InQuire 14.9 Election Edition

In uire

CHOOSE YOUR LEADERS

Voting open 4th-8th March www.kentunion.co.uk/vote Photo of presidential candidates

Photo by Oliver Trapnell

Candidate list | Manifestos | How to vote | Editorial Why you should vote

DEAR

READER

The Kent Union Leadership Elections are back; and this year is bigger and more consequential than ever. Every year you, the student, have the wonderful opportunity to vote for someone who you think should be sworn into the officer roles. They will all aim to work on the issues that are affecting you the most, responding to your feedback and bringing about positive change.

Following the Democracy Review last year, the Union announced 4 new sabbatical roles, including the introduction of a Postgraduate Experience Officer. And the introduction of student networks will replace the current group executive committees, which will work to create a community in previously underrepresented areas.

We have a whole host of issues that need to be solved. The debate over free speech has been rekindled in light of Carl Benjamin’s visit in November.

Living costs are skyrocketing to the point when students are selling pictures of their body just to make ends meet. And Brexit remains an uncertain and divisive phenomenon, and many young people believe that we should have a final say on our country’s fate.

Those are just a few issues that need reforming, but every year here in Canterbury and Medway, we are often reminded of student’s apathy and discontent with the organisation. In 2018, around 8 out of 10 us failed to turn up to the ballot box, but why? Some believe the organisation is experiencing a democratic deficit, that it is falling short of fulfilling its basic duties. Others are simply not interested in what the union do and that they are unable to implement genuine and worthwhile change. And many are unaware or informed about what a students’ union is (or does).

That is why we have dedicated an entire edition for this year’s election. We see it the Union as incredibly important and in our editorial, we propose why you should vote between March 4 and March 8. The union is flawed, but as a membership organisation, you have a direct say in the way things are ran. The election makes a fundamental contribution to our democratic governance; we can both hold leaders to account while at the same time granting them legitimacy to those who wish to exercise power.

But there is something far greater and self-actualising to all of this. Whoever you vote for, whatever your needs are and whether you win or lose, you have worth actualised through your status as a Kent Union member. Having the right to participate, whether that means spoiling your ballot or RONing a candidate, serves to reinforce self-esteem and self-respect because you have the opportunity to have your say and exercise your rights.

So, get involved, choose your leaders and help shape your academic journey for the better.

Sincerely, Bill Bowkett Newspaper News Editor

InQuire Meme

The University of Kent’s Student Newspaper

Friday 1 March 2019 Issue 14.9

inquiremedia.co.uk

Honest chat with Kent Union President Page 6

UKC trio pass blindauditions on The Voice UKC group, Equip to Overcome, choose Lionel Richie as mentor on ITV talent show.

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he group, all studying an undergraduate degree at the School of Law, had already established the University’s first gospel choir, before entering The Voice.

The three students, who’s act for The Voice was called Equip to Overcome, received widespread praise after their performance of ‘Blinded By Your Grace’.

In The Voice, three judges sit with their backs facing away from acts while they perform, and if one of the three judges are persuaded by the act’s performance, they turn their chair around to greet the act. After the contestants choose one of the judges who turned their chair, the judge will become their mentored for the rest of the competition.

In the case of Equip to Overcome, all three judges showed their interest by turning their chairs.

The three students chose the 70s pop star Tom Jones to mentor them, who is most widely known for his hit songs ‘What’s new Pussycat’ and ‘Sex Bomb’, and has received two Brit Awards and a Grammy.

Equip to Overcome will now progress onto the ‘battle phase’, where the group will be mentored by their coach before performing duets with another judge’s group. The performances of each group in the duet will then be assessed and a winner will be decided by the judges to progress onto the next stage.

Stay tuned to our website, InQuireMedia, and follow the newspaper for updates.

Photo by KentOnline

Leaked documents reveal reasons behind basketball’s Varsity ban Exclusive Exposé on UKC Men’s Basketball Varsity ban and coach’s response • Documents outlining ban acquired by InQuire • Includes details of “5 minute melee” between Surrey and UKC • Violent ‘headbutt and throat push’ • Claims of ‘unconscious racial prejudice’ against Union

By Jesse Bedayn Newspaper Editor

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nQuire has acquired documents relating to the University of Kent’s Men’s Basketball Club two-match ban; the documents include details of a 5 minute “melee” during a fixture that started with a UKC player headbutting a Surrey player after being pushed in the throat.

The ban, which the Union implemented after a disciplinary meeting, prevented the team from playing their Varsity fixture on 17 February, consequently, CCCU received a walkover point.

In a statement, the Union said that the ban was due to “serious complaints that Kent Union has received since November from multiple sources including England Basketball, Kent Sport and other students’ unions relating to the behavior of some club members”, but they did not provide specifics.

InQuire has been leaked ten documents relating to the complaints that precipitated the ban, including emails sent between the Union and the respective parties, referee reports from the matches and the resulting disciplinary documents.

After the disciplinary ruling, disagreement arose between the Union and the coach, Eman Madek, who sent an email to the Union which addressed his con-

cerns and urged the Union not to “punish the whole team on account of a few individuals behaviour”.

Mr Madek claimed further that the “appropriate punishments had been administered within the team” and asked: “What message are you sending to the innocent members who happen to be the vast majority?”

InQuire can now shed light on the specific incidents in question.

The Union’s disciplinary ruling was partly concerned with the actions of the UKC and Surrey teams at a BUCS South Eastern Conference Match on 21 November 2018.

The report from referee Steve Baker said: “The game was close and competitive throughout between two closely matched teams. The game was fast paced and moderately physical. The foul count was even with both teams reaching team fouls in each quarter played.”

But by the end the “frustrations were increasing,” claimed Ref. Baker.

He continued: “With four and a half minutes to play, Kent, leading 68-60, gained control in their back court. The ball was knocked loose under close pressure from Surrey players. Surrey [number redacted] dived for the ball from a poor position taking the legs from under a Kent player. There was a risk of injury and I called a personal foul on Surrey [number redacted].”

While Ref. Baker was administering the foul, the Kent player who had fallen confronted the Surrey player. “The Surrey player then raised both hands and pushed the Kent player in the face/ throat with some force. The Kent player responded by head-butting his opponent and the players began fighting. Oncourt players from both teams joined in the confrontation.

“The entire Kent bench, which was closest to the incident, entered the court to join in the melee, followed by all but two on the Surrey bench.

“The fighting continued all over the court for approximately five minutes until order was restored and teams returned to their bench areas. There were so many confrontations that it was impossible to say which players were the main aggressors and if any were trying to prevent further violence.

“Only the coaches and two Surrey players, [numbers redacted], remained on the benches.

All the on-court players and those who entered from the benches were disqualified, leaving too few players to complete the game.

“During the post-game administration further skirmishes broke out between players and were continuing inside and outside the arena when I was leaving 30 minutes after the game.

“Whilst many players from both teams were disqualified, [number redacted] from Surrey and [number redacted] from Kent initiated the incident and would both have been ejected for violent conduct. In my opinion, both teams must be held accountable for their actions, but the two players deserve greater disciplinary sanction than others.”

England Basketball took the necessary steps to punish the instigator, who has received a season ban from the club, but the Union took this incident into further consideration at their disciplinary hearing.

A similar confrontation happened at a game at UKC versus Kings College 2nd match at KCL’s Thunderdome on 30 January 2019.

In an email received by KU, a KCL representative said: “During the game [UKC individual 1], playing for Kent, talked trash saying stuff like ‘I’ll F— you up’; and then, while there was a free throw, he got into one of our players face and started talking trash again, so [KCL individual 1] talked back to him.

“Then the Kent player got a technical for it and fouled out and he told [KCL individual 1] that he was going to ‘F— him up after the game’ and to come see him outside. So, he just sat on the bench phone calling ‘his boys’ and then, later on, still during the game he talked to [KCL individual 2] and said:

‘’tell your boy he’s gunna get f—ed up after this game, I called my boys they’re on their way’.

The Kent player waited outside the gym after the game, and got into a confrontation with the KCL player again.

The KCL coach told him to leave, but the Kent player confronted the coach, they were “literally head to head. T hey both grabbed each other’s shirts and things escalated so [KCL individual 1] tried to hold the Kent player back from charging at KCL’s coach and then [UKC individual 1] winded up and elbowed [KCL individual 1’s] face.

The police were eventually called, and the Kent player left.

KCL individual 1 was “fine” according to the KCL representative. This summary was written by KCL individual 2 and sent by the KCL representative to the Union. The documents did not include a description of the events from the Kent player’s perspective.

On the same day, there was another incident where a staff member received “inappropriate attention” from the same UKC player, UKC individual 1. The staff member in question said: “I would like to note that it was not in any way sexually inappropriate, however, when I am working, I want to be concentrating on my job and not made to feel uncomfortable by individuals asking for my personal attention. My boundaries are set, Continues on page 4

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News Union: “Men’s Basketball brought Kent into disrepute”

Editorial Team: Editor-in-Chief Molly Hope

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Newspaper Editor Jesse Bedayn

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Website Editor Daria Istayeva website.editor @inquiremedia.co.uk

News

Bill Bowkett

Newspaper News Editor

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Jordan Ifield

Website News Editor

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Opinion

Koeun Maisie Lee

Newspaper Opinion Editor

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Matt Nuttall

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Lifestyle

Katinka Pim

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Sabrina Latchman Website Lifestyle Editor

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Entertainment

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Newspaper Entertainment Editor

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Matylda Makowska

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Features Corben Neyland Newspaper Feature Editor

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Ellie Fielding

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Culture Maryah Chughtai Newspaper Culture Editor

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Shani Thomas

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Sport

Continued from page 3 I do not want individuals pushing for contact if I already rejected their matter of interest once.”

UKC individual 1 had his Kent Sport membership suspended. This incident also contributed to the Union’s disciplinary decision.

Some smaller incidents also contributed to the Union’s decision. In an email received by a member of staff from Kent Sport, said: “At 11.55, on Saturday, 2 February, a member of UKC Men’s Basketball came to the desk and asked to be signed in for basketball club, I asked him to wait until 1pm when the basketball club session started, he began to argue with me and being rude I repeated that he needed to wait but because I didn’t want to argue I moved on to serve the next person in the queue, he carried on talking loudly and being rude, he then asked to speak to the manager.”

After speaking to the manager, the member of staff said: “I would attempt to apologise because [named redacted] had felt I had been rude by walking away and continuing to serve other people, when I tried to apologise he said he didn’t want to talk to me or accept my apology.”

They were let in at 12:45 to warm up.

Later, the staff member, who had attempted to apologise, checked the respective account and found a note from “10/11/2018 asking for the player not to be let in early for basketball on Saturday as they wander around looking for places to play, I put the note on these accounts after speaking to the manager in November”.

The incident above was grouped with 7 other small incidents that were acknowledged in an email sent by Kent Sport on 12 February to a Union staff member and the club. These included: • Jumping barriers • Letting people in through back doors • Playing/warming up in areas booked for others • Not vacating the areas at the end of allotted times

newspaper.sport@inquiremedia.co.uk

Megan Warwick Website Sports Editor

website.sport@inquiremedia.co.uk

Science and Tech

Emma Leach

Newspaper Science and Tech Editor

Head of the European Research Group and prominent pro-Brexit MP Jacob ReesMogg visited UKC last week to talk to students.

By Jordan Ifield Website News Editor

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he prominent Brexiteer MP, Jacob Rees-Mogg, paid a visit to the University of Kent on Friday, talking on several topics, including Brexit, free speech and the UK’s sovereignty.

When asked by InQuire as to who he’d vote for in a Tory leadership contest, Rees-Mogg opened the question to the audience, including names such

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policies or University policies.

4.3.5 Any other conduct that may be deemed detrimental to the operation, reputation and/or organisation of the Union or where Kent Union has a duty of care to its members.

After the meeting, a letter from the Union stated: “The panel has come to the decision that section 4.3.5 of the Kent Union Student Disciplinary Procedure was contravened and therefore: - The club shall face a two-match ban which will include the cup game on the 13th February and the Varsity fixture on 17th February - The club will remain on a final warning until the end of the academic year, where any further discrepancy in behaviour will result in the club being disbanded.”

In the statement released after the meeting, the Union claimed that the actions of the team were neither in keeping with the “standards expected by Kent Union and the University of Kent, nor with the varsity values of pride, passion, friendship, and celebration”.

In emails sent to the Union and InQuire, following the disciplinary outcome, coach Mr Madek, discussed his concerns with the banning of the entire on team. He told InQuire: “So in total, out of all the incidents there were 4 antagonist all of whom received the appropriate punishment, subsidiary actors also received and served their respective bans.”

He further stated that “We do not punish innocent people on account of the actions of a few delinquents, this is the definition of discrimination.” Mr Madek does not condone the actions of the players in question and is “more than happy to admit our faults and apologise for all our wrong doings when warranted”, but is concerned about penalization of the whole team.

“As cynical as this may sound,” he continued; “I believe this to be a clear case of unconscious bias. The Kent

Men’s Basketball team just so happens to be the most diverse sports team on the campus, the majority of our club >70% is made up of ethnic minorities.

What I find most shocking about the whole furor, is that Kent Union have been highly unsupportive of their minority students, they were insensitive to the nuances of the situation and very swift to judgement.

“I only recently got informed of the full extent of what was going on, the students were dragged before a disciplinary committee with no representation or council of any sort.”

The Union said the players were allowed representation at the meeting, as detailed in the disciplinary letter sent to the respective parties stating: “I would like to inform you that you may be accompanied to the meeting by another Kent Union member.”

“Having coached for so long and seeing the precipitous decline of standards and professionalism with which Kent Union confer towards the basketball teams this issue was the proverbial straw.”

In their statement, the Union said: “It is a privilege to compete for the University and in Varsity,” but the players in question “brought the reputation of the Club, Kent Union, and the University of Kent into disrepute. The decision has not been taken lightly”.

“As one of the three BAME elected students, within the full-time officer team, I pride myself on being a champion of diversity and inclusivity, having recently been involved in launching our BAME network. The Union investigation was completed in a fair and impartial way, with open communication with the club throughout the process, who were informed of their right to appeal the decision, but chose not.” Mr Madek finished, writing: “We aren’t asking for much, to be fair. All we require is a sincere apology, we were more than happy to admit our faults and apologise for all our wrong doings when warranted. It shouldn’t cost them much to say sorry.”

“I’d back Boris”: Rees-Mogg at Kent

Kiro Evans

Newspaper Sport Editor

• Rude and disrespectful behaviour towards staff • Supporters not vacating at the end of the allotted time • Supporters playing on the courts with unsuitable shoes • Players saying they are watching and then playing in the games The email from Kent Sport continued: “Unfortunately, this reached an intolerable level in recent weeks where members of staff were spoken to aggressively and in an intimidating fashion. This was followed, after there had been communication, with further unacceptable behavior towards a member of staff.”

Emails were exchanged between Kent Sport and the Men’s Basketball team from 30 January to 4 February. On 5 February, Kent Sport “met with Basketball team and agreed to allow them to continue the use of training and game space allocation. The team agreed to support the ban of the two individuals.

It was made clear that there could not be any further incidents”.

On 8 February, Kent Sport met with the two players who had been banned.

“In this meeting [individual 1] was banned from Kent Sport for the year by Kent Sport and had his was membership revoked. [Individual 2] told his side of the barrier jumping story and of [individual 1] being abusive to staff. Kent Sport decided to give [individual 2] back his membership.”

A disciplinary meeting was scheduled for 11 February 2019, where Sasha Langeveldt, VP Activities, along with two KU staff members, would decide on a disciplinary outcome for the team. The initial email to schedule meeting said: “It is believed that the club contravenes the following areas within the Kent Union Student Disciplinary procedure”: 4.3.1 Threats of/or actual physical, or verbal abuse/bullying against staff, students, officers, customers or members of the public on Union premises and/or Union related events or activities.

