York Vision 217

WWW.YORKVISION.CO.UK

Tuesday June 28, 2011 Issue 217 vision@yusu.org

p 17

THE FAR LEFT Britain's hidden Communism p 14-15

- sCENE -

BIZARRE BEAUTY

- features -

- lifestyle -

NOMINATED FOR FOUR GUARDIAN STUDENT MEDIA AWARDS, INCLUDING BEST PUBLICATION

Cocknbullkid SPOTLIGHT

HE ALTH SCIENCES DROPOUTS SHOCKER S E S S LO E G U H E E S S E S R U NHS FUNDED CO UTS

P-O O R D I N U E IR T N E F O % 2 1 HEALTH SCIENCE = LONE A T N E M T R A P E D Y B 7 0 0 2 120 LOST IN

BY ADAM COE THE UNIVERSITY'S Health Sciences department has been subject to chronic drop-out and failure rates in recent years, a Vision investigation can reveal.

A sample of students who began their degree in 2006-07 revealed that around half of Nursing - Adult Health BSc (Hons) students failed to complete over the duration of their studies, meant to finish in the summer of 2009.

Across the board, about one-third of students who were due to finish their three-year course in that academic year dropped out or failed. These disclosures come from a series of Freedom of Information requests and interviews conducted over the last four months.

A senior Financial Officer at the University conceded that if such high rates were seen in any other department, it would be a "very extreme, unprecedented event," and the University's teaching grant would be reviewed.

- CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 -

ÂŁ2.7 MILLION STUDENT CENTRE TO BE COMPLETED BY OCTOBER? - PAGE 8

2 NEWS

YORK VISION

Tuesday June 28, 2011

SUCCESS FOR SUMMER CELEBRATIONS

BY OLIVER TODD YUSU's SUMMER BALL was a stunning success last week, with the headline act turning up for the first time in recent years, and a record-breaking total of £8,000 raised.

RAG Officer Baxter Willis was ecstatic with the event's success, explaining that such a high total was "unheard of," after last year's Woodstock raised around £5,000.

This year's event was headlined by indie band The Subways, with support provided by Nero, Darwin Deez and Dionne Bromfield.

In past years YUSU have experienced issues with headliners not bothering to turn up: most recently, N-Dubz at last year's. But this year saw arguably the strongest line-up the race-course hosted event has seen in years, and all four bigname acts turned up.

Alongside the musical entertainment, a small fairground

of rides and a casino area were provided for revellers to enjoy, as well as performances from the likes of JuggleSoc and Breakz.

When welcoming The Subways on-stage, YUSU Democracy and Services Officer Dan Walker introduced them by saying, "York simply doesn't get acts like these," before they ripped into a set of new tracks and big hits, including 'Rock & Roll Queen' and 'Oh Yeah'. The night was closed by upcoming dubstep act Nero who were also well received by the crowd.

Alex Beevers, a first-year Physics student, told Vision: "The Summer Ball was excellent.

The venue, the people, and especially the entertainment were all top notch. The acts played some great sets and really set the atmosphere for a great evening, and who doesn't love free candy floss?"

Saturday also saw another huge YUSU-run event pass off as a success, as the annual Woodstock Festival held on Vanbrugh

WEEK

Good Week For campus - Summer refurbs set to improve and expand what the Uni has to offer

Paradise saw an estimated £6,000-£7,000 raised for RAG. Attendees were treated to performances from a variety of the best bands and societies that York has to offer, with the evening being closed on the main outdoor stage by Chuck Jagar, The Hung and The Struts.

RAG Officer Baxter Willis described his surprise at the unparalleled success of the festival. "I couldn't believe it when Woodstock was filling up after being open for only 30 minutes.

[The day] exceeded all my expectations. I'd like to thank everyone who came for their generosity," he told Vision.

The event was equally well received by attendees. Vanbrugh resident Zoë Le Coultre described Woodstock as "a great success. The brilliant acts and the lovely weather made it the perfect way to end the year."

Photos from both events are avaliable at yorkvision.co.uk.

Bad Week Lack of interest in RAG Paris hitch leads to cancellation

Photo: Oliver Todd

Guardian Student Newspaper of the Year 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2007 Tuesday June 7, 2011

55 Photo of the Week: Tim Ngwena & Sam Asfahani fight it out. Easy...

?

WHICH TEAM W COLLEGE SPO R O FOLLOW N COLLEGE C TS SWIMM ING DRUNK UP EN ING IN THE LA KE

Photo: Oliver Todd

Number of drop-outs from Health Sciences up until February 2011

Money to be spent on Central Hall

1,000

£655,000

Study bedrooms to be refurbished across campus over the summer

Got an opinion? Get involved at www.yorkvision.co.uk Or contact us at vision@yusu.org

Editors: Maddy Potts Katy Roberts

Comment Editors: Matthew Pendlington Luke Sandford

Deputy Sports: Roger Baxter Freddie Nathan

Deputy Editors: Megan Graham Paul Virides

Deputy Comment: Alex Finnis Max Sugarman

Chief Sub-Editor: Will Haydon

Scene Editors: Teja Pisk Rachel Pronger

Features Editors: Helena Kealey Isaac Simon

Photo Editors: Ruth Gibson Oliver Todd

______________

Lifestyle Editors: Helen O'Brien Sarah Woods

Webmaster: Magnus Tripp

Deputy Lifestyle: Zoe Pinder Scott Simmons

Web Editors: Daniel Goddard Milana Knezevic

Sports Editors: Helena Kaznowska Sam Russell

Scene editorial listed in pullout

News Editors: Adam Coe Will Thorman Deputy News: Ruth Gibson Oliver Todd

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, 2011.

Printed by Yorkshire Web Cover Photo by Ruth Gibson

NEWS

YORK VISION

Tuesday June 28, 2011

TUITION FEE RISE CONFIRMED - YORK TO CHARGE MAXIMUM FEES

YORK ANNOUNCE £9,000

BY ARJUN KHARPAL

THE UNIVERSITY of York plans to set its tuition fees at the maximum figure of £9,000 a year following a meeting of the University Council on Friday.

The University was criticised earlier in the year for delaying the announcement of the tuition fee amount, but they have now followed the likes of Oxford, Cambridge and UCL in charging the £9,000 limit.

The expenditure of this money will inevitably be closely scrutinised. The University says that the money will be invested into areas such as student financial support, teaching quality and improving the ‘student experience’.

Despite this, students lobbied the University for a lower pricetag.

An official statement by the organisation, York Students Against the Cuts was presented to the major players in the decision early last week. It reads: "we do not believe the one-dimensional linkage of perceived degree quality and price.

"The University already has the historical endowment of a good reputation, secured by the work of staff and achievements of students" which the group believes will not be eradicated by a lower tuition fee figure.

Conversely, York Students Against the Cuts feel that a sum below the national cap of £9,000 would show the university to be a "socially concerned institution."

There has been a well-documented national fear that people from lower income families will be deterred by the soaring cost of a university education, follow-

Photo: Ruth Gibson

ing the beginning of debate on the raising of fees in Parliament in September last year. An official statement from the University however, outlines some of its financial plans: "In addition to National Scholarships, the University will offer a range of scholarships, waivers and bursaries.

"First-year students with scholarships will receive £4,500 in support, while other first year students from families with an income of less than £25,000 will receive support worth £3,000.

Hardship funds for students will also be increased."

Nonetheless, there are still concerns over the amount of debt students will end up in after university. As Vision revealed in the last issue, a York student owes a massive £54,000 to the Student Loans Company, making them the 12th highest debtor in the country. This figure will become the norm for the next generation of students.

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Brian Cantor is confident that the new deal will benefit York.

He comments, "The measures approved today will maintain the University of York as an institution of the highest quality. The University of York is committed to four key objectives excellence, internationalisation, sustainability and inclusivity." "We shall continue to invest in providing the best possible experience for our students. We will ensure that York continues to attract and support students from a diverse

range of backgrounds and that anyone who has the ability to benefit from a York education can do so regardless of their financial circumstances."

The package proposed by the University of York has now been submitted to the Office for Fair Access (Offa) and is pending approval. The £9,000 sum will apply to full-time home and EU undergraduate students and will come into effect from October 2012. Confirmation by Offa is expected on 12th July when it will announce its final decision.

YUSU have listed their stance towards the planned tuition fee rise on their website, stating, "We fully oppose the increase in the cap in tuition fees, and will continue to work with the long term NUS campaign to abolish fees in favor of a graduate tax.

We do not endorse the University’s decision to charge £9,000, but support the commitment to ensuring that York widens its intake of students from more disadvantaged backgrounds, works to increase our retention of students in general and spends any further income on primarily the academic, as well as the wider, student experience.

We will focus our campaigning efforts in this area; ensuring that all additional fee income goes to back to students, and that students direct those investments."

NEW DATA LEAK REVELATIONS

BY DANIEL GODDARD

THE UNIVERSITY of York has yet again been held responsible for a data breach after it was discovered that students’ private information was publicly available on the University website in February earlier this year. The blunder happened three weeks before the separate data incident reported by Nouse at the end of last term.

Due to a technical fault, PDF files containing ID photos, full names and webmail addresses of all undergraduate and postgraduate students at the University were publicly available to view and download to anyone through a student enquiry screen.

Under normal circumstances, the enquiry screen should only be available through an academic staff password filter. The problem was only rectified after a student emailed the University when they discovered the data after searching for “York student enquiry screen” on Google. The student in question was assured the documents were only available for three weeks, but this has not been

independently verified.

This occurred only weeks before a more serious data breach on March 14, where mobile numbers, term-time addresses and A Level results were also available. It is understood this information could have been visible from as early as January this year.

The revelation that two separate data breaches could occur in the space of a month calls into question the capability of the IT service to look after students’ details.

This is particularly worrying, given that one data leak remained after the other had been discovered. The University told Vision, ‘The incident in Economics occurred during migration to the CMS when the information was rendered temporarily accessible. None of the information constituted sensitive personal data, which could expose students to identity theft. In any event, the files were removed as soon as the Department was made aware of the situation.’

3

NEWS IN BRIEF QUEEN'S HONS FOR LECTURER UNIVERSITY OF YORK lecturer and former Vanbrugh Provost Dr. Allen Warren has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for his work with York Students in Schools and founding the York Award.

Dr. Warren founded organisation in 1995, giving York students the opportunity to volunteer in local schools.

Over 600 students take part in the programme each year. The York Award employability certificate awarded was the first of its kind in the country.

“I am greatly honoured by this award and particularly as it is associated with my career at the University of York,” Warren commented.

GRAD PARTY THE UNIVERSITY is set to launch two brand new networking programmes, intended to connect current students with York’s 85,000 alumni.

York Professional Networks and Yorkspace.net have been developed by the Alumni Engagement Team and the Careers Service, in consultation with the likes of YUSU and the GSA. Through these initiatives, the Alumni team hope to promote links between alumni in specific professional areas.

The initial three networking areas are Finance, Banking, Law and Management, Media and journalism and the Third Sector. Each will have a high profile launch event in London this autumn and all this year’s graduates will be inivited to attend.

CORRECTION

York Vision would like to clarify that the article we published in print and online “Economics Students Hustled” (Issue 215, May 17, 2011) contained misleading reporting of an unsubstantiated rumour concerning the assessment of the Microeconomics 2 module that could have mislead readers about the conduct of the lecturers who taught the module. Due diligence when reporting on a sensitive issue was not fully taken into consideration, and as a result we would like to sincerely apologise to those to whom it caused any offence and or distress.

The complaints over teaching and the comments made in the module feedback did not refer to some lecturers and were dealt with through the usual procedure within the department.

4 NEWS

YORK VISION Tuesday June 28, 2011

Vision's Will Thorman casts his eye over what's going in other university media...

NEW FACILITIES FOR H-ALL

student press

W

ith finals completed and a graduation ball out of the way, students at the University of York have been fully engaged in exam celebrations.

However, students at Worcester College, University of Oxford, seem to have taken their exam celebrations too far.

An undergraduate was fined £80 for throwing and then rubbing trifle in another student’s face during exam celebrations.

Taking drastic action, Worcester College issued the female student, who cannot be named for legal reasons, with a spot fine and told her that she could not graduate until she’d paid it.

The incident is a result of a University tradition known as 'trashing'. 'Trashing ceremonies' follow the completion of exams, and students often engage in huge food fights both within the colleges and on the streets of Oxford.

University officials have been attempting to keep control of the anarchy by searching for any incriminating photographs on Facebook. They are wary of the allegedly serious nature of the food fights, preferring students to express themselves with silly string and party poppers instead.

Proctors failed to list trifle as a 'potentially dangerous item'

"

The Proctors this year said in an email to students: “Safety and public order are our core concerns. We therefore need your help in keeping people safe, and stamping out the abuse of all foodstuffs.

“No flour, no eggs, no beans, ketchup, let alone rotting food or worse. Rotting food, vomit, broken glass and other items causing litter are simply not what any of us wants to see," they threatened students.

Some witnesses have deemed the punishment unfair, arguing that Proctors failed to list trifle as a ‘potentially dangerous’ item.

Perhaps the students in question should have been more aware of it’s ingredients.

Oxford student, Alyssa Grossbard, is just one student who upholds the vital importance of food fighting. Writing for Cherwell, she commented, “trashing is a necessity; a quintessential part of the Oxford experience, without which your degree is really not complete.”

See Page 7 for a report on the antics of our own finishers here at York.

BY OLIVER TODD CENTRAL HALL and the J.B. Morrell Library are set for major refurbishment works over the summer, as part of plans to modernise and improve the aging Heslington West campus.

Central Hall is the subject of a £655,000 project, as the University finally look to fulfil their promise of a refurbishment and repair programme for the famous spaceship-like, monolithic structure. David Garner, University's Press Officer told Vision that the work will involve "sealing the roof, replacing deteriorating concrete and painting the

Photo: Ruth Gibson

exterior".

A scheme to refurbish the interior of the building is still under consideration. As the only large venue on campus, the University can’t afford to keep it out of action for the period of time required for larger scale plans.

The works should be completed in time for Freshers' Week, with YUSU hoping to hold the Freshers Ball at the venue for the second year running, although University officials only confirmed that the work would take "several months to complete".

Plans to improve and refurbish Central Hall have been mooted for a number of years, however this is the first time that the plans have come to fruition.

Meanwhile, improvements to the ground floor of the JB Morrell library are already underway. Following the opening of the Harry Fairhurst building and refurbishment of the upper floors of the main building, the ground floor is currently closed ahead of summer refurbishments.

Work to be concluded before students return in October will see 102 new study spaces provided on the ground floor, a new IT study room and 14 single study rooms.

In addition, the next phase of

CAMPUS TO UNDERGO SUMMER FACE LIFT

BY OLIVER TODD ACCOMODATION AT the Heslington West campus is set to undergo a number of refurbishments over the summer months, as it seems not all eyes are looking East just yet.

With more than 1,000 study bedrooms to be done up on campus, as the start of a five year programme to upgrade 2,500 student rooms on the main campus, it is hoped that University administration will have far fewer complaints regarding the standard of accommodation to deal with in the coming academic year.

The main focus of the work this summer is the refurbishment of accommodation at Halifax College, but the most notable works are being undertaken in the older Derwent accommodation blocks, a number of which

are being completely refurbished, including new communal facilities.

This includes revamped kitchens, and, where deemed necessary, the number of shower rooms is being increased. A number of rooms in Vanbrugh are also seeing carpets and furniture being replaced.

Derwent Provost Rob Aitken described the improvements as "the first stage of the refurbishment of all the older accommodation blocks."

One Derwent B Block resident, told Vision, "I'm surprised that it's taken this long to sort out Derwent's accommodation.

Last term I had the vermin control team investigating mice in my room and that's only one of the issues! Hopefully next year's residents will have a better experience."

Photo: Oliver Todd

refurbishments will see a major upgrade and expansion of the library cafe, to be completed by February next year, in preparation for 24-hour services from 2012, as worked toward by previous Academic Affairs officers.

A new 'social space' is also being created.

The introduction of a 24-hour library, as promised by YUSU Academic Affairs officer-elect, Graeme Osborn, will be a relief to many students, particuarly after the disruptions caused by building work during the Easter exam period.

Further improvements to the

library this summer will see a new entrance built to the Harry Fairhurst building, although all library services are to be maintained over the summer.

YUSU President Tim Ngwena described the refurbishments as "great". He told Vision, "The library expansions are soon coming to a close and have introduced a greatly welcomed study space. The final stage of work taking place over the summer should complete the offering.

This finally makes the entrance and ground floor work better for students. This works well considering the new setup."

Photo: Oliver Todd

UNIVERSITY AND COUNCIL CLASH OVER HOUSING

BY JOANNA EDWARDS THE UNIVERSITY and the City of York Council are at loggerheads over plans to restrict the growth of student housing lets in York.

The legislation would lead to less student housing being developed in York with future students having fewer choices when searching for places to live.

Problems arose from 15th April 2011 when the City of York Council made a Direction under Article 4. The planning notification issued by the Council proposes restrictions on ‘development comprising change of use from Class C3 (a dwelling house) to a use falling within Class C4 (a house in multiple occupation (HMO))’. Landlords would in future require planning permission to convert properties into HMOs, despite this being currently unnecessary.

The University voiced strong opposition to the move due to the negative effect it could have on students. Pro-Vice-Chancellor Elizabeth Heaps said last week, "we believe that students should be able to exercise a choice in where they live. Many of our students prefer to live in, and be a part of, the local community".

She also recognised the problems that this could cause for the University itself, pointing out "the University is a major employer in the city: the introduction of the additional restrictions on HMOs could hinder our efforts to recruit students from all over the UK and the world".

Mark Warters, Independent Councilor for Osbaldwick, is supporting the proposal. But Heaps suggested that many of the problems said to have prompted the move are already being addressed. She told Vision, "we believe that the City of York Council already has sufficient powers... to tackle any isolated problems caused by the very small minority of irresponsible landlords, tenants or mismanaged properties".

