Volume 21, Issue 4 (Feb '20)

Report, but where’s the support?

Pages 6-11 LGBT History Month Pages 12-13

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To all returning readers, continuing the hazy stumble through university life, welcome back! Although I know we’re deep into semester two already, it’s lovely to see you again.

This year, we’ve aimed to cover what really matters to our campus community. With this in mind, we have dedicated much of our fourth issue to stories of diversity and inclusion. This February, rainbow flags are being raised in celebration of LGBT+ history month. I’m really grateful to everyone who has shared their experiences with us. The LGBT+ society has organised lots of exciting events, including Drag for RAG. I really encourage you to check them out and show your support! February is also host to Sexual Violence Awareness Week which grows in momentum year on year. As I write this, the world is embroiled in talk about #MeToo and the abuse of power within different industries. It’s important to raise the profile of sexual violence awareness as these issues affect students on campus too.

Bath Time is taking a stand against all of the wrongs being brought to light. Our cover story is not an easy read, but it’s an important one. Following our investigation in June 2019, we realised that the promises of #NeverOK weren’t being delivered. Progress with policy has been made but seven months on, concerns are still raised on our timelines and news feeds about the support available to victims. We’ve worked closely with affected students to share their narratives. The saddest thing about listening to these experiences, beyond the assaults themselves, are the regrets expressed by students for reporting. I want you to know that you were brave for taking a stand, but you absolutely deserve better support. By shedding light on a broken system, I hope we can begin to fix it.

As a reader of Bath Time, join our cause and demand better. Will you dare to share your thoughts on our findings and stand up for the changes you want to see? We have uncovered that members of our community are being let down every day by weak and ambiguous policies. I encourage you to take up the opportunity to have your say on how our University handles sexual violence with the Office for Students. The University and Students’ Union require specialist procedures to support all of its students. Both organisations need to foster a climate that encourages the reporting of sexual violence, backed by systems which effectively deal with it. Without this, it’s difficult to see how they can meet the promises of #NeverOK or their own hype about zero-tolerance.

In the courageous words of Chanel Miller, a survivor of sexual violence: “We don’t fight for our own happy endings. We fight to say you can’t. We fight for accountability. We fight to establish precedent. We fight because we pray we’ll be the last ones to feel this kind of pain.”

Yours, Emily x

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Meet The Team Genevieve Redgrave Editor-in-Chief

If you can’t find Genevieve she’s probably somewhere applying yet another coat of red lipstick, playing the saxophone (badly), or trying her very best to explain that she’s definitely from London despite her Kent postcode. In her final year of Politics and International Relations, to keep her happy it’s best if you don’t mention the B word to her, unless you mean Beyoncé or Bake off and if all else fails she can always be talked round with a good veggie curry and a lukewarm cup of tea.

Seb Porteous Ward

Eloise Sacares

Seb is a final year Politics and IR student, who is yet to come to terms with the fact he’s no longer a fresher. When he’s not napping in lectures, Seb can be found working on the door or working the dance floor in most of Bath’s clubs.

Elle is our Online Deputy Editor, despite her only IT experience being from 5 failed ‘lifestyle’ blogs in her teenage years. Nowadays, she is known as Elle, inspired by the fierce determination of Elle Woods, studies Politics, and spends most of her time drinking 4W coffee or at Mandy’s karaoke.

Harry Bridge

Emily Godon

Hi there, I’m Harry and I’m going to be News and Comment Editor for the paper this year. I lived in China and Singapore and like politics and economics way too much for a normal person. I’m looking forward to reading everything you write about the crazy world we live in!

Can’t find Emily? Head to the Edge Cafe.

If she’s not sipping *decaf* coffee while studying more modules than she should be, she’s probably filling her time with sport...without actually doing a sport. If you didn’t know she’s from Kent, halfFrench and has a fringe, she’ll tell you in-between the gossip.

Élie Breton Des Loÿs

Nicole Allen

Elie is our token European editor who loves writing reviews and watching movies. So much so that this year alone he has seen over a hundred of them and keeps watching obscure indie films. Elie studies Politics and Spanish and drinks at least thirty cups of tea a day.

Nicole is a final year Sport and Exercise Science student who likes to think she is edgier than a dodecahedron. A fun fact about Nicole is that she started university with a boyfriend but is ending it with a girlfriend - she’s like Hannah Montana, getting the best of both worlds.

Chloë Coules

Emily Johnstone

As a Psychology student, Chloe is learning to understand the inner workings of people’s minds. However, she is still yet to figure out why anyone would use comic sans. When she isn’t analysing the world around her, she enjoys ranting about climate change and naming her future dogs.

Emily is a final year Psychology student.

By now, she was hoping to have mind reading abilities but the only treatment she’s good at is retail therapy. She’s the resident snack queen and is never too far away from a Jaffa cake. She’s obsessed with dogs and can’t wait for the day that puppies can distribute Bath Time.

Deputy Editor (Print)

News and Comment Editor

Lifestyle Editor

Design Editor

Deputy Editor (online)

Features Editor

Sport Editor

Publicity and Distribution Officer

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Contents

Cover Story Pages 6-11 Report, but where’s the support?

Lifestyle 34 Sex Education Review 35 Tyler, The Creator 39 #OscarsSoWhite 40 Mac Miller 41 Colour Out Of Space 44 Erotica 45 Horoscopes 46 Puzzle Corner

Features 12 LGBT History Month 14 Fast Fashion 16 Year Abroad Column 17 Reality of Reality TV 18 Final Year Column 19 Personal Brands 21 Sexiest Jobs 29 PariaHer Column

News & Comment 22 Rise of TikTok at Bath 24 Us vs. The World 27 Universal Income 28 Coronavirus 31 Kobe Bryant 32 Holocaust Day 36 Science Column

Sport 23 Brexit and Football 33 Best Pubs to Watch 42 Team of the Week 43 Sports Quiz/Results

LGBT History Month Features: Pages 12-13 Column: Page 29 Erotica: Page 44

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Report, but where’s the support?

By Bath Time Editorial Committee Photography by Marlena Zemsta CW: Sexual violence and victimisation

It seems as though not a day goes by without our timelines and news headlines being flooded with yet another story relating to sexual assault on university campuses across the UK. Yet questions still rightfully remain, with reports continuing to rise, about how seriously the Higher Education sector is actually taking this issue.

New figures by Revolt Sexual Assault, a sexual violence awareness campaign, highlight the extent that this issue runs rife across our campuses. Their survey found that almost two-thirds of students experience sexual assault and harassment, but only 6% of students report these incidents to their universities. This raises concerns over the depth of the problem’s reality, hidden behind institutional figures.

meeting minutes, dated 5th June 2019, reveal that one Pro-Vice-Chancellor outlined ongoing work which was ‘revising the procedures, especially needed to deal with any allegations of sexual harassment’.

Following our June 2019 investigation and OIA requirements, the University and Students’ Union promised an overhaul of their complaints and disciplinary systems. Yet seven months on from these changes, dissatisfaction with how sexual violence reports are handled, still circulate online by students.

After submitting a report, students are seemingly let down by both organisations throughout the processes and systems that are designed to support those at their most vulnerable.

Campuses around the UK are plastered with posters of campaigns, encouraging students to report their experiences; but when the catchy slogans run out, are those they are designed to protect actually feeling the benefits? Just 2% of students that submitted a report were happy with the process, a report by Revolt Sexual Assault and The Student Room revealed, with many claiming they received “little support”. It was also uncovered by the BBC that nearly a third of universities have used non-disclosure agreements for student complaints since 2016, with some safe-guarding measures conditional on the victim not publicly sharing their experiences. This overwhelming lack of transparency ensures that issues faced by victims during reporting and disciplinary processes are routinely unheard and unaddressed.

The University of Bath cannot be absolved from this, with its handling of student reports already called into question, almost a year ago, by two referrals to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA).

The OIA can independently review complaints if a student remains dissatisfied after internal processes have been completed at a university. University Senate

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No Sexual Violence Policy

Mitigating circumstances

The most striking aspect of university policy is that it’s actually nowhere to be found in a single, stand-alone document. Instead, students who experience sexual violence are expected to report these incidents under the same documents which tackle noise complaints and plagiarism. This is not a common issue. The majority of other Higher Education institutions provide specific policies that are explicitly designed to deal with sexual violence. Without its own policy, Bath lags painfully behind leading universities including Durham, Warwick and Cambridge. A Freedom of Information (FOI) request failed to return one stand-alone policy, instead we were directed to four different documents which cover the entire spectrum of disciplinary issues.

The University has made progress by developing a new sanctioning guidance which recognises the varying severity of disciplinary issues. However, this guidance is also used for offences ranging from plagiarism all the way up to assault. The guidance states that mitigating circumstances will be taken into account before a disciplinary decision can be made. If a perpetrator admits the offence at the earliest opportunity, reductions in a penalty charge can be applied, as well as if they express sincere remorse or even if their actions are considered to be a mistake. This seems to fall short of the University’s “zero-tolerance” approach. The sanctioning guidance provides an opportunity to perpetrators to make excuses, minimising their penalty and can even apportion blame to victims.

Hannah Price, the founder of Revolt Sexual Assault, raised her concerns of policies which aren’t specific to sexual violence: ‘Universities are currently relying on statements of a ‘zero tolerance approach’ but have none of the appropriate frameworks in place to substantiate or enforce this; shockingly, in some cases the same procedures used for plagiarism are being applied to students reporting rape. It is not good enough to shoehorn response to sexual violence into pre-existing policy framework like this; it is why it is so important for specific policies for sexual violence on campus to be developed and applied in a consistent nation-wide approach.’

“shockingly, in some cases the same procedures used for plagiarism are being applied to students reporting rape” Given the prominence of the #NeverOK campaign, it seems unusual that guidance for events following reports of sexual misconduct remain buried deep within the University’s website. Although progress has been made, little has changed for victims reporting sexual misconduct. Other universities have provided all relevant support and procedural documents in one online location. However, students at Bath are forced to navigate through various documents which include a wealth of other irrelevant offences. This can become unnecessarily chaotic and all the more traumatising.

Extensive delays The old disciplinary procedures contained no specified time frames, which meant some investigations took as long as 4 months to reach an outcome. The new Student Discipline Flowchart states that it can take up to 60 working days to complete the process. Although the new disciplinary policy promises a ‘prompt and effective response’, is 60 working days actually prompt enough for victims?

A fair and robust investigation does require sufficient time, but a process spanning over several months can be unnecessarily distressing. This is only intensified for victims who remain in close proximity to their perpetrators. Student Services and Security can put separation measures in place during an investigation, but the lack of monitoring of these measures has been criticised.

One student has shared their experience, “trying to balance my studies as well as being part of a long process was exhausting. I still had to see **** when I was on campus and I was terrified of facing more harassment after making a complaint about them. The uni didn’t really do anything to give me space from them”.

Another student also reported in our survey that, “some victims are too scared to face their perpetrator and will not turn up to lectures, myself included, this has caused me to go from a first class degree candidate to be likely to fail my degree or at best a 2:2”.

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Prevention With 88% of our survey respondents entirely unaware of any of the sanctions given for sexual assault, it remains unclear which, if any, of the University’s penalties are a significant deterrent to prevent sexual violence. An FOI request revealed that from 2008 to date, 62 cases of sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape have been reported to the University. If allegations were proven, the penalties have included two expulsions, two-week suspensions, an acknowledgement of impact and monetary fines. These have ranged from £75 to £360, with an average penalty of £124.

No right of appeal Another glaring gap in policy appears to be the lack of balance between the rights of a victim and a perpetrator. The University doesn’t afford victims the right to appeal a disciplinary decision yet it does allow perpetrators an appeal opportunity, which can overturn sanctions. If a victim is dissatisfied with the University’s handling of their case, they have to enter a new Student Complaints Process which can take up to 90 calendar days, but ultimately cannot change the outcome of a disciplinary.

