Issue 27 Wednesday 25.03.09
Manners
British eccentricity
Comment & Opinion » p6
Life & Style » p10
First prize for Fresher’s hard-hitting short film
Sarah Morcom
A First Year student has won first prize for a hard hitting film which shows the dangers of students getting drunk. Luke Armstrong entered his film into the competition "One Too Many", which was designed to warn young people about binge and excess drinking. His winning film shows a group of four friends who are drinking together at home before heading out to drink more in town. The evening ends horribly for all four of them, with one of the characters collapsing in the street. The 18-year-old battled off competition from seven other entries to claim first place in the competition, which was hosted by Thames Valley Police, Hampshire Constabulary and NHS South. Luke, who’s studying Computer Animation, said it was important to get the right message across. “I think the main thing I wanted to achieve with this film was to get the message about alcohol consumption out there in an artistic way without it becoming humorous - which I think is a serious problem for a lot of short
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It’s Fee-diculous Jacob Leverett Editor
films of this type.” Entrants had to make a three minute film, and the top five were uploaded onto YouTube and voted for by the public. Shooting the video only took Luke and his team four hours and the final product was completed just days after. Luke said: “That was a record turnaround for me, but in part it was to do with how well the idea came off; everything came together really well.” The film-makers took to the red carpet at an exclusive premiere in Reading, where the top five films were shown on the big screen, and Luke was awarded first prize – a top of the range Canon camcorder. The teenager said he didn’t expect to win, but was “surprised, humbled, happy and slightly embarrassed.” He added: “Some of the other films were really good. It was nerve racking to have shown the film in front of a large group of people who know about film making.” Since winning the competition, the team have already made three more films, one of which is in the final of another competition.
Elections09
Universities UK (UUK), the representative organisation of Universities, has outlined plans to raise the current fee for attending university. The increase would take fees from around £3300 up to a staggering £7000. UUK put forward research stating that if fees were raised to £7k, it would make very little difference to the number of students applying for university. In a press conference, The National Union of Students (NUS) President, Wes Streeting, responded by described the “breath-taking arrogance of university vice-chancellors” in suggesting that fees should be increased in a period of graduate unemployment. Streeting continued to describe any increase as “reckless, irresponsible and short sighted”. NUS however, have criticized UUK’s research methods, pointing out that the research is only based on a single cohort of students and telephone interviews with only 12 vicechancellors. The author of the report has also since come forward and suggested
that the report’s results may well be “dubious”. At the same time, an anonymous BBC poll of university bosses showed that two thirds were in support of fee levels of between £4000 and £20,000 per annum, an amount that would undoubtedly financially cripple individual students, and lead to a society where access to university is judged on financial ability rather than academic merit.
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reckless, irresponsible and short sighted
Other reports are suggesting that students are already struggling with the current financial burden; Plymouth says requests for emergency hardship funds are up by 38% and Newcastle 20%. Other unis have also reported increases. NUS arranged a mass lobby of MPs, with concerned students from all over the country descending on Westminster to show their disapproval of the
suggested changes. Steve Topazio, Portsmouth’s Ed & Rep Officer stated “Opposing [fees] is a fight that is in the past, and now all of our efforts must be put into opposing plans to raise the current cap of £3000.” He went on to acknowledge that “Universities need more money, however we feel that students should not have to pay.” The current fee system was introduced five years ago, after a tight vote in the House of Commons. Currently students can borrow their tuition fees through a government system, and pay the fees back once they are earning over a certain level. However, NUS point out that this system leads to staggering levels of debt that many students who enter low earning jobs, such as teaching or charity work, will struggle to repay. The government, on introduction of the system, vowed that a review would be conducted this year -although the government has not confirmed whether the likes of the NUS or the National Student Forum will be consulted. Lord Young, the Minister for Students, however, stated that in his opinion the NUS has a pivotal part to play.
Luke’s films can be found online at: halofilm.co.uk
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Pugwash News Wednesday 25th March 2009
News
Editors
Spring has finally sprung as the first lambs of the season begin to be seen.
Photo of the Fortnight
Jacob Leverett Editor pugwashnews@upsu.net
Tom West Comment & Opinion Editor comment@upsu.net
Peter Allsop Design Editor peter.allsop@upsu.net
Elke Morice-Atkinson Life & Style Editor lifestyle@upsu.net
William Hobson Head of News news@upsu.net
Tallie Kane Arts & Entertainment Editor artsents@upsu.net
Laura Patricia Copy Editor copyeditor@upsu.net
Ben Endley Sports Editor sportnews@upsu.net
Sub Editors News Matt Calmus & Henry Tipping
Arts & Entertainment Dominique O’Mahoney & Jack Kane
Life & Style Nina Tennant, Russell Thomas & Olugbenga Oyeniyi
Sports Chris Hewett Design Sophie Abbott
Contributors Joe Adams, Pavel Angelov, Felicity Barnes, Jenny Canham, Mark Carrell, James Christie, Tom Dolan, Luke Donovan-King, Aaron Gent, Sam Fuller, Roger Harries, Emma Hastewell, Carla Laney, Caston Matewu, Sarah Morcom, Tom Murphy, Ali Roff, Chris Spackman, & Tom Worman
Universities Round Up With thanks to: Ray Anderson, Luke Armstrong, Norman Bates (Fider), Fred Bradley, Laurie Charles, Tom Harrison, Carl Jackson, Jacob Leverett, Rob Knott, Andrew Machin, Aakash Naik, Beth Shephard, Devinder Singh Sundan, Elaina Sperring, Wes Streeting, Oliver Styles, Steve Topazio, Luciano Zeraschi & RON
Dates for the Diary Elections Campaign Week More info on upsu.net/elections 23rd - 27th March, across campus
Carnival Sports clubs and societies unite! 1st May, Ravelin Park
Elections Voting More info on upsu.net/elections 24th - 27th March, across campus
Holi Hindu festival of colour 2rd April, Ravelin Park
RAG Fortnight Raising loads of money for charity Starts 26th Apr, see inside for details
Still bored? Find out what’s on this month at: tinyurl.com/byj6f8
University of Manchester Scientists at the University of Manchester are continuing in their quest to answer questions about the creation of the Solar System - after being given £3.5 million by a leading research council. Researchers in the University’s Isotope Cosmochemistry and Geochemistry group use specially developed technology to scrutinise tiny samples of material gathered from Space. They painstakingly identify the gases and other elements contained within meteorites or dust particles gathered from the universe. Ultimately they hope that information will be collated to help them to work out how and when different parts of our galaxy were formed. Now their ground-breaking research has been given a £3.5 million boost from the Science and Technology Funding Council (STFC).
University of Warwick A University of Warwick production about a newly discovered Shakespeare portrait has become the most downloaded film on Apple’s iTunes U service. The film, made in collaboration with the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, has been a massive hit, with over 20,000 downloads over the weekend of 14th/15th March. The film has also received prominent coverage on the Apple home page and news network, as well as a profile on the Quicktime Entertainment Guide alongside hiphop star, Flo Rida, and rock group, Razorlight. Warwick also has a strong presence in the top download charts for Health & Medicine, History, Literature and Mathematics - overall it has eight programmes in the Top 100 downloads across iTunes U.
Kings College London A previously unseen portrait of Mozart has been authenticated by an academic from King’s College London. Professor Cliff Eisen is a world expert on the eighteenth century composer. It could be the single most significant Mozart artefact to come to light in the last 200 years. The portrait, painted in oils, is 19 by14 inches. It shows Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (who lived between 1756-91) in profile, wearing a red jacket that apparently corresponds almost exactly to one described by the composer to his father on 28 September 1782, even down to the buttons. The painting could be worth several million dollars.
University of Liverpool Liverpool, UK - 4 March 2009: The University of Liverpool and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) have secured a £1.4 million project grant to begin the development of new drugs to combat malaria.The project, funded by the Wellcome Trust, aims to develop new antimalarial drug candidates which work by targeting a novel enzyme in the respiratory chain of Plasmodium falciparum – the parasite that causes malaria. The enzyme within the parasite is not found in humans, thereby fulfilling the most important prerequisite of a target for a ‘magic bullet’ - a drug capable of targeting an organism without affecting its host.
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Produced fortnightly by the University of Portsmouth Students’ Union (UPSU). Printed by Quotemeprint - www. quotemeprint.com, 0845 130 0667, and printed on 100% recycled paper. Pugwash News & Purple Wednesdays bears no allegiance to any political party and discriminates against no-one. This special elections issue has been produced by a volunteer team and content agreed by UPSU Staff.
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Facebook facelift Have your official say about the new Facebook layout here:
Tetris In case you’ve run out of other procrastination ideas:
Elections We hope you’ve gotten the idea by now, but if you’re still not sure what all the fuss is about, or are puzzled by the procedure, check out: upsu.net/elections
Google Street View It’s been in the news recently for being an invasion of our privacy. Make sure you check out the latest Google release showing your street from a vehicular perspective.
Twitter The micro-blogging website is taking the world by storm and we are one of the few Students’ Unions with our very own twitter page.
Spotify A new social way to enjoy music share songs and albums with friends, and even work together on collaborative playlists.
tinyurl.com/cuo3fz
twitter.com/portsmouthsu
neave.com/games/nblox/
tinyurl.com/yuvrlk
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Pugwash News Wednesday 25th March 2009
News
Plans to shake up Somers Town Shanghi Dramatic Arts Centre is attempting to adapt Karl Marx’s “Das Kapital” into a musical. Through an adventurous and innovative vision, the director promises to “unite elements from Broadway musicals and Las Vegas shows”, involving live music, singing and dancing.
A recent outbreak of violent drug wars in Northern Mexico have left 6,500 dead and is causing security problems for neighbouring America. The violence has left Mexico, a country upheld by its tourist industry and boasting the world’s twelfth largest economy, a broken and violent place. It has been suggested that it is in danger of being declared a “failed state”. The worst place to be hit by the violence is Tijuana, once a popular tourist spot and a border city to the US. It boils down to geography, however: a vast and sprawled city, host to a seedy underworld and providing real estate opportunities to those who attempt to smuggle cocaine into America, around 350 metric tonnes of which is said to find its way across the border each year. China has issued a statement holding the Western world responsible for its CO2 emissions. Li Gao has proved a difficult man to reason with for the Obama administration; his country, which is currently the world’s largest emitter of CO2, is asking for the consumer countries to admit responsibility for the increasing volume of harmful gasses China releases into the atmosphere, in the face of Obama’s proactive attitude to the climate problem. Gao’s argument stems from China’s feeling like a lesser nation to those who consume the products that the country produces. He says that “This share of emissions should be taken by the consumers, not the producers”. Although it may prevent the American President from making the kind of progress he had intended, environmental advisors have suggested that a consumption-based system might be worth considering.
Reports in the Los Angeles Times have followed the problems of Bob Dylan’s neighbours, regarding a portable toilet used by Dylan’s security guards, which is sending an intolerable stench across the neighbourhood. After failing to get in contact with Dylan about the problem, a neighbour attempted to blow the smell back using fans. The answer is blowin’ in the wind.
A group of scientists from China have discovered a fossil that suggests feathered dinosaurs existed much earlier than previously thought. The common image of scalyskinned dinosaurs might not be the most faithful one; scientists are labelling the discoveries as “protofeathers” and “dino-fuzz”.
Edgbaston House, along with an adventure playground and 10 homes on the site of the ballpark near Tipton House, and 50 new homes on Wellington Street car park. The council still needs to secure funding for the second stage of the redevelopment, which could cost as much as £120m and would see old council flats demolished and new housing built. Local paper, The News, reports that “housing managers are in talks with contractors about setting up a private finance initiative to provide the cash.” And the Portsmouth City Council website suggests that the development will not have any effect on residents’ council tax rates while also bringing new employment opportunities to the area during a period of economic downturn. It is hoped that the work will dramatically improve the area; existing community buildings are reaching the end of their practical life and the
new facilities will give local residents improved access to essential and recreational services, as well as bringing new interest to the area. It is thought that the new homes will be let by the council as social housing to alleviate the waiting list and meet demands for larger family homes. The location of the new facilities will ensure that the use of space is maximised to preserve green areas. “Our commitment to investment in the community facilities will cost approximately £20m, with no effect to council tax. We are supported by grant funding from the Partnership for Urban South Hampshire and the Homes and Communities Agency.” Construction work will bring new employment opportunities to the area during a period of economic downturn.
