Concrete issue 031 02 March 1994

ROBBED!

ELECTIONS

Student slams University for 1 negligence1

Select your dream team for 194/'95: election lowdown

NEWS

CENTRE

GLIDING Up, up and away in a flying machine .. .

CENTRE

INSIDE: • NEWS • FEATURES • ENTERTAINMENT • SPORT • LETIERS • CLASSIFIEDS • LOCAL NEWS • CAMPUS TO CAMPUS •

Issue 31: Wednesday, March 2, 1994

Exclusive report by Jo Stubb/ngton Fifers Lane is to remain 'open' next year... at a staggering cost of £185,000. But not one student will be living in the residences. For 'Concrete' can exclusively reveal that this is the estimated cost of maintaining Fifers each year until the University's lease runs out in 2017. Secret figures obtained from a University source last week reveal that: e£95,000 will be spent on rent and rates e£65,000 will be spent on maintaining Fifers Lane next year including regular visits from a pest-control company e£25 ,000 will be spent on portering and security services at the abandoned residences. The buildings, which are rented by UEA from the Norwich City Council, are leased until well into the next Century under an agreement which, it is rumoured has no 'get out clause' . The terms of such an agreement mean that the university would be obliged to look after the run-down residences until the lease expires, even though all Freshers will be

UEA to get a campus chippy: it will be open by Christmas A TRADITIONAL style Fish and Chip shop Is to open on campus by Christmas, Concrete can reveal. Plans for the brand new outlet - which will ,.·•nu.•naiU between Breakand The Back Bar- were given the go-ahead late last month, at a meeting of UEA officials. But although heralded as good news by UEA Catering Manager, Roger Hawkes, the uncosted proposal left many existing catering staff fearing for their jobs. For at a meeting last Wednesday, employees were warned there could be some redundancies: as popularcampuseaterie, The Diner, will be closing an hour earlier by September. The plans were also attacked by Student Union Finance Officer, Lizzi Watson. She said: ''To say they don 't have an idea of what it will cost to build the place is surely poor business sense. Maybe this could reflect other aspects of the University's financial management. .. such as Fifers Lane."

,----By----. Peter Hart But designers at UEA have already moved into action, planning exactly how the outlet will look. Many details are still under wraps, but it is thought there will be a strong emphasis on the 'traditional' chip shop theme. Roger Hawkes told Concrete that there would be a traditional chip shop front, with real deep fat fryers and an authentic servery area. And the food would include not just the great English meal - fish and chips - but "one or two pies, and perhaps the odd spring roll," according to Mr Hawkes. He added, though, that the range of food would not be as extensive as that found in similar City takeaways. Opening would be during lunchtime(ll.30-2)andevenings(from 5 or 6 o'clock until about 9pm).

Turn to Page 2, Col. 4

accomodated on campus or at Wilberforce Road. It is proposed that each year's costs would be charged to the Residences Account, which is already more than £I 00,000 in the red. Said Lizzie Watson, Student Union Finance Officer,"l think it' sdisgracefultoeven consider charging this deficit to the Residences Account. ''The Residences Account is already forecast to make a huge loss both this year and next, and to charge £185,000 to the account would only exacerbate the problem." She added: ''The site will not be used for student residency and therefore has no place with the account." eTwo blocks at Fifers Lane were closed earlier this year. a move which it was hoped would make an estimated saving of £40,000 to £50,000. Theclosureofblocks '0' and 'P' infact saved the university just £10,000. Despite numerous attempts by Concrete to contact Dennis Brown, Acting Director of Residences, he remained unavailable for comment at the time the paper went to press.

'Vote for me!' FIFTEEN candidates have been nominated for this week's Sabbatical Elections - when UEA students have the chance to choose their Dream Team for the 1994-5 Union Executive,

writes Nia/1 Hampton.

PHOTO: Courtesy of the Potato Marketing Board

And voting for the posts of Academic, Communications, Finance and Welfare Officer will take place on March 3. The successful candidates will find themselves responsible for two commercial companies and a large number of staff in addi-

UEA's Independent student Newspaper 6000 copies every fortnight

lion to their obligations to the members of the Union. Nominations this year are the highest for some time - showing that students are becoming increasingly interested in becoming involved in their Union. •voting for the 1994 Sabbatical Elections takes place on Thursday March 3 from 11 am to 5.30 pm in the Bill Wilson Room (Union House) and from 7.30 am to 10 am in the Porters Lodge at Fifers Lane.

Tel: 0603 250558

Concrete, Wednesday, March 2, 1994

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Said Li zzi: " !think the re's definite ly a need fo r hot food that is wide ly ava il able, but the lack o f market research concern s me. Th is means that revenue won' t be guaran teed if the chip shop doesn' t take o ff. " But Mr Hawkes deni ed Lizzi' s c laim that there had been a lack of market research, saying : "There have bee n some surveys carri ed o ut over the years."

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UEA is having to r educe its student intake this a utumn due to Government cuts in Higher E ducation. For the target set by top Tories - to attract ever increas in g numbe r s to th e UK's universities- has been exceed ed and institutions a r e being told to slash st ud en t numbers by educat ion ch iefs. And in keeping with new Governmen t numbers, UEA has been a llocated a maxim um of5,045 fund ed under gra duate a nd P GCE st uden ts for t he academic year 1994-5 . T h is means that the intake of first year students will be reduced by eight per ce nt. But there is better news wit h regards to research, as the funding for this will increase by four per cent nat ionally.

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'shoo' to the ,poo Report by Carolin e Jenkinson NELSO N C ourt res ide nts have finally had a problem w ith sewage s mells corr ected - three to four months after they first complained a bout it. The problem began a month ago, w he n smells started to co me through the vents on a regul ar basis . Ho use 8 resi d e nt Karl C hapman described th is sme ll as " like rotte n cabbage." He and hi s housemates suffered for a while, but when it became apparent that the smells were not going to go away, they te lephoned both the Accommodation Centre a nd Maintenance to in fo rm them o f the problem . O ffi cials were sent round to Ne lson Court to assess the problem - in one instance they came rou nd at 2 am - but in the end,

nothi ng appeared to be done about it, despite numerous complai nts from angry res idents. Builders fi nall y got rid o f the stench by installing pipes at the top of the building to aid the ventil ation system. Karl said that so fa r the smells have stayed away , although they came back for a little while during the recent snowfall. However, he is not e nt ire ly ha ppy with th e ne w pipes . ''They' ve spoilt the look of the building", he sa id, and all the inhabitants o f Ho use 8 have been annoyed by the lack of a swift response to their original complaint. Duncan Edwards, the clerk of works at Nelson Co urt, was unavai lable for comment.

GRAD FIGURES 'BETTER' D ABOUT a third of UEA 's 1993 grad uates had managed to find permanent empl oy ment by the end of last year, writes Mark Turn er. D The fi gures indicated a small fall in employment compared to the previous year, suggesting that recovery in the graduate jobs market has yet to take place. D Said Careers Centre Director !an

McGilvray, "They were better than I had imagi ned. The unemployed fi gures have decreased sl ightl y, by two per cent, and the other thing that' s better is the number of people entering short term employment, which has gone down by I. 7 cent.. .I wonder whether this was going to be repeated at univers ities."

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Concrete, Wednesday, March 2, 1994

Panic over in LawSoc POLITICAL Correctness for Dinosaurs ... Manchester University's Assistant Dean, Deborah Protherow, has written a newspaper article complaining about discrimination in last year's biggest movie, 'Jurassic Park'. Apparently, all those stars who had dark hair were eithermairned or killed by the dinosaurs, whilst all those with blonde hair managed to escape .... JOHN PA TTEN could be well on his way to losing his fellowshipatOxford'sHertford College, after their MCR and JCR voted to remove him from this post. This follows various remarks that the Secretary of State made about Oxford students and academics, as well as Mr Patten' s involvement in the proposed grant cuts. With such a record, leading membersofthecollegehave decided that Mr Patten is now an 'embarrassment' to them.

Complied by Carol/ne Jenklnson

•

r1 REPORTERS from the Dally Star accompanied UEAstudents on a trip to Amsterdam - and slammed them for spending money on drugs, writes Seth

Levine. Their article strongly criticised the use of "taxpayers' money" to finance a trip to Amsterdam with the Cannabis Awareness Society (CAS). But those who made the trip have strongly condemned the paper's coverage, and are now wondering how their reporters joined up with them. For they say journalists from the tabloid paper employed deceitful subterfuge to capture misleading images and incorrect information. CAS members claim the Star's reporters posed as students from East London Polytechnic and used various dubious methods to achieve the angle they desired on the story. Chris Trill - pictured in the paper rolling a marijuana joint- was amazed at the methods the journalists used. He told how he had been separated from his friends, and when he recognized the two would-be students from the coach, they invited him to go to a coffee shop with them.

''When we sat down, one of them asked me to roU a joint for him because he had a bandaged arm. "As I had never rolled before, he talked me through the process, and that was when they were taking pictures of each other. He must have taken the photo then", he said. Chris also felt aggrieved at a claim that he

had become overdrawn to finance the trip, which he said was entirely false. But CAS Chairman Sirnon lggi claimed he was "happy" about the Daily Star's story. "It shows that people do notice us. We're a society doing something on a much larger scale than people are aware of. We're not operating just at

UEA but on a national level with other universities and polytechnics in the UK", he said, adding, ''The trip was living research - we're comparing this society to another society which is more tolerant." Simon believes that the paper was informed of the trip by Conservative elements at UEA.

THE Law Society has fmaUy elected its committee - after several months of chaos and confusion, writes Juli e Cunliffe. Acting committee chair Alex Radford moves up to President, accompanied by Wayne Spencer as Treasurer, Pat Schofield as Social Secretary and A Kint as Secretary, amongst others. And fears that the midsummer Law Ball, the most popular event of the summer term, rnight not have gone ahead have been grounded after the poll held last Thursday. For uncertainty about the committee elections caused problems with the arrangement of the Law Ball, which was finalised by this time a year ago. While there is no serious threat to this year's event, confusion has slowed its organisation, leaving only lirnited time for it to be finalised. Chaos surrounded the Law Society until last week, after the Union discovered irregularities on its members list following complaints from six students after a previous election last November. And the acting committee led by Alex Radford faced restricted access to their funds, with Union Finance Officer Lizzie Watson having to approve movements as a result of past discrepancies.

Smashed, grabbed, but not compensated Knowledgeapple

A UEA student has slammed University authorities for their 'negligence' this week. Student George Patten is blaming their lack of attention for the £300 burglary of his room which he claims could have been prevented. The thieves gained access through the window of his ground Waveney Terrace residence room and stole a suede jacket, wallet and a CD player. The window had no lock. Said George, "It is the fact that the university didn't put a lock on my window. "Anyone could have got in." Three days before the burglary occurred the window had been smashed when a brick was catapulted through it. The window was repaired by the university's maintenance services immediately but no sliding lock was fitted. Despite repeated requests George was still waiting for the lock to be fitted three days later when the burglary occurred. "It's the negligence of the porters that I want to stress" he said. "I know the story about living on the ground floor of Waveney but it isn't as if they smashed the window and climbed in. "I could handle that because that's just unlucky."

