Concrete 363

12 March 2019 Issue 363 The official student newspaper of the University of East Anglia | concrete-online.co.uk

e v u o y er c h Ha v e e at ed?

News:

Norwich Business School accounts for half of UEA students caught cheating Over the last three academic years, approximately half of students caught cheating in exams have been enlisted with Senior News Reporter NBS. 53.1 percent of all UEA students caught cheating in 2016/17 were from NBS, and in 2017/18 NBS students made The Norwich Business School (NBS) has the highest up 46.8 percent of all those caught cheating. proportion of students caught cheating in examinations at UEA. An investigation by Concrete found that by February Continued on this academic year, 88 percent of UEA students caught cheating in exams were from NBS.

Jake Morris

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Science:

Students contract tropical diseases to pay off university debt

We all understand the stress of thousands of pounds of student debt looming over us (sorry to remind you of that), but just how far would you go to pay off the money you owe?

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Features: Yes #SheCan

To mark the eve of International Women’s Day 2019, CareerCentral launched, for the first time on campus, an allday event, which went by the name of #SheCan. Supported by companies such as PwC, Kier and Save the Children, the skills sessions were aimed exclusively for female students.

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Editorial pay off university debt? Students are being offered cash for catching diseases, which if our Sex Survey results suggest anything with only 22 percent using contraception, just monetises what people are already up to.

"Why is English literature comfortable paying their dues, earning their grades, but business is not?

Is it personal moral codes or course titles that change student behaviour so strikingly?"

I won’t be queueing up for a shot of the latest disease like people do the new iPhone. I’d rather stick with my Samsung and an immune system. Though that’s thanks to my renewed faith in earning a reasonable at worst and moderate at best wage after #SheCan. Chloe Howcroft discusses the event on page 11, an evening which saw a collection of the best and brightest women UEA could pull together to Photo: Matt Nixon offer support for female graduates they had free drinks and everything.

Thanks to Features, I learnt that there are more CEOs in the UK named James than there are female CEOs in the country. Something this Photo: Serene Shibli Sexton event and I will try to rectify.

It’s time to start counting down the months to Derby Day - come to our ‘get involved’ meeting on 19 March, and find the event on Facebook to let us know you’re coming. Concrete, LiveWire and UEATV have big plans for the upcoming event and need your UEA students caught cheating in help to make it the best coverage exams were from NBS. Shockingly, yet. Whether you love sport, or just students were not enthusiastic seeing your name in print, we need to talk to us about it, but we must reporters, producers - everything. discuss it. Like Features writer Sam Get in touch with any questions.

Hewitson explores on page 10, As always, follow us on our our education is a consumer good, socials. SPA nominations come something we bought and paid out soon and hopefully we will for, not tripped and fell into. If our have some to brag about over on fellow students devalue our degrees our Twitter (@Concrete_UEA), by cheating their way to a first, then Facebook (Concrete, UEA’s student what’s the point? newspaper) and Instagram (@ It’s good to know that less than Concrete_UEA). one percent of UEA’s 20,000 students Good luck with your potential have been caught cheating during tropical diseases, I hope the fee exams, but with such a high number covers your rent, and I hope any of those coming from the Business upcoming summatives go well School it begs the question - is unless you’re a cheat. You don’t something going wrong here? Why need my help. is English Literature comfortable paying their dues, earning their grades, but Business is not? Is it personal moral codes or course titles that change student behaviour so strikingly? I have no answers to copy I’m afraid, only questions.

On page 18, Concrete once again asks - how far would you go?

But not cheating this time - would you contract tropical diseases to

Cheat at board games not at life Sophie Bunce Editor-in-Chief

I am a notorious cheat. I have never played a game of Monopoly without taking an extra twenty from the bank. Never a game of Uno without peaking at the player’s hand beside me. I’m not even sorry. Cheating feels like doing an extra practice run or loading up on carbs before a marathon - just part of the process.

But I cheat because it doesn't matter.

I will lose Monopoly and probably Uno despite my underhand tactics.

I don’t even understand Cluedo and I always come second in the Game of Life - a Monopoly £20 note to whoever can work out what that means. Though I have not, nor would I ever, cheat in an exam. It seems I differ from many in the Norwich Business School.

Our front page story, by Senior News reporter Jake Morris, ‘Norwich Business School accounts for half of UEA students caught cheating’ found that 88 percent of

Take short cuts, get cut short Matt Nixon Deputy Editor

While its a positive thing that such a small percentage of UEA students have been caught cheating, the widespread rise in cheating and the popularity of it in certain schools is concerning and indicative of the current state that Higher Education finds itself in.

Tuition fees have soared to £9,000 (£9,250 at universities like UEA), meaning students will leave a typical undergraduate degree with nearly £30,000 of tuition debt, and that’s without considering other expenses like the cost of rent. With costs soaring, so too has the pressure to get top marks.

For some students, this makes the prospect of cheating all-the-more alluring. But as Sophie has written in her editorial, students cheating (successfully or not) compromises the integrity surrounding academia which the rest of us all strive to maintain. I know we’ve all heard this from our mums a million times, but cheaters really do never win.

Of course, this is all assuming there are not many more students who are cheating and not getting caught. Cheating isn’t just about whether or not you make the grade, it’s about how much you value your personal work, and whether you’ve come to uni to progress at your own rate and pass your intellectual limits.

Speaking of limits, I’ve written a comment piece responding to the news that an editor at Oxford’s student newspaper resigned following alleged censorship of his opinions. He’s written that his views being quashed are indicative of supposedly liberal students not valuing free speech. Editor to editor, let me tell you this is bollocks. I won’t get into it now, but if you’re interested, turn over to page 6.

I hope you enjoy reading this issue of Concrete, we only have two more after this to publish this year! With the end-of-semester stress, I might wish to skip ahead to the end, but ultimately, our front page story shows how you have to do your own work and that if you take short cuts, you’ll get cut short.

concrete-online.co.uk Concrete_UEA concreteuea concrete_UEA Front page: Matt Nixon

The University of East Anglia’s Official Student newspaper since 1992 Tuesday 12th March 2019 Issue 363 Union House University of East Anglia Norwich NR4 7TJ 01603 593466 www.concrete-online.co.uk

Editor-in-Chief Sophie Bunce concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk Deputy Editor Matt Nixon concrete.deputy@uea.ac.uk Online Beth Bacon concrete.online@uea.ac.uk News Shannon McDonagh Senior Writer: Jake Morris concrete.news@uea.ac.uk Global Global Editor: George Goldberg Senior Writer: Jake Morris concrete.global@uea.ac.uk Features Features Editors: Chloe Howcroft and Mia Shah Senior Writer: Roo Pitt concrete.features@uea.ac.uk Comment C. E. Matthews concrete.comment@uea.ac.uk Science Science Editor: Anna Jose Senior Reporter: Hannah Brown concrete.scienv@uea.ac.uk Travel Amy Newbery concrete.travel@uea.ac.uk Sport Spot Editor: Tony Allen Senior Writer: Meyzi Adoni concrete.sport@uea.ac.uk Chief Copy-Editors Holly Purdham Izzy Voice concrete.copy@uea.ac.uk Social Media Beth Bennett

Editorial Enquiries Complaints & Corrections concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk

No part of this newspaper may be reproduced by any means without the permission of the Editor-in-Chief, Sophie Bunce. Published by the Union of UEA Students on behalf of Concrete.

Concrete is a UUEAS society, but retains editorial independence as regards to any content. Opinions expressed herein are those of individual writers, not of Concrete or its editorial team.

News

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concrete-online.co.uk/category/news/ | @Concrete_UEA

Norwich Business School accounts for half of UEA students caught cheating Jake Morris

Senior News Reporter

Continued from front page In 2015/16 and 2017/18, students from the School of Economics (ECO) accounted for around 25 percent of students caught cheating. For these two years, ECO and NBS students represented approximately three quarters of all students caught cheating in examinations, despite these schools containing less than a third of the total student population.

"Cheating behaviours are often associated to lack of information or fear of failure" Professor Paul Robson, Head of NBS, said the University ‘takes matters of cheating extremely seriously and there are robust reporting and disciplinary procedures in place for these instances. Cheating can take a number of forms and academic staff help students to understand what is expected of them, to avoid any incidents of academic misconduct.’

He went on to point out that NBS is the largest school at UEA with 2,000 full-time students and added ‘most [NBS] modules have an examination as a component of the summative assessment.’

Dr Fabio R Aricò, Director of Learning, Teaching and Quality for ECO, said ‘cheating behaviours are often associated to lack of information or fear of failure on students’ behalf, rather than intrinsically malicious intents.’

ECO’s three-point plan aims to tackle cheating by addressing these issues.

Some such methods include the development of an ECO app to educate students on University regulations, shift assessment focus to more real-world content, and increase support for students including using Peer-Assisted Learning (PAL) schemes. ECO has also introduced a Learning and Teaching Enhancement Event to help shape how it responds to many academic issues, including examination misconduct.

Less than one percent of UEA’s 20,000 students have been caught during exams, with only 62 students caught cheating in

2017/18. Some schools have very low rates of cheating, with the School of Chemistry (CHE), School of Art, Media and American Studies (AMA), School of Environmental Sciences (ENV), and the School of Mathematics (MTH) having a combined total of seven students caught in the last four academic years. This is in drastic comparison to the 111 NBS students convicted in the same period.

Cheating at UEA has been under the spotlight before, with the Eastern Daily Press reporting in 2016 that incidents of exam cheating involving overseas students had risen by 29 percent. A UEA spokesperson at the time said, ‘overseas students are less used to the examination culture than UK students, who will have had experience at A-level examinations of the sorts of restrictions that we have in place.’

The spokesperson went on to point out that examination cheating can take many forms, may not be intentional, and could be as a result of misunderstanding regulations, such as the UK rules prohibiting possession of mobile phones which may not apply in other countries.

This may explain the twelve percent increase in students using mobile phones for cheating in the last four academic years.

UEA has a strict disciplinary policy to tackle cases of alleged cheating, outlined in the University Disciplinary and Investigative Procedures and Powers.

A study conducted by UEA professors at the Tyndall Centre has revealed that CO2 emissions are declining in 18 developed economies, including the UK, USA and Germany.

The nations in question represent 28 percent of emissions worldwide and so this reduction could see a significant decrease in overall global emissions.

The team at Tyndall examined potential reasons for this decline and concluded that it was due to a combination of increasing use of renewable energy, and increasing awareness and implementation of energy efficiency procedures.

Another possible explanation was the significant decrease in energy usage in 2008-2009 during the global financial crisis, which was characterised by reduced economic growth and therefore less pressure due to the increasing demand for fossil fuels seen previously.

However, it is believed that the link between established energy policies and decline in emissions remains the key factor.

"Diversifying energy sources is unlikely to have enough impact" A main point from the team of researchers is that ‘untangling’ the reasons behind past improvements is essential in ensuring the correct measures are continually implemented so that we stand a chance of meeting the two degrees celsius reduction outlined in the Paris Agreement.

The report only analysed data up until 2015, meaning the effect of recent political developments on the climate is yet to be seen; however, it’s predicted that Brexit will hinder the UK’s process, while Trump’s ideology is likely to cause drastic change in emissions alongside the change in policy. Researcher Charlie Wilson says ‘we found that these policy count statistics were strongly and significantly correlated with corresponding energy or emission trends’, emphasising that the takeaway message from this research is ‘the importance of energy use’.

The research found that regardless of investment in alternative energy use, if this is part of a rapidly expanding system, as it is in most developing countries, then diversifying energy sources is unlikely to have enough impact.

"88 percent of UEA students caught cheating in exams were from NBS" Between 2015-2018, 37 students have faced disciplinary action from the Senate Student Disciplinary Committee, which can include suspension and the awarding of zero marks on the assessment. Only one student has been expelled for cheating since 2015.

Students from taught degrees associated with professional bodies, such as Medicine, are at particularly high risk if caught cheating in examinations. Not only could they be liable to potential expulsion from their course, they could also damage future career prospects.

The university highlights that students in the Law School who are caught cheating risk refusal to entry to solicitor training by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

Effective environmental policy sees CO2 emissions decline, reveals Tyndall Centre

Photo: Matt Nixon

Laura Taylor

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12th March 2019

News

Brexit-inspired documentary made by UEA students now on Amazon Prime

Nina-Maria Kienle News Reporter

A travel documentary produced

by UEA students has received a distribution platform on subscription viewing service Amazon Prime.

In the summer of 2017, UEA students Callum Fairhurst and William Shears set out to visit all 28 EU countries in a tuk-tuk (a motorised rickshaw). The film was edited over the 18 months since the trip and put together by an expansive volunteer team.

With Fairhurst driving the

tuk-tuk and Shears directing the documentary, the duo visited 26 countries. Although the vehicle attracted a great deal of attention, it proved impossible to reach the island nations of Cyprus and Malta.

Fairhurst, a third-year student studying International Development with Politics, was inspired by the UK’s decision to leave the EU in

Photo: Fairshear Prouctions / Amazon Prime

2016, and told the BBC that ‘after the referendum I realised I didn’t really know about the different countries; they all get treated as the same place’.

‘There were so many amazing experiences,’ he says. ‘The best?

Well, I think it was the whole journey - driving a tuk-tuk through 26 countries meant we did so much,

saw so much, and met so many great people!’

Many challenges were faced along the adventure but ‘the tuktuk breaking down in the middle of Austria was definitely the worst - we thought the trip would be over!’

Europe In A Tuk Tuk is now available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Student Beans survey reveals extent of UEA selected for BAFTA financial assistance offered to students screen industries project Jessica Barrett News Reporter

Student discounts site Student Beans have conducted a survey revealing the extent of parental financial assistance given to students across the country.

The survey has shown that on average students received £3,000 a year from their parents, which was used in various ways, from rent payments to food shops.

When comparing the amount of support students receive, looking at each university, UEA hit the median of figures at £250 per month.

The highest financial hand out is shown to be for students attending Durham University, the average student receiving £500 per month, with the University of Exeter and the University of Cambridge reaching similar figures. Students attending the University of Cardiff receive the least nationally, at £25 a month. They are followed by Nottingham Trent University and the University of Liverpool, where students are given £50 a month on average.

The current maintenance loan system suggests that parents should be contributing as much as £4,100 to their child’s living costs annually, though this does decrease in line with the amount of student finance they receive.

In addition to looking at which university receives the most financial support, S t u d e n t Beans also looked at where students’ parents reside.

