718 // 23 Mar 2021

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Officially the UK’s Best Student Publication

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ISSUE 718 23 MAR 2021 exepose.com @Exepose

THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1987

IN SOLIDARITY WITH SURVIVORS OF VIOLENCE, ASSAULT AND HARRASSMENT In the wake of the news of two sexual assaults occurring on campus, two students came forward with their stories on how the University dealt with their experiences.

COVERAGE CONTINUED ON

PAGe 3

WITH SUPPORT CONTACTS

COMMENT

Students speak out on bomb evacuation experiences PAGe 6

Image: Pixabay

GUILD

Introducing your new Guild Officers PAGe 5

MUSIC

The experiences of student musicians PAGe 18+19

EXEPOSÉ

Devonshire House, Exeter, Devon, EX4 4PZ

News Editors Print: Emily Im & Chloe Pumares Online: Elen Johnston & Ella Shadwell news@exepose.com

Beyond Exeter Editor Print: Sumiah Elbortoukaly

Lifestyle Editors Print: Ceri Jackson & Georgia Shepherd Online: Millie Betts lifestyle@exepose.com

Music Editors Print: Bridie Adams & Ollie Leader de Saxe Online: Tom Bosher & Holly Lamb music@exepose.com Screen Editors Print: Olivia Garrett & Francesca Sylph Online: Olivia Gomez & Jim Norman screen@exepose.com Science Editors Print: Laura Haughey & Lauryn Mitchell Online: Isabel Murray & Vincent Plant sciandtech@exepose.com Sport Editors Print: Joel Edwards & Nick Powell Online: Elise Hamerseley & Harry Scott Munro sport@exepose.com Chief Photographer photography@exepose.com Copy Editors Danni Darrah, David Fallshaw, Emily Mason Proofers Kamila Bell, Bryony Gooch, Pee Syme, Richard Ainslie, George Clark, Ollie, Bridie, Cassie, Olivia, Lucy, Blood, Sweat & Tears

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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 Exeter's hardship fund PAGE 4

FEATURES Policing the free press PAGE 10

SCIENCE The impact of Turberculosis PAGE 29

Image: Vlad Vasnetsovy

Arts + Lit Editors Print: Will Evans & Amelia Gregory Online: Lucy Aylmer & Anna Wilmot artsandlit@exepose.com

2020 Best Publication 2021 Best Publication in the South West

Image: NIAID Flickr

Features Editors Print: Bethany Collins & Joe Newell Online: Simon Eidesvik & Becca Wells Foreign Correspondents Co-ordinator:s: Ross Chatwell & Catherine Lloyd features@exepose.com

fantastic interviews with local musicians (page 21+22).

This week Arts + Lit looks how the Art industry celebrated International Women's Month (pages 18).

If you are love to bake, Lifestyle have some mouthwatering recipes for you to try out (pages 14).

Over in Features this week we look at the relationship between governments and the media (page 10).

Last but certainly not least, Sport covers the Exeter Chiefs match (page 34).

It's been an unexpected year to take on the reins of Exeposé. Yet we have soldiered on throughout. We trained up an entire committee in Adobe Creative Cloud and Wordpress remotely and our team have done admirably. We like to think that we have reported on important topics - shedding light on injustices. But we are very aware that we are nothing without our writers. As always we are delightfully surprised by the calibre of writing Exeter students put out and we are sure that once we graduate you will continue to write great things. We can't wait to see what you do.

As always, Exeposé welcomes new writers, proofers and general members.

We are a student group that requires you to have absolutely no prior experience, just a passion for all things journalism or a love of creativity. We welcome everyone. All you need is curiosity and a drive for giving things a go.

But for now, take it easy. Carry on reading, and most importantly, stay safe.

Image: David Herholz Flickr

Comment Editors Print: Isaac Bettridge & Cassia Grace Online: Gaia Neiman & Jennifer Medlicott comment@exepose.com

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F this year didn't feel hard enough, the past week or so felt especially brutal as, again, we faced up to the reality that sexual violence, assault and harrassment are still incredibly prevalent in our society.

The Vice Chancellor's email last Friday of ongoing sexual assault allegations hit home for many after the news of Sarah Everard's death. When students approached us with their own stories, we felt all we could do was honour their bravery by shining a light on their experience. Especially as we know that they are unlikely to be the only students who have faced these issues.

This weekend, one of our editors attended the vigil on Cathedral Green and heard the sobering stories of fellow people in Exeter. The one thing that became clear was that everyone has a story. While we listen to these stories and engage in these important conversations, we must remember to take care of ourselves and each other.

See a list of support and advices on the page 3 continuation if you feel you need support during these times.

This week in News you can read about the results of the recent Student Guild elections (Page 5).

Meanwhile, Comment has an interesting firsthand account od living with long-COVID (page 7).

Head over to Screen where we review the filmography of the mystical Kathryn Hahn (page 26).

Science look at the weird world of Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop (page 30).

Head over to Music for a series of

SPA AWARDS

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Editors Print: Kamila Bell & Bryony Gooch Online: Madeleine Baker & Ria Kalsi Deputy: Richard Ainslie, George Clark & Pete Syme editors@exepose.com

Editorial

SPORT

Worst sporting seasons ever PAGE 33

CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE! Visit us at www.exepose.com

Kamila & Bryony

Worldwide university news Egypt’s universities start mid-year exams

Kenyan universities to open science parks

NIVERSITY students in Egypt must abide by strict rules to prevent the spread of Coronavirus during exams.

The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research issued a statement which advised students to take all precautionary measures, such as arriving to campus before the exam time and wearing facemasks at all times. Those who do not have a facemask will be prohibited from entering their University. Students must also bring their own stationery and cannot share with other people. Social distancing will be enforced and students must be aware of this when leaving their exam. Benha University has implemented a number of measures to keep students safe. They include providing disinfectants and sterilisation gates at each faculty, and ensuring university hospitals and medical departments are at the maximum degree of readiness.

HE decision to financially support the construction of science and technology parks in public universities is in line with the governments big four agenda. Simon Nabukwesi, the University Education and Research PS, said that the construction these parks would enhance growth of businesses and creation of employment opportunities as well as supporting growth of research among the youth. The project commenced in the 2014/2015 financial year, and was 50 percent complete when Nabuweski visited on Tuesday 2nd March after speaking at Chuka University. Ksh. 7.5 billion is required to finish it. Other leaders who attended the event for this project included the county commissioner Tharaka Nithi Beverly Opora, members of the university council and senior ministry of education officials.

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Saudi universitites to open vaccine centres

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EVERAL universities across Saudi Arabia will soon use their facilities as COVID-19 vaccination centres, the Saudi Press Agency reports. These will be used by both members of university communities and the general public, as part of the country’s expanding vaccination efforts. So far just over 6% of the Saudi population has been vaccinated, compared with nearly 40% in the UK. The universities being used for this program are among the largest and most prestigious in the country, located in cities such as Jeddah, Mecca and the capital, Riyadh. Universities have also been involved in the fight against the virus since February last year, running programs to raise awareness of the threat posed by COVID-19, as well as allocating buildings for the quarantine of patients.

New Zealand loses 700 university staff

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NIVERSITIES across New Zealand have witnessed a loss of 700 teaching staff, coming in the wake of the intake of international student numbers falling over 10000 from that of last academic year. This comes mostly as a result of COVID-19 restrictions discouraging international student travel. A key issue with this dramatic decrease in student numbers is the knock-on effect which could last years.

If a replacement income source is not found while these numbers recover, New Zealand universities could witness further staff losses, and be unable to reach their former capacity in terms of student numbers once restrictions are lifted. Universities have also expressed concerns that within this category lie some of their most well-qualified lecturers and researchers, increasing fears that this will signal a diminishing in the quality of educaImages (L to R): Glenn Carstens-Peters tion. By Emily Im, Chloe Pumares, Os(Unsplash), ShubhamSharan (UnSplash)

car Young & Megan Ballantyne

23 MAR 2021| EXEPOSÉ

3 NEWS

University handling of sexual assaults criticised by survivors EXCLUSIVE Pete Syme & Chloe Pumares Deputy Editor & News Editor

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TUDENTS have spoken out about their experiences with the University following incidents of sexual assault and domestic abuse.

A Vice Chancellor’s email to all students on 19 March reported that the University is liaising with the Devon and Cornwall Police after two sexual assaults on Exeter students took place on Streatham Campus in the early hours of Sunday 7 March.

The University expressed that their priority is supporting any students involved as well as any who have been affected by these incidents. Vice Chancellor Professor Lisa Roberts stated: “our actions and approach have been to focus on the care, welfare and wishes of the students involved, including the communication of this incident.”

One student came forward to tell us how the email affected her after the University’s handling of her own situation.

Following various risk assessments with her Domestic Violence and Abuse worker “it was deemed unsafe for me to stay in my home” she explained.

“I was told I cannot go into public on my own and I cannot post on social media - I was considered at high risk.

The University knew this as the police had contacted them.”

“The welfare officers were lovely and reassuring,” she added. “They told me that he would be suspended or expelled by the end of that week. They also assured me that if I need emergency accommodation that would be provided for me.”

“Despite the fact that they know my ex-partner is on bail terms and legally

can’t have contact with me, they have not put anything in place to make me able to engage in my classes again. We are in the same seminars, so I have missed a month of content.”

The student had to declare homeless status after the University said they could not give her any accommodation.

“Luckily my DVA pushed them and they gave me accommodation for three nights in Birks.”

At the end of the period, more uncertainty followed: “I was just sat there like should I leave? Do I give my key to someone? I had nowhere to go that night. Zero communication.”

In the evening, the student was then told she could stay for two weeks.

“Eventually I went to the Guild instead and they were incredible. They sorted out permanent alternative accommodation for me within two days.

“This was over a week ago now and I have not heard a single thing from the University.”

They know my expartner is on bail terms... we are in the same seminars Anonymous student

Another student also explained her feelings about the email given how the University dealt with her experience: “I have had a sexual assault and multiple physical assaults brushed away by the University while they placated me.

So to see them suddenly act like they care this much is quite an interesting pivot.”

“I was at risk of assault and stalking before the incidents happened and I was simply given a rape alarm and shown camera-lit pathways to take on campus.

“The majority of these interactions

were with men - I distinctly recall a female senior staff member tell me that I should take the former Estate Patrol Head’s brashness about a possible assault with a pinch of salt as he was an ex-army man.

“This is not at all what I would expect in the handling of sexual violence and just seemed to offer platitudes as opposed to care.”

“While I understand that raising awareness and alerting people is a good thing,” she continued, “I do think the University’s email had a tone of self-important hand-wringing. As in - I wondered would they have sent this if the perpetrators had been University students?

“I feel for all the people who read that email and remembered how the University brushed over their own assaults, simply because it was likely a member of the University community who committed them.

“This just seems like an act in damage control, but in a place where damage control isn’t appropriate or timely.”

“I personally think the Guild handles the issue of sexual assault comparatively better - the statement from them did not sound as weak as the one emailed to us.”

In response to these accounts, a University spokesperson said: “The safety, security and wellbeing of our students is, and always will be, our primary concern. We have put in place a wide range of safety and support measures in recent years, improved our policies and reporting system and we will continue to work with students, colleagues and community partners to tackle misogyny and violence against women – this includes a special session of the Provost Commission in April on our collective role as a community and institution.

“It is critical that we continue to

support each other and work together to keep all members of our community safe and feeling safe. We encourage all students to report and get the support they need through our Exeter Speaks Out web pages as well as our wellbeing support for students and staff or the Students’ Guild Advice Service or the Students’ Union Advice Service.”

Just seemed to offer platitudes as opposed to care

Anonymous student

The reports on Streatham Campus were of two separate incidents but they have since been treated as connected.

The three male suspects, an 18-year-old from Leeds and a 20 and 21-year-old from Exeter, have all been arrested and are not Exeter students.

All three have since been released on bail and no one else is being looked for in connection to the assaults. The two women involved are being supported by specialist police investigators, a Devon and Cornwall Police statement explained.

The University and Police are looking for anyone who might have any information about the events that took place that could assist the police in their investigation. If you have any information, call 101 and quote log number 90 7/3/21.

A Students’ Guild statement said: “We are deeply affected by this incident involving members of our community.

Each one of us was shocked and speechless when we were notified, and we have been supporting the University response ever since. We continue to struggle to find words to conceptualise the incident, and the devastating impact it will have had on the lives of the students invol-

ved. Our thoughts are with the students impacted, and if you have been affected by this, we are here for you.

We deserve to be safe in our communities, safe in our streets, and safe in our homes. We will continue to work proactively with students and the University to improve the safety of our campus and the support available for our students – we never want this to happen again.

There is support in place through our Advice Service or the University’s Wellbeing Service, or one of the many charities and services who can provide support which we’ve listed below.

We will be increasing our work for a safer campus in the coming weeks, so please get in touch vpwelfare@exeterguild.com if you’d like to be involved in this work.

We recognise that you may feel distressed and upset reading this. You might also recall your own experiences of harassment or assault. For those affected, we’ve included links to organisations that can offer you support:”

É If these issues affect you, you can get in touch with: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/speakout/staysafe www.exeter.ac.uk/wellbeing https://www.exeterguild.org/advice University helpline 0300 555 0225 Samaritans 116 123 Devon Rape Crisis 01392 208756 National Rape Crisis 0808 802 9999 Stop Abuse for Everyone (SAFE) 03030 300112

“HEARTBREAKING AND EMPOWERING” VIGIL Bryony Gooch Editor

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VIGIL for those affected by sexual violence saw hundreds of people come together on Cathedral Green on 20 March. Organised by the group Exeter Against Sexual Abuse, the event on Facebook described a vigil for Sarah Everard, Lorraine Cox and “all womxn impacted by sexual abuse/violence”.

Many women came forward to share their stories of violence and harassment, as well as their poetry and songs with the audience. Those in attendance were encouraged to bring flowers and lights as they sat socially distanced around the Green.

Exeter student Leah read a poem at the vigil: “I was so nervous to perform because the poem I wrote was for survivors and it spoke about some of my own experiences with abuse, but as I was supeaking I felt such a huge energy of support from our community.

She described the event as “heartbreaking and empowering”, noting “sometimes you feel that you are alone, but then the sheer amount of other people who came forward shows that we share the same past.

“I also want to mention that I am so glad that Lorraine Cox was given the thought, care and attention she deserves, as she was taken from us three minutes away from the cathedral and

yet, before the vigil, very few people knew about her story - she deserves to be mourned and respected.”

The mention of Lorraine Cox was close to home for vigil-goers as her name received a loud applause. The 32-year-old woman’s murder trial came into the public eye at the beginning of March and is ongoing.

Politics was an important topic of the evening, as multiple attendees criticised the police. One person recited Sean Bonney’s ‘ACAB: A Nursery Rhyme’.

One speaker highlighted the importance of making your feminism “intersectional”, recalling the recent Atlanta shooting of Asian women which has brought the topic of an-

ti-Asian racism to the forefront.

Another speaker brought to attention a case close to home: “The vigil comes a day after the arrest of three men connected to two sexual assaults reported on Streatham Campus and a week after the vigil at Clapham Common was subject to police intervention.

Guild President Sunday Blake reminded the audience of the numerous help services available to those affected by the topics discussed at the vigil.

Another event by the group Sit Down n Shut Up took place on campus 22 March – a sit-in between 2pm and 5pm outside forum.

Image: Bryony Gooch

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NEWS

Fourth victim of Exeter house fire passes away

Maddy McKenna Contributor

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OLICE have confirmed the death of a seven-year-old girl who was left critically ill after being in a house fire on Clayton Road, Exeter, on 21 February. The fire has now claimed four lives.

The three initial victims of the fire were Kaylie and Daniel Rudge and their four-year-old daughter Lillie-Rose. LillieRose’s twin brother and a nine-year-old boy are both being treated at Bristol Children’s Hospital.

The fire is not considered suspicious by police.

Superintendent Anthony Hart said: “The circumstances of this tragic incident have touched the hearts of all involved in the emergency response. We ask that the privacy of those grieving is respected.”

Although they recognise the need for people to pay their respects, the police are discouraging visits to the area to avoid the spread of COVID-19.

Mill on the Exe refurbished

Elise Hamersley Online Sports Editor

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XETER’S Mill on the Exe pub is undergoing refurbishment with new general manager, Andrew Dain-Kassammia, at the helm.

Students will remember the pre-coronavirus Mill on the Exe for its picturesque Weir location and pub lunches, making it a much-loved university hotspot, After taking over the pub in October 2020, Dain-Kassammia fell in love with the local area following a move from London to Devon.

He experienced two initial setbacks including the second national lockdown in November 2020, along with some unfortunate health complications. Despite this, Drew shared his outlook with Devon Live saying, “I’m positive it’s going to be received really well, and we can’t wait to open those doors back up.”

Drew also outlined several changes to the student-favourite including new furniture, a new paint job and “upscaled” food.

The pub is now under St Austell Brewery, one of the oldest businesses in Cornwall.

23 MAR 2021| EXEPOSÉ

Misconduct cases double as process dubbed “stressful” EXCLUSIVE Bryony Gooch Editor

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VER the past five years, the number of academic misconduct cases has more than doubled in occurrence, Exeposé can reveal.

A Freedom of Information Request to the University found that between 2017/18 and 2018/19 alone there was a 120 percent increase in the number of academic misconduct cases, from 330 to 728.

The Information Governance office judged this as being due to “broader use across the institution of anti-plagiarism software”, with Turnitin being incorporated into academic practice in 2018.

Considering this large increase in the number of misconduct investigations taking place, Exeposé spoke to students who have been through the academic misconduct procedure to understand their experiences.

All students told of receiving an email informing them that they were under investigation for “suspected academic misconduct or poor academic practice”. They would be informed of what they were being investigated for in 15 working days.

Jess, a third year Medical Sciences student stated that “three weeks came around and they still did not contact me so I sent an email. That day I received the result where they said I had plagiarised with not a lot of context.

I felt disillusioned with my degree and almost considered dropping out Ella*

“But I could see from the docudone wrong. I contacted my personal tutor but she told me that she was unable to comment on individual cases.”

Exeposé heard from the students that they were subsequently invited to hearings to discuss the misconduct investigation. In advance of the meeting, they were allowed to write a 2,000 word statement defending themselves. They would also be allowed a “McKenzie friend” - someone to sit in the meeting for support, but unable to contribute to the meeting itself.

Simon* reported that, by the time they got to the hearing, “I still wasn’t sure as to what I had done wrong - they said I could submit a written defense, but how when I’m not sure what I’m defending?”

The hearing resulted in the student being asked to rework three pieces of work without the alleged plagiarism.

They explained: “During these three weeks I had three other big assignments to complete. As a third year to suddenly have six assignments to complete in three weeks is impossible. I tried to contact them numerous times to explain this

and only after having to get my personal tutor involved did they give me two extra weeks.”

