thewaterfront the official student newspaper of swansea university
Earthquake rocks campus
Mr University >p12
STUDENTS in Swansea took to social media to report a mini earthquake felt on Thursday lunchtime. The quake was felt around 1.20pm and lasted around ten seconds. Students reported feeling chairs and walls moving and shaking in buildings on campus. Ant Veal, a professional meteorologist based in South Devon, tweeted: “Earthquake was at 13:21:31 UTC today magnitude: 4.3, depth: 100km, latitude: 51.39N, longitude: 4.10W Bristol Channel midway between Ilfracombe & Swansea.”
STUDENTS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO GRADUATE by Jon May
front@swansea-union.co.uk SWANSEA University students will not be able to graduate this summer unless lecturers win their battle for more than a 1% pay rise. The UCU union, which has already staged three one-day strikes, now says lecturers will refuse to mark coursework, dissertations or exams from 28 April unless an improved pay deal is agreed. The move has put the students’ union, which has previously backed the strikes, in a difficult position. President Zahid Raja issued a statement condemning the move, but he also placed the onus very firmly on the employers to resolve the situation. “The students’ union does not condone the withholding of marks and we have met with UCU officials to express this and will continue to do so, as we will also continue to
support lecturers in their fight for fair pay,” he said. “We will be organising a campaign for students to encourage the vice chancellor to use his influence nationally and become one of the first VCs in the UK to ask the employers association to meet with the UCU to end the problems.” UCEA, the employers body that represents all universities, has offered a one per cent pay rise to lecturers, which the union says represents a 13% cut in real terms since 2008. Verity Ockenden, a student at Swansea University, said: “I don’t see why students are effectively being punished for lecturers’ poor pay, it is not our fault and there is little we can do about it except complain!” The cost of a boycott to lecturers could be high, with universities able to impose a 100% pay deductions for “partial performance” for as long as exam scripts remain unmarked. It would be the first marking boycott since 2006, which led then to a multi-
year above-inflation pay offer. With record numbers of students applying for the next academic year, UCU says lecturers will be put under even more strain than ever for an increasingly devalued salary. UCU Branch Swansea issued this statement: “The UCU has been put in a position where it has no option but to threaten a marking boycott. As reported previously in The Waterfront, vice chancellors are getting an average pay increase of 8%, whilst lecturers who actually deliver HE services to
students have been offered 1%. Is this fair? Of course not. The hypocrisy of the universities is obvious. “Reducing the value of a lecturer’s pay means many are looking to leave the profession, and those that remain are increasingly demoralized. Where lecturers are seen as expendable, to be bought at the cheapest price possible, this is only likely to have an adverse effect on students as loss of morale and stress take their toll on teaching standards. “Because we care about students we have strong reservations about a marking boycott, However, we have been left with no option. Our employers have forced our hand. Although they know that the only bargaining position we have is a boycott they still refuse to negotiate. The employers are to blame for any boycott, not UCU.” Swansea University said: “We hope members of staff will ensure disruption to students is kept to a minimum.”
LGBT History Month Free Issue 237 24 February 2014 waterfrontonline.co.uk
INSIDE
Rugby captain suspended page 3
Film stars in the library page 9
When No means No
page 13
page 29
02 I NEWS
thewaterfront 24. 02. 14
thewaterfront Third floor, Students’Union Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP (01792) 295 988 web: waterfrontonline.co.uk twitter: @waterfront facebook: The Waterfront Swansea
Drop out rate is falling at Swansea University by Alan Daventry
waterfrontci@swansea-union.co.uk
Editor Kay Byrne editor@swansea-union.co.uk News
Gemma Parry waterfrontnews@swansea-union.co.uk Crime & Investigations
Chris Flynn waterfrontci@swansea-union.co.uk Deputy Editor & Website
Jon May front@swansea-union.co.uk Features
Samantha Booth waterfrontfeatures@swansea-union.co.uk Sport
Tom Nightingale waterfrontsport@swansea-union.co.uk Music
Olivia Rosenthall
SWANSEA University is bucking the trend when it comes to drop out rates. A recent NUS report said that the mean drop-out rate for Wales was 11%. This compares to a drop-out rate at Swansea University of 250 students or just 2.29% for 2013/2014. Over the past five years the number of students withdrawing from Swansea University has been declining. Nationally, around 27,230 students dropped out of university in the 2010/11 academic year, compared to almost 32,000 the year before. Students have been asked by The Waterfront why they think students choose to drop out of university. Danny Ford, a linguistics student, said that university students change their plans once they have gained a clearer perspective of what they’re
doing. He said: “Many people are rushed into university without really knowing what they want to do with their lives.” Hilary Webb, a first year student, said, “My sister dropped out of uni seemed like the natural progression from school to university as it’s what our parents and our eldest sister did but uni isn’t for everyone, some people are better suited studying close to home or going to straight into work. “Staying somewhere where you’re unhappy is much worse than dropping out.” Fern Pearce-Davies, an English Literature student, gave a number of factors as to why students drop out. “Feeling that you’re not smart enough to be doing what your doing, work getting too much and too hard,” she said. Nicholas Ashford, who studies Computer Science, pointed out that it is important for students to choose a degree subject that they enjoy.
“That is a big part,” he says, “People go in with expectations and usually you find out it isn’t as rosy as you want it to be.” A spokesperson from Swansea University said: “The University obviously does not want any student to leave without completing their course and successfully obtaining a qualification. “However, if a student wishes to withdraw they will be asked to engage in a consultation process with the Academic Registry. “During this consultation support of both an academic and pastoral nature will be discussed and explored along with the possibility of suspending their studies before a withdrawal will be actioned. “If a student decides to leave the university, tuition fees are refunded pro rata based on a student’s agreed date of attendance, full details of the refunds policy is available on university web pages under ‘Fees and Funding’.”
Lend a hand for mental health
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Saul Masters waterfrontfilm@swansea-union.co.uk Culture
Lauren Phillips waterfrontculture@swansea-union.co.uk Listings
Jennah Elizabeth waterfrontfrontrow@swansea-union.co.uk Societies
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Nanette Turkson waterfrontfashion@swansea-union.co.uk Travel
Verity Ockenden waterfronttravel@swansea-union.co.uk Relationships
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Atoke
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by Jon May
waterfrontnews@swansea-union.co.uk MENTAL health week was celebrated on campus by the university and students’ union committing to end stigma around mental illnesses. The ‘Time To Talk’ pledge was signed
by Welfare officer Becky Grimes and Vice Chancellor Professor Richard Davies last Wednesday. Previously, the Mental Wealth Society encouraged students to paint their hands and leave handprints on their ‘Lend a Hand’ poster, which encourages students to talk about their problems and, as it were, lend a
hand to those in need. The ‘Time To Talk’ pledge was also signed by other universities around the country last week as part of the nationwide effort to get students aware of how widespread mental illnesses are, which affect one in three of the population.
ON FIRE: Flames coming out Le Cafe.
Campus cafe closed after electrical fire by Jon May
front@swansea-union.co.uk A FIRE that broke out in popular student takeaway Le Cafe has closed the outlet until further notice. Around midday on February 12, a fire visibly broke out as it melted the ‘Le Cafe’ signage. A student activated the fire alarm and the building was evacuated. It was initially reported that when the glass on the fire point had been broken, the alarm failed to sound until a fire panel adjacent was activated but this was clarified by the university who said the fire alarm can take a number of seconds to activate. Three students initially refused to leave the computer rooms because they thought it was a drill but were ordered out of the building as the smoke levels rose. Previously this year, students’ union president Zahid Raja failed to evacuate the building in a fire drill in October last year because he was ‘too busy to leave’, according to reports. Fire crews turned up 15 minutes later, by which point the signage had sustained fire damage. Union House was closed for most of the afternoon, with the staff moving to campus bar JC’s until the building was reopened after 3pm. An investigation into the fire is continuing although has been initially reported to be a suspected electrical malfunction in a pest control device. No injuries were reported.
Correction
In the last edition of Waterfront a court report about Thabo Thornton said he was a student at Swansea University. This was incorrect.
Students left in the dark about lecture cancellations by Jacques Kenedi
waterfrontci@swansea-union.co.uk STUDENTS have complained that they were not adequately informed about a recent strike by lecturers. The strike, which took place on Thursday 6th February, led to many lectures being cancelled and the library closing early. The strike by members of the UCU
was in protest over a 1% pay offer from employers. Students argued that due a lack of warning they travelled into campus expecting a lecture only to find that there was none. One student, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “My main issue with the strikes was the lack of notice about lecture cancellations. “For off campus students, it’s important to know when your lectures
are on as it is costly in both time and money getting into university for a lecture that isn’t actually taking place.” Some students felt that they were losing out on a service that they pay for. One student said: “We pay thousands of pounds a year for our course and lecture cancellations quite literally cost us money.” However Swansea University Students’ Union ethics officer, Chris
Whitty, defended the strikes. He said: “The recent staff strikes have hit students hard, but it is important to remember that they do not want to make students miss out on education. All staff want is a fair deal.” “It is ridiculous for the Vice Chancellor to defend the offer of a 1% pay increase, while he accepted an 11% pay increase on top of his 20% pay increase last year.”
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NEWS I 03
Rugby captain suspended from Varsity over Wind St crime spree by Laura Fiteni
waterfrontnews@swansea-union.co.uk MEN’S rugby 1sts captain Reuben Tucker has lost his place on the squad ahead of the 2014 Welsh Varsity after committing criminal offences on Wind Street. Tucker appeared in court after admitting to the two accounts of assault he was charged with and was consequently fined £110 (and a further £50 compensation) by city magistrates. The night of the offence, Tucker had been followed outside by a bouncer who had noticed him stealing a bottle of vodka from the bar of popular nightclub Popworld. Tucker responded with a brutal head butt to bouncer Mark Morgan
and continued his violent outburst burst by then assaulting the policeman who had been called to arrest him. Steve Burnell, representing both, excused Tucker’s behaviour with claims of being egged on by friends before thieving the vodka - for which he received a caution. The Waterfront asked Swansea Sport’s officer, Charlotte Peters whether Tucker had been stripped of his captaincy permanently or if he would be allowed to represent Swansea at all in the 2014 Varsity. She replied: “This is an ongoing issue that is of course being taken very seriously by both the university and the students’ union. The incident is currently being dealt with through the appropriate disciplinary channels and at present, it is not my place to
BARRED: Tucker. pass comment on any outcomes.” At present, Tucker has been replaced by new captain Elliot Jones who was also part of last year’s winning squad.
Celebrating all things Welsh
WELSH CAKES: The flatter, sweeter cousin of the traditional scone. by Jon May front@swansea-union.co.uk SWANSEA University will be celebrating all things Welsh in the run up to St David’s Day (1st March). The campus will play host to the “Welcome to Wales food festival as well as the inter-college eisteddfod. From Monday, 24 February, the Venue Cafe will be putting on traditional Welsh dishes such as cawl, leek & cream chicken, and Snowdonia pudding. MyCostcutter will also be giving away free samples of Welsh cakes, vegan cheeses and selling fresh daffodils. The food festival will culminate in a Bara Brith service on Friday 28th where a Welsh choir will be performing, with Bonnie Tyler as a guest. On St David’s Day itself, a funfair will take over campus and JC’s will be hosting Welsh guest ales. Varsity collection will also start on St David’s day to encourage more students to take part. The inter-college Eisteddfod will also take place between the February 28 and the March 2 and will see students from universities all over Wales come to Swansea to compete against
each other in categories such as literature, music, performing arts and sports. To bring what promises to be a spectacular weekend to a close, an all-Welsh gig has been arranged featuring big names such as Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog and Sŵnami on the line-up.
BONNIE TYLER: Performing at the university. Photo © Florian Stangl, metal-fotos.de
As a sport science technology student, Tucker is also concerned that there may be bigger implications to his future than potentially losing his place on the squad. Following his arrest and sentencing, Tucker complained that his conviction may count against him in his planned career to become a teacher. He defended himself by drawing attention to the fact that bouncer Mark Morgan did not sustain any injuries during the attack and has had no lasting damage hereafter. Charlotte Peters reassures all Swansea Varsity supporters that: “The team are a strong and committed group of players that I’m sure, regardless of any bad publicity, will remain solid as a team in the lead up to the event. “
VARSITY SPONSORS: Modwen, the company building the new Bay Campus, are sponsoring Swansea in this year’s Varsity, writes Alicia Nugent. The regeneration specialist will be Swansea’s main corporate sponsor for the 2014 event, with the company name appearing on the rugby team’s jerseys when they play against Cardiff on April 9th.
Cops highlight burglary risk
by Jacques Kenedi waterfrontnews@swansea-union.co.uk
STUDENTS living in the Hendrefoelan Student Village or Brynmill may have been surprised to find a balloon in their house recently. It was all part of a police operation aiming to highlight the problem of insecure houses in Swansea’s student communities, led by the Gower and City Neighbourhood Policing Teams. The balloons have been left in houses that officers believe are an easier target for criminals. So far they have left over 200 balloons in student homes. Alongside this they are sending out emails to all students explaining the operation and offering further advice on how to prevent crime. There was also a focus on bicycle thefts with a property marking event taking place at the Hendrefoelan village on Thursday morning. PC Katryna Malinowski-Evans, who covers the Swansea University patch, said: “We have worked closely with the university community over a number of years now, and this operation builds on that. It’s all about giving students relevant information on keeping safe and preventing crime. “Unfortunately students can be easy targets for opportunistic criminals, but by taking sensible crime prevention precautions they can ensure their student experience is safe and enjoyable.”
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NEWS I 05
Students make sure that loved ones gone are not forgotten by a Waterfront reporter
waterfrontnews@swansea-union.co.uk TWO Swansea students have launched a new enterprise that allows people to create online memorials for their friends and family and link them to memorial objects like headstones. Using quick response or QR codes, Alacritas will allow people to scan the codes and then read about the person’s life on their website. Chris Flynn, a law student and Connor Williams, who studies computer science, put together the idea in December last year through their company, Mayfly Tech. The company has its offices based at Swansea University and currently employs 18 people, many of them students, and specialises in IT consultancy, web design and software development. At the launch event held last week in Swansea University’s
Connor Williams and Chris Flynn.
Making sure loved ones are remembered. Photo by DVIDSHUB on Flickr.
business department, Chris Flynn, the managing director, described how the project would revolutionise how we
remember people who have passed on. “When someone passes away, it is usually only a few members of the family who will remember, but even after a while it is difficult to find an effective way to carry a loved one’s memory on. “Alacritas is a low cost and permanent way to remember a loved one by telling their story to the world and allow generations of the future to get to know generations of the past. “It is going to turn graveyards from being a place of mourning into also a place of celebration of people’s lives. “With Alacritas now in
Community clean up success
From left to right: Ceri Davies, Cheryl Lewis, Sandy Johns, Michelle Jenkins, Irene Mann, Swansea Students’ Union Welfare Officer Rebecca Grimes and Swansea Students’ Union Part Time Disability Officer Tori Evans by Sophie Wiggins
waterfrontnews@swansea-union.co.uk STUDENTS grabbed their litter pickers and bin bags and took to the streets of Swansea to promote a clean community. The students’ union’s welfare officer, Rebecca Grimes set up a community clean-up on Monday 20 February for students. The event was held in Gwydr Crescent, Brynmill and surrounding areas that are mainly occupied by student housing. Students wore high visibility jackets and used litter pickers and rubbish bags to pick up litter from the streets of the area. The aim of the event was for students to help within the community.
