Issue 742 - 22 Feb 2023

exeposé

Undergraduate accomodation prices rise by 8.8 per cent for 2023/24 academic year

UNIVERSITY undergraduate accommodation prices in Exeter are set to rise by almost 9 per cent in the coming 2023/24 academic year. Data compiled by Exeposé found that there is set to be an 8.8 per cent increase in annual accommodation costs across catered and self-catered undergraduate accommodation from the 2022/23 academic year. The average undergraduate accommodation price is set to rise from £6891 to £7494, an increase of over

£600. This follows a 5.3 per cent average rise in the previous year, between 2021/22 and 2022/23, and offers a stark increase from the University’s undergraduate accommodation price increase between 2020/2021 and 2021/22, which only saw an increase in accommodation prices of 1.9 per cent.

The release of these figures comes following the government’s announcement that maintenance loans would only increase by 2.8 per cent, despite rising accommodation and living costs across the country. For those who receive the maximum maintenance loan, the increase in their loan will be £272 for the next academic year. When compared

with the average increase in accommodation prices, this still leaves an over £300 shortfall for undergraduate students to make up in the coming year, not taking into account the increased cost of living in other respects.

This also comes as Exeposé finds a decrease in the amount of University accommodation on offer to undergraduates over the last few years, despite an overall trend of increasing undergraduate numbers. In the academic year 2020/21, 5458 beds were on offer for undergraduates, which has fallen to 5068 for the 2023/24 academic year, a nearly 8 per cent drop (7.7 per cent). This is despite combined under-

graduate and postgraduate student numbers in Exeter at St Lukes and Streatham campuses rising 9.6 per cent in the last two years between 2020/21 and 2022/23.

The University of Exeter told Exeposé that: “For 2023/24, 23 per cent of the rooms we offer will have an annual rent below £6800, based on a 40-week contract.” Rooms below this price are mostly ‘standard’ rooms with shared bathrooms. With increasing undergraduate student intakes, however, many worry that these more affordable accommodation options will be difficult to come by.

Megan Ballantyne and Joshua Hughes Editors

Images (top to bottom): Megan Ballantyne, Steve Race, Matt Bishop

Shell Out presents demands to University

In conversation with Aston Martin’s Matt Bishop Page 31

In conversation with Labour’s Steve Race

Page 9

Images: Rachel Cunningham and Joshua Hughes

Editors

Print: Megan Ballantyne & Joshua Hughes

Online: Ana Anajuba & Clemence Smith

Print Deputies: Oliver Lamb, Livvy Mason-Myhill, Pollyanna Roberts

Online Deputies: Isabella Ankerson, Daisy Scott editors@exepose.com

Executives

Events: Georgia Balmer

Admin: Lauren Walsh

Chief Photographers Rachel Cunningham Kieran Moore

News Editors

Print: Charlie Gershinson & Amy Rushton

Online: Megan Haynes & Amelie Thompson news@exepose.com

Features Editors

Print: Austin Taylor & Benedict Thompson

Online: Catherine Stone & Maggie John features@exepose.com

International Editors

Print: Agata Koralewska

Online: Maeve Fitzpatrick & Ryan Gerrett

Comment Editors

Print: Anabel Costa-Ferreira & Connor Goddard

Online: Jamie Speka & Kristen Taylor comment@exepose.com

Satire Editor

Print: Cleo Gravett

Online: Archie Lockyer & Joseph Vinton

Lifestyle Editors

Print: Pippa Bourne & Gracie Moore

Online: Ruth Hetherington & Charlie Nadin lifestyle@exepose.com

Arts + Lit Editors

Print: Ella Minty & Joshua Smith

Online: Manon Martini & Gwenllian Page-Gibby artsandlit@exepose.com

Music Editors

Print: Harry Craig & Jake Avery

Online: Mahnoor Imam & Lauren Jones music@exepose.com

Screen Editors

Print: Anabelle Law & Madison Sohngen

Online Matthew Bowden & Harvey Isitt screen@exepose.com

Tech Editor Print: Ewan Edwards

Online: Charlie Oldroyd

Science Editors

Print: Daniel Pain & Hayley Power

Online: Esther Humphries & Imogen Poyntz-Wright sciandtech@exepose.com

Sport Editors

Print: Toby Brisley & Rob Worthington

Online: Oliver Rickwood & Archie Rucker sport@exepose.com

@exepose

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IT’S that time of the term where work is getting serious, the weather is getting better but it’s just not spring yet and deadlines are approaching. But fear not! Exeposé are back (once again) to bring you another edition full of interesting stories, interviews and reviews. This edition we celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month and throughout the paper we’ve got articles on a wide range of LGBTQ+ issues, themes and people. Alongside this edition, we’ve also recently released our Guild Elections Special Edition in which we feature interviews with candidates running for Guild officer roles in the upcoming elections.

In News we look at the steep increase in University undergraduate accommodation prices for 2023/24, which is taking place alongside a mere 2.8 per cent increase in student maintenance loans in the coming year (pages 1 and 4). We also cover the recent protest against speaker Yoseph Haddad hosted by the Israeli and Zionist society and look at the demands of Shell Out's open letter to the University (page 3).

In Features, Exeposé spoke to the new Labour candidate for Exeter, Steve Race, about local issues in Exeter, NHS reform and the recent wave of strikes (page 9). In International, we cover the recent earthquake in Turkey and Syria and speak with some of the earthquake victims (page 10). Elsewhere,

in Comment, writers debate whether doing a masters is worth it (page 13) and also discuss the joys of learning a new language (page 12) while Satire provides an insight into campus cat, Napoleon’s views on current affairs (page 14).

In Lifestyle we discuss the significance of LGBTQ+ History Month (page 16) and looking ahead to Pancake Day, we provide the perfect recipe for your Shrove Tuesday (page 17). Arts + Lit writers spotlight LGBTQ+ artists and writers (page 18) and in Music, we feature a live review of China Bears at Cavern (page 21). Screen writers discuss their favourite queer TV shows (page 23) and in Tech we reflect on the life and work of Alan Turing (page 24). In Science, we celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month by discussing the experiences of members of the community who work in STEM (page 28).

Finally, in Sport we discuss the This Girl Can campaign (page 30) and also speak to Aston Martin’s Matt Bishop (page 31). We also look at the contributions LGBTQ+ people have made to sport (page 31) and cover the recent Varsity match between Exeter and Nottingham (page 32). We hope you enjoy reading this edition and as always from everyone at Exeposé, have a great next few weeks!

LGBTQ+ History Month

LGBTQ+ contribution to sport PAGE 31

University news home and abroad

Brexit causes collapse in Oxbridge reasearch funding

THE UK’s leading universities, Oxford and Cambridge, have lost almost all funding from European research programmes due to Brexit, new data has shown.

Cambridge University received £62m a year under the previous programme, Horizon 2020 — a total of £433m over seven years between 2014 and 2020. However, it has received no funding from the new Horizon Europe programme. Similarly Oxford, which received £463m from the old programme, has received just £1.7m post-Brexit

Recent data has shown that Oxbridge’s status as the two leading universities in Europe is slipping following Brexit, which Oxford’s Professor of Higher Education Simon Marginson described as “a historic error of monumental proportions” with “no possible upsides” for higher education.

Britain was to remain an associate member of the Horizon Europe programme post-Brexit, but political wrangling over Northern Ireland has disrupted this. The funding provided by the programme is vital for British collaboration with European research institutions.

China bans foreign university online courses

FOR two years during the height of the pandemic, China allowed Chinese University students to partake in University courses from outside their national borders. This right has now been revoked from students nationwide, with China’s reasoning being that it is a crackdown on substandard degree courses. Foreign universi ties’ continuation of their online enrolment of Chinese students has been seen as no longer necessary as China officially abandoned their strict “Zero COVID” policy in December. The Chinese government are urging students to return to their overseas campuses, the only exception being for those obtaining online degrees through universities in Russia or Ukraine. Many are seeing this sudden change as linked to the beginning of the academic year in Australia where 40,000 enrolled Chinese students were previously unable to return to inperson study. Chinese-Australian relations are thawing after a period of tension, with some arguing this policy change is politically fuelled.

Cardiff Vice-Chancellor says finances are unstable Students in India fight Modi documentary ban

CARDIFF University’s Vice-Chancellor has warned that Welsh universities face an unsustainable financial future. Professor Colin Riordan said that a combination of fixed tuition fees, high inflation and limited public money had contributed to a situation in which universities could not afford to “continually lose money.” He claimed the situation could lead to a decline in quality teaching through job losses and cutbacks, placing Wales at a disadvantage compared to better funded English universities. In the next financial year universities will get nearly £5 million less from the Welsh government, despite contributing more than £5 billion to the economy.

A Welsh Government spokesperson said “We have invested significantly in universities”, adding that “We will continue to work closely with our higher education sector to ensure they are able to continue to provide an excellent experience for student and staff."

STUDENTS in universities across India are protesting the ban of a controversial BBC documentary criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The documentary, which was blocked by The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, has been screened across University campuses despite the ban. Many students were suspended and some have been detained by police. ‘India: The Modi Question’ was deemed “hostile propaganda” by the Indian government, with access through platforms including YouTube prevented using emergency powers under information technology legislation. It examines Modi’s role as Gujarat State’s Chief Minister during a violent episode in 2002, prompting its suppression by universities. Central University of Rajasthan suspended 10 students for two weeks after they watched the documentary on their phones. One student stated “We were forcibly thrown out of the hostel by the security of the university”, with another describing intimidation by Hindu organisations and the targeting of Muslim students. The BBC has declared they stand by the documentary, with a spokesperson stating it was rigorously researched according to highest editorial standards.

By Harry Craig, Gracie Moore and Amy Rushton.

Josh and Megan

Proofers: Livvy Mason-Myhill, Oliver Lamb, Lauren Walsh, Harry Craig, Ewan Edwards, Henry Parker, Joshua Hughes and Megan Ballantyne

Images (top to bottom): Onanymous Wikimedia Commons, Flickr, Ron Frazier Flickr, sarahmirk Wikimedia Commons

Students protest Israeli and Zionist Society speaker

Charlie Gershinson and Joshua Hughes News Editor and Editor

ATALK recently hosted by the Exeter Israeli and Zionist Society faced strong opposition from Exeter Palestinian groups.

The event on Tuesday 7th February included a talk by Yoseph Haddad, entitled “Life in Israel as an Arab.” Haddad is the CEO of Together Vouch for Each Other and an Israeli Defence Force (IDF) combat veteran. The society wrote that Haddad has “dedicate[d] his life to showcasing the truth about the State of Israel abroad, fighting [Israeli protest movement] BDS, and working to improve relations between Arabs and Jews”.

The event faced protests from various pro-Palestine groups in the University. Friends of Palestine Exeter and Exeter Palestine Action released an open statement condemning the event. This stated that Haddad has recently gone viral online due to a video “showing him chasing, hounding, aggressively harassing and screaming at Palestinian students almost 20 years younger than him”.

The statement goes on to condemn the University of Exeter. They “hold the University and Guild responsible for failing in their duty

of care towards and safeguarding students and staff” and believe “the Exeter University Student’s Guild has failed to meet its own risk management for external speakers.” The groups compared the hosting of Haddad to the appearance of other controversial speakers in recent years such as Katie Hopkins, Yaron Brook and Dan Pena.

The event was the first of its kind by the Israeli and Zionist Society since its founding at the start of the year. The society was founded after 22 students voted in support of the society’s establishment, meeting the requisite minimum of 20 votes in favour.

A spokesperson for the Guild stated: “This event went through the joint Guild and University External Speaker Framework and was approved with appropriate mitigations being considered. The proper procedure was followed in reaching the decision to allow the event to go ahead, including consideration for the safety and welfare of our student community which remains paramount now and always.

the controversial views of the speaker, however, they are not illegal. We would only normally seek to prevent an event going ahead where, even after mitigation, there remained safety concerns or the potential for illegal speech as defined by relevant legislation. As your Students’ Guild, we support freedom of speech. We want to foster an environment where our members can participate fully, feel able to question and challenge, express new ideas, discuss controversial and or unpopular opinions within the law. You can

read more about our commitment to freedom of speech on our website.

A spokesperson for the University of Exeter stated: “We are aware that the student-led Israel & Zionist Society held an event on campus on the February 7th, inviting guest speaker Yoseph Haddad. The University of Exeter is committed to the protection of freedom of speech and required to allow events to go ahead providing they are within the law. We also respect and support each student’s right to protest, provided they do so in a safe, legal and considerate manner.”

Exeter Cathedral set to host 3D Earth art instillation

Elizabeth Barber

A3D model of planet earth will be on display at Exeter Cathedral throughout February. The model, named Gaia, is seven meters in diameter and features detailed imagery of the earth from NASA. The display will be accompanied by an original surround-sound composition by Dan Jones.

The incredible art installation follows the huge success of the Museum of the Moon exhibit by the same artist, Luke Jerram, last year, which attracted huge numbers of visitors.

According to the Cathedral website, the installation creates a sense of the Overview Effect — awe for the earth, a profound comprehension of how all life is interconnected, and a heightened sense of duty for protecting the environment are all common characteristics of the phenomenon which is often felt by astronauts.

Gaia has been created in partnership with the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), Bluedot and the UK Association for Science and Discovery Centres.

We understand the concerns raised by some students regarding

betraying

Amy Rushton News Editor

THE campaign group

Shell Out is set to present a series of demands to the University in an open letter.

Shell Out, the student-led campaign contesting the University’s contract with Shell, delivered the letter on Monday 20th February.

It issues three demands: that the University end its partnership with Shell; that it does not enter any new partnerships with fossil fuel companies, or organisations investing in fossil duel infrastructure; and that the University commits to a redesign of its external partner decision making process. Students can sign the open letter online.

The group states that the open letter opposes the long term partnership and renewed five year contract with Shell established to research “carbon sequestration”. It details the company’s role in the climate crisis as one of the top 25 emitters globally and a key contributor to global warming. The letter cites key IPCC reports which detail the climate

impact of the fossil fuel industry, stating “oil and gas companies like Shell need to stop drilling for more fossil fuels and start paying for the damage and death they’re causing around the world, and Exeter needs to cut ties with Shell on this basis.”

The letter goes on to discuss human rights violations relating to Shell, arguing that the impact of climate catastrophes on communities around the world mean the University should “be standing in solidarity with these communities devastated by Shell through... taking action against the climate criminal, and not providing empty words”

The campaign has drawn attention to the University’s 2030 Strategy, which commits to addressing climate change arguing

“The University of Exeter is betraying its climate credentials, its students, staff and overall reputation by partnering with a fossil fuel company, without wider consultation with students and other key stakeholders."

Shell Out has introduced weekly welcome calls to create momentum for the campaign, and orchestrated a demonstration outside the Forum.

Speaking to Exeposé, a

The art installation will be on display until Monday 27 February. Tickets cost £5 for adults, and can be booked online.

Shell Out presents demands to University

spokesperson for Shell Out stated “Students at the University of Amsterdam managed to cut ties with Shell, so it is possible. Once we’ve got the letter and signatures that will build momentum and broaden the campaign.”

They expressed concern over the lack of response from the University and need for student engagement, stating, “With this campaign we need staff and external people on board. This campaign is a huge thing, we’re taking on Shell and people can be apprehensive to get involved.”

A University of Exeter spokesperson told Exeposé , “The University of Exeter works with a wide range of governments, businesses and organisations to achieve our strategic objectives on the environment and climate, health and wellbeing and social justice. Agreeing research partnerships does not equate to us supporting every aspect of a partner’s activities or policies either now or in the past, but we do aim to influence the future.

The University recently signed a contract to work with Shell on a nature-based solutions project for carbon sequestration

in Brazil, which will contribute to the global race to net zero. The Carbon Storage in Pasture through Ecological Restoration (CASPER) programme focuses on soil carbon storage and is aimed at substantially advancing understanding of how both plant-microbe soil interactions and agricultural management practices impact the potential for carbon sequestration. The programme will involve significant lab-based and fieldwork experimentation in Brazil working with local partners, communities and land managers in the region.

The University has worked with Shell for over 15 years in

collaborative research projects on advancing biofuels and renewable chemicals and our partnership was formalised under a Framework Agreement in 2017. This planned research is part of a wider Shellled research programme focussed on carbon sequestration through the Nature-Based Solutions part of Shell’s Energy Transition Strategy (2021) and target to be a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050. High-quality nature-based solutions, independently verified to determine their carbon impact and social and biodiversity benefits, will play an important and inevitably necessary role in mitigating global emissions.”

The proper procedure was followed in reaching the decision to allow the event to go ahead

Exeter Students’ Guild

“Exeter is

its climate credentials”:

Leaflets handed out by protestors at the talk

Image: Megan Ballantyne

“We will continue to strive to work with partners”

Continued from front page...

East Park sees the biggest rise in accommodation prices of an individual hall this year, with ensuite rooms increasing in price by 11.2 per cent and standard rooms increasing 12.5 per cent.

Undergraduates who cannot get the limited campus accommodation instead often live in in-city privately managed student housing accommodation, with a reputation for being more expensive than campus accommodation. Cushman and Wakefield data found that rents at private student accommodations in Russell Group cities between 2018/19 and 2022/23 had increased by 14.5 per cent in the four years, an even greater rate than the reported increase in prices of University of Exeter

took place in November and December 2022. The residence would offer an additional 1250 student bedrooms.

Average cost of undergraduate accomodation at Exeter

A spokesperson for the University of Exeter told Exeposé: “We understand that the current cost of living crisis is a significant concern for our community, and we have worked with our student representatives to introduce a wide range of measures to support our students. We have sought to keep any necessary increases in accommodation fees as low as possible. We have contractual

accommodation in this period, which rose by 12.8 per cent.

In order to address the shortfall in available accommodation,

Exeter for the 2023/24 academic Maximum maintenance loan amount

rooms as we can, and for 2023/24, 23 per cent of the rooms we offer will have an annual rent below £6,800, based on a 40-week contract.

The University provides a range of competitively priced rooms and housing both on and off campus. As well as providing a range of accommodation types and contract lengths, the accommodation contract also includes all utilities costs, room contents insurance, 24-hour security and support in the form of guidance, advice and events from our residence Life team.

agreements with our third party accommodation providers to allow us to offer as many lowerpriced

“We will continue to strive to work with partners, including representatives from the Students’ Guild,

possible going forward, while continuing to invest in improving facilities and accommodation across our campuses.”

A spokesperson for the Students' Guild told Exeposé: “Guild President, Lily Margaroli has been working with the University on a review of their ‘affordability principles’ for accommodation as well as a new set of bursaries for students living in university accommodation, which aim to be in place as of next academic year. Additionally,

strategies, and there will be increases in the number of bedrooms on University campus in the upcoming years . The Guild Advice team provide housing advice, from helping you identify where to live, to providing advice on what to look out for in your contract and how to ensure that your move in and out goes as smoothly as possible. They also hold regular flatmate-finder events to help you find people to live with.”

The average undergraduate’s rent will increase by 2.8%

8.8%

A standard room at East Park will increase from £6,331 to £7,123

In order to address the shortfall in available accommodation, the University have announced plans to build a new residence

Images: Rachel Cunningham

Exeter staff speak out about casualisation

Amy Rushton and Megan Ballantyne News Editor and Editor

MANY Exeter staff have told Exeposé that casualisation and short term contracts are central points of concern for them in the current UCU pay, pensions and working conditions disputes taking place across the country.

When asked why they are striking, several academics pointed to the job insecurity posed by a fixed term or uncertain contracts. One academic stated that academics “have to hope and guess that there’ll be more work for them next year or next term. They have no agency and are undervalued.”

The UCU’s anti-casualisation campaign, Stamp Out Casualisation, state that “high quality education and fair working conditions depend on contracts that give staff stability and continuity of employment. Casualisation is bad for staff and bad for education, yet it’s endemic in our colleges and universities.”

A UCU report, published in January 2020, suggested that casualised staff

are treated as “second class academic citizens”, are vulnerable to exploitative practices, denied academic freedom and prevented from planning their professional and personal life. A 2019 UCU survey estimated that there were 37,000 university staff on fixed term contracts.

Exeposé spoke to staff members on the consequences of this trend of casualisation in higher education. One researcher stated they “have had to jump from short-term contract to short-term contract. I feel like there are whole areas of my life still on hold because I don’t feel secure enough financially to think about them”. Others added that academics could, for instance, struggle with being able to start a family when they wish to due to the precarity of these contracts, and suggested that this lack of control of their own lives was damaging to staff wellbeing, with one member of staff stating “The university seems to pay lip service to staff wellbeing but doesn’t and won’t care about considering things like job security.

