Issue 709 // 17 Feb 2020

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ISSUE 709 17 FEB 2020 exepose.com @Exepose

THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1987

Evangelical Christian Union accused of homophobia

• ECU welcomes speaker who opposes gay relationships • Reports of “disrespectful” ECU students challenging trans awareness groups • LGBTQ+ Society condemns Emma Hussain Online News Editor

EXCLUSIVE

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HE University’s Evangelical Christian Union (ECU) has been criticised for several homophobic acts on campus.

A visiting speaker’s comments on LGBTQ+ celibacy, as well as allegations of ECU members engaging in “dismissive” conversations with LGBTQ+ staff and students on a Forum stall, have provoked concern. On Thursday 6 February, Christian speaker Dr Andrew Sach

Image: Pexels

INTERVIEW Tim Quine, DVC, speaks on the Law School scandal page 5 Images: University of Exeter; Essence

Explained: the guild elections Manifestos INSIDE

delivered a talk entitled “A Man Who Warned of Wasting your Life” as part of the ECU’s annual events week, Story 2020. He was asked an audience question concerning what certain Christians, including members of the LGBTQ+ community, may be expected to “give up” for their faith.

Dr Sach claimed that it is “plausible” to expect LGBTQ+ Christians to live celibately and remain unmarried, likening this choice to sacrifices that all Christians must make: “There’s no person for whom self-denial and taking up your cross isn’t very costly.” A recorded lives-

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LGBTQ+ HISTORY MONTH page 7

Editorial

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News Editors Print: Henry Jones Online: Emma Hussain & Pete Syme news@exepose.com Comment Editors Print: Kamila Bell & George Clark Online: Olly Haynes & Gaia Newman comment@exepose.com Features Editors Print: Jaysim Hanspal & William Harrop Online: Bryan Knight & Kate Norman Foreign Correspondents Co-ordinator : Maddie Baker features@exepose.com

Arts + Lit Editors Print: Cherry-Anastasia Boroceanu & Zach Mayford Online: Ariane Joudrey & Greta Sanna artsandlit@exepose.com Music Editors Print: Richard Ainslie & Bryony Gooch Online: Megan Frost & Stephen Ong music@exepose.com Screen Editors Print: Jonathan Chern & Samuel Thomson Online: Jacob Heayes & Abi Taphouse screen@exepose.com

Sport Editors Print: Josh Brown & Nick Powell Online: Ben Bampton & Ed Alexander sport@exepose.com

Science Editors Print: Elinor Jones & Scarlett Parr Reid Online: Sira Charbel & Tom Dormer sciandtech@exepose.com

Chief Photographer Rory Selvey photography@exepose.com Copy Editors Charlotte Forrester & Catherine Lloyd Proofers Lucy, Emma, Pippa, Catherz, Fun Fozzy Fact, Richard, Sam, Pete, Josh, Johnny, Bry, Ben, Anne, Neha, Loose Change.

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

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

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

COMMENT

To postgrad or not to postgrad? An overview PAGE 9

FEATURES

The #Girlboss phenomenon and neoliberal feminism

PAGE 13

SCIENCE Anabaptist groups and genetic disorders PAGE 34

CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE!

There are even more great articl es on the Exeposé website.

From the latest university news to current affairs, music and theatr e reviews and more, visit us at www.exepose.com

Worldwide university news

Harvard and Yale under investigation

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Image: Linda B, Pexels

Lifestyle Editors Print: Izzy Cole & Anna Romanovska Online: Amy Butterworth & Emily Pirie lifestyle@exepose.com

Students and Guild disappointed at cancellation of Chinese New Year celebrations

Image: ihsanadity, Pixabay

Editors Print: Isabelle Gray & Aaron Loose Online: Harry Caton & Ellie Cook Deputy: Anne Chafer & Neha Shaji editors@exepose.com

the most illuminating articles on stagecraft we have ever published.

Sport, meanwhile, is doing something a little different. Jump to pg.38 for their exclusive day in the life insight into the life of a competitive university rower, whose dietary plan might be most succinctly described as broccoli, broccoli, with a side of broccoli. It truly couldn’t be me!

Speaking of health, Lifestyle offers up a comprehensive spread on vaginal health, replete with excellent advice on genital and several somewhat suggestive images of smushed fruit. You just love to see it.

Music offers a live review the Poltimore Launch Party, a Cavern knees up to remember, and a energetic report on Pattern Pusher Presents. All gig reviews, of course, come with wonderful original photography.

If you are considering a sprint for a role on our old committee, then you are in luck! Nominations for our AGM are now open. You can submit manifestos for print & senior roles until 5pm on 28 February. Online positions close at 11pm on 4 March. To apply, simply submit a 150-word manifesto, outlining why you think you'd be the best candidate for the role. There’s a sleek document with all the relevant information on our Facebook members page; do turn there if editing, copywriting and 2am coffee runs are your life’s most sublime goal.

Well, I'm rapidly running out of words. I hope you find something in this issue that shocks or consoles you. And make sure you see Parasite, immediately. It's quite simply the film of our era.

So long, Aaron & Isabelle, editors

NEWS

Image: Techcrunch, Wikimedia

AY what you might about the University of Exeter, but it’s sense of bleak irony is unparalleled in the sector. It's LGBTQ+ history month, and here we are, publishing another front page about a group's failure to include everyone in its movement.

What can students do to change our terrible situation? For us, the most important thing is never accept the version of reality that is first handed to you. Question everything, especially the things that are presented as normal, as respectable, as the way things are.

This week, Comment have composed a pretty broad section. You will uncover a moving reflection on what it means to belong within the LGBTQ+ community Elsewhere, Features provides a corrective to the often eurocentric representation of teenage climate activists. There is more to eco-consciousness, it appears, than Greta Thunberg, and the article features appreciations of Yola Mgogwana and Xiye Bastida. .As we enter a bold new world where Bong Jong Ho’s masterful Best Picture winner Parasite can win big at a ceremony that usually favours local fare, it’s high time everyone started looking for movies that tell stories outside of our borders. And there are few better places to start than Screen’s comprehensive appreciation of the slippery annals of South Korean cinema.

Arts+Lit provide an exclusive spotlight onto the weird & wonderful world of student theatre. Our very own Zach Mayford sits down with two of Exeter’s finest thespians to discuss how they balance their actorly pursuits alongside their studies; it’s by far one of

Image: Ronny Buol, , Pexels

EXEPOSÉ

Devonshire House, Exeter, Devon, EX4 4PZ

N investigation has been opened by the U.S. Department of Education into whether two Ivy League universities, Yale and Harvard, have failed to disclose hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of foreign gifts. Federal law in the US requires gifts from foreign sources to be reported. It is in the interest of the taxpayers, who "deserve to know," says U.S. Secretary of Education. Education department records show that over the last three decades, U.S. universities and colleges have received more than $6.6 billion in donations from overseas. This figure is likely to be a severe underestimate due to all the money that goes undocumented.

An exact dollar amount for how much money has gone unreported is unknown.

Woman convicted over fake degree

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SINGLE mother in Sunderland has been convicted for having faked having a degree from Dublin University.

Emma Fitzpatrick, 35, tried to access a PGCE funding - worth £26,000 which would have allowed her to train as a teacher, by changing documents and setting up an email account to make it appear that she had a prerequisite degree. In reality, Fitzpatrick had taken one year of a pharmacy degree at Sunderland University but had dropped out in order to look after her son. Her claimed qualifications were eventually checked by the funding body, who realised they were fake. She was sentenced to an 18-month community order with 25 days of rehabilitation work and 200 hours of unpaid work.

Edinburgh Rejects Beef Ban

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RECENT story in Edinburgh News showed students at Edinburgh University voting against a motion to ban the sale of beef products on campus by the Edinburgh University Students’ Association. The motion, originally passed with a narrow margin at a meeting of the council 30 January, was later shot down through a referendum with 58 per cent of the vote. Some universities here in the U.K. have tried to ban beef products on campus in an effort to reduce their carbon footprints and increase sustainability, but students remain divided. Although there has been an increase in veggie diets over the past number of years, with the number of vegans rising to 600,000 in 2018 according to the BBC, vegans still only represent about 1 per cent of the total population. Will more student unions follow in their footsteps and attempt a ban on beef? Will they succeed? It’s up to the students to decide.

"OK, Boomer" Professor apologises

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HE expression "OK, boomer" has gained traction in recent months, with politicians, students and Gen Z-ers using the phrase as a way to dismiss close-minded individuals, usually of the baby boomer generation, questioning their often-offensive opinions. However, with no systematic discrimination against older people, the word is hardly a slur, as many “boomers” have claimed. A professor at the University of Oklahoma, Peter Gade, recently equated the phrase to the nword, shocking his pupils. After backlash from faculty and students, Gade apologised to his class, stating that he was “sorry if he offended anyone.”

However, the damage is already done, with minorities feeling unsafe in his class and no real sanctions for stating that a generational term is truly equal to the most offensive word in the English language.

Image credit: GoodFreePhotos

Stories by Johnny Chern, Sam Thompson, Esme Bateson, & Courtney Jones

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17 FEB 2020 | EXEPOSÉ

NEWS

Guild and students “disappointed” at Chinese New Year cancellation Neha Shaji Deputy Editor

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UILD Officers have expressed their disappointment over the University’s cancellation of the Chinese New Year celebrations. They also criticised the “short notice” and “narrowness and lack of consultation.”

The cancellation was conveyed to students through an email from Mike Shore-Nye, Registrar, which stated the decision was “out of respect for the Chinese community locally, nationally and internationally where other celebrations have been cancelled or disrupted with ongoing public concerns about coronavirus.”

The email was sent on 31 January, two days before the event was meant to take place.

A University spokesperson told Exeposé the decision was made through a discussion with the President of the Chinese Student Scholars Association, who they claim “fully agreed with the decision.” They said neither the Students’ Guild nor the Full Time Officers were consulted, noting that the CSSA

was a Guild society.

The Guild confirmed that they were not consulted in the decision, with the Full Time Officers stating “Chinese New Year is vital to bringing Chinese and Asian students communities together, so we’re disappointed it was cancelled, particularly at such short notice.

we look forward to being a part of that.”

....I don’t know what the cancellation has to do with respecting the outbreak of the virus

A student looking forward to participating in the celebration told Exeposé they were “saddened, as Chinese New Year was one of the few things that allow us to keep in touch with our roots here. I know many places are cancelling events, but it’s sad they told us days before it when we were so excited.

“I don’t know what cancelling Chinese New Year has to do with respecting the outbreak of the virus, many students who celebrate are not just from China. It is celebrated all over Asia and I don’t understand why they cancelled something everyone shares.”

A University spokesperson expressed their disappointment at cancelling the event “as it is one of the community highlights of the year. We had been discussing the celebrations with

An anoymous student speaks out

“We have been speaking to the societies and students that were heavily involved in the celebrations, and feedback shows that students are disappointed at the narrowness and lack of consultation, something that is echoed by the whole Officer team.

“We will be working with affected students, and will continue to pass feedback from students to the University, particularly around communications and consultation. We are aware that there are plans to reorganise a similar event, and

..........Feedback shows students are disappointed at the narrowness and lack of consultation Guild Officers

our student organisers over several days and the decision to cancel was taken in discussion with the President of the Chinese Student Scholars Association.

“The decision was taken out of respect for the Chinese community locally, nationally and internationally where other celebrations had been cancelled or disrupted and in light of the first cases of coronavirus confirmed in the UK with tests taking place around the

Image: Pxhere

UCU announces 14 days of Innovative hackathon event to take place at Exeter strike action Pete Syme Online News Editor

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HE University and College Union (UCU) has announced that further strike action is to take place, with a total of 14 days between Thursday 20 February and Friday 13 March.

The action is planned to escalate each week, starting with two days and finishing with a week-long protest.

Reports suggest that individual union members were not as closely consulted about the action as last time, and some members may not strike on all days. At least one module in the Humanities department has had its reading week moved to accommodate for the action.

Another 14 universities will be affected since the action last term which lasted for eight days and affected around one million students. UCU members are striking over two separate disputes: changes to their pension, and falling pay and the gender and ethnic pay gap.

An email sent to all students from Sir Steve Smith, Vice Chancellor, on 4 February explained that he was “hopeful that the national talks set to take

place in February and March will lead to an agreed resolution.”

The statement, which was reiterated by a University of Exeter spokesperson, continued: “Here at the University we are working with colleagues, student representatives and trade unions on casual employment, through the Fair Employment For All working group, as well as workload and gender and race equality. These local initiatives build on the new national offer made by UCEA last week.

“I also wanted to reassure you that we’ve been continuing to meet regularly with colleagues across the University, as well as the Students’ Guild and Students’ Union, to carefully manage the potential impact this further period of industrial action may have on our University community, and to ensure any measures we put in place are the right ones for our students.”

The Guild poll of students found that although 85 per cent support the strike cause, the most popular stance was to support the cause, but not the action at 48 per cent. This has changed since November when most students supported both the cause and the action

Olivia Gomez Social Secretary

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HE University of Exeter begins the new decade by investing in innovation, welcoming Junction, one of Europe’s biggest hackathons, to campus.

Originally from Finland, the coding competition comes to the UK for the first time as JunctionX, Exeter’s very own spin-off event. On 21 February, participants from all around the globe will gather in the South West for a weekend to improve upon three of the world’s biggest industries: health, transport and sustainability.

The event will take place on campus in Roborough Studios. Candidates will have a chance to form teams and exerImage: Sebastiaan ter Burg

country.

“We believe cancellation was the responsible and respectful decision in the circumstances. We want to remind our community that health epidemics take place all around the world and require a calm, practical and above all compassionate response and we expect all of our community to act in line with our common values.”

cise their entrepreneurial muscle with the purpose of cultivating solutions to help the industry of their choice.

Throughout the competition, teams will receive support in order to develop high quality projects.

With sponsors such as Accenture, Hey Tempo and Oxyde Technologies, the event will be equipped with some of the best tech out there, VR headsets included. The winning team will receive £1000 and tickets to Finland to have the chance to participate in the original Junction hackathon.

Open to students from all disciplines and even non-students, this competition is the perfect door-opener for anyone looking to grow in business.

2020 vision, investing in the future of its student body and its own legacy.

Exeter Council’s gender pay gap sees female employees earning more Shireen Zulparquear Contributor

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XETER City Council has astonished onlookers in its latest Gender Pay Gap Report, in which it has revealed that its female workers earn a higher salary on average than its male employees.

The existence of a wage gap between men and women is no secret, with male workers typically earning higher salaries than women across the world economy. In 2012, the Office of National Statistics reported that the wage gap in the UK in favour of men stood at 9.5 per cent. Despite subsequent gender equality campaigns, it has since only fallen to 8.9 per cent.

For this reason, the Exeter City Council’s success in boosting its female employees’ income is unusual, especially as it has reversed the national trend by paying its female employees an average of 70p more than its male employees.

Given that this gap in workers’ pay has increased from 2.25 per cent in 2018 to 5.25 per cent in 2019, the Council exhibits a rate of change well beyond the national average.

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NEWS

Uni plans to demolish Clydesdale, convert all of Birks to selfcatered Pete Syme Online News Editor

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S part of a new residential project, the University is planning to “demolish outdated accommodation in the Clydesdale and Nash Grove area” as well as converting the Birks catered blocks to self-catered.

The current selfcatered blocks are considered to be obsolete The plans seek to build “purposebuilt, low-carbon student bedrooms” to replace current halls which are considered obsolete.

The catered blocks in Birks Grange Village, built in 2005, would be converted to self-catered with the current reception and canteen being demolished to make way for more self catered accommodation.

Catered accommodation at Birks will cost £7,845.50 for a 32-week contract next year, while a three bed postgraduate flat at Clydesdale is over £13,000 for 51-weeks.

Application numbers over the years reflect an increased demand fo self-catered rooms

A University spokesperson

It is also proposed that the Estate Services Centre will be relocated to the north east of campus to make way for more accommodation on Clydesdale Road.

In a statement given to Exeposé a University spokesperson explained: “We have taken the decision to convert Birks Grange A-E to satisfy our student body, as application numbers over the past few years reflect an increased demand for self-catered accommodation.”

However, they also noted that “the decision to convert Birks Grange A-E is not yet final.

“We are seeking further evidence to confirm whether our students will continue to prefer self-catered accommodation before making a final decision on this aspect of the project.”

The full proposals will be displayed for public consultation on Tuesday and Wednesday, with development expected to commence in 2021.

17 FEB 2020 | EXEPOSÉ

ECU “distressed” by claims of homophobia CONTINUED FROM FRONT tream of the talk was later removed from the ECU’s Facebook page.

The LGBTQ+ Society responded stating that they “take real issue with the idea presented that Christianity is ‘equally restrictive’ to heterosexual and same-sex couples. That is hugely dismissive, and erases the decades of systematic abuse of LGBTQ+ people because of religious influence.”

The ECU told Exeposé: “Dr Sach was asked a question at a lunch time event.

His answer on marriage was consistent with the teaching of the Church of England, of which he is an ordained minister.”

However, Hannah Alderson, the University’s Anglican Chaplain Reverend, said: “Within the city of Exeter, there are many Churches which are positively inclusive of LGBTQ+ people and seek to affirm and celebrate their identity and relationships, not least the University Chapels, which are blessed to have many LGBTQ+ people as members of our community.

“The University of Exeter is a place of breadth and diversity, and as a Chaplaincy and Chapel we believe that God’s love for all creation is broad and inclusive of all.”

Following the event, students are worried about the welfare and safeguarding of LGBTQ+ students on campus.

LGBTQ+ Society told Exeposé: “If there was no mention of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric mentioned when the ECU invited people to the talk, they were putting vulnerable people at risk and in a difficult situation, especially as we know some of our members belong to various faiths.”

The ECU responded: “The ECU believes all people have intrinsic dignity because they are made in the image of God. Therefore the accusations levelled against the ECU are deeply distressing since they go to the core of our identity as followers of Jesus Christ.

“Our STORY 2020 events were consistent with Exeter University and Guild policies. The ECU complied with all regulations regarding external speakers.

The accusations of Exeposé, that Dr Sach “held or expresses bigoted views about the LGBTQ+ community” are baseless and defamatory. Such comments threaten our fundamental right of freedom of speech.”

A Students’ Guild spokesperson said: “With all events where an external speaker is invited on behalf of the Students’ Guild, a risk assessment is undertaken, as is our duty of care to all attendees. This includes information about the speaker, however speakers are not screened, accepted or rejected based on their views, but on the safety of the event going ahead.

“In the context of ECU and other

Image: Aaron Loose

affiliated religious groups, the Guild does not make decisions on invited speakers based on their religious beliefs – these are what they believe in their religion, and so protected by the Equalities Act. We completely adhere to the law when it comes to religious freedom. We are proactively working with the society to support them to deliver events with more understanding of the community in the future.

We are working with the ECU to deliver events with more understanding of the community in future

Students’ Guild Spokesperson

“At the Guild we respect freedom of speech and religion. However, the Guild also have a set of core values of inclusivity, collaboration and empowering students, and we will always defend these values with our student community.

“We always want to create an open and safe environment, free from harassment, free from intimidation, for students to discuss and debate.

“This open debate is an important part of our society and we hope that any views that seek to reduce the inclusivity of our community are sufficiently challenged and individuals are free to reach their own conclusions, which are then respected by all.”

A University of Exeter spokesperson said: “We require all students, staff and visitors to ensure freedom of speech is within the law. All speakers must demonstrate sensitivity to the diversity of our University community and show respect to all.”

The University’s freedom of speech policy ensures free speech for visiting speakers, apart from where it may infringe upon the freedoms of protected characteristics including sexual orientation, as per the Education Act 1986 and the Equality Act 2010.

Allegations have also circulated on social media suggesting that throughout the same week, various ECU members approached staff and students participating in an LGBTQ+ solidarity stall in the Forum and disagreed with its message.

One such report claims an ECU member told an academic they had a “very different opinion” on LGBTQ+ people, before inviting them to attend Dr Sach’s talk.

In response to these reports, a LGBTQ+ Society spokesperson told Exeposé: “We find this extremely disrespectful.

ECU has every right to speak and exist on campus, but going out of their way to use dismissive and aggressive language regarding our staff and members’ identities is unacceptable. Our identities are not up for debate.

LGBTQ+ people should not have to choose between their faith and sexuality, as they cannot choose the latter

LGBTQ+ Society spokesperson

“In my experience, the actual chaplaincy has many members who are accepting and understanding of LGBTQ+ issues; members of the LGBT staff network have been working with some of them regarding events on the intersec-

tion of faith and sexuality.

“LGBTQ+ people shouldn’t have to choose between their faith and their gender/sexuality, especially since they can’t choose the latter, so having more clear representation in student faith societies would make sense to me in order to combat that issue.

“I ask that our LGBTQ+ students be recognized and respected, and especially that accountability be taken for any outward anti-LGBTQ+ dialogue nonconsensually started with any LGBTQ + people on campus.”

The ECU stated: “The ECU, like any other society, uses the Forum and other public spaces on campus to interact with fellow students and to run and promote our events.

“We take the implication that members of the ECU interacted in a way which was hurtful and insensitive very seriously and hold our members to high standards of integrity and respect towards those they meet.

“Our aim is to engage in conversation in a positive and engaging way.

When interacting with those we meet we do not intend to cause hurt, and sincerely apologise if this has ever been the case.”

The ECU chose not to comment on what specific measures are being taken to investigate and prevent a repeat of the Forum stall incident, nor on the possibility of introducing an LGBTQ+ officer on their committee.

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If these issues affect you, you can get in touch with: www.exeter.ac.uk/wellbeing

INTERVIEW

EXEPOSÉ | 17 FEB 2020

Interview

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"I got it wrong"

Exeposé speaks to Professor Tim Quine, Deputy Vice Chancellor Education, about racist vandalism and whether his recent comments disrespected Exeter's transgender community Aaron Loose & Neha Shaji Editor & Deputy Editor

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HEN speaking to Professor Tim Quine, the University of Exeter's Deputy Vice Chancellor for Education and perhaps one of the most powerful figures in the institution, you appreciate his unfiltered honesty.

Our interview with Professor Quine, which took place several days before the University and College Union announced a second round of industrial action, is a rangy conversation. The University's response to the racist incident at the Law School in December is challenged, as is the institutional response to the UCU's concerns on pay.

Most pressingly, we confront Professor Quine about comments he made at a Guild Officer training day in June, where he reportedly condemned criticism of an open letter that contested the rights of transgender people to identify as their felt gender.

This interview has been shortened and edited for clarity.

É É: The University is committed to a decolonised curriculum. However, a decolonised university has to be actively antiracist. We want to ask about the racist vandalism that took place in the law school in December. Was the University acting transparently enough for an incident in a public part of campus?

Tim Quine: I wasn’t involved in the detail of this particular incident. Fundamentally, we are against any expression of any forms of racism. You’ll have seen how we work with the Provost commission. To be absolutely clear, we won't stand for any form of racism and we want to ensure that all of our community know how racism can be dealt through microaggressions, actions that might be accidental. É: We wouldn’t say this was a microaggression. It was public racist vandalism on a University building. Was the incident handled transparently enough by sending an email to only law students, and with the wider student representative bodies not aware of the incident taking place? Did the Students’ Guild have a right to know?

TQ: It is my belief that the Guild were kept in the loop. What we must do is call out and ensure that people are aware this Image: Edd Church behaviour is absolutely unacceptable. We

need to develop an understanding of the University of Exeter as an inclusive environment. I suppose there are two dimensions, aren’t there? One is that we only ever talk about racism, inclusivity, equality, diversity - in the context of events that take place that represent the damaging aspects of the institution. We don’t focus on the strong commitments that individuals are developing towards an inclusive environment.

We mustn't let our community think that the institution is only characterised by racism

Prof. Tim Quine

É: The Students’ Guild have publicly stated that they were unaware of the incident. They had only found out when Exeposé asked for a comment.

How can a campus be committed to tackling racist behaviour if these negative incidents are then not to be so highly in focus?

TQ: I think we have to do both. In relation to the communication with the Guild, I will reiterate that if we haven’t got it right, then we will get it right next time.

It is certain that there was no notion of covering up. An email had gone out from the Head of the School to over a thousand or so law students about the incident that had taken place. It’s not that we were hiding the incident - whether it should have been publicised more, is obviously something to look at. We absolutely have to do both - call out racism when it takes place, but we mustn't let our community think that the institution is only characterised by racism. É: The University and the College's Employers Assosication (The union for University employers) have offered the UCU a pay increase of 1.8 per cent, a figure that the UCU says does not fall in line with the cost of living. Do you believe that the culture of overwork and burnout are obstacles to academics, particularly working class academics?

TQ: I think we need to address the questions about fair work and allocating the work, and ensuring staff are supported adequately, and that’s why within the Education strategy we have a section on valuing education and why one of the five priorities within the educational strategy is to support colleagues to succeed, and we

Image: The University of Exeter

can’t support colleagues to succeed if we don’t have a reasonable workload. That’s why we have that commission taking place, and why I’m going to be leading the teaching workshops, and the issues raised by the UCU and other parties are going to be on the agenda there.

The overall pay levels, I think, it remains a role that many of us think about when pursuing - many of us pursue our subjects driven by our passions, or interest in the University. We’re doing it because of our passion to communicate that to future generations.

The question of whether there is fair pay is one that has come right to the forefront. The University did say we will be prepared to offer more, but there are 147 universities involved in the bargain. We are locked into a national bargain, with limited wiggle room. É: You reportedly condemned criticism of an open letter titled ‘GAY PEOPLE LOSING FAITH IN STONEWALL’ as abusive. You described the letter as a "well written, thought out, and needed intervention" and a "defense

of academic freedom."

Many would regard these ideas as transphobic. If you recall, why did a discussion of the letter come up during a Guild Officer training day?

Moreover, can you elaborate on why you felt it was an abusive act to criticise the open letter?

If I was interpreted as representing a view that I didn't respect my trans colleagues or students, then I regret that Prof. Tim Quine

TQ: Well, I wasn’t speaking from a standpoint of trans issues. Across the institution we were absolutely committed to LGBTQ+ rights, around issues of gender identity and sexual orientation. It’s absolutely at the core of this institution.

My recollection of what I said was that I was trying to encourage that we disagreed with each other with courtesy. I was not trying to make any reference to this case and the rights and wrongs of what

was said in the letter. The key to my report was that I announced to the subject chairs and the representatives present, that if we were going to be in an environment where we don’t always agree with each other, then what we have to do is find ways we can disagree with each other.

