ORBITAL THE
ISSUE 4 ‘MOVEMBER’ 2013 LECTURER STRIKE
RAP
BEARS
& ITS INFLUENCE IN SOCIETY
DAY
PUPPY THERAPY
THAT’S MO’ LIKE IT!
SAVE YOUR UNION OFF THE BEATEN PLATE
CAMBODIA
LONDON FILM FESTIVAL WHAT TO WATCH
EDITORIAL BOARD Editor-in-Chief SIMON RAWLINGS Deputy Editor REBECCA HILSDON Executive Editor JAMIE GREEN Design Editor DAN KELLY Administrative Director GILLIAN CRAIG Sub-Editor MICHAELLA KOSSAKOWSKA News Editor CORINNA TAYLOR Deputy Editor BROOKE DAWSON Comment Editor JACK KILKER Deputy Editor ANTONIA KING Features Editor RACHEL IVENS Deputy Editor ALESSANDRO TRIDICO Lifestyle Editor BRYONY BOWIE Deputy Editor VICTORIA TIMMS Arts Editor NICHOLAS HYDER Deputy Editor CHARLOTTE COLE Sports & Socs Editor ALEX REILLY Deputy Editor NATASHA KHALEEQ
A
letter
from the
Editor-in-Chief
Welcome to our penultimate edition of 2013, I’m going to get it over with and say it now: Christmas! By now most of us have will have seen the John Lewis Christmas advert and I’ve even heard from friends that the Coca Cola advert, complete with their iconic lorry has started to be played on television. Although I can’t contain my excitement I’m astounded at how quickly this year is already progressing, I know I’m not the only one who feels like these past eight weeks of term have flown by quicker than eight days… Unfortunately, being at university means that Christmas is almost always preceded by some hefty summative deadlines, so, if you’re like me and you have over 8,000 words due for the end of term, start planning/writing immediately! I’ve already begun my preparations for the upcoming deadline on the sound advise that my Philosophy and Ethics A-Level teacher gave me so many moons ago: “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Good luck! Before I sign off I want to quickly direct your eyes to the appeal for donations for those affected by the Super Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda in the Philippines. I’ve listed as many websites and charities that would fit in this space (there are many more you can find online), all of which are helping those who are in desperate need of help. Our budgets are tight as students, but even the smallest amount of money we can spare will help these organisations, charities and doctors begin to offer the support the people of the Philippines so desperately need during this time. Until our December/Christmas issue,
CONTENTS NEWS Lecturer Strike: p.4-5 SURHUL Puppy Therapy: p.6 Russell Group Rival Dissolves: p.6 A Selection of News: p.7 College News: p.8
COMMENT #LoveAlwaysWins: p.9 Save Your Union!: p.10 The ‘S’ Word: p.11 A Right To Remember: p.12 The Hard Choice: p.12 Words I Never Said: p.13
FEATURES Intern Takeover: p.14
The people affected by Super Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda
urgently need access to safe water, hygiene supplies, food,
shelter and a safe environment to recover. You can help them now. Visit the websites listed to donate anything you can.
www.unicef.ph
www.savethechildren.org
www.actionagainsthunger.org
www.doctorswithoutborders.org
Don’t Stress About Housing: p.15 Creative Writing: p.15 That’s Mo’ Like It: p.16 Behind the ‘Tache: p.17
LIFESTYLE An Insight into Sobriety: p.18 Knitwear November: p.18 Faces of Holloway: p.19 Split Pea Soup: p.20 November Nails: p.20 Marrow Amatriciana: p.21 Off The Beaten Plate: p.22
ARTS
DO YOU HAVE OPINIONS? Fantastic. DO YOU EAT? Sweet. DO YOU ENJOY DOING, WATCHING AND LISTENING TO STUFF? Superb, keep on reading. We want YOU to write for us, about pretty much anything. This is your chance to pose questions and spark constructive debates; to tell us about your trips around the world, be it personal adventures or a club tour; to criticise or applaud that gig you just came back from. Essentially, we want submissions about ANYTHING you feel that THE ORBITAL should be providing for you, the students, in each and every issue. The design of the magazine looks to frame your articles in a way that can be proudly presented to others, while also accomodating any external blog links you may wish to share. Win-win, right? For anything else that may interest you, the editor @ theorbital and deputyeditor @ theorbital addresses should provide you with all the information you need, as well as section editor email addresses at the bottom of most pages. We want quality content to keep coming in, so get involved now! DAN KELLY, DESIGN EDITOR
Happy Birthday National Theatre: p.23 The Future of Theatre: p.23 Filth Review: p.24
/theorbital
/TheOrbitalRHUL
London Film Festival Reviews: p.25 University of London: Part Two: p.26 Cheltenham Literary Festival: p.27
SPORTS
&
SOCIETIES
Four To Watch: p.28-29 Bears Day: p.30-31
Photography: Below is a list of accreditations for photographic contributions to The Orbital. These were found online under Creative Commons authorisation or available for public access and use. Photos submitted by students will be credited on the image itself. All are listed in order from top to bottom, left to right, with page number indicated. Any queries, please email design@theorbital.co.uk. News: pg.4: flickr:nottinghamac, pg.7: flickr: UnitedNations; huffingtonpost.co.uk; flickr: stand93; flickr: marcnoccil; flickr: independent; flickr: collegecandy; flickr: themellowjihadi; Rebekah Kerns. Comment: pg.9: flickr: concreteonline, pg.11: flickr: pressbox, pg.13: mixtapemaestro.net. Features: pg.14: independent.co.uk, pg.17: conservationmag; flickr: Loren Javier CC; indiwall; flickr: turdpilot; flickr: Susanna_Costantini; flickr: renegadecinema. Lifestyle: pg.18: snowbrains.com; innocentdrinks.co.uk, pg.19: bbcgoodfood.com. Arts: pg.21: theartsshelf.com, pg.22: dailyrecord.co.uk; flicksandthecity.com, pg.23: flickr: mediagirl,
NEWS
LECTURER
STRIKE
FROMTHE HORSE’S MOUTH:
AN INTERVIEW WITH STRIKING LECTURERS
LIZ SCHAFER, ROBERT FITZGERALD,
& GRAHAM SMITH
HOW DID THE DAY GO? We had a good time! It was fun to talk to the students and to go off timetable and discuss things we wouldn’t be able to normally. We especially enjoyed hearing students views about the university and education in general in a less formal environment. WHY DID YOU STRIKE? In addition to the pay cut, the main reason we went on strike was because the employers
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refused to talk about the problems universities are facing. This is not just about wages. This is about the students’ quality of education for a higher price, about 0 hours contracts, and about the way the university is run. The University is currently refusing to talk about any of these issues, as well as the pay cut, so we hope that the strike today will open dialogue on a number of topics. We didn’t want to hurt the students with a strike, so we put on a series of alternative lectures to discuss important issues such as, ‘What is university for?’ ‘What is ‘employability’?’ We also felt that even the picket line was friendly, approachable and we had some good conversations that created awareness of what is going on. CORINNA TAYLOR & BROOKE DAWSON
FOR THE STRIKE
JAMIE GREEN
The reason the SU, large parts of the student body and I support the staff strike is very simple – it’s in the best interest of students that our staff are motivated and paid fairly, and there are many inequalities in pay at Royal Holloway we need to take a stand against. Staff have taken a cut of around 13% in the last 5 years, whereas Royal Holloway has 10 senior staff members earning over £100,000, and the Principal costs us £257,000 before we even factor in the free house our fees provide. The staff at Royal Holloway who deliver our
news @ theorbital.co.uk
THE FACTS
NEWS
OF THE MATTER by Brooke Dawson
On the 31st of October, roughly 300 lecturers at Royal Holloway went on strike due to budget cuts. This was because Royal Holloway and other educational employers offered only a 1% pay increase, even though lecturers have suffered a 15% cut during the last five years. Royal Holloway alone has a surplus of 7.6. million, while education employers nationwide had a combined surplus last year of more than £1.1 billion. Educational employers are also sitting on billions of pounds of reserves, around £10 billion according to HESA (the Higher Education Statistics Agency). The salaries for those at the very top have been increasing while salaries for teaching staff are at the ‘the worst since World War II,’ according to Dan Ashley, head of the UCU press team. This is the first time in history the UCU (University and College Union), Unite, and Unison, the three largest unions in the education sector, have all called for a strike at once.
education are the wealth creators, yet they are seeing continual pay cuts. The Principal and his management team are the wealth consumers of the university and they get pay rises year after year. This is grossly unfair and not what either I, or many other students, think the education system should be. Yes, some students did lose some teaching hours on 31st October, which is unfortunate. However, there are huge injustices going on in the sector unchallenged such as mass pay cuts, a gender pay gap, PhD students not being paid for teaching, a rife culture of zero hour contracts, and many workers earning below a living wage. If we don’t take an effective stand, who will?
ISSUE 4
AGAINST THE STRIKE
ANTONIA KING
The recent strike at Royal Holloway have left many students feeling ‘let down’ and some a little angry (or happy for the day off, in some cases). Justification for lecturers missing lectures was that the cause was worthy and the strike was not desirable, but used as a last resort due to the failings of other negotiations. This, far from making me feel happier about the situation, makes me worried about what will happen if the strike doesn’t result in the outcome staff desire. Will there be another strike? If this is the last resort, what is the next step? If you work out roughly how much each lecture is worth based on our tuition fees, it comes to around £40 (discounting the
other services you get for your fees, e.g. library services). If my lecturer had gone on strike I would have ‘lost’ £80 that day. Many lecturers who went on strike rearranged the lectures so students got the information they needed, but they were urged not to on the grounds that it would undermine the strike action. Not only did students miss out on that day of teaching, but they missed out on vital information completely. I appreciate that strikes are a way of showing the value of the work you do, but this comes at the cost of students, not just the people in charge of making the relevant decision. Striking means that not only are the staff unhappy with their situation, but now the students are suffering too, for a decision that wasn’t theirs.