Staff also discussed how the consequences of casualisation in particular affected junior colleagues and those earlier in their careers, with one member of staff stating “It’s

hard knowing that someone who you’re training up and helping out in their early career may well not be around after the end of the year.”

An academic also argued that this insecurity damaged the university and educational system as a whole, stating “the uncertainty tied to our future also means there is less investment in the educational process. Striking is us drawing attention to the lack of quality rather than creating the lack of quality.” Another academic argued that if this trend of casualisation and short term contracts continues, being a university academic “will become a glorified hobby for the independently wealthy. The consequences of that for universities, for knowledge, and for student learning, would be disastrous.”

Other staff testify to not being able to engage in enhancing their department or research opportunities due to the limitations of their contracts, with one stating “I’m kept on a short contract which prevents me from investing in my own research or department. I have to skip funding opportunities, conferences, presentations, and participation in key groups. Losing out on these opportunities reduces the

effectiveness of the entire university.”

Exeter to get new £40m retail park

Tom Langley

Speaking on casualisation and fixed term contracts, a university spokesperson told Exeposé : “The University has established a Fair Employment For All project to review the way in which we employ our colleagues, and we regularly meet with trade unions to review progress. Over 700 staff previously engaged on fixed term contracts have been moved to permanent contracts, and more than 600 Postgraduate Research students, who were previously paid through the eClaims system, are now employed on contracts with guaranteed minimum hours.”

Strike action has been paused up until Thursday 2nd March due to “progess made,” in negotiations, and the UCU has reported some progress in ending the use of involuntary zero hours contracts on campus, and have established time limited negotiations for new agreements on “tackling casualisation.”

Exeter sees fundraising drive after earthquake in Turkey and Syria

Charlie Gershinson News Editor

THE Exeter Turkish Society have led a fundraising effort in recent days to raise funds to assist in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake which occurred in Turkey and Syria. After the 7.8 magnitude earthquake, 41,000 people have been known to have been died with many more missing. The United Nations has appealed for a “flash appeal” of $1 billion. The Exeter Turkish Society has responded in their own way by producing their own fundraiser to help those affected in the region.

The society has been stationed in the Forum on Streatham Campus multiple times over the past few weeks looking for donations from students. It has organised

multiple fundraising events such as an emergency appeal bake sale and a buffet of traditional Turkish foods. At the time of writing, their efforts have raised over £8,500 from over 400 donors. These donations will be given to AFAD and AHPAB, government organisations set up to provide for those affected by earthquakes, the former of which has been set up by the Turkish government. You can still donate at the link attached to the QR code provided.

In a Student Communications email from 13th February, the University has encouraged students to support charities aiding the victims of the earthquake through a fundraising desk in the Forum on Streatham Campus, which will provide funds for charities affiliated with the Disasters Emergency Committee such as the British Red Cross and the International Rescue Committee.

Away from the University, Exeter’s Turkish community has been reeling from the impact of the earthquake while supporting charities helping those in need. According to DevonLive, many in the Turkish community have been “leafletting, fundraising, [and have] got stalls out at the moment because a lot of them have been directly affected by it.” There has also been action taken by the Pinhoe-based Devon Turkish Community Centre, such as collecting donations and sending clothing to Turkey.

A spokesperson from the Students’ Guild told Exeposé : “There was an immediate response from our Exeter community to the news of the devastating earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria. Members of the Turkish society have used our fundraising platform and have so far raised over £5,000 to go to aid organisations to

distribute funds where they are needed most. As your Guild, we exist to empower students to make a difference and we’re proud of the compassion and support our students have shown at this incredibly sad and distressing time. We are continuing to seek out ways that we can enable students to support this crisis, and will keep students up to date with any developments.

EXETER City Council have announced new formal plans to build a retail park north of Honiton Road, behind the Princesshay Shopping Centre.

The plans for the Moor Exchange Site come three years after their approval. Its proposal had previously been rejected three times by the council’s planning committee initially due to the scale of the development, and later for not conforming to the expectations for a local shopping centre as well as concerns over air quality.

Outlets within the development will include a supermarket, two retail units, a gym, two mini retail pods as well as two drive-thrus. The planning application does not include specific names of retailers.

Estimated to cost £40m, a statement with the submitted plans talks of how the retail park will provide “substantial investment” to the local area, as well as job opportunities. More broadly, it described how it will serve existing residents and local businesses.

UCU strike action paused due to “progress made” in negotiations

Megan Ballantyne

Editor

UCU strike action previously set to take place between Tuesday 21st February and Thursday 2nd March has been paused due to “progress made” in negotiations around pensions, pay and working conditions.

The UCU have stated that negotiations with Universities

and Colleges Employers on pay and working conditions, and Universities UK on pensions, have been paused due to “significant progress on a range of issues.”

have been confirmed yet, but the UCU state that in terms of pensions negotiations “we are at the start of a process that will restore USS pensions and potentially lead to a reduction in the percentage of your salary you pay into it every year.”

and “addressing equality pay gaps.”

The UCU state that the UCEA are also discussing with their members the recommendation that they give them a mandate to end the use of involuntary zero hour contracts on campus.

None of the negotiated measure

In pay and working conditions negotiations, the UCU state they are “establishing time limited negotiations for new agreements on “tackling casualisation,” improving work-life balance and reducing workloads,”

The lowest point on the pay scale is also set to be removed following negotiations around staff pay.

A University of Exeter spokesperson told Exeposé in regards to pensions, pay and working conditions disputes: “As a University, we remain

committed to being a great employer and to providing everyone who works here with an affordable and sustainable pension scheme, as well as fair pay and working conditions.”

The University also stated: “While it is important to remember that these are national disputes affecting 150 institutions across the UK, the University is committed to working in partnership with UCU to effect positive changes for the working conditions of staff.”

Image: Visit South Devon

Image: Exeter Turkish Society, Instagram

I’m kept on a short contract which prevents me from investing in my own research or department

Negotiations... have been paused due to “significant progress on a range of issues”

Features

A paper-thin promise

FEATURES EDITORS: Benedict Thompson and Austin Taylor

Megan Ballantyne, Editor, discusses the complex relationships between student papers and student unions

STUDENT papers have been under threat this year, it seems. Both Durham’s Palatinate and LSE’s The Beaver have published detailed editorials about their various issues with their student unions. In Palatinate’s case, they have gone one step further, declaring their independence from their SU. There are a couple of other student papers which are independent of their student unions, namely Cherwell at Oxford and Varsity at Cambridge, but independence is a big leap, and indicative of the severity of the issues with the relationship between Palatinate and the Durham Student Union that Palatinate has taken this step. Palatinate described how, alongside a series of other problems, when their regular budget was cut completely in 2020, this “shattered” their “informal contract with the SU.”

This is not an isolated is sue. Budget cuts are happening to different student papers across the country. This peaked in Covid, with many papers at the start of the 2020/21 academic year being unable to print. Student Publication Association (SPA) figures stated that 49 per cent of papers with a regular print run were not able to publish at the start of the year, and 75 per cent stating they were concerned they would be unable to return to a regular print run again. For papers like The Beaver and Palatinate, these concerns have felt very close to becoming a reality, and cuts and restrictions have continued to close in even after pandemic restrictions have ostensibly lifted.

The background to these cuts, of course, is that student unions in this country are generating less income than they used to. A particular trend in recent years is that unions are losing, or significantly decreasing, their trade and commercial operations. Exeter’s Students’ Guild decided in 2020, after landing a £283,000 tax

bill, to hand their commercial operations, such as its commercial outlets in The Ram and Lemon Grove, over to the University, meaning that the Guild no longer is in possession of any commercial outlets on campus. The Beaver found a similar trend at its Student Union, with a commercial income which used to amount to over £2 million in 2016-17 now well below this figure. Without commercial enterprises, student unions have smaller budgets and influence over student life. The move of commercial operations away from student unions is arguably always bound to make life more difficult for students.

Unions with elected officers are much more likely to have students’ interests at heart, in terms of cost-of-living in paricular, than the University or the external providers hired to fill these spaces.

Student unions have therefore been increasingly expected to make cuts to seemingly inessential services. Student papers and media have often borne the brunt of these cuts. During the pandemic, when campuses were empty and the value of print papers in these spaces temporarily diminished, many student papers’ budgets were indeed cut. Many print papers ceased to be produced, with 75 per cent expressing fears at the time that their print run would never return to a regular schedule. And while student unions, like that in Sheffield where Forge Press is based, emphasise again and again that they review budgets year-on-year, many have not seen significant increases since the pandemic, or have faced new threats. The Beaver has had its regular funding totally cut following changes to Student Union bye-laws. In the words of The Beaver’s Aarti Malhorta and Bora Bayram, these bye-laws “pressured successive administrations to consider The Beaver’s funding and to take action,” and

provided “funding guidelines, foundational principles, and disciplinary procedures.”

There are of course funding options available to papers when regular funding has been cut, as The Beaver outlines in its editorial. Advertising is great supplementary income, but at least here at Exeposé, we could perhaps fund one issue out of our 14 yearly issues with the advertising we receive, and a lot of that is because we advertise relatively regularly with the Students’ Guild. It’s not sustainable, and it expects the leaders of student papers to, in effect, run their own business alongside a student paper. One way Student Unions used to fund their papers, including Exeposé and The Beaver was to organise advertising opportunities for the paper of their own accord, but many having long since stopped doing so. One-off funds, like the Alumni Fund here in Exeter, provide us with a bit of income but, again, they’re not reliable and you have to reapply each year. If most student papers suddenly had no consistent funding and had to rely on these unstable sources of income, their print output would significantly diminish, and without concerted effort, could completely stop.

SUs stepping back from student journalism is one thing. But some SUs across the country seem to be taking a ‘have your cake and eat it’ approach to student journalism. The Beaver reported that their SU in 2017/18 had floated the idea to them of having executive management over the paper and delegating editorial roles to students, all while continuing to engage in a series of year-on-year budget cuts. Palatinate have reported that while experiencing a total cut in their regular funding, they brought their idea for independence to their SU, with the backing of 221 members. They described the response they received to this last-resort move as “dismissive”, but later found out that the University simultaneously sent a request to trademark the Palatinate name, built by and maintained by students.

These SUs through such actions display the idea that they want the image and renown of having a student-led student paper, while simultaneously trying to compromise their press freedom and refusing to fund them.

Most of the people involved in student journalism are not looking to engage in a business enterprise or organise repeated fundraisers to keep their papers going. They want to write good, informative pieces which will be shared with the student body. It’s unpaid work which helps keeps students informed about their local comunity, which is in the interest of the student body and therefore, you would hope, in the interest of the union. It also offers writers a huge boost in confidence, and experience in an exciting industry, which, unfortunately, there are very limited avenues into other than through gaining hands-on experience.

Exeposé print at least 1000 copies each print run, and these almost always go by the end of the fortnight, if not well before. People mention stories they see to their friends, and find out what’s happening on campus. In a world where young people are increasingly disengaged from news, and where accurate information can be difficult to come by, our free offering of quality, local news is invaluable, and the visibility of a print paper raises the profile and engagement of the paper.

and papers throughout the country, is the wasted potential for collaboration. Although we can’t totally guarantee Exeposé’s future, Exeposé are currently co-creating an annual service level agreement with the Students’ Guild, and we have had positive communication on this front so far. We have experienced past tensions over our budget, but with this agreement we are hoping to be able to secure a consistent long-term solution (or at least a solution for the next five years). Even if this regular budget still leaves us a couple of newspapers we need to fund on our own, the combination of regular funding and money from the Alumni Fund means our finances should be in the green for this year at least, which puts us worlds away from the fundraisers and pleas that many other student papers have needed to make.

Though not perfect, we currently have a productive relationship with our Students’ Guild, and we therefore work together on occasion. Our Guild Elections Special was fully funded by the Guild — the goal to encourage engagement in student democracy is mutually beneficial. We have also regularly advertised for the Guild at a fee. We have been able to manage this relationship while not compromising our independence, and it is confusing that more SUs don’t jump at the chance to engage productively with student publications.

The worry, however, is always that, without a long-term agreement, the Guild will attempt to make subtle cuts which will slip by future editors, and set off a gradual trajectory which will lead to Exeposé’s decline. With our Service Level Agreement yet to be finalised we can’t totally relax just yet.

Student media therefore helps encourage engagement in student life and politics, at a time when, participation in SU elections and democracy is in decline.

One of the most disappointing things about witnessing this often hostile, strained relationships between Student Unions

Keeping your ear to the ground

But repairing the relationship between student unions and student papers is also about a change of mindset, not just finances. Student unions have a lot to gain from having a thriving student paper — and it seems many need to be reminded of this.

Joshua Hughes, Editor, discusses the rise of political news podcasts and makes some suggestions

ENGAGING with politics is sometimes a tricky business. Aggressive social media ads and polarising conversations — looking for a news source that is drama-free is generally a difficult task. However, after perusing the different news platforms, one format stands out as accessible, informative (and sometimes entertaining). Podcasts.

While it’s now relatively standard for people to have a podcast, the way they have grown in popularity is pretty remarkable. There is now a wide selection of podcasts documenting news in the UK and across the world yet like with any form of news, it’s important to strike the right balance and attempt to gain insights from a wide variety of shows.

The first place to begin with news

podcasts is the BBC. While only recently introduced, the BBC now presents a strong line-up of podcasts, each covering different aspects of news. Newscast, hosted by Adam Fleming, details domestic news in the UK and is useful for an (almost) daily, reliable summary of the news. Americast, hosted by Sarah Smith, is the North American version of the show which has grown significantly since the 2020 election. The show now reports on politics in the US. Another BBC podcast which does a huge deep dive on conspiracy theories in US politics is The Coming Storm, hosted by Gabriel Gatehouse. However, the BBC show which has gained the most notable traction recently is the excellent Ukrainecast, which provides detailed reporting on the war in Ukraine

and has done so since the very early days — for those wishing to research or learn more about the timeline of the war, this would be a fantastic place to start.

While the BBC shows are useful, it is good to seek further opinions and shows in order to have a bit of variety and The News Agents, hosted by ex-BBC journalists Emily Maitlis, Jon Sopel and Lewis Goodall, does just that. While at times a bit much, the show provides daily news updates during the week and is heavily politically focused. With Maitlis’ and Sopel’s experience hosting BBC’s Americast in its early days, they present a podcast that covers both the UK and the US.

Another non-BBC podcast is The Rest is Politics, hosted by Rory Stewart and Alastair Campbell. Despite disa-

greeing (most of the time) the two present an informative and overall enjoyable listen — even if it can get a bit much at times. Closer to home, another great podcast is Xpression FM’s Politics Unboxed, hosted by Rhys Wallis. It deals with a wide range of political issues and is great for people of all levels of political knowledge.

Overall, podcasts, while sometimes a bit exhausting to listen to, provide a great way to engage with politics and for that matter many different subjects and issues. They provide a useful break from reading articles, allowing for people to inform themselves in a different format, and, if you pick the right one, serve as a great way to fall asleep!

In a world where... accurate information can be difficult to come by, our free offering of quality, local news is invaluable

Image: Quinn Dombrowski, Flickr

In conversation with Steve Race

Benedict Thompson and Austin Taylor, Features Editors, talk to Steve Race, Labour candidate for Exeter, about local politics in Exeter, domestic affairs and his vision for Exeter

rience and what they think generally.

É: According to St Petrock’s, since 2021, homelessness in Exeter has doubled. How would you tackle this issue?

UK climate scientists either here or at the Met Office, and my job as an MP is really to make sure that continues.

É: What is on your mind about the ongoing NHS strikes?

needs, such as hearing aids, met. Would you nationalise care homes?

STEVE Race is standing to replace Ben Bradshaw as Exeter Labour’s Parliamentary candidate in the 2024 general election. Race previously worked for Bradshaw as an assistant. He currently serves as a Labour Councillor in Hackney, London. Benedict Thompson and Austin Taylor, Features Editors, spoke to Race about his political background, domestic affairs and his vision for Exeter.

É: Thank you for coming. We would like to know at what moment you realised that you wanted to become an MP.

SR: So, you don’t necessarily want to become an MP. What you want to do is change something or make a difference. That can sound a bit hackneyed, but it is what most MPs want to do, certainly in the Labour Party. I grew up on a council estate on the edge of Hull with my mum, brother, and sometimes a stepdad. Overall, until I was about 14, it all felt a bit of a struggle. We’d share an old textbook between three people at school and things like that. With the change in 1997 and the investments in public services, though, you could sense a change. I had a sister who was born with a genetic condition — she was quite severely disabled. Things got better for her, and my mum felt like things were working a lot better after that time. I wanted to be part of that change, so, I joined the Labour Party and got involved. I really liked the door knocking aspect and picking up on people’s problems on the doorstep. So, I was really inspired by Ben and his election, and was very excited when I went to work for him and see the difference he made to Exeter over the years. It has really got its sense of civic pride over

the last sort of 20 years. People are proud to be from Exeter, they’re proud of their inclusivity and openness, and their climate change agenda. Exeter does a lot in that regard with the Met Office and the University.

SR: So, I think people have short memories, and I think that’s perfectly reasonable. However, if you look back at the figures and data for the Labour government up until 2010, homelessness was at historic lows and they almost completely abolished it. This was because political decisions were made to focus on the two main reasons for rough sleeping — mental health, and the fact that the people made homeless were often veterans. There was a big focus on supporting people into accommodation, and that has totally ended over the past 13 years. You then have the issue that Exeter is surrounded by a large, semi-rural area, and when people are homeless they gravitate towards the centre. St Petrock’s do a fantastic job of dealing with such a big geographical area, but you have to have a national strategy. It can be done when the national government puts the funding and the policies behind it. It is a struggle for local authorities, though, when they have lost 60 per cent of their core funding.

It can be done when the national government puts the funding and the policies behind it

SR: Listen, I think strikes are strikes and industrial action is an integral part of any democracy. I think sometimes people forget that when workers go on strike, they don’t get paid for those days, so it’s a real last resort for those people. I think across all the sectors, we have a specific problem with inflation. That’s not being driven by wage inflation, because we’ve got inflation without wage inflation. In fact, we’ve had wage deflation in many places for the last sort of ten to 12 years. So, I completely support people’s right to strike and the fact that they are. In fact, we didn’t need to get to this position; the government has, in every sector, failed and often refused. The Tories are essentially trying to use it as a political wedge to paint the Labour Party as being on the side of unions and not on the side of people. In reality, it is more the fact that the Tories could solve this and have refused to do that. It is weak leadership from the Tories not having wanted to, or not actually knowing, how to fix this.

I completely support people’s right to strike and the fact that they are What you want to do is change something or make a difference

É: Some would argue that coming from a working-class background often makes getting into politics more difficult — did you ever feel like that was a challenge? If so, how did you get that block out of your head ?

SR: Definitely, I think you have a bit of imposter syndrome. I’ve got over that over the years, a little bit. But, when you’re first in a room with the Prime Minister just because you’re a member of the Labour Party, it is a massive thing, right? But, actually, what you realise is that joining political parties is a real sort of leveller, because you are all on one team. When people say that not many workingclass people get into politics, I think we just have a different working class today. When people say ‘working class’, they usually mean people working on factories and stuff. Obviously, we have less of that in this country these days and have moved a bit towards a skills-based economy. We do need to make sure that the people who represent the country also represent their communities. I think we do get that, but I think there’s a lot of people who say that, in general, MPs don’t reflect them, but that their local MP does. So, I think there is a separation between their own personal expe -

É: You touched on it a bit there, but what would your idea of a greener Exeter be?

