THE TR DENT Midnight Ambassador The up-and-coming
Contemporary R&B/Pop artist explains his musical inspirations {Pg. 15}.
The Disaster Artist An exclusive review! {Pg. 19}
FLASHPACKING IN VIETNAM The gorgeous cities you need to explore {Pg. 21}
Cheeky Wednesdays Is it really worth it? {Pg. 5}
Animal Rain What the F@#%
is it?!
{Pg. 30}
Reindeer Referendum The controversial democracy {Pg. 8}
Welcome to the very first issue of The Trident; your new oncampus magazine, brought to you by Trident Media. We are Hertfordshire Students’ Union’s student media group, run by students, for students, at the University of Hertfordshire.
This is the debut issue of ‘The Trident’, where we show off the more journalistic side of what Trident Media has to offer. We’ve been searching for the most exciting achievements and stories from the University, and have talked with dozens of students in the process! We’ve also got some reviews from the world of entertainment, and some lifestyle tips to help you get the most out of your student experience. The Trident is just a portion of the work we do as a media team, and this issue provides the pinnacle of our work over the beginning of this academic year. The best part about Trident Media is that is it the closest you can get to industry experience on campus, outside your course. Trident Media Radio is the UK’s oldest student radio station, and we’re proud to broadcast 24/7. Our Trident Media YouTube channel is run by Trident’s TV team, which puts out coverage of events on campus, features talented students, and creates original entertaining content! Finally, is The Trident! You’re reading our all new magazine right now, and we have even more editorial content available online. There’s no experience needed, as we offer training for all of the above outlets. I really hope that you enjoy our first issue of the year, and look forward to reading the next. If there’s something you’d like to see from Trident Media, why not become a member? There’s more information at Tridentmedia.org Image credit: GDJ on Pixabay
Image credit: Robert Wheatley
Trident Media 2017-18 Run by students, for students. Here’s some of our achievements this year!
1,081 posts 1,089 followers 1007 followers Over 195,000 views on TridentMedia.org
We’re really excited to launch this brand new publication, and can’t wait to work on future issues with your support. I’d like to take this moment to thank all of the team who have worked tirelessly to bring this to life, and would love for more of you to join us and contribute to Trident in 2018! Matt Dowse | Chairman of Trident Media
Rosy Vega | VP Activities
The newspaper is back and I am SO excited! Trident Media’s committee team and members have been working incredibly hard since the start of the semester to release the first edition of the brand new newspaper The Trident. With a new look and feel to reflect what the students at UH want as well as exciting new content from the beginning of term, The Trident is off to an excellent start.
Written, designed & edited by students, for students, and provided by Hertfordshire Students’ Union
Editor in Chief
Rosy Vega VP Activities
Print Editor
Robert Wheatley robertwheatley21@yahoo.co.uk
Deputy Editors Matt Dowse stationmanager@ tridentmedia.org
Contributors
{Magazine & Website} Zoe Fripp Robert Wheatley Lara Owolabi Matt Dowse Jessica Grano de Oro Sam Carman Mia Batrisyia Pelumi Agboola Jemma Heard Tom Boon
Contact Us
vp.activities@hertfordshire.su Vice President A Hertfordshire Students’ Union College Lane Hatfield Herts, AL10 9AB Published by Iliffe Print Cambridge Winship Road Milton Cambridge CB24 6PP @TridentMediaUK
tridentmedia.org
Robert Wheatley | Print Editor
Putting together a magazine has always been a dream of mine! I have to give a huge thanks to all of the incredibly talented contributors in this, the first edition of The Trident, who have produced the awesome content you will find in this paper. We’ve got travel guides, exclusive interviews with musicians, student news, reviews on the University of Hertfordshire’s night outs, and more; you’ll just have to read on to see it all!
Editorial • 3
Meet The Committee
With an all new year comes an all new Trident Committee! We’re determined to really push ourselves this year to be the voice of students across the University of Hertfordshire, and that all starts with ‘The Trident’! Who exactly are ‘we’ though? Read on to meet your Trident Committee for the upcoming year!
Chairman of Trident Media Matt Dowse
Head of Editorial
Hello! My name’s Matt, and I’m the Chairman of
Hey, I’m Robert Wheatley, and I’m this year’s Head of
Trident Media for the 2017/18 year! I’ve been working
Editorial. I’m studying Philosophy and Journalism, so
in radio for nine years now, and was last year’s Radio
my role with TM is super important to me not just
Manager for Trident Media Radio. I graduated from the
as a writer but as a person that likes to be analytical
Film and Television Production course in September
about things when possible; giving my perspective on
2017, and my role for the next twelve months is to
current news and social issues. Otherwise, I just love
oversee the entire output of Trident across all three
writing anecdotal stories, and try to offer as much
outlets! Catch me on TMR 8-10 on Mondays!
insight into myself as I can, either to help people
Robert Wheatley
or simply be entertaining. I can’t wait to work with new contributing writers, editors and other sects of Trident Media; a team I’m loving already!
Head of TV
Head of Radio Nicola Brown
Jono Godlee
I’m Nicola, a second year Film and TV Production
I have just completed my first year in Film and TV
student. I joined Trident Media in my first year as I
Production and am passionate about Trident Media
wanted to join a society that suited my interests as
Radio and about music. Currently, I host my own
well as giving me an outlet to be creative alongside my
two-hour show on Trident Media Radio (Takeover
studies. I love all things film and TV and as the Head of
Tuesdays). I’m on air every Tuesday from 6-8pm,
TV, I want to be able to work with likeminded people to
and try to make the show as interactive as possible.
help produce quality content which is fun and exciting.
I am passionate about music and am particularly
I hope to make Trident Media TV a recognized platform
interested in new developments on the music scene.
around campus, with everyone involved having fun
I have a wide-ranging taste in genres and always
whilst gaining valuable experience at the same time!
look for quality.
Treasurer
Social Secretary Martin Ringwood
Latifah Smyth
I have loved photography and visual art since I was very
Hey Guys, I am your social secretary for this academic
young and have practiced them ever since. The same
year. I’m a final year Journalism and Creative Writing
goes for financing as I have had a lot of experience in
student who is passionate about social media marketing,
that field during college, and this has lead me to be
presenting and writing articles and short stories. I am
treasurer of Trident. Trident Media allows me to practice
in charge of Trident Media’s social platforms and will
what I love, while also learning something new – Radio
help to advertise your radio shows, articles or any other
has quickly become a hobby of mine as a result. During
feature of interest in these platforms. My aim is to raise
my time as a Treasurer I want to make sure that people
the level of engagement from students across Trident
get the same passion as I do for Media, and ensure that
Media as a whole and get more of you involved with
everyone’s voice can be heard!
your fantastic ideas.
Trident Media launches its new app! By Shelby Loasby, President & former VP Communications and Media Want another app to add to your collection? This one is worth it! After an entire year of getting your views and designing the right look and feel, we are so excited to announce the launch of the new free Trident Media app. Last year we worked with students to put together a funding bid to the Diamond Fund – and you guessed it – we won! £4000 has been invested into our new app which features links to our website, TV channel, Digital broadcasting radio, and this new and improved newspaper The Trident. To keep up to date with the latest campus news, student achievements and grievances, and all uni life related things, download the app from January 2018! Whether you’re commuting to campus or grabbing a coffee in between lectures, just tap the app for some much needed entertainment. You can download the app on the App Store or Play Store for FREE!
Features • 5
Is Cheeky Wednesdays actually worth it? By Robert Wheatley Cheeky Wednesdays is renown at the University of Hertfordshire for being the biggest night of the week, and probably for good reason. It’s got drink deals like £1.50 J-Bombs, features live performances from artists like Sean Kingston and DJ Tim Westwood, and plays a ton of different genres depending on the night’s theme. It’s also very local: you won’t be spending a lot on transport if you’re a student, so all-in-all it boasts a great deal for students. But, is it really StudentWorthy? This week, we’ve spoken to Jono Godlee, Trident Media’s Head of Radio and Takeover Tuesdays‘ DJ, who attended the Forum’s Cheeky Launch P.2. to see if it’s really worth your money.
SO, JONO, WHAT’S CHEEKY WEDNESDAYS LIKE, PRICEWISE?
WAIT, SINATRA? SEEMS LIKE AN ODD THING TO ADD TO THE TRACK LIST…
For the whole night, the drink prices were the same, but there were a few deals on shots and Jagerbombs. The Attic was open as well, and there were deals in there too. Money wise, all of the prices are generally reasonable and I can’t say anything negative!
I mean, I certainly enjoyed it, but it was a bit of an odd thing to end on! Probably would have gone down better if it was a remix.
THAT’S GOOD TO KNOW, BUT IT’S CLEARLY NOT ALL ABOUT THE DRINKS, THOUGH. CAN YOU GIVE US A RUN-DOWN OF WHAT KIND OF TUNES WERE PLAYING? It was fairly varied and really easy to dance to. It started off with some top 40 tracks, then some club classics and D&B tracks, and then near to the end of the night some different songs which really resulted in the night ending on a huge high, like the Macarena and New York by Frank Sinatra.
Image credits: Sanchit Agrawal
PERHAPS THEY JUST NEEDED TO WAKE THE STUDENTS UP, A LITTLE! ASIDE FROM THIS ODD MUSICAL INTERRUPTION, HOW WAS THE VIBE FOR THE REST OF THE NIGHT? The atmosphere was incredibly positive and upbeat, straight through to 3 am, and it was actually really busy for the second Cheeky Wednesdays of the year. The event ran incredibly smoothly from start to finish: even the security, bartenders, T-Shirt sellers and food vendors were all incredibly professional as well.
THAT’S WHAT WE WANT TO HEAR! DO YOU THINK CHEEKY WEDNESDAYS IS SOMETHING YOU’LL BE ATTENDING AGAIN? I’ll definitely be going again, and I’d totally recommend it to students who are looking for a massively fun and cheap night out. SO, OUT OF 10, WHAT WOULD YOU SCORE CHEEKY WEDNESDAYS — AND WHY? 7/10: The music was well suited, but it was rather crowded. If you’re not used to crowds, then the style bar is definitely the place for you; it’s always open during cheeky nights, and it’s the most chilled out of all of the venues. Agree with Jono’s review? Got a different opinion? If YOU have to Cheeky Wednesdays, let us know how it went @ TridentMediaUK!
