Issue 680 13 12 02 18

exeposé

FR

E

E

ISSUE 680 12 FEB 2018 exepose.com @Exepose

THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1987

Next week, academics are set to walk out in protest of changes that could see their pensions slashed. Many postgraduate students who teach will also be on strike.

If the University of Exeter won’t put pressure on Universities UK to make a fair offer...

If the Guild decides to stay neutral...

...then we must speak out.

Make a real offer prevent this strike!

Latest updates: Pages 4-5 Exeposé ’s verdict with Uni & Guild response: Page 6-7

LIFESTYLE

From the perfect cure for a broken heart to the perfect date: the many sides of Valentine’s PAGes 16-18

SPORT

From American Football to Rugby to Netball: Varsity season in full swing PULLOUT

a

EXEPOSÉ

Devonshire House, Exeter, Devon, EX4 4PZ

Editors Print: Owain Evans & Emma Bessent Deputy: Tash Ebbutt & Graham Moore Online: Phoebe Davis & Ollie Lund editors@exepose.com News Editors Print: Megan Davies & Natalie Keffler Online: Nicky Avasthi & Ruby Bosanquet news@exepose.com Comment Editors Print: Alicia Rees & Malcolm Wong Online: Harry Bunting & Hannah Weiss comment@exepose.com Features Editors Print: James Angove & Isabel Taylor Online: Matthew Phillips & Daphne Bugler features@exepose.com Lifestyle Editors Print: Lauren Geall & Barbara Balogun Online: Bethan Gilson & Melissa Barker lifestyle@exepose.com Arts + Lit Editors Print: Mubanga Mweemba & Maddie Davies Online: Ellie Cook & Emily Garbutt artsandlit@exepose.com Music Editors Print: Alex Brammer & Maddy Parker Online: Chloë Edwards & George Stamp music@exepose.com Screen Editors Print: Ben Faulkner Online: Johnny Chern & Molly Gilroy screen@exepose.com Science Editors Print: Gabriel Yeap & Luke Smith Online: Ayesha Tandon & Rhys Davies sciandtech@exepose.com Sport Editors Print: Dorothea Christmann & Wil Jones Online: Michael Jones & Kieran Jackson sport@exepose.com Photographers Christy Chin & Léa Esteban photography@exepose.com Copy Editors George Pope, Jaysim Hanspal and Eloise Hardy Proofers

George Pope, Jaysim Hanspal, Eloise Hardy, Maddy Parker, Malcolm 'Graham' Wong, Katrina Bennett, Connor Gormley, Jaimie Hampton, Niamh Elstone, Harry Caton, Emily Pirie, Ellie McGarahan, Matt Betteridge, Johnny Chern, Penny Dinh, Emily Garbutt, Mubanga Mweemba,. Graham 'Malcolm' Moore and Ben 'Lemmy Rep' Faulkner..

@ exepose facebook.com/exepose issuu.com/exepose Advertising Kate Watkins kate.watkins@exeterguild.com (01392) 722607 The opinions expressed in Exeposé are not necessarily those of the Exeposé Editors nor the University of Exeter Students’ Guild.

While every care is taken to ensure that the information in this publication is correct and accurate, the Publisher can accept no liability for any consequential loss or damage, however caused, arising as a result of using the information printed.

The Publisher cannot accept liability for any loss or damage to artwork or material submitted. The contents of this, unless stated otherwise, are copyright of the Publisher. Reproduction in any form requires the prior consent of the Publisher.

NEWS

Editorial February has rolled around and love is in the air! Whether you're plugging for pancakes or holding out for a hero, this month contains of Exeposé's favourite holidays, and we've got plenty of articles to cover them both.

Our front page for this issue has done something which we as a team have never done before, and something that Exeposé has not done for quite some time. We feel very strongly about the upcoming industrial action, and have outlined our viewpoints on page 6, next to responses from the University and Students' Guild.

If you're still not sure what all this strike malarkey is, you can also find out the latest from our News team on pages 4-5.

Still, if there's one thing that's good about a strike, it's that it gives you more than enough time to read through our latest issue of Exeposé - and boy, is this a cracker.

In this issue, we're bringing you the latest News for postgraduate representation (page 3), and about the festivities coming up in Chinese New Year (page 4).

On the topic of celebrations, Comment is lamenting the tragic losses of ExeFest and the iconic institution that was Saturday Lemmy (pages 7-8).

Over in Features, we keep on delving into diversity at University, this week moving on from the working class to consider the experiences of BAME students (page 12).

Meanwhile over in Exhibit, Lifestyle are tackling the main event - Valentine's Day. From dating stories (page 17) to the perfect tissues to cry your heart out (page

16), they've got you covered.

Similarly, Arts+Lit are loving it up in letter and poem form (page 20), whilst Music provide you with the perfect tunes to set the mood (page 24), and Screen look into why Paddington has managed to steal so many hearts on page 29 (yes, we did have to find something love-related in there).

Science are checking out the health and environmental benefits of giving up meat this month (page 34), and start contemplating their love of animals (not least the panda, which you can find on page 35).

And, in the spirit of the season, we have to give Exeter's sports teams a bit of love too. It's Varsity season, and that means that the spotlight has turned on Netball and American Football, and will very soon be turning over to Boxing, Hockey, and the big Rugby Varsity on Valentine's night itself. You can find all of the coverage you could ever dream of (well, all that we could dream up at least), in our Varsity Pullout.

As Term 2 slips away, we're getting ever closer to the end of our term in charge. If you've ever thought about going into journalism, or just want to enjoy being part of a nearly 50-strong team of editors, check out our elections information on pages 10-11 to find out how you can take our places (it's great fun, we promise!).

So sit back, relax, and spend the time from your cancelled lecture wisely by filling in our crossword (not that you'd have gone anyway - we know your secrets!).

Until the next time!

Owain and Emma

University in national top 200 LGBT employers PAGE 5 Image: Benson Kua

COMMENT The UCU strike: what's going on, and how will it affect you?

PAGEs 6-7

Image: Dave Pickersgill

FEATURES British universities: just how diverse are they?

PAGE 12

Image: University of Exeter

SCIENCE 'Veguary': giving up meat for a month PAGE 34

Image: 'Ponce' Photography

WANT TO BE ON THE LIST ON THE LEFT? We're the coolest crew on campus (well, we like to think so at lea st), so if you're thinking about joinin g our team for next year, check out the info on pages 10 & 11.

Worldwide university news Swiss university debuts University chancellor Poorest Scottish areas Hong Kong academics' accused of nepotism see applications drop freedom threatened yodelling degree

T

HE Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts has revealed it will begin to offer degrees in yodelling in the 2018/19 academic year. Luasa will become the first university in Switzerland to offer a yodelling degree and will run a three-year bachelor’s course and a two-year master’s.

The course will be led by Nadja Räss, a prize-winning Swiss yodeller who runs her own vocal academy in Zurich. Michael Kaufmann, head of Luasa’s music department, stated that he was enthusiastic about the new course. “We have long dreamed of offering yodelling at the university with Nadja Räss we got the number one. It is an absolute stroke of luck for us.” Only three or four student applicants are expected to be chosen. These few will go on to study musical theory, history, vocal techniques and a business module. Yodelling is enjoying renewed popularity in Switzerland and even featured in the charts last year.

C

ARLO Montemagno, a new chancellor at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, has been accused of nepotism after it emerged that he gave jobs to his daughter and son-in-law. This was based on a verbal agreement that Montemagno made with the university’s board before being hired. Professor Montemagno defended this requirement, arguing that “positions for my daughter and son-in-law were part of the negotiation of my employment.

I have had and will have no role in hiring or supervising them, or in the determination of their compensation.” Randy Dunn, President of the Southern Illinois University System, expressed concerns that Professor Montemagno’s requirements had compromised the university’s hiring process, but added that he did not want to “jump to conclusions.” Images: Pixel-mixer/Pixabay (left), Robert1983/ Wikipedia (right)

A

CCORDING to recent data released

by UCAS, the number of applications from the most disadvantaged areas in Scotland has fallen sharply, from 1,970 18-yearolds last year to 1,900 this year. The total number of Scottish applicants has also dropped from 18,710 to 18,000 – according to the BBC, this is the first time in a decade that this number has fallen.

Scottish Conservative spokesperson Liz Smith said that the statistics were “worrying”, whilst Jodie Waite from the National Union of Students Scotland stated that “the current system of student support is broken”, and that even though the Scottish government now prioritises widening access, “substantial new investment” must be given to encourage students from all backgrounds to apply to higher education institutions.

A

REPORT for the NGO ‘Hong Kong Watch’ has found that universities in Hong Kong are increasingly limiting freedom of expression, removing outspoken professors from their jobs, while government administrators control these institutions despite the protests of staff and students. This study comes two years after the notorious Umbrella Movement, where students occupied the main streets of Hong Kong for 11 weeks calling for democracy. Peter Mathieson, incoming vice-chancellor for the University of Edinburgh and outgoing from the University of Hong Kong, has been criticised in particular for his lack of support for academic freedom and attention to students’ needs. The report, authored by a professor of political movements in Hong Kong, suggests that academic freedom is under such an extreme threat that independent monitoring groups should be established, and calls for the UK government to “state clear consequences” should the situStories by Jaimie Hampton and ation worsen.

Deepa Lalwani, Senior Reporters

News

3

NEWS EDITORS:

Natalie Keffler Megan Davies

Postgraduate Sabb election postponed for consultation

Jaimie Hampton Senior Reporter

T

HE decision to merge the roles of VP Postgraduates Taught and VP Postgraduates Research was postponed last week. Shadow Council argued that the decision to change the position from two part-time roles to one full-time role was made with little consultation, with many labelling the decision ‘undemocratic’. However, the Students’ Guild may continue to implement changes, with a pilot, three-month review underway and elections for postgraduate positions pushed back until its conclusion.

The decision ... allows more time for proper consultation

Shadow Councillor

The main issue for Shadow Councillors and postgraduate students present was that there was too little consultation involved in the decision process. Although the role was discussed at meetings with the General Management Committee and the Trustee Board, the final decision was made by Shades, the Guild President, in advance of a full Trustee Board meeting. Although the decision was made to fit in with Sabbatical Election preparation and timescales, the lack of consultation has caused many to question the Guild’s commitment to democratic practice.

In a statement regarding the changes to postgraduate representation, the Guild claimed making the decision between meetings was “a well-documented and not uncommon practice within universities and student’s unions. This rational decision was made focusing on how best to effectively represent all postgraduate students at the University of Exeter, following a review of the roles.”

The Guild stated that key members of the postgraduate community were invited to participate in a review of the roles. However, a survey was sent to 42 participants and only received 26 responses, including from some of the Sabbatical Officers. This led to questions being raised of the validity of the questionnaire, as it wasn’t perceieved to be representative of the postgraduate student community.

“I personally met with a number of postgraduates prior to the meeting of Shadow Council and their concerns centred around the lack of transparency regarding the decision as well as the lack of accessible consultation,” said one Shadow Councillor, “Shadow Council’s vote against the changes allows more time for proper consultation over a major restructuring of postgraduate representation.”

The Students’ Guild then announced a large consultation and review of student representation, which will begin with a threemonth review of the elected officer roles that represent postgraduate students. Any changes to these roles will be implemented in time for

2018/19 Academic Year.

Malaka Shwaikh, VP Postgraduate Research, stated: “This review will provide the many diverse groups of students, including postgraduates, that the Guild represents the opportunity to contribute to shaping the Guild, and in turn the student experience. I am committed to ensuring that this review is as effective as possible in capturing these views and developing them into a positive and effective elected officer team.”

is no short cut to success, and therefore implies me using the lift is a failure and to forget any other successes that may be measured differently”.

ceived from Twitter has made that easier to dismiss.

After the initial complaint and after seeking advice from accessibility the Sports Park added: “We appreciate all our customers providing feedback on all aspects of the Russell Seal Fitness Centre, therefore we would like to say thank you for bringing this to our attention. It is most helpful that we understand your point of view Following feedback we do not feel that the sign should be changed and replaced as we would not like to see any potential misinterpretation of this sign which is intended to motivate those to overcome adversity. We cannot provide a timescale on this but can assure we do plan to replace the sign”.

Alison Davidson, Director of Sport, said: “The University of Exeter is committed to supporting our students who wish to participate in all levels and types of sport and exercise and use the facilities on campus. As part of this support, we always encourage users of the Russell Seal Fitness Centre to offer feedback about the facilities. Following recent feedback from a student, we are replacing one sign to avoid any potential misinterpretation.”

I am committed to ensuring that this review is as effective as possible

Malaka Shwaikh, VP Postgraduate Research

However, students argued that there were further faults in the Guild’s proposed changes to postgraduate representation. In an emergency meeting, it was suggested that a postgraduate research student would be unlikely to take on the full-time role as they would lose out on teaching hours, which could result in a decrease the number of candidates for the position. Additionally they argued that any postgraduate student could run for the position despite having no relevant experience.

Internal communications expressed prior to Shadow Council’s vote obtained

by Exeposé stated: “It would also be the first time I can remember and definitely the first

time since 2010 that Guild Council has come into direct conflict with a decision of Trustee Board however issued, and I consider that a risk since Trustee Board has to exist by law; but Guild Council does not – many Unions have scrapped their Union Council in recent years; and it’s usually where the democratic body has thrown out a decision by the legal governing body.”

One Shadow Councillor told Exeposé: “I chose to vote against Shades’ decision as it was made with little consultation and in an undemocratic manner - this wasn’t a Trustee Board decision, but Shades’ decision alone, even though she had had plenty of time to consult both the postgraduate community and Trustee Board properly.”

“The comment made by a Guild staff member also appears to be a direct threat on student democracy. If we do what we were elected to do - scrutinising Sabbs and upholding the Guild’s democratic values - is this alone reason to threaten our existence as Shadow Council?”

A Guild Spokesperson responded: “The Guild President is in a unique position as they hold both Presidency of the Students’ Guild in a democratic capacity, and chair to the Students’ Guild Trustee Board in a business sense. The original consultation involved the current VP Postgraduate Research and VP Postgraduate Taught, who provided a list of leaders in the postgraduate community to be included. The information gathered allowed

the President (as chair of Trustee Board) to make a decision based on the feedback.

The President is democratically mandated to make this decision but Shadow Council act as a Check and Balance in the Guild’s decision making process, leading to a full-scale Representation Review now going forward.”

A Guild spokesperson said: “The decision to change the current structure of postgraduate (PG) representation was made after consultation with key stakeholders who interact with these positions. Due to student feedback, we are happy to say that a full-scale Representation Review has been launched, starting with that of PG students. As a result of this feedback, the ‘VP Postgraduates’ position has been removed from this round of elections, with a separate election being undertaken in Term 3, after the results of the consultation are approved.

Elected representatives on Shadow Council are fundamental to scrutinise the Guild’s decisions and that of Sabbatical Officers; as such, we consider this decision as a win in student democracy and are proud that the students of Exeter are so passionate about their own representation. We encourage all students to be part of the wider Review.”

The consultation of postgraduate representation is part of the Students’ Guild’s current plan to reinforce the organisation’s commitment to giving students a stronger voice through its representation structures.

Student encourages Sports Park to remove sign

Tash Ebbutt Deputy Editor

A

SIGN at the University of Exeter’s Sports Park has been taken down after concerns were voiced over what it implied. The quote at the Russell Seal Fitness Centre read “There is no short cut to success.

You have to climb the stairs”. Student Ruby Jones communicated her discomfort towards the sign on the stairs to the university after visiting the gym for the first time in months. Jones commented: “I first saw the sign at the beginning of the term when I was finally well enough to join the gym after months of physical rehabilitation. At first the sign made me uncomfortable but I tried to ignore it and carry on”.

Despite attempts to ignore the sign, Jones still felt it to be highly inappropriate. A few weeks after her initial discomfort, she tweeted a photo of the sign and discovered that many people felt the same way; confirming her feeling of exclusion.

Jones commented “As a disabled student I have to take the lift every time I use the gym. The quote clearly states that there

The sign is part of a bigger problem that is often overlooked; ableism

Ruby Jones, University of Exeter Student

Jones emailed the university voicing her concerns. She added “the quote strongly excludes disabled students and a better one could easily be found. The email was non-confrontational, and the response was brilliant. They agreed they did not want anyone to feel excluded and therefore agreed to remove and replace the sign. The sign itself may seem insignificant – but it is part of a much bigger problem that is often overlooked; ableism”.

Although Jones received a positive response from the university, other media outlets have not been as supportive.

Jones commented that “there was some real negativity on the Tab article” about the sign but that the support she had re-

Image: Ruby Jones

4

12 FEB 2018 | EXEPOSÉ

NEWS

Chinese New Year celebrations Graham Moore Deputy Editor

O

N Sunday 4 March, the University of Exeter’s Chinese Student Scholars Association (CSSA) will hold a Chinese New Year celebration in the Forum. The event will include a variety of activities, ranging from calligraphy and table tennis to traditional music and dragon performances. A range of Chinese delicacies and speciality food will also be available.

Chinese New Year - also known as the ‘Spring Festival’ - has been one of

the most important events in the Chinese calendar for approximately 4,000 years. It has its origins in a variety of myths and traditions, and celebrates the coming of the new agricultural year and the sowing season. This year, the New Year itself falls on Friday 16 February, marking the transition from the Year of the Rooster to the Year of the Dog. In Chinese tradition, dogs are symbolically faithful, hardworking, and adventurous.

The University of Exeter’s Chinese New Year celebrations have previously been the largest of their kind in the area, produced by the CSSA with sup-

port from the University, the Guild, and the Streetwise Fund. The event will begin with a dragon and lion procession through the city centre, from 1pm, followed by celebrations and a market on campus from 3pm. A fireworks display will commence at approximately 6.30pm. A Chinese New Year Gala is also planned for Saturday 17 February.

Tickets and further information for both events are available via the CSSA’s Facebook page, the University website (exeter.ac.uk/internationalstudents/ eventsoncampus/chinesenewyear), or from the CSSA’s stall in the Forum.

Image: University of Exeter

#EveryonesExeter scheme XETER City Futures has recently launched the scheme ‘#EveryonesExeter’; a crowdfunding movement that has been developed in order to enable local communities to play a part in making Exeter a better place to live, work and play. Exeter City Futures was created with the aim of delivering a sustainable future for Exeter, requiring all parts of the City to work together to identify the key challenges that need to be solved.

The #EveryonesExeter campaign enables both individuals and communities to share their ideas, supporting one another to pledge and pitch for funding projects. Potential projects could be a car-free Sunday down your local street, building a community bicycle storage on your road to help incentivise families to cycle more, or making your community centre more energy efficient.

Projects are also able to apply for additional funding from Exeter City Futures, and if they are successful

they have the potential to receive up to £1,000 to aid in the development and deployment of the chosen project. In particular, Exeter City Futures are looking for projects that contribute to making Exeter a more sustainable city, an improved place to live for future generations. Kerry Deacon, Community & Education Engagement Manager at Exeter City Futures, said “We’re thrilled to launch #EveryonesExeter for the city, it enables us to support the community in coming forward with solutions to city challenges and provide support for Exeter individuals and community groups.

The platform is now live and ready for projects to be added. If you’re a resident, student, educator, or community group with projects that could improve congestion and energy use within your community, we want to hear from you.”

The #EveryonesExeter crowdfunding movement is available on Spacehive, a funding platform enabling individuals and communities to share their project and market it to their local crowd, to help raise funds for its delivery.

a duty to use that power responsibly and no one can be comfortable with a fourteen day strike barely a month before exams start.” He cited disruption to studies, adding: “I can’t stress enough why the Guild shouldn’t encourage a strike that uses student suffering as a tool to hold universities to ransom with.

“You can man a protest, write to Universities UK for a better deal and even strike away from term time, but lecturers can never give us the education and support we need while stood at a picket line.”

Alejo Black, leader of ‘Exeter Students Support the UCU Strike campaign’, said: “Before commenting, it’s important to look at the context of the strike.When I was at the end of my first year, the UCU and UUK signed an agreement on how pension schemes should run. It was supposed to last 17 years, almost the length of my life to that point. Two years later, I’m still here and it’s been broken. The fact that the UCU feel comfortable negotiating with UUK at all is incredible, since it seems to me UUK only ever negotiate in

Natalie Keffler News Editor

E

Academics’ strike set to begin in Megan Davies News Editor

S

TRIKES at the University of Exeter are to go ahead, starting on Thursday 22 February, unless the Universities and Colleges Union (UCU) and UniversitiesUK (UUK) can get back to the negotiating table. Exeter is one of 61 universities nationally where academics will be striking.

The dates set aside for the strike are Thursday 22 and Friday 23 February 2018 (two consecutive days), increasing to three days the following week (Monday 26 – Wednesday 28 February 2018), the four days (Monday 5 – Thursday 8 March 2018), and finally five days (Monday 12 – Friday 16 March).

The dispute was provoked by UUK’s proposed changes to its pension scheme, which would see staff pensions follow the stock market. According to the UCU, this could equate up to up to £10,000 less per year for the typical UCU member.

Nationally, 88 per cent of the UCU members who voted were in favour of the strike; in Exeter, 92.6 per cent were. Staff do not legally need to tell the university whether they intend to strike. The Students’ Guild declined to comment.

One lecturer emailed his students saying: “Like many educational ‘reforms’, such as tuition fees, the proposed pension cuts will disproportionately impact young-

er people, who have not had time to pay many pension contributions. Remember, many academics do not really start pension contributions until their early thirties due to the time they have to spend in education. They seek to lose up to £200,000 with the new changes. Emerging young academics are also more likely to be encumbered by tuition debt and growing job insecurity. Ironically, this means that those most impacted by changes will find striking most costly. Some younger staff will not be able to afford rent if the strike goes head. That is why the union have a strike fund. To be clear, those striking do not get paid.”

Striking is one of the most difficult decisions many people can make

Alejo Black

The Students’ Guild has said in a statement that it “is sympathetic to the views of both sides of the dispute, and hopes that an agreement will be reached quickly with minimal impact on all students.” It also “intends to hold both parties to account for any impact on the Exeter student experience, working hard to ensure that any impact is mitigated against and monitoring the situation as it develops.”

A Student Idea calling for the Guild to support the strike has reached quoracy and, at time of printing, 77% of prefer-

ences are in favour of the UCU. It argues that “This is an issue which will have a direct impact on students, and it is the Guild’s duty to raise awareness of this campaign within the student population, as well as to stand in solidarity with university staff, whose future is now in jeopardy due to these proposals.”

It has also been raised that postgraduate students, who often teach, are also Guild members who should be represented by the Guild.

Jack Morewood, the leader of the campaign opposing the Idea, asked students not to support a strike which might impact students: “None of this is a jab at lecturers: they work incredibly hard for us and they deserve a huge thank you for all they do, but this doesn’t mean a strike is the right course of action to take.

“UCU tweeted they want lecturers to back “substantial disruption” to universities, and they aren’t tweeting lies. They say “there’s power in a union”, but UCU has

NEWS

University of Exeter in top 200 in Stonewall rankings number of indicators including a confidential questionnaire of staff, is now in its 14th year. As part of the questionHE University of Exeter has naire, staff were asked questions about been named one of the top- how comfortable they were about their 200 best employers in Britain sexual orientation at work, as well as for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgen- how confident staff were reporting der staff. As part of the high profile homophobic, biphobic and transphobic Stonewall rankings published on 31 bullying in the workplace.

January, Exeter was ranked 163rd, Stonewall recognised the efforts climbing more than 100 places. of the University of Exeter to enable The ranking, which is based on a all staff to feel comfortable expressing their sexual orientations and gender identities at work.

These efforts include the launch of a new LGBTQ+ Staff Network, where members of staff can meet regularly to socialise, as well as the introduction of rainbow lanyards across campus to allow individuals to show Image: Benson Kua/Flickr their support for an

Lauren Geall Lifestyle Editor

T

LGBT-inclusive workplace.

Anne-Marie Baker, the University of Exeter’s Wellbeing and Inclusivity Manager, said she was “thrilled” by the recognition the University’s efforts had received.

“We are committed to supporting students and staff to work and study in an environment that promotes equality and for everyone to be comfortable with their own sexual orientation and gender identities at work.”

“The diversity of our staff and student community enriches all of the world-leading teaching and research at the University of Exeter. We are committed to developing an environment which promotes equality of opportunity, values diversity and where students and staff can work and study free from discrimination and harassment.”

LGBTQ+ staff are increasingly involved in decision making related to the University’s inclusivity, training and policies, and serve on the University’s Inclusivity Group to provide valuable advice.

Week 6 bad faith.

“That said, there was a negotiation between the UCU and UUK, which broke down with no fair offer made by UUK. That’s what’s led us to this position, and this strike. Nobody wants to see the UCU on strike. The senior management doesn’t, as a student I don’t, and lecturers do least of all.

“They’re the ones who are risking catastrophic effects from this strike as some lecturers, particularly postgraduate students, risk losing up to a third of their income from the term. Striking is one of the most

Image: Christian Kleisch

5

New Wellcome Centre launches Natalie Keffler News Editor

O

N Friday 2 February the Wellcome Centre for Cultures and Environments of Health, costing £4 million, was launched at a special event.

The Centre is based at the University’s Streatham Campus, creating 20 new academic posts in Exeter in the next three years.

The Centre aims to lead pioneering research looking into helping older people stay healthy, preventing obesity and mental health in children, whilst also looking at the impact of social isolation on health. The public will also be able to be involved with this work, through taking part in research projects for the building.

The official launch was attended by many academic scholars and medical experts, with the Chief Executive of the Wellcome Trust, Jeremy Farrar OBE carrying out official proceedings.

Professor Mark Jackson, the Cen-

tre’s Director, said after the event that “we have relied on science and medicine to show us how to tackle the urgent health and environmental challenges faced by people around the world – obesity, mental illness, health inequalities and antimicrobial resistance.

“But, although crucial, science and medicine can’t alone solve all of these problems. We need to take a new approach. Using expertise from the humanities and social sciences alongside science and medicine, can give new insights. We hope the public will be key collaborators on much of our research, and that our work will help people to live healthier lives.”

The plan is also for the experts to collaborate with many notable charities such as Age UK and Alzheimer’s research UK. The hope for the future is that the research done at this centre will result in an improved understanding of how our health can be influenced and affected from the social and cultural environments we live in.

Vigorous exercise important for under-18s difficult decisions many people can make as part of their jobs. But it’s going to happen unless the UUK negotiate in good faith, and right now there’s little reason for them to. The fact that the vote saw 92 per cent of all voters in favour of a strike and a turnout that rivalled that of a general election shows how important this is. That’s where we come in.

“The senior management of the university has made it quite clear that they’re not willing to listen to lecturers. It’s a lot harder for them to ignore students. Senior management loves the brand of the university. They need us on their side to look good to new students, particularly with an open day coming up very soon. They need to know that we as students will not feed their reputation if they’re not going to provide us the service we pay for. If they’re going to make life hard for us and our lecturers, we will for them.

“And yet, unlike most student unions and the NUS itself, our Students’ Guild isn’t doing that. We need to change that. I strongly urge readers to vote in the student idea to support the UCU. You can do more than that as well. You can talk to your lecturers about how unfair UUK is. Talk to people on your course, or in your societies or accommodation or sports clubs. Have the conversation. In the worst case scenario and the strikes go ahead, don’t cross the picket line. Hell, join the picket line, I’d love to see you there. If you’re too busy, that’s fine,

maybe bring lecturers coffee. Join us on Facebook to hear the latest news at Exeter Students Support the UCU Strikes or on Twitter at @ExeStudentsUCU. Come and find us around campus before then.