The survey indicated that there is a correlation between to geographical location of where you live and how much financial assistance you receive.

Student B e a n s found t h a t parents f r o m t h e South EPhoto: ast Marco Verch, Flickr

and South West were the biggest contributors to their children’s pockets, giving £450 on average.

Parents from areas such as East Anglia and the Midlands were reported to give their children the least in comparison, totalling at around £50.

Cailin Cron News Reporter

The British Academy of Film and Television (BAFTA) has selected UEA as a partner university for its new course on the environmental impacts of producing media.

BAFTA has partnered with Albert, a project aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of the television and film industries, to create a course starting at ten UK universities for students interested in both production and its environmental impact.

The course, which is expected to attract over 500 students in its first year of running, will teach students not only the science behind climate change, but also the impact of film and television industries on the environment, and how to work in a more sustainable manner.

Whilst on the course students will have access to the Albert calculator, a creation from Albert which is designed for those working in production to measure their carbon footprint and to give them numerous ways to combat

and reduce it.

"We're really proud of this partnership and excited for where it will lead" Upon completion of the course, students will receive a certificate and digital badge which will show potential employers that they have a depth of knowledge regarding the impact of productions on the environment, as well as knowing how to reduce current workplaces’ carbon footprint.

Aaron Matthews, Albert’s Head of Industry Sustainability, said, ‘It’s vital that industry entrants join the workforce with the skills that the industry requires of them. Not least because they’ll be the leaders of our industry in the future! We’re really proud of this partnership and excited for where it will lead.’

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News

Nominations open for International students' bank accounts frozen staff and student awards following money laundering concerns Bryan Theo Mfhaladi News Reporter

In the spirit of elections and award season in the UEA Students’ Union, the nominations for Students Transforming Awards & Recognitions and Transforming Education Awards have opened.

The Transforming Education Awards (TEAS) were created in order to recognise and acknowledge the exemplary work done by academic staff, including support staff, course reps and other students, in their efforts to deliver a world class education to students.

Any academic staff who you feel has gone the extra mile or has encouraged you significantly to focus or take interest in a certain module can be nominated on the UEASU page.

The Students Transforming Awards & Recognitions (STAR) were

created in order to celebrate the success of UEA students on or off campus, showcasing the talent, as well as the brilliance of students and thanking those who have given to the UEASU’s cause.

There are 16 awards available under the TEAS, including: Academic Society Partnership, Advisor of the year, Advocate for PhD students, Advocate for students, Support service of the year, Course Representative of the year, and more.

Both the awards work on a nomination basis, which is a form you find on the teas and stars page under the UEA(su) website.

The closing date for nominations is Sunday 17 March, so head to the SU page and get nominating so that excellence can be rewarded.

Nomination is open to all UEA staff and students.

Max Pleasance News Reporter

Dozens of Barclays bank accounts belonging mainly to Chinese students at UK universities have been frozen over fears that they are being used by criminals to launder millions of pounds.

UK law enforcement bodies appealed to courts around the country in a coordinated operation to freeze 95 accounts containing an estimated £3.6m of suspicious funds.

Concerns were raised when it was discovered that payments were being made multiple times in or around one town or city, usually a town or city hundreds of miles away from where the account holding student was studying.

In some cases, money was ‘cleaned’ by being used to buy luxury goods that were then sent back to China. Most of the transactions were kept small enough so as not to alert the bank’s anti-money-laundering system.

Photo: Matt Nixon None of the account holders, who are mostly Chinese nationals studying in the UK, are being accused of any crime, and the UK authorities believe that in many cases the students involved may ‘not have full knowledge of the scale and seriousness of the alleged criminal activity’ according to the National Crime Agency.

Barclays, which the NCA said had co-operated fully with the investigation from the outset, declined to comment any further.

Neither identity of the parties behind the money laundering nor the sources of the suspicious funds are clear. Accounts will remain frozen until the source of the funds can be definitely established.

Gina Miller at the UEA Literary Festival: ‘Is it time for an evolution in democracy?’

C E Matthews News Reporter

Gina Miller has proposed that the remain campaign would fail to win in a second referendum, in a highly anticipated appearance at UEA’s Literary Festival. This comes in the wake of today’s ‘meaningful vote’ in Parliament, a vote that would not exist without Miller’s activism against the British government.

Speaking to her student audience in conversation with Sarah Barrow, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities and Professor of Film and Media at UEA, Miller said, ‘There are so many things that need fixing. That is where I think we will get back to being the country we deserve to be’.

‘I think we’ll lose it,’ she said.

“The other side is already funded hugely. I am very concerned about what happens if we get [campaigning to remain in the EU] wrong.’

She was also damning about the People’s Vote campaign. She said, ‘it’s the wrong time, you haven’t figured out your messaging, you haven’t actually got your champions to go around the country’ ‘It’s the same thing from Open Britain, it’s the same people who ran the referendum, and they haven’t learnt anything. The messaging is wrong. What is the point of doing marches with people who voted Remain? Why are you talking to the converted?’

Miller said around 16% of people are thinking about changing

their minds on Brexit, and that’s who she wants Remain groups to target. ‘All your efforts should be on the 16% in the middle and the new young people, the 2 million. It’s about being strategic. It’s not about being political. I don’t know who the leader is. I would definitely do it if I thought I was the right person but the thing is I don’t think it could be one person.’

"It's not about being strategic.

It's not about being political. I don't know who the leader is."

Miller admitted, ‘The only thing we can say with certainty is we’re not leaving on the 29th March. Things are not going so well in Brussels.

We haven’t asked for anything yet.

That has been a recurring phrase over the last two and a half years.’

Addressing her audience, she said she understood how young people are disillusioned, and ‘feeling very fragile. I think there’s so much pressure to become what I call mantelpiece children, where you’re perfect at everything’.

‘Some of the disillusionment is because we encouraged them to

vote tactically for Labour. And of course they feel very let down about that. They have been let down.’

Miller believes the young “were looking for hope. They were looking for something positive”. But she says, ‘You have to get used to failure.

Putting together a toolbox for failure is really important.’

Miller’s was also critical of the conduct of politicians throughout this process.She dismissed the idea she is going to stand for Parliament, stating: “I am much more effective outside of politics because our whipping system and the bullying that’s going on inside both main political parties is disgusting and so we have to change that. I don’t belong to any tribe.

‘I’m independent and that gives me a lot more power because I don’t have to be answerable. Until the system changes I wouldn’t go into it.”’

She went further, asking: ‘Not just in the UK but globally, is democracy broken? Is it time for an evolution in democracy?’

Her answer lies in ‘deliberative democracy’ which ‘sits between direct democracy and representative democracy’. She has a vision ‘where you choose people from the community for say a year who sit and make and are involved in local and national policy’.

‘Let’s not talk about which party is looking after our NHS, defence, education – those things should be ring-fenced. They should not be beholden to short-term party politics. They should be put on 10 to

12 year decision-making planning and they should be run by select committees.They should not be used and politicised.’

Miller doesn’t want to alter the party system. Her goal is to ‘change the policy-making system’.

But it’s not just Brexit and disillusioned young people worrying Miller. She believes social media could be ‘the downfall of democracy’, calling it ‘coding for chaos’.

‘Who is going to police the coders? Who is going to control them? And who is going to control the messaging?

The fact you can change truth online… is going to have a huge impact on democracy and the rule of law and how you operate society.’ ‘ We need to be really, r e a l l y clamping down on s o c i a l m e d i a now.

W e haven’t got time to Photo: Keith

wait to regulate in the future. They are publishing platforms. There are laws already in place. It’s not the medium, it’s the message, and if they’re already inciting violence… they should be closed down. Or they should be fined.’

When asked whether she felt disappointed with the country and the people of Britain she concluded, ‘I think there’s an awful lot of work to do.’

Gina Miller’s debut book Rise: Life Lessons in Speaking Out, Standing Tall & Leading the Way is out now.

Edkins, Wikimedia

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12th March 2019

News

Pioneering UEA research to deliver person-centred care Shannon McDonagh News Editor

Joint research between UEA and the University of Cambridge have developed a framework that enables patients with progressive conditions to receive better personcentred care.

"Delivering holistic, needsled, personcentred care is a top priority" Funded by the National Institute for Health research and Marie Curie, the study sought to identify the key areas patients need help with and created a tool to enable patients to express these needs.

The study has since been published in the journal Palliative Medicine.

The broad spectrum of the 15 issues identified include financial issues, emotional issues such as depression and knowing what to expect from their care.

Photo: National Cancer Institute, Wikimedia

The original project, entitled Support Needs Approach for Patents (SNAP1), was first conducted in 2016 with the goal of addressing patients with advanced Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in primary care who encounter problems expressing their needs.

COPD encompasses a group of lung illnesses such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

SNAP2 was used as a follow up, with interviews conducted with 20

patients with advanced COPD. Lead researcher Dr Morag Farquhar, from UEA’s School of Health Sciences, said: ‘We know that patients with advanced long term conditions such as COPD experience disabling physical symptoms, which are often combined with psychological and social distress.

‘It is internationally recognised that delivering holistic, needs-led, person-centred care is a top priority.

‘But patients often have difficulty reporting their support needs to health care professionals, which means they don’t always get the person-centred care they need.

‘We wanted to develop an evidence-based tool to enable patients to identify and express their individual needs relating to different aspects of their life.’

Dr Carole Gardener, from the University of Cambridge, said: ‘We asked patients and carers which

support areas were particularly important to them and why, and we talked about what support they would like but had not had access to.

‘They said they wanted things like support to manage breathlessness and tiredness, information about exercising safely, dealing with anxiety and depression, coping with sources of stress such as financial problems and help with sorting out bills and benefits.’

‘Freedom to criticise ideas is being eroded’: Oxford University student newspaper editor resigns following article censure Troy Fielder News Reporter

An editorial member of Cherwell, Oxford University’s independent student newspaper has resigned following the publication’s refusal to publish one of his articles online.

It has been reported that the reason for this lack of publication was that the article in question ‘could be considered offensive’.

Former Profiles Editor for the paper, Freddie Hayward, has posted on Facebook with a statement saying that the piece does not ‘incite hatred or violence towards other people’ but instead offers a critique of some of the views that it presents.

The article – a profile on Armin Navabi, the founder of the Atheist Republic, that outlined ‘his views and life story’ – was deemed unsuitable for online publication due to its reference to Navabi’s potentially controversial views on the Qur’an.

As a further response to this offense claim, Haywood has written an article for the New Statesmen claiming that this censorship is indicative of the current climate of journalism, and particularly student journalism.

He said arguments are valued not for their ‘logic, evidence, and reason’, but instead for their ability

to ‘conform to the current zeitgeist’.

He has also suggested that this is just part of a wider ‘illiberal tide’ that is ‘sweeping British universities and thwarting debate’.

"Students should be able to engage with views even if they differ from their own" As such, Haywood has urged that students ‘should be able to engage with views even if they differ from their own’ rather than hiding from them under the blanket of censorship.

As a result of this controversy, Haywood has halted his further involvement claiming that the views of the editorial team are ‘too divergent’ from his own.

Photo: David Illif, Wikimedia

Comment: "Editor to editor, this is complete nonsense" Matthew Nixon Deputy Editor

Laying up this issue of Concrete, I knew I couldn’t leave this article uncontested.

That’s because it’s espouses a dangerous myth about free speech which is spreading from the media into government.

Hayward says he resigned over a broader issue in student journalism: that no one wishes to engage with views different from their own.

What nonsense. Maybe it’s just that the national journalism awards are approaching, and I’ve been keeping an eye on what other papers are up to, but student journalism is currently thriving and catering for a cornucopia of ideas.

It’s the same old rhetoric we’ve heard about SU’s not allowing dissenting opinions, which in February led to the government releasing new ‘free speech guidelines’ on campuses.

Funny that these guidelines themselves say “freedom of expression was not a widespread

issue”, and add “press accounts of widespread suppression of free speech are clearly out of kilter with reality”.

The narrative of censorious students, supposed martyrs for a made up cause, only contributes to and exaggerates this “free speech crisis” which only threatens students if government believes it to exist.

I’m not an editor of Cherwell so I don’t know exactly what has happened, but as the Deputy Editor of Concrete I’ve had to pull or not publish dozens of articles.

This has never been because I don’t agree with them (readers might remember our controversial article on Trump earlier this year), but often because they’re just poor quality.

I’m intrigued by the fact that Hayward’s article was published in print but not online.

Clearly the editors of Cherwell saw value in it for print, but not putting it on their website suggests the article was only good for filling space.

Maybe Hayward’s writing, like his take, just wasn’t up to scratch.

election voting open now closing 15th march uea.su/elections

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Global

12th March 2019

Talks between US and North Korea collapse William Warnes Global Writer

Talks between North Korea Supreme Leader, Kim Jong Un, and US President, Donald Trump, have collapsed after a disagreement between the two leaders regarding nuclear disarmament.

The talks were happening in Hanoi, Vietnam, and the two leaders were expected to announce progress on denuclearisation. Two contradicting stories have emerged from either side regarding who is at fault for the failure of the summit.

President Trump claimed that Kim Jong Un made the significant offer of closing the Yongbyong complex, the research and production facility central to North Korea’s nuclear programme, in exchange for the removal of all sanctions currently in place on North Korea.

However, foreign minister Ri Yong Ho claims Kim Jong Un has demanded the removal of only some of the sanctions in exchange for the shutting of its main nuclear complex. President Trump stated in a press conference, ‘It was all about the sanctions. They wanted

sanctions lifted in their entirety and we couldn’t do that.’ Ri Yong Ho has stated that Kim Jong Un was ready to offer a permanent halt to the country’s nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests and that Washington has wasted an opportunity that ‘may not come again.’ He also claimed that North Korea’s stance would not change should the US resume another round of talks.

“Despite the result of the event being one of no deal, the two leaders reportedly appeared to get along”

The economic sanctions on North Korea are currently in place due to increasing international

pressure to denuclearise the nation.

The sanctions come from a number of powers that include the United States and the United Nations. In regards to North Korea’s nuclear programme, they believe it is crucial to guarantee their survival. This is currently the second summit between the US and North Korea, with the first occurring in Singapore during June 2018, leading to improved relations between the two nations and allowing room for further talks. Trump has stated the latest talks were ‘very productive, but sometimes you have to walk and this was just one of those times’, claiming it was a ‘friendly walk’. It is unclear as to when the next round of negotiations will happen, but the White House has claimed both sides look forward to future talks.

