THE NATIONAL
STUDENT
COMMENT: Mephedrone page 9
March 2010
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‘Whatever you may like to call it, this powdered plant fertilizer is “Only two molecular tweaks away from Crystal Meth”.’
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Anonymous email tells of rife drugs culture at Oxford University
IS HEROIN DEALING
RIFE AT OXFORD? Students from Oxford University have been warned against selling heroin, after an anonymous email alleged there was a widespread drug culture at the institution.
Shaun Ryder
Shaun Ryder talks to The National Student about the return of Black Grape
Authorities at Christ Church College have warned students they face expulsion if they are caught dealing drugs. The dramatic warning comes after an anonymous message was sent to the college staff that alleged students are paying cash for heroin. The tip-off even went on to name one dealer, but the police do not have sufficient information to prosecute. Ian Watson, junior censor in charge of discipline at Christ Church College, sent an email saying: “Last week the censors received an anonymous letter alleging the existence in Christ
Church of a considerable drugs culture, including the supplying of class A drugs such as heroin.” “The law applies just as rigorously within college as elsewhere. The censors have neither the power nor the wish to protect anyone who breaks it.” But some students doubt the truth of the email, with many claiming it is just a hoax. Speaking in the Telegraph, an anonymous student said: “It looks like some nutter coming in, seeing a few people looking rough, and saying they’re all smackheads. It’s palpably false – there is no heroin in Christ Church.” A spokesperson confirmed that the email had been sent but could not comment on its validity. An article in February in Lincoln student newspaper The Linc alleged that drug dealing is a popular option
for some students, albeit with less serious drugs than heroin. The article followed a Bournemouth University student who deals and takes Mephedrone – a ‘legal’ high which is often taken on nights out. The drug can be bought off the internet and costs around four-pounds a gram. The report says that some students often see drug dealing as easy money. But a comment on the article correctly states that whatever the drug, the result is still the same. The comment reads: “I currently have a friend being prosecuted for selling Mephedrone for human consumption, and he is looking at a couple of years inside.” “Just saying that you really should be careful when you think you’re being ‘clever’ by trying to make money this way.”
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The National Student, March 2010
NEWS
2 The National Student welcomes contributions. The National Student works closely with student publications across the UK. We are happy to accept news, comment, features, and reviews on any subject. Contact us at: The National Student PO Box 7731 Derby DE1 0RW or email: editor@ thenationalstudent.co.uk or phone: 0845 46 300 46 The National Student is the independent, monthly newspaper for higher education students in the UK. Published by Defender Newspapers, PO Box 7731 Derby DE1 0RW © 2010 All content is the copyright of Defender Newspapers unless otherwise stated thenationalstudent.co.uk
Landlords association attack government proposals to change planning laws to break up student areas
Government to choose where you live S T U D E N T COMMUNITIES face “one of the most sinister social threats since apartheid” if government planning laws are changed to break up student areas near to universities, according to one landlords group. The Residential Landlords Association (RLA), whose members own 100,000 student properties throughout the UK, warns that a change in planning legislation will dictate who lives where. The proposed change to the ‘Use Classes Order’ would mean that some properties would not have the right planning permission to be used as a house in multiple occupation (HMO). Richard Jones, legal adviser of the RLA, said: “The government has been
responsible, in the first place, for driving up the student population to a target 50% of young people in higher education. So where on earth did the politicians think these extra students were going to live?” “Universities and colleges don’t have the resources to provide purpose built accommodation. And commercially built halls of residence are generally unpopular.” “All this started when a few pockets of local residents began to make an issue out of noisy parties, untidiness and litter. They wanted to go back to the old days when families lived there.” ‘Studentification’ is the term used when areas of towns or cities become full
of student properties. Properties are often in large groups as they are usually in convenient locations close to the university and to local businesses. The RLA are concerned that the change will make it difficult for landlords to provide houses in typical student areas, leading to the destruction of student communities. In 2009, over 470,000 students started a degree at university in the UK. A majority of these will live in university accommodation but often move out after their first year. The government are concerned that large student areas mean that typically thriving areas nearby simply shut down and become ‘ghost
neighbourhoods’. Jones added: “But if local authorities can apply planning laws for social engineering purposes – to create areas where certain types of people are discouraged from living where is that to end? “The precedent is being set now – with students. If planning laws were used to control the ethnic mix of a community there would be uproar.” An answer to this could be to increase halls of residence in one area
rather than to turn a section of a town into a student community. Alan Ward, chairman of the RLA, said: “This will be nothing to the economic decline of bars, restaurants and local shops if students are deprived of a choice of where they live.” “Packing them into expensive halls of residence neither gives them the experience of independent living, nor integration with thriving communities. It will create student ghettos.”
RESIDENTS AT student accommodation in Lincoln will be fined for excrement found in a lift - unless the perpetrator is found. Students at the accommodation block known as the Pavilions have been told they will be charged for the cost of cleaning the excrement if the culprit does not come forward. On Thursday February 18, the facilities team of the Pavilions discovered the human excrement in the lift of Ellison House. This incident follows a graffiti attack in Proctor Mews the week before, as well as another incident of excrement in the same block. Samantha Barnes, marketing assistant at Digs, the company who owns the Pavilions, said that the cost to clean the excrement would be about £126, equating to £1 per resident. She commented: “It is hoped that the perpetrator can be found
so that the charge can be dropped for all residents. At this time however we are still no wiser as to who committed these acts.” The cost cannot be avoided by residents despite the fact that the perpetrator may not even live in the block in question. If residents refuse to pay
then Digs, the company who run Pavilions, will deduct the cost from the £150 deposit. Helen Halton, a resident in Ellison House, argues that it is unfair to charge everyone, despite the small cost: “I don’t want to pay for something I’ve had nothing to do with.”
EXCREMENT IN LIFT COSTING STUDENTS CASH
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The National Student, Student March 2010
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FUNDRAISING PAGEANT MARRED BY NUS PROTEST P R O T E S T O R S DEMONSTRATED outside a Cardiff nightclub ahead of the final of Miss University GB, which was eventually won by Emma Franklin from the University of Glamorgan. The NUS Wales women’s group conducted protests outside Oceana nightclub on March 1, ahead of the event. They paraded with placards and leaflets, sporting slogans such as “Mark my essays not my looks”. NUS National Women’s Officer Olivia Bailey led chants such as “1,2,3,4 we won’t take this any more, 5,6,7,8 women’s bodies aren’t made to rate.” Flyers distributed by protesters at the event stated that “judging women based on their looks erodes their human right to be treated as equals. This is why beauty pageants are an issue for all women, not just those involved in the contest.” The protest has resulted in mass criticism being directed at the NUS, as the beauty pageant is organised in aid of the Joshua Foundation, a charity which provides once in a lifetime experiences
and holidays for children diagnosed with terminal cancer, The 11 contestants collected a combined total of £6,000 for the foundation leading up to the event. Competitors were required to take part in a black dress round, a swimwear round and an evening wear round. They were also required to make a presentation for the judging panel, which included Cardiff Blues rugby star and Cardiff University medic, Jamie Roberts. Protest organiser and NUS Wales’ Women’s Officer, Estelle Hart, defended their actions: “I don’t think exploiting women in the name of charity is any better than in the name of business. There was a reason that the event was held in a nightclub – they would have made a profit from drinks sales.” Sarah Cornelius Price, who founded the charity in memory of her son Joshua, who tragically died of cancer at the age of five, questioned their actions. “As the mother of a child who died of cancer, I think I’m in a good position to advise young people to grasp every
opportunity they’re given and to live life to the full. “Regardless of the kind of empowerment the people outside are talking about, for me, empowerment is about being able to look good,
The applicant who collected the most amount of money will be crowned Miss Charity and will work as an ambassador for the foundation, helping to raise funds while getting involved in the families’
feel good, and most importantly, do good, which is precisely what the young women competing today have done by raising money for the foundation.”
