised to find Qi Gong clear toxins that have built pronounced chee gong, up in our bodies over the others have been practic- years. ing various forms of mediOur aim is to offer our tation or martial arts for students the cheapest posmany years. All people of sible classes, where our inall backgrounds and expe- come is used solely for furriences are always welcome ther promotion around the at our classes and work- University, and to pay for shops. our instructors who travel We run various still- from town to teach. Many ness and movement based of our classes are run on a meditation and presence donation basis or charity practice classes, which en- and we have just recentcourage bringing sensory ly started a new class in awareness into the body which the cost to each perand mind throughout our son depends solely on the daily lives. This can help number of people present. with stress, anxiety, and A small set amount is diovercoming negative be- vided by all attendees at havioural patterns. the end of the class with On a deeper level, Taoist a portion covering the inMeditation can enable us structor’s travel costs, and to feel energy or chi and di- a portion going back into rect it with the mind into the society. areas of the nervous system The result of this is that that are tense, sometimes the more friends you come to the point of pain. These with to each class, the less tensions are often con- you all pay! nected to deeper emotions Check out our Facebook or even habitual thoughts page at /sussextao or weband behaviours and as you site at www.sussextao. practice the smooth, re- co.uk for more information laxing movements, these on our latest classes, worktensions are then released. shops and events and to With Taoist Meditation find out how you can benpractices these can even efit from your first class!
TAOIST ARTS SOC
Societies - 21
SUSSEX STYLE
Here at Sussex Style society we’ve got lots of exciting events coming up including the launch party for our AW14 edition of Promenade magazine. It’s a magazine featuring all things fashion, beauty, lifestyle and travel with a running emphasis on the individual style of Brighton. With the launch taking place at the end of November, we’re planning a fashion showcase event to celebrate the amazing talent of some of our favourite local designers along with our magazine. So come along to have a few cocktails, soak up the atmosphere and meet some great people. Keep an eye out on our Facebook page as we’ll soon be posting more details including how you can buy your tickets!
RAG Huge thanks from RAG to everyone who took part in our Man vs Food competition last week, we were so impressed with your steel stomachs! We’re now looking forward to lots of laughs at our Comedy night next week with Komedia, bringing a night of brilliant comedy to Sussex campus! If you’re looking to get even more involved, like, say, cycling though India, there are LIMITED spaces left on our Kerala trip with the Pendsey Trust, so don’t miss out on those!
THE WEEK AHEAD: Tuesday 18th November STAR - Clothes Swap Come and acquire a whole new wardrobe! STAR is organizing a clothes swap for Gatwick Detainee Welfare Group. Free food and a large selection of clothes! Meeting House, 5pm. Wednesday 19th November Postgraduate Association PGA and - Gig The University of Sussex Big Band’s first gig of the year is coming up! The brand new band will be performing at Latest Music Bar in Kemptown. Students get in for only £3! 7.30pm onwards Thursday 20th November Christian Union - Tea & Toast Every Thursday the Christian Union give out free tea and toast to anyone who wants it! Lancaster House foyer, 10pm - 3am. Sunday 23rd November Big Band - Gig The University of Sussex Big Band’s first gig of the year is coming up! The brand new band will be performing at Latest Music Bar in Kemptown. Students get in for only £3! 7.30pm onwards.
the badger
17 November 2014
Careers and Employability• 23
CAREERS & EMPLOYABILITY CENTRE
Focusing on: Teaching – A World of Opportunities Beatriz Lacerda Ratton Teaching is a highly respected and rewarding career path. My parents are teachers, my best friend just became a teacher, and while I personally haven’t decided which career path I want to take, I would definitely consider it. Firstly it’s flexible, you can undertake a teaching degree with any degree course. It gives you the opportunity to travel with your job and work abroad. It’s genuinely rewarding and fulfilling, enabling you to share your passion for learning with others. Lastly, it’s versatile, there are many ways to become a teacher, leaving you with the element of choice over how you shape your pathway into education. The most traditional methods of studying to become a teacher is undertaking a PGCE (Post Graduate Certificate in Education) at a University. Alongside this you attend a placement within a school to gain valuable hands on experience in an educational environment.
