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Problematic Prom?! VegSoc Speak Out.
Vısıon YORK
02.05.18
YORK’S MOST AWARDED STUDENT NEWSPAPER
WINNING PREZ?
HAS’SAN SUHAIL GIVES READERS ADVICE ON RUNNING FOR YUSU
Inside
Scene:
ISSUE 265
YSC SLAMMED FOR HOSTING SWP FILM EVENT
BY JACK GALEA THE YORK STUDENT CINEMA was criticised on Monday after students discovered it intended to co-host a screening of Calais Children with a Socialist Workers Party front. Stand Up To Racism has
often been accused of being an organisation of the far-left Trotsykist SWP; who have been accused of covering up sexual assaults. Last year York Vision reported that three York political societies condemned a SUTR event, YSC have defended themselves in an exclusive interview. Page 4
Credit: Pixabay
FASHION SHOW PLUS Guide to slam poetry inside SCENE
LGBTQS-CANDAL: OUTRAGE OVER SOCIAL
Panic! At the Labour Club
Full Story - Pages 6&7
BY ALEX EPSON
The University of York’s Labour Club endTHE spends £10k on ed itsUNIVERSITY Annual General Meeting lastmore week with biology and chemistry students than it does two chairpersons after an extraordinary tie philosophy, history and law students. vote between two candidates. A York Vision investigation today exposes how humanities students are paying over Kirk the odds for Candidates Jack Galea and Alistair contested their degrees. The history and philosophy departthe leading role of the Labour Club’s committee, but ments aretwenty-three given only £4.5k student each year. received votesper each, causing a tie. Page 3 Credit: Flickr
PLUS: NU-mesS: York’s delegates reveal all
SEE PAGE 5
2 Vısıon Wednesday 2 May 2018
NEWS
YORK
EDITORS’ NOTE Like a kind of seasonal hallucination, with the Summer Term comes another
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Vision.
York Vision are looking for new editorial team members and contributers. We need you! Join us!
Within these pages I’m sure you will find the signature brand of scandal, wit and hard-hitting journalism that made Vision great. York Vision is the most awarded student newspaper at the University of York, and we are proud to be contributing to a paper of such standards. The hard work and long hours of so many people have come together to produce a publication that we can all be proud of, and for that we have many people to thank: our writers, editorial teams past and present, critics and readers have all made Vision what it is today. Our thanks to you all. We hope you enjoy reading this newspaper as much as we all did making it. Good luck with your exams!
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Isaac Arnachellum-Owen and Christopher Haley GOT A STORY? WE WANT TO HEAR IT! Email: vision@yusu.org Twitter: @yorkvision
EDITION EDITORIAL TEAM Editors-in-Chief:
CHRISTOPHER HALEY ISAAC ARNACHELLUM-OWEN
Managing Director: Josh Mackenzie
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Assistant Editor: Ben Rowden
News Editor: Rifah Khalil
Features Editor: Caitlin Sullivan
Sports Editor: Zac Campell
Sub Editors: Mike Green Grace Shin
Scene Editor: Nayomi Karthigesu
Opinion Editor: Jack Galea
Online Editor: Anna Spowage
Fashion Editor: Henri Goddard-Pantic
Alumni Officer: Huw James
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. If you do spot any mistakes or wish to make a complaint please send an email to vision@yusu.org. Copyright Vision Newspapers, 2018. Printed by Mortons of Horncastle.
4 Vısıon Wednesday 2 May 2018
NEWS
YORK
CRUMBS2CAKES
BY JACK GALEA A student-led homelessness campaign that has won the support of Labour MP for York Central, Rachael Maskell, has been launched with the aim of securing lockers for the homeless.
YORK STUDENT WINS NATIONAL AWARD
Olivia Eagle, a first year History student, launched Crumbs2Cakes to make it easier for students to support people experiencing homelessness, after noticing an absence of a means for students to get involved in combating the endemic. “There wasn’t a student led homelessness campaign, in spite of homelessness being a serious problem in York, but lots of students want to help”, Eagle told York Vision. The campaign has been trying to secure YUSU ratification as a society. “YUSU have been helpful, but frustrating. It’s mostly a tickbox exercise in terms of securing ratification”. When asked for comment, Activities Officer, Mikey Collinson, said: “Crumbs2cakes is a fantastic initiative that aims to address a real problem in York and make a big difference. I have met with them and given feedback on their application to ratify, as there were a few points in their written application which weren’t clear, but I hope they do work on this and send in another application as I’d love to see this project ratified. “ Crumbs2Cakes aim to fill a void in terms of homelessness groups providing food by filling a Wednesday spot and to secure lockers for the homeless to grant them the ability to secure their possessions. In addition, they aim to signpost homeless people to the appropriate charity or support group for their needs. Crumbs2Cakes had their inaugural meeting on Monday 22 April, and have received the support and endorsement of the Working Class and Social Mobility Officers Connor Drake and Sean-Price Regan, who are assisting in their campaign. “I think that Crumbs2Cakes are a great group of passionate young people and I look forward to working them on the issues that they care about”, Drake said. “Olivia is fantastically motivated. I will try my best to help them in any way I can”. Crumbs2Cakes hold weekly meetings every Monday from 3-4pm and you can get involved by emailing Olivia at oe561@york. ac.uk.
Wins Nursing Times Student Nurse of the Year BY CHRIS HALEY
York student nurse, Joe Atkinson won the ‘Student Nurse of the Year: Mental Health’ award at the Student Nursing Times Awards 2018 (SNTA) last Thursday.
other organisations coming together to celebrate exceptional achievement among student nurses. The SNTA said “We are delighted to be handing out these trophies to the very best students, and the organisations that are supporting them and helping them to become nurses.”
for a second that I would, even the nomination was a shock but it’s always a good feeling to be recognised for something you’ve put a lot of hard work into.” Nominated by members of York’s own teaching team, Atkinson was shortlisted A record-breaking number for the finals in his catof candidates entered this egory along with eleven year’s awards, which were others. He then travelled held at the London Hilton. Atkinson told York Vision; to London for an interview The awards see student “Winning the award was with four judges from a nurses, universities, and amazing! I never thought variety of nursing back-
grounds. Last week he attended the awards ceremony, where he found out that he had won and was presented with the award. Atkinson hopes to complete his degree this September, and hopes to begin his nursing career in the brain rehabilitation unit, where he holds a job offer. Image: Nursing TImes
ANGER @ YSC HOSTING SWP BY JACK GALEA Stand Up To Racism (SUTR) are hosting an event with the assistance of York Student Cinema, a student-run society who regularly screen movies for York students. The organisation are often associated with the Troskyist SWP. Five years ago, the SWP were accused by the Guardian of covering up the sexual assault of one of their members by ‘Comrade Delta’, leading to the organisation being marginalised. Stand Up To Racism’s secretary was alleged to have played an active role in covering up the incident.
In the past, SUTR have organised events in York. An early 2017 event was condemned in an open letter signed by the University of York Labour Club, the UoY Lib Dems and the UoY Greens. Robin Brabham, former Chair of the UoY Green Party, stated; “I’m certainly uncomfortable with York Student Cinema society working with SWP front group Stand Up To Racism, given the inexcusable tolerance of misogyny in the SWP. Instead, I would urge York Student Cinema society to collaborate with the York Racial Equality Network and the YUSU BAME Network”.
York Student Cinema’s Chair told York Vision; “We are a group, just as you are, primarily for students that provides a platform on which to display and view media. I would not dispute that those platforms are vastly different, but we were approached by a student on behalf of SUTR and agreed with the student the details of the event. It is an event run primarily by that student (whose identity I will not disclose) who is simply using the cinema as a venue for the event. We do not affiliate ourselves with SUTR any more than allowing our equipment to be
used to screen the film and as such cannot comment further. I personally aware of these
was not allegations”
It is not known whether SWP members will be present at the event, but a man outside the J.B. Morrell library was spotted handing out flyers with SUTR’s logo advertising the event. York Vision have approached both SUTR and the SWP for comment but are yet to receive reply.
6 Vısıon Wednesday 2 May 2018
NEWS
YORK
YORK STUDENT ELECTED TO NUS BY JOSH MACKENZIE For the first time in more than three years a York student has won an election at NUS National Conference. Lucas North, a third year law student, was elected to the Democratic Procedures Committee at last month’s event, and is “really looking forward to overseeing national conference for the next two years, and working with the others on DPC to make sure NUS democracy is as open and accessible as possible.” North’s success follows Michaela Tharby’s co-option to the Women’s Steering Committee earlier this year.
LGBTQS-candal!
STUDENT ANGER OVER ADDITION OF “STRAIGHT” TO LGBTQ ACRONYM FOR COLLEGE SOCIAL ADVERTISEMENT Image:
BY BEN ROWDEN Scandal has hit the usually quiet college of Constantine following the decision by their JCRC to host an LGBTQS event, in which the letter ‘S’ was added to represent ‘straight’ in lieu of the traditional ‘+’. Many members of the LBGTQ+ community here at York have expressed outrage at the decision, which was defended by Joe Collins, VC-Com-
munity and Wellbeing of Constantine, as helping “students to be open and expressive of who they are whilst in the company of non-LGBTQ students”. Commenting to Vision, Joe said: “We have considered alternative views and concerns that have been raised throughout the week and we recognise the value of LGBTQ+ spaces and the acronym itself to some individuals, but in this instance felt there was value in an open event to reduce marginalisation and divides within the student population.”
Critics meanwhile have argued the decision was insensitive, stating that deliberately replacing the ‘+’ with a symbol for heterosexuality was “wilfully ignorant and shallow”. Michaela Tharby, Former YUSU Women’s Officer continued: “There is a reason why the term ‘LGBTQ’ exists. It groups together those with shared identities, shared history, and shared experiences of discrimination. Adding the ‘S’, and grouping us with our oppressor, undermines the entire term
Torbakhopper,
Flickr
and erases our experiences.” Meanwhile, Gem Card, the current YUSU LGTBTQ Officer stated that although the “nature and intentions” of the event bringing people together were a “good idea”, the act of altering the LGBTQ+ acronym in such a way was not the best. Commenting to Vision, Gem said: “Removing the + from LGBTQ+ and replacing it with an “S” (meaning straight), is a political statement and an offensive one at that.”
