Issue 731 - 15 March 2022

The South West’s Best Student Publication

exeposé

FR

E

E

ISSUE 731 15 MAR 2022 exepose.com @Exepose

THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1987

Hate speech and GDPR breaches: inside the Dan Peña speaker scandal

Oliver Leader de Saxe and Megan Ballantyne Editor and News Editor

Timepiece stops ticket resales Page 3

In conversation: Hugh Schofield, BBC Paris Correspondent Page 12

A

MUCH-PUBLICIED event organised by Public Speaking Society earlier this month has raised serious concerns about the External Speaker Framework and hate speech on-campus, with numerous student groups condemning the event amongst vocal protests.

The event saw Dan Peña, the former president of fossil fuel company Great Western Resources, speaking to several hundred audience members during Exeter’s ‘Go Green’ sustainability week. This is in spite of the Students’ Guild and the University of Exeter repeatedly promoting their apparent commitment to sustainability.

Peña has faced numerous accusations of misogyny, ableism, racism and sexual harassment at his talks, with videos compiled by protest group Stop Peña The Polluter showcasing him being confrontational at the University of Florida in 2018 and boasting about choking members of his audience at the University of Pennsylvania in 2019.

At that same talk, Peña also discussed ahow he allegedly groped a female student at a restaurant, describing her as “a very attractive and a young student” and

Image: Emma De Saram

how he put his “hand around her waist onto the left part of her upper buttocks.”

Stop Peña stated that, by allowing a speaker who has allegedly physically and sexually assaulted students, the University and Guild are “being complicit […] in the potential assault of the audience.”

The talk held on Tuesday 1 March saw a major backlash, with ten leading progressive groups on on-campus including Urban Angels, Feminist Society, and the Queer and BAME Collective condemning the Guild’s choice in allowing Peña to speak in a joint state-

ment, noting “there is a key difference between hate speech and free speech.”

Activism led by Stop Peña The Polluter occurred throughout the week leading up to and including the event, with their petition calling for the event to be halted being signed by over 600 people. The group also held a sit-in protest in the Forum on 28 February, which saw protesters gathered with placards stating “silence is violence” and “this is not okay.”

In a public statement directed towards Public Speaking Soci-

ety, Stop Peña highlighted numerous instances of Peña’s harmful behaviour including ableist slurs, climate denial, encouragement of suicide and even advocation for child abuse: “The duty of care to safeguard students, associates, staff and members of the public from the risk of physical threat, discrimination by action and the expression of, and incitement of, violence supersedes the duty to facilitate an event based on freedom of speech.”

Continued page 4

Guild Election coverage Interviews with the candidates

Music celebrates International Women’s Day Page 22

Images (top to bottom): University of Exeter, Flickr, Flickr Ralph_PH

Guild PresidenT Page 5 & 6 Sports President Page 7 VP Opportunities Page 8 & 9 Vp Education Page 10

EXEPOSÉ

Devonshire House, Exeter, Devon, EX4 4PZ Editors Print: Bridie Adams & Oliver Leader de Saxe Online: Anna Wilmot Deputies: Lucy Aylmer, Cassia Grace & Chloe Pumares editors@exepose.com Social Media Executive Emily Im News Editors Print: Megan Ballantyne & Livvy Mason-Myhill Online: Meg Allan & Orla Mackinnon news@exepose.com Features Editors Print: Joshua Hughes & Steffi Haselden Online: Issac Bettridge & Lucy Evans International: Ryan Gerrett & Elen Johnston features@exepose.com Comment Editors Print: Evan Thomas & Kate Hall Online: Rachael Powell & Eirwen Abberley Watton comment@exepose.com Satire Editor Print: Cleo Gravett Lifestyle Editors Print: Danni Darrah Online: Katie Edgar & Sophie Porteous lifestyle@exepose.com Arts + Lit Editors Print: Ella Minty & Ana Anajuba Online: Clemence Smith & Georgia Balmer artsandlit@exepose.com

Editorial

G

UILD election week is finally upon us, and we have been working tirelessly for the last week to cover debates, interview candidates and make sure you’re the most informed electorate possible.

Check out our coverage on pages 5-10 where you can find out everything important: why they want to run, what their biggest weaknesses are and most importantly, what their most memorable night out was!

Unfortunately, we have been unable to provide coverage on VP Liberation & Equality as a result of nominations being reopened last week.

In other News, we have got the inside story of the Dan Peña speaker controversy (front page), from protests to what he said and how the Guild reacted; everything you need to know about the situation we have covered.

In Features we have an interview with Hugh Schofield (page 12), the BBC’s Paris correspondent, where we talk about his career, protests and of course, the war in Ukraine.

In Comment we have an

SPA AWARDS 2020 Best Publication 2021 Best Publication in the South West interesting piece about whether gender-segregated schooling should be banned (page 14), whilst Satire has the inside scoop on Storm Eunice mercifully destroying Old Lafrowda (page 15).

In Lifestyle, we have a vital article discussing when healthy diets can become unhealthy (page 17), whilst Arts + Lit has an insightful interview with Professor Vesna Goldsworthy about her wonderfully colourful life (page 19).

Elsewhere in Exhibit, Music pays tribute to Jamal Edwards (page 21) whilst Screen gives their TV spotlights to watch right now (page 23). And talking of watching, Tech takes on Meta and how it is handling internet regulation (page 25).

In the remaining factual sections, Science explores a potential new cure for HIV (page 28) and Sport fires out a EURFC season recap (back page).

We hope you enjoy the issue as much as we enjoyed making it and we’ll see you for the next one!

NEWS Societies describe online booking system as a "nightmare" PAGE 3

University distributes Go Green Week glasses PAGE 15

LIFESTYLE When health is no longer healthy PAGE 17

SCREEN Review: Euphoria S2 PAGE 23

Ollie and Bridie

Music Editors

Images (top to bottom): Unsplash Christina, Unsplash Nadine Shaabana, Pixabay Skica911, Wikicommons

Print: Harry Hawkins & Charlotte Bend Online: Tom Bosher & George Ward music@exepose.com Screen Editors Print: Archie Lockyer & Francesca Sylph Online: Adam Simcox screen@exepose.com Tech Editor Print: Bridie Adams and Oliver Leader de Saxe Science Editors Print: Ellen Rogers & Nancy Stitt Online: Daisy Scott & Imogen Poyntz-Wright sciandtech@exepose.com Sport Editors Print: Oscar Young & Rob Worthington Online: Floris de Bruin & Henry Hood sport@exepose.com Copy Editors Oliver Lamb and Danni Darrah Proofers Oliver Leader de Saxe, Kassie 'Kool Kat' Grace, Khloe 'Krazy Krab' Pumares, Lucy Aylmer, Kate Hall, Harry Hawkins, George Ward, Pollyanna Roberts, Evan Hot-Ass, blood, sweet and tears

@exepose @exepose facebook.com/exepose issuu.com/exeposeexeter Advertising

editors@exepose.com The opinions expressed in Exeposé are not necessarily those of the Exeposé Editors nor the University of Exeter Students’ Guild.

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

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

SATIRE

hy

University news home and abroad Ukrainian academic calls for support from international academic community

T

HE European Union has cut off ties with Russian scientists after a coordinated, global push to stop scientific collaboration.

These calls came after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and as a result of a suggestion from the German Federal Foreign Office to “freeze academic relations […] with Russia,” confirmed by Peter-André Alt, on Thursday 24 February.

Russia’s unprovoked occupation of Ukraine has unleashed an outflow of criticism from scientists and organisations, who say that the Western community ought to start taking action to support Ukrainians who require education.

More than 5,000 Russian scientists have also made known their resistance to the storming of Ukraine in an open letter published online, saying there is “no rational justification for this.”

Image: soylentgreen23, Wikicommons

Academics oppose plans to build new universities in Indonesia's new capital

T

HE establishment of Indonesia’s new capital city in East Kalimantan includes plans to build new universities and improve existing ones, but faces resistance from some academics who have called for a judicial review.

The new capital, Nusantra, situated on the island of Borneo, will replace Jakarta as capital. The bill for the change was passed through the House of Representatives last month and signed into law by President Joko Widodo on 15 February.

The plan to attract branch campuses or outposts of big universities in the new capital city has drawn a mixed reaction. Professor H Masjaya, rector of Mulawarman University, suggested to instead, “Improve the universities [already here] so the universities here — state-owned or private — can make a big contribution to the new capital city.”

President Widodo said “We want our new capital city to become the centre of research and innovation at international level. So we need to build world-class universities here.”

Sindh becomes first province to end ban on student unions

S

TUDENTS across Pakistan have been protesting this month for the restoration of student unions, banned since 1984 by Pakistan’s then dictator Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq. Most protesting has taken place in the Sindh province, which became the first to reinstate student unions through a bill passed unanimously by the Sindh Provincial Assembly on 11 February. This was described as a "historic move" by the ministers in the provincial government. The bill will require all academic institutions, both private and public, to hold elections every year allowing students to choose their representatives to take care of the academic and extra-curricular interests of students.

The new law states that educational institutions must have at least one student union member on the syndicate, senate or board for their organisation. It was supported by students across provinces, who called on other provincial governments to allow student unions. Currently, Pakistan has over 58 student organisation, but they have no legal status on campuses.

Official figures show rise in Turkish female university graduates

R

ECENT data released by the Turkish Statistical Institute states that women constituted 49.9 per cent of the country’s total population, and the number of female university graduates has risen from 7.6 per cent in 2008 to 19.9 per cent in 2020. This is according to reports from Hurriyet Daily news.

The Turkish Statistical Institute reported that the female population in 2021 was at 42,252,172, while the male population was 42,428,10 according to its 'Women in Statistics' report.

The proportion of those aged 25 and above completing at least one level of education has increased from 81.1 per cent in 2008 to 92.9 per cent in 2020.

The rate of females rose from 72.6 per cent to 87.7 per cent over a decade.

According to the results the rate of female employment was less than half the male employment rate in 2021.

The rate of women's employment varies by region; Thracian had 50.9 per cent while the south eastern region was 26 per cent and was the lowest in the region. The number of female professors has more than doubled between 2011 and 2021.

By Bridie Adams, Megan Ballantyne and Chloe Pumares

15 MAR 2022 | EXEPOSÉ

3 NEWS

Students voice preference for in-person teaching, Exeposé survey confirms Livvy Mason-Myhill News Editor

E

XEPOSÉ have conducted an anonymous survey among students at the University of Exeter to delve into the attitudes towards in-person and online learning.

Of the 36 responses from students from several different courses and years of study, 81 per cent of them have most of their lectures in-person and 97 per cent of their seminars are also in-person. Five per cent of those students did also highlight that they have “a 50/50 split”, with half of their lectures being in-person and the other half being online.

When asked whether they prefer lectures to be in-person or online, 72 per cent suggested that they preferred them to be in-person. One student said that “in-person lectures

are much better as it allows you to do it in real time and also socialise with people on your course”. Another student stated that “in-person lectures hold me accountable for remaining active and alert during lectures, as I struggle to motivate myself and I have difficulty concentrating”.

However, 19 per cent of students preferred to have their lectures online. A student indicated the benefits of this as “recorded lectures (online) make it easier to pause and make sure you have all of the notes you need”. This was supported by another student who preferred “being able to watch lectures at times of the day that suit me best.

Pre-recorded lectures are also easier to understand/watch back than recordings of live in-person lectures”.

97 per cent of students prefer their seminars to be in-person. Many

of the responses suggested that students feel uncomfortable speaking in online seminars. This was confirmed by a student saying that they find online learning creates “a more awkward environment” and that “online isn’t engaging and doesn’t encourage discussion and questions”. Another negative viewpoint of online seminars from a student was that they “find it a lot easier to participate in in-person seminars and participating online is a lot more awkward. I found online breakout rooms particularly awkward as you can’t really get to know people”.

When asked what students thought were the biggest advantages of online learning, a student commented that “online classes might be more efficient if everything is all in one place (i.e. on ELE), but only if you’re lucky with a tutor that sign-

Image: Exeposé data collected using Google Forms

posts everything clearly”. The flexible nature of learning online was also a common response, allowing students to “work at your own pace” and “you can study whenever you want which suits a lot of people”.

The main disadvantages of online learning suggested by students were the risks of technical difficulties as well as distractions. “Online learning makes it easier to procrastinate unless you have amazing time-management skills. It may also cause students to feel isolated due to little to no interaction”. This is supported through how 86 per cent of students said that they worked more productively in in-person classes.

The issues of a lack of engagement with other students and tutors was as also an issue. Students mentioned that it would be more difficult for students to socially interact with people and harder for students to obtain advice from their seminar leaders.

This follows how 75 per cent of students commented that their social life and interactions had been impacted when studying online and that 74 per cent felt that they couldn’t get the same level of support from tutors online as they could in person.

75 per cent of students thought that if your course is mainly online, your tuition fees should be lowered.

This was exemplified by one student, who said that “there is no point paying £9000 a year to sit in my room”.

Therefore, the survey results conveyed that overall, there is a more positive outlook towards in-person learning compared to online learning. With in-person learning, contact hours are a heavily valued aspect of in-person learning, ensuring increased concentration and productivity.

Timepiece no longer accepting resold tickets Livvy Mason-Myhill News Editor

T

IMEPIECE Winebar and Nightclub has made a statement on their Instagram page that they will no longer be accepting resold tickets or tickets that have not derived from the official Timepiece Fixr page. They have also highlighted that they will no longer be accepting screenshots of tickets.

They have publically stated on Instagram that “tickets must be presented for scanning via the Fixr app. We do not allow transferring of tickets within the app to avoid people being mis-sold at inflated prices”. They then went on to mention how they are aiming to ensure that this is a fair measure and to give people the “equal chance to secure a ticket at face value”.

This statement on their social media caused many avid Timepiece goers great annoyance. Many of the comments under the post suggested that the ticketing system does not work well. One comment addressed Timepiece, saying that they shouldn’t “pretend to be as ‘fair as possible.’ If you really cared you would get rid of the ticketing system”. Timepiece responded to this comment, suggesting that getting rid of their ticketing system would prevent anymore people into the nightclub and “we see it as being fair to prevent overpaying for a ticket or better still overpay for a ticket that doesn’t work”.

Multiple comments under the post also indicated that many of them are now planning on going to Unit 1 or Fever and Boutique instead, implying that this will be the downfall of Timepiece for student nights out.

Societies describe online room booking system as a “nightmare” Bridie Adams Editor

N

UMEROUS society committees have criticised the University’s room booking system, with one anonymous student labelling the booking system “a nightmare” after struggling to book a space on campus for a society event.

The Guild and University room booking systems are designed to be used to reserve rooms on campus for society events, as well as Subject Council meetings and feedback events. The Guild website states that any committee can use University rooms for society activity, and that this can be in any of the buildings on Streatham and St. Luke’s. However, the University specifies that society bookings are only permitted to be arranged outside of teaching hours on work days, with the Forum also available for bookings on weekends between 9AM and 5PM. Some students claim that only be-

ing able to use the online system to book rooms outside of teaching hours is restrictive. Anna Pickles, General Secretary of Feminist Society, told Exeposé, “I find it so annoying. My main issue with room booking is the fact that the only time you can book rooms through the automatic system is 6:30PM to 8PM. I’ve found the system in place for bookings after 6:30PM after class effective, but FemSoc has regular discussion groups at 4PM on Wednesdays, which wouldn’t work in any of the Guild rooms (a separate booking system entirely), and for which the booking needs to be by email.

Societies often have events in this afternoon slot seeing as there are less classes.”

As stated by Pickles, students who wish to book a room during teaching hours need to make a reservation request via email. However, Pickles suggests that the booking process via email is long and inefficient: “If the emailing booking system was always effective, this would be okay. However, seeing as it is

run by people rather than an automated system, early in the year, I wasn’t replied to for two weeks after sending numerous emails, when the turnaround should be maximum one week. It seemed that emailing with the official FemSoc email made a difference (no idea if that’s right or not!), but societies shouldn’t be facing this kind of confusion, or obstacles to running events that are outside our own hands. Earlier this term, I emailed to request a booking for Forum seminar rooms that I had checked were free, but the booking took a chain of five emails to confirm because the team member in charge got confused, which took up time and caused stress. I find it ridiculous that something so simple as booking should have a process so prone to error, especially at such a prestigious institution.”

Print Editor and President of RAZZ Magazine Caitlin Barr echoed some of these concerns: “RAZZ has really struggled with the room booking systems this year. The inability to

book any rooms before 6:30PM has left us having to beg individual desks to let us use rooms in their buildings, but this is obviously not a solution.”

The XpressionFM committee have also described the process as difficult, with Chloe Pumares, Head of Events, stating that when booking a lecture theatre for a guest speaker event, “It was difficult to book as some rooms seemed to only be able to be booked by staff. In the end a staff member booked the room for us.” Pumares added that it was “too much effort to try and book a room.”

One society also told Exeposé that they struggled to book a room for an event last week, stating that their request for a booking of the Alumni Auditorium in the Forum had been rejected. In an email to the Students’ Guild, a committee member from the society said, “We have been told that we cannot book out the Forum Alumni Auditorium by the room bookings team as they do not give it out to societies.” Although they stated that “he staff

themselves are lovely and as accomodating as can be, things have been stressful in terms of communication.” Members of this committee also expressed confusion, as the Alumni Auditorium had previously been booked by the Public Speaking Society for a talk with Dan Pena, ‘The Trillion Dollar Man,’ at the beginning of this month. The Public Speaking Society had apparently not faced the same barriers, as a spokesperson for the society said: ““We obviously had a certain criteria about the size. This was the only room that was available. So, basically, we had the booking approved. Actually I think we called the admin desk, if I’m not mistaken, and they did it manually for us, I believe.”

A spokesperson from the Guild said “Izzy, VP Opportunities, and the Guild are working with the University to improve the accessibility to and availability of room bookings to ensure that students have the best possible experience”. Exeposé also reached out to the University for comment.

4 NEWS

15 MAR 2022 | EXEPOSÉ

Vigils held in Exeter for victims of Ukraine invasion Megan Ballantyne News Editor

D

EMONSTRATIONS in support of Ukraine have taken place in Exeter over the last few weeks. The first took place in Bedford Square on Sunday 27 February, and was held by the leader of Exeter City Council Phil Bialyk. Bialyk spoke to the crowd, telling them, “We hope that it will reach all people who wish for peace… Many of us have families in Ukraine, and we are concerned about what is happening.” Exeter MP Ben Bradshaw also attended and spoke at the vigil. He said “Activities like this, showing our solidarity, really do help keep morale up. Please spread the word. Love, live, free democratic Ukraine.” Another demonstration took place in Bedford Square on Wednesday 2 March organised by Stand With Ukraine Exeter. The protest had a large student turnout.

Exeposé spoke to some of the protestors about why they were protesting. Oleg Girnyk, a second year Medical Sciences student, told Exeposé, “This is a demonstration for the people of Exeter to remind them that there’s a war in Ukraine, it was started by Russia, and a lot of people all over Ukraine right now are suffering from getting shelled, from getting shot, from just general Russian aggression for this pointless imperialism.”

Another student, Imogen Davis, expressed her gratitude for people attending the vigil. "I’m so grateful for everyone that came out to support us today — it's so good to see that people stand with Ukraine. It makes those of us who are worried about our families very proud and very grateful.” The Exeter Guild also hosted a vigil in solidarity with Ukraine on Friday 4 March, alongside the Multifaith Chaplaincy Team.

“It feels like a slap in the face for student environmental groups” Continued from front page...

Several students also spoke to Exeposé expressing their frustration about Peña’s invitiation. “I think having Dan Peña come to speak made a lot of students on campus feel unsafe” stated one third year History student. “This definitely should have been something that should have been taken into consideration when he was invited.”

Another third year English student raised their concerns about Peña’s fossil fuel background: “It feels like a slap in the face for student environmental groups on campus who work so hard to fight for a sustainable campus and to promote going green.”

Despite vocal opposition from the student body, Peña’s talk went ahead as planned and touched on a wide range of his previously expressed personal views and opinions, including his doubts on the existence of climate change.

Peña attempted to justify his climate skepticism by suggesting that Obama would not have bought an expensive waterfront house in Hawaii if he genuinely believed in climate change: “Why would a bright man like him buy a house 100m from the water, if he thought it was gonna be gone in 30 f***ing years?”

The event was disrupted by a protest halfway through, with activists chanting “Dan Peña go away, racist, sexist, anti-gay.”

Peña’s private security threatened to call the police on the protesters, but ultimately did not.

Audience members applauded loudly as they left the auditorium.

Peña responded to the protesters by saying, “Remember, sticks and stones can break your bones,

event, the President revealed that the Guild had some concerns regarding the content of the talk, particularly the threat of it becoming a safety risk, but that they were far too involved in the process logistically to cancel, noting how there were “thousands and thousands invested their end, and hundreds and hundreds invested our end.” The President noted that the event had been approved several months before, and if concerns had been raised then “the strategy would have been very different. But two weeks was just too little notice, and we’d committed too much by then.”

The Student Guild made the following official statement in response to the controversy: “The Public Speaking Society hosted an event on Tuesday 1 March with their invited speaker, Dan Peña. As part of the published Students’ Guild External Speaker process, an event panel was held jointly with the University to risk assess the event and put mitigations in place to balance both our duties of freedom of speech and duty of care to our students.

These mitigations included content warnings, wraparound support and risk mitigation.

Whilst the correct procedure was followed in reaching the decision to allow the event to go ahead, this was not without consideration for the safety and welfare of our student community which remains paramount. We understand the concerns raised by some students regarding the controversial views and approach 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.

Supporting inclusive communities and student wellbeing remain our priority, so the event was supported by content advisory warnings and signposting to wellbeing services such as the Wellbeing Services, Exeter Student Nightline and Multifaith Chaplaincy.

The Guild supported a number of student protests and we support your right to peaceful protest. We support individual students and student groups in actively challenging unpopular ideas, or ideas they disagree with, with better ideas.

We also encourage ongoing conversations occurring around free speech and the role of your Students’ Guild in facilitating a diverse array of student-led events and external speakers, and we welcome students to attend and contribute to this discussion at our next Guild Council meeting on 25 March or please get in touch via email.”

The Guild External Speaker Framework notes that as part of risk management, the Guild may consider several factors, including the “potential for the event/speaker to cause harassment, victimisation, or discrimination to members of the student body” and the “impact on student wellbeing and safety.”

The Guild also acknowledged the potential GDPR breach, stating that the potential breach “was reviewed by our Data Protection Lead and appropriate actions taken in response.”

We reached out to the University for comment.

É

Devon County Council apologises after study shows extent of racism at County Hall Livvy Mason-Myhill News Editor

L Image: Flickr

but words can never hurt you — why has the world flipped on that? [...] It’s a hate crime in the UK to call somebody a fatass now — is it a hate crime to call somebody a skinny ass?”

Stop Peña told Exeposé after the talk that “we are immensely proud of every single person that stood up to protest the talk, despite all of the verbal abuse and heckling they received from Peña and his predominantly male audience.

Freedom of speech was only protected on one side yesterday.”

GDPR concerns were also flagged after Public Speaking society copied people’s emails into an email chain without their consent. A spokesperson from the society stated that “this was an accidental error with some emails where CC was used instead of BCC. This was recorrected and sent the emails concerned specific advice.”

Exeposé also spoke to the President of Public Speaking society, who explained that they invited Peña because “we had spoken to a lot of our members at the time, and they’d let us know who they were interested in reaching out to and Peña was on this list. Obviously, he had a large following, we didn’t know that much about him but we knew he had a presence and we would be interested in having him along.”

The President also admitted that Public Speaking weren’t aware of the more controversial things Peña has said or brought up, but stated that, “we have loads of different speakers so we can’t invest too much time in doing a full review. That was sort of the Guild’s role.”