Rebecca, the organiser of the event said: “The idea is that the students give something back to the community and also feel a part of something.” During the clean-up, locals stopped the students to thank them for helping out. Tori Evans, a second year English Literature student who attended the event, said: “I thought it was great fun. “I think it’s important to build up a good relationship with the locals because in the past students haven’t had such a good one.” •On the 26 February, Swansea Council will be holding a beach clean-up and the students’ union will hold a second community cleanup event on 4 April. Email welfare@swanseaunion.co.uk for more details.
existence, there is no reason why people should ever be forgotten again.” Connor Williams, the operations director, spoke to the Waterfront explaining the grief counselling aspect of the project. “We are in talks with grief counselling charities to find a way of incorporating our service into their brilliant work. “By researching and writing about a loved one’s life you realise how full their life is and how many people they have touched and helps to really deal with some of those feelings of loss. “I’ve spoken to people who have recently lost a loved one and they really want to use this service to help them deal with their grief.” The project is available on the Alacritas website and will be offering the service for free throughout March. •For more information, visit www.alacritas.org.
Swansea students launch new night Enterprise: from left to right, Kyle Wiltshire, George Jones, Ross Cremin. by a Waterfront reporter
waterfrontnews@swansea-union.co.uk THE past week has been exciting for three student entrepreneurs with the launch of their brand new student event. Third year students George Jones, Ross Cremin and Kyle Wiltshire have started the event from scratch. The event, named Horizon, takes place on Wednesday at Bambu Beach Bar, and aims to compete with other names on Wind Street such as Walkabout and Idols. Centred on the house music genre, Horizon markets itself on providing a cheap, but classy vibe to students, with drinks starting from £1. The
event markets itself on a number of unique selling points, which the owners claim can be found nowhere else on Wind Street. These include a rooftop area where Shisha pipes can be purchased, as well as a variety of local ‘House’ and ‘Bass’ DJs. Co-owner of the event, Kyle Wiltshire, said: “I approached Ross and George as I knew they had past experience with events management, as well as being sociable and organised students.” Business student, Elliot Reilly, said: “Horizon has the potential to be the biggest student night on Wind Street due to its exotic environment and relatively uncontested genres.”
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NEWS I 07
President tells student critics to ‘quit whingeing’ by Gemma Parry
waterfrontnews@swansea-union.co.uk SUSU President Zahid Raja has responded to complaints about the botched consultation process to choose the five new full-time officer roles by telling critics to “quit whingeing”. Only 185 students out of a possible 18,000 voted in the referendum to choose the new roles. Many Swansea students were angered about the long, drawn-out consultation process and the lack of publicity about the vote, which lead to a low student turn out. Student Vikki Baker said: “Poor publicity. I wasn’t aware there was a second ‘tie breaking’referendum.” Chris Melvin, Eng D Materials Engineering student, said: “Poor publicity, not enough information about what the mandates and responsibilities of the roles were.” “The lack of promotion for something so important to Swansea students and so vital to the structure of the students’union was terrible. “If the students’ union can’t get a
SU president Zahid Raja. sufficient number of students voting on this then they should have something alternative in place – how can 184 students out of 15, 000 (undergraduates) have a justified say in the structure and future of the students’ union?” asked another student. We asked Swansea Students’ Union President, Zahid Raja, why there was such a low turnout of students.
In response, he said: “You’re never going to get a large number of people outside of the Students’Union clique interested in any process. At the end of the day, all that we’re describing here are hoops of various sizes that people need to jump through in order to get an outcome. Red tape isn’t interesting to anyone. “In terms of the actual process, we did everything we were supposed to. I’m sure many will argue that until the Students’ Union pushes something to the point of annoying people, we’re not publicising it enough.” “To them, I’d point to more important things happening this year like the institutional review where our focus rightly has been. “Interestingly, in every single Waterfront article to date about the topic, we’ve only heard from those who are angry about the process. They all also happen to be individuals who did not get the set of Full Time Officers that they wanted.” “You’re naturally going to get people who aren’t happy with the outcome complaining about the process. “To them I’d say quit whingeing, stand to be a full-time officer and do it in a better way.”
Fashion Society receives major recognition for charity work by Samantha Booth
waterfrontfeatures@swansea-union.co.uk THE students’ union’s Fashion Society are being nationally recognised for their forthcoming charity fashion show in March, aiming to recreate fashion in Swansea. Due to be held in the Swansea Grand Theatre on March 20, the event will see students styling models with a Parisian theme. The event has been tweeted about by Stephen Fry and is expected to receive press from national fashion magazine, Company. The show will consist of two halves; 20 models, male and female with the central theme of student style, combining vintage style with high street trends. The students’ union is funding the event and ticket sales will go back into the society for next year. Money will be raised for Asthma UK through a raffle, which includes big brand prizes. President of Fashion Society and co-director of the event, Lowri Evans said: “We’re doing the event to raise awareness for asthma UK as the other director Lawrence Porter suffers from asthma and lost a close friend due to the health condition, so we want to raise awareness of the fatalities. “The idea is to make a student-run fashion show as professional as possible. “We are celebrating what Swansea has to offer in terms of vintage and charity shops and supporting young designers by mixing them with high street brands.” The society are holding a meeting in JC’s on Friday 28 February between 3pm and 8pm for students that would like to get involved with the event. Tickets cost £8 and will be available online, in Fulton Outfitters and in hand closer to the date. For more information, email president Lowri on lf.evans@ hotmail.co.uk or Lawrence on 655710@swansea.ac.uk.
Election season gets underway by Chris Flynn waterfrontci@swansea-union.co.uk ELECTIONS for the students’ union fulltime officer positions are being held at the end of March and students are being invited to run. Once a year, students vote for whom they want to represent them and the manifesto issues they want to see pushed forward in the following year. The five positions, previously seven, have been decided as President, Education Officer, Societies and Services Officer, Sports Officer and Welfare Officer. This means that neither international students nor women, who were previously represented by a full time officer, will be directly represented next year. The decision on the five positions has followed a long and drawn-out process that has been widely criticized by members of the student body - with the union itself even labelling it as a‘saga’. Previous full-time officers have gone on to edit national newspapers, work at Russell Group universities and become president of
the National Union of Students. Nominations opened on the 20th February, and students have until the 6th of March to decide whether they want to run for a position. Students who are interested in running should visit the students’ union website, read the position descriptions and submit a manifesto detailing their plan for their year in the job with points of achievable action. Full time officers are paid around £17,000 a year and either stand for election at the end of their university degree or have to suspend their studies for a year if they are not a final year, which is the case with current women’s officer, Rosie Inman. The elections are being held from 24-28 March, with a week of active campaigning that takes over the university every year. For more information, visit www.swanseaunion.co.uk.
08 I NEWS
thewaterfront 24.02.14
WELSH Y Ddadl Gymraeg Fawr Mae’r frwydr rhwng y rhanbarthau a’r Undeb Rygbi Cymru yn brifo ein cyfle i lwyddo yn y Chwe Gwlad by Laura Fiteni
waterfrontnews@swansea-union.co.uk CODODD gêm Y Chwe Gwlad yn erbyn yr Iwerddon gywilydd ar bob Cymro a Chymraes a wyliodd y gêm. Gadawodd ormod o’r Gymry tafarndai lle buon nhw’n gwylio’r gêm yn gynnar pryd daeth i’r amlwg yn yr ail hanner na fydd ein bechyn yn ymdrechu i adfywio’r gém. Claddwyd ein gobeithion o wneud hanes trwy fod yr unig dîm i ennill y gystadleaeth dair gwaith yn olynol pan y Gwyddelod wrth iddynt rhoi crasfa i ni heb rwystr. Roedd yn anodd i gydnabod tîm Gymru y llynedd. Y tîm a ddinistriodd ein gelynion ar y cae. Roedd ein tim yn edrych yn aniben ac yn ddiog ar y cae. Chwaraeodd y Cymry heb dinc o gyffro, heb ysbrydoliaeth a nad oedd unrhyw disgyblaeth i’w gweld. Cyfaddefodd Warren Gatland, ‘ Roedd y perfformiad heddiw o dan yr hyn yr oeddwn yn ddisgwyl. Nid oedd yn ddigon da. Mae rhaid i ni cymryd cyfrifoldeb ar y cyd am yr hyn a oedd yn berfformiad siomedig iawn.” Graham Clutton , newyddiadurwr chwaraeon a dadansoddwr rygbi, rhagwelodd y broblem y byddai’r gwrthryfel rhwng y rhanbarthau ac Undeb Rygbi Cymru yn achosi. Galwodd Clutton, dyfodol rygbi Cymru yn ‘faes ffrwydron’ ac eisoes rydym wedi gweld tystiolaeth sy’n cefnogi ei farn. Dywedodd faswr Cymru Rhys Priestland pan cafodd i ofyn am ddyfodol ei yrfa, “ Does dim
Rhys Priestland. ffeithiau ‘da ni, does dim manylion ‘da ni felly mae’n anodd i wneud penderfyniad deallus.” Pan fydd chwaraewyr enw-mawr yn cyfaddef pethau fel hyn i’r cyfryngau, mae’n amlwg bod pethau mawr angen newid i gadw rygbi Cymru ar safon uchel. Cyfaddefodd bod y pwysau o wneud penderfyniad rhwng y ddau gytundeb a gynnigwyd iddo yn effiethio ar y ei berfformiad ar y cae. Dechreuodd y ddadl dros gyllid blwyddyn a hanner yn ôl, pryd gadawodd nifer sylweddol o chwaraewyr mwyaf disglair Cymru eu rhanbarthau i ymuno gyda clybiau tramor. Gwaethygodd y ddadl wrth i gynlluniau i newid y cynghrair Ewropeaidd presenol i un cydgynhwysol. Mae pryderon gyda rhanbarthu yng Ngymru dros gyflwr y gêm rhyngwladol ac mae hyn wedi cael ei briodoli i’r diffyg cyllid canolog sydd ar
gael i clybiau rygbi rhanbarthol Cymru gan. Mae’n swm yn llawer is na’r hyn sydd ar gael i gymheiriaid Ewropeaidd. O ganlyniad, mae llawer o chwaraewyr Cymreig yn dewis chwarae yn Ffrainc a Lloegr lle mae’n bosib ennill cyflogau llawer uwch. Nid yw’n bosib o gwbl i glybiau Cymru cystadlu gyda mawrion y gém Ewropeaidd. Mae Mike Phillips (Racing Metro) , Jamie Roberts (Racing Metro) , Dan Lydiate (Racing Metro) ac yn fwyaf diweddaraf Leigh Halfpenny (Toulon) i gyd wedi mynd i glybiau y tu allan i Gymru. Mae hyn hefyd yn rhan o’r broblem o rhaid trafod rhyddhau chwaraewr ar gyfer dyletswyddau rhyngwladol. Mae’r rhanbarthau eisiau mwy o reolaeth ynglyn a rhyddau chwaraewyr yn ôl i’w clybiau rhanbarthol rhwng gemau rhyngwladol Cyrhaeddwyd penderfyniad gan yr rhanbarthau i greu twrnament Europiaidd i ail-osod y cwpan Heinekin a’r Cwpan sialens Amlin gyda’r gobaith o ennill £1m yn ychwanegol pob tymor. Ond y mae URC wedi collfarnu’r twrnament newydd mewn cefnogaeth o’r cystadlaethau a’r cytundebau teledu presennol. Ers i rygbi undeb troi’n broffesiynol yn 1995, mae’r arian o hawliau teledu wedi darparu cyllid hanfodol ar gyfer glybiau rhanbarthol a’r gêm genedlaethol. Yn sicr mae’r ffaith bod BT Sport wedi mynedi’r farchnad hawliau teledu mae’r cystadlu wedi twymo ychydig. Mae’r cytundeb werth £5.5m a gynnigiwyd gan Sky Sports wedi cynnig ffordd ymlaen ac wedi rhoi gobaith i’r syniad o dwrnament Ewropiaidd.
Meddai Sion Clwyd Roberts, arbennigwr yn y cyfryngau a chynghorwr yn y gyfaith i’r rhanbarth Y Gleision Caerdydd y bydd llai o gemau’n fyw ar gael am ddim sy’n tynnu sylw at broblem arall a achoswyd trwy’r angen i ni ddibynnu ar gwmnïau teledu am gyllid. O ganlyniad i gytundeb gyda Sky Sports, bydd gefnogwyr rygbi Cymru yn cael eu gorfod i dalu am yr hawl i wylio gemau rygbi gorau ar y teledu ond mae rygbi Cymru wedi bod yn gêm i’r dosbarth-weithio ers talwm. Gan wneud rygbi ar gael i’r freintiedig ariannol yn unig, basai nifer mawr o gefnogwyr Cymru yn cael eu gadael yn y tywyllwch. Mae undeb rygbi Cymru eisiau amddiffyn hawliau pob Cymro i wylio gemau safonol. Ond er gwaethaf nifer o drafodaethau rhwng y ddwy, mae nhw wedi methu cyrraedd cyfaddawd realistig ac mae’n amlwg ei fod e’n effeithio ar y tîm. Pe bai’r gwrthwynebiad hwn yn parhau, bydd cyflwr rygbi Cymru’n dirwyio’n bellach fel ein bod ni wedi gweld eisoes ar ôl ein ddwy gêm cyntaf. Dylai synnwyr cyffredin arwain at gyfaddawd achos mae’r ddwy eisiau i’r gêm ffynnu yng Nghymru fel sydd wedi digwydd yn y blynyddoedd diwethaf er mwyn sicrhau y bydd dyfodol rygbi Cymru yn bod rhywbeth i edrych ymlaen ato. Tynodd Graham Clutton sylw hefyd at y ffaith bod diffyg cytundeb rhwng y rhanbarthau ac Undeb Rygbi Cymru yn taflu cysgod dros gyflawniadau’r tîm ar y cae. Serch Hynny, y ffaith yw, ar hyn o bryd, mae Cymru methu cyflawni unrhywbeth ar y cae rygbi
ENGLISH The big Welsh debate
The battle between the regions and the WRU is destroying our chance of success in the Six Nations by Laura Fiteni
waterfrontnews@swansea-union.co.uk EVERY Welsh man and women watching Wales’ second Six Nations game against Ireland was filled with despair and embarrassment. Too many Welsh people left the pub where they were watching the game early when it became unmistakably obvious that there was going to be no second half come-back from the boys on the pitch. Our hopes of making history as the only team to win the Six Nations three times in a row were buried when Ireland smashed through our defences time and time again without resistance. It was hard to recognise the same Welsh team from last year which destroyed her enemies on the pitch. We looked lazy and disorganised. We played without passion, uninspired and had no discipline to be seen. Coach Warren Gatland said: “It was a performance below expectations. It was not good enough. We need to take collective responsibility for what was a very disappointing performance.” Sports journalist and rugby analyst, Graham Clutton, predicted the problem that the conflict between the regions and the Welsh Rugby Union would cause. Whilst on air for the BBC, Clutton called the future of Welsh rugby ‘a minefield’ and already we can see his words coming to fruition. For example when asked about his plans for the future, fly-half Rhys Priestland said; “We don’t
Warren Gatland. have any facts, we don’t have any details, so it’s hard to come to an informed decision.” When big-name players are admitting such things to the media, it’s obvious that big things need to change to keep Welsh rugby at its current level. He further admitted that the stress of making a decision between the two opposing contracts that he has been offered has started to effect his performance on the pitch. The disagreement began a year and half ago over finances, the migration of abroad and plans to press on with a new all-inclusive European league. The Welsh rugby regions are concerned that rugby in Wales below international level is lower that is should be and that this can be attributed to the lack of central funding made available for the regions by the WRU. They complain that the sum is substantially less than that of their
European counterparts. As a result, lots of Welsh players choose to play in France and England where it’s possible to earn much larger wage packets. Trying to compete with France is becoming an relentless battle to keep Welsh players on home soil. Mike Phillips (Racing Metro) , Jamie Roberts (Racing Metro) , Dan Lydiate (Racing Metro) and most recently Leigh Halfpenny (Toulon) have gone to clubs outside of Wales. This has caused heated talks about international player release as the regions want more control in regards to player release back to their clubs between international games. A decision was reached by the regions to create a European tournament to replace the Heineken Cup and the Amlin Challenge Cup which they hope will help them to earn an extra £1m every season. But the WRC has condemned the new tournament in support of the existing tournaments and television contracts. Since Rugby Union turned professional in 1995, the money from television rights has provided essential funds for the regional clubs and the national game. Therefore an £5.5m agreement reached with Sky Sports to own the exclusive rights for the following year has paved the way for the creation of a European tournament. Sion Clwyd Roberts, a media expert for Capital Law and adviser in the law to the Cardiff Blues region, said that there will be less live games available for free.