CLUB D-ISASTER
BY EDDIE KAY
Derwent College, known in part for its infamous Club D events, faced a rather embarrassing situation last weekend after having to cancel their planned Club D event. The event – Fantas-D – was planned to take place on Saturday 21 April, however expectant revellers were met with an announcement on the Thursday prior calling off the event:
ONLINE SALES FOR FANTAS-D REACHED ONLY 5 TICKETS SOLD
Rumours abound as to the reason for the cancellation, though the event clashed with both Vanbrugh College and URY’s 50th anniversary celebrations. Both of these could have contributed to what Vision “Due to a combination of can exclusively reveal were truly unforeseen circumstances, abysmal pre-sale numbers. we’ve been forced to call off Saturday night’s Club D” The online sales for Fantas-D
reached only 5 tickets, with in person pre-sales amounting to a grand total of zero. It appears that the “unforeseen circumstances” that led to the cancellation may have just been that no one is interested in dressing in fantasy clothing for a party in D-Bar. A day before the cancellation, a post appeared on Yorfess
(pictured), appearing to be from the Derwent’s Events Officers, asking how they could encourage more people to attend Club D events. The post received no reactions or comments. Derwent JCRC were unwilling to speak to Vision about the event.
With a lukewarm reception towards Big D this year from many, could this spell the end of Club D? What has happened to the historically “social” college? Could it perhaps be paying the price for the highly cliquey nature of some of Derwent’s student body? We can do nothing but wait and see...
NEWS
Wednesday 2 May 2018
Vısıon YORK
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Image: Wikimedia Commons
Racecourse Prom Faces VegSoc Hurdle BY NAYOMI KARTHIGESU Vegetarian and Vegan Society (VegSoc) are protesting the use of the York Racecourse as the venue for the Summer Ball, due to its housing of “blood sports”. They have co-sponsored a policy originally submitted by Oscar Bentley, the previous VegSoc President and current Environment and Ethics Officer, stating that it is unfair to host an event that is for all students at a venue that goes against the principles and ethics of some. Olivia Cranmer-Gordon, one of the students behind the motion, expressed her anger that the university was providing a key source of income for the racecourse: “The race course only puts on races for a short period each year and makes most of its money from doing events which keeps it going. “I don’t want to be a part of that; blood sports are wrong and I think it’s shame the uni don’t have the same ideas about animal rights as me and go: “only place big enough; guess we have no choice.”” VegSoc, however, have opted against physical protesting due to the stigma attached to “militant veganism” – the popular stereotype framing vegans as arrogant preachers. “Unfortunately, there are a lot of stereotypes surrounding
VS
NEW VANBRUGH LOGO?! LATEST FROM THE JCRC CHAIR
‘hardcore’ vegans and it’s difficult not to fall into them when you’re passionate about a cause,” commented Eloise Spooner, the current president of VegSoc, when asked why there will be no physical campaigning for their cause.
A survey to collect thoughts on new proposed logos for Vanbrugh College has recently been sent out by the college’s JCRC.
VegSoc’s motion has appeared in the context of angry campaigns over the level of horses killed during horseraces: a total of 43 horses have been killed from the start of this year in various horse races around the country, including one during the Grand National. Six horses died at Cheltenham Festival alone last month.
Vanbrugh’s logo has long been the subject of criticism; during a debate in May last year, all twenty present JCRC members unanimously condemned the current logo. They wished to see the logo change to a shield shape, as used by other colleges, though it was noted that any change could take up to two years to implement.
This has led to several petitions and an open letter being written in conjunction with Animal Aid and signed by several big names, including comedians Ricky Gervais and Sara Pascoe, and TV personality Dr Christian Jesse, of Embarrassing Bodies fame.
Later that year, a petition was released on change.org to gather support to ‘show the University that it’s time for a new crest or logo.’ The petition attracted a total of 125 signatures, and one supporter lambasted the current logo as ‘embarrassing’ in the comments.
The motion is due to form part of the consultation pack circulated amongst students during the next two weeks, with a decision on whether to adopt it to be announced in Week 5.
A survey containing proposed
YUSU Prez, Alex Urquhart told Vision, “I understand VegSoc’s concerns around horse racing” but “other factors” such as finding a licensed venue that could accommodate thousands of students” and are also accessible.
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BY CHRISTOPHER HALEY
logos created by Merchandise Rep, Oakley Lowe, was released by the JCRC earlier this term. Lowe’s designs follow a similar trend to other colleges, with imagery related to the college emblazoned on a purple crest and a large ‘V’ for Vanbrugh. Christina Matjilla, Vanbrugh JCRC Chair, told Vision: “We are feeling extremely positive about the logo change, and the response from students has made it worth the while. Hopefully we will make it to the end and get the logo for Vanbrugh updated into something we are all proud of!” The proposals have been met with some reluctance from the college’s postgraduate committee, the GCRC, with Jack Harvey, GCRC Postmaster General & Resident Scholar telling Vision that whilst he “appreciate[s] that the current logo isn’t as attractive as other
colleges”, he feels that “it’s not something [he thinks] the JCRC should invest much of its time and money to change”. Harvey’s views were echoed by former JCRC Vice Chair for Communications and current GCRC Cheesemeister, Oliver Binns, who explained to Vision: “It’s the third time that an attempt has been made to change the college logo during my five years in Vanbrugh the problem is- no one has yet come up with a better alternative.” The survey has received over 200 responses, and the JCRC have expressed an intent to update the proposed logos to take into account the feedback they have received. Final ideas will then be presented to Vanbrugh College Council where, if approval is gained, they will be designed professionally and be presented to students for final voting. Images: Vanbrugh College
8 Vısıon Wednesday 2 May 2018
NEWS
YORK
CHAMPAIN!
STUDENT KICKED OUT OF UNI FOR ASSAULT FOUND GUILTY OF BOTTLING MAN BY ISAAC ARNACHELLUMOWEN A former York student has plead guilty to assaulting a man with a £150 Champagne Bottle in a vicious unprovoked attack. Qays Ali Akhtar, at the time a second-year undergraduate student of Chemistry, attacked the man in Vudu while celebrating the end of his exams last year. The court heard that in a sickening display of “arrogance and vulgarity”, the student had bought three bottles of luxury champagne, each costing between £100 and £150, and poured them over his watch. Akhtar then later proceeded to hit the victim with a bottle he had purchased. The vicious attack led to Akhtar being kicked out of the University. The judge ordered that he must pay a £500 fine to his victim, who suffered a 3cm cut to the head, a bit tongue, a bruised eye, and is said to have suffered psychological damage. Akhtar’s defence claimed his behaviour was out of character and he had not intended to injure the victim. The court heard that after his arrest the 23-year-old resumed studies at Leicester, repeating his second year. Akhtar, 23, had previously plead guilty to possessing Cannabis and BK-MDEA, a class B drug, with intent to supply. Following his arrest in May 2015, Police found £2,000 in cash at his student address. Akhtar was given a suspended sentence as the court heard a prison sentence would result in him being kicked out of university. Despite his criminal history, Akhtar was again given a 20 month suspended sentence for the assault, on condition that he does 300 hours of unpaid work and obeys a curfew for three months.
THE NEW YIK YAK? BY JOE WILLISCROFT
If you’ve been on Facebook at all over the past few weeks, you’ll likely have noticed a recurring character, Yorfess. Taking its inspiration from the recently deleted Oxfess, a page noted for its exposure of mental health issues at university. Yorfess has quickly grown to become one of the most popular forms of student interaction on social media, attaining over 2000 likes in under two months. Its popularity isn’t without concern though; the page is drawing comparisons from some students to Yik Yak, a social media app that saw rapid decline and ultimately dissolution due to a culture of harassment and anonymityfuelled lack of accountability.
Yorfess relies on a simple model. Anyone can send in a confession via their CrushNinja page and, if approved by the Yorfess admins, it appears on their Facebook page. Anyone with a Facebook account can reply to previous confessions, which are currently numbering more than two thousand.
to come across a wealth of posts which could be described as harassment and attacks on fellow students. Attacks often come in the form of replies against other confessions, but there are concurrent themes of the anonymous attacking of flatmates and coursemates for their behaviour.
Admissions are completely anonymous to both the page admins, who approve confessions, and those who view them on Facebook. Whilst this can be a brilliant feature that lends itself to the ability of students to vent and rant, it also means that there is almost no accountability when it comes to personal attacks.
A York student who suffered targeted abuse on Yik Yak spoke to Vision and described Yorfess and similar boards as being “open to all sorts of abuse”, noting that they “often get taken over by cyber bullies and trolls”. They urged anyone using Yorfess to remember the effects that such posts can have on those reading them.
It only takes a few minutes of scrolling through confessions
When Vision approached Yorfess for comment, they told us Yorfess
has both “serious and humourous submissions” and that “if people message or the posts have a negative reception we will review them”. They finished by asking for a shoutout from Vision. A source told Vision that the page has received strikes from the Facebook team for posting content that could be deemed to be harassment and is in line to be removed if such actions continue. What is clear is that, at the present time, Yorfess has no public guidelines in place to prevent cyberbullying and online harassment through its platform.
S C E N E
editors’ note
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CENE is back for Summer term 2018 and I am stressed. 6 exams, 5 articles to edit, 4 formatives, 3 uni friends I have not seen since 2016, 2 job interviews and a partridge in a pear tree. I am already ready to expire. Anyway, if like me, you are hiding under the covers rewatching cartoons like you’re reliving your primary school years, then this edition is for you. Full of clunky pics and scathing reviews; if this doesn’t remind you of your early teen years using Times New Roman to be //edgy/// in a project about the rainforest and talking back to your mum, then I don’t know what will. From an interview with my legit girl crush to reviewing the latest in fashion and film, SCENE’s got you covered for your procrastination filled May - after all, you’re not really revising for your degree, are you?
contents 33 4 4 6
HOLI HAI!
Hai Hol!
Scene goes to the movies
SCENE goes to the movies
Fashion
A Guide to Slam Poetry
6 7
INTERVIEW: Fawn
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International Fashion Show
10 11
Food, glorious food!
Make up with your cheap make up
NAYOMI KARTHIGESU
Credit: Max Pixel
U
sually, this is where the editorial team goes, but it’s only me (single tear). So if you, YES YOU, want to write for SCENE email vision@yusu.org. And here’s a picture of a duckling to intimidate you. This has been a PSA.
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Credit: Baluga Images
Hai Holi!
This Saturday saw the return of Holi on campus Done once again hosted by the BritAsian Society in collaboration with Hindu Soc last Saturday afternoon it saw Vanburgh Bowl bursting with colour, enthusiasm and some banging Bollywood tunes. Sadi Gali anyone? Holi marks the start of spring for Hindus and is celebrated and renowned around the world for the use of gulals, the coloured powders that are thrown at each other. The origin of it is is somewhat ambiguous, with the general consensus being that it is to celebrate when the God Vishnu burned the devil Holika to death. However, another story is that Holi came about when the Lord Krishna, feeling self-conscious about his blue skin compared to that of his love Radha’s, decided to paint her face so that they were the same.
ebrate holi!” SCENE chatted with Urv Mistry, DJ and president of both Hindu Soc and BritAsian. He spoke to us about how he thought it went down: “The event went really well! Of course with any outdoor event we were hoping and praying it stayed dry and luckily it did just that - we even got a bit of sunlight too for about half an hour!” “Next year we want to make it bigger and better, we’d like to expand our reach to the local community as well as students from both YSJ and York College.” With that in mind, SCENE looks forward to the event next year! Happy Holi!
