11 MAR 2013 /
ISSUE 17 FREE Tell us what you think of this issue! Get in touch: @ussusalfordian inside
THIS WEEK WWW.SALFORDSTUDENTS.COM
SALFORD’S ONLY STUDENT NEWSPAPER
Erasmus corner
Turn to page 4 to read about Nathan Thompson’s experiences studying in the Netherlands Fashion
Vote in the Students’ Union Elections Jodie Pritchard Voting in the Students’ Union Elections is now open. You can vote any time via Blackboard before 4pm this Thursday. There will also be a referendum held at the same time as the Students’ Union Elections this year. You’ll be able to decide the direction of Union policy on a key issue by giving a simple “yes” or “no” to the following question: ‘Should the Students’ Union amend its constitution so that it can appoint Student Trustees to its Trustee Board rather than electing them alongside the Sabbatical Officer positions?’ In last week’s Salfordian we gave you the opportunity to find out more about the Students’ Union Elections candidates in our four-page special. As part of the nomination process last month, each candidate was asked the following three questions: ‘Why are you standing for election?’ ‘What priority campaign would you run if elected?’ and ‘What makes you
different from other candidates?’ If you missed issue 16, you can still find the full candidate list and their ‘three questions’ responses at www.salfordstudents.com/elections. Voting in the University of Salford Students’ Union Elections enables you to stand up for your fellow Salford students and truly make a difference. The candidates who are elected this week will go on to lead the Students’ Union in the 2013 / 14 academic year, so it important that you use your vote and make an informed decision. The positions available are: Students’ Union president, the three vice presidents, and various Student Council members. The challenges currently facing students make now a vital time to get involved in the Elections. Rising tuition fees, reductions in enrolments and graduate unemployment are just some of the issues that students are facing, and voting in this year’s Elections could be your chance to make big changes and improve student life for yourself and others. Tom Doyle, current Students’ Union
Vice President Science and Technology said: “The higher the number of students that vote, the more impact we can have on decision making at the University.” He added: “At a time of staff cuts and higher tuition fees, we need people who can make a difference.” Still a little confused about why you should vote in The Students’ Union Elections? Perhaps you think that the Elections are just for people who are interested in politics. In fact, all Salford students can vote in the Elections. No previous knowledge or experience is required and the Students’ Union encourages everyone to have their say. If you think that you might not have enough time to vote this year, don’t worry! Voting online takes a few minutes and can make a huge difference to the year ahead. Perhaps you think the Elections are just a popularity contest. Think again! While having friends definitely helps, thousands of Salford students vote in the Students’ Union Elections - no one can know that many people! Use your vote to ensure the best people win.
Some of you may be thinking that there’s nothing you’d like to change at Salford. Remember, however, that sometimes small changes and improvements can make a huge difference to students. Or maybe you feel quite different, and believe that nothing ever changes as a result of the Elections. Quite the contrary! Recently the Students’ Union has achieved a lot for Salford students, including securing a change in University regulations so that you receive feedback on assignments within three weeks. Once you have read about this year’s candidates, it’s time to vote! The process is quick and easy, so take a well deserved break from studying to cast your vote! All you have to do is visit: blackboard. salford.ac.uk and click on the Students’ Union Elections module. You’ll be able to read a bit more about each candidate on the site to help you make your mind up who to vote for. Once you’ve made your choice, simply follow the instructions and rank the candidates in order of preference. We promise it won’t take you long!
Do you have a news story for The Salfordian? Email the news editor Jonathan Blackburn at J.Blackburn1@edu.salford.ac.uk
Jessica Wilby returns with her pick of the best independent f a s h i o n brands on page 5 Sport
We bring you our weekly round-up of Salford sport on page 32
02 : News
ISSUE 17 / 11 MARCH 2012 WWW.SALFORDSTUDENTS.COM
Contents Pages 1-3 News Page 4 Features Pages 5, 6, 27 and 28 Students’ Union Elections: Meet your candidates Page 30 Your Union Page 31 Activities Page 32 Sports
Editorial Amanda Mace Editor
Hello all! This week voting will be open for the Students’ Union Elections. If you would like to find out the Elections, head to www.salfordstudents.com/ elections. On the site you can find the full list of candidates and read about the positions they are nominating themselves for. Don’t forget, voting closes at 4pm on Thursday! At the Better Union Forum last month, some of you asked for more student work to be featured in the newspaper. So turn to page 6 for a new feature all about you! Have a good week everyone!
Salford Student launches Online Magazine Ruaa Ameri Second year University of Salford Journalism student, Jessica Wilby, has started an online fashion magazine ‘Allié’ that was launched earlier this year in January. Aimed at a female audience aged 18 to 25, the magazine meets the expectations raised by other professional publications in the field, with contemporary features on Fashion and Lifestyle. Allié – French for the combing of a recourse with another for mutual benefit, is the way which Jessica describe the role of the magazine, as it aims to act as an ‘Ally’ for women that offers appealing and in her
words “empowering content” with all the glamour of a glossy magazine without any of the oppressive factors you get in the fashion industry. Currently Allié is managed by a small team of writers’ who make use of the Discussion Board on the magazine’s site, giving them the opportunity to voice their opinions on related current affairs – providing the reader with a richer experience. Having always been interested in working with magazines, Jessica had started a similar project in her first year of university. She and fellow students came together to discuss the possibility of creating “an issue. com style magazine” said Jessica. After realising that the project was
not developing as she had intended it to, Jessica bought the site in November 2012, in order to work over it during the Christmas break to have it ready and running in time for the second semester. Still in the process of promoting, building an audience and exploring different ways to distribute the magazine, Jessica has the business aim with the long term vision of developing “a monthly digital magazine to sell via Apple Newsstand” she said. Although it is early days, Jessica seems to be feeling positive about the success Allié received so far, “despite how young the site is we’ve had a great response” she said.
Salford Museum threatened by funding cuts Jonathan Blackburn News editor Salford Council is threatening to cut funding to Salford Museum and Art Gallery in an effort to curb their spending. The museum is faced with having to save £70,000 which is resulting in at least eight job losses. A museum worker campaigning against the cuts, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “We’re cutting our local history library which a lot of students for the University of Salford use to do research, and to explore the archives. Currently, 35 people work at the museum with many members of staff being in part-time positions. The museum worker added: “We’ve just been told that these cuts don’t impact on the general public, so it’s not an external matter, it’s an internal matter. However, as Unison members, we feel it will impact on the general public. “We think it’s important that the public know about these cuts before they happen, as opposed to just
getting told about it afterwards.” The Salford Museum and Art Gallery first opened in April 1850 and both Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were patrons of the museum. It was also the first to offer an unconditionally free library in the country. After such a long time, the museum has an extensive library and has been able to set up the Memory Matters tem, who help 5,500 dementia patients a year to improve their lives and live well, by using the museum’s extensive collection to reminisce. The cuts would cause the loss of this team, “which would be a blow to the local community.” The outraged workers have established a petition page which can be found at https://www.change.org/ en-GB/petitions/stop-the-cuts-to-theheritage-service-in-salford and they only need 387 signatures to reach 1,000 and fill their quota. We contacted Salford City Council to discuss the issue but received no response.
