InQuire 8.13

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Issue 8.13

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28th March 2013 meet your new sports vp!

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“it happens all the time”

InQuire reports into the unwanted sexual attention on Kent’s Canterbury campus

Sam Baldwin RESEARCH by InQuire has revealed the prevalence of unwanted sexual attention on campus. Over half of respondents - both male and female - said they had received unwanted sexual attention in one of UKCs seven drinking establishments.

Of those respondents reported, incidents were reported to have taken place in the Venue and significant proportions also reported incidents in The Attic, K-bar and Mungo’s – 26% for each.

Many students considered

some forms of harassment, specifically groping, as “commonplace” or “standard practice” in a club.

One female participant said that she “wouldn’t count” groping as sexual harassment because “it happens all the time”. This is an attitude that needs to be challenged, says current Vice President Welfare Colum McGuire: “I think that’s a result of being conditioned to think that way [...] that oh, maybe I should take it as a compliment, that this is the way life is. But no way.” Only students responded that they had reported unwanted sexual

attention.

The statistics gathered from the InQuire research come after the NUS report ‘That’s what she said’, detailing women’s experiences of lad culture in higher education.

The report highlights how the ideology surrounding lad culture encourages people to view sexual harassment as a joke or simply “banter”. The report found that ‘banter’ normalises language that is “supportive of sexual harassment and violence”.

Several Kent students affirmed this view. One male student said that the undercurrent of

lad culture encourages people to “shrug off groping as a bit of a laugh”.

Another likened men’s perception of clubs to a “meat market”.

Kent Union has a Zero Tolerance policy against sexual harassment and discrimination in all of the bars that it runs, which says that it can be reported to a member of staff or security.

Although a large majority of survey participants knew about the Zero Tolerance policy, 48% were unaware of what the policy actually refers to.

When respondents were asked

if they would know who to report sexual harassment to, 74% said no.

This is perhaps due the lack of publicity in venues run by Kent Hospitality (K-bar, Mungo’s and Origins), who have adopted the Zero Tolerance policy.

In a statement to InQuire, Hospitality said that all of their staff are trained to deal with such behaviour and “if found guilty of antisocial behaviour of any kind students/staff will be punished with either a ban from all licensed establishments on campus (for a period of 2 weeks to an indefinite ban) or ...

(Continued on page two)

2

News Editor’s Note

Hello!

Welcome to issue 8.13; the last issue of the term and this team’s last paper together.

In the spirit of April Fools, we’ve hidden some subtle jokes throughout the paper - see if you can spot any of them. We had just as much fun making them as you will looking at them!

From next issue, you’ll have a new team of editors, but from the outgoing team: We hope you’ve enjoyed everything we’ve done - we’ll miss you!

For the last time, Pamela InQuireLive 2012/2013 Editorial contacts: Executive: Rex Ejimonyeabala Chairman chairman Pamela Head - Editor newspaper.editor Jamie Ovens - IQ Editor iq.editor Nina Collins - Website Editor website.editor Newspaper: Matt Gilley - News newspaper.news Jamie Ovens - Comment newspaper.comment Natalie Tipping - Features newspaper.features Harriet Cash - Culture newspaper.culture Chad Greggor Entertainment newspaper.entertainment Alex Cassidy - Sports newspaper.sport Website: Perpetual Brade - News website.news Amelia Guttridge - Comment website.comment Laura Ricchetti - Features website.features Alice Bryant - Entertainment website.entertainment Lisa Gheysen - Culture website.culture Caroline Wadham Distribution distribution

To contact any of the committee, just add @inquiremedia.co.uk to the end of the adress under their name.

tuition fees frozen and real terms cut for loans Jak Allen

IN a written statement to Parliament, the Universities and Science Minister, David Willetts, announced that tuition fees would remain at their current £9,000 level in 2013/14. This will coincide with a 1% rise in maintenance loans and grants in England for the same academic year.

Prior to the government’s reforms of university finance the tuition fee cap was raised in line with inflation, with a rise from £3,000 in 2005 to £3,375 in 2011-12. Whilst the freeze in tuition fees is positive for new students, the lack of protection against inflation will affect universities’ real-term income.

Nicola Dandridge of Universities UK has expressed concerns about the prospect that tuition fees will not sufficiently cover the potential losses in government funding: “Not up-rating the fee for the second year in a row will inevitably have the impact of eroding income for investment

in the future, at a time of rising cost pressures, increasing student expectation, and the need to compete effectively in the global economy.”

Alex Murray, Vice President Education, said: “Higher education is incredibly volatile at the moment and we are expecting that it won’t be long before fees do dramatically increase.”

The move will benefit government finances in the wake of the spending cuts implemented since the Coalition came into power in 2010. This will be further softened by the 1% increase in maintenance loans. This provides a shift from the 3.22% rise in line with inflation the previous year.

The maximum grant will be £3,387, for students who started their courses after September 2012. The direct effect on the University of Kent comes in a 3.5% rise, on average, in its accommodation fees next year, thus making it more expensive.

Current Vice President Welfare, Colum McGuire,

female graduates earn less Kimberley Gray

IN light of International Women’s Day, female graduates in the UK are earning thousands of pounds less than their male counterparts.

A report by researchers for the Higher Education Careers Services Unit (HECSU) claims that from a longitudinal study of 17,000 newly graduated employees, salaries for the majority of female graduates ranged from £15,000 to £23,999.

