InQuire 10.4

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10 October 2014

Meetings Mondays 6.15pm KLT2

Issue 10.4

50th anniversary at Kent Who is this Harry potter Girl?

Comment page 9

Ultimate Frisbee

Sport page 23

A modern Shakespeare: Blind Hamlet Entertainment page 16

50th Anniversary Celebrations Special

Features pages 12-13 Jess Tamplin

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celebration of the University of Kent’s 50th anniversary saw students, staff, alumni and local residents gathered together on Wednesday 1 October.

The evening’s attractions included performances from the Kent Salsa Society, bands Ben Russell and The Charmers and Stranded At The Jivin’, comedian and alumna Cerrie Hodgson, and a chance to ride the Kent Eye.

The event was brought to a close with a fireworks display over campus.

Spirits were high among existing students.

Event volunteer Adam Mathia described a “great atmosphere”, stating that it was “good to see so many alumni back and to see the University at such a historical moment”.

Second year student Maria Perry agreed, noting that the event was “bringing everyone together”.

Meanwhile, psychology

student Ramsay Kirkhy referred to the festivities as “Instagramworthy”, saying he felt “very privileged to be at Kent during its 50th year”.

The anniversary was also commemorated by a reception in Woolf College. Special guests congregated to hear Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Keith Mander, speak about the successes of the University through the years and what they plan for the future.

Among those present were alumni who attended Kent in

its opening year of 1965, along with original members of staff.

Guests received a warm welcome back after an introduction by ViceChancellor Professor Dame Julia Goodfellow.

Professor Goodfellow told InQuire: “It is a wonderful occasion - the first of many over the next year, as we are using the whole academic year to celebrate the anniversary.

“I think it’s great to look back – it’s great to be proud of what happened – and certainly of

those early pioneers. I think it’s great to celebrate where we are now, but we’ve also got to look to the future.”

The celebrations resumed on the University’s Medway campus on 2 October, and will continue throughout this year on both campuses.

To read more about the 50th anniversary celebration, visit the centrefold.

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News Editor’s Note

Hello everyone, We hope you’re all settling in well into university life.

As the weather gets increasingly autumnal, why not sit down and take a break with InQuire.

On a serious note, read through students’ opinions on the news in News and Comment.

Otherwise, if you missed the opening ceremony for the 50th celebrations, and shame on you if you did, catch up on the event in Features.

Have a good week!

All the best, Emma

InQuireMedia

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Canterbury’s brand new Curzon Cinema InQuire was given the opportunity to talk with Curzon Cinema’s CEO, Philip Knatchbull, about its new opening in Canterbury and his experiences working with the brand.

Ruby Lyle Newspaper News Editor

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urzon World is a luxury independent cinema chain which has been established for over 80 years.

Students at Kent will have the privilege of enjoying the brand, as Curzon Cinemas is due to open a location soon in Canterbury.

The University of Kent’s students will be quick to investigate the new cinema judging from the interested queues at our recent Freshers’ Fayre. Where are you opening and when is your launch?

Curzon Canterbury is situated in Westgate Hall and will be opening its doors on Friday 17 October.

The cinema is designed by AfroditiKrassa who has worked with us on Curzon Victoria, which also opened recently.

The cinema, like all our cinemas, has a one-off design scheme which respects the integrity and history of its surroundings.

We’ll be opening with a seven day Curzon Canterbury Film Festival which has been curated

by Clio Barnard - director of The Selfish Giant - The Guardian’s Xan Brooks and myself. Tickets are available to everyone and there are more details on our website.

I understand that you are Kent alumna; did this influence your decision to open a new location in Canterbury? ​Not so much. In fact, although I read Film Studies at Kent, I left after four terms when I got a place at the London Film School and I wasn’t really

as a producer in the 1990s I switched jobs and went into private equity which, although I found interesting and provided a wonderful education in business skills, didn’t fulfil my need to be in the cinema business.

By bringing together two established film brands in

concentrating on building a cinema and film distribution business at the time. Obviously I was aware of the demand for films at the Gulbenkian, but it wasn’t until I arrived at the Curzon and we started looking at the demographics. There was no other independent cinema in the area and it became obvious that Canterbury would be an excellent location.

You’ve been the CEO of Curzon World for about eight and a half years now. How did you find yourself as CEO of such an interesting and popular company? ​​ After I left the film industry

the UK, Curzon cinemas and Artificial Eye film releasing, I could see an opportunity, together with new technologies, to build and expand an exciting film company based on its history and reputation.

I was lucky enough to find supportive shareholders to back that vision and we are now growing across the UK in all three areas of the cinema; films we acquire for distribution; and the Curzon Home cinema service delivered via

“I could see an opportunity, together with new technologies, to build and expand an exciting film company based on its history and reputation.”

video on demand. ​I saw that The Telegraph recently referred to you as the ‘Apple of independent film’, is this description one you feel is accurate? What is Curzon in your eyes and what can we expect from you? ​The ‘Apple’ comparison is only relevant in that Curzon is a leading distributor of independent quality film in the UK and many of our customers don’t like going to the ‘multiplex’ cinemas to see our films.

By building our own new Curzon cinemas or ‘shops’ to use the Apple analogy, we can best serve the interests of those customers and also communicate with them about our other products, such as being able to see a film playing in a Curzon cinema and on our Curzon Home Cinema service.

Curzon opens in Canterbury on 17 October with the C u r z o n Canterbury film festival.

Tickets will be on sale for £5 each.

Photo by Curzon

add @inquiremedia.co.uk

Photos by Curzon

News

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Streetlights Employability points switched off M Mollie Ferguson

Natalie Tipping Chair

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he street lights on the estates at the bottom of Eliot hill being turned off at midnight, despite Venue only closing at 2 am.

The decision to switch off the streetlights has been made by Kent County Council (KCC) as part of a scheme to switch off lights in certain areas across Kent.

The Council website states that streetlights will be switched off “in areas where street lighting would not be installed today and there would be no negative effect on the local area”.

The scheme has come under great scrutiny in recent weeks from students of the University, who have to walk through St Michaels estate on their way home from campus.

Claudia Hill, a fourth year student, said: “Given that Venue will now be open until 2:30 am on Wednesday and until 3:00 am on Friday and Saturday nights, the scheme seems to be putting potentially vulnerable and drunk students at risk.”

The Council also mentioned their ‘exclusion criteria’, which they have worked on with local police and vulnerable groups to decide the areas that are not dangerous enough to warrant

full-night lighting.

On the KCC website, the council states: “If we discover that lights have been changed that met the exclusion criteria we will seek to change them back as soon as we can.

However, in cases where the exclusion criteria do not apply, we regret that we cannot agree to change these lights back to all-night operation”.

Claudia continued to say she feels that “until something bad happens, the Council will not listen to the needs of students and will turn a blind eye to the possible dangers to young people living in this area of the city”.

Speaking about the scheme, Kent Union VP Welfare, Megan Wells, said that it is “irresponsible of the Council to do this” and that “the money they’re saving should be put into extra safety measures for the affected areas”.

VP Sport, Nina Mehmi, added that “Canterbury is predominantly a student city, and the Council does not seem to be prioritising student safety or the safety of others who would be travelling home in the early hours of the morning”.

The scheme is proposed to run for a year from May 2014, given that no major protests against it occur in that time.

ollie Ferguson is the new Student Ambassador for the Employability Points Scheme at the University of Kent.

Mollie will be around the Canterbury and Medway campus’ promoting the EP Scheme to the student body.

The Employability Points (EP) Scheme encourages University of Kent students to engage with extra-curricular activities by awarding points.

Towards the end of the academic year, students are given the opportunity to cashin these points for rewards such as paid internships and project placements, work experience, training and vouchers.

The scheme started in 2010 with over 900 students signingup and 70 prizes being offered.

Skipping forward to 2013-14, the scheme saw over 3,800 students engaging with 410 prizes available.

With the Scheme growing in student popularity, a large number of national and local companies decided to get involved. Notably, Coca-Cola Enterprises, IBM, Santander, Waterstones and Enterprise Rent-a-Car all offered prizes last year.

Volunteering, working part time, attending optional workshops, being in societies and sports teams are just a few ways you can be earning points and getting rewarded.

On average, 81 graduates are applying for every graduate vacancy. The EP Scheme allows you to stand-out from the crowd to employers and have fun in the process.

To consider one case-study:

Matt Kramer, a recent School of English graduate, started engaging with EP through being a sports team member and attending a few workshops.

Before he knew it, Matt was engaging with various different activities available on campus and in the local area. At the end of the his degree, Matt was awarded an internship with Coca-Cola Enterprises and has since reported that he has been offered graduate employment through a number of different companies.

Getting involved with the EP Scheme is simple as one, two,

three. Just go to www.kent. ac.uk/employabilitypoints and follow the links.

If you are unsure about anything, contact the team via employabilitypoints@kent. ac.uk You can get involved with EP social media via Twitter (@ empoints) and Facebook (Employability Points) for the latest updates on rewards, opportunities to earn points and competitions.

Photo by Mollie Ferguson

Are you happy with your time at UKC? Jack Lay VP Education

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Photo by Stephen Jones

or the past week Essentials has hosted a a machine with different coloured faces on designed to gather student satisfaction data.

The ‘Happy or Not’ machine has been brought in to help complete the Big Kent Review, an institutional audit into the academic practices at the University of Kent.

The review is an examination

into the academic practices at Kent and feeds into the Quality Assurance Agency’s (QAA), the university equivalent of OFSTED, report.

This report rates if the University is fit for practice; all the information is taken very seriously.

If there is a change on your course, or you feel anything is wrong, this is a chance to highlight it as your school will be more willing to listen.

Already 1,500 students have

used the machine, informing Kent Union how good assignment feedback is at the University. This is a way in which the review is interacting with a wide spread of students.

Kent Union also has a survey running on the website where you can win a free month’s rent.

Pressing one of the buttons in Essentials may result in a huge change in your course while at University.

Visit www.kentunion.co.uk to take part.

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News

Government for 180,000 more students Photo by Shawn

Your comment Fraser Whieldon

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Chris Chambers

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new government policy to eliminate restrictions on student numbers for university has been “sprung on universities” according to the Higher Education Policy Institute.

The proposals would make way for 180,000 new undergraduates in English universities and come into effect in autumn 2015.

The coalition’s scheme would introduce a system similar to that of Australia whereby universities will be able to decide their student intake figure independently of a government quota. The idea has been motivated by the reported 60,000 students who miss out on a place on their chosen course as well as the supposed increasing demand for higher

education in England.

However, the plan has been widely criticised by leading educational figures. Wendy Piatt, head of the Russell Group, echoed concerns that budgets would be stretched as “good teaching requires proper levels of investment.”

However, a government Think Tank has defended the policy by highlighting the social and economic benefits which could result from a 20 per cent increase in undergraduate numbers.

Report author Mr Hillman suggested that further diluting the cap on university places was “a vote of confidence in universities and young people.”

The plan is still a work in progress, with the original strategy to sell off student loans to finance the project having been scrapped.

he Higher Education Policy Institute has released a report critiquing the initiative, concluding that it would put “severe strain” on a university’s budget, despite the increase in income from tuition fees. The proposals to fund the initiative, the report found, remain “fuzzy”.

This initiative also has implications for the university experiences of new and existing students. If university budgets are under that much strain, there won’t be money for recruiting new lecturers and teaching assistants to cope with the additional numbers.

