Sheffield May 2017

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SHEFFIELD EDITION May 2017

P24 Playing live should be like cave people dancing

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PEACE WITH PUPS Zen with man’s best friend

Get us off bottom of food chain Lecturers claim casual roles are harming education

 MOLLY WILLIAMS P11

WHALE OF A TIME Duo row across Atlantic

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GRIME’S J HUS Tells us he’s a bit boring

Lecturers have told TUP students are being short changed, as they open up about life on casual contracts.

They claim some staff are working in ‘warehouse’ conditions and others are under pressure to mark dissertations in less than 15 minutes.

Nearly a third of academic staff at Sheffield Hallam and the University of Sheffield are employed on non-permanent contracts, with many not sure they will keep their jobs from semester to semester.

As a result, there are fears students paying £9,000 tuition fees are not getting the quality of teaching promised.

A Freedom of Information request submitted by TUP showed there were 649 associate lecturers – teachingfocussed staff employed on a

‘Standards are too low’ This is what teaching staff and union reps had to say about lecturers being employed in short and fixed term roles.

‘A friend of mine employed in a casual way was being paid about £2,000 to lecture this module for a semester. He looked around the room of 200 students and realised out of the £9,000 fees they were paying for their tuition, £10 of that was going to him.’ Sam Marsh, maths teacher, Sheffield University ‘It matters to students because the standard they should be

fixed-term basis – at Hallam, equating to nearly a third of all teaching staff.

Sheffield University failed

getting should be a lot higher.’

Luke Renwick, education officer, Sheffield Hallam SU ‘I could have done so much more for this university if I had been trusted and invested in, and now I absolutely resent the place and what it has done to me.’

‘My contract with the department runs out at the end of the seminars, leaving my students with nobody to contact during the revision period.’

Lecturers quoted in a University and College union survey

to provide recent information but a Guardian report from November 2016 revealed nearly 40 per cent of teaching

and research staff were on temporary or ‘atypical’ contracts.

Sociology lecturer and Hallam University and College Union branch officer Dr Bob Jeffery said: ‘This idea that all academics are on a cushy wage and have a cushy lifestyle isn’t true for a great many.’

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SUNDARA KARMA Have a festival gripe POP STAR DUA LIPA On her road to stardom

The idea academics have a cushy lifestyle is not true

Bob Jeffery, Hallam lecturer

He added: ‘At the bottom of the food chain, which is an ever growing number, it’s no different from working in a supermarket or a warehouse.’

With other branch officers, Dr Jeffery conducted a survey of Hallam staff on casual contracts in 2014 which revealed 80 per cent of those questioned rated their job security as ‘bad or Continued on Page 3

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May 2017

Plans for review of all casual contract work out of the £9,000 fees they were paying for their tuition, £10 of that was going to him. I’m sure they wouldn’t realise all the support they’re receiving, all the answering emails, everything, they’re basically getting that for a tenner.’

Dr Marsh said over the past five years £500million had been spent at Sheffield University on new buildings and developments, including £81million spent on The Diamond building, which was shortlisted for a Carbuncle Cup ugly building award last year.

Vice chancellors’ pay has also been rising – Prof Sir Keith Burnett, head of Sheffield University, was paid £385,000 in 2014-15, an increase of more than £100,000 since 2011-12. Hallam’s new VC, Prof Chris Husbands, was paid £164,000 in the first half of 2016.

Meanwhile, the UCU calculates You come here to get an university teaching staff nationally education, not pay your vice have faced a real terms pay cut of 14.5 per cent since 2009. chancellor’s salary Mr Renwick said fees should go Luke Renwick, Hallam SU officer primarily on learning and warned it it gave me enough work to survive, would be terrible for students and but not enough to thrive. universities if casualisation rose.

‘Now I’m 40 and feel that was it. He said: ‘Students won’t be getting I could have done so much more what they deserve, academics won’t for this university if I had been be getting what they deserve and trusted and invested in, and now I you’ll see a concentration of power absolutely resent the place.’ and higher inflation of wage at the Another said: ‘One issue is my top rather than at the bottom, but the contract with the department runs grassroots at the bottom is where out at the end of the seminars, the money should go. leaving my students with nobody to ‘I mean you come here to get an contact during the revision period. education, you don’t come here to They are also unable to come to me pay your vice chancellor’s salary.’ for feedback on their exam.’

Dr Jeffery said the problem Hallam SU education officer Luke was part of the wider issue of Renwick said the casualisation of marketisation in universities, which staff was not only bad for staff but is the idea that institutions focus had a big impact on students. on ‘student experience’ rather than He said: ‘It affects students in education to attract more applicants so many ways. One of the things I and therefore more money. found out from talking to lecturers He said: ‘Over the last 20 is one person on a casual contract years universities have become was being told to mark a 12,000 businesses. They’re now primarily word dissertation in 12 minutes businesses rather than centres of and that was the standard they were learning – they have to compete told to work at. How can you even against each other to try and attract do that? People spend 12 months students, so there is always going to writing a dissertation – how can it be a focus on trying to cut costs. be marked in 12 minutes?

‘Any work they can push on to ‘It seems very cold, the way permanent members of staff is education has become, and I think saving money. Not giving people that’s why it matters to students full employment rights by keeping because the standard they should be people on zero hours contracts – getting should be a lot higher and that’s saving money as well.’ that’s not the lecturer’s fault, that’s Dr Marsh said although lecturers the fault of the management.’ were doing their best, there was Maths lecturer and Sheffield UCU an irony to selling a great student branch officer Dr Sam Marsh said experience when teaching staff were many students did not realise only working under casual contracts. a small amount of their £9,000 ‘Most people try their best to be tuition fees was spent on teaching. professional and to hide this from He said: ‘A friend of mine who was their students,’ he added. ‘But you can just imagine the kind of doing core teaching on a big first year module at Sheffield University situation you’re in. You can’t do your best and you can’t while employed in a casual way come across as motivated, was being paid about £2,000 to lecture this module for a semester. enthusiastic teachers.

But he was the face the students ‘Student satisfaction saw when they first arrived at the and the like is so high university. He looked around the on the university’s room of 200 students and realised agenda, we’re From page 1

very bad’. A survey of Sheffield University casual staff undertaken

by Sheffield UCU and published in December showed staff felt casual contracts prevented them from being able to plan their lives and focus on teaching and other duties.

Many did not want to talk about their experiences openly for fear of losing future employment, but many responded anonymously.

One lecturer said: ‘I can’t sign up for anything further away than the next end of contract because I don’t know if I will still have a job. I’m less effective than I could be because I always have one eye on what might happen in three, six or12 months’ time.’

Another said: ‘[Casualisation] really has been the worst thing to happen to my academic “career” –

IN FIGURES: PRESSURES AND PAYCHECKS

PICTURE: BRANDON PIETERS/FLICKR

12 44 649

minutes - amount of time one lecturer on a casual contract says they were told to spend marking a 12,000 word dissertation average age of a lecturer on one of these contracts, according to the UCU number of ‘associate lecturers’ on casual contracts at Sheffield Hallam University pay cut it is claimed uni teaching staff have suffered since 2009 amount vice chancellor Keith Burnett was paid in 2014-15

14.5% £385,000

Priority questions: Some lecturers say they are struggling to remain professional and positive for their students, top, and the £81million Diamond building at Sheffield University, above right

constantly encouraged to be an enthusiastic and engaging face for the university.

‘I don’t know how you can be enthusiastic when you’re being treated as badly as some of these people are being.’

Dr Jeffery said a common argument universities use to support non-permanent contracts is that they are mainly given to young academics starting their careers.

However, a UCU study showed the average age of lecturers on these contracts was 44 and some had tried applying for permanent or termtime contracts for years.

Hallam gives lecturers the chance to convert to full or term-time contracts if they meet certain criteria, including consistent work for three years, for at least 100 hours a year. A Hallam spokesman said: ‘The vast majority of staff on these contracts do not take

this up as they value the flexible arrangements afforded by associate lecturer contracts.’

He added that AL contracts at Hallam gave the same sick pay, annual leave and maternity rights as permanent posts, as well as offering career progression and benefits.

He insisted the contracts were ‘a deliberate career choice for many people’. He added: ‘They have the ability to bring in the latest applied thinking, as well as enabling the university to meet fluctuations in student numbers and core staffing.’

A Sheffield University spokesman claimed casual contracts accounted for ‘just two per cent of our total teaching population when considered on a full-time equivalent basis’.

They added: ‘We ensure those who work with us on a more flexible/casual basis are afforded the same rates of pay as those employed directly by the university.’

But most lecturers on temporary

CONTACT US EDITOR: MOLLY WILLIAMS Email your stories to editor@unipaper.co.uk

[Casual contracts] have the ability to bring in the latest applied thinking, as well as enabling the university to meet fluctuations in student numbers

Sheffield Hallam University spokesman

By Molly Williams Sheffield editor

For more in-depth articles and Sheffield news, go to www. unipaper.co.uk

contracts surveyed by each UCU branch said they would prefer a permanent post.

Hallam’s UCU branch spoke to staff who said they had been kept below the 100 hour threshold or been denied conversion.

An associate lecturer surveyed

by Hallam UCU said: ‘I would like a permanent contract. Being an AL isn’t a choice, it doesn’t fit a lifestyle, this is a myth, we need to work and this is the best we are offered sometimes.’

Most students interviewed were unaware of the issue but were angered to hear some lecturers felt they were getting a bad deal.

Psychology student Rachel Robinson, from Sheffield Hallam, said: ‘I had no idea it was going on but I think it’s disgusting. It really annoys me when we’re paying so much to go to university and stuff like this is going on.’

Jordan Blake, 21, who studies history at Hallam, said: ‘I’m really annoyed. If I was a lecturer I wouldn’t want to do work if my wage wasn’t guaranteed.’

A Sheffield University spokesman suggested there was a promising attitude to tackling the issue.

‘We’re continuing to work proactively with the UCU and our other local trade unions to identify means of reviewing the employment status of all those who work on a casual basis,’ he said.

‘This is to ensure our relationship is right for the circumstances, suits the individual and supports the needs of the university and our students.’

News

Puppy power

Students across the UK are discovering the calming effects of canines as part of pet therapy We investigate the use of dogs on campus and the science behind feeling all fluffy over fido  Valentina Bulava

Canine cuddles: A session run by Guide Dogs UK with Oxford students

Unless you’re allergic, chances are a cuddle with a cat or dog will put a smile on your face.

And universities have embraced this, with many arranging for their students to interact with puppies.

‘Puppy room’ events are popular at many universities around exam time, while some students can book regular appointments with dogs at their unions.

But how big an impact do these sessions actually have on students and are the dogs OK with it?

Ailie Robertson, a student advisor at Heriot-Watt students’ union in Edinburgh, described a typical Therapet session, which

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May 2017

the advice hub organises with the Canine Concern Scotland Trust and volunteer dog owners.

‘I’ve been incredibly surprised and quite moved by how lovely the occasion is,’ she said. ‘Every session has 150 students passing through, broken down into different slots, and it’s always fully booked.

‘We usually have about five or six dogs and owners and each have a circle around them with the dog on the mat.

‘It’s not that big a space and there are 30 students per 20-minute session but it’s an incredibly calm, quiet space and the students lose track of time.

‘The dogs go into this amazing zone of loving the attention. The owners always say they love coming here.’

Research backs up the good feeling many get from making a furry friend in these sessions.

Having a specially-trained dog improved the quality of life and

Although there are 30 students and five or six dogs, it’s incredibly calm and people lose track of the time

The trust that comes from opening up to a dog is a very good way of managing stress

Prof Daniel Mills, behaviour expert

Ailie Robertson, Heriot-Watt SU

boosting furr-apy, many unis team up with local organisations to bring the pups to campus.

One charity that works with students across the country is Guide Dogs UK, which brings puppies being trained to assist blind people to unis, along with their handlers.

Sue Richardson, head of the charity’s Atherton training school, said the sessions helped the

These sessions help teach our puppies good manners – behaviour we would expect

PICTURES: GUIDE DOGS UK/LIVERPOOL SU

working relationships of disabled people in a study by Elanco Animal Health, results published in February show.

Families with a dog in their home also got on better and worried less, according to the research, which surveyed more than 300 clients either with a specially-trained dog or on the waiting list for one.

Research for the Dogs Trust has also found it’s very likely having a dog can help reduce blood pressure.

Prof Daniel Mills, a veterinary behavioural medicine specialist at the University of Lincoln, said as well as providing puppy therapy, universities are increasingly letting students take pets into lectures and exams to fight anxiety.

‘The anecdotal evidence is that it does calm these people – you speak to them and they wouldn’t be able to turn up if it wasn’t for that,’ he said. ‘If you’ve got a dog, it gives you a focus so it redirects your attention from the stress.’

He said humans had been learning to identify with animals since our time as prehistoric hunters, making us good at telling pets our problems.

‘The sharing of intimate thoughts and the trust that comes from it is a very good way of managing stress,’ he said. ‘One of the beauties of

Clockwise from top: A Guide Dogs UK puppy, a happy student, a dog learns to socialise, directions for a Liverpool SU session and positive feedback

Sue Richardson, Guide Dogs UK

something like a dog is if you talk about things that are troubling you, then you know the dog is not going to betray your trust.’

Georgii Popov-Lvov, a first year illustration student from the University of Brighton who has felt

Paws for pleasure: Students often leave the dog petting sessions calmer, above

the benefits of puppy sessions first-hand, said: ‘I love dogs, so I really liked dog therapy. It made my mood better.’ But he added: ‘To avoid stress, it’s better to be prepared for exams in time.’

In order to deliver the mood-

puppies involved and the guide dog movement as a whole.