Males, on the other hand, were more likely to be earning £24,000 and above.

This sizeable pay gap has been found to be a trend across all degree subject areas. Law was found to be the worst affected domain.

For women, the annual salary is generally £20,000, whereas men trained in the same discipline receive £28,000 a year.

This definitive gap seems to persist with graduates from the same subject, with identical UCAS scores, or who attended the same institution.

This report naturally gives female graduates and current students cause for concern.

Second year History student,

Layla Haidrani, said: “Society has come a long way in the polarisation of equality yet women are still being treated unfairly in the economic sphere.

Women should be earning just as much as men if they are graduating with the same degrees and same jobs yet this is clearly not the case.

“This is an issue that needs confronting and confronting fast.”

Many women already face inequality at work when they become mothers, which can result in pay cuts and sometimes even job loss.

However, women appear to be facing this kind of treatment right from the very beginning of their careers, despite long established equal opportunity legislation.

Louisa Peacock, writing for the Telegraph, gives various reasons for the pay gap other than the gender bias argument, claiming that women value themselves less when it comes to employment.

Female graduates typically ask for salaries in the region of £21,000, whereas males negotiate a sum of £24,000.

Whatever the reasons for it, the difference in earnings is striking.

bisgovuk has responded to this recent announcement: “It’s simply not feasible to continue on this route and pretend that education is accessible to all.

Every year we cut more people out who simply cannot afford

to support themselves through University. A complete overhaul of the student financial support system is needed drastically.”

Maximum loans for full and part-time courses will remain the same through 2015.

“it happens all the time”

(Continued from page one) ... will be reported to the police – depending on the severity”.

Hospitality said that “it is clear from the survey that students are not aware how to report such occurrences of antisocial behaviour and over the next term Kent Hospitality will be reviewing its own procedures” to make sure students know how to report incidents and that the process is “clear and accessible”.

Recently elected Vice President Welfare Megan Wells said that since the Zero Tolerance policy’s implementation in September 2011, behaviour in the Venue has improved. Although the policy has stressed Kent Union’s attitude concerning harassment to students on campus, the extent to which this influences customers’ behaviour is less clear. Participants recalled the ongoing “vulgar comments” from patrons.

A male Venue staff member said he had seen female colleagues “having ice thrown at them and having their bra straps undone by random customers”.

McGuire said: “Clearly we have ongoing work to do making people feel comfortable reporting incidences, because

it’s not just enough that people know how to record an incident, it’s about them feeling comfortable being able to do it.”

As well as reporting unwanted sexual attention to staff or security, students can confidentially email zerotolerance@kent.ac.uk.

Additional reporting by Matthew Gilley, Newspaper News Editor.

2 Part Time Cleaner positions. Kent College Kent College is located right next door to the university and they are now looking for an early morning and evening cleaners to join their team. £6.24 - £6.75 per hour. Full details on how to apply are on our website.

NCS Team Leader, NCS Assistant Team Leader, NCS Voluteer (3 positions) Team Leader: 200 hour fixed term though June to August 2013 at £22,126 pro rata Assistant Team Leader: 112 hour fixed term though July and August 2013 at £15,969 pro rata.

News 3

sabb election results Matthew Gilley Newspaper News Editor

THE results of the 2013 Kent Union Sabbatical Officer Elections were announced in a ceremony at The Venue on 22nd March. The winners were Chris Bull (Vice President Sports), Amy Gilchrist (Vice President Activities), Chelsea Moore (President), Alex Murray (re-elected as Vice President Education) and Megan Wells (Vice President Welfare).

The first result announced was for Vice President Education.

Murray said that in his second term he wanted to continue his work on hidden course costs and access agreements. He said: “I'm going to try as hard as I can not to disappoint you in my second term.”

Next up was Vice President Welfare. She spoke about the need for female sabbatical officers: “I think it’s really great. We need women’s representation.”

The new, female-dominated sabbatical team contrasts to last year’s officers, who were all male.

In 2010-2011, 55% of UK undergraduates were female, but last year research by the University of Birmingham’s student newspaper, Redbrick, showed that less than 40% of sabbatical officers were women.

Chris Bull’s campaign team and supporters made the most noise of the night as he was elected Vice President Sports.

He said of the campaign: “The best thing about this week is that I’ve made new friends from all different sports, and that’s what it’s all about.”

A tearful Gilchrist also thanked

Perpetual Brade

online threat to universities James Richardson SIR Michael Barber has warned in a recent essay that even the most high-end universities must adapt in order to keep up with the competitive market.

Universities in the UK are among the latest to release plans to set up an online system of education, with institutions such as Warwick, King’s College London and Exeter, as well as The Open University, among those involved.

These universities plan to offer courses on a single online platform and are the latest to show interest in a globalised market. There has been rapid growth in the United States, with millions of students signing on to courses known as Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) offered by Harvard and MIT among others.

The need for adaptation is clearly recognised within the education sphere, but are midlevel British universities like Kent doing enough to ensure that they keep up with the growing market for online and globalised learning? Dr Louise Naylor, Director of the

her campaigners: “Everyone was so nice, such an amazing team.” She has said that she wants to mimic the success of the ‘Team Kent’ branding for other societies, bringing them under the banner of #ClubKent.