A consultation period continues to run until 19th July, during which time representations can be made for and against the Direction. The council affirms that after this it is likely that the Direction will come into force.

YUSU President Tim Ngwena said, " I support the University's actions... The council is using student properties as a scapegoat without dealing with the more long-term issues that York faces around housing, traffic control and crime."

NEWS

YORK VISION

Tuesday June 28, 2011

5

DEPARTMENT'S DESPERATE MEASURES TO QUELL ATTRITION RATES IN RECENT YEARS

HEALTH SCIENCE DROPOUT SHOCKER [Continued from front page] Over 12% of the drop-outs from the University of York's courses - of which there are over 170 - from the last five years have been studying in the Health Science department.

Sue Ford, Deputy Head of the Department of Health Sciences, said: "we wouldn't want to have all our students staying because actually that wouldn't be appropriate… there are going to be people who drop off for justifiable reasons."

She continued: "our attrition rate has dropped over recent years." However, the grossnumber of withdrawals rose

from 2009 to 2010, and 55 students had left their course by the end of the second term, projecting a probable further rise this year.

In contrast, Hull York Medical School recorded between zero and two withdrawals by the same time in February.

Asked about the vast difference between the qualification of potential doctors and nurses at York, Ford said: "I couldn't tell you why there is that difference but you can't compare like for like, we're actually doing quite well now in comparison to other Nursing schools."

She added: "We recognise that attrition has been a problem

Photo: Ruth Gibson

in nursing courses across the whole country but that doesn't excuse it."

Funding for the Health Sciences department is done through various funding schemes. They receive a teaching contract which fluctuates around £6 million each year. The total NHS tuition fees rose to almost £400,000 last year in total from the University of York.

The national benchmark price for each nursing student as of 2011 is £7,843 per year of study.

However, this figure excludes the various grants and resources the Health Science department receives.

The NHS recently revised the previous 'block contracting' system used to fund the training of nurses. Before 2007, allocated money would still flow into the department regardless of any drop-outs.

The drop-out rate was noted to be very bad in previous years and the department has since revised their welfare support and application processes.

Ford - who was appointed Deputy Head in 2007 - concluded, "we can only assume that some people, with some support could have stayed on. But I can't answer for what happened before we started doing this work".

Pro-Vice Chancellor for Students Jane Grenville explained her take on the matter: "there are two issues. One is that it is a very big department and they're quite scattered, and, it's a different entry requirement and a different sort of course."

Concerning failures, she told Vision that often people who have been working in healthcare come in to get an academic qualification and "although they are very good nurses, they find the academic system challenging… the human stories behind it are sometimes very sorrowful."

A Freedom of Information request showed though that the most noted, identifiable reason for drop-outs from Health Science courses at York is a discovery that it was a 'wrong career choice'. This issue is being addressed with future applications.

York's Health Science courses suffer from not having a large local catchment comparative to larger cities, even though they are a large Nursing school. The strain of commuting and travel expenses has been noted by the department.

Last year, the Health Sciences department was subject to a Periodic Review; something every department experiences every six years.

Ben Humphrys YUSU Academic Affairs Officer sat on the board which reviewed the department and noted that they were, "at times, very disorganised."

They were commended on the significant drop the previous year, however the information obtained by Vision shows a rise since then.

He said, "A new degree structure recommended should deal with some of the problems... let's be clear here, it's still pretty bad."

A sizable proportion of attrition comes from students struggling with their financial and social situations rather than direct programme-related factors.

Adele Bird, a spokesperson for the Royal College of Nursing which represents nurses nationwide, commented: "the issue of travel is a difficulty for Nursing students across Yorkshire. The geography of Yorkshire makes student placements a difficulty, whichever University you're talking about.

"They are not unique with the high attrition rates - this has been a problem, which is improving, across the whole Yorkshire and Humber region. We speak to them every year and they've strategised well."

Vision received some of the Freedom of Information requests necessary for this investigation extremely late. By law, the University must respond to requests within 20 working days.

However, one request dated April 4th was only finally received last Friday, June 24th, without due warning previously.

The Information Commissioner is to investigate the breaking of Freedom of Information laws.

David Garner, University Press Officer said that management were "mystified" by the lateness. He added, "The University apologises for the delay...

Such a delay is highly unusual.

– the overwhelming majority of FoI requests to the University are dealt with within the statutory 20-day limit."

HALIFAX HOOLIGANS LOOSE IN LIBRARY

BY ADAM COE HALIFAX FOOTBALL team members embarked on a reckless rampage around campus the night before their College Cup victory last week in an annual celebration they call the 'World Tour'.

Witnesses reported that a team member threw a chair down the stairwell from the top floor of the library.

Unconfirmed allegations laid against the team include egging D Bar. The full extent of the carnage is unknown, although they have been banned from the college's premises.

A midnight drunken swim was on the cards for the sportsmen, and they were spotted causing havoc in the library, as the photo opposite shows. 'World Tour' is a yearly occasion for the

Halifax football team, and Vision reported on similar antics in 2010.

The team dressed in drag and striker Conor Brennan kept his fishnets on for the final the next day. Captain Tom Ragan was unavailable for comment, but did mention he was surprised they won the match following 'World Tour'.

The team will be punished if it is found that the night got out of hand, as has been suggested by witnesses. 'World Tour' concludes a year of rowdy out-ofcontrol sports teams.

Halifax Provost Karen Fritz was unimpressed. She said, "As I haven't yet met with the footballers, I don't want to pre-judge.

I will be disappointed in their behaviour if the allegations are found to be true as it would detract from the pleasure of win-

ning."

She continued, "I have found that somehow the beautiful game does not always engender beautiful behaviour."

Jack Beadle, next year's captain informed Vision that the less palatable aspects of their social was due to "two or three silly members." About 30 to 40 squad players are believed to have taken part. He wished to highlight the lack of support the wilder members of the team commanded.

Goal-scorer Connor Brennan commented jokily, "World Tour is bantz, lol."

Another footballer added confidenty, "World Tour showed that the best sporting college in the University also have the best socials."

He said, "most importantly though, the fact that many key

first team players were out until the early hours demonstrated how superior we are to the Derwent scum.

This was despite their best efforts to hamper Halifax through bribing referees and playing games at a ridiculous time. Halifax rule supreme."

York Sport President Sam Asfahani confirmed to Vision that the outrageous and unfounded allegations of attempted match-fixing by a Halifax footballer on Derwent are not to be investigated.

Sports-teams have been widely criticised this year for allowing their socials to get out of hand, although the York Sport dinner on Sunday night is said to have gone off without scandal.

Halifax footballers in J B Morrell

6 NEWS

YORK VISION

LITTLE JOHNS ASSAULT

BY RUTH GIBSON THREE STUDENTS from the University of York fell victim to inappropriate and violent behaviour from the staff of a York pub earlier this month.

The group of first years had been visiting The Little John pub in the city centre with friends on the evening of Friday 3rd June to celebrate the end of exams when

a disturbance occurred, resulting in all three being forcibly removed from the premises when staff members took a dislike to them.

The ruckus began when one of the party flicked some of his slush puppy drink at a friend in jest, which unfortunately landed on another customer who was unwilling to let the incident go.

"He turned round and was

Photo: Ruth Gibson

getting very bitchy and catty and angry about it," one of the students told Vision. Despite receiving an apology, the customer went on to make threats to the group. "This guy was like, 'I know the manager, I'm gonna get you guys thrown out'."

Events took a turn for the worse when the allegedly inebriated manager arrived on the scene. "He was absolutely obliterated; he was trashed, he'd been throwing people out arbitrarily all evening" one of the party claimed to Vision. "He sort of came over and was like 'this is my fucking bar, I can do what I want.'" The group was then ordered to put down their drinks and leave the establishment. "[Our friend] sort of said, 'look, we've bought these drinks, we're gonna stay here and drink them'."

Upon saying this, the disruption promptly escalated, when the manager sought the assistance of three of the bar's bouncers. "The bouncers grabbed [our friend] and grabbed the slush puppy out of [his] hand, and then went 'You've gotta get out now, bitch!' and poured it all over his front." one of the group alleged.

"I had a slush puppy as well, and I thought 'he's not getting away

with that', and I threw [it] in his face." the student added. He then claims the bouncer "went wild, and started swinging punches."

The group conceded to leave, but their efforts to calm the situation were in vain, as the pub's manager continued to pursue the student as they was escorted from the building. "[The bouncers] were trying to drag [the student] and not hurt him at all, or do anything violent, but the manager, whilst this was going on, was just punching [him] round the side," alledged one student. "My shirt just got completely ripped to shreds, and I got thrown out the front door and then chased down the street by the manager."

A female member of the party went on to inform Vision of her experiences of the night.

"After seeing him punching [my friend], I held my ground.

He swaggered back into the bar, and he was stood there, talking to people, and I was like, 'Hey excuse me, what do you think you were just doing. That was clearly unacceptable, I can't believe you'd think you can get away with something like that in a bar.'"

The student claims this confrontation provoked the riled

Tuesday June 28, 2011

manager further, causing him to unleash a torrent of verbal and physical abuse upon the first year humanties student. "He cut me off and started throwing names at me and called me a slut. Then he lunged at me. He dragged me outside by my hair," she claims.

The three students have decided not to involve the police, despite previous complaints of a similar nature having been made about what is described in online reviews as York's '"only 'gay friendly' bar".

Vision contacted representatives from The Little John pub, but they were unavailable for comment. However reports from the group appeared to illustrate how apologetic the bouncers were about the incidents.

Photo: Ruth Gibson

NO NIGHTS IN PARIS CHALK OFF CHOKING SOCS

BY CLEMMIE VAN HASSELT STUDENTS WERE left disappointed last week after the cancellation of the RAG Hitch to Paris. The trip was due to start on June 17th, with participants thumbing a lift in groups to the French capital.

Despite the appeal of a low cost city trip in aid of charity, RAG co-ordinators found it difficult to generate enough interest. Another complication arose when the accommodation booking fell through due to an administrative error from the hostel; RAG Co-ordinators tried to find a replacement at short notice, but by the time one was found, there were too few confirmations from participants.

RAG officer Rebecca Irwin told Vision that some of the blame for the lack of interest lay with "the unfortunate election timings which gave our reps a tight window in which to organise the hitch."

She said mistakes had been learnt. "Next year, we're going to ensure that new hitch co-ordinators will have an easier transition by getting the incumbents to have several aspects organised and waiting for them upon their election," she told Vision.

Last term’s hitch was also cancelled at short notice, and

RAG hitches in the past have suffered because of lack of interest.

The problem stems from organisers publicising the hitches at the last minute, when students have already been bombarded with large amounts of information regarding other student activities.

RAG Officers have pledged to really push the upcoming hitches in order to revive the tradition.

According to Irwin, in the future "there's no reason for them to be unsuccessful; they're a really great opportunity to get involved with RAG, have fun and travel about the place."

Student Activities Officer Nick Scarlett added, "The Hitch met all regulations and requirements in terms of health and safety, the only reason it was cancelled was due to a lack of participants. This is most likely due to the fact the planned Hitch conflicted with major events such as Alcuin Fete, James Quad Dash and the YUSU Awards, and also that the event wasn't publicized until fairly late in the day.

For the November Hitch to Dublin, there will be a stall at Freshers Fair for sign-ups, and a whole month of publicity to get people interested and involved."

The RAG Hitch Co-ordinators were contacted but unavailable for further comment.

BY HELENA KEALEY "UNDER NO circumstances are you to use chalk as a means of promoting/advertising your events," the University has warned York Societies after increasing numbers of events were promoted in chalk on walls and pathways around campus and surrounding areas.

Greeted with hostility, this ban on a valued form of advertising for societies has dealt a blow to the way they try to encourage attendance to the various plays and concerts.

William Descrettes, who helps run the Happily Ever After Society, a Society which depends upon ticket sales, says that with societies "struggling to stay alive each year," it's "ridiculous to remove this completely harmless and cheap method of advertising."

"The University regulations are getting ridiculous" agrees Emily Thommes, chair of Pantsoc, "A poster goes up, it gets torn down again in seconds, how the university expects societies to advertise their shows is unfathomable to me. The university may say they support societies, but in practice this is clearly not the case."

Estates have threatened to

charge anyone caught writing in chalk, as well as the society involved, for the costs incurred in cleaning it up.

However, as Descrettes points out, "surely it’s obvious that chalk isn’t a product that will tar the surface of the university." A member of one of the university's music societies agreed, saying "the cost of cleaning up a washable surface cannot be much. And regardless, chalk disappears over time from rain and footfall, it's hardly the vandalism the University is trying to make it out to be.

YUSU President Tim Ngwe-

na took a slightly more forgiving stance on the issue. "Although it's effective, it is difficult, timely and costly to clean and I can understand why the University have made the decision they have."

He went on to say that, "this highlights the increasing tension and battle for publicity space on campus which both YUSU and the University are working to resolve, with the addition of more notice boards and more dedicated publicity opportunties through avenues such as the web, mobile phones and other digital media.

Photo: Oliver Todd

YORK VISION

NEWS

Tuesday June 28, 2011

AMERICAN STYLE DEGREES CONSIDERED BY UNIVERSITY

SWITCHING SYSTEMS

BY ANGUS HILL

YORK STUDENTS may soon stop receiving their degrees in the form of the traditional classification system after the University announced it is a member of a breakaway group of seven elite universities looking at introducing a completely new system last week.

The changes would mean students would no longer receive Firsts, 2:1s, 2:2s or Thirds, but would instead receive a grade on a more continuous scale.

The system considered, similar to that currently used in American Liberal Arts colleges, would see the current categorisation system replaced by a grade-point average (GPA) and is intended to stop the 'cliff edge' nature of the current system. York, alongside UCL, LSE and the Universities of Birmingham, Nottingham, Sheffield, and Warwick are in early negotiations over how to introduce the changes.

It is understood that UCL have the most developed plans with the intention to introduce the system within the next two years.

The GPA model offers a single numerical value for each student's academic achievement during their degree. The system used in the US gives a final mark on a scale of 0-4 to two decimal

points, although it is believed that the system being considered

by York may operate slightly differently.

A University spokesman said: "The seven universities have been motivated by their conviction that a system of measuring achievement at undergraduate level should be sufficiently flexible and internationally wellunderstood to ensure that UK graduates are best-placed to compete in an increasingly global marketplace. “The universities wish to explore a measure that can be a motivational tool for students during university and give employers and others the information they need following graduation." The plans are in response to criticism that the current honours classification system does not accurately reflect a students performance, with the broad categories failing to differentiate those students who achieve grades that fall at the upper and lower ends of that category.

The change is also understood to challenge the segregation of graduates who have achieved a 2:1 and those who have missed out, however narrowly.

The idea has received a cautious welcome from current students, with 2nd year maths student Isobel Redgate telling Vision that the reworking of the system "would change a long standing university tradition, but would

allow those people who just miss out on a first or a 2:1 the chance to showcase good results."

The announcement that the University is considering this major change to the academic system, comes at the same time as the introduction of the Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR) which would see students being given a report at the end of their degree summarising their overall university achievements which cover more than just their academic performance.

York's Academic Support was not informed about the considerations. All Academic department heads are being included in dis-

cussions.

Ben Humphrys, YUSU Academic Officer was surprised that the University had forgotten to inform him of the developments initially. However, he emphasised that "this is still very, very early stages. A very interesting announcement to be sure, but there won't be any confirmations before 2012.

"I wouldn't expect the switch to be enforced before 2015. Expect debate over the next few years," he told Vision.

Future students would be properly informed before they join York courses if the grading system indeed changed.

A GROUP OF finalists have found a new way to fill their time now their degrees are done: a series of challenges designed to encompass student life.

Graduands have created a Facebook group, complete with a list of challenges that teams of five to seven should complete.

The same-sex teams have 65 tasks to complete in five categories: drink, food, activities, pulling and sex. The game has been running since Week 7 and is due to finish after Big D this Thursday.

Drinking tasks range from consuming 60 pints per team at Woodstock to the 'Crate escape' where two team members drink 15 cans of alcohol whilst sitting on some kind of raft on the Ouse or University Lake.

Not all tasks are quite as dangerous, though probably just as uncomfortable. Task 16 instructs each competitor to eat a family bucket of KFC in an hour, whilst #23 calls for eating a dry Weeta-

bix in under a minute.

A third year History participant who wished to remain anonymous said she thought the challenges were a great idea. "I love it, I think it's a great way to fill the time I've suddenly discovered I have."

She didn't seem so keen on some of the challenges though.

With graduation approaching, she noted that she'd "really quite like to look good on my last day in York - I don't think a family bucket of KFC's gonna help that happen!"

Activities range from swimming in the lake to kissing a porter on the lips, and pulling challenges include getting with someone without ever speaking to them before (notes are allowed, Facebook is not).

The final category demands sex in various campus locations, including the library, quiet place, lecture theatres and a college bar or JCR. It remains to be seen who's going to win the challenge, but Vision reckons graduands at Big D could be a sight to behold.

s ' t a h W The Quack?

Which high profile college JCRC member had a mess outside Willow?

A different type of member was involved.

How embarrassing.

Which sports BNOC slept with another sport BNOC's housemate?

Sorry mate, he's just not that into you.

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

BY PAUL VIRIDES

7

Which college chair and What The Quack regular relieved himself outside a rival college provost's house?

A SELECTION OF THE GRADUANDS' CHALLENGES...

1. Eat an EntirE lEmon, including pEEl, in undEr a minutE

6. snog a portEr 7. go to 5 lEcturEs in fancy drEss in onE day

2. a ladyboy (pint, doublE g&t, shot 8. thE holy of bailEys) in undEr trinity: slEEp with onE pErson from 20 sEconds Each of salvation, 3. strEak around mansion and all thE collEgEs tokyo in thE samE 4. scotch an

wEEk

ostrich Egg and Eat it in undEr an hour

9. wEar a toga for 5 days as a tEam

5. havE sEx in

drink a pint in EvEry collEgE bar in an hour

anothEr tEam's housE

Which Dramasoc member was dragged to A&E by locals after they believed he was covered in bubbling tar? It was actually black paint.

