WEDNESDAY May 27th, 2009
ISSUE 198
vision@yusu.org
FOUR TIME GUARDIAN STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR
FRANZ KARL FERDINAND PILKINGTON
Nicole cooke P 24
P 16
SCENE
E K A F MY L L E H RAPE
From romance to a prison cell... all because she LIED EXCLUSIVE BY TOM MCDERMOTT AN INNOCENT York student who was falsley accused of rape has spoken out for the first time, in an exclusive interview with Vision. He has revealed that he had no idea that a girl he met in Gallery would turn a romantic night into a living nightmare. Suffering arrest and confiscation of his belongings, the first-year feared he would be tarred with the label ‘rap-
ist’ for the rest of his life. Bail conditions trapped him in York over Easter, and he underwent the humiliation of having his friends interviewed about the allegations. The student was only saved from a lengthy prison sentence after an extensive police enquiry proved his innocence in the final hour. “I’ve no idea why she did what she did,” he said.
FULL STORY ON PAGE 4
PLUS: HOW SCIENCE DEPTS ARE FAILING STUDENTS - P7
2NEWS
YORK VISION
Wednesday May 27th, 2009
FREEDOM OF UNI PAPERS UNDER THREAT?
your week QUOTE OF THE WEEK "Polar bears like it warmer... they can eat berries."
PRESSING ISSUES
NIGHTIME HALIFAX ATTACK BY NICOLA CHAPMAN
- Lord Monckton, speaking at York on climate change
GOOD WEEK bad week GOOD WEEK ALEX LACY The new budget is a smashing success
BAD WEEK
Tennis players Closed courts... in the Summer!
the number cruncher 0
Games won by both Langwith teams in the College Cup
50
Chemistry and Physics students getting 'good' degrees.
89
Votes for Browns' Bakery as York's best sandwich provider
VISION NEEDS YOU!
Want to get involved with most decorated student newspaper in the country?
Vision always welcomes new writers, photographers, website designers and more... Email: vision@yusu.org NB: Figure on front page is a model.
STUDENT SAFETY QUESTIONNED AGAIN
BY JENNY MCLARNEY THE EDITORS of Vision and Nouse have slammed suggestions of increased regulation for campus media groups. They have said that tougher rules could damage freedom of press, if the ideas of certain YUSU officers and Uni top dogs go ahead. A disagreement emerged after proposals for new restrictions to the media were revealed. Newspapers could be banned from talking to individual members of staff, instead having to only quote official statements from heads of departments. The editors of Vision and Nouse have said they will fight for the papers’ freedom of press. “We will not let anyone compromise our rights to
free speech,” said Vision editors Martin Williams and Jim Norton. Rules could also introduce a more in-depth consultation process with the Union before any news story is investigated. “These possible restrictions would be absolutely unacceptable. It is freedom of press that has allowed York to have the most awarded student media in the UK.” Nouse editor Henry Foy commented: “I am sure that the student body would be outraged by any attempt by the University to protect its interests at the expense of an open and honest media. "We are working hard with YUSU to prevent such a situation,” he added. YUSU has also suggested there should be more time
for articles to be read and approved the newspapers. Vision editor Martin Williams has stated: “It’s ridiculous that they need 5 hours to read the News Section. It’s only seven pages and there’s several of them to do it.” “YUSU have said they need this extra time because they sometimes get to the office late on Monday mornings! That’s no excuse!” So far, there has been no democratic decision about the new regulations and YUSU officers are themselves divided over the issues. Campus’ newspapers are this week meeting with YUSU to discuss the the proposals. The union has yet to release an offical position on the matter.
YORK VISION Wednesday May 27th, 2009 Editors: Jim Norton Martin Wiliams
News Editors: Nicola Chapman Emily Fairbairn
Deputy Editors: Samantha Cowley Andy Nichols
Deputy News: Patrick Harte Tom McDermott
Scene Editor: Jenny McClarney
Comment Editors: Daniel Hewitt Harry Pearse
Lifestyle Editor: Rachel Knox Kate O'Loughlin
Deputy Comment: Chris Burgess Alex Dale
Deputy Lifestyle: Max Callaghan Eddie Twitchett
Managing Editors: Patrick Harte Rachel Knox Josie Whittle
Features Editor: Kelly Holt Deputy Features: Rachael Healy Will Wainewright
AN ATTACK on a student in Halifax college last Monday has again raised questions about the safety of the college. The female student was assaulted by an unknown man as she returned to the college via the infamous ‘rape alley,’ by the St Lawrence laundrette. The police were called and subsequently interviewed the student who made the complaint. They have made the neighbourhood policing team aware of the incident. In a Vision investigation taken in Spring Term, areas surrounding Hali-
fax were highlighted to be a particularly dark and unnerving. Former Halifax President David Sharp had campaigned for lighting to be improved in this particular area. This spot has been at the forefront of many attacks on students, with three women assaulted after this year’s fresher’s week. One Halifax first year stated, “It is an issue, definitely. There have been times when I’ve consciously chosen a different route to avoid that area. The thing is, I shouldn’t have to.”
DANGEROUS: the laundrette at the top of 'rape alley'
Guardian Student Newspaper of the Year 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2007 Style Editors: Will Booth Jude Hull
Photo Editors: Dan Birchinall Matt Bunting
Deputy Style: Jenny Thompson
Sub Editors: Kevin Day David Elliott Emily Hodges Jake Soule Jess Sweney
Sports Editor: Joe McDermott Deputy Sports Andy McGrath Will Marwick Pete Stanley
Scene editorial listed in pullout
Opinions expressed in York Vision are not necessarily those of the Editors, Senior Editorial Team, membership or advertisers. Every effort is made to ensure all articles are as factually correct as possible at the time of going to press, given the information available. Copyright Vision Newspapers, 2009. Printed by Yorkshire Web
If you feature in any of the articles in Vision and would like to reply, or for complaints and queries, please email vision@yusu.org
NEWS
YORK VISION
Wednesday May 27th, 2009
CAMPUS WATERFOWL DUCK AND DIVE IN COURTYARD MISHAP
DUCKING HELL! N OT is not Ad LAKE: The uck-fri endlyCourtyard BY NICOLA CHAPMAN CHAOS HIT The Courtyard last week when two perplexed mallards took the wrong turn from duck-life to student-life. The ducks, one male and one female, waddled in to the popular student venue to find that the scene before them was not quite what they were accustomed to. “It was very endearing,” said one first year PPE student, “but it must have been very frightening for them.” The male duck, deciding to try his luck at escaping, flew over the crowds towards the window, only to them become entangled in
wooden shutters. His lady friend followed suit and waddled for the exit with such speed that she lost control. Her webbed feet began to skid on the laminate flooring and, with the attention of every student on her and with all control lost; she slipped on to her bum. “Everyone was a bit bemused,” continued the onlooker. After regaining their dignity, the duck couple composed themselves and were able to leave through the front door. “It was highly entertaining,” she finished, “everyone was having a good
giggle about it when they left!” In other duck news, YUSU are delighted to announce that they have been awarded a grant from the York Annual Fund in order to buy two golden ducks, to replace much-loved campus legend Trevor. When Vision caught up with President Tom Scott, he was waiting eagerly for a phone call from a duck breeder. “The ‘in-duck-tion’ of the new birds will probably be the last appearance of Mad Cap’n Tom!” he said. “What a shame,’ replied Matt Burton.
shh!
SU h YU Whic r got e of fic d off a kicke st week bus la ing too e for b y? rowd
TRIPPED UP BY MIKE REGAN
REALITY TV show Coach Trip has been described as an “absolute nightmare” by one York student who starred in the latest series. First-year Derwenter Charlotte Alexandra Marsh will appear on the show during the episodes aired this coming week. The programme features several couples travelling around Europe on a coach together, with the twist that couples that become too annoying can be voted off by their fellow passengers. Charlotte intended to take her mother on the holiday of a lifetime, however she found that the reality was anything but a relaxing break, “We had to get up before 7am every morning, and didn’t finish filming until gone midnight some days, having had very little to eat all day.” The poor conditions described by Charlotte are a far cry from the image cultivated by the show. Charlotte also described the manipulation of events by the show’s producers, “the producers deliberately sit you next to the couples on the coach that dislike you and want to vote you off.” She added “The atmosphere was always so tense. What the viewer sees is not the reality at all.” The manipulation of contestants and their social interactions will not come as a great shock to fans of the show who see it as “Big Brother on wheels.” However, Charlotte remains positive about her experience. “We did do some amazing things we wouldn’t have had the chance to do otherwise”, she told Vision. “I still keep in touch with some of my fellow passengers, but there are some who I never want to see again in my life!”
STUDENTS SLUMMING IT FOR CHARITY BY NICOLA CHAPMAN E N D U R I N G HARDSHIP and battling with wind and rain, a brave group of Christian Union students spent a weekend demonstrating the adversity of living in a slum. The event, titled 'Slum Survivor,' was organised by St Michael le Belfrey Church and students from both York University and York St John. The participants had the intention of ‘spending one weekend the way a billion spend a lifetime’. “It was a very humbling experience,” said Biology student and participant Lorna Forrest, “but we struggled greatly with the wind and rain. It was really tough.” The event in aid of the Christian charity saw the students enduring the elements and living without any modern day luxuries. “We put limita-
tions on food and clothing that we were allowed,” continued the first-year, “we weren’t allowed make up or phones or even a book!” The demonstration also saw the students living under cardboard shelters and collecting drinking water in a bucket. “It really made us think twice about all the things we take for granted like food and warmth and, most importantly, the safety of our houses.” In addition, St Michael le Belfrey Church was open throughout Saturday for activities which included a Fairtrade Café. “We had an amazing response,” said Lorna, “It’s been something I’ve wanted to do for such a long time – it’s something I’m extremely passionate about.” If you would like to donate or find out more, please visit www.justgiving.com/ slumsurvivoryork
UNLUCKY FOR SLUM
SLUMDOGS: The Christian Union in action
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4NEWS
YORK VISION
Wednesday May 27th, 2009
student press
We read them... ...so you don't have to Stuck on You
FOUR BRISTOL University students got themselves into a sticky situation when they super glued themselves to a statue of Viscount Falkland, Epigram reports. The students were protesting Ed Milliband’s recent announcement that the government would be funding four new coal-fired power stations. Bemused police and paramedics were called to the scene and took several hours to unstick the protesters. Commenting on her subsequent arrest, one of the rebellious students stated “Being arrested scared me, but nothing terrifies me more than climate change.”
Left in the Dark A PACKED examinations hall in Cardiff University suffered a blackout last week, leaving hundreds of students sitting in the gloom for over half an hour, according to Gair Rhydd. Students were told to carry on if they could but if not, they were to sit in silence. However students were left in the dark over whether they were going to get extra time or not: “We weren’t aware that we might be given extra time at the end,” said one disgruntled student, “but most people tried to continue writing despite it being dark.”
A Formal Warning A GROUP of Oxford students were shut out of a formal ball this week when they decided to explore Balliol college grounds. The Oxford Student noted that the mischievous explorers went through an open door and up a staircase leading onto a balcony. However, they failed to make sure the door didn’t shut behind them and were left stuck on the balcony. Stranded on the isolated balcony, two of the boys climbed down the drain pipe landing in the grounds of Trinity College. Needless to say the boys were not let back into the ball.
Shaken, Not Stirred HUNDRED OF Cambridge students were left shaken to the core after one of the biggest earthquakes to hit the UK rumbled across the University, says Varsity. All those affected were left confused with one student commenting, “All my stuff was shaking on the shelves, it was very bizarre.” The student did not expect an earthquake and thus had no idea what was going on. “I thought an animal had got into my room or something.”
By Paddy Harte
EXCLUSIVE: INNOCENT STUDENT'S NIGHTMARE ARREST
SEX, LIES & FALSE RAPE CLAIMS wasn't" I t u b l a in im cr a e k li lt fe "I
BY TOM MCDERMOTT A YORK STUDENT'S life was turned upside down after a onenight stand led to a false accusation of rape. The first-year was shocked to discover that a girl he had met in a club had told police he had attacked her. Arrested and trapped in York for weeks by his bail conditions, the innocent student could do nothing but wait and hope that charges would be dropped. In an exclusive interview with Vision, Chris* revealed all his nightmare experience.
ROMANCE
He first met the girl in Gallery nightclub but could never have guessed she would go on to make the startling allegations which made his life hell. “We were dancing together and chatting on the dance floor, getting along really well,” he said. “We clicked straight away, so after a while I decided to ask her to come back to mine. I was really quite shocked when she said yes.” “She took my hand and led me outside to the taxis, chatting as we went. When we got back to mine we talked for about three quarters of an hour. We had almost exactly the same interests, lots in common and as it turned out her mother was a maths teacher, something I would like to be when I get my degree.” Chris revealed that they did sleep together and then took a joint shower. The girl then called a taxi to go home. He believes that there was absolutely no suggestion that she would soon change her mind about the whole thing and accuse him of such a terrible crime.
ARREST HORROR
Chris told Vision that he was having lunch the next day in The Black Bull pub when he received a phone call from an anxious friend. His friend told him that policemen from the CID wanted to talk to him urgently and that he should come home. “I was absolutely petrified,” Chris said. “I didn’t know what to think.” After another phone call from a policeman saying “stay in the pub, do not leave the pub,” Chris was taken into police custody, under suspicion of rape and questioned about the
events of the previous night. Whilst in police custody Chris was questioned thoroughly and made to wait for two hours in the cells before a doctor saw him and he was released on bail.bail.
CRIMINALISED
“I felt like a criminal but I wasn’t,” he told Vision. “I couldn’t believe it, I had actually phoned my mum that morning to say I’d met a really nice girl and that I was going to call her later on.” When he was released from prison, many of Chris’s things were confiscated including his mobile phone, clothes and bedding. “It was really awkward,” he continued, “they also told me that I shouldn’t contact the girl as well as strongly implying that I couldn’t go home.” Trapped in York and under suspicion of a crime he didn’t commit, Chris found that he couldn’t relax or enjoy time with his friends. “I wasn’t in a good state over Easter. I couldn’t wait to go home.” Family and friends, however, were very supportive: “People started coming out of the woodwork who I didn’t even know very well to offer support. I had people at work offering to be character references if they needed to.” His parents also stood by him and never for a minute doubted his innocence: “they wished they could help more but there was nothing they could do,” said Chris.