WIFI TROUBLE IN LRCS SORTED BY ATTACHING ROUTERS ONTO LIBRARIAN’S HEADS Disclaimer “Swen: The Backward News” is a satirical news column. Any articles associated with Swen are of fiction and constitute as fake news. Any resemblance to the truth or actual facts or to reality is purely coincidental. After constant complaints about the slowness of the Wifi in both LRCs, the University of Hertfordshire has finally upgraded its internet by enforcing the librarians to wear special routers attached to their head. The decision was made when the university realised it would be cheaper to simply attach the routers onto the librarians as they walked about the building, providing a better connection to the internet for students in specific areas. While spikes in connection success have been seen, the enactment has proven a health and safety risk with students now following the librarians around the LRC; forming mass circles around them and posing a risk of students falling off the staircases as they navigate to different floors. Third-year English Literature student, Carla Matthews, said that while she was pleased with UH’s decision to upgrade the WiFi she was not too enthused about having to follow the librarians around while writing her dissertation. She said, “I think
it’s great that they finally tried fixing the issues, but it’s been really hard to work on my dissertation while climbing to the third floor and back down again. I have to constantly research things for my bibliography, but sometimes I’ll get distracted and when I look up I realise the librarian is now on the first floor, so I lose my connection. “It makes me wonder if they should have just gotten more Wifi routers or something.” Swen spoke to one of the de Hav LRC’s librarians, who was not particularly enthused about the new mandatory router-
wearing. Marco Rivera, 35, has worked at the LRC for over three years but claims that wearing the internet device is tiresome. He said: “The hats are really awkward to wear. They didn’t even give us a cool hat; we literally just tie a router onto our head with elastic bands. They keep snapping when I lean forward too quickly. “What’s more, my personal space keeps being invaded by students attempting to get the best connection possible: one of them tried to climb onto my shoulders in order to get her work submitted before the deadline, so she had to
be removed by the security team.” So far, student and staff feedback about the Wifi improvement has been negative. A poll conducted by UH asking whether the Wifi improvements were working received 98% “No” votes, 1% “Yes” votes, and another 1% “I want my own router strapon hat” votes. The university has responded, claiming it will try the personal router strapon hats idea instead.
Image credits: PxHere & D Bickel
News • 7
Young people continue to borrow money to cover living costs By Zoe Fripp The CEO of the Financial Conduct Authority has warned that the number of young adults borrowing money to cover living costs is rising in the UK. While it has not yet reached a level of emergency, the FCA raised concerns that the number of 18-34 year olds with crippling debts has grown substantially. The FCA’s Chief Executive, Andrew Bailey, told the BBC that part of the reason is the shift in income between the generations which has resulted in the greater indebtedness of millennials today. He said: “[The shift] reflects lower levels of real income [and] lower levels of asset ownership. There are quite different generational experiences.” Mr Bailey also attributed other factors to the debt such as the high price of renting and the lack of income growth alongside this, meaning young people are having to borrow to pay for essentials. According to the Insolvency Service, between 2015 and 2016 the number of students that lacked the necessary funds to repay their debts had risen by 31.3% in the UK. Citizens Advice also reported last month that there had been a 34% rise in under 25’s seeking help with high-cost credit in the last two years. Liberal Democrat leader, Vince Cable, spoke about “the worrying accumulation of debt in the UK” and how it is affecting under 40’s; the politician quoted as having criticised the Conservative party for their unfulfilled ‘breathing space’ scheme. He said: “The Conservatives have forgotten about their manifesto pledge... so that people in serious difficulties can have legal protection from interest, charges and bailiffs for six weeks. For the head of the FCA to make this intervention shows how urgently this must be introduced.” It can be assumed that students are likely to form a large part of the percentage of young people borrowing money due to the expenses accumulated from accommodation and for the future requirement of repaying maintenance loans.
Because of this, The Trident decided to get the opinion of some of the University of Hertfordshire’s students about this potential need to borrow money for basics. Amy McEnroe, currently in her second year studying Primary Education, admitted that she would, in fact, take out an extra loan if necessary. She said: “It’s a shortterm fix to help pay the rent and bills such as gas, electric and water when student finance doesn’t cover me.” When asked if she believed the loan would leave her in a better position financially, Miss McEnroe was under no illusion of what taking out a payday loan would mean,
Image credits: [top] Nick Youngson + [bottom] 0TheFool on Pixabay
explaining, “It makes your debt overall worse, but it’s a shortterm fix for the month.” Molecular Biology student, Adeeba Ali, currently in the second year of her course, is residing in local student accommodation and has found herself forced to borrow money. She said: “I have to borrow quite a lot of money from my parents and I’ve had to cancel my car insurance recently because I can’t afford to keep
paying that and paying my rent and bills. My student loan is a lot short of what I need, so the rest is coming from my parents.” Save the Student, a student-targeting money advice website, warns students to avoid payday loans with crippling interest rates, as they may feel beneficial at the time but can make the situation worse.
By Robert Wheatley After a referendum was held regarding the use of live reindeer at its Christmas Market, the Student Union has decided to follow the minority vote rejecting the inclusion of these animals. This decision was made, according to the SU website, because “such a high number of our students asked us not to have the reindeer, and it was on this basis that the original debate was being had, [so we considered] it would be best to source an alternative form of entertainment at our Christmas Market.” The instigator of the debate arose from a petition held on Change.org by the UH Animal Activism Society, arguing that the Students Union “should not be promoting ANY animals as props” as animals should not be purchased and thereby reduced to a commodity. The petition received 5,329 votes, and likely inspired the SU’s decision to hold the referendum very soon afterward. After the referendum took place, the votes received by the SU reached almost half-and-half for or against the use of live reindeers, which influenced them to go with the very close minority vote; this decision occurring, according to the SU, because the initial debate was on the basis of not having the reindeer, and that many students had already petitioned against it. The response the SU has received has been a combination of positive and negative. The UH Animal Activism Society, the UH Veggie/Vegan society, and Animal Aid have praised the decision as a win for animal rights, with Animal Aid’s Campaign manager, Tod Bradford, suggesting that such a choice will help teach people to view animals not as props or decorations, but sentient creatures. He said: “Whilst we are positive that their intentions were to bring festive joy to students and members of the public alike, this is
easily achieved without putting the well-being of animals at risk. “Reindeer should be living free in the tundra, not placed in a busy market.” Others have not been so pleased with the SU’s decision, with students taking to social media to detail their disappointment with what they considered an undemocratic decision. A counter-petition has even been created on Change.org, suggesting that “not only [was the referendum] waste of the voters and SU time, it also goes against the principle of democracy.”
What do you think about the Student Union’s decision? Tweet us your opinion @TridentMediaUK.
Panshanger Is Rising From The Ashes By Tom Boon A local community project hopes to reopen Welwyn Garden City’s historic airfield, the Panshanger Aerodrome, after its closure in 2014. Panshanger was once the home of the North London Flying School, currently one of the UK’s leading flying instructors, and was a staple of the local community. Project Phoenix, the team behind the project, aims to make the new airfield a place where anybody could come grab a coffee, sit and watch aircraft, or just spend the afternoon as visitors previously did. Initially, Mariposa Investments, a Welwyn Garden City-based landowner planned
Texture credit: KreativeHexenkueche
to turn the leftover space into a housing site, but the proposal was scaled back and left the field available. If Project Phoenix manages to take the space, there’s a possibility it will generate 25 new jobs and 17 apprenticeships. “Even though aviation was the main theme, Panshanger Aerodrome was a place of unity that brought people together from all walks of life making it a real community hub and it is still missed by many” -- Project Phoenix. The project already has the backing of the University of Hertfordshire’s Engineering & Technology Department, and it’s clear to see why. Having this facility within 15 minutes of
the university would be a boom for engineering and aviation students, given the number who are studying a degree with aerospace. It could also be vital for business travel, provide a place for educational school trips, and would be a centre families could bring their children. Many others have also shown their support for the project, including the Royal Aeronautical Society, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, as well as the local MP for Welwyn Hatfield, the Rt Hon Grant Shapps; the latter bringing attention to Panshanger’s development of the de Havilland Mosquito which helped protect Britain during WWII.
Project Phoenix is currently looking for volunteers and support from the local community, and students. To get involved, visit www.projectphoenix.org.uk, or contact the project’s head, Sue, on 07595 278906.
Image credit: Alexandre Buisse
Student Union met with criticism over Reindeer Referendum decision
Image credit: Adrianna Calvo
News • 9
Students are victim of £2m Phone Scam By Zoe Fripp A gang of seven have been sentenced to six years for conducting what police have described as a “long-running and sophisticated fraud.” An investigation began when two students from the University of Sheffield reported fraudulent activity taking place from their bank account. Subsequently, many students affected by this scam have been left in a large amount of debt. “The motive for this crime was pure greed,” Det Insp Louise Shea, from the Metropolitan Police’s Cyber Crime Unit, said in response to the case. Students would be recruited socially through university clubs, such as the rugby team in Leeds and Sheffield, to take part in what they believed was a way to make money, and were offered £50 to take out a new phone contract in their name. When the gang received the handsets they would then cancel the contract and send the phone companies back a fake phone. The originals would then be unblocked and sold abroad. However, many of the contracts were not actually cancelled, which meant that the student whose details had been used to take out the contract were left owing large sums of money to phone companies. “This case should act as a warning for any student who is offered a cash incentive to hand over their personal details,” Det Insp Louise Shea told the BCC. It was uncovered that some of the largest phone networks were conned out of an estimated £2 million, such as EE, Vodafone, 02, T-Mobile, Three and Virgin. Jonathan Boorman, 32,
from Bath has been named by police as the leader of the gang. He was referred to as ‘big boss’ on a spreadsheet that police had seized. He was banned for ten years from being the director of any company, and plead guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit fraud, resulting in a six-year and four-month sentence. Alex Karonias, 32, from East Sheen, Richmondupon-Thames, was described as the ‘second in command’ and pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit fraud and was also banned for ten years from being the director of a company. Additionally, he was given a five-year sentence. Other members of the gang include Laura Kane, 28; Charlie Shelton, 31; Robert Morrison, 31; Thomas Maynard, 26; and Reiss Rawson, 31; who all plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit fraud and were given individual sentences and punishments based on the severity of their role in the scam.
We’ve Landed In The Top 2.1% For World University Rankings! By Robert Wheatley The University of Hertfordshire has been designated the 575th place of over 27,000 universities worldwide and 42nd in the UK by the CWUR World University Rankings. CWUR is the largest academic ranking of global universities, and out of 27,770 of their evaluated higher education institutions, we made it into the top 2.1%, meaning our quality of
education and training of students, along with the achievements of our researchers and faculty have been recognised as some of the best on offer globally. What this also means is that we have landed in the top 2% for ‘Quality of Education’, which is influenced by our alumni’s achievements, along with a high ranking for ‘Influence’ which reflects an
excellent number of research papers appearing in prestigious journals. Professor Quintin McKellar, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Hertfordshire was quoted as saying: “This is an outstanding achievement and well-deserved recognition of the University as a global player. I’m particularly pleased to see an acknowledgment
of the achievements of our alumni, impact of our research and quality of our academics. This ranking is a testament to everyone at Hertfordshire who has worked tirelessly to distinguish ourselves internationally.”