Finally were the results for Union President. Moore said that the first policy that she wants to implement is an improved module registration system. She also said she wanted “some reforms” of the Union, but would not elaborate.

The new team will take office in June.

Unit for Enhanced Teaching and Learning at the University of Kent, has said that the University is focusing on using technology as well as the vital aspects of traditional universities.

Combining traditional academic and social aspects with new technology, including the Virtual Learning Environment (Moodle2), Turnitin, e-portfolios, a new lecture recording service and more recently the creation of new video-link essay feedback technology, will help to improve the education that the University provides without becoming detrimental to the experience of studying at university.

While the University of Kent has become increasingly invested in online resources such as SDS and Moodle, Sir Michael Barber believes that a more urgent change is needed.

Traditional universities, he says in his essay, are increasingly at risk from institutions providing more alternatives and online learning platforms that focus on an international audience.

new student media centre plans Alec Cockram THE Attic is to be converted into a purpose-designed Student Media Centre.

The new facility will include state-of-the-art equipment for InQuire, KTV and CSR, including broadcast studios, an editing suite, office space and open access spaces for students to visit and see the working of all the student media groups within Kent Union. Christ Church students and community members of CSR will also be able to use the Centre.

Jonathan Easton, a member of all three media societies and newly elected Station Manager of CSR said: "I'm incredibly excited to see these developments in Kent's student media. Three already great media outlets are being given the opportunity to move up to a whole other level. It's equally daunting and exhilarating."

Kent Union Vice President for Activites, Kenny Budd, said: “Kent Union has had a long relationship with radio and print media having both been

on campus for as long as there has been one and now we have the excellent addition of KTV. It’s something Kent students do extremely well at and KU delivers good support and development for our volunteers.

Now is the time to provide all of these volunteers with state-ofthe-art facilities to accompany this.”

New bespoke media facilities were part of Kent Union’s #BuildingUp campaign, their priority campaign for 20122013. Budd said that this represents “phase one” of delivering on that campaign.

Professor Alex Hughes, the University’s Pro-ViceChancellor External, said: “I am delighted that the opportunities for student volunteering at the University, which contribute to the overall quality of student life at Kent, help students acquire skills related to employability and enjoy an excellent reputation, will be enhanced by the media centre project.”

Work on the Centre is expected to begin in July, with it ready for use by the beginning of the academic year.

protesters greet archbishop Alasdair Lawrence PROTESTERS gathered outside the historic gates of Canterbury Cathedral on 21st March in opposition to planned cuts to public services as national media converged for the enthronement of the Archbishop of Canterbury, chief bishop of the Church of England and head of the worldwide Anglican Communion. 57-year old Justin Welby takes over from Rowan Williams who stood down last December.

The ceremony was attended by representatives of various Christian denominations as well as Prince Charles and Prime Minister David Cameron, who the protesters hoped to confront over his government’s policies.

A member of the Socialist Workers highlighted the ‘bedroom tax’ as “a complete and utter disaster for those who are most vulnerable”. The ‘bedroom tax’, due to be enacted in April this year, would restrict the amount of benefit claimable for each bedroom of a house going unused. A single spare

bedroom would cut housing benefit entitlement by 14%, two or more by 24%.

The primary concerns of the majority of the protestors were cuts being made to the NHS and the privatisation of the public service. One protester from the Socialist Party commented that the Private Finance Initiative was “outsourcing the NHS” to the private sector. The Private Finance Initiative is a scheme whereby public infrastructure and services are created using public resources and private capital.

“GPs are being encouraged or pushed to privatise their services”, said one picketer, “Those who can afford it will pay it, whereas those who can’t will get a secondary tier of healthcare.”

Rita O’Brian of the East Kent Keep Our NHS Public movement – which formed the majority of the protesters – says that it is privatisation and not the cuts which are truly “devastating”.

“Their obligation is to shareholders, not to the public,” she said, accusing

the government of looking to mimic the American system.

“If you keep on telling people that the NHS is failing they’re going to start taking out health insurance and that will be the destruction of the NHS.” Inside the Cathedral the newly-enthroned Archbishop said that people might “differ on the degrees of state and private responsibility in a healthy society.”

Outside, however, the crowd cried: “They say cut back, we say fight back!”

Daniel Barnby

4

News

the troubles of being a teaching postgraduate In light of recent studies of the problems facing postgraduates who teach, Manon Barthod meets two to find out more.

THE Times Higher Education recently reported that 30% of teaching postgraduate students earn less than national minimum wage (£6,19 per hour) when marking is taken into consideration.

This is not the only issue facing postgraduate teachers.

The question I sought to answer was: What is your life going to be like if you embark on a postgraduate teaching position tomorrow?

First of all, it depends on the type of contract. Today more than a third of the academic workforce is temporary. This figure takes into account fixedterm contracts but not some 82,000 academics who are paid on an hourly basis, which represents greater insecurity.

Second, it may also depend on the department or school.

For instance, postgraduate students who teach in the arts or humanities sector are the ones who earn the lowest wage.

Trying to find out more, I interviewed Diego Da Silva Rodreigues, a postgraduate student from Brazil, who came

to study economics at the University of Kent in 2011. Being a non-EU student, his annual tuition fees are up to £11,625 a year. He was granted a DRSE (Doctoral Research Scholarship in Economics) of £3,828 a year and a maintenance bursary of £10,000 in return of six hours of teaching and marking per week.