Marking deadlines may well be longer, there will be fewer contact hours, and lectures and seminars will not just be full they will potentially be counted as a major hazard in a fire evacuation.

With more and more people being funnelled into university in the hope

of a great time and a good job at the end of it, depriving them of a full and comprehensive university education and making it harder for graduates to find gainful employment afterwards because of a higher number of people competing for the same jobs is neglectful.

The government may respond that they are also advocating gainful employment outside of university, but these cries are made with all the sincerity of the boy who cried wolf.

180,000 more students is 180,000 more paying £9,000 a year to go to university, and removing these caps will only endeavour to put good apprentice applicants on the wrong career path, further denigrating the benefits and necessity of practical qualifications.

But money is money, and the government will be trying to make a hell of a lot more of it.

In March this year, the former Minister for Universities, David Willetts, spoke to Channel 4 News and refused to rule out a

rise in the maximum amount that universities can charge in tuition fees. So this initiative to remove caps on admittance numbers could be part of a double-punch for the students of tomorrow with lowering standards and rising fees.

The most humble committee member of the most humble society at the most humble university would say that is a massive no-no.

I completely support getting more people into university. I believe that a higher proportion of people at university will enrich not only the individual, but the nation. But the approach the government appears to be taking is wrong: they cannot expect people to pay more for university whilst deliberately worsening their experience by overcrowding campuses.

The government could lower tuition fees, expand job opportunities or build more universities. However, they cannot treat students like cash cows.

Photo by jammycaketin

Macmillan’s Sober October hits Kent students Rebecca Fatharly

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his month Macmillan are raising money using a campaign called Sober October.

The fundraising concept is to stay sober for the entirety of October whilst raising money for the charity. People can either go it alone or they can contribute as part of a team.

There are incentives scattered throughout the campaign, such as the opportunity to earn “Golden Tickets”, which give the receiver the chance to take nights off being sober for special occasions, such as birthdays and weddings. The campaign is taking place over the UK and has several teams stateside.

Last year, Sober October raised over £2 million and so far, 53,000 participants have signed up to get involved this month.

On campus, UKC Macmillan is working hard to fundraise, and have many events planned.

Aimee Castle, President and Founder of Macmillan at UKC, said, “We have now created a team on the Sober October website, and we welcome anyone at UKC who is participating in Sober October to join! The team is called ‘Macmillan at UKC’ and we’ve already had a few donations but every little helps!

“Our members are participating in memory of those they have lost and in support of Macmillan - a charity which helps families affected by cancer.

“We will be hosting various get togethers during the month including non-alcoholic cocktail parties to lift spirits and show our support to everyone involved! It’s such a great cause!”

All the money raised from this campaign will go towards supporting people who suffer from cancer, directly or indirectly.

Your comment Cecily Rowland

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ill you be going Sober for October?

Student culture has become inseparable with drinking.

Although Brits in general have a reputation when it comes to the matter, it is undeniable that a massive incentive fed to prospective UK students is the experience, and the presence of alcohol.

But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

In my case, it would have been almost laughable to expect an awkward and insecure teenager to spend an inordinate amount of time in close proximity with a large group of people from different corners of the country, with whom I may or may not have had anything in common, without the assistance of alcohol to smooth over the process.

This, I think, is down to the fact that under the influence, we are unrestricted by embarrassment and selfawareness, and so we become oblivious to the social restraints we place ourselves under.

The nights when I have danced the hardest, met the most people and just generally felt the best, I’ve always been a little tipsy.

But I’m sure many of us have experienced first-hand the bad effects of alcohol, especially this side of Freshers’ Week.

There is a downside to growing maturity, and it’s called a hangover.

I’m nostalgic for the days when I would drink a bottle of Smirnoff Ice, get wonderfully tipsy, yet wake right as rain the following morning. These days I am needing more alcohol, but feeling worse for it the next day.

So why shouldn’t I go sober for October? There is no

denying that it’s a fantastic cause and we all know what an impact Movember has had in raising money and awareness in the plight against cancer.

These causes, and the support systems created, make up all the best bits of social media.

Yet I can’t seem to squash the feeling of doubt as to whether one can have a truly well-rounded experience at university without boozing at such a crucial point in the calendar. What with societies kicking off again, and socials taking place in pubs and clubs across Canterbury.

And so as much as I hold a great deal of respect for students who, for whatever reason, have chosen to deviate from the norm to follow a route beneficial for both their wellbeing and overdraft facility, for me it simply isn’t viable.

I enjoy drinking, and I like the person I become when I do.

Comment

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Public Sex and Nudity Shock Canterbury Francesca Brindle

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olice in Kent have been responding to a rise in public indecency in the last three years.

More than 50 reports have been filed in Canterbury, Whitstable and Herne Bay where individuals have behaved inappropriately or couples have been caught in the act in cars, woods and children’s playareas.

These reports also contain examples of people exposing themselves or ‘outraging public decency’. The most recent example is Kenny Milne, a

local businessman, convicted for exposing himself to his neighbours.

Despite this, out of the 51 complaints received, only 11 arrests have been made. Many complaints were filed when the World Naked Bike Ride rode through the area, though Police had little evidence to make any arrests.

Inspector Kevin Dyer said “complaints involving this sort of activity are taken very seriously. To some, committing a sexual act in public may seem like a bit of fun [but] I would urge people to think about the consequences of their actions.”

Your comment Isabella Eastwood

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tripping down and getting it up - I mean, on - seems to be on the rise in Canterbury.

Complaints filed against steamy couples getting saucy in the dark corners of the city reveal the penchant for a risky raunch in the open is increasing.

Naturally, passers by aren’t as exhilarated by the deed as the pair caught au naturel.

This isn’t the only dropping of garments offending the public: naked flesh seems to be an eyesore, no matter what purpose fuels the naturism.

The Tory Sext Scandal w

Your comment Richard Taylor

Adele Irlam

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onservative Minister Brooks Newmark has resigned after it was revealed that he sent a sexually explicit image to an undercover reporter masquerading as a Tory PR woman.

Reporter Alex Wickham posed as young Tory activist ‘Sophie Wittams’ on Twitter.

After requesting and receiving an explicit image of ‘Sophie’ the married MP sent an explicit photo of himself, asking for it to be kept private.

Another Tory MP has complained to the Independent Press Standards Organisation, the independent press regulatory body, that the Sunday Mirror reporter used entrapment.

Chief executive of the Sunday

Mirror, Simon Fox, dismissed these accusations.

He said whilst Wickham set up the fake Twitter account, Newmark initiated contact with the reporter.

He defended publishing the story on “public interest grounds” due to Newark’s work with women and his role in government.

Fox continued: “Mr Brooks Newmark was not just an MP but a minister, for civil society, with security clearance who took a role in foreign affairs and was co-founder for the campaign group ‘Women2Win’, an initiative designed to get more women into politics.”

The Tory MP resigned last Saturday. He told the BBC: “I have no-one to blame but myself. I have hurt those I care about most.”

hen news first broke of the sting carried out by a Mirror journalist posing as a Tory PR girl on a Conservative minister, the reaction from much of the media was typical.

Many focused on what appeared to be a return to the ‘Tory sleaze’ of decades past, as well as the awkward timing – the revelations came immediately prior to the opening of the Conservative Party Conference. Combine this with the defection of the Rochester MP Mark Reckless to UKIP, I’m sure that certain tabloid editors were wetting themselves with glee.

Political scandal and juicy gossip sell newspapers and we all know by now to what depths some journalists are willing to plumb to provide this.

However, it concerns me that the focus for certain papers has been on how this will affect the political fortunes of the Tory Party. What has been of less

Even humanitarian campaigns such as the naked bike ride are met with a negative backlash, despite the shock factor acting primarily as a catalyst to raise awareness.

Feminists also famously

cultures, concealed completely?

For a culture so obsessed with weight and looks, it’s surprising how conservative the response to a little bareness actually is.

Unless it’s someone actively waving his or her genitals

“Public sex disrobes the mentality of body shaming” undress to expose our societal perceptions of nudity and the female body. These women use their skin to epitomise freedom of speech and the freedom to cover or uncover as much as they see fit.

The German FKK movement attempts to embrace public nudity and promotes nakedness both as personally liberating and a way to get in touch with the nature around you - literally. While public sex doesn’t do much for political progress, it disrobes the mentality of body shaming.

Why do our bodies continue to cause such affront? Why are they so desperately clothed and/or unclothed, or in some

in your face or deliberately attempting to offend, I don’t see what the big fuss is about.

If anything, were I to pass upon a couple engaging in naked antics, I’d be more likely to laugh than call the police.

Fair to say there are more appropriate times and places for that field of action (and not action in the fields) but there will always be those who will get down and dirty in the dirt for the thrill of it.

interest to the tabloids is the possibility that Newmark was in fact the victim of a sex crime.

Whilst sending lewd images of oneself to a young campaigner is perhaps not behaviour expected of a married Minister of the Crown, it was not illegal.

What is illegal, is to trick or coerce a person into engaging in a sexual act without consent.

It can be argued that he was tricked into a sex act without consent, in contravention of the Sexual Offences Act. Add the possibility of entrapment, and it would appear that the minister was indeed the victim.

Despite the scandal and furore surrounding the allegations, it is time that the tabloid media recognised and focussed on this, rather than the political ramifications.

Moreover, further attention should be given to the ethics and legality of the use of a woman’s pictures, without her permission.

As the story rolls on, it seems that the penny is slowly dropping and some broadsheets are now beginning to discuss the ethics of the Sunday Mirror

and its journalist.

It is a possibility that Mr Newmark could take legal action, but of equal interest will be what role the new Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) will take.

This will be the first real test of the effectiveness of the new press watchdog since Leveson – the judge-led inquiry into press standards and practices - and may become an important precedent setter for future cases.

For now though, many will be wondering if the time and money spent on the Leveson Inquiry was worthwhile.

If this case is anything to go by, it would appear that not everyone has learned from the phone-hacking scandal and that for the tabloid media, it’s business as usual.

Should pubic nudity be more acceptable?

Send your thoughts to newspaper.comment@ inquiremedia.co.uk

Who do you think is in the wrong? The politician or the Sunday Mirror?

Send your thoughts to newspaper.comment@ inquiremedia.co.uk

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Comment

Who is this Harry Potter girl?

From Emma Watson to Russell Brand, celebrities are getting involved in politics more than ever. Why? Chloe Bryer asks whether this is appropriate and why now.

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ecently Emma Watson gave a heartfelt and riveting speech at the UN Women’s Conference, advocating for a new campaign called HeForShe. Leonardo DiCaprio spoke at the 2014 UN Climate Summit and even Angelina Jolie has taken more of a political stance as a humanitarian activist.

On a domestic scale, Dr Who fans would have been enticed

by Labour’s 2010 campaign, as David Tennant provided the voice over for their TV advert.

Yet even as Watson spoke I wondered why she cared so much, and as she rightly put it, “who is this Harry Potter girl?”

What had she achieved to give her the ability to speak on a worldwide political platform?

Whilst certain celebrities appear to have a genuine desire to positively impact our world, there arises the argument that they should refrain from having a voice or part in politics at all.

Some may argue these celebs are inexperienced, out of place, and it is only due to self interest that they are seen on the political stage. Yet, surely celebs are entitled to their own opinions too? And maybe it’s our job to be more educated, if it is only when celebs gather attention for a cause or summit that we’re actually interested.

