Michaelmas Issue 2 by The Cambridge Student

The importance of Eton Mess Scientist use an all you can eat buffet to understand mutations

→ Research Roundup, p.9

Solange Knowles

Interview: Liz Frazer

An unapolagetically black album

On her hopes to demystify mental health

→ The p.Th2ursday Magazine,

→Interviews, p.14

The

Cambridge Student

20 October 2016 Vol. 18 Michaelmas Issue 2 www.tcs.cam.ac.uk

Bodycams for Cambridge City workers following public abuse Khushali Dodhia Edi Cambridge City’s frontline council workers will wear body cameras, after it was revealed that 75% of their interactions with the public resulted in them being subject to verbal abuse. The Labour-controlled Council unanimously approved a proposal to introduce body worn cameras for Cambridge’s Environmental Enforcement Officers, who deal with dog fouling, littering, and punt touting. Cllr Lewis Herbert, leader of the Council, said: “Our enforcement officers play a vital role in keeping Cambridge cleaner, greener and safer for both residents and visitors but they are also often at the sharp end in dealing with difficult and sometimes confrontational situations. “The use of body worn cameras has been shown to help de-escalate many potentially volatile situations as well as providing clear evidence where complaints or challenges are made, in the interests of all involved.” Liberal Democrat councillors successfully pushed for members of the public to be able to ask that interactions between them and Environmental Enforcement Officers be recorded. Lib Dem Cllr Tim Bick told Cambridge News “we clearly want to support our officers, but complaints against them can be made and there might be two sides to the question. It’s our duty to ensure fair play all round. If recorded evidence is possible, it shouldn’t be just one way traffic.” However, Herbert stressed that the Council will be subject to firm controls: “We have learned a lot from the experience of the police in implementing body worn cameras, and council use will be subject to strict policies including that we will also report back on them annually. “This will be a positive addition to help tackle environmental crime, deal with offences fairly and make Cambridge safer for all.”

A Black Lives Matter banner hangs outside Westcott House for Black History Month

Image Credit: Amelia Oakley

Series of assaults triggers safety warnings for students Reetika Revathy Subramanian News Editor

otices have been sent to students, fellows and staff to be ‘extemely vigilant’ following a series of assaults on students and members of the public in the city. The first assault was reported on 28 September along Queens’ Road, near to Clare College, when a female student was grabbed by an unknown man at around 22.30. According to the student’s statement, the man, who was described as being in his fifties and wearing a highvisibility vest, took hold of her until she was able to shake herself loose. He later said he was only asking for directions. Barely a week after, on October 7, another college student was attacked

while she was out jogging near Grange Road at around 21.00. A notice issued by the Tutorial Secretary of Queens’ College, said that a male assailant, who was on his bicycle, rode ahead of the student and stopped his bike in front of her, blocking her way. The assailant attempted to grab her, but the student was able to evade the attacker and took refuge in an unspecified Porters’ Lodge. The police have opened an inquiry into the incident. In the most recent case, which took place between 1:00 and 1:20 am on 17 October, a female undergraduate student from Murray Edwards College was approached by a drunk man for money, when she was walking across Magdalene Bridge. According to the student’s police

statement, she ignored the man and kept walking towards Castle Hill, when she realised that he had been following her. “The man then grabbed and assaulted her, before stumbling, at which point she managed to get away and return to College without further harm,” said the caution notice sent to students, fellows and staff across different colleges. It is not only female students who have been affected; according to the Cambridgeshire police, a man in his 20s was attacked in the main market square of the city in the early hours of Wednesday October 5. Investigations are underway. In a bid to ensure students’ safety, the Cambridge University’s Students Union are planning to speak with the police.

“We will be meeting authorities from the Cambridgeshire police next week. We will certainly be raising the issue of the recent spate of sexual assaults,” said women’s officer, Audrey Sebatindira. Many colleges and faculties have meanwhile issued ‘safety messages’ for their students, asking them to move around in groups, carry a torch and charged mobile phone, and in extreme situations, contact the Porter’s Lodge while walking alone after nightfall. Many of the attacks have been reported in neighbourhoods that are predominantly residential areas close to the city centre, usually considered ‘safe’ Police have appealed to the public for information, asking people to call their helpline.

20 October 2016 • The Cambridge Student

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Emma Plowright

Editorial Team 20 October 2016

Volume 18 • Michaelmas Issue 2

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The Cambridge Student • 20 October 2016

News

Misogynistic letter is ‘first of 4’ Letter entitled “Feminism” sent to all Oxbridge JCR and MCR presidents, aims “to get students to think” Khushali Dodhia Deputy News Editor An anonymous letter sent to Oxford and Cambridge JCR and MCR presidents vilifying “aggrandising feminism” is the first of four to come, The Cambridge Student can reveal. A handwritten message at the top of the misogynistic note, addressed to “The Editor” of TCS, says it is “The first of four postcards – going to Oxbridge JCRs, MCRs – trying to get students to think.” Beginning “Dear Son”, the letter claims that although “much” feminism is “good”, in its current form it is “actually and ironically more about women’s sexual availability. While some have found the note humorously ridiculous, others have found it threatening and reported a

continue to face vast challenges in wider society as well as at Cambridge – but equally, it’s quite hard not to laugh at the letter’s sheer ridiculousness.” The letters are postmarked from the Peterborough Mail Centre, suggesting that they were sent from a group outside of the universities. The letter carries on to say that “before: sex came with marriage in exchange for a home and children. Now: it’s the currency of the workplace and the context for a career. It’s

rewarded by access to jobs, power and to tax and benefits for “destroy[ing] influence. Why else would men have patriarchy by wrecking the family.” It continues, “It is an irony that rolled over and have been prepared slavery was damned for destroying the “It’s quite hard not to black family, yet feminists now think laugh at the letter’s sheer it’s progressive that they are destroying the white family.” ridiculousness” It warns readers to “be careful” how they approach women saying to lose so much? It laments “routine that “women need special help abortions […] and the whole push to and protection” because “the ‘fems’ fatherless kids, courtesy of the tax and are touchy”. But it ends “on a more positive benefit system,” and blames changes

note”, recommending that students prioritise finding a “lifer” over their degrees: “enjoy what’s good. There are soft hearted and open-minded women around, attractive as well. They can make life long lovers, great mothers and loyal friends. […] But you have to look around. Finding your ‘lifer’ takes

“Before: sex came with marriage in exchange for a home and children. Now: it’s the currency of the workplace” effort and is more important than your degree, so get on with it. “First though, speak patience to your cock. You have to understand that the wet and the warm in all its squelching glory with someone you love, brings not only pleasure but also joy.” Urging male students to “savour your youth”, it advises them to “See the motto on the Corpus Clock”: which are “the world passeth away, and the lust thereof ”. It is signed off, “Love Dad”.

119 The total number of JCRs and MCRs in Oxford and Cambridge

desire to report it to the police. Christ’s JCR president James Fox said, “Obviously I find the fact that this letter trivialises such an important issue appalling, seeing as women

Students create legal chatbot

People urged to ‘clown responsibly’ Khushali Dodhia Deputy News Editor Cambridgeshire police and local businesses have urged an end to “killer clowning” after the craze sweeping the nation arrived in Cambridge this week. The trend, which began in America, has reportedly resulted in activities ranging from the creepy clowns scaring passers-by, to more disturbing occasions where clowns have intimidated schoolchildren. The first incident involving a “killer clown” reported to Cambridgeshire Police occured last Monday, when a man punched a clown which jumped on him. He later called the police after becoming concerned that the clown had had something in his hand. Following the incident, Cambridgeshire Police and Crime

“Those dressed as clowns might think its a bit of fun”

Commissioner Jason Ablewhite warned that offenders could be prosecuted if they set out to deliberately distress others: “Whilst those dressed up as clowns might see this as ‘just a bit of fun’ it is anything but. “I have spoken to the Constabulary and am reassured that anyone found to be terrifying or threatening others may warrant public order criminal offences.” Tracy Parkins, manager of fancy dress shop Partymania in the town centre, told Cambridge News, “We haven’t seen an increase in sales but of course we would be happy if it happened. I don’t really know why people are particularly bothered about clowns when people dress up as zombies. “But people do get scared so if you are going to dress up as one then clown responsibly.”

Khushali Dodhia Deputy News Editor

“There is a gap in the market for artificially intelligent legal services”

A group of Cambridge law students have created LawBot, a chatbot which tells users if they have been victims of crime. Dubbed “the world’s most advanced legal chatbot” by its creators Ludwig Bull, Rebecca Agliolo, Nadia Abdul, and Jozo Maruscak, the non-profit program asks users questions in order to figure out whether a crime was committed, so they can go on to seek additional legal help. It can currently identify and comment on 26 different offences. Victims can then decide which available legal actions they wish to pursue with a certified solicitor. The four were inspired by Stanford student Joshua Browder’s AI lawyer DoNotPay, which has successfully

contested hundreds of thousands of parking tickets across London and New York for free. “The fact that we created it in a few short months attests to the gap in the market for artificially intelligent legal services,” said Agliolo, LawBot’s marketing director. She emphasised the students’ aim of improving access to justice: “The law is shrouded in ‘legalese’, and often incomprehensible for non-lawyers: LawBot bridges this gap to provide understandable, accessible access to legal knowledge.” One third-year lawyer commented, “Despite the downfall of needing to ask the right questions to get a response, LawBot is a thorough instrument that could be very useful in helping people who are unaware of the criminal law to assert their rights.”

20 October 2016 • The Cambridge Student

News

State teachers still hestitant about Oxbridge

Armaghan Hallajian News Editor

40% of state secondary teachers rarely or never advise their brightest pupils to apply to either the University of Oxford or the University of Cambridge, according to new findings published by the Sutton Trust. The survey has revealed that misconceptions about elitism and domination by private schools continue to thrive. The Sutton Trust, which campaigns for better outreach and widening access to education, says the support and advice provided by schools could be to blame for the “significant access gap” that remains

“It is vital that the universities set up their outreach activities”

Percentage of state teachers who encourage Oxbridge between state and privately educated students, as pupils “from more advantaged educational backgrounds are more likely to receive higher quality support”. Sir Peter Lampl, the Sutton Trust’s founder and chairman, emphasised the role of the universities in overcoming these stereotypes. “It is vital that the universities step up their outreach activities to address

teachers’ and students’ misconceptions,” Lampl said when the results became public on Thursday. Oxford’s new Vice Chancellor, Louise Richardson, spoke in agreement. “In an increasingly complex world the best may not be those who look and sound like ourselves. They may not be those who naturally think of coming to Oxford,” Richardson said. She emphasised the university’s responsibility, claiming that “Those with the greatest potential may not be those who have already attained the most.” This poll of 1600 primary and secondary school teachers also revealed that only 28% normally advise application to Oxbridge. On some occasions teachers thought their students would just be unhappy – worryingly echoing the findings of the very similar survey conducted by the Trust nine years ago. In the majority of cases, the teachers who did not encourage their pupils to Oxbridge were the ones who did not advise on university choices at all. However, of the remainder, 20% cited the perceived unlikelihood of their students gaining admission as the reason. “The polling tells us that many state school teachers don’t see Oxbridge as a realistic goal for their brightest pupils,” Lampl admitted. In fact, the survey proved that many teachers significantly underestimate the number of state school students who attend Oxbridge. Whilst the percentage of state school students who are accepted into the

two elite universities stands at around 60%, a fifth of the teachers who were surveyed thought that the figure was fewer that 20%. A mere one in 20 teachers were aware of the correct proportion. Oxbridge outreach programmes have been very well funded in recent years. “We spend £4.5m a year on access measures leading to 190,000 interactions with school learners and teachers,” a spokesman for Cambridge said. Liaison officers from Cambridge provide points of contact for teachers in every part of the UK, as every college is assigned a region of the country, as well as a London borough. Alongside summer schools, the University runs teacher residential courses with college visits and departmental events. According to figures from the Office for Fair Access, Oxford has spent more on widening access schemes than any other university in the whole of the UK. According to Dr Samina Khan, director of undergraduate admissions at Oxford, the university works with around 2,750 state schools every year in order to confront and dismantle the misconceptions that stand in the way of students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. “We are increasingly reaching out to teachers of younger pupils to help them understand how best to support talented students from early on,” Khan said. The priority now is for the universities to continue their efforts to connect with these bright, underprivileged students in order to, in words of Oxford’s new vice chancellor, “seek them out”.

for the British charity Help for Heroes. The charity had no knowledge of the event, making clear they “do not accept donations from extremist groups.” The application for the event was passed unopposed by police, despite knowing about a “possible right-wing element.” A police representative commented, “senior

Spain and Russia, Blood and Honour continue to continue to legally hold events throughout Britain. Matthew Collins, from the anti-fascist Hope not Hate Campaign said it was ‘disappointing’ that the event had been allowed, adding that he was “aware of a number of occasions when the police appear to have been caught short about the activities of the extreme far right.” He went on to the say that “There are 8-10 Blood and Honour concerts around the UK every year that attract normally less than 100 people. “This was bigger but made up mainly of people from overseas who see coming to the UK and getting away with a concert here as a major result.” Blood and Honour was initially founded as a music promotion network and continues to organise white power concerts. Their name comes from both the motto of the Hitler Youth and a song by a white power group. The group memorialises Donaldson’s death each year by holding a concert. For the 20th anniversary of his death, between 1,000 and 1,200 attended.

SAKEEB

Secret neo-Nazi festival held in Cambridgeshire Jenae Michelle Carpenter Deputy News Editor

Over 350 self-proclaimed ‘neoNazis’ fdescended on Haddenham, Cambridgeshire, last month, in order to commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the death of Ian Stuart Donaldson. Donaldson was a white supremacist, and founded the extremist group Blood and Honour in Britain in 1987. He died aged 36, in 1993, due to a car crash in Derbyshire. The event, held on 23 and 24 Septemer, saw the eruption of anti-Semitic and racist fervour. A video of the event revealed attendees performing Nazi salutes and screaming ‘Sieg Hel’, a common chant at Third Reich political rallies. A witness told the BBC that there was “a lot of cars, a big bonfire and a lot of music. The one that I heard was a song about white power and this kept going on and on. It was a song about white power and this kept going on and on. It was very loud and distinctive.” The landowner who rented his property to the group claims he was ‘duped’ after being told the gathering would raise money

Landowner told festival was for Help for Heroes

350 The number of attendees of the Blood and Honour festival in Cambridgeshire officers planned and implemented a response proportionate to the risk. We worked with the organisers and land owner and the event took place without any disorder or crime being committed.” Despite being banned in Germany,

Clockwise from top: The Bridge of Sighs, at H chemical leak on Tuesday, St Mary’s the Virg graduates

The Cambridge Student • 20 October 2016

TOM MURPHY VII

Bursaries boost chances of a ‘good degree’ Jenae Michelle Carpenter Deputy News Editor

SABAKKA

SEBASTIAN BALLARD

The larger the bursary a student receives at the undergraduate level, the more likely they are to get a good degree, a new study has found. Students from the most deprived backgrounds benefitted the most. The study was undertaken by Gill Wyness, lecturer in the economics of education at the UCL Institute of Education and Richard Murphy and an assistant professor of economics at the University of Texas at Austin. They found that for each additional £1,000 of financial aid awarded to undergraduates at nine English universities increased their chance of getting top marks (a first or a 2:1) by 3.7 percentage points. About half of this was due to better retention, and the rest to higher test scores. The study also revealed that a £1,000 increase improves students’ likelihood of completing the first year of their degree by 1.4 percentage points alone. “We shouldn’t write bursaries off,” said Dr Wyness, adding, “Our results show that bursaries are effective and that universities could get more out of them by targeting them more effectively.” The impact of bursaries varied significantly accross the socio-economic spectrum. Bursaires had a six times greater on students from deprived backgrounds, than the group as a whole. Additionally, those arriving at university

The findings contradict a 2014 report that found no noticable difference

News

with better grades benefitted 2 - 3 times more than their lower achieving peers. These finding contadicts a 2014 Office for Fair Access report, which stated that bursaries had no impact on whether poor students finished their degees. The study comes in at a time when the Labour Party has spoken out in Parliament against the decision to replace maintenance grants with loans. “The decision to replace the grant with a loan was sneaked through the back door by the Government and was not subject to a full vote and proper scrutiny,” said Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner, adding, “I hope there will be cross-party support at the vote to bring back grants.” The changes have meant around 5,000 students at Anglia Ruskin University and 2,000 at Cambridge University lost out. The IoE working paper is based on data for 35,879 UK and European Union students provided by English higher education institutions, the researchers believe that their findings will prove applicable for educational institutions around the globe. In the sample, the size of the bursaries provided ranged from £50 to £3,200 per individual, with an average value of £775. This comes after research in 2015 revealed that bursaries vary significantly by institution, with bursaries inside the Russell Group averaging at £1,250 annually, compared to £680 for institutions outside the group.

University lab chemical leak contained firefighters returned to their stations by 7.43pm. A spokesperson for the University told Cambridge News: “Thanks to our stringent safety protocols, and the quick action of our staff and fire service, we were able to contain the incident very quickly. “Staff acted so nobody was put at risk or injured during the incident.” Alongside the undergraduate commuity,

Khushali Dodhia Deputy News Editor ROB FARROW

Hertford College, Oxford, the Department of Chemistry, which experienced a gin church in Haddenham, which inadvertantly welcomed a neo-Nazi rally and

Firefighters were called to a Cambridge lab on Tuesday after a major chemical leak. Coming from Cambridge and St Neots, the firefighters, including the hazardous materials unit, were called to the fourth floor of the lab on Lensfield Road after 1kg of phosphorous pentachloride was spilt, reacting with the air to emit hydrogen chloride gas. Hydrochoric acid can cause irreversible damage to organs, eyes, and skin. Police advised residents to stay indoors with their windows and doors closed until further notice was given. Firefighters wearing gas-tight suits and breathing equipment evacuated the area and set up a decontamination zone before helping to remove the material and make the area safe. Paul Clarke, the station and incident commander, said: “This was a particularly challenging incident because it was on the fourth floor of the laboratory and it was a particularly hazardous substance so safety was of prime importance. The tactical plan was agreed with the on-site specialists whose help was invaluable.” After arriving at around 5 p.m, the

“Hydrochloric acid can cause irreversible damage to organs, eyes, and skin”

1 Kilograms of phosphorous pentachloride that was spilled the department is home to about 200 postdoctoral research staff, more than 250 postgraduates and around 60 academics. Lensfield Road, where the department is housed is close to Downing College and a residential area.