Awkward...

10. powEr hour:

Which course reps celebrated the end of the year in style?

Big Willy Style...

8NEWS

YORK VISION Tuesday June 28, 2011

PLANS FOR CAMPUS SOUTH RENOVATIONS RELEASED

STUDENT CENTRE VENTURE

BY PAUL VIRIDES PLANS FOR the new YUSU Student Centre near James College have been release, days before construction work begins.

The new Student Centre will expand and redistribute office space currently used by Union staff and officers in the smaller building outside the Roger Kirk Centre and Maths Department.

The new centre will take over the building opposite which is currently occupied by McQs. The bar will move into the Roger Kirk centre.

Sabbatical officers are to move into a new open plan office, designed to increase contact with students, as part of a move to improve links between the Union and its members. The project is part of the new Strategic Plan agreed earlier this year, and accompanies the University's ongoing campus renovations of the library, Central Hall and Heslington East.

"We've essentially shifted to a layout which makes it easier for students to see their officer," said YUSU President Tim Ngwena over the weekend. He went on to describe that the plans will keep the administrative functions "out of the way."

Accompanying the new office space will be a fully kittedout lounge area, bookable for use by student societies. The lounge will be dividable and adaptable for a number of different meetings or events, and will include full 3D TVs, as well as other facilities. Ngwena noted that this would include "some desirable design concepts such as genderneutral toilets, baby changing facilities, better cycle storage

and an expanded waiting area outside of YUSU." Head of Commerical Services Jon Greenwood commented from the Universities perspective. He said, "the plans are two-fold. We need to improve the South entrance to the University and make it look more like a modern campus in line with Heslington East, secondly, YUSU need more office space and have shown a preference for this site."

Original plans included discussions for a nightclub space, as is the case at many campus universities. As the plan would mean relaying the foundations of the building, however, the idea was scrapped. The full cost of the new space is estimated to cost £2.2m. Of that, £500,000 is to be taken from YUSU's 'reserves fund for capital projects' to contribute to the Student Centre with the rest funded by the University. Greenwood added that "YUSU's money comes from the University anyway so it is appropriate that YUSU contribute, the space is for them after all." Plans for the Roger Kirk are yet to be completed.

Ngwena described how the nightclub was discussed but a suitable location could not be found for the time being. Greenwood stated that "for a decent nightclub you need a lot more space than this area would release and it would cost a lot more money; therefore it is not in the pipeline at the moment."

Rather than the nightclub space, however, McQs' likely move into the Roger Kirk Centre sees the possibility of it chang ing hands, with Commercial Services approaching YUSU for operating rights over the bar.

This would make it the second

Union-run bar at the University, though a business plan has not been finalised, and YUSU would not confirm if this had been finalised.

The full capacity of the new space will be around 600, most likely utilised during sporting fixtures, where other spaces like The Courtyard cannot match demand. Catering services, including the Costa Coffee at the front of the building, will remain in the space.

Additionally there are unconfirmed rumours of a campus late night food offering being launched - the first of its kind at York. The new services would provide essential cheap latenight food, with Vision understanding that pizzas could priced at £2.50.

YUSU would not comment on the rumours of a late-night cam-

pus takeaway.

James College, who will neighbour the building, are likely to work alongside the University in the coming months with the new space, which will also be fully landscaped to fit with newer campus buildings. The design and feel have been likened to the Berrick Saul building on the opposite side of the campus lake.

The project is scheduled to be completed on the 12th October, the first day of Freshers' Week.

Whether these are realistic aims remains to be seen, with other campus projects notorious for never quite finishing on time.

Administrative staff will remain in the current Student Centre building, and staff will also occupy the YUSU Studio next to YourShop. The Finance Office, used by societies and York Sport clubs, will be extended and the

Advice and Support Centre (Asc) will remain in its current space.

Other projects have seen Derwent Bar rebuilt, the expansion to the Heslington East campus, including Goodricke College and the Theatre, Film & Television, Law & Management and Computer Science departments.

Langwith College is due to move to Heslington East in time for the 2012/13 academic year, where it will be accompanied by the second Sports Centre.

Up to three more colleges are expected to be created on Hes East in future, though earlier this term Director of Commercial Services Jon Greenwood revealed that Heslington East residents may not get a campus bar until 2014 at the earliest, and potentially not for another 20 years.

COMMENT

YORK VISION Tuesday June 28, 2011

>Comment

9

A BETTER CLASS OF CLASSIFICATION

LUKE SANDFORD

THE GPA SYSTEM COULD REPRESENT A WELCOME CHANGE IN DEGREE RECOGNITION

T

his week saw a major announcement from the University: that from 2013 they would be charging ÂŁ9,000 a year fees. This won't have come as a surprise to anyone. There has, however, been another, more surprising and certainly more welcome announcement: that we are one of seven highly ranked British Universities in informal talks over the adoption of the Grade Point Average (GPA) degree rating scheme. Slight variants of the GPA system are used worldwide, but most widely in America. It's a way of classifying degrees, so we would be scrapping the current system of 1st, 2:1, 2:2, 3rd and moving to a continuous scale, with your degree assigned a numerical value rather than a class.

It is not new to say that the current 'class' system of degree needs review.

The Dearing Report in 1997 noted it "may become increasingly redundant." Then in 2002 a British Educational Research Association study suggested comparing degrees between institutions using the classification system wasn't possible, and since then other ideas have floated around considering alternatives.

This latest announcement, however,

IZAAK WILSON

A

represents the first instance of several institutions from within the sector taking their own action in developing the use of an alternative. Perhaps all the discussion of external groups and educational reports was necessary, but it's never going to prompt a transfer to a more expressive system without the support of the universities issuing the qualifications. That

The GPA system puts students on a more varied scale, telling employers more about the quality of the student. is why I'm pleased to see that York is one of the institutions taking clear steps to adopting new criteria for expressing the standard of a degree.

The current system has three main flaws. First, it draws huge distinctions between those who achieve a 2.1 and those who do not. If you plan on working for a large law firm, a Big Four Auditor, many

branches of the Civil Service and more, you must have achieved a 2.1 to even get your foot in the door. However, the distinction between a 2.1 and a 2.2 can often be very minor, and this system needlessly segregates equally-able students into the employable and the less so. Similarly, those who get a 60 and a 69 are equated when that represents quite a different level of achievement during the degree.

While there is always going to be a cut off, the GPA system puts students on a more varied scale, telling employers more about the quality of the student.

Secondly, the classes are not the same as grades; they are not absolute cut-offs.

In my own department, if you receive more than 100 credits of 1st class modules, then you can average a 65 and still receive a 1st overall. However, if you average 69 without 100 credits of 1st class modules then you are stuck with a 2.1.

This seems counterintuitive, and demonstrates the injustice of the system. Is the 1st on your transcript to tell others that you are capable of 1st-class work, even if your average is lower?

Thirdly, no one outside the UK knows what it means. That might have advantag-

es when it comes to tricking your way into American jobs, but I would rather when it comes to working or studying abroad I had a qualification they could recognise.

There is another advantage of this system over other alternatives mooted.

It is purely academic. It doesn't feature extracurricular activities in the measure.

The debate as to whether to recognise other activities in a degree transcript is long and varied, but I believe that the award received from a university should be purely based on the academic work completed there. It's impossible to sum up the wealth of activities taken by a student in a number or a paragraph written by your supervisor, and as such we should not try. It risks disadvantaging those whose activities are external to the university, or those who need to work to pay their way and so cannot take part in as many other things.

As a result of all of this I am happy that York is one of the seven universities leading the way in negotiating this preferable alternative for recognising degrees.

Now we just need to persuade some other universities to get on board.

YU-SHOULD TRY HARDER STUDENT UNION OR STUDENT'S UNION

s we come to the end of the academic year I can say it has been bittersweet. The obvious issue has been the government 'austerity' measures that affect us most profoundly; slashes in funding for the education sector and legislation set to assist a rocket in tuition fees for our younger brothers, sisters, and friends.

And yet under this hard gob-stopper shell is a sweetness that came as something of a surprise: massive student protests, from both universities and schools, occupation of campus buildings in most UK institutions, and even protests of solidarity from students in Paris and other major European cities. Perhaps more than any time since the 1960s the thoughts of students have turned to more radical notions, in particular a rejection of established authority, and this is set against the background of the Arab Spring, antiglobalisation, and online freedom activism. The creation of Unileaks cannot be understood separately from Wikileaks.

But here at York, and I suspect at most universities, the fight for justice is per-

haps tainted somewhat by the perceived inadequacy of student organisation in the domestic sphere, of which YUSU has a monopoly. I would like to ask whether YUSU, bearing in mind the changing times that we live in and the enlightened goals of our new mass politics, is up to

Most students are not inspired by YUSU Campaigns, despite the confising reality where actually students obviously do care. the task. The prevailing attitude among most students that I speak to seems to be one of apathy; people believe that YUSU is little more than an outlet for egotism and career enhancement. While I actually do not doubt that the likes of Robert Hughes and Tim Ellis have anything but commendable motivations in campaign-

ing to lead the body, who is to say what will happen when they get bogged down in bureaucracy and university agenda?

And the fact that most students are not inspired by YUSU campaigns seems pretty undeniable, despite the confusing reality where actually students obviously do care (hence, massive protests). The old adage: "Don't hate the player..." clearly holds a kernel of truth in this case.

So why does YUSU cause such frustration? I would argue that as a structure with the monopoly on student-establishment relations, it plays a sort of livestock-herder role. We are herded into official lines of 'communication' (a buzz word that is so easily thrown out to smooth over the onesided nature of decision-making in the university) which never seem to get anyone anywhere, and as a result, all of the newly-found energy in the student action movement is quickly lost in the quagmire of 'process', 'reviews' and 'amendments'.

This act of herding results in the rise of 'joke motions' (Brian Blessed as patron of quiet study anyone?) and shows just

how valuable students really perceive the union to be.

I believe that the 14,000 or so students of the university will only fully rally around a system in which they can actively take part in, without having to leap over the three-year-long commitment hoop that starts in your almost randomly-allocated college. We will only ever rally around a system where the leaders are not dislocated from the ever-changing concerns of the student body by being paid employees, professional democrats. The student body is organic, and we will only rally around a system that is part of this organic body and not a loose attachment. How that can change, and what kind of organisation will best represent the radical needs of a disenfranchised and largely ignored intellectual body known as 'students', is a matter for open debate. But the question of whether YUSU is up to scratch needs to be asked, and we shouldn't be afraid to answer it with affirmative action.

JOIN THE DEBATE AT WWW.YORKVISION.CO.UK/COMMENT

10 COMMENT

YORK VISION Tuesday June 28, 2011

BARS' PRICE CRAWL

THE VOICE OF

OLIVER TODD Vision Says...

O

bviously the high attrition rates on Nursing courses are a national problem, not one solely confined to the University of York. Nevertheless, it is worrying that the Health Sciences Department dropout rate dwarfs that of other University departments so much.

Even taking into account the various ways in which Health Sciences courses differ from some other degrees here, such high levels of dissatisfaction surely require further investigation, and some attempt at rectifying the situation.

Justifications like students choosing the wrong career path or being unsuited to the academic system are fair enough, but to say that for all students accepted to complete the course would be inappropriate suggests that some aspect of the system is fundamentally flawed.

When the national benchmark price for each nursing student as of 2011 is £7,843 per year of study, drop out rates as high as 50% result in a huge waste of money, for students, universities and the NHS. While the situation is obviously unacceptable, Vision are pleased to see that some progress is slowly being made, and attrition rates are already lower than they were at their peak in 2006. Hopefully more work can be done in the future.

Thumbs up to...

Congratualations to all the third years on campus completing their degrees and getting ready to graduate. Especially deserving of accolade will be any finalists who manage to check of everything on the Facebook list by Thursday.

Quite frankly, if you can say you've managed the "Crate Escape", done a ladyboy in under 20 seconds and completed "The Holy Trinity" it probably doesn't matter much what class of degree you get.

Also deserving of praise this week is outgoing Democracy and Services Officer Dan Walker, and everybody else involved in orchestrating what was by all accounts a truly cracking Summer Ball. All the booked acts turned up and put on outstanding performances, with headliners The Subways supported by Dionne Bromfield, Darwin Deez and Nero. All in all a fantastic night was had by all, and the end of the year was seen out in style.

Thumbs down to...

Hang your heads in shame, Halifax hooligans.

It wasn't funny to storm the library last year and it isn't funny now. Vision are unimpressed with the Halifax football team's "bantz, lol" World Tour that saw them throwing chairs around the library and egging Derwent students. Make utter fools of yourself if you really want to guys, but in future could you hold off until after our exams are out of the way? Ta. Thumbs also down to the poor uptake of this year's hitch to Paris. While the lack of interest in what promised to be an amazing trip is no doubt disappointing for the new RAG committee, it's undeniably due in no small part to poor organisation; the committee elections didn't leave enough time to coordinate the trip properly, and the lack of publicity for the trip didn't leave enough time for people to sign up. Vision really hopes that the new RAG team take something from these mishaps and has great success with all their other hitches abroad.

T

ime and again York students have bemoaned the poor quality and value provided by Commercial Services' college bars. I can count on one hand the number of times I've been to my closest campus bar, V-Bar, for a few drinks before a night out or for a casual evening drink (and most of those were during Freshers week when I barely knew anywhere else).

Campus bars simply are not competitive enough when put up against The Courtyard, The Charles, and the likes of Dusk, The Lowther and Nag's Head in town. For years, Commercial Services have been entirely uncooperative with student demands price-wise. However, this looks set to change next year, as the powers that be finally seem to be listening to the pleas of our college chairs, as new plans outline price drops in college bars.

This is coupled with a much needed refurbishment of V-Bar which from early plans looks set to move away from its current unattractive 'wooden-canteen look' to a 'modern pub-feel', which has been welcomed by the Vanbrugh JCRC. The Courtyard is so popular because it is the cheapest bar on campus and its decor is welcoming; the complete opposite to the dingy, half-empty college bars. Don't get me wrong, I'm probably one of The Courtyard's biggest fans.

I can be found a few times a week sat in the bar area feasting over a pint of

CAMPUS DEVELOPMENTS COULD GIVE COLLEGE BARS A NEW LEASE OF LIFE

Carlsberg and a packet of crisps, and I've even managed an ultimate burger at The Charles in the past, but a range of good quality competitive bars can only be a good thing for students. It's something

Good quality competitive bars: it's something we've been crying out for for years and now that we've seen some progress, it's essential we push on. we've been crying out for for years and now that we've seen some progress, it's essential we push on.

Perhaps more successful campus bars could help to convince Commercial Services to take action on YUSU's campaign of pursuing a social space on Heslington East as well. It's undoubtedly necessary, and we need to show support for such an idea in any way we can. Ultimately though, much of this argument comes down to college spirit.

Collegiate universities are rare and oldfashioned, but the college system is a great asset and characteristic that York should take pride in. As it stands, we're descending to a point that being in a college is little more than a description of a group of accommodation blocks.

If the initial price changes are successful, it has been mooted that students could be rewarded with "Happy Hour" pre-bar offers such as pints of lager for £1.50, to be trialled before collegeorganised late-license events, something else that needs rapid change if our college system is to revive itself. College events have suffered at the hands of Commercial Services' pricing as well, and more vibrant bars at a lower cost to the consumer can only strengthen these events.

Campus bars are chronically underused, both in the case of events, and during normal service hours. At other universities, where the collegiate system is more successful and active, bars play a central part. You only have to look just up the road at Durham to see a collegiate system where students have pride in their college and the bars maintain a key social aspect of that. Bar and event improvements are key to making sure that our colleges do not just become glorified halls of residence.

Hopefully with these changes we will finally see a boost in the numbers at our campus bars, and that can only be a good thing for the college spirit that many see as being in decline. "Support your College Bar" seems to have become a murdered cliché, but I for one will be backing mine next year, and maybe this move can help to give college spirit a much needed new lease of life.

LANGWITH LOSERS? ALEX FINNIS

I

n just over a year's time Langwith will transfer to the sparkling new campus on Heslington East and leave Derwent to take over the tired old blocks it leaves behind. Now, as a 'Langwithian', you may think I would be happy about this; no longer will we be the smallest college who can never get a sports team together, no longer will others be able to mock us for our lack of en-suites and our ancient prison-style beds. However, I am not happy with the decision, and nor are many others in my position.

See, when Langwith leaves behind its dingy setting on the main University campus to inhabit the pristine palaces being created over on Heslington East, it will also leave behind fifty years of tradition, rivalry and a good deal of its college spirit.

Despite Langwith and Derwent's accommodation not being the best the University offers by any means, the beauty of these two colleges comes from their small size and unrivalled sense of community. Derwent is not known as the 'party college' by chance, it is because its smallness, good location and fairly open plan design means that people get to know each other better not only between floors but between blocks and thence the

IT'S NOT THE SIZE, BUT WHAT YOU DO WITH IT THAT COUNTS entire college unites.

I believe that Derwent is actually getting the better deal in this 2012 reshuffle, since it still gets to keep the blocks which hold its history and friendly atmosphere within its walls, but the increase in size will nonetheless detract somewhat from the sense of community provided by the current situation.

Despite Langwith and Derwent's accommodation not being the best, the beauty of these colleges comes through their small size and unrivalled sense of community.

Although I am extremely excited about the prospects of Langwith finally being able to genuinely compete strongly for such sports prizes as the college cup, as a college, it is going to lose what makes it special. Indeed, us 'Langwithians' actually bond over the topic of our lack of sporting prowess. As one of the college

mottos goes, we are 'proud to be the little guy'.

