Issuu

THE GUARDIAN! NUS STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE

Issue 59: Wednesday, Mgy 1, 199&- - -

Tony Blair Concrete meets the man who's been tipped for the top

'''~\\ 11 \cls1fo~OLITAN SnOW

iELH~E5 ~n i~DUBlE Read our exclusive interview with the stars of Hackers...

Union's Tesco trouble

IN A shock move, the commerc ial managers of the Union's retail and bar outlets have asked for a meeting with the trustees, who are ultimately responsible for the proper running of the Union. The protest was prompted by the Un ion's controversial agreement to allow Tesco to submit proposals to take over the campus supermarket, and effectively represents a vote of no confidence in senior management's handling of th e issue. Concrete has been told that he outle!t managers are angry that the approach was permitted . They believe that if the move went ahead , 1t would weaken both the NUS's and the Union's commitment to providing comprehensive studentcontrolled services on campus. Although Tesco did not submit proposals by the deadline they were given , the door was left open for future approaches . This move is believed to have affected the morale of staff, who feel that their jobs and their commitment to student service are being left under permanent threat. Defending the Union's position, John Holmes said that it was less a question of staff morale, than genuine concerns about the prospect of Tesco on campus. "I can see it from the retail manager's point of view." he said. "The Tesco issue hanging over them doesn't help, but the Sabbs were never in any doubt that we would hear what Tesco had to say and if anyone comes along and suggests something is in our best interest, that's fine . "As yet, there has been nothing of substance said by Tesco since their visit in October, but if in two months time they change their mind, we'll see." •Following Concrete's coverage of the Tesco approach in Issue 55 , the Union indefinitely withdrew its advertising of retail outlets, in protest at what it saw as the paper's negative coverage of the issue.

UEA'$1

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SECURITY at City residences Mary Chapman Court is to be improved ... after years of dithering by UEA bosses and City council chiefs. A meeting last week between the two parti.:s agre.:d on a pacbgc of measures to tighten security at the Duke Street residences - where do1.ens of incid.:nts are n:pOrtL'<! L'aCh yt:ar. Following the ne go tiations. UEA are to pay for the lining of locks on windows and balcony doors. Norwich City Council - who own Mary Chapman Court - have

agreed to install CCTV in the site's underground car park, which will also be equipped with a swipe card access system. The action coincides with a security review and follows renewed demands from Union Welfare Ofliccr Esther Jillell for measures to be stepped up. In the last three years. Concrete has repeatedly warned of shortcomings in security at Mary Chapman Court. reporting a catalogue of probkms experienced by the site's residents. These have included vandalism of cars,

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frequent break-ins, theft. nashers. and late-night harassment from intruders. But UEA 's Director of Residences, Jenny Grant. defended the University's record at Mary Chapman Court . "We certainly haven't done nothing about the situati on. Jt is quite clear that Mary Chapman Court is a safe place to live and has a good track record. 'There have been examples of unpleasant things happening and we will make efforts to improve the situation." However, students living at the site are

hopeful that the recently agreed improvements will bring peace of mind to the beleaguered si te. "lt is such an open area 1vith very easy access. We don't ha\'C a porter to patrol here and the extra security improvements would be welcome". said resident Sarah Riley (WAM3). But UEA S.:curity supremo. Maurice Morson, still insists that having a permanent security presence at Mary Cha pman Court will undermine his staffs commitment to the campus.

••

Water alert for clubbers A NEW initiative highlighting the dangers of dehydration has been started as part of a drugs publicity campaign . A flyer promoting the National Drugs Helpline reminds clubbers th at slowly drinking a pint of water an hour wil l prevent dehydration, as well as having a sa lty snack or fruit drink to replace sodium loss due to sweating . The advice comes after cocktails of Ecstasy and large amounts of water has proved to be fatal. The flyers are being distributed by top record stores , clothes shops and clubs, including Miss Moneypenny's in Birmingham and Liverpool's Cream. Doctors in Sheffield have discovered that the 500,000 people estimated to use Ecstasy in Britain each week risk permanent damage to the brain , heart and liver by the da nce drug .

Cheeky Strathclyde students have been using information they learnt in computing clas ses to forge Underground tickets.

UEA'S pol itical societies were dealt a blow in March's sabbatical elections, when voters returned four independent candidates as the ir dream team for 1996-7, writes Katie Lane. Rebecca Co lley (Academic ), Nick Robinson (Com muni ca ti ons), Nigel Ka yc (Finance) and Paul Donne ll y (We lfare) assume their ÂŁ7,224 positions in mid-Ju ly after a two week handover period. The e lec tions, whi ch took place on March 14 , saw approximately I, 140 students cast their votes, a turnout up by 20 per cent on last year. Labour candidates Josh KaldorRobinson and Iona Wakely came second in the ballots for Academic and Finance Officer respectively. SWSS ca ndidate Paul Tipple wa s unabl e to better third place in vo ting for Academic Officer whil st his colleagues

Andy Osborne (Co mm s) an d Alison Ravenhall (Welfare) came fourth. Conservative hopeful Jim Vessey also failed to make inroads in the vote fo r Comms Officer, finishing fifth . Some observers saw the voting in the elections as being a snub to the political agendas many believe are ad hered to by some of the current sabbaticals. Three of the current team stood on party pl atfom1s: Adam Bowden, Esther Jillett (both SWSS members) and John Hol mes (Labour C lub) . This view was acknowledged by most of the sabbati ca ls-elect who were also upbeat about what they can do for the Union when they take office. " I was pleased that the elected candidates are independent and not standing for a po litical party", sa id Rebccca Colley. "The Un ion needs to pull together." Rebecca 's aims for next year are to

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increase representat ion of students and she is already involved with improving relati ons between the Uni versity and th e School of ursing and Midwifery. Speaking about hi s vict ory in the Comms vote, Nick Robinson sa id he was pl eased to be elected and believed he was the best person for the job. ''I'm approachable and a lot of people have already come to sec me about things . I think one of the greatest problems this year has been that no-one knew who th e Communications officer was. " I think the few sabbs that did their job thi year did it well, but I have plenty of ideas on how we can improve things." igel Kaye -better known as ' G inge ' hopes to be a worthy successor to John Holmes, Finance Officer since 1994-5. And he added: "I think we're go ing to make a rea ll y good team and ac tuall y get something achieved. We're standing as we

should be - as an independent student body. We 're not here to force politics down peop les' throats." Welfare Officer-elect, Paul Donnelly, also expressed hi s delight to be voted in for next year and hopes to represe nt students in the best possible way. " As far as my aims go, I would still like to see a pharmacy on campus and a lso better representation for student s. which means dealing with issues like rents and the hardship fund", he said. " I can improve a lot on the job done this year. I think the post was mis-represented through a preoccupation with politics. I don't intend to use the post for my own political ga in." Paul was optimistic th at the four newl yelected officers would make an effective team. ''We all know each other quite well and we'll work wel l together", he said.

HO WARD'S

END ..

STEPHEN Howard, who fou nded Concrete in January 1992, has left Norwich to pursu e an entrepreneurial career in communications. During his time at UEA. Stcve made a unique and wide-ranging con tribution to the Uni versity's media. This began with hi s involvement with Nexus , when he won the TV Student Journalist of the Year award in I 989 for hi s coverage o f a vis it to UEA by Prince Charles. In his second year, Steve conceived the idea for Livewire 945, wh ich soon became the UK 's leading student radio stati on. Not sa ti s fi ed with th ese remarkable achievements, he turned hi attenti on to print media, setting up Concrete as

a private enterprise without any Union or UEA support. Steve continued to work on Con crete until January, befo re moving to London. Steve always insisted th at the interests of all UEA 's students must be th e first consideration of any media. Hi s determ in atio n has resulted in service to students being, and remaining, Concrete "s first and princ ipal purpose. Stephcn Howard will be missed at UEA, but his significant contribution to student life remains.

Concrete, Wednesday, May 1, 1996

Law Ba·ll gets the go-ahead THE summer's premier. social event, the Midsummer Law Ball, will take place on June 8 after being given the go-ahead by city licensing chiefs. The annual all-night bash has raised objections from local residents in previous years, including a 260 signature petition in 1994 claiming it was a nuisance. But last year's Ball ran smoothly and no major gripes were voiced to Norwich licensees against this year's event, which will run until 6 am on June 9 in marquees behind Earlham Hall. Said Law Society President, Gina Palmer, "It will be more of a theme evening than previous years and much more colourful. We're very pleased with the organisation so far. "We're also trying to organise a carousel, and casino tables are being brought up from London. Two live bands will be there, as well as a cocktail pianist." She added that a bouncy castle and surf simulator are planned to add to the entertainment. Dinner tickets are £37 for Law Soc members and £39 for nonmembers; after-dinner prices are £27 and £29. •Tickets go on sale to Law Soc members between I0 am and 2 pm on May 8 outside Earlham Hall. Non-members ma'y purchase tickets on the following two days.

'• Union could net £95,000 for

• takeover bid radio shares 1n THE UNION could be in for a £95,000 cash windfall as shares it owns in local radio stations have soared in the face of an impending takeover bid. In 1984, the Union bought Joanne 4,000 shares in East Anglian Radio at a cost of £1 each, as a goodwill gesture to the local comGWR is one of the largest independent radio groups in the UK, munity. Now, GWR FM, based in broadcasting into Europe and Wiltshire, has put in a bid to buy world wide. up EAR. It owns over 32 stations, and If the takeover took place, the should it acquire EAR, it would shares would be valued at then add Broadland FM, Suffolk £102,000, which could net the Group Radio and Amber FM to Union £93,840 before tax. its portfolio. "That's a pretty good return in GWR spokesman Shaun anyone's book," said Russell Skinner said the purchase was Stuart, Area Director of the part of their future plans. "We bought four stations the Eastern Division of GWR. "The share price has certainly week before last- we're growing witnessed a meteoric rise and the fast. If our competition, Capital rewards are beyond anything they Radio or EMAP, buy one station could have earned anywhere then we buy two." else," he said. But despite likely events, John

CALLING all fashion victims .... now's your chance to get into the event of the year for free! Yes, Concrete has got five pairs of tickets (worth nearly £1001) to give away for the Cosmo Show in London this weekend. The added bonus is that you can choose which day to go on, as long as it's between 3-6 May. But anyway, enough of the blather. All you need to do is answer this easy-peasy question: Which one of this trio is not a top supermodel? Is it: a) Christy Turlington; b) Naomi Campbell or c) Bella Emberg? Answers on a postcard to the Concrete Competitions box outside the Steward's Cabin in UH. Good Luck!

r.----------

=~bertson I

Holmes feels nonchalant about a possible windfall. "There's no reason why GWR would buy our shares and we have no real reason to sell." He added, however, if the Union were to sell up, the money could be used for a number of things. "If the money was sat in the Union's reserves, then we might not just go and spend it; it's not worth spending for the sake of it." One possible option for the Union could be becoming a student landlord - by using the cash as a deposit to mortgage a number of houses for students. "We could do that or perhaps plough money into the new Sports Park", John continued. "Maybe we could even buy a pub in the City if that's what's wanted."

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BSE scare UN IVE RSITY catering chiefs ha1 e ba nned all beef and bedre lated produc ts in the wake uf th e curn:nt BSE scare. "Bee f is sti ll on tlu.: a la cane menu at th e Sa insb ury Cent re, but eve ryw here else we h;nc sub~ti tut cd Jamb and pork and have removed eve rthi ng to our know ledge th at co nt ai ns bee f products". sa id Ca teri ng Manage r Rogcr 1-law kcs. ·There has bee n plcnt y of customer res ista nce to it and alt hough th ey have as ked for th ings like beefburge rs. most pcoplc have support ed the ba n." And he added. "Our curre nt pol icy is only a ca uti onary measure."

but UEA refuse to P.!IY compensation A G RO UP of W av e ney Terrac e res idents we re left kn ee deep in it w hen their to ilets overflowed at th e e nd of last te rm , writes Katie La ne.

UEA gong for Sybil TO P UEA go ngs wil l be awarded to stars of stagc and screcn Pruncll a Sca les and Tim oth y 'W est at Co ngr..:gati on in Jul y. The showb il' co up le wi ll be made honorary Doctors of Lcllers in n:cognit io n of th eir thes pi an ach ie1 ements. Prundla. famous for he r role as Bas il Fawlt) ·s ballk-axe 11 if.: in Faw lt y Towe rs, has starred in nwyt hi ng from Shakespeare to the rece nt Tcsco ad1crts.

