est. 1957
The University of Leicester’s free student newspaper
www.the-ripple.co.uk ripple@le.ac.uk @uolripple www.facebook.com/therippleleicester Issue Four
Semester One
21st October - 27th October
AUTUMN OF DISCONTENT
Lecturers, porters and security are among just some of the Leicester staff striking on October 31st by Alistair Robinson
CHEMISTRY, MEDICINE, MATHS AND LAW TO TRIAL LECTURE RECORDING
On the 31st of October, University of Leicester staff will take part in coordinated strike action, kicking off a campaign against a four year pay freeze. Last Wednesday, results from the UCU (the University and College Union), Unite and Unison trade-unions ballot showed their members were strongly in favour of strike-action. Actions short of a strike will also begin the 1st of November. Unless employers make a better offer, this autumn and winter could be dominated by a long campaign of escalating action. With balloting also opening again on the 31st for another round of strikes two weeks later, the indication is that this strike is only the beginning.
Triumph for Education Officer Michael Rubin as lecture recording devices to be trialled across 7 subjects by Christopher Everett Education Sabb Michael Rubin has scored a solid victory for the Students’ Union, as he announced that his keystone election pledge - lecture recordings - will be trialled this semester, from the 4th of November, in Environmental Chemistry, Chemistry Special Topics Part One, Family Law, Medicine, Introduction to Actuarial Mathematics, Theory of Interest and Education.
Since 2009, the wage increase for staff at the University of Leicester falling into any pay-grade below level 10 has been drastically lowered to 0.4%-0.5% per annum. With inflation, this has resulted in a real-terms pay-cut of 13% for any staff falling into the relevant pay categories: a broad range of porters, catering staff, security, admin workers, technicians, teaching-staff and even lecturers have been effected. Staff members at paygrade 10 and above are awarded bonuses and pay-rises by their own council in a system which many at the bottom feel is grossly unfair.
The trial is intended to discover the precise requirements for a university-wide roll-out, rumoured to be coming in September 2014. Rubin himself will sit on the project board throughout the trial, allowing him to voice students’ feedback and input into the new system. Students in these trial lectures will be able to log onto Blackboard, the University’s online teaching resource site, and rewatch their lecture, or simply
Continued page 2
Photo edited by Christopher Everett, sourced from flickr users Sy and Mary Harrsch
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NEWS
2
Edited by Laura Muse
More strikes threatened for November
would be a move following the example of some of our closest rival universities including both De Monfort and Loughborough.
Continued from front page
Supporters of the Living Wage not only argue it’s an investment which shows concern for the welfare of workers, but also cite studies showing how the Living Wage leads to significantly increased productivity, increased work quality and a 25% reduction in staff-turnover amongst other benefits.
UCEA (University and Colleges Employers Association) is a company hired by The University of Leicester amongst other low-paying universities, to manage the pay-scheme for staff below grade 10. In the national negotiations with union representatives, negotiators for UCEA walked-out very early into talks when UCU revealed the results of a freedom of information request, revealing that senior management had awarded themselves an average annual increase of 2.5% whilst other staffs’ pay had been near-frozen at 0.5%. Campaigners for fairer pay at the University of Leicester have called for an introduction of a £7.45/hour living wage (£1.14 higher than the current £6.31 minimum wage), which enjoys support from across the political spectrum, including both the Prime Minister David Cameron and the leader of the Opposition Ed Miliband. Boris Johnson, has been quoted as saying “paying the London Living Wage is not only morally right, but makes good business sense too.” If the University of Leicester adopted the scheme it
The Living Wage campaign was fronted last year by Labour Students, with the then Labour Chair Michael Rubin, current Sabb for education, and has enjoyed wide support from across the Students’ Union. Union sources have indicated to The Ripple that they will be supporting fairer pay for University staff, but will not support any strike action due to previous Union policy, which opposes measures that are likely to disrupt students’ education. One insider also told The Ripple that a bonus system for grade 10 staff had been implemented in recent years; however, this remains entirely performance based and therefore variable. The University of Leicester did not respond to The Ripple’s request for comment.
Lecture recording key pledge for Rubin
Continued from front page listen to the audio, with accompanying presentation slides. Michael Rubin told The Ripple that “The benefits [of lecture recording] are widely accepted; aiding students’ learning, especially around exams and assessment, helping students with learning difficulties and where English is not their first language, as well as opening up the possibility of innovative lecture techniques.” The new system will use Echo 360 technology, which will allow academics to capture both audio and video. There is expected to be a trial with Panopto, an alternative technology, with another five participants, although the details are not yet confirmed. Michael Rubin has pushed for recording in lectures since 2012, when he originally - and successfully - proposed the plan to Union Parliament (now renamed Union Council). This landmark victory is likely to add further fuel to the rumours of a Presidential bid bya Rubin in 2014.
Leicestershire Police Force respond to last week’s sexual assault article Following an article in last week’s Ripple, I would like to reassure readers that Leicestershire Police takes reports of sexual assault very seriously. We appreciate how distressing incidents of this nature are. All reports of sexual assault are thoroughly investigated with the focus at all times on supporting the victim and bringing the offender to justice. With regard to the alleged sexual assault reported in The Ripple, I can assure you that a full and thorough investigation was carried out by Leicestershire Police’s Serious Crime Team. A detective was quickly assigned to the case, evidence was gathered and potential witnesses were identified and spoken to. The suspect in the case contacted the police voluntarily and attended a police station where he was questioned about the alleged incident. The case was then presented to the Crown Prosecution Service which determined, due to a number of factors, that there was insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of securing a conviction. Leicestershire Police received a
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phone call reporting the alleged incident at 2.47am on Sunday October 6. The call was given a priority response with the aim for an officer to attend within one hour. Unfortunately the force was responding to a number of emergency and priority calls at this time, as well as dealing with large numbers of people leaving pubs and clubs in the city centre. In addition we were aware that the caller was safe at home with her friend and not at risk of harm. Officers attended as soon as they could at 5.28am. We would like to apologise to the caller for any distress we may have caused by this delayed response.
• Plan your journey home. Take a phone number for a taxi with you and make sure you have enough cash to pay the fare. • Check to make sure your taxi is a licensed cab. • Inform the bus driver if you feel uncomfortable with behaviour on a bus. • Moderate your alcohol intake. Alcohol increases your chances of being a victim and perpetrator of crime. Detective Chief Inspector Shane O’Neill Leicestershire Police
I am pleased to say that so far this year we have only had one other incident of sexual assault reported to us by a student. However, there are a number of simple measures you can take to reduce the risk of you becoming a victim of this type of crime: • On a night out, stick with friends and always try to travel home together. *Be aware of your surroundings – walk in groups in well lit areas and carry a personal attack alarm.
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OPINION
3
Edited by Laura Muse
Does our Student’s Union need a Women’s Liberation Officer? In the upcoming student council positions there will be a new role to stand for, known as a Liberation Officer. There will be four of these officers; each one dealing with equality issues affecting LGBT, BAME, disabilities, and women. Some students are questioning the equality in bringing in a liberation officer for women, but not for men. For by Sarah O’Rourke We do not need a Men’s Liberation Officer in our Union – or indeed in any institution in the wider world. This is because men can’t be liberated; in order to be liberated, you have to be oppressed in the first instance. Men are the ruling force that governs the world we live in, both the wider world and within our University. These positions have been introduced in order to support disadvantaged students, not offer the most privileged yet more advantages. To suggest we need a Men’s Liberation Officer is tantamount to suggesting we need a White Person’s Officer, or an Able-Bodied Person’s Officer; an idea which is at its best foolish and naïve, and at its worst, horrifically offensive. The key thing to understand here is that whilst men may be discriminated against individually – for example, not being allowed to run in women’s only races – this discrimination does not happen on a systematic lev-
el. Comparably, a white person may get called a “cracker”, but they aren’t systematically oppressed in the ways that nonwhites are. White people are not discriminated against when applying for jobs, politically, or in their personal lives – in fact, being white is advantageous to the individual in all these instances. The same is true of men. All of life’s major institutions: Parliament, boardrooms, churches, etc., are dominated by men. To be a man is to have capital, an advantage in life with which one can gain and maintain power, in the same way that white skin affords people an unfair advantage in life. Patriarchy is very much still in force. Men still earn on average 17.5% more than women in the EU. 72% of our House of Commons is made up of men. And despite the fact that women do 66% of the world’s labour, a UN report states that men own 99% of the world’s property. Clearly, on a global scale men don’t need to be “liberated”. But what about right here on campus? Quotas have been introduced in Union Council in an attempt to get a 50/50 gender split. This has raised complaints from certain students, who claim that these discriminate against men. One student arguing, “Why not open Union democracy to everyone and promote it better, resorting to tokenism is rather unnecessary.”
