The Bucks Student - Edition 79

4-8 MARCH

IN THIS EDITION

THE CLASSIEST VENUE PHOTOS

A NIGHT NOT TO BE MISSED

PLUS LOTS MORE!

February 2019 - Edition 79

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3

A Word from the Editor.

4-8 MARCH

EDITOR'S INTRO

Elections are just around the corner - to find out what it all means and why you should be sure to use your vote, check out page 5.

Contributors Eliza Gent • Lauren O'Shea • Georgia Nosal • Charlie Cotton Mark Sweeney • Lucy Ryan • Rhona Noel • Sarah Jackson Kat Frei • Beth Jefferys • Hilda Pachawo • Ellie Freeman Tom Mepham • Athena Pickering • Colin Capp • George Richards Katie Blackwell • Anna-Maria • Sanj Soray • Josh Woodgate Juno Hull • Niamh Floody • Elena Danaila • Ella Forbes Joshua Kidger • Tamsin Grainger • Alexander Eyles Connor Wall • Alana Zukas • Thomas Dinham Caitlin Lawlor • Alanah Walters • Riadh Bouzida Oli Gunson • Greg Pike

Want to see your name in the list above? Want to have your writing or artwork on show to thousands of people?

Get involved. Email editor@thebucksstudent.com

Advertising

Whether you're a seasoned wordsmith or can barely write a shopping list, it doesn't matter!

For all advertising and media enquiries please contact the Students’ Union Communications and Marketing department.

We encourage all Bucks students to write about

therefore I encourage you to take this chance

something they're passionate about and we will

whilst it is available to take.

Simon McDowell - simon.mcdowell@bucks.ac.uk

publish it for you.

Articles in this newspaper do not necessarily represent the views of Bucks Students’ Union but are that of the specific author. View this edition online at bucksstudentsunion.org/communications. © 2019 Bucks Students’ Union

Writing for the student newspaper will hugely

realise that when I graduate, I will have the

increase your skills, knowledge and ability to

confidence to take my degree and use it in a way

write, which will result in you gaining great

that I never could’ve imaged. I won’t only have

amounts of confidence when it comes to your Uni work. For me this experience has been incredibly exciting. Having a platform where I can write about whatever I want has opened up

If required, this document can be made available in different formats.

Please contact Bucks Students' Union for more information.

Writing for my Uni’s newspaper has made me

a Performing Arts degree but great experience in journalism which could give me endless possibilities that I can’t wait to explore.

my mind to new and creative ideas where I can

Bucks offers brilliant opportunities, and this is just

explore more about what I want to know and

one of them but if writing isn’t for you, be sure to

what I want to share with others.

find what is.

This opportunity is rare and one I don’t believe

If you think you would like to give writing a go

will come up so easily again in the future

then get in touch: editor@thebucksstudent.com.

February Issue

By Eliza Gent

4 February Issue

Sabbatical Officers.

By Lauren O'Shea, Georgia Nosal & Charlie Cotton

AN UPDATE FROM YOUR SABBS CHARLIE COTTON LAUREN O'SHEA VICE PRESIDENT PRESIDENT STUDENT INVOLVEMENT

GEORGIA NOSAL VICE PRESIDENT EDUCATION & WELFARE

February saw the start of our ‘Give it a Go’ week, giving students the chance to take part in a number of different activities for free. The week was split into different sections including; volunteering, societies, competitive and non-competitive sport. All of the activities that were put on during give it a go week were ran completely free of charge, giving students the chance to enjoy activities with no financial barrier to participation.

Now the stress of exams are over, I hope you’ve all settled back in nicely!

Looking forward, the importance of taking part in the Union skills sessions grows as students come to the end of their University life and start to think about entering the world of work. We run certified skills sessions that enhance our student’s CVs and give them extra qualifications to talk about in interview. These certified skills will allow our students to stand out against other applicants and give them the edge in interview. The Union also runs sessions on CV writing and interview skills to help prepare you for the world of work. These skills sessions are vital, keep an eye on our what's on page: bucksstudentsunion.org/whatson.

I’ve got a couple of updates for you this edition!

Thu 7 Feb was national Time to Talk Day. This year the Union and a number of University departments came together to organise events spanning across High Wycombe and Uxbridge. The theme of the day was all it takes is a cuppa and a chat to get the conversation about mental health started. We made over 200 goody bags to give away to students and staff on the day, containing information for different support services! Charlie and I also visited all the halls of residence and deliver tea and biscuits to each kitchen, encouraging students to start the conversation. There was a lot of planning that went into the day and it was great to work in partnership with the University. We’ve discussed more opportunities to work on mental health awareness together in the future.

You may or may not know that February is LGBT+ History Month and you may have noticed the flag flying above the University! The flag will be displayed for the remainder of February to celebrate with our LGBT+ community!

We’ve got another month filled with exciting things!

Elections week is coming up, so don’t forget to vote for your future Sabb Team!

Lauren and I have recently started training with Women’s Rugby. The sessions run on a Friday 5-7pm with free transport! I still don’t understand what I’m doing but I have the best fun! It would be so good to see more girls at training!!

I had to report to Education Committee with your feedback from your Program Committee Meetings. It was warmly received and all schools were impressed with your feedback and want to be proactive and work on the improvements you have suggested!

The next round of PCMs are coming up in March so make sure you give your feedback to your reps!

As always, if you ever need me, pop down to my office or send me a message on social media!

Get in touch: Charlie: charlie.cotton@bucks.ac.uk Lauren: lauren.oshea@bucks.ac.uk Georgia: georgia.nosal@bucks.ac.uk

Bucks Vpsi

@BucksSUVPSI

Bucks SU Pres

@BucksSUPres

Bucks Vpew

@BucksSUVPEW

XXX

ELECTIONS ARE COMING 4-8 MARCH

Nominations for the 2018/19 annual elections have now closed and our candidates have been confirmed.

We’re all set for another hotly contested elections week in which your new Sabbatical

more information out about these events in due course so please ensure you keep

Officers will be decided as well as our other student leaders, all of whom will be

an eye out on our website for more details.

helping to shape the strategic direction of the number 1 Students’ Union in the country.

For the elections week itself, we put together an elections special edition newspaper

It’s hard to believe that our annual elections week is now just 2 weeks away and

containing all of the information on our candidates and their manifesto’s as they aim

the week itself will be over before we know it. However, it really is one of the most

to improve your student experience. In addition to this, our campuses will be full of

important weeks in our calendar and the place where you get to have your say. During

their promotional material encouraging you to vote for them. As you make your way

the 4th- 8th March all of our candidates will be campaigning tirelessly for your votes.

into university each day, be sure to stop and take a read of what they aim to do, there

Make sure you take the time to engage with them and listen to what they have to say.

really could be something in there for you. But most importantly, take the time to

After all, they may have a really good idea that could have a significantly positive impact have a conversation with our candidates and ask them why you should vote for them. on your student experience and you wouldn’t want to miss out hearing about that opportunity. On the other hand, a candidate may wish to implement something that could drastically change your experience and so you may want to challenge them on that whilst also hearing from other candidates so that you can vote for them instead.

Elections week is also one of the most rewarding times of the year. It provides the candidates and you, our students, the opportunity to interact with people who you might not have had the opportunity to do so before and also learn more the types of challenges and experiences students face studying on different programmes.