• Waveney residents' toilets overflow

\ \

Floor 0 ofG Bl ock was floode d when water from blocked toi lets spilled out into th e corridor, leaving soggy carpets and a smell y problem. Maintenance staff were alert ed immedi ately by La w fi rst-yea r James Petcrso n but he and his fl oo rm ates were left waiti ng fo r TWO hours before an y action was taken. The situati on was worsened when the cove r in the coiTidor giving access to the sewer was stu ck down by ca rpet layers, and this had to be re moved before staff co ul d even begin to unb loc k the system . Foll owi ng the inciden t, James wro te to th e UEA's Direc tor of Estates and Bui ldin gs, Ri chard Gooda ll , ex pressing hi s disgust at the inco nve nie nce and the speed at which the ni1·ersity reacted to the situation. James th en receiwd a rep ly fro m Bu ildi ng Services Engi neer, Mart yn

Graduate Students Association EASTER OPENING The Graduate Student Association and Club are alive and kicking th is term , and we will keep you informed of fo rth coming events and other issues. During th e Ea ster Break the GSC Ba r was open every night, including Easter weekend , wh ile other places on campus were shut down. Members as well as their guests greatly appreciated the Easter opening , which would , however, not have been possible wi thout the help of our vol unteers behind the bar. Many thanks to everyone who helped to keep the ba r running during the Easter peri od. We hope to keep offeri ng th is service ! Take note th at during term tim e we are open at lunch time: every weekday from 12-2 pm , wh ile evening opening hours are still as follows : Mondays to Saturdays from 7-1 1 pm and Sundays fro m 7 - 10.30 pm .

FORTHCOMING EVENTS Before the sta rt of the Easter Brea k severa l cracking events took place in the Gra d Bar, su ch as the Mini Beer Festiva l - wi th many tas ty Scott's bitters -and the Irish Weekend on Sai nt Patrick's Day. This term the GSA wi ll con tin ue organ is ing more fabulous events of course, in cl uding another Beer Festiva l - so mething to look forwa rd to -already! - and a night full of African Mu sic. For further detai ls con sult posters around campus and in th is space in Concrete. Remember that we are the cheapest and friendliest ba r on camp us!

VOLUNTEERS Finally, wi th the Summer period slowly approaching, we wou ld like to know which current volunteers want to continue working behind the ba r during the Summer holiday. Please notify Steph or Ca rrie . Furthermore, we would like to ca ll fo r new vol un teers beh ind the ba r for the Summer period as well as afterwards. If you are a members of the GSA, which every postgraduate student automatically is , and you fancy voluntary bar work in the GSC bar, contact the GSA via interna l mail or at the bar, upstairs in the Union House. You don 't need any previous bar expe rience!

This section is written and paid for by t~e Graduate Students Association

Newton who apologised but then pointed out that UEA we re not the onl y ones to blame. "The situati on was made worse by students co nt inuing to use the fac ilities in the areas above eve n aft er notices had been put up", he said. The so iled carpets ha1 e been removed and replaced while the cleaner ca lled into clear up the mess sa id it was

one of the wo rst incidents she had ever seen. Sai d Mr Newton, "We will loo k into the lac k of ac ti on in this case and sec if any lessons ca n be lea rn ed, especiall y as we arc reduc ing the leve l of Boil erhousc stnff this year." But another GO res iden t, Oli ve r Rydcr, express..:d hi s d issati s fac tion with Mr ewton 's response. "it took them ages to sort out th e problem and all we've had is a small apology. " I admit that acc iden ts do happen last term I was loc ked out of my roo m and had to pay a £5 loc k-o ut charge. " If studen ts do anythin g wrong they co me down on th em so hard, but when the Uniw rsi ty do anyth ing wrong. th en it 's OK for them j ust to apologise." James Pcterson has started negotiati ons wi th th e UEA acco mmodati on ch iefs fol low ing the inc iden t. And alt hough he and his fl oo nn at..:s arc JooJ.- ing for compensation, UEA look to hm·e have pulled the chain on any reimbu rse men t fo r th e inconveni ence caused.

New NUS President elected... STRATHCLYDE graduate Douglas Tra iner is the new NUS President, writes Neil Anderson. The 25 year old former English and Politics student was president of Scottish NUS for two years prior to his success in the vote at last month 's annual conference. He told the NUS Conference in March that he planned to build on the NUS' work on fi ghting student hardship , and to continue his high profile work of tackling racism and facism on campus . Douglas helped set up the NUS Campus Watch scheme, a 24-hour phone line for stu-

Douglas Trainer

dents to call and report campus crime. He told Concre te he has two clear priorities: "Firtsly , delivering for students within the funding pol icy and go ing out and lobbying the political parties and the educati on world on a student-centred agenda . "The second th ing is uniting the student movement. The fundin g debate wa s unfortunately polarised at times , and has created tension within NUS ." And he added : "I think it is important to unite arou nd a common agenda: to end hardship." •Conference report, page 8.

...whilst Esther Jillett comes third U ION Welfare Officer Esthc r Jillett came third in the I'Otc for NUS Prcsident at BlacJ.-pool last month. bu t was hardly expec ting her nearest competi tion to be compl..:tcly null). WSS candidate Esther (left). trailed beh ind Douglas Trainer and Cli1c Uwis. but pushed the independent 'Anti- qu1rn: J' candidate Erik Jkan into last place. l ie wooed the voter~ with his '1\e\\ Year. Ne11 Un1on. Same Rodent' speeches and also offered

recipe advice on squ irrel dishes. But he was left to bu ry his sorrow as Esth.:r scamp..:rcd into th.: hron;.: position. They mig ht both have cons ide red hiberna ti on after th.: r.:sults . • Vote result : Douglas Trainer (Labour Students): 586; Clivc L-:11 is ( Frcc Educationlnd~r.:ndcnt Leli): 458; Esther Jillctt (SWSS) : -12 ; Erik Bean ( c11· Y.:ar. New Un ion. Same Rodent) : 16. Total valid 10te: 1,121.

NEW CAMPUS bus tinn, Sanders Coaches, are looking to extend their services after the introduction of their route I 04 two months ago. From May 7, buses will run between UEA and Sprowston via the City at earlier and later times. Peak hour journeys will continue to run at a cheaper rate. The Holt-based operator may also look to start a late night service after a similar plan by rival tinn Eastern Counties Buses has been put on hold. "Business picked up quickly and we're very happy with the support from the students and the general public", said director, Charles Sanders.

Sanders Coaches to extend new UEA route's timetable many Eastern Counties buses running, we are doing so well." He added that the more people who use the route, the more services will be provided. Tickets cost at least 15p less than ECB, although the regional finn has hit back by introducing discounted return tickets on its routes between UEA and the City. In addition, ECB have launched their new tennly bus pass for UEA students - which offers unlimited travel in the Citywider area for £50 per tenn - following negotiations with the Union.

ECB Director, Phi lip Eden, said he was unfazed by the competition since Sanders Coaches began operating at UEA. "We don't wish to see trade erode, but we've retained our position in the market and few people have stopped using us." He added that the proposed late night service, which was due to run between UEA and the Golden Triangle four nights a week, will now be put back to September while a timetable is arranged . " We are still dedicated to providing this service for students,

but we need additional infonnation before we can start to run it." But when told of ECB's latest move by Concrete, Mr Sanders said his company may be interested in planning a similar venture. "I would like to know what students want from a bus service, whether it be a night or day service, what, where or when", he said. • Sanders Coaches can be contacted in Holt on (01263) 712800 for any suggestions. New timetables for route 34 are available on board their buses. e ECB's new City-wide student bus pass is valid until June 14 and is available from the Finance Office in UH. A pass for immediate travel costs £65 .

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Concrete, Wednesday, May l , 1996

By Hannah Malco/m UEA'S D REAM to build a multi-million pound Sports Park has moved another s tep nearer to completion. T he £ 7 million project now has until November this year to finalise i ts plans and to raise the £700,000 needed to secure Lottery cash , after the original deadline of April 30 has passed. " The National Lottery likes details to be totally correct, so it will be worth our while to get our s ubmission right. We want to spend a bit of time d oing it properly" , said UEA ' s Director of Physical Recreation , Keith Nichols. A previous Lottery bid for t he project s ubmitted a year ago failed through a lac k of local funding and on ly sketchy plans of the proposed site.

So far £200 ,000 has been raised f or t he project, mostly from local funding with a c ontribution of £40,000 from UEA bosses for architects fees. The extended deadline will allow the campaign time to raise the further £50 ,000 needed , and the classification of Norwich as a deprived sporting area will allow it to secure a maximum of 90 per cent of costs from the Lottery. " I'm sure we ' ll get the money if we don ' t rush things - commitments f rom people take time", emphasi sed Mr Nichols. " Questionnaires shortly to be circulated are hoped to gauge opinions f rom students and local resi dents, so by the end of 1998 we should have a Sports Park . We are always hopeful. "

Union keen to g~ge OP-inion on o~tions for refurbishment UEA students are being asked to brush up on their interior design skills in a bid to improve The Hive. The Union are soon to distrib ute a questionnaire asking for suggestions on what regular customers think is needed during the cafe-bar' s impend-

ing sum mer face lift. Said Union Fin ance Officer. John Holmes, " The H ivc cost £ 180,000 when it was first built and with its extended use duri ng gigs, cl ub nights and so on . it 's about time to think of the furure. " Un ion managers ha ve already received proposals for

The H ive ' s refi t from locallybased firm Apple Interiors. but are keen to tak e in to account comment s from both students and staff. ·'As much or as litt le can be done, maybe just a new carpet or knocking out a wall to totall y change it", added John . Qu esti onaircs will al so be handed out asking about food prov i sion pl anned for The Hive.

ANOTHER AWARD FOR LIZ FRY BUILDING

·s

Edinburgh Uni's student magazine recent. ly ran an advert for a sauna ... which actually turn ed out to be a brothel.

Students at one Oxford college have lo st a vote to have exa ms postponed due to the traumatic break-up of Take That.

T/1E 1-1 I VE: Un ion bosses ll'ant to hear your 1•iell's on refit

UEA Elizabeth Fry bui lding has scooped yet another architec tura l award. The latest gong, from the Royal Institute of British Arh itccts. prai sed the building's design. se tting. and high level s of insulation . whi ch make it "very environmental ly friendl y. "

RAISE your cups to what could be the latest scheme for cornbatting the great ceramic robbery blighting The Hive, writes Joanne Robertson. For fed up with ri sing crock ery crime, U nion bosses are considering increasing prices unless cheeky ' tealeaves' stop removing mugs f rom the popular cafe-bar. They also discussed a suggestion from the U nion Executive that if customers provide their own receptacles, they will recei ve a discount on hot drinks. Polysty rene cups will continue to be provided for take-aways. T he message is clear: so don ' t be a mug, bring your own cup - and not an old Hi ve one either - and you might save yourself a penny or two.

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Well , looks like they've gone and done it. The USA has recently passed themost Draconian censorship taws to be seen in the electronic world. Going by the catchy title of the Communications Decency Act 1996, both Congressand Senate have decided that, "Whoever .. . uses any interactive computer service to display in a manner available to a person under 18 years of age, any comment, . request, suggestion , proposal, image, or other communication that, in context, depicts or describes .. .sexual or excretory activities or organs ... shall be fined ... or imprisoned not more than two years, or both ." Add a few more provisions relating to the vaguely defined crime of "indecency", and off you go. All well and good. Trouble is, on the intemet, it's very difficult to know anything about the person reading your messages, let alone whether they're over 18. So it looks like this legislation applies to almost all of the net. Users of the w-w web, newsgroups, mailing lists, ftp sites , Internet Relay Chat, games servers and MUDs beware. Now don't get us wrong . it's not that Hype wants to see peddlars of filth hawking their wares on every corner of the net. But there are better ways to protect the wee ones from distressing sights.than by imposing heavy-handed legislation . Try te lling this to the Religiou s Right {who've managed to whi p a

gullible press and a just-plainstupid bunch ofCongressmen into a frenzy over porn on the net) , and it's likely to fall upon deaf ears . However, the users of this so-far unfettered network haven't taken the attempt at censorship lying down. For example. when President Clinton signed the bill on the 8th of February, thousands of web site maintainers, including the big names such as Yahoo, Lycos, and Hype , all turned their pages black as a sign of disapproval. Lots of fun , but it's all just preaching to the converted . So a broad coalition of organisations, represented by the The American Civil Liberties Union took the US Government to court and managed to get a partial temporary restraini ng order prohibiting enforcement of the 'indecency' provision . Another organi sation, the Citizens Internet Empowerment Coalition (CIEC) has filed another lawsuit, of wh ich Hype is proud to be listed as one of the thousands of eo-plaintiffs. See our website for the latest update. Other even ts have _included a mass e-mailing of the White House on February -29. As well as registering our dismay, Hype e-mailed President

Clinton to ask how many messages he received that day but unfortunately he hasn't replied yet. Probably still dealing with the backlog, poor man .You may think that all of this doesn't affect us as it's only US law, or that people are making a lot of fuss over nothing. However, the vast majority of interne! sites are to be found in No-rth America - anything that affects them will have global repercussions. Also, the interne! is composed of nothing more, and nothing less, than speech and any attempts to restrict this will irrevocably change it for the worse. In the words of Jeffrey Shallit of Electronic Frontier Canada , censoring the net to protect childre n is like "Burning down your house in order to roast a pig." Hype 's websile will be providing an extended version of th is article and con nections to indecent images (mainly pre-Raphaelite) and banned links. You will also be able to gain -a taste of your regula ted future by . using a computer program that will automatically ce nsor web pages for you (try www.durex. cam for size .. .) and as a bonus feature this fortnigh t, Hype will be helping all you poor third years to find employment via our list of job-hunting links . We can be reached by going: UEA lnformation-?Students-7 Campus TV, Radio and Publications-? Hype. Contact us at su .hype@uea. ac. uk or internally via Concrete.

