SPACE - Spring 2016

sPACE

The Themagazine magazinefor forBath BathSpa SpaUniversity Universitystudents studentsand andstaff staff | |Autumn Spring 2016 2015

Celebrating our partnership with Bath Literature Festival

Student experience – Reaching the roof of Africa

Council support our proposals for iconic building in Bath

Gender parity, female leadership and empowering women

vice-chancellor update

W

elcome to the Spring issue of SPACE magazine – Bath Spa University’s magazine for students and staff.

This year we are proud to celebrate our 21 year relationship with Bath Literature Festival. During February and March the city welcomed some of the most acclaimed writers of our times to discuss literature, religion, science, art, and politics. You can read more on page 12.

Professor Christina Slade

SPACE magazine is published seasonally for Bath Spa

During the Festival I was pleased to take part in a lively debate about Europe and argued alongside Sir Vince Cable for the UK to remain a member of the European Union. I spoke on behalf of Bath Spa, as well as on behalf of all universities across the UK who feel very strongly that we need to stay in Europe.

University students and staff. spacemag@bathspa.ac.uk Editor Jennifer Davies

Connections into Europe fostered by the EU have been enormously valuable for us. It allows our students to be globally connected and we benefit from joint research with European colleagues. Most importantly, we have to prepare the next generation for the new world of work which does not respect borders.

Features Jane Wakefield Alexandra Snell Design Rosie Maynard

This year International Women’s Day fell on 8 March and the theme was ‘gender parity’. It’s shocking that in the 21st century we still do not have gender parity across the workplace or society as a whole and I believe that education is the key to ensuring women have equal opportunities to men. Read my article about this issue on page 20.

Contributors Professor Christina Slade Sophie Rowe Melissa Newall Front cover Illustration by Alice Bayliss, BA Fashion Design

Finally, I would like to congratulate everyone who graduated in February at the Assembly Rooms in Bath. This was the first time we have celebrated graduation at this time of year and I was delighted to confer the awards to our graduates at each of ceremonies. Pictures of the ceremonies on page 16 and 17.

Back cover Bath Spa Photography Society Photography Joshua Beagrie and the Bath Spa photography society

If you have feedback on this issue or suggestions for future contributions, please contact the editorial team by emailing spacemag@bathspa.ac.uk

Chris Wakefield

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CONTENTS

ON the cover

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Council support our proposals for iconic building in Bath

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Celebrating our partnership with Bath Literature Festival

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Student experience – reaching the roof of Africa.

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Gender parity, female leadership and empowering women

Regulars 4 16

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University News Spring In Pictures

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SPACE to Shout Your tweets, photographs, and recommended reads

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5 Minutes With…

Christopher Ellicott, Registrar and Director of Student Services

Features 18

SPACE to Chat The roof of Africa Second year Creative Writing student Sophie Rowe tells of her experiences climbing the highest mountain in the world

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SPACE to Talk Gender parity in education is critical and must be accomplished Bath Spa’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Christina Slade discusses gender parity, female leadership and empowering women

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University news

Fashion student turns a city into wearable fashion Third year student Alice Bayliss has recently returned from London Fashion Week after being shortlisted in the prestigious Fashion Awareness Direct competition.

Fashion Awareness Direct is a creative charity supporting young people to bridge the gap between education and the fashion industry.

This year the competition encouraged designers to slow down and take in their surroundings for inspiration rather than looking on the internet.

Alice, who is in her final year studying BA Fashion Design, was a finalist alongside 15 other fashion students from universities across the country. Alice designed a range of inventive garments

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inspired by her summer internship in San Francisco.

Alice said: “I lived and worked as a design intern in San Francisco for Gap. I took photographs of the new places I visited, and this inspired my project. When zooming in on textures, I discovered that an image of something considered uninteresting and ordinary could be turned into a wearable piece.”

“This competition has been a great experience as it gave me the chance to see my finished outfits on professional models as well as meet people from my industry. It has given me even more of a drive for perfection and I was delighted to be a finalist.”

University news

Staff and children at Oak Tree Day Nursery

Nursery team success!

Designs by Alice Bayliss

The Oak Tree Day Nursery team are proud to announce that they have received The Bristol Standard Quality Improvement for Birth to Five certificate.