Not only does the festival represent the triumph of good over evil, but it is also a celebration of love and forgiveness. Hence why the event was for everyone. Whilst walking around Hes West on Saturday afternoon, it was hard to not hear the bhangra music anywhere you were and nearly everyone I walked past talked about it in some way or another. I managed to catch one festival goer who said, “It was a great event that not only brought together all members of the society, but students from all over campus: the perfect way to cel-
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SCENE decided to procrastinate some more and headed off to the cinema to pay some serious cash to waste a lot of precious time.
Infinity War: Meeting Great Expectations? The expectations for this film were extraordinarily high. With dozens of the world’s favourite superheroes in a two and a half hour film, it seemed likely that there would be little dialogue per character and would become a film too focused on fight scenes and special effects. This was definitely a real concern for many avid Marvel fans, especially when watching interviews with cast members such as Tom Holland. When asked if he could say anything about the plot, Holland said: “you may as well ask me about quantum physics”. This statement did not inspire much confidence. If the actors themselves did not know the storyline of their own movie could this film deliver on its promise to be one of the greatest superhero movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Credit: Marvel Studios
From the trailer, it looked as though all the superheroes were going to face Thanos and his entourage united in one single army. However, the improvised and chaotic groupings of superheroes create a lot of crossovers. The fact that they have not met before in other films provides the ideal opportunity for the franchise’s renowned one-liners. The humorous interaction between Thor and Star Lord, in which Quill’s jealousy was evident in his imitation of Thor’s deep British accent, definitely lifted the overall sombre tone of the film. The film opens exactly where Thor Ragnarok ended. Within minutes one of the main cast members has been murdered by Josh Brolin’s Thanos. For the first time, the audience goes to see a Marvel film where no one is safe. It can be said confidently that the strongest point of the film is the characterisation of Thanos. Many previous Marvel films have the stereotypical two dimensional sadistic and asinine villain but Infinity War does not have this problem. Thanos is a truly terrifying character because he emphatically believes that his plan to obliterate half the universe is for the greater good of every occupant. His Nazi-like ethos is a subtle reminder of Hydra villains from both earlier films and the TV series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. This multi-dimensional characterisation is one of the few examples of an in depth analysis of a Marvel villain. The humanising of Thanos is most evident in his connection with Gamora, especially in the flashback scenes showing her as a little girl. Their unnatural and complicated relationship proves that while obviously evil, he is not entirely incapable of feeling. Tom Holland and Mark Ruffalo’s performances were
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by far the most deserving of praise. In spite of playing a juvenile fledgling superhero, Holland’s performance was one of the most impressive and moving of the entire film. Holland portrays the stereotypical millennial who is the butt of many a joke, while simultaneously adding depth and dimension in his portrayal. Spider-man’s irritating exuberance and incessant pop culture references to his mentor Tony Stark elicited many a laugh from the audience. Ruffalo’s acting is always of the highest calibre and thus it is the view of many that he has not been used enough in previous Marvel movies. All are thankful that he is continuing to become a bigger character and has not been sidelined after his more prominent role in Thor Ragnarok. It is a shame that this logic did not apply to T’Challa. Boseman’s performance in Black Panther was unforgettable and yet, unfortunately, his role in Infinity War was so minor as to be almost non-existent. However, it was refreshing that the main fight scene was set in Wakanda as opposed to New York, which has been destroyed too many times in action films. Although on the whole a great success, Avengers: Infinity War had its fair share of problems; the absence of certain characters at the beginning of the film creates major inconsistencies that affect the rest of the plot. The soundtrack is also another area for criticism: it is functional as opposed to memorable. It lacks the originality of that of Guardians of the Galaxy and the rousing nature of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” in Thor Ragnarok. The beloved heroes that have graced our screens for a decade are playing with the highest stakes they have ever known. If it were not for certain rash decisions made by some main characters, events could have taken a very different turn. The beauty of this film is that while apocalyptic, it is implied that there is some element of organisation behind the chaos. This first installment prompts the asking of infinite questions and the audience leaves the cinema with only one certainty: that they are returning for the second installment in 2019. BY KATY HUDSON
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Credit: 20th Century Fox
Love SImon: The mainstream mediocre gay movie hollywood needed. Love, Simon is the latest release in the long, proud history of LGBTQ cinema, coming at a time when LGBTQ films have entered into the mainstream with successes at the Oscars and at the box office. Some would argue that Love, Simon is representative of this new breed of bold LGBTQ movies. I am not one of these people. Love, Simon is safe, predictable and limited. From the very start, cinema on LGBTQ subjects has challenged the cultural establishment with artful, daring and subversive films like Mädchen in Uniform (1931), Paris is Burning (1990) and Carol (2015). Love, Simon is not like any of these films. It is a poor representative of the cultural legacy it is purported to celebrate. From the opening voiceover it becomes almost immediately apparent to anyone under the age of 30 that the person writing most of the dialogue has not met many young people. All of the banter exchanged by the main characters comes across more like the tentative opening of an awkward Tinder encounter rather than jokes between friends that have apparently known each other for years.
begins to exchange emails with another closeted gay student at his school, who we are meant to assume is male. While their relationship develops over email, Simon is blackmailed by Creepy Nerd into setting Creepy Nerd up with his friend, Girl 2, or Creepy Nerd will out Simon. It doesn’t matter how this happens. The outing blackmail plotline is the laziest, most clichéd way to introduce conflict in an LGBTQ story. The first LGBTQ film, Different From the Others, is essentially about this. It was made 99 years ago. Try something else.
I should point out there is another gay character, again male, in this film. I can’t remember his name and I can’t think of when it might have been said. He is the Flaming Gay, wearing sweater vests and giving sick burns on people’s fashion sense. We’ve all seen him before, we know how this character works. There’s nothing to see here but a missed opportunity. Even as a straightforward romance story it comes up short. I don’t think I’ve seen any romantic film with such little contact between the two purported lovers as Love, Simon. It’s like the film itself was so grossed out about having two gay characters at its centre that it was made in such Clunky dialogue aside, there are other reasons to a way that they had as little contact as possible dislike Love, Simon. The eponymous Simon Spier while trying to keep the veneer of romance. I won’t is your average bland teenage character who has be so vulgar as to suggest that LGBTQ films need a quirky music taste instead of a personality. He overt and repeated sexual and romantic contact,
Moonlight only has one romantic encounter on a beach, but in a film that seems to avoid any wider narrative of LGBTQ experience that isn’t ‘be yourself’ or ‘coming out was the friends we made along the way’, it comes across as trying to do the barest minimum possible. Love, Simon is being hailed as something of a breakthrough as a major studio took a chance on a film with a gay character, and gay romance, at its heart. It’s not much of a heart. LGBTQ cinema has been going through a golden age of late. The last few years have seen LGBTQ Oscar winners from Moonlight in 2017 to Call Me By Your Name and A Fantastic Woman in March this year. Each of these films are memorable and thought-provoking in their own way. All deserve a place in history for breaking down barriers and granting LGBTQ stories their rightful position in our culture. Love, Simon does not. Love, Simon plays out as a cynical attempt to get a mediocre film more money than it deserves by putting it on a bandwagon. From the first scene to its last it stinks of insincerity. But finally LGBTQ characters are in mediocre and smug teen movies! What a breakthrough. Please go watch Moonlight instead. BY JIMMY WOODMAN
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FAWNING OVER FAWN SCENE Interviews Llana, Harry, Jowan and Dan from up-
Credit: Nic Fife
and-coming Fawn, as they play in BY Nayomi Karthigesu
Within the setting of an eclectic, lovely but most definitely distressed-wood hipster coffee shop with antique mirrors and bottles and tapestry hanging about the place, Fawn played an incredible show to the 20 or so of us perched on the floor or leaning cooly against the wall. With our bottles of Hobgoblin or Bundaberg, serenaded by the “folk, woman led indie-rock”, it was a magical night despite my mind repeatedly telling me that this was the most millennial thing I have ever done. However, that doesn’t matter - perhaps I was being a cop-out millennial but that didn’t mean I couldn’t appreciate Llana’s exceptionally talented vocals nor the talent of her bass player; after all, women-led indie folk rock is my favourite genre. Fawn played Leeds the night after but I managed to bag an interview with Llana a couple of days after. So, how did Fawn start? “Fawn started as a solo project,” she begins, her accent as I later found out being a mix of British and New York (but mostly the latter), “then I met Joe, who’s now my boyfriend and then I met Harry and Dan and it all just chuffed
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Bison Coffee House.
along.” She had been making music for years and years beforehand, in a genre best described by someone Llana knew as “Bright eyes meets Joni Mitchell”. However, after meeting her boyfriend who listened to artists like Big Thief and Jay Som her music changed into what it is now; as she described it - “folk, women led indie rock.” Wait, so is Fawn a band or YOUR band or-? She laughs. “Yeah, it was a bit of an identity crisis at first, because the songs were mine and the music was mine; I wrote the songs.” However, despite this, she emphasises how they are “collaborative- I didn’t want to be like those early to mid 2000s bands, more like KT Tunstall,” a favourite from her past. Although it is very much “my band”, Llana likes the separation of her name from her music. Why “Fawn”? “Fawn comes from the fact that i got told i had doe eyes too many times, and i liked the image of something delicate and wild all at the same time.” Is music going to be your career? “Both my parents are career musicians so they’ll be proud of me no matter what I choose. However, because I grew up with them, in a musical household, I’m a bit wary of a musical career.”