4.3.3 Contravening any Kent Union

Photo by Bill Bowkett

as: Boris Johnson, Philip Hammond, students attending as the “intellectual Amber Rudd and Sajid Javid. elite” before inevitably turning to the Having gathered the audience’s opintopic on everybody’s lips, Brexit. ion, who were mostly in favour of Boris While unsurprisingly stating that he Johnson, he too concluded that he thought the current Brexit deal was “won’t put my own name forward” and, “deeply flawed”, Rees-Mogg elaborated furthermore, “If a vote were tomorrow, on his predictions.

I’d back Boris”.

“On the 29th March, one of three His comments come amid heavy things will happen”, he said, “We leave speculation that Theresa May could without an agreement, or basically make way for a new leader, and get May’s deal with a few tweaks”, consequently Prime Minister, in and there is a “very very, very the aftermath of Brexit. slim chance of a delayed BrexArriving later than expected, it”. This came before Labour the MP for Northeast Somerset announced their support for a entered the lobby of the event second referendum. whilst protesters across the room Jacob Rees-Mogg also carried banners advocating for a attempted to address the consecond referendum while wearing cerns of the protesters outside masks of the Rees-Mogg. wanting a second referenOnce inside the well dum, addressing populated lecture hall, it as the “loser’s which included former argument” Canterbury MP Julian elaborating Brazier, UKC Liberty that “I have Union’s Chris Barnard no fear of gave an introduction a second to the man that has referenbecome synonymous dum” as with the further-right“it will be wing of the Conwon overservative party, and, whelmingly arguably, didn’t need by leave.” an introduction.

He also Speaking calmly claimed that and professionally, he he knew of Photo by UK Parliament chose to address the no person

“I have no fear of a second referendum” who wants a second referendum who voted leave initially, and that some MP’s that originally vote remain would vote for leave based on maintaining trust in democracy.

In the following Q&A, students were eager to ask questions, particularly on the recent creation of The Independent Group. Rees-Mogg said: “I think they’re making the same mistakes as the SDP”, but believed that they should all call by-elections in their own interest, “the longer it goes on, the unlikelier it is they’d get voted through” When also asked about what action the UK should take on issue surrounding the IS teenager Shamima Begum, Rees-Mogg spoke contrary to the government’s policy saying “If you can take away someone’s passport, you must have the power to take away everyone’s passport”, although he did maintain that she should face prosecution for alleged crimes.

Friday 1 March 2019 InQuire

5

News

UKC students break world record for Molly McLaren Foundation “A culmination of 11 months of hard, voluntary work”

By Alejandro Javierre News Sub-Editor

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Photo by @UniKentCongregations

Student Unions announce opposition to differential tuition fees

By Jordan Ifield Website News Editor

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letter signed by multiple university students’ unions has been sent to the Department of Education declaring their opposition to the implementation of differential tuition fees.

Differential tuition fees aim to price university courses differently according to their value in the job market and potentially encourage students choosing certain courses, with supporters claiming the reform could help poorer students.

In the letter, the unions state that: “Differential tuition fees, if implemented through the reduction of fees for some subject areas whilst drastically increasing fees for others, threatens to devalue the study of some social sciences and humanities, whilst simultaneous-

“Living costs are hurting students the most.

There needs to be a mechanism in place to assist

ly increasing the financial barrier and discouraging the pursuit of important STEM subjects by students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds.”

“The idea of differential fees also ignores the utilisation of fees to cross-subsidise all aspects of the student experience at university.”

Another reason they cite for their opposition includes the level of funding universities receive from tuition fees, having previously seen tuition fees triple in 2012 and increased further to £9,250 in 2017 (different rules apply to Scotland and Wales residents).

“Similarly, if tuition fees are reduced all at the same level, there must be a mechanism in place for universities to access the same level of funding they would have received previous.”

One solution the letter suggests to relieve student debt is to reintroduce maintenance grants, explaining that: “Living costs are hurting students the most and so there needs to be a mechanism in place to assist with this”.

Directed to Chair of the Post-18 Education review panel, Philip Augar, it is not clear how seriously the panel are considering the implementation of differential tuition fees or if they’ll respond to the concerns of the letter.

The letter was signed by multiple students’ union presidents, including Kent, Bath, South Wales and Canterbury Christ Church.

Current university fees are only capped at £9,250 in the UK and can be set at any price accordingly, yet most universities choose to set course fees to the limit.

In 2018, the think tank HEPI (Higher Education Policy Institute) compiled a paper on the consequences of differential tuition fees and concluded that “it is not clear that they solve the problems their many different advocates claim.”

olunteers at Medway Campus have broken the world record for the largest collection of origami paper hearts to raise money for the Molly McLaren Foundation and Cardiac Risk in the Young.

The display, which was set up at The Deep End, Medway’s campus pub, contained 53,704 origami hearts, smashing their target of 50,000.

Since completing the world record, the display will be showcased at the Chatham Historic Dockyard in Medway before being moved to Rochester Cathedral.

The display was created by a combined effort from local community centres, schools, civil engineers, and Medway Students and over 40 organizations from the neighbouring Kent area.

The origami hearts are arranged in the anatomical shape of a heart, with entrances to the display being positioned where blood vessels would connect to a human heart.

Other signatories included the Vice Chancellor of the University of Kent, Karen Cox, along with the Vice Chancellors from both Northampton and South Wales universities.

The letter can be found online at: https://kentunion.co.uk/ news/article/open-letter-PhillipAugar

Median graduate salaries per annum for university degrees grouped by degree subject type

Graph by The Higher Education Policy Institute (Data by the Institute for Fiscal Studies)

Photo by Kate Nelson, KentOnline The event was the idea of Ian Farr, a PhD student at the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, the same school that Molly McLaren had studied in.

Ian Farr has stated in a comment to InQuire that the event was a “culmination of 11 months of hard voluntary work” and described the reaction to the efforts of the Medway and Canterbury community as “delightful”.

The Molly McLaren Foundation was set up to provide awareness for eating disorders and raise money for charities who provide support for the sufferers of eating disorders.

The foundation was set up by the friends and family of Molly McLaren, a University of Kent student who was stabbed multiple times and murdered by her ex-boyfriend in June 2017.

The Foundation was created because Molly had suffered from Bulimia for most of her adult life, which she confronted later in her life, and eventually overcame. The Molly McLaren Foundation now aims to provide support for people to also move past their eating disorders.

6

News

Aaron Thompson: An honest interview Kent Union President on Medway, NUS and increasing student engagement. By Molly Hope, Editor in-Chief.

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n a busy Wednesday morning I stopped by to see Aaron Thompson, Kent Union President, in the Student Activities Centre. I had hoped to grab a 10-minute interview somewhere in his tight schedule, but we ended up having an hour long, candid discussion about all things Kent. He spoke openly about his concerns about the NUS, his relationship with the VP’s, and his thoughts on student engagement. In this interview Aaron showed an acute understanding of Kent Union and all that they are involved in. As the 2019 Kent Union election kicks off and his time as President comes to a close, Aaron reflected upon the things he’d achieved and openly admits where he may have fallen short.

Medway

I began by asking about Aaron’s involvement with Medway students as many students feel that Kent Union officers do not take enough of an active role in representing Medway student interests: “Last year we did a representation review and it was decided that the Students at Medway (SAM) committee, which is made up of Kent and Greenwich students, was going to be Medway students’ primary point of representation. My role, therefore is to support the Students at Medway committee by going to meetings based in Medway and helping them fulfil their goals.”

I asked whether or not Medway students would want to see him more on their campus, and was surprised by his candid reply, “No, because they don’t know who I am.”

In a surprisingly defeatist comment from Kent Union he continued saying, “I don’t think it’s ever going to be easy for Kent and Greenwich students at Medway.”

He added that “GK Unions have improved communications but there is still an issue around people not knowing what GK is. They are currently undergoing a branding review but there is still work to be done.”

NUS

With news of the NUS’s £3m deficit, I was keen to ask Aaron about his thoughts on the issue as he is currently on the NUS Black Students committee and the Society and Citizenship committee.

Overall, Aaron still had many positive things to say about the NUS, “My role on the black students committee is to empower young students in school. I spent the Christmas holidays writing a training programme, contacting schools and trying to get them to let me come in to teach the programme which focusses on the issues that black students face, how to get through them, and aspire to leadership. I also secured a sponsorship with Blackwell’s for free books for those schools.”

When questioned on the poor financial management of the NUS he admits that “NUS has very poor governance, they have four areas with individual boards with no overarching board which led to their bad finances.”

He also spoke about NUS’s Totum scheme: “They were rebranded this year but sales across the country have not been good, people don’t really know what it is or what it’s there for. When it was originally proposed my understanding was that it was there for the discounts but the SU’s could use it for their own local discounts and sports clubs could use it as well (similar to YoYo). Initially they had a lot of ambition for it, but because of the finances it has now changed to be a debit card with discounts pre-populated. You would pay with the card and you get the discounts automatically, but, because of the finances, I’m not sure how that’s developing anymore either.”

Aaron also commented on how the NUS’s failing finances have impacted his role: “NUS have to make 3 million savings by March so they are having to make a lot of cuts.

Committee meeting are on skype now rather than in person, they have cut half of their staff and taken away 8 of their 20 officers. Losing this amount of representation is not good at all, but I understand you have to make hard decisions and prioritise where representation is needed. Whilst I agree that their significance is dwindling, their connection with SU’s is still there, they still have the national voice and are very well-known. A lot of students’ unions are considering leaving the NUS, but I think in some form you will always need a national voice, some-

Photo by Oliver Trapnell

Friday 1 March 2019 InQuire one representing students to talk to government.”

“Overall, they’re in a very difficult patch and they are going to have to make hard decisions which people aren’t going to like but that’s leadership sometimes. I still have faith in the NUS as long as they make the right decisions. If they don’t make those decisions, however, I would consider leaving the NUS. We currently pay 57k to be in the NUS and I would say that we get value for money to some extent but we have to make sure that, for the things we could potentially lose, we have an alternative”.

Relationship with the CEO of KU

As Kent Union President Aaron must work in conjunction with the CEO of Kent Union, Jim Gardner, I wanted to know who really holds the power and how they work together day to day. Aaron clarified immediately that, “We are both leaders, I am the political leader and he is the managerial leader. I don’t get involved in how he manages the Union, but we do agree on strategy. Where we cross over is how we interact with students, any decision that will impact student experience we have to decide on together. In that cross over, our power in 50/50, Jim definitely respects our opinion and if we think there is something wrong, he will listen. Having been CEO for 12 years and a Union officer himself, Jim has garnered a certain amount of respect. He’s open to criticism and new ideas and his heart has always been with the students. You could argue that because he’s a bit older, he’s slightly out of touch, but that’s why we’re here as well, students have elected us for a reason and I think they need to trust us”.

Relationship with the Vice-Presidents

News

At a glance Plans for the first two buildings of the joint venture between the University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University have been released. The first of the buildings to be constructed will be situated on Parkwood Road at the University of Kent Campus and, featuring 150-seat lecture theatres and specialist teaching facilities for medicine and healthcarerelated subjects. However, the Vice-Chancellor for Canterbury Christ Church University, Professor Rama Thirunamachandran, has mentioned that the construction of Canterbury Christ Church University’s building may be delayed due to a lack of workers following Brexit. Stay tuned for more on this story in the next issue of InQuire.

The University of Kent has launched it’s second annual Disability History Month, aimed at raising awareness for students suffering from disabilities and the history of disabilities in the UK. The event included lectures, panels, performances and screenings around the subject of students with disabilities. More information on the event and how to get involved in the next Disability History Month can be found at www.Inquiremedia. co.uk.

While President Aaron puts forward a united front with the other Full Time Officers, I was curious to know how they worked together behind the scenes: “There have definitely been times when there was tension within the team.

We were all kind of new to each other at the start, so that was expected; but I have a good relationship with them, I think. We’re always laughing. We respect each other’s opinions, we respect each other’s time, and we trust each other to make good decisions and that we are all doing our best to help the student experience.”

Interestingly, Aaron explained that contrary to popular belief he is not ‘in charge’ of the VP’s but instead works alongside them: “Although it’s a President and a VP structure we still say it’s a flat structure, I chair the board, I am the main external contact, I can speak on behalf of the officer team but I am not their boss, I don’t manage anyone. They are elected for their role specifically, I wasn’t.

I lead the team but I don’t manage them. It’s very different to a society, when I was President of Kent Dance I knew everything, people told me everything, and we were the best society on campus. It’s been tricky for me to change that style, because at the end of the day we are all employed on the same Union contract, paid the same, but also because we are individually elected. You have to think about if you want to be a dictator or work collaboratively.

It’s hard—I’ve always tried to get their opinion regardless, if we can’t agree then they’ll respect that I can make the final decision, if I see that they’re not doing something, or they’re not best using their time, I can hold them to account to some extent. For example, if they are saying something on behalf of the Union that we haven’t discussed, then I can say ‘we haven’t discussed’, that take it off social media; but I don’t think my time is best spent managing them, they’ve been elected into that role and I have to trust them to do that role.”

Student Engagement

7

At the start of their term, the Full Time Officer Team promised to increase student engagement. Now, over half way through their time as officers I asked Aaron if he felt they had achieved all they had hoped: “Increasing student engagement is our priority this year but I have learnt that engagement can’t be achieved in the course of a year it has to be a more long-term strategy. I think good things have come out of our efforts to increase engagement, for example the door knock we did in first term worked really well, but I don’t think it’s gone how we wanted it to go this year overall. When we had our residential training, after we were elected, we said that real engagement was when any student at Kent can say: they know what Kent Union is, the opportunities are clear, and I am proud to be 100% Kent. I don’t think that’s fully happened, particularly the proud to be 100% Kent.”

On the upcoming elections Aaron said: “We will have a challenge in getting higher voter turnout . Elections is a very stressful time, being in this role brings out mental health issues because you’re trying to please everyone.”

“Officers tend to have different reasons for running, I think the best one is to change something as opposed to patting a CV. When I was a student I didn’t know much about KU, I was the President of a society, and I ran because I didn’t like my degree (accounting), but I loved societies so I ran for Activities. Then I ran for President because I realised my passion was actually for something bigger than societies, it was around equality and making an impact. This experience has changed my life, long-term I want to work for not-for-profits.”

Kent Union has faced backlash over many of their decisions this year, and students have been vocal in their disapproval. In response Aaron said: “It’s kind of sad sometimes because I’m 24, I’m a young guy and I was a student here only two years ago, I’m not out to get you, students need to trust that I’m doing the best I can.

We’ve had a lot of backlash, students haven’t always been happy with us, but what I like is it that they’ve started telling us. I’d rather them be angry to our faces then to each other—that is still engagement, if you don’t like something speak up and elect someone that you know will represent you”.

This year Kent Union have introduced the new Vice-President of Student Engagement role, which combines VP Sport and Activities roles into one. All of the current Full-Time Officer Team backed the new officer roles so I was interested to hear whether or not Aaron, as a former VP Activities, would have chosen to run for the new role if it had been in place when he was a student. He responded saying: “I don’t know because I’m not sporty at all.” However, he went on to clarify that “When the role is Activities and Sports you focus on the foundation level, but in the new combined role you’d be focussing on a higher level like online banking and funding.”

He went on to say that: “We’ve been considering the officer contract as a whole, for example, do we need to move our hours to 11am – 6pm when a lot of students meet? We also want to humanise Kent Union, although we are the external public face, we think it’s important to know who are behind the scenes.”

As the interview came to a close, I asked Aaron if he felt as though he was truly in touch with student concerns.

I was taken aback when he answered, “Probably not—a lot of my role is being in meetings so I don’t always get the time to see students, to an extent I rely on PTO’s because they are currently students.”

Finally, he added, “I should to an extent still understand what is being faced on this campus—If I don’t then I don’t know why I’m here.”