Good causes can gain momentum due to celebrity media coverage, and by using their wealth to support a

Photo by Marco Bond

cause there will be greater fundraising capacity. Millions of followers will re-tweet, discuss and potentially support these celebs if they do become involved in politics.

JK Rowling supported the ‘Better Together’ campaign and Russell Brand uploads the ‘Trews’ to YouTube, featuring

his political ideas. Yet, we have to ask ourselves, in a time of celeb worshiping, what do these celebs actually represent?

Brand is also known for his vulgarity, sexualisation towards women and was fired from the BBC for his offensive phone pranks. It’s a little bittersweet trying to take certain celebrities

What Grinds my Gears

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In Freshers’ week, Cuban advertised a freeentry night but then started charging £5 for a queue-jump when the line got too long. It was one in one out, so no way were the free people going to get a look in. Not cool, Cuban.

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Designers’ superficial support of ‘70s feminism on the Paris Fashion Week catwalk. Because placards and female suffering are so in

vogue.

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Jeremy Clarkson and his Top Gear posse using Falkland’s Islands number plates when in Argentina.

Could you be any more of an asshole?

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George Osborne, in a fell swoop which seems his greatest attempt yet to give the impression that he has no soul, said charities are anti-

seriously if they are also seen as a hindrance to a cause. If Miley Cyrus joined Watson in a campaign for gender equality it would be a joke. And would she come swinging in on a huge metal ball, wrecking all hope and respect for women?

However despite all things, Brand’s ‘Trews’ is a fresh

approach to politics and prompts us to question the Government’s decisions and motives, and the “Harry Potter girl” has all Hogwarts fans tweeting #HeForShe. So, it is a good thing when celebrities are involved in politics and world issues as it gets more of us involved.

Newspaper Comment Editor Ginny Sanderson’s Top 5 Infuriating Moments

business. There’s still a deficit, George. Looks like you’re antibusiness.

Anything in the news today or around Canterbury that you find particularly irksome? Join InQuire and email Ginny to get your rants known! Please email Newspaper.comment@ inquiremedia.co.uk

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The fact that I can’t tell whether Nicki Minaj’s Anaconda video is incredibly sexist or a feminist exploration of sexual agency. Fighting the urge to twerk along to any remix of Sir Mix-a-Lot was always going to be a daily struggle.

Photo by Stian Eikeland

Comment

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Maintenance Loans Aren’t Enough Katie Heslop

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o student maintenance loans cover the cost of living for students?

At first, when the maintenance loan enters your account, it appears to be more than enough. But when you add up the costs of rent or living expenses, it really is not that much.

When deciding the amount each student receives, the government fails to take into account additional circumstances, expecting parents with a middle ranking or high income to support their children throughout university.

However this is often not the case.

The living cost of the area is also not taken into account.

Canterbury is an expensive city, yet I receive the same amount as my friend at Hull, where rent is low and a Twix is thirty pence. Those students who live in expensive areas and whose parents are unable to aid them financially are often forced to get draining jobs.

University is supposed to be a time of freedom (that is the line we were fed anyway), yet this is not the case for students who have to work miserable hours as their loan does not cover their living expenses.

Inevitably fewer students focus on their studies, placing their degrees in jeopardy. The pressure to go out and get `wasted` is often so crippling that students have to make a choice between alcohol and necessities.

A lot of students think they cannot have a good time out without getting drunk, a mentality which is rife amongst first years, as alcohol gives the allusion of confidence around people they have just met. The drinking culture is indulged and encouraged during Fresher’s different events are put on every night which encourage freshers to spend

more of that precious loan, jager bomb by jager bomb.

Universities are repeatedly pressuring students to join societies, claiming that societies are a crucial part of university life. What universities fail to mention is the membership fee each society asks for. Compared to other universities Kent’s fees are not too expensive. To join UKC tennis is £50, which is my weekly budget gone straight away. However it is £150 to join tennis at Portsmouth, which is a large chunk taken out of your loan.

Without financial support from parents the maintenance

loan itself is not enough to support students, and the dream of a carefree university life which was sold to us during sixth form dwindles.

One way to combat this national problem would be to adjust the loan according to the living expenses of the area, thereby addressing the unfair financial advantage to those living in more affordable areas.

This would at least go some way to ensuring maintenance loans cover the cost of the student lifestyle.

Email advice.kent.ac.uk if you need any advice concerning loans.

Stand up to Anti-Muslim Bigotry Ginny Sanderson Newspaper Comment Editor

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terror attack on the UK is highly likely. No, not highly likely, SEVERE. Meanwhile, 1,400 English girls have been gang raped by Muslim paedophile gangs*. (*or just horrible men) But, most atrociously, Muslims have defiled our beloved British* institution KFC by banning wet wipes because they are simply not HALAL**. (*possibly American actually) (**maybe not actual halal law) What are we waiting for?

BAN THE BURQA and BRING BACK THE DEATH PENALTY. We need to take back Britain.

I’m sorry, I really don’t know what came over me just then, I need a Snickers. It seems reading tabloids, watching the news and joining pages on Facebook like Britain First has turned me into an accidental racist.

You’d be forgiven if you have felt an inkling of this in the past few months. With the UK now joining big pals the US in launching air strikes on ISIS/ ISIL/IS, the question has to be asked: what’s it like to be Muslim in our country right now?

British Muslim leaders have denounced the terrorist organisation IS, calling it “heretical”, “oppressive” and “tyrannical”. As many have cried, the so-called Islamic

State is neither Islamic nor a State.

Others have joined the public condemnation, with the hashtag #NotInMyName fighting against racism and bigotry online, reminding the public that these sick individuals do not represent an entire religion or group of people as a whole, but are purely a minority. Tweets from British Muslims include “we are not prepared to let these lunatics hijack our faith”.

Another interesting hashtag is called #MuslimApologies Photos by Britain Furst

which features comments such as “I’m sorry for coffee, cheques, parachutes, chemistry, inoculations, soap, shampoo, cameras, etc.” (from @mehdirhasan). It remindes people, in a rather comical way, that Islam is responsible for a lot of progress in the world, and we shouldn’t lose this in the tidal wave of negative press the religion has been getting recently.

It is also a responsibility of those who are not Muslim to not let fear - undoubtedly spread by hate-groups and

the government’s somewhat dramatic terror alerts - to overtake reason.

5% of the English population are Muslim. Instead of ostrasizing this small group of people, they need now more than ever to receive compassion, empathy and support. Any people being radicalised to join the fighting in Syria or Iraq are driven to it in no small part by this climate of fear and ignorance of their faith and culture. By a sense of not belonging in your own country.

Another way of rejecting the Islamophobic narrative is by laughing at it. Rather than joining Britain First, join Britain Furst, a parody page which lampoons the idiocy of the blind patriotism, bigotry and racism of the former. Its hilarity maintains the drama of Britain Firsts wild claims, featuring logic such as “Jesus isn’t British anymore!”

Whenever I feel down because a relative has shared some racist post online, I think of their “end Shakira Law” and everything is okay.

Do you want to be in with a chance of winning four indispensable books to help you kickstart this year well?

All you need to do is find weird and wonderful ways of reading InQuire, and take a photo of it.

If you think you can do better than the Media team, then tweet your photos to @ inquirelive, send them to chairwoman@ inquiremedia.co.uk or send them via Facebook to InQuireMedia. The five winning photos will be individually selected by InQuire’s editing team and published in the next copy of InQuire. Good luck!

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Features

1, 2, 3... 50 years and still counting Chris Heron Website Entertainment Editor

A

s the 50th anniversary celebrations at the University of Kent kick off,we’re going to have a look at the history of the University, through the incredibly original lens of numbers!

49 years since the founding of the University. The University was founded in January 1965 with a royal charter, with the first students arriving later in October. So while we celebrate our 50th year, the University currently rests at this slightly less even number.

In an interesting coincidence, 49 is also the number of undergraduates who are staying in temporary accommodation in Chaucer College after Turing College was not finished in

time for the beginning of the 2014/15 academic year.

500 students joined the University as undergraduates in the October of 1965.

Dubbed the ‘First 500’ by the University (graduating in 1968), they have been present at many of the anniversary events. The first amongst them included the founder of InCant, the original student newspaper at the University and ancestor of InQuire!

The University now hosts 19,275 students across its various campuses, from foundation level to postgraduates, with a female to male ratio of 52:48 across the entire University.

The Gulbenkian theatre and cinema was opened in 1969, and reportedly garners audiences of over 30,000 throughout the year.

Photo by Jessica Mills

Photo by David John

In 1982 the University opened its Tonbridge campus, and in 2004 opened the University of Kent’s Medway campus, which is shares with Christ Church and Greenwich Universities.

In the 2012/13 academic year the University had a stated income of over £201 million and spent over £188 million across the entire University.

The University has had six Chancellors, made up of five men and one woman. In the same vein, there have been five Vice-Chancellors, made

up of four men and one woman (the latter being the current Vice-Chancellor, Dame Julia Goodfellow).

There have been 56 Presidents of Kent Union since 1965. Of them, 44 have been men, and 12 have been women.

In the 2013 financial statement, Kent Union announced an expenditure of over £10 million throughout the entire charity. So that’s the University of Kent in numbers. It gives a different view on the University during its 50th year, outside of fireworks and a Ferris wheel.

How has the student experience changed at Kent?

Emma Gwynne

O

n Wednesday, 1 October, the University marked the beginning of its 50th anniversary celebrations. There are some staggering changes which have occurred on the site within the last half century and some things which will probably never change.

Students arriving on campus for the first time in 1965 found themselves one of a very small community of just 500 undergraduates. They talk about an inclusive community spirit with everybody knowing everybody. That number has multiplied by 30 in the past five decades, just over 19,000 students now study at Kent, of which 15,000 are undergraduates.

In 2014, 50% of teenagers who completed their A levels went on to University as opposed to only 5% in the 1960s. In those days, being a university student was a privilege, whereas today it is thought of as essentially a must for anyone wanting to get a ‘good’ job.

Personally, all of my school friends from Kent spread out across the country, some travelling as far as Nottingham, York or Durham and some staying further south and closer to home in London or other universities in this area, all with the same aim of

pursuing their own personal interests.

Another difference is that the arriving ‘first 500’ had no second or third year students already on campus to show them the ropes, consequently they were able to set up their own societies and groups which would pave the way for the next fifty years of students.

As an arriving student myself, I feel that the first year students of today have an advantage in that the presence of older students and the already

established societies we are able to join, allows the freshers to slip more easily into university life. There is still the opportunity to pursue any interests you may have, but joining an existing society allows you to form friendships with people who have similar interests.

One former student believes that the University Ladies’ Rugby team (now UKC Womens’ Rugby) was the first of its kind in the country; this seems to represent the feeling throughout the

Photo by Kent Union

university as a whole; it was a brand new establishment and the people who were teaching there had a very progressive, forward looking attitude.

The first students chose this new university over more traditional establishments because they liked the idea of shaping a new university and creating a brand new student community.

However this is in contrast to the strict 10pm curfew and rules against pregnancy which universities had in place for students, which seems archaic and restrictive for today’s students, who are used to university being their first chance at real freedom.

Even in the relatively small group of 500 university students in 1965, there was a vibrancy and diversity amongst them which they had not experienced before, this is still true of the Kent experience today.