When asked if the society ever considered cancelling the

eaders of the Devon County Council have apologised after a study found racism at the County Hall. This racism included an ‘unwelcoming culture’ for Black and Asian people. This led to the Council’s Chief Executive described this as a “wake-up call” according to Devon Live and apologised for the “unacceptable”

level of racism at the organisation.

These findings were featured in a report of an audit at the Exeterbased local authority, looking into ‘structural racism’. This report emphasised that “Racism takes many shapes and forms, from name calling, violence, bullying and inequality to deep-seated apathy biases, ignorance and cruelty”. It further illustrated that they’ve “identified that racism is present, pervasive and dangerous within the organisation”.

The Council’s leadership group commissioned the Race Equality Audit in order to “understand the nature and impact of structural racism within the organisation so that it may be addressed”. The audit was carried out by antiracism consultants from the local community with the support from council officers. The report goes on to mention the risk of racial attack was higher in areas with the smallest minority ethnic communities, like that in Devon. Black and

Asian staff told the authors that nothing was done by managers when trying to report racist threats from white service users.

The DCC’s chief executive Phil Norrey welcomed this report, stating that “we need to do more to ensure our Black, Asian and ethnically diverse colleagues are able to express their needs and experiences safely and that the points raised will be acted upon swiftly”.

Guild President Frank Allen

LEADERSHIP ELECTIONS 2022 | EXEPOSÉ

Current President:

Lily Margaroli

Maria Aspinall

Frank Allen has studied at Exeter for both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, has worked under different colleges and has been a part of numerous societies, sitting on committee for the Jewish Society for two years. In addition, he works for the University part-time.

Maria Aspinall is a MA Philosophy student. While estranged last year, the Guild helped her to access summer accommodation, free of charge, inspiring her to run for Guild President. This year she has been President of Debating Society, leading a large and diverse team.

WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO BE GUILD PRESIDENT?

There are a lot of reasons I feel passionate about this role. I don’t think the students have a Guild who met their needs. To be honest, my friends said, “You should run,” and I thought, “Why not?” When I started doing research, talking to students about what they think about the Guild, a lot of them had a negative opinion or no opinion at all. For a body supposed to represent the students I was quite shocked by that. So I thought what can I do to make the Guild a better place? I have really enjoyed my time in Exeter, I have seen the Guild at its best, and perhaps its worst, and I’ve learnt from that.

A variety of things. I guess the main thing is I got lots of help from the Guild last year. I was estranged; I had nowhere to go over the summer, but the team were able to find me some accommodation. Basically, the Guild made sure I had a place to live for a month and that kind of got me thinking. When I talk to students, they seem to not really think that the Guild has their back; they don’t think it’s there to help them, they don’t think there are many ways in which it can improve their Uni experience or empower them or anything like that.

WHAT IS THE NUMBER ONE THING YOU’D LIKE TO DO IF YOU GET ELECTED?

Definitely student safety. When I was organising my campaign, students were very nervous and I feel the Guild response wasn’t very efficient. I can’t represent a body that I know nothing about. There were generally concerns about mental health, spiking, women’s safety, sexual assault — all these huge parts of Guild policy. So I thought this had to be a large part of my policy.

We need to speak to clubs, get them to sit down and tell them what we want, such as anti-spiking measures, a night bus that is institutionalised, also having a constitution that societies are liable to, especially society committee members.

I think that fundamentally the way that the Guild communicate with students is broken. It comes back massively to communications, because, like I say, the Guild is definitely capable of helping people, but people don’t know what it’s doing or how it can help. With the team that helped me get accommodation, all there is on campus to indicate how they can help is a pillar outside the gender-neutral bathroom. Basically, if there’s one thing I can improve, it will be communications. More aspirational stuff is trying to reduce prices on campus; that’s a big issue that keeps coming back because it’s gone so haywire since I first came in 2018.

MAIN CHALLENGE FACING THE ROLE

How possible are the policies? I think the best way forward is to tell the students what is possible and what is not. I think this is where Sunday did a very good job. If students complain, they can come to me. Theres a huge lack of transparency about that. There’s also no transparency about what the Guild does; it needs to clearly communicate on campus, now COVID-19 has legally finished, and through social media. Especially revitalising a Facebook or Instagram page where the Guild President can weekly update in a nonprofessional way. There are people who will be unwilling to change policy but I know where I stand with the Guild and I’m going to be in charge. The CEO of the Guild is unelected so I will try my best to override any bureaucracy.

There needs to be a constitution that holds them liable, voted for by students.

A challenge is going to be trying to convince the University to put students first. I’m not going to mince words here: the University of Exeter, like most universities, is a predatory corporation. It takes a captive market, students, charges them ridiculous amounts of money, puts them in huge debt, to basically line its own pockets and ultimately the essential role of the Guild has to be to hold this institution to account. It needs to make sure that no, it doesn’t just hike prices on campus because students have nowhere else to eat in close proximity and so increases profits. No, it should put students first. How to do that? It’s going to be a mixture of playing to their interests, advocacy, just strength of character and strength of public speaking confidence and the ability to argue and debate well.

I mean, you kind of want someone who has a lot of experience with that and believe it or not, I do have a lot of experience in that. It is going to be a challenge convincing the University to put students first given its profit incentive, but it’s a challenge that I am probably the best equipped out of all the candidates to face.

BIGGEST WEAKNESS

I feel like my biggest weakness is taking on a lot. I have noticed this with the campaign, and being completely transparent, I am feeling a mental and emotional toll from campaigning. That’s a result of my weakness and the process. But when I’m in the Guild, I will work out that as I go along.

When you spend your life in a minority, particularly being a trans girl, and you spend your time constantly being criticised and having your place in the world questioned and your right to exist questioned, you get a little bit insecure. Sometimes I do have a hard time; I have a hard time getting the confidence to do certain things.

HOW WILL YOU SUPPORT GUILD TRANSPARENCY?

It’s one of my key policies. One of the key points is to move away from comms through email alone to in-person and social media, to meet students where they are at. The first key policy is going to be an explicit definition as to what the Guild’s purpose is, what the Guild officers are and how it functions. Most importantly, it’s holding people to account. Often accountability gets confused with punishment, but it’s about making the campus more inclusive and more transparent.

One thing is improving the way the Guild communicates with students. Right now, nobody really reads the Guild emails because they’re so densely packed with information while still telling you nothing and they’re often quite badly labelled as well. The Guild just isn’t really very good at informing students of what they need to know. There seems to be a fundamental issue with communication at present, I think. I would improve the way the Guild emails about information.

MOST MEMORABLE NIGHT OUT IN

There are a lot. More to the point, which nights do I remember and which do I not? TP Wednesday is always a good time. Recently I was out with the Squash society as a social member, and it was very good vibes. I went to Mega Kebab — when you get drunk you get hungry. Linking back to my campaign, I feel like whilst its good to have a good night out, I only managed this because my friend was able to get tickets from someone who is very generous. A lot of students are being ripped off. I didn’t think clubs are doing anything about this and when I speak to them I want to tell them they need to sort out their tickets — either buying on the door or having a way to hold scammers accountable.

Oh my God, this is a contradiction because the most memorable night out is going to be one I don’t really remember that well. I think possibly the one that’s most memorable would be a Debating Soc event and, you know, we did some comedy debate, we did speeches; it was all very funny. Afterwards, we went to TP, I believe. For some reason I was really feeling it that night, so kind of kept partying until the next day and then proceeded to go on student radio, slightly inebriated. I mean, I just love those nights which end in complete and utter chaos. It’s like you can’t be controlled — you’re a force of nature and you just kind of keep going beyond the point of reason.

ABOUT THE CANDIDATE

EXCLUSIVE EXEPOSÉ COVERAGE

Lily Margaroli Jonathan Parker About the candidate

Lily Margaroli has been Guild President this year and is running for a second year in the role. In her personal statement, she emphasises the “skills, knowledge and relationships” she has built over the last year.

Jonathan Parker advocates for the abolition of the Guild. He mentions removing all responsibilities and authority from the Guild.

What made you want to be Guild President?

I fundamentally want to help improve the student experience more. This year I think I have started to do that but there is still lots more to do. The core reason I want to be Guild President next year is there are changes that need to be made to help students engage with the University and I think I am the best person to represent students and to do that.

Parker request

declined Exeposé’s and refused to

interview comment.

There are so many things. I think the key thing I want to address for the remainder of this year, but already have in place solidly for next year, is making sure every student sees a lot of academic representation. We have college officers as well as subject chairs, but there are so many other parts to student experiences that need to be represented, and so many communities that need to be represented formally. We need Parker to work on representation of our liberation communities, whether that’s a LGTB rep or an intern, request or better engagement with networks that already exist around those communities. This needs to happen and be formalised because you need to see yourself in the Guild to engage and feel belonging.

declined Exeposé’s and refused to

interview comment.

Main challenge FACING THE ROLE

Again, lots of challenges, but lots of opportunities for development. I think it will be national changes and policy. There will of course be challenges specific to Exeter which is difficult to predict. There are national policies coming in around student loans and student fees and freedom of speech. I think engaging with those and building the national network to influence those will be quite a big challenge because we are interacting with the Government but it’s a fantastic opportunity to make a high-level change. The opportunity to do that needs to have someone in the role who has skills, knowledge and experience, and someone who knows how the sector works and I think I can overcome those challenges and have real influence.

Parker request

declined Exeposé’s and refused to

interview comment.

Biggest weakness

I think sometimes I want to take on too much, or I want to try and solve lots of different issues. I have got better this year because it’s not sustainable to try and solve every individual’s problem. You have got to look at what is causing it to stop it happening again. I do still find it difficult because when you have an acute issue in front of you, it doesn’t always lead to the long-term changes we need. I think I am getting better at that.

Parker request

declined Exeposé’s and refused to

interview comment.

I think that our communication is okay but there is a lot to be improved. We have lots of events and lots of ways for students to engage with us, lots of opportunities for activities and campaigns to be run. I think we get everything out there and let students choose what to engage with, but I don’t think that’s the best way to engage students to know what we are doing. I think we need to do focus groups and go out to students and ask what they want to know from us. Ultimately, we are member-led, led by students, so we need to be able to tell students exactly what they want to know. We have kind of done this this year through our event ‘Spill the Tea’ where we are there as officers and chat to students about what they want to do, but we understand this is not perfect and is something we need to continue working on. Officers are just one part of the Guild. I think students need the opportunity to talk with other staff as well.

Parker request

declined Exeposé’s and refused to

interview comment.

I always have a good time at boozy bowling — I think I’ve said that before. It’ll be a society night or with a big group of friends and you’ll go down to bowling, then the night can just take you to so many different places. On a Tuesday, you can get a pitcher for a silly amount of money, a couple of pounds.

To be honest, any night down on the Quay has got to be a good night. It’s my favourite place in Exeter

Parker request

declined Exeposé’s and refused to

interview comment.

What is the number one thing you’d like to do if you get elected?

HOW WILL YOU SUPPORT Guild transparency?

Most memorable night at uni

É

EXEPOSÉ VERDICT

F

RANK Allen believes that “being Guild President is about more than just good vibes…a strong Guild President needs a strong platform to stand on”. He states that this will be achieved through conducting a survey that builds policy based on student suggestions. Frank is student-focussed and has retained strong connections with the University through part-time work as a Student Community Warden. In addition, he is a keen squash player and has been a committee member of the Jewish Society for two years.

In close competition is Maria Aspinall, a fourth year Philosophy Master’s student and the incumbent Debating Society President. Maria

believes in the importance of transparency and making campus affordable for all students. Her vision involves empowering students “to self-actualise and overcome the barriers they face”. Maria states that this will ensure the Guild can fulfil its full potential.

Whilst Jonathan Parker might have been a ‘no show’ in his interview with Exeposé, he is not afraid to speak his mind. His personal statement outlines his vision to “ABOLISH THE GUILD” on grounds that it is “corrupt, bureaucratic and unjust…furthering its own petty agenda and internal designs”. Bold and outlandish, Parker may well be the dark horse for this Year’s Guild Presidential elections.

And finally, the incumbent President of the Student’s Guild, Lily Margaroli. Drawing from the past year, Margaroli outlines how her previous experience makes her “the best person to continue taking our community forward” and that she will continue to listen, “fight for what is right” and embody inclusivity along the way. Margaroli aims to collaborate, empower and be resilient in the face of change. Her vision will be implemented using an intersectional and sustainable approach through agile positioning and developing ever-strong relationships with local and national networks.

So as competition heats up for this year’s Presidential elections, the question remains: who dares wins?

LEADERSHIP ELECTIONS 2022 | EXEPOSÉ

Sports President James Coffin

Current AU President:

Katy Dalglish

Jack Gowing

Arlen Veysey

is reading MA Electronic has been part of numerous Tennis and Kayaking, trying the first time whilst at Exeter.

Jack Gowing has worked with Exeter clubs and other universities to discuss BUCS competition and varsities fixtures. He aspires to link people with opportunities and developsustainablefuture strategies for clubs and the AU.

Arlen Veysey has taken on numerous sports leadership roles, such as club captain of the Fencing Club. On top of various committee positions that he has held in the Fencing Club, he is a qualified coach and competition organiser.

What made you want to be SPORTS PRESIDENT?

This is my fourth year and through all four years I’ve just been part of so many different sports clubs and I’ve loved the experience. I just loved the role of running the Tennis Club - helping people and trying to improve the club. It was a natural decision to go forward and go for the Sports President role.

I think it comes from having so many different experiences, seeing things go really well and wanting to be able to continue those things, because a lot of things don’t need change, they just need someone doing the job. Implementing things is the hard bit and where lots of good ideas fall down.

Firstly, its just my passion for sport. I love sport so much and seeing everyone getting the same enjoyment out of sport as I do is just really nice, and I basically want to help develop that even further.

I’ve done a lot with the Fencing Club and want to broaden that out, and help develop other clubs.

HOW WILL YOU DEAL WITH THE ISSUE OF INITIATIONS?

I don’t think initiations are a good idea. It puts a lot of pressure on students coming in, it may put people off coming in to sports clubs; even if they’re really passionate about sport they might just not want to get involved fully. Ending initiations would be the best way to go for sure.

I think the the best way to go about initiations, because there has been good progress across the years, is a realistic approach from the AU. Societies are going to do some sort of introduction. It’s about helping them find ways to do it that are positive and enjoyable, rather than just blanket banning them, because then everyone pushed against them.

I’ve been here for four years and that’s always a question that comes up, and its an interesting one as a lot of societies end up doing that on their own, and it becomes a hard thing to police. The main thing would be, if by initiations you mean the heavy stuff you hear about, that’s obviously not good.

Main challenge FACING THE ROLE

I guess the lead up to Freshers’ Week — so many clubs all trying to come at me for information. I have good organisation and good time management skills so I feel I’ll be very on it with getting everybody to know where they’re going to be and when they’re going to be there.

I think the main challenge initially will be the breadth of it, but luckily the position starts in the summer and everyone that’s part of the process — in the Guild and the office and Katie, the current incumbent — have all echoed, “You make it what you want it to be.”

I think the role needs more input from the students. More communication, more feedback from students and from the clubs.

Biggest weakness

I’m a perfectionist. I spend way too much time trying to get something completely right.

I take myself a bit too seriously. It’s something that’s come from my course. It’s not a problem when you’re applying for a job. Taking yourself too seriously to an extent isn’t a bad thing.

Overworking myself. I need to watch out for that. I am getting better at it. You could even say it is a strength at times.

WHAT IS THE NUMBER ONE THING YOU WOULD WANT TO CHANGE OR IMPROVE?

The number one thing is inclusivity. I’ve been a member of many clubs not as a performance player, just a standard member, and some clubs do really well at being inclusive for all levels, some not so well at all levels. I think it would be great if all clubs could have a great experience for every level so whether you come in as a beginner or if you’re a BUCS player.

I think it’s about helping the way the committees work and I know that that’s not the smartest way to spin it as a politician; committees only have 500 people out of 11,000 members but it has such a trickledown effect. The clubs have chosen people who are going to be most effective.

I think Katy’s work on disability in sport has been quite good and I’ve been involved with that this year, so keeping this accessibility and openness with sport is good, and we should work on that even more.

MOST Memorable night AT UNI

It would have to be tennis end of season dinner in my second year — just way too much wine, ended up sleeping in the park opposite and missing my whole dinner, but still made it to TP.

There been some memorable aftermaths like waking up without my shoes or clothes but still having my phone, wallet and keys. Our summer dinner is later in the year, just because of how the season’s built and it’s quite a done-up affair.

It has got to be my second-year Christmas dinner with Fencing; it just a great night where everyone was the perfect level of happy and enjoying themselves.

About the candidate

É

James Coffin Engineering. He clubs including many sports for

EXEPOSÉ VERDICT

T

HERE was stiff competition between James Coffin and Jack Gowing at Thursday night’s hotly anticipated XpressionFM debate for Sports President.

Arlen Veysey did not show up to the debate and declined to provide an introductory statement for the radio.

From reading Veysey’s personal statement, it demonstrates his passion for sport and how he will embrace further development in areas such as mental health, sustainability and disability.

He draws from his experience as a qualified coach, armourer and competition organiser with the Fencing Club.

Xpression’s Head of Sport, Tom Picillo, asked the candidates about how they will put an end to controversies that have been

at the centre of sports clubs at Exeter.

Both candidates condemned these activities. Coffin stated that he would set the rules straight at the start of the year. His manifesto reiterates this with a strong focus on making sports clubs more welcoming and accessible to all abilities and backgrounds. Gowing took a more pragmatic approach by confessing that he did not know all the details but confirmed that the AU should “set the roles in dialogue.

It doesn’t work [to] blanket ban things.”

Gowing has had three years of experience for the University of Exeter’s Rowing Club with roles as President, Welfare Secretary and Stash Secretary, respectively.

Drawing from his experience on the committee during COVID-19, his personal statement emphasises the importance of

delivering welfare chats, training sessions and online socials to improve accessibility.

As someone who has extensive experience in the High-Performance Programme for rowing, he is keen to widen accessibility for players of all abilities and facilitate more non-competitive sport.

Similarly, Coffin emphasises the importance of students with physical or learning difficulties.

During the debate, Picillo probed further on this by asking how this would be achieved.

Coffin stated that there are many mental health issues such as autism which often go unnoticed so making socials more inclusive to those with such disabilities will be key.

VP Opportunities

LEADERSHIP ELECTIONS 2022 | EXEPOSÉ

Izzie Dyer

Current VP Opportunities: Izzy Harrison

Mehreen Nasir Kaif Ur Rahman

Izzie Dyer is a PPE finalist with experience across ten societies. She strives to promote inclusivity, along with a list of other priorities listed in her personal statement.

Mehreen Nasir is an international postgrad student, who views the position as a chance for her to connect with the Guild. She wants to provide a platform for international students, where the community could seek “social assistance.”

Although he has only been in Exeter for a matter of months, Kaif Ur Rahman believes he can improve the “compatibility” of opportunities. In his personal statement, he emphasises his earlier experiences at school.

WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO BE VP OPPORTUNITIES?

I think seeing the current Sabbatical Officers in their roles. I think they’ve made some big strides this year, made some great changes, and being involved in societies and the careers side of the University has made me realise how much there is to offer. But I still think there is more to be done and what there is could be advertised better, so that’s why I have focused my campaign on growth rather than transforming.

Personally, I feel the warmth the University of Exeter has given me as an international student was a driving force to become a contributing part of the University and the student community.

As a postgraduate international student, it was time to become a wider part of the system and explore opportunities at the University fully.

When I came to Exeter, I had problems finding my accommodation and getting into the flow of studies. I’ve realised that other people also would have been facing even more problems. Me being extroverted it is a little easier for me to do the whole process but in the mean time I know how introverts would probably have difficulties in finding the accommodation or even walking up to the Students’ Guild or to SID (the Student Information Desk).

HOW WILL YOU MONITOR GUEST SPEAKERS ON CAMPUS?

I think there needs to be better communication between the Guild and the University, and more transparency about who is accountable for those speaking on campus, and what the measures are that are put in place. Because I think a big problem at the moment is that nobody knows who is allowing people to come and speak on campus, and express views that aren’t necessarily representative of the student body.

I feel that every voice, whether negative or positive, needs to be heard. If it’s heard at an earlier stage, it may not become harmful at a later stage. For me, I think it is important to speak to everyone. I feel harmful speakers are not given the opportunity to channel their thoughts properly — it becomes harmful for the entire student community.

I think it should be filtered way before any speech is delivered or given to the public.

BIGGEST WEAKNESS

I think that my biggest weakness is probably that I struggle to focus on one project at once. I get very passionate about things and I want to get everything done very quickly, and bring things to fruition — create tangible impacts from my work really fast.

I guess getting overwhelmed is probably one of my weaknesses, although I am a multitasker. I am very hands-on, but I can get overwhelmed, and I need my own time to strategise first. I would consider that my weakness.

Probably finance management because I have an open hand when I’m spending, so I spend a lot of money. I think I need to start controlling that.

I think the number one thing I would want to change is incorporating inclusion across Activities a little bit more. Inclusion would look like running careers sessions for people from underrepresented backgrounds: how to advocate for work place rights, offering a more diverse range of careers than focused on by the career services, and making sure all of this is done in communication with the people I’m trying to represent, making sure I’m doing what they want and what they’re looking for.

As I said, unlike a lot of other candidates, my focus is on international freshers and exploring opportunities for postgrad students, whether international or local. My startoff point is going to be making avenues and opportunities, as well as policies, very visible.

I want to mainly focus on the job opportunities that every student, every international student, should be given, because it’s quite difficult for them to manage their finances, especially when they have to get money back from home. It’s a big, huge problem. It’s not that easy for students who come in January, as the places have already been filled. I want to close that barrier.

The biggest challenge will be representing such a large and diverse student community. It’s not possible to speak to three of our people and represent over 20,000 students. I think collating that information and getting people to engage and make their voices heard will be a challenge, but it is something I’m very passionate about — the benefits of engaging with the Guild.

I feel being an international student is going to be one of the biggest challenges and not having as much time to work with the Guild is going to be my shortcoming.

Probably the location. I’m very new to Exeter so I need to start exploring and going out and stuff, but I think my work will make me explore the city.

Going to Cheesy Tuesdays. That was right up my street! And I managed to score a blow-up parrot which is still in my room.

I am a postgrad student with two kids so most of my memorable nights are spent with my family.

There was one night that I will never forget. It’s not a good memory but a bad memory. I had no place to stay and I’m not that used to the cold. I was about to cry.

ABOUT THE CANDIDATE

WHAT IS THE NUMBER ONE THING YOU’D LIKE TO DO IF ELECTED?

MAIN CHALLENGE FACING THE ROLE

MOST MEMORABLE NIGHT AT UNI

Johna Aswin Selva

Lowenna Wagstaff

Johna Aswin Selva describes himself as “inspired to bring new light to anyone who wants it.” Aswin is currently pursuing a MA and holds the position of PGT rep and organizer for TEDx. He has organized five TEDx events by leading a team of 50 students.

Lowenna Wagstaff is a final year English and Drama student. From a low-income background, she has experienced barriers to opportunities offered at Exeter and wants to enact change. Wagstaff has been responsible for managing multiple projects throughout her time at Exeter, and she has a Level 2 Effective Listening Qualification.

WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO BE VP OPPORTUNITIES?

I’m passionate about helping people, helping people with what I know. I have been a Student Rep and offered lots of help to students regarding their studies. Moreover, I’ve been a TEDx organiser, organising lots of events through which I was able to create more opportunities for the students. Through that, I was able to see changes in the students, see an introvert change into an extrovert, a very scared guy who was on sidelines not speaking to anyone — he changed. These kind of things I was able to do in my undergrad, and they really inspired me, and I want to do that on a large scale here at Exeter. That is why I am standing for VP Opportunities.