SR: Yeah, I mean, there’s two things around that. We’ve got huge amounts to do in terms of water quality and sort of the biodiversity and making sure that the city continues to be green, it’s one of the greenest cities in the country, which is great. We need to do better at that, though. There is a problem that lots of places have, which is the number of short car journeys we use. The move to electric cars is fine — it cuts down the emissions of the tailpipe, but it doesn’t cut down emissions through the supply chain. Furthermore, no city can just bear an ever-increasing number of individual private cars. On the flip side, though, you need better public transport, you need greener, more reliable, more regular, more affordable public transport. People haven’t been able to rely on the bus system in Exeter for the past year or so. And hopefully, it’s getting a bit better. We also really need to work on making Exeter a real cluster of excellence for climate tech and new businesses. We need to make sure that in the future, when people want a new set of clients or businesses, they need to come to Exeter not just because they want to, but because they have to go where everyone else is. We have got the top five of

SR: I don’t know about that to be honest. I don’t really have an answer for you. I know the Labour Party is doing a lot of thinking on what it wants to do about social care afterwards. Lots of care home chains have monetised the land and the buildings and they’ve leveraged their way out and things like that. I am sure they do some good stuff as well. To have a national care service you don’t need to nationalise everything. I have never been the sort of person to think that the government must own everything for it to be a real national service. Often something like a pharmacy is a private organisation, but it delivers services on behalf of the NHS. GPs are a classic example of this. They have never been nationalised but are an integral part of the NHS. There are different ways of fixing the issue. I don’t necessarily think that nationalisation is the answer, but then I don’t know the answer yet. We are heading into a general election where we’re not going to have much money, and we are going to have to decide what the spending priorities will be after the general election. We cannot promise everything that we want to do now. It will be a bit of a slow process.

É: Is there any cladding on tower blocks which has been deemed dangerous in Exeter?

É: Keir Starmer has referred to NHS reform a few times before. What do you think that could look like under a Labour government?

SR: Yes, I think reform is one of those words that people say, but people often don’t necessarily know what it means. The NHS is an enormous organisation, there are over a million people employed, it has a huge budget, and has lots of sites dealing with very different things. Technology, medicine, and treatment pathways are always changing, and the NHS needs to be in constant reform to keep up with that. But, in terms of reform, generally, we have an NHS which is very good at being a sickness service. When you are acutely sick, it can patch you up and send you off. When you’re chronically sick, it is ok, but not necessarily as good as it should be. We have come to think of hospitals as being the NHS. Actually, we need to be doing lots of treatment at home. Lots more investment into public health and social care will free up the NHS. And we need to make sure that the NHS is more focused on patient outcomes, and more on treatment at home. We also don’t do enough on diagnostics, where lots of other countries do more identifying of issues and events.

É: There are some care homes in the private sector that are making huge profits, whilst there are some people that haven’t had their basic

SR: Good question. It has not be raised with me, but I can definitely check on that.

É: If there was, would you fight for that to be taken away?

SR: Yes, absolutely. Certainly, partly the local authority stuff has been done. The last couple of years, there has been wranglings between the government and the industrial sector about private housing. I think they have come to a conclusion on that over the last couple of months about who pays, but it has taken far too long. Even if the cladding is not unsafe, it is often down to the certification, there are not enough inspectors to go around and work it out. So, there are lots of people with mortgages who have been unable to sell their home and move, lots of people have been stuck in houses and it’s not been ideal. For sure, where the council is responsible for it they need to make sure that social housing is up to the highest standard.

É: Did you have any tips for a student who wants to get involved in politics?

SR: My instinct is to get involved, and not necessarily through a political party, if you don’t feel you want to. This might sound a bit hackneyed, but I always believed that anyone can make a difference. I know that the Exeter Labour Student Society get involved in loads of stuff across the city, not only supporting me in the Labour Party, but things like helping to run a food bank, and that kind of thing.

International

Devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria

Ibrahim Melih Polat interviews some of the earthquake victims

ON 6th February 2023, Turkey and Syria woke up to the most devastating catastrophe they had ever seen. According to the United States Geological Survey, the 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck 14.2 miles east of Nurdagi in Turkey, also hitting some towns across Northern Syria. A state of emergency was declared. Thousands of people lost their homes and more than 19,000 their lives. The earthquake brought down more than 6,100 buildings. The victims live outside or in cars at the moment.

sleep. I am devastated psychologically.”

New songs selected for Eurovision contest

Kornelia Stark writes about preparations for Eurovision

house at the time of the earthquake. However, my cousin, her husband, and their infants remain under the debris. The first unit came 30 hours after the quake. Cold weather also affected us seriously.”

Lastly, I reached Rümeysa from Gaziantep, Islahiye. Rümeysa and her family were in Islahiye when the horrible earthquake happened. She sent me her house’s picture and disclosed her anguish and despair. When I talked to her, I grasped the dimension of the disaster.

“Fortunately, my family was not in the

The Turkish Society of the University of Exeter has launched a donation campaign for Turkey. They have opened a table in the Forum to give information about the quake to people. The president of the Turkish Society at the University of Exeter stated that they have received £5,000 so far. They will organise more events in the near future to inform university students about the effects of the catastrophe and encourage donations.

LAST weekend was eventful for Eurovision fans, as the contest is nearing its due date in three months. The annual Eurovision Song Contest requires each participating country to select a song to represent them in a competition. Each artist submitting a song has to go through a selection process which differs between countries. Some nations, such as France, Israel or the UK go through a process of internal selection, where just the final song is announced to the public. In other ones, such as Croatia, Denmark or Italy, national competitions are hosted, where the public has a chance to vote to determine the best song.

Weather conditions are another problem. Currently, the air temperature drops to below zero at night. People declare that there is no electricity, running water, or heat. Furkan and his family were in Hatay when the earthquake struck. He states: “Hatay turned into a wreck. Public buildings and hospitals collapsed. The roads are damaged massively. Therefore, it’s hard to deliver food and water. People try to drink from tree leaves, they are left to die here.”

Another victim, Onur, expressed: “We could not reach water and electricity since Monday. In addition, there is no heating and the whole infrastructure system crashed in Gaziantep. Throughout the nights, we freeze due to cold weather. I don’t

IN the summer of 2022, I worked abroad in Hong Kong for six weeks. It was incredible. I was in Asia for the first time in my life and also working so it was a completely new experience.

The place to begin is several months prior to the trip, when I realised I had to secure a holiday-working visa. This was, of course, much harder than I thought and after many, many attempts at the China Visa Application Centre in central London, I eventually gave up and asked my aunt (who lives out there) to head to the Immigration Tower in Wan Chai.

So, I finished up in Exeter the previous week and literally five days later I flew out from Heathrow. The flight out was fun, connecting through Istan -

bul (the airport there is very cool) and then eventually arriving in Hong Kong.

To give some context, at that point Hong Kong was essentially in a semi-lockdown. This included wearing masks at all times (yes, including outside in the humidity), plenty of testing and more importantly, a seven-day quarantine period. Also, if you caught Covid and registered it, you would be shipped off to a government quarantine facility.

It was, simply put, crazy to me. Quarantine, while at times difficult, was an overall okay experience. On my first day out, I got straight to work — running social media and writing blogs. As much as I could talk endlessly about the work, what really sticks with me is learning about

the culture and the geography of the whole place. I was staying in South Island and the daily commute on the MTR (Hong Kong’s equivalent of the Tube) was a lot of fun. The train was air conditioned, so it encouraged me to pick up the pace every day!

So far, 15 songs have been announced to appear in the contest, seven of them being winners of public national competitions, such as Sanremo (Italy), Supernova (Latvia) or Melodi Grand Prix (Denmark), which took place last Saturday. The chosen songs have shown a great musical diversity, ranging from entries such as the joyful and energetic song ‘Breaking My Heart’ by Riley from Denmark, the emotional ballad ‘Bridges’ by ALIKA from Estonia, and a unique and

crazy performance of ‘Mama ŠČ’ by Let 3 from Croatia. A surprise this year has also been the return of Marco Mengoni from Italy who is returning to the competition after ten years with the song ‘Due vite’. Although the Eurovision Song Contest is set to happen in three months, new songs for the competition will continue being announced every week until the end of March. Next weekend, we can expect to hear the songs from Lithuania, as well as France. This year the contest is set to take place in Liverpool in the UK, which was the runner up last year with ‘Spaceman’ by Sam Ryder, since the winner, Ukraine — with ‘Stefania’, performed by Kalush Orchestra — is unable to host the contest. Judging by the current entries released we can expect to see a diversity of genres, styles and cultural influences which will make this year’s Eurovision a thrilling and unforgettable event.

While the work was engaging, the best times were either on the weekends or evenings. England were playing Australia in a three-match series (rugby), and it was exciting to meet up with old schoolmates and watch the games in

random bars across the city. At one point I also went to watch the new Minions movie with my friends and somehow sat through the hour-anda-half-long film with Mandarin audio and Cantonese subtitles — I know neither of these languages. While the markets weren’t as busy as they normally were before the lockdowns, it was great being able to walk the streets and experience the day-today of the city. One of the highlights for me was definitely the cross-harbour ferry and also finding some of the filming locations from The Dark Knight . Working abroad was at times an ominous experience but looking back on it now, I remember my time in Hong Kong extremely fondly.

On 6th February, Turkey and Syria woke up to the most devastating catastrophe

There is no heating and the whole infrastructure system crashed

Image: Melih Polat, Turkish Society

The joy of working abroad

Joshua Hughes, Editor, talks about his experience of working in Hong Kong

Each artist submitting a song has to go through a selection process which differs

Image: Sietske, Wikimedia Commons

What really sticks with me is learning about the culture and geography

Image: Joshua Hughes

Comment

COMMENT EDITORS

Do we start using smartphones too early?

Anabel Costa-Ferreira, Comment Editor, discusses the use of smartphones from a young age

AS you read this, I guarantee that most of you are either holding or in view of your phone (and if you are not, I have to say I am impressed). Both owning and using a mobile phone have become such a huge aspect of our lives, to the point we fail to realise how much reliance we have on them. This, however, was not always the case if you think back to childhood days, when the term ‘entertainment’ was not always associated with a screen of sorts. Yet the question remains, at what part of our lives does this begin and more importantly at what age should it?

Thinking back to 2013, I remember very clearly getting my first phone. Surprisingly, it was an old Nokia brick that I had found in the bottom of a drawer no longer in use. I remember using this exact line of reasoning to claim ownership of it. After a few days, I would sit and endlessly play this bowling game and another I could only define as a poorer copy of Tetris. It is interesting to note that I did not care for a SIM at this point; clearly watching adults around me use

their phones influenced my want of one and subsequently having one made me feel more grown-up.

I would say for most individuals their first phone was given because of safety reasons: to let their parents know they got home okay or to be able to call if there is an emergency. For this reason I would argue in favour of giving a child a phone at whatever age they begin making journeys by themselves — even if this is just a 20 or so minute walk to school. However, the introduction of social media is a completely different aspect of owning a phone and I do think the age at which the two sides are introduced should differ.

Social media is a completely different aspect of owning a phone

Regarding owning a phone, recent data from Ofcom shockingly suggests that as of September 2022 around 91 per cent of 11-year-olds are thought to own one. Considering the age restrictions of social media, this ever-decreasing age leads to

some real concerns. Teenage and ‘tween’ years are crucial stages of development; therefore, parents should take caution as to what children are exposed to. In particular, the dangers of social media (and the internet as a whole) are more threatening to children. Without sufficient education in watching out for these, allowing children on these apps too soon poses a real threat to their safety. Personally, I think back to when I first had social media and my parents used to monitor it. Though at the time (in those typical

moody teen years) I found this an invasion of privacy, I look back now and am beyond grateful, as it was first and foremost for my safety.

Teenage and ‘tween’ years are crucial stage of development

Though studies conducted remain inconclusive in establishing a ‘correct’ age for phones, there is also a reminder that this is often heavily dependent on the child themselves

and their level of maturity. Similarly, with social media usage, studies conclude “the effect sizes — both positive and negative — were small.” While current recommendations remain inconclusive, what is certain is that technology continues to remain a fundamental aspect of our lives. The online world can be tricky to navigate and regardless of when this may be, children should be taught and shown how to do so in a way that protects them and their mental well-being.

Is learning another language a dying skill?

Gracie Moore, Lifestyle Editor, discusses her experience of learning languages

LEARNING a language can be described as Marmite — you either love it or you hate it. I’m fortunate enough to be a language lover and I find it relatively easy to pick up on new grammar and vocabulary and decided to challenge myself when I chose to study Italian at university from beginner level. I already study Spanish as an advanced student (post A-Level) and it has been instrumental in building my communication skills in both Spanish and English. Learning languages helps you to connect to others all over the world and also directly impacts your understanding of different cultures.

At Exeter, I have been lucky enough to have a large amount of contact hours for my Italian language seminars. The tutors believe it’s important to be able to practise your spoken, written, listening and reading skills regularly

and this has been instrumental in accelerating my skills. Beginner languages are heavily encouraged here at Exeter, either through ‘proficiency’ in a degree title or simply by modularity. The classes are fun and despite the difficulties, it makes me glad that I decided to learn Italian at university. The problem is that schools do not do enough to encourage language learning. In most schools, it isn’t a requirement to take a language to GCSE level and this means that many lose interest very early on. For example, between 2002 and 2011, the numbers of students taking a language at GCSE reduced by 36 per cent and this

can be almost fully accredited to the lack of encouragement from teachers. As much as schools shouldn’t force students to study languages (because it would be more discouraging), students should be made more aware of the benefits of language learning as well as the cultural aspects that

Beginner languages are heavily encouraged here at Exeter

accompany the language. This is because when one learns a language, the side benefits are just as helpful as the language itself.

Schools do not do enough to encourage language learning

Without a doubt, being able to speak a second or even a third language is invaluable to employers, arguably more than an outstanding GCSE Maths grade, so it has to make us wonder why more isn’t done to promote language learning from a young age. Britain is a very diverse nation; many of our citizens are children and grandchildren of immigrants — or even immigrants themselves! Usually, this goes hand-in-hand with being able to speak at least one other language aside from

English. So why don’t the rest of us learn second languages too?

Undoubtedly, English is the universal language, with nearly two billion people proficient, the numbers growing exponentially on a daily basis. Despite this, I don’t believe that expecting everyone we encounter to be able to converse in it is fair or helpful and learning other languages helps us become more inclusive as a global community. Personally, I have formed the deepest connections with people who speak Spanish or Italian as their first language as many foreigners are hugely appreciative of you trying to communicate in their mother tongue. So, hop on Duolingo and keep that Spanish streak ticking over — you never know when the vocabulary you learn is going to next come in handy.

Image: Nenad Skjkovic, Flickr

Image: South West Londoner

Image: PublicDomainPictures

How

Comment writers discuss pressure felt by final-year students surrounding whether to take a master’s or head straight to the job market

More time at university — for the sake of it?

SINCE I’m in my third year at the moment, it’s no surprise that lots of my friends are weighing up their options for after graduation. One of the key phrases being thrown around in my year at the moment is ‘panic master’s’ — in the absence of knowing what else to do next year, people are considering signing up for an extra year of education, in order to delay the inevitable and stick to what they know.

Obviously, last-minute stress and confusion is not the only reason students sign up for master’s programs. Some have worked out an area they are interested in working in, and have signed up for a master’s relevant to this. Some people have a genuine passion for their subject, and think that they’d really enjoy an extra year spent studying this, and that a more advanced master’s program is an exciting, interesting project.

I guess that my main worry is that doing a master’s often appears to be something people fall into, rather than a choice they make. Coming to the end of an undergraduate course is a daunting thing, and most of us have family,

friends and financial pressures pushing us to make quick choices. Many students are scared to finish uni without a clear graduate program lined up, seeing the non-graduate job market as a daunting place, and graduate schemes are difficult to come by, particularly for those looking to go into more ‘creative’ or humanities-based professions. I worry that the necessity for ‘delaying’ can so often not be an individual choice, but a way of proving to others that you know what you’re doing, at a time when you don’t have to.

tical benefits to working rather than continuing further study — namely that you earn money rather than go into further debt. If you do a job you don’t like for a couple of months, you at least have some earnings to show from it, unlike a master’s program.

You at least have some earnings to show from [a job], unlike a master’s program

Graduate

Though jobs are not easy to come by, they’re not impossible. Sometimes exactly what you might need is a few months of careful job hunting, honing your CV, and exploring different areas where work is available, to find the perfect job which suits your interests. And there are some more prac -

In saying all this, I haven’t fully ruled out doing a master’s myself. I am interested in a career in journalism (shocker) and am applying for some graduate schemes, but they are incredibly competitive — for some you have less than a one in 100 chance of getting in. With these sort of odds, I’ve got to consider my different options carefully, and while considering how I would progress my career if I didn’t go into a master’s program or get onto a graduate scheme, I’ve nonetheless been looking at Journalism master’s programs.

Although I’ve been hesitant to do a master’s in the past, in my opinion the benefit with doing a Journalism master’s course is that the courses are typically really practical, so they offer a big change from academia. You learn loads of different ways of creating stories, from data journalism to doing more personal pieces, and also loads of different ways of presenting stories, from broadcast skills to the written, print format I’m more accustomed to. In the end, I am really hoping that one of my graduate schemes pulls through, or that another option falls into my lap. But I also acknowledge that I’ve still got a lot to learn about journalism, and while a structured grad scheme could offer the best of both worlds, offering me learning on the job, a journalism master’s could give me similar skills, and would be a far cry from a repeat of my undergraduate English degree.

The main thing I would urge anyone considering a master’s to do, is to try to zone out some of those external pressures and expectations, and ask yourself whether the course you are considering is useful and interesting to you. I would also urge undergraduates, even if you are pretty sure you will do a master’s, to at least take a look at the job market and what’s on offer in the area you’re interested in. Though you might feel scared of a real ‘grown-up’ job as a new undergraduate, you never know exactly what employers are looking for, so you shouldn’t shut down this option out of fear or self-doubt.

Megan Ballantyne, Editor

More time in education — a valuable learning experience?

AFTER completing my bachelor’s in English, I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do with my life. I supposed that the logical next step was to become a teacher — that’s what everyone else was telling me to do. I applied for a place on a teacher training course, went through several rounds of interviews... and I didn’t get in. I was really upset and I felt like a failure — but it might have been the best thing to ever happen to me.

MA degree to figure out my calling — I wanted to be a book publisher.

Four months on, my MA allows me the space and funding to continue studying something I love doing, whilst also gaining industry experience through internships, magazines, and modules directed toward my career. This year has been a massive period of growth for me and taking an extra year to do my MA really helped

me find myself and figure out what I want from life, as opposed to flinging myself into an industry that I don’t really want to be in just for the sake of it.

If I didn’t do my MA, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today — heading into my dream career with lots of amazing social, educational and professional experiences. Despite many people around me telling me that I would become over-

educated and underexperienced, I’ve never felt better about my path.

After failing at the first hurdle of the professional world, I went back to the drawing board. What do I love to do? What’s my purpose? I could only think of one thing — books. I love books and I loved studying literature — so I decided I’d carry on studying. It only took a week or two of my

Taking a year to broaden your knowledge of a subject that you’re passionate about before entering the world of work also allows you to negotiate the transition from student to professional in a more gentle way. Whilst the world of work will push you in at the deep end, the transition from undergrad to postgrad is one with lots of guidance and support from tutors and peers. Whilst I couldn’t get my foot in the door by the end of my BA, I know that by the time I finish my MA, I’ll have the confidence and skills needed to break the whole wall down. So, if you’re really loving your course and just need a bit more time to figure things out, do an MA. You’ll learn so much more, not just about your subject, but also your identity and your own personal goals.

important is a master’s?

Doing a master’s often appears to be something people fall into

schemes [are available]but they are incredibly competitive

Image: Phil Whitehouse, Wikimedia Commons

Manon Martini, Online Arts and Lit Editor

Many people

[told] me that I would become overeducated and underexperienced

I felt like a failure — but it might have been the best thing to ever happen to me

University ViceChancellor to be replaced by ChatGPT

THE University of Exeter has reached a breakthrough in strike negotiations, with a radical administrative switch-up that has resulted in strike action ceasing with immediate effect. The dismissal of Professor Lisa Roberts, Vice-Chancellor of the University since September 2020, and her replacement by the innovative new chatbot ChatGPT, is an unprecedented step, the first of its kind in the world of higher education management. A spokesperson from the University gave the following statement:

“The idea came like a bolt from a blue — we don’t have to pay the bot, so the University is already saving on employment costs, and the running costs will hardly make a dent in the money that would have been used to pay the Vice-Chancellor’s salary. These funds can instead be used to pay the striking lecturers a living wage, thus keeping them employed and fed, keeping our students educated and happy, and restoring peace and harmony to the Exeter metropolitan area. A no-brainer, right?!”

The appointment of ChatGPT has had benefits on strike action beyond the financial. As a machine learning device, it learns from its interactions, and as such is sure to provide a more helpful, measured, and considerate response to the plight of the striking university staff than the administration has done previously.