Completing a PGCE shows employers that you are a certified and reliable person to work with, and proves to them that you are serious about the career. Sussex offers PGCEs in both Primary and Secondary school teaching. Depending on your grades and specialist subject, bursaries of up to £25,000 are available to help you through the course. Teach First is a fast track, competitive route into teaching, but rewarding nonetheless. It’s a charity that provides the training and support to enable graduates to address educational disadvantage, and help young people decide their own future, regardless of their financial background. You apply online, your application is reviewed and if successful at that stage, you will be invited to an assessment centre. Conditional to you meeting the required criteria and completion of the Summer Institute, you will then be made an offer. Very similar to Teach First, ARK Teacher Training is part of the School Direct initiative. You spend one year training in one of their
All about the Student Union support and advocacy team Who are we?
Kathy O’Regan and Robert Luscombe. We are the Union’s friendly & helpful Student Voice Advocates, which means that we are there to advise & assist students with the kinds of issues outlined below:
process and help you to obtain redress. We also work closely with the Union’s elected officers. If we believe that a University regulation or policy is wrong or unhelpful to students, we will make sure the officers hear about this so that they can lobby the University for positive change.
How might we How can you get in touch help you? - If you have questions or issues rewith us? garding your course we can help you to obtain answers from the University, and to decide on the best way forward. - If you want to appeal exam or essay marks we can explain the process and help make sure that you put forward the strongest possible case. - If you are ever have to go to a University panel (for instance, Academic Misconduct, Fitness to Practice or a disciplinary panel), we can help you prepare for these and in some cases may offer to accompany you to ensure that your voice is heard. - If you are unhappy with the service you received from any University department or service, we can guide you through the complaints
Our office (Room 134) is on the first floor of Falmer House. There should normally be someone in the office on weekdays between 10am -12pm and 2-4pm. You can also reach us by phoning (01273) 877038, or emailing us on advice@sussexstudent.com If you think we could help, or even if you’re simply not sure where to go with your query, come and have a chat with us. If we can’t help then we will try to put you in touch with someone who can! We are completely independent of the University, so we can offer impartial advice and will normally keep anything you tell us confidential.
31 academies across the UK, before qualifying as a teacher with a PGCE with qualified teacher status. ARK are visiting campus on Thursday 27 November at 5.30 pm for a recruitment presentation and again on Monday 1 December at 12 pm for an interview workshop, so come along to find out more – www.sussex.ac.uk/careers/events Finally, Schools Direct is a schoolled training course which gives you the chance to learn ‘on the job’ in a school. You work as part of the teaching team from day one – similar to student medics in hospitals – learning from practising colleagues and immediately putting your new skills into practice. The course lasts for one year and once completed you will receive a PGCE. This route is a popular choice for those who hope to secure a teaching post in the network of schools they are training with. Several local schools offer this route. Teach First: http://www.teachfirst. org.uk/
Schools Direct: www.education.gov. uk ARK Teacher Training: http://arkschools.org