Do you have a news story for The Salfordian? Want to write for us? Email the news editor Jonathan Blackburn at J.Blackburn1@edu.salford.ac.uk
Editor: Amanda Mace Email: editor-ussu@salford.ac.uk
Features Editor: Lowri Williams
Postal address: Univerity of Salford Students’ Union, University House, The Crescent, Salford, M5 4WT
Visit Our Website www.salfordstudents.com
News Editor: Jonathan Blackburn
J.Blackburn1@edu.salford.ac.uk
Comment Editor: Jonathon Norrey
J.Norrey@edu.salford.ac.uk
Arts Editor: Sally Leibovici
sally.leibovici@yahoo.com
lowrix@hotmail.co.uk
Sports & Activities Editor: Bryony Pearce B.Pearce@edu.salford.ac.uk Careers: Amanda Mace Advertising : Stefan Redfern stefan.redfern@manchester.ac.uk Tel 0161 275 2930
News: 03
ISSUE 16 / 4 MARCH 2013 WWW.SALFORDSTUDENTS.COM
Higher education news round-up Emily Burgin
Thought about doing a postgraduate degree but can’t find funding anywhere? This problem has prompted education charity, The Sutton Trust, to label postgraduate education ‘the new frontier of social mobility.’ This calls for an extension on undergraduate loan schemes to include post-graduates. However, academics close to the government say: “there is no money for it.” This is leading to some Russell Group universities are even thinking of the possibility of offering their own loans. This is a common problem from graduates wanting to go on to specialise in a certain subject. As the government stands at the moment, students get no funding from the government for post graduate degrees and most universities ask for the money upfront. However, with the fees now costing £9,000 and ending in students with £27,000 worth of debt after their Bachelor’s degree, potential post graduates are having to put their dream careers on hold and wait until they can afford it. Some students are able to get help with funding from family and some manage to find it elsewhere, but the way things stand with the fees, post-graduate degrees may become a thing of the past.
Many students are facing having their first job offers withdrawn because of errors with exam marking. Thousands of students were given job offers at particular medical establishments as junior doctors. And now the examining body has withdrawn
Volunteers needed for University research team Luke Betts
Volunteers needed with a reward incentive Researchers are today scouting for sufferers or previous sufferers of hand, arm or shoulder pains in a bid to construct further research into potential causes as well as prevention of pain. If you have suffered for over three months with conditions such as tennis or golfers elbow, repetitive strain injury or wrist tenosynovitis as well as many more conditions which span the arm then it is would be greatly encouraged that you take part in the research which may help reduce the problem in future. Research Assistant Dr Yeliz Greenhill ensures that even suffers with a small severity are still needed as the aim is to get a wide range of people with these conditions to take part. Dr Yeliz Greenhill also said “you may have no, a few or many problems carrying out everyday activities. Either way, your help is just what we need.” If you would like to take part in the study which will consist of filling out a questionnaire then be quick, as the first 50 people to complete the study will get a box of chocolates as a token of appreciation. For more information, contact Yeliz at y.greenhill@salford.ac.uk or Rob Peet at r.w.peet@salford.ac.uk.
all offers due to flaws in the scoring system. The UK Foundation Programme Office (UKFPO) said that it had discovered “a potential error in the scanning process of the situational judgement test” and promised to manually remark all the papers. The test, which was a multiple choice questionnaire, was used to test people’s judgement in clinical scenarios. Jonathan Ford, a student at Leicester, said: “My dad was extremely happy when I told him I had got my first choice - he was so proud. But now I don’t know what will happen”. The British Medical Association says the situation is “unacceptable.” The executive director of the Medical Schools Council, Dr Katie Petty-Saphon, who commissioned the providers who introduced the errors apologised. She said: “I do understand how upsetting and frustrating it must be to be told you have a particular position one day and then to be warned the next that this might not be the case.”
A campaign has been launched at Sussex University to protest against outsourcing. Celebrities, politicians and academics are backing the campaign, including former Cabinet Minister, Peter Hain and, public intellectual Sir Jonathan Miller and director Ken Loach. Despite this, the University of Sussex is going ahead with plans to outsource 235 catering and estates staff. Campaigners claim to have more than 1,000 signatures, calling for the outsourcing process to be halted. The growing protests have attracted nationwide attention but Registrar John Duffy, who is responsible for the university’s professional services, has said management is on
the right track. He said the plans are about ‘delivering “standards of excellence” across the university while supporting planned growth in student numbers, not about saving money’. A spokesman for the protesters said that staff affected were joining in with the demonstrations and that increasing numbers of academics were backing the campaign, as evidenced by yellow squares of support appearing in office windows. The National Union of Students president, Liam Burns said: “It is completely wrong for money extracted from students to be siphoned off to fund staff jollies. If money is collected through fines it should be reinvested to benefit students, in hardship funds and library resources.”
The month you were born could affect your chances of getting in Oxbridge. According to data obtained from both universities under freedom of information, the chance of someone born in October becoming an Oxbridge undergraduate was more than 30% higher than for someone born in July. Students born in autumn months are 25% more likely to get a place at Oxford or Cambridge. This interesting data has raised the issue of whether universities should be considering applicants’ dates of birth when deciding on whom to give places to. Children, who are the younger students in their year, tend on average to do worse in terms of educational attainment. This is known as the “birthdate effect”. The statistics also showed that for someone born in September, the likelihood of getting an Oxbridge place in 2012 was 12% higher than someone born in August. However, both universities have stated that they do not take a birth month into account during a applicants process.
Salford celebrates International Women’s Month Jayna Patel International Women’s Day will be celebrated in Salford through a series of events spanning the 7 - 13 March, recognising the remarkable accomplishments women have made, whilst reflecting on the changes still needed to improve women’s’ lives. Having being celebrated worldwide since 1911, Salford’s theme for this year’s International Women’s Day on March 8, is “The Gender Agenda: Gaining Momentum”, focusing on the growing momentum that exists to champion women’s equality. Highlights in Salford include, Lancashire novelist, Livi Michael
talking about her book, The Malkin Child, which recounts the tale of the Pendle Witches from a child’s point of view at the Working Class Movement Library on March 9 at 2pm. The free event will see representatives from the marginalised disabled and traveller communities discuss their experiences and campaign for civil rights. Bernadette Hyland, who is chairing the event said: “Our theme is outsiders and we have two speakers including Ruth Eversley, a volunteer for Oldham Unity Destitution Project, who will be discussing how refugees are today’s outsiders.” She added: “We hope the event will
raise the issue that anyone can be an outsider, and that we need to care for them and make sure the government help them.” On the same day, Greater Manchester Police, the Lesbian and Gay Foundation and Salford Disability Forum, amongst other organisations, will be giving information about the effects of domestic abuse on women at The Height Youth Centre on King Street from 12pm. For more information about the events marking International Women’s Day in Salford visit http://www.salford.gov.uk/ internationalwomensday.htm
Your view
What does International Women’s Month mean to you? Stanislava Antova
“I think it is important to raise awareness about women’s rights because, even nowadays in the 21st century, a lot of people tend to forget them. Recently I took part in a march called ‘Reclaim the Night’ in Manchester. It is an annual event which protests against sexual harassment, assault and violence which women are often victims of. Both of the genders have their pros and cons and we should respect each other and live in equal terms when it comes to simple stuff like walking safely on the street at night without fear.”
“We (women) have made huge strides towards equality, from the suffragettes winning us the vote, to seeing a female prime minister. This is great but, as the mother of a 14 year old daughter, I would like to see steps towards equal pay, equal work opportunities as well as more robust laws dealing with violence against women and forced marriage.”
