Exeposé Issue 658, 10 October 2016 by Exeposé

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ISSUE 658 10 OCT 2016 exepose.com

EXEPOSÉ

“The Uni seemed determined to crush my will” Students slam Exeter’s mitigation policy Inconsistencies between colleges are “completely unacceptable” says Guild

FEATURES Interviewing Sunday Times Style’s Dolly Alderton PAGE 10

Rachel Ashenden News Editor

HE University has made controversial changes to its mitigation policy in recent years – meaning that, in most cases, students cannot have marks raised and must instead rely on extensions and deferrals. Yet students across the University claim the system simply isn’t working. Mitigation policy across the University is decided on a department-bydepartment basis - something the Guild has dubbed “completely unacceptable.” During a 2015 Exeposé investigation into the mitigation process Bethan Jones, VP Education, commented: “It isn’t always clear how each college operates its mitigation procedure and more could be done to signpost students to clear information.” Harry Reeve’s manifesto as 2016/17 VP Education states an aim to “Collaborate closely with VP Welfare and Diversity in order to universalise and improve the Mitigation system across all colleges of discipline.” Commenting on recent student complaints, he said: “It’s really upsetting to hear that there are students struggling with the mitigation process,” adding: “inconsistency in its practice is completely unacceptable.” “Fortunately the University has started to recognise this, and so have convened a ‘Rapid Improvement Project’ to standardise mitigation practice across all the colleges. I hope the outcome of this project will resolve a lot of the current issues with mitigation, and be in place ready for January Exams.” Inconsistency across modules isn’t the only issue students have raised with Exeter’s mitigation process. While some subjects previously offered mark alterations in difﬁcult and unforeseen personal circumstances, students in various disciplines have complained to Exeposé that the University is “no longer able to change marks to reﬂect any

GAMES+TECH Explore the UK’s biggest games event - EGX 2016 PAGES 30-31

impact on your academic work.” One ﬁnal year humanities student told Exeposé she applied for mitigation after an immediate family member was diagnosed with a terminal illness in August. To spend time with her family whilst completing her degree, she travels home every weekend. She has appealed to the department as she believes this will be detrimental to her marks – which are currently at a 74.5 average. However, she has been told the “only mitigation (the University) can offer is a deferral” – pushing back her graduation by a year. Professor Wendy Robinson, Academic Dean for Students said: “The University regularly reviews its quality assurance guidance to ensure that our policies and procedures maintain the high academic standards and rigour that the University of Exeter delivers.

The raising of marks cannot be fairly or consistently applied to all students Professor Wendy Robinson, Academic Dean for Students “As part of this regular review work in 2011, a Working Group was formed to discuss a number of issues with regard to mitigation, including the altering of marks. As a result of these discussions, it was agreed that the guidance should be changed to reﬂect the fact that the raising of marks could not be fairly or consistently applied to all students in all circumstances. “From 2012 onwards, the current wording has been implemented and recommends a deadline extension for assignments or deferral of examinations, or in exceptional circumstances, either the setting aside of marks where performance has been impacted or awarding of a proxy mark if circumstances are appropriate. We believe this is the most appropriate and fairest guidance.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

MUSIC Pancakes and pop: a chat with Jack Garratt PAGE 22

EXEPOSÉ

Devonshire House, Exeter, Devon, EX4 4PZ

Editors Print: Jeremy Brown, Hannah Butler, Susannah Keogh & Ben Londesbrough Online: Theodore Stone & Jessica Stanier News Editors Print: Rachel Ashenden & Natasa Christofidou Online: Georgia Roberts & David Smeeton news@exepose.com Comment Editors Print: Bea Fones & Mattew Newman Online: Olivia Horncastle & Rowan Keith comment@exepose.com Features Editors Print: Georgina Bolam & Katie Jenkins Online: Samuel Fawcett & Kate Jones features@exepose.com Lifestyle Editors Print: Jade Beard & Laurel Bibby Online: Alma Crespo & Lucy Ronan lifestyle@exepose.com Arts + Lit Editors Print: Emma Bessent & Natasha Ebbutt Online: Anna Blackburn & Izzy Hilliard artsandlit@exepose.com Music Editors Print: Rory Marcham & Helen Payne Online: Sam Norris & Harry Williams music@exepose.com Screen Editors Print: Mark Allison & Zak Mahinfar Online: Cormac Dreelan & James Hands screen@exepose.com Games + Tech Editors Print: Jabez Sherrington & Sam Woolf Online: Ben Assirati & Jonathan Land games@exepose.com

Editorial. Redesign? Completed it, mate

S it really a whole month since Freshers' Week? No wonder it's getting hard to remember. That September whirlwind of new homes, new friends, new hobbies and precious few responsibilities seems a lifetime ago. Especially now we're knee-deep in deadlines and lingering Freshers' Flu... Hopefully you're coping with these ailments better than we are *cough*. But speaking of deadlines, this issue's front pagetouches upon that very subject because it turns out some students have been ﬁnding it ridiculously hard to obtain mitigation for assessments when they’re going through a tough time and need some extra support. Why can't each college follow the same system? Why is a Humanities student treated differently to someone in the Business School? Who knows. Let's hope they all agree on a University-wide system soon, though... because all this inconsistency's giving us a headache. The University’s reluctance to offer anything other than extensions or deferrals has also frustrated some students, who say these options just aren't what they need. It's not all doom and gloom in News this week though. Those of you who attended the Campus Cinema last week will have noticed a somewhat unusual start to the show - a surprise proposal by a Mas-

Science Editors Print: Victoria Bos & Beth Honey Online: Holly Belcher & Rebecca Broad sciandtech@exepose.com Sport Editors Print: Owain Evans & Lara Hopkins Online: James Angove & Ollie Lund sport@exepose.com Photography Sachi Minami & Wang Yong Yan photography@exepose.com Copy Editors Amy Batley, Jack Morgan Jones & Ashton Wenborn Proofers Evan Jones, Helen Payne, Georgina Bolam, Katie Jenkins, Rowan Keith, Joe Allen, James Angrove, Kate Jones & Matthew Phillips

@ exepose facebook.com/exepose issuu.com/exepose Advertising Ross Trant R.Trant@exeter.ac.uk (01392) 722607 The opinions expressed in Exeposé are not necessarily those of the Exeposé Editors nor the University of Exeter Students’ Guild. While every care is taken to ensure that the information in this publication is correct and accurate, the Publisher can accept no liability for any consequential loss or damage, however caused, arising as a result of using the information printed. The Publisher cannot accept liability for any loss or damage to artwork or material submitted. The contents of this, unless stated otherwise, are copyright of the Publisher. Reproduction in any form requires the prior consent of the Publisher.

NEWS

ters student to his third year girlfriend! Many congratulations to them. In Features, hear about all things Made in Chelsea from Dolly Alderton, an Exeter alumna who worked as a story producer on the show and is now the Sunday Times Style dating columnist. Music has a chat with Jack Garratt about America and....pancakes, while over in Lifestyle, you can get the lowdown on fashion across the pond with our whistlestop tour of American style spots, from Nashville to New York, and LA to Florida. And Screen speaks to Patrick Swaffer - the man whose signature features on the title screen at the start of every British film. (We know. We're starstruck too...) And finally, the elephant in the room... after a month of deliberating, we've got some exciting news: as you may have noticed, we officially have a new logo! After creating Exhibit and refreshing the rest of the paper, we thought it was time to go the whole hog with an updated header, featuring the catchilynamed 'Baskervald ADF Std'. It's quite a traditional font, but it's a bit more neat and stylish too. We hope you like it! And of course, what's a makeover without a celebratory party? Exeposé is hoping to host a lil' get-together to celebrate our brand new look soon, so stay tuned for that...

The world is going bananas Exeter researches threat to crops PAGE 4

COMMENT What's the use in global rankings? PAGE 6

FEATURES Deciding on Donald PAGE 11

SCIENCE The microbead menace Exeter research leads to ban PAGE 34

WRITERS' MEETING Wednesday 12 October 7pm, the Ram Come along to chat and find out more about writing for all our sections!

send your comments to editors@exepose.com

Worldwide university news "F*ck the clown," say Penn State students

N a so-called “modern-day witch hunt,” Penn State University students sparked riots in the early hours of 4 October – after reports that three clowns had been spotted on campus. Student newspaper The Collegiate live-tweeted the night’s events, which began at around 5am. Dubbed a “clown frenzy,” video footage shows students chanting “f*ck the clown,” while in one clip, a barechested student tells crowds: “No matter your colour, your religion or creed, no matter who you’re voting for, we can all agree on one thing... f*ck the clown.” The riots follow weeks of alleged clown sightings across the US. In August, panic spread in South Carolina after reports of ‘clowns’ luring children into woods, while in Georgia an 11-year-old was arrested for bringing a knife to school – telling police it was to protect her from clowns. Further ‘sightings’ have been reported in over 30 states.

Violence escalates at Free tampons for all South African protests at Cornell University

UITION fee demos reached new levels of violence in South Africa in early October – with one university forced to suspend classes just two days after re-opening in the wake of last month’s demos. Protestors at Wits University overturned a police vehicle and threw stones during a demo on 4 October, reports Reuters, while police pelted students with rubber bullets, stun grenades and tear gas. The protests follow last month’s news that fees in South Africa will continue to rise over the coming year – despite the government introducing a fee freeze in 2015. Fees won’t rise by more than eight per cent in 2017, it was announced. However, this wasn’t enough to stop students taking to the streets in protest – and on 20 September, Wits announced a closure until clashes between police and students had died down.

student-led vote for free sanitary products to be stocked in Cornell University’s toilets, New York, has passed with a signiﬁcant majority. Students voted to have tampons and sanitary pads freely available in both male and female restrooms on campus, in order to be inclusive of transgender people. The results revealed that an overwhelming majority voted in favour - 78.6 per cent of more than 3,000 participants. The campaign was promoted through "#freethetampon", and has also gained support from beyond Cornell. Brown University now also stocks feminine hygiene products in bathrooms for both genders. The referendum's founder said that he was happy with the result: 'Three thousand and thirty four students voted in favor of passing an initiative towards gender equality.

Students killed at house party in the U.S

WO students from the North Carolina A&T State University were killed following a shooting at a party, not far from campus, in the early hours of Sunday 2nd October. The two students were said to have been “innocent bystanders” and uninvolved victims when a ﬁght broke out at the party. The university's chancellor released a statement after the killings, expressing his condolences to the friends and family members of the slain students. "He added that "this incident is extremely disturbing. Violence on or near our campus is unacceptable." At a forum held by the university on campus after the fatal incident, ofﬁcials pleaded students to not attend off-campus house parties. Stories by Rachel Ashenden, News Editor and Hannah Butler, Editor

News

10 OCT 2016 | EXEPOSÉ

NEWS EDITORS:

Rachel Ashenden Natasa Christoﬁdou

Council faces student backlash over new bin regulations Natasa Christoﬁdou News Editor

TUDENTS in Exeter are facing a build-up of overﬂowing bins that the Council is refusing to collect - with both students and local residents forced to deal with untidy front porches and unpleasant odours. In November 2015, Exeter City Council introduced a new set of law enforcements for the collection of bins, as an initiative to encourage recycling from the council. However, as these new rules were only enforced in January 2016, many students and landlords remain confused about the new regulations - with council workers refusing to collect bins that are either overﬂowing or not properly shut.

I don’t understand what we’re expected to do, it’s absurd our waste isn’t collected 2nd year Economics student

However, the council’s initiative in encouraging Exeter residences to recycle more has come with signiﬁcant backlash. Student housing areas such as Pennsylvania

and Mount Pleasant have been left in a “grim state,” which “makes the front of houses look and smell gross,” a fourth year politics and French student told Exeposé. Student Community Wardens have been dealing with an increased number of student complaints, seeking support in disposing extra landfill and recycling bins. A University spokesperson said that they “would advise any students who have ‘inherited’ waste to liaise with their landlord/agent as soon as possible.” Exeposé found that, throughout the month of September 2016, numerous houses along Longbrook Street and Pennsylvania had been left with abandoned black bins on the pavement. Student complaints have outlined how “ridiculous” it is that “waste is left uncollected.” A second year economics student expressed their frustration at the council: “I don’t understand what we’re expected to do, it’s absurd that our waste isn’t collected, even though we’re trying to recycle and get rid of our landfill by placing it all in the bins provided. It’s not our fault that a lot of it doesn’t fit in the bins, which is the only reason we’ve initially left bin bags lying on the pavement.” The University’s Community Lisason

Ofﬁcer Rory Cunningham stresses that the University is willing to help students who are struggling with recycling around student houses - especially around move-in periods. “We are keen to let students know that extra recycling can be taken as long as it is bagged up, labelled ‘recycling’ and placed beside your recycling bin on recycling day” he explained. “‘The University is fully supportive of the Council’s drive to improve recycling and reduce rubbish,” Cunningham continued. “We recognise that it is challenging for students to recycle effectively when a minority of landlords provide the wrong information or do not clear bins before tenancy begins. We have a very positive relationship with the council and will be using the Student Community Wardens to help provide accurate information to students who require support’ However, students have complained that this information needs to be better publicised. One fourth year politics and french student explained that after coming back from her year abroad, she was unaware of such exceptions: “Our landlord didn’t even tell us that we were allowed more recycling during fresher’s week so we had to take it to a main recycling station in town.”

Hidden Munich blog, which has since amassed over 19,000 Instagram followers. The pair then teamed up with designer Kurt Henderson to develop plans for an app which builds “travel recommendations based on each individual user, as opposed to generic suggestions around a city.” The technology used in the app was the inspiration for Charman’s talk, which focuses on artificial intelligence, biohacking, and quantum computing. “After starting KOMPAS with Olivia, Doug, and, Kurt I found myself fall quickly into Artificial Intelligence and trying to get a better understanding of where I see KOMPAS going,” he said. “Artificial intelligence is key to personalisation, which is why we’re so keen on leading the way by using this innovative technology.” The team were in Copenhagen representing Kompas at the University Startup World Cup in early October. “We’re building corporate partnerships with a number of organisations, and we’ve secured partners that will help us push out to a wider audience in the next few months,” Charman said. A BETA version of the app is available at www.kompasapp.com.

abortion laws in Poland being proposed in early October by the ruling conservative Law and Justice Party (PiS). Under the XETER students took part in current compromise agreed in 1993, a demonstration on Monday abortions are illegal in Poland except when to show support for Polish a woman’s life is at risk, the pregnancy is women who are striking against anti- the result of a rape or incest, or if the fetus abortion law proposals - which have since is irreparably damaged during pregnancy. The new proposal, brought in by been overturned. an anti-abortion citizens Co-organised by The University initiative, would have of Exeter Feminist and outlawed abortions Polish Societies, roughly entirely in Poland 50 students wore introducing black in imitation of p r i s o n the #BlackProtest sentences for movement in Poland. both women The mostly female having an students gathered on abortion, and the Forum piazza and doctors carrying listened to speeches from out the operation. committee members of both Photo: Izzii Elliott On Monday, in societies. protest of the “Stop Abortion” The Exeter demonstration was one of a series that occurred across British law that was to be put forward in Poland university campuses on Monday, with on the following Wednesday, women large turnouts reported in Edinburgh, across Poland refused to go to work; shutting down schools, universities and Newcastle and London. Black Monday, as the strike became government ofﬁces across the country. known, is a movement against changes to In Warsaw, a demonstration attracted

We are keen to let students know extra recycling can be taken Rory Cunningham, Community Liason Ofﬁcer

Further complications are seen around the issue of ‘inherited’ waste, which includes leftover waste from previous tenants, or items that have been placed in student bins by members of the public. The University’s Student Community Warden team advises students to contact their landlord or housing agency regarding most ‘inherited’ waste.

However, in the case of a lack of communication, the Guild’s Advice Unit can offer support in such scenarios by prooﬁng and enforcing tenancy contracts and avoiding miscommunications. Further information regarding the issue will be provided at the Advice Unit’s Forum Street Fair on 12 October, where Student Community Wardens will offer advice to students regarding bin disputes along with general housing advice. The iExeter app also features alerts and advice about the issue, including bin collection dates in town.

Photo: Wang Yong Yan

Exeter graduate to give Students stand in support of TEDx talk in London Polish women over abortion ban Hannah Butler Editor

XETER graduate and Kompas App co-founder Tom Charman has been invited to give a TEDx talk this month - asking audiences: ‘Are We Ready for the Future of Technology?’ Charman announced the event on Facebook on 2 October, telling followers he was “happy to be able to officially confirm” his first ever TEDx talk, held at Royal Holloway University on 22 October. “Giving a TED talk has always been at the top of my bucket list,” he told Exeposé. Charman graduated in July with a BSc Hons in Economics and Politics with European Studies. Since then, he and fellow Exeter graduate Olivia Higgs have worked full-time on the innovative travel app Kompas, which the pair co-founded in 2014. The app has launched for BETA testing in London, Berlin and Munich. “We’re getting great feedback from our BETA testers,” Charman noted. Higgs and Charman began work on Kompas while studying abroad in Munich in 2014/15. The venture was formerly called Hidden Planet, launching with the

Joe Burroughs Contributor

thousands, with slogans reading “A Government is not like a pregnancy – it can be terminated.”

This law will not stop abortion. It will just push people into back streets and into overdoses. Kate Byard, Fem Soc President

FemSoc president Kate Byard, who made a speech at the Exeter demo, said: “The irony is that this law will not stop abortion. It will not stop people from obtaining abortions. It will just push people into back streets, into overdoses, and into picking up coat hangers. “Abortion has always and always will exist, only now it will exist in Poland in unsafe, unsterile and non-medical environments.” She went on to describe the turnout at the demonstration as “massively reassuring.” A recent Ipsos poll found only 11 per cent popular support in Poland for further restrictions on abortions. Following widespread international outrage, the proposed ban has now been axed.

NEWS

Students “horriﬁed” by virtual abattoir Natasa Christoﬁdou News Editor

NIMAL rights organisation ‘Animal Equality’ came to The University of Exeter last week, to present footage of factory farming through a Virtual Reality (VR) perspective. The organisation presented their ‘iAnimal’ project outside the Guild Shop in Devonshire House (DH1) on Monday 3 and Tuesday 4 October, before moving to St Luke’s campus the next day. The main purpose of the project is to expose the practices that occur in animal agriculture. The organisation believe many people are unaware of how animals are raised.

It was honestly shocking, the slaughter was horrifying Alex Gewanter, third year Law A representative from the organisation explained that the majority of their outreach work is aimed at university students as they’re “individuals who have just left home and are in charge of their own diets for the ﬁrst time in their lives, therefore it’s important for them to know where their food comes from.” Similar practises of showing

It’s important for students to know where their food comes from

Outreach ofﬁcer

The footage shown to the public has been ﬁlmed over the period of 18 months in animal slaughterhouses around the UK, Germany, Spain, and Italy. Also, the organisation carries out its work internationally, based in eight countries including Venezuela, India, the United States, and Mexico. An outreach volunteer from the stall told Exeposé that many students have left “in tears after watching the footage.” However, he admitted to observing mixed reactions amongst students, as some “put up a defence barrier because most of us don’t like being told that what we are doing is wrong.” Animal Equality claim to “defend peoples’ rights” by showcasing modern farms, in order to enable consumers “to make informed choices,” as stated on

SENIOR lecturer in The University of Exeter’s Biosciences department is leading a study intended to save the world from “Bananageddon.” Dr. Dan Bebber and his team hope to investigate how banana plants resist fungal infection, in order to prevent them disappearing from supermarket shelves. With a new strain of Panama Disease spreading worldwide from Asia, the work of this research team comes at an opportune moment to protect the Cavendish species of banana, the only variety that is traded internationally. Concerns come following the extinction of the Gros Michel banana from Panama disease in the 1950s. Any spread of the banana-killing disease in countries that produce the fruit could result in not only shortages in shops, but also in a disruption to the global banana trade. Such disruption could entail difﬁculties for plantation

workers, producers and others whose livelihood depends on this industry. Fairtrade estimates the number of workers involved to be upwards of 1.65 million. Bebber’s team therefore aim to calculate the shortages that consumers and retailers should expect, as well as how climate change and disease inﬂuence banana yield and supply. Research will also involve working with retails to devise new pricing systems for the bananas as well as examining how consumers will react to any changes in price. In addition, they will work with public health bodies in order to determine the effects on consumers’ diets a scarcity of bananas would have. Bebber himself has voiced concerns about the implications reduced banana production could have on public health, claiming that “if bananas became more expensive, people might switch to less healthy snacks.” He also addressed the “serious

their ofﬁcial website. Alex Gewanter, a third year Law student said: “It was honestly shocking. Their disregard for animal welfare was something I’d never seen before and the slaughter was horrifying. After watching it I couldn’t in good conscience avoid changing my eating habits.” Similarly, a 2nd year Geography student who chose to remain anonymous seemed shaken after taking off her headset, repeatredly describing the experience as “shocking” and “horrifying.” Animal Equality provides all students with an information guide once they leave economic impacts on producers in the developing world,” such a scarcity would cause. Dr Adam Staines from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, one of the sponsors of the scheme, has said: ”This research will provide an understanding of future disease threats, work on potential new antifungalents to stop these diseases, and understand the socio-economic context of disease outbreak. The project has been given £1.2m of funding by partners. It will last for three years and begins this month.

the stall. “I’m really hoping that people would realise quite the extent of the problems in the animal farming ﬁeld,” said Ann Broadhurst, Animal Welfare Socieity President, “Even though a lot of people know that factory farming isn’t the nicest thing in the world, they’ve never experienced it in this way as it’s so realistic so it hits people in quite a way that other conventional videos can’t” Animal Equality has seasonal tours around the UK. The event at Exeter marked the ﬁrst in their autumn tour around UK campuses.

