The Orbital September 2012 (series 26, issue 2)

THE ORBITAL SEPTEMBER 2012

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THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE STUDENTS’ UNION ROYAL HOLLOWAY, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON

Principal defends poor admissions figures - 12 out of 20 UG departments accepted students with BCC grades at A-level - College 20% short of AAB recruitment target

- Overall fall in admissions to all universities by 10% after £9,000 fee introduction - Fewer A grades at A-level this year

Alex Pegler Deputy Editor

MORE than half of undergraduate departments were forced to lower grade requirements to BCC because of low clearing demand this summer, the Orbital has learned.

Students denied a place could have lost out to clearing applicants with inferior grades, multiple sources have claimed.

College management have also announced attempts to meet AAB recruitment targets this summer failed.

Royal Holloway principal Paul Layzell says the university has been “honourable to all applicants in difficult conditions” and has spoken out against Government attempts to cap recruitment of non-AAB

students.

This year’s admissions process was the first recruitment season to fall under the auspices of the coalition government’s Higher Education White Paper. The paper made provision for the unlimited recruitment of students with A-level grades of AAB or higher.

As in the case of Royal Holloway this year, universities which did not meet AAB recruitment targets would see places for sub-AAB places cut by almost 10%.

2012/2013 admissions data suggests the College met just 80% of its AAB target resulting in an 8% cut in non-AAB places.

Reports suggest that a nationwide drop in university continued page 3

COMMENT P10: Debate Does increasing the proportion of people taking degrees devalue them?

FEATURES P16: A guide to Surhul Find out what the Students’ Union is, what it does and how it works.

LIFESTYLE P23: Interrail One ticket, 30 countries.

Just how much fun can you have in one month?

ARTS P26: Reviews Hysteria, Catching Fire, Shakespeare: Staging the World...

SPORTS & SOCS P28: In the spotlight Just what is Humans vs Zombies

IN NUMBERS

2,377

The number of new students joining Royal Holloway this September.

425

The number of rooms refurbished in Founder’s over the summer.

SERIES 26

ISSUE 2

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The Orbital Sept 2012

The Board Julian Farmer Editor-in-Chief

editor@theorbital.co.uk

Alex Pegler Deputy Editor

deputyeditor@theorbital.co.uk

Ramona Saigol News Editor

news@theorbital.co.uk

Stephen Atkinson Comment Editor

comment@theorbital.co.uk

Simon Rawlings Lifestyle Editor

lifestyle@theorbital.co.uk

Elinor Gittins Features Editor

features@theorbital.co.uk

Rebecca Hilsdon Arts Editor arts@theorbital.co.uk

Shannon Mizzi Sports & Socs Editor

o Inside this issue...

The Orbital is the official publication of the Students’ Union, Royal Holloway, University of London, and is run entirely by an elected board of students. It is editorially independent of both Royal Holloway and the Students’ Union.

The views expressed within are not necessarily those of the editorial board or of the Students’ Union.

If you have any questions or want to write for us, send an email to getinvolved@ theorbital.co.uk, or contact the relevant section editor directly.

sportsandsocs@theorbital.co.uk

James Griffen Web Editor

web@theorbital.co.uk

Zosia Edwards Art Director art@theorbital.co.uk

theorbital.co.uk

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Students move in to refurbished Founder’s

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Olympian in High Street criminal damage arrest

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RHUL to validate Pearson courses

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Why we need to continue fighting for education

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Debate: does more people taking degrees makes them less valuable?

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Your guide to the Students’ Union

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Puzzles: wordsearch, crossword and sudoku

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Model of the month

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Runway tales: what modelling is really like

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Food: Don’t dial Domino’s

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New RHUL theatre name revealed

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Reviews: Hysteria, Catching Fire, Shakespeare: Staging the World...

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Clubs & societies guide: what takes your fancy?

@theorbitalrhul facebook.com/ theorbital

Connor Partos Admin Director

admin@theorbital.co.uk

Jamie S Green Executive Editor (VPComCam) jamie@theorbital.co.uk

From the Editor Julian Farmer Editor-in-Chief

So, the start of term is finally here!

It’s been a long summer, preparing for the influx of new students. Over here at the Orbital, we’ve been making purchases and sorting out our deadlines for the coming year.

The editor role is now part of the Students’ Union’s executive committee. This basically means that I sit in on some fancy meetings, and that I help run things like Welcome Week.

Speaking of Welcome Week, if you’re reading this before it’s over keep an eye out for our editorial board (listed above) on campus.

We’ll be wearing blue polo shirts with the logo on, so

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flag us down if you have any questions or just want to have a chat.

If you’re a new student, make the most of Welcome Week and your first year.

You’ll hear this a lot, but your university career really flies by.

If you’re a returning student, come along to the Media, Societies and Sports Fayres. You might find something new that you’re interested in!

I hope you enjoy reading this edition as much as we’ve enjoyed putting it together.

If you like what you see, then please get in contact and write for us! There’s something for everybody, and the Orbital is written by you: the readers.

Have a great September, and see you next time!

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SPORTS & SOCS

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College admissions continued from page 1

Photo: Julian Farmer

New bookstore open for business Alex Pegler and Julian Farmer

AFTER months of uncertainty, a new bookstore opened in the Founder’s building earlier this month.

Rumours had initially spread saying that the College had attempted to close down the store, previously operated by Weybridge Books, located in the Crosslands Bungalow opposite the Windsor Building.

However, it has emerged that the firm declined to express an interest in renewing its contract with Royal Holloway.

Now, under the direction of university booksellers John Smith’s, the shop is to offer ‘buyback’ deals to students.

The deal is to see students given 33% of the RRP in cash

or 50% credit to spend in store, the company has announced.

The College stated that three firms entered the tendering process for the on-campus shop: Waterstones, Blackwell’s and the eventual victor John Smith’s.

A university spokeswoman said: “The College sought expressions of interest from university booksellers.

“We stated that we required pop-up book stalls at the start of autumn and spring terms, a 365-day-a-year web-based bookstore, a financial return on the service, capacity to operate a bursary management scheme and a commitment to opening a campus bookstore in approximately three years time in Bedford library.”

A panel of judges rated

the viability of the proposals put forward by the three companies and was made up of representatives from both the College and the Students’ Union.

The spokeswoman continued: “After comparing scores given by the panel to each company, we entered into discussions with the best scoring provider to gain clarity on their offerings and asked additional questions that arose from the process.”

The bookstore is currently fully operational in Founder’s FW40, and the university is seeking to gain planning permission to move into a temporary building in the near future with a view to placing the store in the Bedford Library in the long term.

applications — estimated by UCAS in June to be 10% — has lead to a reduction in clearing applications to the university. The drop saw entry requirements fall to BCC in 12 out of 20 undergraduate degreeoffering departments. In physics, applicants’ grade demands changed from BBB to BCC in less than one week.

Royal Holloway’s AAB deficiency has prompted fresh scrutiny of Mr Layzell’s decision last year not to lobby against sections of the Higher Education White Paper.

Last year’s Students’ Union president Daniel Cooper blasted the proposals at the time, claiming they were an attempt to “destabilise the university system” to the detriment of all but the country’s elite universities.

Mr Layzell is unconcerned that students are being admitted despite not meeting advertised entry requirements.

He said: “Grades aren’t the be all and end all.

“Why would we want to deny an opportunity to someone who we felt could complete a degree at Royal Holloway?

“The question we should be asking is whether or not

an applicant can complete the course based on factors not restricted to grades.”

The principal is adamant that the College has not acted unfairly to applicants denied a place before clearing commenced.

He told the Orbital: “We pride ourselves on making a quick decision on applications and released students who we did not feel could complete a degree here straight away.

“We contacted those who had been initially rejected before giving their place to someone else who might have had lower grades.

“This was done if circumstances had changed to the point where we could accommodate applicants who had previously been rejected.

“Going forward, I am an advocate of the UCASproposed system [that will see the implementation of a post-results application system] with decisions made within a couple of days.”

He added: “We lobbied against the limit on nonAAB students last year, and I think it would be beneficial to all parties to open up the market again.

I welcome the move next year to allow an unlimited recruitment of ABB students- it is certainly a step in the right direction.”

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The Orbital Sept 2012

Photo: Royal Holloway

Students move in to refurbished Founder’s Julian Farmer Editor-in-Chief NEW students have moved into the newly refurbished Founder’s halls as the academic year begins.

The controversial works, which costed approximately £5 million, saw all 425 of the student bedrooms being completely refitted in the first major modernisation of the building in over ten years.

This comes as part of a 12-year cyclical scheme, which aims to refurbish buildings on campus every 12 years in order to ensure that quality is maintained.

Students expressed concern at the start of the project that the building would lose its character, and that for many people this was its main attraction.

Founder’s is a Grade I listed building dating back to the 1800s, and efforts have been made to maintain its image.

Professor Geoff Ward, Vice Principal (Students and Staff), spoke of how the College had worked to “ensure the traditional appeal of Founder’s is retained which providing an attractive comfortable place for students to stay”.

Many students and alumni, many of whom

stayed in Founder’s in the 80s and 90s, have complained on social media websites about the changes, which includes new carpets, curtains and furniture. One student said that new students wouldn’t realise “the legacy that has been thrown away so casually”.

In contrast, another student argued: “What would be worse is if students, who are very much paying customers now, stopped wanting to live in Founder’s because it continued to get shabbier and less appealing.”

The updates to the student bedrooms are the

first stage of a three-phase project. The second phase will see the bathrooms and pantries refitted, and the third will involve refreshing the hallways and stairwells.

It is hoped that the second stage will be completed before summer 2013.

Jason Anderson, leading the project, told The Orbital: “It has been a challenging project from the initial consultation period with Heritage and both past and present residents, right down to the demanding 14-week programme.

“However, it has been an overall success and we look forward to completing the

next 2 phases to bring this Grade I listed building up to a condition the university can be proud of.

Some of the furniture that was removed from the rooms will be auctioned off, allowing people to take a “piece of Founder’s” away with them. Priority will be given to staff, students and alumni who will be given access to the auction two weeks before the general public.

Founder’s residents are not being higher fees for this academic year, but the College have not yet announced whether they will be charging more for the rooms next year.

Surhul begins student worker campaign Steve Davies THE Students’ Union has announced that its joint lead campaign this year will be to strengthen the position of students who are in employment.

It will be the joint lead campaign alongside the ongoing ‘Defend Education’ drive.

Many students complain about the lack of breaks, low pay, long hours and general

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poor treatment but find that they have little choice as they need the income.

Students are also unaware of their rights, which has led to many employers exploiting students for work.

Surhul states that the Student Workers’ Campaign sets out to do two major things: Educate and empower.

Working alongside a similar initiative at University of London Union, the first tenant of this campaign sets out to educate students about

what their rights actually are and how they can be enforced.

Activists in this campaign will be present at the RHUL part-time jobs fayre on 3 October where SURHUL, working with the GMB trade union, will be hosting a ‘Know Your Rights’ stand.

The second part will encourage students to organise for better conditions in their workplace, using a trade union as a tool to do so. The SU will be hosting

workshops and training afternoons that will give students the skills to do this.

The Students’ Union Vice President (Communications and Campaigns), Jamie Green, said: “Generally conditions for student workers are bad and its about time Student Unions responded to this context.

“We’ll work this year to ensure that students aren’t just clued up on their rights, but now how to make the jump into enforcing them –

the latter is key.”

“Many people see themselves as political, but do not see their places of work as places for political activity, when in reality this is where it should start!

A similar campaign at Goldsmiths University saw the creation of trade union branch which forms part of the SU’s advice service.

The Surhul campaign will begin on 3 October and will run throughout the course of the academic year.

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COMMENT FEATURES LIFESTYLE ARTS 3-6

“Youth unemployment is at an all-time high, getting on the property ladder is next to impossible and we don’t even have the safety net of pensions to look forward to any more. In a year in which there are no votes in parliament and no legislation coming before politicians, it’s about time we started setting the agenda.”

SURHUL intends to back the demo and can do so because of motions passed last year in the tri-weekly general meeting, which backs direct action called by the NUS and other campaigning bodies. Though planning is its early stages, the SU plans to arrange transport to and from the march and publicise it through this year’s priority campaign ‘Defend Education’.

SURHUL President Doug German said “The National Demo is massively exciting for every student. In a time of great change in the education sector it is a chance for students across the country, and certainly students from Holloway, to campaign for what we want our education to be like. It’s an opportunity to set our sights on what change we want to see and what we want to aim for, and to show the government and the world that we value our education.”

More information about the demo can be found on both the NUS and SURHUL websites.

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to repair the damage.

A Surrey Police spokesman said: “Booth admitted full responsibility for the damage and the matter had now been resolved.

“Officers spoke to the owners of two damaged properties and, following an offer of reparations to cover the costs of repairs by Mr Booth, the victims are satisfied that the matter can be dealt with without the need for criminal charges.

“We did not take further criminal action against Mr Booth and cancelled his bail.”