What I was referring to was an argument on social media that moved from any form of debate on the rights and wrongs of the issue and devolved into something that was much more personal.

We can agree to differ, but all the time we’re thinking - what am I doing for the integrity and the inclusivity of the learning community that we are trying to promote?

That was the context of why I brought in that particular issue into the speech in that context. É: Was it professional to express this view that may have been misconstrued, in such a context in your senior position as the DVC? TQ: If I was interpreted as representing a view that was that I didn’t respect the identity of my trans colleagues and students, then I regret that. I got it wrong.

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Comment

COMMENT EDITORS: Kamila Bell George Clark

What does LGBTQ+ History Month mean to you?

Lucy Morris Contributor

Nick Powell Sport Editor

Katy Holmes Contributor

OR me, LGBTQ+ History Month is a reminder than I am an imposter.

It’s not knowing the history well enough in gay circles but knowing it much better than my straight friends. It’s feeling guilty for never having seen Paris Is Burning but being confused that my straight friends have never heard of it. It’s feeling too gay for my straight friends, and not gay enough for my queer friends. It’s feeling too feminine for some and too masculine for others. It’s a reminder that after a long fight, the suicide rate for bisexual folk is still skyhigh. It’s feeling hopeless. It’s feeling in love with my partner but feeling ashamed that I am in a “straightpassing” relationship. It’s wanting to go to Pride events to celebrate queer history. But can I bring my partner, or will I look too straight? Should I wear plaid, or a leather jacket? It’s being told that I’m gay and in denial.

That I’m clearly closeted, filled with shame and disrespecting the history of my people. It’s googling LGBTQ+ activists to try to feel a part of something bigger but feeling weak in their shadows.

But then, one day, it’s asking myself whether I question my bisexual friends on whether they’re “gay enough.” Dr. Julia Serano. Janelle Monáe. Brendon Urie. Kat Blaque.

Munroe Bergdorf. Ash Hardell.

Anna Akana. Dr. Lindsey Doe. I never ask if the queer figures I idolise are “enough.”

It’s remembering the bisexual heroes who fought for my right to marry a woman, if I so desire. To hold her hand in public without fear.

It’s remembering that we are all a part of history. This month, I like to imagine that I am an open bisexual that inspires someone to come out, in the way my openly bisexual friends inspired me. I like to imagine that in someone’s history, I am their reassurance that being queer is okay.

LGBTQ+ History Month is remembering people before me who fought so that I would not feel as alone as they did. They fought so that I could feel part of something bigger. This is a reminder that I belong.

HE history of LGBTQ+ people, particularly in the UK and its former colonies, is littered with darkness, pain and suffering for those who were subject to laws and regulations that until this century, still remained against them.

Where the hope and happiness lies, for me as a gay man, is knowing that with every year that passes, I become increasingly comfortable saying those words, and it becomes easier and easier for people growing up to be able to say that they are gay without fear, but there is still a long way to go.

Phillip Schofield coming out at the age of 57 was a reminder of how tough it was to be honest about who you were in the damagingly homophobic years of the late 1980s and the Section 28 legislation and AIDSblame that came with it. For his generation, it was legal but frowned upon. For the next generation, it was legal, not frowned upon, but still considered a major personality trait difference. For my generation, it’s legal, not frowned upon, and considered completely normal but it remained commonly used as a slur as I went through school, and LGBTQ+ people experience mental health and relationship challenges that others do not necessarily struggle with.

From personal experience, there is a direct link between my struggles to accept myself as an adolescent and issues that I’ve had with Obsesssive Compulsive Disorder as an adult.

But as slurs subside more and more, it is hoped that we are finally moving towards the generation where it is truly fine, truly normal. LGBTQ+ people will always be very much in the minority, but that is no reason for those growing up as LGBTQ+ to feel in anyway limited. There is much still to do, particularly for trans people, but despite the ups and downs, the gradual increase in freedom and respect for LGBTQ+ people in history gives me enormous hope for the future.

HIS is a complex question with a layered answer. If I were to provide a complete and true answer to this, I think my article would become a strong contender, along with War and Peace, for the prize of “most unbearably extensive piece of text to be written in the last millennium.” Therefore, I will explain, as concisely as I possibly can, the significance that LGBTQ+ history month holds to me.

To be entirely honest, this is the first year I have heard of LGBTQ+ History Month in the UK. I thought this simply referred to June, during which Pride Month takes place around the world. However, I was surprised to discover this was a completely individual celebration, dedicated to our wonderful queer community. The theme for this year’s queer history month is ‘Prose, Poetry, and Plays.’ Two of the first historical queer figures who spring to mind here, have to be Sappho, the ancient Greek poet, and Oscar Wilde.

Thinking on what questions I’d ask them if I had the chance, I began reflecting on how the queer experience has changed since these storytellers were alive and wondered what they’d make of the progress in our society.

As a young bisexual woman in 2020, under the law I can authentically be myself, yet I still feel limited in many aspects of my daily life. Sometimes it becomes intolerably frustrating to know that existing as a queer person, in what is still a very heteronormative society, will never be as easy or simple as my non-queer counterparts. Being open about my identity is something I can never take for granted. So, I’m glad there is a month dedicated to LGBTQ+ history, because it’s easy to forget, even as a queer person, what it has taken to get to where we are today. Visibility and equality for queer people is something that has been fought for by so many courageous members of the community. Marsha P. Johnson, Stormé DeLarverie and Sylvia Rivera are names that should be more prominent in all our history books. I hope that in the future, people outside of the queer community will have the resources and desires to learn about our history. This month reminds me how proud I am to be a member of such a vibrant community.

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Images top-bottom: KamillaS, Wikimedia; Gary LeGault, Wikimedia; Gary LeGault, Wikimedia; Miguel Carbonell Selva, Wikimedia; trialsanderrors, flickr; Kim Metso, wikimedia; Mark Pegrum, flickr

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Neha Shaji Deputy Editor

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HEN I was younger, my line of thought about my own queerness was of an understanding that my sexuality would remain unsaid, and only expressed discreetly. To be bisexual with a weighted preference for women was one thing, to be bisexual and proud was another, but to put the flag in my bio and a pin on my jacket was something I thought would never happen. In Malaysia, where I lived, the LGBTQ+ scene was underground, under the law, and quite strictly adult - there were nightclubs and parties and ecstasy, and a young queer kid had nowhere to turn to. Except to history.

Being a pretentious sixteen-yearold who assumed that liking Auden was the pinnacle of intellectualism, I read letters between friends who were, quite clearly, lovers. LGBTQ+ History month, to me, is not necessarily constrained only to the figures who achieved gay liberation, the protestors, the activists. Whilst they are certainly paramount - for me, the history of non-normative sexualities lay in the unpicking of romantic and homosocial bonds always upheld in academic settings as “close friendships.” Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon were my first girlfriend and I, exchanging elaborately worded letters declaring our love for each other but never declaring that we were partners for fear of expulsion.

We’d copy these letters and poetry, changing pronouns when needed (“she was my North, my South, my East, my West”), and lived vicariously through the dead.

Perhaps these figures were not queer: retroactive labelling is not exactly what I want to do. But they, in writing and letters and biographies, seemed to love their female friends in the way I did. That it wasn’t, like some had said upon my coming out, “just modern girls being modern.” I didn’t care for Forster’s A Passage to India, but upon reading Maurice I was stunned: “I want to be like other men.” I did, at that point, want to be like “other women” - I didn’t realize that “other women,” like myself, had always felt like this.

LGBTQ+ history month was, for me, a re-establishment that we existed under the threaded fibres of history like ants under an old manuscript.

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17 FEB 2020| EXEPOSÉ

COMMENT

What it means to be queer George Clark Comment Editor

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S the Oxford University Press rightly notes, “The adjective queer poses etymological problems.” In the early sixteenth century, queer referred to “strange, odd, peculiar, eccentric” and came to also denote ‘bad; contemptible, worthless; untrustworthy, disreputable,’ in the latter half of the same century. Only in the eighteenth century do the two meanings begin to converge, and the Oxford English Dictionary (which is my primary source for this information) doesn’t note the term queer being used as a homophobic slur until the early twentieth century.

According to them, the origins of queer as a slur can be traced to a 1914 article in The Los Angeles Times, which refers to a club ‘composed of the ‘queer’ people.’ It seems unsurprising that a term commonly denoting the strange, the perverse, the criminal, was applied to homosexuals. The ancient roots of the word have echoed through history, and we are still, some generations more poignantly

20 FEB

than others, living in the wake of the damage done by this charging of the word queer with discriminatory power. By applying to homosexuals a term that already denoted something perceived as a kind of physical and social perversion or threat, the term queer acted as the perfect linguistic embodiment of heterosexual fear.

The term queer linguistically embodied heterosexual fear But of course, in the wake of the AIDS crisis of the 1980s, or “gay cancer” as it was sometimes referred to by homophobes, the queer community reclaimed the term. It seems to me to have been a genius move, in the wake of one of the most intensely focused periods of discrimination against us, that the community would disarm their oppressors by adopting the very term that they had used as ammunition.

And not only did queers arguably disarm the term, they defocused it: instead of being a slur directed at same-sex relations, it became a term of empowerment and resistance against heteronor mativity as a whole, encompassing a proliferation of sexual practices and identities under its umbrella.

As Lee Edelman famously argues: “the queer must insist on disturbing”.

Instead of referring to a specific identity, queer on its own insists on disturbing the notion of identity altogether by refusing to classify one particular sexual identity or practice.

For all of the genius of this reclamation, however, the term is still very much contested as whether being one of empowerment or denigration.

Take for example the 2015 edition of The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage, which states that “queer, in the sense of homosexual, should be treated as an offensive slur, but with a limited exception […] as an ironic badge of pride.”

Queer insists on disturbing the notion of identity altogether

And how has queer been adopted into the framework of the LGBT community? Or is it LGBT+? Or LGBTQ+? There are a proliferation of acronyms for the queer community online and no one seems able to agree on which one is “correct.”

It can be argued that as the queer must insist on disturbing, this refusal to adhere to one static definition of collective identity is gloriously queer in itself: what better way to unite under a queer front than by queering the idea of a front itself ?

It would be absurd for us to consider that queer is removed from its etymological history just because some of us feel comfortable identifying ourselves as such within a narrow subset of people at home or at uni. Some might have a well-meaning desire to try to totally separate the term from its history, to view it solely as a term of empowerment, but is that really a productive drive?

We mustn’t allow the queerness of the word itself to sink into history I say not. It is impossible to ignore that queer people are still abominably treated by heteronormative systems around the globe to this day and until conditions improve, queer must remain a term of both resistance and empowerment, if it would ever even be possible for the two ideas to be separated.

I would argue that as the queer must disturb identity, we mustn’t allow the queerness of the word itself sink into history; we must work both with its homophobic dimension as well as well its subsequent reclamation, we must not forget that this is still very much, and should continue to be, a term of resistance.

However, there are unfortunately some issues with this argument. For one, while there are variations on the name for the collective community, versions of LGBTQ+ seem to be the most common. While it is of course absolutely vital that sexual identity is celebrated and made visible, the focusing of the acronym on a few sexual identities has the strangely non-queer effect of normalising some sexual identities over others.

Another problem is perhaps that even though the argument for visibility is a

potent one, there are still (ironically) issues of visibility within the groups identified by LGBT: bi-erasure to name one. And unfortunately these issues are not entirely reserved to the heteronormative community:

I have experienced bierasure from queer and non-queer people alike I have experienced bi erasure from queer and non-queer people alike and I know of trans friends who have experienced disgust from other queers.

The LGBTQ+ gaze is still very much dominated by the white, gay, cisgender, middle-class man.

The normalisation of particular narratives then, is still very much an issue in this community. If queer is indeed an umbrella term which would encompass all of the other identities of the most common acronym, why not drop the acronym and just be queer? But you are of course welcome to disagree: this issue is still very much up for debate today.

It may seem true that the queer community has successfully disarmed the term for future generations.

And yet there are still echoes of its homophobic origins in modern discourse, especially for the baby boomers (shame the tone isn’t right for an ok boomer meme here) who - as the New York Times handbook indicates - cannot fully accept that the term has been reclaimed.

There are certainly still issues inside and out of the queer community, but its adoption has certainly been at the forefront of both queer theory and politics. We shouldn’t ignore its roots.

They need to be a transhistorical matter for public record for at least as long as we need to resist heteronormativity… so for quite a while, probably.

Images (Top-Bottom): Ted Eytan, Flickr; Queer Nation, Wikipedias; KamillaS, Wikimedia

LGBTQ+ Society Events This Month A casual meet up and discussion among members sharing thoughts and experiences on the state of LGBTQ+ sexual health education in the UK, e.g often ignored issues, relationships and consent, etc.

Sex Ed Discussion

The Arcade, 17:30-19:30

Celebrating diversity in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Medicine during LGBTQ+ History Month.

Featuring a welcome address from the PRISM Exeter chair and talks from the “Queer STEMM Champions” competition winners, and high resolution microscopist, Dr Izzy Jayasinghe.

Newman Red, 19:00-21:00

26 FEB

Queer STEMM Champions

EXEPOSÉ | 17 FEB 2020

COMMENT

Marvelous manifestos

Anna Romanovska Lifestyle Editor

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HE Guild Officer elections are just around the corner, as are AGMs for the majority of existing societies and new committee elections. Manifestos are possibly the most important part of any election – they introduce you to the public and let them catch a glimpse into your plans.

I am a strong believer that both committee and Guild Officer role manifestos need to have inclusivity at their cores. A nod to the toxic university drinking culture or whiteness/westernisation of your society will go a long way at making sure more people feel welcome.

Too many times have I felt that some societies do not do enough to decolonise certain aspects of their events. Academic societies, for example, could really benefit from a turn away from the white and western emphasis that is often promoted within western education spheres.

To all you eager souls running for Guild President or VP Welfare and Diversity: please, for the sake of all marginalised students, don’t forget the diversity part of the role. Too many people refer to it is VP Welfare and mostly, if not completely, disregard the ‘D’ that comes right after it.

Make sure you speak to BAME and international students, especially during this political climate where international students are facing a lot of xenophobia thanks to Brexit and Chinese students have coronavirusrelated racism thrown at them.

Guild officer manifestos need inclusivity at their cores As mentioned with two previous Guild Officer roles, just make sure you talk to your members or others who would have been interested in your society but perhaps had something holding them back from either joining or participating. Open communication will be appreciated and its effect on your manifesto will be known. It will

cease to be a list of assumptions and guessed solutions.

For every manifesto it is incredibly important to point out what you would bring to the role. Just remember it’s not an actual job application. You don’t need to include those 50 words on how you used to be a house captain in year eleven.

No one cares and it shows no evidence of what you could bring to the society or Guild in the present.

Focus on who you are now. Tell your voters what makes you right for the role in terms of personality and passion.

This leads me on to this related point: make sure you don’t sound too pretentious within your manifestos.

There is often a thin line between

The guild speaks up e x u d i n g confidence and sounding like you’re

applying for a job KPMG or some other boring accounting firm. It will likely alienate those reading your manifesto and make you seem pretty robotic. There’s no point Oh, and I almost forgot: please be clear. Using fancy words can woo voters in writing-based societies (big up Exeposé), but tend to lose their meaning in pretty much any other society. If your manifesto point seems too long or confusing, cut it down like you would a dissertation title. It’s about being sharp, clear and truthful.

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Postgrad: launchpad or big sad?

Neha Shaji Deputy Editor

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ELL, I knew I’d have to write a piece about being an MA student sometime or the other. I would have, however, preferred to do it at a time when I didn’t have two looming deadlines, a spicy cocktail of admin, and enough other commitments to make Jack (of all trades fame) roll his eyes and hiss at me. Thus, in classical chaotic fashion, I’m going to put all of that aside and throw myself into this.

chosen. Teaching in English (a subject I, quite evidently, either do or know an inordinate amount about) is carried out entirely through these two hour seminars, without any lectures.

The MA is certainly more rigorous than the undergraduate degree

The MA is certainly more rigorous than the undergraduate degree: whilst I’m speaking from a Humanities perspective, I assume it’s a similar vibe for those of the numerical persuasion.

I have a choice here between copying and pasting the MA prospectus, or taking you through the schedule of a typical week. Whilst it certainly is tempting to do the former (see: above flurry of deadlines), I may get sued for copyright. A typical week sees me attend four hours of contact time: a two hour seminar for each module I’ve

perfunctory mention in a lecture. A typical week sees me read about two novels, watch one or two films, and eat my bodyweight in sugar whilst reading both critically and conceptually around the texts.

However, this work is quite a bit more explicitly rewarding: in my experience at least, you’re allowed to craft a Masters’ programme to both your chosen specialty as well as an area of interest that allows you to hone in on something or the other. If I sounded uncharacteristically like a student ambassador for the last couple of paragraphs: it is, frankly, because the Masters has been (academically) a glorious time.

However, don’t let the relatively few hours fool you: the bulk of your workload lies outside the allocated two hours. The reading is at a far higher level than what I was used to at undergraduate, and whilst you’re not technically required to read around the allotted reading each week, you also probably would be wise to, as the discussion penetrates deeper as well as the context mattering more than a

If you ask about my future, you will be met with a whispered “fear...”

You can delve into a niche interest and build your MA around said weird interest, and make it your - well, thing.

Dicks in Shakespeare? You can spend your entire third term and beyond crafting that into a dissertation. The diegetic environment in BurtonTaylor’s performance of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Diss it up and serve it hot.

Read the following section completely oblivious to the fact I am

9

the one writing it. Commitment, you see, is key. As in, a perfect balance between an academic, extra-curricular, and social lives. I’m not saying it’s necessarily bad to devote your life to a certain student paper whilst trying to gouge claw marks into an academic yoga ball, but it’s not really encouraged (yoga balls are notorious for, you know, popping). I would say that your primary commitment has to be your original research and your original interests. This is where being able to structure your course around your own interest becomes advantageous: you can spend your year essentially prepping for your original final piece to be submitted in August.

Anyone who has asked me about what I want to do after the MA, however, has been met with a shrill squeak not out of place in a Looney Tunes sketch. Or, if you’re lucky, you’d be met with a solitary, whispered “fear…” Whilst the graduation fear is palpable, the MA does certainly prep you for a career by enhancing and re-establishing the skills set in stone during your undergrad. Or else, you can look into exuding Big D Energy, where the D is for Doctorate and is prefaced with a Ph, and spend a long and illustrious career in academia.

This article was sponsored by the MA Fan Gang.

Patrick Hoyle Guild President

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T feels like only last month that I was elected Guild President.

Yet on 17 February, 17 new hopefuls will take to Forum Hill with their assembled campaign teams; all to convince you why they’re fit to be an Elected Student Officer of the Guild. However, elections raise the age-old question: why should I vote?

Well, let me tell you…

The value of democracy, at any level, cannot be understated. Voting is a significant opportunity to alter the course of everything from students’ unions to national politics.

Your Guild Officers represent *your* interests to the people who matter.

Additionally, our position as officers puts student issues (for example mental health, rising living costs, free speech) into the heart of national politics! Elections are also an opportunity to make meaningful change on campus.

High turnout and well supported candidates influence the University them to make the change we’re calling out for on campus! Finally, you should always vote because even if your University experience was perfect, someone else’s might not have been. Voting gives you the power to change someone’s student experience for the better.

Now go out and VOTE!

Voting opens Tuesday 18 February 09:00 – Thursday 20 February 16:00 at:

exeterguild.com/vote Images (Left-Right): Pixabay, Pexels; Free-Photos, Pixabay; Students Guild

EXEPOSÉ | 17 FEB 2020

Beyond Exeter

Remembrance and celebration: South Africa’s Human Rights Day Justin Waddy Contributor

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LMOST five decades later, the annual remembrance of the Sharpeville Massacre is still poignant in the memories of South Africans. The death of 69 peaceful protesters on the 21 March, 1960 signified the beginning of a struggle, whose sacrifices culminated in the rights South Africans enjoy today.

It helps us reconcile with the past, but it’s also a reason to celebrate Whilst the national holiday helps us to reconcile with the past, it’s still a reason to celebrate for many. The nation’s progress in human rights is something that’s very easily lookedover. Current news headlines won’t

show it, and it’s certainly not evident in our financial indicators – but, if you look carefully enough, it’s most definitely there.

It’s among the ecstasy of Siya Kolisi, captain of the South African national rugby team, thrusting up the 2019 Rugby World Cup trophy (sorry Brits!). It’s evident in the way we protest, the way we party, and even in the way we complain: integrated. A perfect split between three different languages of music at a university ball, or protestors of all races and sexes marching together against corruption.

It’s a radical change from the unjust systematic separation of apartheid that the parents of my generation grew up in. Whilst the country still has many hurdles such as economic inequality and corruption: we’re a democratic African nation that’s nonetheless come far. South Africans are likely to celebrate the holiday in the best way

possible: “met a braai, ‘n dop, en gesin”.

Traditionally, South Africans ‘braai’ (or barbecue) a variety of meat, such as steak or a type of sausage known as boerewors, on an open fire.

It’s a day to help further the nation and bring people together Walking through a South African neighbourhood on 21 March, you’re likely to smell a cacophony of heavy pap (maize porridge), wood-fire smoke and sizzling steaks. You’ll hear the chatter of neighbours seated outside in the warm summer air with ‘’n dop”, a drink, and most importantly surrounded by ‘gesin’, or family. Whilst South Africans enjoy equal constitutional rights, the effects of economic inequality, especially across racial groups, mean that a majority of citizens’ basic human

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Recipe: Lebanese Hummus bi Tahini Sira Charbel Online Science Editor

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K, hear me out. I know you can buy tubs of a chunky grainy paste labelled as “hummus” in supermarkets... but two things: first of all, the full name is Hummus bi Tahini, as in chickpeas in tahini. Secondly, it’s easy to make and tastes a dozen times better when made at home.

I owe the inspiration behind this recipe to my internet auntie, Susan Muaddi Darraj, a Palestinian American author and hummus enthusiast, as well as my mum and my housemate who bought some Waitrose red pepper hummus once.

Ingredients -Chickpeas, hummus literally means chickpeas. If you can cook them from dry, congratulations. You are probably a proper adult. I can’t, so canned chickpeas it is.

- Salt to taste -Tahini (it’s in the name!). I like to add a lot of tahini, but you can start with three tablespoons and keep on adding.

-Garlic to taste (very optional, my mum leaves it out) -Lemon juice -Olive oil (find one with a strong taste) for garnish. I get mine from my family’s village, it’s made in small batches, by a family and put in plastic water gallons. I legit had never bought olive oil before coming here. Honestly I wish I never did, hence why I risk my entire suitcase by packing it with me.

-Sumac for garnish. This is a wonderful spice, very popular in the Middle East. It tastes very sour (in a nice way!) and I love it on eggs or with spinach, or mushrooms... on most

things, really.

-Other garnishes can include pine nuts, preferably toasted, paprika, cumin, sprigs of mint, pomegranate seeds, mince (or veg mince, cooked with nuts and Lebanese seven spice or some salt, pepper, cinnamon and cumin), whole chickpeas... or all of the above!

Method: 1. In the bowl of a food processor, put the chickpeas, garlic, lemon, tahini and salt.

2. Blend it!

3. Taste it! Adjust the seasoning.

More Lemon? More salt? More tahini?

It should be a nice pale, silky smooth beige.

4. Plop it into a plate or a bowl, and get artsy. The goal here is to make small dips in it for your oil to pool into. Use a spoon to do so.

5. Pour olive oil on top: this is important. I know British people eat it plain, but please put olive oil on it.

6. Garnish and make it artsy.

Images top to bottom: uneekL4evr, SketchPort: Paul Goyette, Wikimedia Commons

BEYOND EXETER 10

EDITOR

Anne Chafer

Welcome! This section aims to broaden the scope of our content and provide a space for international students to voice their opinions on topics that matter to them.

We are looking for students from other countries, living and/or studying here for the duration of their degree to write about issues that affect them.

If you want to contribute, please get in touch by emailing editors@exepose.com or messaging our Facebook page.

rights aren’t necessarily being fulfilled.

Human Rights Day is an important time for South Africans to not only acknowledge past progress but to strive to uphold and develop basic human rights for all.

Those privileged enough to help, are encouraged to join schools, charities and churches with community work in areas suffering the effects of poverty.

Painting walls for crèches amongst dozens of excited toddlers, delivering food for destitute charities, helping the unemployed in skills development centres or serving meals in a community – it’s a day to join events that help further the nation, and bring people together.

Overall, it’ll be a day of reflecting, relaxing, and giving back for most South Africans. Desmond Tutu phrased the progress and spirit of the day perfectly when he stated: “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”

It’s these little acts that have overwhelmed the nation, and led to the democratic South Africa we see today.

Culture in translatioN: STEPHEN VIZINCEY Thomas Sloman Contributor

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N 2010, Hungarian novelist Stephen Vizinczey wrote about his 1965 novel when a new surge of interest in his works began to arise. “My book is what you need instead of drink,” he wrote, as though the vices of reading and alcohol could be mutually exclusive.

In Praise of Older Women was written as an indirect guide to a young man’s amorously formative education and a memoir laced with the backdrop of fascism in World War II, what the German literary critics would refer to as Bildungsroman. In his opening line he accounts to the reader his responsibility that “this book is addressed to young men and dedicated to older women, and the connection between the two is his proposition,” as though wishing to become a conduit for them both.

Living within the horrors of German occupation in Hungary, the young Vizinczey makes the case that older women gave him the refuge he needed when the desperation to survive became an apex of urgency. And solace they did give him. As whilst he simply sought the ability to exist, they taught him how to do more than just survive: they taught him how to live.

Much like Roberto Benigni’s 1997 film Life Is Beautiful, the account informs the reader that there are more poetic ways the holocaust can be viewed in modern literature, more of a multifarious lesson that can be taught other than the evils of human nature.

Vizinczey wrote in 2017 of his debut novel whilst looking back: “I never knew before this book was released what it was to be hated. Hate is more memorable than praise, but hate requires engagement”. If ever there was a reason not to hate but to engage, In Praise of Older Women is it.

WHO WILL REPRESENT YOU?