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Carnival
New Society
Two ticks for UPSU
In his recent excursion to Africa, Pope Benedict XVI commented that the Aids crisis was a “tragedy that cannot be overcome through the distributions of condoms” and that, in keeping with the Catholic church’s stance on the use of condoms, they “even aggravate the problems”. These statements by the pontiff have been met with outrage by health agencies working hard to halt the spread of HIV and Aids in Africa.
Mark Carrell
Pugwash brings you news you have all been waiting for: Carnival 2009 will be happening on Friday 1st May in Ravelin Park, next to the Library and Student Centre. Anyone who has never witnessed Carnival, prepare to be amazed! This year’s Carnival Committee have met once so far, and have already discussed some of the arrangements. We'll start around Midday, with a stage set up in the middle of Ravelin Park, and tents arranged around the stage – the focal point of the Carnival. PureFM will be running the stage. If you want to perform, email your
Tom Worman
It’s been more than 10 years since Portsmouth City Council started looking to regenerate what some might call Portsmouth’s very own ‘ghetto’ but you might well know it as Somers Town, or even home! Finally the long-awaited plan to transform one of the city’s most deprived areas is increasingly looking like it’s actually going to happen. The proposals to be put to the residents of Somers Town show around 610 homes bulldozed to make way for up to 1,500 new ones. The Council have consulted with various community and resident groups, totalling over 800 residents, and a staggering 80% have favoured an option which would see an £18m redevelopment. The first stage would see a community hub, which spans across Winston Churchill Avenue just past the infamous mugging spot of
SADO, Ella, at ella.lawson@upsu.net. The Samba Band, popular last year, are returning, hopefully for a little longer this year! There will be everything from fireworks, to a FairTrade Fashion Show! We want as many singers, dancers and performers there as possible; all societies and sport clubs are welcome to perform and get involved. The theme this year is nice and broad – Rio Carnival! - so no excuses for not dressing up! Although, this is your choice. So, once your dissertations and work are handed in on the day, come on down to Ravelin Park, tuck into the food and drink available, and let us entertain you !
The newly established UoP Sociology Society had their first meeting last week, and they invite everybody studying a social sciences degree to join. They aim to organise events, including social meetings, trips out, guest speakers and more. They also hope to provide a better and friendlier environment for students from all courses and years, keeping them up to date with developments and giving them the opportunity to exchange ideas, information, and books. More meetings are set to follow soon. The society is calling out for both devoted and casual members. If you are interested, you can contact the committee via: upsocs@hotmail.co.uk or their Facebook group. - PA
The first stage of work is expected to be done by 2010. Find out more at: tinyurl.com/c6yf9f
Caston Matewu
The UoP Students’ Union (UPSU) is delighted to have been accredited with the 2 Tick Disability Symbol, which recognises the Union's commitment to good practice in employing people with disabilities. To qualify for the 2 Tick Disability Symbol the Union has signed up to the following five commitments: 1) Interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria and consider them on their abilities. 2) Review the development needs of disabled employees at least once a year. 3) Make every effort to ensure em-
An advert for Angelina Jolie’s recent film, “Wanted”, has been banned due to inappropriate content. It was criticised for suggesting that “using guns was sexy and glamorous”. In September, posters for the film were also banned.
Wild chimps in the Congo have been fashioning themselves wooden clubs in order to break open bee nests; scientists studying the phenomenon have even suggested an array of implements in the primates’ “toolkit”, which they use to get to the honey.
ployees can stay in employment if they become disabled. 4) Take action to develop disability awareness among key employees. 5) Review these commitments annually, to improve, publicise and progress future plans. The 2 Tick Disability Symbol aims to ensure that people with disabilities feel confident that their employer, or potential employer, will be positive about their abilities. Andrew Machin, the President of the Student Union said “The symbol demonstrates the organisation's positive approach towards employees with disabilities, and also encourages more people from a diverse range of backgrounds to apply for employment.”
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Pugwash News Wednesday 25th March 2009
News
Pugwash reports: Candidates’ Question Time
VP Education & Representation and VP Sports Sarah Morcom
On the expectation that only a few dedicated students would be present, a surprise awaited; there was a good solid turn out of around 80 people in the lecture hall for the first of the Candidates’ Question Time sessions last week. Although most of those who had turned up were friends of the candidates, some well thought out and challenging questions were put to the contenders. First up were Devinder Singh Sudan and Oliver Styles, candidates for VP Education & Representation: How do you see the development of course reps? DEVINDER: “We require more communication between the lecturers and course reps; making more people aware about what exactly it is and try and ask them to be more dedicated and committed to the job.” OLIVER: “Course reps have developed in the last couple of years… I would make sure that every faculty and subject has a course rep.” Why is the extension of the library hours so important? DEVINDER: “What we can do is to make it extended for another two hours, or a couple of hours if it’s beneficial to the students. If I can do anything then I will do something.” OLIVER: “Quite a few unis have 24 hour opening times, and a lot of them are in the top 10 or 20 universities in the country. You need the library open longer; Southampton’s is, until 2am during exam times - if it’s beneficial to them there, why can’t we do this as well?” How do you hope to improve on the work of this year’s Education & Representation Sabb? DEVINDER: “I know my course rep, but I do not know what was going on behind the scenes. We have to have a medium throught which we can tackle interaction with that person, so my main aim will be to get to the student who does not know their course reps.” OLIVER: ‘I like to think I am an open figure, [people] can talk to me about anything. That said, my main thing is the library opening hours, there has been a development on lots of little things, but this is a big thing.” The Education & Representation officer needs a lot of passion – what have you been passionate about outside the university? DEVINDER: “Anything I do, I do with passion. It’s about passion… it’s about every simple thing… passion for me is every single day, every single second.” OLIVER: “My passion is rugby. It has been since I was seven. I’ve been playing now for 14 years. I’m not just on the playing side, I have done community coaching and next year I’m looking to give back to the University, to do coaching for the 3rd or 5th team.” If you could be a superhero what power would you have any why? DEVINDER: “I think you’re all superheroes, so to be different I would like to be a normal person.”
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OLIVER: “I’m a massive fan of Spiderman, so I would like webs to come out of my arms.” Next up was the turn of Elaina Sperring and Rob Knott, who are both running for VP Sports. How will you ensure small clubs won’t be overlooked? ELAINA: “I would encourage them to gain sponsors and join alliances with local clubs which will enable them to use the facilities for less or for free. That means the clubs have to get off their own backs and do it.” ROB: “I think this is a massive thing as sport goes... students are active in the AU, their job is to ensure facilities for them. I think encouraging the uni to spend such grand amounts of money is going to be hard.” What’s different about you, opposed to the other candidate? ELAINA: “Showing my support, that I care for other clubs as well as mine.” ROB: “I’m extremely hard working… really approachable, quite happy to talk to everyone.” Should larger, more successful sports clubs receive more funding? ELAINA: “When it comes to budget cuts, you need the drive and determination to move the club forward. I don’t like that the small clubs feel hard done by, that actually breaks my heart a little bit.” ROB: “There is never going to be enough money; there’s got to be the right balance. Sometimes the bigger clubs are better at raising their funds.” Should alcohol be used in Initiations? ELAINA: “The hockey club doesn’t actually use alcohol. I don’t think they [initiations] should stop though.” ROB: “It’s fine, as long as it’s done with a sensible member.” Finally, if you could be a cheese what cheese would you be and why? ELAINA: “A Babybel. I’m normal on the outside, and then on a Wednesday night, I’m a little bit different on the inside.” ROB: “A nice mature cheddar, the influence you need in life.”
VP Communications and VP Societies William Hobson
The questions asked on the second night gave us a chance to glimpse the different directions on the table for UPSU’s future, even though the audience of around 45 people were admittedly connected to the different candidates. The Communications candidates came first, and introduced themselves with their pre-recorded video speeches. Fred Bradley stated his plans to improve UPSU.net, and the chances it offers for student feedback; arrange professional media training for students; and return PureFM to radio broadcasting, if only on a limited basis. He aims to extend the reach of UPSU Media to beyond the student body. Jacob Leverett promised to give “student volunteers the better training and better infrastructure that they deserve”. He feels that more needs to be done to spread UPSU Media’s message across campus. Luciano Zeraschi proposed broadening the range of UPSU Media’s output to reach more students. His plans include translating content for international students, and he aims to build “the student voice” at Portsmouth University. When asked what the most important part of UPSU Media was, Luciano said that “all of them have their particular appeals and audiences”, whilst Fred believes that “making multimedia properly is key to our success”. Jacob said that it was important to consider what opportunities were being offered to the student volunteers. All three candidates agreed that smaller clubs and societies had difficulties getting coverage in Pugwash News. Luciano pledged to feature every club/society regularly, whilst Fred plans to train committee members to make use of UPSU.net to reach out to students. Jacob pointed out it was impossible to give all societies coverage in the paper without bankrupting the Union, but acknowledged that lines of communication between clubs and UPSU Media needed to be improved. The question of Pugwash News and the relevance of its content was a critical one. Jacob stressed the importance of the newspaper as a forum of
debate, given production constraints on “breaking the news” in its pages. Fred plans to increase the role of UPSU.net – reversing the current situation where the website lags behind the paper in content. He proposed a ‘newsteam’ that would develop content across UPSU Media. Luciano agreed that the website was the most likely solution. The most important question of the night was broached by UPSU president Andrew Machin – their favourite chat up line. Fred put it simply with “fancy coming back to my place?”, but “I have a knife” is Jacob’s favourite line – and “rohypnol or ketamine...” is how Luciano tries to strike it lucky. After the Comms candidates, it was time for the future VP Societies to face the audience’s questions. Once more, filmed speeches offered our first insight into their manifestos. Aakash Naik said that “some societies only exist on paper – I want to change that”. He proposes to make societies more accessible by ensuring that they made more use of UPSU Media, and aims to discover what lessons societies can learn from the Athletic Union – and build links between the two organisations. Carl Jackson emphasised building a stronger connection with Portsmouth’s student body, and pledged to always be available to assist anyone. “We need to recognise the diversity of our members,” said Carl. Tom Harrison originally pledged to increase societies membership to 5000 – about 2000 more than this year – and make organised trips a regular feature of UPSU. Unfortunately, Tom has since dropped out of the running for Societies VP. Committments to the new theatrical production “Sweet FA” would have conflicted with his campaign efforts. He has apologised to, and thanked, all of the people who had pledged their support. Aakash identified the main problems faced by societies as apathy and a lack of awareness. He proposed to encourage participation by organising regular meetings and establishing regular lines of communication between societies. Carl agreed that there was a lot of “unrealised potential for societies”,
and said that it was important to build on the successes of established groups and encourage new society’s development. He proposed to make use of social networking applications like Facebook or Twitter to encourage participation. When asked how they would build a “society community” without the common appeal found in the AU, Carl said that he planned to build on the current committee of the Society Executive Council to improve links between societies. Aakash said that he felt it was important to investigate just why the AU has a larger proportion of dedicated members, and that perceived differences between ‘Sportos’ and societies needed to be removed. Aakash thinks that organising frequent collaborations between societies would help people feel that they were part of “something successful”. Carl said that making things fun would build strong word-of-mouth support, which would sustain interest throughout the year. Both candidates stated their support for free speech when questioned about a hypothetical BNP Society. “They may be wrong and they may be racist, but I believe free speech is the way to work out what’s right – I’d let them make idiots of themselves” said Aakash. Carl qualified his disagreement by saying “obviously [the university] can’t support their policies completely – I don’t think I need to say why. I think they’d soon change their ways.” The two candidates differed on two important questions however. The first – whether PureFM should remain a society, with membership fees, or become an arm of UPSU Media. Aakash believes that by becoming part of UPSU Media PureFM would see a higher level of participation, which would lead to more listeners. Carl said that it would be better to remain a society, as “they do so much more beyond the radio content”. The second question they differed on was: if you were a drink what would you be? Aakash said “I’d be Ubuntu, because it’s fair trade”, whilst Carl opted for something stronger than ethical cola: “I’d be a vodka martini – shaken, not stirred.”