The Bristol Standard is a framework which helps Early Years settings, Childminders and Play settings to develop and improve the quality and effectiveness of their provision through an annual cycle of reflection.

The award recognises the team’s ongoing reflective practice and involved them collecting a portfolio of evidence. The team are now working towards four main

priority areas ready for submission at the end of the year.

Oak Tree Day Nursery is based at the University’s Newton Park campus on the outskirts of Bath. This stunning rural location means children at the nursery benefit from Forest School, an inspirational process that gives children a hands-on learning experience in a woodland or natural environment.

The nursery celebrated its 20th birthday last year and marked the occasion by holding a party for children and their parents.

A reminder that there are currently spaces available for children aged six months to five years. Please contact Kerry Edwards, Nursery Manager on 01225 875590 to find out more.

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University news

SU election results announced Friday 11 March saw the announcement of the new Students’ Union Sabbatical Officers for 2016 – 2017.

Kitty Hilton was elected as the Students’ Union President. Aled Davies will continue his role as Vice-President Welfare, and Amy Dawson will take up the role of the Vice-President Activities.

Katherine Kennard was elected to be Bath Spa’s first ever Vice-President Education.

Bruce Galliver, current Students’ Union President said: “For the last few years the remit of the Students’ Union President has included education. As the University has expanded, the need for an education role has grown.

“After discussions with senior staff in

Kitty Hilton

Last chance to Give feedback in National Student Survey The annual National Student Survey (NSS) is exclusively for third year undergraduates. It’s a chance for students to give feedback about Bath Spa. Third years can have their say until Saturday 30 April - visit www.thestudentsurvey.com to take the survey.

Every year half a million students take the survey on a range of issues including assessment and feedback and personal development. The NSS allows students to feedback on what they enjoyed about their time here, and what they feel could be improved for future students.

In 2015 Bath Spa achieved 90 per cent overall student satisfaction rating. In order to maintain this we analyse the results to see how we can change to enhance the student experience.

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You Said

both the Union and the University, it was decided that the role of Vice-President Education would be created. The role will work with lots of academic reps and develop the academic rep system so the student voice can be heard louder than ever before.

“Having the VP Education will also allow the SU President to look at the bigger picture. Relationships with staff in the University can be developed further and it will be a lot easier to respond to the most prevalent issues amongst the student body as well as working closely with the University on the strategy. This is such a positive step forward and I am excited about what the role will bring.”

We did

Your feedback on the National Student Survey is vital.

Here’s some feedback we took on board last year.

Can we have more music stands please?

We purchased 50 additional black stands this year.

In Geography lectures we would like feedback to be more useful in clarifying things.

We have standardised the way we return feedback online to increase the clarity and usefulness to you.

Lack of resources for Psychology in the library, as well as the online journals.

In 2015 we purchased almost 8,000 new books of which 901 were e-books.

We have also greatly expanded our range of e-resources including a number of new e-journal titles.

University news

Lord Puttnam

Innovative seminars delivered to Bath Spa filmmaking students Academy Award winner Lord Puttnam is currently delivering an innovative series of seminars at Bath Spa. His company Atticus Education launched the module entitled ‘The Philosophy of Film’ in association with Pinewood Studios in January. The seminars are given as a part of Bath Spa’s MA in Independent Filmmaking and MA Scriptwriting.

Lord Puttnam delivered the first seminar at Bath Spa in January and the subsequent six are being delivered in a live interactive format from the Atticus studio in Ireland.

Lord Puttnam said: “I am delighted to have been able to launch this innovative collaboration with Bath Spa University thanks to the generous support of Pinewood Studios. I’ve long believed that online learning should be at the heart of education, and this series of seminars represents a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate the immense creative possibilities offered by communications technology.”

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University news

Former Herman Miller building on Locksbrook Industrial Estate

Council support the University’s proposals for iconic building in Bath city centre Our plans to rejuvenate the Herman Miller building for use by Bath School of Art and Design have taken a major step forward.

Proposals to change the use of the premises to enable the University to relocate much of its Bath School of Art and Design to the iconic building were submitted in October 2015 to Bath and North East Somerset Council and approval was granted in March.