VOTE NOW Voting dates

18 Feb - Opens 09.00 20 Feb -Closes 16.00 Find out more

EXETERGUILD.COM/ELECTIONS

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Features

17 FEB 2020| EXEPOSÉ

FEATURES EDITORS: Jaysim Hanspal William Harrop

Climate Watch: activist edition

Exeposé Features Writers shine much needed light on activists fighting for our climate Yola Mgogwana

Sam Thomson, Screen Editor

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NEW generation of activists is wielding youth as their most powerful weapon. “We are sick of waiting for the adults. We are the future and we have the voice and power to change things.” In a society that dismisses the political views of children, these youngsters are attempting to reverse the stigma against them, speaking up their own futures and the future of the planet itself. Yola Mgogwana is yet another young activist campaigning for a brighter future for herself and her generation.

Born in Khayelitsha, South Africa,

Mgogwana sees the effects of climate change every day. In South Africa, dry seasons are becoming and wet seasons starting later. Rainfall is increasingly inconsistent, and droughts are ravaging the already arid landscape. These changes are affecting the country’s poorest citizen’s the most, increasing the risk of contracting vector-borne diseases (diseases carried by parasites), such as malaria and HIV. Despite being one of the countries being hit hardest by the climate change emergency, South Africa is also a major part of the problem. Developing countries like South Africa have a heavy reliance on fossil fuels, resulting in raised mortality rates, and a 2012

study found that 7.4 per cent of all deaths in South Africa were due to air pollution.

Mgogwana has been active in Earthchild Project Eco-Warriors, an organisation aiming to inspire a new generation of leaders conscious of climate issues. In an interview, she summed up the words she wishes she could say to the South African government: “The crisis is now! People are dying! Nature is crying for help… hear us!” Her impassioned cry makes it clear that projects like Earthchild are a powerful tool in the fight against climate change, and the effectiveness of their work cannot be underestimated.

Xiye Bastida

Catherine Lloyd, Copy Editor

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IYE Bastida has climate activism in her blood. She is a member of the indigenous Otomi-Toltec nation, who believe in a shared economy and care for the land, to nurture its fertility and bounty.

Her parents, having met in Ecuador at a climate change conference, have set the precedent of being climate conscious, with a diversification of the movement in mind. Firsthand, she has seen how disproportionate the climate crisis is; first when her hometown, San Pedro Tultepec experienced drought for two years and subsequent flooding. Then the polluting

Jamie Margolin

Elinor Jones, Science Editor

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O one can deny the relentless tenacity and determination with which Greta Thunberg raises the profile of climate change, highlighting the imminent importance of the planet’s dire situation. However, there are a wealth of young climate change activists for whom the spotlight is rarely theirs, including many of colour battling to be heard on a global scale.

Jamie Margolin, identifying as Jewish and lesbian, is the co-founder of Zero Hour with fellow young activist Nadia Nazar.

As a Colombian-American, Margolin

uses writing as a platform to inspire other young people and to educate officials of the threat of climate change.

In September, alongside Thunberg, Margolin testified before Congress, and is due to publish a book this summer. When she was just 14 she had volunteered for the Democratic Party translating Spanish and has been a firm supporter of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, saying her sadness at the political situation stems from 2016.

Zero Hour is a mission to bring together the whole spectrum of youth voices, creating a movement that protects the natural environment and its resources whilst building a sustainable future. Margolin’s organisation names oppression as a root cause of climate

change. Namely, sexism, racism and colonialism, amongst other forms of oppression, as essential areas to tackle to reduce the impacts of climate change, hoping that this will increase support for the proposed Green New Deal, which aims to create equality for marginalised communities.

Alongside policy, Margolin and Zero Hour has been organising climate marches, strikes and campaigns to raise awareness, such as the Youth Climate Art Festival in 2018, which aimed to create a community to combat hopelessness and confer strength. Margolin’s work has been pivotal to the youth climate movement, boosting voices from non-white backgrounds that may not be being heard in the current climate change rhetoric.

of El Río Lerma, where she saw a flawed system of relying on a petroleum industry, that was in turn contaminating its citizens.

Having moved to New York to flee the wake of the mounting climate crisis, its reach became inescapable when Bastida witnessed the fallout of Superstorm Sandy, battering the coastal communities of New York.

Ever since she has given her energy to lobbying for change. As a leader of the Fridays for Future climate strike campaign and the People’s Climate movement, she is a crucial part of the biggest climate mobilisation that history has seen. Imminent climate disasters and the displacement of climate refugees has never been more immediate in the minds of our youth than

now. Calling for urgency, Bastida is challenging the halls of power so that voices of the indigenous and diverse youth are heard. Her own lobbying of lawmakers at the New York state capital in Albany, gave way to a grassroots campaign to sway decision-makers and policy on climate change.

Mobilising 600 students in the march of 2019 to strike, Bastida has made climate justice a priority, leading the fight citywide. What had once been called a white movement, is diversifying. Minorities feel underrepresented in the sharing of their concerns, particularly when majority white organisations such as Greenpeace represent them. Now, Xiye Bastida is moving the mic towards those previously muted.

Image (top to bottom): Wikipedia Commons (top two images), Charles Edward Miller

EXEPOSÉ | 17 FEB 2020

FEATURES

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An epidemic of racism

Issy Murray sheds light on the media’s racialisation of the novel coronavirus outbreak

Image (top to bottom): amrothman, pixabay, CDC/Dr. Fred Murphy

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INCE being officially announced on the 31 December 2019, Novel Coronavirus has reportedly infected at least 37,000 people and killed over 800. According to an article published by Forbes, the zoonotic virus began at a market selling live animals and, although only two deaths have occurred outside China, it has caused worldwide concern. With symptoms of the new strain ranging from a cough to, in the more severe cases, pneumonia-like symptoms alongside there being no known cure or vaccine currently available, anxiety surrounding coronavirus is understandable. However, in the vacuum left by a lack of understanding of the virus, anxieties have not only been heightened but unfortunately, in some cases, so has xenophobia.

These derogatory comments are founded on historic racist tropes Public responses have primarily been one of concern over the virus’s rapid spread, but sometimes this concern has given rise to comments, many of which have been shared online, that are riddled with racist undertones.

Shortly after coronavirus was publicised and its origin connected to the Chinese city of Wuhan. For example, the hashtag #ChineseDontComeToJapan began trending on Japanese Twitter. This sentiment was not confined to the internet either, with Forbes stating that in Vietnam, South Korea and Hong Kong, signs banning Chinese people from public spaces like restau-

rants had been put up. This inter-Asian xenophobia is perhaps a consequence of the political and cultural power dichotomy in this region, however, Western panic is also very visible. The Los Angeles Times highlights how adverse Western opinions on coronavirus and its association with East Asia have been spread through social media. They also note cases of first-hand experiences of prejudice such as children in school playgrounds cornering Asian kids to ‘test’ them for coronavirus, adults showing obvious discomfort at being around anyone of East Asian heritage, and even people being spat on. These derogatory and dehumanising actions and comments have their foundations on historic racist tropes that suggest people of East Asian descent are less civilised and more prone to disease than people in the West.

While completely unfounded and ignorant, this dormant racism has been brought to the surface by the panic coronavirus has sparked. There are also instances of institutional and media responses adding fuel to the fire of public xenophobia. The Los Angekes Times outlined this in a case whereby a UC Berkeley Instagram post listed xenophobia toward Asian people as a “normal reaction”’ towards the virus. Sam Phan, a British-Chinese journalist calls attention to high-profile media figures also reacting inappropriately to coronavirus in an article he recently wrote for The Guardian.

He identifies George Osborne, who tweeted a cartoon from his newspaper The Evening Standard of a rat wearing a face mask “to supposedly commemorate the lunar new year” (a

tweet that is still up on his account at the time of writing this article), and Piers Morgan, who mocked the Chinese language on Good Morning Britain, highlighting how they have exacerbated such racially insensitive stereotypes.

Phan also points out how the racialisation of coronavirus can affect anyone of an apparent East Asian background, as “the misguided perception of more than one billion people being a monolithic and singular group in which everyone speaks, acts and looks the same” leads to the conflation of all East Asian countries and hence, xenophobia.

With the rush to find answers, the media has also spread misinformation about the virus. The Sun, for example, reported several stories about a viral video of a woman eating bat soup, speculating perhaps eating ‘unusual’ foods caused the virus. This video has since been proven to have not been

filmed in China, or even this year.

There is no evidence that the virus stems from bat soup or any ‘unusual’ foods, but the unfounded suggestion that it could be promotes the ‘othering’ of Chinese people. The Los Angeles Times has also noted that false health information had been spread by some media outlets claiming that the public should avoid Chinese food or areas heavily populated by Chinese people, further alienating people who have nothing to do with the virus.

There was even a local French paper which ran with the headline “Yellow Alert”, a highly offensive reference to the ‘Yellow Peril’, a racist metaphor that encapsulates belief that East Asians are somehow a threat to the West. Sensationalised stories including conspiracy theories, like the virus having been created by the Chinese to be used as a bioweapon, will have likely added to public fear. The media therefore can, intentionally or not, at times be both a platform for and cause of xenophobic feelings.

In the past, diseases like Ebola have been presented as endemic There are several noticeable parallels between how coronavirus has been treated by both the media and public in comparison to previous diseases.

Recent comparable examples are the 2009 swine flu outbreak, which killed 457 in the UK, or the SARS outbreak that peaked in 2003, after killing a total of 800 people. Diseases like Ebola and HIV, much like coronavirus, have been presented as both epidemic and endemic (frequently found in a specific population), giving rise to racism and, in the case of HIV, homophobia. Even

stretching back to the late nineteenth and early twentieth century with the Third Plague Pandemic, Asian people have been blamed during outbreaks of disease. This implies a Western tradition of scapegoating and stigmatising populations who are victims of disease.

We should not allow xenophobia to become an epidemic in and of itself There are a few questions that need to be addressed. How do we break the vicious cycle of panic caused by an outbreak of disease? How do you prevent the spread of misinformation? And how do we combat victim blaming?

According to the journalist Sarah Kim, in order to tackle these issues effectively, we need to distinguish medical precautions from racist and discriminatory behaviours. To achieve this, our media outlets must be held responsible.

According to an article in The Guardian, Facebook has committed to “removing content with false claims or conspiracy theories that have been flagged by leading global health organisations and local health authorities that could cause harm to people who believe them” and Twitter has promised to “adjust search prompt in key countries across the globe to feature authoritative health sources when you search for terms related to novel #coronavirus.” While social media can be used to spread awareness of issues like xenophobia (seen in the hastag #jenesuispasunvirus trend) it is clear that it currently also has a role in promoting xenophobia. We should not let xenophobia become an epidemic in and of itself.

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17 FEB 2020 | EXEPOSÉ

Feminism with a price tag

Isabelle Gray, Editor, investigates the ugly truth of neoliberal feminism

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FTER the creation of successful fashion brand Nasty Gal, founder and CEO Sophia Amoruso published a memoir and business guide entitled #Girlboss.

Welcome to the era of neoliberal feminism.

Neoliberal feminism and the concept of #Girlboss go hand in hand.

A #Girlboss strives to be defined as an independent woman who prides themselves on being "self-made". The idea around neoliberal feminism is based on self-empowerment, where to live a well-rounded happy life - to be one’s best self - you must be the one, as an individual, to achieve it.

Neoliberal feminism emphasises that there is always potential to be more, do more, look better, feel better. You are a failure if you are not within a constant desire to "thrive."

Neoliberal feminism pushes anyone who isn't middle class to the side This continual self-evaluation essentially encourages women to put themselves on a program of self-surveillance. This ideology of #Girlboss means to internalise an idea that the only thing preventing you from achieving success is yourself. As a result, institutional disillusionment is instilled, and an acceptance of structural powers that work against

Images: Gage Skidmore, Flickr

women, instead of a desire to fight against them. This is subordinate to the demands of neoliberal economics.

What feels like self-empowerment seems to come across as a disguising of patriarchal ideas, where the patriarchy manages to preserve its functionality within mainstream feminism.

Neoliberalism recasts feminism as looking nice and buying things Feminism, therefore, is trapped within these market-led ideologies and doesn’t serve to improve the lives of women across races, classes, and others. Neoliberal feminism is a bubble of white privilege and thrives off its core in only serving the elite few and severely undermining the needs of most women.

Essentially, neoliberal feminism convinces us that its ideas are breaking the glass ceiling and creating effective change for women. Whilst neoliberal feminism can acknowledge things like the gender pay gap, it struggles to properly interrogate the economic structures behind this, and instead encourages women to become CEOs. Feminism in its current form incessantly encourages women to become fully responsible for themselves: "#Girlboss", pitching t-shirts with “Feminist” on it (most likely made in a sweatshop), pushing

face masks and spa treatments, ultimately pushing anyone who isn't middle class to the side. It seems you can only become liberated from the patriarchy if you one, pull yourself out from under it and two, have the salary to do so.

If you type "feminism" into Google, the first link that comes up is "Feminism - at amazon.co.uk" It is as though in order to be an accepted member of this movement, you have to literally buy into its brand. It personally feels like a white fantasy that neglects non-privileged women.

In order to participate in this movement you have to buy into its brand As a part of Amoruso’s ‘#Girlboss’, an annual conference is organised, where tickets for the said event can go up to $800 in price.

The conference includes "private beauty touch-up areas", discounts on purchases and "glam touch-ups" before headshot sessions. Amoruso is selling the idea that a key to achieving a sense of empowerment is by looking nice and buying things that will help achieve that.

When Hilary Clinton announced she was running for President of the United States in 2016, it was met with applause for new hope for feminism, and women everywhere. Whilst the

US having its first female president would and should be considered revolutionary, there should be a more nuanced discussion around whether Hilary Clinton simply being a woman is going to advance and adhere to the aims of feminism.

Hilary Clinton’s history regarding international human rights (Zunes 2007; Barrett and Kumar 2016), or the harm of ethnic minorities and migrants (Nair, 2016), and even a lack of support for LGBTQ+ rights (Schwarz, 2015; Young and Becerra, 2015). Because of this objectively nonintersectional approach continuously taken by Clinton in her political past, it is hard to see, when thinking intersectionally, Clinton being a merit to all of the women she’d be in office representing.

It is easier, however, to see how under the guise of neoliberal ideas that she, a middle-class white woman, is the perfect candidate. It propels the "right" women forward, whilst also remaining under the commands and ideals of capitalist thought and structures.

There should be a more nuanced discourse about Hillary Clinton and feminism Despite Clinton’s election campaign slogan being titled ‘Stronger Together’, #Girlboss advocates bowed

down to the neoliberal queen, and consequently attacked other women who supported Bernie Sanders and his social policies for being "antifeminist". Gloria Steinem, defines herself as an "American feminist and journalist", claimed that the young women who supported Sanders had their priorities elsewhere, "when you’re young women, you’re thinking, where are the boys? The boys are with Bernie". For someone widely known for their feminism, this stands out as an outright sexist and essentialist remark.

This feminism promises freedom but replaces the patriarchy with the free market Neoliberal feminism promises freedom: the freedom to care and strive on one’s own, freedom to choose, and freedom to be selfempowered. But this freedom replaces traditional, patriarchal authority with another - the free-market.

Self-surveillance monitored through endless consumption becomes the ultimate form of female empowerment and sense of value, which distracts from feminism's aim to transform women’s lives and to achieve equality regardless of race, class and sexuality.

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MUSIC

ARTS + LIT

STUDY BREAK

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Image: Aude Vanlethem, Wikimedia Commons

Image: Miranda Fritz, Unsplash

All about vaginas: the definitive spread

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Speaking to the thespians of exeter

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Image: Kinocine, Wikimedia Commons

Image: Adam Bentley, Unsplash

You LOVED PARASITE: WHAT NEXT?

social media, music and the way we listen

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LIFESTYLE EDITORS Izzy Cole Anna Romanovska

ARTS + LIT EDITORS Cherry-Anastasia Boroceanu Zach Mayford

MUSIC EDITORS Richard Ainslie Bryony Gooch

SCREEN EDITORS Jonathan Chern Samuel Thomson

STUDY BREAK Puzzles by Matthew & Neha 17 FEB 2020 | EXEPOSÉ

lifestyle

THE VAGINA Content warning: Sexual assault, body image

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ENITALIA is a taboo topic in many cultures. This stigmatisation of something that is both incredibly normal and natural has led to crises within healthcare, internalised shame and a general misunderstanding of something that is part of us.

This issue, we have decided to focus on vaginas and vulvas to debunk the various myths surrounding these organs. Hopefully this will help educate you not only about yourselves, but also about the genitalia of the other half of the world's population.

Our aim is to start a conversation about these topics and the issues relating to them. By opening up these dialogues, we can begin on a long journey of fighting stigmas and societal pressures placed on genital upkeep and treatment.

VAGINA vs VULVA

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HILE many people use the term vagina to refer to their genitals, the "vagina" is actually the canal that connects the cervix to the vaginal opening located within the vulva. The vagina is usually about three to six inches long, it is where an individual’s menstrual flow passes through during their period, as well as where a baby exits through during childbirth. Although many people use the term vagina for their genitalia, the correct term for everything external is vulva.

The vulva is the term used for your genitals and refers to the outside part of the body.

Vulvar anatomy includes the labia majora and labia minora, the vaginal opening, the urethral opening and the all-important clitoris.

Vulvar aesthetic ranges greatly, the labia look different from person-to-person, they can be asymmetrical or symmetrical, long or short, light in colour or of a darker tone. The vulva as the external part of a person’s genitalia is responsible for protecting the other external organs. Ultimately, the term vagina has become a commonly used colloquialism to refer to a person’s external genitalia but there is a difference between the vagina and vulva that should be recognised.

Kamila Bell, Comment Editor

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the hymen

HE hymen is a thin membrane positioned at the vaginal opening. Here are some of the most common myths about the hymen, and why they’re not true: Myth #1 – the hymen is a flat piece of skin covering the entire vaginal opening.

The hymen is not usually entirely closed.

Most hymens have a hole that’s big enough to allow period blood out and for comfortable use of tampons. Just like how every body, and every vulva, is different, hymens come in lots of shapes and sizes, with some people having more open hymens than others.

Myth #2 – the hymen can only be "broken" through vaginal penetration.

Hymens can be torn through penetrative sex as well as other activities. Some forms of exercise like riding a bicycle or a horse can lead to a hymen being torn. Also, lots of people believe that hymens bleed a lot when they tear, which is usually inaccurate. It often only bleeds a very small amount.

Myth #3 – a torn hymen is a marker of lost virginity.

Professor Janice Rymer, a consultant gynaecologist, says, “If the hymen is not intact this does not mean that a girl or woman is not a virgin.” Each person has a different definition of what constitutes virginity, and penetrative sex does not fall under this umbrella for everyone.

Bridie Adams

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VAGINISMUS

T is no secret that vaginismus is not spoken about enough as a condition. The NHS describes the condition as “when the vagina suddenly tightens up just as you try to insert something into it.”

It can make penetration incredibly painful and thus almost impossible. However, it can be treated using dilators, pelvic floor exercises, psychosexual therapy or relaxation tech-

Exeposé Lifestyle Writers educate you abou niques such as mindfulness.

It is not an abnormality of the genital organs and can occur at any point in your life.

Those with vaginas who grew up in a nonwestern culture often go through a hell of a lot of genital shaming. Personally, I was told my discharge was abnormal and that me bleeding through a maxi pad within an hour was shameful. I was thirteen. This of course led me down the dark alley of self-stigmatisation, self-shame and self-disgust with something that was perfectly normal and natural.

My first trip to the gynaecologist’s office was a bit of a nightmare. I didn’t know that I had vaginismus, only that I struggled to stick anything, be it my fingers or tampons, up my vagina. My doctor couldn’t even stick a speculum to do a proper examination. Then she hit me with a comment that has stuck with me for the past eight years: “I have kids in here who have worse conditions than you, this is ridiculous”. I felt ashamed.

Why couldn’t I be a normal vagina-owner?

For a while, my vaginismus went away. I guess I started to resolve that internalised disgust with my own genitals. The tampon was unfortunately still a no-go. And then the assaults happened. One after another within the span of half a year, each by a different person. I hadn’t dealt with it properly because again, the Slavic normalisation of rape culture had told me that it happened to every girl at least once in her life.

And so my vaginismus returned at my tender age of sixteen. I couldn’t do anything with my then-boyfriend, because every time we tried to have sex, I felt my bottom half twist and shrivel up inside me. Any force hurt like menstrual cramps going inwards, rather than outwards. My ex-boyfriend just wrote it off as me being a virgin. Except I wasn’t. I was just so incredibly traumatised by all the assault.

By all the years of self-loathing, that my mind

developed a defence mechanism that basically screamed no entry at anyone who dared to come near my vagina.

Only now am I lucky. It took me coming to university to finally meet partners who didn’t see it as a burden set upon their sexual frustration. I was sexually frustrated as well, a concept most of my exes didn’t seem to comprehend.

If this seems familiar to you, then fear not.

Most decent sexual health clinics in the UK are incredibly understanding.

You are even able to request a chaperone to come into the examination room with you.

Just remember, you are not alone.

Anna Romanovska, Lifestyle Editor

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VULVA DIVERSITY

DOUBT two people have the exact looking nose, arm or lips. I also doubt any person has the same looking labia. The labia is the inner and outer folds of the vulva, at either side of the vagina, the most major externally visibly portions of the vulva. Due to ideals created in mainstream porn, it's common for people to feel conscious of the look of the labia, for it to be all neat and tucked in. This can indeed be the case for some, but the labia is its own person, it does what it pleases and looks how it

wants. Essentially, it's important to embrace your labia no matter what shape or size it is. Enjoy it's uniqueness, it adds to what makes you, you. If you ever encounter someone who for some very strange reason has an issue with how your labia looks, they one either watch porn too much and have a false perception of what's going on in the world (pity them), or they're just not a very nice person who is not worth your time. Labias are sexy, in all their diverse glory. Including yours.

Isabelle Gray, Editor

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17 FEB 2020 |

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A DIALOGUES

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the ins and outs of vaginas and vulvas

BACTERIAL VAGINOSIS

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E often get told of horror stories from people who had left their tampon in for over six hours and they forever refused to wear one ever again. Amongst these anecdotes we are never actually explained why there can be complications of using tampons, leading to greater questions as to how we are looking after the health of our vaginas.

Bacterial vaginosis, commonly referred to as BV, is a bacterial infection of the vagina caused

by Gardnerella vaginalis, alongside other types of bacteria. The main symptom of BV is a "fishy" smelling discharge or a colour change in your vaginal discharge from white to a yellow-grey colour. It is possible to have BV without any symptoms, which is why it is important to get your sexual health checked regularly. If left untreated, BV can sometimes cause pelvic inflammatory disease, infection of the cervix, uterus and Fallopian tubes, which can lead to infertility. If you notice any changes in your discharge, especially during your period, either see your GP or visit a sexual health clinic.

Gardnerella hijacks the usual functioning of the vagina, since the vagina normally has a healthy colony of bacteria residing in it. Small changes, such as changes in the acidity of the environment, can improve survival of harmful bacteria such as Gardnerella, which is why it is not advised to use soaps and perfumed products to wash and tampons as this can alter the environment. However, BV can be quickly treated with a course of antibiotics or a topical cream, and unlike other sexually related infections, you are not required

to inform partners as the transmission is less likely.

Most importantly BV is nothing to be ashamed of, considering everyone with a vagina has the capability of it developing naturally.

After treatment nothing should stop you from enjoying a fulfilled sex life however you like.

Elinor Jones, Science Editor

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PUBIC HAIR

UBIC hair, we all have it and most of us wish we didn’t. Despite how we try and get rid of it, it does serve a purpose. Pubic hair provides a protective barrier, it fends off bacteria and unwanted pathogens from entering the vaginal area.

This can help prevent us from getting yeast infections and UTIs, (Urine Tract Infection) both of which are relatively unpleasant.

Pubic hair also cushions the genital area from friction during exercise and sexual intercourse.

There’s no right or wrong way to groom your hair down there, it’s simply whatever you are comfor table with. Most people tend to shave; it’s quick, cheap and you can do it yourself. If you shave just be sure to use new blades as old ones can carry unwanted bacteria, causing bumps and irritations to the skin. Shaving can however cause microtraumas on the skin as well so don't forget to moisturise!

But many individuals do wax below the belt. Your hair does need to be about a quarter of an inch long before waxing and although you can do it yourself, many visit a salon. When you wax it’s normally about two to four weeks before regrowth, whereas when you shave its typically a few days. However waxing is incredibly painful. When it comes to hair down there, just be sure to do what’s right for you.

Georgia Shepherd

Images (L to R): Ava Sol (Unsplash), LJNovaScotia (pixabay), Erol Ahmen (unsplash), Taras Chemus (unsplash)

VAGINAL MESH

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AST year the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) ruled to lift a ban on the controversial procedure, vaginal mesh implants. This surgery comes with many names and many forms, including TVT, tape, mesh and hammock, but is essentially a reinforcing wall used to support the vaginal and ovarian wall inside the body. The plastic mesh, made from polypropylene, is used to treat pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and Stress Urinary Incontinence, but of which often occur in women after they’ve given birth.

The surgery was halted in 2018, due to concerns over its efficacy and a spate of legal actions from patients, yet is again going ahead under a set of conditions. NICE recommended that all instances and outcomes of the mesh operations should be recorded on a national database to help with future decision-making, but reports from survivors speak for themselves.

Kath Sansom received the treatment in the summer of 2015 and set up the Facebook group "Sling the Mesh" to advocate against it ten weeks later.

She became an activist, raising awareness on the surgery’s complications and writing a particularly hard-to-read account for The Guardian in 2017. The stats vary, but around half of patients experience discomfort, around 10 per cent suffered serious complications and, according to Sansom, five per cent attempted suicide.

Zach Mayford, Arts and Lit Editor

VAGINAL HYGIENE

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YWNETH Paltrow's "Goop" should be considered a lie. Her vaginal cleansers and rocks do nothing for the perfect humidity and pH of the vagina: you're not supposed to put anything up there. Well, anything meant to somehow magically cleanse the vagina. The vagina is a self cleaning organ: it's fine without you fiddling with the mythical perfect acidity. It won't dissolve your sex toy if you

don't pour overpriced products up there.

On that note, you don't need to douche either: douching will only upset the existing bacteria, the majority of which is natural and the irritation can likely lead to infection. Your vagina is a vagina: it doesn't need to smell of a lemon cake hot off Camper Coffee's finest bakery.

Just like douches, you also don't need to spray the contents of a perfumery up there.

In fact, please don't. These products can not only cause irritation but also mess with the natural pH of a vagina. You don't need a yeast infection, which would actually make your vagina smell less than funky fresh.

Sometimes, people think buying expensive underwear necessarily means good quality: these are often made of synthetic material or silk. Neither of which have much breathability or moisture wicking capability - excess moisture leads to yeast infections as well. This is also the reason you should remove wet bathing suits and change your pants often.

