VOL.53 ISSUE.1 STIRLING'S STUDENT NEWSPAPER 13 SEPTEMBER 2022 STIRLING MOURNS QUEEN ELIZABETH II Image credit: Wallpaper Access Page 13 Page 23 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWOUTLANDER TOP TIPS FRESHERSFOR
THE University of Stirling has sa luted Queen Elizabeth II following her death on Thursday evening. Throughout her reign, she en joyed close links to the higher edu cation sector.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEFGlenwww.brignews.com@brignewspaper@brig_newspaper/brignewspaper@brignewspaper
condolences to the Royal Family.
“Throughout her remarkable reign, Her Majesty has been a great friend to the higher education sec tor and her continued support for the work undertaken by our re searchers has been a valuable con tribution to the University’s suc cess over its 55-year history.
online Book of Condolence and physical ones at Old Viewforth, Customer First and the Albert Halls.AllCouncil events and engage ments have been reviewed, with many cancelled or postponed as a
By Isla EDITOR-IN-CHIEFGlen
Truss is the third woman to be come British PM, after Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May.
Her Majesty the Queen, with former Prinicpal Professor Tom Cotrell, 1972. Image: The Univerity of Stirling
As the Queen was not well enough to travel to London, the ceremo ny was scheduled to take place at Balmoral Castle.
He was joined by the LordLieutenant of Stirling and Falkirk, Alan Simpson, Stirling Council Chief Executive, Carol Beattie, and Stirling Council Leader, Councillor Chris Kane.
The passing of Queen Elizabeth II is a sad occassion. She has al ways been a steady presence in the background and the only Monarch many of us have ever known. It is the end of an era.
UNIVERSITY PAYS TRIBUTE TO THE QUEEN
“Our country has grown and flourished under her reign. “Britain is the great country it is today because of her.”
NEW PM APPOINTED IN SCOTLAND FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 1885
The newly elected Prime Minister
It is the late Queen Elizabeth II’s 15th and last PM appointment following her death on Thursday, September 8.
By Isla
Truss ended her statement by of fering support to His Majesty King Charles III, closing with, “God save the King.”
via Flickr
Queen Elizabeth II's visit to Stirling in 1962. Image: The Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum
QUEEN Elizabeth II passed away at the age of 96 on Thursday af ternoon at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire.Thelosshasbeen felt across the world and tributes have been paid.
“In her passing, the UK has lost not only a head of state but a champion for the many causes and charities to which she dedi cated her time and provided such inspiration.“Colleagues will remember The Queen not only for her sense of duty and devotion to a lifetime of service to the nation but for her compassion and the kindness she showed to everyone she met.”
This includes the Open Streets festival that was due to take place this past weekend, Shapes at the Jail and other local events.
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addressed the nation in Downing Street speech on September 6. “I’m honoured to take on this responsi bility at a vital time for our coun try,” she Followingsaid. the Queen’s death just days after her appointment, Truss addressed the nation again on Thursday night. She said: “The death of Her Majesty the Queen is a huge shock to the nation and to the“Queenworld.Elizabeth II was the rock on which modern Britain was built.
Balmoral Castle. Image: Stuart Yeates
mark of respect.
In 1967, Her Majesty signed the University of Stirling’s Royal Charter, officially launching the in stitution by Royal Command. Five years later, she formally opened Queen’s Court as a part of a Royal Visit to Additionally,Stirling.the University has had the honour of receiving two Queen’s Anniversary Prizes in recognition of its transformation al work in social marketing and health research, and for its inno vation in Followingaquaculture. thenews of the Queen's death, Professor Sir Gerry McCormac, Principal and ViceChancellor of the University of Stirling, said: “We are deeply sad dened to hear of the passing of Her Majesty the Queen and on behalf of the University, I express my sincere
STIRLING MOURNS QUEEN ELIZABETH II
In Stirling, flowers have been
laid in commemoration at the Council headquarters and the War Memorial at Corn Exchange Road. The Union flag is being flown at half-mast at Stirling Council head quarters and other civic buildings. Stirling Council has opened an
I encourage you all to read our content and follow us on social media. In the past year we have launched a new social media strat egy and received amazing results. Without Brig, my university expe rience would be completely differ ent. The sense of relief I have now the paper is finished is like no oth er. Joining Brig was the best deci sion I have made while at Stirling. Not only have I learned a great deal about the journalism industry, I've found my purpose.
Stirling Provost, Douglas Dodds has expressed his deep sadness, saying: “I am saddened to re ceive the news of Her Majesty the Queen’s death. On behalf of the peo ple of Stirling I would like to extend my condolences to the members of the Royal Family and everyone who has been affected at this time of great Stirling’ssorrow.”Accession Proclamation of King Charles III was made by Provost Douglas Dodds on Sunday September 11 on King Street.
The world has felt different since I began university. Midway through my first year we were struck by the COVID-19 pandemic. We've seen the terrors of war, climate change and politics since. Now we're being plunged into a cost of living crisis. Throughout it all Brig's journal ists have delivered. Our aim is to provide you with relevant and high quality content. We want to hold those in power to account.
I AM delighted to bring you Brig's first edition of the academic year. The team have worked incredibly hard to deliver the paper in time for Freshers' Week and watching it progress has made me so proud.
In tribute, all university flags will fly at half-mast and a book of con dolence for staff and students in the University Chaplaincy.
By Jules Adamska
By Andrew Robson NEWS EDITOR
LIZ Truss has been appointed the UK’s new Prime Minister on Tuesday, September 6 at Balmoral Castle.Thelast monarch to assign a PM from the royal summer residence was Queen Victoria appointing Lord Salisbury in 1885.
From a fourth year to a fresher, make sure you join a society. It's the best way to make friends and haveGoodfun.luck to you all in the coming year. I hope you enjoy this edition of Brig.
In response to these reports, the University of Glasgow were asked by Brig if they felt housing students over 30 miles away was acceptable and why incoming students had no guarantee of accommodation.
By Rebecca Kerr NEWSUnionEDITORPresident
GLASGOW STUDENTS COULD END UP IN STIRLING HALLS
The housing pool in Stirling has been further narrowed by the fact that most of the flats left on the market are either unfurnished or specifically request ‘non-student’ tenants.Heather Mackenzie, a sec ond-year Primary Education stu dent at the university, has been looking for accommodation since April. Despite reaching out to sev eral letting agents and landlords,
By Rebecca Kerr NEWS EDITOR
They told Brig : “[The Union] will be meeting with the Stirling Council Environment and Housing Committee in the next week to dis cuss HMOs and student housing.
The University guarantee that Stirling students will come first. Image: Harry Williamson
“If I don’t find some where suitable in time, I will be forced to applyfor a leave of absence which would devastateabsolutelyme."
“Additionally, this month, we will be launching the Housing Forum as a means of having student voic es represented in all areas of the discussion including students in private accommodation.”
“Any decision will only be taken once Stirling applications have been processed.”
By Andrew Robson NEWS EDITOR
“Students have routinely been left behind by the government and we are calling on them to take urgent action to protect students, espe cially over the winter months… we need student finance uplifts, ener gy bill relief into our pockets – not our landlords – and more access to hardship funds.”
“Off the top of my head, I can think of 17 letting agents that I have been in regular contact with. I have also spoken to several landlords indi vidually, as well as over 20 tenants looking to find a flatmate.
“I check relevant websites like Rightmove and Spareroom con stantly and almost always get in touch within less than an hour of listings being posted.”
Tash Miller says students "have routinely been left behind by the government". Image: Stirling Students' Union
Heather told Brig :
Tash also revealed that The Union is currently working towards a cost-of-living support package that
Miller, Jess Reid and Murray Bushell – hope to work closely with MP Alyn Smith to advocate for students at a local and Westminster level.
she remains without a place to stay for the upcoming semester.
“It’s a lot to try and get back into the right mindset and routine for university after having so much time off, so the additional stress of not being able to find a roof over your head can make it pretty overwhelming.”JessReid (Vice President Communities) and Dante Lopez (Housing Officer) from the Stirling Students’ Union are aware of the sparse private rental market in Stirling and are putting measures in place to support students.
will be available to students this winter. Stirling MP Alyn Smith added: “I’m deeply concerned the UK Government has been asleep at the wheel in recent weeks over the cost of living crisis facing Stirling, Scotland and the rest of these islands.“Thestudent community espe cially face a difficult autumn and winter, as energy bills blow a huge hole in Whilebudgets.”AlynSmith assures that Stirling will do everything in its power to tackle this crisis, he be lieves that it is down to the UK Government to “get serious”: “We need to see real action from the new Prime Minister – now is not the time for half measures.”
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STUDENTS at the University of Stirling have reported a lack of pri vate rental properties in the city centre, with many students on the hunt for accommodation all sum mer to no avail.
SABBS VOICE CONCERN OVER COST OF LIVING CRISIS
IN August the Glasgow Guardian reported that the University of Glasgow had entered preliminary talks with the University of Stirling to house students in Stirling.
STUDENTS STRUGGLE TO FIND HOUSING FOR UPCOMING SEMESTER
The University of Stirling con firmed that initial talks have taken place but outlined in a statement that all Stirling students, even if they are not guaranteed accommo dation will be prioritised.
As the university returns to on-campus learning this semester, many students have flocked back to Stirling for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. This has resulted in students battling for flats in a very sparse and competi tive private rental market.
Despite her efforts, Heather told Brig that flats are snapped up al most immediately – leaving her back at square one.
LAST week, the Stirling Students’ Union Sabbatical Officers met with local MP Alyn Smith to discuss the cost of living crisis and its impact onThisstudents.comes after research from the National Union of Students (NUS) revealed that one in three students are left with just £50 a month after paying rent and bills and 68% of students are no longer able to afford learning materials. Most alarmingly, 92% of students say that the cost of living crisis is affecting their mental health and the Sabbs worry that if action is not taken soon, this will only get worse.TheSabbatical Officers – Tash
A University of Glasgow spokes person said: “Regrettably, due to a significant contraction in the private rental market, demand for rooms continues to be sub stantially ahead of expectation and we are no longer in a position to provide guaranteed University accommodation.“Despitehaving increased the number of rooms under University management by 25 per cent for the new academic year, we are having to prioritise accommodation for students who are unable to trav el from home.”
The uncertainty of not know ing where she will stay during her studies has begun to take its toll on
The University of Glasgow has experienced an oversubscription for accommodation and is already housing students as far away as Paisley.Thiscomes as Stirling is facing its own private accommodation short age. Many students are still strug gling to find a place to stay away from the University this semester.
Union President, Tash Miller, told Brig: “Alyn Smith was very recep tive to our call for action and was supportive in our efforts to allevi ate the pressures on students.
The spokesperson addressed the fact that the University of Glasgow is no longer guaranteeing first-year students a place to stay. They said: “We understand the concern students have about find ing accommodation for the new semester.“Whilewe are unable to offer accommodation for students liv ing within reasonable commuting distance, we will continue to check regularly on the availability of private provider accommodation and will share updates when we have them. For information and advice on finding private rented accommodation we encourage students to contact the Students’ Representative Council Advice Centre.”Given the current housing situ ation in Stirling, Brig also ques tioned the University of Stirling if all Stirling students would be prior itised for campus accommodation, regardless of their year of study. A spokesperson for the University of Stirling said: “We are continuing to prioritise accommodation appli cations from University of Stirling students arriving for the autumn semester.“Wehave held preliminary discussions with colleagues in Glasgow, where student accom modation is currently oversub scribed, to understand how we might be able to provide support, should we have any vacancies for the new academic year.
her: “The stress has really been get ting to me and my family.”
By Freya Deyell
4 NEWSNEWS
ScotRail Commercial Director, Lesley Kane, said: "Our half-price promotion has proven really pop ular with students in the past, so we’re proud to once again do our bit to help them make the most of Freshers Week and the start of term."Whether students are exploring Scotland before terms starts, go ing to university for the first time, or heading back to campus to re sume their studies, we think this of fer will provide a welcome boost to their finances at a time when we’re all feeling the pinch."
BINS BACK TO NORMAL FOLLOWING STRIKE ACTION
NO MORE RETURNSCAMPUS:STUMBLESDRUNKENBACKTONIGHTBUS
minutes afterwards until the final service at 3.15am.
A NEW media resource launched to support children and young peo ple affected by imprisonment fea tures a Stirling student.
It was produced to help children and young people dealing with sim ilar issues, as well as their families and professionals who support them.Gorman
The film is available to watch on Vimeo.
SCOTRAIL KICKSTARTS NEW SEMESTER WITH HALF-PRICE TRAIN TRAVEL FOR STUDENTS
Jodie Gorman participated in a short film produced by Families Outside, a Scottish charity that supports families affected by imprisonment.The21-year-old law student and Anyé Young – the author of the Teen Guide to Living With Incarcerated Parents – discussed their experi ences of having a parent in prison.
The ULN will also extend to Alexander Court, following the reintroduction of the stop back in February.Thenight service runs every day during the university semester and mid-semester breaks except from Sundays.
Students can benefit from the of fer multiple times but it cannot be used in conjunction with railcards or concessionary discounts and re funds are not possible.
By Isla EDITOR-IN-CHIEFGlen
£3,000 for those earning above £60,000
STIRLING STUDENT FEATURES IN FILM TO HELP YOUNG PEOPLE AFFECTED BY FAMILY IMPRISONMENT
The new pay offer consists of:
"They can't even cover the cost of getting to the library or classes."
The film is split into ten clips,
SCOTRAIL has announced the return of their half-price ticket scheme for students.
Young was invited to Scotland by Families Outside and the International Coalition for Children with Incarcerated Parents to make the film.
• A maximum increase of
By Charlotte Sutcliffe
All aboard the party bus. Image: First Bus
ranging from coping mechanisms to stereotypes and statistics.
said: “I feel honoured to have been part of the film, and I hope that by openly talking about my experiences of having a parent in prison that others out there will realise they are not alone and don’t need to let the stigmas attached with imprisonment define them.”
FIRST Bus has announced the return of late-night buses from Stirling city centre to the univer sityFromcampus.Monday September 12, the UniLink night service (ULN) will first leave the city centre at 11.45pm and then every 30
for the NUS said: "Huge increases to the price of bills, food, and living costs coupled with soaring rent has students on the brink.
Gorman interviewed Young about her book before discussing their personal experiences and the impacts of imprisonment on children.Thebook was self-published on Father’s Day 2018. It details sto ries and lessons Young learned while coping with her father’s imprisonment and life in a sin gle-parent home.
Stirling in the coming weeks. I hope that members will accept the new payStirlingoffer." refuse collection has now returned to its normal schedule, which can be found on the Stirling Council website.
Stilring refuse collection has now returned to normal. Image: Brig Newspaper
The scheme, which runs from September 5 to September 25, gives students a 50% discount on Off-Peak train tickets. The offer is valid on every Scotrail service ex cept travel to and from Lockerbie. Students must show a valid student ID card or other proof of student status in order to receive this offer. The tickets must be pur chased from a staffed booking office or onboard - they cannot be bought online or a ticket vending machine. Thediscounted tickets come as the NUS reports that 96% of stu dents are cutting back amid the current cost of living crisis. Their research found that most students are struggling to afford their weekly shopping, transport to university, and energy bills at the current price. A spokesperson
FOLLOWING a week of bin strikes in Stirling, further industrial ac tion has been called off and refuse collection has returned to normal. Stirling refuse workers were ex pected to strike until September 10 due to pay disputes. However, an improved pay deal has been laid out following intense negotiations between the First Minister, Deputy First Minister, COSLA and unions. Stirling Council has confirmed the suspension of further industri al action and thanks residents "for their patience and understanding during this period of disruption."
• An increase of £1,925 or those earning between £20,5000 to £39,000
• A 5% increase for those earning between £39,000 to £60,000
Anyé Young (left) and Jodie Gorman (right) discuss growing up with incarcerated parents. Image: Families Outside
• An increase of £2,000 for those earning up to £20,500
The resolution has been well re ceived by local MSP Evelyn Tweed, tweeting: "Positive news that trade unions have called off [bin] strikes across Scotland, including in
By AJ Whyte
The six-week journey will con sist of wild swimming, cycling, kayaking, walking and canoeing. Along the way, the pair will make stops at various places including John Muir Trust Sites, communi ty-owned land, private ownership, and National Trust areas.
vote throughout the year for who they think should win an award. Depending on the timing of the voting, some businesses are put forward for the following year’s award ceremony.
The businesses nominated for an award receive a certificate which evidences their nomination - which they can then use on their premises or social media posts.
Image: Trails for Change
The first project of Trails for Change is The Alba Cross. According to the pair, it is a ‘hu man-powered journey’ from Nellie’s hometown, Ullapool to Ailsa’s hometown, Stonehaven.
The duo aims to inspire in more ways than one. Beck said: “We also want to showcase women and queer people in adventure and add to the scene of girls doing cool things. “This will hopefully inspire oth er people to get involved in these sports.Themore we encourage people to get involved in nature– the more folk who can be inspired to protect theseBecklandscapes.”andWilson’s journey started last week, but you can see their pro gress and find more information @ thealbacross on Instagram and Facebook.