Ella*, a first year English student, told us how they had been unable to attend the meeting and no one else was allowed to attend in their place. While they had handed in their 2,000 word statement, there was no one in the hearing in the end to defend the student. There were only two people in the misconduct hearing: the “panel” involved the single misconduct officer while someone else took minutes. With only two people in the meeting to make the decision, and no one there on the student’s behalf, the first year student was found guilty of plagiarism and asked to resubmit the piece of work with the poor academic practice removed.

Students criticised the manner of communication surrounding the procedure, as the third year History student described that: “The process is very complicated with a lack of clarity, and the idea that they give you such a little time frame to fix the issue is ridiculous - especially since they conceded that my offence is very common and unintentional.”

Additionally, Jess* noted: “I think the main problem with the process is how unprofessional the timing is and also how they add the wellbeing links to the bottom of the emails but never check on you even if you haven’t contacted wellbeing, which I think should be done.”

Students also criticised the toll the procedure had taken on their mental health.

Simon* described the experience as “very lengthy, stressful and confusing. It’s very bureaucratic and doesn’t take into account individual situations.”

Jess* confided that “the process has been going on for over two months now

and to say I have been stressed is an understatement and I wouldn’t wish for anyone to go through it.

“Initially the prospect of sitting in the meeting made me so nervous and I couldn’t stop crying literally every night because you question all your other work.

“I take my academic conduct very seriously and it is just embarrassing to talk to your peers about as well because you think it will change their perception of you. I don’t think I would have felt so confident going into the meeting if my tutor hadn’t given me tips on what to do beforehand.”

Two of these students have filed official complaints against the cases team Meanwhile Ella* recalled that “the email made me incredibly stressed and I was unable to focus on anything else which made me fall behind on work.

“I couldn’t face attending seminars and I felt completely disillusioned with my degree and almost considered dropping out.

“Also because I didn’t know what I had done wrong, I was worried this would happen again.

“I felt very low during this time and just needed someone to explain the situation to me, not automated, impersonal emails which often were very wordy and difficult to read.”

Two of these students have filed official complaints against the cases team for their handling of the investigations.

Exeposé reached out to Exeter Student’s Guild, who stated: “The Advice service is here to support students when they’re accused of

academic misconduct. Students are encouraged to speak to their Reps, College Officers and Penny as VP Education if they have feedback about the academic misconduct procedure.”

A University of Exeter spokesperson said: “Our overall approach to academic misconduct hasn’t altered, but we have made some structural changes to ensure consistency. This includes the central management of all College-based casework, including academic misconduct cases, which took place in April 2018; an increased use of the Turnitin software and its mandatory introduction across all Colleges in October 2018; and a consolidated training programme for all Academic Misconduct Officers.

“The majority of cases continue to be at the lower level of severity, such as poor academic practice, where issues may arise from a lack of understanding of academic protocols or a misunderstanding of expected academic conventions of the discipline. We have been running academic honesty workshops across Colleges and this early intervention helps to reduce more serious cases which often happen later on in undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

“We know how challenging it is for a student to have their work investigated, and we constantly review our processes to ensure they are clear, informative and provide reassurance, along with signposting to the various support that is available. When students are notified their work is being investigated we send them comprehensive information which explains the process, what they can expect to happen and the reasons for our specific procedures.” *All names have been changed for anonymity

NEWS

23 MAR 2021 | EXEPOSÉ

5

Margaroli wins first Zoom elections Pete Syme Deputy Editor

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ILY Margaroli was announced as 2021/22’s Guild President on Friday evening, beating second-place Lewis Martin by 675 votes.

With the restrictions of the pandemic preventing the usual Forum Hill campaigns and in-person debates, turnout fell by one per cent as 4,744 Exeter students made their voices heard.

Margaroli, the current Nightline President, addressed the reports of sexual assault on Streatham Campus in her speech: “In light of the news today, it’s clear that there are changes that need to be made. Right now, it’s important we look out for ourselves and our friends.”

3616 students voted for the role, with the preferential ballot system reaching six stages.

In light of the news today, it’s clear that there are changes that need to be made

Lily Margaroli, 21/22 Guild President

She also paid respect to her fellow candidates following a civil campaign: “Praise must go to every candidate the respect and compassion shown throughout this has been incredible and I hope that this precedent can be taken forward to years ahead.”

A hate incident was filed with the police last year, following abuse towards candidates on anonymous confessions page Exefess.

Marion Ojua will become the Guild’s first Black Sabbatical Officer, having won the support of 1,277 vot-

ers in the competition for VP Liberation & Equality. Her manifesto points include refining the process to report discrimination and sexual assault, as well as ensuring “funding and support for diversity and inclusion projects is continuous”.

The position also saw the only instance of R.O.N. reaching the second stage.

Next year’s Athletic Union President will be Lacrosse Captain Katy Dalglish, who won at the first stage of voting. She has pledged to work closely with the Equality, Diversion and Inclusion team, as well as “bridging the gap between BUCS and intramural teams”.

After numerous appearances in the national media, Students For Academic Mitigation co-founder Bella Enoizi was elected VP Education with the widest margin of any position at 1,672. “Students need to understand where to get support from and how to get the most out of their experience”, she told Exeposé.

The VP Opportunities race was won by Drama student Izzy Harrison, whose pledges of diversity, safety and less bureaucracy proved to be popular with 1,376 voters. Her aims include shuttle buses at night and a “Night Walking Call Service” in collaboration with Nightline.

The winning College Officers are: Business: Prashant Nair; CLES: Manav Hartono; EMPS: Natalie Seal; Doctoral: Nadia Monaia; Humanities: Caroline Brodersen; Medicine & Health: Ferdinand Boucher and SSIS: Sho Taniyama.

Exeter’s six NUS Delegates will be Penny Dinh, Scarlett Hilson, Nathaniel Hall, Willow Lloyd Payne, Zuza and Raitieli Cabebula.

This year saw the Guild introduce incentives to encourage participation, with voters in with the chance of winning a Domino’s, Amazon or Deliveroo voucher. The first thousand were given a free sausage roll, but the higher offers of 25 Netflix subscriptions and ten

Airpods will go unclaimed.

Current VP Activities Liv Harvey said of the results: “We are delighted with the results of Friday’s election and look forward to inviting a full-female officer team and our first Black VP Liberation and Equality Officer to lead the Students’ Guild next academic year. Each manifesto was written with care and compassion for our student community and we are so excited for the year ahead and to see what this incredible team do.”

THE HISTORY OF ELECTIONS

PAGe 8

Over £750,000 distributed through Success For All Fund Emily Im News Editor

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ATA obtained using the Freedom of Information Act reveals that up to 15 January 2021, the University of Exeter had given out £757,000 to students via the Success For All Fund.

The University has received 934 applications since the Fund’s official introduction on 2 September 2020. 639 applications have so far been paid and only 26 applications were rejected. The remaining applications are either awaiting assessment, require a response from students due to insufficient information or have been closed because of duplicate applications.

The University did not reveal how much funding was currently available but stated that the majority of funding is taken from the University’s core

budget and the government has given around £348,000 towards hardship. An article published by the University on 1 February also shows that donations from Exeter alumni and gifts from Santander Universities UK contribute to the fund.

it completely saved me from having to drop out

Student

Emergency financial support, under the now-closed Emergency Assistance Fund, was initially made available last spring during the first UK lockdown.

According to University emails sent in April 2020, 250 applications were received within the first three weeks of its announcement. £370,000 was given to students in the 19/20 academic year.

One student who applied to the Fund told Exeposé: “I applied for living costs as I’m on the minimum loan and struggled to find a job this year. I get no help from my parents so had to come up with £4000 to afford my rent and needed living costs above that.

“Applying was very stressful and it took a long time to get a response. I’d say it took about two months. Every time I emailed about the application, I’d get an automatic reply. I later found out they had lost my application and only after Wellbeing looked into it for me did they realise this. It’s a bit annoying to apply for but it has made a huge difference to me. I think it’s plenty of support.”

Another student said, “I applied for the living costs allowance and it took just under six weeks. The process was pretty smooth although there was initially some problem with the form as it

The Success For All Fund will remain permanent after the pandemic University Spokesperson

kept not working but they sorted it. It was just a tech error.

“I think the Fund is amazing and it completely saved me from potentially having to drop out. I was over the moon with what the University did for me.”

A spokesperson for the University said, ““So far this academic year we have given more than £1.13million to students and anticipate further applications for support over the remaining four months of the year.

“The Success For All Fund will remain permanent after the pandemic as a one-stop shop for student hardship and other financial support. We remain

committed to supporting students in need, and their feedback shows the fund has been an important financial lifeline for them over the past year.

“We encourage all students in need to apply. They are able to make multiple applications, but previous payments made during the same academic year may be taken into account when assessing new requests for funds.”

Sunday Blake, Guild President, said, “Whilst we value the Success for All fund and its critical support for students during the pandemic, there is a wider concern nationally where the Government has not stepped up to distribute funds to HEPs. This week the Northern Ireland Assembly passed a motion to grant every full-time university student £500.

“In Wales, students were given £40million in hardship - to put that into perspective, the same amount here, per Image: Harry Caton

23 MAR 2021| EXEPOSÉ

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Comment

COMMENT EDITORS:

Cassia Grace Isaac Bettridge

And on that bombshell...

Henry Hood 2nd Year English

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HAT happens when you mix an unexploded bomb with a global

pandemic?

Evidently, this was a burning question on many people’s minds, and we are now lucky enough to know the answer. It’s not everyday that an eight ft tall bomb is unearthed, and naturally there was lots of excitement about it when it was found. Ominous mass messages sent by the University were also a rare sighting, something we haven’t really seen since we were told to evacuate due to COVID-19 last year.

As someone who lived in Birks in first year, it was relatively amusing but also unsettling to know that many of my drunken pilgrimages to the 24-hour Subway went right past where the bomb lay. But for those who currently live in Birks it was a whole other story. I reached out to

Meg Allan 2nd Year English & Drama

A

S we await the line-up announcement for this year’s summer of love, I look forward to July. When the newly coupled up, bronzed, Miss Pap-signed reality TV “stars” and “starlets” for better or worse, will step off the tarmac at Heathrow, and onto a social media platform which has sky-rocketed during their sabbatical to Spain.

Even in its hay day, the good, the bad and the beautiful that is the Love Island villa, was recognised for dealing in negative idealisation of body image and promoting a potentially lethal combination of sex, sexism and flawed priorities.

A global pandemic, three lock downs and 12 months later, when stress, loss and change in lifestyle has affected both our priorities and bodies, I struggle to see Love Island transitioning particularly well into 2021. Lockdown itself has not covered previous years’ Love

a friend of mine who lives in Birks, and they gave me the run-down of the events that unfolded. My investigative journalism rewarded me with a series of voice messages recorded mid-party in my friend’s flat, which I found rather fitting for the story they told.

It’s not every day that an eight ft tall bomb is unearthed Students were told to evacuate immediately, and were sent to the Great Hall to wait for further instructions. Since it was done alphabetically, some had to wait an hour for their ticket to a hotel, while others had to sit and wait for the whole day. They were then moved to said hotel, some in Exeter, some miles away from Birks. There was apparently a long wait outside the hotels, but once they were in my friend said they were

very well looked after. My source tells me the waiting around was an excellent opportunity to get drunk, as was the mitigating circumstances and fun weekend holiday.

They had to buy their own lunch and dinner, but the University provided £360 to cover all this over the weekend away. Once the bomb had successfully shattered

Image: Pixabay

every window in Birks Grange, they were allowed to return to Exeter.

Students were put up in various studio flats and provided with towels, blankets, and duvets and again my friend stressed how well they were looked after.

After another long wait in a marquee behind the van, my friend was allowed back into their selfcatered Birks room. For them, their experience was a relatively amusing and confusing one and certainly worthy of a dinner party story for many years to come.

For others though, things were reportedly not the same. On various forums and anonymous confession pages, complaints were made by students who were told to “only bring their toothbrush and toothpaste” and were forced to “re-use their clothes for days on end”.

Others, mainly the catered residents

of Birks, are still not able to return to their rooms since most of the windows are still shattered. As always, there are two sides to any story.

stars, it would be remiss to neglect their own mental health. For many entering Love Island, the trajectory “zero to hero” is akin to a baptism of fire and many are unprepared for the scrutiny and attention they will receive when reunited with their phones. Love Island has experienced its own fair share of tragic losses.

Early last year presenter Caroline Flack devastatingly took her own life, only a year after Mike Thalassitis, and, the year before, Sophie Gradon was reported to have overdosed.

Whilst Love Island cannot be held accountable for these tragedies, it is a common theme, and should not be left ignored and unaddressed.

Is Love Island here to stay, or shall it prove to fade into a dated portrayal of irrelevant body types and fictitious relationships? Either way, you shall find me perched in front of Love Island this summer, armed with a cuppa and a healthy dose of cynicism.

We can only hope there is now a contingency plan in place Overall, the University seems to have done well to handle the situation. As my friend pointed out, there is no contingency plan for a bomb evacuation in the middle of a pandemic, so the University did well to come up with a strategy so quickly. The sheer number of hotels and buses used across a good chunk of Devon for the Birks students is impressive. And for those who felt the University did not do well, we can only hope there is now a contingency plan in place for next time.

Now all that needs to be done is for the sand to be removed…

Love Island in the time of corona

Island’s veterans in glory. Molly Mae Hague recently faced backlash for a rigged Instagram haul, whilst Zara Holland, Georgia Steele and Elma Pazar are among those who deemed themselves above national lockdown. To just touch upon body image, the likes of Zara McDermott and her unhealthy take on body positivity are themselves a virus on the impressionable on social media.

I struggle to see Love Island transitioning particularly well into 2021 In days of yore, courting consisted of promenades and balls, now it is done scantily clad in a golden bikini, riding a mechanical bull whilst hollering out your body count in sunny Spain. Are the size four, chicken fillet filled bodies inhabiting the Love Island villa and our TV screens for the coming summer a fun escape and easy yet addictive watch spreading summer cheer, or do they represent and promote something much more

sinister?

It is important however to acknowledge the positive effects brought to us from ex-villa inhabitants.

Zara McDermott, though not a champion of body positivity, has recently released a documentary addressing the harm of revenge porn. Dr Alex, whilst unlucky in his quest for love in 2018, has risen in popularity since.

Working front line during the recent pandemic, he has used his social media platforms to advocate the NHS’s performance and promote his role as Youth Mental Health Ambassador.

2017 Love Island alumni Camilla Thurlow has used her social media platform to advocate for the various charities she has worked with over the years (such as the Halo Trust and Safe Passage), and more recently to discuss issues facing new mums. Her recent book Not The Type is a recollection of navigating the most inhospitable places, both as an activist and reality star.

Having taken a shot at the potential harm done by reality

Image: Pixabay

7

COMMENT

Down with the sickness

Eliza McKechnie 4th Year History & IR

T

HERE have been an estimated 120 million COVID-19 cases and in reality, probably a lot more. I can only give my own experience of having the virus as a young, healthy person who is at the far end of the risk spectrum.

I contracted COVID-19 through a game of beer pong whilst on my year abroad in the US. This was back when coronavirus was more of a joke than a traumatic life experience. It was March last year, and COVID-19 was only just beginning to shut down Europe.

serious and no worse than a cold. I did not know it was COVID-19 at the time, primarily because of the lack of any cough. My lungs did begin to feel heavy; I was out of breath just walking up the stairs and had some sharp pains when I gasped for breath. A good comparison would be to imagine having a mediumsized dog sitting on your chest.

Only much later, after talking to a friend, did I hear that loss of smell and taste was a suspected symptom. I was eating directly out of a tub of Lotus spread at the time and suddenly had the shock that I could, in fact, not taste a thing. I then had flashbacks to myself,

pouring salt over my supper the night before - oops. Weirdly, it takes someone to point out that you may not be able to taste for you to really realise.

However, after those few days, I felt recovered and was much more focused on the panic of packing and getting a flight home for lockdown. When I got home, though, the tiredness really hit. Typically, I received zero sympathy from my family, who thought I was just overdramatic about jetlag. It took me about two weeks to properly sleep off the exhaustion, probably part COVID19-related, part of the wider stress of the situation which I’m sure many shared.

For me, the recovery from COVID has been far, far worse than the actual illness was My actual COVID-19 experience was not very exciting. By virtue of my age, I was lucky enough to not suffer significantly at all. It consisted of feeling grim for about four days, but nothing

Image: YMCA Exeter

I am just glad I wasn’t still contagious when I had to rush home in that horrible panic period last year. As far as I am aware, I didn’t spread it to anyone, but chances are I was contagious for a long time before I even noticed I was sick.

For me, the recovery from COVID-19 has been far, far worse than the actual illness. I’ve been told that I have “long-COVID”, although nobody seems to know why. I am healthy, young and active, but my pathetic four days of a weird “cold” still impacts my life a whole year later.

My full taste and smell only returned in September. Most things came back within two weeks, but it was just strange.

The main things I noticed was that all eggs smelt disgustingly rotten, and I couldn’t taste tea. Sad stuff, but not the end of the world. I’d say it took until November, so about six months, for my lungs to feel normal again. Whilst running, it felt like I was breathing through bubbles and felt like they could not fill up to total capacity.

The real problem that “longCOVID” has given me and about five other people I know is stomach problems. I was really struggling last summer, feeling nauseous, having painful cramps and constantly bloated (entering

23 MAR 2021| EXEPOSÉ

the second trimester bloated). In despair, I went to the doctor in Exeter and had a series of appointments and a blood test.

This confirmed that I had COVID-19 antibodies, which wasn’t a particularly big surprise. I was told by the doctor that my stomach pains were most probably related to the virus, but that there was nothing they could do. My sister is a doctor and has worked in intensive care this year, and apparently, COVID-19 can target your weakest organ. After a year of this, I have learnt to manage the problems. I still can’t eat certain foods, anything too acidic or hard to digest or else I’ll be feeling very ill for the next week.

There really is no way of knowing how you will react to this weird, confusing virus Overall, I am not a fan of COVID-19, even though I was relatively lucky. I don’t mean to scaremonger, but there really is no way of knowing how you will react to this weird, confusing virus.

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International Women’s Month

Cassia Grace Comment Editor

F

OR women, the past two weeks have been a bit of a rollercoaster. 8 March marked International Women’s Day, a time to celebrate the oftenunrecognised contributions of women not just in our day-to-day lives, but also throughout history.

The importance of this holiday may for some seem exaggerated; I for one have too often heard the phrase “you already have equality, why do you need a special month as well?” Such comments simply serve to highlight the ignorance and fundamental lack of understanding that still perseveres in society.

Over 12 million girls become child brides every year We may live in a society that has worked hard to value women, but that does not mean that we can simply ignore the oppression and degradation that women have suffered for centuries or that we can

stop fighting for equality around the globe. According to UNICEF, over 12 million girls become child brides every year. According to FIGO, over 500 million women and girls experience period poverty every month. According to a UN report, even though it’s been 100 years since we won the right to equal pay, it will likely take another 100 years before this is actually achieved. I could go on. It’s all very well and good criticising non-western countries for such numbers, but in the past week it has also become quite clear that such inequality is not limited to outside the West. The startling statistic published by UN Women that 97 percent of UK women have been sexually harassed is a sobering figure that shows that we still have a great deal of work to do to make the world a safe place for women. International Women’s Month has never been more important.