So far I have not even begun to mention the fact that the proud and definitive rivalry between York's two smallest colleges will inevitably be destroyed by this move. The rivalry between Derwent and Langwith is one that is bred into each year's freshers from the very beginning. Indeed, I had not even spent a whole day as a Langwith fresher before I was striding down the streets of York belting out my 'hatred' for Derwent. This was an act which helped bring our college together. How will it be the same when Langwith is all the way over on Hes East? What use is it telling Derwent how rubbish they are when they're too far away to hear us?

What would make far more sense would be to make the extension on Heslington East into an entirely new college and keep York's two oldest communities together, right in the centre of campus in the ramshackle, pebbledashed blocks where they belong. It would hardly take a monumental effort to bring about this small change, and it is a change worth doing to preserve an age old rivalry and the very foundations of the University itself.

YORK VISION

COMMENT

Tuesday June 28, 2011

11

DON'T GO PUBLIC WITH PRIVATE TIME CLEMMIE VAN HASSELT

T

HALIFAX DRAG DERWENT ROUND THE PITCH TO SECURE TIGHT WIN

WAS PHILLIP DAVIES WRONG TO SUGGEST THE DISABLED SHOULD WORK FOR LESS?

YES NO

RICHARD COSTELLO

T

he comments that Philip Davies made in regards to the minimum wage were not only wrong, but more worryingly they seem to show a level of ignorance and a distinct lack of empathy towards some of the most vulnerable in our society.

Richard Hawkins, the Chief Executive of disability charity Scope, sums up the mood perfectly: "we need to challenge employers' prejudices - not pander to them."

His sentiments are all the more relevant when one considers that almost seven million people of working age are disabled. People with disabilities make up one-fifth of the whole working population, therefore we need to understand the obstacles that this important and large group of individuals face, rather than reinforce prejudice and discrimination by giving employers the opportunity to exploit them. To put it in simple terms, Philip Davies' comments treat disabled people as cheap labour.

The most vulnerable in society should not have to accept worse pay and conditions to get their feet in the door. If anything, in a modern society such as ours, employers should feel empathy towards the most vulnerable and be more respectful of their strengths and weaknesses. The minimum wage in

its present form protects the worst off in our society from exploitation.

In the years before 1999, when the minimum wage became law, people worked for paltry sums, with unemployment as the only alternative.

Watering down the legislation even by a little would be a return to those days, which saw people earn as low £1.20 an hour (£1.38 in today's money). Employers have exploited people before and would in all likelihood exploit again.

What makes this all the worse is that the minimum wage, though a protection against poverty, is hardly a massive sum in itself. Those over 22 years old receive only £5.93 an hour, which barely covers two pints of lager. A business which cannot afford to pay its workers such a derisory sum is surely not a viable one in modern Britain.

Philip Davies should reconsider his comments and apologise, not just to the disabled people of the UK who he has offended but to fellow MPs like Conservative Paul Maynard and Labour's Dame Anne Begg, who the voters chose at the last election despite their disabilities. If they are good enough to represent the people of Blackpool North And Cleveleys and Aberdeen South, then why are other disabled people not good enough to earn the minimum wage?

T

he minimum wage has caused unemployment.

Ten years since New Labour came to power and introduced the minimum wage, youth unemployment doubled, and has grown faster since.

The minimum wage hurts marginal and entry level workers more (those who can be replaced by skilled labour) who may not find an employer willing to offer them minimum wage for their skills. It doesn't make sense to say that artificially raising the prices without there being a corresponding rise in demand will not cause a fall in consumption.

The same applies to people with low skills. A major metastudy of minimum wage papers by Neumark and Wascher has shown this.

The same applies to those who are disabled - and this was the point that Phillip Davies was trying to make before he was shouted down by the mob.

He never demanded an exemption from the minimum wage for those those disabled; he wants it abolished entirely. In his speech he used the examples of youth unemployment, disabled people, and people coming out of the prison system.

Some disabled people have low skills; in most cases they are discriminated against by society. According to research from Mind, more than 6 out of 10 employers would not con-

THOMAS BYRNE

sider hiring someone who has a mental health problem. This is something that some good employers like BT have been trying to change. Since 2003, BT has provided sustainable opportunities for over 300 disabled people to work through its award winning Able to Work outplacement scheme, and have also found that in some cases those who are disabled work more effectively than their non-disabled counterparts. The minimum wage simply creates another hurdle for the worst off in society in trying to advance themselves.

The amount of stigma that people face by being unemployed because of the minimum wage shows that the best-intended policy can instead create an artificial trap.

Of course, some employers were paying less than minimum wage before it was introduced because they could, and now they can't, so some people are out of jobs. Great!

Congratulations! Some of the most vulnerable people in society are now banned from having a job. But hey, at least employers aren't paying less than minimum wage. We do need to look at ways we can raise the incomes of the poorest, but the minimum wage has failed everyone. Progressive societies like Sweden and Denmark have seen this and rejected the minimum wage. Britain should do the same.

he media takes delight in gleefully exposing the sordid details of political sex scandals. Catching a politician with his trousers down is one sure-fire way to ruin a reputation. Last week in America the unfortunately-named Democrat Anthony Weiner was forced to resign for 'sexting' a twenty-one-year-old with an image of his crotch. Obviously the affair is highly inappropriate and embarrassing, especially for his newly pregnant wife. However, in this case the only injured party is Weiner's wife, and it forces us to ask: should a politician's private life remain private? In the good old days, kings could take mistresses and no one so much as batted an eyelid. But Bill Clinton's affair, investigated and uncovered by Kenneth Starr, seemed to open the flood-gates to a new age of revealing political sex scandals.

Before the nineties the public had perhaps turned a blind eye to the somewhat promiscuous lives of the nation's rulers, but the advent of social networking, intrusive media and an increasing fascination with life behind the curtains of 10 Downing Street marked the beginning of the end for assured privacy. Some even welcomed this chance for a bit more media attention, using their private family life to appeal to the public. Advertising and branding himself as a dependable family man certainly worked for David Cameron, wafting around the impeccably dressed SamCam on his arm during the length of his campaign.

There is an argument for holding politicians to higher moral standards than celebrities or footballers. While the stars of Eastenders exist only to fill our magazines with salacious gossip, our politicians and world leaders are responsible for the running of our nation. As Bill Clinton was to discover, being President while cheating on his wife with a White House intern was not viewed as effective time management by the American public. As President Obama commented on the Weiner scandal, "when you get to the point where, because of various personal distractions, you can't serve as effectively as you need to, you should probably take a step back".

Calling it "a personal distraction" highlights the key problem: it is not the act itself, but the fact that it distracts a politician from doing his job that is condemned. In American history, Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy were allowed to get away with extramarital affairs as long as they were boosting American economy and adding to the glory of the USA. The British public, meanwhile, were horrified not so much by Jacqui Smith's husband possessing porn, but the fact it had been claimed on expenses. Touting family values and producing picture-perfect children also raises another problem with political sex scandals: that of hypocrisy. How can we take advice from leaders who denounce single-parent families while shagging the housekeeper (Arnold Schwarzenegger)? It is the sheer hypocrisy of it coming from politicians that so infuriates us. A politician should always practice what he preaches, or risk stoning from the congregation.

So as long as our politicians keep their private lives private, and their life behind the curtains does not impair their politics, I see no reason why a sex scandal should be anything more than that, a scandal. Anthony Weiner's resignation seems an overreaction. To put it another way, as long as YUSU President Tim Ngwena keeps the office running smoothly, we really don't want to know what he gets up to on a Ziggy's night.

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10 SATIRE

YORK VISION

Tuesday June 28, 2011

THE SKETCH www.nowheretosleep.com

York Tourism Homepage

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Are you a student moving house?

Have you found yourself temporarily homeless?

Wishing you'd read your lease more carefully?

Why not support local industry by making use of one of York's many emergency accommodation options?

Her majesty's leisure

Read more > For a flash back to living in a campus study bedroom, pitch up in a police cell over night. While Vision, in partnership with York Tourism, would never endorse students committing criminal acts, this might be one of the comfiest options. With closer-than-ensuite facilities on site, and a 'continental' breakfast provided, the police cell even comes with a photo keepsake.

Bunk with a new friend

Read more > While accommodation standards for this option cannot be guaranteed, there is usually a breakfast provision dependent on the success of the previous night. Transport links are limited, and may require a Walk of Shame for return journey. Visitors should be aware that York Tourism are unable to guarantee the room's other occupant will look the same in the morning as they did the night before.

Willow 'til Dawn

Campus shelter

Read more > For the al fresco sleeping experience, there are numerous options within the university's campus. Some of the more popular spaces include the Central Hall balcony, the Physics walkways and any sheltered bike shed. Those choosing this option will have their pick of any of the university's exemplary catering options for their breakfast, though may have to protect their sleeping space from aggressive wild fowl.

Read more > An unorthodox option, Willow Until Dawn is more suited to the nocturnal type. On-site security will remove residents caught sleeping, and York Tourism would advise against prolonged contact with the floor. However, The Willow does provide limited food options throughout the night, and even lockers for storing personal possessions. Visitors for whom toilet paper is a 'must' should avoid The Willow.

FEATURES

YORK VISION

Tuesday June 28, 2011

>Features

13

THE CULTURAL COLD WAR?

ISAAC SIMON takes an unfamiliar look at the long-standing conflict

T

he end of the Cold War is commonly associated with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989; since then, however, it appears that another Cold War of sorts is emerging from beneath, in the art world. It reached its peak last August when Russia announced a ban on all art loans (paintings, sculpture, installations, the list goes on) to museums in the United States. Although seemingly out of the blue, the origins of this move date back to over 80 years ago.

Until the First World War, the Chabad community (a sect of Judaism) lived mainly in modern Belarus, then Imperial Russia. As you can imagine, the increased tensions during this time forced the movement underground.

The most significant member of the community to flee was the then-leader, Sholom Dovber Scheersohn. What he left behind is of central importance to this cultural Cold War. He was unable to take the communal library containing over 12,000 books and manuscripts. Nonetheless, he did manage to transfer the collection to a storehouse in Moscow, the contents of which were taken in 1920 and moved to a state institu-

Some like it cold: the two nations lock horns once again, but this time not over ideologies but...art? documents were also seized, first by the Nazis and later by the Red Army, who returned the docu-

The Chabad community live in Brooklyn and liken the significance of their collection to our Crown Jewels. tion.

Scheersohn did secure an export license for a section of the library to be sent to Warsaw, containing 25,000 pages of previous leaders' teachings, correspondence and other records. However, come the Second World War, these

ments to the Russian State Military Archive in Moscow.

Today the majority of the Chabad community live in Brooklyn and, during the 1990s, campaigned against the Russian government for the return of their collection. This is of massive

The man at the centre of the conflict: The Russian Culture Minister Alexander Avdeyev

importance to them; the community liken the significance of their collection to our Crown Jewels. The Russians had other ideas. They considered the collection a national treasure and part of their national heritage. The Russian Embassy in Washington echoed these sentiments by stating that both the Jewish movement and collection came out of Russia. The Russian Ministry of Culture and Mass Communications concluded that the collection was intrinsically a Russian cultural property and that the 1970 UNESCO convention authenticated its retention.

A new chapter to the conflict was written in August 2010, when a Washington court judge sided against Russia and ordered the return of the 12,000 books and manuscripts as well as the 25,000 handwritten texts, now housed in Russia. Despite this, the Russians seem to have had no intention of returning the collection; moreover they don't even recognise the judge's decision in the first place, seeing it an unlawful one which cannot be enforced on them.

In August 2010, Russia announced a ban on art loans to US museums. Crucially, they feared that any art sent over, mainly for special exhibitions and such like, would be seized by the Chabad community as a means to enforce the return of their sacred collection. Russia's cultural minister Alexander Avdeyev added that the ban would continue until they were given a 100% guaran-

tee from the movement that they would not be seized. Since then, the ban has resulted in the cancellation and delay of exhibitions throughout America.

no longer had anything to exhibit. The Museum of Russian Icons in Massachusetts also experienced the effects of the strained relations. 37 icons on loan from the Andrey Rublev Museum were withdrawn last minute. A sign of Russia's seriousness can be understood by the sending over of a curator from the museum to oversee the icons' return to Russia.

It would appear that the Museum of Modern Art in New York would feel most aggrieved by the ban. Russia prevented one of Cezanne's famous 'card players' paintings from being transferred from London (where the exhibition was shown in the Courtauld Institute) to its new destination in New York. The Museum, otherwise known as MoMA, is one of the most prestigious museums in the world and does not take kindly to being played with. As a result, the institution responded by not loaning works for a Dior exhibition taking place in the State Pushkin Museum in Moscow.

Despite the Chabad guaranteeing that they will not attempt to seize any of the art work that is loaned to America, the cultural Cold War continues to unravel, pulling in more institutions, judges and diplomats, with no immediate end in sight. What is

The Russians seem to have had no intention of returning the collection... they don't even recognise the judge's decision in the first place.

The Houston Museum of Natural History was forced to delay indefinitely the opening of their exhibition titled "Treasures from the Hermitage: Russia's Crown Jewels" because, esentially, they

most staggering is that the actions of Russian soldiers in 1920 are directly affecting art galleries across America, more than eighty years on.

The Card Players was a series of paintings by Paul Cezanne, painted during the early to mid 1890s

14 FEATURES

“I

YORK VISION

Tuesday June 28, 2011

"CAPITALISM HAS T

MILANA KNEZEVIC investigates the forgotten far left of British p

n the context of deepening economic crisis, environmental destruction, and an scalating series of wars waged y countries who possess the powr to wipe out humanity several imes over, capitalism has to be detroyed.”

Thomas Vincent, a representaive from the Revolutionary Communist Group is explaining one of heir core policies. On a day-to-day asis they work towards the ultimate goal of destroying capitalism nd fundamentally changing our ociety. They are communists, in Britain, in 2011.

Over the past few years, a rightwing wave has swept over Europe.

And not just within the hallowed alls of great power. Everywhere, xtreme right wing groups are rawling out from the fringes and dging in towards the mainstream.

Just look to the Netherlands, where charmer Geert Wilders and is somewhat ironically named arty for Freedom, now make up he country’s third biggest party. heir policies include ethnic regstration and introducing a ban on eadscarves. Likewise is Marine e Pen’s National Front in France. ven good old social democratic weden can shock the outside world when the far-right wing Sweden Democrats currently hold 20 seats n parliament.

This phenomenon will be all too amiliar to people in the UK. Nick Griffin and his British National arty managed to secure over 00,000 votes in last year’s general lection, proving that the far right s very much alive and kicking.

In light of this, it is easy to foret that another end of the politial spectrum even exists, let alone hat there are people who are dediated enough to follow and fight or an ideology generally assumed

to have collapsed with the Berlin Wall. Yet, in Britain alone, there are currently over 20 active groups and parties flying the colours of communism and radical socialism, and they fully believe that our society is in need of a full transformation, and fast. Though it has to be said that many of these groups are too small to be considered a real contender on the political scene, there were a number of them who stood for the past general election and managed, if nothing else, to drum up some support in what was generally considered a bad year for the left. The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition got some 12,000 votes, while the Socialist Labour Party, scraped just over 7,000. Also in the running was the Communist Party of Britain (not to be confused with the Communist Party of Great Britain. Or the Communist Party of Britain Marxists-Leninist. Or the Communist Party of Great Britain Marxists-Leninist). In the end, they only managed to secure 947 votes, but General Secretary Robert Griffith has an explanation: “The power of decades of state and big business anti-communist mass propaganda, combined with an unequal electoral system, make it much harder for us to win votes in parliamentary elections - although we find a lot of agreement for many of our policies on the doorstep and at hustings meetings.”

The fact of the matter is that communism as a mass movement has never really kicked off in the UK. Support peaked in the late 40s, with membership of the Communist Party of Great Britain reaching around 60,000. They even secured two parliamentary seats in the 1945 elections. However, compared to their counterparts in other European countries, this feat seems less impressive. The French Com-

Photo: Revolutionary Communist Group

munist party had over 300,000 members at the time, while the Italians could boast some 1.7 million members. The prominence of the party continued to decline over the rest of the century, and it eventually split into several smaller factions.

The end of the Cold War and the collapse of the USSR in record time transformed communism from a genuine political threat to a harmless radical ideology on the fringes of the political spectrum.

Pictures of ecstatic East Germans physically dismantling the Berlin Wall brick by brick, and finally pouring into the promised land of capitalism by the thousands were broadcast into every home. It seemed like the final blow; one last humiliation to a system everybody but those in charge of it knew was bound to fail. It was what prompted prominent political scholar France Fukuyama to announce the end of history. He argued that so far, history had been about different political systems fighting each other.

Now that the one main contenter to the liberal democracy had been eliminated, one must infer that that is the one superior system.

And it does seem that the world has never looked back. There are now 82 liberal democracies in the world, built on the foundations of capitalism, and this number is only on the rise. When it comes to communist states, the story is a little different. At present, China, Vietnam, North Korea, Laos and Cuba are the only members of this very exclusive club. Add to that China’s slow but certain move away from the economic stylings of communism, in order to reap the benefits of having cheap and plentiful labour on the international market.

It is increasingly becoming communist only in name.

It seems like the general consensus is that the system is dated and not fit for running a modern state. Griffiths on the other hand, sees it from a different perspective.

“It took capitalism three hundred years to establish itself as the overwhelmingly predominant system in the world,” he argues. “The first efforts to build a modern alternative to it began less than one hundred years ago, in conditions of world war, enormous destruction and the hostility of wealthier capitalist powers armed to the teeth.”

Despite these conditions and their initially low levels of development, he says these states made “enormous economic, social and cultural advances for their own peoples while helping national liberation movements around the world.”

Vincent on the other hand disputes the very notion that capitalism is a superior system. Superior for whom, he asks?

“It may be the 'superior' system

for the bankers and their chums, but its not for the majority of us.