20 October 2016 • The Cambridge Student

College Watch

Images: Jessica McHugh

Westcott

Pembroke

Homerton

Christ’s

In recognition of Black History Month, Westcott House, an Anglican theology college, has displayed a banner in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. In a statement, the college authorities recognised the historic relationship between the Church of England and the perpetuation of the “grievous sin of racial injustice,” making clear that the move was part of the “communal repentance” for their role in this process. They affirmed that “the particular history of our own church and the continued ill treatment of our black brothers and sisters across the world, in those places that are well publicised and in those places that are too often forgotten, means it is incumbent on us to draw attention to the particular plight of the black community.” They also noted, however, that “in an age of virtue signalling, we are aware of the risks of tokenism.” They argued that the erection of the banner represents one element in a broader commitment to the movement, and will be accompanied by “talks, liturgy, intellectual discourse and a wave of prayer.” Jenae Michelle Carpenter

Antonio Carluccio (OBE OMRI), the “Godfather” of Italian food and proprietor of “Carluccio’s” will be preparing a formal for Pembroke students on 20 October. He will be cooking “Pappardelle ai Funghi”, one of his favourite recipes, as the guest at their annual Italian Serata. A three course meal, glass of Vin Santo and Cantucci (almond biscuits) will be included in the £11.95 ticket price. Carluccio will also be giving a short cookery lesson to Pembroke kitchen staff, which is also open to a small group of students. The lesson will involve the making of fresh pasta and pappardelle in both classic and special styles. The evening will mark the launch of the ‘Antonio Carluccio Prize’, which aims to assist Pembroke students travelling to Italy. This has been made possible by Mr Keith Sykes, one of the College’s benefactors, who has offered to match the sum collected by ticket sales. Pembroke is well-known for its spectacular formals. Unsurprisingly, tickets sold out almost immediately. Joanna Taylor

The five architects shortlisted to design Homerton’s new £7 million dining hall have been announced. Homerton launched the competition for an iconic building housing a 300-person dining hall in August. It received over 150 entries from round the world. The five remaining teams are al UK-based. Deborah Griffin OBE, Homerton’s bursar, expressed the college’s desire for a “spectacular building that will be a unique landmark on our campus. “In recent years, Homerton has become increasingly known for its sociable and friendly atmosphere – we are ambitious [...] to have a building that reflects the College’s values and energies.” The winning team will need to collaborate with a team working on a simultaneous project to renovate the existing Gothic Revival Great Hall. Construction of the dining hall is expected to begin by Spring 2018. Khushali Dodhia

Jane Stapleton has become the first female Master of Christ’s College. Replacing Frank Kelly at the beginning of this academic year, Jane is the 38th Master since the college’s conception in 1505. Until 2015 Stapleton was a Statutory Visting Professor of Law at the University of Oxford, an an Emeritus Fellow of Balliol College where she taught before moving to teach in Australia. With three doctorates already under belt, Stapleton has also been elected a Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy and has been a Visiting Professor in more than ten countries. Stapleton specialises in the law of torts (civil wrongs), with research interests in causation in law, philosophy and science. She has also previously been a Visiting Professor at Cambridge. The former master, Frank Kelly, is a mathematician, specialising in random processes, networks and optimization. Previous Masters, alongside Kelly, include Charles Darwin, the noted scientist. Joanna Taylor

The Cambridge Student • 20 October 2016

As graduate numbers grow; concerns increase Alexander Groes Vicki Thomson, Chief Executive of Australia’s ‘Group of Eight’ institutions claimed on Monday that ‘university is not for everyone. Her comments came in response to the uncapping of university places following a sharp rise in numbers of applications to Australian universities. In a speech to the Graduate Employability and Industry Partnerships forum in Sydney, Thomson spoke about the misconception that not having a degree constitutes ‘failure’, which she complained has led to sectors of ‘significant graduate oversupply’. Her claims have proved deeply controversial, with John Simons, deputy vice- chancellor of Marcquarie University, slating them as them ‘frankly bizarre’. Simons gave the example of the introduction of mass education in the UK 30 years ago, and he argued that the ‘strange and bizarre intervention’ mirrored the backwards example from that period when a woman studying English would be asked whether she ‘wanted to open an English shop’. Whilst Thomson conceded that it was ‘gratifying and exciting’ to see the way demand-drive admission system had led to nearly 40% of Australians aged 25 to 34 gaining a degree, she stressed that these statistics, once taken out of isolation, become problematic. For arts-based subjects in particular, Thomson said that the increase in graduates had not only devalued

their degree, but forced students to further their studies, increasing their student debt, in order to reach parity or attempt to carve out a career edge. Thomson’s claims carry an interesting resonance within the Cambridge sphere, where a 6.4% increase in applications over the last 5 years has been accompanied by a 3.9% increase in acceptances. The college-based applications system allows for limited flexibility with regards to acceptances, but on the whole, Cambridge’s facilities have not been visably strained by the increased demand, In actuality, the ‘Yours...Cambridge’ scheme, launched last November

6.4% increase in Cambridge applications over the last 5 years

with a £2 billion goal, cited increasing Cambridge’s facilities and accessibility to cope with increased demand. Ultimately, the more pressing issue facing Cambridge, one Thomson only hints at, is not about the demand for places, but the makeup of applications. Cambridge is committed to giving between 61 and 63% of its offers to state-run schools and colleges, with its current percentage sitting at 59%. In its continuing efforts to raise this percentage, the university embodies the antithesis of the idea that ‘university is not for everyone’, remaining committed to, in Sir Leszek’s words, ‘deliver[ing] more to more people’.

An incident involving racist language outside Jesus College has been reported. According to the college, Jesus students overheard the use antiSemitic language whist walking from Jesus Lane to the “Chimney” on Thursday 6 October. In a statement issued to students, Dr. Benjamin Walter, the college’s dean, made it clear that “abusive language will not be tolerated in or around the college.” Ore Ogunbiyi, the Racial Equalities Officer at Jesus, noted that the Jesus have a zero-tolerance policy to racially-charged behaviour, including micro-aggressions, and encouraged students to report all incidents.

NEWS BULLETIN History of Art A-level scrapped archaeology to follow AQA has axed its History of Art A-level. It was the last exam board in the UK to offer the qualification. Calling the decision “difficult”, an AQA spokeswoman wrote to teachers that they were struggling to recruit “sufficient experienced examiners”. “Our decision has nothing to do with the importance of the history of art,” she said. Those who have already enrolled in the A-level will be the final year group to take the subject. 839 students opted for History of Art A-level this year, compared with 43,000 choosing Art and Design. The qualification is listed as a “generally suitable arts A-level” on Trinity College’s website. Art and Design is listed as “of more limited suitability”.

Government report condemns Bouattia anti-Semitism Malia Bouattia, President of the NUS, has been accused of “defensiveness and apparent unwillingness” to address anti-Semitic concerns levelled at her by Jewish students. In a report prepared by the Home Affairs Select Committee, it was agreed that Bouattia has not taken concerns over anti-Semitic behaviour on campuses “sufficiently seriously”. Although steps have been taken by the NUS to deal with the ongoing scandal, the report raised concerns that these “may not be effectively address[ing] “ the issue, which requires a “unique response”. In once such incident, Bouattia described the University of Birmingham as “something of a Zionist outpost”, which the report slated as “outright racism”.

Telephone fundraising “ineffective” for universities

Racist language causes tensions to rise at Jesus Jenae Michelle Carpenter Deputy News Editor

News

She also made it clear that disciplinary procedures would be invoked to resolve any reported issues. The incident comes as Jesus faces renewed pressure to return a bronze cockerel to Nigeria. The cockerel, which was stolen from Nigeria by Victorian explorers during colonial insurrection, has resided in Jesus College since 1930. It was removed from public view in the dining hall in March this year, after a sustained campaign by students, who argued that it celebrated Britain’s “colonial narrative.” However, some students believe the college should go one step further, by repatriating it to Nigeria. This campaign has gained further momentum this month, garnering the support of Prince Edun Akenzua, the great-grandson of Oba (king)

Students overheard the use of anti-semitic language

Ovaramwen, from whose kingdom the bronzes items were looted in 1897. Opponents of the repatriation fear, however, that it may set a precedent for further demands to return other colonial artefacts from the ‘Benin Bronze collection’, a large quantity of which are currently in the British Museum. Coinciding with Black History Month, these incidents have turned the spotlight on Jesus College, who have made national headlines amidst the cockeral row. Although the college has reasserted its commitment to stamping out racist language and behaviour, students who declined to be named have noted the discrepency between that commitment and the college’s failure to fully resolve the cockeral row after months of campaining.

Universities must “rethink” the way they raise money as telephone campaigns are becoming ineffective, an academic summit heard. “Five years ago, for every eight successful phone calls we made, we had one person say ‘please take me off your call list’; in the last two years it went to three to one,” Martin Shell, vice-president for development at Stanford University, told Times Higher Education. Universities must emphasise their ability to create impact “in a way that so many other places may not”, he continued. Despite this, Cambridge is enjoying its “most successful fundraising year ever”, so far raising over £210 million. This figure has been bolstered by the £35 million benefaction to Pembroke College from Dolby, the largest ever single donation to the University.

A hundred turned away at Judith Butler talk

Normally, students arrive at lectures with moments to spare, if they go at all. However, people queued for up to two hours to see Judith Butler speak in Cambridge on Monday evening. Butler, the Maxine Elliot Professor of Comparative Literature at UC Berkeley, is a Visiting Professor at the University of Cambridge Centre for Gender Studies for Michaelmas Term. She is a dominant gender theorist. She delivered a talk entitled “Gender in translation: on the limits of monolinguialism” at Lady Mitchell Hall on the Sidgwick Site. It wasn’t possible to book the event in advance.

20 October 2016 • The Cambridge Student

News

The news roundup SCIENCE

AI will “transform or destroy society” Professor Stephen Hawking has claimed that artificial intelligence may have the power to ‘destroy’ society. Speaking at the launch of the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, at which he was host, Hawking said: ‘I believe there is no deep difference between what can be achieved by a biological brain and what can be achieved by a computer.’ He also added that AI could ‘exceed’ the human brain.

CRIME

‘The rise of powerful AI will be either the best or the worst thing to ever happen to humanity.’

Scam beggars are targeting Cambridge Scam beggars who travel to Cambridge to earn hundreds of pounds each week are being targeted by the council. Four in nine people arrested for beggining in Cambridge are not homeless, acording to Cambridge News. Police have warned that giving money to beggars may be a case of ‘killing with kindness’. Some scammers even commute to Cambridge daily to rake in cash.

NICKIE REHAL

CONSTRUCTION

£87 million office block to be built in Cambridge

Andrew Smyth, Cambridge’s baking sweetheart, is through to the Bake Off final 2016. After making it through the tense semi-finals, in which Selasi Gbormittah left the tent, Andrew will go head-to-head with Candice Brown and Jane Beedle. Cambridge graduate Andrew won Star Baker in the semi-finals but Candice is still favourite to win, according to The Telegraph.

Racial incident at freshers’ fair A stallholder from Milkround, a graduate careers website, was allegedly subject to racist abuse on the first day of the university-wide freshers’ fair. The company left immediately afterwards and did not return for the second day. They also filed a formal complaint. Amatey Doku told Varsity that he was not made aware of the complaint until after the fair.

FASHION

‘Cambridge Calre [sic] freshers boycott ‘patronising’ sexual consent classes.’

E-mail mix-up hits national headlines

BBC Newsbeat and the Daily Mail are amongst national media outlets who reported on the lack of freshers at one of Clare College’s consent workshops, the latter opting for the headline ‘Cambridge Calre[sic] freshers boycott ‘patronising’ sexual consent classes’. Clare freshers have stressed that they are aware of the importance of consent and were not properly informed about the workshop.

WIKIPEDIA

4 in 9 Number of beggars arrested in Cambridge who are not homeless, according to Cambridge police.

CHRISTMAS

Cambridge lights switch-on

163,000 The size, in square feet, of an office block coming to Cambridge city centre despite locals’ concerns.

Although it may be a little early to start thinking about Christmas, the date has been set for the city’s big lights switch-on. At 5pm on 20th November, Cambridge United will do the honours in Market Square. 26 different schemes of white lighting will adorn 22 of Cambridge’s streets. Entertainment will also be provided during the lead-up.

LWP KOMMUNIKÁCIÓ, FLICKR

CLARE COLLEGE

Delhi copyright clash

Success for Bake Off Andrew

‘We got talking about our frustration at being unable to find organic cotton lingerie that looked elegant.’

Two Cambridge Social Venture entrepreneurs hope to raise £10,000 via a crowd-funding campaign to start up AmaElla, a new ethical lingerie brand. The designs, created by Lara San Gil and Julie Kervadec, will be made of organic cotton and focus on ‘health, ethical and style concerns’. Although non-synthetic lingerie is available in the market, they just aren’t ‘stylish’, according to Julie.

UNIVERSITY PRESS

FOOD

CRIME

Ethicalhlingerie line to launch

Work on a major new office block in Cambridge city centre is due to begin this month, entailing the demolition of a Victorian terrace and relocation of a food park. Residents have raised their concerns over the plans, saying that the city could end up looking like a “mini City of London”. At 163,000 sq ft, the project is the largest speculative office building to be developed in the city centre.

Both Cambridge and Oxford University Presses will appeal against the verdict of the Delhi High Court, which ruled against them in favour of a photocopying service which reprinted course materials. Mr Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw, who oversaw the case, judged that the pages reproduced by Rameshwari Photocopy Services fall within the “educational exception” clause of the Copyright Act 1957.

_EVANTHIA_

‘We have a zerotolerance approach to racism ... of any kind and it completely goes against everything that CUSU stands for’

POETRY

£500 poetry prize at Emmanuel College

Emmanuel College will award half a grand prize money to the writer of the best poem or poems in English for its Brewer Hall Poetry Prize. The competition is open to all undergraduates and graduates of not more than three years’ standing. Submissions of no more than 200 lines will be accepted until 2nd May. The award was endowed by Mr A. R. Hall in honour of his former tutor, Professor Derek Brewer.

20 October 2016 • The Cambridge Student

Science

Mollusc monikered for Gonville & Caius lecturer

Why should I care about... Condensed matter physics

arlier this month, three Cambridge physicists won the Nobel Prize for their work in condensed matter physics. Malte Grosche, head of the Quantum Matter group in the Physics department tells us what it is and why we should care about this year’s prize. What is condensed matter physics? CMP is an enormous field, it’s maybe the biggest sub-field within physics. It concerns anything that isn’t a gas, liquids and even condensed matter. The reason why a gas condenses into a liquid and then into a solid comes from interactions between particles. Intrinsically CMP is always about interactions. Why is condensed matter physics important? Whole ages of human development have been named after advances in cmp: the stone age, the bronze age, the iron age, now we’re in... the age of the electron. People are using the electron in many different ways mostly to process information. The killer application for solid state physics is the transistor [the voltage controlled switch central to every single computer].

Ned Booker Science Editor

Camilla Penney Science Editor

newly discovered shellfish has been named Pleurolucina Harperae after Dr Liz Harper of the Department of Earth Sciences. The new species was discovered on Curaçao, an island in the southern Caribbean, by Emily Glover and John Taylor of the Natural History Museum. Describing the etymology of their chosen name, Glover and Taylor wrote that P. Harperae was “named for Elizabeth (Liz) Harper, University of Cambridge, bivalve researcher, colleague and friend, who helped collect the new species”. Dr Harper, who is a lecturer based at Gonville and Caius, studies biomineralisation - how marine creatures grow and repair their shells. Biomineralisation is a hot topic in evolutionary biology at the moment. Changes in ocean temperatures and

acidity as a result of increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide and increasing global temperatures might destabilise shell-forming processes. This is important, not only for biodiversity but also for commercial shellfish production, including all those May Ball oysters. Tied up with the growth and repair of shells is their small (sub-millimetre) scale structure – Dr Harper also researches the different crystal structures in shells and how these structures help shellfish to survive. It seems appropriate, therefore, that P. Harperae has an unusual, complicated and apparently highly functional shell structure. Shells are formed by crystals growing on a matrix made from the protein conchiolin. In P. Harperae, layers of conchiolin are interspersed with chalky, ‘tulip-

shaped’ blobs. Amongst the shells reported by Glover and Taylor, many had incomplete drill holes. This suggests that the conchiolin layers may stop predators from gaining access to the mollusc’s soft interior. Alternatively, these layers could help to stop the shells dissolving, which might be an evolutionary advantage in more acidic oceans. Asked by The Cambridge Student how she felt about having a species named after her, Dr Harper replied “Blimey… embarrassed is the answer.” Her colleagues and students tended to a more congratulatory response, with Head of Department Simon Redfern tweeting “Delighted to hear of a new bivalve species Pleurolucina harperae named for Liz Harper”. GUIDO

We’ve lived in the stone age, the bronze age... we’re in the age of the electron

Matheus Henrique Nunes Science Editor

Researchers from the Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience have found that growing neurons respond to mechanical signals. This research reveals that neurons are able to ‘feel’ their environment as they grow, allowing them to make the right connections . Growing axons on a stiffer substrate makes them grow faster, straighter, longer and more parallel. These substrates are a good model for tissues which axons have to grow through, but not for regions where axons form synapses. This research shows that mechanical sensing is just as critical as biochemical signalling for axon growth in the developing brain. This theory is important for regenerative processes in which cells have to migrate or regrow through damaged tissue with altered mechanical properties.