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(0603) 630252. But insult was added to injury when George was told that the university were refusing to pay out because the property stolen did not belong to the university. University authorities have now been considering George's case for a total of three months

and have still not reached a fmal decision. Said George, "To me it's a clear cut case. "If the university had fitted a lock I wouldn't have been burgled and I would be £300 better off." University authorities were not available for comment at the time Concrete went to press.

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4 Concrete, Wednesday, March 2, 1994

PHII!S WORD UP!

UEA NORWICH NEWS ON CAMPUS RAG WEEK has been announced, with the funds raised from its programmes of events going to Macmillan Cancer Relief and Norfolk Voluntary Hostels. Starting on March 7, events include bar games in The Hive, a Race Night at Fifers Lane, a pub crawl with theCrawlClubandanAnimal House Toga Party in The Hive - which includes the film as well as a disco. Look out for the Bouncy Castle due on the Plain on March 8.

AN African Cultural Evening has been announced for March 5. Due to take place in the LCR from 7 pm till late, it promises food, dancing, poetry, a play and even a fashion show. Tickets £3 members; £3.75 non members from the African Society.

THE Norfolk and Norwich Novi Sad Association has organised a presentation entitled 'Nationalism, Multi-Nationalism and the Yugoslav Experiment', to be given by Or Mark Wheeler in LT3 on March 4 at 1.30 pm. The Yugoslav Charged' Affaires will also be speaking.

POLITICAL FACTIONS INFILTRATE STUDENT DEMONSTRATION Report by Garry Bonnick Photo by Mark Turner OVER 200 UEA students took part in a protest march last Wed nesday, as part of a campaign against

the proposed 10% grant cuts. Organised by the Student Activist Alliance, the march was interrupted when political factions attempted to gain access to Parliament.

Clashes occurred between police and marchers at several stages along the route, before finishing with a rally at the Imperial War Museam. AndyBrarnmer-suspendedfrom the NUS Executive due to his in-

vol vement with the Regi stry occupation at UEA- incited the crowd along the route. " Next time we won't be marchingon Parliment, we'll be burning the bloody place down", he said.

POSTGRAD student Phil Clegg swapped his mortarboard for a black lycra thong last week when he took part in the Mr University competition on Channel4 's 'The Word'. One of ten contestants who came from universities all around the country, Phi! strutted his stuff in front of millions of viewers. He was called to enter the contest just two days before the event was scheduled to take place, having decided to apply after seeing posters at UEA. An IQ test proved no problem for Phil but the physical stami na part of the contest proved to be·a bit too much for him. Still, it was all good fun but when asked if he saw his future on thecatwalkPhilsaid, "!think not."

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By Caroline Adlem

A FRESHER angered at student union reforms has written a letter of complaint to the Prime Minister - supported by over 250 signatures from UEA students. And organiser Michael Fish who last week: left the university - described the prospect of paying a proportion of tuition fees through student loans as "preposterous". But a reply from John Major's secretary said that Michael's letter was "receiving attention", adding that, "A reply will be sent to you as soon as possible." In his letter, Michael protested that students were already suffering financial hardship, and that proposed reductions in grants could only increase levels of debt, But a 'conscience option', suggested by the NUS, which would allow individual students to opt out of their campus union, has been retained. Jacqui added that at

least 70 percent of the proposals in the Education Bill are already standard practice at UEApossiblymalc:ingthe Bill's 'reforms' somewhat irrelevant.

Ringing the changes in phone technology UEA RESEARCHERS have almost fmished developing a revolutionary 'electronic ear ' which can pick up and inter pret sounds. And the system is being used on the directory services enquiry system, where callers could be able to use it ask a computer for a phone number. Although BT already has a similar system, it is unable to recognise speech when there is a lot of background noise - for example on pu blic payphones or mobile phones.

Report by Caroline Adlem But the new system being developed at UEA will be able to distinguish background sound such as car noise, general office background noise and even machine guns. Bob Linggard, Professor of Information Systems in SYS, said the machine had been tested by mixing speech and sounds, which it had then successfully separated. UEA won both projects when they were put out to tender, and so

far the university has received £220,000 funding. At present, BT employs people to speak: over the lines to test line connections. Once the machine is fully developed this will no longer be necessary, as it will do the whole job itself. Professor Li nggard said UEA lecturer Saeed Vaseghi has been working on the project for about two and a half years. He predicts a bright future for the system and believes that it will be in general use within five years.

Women's week launched THE UNION launch Women's Week: on March 7, featuring a programme of events organized by the Women's Action Committee (W AC), writes Vicky Whitfield. Set up to increase awareness of women's issues, the week will focus on women' s talents and the opportunities to put them into action. The week will start on Mon-

rns on s ••• . .. but Major snubs UEA students protests

STUDENT Unions across the UK are hailing a major victory after the Government dropped two key sections of Its Education 8111. For Clause 20 of the legislation to reform student unions would have allowed Secretary of State for Education John Patten to regulate which activities could have been funded from public monies. But this section of the Bill meaning that funding would have been limited to welfare, sport, catering and internal representation - has been ditched. And Clause 21- essentially a code of practice for student unions - has also been axed. It is to be replaced with a new clause broadly in line with the NUS Charter for Student Unions published last February. Said Union Communications Officer Jacqui Maclc:ay, "It is a major success for the NUS and individual student unions because it shows that campaigning against 1\e reforms has been successful." Mr Patten was forced to back: down after opposition from Conservative peers- backed up by three former education ministers - as well as pressure from the NUS, the Committee of Vive-Chancellors and Principals (CVCP) and individual student unions.

day with a screening of Virginia Woolfs 'Orlando', where a small admission fee will be charged. International Woman's Day follows on March 8 when a talk from the Birth Control Campaign will be staged in the Bill Wilson room. Free women's assertion training will also be given between 4 and 6 pm by the NUS Women's Officer (tickets available from W AC meetings or stall in UH).

Wednesday 9 will involve a women's volleyball match and on Thursday 10- to prove that women's week is open to men as well- a quiz will talc:e place at the Fifers Lane Bar at 7.30 pm where only mixed teams can talc:e part. In addition, a debate on pornography and a talk from Amnesty International on how the abuse of human rights affects women are being arranged.

By Alice Claypoole and Loma Clarke-Jones affecting studies and ultimately deterring potential students from considering higher education. He pointed out that this was contradictory to Government interests, and emphasised the vital role that student unions play in the everyday lives of its members, expressing the need for the "multitude of services that the Union provides." Michael added that John Patten's student union reform plans undermined and ignored actions being talc:en by students themselves to malc:e unions "more responsive to student needs." Yet, despite this patriotic plea for reconsideration the Govern-

ment's reply to the letter was evasive. A reply from the DepartmentforEducationaddressed the issue of student union reform, but failed to pick: up on any of the other issues raised by Michael. It said that the principles of "choice, democracy and accountability" would be secured in future student unions, and stated that the Government was "reflecting upon the debate at the second reading of the Bill." Michael seemed reluctant to comment on his objectives, but simply stated that, "I felt I had to do something and the only thing I could think of was to write a letter. It was futile, but at least I tried."

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Concrete, Wednesday, March 2, 1994

In the

City NORWIC H bus passengers are getting one of the best deals in the country - at least accordi ng to the Evening News. For a survey undertaken last week suggested that despite the recent price hike by Eastern Counties, customers are still paying fares which compare favourably with cities such as Birmingham, Sheffie ld and Ipswich. And their report said that Norwich bus bosses have pledged to avoid any more increases in 1994. But not all passengers agreed with the survey's findings . UEA student Carol Gill told reporters that she could travel more cheaply in her home town of Sheffield. PEOPLE living near Norwich Airport could have to put up with more aircraft noise - if council planning chiefs approve the building of five new hangars .Airport bosses want to construct them next to the main Norwich to Cromer Road at Hellesdon, to hold aircraft, helicopters and passenger planes. But students living at Fifers Lane will not be affected, as UEA intend to close the site - owned by Norwich City Council- at the end of this academic year.

ere's soa ccess

Report by Tim Walker NEXUS UTV will shortly be filming their own version of 'The Living Soap', the BBC series that follows the life of five Manchester students. And according to station President Morgan Dav ies, their venture into neo-documentary-cumsoap opera broadcasting will be "one major step forward for Nexus." Said programme maker Stuart Campbell, "We're aiming to portray the true-to-life ups and downs of living off campus, and we want students to be able to relate to it. " He added th at Nexus will appeal with their show through humour, blatant honesty, and, above all, general interest. The station will initially be filming the separate lives and goings on of two different households for their pilot episode, but will advertise for interested parties - ideally mixed houses- for subsequent shows.

Problems will be explored ranging from the costs of living to who does the washing up, and the film crew will also follow residents around in order to get a feel for the lives they lead. Similarly, along the lines of ' Blind Date', various household members will be offered the opportunity to voice their feelings in private with Nexus, to find out what they think about the programme and why. • Keeping Wednesday lunchtimes free in future could be a good move. For with forthcom ing film and music reviews, updates on campus events twice a week, and even a Norwich 'Beer Guide' in the works, Nexus UTV plan to become a real feature in The Hive at lunchtimes. •Anyone interested in becoming in vo lved in Nex us UTV should contact them in their offlee upstairs in Union House. Said Morgan, "Our door's a)ways open."

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First class honours up UNIVE RSITIES t hroughout the UK are awarding record numbers of first class degrees, according to recent media reports, writes Caroline Ad/em. But critics claim that this will only serve to devalue the value of a degree. New statistics claim that in 1992-3, one in ten students gained firsts -l! rise of 60 per cent since 1980. And the success rate at some universities has more than doubled.

In 1980 just one third of students left uni versity with a first or upper second class degree, but this has now risen to over half. Yet the rise in the class of degrees coincides with falling A-level grades, and some academics suspect a lowering of standards. The figures also show that women are less likely to get firsts than men and that 16 per cent of firsts go to Oxford and Cambridge. 21 per cent of science students received firsts last year - five times

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THOUSANDS of gay men and their supporters gathered outside the House of Commons last Monday, writes ]oann a Stubbington. They were assembled to witness the vote on the lowering of the age of consent for gay men from 2 1 to 16. The crowd, which included representatives from UEA's LGB Society, held a candlelit vigi l outside Parliament while the debate raged on inside. As the news came that the change to 16 had been rej ected in fa vo ur of one to 18, there were chants of"Shame!" and deafening boos from the gathered masses. An gry scenes followed as the

crowd converged upon the wooden doors of Parliament. Several managed to evade the police by leaping over barriers and a few activists scaled the building wielding their banners. Said one police-officer, "We were prepared for the absolute worst tonight." The action continued into the early hours with a march to Downing Street - finishing with a sitdown protest which brought Trafalgar Square to a standstill. At the scene one protester said, "This fight will go on. "If I have learnt anything from tonight it is that there is a will , we onl y have to find a way."

more that arts or social science students. Universities say that standards are kept consistent by external examiners and quality checks on teaching. They believe the improvement is due to better teaching and more determined students who have realised the importance of highclass degrees in getting good jobs. But Union Academic Officer Annie Hillyer said she was unaware of any change in the stand-. ard of degrees at UEA.

