gair rhydd y
gair rhydd | freeword Cardiff ’s student weekly Issue 1074 Monday 29th February 2016 Also in this issue
Advice: How to improve your public speaking skills P10>>
Sophie Timbers elected Students’ Union President • • • •
6,555 Cardiff University students elect seven-strong full-time officer team 324 more voters than last year, but 9,507 fewer votes overall Three part-time roles will be unfilled after no nominations were put forward Timbers: “I’m going to do you all proud and represent you all equally”
Anna Lewis
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Comment: The Kesha debate transcends music P14>>
ophie Timbers has been elected Students’ Union President, after winning in a landslide vote. The news was announced in a results ceremony on Saturday after a week of hard campaigning for all 50 candidates. Alongside the role of President the winners of both the full-time and part-time officers were named, with a future sabbatical team composed of four female students and three male. After a rather emotional reaction, in her acceptance speech the current VP for Education promised that as President she “would do students proud and represent everyone equally”. See page six for a full breakdown of her proposed policies. The candidate won after receiving a total of 2,267 votes over the five days, followed by current VP Societies Hannah Sterritt with 1,449 votes. Alex
White placed third after progressing to stage six of the results with 855 votes. Overall the election for Students’ Union President received most attention of all positions, with 4,867 students choosing their preferred candidate. Talking to Gair Rhydd Timbers admitted that campaigning was “incredibly tough” but thanked everyone, including fellow candidates, for their help. When asked about her first act as President Timbers stressed that her Night Bus policy would be top of the agenda. Meanwhile Hollie Cooke has been elected for the role of VP Welfare, after beating fellow candidate Claire Brosnan by a mere 88 votes. Sarah Hopkins Weaver came third with 631 students voting in her favour. Cooke told the audience: “I don’t know what to say, thank you so much. I want to say well done to Claire and to Sarah and to all the other candi-
dates, you’re all amazing I don’t know what to say, thanks”. Next in the results ceremony, Mo Hanafy was chosen as VP Education receiving 1,169 votes. He was followed by Katie Meechan with a 31 vote difference. Talking to Gair Rhydd Hanafy showed his enthusiasm for the election week as he said: “It’s been really good, unbelievable, an amazing experience, just so good. Campaigning was so much fun, with people out there getting involved.” VP Societies was won by Milly Dyer, after a tough battle between all seven candidates. She praised other candidates in her speech, stating that “you’re all bloody amazing”. Joe Rumming was placed second after gaining 1,041 votes to Dyer’s 1,126. AU President and VP Sports for next year was named as Elin Harding with 1,496 votes. Harding was elected by a wide majority with runner up Emma Fitzpatrick receiving 849 votes.
Pictured:
Next year’s elected officer team pose together (Photographer: Charley Griffiths)
Continued on page 4
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Science: Should we consider coffee a health drink? P27>>
2 EDITORIAL Gair Rhydd Coordinator Elaine Morgan Editor Joseph Atkinson Deputy Editors Carwyn Williams Anna Lewis News Anna Lewis Joanna Beck Toby Holloway Advice Gwen Williams Caragh Medlicott Comment Em Gates Charley Griffiths David Williams Columnist Helena Hanson Politics Carwyn Williams Luke Brett Sam Patterson Science Maria Mellor Lizzie Harrett Societies Aletheia Nutt Taf-Od Rhian Floyd Park Life Vacant Sport Jim Harris James Lloyd Jamie Smith Social Media Editor Jack Boyce Proofreaders Anwen Pembery Tom Morris Get involved Editorial conferences are each Monday at 5pm. Proofreading takes place from 5pm on Thursdays in the media office during print weeks. Write to the editor editor@gairrhydd.com Tweet us @gairrhydd
At Gair Rhydd we take seriously our responsibility to maintain the highest possible standards. Sometimes, because of deadline pressures, we may make some mistakes. If you believe we have fallen below the standards we seek to uphold, please email editor@gairrhydd. com. You can view our Ethical Policy Statement and Complaints Procedure at cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk/complaints Opinions expressed in editorials are not reflective of Cardiff Student Media, who act as the publisher of Gair Rhydd in legal terms, and should not be considered official communications or the organisation’s stance. Gair Rhydd is a Post Office registered newspaper.
the free word
The newly-elected officers need to deliver. Now more than ever
As students continue to face financial hardship, those who represent us need to stand up and be counted, and not depend on gimmicks or unrealistic pledges Joseph Atkinson
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o, yet another elected officer team has been decided by you, the students of Cardiff University. The seven new full-time officers will be paid a £20,000 salary each to represent you on the issues that really matter, and I hope they’re ready to do that by the time the next academic year comes around. As figureheads, students’ union figures and representatives are becoming more politically significant as students continue to fight cuts to university funding and the hiking of fees. Watching as the new sabbatical team was put together was admittedly quite scary, insomuch that it served as a reminded of the very brief period of time left before I’ll be out of the student bubble and everything in the Students’ Union will start fresh for the new year. My congratulations to everyone who succeeded in getting elected to a role, either full-time or part-time, contested or unopposed. Running
for student elections isn’t an easy decision and I can imagine it can be quite disheartening at times trying to charm a student population that ultimately just doesn’t seem that interested. Beneath the costumes and the gimmicks each and every candidate clearly has the interests of the poor students that they canvass at heart - I don’t think the process would be worth it if that wasn’t the case, even with the £20k thrown in. Commiserations must of course go to the 40-plus candidates who didn’t win. The nature of student elections mean that you’re bound to know someone who’s running, and to see a friend come out of elections empty-handed in spite of all the effort they put in is tough to take. I know Hannah Sterritt, who came second to Sophie Timbers in the race to be President, and I know that she put everything she had into the campaign and deserves every credit for her passion and drive for students. Luke Brett, who serves as Politics Editor on Gair Rhydd, was also up for election for VP Societies. Luke
has made all of us laugh with his wacky Stormzy-inspired video, plus slow robotic voice, and was unlucky not to do better. Obviously, knowing people running means it can sometimes be difficult not to be biased, but I hope that we’ve managed to do a good job covering the elections in a fair and balanced manner. While we didn’t quite get everyone, we reached out to every candidate to have an interview to go up on our live blog, in an attempt to give everyone equal footing to get their policies out there. Our live blog was run expertly by our often sleepdeprived Social Media Editor Jack, who must be sick of the sound of his own and others’ voices with the amount of interview transcripts he got through. Nobody should be subject to that number of cheesy campaign videos in such a short space of time too, so fair play Jack. I’d extend my thanks to the whole of the Gair Rhydd team, as I decided that getting ill over election week would actually be a good idea, sigh. It’s now up to next year’s sabbati-
cal team to walk the walk after so convincingly talking the talk to get elected. There have been some pretty big manifesto pledges made this year in order to secure votes, and I really hope that these can be achieved sadly I won’t be at Cardiff Uni next year, but if I was I’d be looking forward getting on the train at Talybont Train Station after my IMG Ultimate Frisbee Game to go to book a holiday at the SU travel agent, before getting on my new Cardiff University App to check my next deadlines, buying some essentials from the SU supermarket, and finally getting the free night bus home to Uni Halls. All of the above play a part in the manifesto pledges made by the new sabbatical team, and I find it difficult to see whether they are actually achievable. While it’s hard to achieve any real change in the space of 12 months in the job, I hope that the new team can achieve what people voted for and continue to improve the student experience at Cardiff that is so often littered with very real problems.
THIS WEEK IN HISTORY: GAIR RHYDD 971 27/2/2012
The last time that Gair Rhydd came out on a leap day was 1988, but we couldn’t find that issue to look at, so we had to settle with the issue from the last leap year, 2012. Headline news was made as a Cardiff University student was effectively made to usher the body of a dead Jack Russell terrier into the road after it was found on the pavement outside their house. The reason for this was that a Cardiff City Council official had claimed that the dog’s body lying of the pavement did not constitute “their problem,” but police advised the student that it would become their problem if the dog was in the road. Accompanying the article is quite a sad picture of the student doing the deed, seemingly using a washing-line pole covered with a Lidl bag to push the dog into the road. Hoping for better news inside the paper, I pressed on, only to find on page four an article reporting ‘Even bleaker outlook for graduates as prospects match school leavers’. The article is accompanied by a social media sections encouraging students to discuss the issue on Twitter with the catchy hashtag ‘#GraduateUnemployment’. In the hope of inciting some banal nationalism within proud Welsh and English students, the now-defunct Features section pitted England against Wales, comparing the patriotism and culture of each nation in the context of the
ongoing Six Nations Championships. Features goes on to cover heaver subject, with a double-page spread covering (a) ‘Staying safe on a night out’ and (b) ‘Self-Harm: The Sufferer and the Witness’. The Opinion section published a savage takedown of the enduringly-popular club night Propaganda. Now at Ladybird on Thursdays, writer Duncan Griffiths decided to pop down to Glam to see what all the hype was about, but concluded that the supposedly indie nature of the night was not actually the case. An Opinion spread goes on to get the views of four students on student elections, quite topical after the events of this week. The views of a candidate, someone anti-elections, an ‘Election week lover’ and someone who was bored by it all were taken into account. In Sport, the regular ‘Academics Aside...’ feature sees Dr. Nick Johns of the School of Social Sciences wax lyrical about the football club he supports - Plymouth Argyle. Dr. Nick gives his all-time Argyle XI, pairing club legends Tommy Tynan and Paul Mariner together up front in a conventional 4-4-2. The back page story concerns Cardiff University’s American Football team, the Cobras, defeating arch-rivals Swansea Titans. The victory on the road was the second triumph over the Titans that year. - Joseph Atkinson
EDITORIAL 3
Campus in Brief
Jack Boyce
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Thousands of demonstrators assembled in London last Saturday to protest against the renewal of nuclear weapons system Trident.
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rime Minister David Cameron has claimed that 100,000 jobs in Wales will be at risk if the UK leaves the European Union during a visit to a South Wales factory ahead of the fast-approaching EU referendum in June. Talking at a visit to GE Aviation in Nantgarw, Cameron said: “Three million jobs in our country including 100,000 here in Wales are in some way reliant on European trade.” Welsh Secretary Stephen Crabb has shown support for Cameron, stating that an “overwhelming majority of people who create jobs in Wales support Britain and Wales staying part of the European Union.” Luxury car maker Aston Martin, famous for making the cars that often appear in James Bond films, has announced plans to manufacture a new vehicle in South Wales. St Athans, which is in the Vale of Glamorgan, was selected to be the site of Aston Martin’s manufacturing operation after assessing other locations such the Middle East and North America. The operation will start next year following the conversion of a Ministry of Defence hanger into a manufacturing site. The announcement is a major coup for the Welsh automotive sector, as the operation will directly create 750 high-skilled jobs. The investment will also support a further 1,000 jobs in the supply chain and through local businesses. Cardiff University’s world-leading mental health research facility has been awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize - the most prestigious academic award in the UK. Professor Sir Michael Owen, the the head of the Institute of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, picked up the award on behalf of the University’s MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics at a ceremony in Buckingham Palace. Professor Owen said: “I am extremely proud of all the staff in the Centre for winning the award,” he continued, “their efforts succeeded in casting light into some of the darkest corners of mental illness”.
National
Thousands of demonstrators assembled in London last Saturday to protest against the renewal of nuclear weapons system Trident. It was the largest anti-nuclear weapons rally in London since 1983, where 300,000 protestors gathered in Hyde Park to demonstrate against the use of Cruise missiles at Greenham Common. Organisers of the protest, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, stated that they were confident that the large turnout would send a message of the growing support against the renewal of the Successor nuclear weapons programme, which has an estimated cost of at least £41 billion. A £250,000 reward has been offered to track down the killer of a goose that was victim to a drive-by shooting. The goose, named Grumpy Gertie, is well loved in the village of Sandon, Hertfordshire and has been present at a local pond for the last 11 years. Gertie was reportedly killed after a man lent out of a 4x4 and opened fire. The incident outraged Peter Hunt of Eastbourne so much that he texted the Jeremy Vine show on BBC Radio 2 offering the quarter-of-a-million pounds reward. Local resident Jean Handley told Vine, “He’s been around for years. Everybody is really upset about it”. A maths student at Lancaster University is to become the first trans student to run for the role of Women’s Officer at the National Union of Students (NUS). Anna Lee, 23, who identifies as a “queer trans disabled lesbian woman” is currently the VP of Welfare at Lancaster University’s Students’ Union as well as a trans rep for the women’s campaign. However, Lee has received backlash from “mostly middle-aged white men who seem to be very angry” about her campaign. Lee stated, “A diverse committee of women need to work together to create a movement and get more women involved, and that’s what I want to do.”
International
Gianni Infantino has been elected as president of the world football governing body FIFA, succeeding Sepp Blatter. Infantino, previously the UEFA secretary general, won the election with 115 votes, 27 more votes than his closest rival Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim alKhalifa. Infantino, 45, entered the presidential race after former president of UEFA Michel Platini was forced to stand down after FIFA issued him a ban due to corruption allegations. After his victory, Infantion stated, “I will work tirelessly to bring football back to FIFA and FIFA back to football,” while telling delegates he hopes to “restore the image and respect of FIFA”. Zimbabwe’s ruling party, the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), has been criticised for hosting a lavish party for President Robert Mugabe’s 92nd birthday amidst food shortages. The event, which cost almost £575,000, was televised and attended by thousands of people in the city of Masvingo. Opposition party Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) called the event “obscene” due to food and economic difficulties that have hit the country. The UN’s World Food Programme said that food production had fallen by half compared to a year earlier. Pupurai Togarepi, a youth leader within ZANU-PF, defended the event, “You cannot put a price on the contribution of President Mugabe to the history and development of this nation. All these things are worth more than money.” Residents of the ‘Jungle’ migrant camp in Calais have been urged to leave after French authorities conducted tent-to-tent visits following a court decision that approved a governmental plan to clear the camp. Authorities say that around 1,000 residents of the 3,700-population camp will be affected by the plan. French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said that the plan would be carried out humanely, with residents being relocated to a park filled with converted shipping containers and other centres throughout France.
Pictured: Gianni Infantino was elected FIFA President last week (Photographer: Richard Heathcote)
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Residents of the ‘Jungle’ migrant camp in Calais have been urged to leave after French authorities conducted tent-to-tent visits following a court decision that approved a governmental plan to clear the camp.
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4 NEWS
news
Editors: Anna Lewis Joanna Beck Toby Holloway @GairRhyddNews news@gairrhydd.com gairrhydd.com/news
Cont’d: Timbers elected SU President
Continued from front page
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‘If anyone who said that a chicken costume would get me a job, I would have told them to “cluck off” Alexander Kuklenko
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After his fellow competitor Tim Nagle decided to withdraw from campaigning earlier this week, Niko Holmes was named VP Heath. Unfortunately Holmes was unable to attend the ceremony. Despite declaring that he would not be campaigning, Nagle received 785 votes compared to Holmes with score of 1,905. Alexander Kuklenko also fought off competition to receive the most votes for the position of VP Postgraduates, a role that was only introduced last year. Like last year the VP Postgraduate category received the least amount of votes, with Kuklenko receiving 1,021 votes compared to the 1,786 allocated to Katie Kelly last year. In this year’s results Matthew Jenkins was placed second with 980 votes. In his acceptance speech, Kuklenko referenced his chicken costume used for campaigning. He joked that “if anyone said that a chicken costume would get me a job, I would have told them to “cluck off ”. During the event, the winners of the part-time officers were also announced, with Nancy Turnbull voted for Black and Ethnic Minorities Of-
ficer (BME), James Daly as Ethical and Environmental Officer and Osian Morgan for Welsh Language Officer. Speaking to the audience, Morgan stressed that “the representation of Welsh students is not up to standard compared to Bangor and Aberystwyth University. He continued: “I look forward to looking to working with the sabbatical officers to change this.” Marcus Connolly won the position of LGBT+ Open officer, winning by vast majority against Stuart Eynon with an advantage of 1,503 votes. Ruth Lewis was chosen as LGBT+ Women’s Officer. Charlie Knights was elected as Students with Disabilities Officer, beating fellow first year George Watkins by 464 votes. In his speech Knights thanked fellow candidates for their support and explained “this is only the start, I’ve made it through five days of campaigns i’ve got to make through a whole year in office”. However, a number of positions failed to receive candidates, including Women’s Officer, Mature Student’s Officer and International
Student’s Officer. In a change from last year, other roles such as Student Senate chair and NUS Delegates were also not appointed during election week. The results ceremony ended with current Students’ Union President Claire Blakeway praising all candidates for their effort during the week, stating that the “SU is very proud of you all.” A number of more light-hearted awards were also presented during the ceremony, including the ‘Duracell Bunny Award’ for “huge amounts of energy” which was given to SU President candidate Alex White. Following that the ‘Steven Spielberg award’ was awarded to VP Societies candidate Luke Brett for his video with his own rendition of Stormzy’s rap. Praised for her innovation after creating a Tinder profile to attract voters, Hannah Sterritt was given the ‘Richard Branson’ title. In a similar vein future AU President Elin Harding was given the ‘Zuckerberg Award’ for the best and continuous use of social media, including posting a video of Wales international rugby player Hallam
Amos stating his support for her. Noted for “being kind to everyone, incredibly charming, and with not a bad bone in his body”, AU President candidate Will Harris received the title for ‘Gift of the Gab’. Meanwhile Jenen Ashi was named ‘Best Sidekick’ as a campaign manager for SU President candidate Nadine Dahan. Blakeway explained to the audience that Ashi was able to accomplish her role despite being in Spain, including organising “every aspect of the campaign in minute detail” while ensuring that Dahan’s welfare was not compromised. Lastly AU President candidate Toby Lock was awarded the ‘Candidate’s Candidate’ title. According to Blakeway Lock earned the prize after creating a “strong sense of community” between candidates and setting up a What’s App group to include all those running for positions. In addition Lock made sure to pick up all banners and posters which had fallen down during campaign week. On the concluding day of elections a record number of individual voters were recorded, with a total of 6,555 students casting their decision compared to 6,231 last year.
Elected officers 16/17 President Sophie Timbers Vice President Education Mo Hanafy Vice President Welfare Hollie Cooke Vice President Societies Milly Dyer Vice President Sport / AU President Elin Harding Vice President Heath Park Niko Holmes Vice President Postgrad Alexander Kuklenko Students with Disabilites Charlie Knights Black & Ethnic Minorities Nancy Turnbull LGBT+ (Open) Marcus Connolly LGBT+ (Women) Ruth Lewis Ethical & Environmental James Daly Welsh Language Osian Morgan International Students Vacant Women’s Officer Vacant Mature Students Vacant
NEWS 5
Campaign week
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his year campaign week took a very different approach to previous elections. With less costumes, more manifestos and increased honesty about the whole process, is student democracy going in the right direction at last? During the week, as noted by many candidates, there were far fewer costumes and gimmicks to be seen, with a greater focus on manifestos and policy. This included students running for a whole range of roles, including Steffan Bryn who stated that as a “serious position of responsibility”, the role of SU President needs a serious candidate. Although Toby Lock did note that there was a certain pressure to dress up, especially amongst those less well-known than students already in sabbatical roles, it appeared to remain a matter of preference. For VP Societies candidate Aidan Cammies, wearing a seven and a half foot tall dinosaur costume was the best way to break the ice when approaching students. In response to a lack of gimmicks, those interviewed by Gair Rhydd for the live blog noted a positive shift amongst the electorate. This included students choosing to engage with candidates and their ideas in a more meaningful manner. There was certainly no patience for some tactics employed, with students taking to Twitter to compain: “drumming outside a library is really not appreciated.” VP Welfare Matthew Procter was also criticised by the Students’ Union for using stencils to spray his message onto the stairs of the building. According to officials it will take “weeks” to wash off. Ultimately though, with eight different schools away on Reading Week, many candidates noted that Park Place was markedly quieter, with less students to approach. As one candidate running for AU President explained, the timing proved problematic for some as lecture shout-outs constitute a fundamental part of campaigning. In order to combat the issue most students running in the elections explained that they had to change their tactics to social media. For many this proved a welcome change, with Students with Disabilities Officer candidate George Watkins noting that it’s a better way to “reach more people”. For others reading week created a different sort of problem. For candidates studying subjects within schools such an ENCAP, the break from lectures proved a welcome opportunity to campaign without missing class. However for Aidan Cammies election week fell on week full of assignments and essays, causing him to miss a deadline. Unfortunately election week is held at the same time each year regardless of how the term falls. According to current SU President Claire Blakeway this is to allow the University to ensure that “deadlines, assessments, field trips, placements
and other activity is scheduled sensitively at this time of year.” Other notable events during the week included the sheer honesty of those running. Most notably this included candidate VP Welfare, Rachael Melhuish, who took to a blog post to stress that: “Candidates work incredibly hard and go through a lot of physical and psychological exhaustion. Elections week is stressful, tiring, incredibly frustrating and often quite upsetting, with tensions and emotions running high throughout.” VP Heath candidate Tim Nagle also took the decision to stop campaigning as he wasn’t enjoying it, whilst newly elected SU President admitted that she was relying on “massive amounts of lemsip” to get through the results show due to the “unbelievably tough” nature of campaigning. Although other candidates stressed that they had a great time during the week, with many thanking other competitors for their support and friendship, it was important that voters were made to see student elections from both perspectives. In terms of voter turnout, this year managed to see an increase in student participation compared to past elections, with many casting their decision in the last remaining hours. Like last time undergradutes continued to engage with student politics to a far greater level, with only 13 per cent of all votes made by postgradutes. This follows criticisms voiced during the Question Time event for candidates that those completing Masters and PhD programmes are not always invited or made to feel welcome in Students’ Union events. Although there far fewer votes cast in total, with 48,447 compared to last year’s 57,984, SU Officials told Gair Rhydd that this is mainly because roles which were open last year, including NUS Delegates and Student Senate Chair, were not decided upon in this elections. Looking at voter turnout within individual schools, Music and Welsh saw the highest levels of student engagement- hardly surprising with a number of candidates running from each. The same trend continued for a number of sports and societies, with candidates representing groups with the highest levels of vote. This included the rowing club, athletic club, brassband and A Cappella group. Overall, this year Cardiff Students Union Elections seemed to grow up. Of course there were the campaign videos and memes, most notably Nadine Dahan’s efforts in the case of the latter. Indeed campaigning even went to new lengths as Hannah Sterritt took to creating a Tinder profile to lobby Cardiff students. However this was only a small part of the experience which saw more effort taken to involve the students themselves. With only 22 per cent of the Cardiff University population actually voting there is a long way to go to get all students involved. But at least the SU is making progress.