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The building, which is the former location of furniture manufacturers Herman Miller, is situated on the Locksbrook Road Industrial Estate in Bath. The University’s plans will transform the building into a vibrant art and design campus, saving it from potential dereliction, reviving local surroundings and providing the perfect platform for creative growth to continue in the city.

Next steps will see the Grade II-listed building being purchased by the University and work will start on plans for the redesign.

This is an exciting time for the University and staff and students will be consulted every step of the way to ensure the future design plans benefit all parties.

University news

Garments on show at the Fashion Museum in Bath

Celebrating patterns As part of Bath in Fashion, Bath Spa University’s Bath School of Art and Design is hosting a day dedicated to ‘Pattern’ on Friday 22 April 2016.

This is a fantastic opportunity to hear four different talks from eminent designers and pattern experts including Fashion Designer Joe Richards in conversation with Elaine Uttley from the Fashion

Museum, Mark Eley from Eley Kishimoto exploring ‘Pattern as Life’, Liv Taylor from PATTERNITY looking at pattern all around us, and Rhonda Drakeford from Darkroom discussing her passion for pattern.

Tickets are available for individual talks or the whole day, including lunch, and can be booked via the Bath in Fashion website bathinfashion.co.uk

All invited to art and design degree show in June

Work by third year student Olivia Jowett, Textile

The Bath School of Art and Design Undergraduate Degree Show is an exciting exhibition held annually at Sion Hill.

The show is open to the public from Saturday 11 June until Sunday 19 June 2016, and all are welcome. The show is a culmination of students’ three years of hard work.

Visitors will have the opportunity to view a number of unique artworks including painting, sculpture, textiles, ceramics, drawing and film created by this year’s talented graduating BA students.

The exhibition is free to attend and will be open daily at Bath Spa University’s Sion Hill campus.

Design for Fashion and Interiors

Keep up to date by visiting artdesign.bathspa.ac.uk

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University news

Too many video games?

New research into video gaming A new study highlights a nuanced relationship between violent video games and aggression in children.

Dr Peter Etchells, Senior Lecturer in Biological Psychology at Bath Spa, conducted the study in partnership with researchers at the University of Bristol and University College London.

The research, which suggests a subtle relationship between playing video games at an early age, and later development of aggressive behaviours during teenage years, was widely publicised in the media.

Worries about the negative effects of playing video games often appear in the news, and there are concerns that children playing such games may develop aggressive or violent tendencies later on.

Dr Etchells, said: “Research behind these claims is often conflicting, and the actual effects of playing video games are not well understood. Rather than there being a clear link one way or another, our study suggests a nuanced relationship between playing video games at an early age that might include violent content, and later development of aggressive behaviours during teenage years.”

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A.C. Garyling

Discussion on Liberal Arts and the modern university Renowned Professor of Philosophy A. C. Grayling was guest speaker at a roundtable discussion about liberal arts.

The event was organised by the Global Academy of Liberal Arts (GALA) - a select network of universities and colleges committed to liberal arts, creativity, and global citizenship, founded by Christina Slade, Vice-Chancellor at Bath Spa in 2014.

With an increasing number of British universities now offering liberal arts degrees, the discussion centred around the place of liberal arts in the modern university.

Ian Gadd, GALA Academic Director and Professor in English Literature, at Bath Spa, said: “Liberal arts may not yet be a term as familiar in Britain as it is in the USA, with its many liberal arts colleges, but an increasing number of British universities are now offering liberal arts degrees.

“A liberal arts education may have

expanded well beyond the seven disciplines of grammar, logic, rhetoric, music, arithmetic, geometry, and astronomy that defined its curriculum for over 1500 years, but the principle of a broad-based and civic-minded educational programme which is underpinned by intellectual freedom, critical thinking, creative curiosity, and reasoned debate, remains central.”

Panellists included, Professor A.C. Grayling, New College of the Humanities, London; Dr Jennifer Rohn, University College London; Dr Shirley Thompson, University of Westminster; and Professor Andrei Zorin, University of Oxford and RANEPA, Moscow.

The four speakers, a philosopher, a literary critic, a scientist, and a composer, came together to discuss the place of liberal arts in the modern university.

Drawing on their own distinct perspectives, they discussed the cultural, social, and political value of a liberal arts education.