“Remember who your allies are. Remember that many lecturers are students too, like you or I. Remember who supported you against the rising cost of tuition and every other time students were affected by something. It wasn’t the senior management. It wasn’t UUK. They pushed for the changes. Students have always been supported by lecturers, more than just academically. They deserve the same as they give us.”

Professor Tim Quine, Deputy ViceChancellor (Education) of the University of Exeter, said: “We understand students’ concerns about potential disruption as a result of the planned national strike action.

We are committed to doing all that we can to ensure that the impact on students’ experience is minimised and that academic outcomes are not adversely affected. We regret that the current national situation has escalated to the point of national industrial action and we still very much hope that ongoing national negotiations will resolve this dispute before the strike commences. We will continue to keep students informed as the situation progresses. We would urge all students to turn up to timetabled sessions and to submit assessments as usual.”

Alicia Rees Comment Editor

R

ESEARCHERS at the University of Exeter have found a link between vigorous exercise and the risk of heart disease in young adolescents. Focusing specifically on the effects of vigorous exercise compared to moderate exercise instead of looking at both together like previous studies, it was discovered that vigorous exercise alone can significantly reduce the risks of cardiovascular disease in later life.

It’s vigorous activity that appears to make a difference

Vigorous exercise can be described as an activity that increases the heart rate by six times and leaves the participant breathless, whereas moderate exercise makes the heart rate three times quicker.

Researchers studied groups aged 12-17, where team games especially provided vigorous exercise and helped reduce risk factors that contribute to heart disease like BMI and waist size. They also found that this kind of exercise, whilst not being able to eradicate completely, can help alleviate genetic risk factors connected to cardiovascular disease.

Dr Alan Barker

“Many previous studies have put moderate and vigorous physical activity together when looking at potential health benefits, as this is what health guidelines are based on,” said Dr Alan Barker, lead researcher on the project at the Univeristy. “We wanted to separate these and see whether their effects varied.

“Moderate activity has many health benefits, but in specific terms of reducing risk factors for cardiovascular disease, it’s vigorous activity that appears to make a difference.”

Image: Exeposé:

12 FEB 2018 | EXEPOSÉ

6

Comment

COMMENT EDITORS: Alicia Rees Malcolm Wong

UCU Strike: The Exeposé verdict

Senior Editorial Team

I

T is rare for Exeposé to stand up and openly take a stance on controversial topics. We have not done so for some time, and do not intend on making a habit of this. Instead, we have always focused on bringing the facts to students, and leaving them to make up their own minds.

However, in the face of the upcoming industrial action, we do not feel that we can continue to do this. We do not feel that we can sit on the fence as academics find it necessary to withdraw their labour, leading to the cancellation of teaching hours. We believe that, as we have a voice with which to do so, we must make a stand.

This change could end up with staff losing up to 40% of their pensions This industrial action has come about following proposed changes to the pension scheme for academics.

The Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), which currently houses academics’ pensions, has been described as unsustainable by its trustees, despite being only a short time in to a 17-year recovery plan. The USS is a shared scheme, participated in by pre-1992 universities across the UK, which guarantees a specific level of pension based upon an academic’s average salary.

Universities UK plans to replace this

Jacqui Marshall & Andrew Conolly Deputy Registrar & Chief Financial Officer

W

E fully recognise the importance of pensions savings to our colleagues and their families. The USS includes in its membership virtually all academic staff at Exeter, and more than 1000 professional services staff. We understand the concerns that staff will have about the sustainability of this national scheme and the impact of any proposed changes. We want to be sure that staff and students are clear about the reasons for the proposed changes, which are the background to this national dispute.

The key points are these: • Since this is a national pension scheme, the University cannot act unilaterally.

Universities UK, representing universities,

with a scheme which subjects pensions to market forces, which UCL’s Students’ Union, in lending its support to the strike, called “stock market gambling by hedge fund managers.” A study by First Actuarial, commissioned by the UCU on behalf of academics, showed that this change could end up with staff losing up to 40 per cent of their pensions annually, with those beginning their contributions now hardest hit. In our view, and in the view of the UCU, this offer, which could slash the pensions of academics, is unacceptable. However, Universities UK is refusing to budge, and as a result academics feel compelled to strike.

It is worth noting that there is more context to this strike than just purely pensions. There is concern about the way in which teaching relies upon the use of casual staff, many of whom are PhD students. Not only this, but such staff are often concerned for their job security. It is against this background that we begin to see how such an emotive debate can begin.

We are extremely concerned by the stance that the Students’ Guild has taken.

To be “sympathetic with the views of both sides of the dispute” is not a strong enough statement to protect the interests of students. Where the ViceChancellor of Warwick has gone on the record in telling staff that he was “mystified” with the proposed change, the fact that our Guild stands by,

providing little information to students and choosing such a stance of neutrality, is disappointing. Even one of its trustees - Malaka Shwaikh, the current VP Postgraduate Research - took to her personal Twitter to call out the Guild for its stance, quoting Desmond Tutu’s words: “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”

The Guild took this stance without consulting the views of its members and stakeholders - instead, it was a

have proposed changes necessary to address the scheme’s significant funding challenges and to put it onto a sustainable footing for the long-term.

• The proposed pension reforms still represent a very competitive pension for staff, with universities continuing to make contributions of 18 per cent of salary and staff contributing 8 per cent. Defined Contributions (DC) schemes are widely used by employers across many professions.

Universities will be contributing more than three times the national average employer contribution to DC schemes (according to a 2016 government survey).

• Any proposals for reform must be agreed by both the independent USS Trustee Board and the Government’s Pension Regulator. The Regulator must be satisfied that the scheme is sustainable and able to meet its existing commitments

to current and retired staff. Conversations between the USS Trustee Board and the Government’s Pensions Regulator have been continuing during the valuation process. The Pensions Regulator has expressed its concerns over the future of the scheme and has advised USS that the level of risk should not be increased. In view of this, it is unlikely the Regulator would accept UCU’s proposal.

• The gap between the pension scheme’s assets and the amount it needs in order to pay pensions built up to date (the “deficit”) has increased from £5.3 billion (at the 2014 valuation) to £7.5 billion in 2017. It is clear that previous changes to USS have not stabilised its funding and that further reform is required.

• The alternative proposals put forward by the University and College Union (UCU) would represent a significant increase in

conflict. With concern that the Guild only seems to pay attention to its undergraduate members, it is even more concerning to see such a sweeping aside of worries, and the direct imposition of a neutral stance. This is made even worse by the fact that, when the stance was released, a Large Idea was live on the Guild website, calling on it to support the UCU strike. To put aside these legitimate concerns of some of the Guild’s most overlooked members, as well as the democratic processes of a supposedly student-led organisation, is deplorable. Indeed, it brings into question the Guild’s role as a representative organisation.

Any threat to their working conditions is a threat to our learning conditions

formulation of its management and sabbatical officer team. It is not clear that this stance, in the slightest, paid attention to the fact that some postgraduate students, who are members of the Students’ Guild, are directly embroiled in this

We do not question that this strike will be disruptive to teaching. We do not question that this will bring stress to students - not least those who, like ourselves, are in third year, with dissertation deadlines and final exams just around the corner. However, we also do not question the fact that our lecturers and tutors are equally worried about the ramifications of this strike. This is a rare step - and we do not believe that they would walk out without good reason. As Rhian Keyse, a PhD candidate who teaches undergraduates, said at an open

The University’s Response

contributions for both employees and universities. Even if this were affordable for individual staff (for example, a lecturer working at Grade F would have to pay £1000 in additional contributions each year), universities would not be able to increase employer contributions without making significant reductions in investment in education and research, resulting in reductions in staffing.

• All pension entitlements built up to date are protected in law – any changes will only apply to pension savings that commence after any changes have been made, the proposed date for which is April 2019.

Discussions between Universities UK and UCU have continued at national level for over a year but it has not been possible to reach an outcome acceptable to all parties and a decision was made at the USS Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) on 23

meeting: “this is an existential threat”.

With this in mind, it is impossible for us to stand by. We must call on Universities UK to put a real offer on the table, to negotiate in good faith and to do their part to prevent this strike by recognising the legitimate concerns of academic staff. In doing so, we must call on the University of Exeter to put pressure on Universities UK as other universities have done, especially given that the ViceChancellor Sir Steve Smith currently sits on its board. To hide behind a defence of this being a national negotiation simply isn’t enough. We must call on the Students’ Guild to extend its support to its postgraduate students as necessary, and ask it to pay closer attentions to the interests of its members.

And to our fellow students? We call on you to support your lecturers and tutors. Any threat to their working conditions is a threat to our learning conditions. Write to the University and tell them how you feel. Stand with the academics on the picket lines on strike days. Lobby the Guild to make your voice heard. Much like how we felt it impossible to remain silent, we believe that all students in Exeter ought to find it impossible to remain silent, regardless of their viewpoint.

This strike is a defining part of our time at University. We must play our part. We must stand up. It is only by working together that we can make positive change in the world.

January 2018 on the casting vote of the independent chair.

We are satisfied that UUK has explored all options and that the changes are necessary to put the scheme on a sustainable footing for the long-term, while continuing to offer attractive pensions to staff, now and in the future, and ensuring that contributions remain affordable to both staff and employers.

We regret that the current situation has escalated to the point of national industrial action and we hope that a resolution can be found before this takes effect. However, we have taken a number of steps to ensure that academic outcomes for students will be unaffected. Whatever your views on the pension situation, we urge you to continue your focus on your studies, to turn up to your timetabled sessions as normal and to submit your assessments on time.

COMMENT

7

The Guild’s response: can we really be neutral?

Students’ Guild Spokesperson

W

ITH the industrial action that is proposed can the Guild really be neutral?

Should the Guild be neutral? When we sent out our position last week we sided with the students at Exeter.

Unlike the NUS and a small number of other student unions we put the ideology of trade union solidarity aside, instead focusing on how we can best represent the interests of our own students who are stuck in the middle and will be impacted by the industrial action. Both sides will try and put forward ways in which the dispute will impact students; some may be accurate, others not, depending on how the dispute is resolved, but one thing is certain, industrial ac-

tion means a loss of contact time, a loss of face to face interaction and a lost opportunity to ask questions. All of which students expect when studying at University.

This situation is more complicated for those PGR students who are both students and teachers. We primarily represent students as students, the UCU represents these individuals as teachers. We are involved in local PGR teaching issues such as using e-claims for payments, but this issue and the others we are involved with don’t conflict with the interests of a large proportion of our members and teaching income is used to fund study and living; both of which we are committed to supporting all students on.

In reaching this decision we looked at the student feedback from previous strikes (2013 & 14), current

concerns around value for money, teaching hours and met with both sides of the dispute. The elected sabbatical officers, using their democratic mandate, agreed by majority that the Guild would remain neutral - we decided not to tie ourselves to one side of the argument or the other so our hands weren’t tied when representing the interests of students. A neutral position also allows us to best represent the different viewpoints of all students It is great to see students engaging with the situation, being pro-active in expressing their concerns and feelings about the industrial action.

We know it isn’t the stance that some people wanted us to take, a Student Idea closes this week that, if successful, will align us to support the UCU side of the dispute and the Guild

would encourage you to consider the issues that are at the foundation of this dispute, balance the competing needs, and to vote accordingly. This strike and our role in it affects every student, so it is vital that every student plays a role in shaping our position through Student Ideas.

But before you do vote, let’s first consider how an affiliation to one side might impact what the Students’ Guild can do to represent your best interests. We are neutral but not sitting on fences, we can currently act freely to apply pressure where needed to minimise the impact, but this will change if our position changes.

The University has committed to asking those lecturers who strike to provide the teaching materials in alternative format such as notes or slides on ELE, this will help to re-

duce the amount of learning missed and reduce the impact of the strike for you; as it something that we currently can support and can lobby the lecturers to provide. If we are mandated to support the UCU side of the debate, we can’t apply that pressure.

Equally if we side with the UUK, and in turn the University on the dispute and they are unwilling to make reasonable adjustments to make sure that assessments suitably reflect the materials taught and not taught over this term we would not be able to lobby them to make these changes.

We firmly believe that not siding with one side or the other is in the best interests of the students at Exeter now; the ones that are our members; and the ones that we have a legal duty to represent.

Image: Nathan Keirn

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

V

The commercialism of Valentine’s Day

ALENTINE’S Day: the holiday plonked in between Christmas and Easter to help us forget that it is cold and grey. Valentine’s Day splits us into two groups. Those of us who are secure in the knowledge that we will be spending the holiday with that special someone, and those of us who aren’t.

Loved up or not you will inevitably end up buying something from the aisles of pink and red that pop up in supermarkets; from piles of chocolates to toys and flowers, no one is safe.

Even when single I find myself picking at least a small something for a friend so we can celebrate Valentine’s Day together, whether it is a card, some flowers, or just a crate-load of chocolate and wine for us to plough through together.

The main problem with Valentine’s Day is that it makes us focus on the material aspect of relationships rather than our genuine love for each other. What says romance more than a three foot high teddy bear?

Americans spent $19.7 billion on Valentine’s gifts last year, so it is easy to see why so many companies invest in it. You can’t watch TV in the weeks running up

to the 14th without seeing love-themed jewellery, card and food related adverts.

Indeed, red roses go up in price in the days before Valentine’s Day, and there is nothing you can do but shell out the money. No one wants to give their significant other dying roses they bought a week early to save a few quid, and cheap, post-Valentine’s day roses don’t really say “I care about you”.

Valentine’s Day was originally introduced to celebrate the execution of St Valentine while he was trying to help the persecuted Christians escape from Rome. Before he was killed he is said to have written his love a letter signed “from your Valentine.” It’s a shame that a story of such sacrifice and nobility has been reduced to a commercial ploy to squeeze some extra money out of the loved up and lonely.

For many Exeter students, Valentine’s Day will be spent this year watching the rugby 1’s playing at Sandy Park, and while a few of my friends can’t go thanks to promises made to significant others, I for one will be welcoming a most unromantic Valentine’s Day. Beth Lindsay, Contributor

ExeFest the Ex-Fest

E

XEFEST, the uni’s campus music festival, is no longer.

Recently, Exeposé reported that the festival will not be held again due to financial losses from last year, as stated by VP Activities Becca Hanley. As someone who attended the festival last year, I have mixed feelings about this: Exefest was a really fun post-exams celebration, but it’s understandable that it would have resulted in a loss for the Guild, especially given the low price of tickets compared to the number of high-profile acts.

Between the success of the festival and the high costs, it would be a hard act to follow IN LOVING MEMORY

R.I.P. EXEFEST 2017-2017

Thinking about it definitely fills my head with fond memories of first year freedom, vaguely summery weather and officially fulfilling my eleven-year-old self ’s dream of belting out ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ at the top of my lungs. Really, the whole thing felt like an upmarket Year 7 disco, and

I don’t mean that negatively. When else in life are you ever going to get the chance of seeing Cascada perform ‘Evacuate the Dancefloor’ live? Or get a ‘limited edition’ mojito pitcher in the Ram? Exefest did all of this for us, and I will miss it.

Then again, maybe it’s better off as a one-hit wonder: between the success of the festival and the high costs of it for the Guild, it would be a hard act to follow. Plus, if they raised ticket prices to accommodate for the high costs, I don’t see many students forking out extra to stand in the Great Hall all day, especially if the acts weren’t as impressive the second time round.

And there’s definitely a lot of other things that the Guild’s money might be better spent on- maybe a renovation of the Lemmy, seeing as that’s on its deathbed too? Like most fun things students take part in, the festival was an epic all-day party that no one quite realised the cost of until it was over.

RIP Exefest. It was fun while it lasted.

Deepa Lalwani, Contributor

8

12 FEB 2018| EXEPOSÉ

COMMENT

Love from the Lemmy Johnny Chern Online Screen Editor

I

T’S Saturday, 9pm. You sit alone in your halls. The phone buzzes.

Upon the luminescent screen in golden letters appear the word: “Lemmy?”.

It’s done. It’s over. Complex psychological changes have occurred turning you from introvert to extrovert.

Your night will be changed… forever.

Time to get ready: Shower? This is Lemmy. No one will be able to tell.

Run down to the shops and pick up a four-pack of something horrible and a shoulder of Chekov.

What made Lemmy great was its reliability - it was so simple, so easy Pres is an impromptu and small affair, but they always make the best pres.

“Are we actually going to Lemmy?” someone will ask in despair. Glare them down for their blasphemy! How dare they question that most sacred rit-

ual in Exeter’s hallowed (student) halls.

Get silly drunk and forget what course you’re doing or where you’re from or what year you’re in (although obviously you’re a first year), for the Lemmy is an egalitarian place where we can all live, love, and learn.

The Lemmy is an egalitarian place where we can all live and love Ready to launch an assault on the night with your ragtag team of student bandits. From all over, the Lemmy’s glow is your north star. As you arrive, the zig-zag queue is one that is better scaled than followed. “Yeah,” your look says to the bouncer, “I’m serious about this.” The bouncer considers you and checks your student card. You’ve made it into an elite club, although, to be fair, letting you in by virtue of your student status isn’t exactly the highest of standards.

You spend the first ten minutes by the bar, surprised by their sick deals on jagerbombs. The next ten minutes will be on the dancefloor, before a consen-

sus arises to get some fresh air.

Go outside and grab a biscuit off the ECU, asking if it’s okay to take advantage of them despite thinking everything they believe in is rubbish. As you go back in, your friend gets caught up arguing with one of them about gay marriage. You can’t be bothered, but this is Lemmy, and no one is left behind. Grab them (and grab another custard cream too) and go back through The Grove, not tempted by their overpriced and underwhelming chips.

Once again on the dancefloor, now it is time to set up camp. Make a little circle with some mates, preferably by a pillar - partially a landmark for the stragglers and partially as cover when the fists start flying when S Club comes on.

Time passes and the only thing reminding you that you’re not at a Year 9 disco is the amount of people getting off, and the fact that your friend cannot seam two words together.

Suddenly something happens. The

atmosphere changes. A single lonely piano is heard. Could it be? Is it time yet? ‘I sit and wait,’ IT IS TIME, ‘Does an angel contemplate my fate?’ Robbie asks. The lights turn on and you

free jam sandwich.

Lemmy is not, as has been claimed, the institution that we love to hate; it is the institution that we hate to love.

What made Lemmy wasn’t anything material - Fever, TP, Unit 1 and Move are all materially better.

What made Lemmy great was its reliability - it was so simple, and easy if you’re a first year.

More than that, Lemmy was one giant joke. But that made it.

Lemmy may not be materially as good as the clubs mentioned above, but it has personality beyond any of them.

I’m obviously biased and sentimental: the refrain that made first year, “There’s always Lemmy”, is no more. Students have abandoned Lemmy, and the Lemmy died for our sins.

Image: Exeter Students’ Guild I can only hope that the only night cheesier than Cheesy Tuesdays returns at the beginning of next year and that can see the light and the queue for the hoards of Freshers will turn up, stucloakroom and everything makes sense! dent card in one hand, drunk mate in The night was a smooth operation, and the other, and dignity nowhere to be you’re rewarded for your loyalty with a seen.

Making the Veganuary vow Nancy Laws Contributor

I

F you followed anyone vaguely fitnessy on Instagram this January (and if you don’t, honestly hats off to you), it’s more than likely that your feed was full of posts all about ‘Veganuary’ – the latest food challenge sweeping social media. It’s pretty selfexplanatory really. If it isn’t vegan, you don’t eat it. That basically means that any food products that came from an animal are off the menu. If you’re a classic Exetah basic girl and already recoiling in horror at the thought of your avocado and toast without its usual smoked salmon/poached egg combo, maybe you should give it a go.

People try veganism and Veganuary for lots of different reasons; the main three being concerns about animal welfare, environmental issues and personal health. The Netflix debut “What The Health” had my entire Twitter timeline absolutely shook for about a month after it came out, and for good reason. Its focus on the relationship between food and illnesses like heart disease and diabetes made it

much more of a newbie-friendly watch than other rather hardcore documentaries like “Vegucated”. If it’s good enough for Beyoncé, it’s good enough for you, no?

Those halcyon days of veganism are behind me First things first, I have to confess that although I started January with the strongest intentions to give “Veganuary” a decent go, I failed, miserably. So did my Dry January, in case you were wondering. I really started 2018 off with a bang. But before you write me off as a gluttonous carnivore (not entirely untrue), I have dabbled in veganism before.

At the beginning of this academic year in fact, looking September and

my final autumn term of university in the face, I decided to have a crack at it. I added things like chia seeds – great store cupboard essentials to give you the illusion of having your life together - and oat milk to my Tesco basket. I went the whole of September doing exactly as Deliciously Ella would do, and felt more energetic, generally healthier and also just a tiny bit smug.

In October, however, a double ear infection with some nice complications meant I was in and out of hospital for about six weeks. I fell off the vegan wagon, and hard.

Anyway, those halcyon days of veganism are behind me, and here’s what I learned. Being vegan really isn’t either as expensive or as difficult as it’s made out to be. If you wake up one morning, fridge stocked with bacon and eggs, and decide on a whim to go plant based, you might struggle. It’s only tricky if you don’t plan ahead.

You’ll have much better chances of sticking to both your budget and your meal plan if you’re organised and most importantly, realistic. Secondly, it’s not necessarily as healthy as you think. A surprising amount of junk food is vegan – both Doritos and Oreos, but it’s ridiculously easy to polish off less classically “unhealthy” foods, like an entire tub of hummus and half a pound of olives, under the guise of “health”.

Of course, again if you’re diligent about it, it’s absolutely Image: Pexels possible to get all

the nutrients you need from a vegan diet, but don’t think that just because you’re eating vegan food it means you’ve automatically reached peak wellbeing. Also, if you have a history of disordered eating, making the decision to lead a vegan lifestyle shouldn’t be taken lightly. The elimination of certain food groups can naturally be quite triggering and, depending on what your relationship with food looks like now, it’s really important to chat to your doctor before you embark on such a big change.

It’s certainly possible to get all the necessary nutrients from veganism Whether you tried and failed, tried and succeeded or didn’t even try at all, there’s no harm in being more aware about the ethical, personal and environmental impact our food choices have on the world. Even if you start off doing Meat Free Mondays or Fish Free Fridays (not entirely sure that’s a thing, but it is now), taking baby steps to be more sustainable like Veganuary are a great place to start.

COMMENT

9

What the F(LC)?

Hannah Stevenson Contributor

C

’EST vrai that the Foreign Language Centre offers students the opportunity to take modules of up to 30 credits at all levels from beginners to advanced, but is variation from our main discipline really a sehr gut idea?

Or does FLC modularity just present us with more time for siesta-ing in the library?

First is the question of whether by the end of FLC modules, you can legitimately claim to be able to speak your target language. Well, in theory, yes (oui / sí / Ja / sì). This is reflected by the fact that if you take 60 credits over two years, you can change your degree title to include ‘with proficiency in’ and your chosen language.

But as with any module, this probably depends on how committed you are.

Students have every opportunity to effectively learn their target language The one term that I took a Beginner’s German module (admittedly

not at Exeter), I could have spent more time outside of class reading newspaper articles, reviewing grammar, watching films and doing all the other immersive stuff that really accelerates language proficiency.

This is almost definitely why - to this day - the only German phrases I can say with confidence are “can I drink mulled wine there?” (essential); “how was your shower?” (conversational, so potentially useful); and “I love green beans” (I don’t have any strong feelings about green beans, so 100 per cent useless).

In the UK, foreign language skills at any level will set you apart Having said all that, with FLC modularity the odds are in your favour. As the modules are built into your degree, you’re afforded the time it takes to throw yourself into active language learning as opposed to trying to balance it with a job or a postgrad. The contact hours are relatively intense – three or four hours per week for 30 credit modules – and the resources both in the library and FLC are extensive. Students have every opportunity to intensively and

effectively learn their target lan- develop sentence structures with an On the other hand, in a 2015 guage; an opportunity which may be ability to think formulaically as you survey by the British Council, 62 harder to come by after graduating. try to nail the grammar (especially per cent of Britons couldn’t speak Others worry that FLC modules German - oh mein Gott). any other languages besides English. take focus from your core subject, What’s more, my experiences Undeniably, we’re falling behind. A but I think that’s quite simply bas- teaching English on my year abroad little demoralising to hear, maybe, ura. Most faculties now offer in Spain have made but honestly, if you’d ever been the opportunity to take it clearer than stood in front of a class of Spanish pp o modules from other ever to me six-year-olds enthusiastically reeling K :S ge a disciplines, recoff English phrases like “the Im Image: Pedro Fajardo ognising this as secondary sector proa chance for duces manufacstudents to tured products!” expand their then, you’d be academic inrunning to the terests and bring FLC quicker new understandings than you can to their core subsay despacito. ject - and takSo even if you ing a language don’t emerge is worth your from your FLC time just as module as a much as other fluent speaker, areas of study, if that’s not the not more so. point. i Image: SKopp ev :R At the risk of soundIn the UK we ge a Im ing like your Year 7 French teachare in a rare situer, learning a language at any level that the “eveation whereby foreign demonstrates a skill set so unique ryone speaks English language skills at any level set you that it is likely to be very different anyway” attitude is really not good apart, and university is the perfect from that which you use in your main enough. Many of the students com- time to gain those skills. The chances degree discipline. It’s really a mixed ing through the educational system are that taking an FLC modules will bag, combining literature and lin- now in Europe can speak foreign less have you saying, “mamma mia!”, guistics as you learn vocabulary and languages fluently as a given. and more “je ne regrette rien...”.

Will you be my valentine?

Rowan Keith Contributor

T

HERE are many reasons to dislike Valentine’s Day. It glorifies being in a relationship over being happily single, the price of chocolate rises inexplicably simply because it is heart shaped, and many claim it is a holiday invented by Hallmark to sell more cards and fill that annoying gap between Christmas and Easter. Even for those who are coupled up, it encourages them to spend money they may not necessarily have on gifts - uncomfortable underwear and fancy dates that their partner may not necessarily want - and undermines the things they do everyday to show their partner affection. However, despite all this, and this may be the ingrained consumerism and heteronormativity talking, I am still a big advocate for its celebration.

Now, I’m not arguing for the big

fluffy bears, dangerous amounts of candles near bed linen and red hearts made out of every substance in existence version of Valentine’s Day. I’m just arguing for the idea of taking time out of your life to show your partner that you love them. Of course, in a relationship there are hundreds of things we do each day that in some way express love. Also, we don’t need a specific reason or a specific day to take time out and show someone, genuinely, how much you care about them. However, in the ever faster, ever busier lives we lead, what’s the harm in having a reminder?

Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be expensive In this time and at our age, being almost constantly contactable is not only possible, it is pretty much a requirement. This means couples now

may exchange hundreds of messages a day, being in continual conversation, without actually taking a moment to compose something meaningful. In the days of letters, individuals could take hours if not days to compose their heartfelt expressions of love to their partner, without the partner checking their mailbox every few minutes and being unreasonably aggravated by a lack of response. The pressure of needing to reply outweighs the desire to say something genuine, and we lose the act of actually putting into words why it is we care about the people around us. This applies to all relationships, and I am a strong advocate of doing this with friends as well, but given that society has taught us that our romantic relationships should be the most important in our lives, other than those we have with our children, I’ll focus on that for now.