The best of Twitter
6 NEWS
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ophie Timbers has been named Students’ Union President. The current VP Education was elected in after gaining 2,267 votes in a landslide victory over her five fellow competitors. Talking to Gair Rhydd after the results were announced, Timbers thanked her voters, stating: “there’s no denying that it has been so incredibly tough. Every single candidate deserves a huge congratulations whether they’ve won the election or not, because I know, having been through two of them, that it is so unbelievably tough. She continued: “There’s no denying that it feels incredible to be elected for the second time now. I’m literally speechless, I haven’t stopped crying -
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eating six other contestants, Mo Hanafy will represent students in all aspects of education in the next academic year. In an interview after the election results, Hanafy stressed that campaign week was “unbelievable, an amazing experience, just so good. He continued: “campaigning was so much fun, with people out there getting involved.” With strong competition for the role, Hanafy received the most votes by only a small margin, gaining 1,169 to Katie Meechan’s 1,138. In his manifesto he has promised to develop a new university app to com-
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ollie Cooke will be the next VP Welfare. Accompanied by the Cookie Monster during campaign week, Cooke gained 1,174 votes to secure her position, fighting off Claire Brosnan who placed a close second. In her acceptance speech the candidate seemed overcome with emotion, as she stressed: “I don’t know what to say, thank you so much. “I want to say well done to Claire and to Sarah and to all the other candidates, you’re all amazing I don’t know what to say, thanks”. In her manifesto, Cooke, like Timbers, will work on introducing a night
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fter a week-long campaign Milly Dyer, aka Millie’s Cookies, has been named VP Societies. Beating Joe Rummings by a mere 85 votes, the candidate promises to introduce a host of new ideas to the Students’ Union, not least a “low cost” travel agent and Post Office. We caught up with Dyer earlier in the week in an interview. She explained that as Give it a Go Coordinator, a member of the Welcome Crew, ambassador for Careers & Employability and a President of a
I’m an emotional wreck”. When asked what her first actions would be as President in September, Timbers stressed that “the night bus has received the most responses from students so that’s probably where I’ll start.” In her acceptance speech the future SU President promised the audience that “I’ll do you all proud and will represent you all equally”. Timber’s manifesto promises an ambitious year ahead, with plans to install a pharmacy and supermarket in the Students’ Union. She also pledged to lobby to install a trainstation at the Talybont halls of residence. As mentioned previously the VP Education, like Hollie Cooke, wants to see
a free night bus established to transport students from the Students’ Union nightclub events Flux and Yolo to both Cathays and halls. Following the sexual attacks that took place during Freshers week last year, the idea has seen a wave of support from concerned students. In order to improve student welfare Timbers will provide more multi-faith and meditation rooms across campus and a free tampon dispenser in the SU. In the wake of criticism of the Welsh language provisions for students, Timbers will also work to “implement a University-wide Welsh language strategy.” For students on placement, she will provide increasing financial support.
bine all online platforms including SIMS, Intranet and library information. Like other candidates the future VP Education will introduce a fairer library fine system and seek to implement “good feedback practice in all schools”. Manafy will also increase the opportunities available to go on placements, including opportunities abroad for students in all courses. For students at the Heath campus Hanafy will create a “fully confidential system” to allow complaints to be raised without concern. Meanwhile lecturers are to be trained to use the LearnPlus system
across all campus to improve the quality of learning both on and off camera. Last year VP Education Sophie Timbers promised to create better transport connections between the Heath and Park Place campus, including the creation of a cycle path. Building upon this, Hanafy has pledged to introduce a “bicycle-rental facility” between both locations. In order to improve students’ wellbeing whilst studying, more waiter coolers will be placed around campus. Determined to help the university to achieve its targets, Hanafy will work to ensure that it is awarded 80 per cent in Assessment and Feedback NSS results.
bus system to ensure students return home safely. However, she plans on making the route wider than the President’s plans, with University Halls and the Heath both included in the drop-off points. Cooke also promises to improve the help provided by personal tutors, with the introduction of a feedback system. This follows after the subject of tutors was brought up at the latest AGM, with many stating that a lack of training in mental health can lead to some members of staff providing inadequate care. Continuing the work of current Welfare VP Kate Delaney, the successful
candidate will improve the sexual health facilities available. This includes increasing its opening hours, which only include Wednesdays this semester. During the Question Time event held for all candidates, the future sabbatical officer was the only one to point out that there is no specific budget for welfare matters. By creating one she hopes that improving students’ wellbeing can be achieved more efficiently. To complement Hanafy’s library revamp, Cooke will also implement a vending machine system using student cards and refurbish the ASSL’s “chill out zone” to reduce stress.
society she is more than qualified for the role. Like other candidates, Dyer wants to implement a change in the current society tier system, which categorizes groups into bronze, silver and gold categories. By introducing a platinum level, she hopes to praise those who “show good consistency” and care more about their engagement with students rather than “just ticking boxes, as it is at the moment”. By reaching the top tier, societies would receive new awards, such as discounts for society events in the
Taf and rewards across SU food outlets. However, increasing the food options is not only limited to those in societies, as the new VP wants to improve the options available during club nights at the SU. Other points in her manifesto include the installation of a ‘Society of the Week’ showcase feature to increase publicity. According to Dyer the allocation of transport needs to be made fairer, citing issues such BUCS teams often receiving priority for buses.
SOCIETIES WELFARE EDUCATION PRESIDENT
Cardiff Students’ Union Elections 2016 Meet the winners
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iko Holmes will be the new Vice President Heath Park Campus, after beating second placed candidate Timothy Nagle by 1,905 to 785. The third year DanceSport President and Healthcare Co-ordinator at Cardiff Sixth Form College has promised in his manifesto to increase the amount of services at the Heath, which he has stated will include the expansion of the Heath Hub. Another of his main policies describes increasing the involvement of teams and societies in activities at the Heath. To achieve this, Holmes plans to increase the size of the Heath Fayre, and make all clubs more accessible
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n addition to the sabbatical roles, six parttime campaign officers were elected for the next academic year. Running uncontested Nancy Turnbull was chosen as Black & Ethnic Minorities Officer (BME), after receiving 3, 259 votes over 216 calls to Reopen Nominations (R.O.N). We caught up with Turnbull earlier in the week. She explained that her experience as a student representative is a big factor in why she deserves to be BME Officer, adding that she is “compassionate and always willing to go the extra mile for others”. Next year Turnbull will be pushing to try and increase degree attainment for Black and Ethnic Minorities students. She explained: “It has been recognised, but I want to know why there is a lower degree attainment- we all have access to the same facilities.” She also aims to build upon the International Students Day, and put forward bigger and better events that will further integrate BME students into university life. James Daly was elected Ethical and Environmental Officer after running uncontested. Speaking to Gair Rhydd, Daly outlined
his priorites for next year. His main policy, which involves the creation of a ‘Free Speech Zone’, would prevent the Students’ Union from banning anyone coming to the University to perform or speak. Daly stated that he would force the Union to “allow anyone who wants to speak, to speak, and any view to be challenged”. Daly’s other policies include a plan to introduce solar panels and wind turbines at various places on campus. He has also pledged to reduce paper waste at the Union, and introduce a ‘No Cars on Campus’ day. Next year’s LGBT+ Open Officer will be Marcus Connolly who describes himself as “out and proud, proud of who I am and proud of being accepted by people.” Connolly highlighted the importance of supporting students’ mental health as a priority, stating that mental health issues “disproportionately affects LGBT+ students”. This, he argued, was due to the challenges faced by LGBT+ students that are not experienced by other students. These are often related to how LGBT+ students come to terms with their own sexuality, and the ‘com-
Like other candidates, Kukleko included the need to obtain fair-pay for postgraduate tutors and will work to ensure that appropriate systems are in place. However, in order to differentiate himself from the other candidates, he also worked hard during campaign week to sell his ideas to undergraduates, who he described as “prospective postgrad students”. This includes “rewarding returning students with money off for those who want to do a postgraduate course in Cardiff ”, a move which apparently the University could do but don’t implement”.
an online booking system for sports facilities around the University, making it easier for students to book pitches and other equipment, such as the 3G pitches at Talybont. Another one of her key policies involves promoting healthy lifestyles for those involved in sport at Cardiff University. One example of this listed in her manifesto involves introducing new initiatives such as a ‘recipe of the week’, which would “attempt to motivate athletes to try new, affordable, high protein and healthy meals”. Harding also wants to vastly increase participation in IMG, and plans to open it up to make it available in
every sport. The new VP Sports and AU President is also hoping to expand the ‘Give-it-a-go’ scheme, and plans to implement this policy by bringing in regular gym classes which would cost just £1. Harding won by a considerable margin, after a successful week of campaigning that saw her enlist the help of Welsh rugby international Hallam Amos, in order to secure votes. The Wales star tweeted his followers with the caption: “Any Cardiff students drop Elin Harding a vote for VP Sports”, above a photo of him holding a ‘I’m voting Elin Harding’ sign.
for Heath students. The new VP Heath Park Campus has also said in his manifesto that he will provide more support for students on placement, which he argues can “make you feel disconnected from the University”. He hs also assured students that, under his guidance, healthcare schools will be more transparent over placement costs, making it clear to students what they will and will not have to pay for themselves while on placement. Holmes has also pledged to improve the student support network at the Heath Park Campus, with a particular focus on mental health ser-
vices. In his manifesto, Holmes said: “Your timetable and your healthcare commitments should never get in the way of YOUR wellbeing!”. Holmes secured a comfortable victory at the elections after his only rival, Timothy Nagle, stopped campaigning three days into the election week. Nagle, a third year nursing student, described the experience as “draining” and said that campaigning during the week was “not particularly enjoyable”. Nagle pulled out on Wednesday night, however he congratulated Holmes on his victory shortly after the results were announced.
ing out’ process, which can lead to estrangement from family and other difficulties. Connolly talked of the importance of building an LGBT+ community at Cardiff that is “welcoming, and that is here for you”, and hopes to increase participation in association events among LGBT+ students. The LGBT+ Women’s officer will be Ruth Lewis, who ran uncontested in this year’s election. In her manifesto Lewis said “my main aim is to raise more awareness for the community, and in particular, the trans* community. Cardiff is a very forward thinking university, however there is still a lot of work to be done and progress to be made.” Lewis plans to tackle issues of people becoming “desensitised” to LGBT+ by “holding charity gigs and putting up posters to make people think about the topic.” Charlie Knights will take on the role of Students with Disabilities Officer next year. In his manifesto, Knights has pledged to improve Student Support facilities in the Heath Campus, after revelations were made in Gair Rhydd about the building’s poor condition. When questioned about how he would
create change where others have failed, the candidate stressed that his “approach will be quite cut throat”. Although Knights does intend to work “with and not against” Student Support if elected, and praised the work done by staff, he also wants to “act as external body scrutinising them to ensure that they’re working to their full capacity.” Running uncontested, Osian Morgan was elected as Welsh Language Officer. As stated in his manifesto, Morgan wants to “assure that the Welsh speaking students of Cardiff receive the same rights and representation as those of Aberystwyth and Bangor.” In his acceptance speech Morgan criticised the current representation of Welsh speaking students and said it is “not up to standard”. He went on to say that he “looks forward to working with the sabbatical officers to change this.” Morgan also hopes to “strengthen and expand the ‘Welsh for All’ scheme”, whilst campaigning to re-establish one Welsh Medium hall in Senghennydd Court during his year in the role.
SPORTS
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inning in a landslide vote, Elin Harding will be the next AU President and VP Sports. The captain of the Cardiff netball first team received 1,596 votes compared to her runner-up Emma Fitzpatrick with 849. In her manifesto Harding has promised to improve sports facilities, from resurfacing hockey pitches to increasing the lighting at Llanrumney. During campaign week several candidates drew attention to inadequate provisions for teams, with the fencing piste and basketball courts described as in need of a revamp. Harding has also pledged to create
tained that the system would be “possible and easily implemented”. For the Kuklenko, one of the biggest problems facing postgraduates is the “social aspect”, stating that “I feel we’re not necessary invited to certain events”. To overcome this and to make PG students feel like “they’re just as involved in the Union”, he will create the position of a postgraduate events manger to work with throughout the year to encourage students to attend more events. Although the next VP for Postgrads remains unsure about exact funding for the role, the candidate maintained that “it’s something I really want to push forward.”
PART-TIME ROLES HEATH PARK
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lexander Kuklenko will be your next VP Postgraduates, taking over from Katie Kelly in September. Having completed his undergraduate degree in Sheffield University, Kuklenko explained to Gair Rhydd that this allows him to bring fresh ideas to Cardiff. This includes creating a head-count facility at all libraries in order to inform students of the amount of desk space available. For Kuklenko this idea constitutes a key manifesto policy as it is “universal” and something all students would benefit from. Indeed, having spoken to IT staff, the future sabbatical officer main-
POSTGRAD
NEWS 7
8 NEWS
Candidate Awards Duracell Bunny Award Alex White
R.O.N 27
0
SEB ROBYNS-LANDRICOMBE 165
500
STEFFAN BRYN 465
1000
NADINE DAHAN 726
1500
ALEX WHITE 855
2000
HANNAH STERRITT 1149
Votes are counted taking only people’s first choice and if one candidate has over 50 per cent of the votes they are elected. If, however, there is no clear winner the person with the least votes is removed from the running and the second preference of the people who voted for them is added to the remaining candidates voting totals. This process continues until one candidate has 50 per cent of the total votes and is declared the winner.
VP POSTGRADUATES KEY FACTS 6,555 individual voters 48,477 votes cast 5% more voters than 2015
500 0
ALYZA TABOR 280
R.O.N 45
TOBY LOCK 405
R.O.N 55
R.O.N 100
0
1000
TIM NAGLE 785
200
1500
NIKO HOLMES 1905
400
2000
R.O.N 62
600
AU PRESIDENT JOSHUA HEADINGTON 98
800
SAMUEL MURRAY 340
1000
SUBHRA MUKHERJEE 474
1200
MATTHEW JENKINS 980
VP SOCIETIES
JACK BAIRSTOW 521
0
DANIEL NASH 600
300
WILL HARRIS 672
600
EMMA FITZPATRICK 849
900
ELIN HARDING 1496
1200
R.O.N. 40
USMAN M. BUKHARI 267
AIDAN CAMMIES 453
0
LUKE BRETT 522
200
CHARLOTTE HAYRE 604
400
MAISIE HILLIER 833
600
JOE RUMMING 1041
800
MILLY DYER 1126
1000
1500
Richard Branson Award Hannah Sterritt
Gift of the Gab Award Will Harris
VP EDUCATION
VP WELFARE 1200
MEGAN COOK 355
0
Steven Spielberg Award Luke Brett
Zuckerberg Award Elin Harding
AILSA MACPHERSON 468
200
LAKOTA HARDWICK 459
400
BAYAN M. THAKER 678
600
JENNA CROCOMBE 849
800
KATIE MEECHAN 1138
1000
MO HANAFY 1169
JONATHAN CRISP 49
1200
R.O.N. 52
0
RACHAEL MELHUISH 224
200
DAN TUCKER 286
400
MATTHEW PROCTER 345
600
MADS PAGE 464
800
SARAH HOPKINS-WEAVER 631
1000
HOLLIE COOKE 1174
1200
CLAIRE BROSNAN 1086
SU PRESIDENT
ALEX KUKLENKO 1021
Because Cardiff Students’ Union uses STV, the data we are displaying is how many votes each candidate had before they were either eliminated or lost.
2500
STV VOTING - HOW DOES IT WORK?
Note:
SOPHIE TIMBERS 2267
The voting statistics: In detail
VP HEATH Which roles received the most votes?
President: 4,867 votes VP Welfare: 3,646 votes VP Heath: 3,429 votes VP Education: 3,950 votes AU President: 4, 152 votes VP Societies: 3,955 VP Postgraduate: 3,291
Best Sidekick Jenen Ashi Candidates’ Candidate Award Toby Lock
NEWS 9
Investigation into Queen’s Building death ‘on-going’
Toby Holloway
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The man’s death is not being treated as suspicious, however the cause of death is, as of yet, ‘unexplained’.
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Joanna Beck
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20 year old student has died after being found in Cardiff University’s Queen’s Building on Thursday, 18th February. According to South Wales Police, the man’s death is not being treated as suspicious, however the cause of death is, as of yet, ‘unexplained’. The student was found at about 2pm at the Queen’s Building, on the Parade, which is home to the Cardiff School of Engineering, the School of Physics and Astronomy, and the Cardiff School of Computer Science and Informatics. He was later taken to the Cardiff University Hospital, where he died. The full police statement read: “South Wales Police officers are investigating the unexplained death of a 20 year-old man who was discovered in the Queen’s Building on the Parade in Cardiff, on Thursday, 18
I
Pictured: Queen’s Building (Photographer: Phillip Halling)
February, 2016. “The man was taken to the University Hospital of Wales where he later died. At this early stage we do not believe there to be any suspicious circumstances but an investigation to establish what happened is ongoing”. If anybody has information they are urged to contact 101 or their student welfare officer immediately”. Next of kin have been informed and a file of evidence is being prepared for H M Coroner”. The student has not been identified by either South Wales Police or by Cardiff University, however a university spokesperson said: “Our immediate thoughts and sympathies are with the student’s friends and family. Anyone affected can access support from our professional student support staff or our Chaplains”.
A Lidl bit bigger: Mosque application rejected as plans for megastore go ahead
n the same meeting that planning permission for a new mosque in Canton was denied, Lidl in Splott were given the go ahead to knock down their existing store and build a larger one. The existing Lidl, as reported on Wales Online, has a floorspace of 1,044 square metres but the expansion will see it grow to 2,488 square metres. As part of their application, Lidl have promised to pay £20,000 to build a raised zebra crossing outside the store. In the very same meeting a planning application for a new mosque was de-
nied due to worries of increased traffic and parking. According to Wales Online, the application suggested the mosque would only be used by around 30 people, but the council’s transport officer was concerned that they had not provided sufficient evidence that traffic would not be affected. Speaking to Wales Online Riverside Councillor Iona Gordon said that she supported the application for the mosque. “When I think how many mosques have been applied for at the heart of Victorian communities, here
we have a site that’s on a semi-industrial area. I personally don’t see a problem. We have got 22 car parking spaces here.” There is one mosque in Canton and 15 in Cardiff in total and Conservative Councillor Lyn Hudson dismissed any ideas of discrimination when she told Wales Online: “If this were a Christian church with bells, I’d be asking ‘What about the surrounding area?’ because people would be concerned”. Gair Rhydd spoke to Cardiff University’s Islamic Society about this matter and they said that although they did not
know about this particular case, they face similar issues around the University. “All I can say is about the general muslim student needs in Cardiff unione thing we are lacking and currently campaigning for is more faith prayer rooms around campus, this would be a huge benefit for the Muslims population at uni.” Future Student’s Union President Sophie Timbers has promised to increase the number of multi faith prayer rooms around the university during her term next year.
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If this were a Christian church with bells, I’d be asking ‘What about the surrounding area?’ Conservative Councillor Lyn Hudson
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Five taxi drivers lose licences over fare refusals
Anna Lewis Toby Holloway
T
he number of complaints made about taxis has increased, only months after drivers were accused of refusing to serve students.
Last week it was also revealed that five Hackney cab drivers have had their licences revoked after choosing not to take customers on shorter jour-
neys. As it stands, taxi drivers are only allowed to refuse a fare if the potential passenger is drunk or abusive, or if the fare ends outside the boundary of Cardiff. This makes the refusal of any passengers that do not meet these criteria illegal. According to Cardiff Council, ‘mystery shoppers’ will continue to test taxi services in order to ensure that bad practices do not continue. South Wales Police and other authorities are also working to provide potential taxi customers with essential information before travelling, including the right to demand that journeys be measured on the meter. The news follows a police campaign that encouraged people in Cardiff to report the misconduct of taxi drivers, after a tide of complaints were initially made during the Rugby World Cup last year. With the sports event coinciding with the start of freshers’ week for Cardiff Uni, this meant that many students were refused journeys home, with drivers allegedly choosing to take on longer and thus more profitable demands.
This was particularly concerning given the three sexual assaults that took place in Cardiff city centre at this time, prompting a spokesperson for the Cardiff Hackney Cabs Association to appeal to drivers not to ignore students. South Wales Police deemed the actions of certain taxi drivers during the Rugby World Cup as ‘unacceptable’, while the negligence of particular individuals also compromised the Student’s Union’s ‘Safe Taxi’ scheme. The scheme was increasedas a response to the series of sexual assaults in Fresher’s Week, and allowed students to get a taxi home with the fare being charged to the Student’s Union, which the student would pay back on a later date. This news is the latest in a string of controversies surrounding Cardiff taxi drivers, who have made headlines regularly in recent times, often for the wrong reasons. Students have also reported being unable to book taxis at times of peak demand due to large amounts of reservations, and there have also been cases of overcharging when drivers refuse to put meters on.
Pictured: Drivers under fire (Photographer: James Barrett via Flickr)
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Taxi drivers are only allowed to refuse a fare if the potential passenger is drunk or abusive, or if the fare ends outside the boundary of Cardiff.
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10 ADVICE
advice
Editors: Gwen Williams Caragh Medlicott @GairRhyddAdv advice@gairrhydd.com gairrhydd.com/advice
Facing the audience: A guide to public speaking
Caragh Medlicott
G
eorge Jessel once said ‘The human brain starts working the moment you are born and never stops until you stand up to speak in public.’ It’s true that public speaking can be daunting and it’s something the vast majority of students fear. Unfortunately with seminar presentations, class lectures and even job interviews, it’s something we will inevitably encounter in some form or other. This week I met with UK and Ireland public speaking finalist Melanie Smart to discuss the benefits of public speaking, how we can become become better at it and tips on beating those pre-speech butterflies. When did you first encounter public speaking and how did you become further involved with it?
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Rather than trying to kill the butterflies, instead I try and get them flying in formation.
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The first time I did anything involving speaking to an audience of any kind was probably when my Mum encouraged me to get involved with armature dramatics. It wasn’t a natural thing for me to want to do, and I was terrified even just at the thought of having to stand on a stage. But I grew to love it and performance became an addiction I haven’t ever been able to get out of my system. When my career took off and I didn’t have time to rehearse or take part in drama anymore, I turned to public speaking to get my performance kick.
In what ways is public speaking a relevant and valuable skill for university students?
Do you still get nervous when you speak and do you have any tips for managing nervousness in general?
The famous Greek orator Pericles said ‘Those who can think, but cannot express what they think, place themselves at the level of those who cannot think’. So where better place than university – a place of learning and intelligenceto have the ability to articulate your thoughts and feelings? Whether it’s in a seminar or after several pints at the bar, being able to speak with meaning will be of massive use to you.
As a naturally shy person, I still get nervous, every time. But rather than trying to kill the butterflies, instead I try and get them flying in formation. Think about your posture and make sure you’re standing up straight, it will make you appear more confident. Oh and always, always focus on talking slowly, as again it adds to you seeming self-assured and makes sure everything you say is clear and not rushed out of nerves.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to get into public speaking for the first time? My advice would be to practice and experience speaking within the safe environment of a speaking club such as Toastmasters. Like the lottery, you really need to be in it to win it; speaking to, and receiving feedback from a wide range of people will make you a better and well-rounded speaker. Also, don’t get too hung up on what a good speaker should and shouldn’t do. Allow some of your personality to show through. For example, I can do a Scooby Doo impression which usually gets a pretty good response! Providing it’s not too out of context, something like this can really make you stand out from the crowd.
What do you personally think makes a good public speaker? Well aside from all the obvious things, something I think makes an impressive and engaging speaker is someone who tells stories in their speeches. People don’t like to be lectured to, but love to hear stories. Particularly when you use everyday things to make your subject – no matter what it is – relatable to your audience. I remember I once talked about going strawberry picking out of season as part of a speech about marketing in a depression, and it is something that got a really positive response. I found even a long time after people remembered my speech because of its relation to something less serious with more of a narrative.
In what way is public speaking a transferrable skill? Public speaking is a skill which can help you in almost every aspect of daily life. It will help you with anything from settling a debate in a pub, to giving a memorable presentation and even to bagging your dream job and acing the interview. Plus, a professional and complete speaker knows not only how to speak, but to give positive evaluations of others without being overly critical. This technique allows you to give feedback as a manager or team leader in a constructive way. Plus for me personally, public speaking actually lead into standup comedy, but that’s another story.
Pictured: Emma Watson speaking at the HeForShe launch (Photographer: UN Women via flickr)
What would you say to someone who has to present or speak publicly despite a personal aversion to it? A former world champion of public speaking – Darren LaCroix- once told me to stop giving speeches, and start having conversations. With this in mind, treat it less like a task and more like a conversation with a room full of people. Make sure you aren’t ‘umm’ing and ‘arrr’ing and pause instead when you aren’t sure of what to say, it gives you an air of control and confidenceeven if you’re dying inside! Ironically, the less words you use the more self-assured you’ll come across and the clearer your message will be.
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Treat it less like a task and more like a conversation with a room full of people.
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ADVICE 11
Playing it safe:
Gabriella Mansell
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The three main safeguards to implement are contraception, protection and getting checked regularly.
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Gwen Williams
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A Master’s degree is many things to many different people, offering personal, professional and, of course, intellectual satisfaction.
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A
Thinking about your sexual health
common perception regarding university students is that we’re a promiscuous bunch that enjoy ‘getting it on’ with our fellow peers. In fact, a study by ‘student beans’ revealed that whilst at Uni 51 percent of students admitted to having a one-night stand. As well as this, a Gair Rhydd Cardiff student sex survey revealed that 59 percent of respondents admitted to having had a sexual encounter whilst drunk that they may not have had if they were sober. Arguably these figures are cause for slight concern as having sex whilst under the influence of alcohol or drugs decreases the likelihood that you’ll take the extra precautions you usually would. Despite this, there is nothing wrong with having regular sex just as long as it is practiced safely. When spontaneous nights happen, there is no need to feel guilty or embarrassed as long as you remember to be responsible engaging in the protected sex you want to have. There are several precautions you can take to ensure that you are having safe sex; avoiding contracting STIs and additionally for women, unwanted pregnancy. The three main safeguards to implement are contraception, protection and getting checked regularly. The fourth alternative option is abstinence, although this is not neces-
sarily a viable option or favourable for everyone. There are a variety of contraceptives on offer, from the pill to the implant. It is worth visiting the NHS website or your GP to decide which method of contraception is most suitable for you. Contraception is important, as it’s one of the primary methods of preventing unwanted pregnancy. However, it is imperative not to rely on contraceptives alone, as they do not protect you from contracting STIs. Using condoms as well as other contraceptives hugely prevents your risk of contracting a sexually transmitted infection as well as avoiding unwanted pregnancy. Another factor, which is commonly overlooked, is that STIs can be caught from oral sex, therefore if you are with an unfamiliar partner it is important to use a dental dam to fully avoid this. In addition to these useful methods of prevention, regular check ups are advisable to guarantee you’re in good health and not carrying an STI you are unaware of. In the unfortunate event that you suspect you may have contracted a STI then you should stay calm. Although this can initially be embarrassing, it’s important to see a doctor to get tested as soon as possible. This is because STIs such as Chlamydia (which is the most common STI) don’t necessarily have any symptoms, but can cause long term health
problems such as infertility. Therefore it is of the upmost importance that you get checked right away so you can be treated and to also prevent you from passing the infection on to someone else. So what services are on offer in Cardiff? Contraception: If you require emergency contraception such as the morning after pill, the nearest clinics to the SU are The Roath Clinic on Albany Road, The Cardiff Royal Infirmary on Newport Road and Boots Pharmacy on Queen Street. All of the aforementioned clinics offer a walk in service in which you can ask for the morning after pill for free.