The major capitalist countries exploit and oppress on an international scale.

“People can't go on like this, and

Take the Communist Party, for instance. They back a planned economy, with increased levels of nationalization and state ownership of industry and production.

Griffiths fully believes this can be

"Capitalism may be the superior system for bankers and their chums, but not for the majority of us." the achievements of socialist revolutions past and present demonstrate that another way is possible, not just in theory but in practice.

Communism means working class and oppressed people organising to take control of their destiny.”

This message is echoed by the majority of the British far left groups. The exact manifesto wording differs, and they propose different ways of reaching their aims, but the ultimate goal is the same nonetheless; a radical change in the very construction of our society. These groups might be small in numbers, but as far as power of ideas goes they are real heavyweights.

achieved even in today’s Britian, when the idea capitalism seems to be firmly entrenched in the national consciousness.

“Public ownership of key sectors of the economy, and the planned use of our industrial, labour, energy and material resources is not only feasible - it is essential, if we are to provide full employment, decent living standards and high quality public services for all, while also rescuing the planet's ecosystem from capitalist ruination,” says Griffiths.

The Revolutionary Communist Group take it a step further, explicitly calling for the destruction of

FEATURES

N YORK VISION

Tuesday June 28, 2011

TO BE DESTROYED"

15

politics, and asks what it means to be a communist in 2011.

Photo: Communist Party of Britain

capitalism as a system. Vincent explains that they don’t only see this as feasible, but indeed inevitable.

“When people are pushed beyond a certain point, they are forced to organise and fight back, not because communists or anyone else persuade them to, but because they are left with no other choice. We have seen this in Britain before, in the unemployed workers movement in the 1920s and 1930s, in the miners strike of 1984/85, in the movement against Thatcher's Poll Tax, and in many many other struggles. We are seeing it today on the streets of Greece and Spain.”

Fringe parties are known for their controversial and often polarizing policies; it’s why they’re on the fringes. Where the far right often preach discrimination and even outright racism, sexism and homophobia, the biggest criticism leveled against the far left is their continued support of regimes generally recognized to be brutal and oppressive.

In their manifesto, Britain’s Road to Socialism, Griffith’s Communist Party state that the Soviet Union made a tremendous impact on the struggle for freedom against imperialism across the world, “rendering invaluable aid to the national liberation and anti-apartheid move-

ments.” They also praise the USSR for saving the whole of humanity from “unprecedented tyranny”, by playing a vital part in defeating fascism in the Second World War. “Serious mistakes were made and crimes committed in the name of communism, when attempting to build the first socialist societies,” Griffiths admits. He argues that this stems from trying, in only 20 years, to achieve scientific base, industrialisation, universal health and education services, social peace – a process most capitalist countries spent over a 100 years on.

“They did remarkably well under the circumstances. Soviet industrialisation made possible the

Both groups have forged connections to parties in the few current communist states. The Communist Party has fraternal relationships with Cuban, Vitenamese and Chinese communist parties. The RCG have pledged to “fight actively in defense of the Cuban revolution.

“Socialist Cuba was recently ranked 1st among 'developing' countries in the UN Human Development Index,” Vincent tells us, “and has been assessed by the World Wildlife Fund as the only society which both meets the needs of its population, and does so in a sustainable way.”

He argues that in Cuba, socialism has guaranteed rights to education, healthcare, housing, while operating under the most extensive economic blockade in history, causing shortages and raised the prices of many vital imports.

“There has always been a barrage of propaganda against socialist countries from the capitalist media, often making hypocritical claims about 'human rights' and portraying people in prison for criminal convictions as 'civil society activists'. In reality the only political prisoners in Cuba are in the area occupied by the United States at Guantanamo Bay.” Despite these somewhat extreme views, recent developments have pushed sections of the far left into the mainstream. The response to the public sector cuts implemented by the new government has been a noticeable spike in direct action from regular citizens. Now, of course direct action is not a unique feature of the left, but several of these groups have gone out and publicly lent their support to the various anti cuts movements. Recently, the Communist Party has called for their members to support the upcoming June 30 strike. Previously, the likes of the Socialist Workers Party had a strong presence at the massive March for the Alternative.

The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition councilors pledged this year to oppose all cuts to council jobs, services, pay and conditions, stating that “when faced with government cuts to council funding,

"Capitalism excuses, praises, exaggerates, rewards or seeks to profit from almost every negative type of human attitude and behaviour." defeat of four-fifths of Hitler's forces by the Red Army, saving Europe from decades of Nazi barbarism.”

councils should refuse to implement the cuts.”

And then there is of course the

Photo: Communist Party of Britain

national student demo. The York Socialists, an umbrella group for different left wing organizations at the university, were heavily involved in the fight against the fees increase.

“We were involved from the beginning in the York Students Against Cuts group, building for Demolition and the education marches in town and joining the sit-in,” says Secretary Raoul Lundberg. “It's the institutional memory of socialist groups who've been contesting fees and commodification in higher education for decades.”

He believes that socialism is still more than relevant to the students of today: “I think its the combination of open critical discussion and activism working to build alliances to contest the structural bases of things, with a changed world as your horizon rather than personal or tribal political success, that makes our politics more meaningful and effective. That's open to modern students and everyone else.”

Although they are experiencing more of a prominent role in the media at the moment, both Vincent and Griffiths believe there are still many misconceptions about what it means to be a communist in our day and age.

Vincent says that the biggest

misconception about communists is that they have a blueprint for society, with a predetermined and thought-out paradise that they want to win people over to. “We're not interested in a utopia, we're interested in concrete improvements in the lives of real human beings.”

Griffiths on the other hand, believes people have forgotten that communism at its core represents a world view and a view of humanity that is fundamentally more optimistic than what captalism has to offer.

Reactionary ideologies, in which he includes capitalism, tell us every day that human beings are greedy, selfish, utterly self-centred and that these are the predominant characteristics of 'human nature'.

“Almost everyone agrees with this pessimistic, defeatist view of human beings in general - but I've yet to meet anyone who thinks it applies to themself ! Capitalism excuses, praises, exaggerates, rewards or seeks to profit from almost every negative type of human attitude and behaviour.

"When true to itself, socialism and communism combat those negative traits and believe that a type of society is possible that would be based on everything that is best in humanity. "

16 FEATURES

YORK VISION

Tuesday June 28, 2011

APOCALYPSE SOON?

MADDY POTTS explores the world of final judgement, and how to prepare.

F

ive weeks ago preacher Harold Camping was waiting patiently in his California home for the Rapture, during which he confidently expected to be whisked up to heaven along with around two per cent of the rest of us. Having studied the Bible for seventy years, Camping believed he'd found a fool-proof system for predicting the date of the Rapture, based on some complex mathematical calculations.

There are, Camping believes, three holy numbers; five, ten and seventeen. If you multiply each of these numbers together (twice, of course) you get 722,500.

Now, count forward by this special figure from the date Camping believes the crucifixion took place, 1st April AD33, and you'll come to rest on 21st May 2011.

"When I found this out, I tell you, it blew my mind," explained Camping. There was no doubt that this would be Judgement Day. But then the 21st May came and went, passing without even the merest hint of apocalypse.

It was discovered that Camping made something of a habit of predicting the end of the world, having made a similar incorrect claim in 1994. So the world had a good laugh at Camping, and almost overnight he became an international figure of fun. American news broadcaster CNN tracked down Adam Larsen, one of Camping's full-time devotees, who told reporters: "My favourite pastime is raccoon hunting.

I've had to give that up, but this task is far more important." And with that, the whole incident was relegated to obscurity, and those of us who felt a twinge of relief as we woke up on the morning of the 22nd felt suitably foolish. But while Camping is rechecking his calculations, similarly far-fetched sounding apocalyptic theories are springing up all over the world, at home and away. Not concerned? I don't blame you. Until you learn that each theory, spanning continents and millenia, has independently pinpointed the same time, within a few weeks, for our certain demise.

Chris Barrow in Parliament Street, spreading the not-so-good news to the people of York. week, takes up his spot in the middle of York's bustling Parliament Street to spread his message.

Chris lays his argument out in ten steps. He claims it is written in the Bible that God gave the world 6,000 years for evil to "run its course in the world, whilst the people choose whether or not to follow Jesus." He believes that if you counted out six millenia from the very first events described in the Bible, you would arrive at a point in the next year or so.

In perhaps his most controversial move, Chris proclaims boldly: "The Pope is the most evil and the most powerful man in the world today." Indeed, he says

"My favourite pastime is raccoon hunting. I've had to give that up, but this task is far more important."

So ubiquitous is the figure of the city centre religious zealot with a placard proclaiming the coming of the end that he risks fading almost completely into the scenery. Chris Barrow is one such individual who, every

the next Pope will be Satan himself in disguise, as the Roman Catholic Church is "the biblical Antichrist...the opposite of true Christianity in many ways."

He goes on to explain that the world's leaders are in the know

about the impending apocalypse, and are choosing to withhold the information from the wider public. Global afflictions such as terrorism, climate change, disease and financial collapse have in fact been orchestrated by world leaders "using the same strategy that the bad guys have used throughout history. It's called 'create the problem, so that they can introduce their so-called solution'." As an agnostic, I was determined to approach Chris' religious theory with an open mind, but as his argument strays into conspiracy-theory territory, he starts to lose me.

These "bad guys" have a "major event planned for 2012," Chris explains, at which point the world's population will divide between followers of Satan, and followers of God. And for those who choose the former? "They'll be destroyed."

For those who aren't sure they'll make the cut in the Rapture, Chris offers some advice: "[you] should be preparing for God's judgement day NOW," he suggests. But conventional worship won't work: "Don't go to any of today's churches. Just about all of the churches in the UK are controlled by Satan, and were put here to deceive you."

They pedal a "wishy-washy 'God

is love' version of Christianity", Chris says. But in preserving the Sunday Sabbath, which is not God's true seventh day, the modern churches in fact pander to

21st 2012; a mere year and a half away. Mayan writings don't contain explicit predictions for the end of the world, just an abrupt, unexplained ending of days. So that's alright then.

But if ancient spiritual civilisations don't convince (or concern) you, then perhaps words from the mouth of a real-life physics boffin might. Gregg Braden, scientist and author of Fractal Time, holds a theory that the planet is approaching the end of its latest super cycle. "Our planet is under the influence of great cycles of time," Braden explains. "Some cycles we know about, like the 24-hour cycle, or a woman's monthly cycle. But the great cycles cover such vast periods of time that we don't remember them from one civilization to the next."

Our current cycle has lasted over five millennia, having been caused by an obscure astronomical event that occurred in the year 3114 BC. And in a coincidence that would unnerve the greatest sceptic, Braden reckons this cycle is due to wrap up on December 21st 2012.

Ancient spirituality, historical astronomy and contemporary fringe religions have, for the first time, aligned in the prediction that we might not be long for this world.

But if talk of the impending end has left you doubting the importance of modern society's complexities, think again. There hasn't been a single seminal moment in the past decade that didn't unwind in some way over social media, and the apocalypse

"Don't go to any of today's churches... all the churches in the UK are controlled by Satan, and were put here to deceive you." the devil.

Chris isn't alone in his belief that the world as we know it might be running out of time.

The year 2012 is a recurrent apocalyptic theme, cropping up in folklore, ancient mythology, modern science and sub-standard disaster films alike.

The Ancient Mayan calendar uses a complex numbering system called the Long Count, which makes use of five decimal places. So the first day of the Mayan calendar was 0.0.0.0.1, and the last day, ancient writings dictate, will be 12.19.19.17.20.

Translated into the Gregorian calendar (the twelve month system used by many modern societies), this date is December

will be no different.

When the day itself arrives, the Facebook news feed will be lousy with ironic 'count-down' status updates and inappropriately emotional farewell messages. Meanwhile, in the Twittersphere, "#endoftheworld" will top the trending lists, though celebrities will continue to exchange elite witticisms with one another.

A search of "zombie apocalypse" returns literally thousands of Facebook events.

Though if the theories are correct, and the world as we know it is on its way out, there won't be a choice in the matter; we'll all be attending, regardess of whether we clicked the link to RSVP.

LIFESTYLE

YORK VISION

Tuesday June 28, 2011

>Lifestyle

In this issue:

P17 - Your holiday checklist P18 - Life after university P19 - Seasonal food on your doorstep P20 - Bizzare Beauty P21 - The Great American Rail Adventure P22 - Summer wedding attire

Holiday Hot List 1.

Beach hair styling spray Holiday hair can be a pain; it's always too hot and humid to straighten or style properly so can end up being a frizzy mess.

Be sure to get some hair-styling products to create a messed up, surfer look. A sea salt-based spray is best for natural beach waves - just spray straight onto wet hair (no messing about with hairdryers)! For shorter hairstyles, a fibre putty is great as it will give you a style that looks effortless and is light on hair - so it won't feel too greasy!

Office £60

2.

After-sun lotion After-sun can be a lifesaver when your skin is feeling damaged from a day's tanning.

Of course, sun-cream is of the utmost importance when holidaying somewhere sunny as sunburn can easily ruin your trip, but even when being careful to keep cream topped up throughout the day, skin can still feel dry and sore in the evening. A quick application of after-sun can help revitalise your skin, and it will help extend your tan! I recommend a lotion with aloe vera to help cool and sooth your skin, like Garnier's Ambre Solaire After Sun Gel (£9.18 from Boots).

3.

Denim cut-offs They can be difficult to pull of in the UK, but on holiday they are the key item to your wardrobe! They can be worn day and night on both guys and girls (although, steer clear of the hot-pants styles guys!).

And the best part? You don't even need to buy them, you can make them yourself ! Get an old pair of jeans, cut them off to you preferred length and voila! No one will be able to tell the difference from your homemade version to a shop-bought pair.

Office have a great selection of both wedge espadrilles (pictured) and flats.

River Island have a wide selection of flat espadrilles - all at £9.99. If you want to splash out, Free People (available online only) have a few pairs of gorgeous wedges. My favourites are the Toni Suede Espadrilles, priced £51.21, but currently only available in black.

4.

17

Espadrilles Espadrilles are cheap, comfy and won't have your feet boiling in the heat. Made with canvas material and a soft sole they are a must-have for your summer wardrobe this year. Heeled and flat varieties are widely available, making this the perfect shoe to go from day to night. With so many different colours and patterns you can stand out from the crowd.

Sarah Woods gives a helping hand with packing for your holidays!

5.

Holiday make-up A good waterproof mascara and a darker shade of foundation are vital for your make-up bag when going away. Panda eyes in the swimming pool is just not a good look. Also, when you get a nice Summer glow on your face, your old foundation will not match your current skin colour and so investing in a darker shade of foundation or, even better, a tinted moisturiser (lighter on your skin and usually includes SPF) is a must for that perfect holiday look.

TOPMAN £30

For an alternative to the high street, head to Deep and pick up some vintage Levi's although the sizes tend to be quite large - pull them in with a belt to create a paper-bag waist. Coloured denim is another great shout - these Topshop shorts are available in various colours. Jack Wills have similar hot pants, but at double the price.

TOPSHOP £26

Neon eyelids are a big trend this summer.

Pair with clear, tanned skin and a neutral lip for coloured cool.

Office £65

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YORK VISION Tuesday June 28, 2011

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Daniel Bennett takes a look at every student's biggest fear... the future.

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P22 Fashion and Style

hether you're just starting university or you're at the beginning of the end, we all, to some extent, share the same pressures and worries over what's going to happen when we leave.

Perhaps you know what you want to do; perhaps you're lost in a whirlwind of thought. Surely they're two great places to be though? The first, a steady path to fulfil your dreams, and the second, the opportunity to become whatever you want to be. Yet still there is a sense of real anxiety, hidden or not, when any one of us dares look towards the future.

The romantic idea of personal fulfilment and growth is shrouded by a minefield of doubt and the real chance for failure.

Many of us race through these thoughts trying to predict our journey. But like any great exploration, you don't know where you're going. That's the point. Christopher Columbus was not on a set route: there is no satnav for life, and the destination is unknown. This angst provokes many to rush through all their decisions, get a Masters

Photos: Ruth Gibson

degree, get a job, get a promotion, find a partner, get a house, get another promotion, have a child, and phew! We've made it - the high life! But can we really list our life goals like this?

If we let ourselves be commandeered by this desperate boxticking culture we risk letting the best years of our lives pass us by.

This structure will also change jobs will come and go, and so will love. By generating a rigid list we run the risk of unnecessarily feeling failure. This article is not against progression, rather our attitude towards it. We should all take life more as it comes and take pleasure in making more informed decisions, because if not we run the risk of not enjoying the mental nourishment 'the plan' had promised.

So when 'deciding' on a career, take the pressure off yourself, think what

you'd want to do for the next five years, not the next 50. The life ladder will always be there for us to climb, but it will be interspersed with snakes to take us down the same way. Let university sharpen your mind and just do what feels right. There is no shame in taking a year out to liberate your captive mind. So the idea is reach for the stars, but enjoy the journey up there. It may take a while to reach your destination so you'll want to enjoy the trip. Your life is the grandest journey you'll ever embark upon and you don't want to miss it.

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LIFESTYLE

YORK VISION

Tuesday June 28, 2011

Scott Simmons and Zoe Pinder offer al fresco advice...

Don't be Meloncholy....

Pimmp your pinic...

Lemon-aid your thirst...

A brie-liant idea...

You should definitely grape-le with the idea of incorporating cheese and biscuits in your picnic plans. Brie adds a level of sophistication to the occasion if you're only used to cheddar and if your taste buds reject this option there are stiltons of cheesy options available!

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Grab a pair of melons while they're in season. One portion of cantaloupe provides you with pots of potassium, magnanimous amounts of magnesium and your daily requirement of vitamin C and vitamin A. You'll have consumed all of your nutrients in a vitaminute!