VP Welfare & Volunteering and President Emma Dines
I went to the third Question Time, for the VP Welfare & Volunteering and President positions. The support the candidates had was from their friends, however attendance from outside their friends circle, i.e. the rest of the University, consisted of only me. Laurie Charles and Beth Shephard were both running for the position of VP Welfare & Volunteering. The majority of questions were based around new ideas for Raising and Giving (RAG) and Volunteering in Portsmouth (VIP); however one of the first questions asked was about their approachability factor. Both were keen to tell us that they are very good listeners. Beth said “I am open minded and willing to talk to anyone.” Laurie said, “I like to listen a lot, friends feel they can come to me with their problems.” A major part of their role is to run campaigns, for example, this year’s included Environmental Week and SHAG (Sexual Health and Guidance) Week. When asked how they would ex-
tend welfare campaigns - Laurie said she wanted to give students a voice and Beth wanted to make leaflets to distribute around campus, along with signposts for counselling, healthy eating and free yoga classes. Publicity for these campaigns is essential for their success. Laurie said, “UPSU.net should be a lot more up to date”, and Beth said “We need to bring the campaigns to students, with the use of the road show and getting more societies involved with RAG.” The buddy system is an idea to be considered next year, and could be difficult with so many new students starting university; however both candidates said that through VIP they would gather a group of volunteers to visit halls, have a stall at the Freshers Fair, and increase socials. Beth said, “We need a website dedicated to this for everyone”. Laurie said, “Help is at hand, from not just one person.” Laurie made it clear that experience isn’t everything. Although, unlike Beth, Laurie has had little experience volunteering, her passion was
just as strong. Laurie said “I’m always learning, life is about learning.” Beth said “I know it sounds cheesy but, this means everything to me.” VIP gets around four times as much funding as RAG, and when asked if they thought this was fair, Beth said “With VIP, what you have is what you get for the whole year”; Laurie said, “RAG should get more money than it does.” Both wanted the money to be split more evenly. Next up was Steve Topazio, the only candidate, besides RON (Re-Open Nominations) to stand for the role as President. The first question asked was how Steve felt of the lack of competition for the role. “Victory will be hollow if I win, but I aim to win anyway. It takes the weight off my shoulders but I am disappointed, positions should always be contested.” A quite controversial question later asked why, if Steve thought the position should be contested, shouldn’t he back down and let nominations re-open. After a long silence he said “I have a chance
to prove that I am the one for the job, if not they will vote for RON... he is waiting in the wings to ruin my dreams.” When asked how he would stay connected to the student body, he said “It is important to remain neutral and guide teams to make decisions and make sure the students get what they want.” Steve wants to get students more engaged with the Sabb officers by opening a “Sabb Surgery” and going to every department to display what the Sabbs do. “We need to get out there once a week.” When asked what UPSU meant to Steve, he jokily said, “It means the world to me, how I got a 2:1 and have still got a girlfriend I don’t know.” He also said, “I have a lot to give back to the Union.” The final question was how Steve aims to motivate students to get involved. He highlighted the need to display the opportunities and experience you can gain by taking part, and said “engaging them is the key.”
Pugwash News Wednesday 25th March 2009
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Pugwash News Wednesday 25th March 2009
Comment & Opinion
The Editor reserves the right to edit and omit contributions. The views expressed are those of the contributors and not of UPSU Media. E-mail to comment@upsu.net or text the new number: 07595003626!
Election promises Top five types of rudeness
Well, election time is upon us once again. No, I don't mean that it's time to choose America's Next Top Model; I'm talking about the upcoming University of Portsmouth’s Students’ Union (UPSU) Elections! This is your chance to have a say in who will run your Union for the next academic year, so pop along to upsu. net/elections and have a good read of all the candidates' manifestos so that you can make an informed choice. We here at Pugwash News don't, and won't, endorse any one candidate but can offer you a platform to air your opinions and concerns. Here are those of one student who'll be making their way to the polls in a wee while...
We've all seen how the elected government runs this country. They promise a lot during the runup to the elections, and once on the other side, they fail to deliver on an awful lot of their promises. The winning points of their manifestos are conveniently forgotten and all that filters through to us, the electorate, is that they're abusing the power we have given to them in order to satisfy their own... well, whatever they wish to satisfy. The only thing I know is that 99% of the time, they're not satisfying us. Now, I know that running the Union isn't the same as running the country, but the same principles that should apply to the latter should most definitely apply to the former also. Honesty and transparency are the key points I'm talking about, alongside a commitment to do the best by every single student at our university. Once you've been elected, we need you to always make us aware of the decisions that you take and, more importantly, the reasons why you have taken them. Of course, I'm not expecting you to tell us about every new pen you've bought with our money, nor am I expecting you to hang banners with the reasons for your decisions from the roof of the library. I am, however, expecting you to make an effort to keep us up to date with everything that concerns us, thereby giving us a chance to react to your decisions in a democratic way. Perhaps forums on the Internet, or regular poster-based announcements are the best way forwards. I don't know; I'm merely one of many and I'm sure someone out there has more and better ideas than I have had. I'm not in a position to say that
any one of the candidates up for election will not perform outstandingly in their position once the celebrations are over, but I am in a position to say that there is always a risk that someone will lose focus with regards to the job they're doing once they're installed behind their desk. It's the same with the lead-up to the elections. The candidates must ensure that they have decided to run for whatever position they have done for the right reasons. It should never be about furthering the agenda of a particular individual or group, and if a candidate has run for a position because of an entirely selfish reason then they should stop and think about the 20,000 other students out there that will depend on them to act on their behalf once they're elected. Would they be willing to sacrifice the trust of all those who went to the polls in order to get solely what they want? Please excuse my cynicism. I'm not going to make excuses for it though, because I'm proud of this University and I do want the best for it. Yes there are those of you who will laugh at this, but then again, those laughing are probably those who won't turn up to vote, and then be under the mistaken impression that they have the right to moan about things should they be in disagreement over how a particular aspect of the Union is run afterwards. By all means have fun during your campaigns: make funny T-shirts and banners, sing loud songs proclaiming that your chosen candidate is the only person for the job, and hand out as many free sweets as you think it will take you to get our votes. Please don't use that time to cast aspersions on your fellow candidates, to spread lies and rumours about them behind their backs or any other underhanded tactics. Nor should you attempt to make new friends or influence existing acquaintances during this time. Remain committed to your own cause and not that of any other individual, and you will ensure that the best person for the job gets elected. Even if you lose, you should take comfort that the people themselves have decided, without (a great deal of) exterior influence, who they want to run the Union, and accept that gracefully. You should trust that the person elected will do their upmost to be of benefit to the Union and the University also. Now all that remains is for you to turn up and vote. Name supplied
There's so much being thrown backwards and forwards these days about what's wrong with society. People blame alcohol and drugs, amongst other factors... However, the critics tend to forget that there are those out there who don't need to become chemically-addled wrecks in order to blight our country. Felicity offers her opinions on who the impolite and rude REALLY are, with her top five rude kinds of people.
in front of you, sometimes physically shoving you out of the way, almost always with some inane request that takes the poor cashier 20 minutes to sort out. Can you tell me that you didn’t want to do them a mischief? Or even simply take them by the shoulders, shake them and explain in a clear, slow, patronising voice the intricacies of queues and how to use them? No? Didn’t think so.
Ah, the rude people of this world. Can't live with ‘em, can't live... oh no, that's a lie. We could all live quite happily in this world without them; we’re just stuck with them. You can find them all around the world; whatever country or city you live in – let’s face it, this time society isn’t to blame, it’s ingrained in these peoples’ nature. If you haven’t already met them, prepare yourself: through life you're going to encounter one of those people whose raison d’être is to make your life a little more difficult. So here it is, my top five list of rude people:
2) Snails – no I don’t mean the little ones you tread on when they’ve decided to try and cross the road. Picture the scene: Commercial Road on a Saturday. Packed with people with various complaints or bugbears (more on this later), and all you want to do is get down the road quickly and easily to get to McDonalds. You’re getting there, weaving through the crowd quickly, and then… here come the snails. Those people who exit shops in groups of four or five, usually with a pushchair or some other huge apparatus JUST so that they can park it directly in your path. And then just stop and gossip. Or walk at the speed of a snail (see what I did there?) directly in front of you in a pack so big you can’t avoid them, moving so slowly you feel like you’re in a funeral march.
1) Queue Jumpers – now bear with me; these may seem like little petty annoyances which, in a way, they are. But if people didn’t do these things, then these petty annoyances wouldn’t exist, now, would they? Now, without further ado, queue jumpers. Those scourges of society who see you waiting in line in Tesco or the bank, watch you get right to the front, then cut
3) Violent movers. Is it really necessary to shove little old students down the stairs or out of the way just so that you can get to where you’re going having gained a second? Surely it takes less effort, less time and more courtesy just to say “Excuse me please?”
Learn some manners.
4) Mobile-phone-welded-to-ear-syndrome sufferers… you know what I’m talking about. There’s nothing wrong with having a chat to your best mate, significant other or mummy, if you won’t be disturbing people and have some semblance of free time. The people I’m talking about are those who go to the cashier while yelling into their BlueBerry about how little Billy is far better at football than anyone else in that school, throwing money at the bewildered server who somehow is expected to be psychic and know exactly what they want. There’s no excuse for it, your conversation can wait 10 seconds. Please, for the good of mankind, save it for another time – just not on long train journeys with various personal details.
5) The self righteous – ah, the complainers of the world. “I want my money back!” is the refrain heard by most workers; “Am I the only person in this house who does the washing up?” is the commonest for students. These people are the people who seem to think the world is against them, and are bloody well going to make a stand about it. Tiny spot on a top? A crime against humanity. Loo roll run out? A personal insult against them. They are born to complain and will stop at nothing to be dissatisfied with the world. A little tip for these people – grow up. Felicity Barnes
Comment & Opinion » Responses
PC Nitpicky Our Head of News offers a reply to Martin Plappert's contribution in Issue 26. I think there's a bit of a misconception about “Political Correctness” - especially where it's ‘gone mad’. For example, I don't really think that the hostility towards a disabled TV presenter is really PC. When both sides of the argument are using the buzz word, you have to take a step back and look at what it really means. And in this case, neither side is right. It's certainly not PC to discriminate against the physically disabled. And you'd have to share the parents' misguided belief that children should
be protected against every less-thanperfect aspect of reality to support their, case for ‘PC gone mad’. The fact is, its not PC gone mad, it just looks like it, because its the same kind of unreasonable reaction masquerading as a valid ‘concern’. Personally, I think most of us take political correctness for granted. Spend some time with your grandad's generation; and not the nice old men and women, spend it with the idiots and the bitter twisted bloke in the pub. Not that I recommend this for fun, but it'll give you a bit of an insight into how ‘PC gone mad’ is a small price to pay. Less than two generations ago, you could happily spout racism, sexism and homophobia publicly and agressively. And it
wouldn't be the infrequent, fairly private hostility you see today. It'd literally be "Come on Sambo, thought you lot were supposed to be hard workers”. It would just be casual, accepted, and bloody disgraceful. And it has more of an effect than you might think - homosexuality may still be a bit of a sensitive subject for our generation, but before the campaigns of the 80s put correctness on the agenda, no one would bat an eye if you harangued a bloke in pink at the top of your lungs all the way down the street. And as for women - well, the whole PC thing is your fault really. You wanted to be judged like individuals rather than as a gender. And now, you are; people might joke about crap women drivers,
ditzy-ness and the like, but few people actually believe it’s true in the females they know. 99% of people will accept you as a co-worker, a boss, a competent human being outside of the kitchen. And if you're demonstrably not, they might call upon an old stereotype to complement their criticism - but they probably won't assume it from the start, and they'll know to keep it under their hat. I have friends that are undoubtedly racist - and I don't mean through the PC lens. In private, they refer to their neighbours as niggers, and, when pissed, Asian taxi drivers and shopkeepers become "Abu". You'll hear them moan about the “Pakis”. But it’s an inherited response; they don't seem to really believe it the way their
dad or mum does. They've grown up in the PC culture, and they're aware that people will tell them to shut up if they're too vocal about it. I thank PC for keeping their ignorance out of my face for long enough for me to get along with them. Yeah, there's a minority that abuses our increasing consideration; that thinks that all possible offence should be eradicated; hat exploits the possibility of discrimination for their own gain; that takes offence pre-emptively - that would stifle even clinical observations of difference. But their presence is really small change next to the way that it’s become standard practice to show a bit of consideration and keep your nasty little thoughts inside your skull. - WH
Pugwash News Wednesday 25th March 2009
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Pugwash News Wednesday 25th March 2009
Comment & Opinion
The Editor reserves the right to edit and omit contributions. The views expressed are those of the contributors and not of UPSU Media. E-mail to comment@upsu.net or text the new number: 07595003626!