Australian sports bosses said the incident was a low-point for the nation at the 2012 Olympic

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compiled by Ramona Saigol

University of Westminster students in the spotlight FASHION Design students from the University of Westminster were given the opportunity to showcase their designs to fashion critics and industry experts from around the world last week during London’s annual Fashion Week.

Running between 14 and 18 September, students Claire Barrow, Mary Benson and Hannah Duckworth presented their collections on the catwalks at both Somerset House and in the Vauxhall Fashion Scout Graduate showcase.

ULU

Current Westminster student and upcoming designer Mary Benson presented her collection for VVVintage, an online sustainable fashion house and has been featured in the September issue of Vogue magazine. She has dedicated 10% of the profit from her collection to the charity Oxfam.

Course director Andrew Groves stated that it was a “tribute to the great talent and creativity” of the students to be recognised by the fashion industry as upcoming designers.

ULU president resigns THE University of London Union’s sabbatical handover took place over the summer months, but they are still yet to fill the position of president after Sean Rillo Raczka stepped down from his presidential role for the forthcoming year.

After fullfilling the role of president in 2011/12, he was

Olympian in High Street criminal damage arrest Alex Pegler Deputy Editor ROYAL Holloway’s hosting of Olympic and Paralympic athletes was overshadowed this summer by the news that an Australian rower had been arrested for criminal damage in Egham.

Joshua Booth, 21, who competed in the men’s eight during the 2012 Games rowing regatta, was held at Staines police station after he damaged a shop front just hours after competing at Eton Dorney.

Australian deputy chef de mission Chris Fydler said Booth had not been charged but was ordered to pay £1,400

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THELONDON CONNECTION

NUS announces national demo Jamie S Green VP Communications & Campaigns LAST month, NUS national President Liam Burns announced the details of the NUS national demo to an audience of sabbatical officers in Bristol. The November 21st demo “Educate. Employ.

Empower” was mandated by the last NUS national conference and will march through central London, past the houses of Parliament.

The demonstration sets out to oppose the trebling of tuition fees to £9,000 which is now affecting the new cohort of students beginning their studies in this academic year. In addition it is calling for the government to invest in the economy, create jobs and stop the culture of workfare schemes and unpaid internships. Lastly, it intends to ‘empower’ students, set the parliamentary agenda for now and the next election.

Initially the march was intended to use the slogan “Tax the rich for a free education” to fall in line with the NUS’ newfound stance for a free tertiary education funded through progressive taxation; a motion passed in the last NUS conference. This slogan was amended by the NUS’ national executive committee in their first meeting as a committee.

Speaking to a group of Further education students in June, NUS President Liam Burns said

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SPORTS & SOCS

Games. Mr Fydler said: “We expect higher standards from our athletes.

“This has been an embarrassing situation not just for rowing but for us as well.

“We expect a much higher standard of behaviour from all of our athletes and we reminded the section managers, as various sports started to complete, that a level of behaviour is expected of their athletes.”

Booth made his Olympic debut at Eton Dorney, where the Australians finished last in the six-crew final of the eights contest. The shop front was damaged in Egham just 12 hours later.

re-elected for the coming year after running uncontested. He won with 737 votes against 428 votes for re-open nominations.

He has stated personal reasons for his resignation, and a by-election will take place in the coming weeks to determine who will take on the presidential position for this academic year.

RHUL to validate Pearson courses Ramona Saigol News Editor ROYAL Holloway have declared they have formed a partnership with international publishing company Pearson to validate the company’s new business degree starting from this term.

The FTSE100 company is the first of it’s kind to form a forprofit teaching college opening to a small number of students this September.

Offering a degree in business and enterprise, Pearson aims to provide undergraduates with both the knowledge and skills to suceed in the business world from the unique perspective of the employer themselves. The Pearson degree will be offered at a lower rate of £6,500 per year in comparison to the current average amongst universities around the UK, with many

charging up to £9000 per year.

Although Pearson will have full control over the degree structure and programme, as the validating partner Royal Holloway will have the responsibility of ensuring that the quality of the degree meets the required standards.

Deputy principal of Royal Holloway, Rob Kemp, has shown his support towards the partnership speaking about Royal Holloway’s roots as being the first to address the issues of widening access to education.

RHUL began as a women’s college, and the deputy principal stated that the university is “delighted to continue with this traditon by supporting Pearson”.

Pearson plan to open it’s doors to a larger number of students, offering a wider range of degrees from 2013.

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The Orbital Sept 2012

Photo: Ignacio Alfonso

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Uncertain future for overseas London Met students Ramona Saigol News Editor MANY international students hoping to return to university this September will have to find alternative solutions after London’s Metropolitan University had its license revoked over the summer.

The sponsor licence, which allows universities to provide places to international students, was removed by the UK’s border agency due to London Metropolitan’s reported failure to repair “serious and systemic failings”.

This decision has left approximately 2,700 current students until October to find a new sponsor before

their visa expires and they are asked to leave the UK. Damian Green, the current Immigration Minister, claimed that the university failed in three areas of the conditions of its license. The minister established that London Metropolitan provided little evidence to declare that both the mandatory attendence and English speaking levels had been met.

He also said that the university couldn’t verify the validity of the visas of a number of students enrolled on courses, ultimately leading to the withdrawal of the university’s highly trusted status.

Due to this action made

by the UK Border Agency the university will incur a loss of a fifth of its budget equating to approximately £30 million, leaving itself with severe financial issues and its future uncertain.

Many of the current feepaying students will also lose out as they are unable to complete their course and will find themselves being sent back to their originating country after failing to enrol on to new courses within the UK in time.

London Metropolitan University has chosen to challenge the border agencies decision as a matter of urgency, but the final decision towards their appeal is yet to be made.

SPONSORED PAGE

College update Sophie Christiansen delivers gold for RHUL Paralympian champion and Royal Holloway alumna Sophie Christiansen added to her gold haul on Friday (14 September) as she put the finishing touches to a golden post box on campus.

The Paralympic Dressage Rider became the first British triple gold medallist of the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

The post box, positioned outside the College shop, was chosen to be painted gold by Royal Mail in recognition of the continued support Sophie received while juggling her studies and her sports commitments.

Sophie competed in the Beijing Paralympic Games, where she won two gold medals, while studying as a Maths undergraduate at Royal Holloway. Sophie, who has cerebral palsy, was a member of the College’s Student Talented Athlete Recognition Scheme (STARS) and was made an Honorary Fellow of the College in May.

A special ceremony was held at Royal Holloway at noon today to celebrate Sophie’s achievements and to unveil the golden post box and included pupils from local schools, the Mayor of Runnymede Councillor Linda Gillham, staff, students and local residents.

The Principal, Professor Paul Layzell said: “We are extremely proud of Sophie and are delighted that she chose Royal Holloway as one of the locations for her golden post boxes which will serve as a reminder of her outstanding achievements and inspire the next generation of athletes.”

Royal Holloway was the official Rowing and Canoe Sprint Village for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. More than 1,400 athletes and officials stayed in university accommodation during the Games and were transported by coach to nearby Dorney Lake, in Eton, where the Rowing and Canoe Sprint events were held.

Support & Advisory update: September We’re looking forward to the start of term when everyone returns to campus for the new academic year, welcoming both new students to Royal Holloway and students returning to continue their studies. It has been very quiet along the corridors of Founder’s West without you all this summer so we can’t wait!

There are a huge range of activities and events on during Welcome Week and beyond and we encourage you to get involved in as much as you can. We also have lots of plans for campaigns and awareness days over the next few months including Safe & Secure Day (October 23rd), mental health awareness, working with the SU on StressBusters and new

initiatives on maintaining health and wellbeing as a student.

It is a good time to remind you of the services we offer within Support & Advisory Services with the sub-sections of chaplaincy & faith support, community liaison and support, educational support, financial & funding advice, the health centre, international student support, residential support, student counselling, and careers advice. If you need any support or advice with welfare related issues please do call in and see us in Founder’s West (1st floor) or email SupportAndAdvisory@rhul.ac.uk.

Helen Groenendaal Community Liaison & Support Officer

Students and Staff star on Celebrity Master Chef Royal Holloway and its students and staff were showcased on BBC’s Celebrity MasterChef contest.

The episode, featured Holby City actress Laila Rouass, singer Gareth Gates, actor George Layton and author/actress Emma Kennedy battling it out in the kitchens.

The celebrities were presented with an array of ingredients including chicken, lamb, cous cous, rice, and a range of fruit and vegetables by the College’s Head Chef, Carol Vallejo, which they had to transform into 180 lunch portions to serve to students and staff in the Hub. As well as filming the hotly

contested battle between the contestants, the BBC Crew captured footage of the stunning Founder’s building, a performance by the Choir of Royal Holloway, a rehearsal by the Department of Drama and Theatre, as well as conducting interviews with the Principal, Professor Paul Layzell and students.

The opening scenes, with presenters John Torode and Gregg Wallace, were shot in the North Quad just in front of the Queen Victoria Statue.

The original filming took place in February but details of Royal Holloway’s involvement were kept under wraps until last month.

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The Orbital Sept 2012

Identifying the modern day genius

Young Kuk Noh THE London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games have now passed and gone. The news has been full of the likes of Usain Bolt, Jessica Ennis and Katherine Copeland. But, I bet no one had ever considered placing such successful athletes on a par with Plato, Shakespeare or Einstein. The idea that they might be considered equal to some of the greats of literature, science or philosophy sounds quite odd, doesn’t it?

The question of what we consider a modern day genius is a very simple one to ask, but quite a tricky one to answer. The most common and in some cases, obvious answer would be those that have a high IQ. Some people would consider Mensa - the society for people with high IQ – as being the benchmark for identifying a genius.

But that doesn’t necessarily have to be the case.

Geniuses have goals that they want to achieve and rules by which they want to abide, but so do athletes. You can say that the goals of both are similar, if not the same; to push the boundaries of their field. The most tell-tale similarity between the two is the ability of both to reach a high level of performance.

In both worlds there is also competition.

Since everyone’s going for the same goal, it means all participants are trying to find a way to outperform their rivals. Most of the sports in the Olympic and Paralympic Games are complicated, taking years of practice to get right and even longer to master. It is just like the intellectual genius who practises and works their whole life

trying to prove something. With sports, the brain has to work to ensure each movement is the desired movement they want to make. It is just like the intellectual genius who has to work to ensure each idea proves or disapproves the idea suggested.

History has taught us that people of a common field gather and thrive in particular places. Did you know, for instance, that Raphael, Donatello, Michelangelo and Da Vinci were all from the Italian city of Florence during the 17th Century? Aristotle and Plato were from 4th Century BC Greece. Shakespeare, Marlowe and Bacon were from England during the 16th Century.

The same is also true for sports. The Olympic and Paralympic Games were probably the biggest platforms for most of these athletes to not only compete, but oddly, to learn from other athletes about what they can improve on and what they are truly capable of. Many of the world’s greatest footballers are Brazilian. Some of the world’s best archers are from South Korea. Team GB has one of the strongest rowing records and many of the greatest table tennis players are from China. So it can be said that people do cluster to places which encourage growth.

The participants in the Olympic and Paralympic Games are called athletes, but based on the characteristics I have mentioned, an argument can be made to suggest that athletes are also geniuses.

Although there is more to it than the points that I have brushed over, this also poses several interesting questions about the arbitrary line set by society about human perceptions of a modern-day genius.

Photo: Brunel University

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COMMENT FEATURES LIFESTYLE ARTS 3-6

Why we need to continue fighting for education Jamie S Green Surhul VPComCam LAST year was a huge turning point for the Students’ Union: An SU that was once inward thinking, self-interested and apolitical suddenly turned to being a campaigning, forward-thinking union unafraid to tackle the big questions, not only within our own chambers of discourse but, most importantly, against the College management.

I cannot emphasise enough how proud we should be that we helped stop the culling of departments and the unnecessary job cuts of our hard-working lecturers.

However, what is more important is that we keep fighting.

The growing marketisation of education means that universities are in a difficult and uncertain place. Royal Holloway is suffering under the new AAB market which is set to create a two-tier system in education, making the top tier both elitist and hard to access.

As a union I feel it’s part

of our raison d’etre to not only question the moves of the College in this market by asking why the senior management team won’t condemn the White Paper, but also to react to the national context of cuts to the teaching grant and an education that is only accessible by soaring debts or having rich parents.

I find it particularly disconcerting that so many student politicians talk about ‘adapting’ to cuts as opposed to fighting them. To me, that’s equivalent to asking for a pillow when being buried alive instead of fighting free.

Very simply, if you don’t ask, you don’t get.

Yes, it’s a hard and long fight to stop the damage being made to education by this government and indeed the one before it. However we’ve proved here at Royal Holloway that we can successfully fight cuts on our campus; if enough universities do this too, then why can’t we win this fight nationally?

In Germany we’re seeing the slow eradication of tuition fees after years of campaigning by

dedicated students who see the value of education as not only a tool of social mobility, but as a means to enlighten and better society.

Overall, Surhul – and all Students’ Unions for that matter – should be proactive and not reactive when it comes to fighting the matters that affect us. In this era of apathy, I think many students forget the absolute power we have as a collective unit.