Free condoms are available in The SU reception, which you can pick up from SHAG’s condom bucket. Testing: Park Place Surgery next to the Students’ Union offers a walkin Contraception and Sexual Screening Clinic (for Chlamydia). As long as you’re a registered patient at Park Place or Roath House Surgery you can drop in every Wednesday from 1pm - 3pm. Full STI testing is available (which includes blood tests) is available at The Royal Infirmary on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday mornings. To book an appointment text the word ‘SLOT’ to 07786202254 at 6pm the evening before you want to attend.
Pictured: Condoms - a simple way to stay safe: (Photographer Rorro Navia via flickr).
Mastering your postgraduate application
F
Gwen discovers the benefits of further education
iguring out what you want to do when you graduate is one of the biggest decisions of your life. With our final year coming to an end, making that choice when the path ahead is wide open is difficult. We are excited by what’s out there but a little afraid of making the wrong decision. Many students are already looking for jobs, while others would love to stay on for further education. Not sure if you’re cut out for a masters? I asked Dr Robert Gossedge, Convenor for the MA in English Literature, about how further study could benefit graduate students: “A Master’s degree is many things to many different people, offering personal, professional and, of course, intellectual satisfaction. For instance, the MA in English Literature provides excellent research training for students who plan to move on to doctoral research, delivering PhD-level training in critical and theoretical analysis, research methods and conceptual thinking. It is also ideal for those who wish to enhance their employ-
ability potential, as well as those who are seeking professional development in their current employment. Many of our students undertake the MA to strengthen their transferable skills for a variety of careers, including journalism, publishing, teaching, and research.” So, what factors should be considered when thinking about applying for further study? Rob suggests that you answer these questions honestly: “Are you intellectually curious enough to want to develop your knowledge and expertise in your chosen subject? What do you want to gain from a Masters? Increased employability potential? Professional development? New intellectual horizons?” If you can answer yes then it may be for you. If you are considering a masters degree, why not complete your application anyway? There’s no harm in trying and you can change your mind once you’ve received an offer. It’s better to keep the option open for as long as possible rather than regretting it later on. Applying for a masters is far less complicated than
the UCAS system that we all hated. “A good personal statement is key,” advises Rob. “There’s no right way to write one but a personal statement is focused on the applicant’s professional and intellectual aims is always strong. Stating simply why you want to undertake another year – or few years – of study is important: you need to show that you have intellectual and professional ambition. Demonstrating how your previous experience has enabled you to prepare for this next step is also vital. So what way is a masters a step up from a BA degree? There certainly is a closer focus on independent research which is more specialised: “In English Literature, it means an immersion in the research culture of our University. The word ‘university’ means ‘union’, as in ‘trade union’ – a union between teachers and learners, and crucially, between researchers at different levels. The MA is more of a collaborative endeavour between staff and students than is the case at undergraduate level: there’s a greater focus on acquiring research skills,
and developing a student’s personal intellectual interests. The intellectual dynamism of an MA is what, at its historic core, the university is meant to foster.” Are you interested in doing an MA? Here is some advice from Rob on how you can best prepare yourself for your chosen course: “Critically reflect on what skills and knowledge you have already acquired and determine what skills and knowledge you still need to gain. Knowing how you need to develop as a researcher and as a learner is absolutely key to making a personal success of a taught Master’s programme. Maybe you’re thinking of taking a year out and then returning to your studies. There is no right time to do a masters says Rob “It’s entirely down to the candidate. Some come straight from an undergraduate degree very prepared to do the MA. Other students benefit enormously from bringing a few years of experience from outside of higher education to the table. It’s what you do when you get onto the Master’s programme that counts!
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Knowing how you need to develop as a researcher and as a learner is absolutely key to making a personal success of a taught Master’s programme.
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12 ADVICE
Student health spotlight: Endometriosis
Alex Roach
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Endometriosis is an illness that many people have never heard of. Which is surprising given it affects 1 in 10 women in the UK and is the leading cause of infertility.
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W
hat do Whoopi Goldberg, Cyndi Lauper and Hillary Clinton all have in common? According to The Guardian, these celebrities are three of an estimated 176 million-strong army of women all across the world who are fighting Endometriosis. Endometriosis is an illness that many people have never heard of. Which is surprising given it affects 1 in 10 women in the UK and is the leading cause of infertility in women worldwide. It is an autoimmune disease where cells usually found in the lining of the uterus are found elsewhere in the body. These cells attach themselves to organs and form cyst-like clusters which perform the same function as the cells lining the uterus (bleeding in synchrony with the womb). This blood however, has no where to go and so the cyst becomes what is referred to as an endometrioma. These cysts/endometrioma are predominantly found in regions local to the uterus and only very rarely found in organs further afield like the lungs or the heart. In fact, the only organ that ‘stray cells’ have never been found is the spleen. However, no theories have offered an explanation as to why this might be. Medics are still uncertain how these cells ‘go rouge’. There are currently six disputed causes of Endometriosis, which is one of the many reasons why it takes an average of eight years for someone with the
condition to be diagnosed. This is further complicated because an ‘official’ diagnosis of the condition can only be achieved through exploratory surgery. In addition, a diagnosis can prove challenging because a sufferer could exhibit all of the potential symptoms or only a few and all to varying degrees and at different times. These symptoms include; extremely painful periods, chronic abdominal or back pain, fatigue, pain during sexual intercourse, infertility, nausea, irregular or excessive bleeding, leg pain and painful bowel movements. Plus, Endometriosis can also lead to other health issues such as Endometriosisinduced IBS or related bladder problems. One particular indication of Endometriosis is the development of internal lesions. In simple terms: lesions are formed by the development of scar tissue and can connect organs together and tie them up. Below are listed six theories which attempt to explain the cause of Endometriosis and their definitions which can be found on endometriosis-uk. org. Genetic predisposition-Some research suggests that Endometriosis can be passed down from mother to daughter but few advances have been made in the research investigating this theory. Retrograde menstruation-the re-uptake of cells lining the womb which are supposed to be shedded instead travelling back up
through the fallopian tubes. Lymphatic or circulatory spread- a ‘fault’ in the lymphatic or circulatory system, explaining cases where Endometrial masses have been found in the brain and eyes. Immune dysfunction- many women who suffer from Endometriosis have been found to have less tolerant immune systems than the average non-sufferer. However, a direct link is yet to be found. Environmental causes-animal studies found that high levels of exposure to toxins such as dioxin lead to increased cases of Endometriosis. However, this theory is not yet applicable to humans. Finally, Metaplasia- this is a process where one form of cell morphs into another. Typically this occurs as a response to inflammation and allows cells to adapt to their surrounding circumstance and environment. Metaplasia would explain how the Endometriosis cells appear somewhat scattered inside the body. Unfortunately a cure has not yet been found and women with the condition are left attempting to manage their symptoms. However, after talking to a fellow student who suffers from the condition and has spent years going through almost every treatment available, including, all forms of the pill sold in the UK- used for hormonal control, the implant, prescribed pain relief, medication which de-sensitised the necessary pain receptors, medication which put her ovaries in a state which her
doctors called suspension. In addition, between the ages of 18-20 she was put into medically induced menopause which was later reversed as she came off the medication. None of the above listed treatments worked, or if they did it was short-lived. Finally after years of trying all the different options available she found what worked for her. She underwent her second surgery where various procedures were performed and an Intra Uterine Device (IUD) was placed. It is important to remember however, that this is an acute case so do not fear. Visit Endometriosis-uk.org for information including latest research, a glossary including all the medical terms you may come across, treatment options and also offers you the chance for fellow Endometriosis sufferers to get in contact and begin an Endo-sister pen-pal set up, and more. If you have Endometriosis and are struggling, keep fighting you will find what works for your body do not give up and let those around you help you. Alternatively, if you think you might suffer from Endometriosis go and see your GP and mention it to them, often it can be dismissed as ‘bad period pains’. And lastly, to all women and men across the globe: let’s break the taboo behind topics which are seen as ‘too personal’ when it involves the health of a 176 million. They don’t get to stop fighting, so please, let’s not stop them talking.
Pictured: Raising awareness for Endometriosis. (Photographer: ALDE communication via flickr)
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If you think you might suffer from Endometriosis go and see your GP and mention it to them, often it can be dismissed as ‘bad period pains’.
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14 COMMENT
comment
Editors: Em Gates Charley Griffiths David Williams @GairRhyddCom comment@gairrhydd.com gairrhydd.com/comment
Why the Kesha debate is so important
Em Gates
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As part of Kesha’s contract, she is banned from recording any new music or recording with any other label until her contract has been completed, which is said to be another six albums.
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here are all sorts of risks that can happen when you’re a girl. You’re told not to walk home alone, you’re told not to wear particular clothes, to not put out on the first date, to not do this and not do that. But no one ever tells you what to do if the worst happens or how to deal with it. Popstar Kesha, who you may have noticed has been out of the public eye since 2013 when ‘Timber’ was released, has personally struggled through this situation this week. Throughout her contract so far with producer Dr Luke, Kesha is said to have suffered sexual assault and battery, sexual harassment, gender violence, emotional abuse, and violation of standard working practice in California State. Now I don’t know about you, but that seems like a perfect reason to no longer want to be around the perpetrator of all this. To have to work with this person, have them tell you what to do, how to look, how to dance, I can understand why the singer broke down in tears in court this week, as her plea for an injunction in her contract to stop working with both Dr Luke and Sony got turned down by the courts. Not only does the singer have no interest in prosecuting Dr Luke for
what he’s done to her, she just simply doesn’t want to be around him. Could you imagine having a person who drugged you, a person who mentally spent ten years telling you that you’re not good enough, that same person run your career in any way he sees fit? It’s sick. She doesn’t even want him punished, she just wants him as far away from her as possible! As part of Kesha’s contract, she is banned from recording any new music or recording with any other label until her contract has been completed, which is said to be another six albums. It is expected that Dr Luke would not put much effort into the production and distribution of these records, until Kesha’s name has effectively been eradicated from the general public’s memory. You see how he has this power over her? He effectively can decide whether her career succeeds or fails. Earlier in 2014, Kesha checked out of rehab for problems caused by an eating disorder. Dr Luke now denies this, but there are speculations that this has to do with the fact he spent ten years telling her that she was “fat as a refrigerator”, and working her so hard that she had no time for breaks to eat. It goes further, to the point where it has been alleged that Sony
Music, the label that Kesha and Dr Luke work for, knew of the abuse that the singer suffered all along, and still did nothing to combat it. Is it any wonder that she wants out of this contract? Would you want to work for a company who allows you to be mentally and physically abused and constantly turns a blind eye to it, all because your brand is making them insane amounts of money every year? Celebrities have come out in force to support Kesha this week, taking to social media to stand up and confront the legal system for the decisions that have been made about her future. And this, if nothing else, is the most ground breaking thing to come out of this story. Female celebrities all over the world are teaming up together, standing up and proclaiming, “we will not be abused”. For too long now women have been influenced to not come forward about rape, about sexual assault, about being attacked, because no one will believe them. The courts proved this, by citing that their decision was “the commercially reasonable thing”, something which shouldn’t ever be an answer in the case of a woman asking not to work for a man she is literally terrified of. But it’s been said that the sheer amount of support
Kesha has received from people all over the world, including celebrities such as Lena Dunham, Miley Cyrus, and Lady Gaga, have started a petition to overturn the court’s decision. On top of that, Taylor Swift has donated £250,000 to Kesha to cover any legal fees that the previous proceedings and any future legal disputes will cost. This is a step forward for rape victims all over the world, a reason to stand up and have your voice heard and not ignored. I know Kesha could just give up on her singing career to get away from all of this mess, but that is like asking me to never write another word for the rest of my life, asking a chef to not cook for anyone else again, a teacher to walk out of a school and never go back. Kesha has been physically and mentally abused, put through an absolute shit storm that is this legal proceeding, and now people are suggesting that she give up the one thing that has kept her together over the last fifteen years? Like hell is that going to happen. With planned boycotts of all their media products by Kesha’s supporters all over the world, I’d have a think about that contract if I were Sony, because we are one group of people who are not going to back down.
Pictured: Kesha has effectively been banned from performing without her producer’s input. (Photographer: Themeplus via Flickr)
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Would you want to work for a company who allows you to be mentally and physically abused and constantly turn a blind eye to it all?
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COMMENT 15
Charley Griffiths
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If the size of someone’s lips or the texture of someone’s hair is a problem for you, I suggest getting off the internet and finding a time machine. There are absolutely no benefits in this kind of ridiculous prejudice.
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Dan Heard
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Yet if I want an update on migration, or the economy, then I want the opinion of an academic, an expert, a journalist.
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Racism must be wiped out in the beauty industry
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t is honestly quite depressing that I even have to write this article. Last week, uproar was caused simply over a black model’s lips. Yes, seriously. Backstage at New York Fashion Week, cosmetic brand MAC posted a picture to Instagram of Ugandan model Aamito Logum’s lips modelling one of their lipstick shades. Within minutes, the trolls had descended, commenting on her ‘fish lips’ and other much worse terms I don’t even want to write. Yet I couldn’t help think how we celebrate fuller lips on white women, such as Kylie Jenner or Angelina Jolie. There are so many lip tutorials for white women showing how they can get fuller lips, yet if it is a black woman, people kick off. The same can be applied to the beauty industry’s attitude to afro hair, a feature natural to most black women. Even children are targets. When Beyonce and Jay Z’s daughter Blue Ivy was pictured with her natural afro hair, people commented on how “unkempt” she looked, highlighting the pressure put on black women to straighten their hair. Yet Allure magazine can publish an article on how white women can get an afro. Kuba Shand-Baptiste, writing for The Independent, summarised nicely how “as it stands today, it is the practice of seemingly oblivious celebrities, stylists and journalists who have made it their mission in life to re-brand permanent fixtures of blackness as hot new trends for white women to either adopt or discard as they see fit.” It works the other way too, if we look at how white singer Miley Cyrus was
slammed for wearing dreadlocks and accused of appropriating black culture. It is just hair people. Why, in 2016, are racist beauty standards still a thing? I mean, come on. If the size of someone’s lips or the texture of someone’s hair is a problem for you, I suggest getting off the internet and finding a time machine. There are absolutely no benefits in posting comments like these; it achieves nothing other than highlighting how white the beauty industry is. Overwhelmingly so. A 2014 report on diversity in fashion magazines found that white models were featured five times more often than people of colour on front covers. In 2015, Cosmopolitan, a magazine supposedly celebrating all women, posted an article online about beauty trends that needed to “die” compared to the ones that were “gorgeous”. I am sure you can guess which heading the black women were unfairly and disproportionately placed under. Even brands like Dove have been criticised on their wording of skincare products, with one of their self tanning moisturisers saying it was for “normal to dark skin”, essentially saying that only white is normal. When I really thought about this, there are so many other examples. Go into Boots and tell me how many of the foundation shades are for white women compared to the lack of products for black skin. Buy a pack of plasters, they are made to blend with white skin. It is just ridiculous. Going back to the ‘controversial’ MAC picture, I guess you can say
Pictured: The image that sparked race arguments on Instagram (Photographer: Maccosmetics via Instagram)
“ some positives came from this. I want to mention here that most of the comments were nice, complimenting the model on her beauty and calling out the despicable behaviour of the trolls. Aamito Lagum is absolutely stunning, so much so that she won the first series of Africa’s Top Model. Lagum herself responded to the negative comments saying “My lips giving you sleepless nights”, before thanking MAC for the lipstick colour and saying she will buy the shade herself. She then encouraged her followers to post pictures of their lips using the hashtag
#PrettyLipsPeriod. MAC also came to her defence, posting a picture captioned “All ages. All races. All sexes”, reminding followers that they “celebrate the beauty of individuality, and the confidence to be who you are”. MAC shouldn’t have to remind us that everyone is beautiful. When negative things like this happen, a positive message always triumphs in response. But why does it take something bad to trigger this? We should just be accepting beauty in all shapes, sizes and colours in the first place. Unfortunately, we have a long way to go.
A 2014 report on diversity in fashion magazines found that white models were featured five times more often than people of colour on front covers.
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Dear celebrities, nobody wants your opinion!
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Dan Heard debates whether some famous people have the right to be social commentators, or whether it would be wise for them to simply keep quiet.
he renowned American author Mark Twain once said “It’s better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt”. Is it just me, or do very few celebrities actually do this these days? Only last week, former boxer Manny Pacquiao sparked an enormous controversy following comments he made regarding gay people and same-sex marriage, in one instance even calling them “worse than animals”. “It is common sense,” the eight times World Champion said. “Do you see animals mating with the same sex? Animals are better because they can distinguish male from female. If men mate with men and women mate with women they are worse than animals”. Perhaps the most shocking thing is that Pacquiao made the comments (for which he later, thankfully, apologised) on a site promoting his campaign to win a seat in the Philippine senate in May. Was it just a ploy to gain the support of the far more conservative, Christian voters? Or do Twain’s words speak more truth than
Manny ever could? Even the great and the good from the world of film and TV put their foot in it far too often. Three-time Academy Award winner Meryl Streep recently went off script (pardon the pun) as part of her role as head of the jury at the Berlin Film Festival, and waded into the centre of the uproar over the lack of diversity in the film industry. During a press conference for the festival, Streep deflected questions about the all-white, seven-member jury by answering, “at least women were included” and “we’re all Africans really.” While the former is an issue she has campaigned for relentlessly during her career, the latter only ignited further debate over the snubbing of black actors at this year’s Academy Awards. Now, though an issue regarding awards and nominations may appear to be within the remit of actors to have an opinion on, Streep’s comments appeared unusually dismissive and quite crass. It’s almost like something Sean Penn would say.
Ah, yes, Sean Penn. A man who gives Bono a run for his money in the “how far up my own arse can I go” stakes. There is no issue, politically, socially, or economically that he feels is beyond him to offer his input on. Renowned for his activism and his extreme left-wing views, a few years ago he called on Britain to relinquish what he referred to as its “colonialist, ludicrous and archaic” hold over the Falklands Islands. I’m sorry, but what the hell do the Falkland Islands have to do with Sean Penn? He didn’t stop there though on his moral crusade. Only last year he made his way deep into Mexico to interview the infamous drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman for Rolling Stone, only weeks after Guzman’s dramatic escape from prison. The move again drew criticism, not only from literary critics (for his weird, lapsed interviewing style) but even from the White House, who called it “maddening”. And this is the thing. If I want to hear an analysis of a boxing match, or a critique of a film (or just an
explanation of what the hell “I Am Sam” was meant to be. You’ve got two Oscars you didn’t deserve anyway Sean…), then of course I’m interested in hearing what these people have to say. After all, these are issues in which their opinion holds the most weight, seeing as it’s their profession. Yet if I want an update on migration, or the economy, then I want the opinion of an academic, an expert, a journalist. Because you’re good at acting, or sports, or can just about sing in tune, this doesn’t qualify you as a social commentator. Yet the opinions of the rich and famous are now seemingly more widely accepted than any expert (but let’s face it, if you’re listening to celebrities on global affairs, you’re not really asking the hard questions, are you?). You could argue that it’s good to see passion and commitment to causes from these personalities- but does that mean, for example, we’re meant to feel more or less sympathy for something just because a celebrity says so? Mark Twain’s words couldn’t ring truer.
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Is it just me, or do very few celebrities actually hold their tongue on social issues these days?
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16 COMMENT
Nobody is informed enough to cast an educated vote in the EU referendum
Sam Saunders
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As well as becoming dull quite quickly, the other thing that bothers me about the upcoming referendum is what I will dub ‘the Boris factor’.
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Kate Elswood
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However, the Pope has a responsibility to direct Catholics morally. Therefore, it could be considered that the points he makes on political issues are an essential part of his role.
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ith the EU referendum date now set and both the ‘Leave’ and ‘Remain’ campaigns truly underway, I’m already beginning to feel as if I’ve had enough of the whole thing. As someone who regularly reads a newspaper and tends to scroll through BBC News whilst a bit bored, it seems that there’s already been too much coverage, and we’re still in the early stages. I wonder if people who aren’t as invested in politics actually care about the referendum, or how educated they are about the issues that surround either side. Should there be more official documentation about the referendum? For example, should the government (or an unbiased source) produce impartial arguments for and against to inform people who don’t have time (or don’t want to) read a newspaper or watch the news every day until the 23rd of June? Or maybe this idea misses the point of the whole idea of referenda in general? As they’re meant to provide the view of the entire population of a country, maybe we shouldn’t try to educate everyone that is simply not as engaged. It is of course worth pointing out that, despite the whole idea of a referendum being to give the British people a ‘free vote’ on an issue, so that they aren’t divided by party allegiances, the turnouts are often laughably low. The last UK wide referendum, held in 2011 on the issue of whether
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to change our voting system, recorded a turnout of just 42.2 per cent. The last say we had on Britain’s EU membership (then the EEC), there was a similar turnout level, possibly slightly higher. Now, I’m not saying that this referendum will have a similar turnout level, as I for one hope that it will be much higher, but I am saying that I’m not sure we should worry about people who are uneducated about the referendum, as this will provide the actual view of Britain’s population. Also, if people really don’t care about this referendum, I think that they just won’t vote. After all, there was only a 66.1 per cent turnout in the last election, and even the all-important Scottish independence referendum had 15 per cent of the population missing, despite a record turnout. As well as becoming dull quite quickly, the other thing that bothers me about the upcoming referendum is what I will dub ‘the Boris factor’. This seemed to dominate the news over the weekend after the Prime Minister had negotiated his deal, and their verbal sparring in the Commons showed this even further. It does seem odd to me that there was so much speculation around which side Boris would campaign for. I mean, he is the Mayor of London, but we know he’s not seeking another term, and he doesn’t (yet) hold any significant position in the Conservative Party. I was fine with
ministers backing either side, though frankly I highly doubt anyone will support a side based solely on the support from Iain Duncan Smith and Michael Gove, two of this government’s most unpopular ministers. I suppose the reason it was covered so heavily is because many see his stance here as gearing up to climb the rungs of the ladder of the Tory hierarchy. Especially since we know that David Cameron won’t be serving a third term as Prime Minister, the discussions about his successor must inevitably start soon. It’s my view also that Boris Johnson has a certain ‘mojo’ about him. I don’t want to say charisma, but the innate buffoon that he presents to the world in interviews and on the television really make him quite endearing. He has personality, I think that’s what I mean, which we haven’t
really had since the days of Margaret Thatcher. Personally, I wouldn’t vote for either side purely based on who supports them, as that defeats the point, but Boris does provide the ‘leave’ campaign with an instantly recognisable figurehead, much more so than any government minister. The referendum is now certainly being hyped up in the media as ‘Johnson vs. Cameron’ sounding a lot like an awful parody of an upcoming superhero film. Honestly, none of this matters to you, the reader, and nor should it. It’s not my decision to make for you, and I hope that if you take my view into account on June 23rd, it’ll be mixed with others as well. All I will say is that you have the power to change the future of this country, just treat your vote with the respect it deserves.
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All I will say is you have the power to change the future of this country, just treat your vote with the respect it deserves.