By Andrew Robson NEWS EDITOR
Commenting on their suc cess at the awards ceremony, a
STIRLING PUB ‘OVER THE MOON’ TO WIN LOCAL AWARD
spokesperson for the bar told Brig: “We are over the moon to have achieved 'Best Licensed Premises' in Stirling and Falkirk.
LOCAL pub Molly Malones has re ceived an award for 'Best Licensed Premises' in Stirling and Falkirk. The award came at the regional Scotland Business Awards.
RECENT GRADUATE EMBARKS ON CROSS-SCOTLAND CHALLENGE
“We strive to make Molly's a place anyone is welcome with a brilliant atmosphere and plenty on. We have live music six nights a week, quiz zes, daily food, variety of drinks and the best Guinness in town.
visits will be documented in a se ries of short films, showcasing the positive work happening across Scotland. Attheend of the journey, the pair aim to release a feature film that follows the ups and downs of their challenge. Beck said: “We aim to showcase the work currently go ing on across some of the country attempting to conserve, rewild and regenerate wildlife and nature.
Beck and Wilson will spend one or two days working on each site, joining in with current projects of rewilding and conservation. The
The eventual winner of each cate gory is determined via a combina tion of mystery shopper-style visits to the business, a visit by Scotland’s Business Awards staff to discuss things such as opening hours of the business, engagement with customers, the experience of those involved and overall nominations.
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“Molly's is involved heavily with the students as we sponsor two fantastic GAA teams and 80% of our brilliant staff team are from Stirling Uni. We look forward to taking part in the National Awards inTheNovember.”National Scotland Business Awards are hewld in Glasgow each year and are open to businesses who successfully receive an award within their region.
MollyBarclayMalones
The annual awards ceremony took place last month in Falkirk at the Macdonald Inchyra Hotel and Spa.Itis not the first time the Irish pub has won an award like this. In 2017 Molly Malones won the 'Best National Licensed Premises Award' at the national awards.
has received an award for best-licensed premises in Stirling and Falkirk. Image: Scotland's Business Awards
“We also hope to promote diversi ty in the outdoors and aim to show that natural spaces are for all.” Their journey will focus on
Nominations for the awards are generated through an online form on the Scotland Business Awards website. Businesses are nominated by the business itself or members of the Memberspublic.of the public can also
FORMER Stirling student Ailsa Beck is on a journey across Scotland to promote the great outdoors. Beck, an Environmental Geography graduate, and close friend Nellie Wilson are traversing Scotland as a part of their collec tive – Trails for Change.
By Ryan
Trials for Change has the shared goal of protecting Scotland’s na ture, documenting adventure routes across Scotland and increas ing accessibility to the outdoors.
projects in the West Coast, Isle of Skye, Glen Affric, and the Cairngorms and will use social me dia to let people have their voices heard. In addition to the films, Beck and Wilson will produce a series of podcast episodes on their journey designed as a more ‘relaxed’ con versation along the way.
“We are not necessarily begin ning this journey with a specific agenda, or with expectations of the work that will be being done and how people feel about contentious issues. “More so we would like to encour age discussion around environ mental issues that affect us all and inspire people to contact projects in their local area, as well inspiring people to get out and enjoy the out doors no matter what the barriers, all whilst contributing a positive impact to their surroundings.
The six-week journey will start from Ullapool and end in Stonehaven.
Historically some of the most con troversial protests and opposition to government policy have come from educational institutions, if not certainly sparked by ideas circulated amongst an excited population.Whilesocial media can make it easy ‘engage’ in politics and though my quotation marks denote a kind of distaste of doing so, social me dia has the power to really connect people and Organisationorganise.iswhere social me dia thrives, with the ability to con nect to many people and organise marches, protests, to educate peo ple about issues they otherwise wouldn’t be privy to.
Why not see if you can’t make the change you want to see in the world with your time as a student at Stirling. Or at least have a laugh at Boris Johnson hiding in a fridge that one time, or how inept Keir Starmer is.
have increased by 61% in the last decade; inflation is running at 9% with energy prices and the cost of the weekly shop soaring. We are all feeling it, not just students, but we have to get our voices heard. For more details go to NUS Scotland to get involved in sharing support.
Respectfully.TheGlobal Justice Society are a newer society at Stirling who “are a group of students that fight for social, economic, and environ mental justice. Their aim is to try to tackle global and local issue and demand for a better world and a better future”. With a fo cus on the environment, although this is not to say other societies neglect this issue.
In the letter, they state: "Firstly, we need to see action to raise the incomes of students and prevent poverty – students cannot be forgotten in this crisis. Recognising that difficult budget choices will have to be made, we have focused on an existing Scottish Government commitment toWestudents.strongly support your pledge to increase the total package of student support to the level of the real Living Wage and would like to see an in-year increase in grants and bursaries for all students, which will make progress towards this goal. Should the Scottish Government provide additional cost-of-living support to house holds, this would be our preferred mechanism for providing equiva lent support to students.
Too often there is a perception that it must always adhere to a particular left-wing majority, partly due to the fact there is no dedicated Conservative society at current on campus. This is not the case, and the society is wel coming to all parties (even the Tories- cheeky!) Debate. Disagree.
With a new PM and a UK hurtling towards a tumultuous uncertainty, now is a good time to know your rights, get involved, and fight for our future. Post COVID-19 we have observed shifts and weaknesses to our society that must be repaired, overhauled, and fixed.
NUS OUTLINES COST OF LIVING DEMANDS TO HELP FIGHT CRISIS
FRESHERS AND RETURNERS: WHY NOW MORE THAN EVER POLITICAL INVOLVEMENT IS CRUCIAL
"We are pleased that the review of purpose-built student accommo dation is making progress, but stu dents cannot wait for relief from rent
While we welcome the extension of the free concessionary travel scheme to under 22s, this falls well short of covering all students.
By Rachel Swan POLITICS EDITOR
"As a first step towards extending the concessionary travel scheme to all students, we are calling for them to be eligible for half price bus es and trains this year. Crucially, these must be available during peak time so that they reduce the costs of commuting to study."
A politicised, well informed stu dent body is a unit ready to tackle and mobilise when injustice, out rage, and hardship affect us most heavily.Thecost of living crisis, rent, rubbish accommodation and our NHS dying a death are just some of these pressing issues that we as a group can, do, and have acted on.
" Thirdly, we need action to reduce the costs of learning. In responding to our Broke survey many cited travel costs as their biggest con cern. One student told us,
Many of the issues people are cur rently experiencing can be greatly improved with organised activism, of which there are many groups across the UK doing so externally to the university. Politics is often thought of as far-removed from day to day despite the literal op posite being the case; because the political players are all liars, or un popular, or people can’t ‘do politics’. of which there are many groups across the UK doing so externally to the university. Politics is often thought of as far-removed from day to day despite the literal op posite being the case; because the political players are all liars, or un popular, or people can’t ‘do politics’.
So many people think that be cause they lack context or theo retical knowledge, they shouldn’t join a society or get involved in ex tra-curricular activities because they can’t chime off every cabinet minister or similar.
Do not be intimidated, this is the main thing.
also usually loads of fun socials accompanying these socie ties too, and a great place for fresh ers to make new friends with the same political interests!
camps and find willing students with ideas to share and discussion toThere’shave.
For those of you who can’t wait to join a political society and are already empowered and engaged, much of the encouraging prose doesn’t apply to you- you’ll find your place here amongst your
By Rachel Swan POLITICS EDITOR
There is also the Stirling University Labour society and the University of Stirling Students for Independence society that are obviously for specific viewpoints, although I’d encourage you to go along to their Give It a Go’s as again, it’s not having politics shoved down your throat it’s dis cussion and fun times to be had.
Ellie Gomersall, NUS Scotland President.Image credit: NUS Scotland
Politics and political activism is the mechanism by which we effect change in our direct lives and society.
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AHEAD of the Scottish Government's Programme for Government statement, NUS Scotland President Ellie Gomersall wrote to the Minister for Further Education, Higher Education, Youth Employment and Training calling for action on the cost-of-living for students. The organisation have called for: a raise in student sup port grants and bursaries; an im mediate rent freeze for all student tenants; and half price peak-time bus and train fairs for all students.
At Stirling University there is the Politics Society, a non-partisan society for those who enjoy dis cussing and chatting about poli tics across the political spectrum.
Now that the Programme for Government 2022 to 2023 has been reveleaed as of the 6th of September, the Scottish govern ment, while aiming to mitigate the cost of living crisis has potentially failed students, a group whom are often assumed their parents will pay or that they have a humungous student
see that freeze cover all students, whether they are in the private rented sector or purpose-built stu dent accommodation.
Stirling students protest freedom for Palestine. Image: Rachel Swan
"Wehikes.therefore support calls from across civic Scotland for an im mediate rent freeze – and want to
"Secondly, student rent costs were already spiralling out of control be fore the current crisis.
"The biggest challenge for me fi nancially at college is making sure I have money for food and travel to get to the college and worrying about if I have enough money to do me the rest of the week let alone the month.”"
Studentloan.accommodation prices
However, there are many ways to become politically involved at uni, from baby beginners to politics students and beyond- hardened pros with Question Time set to re cord every single time.
Again. Debate.Disagree. Respectfully.
UNIVERSITIES are often con sidered hubs of political en gagement. Here’s what you can expect to find at Stirling University if you are so in clined. Friends, memories, pro tests, and maybe a riot or two. Or if you aren’t politically in clined, this is part of the point.
"Rents for student accommoda tion have increased 34 per cent in just three years, 12 per cent of re spondents to our Broke survey said they’d been homeless and we’re seeing housing shortages driving up rents this year.
She has also voted against samesex marriage, including among armed forces personnel and in Northern Ireland.
The former Minister of Brexit Opportunities and Efficiency has publicly stated that he is 'complete ly opposed' to pregnancy termina tion, even in cases of rape or incest.
'Anti-abortion protest activity is escalating, with women and clin ic staff facing intimidation while seeking to access and provide an NHS-funded service."
with 174 other Tory MPs to oppose extending the right to access abor tion pills at home.
To add to this buffet of beelzebub, we've also got Jacob Rees-Mogg on her cabinet now, no doubt as a re ward for staying loyal to Johnson. He is known for being one of the few politicians to vocally oppose
While I do not wish to fearmonger, or suggest that Britain is suddenly going to lose access to an essential healthcare procedure, we must be prepared to take this cabinet appointment by Truss as at least somewhat of a signal that popu list issues are going to be stirred in this cauldron that forged the likes of Trump, or her predecessor Johnson.Asabackbencher in 2010, Ms Coffey introduced a motion in Parliament calling for “mental health assessments” for women seeking an abortion.
ability to act on their own.' can have a personal stance on abortion, these should not 'stand in the way of women's ability to act on their own.'
She added: 'To have a health sec retary who would place their per sonal beliefs above expert clinical guidance is deeply concerning.
So we've a smorgasboard of pop ulist, more hard-line Conservatives that Truss has summoned in to the cabinet.ClareMurphy, chief executive of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), told the BBC that while politicians can have a person al stance on abortion, these should not 'stand in the way of women's
abortion publically.
However, he has also said British women's right to abortions are 'not going to However,change'.hehas also said British women's right to abortions are 'not going to change'.
Ms Coffey is a devout Catholic, who generally would prefer women did not have abortions for religious grounds, under any circumstances.
Dr Coffey's vote against at-home abortion pills was 'against the advice of leading medical bod ies including Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Royal College of Midwives and the BMA', Ms Murphy said.
Perhaps more people will agree with pro-life supporters than we would assume for the UK?
Londoners protest for abortion rights. Image credit: Huck Magazine/Bex Wade
We'll be watching Truss and Co. We'll be watching.
Speaking in June following the repeal of Roe vs Wade, a legal precedent which protected wom en’s right to abortion in the US, Ms Coffey said: “I would prefer that people didn’t have abortions but I am not going to condemn people thatTheresedo”. Coffey has insisted she will “not seek to undo” abortion laws, amid concern from cam paigners about her voting record on the issue.
OPINION: IS AN ABORTION CULTURE WAR AHEAD AS TRUSS APPOINTS NEW HEALTH SECRETARY?
Ms Coffey also recently voted
Mr Rees-Mogg, who is also Catholic, has labelled abortions as 'morally indefensible', argued that life beings 'at the point of concep tion' and falsely claimed that the morning after pill causes abortion.
We aren't losing abortion access in the UK. Yet the conversation crops up more as a cabal of (main ly Tory) ministers have abstained or voted against abortion laws in the past, and this has been exposed again during the leadership caan didacy where all the skeletons were rolled out. Looking at you, Rishi, with that cringe interview where you've no working class mates aye?
The new Health Secretary, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, also failed to back a bill that would per mit terminally ill people to lawful ly be allowed to end their life with consent from the High Court.
Hard1967.won and fought for by wom en and those with uteri. Recent. Like scary recent. Perhaps you take it for granted you’re not the States, or somewhere godforsaken where abortion laws are a disgrace to the Human Rights Act.
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By Rachel Swan POLITICS EDITOR
IT'S no secret I’m a supporter of abortion. The feature image might give that away. This article isn’t about the pros and cons or trying to convince of one or the other. It’s to talk about the worrying sense of uncertainty that for many liberal and socially democratic individu als is creeping in.
I'm essentially making the argu ment that while there are no plans to undo abortion laws and access right now, that this idea of abortion as a talking point, as a divisionary tool may become something that, if populist and enough public rally for, you may see it become one of these issues used for points scor ing and to effectively curry favour with voters. The usual.
We did fight for abortion access in the UK, resulting in the Abortion Act
But for some, the constants have fallen. They never existed even. This is surprising to people. The idea that in modern times, Western Europe would ‘just have’ abortion rights is completely false. We fight for every single win we achieve, law we force them to enact, or wage increase.
I AM so jealous of people with wheelie bins.
STIRLING'S CITY CENTRE NEEDSCOLLECTIONWASTEARETHINK
THE prospect of travelling, ex ploring new cultures and meet ing different individuals has al ways fascinated me. Like many others, I too had an inkling to go beyond my home – to see what else the world had to offer and to get a better perspective of things.Studying in Scotland was the perfect, early opportunity for me to get a taste of this dream. It was a dream that tasted so sweet. But starting the first se mester, I took my rose-coloured glasses off and reality set in: I was all alone, left to fend for my self in a country unlike home. I felt truly afraid.
Being a foreign student study ing abroad, you are chucked into a completely new and unfamiliar world. While it’s very exciting, it’s also incredibly nerve wrack ing – mainly due to the fear of
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Purple bags seen around Stirling city centre. Image Credit: Isla Glen
If you don’t put a black bag inside the purple bag then anyone on the street can see its contents.
However, I should say, Stirling is a decently international university and it even has an International Society, which I would recommend joining
if you’d like to find a diverse crowd!Another tough aspect of be ing an international student is the inevitable homesickness. Although I consider Stirling my second home, sometimes I’d give anything to not be so far away from my family. Calling home, sending pictures to my family group chat or cooking one of my grandma’s recipes helps me deal with these feelings. What also helps me feel con nected to home is talking to peo ple about it. Whether it’s about the culture, customs, food or my family, I always enjoy shar ing a little piece of Slovakia with others.Overall, being international and studying abroad is some thing you should be proud of. Of course, it will come with its chal lenges, but it’s an incredibly re warding experience. The lessons you will learn are invaluable and the memories you will make are unforgettable.
miscommunication, not “fitting in,” or strong cultural polarity.
Although misunderstandings can be scary, it’s best to learn from them and focus on embrac ing the diversity among people and cultures rather than dwell ing on the mistakes. Slip-ups will happen, they are completely normal.Inthe beginning I often com pared and contrasted my home comforts to all that was new, and learned more about myself and my values that way. It wasn’t easy, but being open to educating myself definitely benefitted me in the long run.
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons
One of the hardest things I still face to this day is the intimida tion of sometimes being the only international student in a room. It’s a lonely experience, and at times even alienating.
It’s also a two hour window to get your rubbish out on the street. What if you’re at work or have a class?Unlike a wheelie bin, leaving the bag out attracts birds, rats and teenagers looking for something to kick.Double bagging them is the only way to prevent seagulls and crows ripping them to pieces and throw ing waste everywhere.
If you live in the city centre of Stirling then you’re stuck with pur pleThosebags.of us that lack space for a physical bin are provided with pur ple sacks to dispose of our rubbish. You put them out on the street be tween 4.30pm and 6.30pm, Monday and Wednesday. Only one bag is al lowed per collection day and black bags are considered fly-tipping.
To keep Stirling looking its best, the city centre’s waste collection must improve.
Image Credit: WeAreTheCity
The Talk
In theory these purple bags work. In practice they simply don’t. Perhaps it would make sense if the collection days weren’t so close together.Inoneand a half days, it’s difficult for smaller households to accumu late enough rubbish. After four days you end up storing full smelly bin bags in your house.