Concrete, Wednesday, May 1, 1996 7

VER E FM Dl TAT I N rocked after top_ staff defect

Livewire two to launch new venture on Norwich airwaves LIVEWIRE has been left reeling after two of its senior staff broke away from the campus broadcaster to launch their own station for Norwich, Hot FM. Richard Woolacott and Richard Wood joined up with others including former Livewire colleague Paul Coslett and secured a month-long FM Restricted Service Licence to transmit from a studio in Anglia Square from March 25 . Now, following the station's success, they plan to return Hot FM to the airwaves in November. But many Livewire committee members feel disappointed over the way Hot FM staff kept them in the dark over their plans whilst they worked together at UEA. Said a statement from the award winning station, "There has been a lot of friction between Hot FM and Livewire mainly because many people felt betrayed and cheated." "Some of Livewire's plans, including raising funds for our own summer RSL broadcast, have been hindered over the last term due to the obvious massive conflict of interests between Livewire and Hot FM", it added. "Although it is good that Livewire members feel we gave them the skills to work in community radio, it is a shame that this venture had to be done in such an underhand way. "lt is a shame that some friendships have been jeopardised beyond repair, in what has always been a friendly, fun station."

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Hot FM's broadcast was funded by advertising and financial backing from several local businesses including Norwich Union and Kurzner Enterprises, who have also had links with Livewire. A mystery benefactor is also understood to have contribututed to their costs. Richard Wood sees no direct competition between Hot FM and Livewire and strongly defended the way his station was launched when contacted last week. "The reason Livewire didn't know was because we weren't I 00 per cent sure about what we were going to do", he said. "Our broadcast was similar to their RSL stint last summer, but we 're aiming for a different market- we're running as a commercial station. Livewire shut down over the vacations anyway." Said Livewire station manager, Simon Cox, "There were tensions, but I wish them the best of luck. They did it ofT their own back. Two or three go every year from Livewire and start in broadcasting all across the country. "lt's no good us getting on our soapboxes, it's just that personal friendships were affected." Hot FM join an ongoing drive

IN THE PICTURE: Nexus show off their NaSTA gongs. (L-R) Union Comms Officer Stuart Campbe/1, filmmaker Simon Lirton and President, Craig Eason

RADIO GA-GA : Hot FM say they didn't do anything wrong. but Livewire say they've been left feeling sore to obtain a permanent FM station for the Norwich area - something supported by Livewire. Several other efforts have taken place in recent years including Frontline FM, which broadcast from The Waterfront m November 1992. Frontline founder and local clubs promoter, John Cargill, welcomed Hot FM's arrival, saying he was pleased to see young people getting involved and recognising the need for alternative broadcasting. "I thought Hot FM was very professionally put together and enjoyed most of the programmes, although I wish less emphasis

CAMPUS TV station Nexus has landed three national awards including a prize for their coverage of last year's Spring Fashion Show. The gongs were awarded as part of the annual National Student Television Association conference, hosted at UEA by Nexus last month. The station collected the Best Music to Video prize in recognition of their live coverage of the Fashion Show last year, which was subsequently broadcast over the Internet a world first. They also picked up runners-up awards in the Best Station !dent and Best Open Entry categories. Twelve of the UK's 16 student TV stations attended the NaSTA conference, sponsored by the Royal Television Society, the Independent Television Commission, Sony Broadcasts and Anglia Television. Said Union Communications Officer, Stuart Campbell, "We have

were put on chart music and there was better representation for minority music", he added. And despite being turned down in their application for a May RSL, Richard Wood stated Hot FM was optimistic about broadcasting to Norwich in the future. "It depends on the radio authority, but we've been successful so far", he said. Livewire also hope to be on FM during term time next year. "It will be a more professional student music format, the like of which has not been heard in the city before - whether on Frontline, Hot FM or the previous Livewire RSL", explained Simon Cox.

all the basics of a professional film studio and working for Nexus is an invaluable opportunity to train students who hope to work in the field of media." The station recently received funding from the Union to build a new studio and gallery, which has so far taken nine months to complete at a cost of £7,000. Stuart stated that a link with UEA's Audio-Visual Centre would ensure the continuity of Nexus at UEA for years to come, something he explained was being looked into by Or Robert Short, head of Media Studies in EUR. "We want to try and increase the momentum that Nexus has built over the last three years·. explained Or Short. He added that employing a full time member of staff to act as a link between Nexus and the AVC may be the way forward.

Concrete, Wednesday, May 1, 1996

Sports Club Co-ordinator appointed by Union TilE L: , IO r ·s n.;\\ Spons Club Co-ordinator started wurl-. last \\ e.:k to beg m a t\\ u ) .:ar fulltime contract in th.: ( 16.500 p.:r year post . H·rites Scott Tompsell . Les 1\ll\\ orth) ''ill b.: Ill\ ol\ cd in bringing the Union closer toils sports clubs and hopes otTer mor.: continuity to sports organisation at UEA than can be gr\ en b) a non-sabbatrcal >pons oflicer. "'I wanl 10 make spor1s societies run more t:ff.:ctivcly and more safely'". he sard. lie add.:d he wishes 10 focus on the safety aspects of sporl. especially in Iighl of recent lragcdie involving sporting clubs al other univ.:rsilies. Until Les was appointed, sport ing iss ues were dealt wi th by Sports Officer. Col in Wood.\\ ilh safely issues being the responsibility ofth.: W.:lfare Officer. Les·s arri,al has all.:v iat.:d the need for a sabbatical Sports Officer. something calkd for last year due 10 th..: workload im ohed rn administ.:ring sport.

A Bristol student banking his girlfriend accidentally called her dad when his big toe hit the preset number button on their phone ....

OVER 1,500 students packed into Blackpool's Winter Gardens for this year's NUS Conference, with the big showdown centering around education funding. The point which caused the most acrimony and heated debate was the O\erturning of the NUS' commitment to pursuing ·free education'. \\ hich was a call for a n:lum to grants at 1979 IeH: Is plus the restoration of all benefits remo' ed under Margan:1 Thatcher. This was r.:plac.:d by adopting new principles in favour of a new and fairer system of student support includmg income-contingent loans for university students 10 ensure increased funds for those in Further Education. The new policy also calls for employers 10 contribute to education funding throug h a Busi ness Education Tax and was passed by 6 16.226 voles lo 338.264. The pro-change group, which President Jim Murphy said: consisted of alii he major politica l "What's important now afte r th is parties and N.:ws Solution (a fantastic victory for common lobby gro up made up of indepen- sense is that we all unite beh ind dent students calling for a new this policy. we campaign around po licy). cenlr.:d arou nd the argu- th e ma nd ates and we try to eradiment of ·realism not rhetoric'. cate student hardship one.: and for it cited the fact that the original all. policy \\ould never b.: imple"I now bclic\e we are equipped mented for slud..:nts. with a policy tha t can do that.'" 13ul the opposition groups. • Another historic moment was which included Left Unity, the first c\·cr joint statement by Campaign for Fre.: Education and the Union of Jewish Students and SWSS. argued lhal a fundamental th.: General Union of Palestin ian principle was being eroded, tudents ending years of hostility regardless of'' hcth..:r it would be and starting a dialogue rcnecting introduced or not. the new hope in the Midd le East Greeting the result, NUS pcact: process.

Delegates vote for

new funding

strategy

NAM STUDENTS are urgi ng the Un ion to keep up the good work after attempts to include them in UEA life have been stepped up, writes Joanne Robertson. A party held before the spring restart and proposals for a NAM officer on the Union Executive are two ways in which the situation has been improved. Nursing student Jo King said this was a start. "but only as long as it continues." In March, Concrete revealed that UEA had given the Union £25,000 to integrate NAM stu dents based in Hellesdon (pictured above) and

King's Lynn into ca mpus life. Some nurses were unaware of the weekly LC R disco and had never seen a copy of Concrete. Rebecca Colley, Academic Officer-elect, sat in on the NAM studen t council meeting and said that the general mood was one of optimism. "Things are improving," she said, "but the school of NAM needs more admin istrative support. "The admin staff are copi ng, but th ere are only so many messages they can take. More phones, a fax and photocopying fac il ities are needed."

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UEA tries to sell itself with bogu_s_ _ WILL THE real Paul Whltehouse please stand up? Not content with creating such characters as Unlucky Alf, Ted and Ralph, the Suits You tailors and Brilliant, Paul Whitehouse has also created a most hilarious persona in the guise of Satisfied UEA Old Boy. Let us peruse the evidence, courtesy of this year's UEA 1997 Undergraduate Prospectus, a magnificent tome full of anodyne information about the university and how wonderful it is. Grinning students - all chosen very carefully of course - ooze out smugly from almost every page, narrating what a great time they've had since they've

been here. There's also a few graduates rambling on about how super UEA is, including national weathergirl Penny Tranter spouting off about how avant garde her degree course was in the late 1970s. But it's the piece on Paul Whitehouse that's the best - a right load of arse - and here's what it says: "Paul came to the school of Development Studies, and although it can arguably be said that he has not used his subject of study since UEA, the process of coming to the university had a major impact on his future. "He did not choose television as a vocation, yet it was on campus that he met Fast Show eo-creator, and then

formed another famous partnership in laughter with a fellow scriptwriter. "To coin his phrase, he had a SMASHing time here, and is supportive of today's students." Ooh, suits you sir, all this university lark, sir. Had a 'Smashing' time did we sir? Or was the truth a little bit different, sir? For are you not really the same Paul Whitehouse who came to UEA back in 1977 and got kicked out after a year for not actually doing any work? Yes you are, and this is what you said in an interview given to the University of Westminster's student magazine, Smoke. "The reason I went to UEA, was because I'd been there as a kid from my

school on a day trip, and we had such a laugh going round Norwich nicking things. "I did Development Studies, and it was very right on, Third World based. "It was very political, and it would be regarded as Marxist by any Tory MP. It was a hodge podge course - we even had to grow some wheat and measure it." Well obviously, with such vivid and outstanding memories as that, no wonder coming to UEA had such "a major impact on his future". "I only lasted a year", he adds. "Hedonism and indulgence took its toll." But of course, we're forgetting that he also met his fellow Fast Show creator here ... whoever that might be because the

prospectus is somewhat coy on this little point of fact. They forgot to put the name in, basically, but X-Crete can reveal It was the equally as talented Charlie Higson, sibling of EAS lecturer Andrew. Getting back to Paul though, does he have a final message for all those students of whom he is so supportive? "Well, I was one once, but now I kind of look upon students as lazy, good for nothing, dirty people, yeah, who should get up off their arses and do a day's work." Shame that wasn't written in the prospectus ... If that doesn't drag new punters in, nothing will.

RASPBERRY RIPPLE ROMANCE .. .WOW! SHE'S AMAZING! BUT IVE GOT MY CAREER TO THINK OF. OH WHAT AM I TO DO?

10 Concrete , Wednesday, May 1, 1996

[concr-efe]

comment

Action at last ... Last we ek. th e Un iversity announced a s eries of fresh security measures at beleaguered City residences. Mary Chapm an Court. Although th.:y h;~\.: stopped shon at providing p.:rmancnt security cover tht:re. the package negotiated with site owners Norwich City Council goes some way to addressing the long-standing complaints of unhappy residents. Curiously, however, Ms Grant, while announcing the improvements. has denied that there were any serious problems to address, saying that Mary Chapman Court has no more problems than campus residences. Surely such a comparison is hard to justify, given the City residences' isolation and lack of on-site residen t tutors. Perhaps Ms Grant's comment- "We certainly haven't done nothing"- illustrates a certain confusion in her mind. Al though Mary Chapman Court may not be used as univers it y rcsidcn..:cs lnuc:h longer. their resident continue to pay UEA good money tor poor scn·ice. This package is regrettably another example of the Registry 's fondness for doing too little. too late.