THE
ORBITAL | 05
NEWS
PUPPY THERAPY AT SURHUL When I ran for Vice President Education & Welfare, I had been reading about ‘puppy therapy’. Universities have been doing it in the United States, in Canada and in Scotland, and more recently petting zoos have cropped up around the UK, involving everything from Shetland ponies to goats to ducks. I wanted to be a part of a Union that was innovative and creative, and so that is why I promised it in my manifesto. Thanks to some hard work, SURHUL is now working with the Old Windsor branch of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, a community rehoming charity, to bring these four legged friends onto campus and into the Students’ Union. Now whilst the American term is ‘puppy’ therapy, the scheme usually involves adult dogs. Due to our partnership with Battersea the animals that will visit SURHUL students will be those waiting to be re-homed, and coming into contact with actual puppies will depend on the latest litter. Fear not, if puppies are available they will certainly come to visit, as they benefit most from social interactions! There have been criticisms of animal based therapy sessions: people have questioned whether it is a temporary fix for a long term problem, and have been concerned about the wellbeing of the dogs in question. These sessions have been created in response to the high levels of stress that students face whilst studying, working and volunteering to improve their employability, and SURHUL believes that this form of therapy is effective because it is part of a broader scheme to raise awareness about stress throughout the year. SURHUL is also organizing events such as yoga sessions and anger management. With the student suicide rate having risen 50% in the past five years and mental health affecting 1 in 4 of us, students’ unions need to be doing all they can to open discussions on mental health and wellbeing to the wider student population. As for our doggy friends, On Friday the 8th of November, the 1994 Group announced publicly that they had been dissolved. The 1994 Group, a group made up of small research-intensive universities of which Royal Holloway was a part of, came to an end 19 years after it had begun. The group was originally set up to promote and support smaller, intensely academic universities that were not part of the Russell Group, including Durham University, the University of Exeter, and the University of York. Previously, the main focus was to campaign for the importance of both high-quality research and an excellent student experience, as well as facing issues such as the need for a postgraduate student support system, and the challenges facing the part-time sector. In a statement on the 1994 Group’s website, they stated: “The Board of the 1994 Group has decided that the Group has come to a natural end point. This was not an easy decision to make, but we feel sure it is the right one for the future.’’ The statement also claims that the Group was founded at a time of “real change within the sector’’ and that it came to end “at another point of significant change.’’ “Collectively, we have taken the decision to bring the 1994 Group to an end, because as institutions we have expanded and changed over time to the point where the need for the Group as originally constituted no longer exists.’’ The Group already had an unstable future since the universities of Durham, Exeter, York and Queen Mary, University of London, left to join the Russell Group last year. 06 | THE
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Battersea and SURHUL will be making sure that each dog gets breaks if and when it needs, and as they are a local organisation the dogs can be rotated on shifts. Each canine will have a handler with them, who’ll make sure that they’re looked after. Combat stress and come and relax with the dogs from Battersea Dogs Home on Friday 29th November in the SU Main Hall, 12pm-4pm. Due to the sheer demand for puppy therapy we’ll be managing the flow of students and the amount of time spent with the furry friends – but they will be visiting us monthly! SIDONIE BERTRAND-SHELTON
RUSSELL GROUP RIVAL DISSOLVES The universities of Bath, Reading, St. Andrews and Surrey also announced their departure from the Group shortly after, furthering the inquiries into the necessity of the Group itself. In an e-mail from the Principal Professor Paul Layzell to members of the Academic Board, Professor Layzell stated that he supported the decision to dissolve the 1994 Group board. “ As you may know, 1994 Group members have been working together over many months to review the purpose and operation of the Group; during this time, it became evident that there was insufficient commonality to unite us and we reached the conclusion that the Group should dissolve,’’ the statement reads. He continues by saying, “I believe that Royal Holloway’s future success is dependent on our own institutional efforts, rather than on collaborative effort with others, who, now more than ever, are our competitors rather than our peers.’’ However, he does end the statement on a positive note, stating that “the collaborative efforts of the 1994 Group’’ had been “immensely important and productive, “ and that as an institution Royal Holloway will continue to “to pursue and strengthen the direct connections we have made with government policy makers and research funders to represent our university and others like us as the higher education landscape continues to change.’’ BROOKE DAWSON
news @ theorbital.co.uk
NEWS
SRI LANKA HELD ACCOUNT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES David Cameron is being pressured to challenge
Sri Lanka at the 2013 Commonwealth meeting. Find out more on twitter #NoFireZone
BULGARIAN UNIVERSITIES ‘IN CHAOS’
Thousands of Bulgarian students bought down 15 Universities in protests over the Centre-Left Coalition Government.
ANONYMOUS GROUP PROTEST OUTSIDE PARLIAMENT ON BONFIRE NIGHT 10 people were arrested at #MillionMaskMarch with protests in over a dozen
Brazilian cities, Washington, Berlin, Madrid, Dublin, Warsaw and many more.
UNIVERSITY FEES MAY REACH £20,000
A university vice-chancellor has warned that to keep up current standards of tuition, home students may have to be charged up to £20,000 per year in future.
ISSUE 4
LONDON STUDENT WINS HALLOWEEN FANCY DRESS BY ‘BLACKING-UP’ ULU Vice-President, Daniel Cooper, is
‘shocked and appalled’ that a student who ‘blacked-up’ his face and wore devil horns won a competition at the SU.
MUSLIM STUDENTS DENIED PRAYER ROOMS AT QUEEN MARY UNI
250 Muslim students prayed in the rain to protest the lack of resources for prayer rooms. Muslim’s account for 20% of QMUL’s demographic.
POPPYGATE 2.0 Following the Vice President of ULU refusing to lay a wreath at the poppy day memorial last year, this year both he and the President have declined to go.
UNIVERSITIES TO MOVE AWAY FROM ‘CLASS’ FORM OF GRADING This year, some Russell Group
universities are trialing a US system of grading students. They will be graded from 0-4.25 amidst fears that the current 1st – 3rd system is too crude.
THE
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COLLEGE NEWS
MENTAL HEALTH: WE’RE TALKING ABOUT IT Problems such as anxiety, depression, stress and phobias are very common and at Royal Holloway we are well equipped to be able to provide a wide variety of support to help you as students maintain your emotional health. This includes academic & welfare support from the Educational Support Office, personal support from Student Counselling and medical support from the Health Centre who are regularly visited by a psychiatrist, a psychologist and Talking Therapies. Outside of working hours we also have more informal support for you from London Nightline – who we and the Student’s Union are affiliates of – who offer support by a confidential listening and practical information service from 18:00 – 08:00 every night during term time. Alternatively you might wish to contact the Samaritans who provide a similar service. Additional support can be mobilised where necessary by contacting Security, on 01784 443063, as Support and Advisory Services have an emergency contact rota for crises. We would encourage students with mental health problems to register with our services to maximise the
support available. A small number of people feel there is a stigma attached to support but we can assure you this is absolutely not the case; we would rather ensure all students are receiving the support they need and are entitled to. Although you may feel it is difficult to ask for help, experience shows that the earlier you seek help, the better the outcome. Please don’t let things build up until they become overwhelming; any problem, however large or small, is what we’re here to help you with. The Educational Support Office has produced a short video called “A Veneer of Acceptance.” It shows students with dyslexia and dyspraxia, with mental health difficulties, with a hearing impairment, with a visual impairment and with ME, talking about their disability, their experience as Royal Holloway students and their engagement with welfare & wellbeing support. The DVD is available on a private network so please contact educational-support@rhul.ac.uk if you would like to view it. It is very thought provoking and a great testament to the achievements of our students and how engagement with our services has played a part in their success. HELEN GROENENDAAL
CURTAIN UP AS NEW £3.5 MILLION ROYAL HOLLOWAY THEATRE OPENS
The Caryl Churchill Theatre is part of the new Katharine Worth Building, named after Britain’s first female Professor of Theatre and the founder of Royal Holloway’s Department of Drama and Theatre. “With one of the best university theatres in the country, A new £3.5 million theatre at Royal Holloway was Royal Holloway will be able to provide a real boost to the officially opened on Wednesday 13 November, providing drama students with state-of-the-art facilities and allowing cultural provision in this part of Surrey”, said Professor Dan Rebellato, the Head of the Department of Drama and Theatre. performers to reach out to the wider community. “Some of the excellent work our students produce will be open The Caryl Churchill Theatre seats almost 200 people to a wider audience, and we look forward to inviting the public over two levels and provides a flexible and well-equipped to come and see their vibrant and inspirational performances.” space for lectures, seminars and practical study. It Professor Worth said: “When I was told the new building also allows the University to invite professional theatre would be named after me, I was overwhelmed and delighted companies to stage public performances on campus. by the honour. I am looking forward to visiting the complex The venue includes two rehearsal studios, where students can both learn the theory and put it into practice. and seeing just how valuable these new facilities will be in A workshop that backs directly onto the stage gives ample supporting creativity and professional standards for students space to design and construct sets, props, and installations. both now and in the future.” PRESS & PR OFFICE
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news @ theorbital.co.uk
#
#
Love Always Wins
This will be the second article this year to consider homophobic rulings of Russia, but in this article the focus will be on the controversy surrounding the Winter Olympic Games 2014, hosted in Sochi, Russia. Currently circulating the world of social media is a small two-minute video concerned with the Sochi Olympic Games which will take place in February 2014. The video centres around the line #LoveAlwaysWins and features a female figure skater as she performs with her male partner, before they receive their Gold medals. As the crowd cheers, she locks eyes with a woman in the crowd, whom we realise is her lesbian partner. She goes to the woman and they share an intimate moment before embracing and kissing. We are then shown that this is all a dream and that she stares at her lover without moving. As the video ends we read What if living your dream meant living a lie? and we are shown why she could not go to her loved one. The video, created and released by campaigners All Out, has resulted in over 370,000 people (at the time of writing) having signed an online petition against the legislation in Russia which totally prohibits homosexuality. The backdrop to the video is a speech made at the London 2012 Olympics by Jacques Rogge, the International Olympic Committee President, in which he states that “from our Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect, it is perhaps that of respect that stands out.� The clip raises a very important point; what if a comment @ theorbital.co.uk
COMMENT
homosexual athlete does win a medal at the games? Would they be prevented from celebrating with their significant other? If they attempted to would they be beaten and arrested like many Russian homosexuals or activists have been? And most importantly, if there is any doubt about the safety and well being of any of the athletes, then how and why have the International Olympic Committee allowed Russia to host the Games when Rogge himself has stated the importance of friendship and respect? Realistically, if Putin does not agree to review his stance on the issue of LGBT rights within his country then the Games should be cancelled. Looking to history, the Berlin Olympic Games of 1936 occurred at a time when Jews and other minority groups (again, including homosexuals) were beginning to face serious discrimination in Germany. That should not have been tolerated then and it should not be tolerated now. I urge you to go to the All Out website (www.allout.org) and sign their petition to try and encourage other world leaders to accept how unacceptable this situation is. Nobody should ever be forced to lie about themselves to avoid discrimination. Unfortunately, it does happen and that is a terrible truth of the world, but we should all be doing absolutely everything within our power to try and work towards a place where that would no longer be the case. And on such a prestigious global stage as the Olympic Games, it is unfathomable that anyone should feel unaccepted or afraid of attention. JACK KILKER THE