It’s time the city centre had their waste collections rethought. Move the collection days further apart or stop limiting the collection to one bag.Invest in stronger bags that aren’t easily pecked apart. Add more re cycling points or empty them more often.Waste workers deserve a pay rise without a doubt. Within a day of their strike, it was clear how much essential work they do.
Trials and triumphs of being an international student
The recycling situation isn’t much better. You have to store it in your house then cart it to your nearest recycling point.
So, you have to take it even further.It’snowonder you see purple bags filled with recyclable items.
By Julia COMMENTBenkoEDITOR
I am sick of walking down the street and having to step over rub bish. The other day, I even saw ver min in and around the bags.
By Isla EDITOR-IN-CHIEFGlen
Not everyone can get to the Polmaise tip near Fallin, leaving no backup option.
A lot of the time these points are overflowing with recycling, with no room for more.
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He was a divisive character, both for his policies and his per sonality. Some saw him as a beaming optimist, with his vision of how he thought he could make Brexit work. Others see a selfish former Etonian, who can’t follow
Hasta la vista, Boris. Don't come back.
By Ross Collie
His successor, Liz Truss, thanked her friend for his service as PM, and spoke of the country’s ad miration of him – “from Kyiv to Carlisle”. Maybe not so far - Kent, perhaps?Forhis three years in office, Johnson’s government made many unprecedented actions. He prorogued parliament. He avoided scrutiny. He tried to change rules to protect a Tory MP.
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons
THE ideas of religion and spirit uality are one of the most heavily debated and controversial topics, often being the driving force be hind wars, family break-ups and a miriad of other awful events. It is also a source of comfort, of safe ty, for many of millions of people across the world.
Image Credit: iNews
I remember religion becoming a big part of my life around about the time my mum separated from her second husband. She found going to Church, praying, and leaning on other members of the church helped her heal or at least helped her enough where she could get through each day. We went to Church every Sunday, sang gospel songs, but cool gospel songs, very Christian pop, and had teas and biscuits with everyone else after the Sunday service.
the lockdown rules his govern ment set. That’s just scratching the surface.
I began to remove myself from Christianity and refused to attend Church, completely shutting down the idea that there was this om nipotent, benevolent and all-loving being. How could there be such an entity that would encourage these
beliefs? How could there be such an entity that would allow people to use His name as justification for outright hatred and violence? I was angry and I still am.
If polling numbers are anything to go by, then Boris’ approval rat ings are dismal, at negative 49 ac cording to YouGov. Such ratings suggest that much of the country’s wider electorate would like to see the back of Boris.
I didn’t understand and even having early conversations with my mum didn’t help. Her belief was that homosexuality was a sin. But she was a big believer in love the sinner, hate the sin, and didn’t think it was right for same-sex cou ples to be married in a Church or any other sort of religious building, even if they were if they were part of that faith group.
BORIS Johnson has left Downing Street, having been kicked out by his own party.
His end was brought about after 60 members of his government resigned, believing the latest scandal was one-too-many. However, there is early specu lation that Boris won’t stay away forever and could try to make a political comeback. He has only fed such speculation by refusing to rule it Johnsonout.was no stranger to scandal throughout his life, as a journalist, a politician or media personality. But the scandals he brought to the heart of govern ment will leave a lasting scar on the UK’s politics.
I have always had a difficult rela tionship with religion, at least with Christianity and it has sometimes warped my perspective of other practicing Christians.
Image Credit: Rodolfo Clix on Pexels
My movement from Christianity forced me to find a new belief sys tem, and while I have not done a deep dive into it, nor do I know the correct terms, I begin to find my self drawn to the umbrella idea of spirituality. As I understand it, spirituality is about the universe, nature and the energy that con nects everything and everyone around us. It is finding balance and answers in the understanding of the deeper parts of ourselves, consciously or subconsciously. However, I want to strongly ar gue that there is not one singular answer for a Creator or a system or rhyme or reason to the order of our world. Maybe everyone is right. Maybe no one is. But I do not want to be restricted by one answer. I do not want to throw away something that I know happened to me, pure ly because it is not consistent with the rules of that denomination. Life is too short and the universe is too wide. I am going to follow my own religion.
Another former Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, once said that all politicians “have a shelf-life in pol itics”. Boris should be mindful of that, before he sets another prece dent – one of power-hungry politi cians who can’t let go.
a little because I was still so young but I remember running down the stairs to my mum. She was so happy for me and I explained the feeling as best I could. I remember her smiling, taking my hand and saying that He heard me, that God had sent his Holy Spirit and that He was listening. It was still confus ing for my wee head to wrap itself around the idea, but I remember feeling safe and secure and that was enough for me.
RELIGION: IS THERE AN ANSWER?
By AJ Whyte
(I would like to note that my mum does not have those same views and is very supportitve of my iden tity. She recently attended the local pride, in Elgin, and even got a rain bow watch strap that she said was in honour of me.)
I do remember one day, I had been reading and praying all morning. Clutching my own cross necklace and kneeling beside my bed, just talking to God. Suddenly, the most amazing feeling came across me, a sort of weighted comfort and light ness and hope was in me. It con fused me and also even scared me
However, as I got older, I began to feel confused and I struggled a lot with my identity within the Church. I was beginning to real ise that I might be bisexual, which was a terrifying idea in of itself, but I was becoming more aware of some Christian attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ community. When Googling how to be bisexual and Christian, I was bombarded with these ideas that I was a terrible person, that I was going to hell, that I should even be killed for sim ply loving another girl.
I loved going to Church. I loved the sense of community that en veloped every single member of the congregation and how we all helped support and guide each oth er. Everyone looked after everyone and there was no sense that I, or anyone for that matter, didn’t be long. I even got my own children’s bible and I spent every night pray ing to God to help me, to help my mum, my sisters and to guide us along the right path.
“We’re very much ‘big lights, plug in, lets play, done deal,’ but this is a very different beast.”
“We’d got in contact with BBC Music introducing, they’ve been there for us for 8 years since the band has been around.
On playing live again, Thomson was just excited to be back: “Our light at the end of the tunnel as a band was the idea we were going to get to play these songs live.
THE AMAZONS’ MATT THOMSON
The Amazon: A Few Tour Dates
5th - Welan's - Dublin
When asked what song he was most looking forward to playing, there was no hesitation - “Say It Again” - he said it so quickly, I thought he wanted the question again.“We never played it live as a band before we recorded it. When we play it in rehearsals, we are just trying to work out how to do it. We love it and it’s one of the best songs we’ve ever written, and we will crack the code and learn how to play it before October.”
The Amazons are going on tour in October, visiting 12 cities, and with a different support act for each venue. Instead of having an opening act that tours with them, a local band will support them at the corresponding gig.
16th- SWG3 - Glasgow
17th - Boiler Shop - Newcastle
“Our brief to ourselves was we should be making music for that festival, for that set, and trying to bottle up that desire and yearn ing for connection.
more dates can
@theamazons
“Our light at the end of the tunnel as a band was the idea we were going to get to play these songs live.”
be found on the www.theamazons.co.uk
Image Credit: @theamazons on Twitter
“WE thought we’d just throw out one more thing.”
By Charlotte Sutcliffe
The band recently got back on the road, opening for their friends Royal Blood, during which they got quite into TikTok. The band began what they called “ZonTok”, a play on the band’s name, and used it to document fun but cha otic tour diaries.
“It’s such a thrill to play these songs live and not even in the big lights and confetti way. It was de signed in the ‘looking at people and they’re looking back, we’re singing the words’ way.”
2022
“They sent us a huge list of bands, some we were familiar with and some that we weren’t. There were honestly like ten bands from each county. So we listened to so much music.”
“The conversation happened where we were like ‘We’re going to have to use TikTok. I'm doom scrolling enough anyway, I might as well be more productive.’ We’re just trying to find our voice on it.”
Leaving a lot to imagination, Matt didn’t go into any more de tail about the look for the tour.
Thomson continued: “I am excit ed about the tour because we’re going in a direction we haven’t been before. A conceptual show from the production. What you see on stage will be very different for an Amazons show. How we’ve constructed the set is different to what we’re used to.”
Finally, we chatted about the fact that Jim Abbiss, the legend ary producer of Arctic Monkeys’ ‘Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not’ produced their en tire“Jimrecord.Abbiss was the number one on our list, but we didn’t know if it was going to happen. He listened to our demos and the songs, we had a couple of calls, and kinda had a couple of meetings at the pub.“He helped us be a better band and be more open in our decision making. He was deeply influential to how we approach music in the future.”
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6th October - Limelite - Belfast
That was Matt Thomson, lead singer of The Amazons chatting about There’s A Light, the last single to be released before their third studio album ‘How Will I Know If Heaven Will Find Me’. “We wanted to give another side to the record.”Thesong was incredibly dif ferent to their first single from the record, Bloodrush. “We knew Bloodrush would feel like a real ly good opening single, we knew that for ages. It’s how we wanted to start the story really.”
Image Credit: on
Café Concerts: Morris Begg Duo – Saturday, 10 September – 1.30pm-2pm & 2.30pm- 3pm
IF you are wondering what's on this month at The Albert Halls, here's a couple events that may interest you:
Take a trip back in time to when Motown was all the rage. Hearing classics from artists such as Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, The Jackson 5, Diana Ross and many more leg ends of the time.
By Carly McKim MUSIC EDITOR
Michael Bublé and cannot wait till the festive season to listen to his tunes, then this tribute act is the one for you. With tickets costing around £18 (plus 6% booking fee), this is a great night to attend if you are craving the music of Bublé.
Keith James – The Songs of Nick Drake – Saturday 10, September – 7.30pm (Doors)
THE Tolbooth is Stirling city cen tre’s key venue for live music and arts events. Located at the top of the old town on Broad Street, the venue has a rich history which dates to the 17th century. The build ing was formerly a courthouse and jail, and most famously housed John Baird and Andrew Hardie, Scottish revolutionaries of the Radical War in 1820. The pair were executed outside the Tolbooth on 8 September of that year. The two have since been remembered as a martyrs to the fight for universal suffrage.Despite its haunting past, The Tolbooth has created a name for it self as ‘one of the best small venues in Scotland and beyond’. The stun ning building boasts a fully-fitted professional level recording stu dio, several multi-function meet ing and performance spaces, and a chic café bar with exceptional views of Stirling.
Image Credit: What’s On Stirling
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With tickets costing between £25.50 - £27.50, it's a great price to be able to see this fun filled
performance.BigBandBublé7thOctober2022Ifyouareafanof
BLOODY Scotland Exhibition – Saturday, 3 September – Saturday, 24 September – Tolbooth10am-5pm
Below is a list of events that take place this month, starting the beginning of Fresher’s Week:
The Paul McKenna Band – Thursday, 22 September –7.00pm
Tolbooth Café Concerts: Hector Shaw – Saturday, 17 September – 1.30pm-2pm & 2.30pm- 3pm
Image Credit: What’s On Stirling
By Nikita Vance
Siobhan Miller – Saturday, 24 September – 7.30pm (Doors)
Ross Ainslie & Ali Hutton –Friday, 30 September – 7.30pm (Doors)
The main hall seats up to 500 people between the floor and the balcony.TheHalls have great choices for all; whether you are inter ested in Swan Lake or some Motown funk, there's something forTheeveryone.Hallsalso accommodate conferences and weddings in its Lesser Hall, on the first floor. It is a much smaller space and holds up to 100 people.
If you are feeling a bit hungry before or after your show, there is a lovely bistro restaurant in side the venue you can grab a bite in.
Salt House – Thursday, 29 September – 7.30pm (Doors)
Some of the classes available in clude ‘Adult Painting with Peter Russell’ – which takes place each Wednesday and Friday from 10am - 1pm, available from 21 September to 25 November; and ‘Ceramics –Adult’ – which takes place every Thursday from 3.30-5.30pm and again at 7-9pm, available from 22 September to 24 November. Both classes are mixed ability and can be booked through ‘Creative – Learning’ at stirlingevents.org where you can also find more in formation regarding pricing and other classes.
THE Albert Halls opened over a century ago and has always been a centre for Stirling's music events and exhibitions. Over the years it has attracted many pro lific artists such as Morrissey.
Image Credit: What’s On Stirling
Tolbooth(Doors)Café
THE ALBERT HALLS: VENUE FOR ALL
THE TOLBOOTH: STIRLING’S HUB FOR MUSIC AND THE ARTS
Concerts: Matt Carmichael – Saturday, 24 September – 1.30pm-2pm & 2.30pm- 3pm
Its year-round programme fea tures music from both established and upcoming artists from all gen res, alongside regular features of comedy, film, talks, theatre events and exhibitions. Also on offer is a diverse range of creative and learning workshops and classes, which are available for all to at tend, making the arts more acces sible to the public.
The Albert Halls are situat ed close to the city centre, on Dumbarton Road, so is accessi ble for most people.
Magic of Motown 10th September 2022
Couple that with bad casting and a weak interpretation of Austen's final book, and you have a disaster.
University of Stirling. It offers a variety of pro ductions like live drama and hasproaching,semester£4.50.screeningsasperformances,balletwellasfilmfromWiththenewapBrigtakenalook
But slowly the magic disap pears as Miller struggles to find a satisfying way to end this
A RESURGENCE of regency sto ries has taken over streaming platforms giving period pieces a much-needed modern twist. But this trend doesn't always hit the mark.Atfirst glance, itís hard to put your finger on why Persuasion (2022) doesn't work. But, in other ways, it's staring you in the face.
BRIDGERTON VS PERSUASION: HOW TO DO REGENCY THE RIGHT WAY
Macrobert's logo. Image Credit: Macrobert Arts Centre
fantasticalIndividually,tale.Swinton and Elba are as talented as ever. But hav ing chemistry together was nev er in the cards for them.
While Bridgerton has no factbased storyline, it does know what it is trying to be and executes it brilliantly.Whenashow is so grounded in an era and complies with many wellknown traits from that time and
Namely, the modern choice of soundtrack running throughout, or the amazing diversity in casting. Persuasion follows the original Jane Austen book relatively close ly in terms of plot, characters, and themes.Yet,when the filmmakers mis match a sometimes-convincing story with random placings of modern and period language, it just doesn't cut the mustard.
By Nicky Foley
and My Old School- Jono McLeodís documentary on the Brandon Lee scandal.Brig asked Grahame Reid, Film Programme Manager at Macrobert Arts Centre, for a com ment on their Autumn schedule: "There is a whole host of film re leases in the Autumn that we are really excited by, from the next bigbudget Marvel adventure Black Panther: Wakanda Forever†to Martin McDonagh's highly antici pated The Banshees of Inisherin," GrahameSomethingrevealed.theyounger genera tions of students might particular ly enjoy is the special screening of the iconic teen drama Mean Girls (dir. Mark Waters, 2004), which will be held "Pridingin...pyjamas.ourselves on offering a
place, it can then play around with other aspects of its format.
Three Thousand Years of Longing is sweet escapism for a while but eventually it will send you hurtling back to reality.
On September 9 comes the pre miere of two highly anticipated productions. See How They Run - Tom George's mystery comedy starring Academy Award win ner Sam Rockwell and Academy Award nominee Saoirse Ronan;
Three Thousand Years Of Longing Never-endingReview:Story
The first act is seamless, like a fairy tale that we all seem to be born knowing. It is effortless the way it weaves its narrative.
Inside Macrobertthe Arts Centre.
Anne Elliot played by Dakota Johnson. Credit: Nick Wall, Courtesy of Netflix
Where Director George Miller fumbles is by trying to trap the short story under the con straints of CGI.
(L-R) Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba star in ThreeThousandYearsofLonging Credit: MGM
takenCentreMacrobertCredit:Arts(picturebyCiaraTait)
Most Anticipated: What Is Coming to Macrobert This Autumn?
Persuasion is a bad romance film pretending to be a high-budget re vamp of arguably the least known of Austen's works.
By Rebecca Crockett FILM AND TV EDITOR
Adapted from the short story, The Djinn In The Nightingale's Eye by A.S. Bryant, the film lures you in with fantastical re alism that will capture even the most ardent cynic.
By Julia Adamska
(L-R) Dakota Johnsone in Peruasion (2022) and Pheobe Dynevor in Bridgerton (2020-). Image Credit: Rebecca Crockett via Canva
Three Thousand Years of Longing pairs a simple premise with a vast journey through out history as the Djinn (played by Idris Elba) tries to convince the sceptical academic (Tilda Swinton) to make a wish.
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AFTER a scholar of mytholo gy unwittingly releases a Djinn from his lamp, she is rewarded with three wishes in return for his freedom. But armed with countless stories about the dan gers of magic, this may prove easier said than done.
You can't help but contrast this film with other contempo rary twists of the regency peri od, such as fellow Netflix alumni, Bridgerton (2020-). When placed together, Persuasionís shortcom ings are fully exposed.
varied range of films; we like to of fer a bit more than just your stand ard new releases. This semester we will also have a pyjama screening of Mean Girls the week after fresh ers, director Q&As such as†Ride the Wave†on Sep 26th and the return of The Central Scotland Documentary
The Netflix adaption, starring Dakota Johnson, breaks the 4th wall in a way that has more of a Mrs Browns Boys vibe than the brilliance of Fleabag.