Green giants The Climate Change debate is one which divides society down the middle. On one side are those who view climate change as an issue that has been blown out of all proportion by “hippy types”, and if humankind is damaging the climate then there is little to be done to reverse this trend. Issue 25 of this newspaper printed a comment by a student who viewed climate change as an issue which is “not as big a problem as it is made out to be”. In contrast - on the other side of the divide - are those who are more practical about the challenge of global warming; who taking action to reduce their own contribution to the damage to the environment and are putting pressure on the government to take the necessary action. This month has seen a huge rise in the amount of coverage that climate change has had in the media. Earlier in March, the Business Secretary, Lord Mandelson, was hit with green custard thrown by a protester from the antiaviation group “Plane Stupid”, who take action against aviation’s climate impact. This action set the scene for a month which has been dominated by stories regarding climate change, and thus brought the issue to the forefront of political debate. As part of his tour to South America, the Prince of Wales visited Rio de
Janeiro, where he warned business leaders in Brazil about the risk of not tackling climate change. Brazil is a country which is expected to suffer the extreme effects of climate change through the loss of its tropical rainforests. Scientists at the recent Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen have predicted that if global temperatures rise by two degrees then 40% of the Amazon Rainforest will be gone by 2050. It is this statistics of this nature which has led the Prince of Wales to state that we have 100 months - just over three years - to save the planet from “catastrophic” environmental damage. The heir to the throne is quite possibly the best known British political figure in support of action on tackling climate change. This does pose the question: why is the issue not respected by the majority of MP’s? All too frequently, the main political parties present themselves as being a “green” party. PR stunts such as the Conservative party leader riding his bike through the streets of London or planting the odd tree are often presented as proving the green credentials of the mainstream politicians. This proves that the main political parties are not taking this issue seriously enough. This kind of attitude has led Philip Collins, the former speech writer to Tony Blair, to claim that the politics of climate change cannot be seen as be-
Regeneration ing owned by any of the mainstream parties. The former aide to the last PM sees the issue as being a possible vote winner at the next General Election, as it could be used to prove the credentials of the party that really takes the issue on board. The decisions that are made at the G20 summit in London at the end of this month, and in Copenhagen in December, will prove how seriously politicians are really taking the issue of climate change. Hopefully the leaders present at both important events will take green issues into account when deciding how best to rescue the global economy. By providing practical measures, politicians have the power to make climate change a respected political issue, save the planet from catastrophe, and help boost the economy. The Oxfam People & Planet society will be peacefully protesting alongside thousands of other groups and organizations at the G20 summit on Saturday March 28th. You can take part in this protest and send the message to world leaders that environmental issues need to be taken seriously in order to successfully rescue the global economy. Free transport to London is provided, but spaces are limited! To reserve your place just email The President of the Oxfam People & Planet Society at: aakash.naik@gmail.com Chris Spackman
I have been motivated to write this piece in alignment with a recent comment article written by Sir Roy Anderson, rector of Imperial College London (ICL), printed in The Guardian, which concerns the role of UK Universities in ascertaining pragmatic educational solutions to the nation’s economic slump. Indeed, seeing as my last featured article focussed upon the pressures, complications and all things worrying about finding a graduate job and the potential threat to the value of an undergraduate degree (see our back issues online - ED), it seemed only fitting to get my thoughts across on this said piece. In the opinionated article, titled “A chance for Universities to step up to the plate”, Anderson explores how our higher educational institutions have been quick to propose how best to position the UK economy for the recovery phase. Indeed, as is pointed out, universities are the powerhouses of discovery and continue to be at the forefront of innovation, and technological and scientific advancement, and thus a potential and influential medium as part of the route out of the economic crisis. The Prime Minister, in his Romanes lecture given in February, emphasised the importance of this research, and pledged to maintain the government’s investment in science. And it appears that Mr Brown is quite right to keep this pledge. Nobel prizes for major discoveries in recent decades have been exclusive to university-based staff and not to industry researchers, in an educational climate which sees four of Britain’s universities in the world’s top ten. Not only this, but universities are also one of the UK’s leading international businesses, with an income of over £17billion in 2004. Despite this, however, Anderson calls for universities to play a larger role when it comes to continuous training and professional development in technology-based subjects, entrepreneurial skills and small company growth and management, to help prepare for a new economic landscape. To do so, three key, yet broad, areas have been pin-pointed for improvement: reskilling, investment, innovation. Within this first area, it has been suggested that universities are planning to offer courses to former City-
employed science and engineering graduates to rekindle their interest to help drive the economy of this country forward. Furthermore, there are also plans afoot to upgrade knowledge in some business studies units on the topics of quantitative risk assessment and management, and transparent financial regulation. The second area for improvement - investment - is where it starts to get a bit tricky. To generate inward investment is the plan, but it’s not as straightforward as it sounds. Anderson suggests that universities should expand the intake of high-quality overseas students, while maintaining our UK intake. “Our intake could be expanded”, he explains, “with the concomitant benefit to the economy”. I am afraid to say here that that’s easier said than done. The UK is officially in a recession, and it did not help that Universities took on more students last year than there were spaces and finances for, resulting in spaces for next year to be frozen. Furthermore, it does not help that student loans are failing to be repaid. The Student Loans Company (SLC) learnt last month that up to 70% of students from other European Nation countries are not repaying back the loans which were taken out when studying in the UK. The third area for improvement, meanwhile - innovation - was dubbed as the most important. Universities must lead in defining and nurturing our innovation economy, while sustaining their role in research. “Science and technology ideas and actions need to flow thick and fast from our campuses” Anderson suggests. Indeed this would not only benefit the worldwide economy but also help to tackle other contemporary issues such as climate change and clean energy supplies. It is no secret that the world economic environment will be competitive during the slow recovery phase. Indeed this is a chance for universities to define themselves and the degrees which they offer, and to show they can prove to be an institution beneficial to society befitting the 21st Century, but at a cautious pace. Tom Dolan Text in your thoughts to our new Comment & Opinion text number:
07595 003 626
Life & Style » Community
Life & Style » Societies
Community living
Airsoft not softies
Emma Hastewell
With only a few months left until the end of the academic year, the Student & Neighbour Liaison Service would like to remind you about being considerate of others whilst living in the community. We are all members of the same community, whether a student, a young family or a long term resident, and it is important we are all considerate of each other to create a peaceful and happy environment for us all to live. Student behaviour affects everyone living or working at the University or in the local area. The majority of stu-
dents are well behaved law abiding citizens, but, as with any large population of people, there is a small minority who can ruin things for everyone. Anti-social behaviour and noise nuisance can intimidate others and cause distress and anxiety to those affected by it. The Student & Neighbour Liason Service would like to ensure that everyone who lives in a community - be it a University Hall or a residential neighbourhood remembers the following points: 1) Maintaining good relationships with our neighbours is in the interests of everyone. 2) It is important that we are considerate of other people’s lifestyles and
property. 3) Behaviour which impacts on local residents, as well as criminal damage and other criminal acts will not be tolerated and the University will take disciplinary action if necessary. If you would like advice on how to build a good relationship with your neighbours, or are having difficulties with your housemates or people who live around you, and would like to speak to someone in the Student & Neighbour Liaison Service, then please call 023 92843214 or email:
student-neighbourliaison@port.ac.uk
There are only ten weeks left of term, so let’s do our best to show the community at large that Pompey Uni is a polite uni!
One of UPSU’s newest societies, the Airsoft Society, write about returning victorious from one of their first comps. “We managed to complete the first village assault objective in the record time of 54 seconds. We then continued to take the remaining objective in a total time of under 12 minutes, scoring the first three points of the day. Rob started Mission Two with an epic charge across the course and a tactful dive into the bunker, completing the objective in another record time of 11 seconds. The second objective was the hard one, over an open field, we fought for nearly 20min; all the cover was on the defending side, leaving us open to incoming fire. Ting lead the rest of us
in, storming the tractor position and charging for the landy. Portsmouth was the first university to progress to the last objective. For the last village assault, we started at the opposite end of the field and, after several lapse attempts, we pulled together, pushing down to secure the objective in under five minutes. The second phase saw us bogged down by a support weapon positioned in one of the watch towers; we struggled against this but finally eliminating him, allowing us to move up to place the bomb, and ready ourselves for the final objective.” More information visit: UPAIR.co.uk
Pugwash News Wednesday 25th March 2009
Elections09 DON’T THINK THE CANDIDATES ARE RIGHT FOR THE JOB?
You can always vote to Re-Open Nominations and let other candidates stand
£46,000 per year wasted? Welcome to the final special pullout (unless we make another one announcing the winners) for the 2009 Sabbatical Elections. The candidates have been announced and now it is your turn to make a real difference and choose who will be leading your Students’ Union in 2009/10. The UPSU elections are held each year to select the six students or graduating students who will be acting as representatives for the student body at the
Students’ Union for the next year. In this issue you can look at the candidates’ posters and make a real decision about the candidates’ based on more than who can shout the loudest during campaign week. This week you’ll see loads of people out campaigning in stupid outfits, making lots of noise - listen to what they say and make an informed choice at the polling booths around campus. For more information visit upsu.net/elections
Where and when to vote 24th, 25th, 26th & 27th March 2009 Students’ Union Tuesday ,Wednesday, Thursday Friday Frewen Library Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday Friday Richmond & Park Wednesday Tuesday, Thursday Friday Portland, Anglesea & Eldon Wednesday Tuesday, Thursday Friday
10.00 – 20.00 10.00 – 13.00 10.00 – 16.00 10.00 – 13.00 8.30 – 13.00 8.30 – 16.30 9.30 – 13.00 9.00 – 13.00 9.00 – 16.30 9.00 – 13.00
Every year we take a poll whether the Students’ Union should stay affiliated with the National Union of Students’ which costs around £46,000 of your money - here we ask if it’s all worth it. Reasons to disaffiliate NUS is unable to cope with the commercial pressures that Students’ Unions face today. The organisation is divided, fails to represent students and is merely factionalised fighting amongst itself. This year we have seen changes but not enough! In a day and age when finances are of key importance Students’ Unions cannot throw away money, which is sadly what they are doing by affiliating to NUS. How can Union justify giving substantial sums of money to an organisation that cannot even manage what it receives in affiliation fees? NUS has repeatedly made political decisions that have been of detriment to the students body. NUS are fantastic at telling students at what they have achieved but they have consistently failed on student funding. NUS failed to stop tuition fees being implemented in 1998 and in 2004 and this quite frankly isn’t good enough! Tuition fees have been successfully reviewed in Scotland and Wales but not England. Why? NUS are a closed organisation that do not communicate enough with their members on key issues. They exploit the members they have by signing national marketing deals but do not return the income to the membership. Examples of this abuse of students are numerous, student mobiles, ITM etc, The Mirror... By disaffiliating from NUS Portsmouth would initially save £46,000, which could be re-invested in the bars, sports & societies and welfare
services to students at Portsmouth. I ask you to think about what could be done with that money, to better your student experience. You as a student need to ask yourself, what real benefit does an NUS card have for you? Discounts at High Street shops? Entry into your Students’ Union? A student representative body? By disaffiliating, Portsmouth would not necessarily not lose any of these benefits as the Union could set up its own student discount scheme, and we can re-invest any revenue but into Union activities unlike NUS. You don’t need an NUS card to get into the Students’ Union; identification of being a student at Portsmouth would be enough. The Students’ Union elected officers would still continue to represent you as a student of Portsmouth. Being in NUS does not realistically benefit students by disaffiliating we can lobby for a reduced fee and re-invest that money into what really matters, you the Portsmouth Student.
