thewaterfront YOUR UNIVERSITY, YOUR EXPERIENCE, YOUR VOICE, YOUR PAPER
25 JANUARY 2010 - Issue 185 www.waterfrontonline.co.uk
EST - 1995 FORTNIGHTLY AND FREE
First Issue of 2010 INSIDE THIS WEEK
- All the info and lowdown on upcoming Union elections - SU and AU
- SAS Advice on student housing
RESULT! - Have you been overheard @ Swansea?
Compulsory redundancies avoided - Teaching to continue - Students able to finish modules - Three lecturers to take early retirement - Protests seen as key to success - Warning that University cuts will increase By Laura Burnip News Editor COMPULSORY REDUNDANCIES facing Swansea University staff last term have been successfully avoided. A total of 12 jobs, all in the School of the Environment and Society, had come under threat in October after the University council voted to set up a “redundancy committee”. The proposed sackings were first reported in The Waterfront last term, and were set to be the first in the University’s history causing outrage among students, staff and leaders of the University and College Union (UCU). A bitter dispute between the UCU and the University Council, which made the original decision to axe the jobs, came to a head with a Students’ Union protest outside Singleton Abbey on 8th December. Chris Whyley, the UCU president at
the University, broke the good news to union members and shred his delight in an email on January 11th. However Mr. Whyley was keen to stress that despite the positive outcome there were still job cuts. “Three people are going to have to retire earlier than they wanted to, which is disappointing for them, but they are getting good deals and overall we are absolutely thrilled. The University have assured us that teaching will continue and students will be allowed to finish the modules they’re on.” Whyley also recognised the time and effort everyone put into getting this result. “It was a huge effort on behalf of the University management as well as the UCU and Students’ Union, whose demonstration meant the University Council had no delusions about how students felt about the situation. We know that the demonstration outside the University Council made an impact, so just keep supporting us and we’ll keep supporting
you.” Despite the positive outcome, Mr. Whyley warned with more cuts expected in the future this he expected it to be a sign of things to come. “We always believed, throughout the whole process, that it was being used as a dry run by the management to see how to deal with this sort of thing. The University is facing budget cuts of 5% in the next teaching year, and 10-15% in the year after that and we are fairly sure that the University will seek to make those cuts through staff cuts. Whyley also challenged the University’s allocation of funds asking: “We would like to know why they are spending such huge sums of money
upgrading the paths, money which could be better spent, in our opinion, on jobs.” SU President Luke Young also acknowledged students in an email earlier this month praising them for their effort before Christmas. “I would like to thank all of the students on these courses that turned out to campaign in awful conditions. You are amazing.” Young also assured students that the SU will continue to fight on their behalf should more job cut come.“It is becoming all too clear that the coming months will be challenging as all talk in the HE sector turns into conversations about how deep cuts to university
funding will be. I’m determined to build on our successes over recent months and lead a strong, campaigning Students’ Union that will protect the courses and resources that Swansea students need to achieve high quality degrees.” Asked about his experiences of the protest and the coming struggle, Simon Darvill, SU Community Officer, said: “The important thing here is that students on these courses were protected from cuts and that they still have access to the best experts in order to continue their postgraduate degrees.
continued page 2
02 NEWS
Editorial Not only a New Year, but a new decade.
Inside this weeks edition
Hi everyone, I hope you all had fantastic holidays, welcome back to Swansea. I also hope that your exams and essays went well, judging by the mass of people I have seen in the library over the last few weeks the majority of you have been working hard to ensure you get the results you want. However with Monday the 25th here don’t worry about it anymore, discard your books (forgive me post-grad and Masters students) and get out and party because Re-Fresher’s week is here! A Full list of all the goings on is inside (Page 10) This term has lots of exciting event’s coming including The Six Nations, Battle of the Bands, St David’s Day celebrations as well as two Union elections. Beyond that Varsity and the Summer Ball are on the horizon taking us into the summer and what will hopefully be warmer climates with beach parties thrown in. 2010 is sure to be a good one! Whilst on this note, did we all enjoy the snow? I hope it did not affect travel plans back to Swansea too much, unlike me who got stuck on the M4. Avid readers of The Waterfront will notice that this is a slightly reduced edition than what we normally produce and that it might be missing regular areas such as features, film, fashion and travel. Don’t fear these will all be returning in the next issue. As usual a big thank you to those of you who either gave up free time or work round exams to contribute this edition. With exam anxieties over for a few months, attention (for some of you) will be turning towards house hunting, many of you for the first time. To help with this The Waterfront has teamed up with SAS and the Student Union to create a helpful guide crammed with tips, advice and three pages of suitable properties to check out. Good luck!
WATERFRONT 185 - 25/01/10 continued from page 1 I was proud to join the Students’ Union-led demo outside University Council. Getting soaked in the rain was well worth it.” The feelings of students at the protest were made very clear when The Waterfront joined the water soaked protests before Christmas. Eleanor Staniforth, who chose to study for an Msc in Migration and International Development after finishing her undergraduate degree, said that: “If I’d known what was happening I would have definitely chosen another university.” “We are extremely angry that we have paid a lot of money to be here and are now being told that halfway
throughout the year we might lose all our lecturers.” She also gave us an insight about the effect the redundancies had had within the department. “We’ve been asking ‘who is going to be teaching us’ and no one will answer the question.” “It is already affecting us, our lecturers are demoralised, I’m standing here in the rain instead of being at home doing my essays. It’s very stressful” Check out the pictures of the protests from December @ waterfrontonline. co.uk If you are worried about the future of the University and your course please email waterfront.news@swansea-union. co.uk as we would love to hear from you.
FOOTBALL!!! (American style) rolls into town as the Super Bowl comes to Woodies. Find out what all the fuss is about. Page 7
Enjoy the first issue of 2010,
Want to go travelling to places like this? Worried about the money? Worried that your course is not compatable and that you were never good at languages in school? Check out AEGEE it could be for you pages 5 and 9
See you in a fortnight. All the best. James editor@swansea-union.co.uk EDITOR JAMES SNAITH editor@swansea-union.co.uk
MUSIC EDITOR JAMES TAYLOR waterfront.music@hotmail.co.uk
SUB EDITORS JAMES TAYLOR COLLETTE BIRD
MUSIC WRITERS BRYONY HICKS BELLA WHATELY SAM TATTAM BEN PRICE DALE WILLIAMS SAM LOVELESS CHARLIE TEASDALE NIA HOOPER
NEWS EDITORS LAURA BURNIP ALUN RHYS CHIVERS waterfront.news@hotmail.co.uk DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR COLLETTE BIRD NEWS TEAM SARAH HILL TOM HAINES JAMES TAYLOR KELSEY RICHARDS LAURA RICHARDS MICHELLE OWEN SPORT EDITORS THORE HAUGSTAD RHYS WILLIAMS waterfront.sport@hotmail.co.uk DEPUTY SPORT EDITOR TIM HARRIS SPORTS TEAM CRAIG LAWTON BEN DONOVAN BRADLEY MORGAN SIWAN LILLICRAP - AU President CULTURE EDITOR TOM MAYA culture.waterfront@hotmail.co.uk CULTURE WRITERS SAM TATTAM SUZANNE BEYNON SARAH HILL ROSALYN THOMAS FFION HUGHES PAUL SEACOMBE
FILM EDITOR VICKY DOHERTY-BONE waterfront.film@hotmail.co.uk
Looking for a student house? First time? Top tips, advice and contacts from the SU. Pages 13 to 20
TRAVEL EDITOR NIKKI LITTLEHALES PHOTOGRAPHY MARC HOLMES CHRIS REYNOLDS JAMES SNAITH CARTOON ARTIST MARTIN MAXELL HOUSING GUIDE TEAM MAGGIE PERRY - Accommodation exec member HANNAH PEARSE - Non-Portfolio exec member SIMON DARVILL - Community exec member WITH THANKS BECCA TAYLOR MITCH THEAKER MISBHA KHANUM ALL THE SABBATICAL OFFICERS SAS AND ADVICE CENTRE
TV presenter, chat show host, stand up comic and just general funny man Jimmy Carr is coming to Swansea. Find out when Page 27
Campaign Ross/Russ 2010: Union Elections page 3 and 4
www.waterfront.co.uk
News 03
One More Year Five Sabbs to seek re-election
By Alun Rhys Chivers News Editor
THIS YEAR’S Sabbatical elections will move into unfamiliar and unprecedented territory, as five out of the six officers seek re-election for the upcoming march elections. Traditionally, Sabbatical Officers stand to serve the student body for a year after they graduate, but it is fast becoming the trend to stand for reelection, following a clause in the 1994 Education Act, making it permissible to serve for two calendar years. The waterfront caught up with the sabbatical team before term started to ask them about their decision to run for a second term. Raechel Mattey, Services Officer, said, “We still have too many ideas of what we want to do and it says a lot about how we want to work together because we have achieved a lot as a team and work well together.” Welfare Officer Lance Horsey argues that there is never a dull moment as a Sabb, dispelling the myth that claimed by a Guardian article in 2009 that being a Sabbatical officer is an easy job. “Every day is a different day. Don’t go into it thinking it will run smoothly because there are no smooth days as a sabb. We don’t just sit in our offices and mess around.” Rachael Mattey knows hard work more than anybody, being the first person to take on the newly created role of societies and services officer, with limited experience. Rachael told The Waterfront “I think my biggest achievment is the focus that has been put back on societies., Unlike previous
years, I’d say that 95% of what i do each day now revolves around them. A traditionally controversial and ambiguous role is that of the Womens’ Officer. The question of needing such a role has been raised year after year, as it is essentially a welfare role to represent women. This year’s officer, Reagan Healey has been keen to raise the profile of the position and build on the work done in this regard by her predecessor, Leoni Munslow. She said, “You always find that there is gender inequality somewhere, anywhere in unions, universities and work places and usually it’s amongst women. So I think that having a Women’s Officer as a sabbatical role is very important. Lance Horsey’s role of Welfare Officer has focused on safety issues and health and lifestyle. However, a major cause for concern for Lance this year has been the decline of the Nightline service. But it looks to be on its way back up again, thanks to Lance and the service’s co-ordinator Jess Mansell, who hope to have it back up and running for two nights a week with 30 trained volunteers. The election of Irishman Andy Patton as International Officer caused controversy last year, as many argued that an Irishman is not eligible and would have difficulty in representing international students. But Andy was quick to hit back at his critics, mainly by establishing a legacy for international students which will require hard work and dedication to maintain. Andy said, “Is an Irish guy going to be able to represent the voice of our international students, which is 14%
of the student body, coming from all different types of cultural and diverse backgrounds? “I said essentially coming from a background where I studied languages, I am fanatical about languages. Even to this day, I am still trying to improve myself personally, taking the Chinese lessons. From that side of things, I am trying to bring down the language barrier which is a big thing at this University.” Another barrier which will need to be broken down is that of the relationship between the Students’ Union and the Athletic Union, an issue which president Luke Young has worked hard towards achieving this year. Although there is still some tension, Luke was quick to praise AU president, Siwan Lillicrap. “Something we can’t underestimate is Siwan’s part in it and the leadership she has given to the AU. Whereas we are a team of six and we can depend on each other for what happens within the SU, Siwan is very much one officer on her own and I think she’s been fantastic.” Ross Gilman, who will be standing down has some advice for his successor: “Anyone who has got enough good ideas that they think can change the Students’ Union for the better should think about running. Nobody should ever be put off because they have heard a name of someone that might be a strong candidate.” Anybody planning on unseating one of these five will certainly have their work cut out, but if you think you’re up to the challenge, make sure to grab your nomination form from the Students’ Union General Office in the run up to the big day.