Don't compare Persuasion to Bridgerton and other regency ad aptations who got it right. It will leave you feeling deflated and wishing this story had been told in a way befitting of Austen's literary genius.
at Macrobert's September releases to bring you our top picks.
The poster for Longing.ThreeThousandYearsOf Credit: MGM
LOOKING for cheaper cinema tickets? Macrobert Arts Centre has you covered with its on-campus theatre.Macrobert Arts Centre is a cul tural centre point of entertainment located next to the Atrium at the
Festival in November, Grahame confirmed.Formoreinformation on what the Macrobert Centre has to offer visit macrobertartscentre.org
carrying responsibility at the time, and thereís also the responsibility of not being the person to bring the whole thing down. I pretty much quarantined with my mum, they didn't ask me to, but I was like, "I'm battening down the hatches, I'm not going out until I'm in at least a few scenes." We started filming in January, so we had snow storms. All the snow that you see in season six is completely real. The writers were under so much pressure be cause there were scenes that were rewritten to be outside to help with COVID ventilation but then had to be rewritten overnight to go inside because a snowstorm would come. "Also, you're stepping into an
"It is such a shame that it's not taught in the curriculum anymore
"It was weird. I think we were all
By Robyn Duffy
What was your reaction when you bagged the role?
Tell us about your character.
season six, and she's one of the new Scottish settlers on the ridge. She comes over on a boat with her hus band and two sons. Unfortunately, on the journey over, she loses her husband. So, she's in this complete ly new land, totally alone with no husband, and you needed one back then. She's a reminder of home for the settlers. I think everybody there at that time had been away from Scotland for quite a while, so it's just like a fresh breath of tar tan. But yeah, she is sort of finding her place and finding out how to survive as a widower."
I HAD the pleasure of chatting with actress Joanne Thomson to discuss her recent role on Outlander, depicting Gaelic in the show and shooting during COVID.
What was it like rehearsing and shooting during COVID?
because it would be great. I love that in Outlander, because they've made an intentional decision not to subtitle the Gaelic so that you feel how Claire feels as an outsider. I think that's a lovely thing.
Joanne is an actress, writer and director from Glasgow who stud ied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. She recently played Amy McCallum in season six of the hit show Outlander.
JOANNE THOMSON INTERVIEW: OUTLANDER STAR TELLS BRIG 'IT'S A REALLY TOUGH INDUSTRY; THAT'S THE REALITY OF IT.'
the
Outlander. Image Credit: Image Credit: Starz and Sony, provided by Joanne Thomson
"This was my first acting job in two or three years. At the time, I'd just come back from London. I was working like seven jobs, and I was miserable. I actually took a yearlong break for no auditions. It's a really tough industry; that's the re ality of it. I started writing instead. To get a job in the middle of all that just meant a lot. It was my way back in because I was very much out. At the time, I had a flatmate staying with me, she was a huge Outlander fan. One of the first things she'd asked me was, have you auditioned for Outlander? and I was like, Yes, three times. She was there when I got the call, and she knew how much it meant to me. She was on the floor crying in the kitchen.
"I play a character called Amy McCallum. They're in North Carolina in America, the setting of
existing, real work family, and you can't socialize outside of work, and you've got to try to smile behind a mask. That was a shame. Things started to ease up during the sum mer, it was a lot nicer."
Joanne Thomson. Image Credit: Cass Michael, (provided by Joanne Thomson)
brignews.com
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(L-R) Sam Heughan, Caitriona Balfe, Sophie Skelton and Richard Rankin in Outlander. Credit: Starz
"It's nice to romanticise where I'm from. It's very refreshing. I think what itís done for the tourist indus try in Scotland is amazing. I took my friend on a tour to the locations they do filming at, which are phe nomenal, and you do get swept up in things."Read full article at
Do you know any Gaelic?
"I don't speak Gaelic. When I got the job, I thought my character would know Gaelic. So I started learning it on Duolingo in case I got scripted any of it. I thought it might help with the accent too. Although I ended up not having to use it be cause they cast a Glaswegian boy as my son.
WORD SEARCH Find the Stirling themed words. 1. Loch 2. Fubar 3. Scran 4. Castle 5. Dumyat 6. Wallace 7. Cottrell 8. Pathfoot 9. 10.StirlingMacrobert
Rachel PoliticsSwanEditor
Freya Deyell Food Editor
Lucie Smith Braw Magazine Editor
Isla Editor-in-ChiefGlen Molly DeputyBishopEditor
Carly MusicMcKimEditor
Robyn Duffy Head of Social Media
Julia CommentBenkoEditor
Hunter GamingRobinson&Technology Editor
BRIG 2022/23 EDITORIAL TEAM
Rebecca Crockett Film & TV Editor
Rio LifestyleKerr Editor
Andrew Robson News & Sports Editor
John SportsTurnbullEditor
AJ SecretaryWhyte
Rebecca Kerr News Editor
Charlotte Sutcliffe Features Editor
JOIN BRIG Brig is always looking for new writers, sub-editors, pho tographers and social media enthusiasts. We are recruting for: - Head of Advertising - Politics Editor - Arts Editor - Head of Photography Email editor@brignews.com or message us on social media if interested.
Emma Halliday Head of Design
Ross ChiefCollieSub-Editor
It´s not about who wants to spend time with you, it´s about who you want around you instead.
So here is some advice on how to learn from my mistakes. You´ll have a lot of time to make your own.
time to try something new. You can learn a new skill or make new friends. The university has a wide range of clubs and societies available for all students to join at any point of the year. During fresher's week clubs and socie ties offer free Give It a Go Sessions, so make sure to take advantage of this and try as many as you like.
Trust your gut feeling and take steps to open to the people that are worth it. Don´t shy away from intimacy. Don´t be afraid to walk away from people that you don´t feel com fortable around either.
2. Stay protected from freshers' flu
We all have different things that excite us. It could be writing, music, comics or BTS.Whatever it is: sharing your favourite topic with other people helps you connect and find like people. It's very com mon when you have a first shared interest with some one; it's a great basis to di versify conversations into a deeper connection.
Don'ts
Braw has compiled a list of dos and don'ts to help your freshers go as smoothly as possible.
Connect through hobbies, passions, and fandoms.
When I first came to university, I wanted it all. I wanted to hang out with a bunch of diverse, exciting, and new people. Instead of focusing on what I wanted out of friendship and intimacy, I lost myself in the ocean of individuals. Mainly, I was grateful to have people that wanted to get to know me.
3. Commit flat-cest
Dos 1.Try Fresherseverythingisthebest
Freshers flu is not your common cold, it is the worst cold of your life on acid. No one knows what it is or where it comes from. All we know is, if you do not want to be laid up in your bed while your friends hit the town. Listen to your mum and look after yourself.3.Engage in your course group chat
Image credit: Aysun Bora
2.Spend your whole month's budget at once
FRESHERS is one of the most exciting yet nerve racking experiences in university life. You are presented with choices, opportunities, and people all at once, so it is easy to get overwhelmed and shut your door and not come out. However, everyone is feeling the exact same way. At its heart freshers is a time for you to find your footing in university life.
The best way to make friends with likeminded people is to look for people on your course. These people are essential in your life. You always need a study buddy and someone you can vent to about the 1500 essays you have to write; your course group chat is the best place for it.
Who makes you feel hap py, safe, and understood?
Meeting new people can be daunting, especially af ter high school. You leave a place where everyone has known you for years and now you are having to re-introduce yourself to strangers. It can be a difficult step to develop from strangers to friends, but trust and intimacy will make you feel like you belong. It is the people and the environment that make you feel home.
1.Do not ever rely on the bus. Especially not on the app I promise you that you have never experienced a fresh hell like waiting for the UL that will never show. Stirling has many good points, but bus travel is not it. We have fancy apps and timetables, but save yourself the data. It does not work and it is always late, so save yourself the hassle.
BRAW'S GUIDE TO SURVIVING FRESHERS
It is exciting when your bank account goes from nothing to thousands, but it is important that you grasp the idea of budg eting early. Even if you have a wee list of essentials you track or download apps like Monzo, which help you separate money into different folders.
Now it might be exciting when you first get to university and you are in complete control, however, this is the best advice. You do not want the one awkward moment you regret lingering around every time you go to make a cuppa.
Remember that you are calling the shots.
You don´t have to hang out with everyone. Try out meeting a few new people and focus on the people you connect with the most.
Don´t be afraid to open up.
FEEL like a misfit? This is a small guide on how to find your people at university.
1. Figure out what you like Whether you’re a virgin or a serial dater, it takes a good few years and a lot of mistakes to figure out what does it for you and what you want to explore. Do not be afraid to dive into something that makes you nervous. Or if you want to explore what feels good for yourself don’t be afraid to touch yourself, SAAS is coming so get yourself some toys. Make sure you know what turns you on before you add others into the equation.
2. An extension cable.
1. Excessive stationery.
People use different pronouns, and you must respect that. Misgendering is incredibly harmful, even when it’s not intentional. Therefore, even if you’re cisgender, put your pronouns out there – make them seen. Write them it your bio on Twitter. Let’s normalise saying pronouns.
Five ways to be more inclusive at university
By Lucie Smith BRAW EDITOR
By Jules Adamska
When packing for university, especially inyour first year, it is easy to get carried away.Many students find themselves either overor under-packing and end up with packedstorage spaces or emergency shopping tripsto deal with.
While there will be washing and drying fa cilities available, they can be costly and take a lot of time. To save some money, invest in a clothes horse or an over-the-radiator rack.
The university must remain a safe space for everybody. Must. As in non-negotiable. This isn’t high school, there is no room here for petty quarrels. The students and staff cannot feel like they aren’t welcome in their place of education or work. If you notice someone you think is using the ‘wrong’ toilet – ignore it. Don’t tell them off. That’s most likely your transgender peer using all their courage to even walk in there. Don’t discourage someone for being true to themselves.
WHAT to bring:
Tea towels get very gross, very quickly. Especially when sharing tea towels with your flat mates, be sure to pack enough to last in between washes - ideally two or more.
4. Mind the pronouns
4. Make sure you are prepared Right, now, for the awkward housekeeping. If you're living it up at uni, the last thing you want is a string of uncomfortable conver sations, and an even worse uncomfortable feeling that results in a lot of cranberry juice and a rattle of antibiotics. Just put yourself through the less awkward task of getting tested every three months. It's less painful than you think and offers you a vital of mind.
If you end up needing them for your course. you can order them. They may also be provided to you via scans or free library copies.
2. Stay open-minded
3. Be nice, not fake
1. Something to hang wet clothes on.
1. Don’t single people out
To put your mind at ease when you're out with someone let a friend or flatmate know where you are. Even better, keep Snap Maps or your location on to give yourself an extra sense of security.
4. Important documents.
Although it’s tempting, resist the urge to bring 10 notebooks and every colour of pen that exists. A multiple subject book, a planner and some basic pencil case pieces are all you need. This is particular ly true for first year.
2. Find your voice
3.Always have an emergency call
Just because they are dressing extravagantly, wearing a lot of make-up, or verbally drawing attention to themselves, it doesn’t mean they are do ing it on purpose; they could just be stimming. That fresher from ASH is just minding their own business, and so should you. If you see someone behaving in a manner that seems odd to you, don’t point fingers at them. Accept that people are different, and different than you does not mean it’s wrong.
The most important thing is to stay realistic about what you will use throughout theyear, and to consider what is already provided in your university accommodation.
3. Anything you haven't used in the last three months.
Moving to university does not mean that things you haven't used in ages will suddenly become use ful. If you end up needing some thing you didn't bring, you can take advantage of nearby shops or use the Christmas holidays as a chance to collect it.
‘WHAT YOU (ACTUALLY ) NEED UNIVERSITY’BRINGTOTO
Top tips for a healthy sex life at university
It is important in these situations to be able to voice exactly what you want. No matter if it is a one-night stand or a new fling, you must be able to set boundaries and develop a healthy line of commu nication. Use the traffic light system so both parties are on the same page. It's essential that we have these conversations, to ensure all parties are giving their consent. All sex is good sex as long as its consensual.
2. Every recommended course reading book.
5. Work together to create a safe space
By Deanna Dawn
WITH a new generation of freshers coming to Stirling, we are reminded that times are progressing, and so must we. The best approach to improv ing the environment is to start with yourself. Here are five ways we can make our peers feel more included.
What not to bring:
It's difficult to be sure where the plugs will be in your room and living space. An exten sion cable will always come in handy.
You do not need the stress of phoning home because you don't know your national insurance number. Keep all your important documents (ID, birth certificate, student loan forms, bank details) with you for easy access
Don’t talk crap about others when you can’t understand them. People are gay, Steven. It’s not their job to educate you on it, the responsibility is yours. We need to remember that we’re all different, and that’s a beautiful thing about humanity, it’s what makes us special. Don’t reject it, embrace it. Learn about why your peer seems to stand out, try to understand them, don’t renounce them for something they might be proud of.
Apart from the obvious things such as clothes, groceries, basic kitchenware and room decor, there are several things you may not even think about until you need them.
3. Enough tea towels.
UNIVERSITY is a prime time for you to explore yourself without the boundaries of watching eyes and the same people you have known since you were in nappies. It is time for you to be in control of yourself. For a lot of us, it is a prime time for us to let loose and discover our own sexuality. It is important to note that safety and pleasure go hand in hand.
Politeness is key, but don’t force it too much. Instead of pretending to be cool with something, try learning about it. You don’t understand what transgender means? That’s alright, but it doesn’t give you permission to talk behind somebody’s back. Dismissing others with fake niceness and then badmouthing them is toxic and does not belong in the adult world. Prove you’re mature, be open and honest with others without being rude at the same time.
hell-bent on becoming her friend, that Tori's status as a wallflower begins to change.
body has come to Stirling for its top-quali ty sports facilities. However, they are hoping they stay for its just as wouldn’tescapewhichtheweek,too.thephoricingandagrammingMacRobert’sentertainment,qualityasprooffershostofshowsfilmscenteraroundtheeumomentsofsportingworldSo,thisfresher'sheaddowntoMacrobertandseeworldyoucanto.For£4.50,whyyou?
As Solitaire's pranks go from harmless to frightening, Tori's out wardly apathetic projection falls apart. She experiences vibrantly written, viscerally frightening pan ic attacks that draw the reader into how she's feeling.
.
Solitaire Book Review
MacRobert Arts Centre offers pay-what-you-can tickets to students, with the minimum price starting at £4.50.
I'd recommend this book to fans of Alice Oseman and the young adult genre in general. Its tone is comparable to that of ‘History is All You Left Me ’ by Adam Silvera, or ‘What If It's Us ’ by Colleen Hoover; a great deal darker than most YA offerings, but still deeply enjoyable.
from Tori's perspective, however, Oseman can organi cally weave these elements into her life. It never feels melodra matic or overblown — instead, it feels realistic. That's one of the main strengths of Solitaire Everything feels so real.
to amplify marginalized voices throughout every stage of the cre ative process. This goal has been achieved repeatedly through our programming.”TheMacRobert Arts Centre fo cuses on inclusion and accessibil ity, with their layout, BSL inter preters, and their ‘All Voices Heard’ programming which champions diversity. It is important, because it means that everyone is represent ed on a central stage.
Or if you are feeling intrigued, open your mind and lose your self in a story that you had never crossed paths with before. From Shakespeare to cabaret, comedy to blockbuster; Its ideal material for the perfect study break.
MacRobert:BehindtheCurtain
I have a personal passion [...] to throughoutmarginalisedamplifyvoiceseverystageofthecreativeprocess.
By Madi Stocker
Solitaire's front cover. Credit:
By Lucie Smith
ALICE Oseman is best known as the creator of hit graphic novel series and Netflix show Heartstopper Solitaire follows teens Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring through a journey of first love and self-acceptance. While we do get glimpses of Nick and Charlie's relationship within the novel, Solitaire primarily fo cuses on Tori Spring, a sixth former battling undiagnosed depression. Tori's life is mundane - she wakes up, attends school, and spends time online before falling asleep.
to discuss how MacRobert operates within the student body.
They also offer pay-what-you-can tickets to students, with the min imum price starting at £4.50 - no need to wait for student finance to come in to be able to enjoy a night ofTheentertainment.MacRobertrecognizes that a substantial portion of the student
Ellen said: “I have a personal passion which the community of MacRobert shares, which is
I loved this book. It wouldn't be right to describe Solitaire as a roll ercoaster, because so much of it is told in Tori's calm, level tone. It isn't fast paced either. But what stops it from becoming boring are these vivid, eclectic segments that crop up throughout the narration.
You feel like you're there with Tori through her scattered thoughts and panicked observations. It makes the book's portrayal of men tal illness that much more effective.
