The National Student May 2010 by James Thornhill

THE NATIONAL

STUDENT

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May 2010

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Media draws attention to stupid student drink craze

Graduate career tips

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EYEBALLING EXPOSED Student stupidity again became the centre of a media storm this month, when a strange ‘drinking craze’ was highlighted in a report by the Daily Mail.

‘The reality is, the men visiting the country will be looking to have a good time, and it takes even the most innocent of minds to imagine exactly how that good time will be had.’

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‘Vodka eyeballing’, which sees drinkers pour a shot of vodka into their eye, was described by the paper as “the latest drinking craze to sweep through Britain’s universities.” But as comments on several forums state this is far from a new phenomenon amongst student drinkers. Those who do it claim that it induces feelings of drunkenness at break-neck speeds, providing an instant high. The Mail’s report centred around the story of 19-year-old Melissa Fontaine, who

in one disturbing instance, “surrounded by cheering rugby players, applauded by fellow members of the university netball team, tipped back her head and giggled as fellow drinkers in the Students’ Union bar pulled apart her eyelids and allowed them to pour a shot of vodka into her left eye.” ‘Vodka eyeballing’ is believed to have emerged as a dangerous trend in the US., where it is a popular nightclub trick performed by waitresses for tips in resorts such as Las Vegas. The craze here has been blamed on the 2000 film Kevin And Perry Go Large in which DJ Eyeball Paul, played by Rhys Ifans, performs the stunt.

Facebook pages set up by ‘fans’ of eyeballing show the apparent popularity of the dangerous practice, but despite reports the problem as ‘rife’ amongst students it is impossible to know if ‘eyeballing’ occurs outside of few incidents. Supporting the claims of the size of the problem, Youtube features more than 800 clips of people pouring vodka into their eyes, usually in their own homes. The Mail claim that the practice has become a regular site at union bars around the country. Comtinued on page 5

The National Student, May 2010

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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

Comedy rappers Goldie Lookin Chain joined forces with a Welsh male choir to record an anthem to celebrate the Ryder Cup heading to Newport in October. The bizarre collaboration was the brainchild of three documentary film students from the University of Wales Newport. The students, Jonathan Lawrance, Sam Smith-Higgins and Merlyn Phillips, originally wanted to make a spoof ‘where are they now?’ film about the band who have enjoyed chart success with their humorous, controversial and often explicit songs satirizing hip hop, today’s consumer society and chav culture. “We then realised it would be better to make a film about GLC recording a song about the biggest event that Newport has ever hosted - the Ryder Cup golf tournament,” explained 26-yearold Jonathan Lawrance, who is executive producer of the film, entitled ‘You Knows Golf Is Coming’.

THE CASE FOR SOCIAL MEDIA LAW students have discovered a new tool in the form of social media as a method of getting ahead in the legal world. Publications from Butterworths and Tolley have been the norm in law firms for decades but a new pattern is emerging where law students and firms alike are accessing knowledge from social media sites. However, a recent trend has emerged whereby students are shying away from researching case databases such as Lexis Nexis and are directly tweeting law firms for assistance instead. Law student Natalie Healey, 21, contacted Manchester law firm Ralli for help with a media law assignment after connecting online. She said: “I had been tweeting about a Freedom of Information exam paper I was working on and Ralli tweeted to ask if they could help.” “I responded saying I would welcome any help and they directed me to a specific journal which had the information I needed.” Natalie, who will be starting at Manchester’s College of Law in September, has now arranged work experience at Ralli to hone her commercial property and business law knowledge. She said: “Internet has a big part to play in law and web

WAR ON WASTING TIME BEGINS 2.0 is something law students should make the most of.” “You can reach different audiences through media like Twitter and LinkedIn and it opens up so many opportunities.” The Ralli website also contains a blog whereby company solicitors provide thorough answers and suggestions to questions posted by students on the Twitter site. Ralli marketing executive Rob Illidge said social media is a priority, as proved by the firm’s commendation in the

2009 Golden Twitter Awards. He added: “We are among a minority of law firms embracing a Web 2.0 strategy to share our expertise using digital outlets. The advance in social media gives us the opportunity to reach new, untapped audiences and Natalie is a great example of how this can work. “Too often, lawyers are unfairly judged as having their heads stuck in dated law books but we are redressing this inaccurate stereotype by communicating through online sources.”

A former student who suffered at the hands of procrastination has created a website that allows users to divide their time into 30 minute periods of work followed with 10 minutes of play. Grant Klimaytys, an engineering graduate from the University of Bath came up with the concept after struggling to overcome time wasting habits throughout his degree. He states that the poor habits continued into his working life and almost resulted in the loss of his job. That close call left him wanting to beat the habit of procrastination once and for all and help others with the same affliction. A recent study by research firm Basex estimates the global financial loss of time wasting at £300 billion per year and it is often at higher education institutes where these bad habits begin. Suddenly devoid

of parental guidance, first year students don’t witness the effect of work avoidance until it’s too late. It’s estimated that as many as one in five are seriously afflicted by procrastination, to the point where relationships, work and mental health are threatened. “Beating procrastination is all about beginning the task, once that hurdle is overcome then you realize that any task is easy to accomplish in small manageable blocks.” The site implements one of the most effective methods of time management, short periods of work followed with a reward of free time. One of the first students to try out the website remarked, “I can’t remember when I’ve ever done this much work in 2 hours!” Try it out at savemydegree.com

The National Student, May 2010

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STUDENT JAILED FOR SITTING EXAM AS SOMEONE ELSE A Chinese student who accepted £400 to take an English exam for someone else has been jailed for six months. Jiawen Feng, 24, attempted to pass himself off as another student when he used their passport and ID to take an English Language exam at Warwick University. Security staff became suspicious and searched Feng’s bag, which contained documents that revealed his true identity. Feng pleaded guilty to possession of false identification when he appeared at Coventry Crown Court on Friday April. 30 Along with the initial offence that took place in February, Feng asked for a similar offence that took place on July 23 last year to be taken into account. Sentencing Feng to six months in prison, Recorder Peter Andrews told him: ‘’On February 4 you had in your possession a passport for the People’s Republic of China which belonged to someone else, with the intention of using it. You acted dishonestly

and in a criminal way. You endeavoured to deceive and clearly thought through a piece of criminal activity.’’ The court heard that foreign students must pass an English test at Warwick University before they can enrol on other courses. Kathryn Roughton, prosecuting, said: ‘’On a number of occasions people have turned up who are not the person they are so immigration officers have started to attend.’’ Feng, from St John’s Wall, Birmingham, told police he was employed by an education company in the city which offered him £400 to take a test for someone else on February 4 this year. Speaking after the court case, a university spokesman said: ‘’We have a thorough checking system and we are delighted that he has now been punished. ‘’It is not surprising students are keen to get in because Warwick University is in the top ten universities in the UK.’’

U n d e r g raduat e s at Essex University are receiving payments in compensation for being woken up by noisy builders before 9am. Students have been woken as early as 7am, and staff feel the payments are substantial ‘in recognition of the disruption they have suffered.’ The payment is being received by students living at two of the halls of residence buildings at the university’s Wivenhoe Park campus. Students closest to the noise are receiving a £500-a term reduction on their rent, with those living further away a £100-a-term reduction. These reductions, said to be given to nearly 400 students, will cost the university almost £170,000 a term. The compensation comes after an anti-noise demonstration by the Essex University Students’ Union in March. The scheme has not impressed local residents who have written to a local

newspaper to complain about the noise disruption they have suffered from student over the years. One angry resident said: “What an absolute joke! Student drinkers used to keep us awake ‘till 4am with their drunken antics on a Tuesday and Thursday night.” “We did not get compensation and both the council and the police did nothing about it.” Another wrote: “GET A GRIP, welcome to the real world where Mummy does not gently rouse you at midday. You are there to learn, not lie in bed all day.” The building work, which will transform a boiler house into a theatre area and new teaching rooms, started in September and completion is due in the autumn. A 19-year-old politics student from Norway, Iris Bolstad, said of the noise: “Sometimes I like a lie-in until noon, but if I try to do that now, I get woken up again and again.”

