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After the fiasco at the YUSU Freshers’ Fair in October 2019, in which the Union’s Doorsafe security service oversaw the takedown of a Hong Kong Lennon Wall (a message of support and truth for Hong Kong), students from Hong Kong have told York Vision that they felt that the University has had a more productive relationship with their politics, but only after the threat of bad publicity from The Times’ article that later surfaced.

FULL STORY ON PAGE 4

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2020/21 ACADEMIC YEAR

Our Vision York Vision is an institution in British student journalism and journalism as a whole. Producing generation after generation of top-level journalists since its first edition in 1987, we pride ourselves on being the best source of news on campus and beyond at the University of York.

We are recognised all over Britain as a dedicated, successful student publication and our stories regularly inform the national and regional news cycle in a way that few student newspapers can boast of.

Our stories and articles have featured in The Guardian, The Sun, The Daily Mail and even The Jamaica Observer. Student media on campus is unparalleled in its quality and the rivalry surrounding it is fierce. Despite the competition, Vision prides itself on being the #1 news source for student issues in York.

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But our duty is more than just report the news.

We also strive to make current campus affairs interesting and entertaining to the student population and take satisfaction from our successful coverage of Union Elections, Roses, and other student events.

YORK ’S AW ARD-W INNIN G

Vision, over 30 years on from Mark Watts’ first edition, continues to be the anarchic voice of the University of York and long may it continue.

Brooke Davies & Iwan Stone Editors

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First published in 1987, York Vision offers unique access to a wide variety of individuals.

Operating across print, online, and digital, York Vision has had a total readership of over 100,000.

York Vision is the main student newspaper in York, read by students and the wider public alike. Many of our stories have been picked by the regional and national press and we have been acknowledged as the most influential student publication in the UK.

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Meet your new Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Union officers

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ISSUE 269

UNACCEPTABLE How Hong Kong students are threatened and mistreated at York

BY FIN BOSWORTH

HONG KONG STUDENTS feel as if their safety and freedoms were ignored by the University of York.

After the fiasco at the YUSU Freshersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Fair in October 2019, in which the Unionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Doorsafe security service oversaw the takedown of a Hong Kong Lennon Wall (a message of support and truth for Hong Kong), students from Hong Kong have told York Vision that they felt that the University has had a more productive relationship with their politics, but only after the threat of bad publicity from The Timesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; article that later surfaced.

FULL STORY ON PAGE 4

VISION CHATS WITH THE COLLEGE CHAIRS PAGE 5

covers the following sections News. Opinion. Features. Lifestyle. Climate. Science. Sport.

Music. Screen. Stage. Food. Travel. Games. Books.

STAGE EDITOR LUCIE JUBIN

Visionary Features From politics and world affairs, to culture, arts, music, sport, and stage, York Vision’s down-to-earth and thoughtprovoking features make it the UK’s leading student publication for top interviews.

4

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magine a canvas about five foot by four… with a white background… completely white, in fact… with fine white diagonal stripes… you know… and maybe another horizontal white line, towards the bottom. How much would you give for such a painting?

Indeed, this question raised

by Yasmina Reza in Art is going to tear apart Serge, Marc, and Yvan, three Parisians that have been friends for over fifteen years. Marc doesn’t understand how his best friend could spend 200,000 Francs on such ‘shit’.

Photo: G. Yue

“It’s About Teamwork and Community”

Tuesday October 1, 2019

12

Eton Mess: ‘Blacking Up’ Our front page in November 2013 caused a stir both on campus and across the nation.

The article resulted in one of the largest debates ever amongst our readers and was covered in The Sun, by ITV News, and by at least one Jamaican national news company.

Hockey Antisemitic Social: This online story made shockwaves on campus and is still spoken about two years after the fact. The coverage of this story by The Daily Mail saw sanctions applied to York’s hockey club and discussions about Union policy on antisemitic actions.

Fake Freshers’ Events: Huw James’ 2017 investigation uncovered the shady business of events meant to swindle money out of vulnerable freshers with lacklustre events. The story changed the way that our Union raised awareness of the events. James’ story also informed the way these events are tackled by students’ unions outside of York. It has made Freshers’ Week a safer and better experience for all.