ORBITAL | 09
COMMENT
SAVE YOUR UNION! SAVE YOUR UNION! By Jamie Green, SURHUL Vice President & ULU Campaigns and Activist Development Officer Friends, I have a favour to ask – I need you to save ULU. I’m not one for clichés, but to do it, I’m going to have to ask you to do something particular, which is not to ask what ULU does for you, but what you can do for ULU. For those who don’t know, the University of London Union (the Students’ Union for our central university) is facing closure. After a snap decision made through an undemocratic and questionable review last year, senior managers of the University decided to close it in favour of a new management-led ‘Student Service Centre’. ULU might not be somewhere you’re familiar with, but it plays an important part in the life of many of your University of London colleagues from across the metropolis. It is a second home for the students of small or specialist colleges (like Heythrop or Central) whose SUs can’t run a bar or sports or societies. It offers elite level sports, such as its football team, which trains and plays at a semi-professional level. It offers sports that no other SU in London can, such as an Ice Hockey team. You may not know it, but it’s somewhere Royal Holloway’s London-based students, who may be part-time or postgraduate, and who have nothing to do with Egham, can get all the services you get from SURHUL. For example, it provides academic representation for such students, should they face trouble. London is a diverse city, and ULU is at the vanguard of cross-city liberation, offering a voice to underrepresented groups such as Women, BME, LGBT+ and Disabled students. During my time studying at Royal Holloway, ULU didn’t mean much to me, but it means hell of a lot to many others, and this is about to be snatched right from under us with no guarantee of any sufficient substitute. In fact, I suspect that in the long term it will just become another University of London conference centre, leaving many students across the city lacking important officer-led student services. You may not agree with some of the political decisions that have been made within ULU, but that is the nature of representative Students’ Union democracy – it’s only healthy that some sides disagree. However, there is a value to ULU, and most of those who say ‘it does nothing’ are actually saying ‘it does nothing for me’, whilst ignoring the bigger picture. You don’t have to disregard these peoples’ views, but I do implore you to check the website or visit the building and see for yourself the importance ULU holds for many students. The fact is that ULU is worth saving because it does so much for students. However, I’m not totally calling to keep the status quo. As it currently stands, ULU is a conglomerate of about 20 constituent London colleges, but I want ULU to open its doors to the entirety of London’s universities. This is already underway with the formation of the London Union of Students this July, and the NUS’ plans to create NUS London. However, to make this work, we need to ensure ULU and its premises stay under the democratic control of students. What do we want you to do? Sign our petition, write a letter to the Vice Chancellor, do whatever you can - the closure of ULU means no SU is safe from a similar demise, and London’s student life will inevitably be worse without it. The demonstration below will have already happened by the time this is published, but these are the events we look to promote. Students’ Unions are designed to make lives better and have historically changed the world. I can’t remember the last time a management run service changed the world, can you?
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comment @ theorbital.co.uk
The ‘S’ Word
ISSUE 4
COMMENT The word “sorority” in England is practically foreign. The only concept we seem to have of sororities- and fraternities, for that matter- is derived from movies like Legally Blonde and American Pie: sisterhoods and brotherhoods in Northern America whose dichotomous agenda includes refined chapter meetings and wild house parties. I never had anything against sororities and fraternities (for the longest time I actually found them particularly intriguing) until I studied abroad in the United States. Now that I am back at Royal Holloway, and surrounded by some prime English cynicism, I finally feel like it is safe to disclose my opinions. My problem with sororities started on an oppressively humid day this past spring, when I was put in charge of giving out free cupcakes to promote the online magazine I was writing for during my year abroad. As I arrived for my shift, I had preconceived notions that this was about to be the easiest thing I would ever have to do. I’ve never known anyone to turn down a free cupcake (I want to reiterate the word ‘free’), and if I knew someone who would do such a thing we simply would not be friends. Fifteen minutes into my shift, and the only person who had taken a cupcake was a middle-aged professor. I soon saw a group of sorority girls (distinguished by their matching Kappa-Lambda-Rho-SigmawhateverotherGreekalphabet neon coloured t-shirts) walking in the direction of the booth, and, naturally, I found this the perfect opportunity to promote. In my most polite English accent I offered them cupcakes, to which they stopped in their tracks, raised their eyebrows, and stared at me in complete and utter repulsion. I felt like their reaction might have been more suitable had I told them I was all for the lucrative Taiji dolphin slaughter in Japan, and for a while I actually contemplated whether I was in fact a despicable, irrational cupcake-giving antagonist and there was genuinely something immoral about my actions. After a painful silence, one of the girls, who took it upon herself to speak for the entire group, answered, “no we’re good thanks”. They all gave one last condescending look at me, reverted their eyes to the sad frosted cupcakes that lay untouched on the table, and walked off. I was left with only the lingering scent of their cloying perfumes and a bewildered look on my face. This happened more than once throughout that same day. In my experience, or rather, my curt interaction, with sororities I learned that stereotypes, even the awfully exaggerated ones found in American teen movies, can be found to hold some truth. My resentment, whether I’d like to admit it or not, probably has a lot to do with the fact that I’m not 5 foot 6, perfect, and blonde. In order to survive today’s cutthroat world, maybe you need to be elitist, brutally honest and incredibly sassy? I am still trying to figure this out. One thing I do know, however, is that in years to come I will still remember the time I felt personally victimized by sorority girls. And I’ll probably be eating my feelings. With a cupcake. YASMINE MARDEN THE
ORBITAL | 11
COMMENT
A RIGHT TO REMEMBER Something which has become increasingly controversial over the past decade is the British tradition of poppywearing which comes around each November. Of course, to some people, the questioning of such a tradition is simply unthinkable; how could someone not agree with remembering the fallen of this country? However, a combination of recent Western intervention in foreign affairs and the wonderful British cynicism which we all know and love has left some feeling less than content with the poppy memorabilia which appears each November. To many British people, what should be a respectable, time-honoured tradition has become tainted by a feeling that the month of Remembrance is now
by JACK KILKER
merely propaganda through which the Government can try and gain support for their largely unpopular involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. There can be a focus in poppy-related campaigns on the efforts of today’s army, and this has sparked the cynicism. Is this so wrong though? A month to commemorate the efforts of fallen soldiers should surely encompass the present day. And if we’re remembering those who have fallen in more recent wars, it also follows that support will be shown for those who are still engaged in warfare on behalf of Britain. Soldiers are ordinary people trying to make a living, and for this reason I do not feel it is fair to show open hostility and a lack of support for the British Army because of an interpretation
of government motives. I am in no way defending the government if they do use the Poppy Appeal as propaganda for more recent wars. I cannot state whether or not this is the truth of their intentions when promoting the Poppy Appeal. However, regardless of how we interpret any promotion or discussion of the poppy by the government, we should still retain an understanding of the reasons why Remembrance Day and the Poppy Appeal were originally founded. We do not need to be accused of supporting the government’s supposed pro-war propaganda when we wear a poppy. We should be able to wear the poppy for the reasons which we believe in, without suffering the scrutiny of others.
THE HARD CHOICE: WHY WESTERN INTERVENTION WILL NOT SOLVE THE SYRIAN CIVIL WAR This article responds to Issue 3’s “The Immoral Majority” by Dan Willis
by CHRISTOPHER WALL
Intervention in Syria is not necessarily the be all and end all to the civil war currently raging in the country. The war in Syria has already started to seep into neighbouring countries; with fighters coming from Iraq, Lebanon and Iran. Intervention in Syria will only serve to fan the flames of these conflicts, as fighters cross borders to escape military strikes, merely moving the zones of conflict. In the instance of the Syrian Civil War, there is no clear frontline, no point at which we can be certain who we are bombing. Also, the forces ranged against Assad are not united under one banner, with clashes already occurring between the Free Syrian Army and the forces of the Islamist State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), which is allied to Al ’Qaeda. There are those who are fighting for a democratic nation in Syria, and the West should fund those forces in Syria who are fighting for this democratic future, so as to ensure that they can both defeat Assad’s forces and Islamist foreign militias. If the rebels do win, it will take a long time for the country to stabilise after such a long and violent upheaval. They would have to rebuild both their homes and government from the ground up. Western intervention will not make this process any quicker. In Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, we have intervened, with no plan of how to build a new state infrastructure that would provide the framework in which democracy can run, and this is a continuing symptom of any form of Western Intervention in the recent decades. While the use of chemical weapons is both against my morals and international law, and I support the removal of Assad, who now has the blood of thousands of innocent civilians on his hands, I do not believe ‘hard’ intervention will solve the situation, and will instead make things worse for the people of Syria in the long-term. We should instead aim to support those still fighting for a free and democratic Syria, through supplying arms, money and training. We should also urge supporters of Assad, such as Russia, to drop their support and also do the same to Saudi Arabia and Qatar who are in support of the Islamist militias. 12 | THE
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Said
ORDS
I NEVER
The poetic structure of rap music demands lyrical skill incomparable to any other genre. Rather than hitting the high notes or reaching #1 in the charts, rappers aim to provide sharp debate through the words they so intricately piece together. It’s a shame that we don’t see rap introduced as ‘poetic’ and ‘ political’ too often. Well, ignore the generic chart-chat about sex, booze and being ‘the best’ in the business. That isn’t what we’re talking about here, nor what we should be paying attention to. Rap was considered to be the voice of frustrated and rebellious black youths, venting anger towards racial discrimination and class segregation throughout the 70s and 80s. As time goes on, we see this discrimination spread throughout all forms of society and, so, we are no longer limited to race; in fact, there are no limits. We live in a world which stereotypes homosexuality (Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - Same Love) and fails to recognise the inequality of men and women (Tupac Shakur - Keep Ya Head
Up),
while we remain silent about America’s inability to care for its own citizens, prioritising illegal warfare (Eminem - Mosh), and failure to avoid a self-damning definition of ‘terrorist’ (Lowkey - Terrorist?). Why does this matter? What difference does the subject of rap music really make? Surely the only way it could matter is if music were capable of actually changing something, or someone. Without a doubt, I’d say it does. How were we made aware of the London riots, 9/11, Hurricane Katrina or pretty much any major event in recent history? The media. We take for granted the fact that the majority of our knowledge surrounding current affairs doesn’t necessarily come from the classroom; it comes from the newspapers and magazines we read, the films and documentaries we watch, the tablets we carry around with us and, arguably, the music we listen to. This isn’t to say music is an accurate source, but it certainly adds to the ‘story’ of ‘our world’, what we make of it and how we interact with it. Generations for many years to come will grow up with musicians as idols and role models, headphones plugged in, succumbing to the power music has over our personal discourses. That’s why rap is important; it ‘teaches’ the audience in a way other genres don’t: with anger, passion and lyrical depth.