experiences. The three top placed contestants, first place Emma Franklin of University of Glamorgan, second place Alice Watkins of University of
Cardiff and third place Pamela Crisp of Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama will now go on to represent their universities at the Miss Universe competition. Talking to The National Student, Emma Franklin, who discussed her joy at being named winner of the competition. “To be honest, when my name was called out as the winner, I was in total disbelief! There were so many attractive and intelligent ladies in the competition- any of us were worthy winners. But it was my lucky dayand as I’m from Wales it was a St.David’s Day that will stick in my mind for many years.” She went on to discuss the protesting and the effect it had on the mood of the evening. “It didn’t disrupt the event in any way. We were slightly concerned when they turned up, but none of the contestants actually saw them as we were too busy preparing for the evening ahead. All the finalists managed to raise over £6,000 for children with terminal cancer that evening - is that anything to protest or show concern about?” She also spoke of her joy of being able to
raise money for such a worthwhile charity as the Joshua Foundation. “To be involved with an organisation such as the Joshua Foundation really has opened my eyes. I’m proud to say that I have raised over £4,000 over the past three years for the charity and want to continue raising for many more years.” “This charity provides life experiences for children with terminal cancer. I have had the privilege of meeting a few children from the charity; and what unbelievable individuals they are. It is heart breaking to see them admiring our pretty dresses backstage and hoping one day to be entering competitions like Miss University GB, knowing that their lives will be cut short because of cancer. As part of my prize for winning the title, I’m going to Australia this summer with the Joshua Foundation to do the Oz Experience as a team leader and also going to Lapland this Christmas with the children and their families to visit Santa-these will be experiences that I will surely never forget!”
by Robert Dalling
The National Student, March 2010
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Student hit POLITICS: HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW? by £8,000 bill
Leading up to a General Election new poll shows that students are clueless about politics
A THIRD of students do not know Gordon Brown is the leader of the Labour Party, according to recent research. The poll also found that 47% of students are highly unlikely to vote in the next general election, despite student-related issues such as the tuition fees debate being high on the political agenda. 1,566 students were surveyed in the poll by student accommodation provider Unite. The findings of the poll does not help the NUS campaign ‘Vote for Students’, which hopes to mobilise the student vote to prevent tuition fees rising. NUS President Wes Streeting denied that students do not care about politics: “In many seats up and down the country the student vote has made a decisive difference in previous general elections and will do so again. “There is a wealth of evidence to show that students care about
politics and realise its impact upon their lives such as fees and housing, particularly when it comes to those who seek to charge them more for less. “Last year, research by Opinionpanel showed that a political party’s position on tuition fees would affect how 79% of students would vote in a general election. This is hardly indicative of an apathetic and out-oftouch student population.” The poll also found that 34% did not know David Cameron was leader of the Conservatives, and less than half knew Nick Clegg leads the Liberal Democrats. Queen’s University Belfast student Chris McGurn perhaps sums up the attitude of many students: “Students are too busy with lectures and coursework during the day, and socialising by night, to take an interest in politics.”
by Don McDermott
STUDENT RECRUITMENT SITE DIVIDES OPINION A WEBSITE dedicated to helping students find employment has come under fire from the NUS The union labeled the business methods of student recruitment site usefulstudents.com as “contemptible” for “encouraging a disturbing race to the bottom of the wage pile”. The site, created by two University of Edinburgh graduates, is unique in allowing students to submit how much they are willing to work for. The bidding process is secret, which prevents students from undercutting one another. A statement on the site says that it began because “students often want to earn a bit of extra cash”, and “want to find a way to find these jobs as easily as possible”. Despite the site’s good intentions, it has come under heavy criticism from NUS President Wes Streeting, who said: “Given that students are graduating with record levels of debt, and job prospects are at an all time low, it is no surprise that many are having to take on part-time work that can sometimes adversely effect
their studies” “For many students, part –time work constitutes a crucial part of their income, and it is contemptible that this should be taken advantage of in this way.” On usefulstudent. com, employers post the maximum they are willing to pay, and students then post if they will work for equal or lower than the employer’s outlay. Despite heavy criticism of this method, which supposedly encourages students to work for very little, employers cannot submit a quote below the minimum wage. Andrew Howes, cofounder of usefulstudents.
com commented on the issue: “There is no assumption that students need to bid low and no requirement for job providers to accept the lowest bid as there are other factors. Students can bid high if they believe that their particular skills or experience justify a premium.” “There is no requirement for students to use our services if they don’t like the concept or feel that they are being taken advantage of; they are intelligent people, they are free to choose and there are many other sources of work.”
by James Dunn
ORANGE HANDED a student a whopping £8000 bill for using a 3G phone in France for a month. 22-year-old William Harrison was shocked to discover the bill, claiming that the Orange shop assistant who sold him the Orange dongle told him he had a 3 GB data limit on it, which would be sufficient for his needs. The third-year Nottingham University student proceeded to use the phone as much as possible, believing he had a limit in place. After receiving his first monthly bill of £6101.56, Harrison
blocked the use of the dongle. However, between the bill being sent and him requesting it be blocked, he used a further few thousands pousands. In light of Harrison’s maintenance that he was not aware he would be charged, Orange agreed to half the bill, giving the students two years to pay off the huge debt which he accumulated by making several Skype calls abroad. As a result of stories like Harrison’s, download limits will be in place from the 1st of March with European carries, limiting the potential bill to £50 (£44) per month.
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The National Student, March 2010
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SEX BLOGGER CAUSING STIR AT OXBRIDGE A MYSTERY Oxbridge student has started a detailed blog on her sexual exploits. Considering herself a “researcher of sex”, she began the blog in February and now has 418 followers via the blog, and another 1,547 on social networking site Twitter. She has drawn comparisons to Belle de Jour’s “The Diary of a London Call Girl”, despite acknowledging that she has never accepted money for sex. The blog details her sexual experiences since losing her virginity at 18, including encounters with men from nine different nationalities. In her first post, entitled Sex Ed, she says she is “unapologetically and unquestionably a closet nympho”, and goes on to reveal her favourite nationalities are British and German men, saying they “are the best, and typically have the biggest
penises”. She describes herself as “fairly attractive” and has so far described encounters with a Blues
Brown proclaims student ‘future leader’ A KENT University student has received acclaim for her exceptional academic and raw musical talent from Prime Minster Gordon Brown. Yolanda Brown was named a “future leader” by Minister for Higher Education David Lammy and her namesake, PM Gordon Brown. 27-year-old Yolanda is a saxophonist from Barking in East London, who was uncovered in a search run by Power Media, to find Britain’s “Future Leaders” from a selection of the country’s most diversely gifted and talented black students, all of whom are juggling intensive academic careers with sensational extra-curricular commitments. Andenike Adenitire, editor of Future Leaders explains: “Future Leaders 2010 profiles some of Britain’s brightest students of African and African Caribbean origin. Those featured in the magazine are testament to the fantastic accomplishments of students from across the country, who have balanced great academic grades with remarkable outside achievements.” Yolanda, who has already won two MOBO awards and an Urban Music award, said: “It is an honour to have been included in this publication and very rewarding to be recognised for my achievements so far. I am truly grateful for the support both in academia and music.” The Director of Kent Business School, Paul Phillips, also paid tribute to Yolanda, commenting: “We are all delighted by Yolanda’s success – she has been a great addition to Kent Business School and for her to combine her musical ability as well as work at the highest level of academic study is a fantastic achievement.” Yolanda is currently practicing to perfect her opening act for The Temptations’ UK tour, having recently performed for Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev at the Winter Palace in St.Petersburg. She will be touring the UK next month, and plans to release her debut album in the near future. by Sophie Hall
rugby player at Oxbridge, losing her virginity to a man who then broke up with her, an ‘Italian Stallion’ who “left much
to be desired”, drunken sex on the carpet of a room upstairs from where her drinking society were having a social, and two
meetings with German men. She confesses Germans to be her favourite, claiming they are
“perfect”, and describing sex with one of them as “some of the greatest sex of my life”. The student has managed to retain her anonymity, despite appearing in The Daily Mail, The Sun, The Daily Telegraph and other national papers. Admitting to initially worrying that she will be exposed, she later said: “In terms of worrying over whether or not any of the men I write about recognise themselves, I’ve come to terms with the fact that they very well could do. Am I worried about them outing me? Absolutely not. Would you want to tell the world that you dumped your girlfriend a week after taking her virginity? Or that you have a small penis and like unprotected anal sex? I didn’t think so.” The blog can be found at /oxbridgesex.blogspot. com/
‘Fake’ students undermine Cameron’s ‘openness and trust’ DAVID CAMERON has been accused of using ‘fake’ students at a speech presented at the University of East London on February 10. As Cameron made reference to his party’s ‘openness and trust,’ concerns relating to the authenticity of the question and answer session were being raised. Some of the people situated behind the Tory Party leader were not from the Universities student body, but in fact members of Conservative Future, the party’s under30 campaign group. Questions’ relating to the supposed ‘bussing in’ of young Conservative activists has disgruntled members of UEL. “They are not our students” Students’ Union president Joseph Bitrus said. “Afterwards I spoke with one of them, and he said he had just joined the campaign a week ago and was learning how it worked.” Birtus also stated that those in attendance were disappointed with the lack of opportunity to question
Mr Cameron. “He only took one question from a student, and it wasn’t about education.” A further point causing upset among UEL staff and students was the disproportional portrayal of the university multi-ethnic population. While more than half the students that study at the East London University are from ethnic minorities, only persons of white origin flanked Cameron. Bitrus said: “Whoever organised those faces to be behind Cameron was insensitive to UEL’s multi-cultural nature.” The Conservative Party has denied they bussed in youthful activists to sit behind the Tory front man. Cameron’s press secretary, Gaby Bertin, who attended the UEL event, said: “There were more than a 100 people in the audience. The vast majority were University of East London students and lecturers. A small number, less than a dozen, were student party members who expressed an interest in attending.” Henry Macrory, the Conservative chief press
officer, said that there was no purposeful placement of specific persons behind Cameron: “People were just seated in the order they arrived at the venue.” Despite such remarks, the
genuineness of proceedings remain in doubt on a day the Conservative leader spoke of “rebuilding trust” in politics.