Diego hands me over his pay slip, which he receives monthly: the rate displayed is £183.59.

“This is what I have left every month after my tuition fees are deducted with my maintenance fees: £183.59 a month. It doesn’t even pay for rent”, Diego explains.

When asking him how he funds the cost of life here, he tells me he was lucky enough to be able to save some money before coming, but for how long? Does one really know how long doctoral research can take?

“I understand I have to pay to study. Everyone does. But I don’t understand why I have to pay more than the others simply based on my nationality, it is unfair,” he says. “The

consequences of this are huge. Certain people become desperate to seek any familial background from Europe to obtain a European passport.”

Diego recounted his beginnings as a postgraduate teacher: “Here in the UK, 40 is the minimum mark. In Brazil, it’s completely different, 60 or 70 is considered the minimum mark. I was therefore inflating, unwillingly, the marks of all my students”.

Most Doctoral Research Scholarships are for a maximum of 3 years. Juuso Miettunen, postgraduate teacher in the School of Politics and faculty representative for PhD students tells me: “In Finland, doing a Phd and teaching all the while is considered a real job. A job that can last up to 6 or 7 years.

Here, it’s 3 years. Not only is this a temporary position but the limited time frame puts a lot of pressure on students”.

Many of those interviewed by the Times and the Guardian have revealed that they are in precarious situations, still living at home, feeling insecure and

keeping other jobs in order to make up for this lack of income.

For some, embarking on a Phd will mean not enough time, not enough money, not enough

support, too much pressure.

The options, in certain cases, are limited: leaving academia or looking for a ‘real’ job 100% of the time.

protester arrested at enthronement kent uni admissions rise Joel Tennant Matthew Gilley Newspaper News Editor

ONE of the protesters at the Archbishop of Canterbury’s enthronement ceremony was arrested after seeming to lunge towards a car that may have contained Prince Charles. On Friday 22nd March he appeared at Canterbury Magistrates Court.

Jonathan Elliott, 47, who said that he liked to be called “Dude”, was supported at Court by three fellow protesters. He was bound over to keep the peace, with particular reference to public events, for a period of 12 months, on penalty of a fine up to £100. Asked if he accepted this verdict, Elliott replied: “Yes I do.”

The Court heard that he had conducted himself “in a manner likely to cause a breach of the peace” and that police had said he made a “clear run” at the vehicle but could not confirm whether the Prince of Wales was in fact inside the car. He was arrested because police believed him to be “a threat to himself and to others”. Elliott

admitted this behaviour.

Various groups, including East Kent Keep Our NHS Public and the Socialist Workers, were using the high-profile event, attended by Prime Minister David Cameron, to protest against government cuts and privatisation of the NHS. The incident happened at around 2:20pm on 21st March outside the gates of the Kings School, whose grounds connect with the Cathedral in which the new Archbishop of Canterbury’s enthronement ceremony was taking place.

As the escort reported to be carrying the Prince advanced,

Elliott – who was part of a small group of anti-government protesters – made a sudden movement towards the front of the car coming towards him. He was immediately apprehended by police and non-uniform officers. He was restrained on the ground at the scene until the escort was behind the gates. Shortly after, Elliott was arrested and taken away in a police van amid criticism from protesters.

Another police escort was seen entering the grounds at another entrance 30 minutes before the incident and no similar confrontation was reported.

Joel Tennant

Pamela Head Newspaper Editor

THE University of Kent has seen a dramatic rise in admissions for 2013, beating the national average significantly, which comes in at a 2.05% increase.

At the Canterbury campus, the surge in applications is up by 9% with 17,446 people applying to study by February 2013, versus 15,970 in the same month last year.

In Medway, applications are up by a huge 22%, with 3,581 this year compared to 2,939 in February 2012.

Overseas applications are up 6% at Canterbury and 33% at Medway.

This rise in applications seems to be due to the popularity of Humanities and Social Science subjects, both seeing a growth of 12% and 9% respectively, while popularity of Science subjects appear to be dwindling when compared with previous years, at just a 5% increase.

Two faculties have seen higher levels of applications than the same time last year: Social Sciences at 50% and Humanities at 15%; the Sciences faculty

applications are down -0.4%, which is below the national average of 2.05%.

At this stage in the process, 12 schools at the Canterbury campus have received more applications than this time last year.

Notable increases are seen in History (+38%), Economics (+34%) and Psychology (+21%).

Eight academic schools overall are below the national average of 2.05%.

Yet only Pharmacy (-4%, based on the Medway campus) and Computing (-3%) show a decrease in applications.

The University has now received more applications in the 2013 cycle than in the previous high of 2011 just prior to the introduction of fees.

The fee increase came into force in September 2012, with new students entering university paying a maximum of £9,000 a year.

These figures demonstrate that despite admissions figures dropping last year in the wake of the increase in tuition fees at Kent to the maximum allowed, the University of Kent is still popular among applicants.

Comment 5

my 8 years at ukc: what ’s changed for students?

David Stibbards

WHEN I started my course at university, the last Labour government had introduced £1,000 course fees. When I extended my course, the same government trebled those fees.

So when the modern coalition trebled them again, I marched in a futile attempt to prevent my contemporaries from facing a more crippling financial burden than mine.