Uni compensating students £170,000 for waking them up at 9am

by Faye Joice

DEMOCRACY QUESTIONED AS STUDENTS TREATED AS ‘SECOND CLASS CITIZENS’ NUS condemned election officials in Nick Clegg’s Sheffield Hallam constituency earlier this month, after students were turned away from Ranmoor polling station as they attempted to vote. The decision was made to segregate student voters from other members of the electorate, resulting in other members being fast-tracked, and students unable to vote. Thomas Wood, a history student from University of Sheffield was affected by the separate queues: “The chief polling officer decided that it would be better if local residents, which apparently doesn’t include students even though we live here and are registered to vote here, voted first.” He continued: “Local residents were both allowed and encouraged to push past students so they could vote. We were literally treated as second class citizens.” Wes Streeting, NUS National President said: “Where students and other voters have been

disenfranchised, local authorities should hang their heads in shame. It is outrageous that citizens should be denied their basic right to vote and we demand inquiry into how this situation occurred.” Streeting was alarmed by reports that students were placed in a separate, slower, queue. He said: “Students’ unions have worked tirelessly to reverse the trend of low voter turnout amongst students and other young people. What message does this send to first time voters whose votes will not be counted?” The segregation caused furious allegations of discrimination from students, and is expected to form part of the ‘thorough review,’ to be carried out by the electoral commission, in light of the chaos of the recent election. Delays were reported in other key student seat areas, such as: Manchester Withington, Liverpool Wavertree, Hackney South, Shoreditch and the City

of Chester. Huge numbers queued to vote, but faced long delays, some polling stations even claimed to run out of ballot papers. Chemistry student Chris Philo said: “At 7.30pm we were told all residents were to move to the front of the queue, and to form a separate queue from the students. When asked why, the officer said it was because the students were “only temporary residents”,

with the impression that it meant our vote counted for less.’ Micheal Winrow explains how it led to unpleasant exchanges between residents and students: ‘I heard and challenged a woman who said that she should be able to get in first as she ‘paid all her taxes’ and “offered something to society”,’.

by Faye Joice

Eight weeks for paramedic attacker A Manchester student has been jailed for eight weeks after she pleaded guilty to assaulting a paramedic in the early hours of New Years Day. During the attack 20-yearold Melissa Massey, scratched and punched paramedic Ann Sumner. Sumner also had hair pulled out of her head after she had stopped her rapid response vehicle to attend to a drunken girl. “Getting verbally abused is the norm but this was no way near normal - in my 26 years as a paramedic I have never been subjected to an attack like this,” Sumner told the BBC. She explained she had received a call that a young woman was slumped on the

ground in Princess Street, Manchester. “As I checked her sugar levels, she began to kick out, I asked her to keep her boots down because she had big heels on and they could have hurt someone.” “The next thing I knew she had hold of my hair and was yanking me back and forwards.” “She was pulling my hair out, hitting and scratching me. There was a crowd of people around us and then a man started to attack me from the other side.” “It was absolutely terrifying,” she added. Shortly after the attack an ambulance arrived to collect the girl. Sumner says, “This man who had originally called for the

emergency services was the man who attacked me.” “He then turned, looked at me wished me a Happy New Year and uttered the word respect. I was in too much pain and shock to react.” The male assailant has never been brought to justice. Head of service for the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS), Ged Blezard, said: “We will not accept any level of abuse towards our staff.” “The trust welcomes the sentence and hopes it sends out a very clear message to anyone who behaves in this manner, that they face prosecution and a possible custodial sentence such as this.” by Chris Marks

The National Student, May 2010

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PRESTIGIOUS AWARD FOR FASHION STUDENTS Students from The University of Salford’s fashion course have celebrated unanimously winning the best portfolio award at the prestigious British Fashion Council Graduate Preview Day. Salford fashion students competed against 27 other colleges to win the coveted ‘Drapers College portfolio award’ and will now secure coverage in Drapers and a year’s magazine subscription. Fashion student, Louise McLoughlin said, “To be part of the winning university and have my work selected makes me feel proud and gives me more confidence in my vision – especially because people from the fashion industry have seen my work.” The event judged by a stellar list of professionals, was attended by some of the biggest names in fashion, including Vogue Italia, Elle Magazine,

Marie Claire, Max Mara, Matches, Harrods, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and Topshop. Ana Santi, commissioning editor of Drapers said, “I was really impressed with the quality of the work, however, it was a unanimous decision that the University of Salford should receive the Drapers Portfolio Award”. This is the University of Salford’s second win at the awards show, after receiving the WGSN Digital Presentation Award last year. Salford students will now be showing their final collections at their annual fashion show in front of fashion experts, dignitaries and friends and family on 25 May at Manchester Town Hall. “This is beyond amazing, the feedback has been phenomenal,” said Bashir Aswat, fashion programme leader at Salford University. “I’m

very proud of all the staff and students who are part of the fashion course. It’s even more exciting winning an award recognised by industry experts.” Other universities celebrating were Kingston University who won the BFC Fashion Illustration and London College of Fashion who received the WGSN digital presentation award. Now in its sixteenth year, the BFC Colleges Council aims to develop links between Britain’s top fashion colleges and the industry. “This year the colleges’ portfolios were of the highest standard. Today was a tremendous success with an outstanding attendance from international and UK press and buyers,” said Anne Tyrrell, chair of the British Fashion Council Colleges Council.

by Olivia Heath

Student Radio Award winners take over Radio 1

Two award-winning student broadcasting talents have been given the opportunity to take over the airwaves as part of the BBC Radio 1 programming schedule. Julie Ann Lough was on air on Monday May 3 while Fergus Dufton will be broadcasting on Bank Holiday Monday, May 31, from 04.00 – 07.00. The pair were gifted the chance to present on Radio 1 after winning the prestigious gongs of Best Female and Best Male at the Student Radio Awards held in November last year at the IndigO2 in Greenwich, London. The Student Radio Association is a representative body that supports and acts on behalf of any radio station which is linked to a place of education, such as universities and colleges. The Association exists to encourage and facilitate communication between student stations to assist in their development, and to offer support and advice to new stations setting up. The Awards process

takes place every year through the summer months with hundreds of entries across twelve categories being judged by radio industry professionals to produce a shortlist of six nominees in each category. Nominees are then whittled down to a bronze, silver and gold categories by some of the biggest names in radio, such as Mark Goodier, Andy Parfitt, and Steve Lamacq. The ceremony, which is in its fifteenth year, celebrates the best in student radio talent and has seen previous winners including Mark Crossley (Absolute Radio), Marsha Shandur (XFM) and Kevin Hughes (95.8 Capital FM) develop their careers in the professional radio industry. Other past winners comprise of Greg James and Scott Mills, who have become established names at BBC Radio 1, as well as BBC Radio 2 broadcaster Simon Mayo and TV presenter Alex Zane. The event is sponsored by a large number of stations and companies

from across the radio and media industry, including BBC Radio 1, Global Radio and Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL), who recognise the value of supporting and helping develop the next generation of radio talent. Winners of gold awards in all categories receive prizes from the sponsors, such as work experience on big radio shows, equipment for their own stations, or like Julie Ann and Fergus, are rewarded with their own one-off shows on major networks. Tim Dye, Chair of the Student Radio Association, which organises the Student Radio Awards, said: “The SRA is delighted that BBC Radio 1 has given two of our winners a slot in their busy programming schedule. It’s a privilege and an honour that we’re sure Julie Ann and Fergus will appreciate and we’re sure they will do a fantastic job.”