Students have shared their feelings over their lack of involvement in the appeals process, “I found out that the SU ban was appealed, I wasn’t allowed to attend.

I found out by email that **** was allowed back. I’m gutted.”

“40 days after the appeal, I found out that disciplinary action had been revoked and the student was allowed to return to campus. I felt powerless to change it and wondered if there was any point reporting.”

Under the current policy, it is impossible to trace where this money goes but has since been revealed to us that this is put towards a student experience fund.

Victims do not see this directly and there’s no suggestion that fines are explictly used to improve sexual violence support. Fines are commonly used for various disciplinary issues and the University has received over £30,000 in fines in just four years, varying from drug offenses to property damage. For those who have gone through the lengthy process of reporting sexual violence, it must be demoralising to find that perpetrators are treated in the same way as parking violations.

By placing monetary value on an intrusive violation, the disciplinary process is commodifying and profiting from violence.

Fines are an unusual deterrent, with almost 87% of survey respondents not even aware that they could be issued as a punishment for sexual violence. If it remains unheard of, how can this truly be seen as a significant deterrent, and if not that, then what are their actual purpose? For many students asked, the overwhelming majority believed this to be an inappropriate form of deterrence and punishment. Many expressed that it only further objectifies victims, failing to be adequately representative of the trauma that the victim has experienced. It seemingly wipes away the issue with a cheque and was seen by students as barely a hindrance at a notoriously ‘middle class’ university.

One student stated that “it sets a dangerous precedent that wealthier students can ‘buy’ their way out of sexual assault charges”. With the #NeverOk campaign pushed across campus, an individual rightfully questioned whether it is actually #neverokunlessyoupay?

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SU Sanctions

Support Resources

The sanctions given by the SU to perpetrators of sexual violence have also been criticised. According to its own policy, the SU issues bans from its venues, committees, activities, events and website for perpetrators of sexual misconduct. However, multiple flaws have been uncovered within this process. The policy doesn’t include permanent bans for sexual violence, with the most serious cases being capped at 24 weeks. The impact of these bans has also been limited as perpetrators have reportedly served their bans during the summer holidays. This seems to be pointless considering that the majority of SU activities, events and venues aren’t running during these periods, offering victims little reprieve.

Arguably, the most fundamental resource required when making a report of sexual violence is support.

Bath Time has previously criticised the University for only providing support guidance to alleged perpetrators. The University has now produced new guidance documents for all parties which detail the available support through contacting the Deputy Director of Student Services who will direct them to arrange their own appointments with support services. Whilst an FOI request found that staff in Student Services, HR and Security are trained in handling such disclosures, the requirement of victims to make multiple disclosures is significantly re-traumatising.

One student expressed, “at worst, allowing **** to serve their ban during the holidays was a fake sanction. At best, it was an extremely lenient sanction for unacceptable behaviour.”

In October 2019, the SU updated their policy to include the disclaimer, ‘any holidays (such as the summer holidays) may be excluded from the ban at the discretion of the person issuing the ban’. But, the language appears open to interpretation and does little to assure victims that perpetrators will serve a full and fair ban in conjunction with the undergraduate academic calendar.

Bath Time has also uncovered that the SU has not monitored its own bans. According to their guidelines, bans include ‘blocking website permissions and services’. Yet, there have reportedly been cases of perpetrators purchasing memberships to participate in sports teams and societies while serving an SU ban for sexual misconduct. This could leave victims in a vulnerable position where they have unexpectedly seen their perpetrator in a venue or club during a ban period.

The monitoring of these website permissions wasn’t correctly implemented until November 2019.

Under the new policy, sexual violence reports are handled by the University who will undertake disciplinary proceedings. However, the SU has no power to overturn any decisions made by this disciplinary panel.

This could result in a student found guilty of sexual violence still being an active member of the SU.

Expecting victims to seek help in this way isn’t accessible or fair. New students may especially struggle to understand what help is available or even if it’s right for them. One student expressed, “as I was only a few days into uni, I didn’t have anyone to talk it through with and I didn’t know of any of the student services available. This made me feel like I needed to deal with it alone.” The same student also felt inequipped to deal with sexual violence stating that, “it felt like they didn’t care beyond doing the bare minimum and saying that consent is a thing. I wish they had given us the knowledge on how to deal with it when it happens before it did.” It appears that support resources are simply not proactive in nature, relying too heavily on these distressing events to unfold before acting.

Bath Time has also uncovered that neither the University or SU employ a Sexual Violence Liaison Officer, which means they don’t offer specialist care for victims of sexual violence. SVLOs have been hired by many other institutions to establish reporting, protection and care options available to students from internal and external organisations. A student representative from the University of York reported, “simple awareness training does not prepare staff for the complexities of dealing with incidents of sexual violence, which is why appointing a dedicated officer is such a step forward for York”. When asked about the one-day training that staff received in an FOI, the University stated that this was delivered by a specialist from Durham University. It remains unclear why the University of Bath has yet to employ its own specialist instead of relying on another institution to adequately equip its staff.

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Online criticism In recent months, online anonymous university pages have seen a massive increase in sexual harassment related ‘confessions’. Many students revealed their disappointment with how the University has handled their complaints with even some suggestion of feeling victim-blamed and others revealing their lack of want to report it officially. It can only be questioned why students would choose an anonymous forum over ‘qualified’ staff.

What next?

When asked about the results of our investigation, a University of Bath spokesperson said: “The safety and wellbeing of our students is paramount and we do not tolerate harassment or violence towards members of our community. Our guidelines for supporting students who report being sexually assaulted or harassed have been developed in conjunction with The Bridge, a well-respected Sexual Assault Referral Centre, and align with national guidance.Our Dignity and Respect Policy was developed in consultation with students and addresses all relevant forms of misconduct. Our new discipline policies were written with survivors of sexual violence and hate crime in mind. As such, we offer wellbeing support and encourage representation throughout the disciplinary process, ensure that a student making a report of misconduct and a student accused of misconduct do not appear at a disciplinary panel at the same time, and provide trauma-informed investigations training for staff involved in the disciplinary process.”

We encourage you to take up the opportunity to have your say on how the University of Bath handles sexual violence. Bath Amnesty has been working on a list of demands to present to the University and the Office for Students is holding national consultations on their proposals for the regulation of harassment and sexual misconduct across universities. The feedback form provides an invaluable opportunity to share your thoughts on past, present and future policies. It closes on 27th March 2020 and can be accessed at https://survey.officeforstudents.org.uk/s/harassmentconsultation.

By demanding more support from the University, we hope to empower victims to report their experiences under a system they can trust to consistently deliver the promises of #NeverOK. It is only through working together to continue to push for change that we can ensure victims are treated fairly and with the respect they deserve. Students at the University of Bath must be able to report, knowing that they have the support.

If you’ve been affected by any of the issues raised in this article please refer to the contacts listed on our support page overleaf.

Following our summer investigation into sexual misconduct, the SU and University offered assurances that procedures would be improved. Whilst a step has been made in the right direction, it is frustrating to discover that members of our community continue to be let down by weak and ambiguous policies. There are still too many obstacles facing those brave enough to make a report. Issuing fines and allowing perpetrators to serve bans during holiday periods does little to show a victim that their case has been taken seriously. Our students and our victims deserve better. As readers of Bath Time and members of our student community, join us in demanding more.

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Support Services Somerset and Avon Rape and Sexual Abuse Support (0808 801 0465) SARSAS provide detailed guidelines and support documents for victims of sexual violence. The website also offers emotional and practical advice for family, friends and partners too. Survivors can be referred for counselling, with the option of up to 24 sessions. They also have a volunteering team on hand to offer one-toone listening support for up to 20 sessions.

Safe Link (0333 323 1543) Safe Link offers support for anyone who has been the victim of sexual violence. The team of independent sexual violence advisers can offer one-to-one support.

Safe Link also runs peer support groups. Irrespective of whether you have reported to the police, you can access their services across the whole of Avon and Somerset. More information can be found here: https://safelinksupport.co.uk

VOCAS (03333 447928) VOCAS is a free and confidential advocacy service for adult victims of crime. The team offers practical and emotional support to help individuals cope and recover from their experience. If a person engages with the criminal justice system, VOCAS can offer support throughout this process. Their information can be found here: https://swanadvocacy.org.uk/vocas/

Off the Record Off the Record Bath offers counselling and listening support to improve the emotional health and wellbeing of young people. The counselling team offers 6 to 12 sessions for people aged up to 25. You can complete self-referral form here: https://www.offtherecord-banes.co.uk/contact

SU Advice and Support Centre (01225 38 6906) The Advice & Support Centre can guide and support you with any problems you may have during your time at university. The team can offer confidential, independent and non- judgemental information, advice and support. The centre can be found in the lower level of the SU.

Wellbeing Team (01225 383838) The team of advisers provide wellbeing and welfare advice to all students. You can drop in or arrange an appointment with an adviser in 4 West.

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A Gay Old Goodbye

By Zeid Truscott

dents has massively improved. This has not occurred by magic; it has been the product of the tireless work of numerous students, activists and committee members, and this must be recognised.

After being a student at Bath for 6 years, I have seen many students, staff, campaigns and officers come and go. For this LGBT+ History Month I have decided to reflect on my experiences of being gay at Bath, and how the LGBT+ community here has developed and grown over the past half-decade.

For anyone coming to Bath as a fresher it is important to find a community, but for many LGBT+ people, especially those who are closeted, estranged or from more conservative backgrounds, that need is amplified.

Like many others, I joined the ‘LGBT and Friends’ group in my first year, the ‘+’ not even being a talking point and the ‘Friends’ to appeal to closeted people who wanted to come to events without being outed.

That fear of being outed over the years has reduced as society has become more accepting. In 2014, the need to protect the LGBT+ community was deeply woven into the operation of the LGBT+ group; members’ information was held on a separate server and information and emails were sent from an independent provider, so the SU couldn’t access data that could out people, and the group had minimal public facing social media. In addition, the membership, while having representation from each of the L, G, B & T, was still very ‘G’ heavy, with socials described by some as a ‘sausage fest’.

It is the result of the work by activists like Emily Senft, who over the space of 3 years on LGBT+ committee fought tirelessly for trans students. She demanded access to gender neutral facilities, streamlined the name changing process, among many other achievements.

Ellen Edenbrow (who chaired the LGBT group in my first year) ran campaigns that brought LGBT+ issues to the fore, and started the transformation of the LGBT+ group from a gay gentlemen’s club to a thriving queer community, that has been one of the few university LGBT groups in the country to have had a committee which comprised of trans people and cis women.

However, the progress over the years has not been all sunshine and light; 2017 saw a student run for SU President on a platform of transphobic policies, 2016 saw the loss of many LGBT siblings in the Orlando nightclub shooting, and an increase of islamophobic rhetoric in our LGBT+ spaces as a result, and in 2015 the SU shared photos of an LGBT+ campaign run on campus, outing me in the process.

Nevertheless, we have come a long way in 6 short years, and I am happy to be leaving Bath knowing that the experience of LGBT+ students is better than when I found it. I am also proud to have helped shape that transformation. We have a long way to go, but we are getting there.

“Nevertheless, we have come a long way in 6 short years, and I am happy to be leaving Bath knowing that the experience of LGBT+ students is better than when I found it.”

Over the years the experience at Bath for LGBT+ stu-

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History of Homophobic Language

By Elie Breton des Loÿs

If you’re British it is likely that your favourite shows include Doctor Who, Sherlock, Peaky Blinders and the all-time favourite Gavin and Stacey. If you were amongst the millions who highly awaited the Gavin and Stacey’s Christmas special and tuned in on the BBC on the 25thof December, then you must have seen this controversial scene in which Bryn used the word “faggot” while singing the famous Fairytale of New York hymn.

When the word “faggot” reappears in the media it always saddens me to see the kind of arguments that it sparks on social media. If members of the LGBT complain, they are immediately deemed as “snowflakes” or “libtards” who don’t seem to understand that “faggot” is “just a word” with no connotation. It is worth remembering that faggot is word carrying centuries of deep rooted homophobia, associations of violence, and has been used to ridicule and dehumanise gays since the early days of the 20thCentury.