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Amazon
Oseman's writing style also works to her advantage here. If you've ever read one of her novels, you'll know they're generally easy reads. Dialogue-heavy and simply writ ten, I've been able to finish most of her books within a day. Yet her writing has a wonder ful ability to tackle heavy topics with sensitivity and awareness; Solitaire is no exception. The story touches upon topics such as homo phobia, bullying and mental illness.
Image
~ Julie Ellen
Ellen expressed how the Macrobert offers a variety of di verse programming throughout the year, some of which is aimed specifically at the student body. MacRobert offers the perfect bal ance of a fresh new take of the atre that explores topical issues while partnering the program with more traditional shows, including pantomime.Ellenemphasizes the modern spin MacRobert puts upon the stereo typical upper-class nature of thea tre and chucks it out the windows of campus central.
Solitaire includes trigger warnings for: suicide, depression, bullying, homophobia, physical assault, self-harm, eating behaviours,obsessive-compulsivedisorders,misogynyandableism
The interior. Image Credit: MacRobert Arts Centre
It's only with the introduction of Solitaire, a group of pranksters causing havoc in her school, and Michael Holden, a fellow student
Brig sat down with the Artistic Director and CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of Macrobert, Julie Ellen,
THE Macrobert is one of Stirling University’s not-so-hidden gems. Found on the first floor of the atri um, it is the perfect place for fresh ers to explore. It is home to the uni versity’s own cinema and theatre house and offers plenty of oppor tunities for students to unwind in front of the stage and screen.
thewritingBystory
Whether your interests lie in fiction, non-fiction, photography or illustration, the Arts section provides a space of expression to all members.
There's nothing quite like it. We're not lunatics. There's a rich history of people like us, from all walks of life, practic ing our work. Names dripping through history, marking the pages of books. Mind you, the books the world reads tend to get us… wrong. There is a com plexity to our work that history tends to ignore. We are artists, really.Bringing me to my second point.Itis important to embrace uniqueness. If you want to be remembered, develop a trade mark. Leave a puzzle next to your work (although, do proof read. Spelling mistakes will be terribly embarrassing when people eventually crack it), or take a souvenir. Treat yourself. I knew of a man who used to make himself clothes from the things he took. I wouldn't rec ommend that.
While the rich were guaranteed did not even know of a bursary The education system has always been corrupted
From my stories as a little girl from the scheme
Image Credit: Canva
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Ah, here we go. This one. Here. Look at the way he stag gers, drunk and lolling. That sour smell is definitely vomit. Nobody will miss him.
The idea of being rich is nothing but a dream I have worked my hardest to get my education
The Inequality between the both is never fair The rules have taught the rich to never share No matter what the rich will have control The poor will have to stay in their role
PoetryCorner
THERE'S a few important things you need to know about what we are, should you want to truly join us. I highly recom mend it, by the way.
After all, isn't everyone afraid of the the dark?
It’s one set of rulesfor the very rich, another set for the rest of us.
Meanwhile the rich parents are nothing, but seductive
The rich fling the money in the lecturers faces Rich always get an advantage no matter the spaces
That's completely fine! Brig remains inclusive to all University of Stirling students, no matter their passions.
I hadn’t realised I would enjoy talking about all this so much. Mind you, there really is no substitute for the action. It fills your head with white noise and
Don't be afraid. Run for ward. Hold the knife up, bring it down hard. Straight into the chest. Nice and clean. Once, twice, three, times. Feel the bones crack. Watch the blood dance across his clothes. Isn't it beautiful? That deep red. Like candy apples. Look! This is my favourite part. See the light leave his eyes. You can see the exact moment he just… ceases. Isn't it fascinating? The way life leaves them, and reduces them to things.
It is not just education that the rich thrive
I like turning people into things.Now, come on. Drag him into the side street. Just leave him there. Nobody cares anyway. You can leave your mark on this one, if you like. Pick some thing original, ok? Enjoy the power it gives you. Then you should go. Find somewhere you can hide. The world doesn't welcome us yet. Perhaps they will, some day. Or perhaps not. We will always just be addicts to them.
Skin is a difficult fabric to work with.
I have grafted to even get near to university
At least I know that my space was earned from hard work While the rich sit back with the widest smirk
By Demilee Shand By Niamh Brook
Flash ExecutingFiction:Art
Image Credit: Canva
Not a journalism student?
But the rules have changed throughout the nation
The rich will never know of a strive Some say we should not tarnish with the same brush Although they would not help us in a rush
crowds out everything else. Wait, where was I? Ah, yes. Number three. Management. Our way of life takes an im pressive amount of work to maintain. Don't linger too long. It's better not to get attached. Just give yourself a little taste, every now and then. Sips. Our work is swift, and decisive. Our work is… executed. See, I'm actually quite funny. Nobody ever seems to get that. Lastly, choose your victims carefully. People who are alone, or lost. Choose at night, on a dark, quiet street. Like this one. While we wait, remember to select your instruments wisely. Our work is all about choices. I'd suggest choosing something easy to use, and hide. Like this. See how long the blade is, the way it shines? I love turning it in my hand, watching the way light falls on it. Notice it fits my hand perfectly. That's how I know it's meant to be there. I have known my whole life that doing this is right. I can't seem to stop myself. I eventually re alised that I shouldn't have to. It keeps my head quiet. I suppose you could call it an addiction, and us addicts. There is no rehab that can hold us. We have, in effect, been abandoned. The people at the
edges, overlooked. Perhaps it's easier to avoid us.
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Despite this abundance, few games manage to recapture the magic of Minecraft’s system.
In Terraria, for example, crafting new items is what allows players to explore new areas. Here, players find new resources and can craft better items, to ex plore more new areas, and soEvenon. if the user interface is dull at times, players are incen tivised, and even excited to craft because of all the new opportuni ties it will present to them within theIncreasingly,world. however, crafting is a slog to get through while mak ing no contribution to gameplay progression.InRedDead Redemption 2, crafting is completely optional,
The issue I have with crafting in most cases is simple. It’s Generally,boring.once the cor rect resources have been gathered, all it amounts to is scrolling through end less menus, recipes, and guides. All that, just to then produce the item with the press of a button.
Physically assembling a stone pickaxe in Minecraft. Image credit: Connected Camps
It’s incredibly intuitive. It also greatly contributes to the game’s accessibility, and in particular its popularity with children. No mat ter whether you can read, or what language you speak, in Minecraft everyone learns the same visual language.
THE last decade saw an array of resource gathering and crafting systems in popular games.
consistent logic. It’s much more satisfying to figure out that a torch is crafted by dragging coal atop a stick, than to select it from a menu.
Another possible ap proach is to turn craft ing into a mini game. In Spirit Farer, machinery for crafting has to be op erated by the player in real time. This is achieved through timed button presses and moving the character to various switches and levers.
Unlike the freedom found in Breath of the Wild’s system, this is a lot more controlled. As such, it’s a successful method of avoiding monotonous menus, while still present ing a carefully structured experience.Thereare a lot of ways to implement crafting into games. Ultimately, I just hope that the exam ples I’ve mentioned start to make an impact. I want the industry to stop shoving crafting in as an af ter-thought, and instead treat it as a means of satisfying progression. Moreover, it would be great to see less passivity. An increase in sys tems that encourage problem solv ing, and a decrease in those that insight less effort than ordering dessert in a restaurant.
CRAFTING IN GAMES IS BORING –HERE’S HOW TO FIX IT
Crafting often feels like an after-thought. For the most part, I think that the po tential of such a system is wasted. Here’s why I think this is, and what can be done to fix this problem:
Forging a sword should feel visceral and engaging. Instead, it feels like survey ing the Argos catalogue.
Developers everywhere have scrambled to try and mirror even a small part of this success. So much so, that while the feature exist ed before Minecraft, craft ing mechanics feel almost unavoidable now.
It can be extremely tedi ous, and I often struggle to find motivation to interact with these systems at all. Some games do manage to get away with this menubased style of crafting, by having it act as part of a satisfying gameplay loop.
Forfun.instance, there are multiple ways to build a campfire in Breath of the Wild, and none of them involve selecting it from a menu. Wood can be lit by; hitting coal to generate sparks, using the games elemental fire weapons, or using metal items to conduct lightning in a storm.These are all ridiculous, but make perfect sense within the game’s world, and are a joy to discover.
hands-on, imitating the nature of real-lifeMinecraft’sconstruction.systemdoes this per fectly. Players physically assemble
Crafting in games doesn’t have to look real to be engaging. It just has to feel real to the player. This means creating systems that are
Sadly, Minecraft’s crafting grid was optimised for PC.
certainly appears realistic, it’s hardly very immersive. If the sys tem is boring and not essential, why use it at all?
For console releases, it was sup plemented with traditional men us. The absence of a keyboard and mouse is certainly a barrier for a grid-based system. Even so, there are sev eral examples of games on consoles that take in fluences from Minecraft’s kinetic crafting system and put their own spin onTheit. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s chem istry engine allows differ ent elements to interact with each other. This echoes Minecraft’s grid system in how tactile it feels, however, comes into its own in encouraging player experimentation and
By Joe Cromarty
and involves long, drawn-out cutscenes in the name of realism. While watching a character slow ly rotate a rabbit leg over a spit
Selecting an iron mace from a menu in Skyrim. Image credit: Segment Next
Minecraft had an enor mous impact after its of ficial release in 2011. The small indie start-up about punching trees and digging holes quickly became the defining game of the 2010s, and eventually the highest selling title of all time.
materials together in a 3x3 grid. You want a bucket? Drag and drop iron into the shape of one. A book? Just place paper next to leather.Isthis realistic? Not at all. But it engages the player with simple puzzles that follow the game’s
all the good stuff a story about an investigative journalist breaking into a sinister asylum would deliv er- and more.
Once you open the link to their page, click the duplicate button at the top and it will automatically place it into your Notion. You can access it via the sidebar on the left and can even move it into differ ent work spaces by simply pulling it around with your mouse.
By Rachel Swan
In a post on the PlayStation blog, the developer compares The Outlast Trials as being like a TV series in terms of its structure, as opposed to the previous game, which had a linear, one-way mov ie-like narrative. It has also been confirmed that the new entry will retain the most appealing aspects of the previous games, such as twisted realism, decadence, and gore.Perfect!
By Charlotte Sutcliffe
You do this by simply looking around on the internet for people who have put their Notion tem plates
First is creating your account. Download the browser version onto your computer and make sure to sign up with your student account as you then get access to Notion for free.
FANS of the indie darling horror franchise have been salivating and writhing in agony simultaneously for the last five years at this point. With an announcement date of December 2017, and 2022 already more than halfway done one ques tion remains- when is Outlast 3 ac tually coming out?
After games like Silent Hill and Resident Evil started to get cook ie-cutter sixth sequels, we had to question where to go. (Some people love Downpour and Resident Evil 6 but come on. In comparison to the greats?) The third person, explora tion and hiding, occasional combat with an emphasis on smarts and puzzle solving became, as all genre games do, predictable and a little stale.Outlast, for myself and many hor ror fans became the new S tier in horror. While not perfect, and with predictable enemy movement at times, the whole ‘through the lens of the camera’ viewpoint in total dark ness, first person, was just what we needed. Not to mention the game is pretty messed up and gory, with
Databases are the different views and formats where you can display your information. They are table, board, gallery, list, calendar and timeline. These are very adaptable for your needs and are excellent for different ways to track and keep on top of Mediathings.isjust different forms of media which you can add to your notion such as images, videos and audios.Youdo this by taking the link of the form of media and paste it into the embed box after you’ve selected the chosen media in the drop down. Embeds take this slightly further with more specific embed link op tions like Google Docs.
To choose what building block you’d like to put into your page next use the forward slash ‘/’ function and you can then scroll through to the different options. You have to do this every time you want to add anything new to your page.
NOTION is a productivity plat form with the idea that you can have a singular space for everything.Particularly useful for students, it's a space to keep everything or ganised for university. It’s brilliant for keeping all of your notes from different modules and subjects in one place as well as making weekly to-do lists, meal planners or budg eting pages.
Freshers is the best time to get organised with Notion. Image credit: Parth Shah
Now just to hope for an official release date this year!
Trials.OutlastdatereleasethewaitingeagerlyareFansof StudiosBarrelsRedcredit:Image
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COVID-19 put a huge strain on de livery from a studio (Red Barrels) who were used to working in a team as small as 10. Okay, they did only officially tease it in 2019, but rum ors from Red Barrels were suggest ing a new game was in the works. There will be a closed-beta release of the game for Halloween. To be in with a chance of joining the closed beta, all you have to do is click ‘Request Access’ under the Join the Uninitialized on The Outlast Trials’ official Steam page. With no official release date aside from a vague 2022, this is something for fans to sink their teeth into in the meantime.RedBarrels are special. Their first and most excellent horror game in years at the time Outlast, was made in 14 months with a team of 10 peo ple. For fans of the survival horror genre, they will know exactly how revolutionary the game was in the history of the genre. A new mod ern entry into an already oversat urated and overly commercialised, hacked-into-pieces survival horror overload in the market.
You are then free to edit it to fit what you need, deleting anything or adding anything as necessary.
Inlines essentially is a link to an other page or location within your notion which you can do by using the ‘@’ button or selecting it on the drop down as discussed above.
While not personally my favour ite, their second outing, Outlast 2, is still an absolutely terrifying experience. In many ways it's bet ter, and in some worse, but that is for another article. Both games are definitely industry stand ard-makers now, despite their continued indie status with small teams.Like many, I was a little dis appointed when I realised that Outlast 3, or Outlast Trials which is the definite release title, isn't going to be single player, nor is it a direct sequel to the stories of the previous games. Instead, you are on player of 4 (I believe, it’s still vague) in a lab pre-Outlast and Outlast 2, exploring the origins of the terrible forces the scientists are playing with on you during the Cold War. I’m not mad about it, but at first, I was disheartened. Now, I'm kind of excited about the idea of escaping these horrific places and situations co-op with friends.There have been teasers, very short trailers, and all kinds of con cept art released on Red Barrels’ Twitter, but delays have pushed the 2021 release date to sometime ambiguously this year. Trials has a team of around 40 people work ing on it, so four times more than the Outlast team. But their lofty ambition for online multiplayer, while retaining their amazing horror and bold industry stand ards, coupled with COVID has made this a long wait for sure.
The bottom line with Notion is to take some time, think about what you want to track and use it for and mess around. For more visual prompts there are YouTube videos of people showing their own per sonalThereNotions.isnobetter time than the beginning of the academic year to try Notion, so have fun getting productive.
THE TOBEGINNERSTUDENTREALISTICGUIDENOTION
When you first open Notion, it can be incredibly overwhelming and underwhelming considering it opens with a blank page.
It is not for everybody but be cause of how flexible it is you can make it work for you depending on how your brain works.
The main thing to focus on when creating your own pages and workspaces is understanding the basic building blocks of Notion and then moving on to database, media, inlines and embeds.
The easiest way to begin to under stand Notion is to download other people’s templates. This may sound like cheating, but Notion is tricky enough to understand let alone be gin to create everything yourself. It simply means it becomes a lot quicker to be productive on Notion as you spend less time trying to make everything look aesthetically pleasing and more time being able to use the platform.
OUTLAST TRIALS: WHAT IS IT, AND WHEN IS IT COMING?
You can also see what you like and what you don’t and think of things you hadn’t before on how to use Notion.
Someonline.creators who have good templates are Nick Lafferty and TwirlingPages as well as the Notion website itself offering a variety of functional pages.
Freshers' flu: How to avoid and beat it MONTHLY THEME: ALL THINGS FRESHERS
Take precautions
Get plenty of rest
university also opened a brand-new gym in late 2020, which is handy for students on campus and can be a cheaper than other gyms around Stirling.
Alter your diet
Staying active as a student is not only essential to your physi cal health, but also your mental health. Here is how you can stay active while at university.
By Rio LIFESTYLEKerrEDITOR
Keeping active is just as simple as taking a walk, and best of all its free. It is a great but simple way to not only stay active, but clear your head and take a break from your studies.Ifyou
In 2020, the University of Stirling was named Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide. This is due to the university's worldclass sports facilities, including The National Tennis Centre and Olympic-sized swimming pool, and more.The
NextBike’s recent partnership with Santander has meant their existing Stirling fleet has been replaced with Santander Cycles branded smart bikes. These new bikes offer eight gears and smart features including improved GPS tracking, improved security and locking mechanisms.
While you're sick, you're going to want to look into food groups which can speed up the healing process. For example, garlic has both anti-inflammatory and antibiotic properties. Where possible, incorporate these bug-busting foods into your diet and take supplements to make up for vitamins and minerals you're not getting.
WHEN starting university, stay ing active tends to take the back seat in the list of priorities. Between going to class and going out, it isn't always easy to make time to look after yourself physically.
The best way to beat the bug is to avoid catching it in the first place. Although freshers’ week is a busy and exciting time, be sure to keep your immune system up by eating well, getting adequate sleep and avoiding too much close contact with others.