I’ve had a lot of experience with societies over the last three years, and although I think the Guild is doing a lot of good things and that there are a lot of brilliant opportunities at Exeter, I still think there are a lot of improvements to be made, and I think that a lot of people continue to feel excluded and unsafe on campus. So I want to work to break down those barriers.

HOW WILL YOU MONITOR GUEST SPEAKERS ON CAMPUS?

I’ll make sure that if we have speakers or someone coming to the University, we’ll have a background check and we’ll make sure that the speaker is aligned to our policies. I’ll have a background check about who this person is; is this person harmful? Then we’ll let him onto campus.

I think the difficulty is that the do legally, especially when they coming in. I think the thing to on the University, and I would

BIGGEST WEAKNESS

Emotion. It times.

But

be bad at from that.

This going to sound like a real cheesy cop-out, but caring too much! I overcommit sometimes, I think I can get too personally involved in things.

WHAT IS THE NUMBER ONE THING YOU’D LIKE TO DO IF

Its all about accessibility and transparency in the Guild operation. When I was doing my election campaign two days back, someone told me, “Yeah I know the Guild. Do they have elections?” This is a question they asked. Most don’t even know the basic things. Ensuring the accessibility, the inclusivity, reaching out to them, will be my main focus.

Inclusion. I think the Uni is great, but as a student from a low-income background, I struggle a lot of the time, and as a woman, that is something I also feel societies can do more of to make people feel more welcome, and I will be putting that at the top of the agenda.

MAIN CHALLENGE FACING THE ROLE

Reaching out to people. Everyone may not be interested, but we need to know what they are interested in. So tackling that would be my biggest challenge.

Unpredictability. If the last two years have taught us anything it has taught us that that we can’t predict what is going to happen. I think it’s about doing what you can with what you have at the time.

MOST MEMORABLE NIGHT AT UNI

It was when I went to the Globe Café. It’s sort of a society which runs for the international students, where each week we’d have evening parties. When I came here in the first week we had one night speaking about Exeter’s history.

To be honest, I hated Exeter the first week after coming here, but after that night learning about Exeter’s history, I started loving the city so much.

ABOUT THE CANDIDATE

É

EXEPOSÉ VERDICT

T

can be good sometimes; it can also throughout this process I’m learning

HIS year’s VP Opportunities has the highest number of candidates running, so lets dive right in.

Starting strong with Izzie Dyer, who is running an impressive social media campaign, outlining the three pillars of her personal statement on social media. The first is ‘involved’ under which she talks about her participation in societies and how this best prepares her for the role, stating she has a thorough understanding of Guild bureaucracy. Under ‘interested’ she talks about her committement to reaching out and listening to the student body to ensure she remains representative of their needs. ‘Inclusive’ means prioritising inclusivity which she states she already does both as a student and in her personal life. She will continue this as VP Opportunities regarding BAME, mature, international, postgraduate and St Lukes students.

Lowenna Wagstaff, has a passion-

Guild is limited in what they can have financially powerful speakers do is to continue putting pressure look to create a wider campaign.

I had one where it was the most random night out where I went to Unit unplanned and it was a Thursday — went to Subway after, spilt marinara sauce all down a white jumper and then went in a portaloo that I found by the side of the road.

ate personal statement, talking about her experience as President/Executive Producer of one of Exeter’s theatre companies, as this has enabled her to become familiar with Guild systems. She seems passionate to improve barriers that exist for students from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Wagstaff ends her personal statement by suggesting she wants to make the campus safer, more inclusive and supportive for everyone.

Johna Aswin Selva has three clear key aims that come across in his personal statement, which are also included in his attached manifesto. He aims to bring transparency and accessibility, sustainability opportunities and inclusivity and diversity. All excellent aims although at times perhaps are not quite under VP Opportunities remit.

Mehreen Nasir, an international postgraduate student, focuses largely on improving university life for postgraduate

students who only get to spend a year at the University of Exeter. In her personal statement she also states her key strategy will be to always keep students first.

Finishing with Kaif Ur Rahman, he too is a postgraduate student who has only spent a year at the University.

He lists three points in his statement which he aims to complete as a Guild Officer. He wants to be approachable for students in all regards, collate more employment contacts for the University and wants to take individuals from where they are to where they want to be.

All five candidates turned up to XpressionFM’s debate which enabled them to expand on their personal statements. All answered a number of questions, although at times Rahman and Selva were prompted by the host.

It will be interesting to see who will win this years most sought after position.

LEADERSHIP ELECTIONS 2022 | EXEPOSÉ

VP Education

What made you want to be VP EDUCATION?

Bella Enoizi

Souradeep Sengupta

Jack Liversedge

Thomas Glover is a final year undergraduate studying Drama.

He has been heavily involved with student life throughout his time at the University of Exeter. In first year he was a Student Representative and in second year he was a Subject Chair for the Drama Department’s Student Staff Liaison Committee. In addition, Glover has worked at Unit 1 for several days a week since first year.

Souradeep Sengupta is currently completing his MSc. Cyber Security analytics degree at the University of Exeter. He is a Student Representative as well as an SSLC member for Computer Science.

Jack Liversedge wants to use his own experiences as someone with dyslexia to help others have a positive experience at university. He is currently a supervisor at the Campus Ram Bar and has also fulfilled committee roles during his time at university.

When I first joined the University in 2019, I became a student representative for first-years. I enjoyed that responsibility and being able to hear different student voices and I liked being approachable for other students.

Sengupta did not show up to the scheduled Exeposé interview.

Liversedge was unable to be interviewed due to a medical emergency.

Thomas Glover

About the candidate

Current VP Education:

How will you bridge the gap in attainment between different backgrounds?

One of the main points of my campaign is the community. A lot of the time students come from different backgrounds. Being able to focus on students of all backgrounds is important and something that needs to be addressed.

WHAT IS THE NUMBER ONE THING YOU’D LIKE TO DO IF YOU GET ELECTED?

I think one thing definitely to improve upon is students’ relationship with the University. With the whole COVID-19 pandemic, there have been shifts around the benefits and support that students get. Everyone’s experiences have been different - particularly with in-person and online examinations in January. I know that Bella has been focussing on supporting students who are transitioning from online to in-person exams. It’s important to note that we are still in the pandemic but yet are moving back into normality. I think there should be developments into whether online and in-person examinations can take place based on the preference of students.

Sengupta did not show up to the scheduled Exeposé interview.

So far, the main challenge has been the Guild’s decision to use personal statements instead of manifestos. I think this has been useful. A lot of the time when candidates write manifestos, they say things that they may not achieve during their time in the role.

If elected, my ultimate goal is to support students no matter what their background is. I will use the Guild to work with the University on these issues. I know that challenges will arise. As a student representative, I faced challenges. I know there will be challenges that will come up, so being able to find suitable alternatives for students will be the ultimate goal.

Sengupta did not show up to the scheduled Exeposé interview.

Liversedge was unable to be interviewed due to a medical emergency.

Biggest weakness

When I was a student rep I felt super nervous about talking to my peers and becoming an approachable character. I asked my lecturer if I could provide a brief announcement before the lecture started – this made me nervous. I’ve never done public speaking before. I gained confidence each time I had to do one of these announcements.

Sengupta did not show up to the scheduled Exeposé interview.

Liversedge was unable to be interviewed due to a medical emergency.

MOST Memorable night AT UNI

Wow. That is super hard. There haven’t been a lot. I got a job in October 2019 at Unit 1 when I first started at Exeter. It’s great to see everyone having a positive time.

Sengupta did not show up to the scheduled Exeposé interview.

Liversedge was unable to be interviewed due to a medical emergency.

main challenge FACING THE ROLE

É

Image: Dietmar Rabich

EXEPOSÉ VERDICT

S

TUDENT questions during the VP Education debates all seem to emphasise the importance of reducing academic stress for students. The candidates all have different approaches to achieving this. Thomas Glover emphasised the importance of improving the assessment deadline system, suggesting that BART needs to be made more functional and accessible. Meanwhile, Souradeep Sengputa highlighted the problem of deadlines falling at the same time and the need for flexibility with assessments. Both suggested that a reading week in second term would be useful to reduce student stress. Another significant issue raised by students was the struggles getting ILPs

Sengupta did not show up to the scheduled Exeposé interview.

consistently. Souradeep was unsure of what ILPs were, but Thomas commented that ILPs must be flexible and easily accessible although gave little information on how he would go about doing so. Jack Liversedge was unable to attend the debates but provided a statement that, “I can’t be here for medical reasons, but would love to be your VP Education next year.”

Similar topics were considered in their personal statements. Jack argued that the University needs to improve communication with students regarding extensions, as well as students having the ability to challenge marking. He also pointed out that academic support is not well publicised and highlighted this as

Liversedge was unable to be interviewed due to a medical emergency.

Liversedge was unable to be interviewed due to a medical emergency.

an area of improvement for the Guild. The importance of student feedback was particularly highlighted by Thomas, who stated that his experience as Subject Chair qualifies him to amplify the student voice although he gave little specific policy information. Souradeep is also a student representative, giving him some similar experience of taking feedback from students.

Notably, Souradeep gives little information about his proposed policies or his suitability for the role.

Given the variety in the candidate’s personal statements and debate answers, it will be interesting to see who the student’s vote for.

15 MARCH 2022| EXEPOSÉ

11

Features

FEATURES EDITORS:

Joshua Hughes and Steffi Haselden

The world’s response to Ukraine

Joshua Smith assesses the international condemnation of Russia in light of Putin’s recent invasion

A

T the end of the first week since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, an unnamed woman uttered “take these seeds and put them in your pocket so at least sunflowers will grow on your graves”, confronting Russian soldiers in Henichesk, Southern Ukraine. The brilliantly orchestrated spectacle of Ukrainian resistance is expressed in these words, with all their vehemence and will, a spectacle which has attracted admiration or surprise from far corners of the world to Putin himself.

Fighting only entered its 10th day as of the 5 March, but what has been happening is the escalation of a nervous conflict that has been slowly brewing for over a decade. The current attempted capture is only the latest illegal and chauvinistic attack upon the sovereignty of Ukraine, a sovereignty Putin desires to amputate at will. By amputate, I mean achieve a forced powerlessness for Ukraine by hampering their ability to function as an independent state.

A key part of achieving this is the neutralisation of their military, which would give them the power to annex pieces of its territory at will. Putin doesn’t seem to be holding back, despite the surprising, gallant resistance, since this is by far the most brutal conflict in this struggle of lies and despotism. A new shadow

of uncertainty and fear has been cast across international economic, social and moral boundaries in a world of already rapidly changing geo-politics.

Countries across the world have condemned the invasion in many ways, most notably the UN’s vote for a resolution deploring Russia’s invasion and calling for the immediate withdrawal of its forces. Despite being described as an “overwhelming” victory, 34 countries abstained including China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, South Africa, Iran, Iraq and 17 African nations. This accounts for half the world’s population and influence even before considering those who voted against it. This is nevertheless a sign of Russia’s increasing isolation, never mind the Taliban’s condemnation of the invasion, and makes evident that the collective disgust and dismay across society is real, and all the more bitter for realising how seriously most of us had underestimated Ukrainians.

Many nations have responded with economic sanctions. The foremost intention of these is to create a heart attack in the Russian economy and disable the Ruble. This intention has materialised rapidly. Most destructive is the blocking of various Russian banks from S.W.I.F.T (a global messaging system for banks) and the freezing

of the $630 billion of overseas assets belonging to the Central Bank of Russia. In addition to this, President Biden has announced measures targeting two of Russia’s largest financial institutions, VEB and Promsvyazbank, which support economic development and defense projects, as well as the country’s elite and their family members. Biden’s sanctions followed similar moves from allies in Europe, notably Germany’s decision to halt the Nordstream 2 pipeline.

This conflict has somehow convinced Germany to change its position on defence spending, Switzerland to drop its neutrality, Sweden to provide lethal aid and even cool China’s sly condemnation. Politics around the world are impulsively meandering through words and actions, defying both theirs and Putin’s expectations. The sanctions are also having an effect outside of Russia — US and European stocks have fallen, government bonds rallied and oil prices have risen sharply. The world economy is too integrated for the economic collapse of its 11th largest member not to have a collateral effect around the world.

Thus, many countries, while uniting, are scrambling to find alternative ways of functioning without Russia. Once you consider the amount of Russian assets tied up in London, or Londongrad, as

the US state department joke goes, the problem becomes even more complex.

The response by the West was described by Putin to his defence chiefs as “aggressive statements”, which justifies his order to put its deterrence forces, which include nuclear weapons, on ‘special alert’. A heightening of the alert level would make it easier to launch such weapons but does not necessarily mean there is an intention to use them.

UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace stated that Putin knows that “anything involving a nuclear weapon has a greater or equal response from the West”.

On a domestic level, we must con-

sider the effect on the many Russians who do not believe that they are represented by Putin’s regime. The economic reality for the everyman in Russia has dour prospects. An economic crisis inevitably leads to an employment crisis, and all the suffering which thus entails from that is hard to stomach, no matter what your opinion on a people is. It is too early to tell what the consequences will be from the sanctions waged against Russia, but one thing which is highly likely is that they will go far beyond the despots and oligarchs they were aimed at and create scarring geopolitical rifts in world economic relations.

Image: Flickr, Garry Knight

Colombia’s ‘historic victory’ to support women’s rights

C

Catherine Stone evaluates Colombia’s recent decision to decriminalise abortion

OLOMBIA’S Constitutional Court ruled on 21 February to decriminalise abortion up to 24 weeks. The decision has been hailed as a ‘historic victory’ for reproductive rights, human rights and social justice. The Latin American pro-choice movement, building on decades of work by Latin American feminist activists, has gained momentum in recent years. Their public activism has become Image: Flickr, Lorie Shaull

significantly more integrated and visible — taking up the colour green as a symbol and organising mass protests.

It is an uphill battle in the region, where strict laws have long been in place. The Roman Catholic Church, evangelical groups and conservative politicians form a powerful opposition to meaningful change. However, the public pressure has resulted in a sweep of legislative victories across the conti-

nent. Argentina legalised abortion until the 14th week of pregnancy in December 2020. Mexico declared the criminalisation of abortion unconstitutional in September 2021, and Ecuador loosened laws in cases of rape. The ruling is the result of a lawsuit filed by Causa Justa Por el Aborto (Just Cause for Abortion), a coalition group of 100 organisations from across the country, after several similar unsuccessful cases in the past two years. The landmark Colombian case presents significant hope for the region and promises to provide momentum to the pro-choice transnational movement, referred to as the ‘green wave’ by some analysts. Similar cases are currently being considered across Latin America.

Abortion procedures were completely outlawed for decades in the country until 2006. The law partially decriminalised abortions in cases of rape, if the mother’s life was endangered or if the foetus was fatally deformed. But these legal abortions constituted only ten per cent of all Colombian abortions according to estimates by Causa Justa. Many

women resorted to illegal and clandestine abortions, risking 16 to 54 months in prison. Criminal cases of abortion increased from 130 in 2005 to 416 in 2018 despite the loosening of the law, according to a recent report by La Mesa por la Vida y la Salud, with minors and rural women disproportionally prosecuted. Illegal abortions, unregulated by health authorities, often have poor sanitary conditions, with an estimated 760,000 women being treated for complications from clandestine abortions last year according to data from the Guttmacher Institute.

Tragically, unsafe abortions account for one in ten maternal deaths in the region.

Following the ruling, the Constitutional Court urged the creation of legislation to provide family planning, remove obstacles to the abortion procedure and help with adoptions. A prevailing culture of shame and silence contribute to a lack of social and familial support for women seeking abortion. In addition, legal and logistical obstacles, especially in conservative rural areas, make access to abortions ‘virtually im-

possible’, where women often do not know their rights, and restrictions are interpreted more rigidly. Colombia is strongly and historically Catholic, and for many people, abortion is a deeply embedded religious and moral issue, meaning social attitudes will not change simply as a result of the new legislation.

A IPSOS poll suggested that while 60 per cent of Colombians support the new legalisation, only a fourth believe access to abortion should be completely unrestricted and legal in all cases. Archbishop Jose Luis Rueda reaffirmed that the Catholic Church would “continue to proclaim, defend and promote human life from gestation until natural death.”

The Colombian result is a significant landmark in the long fight for reproductive rights in the largely Catholic Latin American country, but for the thousands of protestors waving green handkerchiefs gathered outside Colombia’s Constitutional Court building in Bogota and those celebrating around the country, it is an important and emotional change in their legal freedom and bodily autonomy.

15 MAR 2022 | EXEPOSÉ

12 FEATURES

In conversation: Hugh Schofield Joshua Hughes, Features Editor, sits down with journalist Hugh Schofield to talk about his career

H

UGH Schofield has worked for the BBC in Paris since 1996 and is currently the Paris Correspondent for BBC News.

Previously he has worked in the Middle East, Spain, the United States and the Former Yugoslavia. Print Features editor, Joshua Hughes, sat down with Hugh to talk about his career... É: You’ve worked in the Middle East, Spain, the United States and the Former Yugoslavia — what is the most memorable story you’ve covered during your career?

H: What made me was the First Intifada, in other words the first Palestinian uprising. I was very well positioned having been a kind of roving stringer for the BBC on the West Bank in Gaza for a year and a half and had made a sort of local reputation. It meant that when the Intifada came, I was one of the few people who knew my way around and the BBC took huge interest. I was extremely lucky to be in the right place at the right time and that’s what propelled me and my career — it was the most incredible stroke of luck for me. In fact so many of my strokes of luck have been linked to human tragedy so much so that at one point I began to feel rather queasy about everything. A human tragedy is an opportunity for a journalist and so a lot of my breaks have come at the busiest times and have come when terrible things are happening.

to what’s happening in Ukraine?

H: Well, I’m vastly encouraged, I think it’s been fantastic. I, like a lot of people, have lived through a sense of growing despair and gloom about the state of the world. Specifically, about the state of Europe and our ability to take seriously certain challenges. I’m afraid we’ve all just got too used to comfort and that the EU as an institution is fine for the good times, but it really hasn’t any mechanism for coping with bad times. It’s good also in the sense that one feels that Putin is approaching a Greek tragedy end. I’m just hoping that he’s going to go the ways of all dictators which is to lose touch with their people and be so surrounded by yes-men he will take steps which lead to disaster — that’s what should happen if history is anything to go by.

One feels that Putin is approaching a Greek tragedy end É: What made you want to work at the BBC? H: To work at the BBC would have been beyond my wildest imaginings. It was seen then as an absolutely wonderful place to go and work because it was viewed as institutional,

secure, honourable and it was universally respected. It just seemed like the kind of place that anyone would like to end up working if they were a journalist. The BBC also was and still is so vast, it had these little nooks and corners like the Arabic service where you could sort of sneak in. It was luck that I ended up at the BBC because I had absolutely nothing to prove that I had an interest in journalism. É: You’ve worked for the BBC in Paris since 1996, what led to you working in Paris?

H: Just luck really, I was back in London after the Bosnia wars and had no sort of great plan. As I’ve said , I’ve always been a bit of an outsider at the BBC. I was going for all these jobs, but I wasn’t getting them. Suddenly something came up; I was approached and asked if I’d like to take the number two job which consisted mainly of world service radio, and I leapt at the chance because I knew things about France and loved France.

And so I came out in 1996 and my job was very much so the kind of secondary job behind the main correspondent and that’s how it developed. É: What has been the most significant moment that you have covered during your time in Paris?

H: The wave of terrorism involv-

ing the Bataclan would be that, I’m sure. I would say the wave of killings, of which the high point was the Bataclan night, will go down as the most memorable period for me.

Before and after the Bataclan there were terrorist attacks, but that night in particular was the most memorable and shocking event of them all.

The Notre-Dame fire was a fantastic story as well which I will never forget, but in terms of an event which was both exciting and important it would have to be the terrorist attacks.

An event which was both exciting and important it would have to be the terrorist attacks É: What made you want to study languages at university?

H: I took languages purely as an intellectual exercise, it was really a desire to replicate the success I’d had at school studying classics — Latin and Greek were my thing at school. Arabic appealed because it was totally unknown and I really didn’t know anything about it and with it came a civilisation and a history. So that was the only reason really, just to break into a new world.

É: When did you first get into journalism?

H: I had absolutely no interest in journalism earlier on, I was somebody who spent far too little time thinking about my career — I wouldn’t advise it. I think I had to lie in my informal interview.

Be as multi-talented as you can... don’t allow yourself to be put into boxes É: Do you have any advice for current students wanting to go into journalism?

H: Be as multi-talented as you can. Don’t turn down any possibility of learning how to use a camera for filming and editing and don’t allow yourself to be put into boxes about what you can do, you must be able to show that you can do everything.

The standard advice up until very recently was to make sure you get into video. It remains true, video is a central part of journalism. But what’s become clearer to me is that print text is coming back, so I’m saying go back to the old values of English writing, knowing how to write good clear prose is still very important.

It meant that when the Intifada came, I was one of the few people who knew my way around É: The current crisis in Ukraine is receiving a lot of media attention, what is the life of a foreign correspondent in a warzone?

H: Well, it’s not a life that I would want to lead anymore, it’s a life you have to be very careful of because it can suck you in and lure you in with its excitement — it’s a drug. It’s too exciting, it’s too much fun and you spend your time buzzing and you’ve got to be careful about that. I think a lot of people who pretend they’re fired up by their duty to humanity are actually just fulfilling their drug addiction to war. There are many war correspondents who have made it their lives, and we’re all lucky that they’re there because they do help us to understand the terrible nature of the conflict and share stories which we’d never know. I was just aware early on that I was not temporarily fitted to be among them. É: What are your thoughts on the response from the West

Image: Flickr, OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

Comment

15 MAR 2022| EXEPOSÉ

13

COMMENT EDITORS

Kate Hall and Evan Thomas

For the love of money

T

Ana Anajuba, Arts + Lit Editor, explores the pressure and ethical challenges in obtaining a well-paid job

HE conundrum of what to do after graduation is one of the biggest questions a university student can face. After walking off that stage with a diploma in hand, there is often an apparent infinity of options.

thought of renting a robe and cap even cross the mind of worn-out final years. Yet one question still remains — as more and more of today’s youth are thought of as having strong moral and ethical guidelines, there is no indication that this could sensibly stretch to include personal career aspirations.

In theory, everyone would love a job that pays well and is all about saving the world. In practice, with the average cost of living in major cities skyrocketing, volunteering for a charity will not pay the bills.

Additionally, the constant looming threat of loan repayment hangs over every graduate. Perhaps the

In theory, everyone would love a job that pays well and is all about saving the world Obviously, the choice would often have been made long before then: the true rat race of applications and internships begin before the

fact that loan repayment only begins after earnings exceed £27,295 a year (before tax and other deductions) is some solace. However, most people are likely to have income goals far higher than that.

In a perfect world, there would be no rush to find a ‘perfect job’ The charity sector simply has a lot less to offer than the private sector in terms of benefits and career progressions. It may feel great to help people and do good for the community, but you cannot eat

fulfilment and kindness does not pay the bills. It does feel wrong that the companies that can afford to offer the most generous packages and the most prestige likely achieved both those things through business practices that are more than just distasteful.

When all this is considered, would it make you change your mind?

For me, I like to think that I am an ethical and virtuous person, like I suppose we all do. But I know that after spending upwards of £12,000 per year on a fouryear degree, venturing into a job with no career prospects would be putting undue burden on myself.

This is not to say that all third

sector jobs are low-paying or virtuous, or that all well-paying jobs demand you sell your soul for a chance at being head of a department before you are 25. Rather, I simply think that the weight that is put on graduates to have their lives planned and careers figured out is needlessly extensive.