Image credit: KreativeHexenkueche
By Zoe Fripp
Universities UK International (UUKi) has launched a new campaign to increase the number of students from underrepresented backgrounds undertaking placements abroad. The campaign entitled ‘Go International: Stand Out’ aims to double the percentage of UK students going abroad by 2020 to reach their ‘national target for outward student mobility’. According to the campaign brochure, outward student mobility refers to students either studying, working or volunteering abroad as part of their undergraduate degree programme, with only 6.6% of UK undergraduate students taking this opportunity. Jo Johnson, the Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Education is quoted in the brochure, emphasising the importance of placements abroad and the benefits students can gain from them. He said: “... students who have experience of studying, working and volunteering abroad have better educational and employment outcomes.”
The campaign is placing much of its focus on students from disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds, such as those who are BAME, as UUKi research shows that these groups are the least likely to participate in placements abroad, but can benefit the most. This is demonstrated by statistics in the brochure, which show that students from disadvantaged backgrounds who were mobile earn 6.1% more, and black graduates are 41% less likely to be unemployed if they undertake a placement. Vivienne Stern, the director of UUKi, told The Guardian: “It’s not good enough if the opportunities are only taken up by a small subset of the student population, or that they’re the preserve of a small group of predominantly wealthy students. We’ve got a responsibility to spread the benefits. If we don’t we’re compounding inequality.” A research project undertaken by Aston University explored the attainment gap between white and BAME students and found that
a remedy for this was to encourage international and national work placements. Professor Helen Higson, Provost and Deputy Vice Chancellor of Aston University, and a member of University UK’s outward mobility board, said the project has led to them introducing targeted placements specifically for BAME students. She told The Guardian: “The main thing is working with [BAME students] early on in university, in the first year, to persuade them it’s a good idea, and also to persuade their families.” UUKi has referred to the barriers that stop students from going abroad; the key reasons being isolation, financial worries, and a fear of losing or interrupting friendships and relationships. Aston University has begun addressing these fears by offering support tailored to specific groups of students and their needs. These include predeparture preparation meetings with support and advise on settling into a new culture, setting students up with
others that have undergone placements so they can hear about experiences and possibly meet students undertaking placements in the same area so they won’t feel isolated. Rose Matthews, head of global opportunities at Cardiff University, emphasised the importance of making sure that students are aware of the support available based on their situation, such as financial bursaries for disadvantaged students and mental health and wellbeing packages. “It’s important for students abroad to be informed that they are still our students, that they can still access all our support services, like our counselling services, which have been adapted to their needs through Skype and telephone,” she said to The Guardian. UUKi’s Go International: Stand Out campaign launched on 2nd November, and since then have had over 50 university partners sign up, and are hoping to attain more.
Student drops out of university to help complete bucketlist for dying friend By Zoe Fripp A 19-year-old Californian student has quit university to help his best friend complete his bucket list after a fatal cancer diagnosis. Dillon Hill made this decision after his childhood best friend, Chris Betancourt was told by doctors his cancer had returned in September, after being diagnosed with leukemia in 2009. Mr. Betancourt was told by doctors his options were a Bone Marrow transplant, an experimental drug to delay the needed transplant for up to a year, or he could accept what was to come. “Last month, my best friend called me and told me
he was dying,” said Mr. Hill, as quoted by The Telegraph. “This time the cancer is a new mutated string that is resilient to most of the experimental drugs he had used before. This time, I don’t think he can overcome it.” Mr. Hill said his friend was afraid that he will miss out on “everything he wants to experience in life”, leading the former student to make the decision to drop out of university to help his best friend achieve his bucket list. For those that have not heard of the term, a ‘bucket list’ is a list of things that people want to do before they die. It was a concept made popular by
the film The Bucket List, released in 2007, after two terminally ill patients meet in a hospital and go out into the world to achieve everything they want to do before they die. Mr. Hill says his friend’s list includes helping a homeless person, climbing a mountain, appearing on television, breaking a world record, lifting weights with The Rock and shooting a rocket launcher in Las Vegas. The Facebook fundraising page, entitled ‘My Best Friend Is Dying.’, has generated some attention and, so far, $3,457 of the goal amount of $25,000 has been raised. The
money raised will help cover the cost of Mr. Betancourt’s travel and medical fees, as he lost his job after his recent re-diagnosis. After Mr Betancourt’s initial diagnosis, the students started their own charity, Gamers Gift, in their sophomore year of High School, around the age of 15, as a way to escape the realities of life and deal with their emotions through video games. Gamers Gift bring virtual reality through video games to people with disabilities, those in Children’s Hospitals, and those in Assisted Living Facilities so they can experience the world through these technologies. Texture credit: KreativeHexenkueche
Image credit: geralt
New campaign aims to increase the number of students undertaking placements abroad.
Spotlight • 11
Credit: Tom Boon
Spotlight 11
By Robert Wheatley
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: TOM BOON
Student Spotlight interviews undergraduates, postgraduates and other academics about their schooling achievements, be it studying abroad, running a society or finishing a work placement. Employers aren’t just looking for a degree and a good mark: work experience, according to UCAS, is sought out by two-thirds of employers when looking for graduates, to ensure they have a greater understanding of their chosen field. Some university courses even require it, so getting on top of it sooner rather than later is a must. So, Tom Boon, a third-year Aerospace student at the University of Hertfordshire, did exactly that. In 2016, Tom headed to the iconic Los Angeles in the USA for his work internship, spending his days supporting the management of a General Aviation Airport. While the work was not what he had initially desired to do, he found himself enamored by the analytical nature of the job, and later realised it was exactly what he wanted to do. After many months of hard work, and the occasional trip to Universal Studios Hollywood, Tom ended not only on the high of finishing a year of work experience, but the student even learnt how to fly his own aircraft! I sat down with him to talk to him about his internship abroad, his experience in America, and how it feels to actually operate a plane.
Tell us about yourself! I’m studying Aerospace at the University of Hertfordshire. I clearly love aviation, but I also like photography, and uh… I’m really trying to sell myself here (laughs).
No need to do that! But, this placement: was it related to your degree? Yes, it was a year in industry placement, and it counts as part of my course. It’s workbased, and there’s a little bit of coursework involved, but it mostly entails going out to work in the aerospace industry for a year. It really gives you an edge when applying for jobs, as they’re going to look for people
with actual experience.
Too true: it’s almost a requirement you do some form of work experience at university now. Yeah, it is. It’s interesting, though: I thought I always wanted to go right into aerospace engineering, but now that I’ve worked in the industry for a year I realised I preferred the management side of it. I loved the whole airplane management thing as I was managing a small fleet of six to seven planes, and I loved the problem solving I had to deal with.
Work internships can certainly spark an epiphany like this. What did the placement actually entail? On a monthly basis, every 4th Thursday of the month the aircraft we managed required updates, and that was one of my jobs. I had to go into their systems, make sure all of the information for the pilots was up to date. Every day, I was making sure the aircraft were airworthy, and part of that was to ensure maintenance was done in time, and ensuring I organised it in line with the schedule. It was a lot of management, maintenance check-ups… a couple times I had to drive across LA to pick stuff up, but that’s just part of being an intern. I helped manage a private jet: dealing with all the problems to get it airworthy, sorting out maintenance, which was a lot different as I was used to single-engine propeller aircraft. I got to hang out with the promotions team a bit too, and we’d go out to airshows and we’d fly our promotional airplanes. We’d try and get kids into aviation, prospective clients would come up… it was a lot of fun. The parties before the airshows were definitely the best bit.
That sounds incredible! How come you went to LA, in particular? I was working for a flight school in Van Nuys airport — the busiest general aviation airport in the world. My dad was doing training with this company, as he’s a pilot, and he asked if they had any room for me for an internship. The company needed an extra pair of hands, so it all fell into place from there.
And in LA of all things! (Laughs) yeah, it’s definitely not a bad place to go for a year. If you get a chance definitely go.
But, I’m sure it wasn’t always so easy. What was the hardest bit of the placement? The toughest part was actually being away from the UK. My grandmother was actually very unwell while I was in the US, and she was my closest relative. My manager was very understanding and let me go home for a week to see her, back in October. The hardest thing to deal with was that I was in the US while she passed away.
Sorry to hear, I know it probably meant a lot for her to have seen you. What was the best part of your experience? There’s so many to name, but the best was passing my pilot exam. Every milestone of flying was the best part: I did my first solo-flight which let me fly the plane on my own. I am now legally entitled to fly without an instructor in the US not for hire, and I can fly in the UK if I do some extra exams. When I passed my checkride my mum was actually there, and it was my last day in the US, and I said, “Right, we’re going flying” — she was my first passenger. She was nervous, and I think it was because it was a new experience for her, but she loved it and she couldn’t stop saying how proud she was
that her son was a pilot. When she saw me going through my checklist she could see I knew what I was doing, so her nerves went away.
It’s so incredible that you’ve achieved this! Not many can say they can fly a plane... what’s it like? It’s like driving a car, but you get to go up and down as well. There’s no way to describe flying a plane by yourself, and while it’s not simple you can do it if you put your mind to it. This is going to sound really cliche, but flying makes you feel free.
The scariest thought for us is being able to land the plane! The thing about that is there’s some things you can practice, but in this case you have to do the landing. But, 200 landings later, I think I’ve got it under control.
I doubt we have to ask, but would you recommend students in your field of study experience this? Definitely. I’ve learnt so much, not just from the placement but from actually being in a different country, as while America’s another Englishspeaking country it’s so different.
What’s the experience taught you? It’s taught me from a firsthand perspective how the aviation industry works, and it’s given me work skills like time management. It also given me an idea, from being abroad, how to interact with different cultures. Got a story you would like to tell us? Contact us on our Facebook page, or tweet us @ TridentMediaUK! Image credit: Karen Arnold
Spotlight • 13
By Ollie Read Robert Wheatley
JEWISH AND GENDERQUEER: TWO IDENTITIES THAT WORK
and
It’s often assumed that, as a person of faith, one must identify a certain way in order to follow a religion because of what a holy text appears to denote, forcing individuals to either lose their faith or find other methods to conform; ideas that may be psychologically damaging, and, at times, lifethreatening. As time has moved on, religious communities and communities of faith have begun to reject these harmful attempts at trying to change who a person is, and have, instead, embraced the diversity of human sexuality and gender: be it Christianity, Islam, Hinduism or Judaism. The Trident decided to explore this topic further in regards to one particular religion, Judaism, and for this spoke to C. Faraday; a send-year Psychology student from the University of Hertfordshire. C., who has chosen to use their first initial for this interview, comes from a Jewish ethnoreligious background, which inspired them to connect with Judaism as their grandfather once did. C. has found comfort in practicing as a Jew and tells us how their gender identity and sexuality works well with their faith, as a result of the interpretive nature of Judaistic holy texts, and how Jews have been influenced by their history to sympathise with those prosecuted.