One of the things that surprised me when going to the Freshers’ events and meeting people in my classes and seminars was the wide range of nationalities I came across.

Today Kent is home to students from 145 countries worldwide. It has remained an inclusive and inviting institution which welcomes students from all sorts of backgrounds.

Features

11

The man behind the white gloves How did a Kent student come to be the man famous on campus known as Crazy Hands? Henry Sandercock finds out...

Henry Sandercock Website Sport Editor

W

ith the 50th anniversary celebrations, we are saluting all things Kent. And what other university can say they have a man called Crazy Hands?

Photo by Kent Union

For a guy who is followed by so many (2,250 likes on Facebook) and has secured eternal BNOC status at Kent for what he calls “RHM: Rapid Hand

Movement”, you may expect a slightly bloated ego. But Crazy Hands has nothing of the sort.

Instead, the man I meet on a warm October evening is disarmingly humble.

He turns up in a UKC badminton hoody (he was on the committee) with his dinner, due to problems with his new flat.

Mr Hands, his true identity will remain a mystery, joined UKC back in 2003 as a student.When I ask him about his first year, the answer was somewhat unexpected: “I was very antisocial; I didn’t go out and I didn’t meet people.”

It was not until he did a year in industry in 2006 that he came out of his shell: “There was a social for the company I was doing my placement for.

I’m a massive fan of Michael Jackson and Billie Jean came on. I just started doing my thing and everyone seemed to love it. I got a kick out of it.”

It was not long until he was back at Kent with his new-found confidence.

“I started going to Venue and I really discovered myself there… it’s like a home to me now.”

He bought his distinctive Michael Jackson-style gloves and Crazy Hands was born, although the man himself was not aware of it at the time.

“Unbeknown to me, Tommy and Virad [the other admins on his page] had

created a Facebook page called Crazy Hands and it had 2,300 likes, I was shocked! Naturally I wanted to become an admin too when I found out. I never did it to gain any recognition though; I wasn’t trying to impress anyone.”

His popularity soon exploded all over campus and led to him being asked to dance at both the 2012 and 2013 summer balls. “It was pretty surreal; I was performing in front of 3,000 on the main stage! I was very grateful that they had asked me to perform but very nervous at the same time.”

When I put it to him that he should explore the commercial aspects of his distinctive dancing, he is typically humble: “Crazy Hands has always been entirely voluntary. I have paid for entry

Daily Mail whilst simultaneously scratching their bulbous backsides.

4. Coffee Dates on the grass overlooking the Cathedral Marvel as couples cuddle up against one another on the grassy knoll, clutching their caffeine filled corrugated cardboard containers. Reminder to all singletons hanging above them on the Kent Eye, please resist the urge to gob on them from a height, no matter how smug they seem.

5. People having sex up against their window in Rutherford Seriously guys, we can all see you. The builders are certainly enjoying your entertainment, but we aren’t so much.

6. Kings Canterbury Football Practice It’s technically not stalking, it’s people watching. And watching the multitude of men parading up and down the pitch in those tight, tight shorts definitely makes the £4 Kent Eye service charge worth it.

7. Swarms of French school children Quake in your boots at the image of

what appears to be hundreds of French school children descending onto the streets of Canterbury from Dover.

Pity the pedestrians who are trampled beneath their eager rubber soles as they clamber for ‘I LOVE LONDON’ bric-abrac.

8. Cyclists on Eliot Footpath Yes, we see you, confidently powering up Eliot Footpath with your wicker basket and leather rucksack.And we also see you shamefully hop off your bike halfway up and push it the rest of the way. Yeah, I’d walk it next time love.

9. Lecturers departing their offices Blinking as the step into the sun’s light, observe as they light a precious fag and knock back the bottle of whisky hidden amongst their folders. Pity them, they have to deal with your ugly mugs every day.

10. Your tuition fees Yep, there they burn amongst the sparkle and glamour of the fireworks.

You were never attached to that £9,000 a year, were you?

Photo by Kent Union

and drinks on most nights… people have said I could make something out of it, but it’s just a bit of natural, spontaneous fun, I don’t want to cash in because it’ll lose its appeal.”

At 29, he is particularly hesitant about the future of Crazy Hands: “I’ve been putting it about that my retirement is pending. I’ve officially retired at least three times before but I just really enjoy being a part of the student community.”

When he does eventually retire, he will be missed but his legacy will certainly live on in the memories of countless thousands of UKC students, both past and present, whose nights out in Venue he made all the more enjoyable and memorable for his dancing.

What to look out for on the Kent Eye Cerys Thomas Website Features Editor

T

he Kent Eye is the symbol of the 50th anniversary of our university.

It’s all good looking at the pretty scenes of our campus and town, but its much more fun trying to find these from the eye!

1. Pigeon Fight Club on the top of Eliot Watch as rival gangs of pigeons circle one another nervously, ready to fight for their honour and the approval of their pigeon peers at Eliot Pigeon Fight Club.

2.The Deep Dark Recesses of Hales Place Shrouded by ominous clouds of fire, rain and cannabis, see students stumble back to their crumbling homes, off to hibernate in their coffins in preparation for the boozy night ahead.

3. Builders having a Tea Break by Templeman Library Armed with their builders brews, watch Templeman’s builders peruse copious copies of The Sun and The

Photo by Ian Perrin

12

Features

University of Kent 50th anni

On 1 October, Katyanna Quach and Georgina Coleman went to the anniversary celebrations to fin Jorge Quintanilla - Physics Lecturer Are you excited to be a part of Kent’s fiftieth anniversary?

Yes, I’m so excited about the 50th anniversary celebrations. I wanted to go on the Ferris wheel to see if I could see Whitstable, but I discovered I am extremely scared of heights. So I was excited, but in an opposite way! It’s really cool to be celebrating fifty years. Believe it or not, I’m actually younger than the university and with all the history behind it, suddenly it feels very old. Kent is growing very fast and where there is growth, there are new opportunities and challenges. We are getting more and more students that are very enthusiastic. The new research happening is very exciting and I think one of the University’s strong points is that the research is integrated with the teaching and that is something that I am very proud to be part of.

What led you to Kent?

I am from a place called Salamanca in Spain, but I have been living in the UK since 1996. Originally, I was a theorist at the Rutherford Appleton laboratory, aiding experimentalists in understanding their work and Kent had very strong links with them. The quality of life is very good here and the location is one of the best of all UK universities. With the high speed trains, we can get to London in a very short time, which opens up many more things to do.

Steven, Shelby, Julian and Finn Moser - Students and Residents of Kent What led you to move to Kent?

Steven + Shelby: We are both PhD students here, as well as parents. We moved here from California and it has worked out fortuitously that the university had a programme that suited all of us.

Shelby: I’m looking at the interactivity of art and technology. I like the philosophy of art community – it is a strong family.

Stephen: I’m in electrical engineering. I have a great relationship with my advisor. It has been so helpful and enjoyable. I work with lasers and as long as you have lasers, it’s good right?

Julian: I like Kent’s weather – it’s a big change from California. Over there, it was just always so hot and humid.

Shelby: He likes fish and chips. The town is definitely a university town.

Students make up a lot of the population. I feel that that is a great thing. They keep the town alive, economical and exciting.

What do you think the future holds for the university?

Stephen: Two Californians as the head of departments! I’m joking... More schools abroad, it will be good to see how much more it is open to Europe and the rest of the world.

Features

13

iversary celebrations special

nd out more about people’s personal experiences of the University. All photos are by Ian Perrin.

Judi & Leigh Rowbotham - Employee & Residents of Kent How do you think the university has impacted Kent as a county?

Judi : The University has been great for the entire county. We live in Herne Bay and have seen the area’s diversity increase with so many students from different backgrounds. The town has opened up with so many people and is constantly improving. It has also been great for employment. As of next week, I will have been working here for twenty three years!

Leigh: The campus is great, especially the Gulbenkian, as it draws people from all over Kent. Last week, we saw the comedian Omid Djalili. It was brilliant.

How has the university changed since?

Judi: My father-in-law actually worked in the St. Dunstan’s office for the University as a purchasing officer. Since then, it has expanded a lot. We have so many facilities here, from sports to art. I love working here as there is so much variety and change and I love the challenge of keeping up with it all.

What does the future hold for the university?

Judi: That is such a difficult question to answer! I’m sure it will continue to improve so that it can be the best possible environment to learn in. I feel proud to work and live here.

Richard & Jianing Liu, Azura Jia & Joy Lai, Students Why did you choose to come to Kent?

Richard: We are all second or third years and we love Canterbury! I’ve visited other universities but it felt the most warm and welcoming here.

Azura: Yes, people here are so nice and this year I have the most amazing housemates.

How does your experience here compare with being back home?

Joy + Azura: We feel freer, there is more independence and this has really helped us to grow.

Richard: To me it feels like another home. I see so many recognisable faces and it’s so easy to talk to people here. I just love Canterbury because it’s so close to many beaches and sea-sides. Every time, my friends or family come to visit, it is the first place I take them to.

Jianing: It doesn’t feel too different. I feel very comfortable but sometimes I do get homesick when I miss my little brother.

What has been your best experience?

Joy: My best experience has been travelling in the UK alone.

Azura: For me it is my lecturer. He really inspired me to be a lecturer and one day I hope to be as good as him.

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Entertainment

Top music picks for Canterbury Festival Carmela Santaniello

C

anterbury Festival is back for another year, exhibiting over 200 events including music, theatre, comedy acts and much more. With so much to see and do, it’s quite the challenge to pick and choose, so here are the top music acts we think you should go and shake your tail-feathers to.

Geno Washington If you love the swinging 60’s, you’ll definitely love the king of the swingers himself; Geno Washington. It will be a night of moving and shaking, guaranteed to leave with a smile as big as Mr Washington’s.

The Festival Spiegeltent on 17 October at 9:30pm. Tickets are £16.

Photo by Canterbury Festival

Hey Harley Taking it stateside, Hey Harley are an American country/pop duo, whose

music is both refreshing and feisty. The warm tones of Lizanne Knott’s voice accompanied by guitarist Bill Reveles, together create something truly special; you’ll be smiling and emotional all in one evening. Bill’s career has been a great success, with credits such as a song on ‘True Blood’ and also ‘Dawson’s Creek’.

The Festival Spiegeltent on 28 October at 9:30pm. Tickets are £12 (booking fees apply).

Photo by Canterbury Festival

Hugh Masekela Canterbury festival is proud to host a true legend, Hugh Masekela. The talented horn player is known to be Africa’s most important musician and learned his skills from the best including singers such as Louis Armstrong. Celebrating his 75th birthday with his band on tour, Masekela’s show is definitely going to be one of the top events to see at the

festival. The music will be cool and calm and display the true essence of African culture.

The Marlowe Theatre on 22 October at 7:30pm. Tickets are £27. Student tickets are £10 (booking fees apply).

Stringfever For something a bit different, the festival presents the musical, comedic String Quartet, Stringfever. However, don’t be fooled, this is not your average classical music event. The show is a mix of spins on music classics and wellknown music, as well as a sprinkling of comedy. The show is highly entertaining and engaging, using specially made electric violins, violas and cellos. It really is the full package; an evening of music and laughter for everyone to enjoy. It’s definitely not one to be missed.

31 October at Shirley Hall at 7:30 pm.

Tickets are £18. Student tickets are £10.