for anyone who’s ever been through
shit they sitin andtheir they crylives at night
wishing they’d die ‘til they throw on a rap record and they sit and they vibe; we’re nothing to you, but we’re the fucking shit in their eyes EMINEM - SING FOR THE MOMENT
Lupe Fiasco’s single Words I Never Said is what inspired this particular article. For myself, it echoes these inspirational words of Christopher Hitchens: “we must never be the spectator of unfairness or stupidity but, instead, seek out argument and disputation for their own sake.” Born Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, Fiasco lyrically summarises the essential make-up of contemporary America through cameos of drug dependency, the
‘American diet’, the merciless control of banks and slashes in the American education budget. Above all else, though, he expresses disgust towards the taboo now associated with the term ‘jihad’ (while assumed to be a physical confrontation, it actually refers to the inner struggle of staying faithful to the Muslim religion). Western media tells us nothing of peace, tradition or what Muslim communities truly strive for, only what sells: bombs and murder. Despite all this, we don’t live in a world where such observations are necessarily welcome.
iallthink that the silence
is worse than all the violence.
fear is such a
weak emotion that’s why i
despise it
LUPE FIASCO - WORDS I NEVER SAID
Our criticisms are caged, silenced and even punishable by judgement or a jail cell. As our governments ‘secure’ the world in a hushed manner, we are fed mindless gossip, overloading us with information but starving us of knowledge. With all this in mind, musicians and ‘celebrities’ alike have a responsibility to fulfil. Russell Brand’s fantastic interview with Paxman shows just how much of an impact 10 minutes on air can have. That isn’t to say I necessarily agree with everything he said, yet place those words on the tongue of a politician and controversy would have been minimal in comparison.
Macklemore ft. Fences: Otherside, Ed Sheeran ft. Mikill Pane: Little Lady, Plan B: Ill Manors, Lowkey: Obama Nation, Hopsin: Ill Mind of Hopsin 5, Hyro Da Hero: Ghetto Ambience, Devlin: Community Outcast, Keny Arkana: La Rage, Damian Marley ft. Nas: Road To Zion, Wretch 32 ft Ed Sheeran: Hush Little Baby, Ghostpoet: Survive It, Macklemore: Make The Money, Lowkey: Something Wonderful, Plan B: Tough Love, Eminem: Headlights, Immortal Technique: Dance With the Devil, J Cole: Lost Ones as well as those quoted in the article...
Jay Z’s contribution of grunts to ‘Holy Grail’... I’m sick and tired of hearing ‘UHH’ every 5 seconds and not a whole lot more. Robin Thicke’s ‘Blurred Lines’... catchy or not, the song promotes this fantasy that it’s difficult to tell when a woman says ‘no’. Fiasco’s lyrics tell me not to be scared of speaking out against what I believe to be wrong because, ultimately, I may be the only one willing to do so. That’s what rap can teach: not just clichéd life lessons, but an alternative view of current affairs not regulated by news censorship, willing to tell us that life is what we make of it. Mainstream radio stations no longer provide the plethora of fresh cuts they once did. Find the artists who work for the love of what they do, often censored while doing so, not for the fame or paycheques. Millions of listeners are wasted on fake rap ‘music’ and a generation which grows up with these individuals as role models are, to put it bluntly, fucked. DAN KELLY
FEATURES
INTERN
TAKEOVER by MICHAELLA KOSSAKOWSKA
In this day and age, you most likely won’t get very far unless you have some sort of experience in “the industry.” When I say “the industry” I mean the business world, whether that involves the arts, media, music, theatre, fashion, investment, healthcare, etc. (as I could go on all day listing various different types of vocational industries). It is harsh to say, but it is the cold hard truth. Maybe you might have amazing luck or you have great connections, in which you could always lean on nepotism, but the stark reality is that the majority of people don’t. HOWEVER, if there is a will, there is a way. Nowadays there is a huge value in being an intern. From my own experiences, and hearing from others who have been worked to the bone, companies run on interns. From menial tasks to grabbing coffee to meeting with clients and organizing events, from being an unpaid intern to an intern with a starting salary, we are the cogs that make the machine run. Getting an internship requires patience and persistence; you will get loads of unanswered emails and phone calls that are never returned. It’s hard at first, but you eventually grow a thick skin and go at it again. Finally, you manage to get through to someone and are asked to come into his or her office for an interview (or even for your first day!). Of course, you will need a well polished CV that includes your educational details and any relevant experience you have. The aim is to help give your prospective employer an idea of what you have done, what you would like to do, and who exactly you are. 14 | THE
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This all, of course, is tied up with a great cover letter describing such facts in detail (keep it to no longer than a page though - no one wants/has the time to read your autobiography). Just don’t make the mistake of sending off these details in a chain email to various different companies. Most importantly, however, make it interesting! You want to stand out, especially with the sheer number of applications employers receive on a daily basis. Even as an intern at a fashion PR company and a modeling agency, I was constantly scanning through emails requesting an internship until one finally stood out enough to forward to my boss! Many employers look at interns during their hiring process and some become fabulous contacts that will help you find other work placements and employment. Some may even write letters of recommendation for further education if you create a good enough impression. The Telegraph has even stated students that intern are more likely to get definite top jobs in the future. Networking is essential these days, and an internship where you start from scratch is one of the greatest building blocks to attaining the career you want. Interning really does show you a part of the world most people would never even fathom. Based on some horrific experiences I’ve heard about, this could be either a good or bad insight - it is all about the right pickings. Interning is a completely different environment that pushes you into the unknown and it really is quite thrilling to be part of the working world and see all your efforts come through. It is also ultimately rewarding, as cliché as that may sound. So get motivated and put yourself out there! features @ theorbital.co.uk
FEATURES
DON’T STRESS
ABOUT HOUSING Wherever you’re at in academia, you’ll probably have started thinking about where you’ll be this time next year. If you’re staying in Egham/ Englefield Green, you may be worrying about housing. Here at SURHUL, we’re asking you to SLOW DOWN. Estate agents pile on pressure (many have already begun) but the best thing to do is wait. You really will regret rushing into a contract with people you’ve only just met and feeling stuck in it next year. What do we advise? Wait until January. There’s an awesome Housing Fair in the Windsor Building on Tuesday 14th January, where the SU-run U-Let lettings agency will be showcasing their newly released housing list. The team ensures that students find quality homes; all of which are sourced, inspected and accredited by us. U-Let also charges no agency fees, so could save you money! However, accommodation is much more than just bricks and mortar. You want a home, somewhere you can relax between lectures and a space that you actually enjoy being in: that’s determined as much by the people you live with as the actual house. In my first year, I lived in a flat in Wedderburn with seven great people. The first term was awesome and by early January three of us had found somewhere to live together for the following year. Looking back, I think we all felt pressured to find a place quickly, and we did indeed find a lovely house in Egham. However by the third term of that year, I was worried. I loved the girls I was going to live with but had already started falling out with one of them over things like washing up. I felt stuck: I had rushed into signing for the house and the contract seemed imminent and complicated. In my second year, my housemates and I argued more and more often until I felt uncomfortable being in the house. For various reasons, I moved out early. The lesson I learnt was that the people you live with in first term might not be those you want to live with for the rest of the year. Best friends don’t necessarily make the best housemates. This can happen to anyone, but what’s important is to do something about it. If you get into an awkward situation like mine or your landlord doesn’t give you back your full deposit, get in touch with Tina at our Advice and Support Centre (ASC) (tina@su.rhul.ac.uk). She’s there to offer help and advice when things get difficult. We’ll also be organising Speed HouseMating events later this term, where you can meet others looking for housemates! Keep your eyes peeled. If you take one piece of advice from this, let it be to wait. Think seriously about the sort of place you want to live in (does messiness bother you?) and the people you want to be with. There are loads of options available - don’t settle down too quickly! SIDONIE BERTAND-SHELTON
the
woman
in the
bag
The woman in the bag is not me but sometimes, I am her. She’s all carmine and kohl, fishnets and heels, snake eyes and smiles. The smooth velvet of her dress makes mountains of her breasts and a valley of her sides. You will smell her before you hear her, (vanilla, roses and a whiff of something musty, like clothes long unworn, like books kept unread, like bones left untouched) and you will hear her before you see her. (click, click, click, click that sound is the safety coming off, the knife being tapped on the counter the grenade unpinned) A god’s bones wrapped in fat, I’m gussied up, tied in, pushed down, pushed out, lips blowjob wet and blood red, eyes dark and mean, all seen through a soft-focus haze. I squash and hide my guts, I drown my odours, paint over flaws and then paint them again. I draw on a smile and I outline a wink. I slip on my shoes and balance tiptoe on knives, tits thrust up and out, arse wobbling out a mating call. I have put on the woman’s skin and I fly, I fly, floating on the gazes, lighter than air and sweeter than sin. The woman in the bag is not me but sometimes, I am her. WRITTEN BY GAREN ABEL UNOKAN
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FEATURES
THAT’S MO’ LIKE IT by ALEX COSHAM
MEN.