Rather than being a time to reflect and reassess how we are actually fighting for equality, the occasion has become frustratingly commercialised.

Brands feel pressured to release special celebratory clothing lines or feature female ambassadors and whilst I think it is brilliant that the

month is getting so much attention, I worry that such actions undermine the true message of International Women’s Month.

International Women’s Month should not be another tool in your marketing belt, nor is it a day to make you feel good about yourself for posting a picture of your closest girlfriends online.

A lot of the noise on social media feels like performance activism I spoke to my friend Georgia about this issue and how she feels it conflicts with modern feminism.

She noted her anger that in the face of little tangible progress, “a lot of the noise on social media feels like performance activism” and that there is “a lack of respect being paid to the history of feminism”. If we buy into such artificial and hollow support, then we ignore the true message and prevent real action being taken.

If there was ever any doubt that feminism is still needed today, or that International Women’s Month is facing an identity crisis, I would hope that that way of thinking hit a wall

on 3 March. The murder of Sarah Everard was horrific and brutal and is a clear demonstration that progress towards equality is moving too slowly.

My flatmate Bella stated that “even when I’m running during the day, I still don’t feel safe” and discussed the “concerning reaction of ‘not all men’” by her male friends.

Yes, it is not all men who harass and abuse, but it needs to be all men

who actively stand against it and change the culture that we raise our girls in. That is what International Women’s Month is really about. The outpouring of grief and anger from women all around the world gives me hope that change cannot be avoided any longer. Alas, I fear I am not the only woman to say that and be disappointed.

Image: Pixabay

23 MAR 2021| EXEPOSÉ

COMMENT 8

Guild elections throughout the years

illegal canvassing near a voting terminal. After two appeals and a myriad of complaints, the Students’ Guild had been instructed to apologise to candidates. The “hot water” headline pun is truly inspirational.

Re-open Nominations or R.O.N. is often just a meme, typically picking up around 50 votes. But when only one candidate ran for Guild President in 2007, a rerun was forced when R.O.N.’s 1,184 votes beat James Bennett’s 641. The incumbent president described it as “upsetting”, while Bennett declined to comment.

Pete Syme Deputy Editor

W

ITH this year’s Guild election turnout being the lowest for at least a decade and statistics trending down in recent years, it’s worth a look back at all the highs and lows of Exeter history recorded in the Exeposé archives.

Some famous faces have been seen amongst our alumni, with former Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid spotted on an early front page of Exeposé. Running for the nowdefunct Campaigns Officer, he lost by ten votes - but it hasn’t held back his political career.

Basically we are saying education is a right, not a privilege Andrew Cheesewright, ‘89 Protestor In 1989, elections were postponed for a week after 40 students, including members of the Guild executive, occupied the Vice-Chancellor’s office. Dr David Harrison was sitting at his desk when the demonstrators asked him to leave, before they spoke to the media from his balcony.

A “protest against student loans and graduate tax”, they called for the University to support the restoration of maintenance grants to previous levels. The grants would be replaced by loans under George Osborne’s 2016 reforms.

Once upon a time, the Exeposé Editor was a Guild Council position elected by all students. The three editors of ‘96 resigned with the front page referencing Walt Whitman’s “O Captain! My Captain!” Their letter noted the difficulty of producing a weekly paper “made all the more difficult by the constant interference and censorship of the other Guild officers”. Other positions that year included an International Rep, Environment Officer and Student Parent Representative.

A Guild Debate over a smoking ban in the Ram was the hot topic that year. “We must accommodate the wishes of the smoking populace” replied the General Secretary, back when a pint of lager would only set you back a quid!

In the Forum-less days of 2006, Jamie Cook was the centre of controversy after he was disqualified from the elections. It followed a series of complaints and warnings, for such incidents as wearing a chef’s costume in Devonshire House - considered to be

It is upsetting to see a candidate lose to re-open nominations Jemma Percy, 06/07 Guild President The same year, an Exeposé interview with Boris Johnson made national headlines after he told the AU to “get a grip” after drink-related ceremonies were banned following the death of a student. “I am very much against panic bans as a result of some tragic accident”, the now Prime Minister told the paper.

2009’s winning President Richard Stearn is reported as having “shot to fame” as captain of Exeter’s University Challenge team. That year was one of the most succesful, with the team reaching the quarter finals before being trumped by eventual winners Corpus Christi, Oxford by 350-15.

The lowest score since 1971, it didn’t mar Stearn’s popularity with turnout reaching 34 per cent.

The AU hasn’t been without controversy either, when in 2011 former President Josh Belsher resigned after “a financial irregularity” was discovered among charity funds raised by the Naked Calendar. The paper’s editors accused them of a cover-up following a three week investigation.

The election of Palestinian refugee Malaka Shwaikh to three roles including NUS delegate in 2017 reached national headlines after she was accused of anti-Semitism. She responded: “I would like to reiterate that I will fight against all forms of racism, including anti-Semitism”. The Daily Mail later removed their article and published an apology.

Records were broken that year when Shraddha “Shades” Chaudhary, who is now employed on the University’s EDI team, achieved a 44 per cent

turnout.

A 40 percent turnout goal was a big deal not long ago, remaining above one-third since 2009 with the mark broken in 2015, 16 and 17 before falling 53 percent the year after. The UCU Strikes and stormy weather of 2018 were considered major barriers to 2018’s turnout of 23.5 per cent.

This year, Lily Margaroli’s 19.3 per cent was only a minor drop given the once-in-a-century circumstances.

With none of the typical Forum Hill pamphlets and Zoom debates, the turnout is one of the smallest yearon-year changes from 2020’s 19.5 per cent.

The drama and R.O.N.’s popularity may have cooled in recent years, but who knows what’s to come - or if there are any more future celebrities in our midst?

23 MAR 2021| EXEPOSÉ

10

Features

FEATURES EDITORS: Bethany Collins Joe Newell

Policing the free press

Becca Wells, Online Features Editor, discusses the trend towards governments interfering with international media

I

N the most basic terms possible, the role of the journalist is to inform the public regarding current affairs, both locally and globally. They should do this with a lack of bias, a wellevidenced story and unfaltering objectivity. Granted, this is often idealistic, but sometimes, it is not only the journalist who can mislead a public and sway their access to fair and unbiased news.

The politicisation of the media has existed long before even the first press gallery was established, but its early foundations in the sixteenth Century were defined by the quick dissemination of political news, thus making the two sectors inextricable. Whilst in the present day, we have outlets who claim themselves to be independent or centrist, all have agendas, polarising or otherwise.

Therefore, both the journalist and the outlet under which they work are factors leading to the dissemination of objective information, but the governing relationship between the media and a country’s government is not a one-way street. The government holds reigning superiority over a news outlet’s agenda, and it is common for censorship to occur if the news outlet speaks against the government.

An example this year came from India’s BJP government, after it restricted content being circulated on social media internationally following the farmers’ ongoing protests against the agriculture reforms.

The government has armed itself with legal measures to directly monitor online news “The government has armed itself with legal measures to directly monitor and oversee online news services and video streaming” said Eliška Pírková, Global Content Governance lead at Access Now. The censorship of the media elevates into an even more electrified debate over democracy for those affected by the BJP’s abuses of the farmers.

The organisation Reporters Without Borders has established a global Press Freedom Index (PFI) which updates globally. Countries are ranked based on the efforts of journalists and news organisations’ provision of unbiased sto-

ries, as well as the government’s efforts to ensure that this is respected. India currently ranks 142 out of 180 countries analysed, down from 140 in 2019. Reporters Without Borders states that “India’s annual World Press Freedom Index is heavily affected by the situation in Kashmir where, after rescinding the state’s autonomy, the federal government shut down fixed line and mobile Internet connections completely for several months, making it virtually im-

possible for journalists to cover what was happening in what has become a “vast open prison.”

For many readers, it is likely that the vast majority of information surrounding President Modi and the BJP party has been found on social media, through social media activists and those trying to give the stories the space they deserve in the international public sphere. With the rise of new

technologies in the press and a revision of traditional news media, governmental authority holds less of a grip on the free speech of activists and journalists.

Until recently, the relationship between the government and the news me-

dia was one defined by a mutual respect between the two sectors. Now, with the rise of social media, online blogs, and the ability to capture and disseminate government and state-damaging videos within seconds, governmental bodies are searching for new methodologies to police media.

Earlier this year, the Australian government passed a deal with Face-

forward by Scott Morrison’s parliament which was set to “establish a mandatory code of conduct that applies to news media businesses and digital platform corporations when bargaining in relation to news content made available by digital platform services”. Working against this bill, Facebook then lobbied against these deals by withholding the dissemination of news stories.

Tech giants are finding themselves up against large governmental bodies With social media becoming a dominant source of news information, tech giants are finding themselves up against the large governmental bodies who oversee them more and more. As of February 2021, the Australian government has negotiated the terms, allowing for more of a thorough investigation into each news outlet before establishing a price for the tech companies to pay.

Last year, the circulation of stories surrounding Australia’s bushfires internationally led to a huge global effort to assist the Australian government with their firefighting resources, and later, their reparations. If content sharing was halted during these months as it was earlier this year, it is likely that the Australian government would not have received as many charitable donations as they did.

This blockade of social media activism is not relegated to one particular country

Images: Police hat - Flickr; “Roll of newspaper; Pixahive; “DB Roll Packshot - WikiComons

book to pause the dissemination of news outlets’ online posts on the platform, as well as pausing the international sharing of any Australian news media stories.

This was due to a proposed law put

It is clear that this international blockade of social media activism and news sharing is not relegated to one particular country demographic. There are examples not only from countries in the Global South, but the Global North also. Consider the George Floyd protests last year and the escalation into one of the largest global movements to date.

Allowing news media to be spread internationally is central to the integrity of a government’s basic respect of human rights and democracy.

EXEPOSÉ | 23 MAR 2021

FEATURES

11

“Thank you NHS” Meg Allan weighs up the proposed one per cent pay rise for NHS staff

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FTER a year spent waving the rainbow blazoned banner, as we thank our frontline heroes for their service during this unprecedented time, it seems crass to put a price upon the unimaginable debt we owe the NHS. Yet monetarise it we have. And the value of our saving grace through the pandemic? A one per cent pay rise, for most an additional £3.50 a week.

How has this been decided? The one per cent pay increase was a figure recommended to the NHS pay review board by the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) for 2021-22. Previously in 2019 Sir Simon Stevens Head of NHS England had recommended a 2.1 per cent increase for this year, but the pay review board cited a now “uncertain” financial climate for the UK as basis for the new total of one per cent.

The government have faced gruelling backlash for the approval of this total

The government have faced gruelling backlash for the approval of this total, with health unions branding it a “kick in the teeth” and slogans such as #Toryscum and #NHSpay15 trending across social media. The government have however stated that this figure is not immovable, and as peace talks are brokered to prevent an NHS strike, a new figure of three per cent may now be on the cards.

Despite the criticism it has endured, the large value of one per cent of the NHS pay

roll must be acknowledged. The NHS is no small investment, an estimated 1.3 million people work for the NHS in Britain, and currently a substantial £56.1 billion pounds (almost half the NHS’s annual budget) is spent on staffing. Whilst one per cent seems small, this does total £500 million extra expenditure this annum.

In a country prophesising an inevitable recession, or at the least, more austerity, post-COVID-19’s economic damage, can we afford to spend more than this? As Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng voiced on BBC question time, “No one is doubting the NHS has been absolutely first class in this whole pandemic. What I am suggesting is that the whole economy has been under huge pressure”. By contrast, to look at our fellow UK members for comparison, Scotland have agreed a one-off payment of £500 to all health and social care workers, they have also set an interim pay rise of one per cent whilst they await a final decision, the Welsh government have not yet released a figure.

They will have to bow to political reality and the loud voice of the union Whatever the rights and wrongs of what the government can afford to give the NHS at the moment, it is almost certain that they will have to bow to political reality and the loud voice of the union: up the pay, and pay up.

Images: “Cheking Personal Protective Equipment” - Simon Davis, WikiCommons; Rishi Sunak - Simon Walker; Flikr

Joe Newell, Features Editor, considers the experiences of student nurses during the pandemic

I

N April last year, 25,000 student doctors and nurses joined the “NHS army” at the forefront of the COVID-19 response in hospitals.

In the wake of the proposed one per cent pay rise, three anonymous nursing students shared their experiences with Exeposé.

The Health Secretary’s rallying cry to students last spring was accompanied by news that standard medical placements had been cancelled. Completing a set number of clinical hours is a prerequisite to graduate, and provides the practical experience from which many nurses derive their professional confidence. Instead, third year students were given the choice to “opt in”, substituting their clinical hours for paid work in a COVID-19 ward, while those who opted out have continued their academic studies and patiently await a deferred placement.

One student who opted out will still be on rotation by September, three months after they should have graduated, and putting in longer weeks to make up for lost time. For opt-in students, paid work has come as a welcome financial relief. Many will, however, be saddled with additional, unpaid placement weeks given that COVID-19 contracts were terminated earlier than planned in July. Both groups of students have contended with uncertainty over when they might graduate, and with what short-comings in clinical experience. Inevitably,

the situation has left student nurses anxious about the future.

All three nurses commented on the harmful rhetoric of student ‘heroism’ Aside from practical disruptions to their courses, all three nurses commented on the harmful rhetoric of student “heroism”. Their respective universities continued to espouse the notion that working on the COVID frontlines was a sacrifice that would make them “stronger nurses”, but in discussing students who chose to opt out appeared to be “stepping on eggshells”. One nurse even suggests that the prevailing assumption - of universities and other students - is that they were “scared”. What they have faced is a difficult choice with lasting implications on their professional life.

The decision some nurses made to prioritise academic study and stick with the placements they chose has readily morphed into feelings of guilt, in no small part because of the lofty standards set for them.

This discourse of wartime virtues has been just as damaging for the “frontline” students it supposedly valorises; “everyone in this situation feels that way” is how two nurses summed up the messages of reassurance they have received from their universities.

Support services have emphasised comradery rather than sensitively addressing or asking about how students feel, a brand of logic which struck one nurse as “gaslighting”.

A brand of logic which struck one nurse as “gaslighting” COVID-19 has, of course, forced universities to react quickly and decisively to unprecedented change, something which the nurses keenly pointed out. However, they also cited periods of little to no communication from their universities, echoing one student testament in the Nursing Times complaining about being left in “limbo” for months while the university deliberated placement policy for secondyears. This lack of clarity has put more strain on students for whom stability was already at a premium. For one of the nurses, living with course-mates has been a saving grace. She explained the emotional value of being able to “come home to offload”, but underscored that this is a comfort “a lot of people haven’t had”.

Paradoxically, student nurses have felt neglected and undervalued despite being outwardly praised. Reductively labelled as “heroes”, their experiences during the pandemic have been characterised by upheaval, uncertainty and the pressure to conform.

lifestyle

MUSIC

ARTS + LIT

STUDY BREAK

screen

Image: Lewis Ogden, Flickr

the impact of social media in the covid-19 era

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Image: solenfeyissa (pixabay) Image: Julie Jordan Scott, Flickr

favourite women writers

17 Image: Virginia State Parks, Flickr

Image: Alice Barigelli, Flickr

a playlist fit for a picnic

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Image: Wokandapix, pixabay

a brief history of kathryn hahn

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study study break break

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14 - 16

17 - 19

21 - 23

24 - 26

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LIFESTYLE EDITORS Ceri Jackson Georgia Shepherd

ARTS + LIT EDITORS William Evans Amelia Gregory

MUSIC EDITORS Bridie Adams Ollie Leader de Saxe

SCREEN EDITORS Olivia Garrett Francesca Sylph

STUDY BREAK Puzzles by Matthew and George 23 MAR 2021 | EXEPOSÉ

lifestyle Let's get baking!

A

S a keen baker, I find it therapeutic to buy in some ingredients and get baking when uni work gets a little much!

My fiancé is a big fan of Terry’s chocolate orange so I decided to bake up a batch of cookies inspired by the popular confectionary to treat both of us. I found this recipe on Jane’s Patisserie and adapted it slightly based on what I could find in my local shop!

Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 190°C and line your baking trays 2. Mix together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer 3. Beat the egg and add to the mixture 4. Add the cocoa, flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, salt and orange zest and mix to make cookie dough 5. Chop up 250g chocolate orange and fold through the mixture 6. Depending on how many baking trays you have and the size of them, you may need to bake in batches rather than all in one go. I baked mine six at a time using one tray.

7. Bake each batch of cookies for ten minutes, then add a segment of chocolate orange to the top of each par-baked cookie and bake for another couple of minutes 8. Repeat until you’ve used all of the dough and allow each batch to cool before digging in

Ingredients: 125 g Unsalted Butter 100 g Granulated Sugar 100 g Light Brown Sugar 1 Medium Egg 25 g Cocoa Powder 175 g Self Raising Flour 1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda 1/2 tsp Baking Powder 1/2 tsp Salt Zest of 1 Large Orange 2 Terry’s chocolate oranges (you won’t need all of the second one!)

Makes 16 cookies

A

S the national lockdown finally starts to become more relaxed, you probably want to be doing literally anything that isn’t within the four walls of your student accommodation. However, in case you never indulged in the banana bread frenzy back in lockdown 1.0, what better time to start baking than now?

Show your friends just how much you missed them with a surprise tray of baked goods when you meet up in the park, because why not? Here is a very easy recipe for the best fudgy brownies ever.

Ingredients: 225g dark chocolate 12 tbsp Butter, melted 250g Sugar 2 Eggs 2 tsp Vanilla Extract 95g Flour 30g Cocoa powder 1 tsp Salt

Bridie Adams, Music Editor

F

OR those unaware of the concept of brunch, the Collins English Dictionary defines it as “a meal that is eaten in the late morning. It is a combination of breakfast and lunch”. What’s not to love?

I’ve always been a big fan of brunch. It combines the best of both worlds: breakfast and lunch, savoury and sweet. It can be paired with Bucks Fizz or kick a hangover.

It’s also just really delicious, whenever.

I really enjoy going out for brunch and I’m looking forward to doing so with my friends, when we can. When I go out for brunch, I always get smoked salmon, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce. Smoked salmon

To brunch or not to brunch? isn’t something I’d buy for myself, so it’s a real treat. If that’s not on the menu, I’d usually go for avocado on toast, which always tastes so much better than when I try and make it.

If I’m making brunch for myself or my friends, my go to is usually

avocado on toast with a fried egg and loads of chilli flakes. It’s so simple yet so delicious. It’s also really nice to have something a bit sweeter. My top choice would be a pain au chocolat and some fruit.

I have to say, my favourite type of brunch is bottomImage: therachelstory, Unsplash

Method: 1. Start by preheating the oven to 180°C, and set up a glass dish or line a baking tray with parchment paper.

2. Chop half the chocolate into small chunks and heat in the microwave in 20 second intervals.

3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the melted butter and sugar together, then beat in the eggs and vanilla extract. Continue this for two minutes, or until the mixture is light and fluffy.