What these arguments fail to take account of is that looking back on records of Union Council, dating back to 1989, we have never had an equal number of women to men. Men have always outweighed women in numbers. For instance, last year our council only had 19 women in its make-up out of over 60 elected officers. That’s less than a third! Sean Kelly-Walsh, Officer for Engagement, tells me: ‘When people argue for a men’s officer, I believe they completely miss the point of what we are trying to achieve. Equality is not about everyone having the same, but about everyone being able to achieve the same. We have a women’s officer to push for women to be given equal opportunities and to ultimately put them on a par with the opportunities afforded to men’. The quotas are doing precisely what the critic wanted: “open[ing] up Union democracy to everyone”. This isn’t about closing doors to men, but opening doors to women – doors that ought to have been open all along. The simple fact of it is, if men want someone to voice their concerns to, on so-called “men’s issues”, then the Union is already over-spilling with male representatives. When cries are heard of “Who is going to represent men’s voices?”, the answer is simple: the overwhelming
Elections Explained by Christopher Everett Union Council makes the rules and regulations the multi-million pound Students’ Union operates upon, and tackles a range of issues from ‘operational’ topics with clear results like prices and society funding, to more ‘strategic’, long term roles such as campaigns and student involvement. There are 3 parts to Union Council, each with 20 seats: Student Life, which tackles issues directly affecting students at Leicester, such as nightmare landlords, society funding, and the running of the Union’s student focussed activities; Education, which focuses on improving and standing up for quality education at the Uni-
versity of Leicester; and Society and Community, which focuses on wider debates and issues, as well as the Union’s place in the local community (for example, hosting the Richard III open day).
and to push campaigns on their behalf.
Every 4 weeks, these 3 bodies (or ‘Zones’) meet to form Union Council, which votes and approves the issues discussed in Student Life, Education and Society and Community.
The Postgraduate Officer is a part time Sabb - the student leaders elected to run the Union - and therefore is considered by many to be one of the most influential postions in the election. The Postgraduate Officer is elected at a different time to the other Sabb officers because of the seperate Postgraduate timetables.
Also to be elected are 4 ‘Liberation’ officers: one for black, Asian and minority ethnic students, one for women, one for disabled students and one for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) students. These exist to highlight any problems faced by these groups,
Finally, new this year are the ‘Halls Presidents’. These new positions for each of the Student Halls, have been brought in to campaign for students’ issues in and around Halls of Residence, and provide a voice for the often overlooked Oadby students.
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majority of our Union, Parliament, Church, business sector, and just about every other establishment in this country.
ficer and not allowing men the same right, the Union would be under-representing our male students.
Against by Laura Muse
The meaning of equality, despite what Sean Kelly-Walsh seems to think, is to be equal. Equality is to be equal in opportunities and rights. Denying men the right to have an official that stands up for their sex promotes inequality. Newsflash: misandry exists. Both sexes have issues with discrimination and it would be ignorant to deny that. For example, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a man in Florida who had a golf-ball sized lump in his breast was denied a free mammogram by six charitable organisations due to his sex. Just because women are 100 times more likely to get breast cancer than men, does not mean that the needs of men should be ignored.
Every minority group in society has suffered from issues such as discrimination and fair representation. Such groups face a massive amount of injustice when it comes to equal rights, and should rightly be supported in their fight. However, to put it simply: creating a Liberation Officer for the women at Leicester University is not only sexist but completely unnecessary, because we are not a minority. Equality for all human beings is necessary. To feel safe in your university and union is necessary. To not be judged by your genitalia is especially necessary. To have a special official fighting for the liberation of women at our university, though, is not. My main issue with having a Liberation Officer for gender discrimination is that said officer would only deal with the discrimination of women, ignoring men. Many may roll their eyes and stick with the tired rant about how men are not really discriminated against, because having a penis automatically makes them the dominator, and to have a Men’s Liberation Officer would be pointless because they simply aren’t oppressed. The irony of this argument is that, by creating a Women’s Liberation Of-
Editor’s note by Samuel Osborne Editor-In-Chief Striking differences Our front page deals with the decision by University of Leicester staff to take part in strike action against a four year pay freeze. With the Students’ Union having already adopted a Living Wage, campaigners are calling for the University to follow suit and increase its employees wages. Yet it remains to be seen how drastically this action will affect students across the country. Editor vs Editor With the Union Council elections taking place over the coming weeks, this issue features a debate between two of The Ripple’s Editors, Laura Muse and Sarah O’Rourke, who discuss the decision to appoint Women’s Liberation officers.
We as students are not dealing with inequality in government or in corporations and especially not the Church, whose atrocities against women and countless other beings are well documented in its doctrine. We are students dealing with the politics of our student’s union. Just because some in our union evidently believe that women face inequality issues more than men, does not mean that they should choose to ignore the fact that men do face injustices based on their gender.
is filled with students taking a stand against all kinds of prejudices and injustice, frequently fighting to end inequalities in many different areas of student life. This already includes the fight for gender equality. For example, the Zero Tolerance policy means that, whether you are a male or a female student, you should never be harassed or made to feel uncomfortable on campus and in Leicester. This policy does not discriminate and you can call the helpline regardless of your sex and receive the support you deserve. It is gender-neutral. Why can’t we have a Gender Officer who deals with men as well as women? To have a diverse university with policies that strive for gender equality, but a special officer to ‘liberate’ female students is not just illogical and unfair to men, but insulting to women. I don’t want my student’s union telling me that me having a vagina means that I need an official to stand up for my rights. Changing the role to a Gender Liberation Officer would mean that the issues of women and men can be addressed and would work well alongside our Zero Tolerance policy. It would promote equality, not the tired notion of all men being inherently dominant and women being submissive. Our students aren’t submissive, as our campaigns have proven. Keep our fight for gender equality equal.
The union should pride itself on the fact that our university A mixed evening Last week, we hosted an evening mixer in 1923, giving writers a chance to meet editors and other members of The Ripple’s team. For me, the night was a success, as I was able to make away with much of the left-over nibbles that had been provided. At the evening mixer, someone approached me with the suggestion that I should include a weekly photo of myself alongside my weekly column. Take a moment, if you will, to imagine how you would feel if your week begin with a mug shot of my smiling face beaming out at you from these pages... This Week’s Team
Write for us... If you have an idea for an article or would just like to be assigned articles, please email the section editor relevant to your idea or tastes.
For general enquiries email... ripple@le.ac.uk Executives President: Christopher Everett ce70@le.ac.uk
Editor & Designer: Jamie Burton jb497@le.ac.uk
Editor-in-Chief: Samuel Osborne so104@le.ac.uk
News & Opinion Editor: Laura Muse lm264@le.ac.uk
Senior Deputy Editor: Alexander French ajwf1@le.ac.uk
Lifestyle: Samantha Blundell sb555@le.ac.uk
Operations Team
Features: Tejal Shah ts145@le.ac.uk
Secretary: Mel Agnew
Culture: Patrick Reckitt pgr8@le.ac.uk What’s On: Rebecca Chandler rc258@le.ac.uk Sport: Alistair Robinson agr13@le.ac.uk
Advertising and Marketing: Lauren Swain Print and Distribution: Hollie Brookes Online Development: Vicki Clarke Events: Olivia Milizia
FEATURES
4
Edited by Tejal Shah
‘Make the Most of You!’ PRO BONO by Laura Butler
you’re ready to go.