INNOCENT
After thorough investigation by the police, Chris was cleared of all charges and allowed to go home. “When I was cleared, one of the policemen said ‘I hope you’ve learned your fucking lesson’.” Chris explained “It was my first one night stand in York, though, and there were no signs to suggest it wasn’t a really good relationship, so I’m not sure I could have done anything about it.” “I have seen her out in clubs and bars a few times since then but I’ve never talked to her. I just walked away, although I really did want to go up to her and say “What the fuck?” I’ve honestly no idea why she did what she did.” *The student’s name has been changed to protect his identity.
REPUTATIONS RUINED: Fake Rapes A Growing Trend
BY EMILY FAIRBAIRN & NICOLA CHAPMAN
that she has been raped she should and must be taken seriously. However, it is a sad THE ISSUE of how trau- fact that some women are matic and damaging using rape allegations as a false accusations of rape weapon. can be came to the Home Office figures say forefront of the 9% of reported rape national news cases are last week, false, a high when a landproportion mark ruling of these inawarded comvolving 16 to pensation 25 year-olds. to a man “We are wrongly beginning ACCUS accused of to get a lot of one of ED: Clive B ishop i many v rape. uni students s i ctims Clive phoning us,” Bishop, a Somersays Margaret set taxi driver, is the first Gardener, direcvictim of a false rape allega- tor of the False Allegation to win the right to apply tions Support Organisation for compensation from the (Faso). Criminal Injuries Compen“One of the scenarios is sation Authority. going to the pub and then His 17 year-old accuser suddenly finding the mornhas been jailed for 10 months ing after you’ve had a boozy for making her complaint night out and you’ve been up. with somebody, that you get A false accusation of a phone-call from the police rape can destroy reputations because an allegation of and lives. In one malicious rape has been made,” she moment an accuser can cre- said in a BBC interview. ate an allegation that sticks Chris’s story demonwith the accused for the rest strates that even our Uni is of their lives. not safe from this disturbing Of course, if a girl says trend.
YORK VISION
COURT RED HANDED
NEWS
Wednesday May 27th, 2009
St. John's rugby boys' rampage in OUR bar!
5
UNDER MY SKINS Students star in C4 drama
BY TOM MCDERMOTT
BY MARTIN WILLIAMS HUNDREDS OF POUNDS of damage was caused after a York St John’s rugby team smashed up The Courtyard. Nine rugby players went on a rampage around campus soon after the Roses weekend. Displaying behaviour reported as “unacceptable,” they set off fire extinguishers and vandalised toilets. Many students at The Courtyard were said to be upset by the drunken destruction. Their evening was ruined by the group who
drowned the bar out with lairy rugby chants. The bar was forced to close early in an attempt to control the situation and Security Services were involved in a lengthy chase around campus. Taxi drivers refused to remove the group, complaining that they were too drunk. It is so far unclear whether York St. John’s or the rugby players will pay for repairs and apologise. However, it has been implied that payment is the very least that will be expected.
The identity of the individuals has not yet been revealed. One self-confessed Courtyard lover told Vision: “It’s disgraceful that they treated our bar like that. I’m appalled.” This is the first major disturbance to The Courtyard since it opened in January. University of
York students have caused minimal damage to the first YUSU owned bar. However, Vision has leant that it will undergo some redecoration lover the h co Summer Whic provost lege holidays. stu-
shh!
ke p t awake dents is rauh with par ty cous eek? last w
4’s CHANNEL SKINS has used the music of a York student’s band, proving once again that our Uni boasts some of the most talented students in the country. Rosie Benson, of James College, is one half of folk duo Rosie and Harry. The band’s song, Hearts and Metal Bars, featured recently in an internet episode of the popular teen comedy drama. The episode has been viewed almost 150,000 times and received a very positive reaction with many people inquiring specifically about the
song. Rosie told Vision that after sending in the song, following a request for new musicians and artists, the duo forgot about it until it appeared in the video. She went on to say that she was pleasantly surprised by the popularity: video’s “it’s crazy!” She said, “People were asking for more and that was really cool.” Rosie and Harry are following up this success by recording more songs and campaigning to get them onto iTunes. More information about the band can be found on their Facebook page and on Youtube.
HESLINGTON EATERY BUTTER THAN ALL THE REST
COR, NICE BAPS! BY EMILY HODGES IT’S OFFICIAL: Brown’s in Heslington serves the best sandwich in North Yorkshire. Student campaigns for the popular village shop helped it sweep to a landslide victory in a recent poll by Minster FM. In honour of last week’s British Sandwich Week, the York-based radio station ran a competition for listeners to vote for their favourite sandwich provider, from a shortlist of six shops across the region. Browns, which has the slogan “Probably the best sandwiches in the world,” lived up to its reputation by getting 89% of the votes in the competition. The shop has now officially been awarded the
prestigious title of ‘Minster FM’s Favourite Sandwich Shop of the Year.’ Brown's gained much support in the competition on the internet – an event was created on Facebook to
advertise the competition, and The Yorker ran a notice about it all week on their site. The shop already has its own Facebook page, which currently has 520 fans, with a
FAME AT LAST: Rosie and Harry
majority of those being current York students. After the result was announced on Friday, the owner of Browns told Vision how delighted they were by their victory. “We would like to say a massive thank you to all those fab people who voted for us for British Sandwich Week. We’re so astonished by how liked we are by yourselves and we’d just like to express our love and appreciation to you all.” Second-year Education student Emma Lloyd is just one of Brown's many student fans. “I go to Browns their quality, BY EMILYforHODGES you can tell that the sandwiches are all freshly made, and the bread they use is really good.”
NO LIEIT'S THE W.I. BY RACHEL KNOX THE CREATION of the ‘Derwent Women’s Institute’ has got female students across Derwent college excited. The Facebook group already boasts over one hundred members even though there has only been one meeting to date - a sleepover party recently held in Derwent JCR. Created by Welfare Rep. Ciara Masterson, the group promises "book clubs, wine tasting sessions, belly dancing lessons, cookery classes, film nights or pamper parties." Masterson told Vision, "I think it will be a really good way of allowing girls from different years in the college to get to know each other and have fun." There have also been rumours of a naked Derwent WI calendar. Masterson commented: "we shall have to wait and see if there is a demand for naked Derwent ladies!" The massive success of the group has also sparked rumours of a ‘Derwent Men’s Club’ led by college chair Joe Rankin in the near future. The Derwent group is adding to a growing WI culture among younger generations, especially university students. This March the first official university branch was founded at Goldsmith’s University in London. The institute has been revolutionised by younger members and instead of knitting, bake sales and embroidery WI branches now experiment with sushi making, burlesque nights and poledancing lessons.
IT'S PAYBACK TIME
BY RUTH GALLIE
THE GOVERNMENT has broken its promises on student loans, leaving 2.5 million students with bigger debts than they expected. Student loans have always been set with inflation to prevent there being any ‘real cost’ to them. But now it has been announced that, from September, interest rates on the loans will no longer follow inflation. With inflation negative for the first time since 1960, students should have seen the interest rates on their loans drop too. However, a loophole has been exploited by the government and they are using a technicality to prevent loans from 1998 onwards matching deflation. Whilst pre-1998 students will see their interest drop from 3.8% to -0.4%, students who went to university from 1998 onwards will only see their interest drop from 1.5% to 0%. One first-year York economics student commented: “The worry is that once any principle been broken it’s very difficult to fix.” There is currently a petition for Gordon Brown to rethink whilst there’s still time.
Wednesday May 27th, 2009
UNIVERSITY PLAYS KEY ROLE IN TV RECONSTRUCTION
Claudia Crimewatch shot on campus as enquiry calls for more witnesses BY EMILY FAIRBAIRN THE LAST known movements of missing University chef Claudia Lawrence have been reconstructed as part of an appeal being shown on the BBC’s Crimewatch. Camera crews shot scenes around campus and the city that recreated the events which led up to Claudia’s disappearance. One potentially crucial scene shows a woman who could have been Claudia and a mystery man in a hoodie having a heated argument at the side of University Road. The couple were spotted by a cyclist at 6.10am on March 19th, the day that Claudia failed to turn up for her 6am shift at the Roger Kirk Centre.
A similar exchange was filmed at Melrosegate Bridge, where a woman matching Claudia’s description was seen talking with a hooded smoker at about 5.35am of the same day. Detectives investigating the case are still no closer to finding Claudia, nine weeks after she first went missing. They hope that the TV re-enactment will encourage witnesses who could prove key to the investigation to come forward. A spokeswoman for North Yorkshire Police said: “We hope the Crimewatch appeal and reconstructions will help jog people’s memories and someone will come forward and provide us with that vital piece of information which will lead us to Claudia.” The police are also keen to
WITNESS: An actor plays the cyclist
KEY SCENE: Claudia and the Mystery Man
FILMING: The Crimewatch camera identify a man caught on CCTV going into an alleyway behind Claudia’s Heworth Road home at about 5.50am on March 19, a crucial time for the investigation. Another man captured on CCTV at the same time on the opposite side of the road is also being traced, as well as two Asian men seen at Claudia’s front door on March 10th. The investigation is now a suspected murder hunt, and Crimestoppers are offering a £10,000 reward for any information that could lead the police to Claudia. YUSU President Tom Scott has added his voice to the appeal for witnesses. “If anyone reading this remembers seeing one of the people that the police want
Photos by Anna Bucks, YSTV
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YORK VISION
NEWS
to identify - please call North Yorkshire Police. It might just make the difference to the investigation,” he said. A spokesman for the University added: “The University welcomed the Crimewatch programme onto campus in support of the police investigation into the disappearance of Claudia Lawrence. We continue to offer our support to Claudia’s family and urge anyone with information to contact North Yorkshire Police or Crimestoppers.” If you can help, please contact please call the Police on 0845 60 60 247 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 as a matter of urgency.
NEWS
YORK VISION
Wednesday May 27th, 2009
SPARKS FLY AS SCIENCE DEPARTMENTS ACCUSED OF UNDERPERFORMING
BY PADDY HARTE
FAR FEWER first-class degrees are being handed out by ailing science departments than other courses, Vision has learnt. Last week complaints were fired at the Standing Committee on Assessments regarding the poor performance of Physics and Chemistry. A statistical analysis of all York University subjects shows that below 50% of students in Chemistry and Physics achieve a first or a 2:1. These results contrast arts based degrees including English, History and Archaeology, which award over 90% firsts and 2:1s. YUSU’s Academic and Welfare Officer Charlie Leyland has suggested that the dispar-
ity between departments can to some extent be explained by the make-up of their student body. “Most strikingly, departments with high proportions of mature students, international students, and those that are admitted with a lower entry grade seem to be attaining less firsts than the others,” she said. “The University, departments and YUSU should be questioning whether there is more we can do for these students who are some of the most well-motivated and able yet are currently clearly not being given the full support that they need.” A lack of funding into teaching, with money instead spent on expensive research projects, is thought by some to be the reason science students are fail-
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Got an idea?
Your chance to give us your ideas on Your Union, Your Uni and Your City
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ing. and Chemistry Physics have also been accused of neglecting 20.00 the three year course, instead concentrating too much on four year courses. .00 grumpy One 250.00 third-year Physics 300.00 student commented, 350.00 “It is ridiculous 400.00 Averag e total that I had to get two tariff p er FPE As and a B to get into York, but only a tiny amount of us get id Efird, firsts, I seriously think that I Vanbrugh Provost have made a bad choice coming and chair of the Standing Committee on Assessments, claims to York.” Such attitudes may be com- that this isn’t an astronomical mon considering Physics’ poor problem. "There is no suggesstandings, coming a shocking tion that there are worryingly 34th in the Guardian’s Univer- low grades in science subjects as there isn’t sufficient evidence sity guide. Despite these reactions, Dav- to support such a claim.”
Your chance to have a private audience with the man himself... more info at
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8 COMMENT
YORK VISION
Wednesday May 27th, 2009
>Comment THE VOICE OF Vision says...
BLAST FROM THE PAST Released from the shackles of Vision editorship, Mike Regan reveals his true thoughts on YUSU's "confrontational attitude" to campus media.
F
alse rape allegations can ruin a life in a moment. The question is, how can it be avoided? The worrying case reported today shows that any innocent person can have accusations used as a weapon against them. From the tone of Vision's exclusive interview, the student seems to have acted respectfully, but could do nothing to prevent the ensuing nightmare. However, any genuine offences should of course be reported immediatly.
Thumbs up to...
H
eslington bakery Brown's really do make cracking sandwiches. Its finally official; although we may have already known that Brown's sandwiches are the best sandwiches now even the city of York recognises this unassailable fact. In true summer style, Vision thinks all York students should get down to Brown's, pick up their favourite sandwich and enjoy a leisurely lunch amongst the foliage of The Quiet Place. Is there anything better than sun, silence and sandwiches?
MIKE REGAN Y
ork’s four ratified media societies (Vision, Nouse, URY and YSTV) are some of the most visible and significant on campus. Their work is digested by thousands of students, and their activities themselves can often be headline news. These diverse and unique societies can be taken for granted, yet they have also had a key role in holding our elected representatives to account. Their freedom is essential to the transparency of an institution with a democratic basis, like our university. But at times it seems our much maligned student’s union sees us as more of an enemy than an asset. This was something I witnessed first-hand during my time as editor of Vision. Within days of my election as editor I was summoned to meet with Societies and Communications officer Rory Shanks, who was pleasantly pragmatic. However, YUSU seemed to want the news section of the paper to be submitted very early indeed. There are two fundamental problems with this; firstly I am not sure whether YUSU are fa-
Thumbs down to...
PULLED: YUSU exercise their power as pages are ripped from papers
pus ripping copies from student’s hands without explanation. Their attitude was indicative of the problem at hand, in that mountains are made out of molehills. Their mass frenzy more befitted the penetration of a paedophile on to campus, rather than a dodgy feature article. Rather than treating this issue as an isolated case and punishing Vi-
sion and myself accordingly, YUSU have deemed that this represents a fundamental problem in the way our media works. The recently suggested moves towards vastly increasing their control over the activities of our media societies are needless and potentially very damaging.