I am not “offended” by the BBC’s decision to include a gay slur at such a crucial time of the year, just merely disappointed of their carelessness and people’s reaction to the problem. If someone is hurt by the word “faggot” you can only imagine that this word has been used against them with derogatory or even aggressive intentions repeatedly, often making them doubt their existence was necessary.

This immediately sparked a conversation on social media where two sides opposed, those who weren’t offended by the term, deeming it traditional and not hurtful given the context, and others who accused the BBC of trying to stir the pot by using a gay slur in one of the most viewed moments of the year. The use of the word “faggot” is usually associated with deep homophobia and is rejected by many, yet Fairytale of New York seems like the odd exception where many straights and gays alike go “meh, it’s Christmas, so who cares”. This is a hymn that is often disputed and will remain controversial with many radio channels choosing not to play it anymore to avoid backlash.

I was lucky enough to avoid gay slurs when growing up, and I know that is a form of privilege, as not all of us have the chance to be in a country that respects LGBT rights, surrounded by supportive friends & family. I went through my adolescence in a relatively safe environment, even if the male dominated private schools’ locker room were not the best place to be out.

Even when talking about this issue with my friends I was faced with ignorance and often rejection, with members of the LGBT+ community and straights alike. Today more than ever we must be careful with words and the burden they carry: it is simple to overlook how they can truly hurt someone. So please, try to avoid using that word in the future, you’ll make a lot of people happy.

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Are influencers killing the planet?

By Esme Trevelyan

high carbon emissions and wastewater production, and produces huge amounts of landfill. To add insult to injury, almost two thirds of our clothes are now made from plastic polymers and other petrochemicals, meaning we are adding even more plastic into the environment every time we purchase something new.

Even agriculture and air travel is not as environmentally devastating - the only industry that pollutes more than fashion is oil.

These days, plastic has become a bit of a taboo. Straws are a no go, plastic bags are a sin and there’s a sense of public shaming when you tell the cashier in Pitstop that you didn’t bring your own coffee cup. However, although these anti-plastic initiatives do play their part in protecting the environment, they can often overshadow one of the biggest impacts we have on the planet: our wardrobes.

‘Fast fashion’ has yet to take centre stage in the eco debate, but our shopping habits are having a huge impact on the environment. Fast fashion describes how designs and styles can move from the catwalk to high street retailers almost instantly, in order to quickly capture and capitalise on current fashion trends. However, it is not only the journey from runway to consumer that is fast in fast fashion, but also the clothing’s journey into landfill. Cheap, mass-produced items are often extremely low quality (think see-through PLT dresses or sheer Missguided leggings), meaning they quickly end up with rips and holes, and their low price makes it easier and cheaper to replace them than fixed.

In addition, these mass-produced items can be sold at such low prices that we barely think twice about buying an outfit to wear just once, and the next destination for these cheap and poor-quality items is the bin.

But the environment isn’t the only thing suffering from fast fashion – our consumer habits have a human cost too. 97% of our clothes are manufactured overseas, with fashion brands exploiting cheap labour in developing countries where workers often have very minimal rights and safety standards are low. Garment workers, 85% of whom are women and often include children working to provide for their family, endure long hours for minimal pay, working in dangerous conditions with hazardous substances. In 2013, a garment factory in Bangladesh collapsed, killing more than 1100 workers. These workers were producing clothes for brands such as Primark, Mango, Matalan and even Prada and Gucci when they died – and accidents like these are not as rare as brands would like us to believe.

The environmental repercussions of fast fashion are devastating. The fashion and textiles industry has sky-

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So fast fashion is harming our planet and the human beings involved in its production. But what can we do? It is easy to feel helpless when you think about the scale of the problem, especially when governments and big business don’t seem to care, but the best thing you can do as an individual is use your consumer power for good. As consumers, we have the power to make brands change the way they work – they want our money, and are prepared to adapt and change to get it if needs be. Think about how many brands have adapted their packaging to reduce plastic waste, or how many brands have been racing to become the most ‘conscious’; these changes (albeit often only the bare minimum of effort) wouldn’t happen if it wasn’t for consumer demand.

Although their cheap deals can be alluring, there is always going to be someone or something paying the real price for a £1 bikini or a 75% off sale.

And finally, in the age of the influencer, another important stand you can take is to unfollow and unsubscribe to those influencers who are relentlessly pushing an unsustainable level of consumption. An endless amount of sponsored posts, clothing hauls and outfit of the day posts can make us think we need to keep up and buy more and more, but the lifestyle and habits these influencers are selling to us are unsustainable – financially, environmentally and ethically. It’s not all doom and gloom – many influencers are now committing to being more sustainable by severing ties with fast fashion brands, no longer making haul videos and promoting eco-friendly products – but when even small influencers with only a few thousand followers are being sent hundreds and even thousands of pounds worth of clothing, it isn’t hard to see that there is a problem in this industry.

So yes, influencers are killing the planet – but so are we. In a time where we are all striving to be more environmentally conscious, avoiding plastic straws and bringing our own coffee cups, we need to start making more conscious decisions when it comes to our wardrobes. It can seem hard or overwhelming, but every baby step taken by us as consumers is one closer to seeing change in the fashion industry.

The best thing we can do is simply buy less. Try to consider each purchase you make and decide whether it is actually worth it, and try to make less impulsive purchases. Sustainable, slow fashion brands exist, and the app Good On You is amazing for giving you an environmental and ethical rundown of each shop you buy from, but admittedly these brands are often expensive and therefore less accessible (particularly to poor students). However, one of the most sustainable ways of updating your wardrobe is to buy second hand – Depop, Asos Marketplace, eBay and even charity shops all have amazing finds and often cheap bargains, and shopping there means you aren’t adding another unnecessary garment into this vicious cycle. Unfortunately, trying to shop more consciously often means staying away from the cult favourite online retailers like Pretty Little Thing, Missguided and Boohoo.

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18/02/2020 14:44:40

Life on Year Abroad Darcey Stickley is a Spanish & Politics student currently on her year abroad. Between talking too fast and being late to everything, she enjoys reading, listening to the Off Menu podcast and reminding everyone that Cambridge is better than Oxford, especially when it comes to rowing.

Hello! I’m back, and this time, I am in Colombia. I haven’t been here long, so I don’t have much to recount, but what I can offer is my lessons for getting over the initial fear of moving to a new country. Props to international students who do this earlier on in life and for much longer, because this four months away business really threw me.

When you arrive

Landing in an unfamiliar airport in a climate you’re not used to can be daunting at best. Therefore, sort out your accommodation and travel before you go, so that those first few hours are as easy as possible. Check accommodation reviews for proximity to tourist stuff or place of work/study and how the staff come across because, for me, having a kind ‘home life’ really helped me settle in.

Get a SIM card

I’m hopelessly directionless, so getting a SIM card with data enabled me to the power of Google Maps. Without this, I genuinely (and geographically) don’t know where I’d be. Things you need when looking for an international SIM: - Questions to hand: Data? International calls? How much? Contract/pay-as-you-go?

- Wifi: unless it’s a simple calculation, the conversions will require some googling.

- Patience.

Ask questions

Although scary and somewhat irritating, you lose nothing by being the chatty person who sets aside time to find out the information they need. My example was asking, in detail, about the bus route to work. As draining as it can be to have to ask and then verify to make sure you understand, it will be worth it because ultimately, you do just need to get to work.

Hasta pronto, honeys xo

Top tips for moving to a new country/ Algunos consejos para mudarse a un nuevo país Spanish translation: Hola! Ya volví y ahora, estoy en Colombia. Todavía no he pasado mucho tiempo aquí, así que no tengo mucho que contar, pero lo que sí puedo ofrecer son mis clases de cómo recuperarse cuando te mudas a un otro país.

Felicidades a los estudiantes internacionales que lo hacen más jóvenes y durante más tiempo, porque solo por la idea de 4 meses fuera ya estoy desconcertada.

Cuando llegues

Aterrizando en un aeropuerto desconocido, en un clima a que no estás acostumbrado puede ser, por lo mínimo, abrumador. Por eso, antes de que te vayas, busca alojamiento y transporte para que esas primeras horas sean lo más fácil posible. Averigua reseñas para conocer la proximidad a los lugares de interés o donde vas a estudiar/trabajar y como es el trato del personal. Eso lo digo porque, para mi, el tener un ambiente de ‘casa’ me ayudó a reponerme mucho.

Coge un sim

Yo siempre estoy desubicada, asi que tener un sim con datos me dio el poder de Google Maps. Sin eso, yo verdaderamente (y geográficamente) no sabía dónde estaba. Cosas que necesitas: - Preguntas: datos? llamadas internacionales? cuanto cuesta? contrato o prepago?

- wifi: a menos que sea un cálculo sencillo, las conversiones se necesitarán googlear - Paciencia

Haz preguntas

A pesar de ser atemorizante y un poco molesto, no pierdes nada en ser la persona habladora que dedica tiempo a entender la información que requiere. Yo por ejemplo preguntaba mucho sobre mi camino al trabajo.

Puede ser muy agotador, pidiendo y pues verificando que entendiste todo, pero al fin valdrá la pena porque básicamente, durante tu estadía, tendrás que ir al trabajo. smell ya later, chiquillxs xo

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18/02/2020 14:44:41

Love Island: The Reality of Reality TV

By Chen Ly

In the absence of any actual holiday this winter, I’ve had to substitute it with watching a succession of scantily clad 20-year olds prance dramatically about a luxury villa in South Africa six nights a week. Perhaps I can try to trick myself into thinking I’m watching Love Island to see beautiful people form deep relationships over six weeks while their relationships are tried and tested to the limit in some reflection of what love means. Realistically though the opening titles give away what this show is actually about, as a montage of tanned, chiselled bodies are paraded on screen before the show’s title card flashes up.

When my flatmates and I ritually gather at 9pm to watch the latest drama unfold you have to question the applications which seem to filter out anyone with a body fat percentage above 10% and fewer than six visible abs. What does it say about our generation that this is one of the most popular shows amongst our demographic, and how does it affect our mental health?

Are these the people we should be idolising? Certainly, there is the immediate concern that these people in no way reflect reality - most people do not look like this. Love Island labels itself reality TV, yet when so few of these couples stay together after leaving the villa and considering the winter season takes place on the South African coast, ‘Love’ ‘Island’ seems as hollow as the values it promotes. Even the most diehard fans have to question the extent to which ‘who can do the best striptease’ really tests compatibility in a modern relationship. It’s entertainment, but at what cost?

According to a survey conducted by the Mental Health Foundation in 2019, of 18 to 24 year olds, almost 1 in 4 people say reality TV makes them worry about their body image. 1 in 4 also said they had experienced suicidal thoughts and feelings due to concerns in relation to their body image. Additionally, 1 in 7 said they had self-harmed or deliberately hurt themselves due to concerns about their body image. While this seems extreme and the problem goes beyond Love Island, it brings to the surface conversations surrounding Love

Island’s extreme lack of representation of body types and races. Is Love Island a show we want to devote so much of our time to? A show where the value of its contestants is largely derived from their physical appearance?

Ultimately, reality television for many acts as an escape from everyday life, where we can mindlessly watch the orchestrated drama of strangers unfold. Therefore, it is important to be aware of the incredible influence reality TV holds over us young people, as it is probably stronger than we even realise. And perhaps Love Island can even be used as a catalyst for many of us to engage in a wider conversation about body image and mental health.

Editorial note: This piece was written prior to the tragic news of Caroline Flack’s death and this is why it is not mentioned within this article.

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18/02/2020 14:44:42

Final Thoughts: Get excited about the simpler things

By Jordan Edwards In Final Thoughts, I reflect on the lessons I’ve learned during my time at University, as I prepare to graduate.