This sounds like a whole series of common sense masquerading as pragmatic advice: however, there is a whole industry of products that claim to somehow cleanse your vagina and make it smell as if Shakespeare had written it into existence. Wash it gently with water regularly, you don't need to go digging for lubricated gold. Just leave the damn thing alone.

Neha Shaji, Deputy Editor

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If these issues affect you, you can get in touch with: Devon Rape Crisis 01392 208756 Student Minds support group: exeter@studentminds.org.uk Wellbeing Services: exeter.ac.uk/wellbeing

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It's okay not to be okay

17 FEB 2020 |

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Neha Shaji, Deputy Editor, addresses the taboo surrounding BAME mental health

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EOPLE like me don’t sit down, don’t stop with the coffee and cigarettes, our hands don’t stop drumming a frantic, feverish tune on every table. You’re smart, you know it’s a cultural thing. Them, there, far over there in Asia, these cultures don’t admit to struggling with their mental health because it’s a taboo, there, over there, far away. Over there, their mothers tell them to shut up about being anxious, to keep quiet, to become a doctor - unlike those over here who seem comparatively liberal with diagnoses and admittance of wrestling with the self. You know this. You’re smart.

You know why people like me don’t sit down.

STRENGTH ISN'T A GIVEN THING REGARDLESS OF WHAT RACE YOU ARE But that sweeping, stereotypical assumption is not even a quarter of a heartbreaking equation that slides under the whiteness of wellbeing initiatives. It is facile and undemanding to chalk it up to an othered notion of social relations as the reason why BAME people may suffer mental health issues yet not feel as willing to speak about it as publicly, or talk about diagnoses in cafes and bars. This is not a diasporic piece about strict fathers saying depression is a phase, this is not a Westernised narrative of a stifling desi-familial enclosure.

A 2018 review found that South Asian

women were a group at high risk for suicide, in comparison to European counterparts. Yet the British Journal of Psychiatry finds that Asian/ British Asian ethnic groups were less likely to seek psychological or psychiatric help for struggles around wellbeing.

I don’t have a scientific answer to this, except to say that relegating the statistic to cultural taboo does nothing but expose an Orientalist perspective on mental health that refuses to face the u n i q u e struggles people of colour face in this country, or the utter lack of wellbeing facilities who are both understanding and equipped to deal with people who want help.

It is easy to split the narrative into two: I’ve had this said to my face before. That there are two actualities to mental health. One, a medical, scientific, diagnosable struggle - regardless of where or what or why. The second, a “natural” result of struggle, an expected consequence of existence and resistance, a human cost you pay to live in

a world built on fragile uneven structures.

And the discourse around BAME mental health issues is a matter of cause and effect, of buying dignity and selling gratification. A second year Business student I spoke to said they have “all the symptoms and none of the diagnoses. I did seek help - there wasn’t an issue there. The issue came when they said my feelings were because of how I felt about being racially abused on the street eight months ago.

As if nothing had happened in my life since then.

And so, I feel awkward when my friends talk about their diagnoses or how they get mitigation while I scramble to finish my essays through depressive episodes: it’s a conversation I don’t feel able to join.” And nor can I. How can I pet the friendly therapy dogs on campuses when everything I feel is consigned to a ramification of breathing against the direction of the wind? How do you expect me to participate in wellbeing initiatives and sign

posters and pledges when everything I experience, physical or mental, is somehow a natural consequence of cycling uphill across gravel?

This transactionary diction when it comes to the mental wellbeing of those racialised as other leads to an exclusion, leads to wellbeing sections and waiting rooms staffed and inhabited by white people. I would walk in, but I want to be welcomed and encouraged. I want to see a person across the table who understands that struggle does not come naturally as breathing. Who will understand that often physical symptoms are not a consequence of racism, but rather a symptom of the damage it has caused?

Strength is not a given, regardless of what you are racialised as. Strength is a facade built upon colonially manufactured ideals of Biblical struggle narratives, of turning the other cheek and standing straight. But if you keep turning cheeks, eventually your face gets bruised. And your bones break. And so on and so forth. Aim to decolonize mental health rather than prioritising only those who can publicly say that they are anxious. Aim to make wellbeing initiatives, both on campus and off, more inclusive, more understanding, more welcoming. Don’t tell me I’m strong. I suck sugar cubes, watch cartoons and practically refuse to eat vegetables: I’m no stronger than your white friends.

Think about why people like me don’t live up to an upbringing you constructed based on narratives, and understand how blindingly white and unfair the system is.

A not so celebratory Chinese New Year A Lifestyle Writer reacts to the university's decision to cancel Chinese New Year celebrations due to virus

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EAR Exeter University, It has been more than four months since I've been home with my family. If anything I was very much looking forward to the Chinese New Year celebration held by the University. It is my cure to homesickness, to surround myself with people I consider family in this country. It was until I received the email from the registrar saying that the CNY celebrations were cancelled, that I was filled with rage. Not because of the cancellation but because of the reason that was offered to us in the Chinese community, wanting us to believe that the reason they cancelled this event was "out of respect for the Chinese community locally, nationally and internationally where other celebrations have been cancelled or disrupted with ongoing public concerns about coronavirus." Speechless.

It's not just the cancellation of the event that we are angry about but the fact that the festival meant a lot to Chinese students and to anyone who is currently away from home.

Without it, it's like our identities are being stripped away. Chinese New Year is the biggest and most important event for us, a festival that celebrates love for all and the im-

portance of coming together. Chinese New Year brings together people of all races, not just the university community but also the Exeter community, to appreciate Chinese culture. Cancelling the event seems to go against everything that we hope to achieve; it breaks the togetherness, it creates fear in our community and to make matters worse, racism comes along.

I can understand that the coronavirus is horrifying for a country that is not well-equipped to deal with such an epidemic, and as a person who lived through the last coronavirus outbreak of SARS in 2003, I too am terrified. Fear is irrational, but it is more irrational for it to cloud our judgement. It may

have been well-intended, but the way it was handled and executed was beyond atrocious.

I have heard students around campus discussing the fears of being in contact with Asians, and how they would "run like hell" if they ever see a person of Asian descent within their vicinity. I am personally abhorred and victimised by such comments. I get that you are scared of the virus but please also see that we should not be looked down upon or discriminated because of our race. It has happened to Africans with Ebola and the Zika virus and now the target is on our back. The University's way of handling this incident has done noth-

ing but feed fear and anxiety when the right way to go forward is to encourage students to wear face masks, be aware of hygiene and offer measures that will make all students feel safe. But instead, the consequence was more outbursts of racist comments.

CANCELLING THE EVENT GOES AGAINST EVERYTHING THAT WE HOPE TO ACHIEVE Showing respect to the Chinese community is to tell us the truth, the inevitable truth that the University is worried about a coronavirus outbreak and to avoid bureaucratic wordings. We deserve the truth and we ALL deserve to feel safe in the university environment. So yes, Exeter, you really did let us down this time. Racism is caused by irrational fear and nothing can be achieved if fear is constantly fuelled.

Comment from the University on the cancellation of Chinese New Year can be found in page three of News.

All images top to bottom: Cerquiera, Raychan, Whoislimos, Paulo Evangelista, Lachlan Gowen (All UnSplash)

TIMETABLE:

follow @exeposenews and @commentexepose for live debate coverage all week!

monday 17 FEB, 5:30PM

debate: VP Activites debate: AU President

tuesday 18 Feb, 5:30PM

debate: VP Postgruadate debate: vp education

wednesday 19 feb, 5:30Pm

debate: VP welfare & diversity debate: guild president

FRIDAY 21 feb results!

exeposĂŠ

SABBATICAL ELECTIONS GUIDE 2020

Guild President Full manifestos available online

SUNDAY BLAKE Role: Vice President Postgraduate Societies: Xpression, English, Postgraduate Society, Vegetarian Society, LGBTQ+, Student Action for Refugees

JACK WATTS Subject: Maths Societies: Contemporary Choir, First Aid Society

Oliver BRADBEAR Subject: Law Societies: Exeter Loves Legal Aid, Howard League Society

Current President:

Patrick Hoyle

what’s THE biggest problem facing exeter?

How will you challenge the University management?

Change inaccessible culture of senior university management and hierarchical structure of the Guild; communicate with University through open letters so that all students are aware; student consultation on affiliation with the NUS every 3 years. Welfare Officer for every society; lobbying of Exeter Council for better lighting; work with city clubs and Apple Taxis in Bystander Intervention for harassment and assault.

Continue to work with BME Network on anti-racism; BME Practitioners in Wellbeing Centre; address BME Attainment Gap. Work with Law Clinic to allow students to assert their tenants’ rights and provide legal backing.

Multifaith quiet space; ‘Visa Sponsors-Only’ Careers Fair; Better support for EU students during Brexit; family study spaces, continue pushing University on accessibility in current projects. 12-month parking permits for disabled students. Hold University and Guild to account on climate emergency promises. Centralised webpage and newsletter for all charity societies to promote collaboration; optout/in for Guild emails based on topic.

The University’s values do not align with the student body. I have spent a painstaking year having dialogue and conversations with different members of staff, convincing them to listen to the student voice. I have highlighted issues around diversity, student safety, sustainability, and mental health to them (all big problems facing Exeter!)

The Guild doesn’t tend to have reelected candidates, but instead initiates new officers each year, who need training and experience before these conversations with the University even begin! We need continuity. If I am re-elected these important conversations around the big problems at Exeter will continue and, importantly, reach positive outcomes..

I already am! This year I wrote a report for University Council on the realities of campus life. They said it was the most honest and critical reports on the University they had ever read… and they liked it! Courageous honesty gets results. It takes a while for new officers to become tuned into the way management works. But having spent a year in office, I am experienced and knowledgeable of the perplexing world of senior management! I will continue to navigate the relationships I have made, and the systems I have spent months learning, to impact real change.

Well-lit paths between all buildings on campus; increased Campus Security patrols; better training for Welcome Team; encourage Estate Patrol to engage with students.

Ban single-use plastic in Guild outlets by end of term; introduce more recycling bins; ensure the Guild wastes less energy; societies to have priority booking of Lemon Grove during the week; milkshakes and more desserts in the Ram. Better advertising of Guild support and facilities on St Luke’s; make G47 more available and useful; medical students on placement in Truro to be full Guild members.

All courses to display expected additional costs; nonreligious, quiet space on campus; improve accessibility to Guild spaces.

Ensure that feedback is regularly gathered on Wellbeing services; list of ‘recommended’ landlords with favourable reviews from students; regular monthly meetings open to all students to give feedback face to face; work with other student unions to achieve wins for students.

It is impossible for senior management to understand the problems students face on campus every day when they have such limited direct interaction with students.

I will ensure that senior management speak to students face to face about our culture on campus and work every day to improve it.

I absolutely believe in the rep- I’m never as funny resentative authority of elected as I think I am, but it officers as the best way to rep- doesn’t stop me tellresent us as students to senior- ing terrible jokes! level figures in the University.

Not only do we function as accessible points of contact between both the Exeter student community and these seniorlevel figures, but we also constitute an opportunity for both ends to question and hold each other to account knowing that such questioning and scrutiny will reach the other in an effective capacity.

MANIFESTO

Introduce Guild Night Bus for nights out to ensure safety; improve lighting on all Campuses and make them easier to navigate for students with disabilities; open online form allowing students to report unsafe areas on Campus and in town; work with students and industry professionals to improve wellbeing services; adopt ‘Ask for Angela’ in all Guild venues and work with local venues to increase its presence in town; open drop-in sessions with local police on how to stay safe or to report incidents; transparency in Guild investigations; later bus from Campus into town; promote Student Safety Scheme; rewards for societies tackling social issues and thinking greenly.

Get Guild to becoming Carbon Negative by the end of 2022; lobby University to commit to it too. Introduce more renewable energy sources on all Campuses and travel mugs at Guild venues; increase recycling points on all Campuses; student assembly on environment and climate emergency; improve offer and quality of vegan and vegetarian, halal, gluten free, kosher and meat-based options; make environmentally friendly choices cheaper; cut Guild printing; more trees and bees.

It’s either the safety of our students or the lack of meaningful effort to tackle the climate emergency - it’s the streets we walk and the air we breathe after all. These issues apply to all students so we must create a safer, greener Exeter before tackling more specific concerns.

I’m told I have a tendency to be extremely deter mined/ir ritating when I want something.

I’ll adopt the strategy of Napoleon the Forum hill cat - (metaphorically) sit on management and stop them from moving on until our needs have been satisfied.

Only this doggedness will achieve a safer, greener Exeter.

biggest Highlight at weakness? exeter I get involved in absolutely everything! No matter what the initiative is, if a student comes to me with a fantastic idea then I want to help them achieve it! I spend a lot of overtime and spare time getting involved in events, societies, and movements outside the remit I have in my current role. This is precisely the reason I am running as President.

As an officer, highlights have been the times when I’ve had to stand up against what others want in the interests of students.

Like altering plans for an £80million development to make sure there is a consultation with disabled students about their accessibility needs. Highlights have also been the opportunities to bring students together, including spending Christmas Day on campus with estranged students and care leavers.

Being a Team Leader for Welcome Team!

As somebody who struggled with moving to university, it was really rewarding to be able to help students settle into their halls and reassure their parents, and then help make sure they had safe and enjoyable nights out that week!

I’ve a tendency to take on too much work at one time, spread myself too thinly and only perform adequately.

I’ve built my manifesto around this principle - I’d rather promise a few crucial ideas and deliver them exceptionally than promise everything and not deliver a safer, greener Exeter.

I organised a joint charity Ball of nine Societies last winter which raised £1152.60.

Convincing Committees from eight other Societies to set aside their differences and work together was a real highlight Exeter students are the best at coming together for the right cause, let’s come together now for a safer, greener Exeter.

javier monroyyepez

I will: create a student patrol, where students can ask to be walked home, and install more lights on campus; restructure the Guild and its councils.

Societies should be trusted with their own bank account and grant process should be expanded.

There will be more paper recycling bins, and more initiatives to reduce paper waste.

I will put the number needed to report hate crimes on the back of the student ID, and I will have more international events. I will expand Hardship and Retention Fund through charity fundraisers and by using the surplus from society budgets. Finally, I will address student mental health and offer funding to Wellbeing.

Societies: Exeter University’s Model United Nations, Politics Society, Latin American Society, Catholic Society

Yanyao Deng

EXEPOSÉ VERDICT GUILD PRESIDENT DEBATE 19 feb

A lack of connectivity between student and those that represent them. We have now had 2 scandals in a row linked with racism, being a minority I want to be at the forefront of fighting for more representation and less discrimination.

Having spent a year as a shadow councillor, I have learnt the ways to challenge those in charge and pointing out where they are going wrong. Not also scrutinising but suggesting and asking ways to improve, not being afraid to speak my mind.

One of my personal weaknesses is that I tend to overcommit to things. I have found this out the hard way, however, throughout my second year I have found the right balance between degree, activities and socialising.

Thanks to me perfecting my time management.

One afternoon when in the FG kitchen (Duryard), my friend Kiera and I were eating pizza and ice cream. We then looked outside and saw a deer. Being so close to nature but also the city has provided a great balance of scenery. This is one of many fond memories.

I will achieve more frequent recognition of student achievements, by implementing awards like society of the month. I will ensure that all three campuses are represented equally. I will spend time at all campuses in order to assemble the points of view of all student parties. I will increase student feedback through Unfortunately, this candidate drop-in sessions, suggestion boxes, email surveys was unable to provide answers and face-to-face contact. I will increase Postgraduate, to our questions International, Mature, Culture interaction, Gender equality and LGBT student participation and awareness. To do so I will to set up open forums and working groups. I will increase the influence of women by creating programs and specific support for victims.

HE amount of responsibilities Guild Presidents have organisations, particularly Blake’s VP Postgraduate improvement of lighting on campus, but the way they mean that most of this year’s manifestos read as role and Watts’ position as societies officer. However, would deal with financial costs is not brought up. broad roadmaps. Acknowledging this, Sunday Blake’s candidates who mention student feedback make it Finally, of particular interest are the ways candidates redirects readers to her website which expands each of unclear how this is going to improve, mentioning treat inclusivity issues. BME, disabled and international her pledges. Oliver Bradbear’s focus is on sustainability, systems already in place with questionable success so far, students are highlighted by Blake, Monroy-Yepez focuses whereas the other candidates are vague on this. such as open council meetings. on international holidays and Yanyao Deng emphasises His detailed wording of points such as the switch to Some of the broader generalisations belong to the gender and LGBTQ+ equality. On the other hand, this is renewable energy contrasts with Jack Watts’s pledge topic of funding. Monroy-Yepez argues for societies to not mentioned in the manifestos of Bradbear and Watts: to “waste less energy.” In this regard, Blake turns to manage their own accounts, but later contradicts himself, inclusivity or diversity do not even appear as buzzwords. outsourcing expertise and Javier Monroy-Yepez focuses saying their surplus money should go to hardship funds. This is surprising given the ongoing history of inequality on recycling.

Both Watts and Monroy-Yepez mention an increase in on campus, and it will be interesting to see how they All candidates have some experience with student security patrols, and Bradbear emphasises the need for face these issues at the hustings.

T

VP Activities MANIFESTO

Full manifestos available online

LIV HARVEY Societies: Footlights, Contemporary Choir

VP ACTIVITIES DEBATE 17 feb

EXEPOSÉ VERDICT

I will improve training for society committees and make all paper forms digital, more How To Videos and a shift towards online training. I want to support societies running eco-friendly initiatives with society grants. Adopt a Charity Initiative will allow societies to choose from a selection of charities to raise money for. I will repurpose the St Luke’s Guild space, reach out to underrepresented students and make Hardship Fund more accessible. I will affiliate the Guild with a training provider to enhance their employability. A bookable ‘busking’ area in the Forum and a termly bookable stage for larger performance groups will provide more opportunities for societies to showcase themselves.

L

IV Harvey is back, and this time she’s unopposed. Harvey’s manifesto is strong and organised, spanning the various aspects of society politics, engagement, and inclusivity.

She plans to continue several of the manifesto points she has implemented in the current year,

Current VP Activities: Liv Harvey

How to WHAT biggest ensure that COMPELLED problem Biggest Exeter student YOU TO RUN facing weakness? highlight? societies and democracy is FOR A SECOND effective?

TERM? groups?

The Guild’s bureaucracy, whilst important, often creates problems for societies. I believe in a balance; we need to ensure our processes aren’t inflexible. To help towards this, I’m hoping continuing to develop How To videos will have a positive impact by taking committee members through processes step by step.

For me, we need to be less bureaucratic and more responsive. We need to move away from having a ‘representation for representations sake’ approach and focus on who needs representing and who needs a louder voice. By establishing key players within our membership, this will allow us to move faster when issues arise.

Firstly, it is an absolute honour to represent the student body and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to do it again. Secondly, a year is not enough! A second term not only gives me time to implement new initiatives but it allows me to continue projects I’m passionate about. This continuity is key in making long-lasting change.

as well as incorporating some newer ideas. These include society showcases and an emphasis on welfare and bystander intervention training.

She seems passionate about existing and novel projects, as well. Yet whilst comprehensive, Harvey’s manifesto does not seem to explicitly

My to-do lists I’m really bad managing them instead of focusing on the most important thing. I absolutely love this job but you have to be ready to scrap your plan for the day and deal with the problem in front of you...

My highlight has to be producing Oklahoma! with Footlights in my final year. It was through this process that I worked most closely with the Guild and this played a massive part in my decision to run for VP Activities.

focus on Guild governance, with terms such as “less bureaucratic” sounding somewhat vague rather than action focused.

Exeposé are eager to see how she expands upon these ideas, specifically her plans around greater committee support.

VP Education Full manifestos available online

SIRA CHARBEL Subject: Maths

Societies: Exeposé, MENA, Subject Rep SSLC

PENNY DINH Role: VP Education Societies: Vegetarian Society , LGBTQ+ Society, Psychology Society, Exeposé, Body Society, Undergraduate Science Journal

VP Education debate: 18 feb Image: Dietmar

Penny Dinh

MANIFESTO

what’s THE biggest problem facing exeter?

Do students get value for money from the university?

If elected, there are three main things I would like to work on. The current mitigation system does not consider a lot of conditions that could actually impact your quality of work, and that you have no control over. If elected, I will work on and advocate a system for mitigation that is more trusting, culturally aware and more accessible - as well as a new system for monitoring attendance that focuses on the students’ wellbeing and the reasons why they are not in attendance in the first place. While students in the Humanities have done an amazing job advocating for decolonising the curriculum, I have yet to see anything about decolonising STEM. If Elected, I would continue to support the Humanities in their endeavour, but also help STEM begin to decolonise its curriculum, by recognising the scientific contributions of Scientists of Colour to science.

While a lot of effort is made to bring diversity in, not very much effort is brought into keeping and safeguarding the people that come in. It’s great to advertise universities to people who might not otherwise consider it like first generation students. However, the current environment is not one where those students can thrive. Thus we should aim to provide support for the students we currently have who are from marginalised communities, especially if we want to bring more of those students in.

It depends on what you seek when you enrol. If you want your course and nothing else, then it varies from course to course, but it is safe to say that we have good Lecturers and teaching staff. If you consider the difficulties faced by students however, like mental health issues, issues with accessing academic support etc. then no. We do not get good value for money.

I am very committed to this. In I have been told fact, it is a point in my manifesto. rather often that I am As a STEM student, I have not stubborn. seen an attempt to decolonise the curriculum in my department and I am determined to fix that. I aim to recognise the works of Scientists of Colour, of Writers of Colour, of Academics of Colour. For instance, in my subject, Mathematics, it means recognising that while a formula may have been discovered by a white Mathematician in Europe, it could also have been discovered before by a Mathematician elsewhere.

I will lobby the university to create modules that address important political issues, such as climate change and inequality. I will hold events to open dialogues on these. I will work with local trade unions such as UCU to address workers’ rights in higher education. I will work with the NUS, local and national politicians, to address political issues that affect students. I will organise regular dropin stations around campus to talk about your education experience and let you submit agenda items for Academic Executive directly. My focus in decolonising education will be to reduce the gap between the proportion of BAME students achieving a 1st and 2:1 compared to that of white students, lobbying for the university to publicly release an annual report of BAME Awarding Gap data. I will make sure the Students’ Guild addresses its institutional racism and reform our grievance policy to ensure BAME students and staff are empowered to advocate for themselves.

Accessibility and inclusion. The University often only addresses accessibility and inclusion as an afterthought, instead of taking into account the needs of marginalised students from the start. A lot of our policies and practices were established on the assumption of ‘the average Exeter student’: young, white, native English speaker, from a wealthy background, with an abled body. The deficit model of fixing the problem as it arises, as we see at Exeter, has not been effective in anticipating and meeting the needs of marginalised students.

Absolutely not. On top of tuition fees, students often have to pay for expensive textbooks, printing, graduation, and not to mention living costs. In addition, marginalised students, e.g., BAME students and disabled students, often engage less in learning and in extracurricular activities in the community because of lack of accessibility and inclusion on campus. These students, thus, get even less value for money from the University.

Next year, my focus in decolonising education will be to reduce the gap between the proportion of BAME students achieving a 1st and 2:1 compared to that of white students, which was 13% in 2018/19. I aim to mobilise student reps to put pressure on their department to have actions to address the BAME awarding gap in their Teaching Excellence Action Plan, and on the University to publicly pledge to reduce the gap to 0% by 2025. I want to see concrete actions written in language that students can understand and engage with, and be publicly available.

T EXEPOSÉ VERDICT

Current VP Education:

WO candidates are running for VP Education, and whilst their manifestos share similar campaign promises, one offers a distinctly sharper vision for a transformed Exeter than the other.

Both prioritise inclusion and accessibility as a central focus for change. Incumbent VP Education Penny Dinh, who is rerunning for the position, makes a detailed commitment to combatting racial injustice.

Her manifesto offers specific plans and mentions her prior work organising decolonisation panels. Dinh also intends to make the University commitment to reducing Exeter’s current BAME attainment gap to 0 per cent by 2025, a bold promise that makes a pleasing break from the meek manifestos of the past.

Sira Charbel also makes a sharp point: whilst Exeter is committed to widening participation, the institution struggles to create an inclusive environment. She is interested in pushing forward decolonization through STEM subjects, but her facts are wrong: Psychology and Geography have actually made considerable progress in this area, even compared to the humanities. Moreover, both candidates mistake decolonisation for diversification: decolonisation involves a longform pedagogical

revision of the curriculum to ensure that schools of thought from all across the globe are represented, and not only ideas created in Europe. Dinh’s pledge to addressing the BAME attainment gap is laudable, as is Charbel’s interest in highlighting the achievements of non-white scientists. But their failure to define decolonisation -a central point of Charbel’s manifesto- will be challenged.

Dinh is confident that students do not get value for money. She touches on the pertinent issues of expensive textbooks and living costs, challenges which are often left unmentioned by the University prospectus. However, more importantly, Dinh narrows her focus to the concerns of BAME and disabled students, offering a clarity and specificity of vision that is lacking in several other candidates.

Charbel, on the other hand, is more equivocal.

Her suggestion that a student’s value for money varies depending on their course title is questionable.

It is true that an English undergraduate course is cheaper to teach than an Engineering degree. But Charbel’s vague answers are suffused with a worrying implication that she thinks some courses have lesser value than others.

Dinh’s manifesto covers a wider scope, pledging

HOW COMMITTED are you to a decolonised curriculum?

BIGGEST WEAKNESS?

Imposter Syndrome. Often the minority in the room, I would question my ability and my qualifications every now and then.

to establish better ties with the University & College Union. The role of VP Education will involve dialogue with University teaching staff. Dinh was often visible on the pickets during the November to December industrial action, which illustrates her awareness of the challenges faced by University staff. Charbel, however, mentions student only. This suggests a fundamental misunderstanding of the role, which requires candidates to take guidance from SSLC college officers, communicate with lecturers and maintaining a working with the Deputy Vice Chancellor Education. This is an urgent problem and will surely be challenged during the debates.

The debate will likely focus on the candidate’s differing levels of experience. Dinh already has extensive experience in the role and was centrally involved in loosening the University’s strict late submission policy. Charbel, on the other hand, tends to make a virtue of her inexperience; she reminds us that she did not know anything about the Guild during the first two years of her degree. Of course, Charbel has contributed to the Equality Panel and, if elected, will receive training. Whether Exeter will prefer a tested candidate over a fresh voice remains to be seen.