CHANGING THE WORLD SARIAH
T
he fascist BNP don't seem to understand us students - putting leaflets through our doors will not sway us to vote against everything we stand for. Whilst our political stances will vary (or may be completely non-existant) we can and must unite against the threat of fascism. Vision urges every York student to vote against the BNP in the EU elections next week. Let's show them that they need not campaign here any more, because we're saying 'no'. 'No' to intolerance, 'no' to bigotry and 'no' to rascism. This time we should put aside any political apathy and make a stand.
miliar with the etymology of the word News, but it comes from the word ‘New’. News that is five days old is hardly NEW-s any more is it? Furthermore the reason that York has two award-winning newspapers is that those that contribute to them put in a huge amount of effort in doing so, right up until the day before we go to print. To rush the work of both publications would only serve to lessen their quality. It seems as though there is, at times, a needlessly confrontational attitude displayed towards the campus media, particularly York Vision. I understand Union officers’ preference for Nouse, a little more cuddly and less likely to say nasty things. However regardless of personal preference or any personal gripes they may have with sections of the media, they have a professional duty to treat all groups fairly. Regarding the ‘Visiongate’ affair in the Autumn Term, I have no qualms about YUSU’s decision to pull that particular issue of Vision. What was written was journalistically poor, immature and baseless and as such YUSU made the correct decision. However, their inaction of this decision lacked common sense, it was aggressive and confrontational. With absolutely no tact they marched around cam-
discuss it for about fifteen minutes over a cup of tea and then just sort of… drift off. The mentality remains of "yeah it’s a shame, but you can’t do anything about it, can you?" It feels that there are two extremes in play, the hardcore political activists and those who don’t get involved. A friend of mine who falls into the former category is adamant that people should get involved. But it’s understandable that people are often intimidated by the perceived need to be ‘all or nothing’. I'm not hugely active on the political protest scene, but I will occasionally go to a talk or sign a petition. If people gave it
REHMAN T
here was a time when I thought that politics and anarchy ran through the veins of every student. Granted, I was fourteen and watching old news footage of American students protesting against the Vietnam war, but still, I had an expectation that university meant campaigning and changing the world. It simply hasn't been. Don’t get me wrong, I love being a student at York, I just wish that we could get a bit more worked up about things. Rather, when something vaguely political comes up is that we’ll
a chance, I reckon they might actually enjoy it. You know, changing the world and all that jazz. I mean come on. We’re still young enough to believe we can actually make a difference. At a recent Palestinian Solidarity Society talk, I felt a little out of place amongst all of those people who just seemed to care about things more than I did. They actually achieved things, eclipsing my last achievement
"We can actually make a difference ." of making a perfectly browned cheese toastie. I felt a bit of a fraud. But as soon as the talk began, I stopped thinking in these
terms. I’d gone to the talk because I wanted to learn and because it was a cause the speakers were so passionate about, I was riveted (it was also during my optimum waking hoursof 6pm to midnight). It seems where were once the forefront of lobbying for change, now it seems we’re lagging. This would be fair enough if I truly believed we simply cared less than our predecessors, but I don’t think this is the case. We just don’t know where to start. It is daunting, undoubtedly, but Rome wasn’t built in a day. And partying afterwards is totally justified by the feeling of righteousness. So, who’s up for it? Political activism and then party?
TURN TO PAGE 10 FOR SCOUTS WITH GUNS AND FARMERS WITH GRIEVANCES...
COMMENT
YORK VISION
Wednesday May 27th, 2009
9
Will the expenses scandal finally awaken the pirate in YUSU President Tom Scott?
Expenses: should we really care? PETER SUTTON T
hat students love to protest is a self evident fact of life. Very recently we’ve seen protests on campus against the BNP, University investment in the arms trade and, were I to be writing this article back in 2003, we’d be seeing huge student protests at the irresponsible and disastrous decision to invade Iraq. These are all, to varying degrees, big and pressing issues. So let’s keep some sort of perspective on what’s gone on. The economy is in freefall, Britain is involved in two increasingly impossible wars, we’re facing an election in two weeks when a BNP MEP is a distinct possibility and people are talking about ‘punishing’ the parties that would prevent it from happening. I could go on. However, all we can talk about is which non-entity backbencher has claimed for hob knobs. Politicians can get things very wrong - let’s not lose sight of what those things really are. Just as the taxpayer pays for MPs’ expenses, they pay for the various grants, bursaries and loans that we students receive. Amongst the items that I’ve used my taxpayer gifted money on this week include two crates of Calsberg, clothes from H&M (although they were substantially reduced if the press ask me to justify it) a Bob Dylan CD, entry to Tru and an Efes takeaway. I’m off out to Leeds tomorrow and reckon my conscience will just about stretch to it. I’d probably put a moat around my flat if I could afford it. Actually, looking around the kitchen now, I can see a bottle of Cointreau, Finlandia Vodka, a crate of Blackthorn (urgh!) and a Cliff Richard calendar (double urgh!).
NO
Not a text book or essay in sight. It’s a good life. When it comes to really fiddling expenses, no one’s perfect. Journalists are notorious for outrageous expenses cons and no doubt a lot of those acting so sanctimoniously at the moment have been guilty of the very things they condemn. One close friend of mine at school claimed EMA allowance and used it to pay for surgical adjustment to two buck teeth. Nice if you can afford it but unless the government introduced ‘Educational Teeth Whitening and Straightening Allowance’ without me realising then it doesn’t seem exactly what the money was supposed to be used for. Another, who actually falsely claimed off one income, put the whole lot into paying for driving lessons. Inventive use of public money isn’t just confined to Westminster. I don’t deny that there have been some seriously dishonest, even fraudulent, claims, but they are a minority. Most of what has emerged is at worst an example of over claiming and at times appears to be featured on the grounds of selling papers and making a non story run for a couple more weeks, regardless of whether the MP is guilty of anything at all. Consequently, we need to be able to see the wood from the trees. Claims for moats, tennis courts, and swimming pools should never have been made but do they really warrant being front page headlines for the best part of two weeks? The whole thing smacks of rummaging through bins. So when you decide whether or not to vote on June 4th, remember the economic recession, the thousands of businesses going to the wall, the two wars being fought, and don’t give this media driven, semi fictional frenzy anymore credence than it deserves.
YES F
or the majority of students, managing our finances is a skill that has had to be learned very quickly. At the start of every term, the minus sign in my bank statement makes away for a four-figure sum kindly deposited by the government in order for me to live a comfortable life whilst I complete my studies. The temptation to spend this money is overwhelming, but the pleasure of contacting daddy to replace the cash you have just spent on a Jack Wills hat worth more than a weekly-shop is not available to most. Beans, sadly, must come before Beret’s. What has emerged most saliently from the expenses controversy has been a distinct absence of this kind of self-discipline. That all the main political parties have called for the rules on expenses to be amended shows not that they recognise they have done wrong but that their claims are down to a set of rules they couldn’t help but blindly abide by. Where is the self-control? Where is that ounce of self-judgement that asks do I really need to do this? Students on a tight budget cannot afford such an absence of self-governing, managing our money is something that cannot be taken light heartedly. And it is precisely because of those politicians, who we have seen wheeled out onto a host of news stations to pathetically justify their actions, that we must be so prudent with our cash. For it is they who voted that we should pay so much for our university education and it is they who continue to debate whether or not to increase it. That ‘everybody’ fiddles expenses is not a reason to ignore or blur this issue. The businessman claiming for his extravagant nights out or the journalist falsely declaring reimbursement for
DANIEL HEWITT his travelling costs is of no interest to me. They will eventually be caught and pay the consequences for their lies, at no cost to me, and though I indeed currently contribute nothing to the wages and expenses of politicians, I do have to work my way through a forty-eight page form every year declaring what my parents earn, whether they pay for private health insurance, how much tax they pay, in order to claim a bit more money to pay for my extortionate rent. Some politicians have claimed on second homes when they live closer to Westminster that some of us live to campus. That wars are being fought and that the economy is in such a bad way is precisely why we should care so much about this issue, for it is the people caught who up in this scandal that hold such a key influence in determining the success and failures of wars and economies. It is thus essential that newspapers continue to discover every excessive or ludicrous claim made by politicians, from mars bars to moats. The machinations of Westminster are on the whole mind-numbing affairs, enjoyed only by academics and certain Politics students who can cite the birth date of every Prime Minister since Disraeli whilst simultaneously masturbating into the diaries of Alistair Campbell. The issue of expenses however has revealed MPs not to be boring, but to be bastards, with Westminster being spiced up only by scandal and not legislation designed help people during an extremely difficult time.
12 FEATURES
YORK VISION
Wednesday May 27th, 2009
>Features BRUSSELS SPROUTS ANYONE?
The election of our representatives in Brussels often passes students by - not this time. Charlotte Gaughan finds out why...
E
U elections rarely succeed at getting the political juices flowing. Most students are more concerned with matters of 'real importance', such as the price of Vodkat. That may be all about to change, however, as Britain and the 26 other EU member states go to the polls on June the fourth to elect 785 European representatives. The recent MP expenses scandal has made for a fevered political climate, while the recession has provoked a reaction against membership of the EU (a recent poll by the BBC shows that 55% of British people want to withdraw from it). While these factors indicate that Euro-sceptic parties such as UKIP will do well, it is the potential rise of parties on the far-right, such as the BNP, that has attracted most attention to these elections. A seat for the BNP is a possibility right here in the Yorkshire and Humber zone, where there are six seats up for grabs. The previous elections in Yorkshire in 2004 saw a turnout of 42.3% - if that was repeated, the BNP would need to secure an extra 100,000 votes to be assured a seat. However, as little as 12% of the vote could potentially secure the BNP their first major political break through due to the proportional representation system used in European elections. Second year Eleanor
Webster does not usually follow European elections, but has become aware of the campaign: “my house has been leafleted by the BNP. I suppose it is a free country but it does worry me that they may get elected.” With UKIP party insiders revealing their belief that the party is at a low ebb, this election could see right wing voters swing to the BNP as their party of choice.
7 of the 12 parties standing in Yorkshire classify themselves as Euro-sceptic.
Political commentators have predicted that this election could be the swan-song for UKIP leader Nigel Farage if their vote slumps nationally. The potential rise of the BNP has engendered a resurgence in the national Hope not Hate campaign. There has been a high level of student activity in the group, with students here at York leading the student campaign in Yorkshire. The York student representative David Levene has been organising the campaign, holding rallies and lobbying YUSU to ensure university that students are registered to vote. He expressed the aim of the group as “trying to expose what lies behind the thin veneer of the BNP’s presentable image.” Furthermore, a group of 50 University of York students have begun a counter campaign of leafleting over 10,000 households in York. Nick Lowes (editor of the anti-fascist magazine Searchlight) called this effort “one of the most enthusiastic and brightest in the country.” However, the anti-fascist campaign by no means represents the whole of the student campaign, with one disaffected voter commenting: “I wouldn’t vote BNP but they deserve to have their say. We live in a democracy after all.” With the political stakes raised it seems that this June’s European elections
The EU: THE FACTS - Of the six MEPs elected in Yorkshire and Humber, two are Conservative, two are Labour and UKIP and the Lib Dems have one each. - The EU claims this has contributed to the success of the region’s economy and created over 40,000 jobs. - Yorkshire is one of the biggest UK recipients of European Union funding, receiving over 1.5 billion pounds through the EU’s structural fund since 2000.
Student witness: Andrea Fassina captures the devastation caused by the recent Italian earthquake
YOUR:VISION Witness: Andrea Fassina Location: L'Aquila, Rome Situation: Earthquake
W
hen we arrived, the local population were harassing the police to allow them to return to their homes. Inside the devastated buildings the only living creatures were animals and sporadic rescue workers. Fire-
fighters and voluntary workers were heroically trying to help. As we walked around the tents, the shock was still in people's eyes. The country is still working hard to help the evacuees. Boy scouts from all over Italy still
go to help clear up the rubble and lend a hand. All the political forces - from extreme right to extreme left - have camps set up to help the population. Countless students (including me) have volunteered with the Civil Protection.
A little less convincing is Berlusconi’s promise to deliver the suffering citizens with 8.3 billion euros. A more accurate scrutiny of the plan reveals that the money won’t be delivered for another 30 years or so.
YORK VISION
FEATURES
Wednesday May 27th, 2009
TOTALLY ADDICTED TO RACE
most striking aspect of Race Day is the half hour intervals between races, a time when winnings are collected and new bets placed. Relative to these long waits (which are fairly tedious for the newcomer) the races themselves are over in the blink of an eye. However, I can identify with the appeal of the races as a sporting occasion: the roar of the crowd as the horses hurtle over the line is exhilarating. But back to the bets... A few weeks ago, Vision reporter Helen Nianias spent a day gambling at the bookies on Hull Road and referred to “the buzz” of gambling. I don’t know if this is standard gambling parlance, but it is something my friend refers to after losing over £30 during the first two races of the day. “It’s not all about the money. It’s the experience, the live spectacle.” So why bet? “There is a huge thrill when your horse comes in – it really rewards your judgement.” It’s a buzz I am yet to experience, with all my bets during the day turning out to be flops. My friend, however, ends the day £40 up, after big wins in two of the last three races, something he admits as being rare. Despite winning, he admits that betting on horses is a lottery– a fact testified to by the £30 loss made by another
“
I’m going to go for a cheeky reverse forecast.” I have no idea what my friend means by this but, standing by one of the numerous bookmaking stalls at York Racecourse, I am about to find out. It is my first time at the races and I have come to get a taste of a world in which my friend (who confesses to having a gambling problem) has long been immersed. Furthermore, it is Race Day – and I am up for a day out. This particular Race Day consists of seven races, the highlight of which is the Yorkshire Cup, a race with over £100,000 in prize money at stake. Defying the overcast conditions, York’s race going population has turned out in its finery for an occasion which has long played a central role in the city’s social calendar. The
V
I know the bookmakers will always win in the end; I still love gambling though.
days are consumed by playing poker online, but he almost always ends up making money and has made considerable profit since he started. Like my friend he wishes to remain anonymous, but he revealed to Vision that he intends to leave university this summer to take up poker professionally in Belgium. Again, this is a successful pupil turned York student who sees gambling not only as a legitimate pastime, but as a way of life. It is something I can only begin to understand as I watch my horse trot across the line in abject fashion. It has come ninth, and with its failure my hopes of ending the day in profit also die. I don’t seem cut out for this gambling lark. I've still failed to understand what a “cheeky reverse forecast” is, but it won my friend £40. Another race goer dismisses it as a lucky punt. But then he would say that– in the same race he lost £30.