We are an odd group indeed, and at times it doesn’t seem like intellectually we’ve come all that far from clubbing baby mammoths to death for dinner and communicating in an assortment of “ugs.” Well, I suppose in the grand scheme of things, we have actually come a long way. I mean, what with the snowballing of the male grooming market, terms like metro-sexual used to describe stylistic icons like good ol’ Beckham and generally men now spending as much time pruning and preening in front of the mirror as their female counterparts, we are becoming…what’s the word, erm, refined? But perhaps along the way we’ve lost some of what it means to be real men. As a guy, I can identify with the general preference to be viewed as masculine, rugged and suave. Think James Bond crossed with Wolverine – but with a pair of hair-straighteners in one hand and an assortment of Eau de Toilettes lining the bathroom shelf, we could be a little off the mark. Yet, the time for change is once again at hand and the month that was once known as November has been replaced.
THAT’S RIGHT GUYS
MOVEMBER IS UPON US
AND IT’S TIME
TO CHANGE THE FACE
OF MEN’S HEALTH
ONE MO’ AT A TIME. There are many things that can be considered manly; shooting heavy calibre weaponry, taming wild beasts and walking to Kingswood after dark to name a few. Yet none seem quite as majestic as attempting what every guy is bound to think when glancing in the mirror, “what would I look like with a moustache?” Fuelled by images of Antonio Banderas as Zorro, Ben Stiller in Dodgeball; Burt Reynolds as Magnum P.I, all men share the belief that they could rock a moustache. The sad reality is, if you are lucky enough to even be able to grow what can be considered as moustache, most of us will look more like a child molester than a macho movie star. Regardless, Movember is a safe haven to at least give it a try. From the original 30 Australian Mo bros of 2003, Movember has grown to the 2012 Movember campaign involving over 1million Mo Bros and Mo Sistas raising over £92 million, with 2013 set 16 | THE
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to break this record. So if men ever needed an excuse to skip the morning razor and push the boundaries of upper lip accessorizing, this is most definitely it. All joking aside though, Movember is a truly marvellous concept that has really thought about who they want to be involved, with a finger well and truly on the pulse of the male communities across the world, this unique campaign really deserves the success it has enjoyed so far and that is set to continue for the foreseeable future. Many similar campaigns burn out with the marketing strategy of making participation more of a fashion statement than a long-term cause. Success in the pursuit of charity in this economic climate is after all, a bumpy road. Yet somehow Movember has transcended the almost shameless appeal as a part of popular culture and turned what was a self-destructive element of typical “man” culture into a fun, fashionable month long club that us guys can be a part of. Whether our efforts are truly laughable and have child protective services on amber alert, or on the rare chance we discover our inner Zorro, Movember draws upon the male adoration of competition and mildly-insulting banter to make massive steps contributing to several worthy causes. Funding treatment and research into the primarily male prostate and testicular cancer fields, as well as male mental health programmes, there is no need to worry that what you raise is going to waste. But on top of the obvious financial contributions, Movember has also become a part of our evolution as men without losing sight of what it means to be a man. In fact the way Movember celebrates men is probably what underpins much of its success too. Rather than a endless depressing string of TV ads warning men to get their balls checked while Bono clicks his fingers desperately in the background as a guy loses a testicle every 20 seconds. Movember has the metaphorical (& physical) balls, it has the values and it has the banter that makes us guys want to do something. So as the campaign reaches its 10th Birthday, I ask you the Mo Bros and Mo Sistas of Royal Holloway to get your moustaches on…well maybe just the Mo Bros, Mo Sistas I think you are expected to help us out with encouragement, but hey if you can grow a good handlebar then who am I to stop you? But I digress, yes, its rare that us guys have such a symbol to rally behind for such great causes, so lets make the most of every glorious moustachioed minute. Whether it’s a pencil, a handle bar, a samurai or something resembling dirty sanchez on your lip, no one cares, because these are moustaches and this is, Movember! features @ theorbital.co.uk
FEATURES
BEHIND THE ‘TACHE by RACHEL IVENS
THE LORAX
, The titular character of Dr. Seuss’ 1971 children’s book (and 2012 feature film), is a wise environmentalist who “speaks for the trees, for the trees have no tongues.” Offering a chilling depiction of the effects of corporate greed, The Lorax appeals to his audience to stand up for the environment: “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
FREDDIE MERCURY
(1946-1991), the frontman of rock band Queen, is one of the most renowned musicians, songwriters, and entertainers of all time. Born Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar, Mercury grew up between there and India before moving to Feltham UK as a teen. Freddie Mercury, though quiet and shy in private, was known for his extravagant stage persona and flamboyant performance style, as well as being regularly cited as having possessed one of greatest voices in the music industry.
SALVADOR DALI
(1904 – 1989), born in the Catalonia region of Spain, was at the forefront of Surrealist painting and the Dadaist movement. A cultural icon for his art and personality, Dali’s decadence and eccentricity made him a striking figure with Dali himself claiming that “every morning upon awakening, I experience a supreme pleasure: that of being Salvador Dalí.” While Dali flirted with Communism and anarchism in his younger years, he controversially changed his political beliefs in his later life, openly supporting Franco’s fascist regime.
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An Insight Into Sobriety LIFESTYLE
Run for the hills fellow imbibers of life’s sweetest nectar, a sober person is nearby! From the title of this article you might, in a shocked state, ask why someone would commit such a heinous atrocity whilst at university. You might say that, as students, it is our duty to enjoy our three years of freedom in as tipsy a stupor as possible. Until this month I would have wholeheartedly agreed with you; however, a greater cause has grabbed hold of me this month, one which I cannot ignore: charity. This month I will be taking on a much harder challenge than growing a straggly moustache or wearing a silly costume, I will be stone cold sober. Those who know me will understand that this is no mean feat; I love drinking alcohol – primarily ale – whenever I can get my hands on it. Be it sitting down and pub-quizzing with friends at a weekend, going to the local watering hole for a few friendly brews, or even while watching an episode of Archer after a long day on campus, I like to have a casual drink. “What cause could be so worthy as to deserve a month of
sobriety?!” you might ask. Good question. Throughout the month, I will be raising money for the British Heart Foundation (BHF). I am doing this to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of my grandfather’s death, who was sadly struck down by a heart attack when I was only five months old. He was, like many before and since, one of the people who dies every seven minutes from a heart attack in the UK. Statistics like that, and the fact that nearly 2.3 million people currently suffer from coronary heart disease, made me want to make a small sacrifice to help the BHF continue its sterling research into heart conditions. If I can raise even a small amount – and at such a tiny inconvenience to myself – then I will have done my part to help limit their devastating effects. HARRY ANGERS
As we step outside and are blown down by these unpredictable gale force winds and “mini” hurricane tempests, there is only one stable wardrobe staple we can rely on this winter….KNITWEAR! A quick look through old family photos will tell you that knitwear – especially cable knits – has been a favourite in both Menswear and Womenswear for decades. This unisex fashion is timeless, and always will be! Let’s not forget that knitwear’s assortment of pieces range from head to toe; starting with your Grandmother’s bobble beanies, then ranging from scarves and gloves to jumpers and cardigans, and finally descending to knitted tights and socks. Egham’s local charity shops feature the classic fisherman knitwear, whilst ‘Rokit’ in Camden Town High Street supplies an extensive collection of more vintage knitwear, with a reasonable price tag. Perfect for all you Time Warp enthusiasts! We have seen a variety of styles: from polo necks to cropped knits and short sleeves, as well as prints, embellishment, patterns and thickness incorporated with knitwear. Now, however, there is a sudden new knitwear niche bursting out of the shops, so prepare to
get cosy with the knitted fluffy jumpers and cardigans. This range of fluffy knitwear takes a new direction, showing a sudden conversion to a new texture that really does imitate a farm animal, but that is what knitwear is about, right? The more like a sheep you look, the better! Fluffy knitwear has utterly conquered the fashion world, evolving traditional knitwear into statement daytime wear. It really is the new fashion phenomena! The best way to wear knitwear – for either men or women – is to pair it with a checked shirt and dark denim jeans, with knitted socks rolled slightly down (but over your jeans), and a classic pair of Chelsea boots. Ladies – you can also pair your knitwear with a midi skirt, skater skirt, leather shorts and even knitted tights, and accessorise with a bold, chunky necklace worn closely around the neck to accentuate your femininity. Everyone is enwrapped in knitwear; even Innocent smoothies are currently running a ‘Big Knit’ campaign. Let’s hope that you not only catch on but ‘cast on’ and create your own knitwear too. Want to find out how? Just visit www.wikihow/Knit. MAISIE BOVINGDON
Knitwear November You can donate to Harry’s cause here: www.justgiving.com/harryangers
VICTOR E. MUKETE I’m a second year student from Cameroon studying Politics and International Relations. I would sum myself up as an African Nationalist and a Hip-Hop enthusiast. In the grand scheme of things, I would like to be known for having engaged in the development of Africa’s economy as well as the empowerment of its people. My style’s really influenced by Afrocentric trends, but, at the same time, I enjoy dressing preppy. I’m hoping for a first class degree this year. There are a lot of things I’d like to achieve, but I’m here for grades first and everything else after. My top tip for keeping your look unique: be original. Too many people buy into the look of an artist or a particular celebrity these days and that just undermines individuality. Let your fashion reflect you as a person and you’ll be comfortable whatever you’re wearing.