Before then though, there’s the opportunity to see and hear from our candidates at our Question Time events. This is where the candidates have the opportunity to show you why they are the best candidate for the role they are standing for whilst also providing you with the opportunity to quiz them on any of their manifesto points or anything discussed during the session. These are being held on Monday 25 October, 11am-1pm in Pulse Café at our Uxbridge campus and on Tuesday 26 October, 5-7pm in the Lounge at our High Wycombe Campus. We will be posting

Every vote matters. Make yours count.

February Issue

By Mark Sweeney

5

Elections.

6

Nominations.

Bucks Students’ Union February Issue

Advice Centre Got a problem?

ADVICE CENTRE We help you find a solution!

Tell us what it is

MONEY

Please call to make an appointment at either campus for a face-to-face, telephone or Sk

ADVICE CENTRE If you have problems in any of these areas we can help: ADVICE ADVICE CENTRE ADVICE CENTRE E CENTRE High Wycombe Campus:

Uxbridge Camp

Monday to Thursday 9am-5pm, Friday 9am-4.30pm Monday to Thursday 9am-5pm, F LEGAL ISSUES Located: Room N0.03, ground floor, North Block Located: Room 1.03, fi YOUR PERSONAL LIFE Phone: 01494 603 016 Phone: 01494 605 to make an appointment at either campus for a face-to-face, telephone or Skype appointment.

Evening appointments are available outside of standard opening hours at High Wycombe Mon-Thur contact us to arrange an appointment at a time to suit you. igh Wycombe Campus: Uxbridge Campus: hursday 9am-5pm, Friday 9am-4.30pm Monday to Thursday 9am-5pm, Friday 9am-4.30pm MONEY COURSE ISSUES YOUR PERSONAL LIFE INTERNATIONAL MONEY oom N0.03, ground floor, North Block Located:YOUR RoomPERSONAL 1.03, first LIFE floor STUDENT ISSUES Phone: 01494 603 016 Phone: 01494 605 180 Please call to make appointment at either or cam to make an appointment at either campus for a face-to-face, telephone or Skype appointment. suadvice@bucks.ac.uk bucksstudentsunion.org/advice an appointment at either campus for aanface-to-face, telephone S us for a face-to-face, telephone or Skype appointment. Please call to make ments are available outside of standard opening hours at High Wycombe Mon-Thurs: 5pm to 7pm. Please High Wycombe Campus: igh Wycombe Campus: Campus: Campus: Uxbridge Camp contact us to arrange an appointment at a time toUxbridge suit High you. Wycombe Uxbridge Campus: Monday to Thursday 9am-5pm, Friday 9am-4.30pm hursday 9am-5pm, Friday 9am-4.30pm Monday to Thursday 9am-5pm, Friday 9am-4.30pm 9am-5pm, Friday 9am-4.30pm Monday to Thursday 9am-5pm, Monday to Thursday 9am-5pm, Friday 9am-4.30pm Monday to Thursday INTERNATIONAL LEGAL ISSUES Located: Room N0.03, ground floor, North Block oom N0.03, ground floor, NorthLEGAL Block ISSUES Located: 1.03, floor floor, North Block ACCOMMODATION Located: Room Room N0.03,first ground Located: Room 1.03, fi INTERNATIONAL Located: Room 1.03, first floor STUDENT ISSUES Phone: 01494 603 016 Phone: 01494 603 016 Phone: STUDENT 01494 605 180 ISSUES 603 016 Phone: 01494 Phone: 01494 605 Phone: 01494 605 180 suadvice@bucks.ac.uk bucksstudentsunion.org/advice Evening appointments are available outside of standard op ments are available outside of standard opening hours at High Wycombe Mon-Thurs: 5pm to 7pm.

Please High Wycombe Mon-Thu YOUR PERSO ng MONEY hours at High Wycombe Mon-Thurs: 5pm to 7pm.Evening Please appointments are available outside of standard opening hours at contact us to arrange an ap contact us to arrange an appointment at a time to suit you. contact us to arrange an appointment at a time to suit you. intment at a time to suit you.

ADVICE CENTRE

Please call to make an appointment at either campus for a face-to-face, telephone or Skype appointment.

COURSE ISSUES ACCOMMODATION COURSE ISSUES ACCOMMODATION

High Wycombe Campus:

Uxbridge Campus:

Phone: 01494 603 016

Phone: 01494 605 180

suadvice@bucks.ac.uk b suadvice@bucks.ac.uk bucksstudentsunion.org/advice Monday to Thursday 9am-5pm, Friday 9am-4.30pm suadvice@bucks.ac.uk Monday to Thursday 9am-5pm,bucksstudentsunion.org/advice Friday 9am-4.30pm cksstudentsunion.org/advice INTERNATI LEGAL ISSUES Located: Room N0.03, ground floor, North Block Located: Room 1.03, first floor

STUDENT I

Evening appointments are available outside of standard opening hours at High Wycombe Mon-Thurs: 5pm to 7pm. Please contact us to arrange an appointment at a time to suit you.

ACCOMMO

COURSE ISSUES

suadvice@bucks.ac.uk bucksstudentsunion.org/advice bucksstudentsunion.org/advice suadvice@bucks.ac.uk

IT STARTS WITH... ME? Last year, the Representation Team launched a campaign called ‘It Starts With You’, which encouraged students to suggest improvements to their University course, alongside writing about elements they already enjoy. The campaign also raised awareness of the Union’s student reps, and the work they do to support and make improvements to their course. During the week, we collected an amazing 415 feedback cards and were able to lobby the University to instigate positive changes to your student experience.

Some changes following last year campaign included:

•

‘Microwaves on campus are faulty’ - six brand new microwaves were purchased and distributed across High Wycombe and Uxbridge

•

‘Prices in Beats/Pulse are too expensive, more gluten-free and healthier options needed’ – Cheaper deal meal and more options available in both cafes

•

‘Issues with car parking near campus’ - A student car parking permit trial for free evening and weekend parking was started in High Wycombe in the first term of 18/19 and has now been extended to Easter. Uxbridge students also have access to this.

•

‘Technology in classrooms often not working’ - IT representatives now attend School Annual Monitoring Meetings and have created action plans to ensure that any IT problems are solved quickly in all course areas

This year, we are running the campaign from Monday 25 February – Friday 1 March.

During this week, you’ll find feedback cards dotted around campus, or be given one by your student rep to fill out. Simply fill in the red section to tell us something that could be improved about your university experience, and fill in the green section to tell us one thing that you enjoy. Once you’re done just pop your card into one of the feedback boxes located in Beats, or the Students' Union foyer in High Wycombe, or in Pulse cafe in Uxbridge.

It Starts With You is an opportunity for students across the university to speak up and understand that their voice can make a difference. Without your feedback, issues can go unnoticed for too long and remain unchanged. No feedback is too small or unimportant – the smallest change could create a big difference for your year and the ones to come.

It’s also important to be vocal about the aspects of your course you do enjoy, as that informs your lecturers what to continue for the upcoming years so you can continue to benefit from it! When delivering feedback to your student rep, remember to let them know what these things are so they can pass the message on.

•

‘Improve and record student attendance’ - New system for monitoring student attendance in place

•

‘Breaks are too long in between lectures in Uxbridge, want fewer gaps’ - Liaised with Senior Lecturer who deals with Resources and Logistics to combat this and discussed with student reps. Students are now on a more condensed timetable

•

‘Help with finance for Nursing students’ - SU Advice Centre has worked to increase promotion on the NHS Learning Support Fund

If you have any further issues after the campaign or an idea you think could improve the University or Union head to bucksstudentsunion.org and visit either ‘Student Issues’ or ‘Student Ideas’ to ensure your voice always has a platform to be heard.