‘Socialising is key for our dogs, as long as it’s done appropriately,’ she said. ‘We have very clear protocols and the welfare of the dog is at the forefront. Basically, they’re being taught good manners – behaviour we would expect of them.’

But she said the sessions also educated people at university about guide dogs and their owners. ‘We

Have you relied on a pet to get you through a tough term? Email your experiences to editor@unipaper. co.uk

have students with guide dogs around the country so it’s useful for the university to have that disability awareness,’ she added.

Other universities have their own dedicated therapy dogs.

Vinnie helps stressed students at the University of Leicester SU, coming in every week for two hours’ worth of 15 minute sessions, with up to three visitors at a time.

The black labrador joined the Education Unit team after he proved too timid for a guide dog training scheme. Naomi Willett, advice development co-ordinator at the SU, said: ‘Vinnie’s been getting on really well. Some students have said they find it relaxing to have a dog to pet when they’re feeling stressed and anxious in the run-up to assignments and exams.’

The sessions are made even more beneficial by the fact most students are not allowed pets in their accommodation.

‘Other students seem to get comfort from Vinnie as they miss their pets back home,’ Naomi said.

6|Research

May 2017

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Pubs close down as supermarkets sell cheap booze Research finds drink is still easy to reach

was three times more accessible in more deprived areas.

The research showed 85 per cent of postcodes have an outlet which sells alcohol within 500metres, with the average distance being just 323metres.

Colin Angus, who led the study, said: ‘Our research shows a major change in how people obtain their alcohol. Small supermarkets and convenience stores, where alcohol is commonly available at low prices, have proliferated in recent years.

At the same time, the numbers of pubs – which sell alcohol at a higher price – has decreased dramatically.

‘What is especially concerning is these trends are most pronounced in deprived areas, which we know are particularly affected by alcohol Closing time: One in ten pubs shut down from 2001 to 2013 related harm.’

 Amy Denman

Many of us have our loyalties to a local pub, whether it’s for the garden, the atmosphere or the pool table.

But it seems more and more people are ditching their local boozer for the cheaper plonk at the offie.

One in ten pubs closed in England between 2001 and 2013, while the number of supermarkets and convenience stores has more than doubled, according to research from the University of Sheffield.

The study, conducted by analysts from the university’s Alcohol Research Group, also found booze

Women given less time to talk

When you think of comedy, you tend to think of male comedians such as Peter Kay, Michael McIntyre or Jimmy Carr.

A reason behind this may have been found by researchers from Birmingham City University.

Scientists from the institution found female panelists spoke much less on the popular BBC show Mock The Week than their male counterparts.

Dr Robert Lawson and Dr Ursula Lutzky analysed an entire series of the comedy news show to see how frequently panelists of different genders spoke, how long they spoke for and the number of times they were interrupted by other speakers.

The results showed only four per cent of nearly 60,000 words were spoken by female panelists.

It also revealed that in ten episodes, male guests had 2,199 turns to speak, whereas the female guests had just 125 opportunities to

speak. Dr Lawson said: ‘We would expect that with six panelists on Mock The Week the talking time would be equally divided between all six comedians.

‘Our research shows, however, that this doesn’t seem to be the case.

‘More research is needed to compare the amount of talk produced by male and female panelists in series after 2014, when the decision was taken to ensure that at least one female panelist should be present on each episode.’

The team’s research looked at series five of the show, which aired in 2007 and has 12 episodes, as it was seen by the pair of academics as having a comparatively higher number of female guests than other series.

Sad face: Show’s guests are mostly men

Bullies and victims more likely to want surgery Insecure: 11 per cent of victims want plastic surgery

Bullying is a horrible thing to experience.

Most of us know the reasons people pick on others is because they are insecure.

This has now been proven by a study from the University of Warwick which has found bullies and their victims are more likely to want to have cosmetic surgery.

The research looked at roughly 2,800 UK secondary school students aged between 11 to 16.

They were screened for their involvement in bullying through both self and peer assessment.

The pupils were then asked to complete a number of questionnaires which included questions on their views on cosmetic procedures.

A sample group of around 800 participants including bullies, victims, and those unaffected by

bullying was analysed for emotional problems, self-esteem levels and their desire to have plastic surgery was measured.

The results showed 11 per cent of teens who were bullied were interested in procedures.

Whereas 3.4 per cent of bullies desired surgery and 8.8 per cent of those who are both a bully and a victim expressed an interest in such procedures.

Prof Dieter Wolke said: ‘Being victimised by peers resulted in poor psychological functioning, which increased desire for cosmetic surgery. For bullies, cosmetic surgery may simply be another tactic to increase social status to look good and achieve dominance.

‘Our results suggest cosmetic surgeons should screen candidates for psychological vulnerability and history of bullying.’

New camera technology inspired by animals’ vision Glagsow scientists help cams to ‘see’ Researchers have taken inspiration from animal vision to improve the way digital cameras capture images.

Scientists from the University of Glasgow have developed a new method which allows a camera to focus on an object, in the same way a hunter can hone in on its prey.

The sensor will identify the main object in the frame and allocate the

majority of its detail to that. For example, if a tree was blowing in the wind the camera would produce a high-resolution image of the tree and objects in the background would appear more blurry.

Lead researcher Dr David Phillips, from Glasgow’s School of Engineering, said: ‘I started to think a bit about how vision works in living things and I realised that building a programme which could interpret the data from our sensor along similar lines could solve the problem. By prioritising the

information from the sensor in this way, we’ve managed to produce images at an improved frame rate.

We’ve also taught the system a valuable new skill.’

He added: ‘We’re keen to continue improving the system Bird’s eye: Camera inspired by animals’ sight

and explore the opportunities for industrial and commercial use, for example in medical imaging.’

The eyes and brains in humans and animals work together to focus on objects in their field of vision, for example during a chat, visual attention is focused on the

person speaking – Dr Phillips’ new method works in a similar way.

His research was published in the journal Science Advance.

The news comes after an experiment saw Google’s new smartphone camera take detailed images in environments with small amounts of light.

The experiments were performed by a Google Daydream software engineer. During the trails, the new camera was able to capture an image of space by using the light from nearby stars.

IN BRIEF

Grant could save lives A professor from the University of Liverpool has been awarded £850,000 to develop a life saving device.

Prof Andrew Weeks received the grant to develop the Postpartum Hemorrhage Butterfly.

The invention helps to stop postpartum bleeding, which occurs up to 24hours after birth, and diagnose the source.

PPH is the cause of around 25 per cent of maternal deaths around the world and it affects around 40,000 British women every year.

Learning bots catch disease Scientists have developed new artificial intelligence which can more accurately predict heart disease than current technology.

Research from the University of Nottingham has shown that self teaching AI tools were significantly more accurate at predicting cardiovascular disease than the established algorithm.

Dr Stephen Weng said: ‘These AI algorithms have the potential to help save more lives.’

Fingerprint tech on trial New fingerprint technology developed by Sheffield Hallam researchers has been used in a real case for the first time.

The technology, which analyses fingerprints to look into what the alleged criminal was doing before the crime, was used during an investigation into harassment in West Yorkshire.

It works by mapping different molecules within tissue sections.

Dr Simona Francese, project leader, said: ‘This is yet another step closer to our aim.’

Freedom: It works well Employees with higher levels of autonomy in their workplace reported positive effects on their well being and job satisfaction, according to a new study.

Researchers from the University of Birmingham’s business school examined changes in reported well being in relation to levels of autonomy at work.

Dr Daniel Wheatley said: ‘Greater levels of control over work tasks and schedule have the potential to generate significant benefits for the employee.’

The Sponsored interview content

May 2017

A show is about the mosh pit and the escape – It has to feel almost tribal, like cave people dancing round a fire Serge Pizzorno, Kasabian

Sponsored by the Department for Education

We’re better A than ever Shaping young lives: When pupils are excited to learn, it is extremely rewarding

It’s a joy to see the kids learning

Science teacher Victoria Warren discusses how training helped her build her confidence and how her career is exceeding her expectations  John Shaw

T SOME point in your academic journey, you have probably had a teacher who has made a difference in your life. They may have made learning interesting, helped you through a hard time or challenged you to push your limits.

But have you ever thought that special person could be you?

After graduating, you may want to look into teaching as a career.

Good teachers are in demand and there are excellent employment prospects.

To Dodd attract the best and  Hannah brightest people with the potential ecstatic waiting Serge to beAM exceptional teachers,for a range Pizzorno’s call –and it’sprestigious not of tax-free bursaries every day to speak scholarships areyou nowget available.

New teachers mayguitarist, be entitled to Kasabian’s letto a tax-free £25,000 to for alonebursary find outofwhat he had breakfast. train, or up to £30,000 for physics ‘I had crumpets and are Marmite teachers*.

Once you qualifiand ed it was just you can great!’ expecthe totells startme. on a salary we’reto not£28,000 here to chat breakfast. ofBut £22,000 depending After their three-year from on location, which isbreak competitive recording, I’m itching to knowjobs. about compared to other graduate It’s not too late to applysixth for Kasabian’s much-awaited teacher training starting in From album, For Crying Out Loud.

September and thesoGet the tracks debuted far,Into it seems

Teaching service can help you with your application. Applications are made through UCAS and will remain open until late summer. We spoke to Victoria Warren, a science teacher at Elthorne Park High School in London, to find out more.

When did you first decide to get into teaching?

I started tutoring when I was doing my PhD. For the last year and a half my funding was running out and I got an email from my university about them needing tutors. I started doing it and really enjoyed it.

want to. They can be a challenge, but the training helps a lot.

Before your training were you happy to stand up in front of people and speak?

No, definitely not! I was not at all when I first started.

The training provides you with the confidence to stand up in front of a class of children, and the more you are put in front of young people and have to think of different ways to teach them the same thing, it continues to build that confidence.

I am quite little as well so it is quite intimidating sometimes. track Put Your Life On It with So, how did overcome that Kasabian at a you special homecoming fear Is it astadium. case of just gig atthen? the football doing it? something about the unison ‘There’s Yes, exactly. Itespecially is about harmony, having the and harmony, confi stillofchildren at with adence. choir –They’re the power the music the of thebeing day,sung evenby if they’re andend the lines a lot of bigger you. You got people –than it elevates it, ithave reallyjust does,’ to sure‘They they entered have theour respect he make explains. world for and appreciate that shouting andyou our world is sort of 100mph and doesn’t You have gotso tosweet think it’s quitework. chaotic.

They were of different way to make them anda we had a really good time.’ take youwas seriously.

Serge so impressed he also hired the choir for the most personal How did your training help you in of gigs. developing those skills?

‘I got married this year and they all

It was more about seeing the other teachers and how they deal with it. There is another female teacher at the school and she is tiny too.

There is no point in her going in and shouting at the children.

They are not going to pay attention to her at all. It is more about taking a stance.

Her method is to stand there and give them a minute. If they are still not paying attention she will do a countdown. It is all about learning different techniques and how to deal with different age groups.

school for an experience day.

I contacted local schools and asked them if I could come in for a day of work experience and some of them got back to me. It was very casual like ‘yes, you can come in’.

A lot of the schools are willing to have you come. Look for the ones who have vacancies, go in for a day, shadow a teacher and get a feel for what it is like. After I did it I thought ‘this is brilliant’.

I think that is the best way to do it.

Is there a good community between teachers? sang at mythe wedding,’ he tells me.

something you were worried about? move down to London then you live

CONTACT

Want more? For more on bursaries, training and getting school experience visit: Website: getintoteaching. education.gov.uk

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/ company/get-into-teaching

Some people are worried about they Facebook: facebook.com/ Kasabian’s Serge Pizzorno tells us the band is at the top of their game, reveals how drew inspiration career progression. Was that getintoteaching

I

What you afraid of before to havewere something for everyone, you training? with started influences from punk to acid

You always think your knowledge house, but one collaboration with De is not going to be enough.

Montfort University Gospel Choir If the youwho diffidescribes cult stood outkids for ask Serge, questions are head’. you going to do himself as what a ‘studio if ‘I you not know thetoanswer? wasdowalking down the You getCity overfootball that quickly!

Leicester groundsNo-one and I expects to know everything, heard thisyou amazing sound,’ he says. which is quite reassuring.

‘A choir basically singing some gospel terra songs, and I couldn’t What did you develop believeskills it – straight away I needed to during your training? know what was going on so I stood in Ifront learnt how toand deal with diffi cult of DMU watched them.’ children and how encourage So impressed wasyou Serge that he them learn when they donew not invitedtothe group to perform

Yeah, it is a really tight-knit the The collab really demonstrates department.

The science department group’s investment in Leicester, and I is very close.

There global are lotsfame of social wonder if the band’s has activities as well andfrom lots aofnormal helping ever distanced Serge each other out. He assures me that life back home.

Theynever havebe a sharing would the casesystem becauseon the drive, where, if you home is either ‘in you or ithave isn’t’got when ait really teaching comesgood to your sound. technique, you puttoitget onswept there up andinthe other ‘It’scan easy it and teachers it asbut well. think youcan are see anyone who you are. But staying and living there, with If someone was still deciding Kasabian anyway, I kind of want about teaching to makegoing musicinto for my friends what and would I figure you to dotell thatthem?

I need to know Iabout would recommend going their lives,’ he says.

‘If into you a

No. My family friend a teacher. in a different world.

Youissing about She is the deputy ofpeople a that world.

And nothead many go primary school so I had got some through that world. information fromwith her about career ‘You lose touch real life and progression in teaching. real life is more interesting to make But your music for.’ school will help you with Andcareer makeprogression. music they certainly have. Kasabian seem to be maturing What is wine, the most thing like fine evenrewarding after six albums about the job? people can’t get enough. I ask if Serge When the students grasp a concept, thinks they’re the best they’ve been. get‘You a bitknow excited about it and start what, yeah,’ he says. asking questions it. make it ‘It’s really excitingabout and you It you’ve to shows six albums andgot it’s them almostgripped. like they *Subject to eligibility. subjects sort of just give inSelected – in the endonly they

just can’t get rid of you,’ he chuckles.