by Roddy Forgie
The National Student, March 2010
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DREAM PLACEMENT WITH TOP DESIGNER FOR STUDENT FASHION COMPETITION WINNER A MIDDLESEX University student has won a national fashion competition, and in the process a placement with Vivienne Westwood. Second year student Rasa Abramaviciute, originally from Lithuania, won the 2010 Fashion Awareness Direct (FAD) competition at London Fashion week. She said: “I want to thank you so much for that – to my university tutors, to my best friends and also my parents. I went to the show last year and loved it and really wanted to apply this year. The brief (of the competition) was “Traces” and I used memories of
my childhood and my culture in Lithuania.” Rasa is currently on a placement at London based Felder Felder, but has won an even more desirable place at Dame Vivienne Westwood’s fashion label, as well as £2,000 prize money. Gillian Charles, Director of Programmes for Fashion, Jewellery and Textiles at Middlesex, said: “We are absolutely delighted and very proud that Rasa has won this award. We are highly aspirational and ambitious for our students and are pleased to see them winning top prizes and getting the recognition their
talent deserves.” F.A.D (Fashion Awareness Direct) is a charity which helps bridge the gap between fashion education and the industry. Their competition for undergraduates is now in its ninth year and the students’ designs were this year showcased by Vauxhall Fashion Scout. Every season Vauxhall Fashion Scout identifies the most promising new designers and showcases them to an international audience of media and buyers - giving the next generation of talent the opportunity to show during London Fashion Week.
by David Bateman
FREEDOM OF PRESS VIOLATED IN EDINBURGH EDINBURGH STUDENT newspaper The Journal has been removed from Edinburgh Napier University over a supposedly defamatory article printed on the front page. The paper was removed without prior notice to The Journal staff, who only found out it had been removed after receiving a tip from a section editor. The Editor of The Journal, Paris Gourtsoyannis, has indicated his intention to have the papers re-instated, or he will take the matter further. Gourtsoyannis said of the situation: “The Journal abides by standards which are against bias and defamation. In this instance, I am absolutely certain there was nothing defamatory in the article. My colleagues and myself are pretty aggrieved about the situation because no one contacted us. The whole situation
has been handled in a pretty poor way. Goes against the values of the free press and freedom of speech. I am astonished that this has happened at what is Scotland’s premier journalism university.” The act of censorship occurred after The Journal printed an article regarding a vote of no confidence in the President of Napier Students Association, Kasia Bylinska. Napier
University’s student association decided to remove the 1050 copies of the paper on its campus, citing “non-attributed comments”. However, Gourtsoyannis disputed this, commenting: “There are no unattributed quotes in the article in question, nor do comments [from a candidate for the presidency] constitute defamation under UK law. [The current president] was given the opportunity to comment, and availed herself of it fully. She was not misquoted.” The motion of no confidence was brought forward by Nathan Sparling, who is running for NSA President against Bylinska in Napier’s upcoming elections. He was warned for the timing and accuracy of his motion of no confidence.
by David Bateman
STUDENT SCOOPS £5,000 WORTH OF TRAVEL PRIZES TRAVEL GOODIES worth £5,000 have been won by a Bath Spa university student after she beat off competition from more than 2,000 other students. Sian Davies, a third year performing arts student from Pembrokeshire, entered the competition run by travel service First Bus in September 2009. As a regular bus user in her final year of study, she was delighted to win the competition. She said: “When I heard I had won I was completely speechless as I never win anything. I look forward to using all the different tickets while travelling around the UK seeing my friends and family.” “I have thought about going travelling when I graduate too, so having the opportunity to go across America and Canada on First’s Greyhound buses in the states is fantastic.” The £5,000 prize includes unlimited travel on any
First Bus until December 31, a number of first-class train tickets, and two 30 day Greyhound Discovery passes, which allow Sian to travel anywhere on the Greyhound bus network in the USA or Canada. She was also presented with a comprehensive travel pack including a waterproof camera, a pocket espresso machine and a Backtrack GPS system amongst other useful gadgets. Ray Hardy, Business Manager for First in Bath, added: “I’m pleased that someone from Bath, and particularly one of our regular customers, won this national prize draw. I hope Sian gets a lot of enjoyment from all the travel related goodies, and that she is able to get out and about seeing more of the UK courtesy of all the tickets she’s won.”
by Tom Timmins
Calling student bands ATOM Live, the students music network has teamed up with Oui Love, French new scene promoter, offering two lucky UK student bands the chance to live the rock n roll dream, touring with France’s finest new bands this summer. Hurtling around the country in a supercool tour bus with two other bands, what more could you want?!
myspace.com/ ouilovexchange
The National Student, March 2010
NEWS
THE NUS campaign against a rise in tuition fees is fully under way, with protests recently occurring in Canterbury. Students from Canterbury College, Canterbury Christ Church University, the University of Kent and the University of the Creative Arts joined together to march through the city as part of the wider NUS ‘Vote for Students’ campaign. The NUS hope to mobilise the student vote to force election candidates to reveal their position on whether tuition fees should rise, and ensure students are not made to pay more for their studies at a time when funding is being cut. So far, over 200 MP’s and candidates have signed up to the ‘Vote for Students’ pledge to : “To vote against any increase in fees in the next parliament and to pressure the government to introduce a fairer alternative.”. These include ex-Health Secretary Frank Dobson and former Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy. Candidates who have not signed up to the pledge have been warned that students will not vote
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‘VOTE
FOR STUDENTS’ PROTESTS HIT CANTERBURY
for them.” NUS President, Wes Streeting, commented on the potential of students in the upcoming General Election: “In many seats up and down the country the student vote can make a decisive difference. Through this campaign we hope to remind students of the power they hold
and remind candidates of the danger of not taking our votes seriously. Our message to candidates is simple, vote for us or pay the price.” NUS have identified 20 areas where the student vote could be pivotal to who wins in their constituencies. Following data from the 2005 General
Election, the union have said several prominent MP’s are under pressure, including former Education secretary Charles Clarke in his Norwich South constituency, Chief Whip Nick Brown in Newcastle Upon Tyne East and Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw in Exeter. Wes Streeting added:
“Our list of key student seats should make the point particularly clearly. Elections have been won and lost by the votes of students before and it will happen again. Only 12% of the public think raising fees should even be on the table. As no mainstream political party has a clear policy on fees, it is down
to individual candidates to take a stand and sign our pledge.” ‘Vote for Students’ has already received vast amounts of attention on the internet, shown by its rise to being the second most talked about thing in the world on Twitter. For a large portion of Thursday February 18, the NUS campaign was the second most popular trend on the social networking site. Susan Nash, NUS Vice President of Society and Citizenship, said: “Vote for Students becoming a trending topic worldwide underlines the strength of feeling amongst students, and shows the power students have when they come together around an issue.“ She added: “I would encourage everyone who hasn’t already done so to register their support on voteforstudents.co.uk so that parliamentary candidates are clear: we will not simply sit back and accept ever-higher fees, and we will not accept parliamentary candidates’ silence on the issue.”