•

‘More sports at Uxbridge campus’ – Regular sports classes including boxercise and dance now take place, tennis rackets also available for students to play in the nearby park and bike hire scheme reinstated.

If you need any information on who your student rep is or any further information on the It Starts With You campaign, email surepresentation@bucks.ac.uk or pop into the High Wycombe or Uxbridge Students’ Union office.

So from Monday 25 February, look out for the cards at both campuses and speak to your student rep about getting involved in the campaign and a filling in a feedback card!

February Issue

By Lucy Ryan

7

It Starts With You.

8 February Issue

STUDENT STAFF RECRUITMENT DAY

THURSDAY 4 APRIL Working for your Students’ Union is no ordinary part-time job and the ideal opportunity to earn on campus whilst enhancing your employability skills. As a member of the team you will be expected to be an ambassador for the Union as we continue to make life better for students at Bucks.

We value employees with ideas and personality and believe that lively, active and vibrant people shape our organisation.

The day will involve fun and interactive activities, as well as speed interviews, and we will be recruiting for the following roles: Freshers Helper

Bar Staff & Bar Team Leaders

Head Freshers Helper

Events Promotion Intern

Sports Ambassadors

Event and Tech Assistant

Activities Assistant

Event Technicians

Marketing Intern

Event Security

School Officers

Event Staff

For more information or to express your interest in attending, contact sarah.jackson@bucks.ac.uk

STUDENT ACTIVITIES

How can it be February already?!?

We hope the exams went well for those that had them and that dissertations are in full swing. We also welcome all our new members in the February cohort and hope you find something in our fun and exciting programme to get involved in.

Bucks Students' Union is here to give you the best possible experience by providing opportunities to you completely free.

Employability is probably at the forefront of many minds at the moment and we have lots of skills sessions planned over the coming weeks. Its never too late to boost your CV and add to your experience or qualifications. We want to help you be work ready so why not come along to British Sign Language, Public Speaking or one of these invaluable sessions...

anyone with an interest in the subject, although it is especially recommended for all new health care sector employees.

Man. Your goal is to interactively assemble case files on

Anti-bullying awareness will teach you how to detect, prevent and protect against bullying, thus implementing an anti-bullying ethos. This training fulfils recommendations underlined by the CQC in order to improve the protection and support provided to vulnerable people.

You can book onto any activity through our website so

Or maybe you just want to meet like-minded students and do something fun? Our recreational activities for this term will certainly help with that! As well as singing lessons, a trip to the Cat Café and a Swan Theatre trip, we also have…

Flight Club is the home of social darts. Spectacular bar, Emergency First Aid or Paediatric First Aid will give you a electric atmosphere, mind blowing experience three year certificate that any employer will want to see.

Marvel Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. Delve into the history, science, engineering, genetics, technology and profiles Autism Awareness is designed for those with no prior of Captain America, Hulk, Thor, Black Panther, and Iron knowledge of autism, and is therefore suitable for

S.T.A.T.I.O.N.

each of the characters and move on to become qualified members of the AVENGERS S.T.A.T.I.O.N.

be sure to keep an eye out on the Bucks Students' Union ‘What’s On’ page – don’t miss out by not reserving your place early on!

If you need any support to enhance your academic experience, pop into one of the Students’ Union offices and we will be more than happy to help wherever we can.

Or maybe you have something different in mind? If you have an activity or skills session that you would like to take part in, please do not hesitate to get in touch! We love hearing your ideas and providing opportunities that you want! Contact us at surecactivities@bucks.ac.uk or pop in and see us in one of the Student’s Union offices!

We look forward to seeing you all on as many courses as possible this term!

February Issue

By Rhona Noel, Sarah Jackson & Charlie Cotton

9

Student Activities.

10 February Issue

Sustainability in Fashion.

By Kat Frei & Beth Jefferys

SUSTAINABILITY IN FASHION

In my role at the Students’ Union I work on our Green Impact accreditation, promoting green initiatives on campus, encouraging students’ and staff to live in a more environmentally friendly way. Sustainability comes into all aspects of our lives; including what we eat, the coffee we drink and the clothes we wear.

I met with Beth Jefferys, a Fashion Design student from Uxbridge who has a keen interest in sustainability in fashion. She recently attended a conference on sustainability in fashion and has given her insight and some tips on how we can consume more sustainably:

What is fast fashion and why is it damaging to the environment?

Fast Fashion is a throw away culture where big brands provide you with the latest trends for next to nothing. Our thirst for new trends leads to last season’s wardrobe ending up in one of the lorries full of textile waste that ends up in landfill every second. EVERY SECOND! How scary is that. It’s not just our short attention spans that cause a problem – it’s also the production processes within the industry that’s slowly killing our environment. The fashion industry is the second largest polluter in the world, with the way the crops are grown and how our clothes are made. In most of the countries in which garments are produced, toxic chemicals and dye runoff ends up in local rivers – therefore poisoning drinking water for surrounding villages. Water supplies have suffered massively over the years of textile production. The worlds fourth largest lake, the Aral Sea in Asia has been losing water for five years; ever since the two rivers that fed it were diverted to sustain cotton growth in the desert.

What can we do as consumers to combat this?

There are so many things consumers can do to help combat the new fast fashion cult. Of course, the obvious is to stop buying as many clothes; and love the ones we already have. However, to entirely change a nations way of thinking is pretty much impossible, and therefore smaller steps can be made. Looking for sustainable fabrics when purchasing can have a surprising effect on you mentally. I find myself only buying sustainable garments now and it makes me feel better about what I’m wearing. Of course, there is the other side of the argument that buying sustainable is still buying – and therefore no different to buying from high-street stores. Another idea is to buy second hand, giving new life to old clothes and making them last longer. Websites like Depop and Vinted make it so each to get your hands-on unwanted clothes and you only have to pay a fraction of the price of buying sustainable goods. Building a capsule wardrobe is another route to take. Having 30 quality items that you love and can mix and match between eliminated the excessive buying and provides you with key features to wear every day. As a fashion student myself – having the key skills to be able to mend items of clothing is the key to throwing less away. Rather than getting rid of something with a small tear, why not make it your own and visibly mend it with a patch or some embroidery. All of these ideas can help to make your own wardrobe more sustainable.

What, if anything, is the fashion industry doing to combat this?

The fashion industry itself is the main culprit for bring this cult to life. For what started as only 2 seasons a year (Autumn/winter and Spring/Summer) The fast fashion industry has on average 52 fashion seasons a year. With advertising so persuasive, consumers get sucked in to buying the latest trends which end up in landfill around seven wears later. It’s not only consumer buying that has a negative effect on the world – but also the secrecy that surrounds production of garments.

After 1,100 people died in a garment factory collapse in 2013 the industry has been pushing for more transparency within its supply chain. This aims to provoke thought in the consumers mind, causing them to appreciate where their clothes come from and who has made them. Many big brands are already joining the fight for transparency and building a more ethical future. Companies such as Zara and H&M are already taking small steps within the sustainable community. The app: “Good on You” allows customers to search a brand to see how sustainable and ethical they are, making this fight more real than ever.

"Sustainability plays a major role in all design disciplines. It’s fantastic that our fashion design students are addressing this within their work. Our students are producing some really exciting fashion which addresses the issue in a number of ways, ranging from creating beautifully crafted garments which are built to last to incorporating recycled and reclaimed materials into their designs."