Reasons to stay affiliated It’s free for you - the Union pays the NUS fee for you. Big or small, when students or Unions have a problem the strength of NUS helps. Students need a national voice and lobbying and research on a national scale to ensure they are represented. Only NUS can provide this collective voice, fighting for the rights of all members across the UK. Nurses, teachers, farmers, the elderly all have
national organisations to represent them, and students require the indispensable representation and support they obtain from membership of NUS. People say NUS lost the fight against fees. But bursaries, the fees cap at £3,000, and campaigns on international student fees are all thanks to NUS. It actively campaigns on all the big issues- just type “NUS” into the guardian website or see nusonline. co.uk to see the huge work it does. The truth is we can’t do it on our own, sulking in a corner. Co-operating with students all around the UK is how we make UPSU and our own lives better. It would be daft to think that a group of people could run a students’ union, with all the commercial elements, plus a developing welfare unit and a strong Skills and Volunteering programme, without support, training and information. I’m talking about Portsmouth- so much of what you do is adapted from the copious amounts of training and support offered throughout the year for staff and sabbaticals. NUS provides an infrastructure which helps individual students’ unions to undertake their own work through the research it carries out, the training, advice and support it offers, the materials it produces and the documents it publishes. Effectively, it’s like getting a team of over 50 staff and 25 elected officers assisting you and UPSU for the cost of just one (and even that’s a cost that the Union pays for us). Have your say. Vote this week!
MARCH 23rd: CAMPAIGN WEEK
MARCH 24th: POLLS OPEN
MARCH 27th: RESULTS NIGHT
Candidates recieve their publicity and campaign teams will be mobilised for votes right across the campus
The ballot boxes will open across campus from 9am on Tuesday 24th, closing at 1pm Friday 27th. Locations above
Join us for all the tears and joy, as the candidates find out who will be running the Union next year. Or see them live online
Got a campus card? Then you can vote!
upsu.net/elections
Pugwash News Wednesday 25th March 2009
Elections09
Got a campus card? Then you can vote!
upsu.net/elections
Pugwash News Wednesday 25th March 2009
Elections09
upsu.net/elections
Got a campus card? Then you can vote!
Pugwash News Wednesday 25th March 2009
Elections09
upsu.net/elections
Pugwash News Wednesday 25th March 2009
Two whole weeks of activities, fun and mayhem to raise money for some very worthy causes - the charities detailed below. There are so many events that every single student in Portsmouth has the chance to get involved. Have a read below or pay a visit to www.upsu.net/rag for more details
WEEK ONE
WEEK TWO
Monday
Sunday
Home baked cakes made freshly by the RAG committee’s own fair hands and available to you for almost nothing! We will be round and about the University buildings, selling cakes all day for you to munch!
The Netball team are organising a tournament for anyone to join in with, so get your teams together or just come along and watch us at Langstone.
Tuesday
Monday
We’re helping you to clear out all those unwanted prezzies or things which you’ve bought and never really used, and also giving you a chance to get your hands on some cool stuff cheaply, without having to pay the cost you would on eBay, and of course all the money goes to RAG! There will be some specially donated items which will be worth a bit more, so it will definitely be worth coming along ready to bid.
We will be hitting Gunwharf big style on this bank holiday, dressed as Cowboys & Indians, so dust off your outfits, get out your guns and help us raise some cash.
April 27th – RAG-A-Muffin
May 3rd - Netball Tournament
April 28th – Auction (VIP)
May 4th – RAG Raid
Tuesday
May 5th - RAG-A-Muffin
Wednesday
April 29th – RAG Jail Lock up your friends or enemies in our specially built RAG jail. The more you pay, the longer they stay!
Another day of fresh baked goodness for your eating pleasure, as RAG once again hit campus to feed the masses.
Wednesday
Friday
May 6th – Slave Auction
May 1st – Carnival Want to see a member of Union staff in a bath of beans? Maybe you’d like to give a Sabbatical Officer a full body wax? Then Carnival is the place for you! Join us in the RAG area for loads of fun activities for everyone to get involved with and help raise some cash for our charities.
Have you ever wondered what you would do if you had a slave for a day? Well now you can! Sabbs, Sportos and any other volunteers will be up for sale at Purple Wednesdays.
Women’s Aid
Air Ambulance
Diabetes UK
Women’s Aid grew out of the women’s liberation movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. As women came together, the issue of violence in the home as well as other forms of sexual and interpersonal violence towards women became highlighted. The first Women’s Aid federation was set up in 1974, providing practical and emotional support as part of a range of services to women and children experiencing violence, and Woman’s Aid celebrated their 30th birthday in 2004. Woman’s Aid believes that everyone has a right to live in safety and to have a future without fear.
The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance Charity was launched in October 2005, and on 1st July 2007 the Air Ambulance became operational and is now flying several missions every day. By mid-January 2009, the Air Ambulance had attended over 1200 incidents, many of which saved lives. The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance Charity provides a vital service to the two counties yet relies entirely on voluntary donations. With increasing fuel and administration costs, it needs to raise more than £85,000 every month to succeed: that’s almost £3000 every day. None of us know when we may need its help. Airborne within three minutes of a 999 call, the Air Ambulance can reach most of its operational area within 15 minutes. It needs an area only half the size of a tennis court to be able to land.
Diabetes UK is the largest organisation in the UK working for people with diabetes, funding research, campaigning and helping people live with the condition. They have over 170,000 members and work for people with diabetes, their carers, family and friends. They represent the interests of all people with diabetes by lobbying the government for better standards of care and the best quality of life. Diabetes UK’s research budget for 2008 is £7.4 million - the biggest ever - which they spend on research to improve the treatment of diabetes and search for a cure.
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Pugwash News Wednesday 25th March 2009
Life & Style
Life & Style guide to... British eccentricity Russell Thomas
We are a nation as famous for monocles and bowler hats as we are for Patrick Moore and punks - ritualistic tea-drinkers, the lot of us. Think of all the half-insane people that have come out of England. Kind of glorious, isn’t it? Now think of a jaunt down any high street in any town in the land – Portsmouth of course not being an exception (if anything, being a prime example). What are people wearing? Kind of sad, isn’t it? This is not particularly an issue of fashion – this, unfortunately, is a just simple issue of audacity and confidence. It’s sort of about fashion, though. Here is a good starting point. Question yourself (and everyone): why would you want to wear the same thing as everybody else? From what I’ve seen, the general consensus is a gigantic shrug, and a mighty Ugg boot in the groin. I can, however, see the perks. No comment on outfits apart from “that’s nice”. No hassle. No ridicule. No real thought. Easy street. And from here on in I find it a bit hard to justify myself. But, firstly, look at what you wear as you would look at a menu in a restaurant – try something different! This is the best place to begin. I
wouldn’t recommend anything crazy for the regular bootcut-jeans-andhoodie-wearing Joe (or denim-skirted Jane) – those of you reading this who come under this perhaps unfair generalisation, I firstly apologise, and secondly I wouldn’t try slipping in to anything too mental just yet. This is because, whilst wearing what you want is great, if you go from conforming to ultra-nonconforming in a week you might lose your friends. It would be like a Conservative suddenly voting for the Monster Raving Loony Party. Here are a few little changes you can make to start with - baby steps, as it were! First, make a change, don’t just run into Topman/Topshop and buy what your friends would approve of. Bottom line: if you like something enough to wear it – even if you are scared – buy it and wear it. Second - and this may be a bit advanced to start off with - but do try charity shops. I know the feeling when one of your parents may drag you into a charity shop. This, while mortifying, is an immature feeling. To be blunt, get over it! There are a load of good clothes that you can find in charity shops. You may not like all of it, but persistence counts. Sift through for something that you like, it will most probably be something different
– not many people shop for clothes in charity shops, so you’re bound to find something unique. Like I said, this may be a bit advanced right now. Finally, try to stick to what’s just plain and simple. Look around you at what other people look like. If you like the look of what they look like, and they look a bit different, take a mental note. Stealing fashion ideas is A-OK. So those were some tips for getting in touch with the squinting man smoking a pipe and wearing leopard print leggings, a Victorian smoking jacket, a string vest, and a top hat who is known as ‘British Eccentricity’. There in itself is another warning. Don’t go mad. This may seem odd to say in a guide like this: I’m a little bit left of centre, but a little bit right of left. Here is where the “bit about fashion” comes in – I’m not contradicting myself, I’m being reasonable. Yet another analogy: it would be just as hedonistic and liberal as saying to yourself “ok, I like sweet things, therefore I’m going to eat more sweet things” – makes sense, right? But it wouldn’t make sense (and it wouldn’t be healthy) to start eating only sweet things. Everything deserves a bit of common sense. This could mean being more savvy about the fashion world, perhaps reading magazines (Vogue, Dazed & Confused, i-D, to name the
heavyweights) or taking note of what clothes the mannequins are wearing in shop windows, or, again, simply watching the changing trends of what people are wearing generally. For me, it is as much being more lenient in the outrageousness of what I wear as it is a thing of forecasting and being sensible. That, however, is how I think about this guide to British eccentricity. You don’t have to limit yourselves, if you don’t want to. It is just a guide, after all – it can’t even touch the surface of what you yourself perceive to be British eccentricity. I will finish as I started. The standard eccentric Brit is individual, outspoken, and garish. Think Oscar Wilde, Boris Johnson, Vivienne Westwood, Patsy and Edwina from Absolutely Fabulous; and that very phrase "absolutely fabulous". If you want to pay homage to these odd people, and to others I haven’t named, and to the spirit and idea itself, then pay homage in the most particular and recognisable way possible – through fearless fashion. Check out more about styling your wardrobe on a tight student budget by picking up Pugwash Magazine’s Budget Special, out later this week.
Single vs settled; lonely vs loved up? Jenny Canham & Russell Thomas
It’s the classic debate: Jenny celebrates single life, while Russell advocates relationships in this Life & Style look at our love life. Jenny: Why is it so important to be “in a relationship” these days? The other day I started asking myself if I actually feel pressure to be in a relationship - and the truth is I do. Is it not possible to be single and perfectly happy? My belief is that people that are single are in fact happier than those that are part of a couple; well, this is the case with the majority of people I know that have a boy/ girl friend. They seem to be miserable more than anything, rejoicing when the night comes that they haven’t arranged to see said ‘other half’. Having to check everything with
someone else, not being able to do what you want when you want, not being able to see who you want to see - the list is endless. Personally, I don’t respond well to ‘clinginess’, and tend to very much like my own space, which is why I don’t feel suited to the suicide they call getting into a relationship. Now, I’m not a mean person in the slightest, but if I said that logging onto Facebook to see the glorious announcement that so-and-so “ended their relationship” or “is now listed as single” doesn’t put a smirk on my face, then I’d be lying. Why people feel the need to tell the rest of the world that they are in a relationship is beyond me. I mean, fair enough if it’s a longterm thing, but when you see someone who is listed as in a relationship with somebody different every week it really makes you wonder if they class going out for a drink with some-
one one time as some kind of lifetime commitment. Ah, the complicated world of relationships. The more I think about it, the happier I am to be a singleton.” Russell: It isn’t so important to be in a relationship these days. I have single friends and they are fine. Funnily enough, my friends still see me, even when my girlfriend is visiting me. I am not shackled or in chains. There is nothing wrong with being in a relationship. Of course everyone will miss their girl/boyfriend when they aren’t here, but there is such a thing as keeping yourself busy or just having fun and putting that feeling to the back of your mind for a bit. Then there are the perks. When they are here, imagine, literally, never being lonely. There’s always someone to talk to, to snuggle up to, to annoy, joke with, argue with – yes, even the argu-
ments can be fun (sort of!) And sex... sex on tap (almost), maybe even sex on tape (joke). You have to be honest with these things: sex is good. It may sound very ‘clingy’, but my girlfriend and I are are pretty much inseparable; and I’m sure many other couples are like this. But even when she isn’t here, as I’ve said, I can get on with life. However, we do, when she is here, do everything together. My housemates and my friends here at uni all like her. There is really no problem with asking permission to do things: we don’t. We are ‘liberal’. I apologise if I seem smug to those singletons out there in single-ville. Sometimes we do argue ridiculously. And of course it costs money to get the train every weekend. Speaking of money, two of everything is a lot more than one of everything. I’m talking loans and overdrafts. We share and are richer for it.