This financial burden is exaggerated by the way the world has changed since 2005. The present depression has constricted the fortunes of graduates across degree streams, and though a degree will still provide greater earning potential according to the Office of National Statistics, the same data suggests that many will settle for a lower skilled job than that for which they are qualified.

These two pressures on students, the fiscal requirement and the need for additional skills, have changed the University and Kent Union.

Though no student will pay any more upfront for their

course than I did, the Union has acquired a new focus of challenging both the value for money of courses offered and the additional ‘hidden’ costs of studying.

With regards to the increased skills that are required of graduates, the University and Union have responded in tandem: The Union has focused on providing more opportunities to take part in societies and volunteering groups, while working with

the University to establish the Kent Student Certificate for Volunteering (KSCV) and coordinating with the Kent Enterprise Hub to offer both the Employability Points Scheme and a range of internship opportunities.

Not all of these efforts hit the mark, with the University programme for postgraduate skill development having been described by one student as “patronising” and “paternalistic”. This is because

the Researcher Development Framework was unevenly applied across the faculties, often disregarding experience and skills that students may have gained prior to commencing research.

Spider Robinson, a sciencefiction writer, said: “The whole world turns upside-down in ten years, but you turn upside-down with it”, but during university students can be isolated from changes in the outside world.

Some students, like me,

entered during the great bull market of the turn of the century, only to graduate in a recession. Others entered computing courses before the iPad was created and the commercial landscape of their field was changed. Perhaps you started an arts course before England’s Arts Council was handed a 30% cut? If you are new to university, who knows how the world you re-enter will change in 3 years?

The best hope any of us have for emerging ready to work successfully is our fellow students and the platforms provided by the Union. Student societies remain a credible and productive use of free time, leadership roles are proving grounds for the talents you may have and great places to develop new abilities.

Having been at assessment centres with other graduates, the competition is stiff, and being able to refer to extracurricular activities and wider experience provides a clear advantage. There is nothing worse than being mute when asked ‘what else have you done?’

should payday loan sharks have their teeth capped?

Charlotte Smith

IT is difficult nowadays to watch TV without being bombarded with adverts from payday loan companies, with hideously cheerful presenters shouting about the wonders of shortterm loans. An investigation by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has revealed that the reality of these lending companies is actually quite different.

The report included findings of “widespread irresponsible lending”, and despite not naming and shaming individual companies, they did state that this applied to a massive 90% of payday loan companies.

The 50 largest firms have been issued with a 12-week warning to finally shape up and improve their practices, or face the consequences of license revocation.

The OFT’s Chief Executive Clive Maxwell stated: “We have found fundamental problems with the way the payday market works and widespread breaches of the law and regulations, causing misery and hardship for many borrowers.”

The practices at fault include failure by these companies to properly determine whether borrowers were actually in a position to pay back their loans, and intimidating or “aggressive” methods of debt collection, all exasperated by through-the-roof interest rates. Despite some companies charging up to 1,700% in interest, and the average payday loan debt reaching £1,657,

Image by Longalongness on imgur.com

according to research done by the StepChange Debt charity, the government has decided against capping interest rates.

It has announced that the new Financial Conduct Authority will have the authority to impose a cap on interest rates, should it deem it necessary in the future.

The OFT also uncovered “deep-rooted” problems in regards to competition within

the payday loan market, and measures are being taken to tackle this as well as the way which companies advertise themselves.

It is important to consider the other side of this; the argument that short term loan companies are also open to abuse by borrowers.

The fact that many of these companies are, as standard, credit check free, which when

combined with the ease and speed at which the loans are obtained, make it far too tempting for customers to take them out for all the wrong reasons.

According to Chief Executive of the Consumer Finance Association, Russell HamblinBoone, only 6% of the people borrowing money from payday loan companies were in real “financial difficulties”.

In this harsh financial climate, it is unacceptable for such companies to use extortionate interest rates to take advantage of vulnerable borrowers, who do genuinely need a cash boost in order to pay the rent or simply feed their families.

It is arguable that the responsibility, and therefore the fault, actually lies a lot of the time with customers who just want extra cash to spend, not thinking of the consequences.

This raises the issue of whether we as a society are far too materialistic, and actually just need to learn to sacrifice, rather than blindly turning to these types of lenders without any genuine need.

6

Comment

are students a burden on the nhs?

Stefan Vassalos

STEREOTYPES about students tend to be that they drink all night, sleep ’til noon, and never do any work; they are to the rest of British society as the Greeks are to Europe. However, although they may be lazy, feckless and in it for a good time, students aren’t blamed for the state of the economy – at least, not yet.

There’s the implication, of course, that universitygoers with their publicly funded educations have been an unacceptable drain on strained resources. Hence the introduction and trebling of fees. But in the last few years, as public finances are slashed even for the sacrosanct NHS, talk has turned to who’s costing the state too much, and with the addicted, the elderly, the disabled and the poor having

been given a thorough tellingoff, it’s only a matter of time before the sights of the fiscally righteous are set on students.

Let’s get a head-start, then: are students a burden on the NHS? Drunken violence, accidents and incapacitation are standard fare for A&E dramas and documentaries, and the tone is rarely sympathetic.