Outgoing Sabbs 100 day pledge
By Kelsey Richards News Reporter AFTER a discussion with a fellow SABB, SUSU Education Officer Ross Gilman realised that as of January 25th 2010 he now only has one hundred days left in office. Ross considered the contribution he had already made as Education Officer, including a number of changes made to the library service (most recently the walking bus service) and decided that as the countdown began until his last days as a sabbatical officer he would attempt to leave behind some sort of legacy to mark his time
spent in the position. Giving up smoking as a New Year’s Resolution he carried this marked determination for some form of change into the office, setting himself a list of targets he hoped to exceed before handing over his role and insisted that he didn’t just want to be another second termer who melted away when the new year term started “In the past second year officers have not make the most of their full term, I want to be different and aim to leave a legacy for the work I have done” One such legacy he is trying to achieve and encourage is to get 70% of
students to fill out the National Student Survey, which Ross explained makes a huge difference to what Sabbs campaign for each year. He also hopes to encourage the idea of “Exam Stickers” which would allow students to receive feedback on their exam work in order to hopefully achieve better marks in the future. Another goal his list is to encourage large group beach runs as a great way for students to socialise and meet new people. He explained the importance of trying to target isolated groups around the University that may not have as much support and would need more schemes set up to ensure they continued to move forward. The Waterfront also learned how Ross aims to resurrect one of his first manifesto policies by creating a Stress Workshops around the exam periods, expressing how difficult it was in achieving this when first in office, as other priorities took hold. Even though he has ideas Ross is keen is for students to email him with suggestions for things he could achieve for the University and Union during his last 100 days. Send your suggestions over to him at education@swanseaunion.co.uk.
Sabbs to Students:
Don’t be put off running against us! By Collette Bird Deputy News Editor DURING A recent interview with The Waterfront about their time in office and the news that five out of six candidates were to re-run for their positions, the sabbatical officers were keen to encourage students thinking about running for any of the six positions available, not to be discouraged and dispelled the rumours that they were unbeatable. No one knows this more so than sitting Sabb, Raechel Mattey who took on Andy Fay (last year’s SU Treasurer, himself then a re-running Sabb) for the re-named societies and services position eventually beating him to the role with a majority of just 90 votes. “I wasn’t aware of how hard it was to beat a sitting Sabb and I was behind in the exit polls so I was quite shocked and overwhelmed when the result came through, but it shows if you fight hard and want it enough it can be done” She also had this advice for anyone still thinking about running “If you are
truly passionate about the University, and you want to make a difference then it shouldn’t matter if you are running for the first time or re-running because if your passionate it will come across in your campaign, hustings and manifesto” Despite International officer Andy Patton questioning whether it was possible “anyone so outstanding could come along and blow anyone of us out of the water” The whole team recognised they had a tough task to overcome in the weeks ahead and welcomed any students challenge. President Luke Young insisted that whether you are in the position already or not you need to prove that you deserve it for another year. “I think the election campaign should be as gruelling as possible and one that tests you in every way, showing that you are up to doing the job.” The team encouraged any students who had questions or wanted to discuss the job to go and see them personally. Information of what positions are available what to do if you are running, key dates and deadlines for the 2010 Student Union elections are on page 4.
AU nominations close competition heats up By Collette Bird Deputy News Editor
WITH NOMINATIONS for AU president closing today (25th January), Swansea University could gain a new leader for the Althletic Union. The role requires somebody with a deep rooted passion for sport, who has played for Swansea with administrative experience in running a club or a team. Most importantly, they must be dedicated and willing to make a difference. Current AU president, Siwan Lillicrap intends to run the position again for a second term, and whoever intends to run against her will have big shoes to fill. Under her leadership, Swansea University were third in the BUCS going into christmas, a fantastic achievement given the size and resources of our university. In the past, the university have seen up to eight students running for the position meaning this years campaign week. beginning on February 4th could
get very competitive. “Richard Lancaster, General Director of the Athletic Union told The Waterfront “I hope people aren’t put off by Siwan running again. It shouldn’t matter who else is running for it if you want to do it. Get a strong campaign team, do some research, find out about the AU and recruit some people to help you. Its a long hard week and the more friends you have around to help the better you will come out of it” It is hoped that this years winner will continue to maintain the stable relationship between the Students and Athletics Union’s. “There have been problems over the last couple of years” states Richard, “but I think everyone is committed to getting together on positive projects and that has been happening this year. We seem to be making strides in the right direction.” Campaign week starts on the 4th of Febuary. Remember to grab your voting card for the elections which take place on February 11th.
04 NEWS
Conservative Futures
re-launch for 2010
YOU PROBABLY haven’t seen much of us on Campus recently: that’s because we actually died a little bit inside, as a society of course. But that was then and this is now, we’re bringing Tory back writes Becca Taylor, Secretary of Conservative Futures, Swansea University. 2010 kicked off with our new President, Zahid Raja, being sent on an internship to the House of Lords and Conservative Campaign Head Quarters that many students, including me, would die for. He came back with a fantastic new agenda for Swansea students and a plan for change. We wanted to show everyone that Swansea University Conservative Future isn’t just another talking shop political society and that we are looking to make a difference. We have real opportunities and real debates that matter to the student body. As a society, we condemned the Universities planned redundancies for SOTEAS. We also tabled a motion against NUS inferring that they would impose artificial increases in Student Union bar prices – you may not know it, but we fight for students like you every day. We pride ourselves on being an open society that helps in the community, our President took part in the community action project organized by the students union in the wake of the ‘Carnage’
scandal and as a society, we plan on encouraging more joint action with Swansea council to change the image of students in the wider community. Joining our society doesn’t have to mean that you’re automatically a member of the Conservative Party with those scary over-arching political affiliations, no! We really dislike that idea. Our society is simply a group full of like minded students that enjoy discourse in progressive right wing ideals. On the flip side, some of us work with the local Conservative Association and Conservative Campaigns Head Quarters in London to get our Councillors and Parliamentary Candidates elected.
Over the coming weeks, we’re going to be publishing our draft manifesto as part of the General Election campaign. We’ve started with our number one priority. It was our number one priority four years ago when David Cameron became leader of the Conservative Party - and has remained so ever since. It’s only three letters long, but in it are the hopes of millions in our country: the NHS. You can read more on the details of our draft manifesto at: www. conservatives.com To get in contact with our society or to join, please email us at: swanseaconservativefuture@gmail.com
Walking bus service labelled a success
By Laura Richards News Reporter WITH THE arrival of the 24 hour library for another exam period more students are walking home late at night, especially through Singleton Park if living off campus. This term a plan was resurrected and put in place to operate a ‘Walking Bus Service’ between the hours of 9pm and 2am ensuring that
students that do stay late, to put the extra hours into coursework and revision time, have the option of being escorted through the park. The last two weeks have seen sabbatical officers putting in extra hours to stay late into the early hours of the morning to ensure that any student that wants to be is accompanied through the park by torch light. So was it a success? Education officer Ross Gilman believes that it was “although there have
not been huge numbers each night, the people we have been able to walk through the park have appreciated our presence. Most nights people approached us, although there were a few people who knew about the service but still decided to walk alone” Third year Law student Sarah Pitman was walked home by the group on Wednesday evening after putting the finishing touches to her coursework and told The Waterfront what she thought “I think it’s a good idea, it’s a bit scary walking home on your own having done it before, with this you feel safer, get a chance to see where you’re going and have a conversation.” Promotion of the scheme included emails, posters and the use of the library PA system to announce when the service was available from. However Ross admitted that if the scheme was to happen again during the summer exam period better promotion would be needed. “we didn’t put the posters up until the day the service actually started, therefore we need to let the students know earlier next time” The Waterfront would like to hear your opinions on what you thought of the walking bus service. Get in touch Editor@swansea-union.co.uk.
WATERFRONT 185 - 25/01/10
Sabb elections almost here All the info on how to get involved
ONCE AGAIN the biggest event in the student political calendar is fast approaching. There is only one question. Do you have what it takes to become a SABB at the 2010 sabbatical elections? SABBs are the decision makers of the Students Union overseeing the day to day operations of your SU, represent students at University meetings and government level and carrying out campaigns throughout their time in office to helping students become aware of important issues during their time at university. Most importantly they represent you! If you want something it’s these guys and girls who have to fight to deliver it. So do you think you have what it takes to represent 14,000 students and have an extra year in Swansea? Six positions are up for grabs: President Societies & Services officer Welfare officer Education officer Women’s officer International Student’s officer For more information on each of the positions available check out waterfrontonline.co.uk.
Key dates on road to elections
NOMINATIONS OPEN Thursday 28th January 2010 at 12 noon. You can collect a nomination pack from Shona at the Student Union reception. You need 20 students to sign your form to show support of your nomination. NOMINATIONS CLOSE Thursday 11th February at 5pm. Followed by a nominations meeting at 5.15pm. It’s at this point you want to start thinking about your campaign and what it will look like. ELECTION WEEK: 4th – 11th March – Campaigns kick off for all candidates POLLING DAYS: Wednesday 10th March – In Hendrefoelan Village. Thursday 11th March – On Campus. ELECTION NIGHT/MORNING: Thursday 11th March/Friday 12th March. Be warned it can go on until the early hours of Friday morning like in 2007 when the final result was announced at 5.30 am. GOOD LUCK!
Vandals put 24
hour library at risk LAST SUNDAY night (17th January) the recently new re-furbished library girls toilets were vandalised by students who have potentially put the 24 hour library service that was operating throughout the exam period at risk. Pint glasses, tampons and toilet paper were found sprawled across the floor and the vandals even wrote graffiti on the walls insulting library staff. In addition to this there was also mess made in a student area on level 1. The Student Union condemns these actions and any actions of a similar nature and feels that this is disrespectful to both library staff and the majority of respectful students that use the facilities. Urging everyone to be mindful and respectful of any general mess pointing out that the service is a privilege not a right encouraging students to pull together and not let a few ruin it for everyone. Chris West Director of library and information services told The Waterfront “We have had more behavioural problems than usual with the 24 hour library this term. We are working closely with the Student Union and other members of staff to find the people who did this” West also pointed out that unnecessary incidents like this were not fair on the cleaners and continued incidents like this would put the 24 hour library at risk. The use of important services like these have been campaigned on by the Student Union for a number of years and the sabbatical team stressed that the library have been fantastic at providing a great service and responding to student issues and needs by implementing the all night service and improving facilities as the toilets. If you know anything about this incident please contact any member of the SU staff.