by Keith Kirk

Technology helps Melanie beat diabetes and aim for Olympic Gold Diabetes is one of the biggest health risks in the UK, affecting 2.6 million people – but a student at the University of Wales, Newport is beating the condition after becoming one of the first athletes in the UK to be fitted with a special insulin pump to help her fulfil her ambition of winning Olympic gold – and has already sprinted to silver medal success. Melanie Stephenson was laid low by diabetes for several months but recently made a remarkable come-back to win a silver medal at the British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) championships, achieving a personal best of 24.60 in the 200 metres. Now she has her sights set on competing in the Commonwealth Games later this year and then hopes to be selected for the 2012 Olympics. “I feel this is a huge personal

achievement as I’ve been out of sport for months because of my diabetes,” said 21-year-old fashion design student Melanie who took up running to keep fit when she was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 13. Melanie’s problems began in March 2009 when she found she had become insulin resistant after having up to 10 injections a day. She had to stop all her athletics training as she was too ill to continue. “My blood sugar levels were very erratic and often high. I felt very lethargic and constantly thirsty,” she said. “After being out of action for seven months I was fitted with a hi-tech new insulin pump to help me control my diabetes. With the help of this amazing device I’m able to compete again.”

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The National Student, May 2010

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AWARD FOR EDUCATION CHARITY FOUNDER A CAMBRIDGE student who founded a large education charity has been given a Special Commendation for his efforts. Jan Rihak, a postgraduate Master of Business Administration (MBA) student, was awarded with a Special Commendation for student leadership at the Graduate Business forum in Washington. Jan started working with Aiducation Switzerland when he started his course. Aiducation identifies students in Kenya who perform well academically but cannot pay for high school, and gives them individual donors. Last year he set up Aiducation UK with his fellow students as another international branch of the company. The charity has provided over 20 scholarships of £1,500 to students. Most of the money is raised by the group themselves and people who they know. The award recognized his outstanding contribution to the group at in Washington this month. “I had heard about Aiducation and was very

excited with the concept which made sense to me - especially the aspect of merit and transparency to donors. It was something that really resonated with me. “There were very positive attitudes towards these kinds of initiatives. It was straightforward and easy to get excited people on board.” Jan and his colleagues used contacts from his course to start the group and raise money for scholarships. He is now looking for someone to takeover the operation in the UK as he ends his university course and searches for employment. “I can stay involved as somebody who coaches a little and can be reached out to when there are questions, but there has to be people on the ground for actual operation.” The group is also looking to establish talent-raising centers in the Philippines and Bangladesh. He said: “Aiducation will always stay a part of my professional life. I want to definitely continue this during my job. ”

by Ashley Scrace

NATIONAL AWARD FOR COMEDY SKETCH Filmmakers from the University of Lincoln have won a national award for their comedy sketch show. The sketch, named ‘Best Friends That Love Each Other,’ was the winner of the Entertainment category at the Royal Television Society National Student Awards.. The film was created by media production graduates Alex Holland, Micheal Henry, Stuart Almond and Daryll Gregory, and features the creators in a series of well crafted comedy sketches. Judges at the RTS saw huge potential in the young producers: “It was an ambitious project that was hugely impressive and revealed massive potential in both the on and off screen talent”. The sketch had already won the Entertainment category at the RTS Regional awards in October before being put forward for the national final held at the Barbican Centre, London. Stuart Hall was ‘overwhelmed,’ to make it through to the national awards after winning the regional competition, and even more impressed

when they went on to win the more prestigious of the two awards. He said: “It was great seeing the other students’ work – it brought home that we had been nominated alongside some really high quality films. When they read out the name of our film as the winner, we were suddenly walking down towards the stage before our brains had really registered what was happening.” He added: “When you are making a film, especially comedy, you never know how it’s going to be received. I’ve been in the room as various people have watched it for the first time. Different people laugh at different things, so there seems to be something in there for everyone. It’s great that it’s been so well received.” Dr Sarah Barrow, Head of the Lincoln School of Media, said: “We are thrilled that Alex, Stuart, Michael and Daryll, recent graduates of the Lincoln School of Media, have received this richly deserved national recognition for their work.”

by Faye Joice

GRADUATE ON GRUELLING CYCLE FOR CANCER RESEARCH Will Maginn, a Management Information Services Officer from Chester University set off on his bike on May 14 with only a tent, a mobile phone and a puncture repair kit. He is aiming to cycle over 900 gruelling miles from his home in Chester to John O’Groats to raise money for Cancer Research UK. Will, 25 years old, graduated from Chester University in 2009 and since then has been working within the University. He decided only one month ago to test himself to the maximum, by attempting this challenge. He has not undergone a training programme to prepare his body for the extreme conditions he will face, increasing the strain he will have to undergo. However he strong will is likely to drive him on and he has set himself a highly ambitious timescale of just two weeks.

The graduate explains his motivation behind deciding to take on this colossal challenge “For most people life is a short and fast paced experience filled with fun and joy and it is all too easy to forget about others in need” adding “by doing this trip and challenging myself mentally and physically I hope to bring at least some happiness to those who need it far more than I do.” Will aims to raise £1,000 (roughly £1 per mile) for Cancer Research UK, the world’s leading charity dedicated to beating cancer though research. He puts in plain words as to why he selected this charity “I’ve chosen to raise money for Cancer Research UK because its is a disease that is likely to affect everyone in some way during their lives, whether it is directly or through knowing someone who has it”. Will, originally from Northern

Ireland doesn’t plan to take the relaxed road to John O’Groats choosing to avoid hotels and to camp the majority of the way despite the likelihood of bad weather and tiresome days “it is very important to me that none of the money raised through doing this is used towards funding any part of my trip”. However he has voiced his worries about this epic trip that will take him through some of the roughest terrain in Britain and he will undoubtedly have to battle the ever-changeable British weather “but in a way that is the point of the trip, to work outside of my comfort zone and push myself” If you would like to aid Will to reach the £1,000 mark visit justgiving. co.uk/maginn to make a donation.

by James Dunn

‘I am absolutely horrified that someone would even think of putting vodka in their eye. It’s self-abuse.’ Continued from front page Certainly, the case of Melissa Fontaine highlights the dangers of eyeballing. She is left with a constantly watering left eye that is permanently scarred and even worse she has been warned that her eyesight may deteriorate further as she gets older. She told the Daily Mail, “I’m in constant pain because of what I did,’ she says. ‘And I’m terrified that it will get worse. I wish I could turn the clock back and change things. But I can’t.” She added, “The student drinking culture has got completely out of hand and I know because I saw it. I regarded myself as a normal, sensible teenager, but I got pulled into it myself.” Unsurprisingly, until the story was published, she had not told her parents about her eye. “I’ve put off telling them about it before now because I didn’t want to worry them,’ she says simply, but it’s not hard to imagine how distressed they will be. Leaving home for the first time and going to university plunged Melissa into a world of almost unchecked social high-jinks.”