On Valentine’s Day, I gave myself some respite from the worries of dissertation and looming mid-semester tests to head to watch Parasite in the Little Theatre.

Given the hype of its Best Picture Oscar win, I was particularly excited. More excited than I can remember being about pub golfs, bar tours or nights out recently.

Suffice to say, I was not disappointed. Aside from being the best film I can ever remember seeing, I was inspired, now using its soundtrack to revise and raving about it to all of my friends afterwards. As stupid as it sounds, my awe of the film lasted for a couple of days.

With this pleasant feeling lingering, I wondered why I don’t get to the cinema more often. With three of them in Bath, why do I choose to stay at home instead, especially when I have nothing else to do?

It dawned on me that since university began, I’ve forgotten to focus on the simpler things and experiences despite the fact that they tend to make me happiest.

Despite beginning the semester with two rounds of pub golf, volleyball socials and hosting RAG’s Take Me Out and the Plug Quizzes to look forward to, I’ve ticked each of them off as they’ve passed by without really taking a moment to enjoy or experience each.

Perhaps I’m being too nostalgic, however it has to be said that I’ve started feeling particularly grateful for the time I have left. It’s not that I want to be at university for the rest of my life, it’s that until I start to reminisce with a friend, I can’t recall the many exciting things I’ve done since being here and I think that’s a shame.

Don’t allow your university life to be clouded by incessant consumption of booze and attendance at every single event out there. Without taking a moment to relax and get excited about events you have coming up, you’ll realise that nothing hugely matters to you anymore aside from continuity.

Head to the cinema, have more nights in, go for walks and visit new pubs and cafes. Enjoying the simpler things will make you appreciate the fact that you live in a World Heritage Site and perhaps help time move a little more steadily. At least then, when you graduate, you’ll know you’ve experienced everything you possible could, rather than frequented the same clubs every single week for the past three years.

This is in stark comparison with going to watch Parasite, which had me excited for around four days and was worth every second. Funnily enough, heading to the cinema that day probably cost all of £8, whereas the nights out I mentioned earlier probably totalled to at least a hundred quid leaving my bank account. Yet which is the experience I recall the most fondly?

The convoluted point I’ve been trying to get too is that university has this nature of sweeping you off your feet.

As soon as your first semester has disappeared, you’ll suddenly realise that you’re in your final semester of final year wondering what on earth you’re going to do for your dissertation, with only your Instagram posts to remind you of the whirlwind that has been your university years.

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18/02/2020 14:44:43

How To Build Your Personal Brand as AByStudent Leora Garling As a student, you have already secured your place at University and had to make a tough decision in choosing the right course and place to study, with over 50,000 undergraduate courses and more than 395 university institutions in the UK alone. But the search doesn’t stop there! Most students like myself still have no clue where they see themselves in 5 years’ time. Although there is no one way around this problem, there are a few tips that you can adopt in order to build your personal brand during your time at university & so become more employable to placement or graduate job recruiters, as well as developing a stronger sense of self.

1. Your Image

What do you stand for? What do you value most?

What is your message? If you know these things, you can make sure that people will remember you for who you really are. If you can’t answer those questions, then you are letting the marketplace define you. We all have a USP (Unique Selling Point) that differentiates us in our own special way. This leads us to the second point…

2. Self-reflection

If you don’t know yourself then take a moment to self-reflect, and be honest with yourself. What sort of person do you want to be as you grow older?

What subjects’ interest you the most? What are your strengths and weaknesses, and how are you going to overcome them? It is always good to get an objective point of view on matters like these, so don’t be afraid to ask your family, peers, teachers for their opinion.

And if you want to take it a step further, you can seek professional opinion and visit a career advisor, or do online assessments. There are many different ways to…

each year. All you have to do is book yourself in online.

These also provide an excellent opportunity for…

4. Networking

As well as keeping your traditional CV up to date (in this case you can arrange meetings with your personal tutor/professor to give you some extra advice), it is also very useful to create a LinkedIn account (essentially a digital CV) early on. LinkedIn is a great platform that enables you to grow your professional network, with many different features and its own help page where you can learn how to apply all these to your own profile. Reinforce your network early on to keep those connections with your University pals, professors, or even family friends who may be in an industry you’re considering going to etc. It’s all about keeping a strong and clean….

5. Digital footprint

When applying for a job, chances are that recruiters will google your name. There might be a few things you wish you had never posted… so now is your chance to leave a clean digital trace. Delete your old Facebook account, change your settings to private on Instagram, and make sure to add a strong bio to your LinkedIn profile to reinforce your Brand!

3. Get involved

You will never know until you try. University has so many things to offer, with the SU Bath offering 95 societies that it’s never too late to join. There’s even a Careers Service which organizes recruitment events, skills development programs and several careers fairs

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18/02/2020 14:44:45

The Sexiest Jobs of All Time

By Cathi Westall

In honour of Valentine’s Day, aka Peak Eyeroll Season, here is a comprehensive list of the sexiest jobs decided extremely scientifically by me and the friends who didn’t air me.

The results are in: a surprisingly nuanced selection (excluding the more basic “burly” category), valuing vocation over money, providing that they are still ambitious, good-looking, and of the desk-sweeper inclination. Buckle up for a stereotype-laden romp through the fantasy careers fair.

Category: Will save the world Examples: Something in renewable energy, inventor of a massive freezer for the ice caps

The fantasy partner for anyone worried about the apocalypse. Smart, ethical and someone who genuinely might have a net positive effect on future generations.

If you find someone who actually did invent a massive freezer for the ice caps, chances are they’ll be LOADED, which is a nice (but obviously wholly irrelevant) side-benefit. A superhero fantasy for our environmentally precarious times.

Pros: Probable good person, might help delay the earth’s engulfment in a ball of fire.

Cons: Will give you a massive moral inferiority complex; you will have to become a vegan.

Category: Burly Examples: Fireman, personal trainer, soldier, stripper

The most basic bitch of the fantasy boyfriend categories, and no less valid for it. Many respondents expressed an interest in the kind of job requiring men to be sufficiently burly to be able to throw a girl over their shoulder like a ragdoll. Turns out girls are pretty uncomplicated after all. Bonus points for access to a Magic Mike-appropriate uniform.

Pros: Easy on the eye, will (literally) catch you if you fall.

Cons: Might talk about eating protein a lot/might catch on fire.

Category: Medical Examples: Doctor, nurse, etc.

Committing to all that training for a very delayed (and, in the case of nurses, negligible) financial reward suggests they’re a good person, and, contrary to popular belief, nice guys/gals do not always finish last. Add to that their long and noble representation in stripper costumes throughout the years and you’re onto a winner.

Pros: Moral code, anatomical knowledge (neither of which is a given amirite ladies??)

Cons: Will likely be screwed over by their rotas so you may lose them forever to the NHS.

Category: Teacher

Teachers are the underdog within the sexy public sector bracket, tragically overlooked for doctors and firemen. But a lot of people will probably have fancied a teacher or lecturer at some point. Lecturers are of course off the table, but we can actually date teachers now because we’re not at school! Adulthood truly is a revelation.

Pros: Vocational career = 5 good person points. Decent holidays.

Cons: Generally underappreciated and underpaid; might take an emotional toll.

Category: Practical application Examples: Accountant, chef, engineer, physiotherapist

This is a very broad category encompassing people whose occupation makes them handy in day-to-day life. For example, someone with an eye for a tax return, who can cook better than I can, or can fix my car/ fridge/back is very appealing to me, a clumsy food enthusiast with rudimentary numerical skills.

Pros: By dating someone with skills you lack, you’re one step closer to world domination baby!!

Cons: They might resent you for your overreliance.

But think of the money you’ll save!

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18/02/2020 14:44:45

The TikTok Takeover

By Lucy Acheson

fact, in December of 2019, nineteen content creators rented a mansion in Los Angeles and began living together in what is known as the ‘Hype House’. These influential teens have millions of followers and now spend their time completely dedicated to making content for their young and impressionable audiences.

The University of Bath is no stranger to TikTok fame.

Fresher Ioan Lewis has over 4,000 followers and regularly documents his university antics on his account.

Hannah Whitehead, another first year student, made a TikTok with her work colleagues that went ‘viral’ locally and made it into the newspaper in her hometown.

TikTok is sweeping the nation. Children and young adults alike are filming themselves learning 15 second dances and lip syncing to pop music online. But what is TikTok and why is it not as innocent as we first thought?

TikTok is a videosharing platform first released by Zhang Yiming in Beijing, China, in 2016. Interestingly, as TikTok doesn’t comply with the country’s censorship restrictions, the app isn’t available in China.

Many may ask how TikTok became so popular in such a short amount of time. A lot of its overnight success is because in 2017, Yiming’s company ‘ByteDance’ acquired the already successful lip syncing app Musical.ly. The company merged it with TikTok to create an app with endless creative ways of making entertaining clips online. Currently, its audience is a predominantly younger crowd as 41% of Tik Tok users are aged 16-24.

However, many TikTok users are even as young as 10 or 11.

Nonetheless, while TikTok is a fun and lighthearted form of amusement, it must be noted that there is a darker side to the app, as there is with all social media.

Some TikTok creators have started using the app to discuss eating disorders; talking about ‘quirky’ habits such as not eating all day or feeling faint from overexercising. Additionally, a friend of mine has shared his concerns about the portrayal of drugs on TikTok, especially as his twelve year old sister has recently become a user. Videos suggesting that drugs are harmless or fun regularly circulate the app and fail to present just how dangerous the illegal substances can be.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to preach at those who do use recreational drugs. However, it’s clear that TikTok is only going to grow in terms of the audience it reaches, and I feel that users and the creators of the app have a duty to ensure that young children aren’t exposed to videos that downplay the harm that drugs can cause.

That being said, it’s clear that people can’t get enough of this entertaining app and are enjoying coming up with unique ideas to express themselves online. Whatever your thoughts may be on the app, the University of Bath is definitely experiencing a TikTok takeover!

TikTok has been so influential in its users’ lives that many young people have become TikTok famous. In

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18/02/2020 14:44:46

How Brexit Could Disturb English Football

By Ryan Arnold

The United Kingdom may well be out of the European Union after a hard slog of negotiations, deals and no deals but the complete ramifications of Brexit are far from certain. This is no less the case for the Premier League. Last year, Brexit secretary Steve Barclay took to Twitter to address English football fans on how Brexit may affect the Premier League and English football on the whole. However his promises were, of course, yet more comprehensive pre-election guff.

Football and Brexit have crossed paths a few times since the 2015 referendum. As Barclay noted, Gary Lineker has often been pessimistic about leaving the EU, whilst Liverpool’s boss Jürgen Klopp once called for a second referendum and former Cardiff gaffer Neil Warnock said he couldn’t wait to leave, crying “to hell with the rest of the world”. The effect of Brexit on the Premier League is also often contested, disputed and has made a light-hearted addition to recent Football Manager games.

this much-convoluted process can be found online, but were this the case throughout the past decade the Premier League might have been without notable names such as Riyad Mahrez and N’Golo Kanté as neither were national team regulars upon arrival to the UK. However, what’s more concerning than whether the top tier of English football find discovering the next Hatem Ben Arfa more challenging, is that Brexit threatens to widen inequality even further between the Premier League and the rest. The elite will continue to gather the resources required to better their sides – as is indicative from the ever-staggering Premier League broadcast and commercial revenue figures. The threat of a depreciative pound and increasing legal complications involved with transferring foreign players will hit hardest the further down the pyramid you look.

What our third Brexit Secretary suggested was that leaving the EU gives “us” greater control over the footballing talent that plays in the UK – that Brexit is an opportunity to embrace the English talent on our shores and thus improve English football. Also, according to Barclay, Brexit would give the Premier League improved access to talent from South America and Africa – essentially anywhere but Europe.

But what Barclay ignores is that there are already procedures in place that control the arrival of non-EU players. There isn’t a reason to suggest that this will change (or improve as Barclay suggests) as a consequence of Brexit.