We are the next generation, and we can set the agenda and lead the discussions we need to be having in order to attain a better society.

However, we can do this only if we organise and fight.

Seeing as our generation is to be the first since World War II to earn less money than the last, why shouldn’t we be fighting wealth gaps which will only broaden as a result of austerity?

I guess the late American journalist Eric Sevareid epitomised my argument back in 1977 when he said: “Democracy is not a free ride; it demands more of us than any other arrangement.”

Strapped for cash?

Martha Gillespie Ethics & Environment Officer IT’S inevitable at some point in your short student career that you will be rummaging around your bag for that last two quid to buy a much needed coffee.

Money matters, and no doubt this is the first time you’ve had to deal with bills, the cost of food and the issue of high rent prices all on your own. That’s why choosing the best bank for you is extremely important.

With the average pint costing around £3.50 as well as having to fork out £30 per week on average for food, being a student isn’t cheap!

Therefore, choosing a bank with good incentives such as a free rail card and helpful overdraft will help to keep

you afloat whilst banishing money stress to a far corner.

However, banking isn’t just about you. It’s also about the larger world community.

Banks don’t just keep your money safe and give you a nice big cushion in the form of a £1,500 overdraft; they also invest your money into various different enterprises.

“What enterprises?” I hear you ask. Well, it could be anything from investing in amazing ethical projects to rather questionable practices in the arms trade and mining that disrupt and often ruin people’s livelihoods.

Obviously, it’s your money to do with what you please, but awareness is key. 550,000 innocent civilian lives are lost each year to the smuggling and misuse of arms; that’s 151 people per day.

I know we aren’t the corporate giants in control of the operating arm of these enterprises, but the little things we do can be the catalyst in reactions that can help change lives.

So before you bank, think about where your money is going and what you can get out of it, but also how you can help others. Every action has a reaction.

If you want more information about ethical banking and student accounts, please pick up a leaflet from the Students’ Union reception and visit www.moveyourmoney.org.

You’ll be seeing a lot of events around ethical investment and corporations this term, and if you want to get involved then email eande@su.rhul.ac.uk.

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From the section editor:

Open up your eyes Stephen Atkinson Comment Editor

I WAS standing amongst a crowd of 60,000 people.

The banked floor on which I stood shook as the stadium was continuously erupting in pandemonium. If there was a roof, I do think it would have been blown off. The noise was so loud I could barely hear myself tunelessly screaming along to the anthems. All eyes were on the four men that make up one of the world’s most successful bands, Coldplay. But, then I noticed, that wasn’t the case at all. Not all eyes were on them. In fact, there were hundreds of eyes not on the stage at all, but on a replica of the stage depicted on a small, 4-inch screen 30cm from people’s faces. Instead, little lenses were pointed at the stage.

This scenario has been on my mind for quite a while since I witnessed the heart-stopping brilliance of a Coldplay concert in the Emirates Stadium this summer.

Instead of delightfully and relentlessly experiencing every minute of the gig, some, including the man right in front of me, spent 80% of the concert with his iPhone out, filming.

Why? In order to watch back and reminisce? In order to share with friends their magical experience?

In order to brag to the online community about it? I dare say that most people’s incentives for capturing any experience like that Coldplay gig is some mixture of those three.

But I fear that for those who do live life through

the intrusive eye of a camera, they are not able to watch back and reminisce about anything other than staring at a camera screen, and that they have no magical experience to share other than trying to get the best shot, realising their zoom is disappointingly poor, and finding out hours after that the sound of a concert recorded on a phone can be likened to the grinding cacophony of an innercity train station. And do they really have anything to brag about? All they’ve done is spend £45 on something they could get for free on Youtube.

For me, I’d much rather stand, watch and listen.

Watch as the north London stadium was sprinkled with dazzling flashing lights and lasers.

Listen as musical genius was personified on stage.

I had never experienced anything like it before. Will I ever again? Who knows.

But I am so glad I had it, just for that moment.

Is it better diminish your own experience of something in order to have a copy of it forever? Or is it better to authentically experience something that will only occur once?

I think that most of you will agree with me that the latter is much more satisfying. I therefore implore you, readers, to enjoy yourselves this year; embrace those once-in-alifetime experiences, open your eyes, not the shutter, to the beautiful scenes around you, think less of what how your life looks to others on the Facebook faux-universe and live life for yourself. It’s yours and yours only.

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o

The Orbital Sept 2012

This house believes that increasin degrees devalues the worth o

Proposition OVER the past few years the number of university applicants has been on the rise. Government campaigns encouraging school leavers to pursue higher education have been a factor behind this rise, with the previous Labour government aiming to get 50% of school leavers to enter university.

Keep in mind, I am not saying it is a bad thing if more students become interested in getting a degree (although the association of graduate recruiters have spoken against the government’s target), but there have been some consequences on the value of degrees and the worth of degree holders.

There are two things to look at here. One is the perception of value held by society, employers and even by the students themselves. Then there is the actual quality of the degrees themselves and what the students are getting out of their degrees.

So has this artificial demand really undervalued degrees?

In many employers’ eyes it has. The pressure to meet the Government’s targets and the rising number of university applicants has led to many universities accepting students without the proper academic merit.

For many students, clearing might be their only opportunity to enter a decent university. But when students who don’t meet

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the entry standards can get into the same course as students who have scored more highly, the value of the degree certainly diminishes.

It is not just the increasing number of students going into higher education that is the problem, but the falling quality of higher education itself that aggravates the problem further. As increasing number of students are being pushed into such courses, employers are losing confidence in the credibility and value of degrees.

The increasing demand coupled with lower academic standards quite simply means being a degree holder is not a big deal anymore. The easier it becomes to graduate with a good degree the less value it will have.

It is a simple matter of demand and supply. Just as the overprinting of money diminishes its value, the value of degrees has fallen in the UK, with quantity taking over quality, similar to a higher education bubble. There is no longer anything outstanding about a student with eight As and an upper second degree or above. It is simply a minimum requirement, one that hundreds of fresh graduates satisfy. The existing education structure leaves a lot to be desired.

There must be something inherently wrong in a structure where despite better and better results being achieved, many A level students and university

graduates have problems in literacy and numerical skills.

The reason degrees are perceived less highly is because they are failing to instill necessary skills in many cases.

Recruiters complain that many graduates are simply not equipped for the job market.

There seems to be a gap between the skills required and the skills gained by degree holders.

Come summer, we scramble to find internships, anything to make our CV stand out because we realise even if we graduate with a upper second or a first, it is no longer the valuable currency it once was. A degree is no longer a fast ticket to that dream job.

According to a survey reported by the BBC, almost 28% of UK graduates who left university in 2007 were still not in full time work three and a half years later.

Scores of graduates are ending up working in coffee shops because there is simply an oversupply of graduates and too few jobs. The same article mentions that one in ten graduates did not think their degree course was good value for money. For students, degrees no longer hold the same value and security they once did.

Government and policy makers should rethink their outdated policies which are not only diminishing the value of a degree but also changing society’s perception of vocational degrees, which may be more beneficial for certain careers.

vs

Aloka Chowdhury

WE AT the Debating Society love controversial topics, and it would be an understatement to say that the education sector has provided plenty of such topics over the years!

This is one of the more potent debates, as it encompasses, and is relevant to, literally every single student studying at university, both in this country and abroad.

In the past, holding a degree was a somewhat rare honour, often reserved for the elite.

However, these days, going to university has almost become a rite of passage, and an undergraduate degree in the sciences or arts is not as uncommon as it once was; hundreds of thousands of graduates are going into the job

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ng the proportion of people taking of having such a qualification.

s.

Hannah Awcock

market every year.

This begs the question of whether so many people having the same, or similar, qualifications dilutes the worth of having a degree.

Hence this debate, formatted in proper debating style, presents both an opening statement followed by the case in favour of it, the proposition, and the case against it, the opposition. So, have a read of both sides, and see what conclusion you come to!

Also, if you’re interested in getting involved with the Debating Society see our Facebook page (Royal Holloway Debating Society 2012-13), follow us on Twitter (@RHULDebatingSoc), and we’ll also be able to meet you in person at the Societies Fayre.

Opposition ACCORDING to Ucas, last year there were 1.8 million undergraduate students in fulltime higher education in the UK. This is a huge increase on previous decades, and I am going to argue that this can only be a good thing.

The idea that degrees are devalued simply because more people have them is absurd, all it means is that as a whole the population of the UK is better educated, which is a positive thing as it brings benefits to the economy and society as a whole.

I will make three main points in my argument that degrees are not being devalued, the first of which will be that the requirements for achieving a degree have not changed. The second is that a degree is still a minimum requirement for many jobs; and my third point is that degrees are valuable to the individual, no matter what the economic situation.

Firstly, the work you have to put in to get a degree has not decreased. Although the percentage of students getting firsts and 2:1s is increasing, I am a firm believer in the argument that people could very easily just be getting better at taking exams; controversial, I know!

There is a comprehensive system of external examiners in place to ensure that universities aren’t soft when setting questions and grading exam papers, therefore the argument

that exams are getting easier doesn’t really stack up. This means that degrees are not getting easier, so they are not worth any less.

These universal standards also mean that universities, students, and employers know what is required to achieve a degree. Having a degree means potential employers know instantly what skills you possess and that you are prepared to work hard. Yes, perhaps employers have more graduates to choose from nowadays, but that doesn’t mean that the fundamental standards of a degree are any less, which in turn means that they have not decreased in worth.

My second point is that for a lot of jobs, a degree of some sort is a minimum requirement.

Admittedly, a lot of jobs now require at least a 2:1, which is higher than it used to be, but at the end of the day a university education is still a necessity for many careers.

As the saying goes, you have to be in it to win it, and if you decide not to go to university then a large sector of jobs will be closed off to you. A degree is still a necessary route into a huge range of jobs and careers and until that is no longer the case then it is impossible to argue that degrees are being devalued. As a necessary step on the path to your dream job they are actually worth quite a lot!

Finally, the value of a degree to the personal development of the student has not diminished.

A university education is about much more than getting a job when you graduate, it is also about making new friends, having new experiences, and generally growing as a person.

This is a huge benefit of doing a degree that will never diminish no matter how many people go to university (may I take this opportunity to welcome all the freshers to Royal Holloway, I hope you have a very productive and enjoyable time here!). There is too much focus on university as a route to a career nowadays, and it is important we acknowledge the non-economic value of a degree.

Even if my first two arguments weren’t true, this would be more than enough to prove that degrees are worth just as much as they ever were.

To conclude, degrees have not decreased in value because the standards you have to meet to achieve one remain the same, they are still a vital part of getting many jobs, and most importantly, they are of immense non-economic value to the personal and social growth of students.

All this demonstrates that the increasing number of students attending university has done nothing to devalue the degrees that so many of us work so hard for.

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Careers Service The Careers Service has a wide range of free resources designed to develop your job-hunting skills and to give you the best chance of securing employment which is right for you.

tel: (01784) 443073 email: careers@rhul.ac.uk web: www.rhul.ac.uk/careers

Advice sessions Careers Consultants are available to see students for one-to-one ‘Quick Query’ appointments. These are fifteen-minute discussions which can cover issues such as decisions about life after graduation, options relating to your degree, or how to get work experience and internships.

CV and application checks A member of the Careers Service Team will review any CV, cover letter, personal statement or application form. They will help you analyse your skills and experience in relation to how these fit with a recruiter’s requirements.

Fairs and other events Careers Fairs are opportunities to explore potential employers and learn about different sectors. The Careers Service organise a range of fairs: Part-time Jobs Fair Business & IT Fair Recruitment Agency Fair MBA and Postgraduate Study Fair Internship Fair Lots of other employer and alumni events take place throughout the year. You can view all events and register to attend at www.rhul.ac.uk/careers/events

Practice interviews Once you have an interview confirmed with an employer, you can contact the Careers Service to arrange a practice interview with a Careers Consultant. A trained specialist will present standard interview questions tailored to your job specification and also provide feedback on any presentations required for the interview.

Lunchtime workshops These interactive sessions are on topics such as CV writing, effective applications, networking, using social media and much more. No need to register – just turn up at the Careers Service at 1pm. Details at www.rhul.ac.uk/careers/events

Jobs Once you’ve identified careers that interest you, the Careers Service can give you information about the sector and potential employers. All jobs are posted on JobOnline, our online jobs board accessed through My Careers Service at www.rhul.ac.uk/careers

www.facebook.com/rhulcareers

@rhulcareers

o

The Orbital Sept 2012

Jess Kinney, New Zealand WHEN I applied for a place on the exchange schemes offered by Royal Holloway International, I didn’t even expect to be offered an interview let alone be nominated for my first choice institution abroad.

That was ten months ago, and I’ve now been living in New Zealand for the past ten weeks. I might be 12,000 miles away from the UK and pretty much directly halfway around the globe from family, but I feel more at home here than I ever expected to.

For me, a wannabe hippie with a love for action, adrenaline and adventure all incorporated through nature, this is the absolute perfect place: all the reasons I chose this country for are now right here in the palm of my hand!