by David Bateman
The National Student, March 2010
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BEERDISPENSING ROBOT SET FOR RELEASE
A TEAM of Middlesex University students has developed a revolutionary robot that dispenses beer by itself. The automated robot is a keg mounted on wheels, programmed to move along a specified route. On reaching a customer, it simply requires a hand to be waved over the sensor on top of “The Bot” instructing it to stop, and a glass placed below the dispenser, leaving the customer in awe as the drink is dispensed automatically. Dr.Stephen Prior dreamt up the robot at the Eurobot Robotic Competition in France last year, and developed it with the help of four students at the Autonomous Systems lab in Middlesex, which Dr.Prior is the director of. Darren Lewis, 20, and Chris Barlow, 26, both undergraduates at the university studying Engineering product design, and Jonathan Bell, 25, and Thomas Irps, 23, both post-graduates studying Design Engineering, helped bring the concept of a beer dispensing robot to fruition. Dr Prior explained that throughout the development of “The Bot” the relationship between the control and interfacing of the robot was paramount to the success of the development both in terms of safety and
Advice from
practicality. As with any technological development there were inevitable teething problems, including the age-old problem of pulling the “perfect pint”. The crucial aspect of getting the right amount of “head” on the beer was a particular problem. “The Bot” was first revealed to the public at the Kinetica Art Fair last month, receiving great interest from the general public and subsequent appraisal from the highly acclaimed gadget weblog Engadget. Such has been the success of “The Bot”, Dr Prior revealed plans concerning the commercial release of “The Bot” in the near future: “We will be offering several alternatives, for instance we can sell the head independently of the base. There is also talk of a soft drinks version, maybe a tea and coffee version.”
by Joe Fitzgibbon
W
Welcome to the Free World
hen money’s tight, you may find yourself cutting back on some of life’s little luxuries, but you don’t have to lead an entirely monastic existence as there’s plenty of free stuff out there if you know where to look. Promotional offers are a major source of freebies and come in many forms. The variety of offers is vast – from tea bags to cosmetics, cinema tickets to MP3 downloads and clothes to gym membership. Several websites, such as MoneySavingExpert and HotUKDeals, list free offers with links to the sites where you register or apply as well as voucher codes and information about special offers. You can register to receive regular emails with the latest freebies. If you’re a film fan, you don’t have to fork out for a cinema ticket to go to the pictures to see the latest new releases. Register at Momentum Pictures Preview Screening Club to receive emails with opportunities to apply for a pair of tickets to see films weeks before their official release. Screenings take place around the UK. If the theatre is more your cup of tea and you’re aged 15-25, you can get free theatre tickets through A Night Less Ordinary. The website lists theatres in the scheme and you can search for any in your area. If it’s a night in you’re after, DVD rental sites offer standard free trials and occasional special offers. You need to supply payment details for these, so don’t forget to cancel by the end of the trial period unless you want to become a paid-up member. Cinema Paradiso has a 14-day trial period with a variety of packages to choose from. Lidl Movies
offers unlimited DVDs for 30 days and LOVEFILM has numerous free trial offers, with time periods ranging from 14 days to two months. If you’re a music lover, there are plenty of legal ways to listen to music online and download it for free. Last.fm is a free advertising-funded music streaming site that monitor’s what’s on your mp3 player or computer and recommends bands and musicians according to your taste. Musicovery is an interactive web radio station, which is paid for by advertising. You can search for music according to moods, genre and era. There are also several sites that offer free downloads. 7digital offers a range of free downloads and samples from a selection of audiobooks while also offers a small selection of freebies. If you’re at home in the obscure end of the music spectrum, then visit MP3.com for a range of downloads. eMusic offers a 14-day trial with up to 25 free downloads but you have to enter your payment details to sign up so make sure you cancel by the end of the trial period. Which? Money Quarterly is packed with news, reviews, interviews, moneysaving advice, big money investigations and exclusive step-by-step guides to help consumers take control of their wallets and purses and get the best value for their money. The magazine is available in Sainsbury’s, Tesco, WHSmith High Street & Travel, Martin McColls and selected independent newsagents priced at £2.99.
by Which? Money editor, James Daley
The National Student, March 2010
FEATURE
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Comment: Mephedrone M
ephedrone/ MCAT/Meow Meow seems to be the current drug of choice amongst students. Whatever you may like to call it, this powdered plant fertilizer is “Only two molecular tweaks away from Crystal Meth”.
them off as ironic jokes. Unfortunately your supplier is not intending to make you laugh, but intending to cover his back and prevent himself from being arrested. The danger of drugs like this being advertised as “Legal” is that it tricks
dangerous than Ecstasy, turning into the date-rape drug GHB in the stomach, and consequently leaving the consumer in a Coma,
banded as Class A in other countries. Nonetheless I am determined that the same should happen to Mephedrone and other
yet it was still available as a 50p alternative to alcohol over the internet. Since Hester’s death, we friends and family have successfully campaigned to illegalize the drug, ridiculously, only to Class C, even though it is
“legal highs” as the list of resultant deaths grows, and because some, like Mephedrone have not been around long enough recreationally for scientists to truly know the affects they have on the body. That
‘I guarantee that any of you who have bought Mephedrone have seen the “Not intended for human consumption” and “Plant food” labels on the bag, laughing them off as ironic jokes. Unfortunately your supplier is not intending to make you laugh, but intending to cover his back and prevent himself from being arrested.’ As for the “But it’s legal” argument: No it isn’t, not for you. It is an industrial fertilizer that is legal to buy as food for your flowers, but is illegal under the Medicines Legislation to sell, supply, advertise or consume for/ to humans. I guarantee that any of you who have bought Mephedrone have seen the “Not intended for human consumption” and “Plant food” labels on the bag, laughing
people who would not normally take illegal drugs into thinking that they are safe. I am speaking from personal experience as a school friend of mine, Hester Stewart died on the 26th April last year after taking GBL, another “legal high” similar to Mephedrone, thinking that it was safe as it was advertised as a “legal high”. This particular drug was known by scientists to be more
said, current trends have shown that Mephedrone can lead to asphyxiation, convulsions, cardiac arrest, coma, fitting, nose-bleeds, paranoia, depression, suicide and death: not that safe then I guess. I am not naïve enough to think that if this drug was made illegal, people would stop taking it, but at least then they would know that it was dangerous enough to be illegal, and would maybe think twice, especially considering that children as young as 11 have been reported to have used it. People my age have the tendency to brush worries aside, thinking that bad things will never happen to them and that risks are over-hyped by the media, but unfortunately this simply isn’t the case with “legal highs”. Even if you have taken Mephedrone 20 times before, or have friends who take it every weekend, it does not mean that the next time you do, you won’t suffer a heart attack or go into a coma. The chemical makeup changes from batch to batch, and “legal highs” can be cut with hundreds of dangerous chemicals, so the way your body responds is
unpredictable and can change dramatically from hit to hit. UNISEX warns: “One of the biggest dangers with Mephedrone comes from the fact it has never been medically tested on humans. As such, almost nothing is known about its longterm physical or mental effects, both of which could be considerable. The current users of Mephedrone are its test subjects.” So on top of all the potential immediate side-effects, there may well be dangerous longterm ones too. It can’t be worth the risk? I urge you to please not brush aside my article as unnecessary and not risk your life on these “legal highs”. I have lost a friend to them and I do not want to sit back and watch as other people die. You are being scammed in the worst possible way: the people selling you these drugs do not care about your life, they care about your money and the fact that you are already beginning to depend on their drugs for a good time. Don’t be the next Mephedronerelated drug statistic, invest in an allotment.