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Pictured: Who has responsibility for educating the public about Britain and the EU? (Source: Number 10 via Flickr)
The Pope: A political figurehead?
he current Zika virus outbreak has led Pope Francis to suggest that he would permit the use of artificial contraception for those at risk of contracting Zika. This is due to the fact that Zika is a particularly high risk for expectant mothers, since it is believed that it could lead to babies being born with an abnormally small head. He has also recently suggested that the death penalty should
be banned. Evidently, the Pope is enthusiastic about commenting on affairs and influencing the public’s actions, in ways that are usually reserved for politicians. His travels across the world therefore appear to resemble those of political figures as he makes speeches to his followers from around the world, encouraging them to support his opinions. The Vatican has a unique status in the world. It has international power, despite the fact that it is not often recognized. The people that the leader of the Vatican represents are not just the ones the reside in the Vatican. While the permanent residents of the Vatican consist of just over 800 people, the population that the Pope represents is as diverse as it is vast. According to a survey in 2010, Catholics make up 16 per cent of the world’s population spread across the globe. Thus, the Pope has an influence that extends far beyond that of his state, making him highly powerful. As a head of state, he surely has a right to a political role. However, his role as a religious patriarch is the one that gives him his power and makes his comments heard across the globe. He has a right to free speech as much as any other person, but the power of his voice depends on his religious role, so perhaps this power should only be used for religious and not political ends. The power of the Pope in the political field could perhaps be
considered as similar to that of a celebrity who uses their existing followers to gain support when they branch out into a field other than the one that allowed them to rise to fame. In this way, it appears that the Pope’s political power is not justified. The system of electing a leader that has so much power is perhaps not as democratic as one would hope. The electorate of the Vatican and those that can stand for election is limited. For example, women can neither vote nor stand in elections. While Catholics accept this decision-making process for their religious leader, it is quite concerning that an influential political leader is selected in this way. It could be argued that this is not a political concern, due to the fact that the Pope is only likely to have an impact on the views of Catholics. However, it must be considered that Catholics have the power to vote across the world, so if he is altering the political standpoint of Catholics, his legitimacy as a political power should be considered. The words of the Pope could be considered to mould the Catholic view. On the other hand, it could be considered that his view is guided by Catholicism so he teaches only what he is taught by the Bible. Therefore he should not be changing the views of Catholics but only reminding them of the values of Catholicism. The latter view appears doubtful. It seems that the Pope is enforcing his own views
as his policy of encouraging the use of contraception is quite liberal and may be disputed by many Catholics. The fact that he is encouraging his own views means that he could be altering people’s opinions and therefore having the influence of a political leader. However, the Pope has a responsibility to direct Catholics morally. Therefore, it could be considered that the comments he makes on political issues are an essential part of his role. This is because morals are often a vital part of forming a political perspective. His travels across the world could be purely to help him to stay in touch with Catholics. Despite this, perhaps it is not fair for him to comment on specific current affairs and instead he should encourage Catholic teachings and allow Catholics to draw their own conclusions in regards to politics. This would be more fitting for his role as a religious leader. The political system of the modern world is secularized, so in a world of nation-states, a political state often depends on its citizens’ identification with a nation, over that of a religion. Religion unites people across nations and creates a different group with which they can identify. While this group has shared values and morals, their political outlooks can still vary. They may be directed by the same leader but the Pope’s power outside the Vatican should remain religious, not political.
Pictured: The Pope’s role in political issues is increasingly being debated. (Source: US Papal Visit via Flickr)
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The Pope is enthusiastic about commenting on affairs and influencing the public’s actions, in ways that are usually reserved for politicians.
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COMMENT 17
Gwen Williams
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Sure, science is vital and I have great respect for those who go down that career path, but we can’t all be doctors.
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Brett Jones
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Given that ‘croissant’ is French for ‘crescent’ it does seem like a fairly ludicrous idea.
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A defence of the Arts
hen I meet someone, whether it’s another student at a house party or a family friend visiting my parents, one of the most common topics of conversation is my degree programme. “I’m an English Language and Literature student” I tell them, and I’ve had a variety of responses to this over the last couple of years, much of it surprisingly negative. It really angers me how arts subjects are looked down upon by some as second rate degrees. Ironically, many who share this opinion didn’t even go to university in the first place. Seriously, who asked you? No one? Then pipe down. Equally, some students also believe this and imply that their degrees are more important than the rest of us. Sure, science is vital and I have great respect for those who go down that career path, but we can’t all be doctors. Besides, the world would be a
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pretty dull place without the arts. When I was making my application to UCAS, I was torn between Chemistry and English. It was a head/ heart decision and as the deadline came closer I took the leap and chose English simply because I loved it. Initially I was worried I’d made the wrong decision, but I have no regrets at all. I have had some suggest that their degrees are more difficult than mine and that getting a first in an arts degree is easy. That’s cute, but no. I may not have as many contact hours as you but for every hour spent at university, we should be doing four or five at home reading or at the library studying. Arts degrees are all about organisation, self discipline and determination. You won’t get anywhere if you are not widely read, but at the same time you’ll struggle if you simply regurgitate information. We have multiple deadlines and have a
hefty weekly reading list. Like other degrees we deal with complex ideas and have to constantly be original and creative, offering unique angles on a particular topic that has already been discussed for centuries. All degrees are difficult in different ways but all are undergraduate level. We’re all capable individuals and we choose our university courses based on our strengths. English may not be a career specific degree like dentistry, but it leaves me with a wealth of opportunities and open doors (and no love, not all arts students want to be teachers. There’s far more to that profession than having a degree). Personally, I feel that I’m well prepared for the world of employment as the skills I’ve gained throughout the last three years are transferable to many careers. English, much like many arts degrees, not only encourages creativity but is
also analytical. Much like a science subject, it forces us to think about how we can make links and draw comparisons to seemingly unrelated concepts. My assessments are a mixture of exams, creative assignments, analytical essays and presentations, which all teach me different skills and ways of approaching tasks. Lectures teach you how to listen and seminars teach you how to communicate and work together. The background focus of our tutors is making us more employable which makes the whole three years I’ve spent at Cardiff worth it. So if you’ve had this negative view of arts degrees thrust upon you by people you know, don’t allow them to make you feel inadequate about your chosen subject. All university courses help us prepare for the road ahead, but it’s up to us to decide where we’re going.
Pictured: Why should science graduates be seen as superior to arts graduates? (Source: Luftphilia via Flickr)
Don’t get cross about croissants
esco have taken the decision to no longer sell croissants in their traditional shape. From now on all of the croissants they sell will be straight. In justification of this decision they have cited complaints from customers that the curved baked good is too difficult to spread butter and jam over. Given that ‘croissant’ is French for ‘crescent’ it does seem like a fairly ludicrous idea. Should crème eggs be made square so that they can tessellate and more can be transported in one load? If the shape was changed wouldn’t Terry’s Chocolate Oranges become known as Terry’s Chocolate Cuboids? Some people believe that the British treatment of the beloved croissant has been sacrilegious from long before this current atrocity. The famous chef Jean-Christophe Novelli has said that the French would “absolutely not” spread either butter or jam over this sacred pastry. However there is one small problem with the French possessiveness over
the croissant, namely that it actually comes from the Austrian pastry called the ‘Kipferl’. Why this baked good should have come to be called a ‘croissant’ is not certain but many of the theories link the etymology to European celebrations of victories over Ottoman forces. The idea is that the shape is linked to the ‘star and crescent’ which emerged into popular usage when it was featured on the flag of the Ottoman Empire in 1844. Perhaps then Tesco could be hailed for its cultural sensitivity in abandoning the crescent shape of the croissant. With a referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU likely to dominate the news agenda for many months now immigration will be a key topic. When immigration is discussed usually integration and adaptation are raised quickly after. Britain has long had an interesting take on adopting foreign cultures and then adapting them to make them uniquely British. Perhaps the most famous example of this is the curry
dish Chicken Tikka Masala which was quite probably cooked up by the Glaswegian-Pakistani chef Ali Ahmed Aslam in 1971. This dish has become so distinctly linked with Britain that in 2001 Robin Cook MP called it Britain’s national dish and in 2009 Mohammad Sarwar MP called for Glasgow to be given EU protected geographical status for Chicken Tikka Masala. So perhaps Tesco’s decision isn’t as parochial as it first appears. Perhaps it is a symbol of the way in which Britain accepts and then acclimatises to foreign influences. Probably it is just a vaguely silly, mid-management decision along the lines of the Co-op producing a line of ‘Ambient Sausage Rolls’ and then admitting that they didn’t really know why they’d called them ambient. As a metaphor it might be far more useful. Some sectors of society today may resent the effect of foreign influences on British culture but when Britain meets foreign influences it isn’t a matter of one triumphing over
the other. Instead there is a synthesis of the two. In a time when polls have shown a growing antipathy in Britain towards migrants it is nice to have a small reminder that as often as Britain positively affects migrants, migrants positively affect Britain.
Pictured: The crescent croissant could be no more (Photographer: Jim Forest)
18 COMMENT
Student elections in reading week
Charley Griffiths discusses whether voter turnout is impacted from many students not being at university during the campaigning period
Charley Griffiths
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Student elections need to be representative of all the student body. So it seems odd that they do it when many students are on reading week.
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George Caulton
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Whilst there are positives, the issue is people taking advantage of these platforms and excessively using them.
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Pictured: Facebook topped the list of ways people keep friendships alive. (Source: Impassion Afghanistan via Flickr)
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nyone who was walking around campus at any point last week will most likely have been made aware of the Student elections. Or how most saw it, the week where we see lots of people dressed up in ridiculous costumes bribing people to vote for them with sweets and other goodies. But for those who had a reading week, you may not have realised this was even going on. This begs the question, why did student elections take place when lots of students weren’t around? Student elections need to be representative of all the student body. So it seems very odd to me that they chose to do it in a week where many students would have been going home for reading week, or not spending much time around university in general. Eight out of the twenty-five schools at Cardiff have a reading week, which I think is quite a significant proportion. I get that the elections need to be in the same week every year, but can’t this week be changed permanently in order to get as many students to vote as possible? However, Claire Blakeway, the current Student’s Union President, told Gair Rhydd how the university wishes to make election week “as accessible for students as possible”. Therefore, “elections will take place in the same week of the academic calendar each year” to “ensure that deadlines, assessments,
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field trips, placements and other activity is scheduled sensitively”. Claire also pointed out how reading week hasn’t caused a decrease in voter turnout, but on the contrary, there has actually been an increase in turnout when certain schools have been on reading week. Voter turnout has increased from 4,782 in 2013, to 6,231 in 2015. This year 6,555 people voted, however the total votes cast had decreased from 2014. In 2014, 68,958 votes were cast, which decreased to only 48,477 total votes this year. This to me does seem to suggest that reading week does make a difference, as there wasn’t one in the 2014 elections. I spoke to some candidates during the campaign period. Most of them had acknowledged how quiet campus seemed, considering it was a Thursday lunchtime, with many saying it was a “quiet campaign day”. In fact, it took me quite a while to actually find someone to speak to when walking around. This makes me question how important is campaigning in the first place? Especially as candidates this year were not allowed to campaign on the crossroads, unlike previous years, due to exams taking place in the law building. Because to be brutally honest, most students who aren’t personally campaigning, or friends with someone campaigning, dread election week and
avoid it like the plague. You can’t sit down anywhere in the Student’s Union or walk from lectures without someone approaching you, leaflet in hand. Perhaps having the elections in reading week doesn’t really matter anyway as most students (I am sorry to say) will avoid the campaigning regardless. If you genuinely wanted to vote for the best candidate, you would have read the manifestos carefully, and weighed up the pros and cons of each candi-
date’s policies. Not basing your vote purely on a cringey costume and questionable pun. I won’t use this as an opportunity to justify why your vote matters, all I can say is I hope you did vote and made your opinions heard. You didn’t have to physically be at university to vote, and all manifestos were online anyway. If you wanted to vote, you would have done, regardless of reading week or not.
Is our preference for digital friendships isolating society?
hink of a world where your friends only talk to you via social media. Think of a world where people are becoming increasingly isolated and are constructed to be mere products of the advancement of digitalisation. Well, accordinåg to recent statistics from BT mobile, half of the population of Cardiff would rather communicate and stay in touch on a digital basis than the more traditional, social face to face meetings and discussions. In relation to the statistics and above comments, as the growth of social media participants continues to grow, the gap between human communication and digital communication is forever widening. Indeed, institutions such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram uphold the ability to send a message globally in an instant. But should this mean that younger generations grow up in a world where there is no imagination and lack of creative ability? You may not entirely believe the fact that half of people would rather talk via phones and the internet, but if I was to tell you that in 2012 three quarters of children aged ten had possession of their own mobile phone, what would you think? If I was to tell you that more than one in ten children, aged between two and three have their own tablet, what would you think? The fact that this was in 2012, and digital
technology has increasingly altered between now and then, suggests that society is isolating itself and advertisers and parents alike are isolating younger generations by promoting these products. However, the content of this article is not specifically about children, it is about more than 50 per cent of a population of people. In an article on ITV online, statistics were released stating that “Cardiff residents share 26 videos a week with Facebook topping the list of ways people keep their cyber friendships alive (89 per cent) followed by email (70 per cent) and then text (67 per cent)”. Psychologist, Dr Peter Collett stated that “By nature, humans are social animals. Given that so much of our enjoyment is linked to other people, it’s hardly surprising that we invest so much time and effort into keeping in touch with friends and acquaintances”. Whilst what Dr Peter Collett may seem true, the era of digitalisation and of cyber friendships is showing that we are no longer social animals who have a want or desire to meet people physically. Rather than this, people would rather speak via emailing, texting and social media due to ease and accessibility. In the New York Times, an article was released saying that roughly 84 per cent of people could not last a single day without their mobile phones. Many stated they would feel “lost”.
The need to have a mobile phone in regards to social capacities is becoming increasingly more obvious, in both local and more global scenarios. Despite this, there are of course some advantages of communicating digitally. Websites such as LinkedIn provide a service where employers can read CV’s and individuals can create a ‘self ’ online. Sites like this help graduates and employers communicate, where they usually would not meet in person, and can create an ‘e-relationship’. Facebook and Twitter also have advantages, such as being able to connect people from across the world, for instance, and allowing people to easily post and share their daily activities. Whilst these may be seen as positives, the issue at hand is the fact that half of people take advantage of these platforms and excessively use them which in turn has the capacity to both damage and isolate society. Cyber friendships are undeniably increasing, and people would rather communicate via social media platforms and other modes of technology than speak face to face. Personally, I believe the statistics regarding Cardiff are devastating and will create a society where technology pervades the sphere of physical social communication. As new generations grow older, the statistics are only bound to increase.
Pictured: SU campaign posters outside an almost empty SU during Reading Week (Photographer: Charley Griffiths)
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THE GAIR RHYDD COLUMN 21
Loose Women needs tightening
Loose Women should be a brilliant platform for women and feminism, but it’s all tits, tears and tantrums, leaving no place for discussion of the real issues. Helena Hanson
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Where it could be a flourishing example of contemporary feminism, it is instead an hour’s worth of archaic cliches and stereotypes.
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have a dreadful and harrowing addiction. A dependency that controls me from the moment I wake up, every single day. My compulsion is to daytime television. I can’t help it. The fewer brain cells you need to comprehend the programme, the better. Now I’m not a moron. I know that Jeremy Kyle is terrible and awful and damaging, so I try and limit myself to no more than two episodes a week (particularly after spending a week confined to my bed with illness and having no choice (I had a choice) but to watch hour after hour of JK until I could predict the exact moment that he would roar “WHY DIDN’T YOU PUT SOMETHING ON THE END OF IT THEN!” and was furiously googling how accurate lie detector results are and drafting emails to the production team regarding how unfair they were to Daryl from Rhyl because they can’t 100% prove that he cheated on Chantella-Natasha when she was pregnant). It is no secret that I am a feminist, nor is it a secret that I have a steady and satisfying relationship with daytime television, therefore one could assume that a spectacle like Loose Women would be everything I’ve yearned for in my life. It has an all-female panel and production team that supposedly confront serious women’s issues and catalysts frank intellectual debate about topical concerns. Panelist Carol McGiffin described it as the only show on television that allows women to have an opinion without a man anchoring or controlling what they say. It should be a utopia for me, a wonderland. Alas, if only it were so. Loose Women is a shit-show, and I don’t use that term lightly. Although I’ll accept that the panel are likeable…ish. They’re vaguely amusing, in a slightly desperate ‘I’ll attempt to be outrageous and blunt and people will nervously laugh’ way, and they’re attractive enough for you to like them but not really good looking enough to make you feel bad that you’re watching it slumped
naked on the sofa at one o’clock in the afternoon with your princess blanket, eating week-old Doritos and dip. In 2014, the programme was colossally condemned for discussing whether it is always a man’s fault for raping a woman. Although I did manage to source this video online, I made an active decision not to watch it, as I need to know the answer to this question as much as I need to know whether the holocaust was really Hitler’s fault and whether grass is actually green. These ‘advocates for women’ also had a feature on Ched Evans, during which an extremely ‘loose’ Judy Finnigan suggested Evans should be able to return to football as his “rape was not violent, he didn’t cause bodily harm to the person”. Ok and when I set your house on fire it will be fine because you weren’t in it and because I danced while it burned. The show has more than a few fundamental issues. Where it could be a flourishing example of contemporary and diverse modern feminism, it is instead an hour’s worth of archaic clichés and stereotypes. Their attempt to exude confidence and sass comes across as a desperate attempt to be stimulating and exciting. But it’s not, it’s boring. The whole show circles around their heterosexist and bewilderingly false feminist ideological assumptions. The majority of their ‘loose’ behaviour focuses on talk about sex, tits and how much they like a glass of wine. Perhaps not necessarily ideal for the cause of feminism, and not an exceptional example of what can be created by an all-female production team. Truthfully, so much of what they spurt makes for extremely uncomfortable viewing. The way in which male guests on the show are treated usually depends on their appearance. Attractive and charming individuals like Shane Ward and Russell Brand are shamelessly flirted with through desperate sexual innuendos, masked by hysterical giggles and uncomfortable heavy petting. Then blokes like Danny Dyer get grilled and
interrogated (despite defending feminism) because he admitted that his wife does some of the housework. Only last week the panelists canvassed the horror of having a ‘house husband’ because the ‘man should work’, whilst simultaneously getting pissed off when Dyer suggests his partner does the ironing. Come on ladies! Wake up and smell the washing powder. We’re fighting for equality here and you’re fucking it up for everyone. Suppose there was a male equivalent, Impotent Blokes let’s call it (I initially searched for ‘loose synonym’ and was offered the word flaccid...‘Flaccid Blokes’ didn’t sound like an appropriate daytime television show). A mob of men sit behind a desk, with an all-male audience, and poke fun at women and make willy-jokes. They then behave in a sexually suggestive manner towards female guests. They gossip about how they wouldn’t like ‘their woman’ to go to work, and then have idle chat about cars and football and other dismissive clichés and it would be shit. Just like Loose Women is shit. Last week TV presenter Fern Cotton took a dig at celebrity photographs and posted a ‘no make-up selfie’ that criticised her own imperfections. She pointed out her greasy hair and eye bags but stated that she was happy. Adorable. Perhaps it’s easier to ‘celebrate the imperfect’ Fern when you’re naturally beautiful and look less like Gollum wearing a blonde wig and a pair of H&M stilettos, although I appreciate your point. In response to this, an individual at Loose Women HQ decided it would be an insightful and enthralling feature if the loose women removed their makeup live on air. I mean perhaps it was a quiet week in the office for feminist discussion. It did emerge that Howard Stern and Donald Trump suggested “every vagina is a landmine”, another footballer had pleaded guilty to grooming a teenager and Kanye West suggested Taylor Swift owes him sex be-
cause he ‘made her famous’, but getting women to take their cosmetics off live was clearly more cutting edge. Perhaps it could have been a good feature. Perhaps had they done the whole show cosmetic free and carried on as usual this would have been a positive message about body image. Perhaps this would have said, it doesn’t matter what women look like, this is us, we can still do our job, we are still (vaguely) funny, we are still confident. Alas, rather the four of them spent the whole hour-long episode making the whole façade into such a mammoth deal that by the end of it I was quite literally expecting the scene from The Witches when they all peel back their lady masks and reveal their gnarled hook nose and verminous, crinkly, infected witch skin. After the colossal build up, when the grand finale came to play and they removed their make-up...nothing happened. They rubbed off their foundation (kept their eye make-up on, which is the primary tool that transforms one from an Orc to an Elf ) and then they said thanks for watching, and that was the end. It was ridiculous, and not only disregarded the exact point they were trying to prove (it doesn’t matter what you look like without make-up-it clearly did matter), but they demonstrated that their show is so trivial and so negligent to the real plights of women, such as Swift supposedly ‘owing’ Kanye sex, that it’s very existence merits absolutely nothing to feminism and therefore should be attributed to feminism what Jeremy Kyle is to counselling and therapy. It has so much potential to be absolutely brilliant, but instead it fails miserably. When their ‘topical discussion’ is along the lines of ‘how much do you hate it when you are the ugliest out of your friends’ and they neglect to debate anything substantial or significant to women, then they have failed us. My advice, stick with Jeremy K. At least he knows his show is shit.
Pictured: Beware! Women on the loose. (Phographer: Scott Beale via Flickr)
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Their attempt to exude confidence and sass comes across as a desperate attempt to be stimulating and exciting. But it’s not.
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22 POLITICS
p politics
Editors: Carwyn Williams Luke Brett Sam Patterson @GairRhyddPol politics@gairrhydd.com gairrhydd.com/politics
Brexiteers unlikely bedfellows
Jamie McKay
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Galloway’s arrival prompted a mass walkout by Eurosceptics. The crowds cried ‘anti-Semite’.
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Tom Morris
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avid Cameron has finally decided on the date he hopes the European Union debate will be held. An in-out referendum on our membership will be held on Thursday the 23rd of June this year. Whether the result of the vote will put an end to the pro and anti camps, who have been at loggerheads for as long as we can remember, remains to be seen. More than three years ago, in January 2013, Cameron promised a referendum should his party win the 2015 General Election. As soon as the Conservatives won a majority in last years election discussions around Britain’s future began. In January this year, First Minister Carwyn Jones clashed with Nigel Farage on what benefits Wales receives from our membership of the European Union. Questions surrounding Britain’s membership are Farage’s passion, less than two years ago he debated the issue with then Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg. Farage has made his career out of his vehement opposition to Brussels and is sure to make further headlines in the months to come. The Prime Minister is committed to the UK to remaining in the Union, and has been through intensive negotiations with EU leaders. He aimed to limit welfare payments to EU migrants, to keep Britain out of the Eurozone, protect the City of London, limit the free movement of labour, introduce a “red card” for national parliaments, and protect Britain’s sovereignty against an ‘ever closer union’ of member states. Before last years election he stated
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that he does not plan on seeking a third term. Some have gone so far as to suggest that Cameron should resign if his ‘in’ camp loses the referendum. His own Cabinet is split between the two camps with the majority, including Secretary of State for Wales Stephen Crabb, siding with the PM in backing the ‘Remain’ campaign believing the negotiated deal was a resounding success for British interests. However, Conservative MPs are split between the two sides of the debate. Five Cabinet Ministers have announced their support for the ‘Leave’ campaign. Among them are, Iain Duncan Smith (Minister for Work and Pensions), Chris Grayling (Leader for the House of Commons), Theresa Villiers (Secretary of State for Northern Ireland), John Whittingdale (Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and Michael Gove, currently Justice Secretary. Gove announced his position against our continued membership almost immediately after the date of the referendum was announced and admitted he had struggled over what position he would take. The campaign to keep the UK within the European community is guaranteed to be lead by Britain Stronger in Europe. In contrast Britain is faced with two rival ‘Leave’ campaign groups, the Electoral Commission is expected to decide which group is to lead the official leave campaign within the next few weeks. Vote Leave is currently backed by; Conservatives for Britain, Labour Leave and Business for Britain. So far their board includes such high profile Euro-sceptics as Conservative MEP Daniel Hannan
and sole UKIP MP Douglas Carswell. Acting competition to Vote Leave is Grassroots Out, currently backed by Britain’s most famous anti-EU campaigner, Nigel Farage. Grassroots Out held a major rally at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in London on the 19th February. The campaign has previously fronted speakers such as Tory-right MP Peter Bone, Labour Leave campaigner Kate Hoey MP, former Conservative cabinet minister Liam Fox and, in a shock move, Respect party leader George Galloway. Grassroots Out teased at a surprise celebrity appearance beforehand but Galloway’s arrival prompted a mass walkout by Euro-sceptics. The crowds cried ‘anti-Semite’, in reference to Galloway’s support of Hamas, Hezbollah and certain Ba’athist dictators. Reporters at the scene saw organisers order security staff to shut the doors, fearing a mass walkout. Controversy soon spread among those hard left supporters of Galloway as well, before long he found himself having to defend his decision to his supporters. On Twitter and other social networks Galloway and Farage’s newfound alliance faced widespread mockery, particularly given the duo’s previous animosity. Galloway defended his position, comparing the newfound relationship between himself and Farage to that of Churchill and Stalin. Just which of the two Galloway, who has presented several programmes for Russia Today, compares himself to is unclear. Those campaigners urging Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union may have been dismayed to hear that
their campaign had earned the approval of the United Kingdom’s two most divisive politicians. But within a few days, incumbent London Mayor and member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip announced his approval for Britain to finally settle that decades old debate and leave the European Union. Before his career in politics, Boris was a journalist starting his career at the Times, but his career really began at the Daily Telegraph as its Brussels correspondent in 1989. Here he seized Euro-scepticism from those traditional proponents among the left, such as the late Tony Benn, and made it an attractive cause for the Conservative right. In his political career however, his record proved him to be a more liberal Tory. However, just two weeks before the Prime Minister announced his agreed deal with European leaders Johnson used his weekly Telegraph column to criticise the downsides of EU membership, but also argued that voting to leave would not be in Britain’s geopolitical interests and that it would “dismay some of our closest friends”. Even in his ‘backing’ for those against the EU he suggests that in voting ‘Leave’, we might “get a better deal”. Various attacks have been made against Johnson after his siding with the ‘Leave’ campaign, suggesting his support is only driven by his own political interests. Regardless of motivation, Boris has seen a surge in support among Conservative members; at the time of writing he is the favourite to become the next Tory leader, and our next Prime Minister.
many more voters who would disagree. They tend to be older (55+) and uneducated- 78 per cent of people with a degree want to stay in, but only 35 per cent of those with no qualifications will vote to stay. The way students are registered has changed. Because of suspected fraud happening when the head of a house-
hold was responsible for registering all voters in the house, voters now need to register individually. This affects you as universities previously automatically enrolled students when they started studying. Now, students need to register themselves, and the number on the electoral role has dropped considerably. Make sure you register to vote, and
get your friends to do it too. The future of the country shouldn’t be decided by grumpy old men cheering on Nigel Farage. You are the real future of the UK. You are eligible to vote if you are from the UK, Ireland or one of the 53 Commonwealth nations such as Cyprus, as long as you are over 18 and resident in the UK.