I just have to walk out of the door for an adrenalineinduced adventure.

Sometimes I just have to stay in my room; earthquakes are pretty frequent and definitely quite exciting!

Living in the capital city (a small and delightful coastal city on the southern-mostpoint of the North Island, dubbed as the “world’s coolest little capital”), I’m now eight weeks into term at Victoria University of Wellington.

Classes began on the 16 July, and I’ve already had a two week mid-trimester break occupied with an epic road trip of the North Island and much more. We went cave tubing, saw millions of dazzling glow worms, chilled out in thermal hot springs and got wonderfully lost in the never-ending wilderness of stunning beauty.

I’ve also had countless exciting weekend adventures both in and around the Wellington area. Having

arrived in the southern hemisphere’s winter, my summer holidays will begin at the start of November and last until early March. Four whole months of New Zealand travels are being planned, with a few adventures in Australia coming my way too!

With a country-wide population of just 4 million and a landmass similar to the UK, it’s such a different atmosphere and one that I’m growing to love very much.

I’ve learnt an incredible amount already — both about myself and about this fantastic country — and the experiences gained from living abroad are invaluable.

I can’t believe how lucky I am to be in this position, and I refuse to take any of it for granted. Every day I look for a new adventure to be had or a new sight to be seen. I’ve never been busier!

Student

The Sabbatical Files Doug German President I STARTED working at the Students’ Union on 2 July and spent a month with Dan Cooper, last year’s President, learning more about the role. After being shown how everything works, I underwent a number of different training events at Surhul, ULU and the NUS. Over the summer, the SU has employed three new members of staff: Dan Kelly, our new Membership Services Coordinator; Caston Matewu, Representation and Engagement Coordinator; and Marianne Milne, Assistant Bars and Venues Manager.

Having been involved in the interview process for the latter two and having seen the work of the former, I know they’re going to be fantastic.

I’ve been to my first ULU senate and Unions 94 meeting where we discussed the priority campaigns for ULU and the direction we

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should take the Students’ Unions in the 1994 Group of Universities.

Closer to home I’ve been to a number of College meetings, and we held an event for presessional overseas students in the SU, introducing ourselves and what the SU does to give them an idea of how to get involved.

Last week we trained the new members of the executive committee planning many of the campaigns the SU will be running this year (see some of them on our wall planner), and this week I’ve been preparing for Welcome Week, from organising volunteers to packing SU bags for incoming students.

There’s a huge amount coming up this term which I don’t have space to go into here, but please look out for my blog on the SU website and come along to the first General Meeting (2 October).

It’s going to be a fantastic year so make the most of Welcome Week and get involved!

ones RHUL has seen.

My other big projects VP Communications & Campaigns are setting up the Students’ MY FIRST few months Union’s TV station which is as a sabb have been both coming together slowly but educational and challenging. I surely, organising for the NUS learnt that it’s good to have an national demo, working on ambitious manifesto, but when getting Surhul student staff you get into office you realise the living wage and getting the how difficult implementing SU a new (or at least sexier) it actually is (particularly in website.

By now you should probably somewhere as bureaucratic as RHUL). After the various realise that the SU has a fantastic training events I went on with newspaper. We also have a the NUS, ULU and Surhul I radio station broadcasting got to work on my two priority on 103.2FM that is entering campaigns for the year: its first full academic year Defend Education and the under its new community FM Student Workers’ Campaign. licence. I’ve been working with Hopefully you’ll see more Insanity Radio’s wonderful about these in the coming station managers this summer to begin implementing plans weeks.

Alongside lead campaigns I to strengthen its sound and to wanted to make sure Surhul is make sure it’s in a stable place running lots of smaller cultural for years to come.

Overall it’s going to be a long campaigns, piggy backing on national months. The first is year, but I’d like to think that Black History Month, and I’ve I’ve spent the summer putting had the pleasure of working the proverbial flagpole in the with a very pragmatic group of ground for all of my ambitions.

Like they say: You’ve got to individuals from the African Carribean Society who are set shoot for the stars if you want to make it one of the biggest to hit the moon!

Jamie S Green

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Matt Reuben, Spain IF YOU want to do an Erasmus year — or in my case, if you have to — preparations start well in advance: teaching or studying, which country and then where in the country.

By about Christmas I’d decided to study (teaching sounded like too much hard work), in Spain (a myriad of health problems meant I didn’t want to risk somewhere which didn’t have a health service as I understood it), and I decided on Córdoba because they offered translation assistance if I ended up in hospital.

In retrospect I wish I’d put rather more thought into it, since this town has a lot of cobbles and nobody could call it flat, but here I am.

Having arrived in Córdoba I’m beginning to see why people find Erasmus years so terrifying and so exciting.

I landed at Málaga airport

clutching the address of my hotel, knowing it was two train rides away, with a 44-litre backpack and 20kilo suitcase alongside my wheelchair.

Somehow, mostly thanks to various generous Spanish people, I managed to make my way to Córdoba and into the hotel, upon which it hit me: I was meant to be speaking Spanish from now on!

I’m becoming accustomed to that remarkably quickly; having to find a flat to live in is a surprisingly effective challenge in terms of getting used to speaking a foreign language, and I’ve been immersing myself in the Spanish culture of beer and queuing.

It’s more of a shock than I expected, being here – there’s a lot to think about, and things are very different. Enrolling at the university involves seeing

a lot of different people and getting signatures on bits of paperwork. It almost feels like I have to queue to get the piece of paper, queue to get the pen, queue to get the person to sign it, queue to get it stamped… you can imagine, it’s all somewhat Kafka-esque.

However, all that waiting seems to be very good for my social life. As someone who speaks rather less Spanish than most of the Erasmus students I was somewhat worried, but I already have plans to drink beer and discuss student politics with the acting president of the SU later in the week, and I’m having dinner tonight with a group of Italians.

It’s easy to feel very isolated at the start of an Erasmus year, but in reality the thing I keep having to remember is that everyone else feels as isolated as I do!

Find out what your sabbs have been up to over the past few weeks...

Kenny Aruwa VP Education & Welfare WE’VE all been super busy organising and preparing the year’s calendar of events and campaigns and things are really starting to take shape!

We all had a lovely time at a social event I organised for the international PELP students a few weeks ago, and we now can’t wait for you to all arrive!

I have organised a team of SSHH bus drivers to take new international students out to Kingswood and the local area once they have been dropped off on campus from Heathrow Airport this weekend. I have ordered 2,496 bottles of water for Welcome Week, for those moving in and the volunteers helping them.

For all you crazy partygoers out at the SU in the evenings, I’ll be out with a team of volunteers (who I will call my “Squirtle Squad”) handing out free water to those who are getting a little hot / un-

sober. Speaking of freebies, I have also recently ordered 288 condoms, 144 sachets of lube and 30 flavoured dental dams. You can pick them up for free from me or from Tina upstairs, so if you’re planning on — in the words of Will Smith — “getting jiggy with it”, Uncle Kenny says “make sure you’re jiggying safely!”

Some of you will be familiar with the crazy ladies from ‘R U Clear?’ who come and test you all for Chlamydia… well I’ve managed to secure a refillable unit in the SU, so now you’ll be able to pick up a testing pack from here and send it off Freepost at any point during the year.

In other news, more frequent station pickups by the SSHH bus was on my manifesto, and I am pleased to tell you it is now official!

While it used to be 21:30 and 00:20, it is now 21:30, 22:00, 22:30, 23:00 and 00:30, every day of the week – and it’s still free. Beautiful.

See you out there!

Ian Stewart VP Student Activities PEOPLE always told me that the life of a sabb is a crazy mixture of great fun, heavy responsibility and lack of sleep!

This summer I’ve started to find out the truth, and most of the real work hasn’t even started yet. Sometimes you have to live it to understand it, but let me try and take you through what I’ve done month by month.

July began with us freshfaced new sabbs being shown the ropes by our predecessors and what almost felt like being paraded around.

There are so many different departments that make Royal Holloway tick along and we tried to cram meeting them all into a month. It wasn’t enough, but while it was a bit crazy it was good to meet the people who act as the engine room of the College. July acted as a learning curve and a realisation of the role I’d taken on.

The start of August was mixed; it was sad to see the old sabbs go, but really exciting to finally take the reins.

There were still several departments to meet and another conference to attend but I got to work on trying to deliver some points on my manifesto. I had a few meetings with college to try and secure more space for student use.

I also met with ESO (the Educational Support Office) to see how we can make sports and societies more inclusive and worked on some initiatives with the SU’s commercial services department to get a better deal for clubs and societies.

When September started, it seemed like there was an age to go until the start of term but those ages quickly turned into: “Ah man, it’s here”.

There’s always a little bit of panic that things won’t be ready, but I know we’ve done loads to be ready and really I’m just excited for it all to begin.

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The Orbital Sept 2012

Your sabb team The four sabbatical officers are full time members of staff at the students’ union, who were all elected last year to run the Students’ Union along with the rest of the executive committee.

As president, I act as the figurehead of the SU, representing students to the College, at ULU and at the NUS — wherever your views need to be heard.

I’m also responsible for running all the student elections at RHUL, the entertainments at the Students’ Union, our finances, and our strategic direction. I chair the Trustee Board of the Students’ Union, and I’m responsible for the staffing of the Students’ Union through our General Manager.

My name’s Jamie, and I’m the VPComCam. Originally from an industrial town in South Wales, I studied a BA in Media Arts at RHUL, where I became an impassioned socialist, workplace activist and furthered my love of creating radio and broadcast media.

The first half of my job is to ensure effective communication of our various services and campaigns in addition to working with our media outlets as executive editor.

The other half of my job is running and facilitating the various campaigns that the SU runs every year, with a particular focus on the SU priority campaigns with the help of the campaigns officer, Craig Gent.

So about six months ago I decided that captaining the American Football team, volunteering as a Residential Support Assistant, working as a Duty Manager for the SU bars and doing a Masters Degree just didn’t leave me involved enough in student life at Royal Holloway, so I decided to run for Vice President Student Activities.

Now I’m responsible for all the sports clubs, societies and volunteering that students’ take part in for the SU and I’m busier than I’ve ever been. My biggest aim this year is to engage as many people as possible with the SU and I think that Student Activities is the best way to do that.

My name is Kenny, and I am your Vice President (Education & Welfare).

A large part of my role is to look after you and make sure you’re as happy as can be. If you have issues with your department, landlord, employer or even if everything just sucks a bit I’m here to offer support and advice. You are always welcome to come and talk to me, or Tina - our full time Welfare Advisor, in complete confidence and without judgement.

I’ve got some exciting plans for this year including the introduction of a new anti-discrimination brand “Love Holloway, Hate Hatred” and the return of some good old campaign favourites such as SHAG, Love Your Neighbour and Stressbusters.

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How is it run?

The 1994 Education Act states that every university not only has to have an SU by law, but they must be run by an elected team of full-time student officers, also known as sabbatical officers.

In addition to the four sabbaticals, there is a team of more than 15 part-time officers who form the executive committee. They work alongside the sabbaticals in their particular fields of focus.

To help support the elected officers’ work, the SU employs 20 full-time staff members and up to 200 student staff members in the various departments of the organisation.

What is a general meeting?

General meetings are held every three weeks. They act as Surhul’s parliament, and any student can come along to watch, vote and have a say in how the Union is run.

In the GM, students can propose motions of what they think the union should be doing and what stance it should take on matters. Students can also update and amend the constitution that regulates the SU. It’s also chance to hold all of the elected officers to account as well as run for any positions that remain vacant after elections.

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What is the Students’ Union?

The Students’ Union Royal Holloway, University of London (or Surhul) is a registered charity independent of the university, like most SUs in the country. It is largely run by elected students who represent the interest of the union’s members.

Its job is to represent the student body to the College and the Government, both on a local and national scale.

In addition, it offers various types of support to our students through ‘Just ASC’, over 90 clubs and societies, volunteering opportunities and a fantastic set of student media outlets!

Why is it important?

In times of change to the education system, it’s more important than ever that students have a chance to voice their opinions both on and off campus; this is where the SU comes in.

As the next generation of workers, students have the ability to set the discourse for both now and the future, and Students’ Unions’ collective political ability shouldn’t be underestimated.

In addition, through its range of student activities, it offers the mechanisms for students to discuss, socialise and grow. It helps to make your experience at university an unforgettable one.

What has it achieved?

What are the NUS and ULU? The Students’ Union is affiliated with the National Union of Students and University of London Union.

The NUS is the national voice of students in tertiary education, and ULU is the students’ union for the University of London itself.

Surhul regularly works with both bodies to run campaigns and share resources or ideas. The NUS and ULU are running a national demonstration in November.

ULU also has fantastic gym and pool facilities in its Central London base and runs the London Student, Europe’s biggest student newspaper.

In addition to being described as having “a reputation as one of the best unions in the London area” by the Times, in recent years the SU has become one of biggest campaigning students’ unions in the UK. Last year the education campaign played a part in successfully fighting against 40 lecturer redundancies, eventually reducing the cuts to zero.