Researchers at Cambridge have discovered a gene mutation which gives an increased preferenced for surgary foods. Obese people with a particular receptor in their nervous systems (MC4R) unknowingly prefer fatty foods over sugary ones. At an all you can eat buffet, meals with different amounts of fat and sugar were given to lean and obese people and people who were obese because of the faulty gene. Individuals with defective MC4R ate more fatty foods, but did not appear to knowingly choose them. This may be due to an unconscious desire to consume fat, which has a high calorie density. Such a response would be useful in times of famine, but defective MC4R may prevent people distinguishing between wanting and liking fatty foods.

What do you study? The properties which arise from the interactions between electrons… The way atoms are condensed into their structures can be full of surprises. In fact structures can have lattice defects so called dislocations [which] can be

Research reviewed by the Univiersity revealed that, globally, people from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to discover they have cancer during medical emergencies. Cancer diagnoses in emergencies lead to lower survival rates, worse quality of life and less frequent use of treatments intended to cure the disease. There is need for wider awareness of symptoms. In England, 23% of those diagnosed with cancer in an emergency had “red flag” symptoms which should have led earlier diagnosis. People under 14 and over 80 are particularly likely to be diagnosed with cancer in a medical emergency. Decreasing the number of patients diagnosed with cancer in medical emergencies involves complex factors related to the tumour type, patient and health-care system.

studied themselves in terms of their topological aspects. Not so dissimilar from what the Nobel Prize winners did with electronic systems. What does topological mean? Traditional theoretical CMP is based on… the symmetries [of a system and] how they are broken. What’s so exciting is that a whole new world of possible states opens up that goes beyond broken symmetry... now there is additional classification: two states may differ very fundamentally despite having the same symmetries. One nice example is if you form a vortex…[from] some magnetic state...

Intrisically, CMP is always about interactions locally the magnetic moments... curve around one singular point (like arrows pointing around a circle) or [they may] form a hedgehog. It makes a difference whether I have one or two… these may cancel at long distance, but an individual one may distort the magnetic field. This is something Kosterlitz and Thouless [two of this year’s Nobel Laureates] were going on about. They recognised that if you have a superfluid you have similar vortices formed. If you have a single vortex it has a very high energy cost, if you have two that rotate in opposite direction the effect at long distance is smaller. [The vortices] will pop up and decay spontaneously. At high temperatures they will proliferate, and there will be so many forming that it actually destroys the superconductivity state altogether [in thin films]. INSATIABLEMUNCH

20 October 2016 • The Cambridge Student

Features

“Be You

“Where are you from?” Merlyn Thomas Features Editor I’m Indian. I was born in India, Malayalam is my mother tongue, a southern Indian language and my mum’s chicken curry is my favourite dish. But I don’t have a trace of an Indian accent when I speak English and I dress in “western” clothes. For all intents and purposes I can get down to both Drake and Kal Ho Na Ho, I can speak both English and “Indian” - as it’s so often bluntly called - and I have lived in both the UK and India. I do not mind when people ask me where I am from. I do not read racism in the question,

because I see it as curiosity and genuine interest into my background. I am willing to share my culture, and I want people to understand. My culture is a huge part of who I am, and understanding where I am from is one step closer to understanding me. Of course, there are always a few who can’t understand how I can possibly speak English without an accent if I’m Indian, or ask me why I haven’t read the Karma Sutra. But if it means that others understand just a little bit more then the racist/uncomfortable conversations are still worth having. PIXABY

Celebrating the earliest Black Cantabs in Cambridge Njoki Wamai, President and Co-founder Black Cantabs Cambridge’s world famous graduates are recognised for their impact in various fields, especially the sciences, where alumni include Sir Isaac Newton and Prof. Stephen Hawking.A cursory look at the prominent alumni list of several colleges shows no black scholars. Yet black students have been studying and graduating in Cambridge as early as 1849, when Alexander Crummell matriculated at Queens’ College. Crummell went on to become a leading moral philosopher, priest and pan-Africanist who started the pan-Africanist movement and mentored the famous scholar William Dubois. Other early prominent black scholars include Joseph Ephraim Casely-Hayford, a Ghanaian who studied law at Peterhouse College in 1893 and later became a leading journalist, lawyer, political leader and educator in Ghana. In the 1920s Casely Hayford wrote Ethiopia Unbound, one of the first novels in English by an African. It has been cited as the earliest example of pan-African fiction. The earliest female scholars include

“Cambridge is yet to acknowledge its prominent Black scholars.”

Gloria Cumper from Jamaica who studied law at Girton in 1945, becoming the first black woman to do so and the earliest we have researched thus far at the Black Cantabs Project. She went on to become a prominent educationist who founded the family law division at the University of West Indies, amongst other prominent leadership roles. Efua Sutherland who was her contemporary at Homerton in 1947 is also the first African woman documented by the project so far to have attended Cambridge. Efua studied education and later became the leading African playwright, writer and educationist in Ghana. Her best-known works include Foriwa (1962), Edufa (1967), and The Marriage of Anansewa (1975). As the earliest Ghanaian playwrightdirector and a popular broadcaster, she was an influential figure in the establishment of modern Ghanaian theatre, and helped to promote the study of African performance traditions at university level. She was also a pioneering publisher, establishing the company Afram Publications in the 1970s. Cambridge is yet to acknowledge its prominent black scholars and there is a need to raise awareness of their histories

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

within and outside Cambridge. Black scholars often find the University a lonely place to be, especially when they are always the only black person in the room, and this is often in spite of enjoying the rich academic opportunities that Cambridge offers. By raising the profile of these past Black Cantabs in their websites The Black Cantabs Project is a society whose main objective is to research the earlier students of African descent in Cambridge. Historical archives are open to research but also flexible to allow space for inspiring black alumni who may not necessarily be within that time period. It was founded by black students in order to recover the histories of people like us who studied at Cambridge. We hope that by building an ongoing database and website, black students can begin to find inspiration that people like them studied here and excelled. The project is first aimed at researching alumni of African descent and their various achievements. It will also document their lives through publication and, in the long term, with research funding, the project will study their lives and their impact on society

2 4 8

Solangeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest album impresses The sex column returns College bar wars

The Thursday Magazine

20 October 2016 • The Thursday Magazine • The Cambridge Student

Solange deserves her Seat at the Table Arenike Adebajo

olange Knowles has a lot to be mad about, and rightly so. Her third studio album is a stunning ode to the unique joys and frustrations of black womanhood. In September, the singer tweeted about the hostility she faced in “predominantly white spaces”, recounting her experiences at a Kraftwerk concert where she was pelted with rubbish for standing up and dancing. In this light, A Seat at the Table’s project is architectural, a reaction against such spaces. Within its 21 tracks, a collection of sonically and thematically linked songs and interludes, Solange creates a space for commiseration, sorrow, joy and anger. And this space is unapologetically black. Marginalisation, micro-aggressions and overt racism are the matter forming the “metal cloud” that Solange sings of in ‘Cranes in the Sky’. This is the pervasive atmosphere of societies in which white supremacy manifests itself, from police brutality to the policing of black women’s hair. Titling one of her songs ‘Don’t Touch My Hair’ signals that like us, Solange is “weary of the ways of the world”. Again and again, black people find themselves having to justify expressions of anger against repressive systems. In an interview, she notes that “punk music and white kids” have always been afforded the space to express rage and anti-establishment attitudes whilst black people have been vilified for doing the same thing. A Seat at the

MUSIC VEVO

Table weaponises this anger, at a personal and collective level, into what Audre Lorde termed, “a liberating and strengthening act of clarification”. The ‘Interlude: Dad Was Mad’, in which her father Matthew tells of the racism he faced with the integration of the schools system, bleeds into the gorgeous ‘Mad’ where Solange assures us that “You’ve got the right to be mad.” Lil Wayne’s verse on this track is a gem: a devastating take on toxic masculinity, his struggles with mental health and the isolation that comes with fame. Solange validates black anger, whilst reminding us of our beauty and resistance. Whether it’s harmonising with Kelly Rowland and Nia Andrews in ‘Interlude: I’ve Got So Much Magic, You Can Have It’ or the stunning Afrofuturistic visuals for ‘Cranes in the Sky’, depicting worlds in which the black body is liberated and carefree. A Seat at the Table is not for everyone. There are lyrics that some people can’t sing along to, there are experiences that will be bafflingly unfamiliar. However, the album extends an invitation, and should you wish to take it up: “Don’t feel bad if you can’t sing along Just be glad you got the whole wide world This us This shit is from us Some shit you can’t touch.”

A spotlight on designers of colour Megan Lea Fashion Editor

ashion is, surely, supposed to be about the diverse nature of beauty and style. Whoever you are and wherever you’re from, you wear clothes, you present yourself in a certain way (provided you have the means), and so, in a way, fashion is relevant to you. And yet even today, in an atmosphere of progress and inclusivity, there are some who are apparently not relevant to fashion. A tiny percentage of designers showing at the major fashion weeks in recent years have been people of colour; of the designers sold in department stores and on major e-commerce sites, the number is even lower, at below 1%. Here we focus on five designers, past and present – it’s a roundup which is anything but exhaustive, but it aims to give a flavour of the range and talent of designers too often ignored and marginalised by the industry.

1. Willi Smith: Lauded as one of the most talented designers of his time, Willi Smith looked to real people for his inspiration, approaching fashion with an eye for the vivid, the youthful, the spirit of the street. This was cut short by his death in 1987, upon which he was described by the New York Daily News as “the most successful black designer in fashion history”. 2. Tracy Reese: Reese launched her fashion label in 1998, building on retro inspiration with bright colour and classic femininity, and now counting among her clients Michelle Obama and Sarah Jessica Parker. She told the New York Times: “My parents always said, ‘You’re going to have to work twice as hard as a white person, so be prepared.’” – the sentiment rings true in Reese’s success story. In 2007 she became a board member of the illustrious Council of Fashion Designers of America; last year, of the CFDA’s 470 members, only 12 were African-American. 3. Duro Olowu: Olowu draws on his Nigerian heritage and English home to create beautiful prints that are personal, bold and hypnotic. His clothes have a modern look to them, comfortable yet striking. And his rise to success was equally brilliant: he was named New Designer of the Year at LFW in 2005, just one year after launching his label. 4. Carly Cushnie: As one half of Cushnie et Ochs, this designer consistently comes up with clothes that are irresistible in their effortlessness (I’m still not over the red and gold slip dresses from Fall 16). Cushnie hails from London but studied design in both Paris and New York, where she met her business partner Michelle Ochs, and the rest is (flawlessly stylish) history.

5. Armando Cabral: From model to designer, Armando Cabral is no stranger to success in the fashion world. After five years of modelling in his home country Portugal, he moved to New York where his career skyrocketed. Having walked for the likes of Louis Vuitton, Dior Homme and Calvin Klein in the fashion capitals of the world for three years, Cabral launched a footwear brand, designing modern yet classically elegant shoes with the creative flair he has always nurtured. The list could of course go on and on. It shouldn’t need to take the First Lady’s seal of approval to afford designers of colour the level of fame white designers are able to achieve in much greater numbers with far more ease. ‘Spotlight’ is really just a buzzword. It’s time to remove the blinkers and shine a light on all designers of colour. BOTH: FASHION BUSINESS AFRICA

20 October 2016 • The Thursday Magazine • The Cambridge Student

Savino’s hits the spot Rachel Rees - Middleton Food Editor

ou would be forgiven for overlooking Savino’s. Tucked between Subway and a dry cleaning shop, opposite the most stressful bus/taxi/ bike negotiation point in Cambridge, this little Italian café does not occupy a prime location. Yet, over the course of my time in Cambridge, I have heard murmurings that Savino’s serves the best coffee in town. A visit was therefore a week two priority. The friendly waiter got our visit off to a good start, as did the laid back vibe and sounds of Italian. The cappuccino, served in perfect medium-sized cups, was excellent. We sampled their carrot cake and their chocolate torte, which were good sized slices for a reasonable price. The carrot cake had just the right consistency and quantity of icing, but it was the chocolate torte which really stole the show: not too sweet and just a little bit stickier than ordinary cake. With a coffee and a cake resulting in change from £5, Savino’s is cheaper than many of its competitors. If you’re looking for a place to work for the day, Savino’s might not be the place but if you’re looking for an afternoon pick-me-up, then head right on in. RACHEL REES-MIDDLETON

Voluntourism’s saviour complex Sienna Hewavidana

hen I first walked through the gates of the orphanage, a flood of children ran to me – I stepped forward, my feet caked in the red dirt, my arms opened wide. I have never felt more loved or needed as I did in that moment”, Saviour Barbie exclaims. In the post, Saviour Barbie bends down to embrace a small brown child, outside a ramshackle old building in the desert. Created by two white volunteers, Saviour Barbie is a satirical Instagram account which mimics white “gap yahs’’ quest to find spiritual fulfilment by taking poignant pictures with “saved” children. The end of summer. A change of scenery, change of season and most importantly – the change of profile pictures. The features of the most fashionable profile picture of 2016: a beaming white person (wearing suitably colourful ethnic clothes) surrounded by a crowd of small brown children in <insert developing country> The volunteer is tenderly hugging one of them. The caption: “These smiling children have nothing yet they’re so happy *praying emoji*.” The volunteer is the centre of attention, adored by these children. And yet, almost certainly, they would not be able to name a single one of them. Here we have it: voluntourism. Although seemingly admirable, the concept is narcissistic in a self-satisfied way, coloured by a white saviour complex. Instead of discovering the hardships of people of colour, voluntourism enables white people to simply discover themselves. Brown bodies are used as props for wealthy teenagers to get as many likes as possible – it is a near impossible feat to volunteer without Instagramming pictures of yourself “giving back”. Disregarding the tastelessness of the trend for voluntourism, there are other unavoidable issues. This kind of volunteering is unsustainable: short-term

endeavours cannot cure a structural, long term problem. Helping out in a community for a week or two will not make a discernible difference. In fact, it can do more harm than good. Voluntarily constructing houses, schools and libraries may look good on paper (that paper being your CV, naturally), but native skilled builders, bricklayers and construction workers would have benefitted from those few weeks of potential employment. There is a great deal of unskilled labour in all countries, and native workers would be able to work at a fraction of the cost of a foreigner flying out to help. Imagine 18-years-olds, fresh out of sixth form teaching in schools in England and building houses. It seems laughable. So why is it seen as commendable in developing countries? It is symptomatic of the imperialistic view that development cannot happen from the inside, and is only achievable with help from the West If you are considering volunteering, ask yourself: am I qualified to do this in my home country? Your presence is not a godsend. You are not a gift to the community. You are not a hero, saving these poor brown people from a lifetime of poverty. Save your money, and your white saviour complex for another day.

THOMAS WANHOFF

Review:Cambridge Shorts impresses Will Tilbrook

tudent film in Cambridge appears to be on the up at the moment. The ADC held its second student film night last Tuesday 18 October with only five months since the first event, and this screening proved just as enjoyable as the last. This time the variety of films was especially impressive, and each of the six short films I thought brought something new and engaging to the screening. The Result of Rainy Days This film directed by Jack Wearing focused on two tennis players stuck indoors due to the bad weather, and what they create during this time. Contemplative in tone, the film would have perhaps been better served to be shown in the middle of the screening, as it proved a slow start to the programme. However, some clever camera shots and calm pacing meant this was probably the film that had me thinking the most as I left the theatre. It’s Okay If It’s Catchy The shortest of the short films but probably the one with the most punch, It’s Okay If It’s Catchy, by Joanna Taylor and Luke Naylor-Perrott, playfully showed us what would

happen if you took questionable song lyrics out of the music and into everyday conversation. The gag was presented in sketch format, which I think worked well, but the actors’ looks of horror at the lyrics being exchanged The Long Walk This was also quite a meditiative piece, this time by Nicholas Hulbert and Eli Keren; however what really stood out about this film was its production value. Filmed in the south of Spain so as to create the backdrop of the American-Texan war of the 1840s, the cinematography is at times quite stunning, which helps give some gravitas to what would otherwise have been quite a simple and unbelievable storyline. 7 Steps to Becoming a Student Drug Lord Written and directed by Patrick Brooks, and featuring the stars of sketch shows such as Babushka and Quinoa, this film was always going to be a hit with the audience. Following the escapades of Daniel and his innane friend Fletcher who try to set up a drug empire to fund their studies, the film was easily the most funny of the night, never taking itself too seriously.

Not A Love Poem The most poignant piece of the night, and my personal favourite, Not A Love Poem is about two students who have agreed to break up their longdistance relationship. Rather than using the soppy cliches as one might expect, the drama seemed realistic and the dialogue never contrived – certainly one to pull at your heart-strings. Directed by Louis Norris with additional material from Helen Vella Taylor and Os Leanse. Are Your Popular? Directed by Faye Cartwright, this short film ended the night on a high. At first parodying a 1950s educational video on how to be popular, this soon panned out into a present-day discussion on the challenges of popularity, with everything from being at the right parties to getting likes on Instagram. Without being as biting as satire, this film was certainly another one that made people think as they were leaving this ADC late-show, and with the promise of a third event already in the making, I’m sure many will be back again. A longer review will be available on the TCS website.