Pimm's is a summer essential and the classic cocktail can contribute to any picnic! Adding an array of fresh fruit and mint leaves enhances the taste of the popular drink and gives it a summery flavour. If you're worried about the high price, Aldi offer a cheaper alternative in the form of Austin's!

P18 What's Going On

Perfect Picknicking

19

Berry Berry Good...

Pick your own or buy them while they're cheap! Strawberries are delicious in the summer and contain vitamins A, B, C, D, E and K! Eat them with cream while watching Wimbledon or mix them with other berries and add them to your cereal: they're not a cereal killer, they're a cereal maker!

Recipe of the week Review of the week Anna Mckay has a licence to grill...

It's nearly the end of term and there's no better way to celebrate than having a barbecue. These chicken skewers don't cost much to make and are a welcome change from sausages or burgers. Eat stuffed in hot flatbreads with generous amounts of salad and soured cream. Serves 4.

Ingredients: 500g deboned chicken thighs, 2 garlic cloves, ½ an onion, 1 tsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp each ground coriander and cumin, 1 tsp dried oregano, juice of one lemon, 2 tsp tomato puree, 1 tsp olive oil.

1) Cut the chicken thighs into chunks and set aside in a bowl.

2) Finely chop the garlic and onion with a sprinkle of salt and add to the chicken.

3) Sprinkle over the smoked paprika, coriander, cumin and oregano.

4) Add the lemon juice and tomato puree, then the olive oil and stir to coat.

5) Leave the mixture to marinate for a few hours, or as long as you can, to let the flavours get to know each other.

6) When you're ready to cook, divide the chicken pieces and prang onto four metal skewers.

7) Cook on the barbeque for 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally.

Some of the food was quite expensive, but it was definitley worth the price. I wouldn't suggest going here on the student budget unless it's a special occasion, but it's definitely worth a visit if your parents are taking you out. If you're looking to pick a place to eat, then I would definitely suggest picking Piccolino!

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Method:

O

verlooking the river Ouse, Piccolino is in a great location and offers a diverse selection of Italian food. Its classy decor gives it of sense of elegance, and its clientele appear to range from businessmen to students. As well as serving food cooked in an open kitchen, it also offers a sophisticated bar for those waiting to be seated or to simply enjoy a relaxing drink in a stylish environment.

The large restaurant holds a number of people and seemed close to capacity, despite it being a weekday. It was immediately evident why as, on arrival, we were greeted by a friendly gentleman with a strong, enthusiastic Italian accent that added to the restaurant's authenticity - we could easily have been in Napoli!

The great service continued, as the waiters built up an immediate rapport and were quick to top up empty glasses or to help with any queries.

My five housemates and I had three courses each: ordering food that ranged from seabass to pizza, from bruschetta to calamari, and nobody was disappointed with the quality or quantity. Despite dessert despair when my sugar-loving friend was told that the parfait had sold out, she was offered a complimentary pannacotta, which soon distracted her from her pudding predicament.

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Aromatic Chicken Skewers

Scott Simmons tells you why you should pick Piccolino...

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Add some zest to your drinking habits! Simply blend lemons with caster sugar, water and lots of ice and you've lemon-made your own lemonade! The drink will be cloudy, but let's hope the weather isn't!

Bizzare Beauty

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YORK VISION

Tuesday June 28, 2011

Helen O'Brien looks at some of the stranger treatments in the world of health and beauty.

Snail Slime Cream

A

s unpleasant as the thought of rubbing mollusc excretions into your skin is, this wondercream has been touted as the panacea of skin ailments. Originally put forward as a miracle wrinkle cure after Chilean farmers found that long days of handling snails had left their hands baby-smooth, the product promises to improve acne, stretch marks, scars, age spots and even ingrown hairs. Snails use their slime to heal and regenerate their shells, so why not give your own skin a similar pick-me-up!

E

veryone has their beauty musts, those little routines or perfect products that you just couldn't live without, but it's all too easy to stick with your old friends and fall into a beauty rut. With summer just around the corner now's the time to shake up your routine and discover a new treatment to add to your collection. If you're a little short on inspiration, worry not, we're here with just a few of the more unusual options out there.

Snake Massage

N

ot for the faint-hearted, this treatment was developed by a spa in Israel after the owner noted that many people felt calmed when handling snakes.

The treatment involves six snakes being placed on the clients back and then left to work their slithery magic.

Apparently the smooth movement in combination with the cool skin makes the whole treatment rather pleasant and is meant to be great at reducing stress and releasing builtup tension.

Bull Semen Hair Mask

J

ust how far would you be willing to go for Kate Middleton-esque glossy locks?

I dream of a cascade of smooth shiny hair as much as the next girl, but I'm not sure how I feel about letting my hairdresser massage the love juice of a bull into my scalp! The logic behind this, frankly gross, haircare revolution is that the proteins in your hair can form a protective layer, keeping it healthy and giving you that enviable shine. Based on this, there have been a surge of protein-rich hair treatments flooding the market, and what's a great natural source of protein? Bull semen of course!

Arctic Ice Room

D

escribed as the anti-sauna, the shot of cold as you enter the room is supposed to reduce hypertension as well as tightening up your pores. All you have to do to get all of these lovely benefits is sit back on a heated bench and enjoy being chilled to perfection. Add in mint-scented air and a beautiful display of falling snowflakes and you've got one very relaxing ice room!

Beer Bath

T

he Czech region of West Bohemia is known for its extensive spa culture, so it's no surprise it offers up a bit more than your standard massage and manicure. If you take a trip to the Chodovar brewery you can recline in a warm (and presumably sticky) bath of beer, water hops and yeast. A twentyfive minute dip in one of the baths is meant to be great for your hair and skin as well as improving your circulation. For hardcore ale lovers you can also enjoy a cold beer as you soak, followed by a beery dinner in the brewery restaurant!

24 Carat Facial

W

ho says wearing gold has to be limited to your jewellery? The ultimate in luxury skincare, the latest pampering craze is a facial containing pieces of genuine 24 carat gold. The concept is based on traditional Indian medicine, where the therapeutic effects of gold have been known for thousands of years. The combination of creams used in the facial are meant to reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles as well as boosting circulation, leaving your skin glowing. As truly fabulous I'm sure it is, this decadent treat will set you back around ÂŁ75 per treatment! Maybe we'll stick with the Nivea...

LIFESTYLE

YORK VISION

Tuesday June 28, 2011

Jack Knight recounts his epic train trip around the United States of America...

Los Angeles - Days 1 & 2

I jumped on the three hour stint to Seattle. It would have been short had there not been so many delays that I eventually rolled into my destination 6 hours later. I now hated trains.

I was really looking forward to visiting Seattle. Years of being rather provincially moronic and watching the sitcom Frasier had left me with something of an unrequited, ignorant love of Seattle. My two days weren’t awful, but they were underwhelming.

My couchsurfing host Erin was lovely. Seattle was picturesque. The

"I woke up the next morning crumpled, but looking out onto snow-covered peaks.

The trains had started to charm me once again." looking out onto a national park’s snowcovered peaks. The trains had started to charm me once again. These positive inclines only set me up for a greater fall when we stumbled into Portland, again five hours late. These trains were like an awful friend – simultaneously great fun and insanely annoying.

My new couchsurfing host Kathleen found me slightly confused and lost in the centre of Portland and started her role of tour guide and host extraordinaire. An Oregon native,

GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE SAN FRANCASICO

people were friendly. But there was just a sense of fun and purpose missing. All the tourist attractions were pleasant.

The people were pleasant. The whole city was just a bit too pleasant.

Empire Builder Train - Days 11 – 13

With this I got on my next train – the 45 hour journey to Chicago. I had my mp3 player charged, a stack of books to read and lots of snacks to munch on. But nothing could have prepared me for the Empire Builder train. By midway through the next day we were delayed by about 3 hours. The dreary flatness of the northern landscape did little to make the situation any more positive. And then around midnight (28 hours into the journey) we stopped somewhere in pitch black North Dakota. There had been a mix-up and we sat in the dark for 5 hours. There is nothing more irritating than sitting in a stationary vehicle.

But by the next morning the delays were starting to be cut down. We got down to 6 hours. Then 5 hours. Now 4 hours. It felt like Apollo 13 when they think they might be able to survive and everyone watching is willing them on. Then there was a loud thump, the brakes were shoved on and we went

from 80 mph to nothing in the space of seconds.

Someone in rural Wisconsin had decided to cross over a junction when it was on red and been ploughed into with a few tons of train. We eventually limped into Chicago after 60 hours on the train. Trains were my nemesis.

Chicago - Days 14 – 16

I arrived in Chicago at 1am. I hadn't slept properly in nearly three days, I had been living off chicken sandwiches and I just wanted a goddam bed!

The woman I was meant to be couchsurfing with told me to just get a taxi to her house and give her mobile a ring because her doorbell didn't work.

I told the taxidriver the address and he asked "Really? There?" This should have been a premonition. I eventually arrived at her house in the middle of Stabby McStabbison neighbourhood.

I rang her phone. She didn't pick up.

I rang her eight more times. She still didn't pick up. The taxi driver eventually told me that he didn't want to stop in this neighbourhood too long. It was at this point I decided that a hostel might be a better idea.

Unfortunately I had arrived in one of the biggest cities in the US on a Saturday night when the area was full of tourists and two large conventions were in town. Finding a bed wasn't going to be easy.

After sitting in an internet cafe for about an hour phoning every hostel and hotel in Chicago I discovered the only bed in the city was in a large corporate hotel. I arrived at the front desk desperately tired.

My feelings of exhaustion were not helped when the receptionist told me the price of a room for one night would be $400. I literally burst in to tears and started begging her for any discount.

I eventually got $150 off, collected my tear sodden bill and dragged myself up to my room.

The End - Days 17 & 18

So what advice can I impart? Essentially I learnt that America has built a fantastic railway network that goes anywhere and everywhere. They have put trains on the lines that are comfortable. And then they have fallen at the last hurdle. They have got all the hard stuff done, but they don’t maintain it and run it properly.

Some say it's lack of funding. Maybe. But I think the US train system has been overpowered by the car. You do a roadtrip through America on their highly-maintained highways. You don’t potter through on trains. But the train network is coming to a precipice.

Less tourism, less profits and less care mean a lesser network. America will be a blander place without its trains. Maybe this is what the car-obsessed nation wants. It’s a shame.

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And so I got on my first long-distance train – the Coast Starlight from LA to San Francisco. Everything Americans had told me about their trains was baloney. I lolloped down on to my throne and entertained myself with palatial views of the sea on my left and majestic Coastal Mountain scenes on my right.

These sights probably could have entertained me for most of the scheduled eleven hour journey. Unfortunately we steamed into San Francisco five hours late by which time all romanticised notions of train travel had departed from my mind. I met up with Charlie (my couchsurfing host) and kipped down for the

I got on the 18 hour overnight train to Portland. I woke up the next morning crumpled from sleeping on chairs, but

Seattle - Days 8 – 10

LA GRAFFITI

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San Francisco - Days 3 & 4

Portland - Days 5 – 7

Kathleen showed me all the wonderful things the much-mocked city of Portland had to offer.

By the end of the weekend we were sitting in her 11th storey apartment, sipping cocktails and watching 'Jeeves and Wooster'. This confirmed that couchsurfing was fantastic.

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I went nervously to my first couchsurfing hosts. Well, more slowly than nervously. LA is America’s second largest city and yet probably has the worst public transport system in the world.

Standing on a skateboard and farting would get you to your destination faster than LA’s haphazard buses that begrudgingly crawl around the city. It is not so much a city as an urban sprawl that someone vomited on to the coastline and possibly the most visually offensive place on earth. And this is from someone who lived in New Jersey for nine months.

This feeling was only accentuated when, while waiting at a bus stop, a homeless man started chatting to me.

He was forcefully friendly. He eventually followed me on to my bus announcing “I am going home with you. We will be good friends!” My rhetoric was simply no match for his insistence. After two days of being a hobo-magnet, it was time to escape LA.

night on his sofa.

The next morning I arose like a clichéd simile in a Jilly Cooper love romp.

Then started my two day tour of San Francisco – Alcatraz, Coit Tower, Lombard Street, etc. By the end I found myself sitting in a bar exhausted, watching Ice Hockey and nursing a beer. I got chatting to the very enthusiastic hockey fan beside me.

When I said I wasn’t an ice hockey fan the man jokingly ruffled my hair.

Two seconds later his team scored. I became the lucky charm. If you ruffled the Brit’s hair your team would win.

But, as the barman initiated, to ruffle you had to buy me a beer. By the end my hair was a mess and I could barely stand, but my sacrifice had not been in vain – the locals had won and I was leaving San Francisco with a sense that I had given something back.

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"I

am couch-surfing around America – seeing six cities and going through 18 states in three weeks," I would announce to my American friends. “By car...?” they would suggest. I would explain that I had bought a rail pass allowing me to gander around for under $400. Their response to this was a sneering laughter making me feel naively cuckolded. What was it they weren’t telling me?

P18 What's Going On

The Great American Rail Adventure

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22 LIFESTYLE P17 What's Going On

For the boys

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P18 Food and Drink

Ted Baker £56

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YORK VISION

Tuesday June 28, 2011 Sarah Coggles £50

Marks & Spencer Limited Edition do great new suits - their 'slim fit' selection is particularly flattering and targeted at a younger audience.

The suits are £99-£129 and are a perfect choice for those currently without one. Invest now and it will come in handy for countless occasions. Reiss do great men's formal wear, however it comes at a fairly high price; the suits are in excess of £400 - not really in budget, I would have thought! The formal shirts are around £70, worth the price!

Ted Baker is another pretty good shout - their attractive yet dubiously named 'Slick Rick' suit is currently half price - at £180. Steer clear of the floral shirts though, unless you want to look like a young James May...

Floral Miss Selfridge £33

'I DO'...

Want to look fabulous at a summer wedding

Vintage is a great alternative to high street particularly if your keen for a floral dress. Follow the Vintage Fair on Facebook it's constantly travelling and you can pick up something unique. Or Purple Haze on Walmgate is a good option.

Most cities have a vintage store or two - London has plenty and Manchester's Northern Quarter is gaining popularity for its flourishing vintage shops and markets.

By Katy Roberts

I

t would seem that 2011 is a fashionable year to have a wedding. We’ve all had the Royal Wedding pushed down our throats enough (not that I’m complaining - huge fan); with every aspect of the media examining what Kate wore, what Pippa wore, what the Queen wore. According to many glossies, the Queen is one of biggest style icons of the moment; she’s a classy lady. Future Queen of England aside, 2011 is set to be the wedding of another Kate, Queen of Fashion Kate Moss. From what I hear, her Hen Party was ‘oh so’ Moss, spent at the Isle of Wight Festival, she wore a borrowed poncho, apparently. Magazines have been speculating greatly on what she’ll wear, and Shane Watson of the Sunday Times even wrote a column the other week on brides over the age of 30 and what they can, and can’t, wear.

Sheesh, give over, I’m sure Kate Moss

will wear precisely what she likes.

She’ll look fantastic, obviously. Apparantly, guests are required to bring water pistols... interesting choice Kate!

Moss aside, unlucky in love popstar Lily Allen married last month, wearing a gorgeous lace dress designed by Delphine Manivet - causing a bit of hoohhah - the star was previously believed to be wearing Chanel for her big day.

Turns out she wore the very similar Karl Lagerfield dress to her reception.

I’ve been to a hen party and a wedding myself this month. My housemate is getting married in South Africa this August and so our house has been full of wedding fever. Elsewhere, in sunny Lancashire, my cousin got married.

However, I'm not overly interested in what the bride wore - here are a few ideas on what you, as a guest, could wear to a wedding this summer.

Sorbet

Miss Selfridge £45

TOPSHOP £48

Free People £79.17

TOPSHOP £46

Lace

Lace might not a newbie on the fashion scene but coloured lace looks modern for summer. The highstreeet is awash!

YORK VISION

SPORT

Tuesday June 28, 20119

>Sport

23

HALIFAX IN SEVENS HEAVEN WITH COLLEGE RUGBY VICTORY

BY SALLY DOLTON & OLIVER WESSELY HALIFAX RAN AWAY with the rugby sevens trophy to cap a fine season.

Seven colleges were represented in the round-robin tournament, allowing each college to play each other on a late afternoon on 22 Acres.

Play kicked off with a decisive 25-5 victory for the eventual winners Halifax over Chris West’s Vanbrugh. Aggressive defensive work from Halifax left an overwhelmed Vanbrugh side struggling to break the line.

Halifax took full advantage and scored five impressive tries including one opportunistic break after a Vanbrugh fumble.

Derwent, the college X and XV champions, arrived with a depleted squad and were blown away by Goodricke in their first game. Although the Blues enjoyed a late rally, it was not enough, as Goodricke

Photo: Oliver Todd

achieved a 30-20 victory.

The next match was between Alcuin and James; both sides had continued to train post-season, and were looking to play possession rugby. However, Alcuin were buoyed by the presence of UYRUFC winger Will Sharp, who dominated an inconsistent James side. Alcuin scored an impressive six tries, of which two were from Adam Gaskell, who powered through the James defensive line with a strong run, shaking off the challenges to score within seconds of the final whistle.

On pitch B, Halifax controlled a physical game and despite a late try from Philip Charlesworth, Derwent lost 15-5.

Meanwhile, James came back from their earlier defeat to claim a 25-5 victory over Vanbrugh thanks to the winning combination of Phil Scott, Alex Muntus and Aaron Rolph, all of whom added their names to the score-sheet.

The game that followed was a meeting between Vanbrugh and Derwent. Derwent came alive in the second half, scoring five tries. The most notable effort was from Freddy Harris, after he received a late switch pass from Oliver Wessely, resulting in a final score of 40-15.