Player arrivals from the EU currently face no restrictions thanks to freedom of movement – this is where a problem arises for the elite of English football. What’s likely is that EU-designated players will come under the same policy as non-EU nationals – requiring a work permit to play in the league. Further details of

Once the Brexit transition is over, support for clubs within the EFL and below mustn’t go astray. It’s the neglect of these clubs which has allowed an entire community in Greater Manchester to be stripped of their local club (see, Bury).

The Premier League will flourish, just as big business will eventually do so after whatever final arrangements Boris musters up with Brussels. It’ll be the vulnerable that’ll be at risk the most.

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18/02/2020 14:44:48

Us Vs The World

By Harry Bridge

The arrow of time brings clarity to events passed, and as 2019 seeped into 2020 I placed a (perhaps undue) emphasis on reflecting upon the past decade. Undeniably, times have been turbulent and the world has seen extensive changes politically, socially, environmentally and in an underlying yet omnipotent way, technologically. All of these ‘-lly’s’ are inevitably linked in one way or another and this article will focus on discussing how through rapid technological evolution, all of these factors have coalesced in such a way that impresses upon us a necessity for real systemic change. This is to ensure that we can address the growing number of problems that cross national boundaries. Addressing such problems in a world descending further into nationalism and populism is a natural contradiction and thus, the left must step up, and provide a worthy alternative to the nation state.

Zygmunt Bauman in his work on liquid modernity described how modern times are characterized by the temporary, people never just “be”, we are constantly “becoming”, we are under-defined. Change is the only permanence and uncertainty is the only certainty.

The resulting effect is paralysing, almost paradoxically. There are so many options, we don’t know what to choose, we don’t know what we want. The rise of mental illness as a public health crisis could very well

be a symptom of a world where we are supposed to be constantly “doing” yet what we do is constantly changing; we can’t define ourselves in the way our ancestors could. This leads to a crisis of the individual - who am I? What do I really want? Everyone else has things sorted out, why don’t I? This is why, I think, Jordan Peterson is so successful he tackles this problem of the individual in crisis. He cries emphatically “clean your room!”, naively believing that the whole world would be ok if we all picked ourselves up by our bootstraps and embraced individualism. However, a large part of this is a feeling of helplessness. There’s so much going on in the world and we feel like we can’t do anything about it. How do we take on global inequality? Climate change? Pandemics?

Especially when we can’t overcome our own uncertainty. The question of: ‘What can we do as an individual?’ is indeed a pertinent one. Peterson seems to ignore the role of the individual in the collective at a time where we are connected in ways that our ancestors could only dream of, physically and technologically. Whilst individual responsibility is important, no, necessary, a further emphasis should be placed on how individuals can come together in a useful way moving forward.

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The exponential expansion of technology, coupled with neoliberalism, has facilitated rapid growth and notably, globalisation. We have an intricate network of aircraft constantly transporting people between nations, and we don’t just holiday in these nations, we do business in them. Multinational companies are just that, multinational. Business physically operates globally and thus people operate globally. And we aren’t just global physically, our data is ubiquitous. The internet of things (IOT) has us, and all of our various devices, connected irregardless of our IP address. Now, whilst we are individuals, we face problems on a global scale. Take climate change for an instance. Or international immigration. The financial crisis? Maybe the new strain of the coronavirus? Global problems aren’t going away, they’re only going to get worse. The rise of populism and nationalism is in part a right-wing reaction to uncertainty and the crisis of the individual.

It’s the idea that “things are changing, let’s be reactive”, and a large part of what is changing is that problems now cross national boundaries. The right’s response to these constituent parts, to retract into the nation state for comfort, to disaggregate, to appeal to nationalism, seems to me to be wholly ineffective. Actually, it is not only ineffective, but destructive.

How do we tackle global problems by breaking apart global institutions? How do we take on the issue of individuality without coming together as a collective?

The rise of external threats as a result of technological change is a real thing and should be taken seriously.

But what has made humans so successful is our ability to communicate, and by extension collaborate. Where does leaving the European Union leave us? Perhaps we have more autonomy, and have the freedom to arrange trade in a different way. However, (aside from the obvious factual negatives that come with Brexit) it leaves us alone, isolated, an angry little island. We cannot fight climate change alone, nor can we thrive alone; we need connection, collaboration and support.

I think it’s about time we adapt, or even overcome, the nation state model, and focus on global cooperation in an innovative way. Taking on cataclysms like climate change, which threatens to end the world as we know it, before we know it, relies on a level of cooperation that simply isn’t feasible under the Westphalian freefor-all model we exist within. However, we’re currently experiencing a game where Nash’s equilibrium involves no party doing much, or anything, to prevent the ensuing disaster. Whilst *most* of the debates we currently have in society are necessary, we do (forgive the boring expression) need to start looking beyond partisan divides and at the bigger picture. How do we ensure we can tackle problems that unify us? Revolutionary ideas have always come from the left; now would be a good time for this rule to be exemplified.

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How would a universal basic income impact students at the University of Bath?

By Cathi Westall

A universal basic income (UBI) refers to a sum of money intended to provide basic essentials so that survival is not contingent on employment. Although UBI is not a new idea, its most high-profile proponent is currently Andrew Yang, a contender to become the Democratic nominee to face Donald Trump in the upcoming US presidential elections. Yang’s election campaign is centred around his ‘Freedom Dividend’ proposal, which would see every US citizen over the age of 18 given $1,000 every month, no strings attached.

The rationale behind Yang’s proposal is the inevitability of automation, and our inability to predict whose jobs will be replaced and when. Logically the most menial jobs will be the first to become fully automated, and as satisfaction within these jobs tends to be low, Yang argues that liberating people from the necessity of working could enable them to follow their true vocations.

Additionally, financial difficulties cause enormous stress for a large proportion of Americans, with 40% of Americans (and Brits) not having enough money in savings to deal with an unforeseen expense like a broken fridge. The mental health benefits resulting from a small degree of financial security could be considerable.

The centrality of employment to the ethos of any free-market economy is such that the idea of everyone getting something for nothing is almost blasphemous.

The assumption is that, given the opportunity, many would choose to be lazy. But trials of a UBI system have shown that, overall, the only people who work less are mothers of young children and school-age students (groups in which being able to work less would arguably benefit rather than harm society as a whole), and that spending decisions were made more wisely with a higher degree of economic security.

Let’s suspend our disbelief for just a moment and

imagine a parallel universe in which a Prime Minister who campaigns on a platform of implementing a UBI is elected in the UK. How might this affect the life of university students?

Currently, $1,000 is the equivalent of approximately £775. Thanks to the high rents in Bath, this would just about cover one’s living expenses for a month, leaving only the ‘small’ matter of tuition fees to be loaned.

Now that the idea of debt is so normalised among students, it is difficult to say what effect a limited but interest-free income would have on our spending habits. It is possible, however, that there would be an equalising effect whereby our lifestyles would become less dependent on parental income.

Of course, the UBI would also be given to those who don’t attend university. While £9,300 (the annual sum of Yang’s proposed UBI) is not a huge income, it could make some reconsider their choice of degree to reflect what they truly enjoy, or whether to attend university altogether, if their main motivation is financial security rather than enthusiasm for a subject.

Ultimately, the people for whom this policy would be the most significant are those who are struggling to stay afloat. However, few are entirely unburdened by some level of financial stress. The economy is soon likely to change dramatically due to environmental pressure and the scope of automation. Maybe it’s time

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18/02/2020 14:44:54

Coronavirus on Campus?

By Harry Bridge

The story of COVID-19 (the novel coronavirus) reflects that of SARS, HIV and ebola. A virus introduced to humans, via animals. It is believed that the outbreak started at a food market in Wuhan, China. At markets such as the one implicated different meats, alive and dead, often come into contact with each other, allowing viruses to spread and mutate. DNA evidence currently implies that the virus is likely related to bats (as was SARS in 2003).

As of writing this, it appears there have been 60,406 confirmed cases (9 of which are in the UK) of COVID-19 since the outbreak starting on the 31st December 2020. There’ve been 1,369 deaths and 6,235 recoveries whilst a further 8,099 are in a serious or critical condition, leading experts to believe the death count will rise steadily. https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ So how is this impacting students at the University of Bath? Thus far the individual in self-isolation has been given the all clear, and there are no other confirmed cases. The threat to students on campus is low and the University has advised that students attend classes as normal, those in self-isolation will receive the support they need. In the meantime, remain as hygienic as possible.

There are two current features of the hysteria surrounding COVID-19 that are directly impacting students. The first being misinformation. There have been multiple reports from students claiming that NHS staff in hazmats were seen entering Brendon Court, with both a video and an image being circulated. Whatever the truth, the University has confirmed nothing but the first case of self-isolation and has said students should attend classes. Would they say that if there was a real threat on campus? I’ll leave that to you. Of course, if you’re worried that’s understandable. There’s nothing wrong with minimizing risk, but it’s important

to understand the University’s recommendation would imply the risk on campus is low.

The second very real risk is that of xenophobia. We’ve seen a huge uptick in racist attitudes towards Asians internationally and the University of Bath isn’t exempt from this embarrassing fact. Multiple Confessions of a Sociobath posts have exemplified this, asking if it’s safe to order a Chinese or joking about locking Asian housemates away. Yes, it’s safe to order Chinese. No, mocking Chinese people at a time like this isn’t okay.

China is undergoing a deadly viral outbreak, many students at the University will have family members at serious risk back home, let’s make them feel welcome.

Joking between your friends when you cough is normal, but there’s a line, and sensitivity is necessary.

“Yes, it’s safe to order Chinese. No, mocking Chinese people at a time like this isn’t okay. China is undergoing a deadly viral outbreak, many students at the University will have family members at serious risk back home, let’s make them feel welcome. ” We do need to exercise caution. There is a lot of uncertainty and to treat this as if it was the flu would be dangerous. We don’t know enough, and we’ve had our deadliest day (12/02/20) with 242 deaths and 15,000 new cases. No matter the global risk, hysteria isn’t necessary, there are no confirmed cases in Bath or on campus.

If you have any questions or concerns, you can visit the University’s FAQ page on Coronvrius here: https://www.bath.ac.uk/guides/coronavirus-information-for-students/

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I love him, I love him not: My battle with compulsory heterosexuality feminist writer Adrienne Rich in 1980, is a struggle experienced by gay people where they think that they are attracted to the opposite sex due to societal pressures. It’s important to note that this is very different to bisexuality, where someone genuinely is attracted to people of more than one gender, and doesn’t invalidate anyone’s bisexuality, however that label was simply not right for me.

I realised I was attracted to women at a very young age, and at fourteen I came out as bisexual. This made sense at the time; I was in a relationship with a boy, and I therefore assumed I must have been attracted to both. One thing I never thought to question was whether I was attracted to men.

As a woman I find it hard to shake society’s teaching that women being attracted to men is a given. We are taught to aspire to marriage, to prioritise having children, to be “feminine” because “that’s what men want”. Even through years of tried and failed attempts at finding happiness with a man and enough evidence on paper to say with certainty that I would never find fulfilment this way, I still found myself questioning.

I felt that when I came out for the second time, as a lesbian, that everything would become black-andwhite for me. I had this vision of stepping out of the closet and never looking back. But like many things, the fantasy I had created did not live up to the reality. Since coming out there has been a cloud over my newly claimed identity, making me question all that I know about myself. This cloud is otherwise known as compulsory heterosexuality.

Compulsory heterosexuality, coined by the iconic

Some common signs of compulsory heterosexuality are mistakenly labelling friendship as attraction, wanting to like the opposite sex but not wanting them to like you back, only being attracted to fictional/ celebrity members of the opposite sex or the idea of them, or thinking that tolerating or not “hating” sex/ romance with the opposite sex is equivalent to enjoying it. According to Rich, ‘women have been convinced that marriage, and sexual orientation toward men, are inevitable, even if unsatisfying or oppressive components of their lives’.