FEATURES

Yasmina Reza excels in so many dimensions. The danger with writing a play about friendship is to fall into pathos and have characters overflowing with feelings and emotions. This is not the case here. Each time a character has a rather emotional monologue, Reza introduces a comic element (sometimes it’s only a word) that lightens the whole confession. Yasmina Reza doesn’t only offer us a reflection about art and friendship: it’s a criticism of today’s Parisians way of life and culture.

It’s funny how Serge, Marc, and Yvan’s thoughts when evaluating something are inevitably brought to money. The first word Marc says after several minutes of observing the painting for the first time is ‘expensive?’

Both Marc and Serge make fun of Yvan for seeing a very trendy psychiatrist, Finkelzohn.

When he points out to them that Finkelzohn understood what is wrong in the trio from the beginning, the first thing they ask is how much he takes per session. ‘and in cash! (…) Freud says you have to feel the banknotes as they slip though your fingers.’ says Serge with a grin on his face Yasmina Reza mocks those Parisians who aspire to belong to the intelligentsia. She makes of Serge a pseudo-intellectual who complains about not having time to read anymore and has to go straight to the essential: Seneca’s De Vita Beata. Reza has fun with Parisian features. It’s ironic that it had so much success in Paris, and that people all around the world keep performing it! It’s ironic that it had so much success in Paris, and that people all around the world keep performing it!

This dark comedy is absolutely brilliant! It was played for the first time in 1994 at the theatre of the Champs Elysées in Paris and was on for 18 months. It’s a pure jewel, and one that has been translated into English by Christopher Hampton.

“T

ender but horrific”, beyond their lifespan, or just fall director Yasmin flat from a lack of development Roe described her in previous scenes. team’s work, Yen, Sex is made out to be one after the night ended in standing of the central themes of the ovation. The compelling story play. However, I found this to be of two brothers (Bobbie and lacking teeth or overtly romanHench), their abusive mother tic in an ugly conclusion, which (Maggie), and a catastrophic clashed with the gritty realism failure of romance (between the play had previously encomJennifer and Hench) has left me passed. The way in which the with a bad taste in my mouth forced romance between Hench – but one that I know will be and Jennifer ended was sloppy. remedied soon.

More should have been done to Gritty, realistic dialogue is contextualise Hench’s deep insegiven a sombre undertone by curities and lack of anger manthe story, harmonized viscerally agement. Moreover, the endby a cast of emotive actors who ing and heavily implied sexual nourish the characters with moassault of Jennifer really don’t do ments of hilarious dark humour, much to give him greater depth. cheerless alcoholism, or the The aftermath of this lacked any thoughtless void of depression, of the raw realism that made the abandonment, and isolation. But first act so compelling as more at its core, Yen feels like a play and more dialogue was cut short that is trying to say a lot but fails by artistic scene transitions to flesh out the correct themes. (dance movements). As a result, Sex, isolation, poverty, and a Jennifer’s return to Hench feels dog. One of these is not like the like a depressing, abusive, and other, can you guess which it is? sickening conclusion that was It’s a little strange that the catabeing unironically sold as ”they lyst for the story came not from all lived happily ever after”. The Tuesday October 1, 2019 the abusive familial relationship, earlier, excruciatingly long sex dysfunctional individuals, or scene perhaps best symbolpainful trauma; instead they apises this lack of nuance on the peared only as an aftermath of subject – switching to dialogue the central object of the plot, a akin to a frat house at the worst brown dog named Taliban. moments.

The obsession over an off– However, several moments

BY CHAY QUINN stage dog symbolises the main (focused in the first act) suggest UNIVERSITY failure of Yen: THE a structurally weak anof intelligent and reflective chaYork received story that is redeemed only by a record risma to Anna Jordan’s complex 458 Freedom of Inforthe stellar dialogue, uneven but writing, where sombre realism is mationacting, (FOI) at times spectacular andrequests at the forefront: complex major into 2018, ballsy attempts tacklebeating themes.theorreminor medical issues, the cord of 413 set in 2013.

