Concrete issue 062 18 09 1996

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THE GUARDIAN/ NUS STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE

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IT'$ GOOD TO TALl(••• Just arrived? No problem!

For all you could possibly want to know about being a fresher, see our 8 page guide inside...

CONCRm SPENT A DAY AT ANGLIA RELAXING WITH THE STARS OF THE BOOMING CHAT SHOWS

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A taste of Italy arrived at UEA over the summer with the popular fast food outlet Breakers being turned Into a trattoria, named Piccolo's. In an exclusive Interview with Concrete, UEA's Accommodation and Catering boss, Jenny Grant, revealed that: •The Registry had not done any market research before restructuring campus catering

services •The refurbishment or the former Breakers had been done "on a shoestring" •She did not know that Breakers sold takeaway food When Concrete asked Ms Grant where the idea for thls refit had come from, she was unclear.

"We put suggestion boxes in all outlets, and all members of catering staff listen to and talk with students... but we haven't carried out any formal market research.

"In the future it would obviously be a good idea to carry out market research, but not in 1996."

Asked whether comments submitted to the suggestion boxes had reque~ted Italian cuisine, Ms Grant replied, "I don't know".

She went on to explain that in her experience Italian is by far the most popular choice ofrestaurant.

"Young people like the kind of food and we needed to make provisions for vegetarians, it is very easy to do that with pizza and pasta", she said.

IA'I Independent Student lleWIPCI

However, the new restaurant does not provide the level of take-away service that Breakers offered, despite the findings of a survey on campus catering services carried out by Concrete last semester.

This survey revealed that 81 per cent of students called for late night opening and takeaways.Ms Grant has not only failed to respond to student opinion on this matter, she has limited takeaway services even further.

The Diner will provide take-aways, but not until January 1997 at the earliest, she stated.

"There is no specifically planned take-away service between now and then, but there hasn't been one up until now, has there?"

When it was pointed out that Breakers did in

fact offer take-away food, Ms Grant admitted having no knowledge of this.

Asked how much the refurbishment cost, she said, "It was done on a shoestring but I think it's been very successful, I would say it was in the region of £20,000."

As to whether Piccolo's was good value for money, Joe Hemington (SOC 3) said "I was surprised by the small amount for the price I paid ...

Breakers needed to change, but not to thls extent."

•Do you think Jenny Grant is "in touch with student feeling"? Write to Concrete at our letters address, or e-mail us on su.concrete@uea.ac.uk.

Alternatively, write to Jenny Grant, Director of Residences and Catering, The Registry, UEA.

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2 Concrete, Wednesday, September 18 , 1996

SocMart and Freshers Fayre this week The popularity of last year's Freshers Fayre has ensured that this yea r it will be given a separate day to SocMart.

Freshers Fayre will be he ld on Thursday Septembe r 19, with SocMa rt follow ing on Fr iday September 20, both in the LCR, Union House.

The Fay re wi ll be fill ed wit h compa nies offering student deals on eve rythin g fro m ba nk accou nts to TV and video rental.

As we ll as bei ng ab le to bag so me freeb ies, Freshe rs Fay re is an opportunity for student s to "get the best out of stude nt dea ls that local and natio nal compan ies have to offer", said Un ion Welfa re Officer, Paul Do nne ll y.

Soc Mart on Fri day gives you the oppo rtunity to see th e nea rly 100 clubs and societies that w ill be on show. Student med ia at UEA wi ll be represented on fo r both days .

~bJOOQooo ·Aberdeen students

Greenpeace to set Norwich alight On Saturday September 21 between 10am and 4pm at the Haymarket Centre in the City, Greenpeace will be electrifying the public with an interactive display ot solar electricity.

T he displ ay , w hi ch is a full y function ing mobi le kitchen , uses an array of 24 solar pan els to generate electric ity whic h w ill pow er a range of o rdin ary appli ances incl uding a wash ing machine and hob.

In a seri es of demonstrati ons throughout the day , peop le will be abl e to experi ence the first so lar e lect ricity to be ge nerated in Norwic h, first hand . This w ill include a cookery demonstrat ion

by Ang lia TV celeb ri ty c hef, Patri ck Antho ny.

Greenpeace is VIS1tll1 g Norw ic h to show that solar electric ity is able to meet the needs and ready to be used in the UK now.

Loca l childre n and co mmunity groups have been inv ited to jo in the display.

Said G reenpeace so lar ca m paig ne r, Matthew Spencer: " Our need to rep lace fossi l fuell ed electri c it y wi th so lar powe red elect ric ity is seri ous and urge nt, if we are to stand a chance of ha lt ing climate change. " Wh at o ur kitchen shows is that sol ar electri cit y works, that its clea n and that it is ready for use on ho uses and offices now. " Norwich is go in g to love it and we hope that lots of peopl e wi ll come a long and experience it all fi rst han d ."

Schemes exP._ anded to encourage recycling bY. students and energr. savings in halls UEA WILL unveil new plans this week in order to bring recycl ing and energy saving on campus into the environmental spotlight.

Fo llow ing a concerted effort over th e past few years to make UEA more green, a recyc li ng co mmittee involving staff and students has been meet ing weekly an d has managed to set up a sys tem fo r the recycling of paper w ith in schoo ls of stu dy.

T his system has proved hi ghl y successful and has s ignifi ca ntl y reduced the amount of waste be ing collected by the Un ivers ity 's contractor. Some of th e money saved is bei ng used fo r improve ments around ca mpus such as tree p lanting .

The foc us has now shi fted from recycl ing w ithi n schoo ls to the student popul ation at UEA. Recycl ing centres have been established and stude nts are enco uraged to make use of these especiall y at the beginn ing of term when lea fl ets and handouts mount up .

T he recycl ing cent res can be used fo r o ld newspa pers and magazines, where as co ll ections within schools of study are restri cted to high quali ty paper such as that used fo r photocopy ing.

A recycl ing committee spokesperson suggested th at "If students fee l strongly about recycling then bring fly ers, posters and even old essays to the ir schools and they w ill be recycled. Newspapers and other lowe r grade pape r can go into th e skips at the recycl ing sites an d so can glass" .