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8

Opinion Photo by The Venue | Facebook

Gender neutral toilets: are they here to stay?

Photo by Ben Stanstall | Getty Images

May’s response to student strikes on climate change reiterates the point they are making

By Emma Leach Science & Tech Editor

“

“Somehow there still remains an argument over the possibility of Photo by pschemp | wikipedia

climate change.

I for one, do not

By Elisabeth Few Writer

S

tudents returned to the Venue in the new term with a new addition to the facilities - a gender-neutral toilet. The toilet replaces the female toilets on the first floor of the student nightclub with the door sign reading ‘all-welcome’. Opening a gender-neutral toilet shows the union following through with its aim to stamp out discrimination and harassment with its zero-tolerance policy. It allows for students, whatever gender they may be, to have access to facilities they can be comfortable in whilst allowing for all student’s needs to be accommodated.

Prior to the installation, the Welfare VP, Omolade Adedapo attempted to come up with solutions for the potential issues such as sexual activities in the cubicles and anti-social behaviour. She stated that the toilets will be regularly attended to by members of staff in order to keep the toilets hospitable for all those wishing to use them.

While it is true that steps must be taken to meet each and every student’s requirements to feel comfortable in the nightclub, having a member of staff watching the toilets may not be a long-term viable option, especially if it means there will be less staff behind the bar and on the outside floors.

One student spoke out about her concerns after her experience on a night out in Venue last year. She described how she had to bear with the uncomfortable advances she was receiving from an intoxicated male in the club

and she had to run into the female toilet, where a member of staff happened to be clearing up a spillage. Upon alerting the member of staff of her issue and the fact that the male was still waiting outside for her, this individual was safely escorted out a back exit.

The individual admitted she is worried that had the toilet been gender neutral at the time of this incident, she may not have been able to get out safely.

“I fear that as the upstairs female toilet is now gender neutral other women going through a similar situation may not be able to get the help they need”, she explains.

Student safety is not the only issue the installation of gender-neutral toilet raises. Studies have also shown that women take twice as long as men on average to use the toilet, with women taking 90 seconds and men only 40 seconds. Removing a female toilet from Venue and replacing it with a gender neutral one is surely just going to cause an increase in queuing times for women in both the single female toilet as well as the gender-neutral toilet. Would it not have been more logical to make both toilets upstairs gender neutral so as to help keep toilet queues down?

Inclusivity is an important factor to the Union’s agenda for making the university a welcoming place for all. However, even with the positive feedback received so far and as much as gender neutral toilets have been a success in places such as Steinbeck and Shaw and other clubs; one still wonders whether the potential for an unfortunate incident in these toilets will change student opinion.

care if all the climate scientists are wrong.”

Two years bitching about Brexit while our planet is dying!!”

This is just one of many slogans held aloft in Westminster on Friday 15 February as thousands of children skipped school to implore the government to take climate change more seriously.

The message is quite simple, climate change is a threat to our very existence, and Parliament is not doing enough to stop it.

Peaceful protests took place both across the country and the wider world, including students from all stages in the education system. It is a movement sparked by a young Swedish girl called Greta Thunberg, who sat outside the Swedish parliament every Friday petitioning for the reduction of carbon emissions in the run up to the Swedish general election. Spurred by the information released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that we have just 12 years left to drastically cut climate emissions. Her actions and solemn-faced words have since inspired thousands to speak out.

In response to the country-wide demonstrations, the Theresa May’s spokesperson released the following statement: “Everybody wants young people to be engaged in the issues that affect them most so that we can build a brighter future for all of us. But it is important to emphasise that disruption increases teachers’ workloads and wastes lesson time that teachers have carefully prepared for. That time is crucial for young people precisely so that they can develop into the top scientists, engineers and advocates that we need to help tackle this problem.”

This statement is a perfect example of kicking the can down the road; let the next generation study so they can sort it out in the future. It shows that teaching time is valued higher than long term climate stability, despite many teachers supporting the action. It is short-sighted and screams of wilful ignorance. In Australia, temperatures recently hit a blistering 48ºC. I wonder how easy it was for students to learn in those conditions.

Young people were bemoaned after the Brexit referendum, with the 36% turnout rate for 18-24 year olds indicating a lack of political engagement.

How can young people be expected to engage politically when they unite to raise an issue of global importance

and they are dismissed to get back to their classrooms? Theresa May risks disengaging yet another generation of voters.

When Greta Thunberg started her protest outside the Swedish parliament, she was 15. In 12 years she will be 27—likely in the early stages of whatever career she pursues. Most people her age will not be in positions of power for a about 10-20 years after the 12 year cut-off. Relying on those Greta Thunberg’s age is not an option in the timeframe available.

I don’t agree with all Greta’s message, however. At her TEDx talk in Stockholm she said that governments are doing nothing, which I don’t believe to be true. There have been plenty of talks in recent years regarding cutting carbon emissions, and investment in green technologies has gradually started coming to the fore. Progress, nevertheless. has been slow, and words need to become actions, fast.

Greta also claimed that the issues are not being discussed in the media, which I also believe not to be true. The issues, however, are not taking centre stage as they should, often overshadowed by political bickering about less consequential bureaucracy. We need our politicians to take this more seriously now, individual actions can only bridge so much of the gap.

Somehow there still remains an argument over the possibility of climate change. I for one, do not care if all the climate scientists are wrong. Clean water, clean air, sustainable energy, lack of pollution, thriving biodiversity, healthy forests, healthy oceans and a multitude of other aspects to this web are things we should be striving for as a society irrespective of climate change.

A cartoon by the cartoonist Joel Pett sums it up for me perfectly – “what if it’s a big hoax and we create a better world for nothing?”—we have nothing to lose from working towards a greener world.

In a current global climate marred by mass extinctions, environmental destruction, increasingly dramatic weather events, and world leaders intent on ignoring the issues at hand, it would be heartening to see the UK lead by example. I hope that the student strikes continue to bang their drums. Many of them cannot make their voices heard at the polling station yet; this is the only way they can get their message across.

Perhaps more of us should go out and bang the drum with them, until their message is taken less lightly.

Friday 1 March 2019 InQuire

9

Opinion

Photo by getty images

Shamima Begum: Sympathetic or not?

Begum should face consequences, but deserves some sympathy

By Olivia Warr Writer

T

he decision to strip Shamima Begum of her UK citizenship is simply shocking. The nineteen-year old woman, who has spent the last four years of her life in Syria with the Islamic State terrorist group and her new-born baby, should be allowed back into the United Kingdom to face the consequences of her actions from the British law.

In order to revoke a person’s UK citizenship, they must have dual-nationality. Begum was believed to be eligible for a Bangladesh citizenship, however Bangladesh have rejected this claim, and have made it clear that she will be refused entry into the country.

Begum was only fifteen when she fled London along with two school friends to join ISIS, brainwashed by propaganda and the promise of unconditional love, family, and protection. ISIS preyed on the vulnerability and naivety of Begum as a young child.

It is unjust to hold a young a victim of brainwashing responsible for their actions in joining ISIS. At fifteen, Begum was too young to vote or to drive a car, and was therefore too young to have full control over her decision to leave for Syria. The vulnerability of this young girl was exploited, and this is one crucial reason why she should be allowed back into the country—she was just a child when she left.

Begum is also a victim of child marriage. Upon her arrival in Syria, she was married within weeks to ISIS jihadi Yago Riedijk who was twenty-three at the time. This

fifteen-year-old was a housewife to a man eight years older than her and has since witnessed two of her children die from malnutrition and disease.

As a result of her stripped citizenship, Begum is in a refugee camp in Syria along with her newborn baby boy. This is not the place for a new mother who chose to flee from the Caliphate for the sake of herself and her child. Her pleads to come back to the United Kingdom have been heard and denied; a decision that defies the moral values of Britain. The bottom line is that Begum is British, and she should be held accountable for her actions as a British citizen.

This doesn’t mean that she should be allowed back without any consequences; her decision to join ISIS, and any crimes she has committed in the meantime, should be met with the full force of the British law, and her dangerous nature as a previous ISIS member means she should not be underestimated.

In her interviews, one of the biggest criticisms has been her lack of apparent remorse. This reaction is not surprising; the heightened terror threat and the awful terrorist attacks the UK has experienced makes it difficult to comprehend how someone even remotely involved could not show regret.

It should, nevertheless, be taken into account that Begum has been living in Syria for four years as a victim of ISIS conditioning, immersed solely in their environment. The huge change that occurred when she left London for Syria is likely to have made the young impressionable teenager even more susceptible to the false

and idealised notions that ISIS would have wanted her to believe in.

One of the most shocking acts of terrorism that Begum didn’t show remosres about was the Manchester attack of 2017. This is incredibly hard to comprehend and is the reason many have turned their backs on Begum.

This, however, is also a clear example of the brainwashing that she has experienced. Her belief is that even though killing innocent people is not right, the attack was a form of justification for the bombings of women and children Baghouz.

This is a prominent example of the way ISIS have moulded Begum to think about the atrocities they have committed; she understands that the killing of innocent people is wrong, however, she has been indoctrinated into thinking that the reasons behind ISIS’s terror attacks are fair.

This lack of understanding for the true nature of terrorist attacks is another reason why Begum shouldn’t have her citizenship revoked.

She is not inherently evil. Instead, she is a young, vulnerable woman who has been groomed and victimised, and who now seeks the help of her country for reform.

It is therefore just to bring her back to Britain to stand trial and face the punishments for her actions in her home country, alongside deradicalization. It is right for Shamima, her child, her family, and for the morality of Britain that we should not turn our backs on a nineteen-year old English woman who is ready to face up to her actions and come home.

Shamima Begum deserves no sympathy

By Lewis Whelan Writer

S

hamima Begum deserves neither our forgiveness nor our sympathy, despite what she would have us believe. By travelling to Syria and offering herself as a wife to the Dutch militant Yago Riedijk, her actions renounced any claim that she might have had to our collective good will. She offered herself in support of an extremist cause, and consequently lost any right to the good faith of the British public. The same would be true of any individual and any cause aimed at the terror and murder of innocents.

Shamima has failed to show a shred of remorse for her actions. Her interviews have betrayed a casual demeanour toward her past behaviour, and a disquieting reluctance to recant the extremist doctrines that led her into the heart of the Islamic State. She has justified the Manchester Arena bombing by appealing to the killing of innocents in Syria, and shown a general distaste for the culture that she seeks to return to. It’s only natural that the British public have responded with such rage.

The matter, however, is more complex than simply considering what she deserves. Upon leaving the UK at the age of 15, Shamima was legally classified as a child. To complicate matters further, at the adult age of 19, she has given birth to a baby. An innocent child is now entangled in the mess. As such, the British government must

act to safeguard the long-term future of the child. That is, the government is legally obliged to allow Shamima and her child to return to the UK. There nonetheless ought to be consequences for her treasonous actions. At the least, the child ought to be given to Shamima’s parents to raise, while she attends a deradicalization programme until she rejects her extremist past or pending the results of an investigation into the potential criminality of her actions. So too must an investigation be launched into Shamima’s background in order to determine the roots of her radicalisation, and her child’s upbringing ought to be supervised by social services to ensure that the same radicalisation does not take root again.

That much the British government owes to even its most despicable citizens. But what do we, the British people, owe to Shamima Begum?

It is natural for a community to exclude those who reject its core values. The anger surrounding the case is more than understandable. She is a British citizen nonetheless, which means that she is entitled to a fair hearing, no matter how disgusting her beliefs or her past actions. That is what it means to be a British citizen. While it is true that Shamima Begum deserves nothing from the British people, we must protect our core values at all costs, and allow due process to decide her fate.

10

Editorial

Why you should vote in Kent Union elections?

By Maisie Lee Newspaper Opinion Editor

C

andidate registration? Check. Manifesto release? Check. Candidates are ready. Now, it is your turn. It is your turn to think about who to vote for and get to the polling station.

Some students, however, may still be deciding whether to vote at all. Yes, Kent Union elections have suffered from low turnouts each year, and the popular indifference and apathy among the students is well known, but voting should not be something students should consider, it should be an imperative.

With most of the students at Kent being 18 or above, a majority of us will already have voting experience. Whether that is in a general election, European Parliament election, or most recently the Brexit referendum, elections have always been the time where people gather to voice their opinion on issues on the agenda, regardless of how distant they were from the political sphere of discussions in their everyday lives.

Elections in the past few years have become more consequently than ever

before; we as students and UK citizens have witnessed how a single referendum potentially change our lives for better or worse.

The excuse that your vote doesn’t count is meaningless—single votes determine the fate of a community, society, and country.

The editorial team at InQuire strongly urges you to get involved in this year’s elections: it is your chance to become part of the decision-making process for some important, local issues.

Especially if you are to study at Kent for the next year or two, your vote can shape policies in the University that directly affect your life, ranging from free speech on campus to NUS affiliated activities, from postgraduate support to mental health assistance.

If you were not entirely satisfied about your student experience in Kent so far, or if you would like to address your concerns, this is your chance.

Voting in Kent Union elections is the most localised way of shaping your academic and social experience as a student in Kent, and it is the one most effective and strong way of holding your repre-

sentatives to account— making sure they are capable of delivering necessary changes.

Candidates until the 3rd of March will be campaigning across the campus promoting their manifestos and listening to your opinions.

Take a good look at their campaigns, make the most of InQuire articles that feature manifesto analysis’s, and see which candidates can help us build a better university campus.

Choose the change you want to see.

It does not matter if you choose to spoil your ballot, because that, too, is one way of expressing your opinion. Every view can matter in this election, all you have to do is utilise your right to matter. Vote.

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Lifestyle

Friday 1 March 2019 InQuire

11

My Tinder fairytale Makeup: a bridge between

art and routine

By Timea Koppandi Arts Sub-Editor

Heyy how are you?”

“Hey, I’m good thanks, how are you? – Bit of a long reply but at least I replied” “I’m good too thank you, how’s uni going? And looks like we’re both as bad as each other x” These three sentences that spanned over two weeks, are not exactly what you’d expect from the beginnings of a romance or fairy tale—and yet they were to mine.

Over a year ago, I generally chose to spend my time with a book, and hardly ever with people; naturally, I felt single and alone. It was only when a friend suggested that I should give Tinder a go, as a means to meet new people, that I considered talking to complete strangers as a form of entertainment.

Being stuck in a routine of loneliness, Tinder seemed to be a promising out.

After using it for a couple of months and going on some truly atrocious dates, however, I came to the conclusion (as have many others) that Tinder’s sole purpose is for casual flings.

Before downloading the app, I’d always hoped in the back of my mind I’d meet someone and have something substantial—but after many disappointments and failed dates, the probability of this seemed minimal.

The longer I was on the app, the lower my standards dropped—Tinder can have that effect on people. It makes you think that the promise of some-

body is better than having no one at all. Dating apps can become addictive, they are a momentary solution to the loneliness of being single.

Having swiped through what felt like every single boy in Canterbury, Tinder made me feel more alone than when I started. It was only when I gave Tinder a break, logging in monthly rather than hourly, that I figured out what I wanted. As I backed off, I had my most success. Although I took two weeks to reply, I had finally met my soon-to-be boyfriend, and that simple swipe was easily the best decision I will ever make.

I am proud to say that I met my boyfriend on Tinder. Throughout the year I probably swiped yes or no to every available boy in a 15km radius, but ultimately it led me to a happiness that the occasional “super like” could never offer.

Take it from a Tinder veteran, the app may carry a bad reputation, but as long as you don’t let it overtake your life, Tinder can be a lot of fun. Go on dates (although ensure you give them a thorough social stalk beforehand) and realise that it’s an app you can use for a bit of entertainment, which may lead to anything from a hook-up to a serious relationship.

As long as you have an open mind, it’s whatever you make it.