It’s fair to say that there’s a perception that such patients are a waste of nurses’ time, hospital beds and taxpayers’ money. However, far from being doctorally doted upon, recent research has suggested that students face a stark shortfall of mental healthcare provision at university.

29% of students “displayed clinical levels of distress” and the rate of suicide among students was 36% higher in 2011 than 4 years earlier. Over three quarters of students and

89% of secondary head teachers thought that universities were taking too little action to discourage excessive drinking, while 96% of heads were of the opinion that universities’ approaches to their students’ well-being should be more meticulous.

According to one survey, 70% of students are reluctant to get prescription medicine when faced with the charge of £7.65 per item. These figures would suggest that, rather than students getting a free ride, there is a lot more to be done to improve the standard of their healthcare.

But is it fair to focus on students at all? One might as well chastise and chide any number of other groups of people who use more than “their share” of NHS resources – smokers, those considered overweight, or elderly people,

for example. The latter, especially, are well-known for lengthy stays in hospital, using a proportion of beds that is high and set to increase. They might as well be called a burden, too.

The unfortunate truth is that they often are; demonisation of the vulnerable is recognisably widespread. If we are to meet the care requirements of an ageing population, and all those in need, we will need to reconsider the models of welfare and health and social care.

Decentralisation of services – not slapdash commercialisation but reconfiguration of care provision – is going to be necessary to improve access to care for everyone, making services available closer to home rather than in the crowded hospital-hub.

Furthermore, scapegoating any section of the population

is neither evidentially nor ethically sound, and is particularly excoriable when those people are vulnerable.

It is vulnerability that is at the heart of this issue, which has been present throughout the NHS’ history. Students don’t demonstrably place a problematic burden on the health service’s £100billion budget – but moreover, focusing on “burdens” is a fallacious and pernicious way of discussing the formidable issue of healthcare provision. It suggests that one should get out what one puts in and some people are getting more than they paid for.

Of course one person might use the NHS more than someone else at certain stages of their life, because we don’t all need it at the same time, in the same way; it’s there for when we’re vulnerable. That’s the point.

sitting out the mattress tango a justifiable penalty?

Joel Tennant

Jonathan Hann

LET’S talk about sex. Are you having it? In all of its forms, sex preoccupies our culture, our media and our species - we are fascinated by it. We actively seek out new ways to do it, to photograph it, and to make laws about it. So, what about those that don’t do it? It may not be an overwhelming portion of the human population, but with the wave of sexual abuse scandals that have hit the headlines in recent years, respect is growing for those that abstain.

‘Celibacy’ doesn’t quite cut it as a word to encompass the numerous reasons many people refrain from sexual activity. From cultural or religious dedications, to lack of body confidence or desire for empowerment, the reasons behind celibacy are vast, varied and intertwined.

Of the numerous discussions and blogs that feature the issue, all agree that labels simply cannot represent the ever-changing realm in which sexual preference, orientation and activity are a part of. But with the existence of things like the Student Sex Survey from StudentBeans.com, which publishes the frequency and diversity of sexual activity at universities, where does the non-sexually active university

LINDSAY Sandiford, a 56 year old woman from Gloucestershire, has recently been sentenced to death in Bali for drug trafficking. In a trial where even the prosecution had only called for a prison sentence, death seems to have been treated by the media as an unfortunate surprise rather than something that, to me at least, seems deeply perverse.

As human beings, we have the capacity to be deeply arrogant, even narcissistic.

What worries me, then, is the power granted to individuals to make decisions regarding the mortality of others. These processes and outcomes are a function of society, with all modern societies being in some way representational, even if they are not democratic. If you view the function of ‘justice’ to be solely punitive, then the death penalty for serious crimes does seem logical. But haven’t we evolved beyond this detrimentally linear view by now?

In actively seeking to reintegrate those who transgress in the pursuit of a better society, we set aside base response and immitigable condemnation in favour of intelligence and compassion; even when it pushes us to the

student fit into all of this?

As students, we’re busy. Too busy for days out, too busy for a break, and far too busy to take off our clothes and dance the mattress tango.

The health benefits of regular sex are numerous, the psychological effects are visible, and the hype is immeasurable – but despite all the positives, it is often a case of pressure and insecurity that makes many shy away. Whether you’re worried about your body, your technique or your experience, it can all result in being terrified of a sexual encounter.

So, is the decision to not have sex a problem? If the world’s population was dwindling, or if we were all going to

spontaneously combust without skin-to-skin contact, then yes it would be a problem, but that is simply not the case.

In our culture and from our biological roots, intercourse will always be on our minds – however, how we decide to act on this is entirely our own decision. Many celibates claim that since making the decision to abstain, they have found a new and profound respect for the body and for the people around them.

In a society rocked by the horrifying sexual abuse that we hear of more and more, perhaps it is time we all found ways to universally respect one another, regardless of how we use our bodies.

edge of reasonable tolerance.

I do not believe in an afterlife, resurrection or reincarnation; I believe that you only live once and like any other biological process your life will eventually come to an end. In the case of Lindsay Sandiford, the court haven’t, as the media seems to think, simply made the decision to adhere to what they believe is ethically right they have made the decision to extinguish 56 years of human experience; 56 years of sights, sounds, memories, thought and feelings.

This shouldn’t seem tragic or sad to you, it should seem unacceptable, especially when the condemned are being plied with what appear to be arbitrary ethics.