Cleo Gravett, Satire Editor

Napoleon’s Soapbox

AS the biggest BNOC the University of Exeter boasts, I have to keep up appearances at all times, ensuring that I remain on friendly enough terms with students for them to pet me on Forum Hill. It can be difficult, however, when the image of my species is plastered everywhere as a symbol of revolution and disruption. Of course, I stand with those striking whether it be lecturers, train drivers or nurses but sometimes I’d just love to fly under the radar. Take for example the symbol of the wildcat: another name for a strike that hasn’t been approved by an official union. I live for a revolution — I myself have nearly revolted a couple of times after being rudely awoken from my slumbers by drunk freshers strolling back from The Lemmy after a boozy Saturday, and if one gets too close, I might snap back, no approval needed. However, an example that makes my fur bristle is the image of a skinny black cat as a symbol of the strikers, with the irony being that, as the fat cats don’t need to strike, the image is comically a skinny minny. Being the fattest cat of them all (I can’t help it if students want to feed me after their midday lecture!), I am then labelled as one of these fat cats, and I’m no SCAB-by tabby! I want fairness for all, I want justice right now, but to be honest, I mostly pressingly want my next source of scran and a scratch behind the ears.

Surprise Guild election candidates to be introduced from Casa Amor

Jake Avery Music Editor

IN a surprise twist, the Students’ Guild has declared that a barrage of extra candidates for the upcoming Guild Election will be flown over from Casa Amor, the infamous alternative villa from hit reality show ‘Love Island’. Guild officials state that the decision arose from a need for “authentic, inspiring and versatile role models” to lead the

way for university students, and maintained that Casa Amor was the perfect source for “loyal and trustworthy” personnel.

The decision arose from a need for “authentic, inspiring and versatile role models”

To gain more insight into the change, Exeposé interviewed poster-boy candidate and Casa Amor hero, Chuck Nevitt. When asked

about what separated him from the other candidates, he championed the fact that he “is always prepared to graft,” a statement also boasted by every other member of the roster from Casa Amor. “It’s really just about the basics sometimes — I’ve got great vibes and I’m eager to crack on with the job”

Chuck informed us with a keen grin. “And when it comes down to the other peeps from Casa, they’re all laying it on Factor 50. I don’t believe there’s any kind of connection between them and the stu-

dent body. They simply won’t mug me off in favour of some melts.”

When the topic of his possible failure was broached, he provided a lengthy explanation about his thoughts on the matter: “It is what it is.”

It is what it is

Season nine of the Students’ Guild Elections begins on 22nd February. Voting is free — T&C’s apply.

Taco Bill: Gas(trointestinal) emissions are a genius way to

Pollyanna Roberts Deputy Editor

AS the cost-of-living crisis continues to eat at our brains and bank accounts, students are desperately looking for ways to save money and heat their homes. Fear not — Sidwell Street might just have the answer. Exeter students, hold onto your flat caps, Exeter is welcoming a new chain: Taco Bell!

heat your student home

Whenever you get the chance, hop on down and get a piece of the American dream. While initial reviews suggest that Taco Bell doesn’t end with a good taste, its after effects (approximately two hours post-consumption) can change your world in more ways than one. Eating at Taco Bell offers a cheaper way to heat your student home. Next time someone wants to turn on the heating, keep your hands off the thermostat and or-

der a Taco Bell instead. Simply capture the gas emitted post-consumption, bottle it in a camping gas canister, and hook it up to your appliances, leaving warm homes (and stomachs) for everyone.

Simply capture the gas [...] bottle it in a camping gas cannister, and hook it up to your appliances...

Exeposé asked 2nd year student, Belle Softe-Shelle, about this exciting revelation. “We haven’t turned on the heating since December, we just eat Taco Bell three nights a week, and with some extra sriracha we get more than enough heat!” However, she also expressed some qualms with this new money-saving hack: “That being said, I fear the price of all the Febreze we buy costs as much as having the heating on for six hours a day.”

Napoleon, Streatham Campus Cat (Gracie Moore, Lifestyle Editor)

Image: Grand Velas Riviera Maya, Flickr

lifestyle

How to stay productive during the strikes

Emilie Pierce shares her tips on how to make the most of time outside of lectures

EIGHTEEN days of teacher strikes is frustrating for many students, and it can be significantly challenging to remain motivated to work when lectures are cancelled, especially when a class is cancelled on your arrival at 8:30am. In order to help you with managing this period of uncertainty, when your usual timetable has no doubt been disrupted, here are several tips regarding how to stay productive.

First and foremost, it is important to decide your preferred working environment. If your class is cancelled you may choose to stay and work somewhere on campus, such as in the library or perhaps a café if you enjoy some background noise. However, if you opt to work from home during the strikes, creating a space where you can focus is crucial. It is unlikely that you will be hugely productive if your idea of working from home consists of laying in bed with your laptop.

Aim to organise your day by setting out clear objectives. Creating a paper list or using an online application, such as Google Calendar, will allow you to visualise your daily tasks and tick them off as they are completed. When beginning your to do list, figure out which time of the day you naturally feel more focused and plan to do your most challenging task then. Procrasti-

nating the difficult tasks is often tempting, but can quickly lead to many piling up. In this situation, setting small goals and focusing on one thing at a time should stop you from feeling overwhelmed. However, remember to be realistic when setting out objectives and to try not to compare yourself with others. This especially relates to people on social media at this time of year, when New Year's resolutions involving extreme discipline seem intrinsic to a high level of productivity. Of course, a level of discipline is always necessary when it comes to studying; however, you should not be so tough on yourself that you do not take breaks. Be sure to take time away from your desk and computer so that you feel relaxed and recuperated upon your return. Generally, you should set an approximate time boundary regarding how long you remain in your chosen working environment. Without allowing yourself time to rest each day, you may find that you burn out rapidly. Finally, staying connected with friends during the strikes is invaluable. It can be easy to feel alone when studying from home for an extended period of time. Doing something social can be used as a way of rewarding yourself for completing daily tasks, or the two can

LGBTQ+ history month

Harry Craig, Music Editor, tells us why it should matter to us all

Trigger Warning: This article contains content relating to suicide which some readers may find distressing.

LGBTQ+ history: the Stonewall Riots, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, Section 28. This was abolished, gay marriage was legalised, and all homophobia suddenly disappeared and the LGBTQ+ community achieved equality. Except, as we all know, that simply isn’t the case.

LGBTQ+ rights have certainly come a long way — it was less than 60 years ago that merely being homosexual would land you in prison in England.

Yet in 68 countries, that is still the case. In ten of these, homosexual acts can even result in the death penalty. It’s a scary thought that of the 22 countries I’ve visited, openly expressing my sexuality would be illegal in three of them.

Closer to home, too, the LGBTQ+ community are under attack. We have seen the transgender community scapegoated in culture wars, whilst hate crimes based on sexual orientation have doubled since 2018. My favourite album,The Killers’Pres-

sure Machine, includes a beautifully moving track, ‘Terrible Thing’, about a gay teenager who commits suicide — a reminder that 68 per cent of LGBTQ+ young people have experienced suicidal thoughts.

As a young bisexual man, I understand what homophobia looks like, and it remains scarily rife. I am lucky that I’ve never had to face the brunt of this, but am still brutally aware of the far too frequent slurs and discrimination. Biphobia also prevails in society, in which bi women are treated as 'basically straight', and bi men are treated as 'basically gay.' Nonetheless, as much as LGBTQ+ History Month is a time to commiserate, it is also a time to celebrate the many LGBTQ+ icons throughout our history — Alan Turing, Freddie Mercury, Oscar Wilde and many more. It is thanks to these pioneers across the worlds of politics, entertainment and culture that I and millions of others are now able to live in relative freedom. Sadly, there are still far too many across the world who cannot do so.

Those that have gone before us have fought tenaciously for our rights, but this fight must continue. That is why LGBTQ+ History Month matters.

be combined by studying with a friend. In essence, remember to not go unsupported and not to forget about your friends who are also likely studying at home by themselves.

In conclusion, several tips regarding how

to remain productive are: decide your preferred working environment on campus or create a working environment at home, organise your day, manage your workload, allow yourself breaks and check in with friends.

This Girl Can

THIS Girl Can was launched by Sport England in 2015 and is designed to inspire those who identify as women, of all ages and abilities, to get involved in sport. Though the sport industry has progressed thoroughly in recent years, there is still a gap between men and women, with participation rates being drastically lower for women according to Active People. This can be due to the lack of opportunities, as well as the vast societal pressures women are put under, which is why the University is taking part in This Girl Can this February. As well as active sessions, there are educational menstrual cycle workshops to decrease the stigma around periods and raise awareness about our bodies!

Activities are already underway; there are many programmes to join, ranging from a course in Barbells to help with gym anxiety, to a self-defence programme taking place every Monday in the Sports Park studios. If

these aren’t your cup of tea, why not try a classic Pilates or yoga class, which also take place during term time if you find yourself inspired to continue! Most of these activities are free, with a small charge for some, increasing the accessibility, so everyone can join.

With insecurities being a big pull away from sport, This Girl Can aims to encourage moving one’s body mindfully, especially in the stressful world we live in. However, if you fancy watching the professionals and want to get inspired to pursue sport competitively, there are many netball and hockey fixtures available to watch, so you can bleed green beside fellow students and athletes. Many societies are also running taster or free sessions, such as EUAC’s social runs, where members and non-members are welcome to join to catch some fresh air together! There are many opportunities for everyone, so be sure to check out the This Girl Can at the University of Exeter page for more information.

Image: Kieran Moore

Amberly Wright enlightens us to the wonders of female empowerment and how to get involved

Image: Onanymous, Wikimediacommons

Image: Wendy Carlyle, Flickr

The best pancake recipe

Howard Winsten-Korver provides the fool-proof crêpe recipe for Shrove Tuesday

IT'S still cold, but the weather is brightening, there are flowers cropping up around Exeter, and it’s now starting to stay light past 3pm! What better way to celebrate the ending of the cold and dark winter than with crêpes? Below is my favourite recipe for crêpes, as well as some ideas for fillings!

Creating the batter

1. Dilute 200ml of milk with 100ml of water.

2. Add 140g of flour to a large mixing bowl with a pinch of salt.

3. Create a well in the middle of the flour and add two eggs.

4. Start whisking and add the milk/water mixture while doing this.

5. Melt 25g butter in the microwave for a few seconds.

6. Add the melted butter and whisk until the batter is smooth.

Frying the crêpes

1. Add a few tablespoons of vegetable oil to your pan on a medium heat.

2. Discard the oil into a small bowl when when pan is coated and hot.

3. Add a thin layer of the batter to the pan.

4. Let this fry for a few minutes until you can easily slide a spatula under the crêpe.

5. Now for the fun part — give the crêpe a flip so that the other side lands on the surface of the pan — flip with confidence to ensure success! (Alternatively, you can flip the crêpe with a spatula to avoid upsetting your flatmates!)

6. Fry this side for a few minutes and then put on a plate.

7. Add the oil back to the pan (be careful as it might spit!) to regrease the pan, and then discard it into the bowl again.

8. Add a thin layer of the batter to the pan.

9. Repeat this process until all the mixture has been used up.

Best time to study

Lifestyle writers debate the best time of day to hit the books

MORNINGS. Love them or hate them, getting up early can improve study. Accomplishing tasks early on in the day can make you feel capable of smashing your goals. Yet is establishing a productive morning routine really worth sacrificing those extra hours in bed?

Studies suggest that, yes, early mornings are the best time in which to work. Ron Friedman, author of The Best Place to Work , notes that those who study in the morning have fewer distractions. This seems true; you tend to receive fewer notifications and encounter fewer people, with housemates attending lectures, jobs, or still sleeping! The morning is when people are their most creative, ideas flowing freely without a day’s worth of thoughts weighing on the mind. Completing assignments in the morning reduces daily stress because you have the rest of the day to do things you enjoy. This frees up afternoons and evenings for your favourite hobbies and socialising with friends. Having something to look forward to is a great incentive to finish tedious work. A reward system is created which motivates you to study but also ensures you take time out from staring at a laptop, crucially without feeling guilty for doing so. By working in the mornings, you can achieve a success -

ful work-life balance, which is no mean feat. Remember that you should study at whatever time works best for you. Some people are destined to be night owls. However, think back to the number of evenings you have spent watching television or on your phone, too tired to imagine doing anything else. Is this really the time of day in which you feel most able to concentrate?

Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, wakes up at 3:45am and look where that got him. So, set that alarm even just 15 minutes earlier and reap the benefits of morning study!

Alice Coe

WHILE an early riser is often praised for being productive before many of us have even woken up, some prefer to burn the midnight oil. Perhaps it’s just the English student in me, but there is something calming about writing assignments at night. With the rain pouring (as it so often does in Devon) and the outside world asleep, studying at night offers less distraction. As a student, choosing to study late may interfere with social plans, however, with a sensible balance you are more than capable of choosing both. I find I would rather study in the evenings as I can go out without the worry of impending deadlines, projects or reading. If anything, the added hour or two of sleep in the morning will feel much more enjoyable and deserved. Personally, my best academic work has more often than not been written at the midnight hour. For those of you who are yet to try studying at night, here are some things I would recommend.

Firstly, instrumental music is a must, not

Fillings

Get creative with your fillings! Experiment with savoury fillings as well as sweet — below is my favourite savoury filling which will hopefully inspire some of your own ideas!

Mushroom filling

1. Brush any visible dirt off your mushrooms (don’t wash them as this will affect their texture).

2. Chop up an onion and fry for five minutes in olive oil.

3. Add the mushrooms and cook both the onions and garlic for a further five minutes. Also add oregano and paprika if you have these.

4. In the final two minutes add grated cheese

5. Add salt and pepper to taste.

only does it keep you awake and provide some background noise, but the lack of lyrics cancels out the desire to sing along. A more obvious suggestion is comfortable clothes and a caffeinated drink. At night, time seems to pass quicker so it is important to make a schedule and keep track of your workload. I find writing two small lists the most useful, one stating tasks I need to complete and the other a rough plan of what I am going to tackle every 30 minutes of studying. Lastly, I would suggest changing your work location — even if this just means switching ends of the desk or from your bed to the floor — staying stuck in the same place for hours on end is not likely to help your creative outlet. While the question of what time is best to work remains subjective, I would urge you to take the time to try out both and work out which is best for you.

Anabel Costa-Ferreira, Comment Editor

Image: Alpha, Flickr Image: Alpha, Flickr

Image: Kristina Servant, Wikimedia commons

Image: Alosh Bennett, Flickr

arts + lit

LGBTQ+ voices

Arts and Lit writers discuss their favourite LGBTQ+ artists and writers

Nan Goldin

UPON the release of the Oscar nominated documentary All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, many are being re-familiarised with the revolutionary photographer and activist Nan Goldin. An artist who broke the boundaries of the tragic mould her life was cast in, and made art out of her life generations before the modern era of commodification encroached upon creativity, she transgressed social boundaries and held up her community, and her practice, sacred to her way of life. Her work, life, and activism as part of P.A.I.N (Prescription Addiction Intervention Now) intersect across the six sections of the film. It is emotionally turbulent to say the least — I came out of the theatre with a sense of sadness, a gratefulness for the life I’ve been able to live, and a new perspective on the importance of having a place where you belong. Consistently being reminded of the rabid dog-to-the-bone capitalism which claws greedily at the fibre of art and life in the form of the Sackler family and their involvement in the ongoing opioid crisis, the slideshows of the underground/outcast communities reminds you of the comfort and safety when you are amongst the people you love, and the pain felt when you are cast aside, criminalised, and stigmatised, for being who you are. Part of the whirlwind is the suicide of Goldin’s sister, casting a dark shadow on her life, and painting a picture of a country and family at such a loss with itself, and so internally broken, it cannot help throwing up things which save it from dying. Metaphors aside, the film and work of Goldin has never been more relevant. Not only is it a reminder that we urgently need to fight against the institutions which afflict our right to live the lives we want, but it also reminds us that however hard life gets, life goes on.

Joshua Smith, Arts+ Lit Editor

Virginia Woolf Federico Garcia Lorca

VIRGINIA Woolf’s Orlando is not simply about, or featuring LGBTQ+ identity — the modernist novel is an act of queer love itself. Orlando satirises English history, chronicling the adventures of it protagonist across 400 years, changing from man to woman, experiencing Elizabeth politics through to the 19th century literary scene — all without ageing. The novel has been praised for its exploration of gender identity and sexuality, themes which preoccupied many of those in the Bloomsbury Group, Woolf’s circle of writers and artists. However, the novel was inspired too by Woolf’s relationship with fellow Bloomsbury member, Vita SackvilleWest. Woolf and Sackville-West met in 1922, embarking on a ten year relationship in which they produced some of their best works. Orlando was inspired by Vita, with references to her ancestry and travels, and including the dedication ‘Vita from Virginia’. Virginia even included photographs of Vita across the novel in different costumes relating to Orlando’s different personas. Virginia and Vita exchanged numerous letters and it is here that we get the most pertinent glimpse into their love story. Their letters are complicated, competitive and beautiful pieces of prose — insights into a real and genuine relationship between two women at a time when few were able to be open about their sexuality. Orlando can be viewed as an extended form of these letters; it is, in the words of Vita’s son, Nigel Nicholson “the longest and most charming love letter in literature.”

Amy Rushton, News Editor

FEDERICO García Lorca was tragically murdered by the Spanish Nationalist forces during the outbreak of the civil war there, just as he was making a literary name for himself. One of my favourite plays of his, La Casa de Bernarda Alba, is set around the time of the Spanish Civil War and follows the story of Bernarda who forces her five daughters to stay at home in mourning with her when their father passes away. It tracks their frustration of being sequestered at home, sexually repressed and generally bored. Unfortunately, it is a neat reflection of how women were treated before and during Franco’s dictatorship in Spain and now, in retrospect, also reflects Lorca’s own repression and poor treatment. Lorca was gay and was murdered partly for this and partly for his anti-nationalist literature. The tragic plot of La Casa de Bernarda Alba demonstrates Lorca’s own personal frustration at not being allowed to fully express who he was, hiding that part of himself from the world until much later in life. The parallels to the sisters of the play are obvious when Lorca’s other plays and poems are examined, as there is often a sense of subjugation present, as that would have been his own unfortunate reality too.

Gracie Moore, Lifestyle Editor

A medieval labyrinth

Joshua Smith, Arts and Lit Editor, reviews Exeter’s underground passages

THE underground tunnels of Exeter are a remarkable feature of the city’s past. Traversing through the medieval beginnings of the city’s water source, the English civil war, and the world wars of the 20th century, they have been a constant presence in the social and civic development of the city as we know it today. Guided tours are open to the public

and are one of the most popular attractions for tourists visiting the city. They are led by a group of charismatic, professional people dedicated to making the experience fun for all ages. Regarding the tunnels themselves, they were constructed in two different time periods, the medieval, and the modern day. The former ones were done by the craftsmen employed by the

cathedral, and the pipes run from around the top of Sidwell Street to the cathedral itself. During this period, the clean water transported was for the use of the rich clergymen who could afford it. A growing population meant the masons and workmen employed to build the cathedral were employed to rebuild the city’s water supply. The wells at St. Sidwell’s were an important catalyst

Between the sheets

Livvy

OVER the course of the summer break, I decided it was finally time for me to tackle the piles of books that I had bought but never had the time to read. One of those books that I chose to read was Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s Before the Coffee Gets Cold. The novel centres around a cafe in Tokyo that has been selling expertly prepared coffee for more than a century, hidden away in a little back lane. But this coffee shop gives its patrons a one-of-akind opportunity: the chance to go back in time. We meet four visitors in Before the Coffee Gets Cold, each of whom want to take advantage of the cafe’s time-traveling offer in order to: confront the man who left them; receive a letter from their husband whose memory has been

taken by early onset Alzheimer’s; see their sister for the last time; and meet the daughter they never got the chance to know. Customers must sit in a specific seat, and they are not allowed to leave the cafe. They must finally return to the present before the coffee becomes cold. My favourite out of the four storylines was the second story titled ‘Husband and Wife’. It demonstrated how despite the husband’s Alzheimer’s, his wife would still love him and treat him the same, despite him forgetting who she was. It was difficult to read how the wife felt in this situation, as she decided to travel back to see her husband before he had forgotten her. The husband she visits in the past asks her whether he had forgotten her in the future to

which she lies and tells him that he gets better, her husband secretly not believing her. However, when she returns to the present, she realises that even though he may have forgotten her name and face, a part of him still remembers her, and that is what she is clinging to, because the travel journal he always carries with him is filled with the locations they have visited together. Even though their relationship is painful, as she watches her husband’s memory decay, to her he will always be the same person she fell in love with. Therefore, this storyline proves that people’s love for one another is lasting and that those who are supposed to be together will always find their way back to each other.