Quick! Register to vote in the EU referendum
any students today may be thinking it inevitable that we stay in the EU. They may even think it so certain that they will not bother to vote, to register to vote, or to prompt their friends to do so. However, this referendum is no certainty at all. Students agree that the EU is here to stay, but outside of our bubble there are
Pictured: Left: George Galloway, Respect Party MP in 2007 (Photographer: David Hunt) Right: Nigel Farage speaking at CPAC in 2015 (Photographer: Gage Skidmore)
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Five Cabinet Ministers have announced their support for the ‘Leave’ campaign. Among them, Iain Duncan Smith (Minister for Work and Pensions).
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Register to vote online: hwww.gov. uk/registerto-vote
POLITICS 23
Seb Robyns
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From as early as 2011 mental health charities such as Sane were highlighting the rise in depression and stress as a result of austerity policies.
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Ellise Nicholls
Sophie Broad
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Is the NHS neglecting mental health?
he mental health services in the English NHS are in severe crisis. Under the Conservative government, we have seen mental health care struggle. We must face the reality that because of poor mental health provisions, patients are dying. In the last year alone, deaths in metal health care have risen by a harrowing 20 per cent. On top of this, incidents in which people with mental health disorders and those close to them have suffered significant harm have risen by 34 per cent, according to the Guardian. One mental health worker (who wished to remain anonymous), said: ‘’Home treatment teams have increasingly had to deal with patients who should be in hospital, but aren’t due to closure of hospital beds.” The worker went onto say that ‘’as a result suicide rates among those receiving home treatment has sharply risen’’. Troublingly, Southwark News reports a freedom of information act revealed that a quarter of nursing posts in London and Maudsley NHS trust were vacant in July 2015. Austerity has been linked with the worsening state of Britain’s mental health by Mind (the UK’s biggest mental health charity). In order to cut down on social spending, the government
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senior hospital managers in attempted profiteering. Managers demean and marginalise staff by cutting pay and training, damaging moral and safety. Our anonymous health worker said that: “Trusts are either unable or unwilling to come up with incentives to attract permanent staff...if a nurse dares to speak out, they find themselves out of a job within a week’’. This is partly because of the inclusion of private interest in NHS care. The Private Finance Initiative was an attempt at a public private partnership between corporations and the NHS. In reality, this led to huge concessions by the NHS to the profiteering demands of private finance. Placing profit over patients. The horrid reality of these cost cutting measures was really brought home for me when a student described their experience of local mental health care. ‘’I never received adequate care. After repeatedly calling the NHS well-being line (which offered unacceptable quality of care) I made an appointment with a GP, who told me to ring the NHS well-being line. The opportunity to see a specialist never arose’’. One woman named Amalia, was pushed to breaking point. After developing severe depression and anxiety after a violent assault, she was told to wait 12-14 weeks for a therapy ses-
sion. However as the time passed her condition worsened, she couldn’t leave the house alone and her depression spiralled out of control. Occurrences like these show that the current NHS mental health system is simply not fit for purpose. Cut to the bone, understaffed and under-skilled, it provides a completely inadequate response to the UK’s mental health crisis. In Wales, there is a 56 day waiting period for mental health treatment and new plans to reduce the waiting period to 28 days is still not enough. This is far to long. When someone is severely depressed, a day can make the difference between life and death. There are confirmed reports of mental illness sufferers turning up at A&E and telling staff they are a danger to themselves, before being turned away. The Welsh Government have pledged an extra £7.6 million to mental health care in the NHS this year, but since 2011 adolescent and child treatments for mental issues have doubled. This already shows the measure as insufficient before we remember that £50 million have been cut from mental health care in the past 5 years. It seems there is no alternative but to fight against austerity, and fight for a huge increase in mental health care funding if we are to see an NHS capable of meeting the needs of sufferers.
MPs vote for anonymity if arrested
hris Grayling, Leader of the House of Commons and arch critic of human rights law, has laid down a motion that will mean that John Bercow, the speaker, will no longer have to announce when an MP has been arrested. MPs will use human rights laws to prevent politicians from being named following their arrest. The news came after an article published by The Telegraph disclosed that five MPs have been secretly referred to the police for investigation over the past year. Expenses watchdog Ipsa has come under criticism after refusing to name any of the MPs despite admitting there is “reason to suspect a criminal offence has been committed”. Previously, the names of MPs fol-
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introduced a wide range of policies targeted at the unwell and unemployed. One such policy was the ‘Back to work Scheme’, which the charity claimed was failing thousands. Instead of investing into mental health services and hospitals, the scheme invested in attempts to push those suffering form mental illness off the benefits they require, and into il-fitting work environments. Figures show that this scheme allowed 9 per cent of those participating who suffer from mental illness to find work, whilst making distress worse in 83 per cent of cases. From as early as 2011 mental health charities were highlighting the rise in depression and stress as a result of austerity policies. Loud outrage has also been voiced at the appalling failures of the Department of Work and Pensions, in causing suicides by deciding that mentally unstable and physically disabled patients were “fit to work” and cutting their benefits. The BBC even reported that there has been a £50 million cut to children’s mental health care budget from 2010-2016. In one letter to the Guardian, senior physicians claimed that: “over the last five years, there have been avoidable deaths and much unnecessary damage to health”. Another factor damaging mental health in the NHS is the part played by
lowing their arrests were automatically published on the House of Commons order paper. Labour Party’s John Mann was quick to criticise, labelling the entire prospect as “wholly unacceptable”. He said: “I will not be supporting this proposal”. Dia Chakravarty, Political Director at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said “Given the lack of any clamour for a change to these long-standing rules, it certainly seems odd that the Government has quietly tried to slip this motion through and the public will want to question their motivation for doing so.” “It is all the more ironic that ministers appear to be relying on the same human rights laws they tell us they are committed to reforming.” However, David Green, director of
the right of centre thinktank Civitas, said: “The normal understanding is that the police should not disclose the names of people they speak to during their inquiries until they are charged”, “so long as MPs are only asking to be treated in the same way as everyone else, there is no objection to this measure Innocent people can easily be arrested. Lord Bramall’s experience has reminded everyone that the police are capable of treating individuals unjustly for long periods. His and other names were disclosed when there was no evidence of wrongdoing.” Under the proposals, identities will be published only if the offence is related to their work as an MP. Identities will be kept secret if the arrests are in relation to their private life.
Charles Walker, Conservative chairman of the Procedure Committee which proposed the changes, said MPs were already “at a disadvantage to the rest of the population”. He said: “The names of people are not released to the media at the point of arrest but at the point of charge. It puts us out of step with regard to what happens to our constituents.” Since April 2014, expenses watchdog Ipsa has named only two of the fifty five MPs it has investigated. The cases, it concluded, were unfounded. This meant that several of the MP’s were re-elected in May despite the investigations. Sir Alistair Graham, the former chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, said that Ipsa has a “public duty” to reveal the identity of those investigated.
Temporary homes at Calais under threat
he refugee camp known as the Calais Jungle has around 6,000 refugees living in the area, many of whom have arrived from places of conflict. Last week the French authorities announced plans to demolish the southern part of the camp, which means destroying the temporary homes of over 1,000 people. In response to the possibility of demolishing part of the jungle, Jude Law headed an appeal to the government, supported by the charities Help Refugees and Citizens UK, to demand that the demolition be postponed. Over 100,000 people have signed the open letter to David Cameron, including 145 celebrities. It has focused primarily on the welfare of the children who are currently residing in the camp. The letter asked Cameron to “persuade the
French authorities that the decision to destroy further parts of the camp in Calais is postponed until all the minors currently residing there are either given full child protection within the French system or enabled to reunite with their loved ones in Britain.” Concerns have centred around these children, with an estimated 445 living in the camp, over 300 of whom are unaccompanied. Despite public opposition, proposals to clear part of the site proved to have now been given the go- ahead after a short postponement. The court ruled that makeshift shelters could be destroyed but the common social areas could remain. This decision has been criticised by many who argue that a reasonable alternative for those facing eviction has not been put forward and provisions for the unaccompanied
children trying to get to the UK have not been made. The charities Help Refugees and L’Auberge des Migrants said: “Our census revealed 3,455 refugees will be evicted and it was stated in court that only 1,156 alternative places are currently available across France.” It appears there is a real risk of many of these people being permanently displaced once their homes have been demolished. If there aren’t enough places for them to all go, this ruling lacks any empathy for the people that are already living in extremely poor conditions. Support for refugees and migrants is being stripped down by rulings like this. Discussions about the possible impacts of a Brexit after the planned EU referendum led to Prime Minister David Cameron being accused of scare-
mongering. He commented that an exit from the EU would mean asylum seeker camps, like the one in Calais, would start to appear in the UK due to the possibility of France stopping UK immigration checks taking place on the French side of the border. A spokesperson for the Prime Minister stated that if “those controls cease to exist, then you have potentially thousands of asylum seekers camped out in northern France who could be here almost over night.” It’s true that those at the camp wish to move over to the UK, but David Cameron chose to put forward the the prospect of more refugees moving here more as a warning rather than as something that is the compassionate thing to do. nothing to help subdue the current wave of anti-refugee violence that has been seen across Europe.
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In Wales, there is a 56 day waiting period for mental health treatment and new plans to reduce the waiting period to 28 days is still not enough.
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Under the proposals, identities will be published only if the offence is related to their work as an MP.
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Over 100,000 people have signed the open letter to David Cameron.
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24 POLITICS
Moldova: Will it be a repeat of Crimea?
Jack Boyce
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nside the melting pot that is the Moldovan capital Chișinău, almost every week for the past year hostile crowds have turned out in droves to express their distaste of a seemingly corrupt government. The secretary general of the EU, Thorbjorn Jagland, even went as far to call Moldova an “occupied state” that could become the next major security risk in the European Union. Moldova is the somewhat neglected little brother of the European Union: sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine in Eastern Europe as a result of the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Going the same way as other nations did with the fracture of the Soviet Union, the Moldovan industries, mainly industrial and agricultural, took huge hits and factored towards Moldova’s status as the poorest country in Europe.
Moldova is a country split in two; to the East past the Dniester river which flows through Ukraine, Moldova and into the Black Sea – lies the partially recognised state of Transnistra. Since Moldova’s declaration of independence back in 1991, Transnistra has been a thorn in the side of the pro-European West Moldovan region that aligns itself with Romania. Pro-Soviet Union state Pridnestrovian Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic (PMSSR) has held a de facto governance over the region, even going so far as full-blown war in 1992 when Moldovan forces tried to gain control of the region. What followed was a “frozen conflict”, with a threeway agreement between Moldova, Transnistria and Russia to leave the region fairly conflict free but also largely under independent (and therefore pro-Russian) rule.
On top of this, there has been increasing frustration with parliament in Moldova. The revelation of deeprooted corruption and immense fraud after three of Moldova’s biggest lenders lost hundreds of millions of dollars, which the NY Times stated could “rank among the world’s biggest bank thefts”, has caused widespread protests for around a year. With polls suggesting 88 per cent of the population claiming the nation was “going in the wrong direction”, Prime Minister at the time, Iurie Leancă, blamed “toxic loans” for the controversy. Since Leancă’s dismissal in February 2015, Moldova has seen three new Prime Ministers; Chiril Gaburici, Valeriu Streleț and current Prime Minister Pavel Filip. All of these Prime Ministers, from Leancă down to Filip, have been pro-Europeanism. However, much like Ukraine before it, protestors in Chișinău are not allowing any political allegiance to influence their demonstrations: they simply want to get corruption out of Parliament. A recent survey found that 65 per cent of the Moldovan population want an early election to get rid of current Prime Minister Filip, and corruption, once and for all. So, how does Russia factor into the mix? After the annexation of Crimea last summer, hopes were heightened in the capital city Tiraspol that Transnistria would follow a similar path to the former Ukrainian region in being absorbed into the Russian Federation. Transnistria already sees itself as a Russian region; Russia already supports the area with free gas and pensions, while 35 per cent of the population hold Russian passports. Transnistria’s parliamentary speaker Mikhail Burla even went as far as sending out an official request, which ended up
being rejected. So, why would Russia support Transnistria but reject it becoming an official Russian region? Well, Kamil Calus, a researcher at the Centre for Eastern Studies in Warsaw, theorised that, “Moscow’s plan for Transnistria is not to support its independence or its incorporation into the Russian Federation. On the contrary, Russia wants Transnistria to be a part of a federalised Moldova. The idea is to use Transnistria as a foot in the door, with a view to dominating all of Moldova and preventing it from turning to the West.” It seems that Russia are looking to expand their geo-political influence, not by pickpocketing small sections of loyal former Soviet Union nations, but by influencing major political elections on a grander scale. This way, the mainly pro-EU Moldovan citizenship will be forced to battle out with pro-Soviet Transnistrians and other Eurosceptic citizens in a general election. If a pro-Soviet party wins at Parliament, Russia will have a clear path in bringing the federalised, now majority Russian-supporting country under its wing as Crimea did before it. As Russia line up a second target on Moldova, much like they did Ukraine, there could be some positivity for pro-Euro supporters. Recent scandals out of Moscow have given light to Moldova banning three Russian TV channels from covering the governmental protests. While not good for journalistic practices, there are still some signs of pro-European fight in the Moldovan government yet. However, the EU and NATO will certainly have their ears pricked up and aimed over at east Europe, waiting on whether or not Putin will test his luck, instigating civil conflict like he has in Ukraine.
“Put on a proper suit, do up your tie, and sing the national anthem!” - Cameron to Corbyn
Sam Patterson
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nce a week, the leader of the opposition gets the opportunity to question the Prime Minister in front of the entire nation. It’s an opportunity for the leader of the opposition to criticise government policy, to point out the concerns of opposition politicians, and citizens. In recent years, the so-called “Prime Minister’s Questions” hasn’t quite lived up to the expectations of viewers. Serious questions posed to Mr Cameron have been brushed off with jokes, and ad-hominem attacks. When Corbyn became leader of the Labour party last year, he came up with a rather clever way of curbing this behaviour, and at first it worked. He asked regular people to send in questions, and he posed these questions to Prime Minister in the form of “Matt from Worthing would like to ask...” This effectively prevented Cameron from brushing off the question, as doing so would be seen as disrespectful towards the poser of the question. The effect of this seems to have worn off.
Junior doctors were a major topic of last Wednesday’s PMQ’s. Jeremy Corbyn cited the NHS staff survey, in which it states that junior doctors are already working extra hours, and that morale is falling among junior doctors. Cameron responded by pointing out that £10 billion is due to be spent on the NHS, he failed to point out that this is planned to take place by 2020. It recently emerged, rather embarrassingly, that David Cameron’s mother, Mary Cameron, had signed a petition opposing cuts to children’s centres. A Labour MP shouted out during PMQ’s, that Cameron should ask his mother about the NHS, and he replied by saying “Ask my mother? I think I know what my mother would say. I think she’d look across the dispatch box and she’d say: put on a proper suit, do up your tie and sing the national anthem.” Corbyn responded: “Talking of motherly advice, my late mother would have said: ‘stand up for the principle of a health service free at the point of use’ because that is what she dedicated her life to”.
This attack on Corbyn sits comfortably along side similar slurs made against the Leader of the Opposition by David Cameron and the conservative news outlets (Telegraph, Daily Mail, Sun). When Corbyn said that he would like to have seen Osama bin Laden put on trial rather than killed, he was named a “terrorist sympathiser”, not just by the conservative newspapers, but also by David Cameron. Corbyn’s original comment, was that Osama bin Laden’s extrajudicial execution was part of a series of tragedies, including 9/11, and the war in Afghanistan. At the 2015 Conservative Party Conference, Cameron called Corbyn a terrorist sympathiser, saying that Corbyn “thinks that the death of Osama bin Laden was a tragedy”, without providing full context. Whether or not you agree with Corbyn on this issue, this was clearly an intentional twisting of words on the part of the Conservatives. Although Corbyn’s popularity is high among Labour members, it has fallen among the public at large following this conservative media campaign.
In regards to the comments made on Wednesday, in the words of Margret Thatcher: “If they attack you personally, it means they have not a single political argument left.”
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A recent survey found that 65 per cent of the Moldovan population want an early election to get rid of current Prime Minister Filip.
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Pictured: Left: A police car in the Moldovan capital of Chisinau. (Photographer: Pieter van Marion via Flickr) Below: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn speaking at a 2014 Stop The War event, not wearing a tie. (Photographer: Garry Knight)
POLITICS 25
The new intolerance on campus
Isabella Lyons
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Alongside 63 other highereducation institutions, Cardiff has “banned and actively censored ideas on campus”.
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Rhys Thomas
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nce a melting-pot for political activism, the debate-provoking, thought-inducing, risk-taking nature of the British University bubble is firmly on its way to being popped; and Cardiff University isn’t a stranger to this worrying reality. From Dapper Laughs in 2014, to the more recent, and eventually overturned, decision to “No Platform” Germaine Greer in October last year, we as students have been exposed to some of the most severe, national-headline worthy cases in destabilising a celebrated feature of the liberal world, the right to free speech. Highlighted by the online publication spiked and their “Free Speech University Rankings” which, using a traffic-light system, categorised all 115 University’s in the UK based on their approach surrounding the freedom of speech: Cardiff was ranked red. Alongside 63 other higher-education institutions, Cardiff is considered to have “banned and actively censored ideas on campus”. Part of an increasing majority linked as far back as the 1970’s, Universities in the UK have been subject to decades of growing political censorship filtered through the structure of the “Safe Space”. This isn’t some Orange Is The New Black tangent – however, it does beg one to question the irony behind the growing imprisonment of our thoughts – but it is a genuine mantra employed to ensure that no student ever faces discrimination.
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Now, whatever idyllic, utopian, flawless fantasy this may appear to promote, it quite simply is not a reality. Described on the Cardiff University Student Union’s website as, “Under the umbrella campaign “Not on our Campus”, the Students’ Union will seek to educate students on the standards expected of them whilst continuing to ensure that Cardiff University and its Students’ Union is a safe and welcoming place for everyone.” Firstly, not only does this highly patronise my independent ability to “educate”, and essentially execute, moral decisions on my own, but the irony – when taking into account that the very title of the account is “Dapper Laughs is not welcome in Cardiff ” – is borderline hilarious. Regardless of whether you agree with Dapper Laughs or not, whether his jokes cause you to roll on the floor laughing or cringe in a pit of moral despair, his right is to do exactly that: to make some people laugh, and others to woefully disagree with him. However, as demonstrated perfectly by CUSU, the moment this is undermined we start to blur the lines (Robin Thicke pun intended) between “free speech”, and what the moral-majority would deem as “acceptable speech”. The point that mustn’t be forgotten is that the freedom of speech has never been about saying what people “want” to hear, nor evoking ideas that sat “safely” or comfortably with the harmonious majority of society.
It’s what allowed Martin Luther King to profess a dream; for Charles Darwin to expel religious fundamentalism with the theory of natural selection; it has given us Salman Rushdie’s, ‘The Satanic Verses’, Salinger’s ‘The Catcher in The Rye’ and D.H Lawrence’s ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover’; it’s what gave even bloody Socrates the courage to declare when on trial in 399BC that, ‘If you offered to let me off this time on condition I am not any longer to speak my mind... I should say to you, “Men of Athens, I shall obey the Gods rather than you.”’ It has been a vital tool – and not to mention a priceless Western privilege – in carving out the lives, liberties, and societies that we live by today. It’s a tool fundamental to our University life, evident from the 78 per cent of students that expressed concern in Cardiff ’s red status, right down to the name of the very newspaper you are reading this article in, deriving its name from the Welsh translation of “free speech”. The fact of the matter is, the world is inundated with bigoted, prejudiced, morally-incoherent, and quite frankly, shitty beliefs, professed by equally as questionable people; University Campus’ are no exception to this. Yet, banning them doesn’t make them disappear, it doesn’t prevent them from speaking elsewhere, nor does it incite change or, more importantly, invite challenge. How does one get rid of hate speech? By coming back at it with better speech.
Cardiff University needs to start having a conversation; to engage in what is being said, and respectively reply with our own, self-sourced, intellectually-developed beliefs as to why we understand something, or someone, to be wrong – rather than having the University body to do it for you before they’ve even crossed the Severn Bridge. We are all at a stage in our lives that is vital to the development of our sense of self. The very premise of University is to grow-up; it’s a stepping stone into the real world; it provides an intellectual and personal independence that inspired many of us to go in the first place. Yet, the second your University makes the judgement on what you can and cannot hear, it is immediately undermining your ability, and impeding on your capability, of doing it yourself. What shouldn’t be confused is that those, myself included, campaigning for the absolute freedom of speech on our campus, aren’t condoning hateful, prejudiced, and misogynous beliefs. But, by encouraging the confrontation, rather than censorship, thereof, we are striving to end it. I ardently believe in the value of our generation’s political perspective, and much of that starts with our right to exercise it. With every speaker we “No Platform”, every comedian we petition to ban, or every individual we deem “unwelcome” on our campus, we are asking for a cushion between us and the real world.
Pictured: A university in Los Angeles has a designated Free Speech zone. (Photographer: Luke Gattuso via Flickr)
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We are all at a stage in our lives that is vital to the development of our sense of self.
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Apple refuses to cooperate with FBI
pple and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are involved in a heated dispute over access to an Apple iPhone used by one of the terrorists involved in the San Bernadino massacre last December. The two shooters killed fourteen people and seriously injured twenty-two more in one of the worst massacres in recent American history. What made this attack even more chilling was that the perpetrators were not directed by a foreign terror group and not involved in a terror network of any kind despite being Islamists - they were, in the words of FBI Director James Comey, “homegrown violent extremists” harder to track or even pick up on in the first place. The FBI have asked Apple for help
breaking into the phone to access material that could potentially help their investigation and stop future terror attacks. Apple has refused, but the FBI got a court order - something which Apple have said they will fight and not give in to. Apple’s argument is that accepting the FBI’s request would set a dangerous precedent where the Federal authorities could force Apple to give them access to any iPhone or other device. Apple prides itself on user privacy and sees the FBI request as a clear breach of that trust with consumers. In addition, as an international operator any government could request exactly the same thing. There have been warnings from many experts including Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon who say author-
itarian regimes such as China or Russia would have a clear path to follow if Apple were forced to give the FBI access, and those regimes would undoubtedly use it for much more malign purposes than the Americans. The case has split America and the world - it’s not just a simple left/right or Silicon Valley/Washington D.C. issue. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has argued in favour of the FBI’s request, saying “This is a specific case where the government is asking for access to information. They are not asking for some general thing, they are asking for a particular case”. In contrast, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg disagrees “I don’t think requiring backdoors with encryption is either going to be an effective way to increase security or is
really the right thing to do for just the direction that the world is going to”. As expected, politicians have waded in too - Donald Trump sides with Gates, riffing at a campaign rally and telling his supporters “What I think you ought to do is boycott Apple until such time as they give that security number”. On the other hand former Texas Congressman and noted libertarian Ron Paul praised Apple’s stance “They’re on the side of the people who would like to have their encryption protected”. This case has gone right to the heart of a fierce argument on individual rights and liberty versus safety. As technological capabilities, and thus the ability of terrorists, continue to increase, expect these running battles to continue and grow even louder.
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Apple prides itself on user privacy and sees the FBI request as a clear breach of that trust with consumers.