V
Will Wainewright heads to the races for an insight into the world of his gambing chums...
friend. “When the wins come, it’s great; they should be cherished. But the ookies will always win in the end. I still love gambling though.” It seems contradictory to continue betting even though you realise you will probably lose out to the bookmaker in the end, perhaps explaining the manic intensity with which he celebrates when his horse comes in. I ask him if he is addicted. After hesitating briefly, he says yes. The biggest bet he ever placed was £200 on a single horse, which lost, and he admits to losing more than three times that in a day. He confesses to spending college afternoons frittering away his weekly Educational Maintenance Allowance handout in the local bookies. But though it is the sort of story guaranteed to make Daily Mail readers splutter over their Corn Flakes, my friend, a York student and County sportsman, is by no means a symptom of “ B r o k e n Britain.” If he can obtain self-fulfilment through it, why not? Despite its negative image, is gambling such a bad thing? I talk to a second-year Maths student whose answer is a firm ‘no’. Most of his
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WHAT A RUDDY LEGEND! Rachael Healey is Boyled over (geddit?) by the voice of Peter Dickson
A
s a student I find myself with a lot of time that can only justifiably be assigned to watching television. Be it iPlayer, 4OD, or from time to time an actual television set, I’m sure many of us enjoy supplementing our studies with such intellectually challenging programs as Britain’s Got Talent, Ashes to Ashes, X-factor, Jeremy Kyle... perhaps even the odd guilty indulgence in Paul O’Grady once in a while? Yet there is one important factor linking these particular programs that may have gone unnoticed by most – a man named Peter Dickson. You may not re c o g n i s e his name, but you will certainly recognise his voice. Think of the classic “Come on down!” from Bruce’s Price is Right. You may also know him as his ‘ruddy brilliant’, eccentric character, E4’s Voiceover Man (you know, the
one that makes you giggle in between episodes of Friends and Scrubs.) I had the pleasure of speaking to the man himself about working on Britain’s Got Talent, making friends with Jeremy Kyle and releasing his first single. First things first, it seemed to me an odd move for self-titled “Voiceover Man”, Peter Dickson to make the move into the music industry and release a single into the charts. The single itself 'What a Bunch of Bankers', by Voiceover Man and the Credit Crunchers can be found at www.myspace. com/creditcrunchers, along with the accompanying video. Peter explained that he had been approached by the record company GTI and, when given free reign over the style and subject of the song, he decided that he wished to fill what he saw as a gaping hole in the charts with a “decent novelty Peter Dickson as record”. The
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He released a single... "What a Bunch of Bankers" by Voiceover Man and the Credit Crunchers
subject matter of this song was to be a current and apparently pretty contentious issue – the credit crunch. At least that’s the way the BBC saw things, as they proceeded to ban the record from being broadcast on any of their numerous stations, claiming its content and subject matter to be too politically controversial. Fortunately Peter is no stranger to controversy and recently finished working on a project in the USA with Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, entitled The Osbourne’s Reloaded, which he describes as being “full of swearing and nudity”, featuring a particularly memorable scene in which Ozzy ends up hurling fast food at members of the public in a fit of frustration. The Osbourne’s are not the first eccentric public figures that Peter has worked with. Over the past few years he has been the voice of the X-factor and Britain’s Got Talent, working alongside Simon Cowell, Piers Morgan and other such enduringly popular and modest celebrities. Nevertheless, when asked who is his least favourite member of the Britain’s Got Talent judging team Peter declined to answer, going so far as to say that Simon Cowell is a “misunderstood” man, who in reality is “well-mannered” and “delightful company”. Peter was equally complementary his E4 character about Jeremy
'Voiceover Man'.
Kyle, whom he met whilst working in Manchester on The Price is Right with Joe Pasquale. He described how a friendship developed between the two of them as they worked in neighbouring studios, although he had to admit that Jeremy Kyle’s “favourite subject is Jeremy Kyle”. From the lengthy list of television shows that Peter appears on, the one that you have most likely watched recently - and in all probability have heard the most about in the last few weeks - is Britain’s Got Talent, the show that has introduced the now infamous Susan Boyle into the public consciousness.. I hoped that Peter would be able to give the readers of Vision an inside view on the topic that for reasons murky to most of us, has taken the world by storm. However, shockingly, when asked for his opinion on Britain’s newest, hottest singing sensation Peter had to admit that he has not yet had the pleasure of viewing Susan’s performance, and actually, would rather keep things that way.
14 FEATURES
CLIMATE CHANGE:
YORK VISION
Wednesday May 27th 2009
FEATURES
YORK VISION
Wednesday May 27th 2009
CONSPIRACY OR CATASTROPHE? OH MY LORDS: Philippa Hellawell and Kelly Holt pit pessimistic Lord Puttnam against potty peer Lord Monckton
Global Warming... is an attempt by world governments to establish dictatorships
V
dictatorship through the creation of a scientific panic which is aided and supported by the leftwing who are working “to tear down the capitalist system from within.” Although such views appear to the average person as simply great conspiracy theories, Lord Monckton was careful to emphasise that it was not necessarily a conspiracy but “a grand coincidence of incidence,” stating that most public bodies have a vested interest in the issue. Scientific institutions, such as NASA, have much to gain from government funding, while national governments use the issue of global warming as a means to raise tax in “a manner that conveys moral authority.” And Lord Monckton is shockingly not alone in his blind refusal to accept that global warming is a real issue. The Great Global Warming
LORD MONCKTON'S MUSINGS ON CLIMATE CHANGE "Pictures of polar bears perching on small ice floes as ice sheets crumble around them are FALSIFIED - they were taken a few metres offshore by tourists on boats" "Polar bears LIKE it warmer anyway - they can eat berries then" "DAVID ATTENBOROUGH is no more competent to speak on Global Warming than the average BUS DRIVER" "GREENPEACE is a Communist attempt to TEAR DOWN the capitalist economic system from the inside"
at the annual Kennedy Lecture. Puttnam has a wealth of experience as Head of the Climate Change Bill Scrutiny Committee, the British chair of UNICEF, as well as being the ex-Chairman of Columbia Pictures, ex-Head of Channel 4 and, once upon a time, a Hollywood producer, making films such as Bugsy Malone and Chariots of Fire. Speaking exclusively to Vision, Lord Puttnam insisted that “Lord Monckton is dangerously mad,” and that global warming is the “greatest threat facing us all - even greater than the economic downturn.” He went so far as to add that “climate change deniers are on another planet… I wish them well, but I wish they’d go there!” Lord Puttnam was especially careful to emphasise that “there is a naïve idea that every generation has their ‘thing’, and this is yours… it isn’t. This is a potent threat…” Later on in his emotive speech to the NGS, Puttnam predicted that “should we fail to get to grips with this, there will be no need to ask for whom the bell tolls. It will toll for every man, woman and child on this once beautiful planet.” In the face of such an apocalyptic picture of doom, what can we, as students do? It is tempting to bury our
heads in the sand and hope for the best, imagining that as individuals there is little we can do. Indeed, Lord Monckton suggested that any sense of personal or individual responsibility any student feels about global warming can be happily abandoned, as “any personal responsibility that won’t make a difference, you can discharge yourself from.” Monckton, coming across as frankly insane, firmly believes that there is no need for any individual to take any action to combat global warming, because of course, it isn’t happening. For the more conscientious individual, however, there is a real sense that our personal behaviours can make a difference. Our generation is, of course, one with a consumer appetite like no other that has come before. Many of us may toss the packaging from our groceries into the recycling bin, but how many of us choose not to buy excessively packaged products in the first place? And whilst most of us may not have cars here with us at university, as a group we are massively mobile, enjoying all the benefits of cheap air travel to Europe and further afield, without worrying about carbon offsetting or what the effect of our excessive use of airlines will
The debate is over... there is international consensus that climate change is happening
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Want to write for Features? Email vision@yusu.org
Swindle, a documentary film shown on Channel 4 just over two years ago, was a direct response to Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, a film that Lord Monckton and his ilk take great exception to. The Great Global Warming Swindle attracted 265 Ofcom complaints and two scientists whose work was featured in the film have complained that their scientific data was misrepresented and warped for use as propaganda. The film suggests that global warming cannot be attributed to anthropogenic (man-made) causes and is instead due to solar activity which, at recently high levels, has caused global temperatures to rise. Despite the fact that the scientific community has come to a 99% consensus that climate change is happening and are 90% sure that it is happening due to anthropogenic causes, the film insists that this is not the case. A view that Lord Monckton and, he alleges, 31,000 scientists whose signatures he has collected, adhere to. However, the climate change deniers are thankfully vociferously opposed by people such as Al Gore, David Milliband and Lord Puttnam; the last of whom also visited the university last week, to address the NGS
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WE BRAVED THE SUNSHINE AND SHOWERS TO ASK... 'IS CLIMATE CHANGE SOMETHING THAT KEEPS YOU AWAKE AT NIGHT?'
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life for everybody on earth changes dramatically.” And David takes it one step further, emphasising students’ responsibility as citizens, saying "Society WILL come to its that “we should the way by senses, but five or ten years lead reducing our own TOO LATE..." emissions and lobbying the governfor national "In our lifetime we will see ment and international CARBON RATIONING in the action.” There was a form of ration books that mixture of praise will limit our use of trans- and criticism, howport etc" ever, for the University’s “efforts to reduce its impact on "We need to CHANGE our be- the environment haviours significantly now, but there is still work to be done. or dramatically later..." Heslington East is being built to high "In our lifetime we will see e n v i r o n m e n t a l the serious problem of up to standards and camhas impressive 150 MILLION REFUGEES pus cycling facilities. coming from S.E Asia and However, the way in which univerAfrica" sity buildings are heated is often very inefficient.” Lord Puttnam have on the environments of also emphasised in his those countries we are go- lecture the importance of ing to admire. Students lead changing “our lifestyles, busy lives, dashing between beginning with sustainlectures, meeting friends and able consumption - less contrying desperately to get to sumption and better’. Gallery before eleven because It’s true that there are we forgot our queue jumps: still discussions and dein our haste we leave lights bates to be had on the ison, computers and televi- sue of global warming, like sions on standby, fridge doors how to tackle the problem, open, taps running… and es- and quickly, and how socipecially when living in Halls ety can meet the challenges that global warming will present to our generation and generations that will follow us. But, on the question of climate change, as David Clarke succinctly explained, “the debate is over. There is international consensus that climate change is happening and is caused by human activity.” The problem is not one of action, but of inaction; we simply need to do nothing for global warming to devastate the planet. No matter how tempting it is to forget about the problem, with nights at Tru and without the worry of bills, days in the library taking using excessive amounts of up our brain space, we need gas, water and electricity. to accept our environmenDavid Clarke, YUSU Envi- tal duties. We cannot know ronment and Ethics Officer precisely how things will agrees that “we can act now pan out, but one thing is asby making relatively modest sured - global warming is changes to the way we live to sure to become once again, considerably lessen the speed a hot topic. and impact of climate change. Doing nothing will mean that
LORD PUTTNAM'S PREDICTIONS ON THE FUTURE OF THE PLANET...
Lord Monckton, a Conservative politician who served under Thatcher, studied Classics at Cambridge and is the inventor of the Eternity puzzle. But he has most recently attracted public attention for his opposition to the scientific consensus on global warming. “Global warming is not a threat,” he told Vision. “It’s not happening.” He brands the phenomenon as an attempt by world governments to establish
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signs of the times
n recent months, the front pages of national newspapers have been dominated by headlines of apocalyptic proportions - the threat of an upswing in violence in the Middle East following the Gaza conflict, the potential global pandemic of Swine Flu, the global economic downturn and, of course, the MP expenses debacle which has prompted David Cameron to call for an immediate suspension of parliament. Interestingly, amidst all this doom and gloom, one issue has been conspicuously absent from the press: global warming, or climate change. Call it what you will, they are phrases that have rarely been heard in the media or politics recently; issues seen as more pressing and immediately urgent have dominated both newspaper headlines and discussion in governments and parliaments across the globe. It is true that global warming has become a firm fixture in the English vernacular, bringing an environmentalist fashion into both politics and society, from saving plastic bags at Morrisons to car-pooling on the way to work. An ecological consciousness has emerged on the basis that global warming is happening, however there has been an obvious recent lull in explicit public concern. But perhaps global warming is creeping back up the agenda. Last week, the University of York became the centre of a great debate: is global warming a real problem and, moreover, is it a man-made problem? The majority of us probably take for granted that the heating up of the planet is 'A Bad Thing' and, moreover, that humanity has caused the problem by cutting down the majority of the world’s forests, burning extraordinarily excessive amounts of fossil fuels, using CFCs and overpopulating the planet. It may be news to some of us that there are those who believe that global warming is not a problem, is not even happening, and that the temperature increases on the planet have absolutely nothing to do with the human race. One of those people is Lord Monckton.
YES
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know, I know. Jordan = tits. Peter Andre = overtanned, slimy-haired, failed pop star. I admit, I momentarily experienced the “oh god, not them again” thing upon hearing of their impending divorce, but once I got past that, I was quite sad. Not only do I quite like them both, but I think they were perfect for each other. Once you get past Jordan’s norks (not an easy feat, I know) there is, well, quite a lot to like. She’s ambitious, she’s successful – a model, a published author, a recording artist and a one-time political candidate and. If Wikipedia is to be believed, she’s made the most of a life starting with a pretty traumatic childhood, this is a girl who ain’t had it easy and she’s done pretty well for herself.
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As for Peter Andre, my admiration for him is founded on a rather different basis. He just seems like a nice guy. I do like Jordan, but I wouldn’t want to live with her. He puts up with her constant jibes about his brown skin and surprising reluctance to have sex every hour of the day with something approaching humility. It is certainly clear he has a lot of love not only for his own children by Jordan, but for Dwight Yorke’s too. He is, to be honest, a bit of a hero. They are both a bit weird. They are both a product of the times we live in (whether that is a problem is a side issue). But they are perfect for each other. I don’t believe that either one of them could ever find a more eccentric, and thus fitting partner with which to spend their lives. So I am sad about their divorce. I hope they can sort it out.
CLIMATE CHANGE NOT YOUR THING? WILL WAINWRIGHT AND RACHAEL HEALEY ANSWER THE REAL QUESTION ON EVERYONE'S MINDS...
PETER & JORDAN:
Does Anyone Really Care?