by Sophie Hall
The National Student, March 2010
FEATURE
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Tech review: Olympus WS-550M Digital Voice Recorder DOES ANYONE actually make notes in lectures any more? Why bother trying frantically to jot down all the important points when you can record the whole thing, sit back and take the lecture in and then sort it out at home later? There’s so many digital voice recording products on the market every student should have one, and in most cases your mobile probably does the job perfectly well. With that in mind, why would you purchase another piece of kit to do a
job your mobile already does? In the case of the Olympus WS-550M it comes down to one word – quality. Designed specifically for voice recording the recording quality is top-notch, the stereo recorder is so sensitive it picks up the slightest sound and a clarity of voice at a distance. The fact it has a noise and low-cut filter built in is apparent in playback. Any journalism student straining over bad recordings of interviews trying to make sense of it all will more than appreciate how good the recordings are. Outdoors recording still proves problematic with those recording woes of wind and traffic but the voice cuts through sufficiently to make this less of a problem than with older/lesser recorders. With 2GB of memory (over 544 hours of recording) and battery-life of 21 hours it can more than handle all your recording needs. Functionality is the WS-550M’s other big draw. I didn’t even bother reading the instructions and within minutes had the run of its functions. Anyone with even the slightest technical know-how can be up and running quickly. A nice feature is the retractable
USB connector which negates the need to carry a cable and being plug and play means all you have to do is slip it in and away you go. Uploading/downloading files with this recorder couldn’t be simpler. Both quality and functionality are present in the music playback facility, which offers further ease of use and a good quality playback which rivals most other MP3 players
on the market, although there are better. Supporting WMA, MP3 and WAV files the player supports most files your music collection will be in. Adding a third function of storing other forms of digital data the WS550M takes care of most of your portable digital storage needs. It’s not particularly aesthetically pleasing, screaming functional rather than fashionable but is a
bit of kit that does the job so well it doesn’t need to look good doing it. If you’re looking for a heavy-duty bit of kit for quality voice recording, music playback and portable storage that is simple to use and won’t break the bank you could do worse that the Olympus WS 550M. Available at Argos Extra stores and www.argos.co.uk
WIN A Olympus WS-550M Digital Voice Recorder - thenationalstudent.co.uk/olympus
YOUR PAPER NEEDS YOU! The National Student is looking for student contributors email: editor@thenationalstudent.co.uk
The National Student, March 2010
FEATURE
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Colombia: Conflict and Commerce M
any people think that the cocaine trade is the main cause of violence in Colombia. In fact, the longrunning armed conflict that still ravages Colombia is rooted in the battle for valuable arable land. More than 70,000 people have been killed over the past 20 years, as various factions struggle to control lucrative land rights. This extreme violence has forced millions to flee their homes. With almost 10% of its entire population internally displaced, Colombia ranks second only to Sudan in the proportion of citizens seeking refuge from violence within their own country. As many as 3.7 million – or around 8.5% of the population of 44 million – have been fled their land in the past 20 years. If the same proportion of the population of the UK were displaced, it would equate
to around 5 million people. That would mean emptying out the combined populations of Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Sheffield and Liverpool. Massacres and selective
in remote areas. They are the victims of a civil war that started as out as a conflict between opposing ideologies, with left-wing guerrilla on one side and right-wing paramilitaries
As many as 3.7 million – or around 8.5% of the population of 44 million – have been fled their land in the past 20 years. If the same proportion of the population of the UK were displaced, it would equate to around 5 million people.
murder have been commonplace in many regions of Colombia for decades and are the primary cause of forced displacement. The hardest hit have been those living
on the other. The paramilitaries, who have set themselves up as the armed protectors of big business, have now become businessmen themselves. Supported by parts of
the Colombian state apparatus, they are forcing families to leave the land and then taking it over for their own use. The conflict has become an excuse for a violent land grab on a huge scale. In 2000, Francis Deng, the then Representative of the UN Secretary General on Internally Displaced People, described displacement in Colombia as a ‘tool for acquiring land for the benefit of large landowners, narcotraffickers as well as private enterprises planning large-scale projects for the exploitation of natural resources.’ Millions of pounds worth of coal and other valuable minerals and precious metals, such as gold, lie beneath the soil in many parts of Colombia. There is also a lesser known commodity, palm oil, which the Colombian government is actively promoting as the key to the country’s export growth. Palm oil is the main ingredient in many soap products sold in the UK. This oil comes from the African palm plant which is well suited to the large swathes of tropical rain forest running through Colombia. President Alvaro Uribe has stated publicly that he would like to see the area under African palm cultivation in Colombia increase by a factor of 20, from 300,000 hectares (741,316 acres) to 6 million (14.8 million acres). The problem is, much of the land earmarked for this expansion already has peasant farmers living on it. With the help of Christian Aid, some of those who have been forced off their
land by violence have come up with a new and effective way of reclaiming their land. For the first time, displaced people have employed the international legal framework to reclaim what is rightfully theirs. The initiative for their legal battle came from Christian Aid partners. Some ten years after the paramilitaries killed and mutilated their family members, forcing them to flee the area; four groups of farmers have gone back to Chocó to reclaim a small portion of their land. To protect themselves from the paramilitaries
still operating in the area, the returning families set up Humanitarian Zones with the support of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. (The Washington-based body is the Americas equivalent of the European Court of Human Rights) The court mandated that ‘special protection’ should be granted to these Humanitarian Zones. They are now guarded by the Colombian army and the people living there have not suffered any attacks within the zones. Peace Brigades International also sends in international volunteers to live with returned farmers
The National Student, March 2010
FEATURE
for short periods. This improves their safety, as the political cost of threatening or harming an international observer, is much higher. Since creating the Humanitarian Zones, an investigation by Colombia’s rural development section of its Agriculture Ministry found in 2005 that the 93% of palm plantations in the area were located on land which they did not legally own. Last year, this rural development section, known as INCODER, ruled that the lands must be returned to their rightful owners, ie. The
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communities had made the area their home, but
of the people that settled there were descendents of
The first priority of policy makers, both in Britain and Colombia must be the protection of the land rights of the rural poor so they can earn a decent living off the land without resorting to the drugs trade.
who had been forced to flee from 1996 onwards. Most
former slaves. This ruling has led to
an escalation in violence against community leaders in the area (although not in the humanitarian zones themselves). In October 2008, community leader, Walberto Hoyos was shot dead in the Curvarado region on the eve of giving evidence in a case against the paramilitary brigade, Elmer Cardenas, which was accused of killing another activist in 2005. Mysteriously, his bodyguard was not present on the day he was shot and when his brother asked to local police to provide another bodyguard they said it was not necessary. Within minutes of his
death, his brother Miguel received a phone call from the police to say that he’d been shot and that the following day he would see a closure of all local businesses in the area. This ‘armed stoppage’ mandated by paramilitaries was viewed by local people as a demonstration of their continued domination of the region. Christian Aid and its
in one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots identified by Conservation International. Hotspots enjoy the richest, but also the most threatened reservoirs of plant and animal life on earth. Because the soil is so rich and fertile, the companies growing Africa Palm must use powerful herbicides, like Round-up, to kill off surrounding vegetation to
colleagues in Colombia are very concerned about the apparent rise in human rights violations by forces of the state. These violations by the Colombian army and paramilitaries have been increasing over the past seven years or so, just as guerrilla violence has been decreasing. Colombia has never been a safe place to speak out for human rights, and politicians, trades unionists, journalists, church personnel, community and social leaders, and ordinary people resisting violence and displacement continue to be threatened and murdered. In addition to the human tragedies this causes, this repression sends a clear message to ordinary people not to organise themselves in defence of their rights. It is not just the farmers who lost family members and homes who are suffering, but the environment too. For instance, the land in Chocó now under palm cultivation is located
allow the palm plants to thrive. This makes it even more difficult for returning farmers to grow their traditional crops of maize, bananas, cassava, etc. The British government has two stated objectives in Colombia: to support efforts to reduce human rights abuses in Colombia, and to reduce the flow of cocaine coming into the UK. Christian Aid believes that the two objectives are inextricably linked. While small farmers are being forced to flee their land they are much less likely to grow traditional food crops and more likely to become involved in either cultivating or trafficking cocaine. The first priority of policy makers, both in Britain and Colombia must be the protection of the land rights of the rural poor so they can earn a decent living off the land without resorting to the drugs trade.