Whether you’re a fresher or a final-year student, the Career Development Service is here to help you kick-start your career and improve your employability prospects. Here is a brief guide on how we have structured our system so that you get the most out of us:
Second-Years: Pick Your Passion
First-Years: Get Involved It’s easy to be complacent in the first year and ignore the rather daunting necessity of securing a job after graduation. You’ve just left home, are enjoying the social side of university and don’t want to be brought crashing down to earth with the reality of what you’re going to do after university. After all it’s a few years away, right? However, working on your career doesn’t mean making major life decisions. It could simply be put into motion by joining a society or taking on some parttime work to help develop your skills. Volunteering is an excellent option too, since you can commit to it as much as you want. Try to ‘Get Involved’. The Career Development Service is now offering taster sessions for a range of extra-curricular activities, so if you can work out what’s right for you, without commitment. You’ve got nothing to lose! If you’ve not already done so, activate your MyCareers account to get access to the database at www.le.ac.uk/careers All you need to do is log in with your student ID, create your profile with aspects of work/ volunteering/ internships etc. that you’re interested in, and
For second years the Career Development Service message is focused on helping you ‘Pick your Passion’. This involves developing a greater understanding of what you really want to do - with us helping you gain experience in that field. On October 15th we ran a ‘Pick your Passion’ event at Queens Hall, where people came to have a chat with advisors about relevant activities to get involved in, tailored to student interest. Although this event has already been and gone, there are many different events happening throughout the year, just check out our website for more information and set the ball rolling on developing your skills! Finalists: Make it Happen! As daunting as it sounds, now is the time to ‘Make it Happen!’. Book an appointment with our Careers Advisors and they’ll help polish up your CV and cover letters. We can also provide guidance on application forms, assessment centres and aptitude tests… you name it, we cover it! Feel free to book an appointment to see us – even if it’s about graduation-panic or a sudden change in career plans. Our advisors will have a chat with you one-to-one about all your options. Second-years and third-years can also get involved in the Leicester Award. This is a threemonth accredited programme, which covers a whole host of disciplines to enhance your
Free Legal Advice
This week: Accommodation Repairs Students aren’t usually known for living in luxury. However, this does not mean you should suffer in silence if your rented accommodation is in poor condition or there are defective services and appliances.
transferable skills. It’s also great way to meet new people and build on your current strengths. Why not give it a go? Check the link for more details: http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/careers-new/exp/la MyCareers also has a range of internships and graduate job opportunities. Remember that deadlines are fast approaching, so don’t delay! 5-8th November: FESTIVAL OF CAREERS! There are over 150 employers coming to the Festival, so it might be a good idea to check our website for a clearer idea of what ones you’re interested in. Each day covers different sectors: Law and Legal Training (5th November), Business, Finance and Retail (6th November), Engineering, Science and IT (7th November) and finally the Public Sector, Volunteering and Work Abroad (8th November). In 2012, employers attending the Festival were asked how many students they saw as potential recruits. 75% identified
at least ten students and 43% of this group placed the number at thirty or more. This highlights how successful the event is, despite the current economic climate and competition. Last year we introduced the ‘no prep, no entry’ policy (the only university in the UK to do so!) to ensure students gain more from the event. Since it was such a success, we’ve decided to do it all over again. This means you MUST attend a prep-session. If you attended one last year, then you’ll just need to book a brief appointment with one of our careers advisors instead. You can easily arrange both by using your MyCareers account. If you’re having trouble booking or want more information, just pop in to see us in the Percy Gee Building (marked with an unmissable red door!), give us a call (0116 252 2004) or visit our website (www.le.ac.uk/careers). Remember: University is about making the most of you.
Landlords are generally responsible for property maintenance and major repairs. This means they must ensure the dwelling is capable of providing adequate heating, and that electricity, gas supplies, and the sanitation (drains, basins, sinks, baths and WCs) are all in working order. There must also be an adequate means of escape depending on the size of the property, smoke alarms and fire extinguishing equipment, no fall or trip hazards and the property must be free from damp. So what can you do if your accommodation or its content is in need of repair? The first thing to do is report any defects or damage to your landlord as soon as possible; a landlord can claim that you never mentioned the problem if you don’t tell them in writing. If the landlord still refuses to make necessary repairs within a reasonable (28 days for example), you should send another notice in writing, but this time send it by certified mail. This way, there is absolutely no way for the landlord to deny receiving your notice, because the post office has documented proof that it was accepted. It might also be a good idea to take pictures to document the situation as well.
could lead you to pursue low level action. One option is to contact your local council and ask it to take action. Councils have legal powers to take action against landlords if there are any risks to the health and safety of tenants in rented accommodation. Other low level actions could also include the involvement of a university housing officer or the local authority’s environmental health department who can step in where the problem involves a statutory nuisance, involves a health hazard, or where the property is (or should be) licensed by the authority. However, if this proves unfruitful more serious action could be pursued by the tenant through legal action based on the contract in the tenancy agreement or on the landlord’s duty to keep the accommodation in a safe state of repair. Students can often feel vulnerable and powerless to stubborn or uncooperative landlords, yet it is clear that there are avenues for you to take in order find a solution. However, be mindful that as a tenant you also have duties towards your home and your landlord that if broken can entitle him or her to their own redress.
Failure to make the repairs or finish them after this point
The Ripple has teamed up with Rockstar Promotions - the guys behind Friday’s biggest night out, Shabang - to help all you students in search of the perfect hangover cure.
All you have to do is send us a picture of your hangover cure, and explain to us what it is. We’ll then print the winning cure in the Ripple. The winner will not only get the fame and thanks of every suffering student, but also 2 free tickets to Shabang. Send in your cures to ripple@le.ac.uk. Please provide a telephone number to contact you on if successful.
WHAT’S ON
5
Edited by Rebecca Chandler
Pick of the Week Monday 21st October to Sunday 27th October by Rebecca Chandler Around Campus: LUTheatre Auditions: LUTheatre will be holding a series of auditions on October 21st and 22nd, with call backs on the 23rd. You can sign up on the LUTheatre Noticeboard in the Attenborough foyer, and the plays are: Cagebirds by David Campton
tronomy building. For any further questions about the society or future seminars, contact David McDonagh at dm250@ student.le.ac.uk
Endgame by Samuel Beckett This absurdist one-act play from Samuel Beckett, one of history’s foremost modernist writers, lets us bleakly watch as Hamm, Clov, Nagg and Nell make their final moves on the great chess board of existence. (Att 203)
Around the rest of Leicester: Main Cinema Releases (18 Oct):
The Lion in Winter by James Goldman Christmas, 1183 AD. King Henry II’s three sons all want to inherit his throne, but the king himself won’t commit to a choice. This begins a historical drama full of strong characters and secret plots. (Att 204)
Interdisciplinary Science Society:
Richard III by William Shakespeare (Att 205)
Turbo Captain Phillips Enough Said Escape Plan
Birds in a cage live, each totally absorbed in her own characteristics. When the Wild One is introduced she endeavours to persuade them to break out from their imprisonment into the wider world outside, escaping the Mistress who in charge of them. (CW 801 on the 21st, Att 202 on 22nd & 23rd)
Black History Month: Image by UCI Digital Collections The Student’s Union are commemorating ‘Black History Month’ with a special event at 12 o’clock on Monday in the Square of the Percy Gee Building. There will be speeches from Union President, Dan Flatt, and a leading academic from the university. A video of Martin Luther King’s famous speech will also be screened.
by Rebecca Chandler LUTheatre has been asked to mount a production of Shakespeare’s Richard III to mark the return of the King’s remains to their final resting place at Leicester Cathedral next year.