Meanwhile, upon his return to the US, the President launched a stunning attack on his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, claiming that his congressional testimony against Trump may ‘may have contributed’ to the collapse of the summit. However, the President gave no explanation for how Cohen’s testimony could have any

impact on negotiations regarding North Korea’s nuclear programme.

Despite the result of the event being one of no deal, the two leaders reportedly appeared to get along in Hanoi, much like in Singapore.

It appears that this summit could still leave opportunity for a third, with the apparent building on the newly found relationship between the two nations evident still.

However, the international reaction is still one of concern, with the Wall Street Journal claiming that South Korea is ‘pressing the two sides to return to negotiations to prevent the diplomatic detente from unravelling’, and if the two sides fail to do so then the ‘rapprochement that began last year risks losing steam, and North Korea may opt to exit the talks.’

Before this summit, there was a feeling that there may be a possible political declaration of the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. However, after this result, it appears that this objective is further away from being achieved than hoped. It is impossible to predict what might lay ahead, but the world will continue to watch as it all unravels.

Photo: Dan Scavino Jr.

Benjamin Netanyahu faces corruption charges Bryan Mfhaladi Global Writer

The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, is facing corruption charges after a two-year investigation.

This would make him the second Prime Minister of Israel to be indicted if the attorney general continues with his decision, after his predecessor, Ehud Olmert, was sentenced and charged with corruption back in 2009. Prosecutors would have to go ahead with a preindictment hearing before he is formally charged.

A final hearing is scheduled for after the elections on whether the charges will go ahead or not.

Mr Netanyahu is facing fraud, one count of bribery, and three counts of breach of trust.

He has allegedly received gifts from wealthy businessmen in return for favours; as well as gifts worth about £199,200 from Israeli-

born Hollywood film producer Arnon Milchan and Australian James Packer in exchange for help with US visa and tax breaks. He is also alleged to seek positive press coverage from Shaul Elovitch’s news site, Walla, and in return would execute regulatory decisions which would benefit the news giant greatly.

Opposition members have been quick to call for the Prime Minister to retire. Netanyahu was quick to call the announcement ‘outrageous’ and a ‘witch hunt’ which would ‘collapse like a house of cards’, hinting that he would not step down from his post nor walk away from the upcoming elections. There is currently nothing stopping Mr Netanyahu from getting elected and staying in power while he fights his criminal charges.

Israeli elections are scheduled for 9 April this year and Mr Netanyahu is running for re-election in a bid to become the longest serving Israeli Prime Minister in history.

With elections less than a month away, Mr Netanyahu sees this as propaganda which the opposition looks to use in order to swing the election pendulum in their favour.

Recent opinion polls have shown that Mr Netanyahu and his right wing party Likud look to be heading for a loss in the upcoming elections.

He faces stiff competition from a newly announced centrist alliance of ex-army chief Benny Gantz and former journalist Yair Lapid.

Photo: President of Russia

In brief Ukraine pulls out of Eurovision Ukraine has withdrawn from the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest amid growing political tensions with Russia.

The Ukrainian original entry, singer Maruv, refused to take part in the competition saying she felt she was being used as a ‘political tool.’ Ukraine failed to find a replacement act and has now chosen not to enter the contest happening in Israel in May. Jake Morris Making a Murderer… Season 3?

Wisconsin’s Court of Appeals has granted a new trial to Steven Avery, star of Netflix’s Making a Murderer. He is currently serving a life sentence for the 2005 murder of Teresa Halbach, which he denies.

Avery’s lawyer, Kathleen Zellner, based the appeal on new evidence relating to alleged mishandling of evidence.

Halbach’s bone fragments, found next to Avery’s property, were returned to her family. This could lead to the eventual acquittal of Avery and his nephew, who was also convicted in a separate trial.

Andrew Ferris Pug seized over unpaid debts A family in the German town of Ahlen has had their pug seized and sold on eBay by local officials. The action was taken in response to the family’s failure to pay their debts, which included a dog tax.

Many people took to social media to criticise those involved, arguing it was heartless to seize the dog. However, officials defended the move, citing it was legal and a last resort after the seizure of other non-essential household goods.

Andrew Ferris Tooth causes two year long blocked nose The cause of a 59 year old man’s unexplained two year long blocked nose has been discovered. Following a childhood facial injury, a tooth had grown into the nasal cavity.

After presenting to doctors at University Hospital Aarhus in Denmark complaining of the blocked nose and nasal discharge, the hospital were shocked to find the tooth. The tooth was extracted and the man has recovered.

Jake Morris

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12th March 2019

concrete-online.co.uk/category/global/ | @Concrete_UEA

YouTube turns off comments on videos of children amid child safety fears Katie Tsappas Global Writer

YouTube has announced that they will be disabling comments on all videos that contain young children and some older minors.

“Paedophiles were posting links to child pornography and sharing contact details in the comment section of videos” It comes after the US vlogger Matt Watson, who runs the channel MattsWhatItIs, stated that he had discovered a pedophile ring in the comments sections of several videos involving children. Watson has stated that pedophiles were

posting links to child pornography need to show that they and sharing contact details in were at ‘low risk the comments section of videos of predatory of young girls doing exercises, behaviour’.

T h i s gymnastics and dancing, and were even posting time stamps of when d i s c o v e r y has led to underwear became visible.

YouTube has suspended an advertiser comments on tens of millions of boycott of the with videos that are likely to be ‘at risk platform, such of attracting predatory behaviour’. companies The video-sharing platform has as Epic Games and said they are focusing on the launch of an AI moderator that is ‘more sweeping in scope, and will detect and remove two times more individual comments’.

However, YouTube’s current algorithm was found to be recommending videos reports of sexual of a similar nature, so the new AI moderator is communications much needed. YouTube with a child in 18 have also stated that they months will ‘suspend comments Nestlé on videos featuring young removing minors and videos featuring their ads older minors that could be at risk from the site. In of attracting predatory behaviour’, but added that ‘a small number of 2017, Mars and Adidas withdrew creators’ will be able to keep the advertising from the site after comments section open but would campaigners warned them that

that ‘keeping children safe cannot be left to social networks’ after figures revealed that, in 18 months, there have been 5,161 reports of sexual communications with a child.

5161

Pilot captured in India-Pakistan dogfight Augustin Francois-Poncet Global Writer

On Wednesday 27 February, Indian Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman’s plane was shot down during a dogfight over PakistaniAdministered Kashmir, the first publicly-acknowledged crossborder aerial conflict since 1971.

The incident is the third in a recent escalation of attacks.

Two weeks ago, Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed responsibility for the killing of 40 Indian paramilitaries in a suicide bombing in Indiaadministered Kashmir. On Tuesday 26 February, Indian jets bombed what they claimed to be Pakistani militant training camps, prompting Wednesday’s events.

Contest over the Kashmir region has been ongoing since before independence from Britain in 1947.

Both countries claim ownership of the region. Two of the last three Indo-Pakistani wars were fought over it.

Under the India Independence Act, Kashmir was free to join either Pakistan or India. When the region’s Maharaja, Hari Singh, chose to join India despite popular support for Pakistan, a two-year war erupted.

Brought to the attention of the United Nations Security Council, a resolution called on Pakistan to withdraw its troops and India to cut its military presence to a minimum.

Pakistan’s refusal to comply with the request lead to a partition of the region.

Conflict erupted once more in 1965, 1971, and 1999 – by which

pedophiles had been targeting videos of children. The NSPCC has come forward and stated

Photo: Shimin Gu

point both countries had declared themselves nuclear powers.

Modern day unrest in Indianadministered Kashmir is coming from the majority of its citizens preferring independence or union with Pakistan. The state of Jammu and Kashmir is the only one in India with a Muslim majority, with over 60 percent of its population following the religion.

“The international community has recently called for de-escalation of tensions between both countries” While unrest in the region never truly vanished, hope for lasting

peace seemed to disappear in 2016; following the death of Burhan Muzaffar Wani, anti-Indian protests started in all ten districts of the Kashmir Valley. Wani was a militant group commander who became famous from his social media activity and militancy actions against Indian rule. The protests were met with force by Kashmir Police and Indian Paramilitary forces, leading to the accounted deaths of more than 90 civilians and over 15,000 injured.

The international community has recently called for de-escalation of tensions between both countries.

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he was involved in roundthe-clock efforts to prevent the crisis from deepening. However, with national sentiment currently at an all-time high, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been adamant to show a stronger stance on the issue. The results of the 2019 Indian General Elections should tell us more of what’s to come.

Photo: StockSnap, Pixabay

Brexit Box Jake Morris

Senior Global Writer

As we enter the month of Brexit, Concrete is here to provide you with the latest updates from Parliament as 29 March rapidly approaches.

Prime Minister Theresa May has offered what some see as a dramatic policy change on her Brexit strategy. She will present MPs with a series of votes on the 12, 13 and 14 March. The first vote will be on her revised Withdrawal Agreement. Last month MPs voted for Mrs May to renegotiate the controversial Northern Irish backstop.

If MPs pass the deal Mrs May presents, then on 29 March the UK will enter a 20-month transition period with the EU and future trade negotiations begin. If her deal is rejected, MPs will vote over the two next days on whether to leave the EU with no deal, or to seek an extension of Article 50 to mid-June.

Mrs May has consistently ruled out extending Article 50 but with pressure from Conservative Remain MPs, including Senior Ministers Amber Rudd and Greg Clarke, it appears Mrs May has changed her strategy.

However, announcing the voting timetable in Parliament, Mrs May said ‘I do not want to see Article 50 extended, our absolute focus should be on working to get a deal and leaving on 29 March.’

Unless the UK’s position has fundamentally changed, there is some scepticism as to whether the EU would allow an extension of Article 50. In regards to Mrs

May’s Withdrawal Agreement, the EU Commission has consistently reiterated that the Agreement cannot be renegotiated. However, there are rumours of a legal adjustment to the backstop being negotiated by Attorney General Geoffrey Cox. Labour has announced they are backing a second Brexit referendum after their attempt to change the Government’s Brexit strategy was rejected by MPs. The proposed options on the ballot paper are unclear but are thought to include the Government negotiated deal, no-deal or remaining in the EU. Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn said, ‘We will also continue to push for the other available option, including a close economic relationship based on our credible alternative plan or a general election.’

In separate news, the Department of Transport were forced to pay £33 million in a legal dispute regarding the handling of contracts for new sea freight routes after Brexit. These routes have been the source of much criticism after it emerged one firm, Seaborne Freight, did not possess any vessels.

17

days before Britain is scheduled to exit the European Union

Image: Vecteezy

Features

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12th March 2019

Beth Bacon revisits the Never OK campaign Campaigns such as Never OK and Reclaim the Night, both held at UEA, have shed light on the worrying prominence of sexual harassment.

The recent documentary

by BBC Three, Is This Sexual Harassment, highlighted the difficulty in understanding where the line is drawn between flirtation and sexual harassment and how to read the signs of someone who is not interested in physical intimacy with you. Louis Theroux released a programme on BBC Two about sexual assault called The Night in Question. This documentary followed a man accused of rape at Yale University to highlight the prevalence of sexual assault on campuses.

There is a fear for many people of not being believed or not having enough evidence to back up their claims of sexual harassment.

The BBC drama Clique explored this issue when Jack (Leo Suter) is accused of sexual assault by Rayna (Imogen King).

She says that ‘sometimes the truth and a lie are the same thing’. Of course, this related heavily back to the #MeToo movement and probes at the controversial underlying suspicions that some people lie about sexual assault.

I spoke to Georgina Burchell who works for the Never OK team at the LCR to get an updated insight into the campaign at UEA. What are the signs of sexual harassment you look out for in the LCR? To put it simply, we want to ensure that all our students have a good night out when they’re with us.

We have a zero tolerance approach to any form of harassment, including sexual harassment.

Whether that’s physical, verbal or otherwise, if you feel uncomfortable about the way someone else interacts with you at the LCR that’s never ok.

How often do you have to intervene when sexual harassment takes place?

We get more reports of sexual harassment than we’d like, but that’s not to say that hearing about sexual harassment is a bad thing – we’d much rather understand the scope of the problem rather than have students be left without support.

We hope that by intervening and supporting students to report, we will see less instances in our venues, around campus, and ultimately in society as a whole.

How helpful have the signs on the back of the cubicle doors in the LCR been?

We want to make it really easy to seek support at the LCR and the signs on the back of cubicle doors are a part of that.

We don’t get all that many reports via this system, but we feel it’s an important thing to offer to make it easy to get in touch.

How do you follow up with someone that has sexually harassed or assaulted someone else in the LCR? There’s a number of ways that we can follow up with someone – almost all of what happens next is down to the survivor to define what they want to happen.

Students can anonymously report any incident so we can keep accurate records and understand the scope of the problem; they can be supported to report the incident via the Never Ok system or seek outside, specialist support if they wish to. The decision rests with the student and we’ll support them as much as we can.

I have heard that Holly Myers set up the Alcohol Impact Crew.

How has this benefited UEA

students?

We can’t respond to this as it’s a breach of our rules on discussing staff.

Are there any other campaigns or plans you have in the making for UEA to help reduce the number of sexual harassment cases?

Never OK is our umbrella campaign that encapsulates a whole host of different activities. From changing policies in both UEA and UEASU to raising awareness with our clubs and societies of what is and isn’t acceptable behaviour – we’ve done a great deal. Make no mistake, there’s a lot left to do, but we’ve made a good start.

If there was one way you could improve the Never OK campaign what would it be?

It sounds easy but – getting more people involved! The more people that engage in Never OK the better; we’re challenging a pervasive culture so the more people that join us in offering an alternative way, the quicker we can bring about change!

If there is one thing you could tell people that might help reduce the likelihood of them

sexually harassing someone else, what would it be?

I’d say it’s important that you consider the way that other people around you perceive your behaviour or actions.

Seeking consent for your actions and words is so important, and making people feel comfortable is good for everyone so just take time to learn, think about things from other people’s perspective, and make choices that are comfortable for everyone involved.

What makes sexual assault even more worrying is the fear that many people have of reporting their experiences.

The BBC recently released an article revealing that ‘research suggests that almost half of women - 49 percent - say they have been touched inappropriately in comparison to three percent of men - but only five percent reported it.’

These numbers are staggering.

Half of women being sexually assaulted is simply unacceptable.

Furthermore, the fact that such a small percentage of this number feel brave enough to speak out about these incidents demonstrates just how far we have to go to empower victims of sexual crimes.