So, C., tell us about yourself! I study psychology, and I’m in my second year of that, completing some of my last year’s modules. I’ve got other interests like history, biology, philosophy, and the area of linguistics and anthropology — I’m very interested in people, I guess you could say. I love cooking, gardening, and stuff like video games, as well, like strategy games.
How do you identify? I typically refer to myself as nonbinary. My personal thing about gender is sort of like because I’m autistic, I never really used to understand its concept as a child; I just accepted what was told to me, even though I didn’t get it properly. I later realised I did stuff I wasn’t supposed to do because of the way I was assigned at birth, and so I became unsure about the whole thing. I found out later on that I felt more comfortable being called non-binary, so that’s what I call myself. When it comes to my sexuality it’s a little bit complicated, as I don’t really care how someone identifies gender-wise: if I feel something for someone, I feel something for someone. But, I feel comfortable calling myself a lesbian because I’m still very much attracted to other women, especially those similar to me. But, I’m still a bit iffy about that label as I’m not completely unattracted to men, but since I’m in a relationship with a woman I tend to identify more so as a lesbian.
I suppose we should move onto the religious discussion, if that’s OK with you? Absolutely, I love to talk about it. My faith is something I’m rediscovering, actually, so the more I can talk to other Jewish people about it, and get my feelings on it — the way it helps to talk to someone to get your own perspective on it — the better; which is why I tend to ‘info-dump’ from people to better understand it. Because I have autism, it helps a lot to have someone I can bounce ideas and questions back and forth with. It’s why I had some issues with modules last year as I didn’t ask for help when I should of, but that’s something
a lot of first years do.
So, you’re in the process of rediscovering your Jewish identity, as well? Well, my grandfather was a Jewish man, and I don’t know lots about him, but my family on that side stopped being observant of the Jewish faith and are non-religious. But, more recently, I’m interested in embracing it again, and it feels comforting to learn more about Judaism. It’s something I feel is a part of me. Initially, while I’m Jewish, I didn’t look into it too much, though learning things about my heritage inspired my interest. One particular thing I love about the Jewish culture and religion is that it doesn’t really matter what your beliefs are. I’m not particularly a very religious person, and I’m mostly agnostic, and you can ask a lot of Jewish people and they would probably say the same. For me, participating in stuff like religious events are less about your faith and more about the culture behind them. It’s similar to how while loads of Atheists celebrate Christmas they don’t do it for religious purposes; it’s because it’s a nice thing to do. It doesn’t matter if you believe in God or not, it’s about getting together with family. I tend to get together with friends as my family isn’t practicing faith, and it’s something more for me to do. I fasted on Yom Kippur, and while it wasn’t a huge thing it was nice to participate in something closer to my faith. I don’t yet go to temple and might pick that up, but I have certainly been celebrating holidays more. For example, on Rosh Hashana this year I baked challah, had honey and apples, and a week later fasted for Yom Kippur. I didn’t celebrate
Hannakuh last year as I didn’t feel informed enough about it, but this year I fully intend to, especially as I’ve been visiting a Jewish society and feel more confident about stuff now.
You’ve spoken very positively about your faith, but how do you feel your identity works with your religion? I’ve known about my sexuality from my early teens, genderwise a little later, but I knew some Jewish people in the LGBT+ community, so it never stuck out to me as an oddity to have both identities. One of my closest friends, she’s trans, gay and Jewish and she’s very similar to me in that she’s rediscovering her faith as well; something that’s cool to do together, sometimes. It just seems natural to me, to be both Jewish and in the LGBTQIA community. It might be more common for the Jewish community to be openminded than, say, the Christian community, purely because a lot of Jews faced prosecution themselves. While the Christian faith’s interpretations are quite rigid, the Jewish faith is a bit more like the law: it’s open to interpretation. There’s a whole book, the Talmud, which interprets the Tanakh and sees how its verses can be interpreted; a little like how the law can be interpreted in different ways. The reformation of Judaism sprung up a lot more interpretations, and even more recently there have been groups dedicated to highlighting things that might even be supportive of transgender people and other sexualities. Rabbis will even raise attention to the fact that it was written thousands of years ago, so not everything will be appropriate today; you don’t have to take every ounce of it as given. For example, on
What do you think causes some people in your religious community to be apprehensive about allowing LGBTQIAidentifying people in? Because the texts are so open to interpretation there are still people that interpret in a way that exclude our communities, but I think it also depends on your location; different areas of the world and their Jewish communities might be more accepting. I found that with the Israeli people I spoke to that they tended to be a bit more on the orthodox side, and while I’m not sure why, I wondered if it had to do with them not being part of the Jewish diaspora, so they may not be as understanding of persecution.
What would you say to someone of faith, and LGBTQIAidentifying, but might be struggling with their intersection of identities?? You do you: it’s your personal perspective. I’ve always felt, in
terms of religion and faith, that it can be something very personal to you. No matter what, you’ll find people that are similar to you, either LGBT+ or accepting of you otherwise, and as the Tanakh is open to interpretation you can interpret it your way as well. Similarly with Christianity, while, historically, the Bible has been interpreted quite rigidly, that doesn’t mean you can’t interpret it how you like. While I don’t know as much about the Quran, I know that Islam has a long history of science, maths, and law, so I assume similarly can be done with the Quran so you can be of Muslim faith and still LGBT+. I doubt many religions specifically condemn being LGBT+, and ones that do I’m sure can be interpreted to find something comfortable for
you; don’t be afraid to consider your own perspective. After all, religious texts aren’t a person telling you what to do: it’s a sacred text that can indeed be interpreted. What I do know that a core tenet of many religions is to be accepting, and be good to people: condemning people seems anti-religious, otherwise.
Image credits: RAJESH misra & Kye Rowan
Shabbat, you’re not supposed to drive, because you can’t light a fire, which happens when you activate the engine. You’re not supposed to use lights either, even though the text doesn’t refer to electricity, but you can interpret it in different ways. Because of this, I can see why people could synchronise being Jewish and LGBT+. Re-embracing Judaism, I felt so comfortable, knowing that I could read through the text and interpret it because it didn’t matter if some other people disagree with it; I can do what’s personally relevant to me because that doesn’t stop me from being Jewish.
Spotlight • 15
ANDRÉ GRAÇA, AKA: MIDNIGHT AMBASSADOR
Image credit: Midnight Ambassador
By Robert Wheatley It’s hard enough to make it as a musician, let alone do it all the while studying and working abroad, but with a fanbase growing by the day and three incredibly distinctive tracks released to Spotify already, André seems like he’s well on his way to making his dream a success. The Trident sat down with the artist in the Trident Media radio studios to discuss his musical origins, his artistic influences and what we can expect to see next from the prospective Midnight Ambassador. I’m sitting in the Trident Media suite as I see a figure appear at the door; a bearded fellow whose face suddenly rings a bell as I let them inside for their interview on Matt Dowse Live! As I lead them through to the radio studio, I understand why the recognition has arisen: André was the same guy that had served me the other day at the Elehouse, the bartender with an accent I had assumed was American until he explained his Portuguese origins. Matt emerges from the doors of the suites, beckoning us to join him on the show’s break as music fills the room, our chatter not lasting long before André soon accompanies the host as the show starts up once again. A quick hello from Matt has André return a greeting, the artist bright and cheerful, explaining how happy he is to be here. The interview begins, and Matt desires to delve deep into the artist’s childhood to recall his first musical memory; namely, what was the first album he had ever had the pleasure of experiencing. “My first album I ever bought was from Black Eyed Peas, Elephunk. I loved ‘Let’s Get It Started’, I probably listened to that track a billion times. RnB had such a big influence on my childhood, as my brother used to listen to a lot of it, and hip-hop,
so I grew up with Dr. Dre and early Snoop Dogg.” Despite the contrasting atmosphere of the classical institution, André’s mum soon enrolled him into a Conservatoire, inspiring his musical abilities and giving him an array of instrumental skills; piano, saxophone, and drums. André loved the school, nonetheless; the artist considering it his second home. Another contrast is geographical: Matt raises the fact that his interviewee comes from SouthWest Europe from the gorgeous Portugal. “I actually always wanted to live in the UK,” explained André. “Sometimes, I still wake up and think, ‘Huh, I’m here’. It was always a dream, so when it came to applying to universities I thought that maybe I could do this, so I applied and I got in. I had a year in Hungary too, so I did everything!” André hadn’t been to the UK for long before deciding to study here, the artist only having visited once for two days, and decided on the University of Hertfordshire without a second thought. “I’m doing music composition for film and games. I started composing for film because I was inspired by a composer named Michael Giacchino and thought that maybe I could do that too. That was way back, and I realise I wasn’t as good as I am today as I’ve had a lot of practice. I’d say my music has changed a lot since going to this university; it’s helped me develop to become the musician I wanted to be.” While the music in his Conservatoire had been orchestral in nature, André’s study abroad in Hungary inspired a change to find a sound that was true to himself: a blend of indie-pop and R&B that inspired his first single, Serial Killer, which later influenced Palace and Black and Blue.