In a perfect world, there would be no rush to find a ‘perfect job’, no choice between ethics and living and there would be no pressure to make back enough money to repay loans that might impede your every future choice. There is no perfect world. For now, we can all stick to perusing LinkedIn for jobs in FTSE 500 companies.

Billionaires: a wealth of problems

Evan Thomas, Comment Editor, makes the case for taxing billionaires out of existence THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS CONTENT RELATING TO SUICIDE WHICH SOME READERS MAY FIND DISTRESSING.

A

million isn’t what it used to be, but to almost all of you, it’s still a shedload. You can buy a really nice house, rent out Elton John to sing Happy Birthday or exchange it for 10 million Dogecoin. It’s estimated that almost five per cent of the UK population are millionaires. In your lifetime, making a million through hard work, smart financial decisions (no, I don’t know what that means either) and often more than a hint of luck, is clearly possible. In fact, you can probably even achieve it without exploiting others.

Jeremy Corbyn and Bernie Sanders are both principled socialists and members of this privileged class.

They haven’t earned this money from sweatshop labour or taking bribes, but through salaries from their elected positions and book sales. Even into their advanced age, both men continue to work tirelessly in their well-paid roles. They will never become billionaires though.

The extremity of wealth billionaires hold relies on the perma-poor class being preserved A billion is a thousand million.

Unless you’re one of 56 Brits, that’s an inconceivable amount of money.

Whereas a few million can be earned fair and square, making a billion isn’t possible on merit and luck alone.

That’s not to say a billionaire can never be self-made. But there’s one quality that a self-made billionaire has that might mean it’s never possible for you. Ask yourself, if your employees were killing themselves due to horrifying workplace practices, instead of trying in earnest to improve conditions, would you install suicide nets to catch falling bodies? Would you fight lengthy court battles to ensure your drivers are classified as “contractors” instead of “employees”, meaning you don’t have to provide a slew of essential benefits? To ensure maximum efficiency, would you create quotas so unreasonable that your truckers are forced to piss and shit in bottles and bags while driving as taking a bathroom break would cause them to fail?

If it’s a no on all of those from you, then I’m afraid you lack that one key quality: psychopathy. The stories of Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos are admirable to some; tales of unrelenting determination, perseverance in the face of doubt and working an ungodly number of hours. However, their obsession with excess should make them the furthest thing from idols.

Cutting every single corner and squeezing every last drop out of every worker is how the rich become

the ultra-rich. It’s gotten to the point where it isn’t even about efficiency anymore. It’s well accepted that benefits and work-life balance are essential in an employee performing to the best of their ability. Modern workplaces, however, are also about subservience.

You can’t start your own business if you’re forced to work three jobs that pay poverty wages. The aim is to make it harder and harder for working

Image: Flickr

people to ascend the ladder. The extremity of wealth billionaires hold relies on the perma-poor class being preserved, as they are the only ones desperate enough to eat the shit sandwich they’re given. We need to do

away with this pretence that we’re a capitalist democracy, the ugly truth is that we jumped the shark to become a corporatist oligarchy a long time ago.

A millionaire might be able to buy a yacht, but a billionaire can buy a country. Those at the top don’t just flex their control of the workplace; they run the government by proxy too.

In an election, the billionaire class bets on both horses. When a rare status quo challenger slips through the net, no punches are pulled in preventing them from taking real power.

For all this talk, and action, against Russian oligarchs, the West is incredibly tight-lipped in cleaning up its own house.

We don’t call it corruption here when Apple fights against legislation that prevents forced labour in China.

It’s much more polite to refer to it as lobbying. The US Supreme Court even struck down campaign finance restrictions to allow corporations to fund elections without monetary limitation with the rationale that the restrictions violated their First Amendment right to freedom of speech. The implications of this are comical; if I moved back to the US and hired someone to bludgeon my neighbour to death, could I defend myself with

“just exercising my free speech bro”?

Bringing this power to heel is essential, but milquetoast discussions of a wealth tax never go far enough.

To address the corrupting influence of a billionaire, the only reasonable measure is to remove any wealth over a billion. Sceptics will cry that this will cause them to simply leave the country. Good, and they can take their monopolies with them; a hundred smaller businesses will be there to take their place. We can survive the economic adjustment. It’s time we stopped taking the GDP-obsessives seriously. The real factors that determine the health of a nation are the strength of our democracy and the happiness of our populace. The safety of these cannot co-exist as long as the billionaire class continues to exert its complete and unwavering control.

É If these issues affect you, you can get in touch with:

University Wellbeing 01392 724381 www.exeter.ac.uk/wellbeing Samaritans hotline 116 123 National Suicide prevention helpline 0800 689 5652

14

15 MAR 2022| EXEPOSÉ

COMMENT

Gender segregated schooling should not be outlawed

A

Livvy Mason-Myhill, News Editor, shares her thoughts on the future of gender segregated education

TTENDING an all-girls Catholic secondary school for seven years was certainly an important part of my life. I was a part of a sisterhood; a large family unit at school that made me feel comfortable and gave me a sense of belonging. In this sense, I found my experiences at school to be beneficial as I gained life-long sisters deriving from our little ‘convent home’ community.

The girls at my school, including myself, were extremely focused, taking assignments, group projects and exams very seriously. We all competed for the best grades that we could possibly achieve, yet even during the tense exam periods, we remained supportive of one another. The lack of boys at our school during the first five years didn’t even phase us; we saw it as the norm.

Undoubtably, there were moments of distraction from our studies, however, I believe that if our school was mixed, we may not have been as focused, or indeed become a tight-knit sisterhood.

The lack of boys at our school during the first five years didn’t even phase us

It became more interesting at my school when the idea that boys would be allowed to attend our sixth form came into play. When I was in sixth form, there were only ten boys who joined our school. Despite the small volume of male students, aspects of our studies did feel different. I could see some of my fellow students acting differently, becoming more distracted in the presence of these boys. So, with this in mind, I think that being at a single-sex school made me realise that I had no idea how to interact with boys. Mixing with boys at university has helped me in this respect, but I think my experiences of not having much interaction with boys at school did hamper certain aspects of my social development. My experiences at school, however, did allow me to master my interactions with girls.

Reflecting on my personal school experience, gender-segregated schools should not be outlawed.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at school, and I think that I may have had completely different experiences if I had gone to a mixed school. The banning of single-sex schools may in some ways restrict certain parents who have religious requirements for

single-sex education. They would be required to send their child to a mixed school, which they would not feel comfortable doing. Yet, if they were indeed banned, mixed religious schools are also another option for parents who are particularly religious.

I wouldn’t change my experiences even if I had the chance to The existence of single-sex schools can make it difficult for trans/ non-binary students to feel a sense of belonging. The single-sex school system in that sense makes students choose whether they identify as a male or a female without considering other gender identities. Trans/nonbinary students therefore may feel limited with their schooling options, possibly only feeling comfortable in attending mixed schools.

Despite arguments in favour of banning single-sex schools, it is better for students to have the option to attend either. I personally preferred studying at an all-girls school, and I wouldn’t change my experiences even if I had the chance to.

Image: pixabay, mohamed_hassan

New post-18 plans attack disadvantaged young people Anabel Costa-Ferreira discusses the implications of new Government plans for post-18 education

Image: pixabay, mohamed_hassan

E

DUCATION is a basic right, yet this is evidently something we still struggle to support, as demonstrated by the Government’s response to the 2019 Augar review which sets out to limit the number of students in university education. It appears that ministers seek to make it particularly hard for students from disadvantaged backgrounds to secure a place, with the prioritisation of strong exam grades. Increasing accessibility has lost its shape here as these plans imply that the Government will not give out loans (both maintenance and

tuition) for those who do not meet certain targets, such as achieving a grade five in both English and Maths GCSE.

These plans cause a student’s future prospects to be defined by their socio-economic background Universities have entry requirements already, you might say; you need A-Levels or BTEC’S. Yet, a five at GCSE is not even the pass

rate. With the relatively new grading system of nine to one, a four is equivalent to a C grade. Most students are already overwhelmed by the tuition and living costs of university, even when supported by loan. The UK maintenance loan for home students (outside London), currently sits between £4,422 to £9,488, which as many of you can relate is hardly enough to cover the costs of student accommodation, let alone costs for food or the scam that is Circuit laundry. If we investigate courses that currently do not have these GCSE requirements, we learn that many provide support for retakes and are likely to have more staff and resources to cater for this. As noted by Alistair Jarvis, Chief Executive of Universities UK, the Government is essentially “placing a cap on aspiration.” These plans destroy any sense of progress made on accessibility and wrongly suggest that students from poorer backgrounds should be looking solely at alternative routes. This also comes at a time where there is a rapid increase in those applying for university, and the demographics of applicants are changing. Recent UCAS

statistics illustrate that 28 per cent of applicants are from disadvantaged backgrounds, far more than the almost 18 per cent that applied in 2013.

Not only will they limit aspirations, but potential too The reasoning provided for the shift, according to the Department for Education, is that it will encourage alternative paths (e.g. apprenticeships) whilst lessening the number of students who become “saddled with debt for courses with poor job prospects” and receive a sub-par standard of teaching, in comparison to their peers.

In reality, they are merely placing a cap on a student’s ability to progress and limiting their opportunities from an even earlier stage of their lives.

In other words, these plans cause a student’s future prospects to be defined by their socio-economic background. Surely, if we allow this to be the case, we are creating a cycle that will continue for generations. If one cannot be supported at university, they are less likely to later be able

to support their own children in future to achieve the same goals.

In addition to the suggestions made regarding requirements, there were also mentions of changes to the loan system. Currently, student debt typically stands at around £50,000 per student at the end of a degree and based on your graduate salary you are expected to start paying it back gradually. However, despite suggestions made by the Augar report to reduce fees to £7,500 and extend payments from 30 to 40 years which seem a step in the right direction focusing on the needs of students, it remains highly unlikely that they will be introduced. The priority has now been shifted to reducing the cost of outstanding student loans to the Treasury, rather than aiming to materially ease the burden on students themselves. The financial pressures of attending higher education are already at an all-time high. Therefore, the implications of these plans are problematic and disappointing. Not only will they limit aspirations but potential too, as who are we to say who the pioneers of the future are and what routes they will take to get there?

ImImage: Pixabay

15 MARCH 2022| EXEPOSÉ

15

Satire Doughnut give in to evil

P

ROMINENT anti-doughnut campaigner Chris P. Cream was recently invited to speak at a Students For Life event at the University of Exeter, causing great alarm for many students.

He declared that eating too many doughnuts is “immoral” and would “make you ill.”

Avid doughnut fans at the University have been angered by these comments, yet the incredibly popular Students For Life Society, with its five members, have gone on a doughnut strike.

One member told Exeposé that they’ve been “two weeks doughnut clean” and that “boycotting doughnuts is a key way of preserving innocent lives.”

Chris P. Cream was spotted later that week shovelling down three doughnuts, with sticky jam residue left at the scene of the crime.

Livvy Mason-Myhill, News Editor

Random society member runs for President

S

OCIETY elections are once again on the horizon, and the annual migration of society members, who nobody has ever heard of, crawling out of the woodwork has begun.

As current committee members are being forced out by the passage of time, dozens of students who are desperate to have something to put on their CV have decided to panic-run for committee roles instead of getting a job.

An anonymous source we managed to corner coming out of the library stated, “Please leave me alone, I need to go to my fourth tutorial of the day.”

When pressed further for comment they said, “Look, I don’t have time for a job, or an internship, or attending any of the socials or society events, but if I’m Publicity Officer for Suchandsuch Society, then I can put something down and pretend it taught me skills I already had.”

Suchandsuch Society could not be reached for comment.

Ana Anajuba, Arts + Lit Editor

SATIRE EDITOR: Cleo Gravett

University distributes green-tinted glasses for Go Green Week

Megan Ballantyne News Editor

T

HE University of Exeter has distributed sets of green-tinted glasses for Go Green Week.

While other universities have pledged to fully divest from fossil fuels and invest in sustainable initiatives, Exeter has realised that it is better for students’ mental health, and easier for themselves, if students simply can’t see that climate change is happening.

Luckily, these glasses make everything the University does look sustainable Luckily, these glasses make everything the University does look sustainable.

Disposable Pret cups biodegrade in front of your eyes, and the collective air miles of Exetah students’ ski trips just disappear, producing no greenhouse gas emissions.

Students wearing these green-tinted glasses who attended the Dan Peña talk told Exeposé that they thought it was actually David Attenborough speaking in Newman Blue, not an oil magnate climate change denier.

Images Wikimedia Commons, nicepng.com, pixabay.com

The University is also workon a more comprehenset of rose-tinted glasses.

Wear these, and realise that it actually is ethical to invest £5 million in arms companies, the Marketplace meal deals are actually affordable, and most importantly, Cardiac Hill is just a leisurely stroll. ing sive

Student eats fruit for first time this term on pancake day Stanley Murphy-Jones

F

OLLOWING the roaring success of this year’s pancake day, Exeposé took the time to interview the public on how they felt about the most important day on the calendar for eggs and flour.

One concerned parent, Mrs. Truss responded, “Well I love pancake day, because at least I know my son is getting some Vitamin C today from the lemon juice he squeezes on top.”

We caught up with the son in

question (Sid Truss, a third year Physics student) in the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, where he is bedridden with scurvy, as Sid only consumes fruit on national holidays.

He croaked the following as his organs slowly shut down, “I have an orange at Christmas, lemons on pancake day, and at a push I’ll have some lime juice on bonfire night.”

Sid went on to explain that his staple diet of tequila, Nutella and cream crackers was the only way he would have the energy to get his dissertation in on time.

Students thank Storm Eunice for destroying Old Lafrowda Alexander Prins

S

TUDENTS at the University of Exeter have this week celebrated the success of Storm Eunice in renovating Old Lafrowda, by completely flattening it.

While last month’s red weather warning sent the wider University into meltdown, the hardy residents of Old Lafrowda were largely unfazed by the risk of death by falling debris, as this is already an accepted daily hazard in the accommodation block. Early rumours of devastation proved unfounded, as scenes of purported destruction on campus were later discovered to be a hoax, and were instead photos of Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath, Birks Grange after the bomb’s detonation, and Old Lafrowda Block H at the University’s offer holder day in 2019. The force of Storm Eunice did, however, leave a lasting mark on the area. Surveyors from Exeter Council found on their post-storm visit that almost every

building of Old Lafrowda would need a total rebuild. In a surprise move, the residents were relocated into tented accommodation at the University Sports Park. The Red Cross tents in use have only recently returned from the scene of a natural disaster in Papua New Guinea, and one Old Lafrowda resident told Exeposé: “We can’t believe our luck! Not only do we now have working toilets, but hot water too!” Fortunately, what remains of Old Lafrowda Block B is believed to be salvageable, and those students are expected to return to their hovels next weekend. This announcement came with news of an increased rent, thanks to the addition of improved ventilation, natural lighting, and expansive views of Lopes Hall, on account of the complete destruction of the roof and walls. During recent filming in the area, Grand Designs’ Kevin McCloud was given a tour of Block B and shown plans for the reconstruction, which he described as “An audacious tribute to a by-gone Brutalist era, with all the welcoming aura of Wormwood Scrubs”.

LIFESTYLE

MUSIC

HAPPIER ALONE Image: Wikimedia Commons

TECH

ARTS + LIT

STUDY BREAK

SCREEN

15

BRUTALISM: LOVE IT OR HATE IT

19

JAMAL EDWARDS

20

Image: Pixabay, Yisus10

REVIEW: EUPHORIA S2 Image: IMDb

22

Image: Flickr, Jeff Geerling Image: Marco Verch Flickr

Image: Flickr, US Embasssy London

A MAC THAT FITS INSIDE A KEYBOARD

24

STUDY BREAK

27

Image: The Blue Diamond Gallery

14 - 15

18 - 19

20 - 21

22 - 23

24 - 25

27

LIFESTYLE EDITOR Danni Darrah

ARTS + LIT EDITOR Ana Anajuba Ella Minty

MUSIC EDITORS Charlotte Bend Harry Hawkins

SCREEN EDITORS Archie Lockyer Francesca Sylph

TECH EDITORS Bridie Adams Oliver Leader de Saxe

STUDY BREAK Puzzles by Matthew and George

lifestyle

When health is no longer healthy Mary Stenson discusses why diet culture and toxic outlooks on fitness need to change

I

T'S that time of year where the notion of a ‘summer body’ starts rearing its ugly head again.

Toxic diet and fitness culture exist 365 days a year, but the intensity is always ramped up at this time of year when summer is just around the corner and the thought of peeling back the winter layers is looming. For those who fall victim to the tired ‘summer bodies are made in the winter’ trope, the excitement for summer is stripped away and is instead replaced by the deadline to shrink yourself to fit a body ideal.

This concept is not new but it evolves and morphs to fit the trends of each generation. Unsuprisingly, the target audience is young women and teenage girls. For the last ten or so years, the trend seems to have evolved from skinny, the body ideal of the nineties and noughties, to lean and toned in the last decade. However, don’t be fooled. This focus on strength training and ‘clean eating’ is just cardio and calorie counting with a different look.

The diet industry, which is worth two

billion pounds in the UK alone, quickly realised when people began to grow tired of crash diets and joined forces with the fitness industry to rebrand their diets as lifestyle changes with the implication that they are more sustainable in the long-term.

To be clear: if you are restricting your food and upping your exercise for the sole purpose of changing your body, that is a diet. Under their shiny new, ‘that girl’ exterior, these companies and influencers are businesses which profit from your insecurities.

None of this is to demonise exercise and healthy eating, in fact it is very much the opposite. Instead, it’s time we redefine what fitness and health really mean.

For as long as I can remember, when people talk about a healthy lifestyle, they are always referring to what you put in your body and what you burn off.

But there is so much more to health that is being ignored. Wouldn’t a tru-

ly healthy summer body be one that is nourished, well-rested, spends time outdoors, spends time with friends and family and cares for its mental health?

The more I try to take care of my health in this way, the more I realise just how ridiculous synomising health with a particular body shape really is.

Not to mention the fact that over exercising and restrictive eating can have catastrophic effects on both your mental and physical health and could potentially spiral into an eating disorder. Something that can take years to fully recover from or even be life-threatening is far more unhealthy than not having a ‘summer body’ will ever be.

Eating and exercising in a way that makes you feel good, regardless of what it makes your body look like, can be revolutionary for your body image. Having recently found pole, a form of exercise that I truly get excited about, I rarely give a second thought to what my body looks like doing it, especially impressive given how much skin you have to have on show for pole! Being surrounded by such a diverse range of body types is just a reminder of how physical appearance and physical ability are totally unrelated.

It’s so frustrating to see people stuck in restric-

tive and potentially dangerous mindsets year after year. What’s even worse is that it’s reaching younger audiences, with young teenagers on Instagram and TikTok being bombarded with posts about ‘hot girl summer’ and becoming ‘that girl’ who only eats salads and drinks green smoothies. We should instead be pushing the idea that a great summer does not come from restricting but from adding more in: more foods that you love, more joyful movement, more sleep, more relaxation and more time making memories with the people you love.

After all, no one is going to be writing ‘had a great body’ on your headstone.

É

If these issues affect you, you can get in touch with: https://beateatingdisorders.org.uk Beat Eating Disorders 08088010677

Image: Jessica Salomon, EdibleIQ

Found your 'thing' yet?

Image: mprietou, pixabay

Lifestyle writers explore finding a niche in university and the pressures that come with it

O

FTEN, a goal or aspiration starts as a small idea, perhaps even a brief whim. Yet when it grows, you can’t help but take notice of it. You’ll notice a feeling of necessity and a powerful inclination to tread on the heels of this goal until you reach it, particularly if it’s one you’ve had for a long time, maybe even since you were a child.

Firstly, I want to address that life doesn’t necessarily have to be about piling pressure on yourself to find a ‘purpose’ — it is absolutely okay, and in fact a wonderful experience, to live each day as it comes without worrying or pondering too much about the future. But of course, sometimes a particular sense of purpose comes along naturally. Personally, I have always wanted to be a writer. What started as childhood aspirations to be a fiction writer developed into an interest in journalistic writing as I matured. Then, at university, blossomed a passion for reporting, researching, editing, and everything that goes into telling and publishing stories that have an impact in the real world, and on real people.

My life is way different from the life I imagined two years ago, when I was struggling with severe mental illness which cast a heavy cloud over all of my hobbies and interests and left me with a pretty bleak existence for some time. The fact that I did not particularly enjoy my first two years at university didn’t help. Whilst I have met amazing people and learned a great deal, it was clear that topics related to English literature were not my calling in life. When I made the decision to switch to a joint

honours degree in English & Film midway through my second year, I became instantly happier and more content with the demands of my coursework. Although I now enjoy my course more than I did before I transferred and am grateful for the opportunity to switch, I am most grateful for my experiences at Exeposé and the ways in which my involvement with the society has helped me to discover who I am and what I enjoy, which is writing journalistically, rather than academically. Whilst essays practically send me to sleep (I literally can’t imagine enjoying the process of writing one, so kudos to you, if you do!), I have loved gaining experience in writing articles on a range of topics from news, to sport, to music and everything in between.

My main advice would be to try to discover what you are most passionate about by really tuning in to what makes you tick. In fact you might be showing your passions to those around you right now without even realising it. I feel that, at least for now, I have found an area of passion and interest that makes me feel happy and fulfilled, but ultimately, acquiring this knowledge and finding the perfect thing for you may be a journey that endures throughout your life. You might feel bewildered about what steps to take next and what you should be working towards, but remember that discovering and reaching your goals is a gradual process; it’s okay if you don’t have it all figured out.

Bridie Adams, Editor

I

AM in my third year of university and it’s time to finally admit that I don’t think I have quite found my ‘thing’. This feels a little scary to write down. University can be a wonderful experience, giving you the opportunity to try many different things that you otherwise wouldn’t, whether through societies, a new sport or your studies. Yet, it can also be a pressurised environment where you feel the need to find something you are great at and this can make it harder to actually enjoy your university experience.

Your twenties are a weird decade, as you grow from a young adult in a university bubble, to an actual adult out in the real world and yet while dealing with that we are expected to have our lives together. Social media can make it feel like we need to be doing something 24/7 and working on ourselves constantly, this can also make it feel like you are working on a schedule. But the only schedule you need to work on is your own.

Becoming an adult and joining the working world is hard enough and you should hardly be expected to have your life completely figured out, it's just unattainable and unfair.

For some the degree they have chosen may no longer be the area they want to go into, and equally, it might not be transferable to the real world. This can be difficult because you may have thought that this would be your thing,

yet it ended up being the complete opposite.

It can also sometimes be difficult to enjoy your degree, especially if you are in the habit of comparing your own success and schedule to others. At times, imposter syndrome can settle in and rear its ugly head. This can cause stress and inhibit enjoyment of your course. I think it's time for people to understand that this is ok. Again, you don’t have to find you ‘thing’ in university or even in your twenties, and also if you don’t end up on the same path as your university course then its not the end of the world. There is still plenty of time to change things as life doesn’t end when you turn 30 — you can continue to grow and change, maybe eventually finding your ‘thing’ later in life, or perhaps never at all.

I am going to spend the rest of my twenties, and even my life, doing things that I want to, maybe one of them will become my niche, something I really enjoy and something that I am great at. But maybe I won’t and will just get to spend my time doing plenty of activities which add value to my life in a variety of ways, each filling a different gap. Either way, don’t feel pressured if you are yet to find your ‘purpose’. Just try to find the joy in everyday things and that will be more than enough for a fulfilling life.

Chloe Pumares, Deputy Editor

TRIGGER WARNING: The content in these pages may contain issues of a sensitive nature

exhibit

|

EDITOR: Danni Darrah

lifestyle

15 MARCH 2022 | 15

Happier alone?