This draws attention to another problem caused by our reliance on television companies for finance. Following the Sky Sports contract, Welsh rugby supporters will be forced to pay for the right to watch the best rugby games on TV. Rugby in Wales has always been a working-class game. By making rugby available only to the financial elite, a large number of Welsh supporter’s would be left in the dark. This is not the way the game has ever been run in Wales. In this respect, the WRU wants to protect the rights of every Welshman to watch games at the highest level. But despite number of talks between the two, they have still failed to strike a realistic compromise and it’s obvious that it’s having an effect on the team. If this opposition continues, the state of Welsh rugby will deteriorate further as we have already seen evidence of in the first two games. Common sense should lead to a compromise in that the two sides want the game to thrive in Wales like it has done in previous years in order to ensure that the future of Welsh rugby is something to look forward to. Graham Clutton also drew attention to the fact that the lack of agreement between the regions and the Welsh Rugby Union is overshadowing the team’s achievements on the pitch. However, even worse is the fact that at the minute, Wales is failing to achieve anything on the pitch at all.
www.waterfrontonline.co.uk
NEWS I 09
Stars act out film drama against backdrop of university library by Samantha Booth
waterfrontfeatures@swansea-union.co.uk SWANSEA University Library was the backdrop to a new short film featuring Gavin and Stacy’s, Melanie Walters and Game of Thrones’, Robert Pugh. Directed and written by James Gillingham and former Swansea University lecturer and student, James Hay, ‘Ex Libris’ was filmed in two days in various sections of the library. Melanie Walters, known for her role as Gwen in Gavin and Stacey, and Robert Pugh, Craster from the series Game of Thrones, played the troubled lovers and librarians, Iris and Thomas. Long Arm Films, the production company founded by the pair also produced a debut feature film called High Tide over the summer, which also featured Melanie Walters, Sam Davies from Doctor Who and Claire Cage of Submarine and Casualty. Students were involved with on-set over the weekend helping the actors and crew. Director, James Hay said: “Working with actors the calibre of Mel and Bob was just fantastic. “It raises everyone on the shoot when the performances that we are filming are so believable and so powerful. “The crew worked unbelievably hard, and what was particularly pleasing being a former student and film lecturer at the University, was having
STARS: Robert Pugh (Game of Thrones) and Melanie Walters (Gavin and Stacy) star in new short film. Photo © Long Arm Films.
three current students working on the shoot. “Students Yaz Weston, Samantha Booth, and Sophie Wiggins were so professional and hardworking. “If they choose to take that direction, I’m certain they’ve all got long careers in film ahead of them.” Second year English and Media studies student, Sophie Wiggins said: “It was an amazing experience working with a
professional crew and actors. It was an important learning curve and has only inspired me further to work within the movie making industry.” The short film is expected to be released this year alongside being entered into some of the top festivals in the country. For more information about Long Arm Films, visit www.longarmfilms.co.uk or follow them on Facebook and Twitter @longarmfilms
LGBT history month begins by Joshua Lovell waterfrontnews@swansea-union.co.uk LGBT History month has kicked off at Swansea, this year being dedicated to music. The celebration of the lives and achievements of the LGBT community, which takes place every February, was dedicated to maths, science and engineering last year. The month serves as an opportunity for students to learn more about the histories of LGBT people in Britain and Northern Ireland. This year, the LGBT society have marked the occasion by organising stalls in Fulton House, film showings and community work. Joel Gascoyne, Swansea University Students’ Union LGBT Open Place Officer said: “LGBT history month is an annual celebration of the achievements of the LGBT movement. “With the recent media coverage in Russia, the public has been reminded what dire consequences a lack of equality can lead to, and history month is a great period to show the LGBT pursuit for equality. “So far the student response has been great but I would encourage everyone to get involved, mainly because it’s great fun!”
STUDENT FORUM TUESDAY 25TH FEBRUARY AT CAFE WEST 6PM www.swansea-union.co.uk STUDENT ID REQUIRED AT DOOR
front!
Photo by MartinaK15 on Flickr
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L i f e s t y l e f o r S wa n s e a s t u d e n t s
24 February 2014 waterfrontonline.co.uk
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WIT H SA M ANT H A B OOT H
features
Swansea students aiming for global brand with Mr University M
AX Kalu and Sean Lee Rice were in the library last summer revising for their exam retakes when banter began about creating a fitness society and show exclusively for students. writes Samantha Booth. Six months later and the engineering and humanities students have become young entrepreneurs with their unique idea rocketing to success. Launching on 16 March 2014 in Birmingham, Mr University will see students from all around the country compete in physique and athletic rounds. Max, a second year Politics student explains the back story to the competition: “The inspiration behind the idea of Mr University was to really celebrate fitness at university but on a nationwide level. “We started the Muscle and Athletics Sports Society this year and we just began to think about how we could make it bigger and a huge thing.” Alongside the competition, the students want to create an educational ethos about how a healthy and fit lifestyle can benefit a university experience. “A lot of people come to university with no fitness goals or aspirations and they’ll try new sports and things that they didn’t have access to before. “Having the solid routine around fitness such as going to the gym three times a week, and I’ve got a reason to eat healthily. We’re not saying to everyone, ‘get on the stage and compete’. “The whole ethos is going to be that you do as much as you want but do some fitness as you’ll find it’ll improve your life. “ Next freshers’ fayre, the brand hopes to address the general issue of students gaining weight at university and how it can aid them through educational packs and advice. Country-wide there are various competitions for academics and organised sports and the pair wanted
Sean Lee Rice, left, and Max Kalu, founders of Mr University.
David Bissell, left, after winning the Fit Factor competition at BodyPower Expo 2013.
to facilitate for those students that are also interested in fitness: “There may be a rugby player who started lifting weights and there may be people from martial arts who are interested. It’s about bringing it all together. “We want as many people studying different subjects from a variety of backgrounds to get involved,” says second year Civil Engineering student, Sean. Behind Max and Sean there is David Bissnell, a graduate from Leicester University who founded the original MAS society at his university. “We came up with the trademark for Mr University ourselves as we realised it was a good idea then we had David mention the idea of it after and it got quite awkward!” explains Sean. The pair took a sensible decision to partner with David and since, the success rates has soared through the roof. At the age of 20, the students have already managed to get Microsoft to sponsor the Mr University event in March, allowing those at home to spectate the event online. Students at Swansea and other institutions nationwide have been following the event: “We’ve got a great following on social media. We broke 1,500 followers this morning and we’ve had loads of entrants. Every time we make an announcement about the judges, the interest just goes up. “Former Miss Bikini Olypmia, which is the biggest deal in body building, Nathalia Melo shared our Huffington Post article on Facebook so it’s mad how much feedback we’ve had,” says Max. The pair are already looking ahead to future events and even taking the brand internationally, but neither of them saw this entrepreneurial adventure and career coming before university. Max said: “There’s no way I saw this coming especially because I study Politics, do you know what I mean? “Swansea Konetics Society have really helped out with the idea. We never imagined we’d have to run a brand at this age so we’ve had to pick it up as we go along.” “We were included in Big Wales, which is an entrepreneurial scheme run by the Welsh Government. We went to a weekend retreat where they held workshops and talks for support about it,” explains Sean. Most students can just about manage their course and socialising, but how do Max and Sean manage to maintain a business alongside this?
Max explains: “Juggling the balance whilst at university is hard. It’s a case of using your time effectively and we want to do it.” “I’d happily do these things than sacrifice our business. After we graduate, we want to take this internationally and as soon as we get the opportunity, we will trademark abroad and take it to other countries,” says Sean. To keep updated with Mr University, find them on Facebook or @Mr_UniversityUK.
Categories Both female and male students can compete in Mr University. The categories open for submissions are: Men’s Physique – a bodybuilder/fitness model, a muscular & conditioned physique. Swim shorts above mid-thigh. Interview in sportswear, interview questions regarding training, lifestyle, ambitions. Men’s Athletic – a high calibre sportsman, an athletic, well-built physique. Swim shorts above the knee. Interview in sports kit, interview questions regarding their sport. Women’s Bikini – a bikini competitor, a toned & conditioned physique. Competition Bikinis, high heels. Interview in sportswear, interview questions regarding training, lifestyle, ambitions. Women’s Athletic – a high calibre sportswoman, an athletic and in shape physique. Regular Bikinis, high heels. Interview in sports kit, interview questions regarding their sport.
Interview with Holocaust survivor, Joan Salter J
OAN Salter was born in Belgium in the February of 1940 to Polish Jewish parents and was three months old when Belgium was invaded by the Germans, writes Samantha Booth. Her father was taken. Her mother carried Joan and her sister down through Paris, Vicii and eventually over the mountains into Spain. Joan was then sent to America to be fostered by a family where her name and background were changed. Her paternal parents survived the war and in 1947 she was reunited with them in England. Organised by the students’ union’s History Society, Joan visited the university to share her experiences. Do you find it a cathartic experience to find out about the experiences your family went through? It’s almost as if it happened to somebody else. It’s very interesting as occasionally there are two survivors speaking in the same room and I’ll listen to someone else’s experience and I find I just start crying. Yet when I speak about mine it’s as though I’m speaking about someone else’s. I think it’s a wall we put up as we’re not going to get upset about it. I was well in my 40s when I started looking and it was a journey to move on. I met many other child survivors as the older survivors just patronised us as they said we were only children. When we spoke to each other, it was like sharing the same emotions and understanding. That was very important in the process of taking it all on board. Because you weren’t put through the concentration camps and you were a child, do you think you get approached differently about your experiences in the war? Yes, people say ‘oh well you don’t remember it’ like it never affected us and a lot of the child survivors were marginalised as if it didn’t really affect them. Even though they’d lost their parents they’d lived in a supposedly ‘model camp’. We have our own organisation because we understand that our lives were turned upside down. Some of our members actually were in the camps. One of the older ones who was in Hungary was 15 when they were
invaded so she actually was in Auschwitz. During the war, from what you’ve learnt from your parents, at what point did they realise that as a Jewish family, you could be in danger? My parents were both Polish and Poland had had a lot of problems with Germany and I think my father’s instinct was that things would be dangerous. Even before I was born, they were living in Paris before it had been invaded, but his instinct told him that France would be invaded and he thought Belgium would stay neutral. So my father really realised, even in the late 30s, that Hitler was going to get his own way. Because the minute Poland was invaded, there were the mass deportations to the camps, there were letters going backwards and forwards so people did know what was going on in Poland. But he thought Belgium would be safe, so that’s why they went there. Do you think it’s important that the younger generations learn about what happened to you and other survivors from the war? I think the one point of having a survivor is that they actually see a human being it happened to. They can relate, especially when I speak in school and it’s a child’s journey and I talk about the problems with my sister, which some of them encounter themselves. When they hear about it they can empathise more. Very sadly after the war when they first started talking they said never again. But we see it happening everywhere and I think it’s very important to see how quickly ordinary people can turn into monsters and perhaps, if even a few of the people we speak to if it makes a difference, for examples bullies who show prejudice because somebody is different, then it has served a purpose because it’s the same thing. It’s the fear of someone who is different and stereotyping. It’s unfortunate human nature that those who are insecure in their own skin need to have a go at somebody else to say, well you see how much more important I am than they are, and that can so quickly escalate. Read the full interview on waterfrontonline.com or to watch it visit www.su-tv.co.uk.
The committee of the History Society with Joan Salter .
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The world of internet journalism and blogging has opened platforms for a variety of writers to share their own views. Relationships editor Holly Miller came across an article provokingly called “When Her No Means Yes” by Vincent Vinturi and shares her views on his ‘pulling’ techniques.
Opinion: When Her No Means Yes No ON a normal Sunday evening, browsing my Facebook newsfeed in order to put off applying for jobs, masters and generally facing the real world, I stumbled upon the biggest load of rubbish I’ve ever read. On reflection I could understand some of the authors’ points about girls who purposefully tease, even when they have decided to have sex (nothing wrong with that, as long as both parties are happy to continue at all stages without coercion), but the way Vincent Vinturi argues his point is incredibly offensive, a massive generalisation, and a piece condoning rape. I thought that this must be a joke, so had a look at the website it came from. Articles by other authors are called, “How To Seduce A Lesbian As A Straight Man” and “6 Reasons Not To Rape A Girl”. Vincent writes that there are various circumstances “When Her No Means Yes”. The base of Vincent’s article is that “Women RESPECT this sexual insistence”. Members of both sexes would admit that it’s nice to be flattered by someone’s efforts, but to be consistently pestered all night is irritating, creepy, and scary. Vincent says if a lady comes back to your bedroom, “she is open to being seduced. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be there.” Third year Psychology student, Heidi Muir, said: “A girl is well within her rights to change her mind at ANY stage of going back with a guy. Attempts shouldn’t be made to manipulate the girl, or convince her she hasn’t really changed her mind.” People change their minds about things all the time, so why would sex be any different? At the start of a night out, going in on the 2-4-1 cocktails, or making a punch so full of alcohol that you could disinfect a wound, seem like fabulous ideas. By 1am, it was the worst idea in the world. Why would this be any different with sex? You might meet someone in a dark and dingy club, only to get back to theirs and realise you have a 9am tomorrow and should go home. Or that things are
moving too fast. Vincent labels all who like to engage in consensual sex as “the consent crowd.” He goes on to claim that, “In the modern context, rape is essentially the act of ultimate validation and a rape accusation is the ultimate act of attention whoring.” He says, “Women have begun to routinely accuse men of rape purely for the ego validation that the onslaught of attention brings them”. Although it isn’t unheard of, it’s certainly not common. A study by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) revealed that over a 17-month test period there were 5,651 prosecutions for rape in England and Wales. Over the same time span, there were only 35 prosecutions for making false allegations of rape, and three that involved false allegations of both rape and domestic violence. Vincent carries on digging when he writes, “It’s in the nature of beautiful women to resist, test, protest, sabotage and make your job of fucking them difficult.” There are plenty of beautiful women who know what they want from a man and choose to get it - they don’t have to be persuaded into it by some manchild who thinks he’s God’s gift. Vinturi hasn’t considered that maybe girls say no because he is repulsive. Not only is his ‘article’ incredibly demeaning, painting women as attention whores, it makes men out to be sexobsessed, forceful pig-beings not fit for social interactions. This is an unfair representation of men, as most men will be just as disgusted by his views as women are. It’s important to remember that rape is not a female only issue. UK charity Mankind said that 3 in 20 men are affected by sexual violence. Men should be just as aware of the dangers and as considerate of serious psychological issues caused by rape. Poking fun at victims and condoning the behaviour of rapists as lads’ banter is inexcusable.