4. Add the melted chocolate to the mixing bowl and sift in the flour, cocoa powder and salt. Make sure the chocolate has cooled a bit so as to not cook the eggs.

5. Fold in the dry ingredients, but don’t mix too much to maintain the brownie texture.

6. Fold in the remaining half of the chocolate chunks, and place some on top for decoration.

7. Bake for 20-25 minutes, depending on the level of fudginess you want to achieve.

Tip: Always make sure to have all your ingredients out on the counter before you begin baking so you don’t forget to add the cocoa powder!

Maddy McKenna

less. It’s so much fun and combines two of my favourite things (brunch and prosecco).

It’s definitely the best combination and I’d even say it’s better when you make it yourself.

Some people claim that brunch is overrated whilst others claim that it’s underrated. Perhaps some people see it as a glorified breakfast, but I disagree. There’s nothing not to like and there’s something for everyone. If you’re not a massive brunch person, give it another go. I’m sure you will definitely change your mind.

Maggie John

How to live a more sustainable life

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Emma Watson talks about the sustainable changes we can all make

LTHOUGH the news has been preoccupied with COVID-19 recently, climate change is still an ever growing concern.

We only have one Earth and are entirely dependent on it for our survival and wellbeing. Of course, a large proportion of the responsibility is placed on governments and corporations to address the international challenges, but there are a multitude of ways we can alter our everyday lives to make a difference.

We have all been guilty, at one point or another, of buying into the fast fashion trends. It’s hard not to when you’re bombarded with emails everyday about the latest styles and deals.

However, shopping more sustainably can help protect the environment. More than 100 billion

items of clothing are now produced every year, meaning it is crucial to adopt the mantra "buy less and better". Second-hand shops not only help reduce waste but they are a great place to discover your new vintage wardrobe. Organic cotton is another simple switch for the benefit of the planet as it uses up to 91 per cent less freshwater compared to conventional cotton.

Plastic production is expanding worldwide and has infiltrated most products used today. At this point, most of us are aware of the benefits of avoiding single-use plastics and trading in our bottles and coffee cups for reusable alternatives.

Companies such as Ocean Bottle take the proceeds from sales and commit them to clearing ocean-bound plastic. In this case the sale of one

bottle funds the collection of 11.4 kilograms of plastic, focused in areas where plastic pollution is worst.

Of course, this wouldn’t be a sustainability article without exploring the option of veganism. Switching to a plant-based diet can reduce food emissions by up to 73 per cent, highlighting that reducing our meat consumption is one of the most effective ways to reduce our carbon footprint. Shopping locally can also reduce food emissions, because produce hasn’t been flown halfway around the world – as much as we may love strawberries in the middle of winter.

Few of us have had the opportunity to travel during this pandemic but cutting back on air travel is an obvious way to reduce our carbon

footprint. But when that call to the beach or that city break is too strong, there is always the option to offset your emissions. Using public transport is another helpful change, but if you’re not quite ready to give up your car then car sharing provides a happy alternative. As long as you don’t mind sharing the aux cord!

Climate activism is growing, especially among young people. There are many ways in which you can get involved further: vote for green policies, write to your local politicians, plant a tree - any number of activities can highlight the change we need to see.

David Attenborough can only tell us so many times, maybe we should start listening.

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EDITORS: Ceri Jackson and Georgia Shepherd

23 MAR 2021 |

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The power of touch

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Olivia Garrett, Screen Editor, reflects on the importance of touch in a global pandemic

OR some, words of affection are easy.

They can spill their thoughts into essay-length card messages, or send eloquent texts about how much they miss you, or even dish out a beautiful speech on how much you mean to them at the drop of a hat.

For others this isn’t the case. It’s in the presents they buy you, or the sympathetic tilting of the head, or the squeezing of a hand at the end of the night — that’s how they express love. To touch someone is to know them, to acknowledge them; even those who fumble at handshakes or cringe at highfives will have felt that kind of connection at some point. So at a time when to touch is to sin and our bodies have been portrayed as clinical objects of contagion, how are we supposed to get by without this essential sense?

The importance of touch does not just lie in emotion, but physiology too. As our first true sensation when we are born, we cling to all things tactile before we are able to grasp anything in the linguistic or visual realm. As we grow and develop, other things such as speech take precedent, but nothing really ever cures us of that instinctual need to touch and to learn. Studies have shown that touching another being can even play a part in healing the body: it can boost the

Image: Priscilla du preez

immune system, lower blood-pressure and decrease our levels of stress hormones such as cortisol. Touch is also essential in activating the body’s release of oxytocin, which is known as the "love hormone". Psychologists have even dubbed that feeling of tangible deprivation and abandonment as ‘skin hunger’, a fact that ultimately shows the communality of humans as a species and our overarching desire for physical contact.

Although Britain compared to other cultures might be considered as light on the touching (some have even considered UK and US societies as "touch-taboo"), it still plays an essential part in our day to day

lives. Even in the most non-affectionate scenarios, say you brush the hand of a fellow-commuter on the dusty London tube, the touch is incidental and unwanted, but you’ve still made contact with that person and understood each other as sharing that mutual space, most likely for similar purposes. Handshaking at the start of interviews, passing someone the item that they dropped, poking someone to get their attention: all essential, and all gone.

Much worse than this though, is the deprivation of touching the people you love.

Lockdown has imbued us all with the idea that phantom hugs are a fulfilling substitute

for the real thing. But seeing grandparents waving outside a window or wearing plastic "cuddle curtains" is just about as heartbreaking as you can get. Blowing a kiss across Zoom and sending "virtual hugs" through text may be enough of a shallow gesture to get us through the day, but in the long run what will happen if touching continues to be treated like a pollutant? If being near loved ones is always reason for fear? Hopefully this won’t be the case, but for now, and to end this, these are a few tips if you’re struggling with the fallout of physical distance.

If you’re lucky enough to have a roommate or be at home with somebody then enforce daily hugs. It’s not cheesy or PDA if it’s needed. Even if you’re not close friends with them the chances are they’re missing it too.

Get yourself a teddy bear — and no, you’re not too old and no, it’s not childish. Even better, buy the same teddy as someone you love and hold it knowing that they’re holding it too.

Try and get access to animals. Dog-walking is still up and running and certain shelters offer you the chance to walk a dog for mental health. Or if you need to, steal the campus cat.

Keep talking to the ones you love. They will be feeling the same.

The no-clubbing generation Lucy Bishop explores the generation of students that have never been clubbing thanks to the pandemic

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HEN most people recall their student Freshers Week, inevitably follows a series of saga-filled sto r i es about a crazy week of riotous partying and merry all-nighters, trialling every night club on the map in their university city but not for the first-year students of 2020.

Now exists a whole generation who have never experienced the random encounters of a nightclub toilet, drunken interactions of a sticky dancefloor and entertaining events of a blackened, strobe-lit room on a night out. I knew starting university during a global pandemic would be an unprecedented experience to say the least.

We would have to reinvent the traditional

"Fresher’s experience", making the most of everything possible, restrictions in place.

Personally, I loved my Fresher’s Week. I feel I formed stronger connections at an earlier stage, with more meaningful conversations and long late summer evenings spent outside. However, for many young people having turned 18 in COVID times, a nightclub remains a completely alien environment: some feel robbed of the typical "party" experience so many seek at university with newfound freedom.

Before tighter government restrictions, the closest we found ourselves to a "night out’" was a club visit on a table of six, enjoying a few precious hours of enthusiastic chair dancing, eventually vacating the club by the grand hour of 10pm — still far from a "normal" night out! Perhaps what’s more frightening to realise, is when clubs finally do reopen as normal, the babies of 2003 will be joining us on the dance floor!

Nevertheless, bounding into a nightclub across a floor of enlivened souls, meeting the intoxicated gaze of a stranger across the room as the lights illuminate their perspiring skin a rainbow of luminous hues, greeting someone with an overaffectionate hug and staggering home in the early morning hours are some of the events that just wouldn’t occur anywhere else. No environment is further from current lockdown life of social distancing and stringent hand washing.

When life returns to some normality, navigating the club scene could be stressful for many people who have never experienced anything further from our current COVID-determined lives of two metre encounters and sanitised surfaces. Clubs are hot, overcrowded, claustrophobic spaces. They can be overwhelming at the best of times, even before COVID-19 was in the picture.

Dancing in stifling heat, head engulfed by a stranger’s sweaty armpit, smelling the tobacco-tinged breath of a person over your shoulder, goes completely against ingrained social distancing rules. For many people, the intensity of a nightclub environment will trigger anxiety. Even the thought of a night out for some will be panic-inducing.

I can’t wait for places to reopen again, for normal life we’ve been craving for so long to continue. However, I feel we must appreciate value in activities e’ve spent time doing these past months, whether a walk to the quay or a game of Monopoly. Some of my most precious memories from my university experience so far have been found in the simplest of ways.

Images (left to right):Antoine Julian Unsplash Long Truong Unsplash

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23 MAR 2021 |

EDITORS: Ceri Jackson and Georgia Shepherd

16

A royal soap Oprah

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Millie Browning reflects upon the recent interview of Harry and Meghan by Oprah Winfrey

STIFF upper lip, keep calm and carry on, don’t air your dirty laundry – all tropes usually associated with the British way of life. For centuries, our society has championed keeping what happens behind closed doors private and frowned upon any public display of emotion. That’s why, on Monday evening, the country watched in astonishment as Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry laid bare the intricacies of the most famous family in the world: our royals.

The fact that there is conflict between Buckingham Palace and the Duke & Duchess is only new information to those of us who have been living under a rock for the past few years. Since rumours of their relationship were confirmed in October 2016, the couple have been subject to high scrutiny culminating in them stepping down as senior members of the Royal Family in early 2020. Meghan, in particular, has been the victim of slanderous, often overt racist attacks in the media. Yet, what no one expected was that this racism also allegedly came from within the Royal Family itself.

THIS NARRATIVE THAT RACISM CAN BE "CASUAL" IS A DANGEROUS ONE This was, by far, the most shocking revelation in the couples tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, that in the months leading up to the birth of their first son Archie, a member of the family expressed concern about how

dark their child’s skin would be. Although it was later specified that this comment did not come from the Queen or Prince Philip, this accusation has altered several opinions of the Royal Family and opened the door to many uncomfortable questions about race in the UK. What’s even more telling, however, was the public response Britain woke up to on Tuesday morning. The news was saturated with royalist support and, most shockingly, white journalists debating what constitutes racism. A particular lyglaring example of what is deemed acceptable within British society was Loose Women’s Jane Moore, a former Royal Correspondent, asking for context; questioning whether this comment could have been ‘casual’ racism as opposed to "out and out".

This narrative, that racism can be “casual” and that would somehow make it okay, is a dangerous one that exposes a society that is all too happy to put up with the status quo.

All too often, this “unemotional” country refuses to acknowledge microaggressions and underlying prejudice that demeans people of colour. Those who do choose to question the racism Meghan faced from the British public need look no further than a comparison of headlines about her, and those about Kate Middleton. Most famously, the way the media framed Kate cradling her baby bump as "tender" but for Meghan it was "vanity, pride or acting". Counter-arguments claim that Kate dealt with her fair share of bad press too, before marrying William notably being called "Waity Katie", something Meghan touched on in unreleased clips of the interview. Whilst she

recognised how hard this must have been for her, she explained that it is not comparable as she not only had to deal with the added level of racism, but also pressures of social media.

SHE NOT ONLY HAD TO DEAL WITH RACISM, BUT ALSO PRESSURES OF SOCIAL MEDIA This interview is “the worst royal crisis in 85 years”; was one newspaper headline, conveniently forgetting that just over a year ago, Prince Andrew gave a car crash interview defending his friendship with convicted sex o f f e n d e r, Jeffrey Epstein. Since then, Buckingham Palace

has defended him and kept him out of the public eye, refusing to comment on any ongoing investigation. This disparity, whilst shocking in its own right, has exposed the Royal Family as one who is more willing to protect a man who, at the very least, has associated with convicted sex offenders, than a woman whose only crime was to be born to an African American mother.

Will this interview bring down the Royal Family? No, if Prince Andrew being accused of paedophilia won’t do it, I don’t think anything will. But it has brought into question the way the Royal Family conducts itself, and the example it provides for British society as a whole.

Image: Antony Mason

Has social media been beneficial or a hindrance?

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Jessica Holifield, explores the impact of social media during the pandemic

URING the first segment of lockdown, our social media feeds were filled with photos of homemade bread and the art that people finally had the chance to dedicate themselves to as a break from the capitalist chain of the working world. However, we know that the internet has a tendency to present things in an unrealistic way.

Generally, we choose to put the best version of ourselves on social media – which is understandable. Unfortunately, for those who have struggled throughout lockdown, this can create a further sense of isolation from the outside world. While some pursue their hobbies, others feel they remain stuck. Social media can promote images of an unhealthy level of productivity, leaving peo-

ple feeling guilty if they think they are not spending their time as productively as others.

September saw the start of a new academic year and students were presented with an extra set of challenges. Freshers and international students in particular have experienced feelings of loneliness and isolation, trapped in a new city and feeling the pressure to make friends.

Despite the downfalls of social media, it has also offered a release for individuals who have felt isolated. University society meetings have been able to take place online via Zoom calls, we’ve been able to message and Facetime our old friends and – sometimes – submerging ourselves in Instagram, Facebook or Twitter can provide a welcoming retreat from the demands of everyday life.

Yet we can also find our-

selves caught in the dreaded “d o o m - s c r o l l i n g ” : seeing a string of bad news stories on social media in one sitting, which can have damaging effects on mental health.

If I ask myself whether social media has done more harm or good throughout the past year, I will definitely say it has brought more positives than negatives. It has allowed us to connect with people when we had no other means, whether that be hosting a seminar on Teams or Zoom or having a video chat to stay in touch with family back home. I think it is beneficial that social media has provided us with the option of doing these things. But I also feel there has been an increased pressure to make our-

selves present on social media – in a society in which people spend so much time online, it can be easy to expect constant access to somebody’s time.

As a way of combatting this, I think it’s important to establish where our boundaries are with social media.

If a particular app is bringing us down, its vital to recognise it having a negative influence and step away from it for a little while. Dedicating an hour or so a day to being phone-free is another solution worth considering.

Ultimately, we have to do our best to care for ourselves and each other, and if you arefinding things difficult it’s important to take the necessary steps to get better, such as by reaching out to professionals for help or having a chat with a trusted friend.

Image: @charlesdeluvio Images L-R: Georgia-de-Lotz, Unsplash; Tim Mossholder, Unsplash

arts + lit

WHM: women writers

Arts + Lit writers pay tribute to their favourite contemporary and historical female writers

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Charly Cox

HEN we think of poetry our minds often cast back to GCSEs and the narrow, male dominated canon.

Too often viewed as an outdated form of expression, poetry is in fact diverse and vital.

Charly Cox first began sharing her poetry on Instagram. Her verses explore modern society from the perspective of a women in her early twenties, and as someone struggling with their mental health, captivated her followers.

She Must Be Mad, her first collection published by HQ in 2018, explores coming of age. Divided into four sections: “she must be in love”, “she must be mad”, “she must be fat” and “she must be an adult”, her poetry addresses everything from her relationship with food (especially in her dedication to “Kale”) to her struggles with bipolar disorder, and dating in the age of social media.

What makes Cox’s poetry stand out though is her honesty. Too often there are topics women shy away from discussing, both with female and male peers. Cox addresses these stereotyped cliché topics, and does so in a manner which brings forward the seriousness of them.

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Lisa Taddeo

ISA Taddeo’s debut book, Three Women, is a fascinating piece of creative nonfiction. Setting three women’s intimate lives to prose, it is as searing as it is funny and relatable.

The book is the fruits of an eight-year long labour during which Taddeo, who is also a journalist, talked to the three women whose lives are immortalised in the text about their sex lives and desires. Her close relationship with these women allowed her to get them to open up about details many of us wouldn’t even share with our best friend. The result is an incredible piece of work which debuted #1 on The New York Times’ bestseller list and is being scoped for a TV adaptation.

As someone with a mental illness, Cox’s poetry is comforting in that it represents the difficult, often strange, and sometimes funny, day-to-day reality of suffering with your mental health. These poems evolve with the reader too, with reactions developing from relatability to nostalgia. Overall, Cox’s writing is a valuable experience both for those suffering with their mental health and those who are lucky enough not to.

By Katie Dunbar

Hanya Yanagihara

N important author you may not have heard of is Nella Larsen. She was an acclaimed American novelist, most famous for her two novels published in the 1920s, Quicksand (1928) and Passing (1929).

Image: Picador

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Image: Bloomsbury

Image: HQ Publishing

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Nella Larsen

What is perhaps most remarkable about Lisa Taddeo is her sheer dedication to chasing stories. While researching Three Women not even the birth of her baby stopped her – she went to interviews and looked for potential subjects with a baby in a sling. She even moved to many different towns across America to spend time with and understand the lives of the women she was profiling.

I love Lisa Taddeo’s work because it feels simultaneously like a revelation and something that has been living inside me my whole life. Her way with words – sometimes restrained, sometimes dripping with luxurious description – is enchanting.

I’m looking forward to her debut fiction novel, Animal, a story of female rage, set to be published this summer.

By Caitlin Barr

Believed to be of Afro-Caribbean and Danish immigrant descent, Larsen was a monumental figure in the Harlem Renaissance. This literary movement was an intellectual and cultural boom of African American literature, music, fashion, amongst others, based primarily in Harlem, New York City. Booming in the 20s and 30s, the Harlem Renaissance was seen as a rebirth of African culture that challenged racist stereotypes and racial segregation.

Larsen has been lauded as the premier novelist of the Harlem Renaissance. She grew up living in a predominantly white neighbourhood and it was only when she was educated in a historically Black university that she lived within an African–American community for the first time. This feeling of constantly being out of place, as a result of her mixed heritage, has been widely documented, and is one of the hard-hitting focuses of her novels.

By reading Nella Larsen’s works, you are not only stepping back into 1920s America, you are also stepping into the shoes of a woman struggling to find where she belongs. Larsen eloquently depicts the race and subsequent identity struggles felt by many in this time period, thus her work is a must-read.

By Maddy Mckenna

F you were ever looking to experience every single emotion in one go, then read A Little Life. Nothing short of a literary masterpiece, this text is the most beautiful blend of love and tragedy I have ever experienced. But trust me, you do not want to read it on holiday because you’ll get a lot of dodgy looks sobbing by the pool. Written by Hanya Yanagihara in 2015 and nominated for the Man Booker Prize and the National Book Award, this gorgeously sad journey of love and loss and loss again is unbeatable and a landmark addition to queer fiction.

Yanagihara herself is a testament to female authors. As a fourth-generation Hawaiian resident of Korean and Japanese descent, she has ruled the literary and journalistic world. As well as A Little Life, her first novel The People in the Trees was dubbed one of the best books of 2013. It is an intensely strong debut novel about the memoirs of a man in prison, again demonstrating her ability to interweave devastation into every plot point.