VP Welfare & Diversity RUBY JONES Subject: English Societies: The Bluebells, A Capella Society

PIP UDEN Subject: English and Drama Societies: Filipino Society, upReach Society, URBN Dance

Grace arber Subject: Politics and International Relations Societies: Pole Fitness Society, Muay Thai, Vegetarian and Vegan Society

EXEPOSÉ VERDICT VP Welfare & diversity debate: 19 feb

Katie Heard

do you feel that what’s THE the university biggest problem is an inclusive facing exeter? environment?

MANIFESTO

Full manifestos available online

Current VP Welfare & Diversity:

relationship between a University environment and good mental wellbeing?

Biggest weakness?

I’d make it compulsory for tutors to read every student’s ILP at the start of a new class. I would also improve accessibility by digitizing the disabled parking bays on campus via iExeter. I’d work with Wellbeing to create alternative support when waiting lists are too long.

I aim to decolonise mental health support through employment of a person of colour to support those experiencing issues that a white counsellor may be unequipped for. I’d introduce anti-racist practices by training staff in what racism means and looks like, and through educating all students on actions to take if racism is witnessed. I would also integrate INTO students into the Guild through monthly meetings in the INTO building café. With the VP Education, I’d look to decolonise the current curriculum. Finally, I aim to improve welfare of all students by introducing a system where students can anonymously report harassment and discrimination.

Currently, the biggest issue we face at Exeter is failing to acknowledge and make changes where issues of accessibility, racism, sexism and mental health arise. There are many great events that celebrate diversity throughout the academic year, yet action must be taken to ensure we amplify the voices of the marginalised and work towards solving these problems.

Exeter has taken strides towards inclusivity in recent years, yet there is still a long way to go in terms of becoming a fully inclusive environment. Students not being able to attend classes due to inaccessibility or being subject to hate-speech are issues that we cannot be complacent with. Exeter should be for everyone.

I feel my biggest weakness is also possibly my biggest strength and that is that I become incredibly emotionally invested in issues of welfare and inclusivity. This often can be a detriment to my health, so being aware of this weakness allows me to step back and become objective when necessary.

A university environment should do two things; provide comfort and safety for all of its students, and encourage growth of academic and personal abilities. Mental wellbeing relies on these things to flourish. It’s imperative that we feel safe in our university setting with no damage to our mental health.

I will lobby for guarantor support for international and UK careexperienced/estranged students; equip committees to run societies at lower costs so underprivileged students can participate, as well as introducing the Social Mobility Campaign Week, raising awareness of class culture. I will compile welfare/finance/employability support and off-campus GPs into a handbook for the first week of term, and optimise iExeter’s Wellbeing Tile. I’ll introduce a “Confidential Space” label for online room booking system to improve safety and improve translations of GP Registration and Mitigation/Deferral pages to tackle accessibility. Equality Panellists and Panel Heads will be trained to run the campaigns and events that matter to them, and I will increase student engagement with University and Guild meetings. I will make Sexual Harassment and EDI training compulsory for at least one committee member, and develop a Staff and Student Minority Board to approve inclusivity initiatives for marginalised students.

Its inability to intervene on wider societal issues. Year after year, we have racist scandals, invalidation of people’s struggles, and a lack of compassion towards students that are struggling to get through their degree. Discrimination and issues with wellbeing don’t just start here. If our University truly believes in inclusivity, we must engage the disengaged and ensure all students are learning beyond their degree.

Exeter was ranked as the 4th least inclusive uni in the UK. Although the stats are quite shocking, I believe that the University has inclusive environments within it, but I also think the University has a long way to go to make the environment universally inclusive. This won’t happen until the University are making direct changes after feedback from student concerns.

Due to growing up in kinship care and not wanting to be a burden on my grandparents, I’ve had to set the bar much higher and produce an excellent standard of work to be successful. Because of this, my biggest weakness is underestimating my achievements, and sometimes forgetting to reward myself.

If a University environment is supportive of our personal development, and welcoming towards students from a variety of backgrounds, it is bound to have a good impact on our mental wellbeing. It’s as simple as that.

Pledges include to establish an Induction for all Freshers and introduce a Night Bus for safety. Establish a Sexual Health month and campus-wide ‘Take Back The Night’ for survivors; build upon History Months; a program designed to teach you skills to #LiveWell and providing you with affordable trips around the South West to #BeWell. I will demand that the University increases Wellbeing funding; ends the capping of waiting lists; employs culturallycompetent counsellors to meet the needs of our diverse student body; initiates a solution to Digital Check-in issues and implements ILP recommendations; improves the January exam period timings and mitigation; reduces inequality in complaints process and ensures welfare provision to St Luke’s. Other pledges: to work with VP Activities to start up a Refresher’s Talent Show; more Wellbeing-led support groups; takeover of Cornwall House during exam seasons.

The biggest problem facing Exeter is that students have internalised a set of norms which lead us to expect to be stressed, ignored and unsupported. We glorify overwork, overlook a culture of racism and sexual harassment and anticipate poor mental health outcomes; chalking it all down to ‘part of the student experience’. We need to demand better.

No. Inclusivity goes beyond rhetoric and tokenism; it requires meaningful action. We can’t call Exeter an inclusive environment by splashing Diwali photos on our Facebook page while still failing to address the racist language our BAME students face on a daily basis and routinely ignoring the ILPs of our disabled students.

Choosing my battles.

I always want to be able to give everything my all, all of the time.

However, the Guild’s limited budget and the University’s resistance to change means that I will need to learn to prioritise which manifesto points I really fight for and which ones can wait for later.

Good mental wellbeing can only be sustained when students live in a supportive learning environment which allows everyone every opportunity to succeed. Clearly, this isn’t the case at Exeter; so it’s no wonder so many students seek out Wellbeing Services.

W

ITH a remit splitting two considerably weighty segments, VP Welfare and Diversity manifestos tend to be generally quite broad. This year’s candidates follow the trend, with plans spanning across a spectrum, yet narrowing into individual candidates’ passions for the role.

It is, of course, paramount that both halves of the role are weighed equally, with action focused points not just weighted towards the Welfare segment. Ruby Jones and Pip Uden specifically emphasize the considerable issues around inclusivity that Exeter experiences. Jones however,

whose manifesto structures around inclusivity and accessibility, daringly uses the term “decolonise,” suggesting a collaboration with the VP Education.

Grace Arber also suggests that antiracist workshops be incorporated in Freshers’ Week, as one of her several project ideas surrounding safety, wellbeing, and sustainability.

Uden has a specialised focus on international students, promising to lobby the University to act as a housing guarantor for international and estranged students. Arber’s manifesto, whilst being primarily welfare focused, suggests an

intersectional approach to the wellbeing crisis by employing “culturally competent” counsellors to cater to the diverse student body.

Whilst these are unique and considerably novel manifesto promises, the candidates do tend to fall into the trap of referring to a vague concept of “inclusivity” and seldom offering actively antiracist or decolonising action plans. Exeposé are looking forward to seeing how these candidates discuss their approaches to the role in the debates and interviews, during what is looking to be an insightful discussion.

AU President MANIFESTO

Cameron TaYLOR Role: AU President Clubs: Exeter University Rugby Club, Exeter University Women’s Rugby Club

BEN HART Subject: English Clubs: Exeter University Athletic Football Club

ARLEN VEYSEY Subject: History Clubs: Exeter Fencing Society, Gin Society, Diplomatic Hub, LGBTQ+ Society

EXEPOSÉ VERDICT AU PRESIDENT debate: 5:30pm, 17 feb

what’s THE biggest problem facing exeter?

Run another #DevonAgainstRacism conference for Black History Month, building upon the work I started last year. This will explore issues of racism in sport with speakers. Work closely with the Guild’s Disability Panel to improve disability sport offer; introduce inclusive sports such as Sitting Volleyball; work with the gym team to introduce a quiet gym hour.

SABB ELECTIONS 2020 | EXEPOSÉ

Current AU President:

Cameron Taylor

Are gender/ diversity imbalances an area for improvement?

biggEST WEAKNESS?

Exeter Highlight?

A lack of investment in our sports facilities (particularly our Sports Halls which are no longer fit for purpose)

I think this depends on the context of the question. Many of our AU clubs are hugely diverse both in terms of gender and ethnic background (e.g.

Korfball, Basketball, Table Tennis and Boxing to name but a few). Yet some groups such as LGBTQ+, mature students and disabled students are not very well represented within the AU.

I will liaise with the Guild and focus on safety of students on Timepiece Wednesdays; introduce mentors to help first years settle via a buddy system; make mental health first aid qualifications more available; work with the Guild to promote student safety.

I will ensure that the culture of our sports clubs is friendly and inclusive through ‘Good Lad’ initiative workshops which I recently attended and introducing a ‘Volunteer Recognition Award’ to highlight those who do not merely participate competitively; work with AccessAbility to provide more opportunities for students with disabilities; help clubs in their distribution of club kit to students in need of funding; help clubs stage spotlight event throughout the year; developing the structure of intramural sport; facilitate communication between clubs.

I think that helping students with their mental wellbeing is an issue of critical importance for the AU. The AU has the opportunity to lead the way in making welfare support more accessible for students. I truly believe that the positive change and the impact that the AU can have will inspire the wider student body to not only consider, but also feel more confident in talking about their own mental health.

Absolutely. There are of course gender imbalances but we must not neglect people’s socio-economic backgrounds or disabilities, to name but a couple. From my experience within football, it’s about how we can welcome and cater for all people of all backgrounds on a consistent basis, not merely making token gestures. For example rather than supporting rainbow laces for a one-off weekend, I believe our top teams should wear the laces all year round.

I’m an absolute sucker for giant Chocolate buttons, a long-standing kryptonite. I tend to want to do things at 100 mph and struggle to think rationally about a problem at times. But that’s where sport comes in to it for me, going out for a run, or attending a training session. It really helps me to clear my head, to think more logically and to find a clear solution.

Exeter does Strictly was unforgettable experience, standing in green hot pants in front of 500 people, having just danced the Jive, isn’t something you get to do every day.

I will make Refresher’s a proper event similar to Fresher’s Week.

It all starts with us giving each other the opportunity to develop ourselves, and getting involved in sport is the best and most enjoyable way. I will provide clubs with comprehensive feedback questionnaires for members regarding the impact of the AU and how they are doing both in a sporting and personal capacity. I will have the greenest sports Fresher’s Fair possible, given the climate emergency. I will keep pushing for more diversity and inclusion in sport and encourage students to feed back about their sporting experience. I will help clubs build links between students and the local community; work with sports to help develop by engaging with NGB, local and regional communities; provide opportunities for coaching. I would like to develop more links between all sports. By increasing communication between clubs we can help each other create and seize opportunities which we may not have known about.

In recent years mental health has been a key issue which is being discussed on a national scale, and the fact that it is becoming much more socially and culturally acceptable to talk about it is amazing. I want to continue to promote this discussion as well as putting words into action. By involving more people in sport and cultivating this positive community, we will be on our way to improving.

Particularly in sports, gender and diversity imbalances are issues which affect all sports.

Thus, inclusion and development is key. If we can get as many people as possible involved in sport, and loving sport, then that is a huge win for everyone. The more people we get into sport and enjoying it, the more issues like gender and diversity imbalances are positively worked on.

My biggest weakness is probably my anxiety.

The well-being team at the university has really helped me. Furthermore, by rigorously pushing myself for personal empowerment, I have been training constantly at university to improve my mental wellbeing and in my experience sport is the number one solution.

Having the opportunity to get involved on a sports’ committee gave me the chance to develop parts of a sport in a positive and constructive way, which I had not had the opportunity to do before university.

Monthly ‘Go Green’ challenges to encourage sustainability in sports clubs. ‘Sustainability Award’ competition at AU Dinner; encourage clubs to purchase eco-friendly PlayerLayer kit.

Work with the Good Lad Initiative to create bespoke training workshops our sports clubs, which will provide templates for clubs to adopt as best practice; compulsory training for all committee members; collaborate with Wellbeing and societies to increase knowledge and awareness of eating disorders.

W

HILST all the candidates are able to highlight key issues within the AU, what sets them apart is how they specifically plan on approaching them. Mental health has become a bit of a buzz word in the AU culture, and more often than not, not much is changed. Arlen Veysey has a clear three point plan that pledges to work on ethics, a love of sport and community interaction. His emphasis on community is his most striking feature of his manifesto that sets him apart from both Ben Hart and Cameron Taylor.

Of course, Cameron Taylor is re-running for his role. After a quite successful remit, running initiative’s like #GoodLad, which Hart plans to continue. His experience is evident in his extremely focused manifesto, that clearly proposes his plans in working on inclusion, for example, with a #devonagainstracism conference. Arlen, on the other hand, for example, simply states a desire to help the AU become more inclusive, his avoidance of detail reveals his lack of experience.

However, his personal battles with mental

Over-committing. One of my key learning points since being in the role is that prioritising and being able to say ‘no’ is a hugely important skill. I took on too much work in first term and realised I was spreading myself too thinly. Since the New Year I have been delegating a lot more which has helped tremendously.

Definitely being elected to become AU President. I have loved every second of it. Being able to represent students at senior level, challenge norms, and learn from others has been a hugely rewarding and fulfilling experience.

health provides a first hand insight in how to appropriately deal with issues of mental health in the world of sport. Interestingly, Hart and Taylor acknowledge a wider issue in sport accessibility that stretches wider than gender, with socio-economic backgrounds and disability given equal weighting of importance.

Overall, whilst all seem enthuastic about the role and understand the issues that it comes with, Taylor’s experience inevitably propels him to be far more equipped to carrying out initatives that will tackle them.

VP Postgraduate

SABB ELECTIONS 2020 | EXEPOSÉ

Full manifestos available online

JOSIP MARTINCIC Subject/Research: PhD Drama

JANICE HOANG Subject/Research: Medical Education

ZHENXIAN LU Subject/Research: Money Banking and Finance

EXEPOSÉ VERDICT

MANIFESTO

what’s THE biggest problem facing Postgrads?

Current VP Postgrad: Sunday Blake

HOW would you integrate postgrads into the community?

biggest highlight weakness?

I will streamline and simplify systems which cause unnecessary frustration to both students and staff. With the upcoming UCU strikes, the University will have money to redistribute. I will get dedicated support for postgraduates: I created the PG Mental Health and Wellbeing Week last year and will run it termly. For Black and LGBT History Months, I will run profiles of current postgraduates about the personal impact of icons from their communities. I will have termly 1-2-1 meetings with PG reps and reward Rep of the Month. Mature students have specific needs and I will address them in this role. I will lobby for a comprehensive, inclusive technological literacy induction for PG students. I will ensure better Guild presence at St. Luke’s, including Freshers’ Week, lobby for the return of the shop and spend one day a week on St. Luke’s. Masters students need a stronger presence on SSLC and I will ensure this through training and follow-up. I will lobby the university for more college-level PhD scholarships and a PTA rep for every college

Lack of funding opportunities and financial pressures. Like Undergraduates, PGs face issues of desk space and wellbeing support, but crucially, as mature students, we face the difficulty of supporting ourselves through our education.

I will lobby the university to introduce more college-level scholarships and more budgetfriendly food options on campus.

PGTs - I will ensure fair academ- As I am very enic representation (SSLC) thusiastic, I often commit to too PGRs - I will introduce a re- many things, taksearch seminar series and sup- ing on many chalport college-level conferences lenges at once.

However, as a fullDistance and Part-time - I will time VP PG, I will lobby for more webinars, Skype be able to focus use and ELE content on projects which help improve the Overall - I will work with the student experience Postgraduate and Mature Stu- of the postgradudents Societies on a wide range ate community, of events. including helping achieve a good work-life balance.

Organising the first PG Health and Wellbeing week. As the first-ever VP Postgraduate (2018-19) I worked on this project, which came out of an online survey and consultation. It was very well received and a joy to work on.

My main focus as a VP Postgraduate will be to enhance equality, wellbeing and promote interdisciplinary and international collaboration among postgraduate students.

I will strive for postgraduate scholarships for fieldwork, conferences, publishing, workshops; PGR study spaces availability; and an improvement to wellbeing supports services.

I will create more activities to promote interdisciplinary collaboration for the student community. This will allow us to come up with innovative ideas and solutions on global issues. I will work with faculties to support international students pursuing academic careers after their degrees, including those affected by Brexit. I will represent students by giving regular feedback to the Guild and my Faculty; participating in Welcome inductions; attending course and faculty meetings; supporting students outside my remit and being accessible to everyone.

Promoting interdisciplinary and international collaboration.

There are roughly 250 societies and student groups, categorised into approximately 13 different groups: hobbies, academic or interests. This offers multiple options for students in selecting which societies will be suitable and interesting for them. However, this can create over categorization and restrict choice and diversity, and collaborations. This might limit inclusion and innovation for Exeter’s student community in general and postgraduate community in particular.

Integration into the community forms a major part of the role but postgraduate students’ needs can be wider than this.

In my role as a postgraduate student representative last year, I understood that postgraduate students’ need study space availability, wellbeing services, teaching assistant vacations, or networking with communities; in looking for potential collaborations in developing their future careers.

It is very important to listen to the postgraduates’ needs and support them

The University of Exeter has a friendly and safe learning environment with a lot of supportive services for student life. Besides, lecturers and academics are always willing to answer and help students with constructive feedback.

I am going to help Chinese students integrate into British culture and enrich their daily life. The issue I am going to address is culture conflicts and some mental unhealthy caused by culture isolation. To make it measurable, I am going to organize a variety of events regularly, such as British Culture Salon, Coffee Culture Workshop or a British Dessert Workshop. These events info can be posted on ELE, newspaper and other social media so that students are aware of them. It is expected to improve British Student Community and Chinese Students Community. To make it achievable, I will cooperate with the Chinese society, with Exeter City Community Trust and others and build a social media group to reach more students. Meanwhile, lecturers at Exeter University could give lectures about British Culture and History.

VP POSTGRADUATE DEBATE 18 feb

A

LL candidates offer detailed plans to reshape the future of Exeter’s postgraduate communities, ranging from addressing the needs of mature students (Martincic), the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration (Hoang), and the integration of international students into the wider community (Lu).

Martincic’s specific pledges to mature students, particularly in regards to

In busy times, I sometimes don’t remember what I need to do or where I left something for a split second. I have overcome this by setting a clear action plan/ timeline within a timeframe; by using scheduling tools on computer or phone to make sure things don’t slip away and critical things don’t get forgotten.

Unfortunately, this candidate was unable to provide answers to our questions

tenant’s rights, shows an awareness of the diverse requirements of postgraduate students.

He acknowledges that postgraduates, like undergraduates, also struggle to spot a vacant study space on campus, but also experience problems specific to their experience as mature students, such as being incorrectly charged council tax.

Hoang is likewise concerned about

the financial realities of postgraduate study. Her central pledge to improve student welfare highlights the need for the University to increase funding for PhD candidates so they might attend often expensive conferences and workshops, which will resonate with the postgraduate community.

It will be fascinating to see how they differ on these issues during the debates.

Campaigns through the years

All images: ExeposĂŠ

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arts + lit Two stars

How do they do it ? Zach Mayford, Arts+Lit Editor, interviews student thespians on their work-life balances

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S Exeposé’s Arts and Lit Editor, I’ve reviewed a swathe of student plays, and often noticed the same names cropping up again and again. This led me to wonder- just how are people managing to balance term-loads of coursework and seasons-worth of exams whilst pulling off professional standard theatrics and stealing the show month after month? To get a full picture of the page to stage process, I

Milly Parker, Actress, Director and 1st Year History Student I first saw you in the EUTCO drama event last term, so I assume you were a first year, and it was your first time there? How did you manage to get such a central role?

MP: I don’t really know. I went into the audition and I only skimmed through the sheet that they placed outside. I didn’t even realise that I needed to do an American accent, so I just went in with my natural accent, but she really loved it. I got the role and did my natural accent for the performance anyway.

How much time do you have to devote to rehearsals for each show?

MP: I’d say roughly three times a week, three hours at a time in the evenings. On top of that, when it comes to show week, it will be every night of that week. They will also do trailers, so there will also be headshots.

Socials as well, generally people go to the pub after rehearsals, and go for nights out. It takes up a massive chunk of your time.

How do you balance the workloads, compared to your previous first year?

MP: Well, I changed course - I did English and Drama last year, and switched my course to History, so I am still in my first year. History is a lot more intense and I don’t have much spare time to study or do all of the readings.

It definitely got a lot tougher to balance the workload and acting.

FOR MANY, PLAYS ARE PASSION PROJECTS AND SHOWS ARE THEIR BABIES

interviewed Millie Parker, who primarily acts, and Sam Thomson, an expert behind the scenes and behind the camera. Millie Parker had a starring role in her first term and has gone on to portray Shakespearean leading ladies, and direct comedy shows. Sam, on top of his responsibilities as Print Screen Editor at Exeposé, is a playwright, a prolific videographer and now an assistant producer in an upcoming Footlights show.

I want to know a bit more about your work-acting balance - do you think student actors struggle with time management?

MP: Definitely. For people in drama, their shows are like their babies - it is a complete passion project, everyone is so involved.

They will put the show before their degree work. It’s fantastic but it really tires you out.

But we do manage to get it done in the end.

Often people will want to get into acting or film after university in their careers, so it might make sense to skew it slightly.

Do you have any tips on how to balance your time? Any schedules put in place?

MP: I aim to finish my university work in the morning, as much as I can. If I wake up at 9am, I can do a couple of hours of work, that will be great and have the evening for drama. If I have a deadline and I am due to direct a show on the same day, I try not to leave it last minute.

I directed the Rocky Horror Show, and after the show had the after party, so I had to do work for my deadline a couple of days in advance. There is no way I could get things done afterwards.

In terms of the social element of drama, were there any barriers or cliquiness to it that kind of stopped you from joining their drama societies?

MP: I found it hard at first, as I was in a show with a lot of people who were older than me, so they already had their established friendship groups.

When I was supposed to be socialising with people in my course, I was just doing cast socials. Sometimes I felt like I hadn’t really established my own friendship group and everyone was with their respective friendship groups. It was kind of sad, and added to the post show blues.

Now I have been involved with more shows and met more new people, I’ve also acted and directed, you do develop your own friendship base. I think everyone struggles to start their own study group - not everyone gets put in a flat and gets along with

everyone. My cast has become my family, so it is sad when they leave.

Images (Left to Right): Exeter Comedy Society, Zach Mayford, Exeter University Theatre Company

Musical Theatre Videographer and Producer Sam Thomson, Exeposé Screen Editor.

So roughly how many hours do you think you dedicate to each show?

ST: So I usually do production team roles for shows. What I do is videography or photography, which involves being in rehearsals once a week minimum for three hours, and then added onto that is reviewing and editing time for photos and videos and then send them over. Lots of shows also do fundraising events, promo events and of course the launch nights which I have to attend and film.

I HAVE SACRIFICED UNI WORK FOR THEATRE COMMITMENTS So that probably makes up at least six hours a week every week. But for this new job I’m doing, which is Assistant Producer on Exeter Footlights’ Crazy for You I’m working on stuff every day, there’s lots of admin and liaising. That’s definitely pushing up to ten hours or more every week.

So would you say as you work up the ladder the work-time increases exponentially, or are there people on the first rung working everyday too?

ST: There are lots of people on the lower rungs working lots of hours but it definitely does increase, especially when you get to the point when you’re managing people as a producer or director.

As a producer you could be responsible for 30 people at least, and overseeing a large scale production structure, and being liable for making sure everybody is on track.

And how did you get your foot in the door in first year to get things started?

ST: Well, I’m not a drama student myself, which put me on the back foot at first. These are just things you don’t really hear about if you’re not in the loop. Within the academic drama world the societies are very present and active but Film Studies is quite a small subject. I learnt about it just by bumping into people who are involved and showing interest really. As soon as I started to learn about it, it got a lot easier- auditions and interviews are heavily publicised online and on social media. They were very accepting really.

The first show I ever did was The Remarkables with Shotgun, and it ended up working out very well.

Now you’ve worked with a few different drama societies, do you think they’re all pretty open and accessible across the board, or some more than others?

ST: Actually, I think the bigger societies are

probably more inclusive. There is a stigma about inclusivity and cliquiness in Exeter drama societies, but I’ve found that even the larger societies make a lot of effort to bring new people in whenever they can.

And do you think there are many times when you’ve sacrificed uni work for theatre commitments?

ST: Yes. Definitely. It usually comes about because rehearsals take place during weekdays, and are almost always scheduled late in the evening. For example, Spotlight rehearsals are from 6pm until 9pm, which is in that prime spot where I’d be doing uni work. It’s definitely been tough squeezing uni work around shows, especially when show weeks are near deadline season. That’s the time you need to be committing the most time to each demand.

exhibit

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arts + lit

EDITORS: Cherry-Anastasia Boroceanu and Zach Mayford

17 FEB 2020 |

21

Dali’s melting locks A new heist of the art world’s darlings? Will Evans reports

B

RONZE sculptures created by artist Salvador Dali have been stolen from the Couleur Gallery in Stockholm, Sweden. The pieces were on loan as part of an exhibit running at the Couleur Gallery and included two of his famous melting clock sculptures. The stolen pieces were worth £15,000 to £40,000 each.

Police confirmed that thieves smashed their way through the glass doors of the museum and quickly grabbed the pieces from the collection before getting away but declined to give any further information.

Peder Engström, the owner of the Couleur Gallery, said to the Daily Telegraph “The police say it seemed well-planned. They were pretty good at what they were doing” “I feel awful, of course. What else is there to feel? It was a wonderful exhibition of Salvador Dali, and now it’s over.”

THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT DALI’S ART HAS BEEN THE TARGET OF THEFT This is not the first time that Dali’s art has been the target of theft. Last October, a $20,000 etching titled ‘The Giraffe on Fire’

A

was taken from the Dennis Rae Fine Art galtheir stolen pieces into money than they do lery in San Francisco in the middle of the day. actually stealing them. Art is really asking The thief took it from its display in to be stolen; the high-tech security the gallery and walked out systems navigated by suave with it under his arm. criminals seen in films is Art theft has, far from the reality. in some cases, Many art galleries played a role in have insubstanthe constructial security tion of the arsystems for tistic canon. the value of Before 1911, the art that Leonardo they are Da Vinci’s displaying, Mona Lisa and most was hardly thefts are co n s i d e re d opportuna canonical istic rather m a s t e r p i e c e. than grand On 21 August planned heists.