The Beauty Queen of Leenane (18 Oct - 9 Nov) Dinosaur Zoo (22-24 Oct) Adam Hills: Happyism (25 Oct) Hairy Maclary (25-26 Oct) Yummm! (26 Oct)
In February 2013 a team of University of Leicester archaeologists and geneticists confirmed that they had discovered and identified Richard’s skeleton beneath a car park in the City Centre. It had lain there, forgotten and ignored, for over 500 years. Now the University’s student theatre company, LUTheatre, will be mounting an innovative production of Shakespeare’s play as part of the celebratory events and ceremonies planned for 2014.
See Adam Hills at Curve to get your comedy fix this week...
LUTheatre will be performing Richard III in the Queen’s Hall [20-22 March] and then at the Cathedral itself [2-4 April]. LUTheatre President, Lily Portman told The Ripple, “This is enormously exciting – it’s probably the highest-profile show Leicester students have ever staged. We’re going to make sure the production lives up to the occasion.”
Curve Theatre:
Image by Joey Orso The first academic seminar held by the society will be on 23rd October, with Dr Carys Bennet from the Geology department giving a talk entitled ‘Tetrapod Evolution in the Early Carboniferous – the TW:eed Project’, about how tetrapods moved from water onto land. The talk will be held at 1:30pm in f11 of the Physics and As-
Richard III: The Return of the King With that in mind, LUTheatre is holding auditions for the cast now – effectively doubling the time available for rehearsals and line-learning. Lily explained, “The role of Richard himself is enormous - over a thousand lines. You can’t ask someone to learn a part like that in six weeks and we need a cast of more than thirty actors.” Lily – who is co-directing with LUTheatre’s veteran Theatre Manager, Roger Scoppie – will be auditioning potential actors in October. She’s anxious to reassure those who may be nervous of tackling one of Shakespeare’s most notorious villains: “We’ve got support from the Royal Shakespeare Company and we’ll be sending some of our cast for RSC training at Stratford.” This is LUTheatre’s second crack at Richard III; Roger directed the 2003 production at the Cathedral: “This isn’t a traditional take on Richard. We’ll be performing in-the-round, so there will be a much closer communication with the audience.” He’s also excited about the look of the show: “We’re knocking down the “doublet-and-hose” barrier which makes the audience feel they’re watching a story which is 500 years dead. We’re taking it out of time altogether, and focusing on telling a great tale, not staging a documentary.”
‘Frightarama’ at The Phoenix
Win a Meal for Two at Turtle Bay
by Vanessa Scott
Winter may be on its way, but why not add a bit of heat to your first semester back by entering this week’s competition?
Now that Freshers’ is over, its probably about time to get started on all of the reading and coursework that has built up. But don’t despair, there are still plenty of opportunities to paint the town red, especially with Halloween just around the corner! The Phoenix is kicking off the Halloween celebrations
on Friday 25th with its allnight Horror film marathon, ‘Frightarama’ Following the success of last year’s event, Frightarama returns with five fiendish films showing from 10.30pm til dawn! For £23 you get to watch The Wicker Man (1973), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), Demons (1985), Shaun of the Dead (2004),
and Braindead (1992). Survivors will be rewarded with a bacon butty (veggie option available) and cup of coffee at dawn. You may have survived many an all-nighter to get that essay finished, but can you make it through a night of terror?
Following our review of newly opened Caribbean restaurant Turtle Bay, the Ripple is excited to offer two lucky readers the opportunity to sample their food which, in their own words, ‘captures the heart and soul of the Caribbean’. From delicious jerk grilled meats and heaped sharing platters to mouth-watering rum cocktails, there is something for everyone to try and love.
If you want to be in with a chance to win, then email theripplecompetitions@hotmail.co.uk with TURTLE BAY written in the subject line. Entries close on Wednesday 23rd October at 12 Noon, and winners will be announced later that week.
CULTURE
6
Edited by Patrick Reckitt
Coffee House Sessions in The Square
Alexander French speaks to singer Ben Goddard about songwriting and life on the road as he continues his university tour Throughout this term, various up-and-coming artists will be playing free daytime shows in the Students’ Union as part of the Coffee House Tour. We spoke to singer-songwriter Ben Goddard ahead of his performance in the Percy Gee. Hi, Ben. Tell us about what you do. I’m a musician! At the moment we’re on the Coffee House Tour, which was created by Huw Stephens from Radio One. He’s chosen loads of bands to go on tour, and that’s what we’re doing! We’re touring round the whole of the UK; we started in Scotland a week ago, [and] we’re playing two unis a day. We had the weekend off, and now we’re here today in Leicester. How did you get involved in the Coffee House Sessions? It was quite random really; I sent an email to a booking agent asking for a support slot at a gig, and he said “No, but what about
this new idea we’ve got called the Coffee House Tour?” And that’s how I got into that.
Do you write all your own music?
So is this your first major tour of the UK?
I do; that’s kind of the main thing really, I love songwriting. I’m actually just about to start my next EP/album/single/batch of songs, whatever comes out! I’m working on a few [songs] at the moment.
Yeah, it’s the first kind of proper tour with a massive string of dates; it’s like twenty gigs over two weeks, two a day… So yeah, it’s the first proper tour!
So do you write the songs then take them to the band?
Are you feeling nervous about it, or do you feel prepared?
Yeah; sometimes I might write all of the parts and take it to the band, or other times I might just have the main melody and some chords and I’ll bring that to the band, and they’ll add their own influences and stuff. We all get on really well, so it’s a really good team effort in the end!
Before I started I was a little bit of both, really; I kind of couldn’t wait to get going. But now I’m halfway through I’m pretty used to it now, I feel like I’ve been doing it forever [laughs]. I’m always excited to play to people. So what sort of music do you play?
coffee houses, so we’re acoustic now, just for the tour.
Where I’m from in Southampton, we’ve got a full band. We play pop, kind of rock, acoustic-y kind of stuff, but for this tour we’ve stripped it right back. It’s basically an acoustic tour in
You haven’t abandoned your band completely, then? [Laughs] I could only take one person with me: the longest-standing band member,
Dan. I’ve explained to the rest of the band that they’ll get their opportunity with another fullband tour next year. Who are your main musical influences? Well, growing up I listened to a
lot of Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Who… At the moment I tend to listen to a lot of different music. I listen to chart music a little bit. I’m really into Jason Mraz; I saw him live not so long ago and it was amazing.
Ben Goddard’s new single, ‘The Sun Shines’, is available now on iTunes. Hear it at bengoddard.co.uk. and watch a live performance on the the-ripple.co.uk
Marvel on the small screen: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Will The Avengers’ downsized cousin conquer prime-time? by Peter Sayce If there is one thing that Hollywood loves, it’s a sequel. They’re a safe way of making money from an already popular franchise. What is less safe however is producing a spin-off TV series from a big budget blockbuster like The Avengers; concerns were surely raised,
opinions exchanged and bets made before the series debuted just over a month ago. Overall, it would appear that the gamble has paid off. The series takes place after The Avengers, in a world that is now aware of the existence of both superheroes and S.H.I.E.L.D.,
a situation that provides a fertile ground for series creator Joss Whedon to explore and develop, especially since it is assumed that the viewer is familiar with the back-story. It follows Marvel regular Agent Phil Coulson and his team as they travel the world in a special transport plane, protecting humanity from the forces of
evil; a clichéd plot to be sure, but to be expected given the source material. For a spin off, it copes well with the challenge of balancing both its roots and developing its own identity. It references the superheroes that form the foundations of the Marvel universe, whilst focusing on the more relatable plight of the little guys. In doing this, it draws attention to the role of the Big Brother government in everyday life and questions that balance between safety and privacy; something that strikes a chord, given recent news. Character wise, the show follows the standard formula for all sci-fi/detective or adventure shows since the advent of TV; a ragtag collection of specialists, who are forced to pool their collective talents and skills and put aside their difference in order to face a threat greater than them as individuals.