The need for drug law in Bali is self-evident, the industry globally causes misery to millions and should be treated far more seriously than it is by proponents who believe that drug control is simply the hangover of oppressive old world stigma.

As time goes by and worldwide dialogue improves, I would hope that you all have an active interest in our progress as a species as a collection of hearts and minds, never content with the way things are, always seeking to refine and to improve.

Comment 7

is reality tv destroying our culture?

Emma Greenacre

VAJAZZLES, ‘Tashing on’ and dull tones of Simon Cowell are some of the things reality TV has kindly given us, alongside an insight into the lives of people from some of the United Kingdom’s largest cities.

According to reality TV, a good selection of well-educated people in the London suburb of Chelsea while away their time ‘totes’ shortening words and people from Essex like to give their skin a perfect tangerine glow before hitting the clubs.

Of course, shows such as Made in Chelsea, The Only Way is Essex and Geordie Shore never give the impression the populations of these areas act like the characters, but inevitably the stereotype does rub off.

Being from an area near Newcastle upon Tyne myself, I often mention this in conversation only to be met with: “Oh Geordie Shore!” It doesn’t offend me at all it, just saddens me that the first thing that comes to someone’s mind about my city is not the glorious Georgian architecture of Grey street, or even Newcastle United’s footballing prowess

but a bunch of people who get wasted on a regular basis.

Geordie Shore attempts to blind people to Newcastle’s true culture.

I understand a lot of people may believe these programmes to be a bit of harmless fun, but the extent of their influence goes deeply into the cultures of the areas they represent.

Annabelle Barberis, a Psychology student from the University of Kent but originally from Essex herself told me: “I feel The Only Way is Essex is quite a bad influence on young girls.

“The character’s from the show are seen to be drinking lots, talking about sex and going to certain shops, and younger girls feel like they have to copy this and live up to the Essex name.”

Personally I see their influence on the language through terms such as ‘tashing on’, which never existed in the Geordie dialect until Geordie Shore came along.

Consequently a lot of people in Newcastle decided to start using the phrase to emphasise to others how North-Eastern they are, which shows how these reality shows shape a culture.

In some instances, reality TV does give something to British culture. Strictly Come Dancing revived Ballroom dancing, encouraging many people to get off their sofas and give it a go.

Then there’s the Great British Bake Off, which initiated an entire baking-not-buying craze.

Even the X Factor started off as a competition for amateurs to become professional singers.

Unfortunately, X Factor has gradually changed over the years. Instead of the stunning vocals of Leona Lewis, we get the theatrics of Jedward and Rylan.

It has become a gladiatorial

arena where controversial contestants who can barely sing are thrown on stage to be torn apart by judges who, for effect, would start tearing chunks out of each other.

The coverage creates a fake reality where drama is essential and arguments between judges are emphasised or accused of being staged.

So does the X Factor affect our society’s culture? On a music level, definitely for years the winners of the show drowned out any competition for the Christmas number one.

On another level, the show

projects an image of being able to achieve pop star fame through ridiculous stunts and dramatic backstage gossip, so inevitably this will affect the next generation of young singers.

If reality TV was accurate, then the question of such programmes destroying our culture would not need to be asked.

With things the way they are, we just have to keep reminding ourselves that not everything in front of us is fact. If we do this then our culture will be preserved.

should the farmhouse become a gentleman’s club?

Hetty Sieling

A local councillor recently knocked on my door, announcing that an application has been put forward to Canterbury City Council, asking for permission to change The Farmhouse, a bar and restaurant associated with live music, into The Bing, a “sex entertainment venue”.

Operating as a gentleman’s club, it will offer entertainment in the form of female pole dancers and individual lap dancers, but also male performers on proposed “gay friendly” nights.

What I find strange is the applicant’s choice of venue, which is near the Odeon cinema, Chill nightclub and Waitrose. Even if it isn’t the most conservative of neighbourhoods in Canterbury, none of these scream Moulin Rouge. The club, “in the style of Stringfellows and Spearmint Rhino”, will not fit in with the local mix of students, families

and elderly people.

I also have reservations about it being open 7 nights a week – until 1am Sunday-Thursday and 3am Friday-Saturday.

For me, the main issue is the potential for a heightened sense of uneasiness, particularly amongst the local female

population.

I am no traditionalist and I assume that this club would be well policed, but there is a real possibility that female students and local women, when walking home from a night out, could experience more verbal or physical abuse.

Image taken from freakingnews.com

Although most clients would probably not be a problem, some men might take their drunken horniness with them to the street, no matter how “upmarket” the venue, and in spite of the “strict dress code” – I actually found it funny the councillor bothered to mention this, to think that anyone cares what the ‘gentlemen’ are wearing when they pay for their lap dances!

Jokes about new career paths for skint students aside, we have to think about this application critically and without letting a knee-jerk reaction cloud our overall judgement. The club would, after all, bring something new to Canterbury.

Edward Mansfield, 23, who lives in Canterbury, said: “I don’t see a problem with it.

There used to be one a few years back anyway called Scribes.”

Scribes Bar and Bistro closed in 2008 after only two years of trade.

Mr Mansfield added: “It’s just another place to go on a night

out. I wouldn’t have thought it would lower the class of the city too much.”