HE University’s Estate Patrol has been acknowledged by the Lord Mayor of Exeter for all their work in keeping Exeter safe during this year’s Freshers’ Week. Together with other agencies including the police, Environmental Health and Licensing Teams, as well as additional University resources and the local community, Estate Patrol made up an integral part of this multi agency team. “This is the second year that this operation has been a great success and is a superb example of the community working in partnership,” said Allan Edgcumbe, Head of Security. At the event, held at Exeter’s Guildhall, praise was given not only to Estate Patrol but also to the volunteers forming Welcome Team - students who gave up their time to ensure the safety of their fellow students throughout the week. Nine senior members of the team, as well as Sabbatical Ofﬁcers from the Students’ Guild, attended a Police Commendation Awards ceremony hosted by the Lord Mayor of Exeter at Exeter Guildhall on 30 September. The Welcome Team is made up of 180 student volunteers whose tasks include helping new students move into halls, offering directions and maintaining a presence around nightclubs in the city. Kate Jones, Online Features Editor

Guild to offer societies Platinum Lemmy Cards Ben Londesbrough Editor

Photo: Marlith via Wikimedia Commons

Lord Mayor praises Estate Patrol and Welcome Team

Photo: Jeremy Brown

Exeter lecturer takes on “Bananageddon” Jasmine Prasad News Team

Photo: Animal Equality

people the conditions in abattoirs have been performed in the past by animal rights groups and in controversial documentaries such as ‘Earthlings’ and ‘Cowspiracy.’ However, Animal Equality are currently the ﬁrst and only known animal rights group that has taken the initiative to transport people inside factory farms through the use of VR.

HE Guild has released a new ‘Platinum Lemmy Card,’ available free to societies and individuals who contribute significantly to the Guild. The card provides the same benefits as a normal Lemmy Card (now sold out, and previously called an Ents Card), which usually costs £40. The Guild website states that the holder of the card will save ‘over £100 in entry fees to the Saturday Lemmy alone’, with benefits including free entry and drinks deals for the popular Lemon Grove club. The card will be given initially to DVPs and other people who contribute a significant amount of time and effort to the Guild, and after given to societies who

organise socials either at the Grove or the Lemmy. Societies can be granted more than one card, based on how many socials are organised within the Guild. Once allocated, the card can then be used in whatever way by the society, for instance by a committee member, or given out as a prize to society members.

The cards will provide incentives for societies to use Guild facilities

Toby Gladwin, Guild President “This is a reward scheme for the highly engaged, and will provide incentives for societies to use the Guild facilities,” Guild President Toby Gladwin told Exeposé.

NEWS

Deferral left student in “educational limbo” Photo: Natasa Christofidou

CONTINUED FROM FRONT In the vast majority of cases, the only mitigation now offered at Exeter in most cases is extensions or deferral, “to allow another chance to complete an alternative assessment to (students’) normal standard”. Departments have also been advising students to “consider interruption for a year to allow them to return to study at a time when their results won’t be so vulnerable.” One ﬁnal year Humanities student complained that mitigation was also a distressing process in 2015/16. She applied for performance mitigation while battling ongoing anxiety and depression after being raped in September 2015. The student had completed assessments before speaking out about being raped. In order for these marks to be retrospectively altered, she had to obtain extensive proof of her circumstances, which in itself was “traumatic” and “incredibly difﬁcult due to the sensitive nature and rawness” of her sexual harassment. Yet even after providing this evidence, she was told her marks weren’t low enough to be changed. The mitigation policy states that

He successfully applied for coursework mitigation in term one, yet believes this was only because he had started a course of antidepressants. The depression diagnosis in itself wasn’t enough to warrant mitigation, he claims – it was purely the fact that he was now taking drugs that may affect his academic performance. “I could have chosen to not take the drugs and then my condition would have been considered invalid for mitigation,” he told Exeposé.

raising an assessment or module mark is “appropriate where there is sufﬁcient evidence of an unexpected dip in the student’s performance in the affected assessment or module. The amount by which a mark can be raised should be clearly deﬁned in the College’s procedure.” She was offered the chance to retake one assessment in the summer period – but claims this simply wasn’t a viable option.

The Uni seemed determined to crush my will to study so that I would drop out Final year sciences student Students in other colleges have also complained that raising marks is near to impossible. One sciences student was diagnosed with depression in 2015/16, hindering his studies signiﬁcantly. His tutor recommended he interrupted the year, restarting his second year studies in 2016/17. He was concerned this would not help, as there was no guarantee his mental health would have improved in a year’s time.

Coming back to Exeter in Augusts costs money, especially for international students Harry Reeve, VP Education But by term two, his tutor was adamant any further applications would be rejected, as “sufficient evidence would need to be something like a change in drug regime.” A meeting was organised with senior tutors from the Science department, his personal tutor, GP and a Wellbeing representative. The student wished to stay at Exeter and work through his depression, but was told he wouldn’t be able to get mitigation in the form of raised marks. “I felt I was not taken seriously because I was told by my tutor to stop filling out mitigation forms”, he said - adding that the same tutor told him: “you cannot use mitigation as a ‘get out of jail free card.” Instead of mark alteration, his January exams were deferred to August. In the meantime, he began revising for his May exams, but failed them all. He was offered the chance to retake these in August, but this would mean sitting six exams over a five-day period, with less than a month to prepare. He appealed to repeat his second

year studies in the next academic year, but was denied this. As a last resort, he had to interrupt his studies, taking all deferred exams in January and May 2017. He is currently not registered as a student but is still living in Exeter preparing for his exams, which he describes as “educational limbo”. As he has interrupted his studies he has no academic support from the University, no ﬁnancial support from SFE, including Disabled Student Allowance – instead relying on parents to support him - and no help through the Wellbeing Centre. “I am not the only one caught in this situation,” he told Exeposé, adding: “the University seemed determined to crush my will to study so that I would drop out. Maybe I am being cynical, but I cannot think of any other motive that is fuelled by such prejudice against mental disability and staunch elitism.” One fourth year Modern Languages student, who suffers from chronic eczema which affects her exam performance, used to get mitigation in A-Level exams but is now only offered deferrals.

You cannot use mitigation as a ‘get out of jail free card’ Sciences tutor She claims deferrals are unhelpful, as she suffers all year round. “I think the key issue for me is that deferral is ﬁne for ﬂu, or a stomach bug, but not for long term illnesses;” she said. “Every time I’ve opted to sit the exam rather than wait, because there’s no guarantee I’ll be any better.” Another complaint she raised with deferral was the cost: “It’s something the University needs to look into, as coming

Proposal steals the show at Campus Cinema David Smeeton Online News Editor

ILM-GOERS at the Campus Cinema were in for a surprise at a 6.30pm screening of Tarzan on 4 October, when a special romantic video was played before the ﬁlm - shortly followed by a marriage proposal. After the trailers and adverts, the lights went out, leaving a blank screen for a few seconds. Then a short home made video appeared. The romantic video showed Masters graduate Daulet Armanovich holding up cards with loving messages and asking third year Dina Alikeyeva if she would marry him. In Armanovich’s own words the video said “thank you for doing so much for me and this is the life we can have together”. The audience were delighted when Alikeyeva said yes - with tears from audience members who were overcome with emotion.

Both Armanovich and Alikeyeva are from Kazakhstan and met at university. Armanovich has just ﬁnished a Master’s degree in HR Management while Alikeyeva is a third year Business Management student. They ﬁrst met when they were paired together as dance partners for a Kazakh New Year style event that was organised by the Kazakhstan Society.

Photo: Wang Yong Yan

This is the life we can have together Daulet, the groom-to be Armanovich said he had been planning the proposal for a long time having bought the ring in August - and that he wanted to propose on the big screen, in front of an audience. He also wanted to propose in October because of a “family tradition” of September marriages failing quickly.

Kazakh traditions means there are two wedding celebrations and Armanovich said he planned the ﬁrst to be in Kazakhstan with Alikeyeva’s family and for the second ceremony to take place in Thailand. “It was really exciting, even though

getting the projector to play the video was rather stressful,” said Emma Farnworth, General Secretary of Campus Cinema. “The trailers felt so long to all the committee because we knew what was coming, but we were all so happy that it worked.”

back to Exeter in August costs money, especially for international students!” The University conﬁrmed that students would be expected to cover the cost of deferred exams. Meanwhile, Modern Languages graduate Bea Woods was successful in her application for mitigation in 2013/14. Her grades were mitigated in her second year - increasing one module to a ﬁrst because she was in hospital overnight with abdominal pain one week before an exam. Woods commented that she did not know who made the changes to her grades, but the email informing her that they had been raised was short and to the point. Alec James, VP Welfare, told Exeposé students should still apply for mitigation where necessary. “The mitigation processes are there to help give you a fair chance as a study, so I would encourage you to apply if you might need to,” he said. “The Advice Unit and Wellbeing are incredibly supportive in dealing with mitigation, and they are here to help you if you are feeling overwhelmed. Harry and I are aware of the issues and are working hard to represent your voice to the University.”

É If you have been affected by any of the issues in this story, support can be accessed via Exeter Nightline: 01392 724000 Wellbeing Services: 01392 724381 Devon Rape Crisis: 01392 204174 Guild Advice Unit: 01392 723520

Deputy VC answers student Brexit Qs

HE University has invited all students to attend a forthcoming Q&A session, titled “Brexit; what does it mean for students and the University?” These will be hosted by Professor Tim Quine, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Education. It will allow audience members to ask questions about the implications Brexit will have on them as a student studying in the UK. Tim Quine is keen to answer questions or worries that students still have about what Brexit entails. The sessions will be supported by a panel of experts from across the university. Three sessions are planned, with the ﬁrst taking place at St Luke’s on 17 October, the second on Streatham Campus on the 20th October, and the ﬁnal one will be held at Penryn on the 21st October. Questions can be submitted in advance through the conveynor’s email: timquinedvc@exeter. ac.uk Iwan Evans, Contributor

10 OCT 2016 | EXEPOSÉ

Comment

COMMENT EDITORS:

Bea Fones Matthew Newman

Rating the rankings: a fall from grace?

Theodore Stone Online Editor

OU might have noticed that we’re not one of the Top 100 Universities in the World anymore, at least according to the Times Higher Education ﬁndings. Whereas we once sat at the lofty position of No. 93, we’re now all the way down at No. 126. Worse still, we can’t even use the banners, table ornaments, and other decorations anymore. To make matters worse, Bristol are sitting at No. 71, in spite of the fact that we thought that we had gotten rid of them in the National Rankings. You’re probably asking yourself now, how the hell can I justify going to Exeter now?

Take comfort in the fact that the ranking system isn’t the be-all-to-end-all of the university world

Charlotte Im Contributor

OMING from a stereotypical Chinese family in Hong Kong, “the ranking of your university is high, right?” is among one of the ﬁrst questions extended family members ask, when they ask about my education After some googling, they walk away in relief that I’ve gotten into a good university; what I study, or where Exeter is, doesn’t really matter in the long run. Exeter’s departure from the Times Higher Education Global 100 rankings may throw a wrench in their train of thought. For most Hong Kong parents, it is simply out of the question to send their children overseas to schools that aren’t one of the best - partially out of the belief that their children deserve the best

Well, in case you need consoling as you weep into your Exonian tea towel whilst consuming questionable quantities of curly fries as a way of comforting yourself at this devastating news, take comfort in the fact that the ranking system isn’t the be-all-to-end-all of the university world. Universities are scored on a points system, and the differences between many university rankings is often no more than 0.1 in terms of score. They are based primarily on research capability and ‘international outlook’, whilst also taking into account teaching quality and industry income, and whilst some are concrete at deﬁning superiority, areas

such as international outlook are harder to pin down, and rely just as heavily on the university’s history as it does on its management. As for research, we can be pleased that the Living Systems Institute designed to pioneer novel approaches to the treatment and understanding of diseases - is soon scheduled for completion, and will have a major impact on a number of ﬁelds currently available at Exeter, including Biosciences, Medicine, and Philosophy (thanks to the eGenis programme). The best advice for those concerned about the university’s reputation for research would be to be patient, for the new Institute should aid considerably with this. Biosciences and

education, and partially because it is hard to keep other people interested in your child’s education when they have to ask which part of the world your child’s university is in. I’m sure that this isn’t just a Hong Kong thing; many families from many countries send their children overseas for the best career prospects, and a large part of it is seen in the prestige of the University. In fact, I am sure that many local parents also share the same sentiments. Tr uthfully, there are about a billion other such rankings found everywhere, if we disregard their authenticity. Some of us might have spent days pouring over it before submitting UCAS choices: the aforementioned lists were certainly very big factors in pushing me to apply for Exeter. It seems trivial to be concerned about one publication’s judgement - but let us not forget that this is the Times we’re talking about. One of the most read, most consulted publications in

the world, and there is no doubt that many others that make university rankings consult it as reference. Falling off the Times Global 100 can mean a lot of things, but there’s one statement made Exeter isn’t that attractive anymore, not to employers, not to academics, not to students. We’re facing a highly competitive world once we graduate; it’s often stressed to us the importance of a good CV, but no matter how presentable it is, what matters the most is our qualiﬁcations. Once employers decide that your degree isn’t as reputable as the other guy that wants your job, it’ll be harder to compete for it. Sometimes, it doesn’t quite matter what you studied; it’s where you studied that forms the biggest impression, especially if you’re not entering a professional ﬁeld.

Sometimes it doesn’t matter what you studied; it’s where you studied that forms the biggest impression In the immediate cohort, or even for graduates of 2019 or 2020, the effects may not be as obvious. However,

the discourse surrounding it is fast becoming afﬁrmed as one of Exeter’s specialities, and the expected boost should prove to be more than enough to counteract this year’s fall.

The best advice for those concerned about the university’s reputation would be to be patient Besides, our reputation for extracurricular and sporting achievement, and student satisfaction are giant-beating. Whilst this year hasn’t been the best for Exeter, it doesn’t mean that the University can’t recover and best the rest next year, although there are a number of problems it will have to face up to before it can do that, with Research Quality being high on the list, but a boost is surely coming. However, it’s unlikely to dampen our university spirit; subjectively speaking, we’re still “probably the best university in the world.”

as a relatively new university, the University of Exeter doesn’t have the traditional prestige of universities like King’s College or Oxbridge, nor does it have the convenience of being situated in a large city like London. We are still at the stage of establishing ourselves amongst the top universities in the world, and any kind of prestige should be welcome.

We are still at the stage of establishing ourselves amongst the top universities in the world Of course, in writing the above paragraphs I have taken the impacts of this one single event and projected them pessimistically; with the constant shifts in ranking lists, our University has a high chance of becoming listed as one of the world’s best again. To current students, the impacts of this event might as well be zero; the campus is the same, the teaching quality is the same, and it is in our beneﬁt to make the most of it. Who cares if relatives start asking questions? We’re here already, and we’re set up for some of the most memorable years in the rest of our lives.

THE SABB Toby Gladwin Guild President

HAT value do you put on education? A societal and philosophical question maybe, but also a very real and pertinent question for Exeter today. With the UK Higher Education sector heading for annual fee rises, contrasted with our German neighbours scrapping university fees altogether, this age-old question seems particularly relevant once again. The introduction of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) seems like a double-edged sword; it brings teaching quality into the limelight but is soured by success meaning a potential rise in tuition fees. Do we want to have greater control over the teaching standards at Exeter if we have to pay more for that privilege? For me, the cost of tuition fees is critical but may inadvertently ignore the whole value of a degree. The idea that we can judge its value on a Teaching Excellence Framework or the salary we earn after graduating dangerously over-simpliﬁes our time at university. With the increasing marketisation of Higher Education across the UK, students are under increasing pressure for every activity to have a direct value for them. This isn’t to say that those extra-curricular activities which form the ﬁnal paragraph in a CV aren’t important; potential future value should not be the only measure of their importance. For instance, volunteering, societies and sports clubs make up a huge portion of the student experience and even become the main focus of their time at university, but play no part in league tables. Not to mention wider issues such as welfare support, space and facilities on campus as well as the quality and cost of living which all impact student experience. Not that it would even be possible to put these into a league table, but a similar problem is faced when trying to measure the subjective term ‘excellence’ in teaching quality. As with many things, the answer is a balance of league tables and the less tangible. Ignoring one would detrimentally affect the other. So, whether we agree with the direction of Higher Education or not, we cannot ignore TEF, and can work with the University on how this new metric affects teaching on campus, whilst also remembering that the total value of a degree lies in much more than this.

COMMENT

Working nine-to-ﬁve

With the increase in tuition fees and soon-to-be scrapped maintenance grants, the necessity of a job at university is perhaps greater than ever. Three students discuss the beneﬁts of working alongside their studies Ben Londesbrough Editor

know that for a lot of people, having a part-time job at university seems entirely alien, with some more privileged scofﬁng at the idea. For others, a job is a necessity to fund the excessive tuition and living costs that we have signed up to pay. For me, part-time work offers a nice ﬂow of income, whilst generally having a positive impact on my life and studies. Throughout sixth form I was told

that a part-time job would compromise my studies, and that if I had to have one, I should keep the hours I do to a minimum. This was good advice, and I was able to balance my A-levels with working ten hours in a supermarket each week. However, I decided to come to university and take a break from my parttime work. I thought, like many, that I should fully enjoy my ﬁrst year and get involved with all that university has to offer. This I did, doing my work to an acceptable standard, joining various societies, and of course, going out often. However, this led to a lot of free time,

“Bank of Mum and Dad PLC”

’LL be honest, my bank account isn't looking great right now. And it’s only in Week 3 that I’ve been floating the idea of getting a job, not least because my parents visited last weekend, and we had the inevitable “Have you found yourself a job yet?”, “Ehhhh, nope.” My current excuse is that “my loan’l cover it Dad! — chill.” This is where, ironically enough, my working class background has been somewhat a virtue. Student finance have a softspot for us. Do I need a job though? Well - ‘Student’ is technically an occupation. And think of all that mulah i’ll be making if I get a 1st, Mum! Plus it’s just too much stress right now. I can’t imagine what it’d be like having a job in third year! Then there’s the walking. I don’t know about you but it’s becoming bit of a drag. It’s healthy and everything, but I also just wouldn’t be arsed if a job meant extra walkies to campus and back. Let’s be honest though, if the ‘Bank of Mum and Dad PLC’ is your financial game-plan, then perhaps you should be interested in one of those job things. After all, some expenses you want to keep off the books. Then we could all get very bored talking about independence and our first steps into the real… *yawn*. My point is — if you have the spirit and vigour, or plan on living on anything other than beans and biscuits, then go for it tiger! Get a job. But it’s not for me.

Oliver Wearing

more free time than I knew what to do with. Because of these huge voids between my commitments, I started to slip into bad habits, developing an erratic sleeping pattern and losing motivation.

Customers often act like big bags of dicks In the second year, I saw the error of my ways, and secured a part-time job. Admittedly the job is pretty cushy,

and the beneﬁts for me are great. Firstly, and most obviously, the pay. The extra income allows me a bit of luxury at uni that I wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford with just my loan. I can buy that new jumper or PlayStation game with money that otherwise would’ve had to have been spent on food or rent. Secondly, and most importantly for me, time management. If you have a seminar on a Monday at 8:30, but work late on Sunday, the work has to be done before you go to work - no excuses. I can plan better, and therefore work better. Thirdly, having a part time job takes you outside of the microcosm that is the

University. At universities like Exeter, its easy to become embroiled in campus life, never daring to venture outside. A part-time job exposes you new parts of the city, and to lots of new people. And although customers often act like big bags of dicks, it’s a social and professional experience outside of normal university life. Obviously a part-time job is not for everyone. I’ve been blessed with fewer contact hours, and I know it could get difﬁcult for those in 9-5 Monday to Friday. However, for me, the skills, money and experience mean that I’ll advocate for part-time work to anyone.