After graduating Smith College in Northhampton, she moved to New York and entered the publishing business, then spent many years as an editor for Condé Nast Traveller. She then became editor-in-chief of T: The New York Times Style Magazine where she still works. Boss by day and writer by night, she brings exceptionalism and charm to all of her work. I can only hope that her future books make me cry less!

By Olivia Garrett, Screen Editor

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EDITORS: Amelia Gregory and William Evans

23 MAR 2021 |

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How the arts celebrated IWD

Amelia Gregory, Arts + Lit Editor, discusses some celebrations of women in art this International Women’s Day

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LTHOUGH the art industry has traditionally been dominated by men, the recent influx of recognition for female artists has made this industry more inclusive. In honour of Women’s History Month, I want to take this opportunity to celebrate some of the recent achievements of women in art.

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN 200+ YEARS THAT FEMALE ARTISTS HAVE BEEN FEATURED In celebration of International Women’s Day on 8 March the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam hung three paintings by female artists in their Gallery of Honour, tweeting: “It’s about time. Today, on #InternationalWomensDay, 3 women are joining the male artists in our Gallery of Honour.” This is the first time in the 200 plus years that the museum has been open that female artists have been featured in the Gallery of Honour. The three artists include: Judith Leyster (1609-1660), Gesina ter Borch (1633-1690) and Rachel Ruysch (1664-1750).

Judith Leyster was a Dutch painter who focused on portraits and still-life work and was one of very few female professional painters during the Dutch Golden Age. Gesina ter Borch was another Dutch Golden Age painter whose work consisted mainly of watercolours. She came from an extremely artistic family with her brother Gerard ter Borch being

vastly recognised for his work which is featured in and will celebrate the innovative and feminist the Louvre, the V&A, Dresden and various other spirit of Maria Grazia Chiuri”. The feminist lens that establishments. However, Gesina was successful the book takes is made clear from the cover which in her own right and it has been said that she even features a T-shirt with the slogan “WE SHOULD ALL assisted her brother in some of his works. Rachel BE FEMINISTS”, made popular by feminist author Ruysch primarily painted flowers and plants and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, written boldly across her work was said to have sold for more than it. This feminist perspective is consistently promiRembrandt in their respective lifetimes. She was nent throughout the book as it combines text and the first female member of Confrerie Pictura, The photography to present women in combination Hague’s artist society. The inclusion of these womwith Dior collections. Maria Grazia Chiuri was apen’s works in the Gallery of Honour shows pointed as Dior’s first female creative director a huge step in appreciation for in 2016, which proves that she ocwomen’s art and a change cupies an important posiin the narrative that fation as a woman in the vours the works of arts herself. This book male artists. This then goes further by inclusion was long combining quotes, overdue and will essays and poems hopefully help to from influential pave the way for women in literature further necessary with images of Dior’s improvements for ready-to-wear collecwomen working in the tions as photographed by arts. women.

Image: Amelia Gregory Looking at a more contemAlso within the fashion industry, porary example of women’s work in the arts on luxury retailer Mytheresa announced that they International Women’s Day, Dior released their would be working with MTArt agency, based in photography book Her Dior: Maria Grazia Chiuri’s London, to support female art and fashion collecNew Voice which focused on the work of 33 female tors. Mytheresa has worked closely with female fashion photographers who have worked with artists in the past through their Next Women both Dior and Maria Grazia Chiuri. The book aims Award which provides mentorships for its winners, to “highlight the work of these artists who are a one of which, Marine Tanguy, also founded MTArt. part of the history of contemporary photography The program, named “Art’s Female Future” serves

to “spotlight Marine Tanguy, entrepreneur and art collector; Tiffany Bouelle, artist; Inès Leonarduzzi, entrepreneur and activist; and Noëlla Coursaris Musunka, philanthropist and model – four women who are not only paving a new path in the art world, but are also fighting for gender equality and female empowerment”.

THE FOUR WOMEN WERE ABLE TO EACH CHOOSE A CHARITY TO DONATE €10000 The four women highlighted by the program were able to each choose a charity to donate €10,000, the charities include Malaika, Fondation des Femmes, CARE France and Choose Love.

Malaika is a charity that focuses on empowering and educating young girls in the Democratic Republic of Congo; Fondation des Femmes is a women’s charity that strives for gender equality and to fight against violence against women; CARE France works to fight against poverty in various ways such as disaster responses, food and nutrition, education and health, with a particular focus on working with women, and Choose Love supports refugees and displaced people across the globe. This project not only shines a light on women in the art industry but also contributes to many charities, with a particular focus on women’s charities, in the process.

NFT: the future of art?

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William Evans, Arts + Lit Editor, questions whether non-fungible-tokens signify changes for the art world

RIMES has made headlines recently for the $6 million sale of a collection of images and short videos in the form of NFTs. These pieces of work are themed around Grimes’ digital persona, War Nymph, an oversized demonic baby with wings. The collection has proven so controversial due to its digital nature; the pieces, as do all NFTs, exist digitally and only digitally. But what on earth is an NFT?

THE NFT IS NOT THE WORK OF ART ITSELF, HOWEVER, BUT A DIGITAL TOKEN OF OWNERSHIP NFT stands for non-fungible token and they are essentially digital collectibles. Unlike other cryptocurrencys which are directly exchangeable like physical money, NFTs are unique and are bought and sold like art rather than exchanged.

The NFT is not the work of art itself, however, but a digital token of ownership. The ease of digital art is that it can be easily copied and shared but

the owner of an NFT has proof that they own the original. Traditional art establishments are slowly warming to this digital counterpart of physical art auctioning: world famous auction house Christie’s now auctions NFTs and accepts cryptocurrency as payment.

You would be forgiven if you had never heard of NFTs until recently as, although they have been around for a while, they were making hardly any money at all until this past month. NFT sales topped $60 million in February of this year after making only a fraction of the amount a year before. Many critics of NFT point out this sudden rise is an indication of a bubble that will surely burst once hype dies and are warning against mass investment in NFTs in case of serious losses.

NFT could have very significant impacts on the traditional art world. One case in favour of NFTs is that it democratises art ownership. Art investment has historically been a game of the upper classes due to the extortionate prices of original art and the likelihood that the pieces will lose value. Some NFTs might be a more affordable option: Grimes’ sales came mostly from two pieces priced at $7,500 which sold a few thousand times

and are a fraction of the price of the biggest sales of traditional art. Another unique video piece in Grimes’ collection titled Death of the Old sold for nearly $400,000, however. The elitism of the traditional art world is alive and well in this new digital sphere, despite claims otherwise.

GOING TO A GALLERY AND SEEING AN ORIGINAL PAINTING IS A SPECIAL EXPERIENCE So what is the point? Buying art is typically considered a passion investment: art tends to lose rather than gain value so people buy art because they like it and want to display it, rather than in order to gain money. NFT’s cannot be displayed like a Picasso or Van Gogh can be. Perhaps owners of NFTs will begin to display their art on screens like digital photo frames but this only raises another shortcoming of the NFT. The original oil of Vincent Van Gogh’s The Starry Night is intricately different to print cop-

ies that can be purchased at a fraction of the price. But every digital copy of an NFT is exactly the same as the original. The owner of Grimes’ $400,000 Death of the Old could have it running on a loop on a screen in their home but so could anyone else who acquires a copy and nobody could tell the difference. NFTs, therefore, do not give the owner any special privileges other than the right to sell and the right to brag. While these elements do play a central role in traditional art selling, the endurance of visual art and of the industry surrounding it proves that there is more to it than that. Going to a gallery and seeing an original painting is a special experience that has no equivalent in the realm of crypto.

The lifeless reduction of art selling to its two most capitalistic elements in the form of NFT begs the question of whether there is any longevity in the market. Is owning a digital certificate of ownership really enough to entice continued interest in the digital collectibles? It remains to be seen whether the tokens have any kind of lasting power or whether crypto investors will become bored of them once the hype inevitably dies.

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Unmasking the taboo

23 MAR 2021 |

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Clémence Smith debates the ethics of depicting COVID-19 artistically

HE COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we interact with others forever. History now seems split into two times: preCOVID and post-COVID. Many hope that the end of social distancing will mark the return to “normality”, a way of life that has acquired mythical status over the last year. Are we, then, suddenly to abandon the progress made in online learning and communication which we have seen since we were all forced to stay inside?

Many people, I think, would wish to forget that the pandemic ever happened. Why revert to bad memories, after all, when all is back on track? Art, however, disrupts this tendency by unifying current events and wider culture. Art cannot exist in a vacuum; artists have recently found inspiration during lockdown, creating COVID-19-themed art. This new wave has faced retaliation, as some claimed that artists merely seek to épater les bourgeois and draw attention to themselves. Treating a sensitive subject in such a frivolous manner is disrespectful to those grieving, without jobs and facing unprecedented instability due to the pandemic.

Regardless of these two lines of argument, art has always found itself trapped between current events and escapism. We all turn to art for drastically different reasons: some to make sense of the world, and others as a way to forget about it. Fostering the creation of COVID-19 art means that future generations will better understand our current predicament. Art’s power lies in its subjectivity, as it captures individual experiences that escape alternative definitions.

Lee Cartledge, a potter in North Yorkshire, creates vases shaped like the COVID-19 virus.

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EDITORS: Amelia Gregory and William Evans

In an interview with The Guardian, the man acknowledged why his handiwork might have caused offence. Turning the virus, which has been the source of so much pain, into an aesthetic object is grotesque to some. But why should the pandemic exclude artistic interpretation? As Cartledge remarks in the article: “It’s just art. You’re bound to make objects that reflect the time you’re in, and that’s all I was doing.”

ARTISTS CANNOT SURVIVE CUT OFF FROM THE WORLD THEY INHABIT Countless artists were made redundant in the past year and find themselves in a catch-22.

Ignoring the pandemic would be naïve but referencing it would be insensitive. Artists cannot survive cut off from the world they inhabit. And besides, who is to be the judge of which subjects are worthy of artistic inspiration?

The infamous English street artist Banksy, for example, flouts the taboo of COVID-19. A painting of his appeared at the Southampton General Hospital as a tribute to the NHS. It depicts a child playing with a nurse doll that mimics the posture of a superhero. Instead of gravitating towards the superhuman figures of Spiderman or Batman, the boy finds the heroic in the figure of the nurse. Banksy playfully explores how the pandemic affects young minds and their future. The discarded toys, I think, say it all: the extraordinary is now found in the pre-

viously mundane.

Artists have always been drawn to terrible events. It is only when the storm has settled that the art, often doubling as social commentary, can be viewed in its wider historical context.

The Falling Man by Richard Drew is a prime example of capturing the unimaginable. He photographed a man as he fell off the World Trade Centre during the 9/11 attacks. Despite knowing the chaos and overwhelming terror that rocked the world that day, Drew makes it all come to an eerie standstill. Photography redirects our gaze to the fleeting moments of life which, despite going unnoticed by many, bear so much significance.

Pablo Picasso’s painting, Guernica, also responds to a terrible historical moment. Depicting the eponymous Spanish town after its bombing in the Spanish Civil War, Guernica’s mangled figures all blend into one. The observers see sudden glimpses of horror, contrasting with cold grey tones that alienate the observer.

It is simultaneously chaotic and emotionless, encapsulating the emotional turmoil witnesses of the bombing must have felt. The painting has attained canonical status for its anti-war associations.

Art, then, is more than a mere reflection of the world it emerges from. Once created, it helps to shape our understanding of events that transcend linguistic barriers. Although some may sneer at COVID-19 art, it is a necessary part of what we are living through. We might not fully appreciate it for years to come, but one thing is certain: even when faced with the abyss, art prevails.

On paint of death

Image: Matther Waring, Unsplash

Floris De Bruin explores the presentation of death in art through the ages

SYCHIATRIST Bruce Grayson has spent most of his academic life in pursuit of the answer to one of life’s greatest enigmas: what happens when we die?

He tackles this question in his newly published book After, in which he presents numerous case studies of near-death experiences . Using a scientific framework, Grayson explores the emotional response to death and what these experiences reveal about life and beyond.

POETRY PROVIDES A RICH RESOURCE FOR EXPLORING DYING However, Grayson notes the shortcomings of science when it comes to studying experiences that take place outside of the physical world in a recent interview with The Guardian.

The spontaneous nature of a near-death experience means that it is virtually impossible to test in a controlled lab environment.

It may be useful, then, to turn to more subjective sources of information in the form of literature and art to understand conceptualisations of death. These creative works help magnify the experience of the individual to gain an insight into the human condition.

For instance, Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s (18091892) poem “In Memoriam” is useful in highlighting the spiritual crisis one undergoes when confronted with death. Dedicated to his late friend Arthur Henry Hallam, Tennyson writes: “I stretch lame hands of faith, and grope, / And gather dust and chaff, and call / To what I feel is Lord of all, / And faintly trust the larger hope.”

Tennyson exhibits the human response to grief as laden with anxiety and doubt. He is in-

duced to question his faith as he struggles to understand the unfairness of his friend’s premature death. Poetry provides a rich resource for exploring dying and death, made poignant by its ability to communicate great bundles of information in just a few lines.

However, even language can fail as a suitable medium for expression. Grayson explains: “When I talk to neardeath experiencers, one of the first things they say is: ‘I can’t put it into words. There’s no way to express this.’”

They turn to art to collect and organise their shaken state of mind, rather than to the cold hard facts of science.

Death has been a recurring popular theme in art. Seventeenth century artworks such as An Allegory of the Vanities of Human Life (c.1640) by

Harmen Steenwyck (1612-1656) include skulls and delicate materials to depict the fragility of human life, inducing the viewer to contemplate their own mortality. This form of art became known as Memento Mori (literally translated as “Remember that you must die”). More recent depictions include Pablo Picasso’s Guernica which demonstrates human suffering because of violence and death, a response to the Nazi bombing of Guernica, a Basque Country town in Northern Spain, during the Spanish Civil War. Therefore, art and literature can play a key role in contributing to scientific studies on death and dying. Grayson himself admits to the complexities involved with collating data concerning the spiritual element of death, claiming: “I am convinced now, after doing this for 40, 50 years, that there is more to life than just our physical bodies.” It is only appropriate, then, that we should begin to understand something infinitely human like death, with something else infinitely human like literature and art.

Image: Harmen Steenwyck / National Gallery

MUSIC

Exeter musicians Music Editors Bridie Adams and Oliver Leader de Saxe interview student musicians

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ENRY Hood is a second year English student and plays trumpet to a high level, having performed with Exeter University Big Band before COVID-19 hit.

É - When did you first start playing the trumpet and what drew you to it?

I started playing trumpet when I was ten years old, so way back in year four. Nothing drew me to the trumpet, as my mum decided I should learn an instrument and chose the trumpet for me. I think she chose it because it was more portable than a piano. É - What has your relationship with your music been like over lockdown - have you been playing much at home?

I’ve actually improved a lot over lockdown and used trumpet as an outlet. It’s been difficult finding the motivation to play, especially since there’s nothing to play for if that makes sense.

I’ve challenged myself a lot though with new music, so a lot of classical concertos and the Arban theory studies. I’m mainly practicing now just so that I can be a better trumpeter back in Big Band, hopefully second trumpet instead of fourth/fifth like I was last year. É - Would you describe Big Band as having been an important part of your uni experience until the pandemic? What have you missed about it?

I think Big Band was a good part of my uni life, especially the gigs. I really enjoyed the whole experience of dressing up and going out to somewhere nice to play. My mates really enjoyed coming along to them too, and since Hole in the Wall, where we played some gigs, was so close to TP, it was always a good excuse for a party. My mates would also always buy me drinks afterwards which was nice, until one of them bought me a shot of 65% Tiki Fire rum which was revolting. É - Do you have a favourite piece you’ve played with Big Band that you’d love to perform again?

Definitely Birdland! One day I hope I get to play the solo at a live concert. É - Do you know if Big Band has any plans for post-lockdown gigs yet?

Not entirely sure to be honest. I know we won’t be doing any rehearsals this term so I doubt we’ll do anything else this year. Fingers crossed it’s all back to normal for my third year!

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AM Martin got into Exeter University Jazz Orchestra this year, but hasn't been able to properly experience it because of COVID. Sam also has experience depping for function gigs like weddings and corporate events, sometimes with a function band and sometimes playing alone with a backing track. Sam plans to do more as a solo saxophonist and singer, aiming to write and record original work. É - How and when did you get into depping?

I joined a few Facebook groups/no fees agencies which get me work sometimes. Also sometimes word of mouth. É - How have you been staying inspired to practice your sax and vocals over lockdown? Do you have any advice for musicians who may not have picked up their instrument in a while?

I discovered GarageBand and it’s been so motivating! I’ve been able to create layered music playing with just myself! I’ve even been able to add bass and drums and stuff. It’s really exciting and I thoroughly recommend. I’ve been able to sing a capella stuff with just myself as well - very fun. I can just use my Apple headphones. I’ve downloaded a free trial of Ableton now and have signed up for a short course in female production so I’ve got quite into it. É - Have you been using any social media platforms to share music over lockdown?

No, I’ve got major self-confidence issues but I’ve made a separate Insta account (@sam.bambo) and I’ll try to start posting soon. É - What do you think it’ll be like returning to performing after the pandemic? Do you find the thought of it nerve-wracking at all or are you excited?

I’m so excited! I had an audition for a music school last Saturday and it was the first time I’d performed “live” in a year (albeit over Zoom) and it was really fun. I can’t wait til it’s all over. É - Has not being able to dep had a bad impact on your income?

Yeah, it has. I haven’t looked into government support but maybe I should’ve done. All my gigs last summer were cancelled and I had at least a dozen lined up so I’d have made a couple of grand but instead I had to find a waitressing job which was impossible til August because of lockdown.

Images left to right: Henry Hood, Sam Martin, Joanna Averill

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OANNA Averill is president of Exeter University Concert Band and plays several woodwind instuments.

É - What instruments do you play, when did you first start playing and what drew you to them?

My main instrument is the clarinet, but my first instrument was the recorder, which I started playing when I was seven simply because I owned one and wanted to know how to play it. I started the clarinet when I was ten, because I wanted to play another instrument and a friend of my mum’s had one that I could borrow and learn on.

It turned out that I loved it, and carried on with the clarinet all through school, and also picked up alto, bass and Eb clarinet through ensemble playing. Towards the end of my first year, I also decided that I wanted to play the flute, so I joined flute choir to learn, and since have also picked up the bass and alto flutes as well. Continuing on from that theme I decided to learn the saxophone in the middle of my second year. É - What has your relationship with your music been like over lockdown - have you been playing much at home?

Honestly, I’ve never really practiced at home very often at all, and I’ve done most of my playing in ensembles since coming to uni, which has obviously been impossible to do in person for the last year. However, since we started doing virtual rehearsals, I have been playing more, as I usually have at least one a week.

É - What has being president of Concert Band been like over lockdown?