Perhaps my biggest criticism of the show is that out of a main cast of six, only two show any signs of character development, Coulson and Skye. Coulson’s character development is based on his role as the father figure of the sometimes immature team and his apparent death in The Avengers; the explanation of which must surely be seen as one of the biggest draws of the show. The other character, Skye, plays the role of the outsider, giving a central story arc to the show and allowing the audience a way into the universe of the show. These two arcs work well together, but can leave the rest of the characters feeling a bit one dimensional. Overall, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is quality entertainment for anyone who has enjoyed the superhero exploits of the Marvel franchise so far. In fact, even if you were to view the series as a stand-alone and take out all references to the Marvel universe in general you would still be left with a watchable, if confusing, show.
The show airs on Friday nights at 9pm on Channel 4, or is available to watch online for free on 4oD.
SOCIETIES? SPORTS GROUPS? EVENTS? Buy this space from £8 Email ripple@le.ac.uk
“Soul Crushing Extremes” Prisoners (dir. Denis Villeneuve)
Up for a laugh? Saturday at Just the Tonic by Theo Beecroft
and mingle before any of the performers get on stage.
by Dan Jordan In most thrillers, the audience not only searches to confront the evils of the world or the human mind, but for some form of balance between these evils and their opponents. This balance is often achieved by showing good and evil to be two sides of the same coin. Prisoners, however, takes this to soul crushing extremes. What should be a fearless and earnest projection of the world’s ills ends up being so uninvolving that the issues raised are left to rot with the rest of the film’s body count. The Dovers and the Birches are sent into a spiral of misery when their daughters are kidnapped on Thanksgiving. When Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhall) is forced to release the first suspect, the developmentally challenged Alex Jones (Paul Dano), Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) enacts a vendetta against him, convinced that Jones knows where his daughter is hidden. As Dover sacrifices more and more of his humanity in his pursuit of the truth, Loki can only come up against more obstacles in the hunt for the two young girls. Prisoners starts strong with this depiction of loss. The hollowness of no longer having something to protect radiates from the desperate suppression of emotion instigated by Keller on the Dover family and the communication breakdown with the Birches. This strength is soon
overpowered, though, as social commentary is piled upon social commentary until the story collapses under the weight of all the issues it attempts to confront. As the narrative is overburdened, the mirror Prisoners is holding up to society drops and shatters, scattering the second and third acts with loose shards of contemporary concerns that struggle to return to a coherent shape by the end. From a promising start, Prisoners topples into the all-consuming space of the boring thriller. We’re numbed to the pain of Jackman’s suffering and sacrifice from over-exposure. Left only with Detective Loki, we are led by the nose through the abysmally under paced investigation until all interest is lost in the hunt for the girls.
own equally intense struggle to cope with whatever new tragedies arise. The film’s choice to push the audience past breaking point is what imprisons its impact in bland, demoralising shapelessness. Whilst it offers a good amount of analysis of the issues behind everything from self-medication culture to enhanced interrogation, Prisoners loses itself in its intense desire to be relevant. If you’re equally tantalised by heaps of issue-based drama, you’ll probably enjoy this. Otherwise, you may need to switch your popcorn to a bagful of Prozac to leave the film with your sense of joy and wonder intact. Prisoners is now out in cinemas.
Despite being a five song E.P., this release is all about title track ‘You Wanna Know’. This song, which was given its debut airing on the main stage at Reading and Leeds, is almost impossible not to like. From start to finish, Don Broco pack this single with all their usual charisma, cheekiness, and undeniable laddish spirit. The opening synths, the scintillating guitar work, and the wonderfully groovy bass lines add up to one hell of a pop-rock tune! The main selling point: an insanely catchy chorus.
Sometimes acoustic tracks can be stripped back too much. But these two, taken from the quartet’s debut album Priorities, are arranged well enough to produce enough oomph yet still maintain the back to basics feel of an acoustic track. Don Broco are a band going places fast, and from this stunning latest offering it’s easy to see why. Next on the E.P. is a Club Sex (Don Broco’s original name) mix of the title track, one that takes the pop-rock and turns it into what can be best described as smooth-rock. It’s a perfect chill-out tune that highlights Rob Damiani’s crooning vocals. Rounding off the five track offering is a cover of AlunaGeorge’s ‘You Know You Like It’, and two well-crafted acoustic versions of ‘Actors’ and ‘Here’s The Thing. ‘
Just the Tonic is just what a comedy club should be. Whilst some of the comedians might be ‘hit and miss’, it stages mostly quality performers and is an environment in which emerging talent can shine. The other Just the Tonic clubs have a history of fostering comedic talents such as Ross Noble and Johnny Vegas and that’s what makes them such exciting venues. So if you have a weekend free, why not have a look at Just the Tonic? You might just stumble across somebody that makes you smile. For more information and tickets, go to justthetonic. com/leicester-comedy/
Another quick break and some more chatting from Darrell Martin, and the headline act of the night, Mark Nelson, is introduced to the stage. Mark’s material is strongly rooted in
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Don Broco: You Wanna Know? EP Review In You Wanna Know, the Bedford quartet have created five tracks that are infectiously danceable, yet at the same time equally easy to rock out to. Nothing’s perfect, but this latest offering from Don Broco comes pretty damn close.
The club itself has a friendly, intimate tone with seating around little tables and relaxed staff working at the bar. The upbeat funk and soul playing before the gig is just quiet enough not to drown out the hum of conversation from the crowd and there’s enough time to get settled with a drink
With everyone suitably warmed up, the first act, Joel Dommett, was introduced. Joel has been on a number of shows including Russell Howard’s Good News and Skins. He’s what you might expect from a young comedian; quick, self deprecating, and exuberant, delivering anecdotes with a degree of passion.
observation, with his rich, dark and effortless tone adds that little something to his performance. The night is rounded off by Darrell who chats to the crowd a little more and gets the final round of applause.
Some of my plans for this year’s term include:
After this, the final climax can only be contrived. When we should be focusing on the heart wrenching struggle the characters are going through, we are eventually centring on our
by Peter Gilbert
Amongst the bars and chicken shops of Granby Street sits one of Leicester’s newest comedy venues, Just the Tonic. Walk by too quickly and you may be forgiven for missing the place entirely, but the club has a reputation which precedes it, with successful clubs in Edinburgh and Nottingham. As comedy goes it’s good value too, with regular night priced anywhere between £6 and £12.
Eventually the lights dim and Darrell Martin, the founder of Just the Tonic himself, weaves his way through the crowd to the stage with a drink in hand. Darrell mainly does some improvisational skits based on interactions with the audience and whilst there’s the odd cheap gag, there’s a sense of parody to the whole thing which eases everybody into the groove of the gig. Hecklers are told off but things never get too heated and there is a sense of familiarity that runs through the night.
You Wanna Know? by Don Broco is out now
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All lectures recorded and categorized by academic subject for any student to access whether on-campus or distance learning via Blackboard I look forward to serving the student body for the next year. Please feel free to contact me by email at ac404@student.le.ac.uk or Facebook at www.facebook.com/Votecolgrove with any questions or concerns.
LIFESTYLE
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Edited by Samantha Blundell
We All Have a Mental Health Don’t feel like you can’t talk to someone. The university offers a Support Service and free counselling to help and advise you with any mental health problems you may be having. If you’re feeling unhappy or isolated they are the people to see. You can book an appointment by emailing them at counselling@le.ac.uk.
Image by Flickr user CollegeDegrees360
by Sarah Williams We recently celebrated World Mental Health Day (10th October) supported by the UN which this year aimed to encourage governments and organisations globally to look at the mental health issues experienced by older people and to consider their needs for support and services. This day highlights the common misconception about mental health that older people are senile and younger people are ‘just going through a stage’. However, one in four people will experience a mental health problem in any given year. The problem is society’s treatment of those who experience them.