“Being stuck in a routine of lonliness, Tinder seemed to be a promising out.”

Ebbs Makeup

Ebbs Makeup

“

By Alice Tomilson Writer

akeup is part of some people’s daily routines, while others use makeup only on specific occasions. The practice of face or body painting has been around for at least 7,000 years, shaping socio-economic structures and influencing beauty standards across the globe. Nowadays, partially owing to the LGBTQ+ movement and the abandonment of the gender binary, makeup has progressed more than ever, creating a more open and tolerant environment which pushes the social boundaries of how makeup is perceived.

The competition grows stronger, new makeup artists arise every day and the constant pressure of keeping their work original and unique without falling into the stereotype has become a challenge. Below are three makeup artists who impressed social media with their creative looks, colour combinations, and extravagant ideas, easily transforming makeup into art. All of them can be found on Instagram under these names:

Brittnymakeup

M

Brittnymakeup Her makeup is memorable for her blending techniques, flawless foundation application and play with colour, shapes and gloss. She experiments with bold geometrical shapes and the illusion they give to her eyelid. Bright exaggerated pink cheeks became a distinctive trait of her makeup style. Her use of colour and display of focus that falls on her face, makes her looks balanced and compact.

What makes her makeup looks so fascinating is the precision of the eye shadow and eyeliner application, contrasting with the softness of colour and blend on the skin and cheeks.

A Swedish self-taught makeup artist, her style is soft and colourful. Her eye shadow looks are highly creative, versatile, and experimental. She uses different shapes and vibrant colours which often blend naturally to a lighter shade. Glossy eyelids, dots, false lashes, glitter, and eyeliner are also all part of her signature. Her makeup stands out because of its lightness, colour and odd shapes. She is mainly associated with the vegan makeup brand Lime Crime.

These artists have proven that makeup can be more than just products made for those in the binary to look more ‘beautiful’. Makeup can be whatever you want and whatever makes you feel comfortable. It has the unique ability of being malleable, shaped by your own aesthetic and desire.

Linda Hallberg

Linda is an important name in the Swedish makeup industry. Her own makeup brand has been known for its intense pigmentation, gorgeous colours and their longevity. Her looks cover a wide range of textures, from shimmers to mattes to false lashes, eye liner—none or all of these. She challenges the makeup industry with her bold looks and daring combinations.

Alice Tomilson

Linda Hallberg

12

Food

Hangover cures:

Hungry and horny?

Budget recipes: sweet or savory Try some of these aphrodisiac H foods Bacon, Egg, and J angover from hell? Food. The proven cure. A key part to getting over a hangover is replenishing your electrolytes and rebuilding energy.

Sweet treats will help increase your blood sugar and counteract that tired lethargic feeling. A salty snack can help kick that craving and give your body back some much needed minerals.

Avocado toast

Ingredients Bacon – three rashers Egg – one Bread – two slices Avocado – one Salt and pepper to season

I find that bacon is most appetising during this time of year. Its scent fills up the room – my Dad would always make us Bacon Sarnies’ to warm up after a freezing day out. The avocado in this recipe reminds me of Christmas in Australia, it gives the toast a fresh zing. Topped off with warm orange yolk oozing down the sides of the toast, the flavours complement each other perfectly.

Instructions

Estimated cost in Aldi:

£1.40

Estimated time to prepare:

American chocolate chip pancakes Chocolate is the way. There for you in your time of need. It’s rich creamy flavour sweetening up your day (quite literally). Test your pancake flipping skills using this recipe – you could even have a competition on who can make the best ones with your housemates.

20 minutes

Casey DeVise | Unsplash

1. Turn the hob on to a medium-high heat and warm up the pan, then add the 3 bacon rashers to it.

2. While the bacon is cooking: put the bread in the toaster and cut up the avocado. Use a fork to mash this in a bowl and then season with salt and pepper.

3. Turn over the bacon rashers so they cook on the other side, (TIP: They taste great when cooked until crispy).

This takes about 10-15 minutes.

4. Crack the egg and add it to the pan. It will be cooked when the white is opaque.

5. To serve, put the toast on the plate and add the mashed-up avocado. One rasher goes on each slice of toast, with one in the middle. Add the egg on top.

Ingredients 100g plain flour 2 eggs (one works just as well) 300ml semi-skimmed milk ½ banana 50 g of chocolate chips Butter (to oil the pan)

By Emily Carter Writer

Instructions

1. Turn the hob on to a medium-high heat and oil the pan with a little butter.

2. Whilst the pan is warming up, combine the eggs and milk and whisk. Then add the flour bit by bit stirring it in slowly.

3. When combined to a basic pancake batter, add in chocolate chips and mix through.

4. To cook, you need to make small circular shapes in the pan, slightly bigger than the bottom of a mug, taking care that there’s enough room to flip them over.

5. Flip the pancakes over when little air holes start appearing on top. Cook until each side is golden brown.

6. Once ready, serve with cut up banana slices for a much-needed replenishing of vitamins, perfect for a hangover. Added bonus: the flavours complement each other beautifully.

India Today

The Classics:

Paula Borowska | Unsplash

Oysters: Perhaps the most

well-known, oysters have been considered an aphrodisiac for centuries. The word aphrodisiac was named after Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty, who was meant to have come out of a sea clam. Oysters are high in zinc (as are pine nuts, for those who don’t eat seafood) which is related to the boost of semen production and regulating sex hormones. Experts believe, however, that it’s the intimate way of eating, slurping, alongside their suggestive appearance, which gets us going.

(Dark) Chocolate:

Cacao Charisse Kenion | Unsplash contains compounds which are said to increase libido, particularly in women, alongside boosting serotonin levels, the ‘feel good’ hormone. Although it has been debated how much your brain actually absorbs, there’s nothing sexier than strawberries dipped in chocolate.

‘Warming’ Spices: There’s a reason we have the

saying, to “spice things up”. Cayenne produces heat by increasing circulation and blood flow. Nutmeg and cinnamon are also considered aphrodisiacs Thomas Evans | Unsplash in many cultures—just the aroma alone can improve your mood, soothe nerves and spark your sex drive.

Paolo Bendando | Unsplash

The Others:

Asparagus: A surprising one perhaps, asparaguses

contain vitamin E, which is involved in the production of sex hormones. They also have vitamin B, which regulates the production of histamine (the chemical released during orgasm).

Chilis:

Stephanie Studer | Unsplash

Chilis warm you up, get your heart pumping, and blood flowing. The thing which makes chilis spicy also stimulate the nerve endings on your tongue, causing libido boosting chemicals. What could be sexier than getting a little sweaty and thirsty.

Pomegranate:

High in anti-oxidants, pomegranates boost blood flow, increasing genital sensitivity. Some studies also suggest pomegranate juice is helpful with erectile dysfunction.

Bananas: High in potassium, bananas are said to

lead to more intense orgasms. They are also said to increase a man’s sex drive.

Celery: It contain Phyto-androgens, similar to testosterone, increasing sexual desire in women.

Watermelon: This fruit is said to relax blood ves-

Estimated cost in Aldi: £2.40 Estimated time to prepare: 20-25

minutes

oey Tribbiani, from FRIENDS, once said: “I don’t know, it’s too hard. Uh, food. No, sex. Food. Sex. Food. Sex—I don’t know. Oh, God, I want both. I want—I want girls on bread”.

I’m sure everyone can relate to Joey here, however “girls on bread” may not be the most appealing (or plausible) option to go for. A better solution, perhaps, is with aphrodisiac foods.

As students, food and sex tend to be on the brain pretty much 24/7.

Stress, unfortunately, tends to be something else which dominates our lives, and nothings kills the mood more than a mental breakdown and sleep deprivation (not to mention excessive stress decreases your sex drive). Why not try some of the suggested foods below, as a “natural” way to get you in the mood.

sels in the same way as Viagra.

Pistachio nuts: They stimulate blood flow, leading to firmer erections.

Laura | Unsplash Tog Heftiba| Unsplash

By Katinka Pim Newspaper Lifestyle Editor

In uire Elections pullout

VP Welfare and Community Candidates: Omolade (left) Emma (right)

Meet the Leadership Elections candidates 2019

Students’ Union President

Vice-President (Academic Experience)

Connor Hanagan-Morrissey

Sean Kennair

• ReformtheNationalUnionofStudents.

Psychology student who has been the election School Rep for two years. My experience with the Union has shown me limitations, but also its potential, and I believe I am the best candidate to takeouracademicexperiencetowards it. Students are the Union – will always follow that principle.

Who Am I? Hi! I’m Emma. I believe that all people, no matter race, religion, sexualityoranythinginbetweenshould feel comfortable and supported. I am running for Vice President for Welfare and Community, with plans to face and tackletheissuesstudentsfaceandstart making progress towards solutions.

• Community connections: Students should feel safer, and more at home in theirschoolsandfaculties,thushelping themform vitalconnections thataidin their academic experience.

• Greater education for all students around healthy relationships and support for all of those who may have faced unhealthy relationships themselves.

• Student locations: I want to continue the excellent work on student space, creatingcommonroomsforallschools, perfect for building communities withinschoolsandsocieties,especially as event locations.

• To encourage a better relationship between students and social media.

Making clear the effects social media can have on mental health and to encourage better management of social media.

• Teachinginnovation:Modernteaching must be accessible for all students, andschoolsshouldreceiveincentives to reward empowering, creative and inventiveteaching.Finally,assignments should be school-specific, fairly marked,andappropriatelyweighted.

• To support both LGBT+ and BAME students through union engagement with both the LGBT+ society and respective societies to do with BAME students.

• Ring fence Kent Union funding.

• Improve communication + transparency

A brief note from the InQuire editorial team:

Each candidate was asked to submit the top 3 manifesto points.

These statements appear as they were received and any grammatical or spelling errors are not due to InQuire editorial.

InQuire do not endorse any of the candidates.

Vice-President (Welfare and Community)

Emma Sampson

Students’ Union President

Students’ Union President

Vice-President (Academic Experience)

Vice-President (Welfare and Community)

Hi! I’m Lauren, and I’m running to be your next Union President. Why? Because STUDENTS DESERVE MORE from their Students Union, and that comes from someone with a FULL STUDENTEXPERIENCEtoreplicatethat for all! I study Event and Experience Management in Medway, and it’s MEDWAY’S TIME to shine!

Accomplishments as your current VP Activities:BAMEnetworkinCanterbury, Cultural food festival, Kent Union’s environmentalstrategy,waterfountains, student Microwaves

• Promote the importance of students’ wellbeing and create a better awareness for student support.

• Environment: Continue developing Kent’s environmental strategy via unsustainable goals & hold the uni accountable on divesting from fossil fuels.

• LobbytheUniversityfor24/7termtime access to Drill Hall Library.

MynameisOmolade,yourcurrentVicePresident(Welfare)andIamre-running to be your Vice-President (Welfare and Community).

This year I: Introduced Gender-Neutral toilets in The Venue Elected onto the NUS Welfare Zone Committee Renewed Black History Month at Kent, ensuring it was ran by students

Lauren Thynne

• Close the loop: Kent needs to shout about wins – large or small, and credit the amazing volunteers that make it happen. We need to keep students updatedandsaywheretheirfeedback goes.

• Break down barriers to find your people:Let’smakeiteasiertoempower students with a user focused union – creatingcommunitiesthatincorporate student run groups and the new networks, a simpler way to find your people.

• Make it clear in Medway: Are Medway students more GKU or KU members?

I believe GK Unions needs to be rebranded as a hub for activity and information, rather than replacingthe Home Unions.

Sasha Langeveldt

• Diversify: Continue to diversify the curriculum to provide a wider world view • EU students’ rights: Nationally advocate on behalf of Kent Union and collaborate with the uni in protecting your rights.

Victoria Saward-Read

• Ensure all schools have a common room and put in place a book borrowing scheme within them.

Omolade Adedapo

• Don’t gamble with your education: Gambling addiction can be both a causeofandtriggerforfurthermental health issues. Working together with local gambling charities in Kent to provide counselling and support for students.

• My right to rent: A toolkit for Medway and Canterbury students on renting rights as tenants as house hunting should be an easy and stress-free experience for you.

• Let’s talk about sex: Collaborating with local Sexual Health services across Canterbury and Medway to increase the visibility of Sexual Health Awareness and Advice to students.

Full manifestos at kentunion.co.uk/leadership-elections

Vice-President (Student Engagement)

About Me: Vice-chair of societies executive alongside overseeing the physical activities forum.

PresidentofScubaDivingSociety,whilst carrying out roles for trip planning and other activities.

Keen martial artist trained in multiple systems.

3rd year Military History student.

• Continue to work with Kent Sport to reviewtheGymMembershipoffering.

Adam Youseman

Emily Window

• Continue to work on Medway sports provision, including the creation of an outdoor Multi-Use Games Area.

• IncludesocietieswithinVarsitytogrow and develop the event.

• I aim to work with the fulltime union staff to make it easier to support student groups in the planning of trips and events.

Why Me? 3rd year music tech Medway student, Canterbury resident, KTV EntertainmentCoordinator,Memberof MusicSoc,Lacrosse,Kayaking,Jacapella, CSR & KTV. • Collab: Host more collaborative fundraising events & introduce intercampus competitions.

• Connect: Improve bonds between Kent Union and volunteers & support committees with wellbeing and conflicts.

• Promote: Celebrate achievements of societiesandsports&ensureaccessto resources for all groups.

View Manifesto on social media

Vice-President (Postgraduate Experience)

Floris Claassens

Who Am I? I am a fourth year PhD student in Mathematics and have been faculty rep for two years. As faculty rep I have proposed a summer term shuttlebusservice,beenpartoftheGTA delegation to the Graduate School and conducted a review of pastoral care at the University.

• Mentalhealth:Ensurethateveryschool has a trained first point contact that helps you get the help you need.

• I will work to encourage inter groups relations not only between societies collaboratingbutalsobetweensports teams and societies.

Kirby Talines Carmona

Laura Carlin

• Pre-arrival support: The university should include support services like the Kent Union advice centre in prearrival communications and students shouldhavethepossibilitytotalktoan academicbeforepickingtheirmodules.

• I will work to make the Union more accessible to students to improve engagement

Vice-President (Student Engagement)

Vice-President (Postgraduate Experience)

• PGR desks: Make it University policy that every PhD student that works in the office regularly has his/her own desk.

Vice-President (Student Engagement)

KG

I’manInternationalstudentfromCanada (EH!)who’sbeeninvolvedinKentUnion since first year; becoming captain and President of women’s basketball, BME Officer, as well as the resident support officer for Park-Wood and Eliot!

• Increase Society Participation in Varsity: Sports Societies are just as validasBUCSteams.Asarenon-sport teams. Kent Union and CCSU should collaborateonwideningVarsity’sreach.

• Make Team Kent More Inclusive: Implement a buddy system within team Kent. Encourage mature/ postgraduate student involvement.

Pushfortwonewsportsmemberships; Monthly and Facilities only.

Vice-President (Postgraduate Experience)

Valeria Minisini

My Credentials: 5th year in University of Kent, Studying MA International Relations with Law, School of Politics Postgrad Rep, member of Kent MUN, Amnesty International, Current Affairs Soc. • Talk:Introducemonthlypostgradchats across campuses discussing various topics.

• Collab: Work w/ KGSA to plan regular events, bringing the postgrad community together.

• Teach: Promote work-life balance amongstgraduateteachingassistants.

• Implement a Volunteer Reward Scheme: Our student leaders work hard in order to ensure the success of theirsocietiesandsportsclubs.Iaimto implement a discount system for our student volunteers.

#kentvotes

kentunion.co.uk/vote

Voting open 4th @ 10am Voting close 8th @ 2pm

Vice-President (Student Engagement)

Manifesto

Disclaimer The views and opinions expressed in these articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the or position of InQuire

President

The Students’ Union President provides leadership for Kent Union working with and on behalf of students to ensure that the organisation provides the very support to students during study. They are responsible for the development of Kent Union and Chair of the Board of Trustees. The President is also a member of a number of senior university committees, including University Council and Senate and holds relationships with senior University staff and external stakeholders.