In addition, a pl an to reduce energy used in residences s hould be underway by the end of the yea r. Rece ntly appointed UEA E nergy Manager Mel Pascoe expects that up to 25 pe r cent of energy sav ings in res idences (to the va lu e of £5,000) will he made available fo r the

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use of the Stude nt ' s Uni o n.

He also po inted out that any sav ing could be advan tageo us to those in residences, wi th possib le lowe r ren ts in the future: " Arou nd 50 per cent of tenants in resi dences wi ll st ill be there in the fo llowing yea r and so w ill fee l the benefit of sav ings."

Detai ls of a competition to design a logo for the energy sav ing campaign w ill be re leased in comi ng weeks fo r any budd ing art ists on campus and th e kee ner arti sts at the A rt College. A v ideo made by students on energy redu ction is anot her exciting addi tion to the campaign for a more eco-friendl y UEA. Al l future plans depend on the success of current proj ects, but the recycling committee expressed optimism that "student s can be reli ed on to use th e fac ilities and systems which are on o ffer. "

TOP: Campus map showing recycling points (R), and residences (above) where students are urged to save energy

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Campus dates announced for Union ballots Elections take place next month for Students ' Forum and School Boards, with the Union making special efforts to get as many people involved as possible, writes Carolyn Boyd.

Represe nt atives from eve ry schoo l and year are needed to fill the gaps which current ly exist on th e Student s' Forum (the govern ing body fo r the Union), and the Schoo l Boards (U niversity committ ees) w hich meet twice every term to mon itor the schoo ls of study.

Although the processes of nominatio n and electi on may see m a lien to most stud ents , Union Academic officer, Becky Colley, hopes to bring a fresh approach to the w hole process.

Idiot-proof g uid es, exp laining what is in volved, w ill be prod uced so that those who are interested won' t have to wade through reams , of constitutiona l jargon.

Sa id Becky, " We wa nt to red uce th e a mo un t of writte n in fo rmati on and increase the amoun t of int erest so that more students come up and speak to us."

A stall at SocMart also gives students a chance to fi nd out about sta ndi ng, and wha t th e role involves. " We want to make it accessible to everyone'", she added.

•Delegates to Student 's Forum can be nominated between September 26 - October 3, with elections between October 7- 11 .

•For School Board representatives, nominations open on October 3, closing a week later, before balloting between October 14 - 18.

New safety regulations force UEA Accommodation bosses to scraP-_ easv. chairs from camP-_us rooms Accommodation bosses have been forced to remove easy chairs from residences due to tougher safety regulations.

Director o f Resi de nces and Ca tering , Jenny G rant, stated that the removal was in accordance w ith a December dea dlin e dictated by legislation, and was in the interest of students. " We have obv ious ly ta ke n advice from the safety officer and we have a clear dut y to the safety of student s, and the requirements of th e regulat ion," she said.

However, Ms Grant stated th at the Un iversity had known of the new regulations for at least a year, raising questions as to w hy the

chai rs have not bee n re moved sooner.

Ms G ran t also confirmed that the cha irs, w hi c h are currently being stored at Fifers Lane, w ill now be val ued w ith a view to se lli ng them .

If sufficient revenue is ra ised then th is wi ll be used to replace th e unsafe chairs with new stock.

But this decision means th at there w ill be no easy chai rs in standard acco mmodatio n fo r the fo reseeable future .

Mo reove r, sa fety issues are by th e Uni vers ity rai sed cons id ering the sale o f c ha irs which have been removed from residences for health and safety

pint, despite earlier plans to scrap this policy.

Th e Uni o n Manage ment Committee's decision to maintain the po pul a r price on both Heineken and Flowers IPA has lead to a sig ni fica nt price rises o n other products.

Un io n Fina nce O fficer, ' Ginge ' Kaye sa id " they were due for a price rise".

~bJOOQooo

Freshers will find themselves missing out on one of Britain 's top selling magazines ... thanks to the Union's plans to avoid offendIng them.

Promotional bags are handed out to all freshers by NUS Services Ltd and Jane Kirby include goodies from companies such as Tango, Tesco, Holsten and Alka student market and has a very Seltzer.

These help to promote sales in distinctive sty le.

"We have accepted the Loaded Union outlets throughout the year. ampler as we believe it will be very NUSSL suggested that a promotional version of Loaded popular with students.

"However, as we are also aware of (pictured right), sponsored by Worthington Draught Bitter, could be the sensitivities of Students' Unions included in the bags for male freshers we have included a copy of the to balance the Tampax promotion in sampler for their approval."

Unions around the country were the female bags.

In a covering letter NUSSL then invited to respond to the sampler, Operations Manager, Sarah Meredith with Sabbs at UEA deciding again t stated that : "Clearly Loaded is a its inclusion.

It was felt that the sampler could hugely popular magazine with the

By----.

HOUSE about that then Barclays Bank are giving away nearly £60,000 to fulltime students towards the cost of their rent, writes Carol/ne Jenklnson .

You could win anything from £10 - to cover the cost of one day 's rent - to £2,500, which is enough to live rent-free for a year.

Richard Harvey, head of youth strategy at Barclay , says, "This is the third year that Barclays has run. a 'rent free ' competition.

"They have proved incredibly popular with students because rent is often one of the most expensive costs that they face."

To enter, you will need to pick up a 'crack and reveal' card from either the Barclays stand at the Freshers Fayre or their branch on campus.

On opening the card, you will see a symbol, which you can compare with pictures displayed in the branch or on a stand to see if you have won a prize.

The competition closes on October 31 - o get cracking!

upset freshers due to its rather 'laddish' content.

This is despite the fact that the magazine will still be stocked in the Union newsagents, providing profit for the Union.

Loaded, which has previously won magazine of the · year award, was branded "trash" by Union Academic Officer, Becky Colley when justifying the decision.

Becky was keen to add that, "The only pictures are of topless women sticking their tits out.", despite the fact that there are no topless photos in the promotional copy.

Concrete approached magazine and asked the editor, James Brown for an official statement.

"Bunch of a .. e", came the rather short rep! y.

Flashy Matt Green was arrested following an end of year prank. The 20 year old student ran naked through Oxford's streets for more than an

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4 Concrete, Wednesd ay, September 18, 1996

Union Sabb goes Dutch...

UNION FINANCE Officer, 'Ginge' Kaye, found himself on hol iday last week ... all thanks to the amount of Heineken students drank last year.