Jane Bowler - BA (Hons) Fashion Design Course Leader WEBSITES TO LOOK AT

• thegoodtrade.com - The Daily Good • Fashion Revolution (Instagram @fash_rev) My Top 10 Sustainable (and more affordable) Shops:

• Lucy and Yak • Wituka • Pact • Alternative Apparel • Sand Cloud • Krochet Kids • Po-Zu • Monki (not all, but a lot of their stuff is sustainable) • Patagonia (not cheap) • People Tree (expensive)

When did you last have a sexual health checkup?

This is one area that most of us have neglected and only come to think of when

number of people who have HIV but have not been diagnosed keeps going up, let’s

we have landed in trouble. In reality, having a sexual health checkup is equally

encourage one another to get tested so that they/we know where we stand.

important as attending your yearly dental appointment. Prevention is better than

This is not to scare anyone, but to encourage you to get into the habit of getting

cure, especially when it comes to our health. A lot of emphases has been placed on

tested; especially when you have had unprotected sex. By getting tested you are

men to check their bits for prostate cancer, and women to have a smear test to check

able to seek the help you need should the result be positive, before your health

for cervical cancer - so why not your sexual health?

deteriorates. We are now living in an era where HIV is no longer a death sentence

As university students, our lives are very hectic with balancing going to work

and the earlier you seek treatment the longer you can prolong your life.

as well as ensuring you are up to date with your studies. Life can become so

There is also a need to educate ourselves instead of believing some of the myths out

monotonous to the point that you don’t know whether you are coming or going.

there - such as you can contract HIV through the sharing of cups, utensils, kissing

Some of us feel the long-awaited freedom we have yearned for has arrived, and tend sitting on the same toilet seat, holding hands. HIV can only be transmitted by to lead a life of partying recklessly to the point where we neglect a lot of things in

having sex with an infected person, or through blood transfusion.

our life. We become reckless with our health physically and sexually that we end up

You are probably now asking the question, ‘Where can I get tested?’ Tests are

opening a Pandora’s Box.

available in any walk-in sexual health clinic, or you can speak to your GP who can

HIV knows no boundary, rich or poor it strikes unknowingly. We tell ourselves that

signpost you to the nearest clinic. Counselling is provided before the test and you

we will never fall into that predicament, but not everyone that has been infected

can get your results straight away. Get tested and know where you stand.

ever thought that they will end up in that situation. Therefore, while we are

To find your closest sexual health clinic visit the NHS website. For more information

partying and drinking away let us ensure that we protect ourselves. The fact is the

on HIV you can visit the NHS choices or Terrance Higgins Trust charity website.

February Issue

HIV CHECK

By Hilda Pachawo

11

Sexual Health.

12 February Issue

BUCKS WARDROBE

AVAILABLE NOW! Baseball tees, t-shirts, chunky zipped hoodies, fleeced sweatshirts, core and zipped hoodies.

Available online or by calling into the Students’ Union offices. bucksstudentsunion.org/shop

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By Ellie Freeman

SCHOOL OFFICER

My name’s Ellie Freeman, and I’m the School Officer

the RepCon meetings, Laura Bailey (School Officer

to get some printers moved to this area very quickly.

for Art, Design and Performance. I’m currently a third-

for Aviation and Security) and I were asked to host a

Even small suggestions like this make a difference to life

year Graphic Design student and have been Student

Mental Health session. This gave us an opportunity to

at Bucks.

Rep since my first year. School Officers oversee the

share our passion for positive mental wellbeing with

Reps in each school and liaise between Reps and Staff.

Student Reps and help to signpost and support any

It’s my job to make sure the voices of students on Art,

students who may be struggling.

Design and Performance courses have their voices heard and are getting the most out of University.

Becoming a School Officer is one of the best things I’ve done during my time at Bucks. This opportunity allows you to work closely with the Representation

This job puts you in a position where you are actively

team in the Students' Union and helps learn and further

able to make a difference on campus. You will get the

skills for your CV. It has helped to build my confidence

Working with the number 1 Students' Union in the UK

opportunity to speak one to one with your Head of

and I feel I’m a lot more prepared for post-University

is an easy job – everyone works together as part of a

School and gain a deeper understanding into what

life now. The role has supported my development of

community and it’s a great opportunity to challenge

goes on behind the scenes at University. This is a great

new skills such as leadership, project management,

yourself. As well as sharing student perspectives in

opportunity to directly discuss University life from a

organisation and communication with students, staff

Education Forum, Programme Committee and other

student perspective and suggest any changes you’d

and academics. I also love being in a position where

meetings, we work with the Representation team on

like to see in your school. For example, from my ‘Meet

I’m able to help people, support students in my school

a frequent basis, including leading ‘Meet the Rep’

the Rep’ sessions, I found that a lot of creative students

and make sure everyone is having the best possible

sessions and planning events like RepCon. Being a

wanted easier access to printers in Timberlake/ Red

experience at University. (There’s also a few more

School Officer creates additional opportunities to have

Shed, where a lot of our courses are based. Speaking

perks like getting your own personalised hoodie and a

a more active role on campus. For example, following

directly to my Head of School about this, we were able

financial incentive too!)

February Issue

BEING A

13

Representation.

14 February Issue

Student Voice.

By Eliza Gent

WORKING TWO JOBS IN ADDITION TO ATTENDING CLASS I have just got back from a full day at Uni followed by an eight-hour shift and

and you know hearing their voice will make everything better. Be super kind to

words like exhausted come to mind. However, if I wish to graduate in September

yourself. If you can’t make frat on Wednesday don’t worry about it because you will

then this isn’t really something in which I have a choice over. Like many other

have a chance to go out, you just need to be patient with your lifestyle.

students in order to stay at Uni I need to work but for me unfortunately one job just doesn’t pay the bills.

If you are a student who has to carefully split all their time between work and Uni, then you should be incredibly proud of yourself. Having to be constantly

Not for a second am I moaning though. I am incredibly lucky to be in the position

tired and bailing on your friends can make you feel terrible and it will make you

I’m in. I am able to have a great education whilst learning two different skills in two

wonder if this is all actually worth it. But it is. It's more than worth it.

different jobs whilst being able to pay my rent and put food on the table. Although

Get yourself friends who understand that you aren’t always going to be in a

I am lucky, I am not saying that this is easy in fact I think it’s fair to say that it is extremely difficult and at times impossible.

position where you can choose going out over earning money because they are the friends who when you finally get a day off will be thrilled to spend it with you

So maybe impossible isn’t the word to use because somehow, I always find a way to

doing absolutely nothing because that’s what you need.

attend class, get to work on time and submit all my assignments (sometimes not just

If you do find yourself being pushed to your limits be sure to take a step back,

the hour before they're due). I honestly can’t explain how I make it all work because I

give yourself time to breathe, and remember why you are here, why you came to

truly don’t have a clue, but I suppose the way to do it is to follow some simple steps;

Uni and why this is all going to be worth it.

sleep when you can even if it’s just five hours that night. Not every night that week will be like that and you can make up the hours the next chance you get.

The moment you graduate, you won’t be thinking about the long day in class followed by an eight-hour shift. You won’t be thinking about that night you only

Make sure you keep good healthy food in the house so that when you are run

got three hours sleep because that’s all your day allowed you. You definitely won’t

down and tired you aren’t snacking on junk which will only make you feel worse. If

be thinking about that time you wanted to quit Uni because it was all too much.

one of your parents calls but you don’t really feel like talking, just pick up because

You will be thinking about how proud you are of yourself for how far you’ve come

being so busy means you aren’t sure when you will get a chance to call them back

and, in that moment, you will know it was all worth it.