Tesco troubles The Tesco saga continues to rumble on as the Union ' s commercial outlet managers vent their anger at the way the affair has been handled. The f<~ct remains that an on-site Tesco may never materialise. 1-lowe,er, most students do not know that the Union Supermarket will make a profit of£50,000 this year, and some might find this surprising. The money will be spent on Union services such as clubs and societies. but perhaps it would be better used by being returned to the student shoppers who use the Supermarket to buy their beans and bread day in day out. So ho\\ about a Union Supermarket 'Club Card ' for loyal grocery shoppers'' After all, every little bit helps ...

it~:; (S(j ))

And finally... The sabbatical elections were notable for the fact that next year's dream team all stood as independent candidates . UEA 's student vot.:rs clearly decided to avoid backing a politica l slate, possibly as a r.:action to wha t many saw going on during las t autumn's Rent Strike. Whatever the reasons. we wish them all the best of luck.

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RINGING TONES, MOBILE PHONES A fter the · freedom' of university the worst case scenario for any student is to find a job. Where it 's a requ irement to carry a ponablc phone. To be always on call is horrendous. The portable began life, or popularization, as th e yupp ie icon of the 80s stockbroker or estate agent. In fact a portable and not needing to shave much were the only qualifications to be an estate agent. Along with an ability to say convincingly, "This has great potential for the fi rst time

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buyer madam". about some broom cupboard or another. The truth abou t portable phones or 'mobi les' as they now seem to be known is that the average person has noth ing but contempt for them. The barrow boy tu rned FT j unkie is now himself part of the establishment, and estate agents arc as extinct as the Dinosaur. One hears stories of mobiles ringing (do they ring, or sort of buzz") in church, in court. and even at funerals (the perfect juxtaposition of life and death'>).

It seems fairly obvious that there is little point in instant communica ti ons if all we communicate is trivia; how often is a call actually 'urgen t'? w~ may now live in the globa l 'vi llage' so far as technology is concerned, but it does noth ing fo r the ex ploited of the third world, making the bits and pieces, often wi th ruinous consequences for eyesight and usually female. No. I sti ll prefer the sort of phones wh ich can be made with baked bean tins and bits of string; more fun- nil cost. Tony Crusll (HIS 3)

•Editor: Niall Hampton •Deputy Editor: Michele du Rand t • Assistant Editor: Nik Davy •News Editor: Joa nne Robertson •Assistant News Editor: Katie Lane •Features Editor: Mark Austin •Sports Editor: Jane Horn er •Assistant Sports Editor: Scott Tompsett •Contributing Editors: Peter Hart , Caroline Jenkinson • Chief Reporters: Joan na Emsley, Ad rian Steel • Staff Reporter: Hannah Malcolm •Chief Sports Writer: Andy Tyler •Editorial Contributors: Ali son Meakins , Neil Anderson , Caroline Well s, Alison Wisely, Tristan Roddis, Luca s Psillakis, Tim Wales, Mark Edl in, Caroline Kingfisher, Adam Aiken •Photographers: Nik Davy, Katie Lane, Sam Richards , Matthew Fasken •Advertising Manager: Simon Mann •Copy Editors: Jane Kirby and Kay Spragg • Typists : Georgina Earthy, Caroline Jenkinson eSpecial Thanks to: UH Stewards, Bonusprint, everyone at ECN , Simon from Ronaldo 's •DTP Assistants: Niall Hampton , Michele du Randt, Nik Davy •Concrete is published by the Union of UEA Students . Opinions expressed are those of the Contributor and not necessarily those of the Publisher or Editor. Use of the name 'The Event' appears by arrangement with the copyright holders , Planet Zog Ltd . • No part of this newspaper may be reproduced , transmitted by any means electronic , hysteric, in a Breakers Lamb Burger or otherwise without the prior written consent of the publisher. • Printed by Eastern Counties Newspapers Ltd ., Norwich , Norfolk NR1 1 RE . © UUEAS, 1996.

was recently approached by several students at UEA, all of whom feel that this year's Graduation Ball has been hijacked by the Student I,Jnion, and has become yet another function controlled by the Uriion Executive. As one of the founders of the UEA Graduation Ball, I believe that it is my right, and indeed my duty, to bring several points to the attention of UEA students. The idea behind the Graduation _ Ball was first thought up by Andrew Millar, who graduated two years aga. · He felt t11at UEA had constantly failed its students by not providing. th.em with a more memorable graduation. A rush ceremony in the Sports Hall, followed by a very casual reception somewhere within the campus hardly makes for a great day out. So why not do something about it? For once, let UEA students stick two fingers up at the University and do something for themselves. Initially, we the organisers came up against a brick wall of stubborn refusal. We thought that a Graduation Ball held on campus would be the most fitting and we sized up the Sainsbury Centre as the most likely venue. However, the powers that be within the UEA structure told us, politely yet adamantly, that we would get no support from them and that we could not use any UEA facilities for our proposed venture. In no uncertain words we were told that our plans would come to nothing and that any UEA Graduation Ball would end up being a complete failure.

As the venue, food and bar organiser I felt that we could find an alternative venue in Norwich. In fact, the only useful advice given to us by·a UEA staff member was the suggestion to try St Andrews Hall by UEA's Catering Manager, Roger Hawkes. As · I first approached St Andrews Hall, Andrew Millar spoke with Jacqui Mackay, 19934's Union Communications Officer. She was v_ery enthusiastic about the idea and told us that she would put fOIWard our suggestions at the next Executive meeting. Over the next few weeks, a plan of action was devised by the four of us who were organising the event, with the backing of the Union. When I talk about backing it is very important to point a few things out. The Union agreed lend us £I ,000 so that we would have sufficient money to book the hall, print tickets and cover other costs that came up in the meantime. In return, the Union had the right to free publicity as the backers of the event and they were to be paid a fee for selling Ball tickets. Also, the DJs and main band were booked through Nick Rayns (Union Entertainments Manager) and the door staff were recruited from those used for the the LCR disco. All the advertising and printing was designed and paid for by us; we sorted out the bars, the licensing agreements, the catering, the poster campaign around UEA even the leafleting to all graduating students. Added to that, we were liable for all costs if the event was a fail-

ure. Tickets went on sale at £25 a dinner ticket a week into the summer term. They all sold within two and a half days and another 200 or more after-dinner tickets were sold in the following weeks. Although this may seem as if we were on to make thousands of pounds profit, we had to sell all the dinner tickets just to break even. So OK, we made about £800 each, but we worked like mad for four months to earn that money. However, the most important fact was that we had set up a Graduation Ball at UEA, despite the advice given, and now graduating students could have at least one event to look forward to in their final year. At the end of the first ball, Andrew was besieged by people; students who wanted to take over from us as the next Graduation Ball committee (as we had to be designated by the Students Union, for payment purposes). He nominated two friends of ours to the Executive, and they duly took on the task of planning last year's event. Admittedly their task was a lot easier than ours as much of the work had been done, but still they did a sterling job and last year's Ball was a great event. However, the Union Executive decided amongst themselves to take over the event this year. This was done without consultation with graduating students, and despite repeated reassurances to me and others that this year's event would follow the same format as the last two, they have seen fit to do otherwise. Is it not

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enough that in a time of growing student poverty, the one body that claims to fight for your rights is taking away from a few of you the opportunity to supplement your grants. Why can't students apply to be on the Graduation Ball Committee and be recompensed for all of their hard work? Why does the Executive not tell you that they and the Union will make several thousand pounds more profit than we ever did, because they are giving you a buffet as opposed to a sit down meal? Will there still be after dinner tickets available so that those of you with less money available will still be able to enjoy the evening? Will you still get a half bottle of wine each for your £25? And why change the format in the first place? The only reason that I can see is to make a far bigger profit. After all, Nick Rayns' staff will all have to be paid, and they DO charge more per hour than four

students do. Also ask yourselves another question: how many of the Executive and their friends will be getting free tickets? When we organised the event our tickets were part of our personal profit, but surely four members of the Executive are already paid for their work, with quite a few exisiting perks as it is. I wanted to make sure that the wonderful event that the four of us put together three years ago does not vanish into the portfolio of Union Events. With The Waterfront and all the other facilities they provide at UEA, does the Union really need to hijack the one great evening out in town that they didn't think of and which could help ease a few UEA students' financial burden as they go out to face the real world? Alistair Vickers (President of UEA Graduation Ball Committee 1994)

Afine city muses on

its lost museums... am writing to express my disgust at the closure of the Strangers Hall and Bridewell Alley museums. Not only have these places fascinated generations but they are also a significant and integral part of the history of Norwich, our city. They are not mere museums of the rich and famous, housing possessions and collections of the world but, in reality, they are museums of the people which are more rare and precious. For decades, people throughout Norfolk have given and bequeathed their personal and family treasures to Strangers Hall . Bridewell Alley museum charts the economic history of Norwich and displays photographs, equipment and machinery from firms like Bamards, which have all been important in creating our city's identity. Donations were made to these museums so that people throughout the county as well as tourists could share the memories of a city and its inhabitants. The Council has no right to close either museum or to restrict who is allowed to visit. Preventing people from examining their own history is like theft. The Council has said that

closing Strangers Hall will save them £30,000 a year, but consider this in comparison with the plans for Technopolis which are expected to cost £79 million. Looking to the future is important, but disregarding the past in this manner is nothing short of a disgrace. The Council is trying to shut our museums quietly without attracting too much attention, but what about our rights as citizens of this city? How can the Council justify shutting away heirlooms that families and friends gave to the Cl 5th Strangers Hall with trust? How can the Council see that it is acceptable to lock the door on the industries displayed at Bridewell Alley Museum which occupied the lives of our ancestors? In the 90Qth anniversary of the Cathedral in "Norwich -a Fine City" we have no library, an Assembly House with no roof, an increasingly serious problem of housing shortage and homelessness, a football team that is only ever in the news because of disputes with its chairman and now the Council wants to take away our heritage. Sarah Gooch (HIS 2)

veilir, the days, unless you tenner for a t-sh\rtSo at the rei:ent 'excellent' Bluetones gig (March 6) at the UEA, my girlfriend and I felt rather pissed off when leaving the LCR that there were no tick~ being handed oqt. Whilst looking at{}und for any spares on the table, l overheard one of the security saying, "Some girl just stuffed loads in ber-pocket."' WeU, couldn't one of the door staff stop · 't they. just limit pe<lpUl·· tQ~ ;PDI<l,·P~f

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Concrete. Wednesday, May 1. 1996

Features

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• Less than four per cent of UEA students are members of political societies, and the recent sabbatical elections failed to return any candidate who stood on a political platform. Scott Tompsett investigates why there is so much dissatisfaction with politics at a time of unprecedented student hardship and asks, is the Party over? ith.. £;MJO university entrance and graduate tax proposals en vogue in recently, Westminster student politics are taking an ever higher profile. Yet despite this, the suppport for UEA's four main political societies is pitiful, something borne ovt in March's Union sabbatical elections when the electorate opted for independent candidates. Out of more than 7,500 full-time students, just over 300 are paid up members of a political society. I set out to discover why these societies are so unpopular and whether we are likely to see any dramatic changes to the political ,landscape at UEA. The University has four main political societies all of whom are affiliated to the Stuoents Union. With regular social events it seems that these societies would appeal to students, especially when thelr emphasis is on the 'fun' side of politics. All societies agree that their aim is to raise the profile of their party and its policies all over campus. Each hold regular debates and have the objective of supporting national campaigns. The Liberal Democrats are campaigning on homelessness. Labour Students on the minimum wage, The Socialist Workers Student Society (SWSS) on the Immigration and Asylum Bill whilst the Conservatives tackle the question of higher education and how it should be funded. All societies also play an active role in the activities of their local party, including canvassing for the forthcoming local elections. But in spite of this dedication and apparent adherence to party principles, only UEA's Labour Club cornmand the support of more than 100 metnbers. Of their 140 members. half are members of the Labour Party itself. Labour Club Chair Adam Maddock stated that since he has been at UEA his society's membership has doubled, although he said as with the other groups their 'active' membership represents a small hardcore minority.