24 February 2014 waterfrontonline.co.uk
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with nanette turkson
fashion
Springspiration: SS14 fashion trends Fabulous Waterfront fashion contributor JENNIFER MUSEKAMP tells us what should be on our Spring Summer ‘14 wishlist to remain ahead of the fashion pack this upcoming season.
W
E are almost there, fashionistas! Spring with all its thrilling new fashion and beauty trends is right around the corner! Ok I have been telling myself this since the beginning of January but now we can actually feel that the new season is getting underway (don’t tell me you haven’t yet taken a sneak peak at all the spring arrivals in stores). We have survived the darker and colder months and happily embraced the highlights of winter fashion and beauty. You have probably all rocked some dark red lips and nails and lived in your chunky knit jumpers and scarfs and favourite patterned tights for the past six months straight. Well that season is slowly but surely coming to an end, so now it is time we move on and start thinking of changing it up a bit and taking a closer look at all the upcoming trends. I don’t know about you but something always gets me extremely excited about the new spring fashion and beauty season – not only because I can’t wait to store my bulky winter coat and heavy boots for the next couple of months but also because every change of season brings new inspiration. It simply seems like a fresh beginning or the rediscovery of a lost love (I am totally talking clothing items here!). Since the end of the winter sales madness, Topshop, Zara, H&M et al. have eagerly started to display their new spring items. So you better prepare yourself to dive into some new colours, experience different cuts and get ready to experiment with lighter fabrics again. And let’s not forget about all the beauty products either. Maybe it is because I was all about bold dark lips and nails during the winter months but to me it seems that all the newly launched lip and nail products are revolutionary and simply enthralling. So the key question is: What will we see on the high street (aka Swansea’s Oxford Street) this spring? In which colours will you shine on campus? And what lipstick should you be wearing on a night out on Wind Street? Here’s a list of five beauty and fashion trends that you will most certainly not be able to avoid in the next couple of months.
Pastel Colours Pastels were already pretty big last year, so if you enjoyed wearing these softer shades last spring you can totally dive into them again this year. Now you don’t have to wear every single pastel shade that is out there, just pick one or two colours that suit you best and you are good to go.
PASTEL COLOURS WERE A PROMINENT FEATURE IN THE PHILLIP LIM CATWALK SHOW THIS SEASON AT NEW YORK FASHION WEEK
Crop Tops I know, half of you might already be shuddering at the mere thought of this trend but crop tops have not vanished yet. If you are like me and you don’t fancy running around campus half naked, pair a crop top with some high-waisted jeans or a skirt to show only a sliver of your stomach.
THE RAG &BONE NYFW COLLECTION FEATURED A RANGE OF CROP TOPS
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Monochrome Those of you who already went on a little spring shopping spree might have noticed that monochrome prints are omnipresent this coming season. In different patterns and cuts, the black and white trend gives you a great alternative to all the pastel colours making every outfit look effortlessly chic.
MONOCHROME IN THE NEW YORK FASHION WEEK CATWALK VICTORIA BECKHAM COLLECTION
Bomber Jackets Now this might come as a surprise to some of you but bomber jackets are going to be the It-piece in spring.
Shift Blouses With near-elbow sleeves and a straight (sometimes even boxy) silhouette this blouse is a more sophisticated and dressy version of the normal T-Shirt. It is best paired with some skinny jeans to balance out the shapes and give you a clean and simple look.
MARC JACOBS’ INTERPRETATION OF THE BOMBER JACKETS AT NEW YORK FASHION WEEK
SHIFT BLOUSE FROM VICTORIA BECKHAM’S COLLECTION AT NEW YORK FASHION WEEK
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with Hilary Webb
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24 February 2014 waterfrontonline.co.uk
food
Be prepared for offers of marriage Banana Cake
Method:
This is one of my favourite and most successful recipes. It’s a favourite among my family and friends and is super easy. It’s so good in fact that when I made it last week one of my roommates proposed to me. It’s also great because for the cake to be at its best you need some really ripe bananas, nearly completely brown. So if you’ve bought some bananas and haven’t eaten them in time don’t throw them away, make this scrummy cake! Ingredients: 113g butter 170g caster sugar 226g self raising flour 2 eggs 2/3 very ripe bananas
1. Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/180 degrees and line a loaf tin with baking parchment. 2. Mash the bananas in a small bowl with a fork or potato masher until gooey but still slightly lumpy. 3. Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl before adding the eggs and mixing well. 4. Next mix the bananas into the sugar, egg and butter mix. 5. Fold in the flour and then mix well. 6. Scrape the cake mix into the loaf tin and first bake for 40 minutes. Then turn the oven down to gas mark 2/150degrees and bake for a further 30 minutes.
For this banana cake recipe I’ve found a great way to ensure it stays nice and moist for a long time. When you take the cake out of the oven leave for 5 – 10 minutes to cool in the tin. Then lift with the baking paper the cake into an air-tight container or cake tin. Leave the cake to cool completely in here, which allows any moisture that evaporates to go right back into
the cake making a soft, scrummy and deliciously moist banana cake! The cake doesn’t need to be made in a loaf tin if you don’t have one, you can use muffin cases if you wish and make individual banana muffins. If you have a really sweet tooth and still need a bit more to this cake, add 60g of chocolate chips to make a delicious chocolate chip banana loaf. Enjoy!
Have you got a recipe you’d like to share? Email editor@swansea-union.co.uk
Vegetarian food with Hannah Etienne Lentil Dal Dal Lentils and vegetarians have had a fruitful friendship with one another for a while now and it’s easy to see why. They are an extremely cheap source of protein (as well as many other important things that we all need such as iron and fibre) and can be added to almost any dish to bulk it up a little. Don’t let the long list of ingredients put you off! Most of it is comprised of spices that you will probably already have in your cupboard, making it a great cheap meal. Serves 3.
Photo by Shashi Adrigu Bellamkonda on Flickr on Flickr
INGREDIENTS 2 cups of cooked green lentils 1 onion 2 garlic cloves 250ml passata Handful of fresh coriander 1 tsp curry powder 5-7 cardamoms worth of seeds
½ a red chili, but this will depend on how spicy you like your food ½ tsp chili flakes ½ tsp cumin ½ tsp turmeric ½ a cinnamon stick Pitta bread, naan or rice to serve METHOD 1. Slice onions, garlic and chili. Fry the onions in oil for a minute or so and then add the garlic and chili. 2. Add a little water so that the spices don’t burn and fry the curry powder, cardamom seeds, chili flakes, cumin and tumeric. 3. Transfer to a saucepan and add the passata, tomato purée and cinnamon stick. Let it bubble for around 10 minutes. 4. Add the lentils. Cook for around 30-40 minutes, stirring every once in a while and adding more liquid if you need to.
24 February 2014 waterfrontonline.co.uk
18
W H AT ’S ON w i t h J ENNA H E L I Z A B ET H
front row
War Horse The National Theatre’s original stage production of War Horse, broadcast live from London’s West End to cinemas. Since its first performance at the National Theatre in 2007, War Horse has become an international smash hit, capturing the imagination of four million people around the world. Based on Michael Morpurgo’s novel and adapted for the stage by Nick Stafford, War Horse takes audiences on an extraordinary journey from the fields of rural Devon to the trenches of First World War France. Filled with stirring music and songs, this powerfully moving and imaginative drama is a show of phenomenal inventiveness. At its heart are astonishing life-size puppets by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company, who bring breathing, galloping, charging horses to thrilling life on stage. Don’t miss your chance to experience this landmark production. 27th & 28 February, 7pm, Taliesin. £11 students.
Blue is the Warmest Colour, Taliesin, 11 February.
Howl Poetry Evening Fancy yourself as a poet? Or, do you simply enjoy listening to the poetry of others? Mozarts hosts the open mic and poetry evening on the 2nd and 3rd Thursday of every month, and is open to both first timers and the well-versed poet (excuse the pun) alike. Drinks and a warm welcome will be available at the bar. 13th & 20th March, 8pm, Mozarts Free
Hot Pod Yoga If the average yoga lesson simply isn’t hardcore enough for you anyone, then I’d definitely recommend trying a class with Hot Pod Yoga. Classes are held within a room with 37c heat, which is said to warm the muscles and aid flexibility. One hour classes are currently available up to 12 times a week, with the Hotpod Yoga pop-up studio being based at the YMCA Swansea. Introductory offers are currently available, with monthly memberships and discounts available when booking more than 5 classes. Mon - Sat, various times, Swansea YMCA £8+ with discounts available
Photo of War Horse courtesy of the National Theatre. The drinks are cheap, the music is great, and it’s only a short bus/taxi ride home! Tickets available at www. swansea-union.co.uk 8th March, 10pm, Sin City £5
Beat the Banana Fun Run The Sustainability Team in collaboration with the Fairtrade Forum is putting on a ‘Beat the Banana’ fun run. It’s a fun run promoting awareness for this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight campaign about making bananas fair. Everybody is welcome to join as long as they wear something yellow or a banana costume! Runners will gather in front of Fulton House and then race along the Nature Trail (two laps - 2 miles) with the aim to beat the Sustainability Team’s BANANA Runner. Registration for the run is free but there are only limited spots available on Eventbrite. See the Sustainability website or the Swansea University ‘Beat the Banana’ event page on Facebook. Wednesday, 5th March, 1pm. Fulton House.
Corrosion of Conformity The American Gods of metal will be playing just 3 gigs in the UK in 2014, and luckily the first is being held right on doorstep (or a 40 minutes drive from our doorstep, to be more accurate), at The Globe in Cardiff. With the band heading off to London and Leeds afterwards, then on to various locations around Europe, this could be your only chance to watch them without forking out a lot of cash. Tickets are a bargain at under £15! 12th March, 7pm, The Globe in Cardiff £12 (booking fee applies when purchasing online)
DJ Zinc The popular drum and bass DJ will be headlining Sin City, along with the Sink resident DJs and live artists.
Corrosion of Conformity.
World Book Day Celebrate your love of literature and books at the Dylan Thomas Centre, which will be hosting an evening of events and activities. 6th March, 7pm, Dylan Thomas Centre Free
Atma Paradigm A three-part seminar devised by BBC Radio 4 and Radio Cymru broadcaster, Akandadhi Das. Akhandadhi Das is a teacher of Vedanta philosophy and has researched its relevance with the most recent discoveries in physics and biology. The seminar is a synthesis of ancient philosophy and the latest science. It will cover the topics including The mystery of consciousness, The mystery of life and What is driving the universe?’. 4th , 11th, 18th March, 7pm, YMCA Swansea £5 per session.
International 27
careers 26
travel 25
societies 24
film 23
relationships 21
music 19
front row 18
food 17
WIth OLIVIA ROSENTHALL
fashion 14-15
19
features 12-13
24 February 2014 waterfrontonline.co.uk
music
Frank Turner @ Cardiff
The Fratellis aren’t gone...
Photo by Brantley Gutierrez FRANK TURNER played a show-stopping gig at Cardiff Motorpoint Arena, and backstage Michael Yeubrey got to have a quick chat with him before the set.
AFTER a five-year hiatus, The Fratellis are back with their new album “We Need Medicine”. Only two days after the release of their new single ‘She’s Not Gone’, Tim Morizet had the opportunity to talk to their bassist Barry Wallace, aka Barry Fratelli.
MY: How do you keep intimacy in gigs as big as this? FT: The thing about this tour is that when we announced it there were a few people going “oh I don’t want to go see him in an arena setting”. The reasons we chose these venues is because I want everyone to be able to buy a ticket. When I was a kid I was never the sort of person who would be in the know to be on the guest list or to get tickets on the day they were released, that kind of thing. Because I just wasn’t in the know, and that bothers me. I don’t want to be exclusive in what I do. MY: What is one of your favourite songs to play live? FT: For me the act of playing live. There are a lot of live bands who baulk at the idea of being described as entertainers, which I think is bollocks personally because first of all what is wrong with being an entertainer? What a noble and excellent thing to be in life. Secondly if you are charging someone sixty quid to come and see you, you are an entertainer Bob Dylan get over it.
MY: Flip side of that, what is your least favourite song to play live? FT: Songs that go down badly I suppose. Whenever we are rehearsing, when Photosynthesis comes around everyone just sighs. But I never feel like that live because everybody loves that song, it would be really shitty to stand in front of a room full of four thousand people and go “this is boring”. MY: So this is the first gig of the tour. Have you got any big rituals to set yourself up for the rest of the tour? FT: Our guitar tech Cahir, he’s form Derry Northern Ireland, gives us “the empty pep talk”...he basically tells us how much he hates us. MY: Does it work? FT: Yeah, he’s like I fucking hate you all, I wish I wasn’t here, this show is going to be shit, I hope you have a terrible gig. And we go out and have a good time.
TM: How much has your music changed since 2005? BW: The music hasn’t changed in a way that you wouldn’t recognize us. It’s the same band. We evolved a little bit, got better as musicians and as song-writers. Some people might not agree, but things are always gonna change, but we’re still the same musicians. We’re just a little older. TM: Your album “We Need Medicine” was released last year. Were you happy with the reaction from fans and the media? BW: The only thing I really care about is the reaction from the fans, I never really cared what the media think. The only sort of proof we need is to go to places and sell our shows. And so far we’ve been all over the place. TM: What would I need to listen to if I stole your iPod?
BW: My Ipod is a weird, wonderful and sometimes a scary place. But I think there’s everything from The Who to European techno stuff. The best thing would be to just put it on shuffle and enjoy the wonderful surprise. TM: Where do you see yourself and the band in five years? Do you have a checklist? BW: No, we don’t have a checklist. I guess we’ll just keep doing it as long as people want to see us and keep coming to our shows and buying records. TM: What would you tell a band that until now hasn’t had the success you have had? BW: The only thing you can do is to keep to believing in it and yourself. I always tell bands who ask that question, if you don’t believe in the song you’re doing, how do you expect to convince other people to believe in it.
Read the full interviews online at: www.waterfrontonline.co.uk
When James met James...