The union also has one of the very few student radio stations in the UK to have an FM license.

We’re the only SU to have one without a university offering a radio degree alongside it.

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oOlympic wordsearch The Orbital Sept 2012

G S V T F D F C K O D L T D

G T G U U O D H F O O T G K

C U Q D J O Y R X G S F W O

B P R D F I U I Y U T F B P

E P E N D L E T O N R T R D

S C H N T U Y T R R U M O Q

I H F O N F S I R Z T U W I

M R A L Y I I A P P H R N B

M I R I E W S N I Q E R L M

O S A O N M M S Z M R A E S

N T H R Q P O E W U F Y E L

D I S M O C N N H F O C T P

S H M I S T D P N C R U Z O

Y W R N N E S Q L S D N M A

Sudoku Fill in the grid so that the numbers 1 to 9 only appear once in 3x3 sector and only once on each line.

Easy peasy

A challenge

PENDLETON, MURRAY, BROWNLEE, RUTHERFORD, ENNIS, SIMMONDS, CHRISTIANSEN, WEIR, FARAH, HOY

Simple crossword Across 1. Compass point (5) 7. Evicting (8) 8. Characteristic (5) 10. Duel (5,5) 12. Sketches (8) 14. Opera song (4) 16. Tidy (4) 17. Expel (spirits) (8) 20. Trying hard (10) 23. Dining surface (5) 24. Coffee style (8) 25. Large Asian nation (5) Down 1. Caught (butterfly) (6) 2. Neither ... nor that (4) 3. Not quite closed (4) 4. Space (film) (3-2) 5. End of hand (9) 6. Author, ... Christie (6) 9. Spin (5) 11. Section of writing (9) 13. Fraternise (3) 15. Full force (of attack) (5) 16. Made snug home (6) 18. Skin allergy (6) 19. Stared lustfully at (5) 21. Young woman (4) 22. Long deep wound (4)

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Excruciating

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Simon says...

A protein shake summer

Photo: D.H. Lee

Simon Rawlings Lifestyle Editor

I CAN’T help but wonder when sipping on a not-somouth-watering strawberry protein shake how far I will go in the pursuit of a body that rivals that of any Abercrombie and Fitch model.

For me, this summer has been less about couture, shoes and accessories and more about cowbell swings, squats and amour filled dreams about the perfect body.

It seems that in this day and age men are just as likely to feel the pressure to attain the ideal body as women.

What’s more, in most cases it seems the fuel of this pressure is coming from faceless paper shopping bags that are increasingly being plastered with the general regard for what a man’s body should look like...

After taking a long hard look in the mirror I decided this summer that my flat ‘pec-less’ chest wasn’t filling out my Burberry and that

my bicep-free arms were letting down my collection of Vivienne Westwood.

For the past 6 weeks I have attempted to triple the amount of food that I eat and quadruple my muscle mass through merciless exercise under a personal trainer, all in the name of fashion. Most evenings after a session with my trainer I have always aimed to sit at my desk and write a paragraph for this article, hoping that some inspired tapping of my laptop keys would lead to a piece of writing that showed you, the reader, how far a person will go in search for that Abercrombie body.

However, the truth of the situation is that after each and every training session I have embarrassingly waddled back home in agony like a cast member of ‘Happy Feet’, taken one look at the laptop and fallen asleep from exhaustion.

My common vocabulary has also been subject to change. The words ‘reps’, ‘pull-ups’, ‘protein’, ‘push-

ups’, ‘half get-ups’ and ‘situps’ have passed my lips more than my usual chatter surrounding the devotion and care for the environment that appears in countless beautiful collections of Dame Vivienne Westwood.

I have to ask, when did my love of clothes lead me to become more in love with countless trips to the gym?

Most importantly, when did I start wanting an Abercrombie body and was it for the right reasons, if there were any reasons at all?

During my most recent trip to London’s Abercrombie and Fitch store I found myself staring at the 80% naked models that start your shopping experience for reasons quite different than normal.

As my eyes innocently scanned his washboard six pack and toned shoulders I began to feel a huge wave of jealousy and a contrasting masculine urge to lift some weights as soon as possible.

I couldn’t believe I was more interested in getting the

name of his nutritionist than his number! Furthermore, I started to think about why exactly he was hired to stand there in the first place.

As I perused the store, finding myself unusually drawn to a mass-produced sweater with the word ‘FITCH’ embroidered onto the chest, I felt my whole moral fashion code breaking down.

Why exactly was I in Abercrombie and Fitch in the first place? I detest mass produced clothes but the silent promise of looking like the models on the stairs and paper bags is one that I found myself unable to turn down.

So I stopped writing this article, and I have now come back to it a few weeks later.

It’s now two weeks till Welcome Week and I’m sad to say I cannot yet report back with news of an Abercrombie body.

This summer hasn’t involved me spending a ridiculous amount of money on one of those ‘I’m going to get buff ’ fads, quite the con-

trary in fact. I never did buy that Abercrombie sweater, nor did I get the name and number of the model’s nutritionist because luckily I had a muscle-centred epiphany.

No amount of Abercrombie and Fitch (don’t forget about Hollister!) clothes will ever bring me close to looking like a 6’2 fake tanned, waxed Abercrombie model. It’s just not who I am.

I’m still hitting the gym and eating lots of chicken (and I mean lots of chicken) but as for my reasons? Well, they’ve changed. I want to get fitter to look like a better version of myself, not to transform into some twodimensional image on a bag.

What do I want you to take away from these last 800 words? Don’t let clever marketing make you become a walking advertisement for a brand. If you truly love it, great, but always look to the mirror for your initial inspiration; you can always use those paper bags to carry your shopping in from Tesco...

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Model of the month The model:

Mary Fisayo, 19, has an eyecatching glance and bone structure that is enough to stop anyone in their tracks.

As a foundation student here at Royal Holloway last year, Mary has progressed to studying for a degree in economics.

A true treasure from the state of Texas, Mary shows how powerful and crucial the eyes are to any photo. With her ability to tell a story with one glance she shows her natural capability as a model and has set the standard as the first female model of the month. Remember where you saw her first!

Through the lens:

Gyan Gurung, Lifestyle’s resident photographer, reflects on the shoot.

Mary was a delight to shoot!

As someone who knew how to ‘smize’ as Tyra Banks would put it, it comes to me as no surprise that she was a complete natural in front of the camera, oozing confidence with every glance.

This final image stood out to me as I adore her expression and how the natural light illuminates her face perfectly, accentuating her striking cheekbones and flawless complection. www.gyangurung.com

Have you got what it takes to be the next model of the month? Simply email lifestyle@theorbital.co.uk for more information and it could be your photo on this page!

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Solving the problem of odd socks...

Mark Hall ARE you committing one of the greatest crimes against fashion known to man? Socked Ltd is a new company based in Leeds that launched in August 2012.

They aim to rid the planet of men wearing odd socks and to teach them the rules of simple fashion by offering a unique subscription to a delivery of the finest classic black sock.

What are the effects of this crime? Wearing odd socks can have a devastating effect

on men’s lives, something that most men aren’t even aware of.

7/10 single women stated that that if a man were to arrive on a date wearing odd socks, they would definitely not be found lying on the bedroom floor the next morning.

In fact, a woman aged 27 from Leeds said: “If a man can’t be bothered to take care of him or have any pride in his appearance then he’s hardly going to be a good husband or father is he?” The effect doesn’t stop there either. 9/10 company managers stated that if a candidate arrived at a

interview wearing odd socks it would seriously harm their chances of gaining the job and 8/10 company managers stated that if an existing member of staff was to wear odd socks that would affect their chances of promotion!

But men do not need to suffer any longer; socked.co.uk is a new black sock subscription and missing sock replacement service.

Catering for time-poor gentlemen who take pride in their appearance, it offers peace of mind for consumers worried about this crime

against fashion and the time to get on with their daily duties.

Socks can be delivered once a month, every three months or even just twice a year, and customers can choose any colour they want, as they’re all black.

The service also supplies etiquette tips (socked.co.uk/ tips) which, if followed, will guarantee to turn any man into a gentleman, and as we all know the fair ladies love a gentleman - just ask James Bond. Good manners cost nothing, but socks start at £1.97 a pair including delivery!

We are offering YOU the chance to win a year’s twice-yearly subscription to this unique service.

All you need to do to tell us the strangest place you’ve found one of those mysterious socks that disappear for months on end!

Email your answers to lifestyle@theorbital.com for your chance to win!

Runway tales “J P Prewitt” THERE are many misconceptions that people have about the modelling industry. Truth is not all of them are wrong. Some say that it is full of self-absorbed airheads with superiority complexes who consider themselves to be really, really, really ridiculously good looking.

Yet, what Zoolander fails to tell you between the seemingly-constant sex and the gasoline fights is that there is a hell of a lot of work to be done, and not all of it is as fun as assassinating the Prime Minister of Malaysia.

There are many things that

you don’t see on America’s Next Top Model. You don’t see the queues outside castings that go out the hall, down three flights of stairs and out through the door past the next two building. Nor will you see the thousands of cigarette butts that litter the ground when all the models leave.

You won’t hear the endless bitching that goes on in makeup and hair. But what you will never ever see in one of these shows is the amount of rejection that goes on in this industry and the horrible aftermath.

Between 2001 and 2012 a total of 18 professional models killed themselves. (This figure excludes all those who died

through drug overdoses or starving themselves to death.) The oldest in this small segment was 37 and the youngest was 16.

If you look into it you will almost definitely discover something about them having been rejected in the weeks leading to their death.

They say that acting is 1% work and 99% rejection. If you look at the modelling industry, in a normal day you would be going to roughly 15 castings.

In a lucky week, you might just about get a call back from one.

And even if you do, there are still the other 20 models they called back for you to compete against. Still, at least you get to wear beautiful clothes!

Photo: Andy Houghton

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o Student survival guide: The Orbital Sept 2012

Confessions of a bodybuilder: Vegetarian spaghetti Women & weights bolognese

Photo: Bryony Bowie

AS A vegetarian, it’s my aim to create healthy, mouthgasming recipes that everyone can enjoy, and as a student I’m trying to do this as cheaply as possible.

In my first year I found that the best place to meet and get to know my flatmates was in the kitchen, and I also discovered that there are many perks if you offer to cook for other people.

Cooking would be my answer to flatmate bonding and yummy food in Welcome Week any day!

Ingredients:

• 2 onions, finely chopped • 2 carrots, grated • 1 yellow pepper, chopped • 1 stick celery, chopped • 2 cloves garlic, crushed • 400g tinned tomatoes

• 1 Oxo cube crumbled into 200ml water • 100ml red wine • 300g Quorn mince • 1tbsp tomato puree • Dried herbs: oregano, thyme – whatever you fancy

There are many other things you can add to give an extra oomph: a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar, red pesto, mushrooms, fresh basil – go crazy.

You could also use beef mince, or just leave out the Quorn and bulk it up with more veg. If I can give you one tip for great cooking, it’s to make sure you have herbs in your cupboard.

Instructions:

1. Fry the onion, celery, pepper, garlic and carrot in a large saucepan for about 5 minutes 2. Add the tomatoes, wine, stock, herbs and tomato puree, and simmer for 10 minutes 3. Add in the Quorn – you don’t need to de-frost. At the same time, begin to cook the pasta. The bolognese should be ready at about the same time the pasta is.

4. Season to taste, sprinkle with cheese and enjoy impressing people.

5. And if it doesn’t all get eaten – stick it in a Tupperware box and freeze it.

Cooking time: 25 mins. Serves 4. Approximate price per portion: £1.40.

For more food tips and ideas, check out thisisunifood. blogspot.com.

Bryony Bowie

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James Corbyn “BUT I don’t want to get too muscley!”, “Won’t I just look like a man?” and “Those female bodybuilders look disgusting though!” are by far the retorts most frequently employed by women when male personal trainers / fitness enthusiasts (myself included) propose to their female counterparts that they should include resistance training (weightlifting) as part of their exercise regimes.

These statements are utter nonsense, based on misinformed and ignorant assertions and premises. The answers to these questions are quite simple, with studies showing time and time again that weightlifting is nothing but beneficial to the health, wellbeing and overall physique of the female population.

The possibilities of becoming “too muscley” or “looking like a man” only become present if you choose to pursue the route of competitive bodybuilding, employing the use of chemical enhancement, extremely highintensity training techniques and consuming a huge diet of lean meats and complex carbohydrates.

For the average weightlifting woman, the natural female genetic makeup makes it simply impossible to reach any

substantial level of muscularity without resorting to the above means.

This comes down to the roles played by the hormones testosterone and oestrogen.

Testosterone is the primarymale sex hormone responsible for anabolic activity (the gain of body tissue, including muscle) in the body as well as the development of male characteristics. By contrast, oestrogen is the primary female sex hormone being responsible for the development of female characteristics.

It should come as no surprise to you that testosterone is found in abundance in men with oestrogen in minimal amounts, whilst this is the polar opposite for women.

It would therefore seem that mother nature never intended and therefore has never allowed for the natural attainment of significant levels of muscle tissue by women.