While he admits the change was irrational, he hasn’t departed from his classical roots. The conversation moves on, all the while the sanguine atmosphere continues in the enthusiasm André brings in each answer. Curious to know the origins of his stage name, Matt shifts the discussion to the origins of André’s title, to which we soon discover he did a Gambino; using the Wu-Tang name generator. “ M i d n i g h t Ambassador… it sort of just clicked, you know? It could have been any other name, but it works; when I saw it I was like ‘Ah, I have to use this name for music!’ This was before my first single: I was on holiday for Christmas in Portugal, I had just come back from my semester in Hungary, and I don’t know what happened but I went on that site and Midnight Ambassador came up, and I just went with that.” André soon started producing his unique style of music under Midnight Ambassador, the idea for his first song appearing not in a dream, but in a shower. “I was in the shower and I started singing the main hook for Serial Killer. I just ran out of the shower, ran to my phone and started recording a video running around my room. I told my producer, one of my best friends, Eduardo — we had a punk rock band when we were 14 in high school called Feedback Line — I told him hey, I’m starting a new project but I don’t want to produce it myself as a fresh set of ears is good. “He said, ‘Absolutely, just come to the studio next Monday.’ On that Monday, we recorded the song Serial Killer, while I was abroad in Portugal, in Eduardo’s studio. When I went back to Hungary, we Skyped through the production of Serial Killer.” “For the other two singles?” Matt asked, leaning in
curiously. “Black and Blue and Palace?” “Serial Killer was on the 4th of May, Palace was in the 15th July, and Black and Blue were on the 12th October. All of them were recorded and produced in Portugal. Palace had a more in-depth production, as I was there in the studio.” Matt asked if André planned to get his single out sooner rather than later, and the musician had a clever plan: he will use some of his Midnight Ambassador songs in his final project at the University of Hertfordshire, hoping his next single will then be released around January of next year. A completed project, and song is an incredible feeling and is something André loves about the musical process. “When it clicks, when everything blends together, it feels so good; and, of course, when I finish the song.” The topic became specific, with Matt asking what the meaning of Black and Blue was. Aside from its incredibly catchy sound, and a surprisingly effective blend of R&B elements, guitar, and the occasional saxophone, the enigmatic lyrics are something to explore. “Well, the song is about a guy who took one too many pills for his anxiety, and he starts hallucinating colours. His shape of reality turns upside down, and everything loses sense. When it says, ‘I’m sorry, no, not sorry; hope you leave without me’, it’s basically him talking to his girlfriend: he’s so dependent on his pills he doesn’t want to leave his private hallucination. It’s about anxiety in general, basically. “I’ve had a lot of issues with anxiety in the past, and a lot of my songs are an exaggeration of reality. Obviously, if you take something for anxiety you wouldn’t start hallucinating, I just imagined it as if you did. In Serial Killer,
it’s about a girl who was with other guys, her boyfriend knew about it but still stayed with her. Palace was about a place in Hungary I used to pregame in before parties, and it was honestly a palace; the bathroom had pillars and a Jacuzzi, it was crazy. Basically, Midnight songs are always an exaggeration of reality.” The lyrics are brought to life with André’s vocals, his tempo varying depending on the track albeit always possessing a soft, modulated voice that fits the often lucid atmosphere of his songs. Finding the right vocals was something he struggled with initially when it came to Black and Blue, but a suggestion to go for a limbo between upbeat and downbeat was influenced by his producer, Eduardo; the idea being that it fits the anxiousness present in the song. André claims that, despite his Portuguese origins, his songs under Midnight Ambassador are all meant to be in English. While it’s not his first language, the artist felt that his singing voice wouldn’t work in Portuguese, the nasally, throaty voice something he couldn’t achieve in his native tongue. The disparity between his voices amuses him some, though. “I’ve spoken to a friend in Portuguese before, and they said I sounded so different in English, even though I hadn’t noticed. In singing, though, I can clearly notice a difference.” Whereas many people get songs stuck in their head, unique to André is that it’s often his own music that creeps into his head. It’s not the only thing he’ll sing, of course, because André has a newfound obsession with Glass Animals. “I saw them live this summer and I fell in love with them; their second album, how to be a human being, I can’t explain it, is amazing. Childish Gambino’s new album is something really inspiring, too; especially Red Bone which was the song that inspired Midnight Ambassador.” “Tell me about the link between them, as Redbone is massive,” asks Matt; the host
a big fan of Gambino’s work, as well. “I was listening to Redbone, probably while I was playing Rust or something, with my friend, and his brother comes into the room and says, ‘Oh, Andre, haven’t seen you in a while! Have you heard about Childish Gambino’s new album?’ I always knew Gambino for his rap, but when I listened to Redbone I fell in love and I was like, ‘Huh, I wanna do this — I really wanna do something like this!’ So, I guess I mixed indie with Redbone; that’s what Serial Killer is.” After a round of quick-fire questions, the final fire inspires a question about André’s desired future. The artist wants to retire in Portugal, but before then wants to live abroad to fulfil his musical career, and hopes to one day be featured on Portuguese radio. It seems Midnight Ambassador will have a strong future, even though… “ M i d n i g h t Ambassador is gonna die one day... I don’t know when, but I assume it’s when I’m 35, as I want to move into film music eventually. Midnight Ambassador is where I am right now though… I’m really in love with this project.” “One more song, then an album?” André laughs, “One more song, then an album. I can tell you the album’s name: Red, but it’s gonna be blue.” Matt Dowse Live! draws to a close, an appeal for André’s social media requested by Matt. “Instagram: @MidnightAndre Twitter: F
a
MidnightAndre; c
e
b
o
o
k
:
TheMidnightAmbassador; Spotify: Midnight Ambassador — go follow me on there!
Most updates come
to Instagram, on my story. I keep messing with my fans as there’s a dispute about what name to choose for their name; Ambassadors or Midnighters… It’s currently tied 50/50.”
Spotlight • 17
SOCIETY SHOWCASE:
THE ESPORTS SOCIETY By Robert Wheatley Esports is much like any other sporting event: it draws huge crowds (more than 385 million will watch competitive gaming in 2017), it hands its winners incredible cash prizes (the total prize pool for a competitive Dota 2 International 2017 crossed phenomenal $20 million!) — the only difference is that the competition is entirely virtual, and played through video games. I spoke to Howard and Stefan, the Esports Society’s secretary and treasurer, who gave me a ton of insight into their society along with Esports itself. The two students hope their society will be a big hit this year, for the Esports society will not only be sponsored by computer hardware company ASUS and Overclockers UK but will also hold many gaming events and tournaments that will award students awesome technological prizes.
professional leagues as we’re not good enough, but there is a thing called The NUEL which is the e-Sports equivalent of BUCS. There are over a hundred universities that participate in NUEL, and we are the University of Hertfordshire’s entry into it.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN AROUND FOR?
Howard: I’m the secretary, and Stefan’s the treasurer, and we’re the Esports Society. We support all gamers at the University of Hertfordshire… We’re sort of for professional type games, so we support Counter-Strike, League of Legends, Dota 2, Overwatch and Rocket League… and whatever else people wanna play…
Howard: We’ve only been the eSports society since last year, and prior to that it was known as the League of Legends Society which just focused on that [game]. This will be our first big year as last year was very much a set-up year with us getting to know how we wanted to run things. We’re sort of hitting it head on, and it’s very well known among the general student population but we’ve had quite a lot of members last year and we’re hoping to expand it to become one of the larger societies on campus. We’ve also got some fairly big sponsors this year; we’re being supported by ASUS… [and Overclockers UK]. In the past few years, there’s been an explosion in how many people participate in [eSports]. It used to be underground…. it was very secluded. Whereas now it’s blown up. We flew to Poland to watch Counter-Strike and we were there with 15,000 other people watching it.
WHAT IS ESPORTS?
Stefan: It really is worldwide.
Howard: There are specific games that are the ‘big ones’.
Howard: It really is, it’s like football. It’s not so big in the UK, but outside of it, it’s treated like any other sport. We saw from the Polish how they treat the Polish teams, it’s basically like how they treat a football team — they have chants for each player; the atmosphere’s insane.
WHAT’S YOUR SOCIETY ALL ABOUT?
Stefan: Some games are classified as more competitive and are more international. Howard: The ones we support are in big professional scenes; games with millions of players, upwards of tens of millions of pounds of prize-money, have more views per tournament that you’d similarly get in ice hockey — these are the kind of games we support. We’re similar to the Athletic Union and their relationship to professional sport, but we don’t play any
You can’t have an unhealthy lifestyle either because that affects your game. If you don’t eat properly your reactiontime slows down, so it kind of encourages healthiness but not at the same level as football.
HOW MUCH IS IT TO JOIN? A fiver. It’s the minimum it could be, and I want to stress that as we obviously don’t have the same outgoings as other societies, based on the fact we just play video games, but there are expenses: we have promotional materials, services, we have a game server we pay for, and we may have to travel. That’s as low as we could make it.
WHAT EVENTS ARE HELD, AND WHEN ARE THEY HELD? We have big events supported by our partners… the big events we’re doing are six major tournaments, all internal and so only for society members, and those are held online (and at LAN). There’ll be a qualifier tournament where people will play at home, and then the top players will… [play at LAN], so we’ll bring some computers to stream games online and play live. The top three players will win a prize provided by Overclockers UK and ASUS — and they’re good prizes as well, so we’re really looking forward to that. There’s gonna be six of these events, and primarily they will be for Overwatch, League of Legends and Counter-Strike: three in Semester A, three in Semester B. We’re also hoping to do some LAN events in London,
and one we’re definitely going to is FACEIT, maybe Pro League Stefan: Even things like Insomnia, we’ll be going to. Howard: Yeah, and there’s also LANs run by external organisers [like Insomnia], and we’ll open it up so people can represent our university at these events. Maybe some ad hoc events, so for example with some non-Esports games we’ll play [PLAYERUNKNOWN’S] Battlegrounds.
Stefan: (Laughs). Howard: (Laughs)… I think if I was a Fresher and played video games, it’s just nice to have a representation in your university of this sort of growing industry. Like, there’s a hell of a lot of support for sports like football… but there’s no support for Counter-Strike even though it’s huge. It’s nice as a Fresher to come to something that’s all set up so you can get involved.
Stefan: I think, personally, my favourite part of the society is, as a society member, I think it’s really good to join a society with lots of similar minds to you. I know in my friend group when we play Counter-Strike, it’s not taken as a competitive game — I think it’s very good that you can Stefan: I joined as a come into a society and compete member last year… in the NUEL and have actual I feel like this competitive events. year we’ve had a massive overhaul, Howard: We have jerseys coming as members we out this year and we’re going to really wanted to get go to these LAN events with the our ideas pushed idea being that we can not only forward to have compete with other universities, things going on all the and while it’s a bit of fun and time. you can joke about at the end of the day it’s still a serious WHAT’S NEW THIS tournament against hundreds YEAR, AND WHAT DO of other universities around the YOU WANT TO IMPROVE country. You can compete at a serious level against the general ON? public and pro-teams, so it does Howard: More events, more teams. give you opportunities to do this. This is what I was We were very focused on Counter- joking about at the beginning: Strike last year because it was the only game we played, whereas this there are proper games and then year we have committee members there’s [casual games] like FIFA We do cater to the casual side of from different games so we can it, but ultimately it’s a place to pull together and do more stuff. take things seriously. We’ve got partners now as well. Some people like Stefan: Each committee member going to the pub, some people focuses on different games, which like going out to drink, and some is good because before we didn’t people like to play games like really have anyone for League of League of Legends. Legends which was a huge part of the society — it’s very important we cater to everyone.
WHAT CAN YOUR SOCIETY BRING TO STUDENTS WHO MIGHT WHAT’S THE BEST THING NOT THINK IT’S FOR ABOUT YOUR SOCIETY? THEM? Howard: The cool logo?
Howard: I think it takes some sort of prerequisite interest in
games, but we invite people that do like to play video games whether that is something crap or something proper, we are going to have events where you can try stuff out, or just come along and watch. Ultimately, it is a competitive environment, so it might not be as approachable if you’re not into that sort of thing, but I would encourage people to come along and see what we do. If I was to suggest to anyone if you’re at all interested in seeing what Esports can be like, I’d look at Rocket League, because not all Esports games are complicated and have wizards or machine guns. It’s football with cars: you drive around with a rocket and try to score goals — it’s really fun. Howard: I’ve been [mocking] FIFA, but there are professional teams, so if it’s a tournament people want to participate in then we can host that. Stefan: We want to be here for people to enjoy games. Howard: … even games like FIFA, and mobile games like Vainglory are big now, along with things like Hearthstone. Like, if you want to play Hearthstone for Hertfordshire we’re the University Esports League’s rep, so we’re happy to support it, and we’re looking for committee members willing to help support us with this. Stefan: We’re a very new society and I think we’re still learning a lot about what our members really want from us, what games they want to play, and I think it’s only going to get better. If you want to learn more about the Herts SU Esports Society hop on over to their website (Herts. gg), which will give you updates on their events and activities for the upcoming semester.