Mass ive sa les of Il cineken UK campu ses le ad on Wh itbrcad to fund an expenses paid trip to Amsterdam for th e US Services Ltd food and drink co mmittee.

Two spa re pl aces were offered to Ginge and Unio n Bars Manager, Tom Ball , due to UEA havi ng the largest sales of Hcineken of an y St uden t Uni on in the co unt ry. " It wasn' t a dea l swinger! " G ingc expla ined, " it was a thank you. They weren' t se ll ing us anythi ng, we' d already negoti ated fo r thi s year. " Eyebrows we re ra ised in the Uni o n offi ces howeve r at Ginge going away on the two nig ht brea k in th e week befo re Unde rgraduation. Two Sabbs we re a lso abse nt , leaving Unio n We lfa re Offi cer Paul Do nn e ll y to manage things alone.

G inge sa id he was "slig htl y" concern ed, but " most things were under cont rol. I wouldn ' t have gone if I' d have thought things wo uld have gone complete ly haywire."

Alt ho ugh Ginge " hasn ' t dec ided yet" whether to claim the days as holidays, he said he would be " quite happy to put the m dow n as wo rk."

• Guinness

NUS boycott leaves stout of the guestion on cam~us Union Bars are no longer stocking Guinness... after negotiations between the brewer and Union supplier NUS Services Ltd (NUSSL) broke down over the summer.

Guinn ess had onl y been on sale at UEA for two years, owing to a longrunning national dispute about pricing.

In that time, however, consumption of the popul ar drink had grown to account for 48% of total stout sa les. Th is was despite costing lOp a pint more than Murphys, which is now left as the onl y stout ava il able in Union Bars.

NUSSL supplies most o f the Student Uni on bars in Britain, making it one of the largest drinks purchasers. The result is that students benefi t from the subsequen t low prices, but products can be ' de- listed ' if NUSSL th in ks the brewers are not offering a good deal.

This is what has now happened with Guinness. In a letter w hich was sent out to all Unions explaining the decision to ' de- list ' th e po pul ar sto ut , NUSSL blamed a c hange of pe rso nn e l at Guinness . They cla im th e c hange

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resulted in an improved dea l for this yea r being withdrawn at the last minute.

NUSSL regard thi s as "a seri ous breach of good fa ith on Gui nness ' part" and po int o ut that if they were to accept the rev ised offe r from Gui nness, it would co mpro mi e NUSSL ' s nati onal cred ibil ity as a major bulk purc haser.

Uni on Finance Office r, ' G inge ' Kaye, expl ain ed why this national decision has resulted in the removal of Guinness from sa le at UEA: " Because it is now known as a ba nned produ ct w it h NUSSL, that mea ns that an y Student Uni on stocking Guinness will be punished under the rul es of NUSSL." Al though cla iming not to be co mplete ly " au fa it" w ith the system, he ex pressed co nfid e nce in th e acti on taken by NUSSL, adding: "Other brewers recognise th e buying power [of NUSS L] and g ive big enough discounts and organise th em we ll in adva nce and there is no reason why Guinness can' t do thi s."

He added: " Guinness is more ex pens ive than oth er stout brands, it co unts

fo r less than 50% of our stout sales, and it is more expe nsive to buy in , so I have no objecti on to the decision."

As to whether the boycott will be successful in ensuring a better dea l for students next yea r, Gi nge simply concluded: "We ' ll find out in a year's time if it worked. " But in the meantim e, Murph y' s is the onl y stout ava ilable, re movi ng student cho ice.

Stephen Chappell (SYS 1) said " I lik e Guinness, so I' m gutted" , and Philip Maikos (W AM) added that there should be a cho ice of stout ava il able in th e bars.

G uinness did not wish to com ment on th e de- listin g decis io n w he n approached last week. However, Ian Minichiell o, the company's Business Development Manager, issued the following statement : " I am of course ve ry concern ed that the NUSSL Board have call ed for a full boycott of th e Guinn ess bra nd in NUSSL o utlets in th e 96/97 trading year, but at this stage I woul d prefer to make no furth er comm ent. "

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Concrete, Wednesday, September 18, 1996

5

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ew name for Union supermarket is out of this world and not as we know it Eyebrows were raised on campus at reports of a UFO sighting... until it turned out to be the new out of this world name for the Union Supermarket.

The Union Food Outlet a it is known in full, was named after "extensive consultation" according to Union Finance Officer, 'Ginge' Kaye.

Ginge said: "It was felt by the manager of the outlet, and the Commercial Service Manager, that the name 'supermarket' was giving the impression that it is a supermarket, and it's not really.

"It's not able to compete on the same level as Sainsbury's or Tesco - we don't have the same buying power."

Management Committee proposed various uggestions for a new name, however, an agreement proved rather elusive.

Ginge explained: "We could have called it the corner shop, but it' not on a corner. We could have called it a convenience store,

Net Gain ou what? You mean you want 24-hour htgh-speed access to the internet? And not JUSt ematl but to trawl the world-wtde web wtth impuntty, and even wnte some pages of your own? Wtthout paying a srngle penny for the privilege?

Tell that to a commerctal interne! servrce provider and you're heading for a smack in the chops Ask those ntce people at UEA. however, and they'll JUSt tell you your logtn name Sheesh, they'll even plumb in your bedroom m some of the halls of residence so you need never be deprived.

Fact is, universrty's a great place to begrn exploring the net. They re practically laytng thts m~racle of modern communications at your feet. So, tt's time for you to work out for yourself just what's going on out there tn cyberspace. Is it full of paedophiles and terrorists, as clatmed by government agencies and ignorant journos? Or is 1t the Key to Creatton, as avowed by those Califomran doodz who ve lost sight of anythtng so mundane as reality? To find out, you're gorng to have to get to grips with some shppery concepts, and to wade through a fair

Websltes of the Week

Y

amount of techno babble And that's where Hype comes in.

Whether you need informatron about the key rssues, a guide to tasty websites or nitty-gntty technrcal advice, our motley crew of on-hne Jiggers can help you get up to speed.

Hype's existed as a website and as a column 1n Concrete longer than Netscape Communications has extsted as a corporatron. And we're always recruttlng tf you think you can contrrbute to the digttal future. then get in touch.