Ana Anajuba, Arts+Lit Editor, writes a personal account on the truth about loneliness and end of friendships

I

HAVE never really had the best track record with friends. As a child, friendships would end with an abruptness and changing schools or moving countries often signaled the end of the line. As something more akin to adulthood, the slow mundane ripping apart of a friendship is like a dull swinging axe that approaches closer and closer. It feels unavoidable yet, gut wrenchingly painful.

THE FRIENDSHIP FELT ALL TOO PERFECT, LIKE A HAZY YET EERIE DREAM In my first year, I had a group of 'friends' that were my lifeline through the uncertainness of COVID-19 and the endless lockdowns. The 'friendship' seemed all too perfect, like a hazy yet eerie dream that I knew I would have to wake up from.

I had the same premonition that I always had at the beginning of acquaintances; I had the strangest sense that something bad would happen at the end of the term, and I could only hope that it would not be because of me. Amidst a first year defined by the lack of contact with people, the only time I could interact with anyone was in my flat. I though, then, that I would stay drama free.

How wrong I was. The end of the friendship, I think, broke my heart more than a romantic relationship ever could. It came amidst a challenging time for me personally and it got so bad that people I once spent every day

Image: Ana Anajuba

with now avoid my gaze when I see them on the high street and around campus. I do not necessarily blame them — I am sure that there is probably a decent enough reason ten people decided to exorcise me from their life completely. The question, however, is what to do when it happens again.

I find myself in the same position: no longer speaking to people I once spent most of my time with. I use my work and other obligations to occupy my time, but the question remains: am I the antagonist of my own story?

I cannot deny that self-reflection is an art and a skill — one which I most likely do not possess. Yet, I still think often about my actions. I still resist the urge to reach out, to try and fix things. That is why it is so hard to deal with losing friends at university. Sometimes these ex-friends are people that you live with, or work with in town, or that you occasionally see around campus or in lectures (all of which have happened to me). The question is: how do you deal with it? Can you even deal with it?

When I was younger and still in school — around the ages of nine or ten — a teacher who I admired so much said "no man is an island." I hated the phrase because I was very much an island in the ways that mattered to a child. It is not that I was always the last to be picked, but it was often enough that I knew working with me was never a choice.

Now, more than ten years later, the same heavy blanket of loneliness envelopes me.

It has come to the point where if I ever do

become friendly with someone, I wonder if it will last. I do not know if it is a self-fulfilling prophecy or a rare moment of human clarity where we can see our true selves and how others see us. Maybe if any of the people I once called friends still spoke to me, then I would know.

When I think of how my life will play out, I imagine living in a cottage in the middle of nowhere, authoring books whose back covers have an outdated blurry photo of myself and the words "eccentric recluse" in the short biography underneath. I do not imagine myself dying surrounded by family and friends. I imagine being dead for months before an agent or publisher sends a lowly assistant to check in on me. I would not even have neighbours to be disgusted by the stench of my rotting corpse. Macabre may be, honest — perhaps.

I DO NOT IMAGINE MYSELF DYING SURROUNDED BY FAMILY AND FRIENDS Maybe this pretense is a way for me to avoid the truth. I will need years of therapy to uncover that. What I know is this: I may not be the happiest person alone, but I was still unhappy and alone even when surrounded by people. Further still, I would rather be alone than with people who I could never rely on for the toughest parts of my life.

Another new normal Anabel Costa-Ferreira discusses how to deal with anxiety following end of restrictions

O

N a seemingly random Thursday in February, restrictions ended abruptly after a two year period of lockdowns and laws.

Whilst many may feel relieved or take joy in this idea of an end, this is not the case for all. This is a pandemic that continues to take loved ones and has put us all through a tough few years. Therefore, the sense of personal responsibility left on how it manifests is rightly concerning for some.

TRY TO LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF NEWS YOU WATCH OR READ For those of you unsure of what exactly has changed, here's a brief summary of some key elements. The legal requirement to isolate if you test positive has ended, which means that yes you could unknowingly sit next to an individual with COVID-19, and it is perfectly legal.

Like so many others, I personally struggle with the idea of this. Whilst it is easy to think you are sitting next to a healthy individual, or someone young who is less likely to fall seriously ill, we do not know that to be true for everyone around us.

Therefore, we do not know if they are a carer, doctor, live with those in the critically vulnerable group or are even at risk personally.

The advice given by the government remains conflicting; whilst the legal requirement has ended, it is still advised that one should isolate for five days. Furthermore, the financial support (typically £500 for low-income backgrounds) for self-isolation has ended, so whilst many may feel compelled in a moral sense to stay home, they simply cannot afford it.

As someone who (for most of the pandemic) has been quite anxious about COVID-19, there are some coping mechanisms I have adopted to reduce these emotions. Firstly, news exposure is important, but if you are someone who gets anx-

ious often, try to limit the amount you watch and or read. I found myself constantly immersing myself in news throughout lockdowns and found this to be one of the main sources of anxiety.

In terms of coping with COVID-19 in the physical world, it is reassuring to test with LFTs regularly (make use of their free availability till 1 April ) and if it helps you could politely ask others if they have tested recently before socialising.

One can also research restrictions maintained by certain companies regarding mask-wearing, as well as double up on masks on public transport (I tend to place a fabric one beneath a disposable).

Finally, whilst it is easy to avoid shops altogether with online availability, it is still important to leave your house for mental health reasons.

Therefore, I would suggest going to shops at more off-peak hours, as this allows you to social distance better and feel less overwhelmed.

Opinions surrounding restrictions appeared to be divided still. One online poll, with 93 respondents revealed that 34 believe mask-wearing requirements should remain compulsory.

However, 58 said they would continue to wear a mask themselves. It is likely that many individuals may change their opinions as we emerge from the pandemic. Yet, what remains crucial is staying educated and more importantly, healthy.

If you have been affected by any of the above issues, get in contact with wellbeing at: wellbeing@exeter.ac.uk

Image: Marco Verch, Flickr

arts + lit

In Conversation: Professor Vesna Goldsworthy Ana Anajuba and Ella Minty, Arts + Lit Editors, interview Professor Vesna Goldsworthy on the importance of the arts

W

Image: Liz Seabrook

ith the release of her newest novel, Iron Curtain: A Love Story, which has received significant acclaim, we sat down with Professor Vesna Goldworthy to discuss her achievements, her plans, and how she has had so many different jobs in her life. É: What inspired you to study comparative literature? Was it a popular degree, why did you decide to study it and what does it entail exactly?

V: I had never wanted to study anything else. My first degree at the University of Belgrade was in fact World Literature but that sounds odd in English. It was a four-year program, and very canonical: from Greek and Latin in Year One to the 19th and 20th century in Year Four. There was no 21st century then. You studied two languages (French and English in my case), but you read books in translation, in a way that’s not common in the UK. The course was very popular but there were just 60 places in the whole country (two universities offering thirty each), so the ‘popularity’ meant that the entrance exams were hard. That was generally the case in socialist countries then. If the course was popular, it didn’t mean it expanded, it just became harder to get in. É: How did you figure out what you wanted to do after university? Did you have a plan?

V: I had a plan, but nothing came of it. I was 22 and about to continue my postgraduate studies in France when I fell in love with an Englishman and moved to London to be with him. I had no idea what I could do in London, other than upset my parents. I kept applying for all sorts of jobs.

I got my first job in publishing because I had learned Latin at school and that was required for a project, not because of the degree I had. É: How was your transition into radio? What were the challenges of being (and still being) a journalist?

V: It was a jump rather than a transition: my twenties seem to consist of such jumps. I was 27, bored in my publishing job, studying for an English Literature MA in the evenings, when I saw a job ad for the BBC World Service asking for someone with Serbo-Croat. There followed three days of horrid tests. I still can’t believe I got through, though I had had the experience of presenting a radio programme for schools when I was a teenager so I sailed through the voice test! I stayed at the World Service for ten

years. Sadly, the wars in former Yugoslavia took my career there in a direction I wasn’t made for.

I was dreaming of doing book programmes, but I was only able to do those much later, when I was no longer a journalist but an academic. É: What made you want to get into academia? How did you find your first few years as an academic?

V: I completed my PhD in English Literature while at the World Service, often volunteering for nightshifts so I could do research in daytime and all the while thinking that as an academic I’d have much more time to write books. That was a mistake — many of my BBC colleagues are prolific writers. Radio is often high pressure, but once the news bulletin or a talk is broadcast, that’s it. You can go home and do something else. An academic job is full of medium and long-term deadlines so it’s much more difficult to switch off, particularly if you are as obsessive about checking emails as I am. But I love sharing my passion for books: that has always been the best part of the job.

EVERYTHING I OWNED WHEN I ARRIVED IN THE UK WAS IN MY HEAD É: How is the process of writing novels vs academia different? Do you find there is an overlap or similar skills involved in both?

V: I taught English literature for many years before I started combining it with creative writing. Now I teach only creative writing. The research involved in writing academic work is visible: there are footnotes, bibliographies, and indexes. A novel can entail just as much research.

For my second novel, for example, I studied so many aspects of post-WW2 London life that I could write several academic monographs: from patterns of immigration, food, fashion, film-making, to language. I had to master English as spoken in 1947 and not use any words that appeared later than that. That was particularly hard as English is my third language, and I had underestimated the difficulty when I got into it. That’s the story of my life! É: You advise PhD students who are writing creative projects at the University of East Anglia, could you tell us about what that entails and why you chose to follow this avenue? What has it shown you about the writing process?

V: I came to Exeter from UEA where I was Academic Director of the oldest creative writing department in the country. Exeter was developing its own creative writing pathway and I relished that challenge, but I also wanted to work half-time. My own writing career was becoming more and more demanding. You think of writing books, but if your novel is translated into sixteen languages in one year, as Gorsky was in 2015, you have to visit many of those countries and take part in promotional tours. As I was about to leave UEA, I realised that there were funded PhD projects there that I didn’t want to abandon.

They belonged to my students, working on topics I specialized in. A PhD entails an incredibly

close creative relationship and when a student publishes a novel you feel like the midwife. É: Your newest novel, The Iron Curtain, has received critical acclaim, despite only being published a month ago, and is especially relevant with the current Ukraine and Russia crisis. Can you tell us more about your inspiration for this novel?

V: My plan was to write a trio of novels dealing with East European immigrants in London in three different eras — 1940s (Monsieur Ka), 1980s (Iron Curtain) and 2000s (Gorsky). I left the 80s to the last.

While the backdrop, the end of the Cold War, was always clear to me, and I had these vivid images of the time I arrived in London, I didn’t want to write an autobiographical story. I was looking for a different take. It was obvious to me that the fall of the Berlin Wall, rather than representing “the end of history” and the “triumph of the West”, as many had thought in the 1990s, had released the ghosts of old troubles that had been repressed by communist ideology and added some new ones. That is what we’re seeing now in Ukraine.

How do you feel, especially with your most recent book, that ideas of post-colonialism interacts with the Eastern European experience?

V: This link has been there since my first book, Inventing Ruritania, which uses postcolonial theory to examine the ways in which British and American literature and film imagine the ‘Wild East of Europe’. The writers and film makers assume that there’s no racism involved, so they feel freer to express all sorts of dubious prejudices. The same link is also there in my creative work. It is not accidental that a PhD student has chosen to compare my writing with that of Bernardine Evaristo, using the lens of (un)belonging for her thesis. Whenever I share the stage with Black British writers — I read a number of times with Linton Kwesi Johnson, for example — I felt those interactions very strongly.

I LOVE HELPING STUDENTS FIND THE BEST WAY OF TELLING THEIR LIFE É: Your novel is a very nuanced view of someone who becomes disillusioned with the West. What is your interpretation of the increasing online views of younger people who are becoming disillusioned with capitalism as young adults today are projected to be worse off than their parents?

V: That is an interesting question. I will have to simplify matters to be able to answer concisely. I grew up in the East, with the socialist ideal of an egalitarian society and collective ownership; in the West the parallel ideal is individual freedom and the sanctity of private property. Iron Curtain develops in two halves, East and West, and each exposes the way those ideals are undermined from the inside, so it is not just the West that is disillusioning. I was radically left wing in my youth, then became

quite conservative when I moved to Britain. I was caught in the yuppie myth of the 1980s, precisely the thing those young people you describe can no longer believe in. Frankly, I am now in a muddle, have been in it for a long time. I hope that makes me a better, dispassionate observer, although I’d be a lousy activist for any cause. É: Do you enjoy teaching at the University of Exeter? Is seeing students develop in their skills rewarding as a lecturer?

V: I love teaching at Exeter. I went back to teaching undergraduates here, and found them ambitious, hard-working and interested in writing. You come from the school system which is quite goal-oriented and narrow (working very hard to get those A* at A-levels), so it can be both exhilarating and scary when you step into this world where everything is wide open.

I think I am a good companion to have at that moment, and I hope that I make the world appear less scary for my students. Everything I owned when I arrived in the UK was in my head. É: Tell us about your memoir, Chernobyl Strawberries. What were the challenges of writing a memoir? Do you enjoy teaching students how to write memoirs?

I decided to put my life story on paper for my son when I had cancer. I was 42, he was a toddler. My treatment progressed and I started turning the story into a book, but I couldn’t imagine that it would be serialized for the BBC and become a bestseller. The life I was describing was in some ways quite ordinary; the challenge was to turn it into an interesting read. It’s a bit like your friends’ stories: some can make you laugh and cry while describing how they fry an egg; others can bore you to tears with their travels to the Amazon Jungle. I love helping students find the best way of telling their life stories. É: You mentioned that some of the people who work with your publishing house are Exeter alumni — what advice would you give to someone who wants to go into that career either as a writer or publisher (or general advice regarding all the jobs that you have had)?

V: Writing tends not to be a career you can get into full time. Most writers hold day jobs throughout their lives. Usually, when people think about wanting to work in publishing, they imagine editorial work, but getting the book noticed once it’s published is a big job too, and book PR and marketing departments are as big as editorial ones. It just so happened that in the PR department of my publisher’s there were two or three Exeter English graduates through the years.

They were outgoing, happy to phone people they don’t know, to organize book parties and events.

I’d easily become curmudgeonly in their place, perhaps also jealous of promoting other people’s work. I’d be much happier proofreading. Every job has aspects you don’t enjoy (just look at me and university bureaucracy), but it is important that at least some aspects are in harmony with your personality, or it becomes 100 per cent miserable.

When you apply for jobs, don’t think it’s something you’ll be doing forever. Most of us make two or three U-turns before we find our place.

exhibit

I

|

arts + lit

EDITORS: Ella Minty & Ana Anajuba

‘Provoke’ing revolution

15 MAR 2022 | 20

Joshua Smith discusses how photography and press can be intertwined with revolution

N 1968, a young group of radical Japanese photographers and writers joined forces to create Provoke, an anti-establishment magazine that would come to define an entire era of Japanese post-war avant-garde photography. Lasting just three issues, its gritty pages opened onto an urban darkroom of youthful rebellion where brazen snapshots of Tokyo met with bold texts on the subversive power of the photographic medium. It catches the eye — its abrupt presentation of a radically important time in Japanese history means it is a perfect example of exploration into rebellion and freedom through photography.

Emphasizing chaos, reaction and fight through its images, it endorses inquisition while leaving the photographs with no explanation, making way for fresh perspectives, immortalising them and subjecting them to modernity. When first researching this movement, I thought how globally significant can a Japanese photographic magazine really be? But with its anti-establishment motifs, it reflects political movements and reactions both then and now, causing it to become relevant in subject matter and ideology

to those seeking similar objectives today.

Considering this, what could be more relevant today with looney tyrants running loose left, right and centre, the unaffordability of life ever oppressing the youth and ecosystems failing because of political ignorance, than a photographic catalogue on the relationship between image and protest? This observation made itself obvious as the magazine made its way on a two-year exhibition tour in the US, especially considering as it came to a close on its last date at the Art Institute of Chicago, it was just eight days before Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Further evidence towards it being a catalogue of impulse is the documenting of rebellion and the reality that speaks of decades, not just one moment in time. What draws me to it primarily is how it almost invents a different way of seeing, just like all artistic revolutions in history, it has taken a common practice and by changing the subject, has created a radically important catalogue of life.

Without direction and wildly abstract in presentation, Provoke redefined Japanese photography and created new forms of

expression disparate to previous artistic movements. I am inspired by its flare and the spirit of the movement created, not just by artistic revolution but the way it gave the powerless an escape from the oppression that they faced.

‘PROVOKE’ REDEFINED JAPANESE PHOTOGRAPHY The magazine has been described as being greatly important in freeing Japanese photography from ‘subservient’ means to it being as artistically liberating as words. With the majority of subjects in the magazine being scenes of youths, it speaks of protest, emotion and chaos. The magazine’s philosophies are critical and discriminative of normality; whilst most campaigns and movements are granted recognition because of this ideology, rightfully so, Provoke becomes outstanding in how it dramatically led Japanese photography into new perspective and stance among the world.

Everything from the foundations to the ultimate philosophy of the movement reintroduces liberation and protest as a political and personal dialectic relevant to modernity and artistic expression.

In response to oppression and force, it defines the spirit of a population and re-invented a reality for youth in Japan.

Image credit: Wikipedia Commons

Love it or hate it: brutalist architechture

Oliver Leader De Saxe, Editor, writes about the unappreciated beauty of brutalist architecture

T

HERE is a stark beauty to concrete.

It is rough, unmoving, alienating; its lifelessness can be felt in the great, grey slabs that have towered skyward across English urban sprawls for the last half a century. It is cut from monolithic

Image credit: Wikipedia Commons

I

blocks that deny any sense of individuality or projection. This is the nature of Brutalism: part philosophy, part aesthetic, all gloriously obtuse. Rising to prominence in the 1950s, the movement was rooted in a desire for simple, functional buildings designed to accommodate their purpose.

In the words of Peter Simpson, Brutalism is “an ethic, not an aesthetic”. It’s utilitarianism in material form, a symbolic form of socialism built into the very heart of the city by successive post-war governments.

But theory and philosophy mean little in the face of praxis.

For all intentions, form does not beget function in Brutalism;

it stands in total the opposition to intended purpose. Its buildings are bleak minimalism wrought large, bastions to otherness that slice through seas of redbrick terraces and crush the sleek modernism of the 21st century beneath its presence. To many they are eyesores, concerted efforts to strip away the colour and identity of city in favour of conformity and bleakness.

But beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, and maybe I should get my eyes tested for I think there are few architectural movements quite as jaw-dropping as that of Brutalism.

I am not so blind to the flaws of the movement that I can’t recognise some distinct issues and ugliness in this mode of architecture.

Twisting balcony walkways, stairwells and skypaths sound good on paper for fostering openness and community, but in many

respects can make neighbourhoods more dangerous. And at an aesthetic level, Brutalism at its worst paves the way for uninspired, drab designs (case in point: the Harrison Building).

But this doesn’t stop my heart from beating faster when walking through the street of the Barbican or gaping as I walk round the campus of UEA. These are otherworldly spaces in which life has found a way to crawl up between the cracks, where flower pots sit atop inhuman structures and people go about their lives in the shadow of artificial rockfaces. They’re inspiring, important pieces of artistic work in their own right, a movement worthy of a resurgence that combines the desires of modern architecture for safer spaces with the towering majesty of Brutalism at is best. And if you can’t see that, maybe you’re the one in need of glasses.

Creators aren’t Gods

Kate Hall, Comment Editor, writes about whether we can separate an artist’s character from their work

’M quite happy not to listen to Chris Brown or watch films with Shia Labeouf in them because I don’t think there’s anything impactful or interesting about the work they’ve done. But what about books, paintings, albums and films that are good? The works we have perhaps previously lauded as utter genius, that have had a forceful impact for good in our lives, helping us to better understand ourselves and our place within the chaos?

I would love to believe that we live in a black and white world, but we do not.

The separation of the art from the artist is a debate which has inevitably gained momentum with an increasing sense of

public social awareness. Sleazy behaviour is no longer acknowledged as an accessory to power and controversial takes are rightly no longer glamorised as a fun quirk in artistry.

ART IS ULTIMATELY THE PRODUCT OF THE MIND OF ITS CREATOR The actions and words of these artists are undoubtedly shameful and deserving of punishment. I acknowledge that art is ultimately the product of the mind of its

creator. We should take care to consider the context of art as we consume it and why we like it. One thing we can’t control or change, however, is the very fact that we do like it.

In 1992, the Selected Letters of the nation’s beloved late Phillip Larkin were published, many of which were vile to read.

The classism, racism and misogyny that were, for many, already suspected of Larkin were exposed. Knowing this, should we idolise and celebrate Larkin? Absolutely not. But I don’t think we should deceive ourselves into disliking his verse, which undoubtedly holds monumental significance in the world of poetry. He is dead and the poetry is ours now.

Regarding problematic artists who

aren’t dead, I can’t avoid mentioning our very own alumni J.K. Rowling. Since establishing herself on Twitter as a transexclusionary radical feminist (TERF), many have decided to indefinitely drop out of Hogwarts. I have not done so, and continue to return to the books and films often. I don’t think I have poor morals for doing so, because I truly believe that my experience with those books, however ironic, has informed me as a young person to reject intolerance, bigotry and ignorance.

Artists are creators, but they aren’t Gods.

We can love their work and how it’s made us who we are without having to love them as well. I think there’s beauty and power in that.

MUSIC

Jamal Edwards Chloe Pumares, Deputy Editor, pays tribute to Edwards after the recent tragedy of his death

J

AMAL Edwards MBE is a musician who you have probably never heard of and yet he did so much for British music. So let me tell you a little about him, and hopefully we can keep his name in our hearts and his songs in our head.

Edwards was born in Luton before later moving to Acton in West London. When he was younger he joined a stage school as his mother hoped he would pursue acting and drama, although he was always passionate about the music industry.

He attended Acton High School and later Ealing Green College gaining a BTEC diploma in Media Moving Image. While at school he began the early stages of his music career, rapping and filming videos with his friends, which would later

be posted to YouTube. These videos he filmed eventually morphed into the basis for SB.TV. SB.TV is a multi-faceted British company which had its origins in urban music. A lot of its content exists on its YouTube page or the official SB.TV website and tends to show unprofessional footage of freestyle raps and music videos. The company eventually moved into events, curating stages at Bestival, Wireless, Outlook and a number of other festivals. SB.TV also expanded into areas outside of music, they built relationships with prominent figures in Britain, having interviewed leading politicians at 10 Downing Street such as the Prime Minister at the time, David Cameron, as well as interviewing Prince Charles in 2013. Currently, the YouTube page gained millions of views and thousands of subscribers, as well as followers on Facebook and Twitter.

After being created in 2006, Edwards for the first three years filmed amateur footage on his own of many British grime artists including Dizee Rascal, Wiley and Tinchy Stryder. Edwards company, SB.TV, also helped to ‘discover’ several prominent figures in British music today. Ed Sheeran’s music was aired in 2010 exclusively on the channel before he found international fame.

This platform also help launch the careers of artists like Dave and Skepta. The company became the subject of a Channel 4 documentary titled ‘Bedroom to Boardroom’ which followed Edward’s first office named the Camden Collective. He eventually established a production team of 10 people as the company attracted more attention. More

recently SB.TV hopes to diversify and incorporate more genres onto the platform. Artists like Jessie J, Nicki Minaj, The Wanted and Pixie Lott have all been invited on. In 2011 the company also expanded, creating their own music label called ‘Just Jam’ amd signed east London MC, Maxsta.

Jamal Edwards went on to do a number of things unrelated to music. He released an e-book and interactive game called ‘Self Belief: The Vision’ in 2013, also receiving a St Vincent Business Award in the same year. This linked to his family roots as they are originally from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. He also became one of the Queen’s 'young leaders' as he was tasked with running Buckingham Palace’s first social media hub. These achievements led Jamal to place no. 2 in The Guardian’s top 30 young people in digital media in 2014. That same year he co-founded UGOT, a yoghurt, juice and health bar chain, with entrepreneur Joe Carnell.