Call into see the Careers & Employability Centre for help with applying or general advice! Interested in Working in Japan? Find out how you can work and teach abroad with JET 2015. The Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme is an official Japanese Government scheme designed to give graduates the opportunity to live and work in Japan in order to promote international understanding at grassroots level and to improve foreign language teaching in schools. I caught up with Edward, an International Relations Sussex graduate, who is currently working as an Assistant Language Teacher in Kagoshima to see if he had any advice on applying for the programme and he said: “I’d recommend sticking with the
long application process as it’s really worth it at the end. I’d also advise mentioning as many interesting extracurricular activities and experiences that you’ve had, as specific teaching experiences possible. Also, be confident and fun in the interview - they’re looking for people who’d be fun for students to interact with as well as teaching competency.” The deadline for applications is Friday 28th November, so if you would like more information about the JET scheme and the application process, please visit: www.jet-uk.org. Prefer Hong Kong? Chatteris also offers a similar programme, teaching there. To find out more visit: www.chatteris.org.hk If you are interested in teaching or would like more information on what’s available to you please visit: http://guides.careers.sussex.ac.uk/ teaching
the badger
17 November 2014 Arts •24
LISTINGS
UniTV and URF
Monday 17th
Tuesday 18th
Wednesday 19th
Scumbag College
The Burrito Show
Afternoon Alternative
11am-12pm
Hosted by Lottie Brazier
An Afternoon with Charles and James - 12-1pm Hosted by Charlie Wall
11am-12pm
12-1pm
Hosted by Nick Stewart
Hosted by Francesca Powell
SUDS Soapbox
The Paddy Hour
12-2pm
Hosted by Holly Hagan-Walker
1-2pm
Hosted by Paddy Osmond
Friday 21st
Thursday 20th
Earlier With Ellie Holland
The URF Review Show
1-2pm
11am-1pm
Hosted by John McKenna-Hughes
Magazine & Wine Party
Jeremiah’s Urban Central
2-3pm
1-2pm
Hosted by Em Chittock
Little Al’s Big Show
Hosted by Akintunde Akinsowon
Hosted by Alice Finney
60 Minutes of Mangan
2-3pm
Paige with Guests 1-2pm
Hosted by Paige Smith
Live it live with Jonny Meah 2-3pm
Hosted by Jonny Meah
5-6pm
Hosted by Ollie Heathcock
6-7pm
Hosted by Nick Werren
Hosted by Alex Mason
The World Show
Sam and Harry’s Existential Crisis - 4-5pm
The Magical Music Tour
Hosted by Callum Sellins
Everyday Desert Island Discs 3-4pm
4-5pm
2-4pm
Holly CA-60 Show 4-5pm Hosted by Holly Cassidy
Broken Old 45’s 5-6pm
Hosted by Jack Jewers
Hosted by Gareth Mangan
Hosted by Sian Williams
5-6pm
Hosted by Sam Berkay
Decadent Groove
6-7pm
6-7pm
7-8pm
Hosted by Benji Kusi
Going Nowhere Slow 8-9pm
Hosted by Julian Paszkiewicz
The Everything Hour 7-8pm
Hosted by Lewis Cockle
Cult of the Black Pudding 8-9pm
Hosted by Beau O’Shea
Hosted by Harry Reddick
5-6pm
6-7pm
9-10pm
Hosted by Sam Hislop and Bruno Riddy
Californication 9-10pm
Hosted by Priyanka Vigneswaran
Retrofit 7-8pm
Stone’s Throw
Hosted by Adam Whitmore
7-8pm
Hosted by Sam Siva
The Mo-mentous Show
Tangled Roots
The Politics Show
8-9pm
8-9pm
Tropical Hot Dog Night
Hosted by Paul Millar
Hosted by Elana Crowley
Hosted by Thomas Powell and Raymond Jennings
The Sports Show
The Rory Hughes Show
7-8pm
9-10pm
9-10pm
Hosted by Rory Hughes
Hosted by Morrow and Jackson
Alphabet Soup 8-9pm
Hosted by Thomas Houlton
Gardeners’ Hour
Hosted by Sebastian Tiley
6-7pm
Anorak Ashtray Hosted by Joseph Oliver
Mole
The Green Frog Show
Hosted by Chloe Mo
The B/C Sandwich
3-4pm
Hosted by Em Chittock
Hosted by Matthew Locke-Cooper
The Nick Werren Show
The Tom Jenkinson Show
2-3pm
Hosted by James Blay
The Electric Hour
Sian’s Pic N Mix
Hosted by Ellie Holland
Night Falls 9-10pm
Make sure you listen and get involved at: www.urfonline.com
Hosted by Tiago Franco
Read, Write and Get Involved: Make sure you have a look at our website at www.unitvlive.com (or search for us on Facebook!) for more details about how to meet, watch, write, pitch, produce, film, act and get involved with all things UniTV!
www.badgeronline.com @thebadgernews facebook.com/thebadger.ussu
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