Yen succeeds only in the first ambiguity around Bobbie’s and York is also on track to half of the play. The characHench’s respective fathers being receive another record ters and theiragain relationship to either heroes or rapists, Hench’s the tragedies in of 2019 their with lives the are resurgence violent nightmares culminating of York Vision and continubeautifully encapsulated in the in his endless screams, the two ing existence of Nouse brother’s doudepressing isolation of poverty. sexual frustration in a blingmuddied the student But this becomes by journalism room littered with sexual drawinstitutions which makeings up aor posters, and strange rethe weak attempt at a romlarge proportion com in the contextually forcedof requests marks made by Hench regarding sent. relationship between Hench and Bobbie’s spooning of his sleepAs ofmoments 24 June, the ing UniJennifer. High–impact mother. Dark humour and versity Information Governeither age like old milk as they meaningful dialogue interlink reance extended team had well receivedalistically, 216 are excruciatingly such as why Taliban’s requests under the 2000 Freedom of Information Act. York Vision believe the current figure is above 260 at the time of publication due to the volume of requests our team has sent since June.

There have been calls to make universities exempt from the FOI Act in recent Photo: E.Harrowing years. Tony Blair considers the legislation the worst that he passed.

NEWS NEWS In conversation with Firebringer directors Burbs and Chris 5 Jubin THOUSANDS ON FLIGHTS MORE FOIS BOARD Lucie SPEND OUTRAGE AS UNIVERSITY EXEC THAN EVER How much would you pay?

F

rom Friday March 6 to Sunday March 8, DramaSoc is putting on Firebringer.

This is a StarKid Productions musical originally written by Meredith Stepien and Mark Swiderski. Director Burbs L. Burberry and musical director Chris Rundell talk to us about their work and how they approach the musical.

LJ: Why Firebringer?

Burbs: Most musicals are pretty high budget, but I wanted something that could be scaled down to the Barn and that suited the Barn’s audience.

Chris: I think it’s true, you can scale Firebringer down to the bottom quite easily. If you watch A Very Potter Musical, that’s very low budget, very scaled down.

Firebringer is definitely a huge step up from there. Definitely much more professional, but it’s still got a bit of a homey feel to it.

B: Firebringer is originally a musical, you can reinterpret everything in your own way. Especially stuff like the costumes. You don’t have to do the exact same

Brussels

£0.3k

thing, because it works regardless of the interpretation that you take on it.

LJ: So you’re not going to opt for very realistic scenery then?

B: No. The Drama Barn as a space is a black box theatre.

Having super realistic sets only works when you’re trying to do inside spaces like rooms. They can look amazing and there have been some fantastically realistic sets in the Barn. But for an outdoor space, you’re always aware that you’re indoors. You can see the black ceiling, the black floor.

You can’t do anything about that. So the way to approach it, in my mind anyway, is to make it abstract and to give the hints of this setting without trying to make it realistic. The audience will accept it straight away. It’s the magic of theatre!

LJ: Firebringer is set in the Stone Age: to what extent do you think it’s relevant to us today?

B: At its core, Firebringer is about teamwork and community. All of the conflict that’s created comes from people refusing to work with each other

Ghana

£1.4k

and to get along. It’s about comscale down a Broadway musipromise and listening to other cal to the Barn to make it work.

Gill Ye=we don’t have an people, which is something thatImage: For example, you can really take into the world orchestra in the show. Chris has of today in every capacity of your made recordings based on the professional and personal life. songs.

Human conflict has been around C: Yeah, it’s a mix of recordsince the dawn of civilization, ing people by themselves; like and we’re still working through it the bass playing separately, the today. Firebringer puts it in other drum set, the guitar. And then settings which helps us to look at we stick them all together in a it with an outside eye. recording studio!