With that myth thoroughly dispelled, science not only demonstrates the impossibility of looking like a female version of Arnold Schwarzenegger but the health and physique benefits that weightlifting can bring to those women who choose to pick of a set of dumbbells.

The Mayo Clinic has demonstrated the positive effects on bone density,

regardless of gender, that weightlifting can induce whilst the American Heart Association have reported that resistance training reduces arterial blood pressure and significantly discourages the development of cardiovascular disease.

If you are more concerned about how you look on the outside than your health on the inside then there is still good news. Whilst you may burn more calories in the gym doing one hour of the treadmill as opposed to thirty minutes of resistance training, your body will actually carry on burning caloriesafter you have left the gym if you opt for the weights room.

Additionally, muscle is a more ‘metabolically active’ tissue than fat, allowing for more calories to be burned whilst at rest than fat tissue.

This means you can burn more calories when you are simply doing nothing!

I hope I’ve made it clear to the female readers that weightlifting does not and cannot turn you into the Incredible Hulkette and that it will help you achieve the high level of fitness or great physique that you might do.

I trust the guys out there will be encouraging the girls to start pumping some iron. See you in the weights room girls!

Don’t dial Domino’s Freddie Rayner WELCOME week is the time for reckless thoughts; it will rarely be your finest hour. More than likely you will end up passed out in your pantry with your new flatmates drawing on you (not that I talk from personal experience...) But one thing that you should note is that a hangover is more than just a headache and a series of bad photos on Facebook.

There will be a time which we all face; it’s between 2.30 and about 3.15 the morning after a night out. I call it “doner time”, but it goes by many different names. This is the moment where we all suddenly realise

what this great night out has been missing and what will totally set it off.

No, I’m not talking about going back to Donna’s and setting the night off. I’m talking about that moment when you go to or call your favourite late night fast food joint and make an order that you shouldn’t.

It may be getting The American Hot with extra jalapenos, or thinking in your drunken state that you could wolf down two large Big Mac meals. Trust me, your hungover self will hate you for it the next morning.

There are two reasons for this. First, there is nothing worse than waking up in some strange place, with a pounding in your head that

feels like hardcore techno and the feeling that you are going to throw up because that kebab from last night wants to see you again.

And the second reason: in the morning you may happen to see your bank balance and wonder how you managed to chew through half your weekly budget in one night. There is a third, but I don’t want to go into the details of what an American Hot can do to you.

My point is that you shouldn’t submit to the temptation.

Although Welcome Week is indeed a time for fun, don’t give in to that feeling that you get in the early hours after the club closes. Your hung-over self and your bank balance will thank you.

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Interrail: One ticket, 30 countries James Smith WITH one global pass Interrail train ticket, a cash passport and a bag full of clothes, I already had the key ingredients to three-and-ahalf unforgettable weeks.

I don’t want to sound like a generic BBC three narrator on one of those “sun, sex and sorry, what’s culture?” programmes, but it would be a fair comment to say that there are few better ways to spend just under a month than with six old school friends travelling central and eastern Europe on a daily budget of 25 euros, spending our nights living in cheap hostel accommodation.

Granted, you could argue that luxury hotels and a more ‘sumptuous’ diet sound far more appealing than living on Germany’s notorious

one euro cheeseburgers and washing in grubby showers littered with suspicious hairs reminiscent of the washing facilities in Founders Building, but a luxury lifestyle doesn’t really walk hand in hand with what I like to call the Interrail experience anyway.

Many readers, whether they have been travelling or not, will probably cringe at the term, but anybody who has used a global pass and ‘Interrailed’ around Europe will no doubt be familiar with my summer adventure.

Continual perspiration and the unbearable stench of adolescent feet become eminently worthwhile when balanced against the pleasure and personal satisfaction you gain from the cultural gems every city has to offer.

Food and drink proved to be two of these cultural gems.

The bible says that man cannot live on bread alone, which is just as well; the delights of Czech goulash in Prague or a litre of Hofbräu in Munich’s largest beer hall would have otherwise gone undiscovered.

You will take pleasure in discovering that with the consumption of a litre or two of any German beer, even Bavarian music becomes bearable.

Food and drink must not take priority over architecture, though.

Indeed, St Mary’s Basilica in Krakow provides one of the most beautiful views in Europe, arguably superior to that of Munich’s Rathaus and Prague’s astronomical clock tower.

All comparisons aside, there is no denying that Europe as a whole is teeming with sights which rival those of any continent.

Photo: Jonathan Marks

Explore Dresden

Photo: Basterus

Ruby Ellis AS ONE of Germany’s oldest cities, Dresden has a vibrant past.

From being ruled by the party animal Saxon king Augustus the Strong — who had a penchant for crushing horse shoes with his bare hands and reportedly had 365 illegitimate children — to being destroyed by allied bombing during World War II, and from being part of East Germany until 1990, to finally having most of its destroyed monuments rebuilt after the fall of communism.

Because of this history, Dresden is a pulsating, multifaceted city with booming nightlife and the famous alternative culture of eastern Germany in the Neustadt (New Town), and the picturesque buildings, statues and churches characteristics of central Europe in the Altstadt (Old Town).

Walking through the Neustadt is something of an experience: it’s home to a lively alternative scene and

the current trend is to walk around bare foot.

Graffiti brightens up the streets, and vintage and second-hand shops hiding secret gems lie around every corner. Young and old are welcome here and mix in the streets.

This is the living heart of the city, away from the tourist haven of the Altstadt, where surrealist bars beckon you in with a doll’s head and traditional German beer.

In contrast to this, the Altstadt plays host to the traditional tourist must-haves of beautiful architecture, plenty of photo opportunities and lots of good food.

Although only rebuilt in 2005, the Frauenkirche is one of Dresden’s most famous landmarks. It was recreated in the traditional style, and using the original masonry where possible.

Walking through the Theatre Square, it’s easy to imagine yourself back in the 1800s, whilst horse drawn carts ferry tourists from all over the world to view the city.

More Information How to get there: Flights with Ryanair from London Stansted to Leipzig Halle (where you can take a short train journey to Dresden) start at £55 return.

Where to stay: The A & O hostel (right next to the main train station and the Altstadt, with efficient public transport to the rest of the city) starts at €20 per person per night. www.aohostels.com/ en/dresden/ Where to go out: Stilbruch: a surrealist 1940s style bar in the heart of the Neustadt.

Tram stop: Albertplatz Böhmische Straße 30 01099 Dresden. http://www.stilbruchdresden.de/

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o

The Orbital Sept 2012

Editor’s letter

Rebecca Hilsdon Arts Editor SITTING down to write this month’s editor’s letter gave me the opportunity to reflect on what an exhilarating Summer it has been for London.

Now the excitement has come to an end, however, there is a feeling of anticlimax knowing that the Jubilee merchandise has been relegated to the sale shelves with Wenlock and Mandeville surely counting down the days until they pitch up there too.

I began to wonder whether London had exhausted itself, before I started receiving the reviews and articles from our contributors which showed me that we have plenty to look forward to. Be not afeared! This capital is full of noises, sounds and sweet airs that give delight!

As Kenneth Branagh donned a top hat to bellow Caliban’s words on a hill in Stratford for the Olympic Opening Ceremony, the life of William Shakespeare was carefully being

pieced together at the British Museum. Their new exhibition entitled Shakespeare: Staging the World documents the growing importance of London during Shakespeare’s time and allows you to see the world which inspired him. You can read a review of the exhibition in this issue. l caught up with Tim Sullivan, director of the Savio(u)r Theatre Company.

They are a thriving, multinominated company who are preparing for the opening night of their next production, Thornton Wilder’s Our Town. You can also read about the Drama Department’s new theatre and its namesake, playwright Caryl Churchill, as well as various reviews of films, books and albums.

Don’t forget you can follow us on Twitter (@arts_orbital) to keep up to date with what’s going on in the arts world.

We’d also love to hear from anyone who would like to write for our upcoming issues, just email me at: arts@theorbital.co.uk.

Image: Martin Pettitt

RHUL arts

New theatre’s name revealed Zosia Edwards Art Director

ROYAL Holloway’s new theatre is to be named after Caryl Churchill, the world famous British playwright.

As a female dramatist with a prolific career spanning six decades, the choice of Churchill is a fitting one for Royal Holloway, a college with a strong history of Women’s education. Her wide ranging expertise, having worked within musical theatre and various other fields, corresponds with the broad specialisms

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of the Department of Theatre and Drama The £3 million pound rebuild will equip the university with a state of the art theatre space. It has a seating capacity of 175, with adjoining rehearsal rooms, accessible dressing rooms and a workshop.

The theatre will be linked to the existing Sutherland House by a glass foyer.

Foster Wilson Architects have developed the plans for the building. A company which specialises in educational theatre spaces, having built and renovated theatres in

various schools including Cheltenham Ladies College.

The theatre, due to be finished in 2013, will replace the previous building. Built during the 1980s, the old theatre no longer met the needs of the current drama department and was suffering from structural decline. The department held a farewell party before the old building was demolished, with students writing messages on the walls and participating in knocking through walls with sledgehammers.

BRITISH dramatist and playwright Caryl Churchill was born in London in 1938.

Starting to write while studying at Oxford, Churchill won an award for her first play, Downstairs, at the Sunday Times National Union of Students Drama Festival.

Her works include stage plays such as Top Girls and Easy Money, as well as several works written for BBC radio and television.

Her career truly took off in the 1960s and 70s while she was raising her children,

Churchill has won many awards including four Obie awards and the 1988 Laurence Olivier/BBC Award for Best New Play in 1988.

Over the years, Churchill has had strong links with the Royal Court Theatre, London. She was resident dramatist there in the 1970s and recently they held a retrospective in honour of her 70th birthday.

She is a patron of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, and her latest play entitled Love and Information is opening

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Theatre

Savio(u)r Theatre Company

Photo: Jason Coltan

Photo: Brendan Callahan

Rebecca Hilsdon Arts Editor I MANAGED to catch up with Tim Sullivan, Artistic Director of Savio(u)r Theatre Company. It’s a company devoted to bringing together both British and American actors, performing classic plays as well as promoting new writing.

It has gone from strength to strength since 2009, leading last year’s Off West End awards and continuously performing to packed houses.

I spoke to Tim between rehearsals for his new Thornton Wilder play Our Town, to ask his advice for anyone wishing to break into the industry, as well as hearing about his unusual choice to set the play in a warehouse in Peckham!

So, the company’s main premise is about fusing together the talents of American and British actors. Tell us about that?

Obviously, in the first instance we saw our American background as a selling point - it’s what made us unique and set us apart from the crowd, but at the same time we really saw an

opportunity for someone on the fringe to start uniting British and American actors.

I think it’s such an incredible experience to be challenged by peers from different backgrounds, and I think as we’ve grown, we’ve really seen the benefits of feeding off of our two countries’ different theatrical traditions.

Do you think there’s a difference between English and American actors, and if so what?

Overall, I think British actors have an incredible ability to work with a text from Shakespeare to Sarah Kane I find their technique to be extremely polished and this is really exciting for a director as it clears away a lot of the work you’d have to do with some other actors.

I think American actors on the whole have a huge amount of passion - I think with Shakespeare it can become glaring - I love watching American companies do Shakespeare because of how much zeal they attack the play with, whereas I think it’s easy for British actors to take it for granted a bit.

I understand you see lots of actors when you’re casting, what is it you look for in an actor?

There are a lot of actors out there - for our productions on the fringe we regularly have more than 300 actors apply for one of 10 roles.

I think it’s really easy for actors to get distracted by nonsense in an audition: What should I wear? Should I shake the director’s hand? etc.

The most important elements I’m looking for are: Have they chosen a good piece from a solid writer?

Do they have an objective, a goal that they’re trying to reach within their scene or monologue and do they pursue this wholeheartedly?  The Drama Society at Royal Holloway is one of the biggest and most established on campus.

There are, therefore, a lot of students hoping to pursue a career in the theatre, so what advice would you give them?

Pretty much anything I could say would sound cliche, but I’ll give it a go anyway.

It’s so important to believe in yourself. They used to say

that if you booked 1 job in 10 you were an extremely successful actor. Now with the economic climate and the Arts Council cuts the way they are, I’d say 1 in 20 is a pretty good ratio. So you have to reasonably expect that you will not get at least 90% of the jobs you apply for, and that’s completely ok. So don’t get disheartened when you’re rejected for the fourth, fifth, or sixth time, just keep trying.

Also, the theatre community is so small, it’s essential that you treat everyone with respect and courtesy. Getting a bad reputation can ruin your career, and it costs you absolutely nothing to be nice and polite to everyone you meet.

I’m chatting to you during your rehearsal for Our Town. Could you tell us a bit about that?

Our Town is considered the greatest American play, and it’s incredible that so few people in the UK have ever heard of it. It’s one of the most beautiful plays ever written. It’s a theatrical yet very simple play about life in a small town, but more importantly, it’s about noticing the beauty within everyday life.

What were your reasons for performing it in a warehouse in Peckham?