University news

talented Student business plans win big prizes

Light Motifs

Mahouland

Four student businesses have been awarded over £5,000 as part of the Bath Sparks ‘Plan it Challenge’. Bath Sparks is an initiative that provides support for student freelancers, startups, and the self-employed.

Run by the Careers and Enterprise Team, the competition asked students to submit their business plans to gain valuable feedback and be in with a chance of winning grants to support their ideas.

Out of 29 entries just six were selected to present, ‘Dragons Den’style, to the expert judging panel. All the short-listed ideas will gain support and feedback from experts over the coming months, but there were four stand-out winners of grants on the day:

• Mahouland a Japanese Street Fashion business started by Sarah Taylor won £200 in cash and a marketing support package from sponsors Watertight Marketing worth over £4,000.

• Light Motifs who renovate old musical instruments into contemporary lighting, is the brainchild of commercial music student Alex Cole. He wins £150 towards a next prototype to demonstrate the idea further.

• Decade Duo a contemporary covers band featuring commercial music students Adam Britton and Tom Kavanagh won £500 towards a PA system to help their gigging.

• Halcyon a harmonies duo made up of Ghervana Tanzarella and Mae Bradbury also win £500 to go towards their branding and demo packs.

Bath Sparks still has some funding put aside to support further business ideas that appear this year. Contact them at bathsparks@bathspa.ac.uk for advice and help on developing a freelance or start-up career.

Bath Sparks would like to thank their kind sponsors: Santander, The Guild Co-working Hub, Unltd, Veale Wasbrough Vizards, and Watertight Marketing.

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University news

People attending the Bath Literature Festival

A flourishing and successful partnership At the beginning of March the Bath Literature Festival welcomed the finest writers and creative minds to the city to discuss topics as diverse as religion, science, morality, art and the environment.

Once again Bath Spa staff, students and alumni were at the heart of this exciting event.

The University has been working in partnership with Bath Festivals for many years. The partnership was formally confirmed in January 2013 and recently renewed with the University now Principal Partner across all three festivals – Bath Literature Festival, Bath International Music Festival and Bath Children’s Literature Festival.

This relationship has had a positive impact on students, local school children, rural communities, teachers, arts professionals, performers and the diverse festival audiences.

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Professor Christina Slade

Lively debate on the EU Bath Spa’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Christina Slade was a speaker at the sold-out event ‘The Great Bath Europe Debate: In or Out?’ She argued for the UK to remain part of the EU alongside Sir Vince Cable, former Business Secretary and gave an impassioned speech about the ‘hearts and minds’ side of the debate

which drew a cheer from the audience.

Arguing for an ‘out’ vote were Sir William Cash MP and Kate Hoey MP who argued well, but failed to win over the majority of the audience who in a show of hands were 70 per cent for the UK remaining in the EU.

University news

Bath Literature Festival

A Creative Writing Feast 21 years of creative collaboration This year marked the 21st anniversary of the relationship between the Bath Literature Festival and Bath Spa. Many of our successful and renowned graduates have given their first public readings at the Festival including Tessa Hadley, Patricia Wastvedt and Mo Hayder. Today, many of our students work for the Festival in a number of roles including interns and social media campaigners and gain a huge amount of inspiration. We were delighted to again be the Festival’s Creative Partner.

The University was involved in a variety of events at the Festival this year including Voices in the City where creative writing students provided literary interventions across the city; Poetry Salon which featured Professor of Poetry, Tim Liardet; and Writing for Screen a workshop in screenwriting led by Lecturer in Creative Writing, Gavin James Bower.

aged eight to 14, equipping them with the A new project to bring creative writing into skills to write and express themselves school was launched at a creative writing imaginatively, developing their talent and feast on 2 March. Paper Nations is being creativity. led by the University in partnership with Creative Director of the project, Bambo Bath Festivals and the National Association Soyinka of Bath Spa said: “Paper Nations of Writers in Education. Professional are places and stories that spring from the writers will work with teachers to develop imagination through high quality creative “The project has received words. We believe writing experiences for children in £600,000 from Arts Council that all young people should have deprived areas in England” the opportunity to the region. engage in creative writing.