With the novel’s intriguing plotline, one lesson

for the development of Exeter to its status as an important economic hub in the southwest. In the civil war the pipes were melted down for bullets as part of the city’s defensive strategy, and during the two world wars, the tunnels were important bomb shelters. If you want to find out more about the fascinating history of Exeter, head to the underground tunnels!

it taught me is to appreciate how precious time is, especially the time you spend with your loved ones. The book made me emotional, particularly the second, third and fourth stories which focused on love and loss. The time-travelling element of the story made me reflective and wish that time travel was truly possible but, in reality, the past is the past. The fleeting nature of the time travel visits, having to drink the coffee before it goes cold added to the idea that there isn’t any time left to change the past as it has already happened. Most importantly, the novel taught me that no matter how hard you try, you cannot change the past and you can only reflect on how you can shape your present and future.

Image: Flickr

Stunt casting: a comedy of errors?

Ella Minty, Arts and Lit Editor, discusses if stunt casting actually works

FIRST it was Love Island’s Laura Whitmore; now X-Factor judge Cheryl Cole has been cast in 2:22 A Ghost Story on the West End. Both women come from a background of being on TV, but this is common for stunt casting (that is, celebrities being cast because of their status and ability to sell tickets). A West End musical offers the ease of being able to hide behind the music and big ensemble numbers; however, 2:22 A Ghost Story is a play. A play provides less opportunity to be concealed; if the acting is bad, there is no music to hide behind. Previous stars of this play also include popstar Lily Allen and Queen of the Jungle Giovanna Fletcher,

Prejudiced

who did go to drama school. Fans have tweeted their support for Cheryl Cole, and Lily Allen won the WhatsOnStage Award for the best performer in a female identifying role last year; there have also been brilliant reviews for the play, with it being rated four out of five stars from all major newspapers in the UK. This seems to be a play where stunt casting works; other instances of this happening, though, have not worked out so well.

Joe Sugg’s entrance into Waitress the Musical after being on Strictly Come Dancing in 2018 caused controversy. Going into the role of Ogie, a supporting character with a couple of solo songs, the role is a comedic one, but a good singing

voice is also required. I saw the show with Joe in it; whilst he was very funny, and surprisingly good at acting, his voice was just not up to scratch.

Moments of being slightly flat were arguably counteracted by how good his acting was, though. He got the most laughs from the audience as the comedic stock character in the musical, bringing some needed comedic relief to the upsetting theme of domestic abuse the musical is centred around. But this type of stunt casting is often criticised; instead of hiring someone who has trained in drama school for years, the casting team is often accused of choosing celebrities because they will sell tickets for the show and create good

publicity. This is what happened with Joe; prior to Strictly, he had no acting or singing experience.

So, although it may work in some scenarios, I think casting directors need to ask themselves this question: despite the fact stunt casting may sell tickets, do you want your show to become a laughing stock if the celebrity you employ just isn’t up to the job?

or just misunderstood: pretentiousness in action

Emily Sara Rizzo discusses if pretentiousness is overrated

THE word ‘pretentious’ seems to shrink from common conversation, hiding rather in the dark corners of art exhibitions, film festivals, poetry gatherings and the like. But why does this elusive term have so much weight in the arts, when ‘snobby’ and ‘arrogant’ are more easily used in other contexts? This may just be because we don’t like to admit we’re out of our depth when it comes to the arts or, more generally, anything that is seen as universally accessible and understandable. If you’re a budding film enthusiast and you’ve just stumbled across the chaos and ambiguity of the French New Wave, after hearing all the praise it’s received in the world of cinema, you may be left a

little flat after tentatively approaching these films. Whether they leave you disappointed in yourself or in the art form, you’ll probably be left wondering why everyone else was able to see something special, while you were untouched by whatever magic was supposed to seep through the screen. And as the feeling of exclusion and belittlement sets in, you scramble to find a reason to defend your pride and artistic taste. The stamp of pretentiousness is thus bestowed. Can we justify this premature opinion? We’re faced with a puzzle and two options are before us; we can try to infiltrate the thick barrier that separates us from understanding or we can spare ourselves

the effort by deciding it’s not worth our time. By calling something pretentious we refuse to try and see from another person’s point of view because it’s just not what we’re used to. Anything can be seen as pretentious due to its simple way of targeting a niche audience; after all, pretentiousness is just assuming that you’re interacting with people who are on the same level of meaning as you. Then again, maybe the word means something entirely different. There is no shortage of examples that show how some people or movements intentionally exclude certain audiences, deeming them unworthy of their own high quality of living.

This form of pretentiousness is just an excuse for cultural snubbing and is rightly held in disdain for its prejudices and unwarranted bias. So, before you next pass something off as pretentious, take a moment to think about what has induced that reaction, because misunderstanding something’s value does a disservice to both it and yourself. But don’t be afraid to call out blinkered pretentiousness when you see it.

Are art galleries invasive and ugly?

Agata Koralewska, International Editor, explores the often out-of-place architecture of art galleries

THE recent debate concerning the space that art galleries occupy in public has been revived by the ruling of the Supreme Court that Tate Modern art gallery is affecting the privacy of the nearby luxury flats. Some of the residents complained how the passing tourists, heading to the gallery, photograph everything around the museum and peek into the interiors of the households. In addition to that, some locals comment on ‘visual intrusion’ as the building’s unique architecture blocks any other views from the windows. Art galleries tend to be buildings that often don’t match the infrastructure surrounding them; a good example of that can be the Tate St Ives gallery in Cornwall.

Tate St Ives is a plain, round building, looking very solid and almost out of place compared to the neighbouring houses. The residents of the seaside town in Cornwall have complained about its distinctiveness from its surroundings. As the gallery is close to the beach, it is strange to look at the swimmers, surfers and people walking their dogs with the art gallery in the background. However, it is said to be a crucial influence in promotion of Cornish art and culture. It also brings in a lot of tourists

that fuel the local economy. Many young people leave the town as the job market is small and the wages poor, so that working in an industry connected to tourism could become a way of improving the economy. The gallery brings in people from the outside, therefore there are more opportunities for working in hospitality.

The question of how artistic sites impact the local communities is more and more relevant in modern society.

Contemporary art can surprise and scare

Author of the Week

THIS week I have decided to focus on Elizabeth Gaskell, a 19th-century author with lots to say about the position of women in Victorian society. After reading Ruth for my third-year English module Sex, Scandal and Sensation in Victorian Literature, I can honestly say it’s one of the best books I have ever read.

It tells the tale of the titular heroine Ruth, an orphaned 16-year-old girl who gets seduced by Mr Bellingham, an older gentleman; she gets abandoned by him and she becomes pregnant as a result of their encounter. Left to survive in a world unkind to ‘fallen women’ such as herself, she gets taken in by the kind Mr Benson, a

dissenting church minister, who invents a new persona for Ruth as a widowed mother so she doesn’t get shunned by society. Although Ruth’s passivity is frustrating in parts of the novel, it shows the endearing journey of a young mother; Gaskell aims to show that societal discourse is to blame for the shunning of fallen women,

some people as it can sometimes not be as aesthetically pleasing as the well-known classics. But is it justified to call art galleries ‘ugly’ just because they might not fit in with the common use buildings? After all, architects who designed them might be themselves considered artists as art galleries are often designed with thoughtfulness and consideration of how they interact with the artworks displayed in them. In St Ives, many people started to appreciate the Tate gallery for bringing more tourists into town. Considering that, maybe Tate Modern in London should be more appreciated for the world recognition that it brings to the city and forgiven for the disruption of the nearby residents.

and that everyone is capable of redeeming themselves through a good morality and kind nature. Revolutionising discourse around femininity and sympathising with women’s place in Victorian society, Gaskell’s books are important to the wider reflection on patriarchy and how judgemental society could be about women.

Ella Minty, Arts and Lit Editor, talks about a nineteenth-century classic

Image Geograph Artist: Pam Fray

ANYTHING CAN BE SEEN AS PRETENTIOUS

MUSIC

greatly exaggerated"

Music writers give their ardent defence of the album as a music format

WHILE singles and EPs often tend to be more successful, there is something undeniably beautiful about the form of an album. I view the album form quite like how you would see a book. Though there are separate chapters (songs), they all function together to create a collective whole (the album).

Though they can be understood and perceived separately in their meanings, songs hold a greater meaning in their collective whole. Take for instance Adele’s 2011 album 21 — in exploring heartbreak, the album format enables her to explore the anger, loss, and grief at her relationship’s end. From ‘Rumour Has It’ to ‘Set Fire to the Rain’, this incredible emotional range is something an artist would find impossible to capture in a single song.

SONGS HOLD A GREATER MEANING IN THEIR COLLECTIVE WHOLE

In recent years, we are left to question whether this musical form is slowly dying, and whether we are near to an age of exclusively EPs and singles. It is often suggested that the reasoning behind this shift is due to the increased popularity of stream-

ing. This is evident through reports of growing numbers of monthly users, with reported figures of 32 to 39 million between 2019-2021. Though the artists we choose to listen to are paid as ‘rights holders’ they are more often than not paid pitiful amounts per stream. We need to consider the importance of still purchasing music in CD and Vinyl format, as this often provides more support to the artist directly.

I would argue the more personal form of the album will continue to encourage musicians to engage with it — and as far as they prioritise (and are able to) look at purpose above profit, the album form is more than certainly here to stay. Now, like most others, I will continue to listen to extensive hours of Spotify, but in this changing time, I will also contin ue (and encourage others) to buy CDs and listen to the story of an album.

Anabel Costa-Ferreira, Comment Editor

IS there any greater excitement than the countdown to midnight to listen to a new album from your favourite artist — or, if you’re lucky enough, the hope that the pre-ordered physical copy might drop through your letter box a few days early? Unlike singles or EPs, albums can tell us stories, and for 40 minutes or so transport us into outer space, rural America, or anywhere in between. My favourite album of all time, The Killers’ Pressure Machine , epitomises the ability of albums to create stories. In 50 minutes, it paints a portrait of lead singer Brandon Flowers’ life in Utah, spanning drug addiction, homophobia, and cooking eggs in bacon grease. I can listen to the songs on their own in playlists, but nothing matches listening in full to a well-made album. As an album diehard, I always implore my friends to listen to al-

Pushing the boundaries

Lisette Reed discusses music's history of pushing the boundaries of sexuality and gender

SINCE its beginning, the music industry has been utilised as a form of liberation in its ability to push the boundaries of gender conformities and sexuality. Whether artists have employed its significance to make a social commentary, for example Queen’s 'I Want to Break Free' music video, or to express themselves and their identities, the music industry has always been a tool to defy, and even break, social boundaries, whilst shooting LGBTQ+ musicians into stardom. The beauty of music allows self-expression in any form, whether through music videos, lyrics or just an artist’s distinctive look. This is why the industry has been adopted by many LGBTQ+ creatives; there are no limits.

Throughout history, some of the most iconic and talented musicians have been part of the LGBTQ+ community, and/or have been renowned for their defiance of gen der traditions and heteronormative boundaries. With the likes of Prince, David Bowie and Freddie Mercury dominating the charts in the 70s and 80s, their songs boost ed LGBTQ+ representations in main stream media, whilst also encouraging a newfound resistance to societal limitations.

Though Prince, best known for his songs 'Purple Rain' and 'Raspberry Beret', never confirmed any of the rumours regarding his sexuality, his androgynous fashion sense and his fluidity to the gender-bias of style highlights his defiance. Despite many of his contemporaries, including George Michael, experimenting with their fashion styles and incorporating more traditionally feminine pieces into their outfits, Prince’s originality stemmed from the iconic elements of his style, including ruffles and pearls, quintessential to any Prince look. His combination of typically masculine suits and feminine jewellery and lace, paired with eyeliner, pushed the boundaries of gender.

As well as this, Prince’s poetic lyrics encapsulate his disregard of the masculine binary — there's a strong sensitivity in each line, and the layers behind these distinguish the lack of conformity needed when it comes to love. Prince’s style was joined by David Bowie, with his eccentric fashion sense and his persona Ziggy Stardust; Bowie’s authentic sounds mixed with his iconic looks influenced the future of the music industry,

with many subsequent artists taking inspiration from him.

With musicians of the 70s and 80s paving the way for LGBTQ+ creatives now, the music industry’s inclusivity has expanded in many ways, allowing queer artists from all backgrounds to tell their own stories. One of the most popular and flamboyant artists at the moment is Sam Smith. The nonbinary singer began their career in 2014, but their most recent album Gloria combines the fluidity and freedom of their sexuality with many soulful tunes. In Smith’s own words, it’s about “emotional, sexual, and spiritual liberation.”

The most popular track on the album, ‘Unholy’, features transgender icon Kim Petras. The song’s music video features the two starring in a cabaret show, exposing a cheating husband. The glitz and glamour of the video is incorporated into a kaleidoscope of sexuality and gender fluidity — there are no rules, and it is abundantly clear why the song is so successful. With music like this becoming a major part of mainstream media, music is helping to gradually break down the stigmatisation of sexuality and gender, allowing self-expression and more relatable representations to be portrayed.

bums, rather than just sticking a playlist on shuffle. A good album is not just a collection of good songs — it delivers a cohesive package of instrumentals and lyrics to make you feel something, and provide a message for the listener. Coldplay’s Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends makes me want to storm the Bastille. Florence + The Machine’s Dance Fever makes me want to join Florence’s cult. George Ezra’s Staying at Tamara’s makes me want to have some cocktails in the sun. Although more artists may shift towards singles and EPs, the album is far from dead. Indeed, the last few years have seen some incredible albums released that still capture popular attention and imagination: The 1975’s Being Funny in a Foreign Language, Olivia Rodrigo’s SOUR , and some I have already mentioned. Shorter and longer forms of music artistry can co-exist, much like how TikTok and YouTube can; each has a different purpose, albeit using the same media format. Irrespective of how streaming changes the industry, albums are here to stay — and this can only be a good thing.

Harry Craig, Music Editor

New Release Radar

This Is Why Paramore

Released: 10 February 2023

Five and a half years since their last album, After Laughter, Paramore finally made their long-awaited return earlier this month with their sixth studio album, This Is Why

It has been met with widespread critical acclaim, including a five-star review from NME, and it is certainly easy to see why, as it is arguably the best release of 2023 so far.

Hayley Williams and co. fuse their classic post-punk sound with classical rock influences; the album's tracks are driven by lively guitar and drums. There is an incredible range of sounds, from soaring dance tracks like title track and lead single 'This Is Why', to slower, mature songs like 'Crave'.

Top Tracks: 'This Is Why'; 'Running Out Of Time'; 'C'est Comme Ça'

Harry Craig, Music Editor

"Rumours of my death have been

THE BEAUTY OF MUSIC ALLOWS SELF-EXPRESSION IN ANY FORM

Image: Ron Frazier, Flickr

Image: ALTEREDSNAPS, Pexels

Image: Exeter Guild

Image: Ralph_PH, Flickr

Live review: China Bears at Cavern

Jake Avery, Music Editor, reviews the second date of their UK headline tour

complex feelings can be expressed through tender vocal lines without losing any of the emotional release.

Lead guitarist and twin brother to Ivan, Frazer, exhibited an excellent sway over the guitar, bringing flushes of cool-tempered strokes throughout the performance; the interplay between each brother’s melodic work was perfect, with each part being equally as integral to forming an enriching tapestry of both tranquil melodies and electric motifs.

WHEN it comes to moving a crowd, China Bears summon an audience response that bursts with catharsis and joy. An excellent set graced Cavern on 10th February as the Guildford-formed band provided an eclectic mix of introspective songs, many being from their brilliant latest EP, All That Distance Frontman Ivan charmed the audience with his earnest vocal delivery, an attribute that serves as the core of China Bears’ emotionally resonant sound. He expertly navigated through lyrical lines that pour with themes ranging from longing for a lover to processing one’s own insecurities — both topics that are elevated by a gentle and yet charged performance. The chorus of ‘I’m Not Eating Like I Used To’ was a particularly inspiring showcase of how

James Zealey’s basslines were engag-

maintained by all members of the band were impeccable; each track rippled and swelled effortlessly, and in a manner that could only have been achieved by a group of individuals who have dedicated not only the time to honing their craft — but most importantly, their ability to converse with and work effectively alongside their fellow bandmates.

instrument; this versatility shone through undeniably brightly throughout their Cavern performance. Sprinkled into the set was a new track from the band’s upcoming debut LP, a captivating taste of what’s coming soon from a band that have developed a robust sense of identity and firm grip on melody before they’ve even released a full length LP.

ing and prominent throughout the set also — tracks such as ‘Coming of Age’ feature basslines that bloom with zeal, and the sound mixing throughout the set in conjunction with Zealey’s excellent rhythmic control over the instrument allowed the bass to further flourish.

Keeping all of this on track was Dean’s drumming, a component that remained dynamic and clear. The composure and balance

Further enhancing the textural richness of the set were two extra touring members, with session musicians Jonny Elstone on keyboard and Curtis providing a horn section that contributed an extra emotionally charged punch to the climaxes of various tracks. These extra dimensions brought even more potency to the delivery of each song, but not at the expense of clarity. One of the tenets of what makes China Bears such a brilliant live act are the vocal capabilities of all members of the band; vocal harmonies between Ivan and Frazer are supplemenented monumentally by the interplay between drummer Dean and James. All of this reaches an apex with the final song ‘I’ve Never Met Anyone Like You’ (a performance demanded by the audience after the band initially closed their set) as China Bears gathered in a circle at the center of the crowd for an incredibly hypnotic acapella rendition of the track. The connection between each member’s vocals was superb, and there was a tangible excitement in the air as the audience raised their phone lights.

Having studied songwriting and music degrees together at university, each member also excels outside of their respective

International Spotlight: Angèle

What glistens the most from China Bears, though, is the integrity within their songwriting that is crystallised through their performance; this shone through eloquently throughout their Cavern set — the audience was mesmerised.

Manon Martini, Online Arts + Lit Editor, explores the Belgian musician's messages and background

THE Belgian pop sensation who has sold millions of records in her home country and across France is one of the hottest artists on the French-speaking scene right now. She seems to be on every radio station across Europe and her songs are infectiously catchy. A Franco-mix between Billie Eilish, Lana Del Ray and Taylor Swift, her breakthrough into the Anglo-American music scene following her collaboration with Dua Lipa is dismantling not only Western assumptions of ‘English-as-universal' — but the male domination of the music industry. Her feminist outlook constantly renegotiates the masculine boundaries of song writing through a proudly political reclamation of a lovesick, childlike nostalgia.

DISMANTLING... WESTERN ASSUMPTIONS

Her debut album, Brol (2018), speaks not only of heartbreak, but also of double standards and gender roles. ‘Balance Ton Quoi’, for example, refers to the Me Too movement and the 'denounce your pig' hashtag in France. The song candidly discusses misogyny and sexual violence — proposing education as a means to combat sexism. The joyful, slightly melancholic tone of the piece contrasts beautifully against

its purpose and makes for an immensely pleasurable listening experience. Angèle released ‘Tout Oublier’ with her brother, Romeo Elvis, and the pair discuss their past lovers and the ways in which one should heal and move on during the 21st century. The reoccurring rhythm of the piece is complemented by the minimal shoulder shrug dance move through out the mu sic video. The video sees Angèle and Elvis in a ski hut complete with vintage snow suits and a blazing fire. As they wander along a sweltering hot beach in their snow gear, the beautifully stylised video makes for an evocative audio-visual piece that perfectly distills the relentlessly stuffy feeling of being trapped by the emotions of a past relationship.

Whilst Angèle’s breakthrough into the English music scene is outstanding, her presence in the French and Belgian sphere is arguably even more profound. In an interview with The Guardian , Angèle says that France is still largely "behind on sexism".

She believes that "Violence against women is still treated as a taboo subject and one that’s difficult to address and is

minimised." Her light-hearted yet politically loaded anti-sexist albums are gently infiltrating sexism in her home country and across Europe. She likes to keep her albums “beautiful, accessible and light and funny” so that everyone can hear and listen to what she has to say.