IT'S SUN-NY IN HULL.••

AT LAST! OSTUDENTS at Hull University have voted to end a five year ban on the sale of 'The Sun' and the 'Daily Star' newspapers on their campus. OThe Student Council of their Union overturned the ban by 24 votes to 9, following a concerted campaign by the University's Freedom of Speech Society. 0 Said President, Pete Fincham, who collected a 326 name petition, "Noone has the right to censor what others read ."

Concrete, Wednesday, March 2, 1994

Graduate Students .Association Policy guidelines for postgraduates Policy guidelines for postgraduates are, currently, being drawn up and each school is being consulted on the basic regulations for graduate studies at UEA. The GSA has its role to play in these discussions. We are represented on the Board of Graduate Studies so your opinions can make a difference.

Story by Caroline Svenson

Introducing " Draconian" measures ... PhD extensions are being threatened. UEA is discussing whether to follow the example of Leeds University and introduce "draconian" measures to ensure that PhDs are completed within four years. Currently, on average only one third of PhD students will submit their research within this deadline. This is not due to laziness but, instead, is due to impractical expectations of what can be achieved considering their other commitments -such as teaching undergraduates, or, to a general lack of monitoring and direction-giving. Most students would wish to complete within the time period. Funding, alter all, does stop. The low statistics also reflect the high drop out rate- the failure of many students to complete may be due to dropping out rather than needing more time. Thus, "draconian" measures to ensure completion within this time are hardly appropriate when there are two distinct problems to be addressed: how to ensure that students do not drop out and, secondly, how to ensure they do not overrun the preferred time period. This is not going to be helped by a system of punitive measures. Sacrificing worl< and gifted students to some policy of rationalisation is shortsighted.

UEA STUDENTS have been thanked for helping to raise money for the Norwich Norfolk Novl Sad appeal. In a moving letter, received by UEA's Community and International Officer, lames Tansey, the Lord Mayor of No vi Sad thanked all concerned for their help. The money raised, £ 1,500, will help to stop an outbreak of TB and has probably prevented an epidemic from occurring in Norwich's twin town, situated in the former Yugoslavia. Since the money raised goes directly to the Red Cross in Novi Sad it is able to help the people in need. Although not in the conflict zone, Novi Sad is experiencing a huge influx of refugees, and a great deal of pressure exists in the town becauseofamixofSerbs,Bosnians and Muslims. Students at the university in Sad are very grateful for the ia runa <:Uum the money is making

Mayor, Milorad Mircic a big difference to the local community. Four UEA students helped the union to raise money, by rattling tins in local pubs, and the Union

Free offer at historic sites Big debts drive tudents to work Story by Garry Bonnick ALMOST half of all undergraduates are fmding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet and a quarter of them are resorting to part time work - according to a recent Gallup poU. The figures have caused some concern amongst university ViceChancellors who fear that academic standards may suffer as students are forced to take on paid work. One study carried out at Oxford Brookes U niversity had suggested that one in eight students would be jeopardizing their degree by working during term time. Eva<ling the subject, Education Secretary John Patten said he welcomed the findi ngs of the survey which also indicated student's satisfaction with their courses, adding that it painted a "remarkably healthy picture". At UEA the picture is slightly less than healthy with the Union estimating that student debt is running into millions. And for every student currently engaged in paid employment there are still some who are unable to find a job. Said one EAS student, "No one's taking anyone on at the moment". Many students are already burdened with the knowledge that they may face unemployment upon graduation, but for some they are also having to confront unemployment whi lst still doing their degree. But as student grants are being cut by I 0 per cent over the next three years, more and more students are ' having to look, not always successfully, for work.

Leeds University has apparently experienced a dramatic Increase in completion rates (though how much of this statistical improvement is due to excluding those who take time out is unclear) but

hope to organize another fundraiser this semester. Those interested in helping should contact Community and International Officer lames Tansey.

[JENGLISH HERITAGE is launching it's lOth anniversary celebration by offering free entry to aU it's historic sites, writes Caroline Adlem. [JOn Easter Saturday (April 2), over 400 of its sites - including Stonehenge and Hadrian's WaU as well as the lesser known castles, abbeys, monuments and mansions - will be opened free of charge. [Jin the first series or special 1994 events, English Heritage hope its Open Day will attract up to 50,000 visitors. [Jin the long run they aim to make people more aware ofEngland's rich wealth of historic monuments, buildings and architectural treasures and the importance of conservation in the future. [JEvents taking place on Easter Sunday include guided tours and walks, competitions, exhibitions and displays such as falconry, calligraphy and beekeeping. [JThere will also be performances by military and brass bands, Morris dancers, j esters and Punch and Judy. [JOther tenth anniversary celebrations planned include 200 special events, including an open air concert season.

they concede that relationships between the research office and some members of faculty have become strained. Some of their ideas such as teaching research students the skills needed for their studies early on seems a good idea. In general, it would surely be more helpful to support rather than threaten. "Bombarding" students with the "consequences for non-compliance (sic)" seems to me less useful than establishing why students are slow to complete. Punishing them for their desire to complete, even if late, by the refusal of extensions is not a solution.

Oral examinations- do they need to be so scary? Oral examinations are a terrifying prospect . However, some of this anxiety could be relieved by the presence of a friend or supporter. At the end of (minimum) 3 years worl< and 100,000 words, it is not unreasonable for a nervous student to request a supportive presence during the three hour viva which determines their academic future. In some schools, such as WAM, the thesis supervisor is invited to attend the oral examination as an observer· providing a reassuring presence for the candidate. This system has never created any difficulties. As EDU pointed out the presence of a friend or colleague in special circumstances such as in the case of a deaf student or Muslim woman could only be favourable. The other Schools were opposed to this idea - even though none of them of them gave a convincing reason why. MTH declared it was not "appropriate". EAS stated that the presence of another person created an "uncomfortable" situation. The real problem here is the Schools' lack of understanding of the traumatic nature of a viva voce exam when the optional presence of a supporter might make a vast difference to the student involved.

Th1s section is written and paid for by The Graduate Students Assoc iation

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Concrete, Wednesday, March 2, 1994

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reSSIOnS Now that the Common Course Structure is firmly established at UEA, Concrete asked students from schools across the university fo r their opinions of the trend curently sweeping th ro ugh Higher Education

with other schools in the University, LAW has not been without ts problems in introducing changes necessary to accommodate the new system of modularisation and semesterisation. The most major change was perhaps the introduction of exams in January, something for which I can see no valid reason. Clearly law is not a subject suited to half-year exams, evident from the fact that as first years, there wa s only one set of Prelim exams, in the summer. The subjects in law are fairly large and complex, thus cannot be easily divided into two to fit into the semesters, and certain subjects can only be fully understood after a long period of study ie a year, leading to problems of what to include in exams . As a result, many subjects were weighted unequally with the summer exams worth 70 per cent (in the autumn 30 per cent) also examining work already covered in the January exams. So what then is th e point of halfyear exams? In other more complex subjects of law, an exam was not possible so large coursework pieces were set instead. This led to problems in balancing exam revision with coursework, the latter also interfering with term time work. Thus, many s tudents were forced to neg lect seminar work necessary for a g reater understand ing of a co urse, in order to complete coursework. Furthe rmore wi th the overly long Autum n term and the short Spring te rm, (which incl uded t wo totally u np r odu c t ive an d

wasted weeks after exams ended, before lectures started again), law students have grown disinterested and bored with their courses, and are lacldng motivation . All this can only be of detriment to the recently graded 'excellent' School of Law.

Julle Cun/iffe (LA W2) aving just received my course marks, I' m pleased to say that semesterisation and modularisation have had no real noticable, or damaging effect on them. It's just a shame that I had to work under a fair amount of pressure to get them, especially at the end of last year. Being taught between two schools (EAS and SOC) meant that I finis h ed all my EAS courses before the holiday, and had one exam to come back to (on the day the semester recommenced, much to my annoyance). Which meant that I spent the first two weeks back on cam pus doing absolutely nothing of any real academic worth. It d oes make you wonder w hy we have 15 week semesters, when at least three of those weeks are goi ng to be wasted. If only I'd had those three weeks before C hristmas, w hen two essays were crying o ut for my time in the last week. Somehow I managed to shuttl e be tw een D o nn e a nd Descartes w ithout ge tting them confused , but it was a strain trying to work o n two th ings of equal impo rtance at o nce, especially when all your friends are

coming home from their universities for Christmas, and you don't have the time to go out with them. Lucidly for me, I live at home, so at least I was spared the worry of trying to get back under the parental roof two days before Christmas. Despite all that I've said though, I don 't mind this new system; I'd much rather have lots of little miniexams rather than have all my marks resting on several days in the early summer of 1995. It's just a shame that the tirnetabling is such that you get burdened with too many essays with clashing deadlines, and are then given nothing to do at the end of the semester. Can we have a more efficient use of time please?

Carol/ne Jenklnson (SOC2) ith the conversion to the semester sys tern, I've had a bit more work, but that wou ld have come in the two year anyway. In SYS we're just getting assessme nt at the end of each semester, but I suppose it's better than fi nals afte r all. At least you know where you are a q uarter of the way through your course. B ut it's crap because of the structure of the academic year having wee k s structured betwee n T hursdays and Wednes days is insane. T he amo unt of work is no diffe re nt, but it is a strain to finish a course in 12 weeks - it's j ust belting it down you r throat. UEA say that the new sys tem i ncreases c h oice. But th at's where it's stupid ; I came here to do accountancy so havi ng choice is really irrelevant. Anyway, you need a lo t of pre-requisites if you

PHOTO: Keith Whitmore want to shop arou nd UEA, and that wou ld be j ust like embarking on a completely different course. It didn't sink in that the recent exams were a part of my degree until the resu lts came in. B ut you can c hoose yo ur co u rses fro m exam or co ur se wor k assess m e nt but that 's no t w hat uni ve rsi ty is all abou t. It 's no t reall y tes ting me i n t h e way th at I th o ug ht it wo uld . I th ink th at in adop ti ng a semes ter sys tem a nd mod u la r co ur ses UEA h as j u st tr ied to be trendy and get th e ch ange in there first.

oing on the evidence of last term, it was simply too long a period of study they should have made it shorter and in that respect the spring and summer halves of the semester are better because they' re a shorter length and you don't cram so much work in. Secondly, in doing three subjects you get do do the same if not more books but you actually get less time per week on them.

you've got three seminars of two hours a week, and basically I think that's a case of spreading yourself too thinly. I' m not too sure that frequent exams are a pai n though . In the autumn term it was very badly o rga ni sed wi th essays, exams and what have you all coming in at the last minute. But I was glad to get the râ&#x20AC;˘ ams out of the way before Chn:.~ mas so I didn' t have anything to do afterwards. A number of tutors seem to be quite capable of setting e xams quite early in the term, which I think is probably a better way to do it. I think that the changes have devalued my degree because we've got bigger seminars and t u to rs seem put o u t by th e amount of work they've got do. And they' re less prepared to give time in the class - so you get less time a week to spend on the various seminars that you've taken. And if you take three courses in EAS you have to do a lecture course which is complete crap. I can't say if I'm happy or sad about the Common Course Structure at the moment. Let's wait until the end of the year.