Twitter: twitter.com/ ‘They look at the stuff you’ve done getintoteaching and the albums you’ve created and YouTube: they say OKyoutube.com/ there is a lot more to it. getintoteaching With us, there has been a lot of people saying after each record, “oh, I didn’t Instagram : instagram.com/ think they were like that”. get_into_teaching ‘People sort of realise what you’re trying to do the longer you stay in the game. The new show with the set we already have, it’s really quite amazing.

It really has hit another level.’

Kasabian are at home with their back catalogue, especially on the festival stage, according to Serge.

‘The shows we’ve just played have

Opinion

to the muddy e backdrop to

urge festivale for the chilly tists including

 Stevie French

Seth Troxler and Skream – will be a must-see experience.’

Inspired by the lineup and tempted to get myself a ticket for Lost And Found, I wonder how she manages to confidently select such an exciting list of performers.

‘Conviction and knowing your s**t,’ she tells me. ‘Not booking people because you feel pressure to book them from other people. You have to believe in it yourself.’

Although the pressure to organise a successful festival is high, the job does have its perks, travel being one.

‘I love the feeling of going somewhere I’ve never been before,’ the Londoner tells me. ‘I don’t do it as much as I used to so when I do go off

PICTURE: ENRICO

Message from the past: The Auschwitz I entrance

History could repeat itself

made a stupid comment about the gas attacks in Syria, claiming that Hitler didn’t gas his ‘own people’ – only to quickly retract this statement after being called out by the press – and went on to call the After what I had seen concentration camps ‘Holocaust the week before I couldn’t centres’ as if they were some sort of understand how this could day care for the Jewish people. happen The Holocaust is more than Emily Wood just a warning from the past, it’s Comment 25 9 important to remember the sheer Big waist of NHS cash scale of injustice after the war, with understand how this could happen. instincts, practising her DJ skills in the garden and catching all kinds of travelling bugs the rise of antisemitism and suicide Less than a day later, the White House’s press secretary Sean Spicer rates of survivors. Think of all the camps being set up in Chechnya, Russia, to hold gay men.

After what I had seen the week before, at a camp which was liberated by Russia, I couldn’t

March 2017

Readers and writers have their say on controversial topics. Want to get your point across? Email your comment to editor@unipaper.co.uk

Self-care is just another factor that  Alice Ball becomes part of the balancing act.

As I stand in line at a global There are many healthy and cuisine restaurant, I notice the affordable options on the market. A bag of frozen chips may cost £1, but man in front of me piling his so does a bag of frozen vegetables. plate with a bizarre combination It’s no longer realistic to suggest of chicken korma, stuffed potato government intervention is enough skins and Singapore noodles.

There’s something vomit-inducing to reduce obesity. They can try to discourage consumers from buying about consuming as many calories fizzy drinks by introducing the as humanly possible to get your sugar tax, but it is still down to us money’s worth. whether we buy them.

I’ve realised these disturbing Most of us understand the advice behaviours are not confined to buffets – the grazing, lack of portion that tells us to be more active control and unequal balance of food groups epitomises a growing issue There’s something with weight gain. vomit-inducing about According to the Health Survey consuming as many calories for England, 27 per cent of adults as humanly possible to get are obese. Obesity increases the risk your money’s worth of developing type two diabetes, and make healthier choices, but cancer and high blood pressure, which could lead to heart disease, a we choose to ignore it, believing a healthy lifestyle requires an heart attack or stroke – a giant yet excessive amount of effort. avoidable bill for the NHS. Money saved from treating When starting at university, students gain a lot of independence, obesity-related diseases could be spent on scientific research for from deciding where to go out incurable diseases. to what goes into their mouths.

It is ironic so many people are It’s easy to fall into the trap of quick to criticise the state of the unhealthy eating because of a new public health system despite being hectic lifestyle, the cost of living or at risk of the many conditions the availability of fast food. associated with obesity.

But it’s time to stop with the Essentially, the only way to save excuses and take responsibility for Let’s our be honest, most of us go to your favourite artist.

Whyisnot our health service to take stop making growing waistlines. excuses. It’s to us to find the time festivals for the lineup. there isuni the opportunity to up discover some Everybody has But to balance to exercise it’sare upour to us what we always the potential for a clash that new acts instead?and Here work with extra-curricular activities, put in our mouths. has you frantically running fromlife. recommendations to check out while jobs, family and a social

is back in town In response to Stripping pays my way as a student on p11 of The University Paper’s February edition

 Aneeka Hussain

Misha sharing her story is not just brave, it is vital in taking a step towards abolishing a fallacy somewhere it’s still really exciting to around strippers. me,’ she says.

‘I don’t feel empowered by my The 38-year-old tells me about job, but then I don’t think you her favourite places to spin the should have to,’ she said while also decks, reeling off a list of enviable comparing stripping to working at destinations.

‘I was going home to spend the first Tesco.

‘I love Dublin, Belfast and Glasgow night in my new house. I rang the Not all pole dancers (or women for the spirit of the people,’ she says. doorbell at 2am and my boyfriend working in other areas of the ‘However, I love Miami for the fun, opened up. sex industry) are doing it for food and the adventures I’ve had ‘The first thing I did was fall down empowerment. there. Sonar in Barcelona is always on my hands and knees in the hall I feel the term is used to contribute amazing. Toronto crowds are always and throw up,’ she laughs. ‘Such a to a glorified ideal of how we wish super open minded and progressive.’ nice start to a new home.’ to see strippers when actually they But she doesn’t just travel for work, She had her second child with just see it as any other job. and names Jamaica and Mexico as partner Toddla T in January after This uninformed perspective stems Annie Mac her favourite places to kick back. revealing the pregnancy in a low-key Presents: Lost from the desire to sexualise women’s She also loves New York, where reply to a tweet from a fan asking And Found bodies. she worked in a vegan coffee shop why she was not on the lineup for Festival takes place from This is why I’m glad Misha April 13 to 18 at I came home from Ibiza with food poisoning. My boyfriend emphasises how it is just like any Numero Uno in opened the front door and the first thing I did was throw up another job.

Malta It involves juggling commitments, one stage to another, trying to see at Lost And Found Festival. perks and annoyances. Her for a summer when she was 19 – a September 2016’s Bestival.

Pregnant experience also proved there should time she has described as a rite of MistaJam has been covering the pause: harder. admire strippers to be a clear distinction between ability to balance reality makespassage. the path‘New to erasing York City is very closeWe should mother-of-two’s Radio 1 slotwork whileethic and Peckham rapper Giggs has had an incredible Annieand Mac for taking ownership of their bodies between education business and personal life. other the entrenched objectifi of that changed to my heartcation as a place she has been away. year so far, touring the UK and collaborating Allowing idealised views to cloud women in our but also commend them forof their obligations. is preparing that little bit mysociety life,’ she adds.

After a couple months’ leave

naked Sometimes it isThe better truth: It is just another job to confide in a friend In response to Could lecturers do more with mental health issues? on p9 of TUP’s March edition

problem seriously and provide the necessary help.

Find theTianna finest performers is right, lecturers should notice if one of their students has a mental health issue and be concerned when students act Could lecturers do more with mental health issues? unusually.

Offering help, even if it is Who would pay to abort? make students feel rejected, might better by letting them know that someone is concerned. However, and uplifting. But it’s one of the best, aand holiday, married and hung out I can’tgot speak for everyone, not the best. I don’t want to get in with kids. in the case of mental but Ithe believe trouble,’ he jokes.

‘ThenitI is went back to to thespeak albumwith and health, important ItIttook a little longer spin gold made it even better andcares I wrote someone who really for three you is important totospeak with this time around likecares many for music more songs. It wasthe theproblems best thingyou I and understands someone whoand really lovers I wondered the release could’ve it definitely made might bedone goingand through, rather than you, rather thanwhy someone who date was put back to April 28. Serge the album who better.is just doing their job. someone is just doing their job feels it’s an album for the summer ‘It didn’t sit are rightorganisations it coming out It isalso great there Valentina Bulava crowd and says he needed a holiday. in theprofessional winter – it’s going own the with help, to phonelines ‘I finished it last year before the summer.’ with people ready to talk and listen. summer and it was going to come out, When it comes to this summer’s It might be a good move to to then I just thought I’dDogoyou onwant holiday, festivals, Kasabian’s danceand cardstaff is to encourage other students share like “well I’ve done all theyour hardopinion? certainly With headline help eachlooking other –full. perhaps by doing us really at editor@ shows work”,’ he tells me. ‘IEmail never Reading and LeedstoI wonder group at therapy or seminars share give myself a break, unipaper.co.uk like why don’t if the bandand getsstories. much down time and opinions Sometimes, allfestivals you need a friend youofcan you have three months off? So I had if areisthe highlight the cry  Tianna Graham

We know there is a mental health crisis when it comes to university students across the UK. Despite the widespread statistics, there hasn’t been a conversation about staff intervention.

As editor of the mental health section for Epigram at the University of Bristol, I regularly receive messages from suffering students. A common grievance is that students believe their anxiety or depression is visible, yet professors don’t notice. If a student is un-focussed, they are perceived as lazy, if they are falling behind, it isn’t followed up with concern.

A second-year student, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: ‘I confided in my tutor that I had been diagnosed with PTSD because of trauma in my childhood and it was having a negative impact on my uni work.

After explaining this and breaking down in front of her I didn’t return to uni for weeks. I didn’t receive a single email of concern. ’ The counterclaim is that staff aren’t trained to counsel students and shouldn’t try to play agony aunt. Stephanie Codsi, a tutor of English literature at the University

Despite visiting some amazing places across the world, the Dublinborn DJ reveals she has had some travel disasters, namely ‘various bouts of aggressive food poisoning over the years’.

‘One came on just as I was boarding a plane home from Ibiza,’ she adds.

with Drake on a new song. His tunes, including to get back the presenter is looking forward to Lock Doh, Whippin Excursion and Who’s Dat? are on the decks returning to the decks. guaranteed to get the crowd proper gassed – as for her Lost ‘I’m glad I have been through this one might say.

And Found before,’ she says of the return to Festival after work. ‘I know it will feel really nervehaving her wracking and really amazing.’

He calls himself the sexiest fat man in the secondmentally.’ child student is struggling Despite being away from DJing, she universe Charlie Sloth is a master at selecting January How do youintell the difference the finest tunes. If his popular Radio 1Xtra slot is has found a way to keep on top of her skills at home in Notting Hill.between a student that has pulled anything to go by, you’re guaranteed to go from and one suffering two stepping to dabbing and slow whining all in ‘I enjoy practising in my offian ceall-nighter at from insomnia? Or between the end of the garden and catching one glorious slot. anxiety and healthy nerves? up with all the music I’ve missed.’

She may have been DJing forIt13can be difficult to spot the Dubstep DJ Skream is travelling all the way from years, but the nerves are stillsigns. there.However, when a student is the outskirts of south London to St Paul’s Bay ‘I’ll probably be a little selfconsistently distressed or absent, to bring some seriously danceable tunes your shouldn’t be ignored and if conscious but will absolutelyitlove it way. He hasn’t released anything of his own for a In response to Student’s petition matter – his petition shouldn’t have once I’m up and running,’ shethey says.confide in staff, it should be while, but he knows how to get a crowd bopping to remove abortions from NHS been about removing the option ‘That buzz you get when youfollowed move a up. To assume they can by selecting the latest jams. sparks social media outrage found of abortion altogether, but rather handle their problems themselves crowd never grows old.’

According to the government the contraceptive pill, at the time of its introduction to the NHS in the 1960s, promoted promiscuity and free love. I’m calling bull.

OK, maybe it enables women to have more sexual partners without the fear of getting pregnant and having their life, and a child’s life, called into question.

But wait, sexual promiscuity and no risk of getting pregnant – why does this sound familiar?

Oh, that’s right, because it’s exactly what men have had the freedom of since we evolved from single-celled organisms.

I guess I owe a thank you to the government for being a lot less anal, not only about where wild oats are being sown but about the fields that might not want those oats to come into fruition. Thank you for giving me the option to do more than stay at home and raise kids, even if the choice comes with unwanted side effects including acne, potential mental and emotional chaos and a change in libido that makes the whole point of taking it moot.

But hold on to your diaphragms and put down your pills because there’s a new contraceptive on the block, and it’s for the men. Vasalgel is essentially a plug for sperm. The injection doesn’t involve any of the nasty side effects hormone-based

writers, inventors, artists, scientists, doctors and others we lost because of this injustice.

Think of all the minds of future generations that will be lost because of the camps in Russia and the words of Spicer spurring on hatred among antisemites and deniers.

It’s time to remember the past and stop the injustice before it’s too late.

As Tadeusz Borowski wrote: ‘There can be no beauty if it is paid for by human injustice, nor truth that passes over injustice in silence, main stage nor moral virtue thatThe condones it.’ lineup for Reading

contraceptives have – the ones us women have to deal with, without an alternative. The same effects, in fact, that halted drug trials on a male version of a hormone-based contraceptive because 20 out of 320 men found them intolerable.

I’ll assume the reason scientists seem to value men’s comfort more than women’s is a silent acknowledgment of our place as the fairer but stronger sex. I mean, it wouldn’t be another example of the rife double standards when it

I bet a moment of pain in the penis is still too much of a sacrifice

Stevie French

comes to sexual health... no way.

But I digress.