When we put this increasing pace of life into the context of the university bubble, Valentine’s Day becomes

even more necessary. In Exeter, pretty much everything is within a twenty minute walk, and few students have the money or the time during daylight hours to regularly go out on dates. Because of this, the ease of staying in at one person’s house and watching Netflix on your parents’ account often outweighs the desire to actually go out and do something special. When all this is added to social commitments, societies and other engagements that often require giving up an evening and spending money, it is easy on the days off from the struggle of being a social butterfly to just stay in rather than yet again forcing yourself to stay in regular clothes, as opposed to pyjamas, later than eight o’clock. Obviously, spending time together is wonderful wherever it occurs (within reason), and not wanting to spend money is a incredibly valid, but having a reason to organise something special can be no bad thing.

Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be expensive. It doesn’t necessarily have to

cost anything. In spite of its consumerist nature, the concept itself does not require money. Although, along with 95% of the student population, I want to save money wherever possible and do Marx proud by condemning capitalism and the consumerist exploitation that it creates, I refuse to condemn a day that forces one to appreciate those who often get taken for granted.

In the ever busier lives we lead, what’s the harm in having a reminder?

Also, without Valentine’s Day the film named after it would not exist, and we would not have had documentation of Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner’s relationship on film, which we can all agree was one of cinema’s greatest gifts to humankind of the twenty-first century. If this is not reason enough for you to love Valentine’s Day, you are dead inside and I refuse to argue with you.

Elections Sections have two pairs of editors, a pair for print and a pair for online. If you want to run, you’ll run by yourself, and the strongest two candidates will then be paired up by an all-members vote.

If you run for a committee position you’ll need to prepare a manifesto of approximately 150 words which details what you want to do with your chosen section, as well as a one minute speech (two minutes for senior positions) to present on the day. There’ll be some questions to answer too!

Below is an example of a manifesto (yes, it really is that easy)...

Print Arts + Lit Editor manifesto I aim to subtly split the section into features and reviews, purposefully merging the content to create a more varied reading experience...

Other ideas...

• add themes for each issue, to unify the sections (especially good for book reviews) e.g. already-used themes (Christmas, Halloween, New Year) and new themes (sci-fi and fantasy, comedy, international) • encourage features/opinion pieces • have one student and one local/national theatre/comedy review each issue • introduce a Top 5 / My Bookshelf opinion piece (example Top 5 themes: classics, reading accessories, graphic novels)

Committee 2017/18

Pho-

HOW TO JOIN EXEPOSÉ COMMITTEE First, get writing!

The more you get involved, the more we’ll start to recognise your name, showing your enthusiasm and ability to produce some lovely content.

Come along to proofing...

Every other Friday from 11am-5pm, we meet in the Activities & Volunteering Hub (near Pieminister) to look over the paper before we send it to print. Whether your grammar skills are top notch or need a little fine tuning, come along to help out and meet the team!

Pick a section and apply There are loads of roles up for grabs, so start thinking about which one you’re most interested in, all of which are listed below. Then send in your manifesto to oe220@exeter.ac.uk - 150 words for section editors and 300 words for senior pairs.

Elections will be held on 7 and 8 March.

t for our Also look ou ’ events, s r o t i d E e h t ‘Meet an come c u o y e r e h w rrent u c h t i w e s i l and socia ve your a h d n a e e t t commi swered! n a s n o i t s e qu 2 x Pr int Ne ws Edi 2 x Pr tors int Co mment 2 x Pr Editor int Fe s atures 2 x Pr Editor int Li s festyl 2 x Pr e Edit int Ar ors ts & L 2 x Pr it Edi int Mu tors sic Ed 2 x Pr itors int Sc reen E 2 x Pr ditors int Sc ience 2 x Pr Editor int Sp s ort Ed 1 x Fo itors reign Corres ordina pont C tor o-

2 x PR

INT E

DITOR

2 x PR

S

INT D

EPUT

2xO

NLINE

2 x CH

CIAL

TORS

EDITO

RS

IEF PH

2 x SO

Y EDI

OTOG RA

SECR

PHER

S

ETAR

IES

s News Editor 2 x Online tors Comment Edi 2 x Online res Editors u t a e F e n i l s 2 x On tyle Editor s e f i L e n i l rs 2 x On & Lit Edito s t r A e n i l 2 x On rs Music Edito 2 x Online ors Screen Edit ors 2 x Online & Tech Edit s e m a G e n i l 2 x On tors Science Edi 2 x Online rs Sport Edito 2 x Online

12 FEB 2018 | EXEPOSÉ

12

Features

FEATURES EDITORS: James Angove Isabel Taylor

Uni(di)versity

Image: Michael Bueker

In the second in our series of articles looking at student diversity, Neha Shaji explores the experiences of BAME students at British universities

U

NIVERSITIES in the UK attract a large number of international students. This should, in theory, lead to a diverse academic environment, especially considering the fact that the UK itself has a 13 per cent BAME (Black And Minority Ethnic) population.

The population of the University of Exeter is made up of 18.5 per cent international fee paying students and 20 per cent BAME students (as of January 2016). Exeter considers itself a diverse university – although this could just be in comparison with universities in other similarly overwhelmingly white-majority areas like Kent or the rest of Devon.

Whilst the experience of being an ethnic minority in an academic situation varies among minority ethnicities and religions, the pervasive feeling of slight alienation is a shared one.

A 2016 Times Higher Education article stated that 16 per cent of students from minority ethnicities report satisfaction with the level of support they receive at university, a markedly lower figure than the 27 per cent average of those surveyed. Universities tend to have in place support networks for the general problems students face: mental health counselling, crisis centres, and eating disorder support – but much poorer systems for issues that minority students face. For example, instances of discrimination or racism.

Indeed, some international students who had come to the UK with me to study at universities in London felt like they were allocated accommodation occupied exclusively by other international students, which added to the feeling of exclusion and alienation.

When I first arrived in Exeter, I was pleasantly surprised by the Welcome Team at Heathrow who did a fantastic

Image: Pixabay job of acclimatising us to the campus and surroundings. However, before I arrived, the pre-departure briefings from the University of Exeter handed out lists of etiquette to me and others, describing the British as “liking their personal space” and “not fond of personal questions."

This can make students feel as though a “foreign” personality has to be adapted to the British climate. At university (or in any academic environment), the novelty of being asked repeatedly where I was from and whether I plan to return there after my degree wore off around the same time I got used to the hills.

Interestingly, I had a couple of other international student friends from the EU – who weren’t singled out for such questions in casual conversation.

Students can feel like a ‘foreign’ personality has to be adapted to the British climate The haunt of every A-Level student, TheStudentRoom, has quite a number of questions on the Exeter forum from worried students of BAME or international backgrounds. There are worries about how they would be treated at university or whether they might feel alienated. The feeling of alienation, and the fear of it, is quite real – I spent my entire first week trying to appear as British (or, the furthest I can go in my case – British Indian) as possible in order to fervently make new friends.

It was only later I realised that faux assimilation would be both unfair to myself as well as other students of my ethnicity or nationality. This desire to immediately assimilate and to be seen as not a “typical” foreign student is natural.

I remember seeing certain disparaging

remarks on Spotted and YikYak about “international students all hanging out together," and this reinforces the urge to fit in.

However, international students clustering together is not really very surprising, but it’s due less to a refusal to assimilate on their part and more an unconscious exclusion from the rest. As with the “international flats” I mentioned earlier, some of my friends felt that the majority of their halls of residence were made of mostly nonUK students. Considering they pay over £16,000 yearly to get a British education in a British university, this seems more than a little unfair. The drinking culture in the UK is also a separating factor – students from religious minority groups such as practicing Muslims, or those from traditional Asian families tend not to drink. Hence, since many Freshers and sports events tend to include alcohol, it’s often too much to expect students who don’t drink to attend such events sober as part of the “you don’t have to drink” taglines. If events at universities had more non-alcoholic events that included the whole society rather than just non drinkers, perhaps students of religious minorities and traditional backgrounds could participate more in the society itself – especially sporting societies whose social calendar seem to be purely focussed on raising blood alcohol levels dangerously high.

In a Guardian article about her experience as a black student in Oxford, Afua Hirsch mentioned how whenever she stated she was at Oxford, people would ask, “Brookes?” Interestingly however, post-1992 universities such as Brookes turn out to be far more diverse than many Russell Group universities, as noted by a University of Bath study.

Whilst alienation at university is definitely

a symptom of class and racial segregation in Britain, it can also be a cause. As discussed in Afua's article, prospective students to Exeter and non-London Russell Group universities were worried about being stared at or being the target of racial comments – such reputations often discourage minority students from applying to these universities and instead looking at London universities or post 1992 institutions.

Post-1992 universities are far more diverse than many Russell Group universities Overt racism aside, minority students at academic institutions also have to deal with a large amount of plain ignorance without malicious intent.

Comments thrown around during politically charged times, such as Brexit or during the recent US election, can have more impact on a minority student than a white British student. This is due to the personalisation of comments related to race and migration status, even if the original comment was meant in the abstract. In my experience there seems to be a lack of minority academic staff, especially in teaching areas such as postcolonial literature or colonial history; this is also a jarring point as students can feel patronised without any ill intention on the part of the lecturer. A prime example of unintended comments on the part of universities is the example of UCL’s Twitter Christmas wish, asking if students were dreaming of a white campus – which didn’t go down with the festive cheer they must have expected.

Malicious racism is a problem as well, of course. I was living in Birks Grange when the swastika popped up

on one of the Birks flat doors – I had a German flatmate the time and he Image:atNatalie Oxford was absolutely disgusted and personally affected by the fact that someone would do something like that as a “joke” when millions in his country were the victims of genocide. Perhaps that could be filed under ignorance as well – the relative whitewashing of GCSE and A-Level history mean that some students are unaware of the personal impact jokes about massacres or political upheavals of other races or in other countries could have on a student relating to said ethnicity or nationality. Incidents like the swastika carving, or that of the SnowSports social in 2016 when white t-shirts were found bearing racist and anti-semitic comments don’t merely alienate minority students but cause them to actively fear situations like that happening again.

Of course, whilst it is far harder to assimilate as an ethnic minority and an international student to boot, I did manage to do so. Whilst, amusingly, the majority of my friends are white British, I’ve found ways to keep in touch with my roots via the Asian society and their numerous Bollywood and food themed events, as well as Malaysian bake sales and food fairs. The Creative Writing Society also proves a surprisingly good outlet to minority voices through spoken word poetry, especially via their Women of Colour Poetry Night. Whilst I’ve still got my fingers crossed that people would stop asking me if I plan to leave after a degree (I might just stay), if I know every other Indian person on campus (I really don’t), why I’m not doing medicine like the other Indians they know (I tanked at Chemistry), I have hope that it will become easier for minority students to adapt in the future as universities start to realise the importance of looking after all of their students.

13

12 FEB 2018 | EXEPOSÉ

FEATURES

Is animal testing ever ethical?

I

Gina Vaughan explores the issue in light of revelations about Volkswagen's fuel emission tests

T has recently been revealed that Volkswagen, the world’s biggest carmaker, helped to fund experiments in which monkeys and humans breathed in car fumes over the course of multiple hours. In 2015, ten Java monkeys were left to watch cartoons as they breathed in fumes from a VW Beetle. They were then subjected to a second round of tests in which they breathed the fumes of an older car with an apparently less sophisticated filter technology: a Ford F-250. Why? To prove that the pollutant load of nitrogen oxide car emissions from diesel motors had decreased due to modern technology. Reports in the Süddeutsche Zeitung, one of the largest daily newspapers in Germany, divulge that the monkeys were subsequently anaesthetised and intubated, so their blood could be examined for inflammatory markers. Their lungs were then washed out and their bronchial tubes examined. Further reports say that the experiments were also carried out on 25 young and healthy human beings.

Progress has resulted from treatments developed through studies in animals

Volkswagen claimed that the responsibility for this immoral act lies with a small internal group that pushed for the tests. But this doesn’t hold much water as the well-documented experiments and results were presented to managers at BMW, Daimler, and VW. Steffen Seibert, the spokesman for German chancellor Angela Merkel, said on Monday 29 January: “These tests on monkeys or even on humans are not ethically justifiable in any shape or form. The indignation of many people is absolutely understandable.”

Animal testing is obviously unethical. Right? Some people would argue otherwise. In fact, the reason

animal testing first came into existence was due to a mistake made in 1937 when a medicine supposed to treat streptococcal infections was released to the public without any scientific research. It led to mass poisoning and 100 deaths. As such, it is now a legal requirement in this country that all new drugs are tested on animals before they’re given to patients.

So, is animal testing therefore ethical? Tragedies like this combined with the Volkswagen scandal force us to ask the question: in what circumstances is animal testing acceptable?

Clearly, using animals to test fuel emissions is wrong, but think about your makeup. Avon, Benefit, Clinique, Estée Lauder, Maybelline…these are just a few of the brands that still perform cosmetic tests on animals. These tests result in blistering, swelling, inflammation, and in some cases convulsions, seizures and loss of motor function in animals. Is it right that the perfect look comes at this cost? The European Union (EU) thinks not. In March 2013, a new EU law was implemented that made it illegal to sell animal-tested cosmetics in Europe.

The next logical step for the EU is a ban on animal-tested household products. Across Europe, hundreds of rats, mice, rabbits and guinea pigs are subjected to toxicity tests for these products. Chemicals are applied or injected into animal’s skin, or forced down their throats to check for sideeffects such as vomiting, tremors, organ failure, paralysis and even death.

Animals are put directly in harm’s way to give us a more effective way of wiping down our dirty kitchens. Sure, it’s done for the safety of humans, but groups such as the anti-testing organisation PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) still consider it too high a price to pay.

While we might be able to get on board with condemning cosmetic and household product animal testing, what about animal testing for medical purposes? What about discoveries

that help save people’s lives? That’s where the rubber hits the road. If you are an anti-testing advocate, there is an overwhelming history to try to come to terms with. The Royal Society points out that “virtually every medical achievement in the past century has depended directly or indirectly on research on animals.” Medical breakthroughs such as: penicillin, blood transfusion, kidney transplants, and insulin have been enabled by animal testing. Even surgical techniques such as keyhole surgery were first tested on animals. Furthermore, animal testing has contributed to curing or loosening the effects of tuberculosis, macular degeneration, asthma, meningitis, and Parkinson’s disease. Countless lives have been saved. Diseases have been beaten.

And it’s all down to the animals.

Tests result in blistering, swelling, inflammation and loss of motor functions

Do these overwhelmingly positive ends justify the means? Surely many cancer patients would say so. Breast cancer kills over 400 people every day in the UK. But thanks to decades of research, including the development of the drug tamoxifen – one of the most important cancer drugs - survival from cancer has doubled in the last 40 years, giving thousands of people more time with their loved ones. Tamoxifen was produced with the help of animal testing. Additionally, survival from childhood cancer has rocketed from just a quarter of children surviving the disease in the late 1960s to more than eight in ten surviving today. All this progress has resulted from treatments developed through studies in animals.

That’s a big swing in favour of animal testing.

However, Dr. Richard Klausner, former director of the US National

Cancer Institute, disputes how effective animal testing has been for cancer: “The history of cancer research has been the history of curing cancer in the mouse. We have cured mice of cancer for decades and it simply didn’t work in human beings.” Indeed, only one third of substances known to cause cancer in humans have been shown to cause cancer in animals. And, out of psychiatry, heart, and neurological drugs, cancer drugs have the lowest success rate in human trials (only five per cent are approved after entering clinical trials). This leads some people, like the biotechnical company Empiriko, to question how ethical it is to keep subjecting animals to tests when the results are so poor. Instead, Empriko invented synthetic livers that are quicker, cheaper, and more accurate in predicting the liver’s metabolic reactions to drugs; in one trial, it provided a level so specific that it would have required testing 1,000 rats and 100 dogs.

Many are of the opinion that humans and animals are simply too different for the research to be worthwhile. Indeed, a recent study has shown that out of 93 dangerous drug side effects, only 19 per cent could have been predicted by animal tests. In particular, the differences between monkeys and humans in brain structure and function make the data collected from monkeys misleading and of little relevance. If only Volkswagen had known. So, if they’re this inaccurate, is it really ethical to persist with these tests?

Besides its arguable inaccuracy and ineffectiveness, there are other elements of medical animal testing that cast doubt on its morality. It’s dangerous. And not just for the animals. When tested on monkeys (and five other animal species), the drug Vioxx was declared safe to use and was given to people with arthritis. It has now been estimated to have caused around 320,000 heart attacks and strokes, and 140,000 deaths worldwide. Similarly, a recent drug trial in France resulted in the death of one volunteer and left four

others severely brain damaged in 2016.

The drug, which was intended to treat a wide range of conditions including anxiety and Parkinson’s disease, was tested in four different species of animals (mice, rats, dogs and monkeys) before being given to humans.

To provide the final nail in the coffin, consider that animal testing for medical purposes leads to colossal waste.

Despite the use of over 115 million animals in experiments globally each year, only 22 medicines were approved in 2016 by the leading drug regulator, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Only 22. To put that into perspective, that’s 5,227,272.7 animals for every one drug approved. And it’s not only the resources, time, and lives of animals being wasted. In America, according to Senator Jeff Flake’s ‘Wastebook’ of government funding, over 7.3 million dollars of taxpayers’ money was wasted on studies involving animals in 2016.

That amount of money could power an average American’s house for 66,237 years. Does this enormous waste tip the scale towards the conclusion that medical animal testing is unethical?

That's for you to decide.

Over $7.3 million of taxpayers’ money was wasted on studies involving animals in 2016

The Volkswagen scandal has exposed the grey area of animal testing.

In industries like cosmetics the morality is more clear cut, but medically, it is another debate. Despite all the negative facts and statistics, would it really be ethical to stop medical animal testing if there is a chance it could save human lives? It seems to be a decision you are required to make as an individual.

Because although many within the medical profession would like to dismiss the practice entirely, the fact remains that there is simply no adequate alternative to testing on a living body.

FEATURES

14

Life in plastic, it's fantastic

Danielle Armour looks at the impact of plastic pollution on the environment and why you should cut back your usage Plastic Facts

We produced more plastic in the last 10 years than we did in the whole of the last century (timsilverwood.com)

A plastic bottle will take over 450 years to decompose (sas.org.uk)

8.7 plastic supermarket bags contain enough embodied petroleum energy to drive a car 1 kilometre (cleanup.org.au)

The 2006 film Happy Feet drew attention to the problem of plastic, showing a penguin choking on a six pack plastic ring

Over 100,000 marine mammals and 1 million seabirds die every year from ingestion or entanglement in plastic litter (theoceancleanup.com)

Pizza Express are phasing out all plastic straws in 470 restaurants

R

ESTAURANT chain Pizza Express recently announced their plan to phase out the use of plastic straws in all their 470 restaurants over summer. The decision to start using biodegradable alternatives came after a five year old customer, Ava, wrote a letter to the company asking for a ban on plastic straws because “they are very bad for animals.”

Pizza Express’s decision is a timely one, coming right before the first ever International Straw Free Day, which was held on 3 February this year. The event aims to encourage individuals and businesses to ditch plastic straws in favour of non-plastic alternatives, including metal or biodegradable straws.

It is likely that Ava wrote to Pizza Express after being one of the record number of people who viewed David Attenborough’s Blue Planet II last year, with the programme’s first episode being the most watched show of 2017 in the UK and the third most watched television program in the UK in the last five years. The program, which focused on the wildlife and ecosystems that make up the world’s oceans, featured a strong push towards the protection of marine life and the harm caused by human pollution.

Despite the success of Blue Planet II and the changes beginning to be made by large companies such as Pizza Express, many people are still largely unsure about why plastic is harmful to the environment, and how to reduce their plastic usage in everyday life.

The use of plastic became widely popular in the 1930s, with demand and supply booming during World War II, with the military using plastic as an alternative to other materials such as rubber. The world’s annual consumption of plastic materials has increased from around five million tonnes in the 1950s to close to 100 million tonnes in 2017, according to the Water and Resources Action Program. If our current rate of consumption continues, along with our current methods of disposing of plastic, there will be around 12 billion tonnes of plastic waste in landfills or the natural environment by 2050.

According to the United Nations Environment Program, in 2006 every square mile of ocean had 46,000 pieces of plastic floating in it. With plastic use in Europe alone increasing by 4 per cent every year, it is likely that the amount of plastic in the ocean has also increased.

This makes it extremely easy for sea life, including dolphins, sea turtles, seals and sea birds to ingest plastic, which they are unable to digest. Even if plastics do not end up in the ocean, they are

not biodegradable, and can remain in the environment for as long as 500 years. Additionally, as they break down, plastics absorb the toxins around them, contaminating the soil, water, or animal they end up in.

The first episode of Blue Planet II was the most watched show of 2017

The problem is made worse by the sheer volume of plastic that is used and thrown away every day, with many plastic items being single-use products, such as straws and bags. In the UK alone, the average family throws away approximately 90 pounds of plastics that could have otherwise been recycled.

There is also the additional issue that plastic is expensive to make, and uses large amounts of energy and petroleum.

Recycling a single plastic bottle saves enough energy to power a 60 watt lightbulb for 3 hours, and the plastic from it can be used to make a new plastic product for less.

Blue Planet II is not the first piece of visual media to highlight the damage caused by our plastic consumption.

The 2006 film Happy Feet, which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, showed a penguin with a six-pack plastic ring stuck around his neck, almost choking him to death.

Whilst both Blue Planet and Happy Feet brought the problem of plastic to public attention, neither informed viewers of how to reduce their plastic use, and what the best alternatives to plastic are.

English supermarkets joined Scotland and Wales in the stand against plastic in October 2015, with the government introduction of a 5p tax on single use plastic bags. According to the UK government, the charge has contributed to a 90 per cent reduction in their use. The success of the tax has led to the government looking to extend it to all retailers in the near future. While recycling plastic avoids pollution and waste, remembering to recycle is often many people’s downfall. Removing unnecessary plastic items from your lifestyle and recycling the leftovers is the most effective solution, even if this can be rather time-consuming.

However, there are many simple alternatives to using plastic that are easy to implement in daily life and are cost effective. One of the most common types of plastic waste is plastic drink bottles, with 480 billion sold worldwide in 2016.

Reusable drink bottles, particularly metal ones, are an environmentally friendly

alternative that are also cost effective in the long term. However, this relies on remembering to carry it with you at all times and access to drinking water taps. To increase the use of multiple-use bottles governments need to introduce or improve free drinking water supplies in public spaces.

As with many new practices, it is all about integrating plastic reduction into your routine. Once a reusable drink bottle is a staple in daily life, it’s easy to expand on this. One expansion is to start bringing homemade lunches to work or university in stainless steel or glass containers. Another is to get reusable shopping bags for groceries, with bags specifically for fruit and vegetables available, as well as bags for general shopping. Again, this is a purchase that initially may seem expensive, however, their durability saves the cost of buying single use bags for a long period of time.

The 5p tax on single use plastic bags has contributed to a 90% reduction in their use

Some people turn to vegetarianism as a way of reducing their plastic consumption, as it is often difficult to buy meat that is not wrapped in plastic.

Reducing meat consumption also proves a cost-effective option. The use of plastic wrapping for meat, combined with animal rights activism, has led to many people, in particular on social media, promoting vegetarianism or veganism and a reduced plastic lifestyle simultaneously.

As with many social activism trends in recent years, social media plays an important role in the promotion of the cause, as well as suggesting the ideal lifestyle with which the trend fits. When social media influencers associate two causes, such as veganism and plastic-

free living, it places pressure on people who follow them to adhere to the whole lifestyle, even though some practices are far easier than others. When something simple such as giving up plastic straws is linked with veganism, if a person is not willing to go vegan, they are unlikely to implement any of the practices promoted on social media. Social media is also known for encouraging fad culture, where products are only popular for a limited amount of time. For example, metal straws and glass mason jars feature heavily in many lifestyle blog posts, often situated in aesthetically pleasing cafes. When social media influencers are no longer featuring them in their posts, those who follow them and are inspired to copy their practices may cease to engage in plastic free practices.

As with every environmental issue, the solutions proposed are far from un-contentious.

Plant-based alternatives to plastic require the material they are made from to be grown. There are already concerns about the over-harvesting of bamboo to meet the demand for bamboo material alternatives to plastic. Cotton shopping bags have also been highlighted for their adverse environmental impact, needing to be used over 100 times to be better than single use plastic bags due to the environmental damage caused by the fertilisers used in cotton production.

If the solutions were straightforward when it came to being environmentally friendly, it would not be a topic of discussion, because a plastic free life would be the norm. In reality, there are currently very few alternatives to plastics that are both inexpensive and proven to be better for the environment.

That said, if we all look closely at our plastic consumption and reduce it where possible, just like young Ava, we won’t have to witness any more shockingly sad images like the ones in Blue Planet II.

Image: epSos.de

lifestyle

ARTS + LIT

E X H I B IT MUSIC

literary love affairs

2018 film predictions

STUDY BREAK

screen

valentine’s day prep

16

the oscars in music

25

21

28

16 -18

20 -22

24 -26

28 -31

32 -33

LIFESTYLE EDITORS Barbara Balogun Lauren Geall

ARTS + LIT EDITORS Mubanga Mweemba Maddie Davies

MUSIC EDITORS Alex Brammer Maddy Parker

SCREEN EDITOR Ben Faulkner

STUDY BREAK Puzzles by Alfred and Tash 12 FEB 2018 | EXEPOSÉ

lifestyle Love at first fries

M

Exeposé Lifestyle writers give us an insight into their untraditional Valentine's plans

I

Y friend Harry and I have decided to take Valentine’s Day to new tragic heights this year.

The first activity scheduled is to sit in bed whilst watching Call Me By Your Name and crying, both a culturally relevant experience and a cathartic one.

Celebrate how truly tragic your own love lives are by watching the tragedy of others!

Afterwards, we will take a romantic stroll down to McDonalds (an actual first date location of mine). Once we have comfort eaten our way through the 'menu', we will be prepared for a night of anti-love, by living vicariously through couples created on the Sims 4 - something we both use recreationally to “fill the void” of our lonely souls.

T'S that time of the year when the icy frost of January has died, and Valentines Day rolls around again.

A day to cry (or rejoice) for the singles, and a day of warm sentiment and affection for young couples. In todays society, where us students revel in breaking the norms and challenging traditions, it seems only natural that this Valentine's Day should follow suit, especially when going to a romantic restaurant has lost its sparkle - and affordability.

GOING TO A ROMANTIC RESTAURANT HAS LOST ITS SPARKLE - AND AFFORDABILITY

WE WILL SPLIT A SET OF HEADPHONES THAT BLURT OUT JAMES BLUNT

Instead, why not bring the romance to a comfy and familiar, student environment. Despite its association with socials and pre-drinking, The Imperial are embracing the love and launching a Valentines day deal of two courses for two lovebirds for just £20. Or, to defy expectations even more, couples could skip the main course and head straight to Kaspa’s dessert house to eat their own body weight twice over. However, if eating in general isn’t singing romance for you, then it’s no coincidence that Valentines Day falls on a Wednesday. A date to Timepiece in true Exeter style would be perfect.

Megan Groves

The morning after, we will take a romantic waltz along the quay. While we bask in the sickening sight of happy couples, we will have some DMCs by the water about our exes and heartbreaks. Finally, we will split a set of headphones to James Blunt’s 'Goodbye My Lover' and wail out the end of our Valentine's Day. Olivia Denton

Balsam for the soul

Ellen Mitchell prepares us for the inevitable Valentines blues Kleenex Ultra Soft Tissues You’ve had a rough day: the seemingly endless bombardment of loved-up couples on social media, basking in the saccharine glow of mutual affection and respect is enough to make anyone’s stomach churn. However, if you have to wallow in self-piteous misery, why not do it with a bit of luxury? When you feel the inevitable breakdown come calling as you begin your ninth consecutive viewing of The Notebook, reach for a Kleenex Ultra Soft tissue. With an unbeatably silky finish, you can finally spare your cheeks from chafing whilst blasting your break up playlist – at least James Blunt still thinks you’re beautiful.