Instead of having two seminars ns three hours a week in them,

Tony Lansdowne (EAS2)

like 7 pm finishes and the plans to timetable Wednesday afternoons because I'm an active member of a sporting society. Havi ng choice is a good thing; if it could be well administered it could be good. For example, next year I want to do an extra course as part of an extra un it, but I couldn' t do th at apart from the

ccs. Continual assessment spreads the workload a bit and lessens pressure at the end, which is good. I don't really want a two week period in which to take five exams. Although it's cut down on our laboratory access - it was different last year - I think it's had it's advantages as well.

Paul Carr (SYS2) Garry Smith (CHE2) nder the old system in CHE, we had 18 hour access to the laborato ries, meaning that we could organise our timetables effectively. But this year, under the new system, the times are set to a maximum of three hours per week which means that if anything should go wrong, it ruins the practical. We couldn't do our practical a few weeks ago because something broke, so we had to get our results from somewhere else. Semesterisation hasn't really meant more hours, but worldng over a wider range of hours; I don't

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Concrete, Wednesday, March 2, 1994

Concrete's independent guide to whoâ&#x20AC;˘s standing and what theyâ&#x20AC;˘ re saying to get elected as Sabbatical Officers for 1994/95

Concrete , Wednesday, Marc h 2, 1994

Concrete, Wednesday, Marc h 2, 1994

Features

Features j

J RANCESCA BROADBENT WHY ARE YOU STANDING? Because I think it's about time there were fresh faces in the Union. At the moment I feel that it's enclosed within Union House and it's not actually reaching people that perhaps need it. I'm also standing because I think that I could keep it apolitical because I'm not influenced by any particular beliefs or opinions. WHAT QUAunES? I'm enthusiastic and dedicated, I can take the initiative, I have good links with the town and the University and am also hard working. WHAT ARE YOUR AIMS? I hope to achieve a Union which has a lot better communication

with its students. I want heightened awareness campaigns and I want better links with the city and I'd also like to provide students with more ideas, more ambition perhaps and identity • to give students more of a go-ahead attitude.

PETER DWYER WHY ARE YOU STANDING? I think it's not more about why I'm standing for Communications Of· ficer but about what the potential of the Union is. I feell11 give it a lot of effort and determination to utilise the potential of the people who belong to the Union. WHAT QUAunES? Personaly, it's not about indlvidu· als • I think anyone can do the job that I'm standing for. I think it's giving the Union back to the students, so it's not as much as what I can do but what I can encourage everyone else to do. WHAT ARE YOUR AIMS? Obviously, I'd like to see greater attendance at UGMs. The feed-

back's got to come from the studentS bottom up lr)stead of coming from me down to them all the time. There's also got to be more in· formation given out to students, and I'd like to give out a weekly newsletter on what's going on.

ADAM BAKER WHY ARE YOU STANDING? Basically, I know that I've got the talent to do it. Along with PhiI and other people in the LGB Soc we've tumed it into the biggest in the country and I just want the op· portunity to do for the whole Un· ion what I've managed to do with the LGB Soc. WHAT QUALITIES? I think that I've got the imagina· lion to do things slightly differently, and I've definitely got the dedica· tion. That's what the job needs, someone who's giving absolutely everything to it.· WHAT ARE YOUR A.IMS? I'm dedicated to keeping all the prices low. The Waterfront could have been run slightly differently

PHIL CLEGG

JA% IHENACHO

WHY ARE YOU STANDING? I'm standing so that there's an independent candidate that's neither Labour or SWSS. In other words, I'm in between ·a left In· dependent candidate. This lime we've got a great opportunity to get an independent s1a1e with all four sabbaticals, and I think I could work very well with the team in hand who I thlnl(s going to win. WHAT QUAunES? I think that I'm very good at organising and running campaigns • as proven with LGB rorlf. I'm very reliable, and I have determination, Imagination and vision. WHAT ARE YOUR AIMS? I want to bring students Into the

WHY ARE YOU STANDING? I think it's a natural extension of the Race Awareness Officer. lt's part of the job description for Welfare Officer, to take an interest in Race, Gay and Lesbian rights, and Women's rights.

centre of Union campaigning and make increased participation my highest priority. I'm hoping to change the way that there's too much time wasted on political hacking. I want to just reorganise the structure of how UGMs are run .and get some new ideas in.

POLLY KNEWSTUB

WHAT ARE YOUR AIMS? I'd like to get a clear agenda of what needs to be done. l think we have a bad record of treating sin·

SIMON BEijCHER

JACQUI 'FREEMAN

WHY ARE YOU STANDING? I feel it's the most imporl.ant rote in the Union and I am ())Jifident that I have the ability and the qualities to carry out the duties involved, those being responsiveness, representation and such things.

WHY ARE YOU STANDING?

I like being around people. lt's nice to be able to give something back to 1he students and I think that being a sabbatical is a very good chance to so that.

Since anNilg at UEA, I've been appalled at the ¥S>f the Executive, even if mandated to do things at UGMs, doesn't actually carry them out. At the moment, they seem to be sacrificing most

WHATQUAunES? I think having extensive knowf· edge of the workings of the madia, being able to communicate with people. My knowledge of the Union will no doubt aid Me, hav· ing been a non-sabbatical over the last two years.

WHATOUAUTlES? I'm not tied to any political party although I must admit I tend towards the left. There 81"8 certain things that I like from all political parties but in my opinion, its more democratic for a candidate to stand up for any policy when he's fin~ to any particuw

WHAT ARE YOUR AIMS? I aim to look into altemalve Stu· dent media, and to set up a bi· monthly newsletter to ensure

that students are informed about what's goillg'OO in the Union. To make sure not only first years in residences are Informed, but postgrads, affUiated college stu· dents, second and third year stu· dents, and to get through to them what the Union's about.

PAUL BOULTON WHY ARE YOU STANDING? I'm standing because as a member of the Lib De m executive, we decided~ would be a good idea to have that point of view represented on the Union.

• I think a national level club needs national level manage· ment. I'm committed to getting the information about the Union's finances to people. The Fi· nance Officer shouldn't be like a director • he works for the stu· dents and that's what I'll be.

WHATQUAUTlES? I've had a lot of experience. I organised Race Awareness Week from scratch, which I think went quite welt. I've represented UEA outside by contacting people and asking them to come and speak on different issues. I'm vocal and I think I'm approachable.

WHAT QUAunES? I'm fairly good at handling money and Interrelating with people and Finance Officer seems the best way of doing that. I think I'm quite organised and level headed and I'm prepared to work hard. WHAT ARE YOUR AIMS? In an ideal world, I'd like to get the prices in the Union's commercial outlets such as

WHATQUAunES? For the past year, as an individual student and a rnet"l1ler of SWSS, I've been playing an active .~ in student politics. AJso ('m a. ' wishes to the students rather member of Fonim ~ so t'Ve : 'v~ first of all talking to their stu· ready gained e~~. , · dent$ and communicating their ' ' · [shes to the university. You ve to start from a position of Sabbaticals com~ back fro. G!l9th, making sure that each meetings with management and ' voice is heard and that Issues communicate the mSnagement'~ ·~ Passed at UGMs are acted on.

SAM BUCKLEY WHY ARE YOU STANDING? I'm standing for Finance OffiCer partly because I think I'd be good at it, and partly because I've got very fed up with the total apathy of the sabbatical officers of this last year, that they've totally failed to do anything useful. They're supposed to be giving a lead to this union and what they usually spend their time doing is being down at the Waterfront.

the supermarket and the bars kept as low as possible, preferably lower than the mo· ment. That's what I'm aiming at. And representing the Lib Dem view on financial issues. I'm just going for value for money in every area.

WHAT QUAunES? I'm hardworking, I've always been active in the Union and done loads of work fo~ it. I'm dedicated and I think I want what most stu· dents want, which is a fighting campaign against rent increases and everything which is cutting into student's living standards.

JOHN HOLMES WHY ARE YOU STANDING? Simply because I think I can do the job weU. From what I've kno.Yn of previous officers and the work involved, I think I'll be able to do the job well.

WHAT ARE YOUR AIMS? I'd hope to acheive a Union which actually does something for the students instead of being run by a bunch of beaurocrats who are interested in feathering their nests and getting something good to stick on their CVs.

WHAT QUAUTlES? When I was Sports Officer, a lot of the work involved dealing with people in sports dubs and seeing that things ran smoothly, and I think that the same thing would apply now. I think I'm competent in those sort of things • especially at communicating with people. WHAT ARE YOUR AIMS? To remain on a sound financial footing and to see that things con· tinue to be for the benefit of stu-

RA<IfAeL MASKELL ~~-..

WHY ARE YOU STANDING? I've been involVed in the Union since I started, and I've followed academic issues. I think I've got loads of experience to offer as weB as an interest in academic matters.

of their time towards The Water· front and making profits.

WHAT ARE YOUR AIMS'?, At times, the Union hasn't been 100 per cent in favour of the

gle parents or working parents trying to study part·tirne and there are a6o students with disabilities who can't get around. And outside l)f welfare, we have commercial services which I think somaimes work against student welfare.So we need more Input.

WHY ARE YOU STANDING? I'm standing really because I feel that I've been doing the job of the Union over the last year. We had to get over 300 signatures just to get an EGM and SWSS had local one about the grant cuts. I just think something has to change; you can't canyon just letting the University put rents up and shutting blocks, you can't carry on let· ting the Government slash our grants without actuaRy trying to fight back.

pie ang getting things going.

WHAT QUAunES? I've been a SWSS organiser for the last six months, and I was instrumental in the occupation. I think thafs been a vital experience in organising peo-

WHAT ARE YOUR AIMS? We want to motivate students and democratise the Student Union, and to actually make it active rather than just an admln· istrative body.

DANIEL OWEN WHYARE YOUSTAN~?

Because afterseveral years at this university and wooong on university committees, I'm tired of UEA taking decisions that its students don't get to hear about WHATQUAUTlES? First of all, there's my experience on 8ena!e and other committees and 2 years on the Union Exf)C, secondly my indepenc:lence • rm not tied to any PQ!itical organisa· tion. Thirdly, ,my lib)li!Y to get a mesage across,arid ni· ," bring more issues to UGMs and cate wlth the Urf to open meeti119s. Also to hold ; . oeen mee~ngs at tlie schools and \ b>latse !he profile of their reps on 7·, ;v the SChool boards. And just to gel the message across to the Uni· versity that we must be listened

WHATQUAunES? I've been on Forum since the first year, the Executive for two and a half years, and sat on Senate. I've got experience on a tot of the .vrork already, 6o l'vegainedlheneces· sary skills for this job~ and as well as the c:asework~. df a lot of expenenc$ ·

problems:

to.