“If you want to survive, you have to work”

TUDYING at a uni where the monthly cost of accommodation alone is far more than the average wage of one person in your home country can mean only one thing: you have to have a part-time job. That was my vision of studying in UK, ever since I decided I want to apply for Exeter Uni. If you want to survive, you have to work. Waitressing appeared to be the best option. To be honest, I hadn’t given much thought to anything else. It all seemed alright until I physically got here. I found my job online and had the interview before my first lecture. I was terrified. Everything was new - the city, restaurant, uni, people, language! I wasn’t sure how I was going to manage my studies with all those hours in the job. However, after a couple of mornings persuading myself that everything would be fine, I woke up one day with a feeling that my life was normal again. My job is amazing - there are other students like me who work part-time only, the manager is great, plus I have some money every week to buy necessities. It feels wonderful to know that you are independent from your parents, or rather, that your parents and family don’t have to live in poverty in order to send you money every month for your own luxury. Come on, we are all adults! We ought to be responsible for our own lives.

Silvia Kočkova

Photo: Pexels

COMMENT

White (t-shirt) supremacy? Nicky Avasthi Contributor

HEN I ﬁrst heard about the scandal surrounding the Snowsports white tshirt social (namely the anti-semitic and racist slogans on people’s shirts), I was shocked and frankly a little upset. As a British Indian student in a predominantly white university and city, I am aware that I am different to all of my friends and many of my peers. I can’t say that not being from the same heritage or background as my peers has been something which bothered me before, or even something I had spent much time thinking about in the past. However, after hearing about the events of the Snowsports social, I must admit that there have been moments when I have questioned whether

I made the right decision in coming to Exeter rather than a more multicultural university, like one of the many in London. Coming from Birmingham, a city that is truly a melting-pot of different people, cultures and backgrounds, I cannot deny that moving to Exeter has been a slight culture shock; there are fewer people here who identify with the same culture as me, which wasn’t something that bothered me until the white t-shirt scandal. After this, I began to wonder whether the opinions expressed on the t-shirts a r e shared

by the majority of my peers, and whether people like myself, people who are different, are truly not welcome at this university. After giving it some more thought, I realised that the white t-shirt scandal was less a reﬂection of intolerance

at night. My female friends will offer to walk with me, or ask me if someone is walking me home, with concerned expressions. If they can’t accompany me, they will insist on a reassuring text upon my safe arrival home.

been raised to face the challenges of the world, but how can I face the challenges of the night all by myself ? I feel uneasy, and yet I feel proud that my male friends consider me capable of walking home without them backing me up as bodyguards. However, just like any other human being, I have limitations. I know them, and it frustrates me, knowing that the fact that I haven’t been assaulted yet is not because of my safety precautions, but just mere luck. We feel safe with pepper sprays and whistles, with keys between our knuckles, or forks in our backpacks. Anything that gives us a sense of control on the streets. We, as strong independent women, have been taught to take pre-

among the student body as a whole, and more the result of a few drunken, ignorant individuals. In fact, it is very possible that the few people who had racist slogans written on their shirts were completely unaware of them until they were pointed out, as during the hustle and bustle of a social, it would be incredibly difﬁcult to keep track of who is writing what on your shirt. Of course, this does not excuse the events of the night, but it certainly puts them into perspective. It is a huge shame that people as ignorant as those who wrote the racist, downright idiotic slogans hold the opinions

that they do, but as far as I am concerned, the best thing we can do is take this as a learning experience for how to deal with racism and try to not let it get to us. From past experiences, I have found that trying to change the minds of individuals who hold such extreme opinions is an entirely futile exercise, as they are often too irrational or set in their ways to see how wrong they truly are. On the plus side, this experience has certainly helped me feel better equipped to deal with the ignorance of those with racist opinions. It would be incredibly naïve to think that this is something I, and other people of colour, won’t come across and have to learn to handle for the entirety of our lives. This scandal hasn’t caused me to feel particularly unsafe here, because, as cheesy as it sounds, at the end of the day, the words of backward people can only harm us if we allow them to.

cautions, to never walk alone, distrust strangers, always be on your guard. The reality is this: sometimes that’s not even enough. And it’s not your fault. Nor the fault of those innocent men who have been stigmatized with these sorts of abuses.

soled close friends about their own traumatic experiences. As I walk at night, like any other girl in the world, I balance all the possibilities and the dangers. If I am attacked, I can run, I can shout, I can defend myself. I can bite, scratch and kick. But even as a strong, independent woman, I know my luck may one night run out.

Strong, independent...worried

Alejandra De Bárcena Myrsep Contributor

WAS raised to become a strong, independent woman. I am strong, but I am reckless; I am independent, but I am also somewhat incapable of asking for help. I am the girl who you will see carrying heavy boxes around, even if she has chronic back pain; who will just complain out loud it in hopes that someone will feel compelled to help, but won’t ask directly. I am that girl who walks alone at night. Recently, I have observed how my friends react to me walking back home

I detest this constant suspicion which hounds every girl Hanging out with boys is different. If my group of male friends asks me if I can walk alone at night, the answer is a straight, cocky yes. Yes, I feel powerful. Yes, I can tipsily defend myself, wearing high heels and in the darkness. I’ve

I want to believe in the goodness of mankind. But I am realistic. I don’t want to lose my faith in people. I detest this constant suspicion which hounds every girl. I want to believe in the goodness of mankind. But I am realistic; I read and listen to the news, know the statistics, and have con-

É Useful numbers: Estate Patrol 01392 263999 Nightline 01392 724000

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Features

10 OCT 2016 | EXEPOSÉ

FEATURES EDITORS:

Georgina Bolam Katie Jenkins

Forever in style

Kate Jones, Online Features Editor, discusses student life and Made In Chelsea with Sunday Times columnist, Dolly Alderton

O say that Dolly Alderton has had something of a meteoric rise to success in the media industry is a bit of an understatement. At the grand old age of 28, the University of Exeter graduate is the Sunday Times Style magazine’s dating columnist, a former story producer for Made in Chelsea, a former script assistant on Fresh Meat, and someone who’s penned articles for magazines including Grazia and Cosmopolitan. It’s not bad for the girl who once lived in a “sluginfested” property on Vic Street. This former Exeter student’s memories of her time at the University are mixed, though. “In retrospect, to be completely honest, it probably wasn’t the right university for me,” she tells me. “Bar one or two modules, I wasn’t hugely inspired by my course and I went a bit stir-crazy being in the Devon countryside for three years. I actually sometimes think I left Exeter less intelligent than when I arrived, perhaps down to my brain cells being zapped by vodka shark buckets at Mambo [closed in 2008]. But, that said, I made some of my closest friends there and I did have a hell of a lot of fun. What I lacked in academic pursuits, I made up for in drinking and stealing and collecting trafﬁc cones and bollards.

On my first night in Holland Hall... we ate quails’ eggs and celery salt “I lived in Holland Hall for my first year, which at the time was known as being the crème de la crème of student accommodation. When you took an, ahem, overnight visitor up the hill back to Holland Hall for the night it was like you were pulling up at The Ritz, what with the mini fridge and the balcony and the double bed. But with it came a stigma as well; I felt a bit like a shamed MP whose ludicrous expenses are revealed. And although it was a comfortable year, it wasn’t the student life I’d signed up for. I wanted to eat cereal out of chipped mugs and talk about communism until 6 AM in a room of waifs and strays sleeping on tie-dye sheets, but on my first night in Holland Hall we all went back to a girl called Octavia’s room to eat quails’ eggs and celery salt.” Alderton moved on to

the Vic Street property in second year, which, despite the slugs, she describes as “glorious”. “Then a new flat on Hoopern Mews, which was a bit soulless and Holland Hall-like, but it was a good place to finally do some work and focus on passing my final year,” she continues. “In terms of going out, it was always Monday Mambo, Tuesday Arena [now Unit 1], Wednesday Timepiece, Thursday Riva, Friday Ram, Saturday Lemmy. I often tried to seek out fun on a Sunday but that would only ever amount to a world music night somewhere, so I think I gave up.” One could argue that Alderton honed some skill in media as Publications Coordinator for RAG, a role that involved putting together and editing the magazines to go alongside RAG events, including the Safer Sex Ball and the fashion show. “For one of the years I did it, I coedited with Sophie Wilkinson, who is still one of my best friends and a very successful freelance journalist, so it must have given us some experience,” she recounts. “The publications were completely insane as we didn’t have anyone telling us what we could or couldn’t do so it was basically two half-soaked friends staying up on InDesign, drinking beer and doing a scrap book of nonsense they found funny, and packaging it as a magazine - we featured a picture of Anthea Turner giving a piece of made-up advice in every publication, and on the back page we used to formally thank the font we had used.” Following her time at Exeter, Alderton began with an arguably standard route for those

Photo: Clare Walsh

looking to go into journalism after a degree, completing a Journalism MA at City University in London, then doing work experience and writing for websites and blogs. It was through this, however, that she got a lucky break that skyrocketed her career in ways that some might only dream of.

We featured a picture of Anthea Turner giving a piece of made-up advice in every issue “One of the blogs I wrote was reviewing the ﬁrst series of Made in Chelsea. The exec producer happened to read them and got me in for an interview to be a story producer. From there they gave me my own episode to story-produce, then kept me on for the series.

I ended up doing four series. I stayed there a while longer to do TV development, then moved to Objective productions to be script assistant on Fresh Meat and do drama development. Then I was given the column, then I went fully freelance, as during all the years I was working full-time in telly I had also been moonlighting as a journalist.” Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. The way she describes her route to success, getting jobs on two prominent UK television programmes before writing for one of the country’s biggest papers, Alderton makes getting to the big hitters in media look like a walk in the park. And yet, reading her Sunday Times Style column, it’s clear why she has been successful. Aside from the graft she clearly put in during the early days through her work experience, Alderton is the kind of writer who makes you sit up and read. In her column, she charts the rollercoaster that is dating for millennials. Dating apps, relationships and speed dating are all touched upon. Yet, Alderton is more than just a one-trick pony. Both in her articles and in her new podcast with Style’s Fashion Features Editor Pandora Sykes, she touches on topics that appeal to both those of her generation and beyond, including how to survive a life crisis, the appropriate age to have a baby and friend culling. Real life is clearly Alderton’s bag. As an insider into the structured reality genre of programming including Made in Chelsea, (arguably her breakthrough moment), she knows all about this type of TV, and fear not, structured reality lovers – those programmes are very real. “When the cameras turn off on a structured reality

shoot in which there is a huge reveal or conﬂict or new romance, the cast don’t take their hair and makeup off, all give each other a hug, get in an Addison Lee and cheerily say: ‘see you tomorrow!’,” Dolly explains. “There is no hair and makeup, there is no pretending. The screaming and the tears and the snogging goes on into the night and the next day and the day after that. There’s no clapper board for their lives; there’s no one shouting ‘cut’. Suspend any cultural snobbery you have and you realise that’s a sort of magic state of story-telling. And that engenders a particular kind of compulsive viewing.”

Suspend any cultural snobbery ... [reality TV is] a magic state of story-telling So how much groundwork goes into creating a TV show, with storylines that viewers are eager to follow (through and sometimes across series’), out of the lives of real people? “You wouldn’t believe how much work goes into it,” Dolly replies. “I don’t think I ever left the ofﬁce during my time working on Chelsea when there weren’t at least ﬁve people still sitting at their desks or having meetings or on the phone to a cast member pacing around the kitchen. It’s a machine, that programme. There’s a reason it has the stories and aesthetic values of a glossy American drama like Gossip Girl, yet it’s all reality - it’s because there’s a team of people, from runners to producers to editors, who are incredibly hard-working and intuitive and intelligent. It takes a particular type of person to work on structured reality TV and they have to be really dedicated. Because as much as people think or like to tell me otherwise, it really is a reality show. Nothing is made up. And to be able to exhibit and stay on top of real life and channel it into a stylish, funny, gripping package while also caring for the well-being of a huge cast - that’s a round-the-clock job.” With this much knowledge of media at such a young age, Dolly Alderton is clearly going places. With an ability to turn her hand to such a variety of media output, who knows where we’ll see her in the future? One thing’s for sure: it certainly looks bright.

FEATURES Photo:www.flickr.com

A day in the life of Donald

Dynasties, decisions and The Donald F

Will Grice analyses the populist appeal of Republican nominee, Donald Trump

OR anyone eager enough to stay up to watch this year’s first Presidential debate, I am sure you were not surprised by the circus that unfolded. For those of us who are following the US elections closely, you can’t ignore the fact that there is one issue which is not going away: The Donald is still in the race. Whether his antics in the debates will have any significant impact on his polling numbers is yet to be seen. But regardless, the fact that Trump is still in the race at this late stage has turned everything we knew about US politics on its head. Despite the expected demise of his candidacy, he has worked his way to be a few months away from becoming arguably the most powerful leader on the planet. The latest New York Times poll sees Clinton enjoying a lead of 44 per cent to Trump’s 41 per cent. To put these figures in context, this suggests a 75 per cent likelihood of a Clinton presidency in November. Most Democrats at this point would breathe a sigh of relief, (especially after Trump’s debate performance), however this likelihood has been greatly reduced over summer. In August, Clinton’s likelihood was at 80 per cent; meanwhile, according to last week’s UPI poll, Trump has been pulling ahead in states such as Iowa by two to three per cent. So what? Well, the issue at play in all US elections is not the popular vote, but the electoral college. Technically it is only a select group who get to vote in the US electoral College, fulfilling the wishes of how their home state voted. To explain this properly, you need to look back to the 2000 presidential election contest between then VicePresident Al Gore and Governor George W Bush. Whilst Gore won the popular vote, it came down to a Florida state recount, seeing 21 electoral votes in Bush’s

favour. The rest, as they say, is history. You can argue it is undemocratic, and unfair, but regardless, this is the system that America is using this November to elect its next President. To win the election, Clinton or Trump need 270 electoral college votes. Arguably, this system favours the Democrats who in many cases have won in the past few elections due to the populous left-leaning northern states. The Republicans tend to take huge swathes of the South, which, whilst signiﬁcant geographically, are not nearly as populous, so are worth fewer electoral votes. The traditional path to the White House are the ‘swing states’, such as New Hampshire, Florida, Ohio, and Nevada. Clinton, throughout this election cycle, has generally been polling higher in these places; Trump’s often vicious rhetoric have really struck a chord with the voters and in many cases, states that would usually give Republicans a fair hearing, have turned to the Clinton camp. However, for Trump the race still isn’t over. Despite his declarations about Mexicans, peddling ‘birther’ conspiracies and, even arguing “that makes me smart” when questioned about paying low taxes, the Trump train still hasn’t derailed.

What may really hurt Clinton is not Trump, but the cesspit of Clinton conspiracies What is particularly shocking is that in recent weeks, Clinton is the one who has been facing problems. For many months, Republicans have been pursuing conspiracy theories regarding her health.

They inevitably vary from “she has something to hide” to the video of Clinton apparently suffering from a seizure. The recent revelations about her pneumonia, however, have only gone to strengthen the view held by many Americans of her “crookedness”. The real question here is whether the Clinton political dynasty may have already had its day. Yes, she had a supremely conﬁdent ﬁrst debate against an unprepared opponent, but what may really hurt her is not Trump, but the cesspit of Clinton conspiracies; from Benghazi to the Lewinsky scandal, you have a pretty toxic mix for the Democratic nominee. Trump’s campaign believes that his path to the White House lies in the ‘Rust Belt’ states of Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois and Pennsylvania. These are states that are heavily dependent on blue-collar industries which, since the recession of 2008, have not fully recovered. Many workers feel ignored: disenfranchised by the Democrats in Washington, and fed up with the status quo. It’s no wonder that frustrated voters are turning to Trump’s campaign. Globalisation and the neo-liberal order that has embraced the end of the Cold War have left behind many white smalltown Americans in the central states. Whilst there is no literal tidal wave of immigrants, many neighbourhoods have changed beyond recognition in the space of a generation. In a country uncomfortable with race relations already, it is not surprising that the white working classes feel “attacked” by outsiders. Whilst none of these racist, homophobic, transphobic or xenophobic views should be supported, it is of vital importance that we understand where these sentiments originate. Clinton argued during the debate that Donald lives in his “own reality”.

T’S six o’clock and The Donald, amazed that the sheer force of karma has not struck him dead, awakes after another night of not feeling guilty. His routine always starts the same way, with a soak in a blend of carrots, foundation and Dutch football shirts. This habit provides him both with his trademark skin tone (Wotsit) and the perfect opportunity to gaze upon his “astonishingly excellent” body. It is now time for breakfast in the Trump household. Mr Trump refuses to eat food not branded with his name and as such his staff spend hours repackaging supermarket goods with the eponymous logo. Melania, referred to affectionately in the Trump household as “my little tangerine” usually joins, but is swiftly dismissed for the subsequent brieﬁng. During the minute-long session, the campaign team drill him on any questions he might be asked that day. Trump expends great effort in forgetting approximately all of this information and continues with his day.

Whilst it can most deﬁnitely be said about Trump, this also needs to be applied to his supporters. They live in a different reality to that of Clinton’s middle-class America.

Trump’s supporters live in a different reality to that of Clinton’s middle-class America If we group these people into the “Basket of Deplorables” like Clinton did at a recent rally in New York, we ignore the genuine concerns they have. They may not be correct, but as a politician the duty to address people’s concerns - albeit if they are woefully misinformed - is paramount. Similarly, pushing these Americans to one side is excluding them from the process. According to a GenForward poll in August, just 28 per cent of young adults feel that the main two parties represent them. This is why candidates like Trump and Sanders have succeeded in this cycle: They say the things that people have wanted politicians to say for years. Yes, Clinton should win this race, and after the shambles of a debate performance, logic suggests that she will do comfortably. But this has been no ordinary election year. One of the more peculiar moments of the ﬁrst debate was when Trump decided to plug his new hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue: “So if I don’t get there one way, I’m going to get to Pennsylvania Avenue another [way]” he said. The reality of it is that in just over a month, forget him merely having his hotel, Trump getting to that big white house on Pennsylvania Avenue is more of a possibility than it has been ever before, and we should start getting used to the idea.

Next up on the schedule is an interview with his creator, the American media. During a segment on Fox News, Trump furthers his position as the ‘law and order’ candidate, suggesting that disobedient dogs ought to be put into animal prisons for “maybe a couple of years”. A Twitter battle ensues for a few hours, but Donald rises above the name-calling, claiming Hillary started it. His charlatanic existence continues but, infuriatingly for Donald, he only squeezes in one offence against Mexicans throughout the remaining hours, and thus a sour expression forms as day turns into night. Although for a man who normally looks like he has just swallowed a lemon-coated wasp, the change is unremarkable. So as the sun sets, The Donald engages in some intellectual bedtime reading, on this occasion the works of the great multiculturalist Enoch Powell, though he believes there should be less talk about rivers and more talk about walls. Just before he slips into misanthropic slumber once again, Donald considers whether he should reveal the truth. The truth that this was all an experiment to test democracy and the American people to their limits. But he decides not to, and the election marches one day closer.

James Angove

lifestyle

ARTS + LIT

E X H I B IT MUSIC

GAMES + TECH

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games + tech At the egx games con

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american fashion special

ExeposÉ Screen talks to the bbfc

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EGXrEZZED 2016 20 23 bon iver 22, a million review

unveiling erotic fiction

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LIFESTYLE EDITORS Jade Beard Laurel Bibby

ARTS + LIT EDITORS Emma Bessent Tash Ebbutt

MUSIC EDITORS Rory Marcham Helen Payne

SCREEN EDITORS Mark Allison Zak Mahinfar

GAMES + TECH EDITORS Jabez Sherrington Sam Woolf 10 OCT 2016 | EXEPOSÉ

lifestyle A change of State

Study abroad students Jasmine Prasad and Hattie Idle give the lowdown on fashion across the pond

hat’s a girl to do when she’s touching down in some of the most chic cities in the world? Shop, of course! Hi everyone, we’re Hattie and Jasmine and we recently spent six weeks travelling North America doing the one thing we know how to do best. We’re die-hard fashion victims who love nothing more than to shop. I’ll level with you. There were days when we lived on M&Ms and cheese crackers so we could afford that dream piece, and we have absolutely no regrets. We love clothes so much that we thought we’d give you the lowdown on the shopping hotspots we hit. From New York to Nashville, Seattle to San Francisco we want to share with you what we’ve learnt about style and travel: how each place we’ve visited has been truly unique, in clothing and in culture.

New York City

Ah, New York City. We were lucky enough to call New York our home for the year, so trips to NYC were far too frequent and not at all far between. It’s undoubtedly one of the fashion capitals of the world, so shopping opportunities are endless. As uninitiated shoppers we started at base line - or 5th Avenue. Great for the huge seasonal sales held by the flag-

ships of Bergdorfs and Bendels, but not for much else. We soon graduated to flash sample sales at Chelsea Market and Lower Manhattan, and settled firmly on Brooklyn for all our shopping need. As poor students, we loved the budget finds, and local designers that would come to stake their place at Artists and Fleas and Williamsburg Mini-Mall. A favourite included Hairy Guppy, which is where I bought an amazing clear rain coat!