Everybody has a mental health just like everybody has a physical health. Due to many changes in people’s lives at many different times and ages anything could be a trigger you’re just not aware of yet. Moving to university can be a scary and stressful situation. The extreme changes of paying bills, controlling your own work timetable and generally taking care of yourself can be a big shock for many who are new to the independent world. Finding a balance in all this is paramount to feeling safe and happy. Here’s a few tips on settling in to university life in hopes of bringing your mind to ease:
Take time for yourself. Read, watch a film, do something you love and enjoy. Take your mind off things that may be worrying you by delving in to something completely relaxing. Keep on top of work. Meet deadlines, do your seminar prep and don’t be late to appointments. Anything that will easily reduce your stress levels is worth doing. You don’t need to be straining yourself unnecessarily. But also, don’t stress if you haven’t managed to do it all! Talk to your personal tutor about how to manage your time more efficiently and get ahead of the work set. You’re at university. It’s a threeyear guilt-free pass to having fun. So have some. Take it seriously but not life-threateningly. You have the chance to try out
almost anything you want to so why not try something new? It’s also a great way to meet new people!
Keep in contact with people from home. They will normalize your time in Leicester by mixing old and familiar in to the new and exciting. Plus, they know you well, if you feel you can’t tell somebody your problem here, their ears are always open. It’s also important to know what you’re feeling nd recognise that you are not alone.
Self-harm You may self-harm if you feel anxious, stressed or depressed. Between one in twelve people self-harm; it is far more common than you think. Talk to
anyone you trust; a GP will help you work through your underlying issues. A group session with other young people is also an option and might help through hearing other’s problems. Anorexia People will tell you you’re thin but you’ll think you’re fat. You may feel depressed, weak or have difficulty concentrating. You may not be getting enough sleep and be constantly worrying about whether you’ve eaten too much. To get better you need to accept you are not doing well and be willing to make an effort to change. If you’re worried about someone, get educated so you are equipped to help. Bipolar Disorder Sufferers go from feeling very high or manic to feeling very low and depressed. These episodes can last for weeks at a time. It is a very serious condition. Talking to someone is essential. Treatment is likely to be a series of anti-psychotic drugs and antidepressants. With treatment for both, you’ll start to feel well again but your doctor will want to keep an eye on you.
rious issue. The best way to try and get away from these negative, sad feelings is to rid yourself of all things causing these negative feelings (where possible) and surround yourself with things and people that make you happy. The saying A PROBLEM SHARED IS A PROBLEM HALVED really is true in these situations so speak out to anyone you can. With many different types of mental health problems existing nowadays, it is important to know the definitions and facts about them. These are only scratching the surface, for more help and information go to www.youngminds.org.uk if you feel you just want someone to talk to anonymously call the university helpline, Nightline 0116 223 1230. They are there to listen and support when you need it most.
Depression This is normally a prolonged period of unhappiness and is a se-
How to Wear... Over-sized Coats
Pumpkin Curry Recipe
by Jade Hammond
by Leonie Parry
chunky knitwear and extra layers, with leather leggings to balance the overall look.
When choosing your staple coat this winter, make sure you order a size up. It doesn’t have to be ridiculously huge and shapeless – think structured at the shoulder and hip to keep a feminine shape. While some styles of this autumn/winter essential seem a bit too oversized to be attractive, I’ve picked out a selection that are on-trend yet
3. This softly textured coat sports an unusual sprawling mocha print, so I’d try to avoid piling on bold colours and prints – the coat itself is
and ankle boots for a more casual look. 2. This textured coat is available in black and burgundy and is ideal to wear unbuttoned over
the statement enough. Wear with neutral tones and slim-fit trousers. surprisingly flattering… 1. If you’re not quite ready to go all-out over-sized, this double-breasted wool coat is the perfect compromise. It’d look great over a chic shift dress for the evening, or with dark jeans
4. Slightly less structured than the others, this collarless button front coat epitomises 60s chic and would look perfect draped over a mini shift dress with pointed courts for an elegant take on power dressing.
5. This check coat is well structured, avoiding the bin-bag look that can result from some oversized styles. This would look fab with light boyfriend jeans and a simple shirt, or equally over dresses for an evening cover-up.
Halloween is almost here and pumpkins are already hitting the shops, but they’re not just for carving. Here’s a scrumptious pumpkin recipe… Ingredients: 1 Small Pumpkin (seeds removed, skin removed and chopped) 150g Red Lentils 1 Clove of garlic (crushed) 1 Onion 1 tbsp Vegetable oil 1 tbsp Ginger (fresh grated or ground) 200 ml Chicken Stock 3 large chicken breasts chopped 1 tin of tomatoes 1 can of coconut milk 100g Spinach leaves 2 tsp Cumin 2 tsp Ground Coriander 1 Red chilli
Method: 1. Rinse lentils until water runs clear, set aside. 2. Heat oil in a large pan. Add onions, garlic, ginger, cumin, chilli, coriander and chicken. Fry gently until chicken is slightly browned. 3. Add pumpkin, lentils, stock and tomatoes; bring to the boil simmer for around 1 hours stirring occasionally. 4. Stir in coconut milk and spinach while bringing back to boil. Next simmer for 10 minutes and then serve immediately, with rice, naan bread and natural yoghurt. (Serves 4) (Preparation Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 1hr30) Image by Flickr user oatsy40
Pinching the Pennies Seoul by Kirstyn McAllister
Hopefully you have all just had one of the best weeks of your life: making new friends, joining societies, partying hard, and generally enjoying Leicester Uni Freshers’ Fortnight. However, chances are that over the next week reality will hit as you realise that it is not just your livers that have taken a beating, but your bank balance too. Whilst living in your overdraft and calling Mum and Dad when you’re totally broke is all part of being a student, there are a few things you could do to make life a little easier for yourself which won’t mean having to give up all those amazing nights out at the SU or living on 10p noodle for the rest of the term. Try creating a spreadsheet in which you can keep track of all your in-goings and out-goings to see if you spend more than the amount you have to live off. It might be a good idea to split your spending into different categories, for example ‘rent’, ‘bills’, ‘food’, ‘social’. This will allow you to see where the majority of your money is being spent so you can determine whether or not you need to cut back in certain areas. One area where it is easy to go overboard, but just as easy to
budget, is food shopping. Plan what meals you are going to have for the week and only buy enough ingredients for these. Also, try to do your cooking with your friends as much as possible, as this will cut down
the cost and can be great fun. I had a pizza night with my flatmates the other evening where we made our own pizzas from scratch. It was so much fun, delicious and really cheap! Also, when food shopping have a
wander down the ‘world foods’ aisle. Supermarkets often put much cheaper products here, away from others of their kind, so always check it out to see if you can get what you need for less.
Buying as much as you can in bulk is also a great money saver. Don’t be afraid to shop around: you can find out the price of products in most stores online, so if you have the luxury of a few in the local area from
which to choose, see which the best value is for money. Avoid brands as much as possible; the supermarket’s own is usually just as good and far cheaper. When it comes to nights out, you won’t want to miss out to lack of funds, but it is possible to have a really cheap and equally great night-out. To start with, any nights at the SU can be super cheap, with great deals on drinks and low entry fees. Pre-drinking with alcohol bought from the supermarket tends to be a penny-saver (unless you are like me and the more you drink, the less you care about how much you spend…), and get creative when it comes to themed nights. Use what you and your friends already have in your wardrobes to create your costumes. Buying material from the market in town, plain clothes items from Primark and then decorating them with things from pound stores is cheapest. Hopefully, these money-saving ideas will help you to budget until your next loan instalment, and will mean you won’t have to miss out on any of the fun at Leicester just because you can’t afford it!
The Dreaded Freshers’ Flu by Lucas Osman Mackenzie
So, you’ve started university and have had your Freshers’ Fortnight – rumoured to be the best time of your whole university experience – some even say it’s the best time of your life! But, it comes with one major cost: the dreaded Freshers’ Flu. Freshers’ provides the perfect breeding ground for germs and illnesses, and is common among new students as they mingle with hundreds of new people from different areas of the globe. Despite being known as ‘Freshers’ Flu’ you are vulnerable after Freshers’ too, for most of the first term even. Although the lucky ones can avoid it altogether, most suffer some symptoms such as drowsiness, dry throat, fever, coughing, sneezing, headaches and even tonsillitis (wonder how you got that). Yet, you can help prevent falling victim to the flu, or at least reduce the effects of it are here are a few tips how: Stay Hydrated Drinking lots of water and other liquids is obviously important in keeping healthy but it’s even more important during the initial weeks of university, especially in alleviating the effects of alcohol the morning
after. Be sure to drink water after a night out and drink throughout the day too, as alcohol dehydrates the body and lost water must be replenished. If you do start to feel symptoms of the ‘flu, it’s crucial to drink plenty of water to help minimise them.