“Being at university is like being in a bubble,” she claims. “You live for the moment. It’s very carefree. You want to try new things and don’t think about what will happen afterwards.” She blames the ‘bawdy and competitive’ social life at university which pressures students to fit in, especially those involved in sports teams where the competitiveness continues from the field into the bar. She told the Mail,“I saw people I respected, intelligent students from normal, sensible backgrounds like me, behaving like this. I know it sounds stupid, but it made you feel it was okay. You felt that if other people were doing it with no serious side-effects, then somehow you were all right.” “I felt very buoyed up by everyone else. Your inhibitions have gone. It was exciting to push yourself.” “People will wonder why you’d do something so unpleasant to yourself, but it’s almost a masochistic thing, a test of your endurance in front of your peers.’ Not surprisingly, the pain was excruciating. ‘It did sting. It was really

painful. But bearing the pain is part of the competitiveness.” The facts speak for themself ‘vodka eyeballing’ is a bad idea. Professor Robin Touquet, consultant in emergency medicine at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, said, “At 40% pure ethanol, vodka in the eye would create inflammation and thrombosis clotting of the blood vessels - such that very little alcohol would be absorbed. Unlike the stomach, the eye does not have a gastro-intestinal lining to protect it and aid absorption.” “I am absolutely horrified that someone would even think of putting vodka in their eye. It’s self-abuse. In the past, vodka has been used as a disinfectant. At 40% proof, imagine what it can do to an area as sensitive as the eye? It is highly toxic.” “Poured into the eye over a period of time, it could cause serious damage to both the cornea and the sclera, the white of the eye.” It is up to student drinkers to take responsibility to stop this dangerous practice spreading further into student social lives.

The National Student, May 2010

NEWS

Recession hit graduates given lifeline by ADAB Trust THIRTY-FIVE graduates hardest hit by the recession have been given jobs with top some top employers thanks to a London based charity scheme. The Adab Trust ‘Steps to Success’ scheme helps students from across the country find employment after graduating. The group of students – who are all from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds – are now working with companies including EDF Energy and Lloyd’s register group. Dermot O’Brien, Chief Executive of Adab Trust, said: “London is one of the world’s most ethnically diverse and multi-cultural cities in terms of its resident population. “Despite this, however, the recession has disproportionately affected graduate employment opportunities for those from BAME backgrounds. As a result, employers are missing out on a large pool of talent right on their doorsteps. “Adab aims to work with top companies to address the imbalance which recently

has been further exacerbated by the economic downturn.” The period between the start of 2008 and the end of 2009 saw a 6.9% increase in BAME unemployment levels but only a 2.8% rise in white unemployment levels. The Adab Trust provides long-term employment offers to BAME students who cannot find work. The scheme gives students practical experience and insight into the corporate recruitment process to increase their employability. Sulaiman Bah, an Accounting and Finance graduate from London South Bank University, joined Adab’s programme to build his confidence. He is now a Central Service Accountant at Tower Hamlets Council. Saadia Alege, an Accounting and Finance graduate from Greenwich University, found it extremely difficult to find work during the recession. She is now working with EDF Energy. Athena McEwan, Business Improvement Consultant, at Lloyd’s Register Group, said: “We have been working with

Adab Trust for almost a year now and the experience has been very beneficial for both ourselves and the graduates who have joined us. “Adab has been the important link between the long-standing Lloyd’s Register Group and a new vein of vibrant talent, eager to learn and to succeed. “Without Adab, such an opportunity wouldn’t be available to us, as candidates from the BAME communities are under-represented among applicants coming through more conventional routes.” Mark Keeble, Head of Corporate Human Resources at Tower Hamlets Council, said: “With one of the highest ethnic minority populations in London, the Tower Hamlets Council is working hard to achieve a workforce that reflects our diverse community. “We are pleased to be working with the Adab Trust to help overcome this imbalance by providing support to enable ethnic minority graduates achieve their potential.” by Ashley Scrace

When Costa Yiannakis headed to Africa for six-month post study break, he had no idea his trip would turn into a two-year visit that would change his life. Yet the Tourism Management student says what he experienced when he returned to his place of birth in Southern Malawi affected him profoundly and shaped the course of his future. Since 2009 the 25-year-old, along with his two brothers, has worked tirelessly on establishing the Masuku Tree of Life project – a mission to improve the lives of those living in Masuku village – and he is now in the process of applying for charitable status for the scheme. Born in Blantyre, around 130 miles from

Masuku, Costa moved to Italy when he was four years old and was educated at the International School of Florence. He came to England in 2003 and studied at Oxford Brookes University before taking a gap break and heading to Africa in 2006. On Sunday, May 16 Costa, and fellow members of the University’s rowing team, took part in the Shell Chester Half Marathon to raise funds for and awareness of the project. Costa said: “It is an ambitious project but I have already had so much support both here in the UK and at home and I couldn’t have got this far without the support of my family, St Mark’s English Church, Florence, my friends and the University.”

The National Student, May 2010

NEWS

Two brothers gained national recognition for an eco-fashion brand they set up with just £200, this week. The pair reached the finals of the national ‘Enterprising Young Brits’ competition run by Enterprise UK, a government organisation promoting entrepreneurship in young people. The business, Rapanui, was founded by Rob (25) Plymouth University Business graduate, and Martin Drake-Knight (23) Falmouth University Renewable Energy graduate. The brothers combined their degrees to create the sustainable clothing brand; making clothes out of organic natural fabrics in a fair-wear foundation certified wind powered factory, which are sold through their online store. Rapanui has made custom eco-clothing for both Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream and The Marine Conservation Society.

Martin said “We started our company as students with just £200 and we hope that getting in the finals of these national awards gives other students the assurance that anyone can succeed as an entrepreneur, you don’t have to be rich with years of experience, all you need is the ambition and drive to succeed. “I’d say the main point of Rapanui stems from the fact that 80% of the environmental impact of clothing comes post purchase – we do our bit for the 20% (organic fabrics, fair trade, wind power etc) but that fashion has a unique power to influence people with trend – if we can inspire people to think about the environment in wider lifestyle choices, and turn eco into fashion, we can make a contribution to sustainability beyond what any other type of company can do.” Their business has a total of 8 full time staff, after recently adding two new staff members. 7 of these are

Cambridge students punt 200 miles to Oxford Four students from Cambridge University are hoping to become the first ever people to travel more than 200 miles in a punt. Toby Dickens and Andy Marshall, both 21 year old engineering undergraduates, Karl Williams, 20 year old history student and Beckey Kiff, natural science student, also 20 are the students involved. The journey, between Oxford and Cambridge, will include 113 locks and a mile long tunnel, and is planned to take 12 days to complete. The 204-mile route will take them along the River Cam, the Great Ouse, the Middle Level Navigations, the River Nene, the Grand Union Canal, the Oxford Canal and the River Cherwell. The group will leave Jesus Lock in Cambridge at 10am of June 19th and aim to finish at the Great Meadon in Oxford on June 30th. In doing so, they hope to raise £2,000 for forces charity Help for Heroes. Travelling at least 14 hours per day, the students will take it in turns to punt through the night, and they

will sleep on the punt of on campsites alongside the route which they have planned through Google Earth, by following the river’s edge. The friends, who have been training at 6.30 am every morning whilst revising for their second-year exams in May, have been punting together for two years. Toby Dickens, who came up with the idea, said he was looking forward to the challenge. He said: ‘’We think we are the first people to punt from Cambridge to Oxford so that is a very exciting prospect and on top of that we will

be raising cash for a worthy cause. ‘’It’s going to be a race to complete the journey in 12 days but we are determined to do it by punting through the night and doing shifts. ‘’People are really supportive of our challenge and are surprised you can punt between the two cities. ‘’We wanted to do this to support all of the brave men and women in the forces who have been wounded in service because they rarely get the recognition they deserve.’’