What’s it like for female graduates in the workforce?

Photo: Vecteezy Anna Graysmith Features Writer

You’ve done it. You’ve swam your way through the Sportspark pool in your cap and gown. You’re officially a ‘proper’ adult, ready to face the world of graduate jobs. Yet of the swimmers who have spent approximately the last three years partying in the LCR and enduring late-night library sessions, a large group will go into the world of graduates facing obstacles they never expected, having stereotypes and gender roles imposed upon them, and battling against the arbitrary expectations imposed on

them by society.

Being a graduate woman in the professional world is not a unique situation. However, young women going into the professional sphere are faced with a nuanced set of problems before them.

Sexism and discrimination within the workplace is not as overt as it used to be. We’ve come a long way since the ‘slap on the arse’ culture that dominated many professional fields. Yet women are still faced with discrimination and, whether it’s blatant or indirect, it still very much exists. The societal pressures put on women to perform and act in certain ways impact the way in which graduate women go into the workforce.

Women tend to only apply to jobs if they fit 100 percent of the criteria, whereas men will apply if they fit upwards of 60 percent. There seems to be an ingrained difference in the way in which women are spoken to and treated in the workplace.

“Not wanting to look too ‘girly’ for fear of not being taken seriously” Megan Baynes, a journalist and UEA graduate, spoke to me

about ways in which she has been addressed or treated differently to her male counterparts in her professional life. Baynes explained the pressures she felt as a young, female journalist, for example, not wanting to look too ‘girly’ for fear of not being taken seriously.

We discussed how confidence in yourself and your abilities as a young female graduate can be your greatest asset. It is necessary to power through the stereotypes imposed on you and find the confidence in your gender to break those barriers down.

There are obstacles faced by both men and women as graduates in today’s economy; adjusting to a new kind of time management, a

different level of support and access to assistance, the many problems that being a ‘proper’ adult brings.

However, it is impossible to ignore the female voice that echoes around the proverbial board room.

There are more CEOs in the UK named James than there are female CEOs in the country. In 2012-13 there were approximately 100,000 more female undergraduates in the UK than male, it is concerning that the balance of power in the workforce does not reflect that.

There is a deeper issue regarding the perception of women as professionals within the workforce, and the current cohort of graduates can be the first generation to change that.

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12th March 2019

concrete-online.co.uk/category/features/ | @Concrete_UEA Photo: Chloe Howcroft

Yes #SheCan

Photo: Jim Cooke

Can men be feminists?

Daisy Brown Features Writer

Chloe Howcroft Co- Features Editor

To mark the eve of International Women’s Day 2019, CareerCentral launched, for the first time on campus, an all-day event which went by the name of #SheCan. Supported by companies such as PwC, Kier and Save the Children, the series of skills sessions and workshops which took place during the day were aimed exclusively for female students to help develop skills in communication, networking as well as building an effective personal brand. The key word arising from the whole day seemed to be ‘confidence’.

Speaking in the networking event at the end of the day, which was open to all genders, Chantal Galvin, Freelance Digital Project Manager, who graduated from UEA with a BA in English Literature and Philosophy in 2010 shared, ‘Confidence is the single biggest weapon for what you are capable of achieving. You are your biggest critic.’

“The best thing is admitting failure”

Meanwhile, Sarah Logan, also a UEA alumna and highly skilled media professional, with over

19 years of experience spanning publishing, sales, marketing and workforce development, believes in challenging modesty norms.

“Feminism can only become successful when it becomes the norm” ‘It’s not bragging if it is based on fact.’ And surely, that’s exactly it?

In fact, she seemed to hit the nail on the head when suggesting that, at least for the most part, it is the ‘fear of failure [in] not going to meet expectations.’

More importantly, one has to ask themselves: whose expectations?

Your employer’s? Society’s? Is it not the one person who matters most in any workforce setting or situation: yourself?

Karen Jones CBE and Chancellor of UEA, who delivered the keynote speech said ‘The best thing is admitting failure.’

That’s where most of what we call ‘personal development’ tends to come from, right?

Realising and admitting when we’ve gone wrong and learning how to overcome our challenges, not to mention pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the stories of women who have been excelling in their differing industries, from the charitable sector to food retail, and it is inspiring and reassuring to hear that their careers have very much

been non-linear as some might not often expect.

In any case, leaving school and working in the same job role for your entire working life is a thing of the past and not my ideal way of spending close to - if not over - 90,000 hours of my working life. And reassuringly enough, I’ve been told that it’s absolutely fine to pursue several different careers.

A woman can be a mother as well as an entrepreneur, a writer as well as an activist, and anything and everything else under the sun.

Indeed, International Women’s Day does still tend to divide opinion, just like Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day among other days of celebration.

In one sense, yes it does celebrate the achievements made by women as well as highlighting the expanding opportunities available to women in industries previously perceived to be male-dominated, from media to STEM, but it also perpetuates the challenges that still remain.

For instance, if we are simply bringing women into the workforce to fill quotas, then this surely still rings alarm bells.

Rather, when applying for jobs which were traditionally maledominated, we should have the confidence to brag more about what we can contribute and remember all of our achievements.

Women are prepared to go above and beyond the call of duty to get to where we want to go, be who we want to be, and do what we want to do.

As Jones put it at the end of her speech: ‘She Can. We can. We will.

We are.’

I think it is fair to say that feminism today is very different from 60 years ago. It is constantly changing, and as it has evolved it has grown increasingly complex and we are confronted with more and more questions about its meaning and aims.

One question which is gradually gaining relevance as the feminist movement grows in prominence, is whether or not men can or should be involved in feminism, and if so, how should they be contributing?

Aside from discussing the obvious contradiction of excluding men whilst campaigning for gender equality, one point that kept surfacing was that ‘feminism can only become truly successful when it becomes the norm’.

Surely then, this means that gender equality can only really be reached once everyone is a feminist, including men?

Issues such as toxic masculinity and male gender stereotypes are also an important part of gender discussion and, therefore, fall under the umbrella of feminism too.

UEA student Sarah Teague discusses how there are lots of problems with men being seen as ‘less emotional’, and how this has led to certain inequalities, particularly in childcare and custody issues which are ‘often geared more towards women than men’.

Having considered such points, it seems to me that excluding men from feminism is not progressive and, if anything, it would reinforce divisions between men and women rather than dismantle them.

Having said this, the fact remains that feminism is still very much a movement belonging to women with female empowerment and women at its core, and this is something that men engaging with feminism need to be thoughtful of.

Although my friends all believed men should be included in the feminist movement, they were all quick to follow up with examples of the problems that can arise when men interact with feminism without thinking.

Most prominent were examples of men preaching their own definitions of feminism or even correcting women on what they think feminism should be.

Fellow student, Andrea Meyer, says ‘mansplaining is 1,000 percent a thing’, and this is where men can overstep the line. Feminism is not for men to dictate or to empower their own egos, because, let’s face it, this is the very problem that women are fighting against.

“Men can play a part in ending gender inequality” Women do not need men to tell them what they want. They already know.

What feminism does need from men is support in condemning other men who practice misogyny and are perpetrators of sexual abuse, and for them to continue this even when there are no women around.

It needs men to help women who are victims of this kind of behaviour by not turning a blind eye and, if it is within their power, it needs men to give women more platforms to voice messages about gender equality in the media, arts, academia and the workplace.

Finally, instead of preaching their own ideas on feminism, men can play a part in ending gender inequality by listening to what women are saying and forming their actions and understandings according to this.

Features

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12th March 2019

Rolling the dice on student loans 100,000 students estimated to be in debt due to gambling 1 in 10 students using their student loans to gamble Jess Barrett

Senior Features Writer The NUS has conducted research into the gambling habits of students at university. Their definition of gambling ranges from buying scratch cards over the counter to playing poker at casinos.

Research showed that over half of students who gambled did so to supplement t h e i r income, and that nearly a quarter of those felt guilty when d o i n g so.

This could also demonstrate a link between gambling and mental h e a l t h .

Those who have struggled with their mental health

when gambling name stress and depression as the most common feelings.

The research concludes that universities should be doing more to support their students and offer guidance on gambling and how it can affect mental health.

Awareness must be raised to show that while there is a possibility gambling can lead to an increase in cash flow, there are understandably a number of risks involved. Many people forget that betting, poker and bingo can be addictive.

Highspeedtraining.co.uk, a training provider which offers courses in gambling awareness, explains that ‘the brain becomes conditioned into wanting more and more to trigger its reward system.’

Today, gambling addiction is being taken more seriously, as ‘it’s now recognised as an addiction akin to substance addiction.’

Recently, gambling has become a norm within society. Innocuous activities such as playing on slot machines in a pub, going along to bingo with friends, or buying a scratch card when popping to the shops can become activities of habit. Online gambling has increased dramatically in recent years. Instead of taking the trip to a casino or a bingo hall, students

are increasingly gambling online, using sights like 888poker.com, paddypower.com and tombola.com.

Gambling is more accessible than ever: you don’t have to leave home, or even your sofa.

When asked why he occasionally

‘Universities should be doing more to support their students’ plays poker, student Lee Casey commented ‘I enjoy it, but I also play for the thrill.

I like playing against an opponent aside from having that element of luck.’ Casey appears to hold the same reasons for gambling and playing poker as most. He further commented that ‘It’s the fun and the thrill. And you might even win.’

NUS Vice President (welfare), Eva Crossan Jory, stated, ‘We are particularly concerned that around half of students who gamble are doing [so] primarily to make money.

The student support package has remained stagnant and in recent

years has not kept up with the rising cost of living.’ It is easy to see why students may turn to gambling as a quick way to make extra money to add to their student loans; however, the risk that is involved in gambling cannot be ignored.

With the rise of gambling amongst students, NUS have teamed up with Gamban gambling blocking software.

This software will be offered free to all students. Although this software may seem to be a dramatic step to deter student gambling, the Gambling Commission and the NUS surveyed 1,618 students in Higher Education and found that one in eight students will bet more money than they can afford to lose, with one in ten using a part of their student loan to gamble with.

These attitudes towards gambling and finances could be seen as irresponsible. Student’s Unions across the country are continuing to support students with addiction concerns and financial instability with the help of Student Support Services.

Hopefully with the introduction of widespread advice about the risks of gambling, students will understand the negatives of gambling more and keep them in mind when playing poker, bingo or when purchasing scratch cards.

Should we treat our degree as a consumer product?

Sam Hewitson Features Writer

Degrees, although an extreme example, can be said to be a consumer product. As students, we are paying for a service and an end product, and naturally this is expected to be of the highest standard possible.

If a product is purchased from a retail business or service, and the quality is not up to scratch or our satisfaction, it would be returned.

So why, especially when a massive debt-inducing sum of money is spent, are students reluctant to complain when problems arise, and why is complaining difficult in the first place?

We spend £9,250 a year on tuition, a number that many of us are familiar with and dread to be reminded of. If I were to break this down, this works out to be just over £250 per week of teaching, which,

when using the example of my nine contact hours a week, equates to about £30 per taught class for

‘Each of us affected lost hundreds of pounds worth of tuition’ me. I can say for definite that a purchase worth £30 that did not meet my expectations or standards would be returned or exchanged, as the £30 could be spent elsewhere and subsequently enjoyed more.

Of course, within the context of university tuition, wanting to be refunded or compensated for every single class that disappoints us would be unrealistic.

After all, differing teaching styles and content appeal to different people, and it is almost

guaranteed that at least one individual in a class will not favour it as much as others. So, to this extent, degrees should not be treated as consumer products.

However, in extenuating circumstances, both personal or university wide, there should be some reconsideration.

Last year, in my first year, during the UCU strikes which influenced teaching, almost an entire module was missed because my seminar leader and lecturer chose to partake in them. I supported their decision and the cause but each of us affected lost hundreds of pounds’ worth of tuition and I am sure other students in other schools or modules will have been affected even more than I was.

Granted, it was a first-year module and did not count towards my final grade and most would disregard its importance because of this fact, but it is still a product that I have paid for and did not get.

It would be like ordering a pizza

and it never being delivered.

However, this sets a dangerous precedent, as a consumer rights mentality could quite easily fuel exploitation.

Students could actively look for negative things to pick up on and teaching could be approached with a critical mindset opposed to an open, perceptive mentality, which in and of itself is a block on the educational value of the tuition.

Our willingness to complain is also hindered by the concept of offences, a detrimental comment or complaint about a teacher or module could offend either the teacher themselves or those who work closely within the school.

Obviously, we do not want to cause offence, and this affects our inclinations to act on our grievances.

Furthermore, it is easier to address the faults in a physical entity than a taught class. An imperfect clothing item with visible problems cannot be contested,

whereas words from a lecture offer no actual evidence of poor quality.

There is therefore a reluctance to complain, out of wanting to avoid a game of ‘he said, she said’ with no substantial backing to one’s case.

Although incredibly difficult to act upon, as a paid product, degrees should be treated with a consumer approach, particularly because of the sheer amount of money in question.

‘It is still a product I have paid for’

The notion of potentially wasting £27,000 at the end of my three years here is terrifying, and I am sure it is to you as well.

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12th March 2019

concrete-online.co.uk/catergory/features/ | @concrete_UEA

A case of millenial burnout Ellie Robson Features Writer

The idea of ‘Millennial Burnout’ was popularized by the viral Buzzfeed article titled: How Millennials Became The Burnout Generation,

by Anne Helen Petersen, which was published in January 2019. I remember reading the article at the time, and finding it extremely interesting, but not really something that I could relate to, as it focuses on burnout in relation to the workplace.

The BBC reported on this idea in an online article not long after.

Then a few days ago, an article from The Tab popped up on my Facebook feed, addressing the idea from the perspective of students. As soon as I began to read it, I realised why the previous articles had intrigued me so much – this idea of ‘millennial burnout’ was something that I related to on such a personal level.

I was only realising it now that the concept had been presented to me from within the student population.

You may be familiar with the idea of burnout. It tends to be medically recognised as an overexertion

from chronic stress and working that leads to physical symptoms such as exhaustion and lack of motivation. One way which Petersen characterises burnout is what she has termed ‘errand paralysis’. This is the idea that simple tasks become difficult and are put off for a long time because the individual feels as though they should be doing something more important, or that the high level of effort that the task will require to complete isn’t worth the small personal benefit that it will bring. Petersen suggests that we are much more interested in benefits related to our career or work output.