FACES OF HOLLOWAY PHOTOGRAPHY BY GYAN GURUNG
LIFESTYLE
Split Pea Soup to serve 6
450g yellow split peas 1750ml water 2 onions, chopped 2 celery stalks, chopped 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 bay leaf ½tsp thyme 2tsp salt black pepper, to taste
FOR A PLETHORA OF CULINARY TIPS AND IDEAS, CHECK OUT: www.thisisunifood.blogspot.com
This soup is a special one for me – many happy childhood memories surround it. It was what we’d eat on the coldest days, as we ran into the house stamping our feet to regain feeling and tentatively holding our hands over the scalding radiator. Though childhood is long gone, winter is returning once more. This recipe continues to be a sure favourite – and a definite winter warmer. It’s also really easy, so no excuses! BRYONY BOWIE (Article & Photography)
1 2 3 4
Put everything in a large pan. Literally – no oil, no cooking the vegetables first, just throw them all in together! Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat, put on a lid (or cover with tin foil) and simmer for 2½ hours. Remove the bay leaf, then blitz with a stick blender (if you don’t have one you could attempt to sieve it, but they’re well worth investing in for under £10 online). Serve! If you want to be fancy, garnish it with fresh thyme and a twist of black pepper. This soup also freezes spectacularly, so it’s definitely worth keeping any you don’t eat.
November Nails
This season’s style has seen a revival of 90s grunge – leather jackets, plaid shirts and studded accessories have dominated the Autumn/Winter catwalks of London and Paris. So, naturally, this month’s nail art follows that trend. November is all about dark, gothic shades: think blacks, deep blues, and metallic golds. Try Barry M Matte Effect Nail Varnish: £3.99, Boots Rimmel’s Pro Nail Polish by Kate Moss in ‘Punk Rock’ and ‘Rhythm and Blues’. For this look I Rimmel Pro Nail Polish: chose to test out the new Barry M Matte Effect nail varnish in Espresso, and I was impressed! £4.49, Superdrug The black matte effect is perfect for mimicking that on-trend leather look. The formula of a matte MUA Nail Caviar Constellation: varnish is different to regular glossy polish in that it’s thicker and can often be tricky to apply, yet £3.00, Superdrug I didn’t have any trouble with this one; I’d recommend using two coats for a solid colour. Ciate Caviar Manicure Black Pearls: I then added a second texture to the design using nail caviar beads (Ciaté and Superdrug’s £18.00, www.ciate.co.uk MUA do a really good set) on my ring fingers as a bold, statement nail for each hand. While the second coat of varnish on your ring finger is still wet, simply sprinkle the beads onto the nail (over a bowl to catch any spares that bounce off). Finish off with a clear top coat to seal the beads, making your manicure longer lasting. If you can get your hands on them, tiny silver studs also look amazing as decoration on a single statement nail. This look is simple and easy to achieve for a quick fix before a morning lecture or a night out, plus the dark polish shades and leather effect contrast perfectly with this month’s November knitwear trend! ARAMINTA PENDER (Article & Photography)
THE LEATHER LOOK
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lifestyle @ theorbital.co.uk
LIFESTYLE
NEWSLEEK: TUESDAY MARKET
Ingredients for
Photography (top): NATASHA KHALEEQ
Marrow Amatriciana 2tbsp olive oil 150g diced pancetta 1 onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2tbsp red wine vinegar 2x400g tins of chopped tomatoes a large glass of red wine ½ tsp of golden caster sugar 1tsp dried thyme a sprinkle dried chilli flakes 1 marrow 125g grated mozzarella
1. Begin by preheating your oven to 200°C / 180°C fan / Gas Mark 6. 2. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the pancetta until it goes crispy. 3. Add the onion, garlic, sugar and thyme, and cook until the onions are golden brown, then add the vinegar. Pour in the tomatoes and the wine, add the chilli and leave it all to simmer while you prepare the marrow. 4. Slice your marrow into 6cm/2½inch slices and scoop out the insides, leaving some at the bottom to form a base. Drizzle a baking dish with some oil, arrange your marrow on it, and place in the oven to roast. 5. After 30 minutes, take them out and spoon sauce into the middle of each, then cover with foil and return them to the oven for another 30 minutes. 6. Finally, remove the foil, scatter mozzarella over the top, and cook for a final 10 minutes until the cheese has turned bubbly and golden brown. ISSUE 4
It’s that time of year again. The nights are drawing in, the winter woollies are beginning to make a comeback, and all we really want to do is stay tucked up at home, eating the kind of food that always makes us feel deliciously warm and full. As it stands, unfortunately, we can’t do this all the time, and until human beings start hibernating during the winter, that’s not going to change. We all have other commitments – jobs, societies, lectures, etcetera etcetera…but there’s no reason why we can’t spend some of our time on campus looking for something tasty that doesn’t come in a cardboard box with a plastic film lid. This is where the SU Market comes in. The market takes place every Tuesday during term time, inside the SU or out front in the courtyard if it’s warm enough. Open from 9am until 5pm, the market sells a wide variety of fresh and seasonal fruit and vegetables, eggs, cheeses, fudge, organic breads and other baked goods, and Chinese and Mediterranean specialities. With all these stalls and more, there’s definitely something to suit every taste, and where better to get it from than right on campus? Even if it is a little bizarre shopping for vegetables in the same place you spent last Friday drunkenly dancing around while dressed as a bee. But what to do with all that lovely produce? You can’t just buy vegetables and use them to decorate your kitchen counter. Here’s an idea – transform them into a hearty meal to keep the blues at bay this autumn. LUCY ALLMAN THE
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LIFESTYLE
OFF THE BEATEN PLATE
CAMBODIA
An old Khmer story goes that, if you eat when lying down, you’ll turn into a crocodile. Despite this tale told to scare children into table manners, I believe its moral holds true for Westerners in Cambodia. If you don’t get up and experience the best of the nation’s cuisine, you’re guaranteed to turn into something you don’t want to be, in this case, that lackadaisical traveller hovering in the background nibbling on a tracker bar. As a Westerner myself, who had never before been to South East Asia – or the broader continent for that matter – I was expecting big things from traditional Cambodian dishes. Eastern dishes served in the UK have been voted Britain’s Best Dish in the past but are catered to makedo taste buds that have been weaned from authenticity over the generations. Unless one ventures into bohemian areas of the big cities, it is hard to strike gold in the mush of Western-tweaked Asian take-out food that has become our culinary go-to. It is true that as the world gets smaller, our recipes become more varied. Still – nothing compares to the real thing, and if the real thing means cautiously sniffing the produce of a roadside kiosk before a spontaneous purchase, then so be it! Living on the outskirts of Phnom Penh for six weeks, removed from the sensory overload of hectic city life, noise pollution and the throb of tourists, my experience of
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local food has been unique in its duality. Turn right out of the guesthouse that has become my temporary home, and there lies Heng Ly market. To the sweeping eye of the passer-by it is simply another sprawl of shanti houses selling their wares –a familiar image from National Geographic magazines or humanitarian infomercials. Tourists come here for the sun, the sights, and the value for money, but the country is not known for its food, to the loss of many. Traditional dishes, if served at all, are done so in ‘tourist-friendly’ establishments that are quaint replicas of home-grown normality. Irish pubs and Aussie sports bars are simply enablers to this travelling phenomena in which distance is the only factor between home and away. Since old habits die hard, even in the relatively new tourist industry, authenticity is hard to come by, except by those who have learnt to look for it or have the courage to jump in when they chance upon it. Walking through Heng Ly market twice a day has opened my mind towards Cambodian customs. As a country that is very much still developing, tradition holds much influence over people’s lives. So, despite the looming shopping mall in the middle of Phnom Penh, the large grocery store on its ground floor renders its capitalist roots somewhat superfluous when the large majority of locals buy their supplies at markets.