Image by Flickr user Svadilfari
giving you the vital vitamins and minerals to fight flu off if you have caught it already! Shut-eye
Staying up until the early hours of the morning for a prolonged period is exhausting on the body, and this can make you more susceptible to becoming unwell. As you start to feel run down, so does your body’s defence system. One way to avoid this is to take naps during the day if you’re still tired from the night before. This will help to keep you going throughout the term of university, a time which can be tiring for both the mind and body. Keep Calm
The Little Things Throughout the start of term, you’ll be shaking hands with many different individuals, so washing your hands regularly is a great way to ward off germs. Also try not to share the same bottles or food as someone already ill as this is another way of transferring unwanted germs. Other than these top tips, the best thing we can suggest is switching a night out with a night in. Snacks, your onesie and a movie can cure anything!
Eat Your Greens Now that you’ve left home and are surviving by yourself, you may be tempted to eat whatever you want, whenever you want. Despite this temptation, it’s essential to maintain a healthy diet throughout university, especially during the first few weeks. Eating fruit and vegetables helps support a healthy immune system, making you more resistant to illness and
Moving out and living by yourself for the first time, along with the pressures of both university work and a new environment can be stressful. Although the link between stress and illness is complicated, staying stressfree can only be a good thing! It’s natural to be worked up at this time but it’s important to stay calm and enjoy your time at university and then the nerves will go away quickly.
Image by Flickr user atomicShed
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Summer by Richard Fallon This fine summer I was able, with the help of the University’s Summer Programmes scheme, to spend five weeks at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS) in Seoul, South Korea. I believe the application process was around the time the North’s Kim Jong-un was threatening the world with destruction. I won’t lie and say I had much of a long-term plan at first in making the decision to fly to Korea, but a free spirit and financial subsidisation are a powerful combination. Need I say it was amazing? The structure of the summer school at HUFS allowed us to study our choice of three assessed modules on a selection of Korean and Southeast Asian topics – a subtle blend of Asian business philosophy and analysis of autotuned K-Pop – whilst enjoying scheduled activities on the city campus and travelling around the country on a staggering amount of organised field trips. The trips included Boryeong Mud Festival and Damyang Bamboo Forest, while among the activities were the making of kimbap (Korean sushi but better) and patbinsgu (Korean Slush Puppy but better) as well as the painting of fans (Korean regular fans but better). I have to hand it to the International Student Organisation (ISO) over at HUFS – these volunteer students were with us night and day helping us get around the city, translating, teaching us how to use slippery metal chopsticks, grilling our bulgogi, ensuring a constant stream of soju, etc. I probably needed more teaching than most on the slippery chopsticks front. These guys made the move to Korea so easy that even if you’d never been to Asia in your life, as I hadn’t, there was barely a single moment of difficulty. I’d just like to talk about Seoul itself for a second as I don’t think it’s a particularly well-publicised
capital over here and there are a few interesting facts that you should know. First thing is it’s cheap. The subway is cheap, Korean food is cheap, the tourist attractions are cheap. So cheap they make you wonder what exactly we’re all paying for in London. Second thing is it’s well-organised. The subway is extensive and extremely well-signposted in numerous languages, as is the city in general. Even if you can’t read Hangul characters, English is everywhere. Third thing is it’s the future. Seoul is likely the best city for wireless in the world. Everywhere has or is a super-mall of some kind, and so much of it is brand gleaming new. But I’m here to say why I think it’s worth taking up one of the Summer Programmes next summer, either at HUFS or at one of the other partner institutions in Asia, if that wasn’t clear enough. I think it’s worth taking this opportunity because rarely in your life will you be offered the chance to travel to another country so far away, with a grant and with tuition fees exempt, to study and live amongst other students from all over the world, whilst being able to engage with the culture outside the university’s walls. This isn’t the same as a holiday where you roll along a track from one English menu to the next. This is the quickest five weeks of your life: living as the Koreans do, balancing fulfilling work with educated exploration, and probably drinking a lot of iced coffee and energy drinks in suspicious flavours. So if you can stand the heat (Seoul’s extremely humid, see) then sign up. You don’t forget the friends you make in Seoul. And you don’t have to like kimchi, but it helps.
Image by Flickr user Ryan Pikkel
SPORT
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Edited by Alistair Robinson
Club Captain Chat: Samantha Blundell, Ladies Hockey At Ladies Hockey we manage to get balance the right amount of determination and competitive spirit with having a good time.
we have the best socials on campus and we want as many people to get involved as possible! You don’t have to play for the team or even have hockey membership to be a social member, just come along, wear the right costume and meet some new people. It’s a great way to make the most of your university experience!
We are looking really strong this year. And, with more numbers than last year, both teams are fighting for BUCS promotion. Also our 1st team is unbeaten in the Saturday local league so far! This year we are looking to start up an improvers team with friendly Saturday matches for those who haven’t played much hockey before and for those who haven’t played since GCSE P.E! That way we have something to cater for all abilities. We’ve managed to attract a scholar, Lottie
Boreham, who we have high hopes for this year! We’re also really pushing our socials this year! Everyone knows
Depleted Men’s Table Tennis Team Suffer Baptism of Fire on BUCS Debut by Rupert Edwards Birmingham 17 Leicester Uni 0 The phrase “it’s the taking part that counts” isn’t one taken very seriously by competitive sportsmen and women, but it was very much the case for the men’s table tennis away fixture against the University of Birmingham. A last minute team had to be put together, meaning the team of Josh Burgess, Rupert Edwards, Adi
Syafriaydi, and Rafiq Charania, headed into the unknown world of competitive table Tennis; preventing the University of Leicester losing BUCS points and being disqualified from the rest of the year’s fixtures. The match went perhaps as expected with a 17-0 win to the University of Birmingham but considering the best of 5 games format and the vast gulf in ability it was a proud effort from the Leicester lads. Rafiq took the opposition captain
to 8-8 in one game before being beaten and the rest of the team had very respectable encounters, scoring 5-6 points regularly in the games against the far superior opposition. The team may have lost by a very heavy margin but it was a fun day, with good humour and still a competitive spirit amongst both teams. For the universities sake however, we’ll just have to hope the real first team makes it next time.
Roller Derby: A Beginner’s Guide by Iris Holland I was never any good at sports at school and team-sports weren’t my thing, but a few years back I heard of a sport called roller derby. For those of you who don’t know, roller derby is a high contact sport, primarily for girls, on roller skates. It’s one of the fastest growing sports for women in the UK and as a friend of mine once said, it’s the most fun you can have with your clothes on. It’s a fast paced game in which 10 people from two teams come on the track – one jammer and 4 blockers from each side. It’s the job of the jammers to get through the pack (that’s the crowd of players), round the track and past as many members of the opposition as possible. You get one point for each member of the opposite team that you pass. The blockers in the meantime will try and make it as hard as possible for the other jammer to get
through and easy as possible for theirs. It’s a game often accompanied by rock music and a lot of tattoos, but really it’s the most welcoming crowd of people I’ve ever known. It’s a great spectator sport, but really, there’s nothing quite like knowing that these are your people. Your team-mates become a second family and all the people from other local teams and teams you play, are just as willing to buy you a beer off track as they are hitting you
on track. The derby community loves newbies and more teams are cropping up all over Europe, so odds are there’s a team local to you. In Leicester there’s the Dolly Rockit Rollers who’ve been going a few years now and have regular intakes. Roller derby keeps me fit, sweaty, bruised and happy.