by Sarah Wilson from Christian Aid
The National Student, March 2010
FEATURE
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TOMS: CHANGING THE WORLD ONE SHOE AT A TIME B lake Mycoskie has something all students desire. It is something we are all seeking, all desperately trying to acquire. What he helps make us more rounded individuals, helps us lead better lives, and helps us achieve our goals. Blake has an immensely successful company that simultaneously makes money while helping those less fortunate. He has a contacts book that includes Ralph Lauren, Charlize Theron and the Clintons. He has also dated actress Maggie Grace of Lost fame. While we may desire all those things, he has something even more precious: Blake Mycoskie has life experience. Blake has that elusive, intangible attribute we are all seeking. He’s been all over the world, immersed himself in all kinds of activites and truly lived life as best he could. Blake has already started five successful businesses, including his current venture, TOMS shoes. Before this, he was a professional tennis player until an achillies tendon
injury ended this at just 19 years old. Since then, he has travelled all over the globe, particularly when taking part in the American show ‘The Amazing Race’, where he finished only four minutes away from winning $1million. Blake has life experience in abundance. Despite this, he still found time to play competitive polo, learn to sail and volunteer with underprivileged children while holidaying in Argentina. While there, Blake conceived the idea of TOMS. Apparently Auguste Rodin was right when he said “Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely”. Blake used his experiences in Argentina very wisely. Noticing how few of the children had effective footwear, he sought to change this by developing a business model that would provide sustainable and continuous aid to the children. He said: “While in Argentina I went on a shoe drive, collecting used shoes to give to children. It was beautiful helping
kids go to school. What I didn’t like was that it was all dependent on donations and charity. I didn’t want to write a cheque, I wanted to sustain the giving.” Based on the Argentinian shoe alpargatas, he created a functional shoe with a unique slip on design comprised of clean lines and lightweight fabrics. With the design complete, TOMS shoes was born, based on a very simple premise: one for one, for every pair of TOMS that someone buys, a pair will be donated to poverty-stricken children. Blake commented on the inspiration behind the company: “When visiting the children, I was so overwhelmed by the spirit of the South American people, especially those who had so little. I was instantly struck with the desire- the responsibility- to do more.” He added: “Having started my first company at 19 in college, I started being around successful business people. My mentors gave a lot of money back, and I was so inspired by them using their wealth to create a better world. But, they
did it later in their lives at 60 and 70, so part of what influenced me was I realised I could start giving back in my 30’s rather than my 60’s.” So far TOMS has been a huge success, allowing Blake, who takes the role of ‘Chief Shoe Giver’ rather than CEO, to donate over 400,000 shoes to children in Argentina, South Africa and beyond since TOM’s began in 2006. On the company’s success, Blake said: “It’s been hard to believe.
Originally my goal was only to help 250. I’ve had so many memorable moments, from giving 50,000 shoes to children in South Africa to getting a call from Hilary Clinton’s office.” Despite TOM’s success, the company has never spent any money on advertising, which is part of the reason they are able to donate so many shoes to children while remaining profitable. Their word of mouth approach benefits greatly from their innovative marketing
campaigns, including ‘One Day Without Shoes’, which is scheduled for April 8 this year. On this day, people across the world are invited to go barefoot to help promote TOM’s message. Last year, everyone from university students to lawyers on Wall Street took part in the event, and Blake hopes for an even bigger turnout this year: “Every time we donate shoes is special, its not something you experience and then it loses its significance, and I hope we can donate even more this year with the help of the ‘One Day Without Shoes’. I read a quote once that said something along the lines of, ‘if you’re aware of an injustice and don’t do anything about it, you’re an oppressor like everyone else. If you can help and don’t, you’re disrespecting that persons life. “ He added: “You might be a student and not able to buy the shoes, but you can send a Facebook message and help us raise awareness. If you can participate by buying the shoes then great, but if not, you can still help spread the word.” To purchase a pair of TOM’s shoes, or to find out more about Blake and his company visit toms-shoes. co.uk/. The National Student will also be helping to promote TOM’s ‘One Day Without Shoes’ via Facebook, found at this link: facebook.com/group. php?gid=383509931022
by David Bateman
The National Student, March 2010
FEATURE
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Touring around St Petersburg In the second of his Erasmus diaries Nathan Woodcock visits St Petersburg
I
had been looking forward to my trip to Russia since June 2009. Excitement forced me to stay awake and to head to the airport early. I live in a part of Copenhagen called Emdrup which is 8km from the city centre. The Airport is located on the other side of the city which meant that I would have to leave earlier than many of the others on the trip, but maybe not as early as I did! I reached the airport at 6:30am, half an hour early! Being the first there I fell into the role of welcoming committee for the other soonto-be travellers. By 7:15am everyone was accounted for and our travel papers distributed. I vividly remember being greeted by passport control staff when arriving in St. Petersburg, mainly due to their difference in demeanour to other places I had visited. Smiling at the ‘lovely’ lady and offering a courteous ‘hello’, I received not a hint of warmth and nothing even resembling a smile (I found out later that smiling is not a part of Russian culture).
After passing security we were put on a coach and taken to the hotel, which later was remembered as a paradise compared to Moscow. On the coach our guides gave us a quick guide to Russian culture. We kindly informed of one of the problems of being in St Petersburg, namely its water had some sort of bacteria living in it called the ‘St Petersburg Amoeba’. This aptly named thing would cause diarrhoea and vomiting to anyone who drank tap water in the city! Effectively warned we were spurned to purchase a supply of bottled water post haste. At 7pm we met in the lobby for a welcome dinner at a Danish owned restaurant called Cafe Jam. In order to get to the restaurant we had to use the Metro system for the first time, which uses fairground-like coins. These coins gave you access to the Metro system and after you got into the system you did not pay anything extra unlike in Copenhagen where the system is divided into zones. The Metro coins cost 20 roubles each (less than 50
pence) – much cheaper than the London Underground! Beautifully decorated the underground stations looked more like lobbies of nice hotels that parts of an underground transport network. The massively long lengths of the down escalators can be explained due to the fact the city is built on a swamp and so constructing
the Metro required the builders to go underneath said swamp. Despite the nice surroundings of the stations the trains were like tin cans. When we finally arrived at the restaurant we were told about the problems of corruption by the Danish owners.
Petersburg that tourists do not normally see. As the tour began we first walked to the Finnish embassy where we saw a long queue of people waiting. She told us that they were waiting for such a long time in the cold for a visa to get into Finland (a member of the EU). The Finnish
As time went by and as I appeared not to have died I relaxed and enjoyed my shower. A nice feeling, ‘death by showering’ is not high on my list of ways to go!
With my 8am rise I showered fearful of being attacked by the dreaded St. Petersburg Amoeba. The split second a drop touched my lips caused me to think of what was living inside the water. As time went by and as I appeared not to have died I relaxed and enjoyed my shower. A nice feeling, ‘death by showering’ is not high on my ways to go! Visiting St. Isaac’s Cathedral I was confronted by the statue of Peter the Great, the Russian tsar that not only built the city but also had a thing for collecting deformed foetuses. On to the Peter and Paul Fortress. Built to defend the city from attack the fortress was used to house political prisoners rather than defend the city, due to the fact that the Russian army was situated around the citadel when it was the capital of the country. A journalist also took us on a tour around the parts of St.
and Russian governments have an agreement that provides Russian citizens with the opportunity to easily get a Finnish visa which subsequently acts as a gateway to any of the EU countries due to free movement in the EU member states. For Russian citizens other EU countries, such as the UK, make it almost impossible for them to get a visa so Finland is used as a means to gain access to these countries. Another part of the tour included a place that was established by Beatles fans (even though their music was illegal in the Soviet Union) which had the sign: “In The Name of JOHN LENNON The Temple of Love, Peace and Music”. The wall just next to the door was full of Beatles memorabilia and messages from fans, which I found quite odd to find in Russia. As a Beatles fan myself I will never forget this unexpected sight.