Taaliah Nazar
Share your views about the Students’ Union and win prizes! What do you think of the Students’ Union shops? If you think that the Students’ Union shops should be selling hot food or healthier options, we want to hear from you. You could receive £20 cash or a Salford hoodie for telling us your views. We’re running a second student focus group at 2pm on Thursday 21 March. The Students’ Union has shops at Horlock Court (opposite The Library) and in the Adelphi and Allerton Buildings. When we asked students what products they would like to see introduced to our shops, hot food and healthier lunch choices were the most popular answers. Our focus groups are held so we can find out from students a bit more the specific foods you’d like to see on offer. The focus group will last for an hour maximum and will involve you sharing your views with other students. You don’t need any prior knowledge to come along, but you must be a regular customer of one of the Union shops, feel that either hot food or healthier food should be provided by the shops and be prepared to share your opinions. If you’re interested in letting us know your thoughts, please contact Helen Robinson at h.robinson@ salford.ac.uk. Those selected to take part in the group will receive a confirmation email and everyone involved will receive £20 or a hoodie for their time.
Used the Salford Students’ Union Advice Centre recently? Give us your feedback on the Students’ Union Advice Centre and win cash, NUS extra cards and Salford hoodies! If you’ve used the Union’s Advice Centre recently, we’d love to hear what you thought. Did the experience provide you with the support you needed? Is there anything you’d improve? Let us know if the advice you received had a positive impact on your life. There are just seven brief questions to complete and responses are completely anonymous. Just supply your email address if you want to be entered into the prize draw. Take a five minute break from study and you could win some great goodies. The prizes are £50, or £20 cash, a stylish Salford hoodie and one of five NUS extra cards saving you hundreds of pounds at high street and online stores over the next 12 months. Your feedback is very important to us and will help to ensure the Students’ Union Advice Centre meets the needs of our students. To complete the Advice Centre survey, please visit: http://www. surveymonkey.com/s/SUadvice
Do you have a news story for The Salfordian? Want to write for us? Email the news editor Jonathan Blackburn at J.Blackburn1@edu.salford.ac.uk
04 : Features
ISSUE 17 / 11 MARCH 2013 WWW.SALFORDSTUDENTS.COM
Photdograph: Eva Rinaldi @ flickr.com
Erasmus corner
Lowri Loves... Milan fashion week Lowri Williams Features editor Milan Fashion week took place recently from the 20 to the 26 February and was as spectacular as ever. Here are just a few of my favourite designers and a brief overview upon their collections. the trend were Simone Rocha Osca de la renta, Rag and bone and Sister by sibling. Designers embraced the trend in many diverse yet creative ways, some opting for a splash of neon amongst the outfit, with hints of neon behind lace, where others incorporated the Maxmara
Maxmara Maxmara reigns outerwear supremacy, due to the incredible show at Milan where nearly every outfit came ‘coated’. MaxMara took the classic staple camel coat to the extreme, with sheer fabulous volume. The classic camel coat was pieced together with a range of fabrics to create a chunky powerful piece. Fabrics such as camel hair, shearling and leather were used to create the garments. Paired with suede trainers MaxMara enabled the athleticism trend to continue enabling an effortlessly chic look. Layering was a key element of the MaxMara collection, including items such as cashmere sweaters, cocoon bombers, pencil skirts and
Each week, The Salfordian’s features editor shares her fashion tips and the latest from the catwalks dresses. MaxMara held a neutral palette of camel, with mustard tones and charcoal running throughout. The show notes called the collection ‘The new Bauhaus’ which ‘revolved around a practical elegance and functional simplicity that have always been an essential part of the Italian heritage’
Jil Sander The Jil Sander collection never ceases to amaze me. This season, similar to her previous was filled with the wearable, detectable and forward looking. Among the collection featured elongated sweaters, midi skirts, and oversized knee covering coats. The colours used in the collection were fresh and exquisite, custard yellows, deep navy’s, charcoals, browns and blacks. Sander explained that she ‘looked for Tibetan colours and took it from there’
Dolce and Gabbana Declared as ‘Brit style’ by Stefano Gabbana before the show, the collection screamed elegance and class. Featuring tweed suits, and lace skirts, the femininity of women’s fashion was brought about greatly throughout the collection. There were Italian inspirations throughout the British customs, with references to Sophia Loren in her heyday, mosaic effect prints and dresses and sunglasses inspired by Monreale Cathedral. A truly beautiful and inspiring collection.
Going Dutch! You might have guessed that I am not the club to club roaming, beer chugging, drug smoking, bed-hopping kinda guy. I don’t necessarily have a big problem with any of the above but I didn’t really see the point of coming here to the Netherlands just to get drunk a lot. I have got drunk a little, but nothing to excess. What I really wanted to do was something that I couldn’t do at home. Something different, something I had never even given a second thought to. That was when I discovered Improv comedy. Few of you might have heard about it. You act out a scene, without scripts of any kind, basically saying the first thing that comes to mind that makes sense with the last thing heard and watch as the laughs flow. If you are unsure what the hell I’m talking about, YouTube ‘Whose line is it Anyway?” for those of you too young to remember this classic comedy show, it will reveal all .
Salford student Nathan Thompson is studying in The Netherlands as part of the exchange programme. Each week, he shares his experiences living abroad.
‘What does this have to do with Groningen?’ you might ask, well, an institution called USVA here, with ties to the university, has a range of interesting courses for students wanting to reach out for something that little bit different. There are fashion courses, graphic design, yoga, painting and drawing and many more. However, after watching a performance by some of the Improv comedy teachers to the new students, and after going to some of their weekly shows, I signed up for the beginner’s course. What followed was 10 weeks of lessons for €92, it was well worth it. At the end of the 10 weeks, which was on Thursday, the whole group had to show what we had learnt to an audience of family, friends, and people who had nothing better to do. What a night. Full of laughs. As me and my peers stood up, risking ridicule and embarrassment, we made people laugh in such a way it must have made the
rafters shake (exaggeration is sometimes an important factor in Improv). I had performed before to an audience before. Every week they have an open Improv night where they call for volunteers and I’m such a regular on stage that last week a girl mistook me for one of the professionals. Still it was different to perform to a paying audience. More pressure to produce laughs. The thing about Improv comedy is that you have to have the ability to not care about doing something stupid or embarrassing in front of strangers. You have to be able to act like a monkey if the situation calls for it, say sometimes inappropriate stuff, and also not get offended. People say the first thing that comes to mind and sometimes they don’t have time to run it through the filter in their mind. When I get back I’m thinking of asking to start an Improv Comedy society at Salford. Watch this space.