We urgently requ~re New Medta journalists, hot hackers. riot grrls, hrpptes, agttpropsters and pseuds to JOtn our team.

Hype can be contacted at su.hype@uea.ac.uk. or via internal mail c/o Concrete.

Vistt our website at www uea.ac.uk/concrete/hyp et by chcking on "NetscapeD in the Computing Centre Serv1ces box on one of the networked computers, and then going UEA Information > Students > Campus TV, Rad10 and Publications >

Hype.

AltaVista http://www.altavtsta. dtgital corn/ Search over 30 mtl· !ton pages for the toptc of your cho1ce.

Stand by for mformation overload.

How to do the Macarena http //www wbal com/prellco/macarena/ Relive those sad holiday moments courtesy of The Prellco Dance School for the Rhythmically Challenged.

McSpotltght http·//www mcspotlight org!home html Have a look at the information that those grubby hamburger people don't want you to see, and revtew the progress of the McUbel tnal MTV http://WWW.mtv.com/ Can t afford cable tn your digs? Never mind - have a look at MTV on the web for all your pop goss1p needs.

The Knowhere Guide http://www.state51 co. uk/knowhere/ A user's gu1de to the UK. Get the low-down on Norwtch, or send them mformation about your home town

but then people could have said it's not open until midnight, so it's not convenient. So the only thing we could do was to put together a list from suggestion , and then see what the majority of people thought from that list."

Union staff and students were consulted and Ginge felt there had been some democratic input.

"I did a survey, not a very extensive survey, of staff and various students that were about on a very di. mal day.

"We could have spent six months compiling a list of name , and another ix months con ulting every student on campus, but we did it in the way we did it.

"It was lightly democratic but not totally. We could have had a UGM and decided, but it's not that important."

Union supermarket no more...

The cost of the new image i reported to be £800, with the style being that of a take-away.

"Essentially it provides a takeaway service", Ginge noted.

"A lot of the busine i convenience food, things like andwiches and pizzas, with most of the business done from the two chilled cabinets at the back."

As to whether students will

notice any difference in terms of price, Ginge aid: "The intention is to reduce price , but we can't reduce prices and maintain profit, o we will reduce profits, hopefully by getting better deals."

•What do you think about the Union' cosmic new idea? Write to Concrete at the letters addre • or e-mail us at su.concrete@ uea.ac.uk

Graduate Students Association WELCOME Welcome to all new and returning postgraduate students and we hope you have a successful and fun filled year. The Graduate Students Association is for all postgraduate students, run by students. We are an independent body from the Students Union and so you have the privilege of being part of tw_9 studeilt.bodiesJostead of OAe.-Hopefully you ~hould aft havEr rel:'elve<J your new GSA handbook. If not, you can get one from your school of study.

THE GRADUATE STUDENTS CLUB The main meeting point for postgraduates is the Graduate Students Club, located upstairs in the Union House. Postgraduate students of UEA have an automatic entitlement to apply for club membership which is free. All you need to do is fill in the form In the handbook and bring it along to the bar, with a photo attached. Members of the club have the benefit of cheap prices and prompt service as well as a wide range of cultural events held throughout the year. Opening times are: Mon - Sat: 7.30pm-11 pm and Sun: 7pm - 10.30pm. Profits from the club go straight back in so we can keep the prices as low as possible. Another outcome of the profits is the scholarship scheme.

SCHOLARSHIPS The GSC is a non-profit making organisation, that donates its funds to helping postgraduate students.

This year, three full fees scholarships have been awarded to HIS, CEAS and SOC. We would like to thank all the bar staff and members of the club for allowing us to continue this scheme.

BAR STAFF Bar staff of the club are volunteers who gain the advantage of full bar training and an opportunity to meet other postgraduate students. it's ao excellent night out! If you would like to volunteer to work behind the bar, please leave your name and school with a member of staff, or tick the relevant box on the club membership form. We are also looking for a second bar assistant (paid position), to help run the bar along with the Bar Manager. If you have relevant bar experience and would like to apply, please do so, in writing to the Bar Manager, Union House, enclosing a C.V.

GSA COMMITTEE The Association needs new members for the committee to help in the day to day operations of the bar and dealing with academic issues at UEA. Students are represented at major boards and committees by the GSA. Positions available: President; Vice-president; Secretary; Treasurer; Publicity Officer; Bar Manager; Entertainments Officer. The elections will take place this semester. If you are interested in giving up several hours of your time per week, ask for more information. a-mail: T.Georgiou@uea.ac.uk, or leave a note in the GSA pigeon-hole, outside the union offices.

This section is written and paid for by the Graduate Students Association

Union Food Outlet Fresh fruit and veg Frozen food Kitchenware Off Licence Confectionary

Cigarettes Convenience foods Groceries Bread morning goods Snacks and ready meals

Open: Monday-Friday, 9am-9pm, Saturday, 9am-1 pm, Sunday 11 am-3pm

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Personal stationary oiCiers and binders Cards for all occasions ~cademic stationary Newspapers ~ ttery tickets and Instants Magazines Sweets and cigarettes Paper and pens Snacks and dr.inl<s Open: Monday-Friday, lam-lÂť.30pm, Saturday-Sunday, 8am-4pm

Union Electrical appliances Personal stationary Computer peripherals Batteries UEA crested gifts

Photocopying Faxing Binding Soft toys F.oreign currency

Open: Monday-Friday, 9am-5.30pm, Saturday, 9am-1 pm

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Thousands of titles Many virtually as n All a around half price For all your course eds Constantly c nging selection Secondhand UEA co } eb-ooks ought for cash Literature, Referenc Open: Monday-Friday, f0am-4.30pm

ars Coffee and tea Filled rolls an Pool and prize Quiz and video

The Pub is open: Monday-Saturday1 12pm路

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8

Concrete, Wednesday, September 18, 1996

Concrete, Wednesday, September 18, 1996

9

•Talk shows which involve public participation via the studio audience are rapidly becoming the staple diet of daytime TV. Sam Richards visited Anglia Television to investigate the phenomenon further.. hey came, inevitably, from the United States. First there was Oprah Winfrey, whose spurious brief to tackle the key issues of the day, and whose self-image as the spokeswoman for the people were often as unconvincing as the spontaneity of her guests. There

T

teny: adds Jane. This is about as intellectual as it gets.