Individuals become unable to relax, feeling constantly guilty for not being productive and are at all times hyper-alert of what they think they should be doing. This can lead to a level of stress which affects sleep, and can contribute to or introduce symptoms of anxiety.

So where does this fit into student life?

The main aim of university is to graduate with a degree that will be beneficial to you when trying to get a job that you’re interested in. However, students are now constantly told that a degree is not

enough, and that other activities and skills are needed to diversity your CV and help you stand out as an employable individual. On top of working towards a degree, many students hold a part-time job, and are involved in one, or often more, extracurricular activities which will display these additional skills and make them appear to be a well-rounded individual.

This means that the line between university and everyday become blurred. For example, I’m writing this article because I enjoy writing and get a lot of joy from it, but I am also incredibly aware that this piece will have an audience and is something that I may be judged upon at a later time.

I feel far less guilty for watching TV shows when I know I’ll be writing some kind of article about them.

Students are guilty of overcommitting to things, but still hitting deadlines because we overwork to do it, convincing ourselves that we should be working all the time. We think that we’re not working as hard as we could be, or other successful people are.

This feeling is heightened by the ever-critical public who talk about

us lazy students who spend all our time hungover or in nightclubs.

The huge role the internet now plays in our university experience is a blessing and curse. The internet is a fantastic tool for a variety of things, but the personal and 24/7 nature of it means that people are always expected to be available and easily accessible.

It can be difficult to switch off and remember that your phone is a tool for you, and not just to be bombarded with all the reminders of the things you have to do.

It’s difficult to see an end to this issue, as the pressure from prospective employers and our own too-high personal expectations is ever-growing. But if you’re reading this, take a minute today to remind yourself that you’re doing university

for

you, and no one else.

Have you experience burnout? Let us know @Concrete_UEA

Is Artificial Intelligence taking over campus life?

Joseph Saul Features Writer

UEA is already its own mini city, a concrete jungle on a much smaller scale. If you wanted, you could live the entirety of your degree off the services provided by the campus.

Whilst that does sound sheltered and largely dull, technology companies such as Future Cities are seeking to use campuses as microcosmic testing grounds to make campus living smoother and simpler.

Many modern campus universities function in a similar way, but it should be noted that rather than providing the liberty that city life offers it can often feel like a gated community. There are plans to futureproof Glasgow University by renovating huge areas of the campus through sensor networks for power distribution and a campus AI making spaces more interactive. Current advancements include Australia’s Deakin University which has implemented its own AI that functions from a phone app called Genie to provide assignment information, reading lists and timetables. It was at this point that it became clear that this technology is simply a nicer looking

version of what’s already available.

Our very own infamous Blackboard app alongside the dreaded admin of Evision performs all these tasks, although their efficiency is questionable.

‘Apps may be able to act like personal assistants’ The concept of such technology being on the doorstep of conventional university life seems quite strange. Given that UEA sees many modules without recorded lectures it’s a leap to suggest a fully organised system enabling a central hub of information supplementing university study. It isn’t extreme to suggest that improvements will be made to online resources.

However, moving too quickly whilst leaving out some fundamental utilities makes such technological advancements seem rather in vain.

It is suggested that such apps may be able to act like personal

assistants, attempting to make student life less complicated. Such a goal sounds altruistic; popping up to suggest study sessions or letting you know your assessment grades as soon as possible, as Deakin University’s Genie is designed to do, acting almost as a parent or teacher.

Such encroachment raises ethical questions over data collection, something that has entered moral debates recently following the exposure of organisations such as Cambridge Analytica.

But on a more direct level, it seeks to protect students from the functioning in the real world. With the discussions of Universities already not doing enough to prepare students for the wider society, such technology often seeks to strengthen the bubble that students live in. Therefore, unless this technology is looking to transfer itself into the working world, something far harder to control or enforce on a city-scale, it may very easily become damaging for students trying to become more independent.

Do you think technology is damaging? Let us know @Concrete_UEA

Hey UEA

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#UEA

@eyelevelnorwich

12th March 2019

@ueadancesport

@veronique_photography

Media Collective News ‘Will UEA win Derby Day again?’

95% 5%

Derby Day is fast coming back to UEA, and it’ll soon be time to show Essex what’s what for the seventh year consecutively. The Media Collective will be reporting live on the day, and you can get involved!

Join UEATV, Livewire, and Concrete on 19 March. Search ‘Get involved with Derby Day Media Meeting’ on Facebook to find out more!

“No doubt, we’ve got six wins in a row. Essex don’t stand a chance”

Want to feature in our roundup?

Find us at @Concrete_UEA or use the hashtag #HeyUEA

Scan the code to become a Concrete member

12th March 2019

The archive:

For this issue’s archive, we’ve selected an online report from August 2016, where Caitlin Doherty reported on a Freedom of Information Request made by the EDP which suggested cheating allegations were rising.

While it was unclear if more students were cheating then, over 70 students had to face allegations of cheating. With our front page story today, we’d like to know what you think about cheaters at university.

Should they be expelled? Or is it not even a big deal in your eyes? Let us know online @Concrete_UEA, and get featured in the next #HeyUEA!

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Comment

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Should a cisgendered, heterosexual woman headline Manchester Pride?

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Abbey Hancock Comment Writer

One of the biggest issues with Ariana Grande headlining is the suspected capitalist agenda.

Manchester Pride will be charging around £70 for a weekend ticket to the event, which, in comparison to the previous years’ £30 fee, is absolutely ludicrous.

The organiser’s justification for this increase is that they’re offering the biggest lineup of artists ever, i.e.

Ariana Grande.

This is undoubtedly problematic as instead of developing an inclusive event focused on the celebration of the LBGTQ+ community, Pride

seems to be more concerned with its revenue.

Amelia Trew, President of UEA Pride, states ‘While Ariana Grande is an incredible performer, it is probably not appropriate for her to headline. But it’s not surprising as Pride has lost what it originally stood for as it is now a commercialised event.’

Tracing the movement back, its historical relevance is located in the Stonewall Riots in 1969 whereby 200 patrons in a gay bar resisted police arrest. Soon afterwards the phrase ‘gay pride’ was established.

The phrase and the following tradition of events were an attempt to honour the oppressed community, maintaining their basis as a protest.

This begs the question of who

‘I hate to drone on’ Oliver Hancock Comment Writer

Last week, a drone flew into my bedroom window and bounced onto the road below. The sheepish pilot stood a distance away, asking me to throw the drone back to him.

As I threw it, a piece fell off. ‘I’ve got another bit here, what is it?’ I was told it was the battery, and to throw that down too. In hindsight, I should have kept it.

I didn’t have time to ask what sort of drone it was as he sauntered off, or what it was doing so close to our flat. I live in Suffolk Terrace, and we see people flying drones a lot. The question is, should they do it so close to where we live? UK law states that drones should be kept under an altitude of 140 metres, and 50 metres away from property.

Needless to say, this man’s drone

should be selected to headline at Pride events.

The answer is artists from within the community. It’s wonderful to stand for LBGTQ+ rights and use your platform to do so.

However, non-LBGTQ+ artists can never truly know the experience of an LBGTQ+ individual. So, when they accept offers (such as headlining at Pride), good intentions or not, they take an opportunity from a LBGTQ+ artist.

It is not hypocritical for the community to want increased representation. Grande can still have a huge impact standing up for LBGTQ+ rights, but this does not justify her headlining.

Jim Read, Vice-President of UEA Pride, said, ‘With the commodified

laws, a requirement of drone-flying permits and so on, but what about drones that capture video?

From a quick search online, was a bit closer than that. It may there appears to be nothing legally protecting individuals from have had a camera on it. Even drone-mounted cameras. if it didn’t, I felt incredibly Of course, there’s the violated. I had friends usual line of respecting in my room, and they your neighbour as they were equally unsettled. may not want you to film The windows in the them, but what good Ziggurats aren’t exactly does that do? It doesn’t difficult to look into, Photo: Pixabay imply consequence or but there’s a difference punishment; there’s no between passers-by having threat to drone pilots who fly a quick peer at the kitchen and an individual steering their their vehicles outside your bedroom drone to hover outside your window.

There aren’t sufficient bedroom window. Drones have caught an unsavoury amount protections of individual privacy of media attention, not so much when it comes to drone footage. over issues of privacy but of I don’t want to point fingers, but disruption. The Gatwick drone there’s no reason someone should incidents that took place over three fly a drone so close to a building, let days in December 2018 stranded alone a row of bedrooms. Without thousands of passengers, and left laws protecting me from whatever airport operators concerned for that drone may have filmed, I think passengers’ safety. The government I’ll just have to close my curtains responded by promising tighter more often.

versions of Pride we now see in the mainstream, these would be the perfect platforms to promote LBGT+ artists’.

“Pride is succumbing to capitalist temptation” By choosing Ariana Grande, Pride fails to consider the talent within the LBGTQ+ community and the necessity to promote them to the wider world.

Problematically, there is very

little representation of LBGTQ+ artists within the mainstream music industry and with the huge platform Pride has now acquired, it would be an excellent moment to demonstrate the LGBTQ+ community’s talent and versatility.

Pride has forgotten what it stands for. It’s no longer a protest fighting for the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals.

Instead, Pride is succumbing to capitalist temptation. Pride exists in the same realm of popular music festivals: smothered in glitter, splashed with colour, but lacking in substance. Should Grande be headlining? No. Pride is no longer what it once was, and this year’s headline act only confirms this.

‘I don’t think the Anglican Church is inherently misogynistic’ Jamie Hose Comment Writer

It’s 25 years since women entered the ranks of Anglican priests, but what has happened since then?

Five years ago, legislation was introduced allowing women to be appointed as bishops, but since the end of 2018, only four diocesan bishops (out of a total of 44) are women. While Anglican policy seems much more liberal, the actual composition of the Church remains fairly unequal.

Some say ordained female ministers violate traditional Christian beliefs about women and motherhood. Others point to females within the Bible as proof that Christianity does believe in powerful women.

I find both of these arguments redundant. As a Protestant man, but not affiliated with any denomination, I’m not a fan of church worship.

It’s a bit too prescriptive for my liking. Attending church is a social occasion, and that’s where we can see what impact female ministers have on the make-up of their parishes.

In my opinion, if the majority of attendees are female, it would be beneficial to have a host of ministers and bishops that represent this.

However, I don’t think the Anglican Church is inherently misogynistic.

The process towards changing an institution like a Church can take a long time, and so far things have been heading in the right direction.

Continue reading at concreteonline.co.uk

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say thank you to those who transform your education uea.su/tea Stopping Brexit will solve the Irish border problem Matt Branston Comment Writer

For over two hundred years, the ‘Irish Question’ has dominated British politics.

Between Westminster eliminating the Irish parliament and establishing full control in 1800 to the Good Friday agreement in 1998, there’s been almost constant strife.

The Troubles rocked all of the British Isles and when the aforementioned Good Friday agreement was signed, allowing a more peaceful situation to continue, there was a collective sigh of relief.

Part of the reason it works so well is that both countries are part of the EU, so there’s an open border. It means there’s no physical separation between the two parts of Ireland. An Irish person in Donegal could drive to Derry the same way they can drive to Galway. The ‘border’ literally runs through town; people commute between the two countries for work every day.

What’s unfortunate is this will be very difficult to continue once Great Britain and Northern Ireland leave the EU. There is no possible answer to have both Brexit occur and maintain peace in Ireland. Theresa May’s option was the ‘backstop’,

having the UK in a single customs territory with the EU, and then allowing just Northern Ireland to keep additional EU rules to keep an open border with Ireland. This would retain peace, but it also means there would be a backdoor to post-Brexit Britain.

“Call me ridiculous, but I don’t think sovereignty is enough of a reason for Bloody Sunday” The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is specifically against anything that would make Northern Ireland different to other parts of the UK. Since they’re the reason the Tories are in power, it’s pretty clear a backstop won’t happen. This means that the only possibility is the UK leaving, and the hard border returning, which may not lead to a full-on militarised border, but would cause significant issues. Worst case scenario, we could see a return to the Troubles.

Interestingly, although police

haven’t yet confirmed any Irish links, the explosive packages found across London last week did have Irish stamps.

The only way to guarantee maintaining peace in Ireland is to stop Brexit. Do you think breaking free from the EU is worth returning to a country plagued by violence?

Where people are afraid of commuting to work because there’s a risk a bomb could be planted on their train, or where soldiers kill unarmed Irish civilians on the

street? Call me ridiculous, but I don’t think sovereignty is enough of a reason for Bloody Sunday or the Guildford Pub Bombings to occur again. I really hope Westminster doesn’t either.

Photo: Unsplash

Photos: Pixabay

Science

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12th March 2019

Decline in teenage mental health Annabelle Topliss

Science Writer

Adolescence is the prime time for mental health disorders to emerge, with half of all mental problems beginning in early teenage years.

Researchers from Liverpool and London have uncovered a decrease in the mental wellbeing of UK teenagers; a finding that is mirrored in teenagers across the globe.

Data was collected from two large groups of 14-year-olds, the first group born in 1991-92 and the second in 2000-01. The study found a shocking 60 percent rate of increase in high depressive symptoms in just one decade.

In contrast, anti-social behaviour, often linked with mental health problems, has declined amongst young people. The Office for National Statistics reports indicate that the prevalence of weekly drinking amongst teenagers had dropped by around 20 percent between 2003-2014.

Between 2005-15, self-harm has increased by four percent and depressive symptoms by seven percent. Conversely, substance abuse appears to have decreased, with the percentage of teenagers who have never had alcohol or cigarettes going up by nearly five percent.

These recent statistics suggest the link between substance abuse and mental health problems may be more complex than previously thought. This begs the question: what is causing this decrease in the mental well-being of adolescents?

And what can be done to combat it?

Modern teenagers go to bed later and sleep less than the recommended eight hours. They also have higher average BMIs and perceive themselves to be overweight.

Co-author of the study Dr Praveetha Patalay concluded: ‘The increasing trends of poor sleep, obesity and negative

UEA appoints new ProVice Chancellor for Science Freya Hartshorn Science Writer

Professor Mark Searcey, current Chair of Medicinal Chemistry and Head of the Schools of Pharmacy and Chemistry at UEA, is taking up a new position on the Executive Committee at UEA. He will replace the current Pro-Vice Chancellor for Science, Phil Gilmartin, from 1 April 2019.

The Vice-Chancellor Professor David Richardson said: ‘This is an important appointment for UEA. I’m absolutely delighted that Mark has accepted the role and that he will be joining the executive team at such an exciting time and help the University to fulfil its vision’.