Individual stalls burst with the colours of fresh produce; bananas hang from jaunty kiosk ceilings like small green fingers, eggs with their makers’ feathers still attached are displayed alongside the fruit of the sea. Deep-fried crickets, spiders, cockroaches and snakes, poached quail’s eggs and every other type of street-dwelling creature is sold for profit. Meals consist mainly of steamed greens, tofu and egg-based dishes, sometimes with light broths, and always accompanied by noodles or steamed rice. Boiled cornon-the-cob is served still wrapped in its protective leaves. Dessert is simple, yet provides refreshing relief from the humidity: honeydew melon swimming in a mixture of ice water and condensed milk. Sweetened corn paste and coconut-based soft sweets are also popular. Pair your meal with a Khmer ice coffee or ice tea – you’ll never go back. Outside the city awaits all kinds of delicacies, including bamboo sticky rice and freshly caught crab. So, if you can, seek out the local food and enjoy the taste of a proud country picking itself up from the rubble of a terrible past. You will be hard pressed to enjoy these unique dishes anywhere else in the world, as Khmer food is very much an untapped market that has not yet caught on in Europe. So don’t be a crocodile, make the most of it! ALEXANDRA McADAM (Article & Photography)
lifestyle @ theorbital.co.uk
Happy Birthday National Theatre! ARTS
I recently had the enormous privilege of attending the National Theatre’s 50 Years on Stage celebration. It was one of the most remarkable evenings in London theatre history. With Alan Bennett acting alongside the History Boys, Maggie Smith back on stage, Judi Dench devastatingly delivering both Shakespeare and Sondheim, and Derek Jacobi and Michael Gambon paying tribute to Gielgud and Richardson. It was an astonishing array of performances and plays. We saw how musicals flourished with spectacular numbers, we saw how modern classics were born and we saw how classics had been brought to life there. For me, one of the most striking parts was the fact that actors of the calibre of Oliver Cotton and Stephen Campbell Moore were willing to turn up in near wordless two minute supporting roles, simply to say happy birthday to the National. Why, then, do we celebrate 50 years of the National when other theatrical milestones go mostly unheeded? Because the National is the epitome of theatre. In three auditoria it encompasses everything theatre can encompass. It doesn’t always get it right: from its inaugural apparently over-sexed Peter O’Toole
The Future London is a city renowned for its vibrant and dynamic theatre culture, and in 2011 Danny Boyle’s production of Frankenstein at The National Theatre contributed to this. With Jonny Lee Miller and Benedict Cumberbatch in the starring roles, Boyle beautifully employed an alternation between characters, each night differing who played Frankenstein, and who his creature. The retelling of the gothic classic was praised for accentuating the suppressive patriarchal effects on women, and challenging the conventional ideas of beauty, both of which are so prominent in Shelley’s work. Its jaw-dropping set design and stunning performances positioned it as a production that could not be missed. Unfortunately, I did. Or at least, I should have done. After days of lamenting to anyone that would listen, a friend casually mentioned that actually, it was so popular it’d probably be in the cinema soon. Theatre? In the cinema? Surely that ruins the whole point of watching a ‘live’ performance? However, I can assure you, it did not. The ingenious development of ‘National Theatre Live’ that began in June 2009 means that people all over the world, can watch some of London’s best productions live, from the comforts of their local arts @ theorbital.co.uk
Hamlet to the just closed over-egged Edward II, there have been missteps. But more often than not it gets it spectacularly right, and is always there to offer something new. It encourages innovation whilst faithfully reviving classics. It treats children’s theatre with respect (where else would a radical director like Katie Mitchell be allowed to direct The Cat in the Hat?). It puts radical new musicals, Stoppard’s new play and Shaw all at the same time. It can draw in names like Gambon, Dench and Mirren, gives stalwarts like Russell Beale, Jennings and Kinnear their due limelight, has launched careers from Derek Jacobi to James Corden and lets the lead performers be a set of puppeteers underneath a giant wooden horse. On one stage it plays it safe; in another it pushes boundaries. It truly caters to all audiences. And, with cheap tickets to counter elitism, and with tours, transfers and the recent NT Live the National is now as national as it can be and, sometimes, international. The last words of the night were taken, suitably, from Alan Bennett’s The Habit of Art: “Plays plump, plays paltry, plays preposterous, plays purgatorial, plays radiant, plays rotten – but plays persistent.” Here’s to the next 50 years of plays persistent. NICHOLAS HYDER
of
Theatre
cinema. Despite my scepticism, I went to watch Frankenstein at my nearest Vue and I was far from disappointed. The cameras were, as promised, specifically positioned to film the production as though being watched from the best seats in the house. Seeing a play in this way was honestly fantastic. After such a positive experience, my friends and I decided recently to get tickets for the ‘NTL’ screening of Hamlet. This, however, was not so successful. After an hour of streaming problems resulting in Rory Kinnear freezing mid-soliloquy, we decided that we could no longer justify the thought that every character had an unmanageable speech stutter, and that the screen kept going black to dramatically emphasize a fear of the unknown. We demanded our money back and went to McDonalds. Despite this unfortunate experience, I am still an avid defender of theatre cinema, as despite glitches in certain areas of the technology, it remains a brilliant way of bringing people together. Kitschy I know, but in a world with so much technology at our disposal, it seems like a legitimate and accessible way to get people inspired by theatre. What do you think? HANNAH PARTRIDGE THE
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ARTS
James McAvoy dazzles in Filth, a film based on the novel by Irvine Welsh’s, the Scottish novelist who unleashed Trainspotting upon the world. Welsh’s novels often explore the dirtier and darker side of life, and the film, adapted and directed by Jon S. Baird, is no exception. Rated 18 for language, graphic violence, sex, and hard drug use, the film holds no bars and is not for the faint of heart; during the film at least four people walked out of the cinema in disgust. (One has to wonder what exactly they expected from a movie named Filth, but I digress.) McAvoy plays the corrupt cop Bruce Robertson, who is in line for promotion at the department and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. When
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FILTH
a Japanese student is murdered by a local gang Bruce leaps at the chance to prove himself; however, binge-drinking, cocaine, and his obsessive plotting to turn his colleagues against each other keeps getting in the way. As the film progresses, the audience gets a nightmarish glimpse into Bruce’s troubled mind. Bruce, who is bipolar, neglects to take his medication and starts to see hallucinations. As his mental health worsens the film gets steadily more strange and surrealistic, dragging the audience into a rabbit hole they are not quite sure how to leave. James McAvoy is mesmerizing in his depiction of Bruce; he is at turns despicable, repulsive, and conniving, but McAvoy manages to play him with
just enough vulnerability to win the audience’s sympathy. The movie, for all its dark twists and turns, is also incredibly funny. In the first few minutes of the movie a little boy flips Bruce off in the street; Bruce snatches a balloon from the boy’s hands and smirks as it soars into the sky. It’s the kind of humour that makes you wonder if you should be laughing or not. The soundtrack of Christmas carols and cheery 70’s music poses an ironic contrast to the grim portrayal of Glasgow’s criminal underbelly. If you’re a fan of Trainspotting and Guy Ritchie’s Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, this is the movie for you. BROOKE DAWSON
arts @ theorbital.co.uk
London
ARTS
FILM FESTIVAL THE FILMS TO
WATCH
BIRGIT KOVACSEVICH, NICHOLAS HYDER & HARRY CRAWFORD
BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOUR: The new film by director Abdellatif Kechiche and this year’s Palme d’Or winner tells the story of
romantically and sexually curious teenager Adele and her love for the blue-haired art student Emma. Provoked by Kechiche’s brutal working methods – for which he is now facing heavy criticism – the film’s two lead actresses Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux pour their hearts and souls into their respective roles and deliver performances of overwhelming emotional depth and finesse. Nevertheless, hearing the actresses’ complaints about Kechiche’s methods, one can’t help but wonder: do the ends justify the means? They certainly do for this film. BK ALL IS LOST: The incomparable Robert Redford captivates in this one-man film about a man all at sea when his boat is irreparably
damaged. In stripping everything back writer/director JC Chandor primarily focuses on the struggle between man and nature, and even with barely 50 words of speech reaches striking conclusions. Redford’s deterioration is superlative acting. A central storm scene, about 15 minutes long, is a harrowing watch. A wonderful meditation which had me feeling seasick throughout. NH CLOSED CURTAIN: Following This is Not a Film, this is Jafar Panahi’s second film after a 20-year ban on filmmaking three years ago.
Like that excellent documentary, this deals with artistic limitations and the pertinent issue of house arrest. This drama, however, starts as a fascinating chamber play about an author and an interloper before a surreal twist impacts perceptions of reality and imagination. Profound, poignant and unexpectedly funny, anyone interested in the political, the personal or the Pirandello-esque should see this. NH HELI: To list the horrors one has to suffer through when watching Mexican director Amat Escalante’s new film, which
explores what happens when you annoy the wrong people in a Mexican rural area, would take up the whole space of this review. While Escalante’s gaze is relentless when it comes to the killing of puppies and the incineration of male genitalia, it fails to provide any insights into the characters we are supposed to care about. Portraying hopelessness and human rottenness naturally leads to questions of necessity and meaning, neither of which can be satisfyingly answered in Heli. BK DON JON: The directorial debut of Joseph Gordon-Levitt centres on Jon, a tan, buff bartender from New Jersey, who is addicted
to porn. The film pairs a witty script – also written by Gordon-Levitt – with a great cast and a confident first-time director. The superb performances by the female supporting cast in the form of a hilariously romance-obsessed Scarlett Johansson and an equally great, but more subtle, Julianne Moore help Don Jon become more than just another rom-com. The result is a film that manages the fine balancing act between taking itself too seriously and drowning out its more subtle and true moments with cheap laughs. BK INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS: Even with a back catalogue of masterpieces, the Coen brothers have surpassed themselves with
this hugely enjoyable tragicomic pre-Dylan folk-singer odyssey, which mingles the thwarted artistry of Barton Fink with the voyaging of O Brother, Where Art Thou. The music is exquisite, and the song “Please Mr Kennedy” will have you rolling in the aisles from first note to last. In lead actor Oscar Isaac, previously scene stealing in small roles, a star is born. NH THE POLICE OFFICER’S WIFE: It is doubtful that there have been many films more comparable to a cinematic marathon than The
Police Officer’s Wife. This three-hour long meticulous dissection of a family suffering under a violently abusive father takes its time with developing its subtle narrative structure. And it further tests its audience’s patience by it being split into an agonising 59 chapters, each of which is opened and closed by a simple white on black title. Nevertheless, the few people making it through to the end credits will be rewarded. Fantastic performances by all three leading actors and cinematography of breathtaking accuracy are the film’s saving grace. BK PARKLAND: Peter Landesman’s debut is an overly dramatic and wildly aggro-centric film. An outstanding
performance from Paul Giamatti is perhaps the best highlight of an otherwise very American film made for American people. Why Landesman never made a documentary instead I will never know – there was so much potential. This is a decent effort for a debut – it had its moments (cinematography was superb at points). However it’s nothing special. Watch this only if you’re mad about JFK; otherwise, there’s just no point. HC THE
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UNIVERSITY
OF LONDON: PART
Term’s well underway and we’ve already produced some exciting shows such as A Night at the Theatre and Betrayal. Here, in the second part of our three part feature on the University of London, LSE and UCL tell us about the shows they’ve been having on campus!