Do I think this Vasalgel sounds awesome? Absolutely. Do I think it will change the blame and responsibility of unwanted pregnancies being unfairly laid solely on women? Not in my lifetime. I bet my not so impressive student bank account a moment of pain to the penis is still too much of a sacrifice even to save a lot of ladies physical and emotional aches.

WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS TO SEE KASABIAN AT READING OR LEEDS FESTIVALS 2017

Women’s responsibility?

The contraceptive pill

Muse, Liam Gallagher and Korn, as and Leeds reads like a who’s who of well as more recent break-throughs music movers and shakers. such as Blossoms and Rat Boy. We have a pair of tickets for To enter our competition, click on to and get a hug and Reading a cup of and tea a pair for showing a ‘less where at www.unipaper.co.uk and for attractive’ side of Of Leeds, all of the quotes‘Win’ which from. And for many winners people, no can choosecirculate between main the full lineup and toyourself. buy tickets, see online, my favourite amount of professional workers The link between beauty and stage headliners Kasabian, www.readingandleedsfestival.com. is ‘you Eminem, don’t owe prettiness to

Be proud of your bare face

could replace one close person.

Also, not everyone is happy to share their personal problems with strangers.

Students should know there is nothing wrong with asking for help, but they should never be forced into talking. summer for them.

As a student myself, I understand love Reading the‘I problem fromand theLeeds inside.– I have such fond memories thoseissues places friends with mental of health and we’re be part of the I havehonoured difficultytowhen it comes history of those festivals,’ says. to sleepless nights beforeSerge deadlines, ‘Unfortunately, by the time we get and private problems. there we’re isn’t much Andand trust me,off, thethere ‘it’s gonna be time.

It’s different the European OK’ line does notwith always help, festivals with dance tents that go on especially when it comes from till late andwho you says can get outa there.’ a lecturer it as stock I’m curious about how finds phrase to everyone, just Serge because the to do such big sets. theyenergy have to.

‘I don’t likeistodifferent get thereand toohas early,’ Everyone he says. ‘My adrenaline in too different needs, but it iskicks important early and by the time youasget there to stay compassionate, it is to offer help as a professional. you’re knackered.

I’ve seen the

anyone’.

The concept is basic enough, but when properly digested it can be life changing.

The idea behind it is that it often seems physical beauty, or at least attractiveness, is something you owe to the people around you. line-up really and amazing It canisfeel likestrong you have failed and to share poster Eminem if you do nota live upwith to the beautyis incredible.

I’m a huge fan.’ standards in society.

The lastfitime Kasabian played new I often nd myself apologising for stuff wasIatlook Glastonbury, a blaze the way if I don’t in have any of bass and on, magenta, with the makeup or I didn’t getpressure round to piled on. But saysmy thatfriends ‘excites washing my Serge hair, and are me, rather The than cursory frightening me’.I look the same. ‘sorry ‘Thetoday, most important thingtime to to do awful I didn’t have remember is that the show iswhich about is my makeup’ is something the pit,regularly. and the escape, dress it saidmosh all too upBut as much as you but itto hasbeto the idea thatlike, we need be about thefor moment youat feel that apologetic not being our most connection, when you’reeffect. elevated attractive has a deeper To to another dimension,’ he says.pretty apologise for not looking means feelalmost negatively ‘It hasyou to feel tribal,about like cave

self-esteem often means if you don’t look good, you don’t feel good.

This isn’t to say you can’t look presentable. I love experimenting with makeup and hair colour and will always snap a few selfies when I think I look pretty. But there’s an inherent assumption that we need people dancing a fire. While I I often findround myself want to make music and the studio apologising for the way I look is my place, the more you play the festival thepleasing more youinbecome to look stage, visually order toa heightened version yourself.’ feel at our best.

I’mofnot suggesting oursecond time is you coming to a close, I forAsone shouldn’t allow decide toto askfeel forgood Kasabian’s craziest yourself – when you festival story.

Serge recalls the time feel it, you look beautiful. they to Wu-Tang Butwere youchatting don’t need to feel Clan at T In TheorPark. beautiful even presentable in ‘Weto were go on and we order feelabout yourto best. were fansand of theirs,’ he recalls.

Selfhuge esteem looks are so ‘We were told not to stare much closely tied together, but too there is at them, suddenly had a really nobut valid reasonwe forallprettiness to beabout the currency for self-worth. chat golf swings.

Totally bizarre Eleri Williams moment.’

from the city of Leicester and remembers his oddest festival moment... chatting golf with Wu-Tang Clan  Valentina Bulava

been unbelievable,’ he says. ‘It really Tianna wrote an seen feels likeGraham we’re a band nobody’s interesting piece about mental before, like nobody felt “oh not these health issues and whether lot again”.’ lecturers do more to help I want tocould talk rumours, after hearing students Bless Thiswho Acidsuffer.

House was set to be some day depression, the‘Perhaps best track on the album. sleepless nights andtomental But Serge is quick correct me, breakdowns won’t be common saying he doesn’t want to put that stereotypes of student life, kind of pressure on it and hebut just legitimate concerns,’ wanted to write a punkshe popsaid. song.

Yes,really such diffi problems must ‘It’s cult,’ he says.be‘We considered important – they affect got it in the last day of recording, and people’s lives, we were all likeability “right,to nowork moreand after interactions withof society. this”.

So we kind wrote it pretty quickly, but it sounds hopeful But universities doreally take the

Want your opinions heard? Email editor@unipaper. co.uk with your thoughts

of Bristol, said: ‘It is always necessary for a tutor to direct the student towards some professional help or to their personal tutor.

‘It is not recommended that the academic tutor get involved in personal issues, nor give advice, but should demonstrate a professional concern and, if necessary, follow up with the personal tutor on the student’s wellbeing.

‘At the same time, it should be understood that it is not always easy for a tutor to recognise when a

Staff aren’t trained to counsel students and shouldn’t try to play agony aunt

Tianna Graham, University of Bristol

on www.unipaper.co.uk removing the public funds that pay is to dismiss them. for abortion (though this does raise Mark Ames, director of student Listening to dance music in the Maltese warmth like Samuel Davies sounds a dream come true. And what some questions about equality, and services at Bristol, said: ‘The artists to university takes student health andbetter I won’t beprovide signingthe thesoundtrack petition. to a whether it should be a privilege for evening thanchoice, Dusky? but The duo will those who can afford it). wellbeing very seriously and wouldMediterranean Not because I’m pro tracks from album urge any students who are feeling bringbecause thetheir logiclatest behind it isOuter, whichWhat would have been more Wiley, Gary Numan and Solomon Grey.feasible for Emanuel would be to anxious, depressed or lonely to features misguided. seek support.

[Petition creator] Emanuel makes petition for an ‘opt-in system’ that ‘We will continue to work with a valid point: ‘Why should I pay for would potentially have more of an Catscontrary and dogs areimpact, known for not taxpayers getting on.can choose where students to improve our support for health procedures that are Pets Recordings owners Catz ‘n they want to contribute their wellbeing and mental health.’ to my personal values?’Polish producers whether Dogz are known for gettingthis theprocedure catchiest tunes towards (though Many students feel defeated, as if Not only is it a valid question, onaand producingagain, some the electrifying cuts.

Grab aneeded logistical process they are to suck up their feelings to but it’s one that deserves serious Sex On The Beachtoand along tovery the setwag thatyour up istail probably prioritise their grades. But the truth answer. house duo’s tracks. is, grades are achievements you However, his argument about thebestunrealistic).

It’s an interesting thought to earn in a short space of time – your right to life, which he presents as the imagine who, once a choice is mental health is for life. raison d’être behind this petition, is available, would consciously pay Let us hope universities follow irrelevant to this issue and has only towards abortion. suit and perhaps someday succeeded in fuelling the atrocious After all, where people spend depression, sleepless nights online dialogue over abortion. their money shows what they truly and breakdowns will be seen as What the focus should have been legitimate concerns. on is the financial aspect of the value.

PICTURE: PHIL KNOTT

Jamie Jones, MK and Andy C have been handpicked by the Radio 1 presenter to perform and of course she will be putting in a set of her own.

She takes me through some of the other acts to look out for.

‘The Black Madonna is an amazing selector,’ she says. ‘Also, Giggs and D Double E for being absolute cornerstones of the UK hip hop and grime scenes, and the six hour extravaganza from J.E.S.u.S – made up of Jackmaster, Eats Everything,

g of going somewhere I’ve never been before. I h as I used to so when I do it’s still exciting

must-have for ential but it tells me. ‘The els warmer y in the t on pool, boat

Male contraceptive won’t replace pill

 Emily Wood

he Mac

e Malta as the day party. she says. ‘And ese government re so behind the o.’ also makes ace to party,

May 2017

After going to visit concentration camps in Poland, I realised we have not learned from the horrors of the Second World War

The experience of visiting Auschwitz concentration camp is hard to put into words.

The mixed emotions of having been at a place of horror is akin to nothing I’ve ever felt before.

Upon entering Auschwitz you’re welcomed with the sign that reads ‘arbeit macht frei’,which translates as ‘work sets you free’.

It is the message Jews, Roma, homosexuals, Jehovah’s Witnesses, political prisoners and others from across Europe and the world were faced with on a daily basis at Nazirun camps.

It is estimated more than six million people died in the Holocaust, with nearly 1.5million murdered in Auschwitz.

The remnants of the victims are everywhere – their possessions, clothing, even the hair shaved from their corpses. The sight makes you sick to your stomach.

However, for me, entering Birkenau, the largest of the subcamps that made up the Auschwitz complex, was much worse.

The sight of the tracks that brought so many to their deaths, and a freight car abandoned on them, is harrowing. Standing on the ramps where so many were selected for the gas chambers fills you with such dread. Plus the sheer size of the place was just disgusting.

Watching documentaries and films simply does not prepare you for the sight of the masses of wooden bunkers in front of you.

By the end of the visit my feet were sore, but I felt guilty for complaining about it as I thought of all the horrors the victims of the nterview Nazi regime faced in Auschwitz.

When I came back to England, the dio 1 presenter tells us about trusting her first thing I did was check the news.

To my horror I saw a story about

ing DJ Annie to do, it’s throw been hosting Festival in Bay for three formers from usic industry

25 9

Want to have your say about a current event? Email your comment to editor@unipaper.co.uk

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Your life

11

Students reveal their unique experiences at university.

May 2017

A big wave knocked me out and I came to with half my body in the water

KCL student Jack Galsworthy tells TUP how he and friend Freddie Wright faced storms, whales and flying fish to become the youngest duo to row the huge ocean

I

We conquered the Atlantic Ocean

FIRST thought about rowing across an ocean after talks I had in junior and secondary school by people who had done it: they showed me it was possible.

Later, at uni, I thought ‘what do I want to do that’s a bit different and out of the ordinary?’ Rowing the Atlantic sounded pretty cool to me.

I told my friend Freddie Wright about my idea and we decided to do it. When we signed up, more people

had been into space than had rowed across an ocean.

We also knew if we completed it by the time we were 21, we’d be the youngest pair ever to do it.

After we signed up, we had two years’ work to get to the start line, which is the hardest part of the whole thing – only 60 per cent of those who sign up actually set off.

We had to raise £85,000 to cover all our costs for food, the boat,

shipping fees, a lot of things. I spent a lot of my student loan on it!

After sending thousands of emails out to companies, we raised the money. Then came the training.

We went to the gym a whole lot and ate constantly throughout the day. I had a Sainsbury’s meal deal in every single lecture I was in.

I put on 11kg in muscle and 5kg in fat that year, raising my total weight from 80kg to 96kg. In the 47 days

we were at sea, I lost 25kg.

Eventually we set off from La Gomera in the Canary Islands, in our boat Blue Steel, along with 25 other teams. We immediately started our shift patterns – we’d take turns rowing, two hours on and two off.

We found ourselves in a storm quite early on and got led out by a school of dolphins. We followed them to the edge of the storm, until it was calm again, then the dolphins

PICTURE: BEN DUFFY AND TALISKER WHISKY ATLANTIC CHALLENGE

Oar-some: Freddie Wright, left, and Jack Galsworthy celebrate in Antigua

Jack, Atlantic rower

Do you have a story to share? Email editor@unipaper. co.uk

flipped, turned around and headed back into the storm.

The scariest moment came one night when I was just about to wake Fred up for his shift. There were some big swells coming, and I got hit by a huge wave which nearly washed me off the boat. I hit my head and came to with half my body in the water. I pulled myself back in and just held on. The heat also made things hard. We broke

our GPS, our radar, two iPods and our aerial just through sweat. For three days, it was so hot we couldn’t leave the cabin. We were both crammed into this tiny cabin lying half on top of each other, genuinely in tears because our backs were seizing up so badly.

Despite my talk of storms and heat, it was the most humbling experience. The only man-made objects we saw were satellites.

Flying fish would hit us in the face every night and a whale followed us for four days. We were so lucky – we saw everything on the list.

Knowing all my friends were stuck in the library made it worth it, no matter how hard-going it got – there wasn’t a single moment where we wanted to get off the boat. We didn’t have a single argument.

We arrived in Antigua in the middle of a lightning storm. The first thing anyone said to us was ‘you are now the youngest pair ever to have rowed across an ocean’.

We were greeted by 1,000 people in Antigua, all cheering. It was the most bizarre and emotional thing.

Then they made us sit on a stage in front of everybody. They brought us burgers and a pint, and because they knew we were students they made us stand and down the pints. I downed mine and fainted into Fred.

Neither of us could stand so we both just fell on the floor, in front of 1,000 people.

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to www.gov.uk/lost-national-insurance-number • An email address you don’t mind being contacted on about your registration

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What’s On

13

The Lowdown

May 2017

P18-19

ADVENTURES Seasoned travellers tell you how get out for less

T

 Amy Denman

HERE are many layers to grime artist J Hus, which is something I learn quickly during our conversation.