Image credit: Herts Esports Society
Entertainment • 19
‘The Disaster Artist’: a good film about a bad one
By Matt Dowse This week I was lucky enough to receive a set of advanced preview tickets to the new James Franco film ‘The Disaster Artist’ about two weeks before its’ general release in the UK. Directed, Produced by and starring Franco, the film chronicles the true story of filmmaker Tommy Wiseau, as he sets out to become a major Hollywood star and launch his career by making his own motion picture; ‘The Room’. ‘The Room’ was released in 2003 for a budget of $6,000,000 and initially made less than $2000 at the box office. It has a reputation for being the worst film ever made, often called the ‘Citizen Kane of bad movies’, and as a result of this legacy has been screened in cities around the world, often considered to be an event movie because of this. As of 2017, ‘The Room’ has made back its production budget, and thus gained a cult following. There are many debates as to Wiseau’s intentions when creating ‘The Room’, as he’s since attempted to claim that its distinct lack of quality was intentional so as to create a wacky comedy. ‘The Disaster Artist’ is based on the
autobiographical book by the film’s star Greg Seresto, and so it provides an interesting examination of Wiseau’s style and techniques as a filmmaker. He’s an interesting character, and one that Franco skillfully brings to life with passion. Tommy has spent the last twenty years insisting that he’s from New Orleans, although speaks with a strong eastern european accent. There’s also the fact that he spent $6,000,000 of his own money on producing the film, and has never revealed the source of his finance. The film repeatedly makes fun of him for these facts and it isn’t hard to feel sympathetic when the stress of filmmaking takes its toll and he loses the affection of nearly everyone in his life. The film begins as Tommy meets Greg Seresto (played by James’ brother Dave Franco) at an acting class in San Francisco. The duo form a plan to move to Hollywood and become stars, and it’s the relationship between the pair that forms Disaster Artist’s heart. This is the first time that the Franco brothers have starred opposite one another, and the brotherly relationship of Seresto and Wiseau makes this casting more than just a gimmick. The characters move to LA together (in a
Image credits: A24
flat conveniently owned by Tommy), and it’s clear that Greg is far more destined to be a star than his friend. The film is ultimately a character study of these two men, and tensions begin to rise as they begin production on The Room. Wiseau’s lack of talent becomes far too clear, and it’s left for Greg to manage the frustration of the crew. What’s worse, is that Greg is frequently provided with ways to escape this sinking ship (one character even compares this film to the titanic), however Tommy’s emotionally manipulative demeanor keeps a tight grip over the entire production. This is by far the best performance I’ve ever seen from either Franco brother, and James’ directing reaches a pinnacle here too. He recreates key moments from the original film well, and the setting of a film set allows him to play with unconventional shot combinations to keep you feeling a part of their world. The obviously highlight of the film is of course the brilliantly hilarious script that keeps you constantly laughing out loud, with some jokes completely catching me off guard. There’s a series of running gags throughout the movie that never feel overdone, and the string of celebrity
cameos spread throughout the film are perfectly curated. Seeing Bryan Cranston in 2017 cameo as 2003 Bryan Cranston is a treat, and his appearance makes for one of my favourite jokes in the film. Were this a fictional film, I might criticize the wackiest elements of The Disaster Artist’s plot. Try as it might to follow up what has happened in the years since the film, there are still parts of this story left untold. Franco is being discussed as a potential oscar nominee for his performance, and I wouldn’t be remotely surprised to see this come to fruition. This true story adaptation has a narrative stronger than any Hollywood blockbuster I’ve seen in 2017, and whilst the film’s jokes are probably funnier if you’ve seen ‘The Room’, but I’d strongly recommend that you check it out regardless. Everyone who loves film needs to have seen ‘The Room’, and I’m glad that ‘The Disaster Artist’ is just as much a must see as the film it takes so much joy in tearing apart.
CRITIQUE POINT:
‘GET OUT’ By Lara Owolabi I usually watch trailers to films I want
be less intense and actually makes
to see (because who doesn’t love a
certain scenes hilarious. However,
little anticipation before watching
being a person of colour meant that I
a movie?) but, for Get Out, I didn’t
understood some of the scenes more
watch any of the trailers. Honestly,
so on a personal level, and this made
this one time, I’m glad I didn’t.
the film even better for me and my
Before we get into this
friends — the best films are the ones
review, I would just like to say
where you can relate to it, as it means
EVERYTHING
you have a better understanding of
this
horror-
satirical film has a meaning. In its
what’s going on.
simplest form, the film is about an
African American male, his white
ending of the film really threw me
girlfriend and their interesting (to
off, and this is mainly because it
say the least) weekend trip to her
felt like all the intense scenes came
hometown. I totally recommend this
right at the end, and then it was
film and, if you haven’t seen it yet, go
over. A particularly intense moment
watch it before you read my amazing
is the last scene involving the main
review!
character, Chris, with his hands up
I’m not going to lie; the
The first five minutes of
where you think, “NO! He’s going to
the film are essential and add a bit of
get arrested!” but it turns out it’s his
a backstory which, at the time, won’t
police officer friend who steps out of
make much sense, but the meaning
the police car.
will soon be revealed! Having missed
the first five minutes the first time
secret: in the original ending, Chris
I watched this film, I will admit I
was supposed to get arrested because
was a bit confused later on when
that’s how it often ended for people
my friends got super excited over a
of colour in real life facing the police.
particular character.
However, the writer thought too
Get Out is an eye-opener for
much of that was already going on,
how twisted individuals can be, and
and the film needed a happy ending.
the movie uses racism to highlight
Plus, you don’t expect it which makes
how black people are portrayed as
it even better.
admirable, yet still seen as lower
class. The film came out around the
wild trip, and it’s a real eye-opener to
same time that there was a lot of
social situations still going on right
injustice happening against African
now. These situations need to be
Americans in the US, so it could be
addressed and hard topics are not
said that Get Out intentionally sends
meant to be ‘swept under the carpet’:
a message out to the world.
they’re supposed to be aired out!
It’s not a film where the
Get Out does this, and it’s definitely
racism subtly builds up but, instead,
worth the watch and is a film that will
is a slap in the face enlaced with
always be on my list of favourites.
comedy, and this allows the film to
I’ll let you in on a little
Get Out will take you on a
Credit: BagoGames
about
Lifestyle • 21
FLASHPACKING IN VIETNAM By Mia Batrisyia
Earlier this year, I travelled to Da Nang, Vietnam with three of my girlfriends to experience the backpacking culture. Basically, we wanted to look and live like a backpacker, and analyse why backpacking is such a popular culture; especially among young adults. This meant that we had to pack and spend in moderation, although we did the exact opposite: we were flashpackers. We were only going away for five days, but our medium-sized check-in luggage was full of enough clothes to supply a whole year, a complete makeup set and emergency snacks. The flight took approximately two hours from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Da Nang International Airport. As soon as we landed, we were already looking for Wi-Fi connectivity; reason being, aside from worrying we went astray from one another in the airport, we wanted to snap our arrival and check in our location on Facebook. We soon got out the airport in a flash and got a cab to our booked hostel. The hostel was nice and cute. We immediately settled in, took a quick shower and took a nap. We woke up that night to have some dinner at the nearest mall and went for some quick snack-shopping at Lotte Mart. The Land of the Blue Dragons was well lit that night when we stopped by the Dragon Bridge, and managed to get a wide angle view of the city. With the initiative to live like backpackers, we decided to walk back, which wasn’t a good idea since we were not used to travelling on foot. Exhausted from the travelling and the hot weather, we slept like babies that night. The next morning, we were awoken by the unfamiliar sound of cars and motorcycles blaring their horns on our street. Back in Malaysia, we would have guessed it was a rude driver with road rage problems, but that was until we explored the town for the day and realised it was the way they drove around here. Cabs, buses, private car drivers and motorcyclists alike honked to demand other vehicles to give way, and pedestrians do not have priority while they shared the same road. We first headed towards
Han Market, where they were selling a wide spectrum of almost everything from food and spices to shoes and apparel. The Vietnamese are known to accept haggling and, in fact, it is encouraged: the price will always go up 70% more than it should have been, especially for foreigners. Thanks to our cheapskate roots, we managed to comfortably haggle our way and walked out with bags of clothing, shoes and Vietnamese coffee and treats. By then it was getting dark, so we decided to pay a visit to the tourist attraction Da Nang is known for: its sandy beaches and fresh seafood. Some rain was forecast, so we only had time to take a few photos before we ran for shelter. Dinner was some delicious seafood as I sat with beautiful beach-side scenery and wonderful company. After an early night, we headed off to Hoi An at 8:00 am. It was almost a four-hour drive, but we had multiple stops such as the Linh Ung Pagoda, and the Marble Mountains. Known for its Buddhist influence, the Ling Ung Pagoda towers and majestically oversees the town and its people. The Marble Mountains had a variety of precious stones and marble décor to offer, but we weren’t interested in the jewellery and furniture: we were more interested in filling our bellies with Vietnamese seafood noodle soup — the food there did not disappoint. The highlight of the day was Hoi An, an ancient town. It was evening by the time we arrived, so we didn’t waste any time. We rented a bicycle and off we went on our tiny adventure, and what we saw was something out of a fairy-tale. Beautiful infrastructure, colourful smiles and a little tinge of greenery. We stopped for some fresh coconut to quench our thirst and didn’t forget to get some little souvenirs for our families. It wasn’t a huge town, but it was almost sunset by the time we were done exploring every part of it. While waiting for the picture-perfect moment, we sat down and had a few drinks and shared some laughs. That’s when mother nature began to flaunt her beauty: the sky turned amber, and gradually became a sapphire colour. The whole town soon began to light up, and we saw both the water lanterns and hanging
lanterns in action. You can imagine a number of photos we didn’t want to miss, so we set to explore the town again with our bikes. We didn’t even think of having dinner until late at night when we were all in bed and our tummies started grumbling. It is truly a place I will not forget. We woke up slightly later than usual the next day. The first thing we had was brunch at 10 am: Vietnamese pho again. It didn’t taste as good, but we were starving so we indulged it anyway. We went to several famous monuments: Hai Van Pass, Lang Co Beach, Khai Dinh Tomb, The Citadel, Hué and Thien Mu Pagoda. It was a long drive to those destinations, the heat was burning our skin and we were still exhausted from the trip to Hoi An, so we headed back before evening came. We stopped by Han Market for some last minute souvenir shopping and then had seafood for dinner. You just have to eat seafood in this town. Although it’s slightly more expensive, it’s delicious and fresh, and I would say it’s definitely worth it.