LJ: Are you going to stay historiLJ: It seems like there are two cally accurate? types of songs: on the one hand, B: If it were historically accuthere’s the American, Broadwayrate I don’t think it would be as esque musical songs, and on the interesting. The spectator can other hand, there are those that only root for characters when try and imitate the Stone Age he/she can relate to them. The vibe. Do you approach them the easiest way of doing that is to same way? make them behave in a certain C: Some of the tribe songs are sort of way that is familiar to us. much more rhythmic, energetic, When there is a temporal disand on beat. They’re good to get crepancy, the audience is always everybody together. It’s very imreally willing to accept those portant that all the actors be on differences, which I think means the same tempo and have the you don’t have to worry about it same energy, whereas the more very much. musical ones are a bit more LJ: Looks like you’re moving theatrical. The actors can take as away from the musical genre to many liberties as they want and get closer to drama. be more expressive with them.

B: Yes. It’s about being able to B: There is a really big differ-

HALL OF SHAME FEATURES

New York

£2.7k

ence between ‘atmosphere’ and ‘emotion’. Some of the songs are really geared towards building an energitic atmosphere. Others are a lot more emotional and drive the plot and the story: they are the solos in the duets where it’s all about people connecting.

LJ: What do you like the most working on Firebringer?

B: It’s just always been my exact brand of humor! Slightly crass but like witty kind of jokes that are quite self aware. They just really fit my bow.

C: I actually really loved the music in fact. Most of the musicals, they don’t do anything to carve a musical identity of their own that works with the story. I think Firebringer definitely does that, by bringing in tribal elements, the percussions, the instrumentation, whilst still being very Broadway-esque.

B: All 11 members of the cast have so much energy in rehearsals We’ve spent so much time together now and we’re all such good friends. I’m loving it!

Kuala Lumpur

£3.2k

FEATURES

He accuses him of being a snob and of having fallen in the trap of vulgar art hunters. Serge, on the other hand, accuses Marc of despising the Modern Age without knowing anything about it. Both Marc and Serge accuse Yvan of not being able to take sides in anything in life, which pushes them into their worst verbal excesses.

What is so thrilling about Art is that all three characters are very blunt to each other. No hypocrisy, no lies. This evening is all about laying all your cards on the table. Savagery after savagery, large cracks appear in the trio. From time to time, something collapses (when Marc utters the word ‘shit’, when Serge tells him what he thinks of his wife Paula, when Yvan gets accidentally punched in the face…).

The violence of the punchlines in this play is captivating. It conveys to the plot a lot of dynamism and movement in spite of the fact that it’s all set during one evening behind closed doors.

India

£4.2k

Tuesday November 26, 2019

@YorkVisionStage

stage@yorkvision.co.uk

FEATURES EDITOR

13

ANGELOS SOFOCLEOUS discusses whether to expect a ‘youthquake’ or just a few tremors.

ACCORDING TO GOVERNMENT data, about 1.5 million young people aged 18 to 34 have registered to vote in the upcoming general election on December 12.

In fact, under-35s make up 64 % of new applications to vote. Three days after October 31, when the general election was called, 425,000 people registered to vote, of whom 274,000 were voters under the age of 35.

These figures are significantly higher than the 2017 General Election when there were only 296,000 new applications received after the election was called, of which 203,000 were from under-35s.

Young people’s rising interest in politics, which is shown by the increase in turnout for the past decade, is likely to be a factor that can determine election results in certain constituencies. In particular, following a huge decrease in estimated voter turnout for people aged 18-24 from 63% in 1992 to 39% in 2005, there are hopes that young people will bring voter turnout back to high levels.

This is plausible, as the British Election Study has reported that 18-24 year old turnout for the 2017 general election was 62% and is likely to be kept at the same level for the upcoming general election. In addition, the fact that students can register both at their home address and term-time address means they can choose to vote wherever their vote will make a bigger difference, especially if there is a closer-fought election in Even though the youth vote rise in 2017 was considered somewhat of a shock, the general trend has seen 18-24 year old turnout drop over the past few decades.

their university constituency.

Another factor showing why young voter turnout is expected to rise is the increasing polarisation between the youngest of voters, those aged 18 to 24, and the older voters, those aged over 65. Increasing polarisation demonstrates the loss of apathy and an increase in interest in politics from both groups, albeit at the two opposing sides of the political spectrum. In 1987, the gap in voting preference 18-24s and over-65s in respect to voting for Labour and Conservative was just 16%, whereas in 2017 the gap was a whole 71%.