Life & Style » Education
Arts & Ents » PureFM
Celebrate International Sunday in style
PureFM Show of the fortnight
Oyeniyi Olugbenga Samuel
According to UCAS, there are 1.6 million full-time undergraduate students in higher education in the United Kingdom. Over 99,000 of these students are international. The University of Portsmouth is host to some 3500 international students, from approximately 100 different countries. Every year the University of Portsmouth Christian Students organise and celebrate International Sunday. Here Pugwash News explains what International Sunday is all about, and what it is going to be like this year. International Sunday is celebrated by University of Portsmouth Christian
Students from foreign countries once a year. It started several years ago and since then it has been successfully organised every year. This year International Sunday is expected to be unique. The Oasis Centre has been booked as the venue for the event; oratory speakers from other countries have been invited and international Christian Students are ready to showcase their different and unique cultures. Last year International Sunday was believed to be one the best so far, as students dressed in their traditional and cultural attires, spoke fluently to each other in their native language and, for once in the academic year, they felt as if they were actually back
in their home countries. This year the programme will include delicacies from different countries such as Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Zimbabwe, India, China, and America, among others, which will be provided by the organisers of the programme. Traditional cultural dances will be performed, adding glamour to the occasion. There will also be a display of flags from many countries, to celebrate international students’ identities. This years’ programme will also involve the Christian Union. This years’ International Sunday will take place at 2pm on the 26th of April. For more information, please visit: upsu.net/getinvolved/societies/ifcs
Music with Altitude Tuesdays 1-3pm “Music with Altitude” began as one of the first rock specialist shows on PureFM three years ago. Still going strong today, we play a combination of rock, indie and metal, which ranges from Snow Patrol to Metallica. The combined tastes of Jay and Oli will leave you rock fans spoiled for choice. Tune in Tuesdays from 1-3pm for your helping of weekly rock news, Jay’s Gig Guide and Oli's Linkage Challenge. This show, and all other programs offered on Pure can be streamed live from: purefm.com
Looking for part-time employment? Current vacancies
For more information on the vacancies and how to apply, please login to the Jobshop website via UPSU.net/ jobshop University Halls Recruitment Days - 24 & 26 March Looking for summer work? Interested in working in Portsmouth over the summer?
Guided ride tour leader Are you looking for casual work? Are you interested in cycling?
Cycle trainer Are you looking for casual work? Are you interested in gaining work experience with children?
Technical sailing clothing sales assistant Are you free three days at the weekend? Working in Port Solent at a prestigious, busy yacht chandlery, from Easter until September 2009. Product training will be given but knowledge of the sport of sailing would be advantageous. Good rate of pay for right candidate.
Kitchen porters, chefs, food runner, host/hostess and bar staff Are you interested in working at Gunwharf Quays?
Sales advisor Are you interested in working part time? Would you like to work in Gunwharf Quays?
Weekend sales assistant Would you like to work in Gunwharf Quays? Are you interested in working weekends?
Front of house staff required Are you interested in working for a busy restaurant in Gunwharf Quays? Cafe assistant Would you like to work in a busy cafe located in Gunwharf Quays?
Lifeguards needed! Are you a qualified lifeguard? Are you interested in working in a camp this summer? Sport coach Are you passionate about sport? Do you have experience in coaching?
How to claim back any overpaid Income Tax Don’t forget that after 6th April you can reclaim any overpaid Income Tax. For more information, collect the Income Tax form from the JobShop.
Summer Jobs Fair Thursday 23rd April Come along to Club Lux from 11am2.30pm upstairs at the Union. Employers will be at the Union to discuss their summer and part-time employment opportunities. Did you know? • • • •
From 6 Feb – 8 Mar, the Job Shop Online had 4,300 visits to their webpage There were over 30,600 page views from the Job Shop Online 41% of the visits to Job Shop Online were new users who had never used it before The top three vacancies in terms of page views were Sales Assistants at Gunwharf Quays
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Pugwash News Wednesday 25th March 2009
Life & Style
Interview with: Norman Bates Sarah Morcom
There are around 4000 students in the Business School at Portsmouth University, but just one of them has successfully set up not one, but two radio shows. Passionate about music, Norman Bates is out to ‘spread love’ and educate people about all forms of music. The Second Year Business studies student gives us an insight into his life. How long has music been a part of your life? I have been into music from a very early age, but as far as being in the music industry or DJ-ing, it has been roughly about 14 glorious years, of which I have had the privilege to hear some true musical legends, and some great undiscovered talent. You’re a huge fan of urban music; what do you love about it? I don’t like the label ‘urban’, as it encompasses so many different genres of music; it is something which people who do not truly understand the music try and simply label it with I was bought up on urban music, growing up with my mother forever playing Motown and reggae, so it is something I have always related to. Great soul singers can be appreciated by people the world over, and they bridge gaps between certain boundaries. I have always seen it that music sees no boundaries, as it is universal. What sets urban music apart from other types? I don't really think any sort of music is truly set apart in any way. People may think they are, but essentially the love and passion for all genres is the same, but can bring different fashions and trends. Some forms of urban are also labelled as “music of black origin”. It is one thing that I must re-iterate in that title, that it is “of black origin”, and not “black music”. When in ourselves we can see music for what it is and not how it separates us, that is when the barriers can truly be eradicated, and the appreciation and love for music can begin. You had a show on Pure FM
called Pure Vibez; tell us more about that. Pure Vibez was a show that I started about a year or so ago. I saw that urban music was not represented on any show on Pure FM, so I wanted to bring a show which showcased the best in all genres of urban music. It may have seemed easy, but a lot of preparation went in to every show each week. So why did you leave? I felt that I had taken the show to a point that it could keep running at a level by itself. Urban music was now not only on that show, but also apparent on the daily playlists. I am diverse in the music I play, and noticed a lack of house music being represented on the station. Once again I felt that I could build up a show around that, which I would like to get to a point that it gets as many listeners and appreciation, as well as be able to educate people about the love of house music (and maybe even win another award...) Setting up and running another show sounds like hard work – do you have much spare time and what do you do? I am dedicated to music so I am always preparing for my next show (contacting labels and artists, etc), practicing mixing, or out DJ-ing somewhere. I really don’t have that much spare time anymore away from music, but it is my love and passion So do you see yourself having a career in the music industry? Future aspirations would be to still be involved in music, maybe even own or run a few radio stations and venues. I’m looking to go back in to management once I finish my degree. Even if I get a job in a company which has nothing to do with music, I will still have something to do with music in the future, even if it is in my spare time . Finally staying with the theme of music, what song would sum up the first semester of this year? It’s more the title of the song, but he’s a great artist; it would be Talib Kweli’s “Beautiful Struggle”
Life & Style » Education
Life & Style » Trivia
Cultural differences
You learn something new every fortnight
Oyeniyi Olugbenga Samuel
Coming abroad to study was, for me, like a dream come true, especially in the United Kingdom. My first experience on the streets of Portsmouth sent shivers down my spine, as boys and girls kissed without fear or shyness, as opposed to how they act in my own culture and tradition. It was like watching pornography in broad day light. Studying in the United Kingdom entails so many things: getting used to English accents was the first major obstacle I had to overcome. I had to strain my ears in order to hear and understand the words, and then tried
to guess what was being said just from how the lips were moving; I also had to use body gesture and language for people to understand me better. Even using buses, trains and coaches was also a totally different experience buying food from supermarkets, getting contract phones and the like was entirely strange. There are ups and downs involved in learning abroad - getting acclimatised to the English weather cannot be over emphasised, and the extreme cold conditions made things a bit worse. I wished all my lectures were in my room so I didn't have to go out. Stepping outside was like visiting the Arctic to me. I still have to wear heaps of clothes, ranging from different siz-
es, shapes and thicknesses all the time to feel the cold less. The United Kingdom is known for its high education standards and for me, it met all my expectations - having world class equipment and facilities. It is a place to read, relax and feel at home without disturbance, with most problems that could be faced by foreign students predicted early and solved. The first few days studying abroad might be a bit challenging, but it is rewarding after your full induction into the system and you will be glad you passed through the first stage. Pugwash News would love to hear of your own international experiences, please email lifestyle@upsu.net
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The average person in the UK drinks around 74,802 cups of tea in a lifetime.
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Toblerone chocolate barsare triangle shaped to represent the Swiss Alps. Obvious when you think about it...
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Feeding your rabbit lettuce is like feeding your little brother opium - kind of; it has a similar effect on the little fluffy ones as the historic drug has on us.
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Your brain can burn an average of 400-500 calories a day! This amounts to about 20% of your total energy burn for the day, but
even if you were anaesthetised it would still need 150 calories per day. Perhaps you do need a Subway after the library then! •
The first serial killer was an ancient Chinese noble, and a relative of the emperor. Lia Pengli killed over 100 people between 144-121 BC - as yet there are no plans to adapt this to a horror movie.
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Vodka is the alcoholic drink with the least calories, though if you're really worried about that sort of thing, once you get the first one in you could probably do with another.