THE CITY FELT LIKE ONE BIG MONUMENT TO CELEBRATE AMERICA

Washington DC

The very first stop on our tour was Washington DC. Well, we couldn’t have the proper American experience without it, could we? The city itself felt, to us, like one big monument to celebrate America but, by staying in an Airbnb just outside of the tourist areas, we could find out what DC really looked like. We stayed in Colombia Heights, a once-gritty DC neighbourhood that has been undergo-

Rodeo Drive, LA

ing the Williamsburg treatment. Colombia Heights high street is now semi-populated with yummy mummies sporting their yoga pants and Starbucks. Very close by to our accommodation was John Adams exeter.ac.ukBoulevard, a hip street lined with pastel coloured shop fronts and quirky vintage stores. Here we found Meeps Vintage, a small and sophisticated store stocking gorgeous sheer and lace nightgowns and bright, funky 60s print dresses. We had no luck with purchases, but it was a promising start for our road trip.

Nashville

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Affectionately called Music City, Nashville is the home of all things country, including a Country Music Museum with an entire Taylor Swift wing. Country permeates Nashville’s culture on every level, particularly its aesthetic. Southern belles travel far and wide to pick up their pairs of deluxe cowboy boots and hats. Suede fringe is literally everywhere. Music City’s Wild West look is wonderful, but it’s becoming a staple in every American tourist's book because it’s so much more than that. Rich in local artistic talent, its indie quarter is not to be missed. That’s where

we did most of our actual shopping. Our standout here was United Apparel Liquidators - a clothing store famed in America for liquidating stock to the point that it sells for 70-90 per cent off. It’s where I picked up my precious Jaquemus foam dress. If there’s one place you should visit in America, it’s Nashville.

SUEDE FRINGE IS LITERALLY EVERYWHERE

Los Angeles

If you’re looking for discount designer or vintage, LA is the place to be, baby. (You might even spot a Hollywood star while you’re at it. We snapped a pic with Mindy Kaling.) This is where our purse strings got the loosest, because there was so much to see and eventually buy. Buyers and sellers of vintage labels and beautiful one of a kind pieces flock to Melrose Avenue Flea Market. We spent an entire day just here, poring through various cuts of denim and crochet, much to our content. The place to be for designer

EXHIBIT

labels though, is The Wasteland, where you can find everything from sale Chanel, to $5 Topshop. I went all out and got an incredible Herve Leger bandage dress. And I’m not going to tell you how much it cost. The "Cali girl" look is famous and well sought-after. Laid back and casual: sun kissed hair and healthy tans. Definitely something that was reflected in our shopping.

Seattle

EDITORS: Jade Beard and Laurel Bibby

LIFESTYLE

Seattle had to be one of my favourite stops of the trip. Maybe it was just the pure relief to get off the Greyhound bus after 29 hours, or maybe it was the atmosphere of the area itself that stole my heart. Yes, it did rain. The city itself had a more relaxed feel to it; it had none of the manic energy of Los Angeles. Instead there were fish markets, ports and, of course, lots of Starbucks. In terms of shopping, we didn’t have a lot of time to explore the city itself. But we were staying in a smaller, very hip surrounding enclave of Seattle called Kirkland, and the opportunities there pleasantly surprised us. Kirkland had its own distinctive feel: The gorgeous park that surrounded a yacht-filled dock was bustling with young families and couples. The main shopping street was a mixture of cafes, restaurants, and shops filled with interesting bits-and-bobs. The consignment stores here really were a hidden gem. I managed to find a beautiful Michael Kors china pattern coat for $45, and my travel buddy snagged a Diane von Furstenberg bag for under $100. It was truly a label-slave’s paradise.

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Toronto

We were told by locals and visitor alike that for shopping lovers like us, we had to head straight for Queen Street West. Only a couple of blocks away from the CN Tower, this street smelt like weed from the Cannabis “Pharmacies”, and had the stoner atmosphere to match. First stop was Black Market Vintage, a basement bargain store in a literal basement. Everything was about $10 or less, and the rails were packed full of vintage Levi jeans, band t-shirts and funky pieces. I, for one, came out with a Polo Ralph Lauren Shirt, Levi boyfriend Jeans and had change from a $20 note. Next was Kensington Market, with an atmosphere very similar to Camden: Chinese fast food stalls, cute indie cafes and vintage pop-ups a-plenty. One very exciting find, though, was the store of Toronto-based designer Haley Elsaesser. The clothes were gaudily patterned, brightly-coloured, and bang on the athleisure trend. A co-ord poodlepatterned crop top and skirt set caught my eye, but, with it being $280, I settled on a fierce pink heart choker instead. I wouldn’t dare to imagine how much money we collectively parted with on our tour. I’m not going to lie to you; we only took one suitcase each and did have to throw away some “non-essentials”, like socks and towels, to make room for our beloved new purchases. It was all worth it. To us, experiencing the shopping scene is to experience the beating heart of the city itself. In understanding what people wear and buy, we could understand the culture and uniqueness of the city they live in; we could discover its true personality. And we loved every second of it.

C D n o t g in h s a W , e Meeps Vintag

Local Honey, Nashvil le "IF THERE'S ONE PLACE YOU SHOULD VISIT, IT'S NASHVILLE"

Photo: edited from Wikimedia

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EDITORS: Jade Beard and Laurel Bibby

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Introducing... the Bullet Journal

Katie Cregg explores the newest stationery trend on the block

HAT on earth is a Bullet Journal? Short answer, it is a journal/timetable/to-do list that you design yourself using only a blank notebook. Described as “the analogue system for the digital age” by the Bullet Journal’s website, it’s surprising that the system’s inventor, Ryder Carroll, is a web and digital product designer. Why are people deciding to move away from iCloud synced calendars and various apps logging todo lists, and go back to notebooks and fine liners? Perhaps it’s because when we use digital systems, they all start to look exactly the same. The Bullet Journal system allows us to organise in a way that makes sense specifically to us and which we can illustrate and decorate in our own individual style.

THIS JOURNAL SYSTEM INSPIRES CREATIVITY The system is intended to be an “evolving adaptable practice” to allow you to work out what form of journal works best for you. It’s minimalist and not something you should

force yourself to use, because it should just be an extension of the way your brain naturally works. How often have you heard the phrase, “I need to get my life together”? In our house, it’s pretty much a daily mantra. The Bullet Journal means you can get YOUR life together. Decide what are the most impor tant things for you to keep track of: appointments, meal plan, shopping list, deadlines, spending, weekly reading, daily tasks, fitness, calories eaten... basically, you can design your journal around anything you like. You can also make

it pretty; I’ve made mine look like post it notes and each month has an introduction page with a quote - seeing my little October pumpkin everyday makes me happy to be organised. This system also has connections with mindfulness and anxiety. Many bloggers have posted pages which help them maintain their own wellness. Some examples include a page of things that make you happy, a daily list of things you are grateful for, a record of your emotions using different colours, or whatever helps you to take care of yourself. The point is you can decide

what works for you. If it’s stressing you out to look at the amount of tasks you have to complete or reading you haven’t done, flip to the back of your journal and read through the things you’re grateful for.

LET’S REBEL AGAINST IPHONE CALENDARS AND ACADEMIC DIARIES So if you want to start your own Bullet Journal, what do you need? 1 A blank notebook - squared, lined, or dotted are also common choices. 2 A life in need of organisation. 3 Some pretty pens and pencils. And that’s it! This journal system inspires creativity; let’s rebel against iPhone calendars, Filofaxes and academic diaries - Carpe Libre, seize the notebook! Go online to get inspiration of how other people have used the Bullet Journal, use Pinterest or search #bujo on Insta for a world of organised rebellion.

Let’s get down to ﬁtness Two Lifestyle writers share their experiences of keeping fit on campus AFTER naively buying a platinum membership to get acIMOGEN cess to classes, I was excited ELLIS to get started on my quest for fitness at the Russell Seal Fitness Centre. I never considered myself a gym newbie - after all, I frequently visited my (tiny) local gym and also took part in classes such as Circuits and Zumba - but when I entered the campus gym for the first time, I soon realised I couldn’t have been more mistaken. I was not only overwhelmed by the scale of the gym and the machines (exercising muscles I didn’t even know I had), but also by the sea of already fit men and women in barely-there, lycra gym clothes. Trying to hide my nerves, I foolishly headed to machines I’d never experienced in my gym at home. In fact, my main memory from this first gym visit is of not understanding the mechanics of the assisted pull up machine. After awkwardly clambering onto the machine’s knee pads, I clattered straight down to the bottom of the machine,

completely unable to pull myself back up. Rolling off onto the floor I looked up to see people staring straight at me and hiding their laughs. Feeling suitably embarrassed, I then noticed men lifting my whole body weight in the free weights section, women showing their flexibility with their legs in positions I never knew were possible and equipment that I couldn’t even begin to understand. Consequently, I decided to not visit the gym alone again to avoid further embarrassment. After speaking to older students I was told that Synrgy was a brilliant workout. Feeling determined to finally conquer the gym, I was ready to start the class at midday. Much to my surprise, it was this class that helped me the most in getting used to the gym. The instructors took me through each exercise, gave demonstrations and ensured I got the most out of the workout, but most importantly built my confidence in the gym! This is not to say I’m a gym expert. After a month here I still look around and wonder if I’ll ever be able to get my leg above my head when I can’t even touch my toes. Nor will I ever understand why a foam roller is an essential part of every workout, but at least I can now enter the gym without falling off a machine!

Photo: publicdomainpictures.net

IT’S a rainy Devon day during first term and you’ve just KATE ANDREWS emerged from four hours of lectures. You see a girl – sports stash head to toe – stride past you on Forum hill on her pilgrimage to the gym, and you wonder how she does it, while stumbling back to your accommodation to order something greasy from Deliveroo. University leaves little time or energy to squeeze fitness into your schedule of naps, clubbing and eating, but here’s how to prioritise fitness in your diary, and maybe even beat the Freshman 15 while you’re at it. Stop torturing yourself with burpee after burpee at the gym if it makes you feel like you’re constantly at risk of falling flat on your face. Exercise shouldn’t feel like a chore: there are plenty of exciting – and obscure – fitness experiences to try, especially at university where there seems to be a society for everything! Take a look through the Guild website or fitness classes to try something new. Integrating your fitness and social life will not only hold you accountable if you flake out on sports training with your team, but you’ll be killing two birds with one stone. Tucked away in an isolated corner of the library with only your textbooks for company, studying can be a lonely task and, without noticing, soon days can pass before you realise that your only social interaction has been with the cashier at Costa, who gives you compassionate grimaces

every time you get another coffee. If you combine your time for exercise and socialising, you won’t get the survivor’s guilt of ‘wasted’ time sat around chatting, and you’ll suddenly find exercise to be a lot more enjoyable! Team sports are great for this, and a wonderful way to make close new friends.

YOUR MUM WON’T NAG YOU TO WRITE THINGS ON THE CALENDAR When your parents dropped you off at Uni, somehow you transformed into an ‘adult’. This means that your mum won’t nag you to write things on the calendar: you need to organise your own time. With this freedom comes great responsibility: when organising pres and laundry days, schedule in your exercise for the week, too. According to the NHS, it’s advised that you do 150 minutes of physical activity per week, so divide this up and plan it out to make sure you hit the minimum time sent to keep yourself healthy. Got a three hour library sesh planned? Follow it up with a brisk half hour walk around the city. By doing this, you could also fit in some healthy meal and snack plans, too! Yes, when in the library it’s easier to want to buy six £1 sharing bars of Dairy Milk all for yourself, but pack some nuts and fruit in advance.

arts + lit National Poetry Day

Emma Bessent, Arts + Lit Editor, discusses the importance of poetry in a turbulent world

INCE 1994 our rainy island nation has set aside the otherwise dreary first Thursday of October every year to celebrate an art form that writers have begged, borrowed, stolen, manipulated, warped and loved since before being “British” was even a thing: the poem.

POETRY IS UNIVERSAL AND IT TOUCHES EVERYTHING, YET AT THE SAME TIME IT IS INTIMATE

Poem”, reminds us literary types of the general social disillusionment and suspicion which lingers in poetry’s wake. I’m always reminded of the “The curtains were f*****g blue” meme about author intentionality (if you don’t know what

I’m on about, Google it; I’m told by my less geeky friends it’s the perfect summary of their English GCSE experience); not many people are interested in messages with hidden layers - but do we really have a choice? The power of poetry is that it is universal and it touches everything, yet

From the moment Homer set down his Iliad, poetry has been firmly entwined with the concept of nationhood and identity - whether in the attempt of preservation or dissolution of border constructs - so with the enormous political shifts which have already have and continue to quake 2016, I can’t help but feel that this year National Poetry Day is more important than ever. “Messages” is perhaps the most malleable, open-ended theme a national event could possibly have. Surely all writing is a kind of message; from the plays of Shakespeare to my weekly food shopping list, everything ever put down on paper was intended to remind someone of something. But the event’s tagline, “Say It With a

at the same time it is intimate and it only speaks to you. Gods, family, death, love, sex, power, sickness, wealth, war; nothing is above the reproach of poetry. In a time when socio-political catastrophes rain upon the earth with the dispassionate vengeance of volcanic, explosive tectonic shifts, when cruelty and fear and prejudice grip the human race, poetry is essential. Art is where people go to find reason, even beauty, in their rage, their grief and their terror, and poetry allows us to talk about twisted, contorted things in a twisted, contorted way which still has the power to heal. How do you talk about the bodies of babies being washed up on beaches because there was no safe way to the possibility of a better life? How can we find words to show how we feel about people being shot dead for having the ‘wrong’ pigmentations in their skin? How might you describe the lawful, forced undressing of a human being by armed officers on a beach? How could you verbalise the realisation that someone who sees maternity leave as an inconvenience to business and whole nations of people as an inconvenience to the world, could soon be the most powerful man in that world? If you can’t answer these questions this October, try to say it with a poem. The force which forged cultural boundaries deeper than any line on any map might just be the best way to heal humanity’s self-inflicted scars.

Art to Art Susannah Keogh, Editor, shares her slam-inspired poetry One of my biggest regrets is not getting into poetry sooner. Until this summer, when I stumbled across a slam poetry event at a music festival, I thought poetry was all about sonnets and rhyming… dare I say it, even boring. Since that festival though, I can’t get enough: slam poets like Cecilia Knapp, Vanessa Kissule and the American slam star Blythe Baird really inspire me to write about what I see in the world. My poetry tends to be inspired by my experiences as a young women at a time where Britain’s girls are widely seen to be in crisis and under pressure like never before. As a journalist, it’s so refreshing to write poetry that doesn’t have to be a certain structure or a certain way.

10 OCT 2016 | EXEPOSÉ

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ARTS + LIT

Art from the heart

Emma Previgano bathes in the nostalgic sunshine of Renoir’s painting The eye of the painter wanders around the scene, rejoicing at the general merriness. Yet the artist knows that it will not last: he decides to fix that ordinary Sunday afternoon, because it will not come back. There will be many others, but they will be different. Some of the couples will get married, other will break up; someone will leave, everyone eventually will die. In that golden light filtering through the trees is the melancholy of the awareness that everything ends.

OME days are barely out of the ordinary and yet remain in one’s memory for years, perhaps for an entire lifetime. It can be a friend’s particularly successful birthday party, a Sunday out to a nice place, or even just a movie night in good company. The memory lingers in our mind, coming back to contradict us every time we are tempted to believe that life is nothing but bad luck. Auguste Renoir, the painter of happiness, succeeded in fixing one of those moments on canvas. “The Dance at le Moulin de la Galette” does not portray anything extraordinary, just a weekly gathering. Every Sunday the same music, the same drinks, the same kind of conversation. Yet the people in the painting will remember forever the golden light filtering through the trees and will wonder why they did not realise how happy they were feeling. One day the young man on the bottom right, the one who is looking dreamily at the lady with the black dress and the hat, will think back to that day while standing on the deck of a transatlantic. He will remember the cheerful music, the smell of linden flowers, and the red shades of the lady’s hair.

Arts in the news

10 OCT 2016 |

EDITORS: Tash Ebbutt and Emma Bessent

THE PEOPLE IN THE PAINTING WILL WONDER WHY THEY DID NOT REALISE HOW HAPPY THEY WERE The Moulin de la Galette still exists: it is in Montmartre, Paris. However, instead of the benches, the dances, the laughter, and the clinking of glasses, there is a private property sign. The silhouette of the windmill is barely visible through the leaves.

National Trust house’s neglected painting (once valued as a £20 fake) revealed to be a £20m Raphael

Art dealer killed over rare Wind in the Willows book

Art-rocious

Poet Kei Miller becomes English Department Professor - a welcome party will be held on 11 October

Joe Oxlade complains about the quality and price of art on campus

UR campus is adorned with a multitude of (mostly modern) art pieces; the University website claims over £2 million’s worth. Unfortunately, many are of questionable artistic merit. Take “UFO”, for example. This 2007 sculpture by David Worthington is probably the most walked-past piece of art on campus, and takes the form of a small rotatable mushroom sat on a pile of bark just outside the Great Hall. My one interaction with this piece was seeing a small child (presumably the younger sibling of a prospective student) sitting on it and spinning, which whilst amusing for them and quite sweet to watch, did not count in my view as a positive reception of its artistic quality and meaning. Another of the campus’ most walked by pieces is somewhat larger – Roger Leigh’s “Partition 8/6 x 3” (1969), a big yellow jaggedy… thing, located outside the Queen’s Building. After having read up on the piece further, I can confirm

that its ‘warm ochre’ colour is a reference to the cornfields in Higher Hoopern valley, which one used to be able to see beyond the overgrown hedge beside it. As a History student, I walk by this sculpture frequently and I can’t help but feel that its construction (in the year of the moon landing) which surely influenced its metallic, space-like design has slightly lost its relevance in the 21st century, and its title, steeped in pretentiousness, rarely fails to be commented upon.

UNFORTUNATELY, MANY ARE OF QUESTIONABLE ARTISTIC MERIT However, some of the University’s collection I believe to have been worthwhile purchases. Whilst now it just leads to depression at how

little has been spent on other buildings such as Amory and Queen’s, the spherical metallic fountain outside the Business School certainly captured my imagination when I toured the University, with the movement of the water around it being engaging and quite beautiful. “Figure”, by Barbara Hepworth (1964), is located in the Forum reception and is a visually striking sculpture that showcases Hepworth’s talent of playing with geometrical shapes to create a subtle and elegant symbol of organic form. Talented pieces such as “Figure” are certainly the minority in the university’s collection, however, I feel that the university could be a little more thoughtful when selecting pieces for its Streatham campus; a place where the university’s primary image shines through. It may be cynical to suggest that the university invests heavily in modern art because buying a couple of metal sculptures counts as

‘investing in culture’ and looks more appealing for potential students, donators and investors. However, it may be somewhere nearer the truth that pieces such as Partition 8/6 x 3 are seen by those in charge of the University’s spending as ‘must have’ items rather than a celebration of artistic talent.

WHY CAN’T WE JUST FILL THE CAMPUS WITH ARTWORKS BY STUDENTS? Why can’t we just fill the campus with art works from current or former students or local artists? This would be more relevant, less expensive and a great way to showcase Exeter’s creative talent. All photos: http://www.artsandcultureexeter.co.uk

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ARTS + LIT

EDITORS: Tash Ebbutt and Emma Bessent

10 OCT 2016 |

Working out the kinks

Katie Cregg and Gerard Murray debate the vices and virtues of erotic literature

OU know what, I don’t even read erotic novels that often, but my defence of it will make it sound like that’s all I read. I am in fact studying English Literature so the majority of my time is spent ploughing through Hardy, Shakespeare, and thousands of critical essays. Erotic fiction is not the best example of well written prose, but I find it an antidote to this mountain of “proper literature”. The romantic plots are indulgent and nothing like real life. But is this a bad thing? We all know that we aren’t going to meet a gorgeous but troubled millionaire who will fall madly in love with us and want to have steamy mile high sex in his private plane (*sigh*, if only). Romantic and erotic literature has been proven to be a great way to de-stress as we escape into its happy ever after world, like fairy tales for adults.