20 October 2016 • The Thursday Magazine • The Cambridge Student

How to have A taste from home: Asure sex in college Asli Cakar

Bea Hannay-Young

lease stop having such loud sex!!” the note on my door this morning read. “Everyone on the staircase can hear you and we’re fed up of being woken up by it every single night.” I realise with abject horror that it is in fact I who is the nightmare neighbour I was so avidly warned about before I left for university. Anonymous neighbours, I sympathise with you. I really do. In my first year I lived next to someone who would play Kanye West at considerable volume every time their Significant Other visited for a conjugal. I remember this with some clarity, because sometimes the vibrations would make the Starbucks on my desk pulse in time (though now I come to think about it that may have been the banging of the headboard). Needless to say we all caught on pretty quickly. I want you to know that for your sakes I considered employing her method, but came quickly to the reasonable conclusion that the grunts of my boyfriend were probably preferable (and shorter lived) than those of Lil’ Wayne, plastered over some sick synth and drum machine. I don’t blame my R&B loving neighbour, and I’m asking you not to blame me either. Our walls are paper thin, and we’re packed in like battery chickens. I’m pretty sure if I were to sneeze, the master would catch my cold from 500 meters away in her lodge. This, I am sorry to say, is the nature of communal living. Short of abstinence (which was never really an option) and plastering my walls with egg boxes, there is little more I could reasonably do to ease your suffering (as extensive as I am sure it is). I even tried once to quell the noise with a little light choking and a ball gag, but they didn’t really do it for me. I am not quite the headache you have painted me to be: at least I’m not stealing your milk (I’m actually lactose intolerant) or hosting pre-drinks every evening. It could be so much worse. I’m just a perfectly normal person with perhaps a slightly overactive sexual appetite. I’m quite nice, actually – consider this an open invitation to pop over for tea and find out. Tensions will always run high in college accommodation- throughout the duration of my time here I have felt often like I teeter pivotally between a higher IQ version of Big Brother, and a re-run of Skins, except with fewer drugs and more anxiety. When we live, eat, play, work, and dare I say shag, all in one or two tiny rooms it’s easy to get a bit possessive over your space and your right to silence. The problem is that as a result I’m also quite possessive over my teeny tiny bedroom and my right to enjoy myself in it, be that with a DVD boxset of Futurama, or be that with a half hour of vigorous bonking. Truthfully, sex at university is about ninety percent of the time, just a bit shit. A single bed is barely enough to accommodate both myself and my enormous food baby after a healthy Dominoes session, let alone the body of another person. I have said before but I cannot stress enough how I am sure this is a conspiracy contrived by the University with the sole intention of preventing sex (and perhaps also forcing us into some form of physical exercise). At best, you find yourself stumbling back through the plodge in last night’s dress (no judgement), and at worse your bedder will unwittingly stumble in on you both while you shower- together. It’s hard to circumvent all this, while trying to also remain as silent as the “p” in pneumonia. I’m working on it. PS: Just for the record, while I thank you for the flattery of my stamina “every single night” is a gross overstatement. Besides, I’m more of a morning person- but I bet you knew that already.

ear Food Lovers, this traditional recipe from my home country that will deeply satisfy your taste buds. It’s called ‘Asure’ (A-SHOE-REY), also known as ‘Noah’s Ark Pudding’. Turkish cuisine, dating back to the Ottoman Empire, is a mix of many different cultures, creating a rich melange of both sweet and savoury dishes. Asure has an important place in Turkish culture as well as in other cultures such as Greek, Arab, Armenian and Jewish. It is typically prepared two months after Ramadan which is called ‘Muharram Month’ or ‘Asure Month’. Asure is also referred to as Noah’s Ark Pudding. It is believed that Noah himself gathered all the remaining food to make a soup that would feed everyone who found safe heaven on the ark after the flood, until they found land, which later evolved into the pudding, Asure, we know today. Asure is typically made in a very large pot - try to imagine a witch’s cauldron - and is distributed to neighbours and to the less fortunate. This custom of sharing and friendship is believed to bring abundance.Every family has its own unique touch on how they prepare Asure. What is common in all is that Asure has a whole lot of ingredients that you will not find in any typical dessert. The recipe that I will be sharing belongs to my mother’s aunt, which, I am proud to say, is apparently is the best tasting Asure so far! Ingredients: Wheat (500g) Navy Beans + Chickpeas (1/2 cup) Sugar (1 cup) Dried apricots and figs, almonds, pomegranate, walnuts, blackcurrants Method: So how does this work? Pretty simple! Boil the wheat, beans and chickpeas that have been soaked overnight. Then add the sugar, apricots, figs and stir until it reaches a thick consistency. Poor it in bowls and let it cool. After the puddings have cooled down now is the time to be creative! Decorate with pomegranates, walnuts, almonds, apricots and currants or feel free to add any additional topping you want. Bon appétit! IMAGE: ASLI CAKAR

Where to buy: records Jessie Mathewson

ith the rise of Spotify and itunes, analogue music – specifically the dreaded hipster vinyl – might seem redundant to all but the converted few. But records are back, and a small sampling of Cambridge student rooms will yield a healthy number of budding collections, proving that this retro trend is still going strong. If you’re looking to expand your collection, dip your toes in, or just to up your edginess by browsing in your lunch break, here are a few Cambridge shops and hotspots worth checking out.

prices also take a hike. Try the charity shops by the Grafton centre, and avoid the big names: a smaller selection generally means lower prices, so it’s worth the hunt.

Charity shops: It seems obvious, but when it comes to vinyl, charity shops are not to be overlooked – particularly if you’re a classical fan. With records going for as little as a pound, they’re still bargain locations. Some shops – like Oxfam on Mill Road – stock a wider range of genres, but the

The Market: It might not seem the obvious choice, but Cambridge Market plays host to some great CD and record stalls. They stock a range from decades music to funk, jazz and classical, and the mid-range prices and central location make this a fun option for casual browsing while you shop.

Black Barn Records: While you’re at the Grafton Centre, Black Barn is definitely worth a visit. Perched amidst the charity shops on Burleigh Place, the shop was opened by a euromillions winner, and sells music and film memorabilia, as well as an enviable selection of records. Prices are higher, but the range is well worth the expense,. If you’re hunting down a specific title, this is the place to be

20 October 2016 • The Thursday Magazine • The Cambridge Student

Dylan’s Nobel Prize: Voice like sand and glue Sophie Dickinson

ctivist, artist, musician. Bob Dylan, with his ‘voice like sand and glue’, has won the Nobel Prize in Literature. The reaction was not outrage so much as a muted confusion; whilst some music journalists pondered on what it means to be a poet, others jostled to praise the grizzled songwriter in the most lyric-filed articles since the Kanye and Taylor debacle in July. It’s interesting to make that comparison. While it’s so obviously fashionable to think that the man who penned ‘The Times They Are a-Changin’’ deserves this award (and, as a Dylan fan, my immediate reaction was unthinking support), it does seem important to consider whether his work really is literature. Could Kanye’s lyrics be interpreted as poetry? Perhaps links could be made with spoken word, but it seems unlikely he would win the award. What is it about Dylan, then, that the judging panel particularly admired? The fact this award is ostensibly an invitation to join the establishment, albeit an artistic one, might explain the songwriter’s silence on the issue: the prize goes unclaimed; the philosophical acceptance speech on the nature of writing unmade. Perhaps most telling, the judges clearly expected something of a furore, nudging journalists in the direction of Blonde on Blonde as justification for their decision. My own angst as a Dylan fan/English student was somewhat soothed by this suggestion of his literary merit, actually. Revisiting the album, I found glimmers of brilliance that could so easily be compared to poetry in their composition and effect, even without their musical accompaniment. The lexical gymnastics of ‘Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat’, which

‘balances on your head like a mattress balances on a bottle of wine’, is full of playful, vivid images. ‘Just Like a Woman’ is clearly the runaway song from this album, and rightfully so; the simplistic ballad, whilst perhaps suited to music, does not seem to need it. The tragedy of ‘Till she sees finally that she’s like all the rest/ With her fog, her amphetamine and her pearls’ works just as hauntingly on paper as it does orally. The same can be said of ‘Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again’: Dylan creates not just a host of characters, but a mood, a sense of both curiosity and claustrophobia. The writing is undeniably brilliant. Does the fact the lyrics can be read without music, and still have some rhythm, some emotional resonance, make them poetry? I’m not sure it’s as clear-cut as that. At a risk of getting all Penguin Guide to English Literature, so many poems are written with the intention of being set to music; songs and poetry do not occupy two completely distinct categories. It seems out of the remit of journalists, musicians, and even second-year English students, to assert what makes a poem. I’m not going to call Dylan a poet, then, but I am going to insist that he is a songwriter – with emphasis on the “writer”. What makes Dylan a Nobel Prize in Literature winner, then, is not the scholarly ability to analyse his writing as one would a poem. It is the fact his writing is, on the surface, undeniably very good. As one journeys from Blonde on Blonde to the present day, one sees a body of work so wonderfully expressive, so remarkably apt. Through Dylan’s songs we experience his contemporary concerns and the transcendental frustrations they articulate. The listener

is submerged in stories, invited to feel the most precise emotions. Of course, the influence of the music cannot be denied – the tour de force that is ‘Changing of the Guards’ wouldn’t be the same without its swooping score; the ubiquitous Marine Band harmonica reinforces the spirit of Dylan throughout every album. Yet this almost has to be considered in a separate sphere. The emotional weight of Dylan’s writing seems intrinsic to who he is as an artist – that ‘voice like sand and glue’ would not have been enough for a career in itself. Dylan endures because of his ability to encapsulate a sentiment in a phrase. Those sentiments – of anger, of protest, of love – are so nuanced, so brilliant, that the Nobel Prize in Literature is deserved. XAVIER BADOSA

Cambridge talent’s dazzling debut Black History Month Listings Gianamar Giovannetti-Singh

Alice French Lifestyle Editor Thurs 20 Reading and Discussion with Nalo Hopkinson, Anglia Ruskin, 7pm: Hopkinson is a fantasy and science fiction writer, who incorporates the oral and written tradition of Caribbean history and literature into her novels. Saturday 22 Screening of Things of the Aimless Wanderer, Arts Picturehouse, 6.30pm: This film follows the story of an African woman as she encounters a variety of men, from different time periods and countries. The screening will be followed by a Q&A. Monday 24 Annual Race Equality Lecture, St John’s College, 5.30pm: This year’s lecture will discuss what needs to change in order for us to move closer to racial equality. Speakers include Professor Laura Serrant (patron of Race Equality Charter), Anwar Uddin (footballer) and Sandie Okoro (HSBC). All welcome, attendance is free. Monday 31 Akala, The Junction, 7pm: MOBO-winning hip hop artist Akala comes to Cambridge as part of his 10-year anniversary tour. His music combines rap, poetry, funk and soul.

rother’s debut EP The Exhibition is a tremendously rich, maximalist masterpiece of a debut. It draws inspiration from a range of musical genres, from late ‘90s alternative rock to ‘70s disco and free jazz. Such a variety of musical genres could overwhelm the sound of a single, twenty-four minute long extended play, but Brother manage to seamlessly link the vastly differently sounding sections of The Exhibition EP to produce an exquisite musical exposition. The stunningly hopeful chords which introduce opening track ‘Look To My Coming’ are followed by full, rich-sounding instrumentation, not dissimilar to the Eno-produced wall of sound on Coldplay’s Viva La Vida. George Ireland’s haunting, Thom Yorke-esque vocals counteract the uplifting chord progressions on the track, with a OLLIE TURVEY

spine-chillingly spectral quality. This first track sets the bar for the rest of the EP extraordinarily high, but Brother doesn’t fail to impress. The EP’s second song, ‘Eli’, is possibly the highlight of the selection, with magnificently maximalist production, which could have fitted in perfectly in Radiohead’s OK Computer. The instrumentation is luscious and full, with countless layers of interlocking sound; the track ends hauntingly with a shaker playing over the dying embers of a phantasmal guitar chord. The third song ‘Sea Spray’ is the first truly danceable track on the EP, featuring heavy inspiration from ‘70s and ‘80s disco, most clearly Nile Rodgers’s style of syncopated disco guitar chords. Isaac Squires’s guitar riff brings the track closer to techno territory, before returning to the disco chorus closing the track. The penultimate track, “Perfect Reflections” could be an instant club classic, with the unforgettably catchy techno/EDM-influenced riff repeated throughout the song. The wall of sound produced by the synthesisers is as usual thick and gifts the track a surreal dreamlike quality. A looped track of Ollie’s distorted violin, with layers of synths in the background, give closing track ‘Want’ a dreamlike and surreal quality. Despite the expertly mastered instrumentation on the track, it is George’s poignant vocal melody that stands out the most; inspiring and uplifting as ever. The vocals then break into a multitracked chorus, reminiscent of Coldplay’s recent single ‘Up&Up’. However, rather than the chorus continuing a la ‘Hey Jude’, it suddenly breaks and the album closes with Ollie’s angelic bluesy sax. Read the interview with Brother on the TCS website.

20 October 2016 • The Thursday Magazine• The Cambridge Student

Review: An audience member offended Leah Jones

aybe I should write this review in the style of ‘Offending the Audience.’ First I should start with a series of expletives. Then I would refuse to give any coherent structure to the piece, interspersing it with meaningless statements like ‘you are not thinking’ and that ‘the darkness is not another darkness’. Leaving several paragraphs blank, I should then spend the last section of the review writing in capitals on your worthlessness and finish with boys in owl glasses and tweed suits slow clapping you out of the room. In fact, considering the play’s bold attempt at ‘entirely deconstructing the theatrical experience’, I should probably insist on not writing a review at all. But I won’t do that, because I understand that concepts exist within a structure and a reality, and that actions have consequences. To give directors Zephyr Bruggen and Jake Thompson credit, they achieved their aim: I was offended and upset by the experience. But, as the problem of undertaking a review for a play that defies the very concept of reviewing highlights, the play was also rife with inconsistencies and flaws in its ‘deconstruction of theatre’. For one, it seemed especially incongruous that the production had a shiny, attractive flyer. For something that “didn’t matter anyway. It’s not a play” (the words of an actor drowning under feedback from the microphone as she attempted to ask me what I had eaten for dinner) this seemed particularly ironic. Another issue was the fake audience members, who I knew existed as I

overheard them being discussed and saw them arriving. I understand being ‘meta’, but the level of effort introduced seemed excessive and didn’t really pay off. And the presentation of Pom-Bears and whole kiwi fruit was bizarre. The idea of the production team scouring Sainsbury’s in an attempt to acquire ‘meta’ food was laughable. I guess Pom-Bears and whole kiwis are pretty ‘fucking avant garde’, right? My final, and most serious point, is that despite claiming to be an innovative production, the play did nothing to deviate from Cambridge’s most glaring inequality: it was an all-white cast and an almost all white audience. Ultimately then, it was not entirely removed or deconstructed from reality. They chose their insults carefully.They were mostly skewed towards women and it was only women who were filmed. I will end this review by making a statement. My lap and crotch were filmed live during the production and played on the screens in the auditorium. I refuse, whether for theatrical purposes or not, to be singled out and degraded. If you wish to be placidly insulted or highly objectified, or if you feel the need to make a swift exit whilst fake audience members continue to clap into the small hours and munch on their Pom-Bears, go see ‘Offending the Audience’. It will cost you £6.