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Avoid alcohol and smoking
Join a sports club
will have a few hours of activity each week while also giving you the opportunity to meet more people. Clubs are a great all-round way of staying active and you can do it while doing something you are in terested in.
When you feel yourself coming down with any cold or flu-like symptoms, you must first test to make sure it isn't corona virus. If your test comes back negative, it's still important that you inform your flatmates of the situation and take steps to limit your contact with the social areas of your accommo dation. This will help to prevent spread.
Sleep will be vital to restoring your immune system, be sure to get plenty of rest during your sickness and after to prevent catching another bug.
Santander bikes. Image credit: Spirit Tait/Brig News
What should you do if you catch freshers’ flu?
In particular, avoid sharing things such as drinks, vapes or ciga rettes, as this can encourage the spread of sickness.
With eight locations around the city as well as the university, you can pick up a bike at the universi ty and leave it in the town centre. Just check the NextBike app to find where these locations are.
Joining a sports club ensures you
Switch the bus for a bike
With over 60 sports clubs to choose from, you are guaranteed to find something you enjoy. Whether you enjoy football, cheerleading or underwater hockey, there is some thing for everyone.
IF YOU'RE in any way knowledgeable about university, you've likely heard of the dreaded 'freshers’ flu'. Freshers’ flu is not a particular illness, but rather an umbrella term for a variety of bugs which pass from person to person at the start of the academic term.
The city of Stirling is a home to NextBike, the world’s most exten sive bike sharing provider, making getting around the city easier than ever. Instead of hopping on the bus, why not rent a bike instead?
Take a walk
fancy a challenge, Dumyat is just on the university's doorstep.
Stay hydrated
Staying active while at university
Water is crucial to getting better, as it helps to flush toxins from the system. If you have a sore throat, try lemon (and ginger) tea with honey. It's soothing on the throat and hydrating too!
Making use of the university's sports facilities
Keep yourself and your room clean
Sickness can cause sweating and coughing, surrounding you with more germs and bacteria. Change your sheets regularly, sanitise your hands and surfac es, and allow adequate airflow.
Freshers' flu can develop into a more serious illness, such as a chest infection like bronchitis or even pneumonia. If your illness persists over more than two weeks, seek advice from a medical professional.
Freshers' flu. Image Credit: Pexels
By Deanna Dawn
Neither are good for your immune system and can dras tically slow down the healing process.
Student discount apps
StudentbeansUnidaysTotum
miss out on opportunities to use your student ID card to receive a bargain on a wide range of goods.
By Rio Kerr
STARTING university can be an overwhelming time for many. It can be a big change for many students, with a lot more responsibility as well as work.With
These are points which are cov ered in more detail in an article on Brig’s website, which explores the benefits of joining a student socie ty. If you are worried that you will be the only new person who attends a meeting, you can be reassured that clubs are always searching for new members who can bring a fresh perspective to their society.
Getting organisedfor the semester ahead: How to stay on top of yourstudies
Students. Image Credit:
Take notes of important deadlines
Get a diary or use an online calendar to keep track of due dates as well as other impor tant information.
so much going on, it is easy to fall behind with your studies. Staying organised is essential to keeping on track with your work. Here are some tips on exactly how to do that.
Many students hate readings, but if you keep on top of them it will make your life a lot easier. Readings are essential when it comes to writ ing essays and tackling them soon er will make it easier later.
- Meet new people - Join a club -Climb Dumyat ...
When surrounded by fellow stu dents on a daily basis, it can be easy to forget that not everyone knows that you are a student. This may mean that you unknowingly
THE COVID-19 pandemic has dis rupted large parts of the student experience over the last two years, including what students can expect as a ‘fresher’. Luckily, Brig has been a part of life on campus for over 50 years, so here are Brig’s top tips for freshers so that you can gain the most from your first experiences of university.
By Ryan Barclay
The crucial thing is to have a great time as you are only a fresher once, we hope to see some of you as Brig members at our ‘give it a go’.
Organising. Image Credit: Pexels
Getting into a routine is a great way to stay on top on your universi ty work. Blocking out time through out the week to study will ensure you are using the time you have as efficiently as possible.
Getting a head start on work will give you some leeway if something gets in the way. If you get sick or your family pops up for a surprise visit, you will still have time to get your work completed.
Avoid burning yourself out. The last thing you want to do is burn yourself out as this will lead to you falling behind in your work.
During the month of September, clubs and societies will be hosting ‘give it a go’ sessions, which is the perfect opportunity to try an activ ity or socialise before committing to purchasing a membership of the society from the Student’s Union.
Top tips for freshers
Use student discounts
Pexels
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Your time as a student and a fresher can evaporate very quick ly, so writing a bucket list of things which you want to do or achieve which are non-academic is a use ful way of making sure you get the most from your freshers’ ex perience. A list will help ensure you strike a good balance between grades and socialising.
Keep on top of readings
Try and get a head start om work
If you are struggling to keep on top of your work, don't pan ic. Talk to your personal tutor if you need help or support.
Join a club or society
To-Do
You need to take breaks. Make sure you are getting away from your laptop and getting out for at least some fresh air. Plan some exciting days throughout the semester.
No matter how well you plan, something will always pop up. Don’t leave yourself with a tight schedule to get the work done.
Scheduling some much-needed downtime is also essential for ei ther leisure or self-care. Create a daily routine for yourself to follow day in and day out and make sure it works for you.
Deadlines are so important and the last thing you want to do is miss them. Missing dead lines will not only impact your grades, but also your time for your next assignment or exam.
This can be useful as a fresher when you are not used to local pric ing of items yet.
Take a break!
Joining a club or society, whether that be a sports club or just one of your hobbies is one of the best ways to experience freshers, because it can offer relaxation as you take a break from your studies, allows you to socialise with fellow stu dents and meet people whom you may never had met otherwise.
Write a bucket list
Create a routine
King’s Park is where all the stu dents land in the summer for sun bathing, barbeques or ball games, but it’s a lovely walk. If you contin ue down the road you’ll reach the King’s and Queen’s knot. These are open all year round and can also be an entrance to the Back Walk.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEFGlenTheWallace
3. Go to Stirling Castle
Pandemic students may have avoided a few years of this. Now we’re all equally lost in the maze of classrooms and are hope lessly following the maps.
What better way to make friends, develop a skill or have fun while be ing a Personally,student? I heard Brig Newspaper is the one to join…
All students want to rep the uni and the iconic hoodie is the best way to do that.
There’s a ‘pay what you can’ sys tem for lots of screenings - £4.50, £6.50 or £8.50 for a ticket – which is perfect for skint students looking for some entertainment.
It wouldn’t be student life without a good There’spub.Kilted Kangaroo, the Aussie bar. Morrison’s Cold Beer Company is where sports fans to come together. Molly Malones, City Walls, the Corn Exchange and Nicky Tam’s are some other popu lar options.
10. Go to the Old Town Cemetery
Cambuskenneth Abbey is an Augustinian monastery just out of Stirling. Walk through Riverside, over the Cambuskenneth bridge and into the village. The houses are beautiful, adorned with flowers at certain points of the year.
16. Spot an Olympian
Callander is the perfect day trip
Scran is famous for its pizzas and for such a cheap price, how can you complain?Perfectfor lunch or dinner or that stressful study day.
Monument. Image Credit: Brig Stirling Castle. Image Credit: Get your guide
Stirling Castle is an icon of inde pendence and has changed hands often.There’s an old saying: “He who holds Stirling, holds Scotland.”
Being beside Fubar, TasteBudz has landed the best location in Stirling.Many students will end up here after a night out for the best drunk food.
11. Stirling pubs
2. Visit the Wallace Monument
19. Go to Macrobert Arts Centre
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If you enjoy learning about his tory, this one’s for you.
Bridge of Allan is closer than Stirling to the university. Ciao has amazing pizza and Friend of Mine is the place for brunch. You can even walk to Dunblane via the Darn path.
There are dozens of interesting graves and accompanying tales. There’s a pond and a pyramid. Plus, Good Omens was filmed there last year.
15. Get a Scran pizza
You can follow the Back Walk from here or start from opposite Stirling’s library. It’s a straight forward path with interesting sculptures along the way.
It’s almost daily that I hear some body complain about missing the UL or having to park at the furthest car park.
We have a cinema on campus, how cool is that? You aren’t a Stirling student unless you’ve been once.
Gowan Hill gives you beautiful views of Stirling. The path begins along from the Union Street ac commodation and Lower Bridge Street. There’s a sign that says Gowan Hill which will direct you upwards. At the top, you will find the beheading stone.
WELCOME to Stirling – here is everything you should do as a stu dent here.
It may be steep, but it’s so worth it for some of the most beautiful falls in Scotland. Just take care and avoid risks around the waterfalls. Make sure to get the most out of your trip by visiting the lovely pubs and eateries. There’s also a beauti ful church.
6. Wednesdays at Fubar
12.Miss the UniLink or not be able to park your car
17. Join a society or sport club
Modelled off Mr Blobby, the pink and spotty character from Noel Edmond’s Saturday Night, the biscuit has become a must-try in Stirling.
And of course, there’s Spoons’.
in Stirlingshire. You can drive or get the 59 bus, which is around a tenner, and walk the rest.
4. Get a Blobby Biscuit from Bayne’s
8. Bracklinn Falls, Callander
Stirling is a sports university so expect to see a few sportspeople around.Ionce saw Duncan Scott out and about.
A weird start but hear me out. The Old Town Cemetery is the most peaceful place to think in Stirling. I could sit there and watch the hills all day.
When you’re drowning in course work and group projects are stress ing you out, Studio’s curly fries and cheap pints have your back.
5. Climb Dumyat
Sports clubs compete in BUCs and are out to celebrate or drown their sorrows.You’llbump into everyone you know and barely make it to your 9am Thursday seminar, but hey, that’s student life.
By Isla
The most famous Stirling bucket list item is climbing Dumyat. You know, that big hill behind the uni?
What is Bayne’s, I hear you ask? A chain of bakers found in the Central Belt and Tayside with one very famous biscuit.
From campus, start at Pendreich Way and follow Sheriffmuir Road. Keep heading up, until you reach Pendreich Forest park, then follow the signed footpath.
All freshers must learn early on that curly fries are the best item on the Union’s menu.
7. Have curly fries in the Union
1. Enjoy a walk around the loch
The Union shop is near the atrium exit and has all the Stirling merch you need.
Every student will struggle with transport at some point in their time here.
13. Go to TasteBudz after a night out
14. Get lost in Cottrell
STIRLING UNIVERSITY BUCKET LIST
20. Take a trip into Bridge of Allan
18. Buy a Stirling hoodie
Stirling is famous for its beautiful campus and the loch is the selling point.Inyour first week, you should ex plore campus, meet the swans and enjoy the scenic views.
9. Do the famous Stirling walks
Almost everywhere you look you’ll see a pointy building tower ingTheabove.Wallace Monument is one of the most picturesque structures in the area and dedicated to a local hero: William Wallace.
I like the Curly Coo or the Settle Inn for cosy vibes.
The walk up to the monument has cool animal statues and inside you can view the Hall of Heroes, stun ning stained-glass windows and at the top some of the best views in Stirling.Although, if you’re afraid of heights, this one might not be for you.
Stirling used to have more night life pre-pandemic. Now Dusk and Tingle are closed, the best night out isStudentsFubar. don’t go out on the weekends; Wednesday is the night.
Take a tour and see the Stirling tapestries, palace vaults and oth er exhibits.
page with resources. Image credit Charlotte SutcliffeKings Park Sign. Image Credit: Brig The loch. Image credit: Brig
Meet: Monday to Friday, 10am –4pm in the Student Services Hub, Campus Central. Go to the booking website to make an appointment. Email: ask@stir.ac.uk. Use your student email address or include your student ID number on a per sonal email address.
THE UNIVERSITY MENTAL HEALTH PANDEMIC
were wildly under prepared for supporting students through the new territory, leaving them on their own.
BridgeMacrobertBuyJoinSpotScranGetTastebudzbuslostinCottrellPizzaanOlympianasocietyorclubaStirlinghoodieArtsCentreofAllan
Stirling Castle Blobby
Bayne's
by a BBC draft re port that Cambridge University’s mental health services were brand ed as ‘ineffective’ and ‘unsustaina ble’. There have been five deaths at the university since March with one confirmed as suicide and four suspected to be suicide. Prior to the deaths, the University had found there were likely to be sig nificant inefficiencies and said it was embarking on a programme of change. It is unconfirmed wheth er the students who died had used their mental health services.
Walk around the loch
must do better. Students going into higher edu cation during the pandemic and post-pandemic have had some of the most disruptive years a young person can. There is improvement
25FEATURES 26-27FOOD 28-32SPORT
By Charlotte Sutcliffe FEATURES EDITOR
QR code that goes directly to the
The University of Dundee took second place with 228 in waiting. It was also shown that Glasgow students have experienced wait ing periods of 141 days for help and Edinburgh students waiting 105 days.Stirling was one of four Scottish universities to not report any stu dents on waiting lists alongside Aberdeen, St Andrews and West Scotland.Itwasrevealed
Wallace Monument
biscuit Climb WednesdaysDumyatat Fubar Union Curly Fries Bracklinn Falls Stirling Walk Old Town Cemetery
Unfortunately, it has become apparent that universities have not put in sufficient measures post-pandemic and students are actually struggling more. Just be cause the pandemic is over, the mental health crisis is not.
ic.
There was hope that now the pandemic was over, universities would be suitably equipped to help students. But there was also a hope that students would struggle less with mental health problems.
University of Stirling's student services where students can access mental health services. Image Credit: Ciara Tait University of Stirling's Mental wellbeing
As a result, there was a steady increase in mental health cases in students. The stress and isola tion that the pandemic and multi ple lockdowns put on to them was immense. Student Minds report ed that 65% of students said they needed additional help and advice during the Covid-19 pandemic. Of these, just 19% got the help they needed.Universities
There are multiple different ways you can access the Hub.
The Scottish Government called for a complete overhaul of Scottish Universities’ mental health ser vices. This follows the shocking revelation that almost 2,000 stu dents in Scotland are currently on waiting lists for counselling. The Scottish Liberal Democrats revealed through Freedom of Information requests that as of March 29 this year, 900 students at
Call: 01786 466022, Monday to Friday, 9am to 11am and 2pm to 4pm, Tuesday 10am-11am and 2pm-4pm.
A PANDEMIC within a pandem As Covid-19 devastated physi cal health, an unlikely side effect was the detrimental impact on people's mental health. Some of the worst affected were students, isolated from their peers, with un derwhelming online teaching and little to no support. Often left to the side, they were made to feel as if they were unimportant and there were much more pressing matters than online lectures and no fresh er’s week.
Tick listyouroffbucket
Now with rising living costs, stu dents are under more pressure than ever. NUS Scotland research has indicated that 64% of students’ financial worries are impacting their mental health, while 22% are concerned about running out of food. Ellie Gomersall, President of NUS Scotland, stated: “As the cost-of-living escalates, we’re like ly to see more students in crisis and distress unless the Scottish Government prioritises and se cures funding for student mental health.”Universities
of Stirling offers services for students to help pre vent strain and stress. This can help with anything from men tal health problems, stress, grief or anything else. The University recommends that if you are con cerned about your mental health and want to enquire about the support you can receive during your studies to contact the Student Services Hub.
the University of Edinburgh were awaiting support.
coming with the Government investing an additional £15 mil lion into university student men tal health, on top of the recent £3 million.TheUniversity
Stirling pubs Miss the
The plastic tub contained noo dles, egg fried rice and some sort of chicken curry, while the bag had a prawn cracker, pakoras, chips, bits of popadom, spring rolls and chicken.Weweren’t entirely sure what every item was, but this could eas ily be rectified by asking the staff.
While the mixing together of foods saves on packaging and therefore is more sustainable, it could ruin the experience for peo ple who prefer separate foods.
Located at the heart of the cam pus, the Co-op is always bustling with shoppers buying snacks to fuel their study sessions and gro ceries to fill their fridge. Co-op of fer a loyalty scheme, but it has a sign-up fee of £1.
TESCO Located a short bus ride away from campus, Tesco offers the most variety for student shoppers. With their free Tesco Clubcard scheme you can save money on essentials and treats which is a great way to maximise your budget if you choose to shop there.
THE Grand Buffet has one of Stirling’s lowest ratings on Too Good To Go, with 2.4 stars out of 5, so we decided to try it.
UNIVERSITY is expensive, and students are feeling the pinch as the cost of living continues to skyrocket.Coupled with the high cost of textbooks and tuition fees, stu dents are battling with the rising price of their weekly shop.
We compared the prices of three local supermarkets. Image: Ciara Tait
By Isla Glen and AJ Whyte
CO-OP
The chips were soft but firm, pro viding a good pairing for the cur ry. The spring roll was delicious despite being a little on the greasy side.Our biggest disappointment was the prawn cracker, which was soft, soggy and stale.