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it is a similar story in Ule Conservative camp who, after trebling their mell)bership in 18 months, now have 85 members at UEA. SWSS and the liberal Democrats both have about 40 members each, The reaction to these figures from the various societies could best be summed up as "dire• by Roy Feam of the Lib Dems and "abysmal" by the Conservative Students' Mark Webb. When asked for a possible explanation of this lack of interest in party politics, ·most comments indicated that politics today are

saw 700 students join the Union's campaign party a more social image while at the same against "excessive• rernts. time publicising its policies." Stereotypes are another factor the -- He hopes that publishing the newsletter political societies consider as affecting their 'Focus'will remove the myth that the liberal cross-campus support, as each party seems Democrats have no real direction. to have its own stigma. Yet if UEA's political societies Mark Webb claimed the Conservatives acknowledge their lack of support and admit were tarnished with an image of being "far to having a self-confessed stereotype right, xenophobic and Thatcherite" as well problem. why don't they make themselves as the common perception that they are a · -more prominent? "Boring Bunch". Although SWSS manage to place posters This, he continued. could only be over campus on a regular basis, the other combatted by showing students what the groups complain that much of their publicity real policies of is torn down within hours of being put up. the ConservThe Conservatives state their aim as atives are. at the striving to reach the audience most same time as receptive to their cause. making friends Accordingly, they limit their publicity to with potential debates and UGMs whilst their latest supporters. attempt at raising their profile is to give away Pete Dwyer free wine at Soc Mart. led credence to "lt's an effort to give the society a more the stereotypes argument when he stated sociable image·. commented Mark Webb. Adam Maddock feels that the prominence that SWSS was pre judged by people who had never been to SWSS meetings and who of the UEA Labour Club depends on the saw them as "manic activists and status of the national party, although it has a opportunists." high profile in Norwich. He went on to emphasize this with the "The Labour Club does a lot of work in the example of a person who accused SWSS of City, with six UEA students sitting as being anti-Semitic when the . founder of Socialism was Mar~ who was in fact Jewtsh! Pete adm!tted that sw~s were not dtreclly attacktng .... I · 1 the image problem, but that their aim was to delegates on the general council, show people they ron have a voice in repre~enting ten per cent of the local labour politics. movement•, he said. He considers that contact is the key to This reputation has spread to campus in shedding the stereotyped image. the form of guest speakers with trades union For labour. Adam Maddock made the leaders Jimmy Knapp and Bill Morris being point that despite the 'New Labour' image recent examples. being created by Tony Blair in Parliament Adam also defended Labour's limited use there is still a hangover of the 'Old Labour' of posters and heckling at UGMs. image of the Northerner with a flat cap and "Labour has to stay within a frame of a beer belly. responsibility unlike SWSS", he said. Despite this, Adam remains optimistic that In terms of prominence on campus, Roy the new image espoused by the Labour Feam bemoaned the situation of limited leader will sweep away the one the party funding which the Liberal Democrats have to has had universally. contend with, pointing out that their publicity Roy Fearn admitted that despite the is concentrated around election times. image of the Liberal Democrats being active In an attempt to widen their reach, Roy and committed politicians they are also added that 'Focus' will shortly be distribiuted stereotyped as having a lack of views. across campus kitchens to highlight the "There's this idea that the liberal group's campaigns and policy. Democrats don't have a lot of support", he Yet in reply to the question of whether said. SWSS's poster campaigns and active "The way to combat this Is by giving the debating at UGMs were really effective in

"Students' concerns over finding a job after graduating makes them more worried about their degree and therefore less likely to devote their time and energy to actively support a political Adam Maddock, UEA Labour Club society" much broader. "People are just much fT!Ore individualistic", e:Xplained Ad am Maddock. This view was echoed by Roy Feam who blames the growth of pressure 'groups on issues such as the environment for the decline in support for party politics. All three societies agreed that there has been a greater level of disillusionment, with Roy Fearn pointing the finger at 17 years of a Conservative Government for the lack of peoples' political fight. He added that this has led to a lack offaith in politics. Pete Dwyer of SWSS agreed. ·More and more politicians are seen as corrupt and people feel powerless to change things•, he said, adding that this has fed into the student population. Both expressed the view that this has all led to an apathy towards politics and what it can achieve. Adam Maddock stated that students' concerns over finding. a job after graduating makes them more worried about their degree and therefore less likely to devote their time and energy to actively support a political society. But UEA's Conservative Students disagreed strongly with these views. Spokesmen Mark Webb and Jim Vessey argue that students do not feel the need to join political societies because they are content and happy with their lot at university. This is quite an interesting concept considering that last autumn's Rent Strike

gaining support, Pete DWYer admitted that vast numbers of new supporters were not being gained through · such pul:)licity, although the society has had an increase in membership this year. He stressed that using such publicity techniques was not just aimed at gaining support, but at the same time highlighted SWSS's aim of making more people active and voice their opinions. "lt's a way of breaking the se&e.. perpetuating myth of passivity", he said. And having discovered the reasons each society attributes to their lack of support at UEA, did they think this would pick up over the next few years? Adam Maddock sees the future of the Labour Party as being very bright. "The 'Old labour' image is fading away and students will see that supporting the Labour Club is a productive thing to do" he said. He added that with the approaching general election. people would loo_k towards the removal of the Conservatives to ri!tJI the wrongs of the past 17 years. · For SWSS,Pete Dwyer envisages a rising popularity stemming frorn growing support throughout the oountry. "I'm very optimistic as a greater distrust of the Cons~rva~i~es and the NUS ts dnvtng people to think more radically", he concluded. Roy Feam believes that the Lib Dems will appeal to those seeking a more radical party, especially. he says, as the country is currently in a political vacuum. He also considers the effect of the General Election as increasing the awareness of politics across campus, which he hopes will increase society membership. The Conservatives also believe that their support will grow as the General Election nears. "There are a lot of Conservatives across campus who don't make themselves heard", said Mark Webb. So in the face of what seems to be adversity, UEA's political societies still believe that they .can increase their membership and participation. Whether this is the case, only time will tell. Meanwhile, the University is left with only a handful of politically active students in an environment that appears to be becoming increasingly apathetic to political iSSI.HII.

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Concrete, WadnesdQY .. IYIP.Y 1, 1996 15

Features

eTony Blair is the man knocking on the door of Number 10. Matthew Doyle met him in Norwich to ask him what will be his key to success. Photos: Matt Fasken he Labour Party has never had it so good. At least, not within most students' memory. The polls show a continual lead over the Tories , and only last month , there was the convincing by-election victory in Staffordshire. There is a general feeling that the architect of this modern revival of fortunes, Tony Blair, is just playing for time, with high profile cups of tea with Bill Clinton, until he walks in to Downing Street. But it can so easily go wrong . After the last election , a triumphant cry came from Wapping that 'lt Was The Sun Wot Won lt'. Is Tony Blair worried by the media, and can he see a Nightmare on Blair Street editorial around the corner? "I hope not. I think the media are more sensible than that. But obviously there are a lot of very strongly Conservative papers around who will certainly punish anything that Labour does, infinitely harder than they ever would in relation to the Conservatives. "If the Labour Party had ever behaved in the way the Tory Party has in recent years they would have been after us like screaming banshees. But we live with the media, on the whole we've done well, and I think there is a far greater mood of objectivity there . All I hope is that it is maintained. I don't ask for the media to be biased in my favour, merely to be fair." There's no doubt that opinion polls are encouraging for Labour, thanks to the changes that have been made to the Party. But the main focus of attention is that elusive general election victory. So what lies behind this vision ; what would a Labour government deliver? "We have put before the British people four very clear objectives for political change in Britain. The first is to create a genuine society of economic opportunity, one which is not scarred by drastic and high levels of long term unemployment. Problems not just of people out of work, but those in work that are insecure. "The second is to provide some sense of social cohesion. A welfare state which is actually going to deliver opportunity to people. A National Health Service that is back run as a proper health service for the country , not fragmented , privatised , commercialised and broken up. A country in which our education and public services are really services , not just for a small number of people, but for the nation as a whole . "The third is decentralisation. it's getting the power out of the hands of Whitehall and Westminster, and down to the hands of the people who really matter. There's been nothing more destructive than the undermining of local government in this country, and it should be the measure of any decent social democracy that power is shared throughout the society, not simply ordered at the top. "The fourth is that this country has to play a serious constructive role in Europe with our other European partners. There is

no future for this country retreating to the margins of its influence in the world ." But what are the changes bringing about, where is the Labour Party now? "We are actually building a platform , a consensus for genuine radical change in Britain. Change that can be pushed through by a Labour Party that is true to the principles of democratic socialism , but is applying them properly, vigorously and courageously to the world in which we live. "lt is time not just for change of government or a change of policy, but a change of the underlying governing philosophy of this nation." In a recent interview you said that people do not want a revolution , but surely one of the biggest problems will be people's expectations after 17 years of Tory government? "We will certainly have dissatisfied people if we promise them the earth and

education in the way that we want to, then this is all part of the reform of the Welfare State. I don't think that students would thank us for trying to pretend that we can wave a wand and give them all the money they want. "But let me make one thing clear. The Student Loan System has been an absolute disaster. lt has been badly administered , it is very expensive and some students are starting their lives in debt in circumstances where that is a considerable disincentive to go through the system. "My bottom line, which I've said to our policy people is that whatever proposals we come up with now, it must have as its guiding principle the fact that nobody should be disqualified from getting into university on the basis of the means of their parents. "I know from my own constituency that for the first time there are young people today who aren't going to un i vers i ty because their parents can't afford to put them there." So as this process of renewal continues, how would you define the Labour Party's key tasks? "Our task as today's Labour Party is to go out and forge that trust, that partnership with the British people . Not just so that we can win the election but s~ that we can govern well for our people, deliver the promises we have made to them and govern not just for a parliament but for a generation." The task now is for Labour to carry this message of change to the people, and convert the lead in the opinion polls into a convincing result. But one thing is certain, as Labour continues to work towards that elusive victory ... Tony Blair is determined not to wake up after the next general election a disappointed man.

"We are building a consensus for genuine radical change in Britain. Change that is true to the principles of democratic socialism, but is applying them to the modern world" - Tony Blair then don't deliver it, which is why it is important not to promise them the earth. What I said was that people don't want a revolution, they want a start and I think that's right. People recognise that you can't put everything right overnight, but you can make a start. In each of the key areas that's what we will do. The public understand that the government can't do everything at once, but they do want to know that there will be change in a different direction and we will make a start on the country's problems." Indeed promises are what Tony Blair has been accused of not making enough of. Instead there are clear principles. This is probably a sensible idea, given the Tory attacks on tax at the last general election. But what about proposals on tax, why are proposals not being announced to scotch Tory rumours? "When we have proposals on tax, we will disclose them . Gordon Brown has indicated that a lower starting rate of tax is desirable. We have been highly critical of the Tories and their tax rises. We have suggested that a cut in VAT would be of great assistance to pensioners. "Obviously we've got to take account of what the Government does in its own budget. But it's not a question of having proposals that we're not d i sclosing. When there are clear proposals we will announce them straight away." One recent decision for change has been the vote for change at NUS Conference , what is your reaction to that decision? "I thought it was sensible, because I think most students realise that if we're going to expand

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16 Concrete , Wednesday, May 1, 1996

Features

FOR THE â€˘With Government cuts hitting the State education system ever harder, Mark Austin considers the future of Britain 's public schools, and asks whether they will be able to survive beyond the approaching millenium

e're all middle class now, or so we seem led to believe. But we 've been enveloped in the public school ethos for the majority of this century almost without realising it. The curious characte ristic surrounding public schools is that it is widely felt that the system and the advantages it confers are out of date and essentially unfair, but still th ey survive. Why this should be is down to public schools' talent for self-perpetuation. If you have the resources to turn out pupils who are well educated and wealthy , then it makes sense to manufacture them in your own image so as to ensure that when they become the influential members of society in the future , th ey will think along lines that are in your interests. If this depiction conjures up images of the thought police and Big Brother in Orwell 's 1984, it is not wihout reason . In 1939 Orwell wrote an essay in which he drew attention to th e pervasive role of boys' weekly comics and magazines in the

creation of the national consciousness. Magazines such as Gem , Magnet, Champion and 'Wizard', and boys' adventure stories by authors such as John Buchan and Thomas Hughes were wide-

ly read and assimilated by young boys, initiating them into a culture and social system that was at the time already essentially out of date. This social system was that of the end of the end of 19th century public schools. As a result , the ideas , taboos and standards of the public

schools became the national ones. The images of Billy Bunter and Mr Chips , exclamations of 'Whizzo!' and 'You Bounder! ', boys indu lging in night-time adventures clad only in dressing gowns , are eerily familiar even tod ay. Being specious , you could link this creation of a national consciousness by the elite at the time with the arrival of the 'One Nation ' Tories as a political faction - thought of as necessary in a time of war when the whole country had to pull together and fight under a common banner against the foe . This is similar to how Orwell saw it. In his eyes , the whole enterprise was a right wing , capitalist plot undertaken by the then Lord Camrose of the Amalgamated Press and comic publishers D C Thomson to subvert the nation . lt has since been claimed by various commentators that it was precisely the drilling and regimentation undergone by public school pupils that enabled Britain to defeat the Germans in the two world wars . Good at repressing their emo-

lions and trained to do what they were told , such young men were efficient in a battle situation . Certainly the most popular images of those wars are often displayed in these terms , with 'Queen 's English' being spoken al l round and Biggles flying into the sunset to defeat the dastardly Hun . The quintessential English stiff upper lip quivers gently as those fine , upstanding days of glory are remembered . But not anymore. Not because they are no longer glorious but due to the near extinction of the oncemighty upper lip as we know it. Meet instead the slightly sniffy nose of Middle England .