Angèle faced immense controversy when her brother, Romeo Elvis, was

accused of sexually assaulting a female member of his entourage. Angèle’s refusal to speak out immediately meant that fans were questioning the authenticity of her lyrical feminism. She ended up more publicly condemned then her brother, as rape culture worked to ensure that a woman was ultimately held accountable for the actions of a man. Eventually she spoke out, condemning what her brother had done and continuing to work through theoretical feminism in her music — but by this point rape culture had reared its ugly head and the damage had been done. Whilst Angèle’s song subjects and her sudden rise to fame have meant that she has been thrust into the spotlight as a feminist role model, she notes that she is a "feminist in progress" and continues to reflect her growth and development through her song writing. With her repeated platinum albums, her record-topping singles and her reputation as the woman who beat Stromae’s record for most weeks at the top of the Belgian singles chart — Angèle is really bringing it home for the women.

EDITORS: Harry Craig and Jake Avery

HER BROTHER, ROMEO ELVIS, WAS ACCUSED OF SEXUAL ASSAULT

THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN EACH BROTHER'S MELODIC WORK WAS PERFECT

Images: Jake Avery Image: Joan

screen

Pride at the Pictures

Livvy Mason-Myhill, Deputy Editor, discusses beauty and love in Call Me by Your Name

LGBTQ+ History Month serves as a civil rights declaration about the contributions of the LGBTQ+ community while also providing role models. With this in mind, it’s the perfect time to watch LGBTQ+ films that celebrate and represent the pride community.

One film that I am drawn to is 2017’s Call Me By Your Name which explores themes of heartbreak and the discovery of sexuality. The film is famously set in Northern Italy and follows 17-year-old Elio (played by Timothée Chalamet) who spends the summer of 1983 with his family at their 17th-century villa. He quickly meets Oliver (played by Armie Hammer) a dashing PhD candidate who is serving as Elio’s father’s intern. Elio and Oliver learn the heady joy of rekindling desire over the course of a summer that will change their lives as they are immersed in the sun-drenched glory of their surroundings. The cinematography, screenplay, and soundtrack are all truly stunning in this film.

With a beautiful soundtrack to help capture the progressing relationship between Elio and Oliver, the film quintessentially captures how secret love blossoms in a time where there was still a stigma around coming out. One of my favourite elements about the film is how accepting Elio’s family and friends

are of his sexual identity. Even though Elio does not come out to anyone in the film, those close to him have an understanding of how he innately identifies.

THE FILM QUINTESSENTIALLY CAPTURES HOW SECRET LOVE BLOSSOMS

A particularly memorable scene and one of my personal favourite parts of the film is Elio’s father’s monologue to Elio. It is a potent monologue that explores a parent’s unwavering love and uncritical acceptance of their child’s development into their own person. Elio’s father tells Elio: “Look, you had a beautiful friendship. Maybe more than a friendship. And I envy you”. The most impactful part of his speech is how he implores his son to embrace the feelings of heartbreak after Oliver leaves Italy and reminds him that despite the agony and loss, there is still the joy and love that brought him to that place. This is especially highlighted when Mr Pearlman advises Elio that: “We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster that we go bankrupt by the age of 30 and have less to offer each time we start with someone new. But to make yourself feel nothing so as not to

feel anything — what a waste!”. At the same time, he’s giving him some advice for the future by warning him that if you do suppress your true emotions, you’ll end up more of a shell than a real person with something to contribute. He also says that life is too short to protect yourself and prevent your entire being from experiencing love and being loved.

The beauty of not only the setting of the film, but also of Elio and Oliver’s progressing love story has influenced me to book a trip to Crema this summer (where the film was filmed). I cannot wait to be able to visit all the iconic places that the film depicts. It will always be one of the most beautiful films that I have watched; despite the heart wrenching ending, with Elio finding out that Oliver is getting married, then proceeding to cry in front of the light of the fire whilst Sufjan Stevens’ ‘Visions of Gideon’ plays, I cannot help but feel emotional and want to rewatch the film all over again. It teaches people an important lesson to not be afraid to allow yourself to feel. Call Me by Your Name fully serves Eros by fusing lust and love, want and selflessness, flesh and spirit, but it isn’t just about sex, though that’s undoubtedly a significant part of it. Additionally, it aims to portray the excitement of that encounter and to convey the blending of

We Love You

Lucy Rawlings reviews the brand new season of You

HAS our hunter finally become the prey of his past?

Joe Goldberg, or rather his renewed identity as literature professor Jonathan Moore, returns to our screens once again to restart his life, this time attempting to settle in our own London city. There is something about Joe (Penn Badgley) strolling around Royal Holloway’s University Campus, sitting in pubs and attempting to embrace the English culture, that makes this series tantalisingly close to home.

I attempted to ignore the rather predictable pattern every time Joe begins a new life; once again, he lands a good job, with a new name, with a bookish and cosy home that just happens to have a perfect view into his future love interest’s apartment.

But of course, the present moment is never that peaceful when you have a past that enjoys tormenting you.

Viewers were left feeling rather ominous over Marianne at the end of series three, with Joe following her to Paris after Love told her of his murderous habits. This series flashes back to their encounter in Paris, as Joe, in what one could describe as a desperate chase of love, was more realistically hunting down an innocent woman. What surprises viewers is that Joe lets Mari-

anne go, even when she rejects his advances. She is able to escape his desire for her, but there is a catch — she knows he is alive, and more so, knows he is a killer. All of the other women who unearthed Joe’s obsessive and neurotic mind are now buried in earth. Will this cost Joe in the second half of the series?

Joe just seems to fall into the wrong places and meet the wrong people, which awakens the darkness that breeds within him.

The series sheds new light onto a different range of people for Joe to interact with — scriptwriters Greg Berlanti and Sera Gamble choose for Joe to experience a privileged, small-minded and naturally irritating circle of socialites, introduced by fellow professor and neighbour Malcolm Harding (Stephen Hagan). New characters include Lady Phoebe (Tilly Keeper) and her boyfriend Adam

Pratt (Lukas Gage), who seem to create a disillusioning atmosphere. These aristocrats make Joe look incongruent, as they create a vibrant and chaotic environment in bringing him into a whirlwind of alcohol, drugs and elitist petulance. It is no surprise that 30 minutes into episode one, the dead body of Malcolm is found on Joe’s kitchen table. Yet, this is a pivotal moment, because Malcolm’s murder introduces a new channel of suspense for the series: Joe’s very own stalker.

As different characters in the circle get their fair share of scrutiny from Joe as he attempts to protect his past, there is one person I could not shake off from my own suspicions. Rhys Montrose (Ed Speleers) was also an outsider in this circle of privilege, and seemed to bond with Joe over difficult childhoods. One thing You has taught me, is not to trust the supposed ‘pure’ characters. Unsurprisingly, the stalker in this English manor setting, is revealed to be Rhys in episode four as the ‘Eat the Rich Killer’. What I find rather striking is this fresh political lens upon the narrative — a classist motive for the murders committed by Rhys, who desires to destroy aristocracy. Does this all link back to Rhys and Joe being men who connect together in having a childhood full of isolation, injustice, and starved of love?

souls that have met. With all its might, it calls forth an erotic worldview, which it then lavishly bestows upon the audience.

CALL ME BY YOUR NAME FULLY SERVES EROS BY FUSING LUST AND LOVE

Of course, it would not be a series of You without a self-destructive love interest, with this series introducing Kate Lockwood (Charlotte Richie), who was Malcolm’s partner. Kate fits neatly into Joe’s type of broken women with unseeming backgrounds. She lies within this elitist circle, but seems disconnected and tempts viewers into firstly suspecting her as the stalker. This relationship seems inauthentic, with an unconvincing flittering of sexual tension that is weak and lacking passion. I thought Joe was less engaged, side-tracked, and does not have the drive for love he once had.

Is Joe a lost soul who deserves another new chance at life, craving the stability he never received as a child? Or is this merely an excuse to murder and be fuelled by a psychotic, narcissistic force?

Whether it is morally right or not, Greg Berlanti and Sera Gamble twist my mind into favouring the antagonist. Does Joe deserve a happy ending or a prison sentence? We wait until 9th March to find out.

IS JOE A LOST SOUL WHO DESERVES ANOTHER NEW CHANCE AT LIFE?

Image: Ben Rosett, Wikimedia Commons

Image: Topher McCulloch, Flickr

Image: Gordon Correll, Flickr

EDITORS: Annabelle Law and Madison Sohngen

Jennifer Coolidge: TV star and gay icon

Tom Price analyses the impact of Coolidge on the LGBTQ+ community

THE postmodern era has seen the rise of several significant artistic movements, from post-minimalism to pop art. Whilst these movements, and the artists behind them can be considered influential, none are comparable to the recent renaissance of Ms Jennifer Coolidge. The Jenaissance if you will. Whilst Ms Coolidge has long been embraced by gay men since her scene-stealing roles in Legally Blonde and Two Broke Girls , it is her recent portrayal of Tanya McQuoid in The White Lotus that has cemented her star status and re-introduced her to wider society. Ms McQuoid is the deranged heart of both seasons one and two of Mike White’s satirical anthology of America’s upper class. McQuoid is self-centred, delusional and probably awful. She also (spoilers!!) violently murders several gay men. For her valiant efforts to humanise and make likeable what would otherwise be an insufferable character, Coolidge has received the widest acclaim of her career. She won her first Golden Globe at the age of 61, subverting the ageism that is rife within the entertainment industry. Her portrayal of Tanya McQuoid bucks the trend and proves that actresses over the age of 40 don’t just have to retreat to period dramas and biopics. Throughout her career, Coolidge has played sexually liberated female characters, consistently unafraid in her frank depictions of female sexuality. She lives her life on her terms, not submitting to the sexless, virginial role that society enforces upon women over 40. Coolidge herself has freely admitted (perhaps in hy-

perbole) that her role as the original MILF ‘Stiflers Mom’ in American Pie allowed her to sleep with “like 200 people” that she wouldn’t have had the chance to otherwise.

MS COOLIDGE HAS LONG BEEN EMBRACED BY GAY MEN SINCE HER SCENE STEALING ROLES

Similarly to White Lotus co-star Aubrey Plaza, Coolidge refreshingly embraces artifice and persona in a society that seeks for the exact opposite. Contemporary society is obsessed with rawness and honesty — note the amount of times that Ru Paul asks the queens for vulnerability on the RPDR main stage. Due to our experience of navigating the consciously artificial world of social media, modern generations crave the simplicity of honesty. Gen Z created social media trends, such as the photo-dump and app Be-Real. Whilst this search for ‘the real’ is comforting, it has led to a straightening out of contemporary popular culture. Gone are the days when pop stars wear dresses made from meat and wear snakes around their necks. Even movie stars seem less artificial these days; current ‘it-girl’ Florence Pugh feels like she could be the girl next door. Coolidge ascends these constrictions and embraces artifice (e.g. her face!). Like Plaza, she carries the same energy that she has in many of her roles to her press interviews and social media presence, leaving the rest of us to ask, is she actually like that? Is that

how she really talks? Did she really sleep with over 200 people after doing American Pie ? Her embrace of such artifice looks camp right in the eye, in a way that the 2019 Met Gala could only dream of. Susan Sontag defined camp as something “anti-serious” and “exaggerated and artificial”. Coolidge’s embrace of this persona and over the top artifice showcases her extremely camp sensibility. There is a reason why gay men embrace her as one of their own. Her embrace of such anti-seriousness has produced some of the funniest moments in recent popular culture, such as when she was asked by an ever earnest interviewer what her dream role would be, and she replied, “a dolphin.” I defy anybody to watch the video of her trying (and failing) to get into a car at Harvard University to not laugh. When watching a Coolidge press interview one finds themselves asking, is she being serious? Is she even meaning to be funny? Who knows? Who cares? The important thing is that we’re laughing.

The Jenaissaince is emblematic of a counter movement against society’s search for ‘the real’ and an embrace of camp. And, most importantly, it proves that gay folk are still 20 years ahead of literally everybody else.

Queer TV

Screen writers discuss their queer TV shows

High School

BASED on the memoir of the same name, High School is an autobiographical drama based on the lives of Canadian singers Tegan and Sara filled with 90s grunge nostalgia. The comingof-age story was co-written by Clea DuVall (known for the queer cult classic But I’m A Cheerleader ) and handles the twins’ respective experiences of queer love, foregrounded against their changing sibling relationship when starting a new high school. The first episode follows Tegan and Sara using alternating points of view on their first day of the semester, drawing attention to their different personalities. Soon it becomes apparent Sara, the more rebellious of the two, is actually hiding a romantic relationship with a female friend. Meanwhile, Tegan feels responsible for stopping her sister’s self-destructive behaviour and has yet to acknowledge her own attraction to women. Though the series seems aimed at a teenage audience, its depiction of topics like depression are particularly poignant as it shows how even those who have strong support systems can feel isolated in their experiences of queerness. The turning point of the show occurs when the sisters discover their talent for making music and their similarities triumph over their differences.

The young cast, including the Gilliland

sisters who were discovered on TikTok, give a heartfelt performance that feels instantly believable. Other characters never feel two dimensional, such as the girls’ mother, an over wrought social worker who desperately wants to connect with her daugh ters whilst carrying the emotional toll of her job. You don’t have to be familiar with the duo’s music to empathise with their story of teenage selfdiscovery that centres LGBTQ+ experiences in a subtle and nuanced way.

Lucy Facer

Ru Paul’s Drag Race

WHEN thinking of queer TV shows, Ru Paul’s Drag Race cannot be ignored. With its release in 2009 and still running today, the show has popularised the art of drag and allowed viewers to be able to gaze into the lives of iconic queens. The show has created and is still creating an open and safe space for queer artists to display their expression of gender and has even led to some queens entering the modelling world; the popularity of the show allowing drag queens to reach supermodel status. Some examples of this are Violet Chachki running for Moschino’s FW ‘18 show at Milan Fashion Week, Milk running for Marc Jacobs out of drag, Bimini Bon Boulash (my favourite drag queen from UK seasons!) being signed with NEXT Man -

agement London, and Gigi Goode and Naomi Smalls being signed with One Management. One of my personal favourite US seasons is Season 10. This could be because it was the first season I watched, however it could also be because one of my favourite queens of all time won the season; Aquaria at only 21 years old! Her style of drag is very high fashion; her aim being “expanding people’s perceptions of beauty, style and gender”. The performance of beauty, style and gender within the runways was nailed by Aquaria week on week, serving looks every episode. In one of the episodes, where each of the queens have to create a look for their inner saboteur, Aquaria spoke on her need for perfection in her looks rooting from deep insecurities and self-doubt. This vulnerability that Aquaria shows in her looks and the other drag queens discuss in ‘confessional’ parts of the episodes are what illuminates the comfortability, inclusivity and accessibility of the show. This openness that the reality series shares with its audience allows us to be immersed in the world of drag queens and feeling situated within an inclusive, friendly space, where no matter your sexuality or identity, you can belong within the world of the show, making it an epochal piece of queer TV.

Willow Cracknell

Image: Ron Frazier, Flickr

HER EMBRACE OF SUCH ARTIFICE LOOKS CAMP RIGHT IN THE EYE

Image: KP, Wikimedia Commons

Alan Turing — The greatest mind of his age?

Mark Waddington reflects on the life and work of Alan Turing

IN celebration of LGBTQ+ History Month this February, it is important to look back at some of history’s pioneering LGBT figures who have paved the way for the modern world. There are perhaps none more influential than Alan Turing, the famous computer scientist and mathematician, whose work in the Second World War cracking the Nazi Enigma code turned the war in favour of the Allied Powers. Turing’s contributions not only to the war but also to computer science and the advancement of technology have gone on to define the modern world. Despite Turing’s influence on the course of modern history, we must remember his unjust persecution for his sexuality that ultimately led to the untimely passing of one of Britain’s and the world’s greatest minds. While Turing’s death was and remains nothing short of a tragedy and a grim reminder of the very real prejudice that still continues to affect so many to this day, his loss serves as a reminder for society to become a kinder, more accepting place so that all may be accepted irrespective of their differences. In tribute to this great man, let us take a look at the life and achievements of Alan Turing.

Image: PxhereTURING’S CONTRIBUTIONS NOT ONLY TO THE WAR BUT ALSO TO COMPUTER SCIENCE AND THE ADVANCEMENT OF TECHNOLOGY HAVE GONE ON TO DEFINE THE MODERN WORLD

Graduating from King’s College, Cambridge, with a degree in Mathematics, and getting his PhD from Princeton University, Turing had rapidly gained a reputation for being a brilliant mathematician and logician. His ‘Turing Machine’ laid the groundwork for understanding of computation and is considered the foundation of modern computer

science. While describing Turing’s machine is perhaps too difficult a task for an article designed to talk about his life as a whole, it is important to understand that this machine achieved an unprecedented feat for the time in establishing what the limits of computational and ultimately artificial intelligence are.

In 1950, Turing proposed his “Imitation Game” (the name later used for the 2014 biopic starring Benedict Cumberbatch about Turing’s life). Also known as the Turing Test, this test is a measure of a machine’s ability to exhibit intel ligent behav iour that is indistinguishable from a human.

The test works by having a human judge carry out a text-based conversa tion with both a human and a machine, with out knowing which is which. If the human judge is unable to reliably determine which is the human and which is the machine, the machine is said to have passed the Turing test and demonstrated human-like intelligence.

Most famously, during WW2, Turing led the way at Bletchley Park in codebreaking efforts to decipher the Axis Power line of communication. It was through the work of his

team that a machine named the Bombe was created, which used a process of elimination to identify the settings of each day’s encryption settings for the Enigma code. Turing also was able to crack the German U-boat communications; up until Turing’s codebreaking, U-boats had been lurking in the Atlantic, sinking merchant vessels carrying essential resources to Britain. The work at Bletchley Park was invaluable to the Allied Powers’ victory in Europe and millions of lives were saved by the war being drastically shortened.

Despite Turing’s invaluable contributions to the war effort and receiving an OBE for his service after the war, Turing was arrested. After his house was burgled, Turing was forced to admit he was in a relationship with another man, with the police being far more concerned with the matter of his sexuality than that of the robbery. Turing was given a choice between prison, hormone therapy, or chemical castration. After accepting the latter, Turing was subjected to physical and mental humiliation. In 1954, Turing took his own life.

The loss of Turing cannot be understated and the untimely end to a brilliant mind still

Tech cuts continue

serves as a shameful stain upon British history. It took until 2009 for Turing to posthumously receive an apology for his treatment, with then Prime Minister Gordon Brown saying, “the debt of gratitude he is owed makes it all the more horrifying, therefore, that he was treated so inhumanely … We’re sorry, you deserved so much better.” In 2013, Turing received a royal pardon for his ‘crimes’, following a set of strong campaigns to deliver justice to the late scientist. As society is slowly making its way to becoming a more progressive and accepting place for all, Turing’s life and also his persecution continues to have an impact. In 2017, the “Alan Turing Law”, which fell under the Policing and Crime Act of 2017, pardoned men who were subject to conviction under historical legislation that outlawed homosexual acts. Shockingly, Conversion Therapy still remains legal in the UK, despite government plans to ban the practice.

CONVERSION THERAPY STILL REMAINS LEGAL IN THE UK

Alan Turing was without a doubt one of the greatest minds this country has ever produced and his contributions to science have proved invaluable to the progression of mankind. Turing’s passing serves as reminder of historical shameful acts of persecution and prejudice that have no place in the modern world. In tribute to his memory, we should strive to create an equal and inclusive world where people can thrive and achieve their potential without fear of shame or misunderstanding. Whether you consciously keep him in your mind or are only reminded of him and his work when you see his face on a £50 note, just know that the course of British history was forever changed, for the better, by this man.