AKIN TO A MOIST HUG FROM CUPID HIMSELF, THIS PRODUCT IS KIND TO SENSITIVE SKIN AND EGOS Kleenex Balsam Tissues When the ceaseless burdens of life’s many trials and tribulations become too great to bear, and the remnants of your love life lay fractured upon the floor, one desperately searches for some small semblance of sanity in a world which no longer seems to care. Enter the Kleenex Balsam tissue: akin to a moist hug from Cupid himself, this product is kind to sensitive skin and egos alike. Whilst it cannot yet provide a cure for Repetitive Strain Injury from excessive Tinder-related swiping, the balsam counteracts the dehydrating effect of saline tears, and is proven to bestow emotional healing upon any user.

Cheeky Panda Tissues Unmotivated, lethargic, finding it impossibly difficult to find a mate – it is hard to ignore the unquestionably striking resemblances between the panda and yourself. Essentially your spirit animal and personal mascot, this bamboo-obsessive gentle giant can now help guide you through this difficult time as you wade through the countless PDAs and online exaltations of love. Who needs a relationship when this sustainable, renewable, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, chlorine free and hypoallergenic tissue made from 100 per cent bamboo seamlessly fills the void of your broken heart. At least you can now sleep at night and your emotional trauma will be marginally lessened, knowing that with every tear you are saving the world.

Kleenex Mansized Tissues But wait, I hear you cry, what about the men?

It is a well-known fact created by all those Science People that men indeed cry differently to women, and most mainstream tissue products simply do not provide for this need. Never fear lads, with the new invention of ‘Mansize’ tissues, you can now tap into your emotional side on Valentine’s Day at no risk to your masculinity! Perfectly tailored to your man tears, Kleenex Mansize are so much easier to use than

the sandpaper that you’ve had to limit yourselves to in the past.

Strong and infused with testosterone, rest assured you’ll remain the manliest man in town, giving you more time to cry along to Bridget Jones and eat your body weight in chocolate.

YOU'RE BETTER OFF STAYING UNDER THAT DUVET FORT UNTIL THE WHOLE THING BLOWS OVER Sainsbury’s Basics Tissues The single student’s essential: reliable, consistent and committed to the cause. Essentially everything you could wish for in a relationship, but at a fraction of the emotional cost. So if you’re experiencing heartache but you’re on a budget, look no further than Sainsbury’s Basics tissues for sweet relief.

What’s the point in spending money on transient notions of ‘love’ and ‘emotions’, when for a fraction of the price (180 sheets for only 65p!), you can stockpile these, retreat to your duvet fort and commence the five-hour long Louis Theroux marathon alone (but not out of pocket). Anyway, Valentine’s Day is just a fictionalised tradition fabricated on the perpetuation of materialism, contributing to the advancement of capitalism… so really, you’re better off staying under that duvet fort until the whole thing blows over.

exhibit

|

lifestyle

EDITORS: Barbara Balogun & Lauren Geall

12 FEB 2018 | 17

The good, the bad and the rugby Four Lifestyle writers recount their uni dating experiences, from Tinder to rugby lads THE RUGBY BOY

Picture the scene. It’s Thursday morning. You are attempting to make it to your 9.30 seminar. You spot a wild rugby boy, returning home from his Wednesday exploits. Beige chinos stained with Snakebite, blue shirt covered in the remnants of a TP burger, and generally bleary-eyed. You wouldn’t think this is an attractive look, but seemingly “dating a rugby lad” is on many girls' Exeter bucket list (including my own).

My story starts like any true love story, at Timepiece. He was a rugby boy, I was a fresh, can I make it any more obvious? The answer is yes, yes I can. Unfortunately, or fortunately, it was quite hard to hear much of what I am sure was brilliant banter, probably fine-tuned on the bus back from the afternoon match. As much as I joke, it worked. I could try and blame it on the two shots of tequila I had on arrival, or maybe on just being a silly fresh.

But we did have a passionate five minutes on the middle floor of Timepiece to the classic 2015 banger 'Uptown Funk'. The only issue is that I struggled to find, well let’s call him Rugby Boy, after making the treacherous journey to the TP toilets. So, if you read this Rugby Boy, I’m sorry I lost you. You were cute, I hope you had a good night (well the bits that you remember at least). So, as much as yes this was a brief, drunken and fairly unsuccessful foray into the world of the ‘rugby boy’, as I come to the end of my three years at Exeter, at least I can cross it off my bucket list.

Phoebe Davis, Online Editor

LONG DISTANCE ROMEO AND JULIET

There's at least one in every flat, every class, every friendship group; the loved-up individual whose secondary school romance can't even be defeated by the alcohol-fuelled debauchery of Freshers' Week. There's something Romeo and Juliet-esque about couples who clung to each other through the trials of A-levels only to be separated by university.

The security of being with someone you've known from school can be an incredible support when dealing with the unfamiliarities of living a new life in a new place; your partner becomes a little bit of home that's only a phone call or a train ride away.

But the pressures of this kind of dating can definitely take their toll. Long distance + long term = long time, no see. When you're surrounded by mingling singles in Timepiece on a Friday night, the loneliness of your situation can hit you like a wrecking ball. Distance can put a lot of strain on the trust in any relationship, too; a lot of couples who get together before uni can find it difficult to see their other halves having "the time of their lives" without them. Student life very often does live up to its sexed-up reputation, and we've all heard enough horror stories to trouble our faith in monogamy - a hard obstacle to overcome if your long term relationship doesn't have a solid foundation.

Keeping a long distance relationship healthy and fulfilling is definitely hard work, but that doesn't mean it's not worthwhile. It's infinitely precious to be able to count down the days before one of you hops on a train to see the other, and spending a long weekend together at uni grants you a newfound liberty and adventurousness which you're not likely to have experienced whilst still living at home. Sharing and exploring your new second home with the person you love is a step further towards a lasting, adult relationship. It can be intimidating and confusing to explore what your relationship means outside the bounds of its geographical and social origins, but ultimately, it's incredibly fulfilling. All you need is two people equally devoted to making it work.

Emma Bessent, Editor

BANG MY HEAD AGAINST YOUR CHEST

We hear a lot of disastrous dating stories at university, many of which root from blind dates and set ups. A friend of mine - let's call her Anna - participated in RAG’s First Dates last year with interesting results. This is her series of unfortunate events..

"Arrogant. A bit of a misogynist. And, obviously, never wrong about anything. How was I to know that I’d end up paired with my idea of a nightmare? Moral of the story: don’t let your friends fill out your First Dates form.

"He was one of those rare breeds that doesn’t use Facebook. Which is fine – who am I to judge – except it meant I couldn’t do some light internet stalking before the date. I feared I might have been partnered with a pompous arse (there are plenty of them roaming the streets of Exeter). My evening started with this guy insisting I sit exactly where he wanted at the table, and then deciding my order for me. He informed me that as a Law student, I was wasting my time, and that everybody except Physics and Chemistry students were studying useless things. He proudly stated that he sometimes attends Philosophy lectures just to argue with the lecturers and students to show their idiocy. I managed to rebut his arguments better than he expected, and I think he almost respected me by the end of our evening (despite being a lowly woman and Law student). He said he wanted to see me again and – as a bizarre manifestation of his affection– said I could “bang [my] head” against his chest if I ever needed to. I made my escape as fast as I could.

While Anna’s experience may have been a somewhat calamitous one, (we can hope) this isn’t always the case. There’s a tall, handsome stranger waiting to walk into all of our lives, and maybe on a blind date! Right?

Nicky Avasthi, Online News Editor

SWIPING LEFT ON TINDER

A few months ago, I was a firm believer that I would never get Tinder. The whole thing looked like a nightmare: writing a bio sounded like writing a personal statement with the added pressure of appearing sexy, the idea of making a quick decision based on appearance didn’t sound like it suited someone whose forehead would take up at least 60 per cent of the screen, and disturbing the delicate aesthetic that was my phone’s app-arrangement was an abhorrent prospect. However, last term my housemates made an account for me and I decided that if anyone’s going to make me look like a dickhead on Tinder it’s going to be me.

So I scoured the archives for roughly five acceptable photos of myself before arranging them into a configuration that would magically maximise my matches. Then I wrote a bio, which was possibly the most self-doubt inducing process I have ever endured. Is this too long? Is it not long enough? Am I trying too hard? Does everyone include this many Billy Ray Cyrus lyrics? Despite my apprehensions, once my profile was complete and swiping began, it was actually quite fun. The novelty of seeing people I knew mixed with the thrill of getting a match was enough to keep me distracted for hours. But this honeymoon period soon ended.

The matches slowed down, the number of accounts with “profile says 21 but I’m actually 16 lol” in the bio increased, and super-liking a housemate for banter just became increasingly sad. Once, whilst admittedly pissed, I messaged someone asking if the hamster in one of their pictures was still alive. Miraculously, she responded, and informed me that a) it was in fact a guinea pig and b) it was indeed alive. I responded but, as I’m sure you can imagine, a conversation founded on pet-death will never last long. So due to a combination of me not warming to the format and also being terrible at it, I abandoned Tinder. I have nothing against the app and I’m sure it works for other people, but it’s time me and it parted ways. It’s not Tinder, it’s me.

Harry Bunting, Online Comment Editor

exhibit

|

lifestyle

EDITORS: Barbara Balogun & Lauren Geall

Eat your heart out

12 FEB 2018 | 18

Tash Ebbutt, Deputy Editor, prescribes the perfect cure for a broken heart

T

IME is often the best remedy when one is suffering from heartbreak. But during the initial stages of a breakup, when dramatic weeping and making vows that you’ll never love again are rampant, it can seem like time has come to a standstill. In this fragile time, your best friend becomes the fridge as your shattered heart demands support from all the carbohydrates in the universe. In my recent experience, I found the following foods to provide more support than my whole, two year relationship (I’m not bitter).

THESE FOODS PROVIDED MORE SUPPORT THAN MY TWO YEAR RELATIONSHIP First up, the most wholesome of winter dishes: the humble casserole, a dish to warm your very soul. My personal favourite is squash, sweet potato and vegetable with plenty of honey. Sweet and nutritious, it’s the perfect dish to make sure your body is getting the energy it needs whilst being absolutely comforting. Next up is the classic mac ‘n’ cheese. A delicious dish

that is akin to a block of cheese giving you a snug hug.

Yes, it’s probably not the best for you in terms of health (just add some spinach and then you can kid yourself ) but it is tasty and it is a renowned feel good food. The perfect stodgy accompaniment to a trashy movie night – make a big batch and invite your pals round. Having your friends to support you whilst you’re feeling rough is a brilliant distraction. Making sure you eat properly is essential to

nursing the tsunami of emotions that awash the mind during a breakup and by having dishes that are hearty and tasty, you can rest well in the knowledge that you’re treating your body well.

Moving on to the more traditional comforters of the break up food world, I turn to ice cream, cake and chocolate. These are the ultimate triad of feeling sorry for yourself, so be sure to stock up and knit your heart back together with sugary yarn.

For ice cream, clotted cream or mint choc chip are my personal go-to flavours but if you’re looking for something a bit fancier then I highly recommend BoojaBooja. Their dairy free range is absolutely incredible, especially the Hunky Punky Chocolate flavour. Fulfil the classic Bridget Jones trope of wrapping yourself in a duvet and entering a re-

lationship with two men named Ben and Jerry.

In terms of cake, anyone who knows me knows that I love to bake and I couldn’t recommend it enough as a mood lifter or distraction activity.

I find it absolutely uplifting to bake a batch of cookies or brownies and share them with some friends whilst having a chat. If you’re not much of a baker, then have no fear. Any cake is a good shout and can be accompanied by a cup of tea: the perfect combination.

KNIT YOUR HEART BACK TOGETHER WITH SUGARY YARN Finally, chocolate. I think this one is pretty self-explanatory. Chocolate truly is heartbreak's best friend. When you’re feeling rough, the true meaning of the mantra 'treat yo’ self' comes to light, and although it’s important to fill your body with good wholesome food, it is equally as important to indulge yourself in whatever takes your fancy. If that equates to a 1L tub of ice cream and a slab of triple chocolate fudge cake on the side, then that’s okay too.

The ultimate pancake battle

In the lead up to 13 February, Exeposé Lifestyle writers defend their pancake form of choice

W

HEN I hear the word “pancakes” I have two reactions: a sudden driving need to have said breakfast food, and picturing a stack of fluffy, irresistible Americanstyle pancakes. I find English pancakes lack-lustre in comparison to their counterparts from the other side of the pond. They’re nowhere near as substantial, or as aesthetically-pleasing to take the obligatory #brunch picture of, and in fact just seem to be the French crêpe masquerading as a traditional English comfort food. Whilst I understand that lemon and sugar is probably best enjoyed on an English pancake as the lemon can easily permeate the thin surface, English pancakes will never drip satisfyingly with oodles of maple syrup.

American pancakes are also much better at being customised to your specific taste. If you think of the pancakes on offer on the menus of restaurants and cafés (which are all Americanstyle, might I add), you’re able to swing between sweet and savoury with ease. Whether it’s the simple syrup and butter; fruit, yoghurt and honey, or the infamous maple and bacon, the fluffy hotcakes pair well with any kind of topping, or filling for that matter! You can add herbs and spices, chocolate chips, blueberries, scallions

to the batter… Try a dollop of Nutella on top as they’re cooking and seal it off with more batter to obtain heavenly pancakes oozing with a delicious surprise.

STACK 'EM HIGH, LET THE SYRUP ROLL, AND GET CREATIVE! The thick, cloud-like texture of American pancakes is also something the traditional English ones lack. English pancakes simply cannot offer the satisfaction of being able to cut through a stack of three at once, leaving you with what looks like a miniature layer cake on your fork. And speaking of cake, surely they should look and taste as indulgent as the real thing? It’s panCAKE, not panTORTILLA. Cling to your tradition all you want, but unless you really do enjoy attempting to spread Nutella or nut butter on a flimsy crêpe (then having your fillings spilling out no matter how well you package it), then go for American pancakes this year. Stack ‘em high, let the syrup roll, and get creative!

Charley Cross

A

TIMELESS classic, the crêpe has provided comfort in carb form for years, and I, for one, do not want to see this changing anytime soon. The crêpe brings back childhood memories of lemon and sugar dripping out of this rolled-up slice of heaven. This style of pancake is reliable, traditional – it dates back to the 12th century - you can’t get any more reliable than that. Besides, is there anything as simple as whisking milk, eggs and flour into a batter, then putting it in the pan?

Where is the fun in flipping an American pancake? You can’t have pancakes without experiencing your flatmate foolishly attempting to make the delicacy do more somersaults than Simone Biles. Pancake day just isn’t the same without beautiful, full-of-hope, pieces of cooked batter landing on the floor as a result of overconfidence.

THE CRÊPE HAS PROVIDED COMFORT IN CARB FORM FOR YEARS Lets not forget the versatility! The crêpe has infinitely greater possibilities than the American

pancake when it comes to experimenting with toppings and fillings. Keep it classic with lemon and sugar, or maybe some syrup. Alternatively, switch it up with a savoury crêpe – ham and cheese, anyone? Even the way of presenting this pancake style can be a great time to find out what works for you – rolled up or folded with the toppings inside, like a little parcel of goodness?

The possibilities are endless. The American pancake, on the other hand, loses the versatility – maple syrup just gets boring after the second stack.

I would like to make clear that I, like anyone, can appreciate an American style pancake from time to time. I appreciate the easier addition of fruits and chocolate to the batter before cooking (chocolate chip pancakes, anyone?). However, when it comes to pancake day, the crêpe takes my top spot. The thin style and countless topping choices bring you back to that childhood bliss in a way that no American pancake ever could.

I will forever be an advocate for the crêpe and the warm, familial feelings it brings. Besides, if crêpe’s are good enough for the wonderful man running The Crêperie in town, they’re good enough for everyone.

Rhiannon Moore

GET A MASSIVE

When you spend £30 or more online at

www.dominos.co.uk use code: FEB18STU Minimum spend of £30. Excludes Italiano Range products, Ice Cream, Drinks, 14/21 Chicken sides, Chick’n’Mix Box, Kickers Combo and strippers Combo. Coupon can be used multiple times. Not valid in conjunction with any other offer. Participating stores only. Expires 28/02/18.

DELIVERY DRIVERS WANTED To apply, or for more information please contact your local store.

arts + lit

The modern love poem George Richards explores the changes that the love poem has undergone in recent years

I

T’S no surprise, with all the seismic changes in love and relationships, that the modern poet has had to change their tune. Gone are the days of sonnets and odes concerned with love with a capital L: the most exciting poetry today reflects the cultural phenomenon of the filter, of Facebook stalks, of equal marriage and of an emotional and sexual frankness. Out there is a whole slew of poems occupied with (and that celebrate) the true complexities of love—love uncapitalised, and followed by a question mark.

Think of the most immortal image of love and you’ll probably come up with the love heart. Now read Carol Ann Duffy’s ‘Valentine’: “Not a red rose or a satin heart./ I give you an onion.” Or read Seamus Heaney’s ‘The Skunk,’ one hell of a romantic poem that nonetheless prefigures the lover as a rodent: “Up, black, stripped and damasked/ like the chasuble at a funeral mass/ the skunk’s tail paraded the skunk.” Both poems are part of a repertoire of modern love poetry that subverts clichés and platitudes surrounding love and other gushy human emotions.

Though initially jarring, these conceits achieve something that the trope-image of the heart never could. Duffy’s image of the onion will “blind you with tears,” its “fierce kiss will stay on your lips,/possessive and faithful.”

It speaks to the mixed feelings inherent in a contemporary, anti-romanticism take on love and alludes to the fact that the relationship in question may not last forever Heaney offers a similar de-romanticisation of love. There is longing (“night after night/ I expected her like a visitor”), there is the disconcerting theme of stalking (“I began to tense as a voyeur”) and finally the line that kills: “After eleven years I was composing/ love letters again, broaching the word ‘wife’/ like a stored cask.” The skunk represents a distance, and reflects the speaker’s own sense of alienation and inadequacy. Not that Heaney ends on that depressing note line— rather he ends with a sense of wonderment that the skunk, this ‘Other’ figure he’s been married to for a decade, somehow hasn’t left him yet. There she is, “head-down, tail-up hunt in a bottom drawer/ for the black plunge-line

Send my love

nightdress.”

Poems today must also reflect the material changes in love. Nate Marshall’s ‘Palindrome’ not only showcases a wonderfully unique form, but possesses a modern intensity with the first lines of, “on her profile i see she has 2 kids/ now 1 she had in high school, now none/ at all. she unaborts 1./ she is unpregnant/ in 8th grade.” The poem unfolds backwards, goes back in time, like a palindrome and this sets the speaker up as looking back on a love that has since died. For the reader, it feels like there was something inevitable about this. What we get is a deep exploration into the way in which we live much of our lives in the past, how we contrast and ruminate, but are still capable of picking out the good bits in amongst the heartbreak.

Since most of us aren’t in that perfect, cinematic relationship, and most of us didn’t look across the club one night and see someone, stop breathing, and think, “Yes, okay, there they are—there’s ‘The One,’” there is a lot of consolation to be had in reading the modern love poem.

Mubanga Mweemba, Arts + Lit Editor, deconstructs the medium of the love letter

H

OW can one hope to hold anyone with nothing but words?” asks Franz Kafka in a love letter written to Felice Bauer, with whom he would conduct a fiveyear relationship, mostly through the means of written correspondence. Kafka raises the primary concern but also the main motivation of the love letter—a declaration that is as much an estimation as it is a ciphering of the profusion of feelings we call love.

THE DECLARATION IS AS MUCH AN ESTIMATION AS IT IS A CIPHERING OF LOVE The love letter can be found in every crevice of history and every acre of culture beginning with the Bible, in the Songs of Solomon, detailing the lyrical dialogue between a young woman and her lover, continuing through the ages, from figures such as Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn to Georgia O’Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz. The love letter plays an important role in the way that we can understand both the giver of love and the recipient of that

affection, whether those consist of developed reiterations of mutual love or the unrequited musings of a forlorn admirer.

Like the feeling itself, love letters come from manifold individuals and what is most moving about the love letter is that it transforms everyone who writes one into a poet. The feeling of being in love is such a confusing state; the elocution of those feelings is most beautifully rendered not because of the complexity of language but because of the authenticity and sincerity of those emotions.

Lest we forget that writers aren’t the only people who write; they’re the only ones who do it for a living. The love letter is most interestingly observed outside of the literary tradition because the themes of literature are not only felt and understood by writers and scholars alike - love, as cliché as it sounds, is a universal experience.

A unique aspect of the love letter, or rather letters in general, is how it is composed purely for the consumption of one individual.

It is almost the opposite function of art,

which demands to be shared with everyone, but the letter is a private affair. The letter is also the broadcasting of an individual voice uninterrupted by intruders, such as in conversation, and likely unedited by anyone who is not the writer themselves. It presents a candid testimony that can remain secret, creating an intimate world that only a select few are invited to inhabit.

The love letter acts as a monologue and that is most clear when it is read out loud. One of my favourite love letters is written by Richard Feynman who was a physicist and Nobel Prize winner. He wrote a letter to his wife two years after her early death aged only 25. The missive is a projection of grief, of what happens when the person you love is gone and the space they filled is vacant.

It is read out loud by the actor Oscar Isaac as part of the ‘Letters Live’ series and the reading elevates Feynman’s words to a higher plane of emotion. That is to say that I cry each time I listen to the performance and I am unashamed to do so. To shy away from feeling is to shy

away from living. Love letters present the most vivid portrait of the individual participating in life.

THE LOVE LETTER IS A PORTRAIT OF THE INDIVIDUAL PARTICIPATING IN LIFE Perhaps with the decline of letter writing, it could be assumed that romance is dead. But that kind cynicism can blind you to the ways in which the love letter has evolved to suit a world where we don’t need to wait for days on end to hear from the people we care about— that should be considered a gift despite it being taken for granted. We still exchange love letters on a daily basis; through short text messages and scribbled post-it notes on fridges.

The modern day love letter is more gesture than declaration but it matters not what is said or how it is said—only that it is said in the first place. The most important aspect of a love letter, after all, is love.

EXEPOSÉ SPORT PRESENTS

VARSITY PULLOUT

B

12 FEB 2017 | EXEPOSÉ

VARSITY PULLOUT

Amy Omokobia

H

NETBALL VAR

7/10

Christina Shaw (C) GD

D

EMONSTRATED why she plays for Wales -- composed, reliable in her position, and frequent made key interceptions. Captain Shaw was key in defending the goal area and instrumental in ensuring the ball went down the wings with accuracy and pace.

9/10

Maisie Sharp

WD

W

AS a vital part of the carefully constructed build-up of play from centre, floating passes down the wing to wing attack Broomhill. Good movement and physicality prevented Gloucester from getting free reign of the court before being replaced for the final quarter.

7/10

Maddie Heywood

Heartbreak for ne

GK

AD a difficult task against a powerful Gloucester goal shooter almost twice her size which made blocking any of her shots difficult. Made vital interceptions in the second and last quarter to prevent goalscoring opportunities. Was replaced by Betsy Creak before returning in revitalised form for final quarter.

C

A

FTER struggling to nullify opposite number with zonal marking, the switch to close-marking midway through paid dividends. A physical match-up for the centre didn't dampen her playmaking -- kept the play fluid and consistently found her forwards with good passing.

Netball Exeter 1s..........................................46 Gloucestershire 1s............................48 Michael Jones Online Sport Editor

E

XETER 1s suffered a blow in their bid to gain promotion to the Premier South, losing 46-48 to Gloucester 1s in a frenetic and breathless varsity fixture last Wednesday 7 February.

The visitors came into the game trailing to first placed Exeter, but are now in prime position to punch their way to the top, cutting the gap to three points with a game in hand.

Vociferous support greeted the opening whistle, yet the home side did not reflect the buoyant enthusiasm emanating from the Green Legion. Gloucester got the better of the home team in the opening exchanges and raced into a 3-0 lead, subduing the atmosphere. The visitors compounded their early success with clinical attacks and astute defending, leading 5-1 with just five minutes played.

After an underwhelming start, Exeter grew into the game, harnessing the energy of the faithful contingent. Three points in as many minutes reduced the deficit to one, but Gloucester responded with purpose, taking it to 6-4. This would be the narrative of the first quarter - the away side diligently converting territory into points yet Exeter refusing to succumb, keeping the score-line a tight affair.

Stoicism and resilience kept the greens in contention and when their chance came, they took it. At 9-7, Exeter capitalised on advantageous possession, leap-frogging their opponents to take the lead, the score standing 10-9.

GK Amy Omakobia’s vital interception with the score deadlocked at 11-11 was the standout moment of the quarter – her perfectly timed block planted the seed for a stunning counterattack that germinated into a composed finish.

The Western 1A leaders maintained their lead into the first break, the scores standing at 13-12.

The fervent crowd duly congratulated Exeter’s first-quarter performance, with renditions of ‘oh Exeter is wonderful’ reverberating

9/10

Mia Broomhall

WA

S

TARTED the game with a few intercepted passes but quickly found rhythm to become the best player on court. Eastablished cohesive partnership with Blackman, collecting tricky passes and sending the ball forward with impressive rapidity.

9/10

around a packed-out court.

Such a frenzied opening was always going to likely to give way to a less frenetic secondquarter. As the game started to settle, both teams looked to profit from the others’ errors, but it was a quality still standard of play. Maddie Heywood, playing Centre, conducted herself with a poise and competitive spirt that perturbed her opposite number in what became a feisty contest between the two players.

Gloucester sought to entice Exeter into a battle of physicality, but the home side stayed robust and allowed their skill on the ball to show. Clever interplay around between attackers Kat Arthur, Mia Broomhall and Hannah Blackman saw Exeter draw several infringements from their opponents – one particularly impressive goal mid-way through the quarter was indicative of the impressive way Exeter manipulated the limited space around the net.

Renditions of 'oh Exeter is wonderful' reverberated around the packed courtside For all their slick movement, Exeter failed to extend the margin of their lead as a flurry of opportunities went amiss. Gloucester, too, were wasteful as the adrenalin of the fixture appeared to be taking its toll when it mattered. Still, there were some delicately taken finishes to round off sharp passing moves, and with the lead flittering between the two teams, the visitors went in to half-time with a narrow 21-22 advantage. The break was a needed breather to calm the fury of the first half from fans and players alike.

After the interval, it was the visitors who emerged with greater urgency, mirroring the opening minutes of the first quarter to make it 21-25. In the same fashion, Exeter embarked on a stirring comeback and scored five times without reply to lead 26-25.

Clearly, the home side had the quality, but transforming this into points on the scoreboard was just a matter of consistency. When prompted the greens answered the call, but

BUCS Western 1A POS

TEAM

PLD

GD

PTS

9 252 22

1

Exeter 1s

2

Gloucestershire 1s

8 126 19

3 4

Bath 2s Bristol 1s

8 124 18 8 -52 9

5 6

Bristol 2s Southampton 1s

6 -151 0 7 -299 0

I fe

ga the

have them. There w the game and real

*Table correct as of 8/2/18

NETBALL VAR

VARSITY PULLOUT

C

Kat Arthur (VC)

GA

RSITY REVIEW

etball 1s at varsity failure to maintain these instances of rallying plays ultimately proved decisive against quality opposition.