However, despite the increase in young people’s interest in politics and the fact that most individuals who register to vote are young people, over-65s still lead the way in terms of voter registration and turnout. Recently, the Electoral Commission published research that said that one in three young voters still hadn’t registered to vote, compared to only 6% of over-65s and just 17% of the general population.

It is argued that the surge in voter turnout in the 2017 General Election played a massive role in the Tories losing its majority and Labour gaining a total of 30 seats in Parliament. Given that turnout figures for young voters are expected to be at the same levels, we will be waiting to see whether this will cause a ‘youthquake’ and determine the future of Britain.

Year

Who’s standing where you live?

York Central:

York Outer:

Lib Dem James Blanchard SDP Andrew Dunn Green Tom Franklin Labour Co-op Rachael Maskell Yorkshire Party Andrew Snedden Brexit Party Nicholas Szkiler Conservative Fabia Tate

Lib Dem Keith Aspden Independent Scott Marmion Labour Anna Perrett Conservative Julian Sturdy

BY

Executive Board flight emissions increasing Former V-C Lamberts wasted thousands while Tendler’s was £435.87 despite both trips being booked in the same month.

Furthermore, some of the flights taken by Board members were during the period of the longest-ever strike in UK higher education history. Between 22 February and 20 March 2018, 42,000 members of the University and College Union went on strike over the Universities Superannuation Scheme, which affected over a million students in

lost teaching hours, including many at the University of York.

During this period, two Board members jetted off to destinations within the UK and abroad. Professor Judith Buchanan, then-dean of the Faculty of the Arts and Humanities, headed for Stockholm and Copenhagen on the 19 March 2018, while Heidi Fraser-Krauss, deputy registrar and director of Corporate and Information Services, flew from Leeds

to Dublin earlier that same month.

Within the flight expenses records are several domestic flights. While convenient, these are arguably avoidable and not an ethical use of University funds. Provice-chancellor professor Deborah Smith flew from Exeter to Edinburgh in November 2017. Meanwhile, the need for the dean of the Faculty of the Social Sciences, Professor Stuart Bell, to fly from Manchester to Nor-

wich in April 2018, - emitting 56kg of CO2 - as opposed to travelling on public transport when he took the return leg by train the following day is certainly questionable.

The emissions of these two flights combined is more than the annual emissions of a person in Mali, Chad, Ethiopia, Somalia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, or Uganda.

The climate impact from the burning of jet fuel for the flights taken by the Board

over the three year period under review has been calculated at 35,377kg of CO2 emissions, using a calculator provided by German non-profit Atmosfair. That is equivalent to the carbon footprint of 8.4 people living in Sweden or 22 people in India for a year, or 17.6 average cars on UK roads for a whole year, according to figures from Our World in Data and Atmosfair.

The number of air miles and CO2 emissions pro-

FULL VEDGE REVIEW

YORK VISION says, vote tactically, but don’t let an app tell you where!

HARRY CLAY speaks to Lib Dem society chair Tom Crawford about what it’s like to run in the election.

STUDENTS ARE GIVEN AN electoral power that politicos everywhere can only dream of, the ability to choose where you vote.

Now, let’s be honest, it’s not a massive choice. You can’t just pick any seat in the country, no, it’s either where you live at Uni, or where you lived before, but it’s a choice nevertheless and you’d be a fool not to use it wisely.

Clearly, we aren’t the first to the gates with this one. Everyone seems to know this, and with everyone knowing it, there’s been a worrying trend rising: apps and wbesites designed to tell you where to vote.

Do you want to support a remain candidate the best you can? Are you certain that you want a particular party to have as few votes as possible? It doesn’t matter what your political aims are, there’s almost certainly a website or app designed to tell you which seat - out of the two you’re eligible in - you should vote for. And that’s not a good thing.

Let’s take a look at the Labour Party for instance. Are they remain? Or are they leave?

HC: Where are you standing, and for what party?

TC: I’m standing in Middlesbrough for the Liberal Democrats.

HC: What made you run?