Elizabeth Barber looks at Dell’s plan to cut 6,500 employees

DELL is the latest tech company to be hit by layoffs. Its announcement of plans to dismiss 6,500 workers has raised concerns around the company’s future. While there is no singular cause for the ongoing layoffs across the tech sector, an increasingly pessimistic global economic outlook, a recent trend of overhiring, and pressure from shareholders to reduce costs all play a role. Companies across the tech sector are attempting to cut costs as they navigate the increasingly challenging global business environment

Since its founding in 1984, Dell has been a major player in the tech industry, but the company has had mixed success in recent years. 10 years ago, to revitalize the company’s struggling business, the company went private in a $24 billion deal led by its founder

Michael Dell. The move was seen as a bold one, but it also left the company with high levels of debt. Since going private, Dell has focused on expanding its provisions beyond just PCs, with a particular focus on enterprise IT services. The company has made several acquisitions to improve its position in this area, including purchasing the data storage company EMC in 2016 for $67 billion. This move allowed Dell to di versify its business and reduce its dependence on the PC market. Despite these efforts, Dell has had to

contend with stiff competition from rival PC producers, including HP, Lenovo, and Apple. Additionally, the overall demand for PCs has fallen as people increasingly favour smartphones and tablets for accessing the internet.

The recent layoffs at Dell are part of a broader trend at tech companies restructuring efforts aimed at reducing costs and improving efficiency.

Dell has said that the move will save $1.5 billion annually and allow it to reinvest in its business. However, the layoffs have also raised concerns about the com -

pany’s future, particularly in the PC market.

Despite these challenges, Dell still has some strengths that could help it weather the current turbulent economic environment. The company has a strong brand and a loyal customer base, particularly in the enterprise market. Its focus on services and solutions rather than just hardware could also help it maintain its relevance as the tech industry continues to evolve and adapt.

The tech industry is in a state of flux, with even the biggest companies facing challenges as new players enter the market and consumer preferences rapidly shift. Dell’s recent layoffs are a reminder of this, and the company will need to continue to adapt if it wants to stay ahead of the curve.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Bill Gates: Tech tycoon turned pre-eminent philanthropist

Ewan Edwards, Tech Editor, unpicks Amol Rajan's interview with Bill Gates

WHO comes to mind when you think of the world’s richest man? It may now be Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos, but for nearly two decades Bill Gates owned this title. He has since turned away from Microsoft, leaving behind his day-to-day running of the company in 2008 to focus on philanthropy — or as some would rather you believe, focusing on his plot to implant microchips into our bodies and run the world from the Virgin Islands. Gates' interview with Amol Rajan covered a vast array of topics: the troubles of wealth, how positions of power can be abused, climate change, and all this ending with the burning question: where can you get the best cheeseburger in the world? For that question, Gates was unequivocal in his answer directing viewers to the famous golden arches. The interview was casual in tone, look and feel — both Rajan and Gates were sat alongside each other on a couch not sitting opposite each other across a table as is so often done. Whilst this was an obvious attempt to disarm Gates, it felt a little awkward, perhaps even too casual. This awkwardness, however, could also be put down to the few tough questions he faced regarding his own treatment of workers, specifically female employees, adultery during his marriage and relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. He sought to completely sideline questions about adultery telling Rajan that they were issues for the past and that they had been dealt with behind

closed doors. A man in his late 60s I'm sure has little appetite to air his dirty laundry in public. On Epstein, conspiracy theorists will be left unsatisfied as Gates did not admit, surprisingly, to any great friendship with the disgraced billionaire only that they had chatted over din ner to discuss financing of philanthropic work. Whilst there was lit tle revelatory that came from the interview, it was a compelling watch nonetheless.

On current technology scares, especially those in social media spaces such as misinformation which continue to plague pub lic online spaces, Gates said he could not have foreseen such circumstances. He did not feel he was to blame for software developments that have led to online abuse, misinformation or hate speech. Alhough some may be sympathetic to Gates, the current abhorrent state of social media is an indirect effect of his software developments, and it may be felt that Gates should be part of the solu-

tion to finding a better social media reality.

One of those who believes they are aiding the creation of a better, kinder digital world is Elon Musk who has been a recurring character in tech news of late. When questioned on whether Gates’ rule of Microsoft echoed that of a tyrant, and in turn Musk, he shied away from the question, instead pointing to their common belief in hard work. Whether it is an intentional move or not, Gates has mastered the role of having an unassuming public face. Without question he was a cutthroat CEO of Microsoft; believing that his employees were honoured to be working for such a company, he expected nothing short of the best.

Despite the obvious glossy and glamourised headlines of this interview surrounding much of Gates' life, the discussion surrounding his philanthropic work provides a telling

Climate competition

image of the man. He has no need to finance and run these programmes of aid through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation nor has he any particular connection to Kenya or Africa as a whole. As ever his reasoning for the establishment of the foundation, he explains, is a rational one: what to do with an amount of wealth that is unneccesary? Invest in supporting the Global South. Yet this is not the rationality of all the billoinaires in the world. It speaks to the quality of Gates character that he is neither carrying out philanthropic work for attention nor out of some deep-rooted guilt. It is his genuine intrigue and drive to innovate that underlines all his work from Silicon Valley to Sub-saharan Africa.

THE DISCUSSION AROUND HIS PHILANTHROPIC WORK PROVIDES A TELLING IMAGE OF THE MAN

We may not have witnessed Bill Gates mask slip to reveal some scaley skin nor his world domination plan revealed, but this interview does provide a look into the life and current work of the man. As he closes in on 70, he shows no signs of cutting his work back nor any lowered hunger for innovation or success of his work.

‘Amol Rajan Interviews, Bill Gates’ aired on 3rd February and is available on BBC iPlayer.

Oliver Lamb, Deputy Editor, asseses the plan to decarbonise the UK's maritime sector

ROUGHLY 90 per cent of the world’s trade is borne by the sea. International shipping produces a billion tonnes of carbon dioxide every year, representing about three per cent of the global total. Cruise ships carried almost 30 million passengers in 2019. Just one large cruise ship has a larger carbon footprint than 12,000 cars. Those numbers give a sense of the scale of the task facing the entrants of the Zero Emissions Vessels and Infrastructure competition.

Overseen by Innovate UK, which has run similar ventures in the past, the competition was announced by the British government on 6th February. At stake is a £77 million government investment, which successful projects will show they can use to launch a zero-emissions vessel by 2025 at the latest.

The British government is committed to cutting the UK’s carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. Last year the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK

SHORE) was set up within the Department for Transport, and it is this programme of which the ZEVI competition forms a part. Mid-century is also the deadline set for achieving net zero by the International Chamber of Shipping, which represents 80 per cent of the world’s merchant tonnage, and the Cruise Lines International Association. Among the possible power sources available to entrants to the ZEVI competition are battery power, hydrogen and ammonia. Of the three, ammonia — a compound of hydrogen and nitrogen — in particular is seen as a promising green shipping fuel. In the International Energy Agency’s net zero global emissions scenario, ammonia meets half of the shipping industry’s fuel requirements in 2050; biofuels supply 20 per cent and hydrogen and fossil fuels 15 per cent each.

Ammonia is more energy-dense than batteries or hydrogen, meaning it takes up

less storage space. Since it is widely used to make plastic, cleaning products and fertiliser, much of the infrastructure needed to produce, store and transport ammonia is already in place, including at around 130 ports across the world. And, of course, ammonia does not produce carbon dioxide.

One slight hitch is that ammonia production itself is responsible for one to two per cent of the world’s carbon emissions. Efforts are underway to switch to green forms of manufacturing. Another concern is that ammonia, when leaked in sufficient quantities, is lethal to humans and marine life.

It also produces air pollutants and small amounts of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide. Engineers are devising solutions to these problems.

All that will matter little until the first ammonia-to-power system moves out of the prototype stage. Numerous projects are in the works. For example, the New York-based

start-up Amogy hopes to launch a converted 65-year-old tugboat later this year. A chemical reactor will separate ammonia’s hydrogen and nitrogen components, before the hydrogen is passed through a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell — the most common type of fuel cell and better suited to hydrogen than to ammonia — to generate electricity.

The ZEVI competition, then, is just one part of a concerted push towards a greener maritime sector. But in the fight against climate change, any contribution to decarbonising shipping is a big one.

Alongside the competition, the government has called on universities to collaborate to establish a Clean Maritime Research Hub, which will receive funding from the industry and academia alongside a £7.4 million government contribution. On 15th February the government announced that £60 million would be distributed among companies developing green maritime technology.

Image: Kari Hakli, Wikicommons

Image: harum.koh, Wikicommons

Image: Mathieu Sroussi, Wikimedia

LIFESTYLE ARTS + LIT

TECH

MUSIC STUDY BREAK SCREEN

STUDY BREAK

Across

1 Angle — cod, say (4)

3 Fails to do (something) (8)

9 Large (American) reptile (9)

10 Frozen water (3)

11 Tuxedo (6,6)

13 Cartoon sailor man (6)

15 Book of (raffle) tickets — trance (anagram) (6)

18 Mad osteopath (anagram) — dance (6,6)

22 Large flightless bird (3)

23 River — or reading (anagram) (3,6)

24 Climbing plant (5,3)

25 Small horse (4)

ANSWERS

1 Dread (4)

2 Mails (anagram) — a game stew (5)

4 Restaurant (6)

5 Immature insect (5)

6 Domestic fowl (7)

7 Watch (a sport, say) (8)

8 (US) government department (6)

12 MPs smear (anagram) — e-junk distributors? (8)

14 Stance (7)

16 Dessert (informal) (6)

17 Resist (6)

19 Greet (anagram) — white heron (5)

20 Code word (communications) (5)

21 Refute (4)

TRIVIA CORNER

1. What is the most popular Walker’s crisp flavour?

2. What is the most uncommon blood type?

3. What animal has the longest lifespan?

4. Which century did the French Revolution take place?

5. What is the currency of Denmark?

6. What name does Linguini give to Remy in Ratatouille?

SCIENCE EDITORS: Daniel Pain and Hayley Power

The role of deep ocean currents in carbon storage

George Edwards dives into the latest research at Exeter University and what this means for the fight against climate change

OUR oceans are key players in the fight against climate change. By capturing excess carbon and heat from the atmosphere, they reduce the severity of global warming. Yet the processes of transporting this carbon and heat within the ocean are relatively unknown, causing uncertainty as to how much more heat and carbon the ocean will be able to absorb in future.

A new research project by the Universities of Exeter and California aims to shed light on this by capturing the movement of the deep ocean and improve our understanding of the ocean’s capacity to absorb atmospheric heat and carbon.

The research will be undertaken

on a vessel in the southwest Atlantic Ocean, where the warm Atlantic and cold Southern oceanic waters mix.

The project aims to map ‘sub-mesoscale current flows’ (deep ocean currents around one to ten kilometres long), which are thought to play a key role in moving heat, carbon and nutrients around the oceans, using sonar technology (transmitting sound waves from the vessel and capturing the reflected echoes).

The reflections recorded from different water layers will be used to create four-dimensional maps of the deep ocean currents in great detail. These will then be used to model the transport of carbon and heat throughout the oceans.

Dr Katy Sheen, the lead researcher on the project, said: "This work will help us to understand a realm of sub-surface ocean currents that are very poorly understood, due to difficulties in observing and modelling them. The ultimate goal will be to quantify and model the role these currents play in mixing and stirring key properties such as heat, carbon and nutrients throughout the ocean thereby helping to map out our future climate and biosphere."

Recommendations for a new generation of Brain Health Services

Anabel Costa-Ferreira, Comment Editor, explores how researchers at the University of Exeter are working to prevent dementia

THOUGH dementia remains an incurable condition, recent scientific discoveries are aptly calling into question why treatment is often left until symptoms become visible. While the current diagnosis procedure seeks to assist with the long-term impact, there remains less focus on preventative measures surrounding this illness.

Recent research by a European Task Force (also involving the University of Exeter) strongly encourages individuals to look out for early-stage signs. This can even involve establishing whether a person is genetically predisposed to developing the illness at a later stage in life.

The new recommendations take the form of a ‘four pillar’ plan that combines together to create an evidence-based map. These are defined as: Risk Assessment, Risk Communication, Risk Reduction and Cognitive Enhancement. These individual pillars work to establish contributing factors such as other medical conditions or lifestyle impacts. They also help the patient to understand the illness to the best of their ability, to enable them to make important decisions surrounding which treatments they feel would best suit them.

Reduction primarily looks at nonmedical interventions; however, this proposal does reference "the adminis-

tration of newly developed anti-amyloid drugs which work specifically to lower beta-amyloid quantities in the brain" (peptides found often in the brains of those suffering from Alzheimer's) and the use of monoclonal antibodies to help keep brain cells working longer (proteins able to attack specific antigens).

Finally, enhancement attempts to stimulate the brain and aid in regaining memories using techniques such as computer exercises and even magnetic stimulation.

The entirety of these pillars' purpose is, in the words of Professor David Llewellyn (University of Exeter Medical School), "an important step forward in our

Celebrating LGBTQIA+ people in STEM

fight to combat dementia." He goes on to rightly acknowledge how "we now recognise that this fight begins many decades earlier than anyone previously realised".

These discussions were generated from an assembly of 28 institutions, and looking to the future there is hope this framework will prove an important scientific milestone for Brain Health Services.

Hayley Power, Science Editor, celebrates LGBTQ+ history month by discussing the experiences of members of the community who work in STEM

IN LGBTQ+ history month, it is important to celebrate the work of LGBTQIA+ people in science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) .

The barriers faced by the community are often a result of a hostile work environment, with a reported 28 per cent of LGBTQ+ people surveyed stating that they have considered leaving their jobs at some point

due to discrimination in the workplace.

they were urged to ‘stay in the closet’ by colleagues, in order to ensure they would be respected. This mistreatment is even more common for LGBTQ+ people of colour, in addition to women in the community.

This number is staggeringly higher for transgender (or otherwise gender non-conforming) physicists, at 50 per cent, with one-third stating

Unfortunately, it isn’t just coworkers who impact the work lives of LGBTQ+ people working in STEM — often it’s the people they are trying to help. 59.2 per cent of LGBTQ+ surgery residents have reported discrimination by patients when working, 47.5 per cent have experienced harassment and a whopping 74.8 per cent have been subjected to bullying.

However, in spite of all the barriers they face, LGBTQ+ people continue to flourish in STEM. A few examples are given below, to commend them for

their resilience in the face of adversity.

MARTIN JOHNSON: A gay reproductive scientist (now retired), who was based at Cambridge University. He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society, as well as a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. He reported studying in a "very homophobic environment", so much so that he didn’t come out until his late 40s. Thankfully, however, he and his partner of 40 years never experienced any rejection from their colleagues because of their sexual orientation.

IMOGEN GYNGELL: A transgender woman and Royal Society Research Fellow, working as a space physicist at the University of Southampton. She aims to make herself "visible" to ensure that LGBTQ+ perspectives reach all levels of leadership, "especially given the dif-

ficult political climate for trans people".

E.W. TEKWA: A non-binary and fluid postdoctoral fellow at the University of British Colombia. They have worked in many fields, from microbiology and evolution to data science and economics. When interviewed, they said that they believe their journey in discovering their gender identity went hand-in-hand with discovering which area of academia they belonged in.

DARBY PROCTOR: A lesbian working as a faculty member in an unspecified university. She views herself as an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, stating that: "For those of us who are established in our careers it is important to be visible representatives so that we can be both scientific and social role models for the next generation."

These will... model the transport of carbon and heat throughout the oceans

An important step forward in our fight to combat dementia

28 per cent of LGBTQ+ people... have considered leaving their jobs

Image: RHo, Wikimedia Commons

Image: University of Exeter, Wikimedia Commons

Image: theodoranian, Wikimedia Commons

Chess players perform worse under reduced air quality

Josie Sharp, Reporter, explains the effects of air pollution on the human mind and what we should do about it

AIR pollution has become an increasingly important topic that can be easily missed in the tornado of information around climate change. Recently, new impacts of air quality have become apparent but luckily new strategies to tackle its source are also emerging.

Researchers at the University of Adelaide have succeeded in developing ‘green hydrogen,’ so named because its only byproduct is water vapour, after separating the hydrogen from the oxygen in water. This electrolysis process uses electricity and creates hydrogen fuel, providing an alternative to fossil fuels, hence its ‘green’ description (if the electricity is obtained from a green source). This would vastly reduce the air pollution that we are being affected by without even realising.

Indoor air quality is largely unthought of when discussing brain health in the workplace, but many recent studies show that the quality of air in a work environment greatly affects cognitive power. As more and more critical thinking is both required and expected in corporate office jobs, air quality must be considered and studied.

Steffen Künn, Juan Palacios and Nico Pestel completed a study in January which investigated how indoor air quality affected strategic decision-making by chess players during tournaments. Why chess players? People who play chess professionally have to consistently be

making non–routine strategic decisions, requiring intuition, perception, and problem–solving skills, all of which demand a large amount of cognitive power. Scientists studied 30,000 moves across two years’ worth of tournaments, then compared their moves to the chess en-

gine ‘Stockfish’ which finds the optimal move that could have been made. The air quality was found by measuring the concentration of fine particle matter in the air that had a diameter smaller than 2.5 micrometres (2.5μm). Various studies have concluded that any particles

smaller than 2.5 are tell–tale signs of air pollution, as the droplets that are inhaled at this size can enter the bloodstream.

Scientists studied 30,000 moves

The results showed that when the fine particle matter was below 2.5μm, it significantly increased the likelihood that the players did not select the most optimal move according to Stockfish. The increased probability per move was 2.5 per cent, which resulted in in a 26.3 per cent overall likelihood per match, showing how air quality significantly altered the chess players’ decision-making each game. Do we need to start considering air pollution in strategic games such as chess? With the development of green hydrogen, we are slowly repairing our ozone layer and fighting against air pollution. However, it is still unknown if enough is being done to counter the worrying fact that air pollution is affecting our cognitive functions.

Parents’ voices become less important through adolescence

Daniel Pain, Science Editor, explains what changes in adolescent brains when listening to the world

FOR many, the sound of a parent’s voice changes from being one of authority, that must be obeyed at all costs, to one that should be ignored — at least for as long as possible. This well-known feeling of annoyance and desire to rebel is one that many adolescents feel more strongly as they grow up. It turns out that this isn’t just a feeling either. Pathways in the brain which alter how teenagers respond to the sound

of their parents change as they age.

A study conducted on children aged seven to 16 compared the brain activity of children listening to either their mother, or the voice of an unknown woman. The words spoken were gibberish so as not to sway participants by their meaning. The result of the study found that children aged seven to 12 were more likely to respond the sound of their mother than a stranger. The ar-

eas in the brain responsible for detecting rewards and paying attention were turned on in this case. In a slightly older group (13 to 14) teenagers were found to have the complete opposite reaction.

The areas responsible for [...] paying attention were turned on

This doesn’t come as a surprise to many who have lived through this transition themselves either as parents or teenagers. The phenomenon of teenagers rebelling and exploring the world for themselves is universal and important to social development. The increase in attention to new voices outside of parental influence plays a large factor in this period of life. As teenagers grow into mature adults, they

Plant leaves fold up like a book

need to be able to listen to a variety of perspectives in order to put their own opinion of the world forward.

So, if and when the day comes that you find yourself hopelessly lost as to how to control a teenager of your own, just remember that it isn’t really their fault they won’t listen to you. It’s simply the neurons in their heads telling them not to.

Daniel Pain, Science Editor, opens the door to the fascinating phenomena of plant movement

PLANTS are one of the most diverse and incredible forms of life on planet Earth. From flowers that smell like rotting corpses to plants that completely lack chlorophyll and look as white as ghosts. Even among these incredible specimens, plants which appear to have the abil -

ity to move are somewhat of a novelty.

The Mimosa pudica is a species of plant which can fold its two sets of leaflets inwards when it experiences physical stimulation, much like the folding of a book along its spine. This is done by the movement of ions and subsequently water, resulting in the inflation

and deflation of the two leaf halves, controlling this distinctive movement. Scientists have known about the Mimosa pudica plant and the underlying chemistry which controls the movements of its leaves for a long time. However, what has recently been uncovered is the tiny structures

within the ‘muscle’ cells of these unique plants, known as pulvinus cells. These cells are reinforced with microscopic fibrils, which control the expansion of the cell as water floods in to cause cell expansion to occur in very specific sites. Rather than bulging in all directions, as would be the case in your average plant cell, the swelling is only along the axis of the leaf fold. As well as this, these cells contain extremely porous areas, known as pit fields. The development of these structures is believed to occur in order to allow large volumes of water to move quickly through cells, therefore in essence functioning as miniature sluices. In turn, this aids in the rapid movement of water which allows the plant to ‘close’ its leaves when physically stimulated.