Exeter embarked on a stirring comeback, scoring five times without reply Aided by a proficient GS, the away side were ruthless in their response and carved out a 31-27 difference. Amidst their efficient attack, their Centre – still flustered by the harrying of Exeter’s Heywood – was cautioned as the niggling physicality between the two sides threatened to spill over.

The warning appeared to be just what the visitor needed as her increased composure and incisiveness on the ball following the talking-to gave Gloucester the upper hand as the quarter drew to a close.

In an attempt to shore up the defence and prohibit Gloucester from undoing the good work of Exeter’s attack, Betsy Creak entered the fray at GK for Omakobia. The change brought instant success with Creak making a well-executed interception before setting up a counter-attack goal that brought rapturous applause from the watching crowd. The league leaders filtered off the court 33-35 down but it was an incredibly even contest that was proving impossible to predict a winner.

If Exeter had hoped the home support and prestige of the varsity fixture would see them edge out Gloucester, the travelling side had plans to ruin them. The away team stormed into the final quarter with vibrancy, making another strong restart to chalk up a cushion on the scoreboard. With the support still roaring them on, Exeter found themselves trailing 40-46 and in need of an inspiring final few minutes to produce an increasingly unlikely victory as time slipped away.

Inspiration did arrive as Exeter stormed back into the game and the side-line support started to believe a spectacular come-back was within reach. In a reshuffle of the attack, Creak

E

STABLISHED a successful parternship with Blackman, suppling good ball and also providing a scoring threat herself with impressive clinicality. Displayed a variety of low passing to catch the Gloucestershire defence off-guard.

moved up to the polar position of GS and netted with enviable competency and reliableness.

Broomhall – the outstanding player on the court – continued to weave her magic at wing attack, causing the Gloucester defence a succession of problems that allowed the finishers to claw the 1s back into touching distance of the lead.

With Exeter’s defence heroically nullifying Gloucester’s attack, and the 1s’ offense putting Gloucester on the back foot, the score was precariously balanced at 45-48. As the clock ticked down to just one minute remaining, the home support sought to rally those clad in green and white to an improbable victory.

Unfortunately for Exeter they couldn’t bridge the deficit. Though hope rippled between coaches, crowd, and players, Gloucester hung on to win 46-48 and bolster their push to usurp Exeter at the top of the Western 1A and threaten the home side’s chances of promotion to the Premier South.

Despite the defeat, EUNC captain India Crawley praised the 1s’ efforts in an enthralling fixture: “I thought it was the best game of netball I’ve ever seen here at University of Exeter.

All of the girls played the best game I’ve ever seen them play having trained with them for at least three years.”

8.5/10

Hannah Blackman GS

U

NDER pressure to provide the points from the start as Exeter fell behind early on, but kept composure to find good positions around the net.

Scored plenty of goals close to the net, and an impressive fourthquarter effort from a tight angle nearly sparked the comeback.

8/10

Izzy Stibbs

WD

C

AME on in final quarter with Exeter trailing 33-35 and had to quickly adapt to Gloucester's movement down the wings. Found space well to provide Heywood with an option, her mobility and link play was key as the game drew to a close.

It was the best game of netball I've seen at Exeter INDIA CRAWLEY, CLUB CAPTAIN

7.5/10

“The [varsity event] was absolutely brilliant,” Crawley said. “We had so much support for the girls – not just from the netball club and parents, but lots of students from different clubs. I think it’s really shown off the netball club at its very best.”

Next up for Exeter is a trip to Chichester in the BUCS Trophy on 14 February, with 1s captain Christina Shaw "looking forward" to the fixture. "We'll see how far we can get in the trophy," she told Exeposé.

Betsy Creak

GK/GS

E

NTERED the game in third quarter and made an immediate impact as GK with key interception. Switched to GS late on and continued to impress, rolling off her marker into space to achieve 100% scoring rate.

8/10

Replacements not used

elt like [the defeat] was unlucky on us, we put out as much as we could and ave 100%. It was literally the tiny margins that got us in the end. Individually ere were some great performances and as a team we put in everything we could. Gloucester were the better team today but hopefully next time we'll was quite a lot of contact but it's always good when it's contested, it adds to lly helps the atmosphere. The crowd were awesome and that really helped us push on, it was just in the final quarter we lost it really.

Emily Porter: N/A

CHRISTINA SHAW, 1s CAPTAIN

RSITY REVIEW

Alice Evans: N/A Photos: Wil Jones

Player ratings by Dorothea Christmann

12 FEB 2017 | EXEPOSÉ

D VARSITY PULLOUT

RUGBY VARSI

EURFC set for South West

A

Dom Thorne Winger 5.7" 82kg

Max Himbury Winger 6" 91kg Sal M'Boge

6"

Fullback 90kg

Mike Haines Fullback/Centre 6.3" 89kg Jesse Lipetz- Robic

15/22 85kg

6"

Sam Laity Centre 95kg

6.2" Ted Landray

6.2"

Centre 90kg

Kieran Kelly

6.2"

FTER suffering heartbreak in last season's BUCS Men's Rugby Union Championshp final and league table -- pipped by Hartpury in both -- Exeter University Rugby Club's (EURFC) first XV have bounced back in empathic fashion in 2017-18.

A single point behind Northumbria at the summit of the BUCS Super Rugby table; a 100% win record at their home ground in Topsham; a monumental 43 tries scored in a campaign that has seen them lose only three games all season -- the 1s are absolutely flying this term.

This Wednesday, 14 February they have a date with Bath at Sandy Park, home of Exeter Chiefs, in a varsity fixture that is an integral part of student life at the University of Exeter.

ExeposĂŠ spoke with Joe Hughes, EURFC club captain, and Simon Linsell, 1s captain, ahead of the fixture.

"The Exeter v Bath Derby is a huge tradition and has been around for many years," says Hughes. "This is always an extremely special night and on behalf of EURFC I would like to extend our deepest thanks to each of you who make this event possible."

Having won the varsity fixture for the

last three years -- averaging six tries and a winning margin of 35 points during that time -- the 1s will be firm favourites in a match where the whole club will ensure the 1s receive all the support they need from the sidelines.

That camaraderie is something Hughes is well aware of: "It is the greatest honour to be captain ofsuch an outstanding club."

"Coming into this year the main objective was the improve the standard of every player across the club and so far we have been successful in that."

The first XV are absolutely flying this term at the top of the Super Rugby table With seven teams in poll position to top their tables, and the others producing "consistently high performances in competitive leagues", the club has had success across the board. "We have also been able to add a fresher's fourth and fifth XV to the club which is very exciting and has ensured that everyone gets the exposure they deserve."

Centre 96kg

Fly half/Scrum half

82kg

Sam Morley

82kg

Pierre Thompson Fly half/Scrum half

6"

92kg

Aaron Bagwell Fly half/Scrum half

5.9"

78kg

Rory Larimer

Back row 5.11" 92kg

Felix Maddison

6" James McRae

Back row 6.3" 108kg

Back row 92kg

The 1s journey began away to Super Rugby newcomer Nottingham Trent, before triumphing in a remarkable 53-50 game at home to Northumbria.

Exeter then travelled to London to face Durham for the first B U C S Super Rugby encounter in the capital.

"In a spotlight fixture that attracted thousands of alumni of both green and palatinate persuasion, [we] revelled in a fast-paced game on [Rosslyn Park's] 4G surface," says Linsell.

An enthralling finish that saw Exeter score three second-half tries in ten minutes was enough to usurp rivals Hartpury, revenge for the three-point BUCS Sup deficit that denied the 1s POS TEAM

Fly half/Scrum half

5.10"

JOE HUGHES, EURFC CLUB CAPTAIN

Exeter have won the varsity fixture three years in a row, averaging six tries

Edward Houchin

5.10"

This is always an extremely special night.

Thanks to each of you who make it possible

The new format of university rugby has led to a league in which there are no easy games SIMON LINSELL, 1s CAPTAIN

1

Northumbri

2

Exeter 1s

3 4

Cardiff Met Leeds Becket

5 6

Loughboroug Bath 1s

7

Hartpury 1

8

Durham 1

9 Nottingham Tr

*Table correct

14 February

Sandy

12 FEB 2017 | EXEPOSÉ

D VARSITY PULLOUT

RUGBY VARS

EURFC set for South West

A

Sal M'Boge Fullback 6" 90kg

Max Himbury Winger 6" 91kg Dom Thorne Winger 5.7" 82kg

Mike Haines Fullback/Centre 6.3" 89kg Jesse Lipetz- Robic

Three-quarter 6" 85kg

Sam Laity Centre 95kg

6.2" Ted Landray

6.2"

Centre 90kg

Kieran Kelly

6.2"

FTER suffering heartbreak in last season's BUCS Men's Rugby Union Championshp final and league table -- pipped by Hartpury in both -- Exeter University Rugby Club's (EURFC) first XV have bounced back in empathic fashion in 2017-18.

A single point behind Northumbria at the summit of the BUCS Super Rugby table; a 100% win record at their home ground in Topsham; a monumental 43 tries scored in a campaign that has seen them lose only three games all season -- the 1s are absolutely flying this term.

This Wednesday, 14 February they have a date with Bath at Sandy Park, home of Exeter Chiefs, in a varsity fixture that is an integral part of student life at the University of Exeter.

ExeposĂŠ spoke with Joe Hughes, EURFC club captain, and Simon Linsell, 1s captain, ahead of the fixture.

"The Exeter v Bath Derby is a huge tradition and has been around for many years," says Hughes. "This is always an extremely special night and on behalf of EURFC I would like to extend our deepest thanks to each of you who make this event possible."

Having won the varsity fixture for the

last three years -- averaging six tries and a winning margin of 35 points during that time -- the 1s will be firm favourites in a match where the whole club will ensure the 1s receive all the support they need from the sidelines.

That camaraderie is something Hughes is well aware of: "It is the greatest honour to be captain ofsuch an outstanding club."

"Coming into this year the main objective was the improve the standard of every player across the club and so far we have been successful in that."

The first XV are absolutely flying this term at the top of the Super Rugby table With seven teams in poll position to top their tables, and the others producing "consistently high performances in competitive leagues", the club has had success across the board. "We have also been able to add a fresher's fourth and fifth XV to the club which is very exciting and has ensured that everyone gets the exposure they deserve."

Centre 96kg

Fly half/Scrum half

82kg

Sam Morley

5.10"

Fly half

Scrum half

92kg

Aaron Bagwell Scrum half

5.9"

78kg

Rory Lorimer

Back row 5.11" 92kg

Felix Maddison

6" James McRae

Back row 6.3" 108kg

Back row 92kg

The 1s journey began away to Super Rugby newcomer Nottingham Trent, before triumphing in a remarkable 53-50 game at home to Northumbria.

Exeter then travelled to London to face Durham for the first B U C S Super Rugby encounter in the capital.

"In a spotlight fixture that attracted thousands of alumni of both green and palatinate persuasion, [we] revelled in a fast-paced game on [Rosslyn Park's] 4G surface," says Linsell.

An enthralling finish that saw Exeter score three second-half tries in ten minutes was enough to usurp rivals Hartpury, revenge for the three-point BUCS Sup deficit that denied the 1s POS TEAM

82kg

Pierre Thompson

6"

JOE HUGHES, EURFC CLUB CAPTAIN

Exeter have won the varsity fixture three years in a row, averaging six tries

Edward Houchin

5.10"

This is always an extremely special night.

Thanks to each of you who make it possible

The new format of university rugby has led to a league in which there are no easy games SIMON LINSELL, 1s CAPTAIN

1

Northumbri

2

Exeter 1s

3 4

Cardiff Met Leeds Becket

5 6

Loughboroug Bath 1s

7

Hartpury 1

8

Durham 1

9 Nottingham Tr

*Table correct

14 February

Sandy

VARSITY PULLOUT

SITY REVIEW

t showdown at Sandy Park

the BUCS Championship in Twickenham. "[Our] first taste of defeat came on the road to Leeds Beckett in November. In a performance that showed a lot of promise, we found it hard work against a formidable Leeds pack in a very set-piece orientated match."

The 1s bounced back by registering four wins in a row: "notable among them [were] the 17-15 victory at Loughborough and a 47-7 win against our next opponents Bath," says Linsell.

Exeter tasted defeat again on the road to Northumbria in the final game before the Christmas break.

"The boys made it difficult for t h e m s e l ve s.

They started slowly, allowing the Newcastle outfit to gain a two-try lead."

"Having fought their way back in the game [to] lead with seconds to go, Exeter conceded a decisive try with the clock having gone dead."

Again, the 1s responded in style, kicking off 2018 with a four-try victory at home to Durham, before seeing their lead at the top of the table cut once more by defeat at the hands of last year's adversaries Hartpury, going down 27-26.

"Having dominated large sections of the game [...] poor discipline and some silly mistakes saw Hartpury per Rugby come back into the game PLD GD PTS

ia 1s

13 100 51

s

13 112 50

t 1s tt 1s

14 70 49 12 62 38

gh 1s

13 52 30 14 -93 29

and kick a match-winning penalty in the 80th minute," remarked Linsell.

Exeter's success is one built on solid foundations, as Hughes explains: "The rugby programme is second to none. It is structured to run at the height of professionalism, with every player -- from the 1s to the 9s -- receiving fantastic training exposure and guidance."

With knockout positions to play for, this match is set to be a thriller SIMON LINSELL, 1s CAPTAIN

"The link between the university and Exeter Chiefs is brilliant, setting us apart from all other university programmes," Hughes continues, remarking on a system that sees many of EURFC's members represent the Aviva Premiership outfit.

"The focus on home-grown, honest players contributes to the Chiefs' values and success, and as a university club it is always an honour to have the player's run sessions or invite our players to train and play," says the club captain.

Hughes had special mention for the

nine EURFC clubmen selected for England Students, with two on standy: "A fantastic achievement and testament to the rugby programme at the university."

With the 1s getting past Leeds in Topsham last Wednesday, they will be looking to regain their place at the top of the Super Rugby standings against Bath. Despite the wide margin of victory in the reverse fixture earlier this season, Linsell is refusing to take anything for granted.

"Exeter must be wary of Bath's ability to get results against any opponent," says Linsell. "Bath have got significant victories against Durham and Hartpury this season, as well as an impressive draw away to Leeds."

"With the gap at the top of the league closing, and knockout positions to play for for both sides, [this Wednesday's] match is set to be a thriller," concluded Linsell, setiments that were echoed by Hughes.

"This game is set to be a cracker," said the club captain. "Again, I would like to personally thank everyone who tirelessly contributes to EURFC and all the people who make this varsity event so special.

"You go the extra mile and we are forever greateful. Enjoy the night!"

Rory McMeikan Back row 5.9" 93kg

Luc-Pierre Riou Back row 6.3" 107kg

Kas Elman Second row 6.3" 108kg

Matt Blandford Back row 6.3" 102kg

Jack Rouse Second row 6.2" 106kg

Charlie Morgan Second row 6.6" 107kg

Simon Linsell (C)

Second row 6.6" 113kg

Paul Schroter Second row 6.2" 98kg

Callum Young Front row 5.9" 88kg

Jack Strong Front row 6.2" 105kg

Will Cutbill Front row 6.3" 120kg

George Gosling

1s

12 -14 26

The Exeter v Bath derby is a huge tradition and has been around for many years

1s

12 -20 19

JOE HUGHES, CLUB CAPTAIN

rent 1s 11 -269 3

t as of 9/2/18

y Park, Exeter

19:45

Front row 6.1" 108kg

Aaron Coombes Front row 6.3" 124kg

Rauf Birler Front row 5.9" 95kg

Josh Pieterse

6"

Front row 114kg

E

F

12 FEB 2017 | EXEPOSÉ

VARSITY

HOCKEY VARS

Stick it

MEN'S TEAM

O

Andy Gaylor Goalkeeper

N 28 February, the University of Exeter's Water Astro will play host to a veritable feast as both the women's and men's hockey 1s compete in their respective varsities.

After mightily impressive league capmaigns -- both sides sit victorious at the top of the BUCS South A tables -- ExeposĂŠ caught up with Connor Gould, Exeter University Hockey Club (EUHC) men's club captain, and Saskia Delacave, EUHC women's club captain, to see how the club is faring on and off the field, as well as looking ahead to the varsity itself.

Harry Mellows Goalkeeper Jack Middleton Defence

The Water Astro will play host to a veritable feast of hockey in both varsity fixtures

Will Carter-Keall (C)

Defence Sam Hooper Defence

"The club has had a cracking season so far", the pair explained. "There was a great turnout at trials back in September and this year's crop of new members have certainly contributed to the success, both on and off the pitch, that EUHC has enjoyed."

As with the 1s, the club is experiencing success across the board. "The majority

Ollie Davies Defence Duncan Scott Midfield

of teams [are in] strong positions in both Wednesday BUCS and Saturday leagues," said the captains.

Such is the strength of depth within EUHC, the men's 3s are in competition with the 4s, and the 5s with the 6s, for promotion from the Western 2A and 3A leagues.

The hockey club is experiencing success across the board "We also have three teams left in their BUCS Cup, with the quarter-finals to be played on 14 February" said Gould, "[and] we have our fingers crossed for at least one to appear in the final later down the line."

"The ladies have had an equally superb season," declared Delacave. "The 2s, 3s and 5s [are] all battling it out to win their leagues in the remaining few games of the season [...] the 2s, 3s, 4s and 6s are in the quarter-finals of the BUCS Cup [and we're] wishing them all the best of luck in bringing back some much deserved wins".

For the 1s, varsity will be the showpiece event of the year, a chance to play in front of a large and vociferous home crowd.

"Varsity is as big as hockey gets in Ex-

Max Heaver Midfield Nick Chittock

Once the game starts all you can focus on is the match

Midfield

WILL CARTER-KEALL, MEN'S 1s CAPTAIN

Dan Jackson Midfield

If the chance to see EUHC storm towards further BUCS success wasn't enough, the varsity will also see the club's partners provide support and giveways, and routines from the Cheerleaders will keep the crowds

Harry Butler Midfield

James Thomas

BUCS South A

Midfield POS

Ben Cooke Forward

1 2 James Ferguson Forward

Tom Watson Forward

eter," explained the captains. "Our women's and men's first XIs are given a platform to showcase the professionalism, determination and skill that defines university hockey."

Topping the Western 1A ensures "both first teams have set an example for the rest of the club to follow" say the pair. The 1s are now in "prime position going into the run to BUCS Championship final."

With neither side sure who they will be facing, the anticipation in the build-up is sure to build amongst for the 1s players, as well as for the rest of EUHC and its supporters.

"Varsity is about more than the hockey on the pitch.

It's about bringing together both club memebers and the wider university community in the biggest on-campus varsity to support Exeter."

"We have had over 800 people attend [the hockey varsity] in past years and we keep striving to make it bigger."

3 4 5 6

TEAM

PLD

GD

PTS

Exeter 1s

10 32 28

Bath 1s

9 15 20

Oxford Brookes 1s 10 -13 9 Bristol 1s 9 -7 9 Cardiff Mets 1s Reading 1s

10 -13 8 10 -14 6

The feeling of walking out to the support and noise of a home crowd is unbeatable WILL CARTER-KEALL, MEN'S 1s CAPTAIN

*Table correct as of 9/2/18

28 FEBRUARY

water astro,

VARSITY PULLOUT

SITY PREVIEW

to 'em

entertained as well.

Knowing your entire club and university are behind you is a truly special feeling ANNIE DALTON, WOMEN'S 1s CAPTAIN

The 1s team captains are understandably delighted with their teams' performances this year and told ExeposĂŠ how they are hoping their excellent form will translate into success for the remainder of the season.

Annie Dalton, captain of the women's 1s, has been enthused by the influx of talent that boosted the side in September, contributing to a miserly defence that conceded a mere three goals all year as part of an unbeaten campaign.

"We've gained some outstanding freshers who have fit nicely into the team, and our coaches have introduced some newer, [more] dynamic aspects to our game."

Having played in the varsity as a fresher herself, Dalton is hoping the younger members will rise to the occasion in what is "one of the most memorable events of the year".

"Everything has to be left on the pitch," said Dalton. "Having made it to the finals in first year, losing out on flicks at varsity in second year, the [varsity] can bring a lot of emotion [for players]."

Likewise, men's 1s captain Will Carter-

WOMEN'S TEAM Keall will draw on previous experience to marshal his troops.

"You have to try and approach the game as just another game in the season," he said.

"Mentally, of course, there is the extra pressure of playing in front of the crowd but once the game starts all you can focus on is the match."

"Having played last year, the feeling of walking out to the support and noise of a home crowd is unbeatable."

The quarter-final fixtures could see both sides move one step closer to silverware Dalton reiterated that point: "The support we get from the crowd is amazing -- I would hate to come away to Exeter because of the monumental support [we] receive.

Knowing your entire club and university are behind you is a truly special feeling that sets varsity apart from any other game I'll ever play."

Confident in their teams' abilities, Gould and Delacave told ExeposĂŠ the players we should keep an eye out for.

Several of the men's XI are involved with the national set-up: "Duncan Scott is part of the GB u23 squad [...] our defensive duo of Will 'CK' Carter-Keall and Sam 'Super' Hooper are a force to be reckoned with at the back."

For the women's team, Meg Crowson will compete in her fourth varsity after representing the GB Elite Development Programme in Alicante over Christmas, along with Nicole Bowen, Katie Knight and Kate Axford.

Both teams will find out who they face the week before varsity, with the BUCS Championship quarter-final fixtures providing both sides with the opportunity to move one step closer to silverware this season.

"Having worked so hard to get to this point it's important to go out and play the way we have to get here," Carter-Keall stated.

"The teams in the North league are always strong, and not to be underestimated.

All I can ask for as a captain is that my team put everything into it," said Dalton. "We have always expected a lot from each other, but the desire in every player will fuel our performance on the day, and that is something I am very excite about."

"I am looking forward to what is set to be a very memorable day for the club."

Katie Knight Goalkeeper

Abbey Griffiths Defender Emma Dalton Defender

Chloe Joarder Defender Claire Hilton Defender

Kate Axford Defender Lydia Roll Midfielder

Annie Dalton (C)

Midfielder Tash Patient Midfielder

Katherine Holdgate

Midfielder

All I can ask as a captain is my team puts everything into the game ANNIE DALTON, WOMEN'S 1s CAPTAIN

BUCS South A POS

TEAM

PLD

Anna Mason GD

10 24 24

1

Exeter 1s

2

Oxford 1s

10 14 22

3 4

Bath 1s Cardiff 1s

10 4 18 10 -13 10

5 6

Bristol 1s Cambridge 1s

10 -11 6 10 -18 2

, sports park

Forward

PTS

Emily Davies Forward

*Table correct as of 9/2/18

14:oo & 17:00

Orla Cooke Forward

G

H

12 FEB 2018 | EXEPOSÉ

VARSITY PULLOUT

American FOOTBALL VARSITY

Demons downed by Blitz in Devon derby American Football Exeter Demons.......................................6 Plymouth Blitz......................................14 Owains Evans Editor

T

HE Exeter Demons fell to a heartbreaking 6-14 loss at Coombe Dingle as a last-minute punt was blocked and returned for the decisive Plymouth touchdown.

The match was initially supposed to be played at Duckes Meadow, but weather conditions dictated otherwise. Instead of the familiar Exeter fields, the game would be played at Coombe Dingle, the home ground of Bristol.

The Blitz kicked off proceedings, and after a decent return, Exeter started their first drive.

The Demons made steady progress along the field, with the highlight undoubtedly being a spectacular fake punt on which Toby Ferrison managed to make it over the line to gain a first down. However, eventually the drive ran out of steam, and, without a kicker to take the field goal attempt, Exeter turned the ball over on downs at the Plymouth 25.

The early signs continued to be positive from there. The Blitz, in their own half, failed to make progress - going three and out, and punting the ball back to Exeter, in modest position in their own half.

However, that's where the errors started to creep in, and the tide of the game began to turn.

On the next Demons drive, an erroneous snap that flew far over the quarterback's head summa-

rised the majority of the rest of the game. This time, unlike last, Exeter did not possess the same potency, and as they punted the ball away, the direction of the game changed.

Plymouth's drive was far more clinical than their previous attempt, as they chipped away at the Exeter defense. Playing out the remainder of the quarter, they eventually made it to the Exeter 15 by the time the sides changed ends. With the first snap of the 2nd Quarter, Plymouth found the endzone through a crowd of players.

Their two-point attempt was no good, but little did it matter, for the Blitz led by a scoreline of 6-0.

Plymouth kept the pressure going. Before halftime, twice did Exeter's defense cling on.

The interceptions - one on a short pass on their own 1-yard line, and one from a slightly more adventurous pass. Exeter's offence struggled, however, until the final drive of the half. Making it from their own half as far as the opposition 20, the Demons began to look threatening. Unfortunately, the clock was against them, and they were unable to capitalise before the referees called everyone in for halftime.

The second half definitely swung further in the Demons' favour. Despite a poor kick to resume play, Exeter succeeded in holding Plym-

Going into the game I felt we prepared very well, adding new plays to both our Defensive and Offensive playbook. From the get go we knew Plymouth had planned to lock down our tight end Adrian Beck, as he proved to be a threat to their defense last time we played. We worked out several other plays to counter this which worked well throughout the game, such as the running back counter and slot receiver stretches. As a team we felt the game was there to be won, but due to an unlucky punt we gave up a game-deciding touchdown with no time to spare. Both teams were evenly matched, it just seemed luck wasn't on our side. Moving forward we are trying to iron-out all mental mistakes [for] our next game against Solent. The season is still very much in our hands.

LOUIS CHAI, VICE PRESIDENT & TEAM CAPTAIN

outh in their offensive 15-yard line, with them turning over on downs.

Exeter pushed back up the field, but despite their best efforts, they found themselves picked off on the 14-yard line, handing possession back to Plymouth to run out the quarter.

Still, it wasn't long into the 4th Quarter before Exeter regained possession. Finally, they found their way onto the scoreboard, and took away Plymouth's lead. A sneak play by quarterback George Pearson from 11 yards out saw the Demons put up 6, and gave them hope ahead of their 2-pt conversion attempt. Yet on the conversion, their lack of timeliness cost them, as a delay of game penalty saw them pushed back by 5 yards. With just one play to try to get it in from 8 yards out, the Demons put forth a feeble attempt, and couldn't capitalise.

Shortly after the kickoff, Exeter found yet another stroke of luck, as they pounced upon a loose ball in the Plymouth backfield to give Exeter a chance to take all the spoils.

They quickly pushed up the field, making it into the red zone before eventually becoming unstuck, not least due to an illegal formation penalty that pushed them back even further. Taking their final shot on a 4th & long attempt, Adrian Baeck just couldn't pull the ball in to keep their

hopes alive.

Instead, Plymouth took over in their own territory. The Blitz put forward a clinical offensive display, advancing the ball quickly and capitalising on indiscipline from the Exeter side. With everything on the line, the defensive side managed yet another interception, as Tom Seager pulled in an attempt to pop it over the top.

With just 44 seconds on the clock, it fell to the Exeter offense to cling on to a tie. Making little progress, it was quickly 4th down, and the punter was out to clear Exeter's line.

With the ball snapped, Plymouth lived up to their name, with rushers chasing down the kick.

It had been a close call on previous punts - in fact, one punt in the 1st Quarter had actually been tipped to go out of bounds. Unforuntately, this time they didn't quite get away with simply a slight tip. The Blitz blocked the punt, which promptly sent the ball bouncing around and back into the endzone. A mass of Plymouth players were soon after it, and with just 15 seconds left on the clock, they claimed their winning points.