3/10

Desire, death, the docks: Ca Rachel Rees Middleton

EOS BRUGGEN

***Both this article, and the play it discusses, are content warned for rape, child abuse, family conflict and miscarriage***

aravan’s opening scene quickly transforms laughter into absolute silence. 15 year-old Kim (Sophie Taylor) enters, a bundle of adolescent hopes and hormones, mocking the miniscule ‘palace’ or caravan her mother is so proud of and enjoying the mint choc-chip ice cream bought for her by 20 year-old Mick (Joe Shalom), holiday romance potential. Yet it’s North Wales, it’s raining and it soon becomes clear that life is no picnic for Kim’s family. Ignoring Kim’s clear resistance to his increasingly rough advances, Mick bullishly takes Kim’s virginity and leaves her pregnant. Taylor portrays Kim’s tragic disinterest and lively worldliness with great aplomb, and Shalom’s Mick is exactly the pitiable sexist layabout he should be. Clearly still in mourning

from the death of her father, Kim’s monologues are some of the most moving moments in the play. Her pragmatic approach to death shocks her mother Josie (Rachel Bircher) and her sister Kelly (Laura Pujos), who would prefer to pretend that everything is fine. The scenes between the two are handled with sympathetic skill. Kelly, unaware of Kim’s situation, also becomes involved with Mick, falls pregnant and marries him. This tragic doubling sets the tone for what is to become a tangled web of sexual relationships and family obligations, all played out within the confines of the caravan. The caravan itself is a marvellous set, creating an effective physical boundary between actors and audience. In the opening scene, we see all of the action through the window, for which Josie dreams of buying curtains. Some of the exterior walls are then taken away in order to open up the space, yet the claustrophobia remains. As the family situation becomes increasingly complex, the space outside is utilised effectively; during a particularly tragi-comic scene where Josie and

The Cambridge Student • The Thursday Magazine • 20 October 2016

ALL IMAGES: BENEDICT FLETT

My Scientology Movie lacks subject matter Richard Assheton

, danger and aravan review Bruce (Tom Chamberlain) discuss the ways in which people they know have died, all dressed for the local rodeo, they come much closer to the audience. Reality hits when Bruce learns that he and his fellow dockers have lost their jobs and the family retreat back into the confines of the caravan. Wider political and social happenings are contextualised at the beginning of Act 2 when, thanks to Amelia Oakley’s smart direction, the evening news (watched by Kim and Kelly on the caravan’s new television) is projected for the audience to see. It is in Act 2 as well where Pujos’ Kelly really comes into her own. More comfortable in the role of activist than housewife, Pujos convinces the audience that her fundraisers and ardent leaflet distribution are not, as her mother puts it “stepping on other people’s toes”. Indeed, it is her political activism and the romantic strings that are attached that allow her to begin to forge her own path, away from Mick, the scab and failed father who can’t even buy his wife fish and

chips. Chamberlain’s Bruce also becomes more convincing the more political his dialogue becomes and his passionate telling to Kim about what the docks mean to him is an important moment for reflection. This talented five-strong cast bring the clever returning dialogue and sharp humour of Helen Blakeman’s script to life. The smell of smoke which gradually pervades the auditorium only adds to the sense of dead-end desperation that is achieved by the end of the play. Although some questions remain unanswered, the previously spirited Kim’s assertion that they are “One family, one ‘house, one caravan” indicates that they have gone full circle. Caravan is playing at the ADC until Saturday 22nd October at 7:45pm

9/10

aving Ralph Steadman illustrate you has come to mark the acquisition of elite cult status. Steadman first became known in the 1960s for his crazed visual accompaniments to the crazed adventures of cult American “Gonzo” journalist Hunter S Thompson. Thompson has died, but Steadman continues to flick and draw things that carry some of his spirit, like Withnail and I, The Who, and a beer whose label tells the prospective drinker in Steadman’s smatterings that it is ‘Not for P**sies’. Now he has drawn our friend Louis Theroux, or at least written Louis’s name and surrounded him with drawings. On the poster for My Scientology Movie, Louis looms, head cocked, arms folded, eyebrows half drawn together like half drawn together curtains, in front of and almost as tall as the southern California headquarters of the church, surveyed by Steadman’s morose Scientology faces and wonky cameras. The inevitable conclusion, and one not challenged in 99 minutes, is that Louis has gone Gonzo. Years of chasing the whale – he has been trying to make a film about Scientology since the 2000s – has left Louis fixated with it. From the moment in February 2014, when he paused mid-tweet, took a breath and typed a full stop and a space before telling his followers that the film for which he is making an open call for Scientologist interviewees is indeed “About Scientology” (full stop), Louis revels in the hunt and the counter-hunt. In the cinema his opening narration sounds silkier and more deliberate than we are used to. And his eyes twinkle with glee as the church’s cameras point back at him, its fence-topping searchlights shine on him and its hired 4x4 trails him on the streets of Los Angeles. But Scientology is not the beast

that Louis has it down as. As he himself tells us, the church has no more than 25,000 members in the US. And Scientology would not let him in, leaving him with little to rely on but himself. After his recent sombre explorations of alcoholism and the destruction of Jimmy Saville, Scientology was always going to feel light. But it marks a rupture in Louis’s career: it is the moment that he first recognised his own status and the screen appeal of his personality. It is the moment he decided, for worse, that this might carry a documentary that does not have enough subject matter. It might have worked if Louis had gone full Gonzo and made a mad picaresque about himself, in LA, searching for Scientology. But he did not. The film’s central device – hiring Hollywood actors to re-enact, occasionally to dramatic effect, scenes from the organisation’s history as described by former senior executive Marty Rathbun – is a forced stunt that only highlights the fact that Louis and producer Simon Chinn found few authentic voices who would talk. The film’s central premise, that by prying and forcing the church to lash out at filmmakers the filmmakers might reveal something about the church, is smart, but tells us nothing that we did not already know about Scientology: that it is aggressive in protecting its privacy and aggressive in destroying others’. Louis is a great documentary-maker, a great inquisitor, and there are enough characters, enough humour and enough silent Louis stares to keep us watching. But in trying to make something out of not very much, he has indulged his much-loved self.

6/10 PICTORIALEVIDENCE

20 October 2016 • The Thursday Magazine • The Cambridge Student

Bar Wars: Clare versus St. John’s Emma Rutter

Quick comparison Clare Atmosphere: 4/10 during the day, 9/10 in evening Value for money: 7/10 Overall: 7/10 St. John’s Atmosphere: 8/10 during the day, 9/10 in the evening Value for money: 8/10 Overall: 9/10

lmost everyone has heard of Clare Ents, the Friday night club-0style extravaganza in Clare Cellars. Clare wins points for architecture – right underneath the chapel, supported by large stone pillars, the Cellars are the place to be if you’re looking for an atmospheric place to end (or begin) your evening. But you’ll need to go early, because the bar reaches its capacity quickly and can get quite crowded later on in the evening. It’s a good place to come for pre-drinks before you take advantage of the discounted tickets they sometimes sell for Life and Cindies. During the day however it can feel a bit cold, gloomy and lifeless. Having said that, the bar hosts a lot of events throughout the term; as well as Ents (Fridays) and Clare Jazz (Saturdays), during Michaelmas they’re also holding a Film Night, Cocktail Evening and charity nights in support of Movember. A visit to the Cellars isn’t complete without Clare’s speciality drink: a Stone Cold. This concoction lives up to its billing – it’s lurid green, consisting of a mixture of whiskey, cider and who knows what else. Perhaps unsurprisngly, it doesn’t taste particularly appetising (to my palate anyway – there are a few who would disagree). It may be terrifyingly strong, but at £5 per glass, it’s not cheap either. Buy one to share, then stick to the £1.50 shots.

IMAGES: EMMA RUTTER

t John’s is a pretty imposing college at best, and even more so when you’ve never visited it before and you’re trying to work out where the bar is. But by following the sound of laughter and clinking glasses, you should be able to find it. Having said that, there’s no guarantee you’ll get in if you’re not with a member of the college, so make the effort to talk to that person beside you at lectures; you never know who you might meet! If you do manage to enter into the bar, a real treat awaits you. It’s bright and friendly, and offers a great selection of hot food and desserts (I recommend the toffee apple pancakes) at bargain prices. They’re currently running a deal which would make the perfect afternoon pick-me-up: if you buy a cake at full price - Chelsea bun or raspberry-almond tart, anyone? - a hot drink will only set you back £1.25. Even better news is that their ‘signature drink’, the St John’s shot, costs less than Clare’s Stone Cold and Trinity Hall’s Real Ale and, in my opinion, tastes much better. In typical John’s style, it’s lavishly decorated with cream and sprinkled with some sort of sweet dust - something I think Mary Berry would like very much. There are quiz nights in the JCR every Friday this month and, whilst the bar doesn’t seem to hold many events of its own, it makes up with a wide selection of board games.

Escape from the Bubble: Corsica An insider’s take on the wild and mysterious Mediterranean island Esme O’Keeffe Columnist

e are now back in our libraries, huddled over our laptops, and summer has never felt so far away. In a desperate attempt to cling onto the last few glorious months, I bring you the wild and enigmatic Mediterranean island of Corsica. A mention of Corsica often evokes different reactions: varying from ‘ah yes I toured the island on my yacht’, to ‘is that in Spain?’. The fact remains that even those who do visit often do not see the real Corsica.Very few experience the wilderness of the ‘maquis’ (or shrubland), singed every year by ferocious forest fires, the hospitality of its people, or the traditions such as wild-boar hunting and polyphonic concerts which for me, growing up there, have always been the source of the island’s charm and fascination. The Corsicans are ferociously proud of their island, and the National Front for the Liberation of Corsica (FLNC)

are a constant, and sometimes militant, presence on the island.Although Corsica is technically considered part of France or a ‘Dom-Tom’ in French (an overseas territory) the Corsicans refer to the mainland as ‘the continent’ and there is a distinct sense of ‘otherness’. Whilst many foreigners fall in love with the scenery, they ought to be aware of the number of holiday villas blown up by the FLNC. A saving grace? They only ever bomb empty properties. They don’t shoot foreigners either – only the occasional fellow Corsican, and a lot of wild boar. Wild boar stew, freshly-caught octopus, figatellu (a smoked pork liver sausage), and beignets (a type of doughnut, usually stuffed with ‘brocciu’, a Corsican cheese) top my list of Corsican cuisine. And then there’s the wine. Vineyards sweep up mountainsides and villages are dotted with ‘cave à vins’ (wineries) where the Corsican speciality ‘muscat’ (a sweet fortified pudding wine) can be found. ‘Bergeries’

or shepherd’s huts huddle by the side of the road, selling homemade ewe’s milk cheese. In many of these villages the elders still banter each other in the Corsican language, playing cards in the shade of the local bar. Many still harbour the superstitions and deep religious beliefs which gripped Corsicans for centuries. Whilst in many ways Corsica may seem an incomprehensible and somewhat hostile place to foreigners (especially to the French), at the heart of the people and their culture is an overwhelming warmth and sense of unity. Their answers to any outsider’s probing questions will be as elusive and evasive as the bandits themselves once were, but theirs is a rich and deep-rooted way of life and cultural heritage, and protect it they must. A longer version of this article appears on the TCS website, along with further weekly columns from Esme.

20 October 2016 • The Thursday Magazine • The Cambridge Student

Beauty hacks: Autumn edition Rebecca Davies

s the period AW (here meaning ‘Awful Weather’) begins, our beauty routine requires some adjustment. This guide will ensure you embrace rather than just brace the elements this season.

The Basics: It all starts with skincare It has long been a maxim of mine that you cannot have a good make-up routine without a good skincare routine first. The sudden drop in temperature can leave your skin confused and irritated. Most commonly it will revolt by drying up, much like your resolve to resist that pumpkin-spice loaf at Starbucks. The solution is obvious: moisturisation. Heavy duty is needed. This might mean switching out your current moisturiser for one of a thicker consistency, or simply applying it more frequently. Maybe consider carrying around a sample size in your bag during the day – gingerbread lattes aren’t the only quick fixes needed this season. For those of you with oily skin, look out for oilfree formulas. Masks: Not just for Halloween Autumn is a perfect chance to experiment with facemasks. The key to effective mask-matching is to actually do a bit of research. While I fully appreciate the typical Cambridge student will loathe the prospect of further study encroaching onto their personal time (for those of you who have managed to still cling onto it), just remember: it will most likely SAVE YOU MONEY. Enough said. For an all-round effective moisturising mask, I recommend the Origins ‘Drink-up Intensive’ overnight

mask. Though on the pricey side, it absorbs beautifully into the skin (thus avoiding the less than flattering look of guacamole on your face) and you will get the added benefit of knowing that even in sleep, you (or rather your skin) will still be working. It’ll make your DoS proud. The Lush chocolate mask works well for my combination skin and for taming those pesky spots that sporadically and unceremoniously decide to erupt on my face. That is, if you can withstand the temptation to eat the darn stuff; I warn you now, it smells like the real thing. If, like me, you have combination skin, then simply apply multiple masks. You can either mix them together if you have a burning desire to resemble a human Jackson Pollock painting, or, perhaps more usefully, apply each mask on the appropriate area of your face. You can even make ‘masking’ the social highlight of your week (eat your heart out, Cindies). Grab a few friends, and some cheap masks from Boots (some of them are only 99p) and have a weekly group pamper/therapy session. And the fun doesn’t have to end there; there are even masks for your hair. Umberto Giannini’s Overnight Beauty Moisture Balm is my personal favourite but even a touch of Argan oil can ease the suffering of your windbattered hair.

particularly those that have a more liquid formula and are often packaged in containers that resemble nail varnish. Benefit Cosmetics has a whole line of such stains in various colours. For those on a tighter budget, tinted lip balms are a suitable and cheaper alternative, with Carmex and The Body Shop offering gorgeous shades. REBECCA DAVIES

Makeup: Let’s give thanks to lip-stains In makeup too, moisture is the guiding principle. Lip products are where I’d recommend major changes. Lipsticks or lip-lacquers that are long-wearing are usually incredibly drying and best avoided. If in need of longevity (i.e. to combat the inevitable lip-contact with those coffee cups and cheeky Krispy Kremes), try a lip-stain,

So relatable? Literature and “Relatability” Lydia Sabatini

had already had some contact with Shakespeare by the time I first read Hamlet, and enjoyed the poetry of it – but I had never really related to it, nor expected to. What, after all, could a character in an Elizabethan revenge tragedy, who speaks in Early Modern English, have to do with me? Yet, reading the play, I felt the shock of affinity. Unlike most of Shakespeare’s male protagonists, Hamlet is not a soldier: he is a thinker. He feels anger at the hypocrisy he sees around him. ‘I know not “seems”’, he says, and he is tormented by the limitations of our volatile humanness on our aspirations and ideals: ‘O God, I could be bounded in a nutshell, and count myself a king of infinite space—were it not that I have bad dreams’. All this resonated deeply with my typical angsty teenage self, and seeing my own thoughts and half-ideas articulated so eloquently made me feel like Shakespeare understood me better than I understood myself. But the striking thing was not merely that the play moved me – it was the fact that this was something written by someone dead for centuries, and that I could relate to it. In literature, “relatability” can mean a feeling of connection with our shared humanity that transcends the time and space in which the writer and reader live. I do not seek to undervalue one of the things I find most rewarding about literature. As Alan Bennett so beautifully

put it, ‘The best moments in reading are when you come across something – a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things – which you had thought special and particular to you. Now here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out and taken yours.’ The problem comes when a lack of “relatability” is forwarded as a criticism, in a way that implies that relating to the characters or situation is the only function of literature. There are many elements to a character that one may find distancing or “unrelatable”, some of these more superficial than others. Occasionally, of course, an unrelatable book is just badly written or pedestrianly devised. But a text can use unrelatable characters as a device. For instance, I can’t relate to any of the characters in The Importance of Being Earnest because they are ludicrous, but this adds to the humour and gives edge to the satire. Furthermore, it would be concerning if we forgot that another thing literature does is teach us about the experiences of people we cannot relate to. Last year, I read Marlon James’ A Brief History of Seven Killings, which gives vivid voice to a broad cast of characters from 20thcentury Jamaica. Many of these are gangsters, and their lives are extremely violent; they are not the stuff of typical “canonical” literature. It is a valuable political move to

give voice and context to people who are often depicted in caricature, or else erased from popular culture entirely. Of course, I can’t relate to much of what they experience, but what great literature does is allow us to empathise. The book is not about you, but you can place the characters on a spectrum of humanity that enables you to understand better who they are and why they are this way: this character is not me, but if I had been born into a different life, it could have been. There is so much more to the human experience than what we experience in our own inner echo-chamber. Putting ideas of the self aside when reading can end up expanding our own knowledge and, as a result, our ideas about humanity. SAMUEL GEORGE MORTON

04 October 2016 • The Thursday Magazine • The Cambridge Student

What make a great fashion designer? Helena Baron

fter Alber Elbaz was dismissed from Lanvin earlier this year, the fashion world was in outcry. This news broke just days after Raf Simons announced his departure from Dior, and in the following months resignations and new appointments at some of the most famous brands continued apace. For the new creative directors, it must be the biggest challenge of their lives to take on the responsibility of these houses; after all, they come with an impressive legacy, expectant customers, and a value of millions, if not billions. But how does one go about creating longevity for a brand in the world of fashion, notorious for its fleeting opportunities, its ever-changing opinions and its relentless demand for the new and exciting? When you think of any well-established fashion house, it is likely you think of a particular look or product: Valentino’s rock studs, Gucci’s floral print, Burberry’s trench coats. They are unique to each brand and epitomise its philosophy, making them as marketable as they are memorable.There is something enticing and aweinspiring about a brand that manages to maintain an

aesthetic for longer than just one season – it speaks to the timelessness of its creations. Moderation, then, is needed when ‘reinventing’ a brand’s image, because overstepping is a very real risk. Take YSL: originally named after its creator, its rechristening as ‘Saint Laurent Paris’ caused a significant backlash, not least because it meant the legendary logo was also changed. Needless to say, the recent change back was welcomed with open arms – the YSL legacy had been restored. Fashion will always be a form of expression, but it is ultimately anchored, for better or for worse, by customer demand. In many ways the customers are buying into the designer themselves. It would make sense, then, that the aesthetic of the clothes changes over the years, just as the personal style, perspective and inspiration of the designer is bound to change too. As is often the case in the fashion industry, there doesn’t seem to be a hard and fast rule to followfor success. But what is clear is that it takes a designer who can leave space for innovation within their work, to even have a shot at crafting the durability, success and fame in the everchanging world of fashion.

Addled writers can’t create Adler Nailya Shamgunova

herlock Holmes-themed adaptations and interpretations have had a bit of a Renaissance in the lastfew years, and although there is some merit to all of the modern-day reincarnations of the character, Guy Ritchie’s film, Elementary, and Sherlock, all get one thing very wrong - Irene Adler. Let us remind ourselves of the original ‘Scandal in Bohemia’. Holmes is approached by the King of Bohemia and asked to retrieve a photo of the king and his former paramour, an opera singer called Irene Adler. The king had tried everything, including threats and promises of money, but to no avail. Holmes figures out where the photograph is and witnesses the wedding of Irene and her true love. Irene sees through Sherlock’s plan and manages to escape with the photograph, leaving him with a photograph of herself instead. Holmes considers her intellect superior to his own and keeps the photograph as a souvenir. Who is and isn’t Irene Adler?Irene Adler is is an independant woman, standing her ground against a powerful man. She defeats Sherlock in two of his key fields - deduction and disguise. She works towards and gets her own happy ending with the man she loves. She is not a

criminal, she is not a schemer or a villain, and while she might arguably be Sherlock’s love interest, he is never hers. How is she portrayed in the 21st century? Most often as a criminal, a villain and a pawn of Moriarty, who ultimately gets defeated or sacrificed due to her love for Holmes. In the Guy Ritchie film, Rachel McAdams’ Irene is clearly a classic damsel in distress, a reformed villain and a love interest, and she gets the stereotypical ending for characters of that sort - she is killed by the villain to hurt Sherlock. Needless to say, this Irene has nothing in common with the original. The much criticised BBC adaptation goes all femme fatale on the character - Lara Pulver’s Irene is a dominatrix who seemingly manages to stand up to both Holmes brothers. However, ultimately she is arguably the weakest modern-day portrayal of The Woman - not only is she a self-professed lesbian who miraculously turns bi at the mere sight of Benedict Cumberbatch’s cheekbones, she is also a blackmailer, pushed into her scheme by a male villain, and she gets defeated because she couldn’t keep her feelings for Sherlock to herself. As a cherry on the top of this particular cake, she gets saved by Sherlock literally

moments before her execution in a generic Arab country. Unlike the two previous adaptations, Elementary gets nothing but praise for its strive for diversity and social inclusivity. That said, Irene doesn’t manage to escape stereotypes even here. Fair enough, Irene Adler as such does not exist in this version - she is the alias of Jamie Moriarty, a genius mastermind of a global assassin organisation. However, while this version does give ‘Irene’ independence from Moriarty’s control through fusing the two characters, the other tropes of the modern-day Adler are sadly all present - she is a villain, she has an unhealthy obsession with Sherlock and she gets defeated because of her love for him in a trap of Watson’s design, which still doesn’t distract from the misogyny of this tired narrative. Irene Adler has the potential to be more than a plot device, but her independence, intelligence and human decency get obscured by recent attempts to cast her as Holmes’ one true love who is always overcome by both his intellect and her own emotions for him. If Arthur Conan Doyle created her in 1891, why can’t anyone do her justice in the 2010s? Irene Adler and the women who watch these adaptations deserve much better..