Young Tan Over the years there have been countless pro-LGBT songs that the LGBT community have embraced and continue to love; it may be because the artist or writer identifies themselves as an LGBT person, the song directly addresses the LGBT community or an LGBT issue or the video depicts LGBT people in a positive light. My personal favourite and one of the most prominent songs from the past decade that combines all three is Christina Aguilera’s ‘Beautiful’. Written by Linda Perry, a lesbian, the song may not have been about being LGBT or written specifically for the community, but has, due to the iconic music video, been praised and welcomed by many. The great thing about ‘Beautiful’ is that it is a universal song that can relate to pretty much anyone who has felt
insecure or been made to feel in such a way by others, whether it be for their appearance, personality, race, gender and of course sexuality. But what propelled it into the LGBT limelight was its video, which featured touching and in some ways, harrowing scenes of various people in different situations, particularly that of two gay men bravely kissing in public and a drag queen getting ready. The kissing scene, one of the first in popular music, is something that has since been seen in numerous other music videos, such as ones by fellow divas P!nk and Katy Perry. What I like about the song is that its universal appeal does not make it a ‘gay song’ that throws ‘being LGBT’ into people’s faces and the casual insertion of LGBT people and issues into the video is done with class and subtlety – the scenes of a girl being physically bullied and an anorexic girl are far more shocking – making it as normal as it should be rather than say,
an overly camp video with nakedness, rainbows, lots of pink and sparkle; people can finally be proud of being LGBT and who they are in an everyday society without being labeled or tarred by stereotypes. Perry had said she was surprised that Aguilera, who has long been a supporter of the LGBT community, decided to “make it a gay thing”, believing it would cause controversy in the mainstream media and with the public. But this was Christina Aguilera, whose previous single and video ‘Dirrty’ had already stirred up quite a storm and so was never one to shy away from said outspoken controversy. Some people may make accusations of ‘pandering’, as many songs and videos have been accused of, but surely the frank and simple message of confidence and self-acceptance in ‘Beautiful’ is clear and important to everyone? Since its release it has been widely
Photdograph: Benson Kua @ flickr.com
My view: LGBT representation in music
accepted as a timeless gay anthem, with GLAAD having recognised the video for its positive portrayal of gay and transgender people and in 2011 it
topped LGB rights charity Stonewall’s list of most empowering songs for lesbian, gay and bisexual people in the past decade based on public votes.
Got an experience to share? Written a feature that you would like to get published? Email the features editor Lowri Williams at lowrix@hotmail.co.uk
ISSUE 17 / 11 MARCH 2013 WWW.SALFORDSTUDENTS.COM
The round-up Actor Kevin Bacon (most famous for…hmmm…oh yeah! The ‘EE’ adverts) found out during a US equivalent of ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ that he and his wife were closer than they first thought. In fact, they are cousins. The star was apparently mortified… because his wife now technically has a better ‘Bacon Number’ than him. Rihanna has announced she will be getting married to Chris Brown; there have been no details about the catering released yet, but I presume there will be punch. Angelina Jolie and Brat Pitt have also announced they will be getting married and that guests will be greeted by an elephant (at the request of their children). The irony is, Chris Brown and Rihanna’s wedding will have the biggest elephant in the room (I also predict a lot of flinching). Last week also saw the Oscars (the perfect opportunity to rob a film star’s house... apart from Danny Dyer, he’ll probably be in) which I unfortunately lost money on after placing a bet on Adam Sandler’s ‘Jack and Jill’ for best make-up, male performance, female performance, and best film. I also bet that Life of Pi would win 3.1415926… Oscars; it seemed obvious. Seth MacFarlane
Carl casts a caustic eye on current affairs
won over critics by doing a wonderful job opening with his ‘We Saw Your Boobs’ song. It is hard to make listing films which include female nudity classy or funny... and to be fair he didn’t. In typical MacFarlane fashion there were slavery jokes, Jew jokes, sex jokes, black jokes, religion jokes, red-neck jokes… but no ‘funny’ jokes. The Pope has officially stepped down causing every radio presenter and comedian in the country to
make the same old tired jokes about him. You won’t catch to me doing that; for one he would be fuming… billowing white fumes. The PS4 has been announced! What does it look like? Not a clue. Rumours are now circulating that Sony want to make game distribution entirely downloadbased, effectively putting an end to all high street games retailers… that’s nice of them.
Recipe of the week
real lemonade Photograph: Valerie Everett @flickr.com
Carl Spurling
Features : 05
As the days turn lighter and the temperature rises, what’s better to cool you off than homemade lemonade. Amy Hughes
Water (amount depending on size of jug)
You will need:
Instructions:
1 jug 3/4 cup of lemon juice (fresh or shop bought) 3/4 sugar (more if you like it sweet)
1) squeeze lemons to produce 3/4 cup of juice and pour into jug 2) add sugar 3) add water accordingly 4) taste to see if its to your liking 5) finish with sliced lemons and ice
Fashion
Spotlight on: Indie brands Jessica Wilby
The world of blogging can be attributed to many trends we see today. Most notably, the attitude of DIY runs deep through the community. “Why pay
big money when you can create your own?” they cry. “Ain’t nobody got time for that!” I reply. We’re students, often insulted for being lazy, so we might as
Our features writer brings you the best in independent fashion brands well live up to our reputation. One big trend at the moment is quirky nail designs. Stemming from the everpopular WAH nails salon in London, painting your nails has now become an art form. As if it wasn’t difficult enough! Why not just let Katie’s Nails do the work for you? Katie’s Nails is a small one woman business offering kooky, hand painted nail designs to the masses. In just over a year the Facebook page of Katie’s designs has racked up almost 1000 ‘likes’ and it’s easy to see why. Galaxy patterns, superhero logos, and Ombré, no idea is too intricate. “I started nail art as a hobby, doing my own nails around a year ago and it’s only been in the last six months or so that I really knuckled down and turned it into a business,” explains Katie. “Inspiration comes to me from everywhere. From the latest fashions, things I see out and about - recently, one design just came to me when I was laid in bed.” Katie even offers charity nail designs to help raise funding for national charities such as Children In Need and currently has Red Nose Day themed nails for sale. You can find Katie’s Nails at http://www.facebook.com/ katiesnails1. If painting your nails is an
effort, dying your hair should be hailed worthy of a medal. No matter how many beauty queens on YouTube make tutorials, there’s always going to be that slight risk that your hair will turn a funny colour, or worse, fall off completely. Gone are the days of brunette, blonde, or red. You’ve now got to choose between the whole colour spectrum! Well fear no more! Etsy shop Cloud9Jewels not only offer some amazing accessories, but some of the wildest extensions you’ve ever seen. To achieve crazy hair colours most of us would have to first use bleach, then wait before putting the next colour on,; which would ultimately fade after a week. Buying extensions means you can have all the glory of bright hair whenever you want. Each two-inch strip is sewed onto a small clip so it’s easy to attach them for a night out and remove them for work. The extensions vary in price and some can be quite expensive. However, since the extensions are made of real human hair, they can last a long time when treated correctly. Owner Alyssa Zynda ethically sources the hair from a US gold supplier. She states that she is against some of the larger, more popular companies, as they have been known for their poor treatment of staff and appalling work conditions. All sets are made to order and take 7-10 working days to process. You can find the full range at http://www.etsy.com/.
