The Courier 1218

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Tune into NSR this term; the official schedule is here... Culture, pages 34-35

C OURIER THE

Issue 1218 Monday November 15 2010 www.thecourieronline.co.uk

THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF NEWCASTLE STUDENTS B.CARLIN

EST 1948

FREE

Inside today >>> Cycling against depression Newcastle graduates’ 1000mile cycle ride in memory of their friend Matt Elvidge News, page 3

The Invisibility Cloak: next season’s must-have Scientists reveal Harry Potter’s fancy-dress may not be quite so magic after all Comment, page 9

The fees debate continues Will higher fees mean less students? Ross Dent discusses. Comment, page 11

Midnight munchies What are your post-lash snacking habits really costing you? Life & Style, page 17

Cuts for art as well as students

No to cuts: thousands of students march together No ifs, no buts, no education cuts: Newcastle students join thousands more in London, in reaction to the proposed cuts to higher education, in one of the biggest public demonstations in a decade

Fran Infante Editor Fifty thousand students converged on Parliament last week to protest against the proposed cuts to higher education funding. Among them were more than 200 students from Newcastle who travelled to London to take part in the biggest, and most controversial, student demonstrations since the 1980s. In a joint effort between Newcastle and Northumbria 459 students were able to make the seven hour journey by bus for a subsidised price of just £5. Adam White, President of Northumbria University Students’ Union ,commented on the new partnership between the two rival universities, saying: “Clearly education cuts are an issue for students across

the country regardless of the type of university they attend - that was proven in our working together with Newcastle to raise the funds to take more than 450 students to London.” The Newcastle group began to convene in the darkness outside the Union building at 3.30 am, joined soon after by the Northumbria contingent whom they greeted with cheers and banner waving. The atmosphere was positive, friendly and even upbeat given the time of morning. Seven hours later the eight NorthEast buses arrived in central London and joined the swathes of students already assembled at Horse Guards. As chief organiser, Welfare and Equality Officer Sarah Fearns spoke to The Courier as the march began; “I’m really overwhelmed by how

many people are here, never tell me that my students are apathetic; they’re brilliant. “Given that the journey from Newcastle to London is so long, I was surprised at the initial response we got, but then they just kept coming and coming. We ended up with more than double the original numbers that I estimated.” When asked whether she thought the turnout would force a response from the government she was emphatic: “I think it has to, I think numbers like this you can’t possibly ignore it. If we can get them to stop the education cuts, then the tuition fees don’t need to go up and we can start working towards a fairer funding system that won’t disadvantage a generation of future students.” One of the students joining the Newcastle group was 22-year-old

Catherine Hale. She explained to The Courier the wider social concerns that had brought her to London: “I think it is important to do our bit, the cuts might not affect us directly but it will affect people we know, our children and so on.” When asked if she thought it would make a difference she replied: “Of course, I don’t think anyone would be here if they didn’t have some faith that the government would listen to them. It’s awful for people who might have gone to uni this year but didn’t get in, so now will have to go next year and be affected by the new fees. If it had been us“ she added, “I would like to think that students at the time would have fought for us too.“ Speaking at the start of the march Union Society President Tom Delamere was enthusiastic about the Continued page 4, 5 and 6

Funding for public art faces as much risk as the cap on our tuition fees Culture, page 24

Messy Little Raindrops The nation’s favourite Geordie: a review of Cheryl Coles’s new album Music, page 31

The Glamourpuss Revival Red carpet styling inspired by the golden era of cinema Fashion, page 20


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