15

Film Review.

February Issue

16

18 - 24 Feb

25 Feb - 3 Mar Tuesday 26

February Issue

Monday 18

BUCKS STUDENTS' UNION IS OPEN SEVEN NIGHTS A WEEK. IF YOU DO NOT SEE AN EVENT LISTED BELOW, CHECK ONLINE NEARER THE TIME!

Wednesday 27

Wednesday 20

Saturday 2

Saturday 23

Saturday 2 Sunday 24

Sunday 3

Tuesday 5 Wednesday 14

Saturday 9

Sunday 10

Wednesday 13

Sunday 17

Friday 15

February Issue

Wednesday 6

17

4 - 17 Mar

VISIT BUCKSSTUDENTSUNION.ORG/WHATSON OR SEARCH: BUCKS STUDENTS' UNION ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE INFORMATION.

February Issue

18

19

Rusty recommends.

February Issue

The venue is open seven days a week and sometimes it is difficult to decide which nights to go to - you may end up missing out on something amazing! Here are my recommendations for the next few weeks for those of you who like to experience something a bit different!

Two Tones in association with

The Venue Bucks proudly present...

Pick It Up Festival

2019 A full day of Ska Punk followed by:

Pick It Up Festival!

On Sat 2 March from 12:30pm, Two Tones in association with The Venue Bucks proudly present Pick It up Festival.

A day full of Ska Punk, this a line-up features headliners [SPUNGE], a band who have toured since the early 90s with the likes of Green Day and who won’t be stopping anytime soon.

Also on the line-up are On Trial UK, who claim to create music for freethinkers here to protect and help you to become yourself and write your moral code.

Plus more acts to follow.

We also have an afterparty which will be hosted by Crash Rock Club with the UK's best Green Day tribute

Riskee and The Ridicule a grime punk band, combining

band, Green Date. So stick around and enjoy even more

three-way harmonies, political poetry, melodic yet

live music as your ticket to Pick It Up Festival gains you

heavy guitars, catchy hooks and intricate bass lines.

free entry to Crash.

Codename Colin is a six-piece Ska Punk band that can send you into nostalgia frenzy as you reminisce

Tickets are on sale now!

about the freedom of summer. Bringing you their

£15 advance from See Tickets & Eventbrite

Millie Manders & the Shutup create cross-genre punk

energetic live show with catchy beats and melodies and

https://bit.ly/2B1fsVQ

that is hard to ignore. Their lyricism that pokes fun,

impressive sax-driven hooks.

draws you in or leaves you questioning social norms,

And Lead Shot Hazard will be bringing you chunky

teamed with incredible vocal dexterity, grinding guitars,

chords, heavy riffs, fiddly widdles, driving drums and an

irresistible horn hooks and a pumping rhythm section,

awe inspiring triple horn!

https://bit.ly/2S1vhWt £20 on the day Free for Bucks Students

20 February Issue

Game review.

By Tom Mepham

Keyforge: Call of the Archons (or just Keyforge) is a new card game from the creator of Magic: The Gathering. It’s the world’s first ‘unique card game’, where every 37-card deck is completely random, which leaves 104 septillion possible deck combinations. Yeah, SEPTILION (with 24 zeros after). Each deck is also uniquely named, with the name on the cards, so they must be played together. The decks are also made up of 3 of 7 ‘houses’, which are specific groups of cards, of which you can only play one house per turn.

The aim of the game is to use these decks - each filled with creatures, actions, upgrades and artifacts - to collect Æmber (pronouncer amber) to forge three keys. To forge keys, you must collect six Æmber through fighting creatures, special actions, card effects or stealing your opponent’s Æmber (though the cards, not in person).

The game plays in a similar fashion to Magic: The Gathering (obviously, since it’s made by the same guy) and Yu-Gi-Oh, and has been widely praised for its ease of joining, replayability and low price; with the 37-card decks coming in at £9 RRP and the starter set (with 2 starter decks, 2 unique decks plus all the tokens) being £37 RRP. Good luck getting the starter set though - it sold out on its first day back in November and had pretty much been sold out since!

It’s been one of the fastest growing table-top games in recent memory due to these factors - with games and tournaments being arranged through game shops in Wycombe and at the twice-weekly Game Soc. Due to everyone having unique decks, it’s not a

pay-to-win card game like Yu-Gi-Oh, as you have to stick with your cards and work around the ones that aren’t as useful.

I personally have found Keyforge to be the most fun card games I’ve played due to its quick turns, unbiased decks and the fun of opening a new deck to see what’s inside.

It’s a perfect card game for beginners to table-top games, and many Game Soc attendees are happy to help teach the game. The only downsides I’ve found are that it requires a lot of table space (depending on the deck), so it’s not good for quick travel games, and that some decks can get pretty good, so unless you have a counter, you may need to buy more decks in order to win against specific people.

Want to play Keyforge with others? Come along to Game Soc, every Monday and Thursday, 5-10pm in N3.10 (also N3.11 for D&D and N3.13 for console games). If you don’t want to buy a deck, many members will happily lend you one to see if the game’s right for you!

A technically advanced creature has been in stasis for hundreds of years and when it eventually awakens it doesn’t know who it is or remember anything about themselves including their name! As the film goes on the creature tries to discover who they are and where they come from. Alita: Battle Angel is the long-awaited Robert Rodriguez and James Cameron's adaptation of Yukito Kishiro's manga series where we watched cyborgs fighting other cyborgs in a dystopian sci-fi world.

We meet cyber-surgeon Doctor Ido who discovers the creature in a junkyard which is full of debris left over from the war, known as The Fall, which took place 300 years before the events of this film. The war left Iron City as a dystopia which is overshadowed and below the floating city which citizens of Iron City dream of going up to and frequently bargain to gain access to the city above which we see mentioned throughout.

Ido finds the living core of a young cyborg woman with a human brain in the junkyard. Ido takes her back to his surgery and performs repairs, by giving her a new body. Once she wakes, she can't remember anything about who she is. As a result, Ido, gives her the name Alita which happens to be the name of his dead daughter along with the body he created for his daughter before she died. We later find out that Alita is an expert in the now extinct martial art, Panzer Kunst, which was last seen in the war, which makes Alita over 300 years old.

The film involves a mixture of live-action and CGI which makes the outcome beautiful to watch. We get to see the many layers of the complex world throughout this film. Alita's action sequences are some of the highlights during this film; once she gets into a life or death situation, we get to witness her strength and power whilst fighting.

Alita isn't the only cyborg we get to meet in this film, we meet Hunter Warriors, who are bounty hunters that stand in for the police and compete with each other to kill the next target as soon as a price is put on their head. Along with the Hunter Warriors, there are henchcyborgs working for the manipulative, Vector. The hench-cyborgs have human faces on metal skeletons with extendable arms and legs. These creatures look really believable and realistic.

As mentioned throughout, the CGI and the look of everything was amazing and really believable, except the design and look of Alita is questionable. All the cyborgs look realistic and like the actor who is playing that part, yet Alita looks the most like a manga character with those huge eyes, yet you don't see that anywhere else in the film so why did they decide to do that to just that one character??

Alita isn't just an extinct warrior but finds love with human male Hugo, which creates really sweet moments throughout. Their relationship can be awkward at times, but it fits with their characters as both characters are young; this relationship creates tear-jerking moments as the chemistry is strong with these characters and you believe they really do have feelings for each other. However, at times these moments can be overplayed too and can be a bit too intense and almost cringy.