20 October 2016 • The Thursday Magazine • The Cambridge Student

‘Authentic and Complex’: Teahouse Preview Jun Yang

ou would be forgiven for walking into the ADC from 25 to 29 October and thinking you had been transported back in time. And also put on a plane and flown to China. Week 3 ADC Mainshow Teahouse is the first English-language production of 《茶館》, the most famous play in China. Written by Lao She, a playwright who was captured during the Cultural Revolution, it is a damning social critique of past social injustices and of the apathy of the elite class. Some say Lao She wrote the play in the hopes of a brighter future; some say he wrote it as a warning that change does not come easy – all intensely relevant in today’s age of political disillusionment. On his motivation for producing the play, Producer Andrew Tan says, “It relates very closely to my background. Having spent most of my life in Shanghai, I think this cultural gem is integral to understanding China today.” But aside from the importance of the play in its own context, Teahouse is making waves in the Cambridge ADC scene, not least in its unprecedented casting of only East Asian cast members and its dedication to painting an authentic and complex picture of Chinese history, free of contrived, stereotypical visions of the Orient. From ensuring that production meetings and rehearsals are always attended by people familiar with Chinese culture and history, to merging and reworking aspects of the translation to better nuance the production. From constructing a set that replicates the exact architecture of an old Beijing teahouse, to speaking with the current director of Teahouse at the Beijing People’s Art Theatre and their costume department, cast and crew alike have pulled out all the stops to keep this production true to the source material, all with the aim of sharing aspects of Chinese culture and history with the wider Cambridge community. More specifically, Teahouse has brought to the ADC scene an influx of new and diverse talent. Nicholas Ashurst, the

Director, notes that only four people out of the 23-strong cast have any prior Camdram credits – not to mention the lonely English student who is, for once, the subject minority. Given the dearth of BME actors and crew members in the Cambridge theatre scene, Teahouse can thus be seen to be a long-overdue intervention (and hopefully one of many to come for other BME people): in actively looking for East Asian students, regardless of subject, to fill the play’s role, the team made a concerted effort to reach out to student cultural groups such as CCS, ABACUS, CUMSA, to seek out interested students. In discussing East Asian participation in Cambridge theatre, Andrew notes that student anxiety towards QUIYING LAI

breaking into an already heavily arts-dominated theatre circle (given that many East Asian students do not study these subjects) is exacerbated by the fact that not many roles actively call for or require East Asian actors. The lack of East Asian representation on and off stage makes it difficult for students to see themselves occupying those roles. Moreover, that there exists a ‘default’ image of the Cambridge thesp – white, British, and probably an English student – is indicative of a more endemic inability of the community to promote positive BME representation without falling into patterns of fetishisation, exoticisation, and Orientalism. While there may be no outward signs of hostility towards the diversification of shows’ casts and crews, there nonetheless remain high barriers to entry for students who do not fit the typical mould. Students with accents, for example, often find it difficult to get parts that, while not specifically written for white actors, are coded such that divergence from the ‘norm’ would appear incongruous and tokenistic. Moreover, concerns that BME people-centered plays are not as attractive to the general audiences of the ADC and Corpus, who are more accustomed to Shakespeare, Kafka, and Beckett, has historically meant that few plays have been produced with this express focus in mind. The ADC, and Teahouse, are trying to change that. From its support of Teahouse to its new goal of programming two shows next term from a published BME author (or published Irish playwright), CUADC is making an active effort to promote diverse talent from the top down. In turn, Teahouse is showing that increasing the accessibility of Cambridge theatre to students of non-white backgrounds and providing them with an opportunity to share their culture and history, on their own terms, is absolutely something to be celebrated. Teahouse plays at the ADC Theatre from Tuesday 25th to

A twist on the Sunday market tradition Emer O’Hanlon

ast Sunday, the Guidhall hosted Cambridge’s vegan market. Between the militant vegans, pseudo-scientific paleos, raw food enthusiasts, and eco-warriors, I can understand how some find veganism off-putting. The Vegan Market was rather a safe place in which to dip one’s toes. The petitions and vegan pet food that greeted visitors on their entrance quickly dispersed into a more approachable set of stalls. There were novelties, like ‘parmesan’ pizzas, vegan mayo and a scrumptious dairyfree Bailey’s alternative, Besos de Oro (made from the Tigernut, a tuber which, when dried and then boiled in water and sugar, produces a milky drink). The standard of baking was high – as is to be expected in our post-GBBO society. Lina Joseph’s Gourmet Vegan, which you can find at the regular market every Sunday, had the best and most mouth-watering selection, with something to suit everyone’s sweet tooth from cupcakes to brownies to cookies to sandwiched sponges. Minkiemoo’s decadent, gooey brownies came a close second. Natural cosmetics and care products free from animal testing or chemical products also featured in abundance. Although these stalls veered into the expensive territory, the Clean & Natural Company offered very reasonably

priced tubs of coconut oil, shea butter and cocoa butter (which can be used variously as lip balm, body lotion and conditioner – I picked up a small tub of shea butter to keep in my bag as a lip balm for just £1). Some stalls perhaps held more interest for foodies en masse rather than just vegans, such as the truffle oils, locally brewed ‘hoppy’ beer, Emily fruit crisps (in apple, banana and pineapple varieties – made using a similar technique to popcorn) and Madame Sunshine’s chilli sauces and chutneys. While it was a fun way to spend an hour or two, I’m not sure who this market was aimed at. It’s hard to imagine non-vegans being as excited about the cake as the vegans were – after all, they can have it anytime – but equally, some of the slogan t-shirts seemed a bit OTT. Personally, I’d have welcomed some difficult to find, yet essential, vegan baking products, such as nutritional yeast, lecithin, agar-agar flakes or even the aforementioned Tigernut. These reservations, however, merely reflect a wider issue in the vegan community as a whole. Is it enough to be quietly vegan, or ought we to evangelise about it? I don’t have the answers, but the vegan market did at least show that it is possible to have a pleasant and affordable Sunday market, completely free of animal products.

EMER O’HANLON

04 October 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ The Thursday Magazine â&#x20AC;˘ The Cambridge Student

Falling for Fall: Autumnal images making us glad for the season Things can be quite nice at this time of year... Brighton, UK

Miriam Shovel

Figs in the market

Punting in less than ideal conditions

Porridge in bed

Mulled Wine at Cambridge Wine Merchants

Falling leaves in Clare college

Apple pie at every opportunity

Morning walks to Granchester

Takeaway coffee and warm jumpers

Pretty colours as the season changes

The Cambridge Student • 20 October 2016

urself ”

Features

“Where are you from?” JESSIE MATHEWSON

Laura Hamilton and Sara Ali I’m standing outside the club, allowing Cindies’ sweat to evaporate off my skin, when someone sidles up on my left. ‘Hey.’ ‘Hey.’ ‘Where are you from?’ he asks. ‘Berlin.’ I’m not annoyed yet. My accent isn’t from here, so I guess it’s understandable. An awkward silence ensues. I can feel it coming. It’s getting cold. ‘Where are you really from?’ ‘Berlin.’ I answer coldly. I know he’s asking me why I’m not white, but I won’t give him that satisfaction. Sometimes, I’ll say Spain. But is that who I am? I lived there first but Spanish people would never say I’m Spanish. A black person cannot be Spanish. But it depends on how I’m feeling; sometimes I’ll say the Caribbean. Funnily enough, no one ever questions this, despite my ragingly unCaribbean accent. Except people in the Caribbean itself, who know I’m not black enough. I don’t have time for this. I can’t be German, I can’t be Spanish, I can’t be Caribbean; and God forbid I be all of them at the same time. Perhaps the worst is the internalisation of this swinging limbo; in Spain I don’t say I’m Spanish because I can’t be. But where am I from? As someone who is mixed race I am not entirely sure, my identity is a patchwork jumble of confusion that even I have yet to reconcile, but it is my jumble to unpick. Not yours. - Laura Hamilton As someone brought up in the UK, being British is an unquestionable part of my identity. So, when asked where I’m from by someone I don’t know, my instinctive answer is Manchester. But growing up, I quickly learnt to re-

interpret ‘where are you from?’ as ‘why are you not white?’ I learnt to conflate questions about my upbringing with subtle, under-the-skin microaggressions aimed at re-identifying people of colour. I learnt that asking where you’re from is another way of implying that you do not belong, you cannot belong, on the basis of the colour of your skin. But I am more than the question, ‘where are you from?’ I am more than a remark aimed at reducing me to a person devoid of anything more to my character than the way I am perceived, and I refuse to be identified as such. This is not to say that being Pakistani is not an incredibly important part of my identity, it is, but the way I interpret myself is not for others to encroach upon, and never will be. - Sara Ali

Ensuring diversity at every level at Cambridge through the collection of oral testimony. Through this project we hope that black students can first appreciate the existence, achievements and experiences of students like them. We also hope that Cambridge and its colleges will consider celebrating the achievements of their black alumni more actively, as well as also addressing the access issues which prevent many talented black students from applying, joining and enjoying Cambridge. In essence, the aim is to make them feel at home and appreciated whilst studying at the University. N CHADWICK

Pravar Petkar, Clare BME Officer

Along with access for state-educated students, ethnic diversity amongst the student body is something that the University of Cambridge must take seriously. While the diversity of the student population has slowly increased, we often see differences between the diversity of individual colleges. My experience points me towards one possible reason: although the university is world-famous, the same cannot be said for every college. Our more famous colleges – Kings’ and Trinity, to

name but two – are more well-known outside the UK than others. Those from minority cultures and even some within the UK may naturally associate the university with these colleges. That association led me to initially consider Kings’ and Trinity before applying, only to finally settle on Clare. The access schemes of individual colleges are also significant. The university as a whole is often considered by school students from minority backgrounds as white-dominated. This

“It is vital that a Cambridge education is presented as accessible to students from minority backgrounds”

stereotype persists, though I have been told that the actual figure is closer to the UK average than we may think. It is vital that a Cambridge education is presented as accessible to students from minority backgrounds. This requires us not only to widen the scope of college access schemes where we have not already done so, but to attempt to ensure the involvement of ethnic minority pupils in those schemes.

ROBERTO_M

20 October 2016 • The Cambridge Student

Features

The Long Read:

‘I’m Imani from London that’s who I am’ Taqwa Sadiq talks to ImaniShola about Vlogging and Cambridge-ing Taqwa Sadiq Features Editor

016 has been the year of the vlogger, with Zoella on billboards, the rise of the gamers, and ‘YouTuber’ books clamouring for space in Waterstones’ window displays. Cambridge has not escaped the update of traditional media. A community of black women are steadily emerging, and dominating, the Cambridge vlogging scene, with videos chalking up to 71,000 views. YouTube channels such as ‘NissyTee’, ‘ImaniShola’, and ‘Courtney Daniella’, are creating a safe space online for BME students to share their experiences of this university. ImaniShola, a 2nd year MML undergrad, spoke about how she set up her Youtube channel in the second month of her first year at Cambridge, not only because she “liked to talk”, but also as “I love encouraging people and I had a lot to share…advice that helped me get to this point”. She further explained, “I do have a focus on helping students…especially encouraging students from BME backgrounds to get in to Cambridge”. An example of this is a recent collaboration video with a friend at Warwick, the message of which Imani described as: “We’re black students at these universities, we’re not really

represented much, but you still need to apply, because your presence here is radical.” She explained the value of vlogging, declaring that “if you have a message to spread, social media is definitely the avenue to take…it’s quite a powerful thing, you’re speaking into someone’s life, you’re on someone’s screen in their house.” Despite being so intent upon increasing the representation of BME students, and confirming “I do love being here, I see it as a blessing and an opportunity”, Imani clarified that “I don’t see Cambridge as part of my identity…My identity began way before Cambridge and it’s going to continue way after Cambridge.” She further explained, “Cambridge has so many connotations of people being very stuck up…it’s not necessarily true but it’s in its reputation. I don’t want those associations to be linked to my name…that may be how you identify Cambridge, but it shouldn’t be associated with me…I’m still Imani from London, and that’s who I am.” She contrasted this with, what she thinks is not an uncommon phenomenon amongst cantabs: “A lot of people come to Cambridge and they make Cambridge their identity…it becomes who they are, I just don’t want that to happen.”

However, Imani recalled how being at Cambridge also helped consolidate her identity: “I became more aware of myself as a woman of colour, and my role as a representative of my culture”.

5,558

ImaniShola ImaniShola’s highest amount of views Although she likened this to being “an ambassador in a foreign country”, she elucidated, “I love being individual, and I like being able to educate the people around me about my culture.” She elaborated that despite expecting “to have to fight”, She hasn’t “experienced any racism…ignorance sometimes, but I feel like that’s just part and parcel of being somewhere… not as diverse as say, London. “My job, has been to, whenever I’ve been in those situations, just lovingly educate those people…it’s not really a

IMANISHOLA ON... FIRST YEAR... “Prepare to meet people who are completely different to you, but who you find you have a lot in common with.”

burden, it’s something I expected, and it comes naturally to me.” The question of identity is, perhaps stereotypically, one that many students encounter once they arrive at university. Imani suggested that “as a fresher you grow up a lot”, and perhaps it is this state of quasi-adulthood which prompts this process of selfreflection. The sometimes jarring changes of moving out, and, perhaps more so for BME students, of having to consider loaded questions such as the much debated, ‘where are you from?’, almost forces us to try and sort through various, and sometimes conflicting, aspects of our identities. On the other hand, perhaps it is simply nothing to do with Cambridge at all, but rather a result of being at a time of life, wherein, as Imani put it, “you start to adult more”. There is no question that navigating the attempt to define oneself is a difficult task. To help BME freshers, in particular, learn to cope with this, Imani advised interacting with the existing BME community at Cambridge. “It puts you in a family of people who share similar experiences with you, when you’re in an environment like Cambridge, where there are a lot of people who just

RACISM... “I am a black person here telling you, it doesn’t have to be that way.”

ImaniShola

don’t.” To non-BME students she says “Come and enjoy our culture the way we do, you don’t have to be from our background to enjoy it.” Embracing the multifacetedness of her identity eased the pressure for Imani and she stresses “you can be from London and Jamaica, and not feel compromised or split in half, for me it goes hand in hand…and makes me a

3,294 YouTube subscribers to ImaniShola since Nov 1 2015 more interesting person.” However, she maintains that the foremost aspect of who she is, is her faith. In order to succeed in Cambridge, maintaining a hold of different parts of your identity is vital. “Stay true to yourself ”, Imani advises. “You want to grow and develop, but if it’s an intrinsic part of who you are [such as your faith], it’s important to stay true to it.”

REPRESENTATION... “You are the best representation of your culture...that’s actually a blessing, it can be a burden in some ways, but see it as an opportunity...”