The project has received £600,000 “Paper Nations will introduce school from Arts Council England through a pupils from rural, coastal and urban areas strategic fund that aims to build a regular, to the joys of writing and will enable young consistent and high quality creative writing people to learn alongside professional offer in schools across England. writers. Our mission is to work together to Experienced, published authors will build a creative nation for young people.” deliver creative writing projects to pupils

bathfestivals.org.uk

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University news

Emotional well-being of pupils is important

£50k granted to continue to support emotional health and wellbeing of children in Somerset An innovative children’s emotional emotional awareness and ability to handle wellbeing initiative commissioned by their feelings to aid their success and Somerset County Council Public Health happiness in life. in partnership with Bath Spa University Gottman’s research has shown that has been awarded an additional £50k to emotion coached children achieve more continue its vital academically in work in the region. school, are more So far the project has The Emotion facilitated the training of 136 popular, have Coaching project fewer behaviour skilled professionals across problems, and have launched last the education, health and fewer infectious year and aims to increase illnesses. public sectors. understanding of Dr Janet Rose, emotional health and wellbeing of children Emotion Coaching Project Leader at in Somerset.

Bath Spa’s Institute for Education, said: The project, originally inspired by “There is a growing body of research that Professor John Gottman’s research in the demonstrates the positive impact emotion USA, teaches the importance of a child’s coaching has on a young person’s social

To find out more about the Emotion Coaching project visit emotioncoaching.co.uk

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development and progress. Our initiative aims to give a practical strategy to help children and young people to become more aware of their emotions and to manage these feelings more effectively through a network of trained professionals across the region.”

So far the project has facilitated the training of 136 skilled professionals across the education, health and public sectors. This includes teachers, GPs, youth workers and Early Years intervention workers who implemented the emotion coaching guidelines within their own organisations, as well as championing the work of the project to their peers.

#InstituteforEducation

University news

#becreativebeateacher @BathSpaEdDean @BathSpa_ife

Success in the classroom

South West teacher training programme rated outstanding by Ofsted A programme to support people with leadership potential to become inspirational teachers in schools in low income communities, run jointly by Bath Spa University and the University of Bristol, has been rated as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted.

The Teach First South West Leadership Development Programme, which combines teacher training and a fully-funded PGCE with one-to-one coaching, enables trainees to develop the skills and qualities to be inspirational teachers. It aims to ensure no child’s success is limited by their socioeconomic background.

The Graduate School of Education at the University of Bristol deliver secondary English, maths, science and modern foreign languages and Bath Spa deliver the Primary programme.

Dr Kate Reynolds, Dean of Bath Spa’s Institute for Education, said: “The high quality programme is testament to the

strength of the partnership between the two universities. Excellent leadership and management have contributed to an outstanding programme that

makes a real difference to children and young people in schools in challenging circumstances.”

Highlights in the report include: • The quality of training across the partnership is outstanding. The training is consistently of high quality across the programme and schools. The model of teacher training used by Teach First is highly effective.

• The professionalism of participants and the unrelenting focus on raising the achievement of disadvantaged pupils are hallmarks of the training in all regions.

• Teach First and university programme leaders have a deep understanding of the schools and the regional priorities for school improvement. Participants are exceptionally well prepared to continue to improve as teachers in the early stages of their careers. They are trained to be more than just good classroom teachers.

• South West Teach First and university leaders constantly strive to innovate. The programme review and development is informed well by the two universities’ research.

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SPRING IN PICTURES

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1 A Young Woman Seated (detail), 1876-7, oil on canvas by Pierre-Auguste Renior and star of Impressionism: Capturing Life exhibition at the Holburne Museum, sponsored by Bath Spa. 2 Bath Spa student Jack Hatton-Johnson, third year BA Acting, won the silver medal in the men’s 60m hurdle at the British Universities’ and College’s Sport national competition. (First on left) 3 Jean Gardiner’s fundraising initiative involving knitted Easter chicks raised a fantastic £500 for six very worthy charities.

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4, 5, 6 & 7 Bath Spa’s first ever Winter Graduation took place in February at the stylish Bath Assembly Rooms.

8 Catering team celebrating success after being awarded the Silver Catering Mark for providing ethical and environmentally friendly food, locally sourced ingredients and steps to offer healthier menus.