The plot is really confusing with this film as there are multiple plots and subplots happening.

Alita is trying to find out who she is but also standing up to a corrupt organisation, with the subplot of the deadly sport Motorball which is mentioned throughout. Along with these plots we had very complex characters who kept holding information back from us and then in the end we would find the information out. At times, especially near the end it feels like this film is setting up for another film which we aren’t sure will even happen. Our main threat isn’t stopped, in the end Alita understands who she is we believe yet we are told for certain but there is no real conclusion to our story as good hasn't really achieved anything apart make themselves known to the real threat who lives in the upper/floating city.

Characters are complex which makes for great viewing as you want to know more about them however the plot isn’t clear, it keeps cutting between Alita trying to understand who she is, trying to defeat one cyborg and then going after someone and keeping the person she loves alive. As a result, so much is happening, and you become confused at what is really happening. The relationship between Alita and Hugo is sweet but also cringy at times too.

This is good film, something different to watch but some elements aren’t needed or don’t make sense like the design of Alita compared to all the other characters and cyborgs.

Alita: Battle Angel is an interesting film to watch but it’s not perfect.

February Issue

By Athena Pickering

21

Film review.

22 February Issue

Music review.

By Colin Capp

AMO

One song into the new Bring me the Horizon album and you would be forgiven for thinking you were listening to a different band. Over the course of their career bring me the horizon have evolved with every album resulting in 2015’s Metal/Pop cross over ‘That’s the Spirit’ making the band a household name. On this follow up though it appears the band have more or less replaced all the heavy technical guitar riffs with electronics and the brutal screams replaced with clean vocals.

‘Amo’ is described as a concept album surrounding the topic of love, but the concept seems to end at the lyrics as musically sometimes it can feel like the band doesn’t quite know what they want to be. Songs like ‘MANTRA’, ‘Wonderful Life’ and ‘Sugar, Honey, Ice and Tea’ feature heavy guitar riffs and hint at the bands metal roots, whereas ‘Medicine’ and ‘Mother Tongue’ are straight up pop songs. The variety of influences does not end there as elements of EDM shine through on opener ‘I apologise if you feel something’ and Grimes collaboration ‘Nihilist Blues’. It is good to see a band rely on a number of influences however the variation between songs makes the album feel a little disjointed at times. The best moments seem to come when the band throw different influences into the same songs, mixing guitars with electronics and pop inspired vocals to almost create a new genre.

The range of genres and styles covered on this album means that the first listen can be a bit of a confusing one, however the more you listen to the album the more you understand the style the band were going for and the more and more you will get into every song, so it is definitely an album that needs to be revisited to be fully appreciated.

This is the first album that the band have self-produce and they have done a brilliant job creating a professional

sounding album that blends different instruments and sounds effectively. The only down side to this is that the album appears to lose the human element as everything sounds perfectly pitched and perfectly timed. This is common in pop music and is almost where the band loses the authentic rock sound that they have boasted over previous albums.

The best thing about this album is the fact that Bring me the Horizon have been able to blend elements of different styles of music to create a new genre. Although many bands have mixed genres before, no one has ever done it so successfully with the album beating ‘The Greatest Showman’s’ Dominance over the UK charts to take the number 1 spot. This proves that this could be the album to break Bring me the Horizon, with festival headline sets on the Horizon this could be the biggest year yet for the band. This is the perfect album to appeal to rock and pop fans If you are a fan of Bring me the Horizon this album may shock you, but definitely give it a few listens as you may surprise yourself with how much you actually enjoy it and likewise if you have not been a fan before give this album a listen as you could be introduced to a new style of music that you will enjoy.

George is a 3rd Year Performing Arts student during the day, and at night, is Crystal Enigma, a drag queen who is a finalist in the Miss Drag UK competition.

I caught up with him to talk about his drag and the competition.

T: Thanks for chatting with me George! First of all, tell me about your drag persona.

T: What tips would you give to people who want to become drag queens?

G: My drag persona is sexy and stupid, and can get away with pretty much anything, and uses that to her full advantage. For my performances I like to take two references from pop-culture, and mash them together in unexpected ways (e.g. Alice in Wonderland with Lily Allen).

G: Have fun and be unique, if you want to follow word for word what online influencers are doing, you do you, but never feel like you have to do something because everyone else is. My favourite looks and performances are the ones where I blocked out the voices saying, 'this is too much/ weird' and did it anyway.

T: Do you have a style or theme to your outfits?

G: I carry this idea of twisting pop-culture with my style. I call my drag Pretty in Punk, because I like to take something pretty/simple and give it an edgier aesthetic.

T: Who are your biggest inspirations in drag?

G: One of my biggest inspirations is Manila Luzon because I love how she blends camp and fashion in both her looks and performances. A lot of my inspiration comes from obscure references from film and TV when I was younger and blending it with modern pop-culture.

T: How have friends and family reacted to your drag?

G: My mum is a massive supporter, my first Christmas after starting drag, she bought me some really nice jewellery and some makeup brushes (I think that was her being shady cause I looked busted).

T: Tell me about the competition you’re entering.

G: I’m a finalist in Miss Drag UK in March, which is a drag charity pageant in Kent. It is a great opportunity for people of all genders to come and express themselves and show themselves in their best light. It is all in aid of SANDS and the Dorset Children's Foundation. Both these charities do incredible work, and I have started building relationships with them to help fundraise leading up to the pageant, as well as volunteering in the future.

T: Thanks for joining me for a quick chat, and good luck in the pageant!

Want to chat to George about drag or talk about LGBT History Month? Come to LGBT+ Society (find out the next date on our Facebook page: Facebook.com/groups/BNULGBT) To donate, visit George's Go Fund Me page: gf.me/u/qsacr3

February Issue

SHE WILL ROCK YOU

By Tom Mepham & George Richards (“Crystal Enigma”)

23

LGBT+ Society.

24 February Issue

Musical Theatre Society.

By Katie Blackwell

MUSICAL THEATRICS Last year Musical Theatre hosted their first ‘Takeover’ at the Student Union and it was a MASSIVE SUCCESS!

Just when you thought we would finally stop banging on about it; we are now about to co-host our second ever ‘Takeover’ with non-other than the amazing ‘Bucks Men’s Rugby’!

This will take place on Wednesday 27 February at 8pm in the Student Union. Suggested entry fee of £4.

In the spirit of the ‘Jocks’ collaborating with the ‘Drama Nerds’ we have decided to set our takeover’s theme as ‘High School Musical’.

The night will include songs such as ‘What Time is it?’

‘Bop to The Top’ and of course the legendary, ‘We’re All in This Together’.

We’ve put our sport and show tunes minds together to come up with some super fun and brand-new games that everyone can get involved with!

‘Yearbook’- you may see some familiar faces in this one, probably just looking a little less tired from all the Uni stress…

‘Start of something new’- This will be a chance for you to find true love or just watch your friends get embarrassed… you might need to re-do your hair and make-up after this one.

There will be opportunities where you can cast your vote on what rugby boy you get to see perform a solo performance by donating money in the buckets provided at the takeover. You will also be able to choose what song they sing in the same way!

responsive and always offering themselves to help in all the ways that they can.

Our dance captain, Abbie Reck, has been working hard to choreograph all the dances that will be performed on the night. All of which, I’m sure you’ll be happy to hear, is full to the max with cheese!

So, if you’re at a loose end on a Wednesday night and are looking for some well needed entertainment after a dry January and a floppy February then look no further…

Musical Theatre and Bucks Men’s Rugby is here to pump you up and get you in the all singing all dancing mood to propel you into one awesome Frat Night!