By Bill Bowkett Opinion Writer

T

he presidential candidates for the 2019 Leadership Elections have a range of opinions and ideas on prevalent issues. Some of their main focuses include promoting student engagement, improving the student connection with Medway, and increasing representation.

Sasha Langeveldt focuses on what she has been already been doing as Vice-President (Activities). She wishes to ‘diversify the curriculum’, which includes greater perspectives, reading, and research from authors of colour.

She also plans to continue developing Kent’s environmental strategy via the unsustainable goals, while holding the University accountable on divesting from fossil fuels.

Langeveldt has publicly been in support of a second Brexit referendum and has promised in her manifesto to na-

tionally advocate on behalf of Kent Union to protect EU students’ rights.

She also wants to launch a Medway BAME Network, and engage students in Kent Union’s democratic structures to increase the Union’s purpose and responsibility, branding the last Annual General Meeting (AGM) in November a “failure”.

When questioned on the National Union of Students (NUS), Sasha said that it was incredibly bureaucratic, mentioning the NUS’s white paper calling for job cuts to increase office hours for other workers and increasing funding.

Connor Morrisey has not run in a Union election before, but currently sits as the secretary of the UKC Labour Society. His manifesto is an ambitious plan to fundamentally change not only the way Kent Union functions, but also the NUS. He believes both organisations have “not been transparent enough” in publishing their finances and have failed to inform students on exactly what they

do and how they do it. Despite his criticisms, the third-year politics and IR student, along with the other three candidates, wish to remain in the organisation, which reported a £3 million deficit last year.

Sasha and Lauren Thynne, the third candidate, stand oppose to Connor in his aim of inviting potential controversial speakers, who do not break the law, to UKC. It comes on the back of the Union attempting to de-platform controversial YouTuber Carl Benjamin (Sargon of Akkad) from speaking to the Liberty Union in November.

“Anyone can come down, so long as they have something interesting to say,” said Connor which went against Sasha who was part of the efforts to revoke Benjamin’s invitation. Sasha said the officers have a “duty to uphold the Union’s reputation” and not invite what Sasha thought were “racist or hatful” figures.

Lauren added to this point, saying that the Union have to take a “balanced ap-

proach” in upholding “free speech”.

In other policy areas, Morrisey wants to ring fence Kent Union funding, challenge campus accommodation prices— which was not mentioned by the other two candidates—and revive the student music circuit and cheaper beer on campus. He also did not put in any explicit policies relating to the Medway campus because “all of my issues are related to both campuses”, he claimed.

The final candidate for the presidential race is Lauren Thynne, a Team Kent Executive Committee Member and Medway student. Her manifesto is, in many respects, an attempt bring Medway back into the fold of the greater UKC. She wants Medway students to feel more like Kent Union members. She believes the GK Union in Medway needs to be rebranded as a hub for activity and information, rather than replacing the home unions. In addition, she wants to build mobility, saying that although the

Campus Shuttle bus has already greatly improved, there is a need for a service during University breaks to ensure students, particularly postgraduates, can still access resources.

There is also an attempt by Thynne to work on increasing representation. She said Kent needs to shout about wins— large or small—and “credit the amazing volunteers that make it happen.

We need to keep students updated and say where their feedback goes”. Moreover, Thynne wants to make it easier to empower students with a user focused union—creating communities that incorporate student run groups and the new networks; a simpler way to find your people as there are currently “not enough, or right, channels”.

VP Postgraduate Experience The VP Postgraduate Experience will be providing the postgraduate perspective on issues which impact their student experience. They will be lead officer on national issues such as postgraduate funding, training and support; academic issues such as supervision and GTA concerns; employment issues; satellite campuses including European Centres which are comprised solely of Postgraduate students; welfare concerns such as finance and housing; and community development including events and activities out of term time alongside the Kent Graduate Student Association.

By Josh West Opinion Writer

L

aura hopes to provide a support scheme to every level of postgraduates, proposing a “buddy” scheme, such as that similar to what is offered to first year undergraduates. If, for example, a masters student is going onto a PhD, a current PhD student could be a peer mentor, “I think that should also be im-

plemented for those that are considering going from an undergrad to a postgrad” she said. “All levels should have a peer mentor”.

Response to whether she thought this was plausible, Laura said that many current volunteers would be eager to help boost their volunteering hours and boost their CV’s in the process.

Valeria has proposed monthly chats between her and postgraduate students

to discuss various topics, saying that “It’s the idea of bringing back this community feel”.

“This is also a good way for the future VP to find out more about underlying problems in the postgraduate community such as accommodation”, and listed problems in the Woolf accommodation block as an example of such.

Regarding Medway, all three candidates included points on the seaside

campus in their manifesto, with both Valeria and Allana agreeing that the shuttlebus schedule between the two campuses should be reformed to include non-term time (after a trial period), although candidates have promised similar reforms in previous elections.

Laura’s Medway policy, however, focus on sports in Medway in an attempt to link the campuses. Laura said she had spoken to the “the sports develop-

ment officer, who’s got loads of ideas” and who she’ll be meeting with later in the week. Laura contradicted Valeria and Allana on shuttlebuses, concluding that more shuttlebuses may not be the answer.

When candidates were asked by Kent Union on whether they would prioritise accommodation or parking for postgraduates, none of them said it would be their prioirty.

o analysis

VP Welfare & Community The VP Welfare and Community is Kent Union’s lead officer for campaigning to defend the rights of and improve the wellbeing of students. They are the union’s lead on wellbeing, liberation, housing and the local community based projects. The officer will also be responsible for Kent Union’s work on the environment and sustainability.

By Maisie Lee Newspaper Opinion Editor

T

his year’s welfare VP election may not seem as competitive as the president or other VP positions, but it is worth taking a closer look. The candidates Omolade Adedapo and Emma Thompson have come up with two similar, but diverse manifestos, that envision their plans for how the student welfare policies on campus should change, and in what ways Kent Union should continue their working relationship with the local Canterbury community.

Looking at the incumbent candidate Omalade’s manifesto, her promises address issue areas that she has not focused during her first term as the Welfare VP. Rather than developing from her achievements this academic year— installing gender neutral toilets, getting elected to the NUS welfare zone Committee, and successfully running Black History Month—her newly presented manifesto focuses on gambling support, enhancing student housing experience, sexual health support, assisting Medway students, and establishing a stronger

and more stable link between academia and student wellbeing. Although she outlines positive change she is willing to bring to the campus while serving as the Welfare VP for her second term, one thing Omolade lacks is continuity from her current term, failing to elaborate on how she can fulfil her promises from her previous manifesto.

Omolade has also stressed her belief in strengthening student engagement within the local community. Reiterating her response from the Kent Union poll questions, she told InQuire that she wants to remind the students that they

are already part of the local community and she is willing to promote more and better opportunities for students to become part of local projects, activities, and communities. At the fundamental level of her manifesto, however, Omolade’s central concern remains the BAME students and LGBTQ+ welfare, which she believes is key to tackling a lot of relevant issues such as mental health.

Emma Thompson through her manifesto also stresses the importance of diversity and integration among students.

Emma places her emphasis on bringing students together regardless of their race, religion, and sexuality. As a newly running candidate, she lacks practical outline of how she is planning to achieve each promise. Nevertheless, her manifesto attempts to address issue areas that have yet been openly and widely

discussed throughout Kent Union, such as student education on relationships, students handling social media, and platforms for environmental societies to push for a greener campus.

She expressed her strong conviction behind helping students regarding relationship and social media problems, which she believes will bring a great amount of positive change in student wellbeing. Just like Omolade, she recognises the necessary improvement in Medway student support and LGBTQ+ & BAME student engagement. During her press conference interviews, she agreed with Omolade on recognising mental health problems, furthering the integration between the university and local communities, and enhancing academic experience in relation to more welfare issue areas.

VP Student Engagement The VP Student Engagement is the lead Officer for student groups, including sports clubs, societies, community action groups, RaG and student media. They promote, defend and develop our co-curricular activities and work towards engaging as many students into Kent Union as possible. The officer will also be leading on employability, alumni engagement and awards.

By Molly Hope Editor-in-Chief

T

he brand-new role of VP Student Engagement has been introduced this year, with some backlash from students. With four candidates running, however, it is one of the most competitive races.

Current Vice-President of Sports, Emily Window, is focussing on carrying on much of the work she’s done this year. She wants to continue her review of the Gym membership that Kent Sport offers, and continue her efforts to improve Medway sports provisions.

However, as a VP Student Engagement candidate, she has diversified her manifesto to encompass issues that impact societies as well as sports teams. She aims to include societies within Varsity and create give-it-a-go activities. Despite these society inclusive manifesto points, Window’s manifesto still gives the impression of a Sports orientated candidate.

When questioned on student engagement, two candidates, Adam Youseman and KG Banjoko both proposed an app to try and centralise all information students may need. Emily was quick to criticise this idea as “unfeasible within

a year” and “not necessarily the most efficient way to increase engagement”.

Fourth candidate, Kirby Talines, argued that the best way to increase student engagement is through “increasing the marketing” via social media which appeared similar to the position the current Full Time Officer team’s approach to engagement this year.

In regards to Varsity, Kirby proposed an inter-campus competition between Canterbury and Medway in order to encourage collaboration between the two campuses. Emily pointed out, however, that she would be “cautious about creating a rivalry” between the two campus-

es. KG and Emily both hoped to introduce societies into Varsity if elected.

KG also put forward an idea for a new rewards system for volunteers that would potentially include volunteers being rewarded for logging volunteer hours with SU Shop discounts and social media shout-outs etc. Kirby highlighted a need to increase student volunteer recognition through social media and beyond, depending on budget.

When questioned on how they would respond to potential backlash to the new role Emily said, “it’s important to have equality between sports and societies. If students feel like they’re not

going to get represented, that’s why we’ll have a network chair now who can promote their presence on campus.”

Similarly, KG said that “my manifesto reflects that I’m ready for that responsibility and that there needs to be a balance between sports, activities and volunteering”. Kirby said that he “made sure his manifesto points were applicable to both groups” so that that workload of the combined role would not be too much. Finally, Adam says “it’s not unknown that I was against the combination of the roles, but I am still running because I want to make sure everyone gets a voice in Kent Union.”

VP Academic Experience

The VP Academic Experience is Kent Union’s lead officer for academic representation and educational campaigning. Representing the undergraduate experience in an academic context they are the lead Officer for the undergraduate student rep system and academic societies. They sit on the highest academic committees in the university and are tasked in fulfilling the union’s education strategy.

By Molly Hope Editor-in-Chief The The role of VP Academic Experience has undergone a name change this year, formerly VP Education, the slightly altered role now includes academic societies and focuses more heavily on the experience of students in academia.

This race is perhaps the least diverse in terms of the range of topics discussed as well as the stances of the candidates.

Both candidates, Victoria Seward-Read and Sean Kennair, highlight the need for more ‘common areas’ for students,

improving academic connections with Medway and increasing student engagement but both candidates offered slightly different approaches on how they planned to achieve their goals.

Victoria approached the role with a focus on the importance of supporting students throughout their academic experience both mentally, by looking after their well-being, and physically, by giving them appropriate study and social spaces. She was passionate about “giving back” to students and not allowing them to “get left behind” as she feels that recently students have been “lost in

the system”.

Sean feels the Union has become “too online”, a change from the social media focussed rhetoric we often hear, and pledges to “put in some serious leg work” to engage with students on campus by “sitting in on lectures” and spending time in student outlets. He believes that students feel like the Union “isn’t relevant to them anymore” and that in order to build back up a sense of “community and engagement” you need someone who is “ready to spend the extra hours, ready to go places and have that stamina to keep going despite the

adversity”.

In response to presidential candidate, Sasha Langeveldt’s, goal to diversify the curriculum, Victoria “agreed to some extent” but had not considered it for her manifesto. Sean also agreed with the idea in principle but clarified that he “does not believe in diversity for diversity’s sake” and instead felt that “the best works, whatever the subject, should be available, whatever artist that is, academic excellence should be what we strive for”. He proposed that looking at quality texts, would inevitably diversify the curriculum.

Both candidates were also keen to promote their ideas on increasing Medway students’ academic experience. Sean focussed on making it easier to get to and from Medway by “increasing the amount of buses” and “using that leg work to take the same bus they take, experience the same difficulties they have”. Victoria’s manifesto instead aims to make Medway’s Drill Hall Library open 24/7, aligning with her enthusiasm for appropriate spaces available for all students.

InQuire’s Kent Union Election Survey Following Kent Union’s poll question to this year’s candidates, InQuire have collected some data to find out what students thing on a range of different topics, including Kent Union.

By Bill Bowkett Newspaper News Editor

I

t seems from our data that the main issue facing students was divided between money (35%), work stress (33%) and mental health (29%). No one selected safety as the primary issue and one commented that they get a “lack of support” from University and Union.

On the question ‘What do you believe is the biggest barrier to students’ academic experience at Kent?’ the answer inconsistency of experience got the biggest share of Taken from 48 the vote (31%). This was closely followed, in respondents. Latest order, by a lack of student voice (25%) and update: assessment and feedback (23%). Other barTuesday 26 riers cited include teaching quality, lack of February 2019 curriculum, help outside class and money. (Photo by Kent Union) Most students who participated wish to remain a member of the National Union of Students (42%), with 16% wanting to leave controversial speakers onto campus. 38% and a quarter (25%) remaining neutral; disagreed, 10% were neutral and 6% do not 16% were unsure. know.

Nearly two thirds (65%) were in disagreeWith the introduction of the new ment with Kent Union decisions to draft Vice-President for Postgraduate Experiits fancy dress guidelines back in October, ence, we decided to ask participants a queswith around a quarter (23%) agreeing that tion on that very topic. The question we it was the right thing to do, 8% neutral and asked was: ‘Which of these issues affecting 4% unsure. postgraduate students should the Union Another controversial issue this academprioritise tackling?’ The most popular, with ic year was free speech and perceptions a third of the vote (33%) was wellbeing supon free speech are positive. 46% agreed port, followed by research supervision with with the statement Kent Union should over a quarter (27%). Graduate teaching asnot prevent student groups from inviting sistantship (GTA) contracts continues to be

Which of these issues within Higher Education the Union should prioritise tackling?

an issue for many PG (18%). The rest of the responses include accommodation (16%) and PG study spaces (5%). One pariticpant commented in our survey: “I’m not a PostGrad student so it would not be right for me to comment on their provisions.”

InQuire also asked participants some questions relating to Kent Union. 58% said they were going to vote between March 4 and March 8 and 21% were not or were unsure of voting respectively. Turnout this year is estimated to be between 20-25%.

54% of respondents said that Kent Union is an ineffective student representative

What have Kent Union done this year?

Academic networks VP Education hosted the first academic network event, providing representatives and academic societies the chance to work with the VP of Education on student-led projects to enhance the student experience.

Study space

We asked voters which of these issues within Higher Education the Union should prioritise tackling. In the poll, living costs had taken the top spot (27%), narrowly ahead of value for money (25%), tuition fees (21%) and mental health (17%). Other responses included freedom of speech and academic improvements, and one person answered, “all of them”.

The Union has secured more common room spaces; one for SECL students, being set up now, and Rutherford common room for history and politics students. There are also more improved academic study spaces, including Turing Study Hub, a refurbished Darwin Study Hub 1, 140 more seats in the library, and plans for a Rutherford Study Hub. A new Postgraduate Study Hub secured with the help of the Graduate School in the Senate Chamber, with a kitchenette, is planned to be opening in the next month or two.

Return of Woodys

body. We added a comment section for students to express their views on the organisation. One student said the Union “The Union need to prioritise what students want not what they want”.