He is cheeky but reserved and rebellious yet cautious.

I quickly realise it will take more than

a 15 minute chat to get to know him properly.

‘There’s a lot to me. One day I’m like this, the next day I’m like that,’ he says. ‘I think that’s why my music is so diverse, because I’m constantly changing.’

Among the ambiguous answers, I manage to find out a few interesting things about the 20-year-old.

Although his music is played in nightclubs across the country, he tends to steer clear of the scene.

‘I’m not really a party person. I’m more of an indoor person,’ he admits.

‘I don’t know why, that’s just how I am.

I’m a bit boring to be honest.’

But to his fans, the cheeky one liners and catchy melodies make him quite the opposite.

The lyric ‘I like my Fanta with no ice’ from his 2015 song

I have moments when I do stupid things and I think with different body parts instead of my brain

J Hus

Cheeky chap: J Hus is bold when using his lyrics and chat up lines

Friendly became a catchphrase – you only have to Google the line and Hus’ song is the first result.

With an abundance of audacious lines, I ask if he has a favourite. ‘With every song I’ve got one.

‘So with Did You See it’s probably “I’d be a genius if I didn’t think with my penis”,’ he laughs.

I ask why he chose that line in particular. ‘I don’t know, it’s a good lyric,’ he says.

I push to find out if it stood out because there is an element truth to it. ‘I reckon there used to be, maybe, a little bit. I have moments when I do stupid things, and when I think I don’t use the right...’ he laughs. ‘I’m just using other parts apart from my brain. But it’s just guys innit, that’s how we are sometimes.’

In a couple of his songs he also offers to season his female listeners’ chicken, which I’m sure is a euphemism, but can’t resist asking anyway. ‘Yeah, yeah,’ he laughs. ‘Do you know what it is? It doesn’t really have a proper meaning, it just sounds nice. I wouldn’t really use it day to day like “I wanna season your chicken”.’

Intrigued by

P23

DUA LIPA Takes inspiration from her rock ‘n’ roll dad

his response, I ask what chat up line he would use when approaching someone he likes the look of. ‘The last one I used was “I wanna kidnap you”.’ Charming.

Rather shocked by his reply, I ask if the line worked. ‘They liked it, they were like “yeah”,’ he laughs.

Still taken aback by his choice of words and their effectiveness, I suggest his fame may have helped him get away with such a brash line, as many other guys may not have had such a warm response.

‘A hundred per cent,’ he says. ‘I get away with a lot because of my fame.’

I ask for the naughtiest line he’s ever managed to get away with, but he struggles to think of it. ‘What do I do? I do a lot of s**t,’ he says. ‘That’s a hard one you know, I couldn’t say.’

Another thing the 20-year-old pulls off is his outlandish sense of style.

His latest fashion fix is fisherman hats – he wore one during the music video for Samantha, has a song named after them and is selling his own take on the accessory as merchandise for his album, Common Sense.

‘I just love fisherman hats,’ he tells me. ‘I kept on wearing them and everyone started calling me a fisherman.’

His own design of hat also features on the cover of his debut album, which is released on May 12.

Random merchandise isn’t the only thing we can expect from the album.

‘It’s the same sound as before but I’ve advanced it,’ he says. ‘I’ve added things to make it sound more grown up.’

The singer tells me he is looking forward to playing his new tunes at Wild Life festival this summer.

‘It’s gonna be crazy – I can’t wait,’ he says.

‘I know I’ll be nervous before I jump on stage but it’s gonna be sick.’

I’m not a party person P24-25

KASABIAN Guitarist Serge shares his breakfast with us P30-31

Rapper J Hus explains why his music makes regular club appearances but he doesn’t

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The Lowdown

15 May 2017

Hello

FOUR THINGS YOU NEED TO DO

from The University Paper

The end is nigh, ladies and gentlemen. It’s all over. The fat lady has sung.

No, I’m not talking about the nuclear disaster that’s hanging over our head like a boulder hangs over Wile E. Coyote.

I’m talking about the end of the academic year!

In many ways it’s a magical time when all exams are written, essays are handed in and the next deadlines are months away.

For The University Paper team, however, the moment is tinged with sadness. It’s always a delight to be producing these papers and having to wait four months for the next is painful.

Salve to our considerable wounds is www.unipaper.co.uk.

On there you’ll still be able to find the latest news, biggest interviews and incredible deals and competitions. We’ll

ARTI CATC SUM

be continuing to update the website regularly and we’re always looking for more writers to join us. (Email editor@ unipaper.co.uk to find out how).

But there’s still one more edition to get out the way before we chuck on our shades and sombreros and venture off to sunnier climes.

We think this summer special is our most exciting edition yet.

We chat to Reading and Leeds headliners Kasabian about finding harmony, plus we talk to pop sensation Dua Lipa about her incredible rise to fame. Elsewhere, we introduce you to micro adventures and take a look at the best sporting moments this year. Enjoy!

Travel. Go somewhere you always wanted to, but didn’t for whatever reason. Because when you start a full-time job or begin a masters degree, you’ll struggle to find the time.

Much love

The TUP team

Family fortunes: Popstar Dua Lipa chats to us about her musical upbringing Catch up with friends. See all those people you’ve been missing because of deadlines, sleepless nights and hours in the library. It’s great to catch up with old friends and share some stories.

100 Oxford Street London W1D 1LL 020 7580 6419 www.unipaper.co.uk @TheUniPaper

EDITORIAL

Editor-in-chief: Sam Murray sam.murray@unipaper.co.uk Deputy editor: Clare Hardy clare@unipaper.co.uk Sub editor: Amy Denman amy@unipaper.co.uk Online sub editor: Tom Gellatly tom.g@unipaper.co.uk

Send out your CV. Just do it in one go and then you can relax.

Even if you don’t need a job straight away, or plan to travel, it is always useful to see what’s out there. You never know, you might find your dream career.

ADVERTISING

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by The Uni Paper Ltd, at the address above, and printed by Newsquest, Oxford. We distribute 200,000 copies in 16 cities. We’re committed to putting errors right.

Email corrections@unipaper.co.uk.

Make new contacts. Go to different events like conferences or start-up fairs, open exhibitions or clubs – you never know who you might meet and it is always good to get your face out there. jessjenkins.co.uk

Valentina Bulava

Graduation moments

Drama amid the decorum Thick with tradition, graduations can all be a bit of a blur. But Valentina Bulava found ten students who ensured theirs would be remembered...

A speech reminded everyone why they started their degree If everyone spoke publicly at each graduation ceremony, they would go on for weeks. However, for those who get the chance to have a say, the pressure is well and truly on.

Donovan Livingston rose to this challenge with his speech at his Harvard Graduate School of Education ceremony, which has had more than 700,000 YouTube views.

The five minute spoken-word poem about inspiring school children and breaking away from the legacy of slavery, was shared by Justin Timberlake and Hillary Clinton.

An activist took a stand against a protest ban When his university took out a high court injunction to ban ‘occupationstyle’ protests, Connor Woodman was not impressed.

The 22-year-old unfurled a banner with ‘students against injunctions’ painted on it in the middle of his graduation ceremony at the University of Warwick.

The stunt was part of a protest by Warwick For Free Education, which Connor was a member of. He called the indefinite ban on sit-ins, granted following clashes between police and protesters in 2014, ‘a gross violation of basic liberties’.

One of the graduands gave his folks financial freedom as a ‘thank you’ Andy Evans’ graduation ceremony was already a big moment for his parents – tutor and bank worker Jane and David.

But as they all celebrated the 22-year-old’s 2:1 in graphic design from Staffordshire University, Andy had a massive surprise in store.

The graffiti artist handed his mum and dad a letter telling them he

had saved up money from the freelance artwork he did partly while at uni to pay off their mortgage.

‘Today is a good day for our family and not just because of graduation, because I can finally do something I have spent five years trying to achieve. I’ve paid off the rest of your mortgage,’ he said in a letter, which he handed his parents on the day.

He said he had wanted to pay the mortgage off since he was a teenager and was grateful to his mum and dad for helping him reach his goals.

The girl at the top of the class was proposed to Getting the top mark possible for her degree in psychology had already made Ashley Nelson’s day pretty special. Then, after being congratulated in front of her coursemates at Bridgewater State University in the US for maintaining such high grades, she turned around to see her boyfriend Josh Tillinghast, who got down on one knee and proposed, to the crowd’s delight.

17 May 2017

Someone fell over while taking a selfie in skyscraper shoes It’s every student’s worst nightmare.

If you haven’t stressed out or worried about falling over at graduation we can guarantee you will. Most of us will do anything in our power to avoid it by wearing practical shoes and being cautious as we walk along the stage.

But one Nottingham Trent University student decided to ignore

the warnings and wear the world’s most impractical high heels – think Lady Gaga meets NASA. Not only did Terri Winghei Ng wear sky high platforms to her ceremony, but while she was strutting across the stage to collect her degree, she attempted to take a selfie – which is when it all went wrong.

She wobbled on one of her shoes and collapsed on to her knees. But that didn’t stop Terri. Her friends helped her up and she got her selfie.

A graduand stood for the first time since a debilitating car crash In the first year of his law degree, Jeremiah Daliel vowed to his classmates that on graduation day, he would stand unaided.

And for the first time since he had been in a car crash five years before, that’s just what the UWE Bristol student did, getting a standing ovation from the crowd in the process.

‘As if I was dreaming, I pulled myself up unaided and put my hands forward,’ he said. ‘And guess what – I was stood on my feet unassisted for the first time in five years.’

The emotional moment was captured on video and posted on the university’s Facebook page, reaching 110,000 views in two days.

Boris became the most embarrassing dad ever

We all have our own ways of celebrating. While some are happy with a handshake or a cheeky wave, Robert Jeffrey Blank

When your father is a politician known for his headline-grabbing antics, you would hope he would avoid doing anything to overshadow your success on graduation day.

Well, if you’re Boris Johnson in the middle of a Brexit campaign, that idea goes out the window.

Boris saw the graduation of his eldest daughter, Lara JohnsonWheeler, at St Andrews University on June 23 last year as the perfect opportunity to get down with the kids on Brexit.

While he was waiting for his daughter to receive her degree, he unveiled a poster which read ‘last chance to vote’.

The mum of a student graduating didn’t even know he was at uni Rhonda Blair thought her son Liam had been doing odd jobs in a fish factory for the four years leading up to his graduation.

Her son had kept his studies secret from her, only letting on as he appeared in the pub where he’d taken her for an ‘early birthday

A cathedral full of people did the mannequin challenge It was all over the internet last year – even Destiny’s Child, Adele and Paul McCartney did the mannequin challenge.

The great thing about watching the freeze-frame videos is marvelling at

how those involved managed to get their sports team or common room to stay in position for so long.

So imagine getting 140 graduands and spectators at UWE Bristol’s ceremony in Bristol cathedral to sit or stand still for nearly a minute.

The attendees, including the vicechancellor, managed it without so much as a wobble.

celebration’ wearing his graduation robe. Rhonda found it hard to believe him at first, then broke down in tears when she realised the 31-year-old was telling the truth.

Liam studied psychology at the University of Dundee and was inspired to choose the subject by friends’ mental health struggles.

His degree has helped him secure a job as a support worker for the Scottish Association of Mental Health.

PICTURES: FACEBOOK/TWITTER/YOUTUBE/WFFE

A novel celebration went horribly wrong

from Michigan’s Davenport University decided that was not quite enough and did a backflip. It could have been brilliant... if he hadn’t landed flat on his face – ouch.

Sort your summer

T

 Henry Edwards

REKKING your way across world-famous landscapes far from home, taking selfies with local people and ancient monuments, is a life-changing experience, guaranteed to give you a new perspective on life.

It can also take a long time and leave you short of a few quid.

But Alastair Humphreys, whose big trips have included cycling the world and rowing the Atlantic, wants to prove you can still change your life with ‘microadventures’,

Adventurer has plan to give us all wanderlust

Big dreams?

Begin micro

In a tent you’re basically in a rubbish version of indoors – in a bivvy bag you’re outdoors which he describes as ‘short, simple, local, cheap yet still fun, exciting, challenging, refreshing and rewarding’.

We’ve put together some of our favourite ideas for your own mini escapades.

PICTURE: ALASTAIR HUMPHREYS

Walk or cycle home from university for the summer

Into the wild: Explorer Alastair Humphreys

A World of Opportunity...

www.merlincareers.com/graduates

/merlingraduates

@merlingraduates

If you’re leaving your uni city for the summer, why not send your folks off with your stuff and make your way home, cross-country?

For example, if you study in Leeds and you’re heading back to Sheffield for the holidays, you could

19 May 2017

cycle back using part of the Trans Pennine Trail – a fully signposted coast-to-coast path.

If just the thought of covering so many miles is enough to give you saddle sore, you could get the train half way and walk or cycle the rest.

At the very least, you won’t have to spend a long, hungover journey cooped up in a car with your stuff.

Do a five-to-nine

On top of the world: Laura Bingham in La Paz, Bolivia and, below, near Asuncion, Paraguay

STARVING AND PENNILESS: GLOBETROTTER CONQUERS A CONTINENT WITHOUT CASH Five thousand miles from home, hungry, depressed and exhausted, adventurer Laura Bingham tells me she wanted to ‘crawl into a hole’.

We have to give full credit to Alastair for this idea. Get a few essential pieces of kit together, find a spot not too far from the city, head there after work or uni, sleep rough for a night, under the stars, and head back at dawn.

Alastair recommends taking a bivvy bag, which is a waterproof sack you can wrap around your sleeping bag to keep out the damp (but not the rain). A plastic survival bag costs about £5.