EVERYONE LOOKS AT PORN, AND YET THE PORN INDUSTRY IS DOMINATED BY MEN To further defend my guilty pleasure, I refer to the infinite wisdom that is Friends. In The One With Rachel’s Book, when Joey finds such a novel underneath Rachel’s pillow, she defends herself from the accusation that it’s porn, saying, “There’s nothing wrong with a woman enjoying a little erotica. It’s just a healthy expression of female sexuality...” Exactly, well said Rachel. It’s an open secret that everyone looks at porn, most people have sexual desires, and yet the porn industry is dominated by men or the male point of view. Erotic literature, however, is mainly written by women for women. Maybe there is a reason for this; studies have suggested that women are turned on by emotional simulation (that is, what they feel, i.e. the romantic settings of erotic novels and their own imagination) whereas men are turned on by what they see (images and videos). Many articles have been written about the damaging effect of video porn but don’t worry that reading porn will affect your sex life, Psychology Today reports that women have sex with their partners 74 percent more when they read erotic fiction. This seems hardly surprising considering that the largest sexual organ is the brain. If you just don’t want to be seen reading a “dirty book”, remember the success of 50 Shades of Grey was down to the popularity of eReaders. Try the Kindle store or Apple iBooks; there are many free novels out there. But top tip, don’t use the account that sends email receipts to your mum (advice from a friend). Katie Cregg

T the risk of provoking the wrath of readers that make up over 20 percent of the entire fiction market, I am going to be blunt: I have an issue with so called ‘erotic literature.’ I do not hold this view due to any particular support of censorship. Fiction, having always reflected societal and cultural changes, is the perfect device for investigating taboos like sex. The problem lies in the fact that erotic fiction as it exists today, born out of writers like EL James, Sylvia Day, and their ever growing assemblage of imitators, already has an older, more established name: porn. Sexually charged and controversial fiction existed long before the dawn of prolific writers like DH Lawrence and Edna O’Brien. From Chaucer to anonymous medieval authors writing erotically about being ‘nailed on the cross, fastened, transfixed within four walls,’ this use of literature is nothing new. The modern cohort of romance emulators are, however, something altogether different. The most prominent example of ‘mummy porn,’ the book that brought the genre crashing into the mainstream, Fifty Shades of Grey, has its origins in Twilight forums. EL James, going by the reputable name ‘Snowqueens Icedragon,’ first published the story in the form of serialized fan fiction called ‘Master of the Universe.’ These deep recesses of the internet are where this new branch of the romance genre came from – and where it should stay. The statistics speak for themselves. Last year, 73 percent of all erotic and romance novels purchased in the UK were bought in ebook format. The vast majority of readers consumed these stories in private on their Kindles or on their Nooks, safe from prying eyes on the tube or on public buses. Concealment of books on such a vast scale is treatment not received by any other genre of fiction. Just as porn is something that is consumed in private, so is “erotic

JUST AS PORN IS CONSUMED IN PRIVATE, SO IS “EROTIC LITERATURE” literature”; they share a private purpose. Badly written, virtually plotless narratives cannot sit well with the rest of the books they try to associate with. This does not mean that they should not exist - just that they have their place, and should stay in it. Over recent decades there have been huge changes in fiction, but EL James and her cronies are not part of these changes. They belong in the shady depths of fan fiction archives on the web, and not on Waterstones bookshelves. Gerard Murray

music

What’s going on with Garratt? Maddy Parker speaks to a pancake-gorging Jack Garratt from a Las Vegas hotel room

chirpy receptionist at his Las Vegas hotel puts me through to his room. Jack Garratt picks up the phone halfway through a mouthful of pancakes but assures me he’s ready to start the interview. Here goes...

So you’re on tour in America at the moment. Obviously you’re huge in England but is it different performing there? What’s the reception like? It’s very kind of you to suggest I’m hugely popular in England, I’m more maybe ‘wellknown and has a beard.’ America is getting there though, in certain places. I remember, the last shows I did out here I kind of focused primarily on places like Chicago and Los Angeles and New York, places where I’ve built up a bit of a fanbase, but then again I’ll walk around London without thinking about it (because I shouldn’t ever have to think about that) and people come up and say hi or ask me if I am who I am.

It sounds like you’re having an amazing time but it must be exhausting touring, especially being so far from home. Actually home is a little closer to me now because I’ve moved out to Chicago… simply because I don’t know if I will ever get to live in America again and right now I have a visa that says that I can. I’m not a huge risk taker, I don’t really do it that much, but in the last few years I’ve done a lot more jumping into a lot more deep ends, which has been really invigorating and challenging because it’s not part of my personality.

I guess it’s something you’ve had to get used to, because you must get those feelings every time you perform live. Yeah, it’s a different kind of exhilaration though. Going out on stage, I always say this, because it is always true: every show is different – no two shows are the same, no two moments are the same, so it’s impossible to compare. But playing out here in America is always interesting. You can play two shows in the same city and it will be crazy different simply because the people are different, or the venue is different, but that’s what keeps it exciting, that’s what stops it getting as tiring as it might do. The only thing that kind of gets to me is that I travel with a very small team but then I perform completely on my own, so the before and after of shows can be a little difficult to manage.

Your Big Weekend performance in Exeter was impressive: alone on stage doing all the music, percussion, singing, everything. Why did you choose this approach rather than have a band? I’ve tried it with a band, I’ve played in bands before, I loved playing in bands. But my music I’ve always been very precious about, and its not that I think nobody else would be able to play the music and give it the reflection it deserves like I can, it’s simply that I’ve only ever known how to do it this way. For me it would be like…I don’t know if you’ve ever been in the situation where you’ve wanted to buy a piece of clothing that it is so completely not something that you would wear, and in buying that piece of clothing you have to adapt a whole new look. I’ve only ever known how to dress the way that I dress and the minute I think about playing with a band it’s like someone going, ‘Ok, so now wear a top hat’. I’m like, I don’t know if I’m going to look good in a top hat, I don’t know if that’s the right way for me to walk around, I don’t know if dungarees and a top hat is a good look, but the whole point is you don’t know unless you try it, and I will try it one day but right now my safe space is still the danger of playing on my own.

You produce all the songs on Phase, so clearly it’s all very much your own vision. I read about how you wrote more acoustic, bluesy music in the past and you weren’t sure about whether it was genuine or crowd pleasing. It now seems like you’ve found a way to do both. Well before when I was doing the acoustic stuff, and I say this without arrogance, without confidence, without ego at all - I say this because I hate myself - I was just doing it because it was easy to do those kind of songs and write those kinds of songs and make that kind of music, but I just wasn’t challenging myself at all. The minute I started challenging myself I started having a lot more fun, and people started to say ‘ooh I’m not sure about that’, and that’s what I really enjoyed – that suddenly not everyone enjoyed it. Whereas before, no one was listening to the songs, they were just saying ‘hey, look at this thirteen/fourteen year old kid who shouts in a microphone because he can’t sing and plays guitar really fast to hide the fact that he can’t play guitar’. People were impressed by the gimmick of who I was, rather than the music that I was trying to write,

I DON’T KNOW IF DUNGAREES AND A TOP HAT IS A GOOD LOOK

whereas now I’m making music that speaks directly from my soul, I think something far greater than that.

Despite how it’s all very you, do you have any particular influences? ‘Worry’ was meant to be in the style of Justin Timberlake and J-Pop, which is not what I expected to hear. What kind of music you listen to? If I like it, I like it, that’s what I’ve always thought about music. It’s as easy as that: if it’s good, listen to it. I used to be that kid that everyone hated at school because if people didn’t like the music I listened to I would just be like ‘pfft well you know nothing’. I used to be that guy and I hate that guy. But now I’m much more willing to enjoy absolutely everything and anything. The thing that turns me off about music is if it doesn’t respect itself. I don’t care because I always think I’m quite a good judge of that. I can listen to a piece of music and instinctively know if it’s been written because it should have been written or written because the money was asking for it to be written, and that really turns me off. So the music that I love is music that still respects itself entirely. I’m a huge fan of David Bowie, for example, and Prince, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Jackson Brown, Tom Waits, those are the big ones that taught me how to write and produce music. But nowadays artists who influence me and give me clues about where music is headed, are people like Kendrick Lamar, Flying Lotus, Thundercat, people who are taking music, taking all those great inspirations from the people I’ve mentioned before and turning it into something new and progressive and forward thinking. That’s the music I love.

Jack Garratt plays Plymouth Pavillions on 26 November

EXHIBIT

10 OCT 2016

EDITORS: Rory Marcham and Helen Payne

MUSIC

#1 Album of the Month: Bon Iver Helen Payne, Music Editor, reviews Bon Iver’s latest record at Exeposé Music’s first Listening Party it’s beautiful, and it has panpipes. What more could you want from a song? After the first drop, I realise it’s a song I could easily listen to all day. It’s easy to see this as a choice of single, and it’s the most commercial on the album.

BON IVER 22, A MILLION 30 SEPT

AAAA

T’S Fajita Friday, and we’re full to the brim of Corona, nachos and mariachi when we wander on up to the glorious and mysterious kingdom known as the Exeposé Office for the first Listening Party of the year. ‘What’s a Listening Party’ I hear you cry? Let me explain the discussion a week earlier. My fellow Music Editors and I are excited about the new Bon Iver album on its way, the long awaited 22, A Million from the normally folksy, guitar twanging ‘Skinny Love’ and ‘Perth’ genius we know and love. Shall we all listen to it for the first time together? Yeah! Shall we use some delicious speakers? Hell yeah. Shall we invite all the Music writers along too? Sure thing. And praise be, the Listening Party was born. Get comfortable in your spinning desk chairs, kiddies, this is going to be a lovely evening of music, joy, and beer (if you so wish). ‘22 (Over S∞∞n)’ opens the album and we’re immediately distracted by the song titles. Infinity symbols, Greek lettering, hashtags, underscores and symbols I don’t even recognise, jumble together with Roman letters and numbers creating an artist’s palette of coding that Justin Vernon is evidently intent on exploring on this album. It takes a massive turn from his previous works – as we knew from the already released singles (tracks 1, 2, and 4 which we obviously couldn’t not listen to) – toying with pulsing vocal samples at varying pitches and rhythms, and a crackling effect making us all think the speakers were on the way out. Intentional, apparently.

VERNON’S DISTINCTIVE VOICE WORKS WITH THE CONTEMPORARY TWIST

We’re all confused, and put it down to Vernon spending way too much time with his new pals James Blake and Kanye, before that softly strained, double tracked falsetto greets us with a familiar warm hug, “It might

be over soon”. What might be over soon, Bon? We don’t get an answer, except perhaps the rumours of Vernon’s panic attacks on an isolated Greek island when recording the vocal samples for this track. We debate as to whether the song goes anywhere or whether we’d prefer it if the song was “over soon”. We decide to see what the rest of the album entails. The second track ’10 d E A T h b R E a s T’, with two indecipherable symbols lodged on the end, envisages army troops marching in staccato time parallel to gruesome, sludging bass synth speckled with excessive use of effects, accompanied by a sample of Stevie Nicks’ ‘Wild Heart’. Can we feel it going anywhere? Well at least now there’s hope. The song builds up in layers of vocals on vocals, then wraps us up in Bon Iver’s most industrial track to date. The third song gives us a vocal interlude, but Vernon seems to have lost that false an-

gelic lilt that works so well for his voice, and replaced it with an abuse of autotune. ‘715 CRΣΣKS’ reminds us of Imogen Heap’s ‘Hide and Seek’, but it seems a bit conflated to me. Vernon designed the software himself, which in itself is definitely cool, however I can’t help but feel a little let down: Vernon does not need these fancy effects on his voice. It’s great as it is. Despite my qualms, the lyrics (“it once might not mean something/Love, a second glance/It is not something that we’ll need”), and the passion with which they’re sung, do give it huge emotional depth, making this track one of the fullest sounding on the album, and the title easiest to understand. ‘33 “GOD”’ makes us all smile. Vernon’s distinctive voice works with the contemporary twist he’s trying so hard to perfect on all previous tracks, he nails it here. I’m still unsure about the vocal samples from Jim Ed Brown and Paulo Nutini, but it grows on me. It’s sad,

TOYING WITH PULSING VOCAL SAMPLES AT VARYING PITCHES

JAMIE T TRICK

DANNY BROWN ATROCITY EXHIBITION

A combination of pretty guitar picks and Vernon’s chesty voice make ‘29 #Strafford APTS’ a song you’d want to play post-cry. It is smooth and velvety, with an unexpected jazz interlude that has an air fitting better on For Emma, Forever Ago, but maybe that’s the point. ‘666t’, drips like a leaky tap under some brassy undertones and a really plosive, snare heavy build up. The Fleet Foxes-y ’21 M N WATER’ makes us consider it a filler track at first, and ‘8 (circle)’ harks back to Vernon’s pre-22, A Million meltdown, and it suddenly dawns on me that in fact, they fit just perfectly with this album. This is Bon Iver now: the same as it always has been, just influenced by a bit of Kanye. And it works so well. The 9th track, ‘_____45_____’ (stay with me on the track names, we’re almost there) features voices not easy to distinguish between running through some chilled out, abstract saxophones that again show how varied and random this album has become. The closing track, ‘00000 Million’, is a relaxing piano ballad which we really need after such a difficult album. It’s a total contrast to the opening tracks that try to break new in the folktronica landscape: we’ve come a long way in those 35 minutes. 22, A Million is weird and wacky and completely out of the ordinary for what you’d expect from him. But again and again, despite that difficult first listen, the subtlety of classic Bon Iver shines through some of the unnecessary gimmicks, and as Pitchfork, NME, the Guardian et al have already stated, it seems to be a masterpiece.

22, A MILLION IS OUT NOW ON JAGJAGUWAR

#5 BANKS THE ALTAR

NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS SKELETON TREE

Keep an eye on the Exeposé Music Writers’ Group for the next Listening Party

EXHIBIT

10 OCT 2016

EDITORS: Rory Marcham and Helen Payne

| MUSIC

What’s the deal with micro-genres?

Robert Westlake delves into the complex realm of sub-genres

EOPLE want to use hyphens when they describe the music they listen to. Rarely will you ask someone what kind of stuff they’re into and simply receive a reply of “rock” or “dance.” A growing complexity naturally comes with more sophisticated nomenclature, after all, and a snappy summary of exactly what the vibe of artist or an album is all about can be pretty useful. “Epiphany pop,” for instance, is great as a description, summing up a genre which might make you have a Pink-Floyd-esque revelation that’s at the same time enormously catchy.

With this in mind, then, it’s safe to say that if someone describes themselves as not liking a whole genre, they’re probably doing it wrong. We all know that there are about a hundred and million ways to do each musical style, and basing an opinion on an entire body of work based on just a couple songs is a pretty quick way to make sure you miss out on some fantastic content. On the other side of the coin, however, music snobs and elitists who are only into just the one thing can be pretty insufferable as well, acting as if no other field of music has anything at all on their genre of choice.

The solution? Well, sub and micro-genres, I guess. These can be bad for the listener as well, however. At what point do they become meaningless? In a culture where everything seems to be post-something, micro-genres aren’t always as helpful as blanket expressions are for the listener, which help people discover new content in a way which such a tiny isolated genre can’t. Let me know the next time people start directly looking up black-sludge-nu-metal on iTunes and expect to discover a whole host of artists that fit this bill.

Micro-genres can also act as self-imposed restrictions in disguise for musicians, almost limiting their creative energy to a certain extent. Last year’s Teen Suicide record, for instance, which is to be their final release, was such a divergence from their earlier work that many fans argued that it should have been released under a different name completely. Perhaps had their listeners not had such a strictly defined idea of the band’s sound in their own minds this kind of knee-jerk reaction would never have occurred.

POP MELODIES DON’T JUST BELONG IN POP SONGS ANYMORE

‘INDIE’ PRETTY MUCH ERASES ALL DISTINCTION BETWEEN ARTISTS

This kind of debate is simply a clear sign of the times. Pop melodies don’t just belong in pop songs anymore. Guitars don’t solely belong to the realm of rock. In an age where distinctions between different musical camps are increasingly blurred, genres and micro-genres are clearly both double edged swords, and can be as useful as they are hindering for both the musician and listener. My opinion, then? I’d say you can choose to distinguish music in whichever way you want as long as you don’t completely alienate people with your descriptions.

Huge umbrella terms just aren’t always useful when it comes to describing music. Nirvana and Coldplay have both been described as “alternative rock” but their sounds are about as similar as each of their respective musical ethoses. You wouldn’t argue that Bastille and Sufjan Stevens have anything in common either, and yet both are described as “indie,” a term which pretty much erases all distinction between artists. This also holds particularly true when discussing the world of electronic music, which can encompass anything from Aphex Twin to Martin Garrix.

Cynicism, feminism, and culture criticism Harry Ward bows down in praise to Femejism DEAP VALLY FEMEJISM 16 September

AAAA

INDSEY Troy croons “Everyone is a fucking critic, a fucking cynic”, on the lo-fi, balladesque centrepiece of Californian rock duo Deap Vally’s gloriously titled sophomore album. ‘Critic’may be an astute observation of the culture of easy cynicism we seem to have wandered into but fortunately, there’s little to be cynical about here. Femejism is everything its name suggests: a playful but unabashedly triumphant celebration of womanhood with a rippling undercurrent of anti-patriarchalism. There are bound to be some eye rolls from those uncomfortable with the idea of strong, independent women frankly discussing sex, objectification and gender discrimination; but for everyone else, this is an album to strut to. On lead single ‘Smile More’, the most overtly anti-misogynist song on the record, Julie Edwards’ Bonham-esque drum grooves underpin grungy, fuzzed-out guitars while Troy drops such audacious lyrical

gems as “Everybody’s trying to tell me what to do/makes me wanna break some shit and sniff some glue” before proudly declaring, “I am not ashamed of my mental state/I am not ashamed of my body weight.” It’s a bold statement that might come off as slightly contrived if it weren’t for the sheer emotion with which it’s delivered. You get the real sense that decades of frustration and anger are boiling over. ‘Little Baby Beauty Queen’ and ‘Teenage Queen’, however, showcase hints of a lyrical nuance that mark a major step up from Deap Vally’s 2013 debut Sistrionix, as Troy addresses

the perversions and perils of growing up too fast with a winning combination of scathing contempt and raw honesty. Likewise, the aforementioned ‘critic’ finds Troy at her most vulnerable and it’s a startling yet refreshing change of pace that suggests a new found sense of maturity and self-assuredness for the band. There’s signs of musical growth too. ‘Gonnawanna’, a feel-good summer anthem with quite possibly one of the best music videos ever made, sees the pair take a dive into Riot Grrrl territory via surf-punk with a laid-back, reverbdrenched chorus giving way to a flurry of frenzied drum pounding and guitar riffage. The aptly named ‘Post Funk’ on the other hand puts a frenetic, psych-tinged spin on disco and gives Edwards a chance to flaunt her finesse behind the kit. With a second album typically comes a bigger budget and certainly, there’s evidence of that in Nick Zinner’s (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) production. There are pop hooks galore this time around but also a sense of weight and depth that was somewhat absent from Sistrionix. trionix Slap-back echoes, shimmery reverbs, and soulful backing vocals on tracks such as the foot-stomping blues romp ‘Royal Jelly’ provide a subtle ambience that fills out the

sonic space of these sparse arrangements and fleshes out that all-important third dimension.

UNABASHEDLY TRIUMPHANT CELEBRATION OF WOMANHOOD What’s admirable though is that they haven’t overdone it or felt the need to completely reinvent themselves. Deap Vally haven’t dispensed with the raw, stripped-back, gritty sound of Sistrionix so much as captured a bigger, better, more mature version of it. It’s the same pissed -off teenager but more confident, more liberated, and more ballsy. Aside from a slightly bloated running time, Femejism is a triumph. It’s loud, proud, goddamn empowering, and proof that an inherent lack of testicles is by no means a disadvantage in the rock world. Boys, watch out.

FEMEJISM IS OUT NOW ON COOKING VINYL

screen

“We do the job we’re asked to do”

Mark Allison, Screen Editor, speaks to British Board of Film Classification President Patrick Swaffer

ATRICK Swaffer has been President of the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) since 2012, and it’s not a position short of responsibility; you’ll notice his signature before every film on British cinema screens, and nothing in the UK is released on physical media without first being studied by the watchful eyes of the BBFC. Whilst visiting Exeter to talk about his work and experiences, Patrick found the time to speak to me about the BBFC and the changing face of film classification. “What is the definition of boredom?” he asks, before answering himself, “I’ve decided the definition of boredom is an older white man talking about his career.”