The 2-pt conversion, to add injury to insult, was run successfully up the middle, leaving the scoreline at 6-14.

Exeter made a last-ditch attempt from the final kickoff, even making Plymouth re-kick after their initial attempt went out of bounds, but the challenge that the clock had set them was always going to be insurmountable. A Plymouth recovery from a dropped lateral only confirmed the result - a tragic heartbreak for Exeter, and a Devon Bowl triumph for Plymouth.

This year we've had a record number of members with over 100 signing up. This has included a good portion of social members [and] numbers to socials have been outstanding. We had hoped to have the game on the [University of Exeter] Rubber Crumb to boost attendance but unfortunately there were issues with pitch markings.

After Duckes Meadow was no longer an option due to poor weather we had to settle on the game being in Bristol. Having gone toe-to-toe with Plymouth last term -- only to lose on a freak play at the end -- we felt good about our chances this time around. To have such a close game throughout, only to lose like that at the end, is disheartening of course but we can be proud of the effort [and it] gives us confidence we can still make the play-offs and maybe meet Plymouth again for some revenge.

GEORGE PEARSON, CLUB CAPTAIN

American FOOTBALL VARSITY

exhibit

|

arts + lit

EDITORS: Mubanga Mweemba and Maddie Davies

12 FEB 2018 |

Name a more iconic duo

21

Arts + Lit Writers dissect the relationships of power couples in the world of art and culture

MARINA AND ULAY

T

HE royal couple of performance art, Marina Abramović and Ulay were both emblazoned in a quest to create that resulted in their relationship becoming the art.

Performance art is often laughed at by those who don’t “see the point”, but what is captivating about Abramović’s and Ulay’s partnership is the way in which they created art out of the everyday and shone a light on the construction and performance of being in a couple.

Beginning with the state of falling in love in 1980 with the piece, ‘Rest Energy’, we see Ulay aim an arrow into the heart of Abramović– the tension between the two eloquently symbolised by the tightening of the string of the bow. Together, the couple explored the states of enrapturing, connection (with the piece ‘Relationship in Time’ where the two sat, back to back, hairs plaited together) and anger, with the piece ‘AAA-AAA’ in 1978 where the two shriek into each other’s faces. Even their breakup in 1988 became a deliciously dramatic artwork named ‘The Lovers’. They split up by walking from opposite ends of the Great Wall of China, then meet in the middle to bid each other farewell.

BOTH ARTISTS WERE EMBLAZONED IN A QUEST TO CREATE It was in 2010 when Ulay and Abramović’s created their finest piece of performance art.

At the MoMA, Abramović was participating in a piece “The Artist Is Present”, where she sat at a table for two, adorned in a scarlet gown, where visitors would queue up to sit opposite her for a minute. Ulay arrived unexpectedly and sat with her. The result, claimed to be unplanned, is breathtaking in its authentic exposure of the action of ex-lovers reuniting, or “bumping into your ex”. The video of this minute has since gone viral, and I urge you to watch these two titans engage in the most vulnerable and emotive act of connection that typifies the soul-exposing way in which their art was life and life was art.

Olivia Denton

SIMONE AND JEan-paul

S

IMONE de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre were both highly influential and controversial French thinkers in the twentieth century. Beauvoir is perhaps most famous for her feminist work The Second Sex, where she outlines the oppression women have endured as a result of being defined in opposition to man, as his “Other”. However, Beauvoir was also a prolific author, channelling her ideas into powerful existentialist novels and short stories which, like her novel, The Blood of Others, are filled with morally ambiguous characters struggling to discern their place in the world and relation to others.

THEIR RELATIONSHIP WAS AS UNCONVENTIONAL AS THEIR PHILOSOPHIES Sartre’s influence on the field of existentialism is much broader than Beauvoir’s. He stated that human existence precedes consciousness and therefore it is our actions and behaviour in this life that determine our qualities. His famous quotation “man is condemned to be free” encapsulates the idea that we are always free to choose yet this freedom brings responsibility, which in turn can lead many to existential fears. Through his firm belief in the choice, he eliminates the need for a God since God and free will cannot coexist; as such, we must give meaning to our own lives, for there is no supreme one.

Both figures were controversial in their time - The Second Sex was banned by the Vatican - and it is easy to see what drew this pair together into a 50 year soulful and intellectual romance. Their relationship was as unconventional as their philosophies; they never married and had an open relationship on the condition that they shared everything with one another, including their other lovers. Beauvoir edited Sartre’s texts, and he dedicated many to her. They shared influential groups of common friends, debated and influenced each other’s works, met often, but also led separate lives. The couple are buried together in the Cimetiére de Montparnasse.

Alexandra Luca

sylvia and ted

T

EDDY I love you so it is murdering me...” were the words that celebrated poet and novelist Sylvia Plath wrote to her husband Ted Hughes in 1956 after their honeymoon. Plath’s sentiments recorded in the throes of passion after the couple’s speedy four-month courtship defined the remainder of tempestuous matrimony that followed. After meeting at Cambridge in 1956 at a launch party for St Boltoph’s Review, their mutual attraction resulted in a whirlwind romance.

After a brief period in America the couple experienced relative literary success when Plath published her first collection of poetry The Colossus and Hughes published Lupercal, with critical adulation. Further acclaim followed for Plath in particular, with the publication of The Bell Jar shortly before the birth of the couple’s second child.

THEIR RELATIONSHIP REMAINED CLOUDED IN PERSONAL TRAGEDY Yet despite the duo’s commercial and critical successes, their relationship remained clouded in personal tragedy and controversy until their separation in 1962 after Hughes affair with Assia Wevill. Accusations of physical and emotional abuse levied by Plath two days before her miscarriage haunted their relationship and then their bitter separation. Tragically, having struggled with her mental health from adolescence, Plath took her own life in February 1963 when she committed suicide after producing a prolific body of work which Hughes later edited to become Ariel; one of the most widely celebrated poetical works of the twentieth century. Despite enjoying remarkable success after his ex-wife’s suicide, the death of Hughes’ ex-wife morbidly inspired some of Hughes greatest works such as Birthday Letters.

The combination of unbelievable talent and destructive passion which characterised this couple’s tumultuous relationship undoubtedly cemented them as one of the most iconic relationships of literary history.

Lauren Newman

zelda and Francis

Z

ELDA and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s relationship was a product of their generation; in 1918, they found love in the hope that it would bring them savaltion and fame.

Although most people know Scott because of his canonical novels, Zelda is not as wellknown today; her fame flourished in the twentieth century.

Zelda was coined the “first American Flapper” by Scott; she scandalously and famously lived a raucous lifestyle, smoking, drinking and wearing promiscuous clothes in true Flapper fashion. Zelda thus became Scott’s muse; she influenced the beautiful heroines of his literature, significantly the socialite Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby. However, Zelda was more than just a muse, as Scott used exact excerpts from her diary in his novels; in This Side of Paradise, the protagonist’s soliloquy at the end of the novel is taken directly from Zelda’s journal.

Zelda wrote reviews on Scott’s novels, eventually receiving offers from magazines to write articles and short stories, becoming a writer in her own right. When her Flapper lifestyle came into question, she wrote a famous piece entitled Eulogy on the Flapper, defending her style of existence.

ZELDA WAS MORE THAN A MUSE... SHE BECAME A WRITER IN HER OWN RIGHT Now celebrities, they became emblems of the 1920s Jazz Age; both members of high society, they established the trend for the ideal American lifestyle, partying and rubbing shoulders with the elite. As their success was so intertwined with their relationship when it declined, their work also suffered; Zelda’s novel Save Me the Waltz was severely received by Scott for its depiction of their marital issues, and Scott died in 1940 believing himself to no longer be a literary success. Although Scott never knew the resounding success of his work, we are thankful today for the writing their relationship provided, and their contribution to the discussion about love and literature’s reciprocal influence.

Rosalind Tickle

exhibit

|

arts + lit

12 FEB 2018 |

EDITORS: Mubanga Mweemba and Maddie Davies

22

Art from the heart Anna Gnap declares her love for Patti Smith’s Just Kids

S

AT in coffee shops on rainy Sundays, lying in bed with the windows wide open, watching the sunset over the sea. Wherever we may be, most of us find ourselves wishing for a fairy-tale Hollywood romance. Then our feet hit the ground; we stop daydreaming, come back to reality and realise it’s never going to happen. But then we read a book, Just Kids by Patti Smith, and the dream comes back to life, even if just a tiny bit.

The summer of love, of flower children, Jimi Hendrix and his burning guitar. It was the summer of ’67, and the summer Patti Smith met Robert Mapplethorpe. The book begins as a love story but ends as an elegy to Mapplethorpe, a beautiful mix of poetry and photography honouring the late photographer. It’s a salute to

New York City during the sixties and seventies, to those who roamed its streets; rich and poor, hustlers and hellions.

A way with words that puts you right in the middle of the bustling Brooklyn streets, we walk through one of the greatest love affairs of our grandparents’ generation.

From the glimpses caught in Brooklyn, to the first meeting over a Persian necklace, Smith walks us through the highs and the turmoil of two young people in love. The fights to survive in the city that never sleeps: the insecurity, uncertainty and the doubt.

Whether in a relationship or not, we grow. We grow together, supporting each other and holding each other up. We grow apart, as individuals, changing opinions, styles, dreams. Smith and Mapplethorpe did both, they grew in their careers, succeeding as art-

ists despite the tallest of obstacles. They grew together, from home to home, living a New York dream; the Chelsea Hotel, CBGB. Meeting as children themselves, neither of them yet 21, they grew up together, falling in love and hopefully taking the world by storm.

But the book is not just the story of the love between Smith and Mapplethorpe; it’s her love affair with art. From writing poetry, journalism, editorials, playwriting and finally music. Smith tried it all. Despite the failures and rejections, she kept coming back to her art, cut and bruised. Persevering for admiration, Smith climbed the career ladder to be respected and will eventually leave behind a legacy that all can aspire to.

Just Kids comes around full circle as a spellbinding portrait of the 70’s New York we wish

we experienced. So, in true Smithian style, grab yourself a copy with the edges torn and the paper brown, a black coffee, and head down to a park bench or a street corner. Maybe an old tourist couple will spy you out of a crowd, wanting to take a picture not knowing if you’re artists or just kids.

As Tom Carson highlights in his New York Times article, “Smith moved onto other partners, including the playwright Sam Shepard and The Blue Oyster cult keyboard-guitarist Allen Lanier, her attachment to Mapplethorpe did not wane.”

This summarises my love for Smith and Just Kids; she reminds us that youthful love may be silly, but it is preparation. In doing so, she advocates the brilliance of young love in such a truthful manner, unlike any other artist.

Tale as old as time...

Tabi Scott talks us through the discourse of the romance novel

C

AN you call yourself a feminist if you’re a fan of romance fiction?

When I think back on my early teen days of obsessing over the likes of Twilight and The Fault in Our Stars, I am somewhat embarrassed to admit how much I adored them. Beneath the more obvious embarrassment over the cringe-worthy content, there is a deeper sense of guilt about reading them. This is because of the undercurrent of sexism that I see beneath the plot lines, which seem to glorify the idea that meeting the perfect man and running off into the sunset together is the ultimate dream for women.

Romance novels for me became a guilty pleasure. As someone who is so passionate about women’s rights, I felt I needed to reject this fiction which appeared to encourage a reliance on men for happiness. How could I call myself a feminist if I was a fan of romance novels? I felt that proving that a happy, successful life can be achieved outside of this paradigm of heterosexuality was important, but this fiction seemed to promote the opposite, dressing up enforced gender roles with roses and the perfect one-liners.

The popularity of romance novels cannot be dismissed, from the work of Austen and the Bronte sisters to the

‘chick-lit’ of the 21st century. But if these texts present women as mere partners-in-crime to their gorgeous, intelligent, and above all else, ‘manly’ love interests, then why do we still read them?

Why are devout feminists, such as myself, still drawn to them? The failure to reject this genre puzzles me.

Susan Elizabeth Phillips, a romance novelist herself, argues that the reason why this genre is so appealing is that it actually empowers women. In her essay ‘The Romance and Empowerment of Women’ she explains that a “fantasy of empowerment” is necessary to cope with the realities that women face. These novels give women the illusion of control by indulging in a fantasy world where women are not only treated as equals but combat life with a self-confident attitude that is perceived as alluring by men rather than domineering and bossy.

Phillips argues: “The heroine isn’t as big

as he is; she isn’t as strong, as old, as worldly; many times she isn’t as well educated. Despite all these limitations, she confronts him – not with physical strength but with intelligence and courage. And what happens? She always wins!

Guts and brains beat brawn every time.”

In fact, the more powerful the male love interest appears, the more empowering the novel seems to be for women.

Looking back at The Twilight Saga again, the love between the characters overcomes this imbalance of power which I once condemned as misogynistic, as she becomes his equal. The female protagonist sees that he perfectly encapsulates this hyper-masculine image that Phillips describes, but she refuses to be afraid of him or behave as his inferior. The heroine commands respect, and this is the treatment she receives, no matter how dictatorial, overbearing and powerful the male love interest is.

This is the fantasy which entrances not only myself but millions of other romance novel readers, with the idea that a woman can confront any man successfully and receive nothing but adoration and respect. More broadly, this can then apply to how to combat other obstacles where one may feel inferior. This “fantasy” seems like a logical escape when the reality is riddled with conflicting social pressures to be the perfect wife, mother, lover, work professional and housekeeper.

In this “fantasy”, women are not objects; they are not “the weaker sex” or “not man enough”.

The man they aspire to spend their life with validates their robust and independent behaviour rather than condemning it. Romance novels are feminist not because they create the ideal man, but because they create an ideal world for women.

I can now appreciate the discourse of romance novels as a form of escapism for those who feel out of control, overwhelmed by the pressures of gender expectations. With young women idolising not the “perfect” relationship within the novels, but instead the way in which the heroines fearlessly demand and receive respect from men, this inspires the hope that maybe one day this fictional world won’t be a mere “fantasy”.

LIFESTYLE

|

ARTS+LIT

|

MUSIC

|

SCREEN

LIKE OUR FACEBOOK PAGE /EXEPOSEEXHIBIT

music

Future of Music: Loyal to Carner Laura Butula profiles future G.O.A.T. Loyle Carner

T

OSS aside everything you think you know about hip-hop for a minute. Visualise a new rhythm that takes you to unexplored corners of urban music, where your fingers intuitively drum on any surface you touch. As millennials, we are constantly seeking this ideal tune - one where we feel understood and supported, yet at the same time, one that provides an insight into problems other than our own. This is the sound of Benjamin Coyle-Larner, an undeniably talented English rapper who, like most of his peers, started his music career in the playground. Better known by his stage name Loyle Carner, a homage to his dyslexia, the 23 year old has taken the rap world by storm with his debut album Yesterday’s Gone, being nominated for several awards including the 2017 Mercury Prize for Album of the Year and the Brit’s Breakthrough Act for 2018. Alongside dyslexia, ADHD has proven to be a challenge that Carner managed to control and even manipulate through the years. Allowing him to focus on multiple things at once, cooking has become the ideal distraction for the young rapper’s condition, so much so that he opened a culinary school named 'Chilli Con Carner' to help teens struggling with ADHD. The rapper mentions both medical disorders in several of his songs in order to

represent their impact, for instance when he raps: “she said that it ain’t me without ADHD” in 'Sun of Jean'. Right off the bat, Carner’s lyrics prove him to be an expressive genius.

A SWEET SYMBIOSIS OF LIVE INSTRUMENTS AND WICKED BEATS Finding an exclusive sound is a common battle for artists, but Carner admits that listening to grime music as a teenager helped him grow up to feel comfortable in his own culture. With the help of his DJ and best friend Rebel Kleff, the two artists work together to produce their raw brand of hip hop, a sweet symbiosis of live instruments and wicked beats. There is no doubt that composing poetry from a young age facilitated his emotional autonomy and encouraged him to speak out about personal matters, classifying his music as “conscious rap”. Through this honesty, Carner returns to the initial purpose of hip hop, in which the artist broadcasts a private story to individuals who chose to listen; thus, he finds common ground

with his teenage inspirations, notably Nas, whom he toured with back in 2016. Carner thinks that pursuing the creative arts - music specifically - is the ultimate approach to reaching seren- i t y , so he never forces any lyrics and rather waits for the inspiration to come to him. Both his mother and stepfather initiated his love for music as they introduced him to famous artists such as David Bowie. However, he was most stirred when he discovered his step-father’s self-produced album after his death in 2014. Carner named his own album after one of the track titles; this intimate tribute, together with frequent references to his parental figures in his songs makes it clear that genuine relationships are essential to the hip hop artist. It is this modest and unpretentious charisma that defines Carner and brings his music to the front stage of modern rap music. As his style and perspective continue to evolve, it’s safe to say that his upcoming album will be nothing short of lyrical authenticity, both powerful and reflective, offering a true illustration of himself for us to listen to.

If music be the food of love...

Tash Ebbutt, Deputy Editor, has the ultimate Valentine's playlist - whether you're single or all coupled up COUPLES

Warning, if you are repulsed by disgustingly smushy songs, I suggest that you stop reading immediately. However, if you’re all loved up, you might just appreciate this brief selection.

First up we have ‘It Had to Be You’ by the iconic Frank Sinatra. This particular number appears in When Harry Met Sally, an instant romantic classic. Second, ‘Sarah Smiles’ by Panic! at the Disco, reminiscent of the blazon, this lovely little song celebrates the love for another. And I’m all about that love. Third, ‘I Wanna Be Yours’

by Arctic Monkeys. Originally performed by John Cooper Clarke and introduced to me at GCSE, this kooky love song is a must, especially if it’s a rendition by Alex Turner. Fourth, we have ‘Superman’ by Scouting for Girls: because having a ballad about someone looking out for you is the absolute dream. ‘All About You’

by McFly comes in at fifth because I’m still a sappy teenage girl at heart and it’s just bloody adorable. Sixth, ‘Your Song’. But not the Elton John version, no, you need Ewan McGregor’s dreamy voice from Moulin Rouge. I know this isn’t Screen, but Moulin Rouge is a beautiful film which you should consider watching dur-

ing the upcoming festivities. My seventh song also originates from a love film. What can I say, there are some absolute soppy bangers in chick-flicks; 'Surprise Yourself' by Jack Garrett is one of these and its slow paced yet exciting beats just make my heart flutter. The final two songs are part of musical scores, first up we have 'Fairy Dance' by composer James Newton Howard. It is a magical, quaint tune that reflects the new feelings of love present in the 2003 Peter Pan. The other is ‘Kisses and Cake’ by John Powell. This features on the PS I Love You score and features two of the best things in the universe: kisses and cake.

SINGLES But not all of us are lucky in the love department and for some, the prospect of Valentine’s Day is frankly quite sickening. Have no fear, if you’re single and ready to mingle or just resigning yourself to weeping in the corner, then boy do I have the playlist for you. First up, let’s mention those empowering single tunes.

‘Ridin’ Solo’

by Jason Derulo because tunes from the noughties are always going to be an instant mood boost. The iconic Beyoncé song ‘Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)’ is another classic, often found at Cheesy Tuesdays at 2am, but this doesn’t make it any less fierce. It is

Beyoncé after all. Thirdly, if you just want to deny that love exists, get your speakers on and blast ‘Who Needs Love’ by Razorlight. Absolute tune.

But what if you’re single and haven’t lost faith in love? First up, ‘Someone in the Crowd’ from La La Land. A wholesome tune that fuels the belief that there’s someone out there for everyone – which is quite a nice thought really. ‘Favourite Colour’

by Sea Girls is another favourite. It’s wonderful when you first meet someone and you’re not together but you’re learning all the tiny, special details about each other. If you’re planning to grab a box of tissues, a tub of ice cream and indulge in a bit of self-wallowing then I suggest you crack out some James Blunt. ‘Goodbye My Lover’ is a good (well sad) place to start. ‘Solo’ by Frank Ocean is another song which oozes loneliness so if crying in your room to the entirety of Blond is your jam (*cough* Alex Brammer *cough*) then get on the hype. Finally, I just had to drop a reference to my beloved Doctor Who. Murray Gold’s ‘Doomsday’ is the epitome of fictional character sadness. It’s especially important to flop against a wall and think of what could have been to fully embrace the painful chords.

exhibit

|

12 FEB 2018 | 33

study break

VALENTINE’S DAY WORDSEARCH

PANCAKE DAY TOPPINGS

1. MAD ON GRANULES

CAN YOU FIND ALL EIGHTEEN WORDS?

8. WHIMPER PACED

2. NO CAM INN

9. A AN BANS

3. REWRITE BRASS

10. SCEPTICAL HOOCH

4. NULL TEA

11. CROCHETED DUN SOD

5. PARSLEY IMP

12. RIOT ACT

6. HURT GORY GEEK

13. BURLIER BEES

7. EAT BUTT PRUNE

14. HEY NO

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE THERE ARE EIGHT DIFFERENCES TO FIND

CANDLELIGHT CARDS CHOCOLATE CUPID DATE DINNER

FIRST KISS MEMORIES MOVIE PINK POEM PROPOSAL RED ROMANCE ROSES

ST VALENTINE TEDDY BEAR TRUE LOVE

ANSWERS

Blueberries 14. Honey Chocolate Chips 11. Shredded Coconut 12. Ricotta 13.

7. Colour of the Pepsi cup 8. Tattoo on Summer’s arm

7. Peanut Butter 8. Whipped Cream 9. Bananas 10.

Bouquet of roses 5. Bowtie on Tom 6. Tom’s monobrow

Strawberries 4. Nutella 5. Maple Syrup 6. Greek Yoghurt

Moustache on Summer 3. Umbrella hat on woman 4.

Anagrams: 1. Lemon and Sugar 2. Cinnamon 3.

Spot the Difference: 1. Popcorn holder colour 2.

exhibit

|

music

EDITORS: Alex Brammer and Maddy Parker

Shammy Awards

12 FEB 2018

|

26

Tom Murphy on the increasing irrelevancy of the Grammys in 2018

H

OPES were high for the 2018 Grammys.

Vapid, overplayed pop behemoth ‘Shape of You’ was excluded from the Song of the Year. When the list of nominees was released in November it appeared genuinely representative.

Could 2018 be the year music’s premier award ceremony transgressed the tepid, uninspiring commercialism of ceremony’s past.

The night’s biggest winner was Bruno Mars, who dominated the top awards winning in all six of the categories he was nominated for. A tight, energetic tribute to 90s R&B, 24K Magic is not a particularly bad record. However, it simply does not compare to the quality of the bodies of work put out by the other artists nominated in the Best Album category. Lorde’s Melodrama is a diverse millennial masterpiece, a pop record firmly packed with raw emotion. Kendrick Lamar was also snubbed in spite of his domination of the rap categories. While the hip-hop heavyweight picked up five awards throughout the ceremony; his moody, introspective record was deemed inferior to 24K Magic. Music mogul Jay-Z's deeply personal record 4:44 saw him nominated eight times without taking home a single award. While Donald

Glover’s psychedelic soul album Awaken My Love completely revitalised his Childish Gambino artistic persona, developing from an entertaining yet mediocre rapper to a sonically diverse soul star in the making. Mars’ record is cohesive and uplifting but lacks the depth and substance of his fellow nominees; a thoroughly safe and uninspiring choice that reflects badly on the Grammy’s timid voting academy.

Expectations where high for an academy that did not nominate a white male for Best Album for the first time since Lauryn Hill won the award in 1999. Breakthrough artists like Cardi B and SZA who were heavily nominated went home emptyhanded. SZA, hot off the back of her fantastically fragile album CTRL, was the standout favourite for the Best New Artist award. However, Alessia Cara, propped up by heavyweight commercial collaborations with rapper Logic and EDM giant Zedd nabbed the award, despite releasing her last album in 2015. Once again the Academy

Wave hello

chose to award success in the charts, rather than the genuine artistry. In the eyes of the Grammy Academy, Cara’s breakthrough onto the Billboard far outweighed the exquisite examination of uncertainty and insecurity expressed in SZA’s CTRL. Cara was the only woman to claim any of the ceremony’s top prizes, reaffirming the Grammy’s problematic relationship with women, and black women in particular.

Following the promising nominations list and expectation for a more progressive, representative ceremony was palpable.

REMEMBER THIS?

Jono Flett introduces us to postmodern genre vaporwave

B

EFORE Spotify had given me my overview of what I was listening to throughout 2017, I didn't even know ‘vaporwave’ existed.

What’s more, I know that if someone forced me to listen to ‘vaporwave’ music, I wouldn’t have even given it a chance considering the horrifically pretentious name that I would only associate with the kind of person who’s the subject of a song by Reuben Dangoor (If you don’t know what I mean, type his name into YouTube and it’s the first song to come up). However, to my own surprise, vaporwave turned out to be my most listened to genre by a long stretch. Some quick research through Google and Wikipedia (since the Forum Library and JSTOR had little to offer me on the topic) and I soon found out that it was a genre of music that had been born from internet forums and social media sites like Tumblr around early 2010.

CHARACTERISED BY POPULAR SOUNDS FROM THE 80S AND 90S A genre largely based in electronic instruments, vaporwave music is characterised by the use of sounds that were popular across the 80s and 90s, and often samples many of the sounds of new technologies that emerged from the time.

In its earlier days, when Skrillex was at his prime, the music was usually made to sound very similar to dubstep. One song that best exemplifies this

is Mistabishi’s ‘Printer Jammed,’ which makes heavy use of the sounds of a broken printer with some fast-paced drum beats added in.

However, as the genre has developed over the last eight years, vaporwave artists appear to have taken less inspiration from the technologies introduced at the time, and more from videogames. There’s no doubt that the old video game music tracks, such as the Super Mario Bros. theme, have become iconic over the last 20 or 30 years, and it has lead newer artists to produce their music in an 8-bit style. One artist who shows this best is Tennyson. Using their background in classical jazz, the Canadian duo’s EP Like What? blends 8-bit s o u n d s with jazzy rhythms to create songs that make

Seemingly, the Academy has not learnt from the debacle of the previous year’s ceremony, which saw Beyonce’s Lemonade an odyssey of an album, exploring the relationship between African-Americanism and feminism, pipped by Adele’s middleof-the-road 25. Shockingly, Lorde, the only women nominated for ‘Best Album’ award, unlike her male competitors, was refused a solo performance slot.

While Kendrick Lamar dazzled the millions watching at home with his politically charged performance of ‘XXX’, and Gambino crooned his way through ‘Terrified', Lorde was only offered a slot as part of a female ensemble.

Not without its highlights, the ceremony foregrounded the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements. Kesha, a victim of sexual abuse herself, delivered an important emotional performance which showcased the power of music in raising awareness about such issues. Yet despite this, the Grammys continue to have a real problem with gender.

In the last six years only nine per cent of Grammy nominees have been women. Once again, mainstream music’s biggest awards ceremony has failed to adequately represent. Bring on 2019?

you feel like you’re living inside a video game. This is especially true when listening to their opening two songs ‘Like What?’ and ‘Fault Line,’ the latter opening with a solo that could remind anyone of the many times they came first place in Mario Kart.

With this nostalgic inspiration, the genre has more recently drifted towards producing more relaxed mellow sounds rather than dance tracks.

As the genre comes close to becoming a decade old, the music is seeing a great rise in popularity (although I’m not sure the name is helping with that) and it’s not hard to find Vaporwave playlists on Spotify or anywhere else. So if you’re looking to for some nice relaxing music that can take you back to when you were a child in the 90s or, you want to listen to old computers making crazy sounds to a rhythmic drumbeat, or you just want to improve your vintage aesthetic, then vaporwave is the genre of music you need.