JE%% STIRLING WHY ARE YOU STANDING? The reason is because I've got a lot more political since after the occupation last year and the grant cuts. Before that I was very apolitical but after seeing how the Union runs I think I can do better.

dents here. For people to be happy with what the officers are doing, they've got to know what they're doing and to feel they're involved in it. So I hope that all four sabbaticals work towards people knowing what's going on and making them feel

ESTHER JILLETT

WHAT QUAunES? I don't belong to any party so any of my decisions come from me and from the students and not from what any party wants to say. Also, I've mastered how to live on a budget so I've got good financial skills. WHAT ARE YOUR AIMS? First of all to see whether The Wa· terfront is accountable and whether it's ever going to make a profit If not, itshould be shut dcNm straight away.

DON•T FORGET TO VOTE IN THE SABB ELECTIONS

THURSDAY MARCH J Secondly, because I'm not a mem· ber ofa society, I'm going to be complete~, unbiased and responsive to the needs of clubs and societies. I also want to see things like Grantstretchers increased, and I'll look irto beer prices and see if prices can t:e lowered at the weekends.

INTERVIEWS BY: NIALL HAMPTON, JO STUBBINGTON 8r CAROLINE JENKINSON PHOTOS BY: KEITH WHITMORE, MARK TURNER 8r PETER HART

....

• 12

Concrete, Wednesday, March 2, 1994

ntiDIMT OM The Sabbatical elections are approaching, but what do UEA students want from next year's Sabbatical Officers? What do t hey think of this year's efforts? Caroline Ad/em asked fifty students for their views. Here's a selection of them:

·II

Damlan and Arthur, both from LAW 1 spoke for over half in saying "I haven't got a clue what they're doing," but below are some of the views of those who had heard of the Student Union. First year Loulse (EAS) has been impressed by Student Union involvement in The Waterfront and hopes it will continue next year. However, she feels they could have done more to help the students in 0 and P blocks at Fifers. Cralg (SOC 3) thinks that the Union concentrate too much on short-tenn projects, and hopes The Waterfront will not tu m out to be one of these, but will survive the test of time. Nlc, fonn SOC 1 thinks that the Union meddles too much in things out of the University and that, judging by the accounts this year, they should be able to afford to do more things that students on campus reality care about- such as cutting bar prices, a view shared bySam (MTH 3), who also complained that the beer was too expensive and bySandy (DEV 1) who believes they should do something about the "extortionate" prices in the Union supermarket. First year SOC student Slmon spoke for many when he described the Nestle ban in words I cannot print. Slmon (EUR 3) was impressed by the immediate action taken on grant cuts. Second year Law student Mlranda felt that Union meetings have seemed "pointless" this year and hopes they will improve. All in all, people were generally impressed by Student Union involvement in The Waterfront but disillusioned by the Nestle ban which most saw as ridiculous. The most common view, however, was one of extreme apathy and general unawareness of anything the Union had done.

What they said ... and what they•ve done (so far)! This time last year, the prospective Sabbs were full of promises for UEA's students. Did they do what they promised? Seth Levine finds out. ..

ANNIE HILLYER

Academic Officer

February 1993: ''I understand the basic ideas of the Modular system. With any new system there's bound to be teething problems, and I think I'm well placed to at least negotiate with the University in the interests ofstudents. At the moment the Academic Officer doesn't have enough time to do case-work wih students, I hope to make time. I want to continue to encourage students to sit on their school boards." February 1994: "Unfortunately, due to the workload, it's been impossible to confine the academic surgery sessions to a Tuesday afternoon. The publicity for the surgeries has made more students willing to come to the office for help. Student representation on school boards has increased, although it is hard to judge how many are active. I had a lot to fulfil in my manifesto, and there have been things that I haven't been able to do because you get overtaken by other things, although I have been able to achieve quite a lot."

JACQUI MACKAY Communications Officer

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February 1993: "The main thing that I want to work on is to make 'The Union', 'The Student's Union'. We have to show people what the Union can offer them through a positive outlook. We should make the Executive answerable and improve forums and UGMs. General meetings are not taken seriously enough." February 1994: "I realised when I came to office that you make a lot of pledges which you make every effort to fulfil. One of the problems of being Communications Officer, though, is that it is the most reactive post, having to deal with events as they arise. We have tried to make the Union more accessible to students, starting with Soc Mart and Undergraduation. The sheer volume of work this year has been immense, but I've tried to promote the whole range of services that the Union offers. Being a Sabb is a great opportunity, but the responsibility is very stressful. You lose your life- you 're not just a sabb nine to five."

Ll%%1 WATSON

Finance Officer

February 1993: "Finance Officers in the past have been unnacountable. What I intend to do is to have a written report that goes to every forum, which explains who's coming to see me, what they've asked for and any further details. "We've also been hoping to work something out over the Waterfront, but only with student's support at the relevant UGM next term." February 1994: "The main thing that you realise within about two months of becoming a Sabbatical is that you are running to keep still. You are doing things that have to be done rather than creating your own initiatives. People make rash promises during the elections without really investigating what they entail. The amount of work and the level of stress that is attached to being a sabbatical is hugely underesimated . "Attempting to write reports has been difficult with people wanting to see me all the time."

SHELLEY WRIGHT Welfare Officer February 1993: "The Union hasn't done enough for student parents, mature students and particularly overseas students, and that is something I want to do. It is also important that the Executive should have a parish - and that each member of the Executive has time to go and visit students and ask what people are pissed off about." February 1994: "I've tried to encourage those students who may have felt separated from the Union to become involved. At Undergraduation we held a special repeption for mature students, women students and overseas students. "I' m currently attempting to create a job description for a mature students officer. I'm also arranging a questionnaire for student parents looking at child-care facilities both on and off campus.We've also been holding an informal forum for disabled students to discuss their problems at University. I've been pleased at the response this year from students. It's been a year of bigjssues that affect all students, so you would expect there to be increased participation at UGMs and EGMs."

Concrete, Wednesday, March 2, 1994

Features

Recent studies suggest that a fruit and veg diet can lessen the effects of inhaling cigarette smoke. Angela Singer reports ednesday March 9 antioxidant-rich foods . Reasons for this poorer diet are unclear, perhaps is the one day this smoking affects the sense of taste, or possibly smokers have less regard year we should all for their well-being. be able to breathe However, smoker's high levels of free radicals make them more easy. This is the susceptible to disease. date the Health Education Council has One third of cancers are estimated to be related to smoking, with designated "No Smoking Day". lung cancer the most common. The dangers of smoking are not disSmokers need more of the antioxidant nutrients to protect them puted. In the UK smoking kills around against free radical activity. I 00,000 people each year, yet one in Recent research in Aberdeen has focused on the specific three of us continues to smoke. role of vitamin E in fighting the effects of smoking and it has However , been shown conclusively that even if by some Given the large numbers vitamin E offers protection. miracle not a Even those of us who make of smokers, it is almost a point of eating a healthy single cigarette were lit on No diet of fruit and vegetables impossible to avoid Smoking Day, may not be getting it would still inhaling some cigarette enough to achieve the leave 364 days desired level of protecsmoke. However, the when we are tion. exposed to the good news is that current This be ing the dangers of case, smokers and breathing in research suggests that non-smokers alike cigarette have the option eating the right kinds of to take the simsmoke, whether by actually foods, a diet high in fresh ple step of choosing to supplementfruit and vegetables can ing their smoke ourves, or by antioxidant reduce the risk ve smokvitamin in- inhaling take. the smoke of other people's cigarettes. It is still considered contoversial to Given the large numbers of smokers, say that it is difficult, if not impossible, it is almost impossible to avoid inhal- to get enough vitamin E from diet alone. ing some cigarette smoke. However, Professor Anthony Diplock However, the good news is that cur- from Guy's Hospital, London, estimates oprent research suggests that eating the timal levels to be between 40-80 mg daily and he adds right kinds of foods, a diet high in fresh that it is difficult to achieve even 50 mg from diet alone. fruit and vegetables can reduce the risk. When choosing a vitamin E supplement, it is important to check whether That is because such foods are rich it has a natural source. in the antioxidant nutrients: vitamins This is because the natural source vitamin E (d-alpha tocopherol) is more C, E and beta-carotene. readily accepted by the body and is known to be at least 36 per cent more Cigarette smoke contains high leveffective than synthetic vitamin E (di-alpha tocopherol). els of molecules called free radicals, Smokers should not be lulled into the belief that antioxidant vitamins which attack our body's cells, changwill offset all the damage of smoking. ing and mutating them, making us In the words of Oxford University professor Richard Peto, on a recent more prone to diseases like cancer and edition of the BBC Food and Drink programme, that could be "a life or heart disease. death mistake." -\ntioxidant vitamins neutralise the There is no question that to stop smokinn remains the best way to protect x:ts of excess free radicals and so your health. nelp protect us against such diseases. But for those who cannot or will not give up and for everyone who has Sadly, researchers at Southampton University have found that smokers inhaled their cigarette smoke, it is a positive step to ensure you get enough typically eat less than non-smokers of of the antioxidant vitamins E, C and beta-carotene.

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STILL WANT A PUFF? "As one of the growing masses who have given up smoking - so they say I'm baffled that I just don't miss cigarettes. For I made a decision to quit smoking after an eight year habit, albeit irregular, in January and I haven 't looked back since. But it wasn't simply the health risks

that led me to quit. "lt was simply the cost; with a weekly cigarette bill fast approaching and sometimes exceeding £15, it had to be time to call ita day. To be quite honest, one tends to completely ignore questions about health when it comes to smoking. Cancer, wrongly, is just understood to be an illness that afflicts 50 year olds so the kind of mentality that pervades the mind of most smokers is simply to carry on for a few more years. But by then it could be too late, and if more than 75 per cent of the cost of a packet of cigarettes goes in tax, then thafs an added incentive to quit. And having given up for more almost two months, I haven't really felt the urge to smoke again, and even if I was offered one socially, I'd turn it down unequivocally.•

By a former smoker

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Concrete, Wednesday, March 2, 1994

Features

Phased by new mag? ..

his month saw the launch of the first monthly gay maga zine 'Phase', writes Caroline Ad/em. Billed as 'a middle shelf magazine aimed at British gay men and women ', the first issue hit the streets on February 10. Claiming to take a 'self-assured, witty and confident look at the world from a wide variety of view points' Phase will cover subjects from fashion, culture, media and sport to politics, news and celebrity interviews. Its stated aim is to provide for the first time a truly general interest style fom1at for gay men and women. The new magazine is to be sold by major high street news agents such as WH Smiths and John Menzies and will sit on the shelves next to titles such as 'The Face', 'GQ' and ' Arena'. It is being distributed by Time Out Distribution Limi ted (the company behind such big name magazines as Time Out and i-D magazine). Time Out Distribution managing director Tim Freeman has called Phase "an ex-

citing development for the publishing industry". Phase has received support from the publishing trade - acheiving a 80,000 news stand distribution for the first issue. "The UK's three mi ll ion gay men and women are smart" comments Peter lan Cummings, Phase's publisher. "There are sophi sticated gay news and style magazines around the world, and it's abo ut time we had one too" quotes the magazine 's press release. Interestingly, in the magazine the same Peter Ian Cummings expresses a wish to "give Britain's five million gays a great magazine that celebrates being gay". The first issue of Phase featured interviews with comediennes Sandra Bernhard and Lea De Laria, singer Horse McDonald and actor Tom Hanks (star of the forthcoming movie 'Philadelphia' in which he plays a gay lawyer, dying from AIDS . There are also various fea tures such as what the EC means to gay people, an article about Acne and one on Gay Football and regular features such as fashion , book, film and video reviews as well as

clubs and entertainment news. Since its launc h Phase hs received both praise and criticism. Some reviewers have criticised the magazine, claiming that being gay isn't enough of a qualification to produce a magazine, you need to be able to write as well. Certainly, many of the articles are a bit on t1ie short side - the cover story 'Can lesbians and gays get along?' consists of just three paragraphs of text spread across three pages of fash ion. Other main articles tend to be in a somewhat unnecessary large print making what would be a one page article run into three or four pages and giving the impression of wasting space. Phase's publishers claim that reactions so far have been favourable and that it is selling well. I asked LGB president Phi! Clegg what he thought of ' Phase', and whilst he thought that it had some nice ideas, he felt that it was badly written. He was, however, impressed by the balance between gay and lesbian issues and the mix of articles and says the LGB will be getting 'Phase'.