PARENTS ARE NOT KEEN THAT EXPLICIT SEX IS SHOWN AT U OR PG Despite his apparent reluctance, Patrick clearly cares and knows a great deal about what he does. I begin by asking him about the basic process behind a film’s classification, and his answer is forthcoming in detail. “Well, we have our guidelines,” he starts. “Obviously it’s a case-bycase basis, because we look at particular films and particular parts of films, in the context of the guidelines, and reach a classification on the merits of each individual film.” And how are these guidelines produced? “Our guidelines are developed using a very large public consultation. So every four years we go out to the public, and we consult them about what they think would be suitable for their children to view at 12, or 15, or U, or PG. We also have a consultative committee of child experts, so we take expert advice as well.” Considering these apparently exhaustive guidelines, I ask Patrick if there were clear instructions about what sort of material fits into each age bracket. “Context is nearly everything, but not completely everything.” He smiles, then suggests a few choice words that may not be appropriate within a U or PG rated film, and states that parents “are not keen that explicit sex is seen at U or PG.” Of course, the BBFC’s role in protecting children is relatively uncontroversial. Where they attract criticism, however, is in their regulation of

adult material. In 1984, the organisation changed its name from the British Board of Film Censors, hoping to better reflect its function in classification rather than censorship, but the BBFC has since struggled to shake its old, authoritarian image. Indeed, it remains within their power to refuse any film a certificate, thus prohibiting its exhibition in the UK. Does the President think it is justifiable for an organisation to hold this power over an adult’s choice? “First of all, we do the job we’re asked to do. So when it comes to videos, we’re asked by the government to do this job, so there’s a piece of legislation called the Video Recordings Act, where the Secretary of State has to nominate somebody whose job it is to classify DVDs.” Patrick’s defence of the BBFC is unsurprisingly impassioned, but he is also keen to stress that their authority is by no means total. “In relation to films, the local authority can overrule our decisions. If in the Exeter region, you think The Human Centipede should be shown in its full, unedited version, you go to the local authority and say ‘these stupid people at the BBFC have refused to give it a classification certificate, I want to show it in our local cinema, will you please allow us to do so?’” “I think it’s important to understand we’re not unaccountable, we’re entirely accountable, there are routes out from our decisions.” As Patrick mentions the infamous The Human Centipede, it must be remembered that the 113-year history of the BBFC is littered with contentious and provocative pictures. Have such titles forced the BBFC to change the way it approached classification? The answer comes bluntly: “no.” “Not at all?” “No, because it doesn’t work that way. Individual films are challenging.” He lists a few recent examples, including the infamously grotesque A Serbian Film and Lars Von Trier’s sexually-explicit Nymphomaniac. “All of them are challenging films, but they haven’t influenced or affected the way we approach the classification job, because the classification job is about protecting people from harm, illegal material, and suitability if it’s below 18.” For an organisation with such historic roots, the BBFC has had to deal with immense changes in consumer habits. In recent years, digital dis-

b b f c 10 OCT 2016 | EXEPOSÉ

tribution has exploded with streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime. As more and more media circumvents a traditional release in cinemas and on home video, I wonder if this material is subject to the same scrutiny as conventional entertainment. “No, it’s not at all,” Patrick replies. “All the legislation which has been passed is pre-digital. So you’ve got the Video Recordings Act, which is from 1984, but if you deliver material digitally, then there are no controls about classification.” Patrick is quick to ask the next question himself: “So you ask, ‘what is the point of the BBFC?’ It’s an entirely fair question.” Although facing a potentially existential conundrum, Patrick is clear and pragmatic about the BBFC’s future, “so what we’ve done is begin to provide services for digital platforms.” “For example, Netflix, even though they have no obligation, came to us with House of Cards and other material, which they’d made just for digital distribution, because they think, putting it crudely, they think it’s a valuable marketing tool for them to say to parents ‘our material has been classified by the BBFC’”. Should the BBFC’s legal remit include this new tide of digital content? He gives a slight laugh before answering. “I think it’s very difficult to envisage that happening. I mean, first of all we’re not a lobbying organisation, so it’s not our job to go to the government and point a finger at particular groups and say ‘you must regulate that group’. Our job is to help the government, to help organisations like Netflix and others classify their material.” With our time together coming to a close,

I ask Patrick about graduate career opportunities at the BBFC. “Well, to be honest, the only option - unless you’re further through your career - if you’re just a graduate, is to apply to the organisation when we advertise for examiners or compliance officers. They are the people who are viewing the material and helping us make judgments about suitability. “If people are interested, the only way I can advise them is keep an eye on our website, because we advertise there when vacancies come up.”

WE’RE ASKED BY THE GOVERNMENT TO DO THIS Manifestly, the presidency of the BBFC is a complex and important commitment, not without its own moral and professional dilemmas. For all Patrick’s certainty about the permanency of the “classification job”, the BBFC is clearly a very different beast from the ominous body of censors that was founded over a hundred years ago, and this process of change, or reaction to change, is ongoing. Nevertheless, as he faces the new challenges of the digital age, Patrick appears ready to adapt. Perhaps the power of film classification may be waning against the democratic force of the internet, but there’s still a place for the BBFC as a source of expertise and guidance. As Patrick Swaffer puts it himself, “that is how we regard our function: as being helpful, rather than lobbying or determining.”

EXHIBIT

SCREEN

EDITORS: Mark Allison and Zak Mahinfar

10 OCT 2016

Is Hollywood transphobic?

Deepa Lalwani makes the case that Hollywood should ditch star power in favour of representation

OLLYWOOD has made slow progress when it comes to telling LGBTQ stories. Although transgender characters and narratives are coming to the forefront of cinema, trans actors are not benefitting. In recent years, films such as The Danish Girl (2015) and Dallas Buyers Club (2013) have included trans characters played by cisgender actors whose gender identity matches the sex that they were assigned at birth: Eddie Redmayne and Jared Leto. While it’s good to see famous names bringing these stories into the mainstream, the casting of cisgender actors in transgender roles is problematic.

tions. To say that a cis actor is better fitted to play a pre-transition character is ridiculous: it implies that pre-transition trans actors don’t exist, which they do, or that trans people are only trans once on hormones; also not true. Money is another issue that is mentioned a lot since cis actors are more well-known and usually have larger fanbases. The problem with saying that trans actors are “too much of a risk” because they won’t bring enough revenue to the film is that this becomes a vicious cycle: if trans actors are never given opportunities, how can

they even begin to experience the same amount of success and fame that their cis counterparts do? In television, trans actors are beginning to be cast more and it’s had an extremely positive impact, especially on Netflix: take Laverne Cox as an example. Her success playing a trans woman in Orange Is the New Black is evident from her Emmy nomination, and in 2014 she became the first openly transgender person to appear on the cover of Time magazine. This isn’t a fluke. Trans people obviously have the ability to be great

CASTING CISGENDER ACTORS IN TRANSGENDER ROLES IS PROBLEMATIC For a start, it lacks creativity. The Danish Girl was a box office hit, but it would have been even better with fresh talent: trans actors exist and should be given a chance to represent themselves. Casting cis actors in these roles ignores a whole community in need of employment who can act and who should represent themselves in mainstream media. The arguments against casting trans actors in trans roles are weak. One of the main ones brought up is “but that character is pre-transition!” which in itself has transphobic connota-

The Circle of Life

actors; if we continue to have trans narratives told by cisgender actors with different haircuts, makeup and clothes, we encourage the harmful and transphobic belief that trans women are just cis men in costume, and vice versa.

IN TELEVISION, TRANS ACTORS ARE BEGINNING TO BE CAST MORE Like everything related to LGBT issues and awareness, this is a learning curve. The criticisms faced by Mark Ruffalo in his casting of Matt Bomer (a gay cisgender actor) as a trans woman in the upcoming film Anything were replied to with acceptance, although no apology, “The movie is already shot [...] We are all learning.” (Ruffalo on Twitter). Still, notions such as these are passive and don’t do a lot to encourage trans actors at all. The film industry needs to start actively looking for and casting trans actors as trans characters; as fans it’s our job to call out directors of films that cast cis actors instead. In particular, cis people need to acknowledge the privilege that they have (myself included as a cis woman writing about trans representation). It may seem revolutionary but it’s really quite simple: in a cis-centric world where trans people are already marginalised and some of the most likely to be unemployed, the film industry needs to start offering up opportunities to trans actors, not giving them to already established cis actors.

George Pope defends Disney’s decision to remake the childhood classic

HE announcements of film remakes always have a way of polarising future audiences. While the excitement of revisiting some of our favourite stories can make some fans lose their heads, an often more vocal group tends to share its scepticism and downright dismay at the fact that someone is thinking of unabashedly exhuming the characters that they love. This was certainly the case when the news broke that The Lion King was to follow in the footsteps of Cinderella, The Jungle Book and Beauty and the Beast by getting a live action (or in this case CGI) remake.

MANY SEEM TERRIFIED THAT THEIR CHILDHOOD WILL BE RUINED The public reaction has been fairly mixed, yet the main feeling seems to be one of very cautious excitement. There are of course people voicing more extreme opinions, many of whom seem to be terrified that their childhood

will be ruined if the director Jon Favreau messes this up. However, in my opinion the commercial and critical success achieved by The Jungle Book, released earlier this year and also directed by Favreau, seems to point to the upcoming remake following in its successful footsteps. Aside from the issue of the film’s quality, the recent announcement does seem to expose an arguable shortcoming on Disney’s side: does the company too often rely on nostalgia to make money? This is a valid question; in addition the remakes stated above, the Star Wars film series was also rebooted to huge commercial and critical acclaim. Many people are scpetical about the lack of new content being produced by Disney, who have been branded lazy by relying on old stories. I, however, disagree with this reproach. There is a reason that these remakes and reboots tend to do well; the average casual film-

viewer (a category into which I am unashamed to say I fall into) is not always looking for something totally new in what they watch. The familiar is comfortable, and when the yellow writing started scrawling through space at the start of The Force Awakens, I, like Han Solo aboard the Millennium Falcon, felt very much at home. Remakes tap into something in an audience that evokes that sense of wonder felt when first seeing the original films, which I believe makes them worth seeing even if it is just to experience this. As for direct remakes, such as The Jungle Book, they bring back the stories we love, allowing us to revisit them,while also making them accessible to more people. Younger audiences may be reluctant to watch a cartoon that is deemed as ‘old’ (the original Jungle Book was released in 1967), but may well be more receptive to a newer, shinier film. The new productions are made

with care: their purpose is not to ‘mess with’ the originals, but to bring their positive messages to a new audience while simultaneously reviving the joy of past masterpieces in slightly older generations.

NEW PRODUCTIONS ARE MADE WITH CARE The Lion King remains one of the most loved Disney films of all time and, in the steady hands of Jon Favreau, I am sure that a worthy remake can be achieved. The negativity surrounding these new films is similar to that felt by readers of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, released earlier this year. While they may think that the series and some of its characters are ‘ruined’, I and many others, despite not particularly enjoying the most recent release, are perfectly capable of seeing and treating it as a separate entity. The same can be applied to The Lion King. If you don’t like the remake, just watch the original and be thankful that you were lucky enough to have the luxury of choice between old and new.

EXHIBIT

SCREEN

EDITORS: Mark Allison and Zak Mahinfar

10 OCT 2016

Rock and roll stars

Image: Wikipedia

Rory Marcham, Music Editor, reviews the new Oasis documentary from the producer of Amy

On the horizon

Fenton Christmas looks at a thriller with tense action and surprising emotional weight DEEPWATER HORIZON Director: Peter Berg Mark Wahlberg, John Malkovich. 2016, 107 minutes.

THREARSAAA

N a time of films filled with forced product placement and brand exposure, it is incredibly refreshing to see a huge, multi-national corporation attacked in a strong but not over overpowering way. Director Peter Berg’s Deepwater Horizon is an extremely well-crafted and tense film with some seriously scathing indictments of the controversial oil company BP. Do not be fooled into thinking that this a mindless action film in the vein of Michael Bay; this is well-written and technically expert. Sometimes a trailer really doesn’t sell the final product well enough.

THIS IS A WELL-WRITTEN AND TECHNICALLY EXPERT FILM The film tells the story of the oil rig Deepwater Horizon, the sire of the catastrophic BP oil spill disaster of 2010. But rather than just focusing on the explosions and acts of heroism from the men and woman aboard the rig, the film also takes time to explore the reasons behind the accident and the decisions that were taken that led to the deaths of 11 men. Mark Wahlberg stars as engineer Mike Williams, who leaves his wife and daughter to work on the rig in the Gulf of Mexico. However, once he arrives he gets caught up in heated tension between head engineer Kurt Russell and visiting BP executives, led by the ruthless and sleazy John Malkovich. Indifferent and cold towards the complaints of defective equipment and incomplete safety checks, the BP officials insist that work starts, despite the protests of the men on board. Of course, serious issues are found and soon the rig becomes a flaming beacon in the middle of the ocean, with the men and women on board fighting for their lives. Peter Berg is a director who has blossomed in recent years after some questionable additions to his CV. He followed the repugnant Battleships with 2014’s forgotten gem Lone Survivor, a brutal and harrowing true story of four Navy SEALs attempting to survive deep in Taliban territory. However, one major criticism has been

Berg’s tendency to be too heavy-handed in his approach to patriotism and themes of injustice. Thankfully, he has restrained himself here and finds the perfect balance between criticism of BP executives, and the ‘average Joe’ heroism that all too often falls into cliché. John Malkovich is electric as one of the BP bosses, not award-worthy by any stretch of the imagination, but he and the film in general portray a real sense of accountability and blame without reverting to clichéd villains. In fact, Berg purposefully doesn’t allow any blame to come from his characters, but rather the audience, in a refreshing and welcome move. By far the best aspect of this film is its opening act, which is by no means a criticism of the rest of the film. Wahlberg’s family are introduced briefly, yet you relate to and care for them. There is a great expository scene in which key elements of the rig are explained using the daughter’s school project. Once on the rig, the dialogue is tight and tense throughout, even if the thick Southern accents do make it difficult to understand at times. There is a clear and real sense of comradery between all those on board the rig, yet the film also remains real and grounded. Kurt Russell is great as the no-nonsense lead engineer and his exchanges with the BP execs are so edgy that you feel the thick atmosphere oozing through the screen. Once the action gets going, it doesn’t hold up for a moment. Berg’s direction is fabulous here; it’s gritty and real but still retains its impact. The shots are shaky and chaotic but feel very much in line with the chaos of the action. Things happen with no warning and without expectation. Technically, it’s masterfully constructed, but with a focus on humanity that brings moments of real tragedy. This film is ostensibly a tribute to those who died, and like the end of Lone Survivor there is a heart-warming montage of those who did not make it off the rig, even if the accompanying music is a tad clumsy. Wahlberg is the big name in front of the likes of Russell and Malkovich and for me, it is his best performance since The Departed. He sells his role as the action hero but also brings an added layer of emotional heft that comes very late in the film and really surprises. In short, Deepwater Horizon is very much in keeping with Lone Survivor as a solid action thriller with good performances and even better action. It is certainly not going to have the longterm emotional impact of Titanic, but as a biting attack on corporate greed, it will give you something to think about on the way home.

SUPERSONIC Director: Mat Whitecross Liam Gallagher, Noel Gallagher. 2016, 222 minutes.

THREARSAAA

“G

REAT to look at, great to drive and it’ll f*cking spin out of control every now and again.” These are the carefully chosen words of Liam Gallagher, as he compares the turbulent history of Oasis to a Ferrari in typically comedic style for the band’s new film Supersonic. Behind the camera was a team that really did know their music, with director Mat Whitecross (Spike Island and Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll) teaming up with Academy Award winning producer Asif Kapadia (Amy and Senna). Supersonic sees the duo tackle one of the most beloved British bands of all time, and a period when British pop culture was at its peak, documenting Oasis’ rise from the council flats of Manchester to certified rock gods in the short space of five years. This well crafted and expertly edited documentary gives great insight into the glory days of Britpop and two of its lairiest characters, with the intense rivalry between the potty-mouthed brothers taking centre stage. Supersonic’s greatest positive is the way it serves as a reminder of just how good Oasis once were. Watching them walk out at Maine Road, and later Knebworth, did make for thrilling viewing, as they booted large inflatable footballs into a crowd of adoring fans. The musical backdrop was equally excellent and a tease to audiences praying for their reunion. Although their arrogance remains clear, Whitecross does well to still make the Gallagher brothers come across as honest and talented, with Noel himself stating that “as individuals they were never the best at anything.” The film champions Oasis, showing them to encapsulate the era of ‘Cool Britannia’, with Whitecross shining particular focus on Noel’s song-writing talent in a period where he was so prolific, whilst Liam was more concerned with “looking cool as f*ck.” Most striking was the openness of the documentary. Amongst the big tunes and egotism,

Whitecross’ lens explored some very personal themes through interviews with the brothers’ Irish mother Peggy, who opened up on their relationship with their estranged father who used to beat them as children. It was the probing of these darker aspects of their existence as a band that was the most revealing and made for some of the more poignant moments in the film. Whether it was media scandal, band member walk-outs or drug abuse, these more intimate scenes provided the greatest insight into the psyche of Oasis.

IT GIVES GREAT INSIGHT INTO THE GLORY DAYS OF BRITPOP The film’s largest flaw isn’t so much its content but rather what it neglects as a result of its over-nostalgia. Nowhere to be seen was the rivalry with Blur or a mention of the Britpop scene which Oasis were a huge, defining part of. Nor was there any mention of the band’s struggle to follow up the epic (What’s the Story?) Morning Glory, or for that matter any of the band’s troubled existence beyond the high point of the summer of 1996. This was something I was unaware of going into Supersonic, and as Liam Gallagher joked in the Q&A session that followed the screening, claiming that this is only half time in the Oasis story, it really did feel that way. Supersonic does come across as a pop history lesson on the ‘good old days of rock n’ roll music’. The days before the internet got in the way when a couple of likely lads from Burnage, Manchester could sell out stadiums off the back of two huge albums and bucket loads of swagger. However Supersonic feels somewhat incomplete, with some glaring faults stemming from the film’s failure to look at the band’s capitulation and eventual demise, prefering to dwell on the good times. Yes it was good, at times excellent, and granted it would have been a squeeze to fit the entire history of a band as colourful as Oasis into a two hour documentary, I just cannot help feeling that it could have been (in the words of Noel Gallagher) “biblical.”

Image: Wikipedia

games + tech

YOOKA-LAYLEE

developed by Playtonic Games

VISIT EGX 2016 LITTLE NIGHTMARES

developed by Tarsier Studioss

I had never heard of this game before EGX, but having played it, I absolutely cannot wait for it to be released in full. Everything about it appeals to me: the design of the cute little character, the setting in an underwater bunker, the twisted ‘Alice: Madness Returns’-style enemies, the sound design… Everything about it seems like it will be a smash hit. Technically not a ‘Rezzed’ game, having been produced by Bandai Namco, it is never-the-less my top choice for stand-out game of the convention. Check it out.

GANG BEASTS developed by Boneloaf

Playable for the first time ever at EGX 2016, Yooka-Laylee is an upcoming multiplatform 3D platformer that was famously a massive success on Kickstarter before even being released. The game has been labelled as the spiritual successor to Rare’s Banjo-Kazooie, and after having played through the demo on offer at the convention it is exceedingly clear that this is the case. From the massive open levels littered with collectibles, to the colourful cast of NPCs that simply ooze charisma, Yooka-Laylee was a joy to explore. In true collectathon style, the game was also highly imaginative with regards to its puzzles. It was certainly an unexpected twist when one such puzzle required the Chameleon and Bat duo of Yooka and Laylee to transform into a floral plant.

Mindless entertainment at its best, Gang Beasts is a local multiplayer beat ‘em up which pits four (literally) colourful characters against one another in an all-out brawl. The right trigger controls the right arm, the left trigger controls the left arm, one button to head but, another to kick and that’s all you need to know to fight. And oh… what fights they are. There’s nothing quite like hanging on for dear life from a window cleaning platform on the side of a skyscraper whilst you’re dressed as a chicken and your similarly attired friends all mindlessly pummel one another above you. It came as no surprise that, in spite of having one of the smallest booths on the floor, Gang Beasts consistently drew in the crowds.

MAINLINING

developed by Rebelephant

Truly a game for the modern generation. A hacking game taking place entirely on one static computer screen, you must point-andclick your way through the story as you attempt to bring cyber-criminals to justice. Designed by Merge Games, this is probably my most anticipated game, if only for the fact it seems absolutely hilarious. Countless jokes, memes, and references are thrown up at you, yet the game still takes a fair amount of persistence and insight to make progress.

BATTLEFIELD 1 developed by EA DICE It came as a massive surprise when it was revealed that the next Battlefield would be set at the height of World War 1. Between Titanfall, Titanfall Destiny, Overwatch, and countless others it just seemed that all First Person Shooters were following the futuristic or Sci-fi trend. The contrast was particularly noticeable due to the Battlefield 1 booth being located directly opposite Titanfall 2. Thankfully, upon playing the demo it became evidently clear that DICE’s decision to do something different was entirely justified. Situated on the war-torn fields on Northern France, the 32 v 32 player team deathmatch featured biplanes, tanks, numerous strategic command posts, as well as a monstrous machine gun equipped death 100ft blimp known as the Behemoth. Needless to say, in spite of some historical exaggerations, the match was a blast.

HARDWARE A massive part of gaming is the device you choose to play on. Thankfully, EGX this year showcased an eclectic range of current and upcoming hardware. The recently announced PlayStation 4 Pro was playable for the first time on the show floor and was met with mixed reception due to it’s only marginal graphical edge on the current PS4. PlayStation VR also had a significant presence, but surprisingly VR in general was not exclusive to the larger games of the event and was peppered throughout the show floor, featuring in both Indie and AAA games alike.