only six all-boy boarding schools left in the country. The drop in numbers has meant in many cases the introduction of girls and more day pupils , diluting th e great and good stock of which public school products used to be made. The probl em is that although their pupils may thankfully be more representative than in the past, the system as a whole seems in little danger of permanent collapse . Even th ose who disagree with the whole ideal of private education do not believe that it should be abolished outright. Perhaps this is a product of our political re-orientation due to

schools as crucially overlooking is social education . "Any education , right from nursery up to higher, is not just about academic learni ng but social too . "And social skills are invaluable in my opinion. "Comprehensive education gives a child the opportunity to mix with all sorts of other children and emerge with a more balanced outlook." lt is this issue of social education that the public schools assumed so cleverly for themselves in the first half of th is century and wh ich they have lived on ever since- that is, if Orwell is to be believed. By defining what th is social

Sniffing in both exasperation and expectation ill the same time , it dismisses its elder neighbour as past it. Britai.1 's decline in world importance and increasing isolation even in Europe mean that the definitive role carved out for themselves by the public schools is under threat, not so much in terms of their existence as their tradition . Now that we are all middle class and the relative numbers of children attending public schools has dropped, standards are changing. There are now

the Thatcher years , when the siren call of individual freedom of choice became the standard of a newly enlightened Britain ; conversely, it could be down to the poor alternative offered by sta te education. Such a hypothesis would appear to be borne out by the muted and even cautiously favourable public reception given to Shadow Health Secretary Harriet Harman 's decision to send her son to a selective grant-maintained school, rather than the local comprehensive, in contravention of official Labour Party policy. Perhaps we feel that parents who find themselves able to afford private education are more justified in making that choice these days, when state education is suffering from such chronic under-investment and under-staffing. Charlie Robinson is a third year mature student with two small children of his own who adamantly believes that the state system is not doing itself justi ce. "The choice isn't fa ir at the moment between the comprehensive and the private systems", he avers. "Freedom of choice doesn't amount to much , in that if you've got the money to spend on your chilren's education, then it is possible to buy personal tutors, amazing sporting facilties and so on ." He sees the state system as no competition for the private establishment , not because it couldn't be , but simply due to under-investment. And what he sees public

education should be, they were able to place themselves at the forefront of its assimilation . But in today's diverse and multicu ltural Britain , the rich vein of broad-mindedness to be tapped by a genuine immersion in social culture has meant that public school stiff upper lips have been left to stiffen forever in the harsh climate of social anachronism . The 'Old Schools' are being overrun by the new middle class - meritocratic and more unconcerned with tradition than their forerunners . And yet it is these very people that public schools are now having to rely on for their survival. One of the centra l differences between public and state systems is that within the boarding public school, school becomes life and life becomes education. Work and play become rolled into one - a continuous amalgam where the usual social distinctions do not apply. Every aspect of life is controlled and manipulated , from what sport you play and how you play it through to not being allowed to smoke , even at the age of 18. Social education encounters strict delineations which it may not cross and this crucially is where the tension occurs for contemporary public schools . While their very existence owes itself to the libertarian philosophy of freedom of choice for the individual , internally the public schools impose an authoritarian line that jars with their liberal claims for legitimacy . Third year student Sally Brook attended what she calls a 'mid-

Concrete, Wednesday, Ma y 1, 1996

Features

die' public school. and certainly felt this authority brought to bear on her. "I got pushed towards Roman Catholicism", she says, "and I do feel that a lot of the tradition is empty." Increasingly for the public schools, their tradition is becoming one of their major selling points and it makes sense for them to place emphasis upon it. For if you trace them right back through the ages to the first grammar school then they originate with the arrival of Christianity in Britain . The first grammar schools were always linked to a church and were set up to provide the Church with new recruits. The1r original pupils were the poor, with the richer nobles being educated at home through private tutors. As the Church grew in power and influence , the pupil make-up

altered , catering more for the nascent middle class , training them for the clerical role of transacting the nation's business . But it is true to say that at their outset, the ancestors of today's public schools educated a crosssection of society that is more nearly being approached again in our times. At Shrewsbury School, one of the last six all-boy boarding schools, they have set up what

it's that continuing process of self-perpetuation again , but now their ranks are being infiltrated by the outside world . Youth culture is alive and well within today's public schools. Pupils grow their hair long, listen to the latest music, wear the right clothes and experiment with drugs in exactly the same way as their less privileged peers . No longer do these schools exist in a rarified world

called the Shrewsbury School Foundation , which is essentially a charity constructed to help raise funds . lt is quoted as existing "to support the pursuit of excellence at the School", declaring that. "Our vision is of the creation of a Foundation , a network that brings together people from all walks of life. "A group whose individual skills and expertise, enthusiasm and commitment will be united by a common interest in the support of Shrewsbury School." Or to put it another way, a group of interested parties using their contacts to ensure that the school continues in the way they wish .

of their own set apart from the trends and pressures of the rest of society. Consequently, while their marketing image may rely on their tradition and exclusivity, in actual fact the attitudes of their pupils are becoming more nearly approximated to everyone else's. Perhaps though, it is ultimately this that will ensure their survival. For a start, they are no longer under threat from an incoming Labour Government. But rather than being able to define the national consciousness as George Orwell accused them of doing, their next move now would seem to be to conform with that consciousness as it is received by them.

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a paid advertisement by your student union

US CO NFERE NCE '96 You elected seven delegates to represent UEA at this years NUS Conference In Blackpool.. what happened and how did they vote?

Conference Scraps 'Old' Loan Scheme Delegates at the NUS Conference spent a day debating Education Funding and heard passionate arguments from both sides . The Main Motion , which called for opposition to top up fees and entry levies, was almost unanimously supported , although some delegates questioned what exactly NUS was suggesting students and Student Unions ought to do to stop their introduction . All UEA delegates voted in favour. Amendment 1 dealt with similar matters, and again was passed without controversy. All UEA delegates voted in favour. Amendment 2 proved more controversial however. lt called for NUS to commit itself again to its call for grants to be restored to 1979 levels, and the reintroduction of housing benefit and income support for students. Speakers from the Campaign For Free Education moved the motion and members of Labour Students and the NUS NEC spoke against. The question went to a card vote, meaning all 7000+ votes from UEA were cast according to what the majority of UEA delegates voted for. The UEA delegates voted 3 in favour of the amendment (P.Dwyer, E.Jillett and N.Gee) and 4 against (M.Doyle, A.Maddock, J.Vessey and C. Williamson), meaning all UEA's votes went against this amendment. This amendment was not passed Am end ment 3 called for the NUS to adopt a "realistic" approach to funding, including student contributions (in effect a graduate tax). Speeches in favour, taken by the NEC, New Solutions and Labour Students members argued that NUS's policy was in some way responsible for current levels of student hardship and that this amendment offered a way out of debt and hardship for students atio n a ecu t ve o m m ttee NUS Conference Delegates elect the NUS e coming year. The NEC is comprised of part timers and six full timers, who for 96/7

during the course of their studies, as well as possibly improving access to HE for students from poorer backgrounds. Speeches against taken by CFE and SWSS members, plus a number of independents, argued that the Tory Government were in fact responsible for the current levels of student hardship. They added that if previous NUS policy had actually been acted on by the NEC , th ings might be different, and that a graduate tax , far from being an end to student debt, meant a massive increase in student debt- from thousands of pounds worth to tens of thousands worth . Extra rounds of speeches were taken where delegates argued that mature students who had paid tax all the ir lives should not be expected to pay more after having taken a degree, and that NUS should not bow to pressure from the Labour party to change its policy. Arguments for the motion stated that a change of NUS policy would give NUS a chance to sit at the negotiating table with politicians and a future Labour government. This amendment also went to card vote, and UEA delegates aligned themselves in the same way as with the previous amendment- 3 against and 4 in favour. This meant all UEA's 7000+ votes were cast in favour of this amendment. This amendment was passed. Amendment 4 retrad approximately the same ground, again arguing for a graduate tax or equivalent, but this time arguing that a new system of funding would benefit students from non-traditional backgrounds and members of liberation campaigns . This prompted heated debate again, which hinged mainly on the question of access. Some members of the LGB campaign spoke against, arguing that under a graduate tax, students would have to rely more heavily on their parents for funding , which could

ect ons NEC for twelve will be:

National President: Douglas Trainer (Labour) National Secretary: Alison Griffin (Independent) National Treasurer: Shelley Wright (Labour) VP Welfare: Gwilym Morris (Labour) VP Education: Lee Findell (Labour) VP FEUD: Danny Douglas (Independent) National Womens Officer: Alison Brown (Left Unity) Block of Twelve Part- Timers: Julie Eason: (Labour) Andrew Pakes: (Labour) R N ( ) yan orton: Labour Lee Petar: (Independent Anti-Racist) Gina Baylin: (UJS) Erik Bean: (New Year, New Union, Same Rodent) Mick Duncan: (Left Unity) Rosie Woods: (Left Unity) Jennifer Read: (Student Nurse) Denise McLoughlin: (Independent) Cathryn Fletcher: (Campaign For Free Education) imo n Web ber: (Green Independent)

prevent them from 'coming out' to their families - if parents didn't approve they could withdraw their financial support. Others argued that a graduate tax wou ld mean a fa irer deal for FE students, many of whom currently rely on 'dodgy' income support claims for funding . Again this amendment went to a card vote , with four UEA delegates in favour and three against, meaning UEA's votes went in favour. This amendment was passed. Amendment 5 was another amendment in favour of 1979 level grants and against a graduate tax, which also talked about access and non-traditional students. The debate was very similar to the previous debates, and there was plenty of ill feeling between the two camps, each blaming the other for the current situation of students. UEA delegates' votes were cast along exactly the same lines as previously, with three in favour and four against. This amendment was not passed. Conference had been split almost down the middle for the entire debate, the pro-student contribution group comprising Labour Students, New Solutions and Conservative delgates, plus many independents, and the pro-grants group comprising the Campaign For Free Education , Left Unity, SWSS, a majority of the black, LGB and women 's caucuses and some independents and Labour party members. Some colleges gathered afterwards to discuss disaffiliation from NUS, while others went out and celebrated the 'new policy for the 90s' . One group who were definitely not happy were the 150 mainly Turkish and Black FE students who had travelled to Blackpool to demonstrate outside the Conference in favour of grants and against the education cuts. lt seems there could be a long way to go before the policy unites all students within NUS.

I : 1:) LJ C::~1 1 C> 1'1 F=- C> L I Universities across the country face huge cuts in funding for the coming academic year, which will affect what they can and can 't provide for us as students. Some College Heads are still talking about charging students entry or tuition fees to cover the shortfall. The effects of modularisation and semesterisation are being monitored by NUS , but it is generally felt that the system is not ideal and has much room for improvement. Conference voted to campaign against the introduction of top up and tuition/ entry fees , but rejected motions which called for direct action to ensure better provision for students and against the funding cuts , preferring instead to look at creating a 'Charter' for Higher Education, in consultation with Vice Chancellors and

politicians. An amendment which called for the NUS to oppose the introduction of the market into education was defeated on a card vote, with delegates arguing for 'regulation' of the market rather than opposition to it. One of the more controversial amendments called for the NUS and Vice Chancellors to draw up codes of practice to ban 'extremist candidates' from stand ing in Student Union elections, etc. This was submitted in the wake of fears about a fundamentalist group, Hizb-Ut-Tahrir, who have a foothold in some colleges. In a heated debate delegates on one side talked about the actions of Hizb-Ut-Tahrir, and the beliefs of the group, which are homophobic, sexist, antisemitic and racist. On the other side of the debate delegates argued that Hizb-Ut-

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Tahrir attracts young muslim students who want to respond to the racism they experience in society, and that, though the group's politics are appaling, NUS should concentrate less on banning one group, and more on developing an effective anti racist campaign to involve all students in fighting racism together. There were also fears that any ban on extremists would be directed towards left wingers rather than right wing groups, who in most colleges are not able to get a platform for their views anyway. The main motion which was passed included this amendment and instructed NUS to survey student opinions on th continuing effects of seme isation, to safeguard the standards we expect from our institutions, and to continue to look at improving access to HE for all.

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The posts to be elected are: Community & International Officer · ·Clubs and Societies Officer Environment Officer Sports Officer Publicity Officer Internal ·officer NUS Officer .