Image by Kristina Hoeppner
Basketball Round-Up Difficult Start to the Season for Men’s 1st Team Basketball by Michael Gambe Oxford Brookes 81 Leicester Uni 46 Oxford Brookes were the opposition, runners up from last year and arguably one of the best teams in the league this year. From tip we remained in the game despite being behind. Key plays from the big man Ed Daley helped us to stay in the game. Ed finished the game with 8 points, 4 rebounds and 3 blocks. From the second half and onwards we struggled to keep up with Oxford’s shooters and we began to trail behind. It was never an issue of Oxford being better than us but it was more of it being that they out worked us
in every aspect of game as noted by our coach. We ended up losing the game 81-46 which is not indicative of the team’s effort or their potential. Key to winning our next game against Coventry on Wednesday 23 October will be eliminating our turnover problem and working on our offense. Special mention goes to the five freshers who showed good character and reliability for games to come.
Women’s Basketball Seconds showing promise by Nina Trbojevic Birmingham City 52 Leicester Uni 27
Considering the fact that most of the current B team have never participated in a basketball game before, I think we played good enough against Birmingham City University’s 1st team, even though we did lose. Our offense and defence improved throughout the game, plus there were no airballs (yay!). The main thing is that we worked well as a team. On behalf of the girls who haven’t played basketball before: as we get more training, we will develop our techniques, quicken our reaction times and grow in confidence. Bring on the next game!
Football 2s Take Positives from Opening Day Defeat Leicester Uni 3 Bishop Grossteste 5 by David Henery The University of Leicester 2s were punished by a poor first half display as the opening game of the new season ended in defeat. With the game taking a scrappy start and neither side creating any real clear cut chances, it was Bishop Grosseteste who took the lead. As the ball was pumped down the right hand side, Bishop Grosseteste managed to work a good ball in to the box which was met by a strong volley at the back post that Oliver Chesses managed to get a hand to, but couldn’t keep out. And as Leicester 2s struggled to get the ball down and pass the ball they soon found themselves two down. This time the goal came from a long throw-in into the box which Leicester 2s failed to clear and eventually found its way to a Bishop Grosseteste player who duly applied the finish from 6 yards. With heads dropping Leicester 2s were handed a way back in to the game as a free-kick
whipped in from deep was met by the head of Daniel Henery who managed to find the back of the net with a looping header. But a few minutes later Leicester 2s found themselves two goals down again as they failed to learn from their earlier mistakes and were punished by another long throw-in. As the ball floated in a Bishop Grosseteste player managed to lose his marker and get a strong head to the ball giving the keeper no chance. Leicester then looked to pull one back before half time and looked the more likely to score, creating several chances which the Bishop Grosseteste keeper denied superbly. However the Leicester back four were punished for a mistake as a long ball through the middle easily split the defence as a result of some poor positioning, resulting in the Bishop Grosseteste striker being played through and converting comfortably. But the second half brought about a rejuvenated Leicester 2s side despite the 4-1 score line, with an excellent 2nd half display from Oli ladega who drew fouls from the opposition left, right and centre with his
intelligent movement. Despite the Leicester 2s dominance they conceded another as a combination of poor defending and a good run from the Bishop Grosseteste front man allowed him to get in to the box and easily square the ball to his team mate for an easy finish. Despite the disappointment of conceding a 5th, Leicester 2s started to make a comeback, led by Ricky Catanho, and soon made it 5-2 with Oli Ladega slotting in from a tight angle. From this point on Leicester 2s did not look back and took complete control of the game, moving the ball about well and creating some great chances. With Bishop Grosseteste on the back foot, Leicester 2s made it 5-3 as a penetrating ball from Ricky Catanho was met by Julian Taylor, busting his gut to get to the ball and duly reaping the rewards. Despite the big improvement in the 2nd half, Leicester 2s couldn’t complete the comeback with JR going close twice. With many positives to take from the 2nd half, Leicester 2s can go into the next game with a degree of confidence but will need work hard to iron out the frailties displayed today.
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UoL Staff and Students Give Leicester the Run-Around
by Marko Vranic
The 2013 Leicester Marathon took place on Sunday 13th October, starting at 9:15am from Victoria Park.. As usual there were a number of different events on the day, the full mar-
athon, the half marathon, the LOROS fun run and the Ted Toft mile (for children aged 10+), all in the name of charity.
LOROS is a hospice for people suffering with terminal cancer. LOROS challenges Leicester-
shire runners to take to the streets of Leicester in the aid to raise money for their respective charities. As one of the charity’s biggest fundraising events each year, the Leicester Marathon has proved to be highly important for LOROS, at a time when the
voluntary sector is also taking hits from austerity.
The Ted Toft Mile is a relay race where teams of four each ran around 3.25 miles of the full marathon route. It began shortly after the Marathon runners start, also from Victoria Park. The LOROS Fun Run is part of the marathon series and is open for all ages. Runners setout from Abbey Park, making their way up through the city to Victoria Park. Each runner has their own goals and ambitions, whether it is against the clock, to stay fit or just for a bit of fun because they can. A number of university sports staff and students also took part in the half-marathon. Staff at the gym on Manor Road, drew up fitness plans for students brave enough to take it on, making sure that the university is represented in the community and in the best shape possible.
Three of Leicester’s finest having a post-marathon sit-down in the library café. Left to right: Becky Fraser-Wright, Jaz Seehra and Kate Stone.
Match report: Womens Tennis First team DMU triumph in the battle of Knighton by Theo Bird De Montfort 4 Leicester Uni 2 The Leicester Women’s team fought hard in the first rivalry clash of the year against DMU. Starting with the doubles, the 1st pair of Rebecca Smith and Denise Pottavski played some fantastic tennis with long rallies between them and their opponents. Unfortunately DMU won the points that mattered and Leicester lost this match 3-6 3-6. In the other match a very strong DMU performance meant that the second pair doubles of Katie Dalmon & Umutoni Thuku-Benzinge and lost in straight sets. So, at 4-0 down in overall sets there was plenty to do in the singles for the ladies. Team Captain Rebecca put a
few shaky serves behind her to confidently cruise to a 6-1 6-1 victory, with Denise following suit using some smart play to win 6-3 6-0. It was however to be DMU’s day as Umu couldn’t get the breakthrough required and went on to lose 3-6 3-6. Katie also couldn’t overcome an opponent, whose groundstrokes were on excellent form, and too lost in straight sets 1-6 2-6. Overall, plenty of promises shown from the Leicester girls, in what was a very tough opening BUCS match standard wise, not to even mention the rivalry. It looks be a positive season ahead for them.
Long road ahead for Ian Read, marathon superstar by Alistair Robinson Many of you will know Ian Read as the longest-serving Ian in The ARC, tirelessly sorting out all of your sports club and society related issues. But not many will know of his long-term ambition to run the London Marathon. Following the sudden death of his mother in February of this year, Ian finally had a reason to fulfil his goal. Before her death, Ian’s mother was influential in her village, helping to raise funds for various charities, in particular The Air Ambulance. Instead of flowers at the funeral, Ian’s family asked people to donate to The Air Ambulance,
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a request which succeeded in raising over £1,200. This is a charity that is very close to his heart and it made sense to run not just to raise charity, but also in memory of his mother. When I spoke to Ian, he commented, “I like to think of myself as a reasonably fit guy, my cardio”, but despite working as a football referee in his spare time, Ian is under no illusions that he’ll need to train in order to last the entire 26 miles. His training starts properly in November, and he’ll be following a 16 week programme designed to build up muscle stamina, with the marathon set for the 13th of April 2014, he should
have plenty of time to transform into a marathon runner, so long as he avoids the dreaded shinsplints! Ian needs to raise £2000 in order to run and hopefully will comfortably beat this target. The Air Ambulance relies solely on donations to operate, and continues to save lives in situations where ordinary ambulances wouldn’t be able to help quickly enough, for example following motorway collisions and accidents in other remote areas.
ing the following into your browser: www.justgiving.com/Ian-ReadMarathon2014 Please if you could spare any cash, donate online. From all the team at The Ripple, we’d like to wish Ian good luck in his endeavours.
Ian has set up a JustGiving page in order to collect donations. You can reach the page by typ-
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