With this knowledge, I found it easy to recognise the societal pressures working in my life. Whether it be the daily occurrence of people mishearing my use of “partner” as “boyfriend”, or assuming I am straight because I look feminine, or even the dreaded phrase - “she just hasn’t met the right man”, it’s clear that society still sees the world through a straight lens. Even now, years after coming out, I still struggle to use the term “lesbian” without feeling invalid, instead opting for umbrella terms like “queer” or “gay”.

I’m hopeful though, with every high-profile coming out and every news story promoting acceptance, that there will come a time where people don’t need to come out in the first place. A time when society accepts that we are all different and that’s ok – a time where being straight is not the “norm” anymore.

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18/02/2020 14:44:56

Kobe Bryant: The beginning of a legacy

By Alice Lasseter

On January 26th Kobe Bryant, along with his daughter Gianna, and 7 others were killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. His death rocked not only the NBA scene but people across the globe.

Captain of the Bath University Men’s 1st Basketball team Jack Solomons greatly admired Kobe, stating that he was an ‘inspiration to all basketball players around the world. Not only was he one of the most passionate and hardworking players in history, but he showed everyone how to inspire others through what he loves.

Basketball will not be the same without him’. It is no surprise that this tragedy has touched so many, including many who did not know him.

What struck me was his final tweet to LeBron James hours before his death. It read, ‘Continuing to move the game forward @KingJames. Much respect my brother #33644’. LeBron had taken Bryant’s spot as the third leading scorer in NBA history, and while many would be angered by this (which I’m sure Bryant was in many respects), he didn’t let this affect the appreci-

ation and regard he saw for LeBron. He taught those who looked up to him to strive for your personal best, but to never stop appreciating the effort and hard work put in by others. Not only does this tweet show the admirable side of Bryant, it also brings into perspective how delicate life is. The shock of the 9 deaths in that helicopter crash rings through those that read the headlines.

Bryant showed outstanding characteristics of determination and passion for what he enjoyed, which made him an idol in the eyes of those who followed him.

As a player he strived for the best. He often refused to leave a session without achieving the goals he had set whether that be 100, 200, or even 800 shots - which he successfully completed one morning between 4am and 11am.

The importance of having an idol like Bryant, or indeed any role model is, in my opinion, a crucial part of growing up. Whether it be a parent, a politician or a sportsperson, witnessing someone’s achievements can motivate you to continue aiming for your own goals.

Not only this, but the stability they can give us in challenging times is something that we cannot often find in ourselves, and being inspired by the characteristics of someone else is important in bringing us strength.

Philosopher William James once said that the ‘greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast’.

And for Kobe Bryant, his legacy will certainly continue to be respected and looked up to because of his attitude during his short but extraordinary lifetime.

Editoral Comment: Kobe was not an idol to everyone and faced an allegation of sexual assault which was settled out of court. We stand with victims of sexual assault and throughout this paper you’ll find the necessary services who can support you with related issues.

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18/02/2020 14:44:57

Holocaust Memorial Day: Remembering is Important

By Chloe Bester This year’s Holocaust Memorial Day marked 75 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. It commemorated those murdered or tormented by the Nazis, who otherwise could have gone unrecognised.

This anniversary, considering the resurgence of anti-Semitism and white supremacy, now more than ever highlights the importance of not being complacent.

The Community Security Trust, a charity ensuring the safety and security of the Jewish community in the UK, has noted an upsurge in online discrimination.

Across Britain, an 82% increase in online incidents expressing anti-Semitic sentiments has been observed, pushing the total number of incidents to 697 in 2019.

This number is grossly understated. As the charity admits, the number of incidents registered do not actually reflect the number of posts studied. Incidents are recorded as campaigns of abuse against one individual, with one campaign possibly having a repertoire of numerous posts. In reality the aforementioned 697 incidents encompass thousands of individual posts.

Anti-Semitism is not something of the past unfortunately. It is thriving right in front of our eyes. As we have heard countless times, the rise of social media has been accompanied by the aggravation of online hate speech. The animosity offered by online platforms has dismantled a previous culture of acceptance that was propagated by the increased awareness of our common humanity. Not even our “cosmopolitan” society can wholly overlook our differences.

The discussion around anti-Semitism is of great relevance to our daily lives. Think of the recent critiques against the British Labour party. Worse yet, the debate on whether primary and secondary education should continue to focus on the World Wars. Notably, a discussion on Good Morning Britain saw Freddie Bentley, an instagram influencer, argue that such historical accounts are too traumatising for young pupils.

It is as necessary as ever to keep the discussion alive.

As Professor Walter Reich writes in his article for The

Atlantic, the rise in anti-Semitism is partly attributable to the fading general knowledge on the Holocaust.

Understanding the gravity of why World War II should never be repeated must not die with the last Holocaust survivor – a reality fast approaching.

The recent upsurge in xenophobic nationalism further emphasises the need to not forget. A lesson must be learnt from the past. Today, with the increasing employment of political language to differentiate between those who “belong” to a nation and those who do not, we see minorities being targets of discrimination.

Ultimately the question is posed: what can we do as students? Admittedly nothing grandiose, but not nothing. We must not forget; we must not be complacent.

We must actively call out those who are engendering hatred – not just against Jews, but against any person.

As Elie Wiesel, a Nobel Laureate winner and Holocaust survivor, writes, “there may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.”

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18/02/2020 14:44:58

Bath Time’s Top Pubs for the Six Nations

By Mitch Thorngate

tion – but the game is more important. Get there nice and early to avoid the tsunami of patrons.

Trowbridge House:

This one’s for the boys and girls of Southdown. Why would you even want to trek all the way into town when you have a friendly, old-school establishment smack bang in the middle of Coronation Avenue?

Pints are relatively cheap, and there is a strong possibility that you might get some free food from the barman.

As the second semester begins, one of the most historic rugby tournaments also kicks into action; and it doesn’t involve the Bath Uni BUCS team. You would think they’re the only rugby team alive if you didn’t live outside of Bath.

It’s safe to say that the Six Nations has entertained rugby fans since 2000 – your mum and dad probably refuse to call it anything other than the ‘Five Nations’ and fondly remember the days when the Italians didn’t win the Wooden Spoon annually.

But for me, watching the rugby is an event itself; waking up and rummaging through your cupboard to find your jersey of choice, ironing it out and heading to your nearest boozer for plenty of pints, penalties and pub snacks.

However, each week we are faced with a serious dilemma – which pub are we off to? Well, have no fear; we will be counting down the best pubs in Bath so you don’t have to kick yourself every week (pun definitely intended).

The Canon:

The pub formerly known as Molloy’s has a strong reputation for its live sport, and I can’t fault it. Plenty of choice in pints here, with a cracking food selection. I’m not a fan of the gigantic projector and its poor resolu-

Belushi’s:

I love a good chain bar, but it feels wrong watching the rugby in Belushi’s. You can get away with the football in here, but the atmosphere of the match is immediately lost when someone from the hostel is buying toothpaste at the bar when you’re immersed in a good old meaty scrum.

The Lamb and Lion:

I once met a man called TJ in the Lamb and Lion. He told me that he hates rugby usually, but has to go to the Lamb and Lion during the Six Nations. This establishment has the ability to turn the most ‘anti-rugby’ fan into a bona fide aficionado of the sport. The staff are really friendly, and the offer of proper pub grub makes this a spot worthy of this list.

The Plug and Tub:

Ah, the Plug and Tub. I fondly remember screaming at the top of my voice as a Fresher during the England vs Wales match, only for England to ruin my evening following a try from Jonny May. You can’t really go wrong with the Plug – would love it if there were more chairs, but then again I’m just a lazy chap who gets heart palpitations when he sweats.

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18/02/2020 14:45:00

Sex Education – Season 2 Review

By Elie Breton des Loÿs

In January 2019, Netflix hit our screens with a small series called Sex Education that soon conquered critics and the public with an impressive 40 million viewers within the first month of release. The reason so many felt represented by Sex Education is that, like its spiritual predecessor Skins, the show treated teenagers like characters with real, relatable problems and addressed the too-often taboo subject of sex ed. The series was carried by an amazing diverse cast of talented newcomers like Emma Mackey or Ncuti Gatwa with a few familiar faces including Asa Butterfield and the always splendid Gillian Anderson. But did series 2 live up to the incredible series 1? Let’s find out.

It needs to be said: the 2nd season of Sex Education is not just perfect, it’s also a wonderful improvement of the basis laid in season 1. The charm really has not faded away, if anything Moordale is more intriguing than ever before. This season definitely feels like a more mature one despite the comedy aspect and isn’t shy from important society issues. The storylines surrounding Maeve’s mother and her recovery or Jackson’s mothers struggling to feel accepted are incredibly necessary in our current world and it’s a relief to see a show with such a wide viewership addressing topics in such a respectful way.

One thing I found particularly charming was the attention given to secondary characters. Thanks to many funny or necessary storylines, like Anwar’s fear of douching, Mrs. Sands & Mr. Hendricks’ struggles with dirty talk or Ruby’s one night stand with Otis, we get to explore Moordale’s lives a bit further. Some of the secondary characters shine and often steal the main characters’ thunders especially newcomer Vivienne (Jackson’s tutor) and Maureen Groff (the headmaster’s wife) whose dynamics with Gillian Anderson are a delight to watch. With Sex Education we are faced with a show, that unlike Riverdale (eww), actually treats all of its characters, young or old, with the respect they deserve.

In conclusion, Sex Education is once more one of the best and most needed show out there. If you liked season 1, there is no way you won’t like Season 2 as it doubles on the fun, needed subjects, amazing characters / actors or the awesome soundtrack. It not only highlights the failures of our current sex ed. System but also reaches to problems many teenagers (and LGBT teenagers!) will face during their adolescence. It’s a show young people and adults alike can watch thanks to the beauty of its craft. In other words, I cannot wait for season 3!

One of the most notable moments of season 1 was by far Maeve’s abortion, one that sparked many discussions. This time around, Aimee’s tragic arc where she is faced with everyday sexual assault is the most poignant. Thanks to Aimee Lou Wood’s incredible acting and the near-perfect writing, this storyline hits deep when one knows the horrors of sexual assault. It is also refreshing to see a show portraying solidarity amongst women instead of the typical “women hate each other” preconceived idea we see too often.

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18/02/2020 14:45:00

Tyler the Creator’s Grammy Feud

By Chloe Coules

With newcomers Billie Eilish, Lizzo and Lil Nas X raking in awards, it would be easy to mistake this year’s Grammy results as progress. On the surface, women and minorities in music had their time to shine. However, underneath the pageantry, a lot of people were left with mixed emotions about the results.

One of these people was first-time Grammy winner Tyler, the Creator. Having been nominated two times previously, Tyler took home his first award this year for Best Rap Album with IGOR. Whilst this should have been a moment of celebration for him, he was left feeling ‘half and half ’ about it. Tyler, the Creator gave a gracious acceptance speech, thanking his mother and Odd Future collaborators for supporting him, but backstage spoke honestly about the win. On one hand, he was ‘very grateful that the art [he makes] can be acknowledged on a level like this’, especially when his music is not played on mainstream radio. However, he criticized the recording academy for putting ‘guys that look like [him]’ in the rap and urban category. He said that the win felt like a ‘backhanded compliment’: ‘it sucks that whenever we – and I mean guys that look like me – do anything genre-bending or that’s anything they always put it in a rap or urban category. I don’t like that ‘urban’ word – it’s just a politically correct way to say the n-word to me’. This is especially poignant considering Tyler’s history of speaking out about feeling like he doesn’t fit in in rap.

Tyler isn’t the only artist tired of being pigeonholed. In recent years, Kayne West and Frank Ocean have boycotted the Grammys because of perceived racial bias.