1) “The Union need to prioritise what students want not what they want” 2) “The nature of the way it is structured, and Elections work mean that it is possible to limit the impact of those elected to represent students” 3) “The same issues come up every year because nobody looks further than the previous team”

Opened the new Park Wood Study hub, replacing the temporary mobile hub with state-of-the-art equipment and space. Includes Woodys, the SU Shop, and a dance studio.

Postgraduate tion

representa-

Following the Democracy Review last year, the Union announced 4 new sabbatical roles, including the introduction of a Postgraduate Experience Officer. The University Council, the highest governing body in the University, have also agreed to an extra student place on council, for a postgraduate representative.

Student networks The introduction of student networks will replace the current group executive committees, which will work to create a community in previously underrepresented areas. The types of networks include LGBTQ+, women’s, and BAME.

University accountability It was announced last year that the Union president will be a member of the Univer-

Current FTOs (Left to right): Stuart Lidbetter, Omolade Adedapo Aaron Thompson, Emily Window and Sasha Langeveldt

sity remuneration committee, ensuring the University is transparent and fair. This in relating to issues such as the pay of the Vice-Chancellor, Karen Cox, who is the 21st best paid VC in the UK.

Diversify the Curriculum After gaining further feedback from students, the Union intend to pilot a ‘Diversify my Curriculum’ scheme with one of the schools this academic year.

Selling food Bake sales are now an option for students on campus, as well as a cultural food festival, where student will be cooking authentic dishes from their culture.

Sport strategies Wrote a 5-year Varsity vision with CCSU and completed writing a 7-year Sports Strategy with Kent Sport. The union has also worked on a review of sport membership, and ringfenced funding for disability sport students.

3) “The same issues come up every year because nobody looks further than the previous team”

Do not forget the Part-Time Officers

By Syan Bateman Head of design

L

ess publicized, but just as important, are the 12 part-time officer roles that students can hold whilst studying for their degree. You can see a full list of the roles and applicants on the back page of the newspaper.

There was a variety of experience in the candidates, with some rerunning, and others with different roles within their own societies. Eske Eilts, running for Chair of the Sustainability Network, ran a campaign for Extinction Rebellion recently, as well as Aarish Hyderworked running to become a Student Trustee, as a Student Rep. This range gave them such a varied pool to draw from when approaching their new roles.

And with roles in the future, some were going to run for full-time roles, but did not want to take the year out of their education for it. But that difference between the both part-time and full-time officers was something that got continually remarked on. PTOs do not get the same level of training or support and they have to balance their studies. They do not get paid and they do not have the same amount of impact within the Union, but this is the best point for students.

It allows them to “dip their toes into the water” before getting fully involved, enabling them to have a say as both a student and as a figure of

authority within the Union. Not getting paid means that the only people who apply for the role are those who are truly passionate about the section, though some worry that it means not enough focus or attention is given to the opportunities that students can take here, because their work is not compensated.

Certain roles also were more popular than others. The Chair of the International Student Network has 6 applicants, whilst the Chair of the Women’s Student Network only had one.

The themes that come up within a role, but also between roles was telling. Almost everyone mentioned Medway-Canterbury relations in their manifestos, as Robbie said, “Medway has to be involved in the conversation, because historically, it hasn’t been.”

There were different actions suggested to “encourage friendships and research partnerships”, such as Shubham Mishra, Chair of the International Student Network, suggesting having classes from some schools moved to Medway, and Felicia Dean, running for Chair of the Student Society Network, suggested a societies forum that would involve people and societies from both campuses.

Another point across roles was lobbying for a longer post-study work visa. It was recently increased from four months to nine, but they are pushing for an even higher number.

Aarish Trustee is asking for a two-year

visa through lobbying in a #WithoutUs campaign. This seems to be an issue concerned international students from first year up but involves many areas within the student union.

Specifically, within the International Chair race, the topics of mental health concerns and interaction between cultural societies both came up repeatedly. The first was for international student reps to have welfare training to deal with problems specific for international students, such as homesickness. The second was for the various cultural societies across campus to have more intermixed events, to enable collaboration and communication. Our university is incredibly diverse, and that collaboration would help ‘enable diversity’ and is one the reasons that Riya Jogani, Chair of the Women’s Network, is so focused on it.

Communication and collaboration were some of the key-words in each manifesto. As Felicia said, she wants to see network events and forums between all societies, but also within their genres, so that “things can actually get done”.

Hopefully something will get done with this coming year, that those who hand over the role will be able to see their ideas carried to fruition, and that change and growth will be enacted from every role this year.

For more information on the PTOs, visit www.kentunion. co.uk

PTO Roles Black and Minority Ethnic Network Chair To represent and act as the voice for, as well as promote, extend and defend the rights of ethnic minority students to both the University and Kent Union as well as organising events to help celebrate Ethnic Minority students rights at the University of Kent.

LGBT+ Network Chair To represent and act as the voice for, as well as promote, extend and defend the rights of LGBT+ students to both the University and Kent Union. Also to organise events to help celebrate LGBT+ rights at the University of Kent.

Students with Disabilities Network Chair To represent and act as the voice for all students who define as having a disability, and to feedback key issues that affect their student experience to both the University and Kent Union.

Women’s Network Chair To represent and act as the voice for all students who define as women, and to feedback key issues that affect their student experience to both the University and Kent Union.

Sustainability Network Chair To promote and raise awareness of ethical and environmental issues to students, as well as to both University and Kent Union, as well as to create and support environmental campaigns.

Faith Network To represent and act as the voice for all students of Faith and to feedback key issues that affect their student experience to both the University and Kent Union.

International Network Chair To represent and act as the voice for all International Students, and to feedback key issues that affect the international student experience to both the University and Kent Union.

Mature and Part-Time Students Network To represent and act as the voice for all Mature, Commuting and Part-Time Students, and to feedback key issues that affect the Mature, Commuting and Part-Time student experience to both the University and Kent Union.

Students at Medway Committee President To represent and act as the voice for all University of Kent students who are on a program of study based at the Medway campus and to feedback key issues that affect their student experience to both the University and Kent Union.

Team Kent Network Chair

To promote and raise awareness of Team Kent to students, as well as to both University and Kent Union, as well as to create and support sport-related campaigns.

Societies Network Chair To promote and raise awareness of Societies, Student Media and Kent Community Action groups to students, as well as to both University and Kent Union, as well as to create and support any related campaigns.

Volunteering Network Chair

To promote and raise awareness of volunteering to students, as well as to both University and Kent Union, as well as to create and support any related campaigns.

Throwback Election 2018 O

ut of the eventual winners, two were incumbents from the 2017/18 term, with Aaron Thompson moving from VP Activities to President, whilst Stuart Lidbetter retained his position as VP Education.

A similar scenario has occurred for this year’s election, with incumbents Sasha Langeveldt, Emily Window and Omolade Adedapo aiming to become President and , VP for Student Engagement, and VP for Welfare and Community respectively.

Campaign issues from students were largely predictable for last year’s election, with focus on gym membership for sport, study space for education and affiliation with the NUS for the

President.

However, one issue that came to prominence over the course of the campaign was sexual assault, with the student led campaign We’ve Had Enough holding a protest against the crime outside the Kent Union building.

A noticeable moment of controversy occurred when the candidates were announced, with one of the questions Kent Union asking them being: “What type of cheese would you be and why?”

This consequently spawned an InQuire satire piece.

Debates for each position were held across a one week period, much like they will this year, candidates fielded questions revolving anything from

the UKIP society’s ‘crusades’ social or Medway’s importance at Kent, with most candidates looking able for the role they were running for.

InQuire themselves became entangled with the debates, as then Website News Editor, Bill Bowkett, was controversially prevented from moderating the presidential debate, with Editor-in-Chief Kiran Saggu taking his place.

Results night itself was delayed from the planned Friday to the subsequent Monday due to a “data loss” with the School of Pharmacy, and despite the use of the Single Transferable Vote, every candidate that won in the first round won the overall vote.

What is STV?

How to ote

All Students’ Union elections are held using the Single Transferable Vote (STV). It is a system of preferential voting designed to minimise “wasted” votes and provide proportional representation (PR). Here is our guide to the system...using burgers and sandwiches to explain it a little bit better.

By Bill Bowkett Newspaper News Editor

How does it work?

L

et us imagine your mate is nipping to the SU Shop for lunch and offers to bring you back something. You reply that a sandwich and crips would be ideal; your first preference. If they are sold out, a cheeseburger and chips second preference. If those are sold out, you will have anything, and you have not got any preferences.

STV works in a very similar fashion.

When voting opens, you will have the option to pick your first-choice candidate for each fulltime and part-time officer position. In a plurality voting system, where most votes win, this is how it would work, but not in STV. After picking your first-choice candidates (sandwich and crisps), you can additionally choose to allocate your second choice to another candidate (cheeseburger and chips). This is who you, the voter, would like to see in the role, should your first-choice candidate is unsuccessful in gaining enough support with the rest of

the student population.

In addition, every position in the election also has an extra candidate which the Union add called Re-Open Nominations (RON). It is a way of telling us that you feel that candidates ranked below RON are not suitable for the role or deserving of your vote.

After voting closes, the first-choice allocations are totalled into one sum. If a candidate does not already hold a majority, over 50%, of the total number of first choice of votes, the candidate with the fewest choice votes is eliminated. Don’t worry, your votes still count!

The eliminated candidate’s votes are then transferred to the second round of round of voting. If your first choice is eliminated by this stage, your vote is then transferred to your second choice.

The process continues, until a winner for that position is confirmed.

As great as it sounds, the voting system has its flaws. One being that the voting system can be prone to what has been termed ‘donkey voting’, where voters randomly vote for candidates in the order they appear on the ballot.

Where do I vote?

Voting booths will be open Monday 4 March at The Venue in Canterbury and The Deep End at Medway. If you are voting this way, remember to bring your Student ID. You can vote at any time online at www.kentunion. co.uk/vote. Voting closes at 2pm.

How do I vote?

1) Complete the self-definition form.

2) Select the election you would like to vote for.

X

3) Enter ‘1’ by your first preference, ‘2’ by your second preference and so on. You cannot put the same number by two candidates, but you can enter as many or as few preferences as you wish.

4) Submit your votes.

When do polls close?

Friday 8 March.

When will I find out who has won?

The results will be announced at The Venue on Friday 8 March from 6pm.

You can also watch live coverage of the results on KTV from 6pm.

InQuire will be interviewing the committee winners soon after.

Entertainment The 91st Oscars were surpsingly good Friday 1 March 2019 InQuire

21

By Tyler Rigby Writer

L

ast Sunday, the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences gave out their annual awards to celebrate everything in the world of cinema and what a surprisingly unpredictable night it turned out to be.

The controversial Green Book about race relations in the Deep South during the 1950s took the night’s top prize upsetting bookie’s favourite Roma to win best picture.

In addition, Green Book took home best original screenplay as well as best supporting actor for its standout star Mahershala Ali who now has two Oscars to his name.

Roma didn’t walk away empty handed however as it won for best foreign language film, best cinematography and best director allowing Alfonso Cuarón to take to the stage three times to represent his nostalgic masterpiece. BlacKkKlansman scored for a single win with best adapted screenplay for its four

writers including legend Spike Lee who gave an impassioned speech urging everyone in the Dolby theatre to ‘do the right thing’ in the 2020 election, a reference to his 1989 classic of the same name.

The Favourite underperformed overall picking up just one award but it also provided the biggest shock of the night – Olivia Colman overcame the odds to win best actress beating frontrunner Glenn Close. In a speech full of energy and genuine euphoria, Colman’s win was easily the best moment of the night. Bohemian Rhapsody surprisingly became the most frequent winner of the night with four honours to its name including best actor for leading man Rami Malek who humbly thanked Queen, his parents and his co-star and girlfriend Lucy Boynton. To round out the acting races, Regina King won supporting actress for her astonishing performance in If

Beale Street Could Talk and deservingly so. Box office juggernaut Black Panther was underestimated as it picked up three awards in costume design, production design and score.

Political satire Vice was shut out of most categories except for makeup and hair and finally, A Star is Born, which lost a considerable amount of steam over the course of awards season won a single Oscar for the original song ‘Shallow’ allowing Lady Gaga to give one of the most melodramatic speeches of the night.

Something that should definitely be celebrated is that this is the most wins by women in the academy’s 91-year-old history with 14.

That being said, male winners were above 30 in number so there’s still a ways to go but hopefully this is a step in the right direction.

formed at professional theatre venues, The Marlowe and The Gulbenkian, and last year we sold over 1,000 combined tickets to our six shows.

We work with professional theatre companies and practitioners such as Frantic Assembly, an award-winning physical theatre company (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time), Les Enfants Terribles (Alice Underground), a world-renowned puppetry company and Duncan Woodruff, a professional stage combat instructor.

We also run termly 24-hour

drama events, hence the name T24. This is where we hire an entire building on campus for 24 hours straight of drama games, skills and workshops. Each term has a different theme and this term we are doing Around t h e World.

D o y o u have t o

Give the Drama society a try

T

24 is the drama society based on the Canterbury Campus offering plenty of opportunities to get involved in all aspects of theatre.

What do you do?

T24 is the University of Kent's Drama Society and is now in its 53rd year. We put on six shows per term, two of these must be original writing, which encourages writers to put on new work with a view to taking it further.

This is reinforced by our weekly script writing workshops which inspire new scripts and ideas.

Each term two shows are per-

Photo by Glamour

study drama to get involved?

No, of course not! T24 is open to all students, experienced or not, everyone is welcome.

We create a fun atmosphere where we

can all learn together.

How often do you rehearse?

We rehearse for a maximum of 16 hours a week. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 6-10pm and Saturday 2-6pm.

When are auditions?

Auditions for our summer term shows will take place in Week 23 (25th March) look out on our social media for

more info!

If Beale Street Could Talk

B

arry Jenkins’ follow-up to Moonlight finds him working in a very similar vein, directing an epic romance where his camera invests a recognisable reality with the hyperreal sensuality of an exquisitely sensitive melodrama.

Here he adapts one of the seminal works of black American literature, James Baldwin’s novel of the same name, telling the story of childhood sweethearts and soon to be new parents, Tish and Fonny, torn apart when Fonny is falsely accused of a crime.

He is once again aided by a superb ensemble cast, bringing a vibrancy and authority to the language and eloquence to the smallest change of expression and it is to their no small credit that there was not a single character I did not want to see more of. In fact, if I were to complain, I could only call the film too short.

The extended family surrounding Tish and Fonny is composed of such fantastically realised characters that I found their characterisations merely tantalisingly offered before being snatched away prematurely by the end credits.

The music too is an absolutely key element. Moonlight composer, Nicholas Britell returns to deliver an achingly Romantic yet pained score uncannily reminiscent of Bernard Herrmann’s

work on Taxi Driver that merges seamlessly into the cadences of the dialogue and the tender camera movements.

Jenkins perfectly captures the poetic and theatrical quality of Baldwin’s writing, portraying a remarkably broad variety of experience with unerring sureness. It is said that Maya Angelou when reading Shakespeare as a child, felt herself spoken to with such accuracy that she was convinced that he must have a black woman.

There is a similar greatness to the words here, scenes and tropes familiar to any moviegoer emerge with a mint-condition freshness and indefinable poetry, such that the illusion is less that you are seeing the situation emerge for the first time, but for the final one.

By Hal Kitchen Film and TV SubEditor

This is the real deal.

This is the definitive.

The first and last word.

Photo by Annapurna Pictures

Last Issues’s Crossword Answers Across: 1 Les MisÊrables, 8 Binoche, 9/21 Rebel Rebel, 10 Toad, 11 Disarray, 15 Hermit, 18 Steroids, 19 Y.M.C.A., 23 Insulin, 24 Dorothy Parker.