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SPRING IN PICTURES

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sPACE TO

“ Chat ” The Roof of Africa

Sophie Rowe, second year Creative Writing student, climbed the highest mountain in the world last year. In her article she talks about her experiences – from fundraising to long-drop toilets.

Last year I climbed the world’s tallest mountain! Along with ten other Bath Spa students I trekked up Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for African water charity Dig Deep. The charity works with rural communities in Kenya to help them access water and sanitation - these fundamental requirements enable people to break the cycle of poverty. With 16.5 million people not having access to safe water in Kenya, and over 30 million with no access to adequate sanitation, raising money for this worthy cause was well worth the trek.

Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is the tallest free standing mountain in the world rising 5985m above sea level. Deciding to take part in the climb was a challenge in itself. I knew how good it would feel to get it ticked off my bucket list, but I also knew how hard it would be to achieve the tick in the first place.

The Bath Spa team and I fundraised tirelessly for nearly a year and our aim was to raise £3,000 each. I planned a series of

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events, my most successful being a ‘Curry for Kenya’ event. My ‘Live Music Night for Kilimanjaro’ also got a good response and was something I knew people would feel interested in coming to.

And we’re off Setting off for Africa was both daunting and exciting. Leaving western-style living behind in favour of long-drop toilets and wet wipe showers, we took the Macahme route up Kilimanjaro. The rainforest was vast and encompassing and it set the tone for the climb. The floor was littered with tree roots and fallen branches with only pinpricks of light peeping through the leaves above.

We hiked for seven hours a day through the steep terrain. Surprisingly hiking on very little sleep becomes a normality after a few days. The freezing temperatures meant that we had to wear as many layers as possible, and we also

walked slower to reserve energy levels.

Pink cheeks are also standard and it’s still unknown whether they are the result of wind chill or exposure to the sun over the cloud barrier.

It’s tough at the top Arriving at camp in the evening meant hot food, which was unexpected, but very welcome at four thousand meters above sea level. At night we retired to our tents which got an extra coating of ice the further up the mountain we got.

The fog became denser the higher we climbed and the terrain varied and became even more challenging to walk on. By day three most of the group were on either Dioralyte or Nurofen to help them with the tough journey. The dusty black soot we were walking on was blocking our noses and compromised our breathing which was already affected by the altitude – it was hard work.

Seeing Mount Meru, a stratovolcano 50 miles west of Kilimanjaro, in the distance was a highlight. The Milky Way was visible and shooting stars were surprisingly common, and stunning. The lights of local villages reminded us that life was still being lived, even though we were in another world.

At the summit

During the trek

We made it Our final camp was cluttered with tents and eager adventurers excited to clamber their way to the summit. After donning head torches, thermals and down jackets, we joined them, making our way out of our final camp and started our ascent.

Walking single file with only head torches as light made for a truly beautiful sight.

What looked like a cluster of fireflies made their way up the mountain, unaware of the treacherous ground below.

After five days, we reached the summit and it felt incredible. From fundraising to finally reaching the top - it was a long and tough road, but it was worth it.

Sophie Rowe

If you’re interested in taking on the Kilimanjaro challenge in the future keep an eye out for adverts later this year. It’s definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity.

My advice for anyone fundraising or keen on taking part in a trip like this is to hold events where people get something back for their money. This really helped in building up my total.

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sPACE TO

“ Talk ” Gender parity in education is critical and must be accomplished

Vice-Chancellor Professor Christina Slade discusses female leadership and empowering women With the theme for this year’s International Women’s Day campaign being ‘gender parity’ I find it shocking that in the 21st century we still do not have gender parity across the workplace or society as a whole.

I believe that education is the key to ensuring women have equal opportunities to men. Education raises aspirations, opens doors, motivates and inspires people to succeed. Gender parity in education is therefore critical and must be accomplished.

In the UK we are fortunate that education is available to all, but this is not the case in many countries around the world, with many young women and girls denied even a basic education. Access to higher education, especially for women is even more limited in some places.

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According to the UK Higher Education Statistics Agency in the academic year 2014/15 there were over 1.2 million women studying in higher education, compared to just under 1 million men. We seem to be achieving some balance here and should be proud to set an example to the rest of the world.