For the last afternoon in St. Petersburg, I had one priority: to visit a museum that had exhibits that ranged from weird to even weirder. The museum that we were walking to was established by Peter the Great who wanted to bring the enlightenment seen around Europe in his time, to Russia. He decided to do this by setting up this museum. None of the locals wanted to visit so in order to make it more attractive he offered a free shot of Vodka for entering. Bringing the Enlightenment to Russia through VODKA! Sounds like a good idea to me. The name of the museum is Kunstkamera which is located on the banks of the River Neva in the centre of St. Petersburg and has a number of strange exhibits. Peter the Great collected abnormal human foetuses and these are now found in the museum. It was quite bizarre walking into a room full of foetuses that had two heads, no arms or legs, or were cyclopsed. It was hard to understand at the time that these exhibits were real and not plastic or fake. One particular exhibit was a baby’s head with its eyes open which to this day remains a haunting image with me. So the prize of ‘best place to be traumatised in St. Petersburg’ goes to this museum. So my first week in Russia went without a hitch. I really enjoyed walking around the city and it gave me a completely different perspective on Russia (a perspective soon to be shattered by the trip to Moscow).
The National Student, March 2010
SPORT
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Wallwork and White make the case for defence Sport Editor Tom Clarke talks to England’s top women Badminton players about their current form and plans for the future
L
ast year’s Yonex All England Badminton Championships saw the rise to fame of England’s Jenny Wallwork and Gabrielle White. Britain’s number one women’s double pair shot into the spotlight after a rollercoaster ride of games saw them reach the 2009 quarter-finals. The pair returned to this year’s Championships at Birmingham’s National Indoor Arena and a lot has changed for both girls. Jenny, a 23-year-old from Leeds, has gained a new mixed doubles partner in Olympic Silver medallist Nathan Robertson. Danielle, 19 and also from Leeds, has found a new partner of her own as she is now dating her mixed doubles partner, Chris Adcock. But it was in the Women’s doubles, rather than the mixed, that saw the girls up to their old tricks again. In the first round the girls played their part in one of the most exciting matches of the week coming back from a set down to beat Jung Ye Na and Yoo Hyun-Young, 16-21, 21-17, 21-28. In a thrilling game which had the NIA crowd on the edge of
their seats, the English pair showed real determination and intensity to turn the match on its head. Sadly the thrills of the first game were not repeated when they faced Japanese pair Miyuki Maeda and Satsoko Suetsana in the next round. After dominating the first set with their aggressive attacking play, Wallwork and White struggled with their defence in the second and third sets, eventually losing 21-13, 9-21, 8-21. After this match I spoke to them about what went wrong and how they will improve for the upcoming tournaments. In response to questions about their exit from the tournament, Wallwork cited their need for improved defensive game, ‘I think the Japanese pair played very well, we play an attacking game and they combated that really well in the second and third set. We struggled to get our defence together when they upped their game and that really took our strong points away from us’. Her partner also suggested the fast change in pace from their opponents as a reason for the loss, ‘We played well
in the first set but then they changed their game around and we couldn’t handle that as well as we would have liked.’ When asked if this loss would affect future matches, with Wallwork playing later in competition with Nathan Robertson, Jenny was pragmatic in response ‘We’ll speak to our coach and get the good and bad points and then just get ready for the next game. We play week in week out so we have to get used to bouncing back if we lose. Me and Gabby will then go back to our training and work on some of the things which we’ve learnt from this week’. And one of those points for improvement will be the girls defensive work, ‘Our not so strong point at the moment is our defence and there were a few times that we got caught when they started to attack’ Wallwork reflected after the game. ‘It is something that me and Gabby have been working on, because at the minute our attack is working quite well. It is just a case of working so that we know that when we defend, the non-hitter is always ready to keep the rally going.’
Both girls talked about the support of the home crowd, particularly in their first match, and they clearly enjoy playing in these Championships, ‘This tournament is very important to me’ said Wallwork ‘as it is with all the other players, it is known as one of the major super series events in the year and the fact it is in England and your family and friends can come and watch makes it special.’ Her recent pairing with Britain’s most recognisable Badminton player, Nathan Robertson, has attracted a fair bit of media attention but Wallwork is happy to just carry on playing, ‘I just have to try and take it in my stride. I train very hard and I intend to keep doing that and hopefully the success will follow. I have two partners who train and work very hard also so I just have to keep doing what I have been doing and the results will come.’ As this paper went to print the mixed doubles pair had progressed to the quarter-finals of the Championships. In discussing the state of Badminton in this country,
Wallwork recognised that something needs to be done, ‘I hope the situation will change in the future. Obviously the Chinese and Koreans are very strong and they have some very, very good players. I think in terms of England we had the Robertson’s and the Emm’s as a group but nothing until the group which is coming through now. This means that we have a huge gap to fill and hopefully the younger players can step up and push on from the good work they have been doing.’ When asked the question every athlete must answer a thousand times; their thoughts on London 2012, Wallwork gave an unsurprising answer, ‘It is obviously a big dream of mine to compete at an Olympics and hopefully I will be able to achieve that. It is something we are working towards every day and we think about it constantly and to have it in England in front of your home crowd would be fantastic.’ In the Badminton world, Britain is trying it’s best to keep up with the likes of the Chinese and the Danish but Wallwork thinks that
it would not take much work on their game for the her and her partners to be competing at the top. She once again made reference to her need to work on her defensive play, ‘I think in both mixed and doubles we play a very attacking game and I think that works well for both pairs. I think now it is just our focus should be to work on our defensive play and really get that solid as people like the Chinese who can almost defend all day to the point where they don’t need to attack. So I think if we can get our defence to a similar standard to the Chinese players then I don’t see why we can’t compete with them.’ Both Wallwork and White have bright futures ahead of them in both the women’s and mixed doubles. One of the hardest aspects of being a top athlete is recognising your flaws and both girls know what they need to improve and reach the top. It must be hoped that they can now work on their defensive play and make that step up and if they do they may well find themselves as one of the pin-up sensations of London 2012.
The National Student, March 2010
SPORT
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For up-to-date reports from the BUCS Championships visit the brand new National Student website:
thenationalstudent.co.uk
Birmingham and Cambridge set to battle it out for BUCS Gold THE WOMEN’S Lacrosse BUCS Semi Finals took place on the February 24, where four of the top Lacrosse teams in the country, Birmingham, Loughborough, Cambridge and Durham battled it out for a place in this year’s finals in Sheffield. A clash between Birmingham and Loughborough was the first match, two sides which knew all about each other – meeting in last year’s final of the same competition, where Loughborough claimed supremacy. Since then however, they had met twice in the league with Birmingham being victorious on both occasions. Loughborough were first to impose their dominance on the game, forcing the first attack before Birmingham,
who were denied by the post in the second minute, took the lead by scoring a fifth minute penalty, given as a result of shooting space infringement. Loughborough kept the pressure on after conceding however, equalising from a free position after Birmingham were caught for three seconds. It was only after Loughborough pulled level that Birmingham started to show the quality that had seen them take the Northern Premier League crown. They went on to take a commanding 6-1 lead into the break including a double from Kirsten Lafferty. The second half commenced and Birmingham continued with what had by now become relentless pressure. Birmingham immediately claimed possession and
increased their lead to 7-1. Frustrations were clear at this point and Loughborough captain Asha Niven spent two minutes on the sidelines after receiving a yellow card. The team didn’t let this temporary hindrance get them down however, with great individual play from Jessie Cherrill pulling the game back to 7-3. This, however was not to spell a comeback for Loughborough. Birmingham did begin to look shaky with three of their players carded in the second half, but this was not to stop them keeping their significant advantage with Lafferty and Alice Brynseels scoring hat tricks meaning the game concluded 11-7 to the league champions. The next semi-final saw Cambridge clash with Durham. The game had
a quick start, with Alana Livesey, scoring straight away for her Cambridge side. Georgie Hurt, an England International then took Cambridge two clear with only three minutes gone. This sent tempers flaring, with a player from each side being yellow carded. The first half overall remained a tight affair, with Durham pulling the score back to 3-2 before their goalkeeper Emily Green pulled off a great save to keep her side in the game. Cambridge still went into half time 5-3 up however, following spells of excellent play including an inspiring performance from Welsh International and Cambridge captain Ellie Walshe. Cambridge continued to set the pace in the second half, taking their lead to
7-3. Durham kept much of the possession from this point and pulled one back to 7-4 before they were dealt a bitter blow with the red card of their number 17 Madelyn Sminkey, her second yellow card. With five minutes left in the game Durham didn’t let their numerical disadvantage deter them but with Cambridge’s Livesey scoring again before the conclusion of the match, Cambridge’s academic 10-6 victory sent them into the finals to meet Birmingham. Angharad West, Cambridge vice captain, reflected on the game against Durham, ‘It was an exhilarating game. There seems to be an opinion in the North league that teams in the South just aren’t as good. I think we proved definitively that, not only are we as good, we are
better and we don’t need to play dirty lacrosse to be so.’ Questioned about player of the match Georgie Hurt’s importance in the final, she told us, ‘Georgie is a fantastic player and she will obviously be highly influential to our potential success. But let’s not forget that this is a team game and that everyone on the pitch is capable of serious damage to Birmingham’s self esteem. Confidence is running high and everyone is really excited. We know that we’re a great team and that we’re capable of winning this.’