I think Our Town is the

kind of play that could be produced anywhere, but there’s something extra special and unexpected about performing it in this repurposed space in Peckham. It’s an oft-forgotten corner of London that few people expect to have much culture, but in actuality it’s a thriving hub of activity that I think melds perfectly to the themes of the play.

Just before you dash back, tell us what’s next for the company?

We’re currently developing a new play by our playwrightin-residence Joseph Horton called American Cousins, which is inspired by the play Lincoln attended when he was assassinated.

It’s a satirical look at the evolving relationship between Britain and the United States, shown through the perspectives of three different generations. Next year, we’ll be producing the UK premiere of Coronado

by Dennis Lehane, the author of Shutter Island. It’s an incredible experience for us to work with such an established writer.

Our Town is running from the 2nd - 20th October 2012 at The Last Refuge, Peckham.

For more information, visit www. saviourtheatrecompany.com and for special ticket offers follow @SaviourTheatre on Twitter.

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o

The Orbital Sept 2012

Clem’s Column My Edinburgh Experience

Films

Hysteria Sophie Waddy

Photo: Autumnal Fires

Clementine Salvi-Offer

“SORRY madam, would you mind spelling your name out to me once more? J-AR-C-K-R-O-R-Y …”

It is the middle of summer, and I have volunteered my services for the box office and front-of-house team for C venues at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It is perhaps my fifth day of work, and already the £170 I’m paid seems ridiculous and unworthy.

Imagine, if you will, your typical fringe day as an improbable scenario from an unmade Mission Impossible film: Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to deliver a ticket to each and every customer in the line.

The perks of this is the very interesting banter that most customers fill awkward silences with. That is how I came to know a man who was linked by second marriage to Tennyson’s god daughter. The man was a local who had devoted his retirement to the study of family history...

This was of course nothing compared with

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the excitement that rippled through the ranks when Benedict Cumberbatch was mentioned over a tea break one afternoon, having bought a ticket for that very morning! C venues were in uproar: “What!? Could it be possible? Sherlock himself in the building?!”

The other side of the job and the more challenging affair is keeping your expression smiling and welcoming while faced with imminent disaster, especially when we are at the mercy of our temperamental ticketing machine.

The people I dealt with can be compared to a steam cooker with the pressure accumulating between each of our apologies: “Sorry sir… Right away sir… Nearly there madam,” until finally the ticket would eventually be handed over.

So, now that I am back to normality after the whirlwind that was the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, would I do it all again?

Despite all of my criticisms, absolutely! It was an amazing experience and one I urge everyone to try, at least once in their lives!

THE opening of Hysteria launches us into 1880s London — a world of horsedrawn carriages, posh houses, and well-dressed men and women — where we meet young Doctor Mortimer Granville (Hugh Dancy).

A believer in new sciences, he loses his job after arguing with his boss over the hospital’s rather backward treatment of patients (leeches galore!) At this point, you’d be forgiven for thinking you were entering the world of a typical costume drama, however Downton Abbey this is not.

Granville soon finds a new job at the high-class medical practice of Dr Dalrymple, who takes him under his wing and introduces him to

his two daughters, Emily and Charlotte.

Dalrymple specialises in treating women with ‘hysteria’: the now redundant disease that was diagnosed in women experiencing symptoms ranging from anxiety to depression to ‘inappropriate’ thoughts, and which Charlotte Dalrymple (Maggie Gyllenhaal) claims is purely the result of their husband’s inability to satisfy them sexually.

As Granville cringes through the dubious ‘massage’ technique used to treat these women and enters into a love triangle with the Darymple daughters, the film becomes a romantic comedy about… the invention of the vibrator.

As women flock to the medical centre to be treated by the handsome Dr Granville, he struggles to keep up and

enlists the help of his eccentric and technology-obsessed friend Edmund (brilliantly portrayed by Rupert Everett) to help him come up with a long-term solution to these ladies’ ‘problem’. The result is a device that eventually became the modern vibrator, and that earns them a windfall of money and success.

What could have been an extremely awkward subject matter is treated perfectly in this film, with exactly the right balance of comedy, satire and sensitivity. Dancy’s performance is sometimes a little wooden, but the rest of the cast — especially the feisty Gyllenhaal — carry the narrative through to moments of extreme tenderness, managing to explore a range of moral and social issues whilst reducing the audience appropriately to, hysterics.

Books

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Natasha Khaleeq FOR those unfamiliar with the first book or film, The Hunger Games told the story of a dystopian world and its protagonists Katniss and Peeta from ‘District 12’.

Trained in various skills by the tyrannical Capitol, they are forced into an arena where they must battle against competitors from other districts as well as each other. Although both came out victorious, their struggles didn’t end there.

Collins manages to continue the story in a perfect sequel Catching Fire.

A further understanding of District 12 and the other districts is developed as well as a greater insight into the characters and their motives.

This allows the reader to get involved in the story in more

depth.

Katniss’s rebellious act of defying the rules and making the Games have two victors instead of one left President Snow furious at the end of the first book, and he is determined that she will pay.

As a result, rebellion spreads across the districts. A Quarter Quell is announced with shocking rules, forcing Katniss and Peeta back into the arena. This leads to growing violence as well as forced alliances in a desperate attempt to survive. The main theme of this book is rebellion, and it ends thrillingly with a cliff hanger, forcing you to pick up the final book with eagerness to find out how it all ends.

Collins captures the

attention of the readers brilliantly, keeping them engaged with a thoughtprovoking, action-packed novel. You won’t be able to put it down!

NEWS

COMMENT FEATURES LIFESTYLE ARTS 3-6

8-11

14-18

19-23

24-27

SPORTS & SOCS

28-31

Museums

Shakespeare: Staging the World Zosia Edwards Art Director IF YOU come to this exhibition expecting to see a tribute to the great man gushing about his works, his life and his importance to the English language, your expectations will most certainly not be met.

Instead, this beautifully composed and engaging exhibition offers a tantalising glimpse of Shakespeare’s world, leaving you with the sense of being within touching distance of the mindset of one of the greatest playwrights in history.

Staging the World takes you on a tour through the world of Shakespeare, guiding you from the London he would

have known, through rural England and on to the rest of the world.

Shakespeare never travelled to Venice, the Americas or Africa, and nor had the vast majority of his audience. His plays about these places were influenced by the artefacts he had seen brought back by explorers and traders and his characters were inspired by the tales of their inhabitants.

What this exhibition does is bring examples of these artefacts together in one place, giving you the chance to see what Shakespeare himself would have seen and to see for yourself the objects that would have inspired the his vision of the wider world.

The exhibits on offer include intricate paintings of

London at the turn of the 17th century, beautiful textiles of the sort worn by Shakespeare’s actors, weapons of the time period and contemporary images of obscure objects referenced in the plays, including a marmoset. (Just ask yourself, do you know what a marmoset looks like?)

The impressive range of exhibits answers questions one may have about the meaning of Shakespeare’s words, as well as giving a better sense of the atmosphere and feel of the time in which he lived.

Explanations are given of contemporary beliefs about witchcraft, with various artefacts helping to give a fuller understanding of Macbeth.

Shakespeare’s

Music

Nelly Furtado: The Spirit Indestructible James Carrick SIX years ago, Nelly Furtado returned to the scene with a very different sound from what fans had been accustomed to, teaming up with Timbaland to deliver a fairly standard RnB album of the time.

However, years later, she has produced an album that despite not setting the charts alight transcends the genre to deliver the RnB album of the decade so far.

The opening track Spirit Indestructible is described

by Furtado as a “tribute to humanity”, consisting of simplistic yet empowering lyrics over a bass-laden urban beat and tribal drums.

The tone for the album is set as Furtado plays out a retrospective, nostalgic look at her life, with songs

such as Parking Lot utilising her formula of introspective lyrics about her teenage years over a playful yet hard urban beat.

The production is fresh; it is clear the beats were created specifically for Furtado, and they avoid sounding like those in other pop songs repetitively hammered out across radio.

The production becomes more suave and understated across several tracks later in the album, such as Something and Circles.

The choice of features

history plays, such as Richard III and Henry IV are explained in light of their relevance to the political situation in England at the time, and the relevance of Cleopatra as a reflection of Queen Elizabeth I is also discussed.

Staged in the former reading room of the British Museum, the high ceilings and rounded walls already give the impression of being inside Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. Add to this the intricate layout of exhibits and the echoes of excerpts from the plays being read out by members of the Royal Shakespeare Company, the atmosphere of this wonderful exhibition is engaging from beginning to end.

Shakespeare: Staging the World is part of the London 2012 Festival.

19th July – 25th November 2012 at the British Museum.

Students £12 (2 for 1 tickets from 14:30 Monday – Friday), 16 – 18 years £12, Adults £14.

Whether you are simply interested in the world of Elizabeth I and the Stuarts that followed her, or if you are interested in gaining a greater understanding of the works of Shakespeare, this exhibition is not to be missed.

The xx: Coexist on this album are brilliant.

Rather than going with the standard Nicki Minaj / Drake / Lil Wayne feature monotonising pop-RnB songs over the last two years, she has gone for rap legend Nas while conversely choosing to work with less well known acts such as Ace Primo and Sara Tavares as well.

The features feel organic and mesh well with the songs, rather than many features in pop-RnB as of late, where it is a condition of success that a song have a rapper tacked on, no matter what the quality of their verse is like.

Fantastic lead singles Big Hoops and The Spirit Indestructible have failed to chart, but Furtado has made this album for the music rather than the hits — something other pop stars would do well to remember.

James Carrick THE xx first appeared on the scene with their extremely laid back self-named album.

For their second album, they have stuck to the same downtempo formula as their debut. And with such a fantastic formula, why change it?

The result finds their second album potentially the record of 2012; Romy Croft and Oliver Sims’ vocals are soaring yet restrained against Jamie xx’s sublime production. The result is a collection of love songs that deal with a more hard-worked-for, aggressive love than perhaps those songs of the band’s debut, which discussed a kind of fantasy, fairytale love.

The songs are still typically skeletal in their framework; The opening track and lead single Angels, a truly amazing and sublime ode to

devotion, consists of Romy singing quietly over a barelythere guitar riff. Sometimes less is more, and this allover restraint makes for an engaging listen.

Production wise, there is a slight undertone — an allusion perhaps — to club music, be it with a simple, quiet beat or a slight aural sensation. This was a goal of the band: to reference in their own words the club scene that they “missed out on”. Songs such as Reunion contain this as a noticeable theme.

The instrumentation throughout the record is also of note due to the use of nonstandard sounds such as steel drums that together with the lyrical content invoke a sense of wonder, a kind of ethereal presence that envelopes every note, making the album a very sonic experience despite is almost skeletal make up.

This is a definite contender for album of the year.

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o In the spotlight...

Humans vs Zombies The Orbital Sept 2012

In each issue, we’ll feature one small or new society that you might not have heard of. Humans vs Zombies is a newly ratified society which is based around a game that became hugely popular at the end of last year...

Photo: Hannah Close

Ben Spring VP Community, Humans vs Zombies IF YOU spot hordes of students sprinting around campus in the coming weeks bedecked in bright orange headbands, we may be to blame.

We’re the Humans vs Zombies society, and we aim to provide an experience probably unlike anything else you’ll ever do. From a base of close to a hundred players last year, we’re moving on to our inaugural game as an Surhul society, and we want you for players.

For those of you wondering what the game I’m referring to actually is, Humans vs Zombies is a week-long game of tag crossed with Dawn of the

Dead.

Players split into two teams — as the game’s name suggests — with humans wearing armbands and toting Nerf foam dart guns, while zombie players wear headbands to show themselves as part of the undead legions.

Humans tag zombies with their Nerf blasters to stun them, while zombies tag humans with their hands to turn them into yet more zombies.

The core rules are simple like with any good game, but what makes HvZ special is the length, immersion and uniqueness of the game.

Humans are on guard 24/7 for the whole game, with only lecture buildings, dining halls, and a few other safe zones providing relief

from watching their back. Zombies meanwhile are constantly on the look out for humans to tag, since going two days without a tag ‘starves’ a zombie player out of the game completely!

The horde grows until by the end of the game each human is outnumbered by countless dozens of zombie players...

Surviving to the end of the week takes long legs and sharp eyes.

Aside from the core game itself, missions and socials help keep the game fresh and exciting while game moderators ensure the game can go ahead without infringing on players everyday lives as students or inconveniencing the general campus population.

Anyone interested in playing a game

unlike anything else you’ll do during your time at RHUL should investigate the society on Facebook.

If you already have SU membership, you’ll only need to join the society, and buy yourself a Nerf blaster, which range from £4 to £40 in price, depending on how many foam darts you want to fling at other players.

We’re keen to get as many new players as possible to keep the game growing and fun, and we’ll be running several games through the year, predominantly in the first two terms. You’ll probably get a little more into shape, get to know the campus from a rather unique viewpoint, and potentially get completely terrified once or twice.

Do your bit with Raise and Give Zaynah Sheikh and Kenny Aruwa WELCOME back everyone, and welcome freshers to what is going to be the beginning of the best years of your life!