CALL OF DUTY: INFINITE WARFARE developed by Infinity Ward

After years of painfully similar sequels in a downward spiral of recycling ideas, many gamers have simply lost interest in Call of Duty. As a result, playing Infinite Warfare at EGX presented an internal debate. Finally it appears that Call of Duty is actually doing something new by incorporating theoretical energy beam weapons and setting the game in the far, far future. But, it may be that this new coat of paint is just that: a way to stand out from the crowd. At the same time however, the game is now overly complicated with intricate mechanics that take a significant quantity of time to fully appreciate. A stark contrast to the Modern Warfare days when the games were significantly easier to pick up and play.

But by far the most impressive hardware innovations were those that had either been built for the convention itself or were just a bit whacky. The demo for Gran Turismo Sport for instance featured a custom built drivers rig complete with steering wheel and functional pedals. Meanwhile, the demo for South Park: The Fractured But Whole required players to don the Nosulus Rift: a peculiar piece of kit worn on the nose that emulated the smells of in game environments.

It’s hard to deny that Eurogamer is one of the big hitters of videogames journalism. Boasting the largest readership of any independent videogames website in Europe – with an excess of 16 million hits in August– the site’s online presence alone is commendable. But, it could be argued that the company’s most substantial contributions to the UK gaming scene is the hugely popular Eurogamer Expo or ‘EGX’ as it is more commonly known. Originally taking place at the Old Truman Brewery as part of the London Games Festival 2008, the first Eurogamer Expo was attended by 4,000 people. However, in less than a decade the convention has grown exponentially and now serves as a launch pad for major upcoming games and hardware, a testing ground for experimental indie games, and ultimately a place for gamers from across the UK to gather and express their appreciation for videogames. This year, from 22-26 September, 75,000 people attended the convention which was held at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. Among the crowds this year were Exeposé’ Games + Tech....

MERCHANDISE T-shirts, posters, miniature statues of your favourite videogame characters; chances are - with all the merchandise that was on offer at EGX -your wallet may have been a bit lighter upon leaving the convention, than it was upon arrival. It wasn’t just the usual suspects of keychains and beanie hats present however; there were specialised stands tailored towards such fandoms as Doctor Who, Pokémon, and Marvel Comics, and even some stalls ran by official publishers. Bethesda in particular seemed to have a constant crowd surrounding their stall of Elder Scrolls, Fallout Fallout, and Dishonoured memorabilia.

DISHONOURED 2 developed by Arkane Studios Sequel to 2012’s hit stealth action adventure game, Dishonoured 2 appears to do everything that a good sequel should do. You can still play through the game as the bodyguard turned assassin Corvo Attano and use powers similar to that featured in the original game. But now, you also have access to the game as new playable character Emily Kaldwin. The biggest revelation from EGX came in just how different the two playable characters feel when you play through the game. Emily has an entirely different set of powers from Corvo not least due to her signature shadowy monster form. It seems that the original Dishonoured’s emphasis on replayability and freedom of choice will only be consolidated in Dishonoured 2.

RETRO GAMES LIVE-STREAMING Unable to actually make it to the expo in person? Well, in the age of information it should come as no surprise that much of EGX was readily available online. Twitch for instance, had its own large section of the hall dedicated to a non-stop schedule of live-streaming games. The developer sessions – in which games creators held press conferences and answered questions about their upcoming titles – were also streamed live on EGX’s YouTube channel. Games such as Sniper Elite 4 and Hitman 2016 were par-

THE BUNKER developed by Splendy

A genuinely unique game, The Bunker is a fully live action experience. Parr of psychological horror genre, the game puts players in the shoes of ‘John’, a survivor living in a nuclear bunker. Decades into the aftermath of the nuclear event, we must guide him through the bunker, where horrors await. A specialist game perhaps, but one I look forward to.

EGX isn’t just about new innovations for the industry. A huge section of the show floor this year was entirely dedicated to games of the past. Everything from Pitfall on the Ancient Atari 2600 right up to the long running Assassin’s Creed series on the more contemporary Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles, it was all there. By no means a necessity; the retro games area certainly was a great place to go and chill in between queuing to play new games. Additionally, when surrounded by high definition displays on all sides, it served as an ample reminder of just how far the industry has come.

EXHIBIT

GAMES + TECH

EDITORS: Jabez Sherrington and Sam Woolf

10 OCT 2016

Social media: toupée the price? mous image of Ed Milliband sloppily eating a sandwich in both print and social media was a significant precursor to the end of his hope for Prime Ministry. Facebook, Twitter and the like have an incredible ability to reduce powerful people to a standing joke and when they lose face, their political affiliations and campaigns suffer too.

SOCIAL MEDIA FAILED TO SWAY THE BREXIT VOTE My hope, then, is that social media will influence the US presidential elections; arguably the most acerbic and personal race to the top which my generation has witnessed. With Donald Trump humble-bragging about letting Clinton win the first of the major debates and praising himself for his restraint in not bringing up his opponent’s spouse’s sexual history in front of her daughter, the Republican candidate could be setting himself up for a bigger fall. This article began with a reiteration of how social media chews up the outof-touch, and there is surely no one more out of touch in the West’s political sphere than Trump. His public practice of sexism, classism, racism, ageism, and every other kind of prejudice under the sun has resulted in a very public, ongoing defamation which has seen the internet infested with impressions of the American businessman by the Dalai Lama (see NowThis Election’s video compilation), a heartwrenching interview with architect Andrew Tesoro disclosing his immoral, unprofessional approach to business transactions, and a proliferation of memes about his hairstyle. If the videos of Boris mowing down kids whilst playing rugby played any role in preventing his political ascension in this country, surely all this has to keep Trump out of the White House?

BLAST FROM THE PAST by Jabez Sherrington CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE Infinity Ward XBOX 360, PS3, PC

2007 AAAAA For those who played the game upon release, it's crazy to think that Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is so close to a monumental ten year anniversary. The echoes of CoD 4's legacy have resonated throughout the gaming industry ever since release, and it has proved itself as one of the most influential games of all time. Although linear, the single player is still beyond worth playing: fantastic setpieces, fun moments and the rare commodity of decent writing make the missions transcend their age, especially when you consider the fantastic sound design overlapping every other facet of the design. The game still shines, however, in the multiplayer. It set the standard back in 2007, shaping the afternoons of an entire generation of gamers. Most multiplayer titles die off after nine or so months, but CoD4 still stays strong nine years on, with a strong online community present on all platforms. If you have never played the title before, I wholeheartedly recomend you give it a shot; a few quid on eBay for one of the most influential pieces of media of your time, is a small investment with a huge reward. Or wait for the remaster - your call.

CROSSWORD # 88

SUDOKU #25 Down Across 1 Seven days (now gone for 17s?) (4) 1 Greet - reception (7) 2 Great in size (5) 5 See 8 Down 3 See (7) 9 Organ of hearing (3) 4 Implant firmly - to Reno (anagram) (6) 10 State of being a substitute (parent, say) 6 US state (with a Sweet Home?) (7) - go, carry us! (anagram) (9) 7 Musical instrument (that’s typed on?) (8) 11 Alcoholic drink (enjoyed by 17s in their 1 Down?) (4) 8/5/20/25/26 To become successful again 12 Cooking herb - near goo (anagram) (7) - Met hack faced bedroom (anagram) (4,4,4,3,4) 14 English city (you are here) (6) 13 Nosey illness? (4,4) 16 (Illicit) relationship (6) 15 Treacle (anagram) - complex daughter in Greek myth? (7) 19 Cook in fat or oil - defy rep (anagram) (4-3) 17 University newcomer (7) 21 For every person (4) 18 Go around (6) 24 Body therapist - set a photo (anagram) (9) 20 See 8 25 See 8 Down 22 Attractive person (5) 26 See 8 Down 23 Sleep (needed by 17s after their 1 Down?) (4) 27 Snake (7)

Exeter, 16 Affair, 19 Deep-fry, 21 Each, 24 Osteopath, 27 Serpent.

PUZZLES BY ALFRED

Across: 1Welcome, 9 Ear, 10 Surrogacy, 11 Beer, 12 Oregano, 14

STUDY BREAK

ANSWERS Down: 1 Week, 2 Large, 3 Observe, 4 Enroot, 6 Alabama, 7

PHOTO: PIXABAY

cal involvement to the newest generation of voters, a demographic who are increasingly aware of and empowered by their sway on the global decision-making sphere. However, social media’s provision of diverse political commentary does not serve as proof of its ability to initiate genuine and active change in politics. If you entirely based your result prediction of the Brexit referendum on social media activity, for example, you would have been thoroughly shocked by the actual result. Any arguments in favour of the UK leaving the European Union were thoroughly slated and torn apart alternately by scathing personal attacks and counterarguments based on an actual socio-political logic. Whether the conduct of pro-Europe individuals was impeachable or not, one thing was certain: the UK would vote to stay. Except it did not. The reason social media failed to sway the result of such a major event was this: social media’s role in politics is all about the individual and their relationship with the electorate. Time and again, we see one person singled out for praise and protection - such as Jeremy Corbyn in the recently resolved contest over Labour leadership - or for defamation and destruction. Take David Cameron for example. A year on from #piggate, the country’s most powerful man has had to resign from his position with his inability to lead and inspire almost certainly crucial to his major political defeat this summer in the referendum on membership of the European Union. It is, after all, difficult to take someone seriously when you’ve seen them in a meme with Peppa Pig telling her to “watch out”. Circulation of the infa-

Keyboard, 8/5/20/25/26 Come back from the dead, 13 Head

OCIAL media has an enormous power to alter social discourse. A forum that never sleeps and belongs predominantly to the young is a hunting ground for any potential political slip-up; it is an unforgiving space, impossible to navigate for the out-of-touch and infinitely more difficult to pay off than formal publication houses. It provides an easy, accessible form of politi-

cold, 15 Electra, 17 Fresher, 18 Bypass, 22 Cutie, 23 Rest.

Emma Bessent, Arts + Lit Editor, discusses the impact of social media on modern politics

Science

10 OCT 2016 | EXEPOSÉ

SCIENCE EDITORS:

Victoria Bos Beth Honey

Banning the beads by 2017

Ayesha Tandon explores the Government’s promised ban on microbeads and the effects plastics are having on the environment

. INCE their ﬁrst synthesis in 1907, humans have been reliant on plastics, and it is no secret that in the 21st century they make up a huge part of our everyday lives. One of the main reasons for the success of plastics is that they are hugely versatile, coming in many different forms. These include PET (for use in plastic bottles), PE (Polyethylene used in plastic bags), PP, HIPS, ABS, HDPE... the list goes on. Depending on their intended use, plastics can be given a whole host of different properties; brittle or ﬂexible, transparent or opaque, heat resistant or easy-to-melt, high or low density. There are even plastics that can be moulded in your hands, or that can ‘heal’ themselves if ripped. However, our addiction to plastics is causing some serious problems for the environment. The vast majority of plastics in use today are non-biodegradable, and so they will not break down. It has been estimated that up to 40 per cent of plastics that are not recycled or reprocessed end up in the oceans – this is over eight million

tonnes of plastic added to the oceans every year. And because the plastics do not break down, they simply build up. You have undoubtedly heard of the ocean referred to by some as a ‘plastic soup’. This is because plastics in the oceans are constantly being broken down into smaller and smaller pieces, until they are too small to be spotted. What’s worse is the fact that once the particles become small enough, they can be ingested by any number of sea-dwelling creatures. They are an ecological nightmare. And ironically, in addition to being created when larger plastics break down, we are adding billions of these tiny plastic particles into the oceans ourselves every day. These particles are found in shower gels, face scrubs, and exfoliating creams, and it’s possible that many of the products on your shelves contain them. They are known as microbeads. In 1976, Norwegian Professor John Ugelstad patented his procedure for the production of spherical polystyrene globules of uniform size. This was the birth of the microbead. Initially, the little beads did a lot of good. The technique for their production was new

Source: www.flickr.com/photos/noaama-

Medal for medicine Yoshinori Ohsumi, 71, of the Tokyo Institute of Technology, was awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine (on Monday 3 October), for his research into the process of autography, by which cells absorb wornout elements of themselves in order to allow for new cellular structures and prolong their lifespan. The phenomenon is seen in a number of cells linked to diseases, including cancerous cells, and it is believed this new research could assist in the development of enhanced preventative medications.

and exciting and the beads had a whole host of uses, the most notable of which is a method used for cancer treatment.

It is estimated that on average, 2.4mg of plastics are released into the oceans per person every day It would have been difﬁcult to forsee that just 40 years after the release of the patent, countries would begin to ban Ugelstad’s invention. The problems began when microbeads were picked up by the cosmetic industry. It was found that they are an excellent exfoliator, and they were soon added to creams, toothpastes and body washes in place of biodegradable exfoliators such as salt crystals. They are incredibly popular nowadays, and the majority of cosmetics that are described as ‘exfoliating’ contain tiny beads of polyethene or polypropylene. In fact, it is estimated that on average, 2.4mg of plastics are released into the oceans per person every day, solely from such consumer goods. This might seem to be a small number, but it translates to a huge number of microbeads. A single shower can release hundreds of thousands of microbeads into the ocean. A microbead is deﬁned as a plastic globule with a diameter of

less than 5mm across, but in the cosmetics industry, these beads are usually much smaller, with a diameter of under 1mm. The tiny size of these beads means that once they are used and washed down the drain, they are too small to be ﬁltered out at water recycling and treatment centres, and are therefore released either directly into the oceans, or straight back into your drinking water. If released into the oceans, they can break down further as a result of wave power, and exposure to UV radiation. In fact, they can become so small that species such as plankton often mistake them for food. The microbeads build up inside the plankton, and when eaten by the next animal up in the food chain, for example ﬁsh, they already contain a large number of microbeads.

44 per cent of seabirds were found to have plastics in their stomachs With every level up in the food chain, the concentration of plastics in the organism increases. A recent study shows that over 267 species of marine organism have been affected by plastic pollution, and that the plastics have worked their way up the food chain to the extent that 44 per cent of sea birds were found to have plastics in their stomachs from the ﬁsh that they ate. Alarmingly, even ﬁsh caught for human consumption is often found to contain plastics of alarmingly high concentrations. However, the plastic itself is not the most dangerous thing about the buildup of microbeads; the worrying thing is the toxins that the beads attract. Micro-

Biweekly Breakthroughs

beads, like most plastics, tend to ‘soak up’ any toxic chemicals that surround them, turning the plastic itself toxic. Scientists have been focussing on a particular class of pollutants called PBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ethers), that are linked to neurological problems, decreased immune function, and a reduction in fertility in humans. A recent experiment using rainbow trout found that when the fish eat microbeads that have been exposed to PBDEs, 12.5 per cent of the PBDEs initially on the microbeads end up leaching into the tissue of the fish itself. Needless to say, the use of microbeads is a problem that requires immediate action. Many countries have now announced plans to phase out microbeads, or have banned them altogether, issuing sanctions for companies that continue to use microbeads in their products. The UK government, following suit, has issued a ban on microbeads in cosmetics and cleaning products by 2017. However, 2017 is still a while away. If you want to help avert the microbead crisis, it is very easy to do. All that is needed is to avoid products containing microbeads; this is any product that contains polyethylene or polypropylene. There are plenty of equally good products out there that do not use plastics as their exfoliators. There has even been an app released that allows users to scan the barcode of their product, and find out instantly if it contains microbeads! For now, microbeads are hugely popular, and are causing chaos in the environment. Luckily, they are easy to avoid, and as awareness increases and bans are put into place, it is hoped that pollution levels will reduce and the natural state of our oceans, and their diverse marine wildlife, can be restored.

They might have croaked Rabbs, a rare species of tree frog, are now believed to be extinct as the ﬁnal known specimen has died in captivity. Known by staff at the Atlanta Botanical Garden as “Toughie”, the last male frog was successfully bred in captivity, however the resulting tadpoles did not survive. This recent extinction is again raising concerns about the rate at which amphibians are dying out, an estimated one third of the planet’s 6800 known species are threatened with extinction or are already extinct.

SCIENCE

Source: https://vikasacharya.wordpress.com

The Not-So-Great Barrier Reef

Bethany Hewitt looks at the deterioration of the Great Barrier Reef and the grave concequences it could have

HE Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef on the planet. Spanning 2,300km down the eastern coast of Australia, it is more than twice the size of the next largest coral reef, and covers an area similar to the size of Italy. For many, when we think of the Great Barrier Reef we think of a vast expanse of bright colour, teeming with ﬁsh of all shapes and sizes: ancient structures that curl around one another to create a seemingly never ending tangle of prehistoric ancestry. Those with the opportunity to visit a coral reef will not easily forget the experience. However, those who haven’t been may well be running out of time. If we don’t lower our carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions now, we could be responsible for the decimation of our planet’s most biodiverse ecosystem: from an array of

magniﬁcent structures that house a multitude of marine life, to a possible future of white skeletons in a barren wasteland.

If we don’t lower emissions now, we could be responsible for the decimation of our planet’s most biodiverse ecosystem Coral reefs are formed from individual invertebrates called coral polyps. The polyps create the reefs we see by secreting hard outer skeletons and anchoring themselves to rocks or other neighbouring corals. Within the tissue of the coral

lives brown algae, known as zooxanthellae, which photosynthesise to generate the coral’s main source of food. There is a vital partnership that exists, as the coral obtains a constant food source, whilst the zooxanthellae have a place to settle and thrive. It is this partnership that we are putting under strain. The oceans are a heat sink, absorbing over 90 per cent of the excess heat we generate from greenhouse gases. As the temperatures of the oceans rise, the algae within the coral tissues produce toxic compounds. This leads to the coral polyps expelling the zooxanthellae from their tissues. Without zooxanthellae, the corals lose their main source of food, and as such turn white. This process is known as coral bleaching and results in the corals being more vulnerable to disease and

storm damage. The delicate symbiosis that is easily disrupted by climate change is one of the reasons why coral reefs have earned the name of ‘canary in the coalmine’ - they act as a warning for the consequences we could see as a result of our careless use of ﬁnite resources. If we let the Great Barrier Reef become a ghostly memory of one of the most complex ecosystems on the planet, the impact will be extensive. The reef acts as a natural barrier, protecting nearby coastal communities from the action of strong waves. It allows juvenile ﬁsh to grow and develop in a safer environment before they migrate to open waters. Pharmaceutical ingredients can be harvested and used for medicine. And in terms of the economy, Australia gain a contribution of AUS$5.7 billion thanks to the reef;

with over 90 per cent of the contribution coming from tourism alone. Add to this an estimated 64,000 people who are employed full time in the Great Barrier Reef catchment area and you can clearly see the possible repercussions. The good news is that corals can recover - all they need is the time to do so. In the absence of storms, coral bleaching, and a voracious coral predator (the crownof-thorns starﬁsh) the Great Barrier Reef will be able to grow at a rate of 2.85 percent a year. It has become the focus of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to improve the conditions before it is too late. All we can do is hope that their mission succeeds so that the next generation doesn’t only have Finding Nemo as a reference when they are told about one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

Nuclear power: for and against Alex Gewanter and Rhys Davies give their opinions on whether nuclear power is an efficient, ethical or economical energy source

FOR

UCLEAR power conjures up vivid imagery in some, evoking thoughts of mushroom clouds and radiation. Although a wonderful inspiration for writers, the truth is that nuclear power is safer and more environmentally friendly than most other readily available sources of electricity generation. Until such a time that renewable energy can reliably generate all of our electricity, nuclear is the best option.

Nuclear power is more environmentally friendly than most other readily-available sources of electricity generation The Chernobyl accident is often cited as a nightmarish scenario: on April 26, 1986, while testing a new safety system to reduce the risk of meltdown, engineers ironically caused a meltdown in Reactor Number 4. Opponents of nuclear power refer to the displacement of 50,000 resi-

dents in the nearby city of Pripyat who were forced to evacuate. But what they fail to note is that the other three reactors remained in operation, the last one being decommisioned in 2000. The nightmarish myth of Chernobyl is greatly exaggerated. But what can nuclear power do for us? For this we turn to our friends to the South; France. In the U.K. we generate 21 per cent of our electricity from nuclear reactors, with half of our current facilities due to be retired by 2025. France, by contrast, generates 75 per cent of its electricity from nuclear, with 17 per cent from recycled nuclear waste. Burning fossil fuels to generate electricity instead releases greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide which cause climate change. In 2014, the carbon dioxide emissions of France were 77.8 per cent of ours, despite a larger population of around one million. From an environmental perspective, the dangers are overrated and the beneﬁts too great not to take advantage of. Nuclear is the way forward: it’s safe, clean and the technology of the future. Alex Gewanter

AGAINST

UCLEAR power is a waste of valuable time and resources. Once, before energy consumption was increasing daily and before the world erupted into various socio-economic crises, the idea of nuclear power could have been a viable option for the UK; but not today. Today it is too little, too late. Nuclear power would not stop climate change, as poorly-informed government ofﬁcials seem to think. Even with the maximum forecast of ten reactors by 2024, the carbon emissions of the UK would only fall by 4 per cent. Worse still, the time lost to such reactors would stunt the development of the real solutions to climate change: renewable energy.