TC: So thing that made me run for Parliament was just getting more and more despairing at the state of politics. I just wanted to be the person on the ballot paper who people could vote for, giving them the option to vote for a credible liberal alternative.

HC: Have you ran for office before?

TC: I stood in some council elections in Sunderland, I’ve stood in two council elections.

HC: One of them was the first to be called, wasn’t it?

TC: Yeah, it was the first ever election I stood in. It was the first results [sic] and for about 15 minutes, I was the Lib Dem in the country with the most votes. Then 15 minutes later, one of my colleagues in Sunderland got 60% and that blew me off the water.

HC: How hard is it to run?

Well, MPs have all manner of differing views in the party. If your choices are York Central or Bolsover, you can get the full variety of Brexit views in the party. But will the app tell you which one you should support? If it considers all of Labour to be remain, and sees Dennis Skinner with a much smaller majority, it might tell you to vote for him.

Or, let’s say that there’s an app that will tell you where your vote is most effective.

How will you strike the most change with your action? Will it take into account the last election results? The EU election? The council elections? It’s up to you which metrics are more useful. And that’s the point, really. It’s up to you.

Whatever you think is important. Whatever you think matters. Vote based on that.

Don’t let an app tell you what that is, because the possibility of you being misled accidentally, or intentionally, is too high to risk.

Look at the Wikipedia pages, judge the margins, look at the news, the candiates voting records. It’s the issues that matter to you that count. But don’t let something unverified or uncertain tell you how things are.

TC: I think it’s all about the support.

The local party in Middlesbrough have been absolutely fantastic. It’s a small team of volunteers and I’ve been massively grateful for the support they’ve given me. In my experience, it’s been quite easy. As the election campaigns heightened, I’ve been surprised by the amount of emails I’ve got, you know you get seven a day about the same issue, and stuff like that. But yeah, yeah, so it’s been enjoyable.

HC: How has it affected your political awareness?

TC: I’ve sort of become like, I’ve been checking local news a lot more often than I used to, making sure if the council or the mayor of Middlesbrough doing something, I’m aware of the issues, even if I’m not issuing comment myself.

HC: Do you believe more students should run for parliament?

TC: Undoubtedly yes. In the last general election, there was a Welsh Labour MP standing down I think at the age of 82. You know, I’ve got absolutely

HARRY CLAY

to...develop our global relations. We are conscious of the need for value for money...and of the responsibility to reduce our carbon footprint.” duced by the Board’s flight habits have increased year on year between 2015 and 2018, to a climax of at least 79,284 air miles and 13,851kg of CO2 in 2017/18.

This rising trajectory reflects the trend seen in wider society. Aviation emissions currently account for 2% of global emissions and they have been increasing steadily over several decades.

More worryingly, according to estimates made by researchers at Manchester

no qualms with 82 year olds being in Parliament, but if we’re having 82 year olds in Parliament, why can we have a lot more young people?

HC: For one last question, and it’s a bit cheeky. Are you just doing this for a future safe seat?

TC: No. If I was doing this for a future safe seat, I wouldn’t be standing for Liberal Democrats. There’s there’s no such thing as a safe seat in the Liberal Democrats, you know, if the election result changes from 2010 to 2015 have told the party anything, it’s that there’s no seat to take for granted. Liberal Democrat counsellors, and MPs - any political officeholder.

We need to work because the public aren’t culturally ingrained to vote Liberal Democrat. There are some communities that culturally vote Labour and culturally vote Conservative, you know, we win seats because of the hard work we put in.

HC: Fantastic.

TC: Thanks.

Fin Bosworth

name was based on the colour of his skin.

It is a shame that the plot was largely misguided and didn’t successfully build on the emotional resonance that the first act held throughout. The captivating chemistry between Hench and Bobbie, played by Sam McNeil and James Melville respectively, gave the first half a wit and charm that was complemented brilliantly by meaningful moments interlinked with wellexecuted dark humour.