She studies English and History of Art, wanting a broader depth of knowledge beyond music. However she adds “ it’s genetics,” nonchalantly but rightly suggesting that a career in music might just happen - and with Fawn’s talent, it might just well. What’s the future for Fawn? “We’re playing the 5th of May at Farndale which is like an hour drive into the Yorkshire Moors - I’m getting my dad to drive me there,” “Oh so you live with your parents here?” “No,” she laughs “I’m getting him to come from London,” “We also have an A side, B side situation coming out within a month, but we’re doing a session with URY on the 17th of May live on the music show.” Finally, 5 interesting facts about you? “I’m a classically trained pianist - I’ve played for 15 years” “I used to be a girl scout in America - I have the badges pinned to my denim jacket here.” “I really like yellow clothing, mustard yellow is a favourite” “I’m a really good cook.” “I know a lot about medievalism”
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A GUIDE TO SLAM POETRY The responses I receive when I tell people I’m a performance poet are usually quite positive, but they’re often followed with a bombardment of questions. What is performance poetry? How is it different to spoken word poetry or slam poetry? Who is it for? How did you get into it? How would I get in to it? Isn’t it really just something you get in America? Where can I go to see it? Who should I be listening to? I love answering these questions and I’m so glad people take an interest, I think it’s time I got all the answers down in one place. Performance poetry in the simplest and most inclusive terms by which I can explain it is poetry written with the intention of being performed. I think some people have a set idea in their heads, about what a performance poem is going to sound like and though there are styles that are more typical to poetry you’d hear on stage as opposed to poems you read on a page, such as list poems and open letters, both forms of poetry are equally diverse. I’ve heard sonnets performed live, poems about people’s favourite kind of juice, intimate stories about love and betrayal, a series of haikus about what it means to be afraid of pandas, rhymes about death and crime, the list honestly is endless. The content differs massively but so does the delivery, but it’s important to remember that when it comes to performance poetry how it is being said is equally as important as what is being said. Many people use the terms spoken word poetry, performance poetry and slam poetry interchangeably and though I can’t provide you with a dictionary definition, the general consensus is they’re not too far from the truth. I would say spoken word and performance poetry, were exactly the same though the former is more commonly associated with more understated performers. When it comes to slam poetry however, all slam poems are performance poems but not all performance poems are slam poems, it’s like squares and rectangles. Slam poems refer to poems performed at poetry slams. I’d be considered a slam poet as well as a performance poet because I regularly enter poetry slams, when I say slam poetry however most people’s minds jump straight to that scene
in 21 Jump Street with Jonah Hill stood on a stage shouting “Cynthia! Cyn-thi-a! Jesus died for our sin-thi-as!”. Hilarious as that may be, I think that may contribute to the reason why many of my friends in the poetry world prefer the title of performance poet. What is a Poetry Slam? Though formats can vary massively, in essence it’s a performance poetry competition; the gimmick of Poetry Slams is that performances are scored. Poets perform their poems usually with a time limit, commonly three minutes maximum, some include a grace period of 10 seconds, for every second a poem exceeds the limit points are deducted from their score. Many Slams include rounds where a selection of the lowest scoring poets are eliminated until a winner is selected. How a Slam is judged can also depend on the event, some have judging panels made up of established poets, at others random audience members are selected to score each poem out of ten. A poetry slam is a great place to hear a range of poetry from a range of different poets. I think a phrase I’ve heard at nearly all the Slams I’ve attended is “the points are not the point, the point is the poetry”, the Slam setting adds an interesting competitive nature for the audience but ultimately, it’s just a fantastic showcase of poetry. Other formats, in which performance poetry is commonly showcased is Open Mic Nights and Feature Nights. Some Open Mic Nights are specifically poetry themed, but it’s becoming more and more common for Open Mics that usually feature musicians and singers to welcome performance poets as well. A Feature Night customarily has one, occasionally two feature poets, who are somewhat established in the performance poetry world, performing longer sets, as well as some short sets from supporting poets. Many poetry nights are some form of combination of the three. The United Kingdom has a thriving performance poetry scene. I was scared moving from London, to university in York, that there wouldn’t be enough for me to get involved in when it came to poetry but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I originally got into poetry by watching videos of performances online, many of which were from a
popular YouTube channel called “Button Poetry” which is based in the US. Poetry Slams started in Chicago, but performance poetry has spread across the globe and it is for everyone and anyone. Audiences at poetry events are some of the most diverse crowds I have seen in my life with people from all different walks of life. Here in York, I’ve been to a number of amazing poetry events, many of which have been run by Say Owt. They host Slams, workshops, scratches (events where you can take your unfinished poetry and get advice from established poets on how to develop them), Open Mics as wells some other exciting events, that all celebrate performance poetry. The University of York also has a Slam Society, which I’m privileged to have just been appointed president of. It’s a great society to get involved with, we host our own poetry events, but if you’re just curious about when the next poetry event is in town you can ask a member of the committee; it’s very likely we’ll all be going as well, and anyone is more than likely to tag along. As for recommendations, I have many, from Emily Pritchard, Paul Kerr, Sophie Shepherd and Grace Carter are all current students at the University who never fail to blow me away with their honesty, passion and wit. I’d also reccomend Joelle Taylor, winner of the first UK Slam, who sets every stage she walks on alight, and Maria Ferguson, who poems I feel know me better than I know myself; check out their content on YouTube but I couldn’t recommend more strongly that you endeavour to see them all live. YouTube is a great resources for performance poetry, if you’re looking for more names, ask anyone from Slam Society, everyone has their own favourites, and I’m sure we could point you in the direction of a poem that may just change your life. BY Ruth Awolola
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International Fashion Show Success
York Fashion Society Blazed with Style on April 20th, hosting an International Fashion Show with Leeds University Students. The show was in aide of Beats, the UK’s leading eating disorder charity, with a fundraiser running alongside the event. Chosen because the society wanted to do something to help those with mental health issues, especially given the problems at our University, and chose an eating disorder charity because of the issues regarding this in the fashion industry as well as the lack of representation of diverse body types.
To further the links between mental health and fashion, the society invited Paula Delgado Ray to display her designs at the show as her creations are influenced by body dysmorphia.
of interest from models); however, the society wanted to make sure that all people and all body types were welcomed in the society and in the show.
Sitting down with one of the organisers of the event, Ian Fyfe, before the show, Vision asked what the Fashion society was expecting from the event. Ian wanted to make clear that the fashion society is for everyone and received a lot
The event was a celebration of fashion around the world, with the first half of the show almost entirely dedicated to traditional cultural clothes from 15 nations, from saris to sombreros. From traditional clothing to the 21st century, it was clear to see how contemporary designs had been inspired by their predecessors and how styles had evolved. The contemporary designs turned crowd’s heads with elaborate pieces from designers like Nuno Lopes and Paula Delgado Ray. Some stuck more closely to the contemporary fashion scene, with Riccardo Palmesi’s designs clearly demonstrating recent trends in male fashion, with over-sized, Cuban collar, printed shirts worn against skintight white jeans for a seventies look with a hint of the Italian relaxed style. His second look encompassed another trend an embroidered denim shirt, worn again against white jeans and over the top of a simple white t-shirt, showcasing an impeccable stylistic choice for the summer months in the UK. These were far from the most inspired pieces at the event however, with Sabrina WhartonBrown’s collection being clearly influenced by Lord of the Rings and Celtic culture. Her collection contained clothes in the deadliest earth shades of rich browns, blacks, and caramels. The stand out piece was her simple lace t-shirt embroidered with Celtic braids adding depth, whilst maintaining a traditional edge to the piece. Designer, Paula Delgado Ray, wanted to bring light to superficiality in the fashion industry and problems that it causes with her collection focusing on bosy dysmorphia, something that is immediately noticable from her dresses.
Credt: Olivia Brabb and Henri Goddard-Pantic
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Her designs were made of pieces of high contrast colours, with dark browns, purples and bright pink to create a stunning eye-catching effect,
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York Fashion Society, Credt: Olivia Brabb
but they also drew attention to the extreme catching style, often characterised by sleek, differences between each section of the piece. form-fitting silhouettes, gold or silver detailing, and intricately detailed stripes mixed with near Her pieces are not only characterised by a high- transparent elements, making all his pieces stand contrast colour palette, but an equally striking out from the crowd. asymmetry to the design, with one side of the dress carrying a sweep train, whilst the other half Whilst designs may have stolen the show here, is cut just above the ankle. The contrast is further there were also excellent dance performances accentuated by the relative tightness of each by the Latin American Society, Hungarian side, with one elegantly skinning the skin, whilst Society, and the Korean Society. The Hungarian the other can flow freely. Society’s dance number focusing on highlighting the traditional aspects of the country, whilst the From the problems of the fashion world to designs inspired by internal reflection, Nuno Lopes is a designer inspired by the narcissism of the modern world. Originally from Hong Kong, Lopes has had designs featured in a number of magazines across the globe, including British Vogue. Lopes’s space-aged outfits are certainly something to look out for in the future, as he is an up and coming talent set to take the fashion world by storm. His pieces certainly fit the modern day maximalist trend with most being constructed from gold-look material and elements that are strikingly shimmery.
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Latin American Society focused on showcasing the area’s contributions to ballroom dancing. Finally, the Korean Society showcased modern Korea with a K-pop dance number, resembling the modern pop and lock style of dancing. The International Fashion show was certainly an outlier on York’s fashion calendar but given the excellent showcase of a variety of designers, we can only hope it continues every year. Look into future events by York Fashion Society.
All his designs in the collection were equally eyecatching, with all featuring dazzling elements, whether it be intricately patterned, almost tiger-stripe like dresses with stripes of delicate silver fabric that effortlessly caught the light and shone brilliantly.Lopes’s website states that he is inspired by the modern, selfie-riddled era. This inspired him to go on and create pieces reflecting our ‘reaching for the stars’ nature (hence this collection featuring such bright outfits). Whilst his collections often focus on male pieces, Lopes showed some of his skills here at women’s design whilst still maintaining his vibrant eye-
York Fashion Society, Credt: Olivia Brabb
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food, glorious food
the journey of a hungry student I have found that my eating habits have gone through more highs and lows than a drug addicted rollercoaster, until, like the Yin and Yang coming together, they have finally settled into a glorious, scurvy-defying diet that should be recorded for posterity. Consider this my contribution to academia. So that those that follow in my culinary footsteps can bask in my enlightenment. Anyway, enough waffle (pun intended, those are not nutritious or as nice as hash browns), here is my food journey through the first two terms of university life. Freshers – Pot Noodles, Whisky, and my abused immune system: I didn’t really consider myself much of a drinker until Freshers, when my main calorie intake became alcoholic in nature. Stopping just to eat cheap noodles, it’s no wonder that by the time the alcoholic haze wore off the week later my body had completely given up and I had caught some form of cold. The words never again were said but not really meant, and my diet even expanded to some protein outside of a post-club McDonalds. The Highs – Roasts, Spag Bol and Cheese Boards: You can’t consider yourself truly middle class until you’ve made your own cheeseboard. A quick trip to Aldi for some stilton is all it took for me to completely renounce Marxism for the warm, bourgeois glow of a creamy cheese. Best enjoyed with a full-bodied red wine, or a can of Morrisons special brew, whichever your budget allows for. Cheese wasn’t the only high of first term; with all the time I had (Yes, I study Humanities) I was able to make my first tentative steps into the world of “real” cooking. It turns out making Bolognese and Roast Pork isn’t really all that hard, it’s just too much effort when you can have a Viking’s and a multivitamin pill for the same effect. Stir-fries form the biggest part of my dinners now, mainly because the quick prep time allows me to concentrate on my other middleclass gourmet special: cocktails. While cocktails may not at first seem to be a responsible dietary choice, I would urge you to reconsider. Unfortunately, Public Health England have yet to take my proposals on board, but with a couple of glasses you can almost hit your five-a-day, as seemingly all cocktails use some form of fruit juice. I credit these with getting me through last term’s essays without illness; it certainly made my writing more exciting. The Lows – Sleep for Dinner:
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Of course, the problem with spending all your money on cocktails and cheese in the first part of a term is that you soon find yourself emptying out your cupboards to survive. I’m pretty sure that at several points last term I was living in food poverty, but I would have felt like a dick clearing York’s foodbanks of lentils. Instead I resorted to more cunning forms of nourishing myself. Look out for open lectures that advertise some form of free wine for attendees: Alcohol is an excellent source of calories. Failing that, get inventive with what precious food you do have. I thought that plain noodles with barbeque sauce and chilli powder was beneath me before I came to university. How times change. If I can leave you with one piece of advice, it’s that maintaining a healthy and balanced diet while trying to meet deadlines is almost certainly impossible. Eating a kebab on the way home from Fibbers isn’t gluttony, it’s a sound calorie, protein and vitamin (if you are careful with your sauces) investment that will pay off when you have to choose between actually eating and buying the stationary needed for your exams. Buy those nachos. Your body will thank you.