‘In a tent you are basically in a rubbish version of indoors,’ Alastair says. ‘In a bivvy bag you really are outside.’ His website has advice on safety, legality and fire lighting and tips on how to get started.

If you’re not up to the whole route, pick the most interesting part.

Alastair’s advice applies here: ‘If you want to do a big [adventure] you’re best off starting with something small.’

Go with the flow

Brew it yourself

Ever looked out at the river winding through your uni town and wondered where it all begins?

Why not get to know more about it by following it from source to mouth? Comedian David Walliams swam the River Thames for Comic Relief a few years ago, picking up a nasty bout of ‘Thames tummy’, but you don’t have to get that stuck in to discover the course of a creek.

Many of the UK’s great rivers, including the Thames, Severn and Trent, have long-distance walking routes marked out along their banks.

Her troubles came last year while cycling the Ecuadorian Andes, surviving on four to six stale bread rolls a day.

The 23-year-old, who now lives in Leicestershire, had challenged herself to cross South America on a bicycle without spending any cash.

If your garden is as far as you’re prepared to venture, you can still

For more amazing stories, go to www. unipaper.co.uk

PICTURE: BRENDON GIESBRECHT

This is one that needs a lot of planning beforehand. We’re not suggesting you dive into any rushing torrents or filthy canals, and certainly don’t take a dip after a night out or go it alone.

But nothing beats the feeling of floating in a large body of water in the great outdoors.

While the shock of entering a lake or the sea will feel like a million tiny cattle prods zapping you all over, research suggests very cold water can help reduce stress.

PICTURE: HUGO ASEFF

No lanes here

it stands about 1.5cm taller than the bottom and make ridges around the outside with the back of a knife, a finger’s width apart. Slide the top half into the bottom and fill with medical alcohol, which you can buy in chemists. Once you light the alcohol, the flames rise up through the ridges. Balance a small metal pot of water with a handle on top

I’m speaking to the British explorer nine months after she completed her mission, so I know it turned out alright, but still her struggles make me wince, particularly from the Ecuadorian leg of the epic journey.

‘There were very few people who gave us food and there was a lot of rejection,’ Laura tells me.

‘I built up a huge fear about being rejected just because it was happening so frequently.’

Aside from the physical pain, the lack of food also started to play havoc with Laura’s mood.

‘I was depressed,’ she says. ‘I just wanted to crawl into a hole most of the time.

‘I was really down because I was working hard physically and then I had no fuel to put in my mouth.’

After the ‘dark’ period in Ecuador, things turned around for her.

She says: ‘When I got to Peru, [the fear of rejection] started to disappear and by the time I got to Paraguay and Argentina I was having to tell people to stop giving me food because they were being overly generous.’

The whole adventure sounds terrifying to me.

Travelling is scary enough but take away the safety net of a credit card and, I think, most people would feel the risk is too big.

To survive, Laura ate scraps from

the plates of restaurant customers, rummaged through bins and foraged in tips.

But inspiration to complete the task came after speaking to the founder of charity Operation South America – which looks after homeless or abused girls and young women in Paraguay.

‘He told me the story of these two girls who physically didn’t know they were supposed to eat three meals a day,’ Laura tells me.

‘Their father would go to work and would come back every other day with food and they just thought

There were very few people who gave us food and there was a lot of rejection that you were supposed to eat once every other day.’

The harrowing tale inspired Laura to take on the challenge and raise money and awareness for the charity.

I ask if she felt brave for doing it.

‘It was brave in a way because of the macho culture out there,’ Laura says. ‘Women aren’t [seen to be] as good as men [in South America] so I think it was brave from that aspect. ‘[But] I don’t really see it as that much of a huge thing. I see it as a learning experience – learning other people’s lives, appreciating them.’

How to cut your costs on the trip of a lifetime

Microadventures are short, simple, local, cheap yet still fun, exciting, challenging, refreshing and rewarding feel a bit closer to outdoor living by making your first cuppa of the day on a home-made camping stove.

Take a drinks can (a beer or large energy drink can is a good size), cut off the circle of aluminium at the top and slice the can in half with a knife, levelling off with scissors. Next, trim the top half so

and it’ll be boiling in no time.

Search ‘the original beer can stove video’ on YouTube for a fuller how-to guide.  For more microadventure inspiration and to buy the book Microadventures, visit www. alastairhumphreys.com.

Pack your bags: Alastair Humphreys has travelled the world but wants people to get out close to home Whichever form your adventure takes, there are a number of ways to make it cheaper. We asked super saving explorer Laura Bingham (pictured) how to keep the pennies in your pocket.

PICTURE: ALASTAIR HUMPHREYS

1» Transport By hitchhiking. As dangerous-ish as it is, it’s such a cheap way to travel and you get to meet and see so many different people.

We were in Paraguay and we met a German couple. They had almost no money and the only thing they paid for was food.

They hitchhiked all through South America and they had a tent so they just camped everywhere they could.

By hitchhiking you are meeting all

these people, a lot of the time they are really kind and they will invite you into their home and you can have supper with them and you gain so much more experience from it.

2» Food and drink It depends which country you are going to.

If you are going to South America and Asia it’s going to be cheap as hell anyway. There’s street food (make sure to harden your stomach before you go) and supermarkets – go and get some bread and bananas.

Alastair Humphreys cycled around the world for four years on £7,000 and that was because he cycled as his mode of transport, camping a lot

and eating banana sandwiches. You should also not be shy.

Cycling through South America, I found so much food by picking it up off the side of the road.

There were big piles of rotting oranges. I was going through the piles and picking out the good ones.

And people just throw stuff away.

I found a box of 64 cans of tuna on the side of the road and that was my entire protein. Keep your eye out for food and don’t be scared to pick it up off the road.

3» Accommodation By camping. By taking a lightweight, multi-season tent you can camp all the way and then you are saving on hostel fees.

*Discount only redeemable in size? stores until 30th June 2017 when purchasing full priced product and accompanied with a valid student ID. Full Terms & conditions apply.

*15% STUDENT DISCOUNT IN-STORE

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22|Music

Festivals need fresh ideas

May 2017

Sundara Karma’s lead singer Oscar Pollock chats to us about feisty followers and headliner let-downs  Patrick Hollis

W

HEN you think of a gift that’s guaranteed to impress, a voucher or a nice bottle of wine might spring to mind.

Not so for Sundara Karma’s fans.

The band’s lead singer, Oscar Pollock, is telling me most of the weird things that happen to them are too rude to be repeated in interviews.

‘I think the strangest thing was probably when we received a vegan curry sauce cake,’ he says.

OK, that sounds pretty strange, but you can see the logic considering there are two vegans, a vegetarian and a pescatarian in the band – until Oscar adds: ‘There were ecstasy pills on top of the cake.’

Quirky fans seem to be something of a running theme for the Reading fourpiece, which also includes guitarist Ally Baty, bassist Dom Cordell and drummer Haydn Evans.

‘At the smaller venues we often get people trying to come up on the stage,’ Oscar tells me.

‘We did this one show, in

Birmingham I think it was, and this really drunk girl got up on stage and offered to perform, erm, oral sex on all of us. Our lead guitarist was terrified.’

He confirms the band did not take the fan up on her offer.

They will have a chance to test the fandom waters in Japan, as they plan to tour that part of the world later this year.

‘We’re playing a festival in Japan – we’re totally stoked for that,’ Oscar says. ‘We’ve never played there before so we’ll probably get a tattoo out there.’

The band have made a habit of acquiring body art from new places.

‘It seems to be a recurring theme that whenever we go to a place we haven’t been before, we get tattoos,’ Oscar says. ‘We’ll run out of body space soon,’ he jokes, but he could be right – the band are going to be all over the festival circuit in the UK and Europe this summer, with dates including Reading and Leeds.

Sundara Karma owe their current incarnation to an inspiring moment at Reading Festival, where Oscar and guitarist Ally were when they realised music was their calling.

‘We saw The Vaccines and Bombay Bicycle Club – they were

ON TOUR May 26 Dot To Dot Festival, Manchester May 28 Dot To Dot Festival, Nottingham June 29 to July 2 Barn On The Farm, Gloucester July 6 to 8 Blissfields Festival, Winchester July 21 to 23 Truck Festival, Steventon, Oxfordshire July 27 to 39 Y Not Festival, Matlock, Derbyshire August 4 to 6 110 Above, Atherstone, Warwickshire August 24 Victorious Festival, Portsmouth August 26 Reading Festival August 27 Leeds Festival

pretty big at the time,’ he says.

‘Those two shows stood out for us and they made us think “yeah we want to do that and be in a band”.

That was the moment.’

Even before the current band’s journey started, when they were about 14, Oscar and drummer Haydn had been making music together since they were in primary school.

Perhaps because Reading Festival has been so crucial in inspiring him as a musician, Oscar feels let down by this year’s choice of headliners, which include Eminem, Muse, Kasabian and Liam Gallagher.

‘It would be good if the Reading line-up this year was a bit more inspiring,’ he says.

‘I don’t get why festivals keep offering the same artists in the same spots. It’s boring. Get some fresh headliners on and give festivals more life.’

Although Sundara Karma’s music lives in the land of guitar hooks and well-crafted lyrics, when I ask Oscar which other acts he looks up to, he doesn’t mention a single guitar band, unless you count The Spiders From Mars.

‘Bowie has always been a huge inspiration on me,’ he says. ‘A lot

of Motown stuff and funk can really excite me. Luther Vandross is an inspiration too but not necessarily one which comes out in the music.’

He throws in Ninja, half of South African rave-rap twopiece Die Antwoord, who is known for his irreverent lyrics and ‘weird dad style’ clothes, as an inspiration wildcard, before adding: ‘I have to say Elvis as well.’

With their heroes firmly in place, another part of the glue that has held the band together is their strong family vibe.

‘We all met at school,’ Oscar tells me. ‘I’ve known Haydn since I was about eight or nine and the other guys, you know, we’ve been together since we were 13 or 14. It’s been a while.

‘We’ve been with each other for all this time and normally when you get to this stage, like brothers and sisters, you tend to be spending more time apart from each other.

‘We’re spending more time with each other purely because of the nature of what we do. You could argue that we’re even closer than blood relatives.’

There is something old-time about Sundara Karma – there’s the flowing ‘80s hair and Oscar’s

Festival family: Sundara Karma’s (l-r) Ally Baty, Oscar Pollock, Dom Cordell and Haydn Evans

I don’t get why festivals keep offering the same artists in the same spots.

It’s boring

Oscar Pollock

For interviews and more on this summer’s festivals, go to www.unipaper. co.uk

slim build and flamboyant style, reminiscent of Bowie and Jimi Hendrix.

And while Oscar says he supports the way streaming has made music from across the decades more accessible, he bemoans the loss of many of the real-life scenes that built up around emerging genres before the internet age.

‘We are so exposed to everything, we aren’t really shut off from anything as we don’t have a select amount of vinyls,’ he says.

‘With technology, anyone can find and listen to any sort of music they want. ‘[In the past] you’d have a pocket of some town somewhere, say Manchester, which was a real bubbling pit of like-minded individuals and since there was no way for the outside world to know what was going on, people would have to move there.’

He’s surprisingly nostalgic for the 21-year-old frontman of a band who found their footing so young there’s still an article on their school website calling them ‘talented sixth formers’.

‘There’s a social quality lost in not being able to have a scene develop like it used to,’ Oscar adds.

DUA Music

TUP rabbits on with dark pop’s Dua Lipa about her musical upbringing, success and Glastonbury...

 John Shaw

D

UA LIPA fits so comfortably into what we expect of a modern musician, from the outside it feels like she was constructed from a create-your-own-popstar kit.

She’s got model looks, a great voice, 225,000 Twitter followers and a set of catchy songs – so catchy in fact that I’m singing Be The One in my head moments before our interview without realising until the very last minute.

But she has a musical journey

23 May 2017

we speak on the phone, it’s been two weeks since the end of her UK and US tour and the Londoner is still buzzing.

‘I loved being on tour – it’s so exciting to get to experience different crowds every night, it’s really, really great,’ she says.

‘It’s a bit exhausting but it’s so rewarding every night, it really makes it worthwhile.’

I ask what the highlights were and she replies: ‘I absolutely loved my LA show, I mean every night was wonderful.’

She adds: ‘London Shepherd’s Bush Empire was crazy.

‘It was quite nerve-wracking doing a show at home but it was really, really exciting, especially knowing my friends and family were watching.’

So, on to the next chapter.

Dua releases her self-titled debut album on June 2.

Being brought up in a musical household is the reason I’m doing what I’m doing

I’ve put a lot of hard work and dedication into this album.

It’s definitely shaped in a way that I could have only dreamed of

very unlike the cookie cutter popstars we listen to every day.

She was raised in London but her Kosovar-Albanian family returned to Kosovo when she was 13, taking Dua with them.

It wasn’t for her though.

Determined to succeed in the music business she convinced her parents to let her return to London at 15 and live at her friend’s house.

‘I’m so excited for it to come out,’ she tells me, with characteristic positivity.

‘I feel like it’s been a long time coming and I’ve worked so hard on it and I’m really, really proud of it and I’m super excited.’

She adds: ‘I guess it’s been a massive learning curve and I’ve learnt a lot about myself. I’ve put a lot of hard work and dedication

However, the real beginning of her musical adventure starts with her father, a handsome rock star named Dukagjin Lipa.

He imprinted a love for music in her at a young age, indoctrinating in his daughter the beats, rhythm and melody that would eventually see her named as one of Britain’s leading musical talents.

‘I was very, very young when my dad was making music so I don’t really remember it,’ Dua tells me.

‘But I have memories of being brought up in such a musical household and my dad listening to songs that he loved, songs that my parents listened to and even his own songs.