Nominations open: 01/05/96 Nominations close: 09/05/96 Elections: ·16/05/96 Nomination forms are available from the· Information O·ffice in UH See ·Adam Bowde·n, Academic Officer, for ffiore information

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CONGRATULATIONS to Nexus Television this year for holding a very successful conference at UEA this Easter. As hosts for the National Student Television Association, Nexus based all of their activities, workshops, and plenaries here in UH. At the official awards ceremony held at the Hotel Norwich Nexus picked up the award for Best Music to Video of

1996 for their llii:ve~in~t~e~rn~e~t....----::-1lr~~r.l Once coverage . Union of also Students wish to They picked up two congratulate all runners up the student awards for their media for making station ident this one of the widely and the best most open entry of recognised 1996. Student Unions The Union in the country. would like to say all of the good work. 路r~ 路 s. that they are proud of our student media here at UEA. Now we have a wealth of award-winning student media . Mike Palmer, studio manager said that after all the hard work Nexus members have put in to building their new studio, we can now see that Nexus can get on with making awardwinning programmes and start broadcasting to students at U EA.

NEVER FORGET LEON GREENMAN Auschwitz 98288 HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR Monday 13th May 2p m LCR Union House tickets 拢1 from stall in Hive,

12~_2

every day

a paid adverstisement by your student union

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May 7th-10th Looking for friends to share with, finding a house, dealing with landlords and agencies, signing a contract and handing over a damage deposit is a stressful experience to say the least- but the Union Advice Unit is here -to help! FINDING A HOUSE The Steve Biko Room (upstairs in Union House) has two walls of adverts for houses; whether you want a one bedroom flat or bedsit or a house for seven or more, this is a good place to start. We also have a list of property agencies you can look through. There is a map of Norwich also, so you can see exactly where the house is in relation to UEA, the city centre, the station, etc.

THE HOUSING PACK This is a foolproof booklet produced by the Advice Unit that takes you through every stage of the househunting process. Other sections cover gas and fire safety, rent assessment, your rights as tenants and energy efficiency. Don't go anywhere without it! The pack also contains a card checklist to take with you when viewing properties, to help you spot potential problems. The housing pack will be available from May 7th in the Advice Unit.

THE PROPERTY INDEX This is ituated in the Advice Unit reception, through the Steve Biko Room. The property index is a collection of questionnaires filled in by students about their houses and landlord/lady- based on their experience. Use it before or after you look at a property for more information- some things are not obvious the first time you look at a house- for example, how will your landlord behave once you've moved in?-he or she may not seem so charming when they ea\\ round unanounced at 9 in the morning to check up on you! Are there problems with the property you didn ' t notice, like damp, condensa tion or inadequate heating- all of which you might not get a sense of when looking at a house in the spring or summer. Are the neighbours mad? The property index can tell you all this and more, so don ' t forget to use it before you commit yourself.

CONTRACTS Contracts can be bewildering to read, and contain things that are slightly dodgy that you could miss. It is important to check your contact thoroughly as loopholes within it could mean that you end up out of pocket or worse. Two trained staff in the Advice Unit can check through your contract with you and explain exactly what it means- make an appointment as soon as you have a contract.

Attention all Househunters! Don't miss this meeting!

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT RENTING IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR Every day from May 7th-10th 12.30 Steve Biko Room For all the information you need about landlords, your rights, gas safety, rents and the law

HOUSING SURGERIES Every day May 7th-10th 1.30-2.30 Steve Biko Room All your questions answered and prob~ems solved

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Conc rete , Wednesday , May l, 1996

Sports Feature

ONorwich City chairman Robert Chase may not be the most popular man in the Norfolk at the moment, but he is still as dedicated to the club as he was when he took over. Adam Aitken spoke to him ... >tartl'd go in~-: ha\'t' Ill' ' tuppl'd hl'aring a hout thl'm'! I he ' th rc'c potn t plan· h q JIItn plae·e·. hut it' ' h.1d to be , u,pendcd. \\ e··' c h.td 111 rc -tl11nk '' h.tt 110\\

that

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obe rt Chase , chairman of Norwich C ity , p resides over a club which

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Co ming do 11 n into thl' Ftrst D11 "'"" tor th e· lir't ltt llc' in ll' n ~car' "a' a blltcr dt,,tppointml'nt. but it·, a fact of lik th:H \lllllcunc h:h to ge t r..: kgal<.'d and \lllllL'llllL' prnm ut..:d e'l er) year. am.l ~ Llll JU> I ha1 c to cup..:" tth 11.

has slipped from ------""!;i~ being one of Eur ope' s best sides to a team of first divi si on alsorans i n just two years, and the City fans have made no secret of their desire for his resignation . Dcs piiL' se ll ing players 11 ort h <liLT fl(l mi llion durin g the 'iam<:: peri od, the club rec..:ntly antHHtnccd th at it was in tkbt tn the tun..: of !:4 .5 mlll tun - k:tding un nl ed tat dy to the funhcr ,;ale; of .-\shlt::; \V:m.l and Jon N t:l\ \(llnL'. Ch:t'iL' ha'i ,,tkn :.tll-.cd o f his ' three poim pl.m · t(• r tl1l' club. which Cllnsi'>h of "'11· tn g out th e finances, improving th.: stJJium ~ nu then gi1·ing further fundi ng In th -: learn . and he h a~ rc·gul:trly Sl:IIL'tl tiHti the' !>L'l't>nd phase of thi s plan ha'> nea rl :.hcen co mplctul. I h•w.:1 er, fo llowlll[! the lin:11K ial re1 L' lation' of la't mont h, it ~(:· m~ th: tt thi'i · pb n' ha' Ill go hack But how rnaoy t ram~ go to th e dt~ wing bo:~r J . 'ill from wch ht·ight s to n ·kgalion Concre11. g..11 e Ch<hc the ,1pportuni l) lt> ddl:nd htnt, :l l .!lld it" in '>uch a shor t JH' riod uf tinw'! s ,,·mdon did it. rc-c.:nt d..:t:isi <lns: They didn't fini sh th ird in Yuu mrnliuncd largL'ts like the leag ue though, rl id tlH·y'? the 'lhrt'e point plan ' "hen '\n. bu t 'e1n:a>tle were on<.: things were goi ng well but.

poi111 nff guing into the· third div ision. Do vou r.:met11bcr th:t t'' \ tanchester United gut r~kga tcd not so long ago. it Juc> happen. :\11 I can do I'• potnt tu \ ltddlc >bro ugh. ,\t Ch11 stma,, L'l L'r~ one thought that the·y ,,.L'rL' 111 with a slwt at the Championship. but "hen it guc> "rong it goes 11 rong. \\ h..:n things stan tumbling. it tak.:s a h..:,·k of a lot to stop the mo mentum. and stop it 11·.:: must. How did the

m.magcr :~ nd I sa! 111 tlus unttl L'a rly hours of th..: morning. agonising '" ..: r the dcei >ion > tlw l h..1d w b.: 11hllk Do ~uu for tnl', 111 pka>c\nl fur him '.' it ' s 1! 1-..: taking the t•Jllls ~ ~~a y from ;, tradL'->man. \VL· n:Jucc'd hts ch<llKt!'o l•l J ll(l l tng fo rward. and it I\ ,IS the mo>t agonising dcci,ion to makt!. You asked the quest ion in a m:1nna that gives thL' impn.::,sion there':

" We've got a bigger banner than you!"- Som e of the "small minority" in action

soll lL' pka,ur..: attached to it. lt 11 as ltl-.c: ,tid tng a . 11ord b..:t ll e<'ll lll) 11b-cagc when) ou ask ed that lJUL''llon . \\'htlewr , its in my cha ir 11 ill have to make te rribly dtt'tic ult dL·c1 sinns. In Nnwmhl'r, ~ IHJ n·fnn·d fanwu s l~· to the "small minorit~· " of peo ple 11 ho we re knocking ynu and tin· dub . On Januar~ 10, you told The Guardian that ~ o u 1\ 0uld not bl· rletcrrrrl b~· the '"wr~ largr number of people" opposed to ~ou . When did that sma ll min ority hecome a larger numbu'! I think that yo u\ t: got that "rung again. with all due n:,pect. What I think I said was that a small minority of people make a 1 cry dit'ficult job ,·inua l1) im possib le . That 's what I th ought I said, and th at' s 1d1at I int..:mbl to say. Cka rl y there is a gro wing number of pcoplt: who got disillus ioned wh.:n we had a bad run of rc 'i ult 'i. 13ut in th-: last few games we ' ve been do ing much bett er. Ccnainly Ga ry :vlegson had a bapti >m 11f fire like nothing on earth when he tonk 01 cr. 1 he cntic: i' m tha t he had to d e~tl 11 11h "a' .~ b,nltnc l y enormou..; . ;md I thtnk he ':> done t:mta'itic:all) ll' ' ta1 11 11h '"· Surt'ly, in a11~ hu~ith~ s, you mmt speculatt to .tl'll mula tc? T hat's one of IIH' fir, t businc~~ principlt'S. I th in k th.;rc 1' ,, large ext..:nt of gambling in1 ol1 ed. \V,; had to do a la rge amount ,,f'work on the ground . whi ch \1<.: 1\ erl' rcquircd 1t1 do under the safe-ty certificate terms. I hat' ' no11 done ,mJ out (1 1 th~ l•.. ly . I dun't think a 5ing!t• person 11 bhr~ Carrow J.to,td hadn't hccn dc,·elopcd, I just thin!. tltc~ IW uld (lrc ft'r some money to bt' sp<·nt on th e tn m. ll Gary ~vle gso n bad \I on his last thrc..: or fo nr gJ tne> you wouldn't be taki ng this 'icw at all. and ,,c' d hav<: bc.:n in a play-off situ.ttion. The fitt:t i~ that tht: team hasn't petformed 3S "..:11 a~ we hoped it \\ ould, and mo\1 suppurtcr, h.t\ •: gone away !itr lOll fh:qu~ntly thinking that tit.: tc~un 'hn uld ha\ e don t: bett.:r \\'hen we plavcd Derby. I t Hn nw:: t p..:,•pk wa! ..:J ou• (lf hn c t htn~m g ~,~Jut ,1 gre ~t tcam 11 l l:t s, and that'> what ,,e·vcgot to do - V.L.IC go t\ () p)a_' ltkt.: WC did :•[!,ti n> t Dc:rby 111 every m:nch I hL-r<: 's 1w rca;, ,>n v. h) wt.: -.hll ul dn ' t, ~.h 11 ' > the: ,am..: [!r<lltp ll f nw n who pl.ty in ~;ach m~td t. \ hen t\lartin O'Nci I, the pt I' ·ious nut nagL':·, snid iu :\onmber '' I hope to sign Dl'll n \\'lnd ass b~ the end of the century'", what wa~ the trm· situatio1 '? lt didn' t come out in the press, but Ma rti n said on severa l occasions that ht: 'd li kt: to move one

or \1\(l fWupk un . and then buy others. htt no thing c.1me uf it. What ~ ou' rc: assu mmg is that tht.: pre,s "ant ''' I\ ni L' a story that i' accurate and factual. What the press ha'.L' act u;rlly got to do is to 1\ rit..: .t 'illH·y that is exci tin g and amu..;tng ami tmtintains a th em..:. I' m Jllll grumbling about 11 . hut tha t·, the 11:1~ they do it. I f the y

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tu med round and ~; a id th at tht: chainmmmadc it quite ckar that , as the club had alread y bough t rwo player and wen; go ing 10 look at the next one aft er a wu plc of others had bee n sold, that wouldn ' t have been a story. But Martin saying " Ha ve I got to W<!it .until the next centu ry?" b.:comes a super headline. That' s th e business th ey ' re in. and I underst<llld that. Are you still on good pusonaltcrms "ith .Jimmy Joncs (the ex -vi ce C hairman who r e, igal"d la~t ye ar and ha s sine!.' called ro r Chase to resign)'.' Jimmy ami I we re very [;OOJ

Are you still going to be here nrx t week ? Me'1 Well. I've said repeatedl y that if someone's got th e time, the reso urces and the funds . and the) want to co m.: along and take my job, I wo uld be onl y too pleased to stand asidl' for th em. What about all th e stories that say yo u're about to quit? We've now got the shareholders' approva l to have a report made on wh;~t the club's fin an c ial position is. and 1/J:JI informa tion can · ~ rnadt· avai lable to a p••IL' ntta l purcha:;cr who cumcs along w ith th.: n.:cessary r:rcd.:ntia ls and hJs dJC best inter ·st · of the club at heart. So tar . . . r ' vc

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the last

" hL·n he k it 11 e ga1 c him liw illlcly ,i ller picture !'r;nncs and he saiJ what a 1\0ndcrful group "c all 11 ere. I k changed hi' tnind- tine·. it dn,· ~ n 't btllhcr tn c. I think he ' s a great chap . I had te n grc:at ] <:ars with him and I 11 i'ih him all the 1er) best.

fr it: nd.; for kn )Car..; and I don ' t make friend> und dr,lp friends as LJU tckly as that. I thtnk it's vt.!ry Sad \\ hL'Il Slllll l' bOJ) it:a1 CS the bmrd and thc·n starts mah.ing ~ommc•n ts that ar..: :tdl· ~rsc. He" ould clnim that the rra sons you gave for him fraYing ar" the rt•asuns that persuaded hi m to spea k out. Things like his hraltb ... 1 d1dn't give that rt•ason - be appro-.;ed the press release! r didn't make all that up. People like

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\(), I he prai sed the board. and

go t kntr people \~ho . to th~: bc,t of my t.. nowlt.!Jge, tit the bil l. and I'lt:JUSt ,;poken to a fifth mun on the ·phLm<: . All I would say is that the ks~ speculatiPn th.:rc i . th..: t..:s, damage is done. Would you like to be ht>r<' next ~n·ek ? Well. 1'H· got a job that I'd li ke 10 s..:.: finished. What I mustn·: do r; get sidc-tmck ed into lob of co nversations and debates about things that might or might nnl huppcn.