3 7 6

Crossword

2

5

2 9 8 4 3 6 1 4 8 3 7 15. Channing ___, US actor whose films include Logan Lucky (2017) (5) 17. August Wilson play first performed in 1985 and adapted into a 2016 film (6) 18. See 2 Down 20. A game of chance in which a ball rolls from a rotating disc into one or other of a set of compartments (8) 22. An electronic device which detects the presence of specified compounds in the food industry (1-4) 23. See 5 Down 1. In Australia, a cricket or football ground (4) 2/4/18/16. US drama series (2014-) created by Shonda Rhimes (3,2,3,4,4,6)

3 6

5 8

1

Across 5/23. US actress and producer who completed the Triple Crown of Acting in 2018 (5,5) 7 . Isle of Wight seaport town which has hosted an annual regatta since 1826 (5) 9. An experienced person, a veteran (3-5) 10. A light conical tent of skins etc., used by nomads in Siberia and Mongolia (4) 11. Sharon ___, actress, writer and producer whose works include the TV series Catastrophe (2015-) (6) 13. Roger ___, 13thC English scientist who first showed that air is required for combustion (5)

1

1 6

Down: 1 Lobster, 2 Singapore, 3 Inch, 4 Eyelid, 5 Airwaves, 6 Lib, 7/14 Sally Rooney, 12 Rami Malek, 13 Sea of Lot, 16 Trainor, 17 Oddity, 18 Shred, 20 Asha, 22 Bar.

4 1 7

4

7

4

Sudoku Hard

Games Sudoku Easy

22

7 1 2 5

9

4

3 5 9 6 3 6 7 6 2 1 4 2 9 7 1 5 4 2 3 4 1 7 5

3. The sacred beetle of the ancient Egyptians (6) 4. See 2 6. The capital and largest city of Jordan (5) 8. Doctor ___, fictional superhero played by Benedict Cumberbatch in a 2016 film (7) 12. A general statement without details (7) 14. Fruit preserved by cooking with sugar (8) 16. See 2 17. A substance whose particles can move about with freedom (5) 19. In pop music, a catchy phrase (4) 21. Donald ___, politician and Prime Employ

8

Minister of Poland from 2007 to 2014 (4)

Fun & games Puzzles by Matthew Sapsed

Arrowword Starter

Go away!

Charge

Anger

Bodily fluid

Male parent

Initiate

Record

13-19 year old

Hail (formal)

9

Sorrow, anguish

10

Grass

Acting part

11

12

13

1-D?

14

Male offspring

Crooked

Matured

15

16

Variety

17

Region

Plead

Dry, parched

Pith Sudden attack

18

19

20

21

Toughen Banquet

22

Trick

23 Skill

Below

Venison, say

Science and Technology

Friday 1 March 2019 InQuire

New parasite study underway at Kent

By Emma Leach Science and Technology Editor

A

collaborative research project to tackle the UK’s leading cause of gastrointestinal infections is to start at the University of Kent.

The aim is to develop a way for farmers to identify the Crytosporidium parasite which causes cryptosporidiosis, colloquially known as

crypto, a respiratory and intestinal disease which affected 10 in every 100,000 people in 2016.

The parasite is zoonotic, meaning it can pass between different species. Cattle, sheep, and goats are all reservoirs of the disease, and can pass the infection onto humans, through contact with the animals and their waste, or through contaminated water.

This means that the study is not just of economic importance for farmers, but also has importance in public health.

The study is being

led by Dr Anastasios Tsaousis, Senior Lecturer in Molecular Parasitology within the School of Biosciences. Other institutions involved in the project include: University of Kent’s School of Engineering and Digital Arts, University of East Anglia, the National Farmers Union, InAgro, the Southern Dutch Farmer and Horticulturalists Organisation, Yncréa, and the French National Centre for Scientific Research.

The approach to the problem is a multidisciplinary one. First, researchers will be working with farmer across Europe to identify the impact that crypto has on the dairy cattle industry. This stage will be followed up by the establishment of pilot farms where

a new detection kit for the disease can be tested, with the view to reduce the number of contaminated cattle. Then, using a new electronic device for analysing useful compounds, it is hoped that a new pharmaceuticals can be researched. €3.7 million (£3.24 million) has been granted by the EU’s Interreg-2-seas fund for the project named ‘H4DC’ (Health for Dairy Cows), €1.37 million (£1.2 million) of which will be granted to the University of Kent for their part in the project.

Photo by Ryan Song | Unsplash

By Steven Allain Writer

Y

ou may have seen in the news recently that conservationists gave a stark warning about the decline of insects worldwide. A recent global review highlighted that more than 40% of insect species are declining and that a third are endangered. This pretty much puts them on par with amphibians that are also declining at an unprecedented rate—perhaps the two are linked.

This isn’t the first time scientists have given the global community upsetting news about the decline of insects. Last year another study revealed that the abundance of flying insects in Germany had plunged by 75% over the past 25 years.

Insects are an integral part of ecosystems, with some of their most

important roles being pollinators for plants and prey for other wildlife. With a loss of such crucial animals within the food web, life as we know it on Earth may be at risk.

The causes of such rapid declines in insects are very clear, their decline is linked to the way we manage the landscape for both agriculture and human dwellings.

The authors advise that unless we change the way we produce food, certain insect groups may be extinct in a few decades—that’s a sobering thought, given the global picture it is unfortunately unlikely to spur any change unless it is quickly adopted into legislation by as many countries as possible.

Aside from threatening the continued existence of humankind, one of the biggest impacts of insect extinctions is on the wildlife that

Nockewell1 | Pixabay

Traphitho | Pixabay

depends PollyDot | Pixabay on them.

The removal of this food source could lead these animals to starve to death.

Such cascading effects have already been seen in Puerto Rico, where another recent study revealed a 98% fall in ground insects over 35 years. With such a decline in insects, the local wildlife has also declined. Not surprisingly, butterflies and moths are among the worst hit with the number of widespread butterfly species in England falling by 58% between 2000 and 2009.

Our overuse of pesticides has tipped the balance of the natural processes on which we depend. Unless alternatives are used, it won’t be nuclear war you

Bytesize SciTech Photo by Wikimedia commons

Samsung releases foldable smartphone

Samsung has revealed their latest offer to the smartphone industry, the Samsung Galaxy Fold, a foldable screen which converts between phone and tablet. No price has been released yet, but will put buyers in the US back $1,980. The phone is to be released in the UK from 26 April.

Photo by Wikimedia commons

Boris Smokrovic | Unsplash

Silence of the insects

23

38 year long game of hide and seek comes to an end

The world’s largest species of bee, Wallace’s giant bee, was believed to have gone extinct until recently.

A search team of biologists from North America and Australia have discovered a female specimen of the giant bee within a termite nest on an Indonesian island.

Photo by Wikimedia commons

Alan Emery | Unsplash

Егор Камелев | Unsplash

need to worry about but the collapse of the global biosphere.

Microsoft workers protest $479 million army contract

An open letter and petition have been put forward by a coalition of Microsoft workers, urging the company to cancel a contract for an Integrated Visual Augmentation System with the United States Department of the Army. The letter entitled “HoloLens For Good, Not War”, states that the workers did not sign up to develop weapons, and demanded a say in how their work is used.

Culture

Photo by Hudson Hintze | Unsplash

24

Arts

UKC Dance Society Embracing your inner dancer

By Timea Koppandi Arts Sub-Editor

T

ips from Kent Dance Society dancers about dancing as a beginner Dancing can be daunting, especially if you are surrounded by a crowd of trained dancers, mirrored walls, and the constant feeling that you have no idea what you are doing. Taking into consideration the difficulties one may face when starting a new hobby, I sat down with Almera Melrose, a member of Kent Dance Society, and we discussed some tips and tricks for when you decide to make the plunge into the world of dance.

• Just go for it!

‘If you want to dance and you are awkward about it then it’s more awkward to watch, but if you are fully going for it, people will enjoy it.’ Dancing is not about being perfect and having great moves. It’s all about enjoying yourself and having a fun time.

‘The thing is, no one is going to judge. It’s not like that. So the only person that you are worried about is yourself.’

• Taster sessions

If you like the thought of being able to dance, but find dance classes to strenuous or hard to keep up with, then why not start off with something a bit more relaxed? There are “Zumba lessons at our gym, and they are not as technical—a good class to attend with friends. You can always go to the taster sessions and see what they’re like.” There are so many styles of dance, so the key is to keep an open-mind and give everything a go.

• Wear something comfortable

Almera suggests that “you can wear leggings and whatever top you feel comfortable in. I would just say leggings because then the teacher can see what how your body moves, and what you can work on”. When it comes to hip hop or street dancing, “just wear something that you are comfortable in”.

• Don’t be nervous

Almera says that there is nothing to worry about, Kent Dance Society is very welcoming. “If there are a group of dancers, and they recognize that you are a new member, they will approach you and introduce themselves. You don’t have to be worried about making friends”. As challenging as it may seem, remember that every experience is beneficial and you are there to have good time and learn exciting things. “All of the dancers that I know are very friendly and there is no meanness no competition.

They’ll teach you the basics”.

• Join Kent Dance Society

Kent Dance Society is a great place to start your dancing experience. Their “classes are open for every member who pays the membership fee which is £10. You can attend as little or as many classes or workshops as you want”. During fresher’s week they have auditions where they want to see the different levels of dancers they have and how they can accommodate everyone.

In Alemera’s experience, the Kent Dance Society members are like a big family. ‘Everyone is there to dance. No one is there to criticize you. Everything will be constructive and helpful.’ It’s a society that helps you improve in various ways, not just your dancing skills but your social skills as well. You become more accustomed to the feel of the stage, the trainings, and meet those who share similar interests as you.

Dancing is not about being perfect. It’s all about enjoying yourself and having fun. ‘The thing is, no one is going to judge—the only person that is worried is you.’

Photo byUKC Dance | Facebook

Friday 1 March 2019 InQuire

Books

Edward Said: Orientalism

25

Culture W

hen one hears the word “Oriental” the image that comes to mind is that of the Far East, where Chinese, Japanese, and Korean culture and history prevails. Edward Said’s book Orientalism, however, provides us with a different window of perspective to the word “Oriental”. Said focuses more on the countries of the Near East, or what we know as the Arab world.

By taking a historical analytical approach, Said presents to us with the discourse of “Orientalism” whereby the predominant Western view of the East is fundamentally created by the West, for the West. This Western view that exoticizes and defines the East with negative traits, is what was, and still, to legitimise Western rule over the East. Said’s discourse of Orientalism is very thought evoking and makes the reader more aware of the scope of the problem.

The book is structured in three chapters; chapter 1 focuses on the scope of Orientalism and the different meanings it has, continuing onto Orientalist structures and how the definition has been solidified and reconstructed again and again by scholars in chapter 2. The final chapter focuses on Orientalism now and the effect it has on contemporary events. Said’s explanation will raise questions in the reader; however, each chapter goes on to answer those questions and Said does not fail answer your concerns.

Published in 1978, Orientalism provides us with the answers to the reasons why the problematic attitudes towards Islam still exists today; and the reason why cultural appropriation and white supremacy still holds firm in this globalised society. Although Said’s Orientalism is still relevant today, one can question on how much longer this discourse can stay relevant. Said’s Orientalism was a useful tool of discourse in the post-colonial world but with the diversification of the Western world where more and more cultures are integrating and creating a hybrid culture; the discourse of Orientalism will either become slowly irrelevant or it may transform once again to fit the changing tides of the world.

By Upama Thangden Writer

Photo by WIkimedia Commons

26

Culture

Arts

Marie Kondo please don’t throw away my books!

By Emily Carter Writer

M

arie Kondo, tidying queen and host of Netflix series, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, introduces the ‘KonMari method’ in order to aid in our purge of clutter.

Her trademark method entails categorizing your belongings, such as clothes, books, and sentimental items, keeping only those that “spark joy” in you. Rather than just tidying up, this method helps us recognize and discard those items that do not hold any value to us.

Her methods, however, have faced some backlash, especially when the topic turns to de-cluttering books. As with any other item, Kondo suggests that you should only keep those books that bring joy to you, and to refrain from being sentimental about every book you own. Leaving books on shelves is like a “praying mantis lurking in the grass”, she says.

This advice, however, sparked outrage on Twitter, with one person commenting: “Books are works of art, they spark joy and so much more!” More recently, in their tribute to the recent tragic death of Karl Lagerfield, Waterstones tweeted how he had over 300,000 books in his collection: “Just don’t tell Marie Kondo.” Her stance on books have stirred wide-spread controversy.

This public outcry proves that we still value physical copies of books; but, there is still a view of books as old fashioned and out dated; as a consequence, publishing companies have had to adapt to modern technology. For instance, Amazon announced the Kindle MatchBook, a program which allows users to buy a digital copy of a physical book they purchased through Amazon.

There has also been a general decline in readership in the modern age. The Local Data Company, for example, reveals how the number of bookshops in the UK has fallen over the last five years to 2,547, and there are now more car dealerships in the country than bookshops. Yet, despite all this, the backlash to Kondo’s advice has been passionate, proving that people still cherish the experience of reading a paperback book.

So, yes, books take up space that could be filled with other things.

They’re dusty, dirty, and quite old fashioned, but they are also important and invaluable. Kondo does not want to take away people’s books, that is a misunderstanding. She explains how “Only you can know what kind of environment makes you feel happy.” If we want a whole library of books, then you should keep a whole library of books.

If the prospect of throwing books away makes you angry, you are entitled to feel that way. The KonMari method can help you discover what you really value, and in-turn, helps you gain a better understanding of yourself.

Friday 1 March 2019 InQuire

What’s on...

Oscar winners at the Gulb...

A Star Is Born 2nd Mar 2019 Vice 2nd to 5th Mar 2019 Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse 3rd Mar 2019 Destroyer 6th to 7th Mar 2019 The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum 8th Mar 2019 Moana 10th Mar 2019 Brave 10th Mar 2019

By Kateryna Slobodian Gulbenkian Correspondent

A Star Is Born

A

Star is Born’ stars four-time Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper and multiple award-winning, Oscar-nominated music superstar Lady Gaga, in her first leading role in a major motion picture. Cooper helms the drama, marking his directorial debut.

In this new take on the tragic love story, he plays seasoned musician Jackson Maine, who discovers – and falls in love with – struggling artist Ally (Gaga). She has just about given up on her dream to make it big as a singer… until Jack coaxes her into the spotlight. But even as Ally’s career takes off, the personal side of their relationship is breaking down, as Jack fights an ongoing battle with his own internal demons.

Oscar Winner – Best Original Song. Nominated for another 7 Oscars including Best Picture.

BAFTA Winner – Original Music; Nominated for another 6 BAFTAs Golden Globe Winner – Best Original Song – Motion Picture; nominated for another 4 awards.

Vice

Wonder Women 10th Mar 2019 Can You Ever Forgive Me? 10th to 13th Mar 2019

he story of Dick Cheney, an unassuming bureaucratic Washington insider, who quietly wielded immense power as Vice President to George W. Bush, reshaping the country and the globe in ways that we still feel today.

Captioned subtitled screening: Mon 4 Mar Oscar Winner – Best Make-Up and Hair. Nominated for another 7 Oscars including Best Picture.

Stan and Ollie 14th Mar 2019

BAFTA Winner – Best Editing / Nominated for 5 other categories

Green Book 15th to 21st 2019 Burning 16th Mar

All Is True 17th to 18th Mar 2019 Total Dhamaal 20th Mar 2019

Prices

Photo by The Gulbenkian

T

The Favourite 12th to 30th Mar 2019

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World 17th to 24th Mar 2019

27

Photo by The Gulbenkian

A

Golden Globes Winner – Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy / Nominated for 5 other categories.

Green Book

working-class Italian-American bouncer becomes the driver of an African-American classical pianist on a tour of venues through the 1960s American South.