Meanwhile, on pitch A, the so far undefeated Goodricke and Halifax teams faced each other. Halifax’s Jake Baldwin quickly gave his side the lead after an impressive run that skillfully avoided the Goodricke defence minutes into the first half. Halifax continued to dominate both the match and the tournament, rampaging over an outclassed Goodricke side to win 40-0, Old adversaries James and Derwent went head-to-head on the other pitch. Richard Whittaker’s try could have given Derwent the lead before half-time, but Benji Brummitt responded with a try which brought the score level at 10-10 before the break. The introduction of substitutes, most notably Rolph, was a privilege that

Photo: Oliver Todd

Derwent didn’t have. This meant the second half was one-sided, as James scored three tries without reply.

With Alcuin and Halifax the only sides still unbeaten, the game between the two sides was to be crucial in the overall standings. While injury forced an early halftime, the second half was a fine display of high quality rugby from both teams.

Halifax edged ahead of Alcuin with two outstanding tries from Ben Turner to end the game 10-5.

Alcuin were instantly back on the pitch, battling against their fatigue and a strong Vanbrugh side to come back from 10-5 down to clinch the game 15-10 with two impressive late tries.

James defeated Goodricke 30-15, setting up a tie with Halifax. The match was a high-scoring affair; Alex Muntus' dummy

and sprint for the length of the pitch cancelled out Halifax’s one-try lead. However, after the break Halifax went ahead, with Rhodes scoring two tries to seal a solid 2515 victory.

The Halifax hero was understandably ecstatic with his team’s performance, commenting that, "we were the underdogs to win from the start, but we pulled out a cracking performance and ended up totally dominating.” Rhodes added that he “couldn't be more proud to be a member of this sevens squad."

Organiser Gideon Joel Hugh "felt the day ran smoothly," adding that "all teams put a massive effort in."

With the league looking to be in a healthy and competitive state, next season's College Rugby promises to be wellcontested and well-played.

STAR OF CAMPUS: MARLIES NEUNER

THE 2010 YORK SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR TALKS TO VISION ABOUT HER TIME AT UNI AND HER AVALANCHE OF MEDALS was really happy with.

How did you get involved in snowsports?

I've been skiing and snowboarding since I was really small - I learned to ski as soon as I could walk, basically! And I started snowboarding when I was 9 years old so I've always done it. Because I come from Austria it's my natural sport, so I was always into it. I already knew about YUsnow and I emailed them before I came; I was really keen!

Do you compete for any other clubs?

At the moment I only compete for the University of York but this Easter I tried out for the British national team for snowboard cross discipline. I have a provisional offer, but am waiting to hear back for an official offer. I want to scream the news from the rooftops, but can't just yet!

How do you train?

[YUsnow offers] different kinds of training - dry slope is an hour-and-a-half away; it's indoor and plastic - it's like snowboarding and skiing on toothbrushes! We go there once a week for two hours.

Does YUsnow enter competitions?

It's not the same as a football team or something, but we do have two races a year for BUCS. At the Dry Slope Championships in Edinburgh I just had a bad day, which really frustrated me. At the British University Snowsports Championships in France I got two gold medals. One for boarder-cross and one of them was the parallel slalom. At the British University Indoor Championships I got two gold medals for giant slalom, one in the regionals and one in the finals, which I

"I learned to ski as soon as I could walk."

Do you want to be a professional snowboarder?

Last year I did my snowboard instructor qualification, but I'm a bit scared that I might not be a good teacher even though I'm a good snowboarder! But if I get in I'll be racing for the British team as well. I would like, obviously, to be a professional snowboarder, but realistically I have to have a plan B - to become a sports psychologist.

Snowboarding is said to be inspired by skateboarding, skiing, surfing and sledging. Have you tried any of these?

Well, yes, I ski but I'm really bad at skate-

boarding! I've done a bit of sledging and I've had one surf lesson but I wasn't that great! You'd think I'd be good at it but it was so different to snowboarding!

Can you do tricks and jumps?

I'm really bad at freestyle! I attempt, but no I can't! I'm all about racing and slalom.

Apparently, the risk of head injury is six times greater for snowboarders than skiers...

I did not know that! Well, I always wear a helmet. Normally I wear my back protector. The only injury I've had was when I was hit by a skier.

Where's the most impressive place you've snowboarded?

I've done all my snowboarding mainly in Austria, France and Switzerland really. For me it's not exotic because I'm from Austria but some people might think it is. I want to take a gap year in New Zealand to go snowboarding.

Snowsports are so popular but there are still so many people who've never tried! Is it easy to learn?

Oh yes, definitely. If they're committed to it and come to the lessons then sure! It's good fun!

MARLIES NEUNER

BY HELENA KAZNOWSKA

24 SPORT

YORK VISION

Tuesday June 28, 2011

THE

TIPSTER

HIS SKI CHALET IS TWICE THE SIZE OF BRIAN CANTOR'S

sure sure thing thing

RORY MCILROY TO WIN THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

The young Irishman is quite something. Since he turned pro, he's finished inside the top 20 in all four major golf championships and has been on a winning Ryder Cup team. However, after his complete capitulation at this year's Masters, those in the know (and myself) questioned his mental strength in a sport where you are fighting lone battles. Yet he defied everyone with an absolutely incredible victory in the US Open earlier this month, scoring under par in all 4 rounds and winning the tournament by 8 strokes. The runaway leader from the very start, to say he taught the rest of the field a lesson does him a disservice. So there's no reason why he can't repeat the job closer to home at Royal St George's. He is bookies' favourite and with good reason, as the 22-year -old's technique is truly remarkable.

TIPSTER'S ODDS:

long shot

6/1

ARSENAL TO BOLSTER THEIR DEFENCE WITH GARY CAHILL AND CHRIS SAMBA Without Thomas Vermaelen, Arsenal's defence are a spineless entity which crumble under pressure. Wenger has made advances on two top Premier League centre backs, England 3rd choice Gary Cahill from Bolton - still young, solid, composed and very highly rated - and Blackburn Rovers talisman and all round brick outhouse Chris Samba, who will instil some much-needed fight into the squad.

However Shiekh Mansour at Manchester City is also after Cahill, while the chicken farmers at Ewood Park have expressed confidence in Samba staying, so Wenger has a fight on his hands. That, and his tendency for playing decidedly ropey 30-plus-year-olds and gormless home-grown 'talents' (see Sebastien Squillaci and Emmanuel EbouĂŠ). Waiter, charge that cocktail to Mr Mansour's bill, thanks.

TIPSTER'S ODDS:

9/1

ABSOLUTE MADNESS ENGLAND'S CRICKETERS TO REMAIN UNDEFEATED FOR THE VISIT OF INDIA Yes, Andrew Strauss's men beat Sri Lanka in the recent test series. Yet two of the matches were drawn and at the end of last week they were absolutely trounced by the same opponents in a 20/20 international. Once the Sri Lanka series finishes, the imminent visit of the best test side in the world and world champions as of this year will see 4 test matches, a 20/20 game and 5 ODIs. Yes, England are a good side, but we are patchy on home soil and have not set the world alight this summer so far. India have some of the best players in the world; Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan and the maestro Tendulkar. The only crumb of comfort is India's dislike of English conditions, with our greener, fresher wickets; but the likelihood of seeing them go unbeaten for the whole visit is about as likely as me reducing my household staff any time soon.

TIPSTER'S ODDS:

25/1

YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS ROGER BAXTER FINDS A SNAKE IN THE GRASS COURTS

WIMBLEDON. OTHER THAN an underrated B-movie where the bashful Brit was actually allowed to win (that's the power of the silver screen, kids), Wimbledon represents the pinnacle of the tennis calendar, in the eyes of both the players themselves, and also the watching world. It's even in the name, 'The Championships'; such a name makes it self-evident that it, and not others, is the gala event of the year.

A fan of the sport, perhaps even a fan of sport in general, will be watching from day one. For most, however, the championships build gradually; people will think, "Oh, Wimbledon's on" when the tournament starts, then pick up with the tournament when it reaches the quarterfinals, or perhaps even later. Such a level of casual interest can only be a good thing for tennis, yet that interest stands more precariously than people realise.

It is no secret that support for tennis in the UK largely waxes and wanes alongside the fortunes of Andy Murray. At only 24, Murray will stay in and around the top of the sport for many years to come, but it is still unhealthy to depend so much

"The LTA only offer financial assistance when they see a finished product" on the one player for a nation's interest in a such a major sport.

For it is a major sport, a global sport, one only surpassed by football in its ability to reach all four corners of the globe.

Yet attitudes within the game, particularly in this country, are stunting its potential growth. Stories abound of children, potential converts to the game, turned away from clubs for being "too scruffy," to name one example. In other countries, most notably France, participation in tennis is not dominated by class-based factors, and public courts are actually used. But the perception of the game in the UK in 2011 is that tennis is, and always has been, a game for the children of millionaires; thus it has to draw on a pool of talent so much less than it might otherwise be.

The LTA does little to help in this regard. Despite receiving a sizable chunk of money courtesy of their AEGON spon-

dren are the future - who else would be?

The ineptitude of governing bodies aside, the game is under threat from many angles, not least due to its lopsidedness. The men's game is enjoying an (actually legitimate) golden age, with Nadal, Federer, Djokovic and Murray in or close to their respective primes. By contrast, it

"It cannot be argued that the women's game has been anything but suffering"

sorship, the Association unfortunately remains a labyrinthine bureaucracy to rival the very best, or perhaps worst. The prevailing opinion in the game is that the LTA will offer no help in engaging talent at all, only offering real financial assistance once they see a finished product. This catch-22 situation is worsened by rampant nepotism and what appears to be general incompetence, given that one mediocre player's LTA backing (and we're not even talking top 300 here) would be more than enough to set up a series of events across the country to give a massive boost to participation among the young. That it doesn't happen is testament to the fact that the LTA don't know their Whitney Houston; even then, it's fairly logical that chil-

cannot be argued that the women's game has been anything but suffering. The average person, were they to know any female players, would most probably name the Williams sisters, despite their both having not played for almost a season.

The women's no. 1, Danish Caroline Wozniacki, has never won a grand slam, and has never looked like winning one, at least at the time of going to press. She may be wowing at Wimbledon even now, and no one disputes that it is something that she has spent her whole life attempting to reach. Nonetheless, the fact remains that she has been able to rise without trace to a status that ought ordinarily to demand a higher level of achievement. The Williams sisters are the favourites for this year's title; it is their matches that command by far the most attention out of the women's draw, Venus's thriller against Kimiko Date-Krumm and Serena's demolition of Maria Kirilienko in particular. If blind optimism is your way of thinking, you might view it as testament to their abilities, which are undoubted. However, that two women can dominate both in perception and in actuality after such a long layoff cannot be anything other than an indicator of a weak women's game.

Maybe I'm too pessimistic. After all, we have Rafa, Roger, Novak and Andy. We have the champagne, the strawberries, the cream, and Sue Barker. But we need to remember that just because tennis can look good in the two-week window when people's heads are turned towards it, it isn't necessarily the healthy sport it deserves to be.

YORK SPORT AWARD WINNERS 2011 Club of the Year: Roses Team of the Year: Boat Club Men's Water Polo Sportsman of the Year: Service to Sport: Matt Pollen Chris Unsworth Sportswoman of the Year: Team of the Year: Lara Wainwright Women's Basketball & Men's Cricket Most Improved Team of the Year: American Football

YORK VISION

SPORT

Tuesday June 28, 2011

BACKS TO THE WAHL

MILANA KNEZEVIC INTERVIEWS JOURNALIST AND FIFA WHISTLEBLOWER, GRANT WAHL ON JUNE 1ST, SEPP BLATTER was re-elected as FIFA president, mandated to run the governing body of world football, one of the most powerful organisations in sports, for a fourth term. It was what every football enthusiast was hoping wouldn't happen, but knew was inescapable.

After all, he did run unopposed; his only rival, Mohammed Bin Hammam, was forced to retire from the race following corruption allegations levelled at him from fellow FIFA Executive Committee member and (former) buddy, Chuck Blazer. It was an airing of dirty laundry fit to rival the most spectacular of soap operas.

"The whole process seemed unclean, as if it was controlled by petrol dollars. " Watching the internal FIFA drama unfold from the sidelines, there was one outsider who made an active bid to challenge the status quo. That outsider was Grant Wahl, a senior writer for Sports Illustrated.

"I've travelled around a lot covering football and speaking to fans, and they are very unhappy with FIFA and Blatter.

In December, when they announced the World Cup hosts for 2018 and 2022, and Qatar got it, it just hit me that the whole process seemed unclean, as if it was controlled by petrol dollars. It just didn't seem right."

Shortly after, it became clear that Blatter intended to re-run, and he was unopposed at the time. That was when Wahl decided he had to do something drastic. After doing some research, he realised that there wasn't actually anything stopping him from running himself.

"I checked it out and it turned out anyone can enter the presidential race, as long as they get a nomination from a national FA. So I thought, FIFA as it is isn't representing the fans, so why shouldn't I run?"

On February 7th he announced his

candidacy though a column in Sports Illustrated. He made a campaign video, launching the slogan "cure the Blatter infection," and went on the campaign trail for six weeks. His two main policies was doing a Wikileaks type expose of FIFA's internal documents, as well as a full top to bottom internal investigation, styled after the US Foreign Corrupt Practises Act. "Even without a campaign budget, I feel like I got my message out there. There was a lot of media attention and I did a lot of interviews. It was like a second fulltime job!" he explained.

But how serious was he with the bid?

Did he go into the process thinking he had a genuine chance?

"I knew there was a very small chance I would actually be able to get a nomination," he admits. "FIFA is a very closed club. I already knew that the US wasn't going to nominate me, and if my own country wouldn't do it, it was going to be even more difficult getting a nomination from another country. " That's not to say that people didn't express their support; fans, players and people even higher up in the football hierarchy did. He contacted some 150 FAs and spoke to about 20, including a very interesting conversation with the head of a World Cup-winning football association.

"He told me that he really liked my ideas, and that they didn't like Blatter. He told me it would be easy for them to back me if I got a nomination, because the vote is anonymous. But they couldn't nominate me themselves, because that would be a public act and they were afraid of retaliation."

Since the revelations surrounding the elections, FIFA has decided to introduce some reforms, including letting all the member countries vote for World Cup bids, rather than just the executive committee. In addition to bin Hammam, controversial Vice-President, Jack Warner, a man plagued by corruption allegations throughout his career, has also been relieved of all his positions within the organization. Wahl however, is sceptical that these changes will have any real impact.

"There is a small possibility that

Blatter wants to restore his legacy in his last term, but I highly doubt it. FIFA cannot reform from within."

What he sees as the biggest problem is that FIFA doesn't work as representative democracy, and really isn't accountable to anyone but themselves.

"Maybe their corporate sponsors have some power, and FAs and host countries could take away their tax exemptions.

Or the fans could stop buying tickets for World Cups. But will that actually ever happen?"

"So I thought, FIFA as it is isn't representing the fans, so why shouldn't I run?"

He admits that in fact, FIFA are the one that hold a considerable amount of leverage over the FAs by being the ones who decide who hosts the World Cup. When you think about the backlash against the BBC for broadcasting their Panorama episode about corruption within FIFA just days before the 2018 and 2022 hosts were to be announced, this certainly sounds right.

"Countries desiring to host the World Cup is very useful to FIFA. The US voted for Blatter clinging to the idea that there might be a re-vote for 2022, though that is very unlikely. In the UK there was not much support for investigative journalism into FIFA matters before the vote, as that was thought to hurt their chances, but much support afterwards when they'd lost out. I guess that's just human nature."

Although the situation might be bleak at the moment, Wahl holds out hope that FIFA will be able to reform with some outside help. He even has a few candidates in mind for the presidency.

"The perfect president would be an outsider, someone with a lot of international respect, and a clear mandate to make the changed that FIFA needs. I myself have suggested Kofi Annan or Bill Clinton."

Well, if Wahl can't do it, Annan or Clinton would be a decent second choice.

RICHES TO RAG

SPORTS CLUBS RAISE HUNDREDS FOR CHARITY

BY SALLY DOLTON WITH THE BUCS competitions out of season, York's badminton, squash and netball teams, among others, have taken the opportunity to fundraise on behalf of the Raising and Giving branch of YUSU (RAG).

As the philanthropic badminton and squash teams prepared for a long night, there was a sense of excitement, not apprehension, that filled the sports hall.

The aim of the games was to raise money for RAG by paying to play squash for 24 hours, or badminton for 12. The badminton was played from 7pm Saturday until 7am Sunday and the squash from the punishing times of 9am Saturday until 9am Sunday.

Between 70 and 80 participated in the badminton, while around 30 took part in the squash.

The squash was organised by Calum Fraser and Matt Brennan, who remarked

that "you don't really know how long 24 hours is until you try and play squash for that long".

Delirium may have started to set in with some badminton participants trying their hand at playing in sumo suits. A highlight of the event was badminton stalwart James Hor donning a sumo-suit and challenging the squash men's 1sts captain to a game of badminton, and winning.

While some people opted to stay awake for the entire event, other forward-thinking competitors brought pyjamas, blankets and even a mattress.

By 7am, 18 badminton participants remained and saw the tournament through until its close.

Overall, £513 was raised from the badminton. The total, despite not being as much as last year, is still a fantastic amount to go to a worthy cause. The squash tally was yet to be counted as the issue goes to press, but is assuredly a three-figure amount.

Badminton organiser Mike Murtaugh would personally like to thank everyone who volunteered to help, the sports centre staff and all of the shops and restaurants in York who donated raffle prizes. A massive congratulations also needs to go to Alanna Burchett, Blonnie Walsh, John Sinclair and Laura Watson for their help in planning the event.

It was not just the badminton and squash clubs that did their bit for charity; the netball girls also entered into the spirit. They held their annual charity netball tournament on Sunday, with 16 teams each paying £20 to compete, raising the very respectable sum of £350. The tournament was won, for the third year running, by the basketball club team. Charity Reps Jessica Roberts and Josephine Brayshaw were "overwhelmed with the spirit and generosity of the participants," and would like to "thank everyone that contributed to its success."