Being Concert Band president over lockdown was a massive challenge, especially when I was first elected in third term last year, as we had all assumed that in-person rehearsals would soon resume, so we just filled our rehearsal slots with social Zoom calls instead. Later, we started our virtual rehearsals – basically a Zoom call with everyone but the conductor muted, the conductor shares a recording of the piece we want to play, and everyone follows along with their own copy of the music. Obviously, they are not as good as rehearsals in-person, but they are actually a lot more fun than they sound! We then settled into a schedule of doing a virtual rehearsal and a social call in alternating weeks, which we are still sticking to now, and made being president a lot easier due to the routine – massive shoutout to the social secs though. Izzie and Emily have done an incredible job of thinking up new and exciting social ideas every fortnight!

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EDITORS: Bridie Adams and Oliver Leader de Saxe

23 MAR 2021 |

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vs the pandemic on how the pandemic has shaped their lives and what their plans are going forward

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NDIE surf-rockers The Issues were a relatively new band when the lockdown first hit, but still managed to make some sizeable waves in the student indie scene before the pandemic properly took hold. Describing themselves as "scrappy alt-rock from the South West", the band is made up of Mike Slack on drums, Chris Otun on bass, Joe Kurzawa on lead guitar, and Joe Jenkins on rhythm guitar and vocals. Print Music Editor Oliver Leader de Saxe sat down with Chris, Joe K and Joe J to discuss how they managed to keep the band kicking in lockdown and what the future might hold.

PEOPLE HAVE BEEN LOCKED UP FOR A LONG TIME — WHEN GIGS RETURN THEY'RE GONNA BE FERAL É - So how did you guys first meet? Were things going well for the band before the first lockdown?

C- Joe K, Mike and myself first met at an Indie Music Society social and we all wanted to be in a band. We had a couple of jams but no singer

at that point so we reached out to Joe J and he was happy to take the role. Things were going well before the first lockdown, we managed to play a couple of gigs at Cavern which were very exciting as well as two rounds of the Battle of the Bands competition run by Campus Nands before it got cancelled. We would frequently meet up to practice and write original material despite only being together two months before the first lockdown. É - Obviously the pandemic has made playing together a lot harder. What were the biggest challenges you guys faced over the last year?

JK- Due to the pandemic, it has been much more difficult to improve on our tightness when playing together and usually we are just limited to a computer and our instruments and left to our own devices, so I think our creative process has been restricted to an extent. Also, the duration of the restrictions during the pandemic and the uncertainty of when live music will return, certainly for me, has perhaps hindered my motivation to want to record new music or pick up my guitar, so when one of the guys sends a track in or a new demo, it's always an exciting and re-

freshing feeling. É - I know a lot of bands have had to find innovative ways to write and share ideas in the pandemic. Has lockdown altered your writing process?

JJ- As much of a ballache as it’s been, lockdown actually turned out to be pretty great creatively speaking. It forced me to just sit with my own thoughts with nothing else to do but write them down and try and make stupid songs out of them. I recorded a few of the songs, sent them over to the other lads for them to do their thing and come up with cool parts, and shabang we had a couple of singles on our hands.

We’d played the two we eventually released as singles at our gigs before lockdown, but they sounded virtually unrecognisable to how they do now. I sent what we’d put together to my mates up in Manchester (big shoutout to Bicycle Day), and they did all the mixing and mastering magic. We had to rely a lot on trust just cos we couldn’t actually collaborate properly, but I think we pulled it off. É - How important was social media and live streaming to keeping the band’s momentum going?

JJ- Massively important! We were basically non-existent as a band until a couple weeks before the pandemic, so we had to seriously rely on Instagram to keep the momentum going without any live gigs to play. I started uploading a minute long cover every day which people seemed to enjoy, but then that fizzled out after a while so that’s when we decided to get our first single out.

Without any shows or anything to promote it, we just went full ham on social media to create as much of a buzz as we could. We did a pretty good

job of it with 'Katie', slightly less so much with our second single though haha. É - What are your post-pandemic plans? Are you planning on going to the studio, or are you going to be focusing your attention more on live shows and gigs?

JJ- I think as much of both as we can really!

We’ve got a load of new tunes that we’re desperate for people to hear, so it’ll be great to actually record them in a studio, rather than in Google Docs. We’re in the process of getting some gigs booked in too which is a great feeling, it’s gonna be such a great feeling getting back on stage and seeing people dancing about.

WHEN THE GUYS SENT ME A TRACK IT WAS ALWAYS EXCITING AND REFRESHING

É - What do you think the first gigs out of lockdown will be like? Are you nervous about returning to live music after some long, or looking forward to it?

JJ- If what I hope happens happens, they’re gonna be feral. People have been locked away for a long time. That’s a lot of energy building up in a lot of people, so when they finally get to a gig and can jump about to music, all that energy’s gonna be released and it’s gonna be fucking wild… I hope. É - What songs are you most looking forward to playing live when everything is back to normal?

C- Our tunes we’ve never played or our tunes we’ve tweaked since the pandemic.

JK- Any cover that can get the crowd going.

We’ll definitely be bringing back 'Kutcher' - to be honest anything, I’d be happy just to play a single note at a gig again.

JJ- 'Charlie’s a Dickhead' for sure. And the singles. And the new songs. Just everything really.

Images top to bottom: Barbara A Lane, The Issues

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EDITORS: Oliver Leader de Saxe and Bride Adams

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From lockdown to Boomtown Olivia Garrett, Screen Editor discusses what the transition out of the pandemic means for festivals

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ITH a roadmap tucked under one arm and a vaccine plaster on the other, it looks like some of us will be heading to music festivals this summer. Despite the government’s assertion of “data not dates“, the idea of a normal July and August is being dangled tantalisingly in front of us like bait on a hook. The question is: will it really happen? And perhaps more importantly, should it? As we approach the anniversary of the first lockdown when live music was taken away, it is important to think about how badly we’ve missed it and if festivals are really the best way to bring it back.

On 21 January Michael and Emily Eevis announced the second cancellation of Glastonbury. The world-renowned festival was set to take place on 25 to 29 of June, just four days after the intended ending of all social distancing measures. Granted, they cancelled the event before the government’s announcement of our supposed way out, but even if they had waited it is doubtful that the festival would have gone ahead this summer, with so much organisation and so many hopes resting on one insecure date.

As a fan and a jilted ticket holder, this news is met with both upset and understanding and the hideous mantra of “next year, next year, next year “.

Yet in contrast 24 February saw the announced return of the Reading and Leeds Festivals with the tweet: “following the government’s recent announcement, we can’t wait to get back to the fields this Summer. Let’s Go“. With the likes of Stormzy, Lewis Capaldi and Liam Gallagher performing, this not-so-much-anymore rock festival is due to take place from 27 to 29 of

August at Richfield Avenue and Bramham Park.

When asked how they had managed to secure the attendance of 200,000 fans for the festival, Reading boss Melvin Benn in a Radio 1 interview answered: “in fairness we haven’t done it, the government have done it. The government are vaccinating everybody and that’s how it’s going to happen”. Whether this means that entrance to the festival will require the much speculated about "vaccine passport" or mass-testing remains to be seen, however, as Boris Johnson has pledged that all UK adults will be offered their first vaccine by the end of July, it is unclear on how this will affect Reading’s primary audience of 16 to 17-year-olds. Either way, the fact that all tickets were sold on the first day of release is telling of how much this festival has been missed and a confirmation of Benn’s statement: “the acts are desperate to play, the kids are desperate to come […] I can feel that“.

MOST MUSICIANS HAVE BEEN DEVASTATED BY THE EFFECTS OF COVID-19

The alleged desperation music acts feel to perform is no surprise considering the pummelling the music industry has gone through in the past year. With performances gone and the nonexistent payments of Spotify (which experienced an 11 per cent drop in streaming anyway), most musicians have been devastated by the effects of COVID-19. In the November report ‘Music by Numbers 2020’, it was stated that 85 per cent of live music revenue was lost last year, and a survey conduc ted

by UK Music found that 65 per cent of music creators' income had been lost, 80 per cent for Image: Future Music Festival those most dependent on live performance and recording studios.

While bigger artists such as Dua Lipa were able to perform online live gigs, reaching up to five million views, the expense of this is simply not worth is for smaller performers. For these smaller artists who have been hit the hardest, it is easy to sympathise and wish a prosperous festival season upon them. For many this could be their last chance to stay afloat as a musician so to take that platform away at the last minute would be a cruel and bitter end in an already punishing industry.

Yet it is not just the artists who benefit from these summer spectacles. Glastonbury dish out over 63,000 staff passes per year, including performers, security, volunteers, and traders. And seeing as most eateries haven’t truly boomed since “Eat Out to Help Out“, the festival’s usual 400 food stalls are missing out on one of their best times for takings. We can only hope that enough traders are able to stay afloat if the festival season falls through.

So of course people will benefit from festivals going ahead: the artists will benefit, the traders will benefit, Melvin Benn will certainly benefit.

And so will the attendees, in the year of “can you turn your mic off“, true musical experiences have been minimal. If like me you get your daily dose of music when walking to campus or swaying awkwardly in TP, then a festival is exactly the thing to reignite that spark. But as much as we all may yearn for the frenzied experience of queuing for a portaloo in 30-degree heat, this doesn’t take away from the fact that the risks are there.

With the vaccine programme still a long way from students and the fear of crowds still deeply entrenched within us, it is worth questioning the recklessness of putting these festivals on. I would love nothing more than to say “go for it“ but above all, caution is needed. If it is too unsafe and if they are to be cancelled, then cancel them now. Rather than yanking them away at the last second and damaging the mental health of both performers and attendees even more. It is best, overall, to be realistic and safe, but I can’t help hoping.

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Playlist: picnic in the park

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Megan Ballantyne shares her favourite tracks to accompany a COVID-friendly picnic

HEN we’re able to meet outside with our friends again, you bet there are going to be good, mellow vibes only. This Easter we’re not looking for hardcore music after a stressful second term – we just need to believe that everything will work out for the best. Hopefully these songs make you feel that!

'Saw You in a Dream' – The Japanese House This song moves in and out of a nostalgic dreamscape – perfectly setting the scene for a catch up with old friends, reminiscing on all the good times.

'Honey' – Kehlani A stripped back, acoustic song about finding love – listen to 'Honey' for simple evocative imagery and beautiful harmonies.

'Fallingwater' – Maggie Rogers For a track about the end of a relationship, this song is filled to the brim with hope and honesty. This song makes you want to see the good in people and be the happiest version of yourself.

'Kyoto' – Phoebe Bridgers 'Kyoto' is an exuberant snapshot of a teenager escaping their problems by gallivanting around a foreign city – a little piece of escapism to cure your wanderlust.

'The Key to Life on Earth' – Declan McKenna If you’ve overplayed 'Brazil' over lockdown, this song is the next big thing in your life. 'The Key to Life on Earth' is a search for meaning in a world filled with hatred and discrimination.

'First Love / Late Spring' – Mitski This song is like a little fever dream – sing along to the glorious synth-filled chorus in an open field for maximum impact.

'Cigarette Daydreams' – Cage the Elephant This song about a girl on the cusp of adulthood is like a three and a half minute coming of age film. A must listen.

'More Like You' – Orla Gartland With many of us spending more time on social media over lockdown, we can all empathise with aspiring to perfection. Here, that desire is shown for what it is: superficial but irresistible. It’s also pretty catchy.

'Eugene' – Arlo Parks This is a track which feels as comfortable and cosy as a best friend who you’ve known forever – although here the lines of friendship get a little blurred.

'Cranes in the Sky' – Solange Solange radiates peace in this track, which tells you to stop fighting your problems every second of the day. Some feelings just need time.

Image: Picnic World

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screen

Swift vs Netflix

Bridie Adams, Music Editor, tackles the latest bout of sexism coming from streaming platform Netflix

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AYLOR Swift has publicly criticised Netflix show Ginny and Georgia, which came out last month, for making a “deeply sexist” joke about her. In the show, Ginny Miller (played by Antonia Gentry) cuttingly tells her mother (Brianne Howey) that she “goes through men faster than Taylor Swift” in an argument about relationships.

In her tweet about the show, Swift accused it of “degrading hard-working women”. She also addressed Netflix directly saying, “after Miss Americana this outfit doesn’t look cute on you”.

COULDN’T NETFLIX HAVE COME UP WITH ANYTHING MORE CREATIVE? Netflix, or the specific creators of Ginny and Georgia, have not yet responded to the criticism, but it has sparked outrage among Taylor Swift fans. Swift’s documentary Miss Americana was released on Netflix in January 2020 and is the highest-rated Netflix documentary by a musician. In the documentary,

Swift discusses the impact of sexism, misogyny and slut-shaming on her life and career.

Ironically, this is exactly the nerve Netflix touched in the joke in Ginny and Georgia. It seems hypocritical for Netflix to keenly address such issues by partnering with Swift only to then use her as a punchline in another show a year later.

Swift has commented on the issue of double standards on multiple occasions, through interviews, her documentary and her music. In her well-known track ‘The Man’, she sings: “I’m so sick of them coming at me again / ‘Cause if I was a man, then I’d be the man” and “What’s it like to brag about raking in dollars and getting bitches and models? […] If I was out flashing my dollars / I’d be a bitch not a baller”. Through this she draws attention to the fact that while male celebrities are praised for dating lots of women and bragging about cash, female celebrities are trashed by the media if they have the guts to do the same.

When Swift says, “Hey Ginny and Georgia, 2010 called and it wants its lazy, deeply sexist joke back”, she speaks for all the women who’ve been slut-shamed or criticised for

their sexuality or love lives – and she’s right. It is lazy and sexist to poke fun at a woman’s dating history, particularly if you wouldn’t make the same joke about a man. Couldn’t Netflix have come up with anything more creative than a joke that has been unfairly made about the same woman for years?

Swift’s fans, affectionately nicknamed ‘Swifties’, seem to feel the same, also tweeting about the show and discussing the joke’s harmful implications when it comes to slut-shaming and misogyny. Demands to “Respect Taylor Swift” have been growing on social media, with previous instances of

Swift being ridiculed for her sexuality/love life also being brought to light and attacked.

It would be easy for Netflix to apologise for the joke. Though what’s done is done, the creators of the show could easily reach out to Swift and her fans and express the fact that they made a careless mistake (especially considering this is the second time a Netflix show has made a joke about Swift’s love life, with Degrassi: Next Class including a line about her “making a career off of her exes”).

Twitter users are right: it’s time to start respecting Taylor Swift as a talented singer, and to continue challenging misogynistic attitudes more generally.

Fire up the cop show

Images left to right: Eva Rinaldi, Flickr; Daniel Parvis, IMDB

Harry Scott Munro, Online Sport Editor, discusses the relevance of today’s police dramas

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HE police procedural. A long-time goto for those television big-wigs who are in short supply of original ideas.

Despite the vast array of police dramas that pop up on our screens, and some commentators feeling that it is now an overused and waning genre, it remains a staple British classic; one that can reinvent the wheel and leave you gasping at what you’ve watched.

Police and crime dramas remain the perfect safe pair of hands to move between the overarching genres. Shows like Brooklyn 99 incorporate comedy into the police procedural, and cult classics such as Death in Paradise use it as a dramedy to great effect. The likes of Life on Mars, and later Ashes to A shes, were

able to, at their heart, keep the inherent focus on policing

and catching the bad guys, whilst also adding sci-fi and period-piece elements, to create incredible, era-defining television.

THE ESCAPISM THESE SHOWS PROVIDE ARE WHAT MAKE THEM SO ENDEARING However, when needed, the police procedural can focus purely on the policing of cases itself. Jed Mercurio’s phenomenon Line of Duty is returning for a sixth series in March. The interrogation scenes between DI Fleming, DS Arnott and Superintendent Hastings and the “bent coppers” they investigate, are some of the most impactful and suspense-filled minutes of television I have ever watched. As an audience, you end up rooting for the officers to catch their corrupt colleagues whose actions have more than likely led to the death of an innocent victim or a cover-up of obscene proportions.

This drama’s heavy reliance on suspense, scenes of interrogation and the slow reveal of new information to its audience, has had such an impact that a Radio Times survey in 2018 judged it to be the

third best British crime drama of all-time.

From an average of 3.8 million viewers when it debuted in 2012, the most recent series in 2019 drew in an average of 12.85 million viewers, only serving to highlight that the police procedural, when done right, is just as popular as ever.

For all the overused stereotypes and characteristics of police dramas, the suspense is what keeps the viewer engaged. Even shows such as Charlie Brooker’s A Touch of Cloth, which push the accepted traits of police dramas to their absolute limit in the name of comedy, maintain that idea of the unknown throughout. For many viewers, the escapism these shows provide are what make them so endearing and addictive.

IT REMAINS A STAPLE BRITISH CLASSIC Death in Paradise, (which has just finished its 10th series) focuses on a bumbling, out-ofplace British detective, who solves murders on the Caribbean island of Saint-Marie. The series is a paint-by-numbers police drama.

However, its warm, endearing and quintes-

sentially British charm, keeps the viewer craving more. Watching a gruesome murder play out, only to be followed by the uplifting steel drums of the titles makes it a perfect form of escapism from the bleak January nights. And the elaborate way in which the serving detective figures out how and by whom the crime was committed, will always remain the most entertaining part of the show.

If the police drama as a genre is truly on the way out, would there really still be the same amount of expectant joy over the return of Line of Duty, or a cameo appearance from Saint-Marie’s original British detective, D.I Richard Poole?

It is true that some police dramas miss the mark, ending up on the scrapheap and consigned to the darkest parts of our memory banks. However, if you were to ask anybody their top five TV dramas, you would struggle to find anyone that would fail to name at least one that incorporates the elements of the police procedural.

So, to those who say that police dramas have run their course, in the words of Line of Duty’s Ted Hastings, “you’ve got a bloody Image: BBC, IMDB nerve”.

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20 years of Ogre-achievment

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Olivia Garrett, Screen Editor, celebrates the china anniversary of animation classic Shrek

WISE man once said: “well the years start coming and they don’t stop coming”. This is certainly true as two Shrek-ades have already passed and yet this film remains stubbornly planted in the annals of animation history. The saviour of DreamWorks and the father of an unbeatable sequel (we don’t mention the other two), a charming Christmas special, a hit musical and more disturbing memes than you can count. With its seamless combination of murky cynicism and hearty toilet-humour (before Illumination made it unbearable) this movie is as far away from patronising as you can get.

More layered than an onion, and certainly than a parfait, Shrek’s worshipped notoriety comes from its ability to ruthlessly dig into Disney’s sugary fairy-tales, and yet present the audience with a story of love and acceptance we can finally get behind. Trust me, movies of this quality are in short supply.

Infamous for its troubled production, Shrek went through many iterations before arriving at the brave sir knight we know and love today. Originally based on William Steig’s (the “King of Cartoons”) 1990 picture book, the story centred on a teenage ogre determined to find a new life, and was voiced by the great co-

median Chris Farley before his untimely death mid-recording. After this, and a refusal from Nick Cage, Mike Myers stepped up to the plate and, in an incredible display of genius and narcissism, re-recorded all of his lines in the renowned Scottish accent. His performance, alongside Eddie Murphy’s musical waffling, Cameron Diaz’s noble whines and John Lithgow’s tall orders, makes up an unforgettable cast.

As well as a magical cast, this movie’s dragon-like strength comes from its brilliantly evocative soundtrack.