‘Being brought up in a musical household is the reason I’m doing what I’m doing.’

Unsurprisingly, with a rock star for a dad, Dua was bottle fed on David Bowie and Bob Dylan.

But by the time she started to develop her own style on YouTube in her mid-teens, it was female popstars she covered, such as Christina Aguilera and Nelly Furtado.

Her talents caught the attention of Warner Bros. Records, which signed her up for a deal.

From there she’s worked bloody hard to get to where she is now. As

into this album. It’s definitely shaped in a way that I could have only dreamed of.’

Fans have already heard (and loved) a number of the tracks, including Hotter Than Hell, Be The One and Blow Your Mind (Mwah).

I ask whether the triumphs of those had heightened her expectations for the album.

‘I don’t measure success in numbers,’ she says.

‘That’s not something that’s that important to me. It’s about being able to tour and being able to see people really enjoy the album as a whole. I think that’s the most important thing.’

The ultimate test will come this summer when she plays to festival fans who might not yet be acquainted with her music. She’s most excited about her performance at Glastonbury, where she has been going for years as a punter.

After a lot of hard work (and success) it’s a good chance for her to relax.

She still loves ‘running around’, which is not what you expect from a popstar. But then Dua Lipa is not your average popstar.

LIPA She was born to Du it

For more music interviews go to www.unipaper. co.uk

The interview

A show is about the mosh pit and the escape – It has to feel almost tribal, like cave people dancing round a fire Serge Pizzorno, Kasabian

We’re better than ever Kasabian’s Serge Pizzorno tells us the band is at the top of their game, reveals how they drew inspiration

I

 Hannah Dodd AM ecstatic waiting for Serge Pizzorno’s call – it’s not every day you get to speak to Kasabian’s guitarist, let alone find out what he had for breakfast.

‘I had crumpets and Marmite and it was just great!’ he tells me.

But we’re not here to chat breakfast.

After their three-year break from recording, I’m itching to know about Kasabian’s much-awaited sixth album, For Crying Out Loud. From the tracks debuted so far, it seems

to have something for everyone, with influences from punk to acid house, but one collaboration with De Montfort University Gospel Choir stood out for Serge, who describes himself as a ‘studio head’.

‘I was walking down to the Leicester City football grounds and I heard this amazing sound,’ he says.

‘A choir basically singing some gospel terra songs, and I couldn’t believe it – straight away I needed to know what was going on so I stood in front of DMU and watched them.’

So impressed was Serge that he invited the group to perform new

track Put Your Life On It with Kasabian at a special homecoming gig at the football stadium.

‘There’s something about the unison and harmony, especially harmony, with a choir – the power of the music and the lines being sung by a lot of people – it elevates it, it really does,’ he explains. ‘They entered our world and our world is sort of 100mph and it’s quite chaotic. They were so sweet and we had a really good time.’

Serge was so impressed he also hired the choir for the most personal of gigs.

‘I got married this year and they all

sang at my wedding,’ he tells me.

The collab really demonstrates the group’s investment in Leicester, and I wonder if the band’s global fame has ever distanced Serge from a normal life back home. He assures me that would never be the case because home is either ‘in you or it isn’t’ when it comes to your sound.

‘It’s easy to get swept up in it and think you are anyone but who you are. But staying and living there, with Kasabian anyway, I kind of want to make music for my friends and I figure to do that I need to know about their lives,’ he says. ‘If you

move down to London then you live in a different world. You sing about that world. And not many people go through that world.

‘You lose touch with real life and real life is more interesting to make music for.’

And make music they certainly have. Kasabian seem to be maturing like fine wine, even after six albums people can’t get enough. I ask if Serge thinks they’re the best they’ve been.

‘You know what, yeah,’ he says.

‘It’s really exciting and you make it to six albums and it’s almost like they sort of just give in – in the end they

just can’t get rid of you,’ he chuckles.

‘They look at the stuff you’ve done and the albums you’ve created and they say OK there is a lot more to it.

With us, there has been a lot of people saying after each record, “oh, I didn’t think they were like that”.

‘People sort of realise what you’re trying to do the longer you stay in the game. The new show with the set we already have, it’s really quite amazing.

It really has hit another level.’

Kasabian are at home with their back catalogue, especially on the festival stage, according to Serge.

‘The shows we’ve just played have

25 May 2017

WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS

The main stage lineup for Reading and Leeds reads like a who’s who of music movers and shakers.

We have a pair of tickets for Reading and a pair for Leeds, where winners can choose between main stage headliners Kasabian, Eminem,

Muse, Liam Gallagher and Korn, as well as more recent break-throughs such as Blossoms and Rat Boy. To enter our competition, click on ‘Win’ at www.unipaper.co.uk and for the full lineup and to buy tickets, see www.readingandleedsfestival.com.

PICTURE: PHIL KNOTT

TO SEE KASABIAN AT READING OR LEEDS FESTIVALS 2017

from the city of Leicester and remembers his oddest festival moment... chatting golf with Wu-Tang Clan been unbelievable,’ he says. ‘It really feels like we’re a band nobody’s seen before, like nobody felt “oh not these lot again”.’

I want to talk rumours, after hearing Bless This Acid House was set to be the best track on the album.

But Serge is quick to correct me, saying he doesn’t want to put that kind of pressure on it and he just wanted to write a punk pop song.

‘It’s really difficult,’ he says. ‘We got it in the last day of recording, and we were all like “right, no more after this”. So we kind of wrote it pretty quickly, but it sounds really hopeful

and uplifting. But it’s one of the best, not the best. I don’t want to get in trouble,’ he jokes.

It took a little longer to spin gold this time around and like many music lovers I wondered why the release date was put back to April 28. Serge feels it’s an album for the summer crowd and says he needed a holiday.

‘I finished it last year before the summer and it was going to come out, then I just thought I’d go on holiday, like “well I’ve done all the hard work”,’ he tells me. ‘I never really give myself a break, like why don’t you have three months off? So I had

a holiday, got married and hung out with the kids.

‘Then I went back to the album and made it even better and I wrote three more songs. It was the best thing I could’ve done and it definitely made the album better.

‘It also didn’t sit right it coming out in the winter – it’s going to own the summer.’

When it comes to this summer’s festivals, Kasabian’s dance card is certainly looking full. With headline shows at Reading and Leeds I wonder if the band gets much down time and if festivals are the highlight of the

summer for them.

‘I love Reading and Leeds – I have such fond memories of those places and we’re honoured to be part of the history of those festivals,’ Serge says.

‘Unfortunately, by the time we get there and we’re off, there isn’t much time. It’s different with the European festivals with dance tents that go on till late and you can get out there.’

I’m curious about how Serge finds the energy to do such big sets.

‘I don’t like to get there too early,’ he says. ‘My adrenaline kicks in too early and by the time you get there you’re knackered. I’ve seen the

line-up is really strong and amazing and to share a poster with Eminem is incredible. I’m a huge fan.’

The last time Kasabian played new stuff was at Glastonbury, in a blaze of bass and magenta, with the pressure piled on. But Serge says that ‘excites me, rather than frightening me’.

‘The most important thing to remember is that the show is about the mosh pit, and the escape, dress it up as much as you like, but it has to be about the moment you feel that connection, when you’re elevated to another dimension,’ he says.

‘It has to feel almost tribal, like cave

people dancing round a fire. While I want to make music and the studio is my place, the more you play the festival stage, the more you become a heightened version of yourself.’

As our time is coming to a close, I decide to ask for Kasabian’s craziest festival story. Serge recalls the time they were chatting to Wu-Tang Clan at T In The Park.

‘We were about to go on and we were huge fans of theirs,’ he recalls.

‘We were told not to stare too much at them, but suddenly we all had a chat about golf swings. Totally bizarre moment.’

26|On Campus: City University www.unipaper.co.uk | t @TheUniPaper | f TheUniPaper | 020 7580 6419

We asked: tupidest s What’s the d has n ie fr a thing done at uni?

City This month, dents University stu ates m shame their ph

By Susie Jose

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Millyent Vinc

May 2017

Student band of the month

27 May 2017

How would you describe your music?

High energy alternative indie rock with a hard-to-explain twist.

Who are your major influences?

Each of us are influenced by something different, from jazz and blues to heavy rock, which somehow blend when we come together.

Who are your favourite artists?

It would have to be Royal Blood, Frank Turner, Muse and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

PICTURE: PHOEBE DAWSON

Playing live is life: (left to right) Euan Holwill Ethan Dodd Laurence Mulligan Matthew Hambling

Each month we introduce you to the best new musicians from campuses across the UK. This time we chat to indie fourpiece Kill The Intermission, from the University of Leeds

Music is at our core

What topics do you cover in your songs?

We look at things from being lost in a modern world to relationships.

The two main themes are the bad decisions we make and the little time we have to make them.

Where do you want to be in ten years’ time?

We want to be where every band wants to be, on tour with friends, playing shows and getting our music out as much as possible.

If you could collaborate with one artist, who would you pick?

Muse, because of their pure talent and the raw tone to their songs.

Byron to offer ten lucky readers the chance to win a delicious meal for two.

Each winner will receive one burger, one side, one dessert and

What are you working on now?

We are putting the finishing touches to our debut single In The Night which is going to have its release date announced any day, so keep your eyes peeled. It’s something we’ve been working on for a while and can’t wait to share it.

What do you enjoy doing outside of music?

Music is at the centre of our lives, even outside of the band. A lot of what we do is based around music. Our bassist Euan enjoys rugby and cricket, but we don’t do much outside of music. If we’re not playing a gig, we will be in the crowd.

Competition T&Cs: One winner will be chosen from the following cities: London, Bristol, Birmingham, Leicester, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Enter the city you would like to eat at in the ‘your location’ section of the entry form. Winners will be drawn at random on May 30.

Each prize includes one burger, one side, one dessert and one drink per person. Extra toppings, patties, sides and drinks are not included and must be paid for and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.

No cash value. Not valid for takeaway or Deliveroo orders.

Discount T&Cs: This promotion can only be redeemed when presenting a valid student identification and cannot be used on alcohol or in conjunction with another offer.

The offer can be redeemed once a day. Takeaways are not included and the offer is restricted to tables of six people or fewer. We reserve the right to withdraw this promotion at any time without prior notice.

for two at Byron (and delicious) to mark the momentous occasion, we’ve got you covered.

The University Paper has teamed up with burger master

Where is one place you’d really like to play live?

The main stage at Leeds Festival.

Leeds is where we all grew up together, so playing on the biggest stage in our home town would be an amazing experience.

If your band lived by one philosophy, what would it be?

Never turn down a gig because you What does success mean to you? never know which one is going to be the start of something bigger.

For us it would mean everything.

WIN! One meal

It’s the end of the academic year – time to celebrate!

Whether you’re on the verge of graduating or just looking for somewhere special

Our lives revolve around music, even outside of the band. To make it big would make us realise the time and graft we have put in was worth it.

one drink per person.

To be in with a chance of winning go to: www.unipaper. co.uk/competitions. And if you’re not one of the lucky winners

there’s no need to despair.

Byron is offering burger loving students an amazing 25 per cent off food all year round. To find your local restaurant (and to get

your mouth watering by checking out their fantastic menu) head to www.byronhamburgers.com or add them on Instagram @ByronHamburgers.

Music

May 2017

We gatecrashed lectures

Little Comets on their graduation from uni performances to their epic gig at Thatchers Haze Sessions

F

 Tom Gellatly

‘We would spend all day driving to the gig thinking “this is gonna OR any new band, be amazing”, but only about five the urge to play to a people would turn up. large audience can be ‘Then we thought we should try overwhelming. and find an audience who won’t be But indie band Little able to leave,’ he laughs.

Comets took this one step further Determined to play to a crowd than most by sneaking into lecture who had no choice but to listen, the theatres and playing impromptu band even came up with a crafty gigs to unsuspecting students. way of getting past campus security.

‘We actually had a lecturer ‘If we got stopped we used to tell physically throw us out of the them it was our mate’s birthday room,’ Rob Coles, the lead guitarist, and he was in the lecture and we tells me. This wouldn’t stop them were going to play Happy Birthday though. to him,’ Rob explains.

‘We had just got a booking agent ‘We got quite devious with it – it and we were playing gigs all around was quite worrying how naturally it the country,’ lead singer Mickey came to us.’

Coles, tells me.

The band’s naughty habit soon

Humanities students seemed to love the gigs, but science ones didn’t really want to know

Rob Coles

turned into a UK wide tour of university campuses.

‘The best one was when we were in Leeds,’ Mickey recalls.

‘There was this one building that was literally just loads of lecture theatres – it was about ten storeys high.

‘We went down it playing in every single one. It didn’t get much better than that.

‘We also had one in Manchester Metropolitan University. The lecturer had put on a film and left the room.

‘We walked in and everyone was just bored and playing on their phones, so we stopped the film. It was like a proper gig, with the lights off and everything.

‘When we finished playing we walked out and the lecturer walked in a few minutes later, not having any idea what had gone on.’

Gigging in lecture halls helped the band learn a lot, including which types of students were more receptive to their unannounced performances.

‘Humanities students seemed to love the gigs, but science ones didn’t really want to know,’ Rob says.

Having learnt their lessons gigging in lecture theatres, Little Comets produced a masterclass as headliners of the Thatchers Haze Sessions in Bristol on May 6 at Bristol’s Passenger Shed.

Supporting them were Elder

Crafty Comets: (left to right) Mickey Coles, Rob Coles, Nathan Greene, Matt Saxon and Matt Hall

Sponsored by Thatchers Haze Sessions

Island, Eva Lazarus & The Afronauts plus Harry & The Gondolas.