When Maggie, their foulmouthed and chavvy mother, stumbles drunkenly onto their front lawn, the following scenes have a charm and depressing undertone that feels wholly authentic to the play’s message about poverty. Having personally grown up in one of the South West’s most drug-addled and depressing locales, I found these moments particularly touching, where small inklings of love shone the path through abuse, neglect, and destitution. Maggie, played by Lotty Holder, has perhaps one of the bleakest arcs of the story – her melancholy, abusiveness, alcoholism, and ultimate failure as a mother is enchanting to watch and no doubt amplified by Lotty Holder’s spectacular acting.

“Tender but horrific” best describes how I felt for the first hour of this play, but I was disappointed with what came after.

Nevertheless, the cast and crew have shown themselves to be capable of creating something in part beautiful – and this would have maintained if only the structure of the story were a little stronger. Ultimately, what I’ve taken away is a promising view on the York DramaSoc and the cast/crew of this production, as there were some truly ingenious, captivating and memorable moments. Nothing took me out of that state of immersion quite like a bad ending.

NOW ONLINE

How Do the Manifestos Square up on Higher Education?

GIVEN THE IMPORTANCE of education, the relevance of higher education to a university, and (finally) the release of all the main party manifestos, we’ve jumped into their higher education commitments to see what’s what.

Pressing on most people’s minds is the policies being put forwards on tuition fees. Labour are running again with the policy of scrapping them, emphasising how average student debt has skyrocketed since their tripling over the past decade. The Green Party is calling for the same, as well as writing off debt for those who have paid more than £9,000 a year. The Lib Dems are calling for a review in the next Parliament. This seems like a shrewd move, as whether they want to change tuition fees or not, they will always be tainted by the broken promise of the coalition. Surprisingly, both the Brexit Party and UKIP have policies on the matter, with the Metropolitan University, tionon a tuition major cause thereof, former calling for the end of interest fees, and they could triple bytuition 2050. fees there is a need transition the latter, scrapping altogether forfor STEM If the world continues away to from physical students, so long as they’reon committed working in the visits this upward trajectory, the(way to touniversities, conferences country for at least five years take the edge off a chances ofpolicy). limiting global and panels overseas to digireasonable warming to major the internationtal conduct these.

DiscusThe next issue, maintenance fees, of is also seeallysome agreed ‘safe’ Both level of sions and of research strategy, ing change. thetwo Lib Dems Labour are degrees look increasingly with calling for maintenance grants tomeetings be brought back.senior They acaslim,as which will have catademics, work the current loans do, except theyand don’tother have officials to strophic andThe unpredictable and partner organisations be paid back.

Lib Dems are looking to limit their consequences for the planet. could be conducted digitally. return to only the least well-off students. One thing to The here University is Tories cer- appear To meet the Paris Accord be noted is that the to be continuing tainly notofgeared towards goal of two degrees and keep with more the same.

As Branwen Jeffreys, the BBC cutting flight costs, air miles, global warming at a sustainEducation Editor puts it, “for most degree students and or emissions.

With impendflying habits need their universities, there is little inable this level, manifesto”. ingLabour climate are crisis and at aviato beofsignificantly limited. In hitting the heart the most recent strikes by calling for an end to the casualisation of the higher education workforce. This would mean hiring lecturers, tutors, and professors on long term contracts, as opposed to short nine month to two year agreements.

This would also have impacts on those paid by the hour, which could perhaps have an impact on how graduate teaching assistants are hired.

In terms of mental health, the Lib Dems appear to have struck a chord with their proposed ‘Student Mental Health Charter’. The exact contents aren’t specified, but with their aim to “require universities to make mental health services accessible to their students,’’ it’s likely to be a move in the right direction.

They’re also looking to increase the transparency of selection criteria for getting into uni. This is in an effort to expand the participation of underrepresented and disadvantaged groups, something the Labour manifesto also touches on. However, this comes after the Tories have already introduced legislation that ensures university funding directly correlates with how well it widens participation.

A peculiarity only the Brexit Party appear to have made much noise about: the 50% target. Brought in

by Labour, Blair committed to trying to bring half of young adults into higher education, with Department for Education statistics showing it had been reached earlier this year. This will likely be aimed at areas supporting an increase in apprenticeships and businesses.