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Pugwash News Wednesday 25th March 2009
Sports
Football round-up
Sam Fuller
For many of the senior football players, the season started way back in September, with pre-season fitness. One of the things that all the lads look forward to is the tryouts; they gave us the opportunity to get some fresh blood into the team, which we did by acquiring seven new players. A good start is vital, so getting the new boys to feel like they were part of the team was needed - our first social night allowed this, by us dressing up in ladies nightwear, all good harmless fun. The season opener was against our local football rivals, Brighton: the stars of the game were our some of our Freshers, with two goals from Sean and a hat-trick from Manny aka “Didier”, which ensured an entertaining 7-4 win, and a good start to the season. Another home victory followed against Surrey, this time Murray and again Manny were on the score sheet.Two consecutive victories sent Pompey to the top of the table. Next up was a break from league action in the form of the BUCS Cup. The great excitement of the cup is that it carried the possibility of being drawn against anyone. Unfortunately, the draw was not kind to us, we had were given an away trip to London Metropolitan Men’s 1st. On the mini bus we got for a trip to Walthamstow. Looking back, we needn’t have worried we put in a great performance on a pitch which provided a bit of a slope, 4-1 we triumphed, and the game will be remembered for Phelan’s right foot going from a rolling joke one week, to us bowing down the next, with a wonder strike from the edge of the area. A forgettable 2-2 draw away to Reading on the worst pitch ever provided a funny point when Ginge notched his first goal of the season, and celebrating by pulling his shorts down to reveal a tasty pair of superman pants, leaving the ref with no
choice but to book him - I think he was just jealous. Four straight wins followed, with the highlight being a 4-2 win away to Brunel 2nds in the second round of the cup; the lads used Stoke like tactics of resolute defending and long throws causing chaos in the opponents box. Goals from Ginge, Murray, Fuller and Kev Clark saw us home, A penalty shoot-out win against Canterbury Christ Church saw us through to the next round. A special mention goes to to Gribble for putting in a ‘Bruce Grobbelaar-like’ performance in between the sticks, with a couple of superb penalty saves. The mini bus driver provided us with a comedy moment, as he parked up in the middle of nowhere only to announce that “sat nav says that we have arrived”. We had yet to taste defeat at this point, but it was to come in the cruellest fashion, as the X-mas break was not kind to us, and, like many teams, the arctic like weather caused games to be cancelled along with our fourth round cup game against Reading; the game had been re-arranged many times, but the weather got the better, and the game was decided in the harshest possible way, with a toss of a coin, for which we came up short. Two solid wins against Reading and Surrey ended the disappointment; this meant we only required one point to take the title against Royal Holloway; the game started with us going behind, but Dan Barber put in a captain’s performance in which he managed to get his boot in before his nose to score a quality goal from outside the ‘D’. The goal brought Pompey level at 1-1. The full time whistle was greeted with jubilation as, for the first time for three years, a Men’s Football team has won their own league. 6th Team 08/09 D Gribble (GK), A Catterson, G Chiedozie, S Fuller, C North, D Phelan, K Clark, D Barber (C), C Thompson, M Coltham, I Black, T Roberts, P Stone, D McDonald, S Pickup, E Andoh
photo: Roger Harris
Rowing make a splash in Solent James Christie
The University of Portsmouth Rowing Club recently grabbed back some pride from the students of Southampton, although unfortunately in this case it was only Solent Uni! Three Pompey crews turned up dreary eyed on Saturday morning to prepare the boats for the race at Eastney. The two wooden coastal boats, Anne, which would be rowed by Solent, and Bernie Thompson, which Pompey would be using, were rowed from the boathouse on Southsea seafront to the point they would be racing from, just outside the Marine museum, 500m from Southsea pier. Waiting were the three competing crews from Southampton Solent, some of whom (UoP Rowing Club) UPRC had faced about six weeks ago at the Wessex Indoor Championships. The format of the day would be a head to head race over approximately 1km, with six crews competing; two female and four male crews. As per tradition, the female crews started the proceedings, with a fair crowd now gathered on the seafront. A light technical row down to the swimming area towards Eastney warmed the ladies up for the start of the race. On the signal from the adjudicator, the crews were off, both making a pretty even start to the race, up to the half way point. The crowds looked with anticipation on as the Portsmouth Women’s crew began to edge ahead. With Jenny Yip at bow, Alice Skinner at two, the Ladies Captain, Hannah Ruddock at three, the President Adri-
ana Keast keeping stroke and Beth Simmonds as their cox, the women began to open their lead. The girls demonstrated clean, technical rowing; as the ladies approached the finish line it became clear that the hours of training do pay off. Encouraged by the home crowd, they managed to snatch victory with a generous two boat lead on their Solent opponents. Well done girls! Next up was the first of two Men’s crews from each University. John Pye was at the head of the boat, with Robert Bias at two, Leo Barnett at three, Tim Ash-Edwards dipping his toe in the water at stroke and the University cox James Eaton. The crew hadn’t been rowing together for long, but there were high expectations for them. As the race started the boats were similarly matched, with the more experienced Solent crew gaining a small lead on the home boys. Then disaster struck as Bias’ footplate came loose, giving the Solent crew a concrete victory over the first Pompey crew. A lesson learnt in boat preparation! The second heat was between the other two Men’s crews, the winner of which would head into the final with the winning Solent crew from the race previous. With Solent fielding a much larger looking crew than the Pompey first crew the nerves set in. After a thorough check of BT, the boys set ofwith James Christie at bow, followed by Tim French at two, the Mens’ Captain Chris O’Brien at three, the second friendly giant, Mike Webb, at stroke and James Eaton again coxing. The race set off, and from the start the home boys got off to a confident
lead putting pressure on the Solent crew. Although Pompey had the advantage on the home water, the Solent crew were hard on their heels. Pompey managed to maintain their lead with some excellent calls from James Eaton. As the halfway point was crossed, the sound of the cheering crowds spurred the boys on to seal a three boat length victory over the Solent crew. Straight on from their victory, the Pompey boys rowed back to the start for the final. Tired from the first race, not 10 minutes previous, the well rested Solent crew had the advantage. As the adjudicator threw down his arm the call was made for the off. The first 100m saw pretty level pegging from both crews but after this it went downhill for Solent. Pompey managed to creep ahead with a 10 stroke push called for by Eaton. With the crew on form producing clean lengthened strokes Pompey managed to break away. By the half-way point they had a boat length on Solent. However, Solent weren’t going to hand over victory that easily and attempted to up their rate. With the pressure on the legs, Pompey managed to maintain the lead, and after the 750m mark Eaton called for another push. This seemed to dampen the morale of the Solent crew as the home boys of UPRC sealed the victory with a two boat lead. Congratulations go to all those who competed, and many thanks to those who came to lend their support. The return leg of the Varsity, to be held at Southampton, is to be announced in the near future. Watch this space!
a good team with some very experienced players. We beat them 13-7 and the win was deserved; we ran them into the ground, but we were left with a bitter taste in our mouths that we would have to step it up massively for the next game. The semi-final was against St Andrews, and was decided by sudden death, which we edged 12-11. The game could have gone either way, with Pompey going behind before taking the lead. It was a game to 12 with the score 10-8 to Portsmouth. St Andrews kept pressuring us, and through some confused D they scored 2 on the bounce: it was sudden death. Now we had one chance of making the final, and with them peppering
our endzone we needed a turnover. We finally snatched possesion thanks to a huge D, converting posession into a final score. Warwick, favourites from the start of the weekend, faced us in the final, but wins had buoyed our comfidence Unfortunately Warwick went 1-0; Pompey were never really in it, as they hit top gear and took the game. They had us beat around the field making some incredible grabs/layouts. The silver medal was well deserved and everyone put in maximum effort. We had a small squad with varied levels of experience. To be placed 2nd in the UK was above our expectations and was an outcome that we as a club are very proud of.
Sport » Ultimate Frisbee
Ultimate catches 2nd at Nationals Tom Murphy
After a strong performance at regional’s, Portsmouth’s Ultimate Frisbee team had qualified for the Nationals. We were seeded 10th for the weekend (3rd in our pool); our highest ever place was 5th in 2004. Our first game was against Bristol University, and we knew they had a solid team. However with a lot of patience and hard work we beat them 13-5. It was clear from the start that we were a team who could cope with wind, probably due to hours on the Common! We were always in control and it was a good solid start for the weekend, filling us with confidence.
Our second game was against Edinburgh, who have consistently been one the best university teams over the last five years. We knew they liked to play physical so we were determined not to get bullied by them. The game started that way; three of their players picked up injuries in the first 15 minutes, leading to some very heated discussions. Edinburgh showed their experience, and took an early lead by scoring an up-wind point. We managed to get a point back and, with Brunel on the sideline cheering us on, we had the belief that we could cause a big upset if we kept our momentum. The final score was 8-6 to Portsmouth and from trailing 1-3 we started to think about a possible top four place.
Our final game was against Liverpool, who had beaten us indoors earlier on in the year, so were due a purple back-lash. They were bottom seeds in our group, but if we slipped up against them the win against Edinburgh would, in effect, be cancelled out. After a hard performance, we won the game 13-5 and were top of the group - now the knock-out stages. On the Sunday, for the knockout stages, the weather was so calm. There was not a breath of wind, which meant our solid zone defence and ability to break through zones would be no use today, and we would have to rely on our man defence with a small squad and hot conditions. Our quarter final was against Exeter who again were
Pugwash News Wednesday 25th March 2009
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Pugwash News Wednesday 25th March 2009
Sports
Behind the Scenes with the...
Gym & Tramp Committee
Want to see your club, committee or team featured here? Email: sportsnews@upsu.net
This week, we are limbering up for an encounter with the most flexible club at University: Gym & Tramp Name: Lorna “Giggles” Kyan Role: President Comment: Only stops giggling for long enough to see away a glass of wine
Name: Lisa Golding Role: Vice President Comment: When not bouncing around, she likes it warm, wet and windy (for windsurfing purposes of course)
Name: Guy “Puppet” Holmes Role: Treasurer Comment: May be a ‘senior’ member of the club, but Guy will NEVER forget if you owe him money/Snakey-Bs: he will make you pay! Name: Eloïse “El” Brodin-Thornhill Role: Trampolining Captain Comment: When not shouting at cheerleaders, Ellie can be seen bouncing on a bed or two
Name: Rebecca Caron Role: Gymnastic Captain Comment: Pocket-sized Captain, so small you wouldn’t even know she was there
Name: Joshua “Sheepy” Naden Role: Social Sec Comment: Calm and serene, but not afraid to don a pair of hot pants and get wasted!
Name: Luke “LDK” Donovan-King Role: Media Secretary Comment: He may be the club’s ‘Fresh’, but Luke never shies away from proving his straightness in the HB (great at gay chicken though!) Name: Lucy “Brutus” Henry Role: Tour Secretary Comment: The snap-happy Islander, with absolutely no love for sheep...
Sailing back on track Joe Adams
The return of team racing to the University Sailing Club has been long awaited. With the support of Portsmouth Sailing Club, the Council, the outdoor centre, and the Union, Portsmouth team racers are eager, nay, desperate to show the rest of the country their talents. With a revised committee and a new team Captain, the team quickly made contact with Paul Rivington of the Portsmouth outdoor centre. Rivington and his staff were enthusiastic to accommodate the sailors and (for a price) have made their extensive range of competitive boats exclusively available to the race team. Combine this with the recent help of Davie’s Coaching and, behold, a new infrastructure,
Name: Amanda Follansbee Role: Head Coach Comment: If you can’t remember anything you’re told, remember one thing look at the shoe!
by the outdoor centre. The sailing team have a lot of time to make up for and the training is intense. The Davies Coaching team of “Jimbo” and James have put together a step by step plan to success, including high tech video feedback, on-the-water tips, and tough and aggressive match practise. Davie’s Coaching has connected excellently with the sailing team and have injected a great deal of confidence and expertise into the team. The recent training sessions have also unearthed some prodigious new talents who were previously shy of getting involved with the old regime of team racing. The sailing clubs aims are now to enhance and encourage the university’s vast wealth of talent and professional sailors to become the best team racers in the country, not necessarily an easy feat, but an achievable one.
Netball club are star struck Bath Loughborough
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Ali Roff
The very excited Netball Club got up bright and early on Saturday morning, and set off to Bath to watch the Team Bath vs. Loughborough Lightening Superleague Match. After a long but worthwhile journey, we finally arrived at the amazing Bath facilities and whiled away the time until the match, watching with envy - 12 year olds play some amazing tennis. That was until we were star struck (in particular Pres Beth): Olivia Murphy, the former England Captain, along with a few of her Loughborough team mates walked past! Nervously, Beth asked for a photo, although evidently the modest Murphy seemed more embarrassed by the request than Beth did!
After that excitement, we needed to take a seat, only to find ourselves sitting opposite the amazing Team Bath players, with names such as Rachel Dunn, Sasha Corbin and Pamela Cookey, England stars. We were becoming pros, and again asked for a photo with Team Bath. They even knew one of our own players – Emma Carrol! Now, to put this in perspective for everyone, I’ll put this experience into a football analogy. Imagine you were going to watch, say, Chelsea vs. Manchester Utd; each team has England players within them, and you got to meet and have photos with them, then you found out you were sitting so close that you were basically on the bench with the rest of the team! That’s right, although the game was at full capacity, Portsmouth Netball Club were seated courtside, right behind the Loughborough Team. The match got off to an amazing start. With Bath leading throughout
the match, Loughborough were only a few goals behind. We were in awe of both teams’ athleticism and skill, observing some absolutely amazing interceptions by Bath defence, England players Stacey Francis and Eboni Beckford-Chambers, and an overly impressive 98% successful goal attempts from Bath Captain Pamela Cookey. Many of us were secretly hoping for the underdogs Loughborough to win, but the undefeated Bath were not ready to give up their position at top of the league - awesome home defence left the final score a very exciting 47-45 to Team Bath. We had an absolutely amazing day, watching over 11 England players compete against each other within their teams at this outstanding, exciting level of Netball is something many of us had never seen before, and will never, ever forget. I would without a doubt recommend it to any sports lover! Jump on the Netball bandwagon!
Women’s football in Premier League continued from p16 superior fitness and desire of the Pompey girls really stood out. They knew they had half an hour to make things happen. Every player dug in deep and gave 100%. However, the breaks didn’t happen, and after 120 minutes of Football the score still stood at 2-2. So, it would be ended on penalties. Gloucestershire stepped up first and struck the crossbar; from that mo-
ment on Pompey knew that the title they deserved would be theirs. With the Pompey keeper saving every other Gloucestershire penalty, Vicky Lewis stepped up and smashed the fourth Pompey penalty into the top corner, sealing promotion and cueing the ceebrations! We had made it into the Premier League! It has been a season beyond comparison for the Women’s football First
Sport » Charity
Sport » Fencing
Bounce-athon Pompey Cup Luke Donovan-King
Name: Beth “Betty” Nichols Role: Kit Sec Comment: Two options in life: ask her for clothes, or go commando
a new outlook, and new regime of winning and happy sailors. This reinvention of Pompey’s team racers mentality has been a long fought battle following the unfortunate expulsion from the Navy base, Whale Island. The sailing team’s sudden departure from Whale Island meant dinghy sailing was halted as a new residence was sought. Unfortunately, the new location, although excellent for boozing, is not ideal for sailing (it’s quite tidal at the mouth of Portsmouth harbour). However the support of Portsmouth Sailing Club has been instrumental in the uprising of the dinghy sailing, allowing a space for boat maintenance, committee meetings, and most importantly (in some people’s eyes), a place to have a drink. Semi-sober and fit, training has begun at Langstone harbour, hosted
The University of Portsmouth Trampolining & Gymnastics club are holding a 24 hour “Bounce-a-Thon” to raise much needed funds for the University's RAG charities: Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, Women's Aid and Diabetes UK. The event will be held at St Luke's Community Sports Centre on the 18th April, from midday onwards. Non-members are welcome, and with a contribution of just £1, you can take part in this bounce marathon between noon and 5pm on the 19th. Keeping in tradition with the club's image, all members will be bouncing in fancy dress...