Swansea University Student Union statement Please be aware that in the early hours of Monday morning the ladies’ toilets in the library were vandalised. Mess and alcohol were thrown round the facilities and graffiti insulting a staff member was sprayed on the walls. The university takes any behaviour such as this extremely seriously and CCTV images are being investigated. If incidents like this continue to happen there will be no choice but to reconsider the current 24 hour opening times. We understand the majority of students are respectful of the library so please don’t let a minority spoil such an important service, if you see any bad behaviour or witnessed the incident on Monday please report it. The 24 hour library is an extremely important facility to many students and a long campaign was fought to get it, it would be such a shame to waste all the time and effort put in to it. Please remember to show consideration for other students and keep the library tidy. If you have any information regarding the occurrence you can contact Ross Gilman, the Education Officer for the Students’ Union at education@swanseaunion.co.uk
WWW.WATERFRONT.CO.UK
Death of former university professor
Hywel Teifi Edwards: 1934 - 2010
By Alun Rhys Chivers News Editor “Dyw arwyr ddim yn marw” (“Heroes do not die”) were Professor Hywel Teifi Edwards’s words at the funeral of Welsh legend Ray Gravell. These words are equally appropriate at a time when Wales is now mourning the passing of Professor Edwards himself. Professor Edwards, or “Hywel Teifi” as he is affectionately known,
passed away in Llanelli on January 4th, leaving behind a legacy for the nation which he held so dear and to whose culture and heritage he contributed so greatly. Born in 1934 in the village of Llanddewi Aberarth, an area closely linked to St. David, he would often recount tales of our patron saint so convincingly that it would be difficult not to believe that they were the greatest of friends. This natural ability to entertain and educate, accompanied by a wry, captivating smile, endeared him to his many audiences across Wales. He was the authority on the history of the National Eisteddfod, and played a significant role in its development as a member of the Gorsedd y Beirdd (Council of Bards) and as a member of Llys yr Eisteddfod (the Eisteddfod Court). It is often said that nobody filled the Babell Lên (Literary Pavilion) during the Eisteddfod week quite like Hywel Teifi. Educated at Aberaeron Grammar School and Aberystwyth Univeristy, he
began his academic career as a teacher at Garw Grammar School, where he met his wife Aerona. In 1965, he moved to the Adult Education Department at Swansea University as a tutor in Welsh literature. He later joined the Welsh Department and was appointed to the position of professor in 1989. He retired in 1995. He is acknowledged as an academic of great esteem, having published widely in the field of Welsh social and cultural history, including a volume focusing on 800 years of the national festival of Wales, Yr Eisteddfod 11761976. His study on the Victorian Age in Wales culminated in his publication Gŵyl Gwalia: Yr Eisteddfod yn Oes Aur Victoria 1858-1868. He also edited Cyfres y Cymoedd, a series on the social history of the Welsh valleys, the last volume of which was published in 2009. A prominent and inspirational language campaigner, Hywel Teifi often passionately addressed crowds of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (Welsh Language Society) supporters. He stood as a parliamentary candidate for Plaid Cymru twice, in Llanelli in 1983 and in Carmarthen in 1987. Following his retirement from the Welsh Department, Professor Edwards retained a close link with former
colleagues and students. He returned occasionally as a guest speaker at departmental dinners, entertaining and passing on his wisdom to the latest generation of Welsh students. Paying tribute, Vice-Chancellor Richard B. Davies said, “Hywel Teifi Edwards was a man who stood for Wales and all things Welsh. His passionate enthusiasm for his work was infectious and inspirational to everybody, not just in the University but across Wales. No one who met him could fail to be charmed by his warm effervescent personality and his strong personal conviction and commitment. He had the ability to make anyone to whom he spoke feel that they were important to him. “Hywel Teifi Edwards was a highly respected academic but he did not live in an ivory tower. He lived amongst the people of Wales. He will be greatly missed by generations of students, colleagues and friends at Swansea University. I send my most sincere condolences to his wife and family.” Professor Edwards, whose funeral was held at Llanddewi Aberarth, Ceredigion on Wednesday, January 20th, is survived by his wife Aerona, daughter Meinir, and son, BBC newsreader Huw as well as eight grandchildren.
Overheard @ Swansea?
By Sarah Hill News Reporter
A NEW Facebook group has provided the perfect distraction from essays and revision this exam period. Overheard at Swansea Uni is the ideal place to post the random comments you overhear on a daily basis during the walk to lectures, in the library or in halls. The group’s creator, James Wyatt, a third year Genetics student, told The Waterfront, “Walking around university, and Swansea generally, you hear some pretty funny things. You normally just tell your friends but I thought it would be a good idea to create a group where you could share these things with everybody at Swansea University.” Despite only being created at the beginning of January, the group now has over two-and-a-half thousand members and is updated by students on a daily basis. The group’s success has taken everyone by surprise, not least of all James. He added, “Initially I only added
a few friends. I never thought as many people would join the group in such a short space of time. On the first day it was only me and my friends posting and now there’s over two thousand people, it’s so many.” James also hopes to expand the group in the future to include pictures of the many strange sights within Swansea. The group’s success is a good example of how Facebook has the ability to reach large numbers of people and encourage participation. This was demonstrated most recently by the enormously successful Facebook campaign to end X-Factor’s monopoly of the Christmas number one slot by encouraging members to buy Rage Against The Machine’s “Killing in the Name” instead. The success of the Rage Against The Machine campaign, as well as the rapid growth of his own group means that James is hopeful that Overheard at Swansea Uni will continue to grow and become an importanrt part of the student experience at Swansea University.
The group is a firm favourite with everyone at The Waterfront office, so much so that we are looking to make it a regular feature in the paper. Every fortnight we’ll print the top ten overheard conversations on the group page and provide a prize for the winner. However, judging by the hilarity of some of the comments so far, picking ten of
the best conversations could prove to be quite difficult. So be careful because the next time you say something to your friends that you might regret, it could end up not only on Facebook, but also in The Waterfront for everyone at Swansea to read!
ENTS - There’s an App for that! SWANSEA ENTS last week became the first University in the UK to join the App revolution writes James Snaith Students privileged enough to have iPhones will be no stranger to the vast world of global Apps available to them, with somewhere in the region of three billion downloaded since the technology was created in July 2008. Now Swansea
Universities Ents department has joined the revolution. The technology allows you to listen to Xtreme Radio, Swansea University’s on campus radio station, with crystal clear sound also allowing you to keep track of all the Ents listed events going on around Swansea. First year Bio-Chemistry student
Toby Hughes created the App for Ents and told The Waterfront that more features are on the way, including the ability to access lesser known bands at the shake of your iPhone. Toby also reassured students who didn’t have the luxury of the iPhone that they would not be left out. “I am looking at moving it to other
platforms such as Blackberry and the Android phones so eventually as long as you have a smart phone you will be able to access this data” You can download it from the Apps store via your iPhone (search Swansea Ents) or go to itunes.com/apps/ swanseaents
NEWS 05
Students
encouraged to travel via new society WITH the launch of a new society in 2010, Swansea University has joined the likes of Cambridge, Warwick and Durham in giving students the opportunity to travel to cities across Europe writes James Snaith. The first of its kind in Wales, AEGEE (Association des Etats Generaux des Etudiants de l’Europe) is a network of students in Europe that will allow travel and discovery across the continent to the likes of Barcelona, Paris and Moscow in an economical way. International Officer Andy Patton has a deep passion for languages and first heard of and experienced the society when on his Erasmus year in Italy and believed it would be something that students at Swansea’s institution would gain from. “The idea is to promote ourselves all as European citizens and to travel without borders. It’s good for the whole internationalisation agenda not only for international students but British ones at Swansea too.” Andy began to put the wheels in motion to bring AEGEE to Swansea University ten months before he was elected to his sabbatical role. “Previous international officer, Felix Nolte and I put together a motion at an SGM which was passed. From then we have been looking at establishing it here at the University.” Working with Societies and Services officer, Raechel Mattey, the two Sabbs are currently writing a statute for the society to include the structure and democracy of AEGEE. The document will also set out the aims and goals of what it can achieve and what current and future students studying at Swansea can take from it. “I hope this gives both our international students and our British home students a greater understanding of what Europe has to offer.” The Union was also keen to point out to students of any year that because of AEGEE being a fledgling society, executive board positions are available and anyone interested in taking on such a role should get in touch. Designed to fulfil the needs of students who have a passion for travel, seeking adventure and learning about a new country or culture, AEGEE is open to everyone, not just those studying languages. If you are looking to develop your communication and language skills or want to be a part of this great travel opportunity, get involved. You can find out more information about the society or how to become a board member of the AEGEE team by seeing our society write up on page 9.
FRESHERS!
Are you having any problems that you need help with? Do you have any questions that you need answered? Or is there anything you would like to change around the university? I’m here to help you have the best year possible. If you do need any help at all please join the freshers Facebook group and get involved. Search “Swansea Freshers 2010”.
06 NEWS
WATERFRONT 185 - 25/01/10
Womens self defence Keeping it safe classes return for 2010 this week?
By Michelle Owen News Reporter WORLD CHAMPION kick boxer David Lee-North returns for another term to ensure every female student at Swansea University is equipped, able and prepared to be walking alone on these dark nights. Classes run throughout six progressive sessions over a six week period and if you complete the full six session course, you can be certified in
self defence at the end! SU Women’s Officer Raegan Healy believes, “It is so important to run these classes. They will equip us ladies for any potential threats or bother.” adding, “David Lee-North is a very talented instructor and works very well with the women who have attended so far. He works on both group and an individual basis so he can provide one to one guidance with the women who attend.” Just like any city, Swansea has seen its fair share of violence and crime against students in past years. It is
hoped that these classes will help raise awareness and promote safety around the university and give female students the extra knowledge and confidence to be able to protect themselves if under threat when alone. Healy stressed the message from the Union “is always to walk the safer route, if possible with someone. But when you are alone it is good to have these skills which may even save your life! You can come along with a group of friends, or by yourself, either way you will learn some vital moves!” Lessons proved successful last year with members learning what to do when threatened or attacked when on their own. They also provide a great way to get fit in 2010! Claire Ostle, who attended the self defence classes last term said, “I would advise women to attend these self defence classes. They are really beneficial for all types of women and are very important for any female” The classes will be every Friday 34pm in Divas and are open to all female students within Swansea University priced at £12 for the whole six sessions. Places are limited, so sign up soon! For more information contact womensofficer@swansea-union.co.uk
By Laura Richards News Reporter
THIS WEEK (Monday 25th January) sees Swansea University and Safer Swansea join forces for Safety Week, five days aimed at providing students vital information about how to improve personal safety for themselves and their property. Women’s officer Raegan Healy is just one of the organisers of the event from the Student Union and told The Waterfront with party season about to begin again after new year exams and deadlines its always worth reminding students of the risks that are out there. “We take the safety of Swansea students very seriously and Safety Week is about refreshing everyone’s minds and highlighting some areas where students can get into trouble. Swansea is a relatively safe city, but being that bit more aware of the world around you, never hurts.” Personal safety is the topic of the agenda today with self defence demonstrations taking place on Fulton lawn. During the evening at Oceana, random drug testing will take place and spikes given out to all club goers. Then to encourage people to get a taxi home rather then walk, taxi vouchers
will be given out as well as information encouraging students to use the correct licensed taxis. Accommodation security is the focus for Tuesday with the Union operating a ‘shut-that-door’ campaign. So be aware because police and sabbatical officers will be roaming the halls of residents and student properties in the village to ensure that valuables such as mobile phones, iPods, car keys and bags are left out of sight and not easily accessible to thieves. Swansea’s fire department will be on hand on Wednesday carrying out demonstrations and advice on how to protect your property Thursday advice is on hand for bike and car owners on how to lock up your transport securely and the best locks to use. The week is rounded off with students urged to watch out around campus or in their street for suspicious activity. Sabbs will also be on hand that night to ensure students get home safely walking anyone living off campus back through Singleton Park after Tooters. Welfare Officer Lance Horsey added that “Although safety may not seem the most interesting subject, it’s important to recognise potential danger. We want you to Stay Safe SWANSEA!”
News 07
www.waterfrontonline.co.uk
The 2010 National Student Survey
Have your Say!
ENTERING its sixth year the NSS is your opportunity to give opinions on what you liked about your time at Swansea University, as well as things that you felt could have been improved.
What is the NSS?
The NSS is an annual survey of final year undergraduates in England, Northern Ireland, Wales and some institutions in Scotland. The survey forms part of the revised system of quality assurance for Higher Education to generate more detailed public information about teaching quality. The NSS is commissioned by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) on behalf of all the funding bodies. Ipsos MORI, an independent research company, conducts the survey.
Win great prizes - Do it now! By Tom Haines News Reporter JANUARY 25th sees the launch of this year’s National Student Survey. The survey gives final year undergraduates the chance to have their say on their experiences of university life in Swansea. The results are made available at unistats.com in order to help prospective students make an informed decision on what courses to study and where to study them. In addition, as Student Union Education Officer Ross Gillman has told The Waterfront, “the results of the survey have led to positive changes for students currently at Swansea University such as the introduction of the 24 hour library scheme during exam periods and improving the feedback students receive on assessed work.” Gillman stressed the survey is no waste of time and gave students a voice of what they would like to see changed at the University
“it is the ideal opportunity for students to talk frankly about their positive and negative experiences of university since the results are anonymous.” As an incentive for students to participate, all completing the survey are entered into prize draws for things such as free graduation ball gown hire and photos, grad ball tickets and summer ball tickets. Those students eligible for participation in the survey will shortly receive an email encouraging them to complete the survey. One criticism of the survey in the past has been the volume of emails received relating to the survey telling students to participate followed by letters and phone calls trying to encourage participation. The Waterfront recommends that early completion of the survey can enable you to avoid this ‘pestering’ and gives you a chance to win great prizes. Full details of the survey can be found at www. thestudentsurvey.com.