Got an experience to share? Written a feature that you would like to get published? Email the features editor Lowri Williams at lowrix@hotmail.co.uk
06 : Features
The Salford showcase
ISSUE 17 / 11 MARCH 2013 WWW.SALFORDSTUDENTS.COM
A chance to show your fellow Salford students some of your amazing work! This week Tamara Lacić, who is studying at Salford this semester as part of the Erasmus programme, shares some of her photographs
Are you a photographer, artist, fashion designer, or crafter? If you would like your work to feature on this page, email editor-ussu@salford.ac.uk
ISSUE 17 / 11 MARCH 2013 WWW.SALFORDSTUDENTS.COM
Comment : 27
They Don’t Make TV Like They Used To Sam Higham What happened to decent TV shows? You know what I’m talking about, the ones that made men out of boys! Unlike most of you I experienced my adolescent years in the 90s and used TV as a tool of guidance as my Dad’s guidance was about as emotionally involved as an episode of Countdown! I would come home from school and religiously watch Neighbours before nipping off for a quick five-knuckler over the talent. Oh, how Annalise and Beth satisfied my teenage needs! But what about shows like GamesMaster, which I think was one of, if not the only, show on Channel 5 at the time? Still might be! Some spotty, skinny adolescent would be faced by a huge projection of Patrick Moore in a futuristic swim cap and, as if that wasn’t intimidating enough, the lad would ask in a quavering voice how to get through the eight level of Sonic Spinball before Moore completely degraded the boy (whose self-confidence couldn’t be any lower) with a full-on assault of his character, followed up with an unbelievably simple solution to the question: “Gamesssmassster, I’m stuck on the eight level. How do I unlock the wizzardssss sleeve in order to get inside the ring?” lisped the lad, to which Moore would reply something like: “Well young fellow, you could start by getting a f*cking life and stop smearing
goose fat into your chin, you absolute waste of space”. Then, when prompted by Dominic Diamond and his golden joystick, would add: “Press start, A, C, X, select, pick your nose, start, wait for three hours, lick your finger, X again, up, down, and Z!” Oh my days, they certainly don’t make shows like that anymore, do they? I remember one that ran in the early to mid-90s called Knightmare where they used ‘virtual reality’ to guide a kid who had no f*cking clue what was going on around a room. The team would get a heads-up display of the virtual scene and instruct the kid on where to walk in the ‘dungeon’. But before entering, the ‘dungeoneer’ was given a knapsack to wear in which they could place any food they found along the way in order to replenish life force. In addition, the ‘Helmet of Justice’ was placed on the dungeoneer’s head, blocking their vision except for the area immediately around them (this was apparently to protect the dungeoneer from seeing the real danger ahead). The dungeoneer then entered a partly computergenerated, partly hand-drawn fantasy dungeon while the team watched from a screen in ‘Treguard’s antechamber’ and guided the player using hurried descriptions and shouted instructions, aiming to overcome a variety of puzzles and traps in the dungeon. Dungeons and Children? Couldn’t get away with that one nowadays could you?
For the more adult population, every Saturday night would bring another edition of the unmissable Blind Date, hosted by that crazy scouse b*tch Cilla Black, waltzing around like she’s on smack – now that’s entertainment! But the guy who did the voice-overs was the star of the show for me: “Weeeeeellllll Ciiiiillllaaaaa, how about contestant number one? He likes long walks in the
Education
Recently, the future of education in this country was pulled back out of the time machine the education secretary had spent months audaciously bundling it into, fortunately before he could start the countdown that would send it hurtling back to the 1980s. As a school worker and teacher training applicant, I’ve voiced my displeasure at Michael Gove’s cavalier approach to educational reforms in a previous issue of this publication, so I thought a short summation of my newfound optimism might be in order in light of this significant victory. The English Baccalaureate, or EBacc, was Gove’s planned replacement for GCSEs, and offered qualifications in just five subjects - English, Mathematics, the Sciences, Modern Languages, and Humanities (a choice between History and Geography) - inexplicably neglecting Arts, Technology, and Business Studies among other options. The other cause for outrage within the education sector stemmed from the fact that the EBacc would only be offered to students who could achieve a C grade or higher in all subjects, a two-tier system not unlike the old O-Level system which saw underperforming students assigned to an academic scrapheap without hope of working towards higher qualifications. These plans were part of Gove’s mission to turn the educational system into a rigorous process of separating
I would have to be a cactus, because I’m short, stumpy, and a bit of a prick!” Then, after a chorus of “Wooooooooooooo” from the audience, Den would smile and say: “I like the sound of her!” If in fact I did use TV as a tool of guidance growing up then going off what shows I’ve mentioned above, it’s no wonder I am how I am today!
University of Salford
EBacc to the Drawing Board Adam Hart
country, has a penchant for luminous Tupperware, and would like nothing more than to wrap you up in cling film and lock you in his freezer!” Then you’d have 29-year-old Den from Dudley, wearing brown cords, a leather jacket, and dark glasses: “Hi Girls. I like plants! So if you were a plant, what would you be and why? To contestant number three!” To which she’d reply: “Well Den,
wheat from chaff, and to move away from what he dubs “bitesize learning and spoon feeding”, referring to the logical educational process of learning a module and being assessed on it. He claims he wants to inspire a passion for education, but the prospect of savagely narrowing the curriculum to be assessed by a single end of year exam would surely only inspire stress, confusion, and boredom among students and teachers alike. Gove had apparently tried to push these reforms through quickly, to establish them before the 2015 general election, but the wave of opposition from teachers’ unions, opposing parties, and the parents of the children who would
have to go through this educational production line finally prevailed as Gove was forced to pull back the unwanted reforms. This is truly a significant victory, as Gove’s unwavering war on the modern teaching profession had previously seen him brazenly ignore all opposition. It is to be hoped that this initial weakening of the man tipped by many Tories to be a future party leader will signal his eventual replacement with someone more suited to the role of Education Secretary. It’s a shame that we’re stuck with Gove and his ilk until 2015, but the cracks are widening.
The University should provide gymnasium facilities in student accommodation Yakubu Mohammed
During my time at Salford, I have observed that there is need for the University to provide basic sport facilities in all the student villages. I want to use this opportunity to encourage the University Governing Board to dialogue this matter with keen interest. Gymnasium facilities ought to be part of the services that we should be enjoying within our student accommodation. I believe that the gym facilities provided at the heart of the University on Peel Park Campus do not encourage students. This is especially the case for Postgraduate students, considering their various backgrounds and discipline orientations. The majority of the full-time Postgraduate students are from international backgrounds. Generally speaking, students feel more relaxed at home. Therefore, I feel that the introduction of more gymnasium facilities would give students the opportunity to use their free time more wisely. At present, I reside at Bramall Court, and have previously lived at Mathias Court. During this time, gym facilities were not introduced in either building. A typical example of the importance of convenience within accommodation is how laundry facilities and services are provided in every student village. All things
considered, I suggest that the University Governing Board and Accommodation Team put their heads together to deliberate on the issue and provide the students with the gym facilities they deserve. Not only will this considerably improve the health of students, it will also encourage them to live in University accommodation. Finally, I believe the inclusion of gym facilities will set a high standard for contemporary student living in the UK.
Want to submit an opinion piece to The Salfordian? Email our comment editor Jonathon Norrey at J.Norrey@edu.salford.ac.uk
28 : Arts
ISSUE 17 / 11 MARCH 2013 WWW.SALFORDSTUDENTS.COM
Film review
Provoked: The Movie Jasmine Patel
This is the perfect film to celebrate International Women’s Day. It is based on a true-life story that changed the course of justice. Bollywood director Jag Mundhra really brings to life the women’s struggle and raises awareness of such a cause. Based on the novel, Kiranjeet Ahluwalia, played by the
former Miss World (1994) and famous Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai, creeps up the stairs silently with a candle light, and while her husband, Deepak Ahluwalia, played by Naveen Andrews best known for his role as Balraj in Bride and Prejudice - is asleep, she drops the candle on him and sets him alight. While he is taken to hospital, an investigation begins and Kiranjeet is taken in for questioning with DS Ron Meyers, played
by Steve McFadden - better known for his role as Phil Mitchell in Eastenders. His lifetime attitude from Eastenders doesn’t differ in this film, which makes me think: is he actually a very aggressive and assertive man? Life goes from bad to worse as she is sent to prison after being convicted of attempted murder. After Deepak dies in hospital, her sentence charge changes from attempted murder to MURDER!