On our last day, we
spent the morning lazing around and packing our bags, and we had some Thai food for brunch before heading to the airport at 10:00 am. Our flight back was smooth; I slept the whole the way. We landed home in Malaysia at 7:00 pm with a bag full of souvenirs, and a mind full of amazing experiences. While our plan to participate in the backpacking lifestyle failed, it was truly a memorable vacation that I would do all over again anytime.
Image credits: Mia Batrisyia
Lifestyle • 23
AFFORDABLE ABROAD: STOCKHOLM By Tom Boon
Are you looking for a cheap
year, including music concerts.
a Swedish hash with egg and
weekend away from uni; a chance
If you’re looking for
beetroot, is not to be missed.
to let your hair down and take
a bit of history, then maybe the
This dish is nice and simple,
a break from all those pending
Vasa Museum is for you. Located
but incredibly flavoursome, and
deadlines?
consider
towards the centre of the city, this
leaves you feeling satisfyingly
Stockholm: the beautiful capital
museum houses a 17th-century
full after you eat it.
city of Sweden, a place I really
boat
enjoyed visiting and hope to visit
harbour
perfectly
day, it’s time to retire to bed,
again soon.
preserved from decomposition by
and inside the city, you’ll find a
the unique water characteristics
vast number of hostels available
from Hatfield, it takes a short two
of the area.
from £20 and up. Not only are
and a half hour flight to reach the
these
city from London. At the time of
an awful lot of information, from
alternative to hotels, you also get
writing, return flights for 11th to
the early building of the boat
the opportunity to meet other
12th of November were available
to stories of those who were
individuals
for just £16!
onboard when it sank, and what is
either just for the weekend or for
There’s so much to do once you
being done to preserve the boat,
a little longer. Who knows: you
arrive in Stockholm. If you’re
both today and in the future.
may even meet new friends that
interested in animals and Swedish
culture, why not pay the Skansen
idea to explore one of the many
museum a visit: the world’s oldest
islands just outside of Stockholm.
Have you visited Stockholm? What
open-air
in
For a short boat ride, you can
did you think? Let us know at @
1891. Showcasing Swedish Life
visit a number of different islands
tridentmediauk!
throughout the ages, this unique
dotted around the archipelago.
museum teaches a lot about the
These
country’s history and culture.
the perfect place to spend the
In addition to this, the Skansen
day, and some offer cabins that
museum also contains a large zoo
you can rent by the night if you
showcasing a number of Swedish
want to stay outside of the city;
animals, including the majestic
offering the perfect getaway from
Elk.
civilisation.
Why
not
Located just 880 miles
museum,
founded
But if Swedish culture
that
It’s
Gröna With
Lund
amusement to
park.
cater
nice
islands
are
certainly
Swedish
to
can’t try
meatballs.
miss
the
authentic You
know
for
the ones you get every time you
everybody, from thrill seekers
go to Ikea? Imagine those, but
to those seeking calmer rides
10 times better, because that’s
this attraction really cannot be
exactly what you get when you go
missed.
to any of the Swedish restaurants
something
a
While you’re in Sweden,
opportunity
the
always
wonderful
just
is
Stockholm
The museum contains
you
the street
in
almost
and animals aren’t for you, then across
sunk
The park contains 7
located in the city centre.
rollercoasters, in addition to a
number of smaller, more gentle
is Pelikan: an older restaurant in
One of particular note
rides. It also hosts a variety of
the centre of town. If meatballs
special events throughout the
aren’t your thing, the “doppsko”,
After a fully packed
a
cheap
who
and
are
cheerful
traveling
last a lifetime!
Credit: Can Burcin Sahin on Wikimed ia Commons
awl999
monik Credit:
y
ba on Pixa
Credit
: Beno
ĂŽt Der
rier o
n Flic kr
Credit: BenoĂŽt Derrier on Flickr
Lifestyle • 25
By Pelumi Agboola It’s about three weeks in and Freshers has passed, lectures have kicked off, assignments and reading are flying your way, you’ve only just recovered from the dreaded fresher’s flu, and you’re feeling very overwhelmed. Because of this, here are five tops-tips that have helped me through my first year to help you through yours!
1. FIRST THINGS FIRST – GET ORGANISED. I can’t stress this one enough, as it’s almost key to keeping a sound mind. When university starts, your room can either look like a library explosion of books and notes everywhere or be a few pieces of paper on the side from the lectures you dragged yourself out of bed to go to. Find yourself the nearest Wilko or WHSmith, and get folders, notebooks, sticky pads, highlighters, whites boards, timetable planners – you name it. Figure out your timetable, when your free times are, upcoming assignment dates, core reading books, and find out your lecturers’ names, emails and drop-in hours; and get them organised in a way that is appealing to you (as we’re all different). Keep your study area clean and tidy (for the most part). Just think: a clear space is a clear mind. Once you know what you’re doing, how you’re doing it and when, thing start piecing itself together.
2. STAY FIT AND HEALTHY (WELL, AT LEAST GIVE IT YOUR BEST SHOT). Even though mental health is by far the most important part of your life, especially as a student and nothing else should come first, but coming a close second is your physical health. In my first year, I wanted to be so book-strong I forgot all about my physical health: it’s easy to get sucked into the snacking and binge-drinking habits when you’re away from home, having to make your own meals and doing your own shopping. However, watching your physical health can be as simple as trying to do your 10,000 steps a day, walking instead of taking the bus or a cab, taking the stairs instead of
TOP TIPS FOR GOOD MENTAL HEALTH AT UNIVERSITY the lift, or even getting yourself a gym membership. If not, then join a sports society and get active and make friends at the same time. Diet is another thing. After finishing the bulk-buy of noodles you thought was “going to last ages”, drinking every week and exhausting the use of Hatfield’s 24hr McDonalds it’s time to brush up on a better diet. Things like sugar, excessive drinking, canned and fast food can be linked to making anxiety and depression symptoms worse. Making sure you’re getting proper breakfast, lunch, and dinner with fruit and vegetable is essential to feeling healthy inside and out. P.s – Drink water, and try to get a full night sleep.
3. KEEP IN TOUCH. You may be a plane journey away, or even a 10-minute drive away, but not being at home can really make you feel lonely, and it’s important to keep in touch with loved ones whether it’s family or friends. Making weekly calls and texts to people that make you feel at ease and relaxed is an important practice when you first start at university and don’t forget that they won’t stop caring. Hang up pictures on the walls and all around your room of friends and family of fond memories to keep you upbeat when you’re feeling down, which is exactly what I did as soon as I moved to my room in my first year. Every time I felt I couldn’t do this, they were a constant reminder that I could.
4. MAKE FRIENDS AND MEMORIES. Nothing’s better at making you feel good than a laugh with good company. Making new friends can be scary, and even with your anxiety sky-rocketing at the thought of saying “hi” it’s important to know that people are really nice, and people will help and will listen.
Essentially, everyone
Image credit: Alexas_Fotos
and think you’re safe from all the strangers, but people do want to be your friend and have a good time with you. Go out and make friends; it’s probably the best thing you’ll get out of attending university (other than the degree, of course).
the right help. There is so much
5. LAST, BUT ABSOLUTELY NOT LEAST: DON’T SUFFER IN SILENCE.
getting through it which is the
It’s tough to get your head around, especially when you feel anxious about letting people into your personal life, but honestly, the best thing you can do is open up. If not to a new friend, seek professional support from
experience. Don’t just listen to
the university. If you can’t go to lectures or can’t make the due dates because your mental health is playing up, let someone you trust, know about it. Who can get you the right
If you can’t go to
at university is trying to make
lectures, or can’t make the due
friends, so just give it your best
dates because your mental health
shot. It’s so easy to lock yourself
is playing up, let someone you
away in your room (like I did)
trust about it who can get you
help and advice the University of Hertfordshire can give to you, and you should use it to your advantage. Just know you’re not alone in this, we all go through it whether mild or severe but it’s most important part.
University should be
a fun, exciting and an uplifting all the horror stories of the awful times students have: make it what you want it to be, which is the best. Been feeling stressed? Need someone to talk to? Student Wellbeing and the Advice and Support team is there to help, offering counselling, career guidance and financial support among other services all oncampus. For more information, visit http://www.herts.ac.uk/ university-life/student-support
Sports • 27
Getting into sports isn’t always easy. Sometimes it’s too costly, other times you might not feel like participating with people who seem to know a lot about what they’re doing. Fear not, for that’s where Active Students comes in: a brilliant program designed to help encourage nonsporty or semi-sporty students to participate in some good old exercise, with no commitment, no costs and no signing up; just attend as and when needed. To learn a little bit more about this The Trident spoke to Alice Horton, the Senior Sports Development Officer at Active Students, who gave us some insight into what the program has to offer.
What’s your role with Active Students? My name’s Alice, and I oversee the Active Students program, in terms of operations and overseeing our ‘Activators’, and trying to engage more students in engaging in sports activities. What is Active Students? Our slogan is ‘No sign-up, no commitment, no cost’, and does exactly what it says on the tin. It’s all completely free, and we run a variety of physical activities from your traditional football, netball and rugby all the way to self-defense, Tai Chi, rollerskating, yoga, and everything in between. It’s not competitive, and we base it on being social and having fun; it’s for all levels, especially beginners.
How do students typically respond to it? Very well. The fact that it’s free helps, but it’s really accessible as we run sessions seven days a week, in the evenings, lunchtimes, afternoons across both campuses, so there’s usually a time to suit everyone. A lot of our sessions happen at the Oval Flexible Space, the Oval 3G pitches, and the Oval multi-use games area, and lots of things happen at the Sports Village.
ACTIVE STUDENTS W/ ALICE HORTON What was the incentive to create Active Students? It’s been running for six years, and the aim was to try and engage with non-sporty and semi-sporty students and provide them an opportunity to try sports and take a break from studies, de-stress; especially, as a lot of research shows that participating in sport helps mental health, physical wellbeing. We remove barriers like cost, to really try and
improve the student experience at our university.
How can students go about signing up for Active Student sessions? There’s no need to physically sign up, just Like us on Facebook to get plenty of information there; all you need to do is go to our website which will show you the
timetable. You might go on in the morning and see there’s a badminton session at 11 am, and you can just turn up to the facility, making sure you’ve brought your student ID card and you can turn up to what you want whenever you want.
What’s your personal favourite activity that Active Student offers? Rollerskating is a good one, and I’ve been to a couple of the boxing sessions which are a lot of fun. Students are often drawn to football, but our palate and yoga sessions are really popular.
If I’m apprehensive about coming along, maybe I’m not that sporty or maybe I’m not really into social gatherings, what do you recommend? Great question. First of all, you don’t need to worry about it: you can email or send a message to our Activators on
Facebook,
students
that are employed with us, who are at every session.