As you may be wondering, “RAG” stands for Raise and Give and is made up of a team of incredibly warm-hearted students who give up their time to raise money for charity in a number of adventurous ways.

It is a society where everyone is a member, and the more people who help out the better, no matter how big or small

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your contribution!

Just so you know what we are capable of together, last year RAG raised an incredible record breaking £115,987.10 which is remarkable for a university as small as ours!

We raised money for various worthwhile causes including Voluntary Service Overseas, Teenage Cancer Trust and East to West (a local charity), and this year we would like to exceed this total by holding bigger and better fundraising activities as well as by getting as many people involved as possible!

If you are interested in

raising money for any charity or have any fundraising ideas please don’t hesitate to get in touch and the team will support you 100%.

Last year we held a number of new events including Jailbreak, which is a challenge where participants have 36 hours to get as far away from campus as possible without spending any of their own money. People got as far as Hungary, Amsterdam and Berlin!

We also hold a RAG Abroad challenge which will give you a chance to either volunteer or go on an

exciting expedition. Events on campus last year included a very successful Take Me Out held in Medicine, Movember (no shave November) and a number of on campus raids!

These events were all new last year and so this year we are really trying to get as many involved as possible! We promise to have something to suit all tastes!

RAG Week will be from 25th February – 3rd March (ignore the RAG Week dates on the wall planner as they’re wrong). In this week we will hold an activity every day to boost our overall totals for the

year!

We still have a number of positions available on the RAG Board so feel free to apply or get in contact. For any further details or if you have any questions, email Zaynah at ragchair@su.rhul.ac.uk The positions of RAG Chair and RAG Vice Chair will be up for grabs during our first election period this year, and nominations open on 1 October. Interested in running? Get in touch with Kenny (vpedwelfare@su.rhul. ac.uk), and if you’d like more information about the role, just ask Zaynah.

NEWS

COMMENT FEATURES LIFESTYLE ARTS 3-6

8-11

14-18

19-23

24-27

SPORTS & SOCS

28-31

URNU: learn something new Darren Griffiths BECOMING a member of London URNU allows you to command a Royal Navy warship, learn how to fly planes, do any adventure sport you can think of, have some of the most wildest socials you will experience … and the best bit is you get paid to do it all!

As a member of London URNU you become an Honorary Midshipman in the Royal Naval Reserves with no sign up liability to join anything.

Joining the unit I had no experience of ships at all, yet after only two years of joining I have travelled across the Baltic, flown planes, drove Royal Navy warships into foreign ports, gained a Foundation degree in Leadership & Management with the Chartered Institute of Management, and tons more.

The unit offers some of the

most thrilling experiences you can do when being a student.

We meet in London on Thursday evenings each week where we learn various skills, then go to the cheapest bar in Knightsbridge (which is at our unit). Most weekends there is then the opportunity if you want to go on our ship (HMS Puncher) to put your skills to test, steering and navigating the ship around the South of England.

The unit also is heavily involved in sports where we meet other units across the country to compete in any number of sports from rugby to ultimate Frisbee. But in our own time we also can go on courses to become qualified to teach canoeing, or skydive on your own.

Along with all these things we do you can get involved in the committee at the unit and improve even more of your skills, whilst organising big events such as annual meals

and balls for members and their friends.

We are also involved in informing the people of London what the Royal Navy does, going to events in places such as the Houses

Run for First Year Representative?

of Parliament, and attending other events where you can meet influential companies that have offered past members of the unit jobs, due to unit providing the correct skills sets these companies want.

Get networking with MediaSoc Harry J Angers

Acting High Commissar, MediaSoc

yes

can!

Executive, RAG and NUS delegate Elections

Could you make a difference on all the issues affecting first years?

Want to sit on our entertainment and representation committees?

Could you sit on the SU’s highest body? Then speak to Doug (President) who is located at the Students’ Union reception area about being our first year representative! *For further information about how to run in this election and about the positions/ roles which are available, please contact the SU Reception or check out the website on su.rhul.ac.uk. N.B. Executive Officers work as part time volunteers for the Union during their year of office.

Get involved www.londonurnu.com londonurnu@btconnect.com 0207 2251 737

AS THE term gets underway, not only will there be many new students, but also a raft of new societies… including RHUL’s own Media Society!

We were set up in summer 2012 to help students get involved in print and broadcast media, be it at a student or a professional level. This could be anything from getting involved in the student radio and journalism to getting an insight into media careers on the TV, radio and the press.

This glorious media republic is ruled by a benevolent board of individuals, headed by yours truly as its acting high commissar (president), Navjot, our grand chief for organisation (secretary) and Rachel, our financial executive (treasurer).

To make sure our comrades are happy, we have lined up a lot of great events for this year!

There will be socials aplenty in the form of chilled nights

at Egham’s local watering holes as well as campus media networking events.

We are also offering film nights, talks from people in the business, and trips to high profile media organisations such as the Guardian and BBC Broadcasting House.

Not convinced? We also have plans in the works for an event of apocalyptic proportions at the end of term as well as a formal black-tie do in the spring!

Throughout Welcome Week we will be holding events including Monkey’s Madness on Tuesday at 8pm networking on Wednesday in Rialto at 3pm and a pub crawl on Saturday starting at Monkey’s at 8pm. If you miss those or want more information, we will be at the Media Fayre on Monday and Tuesday and at the Societies Fayre on Thursday and Friday.

Details for the events can be found on our Facebook page; search for: “RHUL Media Society”.

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o

The Orbital Sept 2012

guide

clubs & socs

2012-2013

For more information on what a club or society does, just send an email to the listed address.

Comedy Stand-up comedy nights and support for aspiring comedians. comedy@su.rhul.ac.uk

Hindu Allows people of the faith or not to discuss Hinduism. hindu@su.rhul.ac.uk

absoluteharmony@su.rhul.ac.uk

Dance Offers classes at various levels and organises shows and socials. dance@su.rhul.ac.uk

Historical Re-Enactment Recreating fights and battles from history. historicalreenactment@su.rhul.ac.uk

African Carribean Society A vibrant society celebrating Afro Caribbean culture. acs@su.rhul.ac.uk

Debating Trains members in debating and attends debating tournaments. debating@su.rhul.ac.uk

History Holds many events and trips through the year. history@su.rhul.ac.uk

Amnesty International A student branch of the human rights organisation. amnestyinternational@su.rhul.ac.uk

Drama Holds at least two shows per year for those who love performing. drama@su.rhul.ac.uk

Human Vs Zombies Simply cannot be summarised in ten words. Just Google it. hvz@su.rhul.ac.uk

Anime & Manga Offers manga drawing sessions and screens anime films. animemanga@su.rhul.ac.uk

Fashion Organises shows and meetings for those interested in fashion. fashion@su.rhul.ac.uk

Insanity Radio 103.2FM Royal Holloway’s radio station, broadcasting on 103.2FM. studio@insanityradio.com

Art Practical drawing sessions and exhibition visits. art@su.rhul.ac.uk

Feminist Campiagning for gender equality - all genders welcome. feminist@su.rhul.ac.uk

Institute for Impure Science For fans of science fiction.

Azerbaijani A network for students from Azerbaijan azerbaijani@su.rhul.ac.uk

Film Festival Showcasing RHUL’s student talent on the film festival stage. film@su.rhul.ac.uk

Investment For those interested in financial markets and investment. investment@su.rhul.ac.uk

Ballroom & Latin Dance Sport Previously known as BALADS, RHUL’s slice of glitz and glamour. surhul_balads@yahoo.co.uk

French For those who study French or who are interested in the culture. french@su.rhul.ac.uk

Islamic A community for anyone interested in Islam. islamic@su.rhul.ac.uk

Bio-Sciences A friendly support network for Bio Sciences students and enthusiasts.

BioSoc.RHUL@gmail.com

Games Promoting video gaming through group gaming sessions. games@su.rhul.ac.uk

Italian For all those with a love of Italy!

Catholic Spirit For anyone, Catholic or not, who is interested in the Catholic faith. catholicspirit@su.rhul.ac.uk

Geography Offers socials and activities for those interested in Geography geography@su.rhul.ac.uk

Japanese For anyone interested in learning about Japan. japanese@su.rhul.ac.uk

Chinese Offers social events to bring together the Chinese community. chinese@su.rhul.ac.uk

German Open to everybody whether they speak German or not. german@su.rhul.ac.uk

Labour and Co-operative To promote the Labour and Co-operative parties labour@su.rhul.ac.uk

Christian Unions Represents various Christian initiatives on campus. christianunion@su.rhul.ac.uk

Gospel Choir An eclectic group of individuals with a passion for music. absoluteharmony@su.rhul.ac.uk

Law Offers events for all those interested in law. law@su.rhul.ac.uk

Classical Society Dedicated to all things related to Classical Antiquity. classical@su.rhul.ac.uk

Hellenic For anybody interested in Greek culture. hellenic@su.rhul.ac.uk

LGBT Organises events for Lesbian, Gay and Transgender people. lgbt@su.rhul.ac.uk

Absolute Harmony Royal Holloway’s a capella choir.

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We’ve put together this list of clubs and societies on campus to help both new and returning students get the most out of their Students’ Union membership.

ifis@su.rhul.ac.uk

italian@su.rhul.ac.uk

NEWS

COMMENT FEATURES LIFESTYLE ARTS 3-6

8-11

Love to Make Noise Royal Holloway’s alternative music and arts collective. lovetomakenoise@su.rhul.ac.uk

Russian Unifying Russian speakers and admirers from all over the world. russian@su.rhul.ac.uk

Marketing A group of students with a passion for marketing. marketing@su.rhul.ac.uk

Savoy The oldest society performing two operetta’s each year. savoy@su.rhul.ac.uk

Mathematics Organises social and academic events for those who love maths. maths@su.rhul.ac.uk

Shakespeare For those with a passion for Shakespeare.

Shakespeare@su.rhul.ac.uk

Media For those interested in media for social and networking events. media@su.rhul.ac.uk

Students in free enterprise Develops projects that help others through business. sife@su.rhul.ac.uk

Medicine For those interested in discussing the medical field. medicinesociety@su.rhul.ac.uk

Sikh A society aiming to hold charity events, socials and discussions. sikh@su.rhul.ac.uk

Middle East Social events for those from or interested in the Middle East middleeast@su.rhul.ac.uk

Spanish For learning Spanish and discovering Hispanic culture. spanish@su.rhul.ac.uk

Musical Theatre A society based on all aspects of musical theatre. mts@su.rhul.ac.uk

Turkish Promoting Turkey’s culture.

New Nyell A social and academic focus for those interested in Geology. newlyell@su.rhul.ac.uk

Voices of Holloway A show choir, for anyone with a passion for performing. voicesofholloway@gmail.com

Nordic for those with a passion for Scandinavia. nordic@su.rhul.ac.uk

Writer’s Society For people interested in improving their writing skills. writerscircle@su.rhul.ac.uk

Orbital Royal Holloway’s official student newspaper. getinvolved@theorbital.co.uk

American Football americanfootball@su.rhul.ac.uk

Philosophy An outlet for students wishing to pursue philosophical interests.

Philosophy@su.rhul.ac.uk Photography For those interested in photography. comedy@su.rhul.ac.uk Politics Organises guest speakers, socials and trips abroad. pir@su.rhul.ac.uk Psychology A group for those studying or interested in psychology. psychology@su.rhul.ac.uk Rock The home of alternative music lovers on campus. rock@su.rhul.ac.uk

turkish@su.rhul.ac.uk

Badminton badminton@su.rhul.ac.uk Basketball basketball@su.rhul.ac.uk Boat boat@su.rhul.ac.uk

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SPORTS & SOCS

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Golf golf@su.rhul.ac.uk Hockey hockey@su.rhul.ac.uk Judo judo@su.rhul.ac.uk Karate karate@su.rhul.ac.uk Lacrosse lacrosse@su.rhul.ac.uk Mountaineering and Climbing macs@su.rhul.ac.uk Men’s Rugby rugby@su.rhul.ac.uk Mens Football football@su.rhul.ac.uk Mixed Martial Arts rhulmma@gmail.com Netball netball@su.rhul.ac.uk Ninjutsu ninjutsu@su.rhul.ac.uk Polo polo@su.rhul.ac.uk Riding riding@su.rhul.ac.uk Ski & Board snow@su.rhul.ac.uk Squash squash@su.rhul.ac.uk Swimming swim@su.rhul.ac.uk Tennis tennis@su.rhul.ac.uk Thai Boxing thaiboxing@su.rhul.ac.uk

Cheerleading cheerleading@su.rhul.ac.uk

Trampolining trampolining@su.rhul.ac.uk

Cricket cricket@su.rhul.ac.uk

Ultimate Frisbee holloway_ultimate@hotmail.co.uk

Cross Country crosscountry@su.rhul.ac.uk

Volleyball volleyball@su.rhul.ac.uk

Cycling cycle@su.rhul.ac.uk

Women’s Football womensfootball@su.rhul.ac.uk

Fencing fencing@su.rhul.ac.uk

Women’s Rugby womensrugby@su.rhul.ac.uk

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