Remember it’s all High School Musical themed and we’ve made sure we haven’t missed a single opportunity to get our lovely rough and ready sport fanatics all dressed up and ready to be mortified!

We don’t want to give too much away and spoil the surprise for you, but to keep you on your twinkle toes we can reveal some of the names of the games to get your minds racing…

Oh, and don’t worry, you’ll get your chance to come dressed as your favourite HSM character from any of the films. Just get in contact with the Musical Theatre Chair or Captain to let us know you’re coming and we will assign you your costume theme… it could be Jocks, Nerds or even skater dudes!

‘Get your head in the game’ - where the audience get to cast their votes in attempts to win great prizes!

It has been a pleasure working so closely with rugby in these last few weeks, their committee has been helpful,

FRIDAY 10 | SATURDAY 11 | SUNDAY 12

MAY FREE FOR BUCKS STUDENTS Alumni and guest Early Bird tickets now available: bucksstudentsunion.org/festiball

Written by Katie Blackwell Performed by Unwritten: Company The Ballad of House Zennor is Cornish legend, re-worked and re-imagined.

We are told a long-forgotten tale through the eyes of Cornwall’s most loved Piskies about love, lust, loss and legend, flower power and dark confession.

"Husband John’s only cares in life Are business and his darling wife.

He leaves for work and in his place He calls upon his brother to run the estate Tensions are high and in a moment of passion We witness in two acts lives that come crashing."

Unwritten: Company’s original tale blends comedy, live music, unrequited love and unmerciful loss. The Ballad of House Zennor captures your imagination and once again ignites your passion for the magic of theatre.

Behind the Scenes

There are two possible dates to choose from so if you’ve

Beginning this journey Unwritten: Company only had a script idea and a group of 8 keen theatre makers, all putting their trust into a unique idea.

got plans on the Monday 4 March make sure you clear

Within only a couple months the director and writer wrote ‘The Ballad of House Zennor’

the concession charges at the Bracknell venue also apply

Inspired by her Cornish heritage, Katie wove together this timeless and heart-aching story of Morvene, John, Arthur, Daphne and the four mischievous Piskies.

you bring along any identification to prove your eligibility.

The company worked hard to source everything you will see and hear in this production. From props, costume, venue, script, music, and so much more but we will resist going on. Raising the money to fund for all of this wasn’t easy, however it definitely turned into fun, and more or less, inventive couple of weeks.

On that note, we would like to thank everyone who helped us with our fundraising and especially to everyone who donated, we quite literally couldn’t have done any of this without you!

With only 4 weeks until our debut performance at the Swan in High Wycombe, we've been working extremely hard to try and create theatre that is exciting and hopefully something a little different to what you’ve seen before.

We would really appreciate if you would be able to support a group of creatives by coming to watch our original show. Bring friends, family, pets and strangers as it would be a great shame for anyone to miss this!

your diary for the Monday 18 March.

In honour of the director’s mother and brother in-law, to NHS staff and members in the Military, so make sure If you’re still not entirely sure what to expect let me give you a slightly more detailed insight…

Our show includes, magic, betrayal, unworldly creatures, tasteful sex scenes, tragic deaths and a sprinkle of unsuspecting twists at the end.

We can’t wait to see you at the show!

Cast Anna-Maria- Morvene | Sanj Soray- John Josh Woodgate- Arthur | Katie Blackwell- Daphne Juno Hull- Beats (Piskie) | Niamh Floody- Bucca (Piskie) Elena Danaila- Pansy (Piskie) | Ella Forbes- Prim (Piskie)

Show Dates Monday 4 March, 7:30pm £6/£3 Concession Swan Theatre, Old Town Hall High Wycombe, HP11 2XE

Monday 18 March 7:00pm £7/£5.50 Concession (Includes NHS & Military) South Hill Park, Cellar Bar Bracknell, RG12 7PA

February Issue

By Katie Blackwell, Anna-Maria, Sanj Soray, Josh Woodgate, Juno Hull, Niamh Floody, Elena Danaila & Ella Forbes

25

Performing Arts.

26 February Issue

Want to help future students make a choice about which university to attend?

Help Bucks New University climb in the WhatUni Student Rankings, and be in with a chance of winning a ÂŁ200 food shop by completing a WhatUni review.

Submit a review for Bucks online at whatuni.com/review.

The categories cover every aspect of student life, from accommodation, facilities and your course, to lecturers, student support and your Students’ Union.

WE ARE RECRUITING BUDDIES TO SUPPORT OUR APPLICANTS FROM WHEN THEY APPLY AND THROUGHOUT THEIR FIRST TERM AT BUCKS. This is a discrete service conducted via email, so you will be set up with a Bucks Buddy email address. We are looking for students that fall in to the following categories so we can best provide assistance and advice to our broad range of members.

Mature student Student from overseas Part time student Post Graduate student Under Graduate student

A Further Education level student (i.e. Foundation) Student with family responsibilities Student who commutes Student who hails from the local area

Any queries email: katie.smith@bucks.ac.uk For more information and to apply, please visit bucksstudentsunion.org/jobs

BNUSnowsoc is a society based around skiing and ski/ snowboard culture, whether it be first time skiers or seasoned instructors. The committee consists of Tamsin Grainger, our chair & ambassador. Alexander Eyles, our secretary and finally Connor Wall, our treasurer.

Snowsoc is a lot of different things to a lot of different people. Some people may enjoy the Aprés ski elements of the society, taking pleasure from our socials, such as pub golf or our ski themed club nights. Others may instead preferring our fortnightly trips to the SnowCentre, our local indoor snow dome, in which both lessons and recreational skiing and snowboarding is offered. Everyone is different and Snowsoc caters for all audiences.

As some of us are first year students, we would encourage all to join no matter your skiing experience

or aspirations as no only will you have the opportunity to ski at an extremely cheap rate, you may also enjoy in the sense of community the society brings. Snowsoc is unlike any other society and is vastly different to that of a regular sports team. Commitment to the society is not relative and offers a chilled out, friendly environment that the committee prides themselves on.

As far as plans for the future are concerned, we have three main aspects in which we look to expand upon.

Due to our secretary’s talent in videography & editing, this means that we plan on consistently making edits/ videos that include all members of the society, and promoting them through our social media platforms.

From a social point of view, we plan to have more themed nights, taking inspiration from Aprés ski culture and the

Snowsoc is a welcoming, friendly environment for people to enjoy ski/snowboard culture without the heavy commitment of a sports team.

others from suggestions within the society. Furthermore we also plan to have more “nights in” based around video games, movies and the like.

Lastly; we look to invest fully in our skiing schedule, no only in consistency of our sessions (fortnightly) but also through the camaraderie of being a snow society. All sessions will be met with the chance to grab a drink and talk about the session before and after, while the bus ride alone is enough to get you in the mood to slash a few turns.

Overall, Snowsoc is a welcoming, friendly environment for people to enjoy ski/snowboard culture without the heavy commitment of a sports team. Snowsoc revolves around this premise and no matter the experience, everyone is given a chance to enjoy what BNUSnowsoc has to offer.

February Issue

SNOWSOC

By Joshua Kidger, Tamsin Grainger, Alexander Eyles & Connor Wall

27

Snowsoc.

28 February Issue

AU Dinner.

By Alana Zukas

AU DINNER AU Dinner is one of the biggest events of the year for our Athletic Union. On Thursday 2 May, every club will be lining up to enter the Wycombe Town Hall for a two course meal, prestigious awards and a speech from a very prominent guest speaker.