We Are Scientists
JAMES KEOGH, better known as Vance Joy, has been topping the charts with hit single “Riptide” and luckily, James Rawlings got to chat with him over the phone about Daft Punk and his recent EP. JR: So why ukulele over guitar for a lot of the songs on your EP? JK: : I have a ukulele and I liked the way it sounded. It’s electro acoustic, a company called Kala. They’re really good. They have a nice resonance. It’s a tenor ukulele. JR: ‘Riptide’ doesn’t use the standard tuning does it? JK: I tuned it down, I kind of regret it cause I have to sing so bloody high. It’s the top four strings of the guitar, DGBE. You can play it on guitar at the same pitch. JR: After the success of your last EP, what’s your next plan? JK: I’m recording my first album over the next couple of months so hopefully I’ll have that out by the end of this year. Then tours, mainly England, Australia and America and see the year out. JR: Are there places you’re particularly excited to go to? JK: London was awesome, the Scala was beautiful. We’re picking up mates along the way. We’ve got
Reviews TV En Français (ALBUM)
a mate in Berlin where we’re hanging out for a couple of days, then on to Paris. I haven’t been to Berlin or Paris. JR: You said on Twitter you don’t always dance, but do when the right song is on. What is the right song? JK: There’s a lot of good songs. Recently I’ve been listening to the Daft Punk album on the plane and I couldn’t help myself, that “Doin’ it Right” song... their whole album is the right song. JR: You’re lyrics seem quite personal, how personal are they? JK: You can’t help but make it personal, to sing it like you believe it. They’re not all my stories, personal experiences. I’m glad they do sound personal though, that some bits do that, because if it sounds personal people can relate to it.
After a four-year absence, We Are Scientists return with an album that largely shies away from progressing the sound they crafted on earlier efforts, writes Alex McKenzie. As expected for a band that are generally renowned for their bright guitars and vocal harmonies, ‘TV En Français’ has been released in anticipation of a summer of festivals, with ‘Make It Easy’ a laid back number prospective of warmer days. While ‘Overreacting’ is a welcome diversion with its inclusion of funky disco guitars, the album’s highlight is ‘Dumb Luck’, the only song on the album that really dares to stretch the band’s sound. Opening with a frenetic guitar riff, it maintains its intensity over a concise two and a half minutes, before ending with a big drum fill as dramatically as it had begun. After such a promising opening to the album, reverting back to a mundane recipe of mid-tempo tracks (there is also an obligatory slow number in ‘Courage’) makes We Are Scientists’ newest effort feel like a wasted opportunity to reinvent themselves after nearly half a decade out of the limelight.
International 27
careers 26
travel 25
societies 24
film 23
relationships 21
music 19
front row 18
food 17
with HO LLY M ILLER
fashion 14-15
21
features 12-13
24 February 2014 waterfrontonline.co.uk
relationships
Blind Date
When Megan met Rhydian Megan Davies, 19, a second year Material Science and Engineering student, and Rhydian Morris, 22, a Msc Research Methods in Psychology student, meet in JC’s.
Megan on Rhydian
Ask Aunt Laura & Aunt Mel Your resident agony aunts are here to answer your problems. If you have any questions, from how to change a light bulb or whether to kiss the boy you like, email waterfrontrelationships@swansea-union.co.uk. Dear Laura and Mel, I have never written in for advice before but I didn’t know who to talk to! Basically I have some awesome friends on my course but I just don’t get on with my housemates. I live with all girls and most of my course mates are boys. My housemates originally fell out with me because I started spending a lot of time with this one guy mate, basically who was seeing one of my housemates! It’s such an awkward situation but I don’t understand why people don’t realise that we are just friends. Love Sandy Dee Dear Sandy Dee, This is a really tough situation! Unlike our usual issues we deal with, this is something that happens a lot. Just to say, in no circumstance should you ever stop being friends with either group, because then they will think they were right all along! A few issues you do need to address, do you think perhaps the boy sees you in a more romantic way which has caused this girl to get jealous? If so you need to talk to the guy about this and say that it is affecting your relationship with your friends and perhaps put some distance between the two of you for the moment. However if this is not the case the best thing to do is talk to the girl who is seeing him, tell her about the way you feel and how you don’t see him that way. If you do feel something for him... you need to back off for a while, just because you don’t want to be the bad person. However if you are both simply friends then speak to your friends and try and make them understand that guys and girls CAN BE FRIENDS! Love Laura and Mel
Dear Mel and Laura, Basically I went out the other night with a few guys from work so I knew them relatively well. They were too drunk to walk home so I offered them the sofas. Thinking everything was in order I fell asleep. It wasn’t until later into the day that my housemate revealed that someone had pooed in the living room bin! Horrified at the thought, we then discovered the person had used my scarf and my friend’s jumper to wipe their ass. What do I do? Do I ask for compensation? What if he refuses? How shall I help my housemate deal with the loss of her jumper? I need to bring the house back together. What I thought had been a bonding session has turned into an episode of loss and pain! Help me guys. Jeremy This is a predicament. Like our issue with the seagull last week it is safe to say we have never experienced this one before, but we know that drunk people can do irresponsible things. Firstly, think about the safety of your housemates before bringing back drunk people. Even if you trust them when they’re sober, you never know what they may be like after a few too many doubles. Although babysitting your friends is never fun, maybe advise he doesn’t drink as much and help him find a reasonable alcohol limit on a night out. Also, compensation - yes you should ask for this. He defaced your property so it is vital that you gain compensation, this will also help mend any divisions that may have been caused by this downright sticky situation. Perhaps once your housemates have got over the pain and loss they will see the funny side. Hope you sort out this messy situation. Love Laura and Mel
What were your first impressions? I thought he seemed very friendly but fairly quiet to begin with, but quite calming, considering my nerves disappeared fairly quickly! Any awkward moments or silences? With any date there were a few, but we both put the effort in to ask questions as much as possible to fill the silences. Any potentional for a kiss? To be honest, the thought didn’t really cross my mind at all. Out of ten, what would be your compatibility score with the other person? We had some things in common but I felt that the majority of the time we tended to have different attitudes and outlooks on subjects. I’d have to say 5. Generally, how do you think the date went? It went better than I had originally thought. But he never offered to buy me a drink! Which was a bit of an error, haha. If you were to be married and have babies with the other, what would you want your baby to inherit? I would have liked our babies (if we were to have any) to inherit his height and his enthusiastic attitude towards hobbies and activities (he was in a LOT of societies). Would you like to meet again? Um maybe. Just as friends though. I didn’t feel like it would develop into anything more. Are you likely to become facebook friends? He added me soon after and my flatmate accepted it. So we already are.
Rhydian on Megan What were your first impressions? She seemed like a really lovely and intelligent person. Any awkward moments or silences? Generally no, we pretty much constantly had conversation points and the pub quiz kept conversation flowing.
Any potential for a kiss? Impossible with my friends turning up and watching us from across JCs, but sure possibly. Out of ten, what is your compatibility score with the other person? 7 maybe? We had some shared interests. Generally, how do you think the date went? It was a fun experience, it was never boring so better than I expected from a blind date. If you were to be married and have babies with the other, what would you want your baby to inherit? Her mathematics skills since I’m useless, but her curly hair was amazing. Would you like to meet again? Sure I’m not against the idea. Are you likely to become facebook friends We’re already facebook friends and we exchanged numbers.
If you are interested in having a blind date, email your name, age, course and level to waterfrontrelationships@swansea-union.co.uk
24 February 2014 waterfrontonline.co.uk
22
with LAUREN PHILLIPS
culture
Beatlemania is heading for Swansea! T
O celebrate the 50th anniversary of A Hard Day’s Night, the Magic of The Beatles is coming to Swansea. The nationwide tour recreates the live concerts of the band with fabulous costumes and talented musicians. The two-hour spectacular uses guitars and amps used by the Beatles themselves to celebrate the golden anniversary of the Beatles’ album and hit single. Rachael Howes-Tonks caught up with Dave Peterson, who plays Paul, to ask him a bit about the show: Is Paul your favourite Beatle? What do you like about him? He probably is. He wrote the best melodies, especially the ballads. Is there pressure emulating such an iconic band? It is, a lot of Beatles fans are very clued up on exactly what things should look and sound like. Out of all of the tribute bands out there, we probably have the hardest job. An Abba tribute band really only has to worry if the two girls sound okay, in a Queen Tribute band they only need worry if Freddie is okay and if they have a good guitarist. With us, everything has to be perfect. There’s a lot of financial investment too, we have 12 guitars and even the costumes are an integral part of what we are. What are your favourite songs to perform in the show? The last one because I know we are finished then. I’m joking! It changes quite a lot, the earlier stuff is slightly harder to do sometimes, but my favourite Beatles song is Please, Please Me. If you had to sum up the “Magic of the Beatles” in a sentence, what would it be? A fun and nostalgic tribute to the music! What is the atmosphere like at your shows? It’s a fun night out. The crowd is a massive part of our performance and we make sure that they have enjoyed themselves. We take the music seriously but there are some gags in there, we are characters! What does your show offer for young people? The Beatles are integral to our culture now. We have a lot of teenagers in the audience, as well as the families or couples that come and they sing along like everyone else. We know some students have got into the Beatles just from playing Guitar Hero! The Beatles are universal. We will still be seeing tribute bands for them in 50 years’ time. The Magic of The Beatles comes to The Grand Theatre on the 3rd of April, and tickets start at £14.
MAGIC OF THE BEATLES: Coming to Swansea’s Grand Theatre.
The woman written out of history ‘THIS is the story of someone who - almost - wasn’t there; who vanished into thin air’, begins Claire Tomalin in her biography of the actress Ellen ‘Nelly’ Lawless Ternan, writes Lauren Phillips. The Invisible Woman uncovers the illicit relationship between Nelly and Charles Dickens, which began in 1857 when Nelly was 18 years old and Dickens 45. In her work, Tomalin pieces together clues of the affair from letters, address books, diaries and photographs. Nelly was the ‘invisible’ woman, wiped from existence, because of the limited sources we have from Dickens himself and his close friends who refused to acknowledge her. The biography takes a feminist stance, placing Nelly centre stage to not become another woman ‘written out of history.’ The biography is divided into three parts, with part one uncovering Nelly’s theatrical family; her grandmother, mother, father and her older sisters, Fanny and Maria. Tomalin looks into the background of Victorian theatre and the life of actresses on stage, a neglected part of history but which I found extremely interesting. But what the biography really gives an insight to is Charles Dickens himself. Many have read Dickens’ books and for decades watched them adapted for film and television. Yet many, like me, have not understood the author behind Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol and
David Copperfield. Tomalin gives an understanding of Dickens’ fame, power, authority, imagination and love for the theatre. But she also exposes the isolated and emotionally controlling man who, disillusioned in his love for Nelly, poorly treated his wife Catherine. Tomalin captures the tension between Dickens’’ desire and love for Nelly and his attempt to maintain his image as the family man idealised in his novels. I would comment that despite the biography trying to place Nelly into history, it keeps her only as the shadowy figure lurking in the background of Tomalin’s book. We understand more about Nelly’s mother, sisters and Dickens and his relationships, than of Nelly herself. Although this might be because of the limited historical sources Tomalin can draw on, Nelly still remains the ‘virtuous and spotless creature’ backstage in Tomalin’s biography. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Tomalin’s biography, it offers a historical romance and drama and ironically, the history of Nelly and Charles Dickens was just as entertaining to read as a Dickens novel itself. This month Nelly has been brought centre stage in a film adaptation of The Invisible Woman. Directed by and starring Ralph Fiennes as Charles Dickens and Felicity Jones as Nelly Ternan. The Invisible Woman comes to cinemas on 21st February and is being shown in the Taliesin Arts Centre on the 24th and 25th March.
A Dylan Odyssey NO voice in the 20th Century was more inspiring when defining the literature of a place than Dylan Thomas’, writes Lauren Phillips. To celebrate the centenary of the Swanseaborn poet, Literature Wales presents A Dylan Odyssey. Visitors will be transported to the very heart of Dylan’s world in a series of twenty three unique and extraordinary literary tours in Wales, England and the United States. From No.5 Cwmdonkin Drive in Uplands where the poet was born, to Ceredigion where Thomas began his work Under Milk Wood, onto Oxford, London and finally New York, where Thomas was acclaimed as both poet and performer. The tours will run from May to November 2014 as part of the Dylan Thomas 100 Festival. These events include Dylan Thomas’ Swansea Hollywood. Taking place in Swansea in July, this tour delves into the poet’s love of Hollywood and the influence of the 1930s/40s movie classics on his writing. By October take a walk through London as part of the Popup Dylan Thomas 100 Festival, exploring Dylan’s connections with Soho and Fitzrovia. Tours range from £7 to £47 in price. To book tickets and for further information, contact Literature Wales on: 029 2047 2266 or visit www.literaturewales.org.
International 27
careers 26
travel 25
societies 24
film 23
relationships 21
music 19
front row 18
food 17
with saul masters
fashion 14-15
23
features 12-13
24 February 2014 waterfrontonline.co.uk
film
RIP Philip Seymour Hoffman T
HE past few months have seen numerous deaths in the film industry, from action star Paul Walker to Hollywood icon Peter O’Toole, writes Luke Maxwell-Libby. Yet the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman cuts deeper than the rest, both in the circumstances of his passing and the cinematic legacy he left behind. With countless accolades to his name including four Academy Award nominations, Hoffman is often considered one of the finest actors of his generation, bringing a level of intelligence and complexity to roles that would otherwise have gone unnoticed. A fine example of this is his portrayal of arms dealer Owen Davian in Mission Impossible 3. Whilst the film itself is a somewhat average action movie, Hoffman brings a highly sinister and ruthless performance to the screen which elevated the tension of the plot and brought an unforeseen level of realism to many of the film’s scenes. This film, whilst a commercial success, was by no means a milestone for Hoffman. The previous year he gave what is widely considered the most impressive performance of his career in Capote, an account of the eponymous writer Truman Capote and his investigations of a coldblooded family murder. The word intelligence doesn’t do justice to Hoffman’s performance. As an actor he successfully taps into the eccentricity and loneliness of the character, making the dark nature and tone of the film all the more poignant, and earning an Academy Award for Best Actor for his efforts. This role will
certainly stand the test of time. Borderline-controversial subject matter was very much Hoffman, and no film in his repertoire displays this more brilliantly than his portrayal of Father Brendan Flynn in Doubt. Surrounding the allegations of child molestation in Catholic education, this delicate material could easily have been mishandled in the hands of a lesser actor, but Hoffman brings his trademark complexity and a certain duplicity to the character in another Oscar nominated role. Another such role, while less controversial, is Hoffman’s performance as Scotty J. in 1998’s Boogie Nights. Putting aside the fact that the film features Mark Wahlberg playing a porn star, Hoffman’s portrayal of a homosexual member of a production team is often considered his breakout role, despite many previous titles to his name. His character’s unrequited love for porn star Dirk Diggler comes across as both comedic and tragic in equal measure, and in a film of such brilliant performances, it is unfortunate that Hoffman’s performance went relatively unnoticed. Philip Seymour Hoffman will always be remembered for his versatility, and his ability to turn from loving to terrifying almost instantaneously. But with all of his films there is a certain vulnerability in his performances, often aided by his imperfect physique. If nothing else, he is concrete proof that a chiselled jawline alone will not guarantee success, critically or otherwise. In his passing, the film industry has certainly lost one of its best.
Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Film News: Gravity wins six awards at BAFTAs/ Tupac biopic in the pipeline/ Shirley Temple passes away at the age of 85
Three films featuring Hoffman Along Came Polly
By Saul Masters
Most wouldn’t cite Hoffman’s performance in this Ben Stiller comedy as the actor’s finest work but it showed us that the guy could make us laugh. The film centres on Ben Stiller’s Reuben Feffer whose life is transformed when his wife leaves him on their honeymoon and he reunites with former high school classmate Polly Prince. Polly is a salsa dancing, risk taker who prefers to live her life on the edge but Stiller’s Fesser couldn’t be more different. With a job as a risk assessor, Reuben cannot help but add up the chances of him and Polly working out. Ensue some funny capers with a ferret and you have yourself a fairly funny film. Enter Hoffman as Fisser’s best man and best friend, Sandy Lyle. Sandy is a former child star who just cannot accept that he isn’t famous anymore, despite a being out of the lime light for at least twenty years. Hoffman’s Sandy adds so much comedy to the film and the casting of Hoffman is genius. Who knew that guy from Paul Thomas Anderson’s Punch Drunk Love would be so funny?
Synedoche, New York
By Saul Masters
Spike Jonze and Charlie Kauffman’s Being John Malkovich is one of the most bizzarre, beautiful and just down right weird films that has come out of Hollywood in the last few decades and one of the defining films of the 90s. The less said about Adaptation however, the better. Malkovich was the film that put Jonze on the map and projected Kauffman to the Hollywood scriptwriting elite. The film started out as a horror film, with Kauffman and Jonze writing about what scares them. But somehow a possible horror film morphed into Syncedoche, New York. Jonze dropped out to direct Where the Wild Things Are so Kauffman took over directing duties for the first time. The film tells the story of theatre director Caden Cotard, played expertly by Hoffman. Cotard’s life is slowly spiralling into a miserable mess, growing further away from his wife and disillusioned by his career. With the help of a MacArthur Fellowship, Caden starts to create a piece of theatre so brutally honest that it begins to reflect his life in every way. Soon he is building a replica of New York in his massive warehouse, designed as the play’s stage. Kauffman piles motifs and symbolism into the film, creating something so unique it needs a few watches to truly understand. Although it may polarise some viewers, some may find it pretentious and overly depressing but no one can argue that Hoffman is hauntingly captivating.
The Master
By Saul Masters
Having starred in the likes of Boogie Nights, Magnolia and Punch Drunk Love, The Master is something of a renuion for Hoffman and long time friend, Paul Thomas Anderson and it is arguably their best collabaration. The Master is the story of alcoholic, World War two veteran Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) who aimlessly wonders through life with only his home-made moonshine as company. A chance meeting with Lancaster Dodd after stowing himself on his yacht, Freddie is soon roped into Dodd’s philosophical movement, The Cause. Dodd sees something he likes in the war torn, troubled Quell and takes him under his wing in an attempt to save him. What unfolds is an acting masterclass from Phoenix and Hoffman. Phoenix’s performance demonstrates exactly why we all loved him for his roles in the likes of Gladiator and Walk the Line. Hoffman’s presence dominates every shot he is in and possibly stands up as his most compelling role ever.
24 February 2014 waterfrontonline.co.uk
24
With Jazmin Kopotsha
societies
Islam awareness week creates a buzz on campus D
ESPITE the deterrent of bad weather and with a determination to continue the success of previous years, Swansea University Islamic Society went full steam ahead to give shape to Islam Awareness Week 2014 and invited students, staff, members and nonmembers alike to (re)discover Islam. Collaboratively hosted by Swansea ISOC and the University Mosque, this year’s Islam Awareness Week set off on Monday 17th February with their flagship week-long exhibition, hosting stalls with information on various aspects of Islam while also offering refreshments, henna, calligraphy, recitations from the Qur’an and the opportunity to try on a hijab or thobe. This year the UK based organisation ‘Discover Islam’ also played a part in the week’s activities, providing an expedition in which they offered ‘activities specifically focus on dispelling stereotypes and prejudices surrounding Islam and Muslims.’ The organisation hosted a series of Islam Awareness Week exhibitions in various locations and universities across the UK and the ISOC have been proud to welcome the organisation to Swansea in support of the university’s awareness week. Throughout the week a selection of
lectures were held, covering topics such as the purpose of life and women in Islam. The week concluded in a highly anticipated talk by Joshua Evans, a well renowned convert from the United States. In his informal lecture entitled ‘Leap of Faith’, Evans intimately spoke of his personal journey to Islam. For what was once again a very successful week of activities, the ISOC would like to thank and acknowledge
the contribution and guidance of Sarah Huws-Davies, Director of Student Services, and Sheikh Hassan AlMakethi, Muslim Student Advisor. If you missed any of the week’s events, are interested in finding out more about the Islamic faith or Swansea University Islamic Society itself, get in touch at isoc@swansea-union.co.uk, or visit their Facebook page at www. facebook.com/swanseaisoc.
History society members dress up to raise money for charity THE History Society recently put a different spin on fancy dress favourite ‘Pub Golf’ for their most recent social to raise some money in support of British charities. On Wednesday, 12th February, more than 25 people took to the streets
of Swansea in charity shop chic for the History Society’s ‘Pub Golf 2.0: Thrift Shop Edition’. Participants were instructed to purchase an outfit for just £8 or less from either the British Heart Foundation or British Red Cross stores to wear for the occasion. Society
president, Isabel Costello commented saying: “This term we decided to organise Pub Golf a little differently. It was a great success and we had fantastic turn out. The event also helped to raise money for British Heart Foundation and the British Red Cross.
Pagan priestesses to visit campus SWANSEA University will play host to the Priestesses of Avalon, Glastonbury on Thursday, 27th February and the Pagan Society are particularly excited as we will be the first university to undergo their ‘pop-up’ temple experience. It’s believed that the Priestesses of Avalon were the first to open a modern Goddess Temple in Britain having discovered the need for a more permanent location to house collected paraphernalia, to meet and to offer teaching and learning to fellow believers. “The priestesses were offering to visit universities around the UK to set up this one-day temple experience for the benefit of students there. Swansea University Pagan Society reached out for the opportunity to invite them here first, although the event is aimed at all students and not just society members,” says Olivia Church, President of Swansea University Pagan Society. “We will be helping them to set up, answer people’s questions and participate in the opening and closing ceremony, which involves eight native British Goddesses, including Wales’ own Goddess Rhiannon.” With the aid of the Pagan Society, the Mandela Suite in Union House will be transformed into a Goddess Temple by the visiting priestesses for the day. “It is our hope that this Temple will raise awareness of modern Goddess Spirituality and its diversity,” Olivia adds. Anyone interested in asking questions, a space for peaceful contemplation or just wanting to take a look are more than welcome to visit from 12pm on Thursday until the room temporarily closes at 4pm. The ‘pop-up temple’ will re-open at 6pm for an evening ceremony event for which a donation of £5 is suggested.
Want to know more about societies? Check out www.swansea-union.co.uk/activities
SPOTLIGHT - Investment and Finance STARTING a new society is never an easy task: Economics student Dominic Newman spotted a gap in the societal market and made the bold decision to fill it. Swansea University Investment and Finance Society is looking forward to starting up again this semester and building on the success of last term. They organise weekly meetings and webinars from global trading firm OSTC. “In joining the society you can expect to be kept up to date with global finance news, recent big market movers and even try your hand as a commodities trader
with cash prizes each term,” says Dom, founder and president of the society.
Having beaten both Cardiff and Glamorgan in competition, Swansea won a cash prize of prize
Members of the Investment and Finance Society in their trading room. From left to right - Lester Siew, Chris Torres, Alexander Edwards, Dominic Newman.
of £250 and it seems that there are no limits for this society! Learn how to trade options, future contracts and get to grips with modern day technical analysis techniques. Do your own market analysis with Thomson Reuters Eikon professional software made available for the use of society members. All levels of interest and experience are welcome to join. Weekly meetings are held at 6pm in room 16 Haldane building on campus. For more information email investmentandfinance@ swansea-union.co.uk
International 27
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travel 25
societies 24
film 23
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music 19
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with verity ockenden
fashion 14-15
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features 12-13
24 February 2014 waterfrontonline.co.uk
travel Four Seasons Hotel, Bahrain.
Charming Bahrain – Pearl of the gulf S
INCE moving to the UK, I am often asked where I’m from, and I am always a little bit disappointed, but not surprised that very few people have ever heard of the island I come from, Bahrain. Of course, people have heard of oil-rich Saudi Arabia and Bahrain’s glamorous cousin Dubai, but in my opinion the small island kingdom of Bahrain is well worth a visit for any discerning traveller. Let’s face it folks, most people look for sun on their annual holiday (especially after a Welsh winter) and a trip to Bahrain will guarantee you a sun tan to render those sunbed sessions obsolete for the rest of the year. Kick back and relax and get the 5-star treatment at luxury hotels such as the Ritz Carlton or Sofitel, which not only boast fabulous beaches, but a range of water sports that include sailing, jet skiing, windsurfing, wakeboarding, waterskiing and scuba diving. If that is a bit above your budget there are other clubs and venues that offer the same at a cheaper cost. A trip to the reasonably priced AL- Dar and Hawar island holiday resorts is also recommended. They are suitable for both families and singles, but they
Law student Mansoor Nadhar outlines the delights of his home , Bahrain. also have night events (not so suitable for families) such as full moon parties complete with DJ’s and all night raving. There are chalets available to those wishing to stay longer or who can’t make it back. If the sun isn’t really your thing, don’t despair. This ancient kingdom has a long history with a civilisation dating back some 4, 000 years. It is possible to visit ancient remains of towns and temples from this period and visit the fascinating burial mounds (which resemble mini- pyramids). To get a real idea of the significance of the burial mounds, a visit to the National Museum is a must. Centrally situated, this fascinating and well- labelled museum showcases the history of the country from the Ancient Dilmun civilisation to its pearl diving, to the modern day. Even though Bahrain is the most
Photo of Grand Mosque by Jacobs Creative Bees on Flickr.
tolerant and liberal country in the Arabian Gulf, Islam permeates every aspect of life here. Whether it is the call to prayer which is heard five times a day or the minarets silhouetted against the skyline, one is always mindful of that fact. For any traveller interested in exploring Islam further, a visit to the Al Fatih Mosque (also known as the Grand Mosque) is then, a must. There are English-speaking guides available to lead the visitor around the magnificent building. Diagonally opposite the mosque is Beit AL Quran (House of the Quran). This striking, modern building houses ancient manuscripts, woodcarvings and a collection of rare Qurans. It is also a very good introduction to Islam and in particular anyone interested in the beautiful Islamic calligraphy. If night life is more your scene, then you won’t be disappointed. The island is home to good quality restaurants. It really is a gourmet’s delight with something for every palate. Whether it is Indian, Thai, Italian, or traditional Arabic- whatever your preference or budget you will find it in Bahrain. In fact, you don’t even have to leave your car! Delicious shawarmas, kebabs, and
Photo of Bahrain beach at sunset by Ahmed Rabea on Flickr.
tikka’s are all available from local fast food restaurants and can be brought to your car while you wait. How is that for customer service? If you fancy a swig of the hard stuff there are plenty of “pubs” and bars which are located in hotels. However, if you’re feeling a bit home sick then there is always the British Club and even the Rugby Club that provide good old fashioned British entertainment, fish and chips and other English grub much loved by the large British expat community. For those feeling a bit brave after the bevvy, there are numerous opportunities to hit the dance floor. Salsa and Latin dance is immensely popular on the island with a plethora of clubs and classes. If classes don’t appeal and you merely want to strut your stuff and click to your own rhythms, there are various nightclubs, both Arabic and English that stay open until dawn. And of course there are the shopping opportunities. The island is home to large air-conditioned shopping malls (which also house cinemas). They contain a variety of British high street and international stores, which in my opinion are very reasonably priced in comparison to the UK. But to get the real, authentic feel of Bahrain, a trip the Souq is a must. Wander down narrow lanes and haggle with vendors for spices or souvenirs. Be bedazzled by the jewellery on display in the gold Souq, a veritable Aladdin’s cave of treasure! But, above all one of the best things about this delightful little island is the people. Friendly, charming and helpful, they ensure that a visit to Bahrain will be a memorable one. •You can fly to Bahrain with British Airways, Qatar Airways, Thai Airways, Etihad Airways, Oman Air,Lufthansa Air and Turkish Airlines. Furthermore. You can also book trips through holiday companies, House of Travel Bahrain, and Bahrain International Travel.
careers
24 February 2014 waterfrontonline.co.uk
26
With JO DAVIES
Secrets of successful job hunting
may receive lots of CVs from speculative applicants so they already have a talent pool of candidates whom they can just invite for interview; this is notably the case in fields like the creative and media industries. So it’s well worth taking a creative, proactive approach by cultivating a network of contacts for advice and information and making carefully targeted speculative applications - see our page on networking at www.swansea.ac.uk/careers/jobhuntingskills/ networking/. The career planning advice page of the TARGETjobs website at http://targetjobs.co.uk/careers-advice/ career-planning includes a link to information on graduate recruitment through social networking and managing your online reputation. Be cyber-streetwise! As you surf the internet you will find many jobs boards and other online recruitment organisations. Before registering with any type of Internet service read their terms of use and privacy policies carefully to check that you feel comfortable with the way they would manage your personal information and their online security provision.
E
VEN if you’re just getting started with looking for a job after you graduate this summer, there are still plenty of opportunities out there, writes Jo Davies. Yes, it’s true that large graduate recruiters often have closing dates early in the academic year, but many doors are still open to you. For example, SMEs (small and medium size enterprises) are more likely to recruit all year round outside the “traditional” graduate recruitment cycle, and it’s well worth considering smaller organisations because they are likely to offer involvement in a wider range of responsibilities at an early stage of your career, although salaries in SMEs may be lower. Remember too that what you might consider a “nongraduate” job could offer a route into a particular organisation or employment sector that you’re interested in.
Where are jobs advertised? The jobs section of our website at www.swansea. ac.uk/careers/jobsvolunteeringoppor tunities/ provides a starting point where you can access key sources of information on many different types of jobs and placements, including the database of vacancies notified direct to the careers & employability service, Graduate Prospects, the Gradintel job matching service, TARGETjobs.co.uk and GO Wales. Our careers talks programme provides opportunities to meet potential employers and hear first-hand about their current graduate opportunities – see the overview of forthcoming talks and employability workshops below. You can book online at http:// swansea.prospects.ac.uk/index.html. Of course, the national and local press offer substantial job hunting and careers information
Gaining work experience Helen Tilley from Teach First with Shina Animashaun, one of their Student Ambassadors. resources, and it’s easy to find local newspapers for UK regions from sites like The Newspaper Society at http://www.newspapersoc.org.uk/. You may find it beneficial to try recruitment agencies too, as many of them specialise in particular employment sectors. The Graduate Prospects website has comprehensive information about this option at http://www.prospects.ac.uk/recruitment_agencies. htm. If you’re planning to look for jobs in another UK region, it’s worth contacting university careers services in that area to ask if they can give you access to their information resources on local jobs. Jennie’s job hunting guide: Jennie Drewson, one of our careers advisers, has created a useful guide to help you with job hunting ideas. You can find it at www.swansea.ac.uk/careers/ jobsvolunteeringopportunities.