Rating: 5/5
Her innocent face appears for trials in court where the audience discovers she was a battered woman for 10 years of her married life that resulted in her actions. Jag Mundhra depicts the harsh moments of Kiranjeet’s life, building on the scale of abuse starting from a slap across the face after a night out to being pushed down the stairs while she is pregnant, refusing Deepak to go out, being threatened by a hot iron, and finally being raped in her own home. Kiranjeet’s humbleness is unique as she is ready to accept her sentence as punishment for her sin. In a public message given thereafter she says: “After coming out of my husband’s jail, I entered the jail of the law. It is here I found a kind of freedom!” Her positive attitude is an inspiration to women. Southall Black Sisters is a domestic
violence charity that helps Kiranjeet. Whilst raising huge media attention to the cause, alongside the help of her cell mate Veronica Scott, played by Miranda Richardson, she manages to contact her brother Edward Foster QC, played by Robbie Coltrane, urging him to help in Kiranjeet’s appeal. Edward Foster manages to fight her appeal for justice on provocation. A new law of defence was introduced in 1992: R vs Ahluwalia, on the grounds that a battered woman had a “sudden loss of self-control”. The film has been a success in that it raised awareness of domestic violence in families of non-English speaking migrants. In 2001, Cherie Blaire, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blaire’s wife, awarded Kiranjeet Ahluwalia with an Asian Women Award.
Music reviews
Bitch Queens - System ‘Suck it up’ Annihilated Sally Leibovici Arts editor
‘Furor’
Gravity ‘Eutheria’ Sally Leibovici Arts editor
Kayleigh Evans It’s the punch to the face you deserve! “Suck it Up” isn’t something you need, but something you want. Good old hard rock with punk twists could never go amiss and the Bitch Queens go out of their way to make you remember that there’s a certain finesse to headbanging. There’s nothing remotely smart about these six tracks but, let’s face it, rock could do without the panache and flamboyancy that others have tried to hide behind. “Ain’t Good Enough” dwells in the catchy riffs and fast-paced punk innuendos, giving the finger to anyone who’s not on board. There’s no tomorrow with these guys and “Hot Shot” spoon feeds you the rebelliousness you decided to shed along the way. The tracks don’t go fishing for compliments; they don’t need it. They’ve got the anger, the soul, and the alcohol fumes, and it’s all bottled up in “Burnin’ Up”. It makes you feel like you’re 16 again; it makes you remember the meaningless sex and fear of STDs and – why would that be a good thing? Well, why wouldn’t it? Cruise along with Bitch Queens and rustle some hormones and testosterone like you don’t have to go to work tomorrow. It’s just one of those albums that has nothing going for it, but it works on so many levels.
Rating: 9/10
Aged between 13-14 years old when they started System Annihilated in 2009, this Swedish five-piece may be young but their approach to music should not be mistakenly underestimated. For certain, no suggestion of youthfulness lies in the dark ambience of ‘Furor’. The gritty ‘This Apocalypse’ injects its listeners with a thrust of adrenaline and is a welcomed introduction to this eight track album. Moving from strength to strength, the friable title track ‘Furor’ is outstanding, flaunting a formidable melodic edge to the hard-core death metal genre. ‘The Bitter End’ hears a grisly, atmospheric medium that emotes so successfully it prompts a post nu-metal sound that can only be described like the Deftones being molested by Slipknot. ‘Seven’ is another metal mastermind that should not go unturned, but it is the album’s closing of ‘We Stand Alone’ that is so undeniably raw it takes a tear to the stomach lining. At times, it’s easy to feel unnecessarily overwhelmed by the needlessly strained vocals of Christoffer Jonsson who does not compliment the band’s vital musical potential. His histrionic voice may be a throwback, but instrumentally ‘‘Furor’ is a hard-core gem that possesses fortitude within its piercing sounds. For sure, this is a successful, substantial contribution laid down to satisfy any metal fan.
Rating: 7/10
Gravity’s latest release “Eutheria” is probably the worst thing somebody could pick up from a record store. Past its false pretences and hypocrisy, it does nothing more than give its listener a false sense of fine musicianship before the vocals ice-pick their way through. The album starts off with a “Prologue”, and if they had stopped there it would have just been another one of “those” tracks that you smirk to, but never mind again. But no, the fine gents and lady from Gravity decided to continue their musical endeavour with 12 other perfect examples of fine-torture. “Asphalte” is probably the worst of them all. The chorus makes you want to claw at your eardrums just to stop the ruckus. There is no musicality in the song and the rest of the tracks are just as awful. “Eutheria” sounds like two cats killing each other. If you’re into snuff it might be your thing, but otherwise this deserves nothing but public humiliation. Shame executions have been outlawed, but there’s no law forbidding burning albums. For the first time in musical history, pyromaniacs may just be what we need.
Rating: 1/10
Would you like submit a review? Email The Salfordian’s arts editor Sally Leibovici at sally.leibovici@yahoo.com
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TV Review -
Black Mirror: ‘Be Right Back’ Peter George Worth Written by the prolific Charlie Brooker, last year’s three-part series Black Mirror was a memorably irreverent, satirical and often dark take on the nottoo-distant future. Exploring themes such as the impact social media is having on communications, the implications of excessive recording and surveillance technologies, the prevalence of televised talent contests and plain old primeminster on pig bestiality - Black Mirror was as much a foreboding social commentary as it was a nod to Brooker’s beloved The Twilight Zone. The series returned this year for another three episodes and the first, Be Right Back, was an emotionally gruelling watch. Opening with a young, deeply in love couple - Marsha and Ash - as they move into a new cottage, the episode swiftly darkens when Ash is killed in a road accident. At his funeral, a friend of Marsha’s suggests she sign up to a fledgling service that will collate all
of Ash’s online presence and communications (emails, conversations, forum posts etc.) and generate a replica ‘voice’ that Marsha can actually speak to. Initially disgusted by the concept, the grief-stricken Marsha ultimately gives in and signs up. What begins as a texting service soon develops into much more as Marsha becomes spellbound by its realistic mimicry of Ash... What follows is a thoughtful, poignant and intense look at the implications of being able to talk (and possibly more) to a representation of a loved one once they’ve passed on. Would it help the grieving process? Would it blind you to the reality of the situation and delay the healing process? Can a person’s individuality be emulated by a digital program? These questions and more are explored by Brooker and are suitably dealt with by the episode’s cast. As you’d expect, there’s an abundance of emotional and difficult-to-watch scenes, but Be Right Back is a strong series opener and will stay with you long after you’ve seen it.
Music reviews
Miss Lava ‘Red Supergiant’ Kayleigh Evans Portuguese rock ‘n roll joint Miss Lava have collaborated with Grammy award winning producer Matt Hyde (Slayer, Hatebreed) to bring together the release of ‘Red Supergiant’ on Raging Planet Records. However, any assumption of an affirmed rock prize soon becomes a certain disappointment due to burdensome vocalist Johnny Lee, who brings a lack of diversity to Miss Lava who actually does dish out meaty riffs and catchy hooks throughout; especially tracks ‘Crawl’ and ‘Ride’ that only suffer due to Lee’s shortcoming vocals that provide no substantial
filling to the rock ‘n roll genre. Flat, fatiguing, and most times forgettable,’ Red Supergiant’ has its hits and misses with its handful of bouncy melodic grooves such as ‘Lay down’ and ‘Murder of Crows’ that reveal Miss Lava’s sustainable rock capability. Showing the darkest and most serrated themes along a heavy psychedelic twist is the unexpected closing title track ‘Red Supergiants’. In the album’s conclusion, singer Lee may actually be the saving grace who delivers his most progressive, grittiest vocals to be heard on this record. It is these instances that show a glimmer of hope for Miss Lava who are in need of extra muscle in order to deliver some hard, concrete rock ‘n roll.