Female leadership and empowering women is also a subject close to my heart and something I’ve driven in my role as ViceChancellor at Bath Spa. The University has a long history of female leaders – including the formidable Miss Dawson who in 1948 founded the teacher training college that was to become part of Bath Spa University.

However, when I arrived at the University in 2012 there was just one female professor. In my first year I appointed 20

new professors, of whom 12 were women which immediately addressed a gender imbalance and provided strong female role models for staff and students.

The gender pay gap regularly features in the media and is another factor holding back gender parity. Our approach to ensuring a gender balance at Bath Spa has resulted in a significant reduction in the number of men being paid more than women. By 2014/15 our pay gap had decreased to 15 per cent which compares favourably to the sector benchmark of 19 per cent. Work is also ongoing to increase the number of women in senior roles at the University and I have no doubt our pay gap will continue to decrease over the coming years.

In order to tackle this hugely important issue, we need to speak up and take action. Everyone can play their part in addressing the gender gap and gender parity can be achieved by employing more

#IWD2016

#PledgeForParity women across all sectors, standing up and calling for gender-balanced leadership, providing access to education and inspiring women across the world to pursue higher education. We must work together to strive for equality.

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5 Minutes With ...

Chris Ellicott Christopher Ellicott is Registrar and Director of Student Services at Bath Spa. One of his many responsibilities is to oversee the smooth running of the graduation ceremonies each year. We had a quick chat with him after the first ever winter graduation ceremony held at the Bath Assembly Rooms.

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What do you love about Bath Spa University?

The extent to which so many people in our community – staff, students, governors – genuinely care about the University, and each other.

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Where is your favourite spot on campus?

I live close enough to the Newton Park campus to be able to walk home in 40 minutes. I often walk across the track towards Newton St Loe (carefully avoiding the cows if they are in a particularly frisky mood that day) and look back at the half way point to see the Commons building across the fields.

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Tell me something you’re passionate about at the moment?

Walking in the countryside, away from it all. Not much beats a pint and a packet of crisps outside a pub on a summer’s day after a ten-mile ramble…

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If you went on Mastermind, what would your specialist subject be?

When I was the series winner of the BBC Radio 4 music quiz ‘Counterpoint’ a few years ago my specialist subject was Minimalism, but perhaps I’d go for either 20th Century British Classical Music; Prog Rock; or the history and continuing underachievement of Bristol City Football Club.

And finally, complete this sentence. Not many people know this about me but… …a band led by a friend at university played at my 20th birthday party in a house in Oxford. It was only years later that I discovered that my friend’s band was called Ugly Rumours and the lead singer of Ugly Rumours was a certain Tony Blair.

! SHOUT ! sPACE TO Have your say – We’re looking for letters, feedback, and general social media musings, so please send in what you like about Bath Spa and the city of Bath via spacemag@bathspa.ac.uk

To suggest your recommended reads with the theme of

Twitter

Equality and Diversity, you can tweet @BathSpaLib or visit the Library web pages.

@SomersetCouncil Bath Spa University granted £50,000 to continue to support emotional health and wellbeing… @TamaraPortraits: @DexterDalwood Thank you for your speech at the Bath Spa University graduation ceremony on Wednesday - I don’t think I’ll ever forget it @JCwoodhams: From @bathspalive to @ lionandunicorn. @nightflyerplay is now in London. #theatre

Follow the University @BathSpaUni

Where on earth?

Who can guess where on our campus this lovely photograph was taken? Find the answer in the Summer issue of SPACE. Answer Winter Edition: Photograph taken of the wall on the Compton

Equality and Diversity – Recommended Reads To celebrate equality and diversity in our library collections here at Bath Spa, Melissa Newall, Library Assistant lists her recommended reads.

Redefining Realness: my path to womanhood, identity, love and so much more by Janet Mock.

A gripping memoir of the prominent transgender journalist’s childhood and gender reassignment.

If This is a Man by Primo Levi.

Levi’s memoir of 11 months incarceration in Auschwittz III during 1944 and 1945 is a harrowing and humane account of the holocaust which shows the futility of racial hatred.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood.

A dystopian novel, written shortly after the elections of Ronald Reagan in the US and Margaret Thatcher in the UK, that explores the consequences of a reversal of women’s rights.

building, Newton Park.

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SPRING 2016

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Main House, Newton Park