At one of this year’s afterparties, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs argued that ‘Black music has never been respected by the Grammys’. He and many other outraged artists have called for transparency and diversity, but are the Grammys listening?

and created a culture of exclusion. Only time will tell whether these lead to progress, but their track-record suggests it might be a case of too little too late. It’s hard to argue with the statistics: fewer than 20% of ‘Album of the Year’ awards have gone to black artists, and the last one went to Herbie Hancock in 2008. More shockingly, only three hip-hop records have ever won the coveted ‘Album of the Year’, and none have won this award since Outkast in 2004 – the only rap album to ever win the award.

In an era where hip-hop has dominated our airways, charts, and popular music culture, Tyler is right to question, ‘why can’t we be in pop?’. The Grammys need reform quickly, because the clock is ticking on their relevance. In the iconic words of Public Enemy, ‘who gives a f**k about a goddamn Grammy?’.

In amongst the outrage, the Academy has announced new diversity initiatives, with their new president admitting that they have alienated artists for too long

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18/02/2020 14:45:01

H

The Science Column

Depression, anxiety and magic mushrooms

By Harry Bridge As has been well documented recently, psychedelic drugs have become the centre of some monumental scientific breakthroughs. We have had studies in which 80% of smokers have abstained from smoking for at least 6 months after psilocybin treatment, advanced cancer patients have been relieved of end-oflife anxiety and there has been immediate, marked and sustained efficacy of a single dose of psilocybin against anxiety and depression.

Psychedelic psilocybin has been given a “breakthrough therapy” designation by the FDA in the United States of America and John Hopkins has recently set up a psychedelic research centre. What’s interesting about psychedelics is the link between the mystical experience and science. What’s actually happening in the brain for these experiences to not only be so profound, but to be so long lasting.

The war on drugs has started to slow down, reflecting improved public sentiment towards the illicit substances, allowing for research to take place that can help us understand the science behind psychedelics.

This is so exciting because it’s such a nascent field and given the proven potential of some of these substances there’s room for incredible discoveries (for example in the realm of consciousness which has puzzled scientists and philosophers alike). Recently, in the Journal of Contextual Behavioural Science, a new study was released that could be instrumental in determining our understanding of the mechanisms that underlie the positive impact psychedelics have been shown to have on people with anxiety or depression.

The study’s author, Alan K. Davis stated “Emerging evidence supports the possibility that psychological flexibility is an important theory that could inform clinical practice with psychedelic assisted psychotherapy”. Psychological flexibility refers to the ability to connect to the present moment, reflect, and manage one’s feelings.

In this study researchers found that people who had taken psychedelics reported increased psychological flexibility after the experience, this increased psychological flexibility is positively correlated to decreases in depression and anxiety.

Davis went further to say “Psychological flexibility is about being open to your moment-by-moment experiences, being present in your life, and doing what matters in the face of barriers/obstacles including emotional ones. Psychedelic experiences are associated with increasing one’s ability to engage in this way” showing the potential importance of this breakthrough, especially to mental illnesses such as PTSD. Furthermore, this discovery acts as a catalyst for developments in the area of therapy. There are already therapies that target psychological flexibility that were previously separate from psychedelic therapy, however now there is a reason to believe that combining these therapeutic approaches that take on psychological flexibility with psychedelic therapy could maximise the positive effects of a treatment that’s already proving itself to be effective.

As psychedelics become normalised we can hope to see more breakthroughs as people recognise the therapeutic potential of such substances in a world where such therapy is direly needed.

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Here for you Independent support and advice Call, book an appointment, fill out the online form or drop by the Advice and Support Centre

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18/02/2020 14:45:03

Society of the month: The Law Society

By Daniel Casares-Lauritsen

Clark, and First Law International which is a group of firms that boasts more than 17,000 lawyers. In addition, the University of Bath organised its first ever Law Career Fair last November, which saw top law firm recruitment teams seek potential Bath undergraduates to join their open days, vacation schemes and training contracts.

As a result of this rapid growth, Bath alumni have successfully gained full-time positions with the likes of Clifford Chance, Allen & Overy, Linklaters and Osborne Clark. The lack of a law faculty has historically been seen as a disqualifying factor in providing students with a viable link to the law industry but this has become one of the UBLS most valuable resources.

The Bath entrepreneurial spirit has seen its novelty, flexibility, and innovation to go far beyond the lecture halls and into an era of active participation with the legal sector.

With no law faculty here at the University, it has meant that the University of Bath Law Society (UBLS) has become a hidden powerhouse and an active participant in providing students with a viable route into a legal career.

As the only Law Society not affiliated with a law faculty in England, the UBLS has seen fluctuations in its membership. Having first been established in 2010, the society was temporarily closed in 2015 but at the beginning of 2018, the UBLS was reopened with a new committee and a brand new strategy. With the support and sponsorship of Herbert Smith Freehills and Burges Salmon, the Law Society attracted an influx of a new generation of undergraduates, many of whom were already familiar with the path into law and had strategically chosen to study another subject prior to their studies in law to enable them to achieve further development. This quickly attracted the attention of many Magic Circle firms, law networks, and alternative legal service providers (ALSPs). In 2019, the UBLS increased its sponsorship circle to include Osborne

The UBLS regularly host workshops, socials, speakers and academic conference trips to engage with practitioners and gain a valuable insight into a career within the legal industry. With members from all degrees, the UBLS encourages any student to come along because law firms are increasingly looking beyond the traditional talent pool to target non-law students!

Join the UBLS if: - You are considering converting to law - You want to boost your commercial awareness and employability - You want to meet leading law firms The best way to keep updated with the UBLS is to follow the Facebook page and by becoming a member to receive exclusive updates and invitations to events!

The next event is the networking gala with legal professionals, alumni and students on March 3rd to celebrate three years of success!

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18/02/2020 14:45:04

#OscarsSoWhite: What is the controversy about?

By Chen Ly

#OscarsSoWhite has been trending pretty much every award season since 2015, and to paraphrase Graham Norton at this year’s BAFTAS, it seems 2020 has truly been the year white men have broken through... for the 92nd year running. So which films deserved of nominations were snubbed and why is it that the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite trends every year without fail?

Farewell were deserving of nominations if not awards.

Biggest snubs

Two steps forward, one step back

The Oscars have historically been extremely male centric, in its 92 year history, only five women have ever been nominated for Best Director, and only one woman (Kathryn Bigelow) has ever won. In recent history, all but one Best Picture winners of the past 10 years have had a male protagonist. It is hardly surprising that this year follows the same predictable trend. The most glaring snubs for me personally have been Greta Gerwig, director of Little Women, and Lulu Wang, director of The Farewell.

Of course, there are many films that have been acknowledged at this year’s Oscars that are original and depict people and stories through a modern lens, notably Boon Jong Ho’s Parasite, which has been a trailblazer in this year’s award circuit, and Greta Gerwig’s Little Women. Many of the nominated films certainly deserve recognition, and it is a shame to see how many small indie films did not get the love they deserve because they weren’t popular enough or didn’t fit the classic Oscar mould.

The main source of controversy in terms of #OscarsSoWhite comes from the severe lack of representation across the four acting categories. Cynthia Enrivo in Harriet is the only non-white actor of all the acting nominations while the controversial Scarlett Johansson received two nominations for acting, which is frankly disappointing considering the range of incredible performances from people of colour this year. Many felt that Lupita Nyongo in Us and Awkwafina in The

The Hollywood film industry as a whole has been taking huge strides in representation in recent years, and it is a genuine shame that the Academy Awards are simply not keeping up with this change. Will #OscarsSoRepresentative be trending years to come? Until there is significant change in the Academy’s membership and voting system, I’m certainly not holding out much hope.

Change needs to come from within In order to understand why the Oscars faces the same criticism year upon year, it is important to have a brief understanding of how the Oscars work. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a body of 8000 industry professionals, and all Academy members vote for the winners across all categories. This system poses some obvious problems - what if an Academy member hasn’t seen all the performances or films? What is to stop the Oscars being a mere popularity contest? As of 2020, the Academy’s membership is 69% male and 84% white, and the average age of an Academy member is around 60 years old, therefore it is unsurprising that the Academy has gained notoriety in expressing the opinions of old, white men despite a forever changing, more diverse industry.

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18/02/2020 14:45:05

Mac Miller’s Circles Album Review

By Harry Bridge

Mac Miller’s posthumous album Circles works as a sort of mule kick to the gut for those who were or still are his fans. It was intended to be a companion to his 2018 album Swimming (swimming in circles), however, the artists tragic death meant that it was left unfinished.

Miller’s producer, Jon Brion, took up the mantle releasing the album on the 17th of January 2020.

Miller’s unique jazz-tinged, neo-soul and R&B mesh of sound touched the souls of many over the years through an original emphasis on mental health and the everlasting role it played in his life. Miller was always able to combine dark subject matters with radiant and upbeat sounds. This contrast is always something that drew me to him, his ability to be intimate with his audience in a format that would present itself otherwise.

This album painfully, taking note of his drug overdose, highlights his extraordinary ability to be intimate with his listeners.

To me this album sounds one step past a cry for help.

He sounds as though he is exhausted with feeling the way he does. Disheartened, defeated yet still going. In a strange way it seems as though he was becoming comfortable with his discomfort. Accepting of his woes he raps, “I can’t be changed” in the song circles followed by “there’s a whole lot more waitin’ for me on the other side” in Complicated. It’s hard not to view that line as an eerie ode to death as his struggles with life were a public matter.

Throughout the album Miller’s voice is constantly raw and intimate with all other sounds seemingly background. This thrusts his lyrical genius into the ears of the listener, leading us along a path that encounters his struggles, giving us some picture of what was in his head. His lyrics almost prescient, “I wish I could get out my own damn way” and “why can’t it just be easy, why does everybody need me to stay” indicate a man struggling with depression and anxiety. These thoughts are scattered through the album with other lyrics such as “tripping about shit that hasn’t happened

yet” or “this is what it looks like right before you fall” being highly indicative of anxiety riddled thought. He describes himself as a tragic dreamer, a weak person “always saying sorry”, who needs to come to terms with reality. This is a theme often present amongst creative types, leading to substance abuse that facilitates escapism. We see this thread followed to his means of death, as well as through lyrics such as, “oh I hate the feeling when you’re high but underneath the ceiling”.

Miller wants to face reality, yet this album seems to be him feeling as though he can’t get out of his own way.

He is a dreamer.

What is perhaps so poignant and saddening about the album is his awareness of his problems. He recognises he needs help yet clearly feels as though no one wants to hear it. He provides self-help tips of sorts, asking his listeners to reach out in their own time, yet unfortunately whilst he did have an outlet in music, his passion, he evidently felt neglected by those around him. The song Good news hits this home with “Good news is all they want to hear, no they don’t like it when I’m down” and is followed up in I can see where he exclaims “I need somebody to save me, before I drive myself crazy”.

This album encompasses the struggles of Mac Miller, sharing intimate details through beautiful lyricism and powerful accompaniments. Miller exemplifies why it’s necessary to take mental health seriously, to treat each other with love and kindness and to hold your loved ones close.

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18/02/2020 14:45:06

Lovecraft, Cage and Alpacas: A Colour out of Space - Review

By Jamie Cook

Rating: Three Stars Lovecraftian horror has almost become a sub-genre of its own within horror filmography, indicating the regard with which Lovecraft’s horror novellas are held.

Indeed, Richard Stanley’s take on a Colour out of Space adds to the impressive list of film adaptations of Lovecraft’s stories. In this latest one, we follow the Gardener family, recently arrived to Arkham, as they adapt to their new lives in the country, with patriarch Nathan (Nicholas Cage) trying to take to farming, whilst his wife Theresa (Joely Richardson) struggles to manage her stock portfolio from the isolation of their home.

Unfortunately for them, their lives all soon change due to the arrival of a mysterious asteroid, and the titular Colour out of Space.