Prof Searcey’s research deals with therapeutic targets, with a focus on DNA and protein-protein interactions. The group is currently focused on targets involved in cancer and inflammation. His research is highly collaborative within departments here at UEA and with

institutions across the world. From his research, he has authored approximately 80 papers and six patents.

His previous positions were as a Reader and then Director of Research in Pharmacy at UEA. He also was a Senior Lecturer at the School of Pharmacy at University of London from 2000-2006. From 1997-1999, he worked as an Assistant Professor and Research Associate at the Scripps Research Institute, California. From 1991-1996, he was a Research Scientist with the St Luke’s Institute of Cancer Research at University College Dublin following his post-doctoral research with Gerry Gallacher and Keith Brocklehurst at Queen Mary College, University of London.

Here he focused on polyclonal catalytic antibodies. In 1985, he obtained a BSc(Hons) in Chemistry from Loughborough University and he obtained his PhD with Barry Lee at the Hatfield Polytechnic in 1989.

body image might help explain rising mental health difficulties experienced by young people’.

Further research regarding the changes in sleep behaviour and weight perceptions as potential causal factors of rising mental health difficulties is certainly needed.

The last decade has seen the rise of social platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat, along with huge advances in video gaming.

Several studies have shown correlation between depression and social media and gaming addictions.

The increase in negative perceptions from teenagers about their body image may be attributed to Instagram’s constant influx of seemingly ‘perfect’ and ‘beautiful’ images of male and female physiques. The 2017 survey by the Royal Society for Public Health found that Instagram scored the worst out of all social media sites for its negative effects on body image and sleep.

The World Health Organisation described ‘gaming disorder’ as a mental health condition in which gaming takes precedence over other aspects of a person’s life, to detrimental effect. The popular video game Fortnite has been described as more addictive than heroin and equally destructive to a child’s mental development.

The decrease in antisocial behaviour and changes in sleep behaviour may be a consequence of new-age technology keeping children inside and awake for longer.

It has been suggested that psychological health disorders that first appear in childhood are more likely to cause detrimental consequences for health, social and economic outcomes in later life.

Due to this unprecedented rise in mental health problems, understanding the link between health behaviours and teenage mental health should be a priority for future research, especially if this upward trend continues.

Students opt to contract tropical diseases to pay off university debt Hannah Brown Science Writer

We all understand the stress of thousands of pounds of student debt looming over us (sorry to remind you of that), but just how far would you go to pay off the money you owe?

Some students are going to extents that may be considered extreme. In order to be paid sums of up to £3,500, the numbers of UK students volunteering to be infected with tropical diseases is growing.

Diseases can include typhoid, malaria, and pneumonia, and institutions such as Oxford University and Imperial College London are working to make vaccines to combat these diseases, which kill hundreds of thousands every year. Currently, a large focus is on pneumonia, which is the leading killer of children under the age of five, killing 1.4 million last year. A preventable disease, scientists are therefore eager to reduce this staggeringly high number.

Human guinea pigs have be-

come a popular way for scientists to test new vaccines. The UK is also a world leader in studying infectious diseases, and as the risk of a global pandemic continues to grow, it is vital to introduce new vaccines.

‘The trials pay quite well and Oxford is very expensive. I used the money for my rent,’ said Matthew Speight, 27-year-old Zoology student at Oxford University. He has been infected twice with typhoid.

‘You swallow a cup of bacteria… Three or four days later I had this crazy fever. It was the height of summer during the 2016 heatwave.

My body and joints ached, I had a strong headache, I was profusely sweating, I remember the bed being soaked, I had to do a lot of laundry that week. I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.’ He described the experience as ‘the worst of my life.’

But with prices ranging from £200 all the way to £3,500 for the worst diseases, more and more students are turning to medical trials despite the fact they may be bedridden. As not every volunteer will

contract the disease they ingest, some feel like it may be a risk they are willing to take.

The vaccine that was developed as a result of the trial Speight was involved in has now been given to 89,000 children in Nepal, Bangladesh, and Malawi, and results are expected later this year.

But are the studies safe? There are plenty of horror stories on the internet, such as a 2006 case where six male volunteers infected with a strain of leukaemia were left in critically ill states in hospital. However, scientists insist that nowadays the chances of become seriously ill are low.

Doctors are on hand for 24 hours a day, and the volunteers have extensive medical checks. They also receive a full course of antibiotics at the end of the trial, whether they became sick or not, to eradicate all of the remaining bacteria.

‘I want to contribute to tackling diseases in any way I can. It’s rewarding, even if it can be a terrible experience,’ said Speight.

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Menstrual health to be taught in schools Sylvie Tan Science Writer

On 25 February 2019, the Department for Education (DfE) unveiled a new guideline for sex and health education in England.

By September 2020, it will be compulsory for students in schools to learn about menstrual health as part of the national curriculum, starting from primary school.

Although sex education was made compulsory in 2017, public consultations were held to discuss what needed to be in the curriculum.

The DfE created three subjects following these consultations: relationships education from primary school, sex and relationship education from secondary school, and health education for all ages.

The curriculum will also be LGBTQ+ inclusive.

Alice Smith, a 23-year-old who has endometriosis, is very pleased with these new guidelines. She has been campaigning for menstrual health to be in the curriculum ever since being diagnosed at the age of 14. Endometriosis is a condition where tissues similar to the lining of the womb start growing in other places. This affects one in ten women in the UK. ‘They’ll know how to describe things that we never did and they’ll be talking about periods in school and the biology of it, and the science behind it, and endometriosis will be mentioned in the classroom,’ Smith says.

The new guidelines ensures that students will learn about grooming, forced marriages, domestic violence, female genital mutilation, relationships, and staying safe online.

There has been protests by a group, Stop RSE, that asked MPs for the ability to opt out from Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) to ‘protect childhood

innocence’. Online petition against RSE started by Dr Katherine Sarah Godfrey-Faussett received over 110,000 signatures.

‘We have grave concerns about the physical, psychological, and spiritual implications of teaching children about certain sexual and relational concepts proposed in RSE and believe that they have no place within a mandatory school curriculum,’ stated Dr GodfreyFaussett.

In March 2017, UEA’s Student Union (SU) achieved its vow to remove the barriers for women to get hold of sanitary products by offering free sanitary products to students. The SU’s Welfare, Community and Diversity Officer at the time, Jo Swo said, ‘sanitary products are not a luxury, they are a necessity that UEASU believes every student should have free access to without questioning their financial background or shame.’

‘The very notion of having to pay for expensive products just because females naturally experience menstruation creates an unfair situation in itself. The fact that UEA helps to combat this is great and other institutions should too,’ says Beverly Devakishen, third year Literature and History student at UEA. Devakishen adds that schools should be responsible for menstrual education since it is where students spend most of their time when on their periods.

This new guideline only applies to England. In Northern Ireland, the DfE requires individual schools to have its own policies in the deliverance of sex education.

In Wales, it is currently open for consultation. Although sex education was introduced in 2014, schools and local authorities in Scotland have the freedom to decide what topics should be in the curriculum.

A student’s guide to sustainable living Laura Taylor Science Writer

Many of us has seen the massive increase in awareness around climate issues in recent months.

With Extinction Rebellion taking Norwich by storm, and students planning to walk out on 15 March for #youthstrike4climate, it is clear massive action needs to be taken. But all that is futile if we don’t all do our part. Many people are confused about how they can do better for the environment.

Between the bombardment of scientific terms and the price tag that always seems to be attached, many students are scared off. But there are some easy and simple ways you can improve your ecofootprint, even with a tiny student loan!

1.

Coffee cups. Probably the most obvious, and for good reason. Unio and Campus Kitchen have been selling their coffee cups at an alarming rate, and if you’re not already in the club, you should join. Aside from the 20p savings on most drinks (what student doesn’t like a bargain), they are easier to use, and they look pretty good too. While investing in a reliable brand like Chilly’s is ideal, you can find decent quality cups pretty much anywhere. With designs to suit everyone, why not use the planet as an excuse to have a cute cup to carry around. Contrary to popular belief, the vast majority of coffee cups are not recycled with cardboard, if at all, due to their plastic lining. They need to be recycled at a specific place, meaning you can’t just dump them in the recycling bin on your way past, or if you do, you contaminate everything in that bin, meaning none of it will be recycled.

2.

Water bottles. Again, obvious. Why would you buy water when the university has plenty of water machines, and if you can’t find one, the cafés will refill for free. There’s very little excuse here other than laziness.

Buy a pretty water bottle that doesn’t leak, reap the rewards and the planet will too.

point, for example in most big supermarkets.

When you have five almostadults living in a house, there’s little reason that you can find to not bring a bag of plastic with you to the supermarket. Plus, if you really want to up your recycling g a m e , h a v i n g pretty bins for all the different waste types is an easy way to jazz up the kitchen, in Wilko you can find cool wastebaskets for as little as £2.

4.

Shopping bags. Most people have wised up to reusable shopping bag since the 5p levy was introduced in 2015, nevertheless a lot of us are still lazy, forgetting to put one of the many free totes we’ve collected in our backpacks. If you walked round a Freshers’ Fayre, you most likely have at least ten.

Roll them up and put them in the side pockets of your bags. And put them back when you’ve used them!

5.

Bypass the fast fashion.

We’re not saying never walk down a high street again but think twice before you go to Primark for every little thing you think you need.

Buying second hand is surprisingly nicer than you would think. Apps like eBay and Depop have an abundance of most brands, often lightly worn, at much cheaper prices. While it may take a little more time and persistence to find the item you want, this gives you extra time to consider if you even need to spend the money in the f i r s t place. A win-win if y o u a s k me.

Photo: Max Pixel

7.

Support better brands.

I know I said to bypass the fast fashion, but that’s not always going to work out, sometimes it’s just not practical.

But if you are thinking about m a k i n g a few purchases, go for quality o v e r q u a n t i t y.

B y buying better, you’re saving yourself from replacement next year as well as reducing waste. This goes for cosmetics too; while a Lush shampoo is a bit pricier, it’ll probably last you double if not triple the time. Fashion brands such as Weekday, Monki and Zara are great places to start.

8.

Digitalise your notes.

While it’s not always practical, a lot of lecture notes can be easily taken on your laptop, saving the paper.

And if you are one of the people who learns by highlighting, there’s no harm in typing your notes out and them printing a condensed version at the end of the module to highlight and annotate, saving the paper from all the less useful side anecdotes lecturers tend to have.

9.

Bring your own. Bringing your own Tupperware when you know you’ll be getting takeaway food is a great way to save plastic.

UEA Sustainability Society are currently working on getting a Tupperware discount in Campus Kitchen, meaning this could soon be budget friendly too!

3.

Recycling. We all know we should recycle, but not so many of us actually know what that means. Many plastics and foil-based products, i.e. Walker’s crisp packets, can’t be put in your kerbside recycling, but can be taken at a Terracycle collection

eating less meat is cheaper and better for the environment. You don’t have to go full veggie to have a few veggie recipes in your repertoire.

Charity shops can be a bit hit and miss, but you can get a steal sometimes, and an afternoon of charity shop trawling makes for a fun outing!

6.

Eat less meat. NNow I’m not going to tell you to go vegan, but

10.

Use your freezer. Most students have no idea how much food can be frozen. A little bit of research into what can be frozen just before it goes off will save a ton of food waste and save you money too. Anything from chopped onions to cheese can be stored in the freezer, if you know how.

Travel

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London: Abi Steer Travel Writer

If you aren’t local, the idea of visiting London can be daunting; there’s so much to see and do, it is difficult to know where to start.

Obviously, people with different interests will want to explore different things, but there are a few sights, activities, and places that I would recommend to anyone planning a visit.

Tower of London The Tower of London holds some of Britain’s darkest history, but you can also see an exhibit on the crown jewels – including the world’s biggest diamond – and be taken on a tour by the Beefeaters that guard it.

The Natural History Museum The Natural History Museum is possibly my favourite place of all time. Although it’s not quite as exciting as some of the other museums around London (I’d also recommend the British Museum

or the Science Museum), it is a beautiful place to be, and the displays are incredible: especially the animatronic dinosaur and floating blue whale.

London Eye If you’re looking to see all the sights that London has to offer, or even just to learn a little about its geography, The London Eye is an excellent way to get a good understanding of the area, and some great skyline photos.

Covent Garden Most of the markets around London are pretty great, but personally I don’t think you can beat Covent Garden. It always has a great atmosphere and some of the street performers are astounding. It’s a great place to roam, shop, or grab a bite to eat.

Trafalgar Square It might be an obvious choice, but Trafalgar Square is a great place to snap those important London pics without going too far or trying too hard. It’s central

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where to start? A guide to the big city to just about everything and is a great place to sit down and watch the hustle and bustle.

Buckingham Palace Although the British royal family spend much of the year here, in the summer Buckingham Palace gets opened up to the public for tours.

During the colder months, there are plenty of other royal households to visit in and around London.

Shakespeare’s Globe Even if you aren’t a big fan of the man himself, I would recommend taking a look at the time capsule that is the Globe Theatre. Between big buildings of glass lies this rather small construction, which always looks fresh out of a period drama.

Tickets for shows and tours are available all-year-round in various languages.

The London Dungeons So not the most stereotypically ‘London’ attraction, but the

dungeons are a great laugh.

They cover some of the most gruesome parts of London’s history, turning them into something playful and at times, quite scary. Just bear in mind that there might be some audience participation going on!

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park The area that once held the 2012 Olympic games is now full of parkland, cafés, and a wide range of events – check out their itinerary online to see what’s going on! They’ve also installed a giant slide down the Orbital, and if that’s not your thing, Westfield Shopping Centre is right on the doorstep.

Harrods London itself isn’t too awful a city to navigate, especially with the invention of Google Maps. If you are looking for somewhere to get lost, I recommend Harrods.

They have a department for almost everything; I hear their afternoon tea is impeccable too!

How to take care of your skin while travelling

Sylvie Tan Travel Writer

Photo: Vecteezy Our skin is a very delicate protection layer of our body and requires a lot of tender loving care to keep it hydrated and happy. In the midst of the excitement of travelling, skincare is one aspect of our lives that we tend to neglect, alongside our health. With the change in

climates, being exposed to intense sunlight, and when going on long-haul flights, our skin often suffers from the rapid changes in the surrounding conditions.