The questions allow you to provide feedback on a range of items, including what you thought about the Academic Support you received during your studies and how you felt about the Organisation and Management of your course. There’s also space at the end for any positive and/or negative comments you have about the whole experience. Were you satisfied with the way cancelled lectures were handled? What were your thoughts on the advice and support available through your course? Write it down and let the Swansea University Students’ Union know!
How are the results used?
The results are made available at Unistats.com to help prospective students make informed decisions of where and what to study. Institutions and students’ unions also use the anonymised data to identify areas where they performed well and less well to help effect change and bring about enhancements to improve the student experience for future generations of students. Swansea University has been participating in the NSS since its inception and as a result of listening to what former students said helping deliver a 24 hour library during exam periods, a review of the personal tutor system and investment in new PC’s. The National Union of Students (NUS) fully supports the NSS and sees it as an opportunity for students to shape the future of higher education. Aaron Porter, NUS Vice-President (HE) said “The National Student Survey gives final year students a unique opportunity to inform future students about the quality of their student experience. Prospective students will be able to compare standards in a number of institutions giving them valuable information, which can help in making choices about their Higher Education. It also provides students’ unions and institutions with the kind of feedback they need to effect changes and improvement to the student experience. I hope that finalists will take a few minutes to share their experience with the next generation of students.”
How can I get involved?
This week (beginning 25th January) eligible students will be sent an invitation email to complete the survey by Ipsos MORI. Later non-respondents will be contacted by post or ultimately by telephone. You can also go to www.thestudentsurvey.com to complete the survey. You may opt out of the survey at any point during the fieldwork. The success of the NSS depends on your feedback so please set aside a few minutes to get involved. Your responses are anonymised so your answers can reflect your genuine perceptions of your experience. Plus there’s no need to worry about your contact details being passed on because they will only be used for the purposes of the NSS and are destroyed shortly after. To find out more visit www.thestudentsurvey.com or contact the National Student Survey team at Ipsos MORI directly at thestudentsurvey@ipsos.com.
Calling all disabled students Don’t let your voices go unheard!
AS part of Swansea University’s continuing drive to improve the experience of all students we want to hear from our disabled students on how we can make the services and policies we provide better writes Equals Opportunities Officer Misbha Khanum. You may, or may not be aware that since December 2006 there has been a legal duty on all public sector organisations to promote equality of opportunity for disabled people. All public bodies are required by law to actively look at ways of ensuring that disabled people are treated equally. Public Authorities are also required to produce a Disability Equality Scheme
and Action Plan demonstrating how it intends to fulfil its general and specific duties. Swansea University has produced a Disability Equality Scheme which can be found at the following link: http://www.swansea.ac.uk/media/ Media,10101,en.pdf At the heart of the Disability Equality Duty is the requirement to involve disabled people. Involving disabled people is not only a requirement of the duty but it should bring tremendous benefit in terms of experience and understanding for all concerned. I would like to establish a ‘Discussion Forum’ to ensure that disabled people are given the chance to give feedback to the University on the information,
advice and services it provides. The three areas that we will be looking into are: alternative assessments, the proposed second campus and accessibility issues. Please make your voices heard, as your views and opinions can be taken into account when planning our current and/or future services and policies… we need your input! If you are interested in taking part in a ‘Discussion Group’ or if you would like more information about how you can get involved please contact me on (01792) 602367 or email me at m.khanum@swansea.ac.uk. I look forward to hearing from you.
Student wins dental raffle CONGRATULATIONS to First Year Nicola Mooney after she won a free teeth bleaching kit courtesy of Kee Dental Care surgery based on campus. The gift was part of a raffle which students entered during Freshers Week, back in September, in which students that entered were put into the draw that was made before the Christmas break. Nicola was presented with her prize by practice manager Donna Brown and
occupational health member Cathey Anthony last week. Nicola was pleased with her prize and told The Waterfront “it’s great I can’t wait to use it.” Kee Dental Care surgery is based on campus on the ground floor of Horton halls of residence. Anyone wishing to book an appointment can call 01792 298 831 or go to keedentalcare.co.uk for more information.
Super Bowl
comes to Woodies By James Taylor News Reporter FOR many ignorant Brits, the Super Bowl is just an imported adaptation of the infamous Champions League – the true form of football. Yet for those ignoramuses (myself included) we should mark the date 7th of February on our calendars, join our fellow students from across the pond, and pop to Woodies to witness what makes this sport so spectacular. Among recent years, the popularity of the Super Bowl in Britain has grown substantially – especially among student life. Yet for those of you still uninterested in the distant cousin of rugby, I advise you to join me in giving the sport a chance. From the outside looking in, the sport does seem to be highly complex, causing most of us to lose interest, yet after great research, it appears that the rules are far simpler than I firstly anticipated. Plus after talking to some fellow students about the sport in question ,it does seem apparent that the Super Bowl is definitely one of the best
finals to watch, and far less predictable than the Champions League. If my rambling words of wisdom still haven’t enticed you to give the sport a chance, then let us do what we Brits do best: enjoy a late night lock in at Woodies starting from 7pm, chant for whichever team is the underdog and drink till we are incapable of attending our lectures the following day.
08 SOCIETIES
Waterfront 185 - 25/01/10
S E I T E I C O S
thewaterfront
Coming up this term!
History
We have a jam packed schedule for you this term so don’t forget to get involved! - January 27th - Holocaust Memorial Day - event on campus for students (possibly film-showing) and hopefully working with local schools on the theme ‘Legacy of Hope’ - Early Febuary - Post-exams Playzone party - tickets available at Refreshers and from the committee - Febuary - General meeting to decide next year’s committee - Febuary - Trip to Mumbles and private tour of Oystermouth Castle - March - Lecturers vs. Students pub quiz - they beat us last year but hopefully this year we will win! - March - Pre-Rome trip social – meal - March 23rd-26th - Rome trip
We are asking for applications for anyone who would like to be involved in next year’s committee. If anyone fancies it, or just wants more information, they can send us an email at swanseahistorysociety@gmail.com
Real Ale and Cider Society 22 Ales and 5 different Ciders to try! We present the Real Ale and Cider Festival as part of Refreshers week. Come out to Dining Room C in Fulton House on January 25th and 26th (Or until the beer runs out!) to sample beers and ciders from breweries around the area. With over 25 beer and ciders available it promises to be a great day! The Real Ale Society promotes Real Ale as a refreshing alternative to lagers, keg beers and other mass marketed alcoholic drinks. The society promotes local breweries and pubs and is affiliated with the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA). The society organises pub crawls, trips to beer festivals and breweries. To join contact the president of the society Ben Jones at swanseauni_realalesoc@yahoo.co.uk or go and meet them at the refreshers’ fayre on Monday 25th in dining rooms a and b.
Pub Golf: History boys and girls on tour
Debating Why not join the debate? Gain a new skill and confidence. Learn how to feel comfortable speaking in front of people So far this academic year has been our most successful ever with our biggest sign up ever at the start of the year and our highest competition placing to date at the Welsh Novices Championships with teams finishing sixth and tenth, which for a society that’s only been around for two years is good going.
What’s coming up?
This term we are attending a number of competitions hosted by other Welsh universities and universities across Britain, and hosting our first ever competition in February. We’ll also be hosting some public-speaking workshops, open to non-members and members alike, to give you that confidence boost for presentations, seminars or anything else where public-speaking is required.
Why get involved?
Debating is a great way to gain confidence and skill on many levels. First and foremost you become far more comfortable speaking in front of people, which will be extremely valuable in the big, scary world of post-uni employment. Through debating you learn to think fast on your feet, deal with questions and project yourself to the world.
How can you join?
We’re always happy to welcome new members. If you’re interested you can find out more and sign up at the Refreshers fayre (Monday 25th January, or come along to one of our weekly meetings on a Thursday night at 6pm in Keir Hardie 303. If you would like more information or you have any questions please email: swanseadebate@hotmail.co.uk
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SOCIETIES 09
Brand Spanking NEW SOCIETY
European Students’ Forum - Travel and Discover with
AEGEE
What is AEGEE?
AEGEE is a network of students all across Europe. It stands for Association des Etats Généraux des Etudiants de l’Europe, but in practice “we present ourselves as European Students’ Forum. Because basically, this is what we are: a forum, a platform for us European students to travel and discover our continent in an economical and non-touristic way, to make friends among active young people abroad, and to develop and implement our own projects and activities with them.
What does AEGEE do?
Within AEGEE, a great scope of activities is carried out that vary greatly in purpose, duration, topic, dimension, financial background, level of professionalism, and of course location. As a member of AEGEE, you can organise (or attend) anything from a party weekend on the beaches of Valencia to a one-week political seminar about the consequences of the possible definite refusal of the Irish to sign the Lisbon Treaty. One of the most popular events in the AEGEE calendar is – the AEGEE Summer University. Around 100 Cities throughout Europe offer the famous Summer University every year. For two weeks, a group of students come together in one city from all corners of Europe, where they are shown around by the local organisers, sometimes are taught the native language, visit the surroundings, get in touch with young people there. In short: they have a two week holiday of cultural exchange including guided tourism for the ridiculously low price of 130 €uro for full accommodation, food, and activity costs. BARGAIN!!! As an AEGEE member, you can attend events organised in other cities any time of year. There is a wide range of activities to choose from – to get the picture, visit www.aegee.org/events. However, should there be anything you are missing, you can always organise it yourself, and welcome participants from all over Europe in your city! It is an important aspect of AEGEE life not only to go abroad and attend events in other cities, but to keep your own community alive by organising international events yourselves, be it a chess tournament, a party weekend, or a conference, whatever you feel like. I can tell from my own experience that there is nothing more intense, interesting, exciting (and exhausting) than hosting an event in your own city!
Travel to one of 232 destinations throughout Europe
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How you can get involved!
Aegee in 232 Cities throughout Europe gives members the most amazing opportunity to travel for next to nothing! Swansea is the 233rd! And the first Welsh member. Look out for us at the Re-fresher’s Fayre - Monday 25th January For more information contact www.aegeeabertawe@yahoo.co.uk Or Andy Patton - international@swansea-union.co.uk Get involved! We are currently recruiting our new Local Board!!!
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G A R and Give
Raise
Winners of Beer Race 2009
Last term through Beer Race Rave and Give Pinkathon
RAG raised over £10,000 for charity
In the last term Swansea RAG raised over £10,000 for charity through events such as Beer Race, Rave and Give, Pinkathon and numerous street collections. This term the fundraising work continues as we aim to raise as much money as possible before the end of the academic year.
RAG Week- 22nd -28th February
This year sees the return of the RAG Gnomes (RAG members dressed as gnomes and paid to annoy and embarrass your friends, enemies or lecturers into making a donation to charity), as well as the annual RAG Slave Auction, and new events such as Swansea’s Got Talent. Keep your eyes peeled for more information coming soon!
New events
Swansea Jailbreak and The Great Swansea Jump Charity Skydive. By the time of going to press the Swansea Jailbreak will have taken place and Swansea students will have hitchhiked their way as far as possible from Swansea inside 36 hours. Keep your eyes on www.swanseajailbreak.com and The Waterfront to find out where they got to. Sign up for the Great Swansea Jump on 24th and 25th April is currently closed, but we hope to re-open it in the next few weeks. Again, keep an eye out for information around campus, in The Waterfront and online at www. thegreatswanseajump.com.