The second half immediately perks up with the arrival of Matt, a man who believes he is irresistible to women. Howls of laughter reflect his • • •

audience to produce a balanced debate.

We witness the programme dealingwith juvenile crime, in particular Michael Howard's decision to 'name' juvenile offenders under the age of 18. We hear truly harrowing stories from a few victims, balanced by the views of exoffenders, barristers and youth

show, and as such is entertaining, some editions more so than others. I think TV programmes have to have a level of entertainment about them or else people wouldn't watch them. We're not the Open University."

Gillian tells me that .the guests for the two shows are found by advertising during the commercial breaks in the programme or by a team of researchers that contact relevant groups (a researcher also confides that they follow up many tabloid news stories). I suggest, however, that discussion between the guests on Vanessa could sometimes feel a little contrived.

"People are not told what to say, if that's what you mean. We know what they're going to say because the researchers have done a thorough job. We have to tell the guests to leave parts of their stories out, obviously, but we don't make things up - the real stories are often better than anything we could invent.• Gillian constantly underlines that the two programmes present the views of the general public, and not of "opinion formers". This formula has certainly been successful, but Gillian doesn't accept my suggestion that perhaps talk shows. are beginning to replace 'real' news programmes.

"Firstly, all we can ever hope to do is get people to think about the issues, we don't solve any problems. Secondly, there's room on the schedules for all kinds of programmes. The Time The Place works alongside news programmes.•

Proceedings take a diStinctly surreal turn. aS the flOOr manager holdS Up a Sign On which is written the single word "Virgins"

followed Ricki Lake and Donahue, both espousing the value of public opinion, however ridiculous it became.

Still, they became household names and spawned a host of imitators. If you channel surf on American TV at a certain point in the afternoon, all you will see is a succession of comfy armchair$, occupied by people with a worrying desire to display their dysfunctionality to the nation.

The British answer to all this is Vanessa, a bouncy, identifiable personality, following much the same programme format as her American counterparts.

The type of talk show, however, of which Kilroy and The Time The Place are examples is more of a British invention. Ostensibly, they deal with issues that fall more readily into the category of current affairs, yet it could certainly be argued that these two shows are, in essence, not vastly different from the American model.

In an attempt to gain a greater knowledge of the ideas, and indeed the mentality, behind these talk shows, I paid a visit to Anglia Television and sat in the studio audience of their two main programmes, Vanessa and The Time The Place.

The Vanessa studio is much smaller than it looks on television, and we are slightly perplexed as to why the first two rows of seats are already filled before we enter, but the reason for this becomes apparent later.

Our first task is to practise clapping and cheering. This is important, because the studio audience is called upon to make a noise at many junctures during the show, often for no particular reason - theory states that if it looks as though the audience is having a good time, then the TV viewer won't want to miss out either.

Vanessa herself finally appears, a larger-thanlife figure resplendent in an electric blue suit. While the cameramen are adjusting their sharpness controls accordingly, Vanessa has an opportunity to bond with the audience by slagging off fellow celebrities (Andie MacDowell is apparently "tedious as sh*r) and poking fun at her guests.

She's pretty much justified in the latter. The title for the show is 'I Can Get Anyone I Want' and the first guests are two desperately plain girls, one who claims she can pull the man of her choice merely by being assertive, and the other who serially steals her friends' boyfriends.

Still, it gives the audience something to get worked up about, challenging the pair with comments such as "huh, well you'd never be able to pull me, love..

Vanessa marshals the discussion with the professionally-faked excitement of someone harbouring the suspicion that the girls are exaggerating their stories for the purposes of television. Hell, even if they aren't, who reaily cares anyway? We ch.eer along, regardless.

In the interval, I ask Jane and Marie, two women in their mid-thirties, why they are here. "We like Vanessa," answers Marie. "And we want to be on

appearance as a junior Meatloaf, yet he insists that it is his personality rather than his looks that lead women to touch him up in the video store where he works.

The debate continues in a frantic vein as people in the front row clamber to have their say. lt becomes obvious that they have been 'shipped in' especially by the programme because they have something prepared to say on the subject, however irrelevant it is to the direction the debate is taking. Hence we are introduced to an 84-year-old woman who claims she is regularly chatted up by young taxi drivers.

Proceedings take a distinctly surreal turn as the floor manager, who has been prompting the aud ien ce throughout the show with a board saying "Questions & Comments •, holds up a sign on which is written the single word "Virgins".

The show ends on a decidedly forced note as Matt, despite the attentions of various other females in his video shop at home, proposes to his long-term girlfriend who is in the audience. The word 'naff was surely invented for occasions such as this.

"Is anyone staying around for the next screening?" enquires Vanessa~ afterwards.

"Actually," she continues, uneasily, "it's about people whose partners have AIDS." In light of the events of the past halfhour, I'm pretty dubious as to how the subject can be tackled with sensitivity.

workers.

The presenter, John Stapleton, is a true pro. His manner conducts immediate respect from the audience and he knows exactly who to speak to next so as to make the discussion progress coherently. Even so, The nme The Place suffers a little from its tabloidesque presentation, epitomised by the phone-in vote where viewers are asked to make a straight yes/no decision on an issue which is obviously more complex.

The political motives at the heart of the juvenile crime debate appear to be stifled in favour of the simplified "lock 'em up or let 'em go" polarisation.

We

he ratings for talk shows continue to increase. Gillian claims that Vanessa is now the most watched afternoon show while The Time The Place (on to its tenth series with another two being commissioned) commands twice as many viewers as its "more political" rival, Kilroy. She is obviously doing her job very well, yet despite her emphasis on ratings, she is not a cynical market manipulator - many stories from the two talk shows still move or amuse her.

As much as we can snootily criticise the seeming superficiality of talk shows, we all watch them from time to time, whether for a bit of light relief from Question Time style debate, to · fulfil our voyeuristic need to peek into others' lives, or just to have something inoffensive to veg out in front of.

I'm sure that talk shows are also the only real chance that some people have to study a balanced argument on topical issues of the day.

The popularity of two locally-produced programmes means that the sight of a presenter roving amongst the studio audience, not to mention the image of the ubiquitous comfy armchairs, is going to be pretty familiar to all TV viewers for many years to come.