The most important tip about skincare is to always stay hydrated. We tend to forget this

when we are out exploring new places, but drinking lots of water will keep your skin fresh. This is essential, especially on long-haul flights where our skin is exposed to stale, dry, recirculated air. It is useful to bring an empty bottle to the airport and fill it up once you are through security. Although being on the plane increases your frequency of using the toilet, it is good to drink plenty of water not only to stay hydrated, but to prevent altitude sickness as well.

A great trick to get that extra moisture into our skin is to carry out your regular skincare routine on the plane with the addition of a moisturising mask.

It is handy to have face wipes with you to get all that dirt off; a bare face without makeup allows your skin to breathe. Once your skin is free from dirt, pop on a hydrating face mask to replenish all that lost moisture. Follow up with your favourite moisturiser and your skin should feel as smooth and fresh as a baby’s bottom! Of course don’t forget your hands too; apply lotion to hydrate them as well. Do not forget to pack travel-size products (less than

100ml bottle) if you are bringing them on board!

For some of us, we may indulge ourselves in more sugary foods, fried snacks and alcohol than usual, and this tends to be a recipe for disaster for our skin.

I am always guilty of this; local cuisine, street food, and sweets always tempt me.

This may result in breakouts after a vacation, but this can easily be prevented. Drinking plenty of water will help flush out the toxins in our body. When at a sunny place, always wear sunscreen. Especially when you are at the beach, apply sunscreen not only on your face but on your entire body as well.

The sun’s UV rays are very damaging to our skin, so it needs to be protected. SPF 30 and above is advised if you are spending your entire day out and exploring the area. Don’t forget to reapply every few hours. For you adventurers out there, it is crucial to apply sunscreen when going up the mountains even though it’s cold. Being closer to the sun at higher altitude means that you are more exposed to its rays.

There you have it! All you need is lots of water, your favourite moisturiser and sunscreen as basic hydration and protection for your skin. Keep your skincare routine in check when you travel, or maybe go a step further to replenish the moisture, allowing your skin to glow and feel fresh!

Where the wind comes sweeping down the plain Amelia Rentell

The tune to Oklahoma plays on the school bells as I hurry from the top of campus to the bottom.

It is -7 degrees celsius but my Snapchat is blowing up with people drinking snakebites in the UEA square. My campus, is a dry campus.

Oklahoma is a difficult place for most people to point to on a map. Even, or should I say, especially for Americans. It is a sort of black-hole where old timey Western sets are still lingering, where oil dredgers line every highway.

You can almost see Steinbeck reclining on a rocker, planning his next novel. I don’t fit in here, but it’s been nice trying.

I forget how difficult this ‘study abroad’ task is, and sometimes I think I don’t give myself credit for it. Oklahoma seems permanently stuck in 2007, contactless is rare.

But it is charming, in its own way.

There are small pockets of hope and liberalism, a new generation pushing their way through the frat boys for attention.

It is easy to find a boy studying Business because when his old man retires, the family fortune will come to him.

"Oklahoma seems permanently stuck in 2007, in its own way."

He’ll marry a girl who’s only at school to meet a husband and she’ll stay at home with their six kids and they’ll live in Oklahoma forever. Some people want to. I am glad for the people who don’t.

As I trail along the icy path to school, I see the geese that have decided to make the path their temporary home.

There can be up to 50 of them on the side of the road. I wonder if they’re lost; surely they can’t want to make Oklahoma their forever home?

I pass the Greek houses and notice that some have remnants of last night’s parties: red cups and bottles on the front lawn. Yet others are pristine; their white grand columns saying ‘Mummy and Daddy told me I’m better than you’.

It is a strange place that no one apart from the people that live here care about. Take me back to 2019, where people believe in climate change and evolution. I’m so over 2007.

Photo: Vecteezy

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concrete-online.co.uk/category/travel/ | @Concrete_UEA

7 Lauren Taylor Travel Writer

By now most people are aware of the myriad of ethical issues involved in anything we do, not least travelling, but how can we help this? What can we do to make travelling better for people and the planet? There’s a common misconception that being ethical is expensive, but I strongly believe this is mostly in its branding. Yes, big swaps and changes can be expensive, and no one is denying that, but people often undervalue the little actions that can make all the difference.

Fly less.

Most people shy away from the thought of this, preferring the speed of air transport and the comfort of all the airport facilities.

But aviation is responsible for the biggest portion of the UK’s transport emissions, even though people drive daily. I’m not saying don’t ever get a plane again, I’m saying do you need

ways to make travel more ethical to fly? Hiring a car and going on a road trip can often be a lot more fun; you get to blast your own tunes, pack a car full of snacks and stop at amazing places you never would’ve seen on a plane. And most likely the fuel and rental cost will be about equivalent to flying anyway.

Another thing to consider when flying is carbon offset. Getting a plane is bad for the environment, but why not try an action to counteract that? Many airlines now include an optional carbon offset charge but paying more can be hard to swallow. Try going on a few beach cleans while abroad, or only eating the vegetarian delicacies in the aim to ‘cancel-out’ your airmiles.

Stay local.

Again, a contentious issue.

Many people think that travelling in their home country is less fun, and while it can feel less immersive, by not even trying you’re missing out on plenty of opportunities! And it’s cheaper, meaning while you’re staying local you can be saving up for that once-in-a-lifetime trip somewhere more exotic. Short city breaks are the worst form of travelling for emissions. Taking two flights in three or four days is a ton of carbon being added to the atmosphere. A much ecofriendlier way of doing this is to interrail. While you will have to save a bit more, a longer trip

with train transport and maybe only one set of flights is so much better.

Be careful with cosmetics.

While it’s amazing to jet off to the tropics or a beautiful beach, parts of your usual routine may be better off being left behind.

Most people stock up on cheap sunscreen in Boots before their holidays, but have you ever thought about the abundance of chemicals you’re putting in the sea? Try opting for ‘reef-safe’ sunscreen so that the coral reefs you snorkel over are still there for others to see later. The same principle applies for makeup and hair products, so consider how much you really need to make yourself over before spending the day at the beach or pool.

Reduce your waste.

When travelling, many people opt for convenient ‘miniatures’ of their favourite brands to get through hand luggage restrictions or to save space. Consider buying your own refillable pots to make these up yourself, because the number of miniature containers thrown away is astonishing! Especially if you’re going to a nation less experienced with recycling, this container will almost definitely end up in landfill, or worsen the ocean. The same applies for bringing your own water bottle and coffee cup. It may take up a

bit of space when packing, but the money saved will be worth it even without the reduction in waste!

Buy local.

Many travellers crave the familiarity of snacks from home while abroad, opting for some Cadbury chocolate instead of the local delicacy, but this is something that’s worth thinking twice about. When you buy imported goods, you are not only increasing your carbon footprint, but also holding back on contributing to the local economy.

Buying from local vendors often contributes directly to feeding their families, and when you’re travelling in developing countries that’s pretty important.

You’re visiting their land, the least you could do is help them to have a slightly better life purely by choosing to buy their goods.

And don’t forget the amazing cultural experiences that come with buying local! You get to find new favourite recipes and have souvenirs to tell stories about.

Research animal activities.

Activities involving animals are notorious for being cruel, but still millions of tourists can’t resist the opportunity for a cool selfie. While many people are aware of the atrocity of stroking drugged-up big cats, many still ride elephants and

camels and visit zoos abroad.

It’s worth noting that the UK has some of the world’s best animal protection laws in captivity, and you should be wary when going overseas, don’t assume that in somewhere even as close as Germany, for example, animals will be treated the same. In many European countries dolphins are kept in tiny tanks and subjected to ‘petting’, or as a human might put it ‘harassment’. There are ethical activities out there where you can observe amazing animals in their natural habitat, but do your research.

Don’t ‘voluntour’.

It’s become a popular marketing technique in recent years to sell ‘voluntours’ - tours of developing nations that include a few days of volunteering. But this is purely for appearances.

Spending one day in an orphanage does not mean you have helped orphans, in fact it is quite the opposite.

Exposing vulnerable people to a succession of tourists can seriously hinder their development, and make it more difficult for communities to thrive. If you seriously want to volunteer abroad, look to companies such as Global Visions International (GVI) which have the gold standard for ethical practice, but don’t be afraid of hard work, because real change doesn’t come easy.

Fancy a bit of bizarre? Here's where to go Rachel Glaves Travel Writer

The world is full of strange things and the UK is no exception to this. A day trip out or a weekend away from Norwich provides the perfect opportunity to experience these bizarre attractions.

The Devil’s Punchbowl: just the name of it is bizarre and intriguing.

This mysterious pond, not far from Thetford, randomly fills and empties, even if it doesn’t rain! Suspicious and confused people associated this weird place with the devil (hence the name). Sadly, a little less excitingly, this site is only a natural pond and sinkhole made from an underground cavern formed by collapsing subsurface chalk. Still, such a bizarre site so close to UEA must be worth a visit.

The superstition continues.

A nice weekend away to North Yorkshire would not be complete without visiting Mother Shipton’s Cave in Knaresborough. This very odd

site can be found in the woods along the river and has become quite the tourist attraction; in fact it’s been popular since 1680!

Locals believed that a witch in the local area (Mother Shipton) was associated with tragic events, but also turned things to stone. Historically people brought objects to the nearby ‘petrifying well’ and hung them up, where the witch turned them to stone. Rather disappointingly, these ‘petrified objects’ were turned to stone because of the minerals in the water, but it is still a hauntingly bizarre place!

"The superstition continues"

The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic is another completely bizarre and superstitious place.

Museums aren’t for everyone and Cornwall is quite far from here, but not for a weekend away! And I have a funny feeling this museum is completely different to other ones. It has the world’s largest collection of items relating to witchcraft; mixing magic with belief practices (from the past to the present). It’s had some utterly mad exhibitions on pins and puppets, and on grave dust. Personally, I’m not sure if this would be a place for me, but it is certainly unique and strange.

I promise not everything in this country is full of superstition. Sometimes we have wonderful local traditions which are completely bonkers but extremely hilarious. One is the ‘world famous’ Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling Festival.

Everyone has heard of this local tradition. Just imagine how much fun running down that hill with a huge cheese would be!

No one really knows why this became a thing. Maybe it was about grazing rights, or maybe it has pagan origins. The scattering of buns, biscuits and sweets at the top of the hill apparently has

something to do with this. So it’s worth the visit!

Peculiar traditions continue the further north you go.

I have experienced the utterly bizarre tradition of the Pace Egg on Good Friday in Heptonstall, Yorkshire.

Pace Eggs were a country wide, rural English tradition that is less regular now.

It’s a great place to go if you’re down for a couple of drinks (as students very often are).

Essentially a performance is done by the village amateur dramatic group. Every hour they perform, and drink more and more as they go along. It’s a wonderfully bizarre thing to witness!

Photo: Lewis Clarke, geograph. co.uk

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12th March 2019

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Amie Dutton reports on success Pole Fitness showcase in Surrey for UEA’s Dancers a triumph in LCR Tony Allen Sport Editor

For our first competition of the year, UEA Ballet, UEA Dance Squad and UEA Tap all made their way down to the University of Surrey for their 2019 Dance Competition. This is the third time we have attended Surrey’s competition so we were very excited to return once again and our high expectations that it would be a great event were certainly not disappointed!

As a university, we entered a total of eight routines: Intermediate Ballet, Advanced Ballet, Intermediate Tap, Advanced Tap, Intermediate Contemporary, Advanced Contemporary, Intermediate Jazz, and Advanced Hip Hop, all of which have been choreographed and taught by students within our clubs.

With it being our first competition of the season, and the

first competition ever for some of our competing members, we were all understandably a bit nervous about debuting our dances, especially in front of such a big crowd and four professional dance judges. However, everyone did their absolute bests, with some beautiful performances and infectious energy that even rival universities loved.

We were up against twelve other universities from all across the country, who all performed amazing routines, but we somehow managed to come away winning seven trophies, three of which were special awards! The awards we won were as follows: 1st place for Advanced Ballet, 1st place for Intermediate Tap, 2nd place for Advanced Tap, 3rd place for Advanced Contemporary, Impetus Award for Intermediate Tap, Best

Spirit Award for the university as a whole, and finally our Advanced Ballet Choreographer, Mion Yu, won Best Female Dancer of the whole competition.

Every single one of our dancers performed incredibly well and all of our choreographers, competition organisers, and Presidents worked extremely hard to make sure UEA were in with the best chance of achieving so we are very pleased that all of our efforts have paid off.

We are so proud of everyone and we could not be more impressed at how committed and dedicated our dancers have been despite all odds.

Our next competitions are on the 16 March in Manchester and the 24 March in Northampton so we are looking forward to performing twice more and hopefully bringing home more trophies for UEA Dance!

UEA hosts Korfball nationals and places second Jack Sayer Sport Writer

UEA results Last weekend UEA played host to the Korfball BUCS National Championships in the Sportspark.

Our first team had worked hard earlier this year through preliminaries and regionals, securing one of the four regional top seeds going in to the weekend.

There was a lot of pressure on the team following back-to-back national titles the previous two years and an unbeaten run qualifying for the tournament.

The group stages on Saturday started off with a win against Southampton, who we had faced the previous year in the finals.

Birmingham beat us in the second game of the day. It was a tough loss but the team came into the final group stage game against Strathclyde fighting hard, taking the win and placing top of our group.

Saturday finished with a quarterfinal victory against Bedford, seeing us through to the semi-finals the next day.

Sunday began with a semi-final matchup against Nottingham, a strong team we had faced in each qualifying tournament leading up to nationals. I think everyone was feeling the pressure with two other regional top seeds struggling the previous day. The team battled hard and dug deep to take the win against Nottingham, seeing us through to our third back-to-back national finals appearance.

Southampton 9-8 (W) Birmingham 10-15 (L) Strathclyde 15-11 (W) Bedford 11-7 (W) Nottingham 12-7 (W) Sheffield 15-12 (L)

The team looked good starting off against Sheffield, unfortunately the shots just weren’t falling in our favour and the long shots from Sheffield kept hitting their mark.

“There was a lot of pressure on the team following back-to-back national titles” Sheffield ultimately took the victory, but the team fought hard until the end and still managed to take home the silver medal.

Whilst it may not have been the gold the team were hoping for, 2nd place in the UK is still an incredible achievement and this has marked the club’s 7th top 3 finish in a row!

The club couldn’t be more proud of our team and loved every minute of watching them play over the weekend.

We’d love to thank all the supporters who came out to cheer us on, as well as all of the incredible volunteers from both UEA and the other local clubs. You provided a great atmosphere and helped the weekend run smoothly.