[The plants] in essence [are] functioning as miniature sluices

Combined, these microscopic structures help the plant open and close its leaves in the most efficient and energy-conserving way possible. The reason behind why the M. pudica can close its leaves like a book still remains a mystery. Since this unique and rapid movement makes the plant seem more ‘animal-like’, one hypothesis has suggested that it could be useful to dissuade grazers from eating the plant’s leaves. Others theorise that it is to protect against the cold.

The reason behind why M. pudica can close its leaves [...] still remains a mystery

Whatever the real reason, this plant will still remain a remarkable and unique specimen and possibly the closest thing to animal movement ever found in the plant kingdom.

Image: Pixabay, Ylanite

This Girl Can

Gracie Moore, Lifestyle Editor, discusses the efficacy of the This Girl Can campaign

LAUNCHED in January 2015, This Girl Can is a campaign funded by The National Lottery in which any kind of movement, regardless of size, shape and ability, is heavily promoted. It has proved very influential in giving women the confidence to join sports clubs and gyms, free from the concern of what others are going to think. From the start, the campaign aimed to address a gender gap that many of us are unaware of: Men are increasingly likely to partake in regular movement whereas the numbers are much lower for women. Only 25 per cent of women report taking part in sports whereas that number drastically increases (in fact, nearly doubles) to 43 per cent for men.

One of the problems, I would argue, is that women’s sport is still disproportionately under-represented in the media. If you stop to think about it, how much did you know about the England women’s European football win compared to the English men when they reached the final the year before? The difference in levels of coverage is severely unbalanced and it is unsurprising to find women who don’t have the confidence to take part — they simply don’t know the opportunities are there.

This is why the advertising in the This Girl Can campaign was, and continues to be, instrumental in attracting the attention of women of all sizes, races, economic backgrounds and levels of fitness. I remember being 12 when the campaign was launched and seeing the TV adverts during the evenings: It was beyond inspiring to see plus-sized women, older women, disabled women, breastfeeding mums and more all laughing and joking while enjoying a game of netball. Playing netball myself, I hadn’t yet recognised that netball isn’t just for young, tall, fit girls but is there to be enjoyed by all.

After their first birthday in January 2016, This Girl Can researched their own success and discovered that thanks to their raising of awareness for under-represented women and the inclusivity promoted, in that year alone 2.8 million women admitted to exercising more often. Evidently, even in the first year alone, the campaign was revolutionary in getting women involved in sports. It showed all women that regardless of what they look like, they deserve to enjoy the endorphins that come from exercising with friends or even completely alone.

But they didn’t stop there. After this success, the campaign wanted to continue to raise awareness for the problems that women face and the obstacles to having the same access to sports as men. For this reason, they launched a TV advert in which you could see women genuinely sweating — and not in a pretty way! With blotchy red faces but still with a smile, it was a far cry from the sleek, put-together look of fitness influencers that we know and certainly don’t love simply because it’s not realistic. Also,

they helpfully destigmatised the obstacle of periods by portraying a woman suffering from period cramps in her bed before getting dressed in the mirror and leaving to go to a session of yoga. With the angle of the shot, you can also see the string of her tampon. It’s one of the more raw adverts I’ve seen and notably faced backlash as many argued it wasn’t necessary to show such a natural and real thing. However, it should be remembered that the only way to encourage women to take part in more sports is to show them that no matter their ailments or what they perceive their setbacks to be, there is always a way around them.

Aside from this, I was personally touched by this in a much more positive way. There have been many times in the past when I have worried about missing out on a game of netball because my period has made me feel too fatigued and rundown. The visual demonstration of this woman opting for a much lower impact activity like yoga purely because of how she felt completely took away any shame I feel when occasionally missing out on sport in search of something relaxed. It’s not shameful, it’s natural, and This Girl Can helped me and countless other women to see that we should listen to our bodies and move because we love our bodies, not because we hate them or are ashamed of them.

The campaign has generally received a lot of critical success as the promotion of moving our bodies for fun rather than to lose weight or be slimmer is a much healthier mindset for women across the country to have. In light of recent campaigns to prevent obesity from the government (which are often unachievable or frankly dangerous), it’s important to have

this available for women to realise that healthy bodies look different on everyone.

In reality, forcing people to eat less by shaming them through calorie consumption is a very bad way to tackle the obesity crisis, but gently encouraging sport for enjoyment will often garner healthier and more positive results.

Perhaps more interestingly, This Girl Can has clearly also attracted the attention of major broadcasting channels such as the BBC as their pledges to broadcast more women’s sport have been somewhat fulfilled in recent years. The most popular sport for women in this country is netball (although closely followed by football) so televising the Netball World Cup from Liverpool in 2019 exponentially increased the number of girls joining grassroots clubs after the World Cup ended in the summer of that year. Broadcasting more netball as well as the women’s European Football Championships and other women’s international sport is a way of proving to women that it is entirely possible to be as successful as male sports players.

A similar phenomenon happened before this in 2012 with the London Olympics. The increase in sport participation can be accredited to the media exposure the sports had. This shows that there is a direct link between This Girl Can (and other similar campaigns) and the media exposure of sports.

There are many ways to get involved in more sports through the This Girl Can campaign. Firstly, the website has lots of helpful tips as well as personal anecdotes from a variety of women who have used the scheme to immerse themselves in all things exercise. It can be nerve-wracking but the best way to get involved, especially if you’re a woman who isn’t already particularly sporty, is to

just ask! If there is a sport you have always wanted to try but have been too nervous to, now is the time to make phone calls or visit the club. Many sports clubs have taster sessions you can attend to test it out, check if you enjoy the sport and meet like-minded individuals. If you are more tentative and don’t believe that competitive sport is for you, there are many sports in which you can take part in the “walking” version of it. For example, walking netball or walking football are good ways to get your body moving if you’re less mobile or you want to do something more social and relaxed.

In addition to this, sports may not be your thing at all. Perhaps you could try out the free session that many gyms offer before you commit to joining. The gym is a good way to build confidence, build strength and maybe even build a bit of muscle. Also, working out in a less intense way, such as yoga or pilates, is still movement and can even be done in the comfort of your own home if you don’t have the time, confidence or money for the gym. The emphasis is not on what you are doing but that you’re doing it at all.

Generally, with the addition of the average British woman into their campaign, This Girl Can has proven that you don’t need to be stick-thin with no health obstacles in order to enjoy the privilege of sport because it is important for physical and mental health, and not just for elite athletes.

So, however you choose to move your body, you should do it unashamedly and in the way that makes you feel best. There is nothing more empowering than deciding what you do with your body, and the physical health benefits are a nice addition to the emotional benefits. Be brave and go and find your passion.

Exeter City forward charged with assault

EXETER City forward and top-scorer this season Jevani Brown has been charged with assault following an incident involving a woman in Exeter’s City Centre.

Just five days after scoring a brace and leading his team to a 2-0 victory against MK Dons away from home, the former Jamaica youth international player was arrested in the early hours of Thursday 2nd February and will appear in court in March for alleged assault by beating.

Since the incident Brown has not featured in any training sessions and League 1 fixtures, with the club stating the following — “As this is a legal matter, we are unable to make any comment until legal proceedings have been concluded. He will not be selected to play during this period.”

Brown did not appear in court on Thursday 16th February and is yet to enter a plea. Magistrates therefore havae adjourned the case to March 9th.

City Manager Caldwell stated in regards to Brown's initial absence from the match on the Saturday following the incident, that “We have standards at this club and if you don't rise to them or match them, then no matter who you are, you won't play on a Saturday.” This statement was made prior to assault allegations being made public.

Mikhail Shklover

Photo: Fiona Winning

In conversation with Aston Martin's Matt Bishop

Harry Craig, Music Editor, speaks to Matt Bishop about his journey as an LGBTQ+ figure in the F1 paddock

MATT Bishop, at 60, is one of the Formula One paddock’s most respected and likeable figures, with over two decades of experience, initially as editor of F1 Racing magazine and then as head of communications for the McLaren and Aston Martin teams. He has also been a leading figure on LGBTQ+ issues in motorsport and beyond for many years, and as we mark LGBTQ+ History Month I sat down and talked to the self-proclaimed 'F1 lifer' about motor racing and beyond.

I began by asking Matt about the importance of LGBTQ+ role models. As he tells me, these were non-existent when he was growing up, when almost every film, TV programme and pop song was about straight people. For Matt, his passions lay in football and Formula One, which were, and to an extent remain, very white, male and heterosexual.

Thankfully, that is starting to change, but as Matt points out to me, it is just as important for straight allies to “bang the drum for LGBTQ+ inclusivity.” That is exactly what F1 legends Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, with whom Matt has worked, have done.

Last month, Matt won The Race’s award for Most Inspiring Campaign for his work with Sebastian Vettel as Aston Martin’s Communications Officer. This was for a range of projects, including Vettel’s visit last year to Feltham Young Offenders Institution in London, to inspire young boys who may otherwise be trapped in a cycle of imprisonment, and never contribute to society.

Matt did not shy away from tackling the controversial issues. He spoke candidly about F1’s decision to race in countries with

poor human rights records, such as Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. He expressed hope that the activism of Hamilton and Vettel, such as displaying the rainbow motif, would give hope to persecuted LGBTQ+ people in these countries, saying “if a frightened LGBTQ+ teenager in Jeddah [sees] their hero… doing a macho sport, racing for big brands saying, ‘I’ve got your back, it’s fine to be you’, that might just help.”

Therefore, Matt believes F1’s presence in these countries can make change — after all, “we don’t check in our values and principles at the airport when we arrive.” As he points out, these governments are aware of the paddock’s values when they invite F1 to their country, and drivers will not shy away from campaigning for human rights. Indeed, an employee of Aston Martin sponsor Aramco recently told Matt there had been “a ton of positive change” in Saudi Arabia in the last five years.

Nonetheless, there is an elephant in the room, regarding the FIA’s recent ban on drivers making political statements. Matt does not back away from labelling this as an “asinine idea… gagging drivers”, believing that many will simply not obey. As he states rather frankly, if the FIA are trying to silence Lewis Hamilton, the greatest of all time and F1’s only black driver — “good luck!”

Unfortunately, the Formula 1 paddock remains a predominantly white, heterosexual, male environment. Matt is forthright in stating how he is seen as “the only gay in the F1 village”, but through his work with Racing Pride, which he co-founded with Richard Morris in 2019 to represent LGBTQ+ people in motorsport, he hopes that is changing. The organisation combats unconscious bias among teams and

encourages the adoption of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) campaigns, from karting to F1. As he explains, teams need to make it easier for closeted employees, as unhappy employees will be distracted and error-prone; thus “a proper DEI campaign… will make your car go faster!”

The Formula 1 paddock remains a predominantly white, heterosexual, male environment

Our conversation then turned to Matt’s novel, The Boy Made The Difference, set against the backdrop of the HIV/AIDS crisis. It was devastating to hear his anecdotes of what was originally referred to as the 'killer gay plague' that tragically took dozens of Matt’s own friends in the 1980s. He worked as a buddy at London Lighthouse, at the time the world’s largest HIV/AIDS centre, providing invaluable companionship for victims of the disease — work that

was often daunting, with both victims and their buddies facing abuse on the streets, as AIDS could cause facial disfiguration.

Matt also emphasised the importance of telling these stories for a new generation. He states that his husband, at 34, had no idea what it was like for the LGBTQ+ community at the time, when they would go out to bars and conversation would revolve around the deaths of their friends. All proceeds from sales of the paperback and Kindle book go to the Bernardine Bishop Appeal, which Matt set up in memory of his mother after she died of cancer in 2013, fundraising for the excellent charity Young Lives vs Cancer.

Matt has worked with four Formula 1 world champions in his time in the paddock, most recently Sebastian Vettel. I asked him what he thinks the future holds for the four-time world champion following retirement from F1. Sadly he doesn’t expect him to return as a driver, although is keen to emphasise Sebastian’s friendship

with Mick Schumacher that may lead him to something like the Daytona 24 Hours, alongside Mick. Instead, Matt hopes Sebastian could take up a Bob Geldofesque role, using his fame and influence to do something good for the planet.

What does the future hold for Bishop after leaving Aston Martin? With the F1 calendar continuing to grow, he doesn’t want to spend every weekend in the paddock. However, he still wants to make a difference in motorsport, and is setting up as a consultant, as well as keeping himself busy with Racing Pride.

It was an honour to speak to Matt, and he raised some important points on Formula 1 and beyond. His work demonstrates why principles of diversity, equity and inclusion are so vital, and the stories he tells are a poignant reminder of why we mark LGBTQ+ History Month.

You can buy Matt's novel, The Boy Made the Difference, in either paperback or Kindle format.

LGBTQ+ contribution to sport

Joseph Terry assesses the status of the LGBTQ+ community across the sporting world

WHEN I began research for this article, my awareness of LGBTQ+ sportspeople and their impacts (and subsequently the challenges they may face) was small. However, after research for this article, I’ve found that I underestimated the impact of LGBTQ+ sportspeople to me personally. Furthermore, these sportspeople are not strictly defined by their sexuality.

I started off by researching LGBTQ+ involvement within motorsport, the sport I follow the closest. The pairing of Abbie Eaton and Jess Hawkins sprung to mind — both competitors within the female-only W Series category, alongside experience within touring cars and GT categories. Eaton, herself a Driver Ambassador for Racing Pride that promotes LGBTQ+ inclusivity within technological and commercial partners in motorsport, is perhaps best known for her involvement with the The Grand Tour as the official test driver over the early seasons of the show. However, she also holds race starts within various British GT championships and high-level domestic series, and in 2017 became the first female driver to win a class category in a Blancpain GT Series race.

Hawkins is a vice-champion in the eclectic Mini Challenge UK series as well as a podium finisher in W Series, as well as making her debut in the British Touring Car Championship. Being a driver ambassador for the Aston Martin F1 team and

a stunt driver involved with the production of the most recent Bond film gave some insight into battling your partner on the track, showing the racing driver mentality: “It’s nice to go through the ride with each other, but we’ve said we’ll leave that at the track, and as far as we’re both concerned our career comes first.” Furthermore, my research then led me to a driver I already admired and respected, but had no idea of her inclusion within the LGBTQ+ community. Lella Lombardi is regarded by many racing historians as one of the seminal female racing drivers that introduced female involvement within premier motorsport — starting 12 F1 races and entering 17 from 1974-76, scoring half a point in F1. She was the first female driver to qualify for a Grand Prix for 17 years at the 1975 South African GP at Kyalami, and performances driving for March and later BRM included a seventh-place finish at the perilous Nürburgring Nordschleife, the forested circuit nicknamed the 'Green

Hell' by Sir Jackie Stewart. A career in sports cars at frighteningly quick circuits such as Enna Pergusa and a chicane-less Circuit de la Sarthe at Le Mans followed.

I respect Lombardi as a trailblazer to encourage female inclusion and queer inclusion within F1 and elite motorsport, but more importantly I respect Lombardi for her bravery for competing in the period when drivers would tragically lose at least three or four friends every year. Some of my greatest sporting heroes such as Niki Lauda and Sir Jackie Stewart are my heroes as they bet on their skill and intuition to save their lives every corner of every lap — and this heroism is something I am constantly in awe of. Lella Lombardi’s heroism is deserving of greater status, and I hope that she will one day get the level of adulation afforded to Michele Mouton as a female trailblazer.

Greater inclusion of openly queer figures over recent years shows that cultures within sport are changing. Josh Cavallo and Jake Daniels in male pro-

fessional football, Sam Kerr and Marta in women’s professional football, Jack Dunne and Nick McCarthy in rugby union, Keegan Hirst in rugby league, and Nat and Katherine Sciver-Brunt in cricket. There are more role models than ever before, but barriers remain — anonymous letters from a Premier League footballer in 2020 and an Eredivisie player in 2021 show that fears remain for closeted queer athletes. More poignantly, this May will mark the 25th anniversary of Justin Fashanu’s tragic death. Fashanu’s niece and founder of the Justin Fashanu Foundation, Amal Fashanu, reflected upon progress: “Though I wholeheartedly believe that a gay footballer would be overwhelmed with support today… this admission would forever define them, whether they were comfortable with this or not.” With more role models than ever before, hopefully LGBTQ+ sportspeople will be defined by their sporting achievements in the future, not by their sexuality alone.

Image: Matt Bishop

Image: sarahmirk, Wikimedia Commons

Sport

SPORT EDITORS: Rob Worthington Toby Brisley

Brilliant Barton seals victory in Varsity

LAST Wednesday, Exeter stormed to victory over Nottingham in round 15 of the BUCS Super Rugby season. Exeter came into the game having only lost one in their past five while Nottingham came in with only two wins in their past five. Exeter sat second in the table with 50 points, two points behind Durham and Nottingham were placed ninth in the table with 23 points. Exeter put on a composed display with fly-half and captain Josh Barton masterfully controlling the game. The first points of the evening came from hooker Oli Burrows who crashed over in the ninth minute after a break from Barton that brought him within inches of the whitewash. Despite a missed conversion the early points were built on quickly in the 17th minute, with number eight Will De Boehmler blocking a grubber through from Notts fly-half Max Brown. The ball bounced perfectly into De Boehmler’s hands, and he had a clear runin from 30 metres out. Barton slot -

ted the two and Exeter were 12-0 up.

After staving off a fierce response from Nottingham, Exeter again kept their intensity, and it paid off in the 22nd minute with a superb intercept from Burrows who put lock Arthur Thomas away into the corner. Barton’s conversion sailed wide to the left but with a quarter of the match gone, Exeter were 17-0 up.

Despite looking comfortable in possession and play being wellorchestrated by Barton, Nottingham soon responded after inside-centre Max Courtis was turned over on the halfway line. Notts opted for the corner and set the maul with James Cherry going over in the 30th minute for their first try of the night. Henry Mortimer’s conversion went wide yet Notts had their first points on the board, Exeter 17-5 Nottingham.

Notts found their second try soon after with Exeter putting themselves under undue pressure after they opted to go wide in their own 22. An overthrown lineout took Notts within inches and in the 35th minute Cherry again crashed over in the corner. Another missed

conversion made the score 17-10. With two scores in a row and the gap only a converted try, Notts were playing with confidence and Exeter looked to respond immediately. After a scrum on the halfway, outsidecentre Archie Hill broke through two tackles and put winger Benjy Joesland away in the corner. Despite a missed touchline conversion from Barton, the try from Joesland showed how dangerous Exeter were off set piece and put them in control going into the break, Exeter 22-10 Nottingham.

The second-half featured a more pragmatic Exeter with Barton knocking over three points early on. Although a fantastically worked try from Connor Moyse was in danger of letting Notts back into the game, Exeter looked to control play through kicking which was aided with the replacement of fullback Ben Hammersley by Sam Walker. Walker combined well with Barton, with both putting in excellent kicks to put Nottingham under pressure — a tricky kick in behind in the 53rd minute from Barton being the standout.

Exeter put Notts under pressure in the following lineout and eventually

mauled them over in the 67th minute with blindside flanker Lucas Dorrell finishing off, Exeter 30-17 Nottingham.

Exeter continued to operate pragmatically with Walker slotting in at first receiver and Barton at full-back. The two continued to frustrate the Nottingham back three via probing kicks.

The game was well and truly put to bed after a long passage of play brought Exeter five metres out of Notts’ line. The ball spluttered out of the ruck and after some deft hands from replacement prop Chris Freeman, the ball found its way to Barton who glided through to seal the victory. Barton converted his own try and the game finished Exeter 37-17 Nottingham.

Speaking to Exeposé after the game, Barton credited the resilience of the squad: “For this squad to come out and bounce back like that, it was a real achievement. You know for a lot of boys, it’s their last time playing at Sandy Park and for a lot of boys was their first time playing here So it’s pretty surreal feeling for us.”

Barton also gave insight as to what was said at half time: “we went in and said if we stick to our pro -

cesses and stick to our structure, then it kind of takes out all their ins and opportunities. And then I thought in the second half we actually did that a little bit better apart from a couple of mistakes, we kept them out.”

Finally, Barton spoke about the growth of the side since the last Varsity in October: “We had a real tough start to this season, a lot of new squad members. But you look at our last performances against say Bath, Loughborough, Cardiff Met and everything like that followed up by this you can see how far we’ve come as a team and how we’re growing into the business end of the season.”

Exeter remain second in the table with 55 points (one behind Durham) and next host Swansea and Durham at home while finishing their regular season away at Bath in mid-March.

Joshua Hughes Editor

if we stick to our processes and stick to our structure, then it kind of takes out all their ins and

Image: Kieran Moore