T

also lucky to have seen one of the less sensationalist editions: the following day's topic is 'Would You Let Your Children Have Sex In Your House?' After all, The Time The Place is billed as light entertainment in the Anglia TV schedules.

"I think TV programmes have to have a level of entertainment about them or else people wouldn't watch them. We're not the Open University" .. Gillian Firlh, talk shows editor

or those who prefer the more sober talk show model, The nme The Place is a markedly different production. Although we find ourselves in the same, slightly re-jigged studio, there are not merely a few guests submitting themselves to humiliation by the audience. Instead, people with relevant views on the topic under discussion are placed in the

F

After observing the making of both Vanessa and The Time The Place, I asked Gillian Firth, editor of the two shows, what she thought was the basis of their appeal and value.

• Vanessa is informative and entertaining.

Guests have an opportunity to share their experiences and the viewers at home can learn how other people have coped with a similar experience.

"The Time The Place is a topical discussion •

l

•

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I Ir-1

Concrete, Wednesday, Seprember 18, 1996

[concr,ef"e]

co1nment

W hy w eren't w e consulted?

Over the past few weeks , the Union has deemed it necessary t o prevent students from receiving a free sample of Loac:led The banning of a best-se lling magazine from freshers packs is another example of The Uni on's leaders speaking on behalf of students without asking fo r their opinion.

Just because the Sabbs re gard the mag as " trash" does that mean that no-one else is allowed to read it and make up their own mind?

Surely a the fac t that loaded was voted best magazine of the year for two years in a row co unts fo r more th an th e personal opinions of fo ur indi viduals. Are the Sabbs truly representing students?

We're not saying that everyone should read Loac:led

and love it, but at least everyone should be given the choice. If people don 't like it, there's always the bin.

What, no Guinness?

Whatev er t he ins and outs of the disagreement between Guinness and the NUS, the students are left w ithout a popula r stout on cam pus , As with all di sagreements, there are two sides to this story, but however justified US is in banning Guinness, surely the opin ion of the students counts for something.

USSL mai ntai n that they no longer regard it as a " must stock brand", fo r various reasons. Nevertheless, the fac t re mains that students at universities all over th e country are no longe r ab le to buy a pint of Guinness at their Un ion bars.

Isn't it about time NUS sorted this issue out?

Ultimately only the students suffer,

Welcome to UEA Concrete would like to extend a w arm welcome to all new students Uni vers ity days are often said to be the best of your life. So make the most of the fab ul ous opportunities that you will have over the next few years.

Make sure that you go to SocMart and fi nd out what the University has to otTer you.

Remember: If you are interested in print journalism, come to our tall at the Freshers Fayre and SocMart.

Whatever you choose to do while here at UEA, Concrete w ishes yo u all t he best!

11

Concrete welcomes your letters on any subject. Whether it is something we've written about

that you wish to take issue with, or you just simply want to make a point, we want to hear from you. Write to us (before 1pm on Wednesday, September 25 to have your letter included in the neXt issue) at the address below or via our postbox at the Union House Stewards Cabin, marking your correspondence for the attention of the Editor, James Curtis. Anonymity will be respected but you must include your name, school and address in the first instance.

MY GRADUATION DAY WAKE-UP CALL HIT ME · LIKE AN EXPRESS TRAIN n G radu ation Day, the real world came knocking on my door as I was shaving. It had taken the form of an old customer whose house, long si nce abandoned by my brushes, was now fl aky and slightl y scru ffy again.

Which j ust goes to show how long I've been at this academic lark.

But as Cl int Eastwood said at the end of the film A Few Doll ars More, "all wars someday come to an end". For some reason I fel t j ust as nervous as if I was go ing to a job interview, women always use the analogy of a fi rst date.

As a concept Graduation Day surefy comes under the aegis of the rite of passage' but if compared to getting married, what, one wonders, is the university equ iva lent of los ing the ring?

UEA los ing one's certificate possi bly or fo rgetting who we are.

Anyway there were no such disasters and everything went to plan.

Its not everyday that one of the Quee n's kni ghts gives yo u an enve lope, but try as I might I j ust couldn 't imagine him, lance in hand , on horseback.

One of the big proble ms with the job market as it is, is that

O

tony crush ·s letter ofthe fortmght many of us will be ove r-qua li fied.

Or as th e robot in HitchHikers' Guide to the Ga laxy used to say "brain the size of a planet and they tell me to open th e doors", but hopefully a few doors will open fo r '96 Grads, and who knows, we might even earn a few doll ars more in the process.

May I, through your columns apologise to anyo ne I did n' t say goodbye to (if th ey ever read thi s), there was someth ing about the occasion that made it difficult.

May I also thank all those who asked me to continue wri ting to Concrete fro m beyond the grave of graduation, all I can say is that if I th ink of anythi ng I'll let you know.

A word of warni ng to undergrads, don' t moan about UEA, it may mean more to you than you realise. The day after graduati on I fil ed my certifi cate away.

Then it hit me, li ke an express trai n, my eyes fi lled with tears, it was all over, I fel t as though somethi ng had been cut way fro m me. Love you all.

Tony Crush (HIS GRA D)

C0f1 Cf'8 f e UEA's I ndependent Student Newspaper INCORPORAT ING

Listening

Not Lecturing

tr

Opening Hours: 8pm - 8am every day for drop-in or phone 503504 confidential listening and information service

.....

PO Box 410, Norwich NR4 7TB Tel: (01603) 250558 Fax: (01603) 506822 E-Mail: su.concrete@uea .ac.uk

• Editor: James Curtis • Deputy Editors: Matthew Doyle & Matt Fasken • News Editor: Joanne Robertson • Features Editor: Helen Lovett & S am Rich a rds • Sports Editor: Scott Tompsett • Music Editor: Mark Tobin • Assistant Music Editor: Stuart Dredge • Sreen Editor: Jane Kirby • Assistant Screen Editor: Carolyn Boyd • Stage Editor: Kate Crockett • Bookshelf Editor: Lorna James •Consultant Editor: Simon Mann • Contributing Editor: Caroline Jenkinson • Editorial Contributor: Jane Horner •Photographers: Scott Tompsett, Kate C rockett, Ma tt Fa sken , Michele d u Randt • Advertising Manager: Be n Maltby • Copy Editor: Jan e Kirby eSpecial Thanks to: UH Ste wards, Bonusprint, everyone at ECN •DTP Assistants: Jam e s Curtis , Matt Fasken , Matthew Doyle , Scott Tompsett, Sam Richards •Concrete is published by the Union of UEA Students. Opinio ns expres s ed a re those of the Contributor and not necessa rily those of the Publisher or Ed itor.