It’s never too late to get involved!
RAG are always looking for people willing to get involved with all aspects of our society, from publicity and event organisation to street collecting and sponsored events. Sign up at the Refreshers fayre or email swansearag@ hotmail.co.uk to get involved.
House Hunting Guide Welcome to our humble abode! During our university experience we have found that finding a house is a big deal, yet has such little information. That’s why we have compiled this totally amazing booklet to pass on all our and advice centres knowledge. We aim to make your time at Swansea Uni as good as it can be! Maggie Perry (Accommodation officer) Hannah Pearse (Non-portfolio officer)
SAS is also here to help! GET IN THERE QUICKLY . HOUSES WILL GO FAST! The combined service is called Swansea Accommodation Services (SAS). Both The University and the Students’ Union strongly recommend that you use this service when looking for private accommodation.SAS provides good value, good quality accommodation and the peace of mind that the following are included as standard: * Administration of your tenancy agreement where each student has their own contract * 24 hour emergency response and liaison with the landlord regarding any maintenance issues and emergency repairs * Personal belongings insurance up to £3000.00
* No damage deposit * Assurance that the property complies under the local Council’s Licensing Scheme as well as the Universities UK Code of Practice * The banding of properties into four rent categories based on criteria including décor, quality of bathroom, kitchen and furniture - (unlike many private lettings, rent closely matches the quality of the property) * Contracts that tie landlords to specific maintenance timeframes with compensation policiesDetails of all our available properties can be found at: www.swanseastudentpad.co.uk The password : housing2010 Properties can be searched on number of bedrooms, location, rent level, facilities.Please note viewings can only take place if all members of the group will be present.To make an appointment to view a property you simply need to decide on the number of people in your group, select 2 properties of that size and complete an application form. Find the SAS office (ground floor of Fulton House) or Residential Services’ main reception in PENMAEN RESIDENCE.
Housemates You maybe think choosing who to live with is an easy task in your first year, you’ve made lots of new friends and had an awesome time! Students normally move in with their first year housemates. Although this maybe the easy option at the time, it may not be for the long run. However we ask you to have a real good think, get everyone together before making a final decision! Here’s some points to take into consideration: *Best Friends – it may not be the best idea to move in with your best friends, firstly they may not be your best friends, or it could ruin some beautiful relationships. Sometimes its not nice to know everything about your friends. *The odd one out – you may feel that someone within the groups is not best suited to the groups as you thought. You need to address these concerns sooner rather than later. *Privacy – If you love your own privacy or if your are prone to walk around in your birthday suit. *Annoying habits – try and get to know your housemates and their habits. You might be able to handle them or be really grossed out! Would you really want to live with them for a year?
Living in the community Hey I’m Simon and I’m your community officer at the students Union. It’s my job to talk to local residents about their problems with the student population and meet with the police and council to tell them the problem that students are facing in Swansea. My four Golden Rules for living in a Residential area are; * Introduce yourself to your neighbours! – There can be nothing scarier for local residents than not knowing who lives next door to them. Also if your neighbour knows who you are if they see anything suspicious going on they can sound the alarm... and who knows you may even get a bottle of wine at Christmas! *Put your Rubbish out on time! – In Uplands and Brynmill bin day is Wednesday and the recycling goes out every other week (you can find the exact dates at (http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=1468). You don’t want stinking rubbish around the house so make sure you Kerb it, if anything there is nothing worse than going back to someone’s to be greeted by rubbish outside! Not a turn on! *Keep the noise down – Many people have to get up for work or to take kids to school, the last thing they want is drunken students swearing at 3am! If you’re quiet when you come home they’ll be quiet on a Saturday morning at 8am after a heavy night at tooters, you certainly don’t want to be rudely awakened! *Finally enjoy it! Many students get involved in their local community, helping at youth clubs or clearing the beach of rubbish. Swansea is a great place to live if you make it a great place to live, and if you get to know your neighbours you may get greeted with a big hug and a kiss from your elderly neighbour
HMO? House of Multiple Occupancies! Check the address on the Swansea Council website…. http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=21267 Your house may have to be licensed as an HMO and should therefore be on this list. If not that doesn’t necessarily mean a bad thing as the Council are not always the quickest to update their lists. It may be possible to phone the HMO team on 01792 635600 to check this in person (they normally will phone you back within the week). The main HMO link, which will give more infornation on the HMOs importance: HTTP://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=6602
Need to know guide on Bills
Lucky for some bills are included in the rent package! However the landlord will take a certain amount of money for bills each month according to what the bills on average would cost! Make sure you understand how much utility you can use a month without getting an angry phone call from the landlord when the bills come through! However usually bills are taken care for by yourself: Usually you sign a contract starting from July which means that you are in charge of the house through the summer even if you are not living in it. However the landlord may use this house for refurbishments etc and use utilities. Obviously you should not have to get your money out for this, however landlords can be very sneaky. Make sure before you sign a contract how the summer bills will be paid! You should really only be taking over the payments when the first person moves in until the day the final person moves out! *Rent will be your biggest expense! It is on average 70% of your weekly allowance and can be all of your student maintenance loan! Remember if the landlord is charging a lot, you should be paying for a good service and vice versa! Discuss with the landlord why the rent is what it is! What does it include? You should use the checklist to figure this out! *Setting up bills – Before you move in make sure you have all the contact details of the utilises companies so you are fully prepared when the first person moves in. *Paying the bills as a house – there are several ways to do this 1. Joint Account – with joint accounts you can place standing orders so everyone pays the same money in each month and the bills are direct debit out of that account. Some houses also use this for toilet paper, kitchen stuff etc so you won’t get into loads of arguments of who’s turn it! 2. A separate new account that one person is responsible of and standing orders are paid into monthly. 3. everyone has a separate bill to pay! So one person is in charge of paying, for TV license, water, gas, electricity and internet package, and everyone owes everyone else! 4. Internet and telephone packages – Make sure you have a good hut for the best deals, and make sure everyone is agreed on what to have! There is no point the the person in charge getting sky! When the others just want a diddy digi box! They will not pay for sky!
Lazy Landlords & Troublesome Tenants: Who can help you?
Firstly as we are a student union, we have all the facilities and advice you need! You just need to get to them! Your first port of calls should be the Sabbaticals, Exec members or the Advice Centre. These will lead you in the right direction of where the specific help you need! * Landlords can be sweet as angels when you sign a contract but they can turn into little demons later. You need to be on top of your game! To highlight again, you need to know everything that is on that contract and all the rights you possess within it, so if the landlords goes against it you can prove it! Also remember picture and signature proof of anything faulty in the and ask the landlord to sign it with a date of completion or compensation. IF THE LANDLORD REFUSES THE HOUSE IS NOT WORTH IT! * Other housemates can also be a very big problem too! After all the try hard efforts to find the right people, people change or end up showing their true colours and if you have issues with this, it should be addressed through the right ways before it turns into something big!
Contracts/Tenancy Agreements
Once you have signed a contract it is legally binding, whether you have read it or not!
*Always ask for receipts when handing over your rent, and stay away from handing over excessive amounts of money at a time. *Deposit – your landlord will ask for a deposit on the house, this normally will always be the bond. You pay the landlord a bond an insurance policy for the landlord if you break or you need anything replacement due to a fault of the tenants doing. You should get the bonds back at the end of the year depending on the state the house. *Don’t sign an inventory unless it has been checked and agreed, include photo inventory too. Don’t sign a contract if the landlord says they will fill in the details later.
The Viewing CHECKLIST External Checklist: *Does the property generally look in good condition? *Are any tiles/ slates on the roof, loose or missing? *How much of a garden is there (front & back), who is responsible. If the tenants, are any tools provided for its upkeep? *Are the locks of good quality and secure? *If door to back lane, is it secure (bolts etc)? *Is there a garage or shed, do you have access to it and is it lockable? *Are window and door frames sound, any signs of rotting?  Internal Checklist: General: *Check for signs of wear on carpets. *Do the same for woodwork (skirting frames etc), any chips, stains or marks? *Any signs of damp/mould. If there is, makes sure there is agreement to deal with this before moving in or if this is not *possible, that rent will be reduced slightly until and while it’s done. *What is the condition of furniture provided, if any missing when will it be in place? *Is there a phone socket? *If there is an inventory check that all items are in the house, if anything is missing, make sure the landlord knows and make note on the inventory. *Can all windows be secured? Living room: *What is the condition of any furniture, do they have labels to show they comply with the latest Fire Safety Regulations? *Are there enough plug sockets for TVs etc. and is there a phone socket in the room? *If the house will have many tenants, is the room large enough for all of you, and any friends? *What heating is provided here? Kitchen: *What white goods are provided, are they in good working order and clean (cooker etc)? *Are enough cooking facilities provided for the size of the household? *Are the taps leaking? *Is there any ventilation ie fan in the window (if not could cause problems of condensation when cooking). *Are there any bins provided for rubbish? *Are any tiles clean and un-broken? *Are there keys for the back door? *Again, are there enough plug sockets for your needs? *What cooking utensils etc are provided? http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=21267 HMO checklist (http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=1468). Bin days in your local area
Useful Info..
http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=6602 explains what HMO is http://www.nus.org.uk/en/student-life/Housing-Advice/The-accommodation-code-/ NUS PAGE FOR ACCOMADATION
We your exams and essays went well and we hope this helps! Happy House Hunting Kids! Good Luck from Maggie and Hannah
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24 MUSIC
WATERFRONT 185 - 25/01/10
THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE NOUGHTIES
Reporters from the Music section give us their opinions on the musical highs and lows of the past 10 years...