The club have one last BUCS tournament this season, with both the 2s and 3s teams heading to Leeds at the end of March to compete in National Plate. Both teams will be hard at work over the next few weeks to try and follow on from the first team’s medal winning success.

We’re a club open to all abilities, so whether this has inspired you to compete for a BUCS medal or you just want a casual weekly session to try something new everyone is welcome to come and give it a go, on Wednesdays at 5-7pm!

Follow our coverage on @Concrete_UEA

UEA Pole Fitness presented their Focus Showcase last week to a packed LCR. Over 150 tickets were sold for the event, which was hosted by SU Activities and Opportunities officer Oli Gray and UEA Pole Fitness president Oksana Shlonimskaya.

The evening saw performances from a number of club members at beginner, intermediate and advanced level which were all warmly received by the audience.

Often incorporating elements of gymnastics and other dance styles, and sometimes using props, the routines were all superbly executed, personal to each dancer, at times thought-provoking and fun.

The work on the poles from each performer was breathtaking, and the club was quick to thank the pole-cleaners from the committee who prepared them between each performance.

Starting with a performance from the club’s coach Holly Munson, a PDC approved instructor who teaches six hours of lessons to UEA students on Sundays, performers took to the stage each side of an interval where the bar was open and cakes were also on sale.

Shlonimskaya was second to perform, followed by the pairing of Emma Gadsdon and Gov Thethi, then Eleanor Ferra, Holly Ballam, Ben Lammy-Steele, RhiannaLily Smith, Naji Athar, Sophie Twyford, Mia Morgan, Ayeshah Lalloo, Katherine Seton, Kayley Loo, Bryony Tosh, the advanced duo of Dani Davis with Ferra and finally Ciara Bright who closed the evening.

There were also performances from UEA’s African Caribbean society, Belly Dance society and UEA Angels Cheer Dance show squad.

Athar, who charmed the audience with a solo routine to Piaf’s La Vie en Rose before returning to perform a fun duet to a song from the Moana soundtrack with Lammy-Steele reflected: ‘I was very proud of everyone

who performed. We worked hard and became closer by practising almost every day two weeks prior to showcase. It was great to see the creative performances from our diverse members, and for it to be celebrated by everyone.

‘There was so much energy and everyone exuded with confidence on the stage. Adrenaline took over and we gave it our all! It was a great show.

‘Diversity and creativity was the focus of our show and that shone through in the empowering performances.

‘After speaking to the people in the audience, they said they loved how different everyone’s routines were and how they fit so well with the music. They were amazed by how much strength it must take to hold ourselves in perfect form and keep the energy going throughout.

It is a true pairing of athleticism and aesthetic.’

It has been a busy time for UEA Pole Fitness. Last month they travelled to the University of Sussex, who this year hosted the South East Regional heats of the Inter-University Pole Dancing Competition. Ballam placed second in the beginner category, with UEA’s other participants being Shlonimskaya in the intermediate category, Twyford in the advanced category and the pairing of Davis and Ferra in the groups category.

They all performed their routines from Sussex at the showcase.

Also last month, the 24-hour Pole-a-thon saw UEA Pole Fitness members perform non-stop for 24 hours in the Hive to raise money for eating disorder charity BEAT. UEA Pole Fitness has existed for over ten years, and currently has six weekly classes catering for beginner, intermediate and advanced level. The club will run taster sessions and have a new membership intake in September.

Pole Fitness are now looking forward to Derby Day, where they will be competing in all three categories and hope to add to UEA’s points total.

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concrete-online.co.uk/category/sport/ | @Concrete_UEA

Concrete meets

Angels win Legacy medal

UEA Pirates Tony Allen Sport Editor

UEA Angels’ Cheer Stunt comp squad have placed third at Legacy, their second competition of the year. Legacy was held at Stratford’s Copper Box, the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic venue which now serves as a multi-purpose sporting arena.

The Angels scored 89.70, improving on their result from the season-opening Future Cheer competition. President Emily Roe

Meyzi Adoni Sport Senior Writer

The only encounter I’ve had with American Football was two years ago, when I went to film a match at Colney Lane on a freezing day.

Since then, I have been following their results and keeping up to date with how they perform as a team.

In reality, I still don’t know the rules and how it actually works. When I write these sentences, I actually feel bad, because as a huge lover of sports, I did not do my best to get to know American Football as much as I wanted to. But as they say, better late than never.

UEA Pirates won their first championship title in 22 years and they are currently competing in the playoffs. It is such an important achievement for the team and I wanted to know how they feel and get ready for these important games while having a busy schedule ahead of them. Last week, I contacted the president Connor Kennedy to have some insights about the team and although he had a really tight schedule, he happily answered all of my questions.

It is a crucial and an exciting time for UEA Pirates and we should share this excitement and support them during this time of the season.

Do not forget to keep an eye out on their Facebook page to keep updated on the match schedule and in the meantime, you can continue reading this interview and have more knowledge about American Football, UEA Pirates and how you can get involved.

American Football is not one of the most popular sports in the UK, do you think this is a disadvantage for you?

Yes, I think it has its downfalls

when it comes to recruitment, compared to mainstream teams like Rugby or Football, but we always seem to do well after the sports fair during freshers. After all, uni is all about trying new things, I’d always played Rugby and Ice Hockey before uni and thought I’d give American Football a try, as did most of the team - I think the increased popularity of the NFL, such as the games just passed in October in the UK will help us in years to come.

You won your first championship title in 22 years. How does it feel?

It felt incredible on the day, we were expecting a tough final game and we got one, but we powered through and came out with a 47-6 win. The Pirates have only topped their division three times (including this year) since we started in 1987, so we’re all excited to go down as a legacy team.

How are the playoffs going so far? You had an important match on Sunday, did you get enough support?

Playoffs are going well so far, we won our final 16 game against QMBL [Queen Mary] 14-6 on the 3 March, which was a shock to the system after beating them 47-6 the week previous. The boys went into the game already thinking we had won, which ultimately came back to bite us. But we pulled it all back in the second half and carried ourselves through to the Regional Semi-Final/National Quarter-Final this week against Bath at Colney Lane. If we win that game and the one after, then we will be promoted to the Premiership (fingers crossed).

Can you explain how American Football works? I heard a lot of comments saying, ‘It looks like they are always doing the same thing.’

American Football is actually

very complex. There is Offence on one side of the ball, whose job it is to get the ball to the opponent’s end zone and score a touch down, either by running or throwing the ball, then Defence on the other, whose job it is to stop offence scoring a touchdown. Our defensive play book, compared to our offensive, is very simple and we have one of the best Defence and Offence in the country.

How many teams you have in total?

Due to the size of the team, we only have one, as do all other universities. This is because our offensive players and defensive players are not on the field at the same time, thus it’s like having two separate teams merged into one big squad, therefore making our one team around 65 members strong.

There are less than two months until Derby Day. How are you feeling about it? Are you doing any extra preparations?

We’re getting very excited for Derby Day, we have won the past six years in a row I believe and we’re looking to continue that streak this year. Essex have a strong squad this year, and are getting promoted up from Division 2 to our division next year. As with every game though, we scheme accordingly, put in reps at training and go into the game as if we’re starting fresh. I’m excited for my second Derby Day at home and to see what UEA Sport and the SU has in store for it.

We have our annual old boys game on the 4 May, three days after Derby Day, which is one of the biggest events in our team calendar so it will be a busy week for us.

Read the full interview online

told Concrete: ‘I’m very proud of the girls and how far we’ve come since the last competition. Again we hit all of our stunts and performed a clean routine. We’re looking forward to our last competition at BCA now on 16 March and we’re hoping to improve our routine and place even higher!’

BCA will take place this year in Derby. UEA’s Cheer Dance team will also be making the trip to the Midlands, hoping to defend their 2018 BCA title.

UEA Dancesport visit Blackpool Claire Bilsborough Sport Editor

On the 23 February, a few of our members recently attended the biggest university Dancesport competition in the UK, Blackpool IVDC. Blackpool is famous for its ballroom scene, and the Winter Gardens, where the competition takes place, is spectacular.

The competition day is incredibly demanding, with most competitors waking up around 4-5am to get ready for the day. This includes very

intricate hair, bold makeup, false eyelashes and nails, and fake tan for women. Male dancers will also tan, and have their hair slicked back, and many advanced male dancers will also wear makeup. The first event is always Beginners’ Waltz and Quickstep at 9am, but competitors arrive for 8am.

Read the full article online at concrete-online.co.uk

A bloody good fundraiser Abbey Hancock Sport Writer

With a National Champion title behind them, and the winners of UEA’s Sports Club of the Month, it’s hard to think what the Angels could possibly do next! Yet, evidently, they don’t seem to show signs of stopping. The club is in the midst of planning their biggest charity fundraiser ever, calling on other UEA sports clubs to see if they have what it takes to Cheer Dance in an LCR event to remember!

Joe Skeet, Student Sport Coordinator, encourages students to buy tickets to ‘support the Bloody Good Period Charity’ and furthermore commends the club for ‘putting so much time and effort into raising money for such a fantastic cause.’

So You Think You Can Cheer Dance? will display some of the

university’s most notable teams and challenge them to learn a fun, fastpaced, pom routine to perform in a live competition. The event is in aid of Bloody Good Period, which as a currently all female club, the Angels felt very passionately about.

A representative of the charity spoke with us to say: ‘We’re bloody outraged that period poverty should exist and events like this one help to spread the word about the issue, as well as raising vital funds to help us buy more pads for more peoplebecause no-one should have to use a rag or sock, or go without products they need. Everyone deserves a bloody good period- thank you Angels for making it happen!’

So make sure you come and show your support!

The event is taking place on Tuesday the 19 of March 6:00-8:00 in the LCR, tickets are available now through the uea.su website!

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Sport

UEA up for the cup in Nottingham!

Photo: Emma Zugic

Tony Allen Sport Editor

UEA’s teams experienced a mixed day in Nottingham last Wednesday at their BUCS Conference Cup finals.

Before the Conference Cup action got underway, UEA men’s Rugby third team went down 12-7 to Lincoln’s first team in their Midlands Conference Plate final, but were pleased with their runner-up spot.

UEA Fencing’s ladies performed well against Nottingham Trent but ultimately lost 108-118. The club has enjoyed other BUCS success this year, with Tin Chen taking home a bronze medal in the men’s sabre at BUCS Nationals last month.

Despite taking the lead inside the first ten minutes through Ben George, UEA men’s Football were beaten 2-1 by Leicester’s first team in their Conference Cup final, conceding twice in the last ten minutes after having midfielder Tomasz Siemienczuk sent off.

UEA FC are still fighting on a number of fronts in local football and can be pleased with Conference Cup silver after edging out Warwick 1-0 in the semi-final at Colney Lane and winning the BUCS Midlands 2A league unbeaten.

UEA men’s Hockey team agonisingly lost their Conference Cup final against higher-ranked Oxford 2s. After going 1-0 down, UEA equalised shortly after halftime through Arthur Graham, leaving the teams tied 1-1 at full time. However, UEA lost out 5-3 on penalty flicks against the unbeaten champions of Midlands 2A, the tier above UEA.

“UEA Women’s Hockey won their Midlands Conference Cup final 3-2 thanks to goals from captain Áine Gransden, Bente Eggink and Peace Umelo ” There was better luck for the women (pictured), who won their final 3-2 against Nottingham 4s thanks to goals from captain Áine Gransden, Bente Eggink and Peace Umelo. All the scoring took place in a frantic first-half, with UEA holding

on to bring home the gold medals.

UEA’s women are no strangers to an exciting cup game, having won their semi-final 5-4 against Oxford Brookes 3s at the Sportspark the previous week.

UEA’s Table Tennis team also came home from Nottingham victorious, beating Warwick firsts 8-9. UEA’s team of Gaurav Aravind, Zachary Martillo, Nathan Downes and Leo Lam won the Conference Cup to cap an unbeaten league season which has seen them top Midlands 2B. In other BUCS cup news, a 3-0 win away to City University, London saw UEA’s all-conquering women’s Volleyball team reach the final of their BUCS national Trophy, where they will face Glasgow. Volleyball remains UEA’s second highestscoring team in terms of BUCS points behind Futsal.

Fifteen members of UEA Snow travelled to Milton Keynes’ Snozone to compete in the BUCS indoor dome series regional qualifiers at the end of February.

Several qualified for the national finals in Leeds later in the month including the Ski Race Duals team for the first time ever, Charlie Howe in the men’s Ski Race, John Corcoran in the men’s Snowboard Freestyle and the club’s Ski captain Fintan Corcoran in the men’s Ski Freestyle.

UEA’s Gymnastics team brought home several medals from the Nottingham Open last week.

In intermediate men’s Conor Heneghan won gold medals on the floor, vault and overall, Harry Sandford took silver on the floor and overall, while in the advanced women’s category Lizzie Payne won silver on the floor.

Several UEA sportsmen have recently been selected to represent regional England sides. After a successful initial trial, Footballers Ben George and Richard Black travelled to Sandbach United FC near Stoke and played 45 minutes each for the South of England against the North in a trial game for the full English Universities side.

They are waiting to hear whether they have been selected for the team to play an upcoming series of home internationals.

UEA captain George reflected: ‘We both thought we played well.

The standard was really good, we’ve just got to wait and see now. We think we’ve got a good chance.’

‘Either way, it’s good experience for us,’ added Black.

After a successful trial in Hertfordshire, men’s Lacrosse captain Travis Payne has been called up for the South-East England universities team, who will face the other regions in an upcoming tournament.

American Football reach post-season playoffs UEA Pirates American Football team have won their league, and continue to progress in the playoffs.

The team sealed the Division 1 South-East championship with a 47-6 win at Queen Mary in their last match of the regular season to make it seven wins out of eight and as they enter the end of season playoffs with a points difference of +199.

President Connor Kennedy said: ‘All the guys are buzzing about the win. The division has been a dog fight between us, Kent Falcons and QMBL Vipers [Queen Mary] following shortly behind, fighting for the top spot.

‘This season has been our most successful since before most of us were born. The team was formed in 1987 and we have only won the division three times including this year. It is a huge achievement for us, but we’re remaining humble and keeping focused ready for the challenges that we face in the next few weeks.’

Last week the Pirates won their first playoff game also against Queen Mary 14-6 at Colney Lane to see them into the quarter-finals, where they faced Bath on Sunday.

Turn to page 23 for a full interview with Kennedy about all things UEA Pirates…