While gearing up for his performance at The Gulbenkian on 6 October, Yorshire comedian, Tom Wigglesworth, took some time out to talk to InQuire about comedy, family and putting yourself out there.

T

o be “utterly at odds” with something is a bold claim. It suggests conflicting turmoil. So when Tom Wigglesworth, renowned Yorkshire comedian, titled his new show “Utterly At Odds With The Universe”, I was guessing things were going to get deep.

Wigglesworth started his comedic journey at Salford University where he studied electrical engineering – quite a world away from where he’s ended up, gracing stages and receiving nominations for the Edinburgh Comedy Award.

Did you always know comedy was something you wanted to do?

When I was at uni, people started telling me to give it a go – probably so I’d stop annoying them really.

It took me a few years to pluck up the courage but people kept telling me “you should try that, you should try that” and then I started going to Open Mic Clubs and thinking “I could actually not be bad at this,” so I gave it a go.

I was 27 or 28 so it was years and

Photo by Tom Wigglesworth

years before I got brave enough. It’s a terrifying concept.

Were you family surprised when you told them you were moving from engineering to comedy?

I don’t think they believe that I do comedy full time. I think they think

Taylor Swift – Shake It Off Miss Swift has always been one to take a bashing for her relationship yo-yoing but you know what, she doesn’t care. It’s fun, unashamed pop, with a catchy beat and pumping lyrics. Watch the video – it’s Taylor in all her dorky-but-cool glory that makes you want her as your best friend.

Sigma – Changing (ft. Paloma Faith) Sigma have achieved a rare feat in the mainstream music industry – they have broadened their reach and become drum and bass artists in their own right. Teaming up with Paloma Faith for their new track is probably one of the best moves they could have made. A beautiful but grimy combination of orchestral sounds and fast-paced beats make this very special.

Photo by Canterbury Festival

Funny, determined and utterly at odds Megan Weal Newspaper Entertainment Editor

Songs on repeat

it’s just a hobby and that I still have a proper job. They don’t see that comedy can actually be an occupation.

You focus on your family a lot in your comedy, do you think that’s key to your work?

In this instance I found a box of cassette tapes that had a bunch of interviews between me and my granddad from when I was about eight. ­­ They tend to follow a similar theme, being that I mess things up and then have to fix things.

Some people are political, some people are surreal but I’m just neither of those things. I’ve just got such a normal and crazy family…they, my parents in particular, just never cease to amaze me. So I don’t really have to look far before something has written itself.

What advice would you give any budding student comedians?

You’ve just got to try it and you’ve just got to fail – lots. That’s the only way to learn really. It sounds very cliché, but I didn’t want to get older and look back and think “I could have done that”.

I think a lot of people think they can do comedy, and you might as well just try. and it might go terribly wrong, but it won’t matter really..

Charlie XCX – Break The Rules Charlie XCX is an artist that broke into the music scene with her fingers in as many pies as she could reach.

But in her new single ‘Break the Rules’, she mixes her raw energy with a self-indulgent youthfulness that gives her audience all her good bits. It’s the perfect straight-pop song to end the summer on.

Childish Gambino – 3005 Arguably one of the most lyricallyintelligent rappers on the scene at the moment, Gambino’s ‘3005’ dropped in over a year ago but it’s radio-play has in England. The self-produced song see’s Gambino singing the song’s chorus as well as rapping. It’s clever, it’s introspective and it should be bigger than it is.

Entertainment

Albums on the go Elliot Bayliss Jamie T – Carry on the Grudge After five years of silence from the London loudmouth, Jamie T returns with a refined, career-defining record.

A far-cry from the early who-givesa-shit tracks including ‘Pacemaker’ and ‘Sticks and Stones’, Carry On The Grudge still captures the essence of Jamie T, yet displays a new maturity.

The single ‘Don’t You Find’ sets the tone for the more introspective focus of the album with its dubby undertones and tender yet sinister lyrics, whilst tracks like ‘Rabbit Hole’ echo the upbeat street-preaching of 2009’s Kings and Queens. Shunning nostalgia for craftsmanship, Carry on the Grudge offers the same bleak honesty and witty poetics with a deeper and more polished sound.

Catfish and the Bottlemen – The Balcony With over 50% of the album already released, it’s not hard to view The Balcony as a record full of singles; Catfish and the Bottlemen’s knack for writing songs with catchy choruses is ever present on their debut. Stomping drums and overlapping guitars carry the album through to each chorus with the feeling that these songs are ready to be sung back by a stadium full of mesmerised teenagers. Recent single ‘Cocoon’ offers the same blunt lyricism that allows the album to so easily connect with its listeners. Though not the saviour of guitar music, The Balcony provides a strong debut for a band full of confidence, ready for commercial success. alt-J – This Is All Yours In their sophomore effort, alt-J return with an album that will satisfy fans but leave new listeners unfazed. Following their Mercury prize winning debut, alt-J’s new release This Is All Yours forgets the jittering rhythms of An Awesome Wave, offering tracks that sound less Radiohead and more Bon Iver. Single ‘Hunger of the Pine’ is a particular highlight, showcasing a darker alt-J and a more impressive sound. However, the majority of tracks fail to impress, presenting a smattering of bland, ultimately un-engaging songs whilst The Black Keys-esque ‘Left Hand Free’ seems out of place on a relatively slow-paced record. Overall, alt-J’s follow up is worth a listen but fails to live up to the expectations of their debut.

15

Ben Russell and the Charmers Lizzie Harvey-Backhouse

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n the final hours before the 50th Anniversary celebrations began, InQuire met with Mel Kocak, the manager, keyboard player and backing vocalist for Ben Russell and the Charmers, and all-round busy lady.

The band were playing early in the evening and beforehand, she offered me an insight into their world and the opportunity that this event has given them as a group.

Would you say this is an important occasion for you?

Most definitely! I didn’t actually go to this university, but my sister did and I’ve got a passion to work here and represent here as well. I feel part of this university and I feel proud to be part of this event.

How does it feel to be involved?

I think we’re really lucky because it’s such a high profile event. I’m also excited because now we get a new audience from the student population too.

Could you explain your connection with the university?

I was working in the Payroll and Pensions department and now I’m with the Graduate School. Like I said, I want to work here, but my job is managing and being in the band. I think there’s enough to juggle!

Is that how the opportunity came about?

Yes definitely. Katie Parrett [Project Manager for the 50th anniversary celebrations] was really lovely. Her

Photo by Daniel John

partner is a sound engineer who actually has worked with us on 3 separate occasions. It’s a small world!

How do you think your style will fit with this evening? What do you think you can contribute to such an event?

We’re different, we’re not a cover band, we’re an original band. But when we play at pubs, festivals or venues I always worry and think ‘are we going to fit in here?’ but at the end of the day we do manage to crack through. I love seeing people repeat our songs! It’s just a really big pat on the back, I think we’ve done really well these past four years.

How would you describe your sound for those who have yet to hear of you?

We are best described as a feel-good reggae band where European and

Australasian reggae meet. We’re quite easy going. We’ll do a couple of covers here and there to get the crowd’s ears pricked up and then we put some of our songs in. But we get all ages at festivals and gigs: we get little kids and then older people too. We can appeal to everyone I think.

You have a new album out, ‘The Golden Sun’. Where can people get hold of it?

From our website. It’s www. benrussellandthecharmers.com and there we’ve got our EP ‘Always Summer Somewhere’, our new album ‘The Golden Sun’, t-shirts, wristbands and other bits and bobs. So hopefully it’ll be an even busier year than this one just gone!

bearing Boothby Graffoe. A comedian so involved with the audience that it put me a little on edge wondering if I was next in the firing line.

His set opened three times – stopped every time by a latecomer to the audience taking their seat. If someone walked in, the show started again. The late-arrivals tried to sneak into their designated seat with little luck. Graffoe targeted each of the individually, punishing their lateness with comedy.

The sold-out Gulbenkian chortled and conversed with Graffoe throughout his 30-minute set.

Djalili’s set began just as intrusivly as the last. The health and safety instructions began to run through the Tannoy before Djalili butted in, his voice filling the theatre. He kindly stated that The Gulbenkian was a death trap and, in the case of a fire, there was really no saving us – so if we could please keep quiet and die considerately it would be greatly appreciated.

It set the tone for the evening and subtly warned the audience to forget about seriousness and to just relax into the comedy. And although Djalili began by telling the audience he was “done with the whole Middle East thing,” this wasn’t the case.

But, Djalili has mastered balance; politically and culturally charged heavy comedy was steadied by light-hearted one-liners. A joke about Thatcher and the diminishing interest in politics would be flipped over by a one-liner that was accompanied by loud music and Dad-dancing. A concept that was offered to the audience early on in the show: “shit gags and I will dance.” It was much-needed light relief.

I was proved wrong. Race and cultural comedy doesn’t have to be uncomfortable. It can be thoughtprovoking, relevant and relieving. Djalili showed passion for the Iranian culture while making it relatable to the (mainly) English audience.

Check them out on Facebook: www. facebook.com/BenRussellandtheCharmers

Omid Djalili - Iranalamadingdong Megan Weal Newspaper Entertainment Editor

J

okes about race make me uncomfortable. So a comedy set titled “Iranalamadingdong” made me a little skeptical – a little uneasy. But I was proved wrong.

Djalili’s set took place in The Gulbenkian on the evening of 24 September. It was, unsurprisingly, tinged with racial and cultural references throughout. Anecdotes gave the audience an insight into the life of an Iranian man living in England and dealing with Hollywood. But it was by no means exclusive – jokes were carried through all aspects of the comedic arsenal: from the inevitable stages of a long-term relationship, Canterbury’s racist underbelly, the funniness of tragedy and the idea of Botox for bollocks.

Djalili was supported by the guitar-

16

Entertainment

A modern Shakespeare: Blind Hamlet Megan Weal Newspaper Entertainment Editor

I

mmersive theatre is a term that is being thrown around a lot recently.

It’s the in thing. It’s vogue.

Sometimes the things that are in are only appreciated by a small percentage.

This was certainly the case at The Gulbenkian on 21 September. The audience fitted comfortably into the first three rows of the theatre.

The performance of the evening was Blind Hamlet, written by Nassim Soleimanpour, directed by Ramin Gray and brought to Canterbury by the Actors Touring Company. Blind Hamlet came in the wake of the highly praised and critically acclaimed, White Rabbit Red Rabbit.

As the performance time (7.30pm) grew closer, the set remained noticeably dismantled. Chairs were stacked at the back of the stage, the sound and light boxes were in the audiences line of vision and a Dictaphone was placed in the middle of the stage with a microphone aimed above it.

The setting was eerie. Everything was too revealed. The theatrical third wall had been completely removed.

The play followed Soleimanpour as he told the audience his woes. Due to his

refusal to take part in military service, Soleimanpour was unable to leave Iran for 30 years, he is slowly going blind and he is recording this play to examine the plausibility of lies. As he himself put it: “Stories are the only lies that are appreciated.”

It did not take long to distinguish that the voice in the Dictaphone was the playwright, Soleimanpour: “I’ve been testing this recording thing for a while. I think it’s a good was to get rid of actors and directors. We can get rid of writers as well. Imagine a theatre full of audience taking to themselves, questioning themselves, answering themselves.”