For me, this film represents a promising and exciting return to directing for Richard Stanley, having been absent from the scene for over twenty years. Most notably, his take on how to represent the Lovecraftian features of the film were incredibly creative, using the best of modern technology to try and represent Lovecraft’s indescribable horrors on screen. The first act of this film is possibly the strongest, with good writing getting the audience on side with the Gardener clan, despite the knowledge that our heroes will certainly be in mortal danger before the end of the film. Whilst the second act of the film does ratchet up the tension, the third act is the crowning piece of the film, with tension set to the max. Elevating this tension is the amazing cinematography used, with the stark contrast between the titular colour and surroundings helping create a sense of mystery around it. Particularly strong for me was the final shot, which is undoubtedly one of the most remarkable shots I have had the fortune to see.

A strong performance from the cast only helps elevate this film further. Nicholas Cage is at his zany best, once again bringing his unique brand of Cage to the film.

However, the standout before of the ensemble goes to

Elliot Knight, who plays Ward Phillips, a visiting water level surveyor. Elliot’s performance really helps create a sense of how horrifying the entire situation is, creating a clear contrast between the unaffected and the affected characters within the film.

However, this film is not perfect in all senses. For me, the addition of witchcraft to the film was both unbelievable and possibly unneeded, as well as the inclusion of alpacas. The idea of someone attempting to raise and breed alpacas in New Hampshire was a bit crazy, and at first took me out of the film and stopped me getting immersed. However, as the film continued, I did find these elements did not hold the film back from capturing my attention at all.

A Colour out of Space is a fun, entertaining film that will certainly leave you shell-shocked, with its fantastic use of colour. Overall, I believe it is well worth watching. It leaves me excited to see what Richard Stanley does next.

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Team of the Week

By Nicole Allen

The Friday night lights were back on at Kingston Park to welcome the Bath Men’s Rugby for a late 7pm kickoff on 7th February. After a long journey to Newcastle, the boys in Blue and Gold didn’t show any signs of fatigue and instantly let opposition Northumbria know what they were about. They raced to a 31 - 7 lead in the first 40 minutes, with the five tries they scored securing them a bonus point. Northumbria saw their squad reduced to 13 players when two were given yellow cards in as many minutes after conceding a penalty by collapsing a driving Bath maul. Bath took advantage of the extra men and saw nice hands to the width to secure a try.

started for England’s 21-17 win against Scotland whilst Bradley came off the bench during Wales’ 36-22 defeat in Ireland.

Also taking a step closer to a first senior cap was University of Bath alumni Tom Dunn, who studied Sports Performance. He was named in the England matchday squad for their Calcutta Cup 13 - 6 victory over Scotland during the Six Nations. “Tom cut his teeth as a hooker here” said James, as he nostalgically reminices Tom gracing the Jumps and Throws hall to practise his lineout throws. “He’s meticulous in the way he works.

I’m really pleased for him and hopefully he’ll get that first cap soon.”

Northumbria claimed 19 points after half-time, earning themselves a bonus point, and reducing the gap to nail-biting 31 - 26. However, late match drama saw another Northumbria player receive a yellow card, while late tries and conversions from both sides saw the final score in at 39 - 33 to Bath. Head of Rugby Aaron James was pleased with his team’s attacking performance: “The way we attacked was outstanding and we did what we aimed to do” he said. “We managed to turn over the ball quite a few times when we were defending, which is really positive and something we’ve been working on.” James did admit he was slightly disappointed with the number of penalties Bath gave away, which put themselves under some undue pressure at times, however this didn’t take away from securing the win and an exciting game of rugby for the spectators.

The next match for the Rugby boys is against league leaders Durham, who make the long journey to the University of Bath Training Village having already beaten Bath 25 - 18 previously this season. It’s always a close game with Durham, but after the morale-boosting defeat against Northumbria, some pressure has been lifted and hopefully the attacking play the boys have demonstrated will continue!

While Team Bath were winning in Newcastle, two members of the squad, first-year students Max Ojomah and Gwilym Bradley, were representing their countries in the U20’s Six Nations. Centre Ojomah

Dick of the Day: All the players who chose to play in the Six Nations instead of representing the Uni team...

Final score: Bath 39 - 33 Northumbria Man of the Match: Will Butt scoring an excellent try after breaking through midfield untouched.

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Lets get Quizzical

It’s time to ditch the dumbbells and turn your training to braining. See if your mind is in shape with this issue’s sports quiz: Raheen Mostert played for the San Francisco 49ers in this year’s Super Bowl, but what does his new $8.7million contract prohibit him from doing?

Seeing his ex-wife Surfing Wearing jewellery on the field The late, great Kobe Bryant played in the NBA for 20 seasons. How many times was he selected as an All-Star?

Never Ten Eighteen Why was he named Kobe?

He was conceived in the Japanese city It was his mother’s maiden name His parents named him after a type of steak they saw on a restaurant menu

Team Bath Walks on Water

Take a look at some of this month’s results: Hockey LCouples vs Birmingham 3’s 2 - 3 Men’s 3’s vs Swansea 2’s 3 - 0 Ladies 3’s vs Ladies 4’s 0 - 1 Men’s 4’s vs Southampton 1’s 1 - 3 Men’s 5’s vs Southampton 5’s 2 - 1 Football Men’s 1’s vs Cardiff Met 1 - 1 Women’s 1’s vs Cardiff Met 1 - 5 Women’s 2’s vs Southampton 1’s 4 - 0 Men’s 3’s vs Winchester 1’s 0 - 1 Men’s 4’s vs Exeter 2 - 2 Water Polo Men’s 1’s vs Exeter 24 - 8 Women’s 1’s vs Exeter 20 - 13 Handball Men’s 1’s vs Bristol 23 - 14 Women’s 1’s vs Bristol 11 - 21

France, Ireland, Wales and Italy are all playing this year’s Six Nations with a new head coach. Which team appointed a coach that used to play for them?

Rugby Men’s 1’s vs Loughborough 5 - 38

Katie Sowers made history this month. How?

Lacrosse Women’s 1’s vs Cardiff 16 - 3

She was the first woman to referee a Six Nations match She became the oldest professional footballer in history She became the first woman to coach at the Super Bowl

As re-trials and taster sessions began in the New Year, the majority of teams took a well deserved break from competition. But a huge well done to the players who did play and showed great commitment to their sport by staying in Bath over ISB - they bleed Blue and Gold!

Answers: 1. Surfing 2. Eighteen 3. His parents named him after a type of steak they saw on a restaurant menu 4. France 5. She became the first woman to coach at the Super Bowl 43 February Bath Time Design.indd 43

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Curious Chastity

By Andy Thornton

It started off so innocently… Chastity was working behind the Plug bar, when she looked up from scrolling Facebook and accidentally locked eyes with the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Was it her perfect ashy blonde hair and Netball firsts hoodie that impressed her? Or was she just jealous of how good her bum looked in those Gymshark leggings? No, Chastity knew she felt an attraction to her that was more than just admiration or envy.

Chastity realised she’d been staring. She quickly opened Moodle, scrolling her module pages aimlessly while gathering her thoughts. “Maybe it’s just a girl crush?” she thought, flitting her eyes up at the stunning woman in the coffee queue, trying to catch as many glimpses as she could without getting caught.

“That’s a thing, right?” She reassured herself, unsure of this new flustered feeling. She tried to look away and calm her racing pulse, but to her amazement, the woman started walking directly over to her!

“Hi, is anyone sitting here?” She asked. “…no, no go right ahead” Chastity said with a smile, trying to play it cool, and not stare too long at her perfectly done nude eyeshadow.

“Thanks.” The stranger said with a smile.

“I’m Chastity.” She said, immediately regretting unnecessarily introducing herself to this perfect stranger, who was probably far too cool to want to talk to her.

“So nice to meet you. I love your Nike jumper.”

“Thanks!” Chastity said, blushing. She hadn’t actually been to the gym that day, and had no intention of going, but she was pleased her athleisure outfit was having the desired effect.

The stranger set up her laptop and took a bottle of Huel out of her bag. Looking at the Huel, Chastity thought “Well, nobody’s perfect!” She went back to scrolling Facebook and drinking her coffee, trying to plan her next move. She realised the stranger had put her Starbucks flask right next to hers. The girl’s long,

nimble fingers were just centimetres away from her own…

Filled with desire, Chastity was desperate. She took another sip and placed her cup down close enough so their fingers touched. To her amazement, the stranger didn’t move her hand away, but looked up at her and smiled. Without a word, she moved her hand over Chastity’s. She started tracing gentle circles on her hand with her thumb.

“Your hands are so soft!” Chastity said, amazed.

“Thank you, I use Charlotte Tillbury Magic Cream moisturizer”.

Wow. Chastity thought, that figures. Just for a second,she was in heaven. But then she moved her hand away and started packing up her stuff away. What have I done wrong? She thought. She was usually so confident with men, but this was new territory.

“Sorry” the stranger said, as if she’d read her thoughts, “I’ve got a lecture but, I’m hitting up Fame tonight. I’ll be in the queue by 9:45, see you there?” She said, in a tone that suggested that she was intending on doing much more than just seeing her.

“Sounds good. I live in Southdown though...”

“That’s ok, Chastity.” She used to hate her name, but hearing it in her through her soft, delicate lips made her love it, “I live in town. You can stay at mine.”

With a wink, the perfect stranger got up and started walking away. Excited, aroused and amazed, Chastity stared at her impressively toned bum. Then with a start, she called after her.

“Wait, I never got your name?”

“Oh!” She said with a laugh, “It’s Prudence”.

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Horoscopes Aries

This month you’ll be full of ideas, so take the lead and speak up in your societies. The full moon means you need to prepare for strong feelings in your romantic life.

Cancer

Mars is all about health this month!

Why not sign up to the Bath Half?

With a bit of financial luck, you’ll be able to become a Bath gym-goer.

Scorpio

With Mars in your house of work and money, it’s the perfect time to start a side hustle! So, believe in yourself and start selling your creative passion.

Virgo

Warning – Mars has reached the stressful zone! Try not to get overwhelmed with the pressures of the new term and remember university is for fun too.

Taurus

This month, make a plan and stick to it! Whether that’s a new study plan or fitness routine, it’ll really help to bring your life together.

Leo

It’s now time to catch up with old friends and reform connections. So, give your friends a call, and check in on how they’re doing – they might need it more than you think.

Capricorn

Your emotions will run wild this month – so maybe think twice before you head home with that guy/girl from the club – is this really what you want?

Sagittarius

When mercury turns retrograde, you need to channel patience. Take things slowly this semester as you don’t want to burn out in the middle of term.

Gemini

This may be the month to lay down the law and firmly put someone in the friendzone. Don’t forget it’s about you, so take time to embrace your single life.

Libra

Now’s the perfect time to embrace your inner performer, with the sun in your house of self-expression.

Why not check out the musical theatre societies on campus and become the next rising star!

Aquarius

This is the time for friends and connections. This month will bring popularity, but be careful not to change for others – being a BNOC isn’t worth sacrificing your core values.

Pisces

The projects coming your way are exciting, Pisces. Maybe its time to hit the volunteering team and try something new. Keeping busy can be demanding though, so slip a siesta into your schedule!

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Puzzle Corner How do you get a farmer’s daughter to fall in love with you?

A tractor

What do you call a melon that’s not allowed to get married?

Cantelope

Why was the Knight the most attractive man in all the land?

He wore a suit of amour

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What’s On February 21st - Salsa Workshop with Bath’s Salsa Society 15.00 - 16.00, The Dance Studio, the Edge

March 3rd - An Evening with the University of Bath Law Society (networking gala) 18.30-20.30 Chancellors Building

February 22nd - Drag with RAG 19.30 - 21.30 The Edge

March 6th - Get Lost 2 with RAG 19.30 - 3.00am Secret Location March 15th - Bath Half Marathon 9.00 - 12.00 Bath town centre

February 22nd - KSHOW 2020 with ChinaRen Society 19.30 - 22.00 The Edge

March 21st - Annual TEDxBathUniversity Conference 14.30 - 18.30 The Edge

February 25th - Pancake Night with Bath University Guides and Scouts 18.00 - 21.00 Eastwood 31

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