NO
"
This lately exploded pustule on the posterior of the British body politic.” With these withering words Boris Johnson welcomed the fall from grace of Gordon Brown’s advisor Damien MacBride and it is a characterisation I would apply with relish to the collapse of a marriage that has for too long lingered parasitically on the national consciousness. Jordan and Peter Andre. While the names alone are a warning sign, the fact they met in a televised jungle should have also set alarm bells ringing. But that this pair of leeching prima donnas went on to revive their careers through a love affair played out in public, courting the media spotlight as much as each other, is the most damn-
ing fact of all. It was hardly Romeo and Juliet. One, the vacuous bearer of balloon-sized breasts of back pain inducing proportions, the other a fundamentally brown Aussie singer with teeth that could blind, theirs was a love bound not to last. Each move they made seemed designed to invite publicity, their shameless self-exposure for ITV2 documentaries made for not so much car crash as motorway pile up television. Yet we, a shallow nation who worship reality TV as a means of escaping the dismal realities of our own lives, lapped it up.
16 FEATURES
i
YORK VISION
Wednesday May 27th, 2009
ain't
scared o' no
ghost!
Kelly Holt gets down and spooky with footballer-turned-ghost whisperer Derek Acorah... gan's night club and why everyone (even you) is a psychic, with Britain's most famous medium, Derek Acorah. Can you describe how it feels when making contact with the spirit world? I am a clairaudient, clairvoyant medium and as such not only do I hear spirit people, but I also see them. Both subjectively and objectively. During my time with Most Haunted I used both gifts in contacting spirit presences, together with my psychic abilities in tuning in to the residual energies at locations. I am not a trance medium, but rather I channel spirit energies - if a spirit person was aggressive during his or her time in their physical life, I would allow that personality trait to be channelled through me. Communicating with spirit is the most natural thing in the world to me. There is little difference between communicating with either a spirit person or a person who is presently living a physical life.
hope that my demonstrations provide the proof necessary for a person to realise that it would be impossible for me to be aware of information regarding their loved ones unless I was communicating with them. So how does your relationship work with Sam? Is he always with you, like now? Sam is always with me. I both see and hear him. If I am in the presence of another medium, it is possible for that other medium to see Sam also.
Your gift is something that other people can only experience from the outside; nobody else can hear your spirit guide Sam: how do you expect people to believe that you are truly communicating with the spirit world? This is very true in as much as non-mediumistic people are concerned. I don’t “expect” people to believe in my comm u nication - I
V
Communicating with spirits is the most natural thing in the world to me...
V
D
erek Acorah began (this) life as a professional footballer with Liverpool FC and then later played for Australia’s USC Lions. When his football career ended, he went back to Liverpool where he set up shop as a spiritualist medium - a sort of call centre operator between this world and the spirit realm - in a career change that Arnold Schwarzenegger would be proud of. Derek plied his trade in Liverpool before becoming a medium for Living TV’s Most Haunted, where he spent five series freaking out Yvette Fielding and channelling the (always scouse accented) ghosts that are seemingly haunting buildings up and down the country, before guiding them ‘into the light’, in the green glow of night vision camcorders. As the series went on, Derek's channelling of sprits often became full blown possessions, in which he occasionally became quite violent, and an element of showmanship began to creep in, overshadowing even Yvette Fielding's quite frankly ridiculously over masacared eye lashes. When Derek was accused of being a fake and a fraudster by the show’s parapsychologist Ciaran O’Keeffe, he left the show in a blaze of negative publicity, which rumbles on to this day. Derek is currently touring the country, connecting people from Guildford to Glasgow with their dead rellies, cats and dogs, with the help of his two thousand year old Ethiopian spirit guide, Sam. Vision dug out its Ghostbuster t-shirts and a healthy dose of credulity to talk spirit guides, Branni-
Do you feel that everyone is psychic to some extent, or is your gift is particular to a small, select group of people?
This is something that I have been telling the world for a long time everybody is indeed psychic. That psychic ability is more enhanced in some people than others. And yes indeed... we all have spirit guides. I am totally against any suggestion that it is only a “chosen few” who have psychic gifts. Has there ever been a spirit that you have come across that you have been frightened of? I have not necessarily been afraid of a spirit person. I have been on my guard on more than one occasion - I would cite Brannigans nightclub in Manchester and the investigation at Pendle as two of the most disconcerting. I have to say that most of the spirit people I communicate with during my work in theatres are lovely people and they are all special. Are you able to ‘shut off’ from the presence of the spirit world, or is it something that is always with you? Are you ever having a shower or sat on a train when someone tries to make contact with you? There is a discipline that every medium should follow regarding “closing down” to the influences of the spirit world. If that discipline is ignored and constant communication were allowed, it would drive a person mad. Do you believe that there are any reasons to be afraid of ghosts? We have nothing whatsoever to fear from the spirit world. Do you ever feel as though you wish that you didn’t have your gift? Sometimes, yes.
There has been a real interest in mediumship and the paranormal in recent years; both in things like Most Haunted, Derek Acorah’s Ghost Towns, right up to American fictional TV series such as Ghost Whisperer. Why do you think that people are so intrigued by the ‘supernatural’ and the psychic? I feel we are reaching a time where people are demanding more enlightenment in all things. The days when people would accept unquestioningly the tenets of the churches are long gone and that is why I feel there is more interest in the work of mediums.
FIVE ECTOPLASMIC FACTS ABOUT DEREK ACORAH... - Derek says the last book he read was Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. - His favourite flavour of crisps is cheese and onion... and speaking of cheese... - He loves a good cheese and pickle sandwich. - Uncontroversially, Derek's favourite Beatle is John Lennon. - And touchingly, if he weren't a celeb medium, he says he would just like to do a job where he was helping people. When I ask Derek about the situation with Most Haunted, I'm told that there is an ongoing legal dispute with Yvette Fielding's production company, Antix, who make the show, and as such he is unable to comment. He admits that he no longer sees Yvette, although he is still very friendly and in contact with most of the rest of the cast and crew. With that, Vision says goodbye to Derek and goes home to dig out the old Ouija Board... we've been sensing been a menacing presence in the Vision office lately, and since Derek says we have nothing to fear...
LIFESTYLE
YORK VISION
Wednesday May 27th, 2009
>Lifestyle
17
FITNESS PHOBIA Concerned by campus fitness, Rachel Knox quizzes us on our health.
B
inge drinking, take always, ready meals and classing walking between bars as ‘exercise’: the average student lifestyle isn’t exactly a poster for healthy living. Unless you’re a uni class rower, or a gym addict the chances are the general fitness levels of York students isn’t great. But who can blame us? University culture doesn’t exactly promote healthy lifestyle. Let’s
face it; we’re probably all going to get some sort of heart disease from Efes alone. Fitness in the UK is at an all time low and statistics estimate that fifty percent of Britons can’t touch their toes or do twenty sit-ups. In all likelihood, that figure would be a lot worse amongst only students! Well who cares? Being a student wouldn't be half as
Who is your fitness icon?
YES
START
Do you exercise more than three times a week? Do you exercise at all?
Your friends would describe you as 'lazy'
ike Johnny you’ve obviously been letting L yourself go! Too many Garden of India’s maybe? A general lack of exercise and a bad
diet means you’ve developed a Johnny Vegas style beer belly, which might mean you lose out on a bit of attention from the opposite sex. You love going out, the bar staff at your college bar know you by name and your no stranger to strawpedoing a bottle or two. Well good for you, your time at uni flies by so don't waste any of it! The Cigarettes on the other hand, we don't agree with that at all. Bad, bad habit. You may look 'cool' outside of bars but is that worth the smell, the stained fingers and all that coughing?
NO
Are you happy with the way you look? Do you play for a university sports team?
Do You use the university gym?
Ending a night out with a pizza is standard.
You wouldn't even dream of walking to town.
Johnny Vegas
LEGEND
Do you play for a college sport team?
Most of your meals come out of the microwave.
You get out of breath just thinking about exercise.
much fun without the drunken stories, lazy attitudes and crappy (but oh so tasty) food. We’ve got the rest of our lives to fix the damage, but for the mean time take Vision’s quick fitness quiz and see who your university lifestyle has turned you into...
Coleen Rooney
he middle ground; you seem to have T the balance between the crazy student stereotype and actually keeping some lev-
el of fitness down perfectly. Well done you. I'm guessing you probably part of a college sport team or have graced DanceSport with your presence from time to time. But nothing too serious, if you've been out the night before there's nothing worse than a morning practice so you don't mind missing them occasionally. There's nothing wrong with a happy medium. And who cares if the only exercise you get is going shopping and the occasional aerobics class if your feeling a bit guilty (just like Mrs Rooney), sometimes its more fun just to watch from the sidelines anyway!
You have membership to a private gym. In order to perv rather than to pump?
You limit the amont of alcohol you drink
Mr Motivator ou seem extremely fit and healthy- we're very Y impressed! But maybe a little too healthy? The odd night in Ziggy's won't do you any harm you know! Don't waste the whole of your university experience in the gym. Like good old Mr. Motivator you love the gym and treat your body like a temple (and who knows you might have some Mr. Motivator style fitness video out in the future!) Fitness is a way of life for you, but be careful not to spend more time with the cross trainer than your friends or significant other. Quickly saying hello to the receptionist at the gym doesn't count as being sociable you know.
18 LIFESTYLE
VISION'S 15 things... That freak out the Vision team
1)"Intelligent women." (Andy Nichols, Deputy Editor)
2)"Putting my finger in my belly button! It makes me feel sick!" (Kelly Holt, Features Editor) 3) "The fact the lift in the library is called 'Schindler's Lift'." (Martin Williams, Editor) 4) "My Blood, I don't mind other people's but if I see, or even think about, my own I faint! (Rachel Knox, Lifestyle Editor)
YORK VISION
Wednesday May 27th, 2009
A WEEK AS... YUSNOW PRESIDENT
Katy Huckle lets us in on the highs and lows of a YUSnow position she will sadly miss...
A
compulsory part of my role is an absolute addiction to all things snow sports. Nothing quite beats the sensation of flying down a slope covered in frozen water, totally surrounded by mountains, balancing on two bits of wood with a couple of sticks in your hands… Actually when I think about it, I do a pretty odd sport. I’ve been involved with skiing at York since my Freshers' Week. Back then YUsnow was YUSSC, the core membership consisted of no more than thirty people. We were happy to come in the top fifteen in our regional competitions and 140 people booked the holiday. Now we have over 300 members, have come inside the top three national university ski teams and took two hundred and fifty people on
our club holiday to Val Thorens. Being part of YUsnow isn’t all about consuming beverages out of your footwear and trying to avoid getting golf balls in your drinks. Well, it is about those things, but it’s also about being part of the biggest club on campus. We are a sports club, but absolutely anybody can get involved with skiing and boarding. About 50% of the people who book our trip have never skied or boarded. This makes for a huge range of interests and abilities, and a great mix of people. The competitive side to YUsnow is where the serious stuff happens. If you’re wondering why we needed to raise over £3,000 of sponsorship this year then this is why: skiing and snowboarding is seriously expensive sports. To race train for two
5)"Swallowing tablets I really can't do it!" (Laura Cress, Music Editor) 6)"Injections. What if it snaps in your arm?" (Tom McDermott, Deputy News Editor) 7)"Tomato Ketchup: the smell, the texture..." (Jenny Mclarney, Scene Editor) 8) "People with extra-long tongues. Why?" (William Wainewright, Deputy Features) 9) "People eating out of polystyrene. Makes me cringe!" (Josephine Whittle, Features)
The YUSnow committee
hours at Castleford indoor the whole committee this slope will cost up to £30 per year has definitely paid off, person. A decent helmet is leading to an absolutely fanat least £70. Added to that tastic trip. Elections are apthere’s transport to and from proaching fast, taking place Sheffield every week, plus on Thursday 28th May on the £10 for each dry slope train- Heslington Church green. ing sessions... things really It’s going to be difficult to add up! We use a lot of our hand over the club to a new funds to support our racers, committee – it’s been such and the results are testament that it has really paid off. The infamous YUSnow hoodie I started racing in my first year, and at first I wasn’t particularly successful…. I think my endearing boyfriend described it best, likening my racing style to “a constipated rabbit.” But combining a bit of dedication with the impressive opportunities available to our competitors I managed to force my way into the top sixteen female university skiers at this year’s British University Snowsports Championships out of about eighty entrants. And of course there’s the club holiday. Organising a holiday for 250 people is about as complicated as it sounds. I had an average 20 emails an enormous part of my life per day from students being this year, and I really want students. These ranged from the success of this year to be perfectly reasonable ques- carried over and improved tions to “Do I need a passport upon by next year’s committo go to France?” “What cur- tee. But it’s time to pass on rency will I need?” and “Can I the mantle and find out what be in a room with people who YUsnow will do next. Good like the window open?” luck to them! But it was well worth it and the hard work put in by
STUDENT STUNNERS GET THE LOOK:
10)"Plug Holes. Don't ask me why, maybe the drainage thing?" (Stephan Philpott, Deputy Music)
Top: Topshop Skirt: American Eagle Bag: Accessorize
11) "Jelly. Because it wobbles." (Kate Missenden, Music Editor)
Necklace: Present from my sister Boots: Faith
12) "The singer from Aerosmith's mouth. It's far too big!" (Emily Hodges, Deputy Culture)
What freaks you out? People touching my face!
13) "Butterflies - I've had a weird fear of them since I was a child. (Charles Rivington, Film Editor)
T-shirt: Stolen from a Babyshambles gig!
GET THE LOOK: Belt: Diesel Jeans: Trapaez in Chentlam
14) "Veins." (Joseph McDermott, Sports Editor) 15)"Pigeons - they sense fear." (Dan Hewitt, Comment Editor)
Shoes: River Island
Lauren Thelwell
What freaks you out? My girlfriend's face when you took my picture!
Tristen Buckley
YORK VISION
LIFESTYLE
Wednesday May 27th, 2009
19
MEAT AIN'T CHIC WHEN IT'S VEGGIE WEEK Max Callaghan and Eddie Twitchett offer some tasty veggie recipies and budget booze advice during veggie week...