Photo by Assembly Festival

And, on the surface, this is what Blind Hamlet did. It made the audience active cast members – without whom the play would not have been able to continue Throughout the evening, audience members were called up on stage at

various intervals – they were guided by the Dictaphone and replied to the voice as if it were on stage with them.

For these audience members, the show was entirely immersive.

It is all a game of perception created by the looming anticipation of total blindness.

The balancing act of truth and lies was all reflectively mirrored through the last instructions that the ‘actors’ on stage were given – to play a game of Mafia. Two were chosen to be the murderers and they slowly, fictively, killed off those around them. Those left on stage attempted to figure out who the murderers were. And while on this occasion the murderers were sourced on the first guess, associate director Polina Kalinina confided that “the bad guys almost always win”.

The evening made me reconsider the definition of a play – no longer am I sure what the limits are. Or whether there are limits. Blind Hamlet was less about plot and more about making a point.

The play quoted a line from Hamlet: “Nothing is good or bad. It’s just thinking.” So perhaps, this review is void. Nevertheless, I strongly recommend seeing Blind Hamlet for an eye-opening burst of modern theatre that challenges your perceptions.

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Epic Mealtime Every student craves real food. Once you’ve stopped craving home-cooked food, you start craving stodgy food that will fill up your arteries and leave you in a painful-yet-somehowpleasurable food coma. Epic Mealtime is the platform for two guys and their cooking show – of the most disgustingly delicious foods you could think of. E.g. “Deep Fried Mac & Cheese Cake”, “Nutella Lasagna” or “Sushi Poutine.” They say it all in their description; “We make your dreams come true…then we eat them.”

Steve Booker Steve Booker is a British YouTuber with heaps of personality and a penchant for travelling. His Vlogs will lead you around the world, from London, to Monaco, to Canada, to the USA. His filming and eye for photography is breathtaking. Make sure you check out “Canada Adventure – Alberta” for some awe-inspiring scenery. He’s just starting up again, so expect lots more in the future.

Loveable & political - Pride review Hannah Lewis

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here is something truly loveable about this film that premiered at Cannes Film festival earlier this year.

It’s the summer of 1984 and Margaret Thatcher is in power while the National Union of Miners is on strike.

Pride, retells this historical story from late 20th century Britain, in its own quirky and comedic manner. There is a strong, emotional stimulus present throughout Pride.

Directed by Michael Warchus, as we watch how a group of gay and lesbian activists support the miners unions, despite Thatcher’s attempts to crush them. The story begins with Mark, a gay activist, played by Ben Schnetzer.

Having seen a television broadcast about the miners, Mark decides that anything the Prime Minister or police are going against, just as they did with homosexuals, was a worthy cause to support.

Pride is without doubt a feel good film, although there is a willingness to hit the dark side of its subject matter. The movie takes place as the AIDS epidemic breaks and therefore the hatred towards all homosexuals has only grown stronger by this time. The film certainly

switches between good natured, fun and sombre tones, but its musical note always has the ability to pick up your spirits, just as you feel down.

The duration of the film is in Onllwyn.

Those living there are living in fear of AIDS, accompanied with a lot of awkwardness as they deal with strangers coming to their village.

But these strangers make some big impressions of the townspeople, in particularly the character Jonathon who shows off his dance moves and

definitely wins over the crowd.

The film doesn’t lack in emotional moments and its conclusion leaves you understanding that change really can happen.

With wonderful, warm performances from well-known and popular British actors like Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton and Dominic West, Pride tackles the realities of what happened in Britain during the late 20th Century, portraying its own potent points, as well as being a film you can laugh and dance along to.

Epic Rap Battles of History This channel is nothing short of hilarious. But hilariously clever. The channel takes popular figures and lets them battle out their differences through rap. Some highlights include Abe Lincoln vs Chuck Norris, Barack Obama vs Mitt Romney and Mozart vs Skillrex. Season Four begins on 10 November, so you have a whole month to catch up.

BBC Radio 1 Subscribe purely for the Live Lounge playlist. There are hours of uploaded footage from the Live Lounge to keep you entertained. The playlist is a genius mix of some of the best artists at the moment in their raw, acoustic form, all ready and waiting for you.

There are also film reviews, celebrity interviews and the infamous Innuendo Bingo.

Culture

Read and Avoid Grace Beard

Read

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Sylvia Plath was probably the most depressed woman in the world, but in her semiautobiographical novel there is plenty of emotion, even joy.

Heroine Esther, much like Less Than Zero’s Clay, is living a futile existence, but she finds a sort of perverse pleasure in committing bizarre acts out of depression. Her character is one that will really resonate with you. The scene where she loses her virginity is more emotionally distressing than any of Ellis’ most shocking scenes.

Avoid

Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis

It is Ellis’ purpose that we feel numb reading his debut novel.

It is meant to deaden us as we flick through each flavourless page detailing the wasted lives of impassive drug taking LA youths in the 80s. But that’s the problem - it’s boring. You can’t make friends with any of these monosyllabic characters.

The narrator’s passivity and the futility of his lifestyle, although deliberate, make this a flat and anti-climactic read.

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YouTube celebrities spark a new chapter in the publishing world

Eoin Gallagher

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elebrities and the world of literature are not an unusual combination in modern day media.

Every day more and more autobiographies and memoirs from both major and minor celebrities line the shelves of your local W H Smith store, and readers have embraced this genre of literature with open arms.

Publishing a book by a YouTube star like Grace Helbig is a marketer’s dream, as such an online celebrity already comes with nearly two million subscribers on her video channel.

Helbig’s “Grace’s Guide The Art of Pretending to Be a Grown-up”, is set to be published on the 21 October, much to the excitement of online communities across the globe.

But as more and more YouTube stars get offered, in some cases, life changing publishing deals, it raises an important

Photo by Gage Skidmore

question regarding modern day social media: do these people deserve such an opportunity?

Many YouTube viewers defend these publishing offers, overjoyed to get a new insight into the lives and mind-set of their favourite YouTubers and thrilled that their hard work has opened a new chapter in modern publishing. This is a fair argument. Many of the top YouTube stars have spent years developing a vast fan base and lost countless hours creating the successful video channel that millions of subscribers visit every day.

But many would argue that in an industry where publishing deals are simply handed to those with a large social media presence, talented, but little-known writers will now struggle even more to get the recognition they deserve. So it seems if you’d like to be the next JK Rowling, perhaps it’s time to start a YouTube channel.

In a nutshell: an intoduction to dystopian lit Holly Welch

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ystopian literature is a genre that focuses heavily on the idea of a society that is corrupt or horribly degraded, but citizens are brainwashed to believe it is utopia. These novels always take place in the future or in a parallel universe, and many also focus on the world in a post-apocalyptic state.

Dystopian fiction has experienced something of a rebirth in recent years, with popular examples such as The Hunger Games and Divergent appealing heavily to the teen and young adult market.

But why is this genre so captivating to the masses?

Photo by Matthew Allard

There are several reasons. The creation of new technology and the futuristic settings means they are often labelled as sci-fi books, which lends appeals to fans of the genre.

The plot often revolves around the protagonist rebelling against society, in an attempt to overthrow the regime – a hero triumphing in the face of adversity

is a very popular theme.

These books also often provide a thought-provoking social commentary, asking us to question the influences of companies, the media, and the government on our lives.

There are so many wonderful books in this genre, but to name just a few:

time goes on, it becomes apparent that some animals are inferior to others.

A very different take on dystopian literature, Animal Farm’s personification of farm animals provides an amusing social commentary on the brutality of Stalinism in the Soviet Union.

Uglies by Scott Westerfield Tally Youngblood lives in a postapocalyptic world in which, at 16, everyone is taken to be made “Pretty” through extreme plastic surgery.

However, she discovers that all is not what it seems and that there are dire consequences for those who reject the surgery. What it means to be physically attractive is a prominent theme in this story, and it reflects greatly on the media’s distorted perception of this.

The Running Man by Stephen King/Richard Bachman In the year 2025, a TV station that runs lethal game shows accepts a penniless man called Ben Richards onto their game The Running Man, with the promise of a huge cash reward.

The only problem is, that he has to literally run for his life to win.

This book focuses less on the social issues of society, and more on an action-packed chase to win the game against all odds, which makes it an extremely gripping read.

Animal Farm by George Orwell Two pigs assume command of Manor Farm and drive the resident farmer out, stating that: “All animals are equal”. As

Dystopian literature is finally achieving well-deserved mainstream recognition. If you get the chance, then you should definitely give this genre a try.

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Culture

Cultural events calendar 18 October Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury Festival Parade 18 October Gulbenkian Theatre Tankus the Henge 19 October The Marlowe Studio Pride and Prejudice 23- 26 Oct The Festival Speigeltent Finding the Silence 21 & 22 October Gulbenkian Theatre Best of BE Festival 2014 22 October St Mary’s Hall Studio Theatre The Unremarkable Death of Marilyn Monroe 24 & 25 October The Marlowe Theatre Flown 25 October Gulbenkian Theatre Atresbandes- Solfatara 26 October Gulbenkian Theatre Charles Dickens’ Bleak House 28 October – 1 November The Marlowe Theatre The Great Gatsby

What to watch out for at Canterbury Festival Lucy Skinner

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t’s the biggest in its region and one of the most important cultural events in the South East, the Canterbury Festival is back! From the 18 October to 1 November, the festival is host to a myriad of different cultural events (many of which are free), attracting an audience of around 60,000 people each year.

Some highlights of this year’s festival include some weird and wonderful acts, from a ukulele trio to an inverted circus. Here are some of the best bits which you won’t want to miss: 1) Take a step back in time to the glamourous 1920’s in the Northern ballet’s performance of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. With stunning costumes and sets, and music from BAFTA winning composer Sir Richard Rodney Bennet, this show is one not to be missed! Tickets priced from £18. 28 October – 1 November.

The Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury.

2) The festival also shows the European premiere of Casus Circus’ new show, Finding the Silence. Watch as the group defy gravity with each movement and explore physicality, in a show which has been reviewed as both “visually spectacular and physically stunning”. 23 – 26 October. The Festival Spiegeltent, Canterbury.

3) Inside is a psychological drama based upon true stories about the effects of the Stockholm Syndrome on

a kidnapped victim. This captivating piece follows the victim through video recordings which she has made over the 12 years of being held captive, and her struggle to escape… Thursday 23 October, 7PM. St Mary’s Hall Studio Theatre, Canterbury.

4) For art lovers, there are plenty of great displays and free exhibitions to see! At Herbert Read Gallery (University for the Creative Arts) you can visit Gustav Metzger’s exhibition, ‘Facing Extinction’ – a mass of thousands of stacked newspapers, whereby the public can interact and participate, by selecting articles in response to the subject of extinction and pinning them to gallery walls.

Meanwhile, there is also the Taylor

Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2013 at the Beaney House of Art and Knowledge, an exhibition organised by the National Portrait Gallery, London displaying sixty new portraits showing a wide range of themes and styles by exciting new contemporary artists.

5) If what you’re looking for are edgeof-your-seat thrills, then Brother Wolf’s stage performance of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde will not disappoint.

In this award-winning one man show, Dr Jekyll reveals the shocking truth about his real identity, in what can only be described as a spellbinding and disturbing way.

Saturday 18 October, 7:30PM. St Mary’s Hall Studio Theatre, Canterbury.

Photo by Nicholas Blake

The weird, wacky and the wonderful Julia Mitchell Newspaper Culture Editor

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an you remember the last time you visited an art gallery? Maybe, or perhaps not.