Networking and social media Most jobs are not advertised. This is understandable when you consider that it can be expensive to advertise, employers often receive a much greater volume of applications than they can handle, and they
Large corporate graduate recruiters offer formal, structured work experience placements during vacation periods. These schemes provide employers with a talent pool, forming an integral part of their main selection processes. Competition is fierce and deadlines tend to fall early in the academic year, but if you can’t get one of these, or if it’s not the kind of thing you’re looking for anyway, there are plenty of other options. Even if you’re doing a part-time job mainly to earn money, you’re gaining many valuable skills at the same time. Visit the following sections of our website for ideas on where to look: •Work experience information: http://www.swansea. ac.uk/careers/workexperience/ •WOW and SPIN programmes: www.swansea.ac.uk/ work-placements/ •Work while you study: www.swansea.ac.uk/careers/ jobsvolunteeringopportunities/workwhileyoustudy/ •Voluntary/community sector: www.swansea. ac.uk/careers/jobsvolunteeringopportunities/ voluntarycommunitysectoropportunities/ •Volunteering in Wales: www.swansea.ac.uk/careers/ jobsvolunteeringopportunities/volunteeringinwales/ Jennie’s part-time jobs guide: Here’s another of our Careers Adviser Jennie’s guides full of ideas on finding temporary jobs while you study. www.swansea.ac.uk/careers/ jobsvolunteeringopportunities/workwhileyoustudy.
Need careers advice? Check out www.swansea.ac.uk/careers or via Twitter - @SwanUniCareers
Careers talks/skill sessions 2014 Tuesday 25/02/2014
17:00-18:00
Weds
26/02/2014
13:00-14:00 Developing your Employability Mindset
Human Resources Officer role in the Army Fulton House - Seminar Room A Library - Level 7 seminar room
Monday 03/03/2014 Tuesday 04/03/2014
12:00-13:00 Completing Successful Applications 11:00-16:30 Employer in the Foyer Event
Library - Level 7 seminar Room Library Foyer - Opposite Hoffi Coffi
Tuesday 04/03/2014
17:00-18:00 FDM Assessment Centre Workshop Fulton House - Seminar Room A
Weds
05/03/2014
13:00-14:00
Thurs
06/03/2013
17:00-18:00 Work Placement Workshop: A guide to gaining valuable work experience Fulton House - Seminar Room A
Career Decision-Making
Library - Level 7 seminar Room
Monday 10/03/2014
12:00-13:00 Writing an effective CV and Covering Letter
Tuesday 11/03/2014
17:00-18:00
Train to Teach English Abroad (CELTA) + teaching in Thailand summer 2015 Fulton House - Seminar Room A
Weds
13:00-14:00
Writing an effective CV and Covering Letter
12/03/2014
Library - Level 7 seminar Room Library - Level 7 seminar Room
International 27
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travel 25
societies 24
film 23
relationships 21
music 19
front row 18
food 17
With Atoke
fashion 14-15
27
features 12-13
international
24 February 2014 waterfrontonline.co.uk
Tough times ahead for overseas students T
HE Government has just announced an increase in visa fees for international students. It’s a fairly modest rise of 4% from £298 to £310. However an increase of over 30% for visa applications for dependents results in further burdens for some international students considering the UK, writes Atoke. This is just a tip of the iceberg, though. International students already pay almost thrice the fees paid by UK and EU citizens. Living expenses on an average comes to about £7,500 every year. An international student who works, gets taxed – just like the UK/EU citizen. Thus it becomes mind boggling to read the reasoning behind the stringent measures being taken against international students. The Minister for Immigration, Mark Harper, stated: “Given the ongoing need to reduce public spending, we believe it is right that we continue to reduce the contribution made by UK taxpayers towards delivering the immigration system by asking those who use and benefit directly from the system to make a greater contribution. “For certain application categories, we will continue to set fees higher than the administrative cost to reflect their value to successful applicants. This helps to provide resources to run the UK immigration system and enables the Home Office to set lower fees elsewhere in support of wider government objectives to attract those businesses, workers, students and visitors who most benefit the UK.” Attempting to analyze this issue logically will bring forth a lot of holes in the reasoning. First of all, international students are not entitled to housing or disability benefits. They are only entitled to work for 20 hours a week – which is ridiculous given the minimum wage and the expenses. But, we will go on the assumption that the average student is here to study and not work. So that’s fine. However, if a substantial amount of income is generated from the proliferation of international students, perhaps it is time for the Government to rethink its strategies. While the UK government does not have the means to shut its doors to the immigrants from the EU, it has decided to channel its political angst at nonEU students. It is important to note at this point that there are a lot of global competitors who provide the same quality of education – in English. If the Government decides to alienate students from outside of the EU, one wonders if they have considered the income generated currently from the oil rich Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa. These are areas of the world that a place premium on education, but surely not at the detriment of common sense.
Who is supporting international students? Let’s take a closer look at the proposed Immigration Bill and a few of the ways that international students would be adversely affected. • removal of the right of appeal from extension applications made in the UK; it will be replaced by administrative review which will have a fee attached and means decisions will be reconsidered by Home Office caseworkers and not by an independent tribunal • changes to make it easier for the Home Office to remove people from the UK • removal of the entitlement to free NHS treatment and the introduction of a health charge every time an immigration application is made; there are no details in the Bill of the level of charge but the Government’s response to the previous consultation suggests it will be around £150 a year for students, and £200 a year for others • the requirement for landlords to check the immigration status of all tenants and lodgers with fines of up to £3000 per person who does not have immigration permission; there is an exemption for student halls of residence, but not for homestay providers; we have asked the Home Office how will this will affect students who need to enter into accommodation contracts before they come to the UK • the requirement for banks and building societies to check the immigration status of a person who opens or who wants to become a joint holder of a current account; this applies only if the person is in the UK • increased penalty for employers whose employees are not
permitted to undertake the work in question • increased notice period for getting married or entering into a civil partnership so that the Home Office can spend up to 70 days investigating whether a relationship is ‘genuine’ • other changes, including the indefinite retention of biometric data, the revocation of a person’s driving licence if that person no longer has immigration permission and instructing the courts on how the Government wants them to interpret Article 8 (qualified right to respect for a person’s private and family life) of the European Convention on Human Rights There are tough times ahead for international students. Sadly, there’s
nobody who is willing to stand up for them. It is our hope that the universities would appeal to the government to make sure that they protect THEIR own interests. Surely, students who are paying their fees and living properly and diligently shouldn’t be made to suffer in the political ping pong being played by the government. It affects us. It affects the universities. Let’s speak up against this injustice. •The statement written by the Minister for Immigration, Mark Harper, in full: https:// www.gov.uk/government/speeches/ immigration-and-nationality-serviceschange-in-fees-for-2014-to-2015
Sources of help and advice THERE is a wealth of help and advice available for overseas students, both from the university and the students’ union. The International Student Advisory Service (ISAS) provides information and advice on non-academic matters, including immigration advice and services, to all international (nonUK) students and their dependants. They support all non-UK students regardless of nationality, religion, gender, age, sexual preference or health status. Advice is offered free of charge and without discrimination. ISAS is part f Student Support Services. It is located just across from the Library, on the ground floor of the
Keir Hardie Building (building No. 3 on campus map). For more information on services available see http://www.swansea. ac.uk/international/students. The students’ union in Union House (behind Fulton House) also offers help and advice to overseas students. International office Eva Donoghue heads up this service. The students’ union also runs several socities for overseas students, including African Caribbean, Brazilian, Chinese, Greek, Indian, Hong Kong, Iranian, Japanese, Jordanian Palestinian, Kuwait, Malaysian, Nigerian, Pakistani, and Scandinavian. See www.swansea-union.co.uk
28 I SPORT
thewaterfront 24. 02. 14 Golf
American Football
Titans crush Cardiff Golf team promoted in to make playoffs style with perfect record THE Swansea Titans managed to shut out the Cardiff Cobras in a 30-0 win that secured their place in the BUAFL play offs for the first time in the club’s history. Both of these teams had failed to play a game since the Christmas break due to the appalling weather that has plagued the SWAC, and so the mistakes, penalties and general rustiness that littered this fixture can be forgiven somewhat. The game took a familiar shape as Swansea’s offense started positively, moving the ball along the ground and through the air. Jacob Amadi rumbled into the endzone for the first score of the game. It was not all plain sailing for the Titans offense as their ball carriers fumbled the ball four times and Simon George was picked off for the first time this year. However, the Titans’ previously leaky defense was looking in utter control as they forced the Cobras to punt over and over again. Safety David Ponting picked off the Cardiff quarterback and Amadi found his way into the endzone again taking the score line to 16-0 in the second quarter. Just before the half-time break MVP
by Simon George waterfrontsport@swansea-union.co.uk
George Downs-Wheeler laid a hit on the Cobra’s signal caller, which saw the player writhing in agony and ruled out of the rest of the game with knee ligament damage. With time ticking out on the first half the Titans held a two score lead. The second half started positively for Swansea as Marcus Wyatt had a big kick return into Cobra territory. However, penalty after penalty on the offense forced third and long situations for the Titans throughout the second half. Two big plays by the Titans defense sealed the game for Swansea. Downs-Wheeler snaffled a pick six, intercepting Cardiff’s back-up quarterback and taking the ball 30 yards to the house. Rhodri JonesPritchard, playing his first game of the year, then recovered a fumble in the endzone for the score. The game ended 30-0, a satisfying victory over a bitter rival, which sent Swansea to the playoffs and Cardiff back to the drawing board as their hopes of a post-season are close to being over.
WlNNERS: (l-r) Oliver Hadden, Liam Eley, Tom Beddow, Rhodri Booth, Greg Harris, Tom Smith A HUGELY successful season has seen Swansea University Golf Team promoted back to Western 1A with a 100% record in Western 2B. Captain Tom Beddow was delighted with the club’s progress this season after the team won won all six of their Western 2B matches. The team’s results in full were a 3.5-2.5 win over Cardiff 1sts, 5.5-
by Tom Nightingale waterfrontsport@swansea-union.co.uk
0.5 thrashing of Bristol 1sts, a 6-0 whitewash of UWIC 2nds, 5-1 against Cardiff 2nds, 4.5-1.5 against University of South Wales Pontypridd and a 5-1 victory over University of South Wales Newport. Beddow was thrilled with his team’s invincible season and
highlighted the efforts of his teammates in securing this success. “After getting relegated last year from Western 1A, we believed that it would be possible for us to get promoted again,” he explained. “However, I don’t think I or the team expected us to ahieve our aim quite as comfortably as we have made it look. “The team has put in a terrific effort this year and we are looking to win the Cup as well, which starts on Wednesday 12th with a home match against UWIC 2nds. “We were meant to have played our last match in early December at Celtic Manor but it was cancelled twice. “We then managed to get it played at Pennard earlier this month in horrendous weather, where it was increasingly difficult to keep balance due to incredibly strong winds. “ The has also put in a terrific effort this year in the Cup and are looking to win the competition. Their first game against UWIC 2nds was postponed on Wednesday 12 February and will now be played this Wednesday at Cardiff Golf Club.
waterfrontonline.co.uk
SPORT I 29
Running
Still time to sign up for the Swansea 360 Marina 5km run in March THERE is still time to sign up for the Swansea Trotters 360 Marina 5km run on Saturday, 15 March with the closing date for online pre-registration being Friday 28 February. Now in its second year, the road race is organised by the Swansea University’s Swansea Trotters, the alumni club for athletics, cross country and triathlon, in collaboration with the event’s host, 360 Beach and Watersports, who will be providing prizes for the male and female race winners. The race is open to everyone aged 16-plus and runners can also register on the day of the race from 10am for an entry fee of £7, whilst online preregistration costing just £5. Almost 90 people have already signed up to take part in this year’s event, which will see half of the funds raised go to the university’s athletics, cross country and triathlon clubs and the other half to the event’s official charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY). This is in honour of Swansea Trotters member Timothy Butt, who survived a sudden cardiac arrest early last year while studying at
by Tom Nightingale waterfrontsport@swansea-union.co.uk
Swansea University. Following the success of the inaugural run last year, in which 100 runners took part, the event returns with an extension from the City and County of Swansea which enables the race to host 250 runners. The race is run on an extremely flat and quick course, taking place entirely on the Swansea Bay promenade and is open to runners of all abilities. Steven Jones, organiser of the run and club president of Swansea Trotters, highlighted the importance of the race and its charitable nature. “Our club is built on friendship, so to turn the race into a fundraiser in tribute of Timothy was a no-brainer; the news of his cardiac arrest shook us all, so to be able to raise awareness of the condition through supporting CRY is highly important to us. “I was blown away by the success of the 5km in its first year; we had a fantastic turn-out and a professionally run event thanks to the team and my fellow organiser Richard Mann. “Building from this success I strongly believe we will reach the 250
attendee mark for this year’s run. “In addition, we are hugely grateful to 360 Beach and Watersports and the City and County of Swansea for enabling us to put on the race for the second year running and to Swansea University and CRY for their support and collaboration.” Timothy Butt, Swansea University College of Science graduate and cardiac arrest survivor, is thrilled with the progression of the event. “I’m delighted and extremely grateful that the event is being held in support of the charity CRY – a charity that I fully support. “This is just one example of how the Swansea Trotters family have really supported me as a member during my recovery from my cardiac arrest. “I would like to thank the club, the members and the organisers for their hard work to put on the event. I am really looking forward to the run.” Alison Cox MBE, Chief Executive and founder of CRY, added: “It takes great courage and determination for anyone who has been affected by young sudden cardiac death to be able to see beyond their own situation and to want to raise funds
for CRY and to help us increase awareness of our work, including screening, advice and support. “Thankfully, due to the increasing success of screening, awareness and diagnosis, we are now working with more and more young people, such as Tim, who were suddenly found to have a potentially life-threatening heart condition, when they believed they were fit and healthy. “On behalf of all of us at CRY, I would like to say a huge ‘thank you’ to Tim and the Swansea Trotters for their recognition and support for us and we wish them every success in their fundraising event” Meanwhile, Kate Hannington, General Manager of the 360 Beach and Watersports centre, explained the facilities available for the race. “Following the success of last year’s Swansea Trotters Marina 5km, 360 are thrilled to be hosting the event for the second time in March 2014. “It’s a fantastic event which promotes sport and activity on Swansea Bay. “If you’re running you can use our free showers and changing facilities and if you’re spectating then get the best view of the start and finish line from our Cafe Bar.”