NOAH AND THE WHALE The First Days of Spring 31 August 2009 I think it’s fair to label Noah and The Whale as a ‘household name’. Yet, in between the spirited mainstream hits ‘5 Years Time’ and ‘L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.’ sits a melancholic album that was much quieter than their other works in more ways than one. Firstly, the tracks are far more subdued: the bouncy indie-folk has been discarded and replaced with whispers of genuine, personal heartbreak. Secondly, while it very rightfully garnered some critical acclaim, it has since been criminally forgotten.

Spawned from the end of lead singer Charlie Fink’s relationship with Laura Marling, this is a great breakup album. For every note of heartbreak, there’s a tinge of tender optimism: they blend honest, reflective lyrics with atmospheric instrumentals that – especially on the grand songs like ‘Blue Skies’ – border on cinematic. They capture the struggle of the relationship post-mortem gracefully: that fragile balance of mourning its end while forcing yourself to search for positives. I can’t think of another album that is both heart-breaking and inspiring all at once.

Guitar, violin, and piano interplay delicately throughout the album to create a gallery of compositions that are more mature and memorable than anything else they’ve created: they transcend the twee realms of indie-folk. The album closer, 'My Door Is Always Open', is almost haunting - a slow, droning acoustic number that sees Fink reaching some sort of closure. This album is both a testament to the musical prowess that this band possesses, and a timeless entry into the sprawling list of breakup albums. It’s an album that, ironically, deserves some newfound love for itself.

Ben Fauikner, Screen Editor

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

GET A MASSIVE

When you spend £30 or more online at

www.dominos.co.uk use code: FEB18STU Minimum spend of £30. Excludes Italiano Range products, Ice Cream, Drinks, 14/21 Chicken sides, Chick’n’Mix Box, Kickers Combo and strippers Combo. Coupon can be used multiple times. Not valid in conjunction with any other offer. Participating stores only. Expires 28/02/18.

DELIVERY DRIVERS WANTED To apply, or for more information please contact your local store.

screen

Into the crystal screen

Callum Newens runs through his hottest predictions for the year ahead

VENOM Sony’s Venom will be good but will be overshadowed by what it means for the future of Spiderman films. Marvel get to make SpiderMan movies and the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe, but Sony still retains certain SpiderMan characters, such as Venom.

READY PLAYER ONE This dystopian movie has a lot going for it.

Based off a popular and well-received book?

Tick. Steven Spielberg tackling an adventure movie? Tick. More 80s nostalgia than the lovechild of IT and Stranger Things? Tick. Billion dollar box office? Tentative tick.

THE INCREDIBLES II 14 years after this Disney gem was released, the Parr family are back. Belated sequels clearly work for Pixar, but please ignore the Cars franchise or it ruins my point. I will be elbowing seven year olds out the way and it may make a billion off the back of my repeat re-watches alone.

DEATH WISH Hey, look, a film with Bruce Willis as the lead!

I’m sure he’ll give a truly memorable and charismatic performance! Oh wait, this is the 21st century and that has not happened outside of Looper, Unbreakable, and Sin City. Ah well, at least we’ll always have Die Hard…

JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM

TOMB RAIDER

BLAZING SADDLES

OCEAN’S EIGHT

Whilst I cannot see this film bombing, I reckon it will do considerably worse than its predecessor.Jurassic World which grossed $1.67 billion at the box office. Some would still give it a resounding ‘meh’ out of ten. People will see this but the trailer certainly hasn’t helped.

I really hope this movie is good, but the trailer only made me roll my eyes at the sheer volume of clichés. “If you’re listening to this then I must be dead” says a recorded message from her father. SHUT UP DEAD EXPOSITION DAD STOP SAYING VAGUELY DRAMATIC STATEMENTS

Mel B from the Spice Girls is cameoing in an animated film vaguely based on Blazing Saddles, except it stars Michael Cera in the lead role as a cat who wants to be a samurai. This is not a prediction, it’s simply sort of happening.

I just really wanted you to know.

Somehow, certain individuals find it absolutely inconceivable that a cast of men should be replaced by women. I mean, it is a fair point. We allow a female cast for an Oceans film and what next? Female lawyers? Female Prime Ministers?

Female women?! Where will the insanity end?

SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY

AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

With the…questionable…quality of Episodes I-III, you would have thought prequel would be a dirty word for Star Wars, but no: full steam ahead on prequels it seems. This year’s prequel chronicles the tales of a young Han Solo, played by Alden Ehrenreich, who Disney reportedly hired an acting coach for during filming. Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were fired several months in, with Ron Howard hastily taking up the mantle to fix the movie in time for the May release. Plus the lack of marketing is worrying, seeing as it comes out in three and a bit months. I’ve got a bad feeling about this…

I mean, come on. This is the definition of an event movie. Infinity War marks the culmination of 17 inter-connected superhero movies, released over the course of a decade, that have cumulatively made $13.5 billion dollars.

From Ant-Man to War Machine, all your favourite heroes are stuffed into this movie. This is a movie guaranteed to make over one billion dollars. I have never been more confident of something in my life. In fact, if this movie does not make one billion dollars or more I will eat my shoe. No, scratch that, I will eat all my shoes. No, actually, I will buy all the shoes that Clarks in Exeter have and I will eat every single shoe there. THAT is how confident I am.

exhibit

|

EDITOR: Ben Faulkner

screen

12 FEB 2018

|

Director Spotlight: Sean Baker

L

Isabelle Gray takes a look at the rising stock of director Sean Baker

AST Sunday, courtesy of the student cinema and its sympathetic prices, I finally got to see Sean Baker’s newest film, The Florida Project. There had been some buzz around the film, not as much as the other big films of the year like Call Me By Your Name for instance, but I was definitely intrigued to go and see it.

I hadn’t heard anything about it or even watched the trailer, which is a rarity for me, but it worked greatly in my favour in terms of my enjoyment of the film. The only thing I had heard was that the lead actress Bria Vinaite was scouted from Instagram which fascinated me, and her debut performance was amazing, nearly as good as the kids (how are they that age and so talented?!).

After I had finished the film, I told my friend to watch it, she asked what it was about and I think this was when I realised just how much of a genius Sean Baker was, because I couldn’t really give her any other answer than: it’s about life.

IT COVERS MANY COMPLEX AND INTIMATE THEMES

The film covers so many complex and intimate themes, family, friendship, hardship, as well as having many moments that had myself and the audience laughing a lot. It really was

a beautiful experience. It was a very refreshing piece, following people living in a motel in Florida. It chronicled the difficulty of such a lifestyle but also documents the sense of community that accompanies it.

I loved how the film showed the good and bad in nearly all the characters: the bad habits, the lack of patience we have sometimes, the endless love we are willing to give for people, loneliness, fun, everything that makes us human. Not to mention, the cinematography was wonderful and really helped capture the beauty in this form of storytelling.

Although, as I found the ending rather strange and a little disappointing, I felt it was important to look into the director, Sean Baker, and get my hands on any of his other works. A friend recommended his film Tangerine, that was shown at the Sundance Film Festival and was made famous by its unique quality of being filmed exclusively on

iPhone 5s.

Despite not having the exact same emotional connection to the film as I did to The Florida Project, the film only reaffirmed that Sean Baker is indeed one of the most exciting and original directors right now. Tangerine follows two transgender black women who work as prostitutes in Hollywood. The plotline alone triggers the expectation of an intensely heavy film, but what makes Sean Baker so good at his craft is being able to tackle these. Whether it being in the LGBT community or the working class or both, his characters are not defined by their difficulties.

Nearly the entire plot of Tangerine is a woman mad at her boyfriend because of a rumour she heard he was cheating on her.

Again, Baker uses his background in comedy to create a lighter tone to the movie whilst subtly exploring pain, jealousy and insecurity.

Also, I honestly completely forgot that the film was shot on iPhone’s I’m not sure how they managed to

Unbearably sweet

A

pull that off, I was seriously impressed. Clearly the intention with Baker’s films is that it’s not these fancy, artsy blockbusters but simply real storytelling, creating complex, realistic characters who aren’t defined by the fact that they are poor or transgender, Baker isn’t interested in portraying that, but portraying everyday life occurrences that affect us all in some way or another.

I WAS COMPLETELY ENTRANCED WHEN WATCHING HIS FILMS

Watching these films, I could really see either myself or someone I knew in these characters, even if it was just a little attribute, which just made me so much more connected with the characters and the themes of the films. As much as I love the progress we are making within film, including developments in technology as well as the people we represent and the issues we tackle, Baker reminded me why I love films so much.

I was completely entranced when watching his films and left me pondering for days after, whether it be my heart hurting a little after remembering a certain moment or laughing again about something funny that happened.

A director that makes me feel lots of different things at once is my kind of director, and someone to be watching out for in the future.

Alicia Rees, Comment Editor, explores why the lastest Paddington film is stealing so many hearts

S a rule, any film which casts Hugh Grant as a villain without a Colin Firth antidote (Bridget Jones I’m looking at you) is never going to be a firm favourite of mine. However, there is one mightily furry exception to that rule: Paddington 2. The first Paddington film, although being great, evokes memories of pleading with the ex-boyfriend that we could maybe watch that instead of Requiem for a Dream for the billionth time.

However, one man lighter and one Netflix clearer, Paddington 2 can only be described as beautiful. Heart-warming, charming, a true crowd pleaser.

29

PADDINGTON 2 CAN ONLY BE DESCRIBED AS BEAUTIFUL

The scenario; a young bear searching for the perfect 100th birthday present for his dear Aunt Lucy. He stumbles upon the most precious gift, a pop-up book of London which is so vivid it would help Aunt Lucy believe she really was in London, a dream she could never

achieve. Alas, the book is £500, cash, which like most young bears, Paddington just doesn’t have. Does he ask the Browns for help? Does he rob a bank? Nope, he gets a job.

The first attempt as a barber goes pearshaped but does he quit? No, my dear friends, he perseveres. Paddington finds his niche as a window cleaner, cleverly using his own fur as a sponge, and slowly the pennies turn into pounds and he almost has enough money.

As always happens in the cinema universe, it can’t be as simple as that. Phoenix Buchanan, grandson of an evil magician who originally tried to steal the desired book - which is also conveniently is a map to a treasure haul - replicates his grandfather and is out to steal the book from under the cute little nose of our furry friend.

To cut a long story short, good battles against evil, but the revelations towards the end will leave even the stoniest of hearts completely mettled. There are such good messgaes in here for kids about the importance of family and experiences over material objects.

If that can’t melt the coldest of hearts, I fail to see what could. If the plotline itself doesn’t

make you feel all tingly inside, there are small moments throughout the film to give you a hand.

Whilst temporarily incarcerated, Paddington confronts Knuckles, the much-feared head-chef who’s being serving up inedible gruel since day dot. Rather than receiving a knuckle sandwich (sorry), Padds gives Knuckles a taste of marmalade and sweetens him up completely. It’s little victories, achieved with complete naivety from Paddington, that really take this film from zero to hero.

Much the same can be said for the Browns.

Those familiar with the Paddington stories will know the Browns as the family who take Padds in when he is lost and alone at the station. During Paddington’s incarceration, they campaign tirelessly for his release never once questioning his innocence. Their love for Paddington and the love he shows in return, is so overwhelming, you can’t help but cry. Or weep as I may have done.

This film not only teaches children great moral lessons, but is a pure joy to watch and one that will be watched for years to come.

Definitely a funky fresh tomato if you ask me.

exhibit

T

|

screen

EDITOR: Ben Faulkner

12 FEB 2018

Small yet mighty

|

30

Harry Caton considers the place that child actors hold in the film industry

HERE’S something of a confusion as to the place of child actors in Hollywood.

It’s one both artistic and ethical, concerned as much with ability as it is well-being.

A child will never quite ascend the industry ladder of influence like an adult. Indeed, it’s often hard for children to really break out beyond one or two major roles. But this may not be a bad thing. Instead, we must ask if fame and childhood even deserve to go together in the first place.

Young actors often only have a couple of great roles in them. Perhaps it’s their childish individuality that’s the problem; they play an affectation of themselves more than a character. Cid Gagnon’s performance in Looper is a curled, taut, fearsome ball of rage, while Jacob Tremblay works hard to sell naïve, existential angst in Room. But few would remember their subsequent roles in Wish I Was Here or The Book of Henry, where the casting seemed based on name-recognition alone.

Perhaps that’s just an issue of the material. The flipside to this is the child making a career out of their type; just look at Haley Joel Osment or Macaulay Culkin. Osment’s roles in The Sixth Sense, AI, and Pay it Forward had him in similar mixes of childhood wonderment and confusion, always

the special kid. Culkin’s face-the-camera-andgawp manoeuvre was strung out through Home Alone and Richie Rich, with only a few forgettable exceptions between. They might deliver a knockout role, but a child can only do so much across a career.

Of course, there’s a darker side to the frippery of showbusiness: a career in the public eye can itself be traumatising. Jake Lloyd’s performance as Anakin in The Phantom Menace deserves to live on in Hollywood infamy.

Not for the performance itself, mind, but the treatment he received. No ten year-old deserves to be harangued for ‘ruining the franchise’ by postadolescent adolescents; no tenyear-old deserves a Razzie nomination for Worst Supporting Actor by a panel of snobbish, sneering cinephiles. It’s little wonder that he ended his career shortly afterwards, noting that he “learned to hate it when the cameras [were] pointed at [him]”. Both Osment and Culkin have been fairly burnt out on the film business in the present day. True, each has the occasional screen role, but they’re ineffably tied to their baby-faces, reduced to bit parts and references to their work as children. What’s more, each

was arrested for possession of drugs in the years following their most prominent roles.

Again, the trajectory for the high-flying child seems only downwards.

Child acting should be a once-or-twice occurrence, rather than a part of the Hollywood machine. Certainly, this would mean that the promising careers of many actors would end before they could even begin. But that’s the point. We shouldn’t be making children – who, no matter which way you swing it, lack adult agency – into celebrities. Childhood careerism is itself bad enough, but the added context of Hollywood is a noxious combination.

At their young age, the child might not even have anything more to give to the profession, being milked for all they’re worth. Mara Wilson, known for her parts in Matilda and Mrs. Doubtfire, managed to extricate herself from the system.

Now a writer, she notes that “adulation and money and things quickly become normal” but just as actors “get used to it, they hit puberty”, losing their star-appeal.

Wilson’s difference was that she managed to leave that career behind her. Hollywood sucks children into its world before they can even understand it, and it doesn’t understand the meaning of ‘finished’.

IT’S EASY TO IGNORE THE DAMAGE HOLLYWOOD CAN DO TO YOUNGER STARS

It’s easy to ignore the damage that Hollywood can inflict upon its younger stars, in favour of the spectre of stardom itself. We tend to treat child actors in the same way we do adults: subject to a continuing career, an ascent into the annals of fame. When Roger Ebert called a young Osment “one of the best actors now working”, it was clearly intended as a gesture of critical respect. But it seems only presumptive, shouldering him with a burden that, as a child, is hard to carry. The film industry must evaluate how it handles this. Doing any less is wilful ignorance. To use a very particular analogy: a kid might want all the sweets in the store, but it’s not going to be good for ‘em.

We need to talk about Andy Jack Watts assesses the industry’s relationship with its technological advancements

A

WARD season is now truly upon us, with all eyes on films such as Darkest Hour and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Whilst many incredible actors will be rewarded for their work, there remain some actors who the Golden Globes and the Academy continuously choose to ignore. Andy Serkis’ career in acting has lasted almost 30 years, and seen him play such iconic roles as Gollum in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit franchises, Supreme Leader Snoke in the new Star Wars films, and a personal favourite of mine: Caesar in the Planet of the Apes franchise.

SERKIS HAS NEVER BEEN RECOGNISED BY THE GOLDEN GLOBES OR THE ACADEMY

Despite these incredible performances, Serkis has never been recognised by the Golden Globes or The Academy for his motion capture and voice acting, (Serkis did, however, receive a nomination from the Globes for his live action performance in the television film

Longford). As more films begin to incorporate motion capture performances, you would hope these award judges would recognise the time, training, and talent necessary to portray a character in the virtual realm.

In my personal favourite franchise of Serkis’, Planet of the Apes, Serkis portrays Caesar, an ape with incredible intelligence who learns to speak and think on the same level as or beyond that of human beings. Serkis’ incredible performance allows the audience to form an emotional connection with the character, with whom they obviously share no experience. Serkis’s ability to convey emotion and personality in his motion capture and voice acting is almost

unmatched in the industry, which is perhaps why he is one of very few actors in this field who would be publically recognised by name.

Why then is Serkis yet to be recognised for his work by any major film award committee?

There is an undeniable lack of consensus in the film world regarding technology’s increasing presence in film-making. A notable example is Ian McKellan’s experience when filming Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy. McKellan, Serkis’s colleague, described the experience as ‘pretty miserable’ and even claims to have considered quitting acting as a result of the process. McKellan found the majority of his work on the trilogy taking place in an isolated green screen environment, with no other actors present. The purpose of this was to create the effect

of McKellan’s iconic character of Gandalf being much taller than the hobbits and dwarfs whom he accompanied in these films. This reliance on technology was heavily criticised by fans and professionals for taking away from the authenticity of the film, especially when considering that Jackson had previously used some practical effects in the original trilogy.

HIS PORTRAYALS CONTINUE TO CONNECT WITH AUDIENCES

Where, then, does technology belong in the process of film-making? Can its implementation improve the quality of the film without taking the audience out of the story? Serkis’s performances prove just that - his stunning portrayals of non-human characters continue to connect with an audience. The emotion and personality he puts into his work allow us to forget, for a moment, that Gollum isn’t real, and apes cannot talk.

BOXING VARSITY PREVIEW Round two for boxing varsity

A

FTER the resounding success of the boxing club's varsity in November of last year, EUBC is staging their second fight-night of the year this Friday, 16 February.

ExeposĂŠ caught up with EUBC's Aron Berger-Syverson before the event to find out what's in store on the night.

Having been involved in a coaching capacity in November, experienced boxer Berger-Syverson is preparing to compete this time around.

"I'm really looking for to [it]," said the Exercise & Sport Science student.

As in November, the varsity will be taking place under The Lemon Grove's lights.

"There was

Aron Syversen 5-6

a good turnout of support for our boxers," says Berger-Syverson, and the home crowd helped to roar two of the five Exeter fighters to victory. "It was a good night of boxing with really close, exciting bouts."

We've all got tough bouts but we're feeling confident ARON BERGER SYVERSON Friday's varsity will see four Exeter University fighters take to the ring. Along with BergerSyverson, third year medic James Peck, Sports Science student Shaun Lee,

Cat Holst 3-3

16 February

and former club captain Cat Holst will be pitting themselves against contenders from Portsmouth University.

Despite Berger-Syverson anticipating "tough bouts" for all four fighters he remains confident of success.

"We had a few of our team competing at BUCS [on 2-3 February] so we're all in a very good place in terms of training."

"We even came home with a couple of medals [and] there should be some really high quality boxing with some experienced individuals," he explained.

The night itself will also see local clubs providing several boxers to complement the EUBC contingent.

Advance tickets for the varsity are available to buy this week in The Forum.

Shaun Lee 0-1

James Peck 0-1

Lemon grove

19:00

EUWRFC 1s dominate Oxford

CONTINUED FROM BACK PAGE

Yet it was a risky pass by the Oxford playmaker in the midfield that led to a turnover and Exeter's second try just three minutes later. Neilson whipped the ball wide, and some straight running and good passing by winger Sabine Trent and number-eight Sian Jeffreys allowed Exeter's number-10 to punish her opposite number.

McNaney cut a wonderful outside line and had the pace to finish herself, despite the outside support, to bring Exeter back to within 2 points of Oxford.

A series of drives reminiscent of Exeter Chiefs Exeter followed that with sustained pressure on the Oxford line, and having gone close several times they finally had a lead four minutes before the interval.

A neat inside ball from McNaney to number-eight Jeffreys from the top of a lineout got the 1s the go-forward.

Carries from Kirst Scotter, Clarke, and replacement Jess Thomas -- on for the injured Stephenson -- released the backs, allowing Healey to dive over in

the left corner. McNaney disscted the posts with a wonderful conversion from out wide, and Exeter led 17-12.

The second-half proved to be a different affair altogether as Exeter punished Oxford's inaccuracy with some ruthless finishing.

After a series of scrums on Oxford's line, Sian Jeffreys picked from the base and powered over to give Exeter the try-bonus point.

Three minutes later, and they had a fifth as Oxford were punished for looking to run it from deep. Following a cheap turnover of possession, Exeter put it through the hands, with McNaney releasing the ball despite being clattered with a high tackle. Neilson span out of a tackle, fed Ebony Jefferies, who found second-row Scotter, and her draw-andpass allowed full-back Healey the chance to go on a mazy run, cutting inside several defenders to claim her second score.

On 54 minutes, Exeter had

a sixth to make it 34-12. Jefferies set up the play with a carry in midfield, and Healey almost went in from halfway before being hauled down. Following a series of drives underneath the posts that were reminiscent of Exeter Chiefs' dominance in such a position, secondrow Jenna Claridge twisted through a ruck and over the line.

It was becoming a torrid afternoon for Oxford. From the kick-off, centre Jefferies went on a barnstorming run, beating off several jaded defenders to keep the play deep within the visitors' territory.

On the hour mark, Exeter scored their seventh try.

Great pressure from Neilson on a defensive scrum forced Oxford back over their try-line. From the resulting Exeter put-in, the 1s peeled infield before moving the ball back on an overloaded

blindside, where replacement Hollie Cunningham was able to burst over and add her name to the scoring chart.

The eighth try arrived after Oxford coughed up possession again -- the ball was shipped wide to Trent and the right-wing sprinted in to make it 44-12 with ten minutes to play.

The game opened up in the closing stages as both sides ran the ball at every opportunity, following in a lengthy period of play where possession changed hands several times.

Exeter scrum-half Neilson, the jinking McNaney and Sian Jeffreys stood out for the home side in a dominant team performance. Despite Oxford's inside-centre still providing a physical threat, the visitors barely registered a half-chance in the second period.

Instead, it was Exeter who had the final word -- a swift lineout move to the tail was spun wide, and captain Gascgoine put number-eight Jeffreys into space down the right. With time up on the clock, Jeffreys ran a powerful outside arc from outside the Oxford 22, bursting past two defenders before going under the posts. Healey added the extras to rubber-stamp a mightily impressive victory that puts the 1s top of the league and in prime position for the play-offs.

Speaking to ExeposĂŠ after the game, captain Gascgoine was delighted with the win.

"It took us a while to get into the game but towards the end everyone put that little bit [extra] into it and the result came through. I'm really, really proud."

With the play-offs up next for the 1s, Gascoigne was content with the season so far: "We promised ourselves at the start of the season to get a 100% winrate down here at Topsham we've achieved that," she said. "We just need to keep on building from that."

With their opponents in the playoffs likely to be Northumbria in two weeks' time, Gascoigne was keen to build on the victory: "We're preparing for that and hoping to get a good win against them."

BUCS Premier South POS

TEAM

1*

Hartpury 1s

PLD

10 45

PTS

2* 3

Exeter 1s

10 45

Cardiff Met 1s

9 26

4

Oxford 1s

9 19

5

Bristol 1s

10 11

6 Gloucestershire 1s 10 1 *Hartpury finish above Exeter on Points Difference

study break

| 12 FEB 2018

exhibit

|

32

STUDY BREAK CROSSWORD # 108

SUDOKU # 47

Across

1

8

9

10

11

13

15

18

19

22

23

24

Down

Shortened form (such as AWOL for 1 across 9 20 or MIA for 22 12) (12)

1

Being away (6)

2

Description (for a book, say) (5)

3 Minds (the second S in one version of

the 1 across SOS)

4 Lacking (7)

5 Boxing - lone brat (anagram) (5,3)

6 Noisy (the second L in the 1 across

7 LOL) (4)

12 Summon (4)

14 Organ of smell (4)

16 Skills (the A in the 1 across BA) (4)

17 Brawny (8)

18 Omitting (7)

20 Picture (5)

21 Accountants (informal) - cut near

riddle me this

A restyle (anagram) - from the Orient? (8) Employed (2,4) Carry (4) Fragrant - so our do (anagram) (7) Nose piercing (4)

1. if you drop me, i’m sure to crack. GIVE ME A SMILE AND I’LL ALWAYS SMILE BACK? WHAT AM I?

Motionlessness (8) Public performer (7) Excessively enthusiastic (4,2) Vegetables (6) Military force (4)

2. WHAT HAS A NECK AND NO HEAD, TWO ARMS AND NO HANDS? 3. MY MOTHER HAS 12 CHILDREN, THE SECOND IS THE YOUNGEST CHILD. WHAT ARE THEY CALLED?

Depart (5) Indication (4)

bones (anagram) (4,8)

4. i’M A GOD, A PLANET AND A MEASURE OF HEAT? WHAT AM I?

ANSWERS

5. at night they come without being fetched. by day they are lost without being stolen. what are they?

6. what has no beginning, end or middle?

6. A doughnut Riddle me this: 1. A mirror 2. A shirt 3. February 4. Mercury 5. Stars Leave, 21 Sign.

Stud, 12 Inaction, 14 Artiste, 16 Gung-ho, 17 Greens, 18 Army, 20 Down: 1 Absent, 2 Blurb, 3 Easterly, 4 In work, 5 Tote, 6 Odorous, 7 Bean counters.

13 Call, 15 Nose, 18 Arts, 19 Muscular, 22 Missing, 23 Image, 24 Across: 1 Abbreviation, 8 Souls, 9 Without, 10 Noble art, 11 Loud,

exhibit

|

12 FEB 2018 | 33

study break

VALENTINE’S DAY WORDSEARCH

PANCAKE DAY TOPPINGS

1. MAD ON GRANULES

CAN YOU FIND ALL EIGHTEEN WORDS?

8. WHIMPER PACED

2. NO CAM INN

9. A AN BANS

3. REWRITE BRASS

10. SCEPTICAL HOOCH

4. NULL TEA

11. CROCHETED DUN SOD

5. PARSLEY IMP

12. RIOT ACT

6. HURT GORY GEEK

13. BURLIER BEES

7. EAT BUTT PRUNE

14. HEY NO

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE THERE ARE EIGHT DIFFERENCES TO FIND

CANDLELIGHT CARDS CHOCOLATE CUPID DATE DINNER

FIRST KISS MEMORIES MOVIE PINK POEM PROPOSAL RED ROMANCE ROSES

ST VALENTINE TEDDY BEAR TRUE LOVE

ANSWERS

Blueberries 14. Honey Chocolate Chips 11. Shredded Coconut 12. Ricotta 13.

7. Colour of the Pepsi cup 8. Tattoo on Summer’s arm

7. Peanut Butter 8. Whipped Cream 9. Bananas 10.

Bouquet of roses 5. Bowtie on Tom 6. Tom’s monobrow

Strawberries 4. Nutella 5. Maple Syrup 6. Greek Yoghurt

Moustache on Summer 3. Umbrella hat on woman 4.

Anagrams: 1. Lemon and Sugar 2. Cinnamon 3.

Spot the Difference: 1. Popcorn holder colour 2.

34

12 FEB 2018 | EXEPOSÉ

Science

SCIENCE EDITORS:

Luke Smith Gabriel Yeap

Let’s do Veguary

M

Members of VegSoc tell us why we should give up meat for February For your health For the environment

AKE sure to eat your five a day. We all constantly heard this throughout our childhood and have learnt that consuming fruits and vegetables has underlying health benefits. However, there is still some confusion and a clash of opinions on whether a completely plant-based vegan diet is a healthy lifestyle decision.