He also made a name for himself in the fashion world. Collaborating with Topman, his pervious place of employment, collating a headwear collection designed by Edwards himself. As well as collaborating with Puma and Burberry. He even got the chance to walk in the 2019 Hermes: Step into the Frame catwalk show, whilst also becoming the face of Kurt Geiger’s 'Characterful Style' campaign and one of the faces for Primark for 2019’s Autumn fashion week.

Despite all he was partaking in, he still continued to contribute to music. 2014 saw him appointed an MBE for his services to music. In 2019 Chelsea FC created a remix video of grime artist

Capo Lee’s 'Style and Swag' and Edwards was brought on as director. Edwards also went onto launch the 8BARS app, a platform which aimed to support up-and-coming music stars, in 2021.

This was launched in sponsorship with Soundcloud and investors from Spotify. That same year Edwards launched his DJ career under the pseudonym Jamal Artman. He launched 'Cultivation' an event night focused on house and dance music.

Unfortunely, he died in Acton, West London, on 20 February 2022, aged only 31, due to a sudden illness. Many celebrities have given statements following his death. Music stars such as Dave wrote “Thank you for everything. Words can’t explain.” AJ Tracey labelled him a “legend.”

HE WILL BE REMEMBERED AS THE TRULY TALENTED PIONEER It is clear that Jamal Edwards had a massive impact on British music, especially the rap scene, but was also well-known and well-loved amongst many prominent people in British politics and business. Yet, many people didn’t even know his name until he died. Hopefully now people will get to recognise the impact he had on the music scene and he will be remembered as the truly talented pioneer he was.

Image: FLICKR, Tobias Hase

Celebrate International Women's Day Charlotte Bend, Music Editor, makes a playlist in light of International Women's Day

I’m Every Woman – Chake Khan Khan's legendary hit has become an anthem for most women since its release in 1978. You may be more familiar with the 1992 version recorded by Houston for The Bodyguard. It doesn’t matter which version you’ve heard, this song is completely unforgettable.

It's a song which is guaranteed to put you in a good mood.

Image from left to right: Wikimedia Commons, IMDb, FLICKR Ralph_PH, Wikimedia Commons

It’s Raining Men – The Weather Girls A true classic which was featured as the lead single to the 2001 film Bridget Jones’s Diary, a movie about female friendships, as well as the trials and tribulations of love. The song also stayed at number-one on the UK singles chart for two weeks. It's such an anthem it has been covered twice since its first release in 1982.

Good As Hell – Lizzo A playlist for International Women’s Day wouldn’t be complete without a hit by Lizzo. She does it all: sings, raps, writes and plays the flute! She isn’t afraid to state her opinions, including one that fat women are no longer benefitting from the body-positive movement as she identifies as body-normative. 'Good As Hell' reminds us how important it is to love yourself!

Run the World (Girls) – Beyonce This one was the first that came to mind when thinking of strong, independent women. This song has been popular ever since its release. It has to be said that Queen Bey’s realms of a role model are ever increasing, with her promotions of self-confidence and gender equality it is hard to argue against this song being on the playlist. 'Run the World (Girls)' is considered a feminist anthem.

exhibit

|

EDITORS: Harry Hawkins and Charlotte Bend

music

15 MAR 2022 | 22

Thrills, pills and 'bellyaches' F

Bridie Adams, Editor, details the complicated relationship of musicians and substance abuse

OR centuries, both musicians and their fans have used drugs to enhance the experience of making and listening to music. Music and drugs have had a collaborative effect on many areas of culture and there have been countless references to unlawful substances in music, in an enduring trend that seems to be unstoppable. The connections between drugs and music are reflected in many lyrics, and numerous groups have even attracted the label of ‘stoner rock’ as a sub genre, due to their mention of language associated with weed and bongs in their tracks. Lots of other genres from pop to folk music also tend to mention drugs in their lyrics, showing that there is substantial representation of drug use in music. In spite of the fact that there are clear synergies between electronic dance music and drugs, country music is a less obvious, but arguably more significant, influence which makes allusions to drugs in its lyrics more than any other genre of popular music (according to Rolling Stone).

The connections between music and drugs are blurred, with their relationship stemming from an indistinct domino effect, as the influence can go both ways — many people may start using drugs because of their interest in a specific music genre, and vice versa.

On the other hand, some musicians are openly opposed to drug use. In terms of specific examples; social activist and musician Linda McCartney is known for finding harder drugs to be “disgusting,” while The Cars also famously avoided illegal drug use, despite being known to knock back booze and stay up late to make most of their music all through the night. Examples of artists who openly oppose, or have publicly condemned, the use of

drugs, seem to be few and far between, due to the heavy intertwinement of drug culture and music culture, but a few more notable names are Frank Zappa, Angus Young and Adam Ant. There are also benefits to listening to music while sober, as concentrating on listening to music deeply — without the effect of drugs — can bring down tension levels and enhance feelings of affiliation to a social group. Many academic studies have even raised the idea, with proof, that music can apparently get you ‘high’ on its own (see McGill’s work which found that listening to very pleasant music is connected with the same feelings as consuming food, taking drugs and having sexual intercourse).

Music and drugs both generate pleasure by acting on the brain’s opioid system; just like opiate drugs, singing can let out endorphins and music has also been revealed to relieve taxing or painful circumstances such as surgeries.

is linked with developing and bringing about mental disorders. As reported in one 2019 investigation of artists, the numbers are striking: about 73 per cent of independent musicians grapple with mental illness, “stress, anxiety and/or depression” in regard to their jobs. According to another study by Westminster and MusicTank of musicians, 71.1 per cent said they had experienced acute anxiety or symptoms

É

50% OF MUSICIANS WITH MENTAL DISORDERS WILL CONTEND WITH DRUG OR ALCOHOL DEPENDANCE Cheerful, positive music leads to our brains producing chemicals like dopamine and serotonin, which bring feelings of delight, increase drive and upgrade our attention spans, whereas quiet, calming music eases pressure on the brain and the body. All of this suggests that substances are certainly not needed to undergo these positive emotions.

However, musicians are famously plagued by mental health issues, and individuals who have worked in the arts have been shown to be more prone to excessive pressure, which

and won’t be budging easily any time soon, yet it is always important to remember that, regardless of your views on and experiences with drugs, addiction is a very real and difficult disease to live with or to witness, and the promotion or normalisation of drug dependency is never okay. Recreational use might seem fun at first, and in many cases it doesn’t progress into anything further than this, but there is always the possibility of it leading to much more serious issues. Let’s remember the artists we have lost to addiction and overdose, and reassess whether this price of drug culture in music is one we want to continue paying, or can ever overcome.

If these issues affect you, you can get in touch with:

of panic. And among those with mental disorders, 50 per cent will contend with drug or alcohol dependency through their lives. Addiction and mental illness can come hand in hand, and as much as some may enjoy recreational drugs at gigs or clubs, the realities of musicians becoming dependent on substances are devastatingly bleak, with addiction having claimed the lives of countless artists over the years.

But can music and drugs ever be disconnected? The culture of substance abuse within the music industry is incredibly embedded

University Wellbeing 01392 724381 www.exeter.ac.uk/wellbeing Frank drugs helpline: 0300 123 6600 Narcotics anonymous: 0300 999 1212 Image: Flickr, Daniel Foster

Musical Elements: Guitar Harry Hawkins, Music Editor, narrates the action of a guitar epic

A

S much as they have been mythologised over the years, guitars are just tools. Their true powers lie in their accessibility for a budding musical mind. For someone who wants to convey themselves through music and who isn’t formally trained, it’s far easier to use an instrument which is cheap, not too hard to pick up, but endless in application. From the first blues artists to the squalling of hard rock monsters, the guitar has historically provided a voice for the disenfranchised. Listening to Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Django Reinhardt, Hendrix, or Lead Belly and you find music that is far more lived in, as well as more resonant to most people, than most 20th century composers. However, there is a penchant for guitar moves to deviate to blunt aggression or overlaboured noodling rather than a grand symphony.

arguable magnum opus, Marquee Moon.

The bands dual guitarists,Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd, both came to find their guitar stylings from quite different sources. Verlaine was an enthusiast of jazz and early punk records who also served as the main singer and lyricist, whereas Lloyd was more of a rock fan who acquainted himself with classic guitarists like Jimmy Page and Hendrix.

TELEVISION DECIDE TO REBUILD THE SONG AGAIN BIT BY BIT That’s not to say you can’t. For one py 4-piece New York group, a mess mould into sonic gold. I’m talking the band Television’s title track from

scrapcould about their

Image: Elektra Records

You can hear their personalities rub from the get-go, with Verlaine’s ringing and repeating chords standing against the fluidity of Lloyd’s part to create a melodic puzzle piece along with the almost-disco rhythm section — it is rich and interesting, yet through its repetition it could appear dull in the hands of lesser bands. However, this bit-part rhythmic foundation is not the only trick up these two’s sleeves. The passionate choruses that break the motoric beat are swallowed by the bursts of Lloyd’s lead playing, which fill the song with colour and bluesy swoon, ended off with a concise solo as an elaborate full stop. (Richard was the professional of the two and was, by many accounts, far easier to work with than Verlaine.)

Yes, and? Plenty of songs have cool and clever guitar work. Where 'Marquee Moon' stops being just an ahead of the curve rock tune and becomes a force to be reckoned with is Television's decision to rebuild the song again bit by bit. For most bands, the theatrical leads and rushing melodies of the first section would be enough, but Television didn’t want merely 'enough'.

The bricks are laid, first with those ringing chords that began the song, then the pitter of hihats and the tread of reliable bass. But instead of Lloyd’s liquid leadwork, Verlaine gets a stab at soloing, and he really explores the instrument.

Inspired by Miles Davis’s electric records, early surf rock and who knows what else, Verlaine’s guitar is not concise, and instead chooses to meander and wiggle its way across the beats like a charmed snake, until it finds its target and bites! The guitars stab and stab, reaching higher and higher until they can’t anymore.

And then then we reach heaven. Lloyd’s guitar takes on the quality of an angelic harp, whilst Verlaine’s serpentine lines reveal themselves to be the cooing of a bird flying high. And then we’re dropped exactly back to where we were, for one final dose. The ecstatic experience has ended, we are exactly back where we began (and Verlaine even sings some of the same lyrics.) Yet once we end on that final chorus, it arrives with a julibant end, and what was once monotony has become grand. (It is important to note that 'Marquee Moon' was recorded in one take, which some of the members thought was just a rehearsal). The rest of Marquee Moon, the record, is a treasure to behold as a time capsule of a band at their peak, but most argue it was seldom attained afterwards in the bands' short lifespan, which was cut due to disagreements between band members. Echoes of the guitar partnership of Lloyd and Verlaine can be found in the guitar duos of the Strokes, Parquet Courts, Interpol, Wilco and Radiohead.

screen

Review: Euphoria S2

I

Francesca Sylph, Screen Editor, reviews the second season of Euphoria (contains spoilers)

F I had to describe the second season of Euphoria in one word, it would be… messy. A hot mess, but a mess nonetheless. Still, in the words of Lexi’s soft-spoken but strict stage manager Bobbi, “It could be worse… It could be boring.”

EUPHORIA IS A HOT MESS, BUT A MESS NONETHELESS The season started off strong with the opening scene coming straight out of a Scorsese or Tarantino film (although with less feet and more dicks). To quote Rue, “Fezco’s grandma was a motherf**kin’ G,” shooting up a strip club and looking hot as hell while doing so in her cowboy boots and royal blue two-piece suit. Episode one is also when Fexi was born: arguably the best thing to come out of this season. When Fez told Lexi that she was “like, the coolest person in here” and she turned away to hide her blushing smile, I was hooked. Don’t even get me started on the “Little House on the Prairie type shit” because I might start crying.

After episode one, it all starts to go downhill. Euphoria has always felt like a bunch of (albeit very aesthetically pleasing) music videos stitched together, but at least season one had a legible plot and some cohesion. Each

episode had a semi-self-contained narrative, revolving around a particular character, or storyline, or location. I guess season two still had some of that: episode one follows Fezco and the New Year’s Eve party, while episode three delves into Cal’s past. Side note: do you think they knew what they were doing, naming his best friend Derek? Eric Dane, you will always be Mark ‘McSteamy’ Sloan to me. Intentional or unintentional Grey’s Anatomy references aside, most episodes this season were lacking in plot or structure. The cinematography, as always, is absolutely gorgeous. I’m thinking of that Cassie shot in episode four, tears rolling down her face and surrounded by flowers. I don’t think I’ll forget that one for a long time. However, so much of the aestheticism this season is not in service of the story, partly because there is no story anymore (or at least, it’s so all over the place that there might as well not be). It’s classic style without substance.

Things started to look up again in episode five: possibly the most stressful television episode I’ve ever seen. With

Rue doing parkour and hijacked interventions (I audibly gasped at “How long have you been fucking Nate Jacobs?”), it genuinely felt like an hour long panic attack. Zendaya’s performance was absolutely phenomenal; someone give that girl another Emmy. But then, as is often the case, after you peak, you have to fall. Everything went downhill once again. I’ll admit, the theatre kid in me loved Lexi’s play in episode seven. When Lexi excitedly gushed, “I love the theatre,” I thought same, girl, same. If we could award Tonys to fictional characters, Ethan would take them all home.

I sincerely apologise for anything bad I may have said about Ethan in the past; that sweet boy has done nothing wrong in his life. The homoerotic ‘Holding Out for a Hero’ dance number was the most fun I’ve ever had watching Euphoria (although, let’s be honest, the show is pretty depressing so it’s not too much of a competition).

But then we have the finale. Sigh. Where do I even begin? It was so… disappointing. And unsatisfying. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m an easy crier, so it’s not a surprise that I sobbed

my eyes out during Ashtray’s death scene.

However, that doesn’t change the fact that it made no sense. I know that kid has anger issues but he just killed Custer out of nowhere.

There was absolutely no plot resolution whatsoever. Is Fezco going to prison? Are we just forgetting that Rue owes Laurie $10k after she almost got sex trafficked in episode five? Is Sam Levinson ever going to address the third Jacobs’ brother? So many unanswered questions that probably could have been resolved if we had skipped Elliot’s ten-minute long Tiny Desk Concert — a painfully familiar scene to any girl who has been forced to sit through a below average rendition of ‘Wonderwall’ by a sixteen-year-old Gallagher-wannabe.

EUPHORIA IS MORE FUN TO TALK ABOUT THAN TO WATCH Over the past eight weeks, I have realised that Euphoria is more fun to talk about than to watch. I have spent hours scrolling through Twitter and TikTok after every episode and cry-laughing over Angus Cloud’s chaotic livetweets. Despite the messiness of this season, Euphoria Sundays were something to look forward to every week, amidst deadlines and dissertations and I’ll miss that.

Image: Euphoria, HBO/A24.

Fincher: faves and fails

Screen editors, Francesca Sylph and Archie Lockyer, share their favourite and least favourite Fincher flicks

2

FAVE: ZODIAC

022 marks the 15th anniversary of Zodiac, my personal favourite from Fincher. I genuinely think that Zodiac is a masterpiece, Fincher’s magnum opus if you will. Everything — the meticulous direction, flawless screenplay, captivating performances, and stunning score — work together so perfectly to create a masterful mystery thriller. I’ll be the first to admit that I judge a movie by its runtime. If it’s into the triple digits, I’ll always find myself asking, but do I really want to watch it? 99 minutes and below is where it’s at. However, at over two and a half hours, Zodiac is an exception. I would gladly watch two more hours of that film and not get bored. Fun fact: hair was digitally added to close-ups of Jake Gyllenhaal’s knuckles because Fincher felt that his hands were too pretty and hairless (always having a fun Fincher fact at hand is my most useless party trick).

Francesca Sylph, Screen Editor

S

FAVE: SE7EN

E7EN was the film where Fincher stylistically came into his own. The pulpy, rough city of Los Angeles that Fincher creates has in itself lead to the creation of blockbusters like The Batman as well as excellent parodies such as in Community. Se7en has become, in my mind, the perfect blend of entertainment and art, with the gorgeous visuals paired with a plot so simple that it can be understood from the title alone. Yet Fincher doesn’t merely follow the typical crime-detective thriller, instead inverting the normal expectations of a inexperienced hothead played wonderfully by Brad Pitt with the retiring elder in Morgan Freeman, presenting the detectives with actual heart and faulty moral boundaries. As a result, Se7en kickstarted a career for Fincher that never really died, allowing Fincher to move to psycho-dramas like Fight Club and biopics like The Social Network with ease.

Archie Lockyer, Screen Editor

W

FAIL: BENJAMIN BUTTON

HILE The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is beautifully shot and Fincher’s trademark obsessive attention to detail is there, it still feels like his most mainstream and mild.

I wish I could say I was curious (get it?) about how the story would unfold, but honestly I was just bored. They should change the name to The Boring Case of Benjamin Button.

Not only is it more accurate, but I’m also a sucker for alliteration. The complete lack of conflict means you really feel the almost three hour runtime. Also, in the same way that I still have nightmares about the dead baby on the ceiling in Trainspotting (I literally just shuddered while writing that), old man baby Brad Pitt will haunt me for the rest of time. At the end of the day, it all boils down to the following facts: the tiny old man is scary and you have to wait almost two hours for hot Brad Pitt.

Francesca Sylph, Screen Editor

M

FAIL: ALIEN 3

OVING from Se7en’s stylistic genius to one that lacks any element of Fincher, Alien 3 was a directorial debut so it is understandable why this film is so astonishingly mediocre. Whilst on the surface, Fincher leads a startlingly good cadre of British treasures, everything is lost in blandness, due to the sole fact that by this point the Alien franchise had essentially faltered. The direction of the franchise had moved from Alien to Aliens, horror to action; Alien 3 tries to sit somewhere between the two. However, the tones of those films are so different, with Alien being a slow burning, nauseating trek as you slowly wait for the Xenomorph to slaughter the crew, whilst Aliens is an amazing, if not goofy, piece of entertainment where you watch in glee as Sigourney Weaver guns down hordes of underling extra-terrestrials. Overall, what truly kills Alien 3 is not particularly Fincher’s fault, but rather acts as a warning for fledgling directors entering a large franchise with limited knowledge. For great directors like Fincher, a big blockbuster can ultimately swallow any stylistic or narrative direction you may have.

Archie Lockyer, Screen Editor

exhibit

|

screen

15 MARCH 2022 | 24

EDITORS: Archie Lockyer and Francesca Sylph

Overrated films by famous directors Exeposé editors discuss films that missed the mark from well-known directors Pulp Fiction Bridie Adams, Editor

The Great Gatsby Archie Lockyer, Screen Editor

T

WO words fill my mind with such dread and hate. Baz Luhrman. Not only is Luhrman’s style repellent to my eyes and ears but I find that he lacks certain basic knowledge of filmmaking. Take for instance, The Great Gatsby. Unfortunately, I had the misfortune of having to rewatch this utter travesty for a film module, and much like Myrtle, I felt like I was being hit by a car. Luhrman has such a basic and surface level understanding of the book, that I question if he even understood that Fitzgerald’s novel is a fable on the woes of social mobility and lavish materialism.

Clearly, Luhrman had a fascination with the design of Gatsby’s parties, champagne spewing from every hand, the mansion spewing with the creme de la creme of society. Yet, this is such a trivial sheen of the novel, it is the equivalent of becoming obsessed with the cherry on a sundae. Missing the point entirely, Luhrman’s use of music is another nightmarish addition to The Great Gatsby, the never ending jukebox of songs that do not fit the setting or tone of the film at all further squander any attempt at treating the source material with grace or respect.

P

ULP Fiction: the finest movie ever made, Editing is another core component an eternally revolutionary work of cinof filmmaking, it often allows for a ema, a gift from God (otherwise known sequence to appear fluid as as Tarantino). According to the pretenthough the characters tious film bros — come on, we all are moving in a linear know at least one of them — it has way. It’s a shame everything: drama, intensity, acthat Luhrman tion, excitement, fun, intellect, clearly hasn’t mystery, intimacy, sweetness, heard of it. hilarity and contemplation.

Constantly So what is it lacking, you throughout ask? A storyline that is actuThe Great ally engaging, and doesn’t Gatsby, you leave me counting the secwill notice onds in boredom until the the level of credits roll. Before anyone cuts verges attacks me, I don’t actually on the same think there is any such thing quality of the Image: IMDb as ‘overrated,’ really. Just because infamous BoI’m not a fan, that doesn’t mean hemian Rhapsody others have no right to enjoy it, or and too often I found that it is objectively bad. I do also recogsounds do not match, givnise that to some extent, the issue is probing it a sense of the amateur, ably less to do with Tarantino and more to do with me as though Luhrman is an A-Level Media student making a film for the first time. and my attention span, which struggles after an hour Overall, The Great Gatsby is not great. and a half and threatens to give out altogether after two hours. But even so, I’m a little surprised that anyone Image: IMDb can focus on what is essentially just a repetitive blur of

gun violence (albeit with a snazzy little dance from Uma Thurman and John Travolta nicely slotted in the middle) for a whole, agonising two hours and 34 minutes.I won’t deny it — as a third year film student I feel suitably qualified to say that it is brilliant from a technical point of view. The cinematography is captivating and the performances of its actors are all out-and-out masterful. But I just can’t connect with the narrative. I can feel the film bros hissing and shrinking back into their artsy caves (inevitably covered in obscure film posters floor to ceiling) as I write this — because, let’s be honest, it is near impossible to say one bad word about Pulp Fiction without being man-splained about film theory and narrative structures — but like I mentioned, I’m not saying it’s bad just because it’s not for me. If someone suggests watching it during a movie night, then sure, I’ll tolerate it, but it definitely wouldn’t be my first choice. I have been accused (by said film bros) of not liking Pulp Fiction simply because I do not understand its complexities. And okay, I hold my hands up, that might be the case — at least to some extent. But can you blame me? I’m sure I can’t be the only one; most of it is super confusing and easy to lose track of, especially if you’re watching it passively with friends after a couple of drinks. The whole thing feels like a fever dream I’d rather wake up from. So, here it is, the ultimate betrayal of film student stereotypes: I don’t like Pulp Fiction.

TV spotlight: Smiling Friends Harry Hawkins, Music Editor. discusses the wacky world of the newest Adult Swim show, Smiling Friends

I

’VE never fully immersed myself into animation that is intended for ‘grown ups’, which is a shame because shows like The Simpsons (early seasons only, to be clear) and Regular Show are some of my favourites.

Perhaps it’s an unfair characterisation, but due to the association (and devaluation) of animation as a medium most often used for kids, many adult-oriented cartoons try a little too hard to show they’re ‘definitely not for kids’ — whether it’s excessive gore and swearing like a teen learning all the bad words, or limp-wristed attempts at ‘satire’.

Whilst Smiling Friends isn’t immune to these tropes, it has far fewer of them, and by approaching their stories in a far less cynical way, it manages to create some surprisingly sincere moments among the insanity.

Smiling Friends is made under the adultswim network, which has hosted a variety of oddball programming from Tim & Eric’s Awesome Show to Samurai Jack and Rick and Morty.

Even more interestingly, though, the show’s creators were originally online animators. Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack have been making short-form videos on sites like YouTube and Newgrounds for years with decent audiences, but their collaboration may not seem like it makes sense if you observe either of their sketches in a vacuum. Zach (alias psychicpebbles) has

a very cartoonish yet occasionally freakishly detailed style which emphasises slapstick and stupidity. In contrast, Cusack, an Australian, uses unorthodox techniques like rotoscoping and draws his characters more humanlike. This chalk-and-cheese approach gives the animation a singular style, with characters drawn by both animators existing in the same space.