Green Lentils with Garlic and Tomtoes S
tart by frying chopped garlic in oil. As it is just starting to colour, add a third of a packet of lentils and stir around for a minute or so. Then add a can of chopped tomatoes, season, and add cumin, some dried thyme, chilli powder and some tomato puree. Increase the heat and cook for a few minutes and then add 400ml of water, cover, and turn the heat down to low. This will need to simmer for around 50 minutes and you should check every now and then to see how done they are and to see how much liquid there is. If the pan is getting a bit dry, add more water, but if it looks a bit too wet then cook with the lid off for a while. Finish the sauce off by adding more tomato puree, lemon juice and seasoning. I usually eat the lentils with rice, so after about 30 minutes, you can start cooking the rice. Timing isn’t too important as neither the rice nor the lentils mind sitting around for a while. I cook my rice using Madhur Jaffrey’s method. Heat some oil and add some whole spices if you have any. Then add the rice (a mugful is plenty for 2 with leftovers) and sautee for a couple of minutes. Add just over twice as much boiling water as rice, salt it and then turn down the heat and cover. Do not take the lid off until the rice is done completely as you don’t want any water to escape. After 10 minutes take the rice off the heat and leave covered for around 10 minutes to continue absorbing the water.
L
ast week was National Vegetarian Week, so Vision decided to big up the humble lentil.
Although they don’t seem very glamorous, Saint Morrissey author Mark Simpson summed up their perverse romance in the description of his 20s spent on the dole in Manchester surviving off lentils and Smiths records. This recipe costs only 50p per serving, providing an economic reason not to eat meat to go with all the others. It takes an hour but most of that time it just needs to simmer so it’s only really 10 minutes of your time. Bread making may also seem like a daunting task but this recipe takes the stress out of your hectic university life, even more so only costing 20p a loaf! Stress relief? How? Forget your crappy KPMG freshers fair stress ball vent your rage on some dough to break up your revision.
Why It's Green To Go Vegetarian ~ A meat-based diet requires more energy, land and water than a vegetarian one, making the move to Vegetarianism one of the most effective ways of reducing your 'planetary footprint'. ~ Thirty percent of the world's land surface, 70% of all agricultural land, is used for rearing farmed animals. ~ 18% of world global greenhouse gas emissions come from livestock production. That's more than transport at 13.5%. ~ Animals require much more water than grain to produce the same amount of protein. ~ Livestock production is responsible for 70% of Amazon deforestation as tropical forests are destroyed to create more land for raising and feeding livestock.
SUMMER CIDER PUNCH I
f you are drinking on a budget and can't afford £49.99 bottles of vintage wine, why not drink something a little less likely to break the bank. Your:Shop’s fine Her-
eford Orchard cider (which can be found behind the counter) makes for fantastic summer drinking, even better when it costs £2.15. Though it’s cheap there is no need to booze it all away on a park bench! We have a simple suggestion if you are not a massive fan of cider or even if you are and want some variety. Simply add some fresh fruits such as raspberries, strawberries or blackberries, a little twist cloudy lemonade, serve with ice and enjoy.
B
Kneading Therapy?
read, along with pasta, is pretty much the staple diet of any student. So why settle for some humdrum pre-packaged bread when that artisan loaf can be achieved with nothing more than a mixing bowl and a pint glass. This simple recipe makes three loaves that your flat mates will defiantly try to binge on. First step is to measure your ingredients (see list below). Place the yeast in a bowl and dissolve with tiny bit of luke warm water and the sugar. Leave this for 15 minutes. Now get your pint glass fill it with flour twice and place in a large mixing bowl and add the salt. Next step, add the yeast to the remaining water (the water must always be luke warm) and pour into the flour. Now the best bit, get your hands in and mix it around. Scatter a bit of extra flour onto the work surface and knead it for 10 minutes. You should stretch the dough with the palm of your hand, turn it around and make a ball, stretch again etc. You can also throw it vigorously on the table. Go on vent your stress, imagine your dough is your dissertation, and give it a slap! After this process place your dough in a bowl and cover with cling film. Wander off, type some more words of your essay, read some more theory or whatever you do then pop back in 2 hours and the dough should have doubled in size. Take it out and knead again for 5 minutes. Divide the dough into three, shape into whatever you desire and place on a floured baking tray. Now leave this for another hour to rise again. Preheat your oven to 200*C. Just before you place the dough into the oven pour a pint of water into the drip tray of the oven to generate steam. Cook for 30 minutes or until the bread sounds hollow when tapped. Leave to cool on a rack.
20
YORK VISION
LIFESTYLE
CONFESSIONS OF A CAMPUS PLAYED-BOY
The confessions of York University’s least successful lothario...
F
ollowing an Easter I’d rather forget, another term at York was upon me and I was certain this one would finally yield the prize that had so far eluded me: a girl willing to sleep with me. I had a plan to achieve this of course: I would drop my standards lower than ever before (and believe me they’ve never been high)! I headed home early to give myself a thorough scrubbing, making sure there wasn’t a hair out of place (especially in that most important of areas). I put on my second-best shirt and splashed on my CK aftershave for the first night out of summer term. I was certain that Tru, perhaps York's most romantic nightspot, would be the venue in which I finally got some action. After a short prelash I hopped into a taxi and made my way to town. As I got out of my taxi I threw a suggestive wink in the direction of the female driver but she just seemed to speed away that little bit faster. I remember telling an acquaintance that “nothing will stand in my way tonight.” As it turned out he wasn’t listening and therefore the irony of me accidentally bumping into a bouncer and being sent to the back of the queue was quite lost on him.
Tru, like the bosom of a middle age woman running for a bus, was heaving. I rationalised at the time that this made it a virtual impossibility for me to strike out. By the time I made it through the door I couldn’t see anybody I even vaguely recognised but eventually I came across the first realistic prospect of the night: one of the few girls from my course and one that, through Facebook stalking, I knew was recently single. She recognised me after only a few minutes of me standing next to her and threw her arms around my neck in a drunken hug. In my mind I was already half way to third base. “Hey!” she screamed into my ear, “How’s the presentation going? You’d better be finished it soon, we’ve got to present this Friday!” My heart sank; to her I was no more than another geeky sucker helping her to pass a module. Feeling a bit depressed I took my VK and found a seat by the side of the dance floor. Just then my fortunes took a turn for the better: a girl actually approached me! She was unsteady on her feet and attempting to drain non-existent alcohol from an empty bottle: the telltale signs of a girl too drunk to care anymore – signs that only an expert, such as I, can pick
up on. 'May I offer the lady a beverage?' I inquired and she gladly accepted and before long she was running her hands over my legs on a sofa in the indie room. I drained my new VK, and tentatively suggested that we get a taxi home before the 3 a.m. rush. She drunkenly, but enthusiastically, agreed and we jumped into the first taxi I could see. She lived quite far from me but I was prepared to pay the taxi fare if I thought there was a shag in it for me. We got to her home and she darted out, leaving me to pay. When I turned around I could see that she was sitting semi-alluringly on the wall beside her front door. I asked if she was alright and she told me that she had 'never been better'. She stood up and I held out my hand to steady her, something she was so grateful for she pulled me in close for what I was sure was to be the first of many extremely passionate kisses. Except that the sudden motion upset her stomach and instead of a feeling of elation and excitement my neck and shoulders suddenly felt hot and damp. Realising once more the folly of taking home a ridiculously
drunk girl I said my goodbyes and began the slow walk home to my cold and lonely bed. My one consolation was in thinking that at least it was only my second best shirt that was covered in sick.
Cecily Cole and Kate O'Loughlin discuss if the friends you make at university remain your friends for life...
M
sheer number of people gives you the rare luxury of picking and choosing your friends - people you actually have something in common with rather than just a shared environment. In a university the size of York, there will be someone (hopefully more than one) that you will want to stay in touch with and three years is plenty of time to find them. This is not to say that you should try and be best friends with everyone. Remember Freshers’ week, a blur of faces, names and small talk as you threw yourself (metaphorically speaking) into the arms of anybody passing. It is unlikely that you will be sipping tea with all of these sixty years hence but the intense nature of university life is conducive to close friendships. The people you befriend at university are the people you live with for up to three years of your life, the people you eat with, go out with and share your university experience with. In a way your university friends are surrogate family and there is no reason that the connection should be lost along with graduation.
YES
W
hile living an insular university life it is easy to make assumptions based on your present situation before being exposed to the actualities of the real world. One such assumption is that your present social circle, who you share a common student life with, will be a constant source of friendship in the future once circumstance no longer binds you. Is this merely a symptom of naïveté or a well-reasoned belief? Most people you meet at university are from all over the country. Once you are no longer within walking distance of your university friends, or indeed just down the corridor from them, and the prospect of seeing these people at a particular club on a particular night no longer presents itself, keeping in contact will be a lot more effort. Having already experienced the transition from halls of residence to a house it has been noticeable that contact with those you no longer live with becomes less frequent and as a re-
HOT It's nearly Pimms weather!
THE MATE DEBATE
entioning that you are a university student to a party comprised of the over 30s is always fatal - you let yourself in for an evening of perpetual ‘those were the best years of my life’ . Whilst this can only be described as sad there may still be a kernel of truth in these words. University is the first step into a truly mixed environment, with people of all walks of life and opinions collected together in one place. The
Wednesday May 27th, 2009
sult these friendships are harder to maintain. It is therefore necessary to consider whether the friendships you have made are strong enough to motivate you to consistently make the effort of contact when it would be far easier to spend time with people who work and live in the same area as yourself. It may be the intention of many people at university to hotfoot it down to London as soon as the ink has dried on their graduation certificate but with high costs of living and the idleness bred by the student lifestyle this is unlikely to happen immediately for most. Friendships are formed throughout a person’s life. Although it is possible to tell that certain people with whom you have formed a strong friendship will be a constant fixture in your life, it is unrealistic to assume that your present social circle will remain intact forever more.
Big D lineup looks amazing! We're very excited!
Loving the fact it's nearly flip flop weather again...
We've only been back 4 weeks but pasta is already becoming tedious...
NO
We've tired of having to carry our umberella's round in the summer!
The Inbetweeners has finished! What will we watch now?
NOT
YORK VISION
LIFESTYLE
Wednesday May 27th,
>Style
21
A LAD'S LOOK AT SHOPPING IN YORK
For the more sartorially conscious male, York can often seem to lack the depth of shops to alow you to update your wardrobe successfully. Andrew Nichols and Jim Norton reveal the hidden gems that will keep you up to date with the latest trends no matter what your style.... Sarah Coggles
1
ARK
1. Blue Ballroom
Style: Fashionalbe and stylish, a more refined look.
2. Sarah Coggles 3. Ark
Style: For the well dressed chav. Simple designs and bright colours.
Brands: Paul Smith, Vivienne Westwood and Diesel
4. H&M
Brands:Gio-Goi and Superdry
5. Jack Wills
Price: More than it should be, T-shirt's £20- £50
Price Range: Expensive, T-shirt's £30- £95
2
6. Topman 7.Deep
Jack Wills Style: RAH central, for those who don't believe in a meritocracy.
Deep and Blue Ballroom
3
Style: indie-vidual vintage items.
4
Similar Brands: Franklin Marshall and Abercrombie and Fitch
Brands: Vintage Levi's and the pick of Charity shops.
5 6
Price: As Daddy pays price isn't relevant but a t-shirt is around £35
Designer Outlet (A64 Junction with A19)
Price Range: Bargain Central, tenner a t-shirt.
7
TOPMAN and H&M Style:Hollyoaks chic.Where trends go to die.
Style: Discounted and past season brands.
Similar Brands: Burton, River Island and Zara
Brands: Hugo Boss, Ted Baker and Calvin Klein
Price: Throw-away fashion, T-shirt's £10- £30
Price: Depends a lot on the brand, Tshirt's from as little as £5 up to £40
THE BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO HIGH HEELS
William Booth advises us all on the difficult art of walking in high heels...
T
he summer is upon us, which this means for all you girls: short, short, short! As demonstrated magnificently by Gisele at this year's ‘Met Ball’, the hem line has officially all but disappeared and is to be pared with... guess? Staggeringly high heels. It is the gospel truth that when God made legs, he very soon after created high heels, knowing in his infinite wisdom that all legs look more toned, slimmer and heaven knows longer in those 5” bitches. However, here we reach the fundamental problem. Yes, it's true: there is no law preventing the sale of inappropriate shoes to women who cannot walk in them, but the end result is less Carrie Bradshaw in Manolo’s, and more newborn calf on Ketamine. I therefore invite you to join me on a little journey, back to the basics of wearing high heels. Take heed girlies, for many of you out there, this information is vital. We shall begin with walking. While starting to walk, try to step out without bending your knees anymore than you normally would in flats. This is tricky, but the more you bend your knees whilst in heels, the more awkward ones walking posture becomes. This awkward walking gait is ‘lunging’ and can give the impression of being akin to an unstoppable force, a train for instance. Remember when out, to watch for cracks in the pavement and cobbles. These will silently trip your heel’s tip
resulting in your kissing the floor, or worse, breaking your nose. I do understand that no one wants to go out in kitten heels, even those women who are deeply unconfident when 4” off the ground and so for you, I would suggest to ditch the stiletto and opt for its chunkier cousin. The advantages of a thicker heel are many; firstly there is the increased surface area, which means more stability when, standing, walking and dancing and secondly this summer’s premier style, the ‘Gladiator’ has championed the chunky heel. When combined with the cut-a-way straps that define the ‘Gladiator’, a chunky heel adds bitch appeal that is unattainable with a simple stiletto. If a thicker heel still presents difficulties then a divine pair of wedges will work just as well, just make sure that they are very glam! Don't forget either, that the more expensive the shoes, like Red Wine, generally you are on to a winner. French Connection, Moda in Pelle and L.K Bennet to name but a few, are good examples of investment shoes. Yes, the credit card may burn, but trust me, in the long term you are paying for quality, and a heel that will not snap. Finally as a general rule, the high-
er the shoe the more support you will need to hold yourself in. If you are one of those naughty girls insistent on buying fabulous yet highly unsuitable shoes, then please, please, please for all your sakes choose shoes with straps. Again, the ‘Gladiator’ style is particularly useful here, as it holds one in, adding far more support than strapless. Even a single strap across the front of your foot will provide you with a vastly increased stability and security when the Apple Sourz, sounding so right at the time, begin to kick in.
Left: The 'safe' option, a wedged heel from Juicy Couture. Above: For the more daring a Dior 'Gladiator' Heel
The Beautiful Gisele showing us all how it is done!
22
LIFESTYLE
YORK VISION
Wednesday May 27th, 2009
VPL, BACK FAT AND FOUR BOOBS
STYLE NEWS
Jenny Thompson confronts the art of underwiring...