The finals took place as this issue went to print so check out the April issue of The National Student for a full report on what promises to be a fantastic final.
Sport England splash the cash to get more students playing sport WEDNESDAY MARCH 10 was a significant day for University sport. Not only did the date mark the start of the 2010 BUCS Championships, but on this day, Sport England announced a £10 million National Lottery funding round, Active Universities, aimed at getting more university students playing sport. And judging from statistics the funding is most definitely needed. Just under three in ten university students currently play sport regularly according to Sport England’s Active People Survey. Active Universities is a drive to get 100,000 more students participating at least three times a week by creating accessible sporting opportunities for the 72% who say they would like to do more sport. Sport England has set a target of getting a million people playing more sport
by London 2012 and this funding will go a long way to helping them achieve this goal. They are looking to reduce the number of young people who drop out in their late teens and early twenties as the Active People Survey also shows that students who do play sport at university are far more likely to continue participating throughout their lives. The Active Universities fund is the third of Sport England’s competitive themed rounds aimed at addressing challenges to grassroots sport and opportunities to increase participation. According to this research there are many barriers to student participation in sport including an insufficient number of coaches, volunteers and co-ordinators, overstructured and inflexible sporting provision within
universities, and a failure to replicate the sporting opportunities that young people had previously enjoyed at sports clubs in their local community. Sport England’s Chief
Executive, Jennie Price, was keen to stress the importance of the funding, ‘We know that young adults who are playing sport regularly by the time they leave university are likely
to stick with it for the rest of their lives. That’s why this themed round will really boost our drive to change the nation’s sporting behaviours, and why I’m urging people to come forward with innovative ideas to increase student participation. Price continued by suggesting the funding would provide university sport with increased variety, ‘There’s already a strong tradition of competitive sport within universities, but this is a big opportunity to increase participation through more informal and social formats.’ The announcement was greeted with approval from the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Ben Bradshaw, ‘We want to encourage young people to play sport for life, not give up on it the minute they leave school. This fantastic investment will
inspire thousands up and down the country to keep playing and help thousands more discover a new found passion for sport. ‘I am sure universities will use this investment to come up with exciting and innovative ways to get their students playing sport. This will help us deliver a lasting legacy in sports participation from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.’ The launch of Active Universities in Sheffield coincides with the first day of the BUCS Championships, which will see 6,000 elite student athletes competing across 26 sports over five days in Sheffield and the wider Yorkshire region. Be sure to check out next month’s National Student for wide ranging coverage from the Championships. (Information courtesy of www.bucs.org.uk)
The National Student, March 2010
SPORT
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Brooks and Bray clinch final spot for Birmingham ON THE February 24 the BUCS women’s hockey semi-finals took place at the University of the West of England. In overcast conditions, Birmingham’s brilliance shone through as a late flurry of goals sealed their passage into the Championship final at the expense of Bristol. Two goals each from Alys Brooks and Sophie Bray as well as one apiece for Sarah Page and Ashlie Caddick proved more than enough to defeat a resilient Bristol side, who replied through Dilly Newton and Tania Hayes. Birmingham coach Phil Gooderham was optimistic ahead of the game as he stated, “We have the talent to win but we must make sure to deliver on the day.” His Bristol counterpart, Charlie Secombe was also in good spirits, “I’m quietly confident. The girls have prepared well and we have our strongest squad available for the first time this season. But Birmingham have a lot of very good England players. All I ask is for 100% effort and I’ll accept that even if we are beaten”. Birmingham had recorded hefty victories over Newcastle and Brunel en
route to this stage, whereas Bristol had disposed of Oxford and Leeds Met Carnegie. Obviously the south-west venue gave Bristol a major advantage in terms of support and they had a large group of fans cheering them on throughout the match. However, the team from the midlands were not intimidated and managed to take the lead after eight minutes in an extremely tense first half. Shortly after Caddick had tested Bristol keeper Claire Pargeter for the first time, Brooks tapped in her first after a great run and shot from Bray which split the Bristol defence. The first half remained fairly equal, with both teams attacking well. Bristol won several short corners but their best effort from Els Mansell was blocked by Birmingham’s Josie Morris. Page impressed throughout the half, defending the southern university’s star player Charlotte Craddock as well as making several good runs, and it was Page who made the score 2–0 after 25 minutes. A fantastic driving run from left to right took her into the shooting circle and she shot across Pargeter
into the bottom left corner. Craddock and Georgie Twigg played well for the trailing side however and were perhaps unfortunate not to pull one back for their
Gooderham was cautious in his comments. “We’ve done what we needed to, but it wasn’t quite flowing. There is a lot of pressure on these girls, we’re always
team before half time. Birmingham were the happier of the two at the break, although
favourites and sometimes they feel the pressure. We’re by far the better team but upsets can happen.”
The second half got underway and almost immediately the reason for Gooderham’s caution became apparent as the clinical Newton put away a Twigg short corner less than a minute after the restart. At this point it was possible to feel the tension in the air, as both teams knew it was all or nothing. The Bristol fans were in full voice but the Brum substitutes did their best to cheer on their teammates who responded well and piled the pressure on the Bristol defence. A goal mouth scramble ended with Brooks having a shot cleared off the line. As Birmingham continued to surge forward, Bray restored the two goal advantage with 43 minutes on the clock. Heavy rain began to fall and Bristol were looking desperate. Birmingham captain Naomi Halladay defended firmly when Erin Ruxton ran into the shooting circle and a combination of defenders, goalkeeper and the woodwork kept Bristol out after a short corner. Birmingham pushed on and, with only seven minutes to play, made it 4–1 as Bray set up Brooks after a good run by Abby Webb.
Bray claimed her second straight after to make it 5–1 and her team thought they had buried the game. Bristol thought differently and replied through Hayes but Caddick sealed the win before full-time. After the game Halladay was pleased to be just one match away from glory, “We handled the pressure well and now we’re looking forward to the final.” Defeated coach Secombe remained philosophical and looked to the future, “On the day they were the better team and we were outplayed. It’s only our third defeat in all competitions this year though so I’m definitely looking forward to building on it next year.” The victorious Gooderham seemed more relieved than ecstatic: “I’m dead proud but I wish they wouldn’t give me so many heart attacks on the way.” He cited his team’s intensity as the chief reason for the late goals and the victory. The final in Sheffield pits Birmingham against northern opposition Durham, who they beat 4–3 at home and drew 2–2 away with in the league earlier in the season.
by James Phillips
Want to report sport? Contact Sport Editor Tom Clarke sport@thenationalstudent.co.uk