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The latest news from your student union. Issue Nine, Semester 1\vo, 1991t

NUS CALL DEMONSTRATION -IN TERM TIME!

Following information from numerous Universities across the country that the NUS demo called planned for March fell in the vacation, NUS have called a demo in late April. More details to follow when date is confirmed. UEA will be supporting the demonstration in London. 300 students from UEA attended a national demo against the cut in grants in London on February 23rd. Students from across the country joined the 7,000 strong march. A small break off fraction attempted to illegally march on Parliament but were hampered by the presence of riot police. The rest of the march continued successfully however and we hope that as many people as

possible will join the national demo in April and build on the strength of this frrst national protest. It is important to take the campaign against grant cuts to London to raise awareness and support amongst the public and to show the Government that students refuse to accept further attacks on our ever decreasing fmancial support. If we don't protest now the cuts will continue and Higher Education will be, as it is becoming, a privilege for those that can afford it rather that a right for all who want to study, regardless of background or financial support.

GENERAL PURPOSES COMMITTEE FIFERS FARCE

ELECTION FEVER HITS UEA!

General Purposes Committee is a University committee where decisions are made concerning residences, catering and support services. The Union is represented on this body and learnt of the following developments last week: i) the University for the frrst time officially announced how much money was being saved by their farcical move to close 0 and p Blocks. Last semester theyclaimeditwouldsave£30,000butitwillactuallysavelessthan£30,000 This is a tiny percentage of the money that needs to be saved in the residences account and the £30,000 is only being saved at the cost of? jobs and forcing 80 students to leave those two blocks, an action that was opposed by the students and the Union. Fifers Lane will continue to be staffed and maintained by the University next year but it has not revealed if there are any plans to actually use it in the future. ii) closing the diner from 6.30pm from next semester ill) renovating the Bowl iv) opening a fish and chip shop between the pub and Breakers

The National Union of Students Conference is being held between April ll-14th in sunny Blackpool. This is when the National Executive for next academic year are elected, unfortunately Lorna Fitzsimmons isn't standing again but never mind. The National Executive are your national representatives for next year- responsible for co-ordinating national policy and campaigns (and national demos when they get round to it.) Conference is also where national policy is voted upon for the forthcoming year. Six elected representatives from UEA can attend and vote on your behalf. Nominations for these places close on Thursday March 3rd at 2pm and elections take place on Thursday March 1Oth at Fifers between 7. 30-1 Oam in the Porters Lodge and on the Plain in UH between 11am-5.30pm. For more information contact Polly Knewstub, NUS Officer. Sabbatical elections are taking place on March 3rd at Fifers between 7.30-1 Oam in the Porters Lodge and on the Plain in UH between

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 11am-5.30pm.Thepos~areAcademic,Communications,Financeand

EXPANSION OF ADVICE AND EDUCATION UNITS The Steve Biko Room, Union Staff Room and Snooker Room are being transformed to provide extra space for the Advice and Education Units and a quiet resource area for students. Work should be completed in the next few weeks so that the new development is ready for use next term. The demand for welfare and academic advice is increasing all the me particularly with declining financial support and the changes in the academic year and course structures. The provision of student support and advice is one of the most important services that this Union can provide to it's members and new space will allow for further expansion in the future. The development will create a new Snooker Room and alternative space will be made available for TV viewing. We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused by the building work - we have tried to minimise disruption and hope that it has not caused you any problems. If you have any questions please contact any of the Sabbaticals upstairs in UH.

Welfare. For more details on the posts and candidates see the Joint Manifesto. Sabbatical posts are full-time jobs and their holders are responsible for the running of the Union, commercial services and the Waterfront. It is your opportunity to vote for the best individuals and team to do the ob and re

COMMITTEE Elected student representatives sit on a committee with Entertainments staff to discuss and plan future ents events and gigs. If you have any comments or suggestions please contact: Nigel Harding EAS2 Emma Moghabghab EAS2 Sophie Reading EAS2 so that they can pass on your feedback and that you have a greater say in what entertainments your Union provides.

DON'T FORGET LGB RIGHTS WEEK (28th FEB ONWARDS) AND WOMENS WEEK (7th MARCH ONWARDS). 'Cement' is written and compiled entirely by the Students Union. lt appears here by commercial arrangement with Concrete

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Concrete, Wednesday, March 2, 1994

FeatuPes

ec ose Seth Levine reports on the LGB Awareness Week, currently being held in Union House

rtinently set to follow e historic if disappointing vote on the ge of consent in Paramen! last Monday, UEA's Lesbian Gay and Bisexual (LGB) Awareness Week commenced on Monday February 28. The decision ofMPs to lower the age of consent for gay men to eighteen will undoubtedly affect the tone and content of its events, as it has left the homosexual community feeling burdened with inequality before the law. Yet Peter Tatchell, author, former Parliamentary candidate and activist in the gay rights group 'Outrage', believes that Lesbian and Gay freedom is about more than legal equality. "Law reform is important, but we need to work towards a society which is sex positive and homoaffirmat ive. Queer politics celebrates sexual difference and seeks a fundamental change in sex ual values", he said. The decision of MPs not to grant homosexual men equality with heterosexuals is certainly an obstacle to the full integration of gays into society. But MrTatchell does not believe that it is simply a question of acceptance. "Queers are different to straight people, but that is a real virtue", he said, "In some respects, lesbian and gay experience has a number of positive aspects that heterosexuals could learn from." He believes that the argument for gay emancipation has been mistakenly expounded as "queers adopting to, and being accepted by, straight society."

"In other words it means homosexuals conforming to heterosexual laws and values. That is not liberation. That is capitulation." This view appears to be supported by UEA's LGB Society who are making their Awareness Week a celebration of gay culture. As a follow-up to Mr Tatchell's opinions on 'outing', given yesterday (March I) in The Hive, LGB Soc will be holding a "confidential coming-out session" upstairs in Union House between 12 pm and 6 pm on Friday March 4. NUS spokesman David Starr also sees the consent vote as having wider implications. He said, " It is a human rights issue, not a lesbian, gay and bisexual issue." David will be speaking this Friday in Union House on the prevalence of homophobia worldwide, concentrating on the inextricable link between fascism and anti-homosexuallaws and attitudes. He plans to keep his talk informal, basing it on his ideas and experiences as a gay man. The LGB Society lined up a number of other prominent speakers to appear during the week, the climax being provided by Paul Gambaccini , popular DJ and prominent human rights activist. And despite the disappointment likely to result from of the age of consent vote, the LGB Awareness Week features an array of events designed to celebrate gay cultureculminating with a party on Friday in Union House ( 1.28) at 8pm. Peter Tatchell believes that it is these sort of events that will help bring abou t a "homo-affirn1ative" society.

A member of the LGB Soc writes an empassioned account of the feeling at Westminster when the age of consent issue was debated It's been a long time coming, but the vote on the age of consent for gay men was finally takeo on Monday night. That the age of con' ' sent was going to be changed was never really in any doubt, that it was to be at 16 was. Hence on Monday night outside the House of Commons, gay men and their supporters gathered for a candlelight vigi l to try and sway me argument in their favour. The UEA Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Society was amongst them. The atmosphere around the hou se was indescribable, thousands of people holding lighted candles aloft, sometimes si nging, sometimes laughing, but all there for a common cause. Sixteen or bust.

For hours we waited chatting to everyone and the atmosphere got more and more emotional as time went by. The police were obviously nervous, and one police woman I spoke to said mat mey were bracing themselves for the worst. It's a funny ming abou t these sorts of events, but anybody walking by could have assumed that everyone mere were frie nds, and that night we were. Eventually the news came through that the change to 16 had been rejected. the raw emotion mat was released by that one statement was staggering. The crowd, now numbering well into the thousands, started to get angry. Since Monday, people have been asking me why we did what we did next. I can only say that it

E'YOU ARE GAY'·-· SMEARS IN POSTER WAR ·~·&st

seemed the one thing that we could do after we had been working towards a goal for as long as we had been, and there seemed to be hope that finally that goal migh t be acheived, only to have it snatched away by the smallest margin. I can remember the chants starting: "Shame '", "Equality and sixteen", and then the crowd surged towards the doors of parliament. The slamming of me huge wooden doors in our faces seemed to me to sum up all I was feeling at the time.As angry people Jept over barriers and police swarmed towards the doors, I followed grabbing friends' arms to keep me from being swept away by the tide of people. I found myself face to face with a line of police. Outraged ac tivi sts scaled the outside of the building waving

huge pink flags, Peter Tachell on a loud hailer appealing for the fight to go on. One policeman turned to me and said that if he was in our position he would just go home. I told him that I would die for me cause, and at that time I believe I would have done. Standing there shouting at the unmoving doors of Westminster, I fe lt mat I had to shout mat me MPs couldn't have listened to us before, but mat now we would be heard. Eventually the crowd turned into an impromptu march to Downing Street. Leaving me House of Commons and realising mat I had been within a foot of those imposing wooden doors, I felt a kind of di sappointment that if thi s was our moment, what we were ther for, why were we walking away? The crowd marched on Downing Street, and the activities outside

were much the same as before except mat m is time mere was a huge kiss-in for a few moments before we went on to Trafalgar Square. There the most emotional demonstration I have ever witnessed ocurred. Hundreds of people sat in the middle of me road and brought the Square to a halt, and I was spotted leaping into the path of a bus in order to stop it moving. We screamed t me tops of our voices that we had been cheated, mat we had been betrayed, and mat once again we were second-class citizens. The flags were waving , the songs were being sung, and I felt a part of something terribly right, of something very good. However, the police moved us on, sometimes by force, and one of UEA's party has bruises from

being manhandled across a road. The crowed milled around and started to disperse going me way they had come in dribs and drabs. Standing on one of the lions, I could see this happening and found myself shouting at them to come back to stay wim the demonstration and to make themselves heard. One woman looked up at me and shook her head. She asked what we would do, where would we go? Nowhere. My heart sunk to the bottom of my stomach because I knew she was right. It's at times like mis that you find yourself crying- it's the only thing left to do. The fight will go on. If I learnt anyming from Monday night, it's that there is the will to go on, and mat all we need is a to find a way to achieve what is right.