I
t's that time of year again, skin is being revealed, and it becomes more and more obvious what your wearing underneath. Sexy, perhaps if your underwear isn’t cutting into your fat and your boobs aren’t swinging round your ankles. Unfortunately, though many people get it sadly wrong. I personally am a believer in not wearing underwear if you can get away with it. Much better than that awfully unattractive VPL, back fat, or the common result of wearing a bra far too tight which ends up in a girl having four boobs. How can spilling out of low cut tops and having a thong half way up your back be a look that anyone desires? Well made, properly fitting underwear is probably the most underrated item. Although rather expensive, a few sensible bra and knicker sets are a summer staple. If ever there was a need to splash out it would be hereand what could be better than silk against your skin? I respect the fact that the majority of girls out there are blessed, unlike myself, with ample breasts. So make the most of them – instead of making yourself look like you’ve
just got back from a nights work on the street corner, Your boobs should be held, HELD were they are naturally meant to be. Not squeezed and hoisted as high as possible, and as close together so they can be used as a tool to carry money/phone/ID on a night out. We have handbags for that sort of thing. Linen trousers also seem to have made a summer come-back. But who would ever think it's a good idea to team them with a old pair of pants?! Although not so appealing with trousers down - flesh coloured pants are an essential if you feel the need to
wear them. The current body con fashion, does not help the issue either. Amazingly, fashion has taken steps towards creating underwear that appears invisible. Seamless pants are just one of the options. Magic knickers - a godsend that even the likes of Cheryl Cole opts for is unless if you find yourself in a rather shameful Bridget Jones moment. People also seem to have an issue with sizes as well. Don’t refuse to buy a size 12 pair of knickers if you think you’re a size 8. If they fit, they fit, and if that is the case you're probably kidding.
Right: Celine Balcony Bra-Myla, £69 Left: Nicole Hipster - Myla, £39 Far Left: Seamless pants from Sara Coggles £10
Zip front Body Con Tunic- £30 Topshop
Panelled Body Con mini skirt- £22 Topshop
.
Rachel Knox and Eman Akbar bring you up to date with all the latest from the fashion world.
MOSS-SHOP
K
ate Moss has launched her summer collection for everyone’s favourite high street store Topshop. She has created another credit-crunch friendly line (again inspired by her own wardrobe) which continues the idea that each item is versatile enough to be dressed up or down. The line, which will be her 10th for the store is based around clothes that the she would take to a festival or on holiday, with key features including barely there chiffon and statement graphic prints. Moss told Grazia the line is heavily influenced by her exotic holidays to Ibiza, Monaco and Morocco, and is full of sequins, prints and heavy embellishments. Vision’s favourites include a fun daisy print short playsuit and a fifties inspired bandeau dress.
RUMOUR MILL
U Purple Body Con skirt with zip- £22 Topshop Body Con Bandeau Dress- £13 Primark
Strap Detail Body Con Dress- £60 Lipsy
SHOP OF THE MOMENT... Portobello Road, 7 Coppergate Walk...
A
fter the initial delight at finding a new shop in York, comes the even greater happiness of actually discovering sartorial gems within. ‘Portobello Road’, opposite the Body Shop, is a veritable Aladdin’s Cave, full of fun, flirty pieces, all just waiting to be found by the savvy shopper. The staff
(clearly delighted at the sight of customers in credit-crunch York) were genuinely charming and couldn’t have been more helpful as they answered questions about the clothes, their main stockists and the name of the place itself – a brave attempt at bringing London to the North. I certainly felt the atmosphere of true Portobello Road as I sieved through the clothes and was richly rewarded by three key items, all of which I thought were just gorgeous. A highnecked, lace mini-dress, available in grey, peach but most stunningly in black caught my eye. My shopping partner, C, was sent scurrying into the changing rooms (incidentally roomy and light) with that hot little number, emerging a sixties siren. The next item I had modelled for me was a
fabulous asymmetrical mini in a terribly of-the-moment flowery pattern. Blossoms
Left: Floral Mini, £22 Above: FBlack Lace Mini Dress, £30
are huge this season and this little sculptural skirt was playful, at the same time as being bang on trend. F i n a l l y, a divine lacy cardigan with a wonderfully burlesque collar of black feathers had me in raptures. For me it epitomised exactly what shopping on Portobello Road is, searching for the one item that has the power tolift an outfit above being stylish and into the hallowed realms of the renowned.
S fashion retailer Forever 21 seeks to break into British High street. As the trendiest name in US retail the store is looking to expand its 460 stores in more then 13 countries across the globe and increase its annual profits of 5billion by making a grab for a slice of British high street. With clothes that will make the manikins of high street don Topshop insecure and price tags of H&M break a sweat, Forever 21 will predictably be more successful in the UK then TOPSHOP has been in NYC. Its core competitors are New Look, Topshop and H&M. Management Horizon’s Edward Whitefield says “Forever 21 has its own design team and like H&M it relies quite heavily on sourcing in lowercost markets.” While the recession is forcing down property prices of targeted location such as Oxford and Regents Street and shoppers are itching to get more for their cash for less, I can’t think of a better time. Inevitably intensifying much needed high street competition.
update- ALEXA CHUNG
E
veryone's favourite fashionista Alexa Chung has flown the nest and moved to New York. But don't worry, surely there's no worry the fashion icon in the making will be absent from our magazine pages and fashion blogs for long. New York offers a whole load of best friend material for her to be making headlines with. Her new MTV show starts on the 15th June and she confessed to The Guardian recently 'I’ve just moved here and I’m trying to meet people, so I’m inviting guests on the show.'
SPORT
YORK VISION
SPORT SPOTLIGHT
Wednesday May 27th, 2009
VOLLEYBALL “WHEN YOU say you play volleyball, most people think of women in bikinis - the only encounter with any form of the game for most is on the beach,” University of York volleyball club captain Jack Butcher tells Vision. However, far removed from sand, sun and skimpy outfits, the indoor sport is fought out by six-a-side teams. It is doubly an entertaining spectator sport and difficult for the player: an hour-long energetic barrage of arching leaps, blasting spikes, frenzied digs, and morale-boosting team cheers. Not only as a psychological tactic against the opposition, this camaraderie is a key part of the sport’s attraction. Butcher explains: “The main appeal of the sport is the team element. To a large extent, differences in skill level can be minimized if you all pull together and fight as a team. There’s nothing more satisfying than scrapping hard in a long rally and coming out on top.” Women’s captain and team lynchpin Lisa Breitschuh added: “Volleyball is really good for fitness; it also trains precision and concentration as well as speed and strength and I really value this variability.” Both squads have enjoyed succesful years, finishing in the upper echelons of their BUCS divisons. The men’s
team, an underrated jewel in the university’s sporting crown for several years, enjoyed several 3-0 wins over the opposition in the BUCS Northern Division I. However, the gap in quality left them thrashing some teams and narrowly losing to a couple. Butcher, a former Brit-
>
Volleyball is really good for fitness; it trains precision and concentration as well as speed and strength"
<
ish Colleges national team player, explained that: “We achieved as much as could realistically be expected and were unfortunate to have the two best teams in the country in our league - Leeds Met and Sheffield Hallam. Both have professional coaches, have a huge amount of time and money to spend on training and compete additionally in National League competitions. We ended up third behind them, “the best of the rest” having lost only one other game.” The women’s team fared well too, finishing second in their league, though Breitschuh spoke of an inconsistent season, combining some fantastic sets with poor ones: “There were a lot of ups and downs. We improved lots and despite
The club has beginner sessions on Thursday in the Main Hall, 19:30-20:30, or visit the squad’s website at www.uyvc.co.uk
mixed results had a lot of fun.” Behind football, volleyball is the second most played sport in the world, yet it remains largely under the radar in the UK. This national situtation is reinforced by a look at the membership of the UYVC: there are just four British members. Though Butcher underlined the impetus provided by foreign players, as well as praising incoming freshers Michal Kovac and Lukas Thoeni for their immediate influences, both he and Breitschuh – herself German - are wary of the fleeting impact this can have, and the knock-on effects to long-term team spirit: “While the more experienced international players are excellent for the quality of our teams, they are very often only on short term schemes which can create a great deal of disruption. If we can begin to develop a more steady foundation of students on 3year courses, it provides the club with greater stability and more chance of compet-
PUT THE O T T N A W HT ON SPOTLIG ORT? YOUR SP
Photo by Dan Birchinall
by ANDY McGRATH
23
s t need r spor then If you y t ublici more p ntact: co .org @yusu vision
NEWS IN BRIEF THE YORKIES MELT IN FA TROPHY by JOSEPH McDERMOTT
UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL CAPTAINS ANNOUNCED
by DAN HEWITT
MARK MCLEOD has been announced as next year's University Football Firsts Captain after being elected by fellow players last week. The James fresher has been a constant feature in Matt Witherwick’s plans this year and has been chosen to lead York in next years footballing calander. Mcleod
formely played proffesional footballer at Darlington before studies beginning at York. Greg Gardner was also elected Football President, whilst Ben Smith was elected as Seconds captain for next year. Thirds captain went to Liam Coldron, replacing current captain James Loftus of James Col-
The supporters of York City FC were dealt another cruel blow as their team went down in the FA Trophy final to two goals from a superior Stevenage. Minstermen The managed to survive a Stevenage onslaught for
an hour before Morison turned in a Boro corner to make it 1-0. City remained second best for the remainer of the match and it was no surprise when Boro striker Boylan sealed the victory on 90 minutes. The final score
2-0.
This disappointment capped off a poor season for York City which saw the conference side only just esacpe relegation and end the season in a fustrating 17th position.
LACY REVEALS LATEST YORK SPORT BUDGET
by JOSEPH McDERMOTT
New Captian, McLeod.
Alex Lacy announced the York Sport budget for the next academic year on Monday. The formula behind the budget, dubbed 'lacymatics', means that while more expensive sports may be given larger
budgets the members of the sport will have still have to cover a percentage of the cost. The latest budget also incorporates a system which provides extra benfits for clubs which are financially secure, engaging with
the wider community or do not require the use of the sports centre. Squash Club Treasurer James Norton hailed the new budget as 'a much fairer distribution of funds.'
24 SPORT
YORK SPORT ELECTIONS
Tournament Secretary ADAM SHERGOLD
ELECTIONS
Aims to: Bring back Varsity. Support all sports clubs competing in national competitions. Begin to lay the foundations of Roses 2011.
ISOBELLE MILLER
Aims to: Win Roses 2010. Increase the number of York supporters in Lancaster. Improve the Profile of Varsity.
RORY McGREGOR
Aims to: Bring back Varsity. Bring in larger audiences to major sporting events. Host more extravagant tournaments. Single Sport 'mini events' to build student support.
Communications Officer LEWIS COLAM
Aims to: Ensure clear communication between York Sport and clubs. Raise the profile of sport at York. Involve local media in some of the larger sporting events like Varsity.
College Referee Officer KATE COPSON
WHAT'S YOUR GAME?
College Sport Officer PAUL TAYLOR
commitee. YorkSport teams take note as these are the people who are bidding to take control of your sporting life.
Treasurer
Aims to: Work on the college sport section of the York Sport website. Advertise one-day events musch earlier in order to increase particpation. Include more sports in the InterCollege Championship.
Development Officer DANE MOORE
Aims to: Increase participation in sport. Place emphasis on club advertising. Taster sessions after Fresher's Week. Help introduce new sports to campus. Ensure the success of the 'Try Something New' programme.
SAM ASFAHANI
Aims to: Help all clubs produce publicity that will attract new players to their sport. Encourage minority sports to become more active in the community in order to increase their profile.
Fundraising Officer TOM WEIR
Aims to: Extend the Rugby Club's Scimentol sponsership across the entirity of York Sport. Create an alumni newsletter. Increase bar sponserships across all clubs
MATT THOMAS WITH EMILY SCOTT already in place as a figurehead, Summer Term brings the election of the rest of the
Aims to: Start a mailing list that will inform freshers, of every college, of the training and fixture times. Ensure referees enforce the rules to aid fair play and enjoyment. Ensure a professional stardard of refereeing.
YORK VISION
Wednesday May 27th, 2009
PAUL GUEST
Aims to: Provide fixture/rule books for all sport clubs. Introduce more sports at a college level. Introduce recognisable awards at a college level. Ensure recruitment drives in all terms.
STEPHEN CHU
Aims to: Broaden the incentive for students to take part is as many sports as is financially possible, allowing them to gain interest in new sports.
Aims to: Find a sponser for York Sport. Find a sponser for Varisty. Maintain sponsership of Roses. Act as a liason to sport clubs seeking sponsership in order to ensure they are given the best deal possible.
ROSAMUND WOOD
Aims to: Increased budget transparency. Work closely with the Fundraising Officer. Provide Treasurer Training for all sport clubs in order to give them greater financial independency.
The sacrifice may well be applauded from future students and the student Union, but for the current Tennis club; the news has not been so well received. The baffling timing has upset any plans for club tennis and team training has become far too expensive. Vision investigates… CONTINUED FROM BACK PAGE DESPITE the disturbance, the renovations to the dangerous courts had become a necessity. Thomson-Glover told Vision “the courts were uneven and drained very badly. It’s especially a problem during the winter as they simply freeze over”. Yet the refurbishment has been scheduled at a baffling time. Essentially a summer sport, Tennis has been unfortunate to be subject to a makeover during this particular term. York Sport president Alex Lacy explains that summer tennis camps at the university were the reason for the scheduling. He adds “this term was the earliest the contractors could come in and do the work." Thomson-Glover revealed the explanation the tennis club were given; ”we
were consulted and we said it would be a nightmare if they did it in the summer term. The reason they gave us was because they have courses running in the summer which take precedence to for some reason” Vision is surprised the sports centre has chosen to renovate the courts at a time which will most affect the university. The sports centre revenue will obviously decrease over the summer as students go home for the holidays and it is understandable that they would want to search locally for use of the facilities during this time. But why should this be to the detriment of the university? Is it a blatant negligence of customer loyalty? Thomson-Glover states the tennis club’s opinion on the decision, “I personally feel let down by the sports centre and feel quite sorry for the people who
want to play tennis this term but now have nowhere to go.”He added “It’s really frustrating, as we are the main source of income from tennis.” The relationship between the sports centre and students has had a torrid time in recent years. The price of sporting activities at the University of York are far more expensive than many institutions across the country, and tensions escalated when prices were increased in 2008. The sports centre also had a costly refurbishment prior to this academic year. But despite the boggy running track and other failings, priority was instead given to the facility’s aesthetics with the reception and changing rooms receiving complete makeover. However, the sports centre is now under new management. Alex Lacy is keen to stress that the poor relationship is be-
ing rebuilt; “the sports centre has work to do to regain the trust of the students as a proactive service provider, but the current refurbishments are a sign that the new management is getting results.” Perhaps the seemingly selfish decision to hinder the tennis club is an inevitable side effect in what could turn out to be a positive move by the sports centre. York Sport has been very successful over the last year and it all culminated in a stunning Roses victory. It may be time to cease berating every disruption the sports centre causes and look at the positives. There will inevitably be irritating consequences in the short run, but any improvement to the numerous dilapidated facilities across campus is surely a good thing in the long run.