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26 SCIENCE
science
Editors: Maria Mellor Lizzie Harrett @GairRhyddSci science@gairrhydd.com gairrhydd.com/science
Early morning exams lead to better results
Sophie King
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It’s suggested that improved early morning performances is due to cognitive fatigue.
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Natasha Fiera
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It’s proposed that this is driven by environmental factors instead of through inheritance.
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F
or most students a 9am start would fill us with dread. The thought of getting up so early to go to lectures is simply horrifying. However, Hans Henrik Sievertsen from The Danish National School of Social Research has found that the later you take your exam, the lower your score will be lower. With his team, they looked at 2 million test scores from Danish children aged between 8 and 15, and starting at 8am, they saw that after every hour, scores decreased by an amount equal to missing ten whole days of school. Sivertsen have suggested that this is down to cognitive fatigue which means that a child would have to work much harder to concentrate on a task that they would have found easier earlier on. Other have theorised that students simply prefer to get their exam out of the way in order to prevent nerves building up and before their energy dips Unfortunately for us, Hans Henrik Sievertsen does not attend to the idea that schools should have later starting times but instead suggests that tests should be taken at the
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same time in different schools – possibly after a short break. He suggests that, “Another solution would be to calculate ways to adjust test scores according to test time and whether you had a break.” He adds that he is “very interested in knowing what goes on during these breaks.” Further tests need to deduce whether performance is affected by factors such as fresh air or food in these breaks. If the reason as to why children are more focused after a break can be found out, then scientists would be able to completely work out what it is that makes some children more able and some not. Adjusting scores may seem as unfair however given the results from his research, it seems only fair that scores are adjusted due to the affect that the time and circumstances can have on students during an exam. If this was to actually happen, then judges would most likely change the time of an exam to morning or mid-afternoon, just after lunch, so that the later exams are after a break, which is evidently better for students. Clearly, the best way to go for exams is earlier, but in terms of
lessons, many would all love later starts. Other studies which have looked at performance in school instead of examinations interestingly support the case for later starts. There are ongoing debates as to whether schools and colleges should change their start times to later in order to suit teenager’s body clocks. Kyla Wahlstron, from the University of
Minnesota, says that: “The medical sleep researchers who have been specifically studying teenagers around the world have found that teens tend to become more alert as the day progresses.” This not only seems completely relatable to us, as students, but also promising for the future for colleges and schools changing their schedule times.
Pictured: Early exam gets the good grades? (Photographer: Boon Chuan Low)
Half the planet may need glasses by 2050
t has been estimated that half of the world’s population will need glasses by 2050; the increasing demand is due to a decline in visual performance. According to research published in the Opthalmology journal, the reduction in eyesight ability is a consequence of spending too much time looking at smartphones, tablets and computer screens. Currently 285 million people within the world are estimated to be visually impaired, with 90 per cent of those coming from a low-income setting. Of these, 39 million are blind and 246 million have low vision (including those who suffer from myopia). Myopia is a condition in which people are near-sighted and are unable to focus on objects at a distance, which is thought to be an inherited condition. In 2010, 28.3 per cent of the global population were diagnosed of having myopia, in 2050 it has been predicted that 49.8 per cent will suffer from short-sightedness and therefore require glasses. This is almost double the amount of myopic sufferers. The researchers propose that these changes are driven by environmental factors instead of through inheritance, such as recent changes to lifestyles ensued from frequent nearwork activities (looking at screens) and reduced time outdoors. The
study indicates that people living in counties that are considered to have high incomes, such as Europe, North America and parts of Asia, have a higher chance of suffering from myopia due to repetitive exposure to screens. Although glasses, contact lenses and surgery are available to correct impaired vision the underlying cause is still not being addressed. During childhood the eye grows and visual acuity develops. Constant near-work activities at a young age may impair the natural growth and development of the eye causing elongation of the eyeball leading to myopia. A supporting study from Ulster University found that British children are almost twice as likely to be shortsighted now as they were 50 years ago. The study identified that in 1960 7.2 percent of British children suffered from Myopia and presently 16.4 per cent of British children are now suffering with the condition The drastic rise in short-sightedness has been apparent in other parts of the world, such as in East Asia where the percentage of the Chinese population suffering has gone from 10-20 per cent to a staggering 90 per cent in teenagers and young adults. In addition, approximately 96.5 per cent of 19 year old men in Seoul are short-
sighted. An opposing study by Ohio State University released last April found that staring at a computer screen for hours on end “does not cause shortsightedness”. The research team identified no correlation between screen time and eyesight in 4,500 children. Karla Zadnik, Dean of the College of Optometry at Ohio State University states that: “Near work has been thought to be a cause of myopia, or at least a risk factor, for more than
100 years. In this large dataset from an ethnically representative sample of children, we found no association.” Although there has been evidence both for and against the argument that near-work is the leading cause of the rise in myopia. It has been agreed that children spending more time outside have a reduced risk of suffering from myopia. It is unconfirmed what causes the protective effect or whether it is associated with prolonged screen time.
Pictured: Should have gone to Specsavers (Photographer: Xperia2Day)
SCIENCE 27
Coffee consumption may reduce liver cirrhosis risk But is our daily coffee-to-go really a health drink?
Maria Mellor
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While studies show that coffee can reduce liver cirrhosis, it can no way reverse damage already done.
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e all know that alcohol has negative long-term effects on our body. Do we think about them every time we have a drink? Probably not. You could get cancer, liver disease, liver cirrhosis, nerve damage. In recent news, scientists have found a possible shining light to regular drinkers in the form of our nation’s second favourite caffeinated drink: coffee. According to research, daily consumption of coffee could drastically reduce the risk of liver cirrhosis. Cirrhosis is scarring of the liver caused by a constant battering from toxins such as alcohol. It can lead to liver failure or cancer. The researchers from the University of Southampton found that one cup a day could lower the risk of cirrhosis by 22 per cent, two cups reduced the risk by 43 per cent, three cups by 57 per cent, and four cups by 65 per cent. “Cirrhosis is potentially fatal and there is no cure as such,” said lead study author Dr. Oliver Kennedy. “Therefore, it is significant that the risk of developing cirrhosis may be
” Science questions: Answered
Why do we have a leap year? Every four years February has an extra day added to the calendar, falling on the 30th. This is due to a disparity between the calendar we use (Gregorian) and the solar system. It takes 365.24222 days for the Earth to orbit sun but our calendar has 365 days to make up one year. The added day is used to keep our calendars and clocks in sync with the Earth and the seasons as over time they would fall out of order. It falls in February due to this month having the fewest days in the Gregorian calender. This doesn’t quite match the disparity, so in 10,000 years time we will have to look into a new method to stay in sync.
reduced by consumption of coffee, a cheap, ubiquitous and well-tolerated beverage.” It’s not the caffeine that has this positive effect, as previous studies have shown that tea does not do the same thing, but rather it is probably one of the other chemical compounds in coffee. There have been multiple studies all agreeing that the more coffee you drink, the less likely you are to damage your liver with alcohol consumption, with some minor disputes on the percentages that different amounts of coffee lower the risk. Nevertheless, maybe after a night out in Popworld, a cup of coffee could not only wake you up for your 9am the next morning, but could also be beneficial for your health. Coffee can also help your health in other ways. It’s been proven to boost your metabolism, it has vitamins such as riboflavin and pantothenic acid, as well as minerals such as manganese and potassium. Research shows that it can reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes, and protect you from Alzheimer’s and dementia. With so many benefits in one cup,
why don’t we all drink coffee? Forget water, forget juice, why don’t we forsake every other drink for the lifegiving coffee. I’ll tell you why - the negative side of coffee is just as bad. While there are studies showing that coffee can reduce the risk of liver cirrhosis, it can in no way reverse damage that has already been done. After years of drinking, suddenly deciding to get yourself a Starbucks every day isn’t going to give you a brand new liver. Even Kennedy, the author, recognises that “we now need robust clinical trials to investigate the wider benefits and harms of coffee so that doctors can make specific recommendations to patients.” The main reason why we drink coffee, besides liking it, is the caffeine. What exactly does caffeine do, though? Well, there’s a neurochemical called adenosine that builds up in your body throughout the day. The more adenosine that passes through the receptors that measure adenosine levels, the more sleepy you feel. Caffeine creates a block of sorts to adenosine, so it keeps you from getting tired. With the adenosine receptor clogged, neurotransmitters such
as dopamine and glutamate have the chance to thrive. However when the caffeine wears off, the adenosine floods the system causing you to crash. Caffeine is actually a drug, much like alcohol. It’s why pregnant women are told not to drink more than a very small amount. There is even such thing as caffeine overdose with heart palpitations, nausea, dizziness and the like. Ingesting huge doses of caffeine in a short space of time is particularly dangerous as your body doesn’t have time to react. The amount of caffeine that could lead to an overdose differs from person to person, but anything more than 300mg in a 4 hour period should be avoided. For reference, there is approximately 154mg in a standard cappuccino. The main thing to take away from this is to be careful. The positive effects of coffee are certainly in no way a licence to drink more alcohol, and neither should you be drinking coffee 24/7 with the idea that it’s going to make you healthier. However, as with most things, in moderation coffee could be beneficial.
Why does our voice sound differently when recorded and played back?
Why does cannabis give people the munchies?
Many of us hate hearing our voice played back to us, as it sounds different to what we hear in our heads. This is because when we talk we can hear our voice in two different ways. We firstly hear it through the sound waves hitting our ear drum, which is the way that others hear our voice. We secondly hear it through sound waves travelling through the inside of our skull, which is set off by our vocal chords. As they travel through our skull the sound waves are lowered in pitch, making us hear a false sense of base when listening to our own voice. This is why many people think that they sound much lower in pitch than they actually do.
The bottomless pit of hunger that can be induced when an individual smokes is due to the primary compound found in marijuana. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) targets and stimulates areas of the brain associated with olfaction which are smell and taste receptors. This heightens our smell and taste, stimulating our appetite.
Pictured: Sometimes we all need a little pick me up (Photographer: Guiliano Griffante)
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Ingesting huge doses of caffeine in a short space of time is particularly dangerous as your body doesn’t have time to react.
How do snakes hiss? It’s the sound the would stimulate fear or panic in anyone with a phobia of snakes, but how do they hiss? When a snake breathes normally the glottis, which is the opening between the vocal chords, opens and closes to control airflow. However, when a snake is angry or afraid it can forcibly expel air through the glottis, causing it rattle and resulting in the hissing noise many of us fear.
Tweet us your questions to @gairrhyddsci
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28 SCIENCE
Dramatic fall in HPV rates due to vaccine Lizzie Harrett
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As women who got the vaccine when they were younger move into these older age groups, we should continue to see a continued decrease. Dr Lauri Markowitz
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Lisa Carr
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Severe drought can cause as much as a 40 per cent yield loss amounting to £570 million worth of crops.
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ates of the human papillomavirus (HPV) have halved in America in teenage girls since a vaccine against the virus was introduced a decade ago, according to a study released last week. HPV is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) affecting the deepest layer or the skin or genital surfaces, causing genital warts. It’s also the leading cause of cervical cancer in women, although not all types of the virus cause it. There are more than 40 strains of HPV, but the four sub-types most strongly associated with cancer are targeted in the vaccine. Chief author Dr Lauri Markowitz celebrated the results, stating that disease prevalence should further drop: “as women who got the vaccine when they were younger move into these older age groups, we should continue to see a continued decrease.” The study analysed data collected through large-scale health surveys performed in America. They compared results from after the vaccine introduction in 2009 and 2012, and prior to its implementation in 2003 and 2006. They found that since the vaccine had been introduced, the number of 14 to 19 year old girls with HPV detected in their vaginal fluid had fallen from 11.5 per cent to 4.3 per cent. Across the pond over here in the UK, the HPV vaccine has been available to all teenager school girls since
2008. It’s usually given to Year 8 girls to ensure they are vaccinated before they reach the age where sexual activity most commonly starts – you may remember your arm aching after the vaccination, especially if someone tried to ‘gently’ punch it. Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women under the age of 35 in the UK, with 2900 women diagnosed every year. While it is too early to deduce whether the drop in HPV rates has led to a fall in cervical cancer rates, the NHS estimates that 400 lives could be saved every year as a result of vaccinating girls before they are infected with HPV. The introduction of the vaccine has not been without it’s opponents. There has been the usual hard core of “anti-vaxxer” opponents, as well as critics who feared it would encourage promiscuity and lead to an uptake in contracted STDs. However, these concerns have been quashed – a 2015 study looked compared STD rates in vaccinated and unvaccinated American girls, finding it equal among both groups. The success of vaccine may lead to more calls for the vaccine to be given to boys in the United Kingdom. While it is available for American and Australian boys, it is not the case here. Boys who have sexual intercourse with women will benefit from their partners being immunised, but those who have sex with men remain at risk
of contracting genital warts. While very uncommon, certain strains of HPV can also lead to the development of cancers of the throat, penis and anus. Dr Christian Jessen argues that exclusion of men will actually cost the
taxpayer more in the long-term: “I understand there’s a need to economise, but this is entirely a false economy and will leave a whole cohort of the population at risk of problems caused by HPV which will be very costly to treat – more costly than the vaccine.”
project, scientists can produce higher-yielding varieties of rice, and rice that is able to thrive in more adverse conditions. The genome-sequencing project took four years in total, using leaf samples from the IRRI gene bank. It hopes to speed up existing breeding processes that select for certain traits in rice such as disease resistance or high yield potential. Over the history of agriculture, farmers have cultivated the best traits in crops through crossbreeding, though the changes can take generations to be successful. The introduction of molecular genetics technologies into rice agriculture
means that ideal-type rice can be produced in a matter of years. As well as producing rice that can grow in harsh climatic conditions, rice can be produced that is resistant to certain pests and diseases, to prevent huge swathes of crop being wiped out by one disease. Another major aim is to produce rice that is more packed full of nutrients that can help resolve malnourishment issues in the developing world and lifestyle diseases in the developed world. This very rudimentary crop that we certainly take for granted might not be as basic after all. It might be the answer to our impending food crisis.
Pictured: This may sting a little. (Source: VCU CNS)
Rice production bolstered by DNA technology
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“Second green revolution” hailed by geneticists
ice is a huge source of food for nearly half of the world’s population. It is a fundamentally important food crop in the global market and serves as a staple diet constituent for many people in the developing world. However, in the regions where communities depend on rice as a diet staple, climate change has led to drought and crop losses. In developing countries, it can be difficult to store and transport freshwater to irrigate rice fields effectively for good crop growth and people can suffer as a result. Drought induced crop losses have already been observed in countries with the greatest rice consumption. A body known as the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) state on their website “drought is the most widespread and damaging of all environmental stresses, affecting 23 million hectares of rain-fed rice in South and Southeast Asia. In some states in India, severe drought can cause as much as 40 per cent yield loss,
amounting to £570 million.” Given that large numbers of food insecure people are found in South Asia, which has roughly 300 million undernourished people, solutions are needed to counter these crop losses fast. It is hoped that food security in the form of a new green revolution is on the horizon and scientists around the globe are working tirelessly to find new ways to manage agriculture and produce food that is more nutritious and abundant. Biotechnology and molecular genetics is the answer. Experts in the field have found ways to manipulate genetic regions in rice species, enhancing the existing ability of the plant to survive drought. This breakthrough has been hailed as the next ‘green revolution’. Using a huge collection of rice varieties that were being stored in the Philippines, scientists sequenced the genome (all of the organism’s DNA) of more than 3000 types of rice. With the data generated from this genome-sequencing
Pictured: Stop! Dinner time. (Source: Cook Book Man 17)
SCIENCE 29
Success in experimental cancer treatment Lizzie Harrett
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Researchers have applied Darwin’s evolutionary principle of “natural selection” to tackle the problem of treatmentresistant cells.
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Researchers hope to manage instead of kill tumours
cientists have successfully piloted a highly experimental cancer treatment in mice, where tumours are controlled instead of being completely destroyed. Current methods to tackle cancer involve administering high doses of chemotherapy in order to destroy cancer cells. However, this is in not successful for all patients. It can sometimes leave behind a population of cancerous cells which are resistant to treatment and further multiply, spreading across the body. Researchers have applied Darwin’s evolutionary principle of “natural selection” to try and tackle this problem of treatment-resistance cells. This theory postulates the concept that organisms compete with each other for survival. Those that are better adapted to their environment will survive and produce more offspring. Dr Robert Gatenby, at Moffitt Cancer Centre in Florida, believes that by keeping some of the treatment-responsive cells alive, they can compete with the treatmentresistant cells for resources to stop them from taking over and spreading throughout the body. Professor Mel Greaves, at the Institute of Cancer Research in London compares this concept with antibiotic resistance, stating: “If you apply very aggressive therapy, there’s a very strong selective pressure for the emergence of these mutants. You just clear the space and hey presto,
they have the opportunity to take off. So unfortunately aggressive treatment does the opposite of what you want.” Writing for Science Translational Medicine, Gatenby’s team developed an algorithm that accordingly changes the strength of the chemotherapy dose with respect to the tumour size. The basic principle is to send strong doses of chemotherapy when the tumour is rapidly growing and decrease this as it shrinks, ensuring that some treatment-responsive cells are not wiped out. The tumour will remain in the patient’s body, but it is manageable under small doses of chemotherapy. They have termed this “adaptive treatment”. They tested this concept on mice who had the equivalent of human breast cancer, using both the “adaptive treatment” and a “standard treatment” of aggressive chemotherapy, which is currently administered to treat cancer patients. The standard treatment supressed tumour growth for 10-20 days, after which there was rapid growth. However, under the “adaptive treatment”, the mice were observed over 155 days and throughout this, therapy was stopped in 60 per cent of the mice, without the cancer progressing and spreading. After this success, the research group have begun testing the strategy in men diagnosed with prostate cancer, where their tumours have stopped responding to the first line
of treatment. They are using levels of a prostate protein found in the blood to determine the strength of treatment doses. This treatment would ideally be used on individuals where the first wave of treatment has failed, as Rachel Rawson, a clinical nurse specialist, states: “The potential to reduce gruelling side-effects of chemotherapy, while increasing the treatment’s effectiveness, could dramatically improve the lives of people with breast
cancer.” While this adaptive treatment is still in early clinical trials, Gatenby believes applying the evolutionary principle of natural selection to medical treatments will go beyond tackling cancer. He says, “You’re going to see it more and more in antibiotic therapy; I know it’s a topic of great interest in worldwide management of common diseases like malaria, tuberculosis and HPV.”
Research Spotlight:
Pictured: Cardiff University Professor of Epidemiology (Source:: Cardiff University)
Professor Peter Elwood
Alice CampbellSmith
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rofessor Peter Elwood is a researcher at Cardiff University, specialising in the field of epidemiology: the study of the patterns, causes, and effects of health and disease conditions in defined populations. He has had over 50 years of experience in preventative medicine. During such an impressive career, headline hitting work and monumental successes have been achieved. Elwood specialises in preventative medicine; from heart disease to stroke, and recently cancer. Implementing the first set of randomised clinical trials and evidence based medicine has been the backbone of his scientific research. In an extraordinary study, the effects of aspirin on platelets (cells in the blood) and heart disease was investigated in Caerphilly. Pioneering evidence based medicine, a long term study involving over 2,500 men was set up. The study lasted 35 years and provided data on a variety of factors affecting health and disease and was published in the Lancet. The study was majorly successful and hit the headlines. Elwood was part of the team that found that a low dose of aspirin has beneficial effects
for patients whom have had a heart attack or stroke, providing many indicators of health and disease. While working with Archie Cochrane (after whom the Heath library was named), the epidemiology of health and disease was investigated through evidence based medicine. Going beyond the study of cardiovascular diseases, it has relevance for nutrition and a healthy lifestyle, coining the phrase, ‘better than any pill.’ The study highlight the importance of following a healthy lifestyle: resulting in a 60 per reduced risk of heart disease and stroke. Since the release, this work has attracted much attention in medical science. Prof Elwood led the Medical Research Council in Wales and has contributed immensely to our current understanding of epidemiology and medical practice. Informing the public on health promotion brings a chance to improve the health of this generation. How to a healthy life is a widely discussed topic in the media, and these studies have provided information on factors which affect a healthy life. Elwood strives to prolong disease free survival. By studying the mechanisms of disease and conducting randomised
Pictured: Scientists are piloting a less aggressive form of chemotherapy (Photographer: Kbrookes)
“ evidence based trials, it has been possible to explore factors which impact health and disease. The British Medical Journal featured the study as one of the 50 most quoted medical research articles. The data collected is used by the team, and also collaborating colleagues. To build upon this knowledge, genetic analysis can be carried out and UK BIOBANK has been set up, which aims to ‘improve the health of future generations.’
Elwood continues to work on elucidating important factors of health and disease. Currently, he is working on cancer and dementia. Our society still has questions about epidemiology which ensure research continues. Clinical practice relies on evidence to advance the study of medicine. Trials utilising the principals of evidence based medicine, which were first introduced by Prof Elwood and colleagues, provide immense understanding of epidemiology.
Professor Elwood has led the Medical Research Council in Wales and has contributed immensely to our current understanding of epidemiology.
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30 SOCIETIES
societies Rachel Jones
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Editor: Aletheia Nutt @GairRhyddSoc societies@gairrhydd.com gairrhydd.com/societies
Cardiff Volunteering: Jailbreak is this week!
For those of you who don’t know (and if you don’t, I have no idea where you have been for the last 3 months), Jailbreak is a major event in the student calendar. The general idea is that you are in teams of 3-4 and you have 52 hours to get as far away from Cardiff (and back!) as possible. The catch? You are not allowed to spend any money on travel. You’ll have to beg, borrow (we don’t advise stealing) and charm your way onto flights, ferries and coaches. Last year, the team that made it the furthest and back got to Rome. Another got to Barcelona, but failed to return to base within the allocated time. Creativity and endurance will be rewarded, here at Cardiff Volun-
teering, we want to see the wildest and wackiest ways you can get across the world. At Cardiff University, we don’t like to be outdone. Previous Jailbreak teams from other Universities have made it to Israel, Tokyo, LA and Australia. Don’t believe us? Google it. Are you up for the challenge? Think you can outdo Oxford or Warwick? Then this is the competition for you. Jailbreak 2016 will be happening Friday 4th March – Sunday 6th March. You need to be in teams of 3-4 of which at least 1 person must be a Cardiff University student (so you can have a team with siblings, partners, and other university members for example. You could even
bring your nan!). All team members must be 18 by the 4th of March, no exceptions. Tickets are £15 and there is a minimum sponsorship of £50. The ABSOLUTE final information talk is happening this Tuesday (1st March at 6pm in 4G). We have over 20 team signed up currently, and we are expecting it to be a very well fought competition. We have over 15 prizes for various different categories (including most money raised, best fancy dress and the winning team) plus a few surprises along the way! Part of a sports team or society? This will count as one of your volunteering activities with Cardiff Volunteering for the tiering system, plus
your fundraising option! (You need to do 1 a year for silver, 1 a term for gold). If you are part of the Cardiff Award, this event counts as 52 hours towards your hours, so is an amazing way to tick off a large chunk. More of a homebird? Not to worry, we have plenty of opportunities to get involved at basecamp here in Cardiff. If you can volunteer your time, please email us! If you’ve got any questions, email us at volunteering@cardiff.ac.uk, call us on 02920 781494 or message us on facebook (Cardiff Volunteering). You can purchase tickets and see the terms and conditions by heading to www.cardiffstudents.com/ Jailbreak
the room. You’ll record on your check list whether you’d consider living with each of the people opposite you. If at the end of the session you’ve both ticked the “I’d live with them” box, we’ll exchange your designated contact details and it’s all yours from there. So nobody ends up paying council tax on their own we’ve got different circuits for people who will be ‘full time students’ or ‘part-time students/professionals’ from June 2016 onwards. Why are you charging £2? We’re charging a very reasonable £2 for this session because there’s a huge amount of admin work required to sort through each individual grid form and allocate you your matches. So £2 is a steal trust us. Room 4E CUSU, 17:00-19:00.