BY Isaac Arnachellum-Owen
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Budget Beauty: Get the look
Top 5 drugstore picks
Being on a student budget but wanting to keep up with the latest beauty trends is no mean feat, but ‘drugstore’ products are no longer leaving a lot to be desired. With Superdrug offering a 10% student discount through Unidays, you really can’t go wrong. I’ve narrowed down my long list of favourites to 5 go-to, tried and tested drugstore products (an unnecessarily gruelling process) including some cult favourites as well as trending new-releases. I couldn’t recommend these enough next time you’re in the market for a little pick me up; if you’re anything like me, new makeup will probably be the first and foremost thing on your list. Rimmel Stay Matte Powder - £3.99 I feel like the vast majority of people would have this somewhere at the top their list of foolproof products and you don’t need me to tell you how glorious it is. That being said, if you’re yet to find your holy grail pressed powder, look no further. You’re welcome. Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer - £4.19 This pretty much changed the game for all drugstore concealers in the future. Without being too dramatic. I can honestly say I haven’t pressed a single other concealer to my face since I discovered this in 2014. It has a great amount of coverage, while still being lightweight and creaseless. If that doesn’t float your boat, I’ve got nothing. I would also highly recommend the colour-correcting versions; I use the green shade on almost a daily basis to counteract redness. Nyx Tame and Frame Tinted Eyebrow Gel - £6 Essentially just the infamous Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade at a fraction of the price. For me, this one is a similar story to the concealer where I can’t go a day without it and pretty much haven’t since I tried it out 4 years ago. For whatever reason, this product is nowhere near as hyped as it should be, in my opinion. It has a fab shade range with something to suit every tone and the smoothest formula which just glides onto the skin with minimal effort. I use this with my Mac 266 angled brush which, although pricey, has served me well for a number of years, and it’s a match made in heaven. This one isn’t available at Superdrug, but you can pick it up on ASOS (to still get student discount) or at Boots.
end ones definitely was more of a task than for other products, until these palettes came into the limelight. Personally, I’ve only tried the Solstice shades as I have quite fair skin, but Cleopatra’s kiss is definitely on my wish list for when I want a more bronze glow. Both include creams and powders which is so handy for travelling and means you can layer the products, depending on how intense you want your glow to be. The pigmentation of these highlighters is not for the fainthearted, but with a light hand they give the most gorgeous glow-from-within. This is another product which I use daily to highlight my brow bone, inner corner and cupids bow because nothing else I have pops like this iridescent purple shade. This is one that is only at Boots at the moment, although ASOS do stock Sleek, they don’t yet have this exact product. Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Makeup Sponge - £6.33 for a pack of 2 Everyone knows about how amazing the Beauty Blender is meant to be, but I just couldn’t bring myself to spend over £15 on a sponge. Although I can’t vouch for this high-end alternative having never tried one, these Real Techniques sponges leave absolutely nothing to be desired, and at £3 a pop on Amazon Prime, I have no complaints. Hand on heart, I don’t think I will ever go back to using a brush for foundation or concealer as I find it’s a lot more time consuming and more often than not leaves me with a finish that’s streaky and cakey. I mean, that might just be my lack of finesse but who’s to know. You can buy these in Superdrug for £5 each or in a pack of 2 for £9.99 if it’s more convenient for you, but I nick my Mum’s Amazon Prime in the interest of saving £3.66 (every little counts).
BY Tara BOyd
Sleek Highlighting Palette in Solstice/Cleopatra’s Kiss - £9.99 Finding a drugstore highlighter on-par with my high-
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OPINION
Wednesday 2 May 2018
Vısıon 10 YORK
“YOU DON’T NEED TO BE A COLLEGE CHAIR”
ADVICE TO THOSE WHO WANT TO BE YUSU PREZ BY HAS’SAN SUHAIL I ran my campaign hoping that people from diverse backgrounds (including students that are not college chairs) will feel encouraged to run for this position, and I am happy that people took inspiration from it. I received a lot of positive comments and feedback; obviously there is always something more that you can do in your campaign, but it was a great experience nonetheless. I have grievances but I will definitely give credit where it is due. In fact, let us start by giving credit where it is due – James did not take his College Chair position for granted. You could see him everywhere speaking to people during the voting week. He was everywhere, and so were his posters. It cannot be denied that his presence did not play a part in his win. I am sure it did. But you need to understand, elections are a stressful period, there are things you can plan and there are things you cannot. You have to be ready for everything. Likewise, I was mentally ready for a few things but not others. Prior to the elections I tried to speak to a lot of people to set up a good manifesto. One that was both doable in the year of presidency and feasible to lobby for. I am happy to admit that due to my diverse background a lot of people promised to support me during the elections, and I think this is why I got as many votes as I did. So James had support from certain groups, and Has’san had support from certain groups. It is all square then isn’t it, what is Has’san complaining about now? Good question. I always knew I was the underdog in this race. However I spoke to a few people who told me that I was not, and that I had a huge network of international students who I should be able to mobilise. If only it was that easy. Two-thirds of international students are post-graduate students, most of whom either do not know about the elections or just do not vote. I really did not know how to approach them. You
can only do so much. Needless to say, and I am not going to go into details, it is different with colleges. People know who you are. There are around 5,000 postgraduate students in the University. The rest of the student population have in one way or another some sort of link with their colleges, averaging approximately 1,700 students per college. This in no way means that all 1,700 people vote for their college chair, but a decent number do. Moreover, you get endorsements from other college chairs. You will probably ask, ‘why didn’t you ask for these endorsements as well?’ Funny you should ask. I did approach a few. Some were honest enough to tell me that they might be endorsing a different candidate, while some said that they want to keep the election process fair for their college members and don’t want to influence anyone with their endorsements then ended up endorsing a different candidate. That’s completely fine with me, and I do not know why they felt the need to lie. On the other hand, some other college chairs were quite fed up of YUSU but luckily for them there was a RON campaign this year. I am not going to lie, by Tuesday in the elections week, I had almost given up, seeing how much support James already had. Hence, in the last three days, I asked my campaign team to go and speak to as many people as they could. It helped but if you want to win your campaign has to be longer than the two weeks of actual campaigning. Essentially, I am trying to tell a non-college chair running for Prez that it won’t be easy, but you can do it! Colleges often have grievances with YUSU, but the YUSU president is always a college chair. Does YUSU have a problem or are colleges the status quo in this university, where every year
a college chair has to nominate themselves for this role? I am not sure. Moving forward, am I suggesting another RON campaign next year or an anti-YUSU/colleges campaign? No, I am not. I am going to give some advice to any non-college chair or person from a more diverse background that runs for the same role next year: Make your campaign strong enough that you do not have to rely on endorsements; Run for positions in Societies, YUSU, and, yes, sorry, JCRCs. I should say, we can change things by ensuring that every year there are at least two or three college chairs from diverse backgrounds. Look at your current college chairs, surely one of them will nominate themselves for the role again next year; If you do want to run for a Sabb position, decide early (or hope for a miracle). I decided in November, and thought it was early, but it is hard managing it with your studies; Don’t give up. Always remember that you are paving the path for the people after you. The RON campaign was not
wrong on a lot of things- there is indeed very little engagement from the students with YUSU. Partly, it is down to YUSU not involving students in discussions and not giving regular updates of what they are up to over the course of the year. Rather than pushing the elections in the last month, why don’t they push their achievements and efforts over the year so that students feel more connected with you and are therefore compelled to vote?
You cannot expect a person who has not had the exposure to a JCRC or society role to run for these positions. Nothing stops them, but it is not easy. Eventually, YUSU’s aim should be to ensure that the elections are decided by people reading manifestos and not just a popularity contest. This will only happen if YUSU has engaged sufficiently with the students for them to understand the role of the YUSU, and therefore choosing to vote for people on their manifestos more than anything else. Lastly, if there is someone from those diverse backgrounds reading this article, know that you can do it. I got 1,070 votes, James got 1,718 votes. It’s hard but not impossible.
OPINION
Wednesday 2 May 2018
Vısıon 12 YORK
RUDD’S RESIGNATION THE TRUMP IS NOT ENOUGH PROTESTS WILL BE AN INTELLECTUAL WASTELAND BY DANIEL CLARK
BY RUTH AWOLOLA My Grandmother was a part of the Windrush Generation. Unfortunately, I never got the privilege of meeting her as she sadly died before I was born; at least I don’t have to worry about her getting wrongfully deported. On Sunday night, Home Secretary Amber Rudd announced her resignation for misleading the Home Affairs Select Committee over “targets for removal of illegal immigrants during their questions on Windrush”.
“Is Amber Rudd’s resignation enough?... It is definitely a step in the right direction” The ship that serves as an eponym for the generation, the HMT Empire Windrush, carried 1027 migrants to the port of Tilbury, Essex in 1948. Over 800 of the passengers declared their last country of residence as somewhere in the Caribbean. Many of the children who came over in the Windrush period, including some of the 86 children under 12 on the first ship, travelled on their parent’s passport – without their own ID documents – which prevented them from ever having their immi-
gration status formalised. After World War II, the British government actively encouraged mass immigration from Commonwealth countries to fill the shortages in the labour market. The Windrush generation helped to staff many of the country’s vital industries and services, such as British Rail and the National Health Service. Now, people who have been living here legally for up to 80 years have faced sincere hardship, with some being threatened with deportation. Others have lost their jobs, their pensions, or have been refused access to healthcare. Rudd and Theresa May, Prime Minister, have both apologised for their treatment of the Windrush generation, with the former labelling it “appalling”. Rudd also confirmed to the House of Commons measures which included the waiving of the fees for documentation and a new taskforce dedicated to helping those from the Windrush generation. She has since resigned from the government. Is Amber Rudd’s resignation enough? Since the scandal became public knowledge – over two weeks ago – it was more than they were willing to give us at the time. It beats her previous empty apology. It is definitely a step in the right direction, as is the letter coordinated by Labour MP David Lammy which has been signed by over 200 MPs calling for the government’s promises to the Windrush generation to be enshrined in law. But, the issue is far from resolved; the scale of what has happened should not be underestimated. May’s aims to create a “really hostile environment for illegal immigrants” has created a hostile environment for everyone. This whole situation has forced myself and many others to question what it means to be a British citizen, and to question if we’re welcome in the country we call home.
