Issue 1432 Monday 24th Oct 2022
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The misogynistic history of femininity A spooky tale, dating back 500-years, labelling women who don’t fit the ‘norm’ as people who should be feared Lifestyle | page 15
The legacy of Treehouse of Horror
After 33 episodes, is The Simpsons a trick or a trea this spooky season?
TV | page 23
The harrowing truth of Freshers’ dissociation An open conversation into the relaties of student life
Campus Comment | page 6
Harm reduction prioritised across Campus after drug-related death Hannah Gul-Khan - News sub-editor Elsa Tarring - Head of Current Affairs
A statement was released by the University and Union in light of a two-day inquest
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ice-Chancellor Chris Day and Students’ Union (NUSU) President Mady Baugh released a joint statement on Monday 17th October detailing their strategy to reduce the harm to students caused by substance use. The statement comes two weeks after the inquest of Newcastle University student Jeni Larmour, who died in October 2020 “after consuming a mixture of alcohol and drugs”, according to the University. In the email, which was sent out to all students, Day and Baugh described Larmour as “an outstanding student with a bright future ahead of her”, adding, “we are incredibly sad she never got the opportunity to start her academic journey with us”. They then went on to detail a series of initiatives and resources they are implementing to reinforce student welfare.
Larmour died on the first night of Freshers’ Week two years ago In an attempt to increase the support available, the email reminded students of the NUSU Welfare and Support Centre, which they can go to for any concerns, including those related to drug and alcohol use. The NUSU service provides drug testing kits, free to pick up from the Students’ Union, and a drug amnesty bin, in which
students can dispose of drugs, free of consequence and judgement.
Students were left frustrated with [the Vice-Chancellor’s] stark choice of words In addition to this, NUSU is also making face-to-face support available for students to gain confidential advice. The Students’ Union also offers a range of welfare guidance online in the form of resources related to drugs, harm reduction and alcohol safety. While all of these resources are promoted by the Union, the University also has student health and wellbeing services which work “to provide confidential drop-in sessions to help with concerns and questions around drugs and alcohol”. These are available every Wednesday from 5pm-7pm in King’s Gate. If students would prefer to access support at their university accommodation, they can contact Reslife, whose coordinators offer information and advice to students who are looking to reduce or quit. They also hold stand-alone workshops that take place during the academic year to raise greater awareness of the dangers surrounding drug and alcohol use. Another service provided by the University are the Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care team, who give students the opportunity to share their experiences at ‘Walk and Talks’, which provide both an inclusive and diverse environment. 18-year-old Larmour died on the first night of Freshers’ Week two years ago, when she consumed a “lethal combination of alcohol and ketamine”, according to the BBC. The day after her death, the Vice-Chancellor sent an email to all students advising them to take caution when consuming drugs and alcohol: “Remember, it is against the law to take and supply drugs and it is also extremely dangerous”. The message received backlash as students were left frustrated with his
stark choice of words. A day later, Day sent a longer, more detailed email expressing his “greatest sadness” and outlining several means of welfare support at the university and throughout the city. BBC News reported on the two-day inquest, describing how it concluded that the drugs consumed by Jeni did not belong to her, but were given to her by another student. A Newcastle University spokesperson, who attended the inquest, confirmed that this student was not one from Newcastle University. Regarding measures the university had in place at the time of Larmour’s death, there was a compulsory online programme with information on how to stay safe if considering the use of drugs and alcohol, which is still available now on Canvas. A Newcastle University spokesperson told The Courier that students cannot pick up the keys for their university accommodation until they complete this programme, suggesting that this is something that “Jeni had done”.
risk of harm”. Part of their strategy involves a collaboration with parties such as the local police and city partners to create a system that operates “without judgement, coercion or discrimination.” When approached for further comment on what more action could be taken to reduce harm to students across the country, the university mentioned a “Universities Taskforce” which was launched earlier last month. The
scheme was developed as a collective approach to help lessen the dangerous impacts of substance use nation-wide. Since Larmour’s death, Newcastle University has also been working alongside NUSU, the City Council and Northumbria Police, to formulate a new Student Drug Policy, which focuses on prioritising student wellbeing and making the information and support available to them both clear and accessible.
There was a module that students had to complete to be able to pick up their accomodation keys However, one current student said in response, “I wasn’t aware of this online module. I think it should be better publicised. If it’s compulsory, why don’t we know about it?”. The same spokesperson also told The Courier that there was no mention of how the university could improve its resources of information and support at the inquest. What has been described as a “harm reduction approach” by the University aims to “minimise negative health and social impacts associated with an individual’s drug use”. They told The Courier that the purpose of this plan is not “to signal that drug use is safe, but rather to recognise that there are behaviours which actively increase the
Image: Meg Howe