Foals - ‘Holy Fire’ Jon Burgess Alas, the long awaited third album from Oxford five-piece Foals is something of a disappointment. Frustratingly, there is much good work here. Lead singer Yannis Phillipakis and co have clearly moved on from the angular, bristling art-rock that characterised 2008’s Antidotes. Out of the fade comes ‘Prelude’. Foals’ signature guitars are further back in the mix with a pounding mid-section setting the tone. As Holy Fire segues effortlessly into popular first single ‘Inhaler’, expectations are high. A taut and thrilling track with an explosive dénouement, you won’t begrudge its near-five minute running time. The accompanying music video is well worth seeking out on YouTube, not least for its creative use of a nebuliser. Despite the louder guitars and searing bass-lines, a softer disco tinge is evident on ‘My Number’ and ‘Bad Habit’. The former is upbeat and playful, skilfully invoking albums past with an undeniably poppy undertone, despite Phillpakis’s resolve. ‘You don’t need my number / You don’t need it now’, he trills, as guitars and synths twinkle behind him. Desperate to avoid the object of his affections, Holy Fire succumbs to a change of pace during ‘Everytime’ from which it never really recovers. Desperate to escape his beloved, if only temporarily, Phillipakis sails away with much of the vigour that drives the album initially. The potential
of ‘Late Night’ goes unfulfilled, a classic brooding track which never quite delivers the explosive pay-off you expect, petering out in a miasma of guitar noodling. This is the first time we hear Phillipakis’s voice unvarnished, and to be honest the heartfelt vocal scraping doesn’t suit him. Plodding to a moribund finish, ‘Providence’ sees a brief resurgence of pace with a manic coda taking up most of the slack created by ‘Late Night’. Enjoy this album for its suppressed energy and brilliantly crafted singles. Lament it for the slower pop filler that causes it to sag in the middle. What could have been a brilliant new direction for Foals instead remains an album of unrealised pace and vigour.
Wayne Shorter ‘Without a net’ Gregory Harper ‘Without a Net’ is a raw, warts and all jazz recording. A compilation of live performances from Shorter’s most recent tour, this release should please the most thoroughbred of old school jazz fans. The sublime atmosphere that is achieved in abundance by the combination of world class musicianship and respectful production makes this album a perfect companion to a glass of ten year-old Talisker and a gloomy Sunday evening. Kicking off with one of Shorter’s signature tunes ‘Orbits’, sets the tone for the rest of the album. The interpretation of this composition is refreshing, especially after sitting through enough haphazard attempts at it at most small time jazz nights.
Patitucci’s fiery bass playing is reminiscent of Ray Brown’s days with Oscar Peterson - particularly on ‘Starry Night’ and ‘Zero Gravity to the 10th Power’. Shorter’s tone is nothing short of perfect as usual, never faltering with a charming interpretation of intonation and competes well with Danilo Pérez and his insistent rhythmic style which sometimes felt a little too busy in some places. The highlight is perhaps ‘Pegasus’ – a 23 minute epic with expanded orchestration that starts with John Cage-like qualities and turns into a quirky, yet serious arrangement that Don Ellis would have been proud of as a member of the audience cries out - “Oh my God!” Indeed. In all, here is a strong effort to keep instrumental ‘art music’ traditional in a world of funk and fusion that passes as jazz these days. Sit back and enjoy.
Would you like submit a review? Email The Salfordian’s arts editor Sally Leibovici at sally.leibovici@yahoo.com
30 : Your Union
ISSUE 17 / 11 MARCH 2013 WWW.SALFORDSTUDENTS.COM
From the archives Every week, The Salfordian brings you a clipping from a past issue of the Salford student newspaper. This week: front page, AMUS News (Salford Royal College of Advanced Technology) February 1963.
Having any problems with your course? Is there any issue that you would like to raise? Find out how to contact your sabbatical officers below
Tom Doyle Vice President Science and Technology
Eli Prodromova Vice President Arts and Social Sciences
vpst-ussu@salford.ac.uk 0161 351 5400
vpcass-ussu@salford.ac.uk 0161 351 5400
Mishal Saeed Vice President Health and Social Care vphsc-ussu@salford.ac.uk 0161 351 5400
Christina Kennedy President president-ussu@salford.ac.uk 0161 351 5400
Confused about the Students’ Union and what it does for students? Visit www.salfordstudents.com
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Cue sports: BUCS Great Yarmouth 8 Ball Pool Tournament William Fell For the first time in three years, Salford entered into the BUCS Great Yarmouth 8 Ball Pool Tournament. With such a long period since the last entry the standard that was to be expected was much of an unknown, along with the format and the quality of the tables. The scale of the venue impressed from the first day, with three rows of tables stretching almost out of sight in the main room. With over 500 players expected to be attending the event, this was clearly going to be much larger than the Bar Yours Monday night league, organised by the University of Salford’s Cue Sports Club. The first day consisted of registration and individual tournament matches. Things started poorly with Ross Malloy playing an opponent who was reluctant to admit all but the most obvious fouls that were made. Whilst the frames were close, Malloy lost 3-0, knocking him out of the tournament. Things got worse when Robert Knowles, Soutik Das and Captain William Fell were disqualified when it came to light that the organisers had neglected to mention that the games they should have been playing, were in an alternative venue. Robbie Blair and Angela Laycock were both given first round byes in the open and women’s tournament respectively. In the second round Laycock lost 2-0 in two very close matches, whilst Blair played an amusing match against a Durham University player. After going 1-0 down, Blair forced the match equal by leaving the Durham player little room for error when it came to his final shot on the black. The next two frames were almost over before they started with
Durham’s player broke, then Blair potted the black with his first shot conceding the frame. Blair broke the fourth frame and Durham’s player returned the favour by potting the black early yet again. Robbie then lost a very close final frame with a final score of 3-2 to Durham’s player. The team competition saw the group Salford were originally drawn against change from a comparatively easy group, containing mainly 2nd teams, to a group containing Kent, Exeter and Sheffield’s 1st team, Oxford’s 2nd and Manchester Met’s 3rd team. Matches were played until a team won six frames or a 5-5 draw was reached. With so many first teams in the group, the pressure was on. After going 5-0 ahead in the first match against Man Met’s 3rds, the score started to even up as Man Met took three frames, before William Fell won his second frame, ending the match 6-3. Oxford’s 2nd team were impressive, containing a good mix of left handed players, which made white ball positioning for safety shots a challenge. The high level of safety play from Oxford contributed to their victory of 6-1, but with Malloy stealing a brilliant frame against them. The second day started with a frosty moment against Sheffield 1st team, when Fell warned one of the opposition about coaching their player after the team were covering their mouths and pointing at the table. Two Sheffield players protested until a referee came over and warned them for the same offence of coaching. The match finished 6-1 to Sheffield. The second match against Exeter was extremely close finishing 5-5, all in frames which could have gone either way, then finishing with Kent’s 1st, a team who hadn’t lost a match, demonstrating
why with a punishing 6-0 victory. Winning our group Kent 1st went to win the knockout stages of the tournament. Whilst coming second in our group, Sheffield 1st lost to Sheffield 3rd in the first stage of the knockout, while Sheffield 3rd went on to play Kent 1st in the final. Salford came fifth out of six in the group overall. Group A results Salford 6 – 3 Man Met 3rds Salford 1 – 6 Oxford 2nds Salford 1 - 6 Sheffield 1sts Salford 5 – 5 Exeter 1sts Salford 0 – 6 Kent 1sts
Salford’s Psychology Society: Desitination dissertation Hannah Smith In the first lecture of my Psychology and Counselling Studies course here at Salford, we were asked if anyone knew what they wanted to do for their dissertation yet. One person put their hand up. And I know that what they said they wanted to do that day has changed. The most important part of your dissertation in my opinion is coming up with your idea. Base it around your interests. If you aren’t interested in what you’re doing, you will struggle to do the research. I want to go into neuropsychology, so I wanted to do something that related to that. To me, this meant brain imaging. And from looking at what can be measured with the fNIR we have at university, my idea was formed. With help from my supervisor of course. That would be the second most important part of your dissertation, by the way. Picking a supervisor. You get a first and second choice on the form you fill out. Pick people who use techniques you want to use, or are interested in the same areas. And when you send in your form, save a copy of the email! Mine got lost, but because I could prove I had sent it, everything was sorted out. Luckily for me. My supervisor uses the fNIR and is also researching similar areas. You wouldn’t believe how much easier this makes things! Having someone who is interested in what you are doing, providing advice
and help, is probably going to make the difference between a 2:1 and a first. So, first and second years! Start thinking now about what you want to research. The best route might be to relate it to the career you have in mind. If you’re planning on doing a masters in Media Psychology, doing your dissertation on that area may just help you get on the course. If you aren’t sure what you want to do, don’t worry! Just start reading around the module that you’ve enjoyed the most, and try and find something you think you will find interesting for a whole academic year. When you do come to your third year, you will be glad you thought it out early!