For those of you who don’t already love it, art can be difficult to enjoy. For some, the thought of strolling through a gallery during an autumn afternoon can be far more painful than pleasing.

Despite what you may think, there is definitely fun to be found in the world of art, which, contrary to common belief, isn’t just limited to a bunch of painted landscapes hanging on a wall (although if that’s what you’re into, then great!).

For those of you who are not yet art fanatics, here are a collection of exciting exhibitions that are easily accessible by public transport, all of which are either weird, wacky, or wonderful.

Ancient Egypt: The Beaney, Canterbury First up is something weird, and conveniently right on our doorstep.

This exhibition features Europe’s discovery of deeply buried artefacts in

the tombs of Ancient Egypt, the exhibit itself including a variety of objects and sketches of their finds. There’s even a mummified cat to gawp at, as consolation for the lack of mummified human being. Told you it was weird, and pretty cool as well!

The Art of the Brick, Old Truman Brewery, London

Showing between: 26 September 2014 - 4 January 2015 This wacky exhibition is composed of around 80 sculptures, each constructed brick by tiny Lego brick to create an artistic masterpiece.

Nathan Sawaya is the first artist to bring Lego into the world of art

as a medium, and has used over 1 million bricks to build his unique and incredibly diverse collection.

The exhibition itself is just a fifty minute train ride away, followed by a short underground journey once you’re in London.

Astronomy Photographer of the Year, the Royal Observatory, London Showing between: 19 September 2014 – 22 February 2015 This last exhibition showcases entries from the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition, capturing a variety of images from our beautiful night sky. Plus, the winning photograph itself is absolutely stunning.

Just like the last, is takes a fifty minute train journey to get up to London, followed by a short underground journey across the city to get to your destination.

So go forth, challenge your preconceptions and explore a little more of what the art world has to offer.

All you need to do is get out there and find it. Good luck!

Culture

HeforShe invites men to feminism Rebecca Fatharly

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he HeforShe campaign is an international feminist movement for gender equality, aimed at men to stand up for women. The movement pays particular attention to discrimination and violence against women. The Feminist movement as a whole has received a lot of bad press in recent years, with people claiming that feminists hate men.

The reality is that most feminists just want basic equality and respect between the sexes, not female supremacy.

Most men say they want equality for the sexes, but the problem lies in the fact that their privilege can mask their sight; they believe sexism doesn’t exist, because they don’t see it. It is invisible to them, but HeforShe highlights these problems, and allows everyone’s eyes (not just men’s) to be opened to both male and female issues.

HeforShe is supported by many famous and influential people, including Barack Obama, Matt Damon and Ban Ki-moon.

Emma Watson recently gave a powerful speech at the UN in New York, advocating feminism and equality. She not only addressed female concerns, but

she also spoke about the problems that men face because of inequality, such as the fear of looking vulnerable.

Unfortunately, after her speech,

Photo by Blog de la tele

hackers from the image-based bulletin website 4Chan threatened to leak nudes of the actress. She is supporting humanity, yet a sub-set of internet trolls felt it was necessary to threaten Watson’s reputation.

In her speech, she reached out to everyone by inviting them to step forward to take up their place. In reaction, she was then bullied by some internet users. This is why everyone needs feminism.

The movement HeforShe is a great way for men to become involved with feminism. It allows men to not feel threatened by the word, since there are so many influential males who support and run the campaign. Men can look up to these individuals and not feel ridiculed when they say they are a feminist.

The downside of HeforShe is that it only incorporates two gender binaries.

It is inclusive of transmen and women, which is great, but places emphasis on one gender identity helping another, and ignores other gender expressions, such as gender-queer or gender-fluid.

This could be seen as divisive rather than inclusive.

However, overall the campaign is fantastic, and will hopefully continue to raise awareness all around the world.

What’s in a name? Inspiration for UKC colleges Tom Russell

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any universities have colleges, but did you ever wonder why they get such weird names, some that you may even recognise? It’s because normally these colleges are named after people with some standing in the academic world.

Let’s start with Eliot College, which is the oldest college on our campus, constructed in 1965. It is named after T.S Elliot, who was a famous poet and playwright.

One fact about this namesake is that T.S Eliot died on the same day the university was formally established, 4 January 1965.

This college also has an attachment of accommodation called Becket Court.

Which as you may have guessed is named after Saint Thomas Becket, one of the famous archbishops of Canterbury.

Next we have Rutherford College, which was constructed in 1966, the second college on our campus, where the design somewhat mirrors that of Eliot.

This college was named after Lord Ernest Rutherford, a British physicist who is known as the father of nuclear physics, as he developed the nuclear theory of the atom.

Now we have the best college, Keynes College, totally not unbiased! This college was constructed in 1968 and is named after the Economist John Maynard Keynes. The main Keynes building is also home to the school of economy, which of course, is only fitting.

Darwin College is the one I would expect you all to recognise the name of. This is the fourth oldest college and was constructed in 1970 and is named after Charles Darwin, the main early contributor to the theory of evolution.

A touch in this college is the bar named ‘Origins’ which is a reference to Darwin’s theory and his book, ‘On the Origin of the Species’.

Woolf College is one of the newer

colleges and was constructed in 2008.

It holds accommodation mainly for postgraduate students and was simply named after the English writer, Virginia Woolf.

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Words of wisdom Autumn ‘Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.’ F. Scott Fitzgerald ‘Autumn’s the mellow time.’ William Allingham ‘Autumn seemed to arrive suddenly that year. The morning of the first September was crisp and golden as an apple.’ J. K. Rowling ‘Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than any other season.’ Jim Bishop ‘Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree.’ Emily Bronte ‘In autumn, don’t go to the jewellers to see gold, go to the parks!’ Mehmet Murat ildan ‘Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.’ Albert Camus

Photo by Marufish

Turing College is the newest to open up in the University, and opened in 2014. This college is named after Alan Turing, who is a British mathematician.

Anyone who does computer science or did at A level should recognise this name.

So there you have it. Now no matter which college you belong to, you know something about every single one on our Canterbuy campus.

CORRECTION: In InQuire 10.3 it was mistakenly reported that Burgate Books in Canterbury is an indie bookshop. It is instead run by Pilgrims Hospices, with all money going towards the charity and books donated by the public.

InQuire would like to apologise to Burgate Books for the error.

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Editorial

Top celebrity gaffes in the public eye Ruby Lyle Newspaper News Editor

has upset another nation! And thus, our topic was born!

Welcome to my top four gaffes in the British public eye.

hen I realised it was my turn to write an editorial I struggled for ages to come up with a topic to write about (you almost ended up having to read the tedium of party leaders and papers for instance).

Then something miraculous happened, or perhaps predictable: Jeremy Clarkson

1. Starting this list I’ve surely got to go with Clarkson himself.

Now, I have many options to pick from – the Mexico incident or his Burma special ‘slope’ comment for instance - but I’ll focus on his latest nation to offend which was Argentina.

While filming in Argentina Top Gear took the decision to drive with Falklands licence plates in

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Photo by Daniel Gorecki

reference to the Falklands War with Argentina.

The local reception wasn’t particularly positive as the group was forced to flee while being pelted with stones.

2. Now, no list of this variety could ever possibly be complete without the inclusion of Prince Philip.

The man is a national treasure, but not quite for the same reasons as the Queen. It appears the nation has taken the view that Philip is a loveable old fellow who should be kept as far away from international relations as physically possible for a member of the Royal family.

This quote I’m picking out I feel should have been featured in the Scottish Independence Yes campaign.

When talking to a Scottish driving instructor, Prince Philip asked: “How do you keep the natives off the booze long enough to get them through the test?”

most popular of prime ministers and he was prone to the odd PR nightmare himself.

One instance that particularly comes into mind is his encounter with the “bigoted woman”.

Brown had just come from a conversation with Gillian Duffy, a 65 year old voter in Rochdale, concerning issues such as immigration and crime.

Brown clearly did not enjoy the experience, as he promptly got into his car to leave and described Mrs Duffy as a “bigoted woman”, unknowing that he was still wearing a live microphone.

3. Gordon Brown wasn’t the

4. Prince Harry’s exploits in Vegas are very well known to the British public. In case you need a reminder, Harry had a bit of a wild night in Vegas which, unfortunately enough for him, ended up photographed. In particular, some of these photos included a game of strip poker.

Our thoughts on the matter are divided. Some believe he should be displaying a bit more decorum considering his

had. Watters then poured his melted mess into the bin, and stormed out of the competition.

But what was more laughable than a bearded man in his thirties throwing a hissy fit over ice cream was the 824 members of the British public who took it upon themselves to complain about the supposed ‘sabotage’.

It didn’t stop there though.

Weeks later, there were further complaints about the innuendos

used on the programme. Oh come on, what’s wrong with a Soggy Bottom?

In an age, where we are graced with hundreds and hundreds of TV channels, it has always baffled me as to why people feel the need to continue to watch something they constantly complain about (if any of you follow me on Twitter, you’ll note the hypocrisy in that). We seem to want to get bogged down in

position. Personally I find the whole affair hysterical and feel that considering that he’s fourth in line for the throne (soon to be fifth), he’s entitled to have a bit of fun and show that the British monarchy has a bit of life in it yet.

Photo by rogiro

Don’t complain about TV, turn over Dan English Newspaper Sport Editor

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o it falls upon me to put the world to rights in this week’s edition, and the topic of discussion, or perhaps you may decide, ‘rant’, regards those wonderful souls who file formal complaints about TV programmes. Nowadays, it seems like complaining is the cool thing to do, and whilst this seems a bit hypocritical, me complaining about complainers, please hear me out.

These Mary Whitehouses, take two, are armchair warriors, using their telephones to whinge and whine about anything and everything that appears on TV, and the worry is that they’re getting worse.

I’ve been annoyed by reports of people complaining to OFCOM, the regulators of what we watch, for many years, but this came to the boil during the recent run of The Great British

Bake Off. It began during ‘bingate’, which was, for those of you foolish enough not to watch the programme, one of the most dramatic moments in the culinary competitions history, when it appeared that Diana Beard had sabotaged her competitor Iain Watters’ Baked Alaska. Gasp. Of course, she hadn’t, it was just edited in such a manner that suggested she

Photo by espensorvik

ranting and raving about things that, let’s be honest, really don’t matter.

What is more depressing is that a recent bulletin released

by OFCOM, which details the complaints and when they were issued, showed that people were complaining about TV on Christmas Day. Plenty of Yule Tide spirit being passed around in that house it would seem.

As a nation, have we really had such a humour transplant that we can’t just find a bit of cheeky, bawdy humour on a cooking competition just harmless fun, or must we now stamp out everything in order to just please a minority?

Yes, yes, everyone has a right to their own opinion, but let’s get some perspective here shall we?

I’ll admit that sometimes we can be offended by stuff we watch on television *thinks back to Jedward on the X Factor* but instead of complaining, why don’t we all just reach for the remote and find something else to watch.

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Sport

The future’s bright for UKC Women’s Rugby Claudia Hill UKC Women’s Rugby

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ith women’s rugby at its most popular yet due to the victory of the England team in the Women’s Rugby World Cup, UKC’s team hope to draw

off this success ahead of their own 2014/15 season.

Lead by the captain, Becky Bryant, the club hopes to use this to their advantage and build upon skills as a team, despite moving into the South Eastern 2B league.