niversity COLLEGE
London
Economics
SCHOOL
TWO
U
LONDON
UCL is putting on a host of very exciting shows this term, both in the Bloomsbury Theatre and more intimate Garage Theatre. Here is a quick look at some of them! Our actors from the UCLU Drama Society took a fresh look at Romeo and Juliet by placing it in 1980s America (14th-16th November). Mind The Gags (18th-19th November) is UCLU Comedy Club’s sketch show performed by our sketch troupe, the Gower Line. They presented an amusing evening of short comedies and hilarious sketches. UCLU Jazz Society immersed us in the moving music of the Civil Rights Movement with their show I Too Sing America (22nd-23rd November). Our Big Band, vocal group and small bands performed music from the African American culture of the second half of the twentieth century. The 1920s will come roaring back to life in UCLU Musical Theatre’s production of The Wild Party, showcasing gin, sin and skin (28th-30th November). Set in Manhattan this musical fable will captivate you with its decadent style. The Slade School of Fine Art has put on its annual Degree Show and Graduate Interim Show, so keep an eye out for upcoming events! So far this term we have had a fantastic array of performances in our Garage Theatre. For example, Get Your Rock Out by the Jazz Society was a great evening of rock music through the ages, while Musical Theatre’s Next To Normal was an amazing and emotive performance. KATHERINE THOMAS
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The LSESU Drama society is one of LSE most active societies, winning a silver STARS (Student Training and Awards Recognition Scheme) award in 2013 and gold in 2012. We have around 250 members and put on 3-4 plays, a musical and an improv comedy show each year. Our members direct, produce and provide all the technical support for our productions as well as acting, so there are loads of ways to get involved. We also collaborate with our sister society The Revolving Shed (who’ve put on critically acclaimed original pieces by LSE students at the Edinburgh Fringe for the past three years), the Literature society (with whom we’re running a playwriting competition this term), the Feminist society (to stage The Vagina Monologues each year) and LooSE TV company. Over the past few years we have seen a brilliantly diverse range of productions, ranging from comedies (Out of Order, Black Comedy) to original productions (Twenty Somethings) passing by musicals (Little Shop of Horrors, a musical adaptation of Wind in the Willows), existentialist French plays (No Exit) and the list continues! We’re keeping up this diversity in the coming year, with a Chekhov triple bill to kick off just before Christmas, Blasted by Sarah Kane to welcome us into the New Year (followed by a debate on the play’s themes) and a performance of Pygmalion to mark the play’s centenary in February. Pygmalion is set to be the first production to take place in the brand new Students’ Centre, and we’re really excited to be performing something by George Bernard Shaw, who helped to found the LSE in 1895. Shortly afterwards, we’ll be staging a satire of a different kind: the award-winning musical Avenue Q. Finally, our improvised comedy group meets weekly for workshops and puts on a (completely unscripted) show at the end of the academic year. This group is very much on the up, having sold out their show last year (think standing-room-only) and started off the year with a 45-strong open workshop to give new members a taste of unscripted theatre. We definitely recommend booking early for this one! MARIE-CLAIRE HUGHES
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SPORTS & SOCIETIES
ROW, ROW, RoHo Your Boat to the Finish Line! TASH PAYNE
The boat club had a brilliant Fresher’s week this year, with lots of interest at the Sports Fayre and a huge turn-out for taster sessions. Freshers were able to get out onto the water on the first weekend of term, and many of them caught the bug instantly. Whilst most freshers went into the development squad initially to become more confident, some with previous rowing experience have already moved into senior crews and raced with us at the Upper Thames Head last Sunday.
HELD AT HENLEY-ON-THAMES,
THIS 3K RACE
TOOK PLACE DURING
50 KNOT GALE-FORCE WINDS!
With over 160 boats taking part in both the morning and afternoon division, the odds were considerably stacked against us. However, all four crews managed to survive the crazy conditions, and the women’s intermediate coxed four achieved the best results of the day by finishing 3rd in their race, only
15 seconds behind the winners! The racing crews are all now looking forward to the Kingston Small Boats Head on 9th November, where we are praying for calmer conditions. Our development rowers are currently being sorted into crews by our Development Captain - a new role created this year which has proven a great success so far - and we are hoping that most will race at the Allom Cup on 7th December. So far, this academic year is shaping up to be one of the best yet for RHULBC!
TO W BIG HITS, BIG HEARTS, BIG REWARDS JOSHUA HODGSON
American Football isn’t a sport many know how to play, or one that looks simple to pick up, but we have many rookies who turn up and within a week are completely tooled up on all aspects of the game. Daunting things like running down the field on your first play with your heart in your mouth is enough to shake many people’s nerves, but the feeling when you make a big hit or you deliver for your teammates definitely dissolves all fears and anxiety - making you want more and more of the fastest growing sport in the UK. The Royal Holloway Bears are on the up this season, we’ve moved on from previous years of underachievement. This season we have a strong squad, but we’re looking to add to that, we always need more players. We have one of the smallest rosters in our league by far, so by coming down, you’re assured game time so long as you have that drive and passion to win, be it for our men’s or women’s team. Our women’s side are ranked 2nd in the entire country, despite last year being their inaugural season and being coached entirely by men’s team players, something that other universities do not do! All players of any experience, size, ability, and shape are welcomed at our practices. Like us on Facebook – even if it is just to say hi! WANT YOUR CLUB OR SOCIETY TO FEATURE HERE? Whether you want to celebrate your competition successes, advertise fundraising attempts, invite students to events or just want more people to come along, this is the place to do it. We want quality content to keep coming in, so get involved now! sportsandsocs@theorbital.co.uk
ROYAL HOLLOWAY’S
SPORTS & SOCIETIES
CHRISTIAN UNION
by ALINE PORTEOUS
Royal Holloway Christian Union’s vision is to give every student the opportunity to hear and respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Weekly meetings happen on Thursday evenings at 7:30pm in the Management Annexe. Here, we spend time singing worship songs, exploring the Bible and encouraging one another to live and speak for Jesus.
OUR MEETINGS ARE
REALLY INFORMAL AND ABSOLUTELY ANYONE
IS WELCOME TO COME ALONG TO THEM.
We put on different events throughout the year to share the good news of Jesus on campus and put into practice what we believe. From Dial-A-Donut to the Food Recycling Scheme, and International events to volunteering in the local community, there’s plenty of opportunity to get involved! We are blessed with many great local churches and cannot recommend enough to join a church during your time at university. Find out more via our website: www. rhcu.org,
Twitter: @royalhollowaycu Facebook: /royalhollowaycu Instagram: @royalhollowaycu
WATCH “GIVE A MAN A FISH AND HE’LL FEED HIS FAMILY
FOR A DAY. TEACH A MAN TO FISH AND HE’LL FEED HIS FAMILY
FOR A LIFETIME.” At Enactus Royal Holloway this is not just any old phrase; it’s a state of mind. Our mission is to “identify possibilities where others do not, empower individuals to reach their full potential and together contribute towards an advancing world”. Our team has built a platform of projects stretching from local communities in the UK to international communities in Sri Lanka, Vietnam and India. With the help of local partners such as NGOs and local community centers we work with a group of individuals, identify their specific needs and the needs of their community and tailor a project aimed to
ISSUE 4
THE REALITY OF
SUSTAINABLE CHANGE
SOPHIA PALMSTEDT
tackle these needs and teach them how to overcome issues meeting their needs. We are proud of what we do. Last April we competed in the Enactus UK National Competition against 50 other Enactus teams from different universities. After a tough semi-final round we made it into the final round (top 5 teams). This was by far one of the biggest accomplishments of our team. It is simply not enough to donate money and hope for the best in the world that we live in today. Sure you can help a community by giving them high tech water filtration systems but how is that effective in the long run? The reality of the situation is that real effective change can only be achieved by teaching individuals how to tap into their strengths thereby empowering them to decide their own future. It is about triggering a domino effect; empower the life of one individual who in turn does the same for other around him. That is sustainable change. Want to get involved? Contact us via Facebook by searching: /SIFERHUL THE
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SPORTS & SOCIETIES
BEARS!BEARS!BEA
BEARS!BEARS!BEARS! Wednesday 23rd October was the day. BUCs was the competition. What else could it be? Bears Day! Each year there is one particular day where as many SURHUL sports teams as possible represent Royal Holloway at home. This year was no different. With football, basketball, rugby, tennis, hockey, badminton, volleyball and more being played, there was something for everyone to watch. Bears Day is always a great day as it gives first years a chance to find out what it is like to represent our great university in competitions like BUCs (British University and College League) and what it means to have university pride and spirit. With many of our teams being successful, one of our performance sports, Women’s Basketball, really put on a show of excellence for the large crowd squeezed in around the sports centre. A commanding 20 point win over Brighton University’s finest really got their season underway! After all the games it was off to the SU in the evening for the slobberknocker event that is CIYK (Come In Your Kit)! This is normally the night where sports teams also hold their initiations and well and truly let their respective freshers in on what it is like to be a member of their clubs. Article: ALEX REILLY-COOPER Photography: NATASHA KHALEEQ & STUDENT ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE “Bears Day proved the power of the home court/pitch advantage! Rarely have we seen that many wins from a variety of sports in one day. BUCS points, BUCS points, BUCS points!well done to all the sport teams!” JASON MICHALSKI, STUDENT ACTIVITIES ASSISTANT “Fortunately, the weather was just as good as the spirit around campus and made more people attend and support the games. A fantastic start to the season for all the teams and again a big well done!” THERESA FEDDERSEN, SPORTS OFFICER “As a captain, I can assure you that with the technical and tactical skills this team already has, the strength of this group is our team spirit: playing football with these guys makes any game intense like last Wednesday, a challenge where we had to come out as winners. Even though we started off being under pressure, we rapidly managed to control the game with the right intensity that has led us to score two goals during the first half. We got unlucky when they scored their unique goal however, as a team, we responded positively by definitively locking our victory by scoring two additional goals. A great day to remember, but also a game that we could have largely dominated and on which we could have scored many more goals.” KARIM BOUSSELHAM (RHUL FC 3’S CAPTAIN)
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ARS!BEARS!BEARS!
SPORTS & SOCIETIES
BEARS!BEARS!BEARS! “…*BUSTS A MOVE*” COLOSSUS D’BEAR AT CIYK
AN EXCITED AUDIENCE MEMBER WATCHES WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SAIL TO VICTORY
“SMASHED IT” JASON MICHALSKI (TENNIS PRESIDENT)
SURHUL’s PRESIDENT & VPSA TALKING TACTICS?
“What really made a difference to our win was the great support from the crowd” JULIA GRAÇA ARANHA (WOMEN’S BASKETBALL CAPTAIN)
“The lady bears keep on crashing other teams with a win against Brighton! They put heart in their game and played the usual hard defence which frustrated the opponent and resulted in Brighton's technical foul. Thank you to everyone who came down to watch the game! Keep on visiting our RHUL BEARS Basketball facebook page for updates on our fixtures - we appreciate your support!” GABRIELA VALKOVA (BASKETBALL TREASURER)
“We played a great team and we put up a good fight against them. I definitely think it was an entertaining game and we will train even harder so we can take revenge in Portsmouth” ARON KERPEL-FRONIUS (MEN’S BASKETBALL CAPTAIN)
BEARS!BEARS!BEARS! ISSUE 4
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