1911 it was stolen Famous art from the Louvre and pieces are too famous immediately became a to be sold to art dealers Image:Emily McCracken worldwide sensation and rose and they lose their value very to masterpiece status. Over two years quickly on the black market. As it turns later, the piece was finally sold by the thieves out, few people are willing to buy an artto an art dealer who notified the police and work that they cannot display as that it will the painting was returned to the gallery. be recognised as stolen. So perhaps the alWhat happens to stolen art anyway? lure lies in a perceived opportunity that will Most art thieves have a harder time turning likely not amount to much. Maybe the draw

Art after trauma

is the outrageously high valuation of pieces of canvas that a thief can easily cut from a frame and carry away with them. Or perhaps the allure for thieves lies in the myth of the masterpiece as an object that truly is one of a kind; in taking it, the thief owns something that nobody else does.

ART THEFT HAS PLAYED A ROLE IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE ARTISTIC CANON Of course, most patrons of the arts are not going to turn to theft so that they can hang the Dali they’ve always dreamed of on their wall.

If stealing isn’t your thing then Bonham’s in London is set to auction Dali’s ‘Couple With Their Heads Full Of Clouds’ – a diptych that outlines Dali and his wife over a larger surrealist painting – on 26 March.

The piece is estimated to auction for an enormous sum of £7,000,000 - £10,000,000, however, such astronomical prices are bound to draw any scale of art thief. In a wage-labour economies, prices like this make art worth thousands of hours of human life, sometimes on the scale of a lifetime.

Emma Hussain, Online News Editor, reflects on artistic responses to tragedy

RT is a medium long bound up in reparative social change. An example that continually strikes me is Art Spiegelman’s graphic novel Maus (1991), probably one of the most famous comic books ever produced. The autobiographical work tells the story of Spiegelman’s father Vladek’s survival of Auschwitz, an ordeal which saw the death of his young son and eventual suicide of his wife, Spiegelman’s mother.

Producing a Holocaust graphic novel was an innovative and bold move for the time, and Maus went on to be the first comic book to win the Pulitzer Prize and introduce a depth of subject matter to the genre. Not everyone was convinced; after the book’s German publication, a reporter asked Spiegelman, “Don’t you think that a comic book about Auschwitz is in bad taste?” He replied, “I thought Auschwitz was in bad taste.”

In general though, Maus has become a postmodern classic. Spiegelman’s art style has been considered uniquely communicative; throughout the work, Jews are portrayed as mice, Germans as cats, and Poles as pigs. Rather than attaching any reductive meaning to these categories, Spiegelman

uses them to expose the irrationality of dividing people in this way. At times the categories fall apart, showing their senselessness, and towards the end the sudden use of a real photograph of Vladek brings home the intense honesty of the book.

MAUS EXEMPLIFIES AN ARTWORK THAT NARRATES AND NAVIGATES CRISIS It’s this grounding in reality that makes Maus an example of art that usefully narrates and navigates crisis. It’s been celebrated for its expression of generational trauma; Spiegelman reaches beyond his father’s historical experiences to explore their resonance at the time of the book’s writing.

By going back and forth in space and time between Holocaust-era Europe and Rego Park, New York in the 1970s and 80s, Maus brings home to readers how recent the Holocaust really was. We relegate it to the halls of history as a long-ago, unrepeatable mistake, a kind of glitch of history. However, in recent years Spiegelman has publicly

voiced his concerns about how the rise of populism, especially in his native United States, bears an unsettling resemblance to the politics of the 1930s and 40s.

Spiegelman’s father died in 1982, before the book was completed, and so in many ways it serves as both a memorial to him and a reminder of how articulately art can express the pain of history.

Image: PxHere and Random House

exhibit

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arts + lit

WRITER’S CORNER Image: Clker Free Vector

The Carriage by Katie Dunbar

T

he 12.37 train had been delayed that morning. As the air rattled in Robbie’s chest and the carriage rocked on the tracks, Mary’s head rose and fell, slowly she slipped into sleep. Old spice and starch rose from his cotton shirt she had ironed that morning and tickled the back of her throat. The air in the carriage was heavy, warmed by the midday sun which leaked through the window, and weighed down on her like a blanket. Stubbornly she tried to resist tiredness, which tugged on her wrinkled eyelids. But it was no use. Finally, she gave in.

Mary had spent the majority of her marriage scrubbing in an attempt to remove car oil from Robbie’s denim overalls and inky stains from his rough cracked hands. Grubby and greasy, she hadn’t been attracted to him at first. But his soft jade eyes, hazelnut curls and smooth Irish accent melted her frosty exterior. Before the children and bills clung onto their backs and dragged them out to the suburbs, the couple had spent time living in the city.

Here a cocktail of bright bedsheets and clothes hung between the brownstone apartments, creating a web of washing throughout the neighbourhood.

Below in the street, children constructed castles and Olympic stadiums from alleyways, which just hours before had been the battlefield of criminals. Mary’s floral dress fluttered, and her dark curls danced in the wind as she weaved through the boisterous cabs and briefcases. It was Wednesday and on Wednesdays she saw Robbie. As the garage came into view, swiftly she swung her leg over the seat and glided side saddle to a halt.

“Careful on that damn thing! We don’t want you limping down the aisle!”

“I’m quite capable, thank you very

EDITORS: Cherry-Anastasia Boroceanu and Zach Mayford much.” She sharply replied, resting her bike against the fence. From her pocket she extracted a baby blue handkerchief and wiped away an oil smudge just above Robbie’s right eye. His arm wrapped around her waist and fitted perfectly to rest on her side.

“Thought we’d head down to the beach this afternoon? How does that sound?”

“I haven’t got my costume” “You don’t need one, go naturally” She unwound herself from his hold.

QUESTIONS BOUNCED AROUND HER SKULL WHILE HER EYES DARTED AROUND THE CARRIAGE “Oi, you should be so lucky, we’re not married yet!”

“Just a paddle then.” He winked picking up his jacket from the floor.

Hands intertwined they waddled along the sand with the shallow waves spilling over their feet. As the sun descended, they discussed everything from the upcoming election, to books, music and their wedding.

Thoughts flowed freely between them.

Naturally disagreements arose, Mary’s opinions were strong and her mind frozen on particular matters, but Robbie’s jokes intercepted her serious nature and giggles diffused any tension. In the city, eyes and ears surrounded them, but here they could talk without interruption. Eventually, the sun’s scarlet tail drained from the sky and the pair knew it was time to return. They climbed into the carriage, each holding an ice cream.

Mary had wrapped a napkin around her cone in order to prevent the sticky melted mixture running down her arm, while Robbie frantically licked the parameter of his, having not taken such a precaution. As they sped towards the city the buildings flashing past in the window grew higher and with each added floor, Mary’s hands became twisted as she wrestled her nerves.

“Hey...” Robbie lifted his arm and motioned for her to come closer. “It’ll be al-

right. Not long now and you’ll be living with me. A place of our own. What about we make this our little tradition. A day out.

Just you and me, once a year” Mary nodded and rested her head into the nook of his shoulder, as he spoke, she felt his voice echo through his body and into hers. The carriage was empty. Robbie interlocked his arms around her and formed a barrier between them and the outside world, he smelt of petrol and vanilla.

“We are now approaching the station.

This train terminates here. Will all passengers please leave the train, taking all your possessions with you” Mary’s vision was foggy, she rubbed her eyes and her surroundings crystalized. There was a hot foreign weight on her waist. Questions bounced around her skull, while her eyes darted around the carriage absorbing each detail; the white worn curtains, the stained seats opposite and the raindrops clinging to the outside glass. She slithered from under Robbie’s arm.

“Robbie, Robbie is that you?” Mary examined the body next to hers.

“We’re here then, darling?” Robbie’s voice crackled with sleep as he pushed himself upright.

“Where are we?”

Robbie tucked his newspaper and jacket under his arm, “It’s our day at the beach, you wanted to come?”

HANDS INTERTWINED, THEY WADDLED ALONG THE SAND WITH SHALLOW WAVES “What beach? Where are the children?”

Robbie freezes and sighs, “They’ve grown up love, we’ve been over this. Today’s our day at the beach. You know, the trip we take every year.”

Mary’s face was blank and ashy, “Of course. But could you tell me again?” Robbie cracked a comforting smile and extended his arm, guiding her out of the carriage. “Always.” As they walked down the platform he began replaying their marriage and Mary listened intently clinging to each word of her own story.

17 FEB 2020 |

22

Yūgen

Esme Baton translates of the untranslatable

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ANGUAGE is a very powerful thing.

The words we use are influenced by hundreds of factors; even within one language the disparities in the way each person uses certain words and phrases is immense. Across languages, even words with direct translations are employed differently, often demonstrating the cultural differences in importance of certain situations or phenomenon. The creation of a single word to explain something which requires whole sentences in another language can reveal whole cultural belief systems which don’t exist in other places.

These “untranslatable words” allow foreigners to appreciate what it is other places may find truly important. With thousands of them it is hard to pick just one to be my favourite, but the one that resonates most with me is Yūgen. Of Japanese origin, the word is said to encompass Japanese aesthetic, influencing many of Japan’s art and culture. The most commonly employed “translation” of Yūgen is this; “An awareness of the Universe that triggers emotional responses too deep and powerful for words.”

While this sounds intensely up in the air, it simply focuses on the sensations you feel when you experience something beautiful in the world that words cannot do justice. This is Yūgen.

In Japan, Yūgen does carry ethical connotations. Combined with Wabi and Sabi which require explanations all of their own, Yūgen convinces people to look for beauty in the little things around us, rooting the cultural aesthetic ideologies of Japan within daily Japanese practices. The importance of beauty within Japanese rituals is all part of Yūgen and solidifies the realisation that a word is more than a word, language can even teach us what is important and valuable. To appreciate and feel the beauty around you. This is Yūgen.

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arts + lit

EDITORS: Cherry-Anastasia Boroceanu and Zach Mayford

17 FEB 2020 |

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“Not one person judged me that day” Neha Shaji, Deputy Editor, speaks to Kathak performer Devesh Mirchandani about the potential of classical dance forms to destabilize the boundaries of gender and sexuality

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HE word Kathak, derived from the Sanskrit word katha meaning story, translates to “storyteller”. Kathak is a medium of traditional Indian dance that essentially tells a story through an energetic performance of spins, hand gestures and expressions. In addition to the performative and narrative aspect of the medium, Kathak has also been referred to as a truly Indian art form, adapting as an oral tradition throughout the Mughal and colonial eras and carries a strong Muslim influence. I spoke with Devesh Mirchandani, a Mumbai based Kathak practitioner, teacher, and choreographer, about his experiences with the medium and his thoughts on classical dance’s potential to transcend and destabilise the boundaries of gender and sexuality. With a nine hour time difference, Devesh had just completed five hours of training and choreography in South Korea, who he claims are his “favourite students.”

He said that he “learnt to dance from the age of ten, by watching Bollywood films. I could replicate the movements of the starring women, like Rekha, so easily, and my parents saw the flair in me for dance. My mother enrolled me in dance lessons in Mumbai, where I got through the monotony of intensive training by testing out Western dance forms, like salsa and ballet.”

Kathak is very common in Bollywood films, often performed in period pieces and elements of it amalgamated into contemporary settings alongside the highenergy ‘Bollywood’ style.

This inspired Devesh to “create something I call semiclassical, using Bollywood songs but treating it with more respect and complex dancing. I combined Kathak and Bollywood, and began performing on Youtube and soon - I was invited to weddings, and being asked to take workshops. Now, I don’t get a chance to be at home, I’ve taught and performed across Hong Kong, London, Bolivia, and Russia - this is a small fraction of the places I’ve been to to dance.”

Whilst there certainly are male Kathak dancers, Devesh is unique in the re-

Image: Devesh Mirchandani, Illustration: Neha Shaji

spect that he primarily plays the feminine role and choreographs and performs the role of female characters, such as the maiden, or the courtesan. He scoffs at the idea that Kathak has binate roles for women and men: he calls it “the greatest paradox” that in ancient times, female roles were played by men and women interchangeably whilst in contemporary India he is often scoffed at for almost exclusively performing feminine roles.

...MEN CAN LOOK JUST AS SEXY AS MADHURI AND AISHWARYA WHEN THEY ARE ON STAGE Devesh maintains that the stage is the stage and there are no “dividing lines between genders at all’’ in this space. Indeed, performance scholar Avanthi Meduri observes how “the Indian classical performer is a perhapser, a self-styled magician playing at everything without inhabiting one space exclusively.” Devesh seems to agree with this idea, and told me how people initially looked down at his insistence that he could “play any role, and wear any clothes” while dancing. He considers the stage as a space for “my fantasy becoming reality, and I can only do this through my spins and my jumps and my dressing and my expression. I was going to say my dance is like acting but I won’t say that now.”

He states, instead, that it is somehow less acting and more “becoming.” He laughed then, and said he deserved more

awards than Shah Rukh Khan.

“There has been so much homophobia,” he says, talking about his earliest performances where he was denigrated for his choice in attire and role. He is at his best when presenting as the courtesan, with his performance of Tabaah Ho Gaye practically equalling Madhuri Dixit. “In India, people think that people being gay, or having feminine behaviours, means you have to go out and abuse the person. Many men from many countries have written terrible things to me about what I do and how I do it.

They have condescended, abused and made fun of me. But over time it reduced, as I show them not how well a man can play a woman but how well a man can become a woman. I can feel like a woman on the stage but I can also feel like a man. Dancers are just actors who have to be twice as good, as we feel the expressions we give.”

“I dedicate all my dances to Lord Krishna” Devesh states piously, showing off his collection of Krishna statues and artworks. Lord Krishna is a male avatar of the supreme Lord Vishnu, a handsome young cowherd who, like Devesh, is enthralled by dance. “Krishna and Kathak are one to me; the joy He brings me is beyond explanation. Only through Krishna and Kathak, combined, can I understand what faith really is… I was not at all religious until I met my beautiful Krishna.”

DO THEY DO KATHAK AT DRAG SHOWS? IF NOT, I DON’T THINK IT’S THE SAME Devesh, who has taught in over a dozen countries, laments the lack of boys that want to learn dance as he performs it. He does, however, note that generally as time goes on, more and more men are learning Kathak, instead of shying away from the form. “People need to see dance as beyond gender because dance itself breaks any idea of gender,” he says. “Whatever

y o u r gender, whatever your sexual preference, it has both nothing and everything to do with dance. Men can look just as sexy as Madhuri and Aishwarya when they are on stage, in costume, they look sexy

enough that even sometimes the conservative audience is hooked onto their performance.”

I asked Devesh whether he felt his staging of female roles was similar to drag performances. He said he didn’t know - he’d never seen a drag show. “Do they do classical dance at these shows? Do they do Kathak? If not, then I don’t think it is the same. Kathak is the heart and soul of what I do, whether I dance as a man or a woman.” I didn’t need to compare Devesh’s adaptation of feminine roles to drag shows; Kathak had always been queer in that sense, with men and women playing roles fungibly. It was contemporary and colonial Indian society that enforced a binary on the medium.

......DANCERS ARE JUST ACTORS WHO HAVE TO BE TWICE AS GOOD Indian society, which only a few years ago decriminalized homosexuality, still has miles to go before accepting the re-queering of these boundaries, but Devesh insists that if there is any medium that can do it, it would be Kathak.

He told me that whilst Kathak itself was an art form that let the performance speak for itself, his audiences haven’t been so kind about his ability to convince them. “You know, there was a guy who asked me if I was going to dance like a girl I should dress like that in real life also. I said, why should I?” He says that it is getting better, however, slowly but certainly. “I only occasionally get weird looks from my neighbours these days when I am practicing. Some even tell me they love my videos, and there are others that share everything I perform. Yes, I express female emotions and wear feminine clothes in most of my videos, and I did it without thinking how society will judge me for it. I’ll do it again and again. I am comfortable in my skin, and maybe I can help others be comfortable in theirs.”

“The time I performed at the Umaid Bhawan Palace, wearing the most beautiful female Anarkali costume, and had beautiful jewellery” is apparently Devesh’s most euphoric moment, when he performed a selection of entirely female characters and songs to an American audience. He claims that it was the one time he felt entirely free of any self-consciousness. “Not one person judged me that day, you know? They were all so mesmerised at how I could just become these women, they were so fascinated. Everyone loved my dance that day. Nobody judged me,” he reflects. “It should be like that every day.”

music

The Poltimore lowdown

Jaysim Hanspal, Features Editor, checked out the Poltimore Launch Party, previewing what to expect from the local festival POLTIMORE LAUNCH PARTY Tourists, Paradigm, Datura Roots Collective 27 January 2020

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ESTIVAL season has begun. It's January and, let's be honest, we are all broke and a little bit melancholy. The rain in Exeter never ends, and, as a fourth-year who just had a nine-hour workday, I was not exactly ready to be hit in the face with a wall of sound for the rest of the evening. I had clearly forgotten what Poltimore was all about.

POLTIMORE PRIDES ITSELF ON BRINGING TOGETHER STUDENTS, LOCAL BUSINESSES AND ARTISTS Cavern was decked to the nines with fairy lights and handpainted banners, and the glow of the evening was met with a sea of Poltimoregoers mingling before the show. As a studentrun independent music and arts festival, Poltimore Festival prides itself on its network of students, local businesses, and artists all com-

ing together. Everyone seems to know each other, not in a cliché, "we're cooler than you" type of way, but in an extremely authentic, sort of endearing way.

The show started with four-piece student band Paradigm. Quite possibly Exeter's new Psychopomp, the boys were surprisingly low-key for a band which then Image: Emily D'Souza exploded into cries and stellar riffs that definitely had a bit of Muse about them. Marcus Walsh is a real Taylor Hawkins on the drums, carrying the set with his distinctive play style. The lead singer, although at times pitchy, belted out the lyrics to a welcoming crowd. The songs struck a real range of tones, and so while it's clear that this is a band still trying to find their sound; they sound great while doing it.

who I could never imagine in my life to bop to carnival tunes were swinging their hips and genuinely, everyone seemed to be having a great time. The D.R.C have previously even made it to Boomtown Fair and are definitely ones to watch.

DATURA ROOTS COLLECTIVE MANAGE TO FIND A SUSTAINED SOUND THAT BLENDS MANY GENRES

Paradigm was followed by the iconic Datura Roots Collective, who performed at the festival last year. In a perhaps impossible feat, this reggae fusion band made Cavern seem like Notting Hill in August. A mash-up of too many genres to name, the Collective is the only band of its kind that doesn't confuse the senses, but have also managed to find a sustained sound that genuinely blends well together. People

Presenting to you

Finally, the headliner Tourists finished off the night. Hailing from nearby Torbay, they made an appearance on Glastonbury's BBC Introducing Stage in 2017 and have been going steadily since. With a solid sound that, admittedly, at the end of the night was a slightly sleep-inducing feat, they do have a strong sound and are set to release some new music soon.

The evening rounded off with the lights being flickered violently on, they didn't play 'Angels', and there was surprisingly few drunk people. Everyone flooded out in excited conversation, the last dedicated few helping to pull the stars off the ceiling, where the D.R.C had undoubtedly left them.

Bryony Gooch, Music Editor, reviews Pattern Pusher Presents for a groovy, upbeat experience the audience, despite clear technical difficulties as they communicated with the sound deck for most of the set. However, at their best, their synths were flourishing and fun, their grooves were infectious, and ‘Jelly Love’ was incredibly catchy.

PATTERN PUSHER PRESENTS Shake The Geek, Foniee, Cousin Kula, Pattern Pusher 7 February 2020

SHAKE THE GEEK SHOOK UP THE HOUSE AND THE NIGHT HAD ONLY JUST BEGUN.

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N the gloomy Friday evening Storm Ciara made her debut, I found myself huddled in Exeter Phoenix with a sunny occasion in store. Pattern Pusher Presents promised an evening of upbeat local music, and in their fourth year of running the event I was expecting big things.

You could hear the lilting vocals of the first support act, Exeter College’s Shake The Geek, from the queue. Singer Ella Crossland’s vocals soulfully led the group’s groove-tinged rock. Think a cross between No Doubt and Paramore and you’re along the right lines for their soundscape. Arguably, the band’s strengths lay in their strong guitar leads. Singles like ‘Jenga’ and ‘Breathe On My Own’ finished up with virtuosic, indulgent solos.

Refreshingly, they all seemed to be having fun on stage. Which, as they had the pressurised role of starting, and the audience was slowly filling, really resonated with those entering and certainly set the tone for the night. Members of the audience

were quick to move to the front and who could blame them? Shake The Geek shook up the house and the night had only just begun.

Last year’s Battle of the Bands winners, Foniee, were back again with their funk-fuelled instrumental set. This time with added audience interaction. Suited and booted like The Blues Brothers, you could clearly see they were all enjoying themselves. Still, their set primarily depends on cover songs, but my God do they pick some bangers. ‘Locked out of Heaven’? ‘Waiting For Love’?

It’s hard to remember your self-preservation as you and everyone else are crouched, waiting for the chorus to ‘Waiting For Love’. Like a slick school disco.

Bristolian band Cousin Kula stepped in to replace anticipated Manchester imports, VELVET SHAKES, and they got off to a tricky start. Their falsetto vocals squeaked, almost as if they were aiming for Kevin Parker and missing. Sonically, their psychedelic, synthy bedroom pop was nod-worthy easy listening that appealed to

Soon, the main event – the presenters of the night – Pattern Pusher came to the stage. Commanding attention with charm and a sense of mischief, everyone drew into the front in excitement.

Songs like the perennially funky ‘Tonight’ and ‘Shakey’ were crowd-pleasers. The atmosphere remained zealous throughout, as lead-guitarist Benjamin Green crowd-surfed. The crowning moment came in the encore as Foniee joined the trio on stage for collaborative renditions of their songs.

So did Pattern Pusher fulfil its brief of upbeat local music? Undoubtedly. If you have ever found yourself questioning Exeter’s music scene, Pattern Pusher Presents does an admirable job at setting itself apart and finding local bands to work with, presenting a vibrant homegrown scene.

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17 FEB 2020 | 25

EDITORS: Richard Ainslie and Bryony Gooch

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Josh Fundafunda examines how social media has changed the way we listen

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USIC and social media do what they do best: bring people together. Combining the two creates the best of both worlds. I’m interested in how social media influences both large and growing artists in the industry. This generation has matured with social media, and at the risk of sounding like a nagging parent, it has most definitely influenced how we engage with music. Some catchy lyrics or intriguing promotional artwork is all it takes to grasp a scrolling eye, and can turn an average Twitter user into an overnight sensation – look no further than Lil Nas X, Twitter comedian turned two-time Grammy-winning pop star.

SOUNDCLOUD GAVE RISE TO SOME OF THE MOST POPULAR RAPPERS TODAY Social media in general creates opportunities otherwise impossible in the world of music. It has changed how we perceive musicians as we get a peek in through their windows. In the past, artists were untouchable geniuses. But seeing them tweet about their mediocre breakfast makes them feel real.

Never before have we been able to interact with artists like we can today. We peek into their lives through Instagram stories and have back and forths over Twitter, but artists can use social media more practically: album release dates, tour announcements, collaborations, show cancellations, can all be spread like wildfire among fans and followers. Social media also provides a portion of the advertising for these artists. There are still giant billboards and neon screens, but people sharing these advertisements online is an entirely new form of promotion. Not to mention accounts whose only purpose is to post anything and everything concerning their favourite artists. Within them exists every cliché from the borderline obsessive who knows the artist’s hour of birth, the lyrical historian who can recite each and every

song, to the OG who has definitely been a supporter longer than you have.

These are the fan clubs of the modern day.

Likewise, fans of these larger artists can engage with each other like never before.

Social platforms like Reddit house groups of devout fans who can celebrate, explore and create new meaning in their favourite artists with one another. Everything from broad genre focused message boards to precise album and song discussions. Other options allow groups of people to stream and enjoy music together simultaneously, like Discord. One such group centred around Frank Ocean (a renowned

social media recluse himself, ironically) called "Futura" revels in their mutual love for him during his albeit infrequent live radio sessions on Apple Music. It’s pockets of culture like these which perpetuate the online music experience.

On the other side of the coin, the era of online music makes it easier than ever to release your music into the world. Soundcloud and Bandcamp are two of the more popular options to release music independently without the barriers larger platforms create. Obviously the more popular services will have the biggest audiences, but in terms of sheer possibility, the internet is a powerful tool.

Soundcloud is known for giving rise to some of the most popular rappers today, and its less stringent copyright rules allow entire subcultures of music like beat-tape and remixes to exist. Bigger artists sometimes use the platform as an outlet to release music under a different mindset than they would otherwise. For example, André 3000 released two tracks, 'Me&My (To Bury Your Parents)' and 'Look Ma No Hands', on Soundcloud to commemorate his late parents. Both of these tracks are unorthodox for the rapper, one specifically being a beautiful 17 minute bass clarinet and piano duet, and I’m sure he wished to release them on his own accord which is something Soundcloud excels at.

On the other hand, Bandcamp has similar rules on copyright and doubles down on ownership. Unlike the majority of other streaming services, Bandcamp gives the option for artists to sell whole projects, as opposed to counting on the streams of subscription-paying listeners. This is a wonderful tool for growing artists who wouldn’t get anything substantial from the now conventional streams (as of last

year $0.003 for Spotify and $0.056 for Apple Music per stream), but nevertheless want to support themselves through their music.

Although, as with anything, making access easier saturates the industry. Look no further than the Instagram or Soundcloud comments of a popular producer to find a sea of people promoting their sound. While it is undoubtedly beneficial to give more talent chances to be heard, it is in turn difficult to be an independent growing artist.

SONGS CAN BE STRUCTURED TO GET THE MOST STREAMS PER LISTEN POSSIBLE As I mentioned before, the popularity of streaming is definitely a bonus for the consumer, but proves complex for newer creators. Unless you’re achieving a consistently high number of streams the idea of this service can be quite off-putting. In the same vain, we have seen a rise in music created for streams. Projects with more tracks are more likely to be put into the playlists which popular platforms curate (a primary method of reaching new listeners). Thus, we receive projects like Chris Brown’s two hour long Indigo project (two hours and 30 minutes for the “extended” version) in what seems an egregious case. And while this is just playing to the strengths of the industry, no different to radio versions of songs ensuring they receive playtime, it is a drawback due to social media and streaming on the industry.

Similarly, songs can be structured to have hooks which build and drop at the required time for ‘one stream’ to capitalise the most streams per listen possible. Neither of these immediately create bad music; in a way, they are simply byproducts of an ever changing online music space.