Donald Trump is visiting the UK. You probably know this already because the entirety of the chattering classes are hysterical about it and, just like when a child throws their toys out of the pram, it’s quite difficult to ignore them. Owen Jones, who once showed such great promise before he became Corbyn’s de facto spin doctor, has begun preparing a protest to meet Trump when he arrives, presumably forgetting that the President loves attention of any description. These plans have already garnered the support of thousands, which is a shame because that means it’s going to be a wasted day for lots of people.
“Donald Trump has become the bogeyman of Western civilisation... People loathe his very existence” Donald Trump has become the bogeyman of Western civilisation. Every single bad thing he does (and there are many of them) provokes reactions of outrage and disgust, whilst every single good thing he does is dismissed as either short-term or ‘in spite of’ his presidency. People loathe him: loathe his style, loathe his policies, loathe his very existence. And yet, this anger and hatred consumes them to such a point that they abandon the use of their critical faculties. Take, for instance, the so-called ‘Muslim Ban’. We all know that the Executive Order that brought this into force banned citizens of seven Middle Eastern countries from entering America. But how many times did it mention the words ‘Muslim’ or ‘Islam’? The answer, of course, is not at all. Yet the
media gave it an emotive nickname and the rest, as they say, is history. Now, with Trump’s visit on the horizon, the people who love to get behind a cause are preparing for a protest. But where was the popular outrage when Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman of Saudi Arabia visited the UK earlier this year? Here is a man who rules over a country where homosexuals are imprisoned, women cannot obtain a passport without male permission, and Christians are not allowed to openly practice their religion. I presume that because Mohammed Bin Salman has never described Rosie O’Donnell as a dog, he gets a free pass that Trump simply doesn’t deserve. As an advocate for freedom of expression without exception, I would never argue that these citizens should be stopped from exercising their democratic right to protest. Even the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, recognised this by tweeting that Trump will ‘see that Londoners hold their liberal values of freedom of speech very dear.’ This, quite conveniently, points to another glaring hypocrisy. The simple fact is that Khan doesn’t support freedom of expression. After all, this is the man who introduced a draconian ban on a Tube weight loss advert that depicted a woman in a bikini. This is the same man who believes that ‘buffer zones’ should be introduced around abortion clinics, meaning that simply saying a prayer outside of one could see you arrested. So, as is increasingly popular in the modern era, Khan does believe in freedom of speech… but only if you’re using it in the way he wants you to. All of this is symptomatic of a very sick society, where the exercise of one’s intellect is frowned upon. Instead of just ignoring Trump, which the narcissist-in-chief would find far more infuriating anyway, thousands plan to protest the democratically elected president of one of our closest allies, whilst ignoring far bigger problems. If spreading their virtue-signalling wings will make them feel better, they should go ahead. But they can expect not one ounce of support from me.
Image: George Plemper
The Windrush Generation refers to those arriving in the UK between the years of 1948 and 1971 from countries in the Commonwealth. Most emigrated from Caribbean countries that were still British colonies at the beginning of the migrations. The British Nationality Act 1948, created the status of Citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies, giving people living in the British colonies right of entry and settlement in the UK. So, surely, those who came over from Jamaica, Dominica, Trinidad and Tobago and other islands came under the impression that they were British citizens and had the right to stay here.
Image: Magnum Photos
Wednesday 2 May 2018 13 Vısıon
OPINION
YORK
LABOUR ANTISEMITISM: Corbyn’s Achilles Heel
This is a realisation even Henry Bolton, ex-leader of UKIP, had. When it was publicised that Bolton’s girlfriend, Jo Marney, had made racist comments against Meghan Markle in January of this year, Marney was immediately suspended from the party and Bolton claimed to have broken up with her. There was a problem and the leader of the party made strides to address it. And this is UKIP! Meanwhile, in the Labour Party, councillor Zafar Iqbal shared a video on Facebook titled CNN Goldman Sachs and the Zionist Matrix. Nothing was done. Ken Livingston, who famously called Hitler a Zionist, is planning on re-running for Parliament. Nothing is being said by Corbyn. Jackie Walker, former Vice Chair of Momentum, claimed Holocaust Memorial Day was not “inclusive” enough. Corbyn went on to campaign alongside Walker. Imagine the (rightful) backlash if someone said Black History Month was not “inclusive” enough - would Corbyn share a platform the claimant? When given a list of tangible changes he could make by Jewish leaders, Corbyn report-
edly shrugged his shoulders and has since fulfilled none of the wishes. CorNational heritage is a strange thing. byn is not necessarily an anti-Semite: Quietly occupying the background of but there is often no smoke without fire our national identity, it occasionally bursts into the news, uniting the handwringing intelligentsia of the Guardian and the outraged red faces of the Daily Mail in condemnation of whichever bureaucratic body has attempted to destroy a little bit of our national history. and Corbyn is grabbing a barrel of oil However left and right have perversely instead of the water-hose. joined together to destroy our history. While the Tories have savaged heritage funding in This brand of anti-Semitism which the name of neoliberal austerity, radical leftis being tied to Corbyn and Labour is ists openly advocate for cultural vandalism. not a case of viewing Jews as inferior It’s another front in the culture war that silentbeings; it is the far more insidious arguly rages around our ears. Starved of funds and ment that Jews control big businesses, purpose, the monolithic bodies that represent the media, and the cogs that grind the the vanguard of our heritage have resorted to world. It is the view Hitler used to juslazy commercialisation. Selling tat to try and tify his campaign against the Jews and survive. If we let our heritage die it will not be with a bang it will be with a whimper. The stately homes and museums will quietly yield to leave Britain a shadow of its former self, robbing our descendants of the history that is rightfully theirs.
“There is often no smoke without fire and Corbyn is grabbing a barrel of oil instead of the waterhose”
it needs to be stamped out immediately, before this argument becomes normalised. There has been a negative effect on the party’s position in the polls as a result of Corbyn’s handling of the situation. From last year’s general election, up until this scandal broke out at the beginning of March, 76 polls had been conducted by major pollsters, in which Labour had been ahead in 52. Since the anti-Semitism debacle broke out, 13 nationwide polls have been conducted. Labour were ahead in one. Of course, there are other factors in play here such as anti-Corbyn Labour MPs capitalising on the issue and thus bringing their internal splits into the public eye, something Labour have been historically notoriously bad at containing. This puts voters off the idea of supporting a split party. Additionally, Corbyn’s handling of Russia proved extremely divisive to moderate voters. However, I would make the claim that the swing in the polls has been down to this issue of anti-Semitism and Corbyn needs to do
Ironically given their fetishization of tradition, it is the Conservative party which has done the most in recent times to destroy this country’s history. With local budgets cut by up to 40% under David Cameron, non-vital services have suffered as councils rush to prioritise life-saving services, leaving little funding for local cultural and heritage organisations. The results of this has been a mass culling of archaeologists and conservationists. The Conservative government was happy to publicly admit they had cut £165 million from expenditure on culture and heritage in five years. The consequences of this may not be immediately apparent, but will surely become a national shame as we watch our cultural heritage erode in front of our eyes as we helplessly look on. When it comes to protecting our heritage, the Conservatives sit in the same moral ground as the arsonists who burn our historical listed buildings by the hundreds; at least criminals have the decency to run into the night knowing the crime they have committed. Not wanting to miss out on the cultural bonfire, the left also boasts a shameful history of destruction. Giddy on the idea of social progress and happy to abandon the past after the bloodshed of the World Wars the 1960s saw town planners destroy swathes of beautiful and historic buildings as they constructed their concrete utopias, forever scarring the landscape of our inner cities. Everywhere, including in my own home city of Leicester, Victorian markets and 1920s streets were bulldozed to be replaced by brutalist shopping centres. The tradition of destruction is still carried on by radicals; now in the name of trying to sanitise our history of all those who held shameful views which were mainstream at the time. The most outrageous example of this could be found in a recent Guardian Opinion article at-
Image: George Plemper
Corbyn’s rocky relationship with anti-Semitism began in 2009 when he was filmed referring to Hamas and Hezbollah as “our friends” in a private meeting. The Labour leader later clarified these comments as intending to unify all parties of the Israel-Palestine conflict and stated he regretted his words. In isolation, this comment can, and probably should, be forgiven. No one is perfect and when the world is scrutinising your every move slipping up occasionally is understandable. What became less excusable was the events of this year and Corbyn’s subsequent handling of the situation. It was uncovered that Corbyn was part of an overtly antiSemitic Facebook group and regularly engaged through comments and likes. The most infamous example of this being his comment defending an anti-Semitic mural which portrays a handful of rich Jews deciding where they will lead the world next. As before, Corbyn came out and apologised – however, this time he is leader of a party and a mere apology will not do.
Cuts, Commericalisation and Culture BY ISAAC ARNACHELLUM-OWEN
BY ALFRED GERSON In 2015, Harry Fletcher, Jeremy Corbyn’s then-campaign manager, told the Labour leader that antiSemitism in the Party would become his ‘Achilles heel’ if he failed to properly address it.
ASSAULT ON OUR HISTORY:
tempting to justify the toppling of Nelson’s Column, as Nelson was a racist who supported slavery. I suspect the clear majority of Europeans were racist until, at the very least, the 1970s. Should we uproot every statue depicting anyone born before around 1950 just to be on the safe side? The other great blow suffered by this country’s heritage has been dealt by the very organisations which protects it. Perhaps inevitably due to the lack of funding, English Heritage has had to aggressively target visitors with the predictable barrage of plastic crap that plagues every gift shop. Worse, the drastic remodelling of heritage sites to install glass-walled cafes heralds the commercialisation of the heritage sector. The proposed remodelling of Clifford’s Tower here in York (of which an informative write-up can be found on page XX) is a prime example of this. By choosing to burrow into the mound of the Grade 1 listed structure to create a modern visitor centre, English heritage have shown that their priority is not protecting our history but taking as much money as they can from visitors. Happily, the citizens of York have rallied to crowdfund a legal defence for the tower.