Monday 29th February Baking Society’s last GIAG of this semester, ‘Where You’re From’ allows you to showcase a little bit about where you’re from in the world! Bake something that represents your home country or place of birth, then bring it along for a taster session where you get to meet new people and try their creations too. Bring your bake, along with some cutlery and a drink-eating all this cake is thirsty work! £1 admission, The Great Hall, 20:00-22:00. For further information contact BakingSociety@cardiff.ac.uk. Wednesday 2nd March The Give it a Go cinema presents: Spectre. Are Bond films your favourites? Come watch Spectre with us. What’s the plan? As always, just bring yourself and remember to sign up online. Bring any drinks, snacks and/or ice cream you want. Tell me about SpectreThe fourth instalment of Daniel Craig’s
Bond sees 007 receiving a cryptic message from his past that sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. Come and watch Bond peel back the layers of lies and trickery to discover the horrible truth about SPECTRE. Free admission, The Lounge, 3rd Floor CUSU, 20:00-23:00. Thursday 3rd March Are you looking for flatmates for the 20162017 academic year? Then come along to Room 4E, CUSU at 5pm on Thursday 3rd March to find your perfect housemates. We don’t believe in “housing lists” here at Give it a Go. We think you should dive in, be pro-active and find your perfect flatmate yourself. Perfect for students who weren’t in halls, or fancy a change before they move into rented private accommodation. How is it going to work? We’ll set you up in a timed circuit and give you 2-3 minutes to talk to the potential flatmate in front of you before working your way around
Give It A Go are also running a wine tasting event the same evening. If you’re partial to a glass of wine, then this is the event for you! Come along for a fruity evening of red, white and rose on Thursday 3rd March 19:00-20:00 in Room 4C/4D CUSU. You’re guaranteed to leave the evening a little merrier than when you came. £4 admission for students, £6 admission for non-students. Friday 4th March Come and fast for 24 hours and help raise money for UNICEF. Get Family and friends to support you in your fast by donating money to your JustGiving page. Here’s how you can get started: 1. Create a Just Giving Page at www.justgiving.co.uk 2. Add in your first and last names and email address. 3. Join UNICEF UK Fast 24, Cardiff University UNICEF on Campus. (make sure it is an event and have cardiffuni in your name so you are easy to find, e.g. John-Doecardiffuni). 4. After creating your page start raising money. 5. Email your name, phone number and Just Giving page link to UNICEF@ cardiff.ac.uk 6. After the information has been sent, a Certificate of Training will be issued out. 7. After the event is completed anyone who participates during the day will receive a Certificate of Participation.
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If you are part of the Cardiff Award, this event counts as 52 hours.
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Saturday 5th March For those of you who missed the previous event last semester, Gaming Society will be in the top floor of the SU rooms A,B,C&D from 11am on Saturday 5th March until 11am on Sunday 6th March A variety of consoles will be setup with a massive host of games on show as well as having a giant stockpile of boardgames for you to enjoy. The tourrnaments are yet to be decided but Gaming Society highly recommend that you bring you own setup to keep you busy for the long run. People will usually have large group games of Civ V, Dota, League, Borderlands, CSGO and more. Gaming Society will let you know when you can arrive with your things closer to the date. Gaming Society may arrange a transport solution if enough people ask for it. If you need help with transport do not hesitate to message Josh Owen on facebook. Please make sure you have a method of transport ready to get home after the event. This is a charity event and as such everyone will be expected to give £5 to Ty Hafan (which is a Welsh Children’s Hospice). Any other profits will also go to them. Get lots of sleep beforehand. Wear comfy clothes. Bring chargers for things that need chargers. Many people will be buying takeaway so there is that option should you wish to participate. It is also advised that you bring snacks. See you on March 5th. If you want stay updated or have any questions please refer to the Facebook event https://www.facebook.com/ events/951335631614282/ Sunday 6th March Sci-Fi and Fantasy Society are holding a Fantasy Scavenger Hunt around Cardiff city centre with a fantasy theme. The scavenger hunt will consist of looking around with teams of people (which do not need to be prepared before hand) in order to complete tasks and compete against other teams in a fun day exploring Cardiff. Bring a pen and some paper, clothes to be walking outside appropriate to the season. £1 admission, SU Reception, 12:00-15:00. For further information contact sci-fi@cf.ac.uk.
SOCIETIES 31
Cardiff University Red Cross Group: Habbas AlAshaab
Aletheia Nutt
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Your support is needed with our Soup and Socks event!
ardiff University Red Cross Group is an exciting society, shortlisted for the British Red Cross’ Humanitarian Citizen Award and Winner of Best Newcomer society 2014. We work closely with both the SU and The British Red Cross to give you the best we can offer. The British Red Cross helps people in crises, whoever and wherever they are. We are part of one of the largest charitable and humanitarian organisations in the world. Cardiff University Red Cross Group is dedicated to helping students connect with the British Red Cross. We do this by teaching a basic first aid course tailored to the needs of students that we have fondly called Freshers Aid. We also teach society-specific first aid having taught the Film and the Baking societies in the past, and we will be teaching hiking first aid to the DofE society soon too. Aside from this, we have held fundraisers to raise money for appeals the Red Cross are running like the Syrian Refugee and Nepal crisis appeals. We don’t just run them by ourselves though; we have loved fundraising with the help of the Music and Comedy societies too (we have a comedy gig at The Lodge on Friday 26th Feb)! The thing that we try to do most often, though is introduce people to all the great volunteering opportunities the Red Cross has to offer here in the UK and any of the other 190 National Societies around the world. That’s why our society is great for international students too, because chances are that they will have a National Red Cross society back at home where they can continue volunteering. We frequently have volunteers and staff from the Fire and Emergency Support Services come in to talk to our members to let
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them know what the role means and how to get involved, and we have had lots of interest in this. Before Christmas, we organized “Winter Help for the Homeless”, a student-led event in collaboration with The British Red Cross, and Cardiff volunteering to distribute warm clothes to the homeless. The clothes were donated and distributed by over 30 volunteer students and Red Cross staff around the city centre, and the night ended with many of us ending up at the Pen and Wig for drinks. There was so much interest in the last event, and people asking us when we would do it again that we just had to come up with a new idea. Soup and Socks is the next event we are running to help the homeless, only this time, we want your help to feed them! EVERY student in the University is invited to make and bring simple foods like sandwiches, soups, tea, coffee, biscuits, cake... Anything that can be eaten from a warm flask or with your own two hands to meet us in the city centre on March 5th, at 5 pm to give out these tasty treats. If you can’t make anything, that’s fine too as you can always buy from the shops or bring along some socks you can donate! Socks and blankets were the thing we got asked for the most last time so if you have any spare bring them down with you too! Lots of homeless also keep dogs as pets and companions so if you want to bring dog treats, they would be appreciated too. We are very lucky that we get such great support from students and members, as last time we managed to make a difference to so many people! If anyone wants to know more about who we are and what we do, contact us on our Facebook page: Facebook. com/CURCG
Pictured: Donations point for Winter Help for Homeless event.
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There was so much interest in the last event, and people asking us when we would do it again that we just had to come up with a new idea.
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Cardiff Fringe Festival 2016
ardiff Fringe Festival 2016 starts this week with an amazing night of music on Sunday 6th March 18:30-23:00pm.. Back for another year, the Music Showcase Night is set to kick off Cardiff Fringe 2016 in spectacular style! This year music society welcome nine other societies to take part and make it their best Acoustic Night yet! You can expect great music from Music Society themselves, Jazz Society’s Jazz Orchestra and other ensembles, TCUPS, A Cappella Society, Blank Verse, Brass Band Society, Healthcare Music Society, Wind Band Society and the Operatic Society. With a great range of genres and many amazing musicians, The following evening Cardiff
Fringe Festival presents a night of Variety, with many performance societies taking to the Y Plas stage to showcase the skills, routines and music they have been working on this year. From choirs to commercial dance and hip hop to contemporary, plus some surprise collaborative performances, there’s something for everyone. Some of the Variety acts you can expect to enjoy are FAD, A Cappella Society, Expression Dance Society, Broadway Dance Society and Bollywood Dance Society. Both the Music Showcase Night and the Variety show are great opportunites for us all to see what the performance societies get up to and are definite events not to be missed.
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Music Showcase Night is set to kick off Cardiff Fringe Festival 2016 in spectacular style!
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32 PARK LIFE
ppark life
Editor: Vacant @HeathParkCSU VPHeathpark@cardiff.ac.uk gairrhydd.com/park-life
Let’s play ball
Need a bit of sport in your life? Join the Healthcare Basketball Club
Ursula McGee
C
ardiff University Healthcare basketball is a well-established club which involves a mixed basketball team in terms of gender, healthcare courses & ability. All levels of experience and skill are welcome, mixing a fun, relaxed atmosphere with a competitive edge; with the ultimate aim to improve skills and build fitness. We know the healthcare timetable is a hard one to juggle so we work the best we can to accommodate this. Whether it’s staying in for NBA, going out for a meal and drinks or partying it up in the Union we make sure our socials are something to remember
Last year marked a huge achievement within the club, we hosted our very own NAMS tournament in Cardiff in which we reached the semi-finals. Our growing success was shown in Medics Varsity when we beat Bristol 59:21. The girls continue to maintain their 100 per cent winning streak against Cardiff University seconds. Already 2016 is geared up to be a busy time within the club. Whilst more friendly matches against local teams are already scheduled we are now focusing our attention to NAMS at the end of April in Sheffield where we hope to build on our success and bring home the trophy.
So why not get involved? Sessions run every Saturday throughout the year 12pm-2pm at the Heath Sports and Social Club, with extra sessions throughout the week. We aim to ensure both our training and matches work alongside the commitments of
all healthcare courses. All newcomers are welcome so feel free to drop by. Check out our Facebook page: Cardiff University Healthcare Basketball Club for updates/or changes! Otherwise for enquiries, please contact HealthcareBasketball@cardiff.ac.uk.
or non alcoholic. The sports clubs already use it every Wednesday as a way to mingle and unwind after training. Do you like big pink desks and money? Well if you do the Heath Students’ Union may be the place for you to work. We are looking for some student staff to work at the Heath SU on a Monday morning and for other shifts. If you have some free time, want a
job, and want to learn more about the workings of the SU get in touch. Did you know services from Park Place are on a rota to spend at least a day up here every month? If you want to chat in person to a staff member from AU or have a chat with Volunteering come along on the days they are at the site and pick their brains about what there service can offer you.
Pictured: The Healthcare Basketball Club
What’s on at the Heath Park Campus in March?
Neil Alexander Heath Park co-ordinator
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Is your society putting on an event? Why not advertise it for free on our plasma screens?
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t the Heath Students’ Union we offer the full range of services that the Park Place SU offers. So in there you can sign up for Jobshop, pay into your Club/Society account, access SDS courses, get an appointment with Student Advice, join Cardiff volunteering and access all the other services Cardiff Students’ Union offer. But we offer even more than that - if you are part of a club or society you can hold a stall outside of the SU in the IV Lounge during peak hours, 10am-11am break times and 12pm2pm lunch time, to raise awareness of a cause, hold a bake sale to raise money or attract new members to your club
or society. Is your society putting on an event? Why not advertise it for free on our plasma screens? You can send us an ad to put on our plasma screen and we can give you some social network shout outs too. Send us a jpeg to advertise your society/club and we can run it on our screens to drum up new members for you. You can hire the IV Lounge for afterhours drinks. Did you know the IV Lounge has a bar in it? Well it does and you can hire it for free. If you have a society/club event or a course get together the IV Lounge bar can be used as a meeting place where you can socialise and have a few drinks either alcoholic
Week one: Commencing Monday 7th March
Week two: Commencing Monday 14th March
Monday Advice (Drop in) / Cardiff Volunteering
Monday Advice (Drop in) / Cardiff Volunteering
Tuesday Jobshop
Tuesday Activities (Societies)
Wednesday Advice (Drop in) Thursday Elected Officer Friday Lettings
Week three: Commencing Monday 21st March
Wednesday Advice (Drop in) Thursday Student Voice / Finance / Elected Officers Friday IT Shop / Commercial sales
Week four: Commencing Monday 28th March
Monday Advice (Drop in) / Cardiff Volunteering
Monday Advice (Drop in) / Cardiff Volunteering
Tuesday Activities (Give it a Go)
Tuesday Activities (AU)
Wednesday Advice (Drop in) Thursday Elected Officer Friday SDS
Pictured: The Heath Hub in the IV Lounge Cafe
Wednesday Advice (Drop in) Thursday Elected Officer/Finance Friday Comms/Social media
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Do you like big pink desks and money? Well if you do the Heath Students’ Union may be the place for you to work.
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34 SPORT
BUCS Results: Wednesday 24th February Presented by:
H/A
Sport
Cardiff Team
Opposition
Result
W/L/D
A
American Football
Mixed 1st
Swansea University 1st
19-0
L
A
Badminton
Mens 2nd
Cardiff Metropolitan University 1st
7-1
L
H
Badminton
Womens 2nd
Swansea University 2nd
6-2
W
A
Basketball
Mens 1st
Plymouth University 1st
w/o
W
A
Basketball
Mens 2nd
Cardiff Metropolitan University 1st
65-58
L
A
Fencing
Womens 1st
Plymouth University 1st
109-135
W
A
Football
Womens 1st
University of South Wales 1st
3-4
W
A
Football
Mens 2nd
Cardiff Metropolitan University 2nd
3-1
L
A
Football
Womens 2nd
Aberystwyth University 1st
8-0
L
A
Football
Mens 3rd (Medics)
University of South Wales 2nd
0-1
W
H
Football
Mens 4th
Trinity St David, Swansea 1st
1-1
D
H
Futsal
Womens 1st
Hartpury College 1st
12-2
W
H
Golf
Mixed 2nd
University of South Wales 2nd
1.5-4.5
L
A
Hockey
Womens 1st
University of Edinburgh 1st
3-0
L
A
Hockey
Mens 2nd
Aberystwyth University 1st
3-4
W
H
Hockey
Mens 3rd
University of the West of England 3rd
13-0
W
A
Hockey
Womens 3rd
Aberystwyth University 1st
1-1
D
A
Lacrosse
Womens 1st
Cardiff Metropolitan University1st
15-0
W
H
Lacrosse
Mens 2nd
Bristol University 2nd
3-7
L
A
Netball
Womens 1st
Northumbria University 1st
66-33
L
A
Netball
Womens 3rd (Medics)
Cardiff Metropolitan University 2nd
55-22
L
H
Netball
Womens 4th
Cardiff Metropolitan University 3rd
23-35
L
A
Netball
Womens 5th
Cardiff Metropolitan University 5th
29-26
L
H
Rugby Union
Mens 1st
Hartpury College 1st
17-33
L
A
Rugby Union
Womens 1st
Bristol University 1st
37-12
L
A
Rugby Union
Mens 2nd (Medics)
University of Gloucestershire 1st
109-0
L
H
Rugby Union
Mens 3rd
Swansea University 3rd
21-19
W
A
Squash
Mens 1st
University of Southampton 1st
5-0
L
A
Squash
Mens 2nd
University of the West of England 4th
4-1
L
A
Tennis
Mens 2nd
University of Gloucestershire 1st
12-0
L
A
Volleyball
Mens 1st
Bristol University 2nd
0-3
W
H
Volleyball
Womens 1st
University of Essex 1st
0-3
L
Wins
Draws
Losses
20
3
26
SPORT 35
Snakecharmers make history to claim two Grand Champion Awards
James Lloyd
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We’ve really put Cardiff Snakecharmers on the map as one of the teams to beat in terms of university cheer. Carly Rosselli
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Simon Cawthra
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With over 60 athletes making the trek to Newcastle, everyone was looking to make as much of an impact as possible.
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ardiff University’s cheerleaders have stormed to the most successful competition results in their history, scooping two out of a possible five Grand Champion Awards at the recent Future Cheer contest in Birmingham. The Cardiff Snakecharmers attended the Future Cheer University Nationals at the Genting Arena, Birmingham, last weekend. 73 universities from all corners of the United Kingdom competed at the event in a bid to pick up national titles. And with five ‘Grand Champion’ titles on offer, the Snakecharmers won an impressive two titles courtesy of the Toxin team and the Venom team. The competition spanned across both the Saturday and the Sunday with the dance teams and group stunt teams competing on day one and the “teams” on day two. The Cardiff Snakecarmers Toxin team, coached by Robyn Anderson took the competition by storm blitzing to the title in the Hip-Hop category. Things got better for Anderson and Co. who, out of a staggering 48
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teams, were crowned ‘Grand Champions’ which covered teams from the Hip-Hop, Jazz and Pom categories. The group stunt teams, coached by Sasha Betty, also competed on the Saturday and were crowned winners of the All-Girl Level Four contest, as well as winners of the All-Girl Level Five contest. Out of 21 teams, the All-Girl Level Two team finished in a respectable 8th place. Moving onto the Sunday and things got even better for the Snakecharmers. Poison, secured a historic first place following their win in the All-Girl Level Two contest. It’s the first time in Snakecharmers’ history that the Poison team have placed first. The Venom team were also crowned ‘Grand Champions’ for Level Three and Four mixed teams. Carly Rosselli and Georgie Rule coached Venom and the pair now have their sights firmly set on the ICC competition in Nottingham on 20th March. Coach Rosselli expressed her delight at the Snakecharmers’ his-
toric success, saying: “I’m extremely proud of all of the members of the club. We’ve really put Cardiff Snakecharmers on the map as one of the teams to beat in terms of university cheer”. She added: “I think what worked well for all of the teams this year is that we went into the competition with the mentality that we were aiming high and all had our sights on first place. Everybody stepped on the mat knowing exactly what their job was and worked incredibly hard to fulfil it”. Despite Cardiff ’s success, it came
as a bit of a shock to the team, Rosselli said: “We obviously wanted to do well at competition and had our hopes on all 3 teams placing at least top 3 - however nobody expected it to go this well. I still don’t think it’s sunk in”. The Snakecharmers now have just under a month to prepare for the International Cheer Competition in Nottingham. “For ICC were making our routines Harder and going to spend the next few weeks perfecting our new routines and hopefully aiming to repeat the success of our last comp”, Rosselli added.
Pictured: Cardiff ’s Poison team at the Future Cheer competition in Birmingham (Photographer: Cardiff Snakecharmers)
Cardiff Rowers surpass Swansea in BUCS competition
UCS events are few and far between for Cardiff University Rowing Club, so when a race does appear on the calendar, the club sends a strong and substantial representation. With over 60 athletes making the trek to Newcastle, everyone was looking to make as much of an impact as possible. The course itself was a 5k slog into a headwind, with little protection from the elements and crews of four or eight completing the distance. The event is called a head race and is in the format of a time trial, unlike the six-lane racing seen in the Olympics, making for a long race with little motivation from surrounding boats. The event has novice racing (less than one year’s rowing experience) on the Saturday and senior races on Sunday. After the novice day being cancelled for the previous two years, event managers were keen to avoid a repeat. This led to some gruelling conditions for the novice day and, with a headwind gusting over 40mph, the race will have felt much longer for those taking part. This created a real test for the Cardiff novice squads, who normally train in sheltered conditions on the River Taff. With this in mind, the performances produced by the in-
experienced squads were superb; the Novice Men first and second boats finished 11th and 22nd respectively. And the first boat finished 20 places higher than the Swansea novice crew. The fours did equally well with the top boat crossing the line sixth in a category containing 39 crews. The results of 14th and 16th from the Novice Women demonstrated good technical ability to deal with the conditions and still come away with a strong result – in this category, the girls finished 10 spots higher than Swansea. The Novice Women’s squad also fielded boats in the fours category, with the top boat securing 11th in a category of 27. Winds were much lighter the following day, though still slightly gusty, allowing Cardiff crews to produce some strong results. The Senior Men secured 22nd in the category containing nearly 50 crews. Indeed, an even more competitive result could have been shown but, unfortunately, damage to their boat prevented them from racing in their usual one. Putting it into perspective, this is the equivalent of having to play a game of football in boots that are three sizes too big – you can never be expected to perform as well. Nevertheless, they still placed higher than the Swansea crew.
Meanwhile, the Senior Women’s squad produced astounding results, with both crews finishing in the top 10, and within 12 seconds of each other. Equally in the fours, the Senior Women secured top 20 positions despite incidences with other boats. This shows a large amount of depth in the squad and positive signs for when the squads go to race on the Thames in March in what is the biggest head race of the season. That isn’t all for Cardiff University
Rowing Club at the moment, though. The squad are completing a “Row to Rio” to celebrate the Olympic Games and to raise money for Heath Hospital. This will see a total distance of 9,139km rowed over the course of a week. The club completed a 24-hour row last year and raised just under £4,000 pounds, with money going towards Anthony Nolan. Hopefully an even greater amount will be raised for a cause that is close to Cardiff University student’s hearts.
Pictured: The men’s rowing team in action. (Photographer: Cardiff University Rowing Club)
36 SPORT BUCS NATIONALS
Dan Schmeising
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For a number of different reasons, we were left with very few non-committee members this year and the future of the club lay in the balance.
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Lizzie Harris
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It was the biggest turnout ever for the club, with a whole host of performances showing great promise for the season ahead.
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Karate kick into gear with eyes now switched to Varsity A t the start of this year, the committee met and agreed that Cardiff University Karate Club would not be allowed to fade from existence. For a number of different reasons, including student graduation, the departure of our coach and a general loss of interest, we were left with very few non-committee members this year and the future of the club lay in the balance. It took a lot of hard work to get things back on track but having our most successful Freshers’ Fair in years certainly helped. We rose from Bronze to Gold in the AU tier system and finally convinced the Athletic Union that the frankly ancient mats we had been using for years needed to be replaced, receiving an incredible new training area as a result. And now, here we are, back from a BUCS Nationals that (while we may lack silverware to show for it) just may have been our most successful in several years. It’s important to note that the loss of our instructor has led to a couple of our students taking up the role. Although they do an incredible job, this does mean that we do
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not currently have access to the professional coaching that several other clubs do. To have still performed to the standard we did is a credit both to teachers and competing members. Nine Cardiff students participated, with two making the semi-finals, including Sophie Vingoe, who excelled in Individual Kata (forms). Sophie has won several medals in both Europe and at the World Championships for her discipline, so it was no surprise to see her command the judge’s attentions with some absolutely stunning Kata in the early rounds. Ben Lewis also came close to medals in Individual Kumite (sparring), in which he utterly annihilated his second opponent, 10-0. In fact, he did not concede a single point until his semi-final, where he gave a European medallist a run for his money, but ultimately could not prevail. A superb victory from Iain Dorrington in his first round was followed by an unfortunate defeat and the Women’s Team, Kumite, could not overcome their first-round opponents despite a valiant effort and a solid win from Josanne Killeya. The standard at BUCS Nationals is in-
“ credibly high - and it showed. Techniques and performances on show, by Cardiff students and our opponents, were nothing short of astonishing and there was never a dull moment throughout the weekend. This year also marks CUKC’s return to the Welsh Varsity after a five-year absence. The BUCS Nationals weekend provided the entire club with an insight as to where we stand and how we might compete with Swansea in
April. It was, after all, the first time we have seen how the new members performed under pressure. We are delighted, however, with how everyone handled themselves over the weekend and, with the feedback we have been given, preparation now begins for Varsity. We may be small but there is a huge amount of talent in our squad and we are very excited to take that to Swansea on the 20th April.
800m, and Jaime Garcia-Gonzalez really enjoyed his opportunity to compete for Cardiff in the 400m. The entertainment value arrived on the second day when Dylan the Dragon (Bani) ran a BUCS Record in the Charity Mascot Race, leaving the other universities trailing in his tracks. The 4x200m Men’s relay team were also fantastic to watch, with Thomas Chandy and Owen Haswell
among those achieving incredibly quick split times and proving their undeniable talent despite being disqualified in their respective events. A huge thank you has to be handed to Track Captain Lizzie Harris for organising a brilliant weekend, to Dan Nash for driving the minibus despite his racing commitments, and to Mike Gaunt for giving up his weekend to provide excellent physio treatment throughout the championships.
Athletics make history in mega medal haul
he BUCS Indoor Athletics Championships was an undeniable success for CUAC, who managed to grab two medals as the Women’s team secured eighth place and the Men’s team 13th. It was the biggest turnout ever for the club, with a whole host of performances showing great promise for the season ahead. The first of our medals was silver for Sarah Mckeever in the Women’s Pole Vault, with McKeever also jumping a huge personal best of 3.90m. She only finished second on countback and the first-placed athlete jumped the same height as her. Such a performance against some fierce competition will be a huge confidence boost for Mckeever. Cardiff ’s other medal success came courtesy of a brilliant 3000m bronze from Beth Hawling. Already in scintillating form – having finished in an incredible fifth place in the BUCS cross country just a few weeks ago – Beth ran a perfectly-paced race to come home in a time of 9:47.95. And Cardiff ’s medal haul did not end there. Club President Dan Nash posted personal bests in both the heat and the final for a third consecutive year to finish a very strong fifth, and Fresher Andrew Wright went one better on his
BUCS debut to finish fourth with an incredibly gutsy last 400 metres. Success continued for our field team, with Sam Adams jumping well to come eigth in the Triple Jump final, achieving BUCS points in his first ever competition for CUAC. In the Women’s shot put, Sara Adel Sayed threw a season’s best and, despite some disappointment, Ed Thompson and Callum Court demonstrated some courageous jumps in the Men’s pole vault. It was clear to see that there was a lot of talent on show, and we look forward to seeing them fulfil their potential as the season goes on. A special mention also has to go to our four athletes who successfully negotiated their heats, providing brilliant accounts of themselves in the semi-finals that followed. Freek van Arkel and Thomas Macswayne showed tenacity and grit to battle their way through in the 1500m, while Lizzie Harris and Marcus Bayona-Martinez both ran great personal bests in the 400m – with the latter also successfully breaking the club record in the process. In the 60m sprints, Club Freshers Gabby Mansell, Camille Forrest and Patrick Calhoun all impressed with strong performances in the 60m heats, while Hugh Saunders ran his University best of 2:08 in the
Pictured: Athletes from across the UK took part in the Karate event (Photographer: BUCS Sports)
The techniques and performances on show were nothing short of astonishing and there was never a dull moment throughout the weekend.