The Cambridge Student • 20 October 2016

Features

When we are all different, we are all equal Priyasha Vadera Growing up in a homogenous environment - mainly white, English, the sort of place where being half Irish was considered exciting - being different automatically meant being part of ‘the other’. Not quite wrong but not quite right either. I didn’t have quite the same collective consciousness that everyone else had. I didn’t have a family lineage I could trace back to the 1400s. I didn’t know what a Yorkshire pudding was. I didn’t go to church at Christmas. But I didn’t feel like I could fill these gaps of knowledge with my own culture either. There was always a sense of feeling less than adequate. Fitting my culture into the culture of my white friends was like trying to fit a triangle into a square hole. The thing about culture is that with so much history, it doesn’t lack anything. Other cultural values have to be swapped in and out, you can’t have both, and it led to this sense of not knowing enough, not being equal, not being attractive, and not being normal. Being Indian wasn’t just something to hide to be able to fit in; it was something to be embarrassed of. By hiding it, I could pretend I was British enough to be here, that I belonged. And it wasn’t that I wanted to be white: I was just fed up with feeling different. I resented learning Gujarati, my mother tongue, but French was fine – only things that were relevant to British culture mattered. It used to embarrass me so much when my mum spoke to me in Gujarati in public, because I thought other people would think we were talking

about them. Or think we weren’t British. It upsets me now to think that I hated such an important part of myself. At fifteen I became an atheist but it was a messy divorce from Hinduism. My religion and culture were so intertwined that in trying to reject all the restrictions for the sake of religious tradition, I ended up cutting myself off from my culture completely. The next few years were difficult; I spent them deconstructing my values, justifying my decision to abandon my culture, because having both religion and culture was worse than having neither. I told myself that I had grown out of it but, at the same time, I could see everyone else growing out of it too. The thought of all that history fading away upset me because of the injustice of it all. Why should British culture with its bland, boring food win out over Indian culture, something I grew up with? Why couldn’t I have both? I didn’t know how to deal with that responsibility, with reconciling religion and culture with modernity and forward thinking, and it scared me to do so. How do you separate the wonderful food and appreciation of family from a patriarchal structure of not questioning anything? Can you really be Indian if you’ve given up a large part of it? It wasn’t until I came to Cambridge and saw a different brand of Indian-ness that I thought it could be done. I met a younger girl at a local Indian community event who spoke Gujarati with her friends and it just made me really happy to hear someone

“It upsets me now to think that I hated such an important part of my myself.”

outside of my bubble unashamedly speak my language. I walked past a window in college and saw an Indian guy using a vodka bottle as a rolling pin to make puris (fried Indian flatbread). One of my close Indian friends is conscientiously religious and doesn’t let that stop her from exploring her sexuality. I spoke to a lady from India who encouraged garba (Indian dancing festival) as a place to meet people to date. To other people, these things may seem perfectly normal, but to me, they are wonderfully contradictory and revolutionary. They are upholding our culture while doing things that are typically seen as forbidden in a way that redefined the boundaries of who they could be. It’s only this year that I’ve stopped feeling ashamed of the Indian side of me and I’ve stopped trying to hide it to appear more English. A lot of people here are white and, at first, I assumed they were English but then I hear them speak with a different accent or in a different language and realise that there is so much breadth of culture here that there is no need to hide my culture anymore. When everyone is different, every culture becomes equal. I’m not ashamed anymore to speak to my grandparents while out and about. I’ve stopped pretending that I’ve forgotten the names of spices and now admit that I need time to think of the translation. I finally feel like I can talk about my experiences as if they are equal because they are different, and that makes them interesting.

Student Chat: “Freshers’ Week”

Navigating Cantab culture Week two: clubs and societies Emer O’ Hanlon Columnist

reshers’ fair has come and gone, and you’ve likely signed up to lots more mailing lists than you have time (or possibly interest) for. But that’s just stage one. Now we’re in stage two – how do you go about getting your foot in the door of these societies? Should you go all out for one (which seems to be the Cambridge way), or flit in and out of several (which I’ve discovered is far more enjoyable)? And what should you prioritise: social justice, physical well-being, or the opportunity to be involved in the biggest booze-ups? Maybe you’re looking for status points with people back home. If so, rowing, the Union and theatre are your tickets to success. Chances are, even the least familiar with Cambridge will know something about these societies, influential as they are in British culture. You get to mix with potential future stars and, what’s more, you might even get to shout at them and boss them around. Be warned, though – these societies do actually require a lot of participation and effort, so if you’d like to actually learn some stuff from your degree, proceed with caution. Perhaps you’re a cynic, and you’re into the societies for CV points. If so, pick something small that you can become president or treasurer of without having to put in much work. College societies rather than university ones are ripe ground for this, but if you’re clever, you can also bag positions on bigger societies as social secretary, which

Beware of these societies, as they do require quite a lot of effort. You might never see your degree again

requires you to attend meetings and maybe organise a couple of formals, which should hopefully be simple after getting your place at Cambridge. There may be those among you who want nothing more than a good party. Here, Arcsoc seems to appeal to the cool and alternative but, as I’m neither of those things, I’m afraid I can’t tell you much about it. If you’re of a less sociable disposition, perhaps you’d prefer a sport you practise alone, like running or swimming. There’s even the option of writing for one of the newspapers, if you’d like CV points without the bother of having to talk much to other people. “Not unpacking for a week because “Packed week. I got tired. I “7 seasons of Friends and 3 Before you get involved in any of these societies, though, there were too many people to meet.” guess I made some friends.” there’s one unavoidable first step: freshers’ squash. Rather muffins a day.” Laura, Queens’ Vi, Queens’ Seun, Queens’ than being an event run by the Temperance Brigade, it’s the first meeting a society holds in Michaelmas, designed to welcome new members and entice them into the fold. Unless you were brought up hobnobbing at social functions, chances are that Cambridge will be your first proper introduction to the world of chit-chat and networking. Freshers’ week will already have taught you how to navigate the name-subject-home town questions. Freshers’ squash marks a new point – the why and how, rather than the what. You’ll have to justify your reasons for being interested in charity or beer-brewing, rather than stating it as a fact. “A period of pretending to have fun “I don’t know how many times I said If nothing else, societies are invaluable because of the with people you’re pretending to be ‘My name’s Merlyn. Like the Wizard.’” experience they give you in socialising and networking, Merlyn, Queens’ best friends with.” meeting influential people, learning to network and Jimi, Queens’ improving your CV. What’s not to like about that?

20 October 2016 • The Cambridge Student

Interviews

Liz Fraser’s hopes to “demystify mental health” Will Tilbrook Interviews Editor

t was either this or laundry”, Liz Fraser joked whilst being thanked for giving her talk at the Union on Monday evening, but her light-hearted manner of speaking did not detract from the serious message of her speech: let’s talk about mental health. Already a writer and broadcaster, Fraser is currently promoting her latest venture Headcase. The new website and app, designed to help “demystify mental health”, is expected early next year, and this is where we start when I sit down to talk with her after her speech. “I launched Headcase two years ago and it was a bit like opening a coffee shop and ten million people come to buy coffee and you run out in about an hour”, she summarises with a smile, before telling me the demand was not only physically overwhelming but mentally too. “People were writing to me with very personal stories who were clearly vulnerable people and you have to reply to that, how can you not?” She admits that Headcase has had some downtime over the last 12 months which she candidly describes as “the worst year of my life” but given the technological changes since then, she says “the time is much better now”. We talk about the role the internet has to play in the conversation about mental health and the potential

risks that it poses, but Fraser seems aware of how online forums can perpetuate or even encourage mental health problems. “You couldn’t do it without [the internet]. Of course it is a double-edged sword, and Headcase, for example, will have no forums at all… because I think there is such an inherent danger there. “We know this, we know about triggers, we know about the damage that can do… The internet can be really dangerous for stuff like this unfortunately”. But she remains optimistic about what Headcase can achieve. “I want to have basic first aid for mental health… We learn about burns, and breathing, the recovery position… but if you ask someone the top five things you should ask someone with depression, and what are the top five things you should never do ... nobody has a clue.” There is a clear sense from listening to her that not only does she understand what the issues are with mental health but that she cares personally about them too. Clearly her desire to help people is borne from her own experiences. In a guest column written in 2014 for TCS she recounted her experience of suffering from an eating disorder during her first year reading Natural Sciences at Clare, and to me she talks about the pain she has felt at times over the last year. I ask her about something she said

earlier, about what the best approach is for helping someone suffering from a mental illness; whether being ‘cruel to be kind’ and leaving someone to seek help themselves can sometimes do more harm than good; she agrees, with reservations. “You can go either way. A lot of people who have had a very serious mental health issue at some point in their life, and have come through it, have said ‘I am so glad that someone was really hard on me’… There is a lot to be said I think for at least acknowledging that maybe you need to actually give the sufferer

some power... and saying ‘I really never go ‘bam, right, I can do this’”. We finish by talking about the think you can turn this around’. It is a harsh message and it doesn’t apply to future of Headcase and it’s clear she everybody, at all... you have to gauge has thought about this before. “I want it to be like Starbucks or Nike, a thing that is a part of your life, I want “I want it to be like it to be global”. She describes the big Starbucks or Nike, a picture as having Headcase reps in thing that is a part of businesses, schools and universities; your life” education packs in primary schools and nurseries; working with the government, and even the Headcase each person. “Some people need to hit rock logo on hats and bags. “I have big bottom and they come up so strong, plans, I see big, I dream big” she tells whereas if you wrap them up, they’ll me “but I think it’s not impossible.” QIUYING LAI

Interview: reporting from the front line against ISIS JAMES SNELL

YAO TANG

James Snell

he concurrent wars in Iraq and Syria are possibly the most vital of our times, and to get a greater insight into the conflict, I got in touch with Gareth Browne, a freelance journalist, who is working as a war correspondent in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan. He is documenting the fight against ISIS, bearing witness to the ongoing campaign to recapture Mosul from the caliphate. I start by asking why he is in Erbil and what he hopes to achieve. “I’ve been obsessed with the rise of ISIS and the contemporary Middle East for as long as I can remember”, he says. “I also can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to be a journalist”. For him, the two things are intertwined. “I’d also like to think I can clear up a few misconceptions about the issues facing Iraq and Syria, but perhaps that is a bit too corny [or] ambitious”. We discussed the difficulty and the dangers of his job. “It is getting harder and harder to operate in the Middle East, mainly due to flaring conflicts which carry significant kidnap risks,

and authoritarian regimes arbitrarily locking up journalists”. Browne acknowledges he is lucky that Erbil is fairly safe for journalists. When asked what he wanted to witness, Browne responded that he hoped “to be reporting on the fall of Mosul, and the collapse of the Islamic State in Iraq. I’d also like to cover some of the issues facing Iraq, i.e. growing

“There’s definitely something exhilirating about watching history being made first-hand” Iranian influence, and the oil crash”. “It’s also exciting being out here. There’s definitely something exhilarating about watching history being made first-hand”. I asked Browne whether he finds language to be a barrier to his work: “my Arabic isn’t good enough to operate without a translator, but people certainly open up to you if you can make small talk. “I met a fairly senior Iraqi general last week, it was all very intimidating.

We had a little chat in Arabic and he became far friendlier.” “Language, culture, and politics are all intrinsically linked. I think that is something [Robert] Fisk [of The Independent] has forgotten in the past few years”, harming, in Browne’s opinion, his reputation. “Now, he’s more interested in playing into these grand narratives. I’d argue that many of the issues facing Iraq and Syria, particularly ISIS, are fundamentally organic and local. That’s where I think language gives me an edge”. We continue by talking about how university prepared him for his career in journalism: “I wrote mainly for The Tab when I was at Exeter’, he said. “I did a bit for the official uni paper, but I found it tended to take itself a little too seriously”. “The Tab always seemed to put the reader first, that’s why I was, and remain, a big fan of it”. Why, I asked in parting, do you do what you do? “At least part of it is altruistic, giving a voice to those without one”. This means “[s]etting the record straight; there are too many misconceptions about Iraq for me to sit still at home”.

The Cambridge Student • 20 October 2016

Comment

Grammar schools: the good the bad and the ugly

Editors-in-Chief: Stevie Hertz and Jessie Mathewson Founded 1999 Volume 18

Charlotte Pearson

heresa May has new plans to reintroduce grammar schools as part of her social cohesion agenda. All schools in England will now be given the right to select pupils by ability, and it is hoped that expanding grammars will take quotas of poor pupils or help to run other schools. May, in a speech about their reintroduction announced that: “for too long we have tolerated a system that contains an arbitrary rule preventing selective schools from being established - sacrificing children’s potential because of dogma”. In response to critics’ concerns regarding academic selection at the young age of 11, May explained: “the truth is that we already have selection in our school system - and it is selection by house price, selection by wealth. That is simply unfair.” For testing at 11 favours rich children whose parents understand the importance of a grammar school education and can afford specialist tutoring. Indeed house prices tend to be high in the catchment areas of grammar schools. Despite May’s best efforts to convince MPs of the merit of grammar schools, they still remain highly controversial. Labour say the plans

will ‘entrench inequality’. Whilst the benefits to those who go to grammar schools are in no doubt, the controversy lies in their impact on those who miss out on places. It has been found that the wage gap is more unequal for individuals who grew up in selective schooling areas. As a result, many MPs find it hard to see how the reintroduction of grammar schools can be in line with a broad education policy that is meant to provide for all citizens of the United Kingdom. Additional controversy stems from the overwhelmingly middle class nature of grammar schools. Only about 3% of pupils at existing grammar schools are eligible for free school meals, compared with about 17% of pupils in grammar school areas . Those in favour of grammar schools argue that much of this inequality originates from a lack of supply in grammar school places. A solution would therefore be to introduce more places and make them more accessible. Whilst May argues that grammar schools will provide high quality education to all, some more cynical political commentators allege that this is simply a ploy to win back UKIP voters, amongst whom grammar

schools are very popular. Grammar schools also provide the bulk of non-private school students who attend Oxbridge. According to the Sutton Trust, from 2012- 2014, one in five of the state school students admitted to Oxford were from grammar schools; even though only about 5% of school children in the UK attend grammar schools currently. Part of the discrepancy originates from the attainment of these pupils, with grammar school students far more likely to achieve 3 As at A-level than the average student at a state-school. It is evident that much more needs to be done to improve the current educational situation at Oxbridge. In light of this, perhaps it would be better for May to spend her time trying to improve existing state schools, pulling them up to the standard of grammar and independent schools, instead of introducing a costly and extravagant overhaul of the entire education system. In 2007 David Cameron declared ‘that parents fundamentally don’t want their children divided into sheep and goats at the age of 11’, and very little has changed since then to suggest that these opinions have altered. STfX

Assaults in Cambridge What should students do?

It’s easy to say, whenever violent events occur, to ‘not walk alone at night’, ‘carry a rape alarm’ or ‘stay in busy areas.’ But, as they have always been, these pieces of advice are rarely helpful and even less frequently followed. As students, it’s hard to ensure that we are always walking in a group; much of our lives features moving alone. Often, this involves escaping from Cindie’s early, not being willing to share a single bed, however snuggly they may be, or simply going for a jog, as one student was when she was attacked. While it might be more convenient for the police, requiring walking home massively limits students’ independence, just at a point in our lives when we were meant to be gaining it.

Such instructions also carry an implication that it is women perpetually on the cusp of being victims, ignoring that a man has been among the recent victims. The solution to these attacks is not for students’ to change their behaviour. We have a right to behave as we wish, so long as we are not breaking the law. As is blatantly obvious, it is those perpetuating the attacks who need to change. These come the same weeks as the consent workshops. Surely the attacks prove, more than ever, that a greater emphasis on bodily autonomy is needed? It is only through active education about consent, coming at a far earlier age, that we can quash these attacks, not by simply carrying rape alarms.

Black Lives Matter Cambridge welcomes the movement

It probably should not be as surprising as it is, to see a Black Lives Matter banner hanging from a Cambridge University building – and authorised to be there. Yet, thanks to the work of little mentioned Westcott House, it is clear to see. It is not often that a university institution so openly acknowledges its

past failings and makes a statement for future effort, going beyond merely symbolism. All areas of the University need to work harder not only to ‘move on from’ past failings of racial inequality, but to openly acknowledge and apologise for them. History does not lie in the past, but effects students’ experiences every day.

UKIP may be dying, but it’s had the last laugh

Noah Froud Columnist

s the end of Theresa May’s first 100 days in office approaches, we’re beginning to see the Britain she wants to create. Her vision is complicated and cannot simply be defined as more right or left wing than David Cameron’s. It’s certainly nationalistic, but involves investment rather than austerity, and an intention

to work for those left behind. Fundamentally, it represents a new centre ground, with appeal to those who voted for Labour and UKIP in 2015. Yet its ideological parent is UKIP. It combines the most popular parts of the party’s policies in a way the voting public can actually stomach. May’s vision, like UKIP’s is, at heart, nostalgic and aims for a retrenchment of globalisation. First: what is Theresa May actually planning? Her actions as Home Secretary predicted the type of policies she would implement. From alarm about Chinese investment in Hinkley Point to her support for the “Snoopers Charter”, Theresa May has made strengthening the British state an important part of her political platform

since she entered government. Though she failed to meet her targets to lower immigration, May stood out in Cabinet for her desire to lower immigration rates. She has now confirmed plans to increase the number of medical school training places available in the UK, to compensate for a cut in the number of NHS foreign doctors. Whilst it’s doubtful whether the increase will be large enough so that foreign-trained doctors are no longer essential to the fuctioning of the NHS, it is clear that May plans to increase the country’s self-sufficiency in key skills. In terms of economics, there has been a dramatic change from George Osbourne’s policy of austerity. Instead, there will be a large amount of

investment from the government, in part to offset the economic uncertainty from Brexit, but also because the new government has realised austerity failed to solve a lot of problems. These policies mark a major shift away from Cameron’s laissez-faire approach. Yet this is the new political centre ground, it may be illiberal and arguably authoritarian, but it seems to be fundamentally popular with the voting public. What May has grasped is that public opinion has shifted away from liberalism: being seen to be tough on terrorists is popular and there is no mass indignation at surveillance programs. May is trying to present a solution that draws on popular ideas from across the spectrum, making greater steps to control immigration

and the economy. Would we have a Prime Minister pushing for these policies without UKIP? The answer is no: UKIP created Brexit. It was both a symptom and a cause of the discontent with the status quo which lead to victory for the Leave campaign. It won the debate on immigration in the public’s mind, hence why maintaining freedom of movement and therefore a “Soft Brexit” has become unacceptable. But as UKIP figures praise May’s speeches and policies, it becomes clear that the basis for UKIP’s existence is no longer there. The space it occupied, in opposition to “the liberal establishment”, no longer exists. This really is UKIP’s final victory, yet it comes at the cost of its own life.