Unlike many other botched attempts at moving online creatives into larger audiences (Smosh Movie, etc), Smiling Friends was mostly given free rein for Zach and Michael, whose animation experience and close collaboration meant that the project was nearly all voiced, scripted, designed and storyboarded by the pair with guest spots varying from online creators like David Firth (of Salad Fingers infamy) to actor Finn Wolfhard. This probably helped their budget, with the series of 8 ten-minute episodes costing the same as one Family Guy episode, about $2mil.

However, all this talk fails to highlight the

brilliant absurdism of the show. While some aspects of the show certainly bear surface resemblance to predecessors like Regular Show, the pitch of an agency whose job is to make people smile manages to provide thought provoking endings and realistic dialogue even in a pastel-bright universe.

Some topics across the eight episodes include helping someone regain purpose in their life after tragedy, solving a fastfood murder mystery, working through a bad break-up, and undoing the damage done by nihilistic doppelgangers called the Frowning Friends.

Main characters Charlie and Pim (voiced by Hadel and Cusack respectively) present a brilliant contrast in outlook, whilst still both being good friends — Charlie playing the pragmatic and passive optimist, whilst Pim is joyous and actively optimistic, even though his idealism can momentarily be punctured by sad events. The episodic format allows the characters to explore

a variety of scenarios that rise and fall in intensity masterfully, with seemingly innocuous or throwaway jokes providing Chekhov’s Gun, and plots that are smashed together to make hilarious messes.

By using often very realistic and believable dialogue and scenarios, the rare moments of bloodshed become incredibly potent.

If you want to check out Smiling Friends, the pilot episode and Halloween episode are available on YouTube, but the whole series is (at time of writing) free to access on Channel 4’s ondemand service. I highly recommend the series if you want a fluorescent series that always has a happy ending — even if the path to get there is a bit bonkers.

Images (L to R): IMDb

TECH

Internet regulations: where should Meta draw the line?

Lucy Aylmer, Deputy Editor, discusses whether current internet laws are doing enough

M

ark Zuckerberg’s original mantra to “move fast and break things” was once a cornerstone of Facebook’s internal business strategy. However, since Facebook rebranded to Meta, the company mantra is “meta, metamates, me.” But arguably, Facebook does still adheres to the destructive ideology of moving fast and breaking things.

From major data breaches to facilitating hate speech, Facebook has enormous power that has undoubtedly resulted in various degrees of controversy.

There are growing calls amongst senior politicians, the public and regulators to control the monopolistic power that tech giants such as Meta have within society.

The Cambridge Analytica scandal of 2018 highlighted the severe repercussions that amount from data breaches. Meta failed to request the informed consent of 50 million Facebook users, and the harvesting of private user data resulted in wide spanning debates about the right to privacy. Meta was not authorised to share this data with third-party organisations. And users were unaware that their data was being used to inform political campaigns such as Donald Trump’s 2016 Presidential campaign and the Brexit campaign of 2016.

Facebook allowed Cambridge Analytica to use the digital trace left by users to inform political campaigns of so-called “persuadables” who could be “nudged” into voting a certain way.

The emergence of big tech has generated a regulatory void which is grossly misused.

Since then, greater regulation has come to the fore with the introduction of The Data Protection Act 2018. This controls how personal information is used by organisations, businesses and the Government.

More recently, the Online Safety Bill

has been designed to help tackle harmful content published online from child access to pornography, to algorithms that facilitate false and violent material.

The bill is aimed at holding big tech to account and to control the content on their sites.

Yet, big tech is showing resistance to further regulations.

Historically, Mark Zuckerberg has resisted censoring material uploaded to Facebook.

In 2020 Mark Zuckerberg proclaimed that “Facebook shouldn’t be the arbiter of truth of everything that people say online” on grounds of free speech.

It’s true that Facebook has been transformative for social communication and free speech.

It gives access to vast amounts of information, connects us to family and friends and supports conversation and debate. As examples show, Facebook has been applauded for its key role in the Arab Spring.

Academics have proclaimed the critical role that social media played in “mobilisation, empowerment, shaping opinions and influencing change” during the uprisings.

It facilitated the spread of information and the organisation of protest networks across the region.

But the truth is, Facebook needs to change with the times. The content uploaded onto Facebook does have the capacity for damage and this has been proven across a range of examples. From the hijacking of political campaigns to extremist hate speech.

There is a worrying pattern emerging, and one that urgently needs to be addressed.

France Haugen a former Facebook employee and whistle-blower described the platform as “toxic” and said that “Facebook prioritises profits over safety.”

This further reinforces the question-

able ethics of Facebook. So, whilst Facebook’s “move fast and break things” mantra might have changed, its internal business strategy really hasn’t.

The recent bills legislated and those that are in discussion are directed at making the internet a safer space.

Its destructive capacity is causing sizeable damage and concern for privacy, politics and public debate. Facebook needs to change its culture to suit the times; this involves embracing greater regulations that has user interests at heart.

Image: Pixabay

A Mac that fits inside a keyboard Livvy Mason-Myhill, News Editor, discusses Apple’s latest development

B

ASED on a patent by Patently Apple (via 9to5Mac), Apple is planning on developing a Mac that fits inside a keyboard.

The key components of the product, the processor, memory and storage, are all embedded inside a keyboard.

There have been debates as to whether this product will be a success and if it is likely to go ahead in the near future.

The concept of this upcoming device is that you can take this keyboard with you as you go from your home to your workplace and can load up macOS when plugged into a display. Therefore, it is effectively a Mac mini inside a keyboard.

The idea of a computer being embedded inside of a keyboard is not an unknown

concept, with the previous existence of the Sinclair ZX Spectrum and the Commodore 64.

Yet, despite the promising and exciting nature of this device, there could be issues with its heat management.

In terms of performance and local storage, there may be constraints when trying to pack everything inside of a keyboard.

However, the recent patent suggests that the keyboard could be designed to dissipate heat from the internal components through being manufactured by specific materials.

It is also indicated that there would have to be a degree of airflow management with regards to the electronics being so tightly packed together.

The patent additionally mentions

that there will also be a trackpad integrated into the keyboard, saving its users the trouble of having to plug in a mouse.

Making a computer built into a keyboard does have its benefits, including improving portability, especially since keyboards in the modern day can be made lighter and thinner than ever before.Therefore, particularly for those on the go, it’s beneficial for saving space.

However, you would still need to find a TV or monitor on the go due to there not being an integrated display.

This product still has great potential, its compact nature means that all your online necessities travel with you.

Whether this product will become the next must-have tech device is uncertain,

yet the concept of it is certainly intriguing.

The schemes in patents don’t always see the light of day, yet patents like this gives people an insight into what tech companies like Apple are working on.

Personally, I probably would prefer to stick with my trusty MacBook Air. As a student, rather than worrying about having to locate a separate integrated display, I can instead rely on my MacBook Air. My laptop is compact and light, also having an integrated display already attached to it. Thus, despite the computer inside a keyboard sounding exciting, the existence of tech products like the MacBook Air would still uphold their superiority.

exhibit

| TECH

EDITORS: Bridie Adams and Oliver Leader de Saxe

15 mar 2022 | 26

SWIFT system cuts off Russian banks in sanction Gillian Allison Gracias explores the impact of sanctions banning Russia from the payment system

A

MID the Russian invasion of Ukraine, countries have responded with numerous sanctions against the state and high-powered Russian individuals.

SWIFT is a messaging network used by banks and other financial systems to transfer money overseas securely and rapidly.

The United Kingdom, United States, European Union and allies agreed to impose sanctions that disconnect selected Russian banks from SWIFT. This sanction was dangled in 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea, but was shelved because it was deemed a nuclear option.

Initially, some European leaders who held back from imposing sanctions faced backlash from Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, who warned that American and European politicians would have “blood on their hands” if they failed to impose sanctions against Moscow as innocent casualities mounted.

The hesitation was due to its potential to cause energy flow disruptions throughout Europe and largely be-

Image: Pixabay

cause sanctions would hinder Russia’s ability to pay-back outstanding debts.

On 2 March, EU ambassadors agreed to exclude seven Russian banks from SWIFT including VTB, the second largest Russian bank.

SWIFT is key to movement of funds in Russian oil and gas sectors (which account for 40 per cent of the economy).

These sanctions combined with additional financial sanctions on the Russian Central Bank, through the US, UK and EU, reducing foreign currency reserves will have significant impact on the Russian economy.

CURRENCY RESERVES WILL HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT As a result, the ruble has plummeted, reaching a record low of 110 rubles to one dollar, and interest rates have doubled to 20 per cent. If prolonged, this could mean a lower standard of living for Rus-

sians as goods become more expensive.

THIS COULD MEAN A LOWER STANDARD OF LIVING FOR RUSSIANS However, the absence of Sberbank, PJSC, and Gazprombank in this exclusion indicates European dependence on Russian energy supply, and apprehension over the consequences of financially isolating Russia to the point of spill-over effects into the global economy. The exclusion of oil and gas payments may be regrettable, the German Chancellor warned Boris Johnson that “Western inaction or underreaction would have unthinkable consequences."

These sanctions will not stop Putin in his tracks, but instead put immense pressure on the Russian economy and mainly its people, and eventually limit the Kremlin’s financial ability to wage its war.

Although disconnecting Russia from

SWIFT is a significant sanction and will be increasingly disruptive to Russia as it will add costs and create delays in transfers, not to mention restricts Russian access to financial markets across the world.

This will not be as dire to the Kremlin as it might have been in the past. It certainly will be more difficult, but not a catastrophe because Russia set up an alternative system called SPFS after Crimea in 2014.

However, this is likely to be less efficient, secure and it found difficulties in adding foreign members. China also has an alternative system called the CIPS, and it has not imposed sanctions on Russia.

This could push the two closer together and play into the hands of Xi Jinping. Overall, sanctions on Russia highlight the severity of the Ukrainian invasion and this ‘financial nuclear weapon’ demonstrates how keen the West are to twist Putin’s hand. This may not be as effective as anticipated, but will undoubtably cause issues for the Kremlin, Russian Central Bank and Russian citizens.

study break

|

15 MAR 2022

exhibit

|

27

STUDY BREAK CROSSWORD

SUDOKU

Across 1 Parisian’s 2116? (5) 4 Until later (3,3) 7 Full (with) (7) 8 Relative by marriage (2-3) 10 Roman’s 2116? (4) 12 Dark-haired person (8) 14 Breach of the peace (6) 15 Horse’s building (6) 18 Broadcast - bald zone (anagram) (8) 20 Current affairs (4) 22 Indian yoghurt-based dish - tiara (anagram) (5) 23 Studious (of tomes?) (7) 25 Getaway (6) 26 Dye on (anagram) - senior (professor, for example) (5)

Down: 1 Antechamber, 2 Ire, 3 Unit, 4 Figure, 5 Reignite, 6 Owlet, 11/9 Auf wiedersehen, 13 Sayonara, 16 Bye, 17 Pebble, 19 Adios, 21 Good, 24 Ivy. Across: 1 Adieu, 4 For now, 7 Teeming, 8 In-law, 10 Ciao, 12 Brunette, 14 Affray, 15 Stable, 18 Blazoned, 20 News, 22 Raita, 23 Bookish, 25 Escape, 26 Doyen.

Trivia: 1. Pandora 2. Paris 3.. A.A. Milne 4. Hamlet 5. Great Dane 6. Venus

ANSWERS

Down 1 Foyer - meet a branch (anagram) (11) 2 Anger (3) Trivia corner 3 Single thing (4) 4 Appearance (6) 5 Rekindle (8) 6 Young nocturnal animal (with a hooter?) (5) 9 See 11 1. ACCORDING TO GREEK MYTHOLOGY WHO WAS THE 11/9 Berliner’s 2116? (3,11) FIRST WOMAN ON EARTH? 13 Osaka’s 2116? (8) 16 Type of extra run in cricket (3) 2. IN WHICH EUROPEAN CITY WOULD YOU FIND ORLY AIR17 Small stone (6) PORT? 19 Valencia’s 2116? (5) 3. WHICH AUTHOR WROTE THE WINNIE-THE-POOH 21 Having suitable qualities - virtuous BOOKS? (4) 24 Climbing plant (3) 4. WHICH OF SHAKESPEARE’S PLAYS IS THE LONGEST? 5. WHAT IS THE TALLEST BREED OF DOG IN THE WORLD?

6. WHICH PLANET IS THE HOTTEST IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM?

Science

15 MARCH 2022 | EXEPOSÉ

28

SCIENCE EDITORS:

Ellen Rogers and Nancy Stitt

CAR-T therapy brings hope for blood cancer patients

I

Ellen Rogers, Science Editor, discusses a new, personalised therapy for haematological maligancies

N 2010, two patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (blood cancer) received the experimental chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy and went into remission. Ten years later, the cancer-killing cells were still present in their bloodstream, indicating that this new therapy is a long-lasting treatment for certain types of cancer.

CAR-T therapy is a relatively new form of cancer therapy that involves collecting and using a patient’s T-cells (a vital part of our immune systems) to target and kill cancer cells. Each patient’s therapy uses their own cells and is com-

pletely unique to them — and thus this therapy is highly complex and carries the risk of serious side effects. However, it also has been shown to be successful in some patients, even when their cancer is advanced as other treatments have failed.

As a form of adoptive cell transfer (ACT), CAR-T therapy involves isolating a patient’s T-cells from their blood and training them to kill cancer. The therapy involves several steps taken over a few weeks. Firstly, blood is taken from the patient and sent to the manufacturer’s lab.

There, the T-cells are separated out and genetically changed so that they express

chimeric antigen receptors, or CARs, on their surface. These CARs allow T-cells to recognise and attach to cancerous cells, triggering the immune system to kill them. The blood is then transported back to the hospital and infused into the patient, and the T-cells are left to work.

Although there have been major successes for CAR-T therapy (most prominently the two adult cases described earlier), oncologists are cautious when declaring that a therapy ‘cures’ cancer.

CAR-T remains a risky, expensive, and technically demanding treatment, with only 25-35 per cent of CAR-T recipi-

ents diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia experiencing complete remission. Furthermore, researchers are cautious about drawing conclusions from two successes in older patients — especially when CAR-T is generally only approved for use in younger patients (individuals under 25 years of age).

Right now, the FDA has approved five CAR-T cell therapies, and the NHS is providing CAR-T for children and young people with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Similarly, NICE recommends CAR-T for adults with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and primary

mediastinal B cell lymphoma in England — but only where other therapies have failed or where cancers have relapsed.

The biggest concern at the moment is that this treatment does not work for everyone, as some people just do not seem to respond to immunotherapy — and others respond with severe (and in some cases life-threatening) side effects. With more research into the long-term mechanisms via which CAR-T works and persists in the body over time, oncologists hope to make this treatment safer, more effective, and able to help more people in the future.

Superbug wrapped up in ‘chain mail’ armour

C

Daisy Scott, Online Science Editor, discusses the armour that helps C. difficile resist antibiotic treatment

LOSTRIDIOIDES difficile, a common intestinal bacterium, is notorious for taking over the guts of people taking antibiotics to treat other infections. As well as killing the harmful bacteria, antibiotics clear out good bacteria that normally colonise the body. This can throw the gut’s microbial system off balance and allow diarrhoea, symptomatic of C. difficile to take over the digestive system.

C. difficile is becoming increasingly difficult to treat due to the rapid spread of antibiotic resistance.

WHO has declared antibiotic resistance as one of the top ten global public health threats facing humanity.

Researchers in Nature Communications report that antibiotic resistance may arise because antibiotics have a tough time breaking through the superbug’s nearly impenetrable outer barrier. The barrier for C. difficile, called the S-layer,

can prevent penetration of an enzyme that host cells produce to kill bacteria.

This means that bacteria are exposed to enough antibiotics to survive and evolve resistance, but not enough to kill them.

Paul Salgado at Newcastle University uses X-ray crystallography and electron microscopy to zoom in on the main protein that makes up the S-layer, SlpA. The microscopy revealed tightly linked proteins with minuscule gaps that look like medieval knights’ chain mail. These gaps

are so small that few molecules can pass through to enter the bacteria. The team found that removing a region of the S-layer called D2 made C. difficile more susceptible to lysozyme, which is an enzyme that is typically found in saliva.

Understanding how SlpA forms the S-layer could help researchers find new ways to treat C. difficile, which is often recurrent and comes back time and again — one in six people have a second infection. Salgado says: “If we have drugs

to treat C. difficile specifically, we could break the cycle”. This would also open the possibility of developing drugs that target the interactions that make up the chain mail. If we break these, we can create holes that allow drugs and immune system molecules to enter the cell and kill it. This would hopefully facilitate the clearance of C. difficile infections and prevent the long hospital stays and increased costs associated with healthcare-associated C. difficile infections.

A new cure for HIV?

I

Ellen Rogers, Science Editor, discusses the therapy that has ‘cured’ a woman of HIV for the first time

N a landmark case, scientists believe that they have cured a woman of HIV. A New York woman of mixed race was diagnosed with HIV in 2013, and acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) four years later in 2017. After receiving a cutting-edge stem cell transplant therapy, she has been in remission and asymptomatic for both leukaemia and HIV for four years and 14 months respectively, even after stopping all medications.

This success inducts the New York patient into a rarified group of individuals who have been cured, or are presumed to be ‘cured’, which previously consisted of three men. The first of these men to be cured, Timothy Ray Brown, was treated for AML with an adult stem cell transplant, in the form of a bone marrow transplant, after extreme chemotherapy and radiation. The rationale behind this therapy was to eradicate his existing immune system (infected with HIV) and then effectively ‘transplant’ a new immune

system into his blood to kill his cancer.

What made this treatment so unique, however, was the nature of the donor — who carried a genetic abnormality that made them naturally immune to HIV. As a result, Brown’s new immune cells were immune to infection by any remaining HIV virions left in the blood postchemotherapy or produced by surviving cells. Since Brown’s cure was published in 2009, two more men have been cured in the same way (but with many failures), but this technique does have its disadvantages.

Firstly, this treatment is only applicable to HIV-positive patients who are simultaneously diagnosed with a fatal disease that justifies undergoing this toxic and potentially lethal therapy. Secondly, this therapy is extremely selective and specific — donors and recipients must have near-identicial human leukocyte antigen (HLA) profiles in order to ensure the donor immune system effectively integrates into the donor recipient. Given that the

genetic abnormality that confers HIV resistance is extremely rare and generally only found in Northern Europeans, many African American and Hispanic individuals are unable to find a suitable donor to benefit from this treatment – even though they make up 40 per cent and 25 per cent of HIV cases in the US, respectively.

This is where the New York patient’s therapy comes in. Known as a haplo-cord transplant, this trial was part of a larger US-backed study led by researchers at the University of California and John Hopkins University that aims to follow 25 HIV-positive individuals after receiving a transplant of stem cells taken from the umbilical cord of HIV-immune donors.

The haplo-cord transplant, developed by the Weill Cornell team to expand cancer treatment options for individuals with blood cancers and a lack of HLA-identical donors, involves a transplant of umbilical cord blood, which contains stem cells, and a fur-

ther graft of adult stem cells a day later.

This gives rise to a powerful immune system that is capable of killing cancer cells and evading infection by HIV.

This gives rise to a powerful immune system capable of killing cancer cells and evading infection by HIV This technique has several advantages over the technique used to cure Brown — cord blood is more adaptable, requires a less identical HLA match for successful cancer treatment, and usually causes fewer complications. It is also much less toxic, and thus the ethical risks, whilst still significant, are reduced compared to the traditional bone marrow transplant. Furthermore, banks of cord blood are far easier to screen than bone marrow banks, making it much easier to

identify appropriate HLA matches for donation. However, as cord blood does not typically yield as many stem cells as a normal adult blood transfusion would, the technique is often limited to pediatric (child) cases. The supplemental stem cell donation after the initial cord transplant is vital to counteract this.

For now, the New York patient is asymptomatic and well without medication, but will need to be monitored closely to ensure that the virus does not re-emerge. Thus, scientists are cautiously describing her to be “in remission” rather than cured — but her case has inspired hope that this cutting-edge transplant method could increase the number of patients who could be potentially cured of both blood cancers and HIV. With scientists believing that up to 50 patients could benefit from haplo-cord transplants every year, researchers are optimistic — and continue to track the progress of trial patients for more good news.

EXEPOSÉ | 15 MAR 2022

SCIENCE

29

Spring blooms, the future looms

F

Daniel Pain discusses how UK plants are flowering a month early, and the ecological consequences of this

ED up with winter? We may all be wishing the spring to hurry up and arrive for good, but don’t be too hasty in this desire. The warm weather isn’t just a chance for us to de-jumper, it’s a sign for the plant life around us to wake up and start showing off their vibrant, colourful flowers. Whilst this is a welcome sight, it can cause drastic unseen problems for plants’ ecosystems and UK agriculture. A recent study published by the department of Geography at Cambridge University found that since 1987 plants have been flowering on average one month earlier than they have for the last 200 years. This has come as a direct result of global warming and temperatures increasing.

Rising spring temperatures can be sensed by the plant and signal to them to begin their reproductive process

of flowering — at least in the case of angiosperms (flowering plants).

Since 1987 plants have been flowering one month earlier than they have for the last 200 years Milder winters can give the incorrect signal to fauna that it’s time to rise out into the sunlight when in fact it’s still the middle of winter. Some may remember back in 2015 there was an unusual flurry of daffodils popping up in December — this may be set to become more common. If there is a cold frost after this blooming, it can kill the beautiful buds that are unprepared for

the sudden relapse into winter chills.

Even more worrisome is the danger of the phenomenon called ecological mismatch. This is when two species’ phenological cycles come out of sync. For example, if plants flower too early, the bees they rely on for pollination may still be in hibernation and the flowers will not be able to reproduce. Over time this can have a massive impact on species if they cannot adapt quickly enough to the new phenological timings.

This issue can have wide-reaching impacts on agriculture and harvests that rely on the natural pollination of crops can be diminished, resulting in poor yields. With the need for increasing food production to feed an ever-growing global population, the risk to food security is of real significance. Future studies into

‘understanding how climate change affects plant life and our ecosystems through concerted research endeavours could help us address the prob-

lem in the long run’ as stated by Dr Vinod Kumar, Associate Professor of plant biology here at Exeter.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Does your life ‘flash before your eyes’ when you die?

I

Daisy Scott, Online Science Editor, discusses findings from the first dying brain that has ever been recorded

MAGINE reliving your entire life in the space of seconds, watching memorable moments you lived through. This process, known as ‘life recall,’ can mirror what it’s like to have a near-death experience Dr Raul Vicente of the University of Tartu and colleagues used continuous electroencephalography (EEG) to detect seizures and treat an 87-year-old patient who developed epilepsy and was admitted to the emergency department after a fall that resulted in a bleed in the brain. During this process, the patient had a fatal heart attack and passed away. Unexpectedly, they discovered

brain wave patterns around the time of death (30 seconds before and after) that follow the same pattens seen when we carry out high-cognitive tasks such as dreaming or recalling memories.

Just before and after the patients’s heart stopped beating, the researchers noticed changes in a specific band of neural oscillations, so-called gamma oscillations, but also in others such as delta, alpha and beta oscillations.

Brain oscillations, more commonly known as ‘brain waves’ are patterns of rhythmic brain activity that are normally present in the human brain. Different types of oscil-

lations are involved in high-cognitive functions, such as concentrating, memory retrieval, information processing and conscious perception

Brain wave patterns around the time of death followed the same patters as when we carry out high-cognitive tasks While this is the first study to measure live brain activity in the

process of dying in humans, similar changes in gamma oscillations have been recorded in a study of rats completed in 2013 in the same period around the stopping of the heart.

Dr Zemmar, now a neurosurgeon at the University of Louisville, described the similarities between the studies are “astonishing.” These findings suggest the possibility, that during death, the brain organises and executes a biological response that could be conserved across species.