Use of the name 'The Event' appea rs by arra nge ment with the copyright holders, Planet Zog Ltd . •No pa rt of this newspaper may be reproduced , transm itted by any means e lectronic , in a Gu inness pint glass , a copy of Loaded or otherwis e without the prior written consent of the publ isher. • Printed by Eastern Counties News pa pers Ltd ., Norwich , Norfolk NR1 1 RE . © UUEAS , 1996.

(01603) 592505 Monday 8 - lOpm (Term Times) University of East Anglia Norwich, Norfolk NR4 7TJ su.lgb@uea.ac. uk

Confidential listening without prejudice

w 592505

Monday 8 - 10pm (Term Time)

r

.

- - - - - - - - A PAID ADVERTISEMENT FROM YOUR STUDENT UNION - - - - - - - -

rtNANC.s .o rrecat (S)

..

A PAID ADVERTISEMENT FROM YOUR STUDENT UNION

eek 路on reps over a quiet drink.

entertainment and leisure groups and Union services, will

stuck on the end of a stick while beating someone for everyone.

Your

punters with your breakfast. synchronised surfing, laser just hope it doesn't rain.

The Education Unit can be found upstairs in Union House. It IS Officer, Rebecca Colley (sabbatical) and the Education Researcher, Louise Peel (staff member). In addition to providing advice, the Education Unit is also responsible for the organisation of Union elections and the training of elected representatives.

UEA has two types of reps, University reps (School Board members) and Union reps (members of Students Forum). Students forum meets on a fortnightly basis and discusses a wide range of matters (e.g. campaigns, Union policy etc.). School Board reps are members the School Board (the highest internal committee in the each School's structure) which meet about three times a year. Both of types of representative have a key role in ensuring that the University and the Union are held accountable for the services they provide for students(or don't as the case may be!) The Education Unit is aiming to get at least two reps from each School elected to each these committees, so why don't you get involved and voice your opinions! number a officers.

In addition to the positions on these committees, the Union also has vacancies on the executive committee for a Race Awareness Officer and an Overseas Officer. The executive committee over-sees the day to day running of the Union and the officers elected to it will be involving in ensuring the Unicin provides for the special needs groups identified in their title. This could include organising an event for these groups, reviewing Union policy in relationship to this group or'liasing with external groups to get sponsorship. Elections will take place within the first few weeks of term. Please see the relevant stalls at Soc. mart for further details. The Race Awareness Society will also be holding elections for committee members (secretary and treasurer) at the first meeting of the semester. To vote for any of these positions you need to be a member of the society, so join them at Soc. mart and make a difference (all liberation campaign societies are free to join!).

These positions are demanding yet provide great opportunities for learning new skills and getting the type of experience which captures the interest o( future employers.

The remaining positions on the Union's executive committee, Sports Officer and Women' s Officer, will be decided in elections held in October. More details and nomination forms can be obtained from the Academic Officer.

Election Dates Students Forum : School Board : Race Awareness Officer : Nomination forms can be obtained

Nominations September 26th - October 3rd Nominations October 3rd - October lOth Nominations September 20-September 27 from the Information Office and the Education Unit. See the

Elections will be held in Union House between October 7-11 Elections will be held in Schools between October 14-18 Elections will be held in the first week of October (see the society for further details) Academic Officer for more details.

Becky Colley, Academic Officer Hi, my name is Becky, and I am the Academic Officer for 1996/97. I was elected last year to serve full time as a sabbatical officer. As the Academic Officer, I have responsibility for providing academic support and advice to students, and I am also responsible for co-ordinating all Union elections. This will be my fourth year at UEA, so if I don't know how to solve a problem by now it's probably insoluble! The Education Unit is situated upstairs in Union House, but if I'm not there you can reach me bye-mail (su.acad@uea.ac.uk) or internal phone (2589).

I'll also be found at many of the ents events held in the LCR or at the Waterfront (especially the dance events!). All that remains is for me to wish you all the best during your time at UEA, and don't forget to use your Union to make your time here more enjoyable!

Louise Peel, Education Research & Development Officer As you might have guessed from my title, my job covers a wide range of activity all of which relates to students. One of my main responsibilities is for student representatives- for whom I provide training on the committees structures they will work within, and help to be more effective in their role: keeping them up to date on developments both within the University and on a national level.

The second aspect of my job involves research into issues identified by Sabbatical Officers and Student representatives. This can be anything from helping a student representative to determine the views of his/her fellow students on a matter raised at a committee meeting; to a University wide survey. Last of all, I am currently working on a student development scheme which will aims to help students develop transferable skills through training and support progress on which will be reported in the Education Unit news letter which comes out once a semester.

I am based in Union House in an office next to Becky, the Academic Officer and work with her closely and even if my door isn't open rest assured that I have an open door policy and would be happy to be of help to students with questions or in need of support. I can also be contacted on ext 2181 or bye-mail at J.Peel@uea.ac.uk.

(!

•4-.,.,f ... • )

,.,.,..,. ... .,. ....

I

A PAID ADVERTISEMENT FROM.YOUR STUDENT UNION

Forum ae(:IS'l•:ms where not determined by a General Meeting. It comprises of the each school.

and has an important role in over-seeing the work of House.

or

The Education Research Tel: (59)2181 E-mail: J.Peel@uea

schoo . · Who are School Board Reps?

School board reps are students who are elected to represent the interests of other students on School Committees. School board reps are students who are elected to represent the interests of other students on School Committees

What are School Boards ?

School boards are the highest decision making body in each School's Committee Structure. They receive and consider reports from School Teaching and Staff Student Liaison Committees and make important decisions about the running of the School and the courses it delivers.

What do School Board fleps do?