The first training session of the year took place on Sunday 28 September, with a great turnout of girls and brilliant weather to match! Training sessions are 10am - 12pm on Sundays at Parkwood pitches and Tuesday 7:30pm - 8:30pm

Photo by Dan Barnby

on the Parkwood astro-turf.

All abilities are welcome, with this year being led by new coaches Jack Campbell and Pat Coogan, who are confident that, with hard work and commitment, the team can emulate and better the successes of recent years.

The first BUCS fixture on Wednesday 29 October is a home game against Roehampton, due to be held on the Parkwood pitches.

The team always appreciate some home support so make sure to look out for the fixture on Facebook and Twitter!

This year, the team are also involved in the highly successful RFU Merit League.

While the club caters to all, this is a competition specifically for those wanting to improve their skills on the pitch.

UKC Women’s Rugby also have huge hopes for Varsity.

Last year, the team were victorious against Christchurch

for the first time in four years and are expecting nothing less from the team this year.

Socially, the team has always been great, with weekly events, a christmas meal and end of year meal. The annual tour with the other sports clubs is also a massive event and this year will be no different.

The club hosts a termly Woody’s quiz on a Sunday night, the first of these being on the evening of Sunday 12 October; expect great prizes and good competition!

For more details on the UKC Women’s Rugby team, contact Chair Alexandria Olton at alo20@kent.ac.uk.

For more sport news check out our website at www.inquirelive.co.uk Got a story? Get in touch with one of our editors.

We’d love to hear from you!

Kendo explained

Add a string to your bow at UKC Archery

Abbie Christie UKC Kendo Club

Kimberley Challen UKC Archery Club

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ou may have seen us around campus with our wooden sticks and our Jedi-like robes and wondered what society do they belong to.

Kendo is a Japanese martial art, with the word ‘Kendo’ translating to ‘the way of the sword’ and derived from the Japanese training to become a samurai.

The sport requires a combination of martial art practice and strenuous physical activity.

To win a bout, a competitor must score points by making accurate strikes onto their opponent.

As a traditional martial art, Kendo requires a great deal of respect and etiquette, but this does not mean we are a strict club, in fact we are incredibly open and friendly with a fantastic sensei (instructor).

She is an incredible teacher and as a result, we also have a fantastic male to female ratio, nearly 50/50!

This is a very high female attendance for a martial art, and much higher than the national average for female competitors.

At last year’s sporting awards, we were even shortlisted for sports club of the year and one of our female members achieved the Outstanding Individual of the Year award, for her accomplishments on the national team.

So if you want to try something new and different with a welcoming group of people from all backgrounds, then perhaps taking up this martial art is for you!

Our sessions are Monday 8-10pm and Saturday 1-3pm in the Sports Centre small hall 2.

For further information, visit the club’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/groups/ KendoUKC/

Photo by Abbie Christie

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ompetition is a huge part of Archery at Kent.

It is a great way for people with less sporing experience to get into competitive events, learn about sportsmanship and gain confidence.

It’s a special sport because it is open to all sorts of people. It’s not exclusively for the strong or fast, you can succeed in archery with passion and commitment alone.

Even those completely new to the sport can compete as novices

Photo by UKC Archery

in national competitions.

Last year was filled with successes, including our current president Alannah Garnham achieving 2nd place in the Kent Archery Association Indoor Target Championships.

In our very first SEAL (South East University Archery League) competition, our novices came first after only shooting for eight weeks, which was our first win for this category in three years.

Overall, our novices came 2nd in the League, and our seniors came 4th.

Our attendance for BUCS was double the previous year, with

Lucy Vaughan finishing 7th in her category.

This year we hope to do even better!

Soon we will be hosting a leg of SEAL and hope to get in the top three for both our novice and senior categories.

Once again we will be representing the university at BUCS in Febuary, where we hope to bring even more of our members to compete.

This is our first year with regular indoor sessions in the Sports Hall, which means we can train more consistently and professionally and prepare our members for indoor competitions more effectively.

We can also host bigger and better SEAL competitions and welcome other universities with pride.

We welcome you to come along to our training sessions and become part of one of the many emerging sports across campus.

As previously mentioned, this is a sport open to all archers at any ability, so we look forward to seeing you at one of our sessions.

For further information about the club,, go to the team’s Facebook page at www. facebook.com/UKCArch.

Sport

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Why Frisbee is the Ultimate sport at Kent InQuire sat down with the Kent Touch This President Peter Stafford to talk about one of the many popular sports available across campus, and how you can get sign up and get involved now Hi Peter, can you explain what Ultimate Frisbee is?

Ultimate Frisbee is a fastpaced athletic sport played by teams both indoors and outdoors, with 5 or 7-a-side teams respectively.

The aim of the game is to score as many points as possible, by catching the disc in the opponents endzone (an area of the pitch about the size of a penalty box on a outdoor pitch).

Ultimate is non-contact, and uniquely self-officiated, with disputes being settled by the players involved in the ruleviolation. At the moment, Ultimate is split into Mens, Womens, and Mixed leagues.

Why did you get involved?

I had played Ultimate on holiday one year, enjoyed it and decided to give it a go at university.

Within the first term of playing I was given the opportunity to play in two tournaments (in beginner teams).

How has the UKC team progressed?

Having celebrated our 10th Anniversary last year, we have

Photo by Peter Stafford progressed to a reasonably successful club within a relatively short span of time.

Year on year, we are seeing more and more people trying and joining Ultimate, and we are also seeing growth in the womens teams of our club as well.

How has the sport got

bigger in the UK? To be specific to the UK, Ultimate has only been around for 30 years and it is already being played by clubs up and down the country.

The UK also competes at European and International levels, such as the World Championships.

In your time at the club, what has been a highlight?

The highlight from my time at the club so far is not any of our major successes; it is a tournament we went to in Amsterdam last year.

We didn’t win anything, except the award for Hardest Parting Team, but it was a great

trip for everyone involved and something we hope to repeat this year.

What is the club’s biggest achievement so far?

Our biggest achievement to date is finishing 8th in Division 2 Indoor Nationals.

What are the team’s hopes for the upcoming year?

This year we hope to reach Nationals, Indoors and Outdoors, with our Men’s team, and try and do similar with our mixed team. We hope to recruit and retain enough women to be able to field a strong Indoor and Outdoor team for the Women’s League, and hopefully reach Nationals in at least Indoors with our Women’s Team.

Where and when do you train?

We train indoors at the Sports Centre on Sundays 3-5pm and outdoors on Wednesdays between 2-4pm and Saturdays 2-4pm at Beverley Meadow, just outside of Campus.

For more information please check out website kenttouchthis. com .

An insight into Women’s Lacrosse A look at the UKC Ice Hockey Club Jasmine Spencer UKC Women’s Lacrosse

W

hen I first joined university my only knowledge of Lacrosse was watching Regina George getting bundled on by a large group of intimidating girls.

Thankfully this was not the case. In fact, after two years with the team I can say they have been the best part of my university experience.

It’s quite a simple game to understand, with the basic aim being to get the ball in the goal.

Contrary to popular belief the women’s version of the sport is not a rough game.

It’s a face paced, high scoring and very skilful game, fun to watch and play.

The game isn’t very well known in England yet but at the moment it is on the rise.

Over the past five years, Lacrosse in the UK has grown at a substantial 20% per year with a large portion of this growth down to university teams.

After garnering a massive 334 sign ups at Freshers Fayre, we’re hoping that over the next

year we can encourage as many people as possible to stay with the team and enjoy the sport as much as we do.

With so many new girls signing up and a new captain, the next year is looking good to move our first team up a league into the 1A division.

To add to that, there is one upcoming game that everyone is already excited for: Varsity!

All of the current team have not witnessed a Varsity loss in the time that they have been at university and it is a big priority of ours to keep to the standard set for us in previous years.

We always attract a large spectator turn out and enjoy a

Photo by Dan Barnby

fantastic game where we will once again bring home the win and Varsity bragging rights.

The one thing I have found that makes the Lacrosse team stand out is their inclusivity.

Anyone of any experience is welcome to join and as our new freshers are finding out, everyone is friendly and helpful.

You spend so much time together, whether that be training or in games, going to the gym or socials.

You become one big family unit where everyone has a part to play. If you’re interested in joining us visit our Facebook page www.facebook.com/ ukcwomenslax.

UKC Ice Hockey Club

A

fter a warm summer, it is pretty easy to forget about the icy winter ahead. But for the UKC Ice Hockey Club, it’s chilly all year round.

Despite its relatively unknown status around campus, the team has been in existence since 2006, when they were known as the Cardinals.

Until its current branding, the club has been part of BUIHA (British Universities Ice Hockey Association) since 2009.

Since joining the association, the club, who play at the Silverblades Ice Rink in

UKC Ice Hockey Photo by supergolfdude

Gillingham, have competed in the second division.

Last year’s success came in the BUIHA second division national tournament, where the side were beaten semi-finalists after a great campaign.

The team also hope to enter a beginners squad into division 3 (non-contact division) this upcoming year.

The club is always looking for new members to join, with all abilities welcome to step onto the ice.

For more information, visit the club’s Facebook page www. facebook.com/Universityof KentIceHockeyClub.

InQuire sport www.inquirelive.co.uk/sport

Plenty to cheer about as freshers begin their Team Kent journey

Photo by Nina Mehmi Nina Mehmi VP Sport

W

ow, what a fantastic start to the term.

It was amazing to see so many of you out at the Freshers Fayre; we had lots of signups.

It is great to see people trying something new. If you missed out at Freshers’ Fayre, don’t panic.

You can join a club at any point in the year, either by contacting me (n.mehmi@kent.ac.uk), or the team directly, as they’d be happy to have you along.

Volleyball and Women’s Lacrosse had 80 people attend

their first session, Capoeira had 300 signups and Korfball had 60 people to their first session.

Archery had 500 people signup and Men’s Rugby had over 200 signups, so not a bad return after just a week.

Not forgetting the other clubs too, who did a fantastic job over both days of the Fayre.

There really is a sport for everyone to get involved with here at Kent.

Keep coming along and keep taking part, it is great to see so many new faces getting involved in sport.

Taster sessions and trials are taking place at the moment, so

go along and give sport ago.

You never know, you may enjoy it.

It is not long now until we head out for our first BUCS fixtures, and Wednesdays become the highlight of the week for many students.

Look out for the first day of official fixtures, which this year falls on Wednesday 15 October.

Come along to the matches and show your support, we’d love to have you there.

The weekly after party in Venue is one not to missed.

Look out on the Team Kent Facebook page, or on the InQuire website, for more

information about match fixtures.

There are lots of ways to get involved with sport here at Kent.

We have our sports clubs, our inter-college leagues, but new this year we have our ‘Let’s Play’ programme.

The ‘Let’s Play’ programme is there to encourage people to get involved in sport, on a casual basis at minimal cost.

Go along to one of the sessions and try out something new, and if you enjoy it, there is a club to join too.

If you have any ideas of ways to improve or get more involved

in sport or any exciting events or sessions you are running, then let me know!

You can find me in the Student Activities Centre.

I will be campaigning this year to ensure that everyone in the University recognises the benefits and importance of sport to the overall student experience, so get involved and help me out!

Inside: Lacrosse and Rugby previews, Kendo explained, Ultimate Frisbee, Ice Hockey and Archery!