“The Conservatives sit in the same moral ground as the arsonists who burn our listed buildings by the hundreds” If we don’t stop this slow descent our grandchildren will be faced with a blander, uglier Britain. They will judge us with the contempt that we show the architects of the 1960s. Some will argue that we cannot afford to preserve our heritage in a time of economic uncertainty, but if we let our history be destroyed now it will be gone forever. We have a responsibility to the future to preserve our past.
OPINION
Wednesday 2 May 2018
Vısıon 14 YORK
IT IS TIME FOR YUSU TO CHANGE
BY BARBARA LUDDHEIM
A while back, I spoke to a friend about what I thought was wrong with YUSU (sounds like an exciting conversation, I know) and he told me to do something about it. Well, here you go; I’m going to moan about YUSU in a newspaper funded by them.
a bit about how they run – and it has to be said that the people at YUSU who help run societies are brilliant. They always answer your queries in a quick and helpful manner. But that’s about where it stops.
No, rather, I’m going to talk about societies. A strange topic, perhaps, considering the fantastic job that so many societies do on campus to make our lives so enjoyable. After all, you wouldn’t be able to read this brilliantly crafted article had YUSU not funded the paper it is written on.
Let’s start with Freshers’ Fair. It seems like the idea behind Freshers’ Fair has somehow been lost amidst a pile of sponsorship paperwork, because rather than societies taking main stage, it’s the countless companies that bankroll YUSU. Societies are stuffed onto small tables, only big enough to fit two committee members – at a stretch – meaning students have to quite literally queue around the corner to find out about your society. It’s a l l good, however, if you want a twelve week subscription to the Economist; there’s around forty people around to sign you up.
So, what’s my beef? I’ve had the pleasure of being the president of a society during the past year – meaning I’ve learnt quite
But wait, surely YUSU fund societies through their sponsorships? Maybe some societies. I was lucky
But I’m not going to moan about the stuff we already know. I’m not going to talk about the rising cost of living on campus. I’m not going to complain about the gentrification of campus. I’m not going to moan about the rapid increase in intake of students without sufficient campus infrastructure. I won’t even grumble about how we pay £9,000 for our degree yet some of us probably only get a third of that back, nor will I whine that these are issues YUSU should be doing something about.
enough to bump into the then Activities Officer whilst I was a president and he told me that because I had money in the bank, I wouldn’t be getting any grant! Turns out, if you’re a financially responsible society, you get punished. Of course, if you spend it all, you get given cash – but there’s a catch. Firstly, you have to charge a minimum of £4 for membership. £4 may not seem like a lot, but how can you convince a fresher to join your society if they’ve just signed up to 10 others and had a big night out the night before? It especially sucks if you don’t have a sponsor to help bankroll loads of freebies on the day (I’ll come back to that later). Here’s the kicker. If you don’t sell enough memberships, your grant doesn’t get released. That means a couple £4 sells could be the difference between your society getting £1,000 or not. For some societies, especially sports, they can’t put on activities without their grant and can’t sell membership without putting on activities. It’s frankly ludicrous.
So, back to sponsorship. While YUSU don’t mind you being sponsored, they hardly encourage it. The extent they go to is providing a training session on how to go about getting a sponsor. For any society – no matter how big – it is a very tough ask to convert that into bag-
“If you’re a financially responsible society, you get punished” ging a national sponsor, leaving most societies on the hook for YUSU funding. So that’s my moan. It may not seem like a lot, but for someone running a society or on the committee of one, it could make their lives a lot easier whilst also making societies a lot better. So please, soon-to-be Activities Officer Finn, let’s change things.
TALKS IN KOREA MUST GO FURTHER BY GRACE SHIN It has often been the case that those in the West cared more about North Korea than modern, young South Koreans. Whilst Kim Jong Un recently stamped his feet and threatened to push the red nuclear button, you would find most Seoulites continuing what they have always done – a disinterested glance at the headlines on their daily com-
mute to work, before returning to their smartphones or tablets. The united Korean teams who participated in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics this year were touching. But the sad fact remained that it had all been done before, and nothing substantial changed. Even the inter-Korean summit was one which has already happened twice, in 2000 and 2007. A Realmeter opinion poll found a filmsy 14.2% of South Korean
trusted North Korea’s denuclearisation. But there was something different about this overtly public summit. It is hard to deny that the historic image of the two Korean presidents smiling and shaking hands was a moving spectacle. This was a carefully choreographed piece of diplomacy, purposefully designed to be emotionally charged. Beyond this, there were genuine semblances of comradery between the two Korean leaders; along with which came the hope that ultimately, the people within the two nations were not so different after all. No other moment could have been a better example than the unscripted step South Korea’s Mr Moon Jae-In decided to take. “I wonder when I can cross over to the North”, Mr Moon Jae-In is reported to have said to Mr Kim as they shook hands on the South side. “Why don’t you now?” was Mr Kim’s reply. A short hesitancy on Mr Moon’s side preceded a moment of trust as he decided to do just that. The photographers went wild with cheers and laughter. The words were lofty and meaningful as well. “As I stand here today I can see that South and North Koreans are the same people,” Mr Kim said. “They cannot be separated. We are compatriots.” The pledge signed at this summit was far more detailed than ones signed before: promising to convene with the Korean Red Cross when organising family reunions, cease all military aggression, and, importantly, to “rejuvenate the sense
“Those who remember a unified Korea are slowly dying out. Sadly, it is likely they will never see a united homeland again” of national reconciliation and unity.” Blood relations between the Koreas not only exists racially, but personally as well. Families torn apart by the Korean War are still alive today, and are allowed three day long reunions along the border. The issue is that although thousands of Koreans apply, only one hundred are permitted. Their meetings are supervised, and despite the three day long reunion, they ultimately only spend twelve hours in total in contact with their relatives. Scenes of tearful goodbyes are harrowing. But families such as these, and those
who remember a united Korea are slowly dying out. Sadly, it is likely they will never see a united homeland again, or be permanently reunited with their friends and families across the border. Many South Koreans, mostly the young, simply do not want the burden of taking on an impoverished economically backward state that they would have to financially shoulder. Not only this, but the cultures between the two are too different, they say. A 2017 survey found that only 38.9% of those aged 20-29 year olds saw reunification as necessary. If the ultimate goal for reunification is to be realised, it will take many years maybe even generations to persuade them. But this is simply not fair for those who remember a Korea without a border. The aims of these summits should be to bring about concrete peace, through a fully ratified peace treaty which is yet to be signed, and to allow divided families to be reunited again permanently, or at least, far more frequently. Substance needs to match the style. Maybe reunification will never happen. Maybe there is no appetite for it. But a settled state of peace can be achieved. Reunification is another issue entirely. It would be a mammoth task and South Koreans still need convincing. But just as Moon Jae-in perhaps thought as he decided to spontaneously cross that line into the North: a step is a step.
Wednesday May 2, 2018 15 Vısıon
FEATURE
YORK
VISION INVESTIGATION
WHAT IS HAPPENIN
CONCERT READY? Huge invstment into new audiovisual equipment Backstage being reworked
Central Hall’s 3
NO MORE SWEATY GRADUATIONS Ventilation to be totally replaced CO2 and Temperature sensors to keep graduates cool
Major Renovation work to BY HUW JAMES AND ISAAC ARNACHELLUMOWEN Despite the best efforts of the University of York meme page, York’s very own spaceship will not be taking off any time soon as it is undergoing extensive refurbishment and repairs. Exclusive pictures obtained by York Vision reveal the renovations being made to Central Hall, where the lobby bar has been removed,
FEATURE
Wednesday May 2, 2018
Vısıon 16 YORK
NG TO CENTRAL HALL?
NO MORE CLOSED RECEPTION Lobby bar to be replaced by furniture NO MORE CREAKY FLOORS Stage and Auditorium floors to be replaced Auditorium to be wheelchair accessible
3-year Makeover
o continue until at least 2019 the porter‘s lodge vanished, and the stage replaced. New audio visual technology as well as new lifts should boost the venue’s accessibility. Whilst renovations will continue well into 2020, measures are being taken to ensure that finalists graduating this year will be able to use the building in the summer, although many would prefer graduation to take place in the Minster.
NO MORE BALCONY PICS? Outdoor balcony to be used as storage space
Wednesday 2 May 2018 17 Vısıon
THE BIG NISA BUDGET BRUNCH Gluttony and day drinking with Nisa’s Heritage range BY ISAAC ARNACHELLUM-OWEN With the YUSU shop soon to cease trading, budget-savvy York students will soon need a replacement to the legendary £3 meal deals. Just round the corner, Nisa seems to offer a possible solution. Not only do they have their own in-house value brand, called Heritage Pantry. As you may be able to tell from my opinion article (page 13), I felt I had a special responsibility to take the Heritage plunge and report back my findings to my faithful readers. Without further ado, I present the Nisa luncheon. Heritage Toffee Popcorn, 200g, £1 Full of optimism, I crack open the first package on my list. Nisa didn’t have any salted popcorn, so I had to make do with the next best thing. Sweet popcorn was also available for those whose favourite food is pizza and favourite TV show is Friends, although having a personality I personally opted for Toffee. So far, so good. It’s pretty hard to get popcorn wrong and Nisa manage to achieve it reasonably. Perhaps a little less toffee coating than I would expect compared to a big brand like Butterkist, but nevertheless my fingers soon get coated in the annoying, sticky grime that all toffee popcorn conoisseurs know only too well. A quality knock-off product by Nisa and at a reasonable price, a well-deserved 7/10.
Heritage pure orange juice, 1l, £1.30 Before even tasting it, the packaging has already made clear what quality I am to expect from this drink. It appears Nisa have taken the artisitic decision not to capitalise the first letters of the product names; a quick glance at the rest of my lunch confirms this. My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined. The orange juice is like any other cheap orange juice from concentrate.
Shiraz: a £5 bargain
Stick to Aldi’s “pure” range, it costs the same and doesn’t taste of orange squash mixed with a pound of sugar. 3/10. Heritage Shiraz, 75cl – 13.5%, £4.99 If the orange juice is anything to go by, I’m going to need a coping mechanism. Luckily, I picked up the cheapest red I could find in the store, a 2017 vintage Shiraz. The tasting notes claim the wine is “Easy drinking with flavours of blackberry and just a hint of spice”. At £5 that may be a bit optimistic: the only taste I could pick up on was an orangey tang, probably because I’m reusing the same glass. The wine isn’t without its upsides.