SWANSEA INTRAMURAL FOOTBALL Four cup quarter-finals bring 22 goals A GOAL-PACKED weekend of cup action in tricky conditions saw Ajax Treesdown, Photosinthesis Grasshoppers, Swansea University Men’s Football Club 6ths and current holders Team Sloth advance to the semi-final of the Intramural Cup. Ajax were able to progress to the semi-final with a 4-2 victory, coming from behind after what captain Rob Hawthorne described as a “30 yard screamer” gave Golden Showers a 2-1 lead. Hawthorne pointed to the freekicks of Jack Neale as being crucial in turning the game around, Neale getting the equaliser and then putting the game beyond doubt with dead-balls. The prospect of playing at St Helens in the final has the Ajax squad “buzzing” according to their captain, who also said that were they to get there they would look back on a dramatic extra-time goal in the first round to defeat Crayola 4-3. Photosinthesis also had to come from behind to get through,
by Max Stevens waterfrontsport@swansea-union.co.uk
scoring four times after conceding an early own goal in what captain Shaun Lewis said were “absolutely terrible conditions, with ridiculous wind and hammering rain.” Photosinthesis are the selfconfessed “underdogs” of the teams left in the competition, having six defeats in their eleven games in the league so far. Despite this, Lewis says that his team have belief in their cup form and believe they have a “good chance” of not only reaching the final but possibly taking the trophy home. The difference in league and cup form for Photosinthesis has best been shown by the difference in fortunes of their league and cup games against SUMFC 7ths coming just a week apart. Having been thrashed 5-0 in the league, Photosinthesis were able to rally themselves and respond with a 1-0 victory in the last 16 of the cup against the side that Lewis believes to be “the best
team in the league.” Sloth had to wait until after all of the other quarter-finals were finished before continuing the defence of their crown, a wait that did nothing to alleviate the conditions which captain Alex Marenghi described as “dreadful.” Sloth were able to use these conditions to their advantage, using the fact that the wind was behind them in the first half to put pressure on the Hardly Everlusen defence and racing into a 2-0 goal lead before half-time. Sloth continued to dominate the game in the second half despite the wind now being against them, and added two further goals in the second half. Marenghi described a “30-yard screamer in to the top corner” from his man of the match Aled Davies as ‘the pick of the goals, which all but wrapped up the victory’ making it 3-0 before Lewys Thomas added a fourth. Sloth are hoping to make it an amazing hat-trick of cup wins having won the competition in the past two seasons, and Marenghi
says that his players are “desperate to make it to St Helens.” The biggest victory of the round came from Univeristy 6ths, with a 7-1 win over a Team Armadillo side who are only 4 points behind them in the league. Captain Haider Al-qaddo is excited by the prospect of playing at St Helens but says that his team will “take nothing for granted, all of the teams left in the competition will be hard to beat.” Al-qaddo said that his team are always looking to challenge in both the league and the cup, but having dropped off the pace in the league somewhat have now prioritised the cup as their “big focus for the season.” University 6ths lost their ‘keeper Akash Chibber to a sprained ankle in the quarter finals and will be hoping that he makes a quick recovery to help them as they look to make it to the final. The semi-final games will be played on the 26th of February and the final will take place at the St. Helens ground at 17:30 on the 12th of March.
Tennis
Tennis Soc making progress by Oliver Jackson waterfrontsport@swansea-union.co.uk
THE winner of Society of the Term last semester, an indication of the progress they are making, the tennis society have enjoyed a successful season so far. Both the men’s first and second teams are top of their respective leagues and are looking to secure top place finishes for the season. Sadly the second team was knocked out of the cup on a tiebreak shootout to strong competitors despite a valiant effort. However, a string of wins in the league to start off 2014 has seen them retain their top position and the team have already guaranteed promotion into the league above. A 10-2 demolition of UWE has certainly helped their case and captain fantastic Mr. James Fletcher continues to motivate his team to play to the next level. The women’s team, under the guidance of Rachel Seary, is doing well and the girls sit mid-table in their league, an improvement from previous years. A draw to Gloucester firsts away was a good result against a tough team and has helped them climb up the league. Things are heating up in the race for promotion in the league for the men’s first team. A technical glitch saw them slip off top spot for the first time, but successive wins against Aberystwyth firsts and Gloucester firsts have set the record straight and now they once again sit on top of the pile. The crunch match with promotion rivals Cardiff first looms and it is shaping up for a close finish ahead of the Varsity clash in April. Meanwhile, a 12-0 annihilation of Southampton Solent in the Cup sees the team progress to the quarterfinals. The society’s social tennis classes remain popular despite the weather thanks to the good work of our licensed top-level coach Dai Williams, and strong support would be a big boost for the players, The club’s progress is largely down to an increase in numbers attending these classes, as well as the good performances displayed by the men’s and women’s teams. The tennis society is also pleased to announce that it can offer free coaching with Williams to all members. Classes are held on Wednesday afternoons and are open to society members. Newcomers of any standard from complete beginners to regular players are welcome. Weekly socials starting at our sponsored bar Peppermint are also popular and we invite you to join us.
30 I SPORT
thewaterfront 10. 02.14
Boxing
Welsh student boxers impress at Oceana tournament
PROGRESS: The university’s boxing team have made great strides in recent months. MONDAY 9 December 2013 saw Oceana nightclub full to bursting point with avid boxing fans for a boxing tournament between the Welsh university students (from both Swansea and Cardiff University) and English university students.
by Mansoor Nadhar waterfrontsport@swansea-union.co.uk
After boxing was included at the Welsh Varsity for the first time ever in 2013, the hosting of this tournament, the first of its kind, was another step forward for the
sport’s reputation at university level. The competition was comprised of eight exciting bouts, and powerful puncher Lloyd Ihenacho was on top of his game to give the crowd a superb performance with a third round stoppage. Southpaw Kieran Ryan unfortunately lost on points after a close and defensive match. However, newcomer Ryan Thornhill, who had trained under head coach Avoen Perryman, displayed superior technique and skill and promising potential for the future by beating his opponent. The Welsh students then enjoyed further victory when Chirnjeev Nagi won his bout. Kieran Nathaniel and Alex Ruddy, the assistant coaches for the night, deserve a mention for their unflagging encouragement and support of the boxers. Despite intense training, captain Robert Sampson lost his match on a close split decision. All and all the Welsh students won a very pleasing six out of eight fights.
Ultimate Frisbee
Frisbee club perform well SWANSEA University Ultimate Frisbee club went to the Mixed Indoor Nationals on the 8 February, the first time the club has ever qualified for the national event. The team started off as ninth seed and after strong play on Saturday the team won four games and lost one to lift them to fourth seed. However a harder challenge on Sunday meant the team finished in eight position out of the 16 competing universities. They showed good defence and tactics but not quite enough against some of the better teams.
by Sophie Wiggins waterfrontsport@swansea-union.co.uk
Club captain Ben Yarnold was pleased with the performances. “I am hoping that this result at Nationals will really drive the club going into outdoor regionals, as well as beating Cardiff at Varsity”, he said. The team’s full results were: Swansea 4 - 9 Aberdeen, Swansea 7 - 5 Birmingham (2), Swansea 8 - 6 Hertfordshire, Swansea 6 - 4 Newcastle, Swansea 10 - 4 Cardiff, Swansea 4 - 9 Yor,k Swansea 4 - 6 Strathclyde and Swansea 5 - 8 Leeds.
PHOTO: SOPHIE WIGGINS
PLEASED: Ultimate frisbee club can be proud of their display at the Mixed Indoor Nationals.
Dydd Gŵyl Dewi
Ffair
waterfrontonline.co.uk
SPORT I 31
Hockey
Ladies through in Cup after comfortable win
SWANSEA 1st 3 - 0 SOUTHAMPTON 3rd PHOTO: M WATSON
OUTCLASSED: The ladies’ hockey first team breezed past Southampton 3rds with a dominant performance to secure their progression to the next round of this season’s BUCS Cup. SWANSEA University ladies hockey first team are through to the next round of the BUCS Cup after triumphing over Southampton 3rds. Captain Holly Janes said after the match: “It was a tougher game than anticipated, Southampton turned up ready to put in a good performance.” Southampton came prepared and
by Lisa Jones waterfrontsport@swansea-union.co.uk
keen to win despite statistically being the underdogs. The Swansea team, however, looked good from the outset, outpassing the opposition and maintaining most of the possession with the away team barely having a
touch of the ball. Swift passes in triangles up the right of the pitch allowed defender Hannah Quaintance to slap the ball into the D for veteran Chloe Guy to slip a deflection through the keepers’ legs. The 1-0 lead appeared to give the home team a stronger hunger to win and they began to keep the ball. Rapid transfers around the defence
exhausted the Southampton attack and opened up the pitch. An opening in the pitch allowed exSouthampton fresher Aimee Pink to slap the ball through to Laura Hume at the top of the D. Hume struck the ball with power as it rebounded off the keeper for an own goal, putting Swansea 2-0 up at half time.
The weather turned even worse with the treacherous conditions perhaps reflecting the away teams’ moods as they returned for the second half. Southampton came out far stronger after the team talk forcing some pressure onto the Swansea defence, who were fortunately prepared. The home team picked up the ball and counter attacked well, making use of Southampton’s’ disorganisation to win a short corner. A few attacking short corners came to no avail with the Southampton keeper being well and truly tested. Eventually a straight strike from Janes at the top of the D flew into the bottom left corner of the goal to secure a Swansea win and comfortably put the girls through to the next round of the cup. Janes seemed pleased as she reflected on the win. “Our defence were on form and held their own, with some phenomenal transfers. “The midfield and forwards worked hard to earn a couple of great team goals. “I’m proud of the performance, we did enough to stay in and I’m looking forward to progressing to the next round!”
Rugby
Struggling Swansea dig deep for vital win SWANSEA University men’s rugby union firsts hosted Bath on Wednesday 12 February as they attempted to redeem themselves having lost away to the same opponents earlier in the season. The wind and rain hammered down at Sketty Lane making a messy encounter inevitable as Swansea looked to boost their own confidence ahead of Varsity. If the wind was an advantage then it was Bath’s in the first half. A penalty within the first 5 minutes saw the ball fly between the posts to see the visitors go ahead. Swansea proved dominant at the breakdown as Bath displayed a lack of discipline. A good break from Swansea saw winger Andy Claypole go over for an unconverted try at the 10 minute mark to put Swansea 5-3 into the lead. With the posts bending in the wind the game was strewn with handling errors from both sides. Some promising play from full back Elliot Jones and front row Saman Rezapour looked as though it may bring a second try for Swansea but the ball went loose. Bath displayed some promising play but couldn’t prevent the ball from finding Swansea hands as the home side asserted control over the scrum, causing Bath to substitute a
by Ellie Caddick waterfrontsport@swansea-union.co.uk
front row player. However, discipline was occasionally a problem for Swansea, resulting in them giving away three penalties. Two of these kicks failed to make
the posts and the other was reversed as Bath were marched back 10 metres due to bad behaviour. Unfortunately Swansea couldn’t remain disciplined as a successful penalty attempt allowed Bath to take the lead by a point just before half time. After the break Bath caught
Swansea napping as their full back went over the whitewash to extend their lead. The conversion boomeranged above the kicker’s head as the winds continued to dictate play. With most of the territory Bath began to look dangerous but Swansea’s defence held up well.
SWANSEA 1st 16 - 11 BATH 1st
PHOTO: GEORGE DAVALLE
VITAL: SURFC 1sts secured victory over Bath 1sts to stay off the bottom of the table ahead of Varsity rivals Cardiff.
The last quarter of the game saw a swing in momentum as the home side looked determined to win. Only 10 metres from their own try line, a penalty try for Swansea looked imminent as Bath lacked discipline in the scrum. The scrum managed to hold up allowing Swansea to go around the side to see captain Reuben Tucker go over for Swansea’s second unconverted try. With only a single point in it, Swansea applied pressure and forced Bath into conceding penalties, two of which were slotted between the posts to secure the win for Swansea. Team manager Will Thomas, praised Swansea’s intent after the game. “The team fronted up well to a high pressure game and showed they wanted it more than the opponents,” he explained. “The work put in at training by head coach Richard Lancaster and Joel Galley paid off when it mattered.” Tucker was also pleased with his side’s efforts. “Our first half performance was outstanding,” he said, “and we just needed to build on that going into the second half. “The boys work rate and intensity was fantastic and the scrum worked really well. We’re feeling confident in the build up to Varsity.”
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Issue 237
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24 February 2014
Rivals square up as Varsity hype builds
Inside This Issue Golf
Promotion achieved with six wins out of six
p28 Hockey
Ladies sail through in Cup
PHOTO: SOPHIE WIGGINS
EAGERLY ANTICIPATED: Excitement is building ahead of 9 April as the 18th annual Welsh Varsity looks set to be a record-breaking day. FRIDAY 7 February saw the meeting of club captains from both Swansea and Cardiff at a promotional shoot for the Varsity launch. Hosted by Cardiff, the day was arranged with the aim of generating media publicity and creating the promotional materials needed to advertise the big day. Big-name media broadcasting companies such as the BBC, Rhino/ Varsity Apparel media team and both university unions attended the event. “Word of mouth around students is a great way of getting people on board with the event,” explained Swansea University Sports Officer Charlotte Peters, “but making sure we also have a reach further than our campuses plays a massive part in making the day successful.” Varisty chairman and former Wales
by Laura Fiteni waterfrontsport@swansea-union.co.uk
international Paul Thorburn kicked off the day’s events with a welcoming speech to all those in attendance. Thorburn expressed his desire to ensure that the Varsity competition remained an example of sporting excellence in Wales and reiterated the hard work that was being done in the lead up to the pinnacle of the sporting year. The speech soon turned into fighting talk however as the Swansea and Cardiff competitors kept a cool distance from one another. For many of the club captains there was no love lost as rivalry and resentment lingered between the red and green armies. For others however, it was a chance
Selected Results
to meet their counterparts in a cordial atmosphere whilst getting the measure of the opposition up-close. The club captains were then ushered over to the Millennium Stadium, the site of the annual battle between Cardiff and Swansea, in order to take the professional photos that would be used used for promotional ads. Individual club captains were pictured with their game faces on with their opposing counterparts between the seats of the Millennium stands. Charlotte Peters was pleased with the results from the promotional meet. “The day went really well. It’s always an unfortunate eventuality of this kind of day that people will be hanging around and waiting for their turn, but
Selected Fixtures
12 February
19 February
26 February
Men’s Football
Women’s Rugby Union
SWANSEA 1st 2 - 1 UWE 1st
BRISTOL 1st 0 - 19 SWANSEA 1st
Men’s Badminton
Men’s Lacrosse (Trophy)
Netball
Netball (Cup)
Women’s Football (Cup)
Men’s Football
Men’s Tennis (Cup)
Golf (Cup)
Women’s Hockey (Cup) SWANSEA 1st v BRISTOL 2nd Women’s Basketball (Cup)
SWANSEA 1st v BOURNEMOUTH 1st
SWANSEA 1st 5 - 2 GLOUCESTERSHIRE 1st SWANSEA 1st 37 - 35 CARDIFF 2nd SWANSEA 1st v UWE 3rd SWANSEA 1st 4 - 0 USWP&C 2nd
SWANSEA 1st 12 - 0 SOLENT 1st
CARDIFF MET 3rd 2 - 4 SWANSEA 3rd CARDIFF MET 2nd 2 - 4 SWANSEA 1st
SWANSEA 1st V UWE 1st
the patience of the captains was very much appreciated and I hope they enjoyed it as much as possible.” With confident slogans emblazoned across team photos and banners, the competition is heating up. A record breaking number of tickets were sold this year with over 1000 being snatched up in less than hour. Meanwhile, Swansea clubs competing in the upcoming Varsity competition have produced a number of exciting videos pledging their allegiance to the green and white army and posted them online under the hash-tag #GWA. Now in its 18th year, the 2014 Welsh Varsity, which takes place on the 9 April, promises to be more exciting than ever.
p31 Rugby Union
Men’s firsts secure crucial win
p31
CURRENT BUCS 2014 1 2 3 4 5
Loughborough Durham Bath Nottingham Birmingham
30 Brunel 29 Swansea 30 Bournemouth
2706.5 2339 1973 1952.5 1943 745 738 722