by Faye Joice

18-25 year olds, and 4 are former students, including Southampton Solent University media graduate, Will Fox, who is now their PR and social networking director. “So far eco-fashion has been about new fabrics and new ways of manufacturing. We think sustainability is about designing new ways of businesses communicating with consumers, opening up a dialogue with consumers rather than talking at them. Our traceability technology allows us to do that and allows the market forces of demand and supply to work for sustainability” said Rob. The Enterprising Young Brits competition; run by Enterprise UK in partnership with the Daily Mail newspaper, was held at the prestigious Institute of Directors in Pall Mall and presented by Lord Mandelson. Students receive 10% off at www.rapanuiclothing.com if they enter ‘students’ at the shopping basket. by Faye Joyce

Grads may face earlier loan pay-back A new report says that graduates could pay higher interest rates on their student loans and have to pay them back earlier in order to avert a funding crisis. The Russell Group of top universities claims it faces a £1.1bn black-hole in its finances by 2012-13. But NUS have attached the suggestions saying students already pay “more than their fair share”.

NUS President Aaron Porter said: “These are elite universities that are simply turning around to students saying they have to foot the bill for cuts in government funding - but they should have anticipated this and thought about their provision”. The Russell Group represents the 20 most research-intensive universities in the UK, and includes the likes

of Oxford, Cambridge and University College London. It says that without extra income its members will be forced to make significant cut-backs. The group has suggested the £900m-worth of cuts planned by the Labour government for the next three years would bring the UK’s higher education sector to its knees.

by John Mather

The National Student, May 2010

NEWS

NUS CONFERENCE: The highlights The NUS conference 2010 took place last month, addressing a number of pressing issues relating to students. In relation to policy debates, the conference resolved to use a range of lobbying and campaigning tactics in the battle for a fairer funding system, including a national demonstration before Parliament votes on any increase to tuition fees. An independent review is looking into whether ministers should raise fees, currently at £3,225 a year, with the proposed increase being up to over £5,000. The review, which is led by former BP chief executive Lord Browne, will report to the next government shortly after the general election and is expected to propose that fees should be increased. Newly elected NUS President Aaron Porter, a 25 year old Leicester University graduate with a degree in English literature, won 444 votes out of 678 in a landslide victory. As a very big opponent of higher tuition fees, he vowed to organise a national demonstration before any vote in parliament over a fee rise and also promised to name MPs who supported an increase. Underlining his passionate feelings toward the situation, Porter who is a member of the Labour Party has even promised to even take on Labour if they accepted the review’s recommendation of a rise in fees. He said, “If Browne recommends a rise, we would lobby the government to stop it. The worst scenario would be for the cap to be lifted to a place where there is

New NUS President Aaron Porter a market, where different institutions charge different fees. That would alter the choice of course students make. This is a time to continue pressurising politicians not to increase the cap on fees. Students, families and the wider public overwhelmingly oppose higher fees and I will fight to ensure that politicians listen to them.”

Both Labour and the Conservatives had said they will not make clear their position on fees until after the review is published, whilst the Liberal Democrats had promised to phase out all tuition fees over six years. With the recent coalition of Conservative and Liberal Democrats forming a government, it remains to be seen what the position will be. NUS has called for a graduate tax to replace fees. Graduates would contribute to a national trust between 0.3% and 2.5% of their salaries each month, over 20 years. The contributions would depend on a graduate’s salary. For instance, a graduate on £40,000 would pay £125 a month, while individuals on £16,000 would pay £5. West Streeting, current NUS President said: “We are determined to hold parliamentary candidates to account, and help students in every constituency to understand which of those candidates is prepared to back student interests.”

Aaron will succeed the current NUS president, Wes Streeting, in June for an initial 12-month term. He also defeated NUS black students’ officer, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, who received 182 votes, and Chris Marks, vicepresident (education) of Hull University students’ union, who gained 24. “I am delighted to be leading NUS into what will be a crucial year for further education, with a General Election, fees review, and cuts on the horizon. Porter told us. “It is more vital now than ever that we come together to put our issues at the top of the agenda with a credible, representative student voice shaping the outcomes of these pivotal debates.” Wes Streeting, current president, spoke on Porters appointment. “Aaron’s election vindicates the long journey NUS has taken to reform our democratic structures and our higher education funding policy. “We have fought the

battle to become a credible voice and Aaron is the right person to deal with the challenges students face in the coming year. I have every confidence

discussed course costs, part time students, national student support, postgraduate funding, international student fees and financial cuts within universities. The NUS delegates passed a motion to support strikes and occupations over cuts. “Strikes and occupations against cuts are no longer merely something we see in Greece or France, they are happening here. These tactics have an important place in our movement,” the motion states. National Conference 2010 saw a record number of FE delegates, and policy was passed on equality and diversity in colleges, supporting the Healthy FE initiative and condemning bogus colleges. Conference also resolved to defend the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA), to lobby for the prevention of course and campus closures following a capital crisis, and called for investment in adult education and greater clarity on 16–19 provision. The Welfare Zone saw debates on a number of issues including accommodation costs, student safety, hate crime, racism on campus, sexual health, mental health, pastoral care, transport, finance, debt, student parents, faith and students as workers. In the Union Development zone, conference discussed

Wes Streeting with ex-NUS President Fred Jarvis that he will utilise his skills and experience in leading from the front in what will be a crucial year for students in further and higher education. I wish him great success as national president.” The Conference also

activism in unions, communications, union development in FE, developing sustainable funding for SUs, good governance and the value of students activities and volunteering.

by Robert Dalling

The National Student, May 2010

FEATURE

Comment: Will the World Cup AID Britain? “

We can say now without any fear of contradiction that we are ready, if not more than ready” – President Zuma of South Africa says on the World Cup 2010. The question is though; is the World Cup the only thing we could be bringing back into the country? The imminent wails of a fame-hungry clan of Britons grow louder, as the countdowns’ number gets lower and lower. 51 days; and counting. Travel agents are taking almost double the number of bookings they did for the whole of 2009, and currency exchange bureaus have never had to phone and order so much South African rand before. England is substantially more economically stable than South Africa, and the news of them hosting the World Cup has brought thoughts of advancing tourism and growing profits for the country over the period of the games. Seems as though the

Brits are taking a lot to the country then, but what are we bringing BACK to the country from one of the world’s most exciting football traditions? Although many governments in SubSaharan Africa have on several occassions denied the widespread problem of AIDs since the outspread of the disease in 1980, they are finally realising the harsh truth that is; it’s an epidemic that is getting worse and worse. South Africa has the highest rates of HIV/Aids, with over 250,000 people dying from it in 2008, there are an estimated 5.2 million currently living with the disease in South Africa alone. Certain age ranges are particularly high, and 1 in 4 women aged 25-29 are living with HIV. This is also the standard age of female prostitutes in South Africa. HIV is the infection that leads to the AIDs disease, (Acquired Immunodeficiency