Nevertheless, as a consumer, music is only becoming a better experience. We have near infinite access to music we know and music we don’t. Similarly, artists have more ways to release their music into the world, and more importantly, can support themselves in doing so. It is difficult to quantify the experience of your favourite music, but being connected through social media is definitely a step in the right direction.

Editors' Picks The Slow Rush (2020)

by Tame Impala

Godfather 3 (2020)

by Wiley

Images left to right: Icebox Wikimedia Commons, Modular, Fabian Alexis Github, Boy Better Know A&M, Frank Schwichtenberg Wikimedia Commons

The Globe Sessions (1999)

by Sheryl Crow

Beartooth @ Bristol O2 24 Feb 2020

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EDITORS: Richard Ainslie and Bryony Gooch

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Soul's not for resale Isabelle Gray, Editor, criticises the concert ticket resale market

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INUTES after Fight Night tickets sold out, a flurry of posts on 'Overheard at Exeter' come rushing out, with original tickets of thirty pounds being sold at triple the price. This unbelievably annoying occurrence is not limited to the forums of our University.

...RESALES CAN COST 40-45 PER CENT MORE THAN THE ORIGINAL It is a common experience in the world of gigs, With some tickets originating at heights of £90 as it is, this incessant resell culture means the chance that people see their favourite artists is even lower than before. While most vendors do not specify tickets to be named, it allows people to have agency over their ticket and have no limitations on where the ticket ends up, and at what price. Vendors like 'The Ticket Sellers' however only allow resales to happen internally, which ensures that everyone must only sell their ticket for the

original price. A Guardian Money test of some of the 'official' resale platforms found that in some cases you could end up having to pay 40 per cent to 45 per cent more than the original face value.

A genuine shift is occurring, with the classic sites like Ticket Master even opening up their own resale platforms. The entertainment industry itself historically lacks diversity when it comes to representation.

Moreover, if you are not middle class or higher, you are likely blocked from viewing art even passively. Tickets for gigs and theatre shows are bigger than ever, and some music streaming platforms can cost, at a minimum ten or so pounds a

month. At its core it is an inaccessible realm, let alone when ticketing companies allow for these extortionate resells to occur. Just recently, after My Chemical Romance sold out their new 2020 tour in under five minutes, the cheapest resales on Viagago for £180, and reached highs of £15,038 PER TICKET on Ticketmaster.

Someone could buy multiple second hand cars for that price. It is absurd and becomes a laughing stock

to anyone who can't justify spending over £60 on a gig ticket let alone fifteen grand. Ticket resales should be transferable at face value only, and then we can properly start the conversation on the price of the original tickets.

THE MOST EXPENSIVE MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE TICKETS RESOLD FOR £15,038 Gigs are such a fun and intimate way to enjoy and properly get to know your favourite songs from your favourite artists, and the opportunity to have such an experience should be accessible to all. Whilst gigs aren't a usual night out and a special occasions, is it so much to ask that if there are spare tickets available after a gig sells out for it to be the same or similar price to when it was first sold? Music should enjoyed by everyone. Extortionate resells and the culture around ticketed entertainment stops that.

Image: Matthew Haddock

Introducing: UK hip-hop Max Shepard delves into the UK hip-hop scene from all angles

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HEN people think of UK rap or hip hop, they usually think of grime stars. Maybe Skepta, Stormzy or Dizzee Rascal. Many are unaware that there is a thriving community and rich history of UK rappers running parallel to the increasingly commercially viable grime scene. Originating not from the UK garage and jungle scene, these artists are instead rooted in the earlier boom bap sound of ‘90s New York. In line with their boom bap sound, UK hip hop artists emulate the complex lyricism of East coast legends but bring their own British humour and life experiences to the mix. Many UK rappers instead use more mundane discussions of everyday struggles like Verb T or Loyle Carner. Some opt for psychedelic imagery like Jack Jetson and Chester P, or like Dirty Dike use horrorcore image to create rhyme schemes that could rival any US counterpart. Saying this, there are some rappers who do address social issues specific to the UK, notably Klashnekoff and Jehst.

UK HIP-HOP ARTISTS BRING THEIR OWN HUMOUR AND LIFE EXPERIENCE TO EAST COAST STYLE A key feature of UK hip hop is the authentic feel created by small and rowdy gigs, a close connection with the fans (artists can often be

found in the smoking area of their gigs or at hip hop label around, representing not only the bar) and an unwillingness to chase trends. Fliptrix’s group The Four Owls but also acts In a recent Instagram post Dirty Dike expressed such as Onoe Capone, Dirty Dike and Coops to this sentiment shared by most of his peers, name a few. stating “I back loyal fans over industry acknowlIf you are trying to get into UK hip hop edgement… Independent fan base is real life then High Focus is a great starting point, Verb thank you.” The underground nature of UK hip T’s album Good Evening and Fliptrix’s Patterns hop has allowed it to become a space for the of Escapism are personal favourites. From Blah type of creativity and eccentricity that is often Records, Lee Scott is a must listen with a huge extinguished by major labels in their quest for discography, including the dark yet witty alprofit. The importance of this is recognised by bum Stupid Poignant Shit. Fellow Blah Records UK hip hop artists who are largely unsigned to signee Black Josh is another key figure in UK hip major labels, instead hop, more aggressive choosing to form than most, his lyrics collectives, such as are more like what the musically excelyou would expect lent Mouse Outfit from the States, but and the high-energy with a tongue-ingroup LEVELZ. Some cheek Mancunian choose to take mattwist. His live shows ters into their own are characterised hands and set up by crowd surfing, their own labels, mosh pits and indown south there is terludes in which High Focus Records he usually disand up north one cusses how many can find Blah Redays it has been cords. High Focus is since he last slept, now an institution in though you would the UK scene. Set up not be able to tell

by Fliptrix in 2010, given the energy he the label has grown brings to the stage. into the biggest UK Image: Renaud.alouche on Creative Commons The Mouse

Outfit’s latest album Jagged Toothed Crook is a masterpiece, incorporating beautiful jazz instrumentals, soothing vocals from the talented IAMDDB and lyrics from the charismatic Berry Blacc. The Mouse Outfit are probably the most musically advanced hip-hop act in the UK, with a constantly changing live band, multiple rappers and vocalists, who combine to create a sound closer to a Jazz orchestra than a boom bap beat tape.

UK HIP-HOP ARTISTS CHOOSE TO FORM COLLECTIVES SUCH AS THE HIGH ENERGY LEVELZ Finally, if you want a taste of the more psychedelic side of UK hip hop, then you should listen to Jack Jetson’s 2014 album Adventures of Johnny Strange. A personal favourite of mine, Jack Jetson is underground to the point of near anonymity, yet still his songs 'Super Human' and 'Wonderberry' have been in my Spotify Top Five songs two years running.

The underground of UK hip hop is a scene that revels in its position on the fringe. You will never hear any member of its community on Radio 1 and they like it that way. Give them a go on Spotify or Soundcloud and if you like any of it, chances are they’ll be on tour somewhere near you. Better still it will not cost an arm and a leg to see them.

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Rising in the East

Amy Butterworth, Online Lifestyle Editor, looks at how Eastern and Western film cultures affect each other

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othing encapsulates my encounter with the Chinese diasporic experience more than personally referring to my (Malaysian Chinese) grandfather’s streaming service under the colloquial misnomer, “Chinese Netflix.” This in itself serves as an example of how racial attitudes to film are being blurred, as the filmic narrative of the West positioned as centre, Hollywood at the core, is being dismantled as we speak. The market of film is one which has the capacity to break down notions of national identity and problematic hegemonic values, and although obscured under the translucent veil of Late Capitalism, it is worth dissecting China’s position in film.

Anne Ciecko, who writes on the theorizing of Asian Cinema in her book Contemporary Asian Cinema identifies Asian film as those which are “produced within the territory, by film makers who identify as Asian, for primarily Asian national audiences”. However, in these globalised times, and with Hollywood’s monopolising power on the film industry permeating worldwide and simultaneously being radically deconstructed, it begs me to look at film from three racial and spatial categories: Chinese filmmakers creating for the West, Western film distribution in China, and China’s reaction to Chinese film.

EAST ASIAN REPRESENTATION HAS BEEN A PROBLEM FOR DECADES Hollywood has had a severe problem with East Asian representation for decades. We only have to think back to Mickey Rooney’s racist characterisation in Breakfast at Tiffany’s – rare inclusion was often reduced to the butt of the joke, fulfilling racist stereotypes. 70 years on, Crazy Rich Asians marked a progression in the pervading issue of a whitewashed Hollywood; director Jon M Chu says that it isn’t “a movie, but a movement” , being the first Hollywood film in 25 years to feature an all-Asian cast.

But the specifics of ‘Chinese’ film, especially when consumed by a Western audience, become increasingly obscure, as Ciecko asks us to question the distinction between ‘Hong Kong’ and ‘Chinese Cinema’, as “the idea of a one unified (or re-unified China) is alternately a nostalgic and a contentious one, and this is a theme that continues to find its way into contemporary films”.

Similarly, where do we place Ang Lee, a Taiwanese director who transitioned from directing Chinese films to English-language films? As if exasperated by the Western period dramas, directing such films as Sense and Sensibility (1995), He returned to directing Chinese films, arousing an enduring legacy through his martial arts magnum opus, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000).

Kin-Yan Szeto, who writes on transnational film in her book The Martial Arts Cinema of Chinese Diaspora, describes Lee’s work as “both an homage to and a recuperation of the Hong Kong martial arts movie,” one which was allowed to be embraced by a Western audience. However, this has arguably been appropriated by the likes of Tarantino – whilst acknowledging the influence of Chinese arts, he exploits its ability to translate “action into world language” in order to perpetuate Western ideals of gender binaries as in Kill Bill (2003-4); likewise with the use of martial arts in The Matrix trilogy instilling the hegemonic power of white masculinity. Appropriation has been occurring for centuries, Szeto goes on to comment on revolutionary Soviet director Eisenstein, whose innovative practice of montage was in fact influenced by “pictoral and ideogrammatic aspects of Chinese language”. Even if appropriation occurs positively, this perpetuates the positioning of West as centre, as the core to which influences are drawn to, like a magnet.

The notion of Western films viewed from a Chinese perspective is an equally nebulous battleground; China has a quota of how many foreign

films are released, and Hollywood films compete to be shown in one of the world’s most profitable markets. Crazy Rich Asians in fact disappointed the Chinese audience, and Disney are set to release their live-action remake of Mulan; no doubt Hollywood are courting a Chinese audience.

Mulan (1998) was pivotal for myself growing up as half-Chinese; alongside my mediocre diet of white, insipid Disney princesses, this film was my saving grace to the underseasoned, bland main course of hegemonic, starved-of-individuality Disney storytelling. I was proud to embrace my Chinese heritage in the playground (something I had so often been forced to stifle), through the figure of a non-gender conforming, intelligent, Chinasaving badass. However, with the film’s impending release, it does make me question how well received it will be for a native Chinese audience. As Hollywood films, spearheaded

by Disney, fight for a place in China’s under-40 foreign film quota, I cannot help but be left with a bad taste in my mouth at the possible

motives for Hollywood’s increasing Asian inclusivity.

CHINESE CINEMA IS THRIVING WITHOUT HOLLYWOOD’S INFLUENCE Perhaps the antidote to all of this is to consider how Chinese audiences are reacting to Chinese film.

The Chinese box office is “thriving” without Hollywood’s interference. “The Wandering Earth” (2019) is a Chineselanguage film that swept box offices, and exemplifies China as cementing their place alongside other movie markets such as India and Nigeria’s. It consolidates itself as a film distinct from Hollywood norms and stereotypes, dismantling notions of nationalism. Anne Kokyas at the University of Virginia says that “[Chinese people] don’t want a nationalist agenda but they want a movie to feel Chinese”, and the film, which promotes international cooperation against its explicit allegory of the climate crisis is surely a step in the right direction.

And on this discussion, I can’t help but recall Trump dismissing climate change as a “hoax” invented by the Chinese, as he continually works to villainise nonWestern powers.

However, there is no single, monolithic national consciousness, and we should take a leaf out of Ciecko‘s book, remembering “there is no such thing as a ‘national cinema’ if the phrase is used to designate a single, unitary object”. But, there is still a harsh necessity to embrace Chinese voices that are so often misrepresented or simply ignored by a Western audience – either through a Western appropriation or omission, or a disregard of anything that subverts the Hollywood veneer.

We have been patiently awaiting a positive insurgence of Chinese film; China are making it happen, and it’s time for Hollywood to follow suit.

All images: Filmgrab

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Horrible Histories has the tea Michael Rudling finds the flaws in a very British scandal

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HE last day of January 2020: Brexit day.

The CBBC, a true bastion of children’s entertainment, tweets a compilation of clips about European history. We have a Norman Gangnam style; a parody of Italian renaissance fashion; the four Georges song (Iconic); and then a short number on “British Things.”

COMMENTS ON THE VIDEO CALLED IT “QUITE DISGUSTING” This is where the controversy begins.

Matthew Baynton (if you didn’t pretend to be him as a ten year old then frankly you are weird) serves Sarah Hadland’s Queen Victoria a cup of tea, and shocks her (as well as the Piers Morgan’s of our world) by explaining that tea and sugar aren’t British, but foreign products acquired through British exploitation. The duo completes their number by emphasising that when it comes to British things: “there’s hardly any.” The whole compilation is bound together by a smiling Nish Kumar at his most apolitical.

I imagine the people at CBBC thought they were fairly safe with this one. An innocent video and a nice tie in with current events for the kids. How wrong they were.

“Remain propaganda for kids? Wow. I can’t wait for the BBC to collapse when the license fee is scrapped” tweeted one shouty man (he spelt license wrong, but I corrected it to avoid exposing him). Another tweeter called it “disgraceful,” another announced “anti-Brit propaganda.”

Within days, a video appeared on YouTube with the moderate title “The BBC is HORRIBLY Anti-British.”

Comments on the video spoke of a “prelude to genocide” and called the whole event “quite disgusting.”

Kumar, irreverent as ever, simply tweeted “more like horrible nish-story am I right?”

Legend.

This whole affair brought up a number of questions for me:

is the CBBC lying? Why are people getting so worked up over a children’s programme? Why do so many adults engage with a channel aimed at ten-year-olds on twitter? Should I stop drinking tea?

Looking at the actual content of the video, tea isn’t indigenous to this country. Sugar isn’t either. And it’s nice to see something aimed at children, giving a mildly critical take on British history. Yes, it’s an exaggeration to say that there are “hardly any British things,” but the whole point of Horrible Histories is that it exaggerates the past to make it more interesting to children. No one holds up the Charles II rap as a definitive study on the Stuart monarchy, but it

does get children thinking about history.

As for “remain propaganda,” the accused clip is 11 years old, older than most of the intended audience, and made in a time when Brexit was just a glint in Nigel Farage’s eye.

ACCUSING THE BBC OF POLITICAL BIAS HAS BECOME FASHIONABLE Accusing the BBC of political bias appears to be the fashionable thing to do - Labour and Conservative politicians cancelled each other out. Both accussed the BBC of leaning against them in the build up to the election - but a clip discussing Britain’s imperial past critically, even very mildly and briefly, should surely be praised.

It isn’t anti-British. It’s redefining “British” to include those whose history is wound up with ours through centuries of empire. It’s not all Florence Nightingale and Henry VIII, we need an uncomfortable conversation about our colonial past, and what better place to start than Horrible Histories, and tea.

Image: CBBC

So you liked Parasite?

Samuel Thomson, Screen Editor, highlights the best of Korean cinema

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O you liked Parasite. It’s probable that it was one of only a handful of foreign language films you’ve ever seen. But you liked it, and everyone else did too so I’m here to scoop you up with the wonderful world of foreign cinema before you creep back into the comfortable corner of the Western canon.

It’s an outrageous fact that Parasite is not only the first foreign language film to ever win Best Picture, but it’s also the only South Korean film to be nominated in any category, despite over 30 submissions by the Foreign Language Film Award Committee. For a country with such a promising film industry, it’s shocking to find out that they have been snubbed for decades before now.

If you liked Parasite, then we will stay on the political end of the spectrum. Snowpiercer (2013) and The Host (2006) both use apocalyptic disasters as metaphors for political issues like class struggle, pollution and totalitarianism. To continue the saga of Bong Joon Ho’s greatest hits, you’ll want to watch Mother (2009) and Memories of Murder (2003), both of which showcase the director’s

signature dark style.

THE KOREAN FILM INDUSTRY HAS BEEN SNUBBED BY THE ACADEMY FOIR DECADES To round off the list, it would be a shame to miss out on Okja (2017). An intensely emotional film, the viewer should be wary that they are about to cry over several thousand lines of computer code that take the form of beautiful, sympathetic, “superpig”, Okja. Basically a vegan E.T. In a similarly dark fashion, the journey to explore the worldwide phenomenon of horror films could never be close to complete without many, many stops on the East Asian subcontinent.

I would reccomend Train to Busan (2016) for those wanting a film that has so much action that it could only be filled by a train full of zombies. If you prefer Image: PinkNews your monsters to have a

little more moral sensibility, then I would point you towards the blood-sucking vampire priest of Thirst (2009) Moving away from horror, The Handmaiden (2016) is truly a landmark in filmmaking, and genuinely one of the best foreign films I have ever watched. The cinematic potential of an isolated Japanese country estate is

rey skywalker

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populated with a plot full of criminal dealings and espionage.

In summary, give some of these films a chance. As Bong Joon-Ho said, “once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.” Wise words from a self-described “f*cking weirdo.”

Image: Disney

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HE most recent set of Star Wars trilogies promotes the gender equality and female empowerment that the modern generation of movie-goers expect and love to see. The female protagonist, Rey, played by Daisy Ridley, is depicted as an independent and strong-willed character throughout the narrative, despite having a deeply-rooted inner conflict regarding the search of her own identity. The binary opposition of good versus evil acts as the foundation of the Star Wars franchise, but is also something that Rey has to face within herself. Suffering from a feeling of emptiness and confusion about her family and where she belongs, Rey continually risks her life to fight for justice and find her place within the world. The morally conflicted antagonist, Kylo Ren, persistently seeks to change Rey’s perception of her own identity and manipulate her into moving to the “dark side of the Force,” but her strong sense of goodness and rectitude always overpowers the hatred and malice that lingers within the “dark side.” The final scene of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker depicts an elderly woman asking Rey what her name is, and whilst she would have previously said, “Just Rey,” she boldly answers, “Rey Skywalker.” This ending to the trilogy symbolises that her journey of self-discovery has shaped her identity and made her realise that it is the people you respect and love who give you a sense of belonging and purpose, thus depicting her as a well-rounded and virtuous female character within the film world.

Maria Goddard

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Exeposé Screen Writers put their favourite racing games to the test

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N 2001’s The Fast and The Furious Vin Diesel proclaims “Ask any racer. Any real racer. It don’t matter if you win by an inch or a mile.

Winning’s winning.”

Most of us aren’t actual racers, but its a feeling many of us have known sitting behind a console controller or keyboard (if not a steering wheel connected to an engine).

The feeling of losing a neck-and-neck race is always a let down, and game designers know that quite often it will prompt us to start the race again.

But game designers know how to test us too. Maybe we lost because we lack the sufficient upgrades on our car, or we chose the wrong racer, or we didn’t know the track well enough. Racing isn’t just a question of raw speed and horse-power, it’s also about balancing intuition with intelligence. It’s about using game mechanics to force gamers to make quick decisions when travelling at 100 miles-per-hour.

The racing genre is vast, but we have a few contributors to help us locate some of the best games in there!

Editor’s picks: film vehicles

BURNOUT 3: TAKEDOWN

As much fun as traditional racing games are, it’s incredible to find one that rewards you for messing with others, rather than guaranteeing you last place. Burnout 3: Takedown was without a doubt one of the finest “racing” games to appear this century. There’s a reason that racing is in inverted commas. Burnout is more of a civic menace simulator: destroy everything in sight and be rewarded for it, like Grand Theft Auto but where the stars in the corner of the screen are rewarding you with points rather than threatening you with police action. One of my finest moments? Racking up over 100 takedowns in a single race, proving to my older cousin that I was every mythological god of death rolled into one and that he should bow down to me or crash and burn like so many of my NPC (non-player characters) enemies. As good as the sequel Burnout: Paradise was, the third iteration of the series is still the finest, most delightful way to act out your internalised desire to destroy everyone and everything in your path until there’s nothing left but smouldering piles of wheel spokes and car chassis in your rear-view mirror.

George Clark, Comment Editor

DeLorean DMC-12, Back to the Future

It’s iconic and faster than the abstract measurement of time. It’s the perfect film car, fulfilling not only our collective need for speed, but serving also as a bloody time machine! YES! The design of the car - obnoxiously technical, proudly 80s, coated in a sexy metallic - has been etched into the minds of most born this side of that colourful decade. A car of the past, and the future.

MARIO KART 8 DELUXE

Mario Kart is a timeless game that has been adapted for every Nintendo console. Its enduring popularity has made Mario Kart 8 Deluxe one of the most marketable Switch games. So, how have Nintendo revamped such a classic game? Firstly, the game offers a wider range of vehicles to choose from, with more options for customisation, including different wheels and gliders. The choice of characters includes the original Mario Kart lineup, like Mario, Princess Peach and Bowser, while bringing in the likes of Link from The Legend of Zelda. The introduction of features like self-drive and steer-assist are helpful to younger players and newcomers to the game, with the new 200cc mode offering challenging, fast-paced gameplay to those that are more adept. The controls are also more sensitive and accurate than past versions of Mario Kart, as well as being comfortable and easy to use. Players have the choice of using the joystick on the control or Joy-Con, which makes for a versatile experience that can be adapted to suit any player’s preferences. The tracks go crossplatform, with races originally from the Wii, DS, 3DS, Gameboy Advanced and SNES, as well as new courses especially for the Switch. Some of the new tracks are based on other Nintendo Games, like F-Zero (Mute City) and Animal Crossing.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe features exciting updates while staying true to its predecessors, making it the ultimate racing game.

NEED FOR SPEED MOST WANTED

Most Wanted, the 15-year-old ninth instalment in the annually-released Need for Speed series, shouldn’t stand out. It does, though. The relatively worn-out series peaked in 2005 with the exciting Most Wanted, going beyond any game previously in the series and standing as the mark for successors to live up to.

What made it so impressive was the diverse gameplay, including a story mode, quick races, free roam and the ever-playable police pursuits. The latter was especially novel for the time and became the game’s USP. What made the racing so fun was also the setting.

Bolstered by the art-style, the generic-looking fictional American city-sprawl of Rockport was made thrilling to drive through. The game design prompted a familiarity with the shortcuts and interactive parts of the map which could be used in both races and police getaways. Most Wanted holds up in a way that most racing games from 2005 don’t, partly because it was so ahead of its time; partly because Need for Speed haven’t hit the same vibe since.

Jonathan Chern, Screen Editor

Bridie Adams

Aston Martin DB5, Goldfinger

Watching Goldfinger now feels pretty outdated. Not only are the past decade’s Bonds better-made films, but the gender politics of the 60s is difficult to watch. One thing that has stuck with me, though, is the car that became as iconic as the name Bond itself. His DB5 wasn’t just beautiful, it was also (in classic Bond style) gadgetedout in some fantastically murderously utilitarian way.

Images: (top): gorbovoi81; (L to R): Universal Pictures, United Artists, Electronic Arts, Electronic Arts, Nintendo

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1 Sauces (4) 3 No-one (6) 7 Stages - lower limbs (4) 8 Unfashionable - touted ad (anagram) (8) 9 More ready (8) 10 Writing table (4) 11 Nook (6) 14 Sheen - result (anagram) (6) 16 Poet (literary) (4) 18 Very modern - peg as ace (anagram) (5-3) 21 Portions (anagram) - physics particle (8) 22 Heavy metal (4) 23 Zigzag ski run (6) 24 Apartment (4)

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1. on which platform did labour unveil their unredacted document on the NHS and USA? 2. IN the usa, does the popular vote determine the winner of a presidential election?

3. What utensil was a sign of suffrage in the 19th century?

4. Which UK Prime minister was accidentally missed off the electoral roll?

population pot 4. Winston Churchill 5. Because the country has a huge Answer: 1. Reddit. 2No it’s the Electoral College 3A large cooking

5. why do indian elections take weeks on end to run?

On a roll, 13 Rostrum, 15 Special, 17 Drill, 19 Aunt, 20 Gloat.

Down: 1 Drear, 2 Postman, 3 Natural, 4 Board, 5 Dresser, 6 Loft, 12 23 Slalom, 24 Flat.

11 Corner, 14 Lustre, 16 Bard, 18 Space-age, 21 Positron, 22 Iron, Across: 1 Dips, 3 Nobody, 7 Legs, 8 Outdated, 9 Prompter, 10 Desk,

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Science

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17 FEB 2020 | EXEPOSÉ

SCIENCE EDITORS: Scarlett Parr-Reid Elinor Jones

Genetically drifting towards disease

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Issy Murray uncovers the genetic disorders of Anabaptist groups

ESEARCHERS from the ed Amish communities to the extent University of Exeter have reit has is because the group originated cently led a project called Original from 200 German immiWindows of Hope which has suc- population grants, which is a relatively cessfully defined over 150 difsmall gene pool. Any ferent genetic disorders genetic variain Anabaptist groups tions these (Amish and Menimmigrants nonite) across held were North America. transWith upwards ported of 25 of these with being newly them discovered, the importance of this work in understanding and managing the consequences of the founder effect is clear.

Remaining The founder effect is espopulation sentially an extreme form of genetic drift. It occurs when a small number of individuals separate from their Harmful larger population, forming a new genetic trait one and resulting in the diminishing of genetic variation. The harmful Founder genetic traits, alleles, that are usually population rare in a population, become more prominent in the founder population, increasing the likelihood of offspring in their travel inheriting these traits rather than the to the US, and healthy traits. The reason it has affectsimilarly, any variations they didn’t carry

were left behind. Hence, some genetic disorders have become more frequent occurrences within the population as they are passed down to offspring, whereas others are completely absent.

With the aid of funding from the Medical Research Foundation’s Fleming Memorial Fund, Dr Emma Baple and Professor Andrew Crosby have been able to relay their findings to those affected by such genetic disorders and provide help. Since the project’s start in 2000, the number of Amish people with genetic disorders who have been given a diagnosis has been raised from under five per cent to around 70-80 per cent. Baple and Crosby’s research has proved crucial in making diagnoses much less complicated, avoiding the need for costly and potentially invasive, unpleasant clinical procedures. One example is the discovery that an unusually long big toe us a recurring feature, making diagnosis much simpler.