Best: Soundtracks! The Twilight Saga: New Moon consisted of dazzling tunes from Thom Yorke to The Editors and definitely surpassed its teen-pop predecessor. Even Vanilla Sky included awesome tunes from R.E.M and Radiohead. TV shows even got in on the music buzz with such shows as Gossip Girl and Scrubs forcing us to rush onto Youtube and discover the artist of those catchy tracks! And of course, if you didn’t already know by now, it’s all about Glee! Worst: Has to be reality TV. Sure, such greats as Will Young and Girls Aloud came from it but at the cost of what? Jedward! Bryony Hicks Best: It would have to be Kasabian’s performance at Glastonbury. Sun beating down, cold cider in hand and the mesmerizing pulse of Club Foot sending the crowd into a total frenzy. Doesn’t get much better than that. Worst: After really liking the original version of Heartbeats by The Knife, covered by Jose Gonzalez, I went out looking for more of their music. I found We Share Our Mother’s Health and after initially thinking it was a tune, I watched the video on YouTube and realised what the song was actually about - disturbing me immensely! Bella Whately
Best: When Aerosmith headlined the 2nd day of Hyde Park Calling, their 1st gig in the UK in over 8 years. They were without a doubt the highlight of the day and it was apparent that the band had not lost their fan base or appeal, with fans ranging from ages 16-60+. I have never been to a gig with such an incredible atmosphere with the entire audience in complete awe. Worst: One word that burrows deep withing my skull - Jedward. Not only did the twins manage to torture our ears for weeks on X Factor, come to OUR city and tarnish OUR club Oceana, but they have now managed to get a record deal with Vanilla Ice...music ladies and gents - is dead! Sam Tattam Best: Muse! My obsession with the band began in early 2002, when I first heard the opening riff to Hyper Music. I had just started playing guitar and after borrowing the album from my Uncle, I could not believe the sounds that the band could create. Since then I have religiously followed the band, and believe that they are one of the best music acts that this country has produced. Worst: I know it seems like an easy target, and I know it is difficult to argue with the fact that so many people that love the show, but for me the X-Factor represents the epitome of the destruction of popular music. From my eyes, the premise of the show is essentially; take someone with a decent voice, and then, with months of intense training, teach them to walk, talk, dress, look and sound like every other mechanised pop star out there. Ben Price
Best: Rage Against the Machine winning the war against The X-Factor. I have nothing against Simon Cowell or Joe Mcelderrey, but what I do dislike is the juggernaut that is The X-Factor getting the Xmas number one each and every year. Personally, I’d prefer a music chart where everyone has a chance of getting to the top instead of who has the deepest pockets. Maybe I’m the musical equivalent of a Communist, but there’s nothing wrong with some variety. Worst: There may have been plenty more heartbreaking moments in music the past decade, but one of the most disappointing was definitely Kanye West interrupting Taylor Swift during the MTV VMA’s protesting that Beyonce deserved the award for best female video. Also, you know its bad when even the President of the United States is insulting you for your actions. Dale Williams Best: How do you survive grief and loss, then make something beautiful out of it? The band known as Arcade Fire know the answer. Between 2003 and 2004 the band’s individuals lost many family members. During that awful period, they recorded and released their debut album. To recognise what it was about, it was named Funeral. Is this the best album of the decade? No. It’s not even Arcade Fire’s best: that honour lies with Neon Bible. But it is beautiful. It is hopeful. It brings hope out of death, and those qualities are like a light in a dim decade. Worst: It’s hard to tell which of the last two X-Factor Christmas releases have been more insulting. Whilst Alexandra Burke’s cover of Hallelujah was no worse than some cover versions, it’s triumph over both Jeff Buckley and Leonard Cohen was painful to listen to. The failure of Joe McElderry was however just as bad, if not worse due to the soulless track that beat it. Sam Loveless Best: Being in the front row at The Arctic Monkeys headline set of Glastonbury 2007 was certainly one of the best moments of my life, let alone the decade. I was able to experience first hand the brilliance of one of the most ground breaking and exciting bands to emerge in a good couple of decades and although I had to stand in the pouring rain with a sea of mud lapping over my wellies for nine hours, it was well worth it. Worst: The emergence of TV talent competitions bringing about a near destruction of integrity and quality in the charts. Simon Cowell and his cohorts have made it their goal to make as much money as possible producing crap record after crap record, knowing that through the right marketing, anyone will buy anything. If Ferrari started making their cars out of balsa wood and chewing gum then doubled the price, surely no one would buy them, would they? Charlie Teasdale
Best: Since 2008 Lady Gaga’s been one of the most controversial pop stars with her eccentric behaviour, outrageous outfits and eyebrow lifting lyrics. The hermaphrodite rumours in 2009 oddly boosted her success with constant publicity and a-million-and-one crotch shots. Her songs dominate the charts, she makes music videos you can’t stop watching and she puts on quite a performance live. Looks like we’ll be seeing a lot more of her P-P-P-Pokerface in 2010. Worst:Vintage Madonna will always be remembered so whenever she decides to leave the music scene she should at least leave gracefully. Her latest music videos are filled with her partying with people half her age in an undersized leotard - it just looks wrong. Fair enough, she looks good for her age but if you have to be air brushed that much just to fit in with the singers of this generation it’s just not worth it. Nia Hooper
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CULTURE 25
Film: Previews of upcoming films at the Taliesin
Amelia PG 3rd February ‘Defying the impossible. Living the dream.’ This tagline from Mira Nair’s (The Namesake) dramatised biography Amelia, released in November last year, lives up to expectations. Amelia Earhart is one of the most influential women in History, who is still discussed in great detail today and the cause of her disappearance still remains unknown. This film has been assigned the task of keeping Amelia Earhart one of the
nations favourite women and with the help of acclaimed actors like two-time Academy Award winner Hilary Swank playing Amelia, (Million Dollar Baby) Golden Globe award winner Richard Gere playing her husband (Pretty Woman) and also the likes of Ewan McGregor and Christopher Eccleston, the film lacks neither first-class acting or quality directing. On July 2nd 1937, Amelia Lockhart sets out with her navigator, Fred Noonan (Eccleston) on her courageous attempt to circumnavigate the globe. She was the first woman to be awarded the ‘Distinguished Flying Cross,’ and
the film presents important aspects of Amelia’s life up to the dramatic incident, enabling the audience to sympathise and truly appreciate this incredible woman. Ronald Bass, the Script writer has based most of his research on books written about Earhart, and has cleverly managed to avoid providing too much information, so that we do not become bored. The film doesn’t provide any theories surrounding Earhart’s disappearance on the same day in the Pacific Ocean, leaving the audience on tender hooks and also providing them the facility to appreciate this great loss with a sense of intrigue. Amelia is worth a watch, even if it is only to see Richard Gere, who remains the same charming man that we fell in love with in Pretty Woman. ‘There’s more to life than being a passenger,’ so go see for yourselves, in the Taliesin on the 3rd of February when Amelia Earhart’s adventure comes alive again.
Sam Tattam
original novel was set in South Africa during the 1960s, the action of the film takes place on a fictional island off the coast of England in 1934.
Cracks 15 8th February Jordan Scott, daughter of Sir Ridley
Scott, makes her debut as a feature film director this month with her film ‘Cracks’. Adapted from Shelia Kohler’s 1999 novel, Cracks tells the story of teenage passion and desire within an allgirls boarding school. Whilst the
The film stars Eva Green, most widely known for her role alongside Daniel Craig as Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale, in her first leading role. Green plays Miss G, a glamorous young teacher, who captivates the girls with stories of an exotic and adventurous past and encourages them to rebel against the establishment but in reality, she has never travelled beyond the island. Of all the students, it is Di Radfield (Juno Temple) who is the most enthralled by Miss G’s tales. However, the status quo is soon disrupted by the arrival of a
The Informant 15 2nd February Director Stephen Soderbergh (Ocean’s eleven, twelve and thirteen, Erin Brokovich) recently brought to the screen an adaptation of the non-fiction book by Kurt Eichenwald, The Informant: A True Story. The film stars Matt Damon (The Bourne trilogy, The Departed) as the deluded corporate worker Mark Whitacre. This serious comedy follows the story of Mark Whitacre who, in the early nineties, was hired by the FBI to become an informant against the illegal price-fixing actions of his employers, a lysine developing company called ADM. The film comically follows the out of Spanish student named Fiamma. Fiamma hails from an aristocratic family and is both highly talented and impossibly beautiful. Also, unlike the other girls, Fiamma does not fall for Miss G’s charms. This subsequently means that her fellow students take an instant dislike to her. Miss G, however, responds to her in a manner that is a combination of both lust and envy. Scott creates a strong sense of period with solid performances from all of the central characters, particularly Green, in what is perhaps her best performance to date. She also manages to create a highly tense atmosphere, which continues to increase throughout the film as Miss G’s deception becomes apparent and
his depth character slowly deluding to himself and others that he is in fact a real secret agent and as his lies pile up, his life becomes more and more complicated. The film has already been nominated for two golden globes and there has been great recognition for Damon’s performance as the corporate worker. Although the film does not seem to be considered as one of Soderbergh’s greatest films, it has been accepted well as shown by the nominations it has received. The film seems to expose how the American dream gets lost in the corporate world of money making and just how much people are willing to ignore the truth. The Informant will be showing in the Taliesin on Tuesday 2nd Feb.
Suzanne Beynon
she struggles to contain her feelings of longing and desire for Fiamma whilst the other girls struggle to hide their jealousy. The tension between the characters heightened by the fact that the girls live on an island, which means that they are removed from reality and therefore, do not have a suitable outlet for their intense emotions, which makes the film’s tragic dénouement almost inevitable.
Sarah Hill
Food & Drink: Review of The Mermaid in The Mumbles
The Mermaid is a welcomed change from the typical student food we often indulge in. The restaurant is in the Mumbles on Mumbles road just before Salt and Verdis. The mermaid is divided into two sections, the Lounge area with offers set menu of tapas for one at the reasonable price of £6.95 or for two at £13.90. Or you can dine in the restaurant area, which is the section I will be discussing. I must add the Mermaid isn’t your typical student hoodie and a hangover place, although it is ideal for a lazy Sunday with friends, lunch date, or somewhere to take you parents. The best time to visit is Sunday Lunch time
between 12- 2.30pm to take advantage of their menu which offers 2 courses for £12.95 or 3 courses for £14.95 (it may be worth booking to avoid disappointment). Some may feel this is slightly pricey for a Sunday lunch, but the food is of the highest quality as the Mermaid aims to use all Organic, fresh, local and free range food. In reality for 3 courses it is cheaper than a carvery at a chain restaurant. The menu has influences drawn from Europe and Asia, but is essentially British. The food could typically be described as ‘posh nosh’. For anyone who doesn’t know much about food,
like me, it was quite daunting looking at the menu as I didn’t have a clue as to what Terrine (type of pâtè which also gets its name from the dish it is cooked in) or Panacotta (essentially a creamy set desert) was. Nevertheless I would 100% recommend trying something different and new as it was completely delicious! The menu varies each week, and depending upon the season. I started my food experience with a Crab and Prawn risotto cake served with a prawn and ginger salsa, and quite frankly it was one of the best things I have ever eaten! I thought my starters would be hard to top, but the main was equally as good! I stuck to the classic British Welsh Black Silverside of Beef with a Yorkshire served with a red wine jus, which also came out with a platter of vegetables (as does most of the mains). The beef was so tender and the red wine jus was a perfect rich complement to the meat. Also being a fan of suede and mash, I could not get enough. By this time I was pretty full, but true to form, pushed my way through to a dessert. I thought I would try a Vanilla Crème for
the first time, and sure enough I was not disappointed. A few other dishes on the menu also into chowder, welsh belly pork in a mustard cream, chicken stuffed with a chorizo mousse. The dessert menu also offers vanilla Panacotta, lemon tart, twice baked chocolate fondant and dark chocolate brownie. The Mermaid is a thoroughly enjoyable food experience, with great service and a relaxed atmosphere, different to the typical student hangouts.
The food is incredible and exquisitely presented. It is defiantly worth a trip to the Mumbles to relax and explore post exams!
Rosalyn Thomas
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Stage: Preview of Jimmy Carr at the Grand Theatre
FRONT - CULTURE 27
Since 2002 Jimmy Carr has become a household name and one of Britain’s most loved comedians. Described by The Guardian as ‘a comedy hero for our time’, his witty one liners, dry humour and deadpan delivery have not only brought a freshness and originality to British comedy, but have propelled his career and gained him a huge fan base all over the UK. After a brief post-University job as a Marketing Executive for Shell, Jimmy joined JC Productions and began what was to become his hugely successful career in stand up comedy. A contract with Channel 4 gave him the opportunity to spread his unique brand of humour to the masses, and in recent years he has become a familiar face on popular TV programmes such as 8 Out of 10 Cats, The Big Fat Quiz of The Year, The Friday Night Project, as well as regularly appearing as a guest
on others like QI, Have I Got News For You and Never Mind the Buzzcocks. Now a well established name in Britain, Jimmy also looks set to become a star across the pond, recently setting his sights on America and appearing on Comedy Central Special, NBC’s Late Night with Conon O’Brian, as well as his game show Distraction appearing various times on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. However it is Jimmy’s live stand up which really showcases his comedic flare and which has sold out venues across the country year after year, as well as selling thousands of DVDs. His first four DVDs - Jimmy Carr, Stand Up, Comedian and In Concert – have sold more than 850,000 copies in total and his array of awards and successes speak for themselves. In 2002 his first full-length show, Bare-Faced Ambition, won the Perrier
award, and the following year he was named Best Stand-Up at the Time Out Awards. He won the same category at the LAFTAS in 2004 and was named ‘funniest man’ at the same awards in 2005. Following these successes, his 2006 tour Gag Reflex was named Best Live Stand-Up at the British Comedy Awards. Jimmy returns to Swansea next month with his latest tour, Rapier Wit, which arrives at Swansea Grand Theatre on February 5th. Debuted at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2009, this new live show is set to play sell-out audiences across the country this year, with extra dates being constantly added due to the huge public demand. This latest live offering from Carr looks likely to become even more successful than his Repeat Offender tour which ran from August 2007 to July 2008 and featured over 160 tour dates.