And considering the band have also recently finished a 13-date UK tour, they have well and truly graduated from their campus concerts.

After a recent performance, one fan even tweeted to say: ‘Part of my soul left my body,’ which the band then retweeted.

‘That’s probably the greatest reaction we’ve ever had,’ Rob laughs.

‘I don’t know if everyone’s had a truly spiritual moment, but it’s been a really good tour.’

For more, go to www.thatchers cider.co.uk/hazesessions.

Digs

29

37

www.unipaper.co.uk | 020 7580 6419

May 2017

Master monster moving day

Our ten packing tips will ensure moving out of your halls or house this summer goes like a dream

to make your moving day a lot less stressful too.

4» Spring clean A lot of clutter can be stressful to pack, unpack and even live with, so get a bin bag and be ruthless. As artist and revolutionary William Morris once said: ‘Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.’

I

 Tom Gellatly T’S a nightmare scenario: it’s moving day and you wake up hungover to find your belongings everywhere and a text from your parents saying they’re half an hour away.

To come out on top in this situation (rather than just sitting on top of your suitcase crying), you have two choices – develop the ultimate hangover cure and learn to throw a year’s worth of stuff together quicker than lightning.

Or, you can make sure it never happens in the first place.

Packing up all the belongings you’ve somehow collected over the last year is no small feat, but Benedict Sycamore from SpaceWays storage has some tips on making it easier.

5» Don’t overload If you only have a few boxes, you may be tempted to load each one with as much stuff as possible.

But by distributing the weight evenly, you will reduce the risk of breaking your back or ripping the cardboard.

6» Fill in the gaps If you’re wondering what to do with those lecture notes you never revisited why not use them as packing paper?

Think of it as a form of recycling.

Filling the gaps with paper will also secure everything for the ride home.

1» Be brutal

7» Colour code

Do you really need three hairbrushes? Or that traffic cone you picked up on a night out during freshers’ week? If the answer is what we think it is, then these are the items you need to tackle first.

It makes sense to pack (or throw away) what you don’t use on a daily basis before anything else.

Also, think about what you need to use every day and be sure to pack it last. Plan an outfit for going home in and have it laid out so you don’t have to frantically rummage through your suitcase on the day – don’t forget to include underwear.

On each box, write a list of its contents – try and be as detailed as possible, staying away from descriptions such as ‘bits and bobs’.

Why not put those highlighters to use and choose a different colour for each category – as long as you don’t start drawing patterns to procrastinate.

8» Think bottomheavy Make sure a box of books is not on top of one containing the decorative beer glasses you’ve carefully been stealing from pubs since the start of term. By stacking the heaviest packages first, you ensure no breakable items are crushed during the move.

2» Confront one room at a time This is an often neglected point.

Just because you spend most of your time in your room, that doesn’t mean you don’t have stuff lying about elsewhere.

Why not make a start in the kitchen, by washing up your things?

Or you could be super organised by planning your meals for the week before and packing away the cooking equipment you don’t need.

Taking on the task room by room will help you stay organised and make it easier when it comes to the dreaded unpacking stage.

9» Get the essentials The last thing you’re going to want to do when you get home is unpack, especially on a hangover.

To avoid having to do this, take a bag of essentials so you can spend time catching up with family and friends rather than stuck in your room riffling through your stuff.

10» Have fun

3» Dawdle wisely We know the weeks before moving out are supposed to be dedicated to revision and essay writing. But let’s be honest, a lot of time is also spent procrastinating.

Rather than using ten minutes to watch everyone’s Snapchat stories, why not make a start on your packing instead? A bit of time here and there will help clear your mind of exam stress and will guarantee

Packing will be quicker the more fun you have doing it. Think of a game to help the minutes go quicker. How about starting while pre-drinking and taking a shot for every box you manage to fill?

Sponsored by

Piled up: Don’t leave all the packing until the final day

Sponsored by SpaceWays. For more visit www. spaceways.co.uk

Jobs

May 2017

ALSO ON JOBS. UNIPAPER.CO.UK

Dragons’ Den star Deborah Meaden reveals how you can survive a tough interview

Ugly Drinks co-founder Hugh Thomas tells TUP about the difficulties he has faced while trying to grow his fledgling business...

Can-do Hugh has a thirst for success T  John Shaw

HE UNIVERSITY PAPER JOBS has spoken to some seriously impressive entrepreneurs recently – Levi Roots, Deborah Meaden and Jacqueline Gold to name a few.

But what about those who are at the other end of the journey? The company creators looking to break into the big leagues.

Hugh Thomas, co-founder of Ugly Drinks, is one of those.

The former Warwick University student has long dreamed of becoming the next Roots or Gold, and started out by flogging items on the internet.

From there he went to uni to study management science and then, after a stint at Heinz in the marketing team, on to coconut water drinks company Vita Coco where he met University College London graduate, Joe Benn. The pair became friends and Ugly Drinks was born. Their dream is to create a healthy, affordable drink ‘that could be purchased by as many people as possible’.

Hugh tells me: ‘What we have

is a carbonated drink with no sweeteners, no sugar, no calories.

Anywhere where people are buying sugary or artificially sweetened drinks we hope we can get Ugly at a price point people can afford.’

Their dream is one at its beginning stages – our interview has been moved as Hugh needs to wait for an IKEA order.

Nevertheless, the stress, mixed with long days and constant concerns about the business, is something Hugh tells me he loves.

‘If you can have no separation

Anyone crazy enough to develop a drink or snack is my type of person Hugh Thomas between work and what feels fun, or at least get as close to that as possible, then you are going in the right direction,’ he says.

‘I’m not saying I enjoy every single second of everything, that’s impossible, but generally I don’t look at the time when I work and if people find whatever it is that allows [them] to do that then [they’re] going in the right direction.’

The duo have already launched

two flavours: grapefruit and pineapple, and lemon and lime.

Their products aren’t fussy. The ingredients are just sparkling water, natural fruit flavours and citric acid.

But, despite the simplicity of the consumable product, a lot of hard work goes into getting the business off the ground.

Hugh says: ‘I think just starting is overwhelming, but in a way it is a jigsaw and there are certain pieces that, once you begin to understand a few of the big ones, everything clicks into place after.

‘We were in the drinks industry already, so we did have an understanding of how these things happen, but in terms of developing a drink and making it, that was totally new for both of us.

‘It was really a case of emailing a lot of factories, emailing people who have done it before and it all sort of came together.’

They’ve also relied on the good will of others, particularly entrepreneurs who have already been through the process.

‘Founders in this place, who have already been and done it, people who are three or four years ahead in their life cycles all had help

Reggae Reggae Sauce’s Levi Roots talks about his difficult route to success

NME’s writers tell us how to live the dream and become a music journalist

themselves so there was a pay it forwards philosophy. So now me and Joe will always help,’ Hugh says. ‘That’s why it’s such a great industry. You rarely find someone who’s difficult to work with.

‘Food is a social thing and I think it’s emotional and anyone crazy enough to develop a drink or snack is my type of [person].’

Now, their business is in a good place. I often spot the distinctive blue cans sitting on shop shelves close to our Soho offices.

But they’ve still got a long way to go before they compete with the likes of Coca-Cola and Pepsi. I ask whether the size of these companies is intimidating.

‘They are powerful and do have

amazing brands and big budgets,’ Hugh admits. ‘I think what their strengths are, are also their weaknesses. It’s a bit like an oil tanker compared to a speed boat.

It’s very hard for them to move themselves. We can change our branding a lot quicker, we can be on the ground, we can have personal relationships.’

What Ugly Drinks also has is a chance to connect with the new health conscious generation, plus a nifty line from a literary great.

‘There’s a George Orwell quote we really like that inspired us,’ Hugh tells me. ‘“In a time of [universal] deceit – telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”

‘For us what Ugly is really about is telling the ugly truth. We are completely transparent about what is in our drink. It’s just the essences and oils of the fruit infused with sparkling water. There’s no chemicals, there’s no sugars, there’s no sweeteners. We’re not putting pictures of beautiful people smiling on our adverts then selling our drink that’s loaded with bad stuff, we’re trying to give people the real deal.’

Looking for a graduate job?

Go to jobs. unipaper.co.uk

Sport

31 May 2017

Take a look back on the topsy-turvy year of sport which took place on university tracks and fields across the country

Men with Hart prove they’re the best around

 John Shaw

A

1» HartpuryCollege secure magnificent BUCS double

PICTURE: UNIVERSITY CENTRE HARTPURY

FTER Leicester won the Premier League, the Chicago Cubs took the World Series and England capitulated to Iceland in the Euros, sports fans were getting rather used to excitement.

But things have undoubtedly calmed down since the summer of 2016.

However, in the world of university sport nothing ever plays by type. Once again this year has been a blockbuster-worthy tale of triumph and despair, highs and lows.

At The University Paper we have witnessed some epic battles between giant sporting institutions, personal tales of glory and one or two upsets.

As we’re nearing the end of the academic year, let us take you through our eight sporting highlights of the 2016/2017 academic year.

When it comes to rugby union there was one team who rose above them all this season: Hartpury College.

The magnificent side from Gloucester were undoubtedly the best in the country this year, first lifting the inaugural BUCS Super Rugby trophy and then the BUCS Rugby Union Championship.

The second piece of silverware came after a pulsating match at Twickenham which saw reigning champions Exeter defeated 27-24.

Next year, the men in red will certainly be the ones to beat.

The question is: can anyone stop them?

For more news, events and sport go to www. unipaper.co.uk

The good, mad and the rugby

2» Bath’s golden victory

3» Super Rugby kicks off

4» Leicester dominate

5» A fine Fin-ish

6» Unlucky 12 for Beckett

7» Records tumble

When the University of Bath travelled to Cardiff Metropolitan University for the second iteration of their Varsity competition, everyone expected it to be a closelyfought affair.

But few could have predicted the winner of the entire series would be decided by a dramatic golden goal in the final event of the night.

With the overall scores tied at 26-26 by the end of the men’s rugby union, the fate of the title was determined by a breakaway try for the English side in extra time.

In terms of raw excitement, it was undoubtedly the most thrilling Varsity finale we witnessed this year and, perhaps, ever.

A new era of rugby union dawned this year, with the aim of delivering highly competitive fixtures every week. But did BUCS Super Rugby work? Hell yes it did.

The premise is simple: the best eight university teams (Bath, Cardiff Met, Durham, Exeter, Hartpury College, Leeds Beckett, Loughborough and Northumbria) play each other in a super league.

Weekly matches against top opposition sides have pushed the teams to the limit.

At the start of the year it was impossible to pick a winner. By the end it was Hartpury’s captain Sebastian Negri lifting the trophy at Twickenham Stadium.

When you think of unbelievable footballing feats involving Leicester, you’d be forgiven for jumping to Leicester City’s incredible Premier League win.

But the University of Leicester’s women’s football first XI had their own ridiculously successful spell this year, as they stormed to an unbeaten, first-placed finish in their Midlands 3A league. But being crowned champions wasn’t the most impressive thing about this Leicester team: it was the manner in which they secured top spot. They recorded a +75 goal difference in ten games and swept aside their opposition, including a 17-1 win against Warwick’s seconds.

When Brunel student Finette Agyapong came second in the 200m at last year’s BUCS Nationals, she lost out to a new BUCS record time of 23.76 seconds.

The 20-year-old was undeterred in the intervening year, however, and she returned to the 2017 competition to avenge her previous loss.

Not only did Finette win the 200m this time rpund, she set a new record of 23.68 seconds to secure a historic gold medal for Brunel.

If the law student keeps improving at this rate, the 2018 200m time could be a third record-breaker in a row.

Leeds Beckett University had a strong record in the BUCS Rugby League Championship going into this year’s competition, having won the last 11 titles in a row.

When they made it to this year’s final against Northumbria University, most fans were backing the Yorkshiremen to make it an even dozen. But the Tyneside team had other ideas, storming into a 24-0 lead in the first 50 minutes in a terrifying display, which signalled there was a new boss in town.

Beckett clawed back 18 points in the last half hour, forcing Northumbria to hold on to record a historic victory, finally ending their rivals’ decade-plus of dominance.

The 2016 Rio Olympic Games saw gold medals for the big names of cycling Sir Bradley Wiggins, Jason Kenny and Laura Trott.

That must have been a huge inspiration when it came to the record breaking weekend of BUCS Track Cycling Championships in Manchester in November.

We saw an outstanding weekend with records falling from the very first day.

The weekend even saw an appearance for Team GB’s Jess Varnish, who made her first start for Manchester Met University, pipping Exeter’s Emma Cockcroft to the line in the women’s elimination.

Quotes of the year

8» Gamble for Morgan pays off in a big way

• The BUCS rugby league

moments after her BUCS Nationals 200m record.

has been the best I’ve seen university rugby – John Barnes, director of rugby at Hartpury College.

• It feels really good to get

the win. I didn’t expect to win at all – Morgan Jones after his BUCS Nationals victory.

• It was a matter of staying

composed – I knew I had it in me – Finette Agyapong

• Cardiff Met have got to Want to write for The University Paper? Email editor@unipaper. co.uk to find out how to get involved

come back and prove they’re better than us – Will Galloway, Bath sports officer

• I honestly believe we can

do it, we’ve got a great team, great staff behind us and a great squad – Sebastian Negri, Hartpury College captain at the start of their double winning season

Cardiff Met sprinter Morgan Jones (pictured) took a massive gamble by changing his coach and moving away from jumps to sprints.

Would it pay off? His choice was to be tested when he made it through to the final of the 60m ambulant at BUCS Nationals in February.

With pressure mounting, a false start was made, throwing everyone off. The 22-year-old Jones was unshaken.

The sport and exercise masters student clocked a PB of 7.66 seconds to take the gold medal.