20 October 2016 • The Cambridge Student

Comment

Competitive in Cam: no route to happiness Priyasha Vadera

s students who got into Cambridge, we’re used to being the best. Best grades, best at sport, at music, at drama, all round good at everything. Then you get to Cambridge, and your selfesteem shatters. It may have happened in fresher’s week or it may take a year but at some point you will realise you’re not the best anymore. For me, it happened at a party where five of the six people there played the piano and I was the worst. Grade Eight wasn’t good enough anymore; the goalposts kept on moving. I became prepared to lose my edge in academic work. I think that the hardest part was realising that all those extra little things I was good at are also more competitive. Getting into Cambridge is an amazing achievement to be proud of, yet I somehow felt inferior to the person I used to be when I was younger. I’ve realised that just because you don’t have time to be a part of an orchestra, all the college sports teams and do your supervision work, it doesn’t mean you’re

going backwards. When your self-esteem is entirely predicated upon being the ‘clever one’ at school it needs a bit of a boost amongst the wealth of amazing people here. There is an upside though. Even if there is a lot of competition in Cambridge, there are so many different things to be good at. You will find your niche somewhere. There are so many societies, sports teams and committees that you can be involved in. You will find something that people value you for, regardless of your academic ability. I’ve found my niche in strange places – ones I couldn’t have even predicted before I got here: as the person who knows the most people in college, the one who plays Quidditch, the one who’s doing that module combination that no Natsci has done in six years. They come and go. Still, I was a bit nervous starting this year given last year’s results, but then something unexpected happened and it made me realise that there are so many other aspects of myself that I can base my self-esteem on. The Hindu dancing festival of Navratri took place the week before last and for

I don’t think we give ourselves enough credit for simply being

seven out of the nine days I cycled to various places in Cambridge to take part. On the last night, the singer of the band said he had an important announcement to make and made me stand up while he said how much it meant to the community that I had cycled there almost every day and got changed into traditional clothes. It was quite a surreal moment to be standing in a room of people, most of whom I didn’t know, and have them applaud me for doing something that made me happy. Someone came up to me afterwards and said I had made them proud and it was as simple as jumping on my bike. I hadn’t contributed any food or money like others had, but I had turned up and that was enough. I don’t think we give ourselves enough credit for simply being. A lot of the things that exist in Cambridge exist because people care enough to keep them going. It can be as small as organising a staircase meal every now and again but it makes a difference. No matter how much the academic weight of Cambridge seems to be the only thing that matters, it’s not. You are a whole person without Cambridge and it’s WIKIPEDIA

Sexism in t goes beyon T Ronan Marron Comment Editor

Enough help for state school students? Clara Perez-Adamson & Neil Mercer

he ‘elite’ universities of Oxford and Cambridge are often accused of being inaccessible to young people from disadvantaged social and educational backgrounds. Clearly, colleges need to be doing more to welcome these students and to integrate them. Although much effort has been made to investigate and reform the admissions process, this is not the end of the issue. It is essential that students arriving from different educational backgrounds to Oxford and Cambridge feel at home. Interviewing students from both state and private schools at Cambridge, it was found that some colleges assume new students will understand how college life ‘works’ – which is true for those who come from public schools, whose culture closely resembles that of a traditional college. Yet it seems the colleges do little to help state school students acclimatise. It also seems that the distinction

between attending a public school or a less prestigious independent school can be quite important for how undergraduates experience their first year at Cambridge. The public schools encourage students to debate issues, to ask questions, and to develop confidence in expressing their own views. This enables them to make the most of the supervisory system offered by colleges. In their first days in college, they are likely to encounter people from their old school (college staff as well as students) who speak and act just as they do. Moreover, Oxbridge, particularly the most prestigious colleges, has always been seen as the logical next step for them. Students from less prestigious independent schools, on the other hand, report they were encouraged to treat examination grades as the paramount goal, and to listen rather than talk. They may find the academic autonomy offered at Cambridge quite alien and daunting. State school students are very unlikely to have had any training or even much experience

It seems the colleges do little to help state school students acclimatise.

of peer debate or deep discussion with a tutor. They have to learn how to do so on their feet, and rely on the fact that they will typically have been amongst the most successfully independent and resilient pupils at school, who have made it to Cambridge ‘against the odds’. But when it comes to social life at college, they are unlikely to feel they fit in with the majority. As a former comprehensive student said “They were just people I’d never met before…and I didn’t really know how to interact with them, and… they were really, really posh and southern and I had nothing in common with them…and it made me think, like, what am I doing here?” This differs throughout Oxbridge colleges. Nevertheless, one implication is that Oxbridge colleges should provide a more explicit induction and guidance. Colleges should encourage a sense of belonging amongst state school students, and recognize that they are making a unique academic and social transition upon entering these universities.

o suggest that we should vote for Hillary just because she is a woman would be ridiculous. There are plenty of good reasons why not to vote for Hillary Clinton. Yet I think the real reason that the left will not rally fully behind Hillary Clinton is sexism. Trump is derided for his attitudes towards women – and rightly so for he has made some truly appalling comments and the fact that he is still in contention to lead the most powerful nation in the world is shocking. Yet the fact that we have few, if any, people on the left who will brag about sexually assaulting women doesn’t mean those on the left don’t hold sexist views. Rather they are more subtle. Just compare the treatment of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. I have had lots of reasonable friends tell me that they ‘just wish Barack could stay on for another term’. Yet they seem to treat supporting Hillary as an exercise in holding ones nose and stopping Trump. Obama failed in his first pledge as president – his promise to close Guantanamo Bay. This, many would have me believe, is because exercising power is difficult and compromises must be made. Hillary’s flaws are not so easily forgiven. One area in which the left is willing to tear Hillary apart is her ‘aggressive’ foreign policy. I am no fan of her foreign policy – I think that her plans are unlikely to do anything more than further destabilise the Middle-East. Yet there is little exceptional in American terms. In fact the same people

The Cambridge Student • 20 October 2016

Comment

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Don’t condem the consent workshops, just yet Molly Moss

he election nd Trump are often silent on Obama’s foreign policy, in spite of the fact that he has overseen two disastrous military interventions Syria and Libya. Criticism of Hillary’s foreign policy usually concerns her tenure as Secretary of State in Obama’s administration, overseeing his policies. I am not in any way saying that Hillary is perfect. In fact as with most members of America’s so-called left she is someone who I regard as advocating some deeply conservative and troubling policies. Yet her views are not distant from the Democrat status quo – and certainly not distant from the position of her often venerated predecessor. Yet, as is the consistent story with women in politics – we don’t want Hillary to represent the status quo. It seems if Hillary is to please us we want her to be perfect. Women still do not possess the liberty to be ordinary politicians – she has to be perfect to be accepted while a man would be expected to be average. There is legitimate criticism that can be levelled at Hillary from the left. Yet those who do so must be conscious of whether they are holding her to a different set of standards because she is a woman. Sexism in politics is a problem – women are often judged differently. Yet we in the ‘progressive’ left can run the risk of assuming that problems like sexism are not present among us just because it is a less overt and less conscious form of sexism.

aving overheard some students talking about the sexual consent workshops on their freshers’ timetables this year, and sneering that everyone knows what consent is anyway, I’m aware of the controversy surrounding the workshops. It might well be asked how a bunch of students armed only with a pen and paper can make a difference? However, having helped to rewrite this year’s workshop script for my college as a member of the JPC, I was reminded why the workshops are so important. One argument against them is that they are both patronising and pointless, only giving information that is obvious, but it is surprising how often the word consent is misunderstood. I am still shocked to hear the myths floating around that certain clothing means ‘you’re asking for it’, that silence is consent, and that consent is only necessary for penetrative sex. The workshops dispel such myths and aren’t patronising at all if you go in with an open mind: there’s likely to be an area

Perhaps part of the objection to these workshops is caused by fear.

of the discussion that you hadn’t thought about in quite the same way. Not only do the workshops make students think about relationships in new ways, but they also teach students that agreement must be given by all participants. Yes means yes. Anything else doesn’t mean yes. Another important thing about the workshops is that they show that sex isn’t just about penetration and that consent isn’t bound to heteronormativity. Gender non-specific names are used in the examples for the situations discussed and, at the beginning, the groups are invited to introduce their pronouns (if they are comfortable doing so). In this way the workshops aim to cater for everyone, taking different religions, genders and sexualities into account. They introduce and explain terms freshers might not have heard before coming to Cambridge (such as heteronormativity, or the introduction of pronouns), introducing them to university life and preparing them for things that they will probably come across again. Perhaps part of the objection to

these workshops is caused by fear. The workshops can take such routes as encouraging students to be aware that the violator might be in the form of someone they know. These scenarios become more concrete when discussed out loud, and this can be a daunting process. The workshops, however, provide a safe space to consider and work through these topics. Individuals don’t want to admit that they don’t know things about sex. Bravado and bragging still remain, even with the wider awareness of sexual politics. Indeed consent is rarely taught as part of Sex Ed in most schools. Colleges at Cambridge are making more and more of an effort to teach consent, but I think that there should be more effort to make these workshops compulsory across all universities. The workshops aren’t pointless or there to judge people, they are there to enlighten and empower! Students leave the workshops more aware that consent is a complicated topic, and that consent depends on an understanding of context rather than a simple process of box ticking. KIM FYSON

To review, or not to review Sophie Dickinson Comment Editor

he ADC is not just a theatre. The ADC is a bubble within a bubble, a crowd of thesps and hangerson, who to some degree, have theatrical ambition. Those within this little world love to both mock and perpetuate it – the ADC bar is denigrated for its faux-friendly networking and nepotism, but is still the regular haunt of many until the early hours. It’s easy to ridicule the image of theatrical types murmuring about Camdram and dramatically swooning through the evenings. However, I’m incredibly grateful to be at a university full of individuals who value the arts and who prize theatre and genuinely love what they do. Especially in such a highly pressured environment, to find the time to write, or direct, or act, or even just paint a set, is astonishing. And yet I don’t have a total affection for this world. Often, an argument will be made that theatre reviewing in Cambridge (a part of the theatre world as inextricable as, say, the set designer) is unnecessary, perhaps even damaging. Despite some directors explicitly inviting reviewers to their shows, there is a definite resistance within the community as a whole: student reviewers are slated as amateurs, their

writing picked apart, misused terminology leapt on by (velvet clad) vultures. I stress the word student here. Just as a student journalist might misuse the phrase ‘physical theatre’, an actor might perform physical theatre in an unsatisfactory way. It’s right to mark the mistake in the former, as it is in the latter. The acting world is, by its very nature, projecting a creation, pushing it into a public sphere. As a result of wanting an audience, the performance is asking to be criticised. Writing a review is just a formalisation of the thoughts of one member of that audience. A show necessarily needs an audience, and therefore that audience is entitled to an opinion. Effective reviewers don’t criticise individuals but the work produced. While it can be hard to discern between the two, a theatre review should never be personal. Indeed there is no reason for it to be so. At Cambridge, both journalism and acting occupy an awkward sphere between being a hobby and an ambitious, semiserious attempt to be part of the adult world. Certainly, it could be argued that acting is just a bit of fun and it should therefore be left alone. If the intention isn’t serious, then why not let theatre happen

As a result of wanting an audience, the performance is asking to be criticised.

without critical boundaries? It seems a rather Darwinistic argument to suggest that theatre reviews push directors to work harder for fear of being comparatively unsuccessful. I don’t deny that creative teams would do their best regardless of the existence of reviews. However, real-life money is spent on shows. Even if those creating the shows judge their work to be something frivolous, actual financial investment somewhat justifies critical assessment. If those putting on a play want to be taken seriously (and I think this is a fair request), journalistic integrity should be taken seriously too. There needs to be an understanding between both groups that our hobbies are more than that; both thesps and journalists are trying their best at their chosen outlet. Both, in differing ways, require teams of people to work together to produce something meaningful, or beautiful, or both. With so much in common, then, criticism levelled at one is applicable to the other – and if both journalists and actors strive to do their best in their chosen field, there seems to be no reason why there shouldn’t be a mutual respect betweeen the two.

20 October 2016 • The Cambridge Student

Puzzles

Cryptic Crossword by Cameron Wallis

Across 1. Hungry puppy is meringue dessert without vinegar followed by deity in mirror (7, 3) 2. Meeting of harry’s friend, 24 hours and your french side (10) 3. Inflection covers skin to nationality: (10) 4. Always decapitated not at all (4) 5. . Immense arrangement of deer’s mount (10) 10. Cat starts to ingratiate goats, enter rabbit (5)

Down 1. Congress contains mental pair(10) 6. Conceit and futility (6) 7. Sailor’s downfall within four umbrellas (3) 8. In debt to bubbling sorrow (3) 9. Deed is pretence before charged atom (6) 11. Humming sounds like aqueous asphyxiation (7) 12. Resonant but mixture’s soon sour (8)

Sudokus

by Thomas Prideaux Ghee

Solutions from Volume 17, Easter Issue 1 and Volume 18, Michaelmas Freshers’ Issue

The Cambridge Student • 20 October 2016

Sport RYANBURLING2

IRONSTAMP

Record turnout for Cambridge town and gown 10k race Joanna Taylor

KAT WILLIAMS

1,800 people took part in this year’s annual Town and Gown race, beating last year’s record of 1,500. The runners braved stormy conditions to take part in the 10k through central Cambridge on 16th October. It is the fifth consecutive year in which the race has taken place. Organisers hoped to raise £70,000 for Muscular Dystrophy UK. 70,000 people in the UK are affected by the muscle-wasting disease. Runners could be seen sporting orange clothing in support of the charity, whose logo is an orange arrow. ‘Wearing orange creates a fantastic atmosphere, but it’s not just about having fun,’ the charity notes. ‘It’s also about spreading awareness that the Town and Gown 10k is organised and funded entirely by Muscular Dystrophy.’ ‘To have an entire town turned our signature colour for one morning goes a long way in spreading the word

about these conditions and the work that we do fighting to beat them.’ It costs £25 to enter the race. Proceeds are still being counted. The closed route began on Victoria Avenue and worked its way along the River Cam, past a number of the city’s iconic buildings. Runners could be seen passing King’s Chapel and running across Jesus Green. The finish line was on Midsummer Common. Some runners joked that because the course looped back on itself they could see other people sprinting to the finish whilst they were only half-way. Amanda Francis said: “It went really well despite the rain. There was a great turnout and everyone was in very good spirits.” She is PR manager for Muscular Dystrophy UK. The winner of the race was Ian Kimpton, who completed the race with a time of 30 minutes and 36 seconds. Shortly behind him was Liz Fraser, the fastest woman, with a time of 38 minutes and 41 seconds.

Liz is a writer and broadcaster, who spoke at the Cambridge Union earlier this week on the subject of mental health. She has a degree in Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience from Cambridge, and is Director of Headcase, a website and app which aims to ‘demystify mental health issues’. Dr Pixie McKenna of Channel 4’s Embarrassing Bodies also took part in the race for the fourth time this year. “Wet but a great run nonetheless” she tweeted afterwards. For the first time this year there was also a Junior fun run race. This cost £12 to enter and was a distance of 3k. All participants, aged between 9 and 15, were awarded a goody bag for their efforts with a medal and t-shirt. The winner of the Junior fun run was Alfie Pipe. He completed the race with an impressive time of 12 minutes and 41 seconds.. Prizes were awarded to all of their winners, and a full list of race times. FRANCES HAWKER

Sport

20 October 2016 • The Cambridge Student

www.tcs.cam.ac.uk/sport

Cambridge Women’s rugby team have faired better, winning 49-0 nil to Hertfordshire way back in 2014. What a good year for rugby, that was

Photo: William Lyon Tupman

Rugby Club suffer crushing home defeat

Cambridge 0–50 Trinity Dublin

Jessie Mathewson

he Men’s Rugby Club were overwhelmed by an impressive Dublin side on Tuesday, with a 50-0 home defeat for the Light Blues. The Cambridge side were led into the game by Charlie Amesbury, on only his second appearance for the team, after an injury forced captain Daniel Dass out of play for the match. Jack Burke secured Trinity’s first try just three minutes into the game, with Jack McDermott adding the conversion. A failed tackle allowed the visitors to gain ground, which they quickly capitalised on to score. This early try was followed by a second score from Burke, again converted by McDermott. The Dubliners’ speed and sloppy tackling from the home side was again behind the success. These early tries set the tone for a game

that continued to test the Cambridge team right up until the final minutes. The energy and united efforts of the Trinity College side ensured them success at Grange Road, with fly-half McDermott’s quick passing central to the success of the team. Though not every pass found a player waiting to meet it, Trinity invariably wrestled back possession. In the face of such positive play from the visitors, the Light Blues worked hard to prevent further tries, but were ultimately overwhelmed by the energy and stamina of their opponents. While the vistors mistakes did not cause them serious problems, sloppy passing from the Cambridge side resulted in loss of possession, helping Trinity to extend their lead. The first half ended with the Light Blues trailing 24 points. During the

break, the Trinity side remained on the pitch, and continued their drills to keep the intensity high. This was a move which seemed to pay off as the match entered its second half. Once agin Trinity took control right from the whistle. The third quarter proved less successful for the Trinity side, with Cambridge breaking down their strong patterns of play, but failing to establish their own dominance. Ultimately, the visitors regained composure and possession, extending their score by a significant margin in the closing stages of the game. Both Burke and Kyle Dixon secured hat-tricks, a signal of their centrality to the Dubliners’ success. Hogan and Courtney also left their marks on the scoreboard, each scoring a try for Trinity. The game closed with a 50 point lead

for the visitors. Despite a striking margin in the scores, and the Light Blues failure to make their mark on the scoreboard, this defeat was certainly a credit to and energetic and determined Irish side. Cambridge University: Amesbury; King, Triniman, Phillips, Davies; Gillies, Tullie; Briggs, Dillon-Kelly, Moros, Hunter, Lola Erogbogbo, Rose, Harlow, Bartholomew. Replacements: Hugkulstone, Dean, Beckett, Gould, Bell, Clough, Lare Erogbogbo, Griffiths. Trinity College Dublin: Hogan; Mollen, Courtney, K Dixon, E Dixon; McDermott, Joyce; Bollard, Cronin, Murphy, Dargan, Burke, Pim, O’Flynn, Ryan. Replacements: Boland, O’Sullivan, Byrne, Charbonnier, Todd, Milne, Marcelessi.