A vegan diet is rich in fruits and vegetables, which are jammed full of nutrients essential for energy and immune function. Studies have shown that those following low-fat, plant-based diets are more likely to show a stronger immunity to illnesses and various chronic diseases.

This includes evidence of enhanced cytotoxicity, which can contribute to lower cancer risk. Meanwhile, cutting out additional salt, sugar, and fat by switching to natural or ‘whole’ foods can facilitate weight loss and potentially alleviate allergies.

A common misconception is that vegans generally have lower energy levels.

Contrary to this, many individuals actually find increased energy when shifting to a vegan diet. There are numerous athletes competing at an elite level follow a vegan diet, providing evidence that this diet can be extremely energy efficient. These include David Haye, the Diaz brothers, Dave Scott (6x Ironman

W

Hawaii triathlon world champion) and Serena Wiliams, just to name a few.

Whilst cardiovascular disease is the second largest cause of death worldwide and within the UK, research shows that vegans have a 57 per cent lower chance of developing heart disease, alongside a 14 per cent risk reduction in cancer compared to meat eaters. A vegan diet has also been shown to provide beneficial outcomes in the treatment and prevention of obesity, diabetes, arthritis, and many other diseases.

Despite all of the benefits mentioned above, it’s always good to consider the drawbacks - although there are health benefits, there may also be health consequences of adopting this diet. Vegetarians and vegans are more prone to developing deficiencies in calcium, vitamin D and vitamin B12. However, nutritional experts and researchers conclude that, with appropriate food choices and supplements, deficiencies may easily be avoided.

Overall, there are great health benefits from adopting a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle. Just make sure that you focus on consuming sufficent amounts of calcium, vitamin D and Vitamin B12 and this could be one of the best health choices you ever make.

Joshua Alculumbre

ITH the mounting threat of climate change, it’s our responsibillity to combat this challenge on an individual level, and there are few areas where you can make as large of a difference by going vegetarian or vegan.

The average vegetarian diet produces 32 per cent less greenhouse emissions than a medium meat eater diet; and a vegan diet produces 40 per cent less. According to UN reports, the livestock sector accounts for nine per cent of total CO 2 emissions, however, more damaging is the emission of greenhouse gases from the production of beef and dairy products. Cattle farming creates 65 per cent of humanrelated nitrous oxide (which has a 296x greater global warming potential than CO 2 ) and also produces 37 per cent of all methane emissions, creating 23 times more warming than CO 2.

On top of this, a 2011 study found that 1,799 gallons of water is required to produce one pound of beef in order to provide drinking water for cows and to grow their feed. A plant-based diet also uses water - with one gallon of water being required to produce one almond. Yet, this nut isn’t the main constituent of a plant-based diet - lessening its environmental impact overall.

The Livestock, Environment and Development Initiative found that livestock production accounts for around 70 per cent of all agricultural land - that’s 30 per cent of the entire land surface of earth. Livestock is the leading cause of deforestation, contributing to loss of wildlife, soil erosion, and disruption of the water cycle. Also, 40 per cent of grains and 75 per cent of soybeans are fed to livestock – these are crops that could be used to feed people, thereby helping to ensure food security and reduce poverty.

More importantly, overfishing has led to depletion of top predators such as tuna, and the use of large nets has led to bycatching of unwanted species such as turtles, dolphins and whales; reducing populations and damaging marine communities. Indeed, for every pound of shrimp caught, up to six pounds of other species are discarded, which will certainly have devastating future consequences on our ecosystem if we don’t change our behaviour.

To summarise, going vegan or vegetarian can minimize CO2 emissions, lower the amount of water that is wasted unnecessarily, save our forests, and significantly reduce animal suffering, so why not do it?

Grace Nolan

A do it yourself guide!

R

Ruell Smith gives advice on how to make your veggie transition

IGHT, Veguary has begun, so let’s get started.

At the start of your shopping list should be tinned chickpeas and pulses. Chickpeas are essential for protein, but they are also extremely versatile; being able to be used in hummus, curries, or even roasted by themselves with salt and pepper for a quick snack.

However, this is in no way the end of their uses, with chickpea juice (called Aquafaba) acting as an ingredient for vegan meringues, mayo, marshmellows and cakes. The best place to source tinned chickpeas are from any major supermarket, with the Tesco basics brand tasting brilliant and Asda normally offering a deal of three chickpea tins for £1. Do not spend over 45p.

Having four years of vegan experince, I can tell you that frozen vegetables are cheap and handy. My go to frozens include peas, sweetcorn and spinach. It’s much cheaper and lasts longer. Most of my fresh fruit and vegetables come from visiting supermarkets when they reduce their prices (normally in the evening).

Greens like courgettes, onions and peppers are best left unfrozen, however, I usually cut up a lot of fresh fruit I pick up and chuck it in the freezer, allowing smoothies to become a pleasant and healthy constant in my life.

Nonetheless, you have to be a little bit more creative to get a good dose of Vitamin B12. It has to be understood that it is naturally produced by bacteria in the soil, not by animals themselves, so

one of the best and most natural ways of getting it is by consuming organic root vegetables (such as carrots) that haven’t been overpeeled. Give them a light wash beforehand, but be careful to not get rid of the dark spots - this is where the vitamin B12 is at. You could also try yeast that has been fortified with vitamin B12 (they sell this in the forum marketplace), but if all else fails, just get nutrient supplement pills for it from somewhere like Holland & Barrett - I’d rather get vitamin B12 in pill form than animal form any day.

Technicalities aside, here’s a quick

vegan recipe to my right for you to try. Enjoy!

CURRY RECIPE Ingredients: ( 2 servings ) -Mild curry powder (2 tablespoons) -Tomato ketchup -1 teaspoon of turmeric -1/2 a teaspoon of chilli powder -1/2 a can of fresh tinned tomatoes -2 garlic cloves/granules -1 onion -1 vegetable stock cube -Handful of frozen peas/green beans

Chop: 2 garlic cloves, 1 onion, 2 bell peppers. Chunky is fine.

Next: Add oil to frying pan, add your vegetables. Allow to cook for 5 mins.

Now add your spices: 2 tablespoons of curry powder, 1 teaspoon of turmeric, 1/2 a teaspoon of chilli powder, 1 vegetable stock cube, 1/2 a can of tinned tomatoes and a handful of frozen peas. Add 2 cups of water, and allow the curry to cook and simmer for around 20mins.

Taste and add a dash of soy sauce or all-purpose seasoning if needed.

Bamboo-zled by love D

EAR giant pandas, As the annual doom of Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, I cannot help but laugh at my nonexistent love life. That is until I recently found out about yours, so pathetic that as many as 900,000 people would rejoice whenever you breed.

How can you ever expect to get laid with such a violent attitude?

Giant pandas, you guys truly are the odd ones. You only ever eat bamboo, while all other bear species are giant meat eaters. And you barely ever breed. The world record for breeding via natural insemination in your species is two babies within four years! And even with the invention of artificial insemination, your population plateaued at just over 1,600 pandas in the wild, and around 300 in

35

SCIENCE

Penny Dinh shares her letter to the panda species

captivity. No wonder you are on the brink of extinction! We want to help you, but you just make things so frickin' difficult.

We know that female members of your species have such a narrow fertile window. You only ovulate once a year, between March and May, and the window that a male panda has to inseminate you is only about 36 to 40 hours. If the male panda misses this window, he will have to wait till next spring in order to breed again. And can we even rely on male pandas for acting on this opportunity in time? Even if they grab this opportunity and swipe right, I don't think you would easily swipe right to one of those violent boys.

Male pandas are so violent that zoos often keep them separated to avoid pandas from killing each other. They have not got amazing track record of being great childrearers either. To the guys out there, how can they expect to get laid with such attitude?

We once thought that you pandas

might lack sex drive. We would put a female member and a male member of your species together in the same cage and nothing would happen. Some of us went so far as giving Viagra and showing panda porn to male members of your species, hoping to increase their sex drive.

That did not help at all.

However, we later found that sex drive deficiency was not necessarily the culprit, but rather lack of mate choices. Female members of your species were found to be more likely to breed when offered a choice of mates, when they were able to compare the fitness of at least two male pandas competing for your attraction. We get it, we want the boys to fight for you!

Interestingly, we found that you tend to prefer males deemed less genetically preferable by us, which could explain we were not of much help to you, since we mostly focus on genetic diversity rather than your needs. If only we could understand what you want in a mate!

One last thing to the ladies again: how

do we know if you are actually pregnant? Your foetuses are so small that it is impossible for us to detect them by ultrasound. In addition, a lot of you experience pseudopregnancy, i.e. showing physiological and behavioural signs of pregnancy without actually being pregnant. How can we even catfish you? Seriously, we want to help, so please let us know when you're actually pregnant.

This letter goes out to all you lady pandas out there. If only your physiology were easier to understand; if only we could know what you wanted in a mate; and if only you could be a bit slutty and sleep with whoever we present you with - that would make our life so much easier. And to all male pandas out there, you better fix your solitary, and rather violent attitude if you want to get laid on Valentine's Day. Yours sincerely, A frustrated scientist.

You, me and free Wi-Fi

W

I-FI: a ubiquitous and highly useful technological phenomenon that no businessperson or gadget geek could possibly live without. It dominates our lives and keeps us constantly connected without the need for trailing wires or clunky modems. Maybe some of you remember temperamental dial-up connections required to access the internet? I do, and It wasn’t a good time. So how did the life-changing innovation that is Wi-Fi come about?

Free Wi-Fi is becoming omnipresent to meet our online social needs Alien as it may seem, there was once a time devoid of the wonderful world of wirelessness. In fact, it wasn’t until 1985 that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) opened multiplebands of wireless spectrum for access without government licence. Standardised in 1997 under the name 802.11, these revolutionary radio frequency bands allowed data transfer at two megabits per second. Granted, this may read as rather insignificant on paper, but it was an unprecedented and marked development at the time. Its evolution was staggering, with the 802.11a and 802.11b versions reaching 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz respectively; only now it

Scarlett Parr Reid connects us to the emerging presence of free Wi-Fi needed a mighty name to match. Pondering possibilities such as ‘FlankSpeed’ and ‘DragonFly’, the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA) eventually gave birth to what we now know as ‘Wi-Fi’.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was marketed by the multinational technology company, Apple Inc, subsequently launching it to new heights with with its 1999 Ibook computers championing a Wi-Fi capability known as Airport. Its popularity soared, with the benefit of being able to connect several computers to a single Broadband link: great news for homenetworking. Now rocketing to speeds of 54Megabits per second at just 2.4GHz and celebrating long- range WiMax and entertainment’s WiMedia - it’s safe to ask, what more could we possibly want? In a world of constant connectivity and its necessity for networking, the answer is more, of course.

Have you ever experienced the worrisome panic before embarking on a trip to somewhere new: where’s the free WiFi? Suffice it to say, it’s a mildly unnerving prospect in the 21st century to travel and only have intermittent access to free WiFi on the go. However, fear no more, because you’ll be surprised to know that free Wi-Fi is becoming almost omnipresent.

From buses, trains and planes to coffee shops and fast-food chains, you can tap in free of charge almost anywhere.

Sipping a latte in Starbucks, eating a sandwich in Subway or even perusing the shelves in some bookshops, you get the bonus of Wi-Fi whilst out and about.

It’s no lie to say that cost-free Wi-Fi pervades the streets, from gyms to libraries, hotels, museums and airports to schools, colleges and universities, you needn’t drain that 4G data. With hotspots such as The Cloud, BT-Openzone, O2 WiFi and Virgin Media Wi-Fi, the wireless range is greater than ever before. So, no longer must you frustratingly watch your monthly mobile contract be almost entirely zapped by data usage.

For those of you hoping to save those precious pennies whilst still benefiting from the power of productivity, all it takes is a little know-how. With apps such as Wifimap, Wiffinity and Wi-fi finder free, you can instantaneously locate hotspots.

Thanks to the introduction of city-wide wireless internet in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Oxford and countless other cities across the UK, according to The Economist, you can be in no doubt that your mobile data ought never run out. Moreover, you might just conserve some of that ever-depleted battery life, as we all know that flicking on the mobile data can quite easily drain a solid 80 per cent to per cent battery in the short space of an hour!

Of course, it’s not just our craving to stay up to date on all things news, emails and social media that is satisfied by the power of free Wi-Fi. It’s the benefit to education, access to maps and locations, online banking and news reporting that are all bettered by this initiative. For public administration, healthcare and the commercial sector, it provides location monitoring and incentivises customer usage of goods and services.

With the 8.8 million public Wi-Fi hotspots in 2016 estimated to reach 15.3 million by 2021 according to Tan-

aza, free Wi-Fi, its growth is, therefore, promising for the economy, too. They say the best things in life are free. They’re right. Powerful and empowering, Wi-Fi has become just that.

Welcome to the machine

I

SCIENCE

36

Jaysim Hanspal, Copy Editor, discusses the progress of AI against the human mind

N recent totally terrifying and notBlack-Mirror-related news, it has been found that artificial neurons, or in much cooler terminology "superconducting computing chips" modelled after neurons have been found to be able to process information much faster and more efficiently than the human brain.

So what does this mean for us and the software that we use?

These chips can mimic neural processing making robots a whole lot more human Most interestingly, as these chips are able to mimic neural processing they will be able to increase the efficiency of artificial intelligence, meaning that for AI fanatics, robots just got a whole lot more human. Whether this information terrifies you or just merely induces you to pack your bags and move to an island untouched by robots, this news is incredibly exciting. Despite the forward-thinking nature of the sci-fi realm, artificial intelligence has often stumbled when trying to create more "life-like" intelligence. This

A

S everyone was told at Biology GCSE, there are two ways of communication within the human body. There is the slow way which involves hormones such as adrenaline or testosterone which tells the body to respond in a certain way.

There is also the fast way via the nervous system which tells our body how to move and means we will recoil from hot objects such as a frying pan. Scientists believe they may have discovered a new way of inter-cellular transport given to us by viruses.

This new type of cellular communication is key to developing cures for disorders Humans - and indeed all life - have a history of incorporating new genes or organelles to adapt, improve and survive. The mitochondria were once separate from the cell billions of years ago and now many bacteria develop resistance through random uptake of viral proteins so the idea that animals developed some of their bodily systems through the random insertion of

is most often determined by the Turing Test, developed by Alan Turing in 1950, in which participants had to determine if they were talking to a machine or a human. Machines which past this test are said to possess some degree of artificial intelligence. However, this development in AI technology marks a key moment in the development of advanced computing devices designed to mimic human behaviour.

Artifical intelligence has recently received a huge amount of commercial interest, with movies like Ex Machina reflecting the publics obsession with intelligent machines.

Most recently, a robot called 'Sophia' - developed by Hong Kong-based company Hanson Robotics - found fame as the first robot to receive citizenship from any country (in this case Saudi Arabia). Sophia is able to display up to 62 different facial expressions, and her international acclaim saw her grace the covers of fash-

ion magazines, only proving further the public interest in such technology.

The software itself is also steadily improving by getting closer to imitating the brains numerous functions. For example

Google's automatic image-classification and language-learning programs, which use vast networks of artificial neurons to perform complex tasks such as classifying thousands of images into categories and detecting individual objects and faces. The former has been incredibly effective commercially when used in social media platforms, and to moderate offensive content online for children. However, as conventional computer hardware is not designed to run brain-like algorithms, this complex software requires far more computer power than the average human brain does.

Arguably this lack of efficiency has lead scientists to question if there is a better method for imitating brain processing power and has lead to the emergence of many groups invested in pursuing this research further. Many of these groups have been trying to develop 'neuromorphic' hardware that mimics the brain in hope that this will allow us

Viral communication

to better run artificially created neuron software. A key aspect of this research is the study of how the morphology of individual neurons and circuits affect how information is presented and incorporates learning and development, the latter being key in AI development. If this research is successful it could improve the quality of current robot prototypes, and potentially could lead to autonomous machines.

There's a long way to go before AI becomes fully integrated into our daily life Despite these revelations, it is clear that the field of artificial intelligence has a long way to go before we can even hope for the possibility of a world in which AI becomes fully integrated into our daily life. The ability to replicate a natural wonder such as the human brain, which is made up of roughly 86 billion neurons each which transmit 1,000 nerve impulses per second, is a feat of human nature which may take generations of scientists to reproduce.

Matt Romang looks at a new form of cellular communication

viral DNA is not a far-fetched one.

Scientists believe that a viral gene called Arc has integrated itself into the genomes of fruit flies and mice and probably humans too which then sends Arc proteins all over the body via vesicles. Vesicles are like microscopic packages containing a signalling molecule which tells cells to do certain things.

Vesicles containing Arc proteins are believed to have a role in the long-term memories of mice. Scientists discovered this function by mutation the Arc gene in mice and found that they developed problems with their long-term memories.

There are also several human neurological disorders linked to this gene. This is because the Arc protein has a role in helping neurons to form or break connections as the brain develops to adapt to new environments or memories.

There are other proteins that have a similar function but only the Arc pro-

tein travels in a capsid such as might be found carrying a viral genome. This type of capsid transport is unique to

viruses and is the only type of transport of its kind. We know that the Arc gene originates from viruses and has not evolved independently due to its similarity to the viral gag gene such as is found in HIV. The gag gene helps HIV to package its genetic material into capsids during infection and they then burst out of the infected cell to infect the rest of the body. The human genome contains around 100 gag like genes which may form capsids but the Arc gene is the only active gag (group-specific antigen) like gene whose function is known.

Intriguingly the Arc gene is also found in fruit flies, however, in fruit flies, the Arc protein acts upon motor neurones as opposed to memory neurones. Whilst the Arc protein function is known for memory its role within the motor neurone is unknown. What makes it

interesting is that the Arc gene in flies and mice are similar but have been randomly inserted into two completely different retroviruses. As such it could contain a completely different messenger with a completely different function.

Animals could have developed body systems through the insertion of viral DNA This is an extremely important discovery in relation to many poorly understood human neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s. Discovering more about how this new type of cellular communication works and possible problems with it could be key in developing cures to these kinds of conditions. It could feasibly also be important in fighting types of toxins which block neurone communication such as neurotoxins and play a role in balancing out hormone imbalances. It is therefore important that we keep exploring the human genome to see if any more fascinating genes like these can be found.

GET A MASSIVE

When you spend £30 or more online at

www.dominos.co.uk use code: FEB18STU Minimum spend of £30. Excludes Italiano Range products, Ice Cream, Drinks, 14/21 Chicken sides, Chick’n’Mix Box, Kickers Combo and strippers Combo. Coupon can be used multiple times. Not valid in conjunction with any other offer. Participating stores only. Expires 28/02/18.

DELIVERY DRIVERS WANTED To apply, or for more information please contact your local store.

LIFESTYLE

|

ARTS+LIT

|

MUSIC

|

SCREEN

LIKE OUR FACEBOOK PAGE /EXEPOSEEXHIBIT

BOXING VARSITY PREVIEW Round two for boxing varsity

A

FTER the resounding success of the boxing club's varsity in November of last year, EUBC is staging their second fight-night of the year this Friday, 16 February.

ExeposĂŠ caught up with EUBC's Aron Berger-Syverson before the event to find out what's in store on the night.

Having been involved in a coaching capacity in November, experienced boxer Berger-Syverson is preparing to compete this time around.

"I'm really looking for to [it]," said the Exercise & Sport Science student.

As in November, the varsity will be taking place under The Lemon Grove's lights.

"There was

Aron Syversen 5-6

a good turnout of support for our boxers," says Berger-Syverson, and the home crowd helped to roar two of the five Exeter fighters to victory. "It was a good night of boxing with really close, exciting bouts."

We've all got tough bouts but we're feeling confident ARON BERGER SYVERSON Friday's varsity will see four Exeter University fighters take to the ring. Along with BergerSyverson, third year medic James Peck, Sports Science student Shaun Lee,

Cat Gould 3-3

16 February

and former club captain Cat Holst will be pitting themselves against contenders from Portsmouth University.

Despite Berger-Syverson anticipating "tough bouts" for all four fighters he remains confident of success.

"We had a few of our team competing at BUCS [on 2-3 February] so we're all in a very good place in terms of training."

"We even came home with a couple of medals [and] there should be some really high quality boxing with some experienced individuals," he explained.

The night itself will also see local clubs providing several boxers to complement the EUBC contingent.

Advance tickets for the varsity are available to buy this week in The Forum.

Shaun Lee 0-1

James Peck 0-1

Lemon grove

19:00

EUWRFC 1s dominate Oxford

CONTINUED FROM BACK PAGE

Yet it was a risky pass by the Oxford playmaker in the midfield that led to a turnover and Exeter's second try just three minutes later. Neilson whipped the ball wide, and some straight running and good passing by winger Sabine Trent and number-eight Sian Jeffreys allowed Exeter's number-10 to punish her opposite number.

McNaney cut a wonderful outside line and had the pace to finish herself, despite the outside support, to bring Exeter back to within 2 points of Oxford.

A series of drives reminiscent of Exeter Chiefs Exeter followed that with sustained pressure on the Oxford line, and having gone close several times they finally had a lead four minutes before the interval.

A neat inside ball from McNaney to number-eight Jeffreys from the top of a lineout got the 1s the go-forward.

Carries from Kirst Scotter, Clarke, and replacement Jess Thomas -- on for the injured Stephenson -- released the backs, allowing Healey to dive over in

the left corner. McNaney disscted the posts with a wonderful conversion from out wide, and Exeter led 17-12.

The second-half proved to be a different affair altogether as Exeter punished Oxford's inaccuracy with some ruthless finishing.

After a series of scrums on Oxford's line, Sian Jeffreys picked from the base and powered over to give Exeter the try-bonus point.

Three minutes later, and they had a fifth as Oxford were punished for looking to run it from deep. Following a cheap turnover of possession, Exeter put it through the hands, with McNaney releasing the ball despite being clattered with a high tackle. Neilson span out of a tackle, fed Ebony Jefferies, who found second-row Scotter, and her draw-andpass allowed full-back Healey the chance to go on a mazy run, cutting inside several defenders to claim her second score.

On 54 minutes, Exeter had

a sixth to make it 34-12. Jefferies set up the play with a carry in midfield, and Healey almost went in from halfway before being hauled down. Following a series of drives underneath the posts that were reminiscent of Exeter Chiefs' dominance in such a position, secondrow Jenna Claridge twisted through a ruck and over the line.

It was becoming a torrid afternoon for Oxford. From the kick-off, centre Jefferies went on a barnstorming run, beating off several jaded defenders to keep the play deep within the visitors' territory.

On the hour mark, Exeter scored their seventh try.

Great pressure from Neilson on a defensive scrum forced Oxford back over their try-line. From the resulting Exeter put-in, the 1s peeled infield before moving the ball back on an overloaded

blindside, where replacement Hollie Cunningham was able to burst over and add her name to the scoring chart.

The eighth try arrived after Oxford coughed up possession again -- the ball was shipped wide to Trent and the right-wing sprinted in to make it 44-12 with ten minutes to play.

The game opened up in the closing stages as both sides ran the ball at every opportunity, following in a lengthy period of play where possession changed hands several times.

Exeter scrum-half Neilson, the jinking McNaney and Sian Jeffreys stood out for the home side in a dominant team performance. Despite Oxford's inside-centre still providing a physical threat, the visitors barely registered a half-chance in the second period.

Instead, it was Exeter who had the final word -- a swift lineout move to the tail was spun wide, and captain Gascgoine put number-eight Jeffreys into space down the right. With time up on the clock, Jeffreys ran a powerful outside arc from outside the Oxford 22, bursting past two defenders before going under the posts. Healey added the extras to rubber-stamp a mightily impressive victory that puts the 1s top of the league and in prime position for the play-offs.

Speaking to ExeposĂŠ after the game, captain Gascgoine was delighted with the win.

"It took us a while to get into the game but towards the end everyone put that little bit [extra] into it and the result came through. I'm really, really proud."

With the play-offs up next for the 1s, Gascoigne was content with the season so far: "We promised ourselves at the start of the season to get a 100% winrate down here at Topsham we've achieved that," she said. "We just need to keep on building from that."

With their opponents in the playoffs likely to be Northumbria in two weeks' time, Gascoigne was keen to build on the victory: "We're preparing for that and hoping to get a good win against them."

BUCS Premier South POS

TEAM

1*

Hartpury 1s

PLD

10 45

PTS

2* 3

Exeter 1s

10 45

Cardiff Met 1s

9 26

4

Oxford 1s

9 19

5

Bristol 1s

10 11

6 Gloucestershire 1s 10 1 *Hartpury finish above Exeter on Points Difference

Sport

12 FEB 2017 | EXEPOSÉ

40

SPORT EDITORS:

Dorothea Christmann Wil Jones Photo: Wil Jones

Trouncing in Topsham Women’s Rugby Exeter 1s....................................49 Oxford 1s....................................12 Wil Jones Sport Editor

E

XETER women’s rugby 1s rounded off their BUCS Premier South campaign with a thumping nine-try demolition of Oxford 1s at Topsham on Wednesday 7 February. Exeter started slowly and went behind twice before recovering to utterly dominate the second-half.

Captain Hannah Gascgoine declared herself “really, really proud” with the resounding victory.

In chilly conditions, the home side didn’t have things all their own way.

The kick-off by outside-half Cat McNaney fell just short of the 10m line, forcing the play back from the scrum, and although McNaney made amends soon after with a wonderful spiral kick deep into the Oxford 22, it wasn’t long until the blues opened the scoring.

It took us a while but the result came through in the end

HANNAH GASCOIGNE, CAPTAIN

In the fifth minute, Oxford’s inside-centre made a bullocking run from her own line, breaking several Exeter tackles to take the play up to the halfway line. When the visitors’

outside-half sent a kick tumbling over the try-line and into the in-goal area, Kim Grundy looked to have the danger covered.

The Exeter winger picked up the ball and stepped past the first Oxford chaser with ease to work enough space to send a clearing kick to touch. However, Grundgy mis-hit the clearance, and despite her despairing dive to make amends for the mistake, Oxford’s right-wing beat her to the loose ball to claim a fortuitous opening score.

Clearly shocked, the 1s responded in determined fashion. Exeter looked to their props -- Kayleigh Armstrong and Jeanine Stephenson -- to get them over the gain-line, and some strong carrying from the pair -- supported by

openside-flanker Izzy Clarke -- led to a penalty for Oxford creeping offside.

It was scrum-half Clara Neilson’s quick thinking that drew Exeter level.

As Oxford switched off following the infringement, Neilson took a quicktap and sprinted past several sleeping defenders to dot down for the unconverted try.

The game began to settle as the first quarter drew to a close. Both teams were having difficulties in the lineout, but Exeter’s strength in the tackle area was becoming evident -something that would pay dividends later in the game.

However, it was Oxford who notched up the next score, claimed by their powerful inside-centre on 23 min-

utes. She started the move with a thunderous tackle in midfield, turning over possession in the process, and when their outside-half put another kick in behind, full-back Zoe Healey was unable to mop up the danger.

In a broken field, Oxford moved the ball through the hands, and another devastating run saw their number-12 beat four Exeter defenders on her way to the try-line, the conversion giving the blues a 5-12 lead.

The Oxford pair proved to be a threatening combination -- their standoff ’s slight of hand and desire to take risks with the ball made for a neat foil to the centre’s raw power.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 39

For live scores and in-depth reports, follow us on Twitter @exeposesport CONTINUED ON PAGE 31