‘As sick as he is slick’ (Independent on Sunday), Jimmy never fails to shock, entertain, or send a room full of people into shrieks of laughter, and if his current popularity, sell-out tours, and regular appearances on TV are anything to go by, it looks like Jimmy isn’t going away any time soon. And that’s something we should definitely be happy about. Ffion Hughes
Originally from Gower and now based in North Wales pianist Huw Warren graduated from south London’s prestigious Goldsmiths College in the 1980’s. Huw’s current collaborative musical project Hermeto+ plays Taliesin on Saturday 30th January. Warren’s CV includes collaborations with Folk artist June Tabor and Latin American groovers Tango Siempre. Hermeto+ take their name and musical inspiration from legendary Brazilian composer and jazz improviser Hermeto Pascoal. The multi instrumentalist from Bahia worked with Airto Moreira, Flora Purim and the great Miles Davis during the 1970’s. Pascoal made a significant contribution to LiveEvil, a recording that heralded the arrival of jazz fusion with its irresistible mix of samba rhythms and Miles distinctive post-bop Blues trumpet. Pascoal is noted for employing unorthodox methods to achieve sounds which mimic the
natural world; such as water burbling flute players in his Musica Da Lagoa. More recent performances have utilised dentist’s drills and featured Hermeto singing into a cup with his head partially submerged in water. Huw told The Waterfront about the bands inspiration; “Hermeto Pascoal is someone I have listened to for a long time – I like his vibe and energy and his work has inspired my own compositions”. Huw told Waterfront about other artists that inspired his music; “My work has an eclectic range of influences from the modern folk songs of June Tabor to Django Bates legendary 21 piece jazz orchestra ‘Loose Tubes’ who I first discovered when I was at uni in London”. I asked Huw about Hermeto+ “It’s a great band of top musicians and friends, and we all love world music. Dudley Phillips and Martin France were in the line-up of
my previous musical project ‘Perfect Houseplants’ Ian Bellamy and John Paricelli performed and recorded with Loose Tubes. Bellamy also worked with Hermeto and Gil Evans in the US. The band all love Pascoals folkloric rhythm’s and our Taliesin concert will feature an even blend of my own compositions and original works by Hermeto. What matters most is that the music should be fun to listen to”. Warren’s solo CD ‘Infinite riches in a little room’ received critical acclaim and featured original compositions plus covers of music by Elizabethan composer John Dowland, and be-bop originator Charlie Parker. Huw told me about plans for a future solo project and more collaborative ventures “There are plans for a solo piano album, and a project with Neopolitan singer Maria Pia Di Vito. This crossover venture will feature Maria’s folk songs and my
improvised jazz piano”. With an all star band featuring John Paricelli on guitar, Dudley Phillips on acoustic bass, Ian Bellamy on sax and Martin France on drums Hermeto+ have impeccable jazz pedigree and an exciting repertoire of funky rhythmic tunes laced with a generous dose of samba. The CD Hermeto+ is available from Basho music and will be on sale at the concert together with a selection of Huw Warren’s solo recordings. Hermeto+ at Taliesin Saturday 30th January. Student discount available with valid NUS card. For more details call Taliesin box office 60 20 60. www.taliesinartscentre.co.uk
Cormac McCarthy is one of America’s most critically acclaimed authors. He has previously won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction and the PEN/saul Bellow Award for lifetime achievement in American literature. His most recent novel The Road follows the story of a man and his son and their journey of survival as they walk though a burned and desolate America. All that the two unnamed characters have to protect themselves from the other men on the road is a pistol and the company of
each other. The novel paints a dark picture of the remnants of humanity in desperation. The faithless father has nothing but the role of protecting his son and the bitter memories of what once was. The innocent child yearns to learn more about a past he knew nothing of and cannot understand in the darkness that he was born to. The Road is one of those rare books where the plot becomes unimportant as you get drawn into the themes of the novel. McCarthy attempts to expose humanity
to the core and in doing so does not just create a gripping story, but a work of art. This is a chilling story which definitely should not be read by those who like post apocalyptic novels to be a high action, fight for survival, rebuild the human race, everyone lives happily ever after type thing. McCarthy’s novel is much more developed and real than this Hollywood cliché. It is a story of humanity; it is simple but all the more profound for it being so. The Road could be read by anyone
who is willing to sit through some of the heart-wrenching, graphic imagery and even if you do find that idea offturning, I urge you to read it anyway! Like McCarthy’s novel No Country For Old Men, The Road has recently been adapted into a film. It is a must read for art lovers, but anyone could read this and not fail to be moved by it.
The band members Danni, Beth, Helen, Sally, Aimee and Barbara. Each character is as unique as their music, with key regards to Barbara – a cross-dressing brass player who was reportedly adopted by the band through pity. Another key member of the band is their newly recruited musician Aimee Smith, a student of our very own University of Swansea.
Another band featuring on the 28th January is The Dukes Jetty, a band whose genre is far easier to understand – indie. Despite their appearance screaming traditional indie, the bands do drift away from the genre, bringing in retro rock – possibly from influences of the Beatles or more worryingly McFly (hopefully the former). The band have already had a radio debut
on the cult station Radio 2, and just like tiny Tin Lady, are viewable on the
Dukes Jetty , to head on down to Ents Box Office and buy a ticket as cheap as £2 with the drinks even cheaper. Date: 7:30pm on Thursday the 28th of January. Tickets: £2
Music: Interview with Huw Warren from Hermoto+ at the Taliesin
Books: Review of The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Event: Preview of ‘Duke Jetty’ & ‘Tiny Tin Lady’
Once again, Diva’s has managed to snatch itself another off the wall band known as Tiny Tin Lady, a band fresh from the Mersey land of Liverpool. Imprisoning the band into a genre is very challenging; with elements of classical such has brass and stringed instruments being acquainted with rock elements of bass guitars and drums - like Mozart’s rebellious daughters.
glorious land of video – YouTube. The night will also be filmed by our very own Sub TV, and will be shown on the Waterfront website in the near future. So I advise all of you who are deeply intrigued by the mystery of Tiny Tin Lady or by the retro feel of The
Paul Seacombe
Suzanne Beynon
James Taylor
Need to know guide on Bills
Lucky for some bills are included in the rent package! However the landlord will take a certain amount of money for bills each month according to what the bills on average would cost! Make sure you understand how much utility you can use a month without getting an angry phone call from the landlord when the bills come through! However usually bills are taken care for by yourself: Usually you sign a contract starting from July which means that you are in charge of the house through the summer even if you are not living in it. However the landlord may use this house for refurbishments etc and use utilities. Obviously you should not have to get your money out for this, however landlords can be very sneaky. Make sure before you sign a contract how the summer bills will be paid! You should really only be taking over the payments when the first person moves in until the day the final person moves out! *Rent will be your biggest expense! It is on average 70% of your weekly allowance and can be all of your student maintenance loan! Remember if the landlord is charging a lot, you should be paying for a good service and vice versa! Discuss with the landlord why the rent is what it is! What does it include? You should use the checklist to figure this out! *Setting up bills – Before you move in make sure you have all the contact details of the utilises companies so you are fully prepared when the first person moves in. *Paying the bills as a house – there are several ways to do this 1. Joint Account – with joint accounts you can place standing orders so everyone pays the same money in each month and the bills are direct debit out of that account. Some houses also use this for toilet paper, kitchen stuff etc so you won’t get into loads of arguments of who’s turn it! 2. A separate new account that one person is responsible of and standing orders are paid into monthly. 3. everyone has a separate bill to pay! So one person is in charge of paying, for TV license, water, gas, electricity and internet package, and everyone owes everyone else! 4. Internet and telephone packages – Make sure you have a good hut for the best deals, and make sure everyone is agreed on what to have! There is no point the the person in charge getting sky! When the others just want a diddy digi box! They will not pay for sky!
Lazy Landlords & Troublesome Tenants: Who can help you?
Firstly as we are a student union, we have all the facilities and advice you need! You just need to get to them! Your first port of calls should be the Sabbaticals, Exec members or the Advice Centre. These will lead you in the right direction of where the specific help you need! * Landlords can be sweet as angels when you sign a contract but they can turn into little demons later. You need to be on top of your game! To highlight again, you need to know everything that is on that contract and all the rights you possess within it, so if the landlords goes against it you can prove it! Also remember picture and signature proof of anything faulty in the and ask the landlord to sign it with a date of completion or compensation. IF THE LANDLORD REFUSES THE HOUSE IS NOT WORTH IT! * Other housemates can also be a very big problem too! After all the try hard efforts to find the right people, people change or end up showing their true colours and if you have issues with this, it should be addressed through the right ways before it turns into something big!
Contracts/Tenancy Agreements
Once you have signed a contract it is legally binding, whether you have read it or not!
*Always ask for receipts when handing over your rent, and stay away from handing over excessive amounts of money at a time. *Deposit – your landlord will ask for a deposit on the house, this normally will always be the bond. You pay the landlord a bond an insurance policy for the landlord if you break or you need anything replacement due to a fault of the tenants doing. You should get the bonds back at the end of the year depending on the state the house. *Don’t sign an inventory unless it has been checked and agreed, include photo inventory too. Don’t sign a contract if the landlord says they will fill in the details later.
30 SPORT
WATERFRONT 185 - 25/01/10
Intramural League in race to finish season as bad weather hits fixtures Continued from back page With fixtures due to resume in just over two weeks, time every game played and point earned will be crucial in deciding which team will be crowned intramural champions. League co-ordinator Richard Fouracre has warned that it is possible the title could be decided before all the league fixtures have been played. Fouracre, who plays for Team Sloth, will meet with the captains of all 16 teams next week to ask for their commitment to finishing the league on time. “The point of saying that intramural could be decided at the end of Easter was more along the lines of I want to get these games played, but if you guys aren’t committed to doing it the winner will be whoever has played the most games and got the most points by the end of Easter,” Fouracre told The Waterfront. “At the end of the day I want everyone to play their games and there to be a clear winner with no arguments. “If it’s contentious we will resolve it in
the fairest possible way, in that if a team wins it (the league by the end of March) by a point and the team just behind has a game in hand we will play that game. “It was more to try and give everyone a kick up the ass. “But the problem we have had this year is weather. If we don’t get this league finished it’s nothing to do with the captains.” The intramural league was organised in two tiers last year but that changed this season with the introduction of one 16 team league. The league has frequently struggled to finish on time in recent years, and last season time ran out on the second tier, the winner never being decided. Jamie Gathercole, University 6ths cocaptain, said cutting the number of teams could give the league a better chance of finishing next year. “It’s been a difficult year with a lot of games postponed and I understand we have to decide the title one way or another. “I want to do everything we can to get
Photo: Marc Holmes UNCERTAIN: The Intramural league teams could risk ending the season without having played all of their matches
our games played, if that means playing two matches on one Sunday then so be it. We have a big enough squad and should be able to cope with that. “Maybe limiting the number of teams to something like 12 might give the league a more feasible chance of finishing on time.”
Fouracre, however, believes Swansea University can sustain an intramural league of 16 teams or more. “I don’t see 16 teams being a problem, I had to turn teams away this year and I still have people coming to me looking to join teams. “We’ve got Ashley Road slap bang
on campus with ten pitches of a reasonably good standard and in principle you could have twenty teams playing in the league. “I think 16 teams is a fair number and it only requires eight pitches a week, I just think we have had terrible luck with the weather.”