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Concrete, Wednesday, May 1, 1996' -~

UEA'S fencing team returned to winning ways before Easter, in the prestigious and fiercely competitive Great Yarmouth Invitation Cup, writes Caroline Kingfisher. In what can only be described as the best UEA result for years, the team showed skill, resolve, team-work and exciting fencing as they overcame the odds to win the event. A major factor in their success was the return to form of club captain Marcos Simpson, who displayed nair and keen competitiveness, coupled with a vast array of attacks and experience. But it was a tremendous display by all the team that won the cup. Alard Yon Weister showed why he has been dubbed "Mr. Dependable" by the other club members, never faltering with his probing, cheeky style that gave UEA the foundation stone onto which they built a winning combination. The third member of the squad, Chris Wiskin,

led the attack as he put in his best-ever performance. Adding patience and greater tactical awareness to raw talent, Wiskin was by no means fazed by any of the opposition. "Wiskin just gets better with every bout. He is thinking more and growing as a fencer all the time. He learnt a lot today as well as playing a huge role in the cup-winning team", said the captain. The highlight of the day was the defeat of favouri t~~ Great Yarmouth and local rivals Afondo, with the only hiccup being the loss to Kings Lynn. They employed a ' nine men behind the ball' style that on ly Wiskin had any real success against in a tightly-fought match. Ipswich and Lowestoft were taken to pieces by the UEA trio. All in all, this performance made up for recent bad results, and showed that once again UEA are a force to be reckoned with.

Burs-ting for a grant THE first group of students are already beginning to benefit from the launch of a Sports Bursary Fund, writes Jane Homer. Following the announcement in January that the University has provided an initial £2000 to help UEA 's financially-challenged sportsmen and women, the panel set up to assess applications has been kept busy dealing with the enthusiastic response. UEA's Keith Nicholls, Director of Physical Recreation and a member of the panel, stated : "We are very happy with the response, and although it has not been possible to say "yes" to everybody, we have already made four awards." The first person to become a

beneficiary was Matthew Sansum, who was given £500 towards the cost of a new kayak. Sansum, a member of the Great Britain Canoe Marathon squad, is also receiving a grant from the Prince's Trust to help cover the cost of his new canoe. Two cyclists have also benefited from this fund. BUSA gold medalist Jo Tuck has received £75 to enable her to enter higher class events, and fellow UEACC member Andy Tyler has been awarded £300, mainly to buy new equipment. Said Tyler: "It's a huge weight off my mind. At least I don't have to worry about bits falling off my bike anymore, and can now concentrate solely on my cycling." The final recipient is Martin

Airey, who received £250 fo r travel and entry fees. Airey, an 800 metre runner, stated: "Every year I have the same problem being stuck out in Norfolk means that it is hard to get to any races. There are only a few held nearby, and until now I couldn't really afford to travel to find decent competition." He has already entered two races thanks to the bursary, and his early-season form indicates that this summer could prove to be his best yet. With over half of the £2000 already allocated, the Bursary Fund has proved to be a resounding success, and Nicholls is hopeful that more of the revenue generated from public use of the sports centre will be put into the fund for next year.

SHINING WHITES

UEA'S cricket clubs have washed last year's grass stains out of their whites and are all set for the summer, w rite Tim Wales and Mark Edlin. WHAT'S the UK's fastest growing sport? lnline skating (aka rollerbladi ng) of course! And whaddayaknow, there ' s a Sports Club that caters for it... Skate Soc, which also provides for traditional (quad) skating, skateboarding and ice-skating, became an official club last term, and now boasts over 90 people on its mailing list. Activities so far have included many trips to Solarskate, Norwich's own skate rink on Vulcan road, and to the weekly ramp session held at the Lads Club. The club have also ventured further afield, with outings to a rink in Bury St. Edmunds (where members can try out inline skates, unfortunately not available for hire in Norfolk!), plus a visit to Peterborough ice rink. Club members can obtain discounts on entry at Solarskate, as well as reduc tions when purchasing skates or other equipment

Skating from local suppliers. Also, the club has recently benefited from a cash-injection in the shape of a union grant and thanks to this, it has purchased protective wristguards (essential for street skating) plus knee and elbow pads, and hockey sticks and balls. Tristan Roddis, the club ' s president, stated : " We've been putting up with naff DJs all winter - now the good weather's here, it's time to leave the rinks and get outdoors where skaters belong!" The club is organising it's first trip to the city centre this Wednesday (weather permitting) when people will have a chance to try their hand at skating on tarmac, plus have a go at skate hockey for the more adventurous. Further details can be found on the club's noticeboard in the Sport s Centre, or on the WWW at http: //www.uea.ac.uk/ -suskate/

The Ladies Club is already on a roll. In The recent BUSA Indoor 6-a-side Competition, both the first and second team s sent arch rivals Essex back to the pavilion with their bats between their legs, and gained a welcome 'extra' in the process - five UEA ladies were selected for the BUSA trials. For the men, it's been back to ' line and length' basics in the winter nets. Behind the screens the committee has been working on a new pitch - a sales pitch to prospective sponsors, that has been met with a tepid response so far. A cheap and cheerful tour to sun baked Jersey has also been organised. Meanwhile, in the BUSA indoor competition , the first XI reached the regional finals. "If it wasn't for a heavy night beering we would have won!" muttered skipper Mark Edlin bitterly, but refused to name the guilty parties. Moving outdoors, UEA Firsts started off their BUSA

campaign last Wednesday with a convincing home win over rivals Essex . UEA elected to field first and after tight bowling from Chris Trill and Dave Cantor and a s uperb fielding display, the opposition never looked likely to set a big score. A match-winning bowling performance from debutante Tom Connors, who took six wickets for 46 runs, reduced Essex to 147 all out. Edlin and Alex Skilton got the UEA innings off to a steady start, but with Skilton out for 24 and Mark Webb dismissed cheaply,

there were fea rs that the team might collapse. However, Duncan Evans masterfully destroyed the Essex bowling, and he and Edlin steered UEA home to a comfortable victory. Evans scored 56 not out, and Edl in got 51 not out to make this the first win over Essex in seven years. Afterwards, Edlin described it as "the best team performance I've seen by a UEA cricket team. If we continue like this, we should qualify easily for the knock-out stages of the competition."

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''"·'· Sport ~~::> ::~~-' '. .

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SWIMMING: The swimming t«tam took the plunge and put in some great indi· vidual and team performances at the recent BUSA long-course championships, held in Cardiff. In the 200m individual medley, Nlcola Brook and Mike George swam with courage and conviction to finish 21st and 28th respectively. Other notable results Included Martin Plant's 17th place in the 200m breaststroke and 25th place In the 50m breaststroke, and emma Whltaker showed quiet resolve ·to finish 32nd In the 50m backstroke. On the team front, In the 4x50m n:tedl~y relays, the woj'llen came 27th, and the me~ n~l~h~ ~.Oth. .' RIDING: Having done superbly to make it into the Regional' Finals, UEA's Tom Hawes only 'just missed out on qualifying for the BUSA National ChampionshiP$. After an ex"Cellent· dressage perfqrmance, his horse unfort~ri~t~ly ' knocke<f down , a pole in.Jht) jumping .Phase.· However, he eventually finisheo in ninth place. behind last year's BUSA Champion and two members of t he Junior British three-day event side.

HOCKEY: In the matches leading :up to the Easter vacation/ the men's · · ffrsts put in some solid perfor· mances ·· 1n their. local leagu~.

First 'up were top-of-the· table Gorleston, who went down 5-1 thanks to goals from ·Adrian Tuft, Dao White, Mark Shurmer (two) and !;wan Topping. However, the award for 'Perfornuince, of the Day' went to Duncan Evans for his contribution to the Impressive victory. \,lEA continued their good run against Sudbury Seconds, and soon went ahead through a Dan White short corner. Terry Venables then scored three, but defen· sive apathy' and goalkeep· ing errors allowed Sudbury ' back Into the game, making the final score 4-3 to UEA.

Concrete , Wednesda y, May l , 199 6

concrete

By Scott Tompsett

,I ledul \l·inn,•n Coroline ,\ lurke (llhOl'£'). .\'icolu C()I/J/1 (r ight}. an d A·all SinAu . .fu Turk ,\'uulllllh liwnwn/,r and (j enrwul Stuhlmuck< r rlwlu\\ . 1-n

A HAT-TRICK of BUSA medals has gone some way towa rds compensating for the othe rwise disappointing performances of UEA's sports clubs. In the BUS/\ knocko ut competi tions. mos t or the Un in.: rsi ty's teams fe ll at the first hu rdl e. but in the c h ~t mp ion~hi p s whi ch took pl ace jus t befo re the Faste r break. go ld medals wen t to the women's cyc ling tea m in th e -1 -up tea m trme tria l, while Ca roline !Vlarh:s (karate) and Nico la Costin (climbing) showed winnm g fo nn by both ta king brunze meda ls. Ped;tll ing the ir way to victory th ro ugh th e th ick Swnrth am mi st to r 50 kilometres. the cvc li sts m:-~naged to com pensate for \\' hat \\'asn ' t. on paper. a l ~ ts t team . Capt<tin .l o Tuck s:rid after\\';mls "The sec ret to efli::ct i1e team time tri allin g is te<Hllii'Ork ra ther th an nat -out speed. Ou r ma ny tr:ti ning SL'Ss ions IOgc the r certainl y p;rid ofT ... .l o :~ clued to her medal collect ion. !'ol lo\\' ing the BUS/\ gold she wo n in the hill c li mb co mpeti ti o n in 1'\uvcmbe r·. Ye t ck spit e her suL·cess. she rs not cont ent with j ust two go ld medals. sta tin g ''I'm al'te r· :1 hat-trick '·. The other tea rn rnem hers. 11 h11 all ped'ormed eq u;tl ly we ll. were Cierrn an :riath lete Gertr<llld Stuh lmach: L'L i\merican ;"\l;wma h !:ito r ner ~h:y and Kat;. Srnh:a . Scal ing the heights llr s u cces~. LJLJ\ ·s ace climber 1'\ ico la Costi n clun g on rn Wa rwick to ge t a bronA' meda l. The fe ll. ca1·ing :tn d climbing club member 11as one or t\\0 girl s cli mb in g for t rr:,\ and

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helped the team 's OI'Crall t'il'th JlllSition. Nieob . ll'ho gets plen ty llr pr:1c ti cc ll'i th regular trips ;1round Britain. co mment ed .. I th ought I' d climbed real ly \\'e ll but di dn' t ex pect to come thrrd l Fightin g in J:d inburgh 's f3 lJS/\ K:trate champ ionships. Caro line Mark s from th e Sh i Kon Kar;rte club returned with a brorve mL'd<rl. t\t't er the men ·s styk \\'as snubbed by the judge-; on the first day it

to l' aro line to ti ght her \\ay thrnu gh ltm nid: tblc oppositi on to s;1il age Sllllle pride li >r the club , " ho ll'ere qui te d i~appoin t ed by their resul ts . The [3 S1\ com petiti ons noli' 11101 e int o their summ er phase. and 11 ith the J\ th leti cs. Cr icket <rnd Tenni s clubs al l in action o1·er th e next fortnight , it is hoped tha t Uh\ "i ll lind mo re sporlln g s ucc e s~ bL·i'ore the term is ou t.

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('";; f~ rJ r* rrrr) ' the students/ landlord