Student reps are responsible for: • Identifying issues which affect students •Reporting the outcomes of meetings to students

•Promoting students' needs eLiasing with reps from other years and Schools

•Raising issues at School Board Meetings •Maintaining close links with the Education Unit

What support is available to School Board reps ?

•Training in meeting skills and communication skills

• Information - newsletters

•Briefings and advice on issues raised at meetings and other matters

What are the benefits of being a School Board Rep? •You can influence the way in which your school runs •It makes an impressive contribution to your CV

•You will develop meeting skills & communication skills and become more employable in the process

How do I become a School Board Rep? The Student Union runs elections for School Board Reps. in the first few weeks of the autumn semester. See your school notice board for details.

For more information contact: The Academic Officer or The Education Research and Development Co-ordinator at the addresses above

..

WALKING AWAY WITH THE TITLE? Norwich City take stock and get themselves back into the promotion Jane

Horner

ELEGATION FROM the Premiership, the sale of the club's best players, near relegation into Division Two and a Chairman who refused to open his wallet. ..

Not the ideal situation for a football club to be in , writes Jane Horner.

R

checks

on

Canaries to Europe into 1993.

Despite this some of the clubs key players still left Carrow road at the latter end of last season including, Robert Ullathome, Jeremy Goss, Mark Bowen and Spencer Prior.

At one point it looked as if Ian Crook has also flown the nest and was even paraded in front of the fans at his new club Ipswich Town.

Crook signed just hours before the

their

progress.

Despite the unease of some of the supporters, no-one has been brought in to replace the recently departed Chase, but this hasn't stopped City making a flying start to the season going fourth in the league (September 13) which makes promotion seem a not too distant possibility.

The only real hiccup so far has been City' s premature exit from the Coca-Cola Cup at the hands o Oxford City, a collapse occurred only Norwich had men sent off.

It would seem that Mike Walker has managed to ·· recreate some of the team · spirit and skill which saw Norwich take on the might of ~ ­ Bayern Munich and Inter Milan last 1 time he was in charge.

Pragmatically Walker has warned fans no to expect miracles at first, but if the team continues the kind of form it is enjoying at the moment it won't be long before fans will expect to see him walking to matches on the Wensurn.

However a lot can happen during the summer break and it now looks like Norwich No~one City's fortunes are finally on the up.

The turning point actually came just before the end of last season when Robert Chase, the infamous and unpopular Chainnan finally gave news of Walker's return to replace Gary way to public pressure and Megson as the boss, this changed his stepped down. mind almost instantly and he was back in Once the city wide street party Norwich before the ink on his new conhad died away, the serious busitract was dry, much to Town's disgust. ness of sorting out the club had to be Both he and Norwich City now await a faced and one of the first things football league tribunal, as Ipswich are which the board did was to bring back looking for compensation.

Mike Walker, the manager who led the •Double Vision: Robert Chase looks on from the sidelines, as Mike Walker looks forward to local hero status.

has yet replaced the

departed Robert Chaser but this hasn't stopped City making a flying start to the season.

Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts

October 15 to December 15

Autumn 1996

November 5 to January 12

Open Tue-Sun

Patrick Bailly-Maltre-Grand 'Crosses' a 'Veronicas' a photographic insta llation inspired by Norwich Cathedral

The Anderson Collection of Art Nouveau

11.00- 17.00

Information

from October 6

First Sundays Teatime Jazz in the Conservatory from 15.00 to 16.30 on the first Sunday of the mo nth

01603 593199 or ask at Gallery Reception

Admission Free to UEA Students

8: Staff

plus

lectures and events photo workshops gallery shop cafe

~

..

-

THE UNIVERSITY has spent forty thousand pounds upgrading the sports centre gym over the summer to Increase the size and variety of equipment available.

The refit includes dividing the weights room into two floors which has increased the existing floor space by one third .

.n_.t;n••-squash spectators area will now be walled off.

Filling the extended floor space are five new exercise machines including two exercise bikes, a stepper, a rowing machine and a leg curl mactp.ne to compliment the existing leg extension machine in the ground floor gym.

The continuing success of the cycling club has also warranted the acquisition of an indoor training machine which can be used with a standard road bike and can closely u e you s ay safe when monitor performance. are gett ng act1ve and also strck of the £4{),000 cost The majority un·on rules take out the persona will be passed onto the general public dent insurance available when you your first club. who face a hefty 90 pence per session Th's w11l cost you £1 but to stop increase pushing entry prices up from from pay1ng tw ce take your f1rst £1.60 to a hefty £2.50 bersh1p card if you jo1n a second club.

The cost of the new equipment will In theory th1s should save you from be met by a hike in gym entry prices rng to queue at the entrance. but be with students facing a 20p increase to pared for some confusion as this is new. for peak sessions, although off peak

prices will remain the same price at 40p.

Said Keith Nicholls director of physical recreation "Even with these increases in price the campus gym is still very competitive locally."

Although unable to comment on the time it will take to redeem the investment be added that, "The increase is just part of the continuing reinvestment in the sports centre which already costs around

Ever popular, the Grand Prix is now into its tenth year but has had to be rearranged to fit around the regular BUSA matches Have no fear though all the traditional will be the.re including netball,

£5000 a year'' Expansion of existing facilities becante a necessity after the gym failed to offer sufficient capacity for the increasing number of regular users, with many customers facing a long wait to use the facilities.

This massive increase in demand for the gym is highlighted in figures collated from 1993-4 bookings that showed

obstacle course.

Timetable changes include bringing the five aside competition forward to Wednesday, October 9, which means the infamous fun run will be delayed until Friday, October 25, when conditions should be even muddier than normal.

Said Rachel Tomes deputy director of sport "We thought it would be best to begin with Five-a-Side as it is easiest to organise a football team at short notice" Other rearrangements to the traditional

43% of students used the sports centre facilities at least once in the year, whilst sports centre bookings rose by an astronomic 60% last year.

The new improved gym will be open from Friday, September 20, depending on the installation of the new equipment and on safety inspectors approving the new facilities which must meet exacting standards.

timetable include the decision to spread events more evenly over the academic year It is hoped this will be achieved by holding the swimming gala late in the first semester to avoid the situation of last year when only four events were held before Christmas and the remaining seven in what remained of the year.

Entry is in teams of fifteen, seven male and seven female with a captain.

Forms are available now from the sports centre.