The awards are easily the most awaited part of the evening. Nominations for all awards are now open!

You can nominate anyone that you think deserves it by going to the bucksstudentsunion.org/aunominations.

Alternatively, we have paper copies of the form in the Students' Union office.

We have 11 awards to offer. Kicking off the night with Coach of the Year, this is to award recognition to a coach who has made an outstanding contribution to the team both on and off the field.

The second award for Fresher of the Year recognises the outstanding achievement or performance by a fresher in their first year at university.

Captain of the Year awards the captain who has performed their duties at an exceptional level all year, showing dedication and a commitment to their team.

A fairly new award, only introduced last year is the RAG

contributor of the year. This goes to recognise the club who has gone above and beyond and involved all their members in fundraising for our two RAG charities.

success in terms of commitment to training and match play. Charlie Cotton (VPSI) will be speaking to captains to organise these awards!

Team of the Year recognises the most successful team of the year in their field of play and league achievements.

Most Improved Player is an award to celebrate an individual’s notable improvement throughout the year, attendance and attitude for all training and matches will be taken into account. Going the extra mile outside of Committee Member of the Year recognises the compulsory training to improve themselves as much as committee member who has gone above and beyond their duties to the club – impacting and developing their possible. club over the year.

Finally, one of the biggest awards of the evening is Probably the most hotly contested award of the night is Club of the Year. This award recognises an entire club based on their overall success, achievements and conduct throughout the year.

Next Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year. These awards honour the year’s best male and female whose performance most embodies the spirit of sportsmanship and achievement.

Players’ Player goes to one person from each team to celebrate who has stood out during a season, as recognised by their fellow team members. This player may have had an exceptional impact on the team’s

Contribution to Sport. This is the recognition of a person or people who have gone above and beyond the call of duty over a prolonged period of time. It also measures how their action and contributions have had a positive impact on sport at Bucks. This award last year went to four of the Women’s Basketball team who had helped the team have a very strong few years at Bucks. Winning the league and the conference cup twice in the last three years!

Please nominate anyone you feel is worthy of any of these awards. Nominations will be open until the Friday 29 March!

29 February Issue

Nominations now open 9

and tickets are available!

NOMINATIONS NOW OPEN! Visit bucksstudentsunion.org/awards to have your say...

30 February Issue

Badminton.

By Thomas Dinham & Caitlin Lawlor

BUCKS BADMINTON Badminton runs two types of session through out the week:

and involved. Sharing our passion for badminton with

Sport for Fun (Tuesday 4:30-5:30pm & Thursday 6:30-7:30pm)

other clubs and students in the hope that others will

and training (Tuesday 5:30-7pm, Sunday 1:30-4pm). Our Sport

see the fun in the sport and join us. Please join

for Fun sessions our run by our badminton ambassador, William our Bucks badminton Facebook page to stay up Booth, and engage all levels of players to come together in order to date on any events that badminton put on. to have fun with the sport! We like to get everyone involved with these sessions and strive to make people feel welcome during every session. During our sessions we like to run special badminton games such as ‘around the world’ and ‘badminton

Would you like to join the badminton team?

Whether you have never played the sport and are thinking of trying something new

or someone who already knows the game volleyball’ to bring everyone together and make badminton more feel free to join us during the week and of a community. Our Sport for Fun sessions run on Tuesdays enjoy some friendly games. With the and Thursdays; make sure you come along.

NEW COACH! The badminton team are now in full swing, training Tuesday evenings and Sunday afternoons with a new coach to help elevate their skills and prepare for varsity. Both sides of the team are extremely confident with the new addition to the badminton squad and believe that Chris, our new coach, will help bring home the varsity trophy. With the badminton league not going in our favour, we are ready to train hard and take down Roehampton on Wednesday 27 March!

sporting year coming to an end both the men’s and women’s teams are looking for people to join the competitive teams and start training ready for next year. Only two of the Men’s badminton team are returning next year so, if you would like to be part of the squad make sure you come down to a Sport for Fun session and

Fundraising events: The badminton committee are planning

speak to our Captain’s,

to set up some fundraising events for the rest of the year and

Scott Leatherbarrow (Men’s

welcome everyone to join in these, We want the badminton

Captain) & Caitlin Lawlor

club to break out of old habits and get the sport more out there (Woman’s Captain).

For those who you who are unaware of what Varsity is, to say it is the best day of your university experience is an understatement. Varsity is a chance for clubs and societies to represent the university in what is, effectively, a large sports day against our rivals, Roehampton. Varsity is the perfect opportunity for EACH and EVERY student to come together, no matter what course you’re on, if you’re a member of a club or society, if you’re a player or spectator. EVERYONE is welcome!! Supporters include both players and spectators. The commitment and companionship that binds our Bucks students together is something Roehampton can’t compete with.

Varsity has not been in our favour with the results being one win, one draw, and four losses to those who don the

red shirt. However, in recent years the results have seen tight competition between the two universities, with Bucks winning in 2016, narrowly losing by half a point in 2017, and an unlucky draw last year on home turf. It is torture seeing the effort bucks athletes put in just for the Roebuck trophy to be lifted by our rivals, especially knowing what we can achieve. In 2016, Bucks won Varsity, and the atmosphere after knowing that we had won was electric. It was an amazing feeling, everyone was in a state of euphoria and it’s definitely a feeling that all students here have the right to feel once again, it will be tough. Roehampton don’t give up the trophy easily, but like in 2016, it smells like a year where we can defy all odds.

year, determined to bring the trophy home. Our teams are in preparation for a win and, we are confident that their hard work and determination over the course of the year will shine through on the big day. However, it is only on the day that the union of Bucks students and the atmosphere shared by both players and supporters can be felt. Which is why we urge you to come and support your fellow students.

We urge you to buy a ticket to this event – the ticket will include transport there and back, a meal, a wristband to gain entry to the sporting events and to Roehamptons SU at the end of the night. A varsity t-shirt to show your support and become part of the sea of red and last but not least a programme.

Despite our loses, every single one of our A bargain for £15, please go to teams has come back fighting year after bucksstudentsunion.org/varsity.

Fixtures before Varsity (Saturday 23 March) Dance - at Surrey Dance Comp Futsal On the Day (Wednesday 27 March) Bank Sports Centre Men’s Badminton Women’s Badminton Men’s Hockey Women’s Hockey Men’s Football 4s Men’s Football 3s Men’s Football 2s Men’s Football 1s Netball 2s Netball 1s Roehampton Rec Women’s Basketball Men’s Volleyball Women’s Volleyball Rosslyn Park Men’s Rugby Molden Centre Swimming

February Issue

VARSITY

By Alanah Walters, Riadh Bouzida & Charlie Cotton

31

Varsity.

WHAT’S YOUR PASSION? The Bucks Student newspaper is looking for current students to write articles - if you’re passionate about a subject, we’d love to hear from you. Can’t think of what to write?

No problem! Join us at a Newsgroup meeting and we’ll give you a topic to write about.

Our meetings are in the Study Lounge (near Beats, opposite the Dance Studio) - email editor@thebucksstudent.com for a time and date.

Not only will you get your views and opinions out there, but being able to say your work has been published will look fantastic on your CV. For more information email the student editor, Eliza, on editor@thebucksstudent.com.

Want to take your writing even further, and earn £100 per edition?

We are starting to look for an editor to work with the Bucks Student for the next academic year (2019/20). If you would like to find out more please email sucommunications@bucks.ac.uk.