TOO GOOD TO GO: WHAT WE GOT FROM THE GRAND BUFFET
By Katie McGuigan
Unsurprisingly,£16.37
Upon arrival, a friendly staff member greeted me and handed me a bag containing one tub and a paper bag.
the most conven ient option is the most expensive. The Co-op is perfect for grabbing a post-lecture snack but can be a pricey option for your everyday groceries. Shopping at a cheaper supermarket allows you to reduce your living costs and make the most of your budget during your time at university. Why not use the money you save on groceries to join a society this semester?
If you’re not familiar with Too Good To Go, it’s an app designed to fight food waste. Customers pay a reduced price to rescue a mystery bag of surplus food.
rice were ruled out.
The food was all mixed together, which we assume is the reason for the low ratings. If you weren’t a fan of the curry, then the noodles and
I made my way to Friars Street to fetch our bag between 9 to 9.30pm, the designated collection time.
AJ’s favourite part was whatev er chicken bit they gave us, may be chicken pakora or something along those lines.
Overall, for £3.30 you get a great variety of food and it gives a great, cheap alternative to a takeaway.
We would give The Grand Buffet 3 stars out of 5. Its biggest drawback was the mixing of curry, noodles and rice.
ALDI
TOTAL= £30.99
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STIRLING'S REVEALEDSUPERMARKETCHEAPEST
Out of our three options, Aldi is the furthest away from the univer sity campus involving a short bus ride into the town centre then a fif teen-minute walk.
TOTAL=
The vegetable pakora was Isla’s favourite item, as it had an excel lent flavour and was crispy.
endless parties and get-togethers, finding a supermarket that fits your budget is an essential fresh er’s week activity.
THE LIST 800g bread 500g spaghetti 375g multigrain hoops 1 tin beans 1 tin This10500g3240g200g74400g500g2StockTomatoDried6100gtomatoesinstantcoffeeeggsbasilpureecubespintsofmilkbutteralternativecheesebakingpotatoesbananasbuttonmushroomsspinachonionsmincehamslicesisjustanexample
of what a weekly shop might look like and might not reflect your dietary re quirements. All prices are accurate at the time of writing.
What we recieved in our bag. Image: AJ Whyte
The egg fried rice and noodles were delicious. We aren’t the big gest fans of spice and while the cur ry was hot, it was still enjoyable.
Although it isn’t as fun as the
TOTAL= £18.07
To help freshers and returning students alike, Brig has scoured the shelves of three Stirling super markets to find you the most af fordable weekly shop.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Mix thoroughly with a wooden spool or electric mixer until smooth. Don’t worry if the mixture seems a bit thin - it will not be a thick as a stand ard cupcake batter.
“We were basically just like, what if we sold them ourselves?” Rachel told Brig
Skill
AFTER a long hot summer, it's safe to say that we are all looking forward to autumn. Halloween, cooler temperatures, falling leaves, and most importantly - Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latte.
amongst Starbucks lovers. Notably, the Toffee and Apple Muffin which will cost just £2.19, the Blackberry and Apple Overnight Oats (£2.70) and the delightful-sounding Egg Bites with Three Cheese and Ham (£3.20).Onthe pricier side, Starbucks' Deli Meats Focaccia satisfies a crav ing for a meaty sandwich (£4.59). However, if you want a meat-free option, the new Fiery No'Chicken Wrap (£4.20) is sure to be a hit.
“Locally sourced stuff is really im portant to us.” Rachel said.
“For months we were literally cov ered in paint!”
“It was towards the end of lock down and we both always said by 30 we would love to run our own business,” Owen said.
After a year of work, the trailer was finally ready to hit the road this summer.
The couple are incredibly passion ate about what they do, and they’re ambitious about the future.
For cupcakes:
The iconic autumn drink is ac companied by nine new menu additions, both food and drink, which are scheduled to be availa ble in over 700 UK branches from September 1.
“We would love to have an actual café at some point - maybe at some point!” Rachel said.
the ingredients to ensure it's vegan)•Flavouring of your choice (such as vanilla, caramel or lemon extract)
It's offically Pumkin Spice Latte season. Image: Starbucks
By Freya Deyell FOOD EDITOR
your oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas mark 4. Line a cupcake tin with 12 paper cases.
While the cupcakes cool, make the icing. Sieve the icing sugar so there are no lumps. Add in the butter alternative and mix. Once smooth, add your food colouring and fla vourings of choice. If the icing is too slack, simply sift in some extra icing sugar
STARBUCKS AUTUMN MENU
“The lockdown hobby everyone’s taken up is doing renovation pro jects - this was our renovation pro ject and now a little business.”
After a successful launch on August 20 outside the Stirling Reuse Hub, Brig caught up with the owners at Stirling’s summer market.Rachel has had her own business baking cakes for wholesale and weddings for over two years.
Once the cupcakes are cool to the touch, spread the icing on with a knife (or use a piping bag for a more professional look). Feel free to add sprin kles or any other decorations. Share and enjoy!
After many hours scouring Facebook Marketplace and a trip to Northern Ireland, they bought a horse trailer to convert.
Step two:
Ingredients
the
Step seven:
The beloved Iced Salted Maple and Caramel Latte is set to make a comeback, alongside the brandnew Starbucks Espresso Roast Blondie.Seven hearty autumn-inspired snacks have caused excitement
BRIG'S BITES someone you know has food allergies/intolerances always double check with them first!)
Rachel and Owen Jarvie. Image: Ciara Tait
“It had a lot more problems than we kind of imagined,” Rachel said.
27FOOD 28-32SPORT
ROAM Coffee Company is the lat est addition to Stirling’s flourishing indie coffee scene – but it’s not any oldLocalcafé.couple Rachel and Owen Jarvie are the brains behind the quirky business idea.
STIRLING INTOTRANSFORMCOUPLETRAILERCOFFEEBUSINESS
NINE
• 250g icing
By Deanna Dawn
Roam will be at the Reuse Hub in Springkerse Industrial Estate every Saturday this month.
As always, customers using a re usable cup can score 25p off any drink as a thank you for reduc ing paper cup waste. The autumn menu is available until at least the end of October.
• 400g gluten free self-raising flour•1tsp bicarbonate of soda • 250g caster sugar • 100ml vegetable oil • 400ml milk alternative (I rec ommend rice milk as it is free from the 14 major allergens) • 3 tbsp golden syrup • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Now up and running, Roam offers a variety of home bakes, Matthew Algie coffee and Bare Bones hot chocolate.“Wespent a long time looking for coffee,” said Rachel.
• 125g butter alternative • Food colouring (double
Preheat
For icing: sugar check
Step three:
Step five:
Peak & Wild range is ethically sourced, and the profits go towards the John Muir Trust.
If you make this recipe we'd love to see your photos! Tag us @brig_newspaper on Instagram.
Weigh the dry ingredients (flour, bicarb and sugar) into a bowl. In another bowl, mix the wet ingredients together (oil, milk, syrup and vanilla).
Step four:
A perfect teatime treat. Image credit: Ciara Tait FREE FROM CUPCAKES WHAT better way to introduce yourself to your new flatmates (or say hello to old friends) than with a batch of home-made cupcakes?Thisrecipe is gluten free and vegan so everyone can enjoy them! (If
By Freya Deyell FOOD EDITOR
2022: NEW ADDITIONS
Cooking
Check out their Instagram @ roamcoffeecompany for more information.
To accompany the popular
Step six:
It’s easier to pour the mix into the cases than to spoon it. Using a large jug, fill each case three quarters full.
“We want it to taste nice, but we’d love it if it did something good as well.”Glasgow-based Matthew Algie’s
the
Pumpkin Spice Latte and its iced counterpart, Starbucks has re leased an American-style Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew. This cold brew is infused with vanilla syrup and topped with more pumpkin powder. All drinks on the Starbucks menu can be customised in size and with non-dairy milk alternatives.
Prep time: 20 minutes time: 20 minutes level: 2/5
Bake in the oven for 20 min utes, or until the tops are gold en brown. Leave to cool.
StepMethodone:
VERSTAPPEN WINS DUTCH GP IN DRAMATIC FASHION
On Lap 18, Leclerc pits while be ing 5-seconds behind Verstappen. Red Bull responded by pitting Verstappen from the lead, and he
Andy Murray. Image: Dustin Satloff / USTA
Sir Lewis Hamilton was in the lead of the Dutch Grand Prix until he pitted on Lap 30, changing onto the Hard compound tyres, return ing the lead to Verstappen. George Russell, Hamilton’s teammate, pit ted on the following lap, also swap ping his mediums for a set of hards, looking to remain on those tyres until the end of the race. Leclerc pits on Lap 46 for hards, promoting Hamilton and Russell to P2 and P3 respectively.Thedrama began when Yuki Tsunoda of Alpha Tauri was forced to retire his car, pulling over to the side of the track, which brought out the Virtual Safety Car. This allowed Verstappen to pit onto hards, as well as both Mercedes to change to new sets of mediums.
By John Turnbull SPORTS EDITOR
3. Email the Club Presidents to ask for more info about their club. You can find their email addresses on the Students’ Union website, under Sports Union, then clicking A-Z of Sports Clubs.
2. Message the Sports Clubs via their Social Media accounts.
“Matches like this, I’m really proud that I have worked myself into a position where I’m able to do that.
Once racing resumed on Lap 61, Verstappen breezed past Hamilton, retaking the lead by the exit of Turn 1, a position the Dutchman would retain as he crossed the line to win his 10th race in 2022. Hamilton, af ter being left out on inferior tyres also found himself being passed by his teammate for P2, as well as Leclerc for P3. Hamilton ended in P4 and Sainz, after finishing P5 on track, ended P8 due to his penalty. P5 was claimed by Perez, followed by Alonso (P7) and McLaren’s Lando Norris (P8). The final points positions were taken by Alpine’s Esteban Ocon (P9), and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll (P10).
3-1 in round two before a fourth clash with Berrettini awaited.
Another inopportune dou ble fault, this time in the first game of the second set, gave Berrettini control of the match.
THERE are OVER 50 Sports clubs to choose from and there are several ways that youcan join
Murray’s low first serve percent age continued into the third set, but the veteran’s fighting spirit prevailed as he saved five break
With both the title protagonists starting on the soft compound tyre, and on a track such as Zandvoort, whoever exited the first corner in the lead was likely to go on to win theAsrace.expected, Verstappen not only led the race at Turn 1, but by Lap 3, he was already a full sec ond ahead of Leclerc. Come Lap 15, Carlos Sainz, Leclerc’s teammate at Ferrari, entered the pits from P3, just under 7-seconds behind his teammate. Unfortunately for the Spaniard, the Ferrari pit crew took over 12-seconds to change his soft tyres to mediums. This mis ery was compounded as the Red Bull of Sergio Perez followed Sainz into the pits and had the same tyre change in 2-seconds. This mistake in the Ferrari strategy effectively removed Sainz’s hopes of his 8th podium appearance of the season.
points across the opening three games and three more at 5-5. A convincing tie-break perfor mance was due reward for Murray and the comeback appeared on when he went up a break after the first game of the fourth set. Berrettini hit straight back, though, and closed out the fourth set as Murray fell short of mount ing a classic five-set comeback. The Dunblane star is set to move into the world’s top 50 after the US Open with Davis Cup duties in Glasgow up next for Britain.
By Ethan Gregg
His devastating serves into fore hand combination proved a step too far, but Murray’s poor serving helped the Italian into a two-set lead.
Valtteri Bottas of Alpha Romero stopped his car at the end of the main straight on Lap 55, bringing out the Safety Car. This allowed Verstappen to pit for a set of softs, which allowed Hamilton to take the lead. Russell pitted from P2 on the following lap for softs, allowing Verstappen a clear run at Hamilton upon the restart.Thevast majority the grid also pitted for softs, including Sainz who could have been allowed to regain a podium which he thought was lost. Unfortunately for him, this wasn’t to be, as the Ferrari pit crew released Sainz into the Pit Lane unsafely into the path of Alpine’s Fernando Alonso, earning him a 5-second time penalty.
Any lingering doubt over recent cramp issues was brushed aside in the Big Apple, as the Scot dropped just a single set heading into the clash with the big serving Italian.
1. Go to the Sports Bazaar on Wednesday 14th September at the Sports Centre from 10am to 4pm and meet the club committee members.
ANDY Murray admits he is ‘re ally proud’ of his efforts in New York despite being knocked out of the US Open by Matteo Berrettini. The 35-year-old lost 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (1-7), 6-3 at Flushing Meadows by a power-packed performance from the 13th-seeded Berrettini.
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Murray was aiming to reach the last 16 at a Grand Slam for the first time since 2017, and despite leaving frustrated, Murray revealed his pride. He said: “I’m surprised I’m still able to compete with guys that are right at the top of the game.
can maintain his lead over the Ferrari.Among the Ferrari vs Red Bull chaos, Mercedes, who started both their drivers on the medium com pound then inherited the lead fol lowing Verstappen’s stop. Despite not having the pace of the teams above them in the Constructor’s Championship, Mercedes remain keen to show their presence at the front of the grid by keeping Red Bull and Ferrari on their toes when it comes to strategy.
MAX Verstappen took victory in front of his home crowd for the sec ond year running in a controver sial race at Circuit Zandvoort last Sunday.TheRed Bull driver started from Pole, alongside Championship ri val, Charles Leclerc.
“I’m really disappointed that I didn’t get over the line today. But I get reminded that this is the first time you’ve made the third round here since 2016. It’s been a difficult six years for me.”
A 3-0 first-round win over 24th seed Francisco Cerúndolo of Argentina handed Murray belief that he could exceed expectations.
FRESHERS 2022 GIAG
4. Sign up and turn up to the club’s Give-it-a-go sessions via the UoS Sport App. The first session is free so this will let you find a club that’s right for you.
* Timetable Accurate as of 05/09/2022. For more information visit the Team's social
The former world number one swept America’s Emilio Nava aside
By the time that racing resumed on Lap 50/72, Hamilton had 12-sec onds to make up on the race lead er, but the drama was not over, as
The 26-year-old took advantage of a sloppy start from Murray and broke in the first set for a 4-3 lead.
HOW TO JOIN A SPORTS CLUB
MURRAY'S ON THE MEND DESPITE US OPEN EXIT
HANDBALL CLUB LOOK TO BUILD UPON SUCCESSFUL FIRST SEASON
“But as a coach, my aim for each session is just that you leave feeling a little bit more confident in your netball ability.
For social secretaries Ruth Miller and Eloise Berry, it is all about those Wednesday socials. “We’re super excited to have the oppor tunity to continue the SUNC lega cy with some classic socials while hopefully making some new tradi tions with our fresh ideas.”
Vondy is excited to get more girls involved, she said: “At social netball, we have so many different abilities ranging from girls who have never played before,
The Netball Club will be at the Sports Bazaar on the 14th of September with plans for a Give-ita-Go and trials the following week.
Vice President, Alice Coget added: “This is certainly only the start of the Handball club in Stirling and the interest of students has been essential to the success and recog nition the club has gotten this year.
SUNC are excited for the upcoming season. Adele Tait
The club are the first to bring the sport to the Stirling area. Image Credit: UoS Handball Club
IT WAS only last year that the Handball Club at the University of StirlingFollowinglaunched.aseason which started with a recruitment drive, victory in their first competitive match, and end with a nomination at the sports awards, Brig caught up with those behind the early success.
“Due to Covid, numbers for social members were lower than in pre vious years, but we are working alongside our existing social mem bers to get numbers back to their formerEncouragingglory.” discussions with Netball Scotland have also taken place amid growing hope that a men’s netball team will be launched withinWhenStirling.askedwhy students should join the club, Honor reiterated the ‘sense of ease’ she felt being a part of the netball club. McMillian added:“Ithelped me make new friends while giving me a routine of physi cal exercise that promoted not just
for this year is to take advantage of the popularity of apps such as TikTok and Instagram by post ing a short video promoting a club every week and providing everything you need to know about it.
“The upcoming netball year is go ing to be a mixture of developing plans that are already in place with the formation of new ones with the help of Netball Scotland.
BLEED GREEN TV RELAUNCHES WITH A NEW STRATEGY
Bleed Green TV Showrunner Cameron Johnstone said: “I de cided to relaunch Bleed Green to help solve the confusion students may have when picking a sports society to join.
STIRLING UNIVERSITY NETBALL CLUB – THE YEAR AHEAD
Looking back, Alice Hedemo, President of the Handball Club, said: “Though the task of start ing a Handball club in Stirling seemed daunting at first, the sup port and interest from the stu dents and Sports Union have been immeasurable.“Withthehelp of the sports union and events such as Give-it-a-Go and the Sports Bazaar, the club re ceived interest from International and Scottish students, both under graduates and postgraduates, and grew exponentially in a matter of months.”Despite
On the competitive side, the club has a proven track record of driving the girls’ ambitions. Six members trialed for the national team pathway this summer, as did Stirling University alumni Lauren Tait who was selected by the Scottish Thistles to compete in this summer’s Commonwealth Games.
quickly established and with the help of our coach and other stu dents’ experiences.
“We were able to win our first com petitive game against St. Andrews with a final score of 36-30!”