-Concrete, Wednesday, March 2, 1994

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PREVIEW eUEA Studio, 30 April, 7.30 pm, £4/£3 Tel (0603) 592272 "Sit down awhile, and let up once again assail your ears that are so fortified against our story." And with this, the Scapegoat Theatre Company present their new production "A Hamler, arriving at the Drama Studio on April30. Scapegoat are a young touring company based in Norwich, with a growing reputation for producing high quality, innovative theatre. Recent productions have included highly successful interpretations of Ben Jonson's "The Alchemisr and Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream", both of which conformed to Scapegoat's stated policy of breathing new life into old and classic texts. "A Hamler is an imaginative re-interpretation of Shakespeare's classic tragedy, being innovative in both form and style. The small troupe of six actors instill the performance with incredible energy, utilising Scapegoat's distinctive visual and physical style to produce a dynamic, striking and stimulatlng piece of theatre. So don't miss this unforgettable new look at Shakespeare's most famous tragedy.

Above: Richard Dreyfuss and Emlllo Estevez (amongst others!) star in 'Another Stakeout' Right: Mornin' Robin!

Union Films PREVIEW March 2 sees Wednesday's late film series continue with 'Good Morning Vietnam', a film staring Robin Williams, who can currently be seen at the Odeon as both Mrs. Doubtfire and genie. followed on March 3 by Kenneth Branagh's second cinematic adaptation of Shakespeare, 'Much Ado About Nothing', a film that also stars Oscar winners Emma Thompson and Denzel Washington. Filmed on location in Tuscany, the film centres on the feuding but deeply smitten couple of Thompson and Branagh. They have their passion tested when there is an allegation of impropriety against one of their friends. Mario "New Jack City" Van Peebles directs and stars in the film showing on Friday March 4, 'Posse' . lt is an attempt to redress the prejudices

of Westerns in which Hollywood has constantly left out blacks - they made up a third of all cowboys. The Wait Disney classic 'Bambi' is celebrating its 52nd year in 1994, and as if to join in the party, the Union is showing it on Tuesday March 8. The following night, March 9 sees 'The Deerhunter' hit LT2's screen. And on Thursday March 10, it's 'Another Stakeout' . Richard Dreyfus and Emilio Estevez return , and this

time their mission is to keep tabs on a wealthy couple suspected of sheltering a fugitive witness. Come Friday March 11, the rites-of-passage movie 'Ruby in Paradise' is on offer, an acclaimed movie featuring the exploits of a young woman . Finally, on Tuesday March 15, there's director Ken Leach 's latest offering, 'Raining Stones' . lt's a dark and extremely funny tale that pays tribute to the strength of working class spirit. John Miller

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Concrete, Wednesday, March 2, 1994

Letters & Classifleds

concrete +~· 0603

Concrete welcomes your letters on any subject. Whether it is something we've written about and you want to take issue with, or you simply want to make a point, we want to hear from you. So why not drop us a line? The address is simply 'Concrete', UEA, Norwich. Anonymity will be respected but you must include your name and address in the first instance.

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Editorial Contributors: Carolina Jankinson, ·seth ' L$\tine;··Mark TumarftGarry Bonnick, Garoljne 't>· Adlam, VICky Whitfield, Alica Claypoole, Lorna Clarke~Johes, TimWalker,' Carolina Svenson;*Tony Lan~own.e, ~ulie ~u,nliffa , ,PauL Carr,, G~rty i,mith, John Mdler, Chnst1aone Ward, Je!'J"Y Sphe~~~ "" ,. 9~e~n~r R~rkin§. A'4dra~ Bir~1 A~,2et~ Sin~er , r£

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roof Readers: Alistair Cushion ·+-~===:*h:~-

Heading for M~!!. .?..!l.,!:.~ a disaster

One would have to have been in a padded cell for the last six months not to have noticed the raging controversy in Wanstead. First there was the four hundred year old tree which was demolished despite protest. Now there is the houses which are being occupied to prevent them from demolition. All this in the name of a motorway extension. My wife was born in Wanstead and she always used to say how boring it was. Well boring it ain't any more. It's strange how in radio bulletins Wanstead has become 'part of London's east end.' Wanstead was never part of the east end in geographical terms it is impossible, it is separated by Wanstead fl ats, an area of common land from the rest of east London on one side and the hollow Ponds host to the now infamous Snaresbrook Crown Court on the other.

But anyway, riot police? What kind of bastard becomes a riot policeman? What do they do, don a riot uniform one day and crack heads and then help little old ladies over the road the next? I met a guy on an access course who boasted proudly that he had been one of the pigs at Orgreave in '84, till he glances round the room, noted the looks on our faces and added, "oh but we were so wrong though.'' One way or another it's all part of the same syndrome grant cuts, historic trees being murdered, third world economic terrorism by Nestle, houses and people's dreams being bulldozed and we must fight it every inch of the way, to the death!

Tony Crush EURJ

Milking the issue Oplntons'expressed are those of the contrtbutor.and not necett8nly thOsfP of the publlst:"~er or Editor. .

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I am a part-time post graduate student and therefore do not get to see your publication that regularly. However, your last issue included a letter that made me extremely sad and angry. It was from an anonymous student wingeing about the Nestle ban by the SU. I could not believe the selfish/ arrogant attitude of this individual who is clearly ignorant of the reasons for the Nestle boycott. Let me put him/her straight with a few facts. The use of infant formula in the 3rd World kills babies. One can argue about statistics but I can assure "name and address supplied", as a mother myself, that the parents of every child that dies because of this practice feel their loss very deeply. Most women can breast-feed (even malnourished ones) and do not need infant formula . It costs 1/10 of the amount to adequately feed a malnourished woman than it does to bottle feed a baby. Nestle contravenes the World Health Organisation's Code of Marketing in the way they promote their baby milks. These milks are very expensive and once a mother has given up breast feeding she is reliant on them, they can take up a large amount of a family's income and leave the baby open to infection and disease (breast feeding boosts a baby's immune system). Nestle is not entirely responsible for death due to use of baby milks but they do hold half the world's market for infant formula. The boycott is very effective and Nestle are very sensitive about the bad publicity. In 1993 Nestle

spent 75% more on advertising their coffee brands, this was more than other manufacturers of instant coffee and followed a fall in coffee sales the previous year. In the end the hope is that the boycott will force Nestle to reconsider the way they promote their infant formulas, believe me this will save babies lives. This boycott also publicises the activities of Nestle. I am sure that the boycott has raised the awareness of the issues amongst students at UEA. The anonymous letter writer will not die if he/she has to go off campus for his/her Kit-Kats or Nescafe but babies will keep dying until Nestle are made to stop breaking the WHO code of marketing.

Sarah Montagu AHM PG. • For more information on the boycott and related issues contact: Baby Milk Action, 23 St Andrews Street, Cambridge, CB2 3AX.

Dirty Dancing? I'm certain that if the situation ever arose, Jane Brown, the headmistress of Kingsmead Primary School in Hackney, would be very happy to see her children come to UEA, where "blatant heterosexuality" is an evil diligently warranted against by students. At every LCR disco all the men dance with each other and all the women dance with each other.

Shane Bryant EAS2

obviously ill-informed views, once again on your reading audience, but I feel I must attempt to reiterate the points of my original letter. My original arguments seem to have been lost and grossly misinterpreted by those who have so feverently replied to my letters (although I realise that this is probably due to my "rather badly written" sentences). ln my first letter, I attempted to highlight the attitude of the group of politically-correct students at UEA, who are attempting to save the world, but not bothering to think about who they may be treading on in their own community. I was not, as many people have thought, arguing that UEA students (or anybody else) should be put above anyone else - be they third world peasants or Lloyds

I was argui ng that consideration should be given to those closer to home, whose problems may be as serious to them, as the problems of third world citizens are to them. As an after thought, I do take time out from my "bloody hard" work to listen to fellow students' problems, I am currently training to be a Nightliner, and I like to think that my friends feel able to come and talk to me about any problems they may be having. I am always willing to listen, and will suggest advice if I feel it can be of use. By the way - any chance of someone letting me have a rough rundown of what the money loaned was spent on .... ?

Shelley Hill IAWl

Housing headache! For the past four months, I had only thought that the housing administrators were completely incompetent when it came to American exchange students. In the light of the situation at Fifers, it would seem that this particular department is absolutely and completely incompetent. Before dispelling this view as just another rich, whining, complaining American, I ask you to read this in entirety. As an exchange student here at UEA I have experienced many wonderful sights and people. I have, however, encountered a few people that have soured my view on the ability of this university to be run as a professional academic institution. It has nothing to do with the students. It is the administrators. The problem is with housing. Many of us chose this programme because of the literature circulated to us that guaranteed single rooms. When we flfst arrived here at UEA several of us were placed with room mates. This piece of literature was the Junior Year Abroad Prospectus for the year 9394. We asked how they could possibly go back on a guarantee? They told us that this Prospectus didn't apply to us. How convenient. So students, this should be an example: should you have an overdraft that you don't feel like fu lfilling, why not try something similar? What an example they have set out to make. After we asked and asked and asked for single accommodation they put us in double rooms as single occupants. They claimed there were no single rooms available . We were then told that we would be expected to pay some extra, but there would definitely be a compromise. I would just like to point out that it has been read that Accommodation is having a hard

time filli ng up all the rooms that they have empty. I am not a rich Amerir I don't just have extra money lying about. The reason I am able to 'enjoy' this opportunity of studying abroad is by taking out more loans through Financial Aid. Financial Aid students are on a budget. Several of us decided that we would cut into other areas to pay the £150 which would represent a compromise . This didn ' t seem too bad. Unfortunately, people at the registry backed down on their word and handed us bills for £300. Had the administrators told us in July, when they already knew about the increases, many of us could have worked longer and tried to raise the money at home. However, they told us stepped foot on he grounds university, when we were at least 4,000 miles away from home. Not only are we miles away from the United States, we are now in a position where it is impossible to raise any money. We cannot get jobs, we are not citizens of this country. I am at a loss now of what can be done as I am sure many Fifers residents as well. I have appealed to the Dean of Students for help, and basically that door was shut in my face. Certain persons within the registry have told us, "Please don't let this colour your whole experience." Have they told that to the Fifers residents who have been evicted from the dwellings? How can this not colour our experiences when 1 am supposed to make an extra £ 150 appear basically out of thin air and since this has been an ongoing problem since September?

w .'