Syndrome) attaches a lot of social stigma to it which is a contributing factor to its spread. Admittance that HIV actually does cause AIDs is something that both Thabo Mbeki (former president of South Africa) and Robert Mugabe (current president of Zimbabwe) have not done. They believe that AIDs stems from poverty rather than HIV, a theory that is misguided, as although poverty plays a huge role in the spread of the STI (sexually transmitted infection) it is by no means the cause. Other stigmas include conspiracy theories that the use of condoms to protect against HIV is actually just the governments’ tactic to controlling the growth of the African population. Some men in African tribes also

believe that condoms are an insult to the traditional power of a man in his community. Contraception is however one of the only forms of protection against the disease. Aids can be passed on through sexual intercourse with an infected person, through sharing needles with infected people, and can be passed to children if they are born of an infected mother, or fed the milk of an infected woman. The daunting thought of thousands of testosteronefilled men visiting a foreign country on the holidays of their lifetimes, either on a high from winning or on a come down from the buildup of adrenaline of the match, should inject fear into health organisations up and down the country. There is no denying

that England is a country that thrives on sex. The media is bombarded with advertisements either quite clearly explicitly showing naked women on screen or implying connotations after innuendos, after sexual suggestions. The reality is, the men visiting the country will be looking to have a good time, and it takes even the most innocent of minds to imagine exactly how that good time will be had. So, what do we do? Send flyers out to every prospective traveller like we did during the Swine Flu pandemic? Or give out advisable forms of protection along with boarding passes at the airport? The men travelling to South Africa are adults. They are not teenage students at drunken house parties, nor are

they sluggish chauvinists looking to take advantage of women (we hope). We expect them to fend for themselves, and act in a responsible and mature way. Because with the problems the country is facing at the moment; a dysfunctional parliament, a war in Iraq, and an economic state that would make even the greatest lovers of England emigrate to Australia; a major health crisis is the last thing Britain needs. For travel information and advice to South Africa, please see various articles about safety in South Africa at; www.direct.gov.uk For advice or further information on protection from AIDs/HIV visit: www. avert.org/aids

by Faye Joice

Last month we released the second installment of our free music MP3 series ‘Incoming Transmissions’ - loads of people have downloaded it. If you haven’t have a read about what you have been missing:

thenationalstudent.co.uk/incomingtrans2 The Radio Dept. – Heaven’s on Fire It’s safe to say that in indie-pop circles The Radio Dept. are a big name – it just baffles us why they are not big…full stop! Now residing on the twee-tastic Labrador records, with their new material the band have refined the sound they have been peddling for the last 15-years. While sticking to the jangly Labrador indie-pop sound ‘Heaven’s on Fire’ displays a new clarity in production and opens with an awesome vocal sample from Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore.

theradiodept.com

Nedry – A42 We were quite taken with Nedry’s debut album Condors earlier in the year. Ayu Okakita’s vocals are he perfect counterfoil to the dark soundscapes in the background. ‘A42’ is a highlight from the album, a slice of pop entrenched in dub-step rhythms, and dreamy glitch-folk. One of the best tracks from one of 2010’s must-have debuts.

nedrymakesmusic.com

Celestial Bodies – First Time Formed by ex-Semifinalists member Ferry Gouw in Summer 2009 (along with members that include Edward of Ox.Eagle.Lion.Man and Tobias of Whiskey vs. Faith), Celestial Bodies make brooding, moody, synth-pop which is as good for bedroom listening as it is late night dancing. ‘First Time’ is a great example of the dark but poppy sound.

myspace.com/celestialbodiess

Airship – Kids We first caught Airship supporting The Joy Formidable in Nottingham and were inpressed with the anthemic indie, which sounded like lots of other bands we couldn’t quite place. The Manchester bunch seemed to make complicated sound really easy! Already and justly a strong home city favourite, Airship are an arresting and passionate new act with huge potential in just these early opening steps. They are diplaying some serious stadium-filling tendencies and are ones to watch. Check out their debut EP Algebra out May 10.

and spoken word, in the process making some of the most vital and intelligent music of his times. Alongside his Infesticons trilogy for Big Dada he has recorded a succession of solo albums for, amongst others, Mercury, !K7 and legendary hardcore label ROIR. His work with jazz pianist Vijay Iyer has been widely acclaimed, touring major jazz festivals and being released on classic imprint Savoy. He likes playing with toy soldiers. ‘Kick Anthem’ is the first fanfare from the latest amazing release.

myspace.com/likemadd

Bastardgeist – Flee to the Hills “Flee To The Hills” is the opening track from Bastardgeist’s forthcoming self-titled LP on Brainlove Records. Bastardgeist is Chicago’s Joel Midden, a solo artist working with orchestral samples, live playing, loops, processed sound and vocals. You can see short film on Midden by clicking the fourth circle down on this site – http://www.2mmpdx.com. The album is to be released in summer 2010, and Bastardgeist will be in England to tour around the same time.

myspace.com/bastardgeist

Lauren Pritchard – When The Night Kill’s the Day Now signed to Island records bluesy songstress Lauren Pritchard is set to make massive waves in 2010. Originally from Madison County, Tennessee, after “6 years, 5 tattoos, 4 electric tea kettles, 3 cities, 2 tours and 1 Nord keyboard” and stops in Beverly Hills and New York, she has finally settled in London. New single ‘When The Night Kill’s The Day’ displays the haunting and subtle quality of her work, and being co-written by Ed Harcourt and guest appearance on piano from Marcus Mumford (who also produced the track) it shows how highly other musicians regard Pritchard.

laurenpritchard.com

myspace.com/sunderbans

Jesca Hoop – Four Dreams

Parisian quirk-pop party boys Naïve New Beaters are the musical equivalent of drinking a gallon of Sunny D – bringing the sunshine with a massive sugary-sweet high. Incorporating indie, rock, rap and electro-house Naïve New Beaters revel in all the clichés before blowing them up in a multi-coloured, confetti explosion.

naivenewbeaters.com

Infesticons – Kick Anthem Musical maverick Mike Ladd returns to the fold with the third in the Infesticons album trilogy this summer, once again with his gang of collaborators he has once again spat out one of the best hip-hop releases you’ll hear all year. One of the true rebel geniuses of Black music, Mike Ladd operates at the intersection of hip hop, punk, funk

The Bamboos – Like Tears In Rain

Sincabeza – bacalacola Souvaris – Great Scott

‘Road Kill’ was the track chosen by Young & Lost Club to introduce the band to the world back in January, as a mellow insight into what to expect from the band. Atmospheric indie built of infectious hooks and melodic shared vocals. ‘Road Kill’ can only act as a precursor to greater things to come.

Naïve New Beaters – Get Love

myspace.com/fenechsoler

thebamboos.com

Sunderbans – Road Kill

myspace.com/jescahoop

Fenech Soler are one of this year’s electro-pop buzzbands without a doubt. As accessible as it is dancey they peddle music built on melodic synths, soft-male vocals and pop sensibility. Their stuff also offers itself nicely to the odd banging remix – and here’s one of them. A house retake on track ‘Stop and Stare’ this is perfect dance floor fodder.

In the world of modern funk The Bamboos are the real deal. Combining an array of classic soul and funk styles that sounds vintage and of the here and now at the same time, the recent release of 4 (their best effort to date) highlights them as one of the tightest and funkiest outfits around. Taken from the album, ‘Like Tears in Rain’ is a slice of upbeat funk with a disco edge.

myspace.com/airshiptheband

“Her music is like going swimming in a lake at night”, so says one Tom Waits. And who are we to argue. Musicians and the press have been lining up to praise Hoop, and in this case you should definitely believe the hype. She pushes classic earthy, bluesy songs through a sea of eccentricity and quirk. Her artistic ambition and a near obsession with sound and sensual wordplay are the rule of thumb all over her delightful work.