However, the social aspect re mains a vital part of the club, with weekly training and opportunities for friendly games against other universities.CoachEmma
“We will also be focusing on the sports give-it-a-goes throughout freshers to make sure everyone knows where and when to go to each event.”
“The club will continue to train three times a week and still aims to thrive and grow from all experiences.”Anomination for the best club at the Sports Union Awards 2022 also came the way of the new club, out lining its early success.
THE University of Stirling’s stu dent sports show, Bleed Green TV, has announced its relaunch after a year-long hiatus.
The club are the first to bring the sport to the Stirling area, receiv ing recognition from the Scottish Handball Association following its launch last September. Club
Following the club’s first com petitive game, they hope to organ ise many more games next year. Hedemo said: “This victory has since helped to build the team’s confidence and has encouraged us to play competitively next year.
“We hope to keep growing and next year, to put everything we learned into action on a competi tive“Aslevel.our coach reminds us before every game, ‘We might be a new team, but we need to build up, we have a chance to win, so let’s take it.’”The club are actively looking for new members and further infor mation can be found on Instagram
Image:
Bleed Green TV was last active in 2021 but focused on longer 10-minute videos posted on the Facebook page. Johnstone has plans to change the format this time round. He said: “The plan
overall health but mental as well.”
President Hedemo added: “The first mixed-gender team in Stirling was
By Andrew Robson SPORTS EDITOR
“The implementation of a devel opment squad to act as a stepping stone between socials and BUCS means there is huge importance on making sure that we continue and develop those progressions.
to those who used to play in school and others who can’t commit to playing competitively.
“I’m sure every student has had an experience of being in terested in a particular sport but struggling to find more infor mation about it, hopefully with this relaunch everyone will have an easy platform to answer any question they may have.”
being a popular sport in Europe, handball is still relatively new to the UK. Created in Denmark in 1917, it can be described as a sport somewhere between football andThebasketball.quick-paced game only came to England in 1968 and Scotland in 1972. However, it took 40 years for the first British team to be selected for an Olympics in 2012.
AFTER a few indifferent years as a result of the COVID-19 pandem ic , including 7 a.m winter cardio sessions, Netball President Honor McMillian has exciting plans for the year ahead.
The society aims to best promote every sports club that Stirling University has, while creating col laborative content with the other media societies and the Sport’s Union.Bleed Green TV will be at the Sports Fayre on Tuesday 14 September.TheFayre takes place from 10 a.m to 4 p.m.
By Charlotte Sutcliffe
29SPORT
Ross McCausland played a neat 1-2 with Connor Young before the Northern Irishman picked out the far corner to leave the students with nothing to show for their efforts.University of Stirling: Fry, Heal, Lavery (Torreggiani 86’), Service, Burrows, Berry, Jarvis (Russell 75’), Rae (Mirzasalimov 86’), Stokes, McAninch (McGill 70’), MacIver-RedwoodRangersB: Budinauckas, Harkness, Fraser, Allan, MacKinnon, Strachan, Lyall, McInally (Lindsay 45’), Lovelace (Young 65’), Ritchie-Hosler, McCausland.
STIRLING WOMEN FACE MONTROSE IN PREMIER LEAGUE CUP
Scottish
The hosts looked up to the chal lenge though as the teams reap peared for the second half and started the second half livelier than the Gers.
Two moments of quality from the Light Blues on either side of Jason Jarvis’ strike earned the away side all three points.
STIRLING UNI RANGERS B 21 Pos Club P GD Pts 1 Rangers B 9 13 22 2 East Kilbride 10 10 22 3 Caledonian Braves 10 11 18 4 Open Goal Broomhill 9 5 18 5 Celtic B 9 16 17 6 Civil Service Strollers 9 10 17 7 Tranent Juniors 8 4 15 8 University of Stirling 9 4 14 9 Bo’ness United 9 7 13 10 The Spartans 8 3 13 11 Cumbernauld Colts 8 2 12 12 Berwick Rangers 8 -3 12 13 Gala Fairydean Rovers 9 -9 11 14 Heart of Midlothian B 10 -1 9 15 Cowdenbeath 8 -1 8 16 Edinburgh University 10 -24 7 17 East Stirlingshire 8 -6 5 18 Gretna 2008 8 -14 3 19 Dalbeattie Star 9 -27 1 Scottish Lowland Football League Table *Table accurate as of 05/09/2022 FORMER STUDENT MAKES SCOTTISH CUP FIRST ROUND DRAW. FORMER Stirling student and Commonwealth Games swimmer Ross Murdoch left the
September 18.Shortly
Nothing could separate the two sides as the clock ticked down un til Rangers found a moment of in spiration just 11 minutes later.
will
Rangers failed to clear from a Stirling corner kick, and the ball popped up nicely for the midfield er who volleyed home.
The last time the students reached the third round was in 2018, as Stirling found League Two side Elgin City a step too far.
SUWFC will be in cup action on Saturday, September 18, as Nile Robbins’ team were drawn away to Montrose in the first round of the Scottish Women’s Premier League Cup.The two sides have already faced each other in league action this season, with Montrose taking all three points at Links Park in a 5-0 win.Following the draw, head coach Nile Robbins said: “I was real ly pleased when the draw came through, we played them on the opening day of the league and we
THERE was little between Stirling University and Rangers B on Saturday afternoon as the students fell to a 2-1 home defeat.
But the Uni were soon behind again, as Ross McCausland won the game for the colts on 78 minutes.Stirling head coach Chris Geddes said: “It’s disappointing to lose the game as I thought we played pretty well, to be honest. They’re a good side, so we knew they would have a lot of the ball, but Ben didn’t have many saves to make, and I think we deserved a draw.“We need to stay switched on and the defenders need to switch from side to side and win tackles, but I thought we did that really well. That’s why these players are at that level because they have bits of magic in them and took their chances when they came. My boys put in a really good shift against a full-time team, and I
Stirling defeated recent league opponents Caledonian Braves in the opening round last season before being knocked out by East Kilbride at K-Park.
severely underperformed, this al lows us to go and rectify that per formance and demonstrate how much we’ve improved in a very short space of time
“In terms of preparation, we have East Fife in the league this Sunday and all our focus is on the game, once that game is played, we’ll be able to refocus on the cup.
However, as the game head ed into the break goalless, Zak Lovelace and Arron Lyall com bined to give Rangers the lead.
“As a squad we have begun to gel and implement our own style of play, so it is about building on that and continually improving as we progress through each week”
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Just as the Uni began to enjoy a comfortable spell of possession, Jarvis capitalised and levelled the game on 67 minutes.
afrer compelting the draw, the Commonwealth bronze medalist said: "I train at the University of Stirling so I hope they are happy enough that they've got a home tie so that gives them a bit of an edge, but I'll definitley have to go and watchit now." The East of Scotland Premier side
thought we more than matched the fitness levels.
Arron Lyall put Rangers in front on the stroke of half-time before Jarvis equalised midway through the second period.
“There’s definitely an improve ment – we have a stronger squad than last year and the results prove that. We’ve got more op tions at the back and in the key areas which are really helping us.”Stirling was back in Lowland League action as Rangers B vis ited the in-form students on a warm afternoon at Forthbank.
wait
Ben MacIver-Redwood led the line well for the students but
sits 13th in the table after winning just one of six league games this campaign.Afterafine start to the Lowland League season, head coach Chris Geddes will hope his side can reach the second round of the historic competition again, after doing so in four of the last five seasons he has been in the Uni dugout.
By John Turnbull SPORTS EDITOR Uni ing its Cup opponents.Thestudents were the penulti mate team pulled out of the hat for the first round and welcome Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale to Forthbank on Sunday,
MCCAUSLAND’S STRIKE MAKES DIFFERENCE AS UNI EDGED BY GERS
Although, there wasn’t much ac tion in front of either goal in the first half, as the two sides figured each other out.
couldn’t convert an opportunity past Lewis Budinauckas moments after the restart.
David McCallum’s side enjoyed possession in the opening ex changes, but Ben Fry remained untroubled in the University goal.
Stirling felt seconds away from being rewarded for a solid defen sive showing in the first 45, but the 16-year-old picked out Lyall in the box who fired past Fry with a well-struck finish.
Ciaran McAninch in action for the Uni. Image: Rangers
to discover
said: “We came out really strong, and overall, the boys played really well in the first half. We put it [the Celtic defeat on Wednesday] behind us, and we were excited to come out and try to make an impact and win theAsgame.”thegame
Initiations are "rites of passage" that allow new members onto the team. They often include excessive amounts of alcohol.
"The campaign, Full Time On Initiations, encourages all Sports Union Clubs to share the same message that initiations are not tolerated as a tradition, because all students should feel that they are welcome to join whichever sport they like, without feeling pressured to take part in behaviours that make them feel uncomfortable, un welcomed or "Furthermore,unsafe. during our Committee Inductions Training Day at the start of September, we were fortunate enough to have the CHANGES workshop delivered again by a member of staff from
James Falls, the president of Stirling University's rugby club
Head coach Chris Geddes was de lighted as he said: “To come away
Robert Gordon University Sports Union."The workshop was well attend ed by our club's Captains, Social Secretaries and Welfare Officers and is aimed at tackling initiations by highlighting to committee mem bers the negative impacts it can have on new members.
said:"Full Time on Initiations is a cam paign Men's Rugby is proud to back.
"As such a diverse club with many members travelling from all around, Stirling University Netball Club is meant to be a place away from home where you feel wel comed and "Initiationssafe.are poor attempts at welcoming new members with the aim to embarrass rather than include."Itisbecause of this that myself and the Netball Club support the Full Time On Initiations Campaign."
By Isla EDITOR-IN-CHIEFGlen
The Uni were well in control in the first half, and James Stokes ensured the Uni had the lead at the break.James Berry hit a wonderful free-kick before Ben Heal added a third in the second half. The Braves pulled one back through Greig Stewart amid late pressure, but it was only a consolation.
Stirling's sports clubs have joined the campaign, alongside other Scottish universities.
By John Turnbull SPORTS EDITOR
After building on a solid defensive foundation, the Uni deserved its lead when Stokes smashed the stu dents in front.
with a comfortable win against a team who had only lost two of their last 20 Lowland League games was quite impressive from my guys.
"We believe that in the current day and moving forward the club should be a welcoming and safe space for all current members and new"Sportmembers.should be fun while at uni versity and no one should feel in timidated, embarrassed, or humil iated while playing the sport they enjoy. "Welook forward to having our welfare officer Rob Mathews con tribute to the campaign and are excited to see what the club and the committee can produce moving forward."NetballPresident Honor McMillan
STIRLING University's Sports Union has joined the Full Time On Initiations campaign.
University of Stirling: Fry, Burrows, Lavery, Service, McGill (McAninch 75’), Berry, Heal, Russell (Thompson 62’), Stokes, Rae (Bainbridge 87’), MaciverRedwood (Woloszyn 87’)
"The Sports Union can confirm that we are taking a stronger stance on initiations through a
The movement aims to discour age initiations in an effort to make university sports societies more in clusive towards new members.
Striker Ben Maciver-Redwood
The winger picked up the ball on the edge of the visitors’ box before firing a left-footed effort towards the near post.
of his advancing runs into the box before the midfielder struck in off theAscrossbar.theBraves attacked late on, Stewart lifted the ball into the Stirling goal, but it was too late for a comeback as Stirling had already imposed their quality and secured another valuable three points.
Having failed to find the target in the first period, Ricky Waddell’s side came out firing after the break, but Cameron Breadner was denied twice by great saves from Ben Fry in the Uni goal.
STIRLING SPORTS UNION CALLS FULL TIME ON INITIATIONS
Berry celebrtes the Uni's second. Image: George Vekic
A Stirling Sports Union spokes person commented:
Across the UK initiations have resulted in death and harm, with many universities changing their stances as a result.
also commented, saying:
Caledonian Braves: Henry, Brown, Walker, McDowall, Forrester, Main, Butterworth, Cusick (McNeil 81’), Watson (Stewart 72’), Kelly, Breadner.
It was a goal that “calmed us down” Maciver-Redwood added.
“To limit them to no shots in the first half and go in one-nil up was really good. We knew they would come out strong in the second half, they changed shape, but we saw out the first ten minutes, and apart from the last seven or eight min utes I think we were well worth the win.”From the first whistle, Stirling was up for the challenge, as the stu dents looked to get back to winning ways after a tough week against the Old Firm B sides.
unfolded, the two sides locked horns in a tight, physi cal battle, but importantly, Stirling gained control early on.
31SPORT
social media campaign that is being adopted by the majority of Scottish Institutions.
The Uni pushed on from there as Ben Heal made it three just nine minutesMaciver-Redwoodlater. held the ball up well before finding Heal on one
"We hope that our Sports Clubs support the campaign, therefore allowing all students at Stirling to feel part of our sporting communi ty, whether that be at an elite, com petitive or recreational level."
The key moment after the break came as Stirling opened up a twogoal lead. Captain James Berry whipped a delightful free-kick into the far corner on 64 minutes to give his side breathing room.
THE UNIVERSITY of Stirling bounced back after a tough week to down in-form Caledonian Braves 3-1 at Forthbank.
BERRY’S FREE-KICK INSPIRES DOMINANT UNI PAST BRAVES
After missing the World Championships in June due to COVID, Scott was delighted to be back on the podium. Speaking to the BBC after bewating Dean to gold, he said: “Rivalries or compe tition, in general, gets the best out of us. I say that for myself, and I can say that for Deano, we love a race.
Finn Crockett, who graduated this summer, both won bronze in their events.Intotal, 20 athletes travelled to Birmingham, as well as six recent graduates – and the medal haul far surpasses the 11 won at the Gold Coast Games in 2018.
Ben Heal celebrates with teammates. Image: George Vekic OUT OF US OPEN
University of Stirling Executive Director of Sport, Cathy Gallagher, said: “The results and performanc es over the Games have been fan tastic and it’s great to see such ca maraderie amongst the athletes.
FULL STORY ON P28
STIRLING CALEDONIANUNIBRAVES
DUNCAN Scott became Scotland’s most decorated Commonwealth athlete of all time, winning six medals at this summer’s Commonwealth Games.
with a bronze each in the S9 100m Freestyle and 200m Breaststroke. Murdoch has now medalled in the last three Commonwealth Games.
“The support being shown across the different teams is what the Commonwealth Games are all about and seeing so many worldclass athletes compete in such a positive environment is a brilliant advert for the sport.
“With so many University ath letes at the Games, there is a real buzz around campus and the city of Stirling and everyone is taking a lot of pride in their achievements.”
31 FULL STORY ON P31
THE University of Stirling bounced back after a tough week to down in-form Caledonian Braves 3-1 at Forthbank.
Andy Murray in action. Image: Dustin Satloff / USTA
“We love getting in amongst it and we love racing each other as well because it gets the best out of eachAlsoother.”inthe pool, Ross Murdoch won three bronze medals and Stephen Milne two, while there were also medals for Cameron Kurle (silver), Craig McNally, Mark Szaranek, Toni Shaw, and Martyn Walton (all bronze). In total, 12 Stirling swimmers travelled to compete in Birmingham.
Kurle also bagged a silver in the 4x100m Freestyle Relay with Team England, having swum in the heats. Competing at her second Games, Business Studies student Shaw said shortly after clinching bronze: “I am absolutely buzzing and I do not have any words.
The swimmer won gold in the 200m Individual Medley and pipped Team GB teammate Tom Dean to the top step in the 200m Freestyle, in a reverse of last year’s Olympic final.Scott also came away with four bronze medals, one of which came in the 100m Medley Relay with fel low Stirling swimmers McNally and Murdoch. Stirling athletes Walton and Milne were also award ed bronze medals having raced in theThisheat.followed a phenomenal an chor leg to secure bronze in the 4x200m Freestyle Relay earlier in
By Andrew Robson SPORTS EDITOR
Duncan Scott won two gold and four bronze medals Birmingham.in
In addition to the 16 won in the pool, two further medals were won by recent graduates of the University’s sports scholarship programme.JudokaRachel Tytler, who left the University last year, and cyclist
The Uni were well in control in the first half, and James Stokes ensured the Uni had the lead at the break.James Berry hit a wonderful free-kick before Ben Heal added a third in the second half. The Braves pulled one back through Greig Stewart amid late pressure, but it was only a consolation.
“I knew it was going to be really close with so many other girls with a similar time, so I am glad to be on the right side of the finish line this time.“My family haven’t seen me race in person for such a long time, to night was really special.”
By John Turnbull SPORTS EDITOR
the week, alongside Stirling duo Milne and Szaranek, and Scotland teammate Jones.
CRASHESMURRAY'PROUD'
MEDAL HAUL FOR STIRLING STUDENTS AT COMMONWEALTH GAMES
Head coach Chris Geddes was de lighted as he said: “To come away with a comfortable win against a team who had only lost two of their last 20 Lowland League games was quite impressive from my guys.
Image: ScotlandTeam
Shaw and Murdoch secured Stirling’s first medals of the Games