Teresa Kallemey EAS VIS

----Concrete, Wednesday, March 2, 1994

Surrey women fall to UEA rugby team By Christlanne Ward

confidence to play some strong rugby, and keep the ball firmly in Surrey's end of the pitch for the rest of the first half. By that point, tries from Anna and Polly had placed UEA ahead 15-0. The home side continued to break through scrappy Surrey defence throughout the second half of the game, allowing most UEA players to have a hand in setting up three more tries that came in quick succession,

UEA 32 Surrey 0 After a series of frustrating match cancellations for UEAWRFC, the team stormed to victory in their first match of the new semester against league rivals Surrey university. They started the game with style with an early try scored by captain Anna Hillier that not only shook UEA's opposition, but gave the rest of the team

again from Anna and Polly. The game ended in a 32-0 victory for UEA, who look forward to travelling to Aston for a UAU Plate match to be played this Sunday. Special words of commendation must go to woman of the match Anna for her muchawaited conversion in the second half of the match, and to all the forwards for successful cunning ball that foxed their opponents!

Volleying for success UEA's mens and womens volleyball squads have enjoyed much success over the past few months in the Commercial Union UAU's

writes Eleanor Perkins.

Scrum Chums..• The UEAWRFC

PHOTO: Kelth Whltmore

It was, therefore, a great upset to see both teams knocked out of the championships when they were so close to gaining a place in the finals tournament, to be held later on in the year. Both teams had to play away from home and unfortunately neither squad were strong enough to beat their opposing teams. The men played first, on February 7. when they travelled down to Greenwich to play one of their toughest matches this season. Unfortunately UEA men were missing two of their middle hitters, which left them with only one substitute on the bench and few possibilities for tactical team changes. Despite this, UEA played well and were victorious in the first two sets,

Poor season for the Pirates Cambridge 2D-6 UEA Warwick 12-o UEA By Stephen Hawkes An altogether disappointing season ended with another two losses for the UEA Pirates, who finish the year with a poor 1-7 record. Despite their low showing in the Southern Conference, 13th out of 15, again there is reason to believe team will eventually turn next year. Pirates will only lose a couple of players through graduation, among them running back Nick Durrant and wide receiver Neil Sullivan.

coach Robbie Burton for next season and the high team morale displayed throughout the past campaign, can only bode well. However, the team will have to overcome certain weaknesses that have plagued them all year, and none more so than in the last two games. The game against Cambridge gave the Pirates the opportunity to erase the memory of a 25-8 season opening loss against the Lions, and UEA did indeed keep the game close with a good performance put in by the offensive line particularly. And a week later, UEA were out muscled by a strong Warwick outfit. Running back Nick

Durrant led the rushing attack with 42 yards, and QB Warren Smart threw 5 of 24 passes for 74 yards, to give the Pirates a chance . But yet again the team were held scoreless, Warwick's powerful three back running game the difference, despite fine play by both Daniel Beltram and Mark Cramer, who each had 13 tackles on the day. For the Pirates, the experience that this season must have given many new players, and the further experience that several players will gain this summer with senior outfit Redbridge should mean a more rewarding season next year. There is no surprise that to

see who tops the defensive statistics for the season .Mark Cramer leading the team with 55 tackles over the eight games, and Beltram coming second with 42 .0verall, the defence caused 19 fumbles, and had 27 sacks. On offence, Nick Durrant gained the most yards on the ground for the year, 272 on 78 carries. QB Smart, threw for a total of 297 yards for the season, and will surely look forward to connecting up with his wideouts again next year. And this time, attempt to reach the playoffs, a stage that the Pirates have not now reached for the past two years .

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Cardiff v Leicester Loughborough v Staffordshire

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where good teamwork, excellent blocking by the front court players and sound setting by Frank Spinner and Thomas Bartneck took themtoka 15:131ead. However in the following three sets Greenwich speeded up the pace of their game and with fatigue appearing in the UEA side, Greenwich went on to win the match 3:2. The women's match took place on Wednesday February 9, when, after a tiring four hour drive down to the Whiteknights campus in Reading, they came face to face with strong opposition. However UEA had more than just a good squad of volleyballers to compete against. They had the added pleasure of sharing a sports hall with the stepaerobics class, which, despite complaints by both teams was present throughout the match. Overall the team played well with only their serving letting them

down. However it was Reading's quick middle attack which cut through the UEA defence every time and took them on to win the match 15:12, 15:12, 15:12. Yet the UEA Volleyball Club has much to look forward to. All three of their local league teams - one mens, one womens and one mixed - still have matches to play in their local league divisions, and UEA's mens team are currently 2nd place in the ftrst division. The womens squad also have something to look forward to, as two of their players - hitter Claudia Greimer and setter Eleanor Perkins - have been nominated for the BUSF English Universities women's squad, and attended trials at Loughborough University. And the club is also anticipating a successful summer season where they are planning to take part in many local and national tournaments.

BCAFL Round-up Stephen Hawkes reports WHO can stop the Loughborough Aces? That must be the question on the lips of players all around the league, as the playoffs are set to start this week, with the Aces being the team in form after ending the season with two very significant victories. Loughborough will entertain Staffordshire this week in the Southern Conference semi-finals, on the back off fine performances against Leicester and reigning champions, Southampton. Leicester, who ended their season in Loughborough, had beaten the Aces 6-0 in the season opener and must have been confident of ending the year unbeaten. However, the Leemings were behind from early on, and although they improved their game in the second half, converting a 60 yard drive for their only points of the day, the damage had already been done, as the Aces built a decisive 23 point lead in the first thirty minutes. Field goal kicker, Bryn Howarth, completed the Leicester misery, with a 23 yard field goal to kill off the Leernings. 1be following week, Loughborough gained their first ever victory over Andie Capp's Southampton Stags. The Stags end the season with a disappointing 3-4-1 record, and could do nothing to stop the impressive Aces ground dame. Running back Andy Balm opened the

scoring for Loughborough, with a ten yard scamper to make it 6-0, to be extended to 13-0 after a Craig Harris score. Loughborough finished off the Stags with QB Ollie Jay running in from 5 yards, and the defence intercepting Southampton a further four times. The Aces, therefore storm into second place, behind 8-0 Cardiff with a 7-1 record, and wil fancy their chances against a Staffordshire team whom they beat three weeks ago, away from home, 20-

6. Staffordshire may be further disadvantaged by the fact that they haven't played in the past two weeks. Cardiff entertain fourth placed Leicester in the other Southem semi-final. This contest may well be closer than anticipated, with Cardiff having arguably profited from a relatively easier schedule than that of the other three playoff teams, on their way to the perfect 8-0 record they possess. Furthermore, the Cobras, like the Stallions, have not played in the past two weeks, gaining forfeit victories over Abersytwyth, and the now defunct Reading. It remains to be seen how this will affect Welsh outfit, who have been favourites to represent the Southern Conference in the College Bowl ever since they became the first team to beat Southampton for two years, back in November last year.

l d

20 Concrete, Wednesday, March 2, 1994

FIVE STAR TAXIS NORWICH

concrete sport 55555~~~]:~~ High in the sky with the NO EXTRA CHARGE AFTER MIDNIGHT

AGC Andrea Bird spends a day with UEA's Gliding Club UEA's Gliding Club has over forty members and has been successfully up and running for four years no~. It is affiliated to the Norfolk Gliding Club which operates from Tibenham Airlield, one of East Anglia's main gliding centres for both gliding instruction and cross-country flying. It was here that the club's president, Tim Davies, took me for my first ever gliding experience. It has to be said that there is a lot more to gliding than climbing into a small glider and soaring up into the clouds tu savour an exhilarating \iew- though th.:rc is that too! An airfi<!ld is an extremel y exposed area especially in the wmter, so wmm clothes are panunount for survival. Once at the airfield,

before anything else can happen the weather conditions must be looked at, and decisions made by the Duty Instructor as to, for example, which runway best suits the wind direction. The next point is that the glider does not just appear on the runway. Somehow I suspect I was hoping for a kind of"Your carriage awaits Madame" treatment, but this isnot the case. The gliders are stored in a large steel hanger from which they must be moved onto the runway along with the control cabin. In addition. there are two methods of launching, winching and acro-tuw. and if you arc u-,ing the winch then that too must be set up on the airfield. What is required at this stage in the proceedings is really nothing more than patience and team effort. Once everything is in

place the gliding itself can begin. Norfolk Gliding Club owns seven gliders (four single and three double seater gliders) which are used for competition gliding as well as training. I was launched in a German two seater ASK 13 with an Air Experience Instructor, Steve, a UEA postgrad who recently passed the stringent instructor course. The two seater glider's have dual controls so although you are given the opportunity to fly the glider yourself, professional help is at hand (very reassuring!) We were lucky because once in the air we were able to 'thermal' encountering a column of rising warm air which allows you to gather height and so glide for longer. We managed to reach around 2,300 feet, and glided for 26 minutes, which gave me time to settle down and forget the fear I had felt just before take-off. Although Steve was in control during take-off and landing, once in the air he talked me through some different manuvres and let me steer the glider through some turns. Despite visibliity not being as good as it might have been, the feeling of hovering over the Norfolk

Up, up and away...

PHOTO: Mark Turner

countryside is something you would be hard pushed to beat- it is truly amazing! Gliding is an extremely versatile sport which can be highly challenging with many awards to aim for - or just downright enjoyable depending on what you want out of it.

The UEA Gliding Club fly at Tibenham on Wednesdays, Thursdays and at the weekends, and also arrange frequent social events ranging from quiz nights and infonnal instruction evenings too the club's annual dinner. The club enjoy good contacts with other gliding clubs in

the country and is currently hoping to take part in this year's InterUniversity Gliding Championships at Saltby Airfield in the Midlands. •New members are always welcome- those interested tact the club via their in the Sports Centre.

UEA Darts team on the up Lakenham and District Darts League: UEA 4-3 Longe Arms

AFTER a two week lay-off, UEA's Darts team returned to competition in fine form last week and recorded only their second win of the season, writes }erry Sp heres. Travelling to the wilds of snow bound Spixworth obviously inspired the team as in most of the legs played at UEA had at least one throw at the doub leUEA led 3-1 after the doubles legs, wi t h ironically the best perform-

ances coming from Rich and Tom who actually lost their leg yet threw some phenomenal darts . In the first of the fours they were joined by Nic and Dan and proved to hammer the opposition, the Spixworth Quartet still needing 177 when Nic shot out with a fine 60. With victo ry secured the eelebrations started in earnest, which unfortunately distracted

the remaining quartet and the final eight, resulting in what was now a fluttering score for the Longe Arms. With the team starting to look settled and some useful new players showing an interest the teams, fortunes can only improve.

Highest Score: Rlchie 121 Highest Out: Nlc 60 Shot of the match : Mark XI, IX/ Fin ish !

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UAU Results: Main Compteition WOMENS FENCING UEA 10-17 QMWC

MENS FOOTBALL U EA ii 3-3 Sussex (Sussex won 4-2 on penalties)

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MENS HOCKEY UEA i V Southampton lnst UEA conceded

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