It’s probably one of the most cost-effective ways of getting drunk on campus, and after the best part of half a bottle I’m beginning to look on it more favourably. Overlooking the vinegary aftertaste, the bottle deserves 5/10. Heritage Milk Chocolate, 90g, £0.50 I didn’t have high hopes for this budget bar of chocolate, but it appears to be the standout star. It is a bit oversweet, but it has a pleasant Yorkie-esque vibe. At this point you may be wondering if this is a typical meal for me. I can confirm that Vision editors solely survive on a diet of cheap confectionary and even cheaper alcohol. 8/10. Kommissar vodka, 20cl – 37.5%, £4.35 At this point the lunch is dragging on a bit, so I brought out the big guns. Technically this is the only item on the list so cheap and nasty Nisa didn’t even want to give it the Heritage brand, so I have a strong sense of foreboding. The vodka bottle has a classic Communist
vibe going on, but ironically it was produced and bottled in the United Kingdom – capitalist trickery at its finest. The drink itself was genuinely undrinkable. I tried – I really did. I can’t even give it a score out of ten. It burns with the heat of rocket fuel but tastes like Meths smells. Even the kindly checkout lady tried to point me towards the Heritage gin instead, but my own arrogance has proved to be my greatest downfall. Luckily, I bought mixer. Heritage Diet Lemonade, 2l, £0.60 With the sugar tax recently coming into effect, diet drinks truly are the way forward for budget-savvy consumers. By itself, I’m sure this diet lemonade wouldn’t be so bad. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t have the taste to mask the Kommisar vodka so I’m going to have to dock points. 3/10. At this point I have had far too much cheap alcohol to bother reviewing own-brand mayonnaise so consider this review completed.
Images: Isaac Arnachellum-Owen
FEATURES
YORK
Wednesday 2 May 2018
Vısıon 18 YORK
19 Vısıon YORK
SPORT
Wednesday 2 May 2018
OPINION
To VAR or not to VAR? BY ZAC CAMPBELL
It has now been several months since the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) was introduced into competitive English football. Brought into English football this January, the VAR system was meant to eliminate ‘clear and obvious’ refereeing errors from the game through allowing a referee to consult an assistant with video replays to help them reach a conclusive decision. However, during Manchester United’s fifth round clash at Huddersfield Town, the system proved to be anything but conclusive when United playmaker Juan Mata had scored what seemed like a perfectly legal goal. Or so we thought. A lengthy silence arose around Huddersfield’s John Smith stadium as fans and managers alike became confused. A system that was meant to remove errors had become erroneous itself. In his post-match press conference, United manager, Jose Mourinho said that it comes down to “the decision of the referee, and if they have VAR to help them I think referees would be happy with that...if VAR brings the truth, I am happy with that”. Since its introduction, VAR has had the complete opposite effect as intended. It has brought confusion instead of clarity, resulting in uncertainty where there should unwavering conviction. Mourinho recognises that VAR must be given time as referees must become familiar with how it should be implemented into English football. Spectators must remember that VAR is an unproven system, currently in its infancy. Where it is being used in European leagues it is yet to receive total backing, and in England the Football Association have implemented it on a trial basis at a small scale. The FA has had the courage to introduce it with the objective of it becoming a pioneering system. For this they must be given credit, even in spite of VAR’s teething problems in its first six weeks. Whilst VAR cannot be described as an instant success, referees have always been the target of vehment criticsm. Nevertheless, the debate surrounding the use of VAR will rage on with every FA Cup fixture to occur. With its success in other major sports, it is likely that many football fans will call for its inclusion beyond this season in the Premier League. If goal-line technology can be a success, VAR should be given its chance to impress.
ROSES HANDBALL HOTS UP
Prepared to fight Images: Beatreice Trascau
BY CHRISTOPHER HALEY Continued from back cover She looks forward to the “thrill before the game”, and is eager to express the friendly atmosphere the team shares, which she believes is one of it’s strongest assets: “Everyone is looking forward to playing together and supporting one another, there’s a very strong family feel in our club and we’re always there for one another”. While Trascau is looking forward to the tournament, the heavy-contact nature of the sport means that preparations aren’t free from worries: “we’ve had a few injuries in the team… I’m slightly worried about any of us
York’s Handball Team
getting worse before or during the game”. Trascau’s year as Handball President has been overwhelmingly positive, and has seen the club go from strength to strength. “I’ve had an amazing year as chair of the club, I’m incredibly lucky to be supported by amazing team mates, to work with such a great committee and to be able to build on the brilliant work previous chairs and committees of this club have done”.
WENGER OUT: FOR BETTER OR WORSE BY JOSHUA COLLIER Arsene Wenger’s departure from Arsenal represents the end of an era for football. For a great number of fans he has been managing Arsenal their whole life. His 22 years of management revolutionised football. Achievements like the Invincibles season, which saw Arsenal go on a 49 unbeaten run in 2004 will be remembered forever. His reign also saw the move to the Emirates Stadium with all the difficulties such an occurrence entails. The Frenchman’s resignation, however, comes after seasons of divide within the Arsenal fanbase.
Many fans have been split between memories of his past achievements, and their issues with the dwindling success of the team. Arsenal are being left behind by their competitors; the idea of Arsenal competing with Burnley for a Europa League spot 10 years ago would have been laughable and while blame has been targeted at the board and the players, the majority of this frustration has been aimed at Wenger’s stubbornness, notorious lack of spending, and his inability to adapt. This news is undoubtedly bittersweet though. He is, in many ways, Arsenal personified. Similar to when Ferguson
left Manchester United, there is no doubt the club is facing years of serious upheaval, and the likelihood is that it will not all be beneficial, but change is better than stagnation. Wenger deserves serious respect for all he achieved, but the truth is that the club is failing to improve at the same rate as their competitors, and many fans will agree that the prospect of improvement outweighs the risk of change. To remain in Europe, and to match the ambitions of the fans, change is necessary. In my eyes, it is the right decision for him to have announced it when he did; now that the future is confirmed, fans can
rally behind Wenger and hopefully the players can deliver him the successful ending that he deserves in the Europa league, and qualify, again, for Europe in the Premier League. The future Arsenal faces is nerve-wracking, but exciting. Linked with the likes of Champions League winning former Barcelona manager, Luis Enrique, or Massimilano Allegri, at Juventus, the prospect of a new approach, by a very qualified manager, will hopefully allow for the club to genuinely compete in the Premier League and Europe again. As long as the board is supportive and the manager is given the necessary resources, there is no reason Arsenal
cannot adapt to these difficult circumstances. Wenger should rightfully be revered for all he has done and the next few years will be tough, but the opportunity for change, and hopefully improvement, is a far better option than stagnation and further decline. We are witnessing the end of an era, and I truly hope the board reward Wenger for all that he has done. He deserves to be remembered not for his recent issues, but for the success he has had at the club overall. The future is bright, if a bit tenuous, for Arsenal fans.
Vısıon 20
SPORT
YORK
DARTS TEAM HUNGRY FOR SUCCESS
Wednesday May 2, 2018
DARTING TO VICTORY York eyes THIRD darts upset over rivals
Continued from back cover “The teams have held ‘Roses-style’ practice matches... the 1s are playing the 2s on Tuesday, whilst on Saturday the women played Uni of Hull men’s team in a warm up game. All three teams have been practicing hard and working on team spirit”. The rivalry with Lancaster has intensified since last Roses, when York Men’s team won for the first time in four years and followed up the victory in the Northern Universities Darts League plate final, where York beat Lancaster 8-3. Although the women’s team and the 2nd Team have yet to beat Lancaster, Curran remains op-
timistic: “The Women and 2nd Team have built real depth this year and have come such a long way so are in with a great shout of securing victories”. Although some may doubt the university’s chances at an away Roses, Curran disagrees: “Too often an away Roses is taken as a guaranteed loss, but why can’t we win in Lancaster? I like the optimism”. The close nature of the competition has led to increased recognition of darts as a sport, to the extent that the darts face-off has been advertised as one of the most hotly anticipated events. “Men’s First Team Darts is the big Saturday night event in the great hall at Lancaster and York have
featured it as part of their battleground fixtures due to the close nature of games in recent years. The atmosphere in the great hall is amazing (with nearly 1,500 people watching), yet at the same time really hostile and at times intimidating... but overall it will be amazing”. On a more personal note, Curran reflected on his achievements in his time as captain. “Being President of this amazing club has been one of my proudest achievements whilst at York. In particular. we have raised over £2,100 for JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). This means a lot to me as I have had type 1 diabetes for 15 years. Also, we have promoted
Images: Mark curran
disabled darts this year by purchasing a wheelchair accessible stand that allows a wheelchair player to play against a standing player on a rotating stand… The club is amazing, yes it’s been stressful at times, but I wanted to give everything over a year and hopefully the club can build on the amazing work we’ve done this year and hopefully students will see us as a sports club like any other”. Coverage of the tournament can be followed live on the Roses mini-site at www.roseslive.co.uk
Roses: 2 days to go...
yorkvision.co.uk/roses
ısıon VSport YORK
Handball team ready for the win BY CHRISTOPHER HALEY Speaking to Vision, President of York’s Handball Club Beatrice Trascau is clearly focused on a victory in next week’s Roses. “I think everyone in our team has winning on their mind and are prepared to fight for it until the last minute of the game. We’ve improved so much over the past months, so I believe both our men’s and women’s team have a good chance of winning”. The inter-university tournament has been the focus of the team for some time, with the team putting in extra training sessions and workouts to fine-tune tactics. Indeed, Trascau even expressed disappointment with the pessimistic attitude of the Roses advertisements in York The “maybe… just maybe campaign” giving weight to the view that a Roses played away will be a sure defeat for York: “I think personally, I would’ve gone for a more positive or motivating slogan as I do believe that we can win but I am aware that the chance for an away win are slim, so this is probably a more realistic outlook”. However, while the win is clearly important to Trascau, it isn’t everything...
Roses 2018 Sports teams prepare for Lancaster showdown
AIMING FOR A TREBLE Darts Team ready for Roses glory
BY ISAAC ARNACHELLUM-OWEN With Roses just around the corner, Captain of the University’s Dart’s Team, Mark Curran, described his hopes for victory in a Vision exclusive. When it comes to University darts, there are few rivalries fiercer than that between York and Lancaster. Since last year, the fortunes of York’s darts teams have been improving
rapidly with Mark Curran taking the helm as the University captain. Last year, for the first time the York men’s team took their first Roses victory, a success that Curran has been working hard to emulate by increasing training... Continued on Page 20
Wenger: A Bittersweet Resignation?
Continued on Page 19
Image: Max Pixel
BY JOSH COLLIER
VAR, HUH: WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR?! See Page 19
Image: J. Glover
Image: Mark Curran
Arsene Wenger’s departure from Arsenal represents the end of an era for football. For a great number of fans he has been managing Arsenal their whole life. His 22 years of management revolutionised football. Achievements like the Invincibles season... Continued on Page 19
Image: Ronnie MacDonald