POWER STRUGGLE

25

ALEX FINNIS AND OLIVER TODD FIGHT THE CORNERS FOR CLUB CONTROL AND PLAYER POWER IN THE WORLD OF FOOTBALL

PLAYER POWER

BY ALEX FINNIS AS LUKA MODRIC battles with Tottenham to try and engineer himself a move to Chelsea, a move that would give him the opportunity to challenge strongly for the title and play Champions League football, I cannot help but picture him as some kind of caged animal struggling to break free and reach the lush surroundings of the outside world.

Despite Tottenham's undeniable quality, Modric needs this big move to further his career, and it is not right that his club should prevent this. It is natural that footballers desire to hit the highest realms of their potential, just as people in regular jobs try to work their way to the top. In normal life, though, companies do not keep their employees with them against their will. A regional paper, for example, would not prevent one of their journalists leaving to write for a national, and therefore it should be the same in football.

Yes, Modric has a contract at Tottenham, but that is what transfer fees are there for - to buy this contract out. Should Chelsea offer Tottenham the right price they must accept that their player is ready to move on to bigger things, let Modric go and invest their money in some other talent.

Everyone seems to talk about 'player power' being a bad thing, but I do not understand why. It is simply the product of the natural desire to better oneself and reach the top, and clubs must learn to accept this.

CLUB CONTROL

BY OLIVER TODD WAYNE ROONEY, Carlos Tevez, and now Luka Modric. All players who, this season, have used their position within their respective sides to try to force the club to sell them or offer an improved contract. It's easy to describe the likes of Modric as a "caged animal" or, as Sepp Blatter described Cristiano Ronaldo's early failed attempts to engineer a move to Real Madrid, a player trapped in a form of "modern slavery."

However, what are we kidding ourselves for? It's simply the latest shift towards the player power that we've all envisaged and seen develop over the years.

Where is the integrity of these men?

Contracts are signed for a number of years for a reason. If Modric wasn't sure if he'd want to stay for the six years of his contract, why did he sign it this time last year? If you or I sign a contract, it is our duty and obligation to stick to it; these players should too.

It wouldn't be acceptable for me to openly criticise my employer if I was in the public eye, nor should it be acceptable for Modric and the like to disrespect their employers by stating ambitions to the press of a move to a rival club.

This isn't a question of whether a player should be allowed to move or not. Put frankly, it's a question of respect, and whether Luka Modric becomes a Chelsea player or not this summer, he has shown very little of it to Tottenham Hotspur.

26 SPORT

SPORT SPOTLIGHT

YORK VISION

Tuesday June 28, 2011

HELENA KAZNOWSKA PUTS IN AN OAR-INSPIRING PERFORMANCE AS VISION GO ROWING NOW I AM by no means at the peak of physical fitness, so the promise of a complete day-in-the-life of a university rower was a fairly daunting prospect.

Highly demanding gym sessions, painfully early starts, brutal fitness exercises, back-breaking weight-lifting, extreme carb consumption and excruciating outings; the reputation of a rower's regime had preceded it.

While I got off lightly with an 8am wake-up call, in true rowing style we hit the gym before breakfast. Between us there were six girls, two boys and coach Lara that attended the morning session.

Not only was this the first time I had ever tried rowing, but never before had I even been in a gym! We started off on the ergs (rowing machines) and for the first half of the session all worked in unison; rowing at the same pace while gradually building up the exercise, starting with just arms, then arms and upper body, before bending legs for ¼, ½, ¾ then full reps. While I didn't find this too gruelling, the technique and co-ordination was

Photo: Oliver Todd

really hard to get right. "Keep your back straight", "head up", "knees apart", "arms, body then legs", "reach the 11 o'clock position" are just a few of the commands Lara sent in my direction.

Once fully warmed up we stood in a circle to group stretch before starting the fitness exercises. Using medicine balls and weights we worked mainly on our core, completing exercises in pairs such as situps and press-ups for minute-long bursts.

The fitness regime certainly lived up to my preconceptions of brutality. Amazingly, however, I still managed to keep up with most of the session. Admittedly, I managed several rather ungraceful falls off the Swiss ball and in the final exercise I collapsed in a sweaty, pained heap at the end when I was asked to do a another batch of gruelling sit-ups. Nevertheless, not only did I survive the session, but I was still able to walk at the end (although it didn't take long before the pain started to kick-in as an unfamiliar sensation came over me; aching in my newly-found abs).

I was then given an hour off where I ate a huge greasy breakfast in order to keep my strength up for the rest of the day. I even tasted my first ever protein shake, which was mint-flavoured, and, as expected, absolutely repulsive. At 11.30 I then started the half-hour walk to the boat house for the afternoon's outing on the Ouse.

During the walk down to the bank the cox, Eden, ran through some rowing terminology that would be directed down the boat through a microphone once on water.

On arrival we entered the boat house; it wasn't long before the other rowers joined us and the dawning realisation suddenly hit that I was to be in a boat with three other experienced male rowers!

In attempt to make me less of a burden in the boat, I was given an extra session on the ergs before going out on the river.

The thing that most surprised and impressed me was the command and discipline of the cox. Eden gave no-nonsense commands not just on the water but even lifting the boat off the shelf, then to shoulder height, above the head, down the steps and into the water. I rowed on the left and

Photo: Oliver Todd

was at bow position; the cox was behind me and she faced the direction of movement. At first it felt so unbelievably precariously balanced, perched on such a tiny seat in a skinny boat and just a few inches above the water. But once we set off there was so much to think about that falling in hardly crossed my mind. I had been told to wear tight clothing so it didn't catch on the oar and I wore my trusty wellies, but it turns out that the boats have inbuilt, albeit revolting, fitted shoes.

With each boat costing around £20,000 the pressure was really on not to do anything stupid. I was warned not to stand in the bottom of the boat "otherwise you'll go straight through it". I was also warned that it was fairly likely that I could fall in, and while that would be fruitful for a witty and exciting article, the water was unappealing, cold and particularly wet. One of the rowers forewarned me that I should hold the oar under my arm when I'm not rowing, otherwise it could "smack you straight in the face and break your nose." All in all, I felt like I was risking life and limb (not to mention any remaining dignity).

I was handed a paddle and then, before I knew what was happening, Eden gave the order and I took my first strokes on the

water. It took a while for me to stop being woefully inadequate and after about ten minutes I started to get into the swing of rowing. Being the only female in the boat, and due to my general physical weakness, we practiced rowing on the water in pairs so the boat wouldn't be imbalanced. I felt my technique getting better with every stroke and the rhythm and synchronisation improve with my crew.

I was taught how to feather, turning the paddle in the air during the stroke. We turned the boat round in the water then the front two men practiced a race start, which was absolutely terrifying! It is the fastest and most precarious experience as they powered the boat upstream and I was at the back, clutching my oar for dear life.

After a hundred meters or so they stopped and the back two took over. At this point my whole body was starting to ache, but it was really invigorating once I'd got into the swing of things.

The session flew by and before I knew it we were back at the boat house, packing away the equipment and cleaning down the boat. Thanks to UYBC for organising the training session and outing especially for Vision; they have proven their worth as York Sport's Club of the Year.

YORK FENCING TEAM VICTORIOUS AT CUMBERLAND OPEN

BY DEREK WILLIAMS FOLLOWING THE END of an exemplary BUCS season, four members of the University of York Fencing Club travelled to compete in the Cumberland Open.

Louise Highton, Tom Skingle, Harry Whitwell and Philip Sellars made the journey to Carlisle and between them won three medals, making the University of York the most successful club at the competition.

After the preliminary pool stages in the Women's Epee, Louise Highton was ranked second, having only dropped one fight. After storming through her elimination fights, she met the 1st seed in the final and lost out despite a tenacious performance.

Harry Whitwell dominated the Men's Foil from very early on. After the first round, having conceded very few hits and winning all of his matches, he seeded top of the competition. This winning streak continued and he was undefeated all day.

In the run up to the final, he only conceded eight hits from a possible 45. In the

final, against a fencer ranked 68th in the national rankings, Whitwell was 12-1 up after the first three-minute period. After his performance throughout day, it caused little surprise to see him collect the gold

medal.

From early on in the Men's Epee, both Skingle and Sellars showed clearly why they make the team sheet every time. Skingle didn't lose any matches in the first

Photo: Harry Whitwell

round, and was seeded 1st going into the direct eliminations. Sellars also had a successful first round and defeated the top fencers in his pool, but lost his last two fights narrowly, leaving him 5th seed.

They both progressed into the quarter finals with ease. After an intense fight Sellars was narrowly beaten by the eventual silver medallist. Skingle conceded heavily in the first period of his quarter-final and entered the second period with the result a foregone conclusion. However, some brilliant competitive fencing demonstrated why he is the Yorkshire Epee Champion and he pulled the match back, turned it around, and won in style.

In October, the club will host the second University of York Fencing Open, a national event, open to anyone over the age of 13. Organised by Louise Highton and Harry Whitwell, last year this event had nearly 100 competitors, raising £800, and is planned to be even bigger this year, with over 100 competitors expected.

With more competitions over the coming few weeks, and a new fencing season starting in August, the Fencing Club at York hopes to see even more success.

YORK VISION

SPORT

Tuesday June 28, 2011

COLLEGE CUP

27

CUP FINAL: HALIFAX 1STS 2-0 DERWENT 1STS

BY SAM RUSSELL HALIFAX WERE CROWNED College Cup champions after sinking Derwent with two second-half goals from Conor Brennan and Alex Tringham set-pieces. Derwent's defensive organisation and concentration succeeded in keeping out the favourites' front line in the first half, but waned in the second as Brennan scored from the spot and Tringham sealed the win with a powerful free kick.

A lively start to the match saw Matt Mawdesley get stuck in straight away for Halifax, while Tom Day and Ash Daly struggled at first to get their passing accurate enough to maintain possession on a crowded pitch.

Derwent's centre-backs Josh Baines and Dom Henney were assigned the tough task of marking Tom Ragan and Conor Brennan, and succeeded in denying them any space or time on the ball in the opening exchanges. Jack Beadle's diligent running almost presented him with a goalscoring opportunity, as he closed down Derwent goalkeeper Seb Treasure, but Treasure was fast out of his area to clear his lines.

The first half-chance fell to Derwent's Dan Atherton, who blazed wide from well outside the box. Halifax goalkeeper Jonny Sim was then called into action to collect Matt Hallam's drifted corner. Minutes later, Atherton swung a free kick high and wide, before Derwent pressure subsided.

With Halifax back in the ascendancy, Ash Daly's through ball was cleared only as far as Ragan, whose shot tested the reactions of Treasure in goal. Ragan then managed to turn past Dom Henney, but found himself short of space behind the deep-lying Derwent defence.

Halifax enjoyed a better spell towards the end of the first half. Alex Tringham's driven effort was turned behind by Treasure, and a last-gasp Joe Boughtflower intervention was required from the resulting corner, when Brennan's long-range strike was parried into the path of Beadle.

Boughtflower's half-time words in-

spired a brief second-half resurgence from his team. Matt Hallam's surge forward was stopped by a Dan Turley foul, but Atherton's free-kick was again swung high and wide. Atherton believed he had a real chance to open his account for the game when put through by a Jake Farrell through-ball, but his run was deemed offside by the referee.

Sim was then seriously panicked by a Matt Worsfold cross-cum-shot brushed the top of the bar, after the full-back raced on to a Hallam pass.

Halfway through the second half, Halifax's bid to justify their favourites tag began to gather momentum. Daly rattled the bar with a superb 30-yard free-kick, and then Brennan shot on target after a neat Cruyff-turn outside the area.

The reward for the pressure came ten minutes from full-time, when Tom Ragan's jostling presented an opportunity for Tom Day, who shot powerfully from range. Treasure spilled the ball, and brought down Beadle as he attempted to pounce on it. Derwent players were furious with referee Chris Lyons as he pointed to the spot but their protestations fell on deaf ears. University 1sts captain Conor Brennan, who missed a penalty in last month's Roses tournament, stepped up and confidently lashed the ball into the bottom corner. 1-0.

Derwent had a speculative penalty claim turned down at the other end, before their misery was compounded after Brennan was fouled by Josh Baines. Alex Tringham stepped up to rifle home a 25yard free kick, almost directly over the head of a despairing Seb Treasure.

Tom Ragan chose to substitute himself for younger brother Elliot, and Mark Lund for Tom Patrickson, as Halifax set about protecting their lead. With Halifax set up to contain, Derwent took the initiative, and Jon Garness hit the target with a tame effort. Hopes of a comeback were allbut-extinguished when Atherton curled another free kick high and wide.

Jonny Sim collapsed in a heap on the floor after diving to punch the ball away from a cross. The cynics in the crowd sus-

Photo: Ruth Gibson

pected simulation. Brennan then missed two audacious efforts from range as he tried to put the icing on the cake, and the whistle blew on a 2-0 Halifax victory.

Dejected Derwent captain Joe Boughtflower said: "I'm obviously gutted. We matched them and were undone by set pieces", but was more upbeat about how the year had taken course for his team: "we've had a really good year, we've only lost two games - one at the start and one at the end", adding "we can hold our heads high".

Halifax captain Tom Ragan was quick to credit the opposition: "it was a good final - the two best teams, and the only two undefeated teams [in the cup]. We had all the same hype last year and it made things difficult, but we've pulled together this year and justified it".

Vision MOTM: Dom Petschak - the Halifax centre-back was influential in a defence that counteracted the Derwent threat almost entirely. His aerial dominance in particular was outstanding.

PLATE FINAL: JAMES 1STS 2-1 DERWENT 2NDS

BY ALEX FINNIS

Photo: Oliver Todd

JAMES 1STS CLAIMED the plate and in doing so managed to salvage some pride after the embarrassment of the group stages, beating Derwent 2nds 2-1 in a cagey, scrappy affair.

Chances were limited in the first half, with both sides slightly hesitant to really go for it. James' first sniff of an opportunity came when the lively Josh Brownlow made a run down the right and crossed in, but Tom Clarke couldn't get power on his header and it looped harmlessly into the arms of Krishna Yellappa.

Derwent's first chance was also a headed one. Matt Jenkins launched a long throw into the area which Conor Scanlan got on the end of without much trouble but flicked his header over the bar.

The majority of the rest of the half's efforts came from long range. James' Tom Clarke saw a few ambitious efforts miss the target and captain Simon Mole also blazed a 20 yard effort over the bar.

Attempts such as these were characteristic of James, who were in control of the game and looked the better team but

lacked patience. They were far too eager to play the final ball and get shots away meaning that they didn't give themselves time to create much in the way of clear-cut opportunities.

Derwent, who had had a penalty claim turned down after Will de Silva was bundled over in the area, had an excellent chance to take the lead when Matt Worsfold played a beautifully weighted ball over the top for Jon Garness. Garness latched on to it but took his shot too early, trying to half-volley a bouncing ball over Clitheroe in the James goal, and his effort went well over.

Suddenly, when it looked as if the sides would go in level at half time, James had the lead. Tom Clarke curled a corner into the area and Richard Baxter rose well and headed high into the top left hand corner to make it 1-0.

James almost doubled their lead with a goal identical to their first just after the break, but this time Baxter's effort was cleared off the line by de Silva. Before long, James were 2-0 up. James Offord found some space in the right side of the area and slotted his shot under the body

of Yellappa and into the net, celebrating by pulling his shirt over his head in an Ian Wright-esque manner.

In the game's longest period of action, Derwent managed to pull a goal back, and it was no surprise that that goal came courtesy of the prolific Jon Garness. The striker made no mistake and headed past Clitheroe to make it 2-1 and give Derwent hope of a comeback.

Derwent's only real opportunity to level came from a corner after Oscar Lynch had headed a Matt Jenkins ball behind, but Jim Norton headed wide.

James saw a Baxter free kick saved before the final whistle blew and they claimed plate victory. Captain Simon Mole looked relieved that his side had managed to redeem themselves with this win, saying 'It was quite a scrappy affair. I've got to praise the lads for their attitude after going into the plate when they could have let their heads drop, but I would like to have seen how we would have got on in the cup.'

Vision MOTM: Oscar Lynch - the James defender was solid throughout and managed to keep the prolific Jon Garness quiet for the majority of the game.

Tuesday June 28, 2011

Issue 217

SPORT

STAR OF CAMPUS: MARLIES NEUNER

P23

YOUR #1 SOURCE FOR ALL UNI SPORT

BACK OF THE FISHNET WORLD SPORT: WIMBLEDON

P24 INTERVIEW: GRANT WAHL Photo: Oliver Todd

P25 SPOTLIGHT: ROWING Photo: Oliver Todd

P26

> CROSS-DRESSING BRENNAN'S SPOT-KICK DRAGS DERWENT DOWN > LEAGUE CHAMPIONS DERWENT EDGED OUT IN TIGHT FINAL

BY SAM RUSSELL HALIFAX 1STS EMERGED as College Cup Champions on Friday, after a hard-fought 2-0 win over league winners Derwent 1sts.

Tom Ragan's Halifax were most people's tournament favourites from the outset, but the captain admitted his side's chances in the final were "not made any better by last night".

Ragan was referring to his team's night-

out in drag before the match.Talismanic forward Conor Brennan even played the final in the same fishnet tights.

Derwent's brand of highly-organised football paid off in the first half, keeping Halifax's fearsome front-line at bay. Boughtflower's boys were not undone in open play during the second half either, but as Halifax drove forward, with the support of transvestite fans behind them, Derwent were forced to put in more risky challenges.

Photo: Oliver Todd

Halfway through the second half, Jack Beadle was bundled over by Derwent goalkeeper Seb Treasure. Whether it occurred inside or outside the area was a point of contention, but Brennan stepped up to score from the spot without hesitation.

Halifax ended hopes of a Derwent comeback when Alex Tringham smashed in a powerful free kick.

Full Report On Page 27

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