The three main parties appear to be moving in the same direction when it comes to large-scale education reform. Labour are looking to turn the Office for Students into the National Education Service, the Lib Dems are proposing to “raise standards” by reforming the OfS (although it isn’t quite clear how), and the Tories are aiming to make the OfS look at increasing the “civic role” of universities. All quite ‘high concept’, but lacking in substance? That’s up to you.

7

Review: Anna Jordan’s Yen

13 people in 3 years ELECTILE DYSFUNCTION: THE£58,000 ROLEspent OF onSTUDENTS IN POLITICS Uni Response: “It’s important for the University

18-24 Percentage Turnout

Some of Vision’s more provocative news stories have included:

Tuesday November 26, 2019

ADAM PHILPOTT

THE UNIVERSITY of York’s Executive Board spent at least £58,000 on domestic and international flights over three years, a Vision investigation has revealed.

Between August 2015 and July 2018, the University’s 12-member executive flew to various destinations across the world, including New York, Dublin, Brussels, Ghana, Chun’an, Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo, in total taking at least 88 flights and covering more than 204,000 air miles at a cost of over £58,000 and at least 35,377kg of carbon dioxide emissions.

The University’s top brass spent at least £23,600 on domestic and international flights in 2016/17, while the equivalent figures for 2015/16 and 2017/18 were at least £17,400 and £17,200, respectively.

Unsurprisingly, the University’s top two executives are accountable for the biggest slice of the board’s flight costs, air miles and carbon dioxide emissions during the three year period studied.

Then-Vice-Chancellor, professor Koen Lamberts and current Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost, professor Saul Tendler are responsible for 65% of the Board’s overall flying expenses, 60% of its air miles, and 59% of its carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of jet fuel.

Vision has uncovered some glaring discrepancies in the cost of flights taken to the same destination at a similar time by different members of the executive.

Most significantly, Lamberts purchased a return flight from Manchester to Kuala Lumpur in January 2018 for £3237.34 for a trip in late March that year, while pro-vice-chancellor, professor John Robinson flew to Kuala Lumpur from Leeds and back in early May 2018 for £928.47; a ticket booked just one month after Lamberts’ yet significantly cheaper, suggesting a wasteful approach to flight spending and lack of a coherent policy.

A second clear inconsistency in flight expenses was found in a trip to a Brexit workshop in Brussels in February 2017, to which both Lamberts and Tendler went. However, Lamberts’ round-trip cost £264.17,

Beautiful, but Disappointing

The Art Issue

This White Painting With White Lines

Review: Yasmina Reza’s ART Lucie Jubin

VISION INVESTIGATION

BY

STAGE

6

order to limit global warming to two degrees by 2050, everyone would have to emit no more than 2,300kg of CO2 annually - the equivalent to less than one return flight from Manchester to Kuala Lumpur - according to figures provided by Atmosfair. Ex-VC Koen Lamberts comfortably exceeded this limit just from flying to conduct university business in each of the three years reviewed by Vision, but the position at the top of the

Executive Board is now occupied by Professor Charlie Jeffery.

He left a legacy of divestment from fossil fuels and investment in renewable energy and green technologies during his time as vicechancellor at the University of Edinburgh. In his new role here at York, only time will tell if his flight habits correlate with his supposed climate consciousness or reflect a continuation of his predecessor.

VEDGE NOW OPEN

BY CHAY

QUINN

VEDGE, A NEW vegan and vegetarian restaurant, has opened in place of the old Wentworth Edge restaurant.

Not only has the outlet opened to cater for those who have plant-based diets but also offers a new option for cheap meals at a price which reflects the budget of students.

This move comes as part of a plan to revitalise Wentworth, an often-forgotten part of the University and make it a destination for students in its own right rather than just for the postgraduate students who live there.

The specialist outlet provides specialist vegan bubble waffles and Starbucks Coffee, the only place to do so on Campus West.

The move is a positive step towards creating a more inclusive campus.

York failed to make it onto PETA’s vegan friendly University guide.

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Andre Agassi Keith Lemon Derren Brown Wretch 32 Harry Enfield London Grammar Greg Dyke Anthony Horowitz

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