Ospreys impress in Success starts snowballing Christmas period as Swansea climb to fourth By Craig Lawton Sports Reporter
FORM: The Ospreys enjoyed a number of fine results during the Christmas period
By Bradley Morgan Sports Reporter THE Ospreys enjoyed a fruitful Christmas period, with wins in the Magners League and the Heineken Cup. The Ospreys first game following the Autumn Series was against reigning Magners League champions Munster. The visitors took the lead with a penalty try and the heavy rain meant many missed kicks, and so the half time score was limited to 6-7 to the visitors. But the hosts struck back, with a Tommy Bowe try, and Dan Biggar nailing a drop goal and a penalty, taking the score to 19-7 to the Ospreys. The Irish picked a late try to snatch a losing bonus point, but the Ospreys held on for the 19-14 win. The Ospreys then had two big wins in the Heineken Cup against Viadana, first with eight tries in Italy for a 62-7 win, and then another six tries to win 45-19, leaving Ospreys top of their group and dreaming of the knockout stage. Next came the regional games after
Christmas, starting with the trip to the Scarlets on Boxing Day. The hosts took the early points, but the visitors showed promise, and Prop Paul James broke through the lineout to score a try, making the half time score 9-7. But the Ospreys dominated the ball in the second half, with James getting his second try, the defence standing strong and Biggar kicking well to seal the game, despite the Scarlets scoring late making the final score 21-14 to the Ospreys. Then on New Year’s day, the Ospreys faced the Blues, and the Ospreys coped better with the falling snow and stormed to a 26-0 win, including two tries from winger Nicky Walker. The “big freeze” stopped the side’s game against Ulster and the Ospreys would have wished that their game against Clermont was called off, as the French side won comprehensively. The Ospreys are currently second in the Magners League, but need a win at home to Leicester to have a chance of advancing to the knockout stage of the Heineken Cup.
THE Christmas fixture list is always a tricky one, for football clubs and players alike, the focus of all clubs is to string a run of unbeaten matches together over a period which at one point sees three matches in eight days. Fans on the other hand are left keeping a watchful eye on the television set to discover whether their clubs match will be called off due to one of just a number of reasons, which could include: frozen pitch, waterlogged pitch, snow on pitch, frozen walkways around the stadium, and unsafe driving conditions to the stadium. Luckily for Swansea, apart from their match against Middlesbrough at the Riverside on 8th January, Paulo Sousa’s team had a full set of fixtures over his first festive period in South Wales. This is more than can be said for their neighbours Cardiff who had the embarrassing situation of having to call off their match against Leicester due to the under soil heating in their new stadium having not been “commissioned” (read “not working”). The Swans sent into their match away to Sheffield Wednesday on 19th December holding the last play-off spots, in 6th place. Following a comfortable 2-0 victory for the Swans, courtesy of a Darren Pratley double, and another Pratley goal on Boxing Day in a 1-1 draw away to Reading, the Swans were looking rosier than Rudolf’s nose as their only home match over Christmas, against Crystal Palace, came around.
VITAL: Darren Pratley (centre) was the key player for Swansea during Christmas
0-0 was the order of the day against Palace in a game that was far more exciting than the score line would suggest. Swans defender Albert Serran was harshly sent off after just 17 minutes for what the referee saw as an intentional elbow to the face of a Palace player. Neil Warnock, who is rarely one to keep his thoughts to himself, rather surprisingly agreed with the referee’s decision, that is until you realise that it was in favour of his side. None the less Swansea looked comfortable even when a man down and their fluid playing style almost carved open a fantastic opportunity for them to take all three points late on in the match. The only blot on the Swans copy book came in the FA Cup third round away to Leicester as they suffered a 2-1 defeat at
the Walkers Stadium despite taking the lead through a crisp David Cotterill strike from some 30 yards out. However set the record straight as they beat Leicester 1-0 in their very next Championship fixture, this time at the Liberty Stadium. A mazy run by Nathan Dyer, followed by a square ball into the box set up Spanish striker Gorka Pintado to net his first competitive goal since March 2009, and in the process allowed the Swans to jump above Cardiff into 4th place in the Championship. There was little rest for the Sousa’s men however as they next faced Middlesbrough from their delayed fixture, followed in turn by the return of Swansea boy Chris Coleman and his Coventry team to the Liberty Stadium on 26th January.
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Women’s Hockey top league after six games unbeaten By Thore Haugstad Sports Editor FIRST team captain Kate Lloyd believes harder trainings and a new coach are the reasons behind their successful start to the season. The women’s hockey team endured a difficult season last year, but has hit back with a stunning run of six games undefeated in all competitions since the league started in October. That form has taken them to the top of the Western Conference 2B, while a 14-0 thrashing of Aberystwyth 2nds has booked them a place in the 3rd round of the cup. Lloyd points to the current training regime when explaining the results, and believes the team performances have brought them where they are today. “It’s been a brilliant season, and so rewarding after all the work we as a team have put in,” she said. “We’ve upped the training since last year as well as having a coach which has resulted in exceptional team performances. “One of the key points to me is that we have actually looked like team, the cohesion between us is very strong and this has greatly aided our wins.
“Last year was difficult. We had a very young team with little experience and were plagued with numerous injuries throughout the season. “This year it’s a different situation. Coming away from the pitch on top has given us great confidence for the rest of the season and the run up to varsity.” Lloyd admits she didn’t know what to expect after last year’s difficult season, but sees no reason why the team should not continue their unbeaten when facing Bristol 3rds on Wednesday. “I didn’t really know what to expect before the season, all I knew was that the people left in the squad were determined to succeed this year,” she said. “We have been very lucky in that we have acquired some very talented fresher’s who have stepped forward and have ably taken on their roles. “I think the key area is to keep our heads on in the forthcoming matches. We work well as a team yet sometimes we forget how to play our game of hockey. “Driving forward we look threatening and our defence is tough. If the solid link is maintained between us then we should have no problems.” The team will have built a great confidence going six games unbeaten,
FOCUSED: Captain Kate Lloyd sees no reason why Swansea should slip up now with reasons to fear a sudden loss could affect the rhythm of the players’ performances. But Lloyd insists the team will not let an eventual slip-up influence their impressive form. She added: “I think the whole team are very level headed and we take each
game in our stride. “To lose a game when we have come so far of would of course disappoint us, but we can’t let that affect us. “We will get back on that pitch and give it everything if it means winning the overall league.”
Women’s tennis on -2 points By Ben Donovan Sports Reporter FIRST team captain Amoolya Raghunath has rued the fixture’s clash with Wednesday lectures as an absence of players has hampered their season so far. The women’s tennis team won promotion after last year’s title triumph, but have struggled to maintain those standards and remain rooted to the bottom of Western Conference 1A with -2 points after seven matches. The club were deducted points earlier in the season after having to cancel a match due to a lack of players, a result of the fixture list clashing with many of the players’ Wednesday lectures. This has been a constant thorn in the side for the tennis team throughout the season, in addition to a number of injuries on key players. Raghunath admitted she was positive ahead of the season, but concedes the absence of players have made it difficult to produce the results required to stay in the division. “Last season we won the league and got promoted, but even though the standard of the opposition has improved, we still felt as though we could have had a successful campaign,” she said. “But we have a lot of girls who have lectures on a Wednesday and struggle to make it to matches, hence why we had to cancel one of the games and
ABSENCES: The Women’s tennis season has been ruined by players struggling to make it to Wednesday matches subsequently paid the penalty. “This term the girls don’t have lectures, but we only have two games left of the season, so it’s been a bit of a catch 22 situation for us this year. “We have had a lot of girls out injured as well, and I have only played one match this year which has made it even harder to get a team together every Wednesday.” The club boast an international within their ranks in the form of Francesca Lewis, who has represented Great Britain. However, due to her participation in a number of tournaments, neither she has
been able to feature on a regular basis for the university team. “We have some good players in the team, including Francesca, but she hasn’t been able to play much for us this year because of her other commitments,” Raghunath said. Asked whether recruiting girls to join the club was also a problem, she said: “We had a good response at the start of this year with around 40 girls signing up socially and about 7 who wanted to play for the team.” Funding from the AU has been a big talking point for many of the sports teams so far this year, but Raghnuath
refused to blame this for the lack of results. She added: “I don’t think that is too much of a problem for us. However, we could benefit from more regular training sessions but it is difficult during the winter months as lots of teams want to use the indoor facilities. “It costs more and we don’t want the club to get into debt.” With this season all but over, the team will be aiming to bounce back with a new batch of players next year and get the club back to where they belong and competing against some of the best tennis players in university competition.
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AU President Siwan Lillicrap
Welcome back to Swansea, I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and New Year, and I hope all of your exams went well. I would like to say a big thank you to you all for a great first semester with good performances, great wins, fantastic Wednesday nights and a great Athletic Union Christmas Dinner. I can’t believe the second semester has arrived already, time does fly when you’re having fun. We have about 9 weeks of Wednesday afternoon sport still to go so let’s get behind all the teams. Check bucs. org.uk for all of Swansea’s fixtures and if you do see me stressed out it’s probably from rearranging them with all this bad weather! But they will be played, trust me! This week we have rammed pack week full of fixture with 24 different teams competing so I would like to say a huge big luck to you all. Let’s get stuck in and let’s get back into the winning streak. And make sure you get down to Sketty and Fairwood to support your AU and your mates. This Wednesday is the Athletic Union’s re launch night at Play nightclub; it is guaranteed to be a great night with the back to old skool theme and a AU exec doing a on stage performance. So don’t leave it to late before you get your tickets. This term is also going to be busy busy, with the Athletic Union Awards dinner in March, Varsity in April and not to mention all the fixtures, ospreys matches, socials and all the competitions and event we will be organising. Any events you have coming up or any news you have please let us know and we can update the website to promote you. Thanks and I hope to see you out and about as soon as your heads are out of the books! Big love Siwan
Sport thewaterfront
25/01/10
SWANSEA RANKED 3RD IN BUCS TABLE By Thore Haugstad Sports Editor SWANSEA are ranked third in the British Universities & Colleges Sports overall league table, highlighting a successful season for all the BUCS sports clubs at the University. Silverware has found its way to the south-west coast on more than one occasion this season, with the women’s surfers, the swimming team, and the rowing team demonstrating just a part of the overall success of the University. Other sports included in the ranking are sailing, rowing, and cycling, where Swansea have delivered solid performances on all areas. Only Durham and Loughborough are above Swansea with 233 and 804,5 points respectively, but Swansea should have a good chance of claiming second spot at the end of the season standing on 216 points. AU President Siwan Lillicrap believes the achievement is a result of the AU backing a selection of key sports, and is thrilled to see the results. “I’m loving it. People come into my office and tell about the results and how well they’ve done which is fantastic,” she said. “We’ve been building on focus sports and implementing coaches and I think that is starting to pay off this year. “We’ve had a strategy for backing the sports where we compete at the highest level, and it’s great for us to see results of that. “A big factor is also the students’ driving dedication and determination to their sports, and the hard work they put
SUCCESS: Swansea have done well in a number of BUCS events this year, resulting in the University currently being ranked third in the national rankings this season
down in what they do.” A returning problem for the sports clubs is the constant cyclus of students entering and leaving the university, making it difficult to maintain consistent
Intramural league in race to finish season By Luke James Sports Reporter A RACE against time is underway to finish the Swansea University Intramural Football League season. The season, which is due to finish on March 17th, has been hampered by poor weather since it kicked on October 21st,
leaving teams with ten or more games to play in just 7 weeks. Teams were supposed to have played eight games prior to the Christmas break but only one team, Swansea University 7th’s, have managed to play five games and Sketty Bolognese have played just two league matches.
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results over several years. The same could apply to Swansea, who will be in danger of losing big parts of the successful sports clubs when students graduate at the end of the year.
However, Lillicrap believe Swansea’s results will bring only better athletes to the University. “The better we get at sports the more we attract good athletes,” she said.
“If we keep building on our success then students who are good at sports will naturally come to us. “I can see ourselves getting better and better.”
Inside this week’s paper Womens’ Hockey
Swansea City
Womens’ Tennis