Before the Guardians of the Galaxy Awesome Mix there was the Shrek CD (which I lovingly played in my pink stereo until the disk

got scratched). From the cheery piano riff of the Proclaimers’ ‘I’m on my way’ to the thrilling finale of the Monkees’ ‘I’m a believer’, there is a song for every emotion. We are even treated to Rufus Wainright’s beautifully soft version of ‘Hallelujah’ which gently encapsulates the moment that Shrek gives up on himself and his future with Fiona.

And of course, I shouldn’t mention the second film but how could I not highlight Jennifer Saunders’ supreme version of ‘I need a hero’ that facilitates one of the best action montages in movie history?

When young, this movie sticks because of the viImage: Dreamworks IMDB

brancy of its visuals and the unique forms of heroism. As a child it thrills to see a brash green monster and a ridiculous sidekick play the role of star and steed, plus the three little pigs’ pork puns are next level. But as an adult this film’s themes and humour resonate even more. For one, who can deny that Shrek’s ultimate desire to be left “ALONE” and hit overly-handsome knights with a deck chair doesn’t echo inside of them? What’s more when you’ve been treated to an over-saturation of frilly princesses and cleft-chinned cartoon men, it is good to see these sickly characters ripped apart. The question is what’s better: Robin Hood’s karate takedown or the Big Bad Wolf’s dulcet satire?

But perhaps best of all, is the onslaught of notso-subtle double-entendres that shock you upon re-watching. I for one would simply not accept the truth about Lord Farquad’s name until I came across the many compensation jokes and the scene that focuses on his “private time.” How that got let through I’ll never know.

Overall, it’s time to say happy anniversary to Shrek, a film that you’ll never tire of and will continue to rule the cartoon world in the far far away future. But for now I leave you with his immortal words: “get out of ma swamp!”

A love letter to Letterboxd

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Francesca Sylph, Screen Editor, writes about the social media platform perfectly tailored for film nerds

MERICAN film production and distribution company Neon recently partnered with Letterboxd – the fastest-growing social networking service for cinephiles – to give the platform’s members access to the studio’s slate of documentary and foreign films shortlisted for the 93rd Academy Awards.

From the 8 to 14 March, Letterboxd users were able to stream all six of Neon’s shortlisted titles for the discounted bundle price of $19.99.

USERS ARE ABLE TO LOG, RATE , REVIEW, AND SHARE THEIR FILM-WATCHING HABITS Launched in 2011, Letterboxd is a global community made up of more than three million film lovers in over 200 countries. Users are able to log, rate, review and share their film-watching habits. In January of this year, The New York Times wrote an article claiming that: “The social media network has finally left the cinephile niche and entered the mainstream”. Letterboxd has seen its user base nearly double since the beginning of the pandemic. In 2020, the Letterboxd community logged 210

million films watched, wrote 16 million reviews, and created almost two million lists.

This partnership with Neon marks the first time Letterboxd have offered new films, that have not been streamed on any other platforms, directly to its member base.

So what does this mean for the future of Letterboxd?

It’s an exciting step forward, for sure, but when there are so many directions the platform could go in (introducing TV shows or direct messages) is this really the way to go? Could Letterboxd be moving towards becoming a streaming service in its own right?

And would this detract from the platform’s community-driven humble beginnings?

I joined Letterboxd in January 2019 as a fresh-faced aspiring film student and I was introduced to a wonderful (and hilarious) community. Letterboxd is often looked down upon by “serious” cinephiles. Genuine

Images left to right: J.J. Zepfanman.com (x2); Matthewbuchanan, Wikimedia Commons

COULD LETTERBOXD BE MOVING TOWARDS BECOMING A STREAMING SERVICE IN ITS OWN RIGHT? film criticism is overshadowed by one-line joke reviews, often written in lowercase with incorrect punctuation. The most liked review of Fight Club, for example, is by user ‘brat pitt’ (aka Mia Vicino, the queen of Letterboxd), proclaiming that: “fight club is the best satirical gay romcom ever made” (cue the protests of angry film bros). One of the most popular lists is entitled “quentin tarantino be like” and it’s simply the poster for Venom next to The Tree of Life – a disturbing yet hilarious reference to the auteur’s obsession with feet. I can understand if this platform isn’t for everyone, however, at the end of the day: if you hate Letterboxd, you just hate fun.

BLACK FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT JOHN BOYEGA In the wake of his recent Golden Globes win, it would be wrong not to mention the great John Boyega. His performance in the third instalment of Small Axe, Steve McQueen’s anthology series celebrating Britain’s Caribbean history and the Windrush generation, sees Boyega tell the gritty story of cop Leroy Logan. The stand he makes against racially biased UK policing comes at no better time, highlighting the Black Lives Matter movement and has since been described as a television landmark.

But this is not Boyega’s debut in the spotlight. Playing Finn in the latest Star Wars trilogy, a rebel Stormtrooper who joins the Resistance, he leads the franchise and is one of the few strong parts of its terribly flat conclusion. In an interview with British GQ, he thanks this experience for giving him the platform to explore the different genres and characters that he has delved into since.

And the actor’s talent stretches even beyond performance for the screen. After landing roles in Detroit and Pacific Rim: Uprising he has begun operating as a producer, filling his time at home with “work that never stops.” The man is truly an inspiration.

Jacob Sturgess

Image: Charlie Gallay, Getty Images, IMDB

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It was Kathryn Hahn all along I

Francesca Sylph, Screen Editor, gushes about all things Kathryn Hahn and WandaVision

T’S safe to say that everyone is currently obsessed with Kathryn Hahn. She is really having a moment, with WandaVision transforming her from cult favourite character actor to beloved household name (with her own iconic theme tune, of course). However, what took so long? Hahn has been stealing scenes for almost two decades, frequently deconstructing suburban housewives long before Wanda’s nosy neighbour Agatha Harkness.

There is no such thing as a bad Kathryn Hahn performance – bad movies, sure (I don’t see How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days getting any Academy Awards), but Hahn always delivers no matter the role.

Throughout her career, Hahn has often played women trapped by their domestic duties in one way or another: mothers, wives, divorcees, best friends, and now, a witch. All of these deliciously rich and complex roles have paved the way for her WandaVi-

Bottom article image: Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, Lucasfilm, IMDb

sion success.

In Step Brothers, Hahn plays Alice – a wife stuck in a loveless marriage to her Parks and Rec co-star Adam Scott. Her performance is best remembered for *that* make-out scene in which she throws herself at John C. Reilly and asks him to live inside her vagina – context is key here (actually, it’s just as weird even with context). In Sam Mendes’ Revolutionary Road, Hahn is Milly Campbell – David Harbour’s housebound wife and next-door neighbour to Titanic star-crossed lovers Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. As the suburban dream unravels, there is something sinister under the seemingly optimistic surface.

In Joey Soloway’s 2013 Sundance darling Afternoon Delight, Hahn plays a frustrated stay-at-home wife and mother who takes in a homeless stripper in order to spice up her dormant sex life. In 2016, Hahn made headlines with the female-driven comedy Bad Moms, starring alongside Mila Kunis and Kristen Bell. In-

dieWire called Hahn “revelatory” and The New York Times gushed about her performance: “If I could write sonnets, I would write one about Ms. Hahn, whose timing – she finds depths in that little pause before a joke crests – can turn laughs into howls”. Whether you loved the movie or hated it, you can’t deny Hahn’s hilarious, scene-stealing performance.

In 2018, Hahn returned to the Sundance scene with Tamara Jenkins’ Private Life, which earned her a Gotham Award nomination for Best Actress and significant Oscar buzz. Hahn plays Rachel, a wife struggling to maintain her marriage while in the throes of infertility. In 2019, Hahn starred as the titular character in HBO’s seven-episode limited series Mrs. Fletcher – which she also produced! Hahn plays an empty nest divorcee as she tries to find happiness and sexual fulfilment. Based on the 2017 novel of the same name, this dual coming of age comedy explores the impact of internet porn and social media from the perspectives of both Mrs. Fletcher and her college freshman son.

When looking at Hahn’s career, there is no denying that so many of her roles are on

Twist and shout

sitcoms: from political mastermind Jennifer Barkley in Parks and Rec to Rabbi Raquel in Amazon’s Transparent. Sometimes she’s the lead (Mrs. Fletcher) and sometimes she’s the wacky supporting character (Parks and Rec).

Sometimes she’s loud and comedic (Bad Moms and Step Brothers) while at other times, more serious and nuanced (Transparent and Private Life). However, there is no question that she always steals the scene.

HAHN IS PERFECT FOR AGNES BECAUSE SHE HAS ALREADY PLAYED EVERY VERSION OF HER Kathryn Hahn is perfect for Agnes because she has already played every version of her: nosy, rowdy, outrageous, hurt, scared, alone, angry, and every other complicated and conflicting emotion under the sun. Elizabeth Olsen is outstanding as a grief-stricken Wanda Maximoff; however it is Hahn that is dazzling week in, week out. To quote Seth Meyers, we are living through a “re-Hahn-aissance” and in 2021, Kathryn Hahn is finally getting the recognition she deserves.

Top article images: WandaVision, Marvel Studios, Dinsey+, IMDb

Henry Jordan, Social Media Executive, discusses movie twists, from the good to the bad to Rise of Skywalker

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ENERALLY speaking, a good twist is one that might catch you by surprise but changes the events that have come before in a profound and satisfying way. For me, the prime examples are things like the basement of Parasite or the mastery of language in Arrival, where subsequent returns to the film feel refreshingly new, yet still coherent. A twist that’s predictable is often considered a bad twist, but personally I feel like guessing a twist just proves that the story makes sense. A truly bad twist is one that is totally unpredictable because

it breaks the narrative irreparably. No recent twist feels more terrible to me than the one in Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker. If you need the warning, here is the warning that I’m about to spoil this entire film, but the chances are by now you’ve either seen it or have (wisely) decided to steer clear, so I think we’ll be alright.

There’s a whole load of twists and turns in this terrible mess of a film, from the sudden revelation of force healing, to the “enemies to lovers” surprise of Rey and Kylo Ren, but it’s the one about Rey’s

parentage that really frustrates me. Whatever you may think about The Last Jedi, the idea that Rey is from nowhere special and that the true power of a Jedi comes from within, not bloodlines, has powerful resonance both in the story and emotionally. So the surprise of “your parents were nobody BUT your grandfather was Emperor Palpatine” is terrible.

First, it’s another copy of Luke’s story, about being descended from evil but still using his powers for good, but it’s also a move that reeks of desperation from Disney and their creative team. It is the kind of twist that you wouldn’t predict because it’s far too stupid and it makes very little sense. What foreshadowing led us to this? How does this

change Rey’s journey? Why do this? The answers are, respectively, none, it doesn’t and no one knows.

IT BROKE THE LAST PIECE OF AFFECTION I HAD FOR STAR WARS Rise of Skywalker was a broken film before we reached this twist, but it was the moment in the film that cemented how little I suddenly cared about the film I was watching, as well as the franchise it was in. It was a twist so unfathomably stupid that it broke the last piece of affection I had for Star Wars.

Screen EDITORS’ PICKS: villains and antiheroes Francesca Sylph Screen Editor

Villanelle in Killing Eve

Villanelle is a cold-hearted killer: ruthless and (seemingly) sociopathic. She can be charismatic and charming, adorable and playful - whatever you want her to be. However, it’s only with Eve that she can be truly vulnerable.

At the end of the day, all Villanelle really wants is “someone to watch movies with”.

Image: Killing Eve, BBC America, IMDb

Olivia Garrett Screen Editor

Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy

One of the most exemplary performances of all time, Al Pacino’s delicate underplaying of soldier turned crime boss Michael Corleone is what glues your eyes to the screen for all three hours of The Godfather. His fall from the wide-eyed rebellious son to iron-hearted don full of cold rage is both tragic and enchanting.

Image: The Godfather, Silver Screen Collection, Getty Images, IMDb

jim norman

olivia gomez

Online Screen Editor

Online Screen Editor

Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy

Cersei Lannister in Game of Thrones

The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring is celebrating its 20th big-screen birthday this year. And whilst the films still hold up as masterpieces, no character has maintained quite as much cultural impact as Andy Serkis’ Gollum.

Through monologues and movement, Serkis ensured that the character was the most loathsome Stoor Hobbit that you couldn’t help but love.

Image: Lord of The Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, New Line Cinema, IMDb

Cersei Lannister, hated by most Game of Thrones fans, is my pick for best villain. Why, you ask? Well, because Cersei had a goal in mind and she did not let anyone stop her. She fought for her cause until the very end when she died, crushed by the weight of her own ambitions (literally).

Image: Game of Thrones, Helen Sloan. HBO , IMDb

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STUDY BREAK CROSSWORD

SUDOKU

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1 Musical note equal to two crotchets (5) A planet’s natural satellite (4)

2 Possess (3) Setting down (7)

3 Reduce (6) Confuse - puzzle (7)

4 Hours of darkness (5) Literary style - green (anagram) (5)

5 Bar - pub (3) Human race (one small step was taken for

6 Cambridge University degree it on the first 1 Across 3 Across) (3)

examination (5,2) That which turns in on itself (2-7)

7 Astronaut (surname) who walked Licence for an invention (6)

second on the 1 Across (6) NASA space programme that sent 18, 7

11 Part of an insect’s thorax (5) and 24 to the 1 Across in 1969 (6) 13 Permit (5) Astronaut (surname) who walked first on

14 Spirit - ghost (7) the 1 Across (9)

16 Pinches - slug PI? (anagram) (6) Spider’s trap (3)

17 Uttered - said (6) Tall building (5) Astronaut (surname) who piloted the 15 11 19 Sitar (anagram) - foot bones (5)

21 Overbearing (5) Command Module (7)

23 Victory (3) Humanity (7)

25 Writing liquid (3) All right (informal) (4)

ANSWERS

trivia corner 1. what did hannibal lecter eat alongside the liver of a census taker?

2. what is the title of a salvador dalí painting which famously features a melting clock?

3. what does ipa stand for?

4. what is the name of olivia wilde’s upcoming psychological thriller film?

Sec, Cranberry Juice, Lime Juice Memory; 3. Indian Pale Ale; 4. Don’t Worry Darling; 5. Vodka, Triple Trivia: 1. Fava Beans and a Nice Chianti; 2. The Persistance of

5. which four ingredients normally make up a cosmopolitan cocktail?

Bossy, 23 Win, 25 Ink. 11 Notum, 13 Allow, 14 Phantom, 16 Pugils, 17 Voiced, 19 Tarsi, 21 Down: 1 Minim, 2 Own, 3 Lessen, 4 Night, 5 Inn, 6 Great go, 7 Aldrin, Collins, 26 Mankind, 27 Okay. entrant, 14 Patent, 15 Apollo, 18 Armstrong, 20 Web, 22 Tower, 24 Across: 1 Moon, 3 Landing, 8 Nonplus, 9 Genre, 10 Man, 12 Re-

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Science

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23 MAR 2021 | EXEPOSÉ

SCIENCE EDITORS:

Lauryn Mitchell Lauren Haughey

Tuberculosis: how the bacterium has shaped our immune system

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Ellen Rodgers examines how the bacterium TB has made our immune system what it is today

UBERCULOSIS (TB), caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, has impacted human health for centuries and is still a leading cause of death worldwide today. Although relatively little Image: Flickr attention is given to this bacterium and the disease it causes, new research suggests that it has actually influenced our genetics over the millennia.

help humans survive infection. This results in co-evolution: the pathogen evolves to become more infectious and humans evolve to better defend themselves against it.

The recent discovery of a variant of the TYK2 gene that makes individuals more susceptible to TB has allowed researchers to track the prevalence of TB in European populations throughout history. The variant appeared 30,000 years ago and suddenly became far less common 2,000 years ago, around the time when modern

strains of M. tuberculosis appeared.

This is because having two copies of this variant makes an individual far more likely to get or die from TB– triggering a strong negative selection.

Since then, the TYK2 gene seems to have co-evolved with M. tuberculosis to make humans more resilient against disease.

The TYK2 gene makes induviduals more susceptible to TB

Returning to normal life

This research suggests new links between our genetics and immune system, and further study into other variants impacting on human immunity could improve understanding of how our immune systems have co-evolved with different pathogens. In time, this knowledge could aid developments in immunology and TB treatment. It could also pave the way for genetic counselling and protective measures in vulnerable individuals and populations – reducing the global burden of infectious disease on humanity.

Meg Allan looks at the long but hopeful road back to normality

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HATEVER your views of the UK Government’s performance in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, since mid-2020 the UK has been a global leader in the COVID-19 test rate, production and roll-out of vaccines. With evidence emerging to back the decision to proceed with a 12-week-delayed second vaccine, the UK has managed to vaccinate a higher percentage of the population than all other large economy countries (with greater population than five million).

The current single dose vaccination rate in the UK is 29 per cent of the total population. For comparison, the

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M. tuberculosis must cause pulmonary disease in order to spread to new hosts in droplets (produced by coughing or sneezing). As a result, more virulent strains of M. tuberculosis are positively selected over generations and become more common. Interactions between invading bacteria and human immune systems trigger the evolution of mechanisms that

USA stands at 14.5 per cent, Germany at 4.6 per cent, France at 4.3 per cent, China at 2.8 per cent and Russia at 2.1 per cent.

The current single dose vaccination rate in the UK is 29 per cent of the total population So that is the current situation.

But what about our route out of lock-down and a return to normality?

What have we got to be optimistic about and what should worry us? The UK is on track to offer the first dose

to all adults by mid-summer; there is good reason to believe herd immunity will be reached at a similar time. The adult population of the UK is approximately 80 per cent of the total population. If only 80 per cent of these are vaccinated then, then only 64 per cent of the population would, at best, be immune to infection, and if the vaccine is only 80 per cent effective (a good assumption) then only 51 per cent of the population will be protected. That is not enough to relax restrictions. On a slightly more positive note however, the vaccines are proving more effective than earlier assumptions. The British public is em-

bracing vaccination (in the over 75’s, vaccination rate is 95%). The simple answer is, the more of the population that gets vaccinated, the sooner restrictions can relax.

The vaccines are proving more effectice than earlier assumptions On the downside, there are two looming problems. We cannot do this on our own. If the world does not vaccinate, infection rates will continue to remain high globally and new

Glowing crazy

variants will inevitably emerge. The long-term risk to life “as normal” is that vaccination rates elsewhere do not reach the levels currently being set in the UK and that nations with more money do not do their duty by subsidising provision of vaccines. At home there is much to be optimistic about, but globally, there is a very long way to go and the journey will not be smooth. The bottom line? We may be TP-bound by mid-summer and returning to campus vaccinated by next year- but unless the rest of the world catches up, unless globally we vaccinate together, we cannot emerge from the other side of the threat.

Louisa Williams discusses the discovery of bioluminescent sharks in New Zealand

HE word shark probably conjures up an image of a ferocious Great White, tearing an unlucky beachgoer to shreds. As an enthusiast of marine biology, I’m constantly trying to convince people that sharks are cool and not scary (you are more likely to be killed by a cow!), but the bad reputation created

by Jaws still seems to persist. However, a rare bit of positive shark news has emerged as a result of a recent study conducted in New Zealand, which found several species of shark which

can glow in the dark. Less horror, more disco!