If
you
let
them know of your apprehension,
you
can
any
ask
them
questions you want, and maybe meet with you before you attend a session so we can remove any worries. Active Students will run events from time to time, including its upcoming Christmas Bash and Rollerdisco; two events that’ll surely get you into the festive spirit with mince pies, mulled wine and all equipment provided. The Rollerdisco will cost £3 a ticket, but that will include free food! Find out more at http://www. activestudents.co.uk/membership/
UH CAMPUS FOOTBALL: GARRY F.C. V F.C BAG OF CANS By Sam Carman
Tension was in the air even before kick-off as Garry F.C. and F.C. Bag of Cans met properly for the first time after they finished a respected 1st and 2nd in the UH Campus football league. Having lost 3-0 due to the fact that they were unable to field a team in the previous fixture, F.C. Bag of Cans were definitely prepared to take revenge on their title rivals. Kick-off for the final of the UH campus football was set for 4 pm on Wednesday 22nd November 2017 on the ‘New Gen pitch’. With both teams arriving early before kick-off eager to get started, the mood was unquestionably set to be a match to remember. The captains of the two teams described this as being a potentially tough game due to the quality their opponents, but both still seemed quietly confident that their teams would come out on top and lift the trophy at the end of the match. Difficult conditions for players on both sides from the wind made it tricky for the weight of pass to be judged. The first 10 minutes of the first half were certainly action-packed with challenges flying in from all angles. The first meaningful play came from Cans, who had a penalty shout turned down and rightly so by the Referee, James Cantwell. More chances followed for the Cans strikers but they could not break the deadlock with Tom Little having the best opportunity, letting him drag his shot wide. Against the run of play, Garry then immediately went up the other end and scored directly from a long goal-kick, with the ball landing perfectly for their striker who surpassed the Bag of Cans goalkeeper with an excellently placed chip all of 25 yards out. The pressure was then on Bag of Cans to ensure that they did not stray further behind, but their defensive style of play did not last long as a great long attempt at a pass from their playmaker Brad eventually
to led to a goal-line clearance from a Garry defender. A flurry of chances then came for Cans once again, with their midfield-maestro, Matt, having an opportunity from a freekick which sadly hit the wall. A mixture of intricate short passes and long throws were proving to be a problem for Garry defensively, but their defense had been solid up until this point. A deserved equaliser came for F.C. Bag of Cans after some good build-up play, and a ball is played through which hits Garry’s keeper first and deflects in straight off the F.C. Bag of Cans striker; a lucky goal, and he was certainly in the right position at the right time. However, almost immediately after this, Garry soon scored right on the stroke of half-time from their skipper, Rob, which resulted in a header being flicked in by their striker. 2-1 to Garry as the half-time whistle blows one which could have gone either way. The second half continued as the first had ended, with Cans having the best play with their early chances, all the while Garry always loomed as a threat on the counter-attack. A solid defensive unit from Garry prevented any clear opportunities for the F.C. Bag of Cans attacking players in the first 10 minutes, but a mistake from a Garry defender resulted in lots chances for Cans players which would have brought them on terms for the second time in the match. Garry’s keeper almost put through his own net after he fumbled across to prevent a score, but nevertheless managed to recover just in time as he grabbed the ball on the line. The last 10 minutes of the match was when it truly came to life. While Cans were pushing players forward to keep their dreams of lifting the trophy alive, Garry finally gave a meaningful counter-attack which resulted in the winger, Liam Winton, being completely
Victors F.C Bag of Cans were presented with their trophy and champagne, much to the delight of the players [Credit: Oliver
Attfield]
wiped out in desperation by Cans player, Hasan, on the edge of the area. The subsequent freekick was cleared just about in a goal-line scramble, with Cans defending desperately to keep the tie alive. With the advantage of having an extra man, Garry attempted to push forward, but this saw them concede an equaliser up the other end when the 10 men of Cans countered their attack. With spirits evidently high among Bag of Cans players, they did the impossible and scored the winner straight after. A long ball over the top found Cans striker, Brad, who volleyed it in from close range, and making it 3-2; leading to scenes of jubilation from all his team as they celebrated being in front for the first time. One last throw of the dice from Garry resulted in nothing as they looked more shocked than anything that they had let the 10 men of Cans turn the match around. A great game for anyone watching, as it truly could have gone either way. F.C Bag of
Cans achieved the payback they wanted from the previous fixture in an epic encounter between two teams who both played to an extremely high standard, with the final a great advert for the UH Campus football league.
Victors
F.C
Bag
of
Cans were presented with their trophy and champagne, much to the delight of the players Captain of the victors, F.C. Bag of Cans’ Jonathan
Moore,
commented
after: “First half we weren’t up for it as much. But, it was an unbelievable match and it was definitely in the spirit of F.C. Bag of Cans to come through with a win like that.”
Image credit: jarmolu
Sports • 29
By Sam Carman Joining a sports team is a decision many make or even aspire to do in their first year of studying at the University of Hertfordshire. But what does being part of a sports team mean? What is it really like to captain a university sports team? To answer these questions, The Trident spoke to Matthew Widdicombe, a third-year student and former Men’s First Team badminton captain at the University of Hertfordshire. Let’s start from the beginning: when did you first pick up a badminton racket? That would have been when I was four. My dad was a very keen badminton player, so he sort of got me into it. My mum and my sister all play as well, so, yeah; I was four years old and it really kicked off from there! Did you have any inspirational sportspeople that you remember looking up to as a kid? There was a Korean guy, Kim Dong Moon; he was a Korean doubles World Champion, so I would go and watch the matches and tournaments when he was playing. Was it always badminton you were interested in, or were there other sports? Well, my mum plays tennis as well, so that was another sport that I liked. But, overall, I would say that I was mostly drawn to badminton because of my dad who was another inspiration figure of mine, as you just want to be like your dad when you’re younger. When you got to the University of Hertfordshire, did you join the badminton team straight away? You have trials at the start of the year [to get in], but I already knew the coach that was here, and my sister already played, so he knew how good I was, anyway. But, youngo to the trials, have two weeks of them, and then when you get into the team they’ll tell you how you’re doing.
SPORTS SPOTLIGHT: MATTHEW WIDDICOMBE Once you got into the team, how long did it take you to become captain? In the first year, coaches don’t want you to become captain because you don’t know enough about the players. But, at the start of the second year of uni, I just sort of put myself forward as another person did too. The decision lay with the coach, and who he thought would be best to be the captain, and because the other guy wasn’t so fussed it went to me. Would you say being a captain differs from being a regular student in a sports team? Yes, mainly as captain, although the coach leads the session for the whole team, so I sort of led the first team sessions and chose who was playing and who was doing which training. When playing in matches, I would take the lead role: you observe and see what people could do better, so you’re sort of a coach in a way. Being a captain means you have to pick a team and communicate with people to get the team together.
with people dropping out a day before a match because it’s very tricky to get another player in time. Most of the time it was fine; it’s just if people have deadlines that they didn’t know about, or they had tests coming up it became a bit hard.
Did you find it difficult to balance work and your sports team? In my first- and second-year, it was fine; I could easily space my time around university and training. Last year, I was away on a placement so I struggled and I couldn’t go attend away matches, but training was in the evenings, so that was OK. What does the future hold for you at the University of Hertfordshire, and the badminton team? I put myself forward for Chairman this year, but I was not about much last year because of my placement, so I was overlooked. But, I’m still playing, and, hopefully, we’ll keep in the premiership this year. Would you personally recommend students to join a sports team whilst at university? Yes! I’d say it gives you a real social group that you can really work with; something you can really get involved in. It helps you with all different types of skills like leadership qualities, and stuff like that, so yeah —
How long were you captain for? I was captain in secondyear, yes, but then in my third-year, the guy who was captain was not regularly available, so I was basically captain of the third-year as well. So, pretty much two years. Could you name one high and one low throughout your captaincy?
either a sports team or a society, definitely. Fancy giving badminton a go? Active Students will run sessions now and then, to help you get a taste of this sport. Otherwise, if you’re already practiced, why not check out UH Sport’s Badminton Club, for those that want to develop their skills further:
The high point was the season that I first became captain, as we got promoted to the premiership! I wouldn’t say it’s a low, but it’s hard when you have to contend
http://www.uhsport.co.uk/sportsclubs/badminton
By Jessica Grano de Oro
ANIMAL RAIN:
WHAT THE F@#% IS IT?!
Ever heard the phrase it’s raining cats and dogs? Well, even though it does not literally mean that it is raining cats and dogs, there are some scientists that believe that such thing as animal rain exists. So what is it exactly? The term pretty much gives it away: it is a bizarre weather phenomenon in which animals fall from the sky like rain. Though this may seem like the stuff of urban legends, there have people throughout history that claimed to have seen this incident with their own eyes. This dates back to thousands of years ago, from eyewitnesses like Pliny the Elder in the first century, a Roman writer who reported a storm of fish and frogs; French soldiers spotting a downpour of toads in the 18th century; as well as some accounts from the present day. Alasdair Wilkins, a blogger, mentions in his article that the most recent sightings have been in Australia, the Philippines and some parts of Asia in the last five years. He explains that inhabitants of Yoro, Honduras are most familiar with this occurrence as fish rain supposedly happens every summer in their country; or as they call it, ‘Lluvia de Peces’. Wilkins quotes what a traveller heard, one of the few English pieces found around this topic, when he went to Honduras in 2006: “A massive storm hits the surrounding countryside of the village with swirling winds and thick, pouring rain. Out of nowhere
this to be a miracle
appear dozens of live fish right
physicist André-Marie Ampère
there on the fields, flapping in
did come up with a hypothesis
the rainwater. The locals believe
to justify why animal rain
from God, finding no explanation other than fish falling down from heaven.”
Still, one burning
question remains: how does
Image credit: veeterzy & OpenClipart-Vectors
Health & Innovations • 30
animal rain actually happen? The truth is that no one has an answer to that. It is considered that a good number of witnesses probably had a questionable reliability and did not see what they think they saw. According to the Library of Congress, some people falsely reported an animal rainfall just because they saw large numbers of worms, frogs, and birds lying on the ground after a storm; the article explaining that those animals might have come from different places, such as the earth or trees.
However, the French
happens, which is still used
His theory, however, has
nowadays by scientists. He
the problem that no one has
suggested that animals on the
actually seen a tornado shot up
countryside, mostly small ones,
a myriad of fish into the sky,
often cluster together in one big
and therefore no visual footage
group, so when a storm comes
is available.
they would be swept up and
into the air by the hard gusts of
rain still remains a mystery, and
wind. Then what comes up must
its existence is still debated by
come down, hence why they all
scientists to this day. But, who
fall down like rain.
knows: maybe somebody will
post a video on YouTube of a
As for the fish rain,
The cause for animal
Ampère explained the cause
cloud of tuna waving hello as
was probably waterspouts, i.e.
they launch skyward.
tornados that form on water.
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