Right now, the UK has enough radioactive waste to ﬁll Wembley Stadium, twice Today it is too expensive and the UK itself could not, and has not, paid for such

an enterprise. The Government has outsourced the new Hinkley Nuclear Power plant to France and China, paying virtually none of the initial £18 billion estimated costs. This also immediately cuts the beneﬁts the UK would receive, meaning the French and the Chinese will reap the jobs and possible rewards from the plants and not have to deal with the most pressing issues in regards to the environment. Today it is also far too dangerous. There are numerous very real and eerily obvious dangers. Right now the UK already has enough radioactive waste to ﬁll Wembley Stadium, twice. That’s almost 10,000 meters squared of life threatening material that the government plans on shoving underground to remain excessively dangerous for millions of years. There is no guarantee this waste won’t seep into soil, water or food sources. There is no guarantee it won’t be spilt from one of the trains that pass unnoticed and unsecured through villages all over the country weekly because of an accident, a collision or even a terrorist attack. Nuclear power is not worth it. Rhys Davies

Football Va

Jamie Carpenter Goalkeeper Year: 3rd Exercise and Sport Sciences

Adam Abbott Defender Year: 3rd PPE

Charlie Knibb Defender Year: 4th Business Management

Alex Tretow-Bussellato Defender Year: 4th Geography and Economics

Mark Roberts Goalkeeper Year: 4th Graduate Diploma in Law

Jack Kewley (VC) Defender Year: 3rd Law

Christian Ndjoli-Cuba Defender Year: 2nd Exercise and Sport Sciences

Michael Ayer Midfielder Year: 2nd Exercise and Sport Sciences

Last year

OOTBALL Varsity 2015 saw Exeter’s 1s take on Bath in a thrilling South West Derby that resulted in a 2-2 draw. Under the ﬂoodlights and the rainy skies at St James Park, Exeter struggled in the early minutes. The hosts did have several attacks, but they generally saw their demise by the raising of the ﬂag by the assistant referee for offside. Bath managed to breach the Exeter defence on more than one occassion, and went in at the interval with a two goal lead and their clean sheet intact.

The crowd went home happy after seeing their side take a share of the spoils EUAFC came out stronger after the break, but it took substitutions to cause the side to look seriously dangerous. Super sub Luke Barner put a ball into the box with 15 minutes left, and Ben Wicherek found himself on the end of it to turn it in and pull the hosts back to within a solitary goal. With time running out, goalkeeper Ben Pryor went forward for a stoppage time corner kick as Exeter sought to ﬁnd a last gasp equaliser. It wasn’t Pryor, however, but Barner that made contact with the ball, drinving it into the net and sending the jubilant crowd into wild celebrations. The 1,670 strong-crowd went home happy after seeing their side take a share of the spoils, yet unfortunately such a dramatic comeback couldn’t be repeated on the scale of an entire season. EUAFC 1s found themselves adrift at the bottom of the BUCS Premier South division come the end of the season in March. To preserve their top-ﬂight status, EUAFC found themselves in a playoff competition with East London and Cardiff. Unfortunately, the Green Army did not prevail, and as a result will ply their trade in the Western 1A Division for the coming year.

Jamal Bartley & Jake Kewley EUAFC 1s Captain and Vice Captain Q: Last year was obviously a disappointing year for the 1s in BUCS, how are you looking to bounce back from that this year? JB & JK: We were a part of that team that got relegated, and I think that league was really difficult so it’s understandable in some ways. We were probably good enough to stay up but the way we’re looking to bounce back is to just create a really good team environment because we’ve lost a lot of really talented, experienced players in our 1s. We’ve got people coming up through the ranks so especially in pre-season and leading up to it it’s been just trying to create that real team atmosphere. You can see that we get on well as friends off the pitch as well, and obviously fitness has been a big thing because we don’t have as big a pre-season as other teams. So definitely the team spirit, along with hard work and fitness, at this stage of the season has been massive, because when you’re trying to get that team together it’s not the small technical things that are as important, it’s just creating that team environment and all working for each other and then hopefully we can work on little technical issues.

Leading

everyone will be a bit shy and anxious, but then as the game progresses that’s when everyone starts to come out of their shells and start feeling the environment and start feeling that it’s more than just a game for us. It’s for the whole club really, and it’s for Loris as well. We’re playing for Loris, and fot people behind the scenes like Jim and Tom, our club captains. They work so hard to get all this done and they don’t even get to play. Obviously, also as players we all wanted to be professional footballers at some point probably so I think to live that kind of dream for one game we’re pretty lucky.

Q: So what is the target for the new season? JB & JK: With the team that we have now, you shouldn’t rule out the chance of us getting promotion or a BUCS Cup as well. BUCS is all about that momentum so if we can get off to a good early start, anything’s possible.

Q: What do you have to say about your opponents, Swansea? JB & JK: We’ve looked at them, we’ve seen how they’re doing in their Saturday league and they’re doing quite well. They’ll be a good side. But Saturday league and BUCS are two different competitions: BUCS is more fierce and more competitive because you’re all around the same age, so you’re more equal in all aspects: speed, strength, fitness levels. I think we try and play football as well, and keep the ball, and that’s a massive thing in BUCS because Saturday leagues are a very physical game, the ball’s in the air a lot of the time. We’ve been trying to talk about taking responsibility on the pitch so noticing their key players, talking and solving issues whilst we’re playing. As you move into men’s football, it’s so important because you don’t always know who you’re playing and you have to solve little issues during the game. That’s a key thing for us because obviously we haven’t played them and it’s the first BUCS game of the season so really anything could happen.

Q: How big is it for the players to be playing in front of a larger crowd at St James Park? It is quite big. It will be intimidating at ﬁrst,

Q: How do you fancy your chances? JB & JK: We’ve actually got a good chance, with the way we’ve been playing in Saturday league, the football we’ve been playing,

Football Va Loris Jeanningros Exeter 1s v Wednesday 12 O St Jame Tickets: £5 (on sale in th

Varsity 2016

g the 1s

it’s been good at times and it’s been better than what we thought it would be. We’ve created a lot of chances and haven’t taken as many as we could have lately, and we’ve conceded a few goals that we shouldn’t have. If we can cut that out, and take a few of our key chances, I think it’ll definitely be a close game. BUCS is always going to be – I can’t see it being a 7-0 win or anything like that. I think that will be good for the people who watch us, especially if they like football, and hopefully they can see a really tough battle between two teams and we’ll definitely leave everything on the pitch. Everyone’s looking to shine in Varsity and it’s most people’s first Varsity of their uni career. Q: What kind of football can we expect to see from you? A bit of Barcelona, a bit of playing from the back from the keeper (chuckles). You can expect a good passage of play from us and from Swansea as well, a lot of ball on the floor and some quite intense football as well. We’re quite good at putting a lot of people under pressure as well as being under pressure ourselves. As a team, we’ve started to realise that we’re really good later on in the games - we start to build more confidence and we put more pressure on our opponents. Our fitness levels have been tremendous, and I feel that’s really come in to our game, and we’ve used it really well. We’ve got a good front attacking three so hopefully they can excite the crowd with Jamal joining in with our attacking midfielders. That’s something that’s probably a higher level than university level, so hopefully if those boys play well, that should be a key for us Q: Who would you single out as the best players on the team? JK: Jamal… JB: He’s too kind. To be honest, this season there’s been a lot of people who’ve been do-

In memory

ing really well for us that haven’t taken credit, so the likes of Charlie Knibb, who’s come back this year and has been a tremendous help to us. JK: Our full backs are tough tackling, hard working players. They aren’t necessarily the most talented, flair kind of players, but they’re just really solid, consistent players that keep the ball really well for us. Then we’ve got Andy Farley who’s been a key first team player for years, and Luke Barner who was the hero for Varsity last year. Hopefully those boys can do well, but also we’ve got guys coming in like Michael Ayer and Chris Cuba, who are probably some of the most improved players at the club. So it’s a mixture, really. There’s not a massive stand-out player. Q: Do you think the fact that it’s a memorial match for Loris will add extra motivation? JB & JK: Definitely. We know that his family are coming down to watch us. We’ve got to show them what the club meant to Loris. It’ll be about more than the result, it’ll be about the way we play, the way we act. We need to give everything and play with a smile on our faces, because in training he used to come in and he never knew what team he’d be training with – be it the 1s, 2s or 6s he was always just smiling and that made me cheer up before training as well, to see someone just enjoying football – It didn’t really matter if he was in the 1s or 6s, just to play football with any team, we’re all quite lucky to do that. We went to his tribute and that was really emotional so I think it’ll definitely be emotional at the start of the night. Q: Finally, what score are you predicting for Wednesday night? JB: 3-1 JK: As a defender, ’ll go with a clean sheet at 2-0.

Varsity 2016 s Memorial Match Swansea 1s October, 7:30 KO es Park he Forum and at the gate)

ver the summer, EUAFC suffered the tragic loss of one of its members, Loris Jeannin-

gros. Loris joined EUAFC as a goalkeeper as he started at University last year. During his time, his enthusiasm for football endeared himself to his clubmates, and he could always be seen with a smile on his face. Regardless of what team he was assigned to on any given day, he simply loved playing football. During his ﬁrst year, he would be frequently found at the club’s socials as well as involving himself with coaching at Exeter City. In one of his last games in Exeter, Loris found himself between the posts for the 6s Cup Final match at St James Park. Loris put in a heroic performance in a losing effort, saving a penalty and being awarded the Man of the Match award. Loris passed away in July in an accident whilst on holiday with friends in Laos. His death touched many of his PPE coursemates, as well as his EUAFC clubmates. In light of these circumstances, the decision was made for Football Varsity 2016 to be played in his memory. Loris’ family will be in attendance, and a minute’s silence will be held prior to kick off to allow the students of Exeter to pay their tributes to him.

Despite not knowing Loris too well, he was the ﬁrst friend I made in one of my seminars last year, and he was probably the most approachable person I met that day NATASA CHRISTOFIDOU, PPE STUDENT

Matt Barker Midfielder Year: 3rd Physical Geography

Jamal Bartley (Capt.) Midfielder Year: 2nd Exercise and Sport Sciences

Alex Parsons Midfielder Year: 3rd Exercise and Sport Sciences

Charlie Woodford Midfielder Year: 3rd Human Geography

Luke Barner Forward Year: 3rd Exercise and Sport Sciences

Andy Farley Forward Year: 4th MSc Engineering & Business

Alex Graham Forward Year: 4th MSc Civil Engineering

Pascal Sedgwick Forward Year: 3rd Exercise and Sport Sciences

His constant energy, passion and intellect shone through on a daily basis. While his passing is painful, all who knew him will be grateful for the time they were able to spend with such a genuine friend. FREDDY BARRATT, EUAFC 6s CAPTAIN 2015-16

Backgroud Photo: Natasa Christofidou Headshots: Sachi Minami

Men’s Rugby Union

SPORT

4s squeeze win by 3

Exeter 4s....................................17 Cardiff 2s (Medics)....................14 Elizabeth Hobbs Sport Team

N a sunny Wednesday afternoon the EURFC 4s kicked off their BUCS season with a win over Cardiff 2s (Medics) at Duckes Meadow. With home support on their side, Exeter started solidly. Off the back of a strong Exeter scrum, a tap forward from the boot of James Edmonson followed by a pacy run took the side from deep in the Cardiff half to touch down the ﬁrst try of the match. Brandon Bowden converted it with ease taking the score to 7-0.

scoreboard with a try off the back of a good lineout, building on the strong collective effort. Easily converted by Bowden, Exeter were back with a good lead at 14-7. Exeter then spent a long time in the Cardiff 22, yet despite keeping the pressure up, they were unable to convert it to points. Both sides conceded a litany of penalties but neither side had enough momentum to score. Leading up to half-time, the hosts suffered a spate of injuries. The 4s came out in the second half with momentum and Bowden kicked them to 17-7 within the opening minutes. Cardiff came back strongly but despite sustaining their attack and keeping up the pressure, the Exeter de-

fence held out. A penalty for the home side meant there gained a lineout in a strong position.

Leading up to half time, the hosts suffered a spate of injuries Exeter began a solid attack but a conceded penalty curtailed hopes of a quick third try. A long run by Cardiff ’s replacement hooker from

A great win to kick off the season

within their own half to the line took the side far closer to catching Exeter up at 17-14. As the wind picked up the kicking conditions got far harder and Exeter were unable to get the three points from a kick at the posts. Cardiff looked dangerous with the ball going into the last ten minutes. Their scrum half made a dash for the line and despite swerving four tacklers he was eventually pushed into touch near the line. Despite several Exeter attempts in the opponents 22 they were unable to score again. Cardiff kept up the pressure but Exeter were able to hold their defence in the closing moments. A solid start to the season puts the 4s in a strong position for their future ﬁxtures.

Exeter were able to hold their defence in the closing moments Soon after Cardiff kicked a penalty into touch and managed to drag the maul over to even up the score at 7-7. Exeter kept up the pressure and the visitors soon conceded another penalty. Tom Hayes managed to add to the

Photo: Wang Yong Yan

Try harder next time

Men’s Rugby League

Exeter 1s......................................6 St Mary's 1s................................34 Isabel Taylor Sport Team

XETER Rugby League 1s suffered defeat last Wednesday at the hands of a well-prepared St Mary's side in their ﬁrst match of the season. With the ﬁnal score standing at 346, Exeter never really got off the ground and their only try, scored in the second half, was lost in a blur of enemy successes. St Mary's ultimately had the stronger defence and were able to power though the Exeter team in a fast paced and aggressive match.

Hopefully this isn't a sign for the rest of the season The tone was set two minutes in when a desperate Stefan Kadach dived to stop the ﬁrst of what was to be a total of six tries, hitting his opponent and the post hard. Luckily, he escaped without serious injury and pride was to be the only casualty of the match. After a close but ultimately unsuccessful attack by Exeter after ﬁfteen minutes, St Mary’s capitalised on a scuffed yet

lucky kick that caught the hosts by surprise. They then stormed down a weakly defended left hand side of the pitch to touch down for a second time. Exeter kept up a strong presence, however, and continued to put pressure on St Mary’s try line, spending most of the first half on the attack. They had another narrow miss in the final stage of an aggressive and very nearly successful attack, ending up mere feet from the line, but they were unable to make it across before their allowed phases were up. The team continued to apply pressure, but couldn’t convert this to points. Instead, a knock on in the midfield led to a third try from the St Mary’s team. Charging through scattered defenders, they took advantage of a slowly tiring Exeter. Shortly before half time they scored a fourth try, ending the first half 24-0 up with four successful conversions. Despite their first half frustrations, Exeter went into the second half with determination. They were rewarded early on with their first try, and were greeted with loud cheers from their supporters. A

successful attack on a complacent defence resulted in Laurence Townend making it over the try line, with Fraser Gillan completing the conversion. Face saved a little by putting some points on the board, Ex-

eter hoped to make up more ground but struggled to break through again. An extraordinarily close save was made by Ted Ellis, where the St Mary's player ran the length of the pitch but was held up behind the line and prevented from touching down. This raised morale brieﬂy, before St Mary's capitalised on their position and used brute strength to cross the line for their ﬁfth try.

Their only try, scored in the second half, was lost in a blur of enemy success A desperate Exeter continued to attack in the closing stages but they were unable to prevent a sixth and ﬁnal try in the last minute when they let yet another St Mary’s player slip past them. This brought the score to 34-6. A failed conversion as the whistle blew left them with a resounding victory and the Exeter team with much to contemplate. Two missed opportunities and some luck from St Mary’s severely affected the score, but hopefully this isn’t a sign for the rest of the season.

CONTINUED FROM BACK PAGE This short-lived ecstasy was immediately halted. Almost identical to their previous mishap, Exeter failed to withhold the anticipated backlash from KCL. They yet again conceded an immediate penalty from the restart. Positioned just outside the 22 and in front of the posts, the KCL fly-half could not miss. The half-time whistle blew and what should have been a convincing lead was all but gone. After a riling half-time team talk, the Green’s will to reinstate their dominance was re-ignited. Hard running phase-play began to tear holes in the KCL struggling back line, though a fumble out-wide allowed the King’s winger to collect from halfway and dart over the whitewash unopposed. However, EURFC did not panic. After a series of clattering hits on the KCL players from the restart, the ball was flung from a collision and collected by the home team. This was capitalised on by a resulting hard line cut by centre Hugh Campbell which allowed him to slip between the two KCL centres and over for a try. With the roaring wind behind them and the jeering whoops of th home crowd, Exeter could not be stopped. The pack dominated their visitors, forcing numerous penalties and gaining metres successively until the sustained pressure proved unstoppable. George Taylor exhibited outstanding skill with a perfectly calculated chip over the KCL backline, which he collected and touched down for Exeter’s fifth try. The floodgates had opened. Exeter’s scrum was proving dominant and a five metre charge provided the backline with increasing space as a fluid move freed Taylor to skip past two defenders. Once tackled by the fullback, he popped an offload to the supporting run of fullback Mike Hains and Exeter had their sixth. A rout ensued, and within four minutes a series of relentless phases gave forward Josh Pieters an opportunity to crash through the visitors' ever-weakening tackles to score. Pieters remained rampant with an appetite for more tries, and a scrum provided him with another chance. Once more Exeter’s passing proved too clinical for the KCL opposition. Fullback Hains made a break, the subsequent ruck found a rampaging line by Pieters, as he charged under the posts to seal the win in the 78th minute. Despite the shaky beginning to the 2s first BUCS match of the season, they showed resilience and character for an impressive season opening win.

Sport

10 OCT 2016 | EXEPOSÉ

Football Varsity 2016: All you need to know about this week’s sporting event

More success for EURFC, whilst EURL taste defeat

Pages 36-37

Page 39

SPORT EDITORS:

Owain Evans Lara Hopkins

Super Rugby?

Photo: Sachi Minami

EURFC 2s blast opposition back to London Men’s Rugby Union

Exeter 2s....................................52 King’s College 1s........................18 James Bruce Sport Team

MULATING the harsh gales that littered debris across the sun-swept pitch, EURFC 2s blew away the travelling King’s College side with a ferocity and intensity that grew stronger as the game progressed. From the offset, Exeter bludgeoned the King’s side through repeated attacks sweeping from left to right. This attack only ceased brieﬂy for repeated infringements by King’s at the breakdown. This allowed the Green Army to kick deep into touch, forcing King’s onto the back foot and allowing Exeter to encamp

themselves on their opposition’s 22. After several phases of hard running, slick hands released winger Callum Roberts down the right side, who was tackled metres shy of the line, to Exeter gasps. Despite an aggressive retaliation by the King’s College pack, who charged at Exeter’s defensive line continously, Exeter held strong. Inevitably, this constant defensive onslaught forced a King’s mistake. A poor clearing kick landed in the arms of Angus Ward. The subsequent break down the right resulted in a ruck on the five metre line and crafty scrumhalf James Falconer darted in around the edge to secure the host’s first try. This was swiftly converted by the coolheaded stand-off James McFarlane and signified the perfect start for Exeter, in the eighteenth minute.

This ideal start was unfortunately thwarted by sloppy discipline immediately after the restart, with a penalty to King’s after Exeter failed to roll away at the ruck. Consequently, the King’s ﬂyhalf stepped up and dissected the posts with a strong kick just shy of the 22, which brought the visitors within an unconverted try of the lead.

Exeter bludgeoned the King’s side through repeated attacks Exeter’s ﬁghting spirit shone through as they rallied with a barrage of attacks from the well-won restart. Bel-

ligerent carrying from the forwards took its toll on the wincing Kings defence. After a wide pass that found secondrow Charlie Morgan out wide in space, a wily dummy sent the visitor’s fullback towards the touchline and Morgan careered over the line for the Green’s second try for a 12-3 lead. Despite the missed conversion, the Greens carried on pressing Kings until they won the ball after a spillage. This allowed them to dominate play with well-worked ofﬂoads releasing players into space. However, a dropped ball just inside the King’s 22 thwarted an otherwise dominant attacking display. This allowed King’s back into the game, and a penalty for not rolling away allowed them to punt the ball deep into Exeter territory for a well-positioned lineout.

Two phases later a shrewd pick and go from the King’s second-row evaded the tackle of the Exeter guard and sent him stampeding towards the line. The try was conﬁrmed and, although the conversion was missed, Exeter needed to rally. The visitors’ aggression held, but Exeter remained in a state of focus. Several phases led to increasing gaps as King’s scrambled to keep up with the pace Falconer moved the ball. After sustained pressure, simple hands released winger Roberts for the second time. He propelled himself past the fullback and went under the posts for Exeter’s third try, which was duly converted by McFarlane.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 39

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