If glowing sharks weren’t enough of a surprise, two of the species found busted another stereotype: scientists think that they glow to avoid being eaten, rather than being the apex predators that you might expect.

Swimming around with your own built-in glowstick may seem like the wrong choice if you want to avoid attracting predators, but it allows them to use a camouflage technique known as counterillumination. Found

at around 200 meters underwater, where very little light can penetrate, a predator attacking from below can easily spot the dark silhouette of a shark against the light coming from the surface, making them vulnerable to attack. Luckily, these sharks have a jazzy solution: a bioluminescent belly to help them blend into the light.

Although the three species found (Kitefin, Lucifer, and Southern Lanternshark) were already known of, this is the first time that their bioluminescence has been documented. Biolumi-

nescence is a fairly common trait in deep sea organisms, but with a maximum length of 180 centimetres, Kitefin sharks are now the largest luminous vertebrate known to scientists.

Although the study was conducted in New Zealand, this species can be found in

the waters of the UK. So next time you take a dip in the ocean remember that there could be a whole sea creature disco happening right below you.

Image: Unsplash

SCIENCE

EXEPOSÉ | 23 MAR 2021

30

Virgin on the science

Rachel Willingale exposes the shocking reality behind "virginity testing"

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ACK in 2018, controversial American rapper, T.I, openly admitted in a Ladies Like Us podcast that he subjects his daughter to a “virginity test” every year on her birthday. While this news sparked widespread shock, catching the interest of international organisations such as the United Nations, many remain completely unaware of what these are. Yet, if you look round a UK clinic, you might just find one.

T.I subjects his daughter to a "virginity test" every year on her birthday

As the name implies, virginity testing is a practice executed by doctors to determine whether a woman is a virgin. Studies suggest that there are many ways to determine someone’s virginity. However, this most commonly includes inspection of the hymen for size or tears, and measuring the looseness of the vagina using fingers. Both procedures are performed in the belief that genitalia characteristics can reveal the occurrence of sexual intercourse. In reality, this is not the case.

The procedure has been acknowledged as "medieval" Alarmingly, the World Health Organisation has established that these tests have no scientific standing. The procedure has been acknowledged as "medieval", underestimating the complexity of hymen varieties, and is therefore not accepted by the global medical community.

In Indonesia, these assessments are used as part of the police force application Despite this, somehow, virginity

tests have found their way into forensic medical textbooks and continue to be conducted across the world.

In Indonesia, these assessments are used as part of the application process for allowing women into the police force. Whereas, in Switzerland and South Africa, they are employed to determine pre-marital activity and reduce HIV prevalence. Startlingly, women are often pushed into these procedures without consent. With the performance of these tests providing no real evidence towards who is and isn’t a virgin, they instead only serve to maintain control over women.

In many cases, these tests can be extremely detrimental to a woman's livelihood In many cases, these tests can be extremely detrimental to a woman’s livelihood where moral character and social value is dependent on virginity status. Often, the testing process has caused great psychological damage, and in extreme cases, has led to death.

To know that UK clinics launched sale of these unscientific tests in 2020 is deeply concerning. Thus, the oppressive culture surrounding this should not go unnoticed.

Images (L to R): Alex Crick on Wikimedia Commons, Charles Deluvio on Unsplash

What a load of Goop L

Afiqah Abdul Hamid discusses Gwyneth Paltrow's controversial scientific views AST year, actress Gwyneth Paltrow starred in a new Netflix series The Goop Lab. The show explored a range of wacky alternative therapies for physical and mental ailments, ranging from “energy exorcisms” to vagina candles. As a result, the star has faced a $145,000 lawsuit and extensive criticism for false scientific claims. But that has not stopped Paltrow from continuing to share her controversial remedies online.

........The star has faced a $145,000 lawsuit and extensive criticism for false scientific claims

Image: MingleMediaTVNetwork, Wikimedia Common Image: Kirsten Bühne, Pexels

Recently recovering from COVID-19, Paltrow wrote on her latest Goop blog post that she was able to relieve her post-recovery symptoms of COVID-19 through “intuitive fasting”, herbal cocktails and using

an infrared sauna. Her blog discusses these techniques while promoting products - including her own - to aid these methods.

Chief Executive of NHS England also criticised Goop during his speech In response, Paltrow has yet again seen criticism, especially from NHS England. Professor Powis, the National Medical Director pointed out that these ideas are not "serious science" and would not be recommended by the NHS. To further this, Simon Stevens, Chief Executive of NHS England, also criticised Goop during his speech when raising awareness of the dangers in fake news regarding health.

With the pandemic still looming, the public at large have spent more time on their phones, providing in-

creased opportunity to be influenced by health remedy rumours shared on social media.

Because of this, the NHS makes clear that celebrities should take more responsibility when it comes to sharing health-related news and information. Sharing false information could have a detrimental impact on the spread of COVID-19, so this responsibility is imperative.

Image: Massimo Adami, Unsplash

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23 MAR 2021 | EXEPOSÉ

SPORT

The worst seasons ever

Harry Scott Munro, Online Sport Editor, looks at some of Sport's worst ever campaigns

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E Brits love a plucky underdog, that one athlete or team that we know are going to fail miserably against the rest of their competition but give it their all regardless. We just can’t help ourselves. You only have to look at "Eddie the Eagle," Marine AFC being drawn against Tottenham in this year’s FA Cup or - whisper it quietly - Wales trying to win a Rugby World Cup, to see that. Sport is about enjoyment and competition. Challenging yourself against others and your own previous achievements. This is no different once you move into the professional sphere of the sporting world, with teams and individuals looking to win, but also break as many personal and collective records as they can.

Sometimes though, these records are set for the wrong reasons, with catastrophic failure or perennial underachievement instead being what a team is remembered for. It’s not the nicest of records to hold, but it is still a record to be broken, in a somewhat twisted sense.

Throughout sporting history, there have been numerous instances of these abject failures, that will remain in the record books for many years to come. In this article, I delve into some of the most gloriously terrible seasons from times gone by.

After a twelve month period where so many seasons across Europe in a variety of sports have been voided, we look at the teams and individuals who might have been hoping for the same.

There have been numerous instances of these abject failures Scotland – 2000 RBS Six Nations

Yes, I know they beat the English to deny them a Grand Slam. Yes, I know that England have themselves failed miserably in tournaments off the back of much hype and expectation, (the 2015 World Cup still gives me nightmares). However, the first ever iteration of the expanded RBS Six Nations at the turn of the millennium saw the Scots arrive as the defending champions from the Five Nations the year before.

A squad coached by Sir Ian McGeechan, with the talent of Bryan Redpath, Doddie Weir and Gregor Townsend to name but a few, were expected to be in the running again

points on his licence, meaning that should he ever race in the series within three years, he would receive another race ban. Funnily enough, he was not retained by his team for the following season after arguably the worst performance F2 has ever seen.

Derby County – Barclays Premier League 2007/08

(Image: Bobo Boom, wikimedia commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mahaveer_Raghunathan_-_Coloni_Motorsport_(35123641673).jpg#mw-jump-to-license

for the tournament. What followed though was nothing less than a catastrophe of epic proportions, as the reigning champions suffered a 34-20 defeat to newcomers Italy in the first match of the tournament.

What followed was nothing less than a catastrophe of epic proportions It proved to be Italy’s only win in their debut season. Indeed, they wouldn’t win another match in the tournament until they beat the Welsh in 2003. Take nothing away from the Italian performance that day, but the result set the tone for what was to come. Scotland backed that woeful performance up with a comprehensive defeat to Ireland, before losing to France and Wales.

Enter the English, on the verge of a first Grand Slam since 1995. In howling rain, Scotland defied the odds to secure a 19-13 victory, ending English hopes of a clean sweep, although they still won the title. Many Scottish fans may say that result redeemed them but, for the winners of the previous tournament to only win one from five and finish fifth in the standings? That surely counts as one of the worst title defences in history.

It surely counts as one of the worst title defences in history

haveer Raghunathan, an Indian driver with limited success at lower levels.

He would finish 20th in the standings with just a solitary point to his name but that was only half the story. What Raghunathan (above) would get up to that season would create history for all the wrong reasons. At the opening round in Bahrain, he qualified last, 0.5 seconds slower than the second-to-last driver on the grid.

Ranghunathan would create history for all the wrong reasons Then in round two in Baku, he got stuck in an escape road, having to be told by the stewards that he had to actually turn his steering wheel to change the direction of the car! Coupled with this, he qualified 2.6 seconds slower than the second last driver and over 5 seconds slower than his teammate.

By the time the series reached Monaco, he managed to shunt title challenger Jack Aitken off the circuit, receiving more penalty points on his licence to take his total to 12, meaning he received an automatic one round ban. His season continued to be one spent at the back of the grid, picking up race penalties and penalty points.

Then, in practice at the series finale in Abu Dhabi, he reached 24 penalty

Derby County may be something of a struggling Championship team at the moment with a penchant for employing recently retired English legends as their manager. However, in 2007, they reached the promised land of the Premier League under Billy Davies for the first time since the 01/02 season.

Detroit Lions – NFL

They were officially relegated on March 29th after a 2-2 draw with Fulham Derby struggled from the outset, recruiting ten players in the off-season to try and prepare for the Premier League, picking up just one win and eight draws throughout the season and finishing with 11 points, the lowest points total in the history of the topflight of the English game.

They were officially relegated on 29 March after a 2-2 draw with Fulham, the earliest a team has ever been relegated from the top-flight.

Throughout the season, they would break numerous records, for all the wrong reasons. They finished with the lowest points total since teams were awarded three points for a win, the fewest wins in a season (one,) and most defeats (29.) If that wasn’t enough, Derby scored 20 goals, the fewest in the history of the top-flight, as well as conceding the most goals in a 38-match season with 89. For added measure, they earnt themselves the

Mahaveer Raghunathan – FIA Formula 2 World Championship 2019

Formula 1 is the pinnacle of motorsport, with its junior category, Formula 2, aimed at providing a breeding ground for the next generation of talent coming through the ranks. 2019 proved to be the first and last foray at this level of motorsport for Ma-

record for the longest winless run-in top-flight history, with 32 games in a row without victory. The first two rounds of the season were the only ones in which Derby found themselves outside of the relegation places, putting into context just how poor their season was. They would finish 18th out of 24 teams in the Championship the following season, showing just how much of a damaging affair Derby’s season in the Premier League proved to be for the whole club.

Image: TuborgLight, wikimedia commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PPS-EastStand01.JPG

Image: Mcm607, wikimedia commons, https:// commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Buster_Davis_in_ the_2008_season_during_his_tenure_with_the_Detroit_Lions_2014-01-04_17-29.jpg

2008

Looking across the pond for our final disastrous season,. widely regarded as the worst team in NFL history, they went 0-16 in NFL play and are one of only six teams to go winless in a season. After going undefeated in pre-season and of the back of a record of 7-9 the season before, hopes were high for Rod Marinelli’s side.

They were mathematically eliminated from play-off contention by week 11, as well as conceding a franchise record 517 points during the season, just 16 short of the all-time record of 533 by the Baltimore Colts in 1981. Marinelli, along with most of the coaching team were fired following the abject failure and ended the season having lost 23 of their last 24 regular seasons games when including the previous season.

They are routinely ranked as one of the worst NFL sides of all-time.

Despite the Cleveland Browns matching their ill-fated record in 2017, the Lions were the first to achieve the feat and as such, hold their place in the history books above anyone else.

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Sport fights through the pandemic Oscar Young looks at the ups and downs of the sporting world over the past 12 months

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YEAR on from the last major UK sporting events to be held in front of a full audience, the world of sport has been turned upside down by COVID-19, more so than at any time since World War Two. The pandemic has impacted every walk of life, but this has especially been the case for an industry so intrinsically linked with the gathering of people.

It may seem unimportant to explore the ups and downs of professional and amateur sport over the last year, given the staggering UK death toll of over 125,000 people as a result of the virus. However, sport does hold a strong influence over both the economy and wellbeing of a sportobsessed nation, and so this discussion is an important one to have.

At a professional level, the consequences can be seen most clearly through international events.

Sport does hold a strong influence over both the economy and wellbeing The Summer Olympics and Paralympics were scheduled to be hosted in Tokyo in July last year but had to be postponed. It was apparent, when the time-honoured tradition of lighting the Olympic flame in Olympia, Greece was held without spectators, that 2020 would be anything but normal. The games will now take place this Summer, marking only the fourth time in Modern Olympic history that the event has been significantly delayed. The other three occasions all came during the two World Wars.

Euro 2020 met a similar outcome, as the tournament was pushed back to 2021 in order to avoid ‘unnecessary pressure on national public services.’

With the tournament being hosted in 12 different countries across Europe, the delay will inevitably disadvantage each original host country economically.

The Olympics have been postponed for the only the fourth time The British and Irish Lions Rugby tour was originally intended to be held in South Africa in the Summer of 2021. However, doubt has been cast on the tour, with the common belief at the moment being that it will be held

Image: Pixabay

in the UK. This would be the first time ever that games would be moved away from the originally intended venue.

In the UK, domestic sport has seen a turbulent 12 months. A year ago, two significant events took place with combined crowds of over 300,000, the Cheltenham Festival of horse racing and Liverpool’s Champions League tie against Atletico Madrid. Both are cited as reasons for ‘increased suffering and death’ in the first month of the pandemic. A three-month hiatus followed, and it was unclear whether any sports leagues would be able to finish their seasons. Rugby, football and cricket were all affected, not to mention the multitude of indoor sports that were rendered near-impossible by the virus.

A partial return came in June, with the Premier League notably returning to close out its final 90 games behind closed doors. This was also a trend elsewhere too, when other European leagues were able to restart in the Summer. In the U.S., the NBA was able to return in a ‘bubble’ format, where players lived alongside each other in a complex in Florida, separate from the outside world. Major League Baseball adopted a similar strategy and reduced the number of games by two-

thirds in order to fit into a shortened timeframe.

Since then, professional leagues around the world have generally been able to return to more normal formats, however with a striking and unfortunate lack of supporters. The UK government did allow limited numbers of fans back into stadiums in December.

However, this progress was shortlived, as a country-wide lockdown was then introduced in January.

Returned with a striking and unfortunate lack of supporters The economic impacts of these constant delays and restarts, as well as the lack of fans attending games, cannot be overstated. It is estimated that the Premier League alone lost £500m in revenue due to the pandemic, while the three major American sports leagues are facing a total loss of over £9bn in revenue. This has had a profound impact on the tens of thousands of people who rely on these leagues for work.

The pandemic’s burden has also

reached down to the grassroots and amateur levels of every sport. While leading leagues around the world can rely on TV contracts and sponsorship to support teams and players through economic difficulty, lower levels of sport do not have the same luxury.

Amateur sports clubs are largely selffunded, and often lean on local communities for financial support, which has not been sustainable over the past year. With Boris Johnson allowing the resumption of non-elite sport on 29 March, the true impact of a devastating year for the amateur world is yet to be seen.

At a school and university level, sport has taken a backseat as the education system has been just as uncertain. Inter-university sport was disrupted for the final term of the 2019-20 season, although was able to make a return in September as BUCS leagues were allowed to begin on time.

However, by November it was clear that this would not continue. BUCS sport will now only be able to begin again in April for the third term. For those relying on university play as their only means of continuing sport, the last year has been a bitter pill to swallow.

The true impact of a devastating year is yet to be seen

Sport’s relevance extends further than just the economy, it also has a significant effect on mental health, both through participation and entertainment. Clubs have in some cases put cardboard cut outs of supporters in the stands, to keep them involved in the club throughout the disruption.

However, this only goes so far, and the lack of sport as a release from everyday life will have taken a toll on the wellbeing of many.

Normally, sport is a constant in the world – an escape that is separate from the ups and downs of everyday life. The last year has been anything but that. Uncontrollable circumstances have dictated the world of sport, especially at the amateur level, in an unprecedented way. It has faced challenges in the form of delays and suspensions that have not been seen since the World Wars. Sport will recover, we are just yet to see when, or what form it will take, when normality returns.

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SPORT EDITORS:

Mighty Close

Nick Powell Joel Edwards

Chiefs Edge Quins in thriller to stay second

Image: Exeter Chiefs

Gallagher Premiership Rugby Exeter Chiefs ...........................21 Harlequins

.......................... 20 Sandy Park

Nick Powell Sport Editor

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XETER Chiefs produced a brilliant fightback to see off Harlequins and stay second in the Gallagher Premiership.

Quins came out on top in a first half where both teams played wonderful rugby despite having to contend with a very muddy surface, as the Londoners scoring through Danny Care and Chiefs replied through Stu Townsend with Marcus Smith’s penalty the difference.

They extended their lead after the

break as hooker Scott Baldwin crashed over from a maul, and Quins thought they had gone three scores clear after Ben Tapuai touched down under the sticks.

But after that try was ruled out for a knock on in the build-up, Quins could only add a further penalty before Chiefs roared back, with Harry Williams and Dave Ewers going over from close range to seal a vital win.

The “Mighty Quins” arrived in sensational form having won five of their last six games and scoring 23 tries in the process, but it was their defence that impressed in the first half. Half-backs Care and Smith made brilliant last ditch tackles on Tom O’Flaherty and Joe Simmonds respectively as Exeter played uncharacteristic, but superb, running rugby.

However it was Quins that struck first. Brilliant offloading in midfield allowing Alex Dombrandt to break, and the highly rated number eight held up the ball strongly before offloading to the incoming Care, who dotted down for his 65th try in Premiership Rugby to give the visitors the lead.

The “Mighty Quins” arrived in sensational form having won five of their last six games Exeter soon hit back, however. A clever lineout routine bringing them up to the line before Townsend sniped over from close range, but with Smith’s penalty, the visitors headed in at half-time

ahead at 10-7.

They could, and probably should, have been further ahead after some excellent build up play just before halftime, but with the clock in the red a wayward drop-goal attempt from Danny Care gave Exeter a crucial reprieve.

Quins would eventually get over, Baldwin finishing off a try from a rare driving maul by the 2012 League Champions. Their next possible score was much more typical, but Tapuai’s try after a brilliant chip through by Care was ruled out for a knock on in the build up

by Alex Dombrandt.

Smith kicked Quins further clear, but Exeter knew that two converted scores would be enough to win and the current League and European Champions began to wrestle back control of the game

from 20-7 down soon after.

As the clock ticked past one hour, Williams went over after sustained pressure from the Chiefs, with Townsend this time playing a provider role as his quick tap penalty had set up the position for the home side.

And though Quins showed some outstanding defensive ability at times in the last twenty minutes, Ewers finished in similar fashion five minutes from time to give Exeter the lead for the first, and only time in the match.

Smith broke through for Quins late on, and they found themselves close to the Exeter line as the clock ticked down into the final minute, but Ewers would rear his head again as he made the match winning turnover to start the celebrations for Chiefs.

For as-it-happened tweets from The Final, head to @exeposesportCONTINUED ON PAGE 31