Laura Patricia Copy Editor
Enjoy the clash of swords? The University of Portsmouth Fencing Club is happy to present the first ever Pompey Fencing Cup. This event will be held in Lux nightclub at the Union, on the Saturday 28th March, beginning at 10am and going through to 4pm. There will be different events and matches throughout the day. You can compete, or just come and watch for a mere £3. For more information, visit upfc.co.uk
team - winning the Southeast 1A division and gaining promotion to the Premier League for the first time in the history of the club. All season the girls and coach Lee Moyce, have shown dedication, belief and most importantly enjoyment. This is why the purple passion has led to such an achievement; Portsmouth University Women’s Football are Top 10 in the country, and in the Premier League!
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Pugwash News Wednesday 25th March 2009
Sports
With Election Campaigning this week, we thought we’d save the hassle and put your two prospective Sports Officers up against each other to decide who is best.
Name: Elaina Sperring
Name: Rob Knott
What has been your worst sporting moment at university? Having to sit through 45 mins of Peter Shilton at last year’s AU Dinner...
What has been your worst sporting moment at university? Our Relay team losing against the Scummers at Short Course Nationals; our coach walked off poolside because of it!
What has been your best What has been your best sporting moment at uni? sporting moment at uni? Beating Chichester 1-0... they Tour... were beating everyone else in the league at least 7-0!
Sport » Editorial
Am I the only one that celebrated losing Varsity? Ben Endley
Since my last entry, the most notable event on the sporting calendar has been Varsity. Chewett and I spent the week prior to the event in a series of meetings, locked in negotiations about the centre page pull out. In the end it was decided that we would plan for four pages, and hope we would get enough content for eight; I felt that an overall victory would inspire numerous would be sports writers to appear to big up their club. By the middle of Sunday afternoon, it had become clear that four pages would be plenty. Embarrassing as a defeat on that scale always will be, a sizeable part of me
was delighted. Not because of any deep seated love for the Scummers, but because it identified in the clearest possible way that the gulf between us and them is far greater than 19 miles and 45 league places in the Good University Guide. To stroll around their Wide Lane facility is particularly awe inspiring to those of us who are used to the more minimalist charms of Langstone. It becomes clear in everything from pitches to kits to hospitality that Southampton are well ahead of us. Fast forward several weeks as I watch amongst the crowd of roughly 100 students cheering on the Women’s Basketball team as they gained promotion to the Premier League (ironically, with a victory over South-
ampton). This season, no less than four teams have won their 1A leagues; The Boxing Club are ranked 1st in the whole country, and Ultimate Frisbee are 2nd nationally. These figures don’t lie; we are a fantastic sports uni, our AU is the envy of other Universities, we have one of the highest participation rates in the country. And yet clubs are being forced to seek outside facilities to train and play; there is simply no room for us to grow. If something isn’t done to improve the situation, we could be in real danger of allowing all this hard work to be undone, something that would only widen the gap between us and our rivals from up the Solent. It is time for the University to match our sporting ambitions.
When was your last walk of shame? More of a jump of shame - ladyboy mansion last year, I nearly broke my ankle jumping out of a first floor window onto cellar steps...
When was your last walk of shame? Ages ago, my flat’s always closer to Liquid, Tiger or the Union, so we always go straight to mine!
Who is your favourite sporting hero and why? This week it’s my housemate Georgie Howell, for scoring in the last 20 seconds of our last match for uni!
Who is your favourite sporting hero and why? Lance Armstrong... what a legend - his appearance at the end of Dodgeball sums it up!
What was your worst Fresher Challenge? Jumping in a pool naked in front of everyone - first year of Tour.... standard!
What was your worst Fresher Challenge? I only ever had to do the world’s biggest Big cup and straight arm drinking - both ended up with me covered in Snakey B!
If you had to marry a famous member of the same sex, who would it be and why? Jessica Alba - if anyone could turn me... it would be her!
If you had to marry a famous member of the same sex who would it be and why? Well Owen Wilson looks a lot like me... would be like living with a mirror!
If you could be in any other club, which would it be? Octapush - hockey underwater see question four!
If you could be in any other club, which would it be? One with lots of ladies in it, so dance, netball or cheerleading!
Tell us a joke (but keep it clean!) How are women and ovens related? They both get turned on by knobs....
Tell us a joke…(but keep it clean!)... How do you make a blonde’s eyes sparkle? Shine a torch into her ear...
Boxing shine at Nationals
Three Golds in two minutes and 37 seconds... Wayne Gardiner
The Boxing squad produced another stellar team effort this week at the British University Championships in Sheffield. A compact and confident team of 12 boxers took the painstakingly long four hour drive up to Sheffield on the Thursday, ready for action Friday morning. Holly “The Surgeon” Keats sealed her University boxing career with yet another title, but this time it was all style. Holly landed some solid combinations, dropping her opponent within the first minute of the first round, and then proceeded with punishing shots, having the bout stopped in one minute and 26 seconds. Brandon “The Monster” Jones
P WDL
stepped in and immediately started to dominate his opponent, who was shaking with fear from the start. Landing combinations with speed, power and accuracy, after 35 seconds Brandon placed a powerful uppercut which left his opponent out on his feet. The referee then stopped the contest after 45 seconds. “Gorgeous” George Georgakakis was next up, and not wanting to be outdone by his teammates, landed quick and powerful blows with a straight one-two combination, lifting his opponent of his feet 16 seconds into the first round. The referee then quickly stopped the bout after the count, as his opponent did not know where he was. 26 seconds is all it took, some would call that lazy – I would call it efficient. The remaining squad had some varied results, with Becky “The Librarian” Rigby in her First Year earning a
silver medal, losing to a very game girl from Aberdeen; the bout was good action and fast, but Becky was just a little outboxed by the more experienced opponent. Brian “Kid Chocolate” Ogweno had it all to do, boxing against the Scottish National champion, a veteran of over 95 bouts. Brian stepped up to the plate and put some punishment on the reigning Champ. Going into the last round, Brian was slightly behind on points, but pulled out a performance to be proud of, dominating for the full two minutes. Unfortunately the decision went the other way, but what a performance against such opposition, earning every inch of his silver medal. Kingsley “King” Walker, our boxing scholar, was against Sean Kilroy from Ireland, who also was the reigning champion at his weight category. Kingsley used precise punching and accurate technique to pick his points carefully, unfortunately getting
a warning from the referee in the last round saw the gold medal just slip out of reach. For his first year King has done extremely well and is looking for National honours. Wadha Albader, James “The Lionheart” Williams and Matt “The Whirlwind” Wilcock all reached the semi finals, with Paul “Boo Boo” Mitchell and Adam “Insane” Insam getting to the quarter finals. Kat Beard did not get to box due to politics in the game, but is going to compete in the Home show against the police on 2nd April in LUX The coach stated that he is “very proud of all boxers, and I think we yet again sent the message out that Portsmouth are No.1, with 10 new boxers from a squad of 12 you can be sure that our team will be even stronger next year. I would like to thank David Hickey and Simon “Darby” Leach for their help over the weekend, and also the Athletics Club for their support.”
Rugby Union Women’s 1st 13 13 0 0 Volleyball Women’s 1st 5 5 0 0 Netball 4th 10 9 0 1 Golf 1st 9 8 0 1 Hockey Mixed 1s SESSA 7 6 0 1 Hockey Men’s 1st 13 11 0 2 Basketball Women’s 1st 12 10 0 2 Football Men’s 6th 13 10 2 1 Squash Men’s 2nd 11 9 0 2 Lacrosse Men’s 1st 9 7 1 1 Netball 1st 14 11 1 2 Hockey Women’s 2nd 10 8 0 2 Football Men’s 1st 12 9 1 2 Tennis Women’s 1st 6 4 2 0 Netball 3rd 13 10 0 3 Football Women’s 1st 11 8 1 2 Rugby Union Men’s 2nd 18 13 0 5 Tennis Men’s 2nd 9 6 1 2 Netball 5th 10 7 0 3 Badminton Women’s 1st 12 8 1 3 Hockey Women’s 1st 12 8 1 3 Squash Men’s 1st 13 9 0 4 Hockey Men’s 4th 9 6 0 3 Football Men’s 2nd 16 10 1 5 Football Men’s 4th 11 7 0 4 Hockey Men’s 3rd 13 7 3 3 Football Men’s 5th 12 7 1 4 Basketball Men’s 1st 10 6 0 4 Hockey Men’s 2nd 14 8 1 5 Football Men’s 3rd 13 7 2 4 Rugby Union 1st XV SESSA 11 6 1 4 Squash Men’s 3rd 9 5 0 4 Rugby Union Men’s 3rd 15 8 0 7 Netball 6th 12 6 0 6 Netball 2nd 12 6 0 6 Hockey Women’s 3rd 9 4 1 4 Rugby Union Men’s 4th 15 7 0 8 Volleyball Men’s 1st 9 4 0 5 Rugby Union Men’s 1st 14 6 0 8 Football Women’s 2nd 10 3 2 5 Badminton Men’s 2nd 12 3 2 7 Badminton Men’s 1st 11 3 0 8 Lacrosse 1st 9 2 1 6 Hockey Men’s 5th 9 2 0 7 Tennis Men’s 1st 11 1 1 9 Basketball Men’s 2nd 11 1 0 10 Fencing Men’s 1st 8 0 0 8 Fencing Women’s 1st 7 0 0 7 The above team rankings are as published on BUCS website: bucs.org.uk
Sport » Football
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Women’s football in the Premier League
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Gloucestershire 2- 2 Portsmouth Portsmouth win on penalties after extra time Carla Laney
On the 18th March the Women's Football First team got dramatically promoted to the Premier League, becoming one of the top ten teams in the country; a fantastic achievement, seeing as Women's Football is the most popular and highly contested female sport in the UK. After winning the Southeast 1A division for the first time in the history of the University, the team's opponents
were Gloucestershire, and promotion was contested over a two match home and away play off. The first playoff was a close contest despite Portsmouth dominating the game, chances were missed and the score at full time was 2-2 with goals from Gemma Hillier and Victoria Lewis. So, on level terms, the Portsmouth girls headed off to Gloucestershire, always confident in their ability and that they would be bringing home promotion. Once again, Portsmouth dominated the possession, playing some fantastic football, compared to their opponent’s long ball policy. However, bus legs were evident and Gloucestershire struck after ten min-
utes, making it 1-0. The Portsmouth girls never panicked, despite the jeers from the home crowd, and continued to play their game, building up the play knowing the chances would come to the better team. After 20 minutes, Portsmouth were awarded a free kick and Gemma Hillier coolly slotted the ball past the keeper, making it 1-1 at half time, at which point the referee told us we were by far the better team and would go out and win this game, which we all believed. The second half kicked off with some strongly contested challenges and a notably solid performance from the Portsmouth back line, allowing Gloucestershire no time on the ball.
In the 50th minute, Portsmouth were awarded a penalty after some neat play by Gemma Hillier and Vicky Lewis. Gemma Hillier stepped up, sent the keeper the wrong way and put Portsmouth ahead to make it 2-1 - game on. Portsmouth once again dominated the second half, silencing the crowd with some creative play and good attempts on goal. However, in the 70th minute Gloucestershire were awarded a controversial free kick, which found its way into the back of the net - the second half ended 2-2. Extra Time - it was here where the continued p14
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