Don’t forget that you can join a sport or activity group at any time! For more information about activities at Salford, visit www.salfordstudents.com
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Men’s Rugby League: Salford Salford v Leeds Met 1st 33-16 Emma Sanders After last week’s hard fought victory against rivals Manchester University, confidence was high in University of Salford Rugby League camp going into Wednesday’s BUCS quarter-final clash with Leeds Metropolitan 2nds. After the initial blows were made; a dominating Salford pack won the fight for territory early, laying a platform for the backs
to execute set piece moves. Slick hands down the right flank lead to centre Chris Higgins crossing the white wash to break the deadlock. Closely followed by Matthew Connell diving over in the corner and an Alex Davidson drop goal from dummy half. The second half began the way the first ended. Intense defensive work and strong carries leading to tries for Richard Joy, Alex Davidson and an impressive
double from half-back Phil Lyon, leaving Matthew Birkett to slot over 2 conversions. At 29-0 up with 20 minutes to play Salford looked comfortable. However Leeds Met didn’t make the journey to Castle Irwell to roll over. 3 tries and 2 conversions in quick succession from the visitors made the closing moments nervy. But a second try from Alex Davidson close to the end, and a man of the match display from first half
Other results: try-scorer Matthew Connell, helped settle any of those nerves. Final score: 33-16. Salford march triumphantly through to the semifinal! Next stop: The University of Leeds for the Semi Finals. Follow the University of Salford Rugby League Team on Twitter - @SalfordUniRL and Facebook – University of Salford Rugby League.
Men’s badminton UCLAN 2nd 5 - 3 Salford 1st Salford 2nd 8 - 0 Edge Hill 3rd Men’s basketball Salford 1st 77 - 65 Bangor 1st Netball Salford 1st 40 - 38 Bolton 1st Salford 2nd 29 - 24 Cumbria 2nd Men’s football Salford 2nd 1 - 0 Blackburn 1st Salford 3rd 2 - 3 Bangor 3rd Liverpool 4th 0 - 0 Salford 4th Women’s football Edge Hill 1st 0 - 2 Salford 1st Men’s rugby union Salford 1st 12 - 49 Lancaster 1st Men’s Hockey Salford 1st 4 - 3 University of Liverpool 3rd
Next week: HOME: Women’s hockey Salford 1st v Liverpool 3rd 2pm at Castle Irwell Student Village Men’s football Salford 3rd v Edge Hill 3rd 2pm at Castle Irwell Student Village Netball Salford 1st v Keele 2nd 2pm at Salford University Sports centre Women’s football Salford 1st v University of Manchester 1st 2pm at Castle Irwell Student Village
Men’s football: Salford 1st v University of Manchester 4th 2-2 It was a scramble at the box but after deliberation with the captain, he awarded the goal to David Roache. With spirits higher, Salford set back off into the fray. With the minutes ticking down it seemed like the team would have to settle for a 2-1 loss. Then, last minute, another goal sealed the draw. The equaliser came from a great cross by Mathew Jamieson which was finished off by Kris Saris. Ending the match in a successful 2-2 draw.
Sports Q&A: Salford fencing club
Photograph: Lauren Moore
Unfortunately the sun had disappeared after its short appearance on Tuesday, but the Salford University men’s 1st football team weren’t to be put off, as they kicked off on Wednesday afternoon at Castle Irwell in the cold wind. The match started with a relatively equal amount of possession between the home and away teams, with many tries on goal from Salford due to a large amount of corners. However, the first half proved to be rather uneventful with the half time whistle blowing at a 0-0 scoresheet. The highlight of the half was a positive strike on goal, from midfielder ‘Vujakovic‘, however, it was after the whistle, resulting in pleas of “come on, that was a finish and a half ref!” The match began to heat up in the second half. With 15 minutes to go the only highlight had been an impressive, yet unsuccessful, scissor kick on goal from a Salford Striker. But then, the Manchester team managed to break the Salford defence and score, giving them a 1-0 advantage.
This was soon followed by another goal in quick succession. However, the validity of this was questioned by many of the players as it had been a goal line scuffle between the Salford goal keeper and two away players, and also raised the question of the Manchester strikers being off-side. It seemed like the end of the road, 2-0 down with less than 10 minutes left. A bit of handy footwork from the Salford keeper stopped the score going to 3-0. Then, at last, a Salford goal!
Photograph: Lauren Moore
Lauren Moore
Fencing is a fast, fluent and aggressive sport. With the objective to stab the opponent, this sport isn’t for the faint hearted. S a l f o r d Universit y ’s fencing coach Kieran Byrne gave Luke Betts an insight into what makes a champion fencer. Firstly how has competition being going for you this year/season? Competitions have been going well. Salford Uni is getting some good results on the British Competition Circuit and many are gaining individual national ranking places. We have a member rising through the top 100 in GB, and others making their national circuit debuts. What does training consist of? Training consists of fitness with a focus
on cardio, plyometric and some strength and conditioning. We also train in the footwork and blade work areas of the sport. We also do some practice fights to help for competitions. What factors make up a good fencer? A dedicated, patient individual who has a desire to win. These factors can create a truly successful competitive fencer, but most other factors can be learnt through the training. Have you got any competitions coming up soon? Upcoming competitions: Birmingham International Competition which is one of the hardest competitions in the UK, our fencers may be against 2012 British Olympians. For those wanting to join the club, have you got any info to give? It’s really easy to get into fencing, just come along to the club. You are not obliged to purchase expensive fencing kit as it is all provided. Our fees are quite possibly the cheapest of any fencing club in the UK so that Salford students can afford to start fencing!
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