YORK VISION
SPORT
INTERVIEW: BRYAN ROBSON
Wednesday May 27th, 2009
25
MONEY MONEY MONEY Former Manchester United and England Captain Bryan Robson tells Vision's Daniel Hewitt why Premier League survival is only about one thing...
A
s Manchester United’s longest serving skipper and England’s “Captain Marvel”, the transition into management was a natural one for Bryan Robson. As a player, Robson was a natural born leader, bossing the middle of the park for both club and country, impressing under the guidance of managerial giants like Ron Atkinson, Bobby Robson and Sir Alex Ferguson. Joining Middlesbrough as playermanager in 1994, no player in the English game seemed to harbour the wealth of credentials suited for the role of ‘gaffer’. “The transition into management was a slow one for me,” Robson admits, “You’re never to sure when to call it a day as player, so it made it a bit more gradual when I went from Man United to Middlesbrough as player manager. The disappointment of not playing was tapered by the fact I carried on for a couple more years. It wasn’t like it went bang and I wasn’t playing.” Robson continued his success as a player into management, achieving promotion to the Premier League in his first season in charge and securing a respectable mid-table position the following year. Despite being relegated the following season, Middlesbrough bounced back to the top-flight bringing in a host of world stars like Juninho, Fabrizio Ravanelli and Emerson. The financial backing received from Boro chairman Steve Gibson has however been absent in ‘Robbo’s’ subsequent managerial posts at Bradford City and West Brom. “At Bradford it was only a short term policy that I went in” he admits, “but when they went into administration that made it more or less impossible to be successful. You’re just so limited to what you can do.” Relegation soon followed and Robson’s next job was the momentous task of keeping his former club, West Brom, in the Premiership, a task completed in dramatic fashion. “At Albion I felt with the squad of players I had and our predicament at Christmas, keep-
ing them up was probably my best achievement as a manager.” Completing the “Great Escape” however was somewhat in vein as Robson suffered his third relegation of his career the following season. Such experiences have taught Robson a lot about what is needed to ensure survival. “At Boro there was a strong structure and the chairman was very supportive of my ideas and how to take the club forward. But as West Brom it was very difficult because you have a great chance of getting the club promoted but actually staying in the Premiership is always going to be difficult because the purse strings are very tight.” Robson has perhaps been vindicated in recent weeks as his replacement Tony Mowbray. has suffered a similair fate, with the Baggies once again experiencing relegation with
"You’ve got to have a decent budget to work with or you're going to struggle." very little money having been spent. “You can hold up Stoke as example” says Robson, “the owner and the board really supported Tony Pulis because he got them into a reasonable position in January where they had a good chance of survival. James Beattie and (Matthew) Ethrington coming into the club just gave them a little bit of strength in the squad, and they’ve stayed up. That’s the support you need.”
tion, can we win the World Cup? Robson believes England have put themselves in with a great chance. “To win our 1st 5 games puts us in a strong position in the group already, and I feel the boys should go on and qualify. For me its always a case that when you go to major finals you need your best players to stay away from injury. Over the last 3 or 4 tournaments we’ve suffered from injuries, but if we avoid this I think we can do really well this time round.” Robson is currently working as an ambassador for Man United, but has one of England’s greatest ever players hung up his managerial tracksuit for good? “Management is always something I’d look at, I would never write it off, but it would have to be something at a really good club to tempt me because I am enjoying my work at United so much. But I could never say I'd never get back into the game.”
ROBSON'S RELEGATION ROLLERCOASTER
ROBBO FACT-FILE: PLAYING CAREER: 568 League Appearences 115 League Goals 4 FA Cups, 2 League Titles, 1 UEFA Super Cup, 1 UEFA CupWinners Cup 90 England Caps 26 England Goals MANAGERIAL CAREER: 429 Games Won: 146 Drawn: 122 Lost: 161 Win %: 34%
It’s the support that his former United team mate Paul Ince perhaps didn’t receive at Blackburn, and Robson suggests that more time is needed in some cases. “The Premier League can be a bit of a culture shock. Paul did well as Macclesfield and MK Dons but the step up is a totally different ball game. Perhaps they didn’t give him enough time.” Robson reiterates that, “Sometimes it depends on the club you're lucky enough to get in charge of. You’ve got to have a decent budget to work with or you're going to struggle.” He adds, “There are clubs that don’t put a lot of money into the squad so makes it more difficult to be a manager.” One manager that has impressed Robson however is new England boss Fabio Capello, who has “put a bit of organization into the squad. The players have responded to that and all of a sudden looking like their enjoying playing for England again.” The million dollar ques-
1972 Signs for West Bromwich Albion.
1981 Signed by Man United for a record £1.5m.
1994 Becomes player- manager of Middlesbrough.
1996 Relegated with Middlesbrough.
2004 Relegated with Bradford.
2005 Completes 'Great Escape' with West Brom, relegated the following season.
2008 Sacked from Sheffield Utd.
26 SPORT
GROUP STAGES
(As of Tuesday 26th May 2009)
GROUP ONE TEAM
P
Halifax 2nds Goodricke 1sts Alcuin 2nds Langwith 1sts Derwent 3rds
2 1 1 2 2
GROUP TWO TEAM
P
Derwent 1sts Goodricke 2nds Vanbrugh 1sts Langwith 2nds Halifax 3rds
2 3 2 2 3
GROUP THREE TEAM
P
Alcuin 1sts James 1sts Vanbrugh 2nds Wentworth 2nds Goodricke 3rds
2 2 2 2 3
GROUP FOUR TEAM
P
James 2nds Halifax 1sts Derwent 2nds Wentworth 1sts Vanbrugh 3rds
2 1 1 2 2
W 2 1 1 0 0
W
2 2 1 0 0
W
2 1 1 0 0
W
2 1 0 0 0
D 0 0 0 0 0
D
0 0 0 0 0
D
0 1 1 0 0
D
0 0 1 1 0
L 0 0 0 2 2
L
0 1 1 1 2
L
0 0 0 1 3
L
0 0 0 1 2
GD 6 5 2 -3 -10
GD
8 -2 2 -3 -5
GD
8 5 4 -2 -9
GD
3 9 0 -2 -10
Pt 6 3 3 0 0
Pt
6 6 3 1 1
YORK VISION
UP FOR
Wednesday May 27th, 2009
by DANIEL HEWITT and JOSEPH MCDERMOTT
C
ampus has once again been gripped by cup fever with the 2009 College Cup kicking off with an almighty bang. Just halfway through the group stages and already York’s finest (and funniest) college footballers are demonstrating why this highly sought after trophy truly represents the ‘magic of the cup’. The summer term is where college thirds and second players get the chance to pit their wits against the University’s finest players fit from their Roses success, and it is an opportunity they are tackling with both feet. Vanbrugh Seconds, led by the legendary Chris 'Schultzy' Schultz, recorded an upset in their opening Group 3 fixture with a battling 0-0 against James College Firsts side. University football regular Mark Johnson and new Uni Firsts skipper Mark McLeod were unable to break down a resilient Vanbrugh back eight who perhaps should have nicked it in the dying moments were it not for a fine stop from James goalkeeper Tim Green denying an impres-
sive Jamie Clarke effort. Vanbrugh’s second selection have arguably been the most impressive of the second’s sides so far, comfortably seeing off Goodricke Thirds 4-0 in their second fixture, with group favourites Alcuin Firsts only managing one better against hapless Goodricke. In Group 2, Halifax Thirds worked tirelessly to thwart Vanbrugh First’s ambitions of College Cup success, limiting the men in green to only a 3-0 victory. Derwent’s top side have also failed to impress thus far, recording only 5-0 and 3-0 wins over much lesser opposition. Week 7 sees the two big sides meet to decide top spot in Group 2.
Laughable Langwith remain the only Firsts side yet to register a victory with defeats in their first two games in Group 1, whilst their Seconds continue to struggle as they are also yet to register a point. Traditionally occupied by Wentworth, the tag of worst college team has this year been firmly
Pt
6 4 4 3 0
Pt
6 3 1 1 0
OT O B EN S D L O G ODD
1 A 2/ 'SHE /1 O DOM COX 3 4/1 DAN ULAND O G 5/1 RK EN E /1 R MA G EY 7 /1 DOM URPH 99 NM DON O D T E AN L SN HAE MIC
YORK VISION'S 2009 COLLEGE CUP OFFICIAL ODDS THE FAVOURITES
VISION COLLEGE CUP PREDICTOR
GOODRICKE 1sts
3/1
HALIFAX 1sts
9/2
ALCUIN 1sts
7/1
GOODRICKE 1sts
DERWENT 1sts
8/1
VANBRUGH 1sts
VANBRUGH 1sts
10/1
JAMES 1sts
11/1
THE RANK OUTSIDERS GOODRICKE 2nds
20/1
VANBRUGH 2nds
30/1
JAMES 2nds
35/1
THE NO HOPE LANGWITH (BOTH)
-V-
HALIFAX 1st's -V-
VANBRUGH 2nds ALCUIN 1sts -V-
JAMES 2nds HALIFAX 2nds -V-
10,000/1
DERWENT 1sts
VANBRUGH 1sts -VHALIFAX 1sts
HALIFAX 1sts
ALCUIN 1sts -VDERWENT 1sts
ALCUIN 1sts
-V-
YORK VISION
THE CUP
Wednesday May 27th, 2009
transferred to Langwith who have become somewhat of a laughing stock, confirmed by their first team’s defeat to Wentworth in last terms league campaign. Whilst many first teams have found in harder than they perhaps expected to push aside the rest, Halifax have by no means suffered from the same problem, easing past the thirds of Vanbrugh in a 9-0 rout with hat-tricks from Dom Green and Shaun Evans. Captain Joe Harrison is said to be extremely confident of going one better this year and reaching the final after defeat to Alcuin in last years Semi’s. In the same group James Seconds remain in contention for best second’s outfit with a 100% record in their two opening games, with wins over Wentworth Firsts and Vanbrugh Seconds.
Crossovers The games played thus far have suggested that the players to watch as the tournament progress-
es are the ‘crossovers’ from firsts to seconds and vice-versa. Vanbrugh’s Ali Prince has impressed for the Second’s side with his ability to hold up the ball whilst at the same time causing defences havoc with his trickery and powerful strikes. He is increasingly providing a selection headache for Captain Tom Sheldrick. Another one to watch appears to be Goodricke defender Craig Macklin. What the monstrous centre half loses in looks he makes up for in footballing ability with some stern tackling, great aerial prowess and some nifty feet. The Goodricke crossover has already bagged himself two goals with an impressive brace against Halifax Thirds. The favourites to lift the trophy in a few weeks time still remains unclear. Whilst most sides will perhaps be concentrating on the College Plate, the big boys’ ambitions for greater things have thus far not been matched with impressive performances on the astro. The 2009 College Cup remains wide open.
SPORT
VISION'S TOP PICKS
27
ED MURRILLS ALCUIN 1STS MIDFIELDER
Scoring two goals so far this term, the Alcuin midfielder has continued from his impressive Roses performance with two solid perfomances. Hugging the touchline, Murrills is a threat to every college full back with his accurate crossing and killer passes. He will have to play well to give Alcuin any chance this year.
ALI PRINCE
PHOTOS BY RACHEL KNOX
VANBRUGH 2NDS STRIKER
-WHO IS GOING ALL THE WAY? HALIFAX 1sts
The Vanbrugh first -year has made a big impact this year for the current league champions, and is increasingly becoming one to watch this term. He grabbed his first 1st team goal on Monday, impressing in the opening games for the seconds. He has a great first touch, superb ball rentention and has a real eye for goal. One to watch in next year's Uni teams.
MATTHEW BRENNAN GOODRICKE 3RDS KEEPER
The -10 goal difference of the Goodricke 3rds belies the ability of their keeper. Second year Brennan has produced countless saves which have gone some way to preserving the dignity of his team. A fantastic shot stopping ability combined with unmatched bravery and a zealous willing to put his body on the line makes Matthew Brennan a crucial asset to his team.
Wednesday, May 27th 2009
Issue 198
YORK VISION'S DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO ELECTIONS
YOUR #1 SOURCE FOR ALL UNI SPORT
COLLEGE CUP COVERAGE
SACRIFICED FOR THE FUTURE
BRYAN ROBSON INTERVIEW:
"I CAN'T SAY I'LL NEVER GO BACK INTO MANAGEMENT"
> Tennis club suffer untimely disruption > Refurbishment; a step forward for York sport By JIM NORTON DRASTIC RENOVATIONS will affect several campus sports after the Sports Centre announced that it would be closing the tennis courts for the duration of the Summer Term. The £90,000 refurbishment will cause widespread disruption, but all parties involved are keen to stress that the sacrifice is one worth making. Many students have stated that it is a sign that sport in York is finally moving in
the right direction. York sport has enjoyed unprecedented success in the past year, despite sub-standard and expensive facilities. And the need to improve has forced clubs to accept short run sacrifices for long run improvements. Both Tennis and Basketball courts and part of the athletics track will be out of action for the summer term, but the loss of members has been deemed worth forfeiting for what could be the start of a major facility update.
Sports Centre manager, Rob Wandsworth, has exclusively revealed that “a Sports Policy working group has been formed to write a strategy for sport for the university. This strategy will be presented to the Student Service Committee in November 2009. A key part of this strategy will be the development of the sporting facilities at the University, of which I am sure the athletics track will be included.” The introduction of new management at the university has been
an incentive for the university and the Sport Centre to rebuild their frequently fractious relationship. York Sport President, Alex Lacy, concurs; “the sports centre has worked hard to regain the trust of the students as a proactive service provider and the current refurbishments is a sign that the new management is getting results.
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