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Pictured: Andrew Wright (in red) representing Cardiff at the Sheffield event. (Photographer: BUCS Sports)
BUCS NATIONALS SPORT 37
Trampolining team leaves Sheffield with silver
Jess CoxMartin
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The pressure was on and everyone made both themselves and the club proud with their determination to perform to their best ability.
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Jack Houlston
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Despite a very strong field of competition, everyone from Cardiff made it out of the group stages.
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or CUTC, February means one thing- BUCS Nationals. The most important competition of the year, it gives the club an opportunity to compete against all other British universities and win muchcoveted BUCS points. Following the success we achieved at BUCS 2015, the club was determined to return bigger and better than ever. Over the past six weeks, preparation has intensified and the squad of 17 has been training harder than ever to ensure everyone’s routines were competition-ready. Day One of BUCS is qualifying day and it was a long one at that, with everyone in action and some fantastic performances on show. Due to several categories consisting of over 100 competitors, the pressure was on and everyone made both themselves and the club proud with their determination to perform to their best ability. With competitors at every level of the competition, from novice to elite, the club pulled together and the support within the squad was fantastic. In total, nine of our gymnasts qualified for the finals. This was a fantastic achievement for each of them and meant that they had finished in the top 16 of their group. Many of
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our competitors who did not make the top 16 missed out by the narrowest of margins and performed individually outstanding routines. First up on finals day was Laura Westacott, who qualified for the second year in a row. Finishing in a highly respectable 14th place overall, Laura performed two lovely routines. Jess Heap followed, narrowly missing out on a medal with two near faultless routines earning her fifth place in a category of 129. Next up was Rhys Bowen Moses, who achieved a top 10 finish having only started trampolining this year. Laura Williams then performed two stunning routines to earn Cardiff their first medal of the day, finishing in third place in a category of 163. Niall Doherty followed, achieving another top 10 finish with two solid routines. Ben Cowper was up next, making the club proud with sublime performances. As our highest performing male, we look forward to seeing what Ben achieves next. Cardiff ’s next medal was provided by captain Rachel Woodman. Having medalled last year, Rachel moved up a category and, proving no challenge is too great for her, won a silver medal. The last competitors
on finals day were Emma Wallace and Zaynub Akbar, who both competed in the women’s elite category. Emma was up first, proving that hard work really does pay off. She performed routines that she has never competed before, wowing the crowd. Zaynub followed. Having qualified in first place, the pressure was very much on the international trampoline gymnast. At her first ever BUCS, she completed the most complex routines of the weekend-achieving a phenomenal fourth-place finish after leaving the crowd feeling dizzy just watching her! On top of individual medals, Rachel, Emma and Zaynub won a silver in the highly competitive women’s team category.
A new feature of the competition was an award for the club with the highest scores for form (how nicely the routines were done). This takes into account the scores of all the competitors from the university and we were delighted to come second. Overall, BUCS was an outstanding weekend for the club and we are very proud of the achievements of all of the squad. The competition season is by no means over and it’s straight onto the next one as the club head to Warwick and Southampton to compete in the Southern Universities Trampoline League. We’ll also be hosting our own competition- the Welsh Open- in the coming months. Onwards and upwards for CUTC!
Fencing upbeat after winning bronze in Sheffield
fter a long and arduous journey, which began at 4am outside the SU, the Fencing Club arrived in Sheffield on the morning of Friday 19th February for the first day of competition. Following some logistical and technological issues, Cardiff had no representatives in the Women’s Sabre, but did have six entrants in the Men’s Epee (to find out about the different disciplines, visit Wikipedia). Despite a very strong field of competition, everyone from Cardiff made it out of the group stages. And, although they normally fence foil, Will White and Race Imboden had a dabble in the epee. But the pair were found wanting, both losing close bouts in the first knockout round. Club Vice President James Daly also fell, suffering defeat to fellow Cardiff student Rad Zawrotniak. Rad and Enrico Garozzo were the only Cardiff fencers through to the last 64, although their journeys ended somewhat abruptly, each losing 15-13 in two incredibly close fights. A rough first day for Cardiff, but the weekend was only just beginning. The Saturday saw one of Cardiff ’s best hopes for a medal in Costanza Peretti, who was competing in the women’s foil with Amy Radford. Enrico was in for the men’s sabre, along with chemistry postgrad, Alex
Cheremisinov. More known for his refereeing than his fencing, Alex still performed admirably- building on a strong performance in the group stages to make his way through to the last 32 having fought back from 8-1 down. But he fell just short, losing 15-12. Enrico didn’t do so well either. Costanza, who has represented Italy at U20 level, was ranked second after the group stage and proceeded to outclass each of her opponents before the quarter finals. After a topsy-turvy fight, Costanza lost 15-12 to the eventual winner. Amy, despite foil not being her primary weapon, did very well, although suffered a disappointing defeat in the last 16. So day two also ended with Cardiff narrowly missing out on any silverware despite some solid performances. Arriving on the Sunday well-rested and replenished, the final day saw most of Cardiff ’s fencers compete in Women’s epee or Men’s foil. In the latter, everyone performed well to make it out of the group stages. Fresher Max Heinzer was the first to go, his erratic style serving him ill as he departed in the first knockout round. Will White won his first knockout fight with ease, but was dispatched by his next opponent with a similar scoreline. Cardiff Fencing’s badboy Deamer had high hopes before the day, but had his after-
noon cut short after meeting the top seed in his second round fight. Cheremisinov navigated a tricky group but his day ended prematurely as well, whilst Irish International Cormac Foley was also defeated in the second knockout round. Cardiff ’s best hope of landing a good result in the Men’s foil came from Imboden, who was ranked eighth after the groups and looked to have a sweet draw to the quarter-finals. However, he made a hash of his last64 match and went home early too. So Cardiff ’s hopes turned to Women’s epee, where club icon and former (youth) Olympian, Amy Radford, who has twice achieved the
silver medal, was aiming to build on her past BUCS record. This year she was hoping to go one better – nothing but gold would do. Amy, along with Costanza Peretti and Gemma Frewin, successfully navigated the poules, only to be sent packing after two close first-round fights. Vicky Perrio, in her non-preferred weapon, didn’t quite make it so far. Meanwhile, Amy waltzed into the semi-finals. But fatigue struck and she lost to a Swiss international who went on to take gold. That left Radford to take home the bronze. Not the colour she’s used to, but it did mean that Cardiff went home with something to shout about!
Pictured: The CUTC team on the podium at the Championships (Photographer: Cardiff University Trampoling Club)
Pictured: Above: Cardiff University’s Amy Radford in action (Photographer: Jack Houlston)
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Amy Radford, who has twice achieved the Silver medal, was aiming to build on her past BUCS record.
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38 SPORT
Coral Kennerley
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Every member of the team put in their best effort to make Cardiff University proud!
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Rich Jones
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Cardiff swim to success at BUCS Championship
ardiff University’s swimmers went to Sheffield last weekend to compete in the BUCS Long Course Swimming Championship. The weekend started off with the relay races, first being the men’s 4x100 free relay (Luke McCluskey, Dan West, Jack Beddoes and Sam Gaskins) making the B final on Friday night which gave the whole team a boost heading into the rest of the weekend. The girls 4x100 free relay (Emilie James, Sophie Elphick, Grace Pettit and Fiona Shaw) followed it up and did really well putting the boys to shame in qualifying for the A final! The girls captain, Sophie Elphick had a cracking weekend after being part of the relay on Friday, she then went on to make the final in the 200 breast and put out a strong performance finishing 7th in the final, all contributing to valuable BUCS points for Cardiff University. We saw some strong efforts from
Ely Seymour and Woody Bayliss in the 50 breast on Saturday, and a special mention to Woody for a brilliant dive to start to the race. We saw a lot of personal bests from many members of the club too, including Jess Twose in the 50 back and Dan West who swam the 50 freestyle and 50 back. Sara Williams swam a good race in her 50 back on Saturday, winning her heat so the team morale was certainly on a high after an excellent first couple days. Sunday brought even more personal bests to the pool with Izzy Ewen swimming the 100 back and Ellie Stephens, Woody Bayliss and Coral Kennerley all achieving PB’s the 100 breast. Grace Pettit and Sophie Elphick swam the 200 IM. Sophie Elphick pulled out another blinding performance and made the final in her second individual event for the weekend. We saw some great 100 back performances from Morgan Kane-
Harry Elliott Cardiff Blues Columnist
a few core members of our team who in this meet, competed in their last BUCS Championship. From Cardiff University Swimming team we’d like to say a big thank you and goodbye to Sophie Elphick, Catlain McNicholas, Sara Williams and Woody Bayliss for the commitment and effort they have put in over the years and we’re sad to see you and all of your glory leave us! Overall it was a very fun and enjoyable weekend with every member of the team putting in their best efforts to make Cardiff University proud!
Pictured: Cardiff Uni’s swimmers at last week’s BUCS event. (Photographer: Cardiff University Swimming Team)
Wales beat France in drab Six Nations affair
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ales earned another invaluable Six Nations victory as they edged a 19-10 win over France in a scrappy encounter at the Principality Stadium. Warren Gatland’s men maintained their unbeaten record in the 2016 Championship with another gutsy display in Cardiff. George North scored his second try in two games, but it was a resolute Welsh defence that made all the difference as they moved to the top of the standings ahead of the weekend’s
remaining fixtures. An uneventful, error-strewn first half saw Wales dominate possession but make little inroads in terms of territory as they edged into a 6-3 lead. The game burst into life just before the interval as a stunning break from scrumhalf Gareth Davies saw him cut inside into the French 22. However, his kick to the corner was cleared by Maxime Medard with a diving Liam Williams prone to ground the ball. Despite failing to add to their lead,
Warren Gatland’s men maintained their unbeaten record in the 2016 Championship with another gutsy display.
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Roberts and Emilie James. It was also a great effort from the men’s captain Luke McCluskey swimming just over his personal best in the 100 free. Jack Beddoes put in the mileage and swam the 400 free in the fastest heat, so a fab effort from him. To finish the weekend, the girls 4x100 IM relay brought home a fabulous win in the ‘B’ final. A special mention needs to be given for members of the Waterpolo side of the club who stepped up and joined in on the swimming glory in Sheffield. We are also saying goodbye to
Going into last weekend’s fixture against Ulster Rugby, the Cardiff Blues lost two games on the bounce. They were edged 13-14 by Leinster in front of a mediocre 5,300 fans at BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park, just a week after a horrible shock defeat to the previously winless Benetton Treviso in Italy. This was a cause for concern for some Blues fans. However, is it time for Head Coach Danny Wilson to push the panic button? Perhaps some perspective is needed. Yes, Blues did lose to bottom of the
league Treviso, who had not hitherto won a game all season, but only the next week the same ignominy was suffered by the Newport Gwent Dragons. Yes, the Blues lost 13-14 to Leinster- ending their five-match winning streak at home. However, Leinster rather cantered to a 23-15 victory over the Blues earlier in the season. There is no doubt that, since that game in September, the Blues have improved, and they now occupy a more respectable 9th in the Pro12,
the hosts picked up where they left off after the break as Dan Biggar quickly doubled their advantage after Jonathan Danty was penalised for a tip tackle on Jamie Roberts. Just moments later, Gatland’s men finally established breathing space as North messily touched down after chasing Jonathan Davies’ kick downfield. The winger initially miscued his attempt to grubber kick the loose ball from five metres out, but a feeble clean-up from Jules Plisson gifted him a second chance which he did not turn down. France threatened to hit straight back as they opted to kick for the corner after earning a penalty within kicking distance. They looked almost certain to drive over after an excellent line-out, but remarkable countermauling from Wales ensured they saw off the short-term danger. The visitors nonetheless spent the next ten minutes swarming around the Welsh try line - coming closest as captain Guilhem Guirado was held up - but they could find no way past the solid Wales defence. Having weathered an extensive spell of pressure, a much-needed turnover
from Jonathan Davies put Wales back into French territory before Biggar slotted over his third penalty. Just as Scotland did a fortnight earlier, France did add a consolation try as Guirado bundled over following a line-out in the final minute – but it was too little too late as they suffered their first defeat of the tournament. Whilst certainly not the prettiest performance from Wales, it was another professional display which leaves them well-placed ahead of their final two Six Nations fixtures against England (March 12) and Italy (March 19). Colossal defensive performances from the likes of Toby Faletau, Sam Warburton and Alun-Wyn Jones amongst others plus a Man of the Match performance from Gareth Davies ensured they never looked like losing against a lacklustre French side. Critics may point to a lack of incision from the Welsh backline as they continue to work on their attacking style. However, it was nonetheless a case of job done as they emerged from a tough, physical game with a relatively comfortable win to keep their title dreams well and truly alive.
crucially a place higher than the Newport Gwent Dragons. Of course, 9th place is hardly setting the world alight in the Pro12 but, considering the mess that Wilson inherited at the end of last season, the improving performances of the Blues is very pleasing after a shaky start to the season. With tough, but winnable, games against Ulster, Glasgow and Munster before a home tie with Treviso (when revenge will certainly be the order of the day), one can reasonably expect the Blues to climb the table.
And that’s not to mention the mouth-watering Welsh derbies with all three of the Scarlets, Dragons and Ospreys in the run-in towards the end of the season. Danny Wilson is gradually improving the Blues, evidence of which can be seen in performances from early December to the present day, albeit with an occasional blip here and there. So, despite the recent losses, there is no need to push the panic button just yet, Mr. Wilson. You’re doing just fine!
Pictured: Left: Wales’ scrum half and man-of-thematch on the night, Gareth Davies, boxkicks one clear.
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Whilst certainly not the prettiest performance from Wales, it was another professional display.
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SPORT 39
Football ticket price protests: How are clubs responding?
Dan Heard
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This is a positive move that ensures the cost of watching the Bluebirds will be cheaper for fans next season. Keith Morgan
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Shaun Davey Cardiff City Columnist
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eason Tickets for Cardiff City’s 2016/17 campaign will go on sale to fans from the 1st of March, St. David’s Day, with the big news for supporters being the re-introduction of a price freeze for any purchase made before the 4th April. The price-freeze option proved hugely popular with the Cardiff faithful during the five years it was in place, between the purchase of the club by Vincent Tan in 2010 and last year. During this time, Cardiff reached a Play-Off Final, lost out to Liverpool on penalties at Wembley in the League Cup Final, and experienced both promotion to and relegation from the Premier League. It was the loss of their top-flight status two years ago that heralded the end of the price freeze- but its return is also joined by news of a £99 season ticket option for students, an offer which many may find hard to turn down. A ‘Zone 1’ adult ticket, currently the most expensive option available to fans, next season will cost £519, a £20 reduction on the price for the same ticket this year. The cheapest full-priced adult season ticket, meanwhile, will set you back just under £300, or around £13 a game. However, it is the introduction of the aforementioned student season ticket, eligible providing that you are under the age of twenty five and have
The Bluebirds have learnt the hard way and discovered that consecutive results are indeed hard to come by, especially in this topsy-turvy season. Defeat to Middlesbrough was a bitter disappointment considering the momentum that was built in their ousting of promotionchasers Brighton in the previous fixture. The one step forward, two steps back principle is becoming too familiar at Cardiff and is undermining their push for the play-offs. Anyone who saw their drubbing of Brighton could be forgiven for thinking they were genuine title contenders but, as has been apparent all
a valid student ID, that has drawn the most attention from fans. For a more in-depth look at these announcements, I turned to Tim Hartley, Chairman of the Cardiff City Supporter’s Trust, who told Gair Rhydd Sport: “Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust has welcomed the announcement of a cut in season ticket prices for next season and a price freeze for the following two years.” Keith Morgan, a City board member and football finance expert, added: “We are pleased with the club’s announcement to reduce season ticket prices for next season and then pledge a price freeze for the following two seasons on all tickets bought before April 4. “This is a positive move that ensures the cost of watching the Bluebirds will be cheaper for fans next season and does not rise further on. “At the Trust’s more recent meetings with the Club’s chair, Melmet Dalman, and chief executive, Ken Choo, we raised the issue of reviewing season ticket pricing, including bringing in cheaper child tickets in most areas of the ground and an ‘interim’ ticket price to smooth the move from child price to full adult price. “The Club listened to the arguments put forward and have announced what, I believe, to be a very generous offer.
season (and a regular occurrence in this column), they just cannot get a run of form together. The damning truth of the matter is that they are not consistently good enough to get anywhere near Wembley come May. The Middlesbrough result brought a sense of realism to proceedings. Cardiff have, at the time of writing, slipped to eighth and are five points off the top six. To be fair, the 3-1 defeat came against one of the leading contenders for the Championship title, but it’s also worth noting that The Bluebirds have only
We hope this will lead to more fans taking up the option of season tickets for next season and beyond.” The debate that has been ongoing for a number of weeks over season ticket prices, particularly those in the Premier League, nevertheless continues to rumble on. There were well-documented cases, such as sections of Liverpool fans staging a walk-out in the 77th minute of their home match with Sunderland at the beginning of February in protest over the proposed introduction of a £77 top-price ticket for a seat in the new main stand from next season. The board eventually relented and apologised, with the highest-priced matchday ticket being frozen at £59, before doing the same with their most expensive season ticket. Manchester United fans followed suit, unveiling a banner reading ‘Welcome to Scamdinavia’ in the 71st minute of their Europa League tie away at Danish side FC Midtjylland, again, in protest over the dearest gameday tickets available. In bowing to fan pressure, Liverpool have followed the trend of numerous other clubs in lowering or freezing season ticket prices for the coming season, which will be the first campaign where clubs will benefit from a new three-year domestic television rights deal, valued at a staggering £5.1 billion. Taking overseas rights contracts into consideration also, this figure should eventually reach around £8 billion. Liverpool and United join fellow top-flight sides Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Norwich and Swansea (who, coincidently, are one of only two teams in the Premier League, along with Tottenham, who are debt-free). West Ham have also reduced their prices, but this came about in response to their move
to the Olympic Stadium next season. Drawing from BBC Sport’s Price of Football report for 2015, it was Arsenal fans who were paying the most for season tickets, with the cheapest ticket an eye-watering £1,014 and the most expensive at £2,013. A top-price matchday ticket at the Emirates alone costs £97. They were closely followed by North London rivals Tottenham and current Champions Chelsea, at £765 and £750 respectively. What about the cheapest matchday ticket? Well, it’s current title contenders Leicester City, for whom you can watch at home for just £22. These figures, however, are put to shame by the likes of European Football heavyweights Bayern Munich, where a season ticket to watch the Bavarian side and reigning Bundesliga Champions is equivalent to £104. So an entire season watching some of the best football in the world costs only a few pound more than watching ONE Arsenal match. Bayern’s former President, Uli Hoeness (who, admittedly, is currently in prison for tax evasion), explained his club’s reasoning behind the season ticket pricing. He said: “We could charge more than £104. Let’s say we charged £300. We’d get £2 million more in income, but what’s £2 million to us? “In a transfer discussion, you argue about that sum for five minutes, but the difference between £104 and £300 is huge for the fan. We do not think the fans are like cows, who you milk. Football has got to be for everybody.” While there are schemes in place in Britain to attempt to regain some parity, such as the ‘Twenty’s Plenty’ campaign, which is fighting to agree for an across-theboard price cap on away match tickets of only £20, the struggle is ongoing.
managed consecutive wins once this term. For a team with expectations of finishing in the top six, that makes for a worrying statistic. Slade naturally sent out the same team that played so wonderfully against Brighton. The new formation of 4-2-3-1 worked impeccably against the Seagulls but at the Riverside it failed to materialise and the game was won due to key enforcers in the midfield. Despite the result, this Cardiff side looks remarkably well-balanced in other areas and the 2012 League Cup finalists need to keep both Tom Lawrence and
Anthony Pilkington fit if there is any chance of a late push for those play-off places The continued excellence of Scotsman David Marshall in between the sticks should also be noted. A fantastic penalty save and a man-of-the-match display once again meant Cardiff didn’t travel back from Teesside to the Welsh capital with their tails even further between their legs. Next up for the Bluebirds, following last weekend’s game at Preston, is the socalled Severnside derby away to Bristol City on the 5th March.
Pictured: Above: Liverpool fans protesting Premier League ticket prices last month (Photographer: Anfield Wrap) Below left: Cardiff City supporters queueing at the club’s ticket office. (Photographer: Jon Candy)
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The debate that has been ongoing for a number of weeks over season ticket prices, particularly those in the Premier League, nevertheless continues.
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Editors: Jim Harris James Lloyd Jamie Smith @GairRhyddSport sport@gairrhydd.com gairrhydd.com/sport
March sport in Cardiff Tuesday 8th March Football: Cardiff City v Leeds United Cardiff City Stadium, 19:45 Saturday 12th March Football: Cardiff City v Ipswich Town Cardiff City Stadium, 15:00 Friday 18th March Pro12 Rugby: Cardiff Blues v Munster BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park, 19:15 Saturday 19th March Six Nations: Wales v Italy Principality Stadium, 14:30 Wales’ final match of the 2016 Championships will be against the Italians in Cardiff - Can they mark the day with a title-winning victory? Thursday 24th March Football: Wales v Northern Ireland Cardiff City Stadium, 19:45 Friday 25th March Pro12 Rugby: Cardiff Blues v Benetton Treviso BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park, 19:05 Saturday 26th March Athletics: IAAF World Half Marathon Championship Cardiff will host the race for the first time with all the big names in athletics, including Mo Farah, all expected to be seen running the city’s streets.
BUCS Nationals: Team Cardiff break records during memorable weekend
Thursday 31st March Darts: PDC Betway Premier League Motorpoint Arena, 19:30
Also this week
Athletics, Trampolining and Fencing clubs among a group that excelled at the Student National Championships, as Team Cardiff come away from Sheffield with an impressive medal haul Jim Harris
T
he BUCS National Championships is one of the biggest events on the student sport circuit and this year was no different. Over 6,000 students, from across the UK, descended on the city of Sheffield during the weekend of 19th-21st February, with some of the finest young athletes the country has to offer all in action. Of that 6,000, a significant number of athletes were from Cardiff University. ‘Team Cardiff ’ were represented by seven competing clubs, including Karate, Athletics and Swimming, each of whom returned from Sheffield with performances; on an individual and team front; to be extremely proud of. Athletic Union President, Sam Parson, was first to congratulate all the athletes on their efforts: “It’s incredibly encouraging to see such great talent on the national level. Team Cardiff was well
represented over the weekend and we are lucky to boast such an amazing crop of athletes as we currently do. “It was also great to see some First Year’s getting involved and really competing, with the likes of Andrew Wright (Athletics) and Constanza Peretti (Fencing) achieving an amazing 4th and 5th in their events of 3k and Foil respectively.” he added. As well as the individual medals and accolades up for grabs, the Championships provided opportunities for athletes to compete towards the respective team prizes. On this front, Cardiff was especially impressive this year. “I think all of the clubs that went did themselves, and Team Cardiff, proud.” Parsons stated. “A few notable achievements must go to our Trampoline Club who gained a Silver for their team efforts, and also to the Athletics Club who had a good show of medals through from Sarah McKeever securing a silver in the Pole Vault and
Beth Hauling getting a Bronze in the 3k.” For some clubs, the BUCS Nationals was the last competitive event before next month’s Welsh Varsity, and given the impressive display by Cardiff clubs this time out, they can unquestionably take confidence from this in to the big day. Whilst the pressure and competitive nature may be just as intense, Parsons admitted that for Varsity it is a very different kind of pressure that the athletes will deal with: “BUCS Nationals are a time to shine on the National stage, competing against the best of their kind in whatever discipline our athletes are competing in. Varsity is, obviously, a straight shootout between us and Swansea. I think the athletes thrive off the change up of these different settings and that takes their performances to different levels.” For full reports from Cardiff University’s Swimming, Trampoline, Fencing, Karate and Athletics clubs, visit pages 36, 37 and 38.
Pictured:
Sheffield’s Institute of Sport Indoor Athletics Centre played host to some of last week’s event. (Photographer: BUCS Sport)
Full reports P36, 37, 38
Cheerleading: Snakecharmers claim two Grand Champion titles P35>>
Six Nations: Hard-earned win for Wales over France P38>>