Fenech Soler – Stop and Stare (reset remix)

Nice Nice – Ark Drum Although they have been playing together since the mid-90s it is with their recent album released on Warp records that experimental duo Nice Nice have started turning heads in the UK. Pitchfork described ‘Ark Drum’ as “a rhythmic exercise in beats, loops, and swirling synths, complete with a few chanted vocals, tinkling keyboards, and a vaguely Gang Gang Dance-like aftertaste.” All we know is it is awesome….

nicenice.net

The Shoes – Bored The Shoes are a couple of French dudes who have been getting a fair bit of hype recently for their electro club-bangers. ‘Bored’ with all its sleazy swagger, is up there with the best of LCD Soundsystem and Hot Chip’s tunes. We really like, and so did some guys from some TV show called Gossip Girl who put the track on a recent episode. With them putting the finishing touches to their debut album due out this autumn, expect to be hearing much more from The Shoes.

myspace.com/the.shoesmusic

We’ve loved Souvaris’ mesmerising post-rock for some years now, we hadn’t heard Sincabeza so when the excellent split release Clown Jazz landed on our desktop we found ourselves very happy chaps. Souvaris are a five piece rock band from Nottingham, UK, comprising of two guitarists, bass, synths and drums. Now ten years old, they have spent the last decade building their reputation as one of the UK’s most inventive and versatile instrumental acts. Those attempting to pinpoint French-band Sincabeza’s music usually situate it in some uncomfortable hinterland between post punk, disco and noisy pop. Their songs are full of awkward variations, elaborate arrangements, razor-sharp breaks, and – increasingly – surprisingly poppy melodies.

souvaris.blogspot.com myspace.com/sincabeza

So So Modern – The Worst Is Yet To Come So So Modern are a four-piece from New Zealand. So So Modern make what they call “futuristic schizoid noise pop”. They don’t sound particularly modern, but are bound to give you a ‘synthgasm’ – So So Modern are ripe for music journos to make up words and spit hyperbole. We just really like their frantic garage synthindie, it makes us smile. The labels don’t really concern us that much.

sosomodern.com

Stairs to Korea – All Of Your Friends Brainlove artist Stairs To Korea (aka William Vaughan) is pretty good. This is his second single released back in January. It’s a soaring, impassioned indie-pop anthem, and this is the live Dreamtrak Session. The Sweeping The Nation blog described it thus: “a fiercely intelligent chronicle of the human condition by

means of dialled down anthemics, DIY electronics and a smart guitar line…. Vaughan has already demonstrated he has enough ideas to make an extended go of bringing fresh life to man-with-guitar ideals.”

myspace.com/stairstokorea

Stagecoach – Ice Age Branding themselves as power-pop for BMX kids, Stagecoach may have emerged from the sleepy Surrey hills as an acoustic 2-piece, but now rip up stages a plenty with rock n’ roll Americana in the vein of Weezer, Wilco & Pavement. Singing songs about the usual stuff – ‘hot dogs, cars and girls (sure, sure), TLOBF reckon “Stagecoach manage to match the charm of bands like The Lemonheads, with none of the accompanying substance abuse”. True that!

myspace.com/stagecoachuk Revolver – Get Around Town Ambroise, Christophe, and Jeremie have played together as Revolver since September 2006. These three musicians, who each come from very different musical backgrounds, create what they call “chamber pop”—reference to both the Renaissance compositions and the pop music of Elliott Smith or the Kinks. Revolver distinguishes itself by its rich vocal harmonies and stark compositions.

myspace.com/popdechambre Uno Moller – How To Lead You Home Uno Moller is a singer-songwriter from Norway, he was introduced to us by our friends at Lazy Acre records. We think his music is beautiful, heartfelt and sincere – just what you need from acoustic rock.

myspace.com/unomoller This Many Boyfriends – That’s What Diaries Are For This Many Boyfriends are a five-piece shamebolic indie pop band based in Leeds. They blame boredom. They apparently named themselves after a Beat Happening song, and they are most definitely NOT twee. If you like Los Campesinos you will probably like them. Usually when John@ Brainlove gets all happy and excited about a band we end up liking them too. They make proper good indie-pop which makes us smile. WIN WIN WIN…..

myspace.com/howmanyboyfriends

Castrovalva – Donut What the bloody hell do we write about Castrovalva? Their debut album We Are Unit blew our tiny minds and then had sex with the remnants of our brains whilst goading them about being a bit shit in bed. ‘Donut’ is a pretty sweet example of their spazz-core noise. They are awesome!

myspace.com/castrovalvamusic

The National Student, May 2010

FEATURE

Tech review: Olympus VN-5500 PC DNS

on’t you hate making notes? You know that moment when a great idea pops into your head, or that conclusion to your essay dawns on you – you never have a pen or you can’t express it when you come to write it down. The Olympus VN-5500 PC DNS is the perfect solution! This voice-recorder is a perfect time-saving device for the busy student. Its simple plug and play connection allows you to download your voice files directly to your PC for filing, archiving or sharing via email. The real nifty thing about this is that being bundled with Dragon software which converts speech to text. Put simply you can dictate those essays directly and the software will automatically transcribe your words into text. The only down side is that you have to sit reading aloud for 15 minutes to configure your voice to the software – a bit embarrassing when your flatmates come in to hear you reading chapters from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory aloud to yourself, but the usefulness of this tech is worth that minor inconvenience. Making lecture notes has never been easier - you never need miss any important information again! With 39 hours of battery life on LP record mode and with five folders that can contain 200 files each there’s plenty of time and space to get everything you need to get done. Automatically recorded in high-quality WMA file format the recording quality is spoton and can pick up speech through all the surrounding

AL THE NATION

STUDENT

noise easily – good for journo students getting interviews or recording your thoughts in busy places. If you fancy the more traditional transcription method the VN-5500 PC DNS has a variable

playback speed control for easy transcription – slow down those babbled, speedy sentences so you don’t miss a thing, or misinterpret what has been said. Yes this recorder does lack the multi-function aspect

of others available on the market – it is not an MP3 player (but you have one of them already) and doesn’t work as a data-storage device – but in terms of providing its primary function there are few products, if any, on

the market doing it better. Aesthetically this is by no-means the best looking piece of tech you will own, it looks like a bit of kit to do a job rather than look good as a stylish accessory. It is a sturdy, heavy-duty looking

piece of kit that screams ‘functionality’. As a quality piece of kit that will be of huge benefit in your academic life (saving you loads of time and effort) we highly recommend the Olympus VN-5500 PC DNS.

We rated the Olympus VN-5500 PC DNS so highly we decided to give it the first ever National Student Technology award for ‘Most useful student tech’. In saving you time this piece of kit gets out tech-review team’s mark of approval.

YOUR PAPER NEEDS YOU!