The importance of a diagnosis cannot

be overstated, as mothers have said it makes explaining their children’s conditions so much easier, having an answer in the form of a genetic disorder.

Due to research, accurate diagnosis can be achieved Formerly, many children have been diagnosed with autism, whereas now due to this research more accurate diagnoses can be achieved because of the newfound ability to specify genetic causes and clinical symptoms.

In turn, this knowledge also allows for more precise prognostic information to come to light, meaning procedures to manage developmental complications can be put into place.

Crosby himself sums this up, saying “health care providers can now offer very specific diagnoses of particular genetic disorders, often at a much earlier stage. In turn, that means families are able to receive accurate counselling and information about disease progression and prognosis.”

The key seems to have been communication and a community-based approach, where patients, families and the wider population are helped immediately and given access to the

findings through family information days and educational meetings. The project even has its own website, www.WOHproject.com, where you can find an easy to navigate database of all the known inherited disorders currently affecting communities.

The project has also established a Massive Open Online Course that FutureLearn has provided in order to teach academics and clinicians about how a community-based approach is useful in investigating genomic medicine. The course includes video and audio files from those the project has helped first-hand.

Through closely working with regional specialists, such as the New Leaf Clinic for Special Children in Ohio and the Centre for Special Children in Wisconsin, the researchers have been able to substantially decrease the medical, social and financial pressure that these disorders have on communities.

This work offers hope to thousands suffering from rare genetic disorders. Paediatrician and Medical Director for the New Leaf Clinic, Dr Olivia Wegner has praised the project, saying: “It is the best example of transcriptional work that I have seen in my 15 years of practice.”

Not just a tickly cough

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Vincent Plant highlights the importance of early symptoms in lung cancer

T can be seen as wasting the doctor’s time if you turn up to the GP with a cough or a shortness of breath. However, as research from the University of Exeter shows, sometimes that doctor’s visit may well be a lifesaver – it might just be a step to detecting lung cancer.

A team from the University of Exeter analysed close to thirty thousand records of patients diagnosed with lung cancer between 2000 and 2017, in six hundred different GP practices. They found that, across the seventeen years of their study, the first symptom for which people went to the GP changed. In general, the number of patients reported coughing up blood or loss of appetite as the first symptom declined, despite the fact that this is the “headline symptom” of lung cancer. Instead, patients

increasingly turned up with a cough or shortness of breath as the first reported symptom. In fact, these are present on the NHS website as main symptoms of lung cancer.

Lung cancer is the main cause of cancer deaths in the UK In their paper “Changes in the presenting symptoms of lung cancer from 2000–2017: a serial cross-sectional study of observational records in UK primary care,” the authors caution that medical education is still focusing on “haemoptysis,” or coughing up blood, as the main symptom, while symptoms such as coughing are downplayed. If this were to be the case, it might mean that lung cancer cases are potentially being dismissed

as a simple cold, thereby endangering the patient. Thankfully, this might now be changing as the symptom becomes increasingly linked to lung cancer, with campaigns encouraging people to visit the GP with a cough.

Currently, there are various treatments for lung cancer. If the patient is in good overall health and the cancer is only in one lung, they could have surgery to remove it followed by chemotherapy, anti-cancer drugs, to kill any cancer cells that might have escaped surgery. Alternatively, radiotherapy, which uses ionising radiation, or chemoradiotherapy may be carried out if surgery is not possible for whatever reason. If the cancer is too prolific for radiotherapy or surgery to be effective, chemotherapy or immunotherapy is employed. Immunotherapy is when the immune system

is artificially stimulated to fight the cancer. If the cancer has a specific genetic mutation that can be identified, biological therapy to stop its growth might be used. This may be used after or instead of chemotherapy.

Symptoms such as coughing are often downplayed According to the NHS, smoking is the single biggest cause of lung cancer, causing over 70 per cent of cases. This is with good reason – tobacco contains over 60 carcinogens and people who smoke 25 cigarettes a day are therefore 25 times as likely to suffer from lung cancer. Other forms of smoking, such as cannabis, cigars, pipe or chewing tobacco or snuff (powdered tobacco) increase the risk.

For those who don’t smoke, this still applies – frequently being exposed to secondary smoke can increase your risk. Alternatively, exposure to various chemicals, radon or diesel fumes can increase your risk of developing lung cancer. In 2013 the International Agency for Research on Cancer accepted air pollution and connected particulate matter as a carcinogen based on studies in humans, animals and in the laboratory.

Lung cancer is the main cause of cancer-related deaths in the UK, with a 13.3 per cent survival rate five years after diagnosis. Professor Willie Hamilton, one of the authors, believes these findings are incredibly important, providing hope to those who may face these symptoms in the future. If so, this is heartening news. indeed.

SCIENCE

EXEPOSÉ | 17 FEB 2020

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I've got a feeling in my stomach Lucy Aylmer investigates the emerging field of psychobiotics being used to study mental health

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CCORDING to recent scientific studies carried out by Megan Rossi at King’s College London there is a link between gut health and mental health. Does this mean we can all lead happier lives? Could we solve the mental health endemic through a healthier gut? Or even assist the overworked NHS in improving mental health statistics? The potential is huge.

The gut-mental health experiment was a collaborative project carried out by four universities in Finland, Ireland and England. Conclusions were drawn by feeding one group of rats probiotic foods, whilst the other group were fed non-probiotic foods. From here the rats were required to perform a maze task to test their mental abilities in how they navigate the activity.

It revealed that rats fed nonprobiotic foods shared psychological issues of depression and decreased presence of the neurohormone noradrenaline. This vital hormone promotes alertness, vigilance and improves the retrieval of memory; something of infinite value when trying to recall your French oral. The second group of rats were fed an alternative

Cash Injections

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Tom Dormer, Online Science Editor, discusses barriers to developing a coronavirus vaccine

S of 10 February, the NY Times reports 63,851 people have been infected by the new coronavirus, with that number expected to rise exponentially. In response, large research and biotechnology companies have already been tasked to create a global vaccine. However, vaccines take a long time to develop. Over the last 150 years, the average time it takes from a detecting a disease, to a vaccine being licensed is 29.5 years.

So why does vaccine development take so long, and when can we expect a coronavirus vaccine rolled out globally?

The main issue, as is often the case in research, is money. Because much of the funding for vaccines comes from large biotechnology companies, their focus is primarily on diseases which pose the biggest risk to society. This occurred when the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) broke out in 2012, meaning vaccine companies saw their funding moved from their current progress on a SARS vaccine to the new disease (to this day there is still no approved SARS vaccine).

The same happened with the Ebola too. Only last month, a highly efficient vaccine was finally completed, with the efforts of biotech companies not quick enough to help during the crisis in 2014. Instead, what was more important was the response in preventing the outbreak from spreading any further.

Fortunately, the development of the coronavirus vaccine is greatly assisted by a $12.5 million funding by the Coali-

tion for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), a non-profit organisation formed to aid the development of new vaccines against new infectious diseases. This should mean that companies have the funding to focus on coronavirus for a longer time (should a new virus spring up elsewhere).

Sometimes, however, half the problem is detecting the virus in the first place. For example, despite taking some action to control the outbreak of SARS in November 2002, Chinese officials did not tell the World Health Organisation about the disease until February 2003 - a full three months after the first case, by which point 2000 people had already been infected.

Fortunately for us, Chinese officials identified and released the genetic code for novel coronavirus very quickly, meaning companies could start work on their vaccines early. It has already been announced that Moderna Inc. a large Massachusetts based biotech company, are collaborating with the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to speed development.

So how long before we see the vaccine distributed?

Some estimates believe a potential vaccine will start 'Phase I' in humans in about three months, meaning larger scale human tests should be available in the summer if all goes to plan. This would be a short time period never seen before in the likes of medicine before.

R Image: Mohamed Mahmoud Hassan

Others are less optimistic however, with unexpected issues and roadblocks expected in both the development and trial of the vaccine.

Looking at the past too, only 22 percent of vaccines are completely successful throughout development.

Only time will tell whether this vaccine will be completed this year, with both funding and luck taking a large role. What is more important is the containment of the virus before it spreads further. This also brings up a wider issue of whether vaccine development should be a purely reactionary issue, or whether vaccines could be created preemptively? Either way, for now, this coronavirus outbreak is a test for the medical services and biotech companies around the world, with the experience we gain hopefully preventing something like this ever reoccurring in the future.

diet of probiotic foods containing the bacterium Mycobacterium Vaccae.

This showed reduced anxiety and improved concentration amongst the rats tested. As such, the probioticfed rats excelled in the maze task and validated the scientists’ hypothesis that certain foods enhance the productivity of desirable bacteria in the gut and as a result improve mental wellbeing.

There are a plethora of probiotic foods including apples, yogurt, blueberries and almonds to include in your diet, all of which boost the productivity of beneficial Bifidobacteria to improve positivity. So, if you’ve been feeling slightly despondent, distracted or even a bit gutted with your January exam results, why not try some probiotic foods to enhance your mood?

Shining a new light

Johnny Chern, Screen Editor, looks at the bright new images of the sun

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MAGES emerged last week which showed the sun in more detail than ever seen before.

The images were captured by the new Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope in Hawaii, which is now, at four metres long, the world’s largest telescope.

From 93 million miles away, the pictures show patterns of moving plasma on the sun’s surface. This is a process called convection, where according to the National Science Foundation (NSF), "hot solar plasma rises in the bright centers of “cells,” cools, then sinks below the surface in dark lanes." These cell-like plasma blobs are each roughly 800 miles across, truly putting into perspective how tiny our planet is compared to our star.

"It's going to be a revolution for understanding the sun" The US $344 million observatory has been two decades in the making, and is able to study very small features of the sun. The telescope should be able to make the first-ever magnetic measurements in the Sun’s atmosphere. This will help scientists study solar storms and pre-

dict space weather, which is important for us on earth since solar wind blows from the sun to the edges of the solar system, meaning technically we live inside the atmosphere of the sun. Solar storms, for example, can negatively affect technology on earth, including everyday aspects of modern life like radio communications.

This will help scientists predict space weather The research should help explain how the sun’s magnetic fields can trigger eruptions of superheated gas that can hit the earth. According to NSF, these "magnetic eruptions on the sun can impact air travel, disrupt satellite communications and bring down power grids, causing long-lasting blackouts and disabling technologies such as GPS." “It’s going to be such a revolution for understanding the Sun,” says Momchil Molnar, a solar physicist at the University of Colorado Boulder. Eventually, the data collected from the new Inouye Telescope will be used alongside corresponding research by NASA and the European Space Agency, an exciting prospect for future expansions in knowledge of our solar system, how it came to be and predicting its fate in the future.

Image: AFP

Shout out to science

ECENTLY, I’ve discovered Brain Stuff, a podcast which sends out daily episodes, five minutes long or so, exploring a small story from a particular aspect of science.

An example from 11 October 2019 explores the gravitational effects of the so-called Planet Nine. Some have apparently argued that, because we can’t detect anything of Planet Nine

other than these gravitational effects, it is possible that there is a primordial, miniature black hole at that location. Now, this might not be likely, but Brain Stuff explores the fact that some researchers argue it is at least possible.

Alternatively, for audiences not fond of physics, the podcast covers topics such as the plight of the bobcat, the supercontinents of the

past, or what exactly the ingredient Eye of Newt from Macbeth is (I won’t give any spoilers, but it can be found in the episode from 31 October). Although I’m new to this podcast, it seems there’s something for everyone.

The content covered in Brain Stuff has got me to think. Not necessarily about anything in particular, but that isn’t always necessary.

As a final example from the podcast itself – the team discuss deterministic nomenclature, or whether having a particular name alters your course in life. It seems to me that Brain Stuff is aimed at exploring and questioning all aspects of life – something that I, personally, am fully in favour of.

Vincent Plant

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17 FEB 2020 | EXEPOSÉ

SPORT

A day in the life: the University Boat Club Joel Edwards unpacks the daily schedule of elite athletes at the University

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S a member of the student body built upon a solid foundation of pasta, beer and very little sleep, I was intrigued to find out how a day in the life of an elite student athlete compared to my own. How long they train, what they train, what they eat, when they eat, how they have the time to balance training, university work and a social life and whether they look down on and pity us mere mortals who plod along in our intramural teams. Enter Jack Gowing; a member of the Exeter University Boat Club and a second year Ancient History student.

Enter Jack Gowing, a member of the University's Boat Club So what is an average day in the life of Jack Gowing? Getting up at 6:20 (I know, who knew such a time existed?) our elite student athlete completes one training session each morning, usually before any university work. This could be a set on the "erg" (a rowing machine to you and me) or a weights session in the gym.

Before I have even started to think about getting out of the comfort of my bed, he has completed workout number one and is on to whatever lectures and seminars he has scheduled.

A weekday afternoon, bar Wednesday, brings circuits or cardio, another 60 – 90 minutes of exercise to fit around his university work. Having already burned more calories by 5pm on one day than I would in three (I used a calorie calculator so can say that with slightly embarrassing confidence), all of this activity takes place before any social events in Jack’s calendar. This led me to question how he has the energy to complete any of this. The answer: a (not quite literal but not far off) tonne of food.

“Quality over quantity”, I am told when it comes to the diet of a member of the boat club. I would argue, however, that when you are eating five (yes five) eggs and two bagels for breakfast and the veg alone at dinner consists of four carrots and a whole head of broccoli, quantity is fairly important too.

Carbs, carbs and more carbs are the order of the day with half a bag of pasta making up one dinner. When two packs of bagels, a loaf of bread, cereal, porridge, fruit and nuts all, to quote Jack, “disappear”, and that is just breakfast for a week, inevitably cost is going to be an issue.

Easily spending over £45 a week on basic stuff at Aldi, budgeting is yet another skill an elite student athlete must have in their arsenal. Eating well is an important aspect of student athlete life; they need to maintain energy and prevent injuries.

Jack burned more calories by 5pm on a single day than I would in three Energy is especially important when you are completing a morning erg set, going to lectures, spending two and half hours at a water session and topping off this one day with an evening in Timepiece!

When I asked Jack about his weekly routine, I specifically remember him stressing the importance of a night at TP Wednesday. However, when you are training 14 times a week, tracking both the calories you have burned and are eating, wake up at an ungodly hour and also complete your university work, I think you’ve earned yourself a night out. After he’s finished stressing the importance of the Wednesday night social, I am taken through the regular week.

An erg set and circuits are on the agenda for Monday and weights and cardio on a Tuesday and Thursday.

The focus of a weights session is on power not strength, with low volume, high weight repetitions and very specific exercises designed to cater for the muscle groups a rower wishes to target.

I am told these include the hex bar deadlift off blocks, front squats and split squats, which at the very least sound impressive. A Wednesday involves a morning set on the erg, followed by a water session in the afternoon and the infamous social in the evening. Friday is a "de-load" day which I am told is “definitely not a day off,” with core exercises and stretches taking place in the evening. The weekend brings a further two water sessions per day and a weights session on Saturday afternoon.

Exhausted from just hearing this, I ask about his social life. Elite student athletes tend to live together - especially rowers - as they’re all in the same boat! (it was funnier when he said it).

Understanding the packed nature of each other’s routine results in it making sense to live together. This can also help the bond of the crew members.

There is a common joke amongst the rowing team that out of a social

life, a work life and training, you have to pick two, but it seems that provided you have good time management skills you can have it all.

Even Friday is definitely not a day off, with core exercises and stretches Being in the second year of studies, time management has inevitably improved but an “old school” paper diary is used to ensure that deadlines are met and appointments are kept.

Motivated by the knowledge that there “is always someone doing more”,

these routines have become ritual and I am told you get used to it after many years.

However, athletes do not hesitate to miss a week of training to catch up on university course work if they feel that they need to. I’m told it is possible; to both “to stay human” and compete at a high level, it is just up to the individual.

Reviewing the notes I took when speaking to Jack, the word that stands out on my page, in bold capitals and underlined is 'enjoyment' You have to love what you do to be an elite student athlete and survive and thrive in each hectic day. An average day in their lives is more action packed than a week in

mine, but I’m sure it flies by when you're having fun.

Enjoyment is the word that stands out you have to love what you do The pre-8am start is not for me, but I have a great deal of respect for the elite student athletes amongst us on campus.

The commitment shown by athletes on such programmes no doubt pays dividends in terms of BUCS silverware, but it shouldn't be underestimated nor taken for granted.

All images: Allmarkone

SPORT

17 FEB 2020 | EXEPOSÉ

Chiefs move closer to women's team

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Harry Scott-Munro looks at the latest Women's Premiership rugby reforms

Y the time the dust has settled on the Tyrells 15s grand final at Kingsholm, the reapplication for the league next season will have been decided upon, with the shape of top-tier women’s rugby in England becoming a lot clearer.

2017 saw a Super League of 10 teams set up for the first time in English women’s rugby, with a sponsor and live coverage on Sky Sports and online for the first ever time. Despite initial positivity around the move, there was much discontent upon the realisation that the drawbridge would be pulled up, with no promotion or relegation from the league for a minimum of three seasons.

Three new teams were added to the existing structure in the shape of Gloucester-Hartpury, Firwood Waterloo and Loughborough Lightning but this came at a cost with Lichfield being the only one of the original eight top league sides to not be readmitted.

There was even greater anger over this as they sat third in the league at the time of the announcement, destined

to return to the local leagues with the loss of star players including England’s all-time leading points scorer Emily Scarrett as a result.

Three years on and the retendering process is again in full-swing, Tyrells' 15 clubs guaranteed their status for next season, with Darlington Mowden Park, Worcester, Richmond and Firwood Waterloo all having to reapply for their positions, competing with the likes of Gallagher Premiership big hitters Exeter Chiefs and Sale Sharks for a league place until the end of the 2022-23 season.

Whilst DMP are the only club to not say whether they will re-tender, it would be presumed their position would be taken by Sale Sharks or Newcastle as northern representatives.

The sheer lack of competitiveness from Firwood-Waterloo and Richmond suggests that at least one of them could also be for the chop, having only mustered two wins between them all season. Worcester may well be in a position of having to re-tender but such is the marked improvement in

performances since former EUWRFC coach Jo Yapp took over, that they are expected to remain within the league Despite increased presence for the women’s game, Harlequins Women playing at Twickenham in December and sides now starting to play games more regularly at Gallagher Premiership grounds, the league is still something of a two-horse race, with Saracens beating Harlequins in the final for each of the last two seasons and both sides looking to be on a collision course with each other again come May. For the failures of FirwoodWaterloo, there have been successes, Gloucester-Hartpury and Loughborough occupying the third and fourth play-off spots, more than validating their inclusion. However, the league isn’t without its failings.

Despite the hotbed of talent on display, there seems to be still little to no recognition of the league except from those in the know. This was highlighted by Harlequins winger Jess Breach in a recent podcast, who

pointed out that despite fans seeing them and wishing them good luck for a match after the men’s team, they still didn’t stay to watch. The league seems to have created somewhat of a cavern in women’s rugby, with its closed-door policy of the haves and have-nots within the game, making that progression of players and clubs up the rugby pyramid almost impossible.

This isn’t to say that there haven’t been successes, Harlequins attracting over 4000 fans to a match last season was a phenomenal achievement but more still needs to be done.

The greatest issue is within the league itself with a mix of semi-professional and professional players, with some clubs paying players retainers and match-fees and others choosing not to, or at least not to the same level of pay.

It creates the disparity that is currently on show when looking at the Tyrells 15s table, something that will need to be addressed alongside the conclusion of the current re-tendering process.

Slurs in stadiums and lockers

Neha Shaji, Deputy Editor, looks at the homophobia epidemic still running through football

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WO male West Ham fans were arrested earlier this month on suspicion of making homophobic gestures towards Brighton supporters, and were taken to East London police stations. A 2018 research report by the Football vs Homophobia campaign shows that 63 per cent of LGBTQ+ supporters have experienced or witnessed abuse at matches over their gender identity or sexuality. Whilst sport is generally a unifying element, the pervasiveness of “lad culture” penetrates both football fandom, as well as players’ experience of the sport itself.

........The coach said to me it was to be expected in an all boys environment Homophobic chanting is considerably common at games, with Brighton’s experience not being unique with regard to homophobic gestures or abuse towards supporters who may or may not identify as LGBTQ+. However, just as there is an issue with racism in professional football, homophobia remains an immediate concern as well. It’s paramount to note that in the long history of the sport, very few professional football-

ers have openly come out as gay or bisexual, with Gareth Thomas, who came out as gay in 2009, saying “it will always be a problem” unless homophobia is policed stringently at games.

The abuse permeates through several levels of the game.

I spoke to someone who’s played for county level abroad, and plays for collegiate level games in the UK, about the experience he faced as an openly gay amateur footballer.

He said that “it starts really

Image Lou Fioravanti

small when in public, you know, gestures and stuff or other teams calling you names. But it can get absolutely horrible and it’s something that doesn’t stop regardless of what you do because it’s about something I have no choice over.”

He related an incident he had in a locker room, “I was quite new to the team, and you know, I’d only seen this stuff happen in films so I thought it was never going to happen to me. I just came in after my first game and I was

talking to the coach so I was a bit late – when I came into the room, the boys who were already changing quickly put shirts on and turned their backs to me as if they couldn’t change in front of me. I felt so awkward, I went into a cubicle to change. I tried telling the coach and he thought it was just funny, and said that it was to be expected in an all boys environment.”

A first podium and a class win, with the only cars ahead two factory-run Ferraris The treatment of both casual and aggressive homophobia as a tenet of lad culture leads to young footballers like this player wanting to leave the sport for fear of never being able to openly express their sexuality. It also leads to the football match itself being an unsafe space, both physically and emotionally, for LGBTQ+ fans. Campaigns like the Rainbow Laces effort do exist; however, homophobia should be tackled persistently and punitively alongside positive expressions of support, rather than primarily relegating the effort to a campaign.

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The highs and lows of Exeter sport Elinor Jones Science Editor

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Y experiences with sport at Exeter, as with my degree, have been up and down, mainly due to my inability to not be injured or ill for any considerable period of time. However, having been the member of three different sports in as many years studying here, being part of a team in university sport is something I miss, now I just do exercise to procrastinate my dissertation.

I joined the novice squad, putting in hours on the rowing machines In first year, I joined the University of Exeter Boat Club, on the vague hope that because I had done a different type of rowing to a high standard prior to uni I would be winning BUCS Gold by the end of the year. Alas, this was not the case and I joined the novice squad, putting in hours on the rowing machines and in the gym in order to be ready for heading out to the water every weekend.

Finding the social rowers was the a worthy reward after a harsh training regime Though I initially struggled to find my feet and with multiple injuries the training dwindled, finding the social rowers, who did it for the sheer entertainment, to try something new, or for fitness, was the highlight and a worthy reward after a harsh training regime. We would spend more time at socials than training but on the water we would give everything we had, even making it to row the Boat Race course (almost).

I still could enjoy the sport without costing my sanity and my degree These girls taught me that I didn’t have to be the best and that I still could enjoy the sport without costing my sanity and my degree, and a few of them have remained close friends. When I look back to first year, despite the early starts to get to the boat club, I remember laughing as we crashed the boat into the bank even though the coaches were not impressed.

It may be a while ago, and be coupled with memories of crippling back pain and blisters, but learning to row with this bunch of novices was one of my better decisions at university.

Sport

17 FEB 2020 | EXEPOSÉ

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SPORT EDITORS:

Spike in form

Josh Brown Nick Powell

Brilliant third set comeback secures vital win over rivals

Image: Rory Selvey

Women’s Volleyball Exeter 1s.......................................3 Southampton 1s............................0 Nick Powell Sport Editor

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XETER’S Women’s Volleyball team produced a stirring fightback in the third set to secure an impressive whitewash over promotion rivals Southampton and cement top spot in the table.

Southampton had been the only team Exeter had lost to up to this point in the season but the hosts made light work of the first set before wrestling control in the latter half of the second to go two sets up.

They trailed 21-13 at one point in an eventful third set but showed enormous composure to take the first-to-25 set 26-

24, earning the two point lead needed to secure a 3-0 victory in sets.

This was widely expected to be a huge challenge: outside hitter, and strong defensive player on the day Kristina Sokic admitted that her side were “quite nervous”, given how important this game was with respect to the league.

Straight away Exeter stamped their authority. Following a missed serve by Southampton when 4-3 ahead in the first set, Exeter won six straight points to force Southampton into an early timeout.

While the timeout worked initially, a superb set up play allowed Exeter to extend their lead, and whilst they also had a slice of good fortune with a net cord winner to make it 16-9, they were fully deserving of their lead. They were led from the front by captain Kristen Fader, whose

block stretched their lead to ten points, and that was a lead they wouldn’t look like relinquishing as Erika De Mitro hit the winning smash to seal the first set 25-16.

The hosts made light work of the first set before wrestling control of the second Fader’s great court awareness allowed Exeter to get on the board in the second set but they were finding things more difficult with a notable drop in quality from both sides allowing Southampton to gain a foothold for the first time.

Every time Exeter seemed to get ahead, they were being pegged back and a stunning recovery and thrilling point brought

Southampton level at 17-17 with the set delicately poised.

However, a crucial overstep by Southampton gave Exeter the two-point buffer they needed to make it 20-18, and from there they would win another five straight to clinch the set 25-18.

Southampton desperately needed a response to keep their hopes in this game, and as a result their promotion hopes, alive. But what they had lacked in skill up to that point they made up for in defensive spirit and earned a 7-10 lead in the third set. This prompted an Exeter timeout, shortly after one Southampton player beamoned one of the officials for a late, but ultimately favourable call.

The player in question was fired up after that break and a stunning spike gave Southampton an 11-7 lead, their largest in

any set to that point. Exeter were winning some epic points but basic errors kept Southampton in front and they started to show the sort of form that their spot in the table suggested to make it 18-12 and force Exeter into another timeout.

The timeout seemed to fail to have its initial desired effect as Southampton motored into a 21-13 lead, until a superb block from captain Fader, which felt like a big moment, saw a run of four straight points bring Exeter right back into it.

Though Exeter made a service error shortly after a fresh Southampton timeout, there was no let up in their pressure and they narrowed the gap to 23-22 before Southampton set up two set points.

Careful, conservative build up brought them level, before Fader secured the win with an ace.

For live scores and in-depth reports, follow us on Twitter @exeposesport CONTINUED ON PAGE 31