The measurements the researchers have taken are based on a single case and stem from the brain of a patient

who had suffered injury and seizures Image: Unsplash which can complicate the interpretation of data. Dr Steve Taylor, a psychologist at Leeds Beckett University, agreed: “I don’t think we can assume this is a representative example of how the human brain behaves at the point of death.”

Despite this, Dr. Zemmar plans to investigate more cases of this and sees these findings as a source of hope.

This could provide some comfort in that although our loved ones have their eyes closed and are ready to leave us to rest, their brains may be replaying some of the nicest moments they experienced in their lives.

Can chewing gum be used to prevent COVID-19?

Y

Nancy Stitt, Science Editor, discusses the development of a chewing gum that can neutralise COVID-19

OU may usually enjoy chewing gum for its refreshing flavour or to improve bad breath, but soon you may also be chewing gum to avoid spreading COVID-19! Re-

Image: Pixabay, David Gaigg

searchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Dental Medicine have developed a chewing gum from plant-based materials that has been found to neutralise the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19.

50mg of the chewing gum reduced viral entry into cells by 95 per cent While vaccinations have been monumental in our fight against COVID-19, the issue of transmission still remains. SARS-CoV-2 is mainly transmitted through droplets in the air, with the saliva of infected people containing a very high SARS-CoV-2 viral load. According to the American Society for Microbiology, the delta variant is 4060 per cent more contagious than the alpha strain, with the viral load of infected individuals being 1260 times higher than previous strains.

The virus mainly replicates inside

our salivary glands and oral mucous membranes, making them a high-risk route for SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

Therefore, deactivating the virus in our oral cavity, found to be one of the largest reservoirs of SARS-CoV-2, could be an effective way to reduce the spread of the virus right at the source.

The experiment, led by Dr Henry Daniell of Penn Dental Medicine in collaboration with Ronald Collman, M.D., first involved them growing angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in lettuce plants, alongside a compound which enabled ACE2 to cross mucosal barriers. ACE2 proteins are found lining many surfaces inside the body, including the lungs, heart, blood vessels, kidneys, liver, and gastrointestinal tract. SARS-CoV-2 enters human cells through binding its spike protein to these ACE2 proteins on the surface of our cells.

The lettuce was then converted to a powdered form which was blended with a cinnamon-flavoured chewing gum. This gum was incubated with

samples from COVID-19-infected patients, and it was found that the ACE2 in the chewing gum could neutralise the SARS-CoV-2 in the samples.

This gum could help protect COVID-19 patients and reduce their risk of transmission Further tests were carried out with the gum on harmless viruses that had been modified to express the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and it was observed that 50mg of the gum reduced viral entry into cells by 95 per cent. This is because the ACE2 enzyme binds to the Spike protein on the virus, trapping the virus in the chewing gum, and it also binds to its own ACE2 receptor on oral epithelial cells, blocking the entry of any virus not trapped in the chewing gum.

Finally, when the gum was exposed to saliva samples of COVID-19

patients, alongside a placebo, it was found that levels of viral RNA in the saliva of those with the ACE2-containing gum had become so low they were almost undetectable, highlighting that this gum could help protect COVID-19 patients and reduce their risk of transmission.

This gum is still waiting to enter clinical trials, and many scientists have questioned how effective it will be, including Dr William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University, who said that the gum “requires testing in people because they breathe through their noses, and it remains to be seen whether any protection extends beyond the oral cavity into the upper back of the throat.”However, if this ACE2-containing chewing gum is found to be safe and effective, it could be used alongside masks and social distancing as a public health measure to prevent COVID-19 transmission.It also has the potential to be used in countries where vaccines aren’t widely available or affordable.

30

SPORT

15 MAR 2022

The end of an era for Chelsea Oliver Rickwood analyses the situation at Chelsea amid Roman Abramovich's decision to sell the club

C

HELSEA owner Roman Abramovich has announced his plans to sell the club after 19 years in charge.

His decision comes after increased speculation amid the escalating situation in Ukraine, with the possibility that imminent sanctions may be imposed on the Russian billionaire.

62 minutes before Chelsea kicked off against Luton Town in the FA Cup Fifth Round, it was officially announced that Abramovich would not be getting any form of fairytale ending to his time at Stamford Bridge. He had decided to sell the club with immediate effect.

In a statement released on the club’s official website, Abramovich announced he would begin to consider offers for the purchase of the club, stressing that it was an "incredibly difficult decision" to have made. He noted that this decision was "in the best interest of the Club, the fans, the employees, as well as the Club’s sponsors and partners."

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, many in Parliament called for the sanction of wealthy Russians that are operating within the UK, and as the highest-profile oligarch in the country it became clear that his continued ownership of the club was in major doubt.

Labour MP Chris Bryant even alleged that the Chelsea owner was linked to ‘corrupt activity,’ and many criticised his failure to condemn his country’s invasion of Ukraine, it became clear that Abramovich would be forced to make a swift decision on the future of the club.

In his official statement he pledged to donate all the ‘net proceeds’ from the sale of the club to a foundation that is working "for the benefit of all victims of the war in Ukraine." However, as an oligarch with alleged personal connections to Putin himself, it made sense that he would distance himself and Chelsea Football Club from the situation as quickly as possible.

Roman Abramovich had always been a hugely popular figure amongst the Chelsea fanbase, after his purchase of the club for a then record £140 million in 2003.

Despite initial questions about his lofty ambitions, it soon became clear that these would be matched with significant investments of time and money.

In his first season overseeing the club, Chelsea spent an unprecedented £153 million on transfers.

For reference, the other nine clubs who finished in the top half of the table in that 2003-04 season spent £164 million between them. These

extortionate numbers brought with them extreme pressure to succeed.

It was after his first season that fans caught a glimpse of the ruthless nature of the Abramovich era to come The plan to transform Chelsea into a title-challenging team was achieved exceptionally quickly and effectively due to these investments. The appointment of the popular Claudio Ranieri achieved a second place finish in his first season, also achieving a Champions League semi-final. It was after his first season that fans caught a glimpse of the ruthless nature of the Abramovich era to come. Ranieri was sacked, and the ‘special one,’ Champions League winning manager Jose Mourinho was appointed. This young manager was hungry for success and bursting with passion and enthusiasm. He perfectly encapsulated Abramovich’s desire for more- more signings, more wins, and more trophies. Mourinho achieved Chelsea’s first league title in over 50 years.

The model of success in England at the time was seemingly based on longevity

and trust in building a sustainable culture within a club- notable examples including Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United and Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal. Abramovich had his own ideas.

Many criticised his frequently harsh removal of managers, creating the image of a revolving door policy at Stamford Bridge. A particularly disputed decision was the sacking of fan favourite Carlo Ancelotti, a year after an outstanding season of football for Chelsea, winning The Double of the FA Cup and the Football League Cup. Abramovich was not fussed with sentimentality. He craved immediate success, and the Champions League Trophy still eluded him.

In his 19 years at the club, he oversaw 15 managerial reigns. However, this is insignificant when considering the momentous success achieved in this period. A total of 19 major honours, including two Champions League trophies and most recently a Club World Cup title. The fans had accepted his way of ownership, that sometimes their favourite managers could be unfairly dismissed, and this meant he

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

was rarely met with wide-scale criticism. With the trophy cabinet filling up rapidly, and millions being poured into the yearly transfer budget, there we no real grounds for complaints.

The Roman Abramovich era has defined Chelsea as an elite player in world football Abramovich was always a slight enigma during his reign at Chelsea. He rarely spoke publicly about club business and yet often attended games, smiling and waving at adoring fans who would chant his name. He was reportedly always keen on getting involved with the players, sharing a close relationship with several senior members of the squad during his time at the club, and sometimes even addressing the players before important games. Former player Salomon Kalou spoke of these meetings with the owner, insisting that the players were not afraid of him but noting that "he didn’t speak all the time, so when he did you listened."

He had become a hero for Chelsea fans, transforming their club into a European giant, challenging amongst the elite. Despite his more frequent absences a t

Stamford Bridge in recent years, there was always a feeling of his presence and authority within and around the club.

He made popular decisions, considering the influence of the fans, such as bringing club legends Frank Lampard and Petr Čech back into the club during the uncertain period of the transfer ban in 2019.

Investing heavily in the club’s youth system has provided the club with a sustainable supply of young stars rising through the ranks. Crucial for future development, Chelsea now have one of, if not the best youth system in English football. This was especially noticeable during the club’s transfer ban, where young English talents such as Mason Mount and Reece James broke into first-team Premier League and International football.

After the transfer ban of 2019, and the COVID-19 pandemic, Chelsea are now faced with another extremely difficult situation to navigate.

The following months will be crucial for Chelsea Football Club. Current manager Thomas Tuchel spoke after his teams FA Cup victory over Luton Town, saying that he expects a "big change," assuring fans that the sale of the club would not change his commitment to his ongoing project.

Abramovich has reportedly set the price tag at around £3 billion, wanting also to ensure that the buyer shares his vision for investing in the squad with the potential to redevelop Stamford Bridge or build a new stadium.

American bank The Raine Group have been employed to handle the sale, and prospective bidders are now beginning to submit offers.

Abramovich commented that his time at Chelsea "has never been about business nor money for me, but about pure passion for the game and club," and he confirmed this by agreeing to write off around £1.5 billion in loans, through clearing this he attempts to speed up the selling process.

However, one potential problem is the lack of a new project.

Chelsea are already European and World Champions- is there a significant enough motive to attract a buyer with the ambition that can match that of Roman Abramovich?

Whatever is next for Chelsea, it can be noted that the Roman Abramovich era has defined Chelsea as an elite player in world football.

To the fans he was their mysterious hero, to managers he was an unforgiving dictator, but as the owner of Chelsea Football Club he was defined by one word: Success.

31

15 MAR 2022 | EXEPOSÉ

Sexism in motor sports — enough silence

S

Bridie Adams, Editor, looks at everyday sexism and lad culture in motorsport

EXISM in competitive sports has long been a contentious issue due to inequality concerning wages, audience numbers and the general opportunities accessible to women. A sporting area that has arguably seen particularly rampant sexism and misogyny is motorsport, from grid girls having historically been a source of criticism due to their sexualisation of female bodies, to some female Formula 1 fans being made to feel lesser because of their gender.

Personally, as someone who has only taken part in motorsport at a recreational level, specifically karting, I have experienced sexist behaviour and comments both on and off the track.

On a recent visit to a circuit I hadn’t been to before, I was the only woman in the race. A group of men crashed into my kart multiple times; what began as a few gentle bumps grew into an ongoing attack as the collisions became increasingly violent. I ended up leaving the track after only ten minutes with a sore, swollen ankle and three broken nails. Off the track, I overheard the men making sexist remarks, complaining that I shouldn’t be on the track because of my gender and laughing about the abuse they had given me moments before.

After seeing the leaderboard from the race, my friend pointed out that they

likely started to attack because they didn’t want to be ‘beaten by a girl.’ This experience was horrific and traumatic, and completely put me off motorsport going forward — which is a great shame as it is male-dominated and girls should be encouraged rather than discouraged from giving it a go. Instead, I felt unsafe not only because a group of men were behaving aggressively on the track, but also because of the misogynistic attitudes they displayed throughout my encounter with them off the track.

I spoke to other women with an interest in motorsport, who shared their experiences of sexism within the sport’s community. Holly, a third year Maths student said, “I’m an F1 fan and often experience sexism regarding that! I think it’s an issue; girls might not want to take an interest because they feel it’s not for them or that they wouldn’t understand.

I also think men don’t think women are intelligent enough; I wanted to be a driver but was told it wasn’t really a thing for girls. When I say it’s something I’d like to work in, I get asked, ‘Really?’”

Another female student, who shall remain anonymous, stated that “Generally, the sport needs wider female representation. Jamie Chadwick is one of the best drivers around and yet she is not in a F1 seat. W series has been amazing for

women in the sport and women also play roles within teams such as tactics and even fitness training. Claire Williams was the team principal of Williams. She faced many challenges as a woman as even her own father (the founder of Williams, Frank Williams) thought as a woman she shouldn’t have the job. She was also asked questions in interviews based solely on the fact she was a woman instead of her job.”

Almost 40 per cent of women in the wider sport industry face prejudice specifically based upon their gender, and this can be manifested in many ways, from verbal antagonism to violence. As mentioned in relation to grid girls, sport communities are often guilty of sexualising women for business purposes, making use of this to their advantage to get more onlookers. This may be one of many reasons why girls drop out of sports, but according to a Rally Report study, other regular barriers to involvement span from lack of time and practical elements like accessibility, to changing priorities, low confidence, negative self-image and perceived lack of expertise. And there is not just an inequality in involvement and opportunity in motorsport, but also in salary, where men make more money than women.

Thankfully, not every woman involved in motorsport experiences sexism in rela-

tion to the sport, with some students citing positive experiences with inclusivity.

Cassia, a third year Politics student, stated that “Everything I know about F1 was taught to me by my male friends who were super patient in explaining all the teams and drivers. It was a great bonding experience for us. Since then, having gotten really into it myself, it’s something that guys who also watch it are very excited to discuss and debate.

We message each other with updates and call to watch the races together.

I’ve never been treated differently as a result of my gender within the F1 community and feel I could challenge the knowledge and fanaticism of most fans.”

The anonymous student I spoke to also stressed the welcoming nature of the Motorsport society at the University in particular, stating that “I’m a massive F1 fan and I’m a member of Motorsport at the Uni. Exeter University Motorsport has high levels of female membership and views on F1 teams expressed by female members are respected.” I reached out to Motorsport society for a response to this positive feedback and a spokesperson for the society stated that: “Welcoming anyone interested in F1 and motorsport is something we believe in very strongly. We are delighted that feedback from our members is positive

and we hope everyone feels comfortable and welcome in the society. Sexism or any misogyny is a matter that could lead to termination from the society.”

All of these comments recognise the male-dominated nature of motorsports, but it should also be recognised that the sport is not the cause of such attitudes, rather an outlet that can be abused by some men with sexist beliefs.

After all, lad culture does not derive only from sports, and is mainly the result of the furthering of a specific manifestation of toxic masculinity. To say that lad culture is unpleasant is not to say that men on the whole are unpleasant, and to say that lad culture is prevalent in motorsport is not to say that motorsport is inherently sexist. However, my experience, along with the thoughts and feelings of women in the motorsport community, demonstrate that more needs to be done to increase equality — and it is great that Exeter’s Motorsport society are taking steps in the right direction through their inclusive policy. I believe that training and increased understanding around discrimination would help those working in the motorsport industry to recognise when marginalised groups are being targeted with aggression. We need to spread awareness of these harmful attitudes, and challenge them whenever we can.

The art of the penalty in football

D

Henry Hood, Online Sport Editor, assesses the nuance behind the penalty kick in football

O you ever watch a penalty in football and wonder ‘how on earth did they miss that?’

The premise of a penalty makes it seem impossible to miss: the ball is only 12 yards from the goal (around half a tennis court) and you can hit it as hard as possible. At a professional level, most penalties are hit so hard the ball travels at 70mph on its way into the net. To get a sense of how fast that is, try watching a car drive past you on a motorway and imagine that’s a football you have to save.

Statistics reflect this and around 75 per cent of penalties are scored across professional football. But for that remaining 25 per cent of penalties there is a goldmine of information on what goes wrong.

The first thing to consider is how tall goalkeepers are. In England’s top league, the average height of a goalkeeper is 6ft 3in, and unsurprisingly as elite athletes they can reach shots pretty easily, even if they are only from 12 yards out. Given that the ball only takes half a second from it being kicked to reach the back of the net and given that the average human reaction response takes 100 milliseconds to even register something, there is basically no time to react.

Instead, a goalkeeper’s tactic involves moving before the ball is kicked, flinging

themselves to one side and hoping they get in the way of the 70mph projectile.

For such high-pressure situations, there is a whole mental side to it too.

Goalkeepers and strikers alike will do countless hours of research on their opponents and how they’ve acted in penalties to try get an edge. Everton and England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford can often be spotted with detailed notes sellotaped to his water bottle telling him where each of his opponents is most likely to put their next penalty.

When playing for England, these notes are developed not only by the coaching team but by the substitute goalkeepers in the squad. Professionals even talk to each other about it, as Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster revealed in a behind the scenes vlog. After Watford lost 5-0, Liverpool’s star Mohamed Salah came up to Foster to ask which side he would have dived to if there had been a penalty in the game.

Other players have less scientific approaches, like Premier League all-time top scorer Alan Shearer, who revealed in a penalty masterclass since retiring that he never bothered with research at all and would pick a corner and stick to it, backing himself to hit it well enough that no goalkeeper could reach it. Even less scientific is ex-Watford striker Troy

Deeney, who revealed on a podcast his tactic is a ‘hit and hope’ style where he hits it as hard as possible down the middle, leaving it up to luck if the goalkeeper happens to get in the way.

Much of this goes out the window under the immense pressure of a penalty shootout, especially in a final. After that fateful miss for England in the Euro 2020 final, Marcus Rashford said he "still didn’t understand" how he missed, since he could "score penalties in his sleep" and had done so countless times in training. For Bukayo Saka’s miss, statistics do come back into it. Inexperienced or

nervous penalty takers shoot their shots across their body around two thirds of the time, and since Saka had never taken a penalty at professional level, Gianluigi Donnarumma evidently did his homework and guessed the right way.

Even more bizarre are the recent situations with Kepa and David De Gea, who managed to not save 11 penalties in a row before missing their own penalty.

De Gea’s situation was a statistical outlier, given that after that penalty shootout final he had failed to save the last 40 penalties he had faced, which has a 0.04 per cent chance of happening to the average

Photo: Wikimedia Commons: Markus Unger

professional goalkeeper. Either De Gea was incredibly unlucky in the 2021 Europa League Final, or he faced incredibly good penalties, or he was just incredibly bad at saving them. As a Manchester United fan I will leave no further comment.

With Kepa, statistics were on his side. Substituting a goalkeeper on for a penalty shootout is almost never seen in football, apart from the famous case of Tim Krul coming on for the Netherlands in the 2014 World Cup against Costa Rica in extra time and going on to save two penalties in the shootout.

Notably, that wasn’t Van Gaal’s decision but goalkeeper coach Frans Hoek, the first person ever to write a dissertation on statistics and goalkeeping.

Tuchel’s decision to take Mendy off the field was statistically correct, given that his penalty save rate is an abysmal 6 per cent, whereas Kepa’s was 25 per cent. Sadly, no statistics can predict Kepa’s decision to send his final penalty way over the bar to lose the shootout.

So, next time you take or face a penalty, or watch a penalty being taken, try to remember the immense number of statistics that are completely forgotten as soon as the ball is blasted from 12 yards away. It may just help you, or at least make you look rather intelligent.

15 MAR 2022| EXEPOSÉ

32

Sport

SPORT EDITORS: Oscar Young Rob Worthington

EURFC season recap

Image: Alex Prins/Exeter Photography Society

Tom Picillo

T

HE University of Exeter is renowned for its rich history and success in Rugby Union. With a remarkable list of alumni that have progressed to play professionally at both club and international level, it’s clear that the pathway from university rugby to a professional career is open to those of exceptional talent. So, for EURFC players, every season is a chance to prove their worth and follow in the footsteps of notable former Exeter students; including Henry Slade, Jack Maunder, Richard Capstick and Sam Skinner.

The latter of whom regularly starts for Scotland and captained the University of Exeter to BUCS glory when they secured the championship back in 2016.

EURFC, who due to COVID-19 restrictions had their last season forestalled, completed the previous 2019/20 campaign as runners up. Exeter ended up finishing behind Durham University, with the season just about finishing in time for every BUCS Super Rugby game to be completed. Exeter would, after a one-year hiatus, enter the 2021/22 campaign hoping to return to win-

ning ways and become BUCS champions for the third time in four seasons.

Exeter entered their 2021/22 title campaign with lofty expectations. Head coach Rich Hodges, who was impressed with his side’s pre-season, sounded optimistic heading in to their first game against Swansea in February. He had every right to be. EURFC started the season in impressive fashion, dominating the Welsh side 64-10. Amongst the starting fifteen for the opening game against Swansea were three players who would make defining contributions to the success of the team across the campaign.

England youth international and Grand Slam winning U20 Six Nations champion Arthur Relton would score his first try of the season. Dan John and Dafydd Jenkins, two Welsh youth internationals, would also touch ground for the first time this season and the latter would go on to make his Champions Cup debut with Exeter Chiefs later in the season.

Despite this impressive start, the second game of the season would end up being a title-deciding one. Durham, the reigning champions of BUCS Super Rugby, had strong ambitions to retain their title. Exeter has quickly become a well-suited candidate to replace them

on the top step of the podium should Durham slip up. Unfortunately for Keith Fleming and Richard Hodges’ side, the greens would suffer their first defeat of the campaign away in County Durham. A narrow 23-20 defeat would deal a mighty blow early in the campaign.

Exeter’s form would, nonetheless, excel in their fixtures following defeat to the reigning champions. Wins over Cardiff, Leeds Beckett, Cardiff Metropolitan and Bath would set the side up very well for another huge autumnal game against their future varsity opponents Loughborough. The Greens would travel to Leicestershire hoping to extend their winning run of four to five. However, with many of their leading players, including top try-scorer Arthur Relton, in action for Exeter Chiefs in their Premiership Cup game against Bristol Bears, they would suffer their second defeat of the campaign in a disappointing 27-7 defeat.

The bouncebackability of EURFC would be tested again. The Devon side would go on to prove any nonbelievers wrong. Exeter would return to winning ways following their defeat to Loughborough in emphatic fashion, with an impressive 19-7 victory away at Cardiff.

This triumph would ignite the fumes of

the Exeter combustion engine, powering EURFC to a ten-game winning run.

Victories included wins over Swansea, Northumbria, table toppers Durham, Hartpury, Bath, Leeds Beckett, Northumbria, an incredible varsity triumph over third placed Loughborough and finally Hartpury again before heading into their final match of the season against Cardiff Metropolitan University.

Along the way there would be moments of tremendous pride for EURFC with yet another Exeter student, Dafydd Jenkins, graduating up to the Exeter Chiefs first team. Jenkins, like his fellow Welsh Dragon Christ Tshiunza, was promoted by Rob Baxter. Jenkins was named as a substitute for a crucial Heineken Champions Cup game against Glasgow Warriors in front of a jam-packed Sandy Park. Dafydd later went on to start for the Chiefs first team against Wasps, Gloucester, Newcastle, and Northampton. Perhaps next season, once locks Jonny Hill, Sam Skinner, and Sean Lonsdale have departed the Chiefs squad, Jenkins could be favoured by Baxter to play in the second row alongside aforementioned Exeter student Christ Tshiunza.

The eagerly anticipated final match of the league season would come around

For more coverage of Exeter sport, head to @exeposesport

on the evening of Wednesday 9 March.

Exeter were clinging on to optimistic dreams that Durham would slip up in their season finale against Northumbria.

Unfortunately for Exeter, it would be Durham who would win the clash of the two North East universities, crowning Durham University as BUCS Super Rugby 2021-22 League Champions in unequivocal fashion having dominated their rivals 67-7. Despite this, Exeter didn’t do enough to secure the title in their own game. Exeter travelled to Cardiff Metropolitan University, unbeaten at home all campaign, for their season closer, knowing that they had to win to stand a chance at snatching the title. In what was a shake up for the books, Exeter, unbeaten in ten, would concede 33 points in the first half. A better second 40 minutes closed the deficit, but it would be Cardiff Metropolitan who would be celebrating on the night. A huge 36-14 victory meant that the Welsh side would secure a playoff spot in dramatic circumstances.

Exeter, who finished the league campaign as runners up, now move on to the end-of-season playoffs with their quarter final match to be played on the evening of Wednesday 23rd March.