The National Student is looking for student contributors email: editor@thenationalstudent.co.uk

The National Student, May 2010

FEATURE

Wrapping up Semester 1 on Erasmus After several eventful months on the continent Nathan Woodcock concludes his first semester on an Erasmus placement in Copenhagen

hen I returned to Denmark after two weeks in Russia I was confined to my bed for a few days to get over my long and enjoyable journey. Although after this rest and re-cooperation I knew I had an assignment to hand in and being in ‘holiday-mode’ made it the last thing I wanted to do! After a slow start I had a frightful night, which made me ask ‘what the fudge!!!’ As soon as I turned my computer on I did what every student does, I checked Facebook. I was in the midst of updating my status when the horror occurred. I clicked send to update my status but it didn’t work! So I tried to close Windows Explorer to try again and this also failed. After a few minutes of frustration I decided to perform the most technically advanced technique I know (holding down Control, Alt and Delete in order to get Task Manager up). This also failed! At this point I was getting annoyed with the laptop so turned it off manually in order to restart it. When I tried to turn the laptop on again, to my horror and dismay, it came up with a black screen with the words: ‘OPERATING SYSTEM NOT FOUND’. In a desperate bid to regain control I tried to restart the laptop again but the same screen came up. My beloved shiny new laptop died on me for no apparent reason! What’s worse is that most of my Russia photos (those not on Facebook) and a number of other photos were deleted along with my work (most of which were backed up). At this point I did what any rational thinking, independent 20 year old would do at 5am (4am UK time); I called home! During all this time a gigantic spider made its way to the corner of my room closest to the desk. So I was trying to explain my problem to my computer-illiterate mum whilst attacking the spider by spraying deodorant at it. At this point the beast scurried at break-neck speed from one side of wall to the

other close to my bookcase where I keep my cutlery and crockery as well as my coffee making facilities. Great improvement to the situation! So I had no choice but to book the next flight back to the UK and arrived in Stansted the next day. The two weeks in Blighty waiting on the laptop at least gave me the chance to present family and friends with multiple gifts from Russia. On my return to Denmark I continued with the essay. After a week and a half of writing it was done! There was some confusion as to how we submitted our essays, as it was not stated on the instruction sheet. The tutor was new to the University of Copenhagen so was also unsure. After finding no answers, I decided to visit the Education Services office in order to find an answer. To their surprise the course was not registered for examination and so could not give me an answer straight away. Then after a day or two they sent out an email telling us that we can hand it in to that office and also that the maximum character count was 23,000 characters. This caused me some difficulty as these new rules changed our instructions as to how long the essay could be. After sending a few emails to show my grievances (which I forwarded to the University of Leicester’s International Office – as yet no reply from them) I reluctantly cut the essay down and submitted it today. After submitting my International Law of the Sea essay I had less than two weeks to revise Human Rights in the EU for my first-ever oral exam. We were told that the assessment would be on the textbook and the case materials. I hadn’t done anything for human rights since mid-October just before the Russia trip and at this point I had read a few chapters of the textbook. I had not read anything in the case materials as yet (in fact I only printed off the case materials when I went

back to the UK because I was not willing to foot the bill for printing an entire tree!!!). The case materials spanned 440 pages, which seemed an Everest of a task when I started. After four or five days of hard work I was able to condense these 440 pages into 12 pages of summary notes. This was exhausting work but I was nowhere near finishing. After this I frantically

ready. When I got to the centre it was at 10am and the oral exams started at 12:30pm so I went to Subway for something to eat and rehearsed my cases in my head. I then decided to check where the room was. In order to get to the building I had to pass some of the ‘Hopenhagen’ campaigners and attractions, which were to celebrate the global talks on climate change being in

waiting room. I walked into the waiting area in my suit and looked around the room. Everyone else were in jeans and t-shirts! I felt conscious about it for a few moments but I passed with the thought that it may help make a good first impression with the examiner I didn’t know. So after a moment I took a seat. It was like a doctor’s waiting room

‘During all this time a gigantic spider made its way to the corner of my room closest to the desk. So I was trying to explain my problem to my computer-illiterate mum whilst attacking the spider by spraying deodorant at it.’ made revision cards. I organised and summarised the cases to their most minimum. This took another day or two, leaving another two days left to read and learn them. I had the cards to take in with me (we were allowed notes) but I didn’t want to spend most of my time reading at them. I knew I would maximise my marks by talking with the least notes as possible. Still it was nice to have the safety net of the notes right in front of me. On the day of the Oral exam (7th December 2009) I woke up early and got

Copenhagen. Five people turned up (including me) for the exam. I remembered at the start of the course there were at least fifteen of us. I found it funny how week by week people disappeared due to the quality of the lecturing we received. I didn’t mind that these people left though because as my initials are NW I was always going to be last. At least with less people I wouldn’t have to wait as long. However, these four people still collectively represented at least two hours of my life in this

with whispers and the odd cough. Everyone was either writing notes or avoiding people’s eyes. When the door opened everyone looked up at once hoping it was his or her turn. There was a poster with different kinds of lamps on the wall (what a dull idea for a poster). Whilst I was waiting at least I found out what kind of lamp I had (an Olympen lamp if you wondered). At one point a girl was heard crying from one of the rooms. Something to come for me? Unlikely. I doubt it was my tutor. He

couldn’t make an infant cry if he wanted to. In the end I achieved another 12 (the equivalent of an A grade in the weird Danish marking system), which I feel I really deserved due to all the work I put in during the last week or two. So that concluded the academic side of my first semester at the University of Copenhagen. It was hard work in the end (not the holiday I envisioned), but I feel I got a lot out of the experience so far. This semester I also participated in the EURECO lecture series, which was the culmination of research by numerous departments of the University of Copenhagen (including the law, the social sciences and humanities departments). The aim of the lecture series was to highlight seven challenges to Europe with the Danish perspective in mind. I was initially interested in taking part to broaden my knowledge of the Danish perspective to European integration as well as gaining a Diploma in recognition of attending the entire lecture series. At the end of the final lecture I was presented with my EURECO Diploma, which shall be a reminder of the great academic discussions which took place; not just something extra to talk about in my applications.

The National Student, May 2010

FEATURE

13 Finding your first uk graduate job is not always easy. Whether you’re looking forward to entering the workplace or horrified at the thought of being independent and responsible at last, there are a few things you ought to be aware of when embarking on your career. Here are some tips on what you should expect from your graduate job.

GRADUATE JOB ADVICE What Do Employers Want?

inding the right person for the job is becoming increasingly difficult because many applicants lack the skills recruiters require. These include self-reliance, communication abilities, flexibility, selfawareness, organisational skills, self-promotion, decisionmaking, the ability to build and work as part of a team, problem solving, action planning, leadership, negotiation, adaptability and social confidence, including the ability to network effectively. Namely, anything which shows you’re responsible for your own career and personal development; recruiters want graduates to arrive at their first job prepared to seize the opportunities open to them to continue developing. Acquiring these skills and being able to demonstrate them has become far more important than which subject degree you have - this is often irrelevant as long as it is of a good quality. Recruiters will inevitably expect an excellent academic record though, including A levels or equivalent. GCSE grades can even be a deciding factor. And in sciencebased and technical industries you may be expected to have more specific knowledge and skills. Many employers believe graduates have unrealistic aspirations. They comment that applicants often have an inflated sense of their economic value before they’ve built up a sound skills base. So don’t be arrogant - being educated doesn’t automatically mean you’ll get a bigger and better job. Use your education to learn more and acquire the knowledge and skills you need to progress. This is all about managing your own career - the ‘babysitting approach’ is long gone, with mentoring and other hand-holding approaches things of the past. Know who the competitors are, where the company stands in the marketplace and what the last financial reports indicate. Read the papers. Be informed. This way you will remain marketable in an increasingly unstable job market. Employers see many benefits in recruiting graduates; the future potential of those graduates, the quality of their work and their ability to bring ‘fresh thinking’ into an organisation. Good candidates are hard to find; make sure you’re one of them.

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