Set in America in 1962, Green Book tells the heart-warming true story of Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen), a working-class Italian-American bouncer who takes on a job as a chauffeur for Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali), a highly-educated African-American classical pianist. The mismatched pair embark on a two-month tour of concert venues in the racially charged deep south and discover they’re on the road to a meaningful and unique friendship.

Captioned screening: Sun 17 Mar

Full - £8.70 GulbCard Member - £6.70 Senior - £7.70 Registered Disabled - £7.70 Student - £6.00 Student GulbCard Member £5.00 Unemployed - £7.70

Oscar Winner – Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor and Best Original Screenplay. Nominated for another 2 Oscars.

Winner of BAFTA – Best Supporting Actor; nominated for 3 other categories Winner of 3 Golden Globes; nominated for 2 other award categories.

Photo by The Gulbenkian

28

Sport

How to achieve fitness in 2019

By Mark Slipchenko Writer

Change your Attitude: Success starts in your mind. The key is a positive mindset. One that is immune to criticism and one where patience and control are deeply embedded. You have to understand that every successful athlete is just as much of a normal human being as you are. The only difference is in the way they approach their goals. There is nothing you cannot actually do – it’s about how you perceive it. So don’t let anyone’s critical words and comments hurt and doubt your abilities. Try to remove yourself from this situation, or even better, use it constructively. The same goes for any manifestation of uncertainty that might arise. As soon as you notice any symptoms of doubt, count to three, say “Stop” and forcefully picture someone or something that always makes you feel happy and hopeful.

Make a plan: With that one desired long-term goal in mind, it is now vital to come up with a plan of actions to achieve it. An hour is made up of minutes, a pound is made up of pennies, and so on. Your big dream is no exception and it requires short-term goals. Daily, weekly or monthly. You have to create a clear path to your final destination that lies through all these short-term transits. Following this tip, in addition to your skills and talent, you will gain focus. You will gain a sense of direction, which will allow your mind to focus explicitly on that one target you have. In the end, day-by-day goals can act as an effective measure of progress.

Say no to procrastination: Tip 2 helps overcome procrastination, but an additional boost of effort is necessary. To succeed in sports you need to learn how to prioritize your goals and how to value time, the most precious resource one has. You need to learn how to say no to all the surrounding temptations. No matter how appealing another episode

of your favorite TV show is, if you want to bask in the glory of your athletic achievements, you have to postpone this episode until your plan discussed above has been satisfied. Citing Roy E. Disney, “It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are”. I am sure some of you might be thinking that it is so difficult to follow your plan and meet your daily goals. Yes it is.

But there is a way to trick your mind.

Known as the Zeigarnik Effect, when you start a task, the brain’s desire to see it through to completion takes over. So all you have to do is that first step, getting out of bed, dressing up in your sports clothes, whatever.

Then, the magical trick should follow.

Photo by Pixabay

Visualise your goal: Whether it be losing weight to fit into your old pair of jeans or to beat Christchurch in Varsity, visualization of your desired outcome is as a significant ingredient

of success as the other three. Visualization programs your brain to generate ideas and to find ways to fulfill your ambitions. It is another trick that makes you believe your goal is possible and

that revives your faith once you hit a bump. But how to visualize? Picture yourself reaching that target. Attach emotions and feelings to that image. Come back to this image on a constant basis.

Friday 1 March 2019 InQuire

UKC Dodgeball: An underdog story

By Will Jarvis Writer

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n 28 January, UKC Dodgeball Society initiated what its founders hope to be a successful and enduring society. In what Allie called a “spur of the moment thing”, President Alex Corrigan, and Chancellor Ben Bradly decided to fill the niche of a hugely popular sport and begin the University’s only dodgeball society.

The new club’s first official meet-up on the following Monday was an “absolutely brilliant experience”. The sizable turnout was not predetermined and the club, on many occasions, faced cancellation.

President Alex Corrigan and Secretary Ben Bradly were initially inspired by an adrenalin filled charity dodgeball game, hosted by the Fencing and Kick Boxing societies. Preparation for the society began four months before the 2018/19 academic year. Kent Union, however, was slow and preparations in bringing the sport to UKC ground to a halt. Ben said that: “Originally we were not confirmed, in fact we were rejected the first time.”

Only through dogged determination and a large number of emails to the Union was the dodgeball committee able to push through their aptly named ‘D.U.K.C’ (Dodgeball University of Kent

Canterbury). The success of the application, however, came as a surprise to Alex and Ben. In fact, both were unaware of their approval until one week before freshers. In all, the society sat on the bench for eight months.

Understandably the president and secretary were concerned about the success of the society, they would have to wait until the two taster sessions on the 14th and 21st of December to find out. Alex described the experience as “scary as hell” going on to say, “we didn’t know if too many, or not enough, people would show up.” Despite a relatively slow first hour, the first taster was promising.

The second taster was well received and despite one accidental headshot the event was “incredibly fun, energetic and competitive.” With the 28th looming, the pair were concerned that the society would be caught out by a low attendance. Payed membership was fairly low,

Photo from Facebook|Kent Sport

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so the first official session was by no means a guaranteed success. Still the planned session went ahead, over fifteen members and non-members attended, who were split into four groups of four (Ben filling the last spot) for smaller matches and training, this was followed by a large eight versus eight match.

The premier event went “really well”, following the pattern of a fairly slow first half hour and then an excellent remaining hour and a half.

The two founders predict that the society will be large enough come next year to participate in inter-university tournaments and matches through the UK DBA (UK Dodgeball Association). From there they hope that in two to three years their fledgling society will participate in Varsity.

The Society is still open to new members and are very keen for new recruits, for those unsure the two would like to invite anyone along for a free trial session. Those interested need only to message Ben or Allie through the Facebook page UKC Dodgeball.

The practices are held 5pm to 7pm Monday evenings in Sports hall three.

This could be a sport that you don’t want to dodge.

Sports Spotlight: UKC Handball

By Anna Marie-Hughes Writer

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sport for anybody, though not many of us have ever tried it.

UKC Handball is in full preparation mode for their National Final competitions on 2 and 3 March, but they took some time out to share with us more about their sport and what it’s like to be a part of their club—the impression we received, and we hope you’ll find the same, was friendly, inclusive and fun.

Handball teams consist of 6 outfield players and a goalkeeper, who pass a ball using their hands and attempt to throw in it the goal of the opposing team; it’s a sport where it’s simple to grasp the rules, although harder to master. Leon Bohn, UKC Handball’s Treasurer, sums up the sport as “like Basketball but with a goal”, and while he acknowledges some physical contact and body checks are involved, he stresses nothing to the extent of Rugby. It’s a fast-paced game requiring strength, speed, and agility and therefore an excellent workout in itself. Swift gameplay often leads to high scores.

For this reason, it is not unusual for each side to generate 20 or more goals a game; it seems using your hands is more exciting than using your feet.

Alex Elena, President of UKC Handball, shares how she entered the world of Handball: “I started when I was around 6 years old, growing up in Romania. Handball is very popular in Eastern Europe”. In the UK, however, Handball is only just emerging on the scene. No previous experience is necessary to join the club so it’s okay if you have never played before—most members join UKC Handball in the same position.

Erasmus students, Daniel and George, were first attracted to join the club by UKC Handball’s welcoming stand at freshers, which led them to sign up: “Everyone was very open and friendly at the taster sessions. The coaches are great, you’ll pick it up in no time.” Freshers, Postgraduates and Erasmus students are plenty in number, adding to the diverse nature of the club; taking full advantage of this great mix, the club organised an ‘In-

ternational food evening’, which was a huge hit. we smashed the second game and kept up our winUKC Handball is a mixed club, with all the boys’ ning streak.” Teammate Matt agrees: “the qualifyand girls’ teams training together on Mondays ing rounds went really well”, although cautious to from 8pm - 10pm, Friday’s from 8am- 10am, and say too much before the finals, added: “I’m quite Saturday’s from 10am - 12pm. Sessions often end nervous, as it’s a big step up to the next bracket”. with a mini-game, so there’s always the opportuniThe girl’s team is currently in its infancy as ty to test out your competitive edge, without havmost of its players last year were third years ing to represent the club in outside competitions. and are no longer around; in 2018, the team Unusually, rather than competing at BUCS, achieved an impressive 2nd in the National FiEngland Handball hold the University Champinals—these new girls have a lot to aspire to and onships instead; the tournament consists of 2 rethe same coaches to help them on their path. gional qualifying rounds, taking place in NovemUnlike BUCS, competitions aren’t every ber and February, and the fiercely fought National Final is shortly coming up in March. The competition has been steadily growing and last year attracted a con- Photo from Facebook|Kent Sport siderable 60 teams from 25 institutions.

BUCS’s, however, did recently confirm a plan to officially hold the event for its inaugural occasion in 2020; undeniably a sought-after triumph for the University Handball community. The University Championships utilise initial seeding rounds to split the teams up into the Cup, Plate, and Shield competitions; this ensures the tournament is open for all levels of players and clubs, as everyone has a greater chance at success. Bohn contends, “It’s competitive, but because it’s not BUCS, it’s not overly serious. Everyone has a good time together!”

The Southern qualifying rounds and the National Final all take place in Medway, making competing extremely convenient and cheap for UKC Handball. Teams play all 4 games, with 2 halves of 20 minutes, in one day.

Participating in first Southern qualifying round in November, UKC’S Men’s 1s and 2s put in strong performances to both finish 3rd overall. However, the Men’s 1s put on an even better display in the second qualifying round, demolishing all opposition to win all their games.

Josh, a player in the Men 1s team, notes: “It took us a game to get into it, but then

week, providing an opportunity to fully prepare for a long-term goal. That said, UKC Handball have organised some successful friendlies with neighbouring London Universities, including Imperial and UCL, so that their new members can gain some match experience.

Sound like a sport you’d enjoy? Pop along to a session as this friendly bunch will guarantee you’ll have a great time on and off the court.

UKC Handball’s competition takes place over the weekend in Medway from 9am-7pm

Sport www.InQuireLive.co.uk/sport

Kent win Varsity 30-10

InQuire Photo from Facebook|Kent Sport

Varsity is finally over for the year. With University of Kent beating Christ Church 30-10, InQuire’s Website Sport Editor, Meg Warwick, has compiled a breakdown of the top matches complete with the overall winner and scores.

American Football WINNER: Kent Score: 46-0 An intense first match to kick start Varsity with a win for Kent. The Falcons arrived ready to clutch the winners sign. The Falcons’ strong defensive team meant that the Chargers were unable to score a single touchdown.

Men’s Cricket 2nd Team WINNER: Kent Score: 123 – 99 The Wednesday of Varsity Day 1 was filled with three cricket matches, the first being the Men’s 2nd Team. They smashed it from the word go, batting first and dominating Christ Church by staying ahead the entirety of the match.

Women’s Cricket 1st Team WINNER: Kent Score: 111 – 94 Women’s Cricket were up after the Men’s 2s. It was a far closer match between the two teams, but Kent just piped them to the post by 16 points The teams captain Jordan Garland was delighted with the win, announcing she is ‘proud of her girls’ Men’s Cricket 1st Team WINNER: CCCU Score: 97 – 92 So close to a triple win for Kent, but Christ Church 1st Team brought their A-game to this match. The faces are disappointment were short lived from Kent as they celebrated their other two wins. They may have lost the battle, but they won the war.

Swimming WINNER: Kent Thursday Day 2 of Varsity kicked off with Swim. Team chemistry is the main reason that Kent took home the win in this

competition. Although Christ Church cheered, they couldn’t be heard above the supportive screams for Kent, especially from UKC Swim’s social secretary.

Kent Snow WINNER: Kent Score: 5-0 Although the slopes were dry, Kent still dominated the snow sports, proving that they’re just as good at the sport side as they are at partying on Snow Tour.

Pole Fitness WINNER: CCCU Although a non-point scoring as it’s the first time Pole Fitness is in Varsity, both sides still competed as if it did mean a point. There was creativity in the performances, one of the Kent competitors wearing a blindfold while dancing. The performances were fuelled with fluidity and intensity, proving that societies are a big part of Varsity.

Dance WINNER: Kent Kent won by one-point last year, but this year they smashed Varsity!

With novis to advanced dances, there was something to please everyone.

A fun filled Varsity to end Thursday.

Equestrian WINNER: CCCU A beautiful start to the Friday Varsity morning with graceful trotting and everyone’s favourite thing: animals. Although Kent did not take the winning sign in this one, it was all round fun and a great experience for freshers to Equestrian.

Women’s Lacrosse WINNER: Kent Score: 21 – 3 Keeping up their victory streak, Kent won Varsity yet again! Although

closer then previous years, they still smashed it out the park and showcased some of their best playing.

Men’s Lacrosse WINNER: Kent Same as Women’s, Men’s Lacrosse also kept up their streak, making it nine years they’ve won against CCCU. Team chemistry was what won this one.

Women’s Football WINNER: CCCU After a rocky season, Women’s Football were not expected to win Varsity. However, they did well, the match score being 2-1 to CCCU so not a huge goal difference.

Men’s Football 1st Team WINNER: Kent Kent’s first match to go down to penalties, which UKC survived unscathed and giving them their first win of Varsity.

Women’s Basketball WINNER: CCCU Arguably the most exhilarating match of Varsity. Both teams were neck and neck until the final ten seconds when CCCU scored a penalty.

The Captain Louisa Moore is determined to defeat them next year.

Women’s Tennis WINNER: Kent Triple win for UKC Tennis! Maniac Monday was filled with tennis going on from 10am to 10pm.

Was worth the win though!

Women’s Hockey 1st Team WINNER: Kent For the first time in ten years, Hockey won all four of their Varsity matches!

There was a fear of the Women’s 1st Team being defeated when a shot by CCCU almost soared into the goal. But our de-

fence was too strong. We tasted victory and went in for the kill. Well done UKC. Trampolining WINNER: Kent A fun filled varsity match with trampolining show casing their skills through tucks, pikes and turns. Winning by a mere few points in a close race, UKC take home the win again.

Men’s Rugby 3rd Team WINNER: Kent Playing a team in the league below, Kent 3s expected a win (told by their captain). A powerful game regardless, enjoyed by all the players and fans. The chants were extreme but non-threatening.

Men’s Rugby 2nd Team WINNER: Kent Injuries here, there and everywhere didn’t stop Kent from taking home the bacon. After swapping pitches three times because of injured players, Kent gave it their all and bolted past CCCU’s players.

Men’s Rugby 1st Team WINNER: Kent Score: 17 – 10 The final match of Varsity and it was a mad one; the chants could be heard from miles away. UKC beat CCCU easily. As soon as they scored their first penalty, they were off and raring to go.

Photo from Facebook|Kent Sport

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l Accredited by the National Council for the Training of Journalists l Real-world work experience including KMTV internships l Learn multimedia journalism skills l Self-contained year added to your main degree - after 2nd or 3rd year l Student finance available Find out more: kent.ac.uk/journalism - or come to Colyer Ferguson Foyer on Friday 8 March at 12noon

Meet the Part-Time Officer candidates 2019 Student Trustees Aarish Hyder Muhammad Abdullah Chair of the Sustainability Student Network Carolyn Postlethwaite Eske Eilts Chair of the Societies Student Network Felicia Dean Yoginni Gopal Chair of the Volunteering Student Network Robert Land Chair of the Students with Disabilities Students Network Philip Crocker Chair of the Womens Students Network Riya Jogani

Chair of the International Student Network Artem Ivakhnenko Muhammad Abdullah Riya Jogani Sakshi Mehta Shubham Mishra Siwar Aldaoud Chair of the BAME Students Network Stephen Kamara UG Sciences Faculty Rep Ethan Basso UG Humanities Faculty Rep Robert Mackinnon UG Social Sciences Faculty Rep Kristina Sandeva Yoginni Gopal

View manifestos at kentunion.co.uk/leadership-elections