Jamie Finn, Editor and Events organiser at No-Wave magazine, who used to run regular nights at the Farmhouse said: “Obviously its a massive shame but at the same time, the building has been empty for seven months now. I’m sure the owners would have loved to give it to someone similar or even back to the Farmhouse owners but they’re a business and they can’t leave a property empty for that long.”

The deadline for written representations to the Council is 7th April, so if you are passionate about the issue then let them know.

Should members of the public wish to, they have until Sunday 7th April to make a representation in writing to Licensing, Canterbury City Council, Military Road, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 1YW or by email to business.support@ canterbury.gov.uk.

8

Editorial & Interview

can video games level up in the art world?

Lisa Gheysen Website Culture Editor ARE video games art? Yes, friends, it’s back to that ageold question (well, maybe not that old considering they’ve only been around about sixty odd years depending on your definition of video game).

I will admit I am slightly biased in this debate. I’ll accept any excuse which allows me to spend days staring at my television screen getting carpal tunnel syndrome from holding my controller. No, mum, it’s ok!

I’m not wasting my life. This is art. I’m expanding my cultural horizons.

Having said this, I do think there are some very good arguments for why certain games should be classed as art.

See, cynics, I’m not saying all games are art!

I definitely don’t think Battlefield or Gran Turismo

could fall under that category, despite the sometimes elegant coding which goes into their development.

Battlefield developers went so far as to record actual military exercises to get the exact difference in sound various bullets make hitting objects like walls or tables.

No, perhaps I wouldn’t call these games art, because they lack a certain depth to their narrative, their meaning, but when you can say that interactive installations, like LORNA by the American artist and filmmaker, Lynn Hershman Leeson, are art, then it opens a whole new realm.

LORNA was the first interactive laser artdisk. The audience could explore the apartment of an agoraphobic woman finding out about, and directing the course of, her life through interaction with the objects around her.

There were several possible endings and it was intended to analyse identity in a consumer

driven world and privacy in the age of surveillance. Does this remind anyone of anything?

Quantic Dream’s revolutionary game, Heavy Rain, is not only beautiful in its graphics (detailed down to the complex ways water drips from hair), but also allows the player to control the fates of its characters and discover aspects of their lives by investigating their surroundings.

It combines crime thriller with the exploration of how trauma and tragedy affect the human psyche. So if LORNA can be art, why can’t Heavy Rain?

The Unfinished Swan by developer Giant Sparrow would be another of my choices for inclusion in this wonderful world.

The story follows a young boy chasing a swan escaped from an incomplete painting.

The game begins with an entirely white space, a pristine, untouched canvas, the only clue to its surreal kingdom the sounds of its occupants.

Playing with the debate about video games as art, Giant Sparrow gives the player black paint to splatter across this world and reveal the landscape hidden from them.

You work through puzzles and challenges, following the footprints of the swan to the final meaning behind your

journey. It is an unusual and beautiful game about exploring the unknown.

Each player creates their own unique painting, choosing which areas to uncover.

If these games don’t classify as art then I know a good many other works I would be kicking out of the galleries.

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16/01/2013 11:32:13

INTERVIEW P.16

“Margate and the O2 on consecutive days .. it’ll be interesting.”

Catwalk

FEATURE P.14

REVIEW P.19

10

IQ Features

student start-up businesses campus trader

Sophie Austin

In gaining a place at university we feel accomplished as if, upon graduating, we will walk into our desired job. However, competition for jobs is fierce, and according to the Guardian, the University of Kent alone received 23,000 applications from school leavers in 2012. Nowadays it is our extracurricular pursuits which make the difference between being a recognised individual rather than a statistic to a potential employer.

Many of us excuse our unemployment whilst at university for fear of the job detracting from our studies. Rickin Patel, a final year student here at Kent, has proved that with determination and proper organisation it is possible to make business ventures as an undergraduate.

When looking to sell your books or find a student house, there is nothing less appealing than scouring a cluttered college notice board. With this in mind, Campus Trader was founded.

Megan Weal

In partnership with a student from the University of Nottingham, Rickin created the website by applying the skills acquired through his involvement in societies such as Kent Invest and RaG, as well as previous work in investment funding. These roles enabled Rickin to enhance his understanding of marketing, business systems and legislation which proved to be invaluable in establishing a business plan.

Although websites with the same function as Campus Trader already exist, the students found that most were inadequately designed and single-faceted in their content, lending the entrepreneurs an opportunity to develop a more advanced and appropriate platform. What sets Campus Trader apart from its competitors is that it is inclusive of all UK universities. Once registered, your account is personalised and attuned to the university you are affiliated with. On display is a range of useful bulletins from inside the university as

claypot

As a student it’s pretty easy to get stuck in a pasta and stir-in-sauce rut when it comes to dinnertime.

Alexis Idigbe is ridding us of our pasta woes and spicing up Canterbury with her new business venture Claypot, a West African cuisine service…

Why did you set up Claypot?

I love my culture. The cuisine is interesting, very complex. A lot of people want to try the food but it’s scary to them. I want to share what I love with others.

What are your aims?

Right now, it’s to continue the smallscale deliveries that we do every two weeks. But eventually we’re hoping to set up a small restaurant on the high street – a big ambition but we’re hoping to do that in the next year and a half.

What dishes would you recommend to new customers?

Our “Puff Puff”- it’s deep fried puff pastry. Our basic “Jollof” rice is risotto-y with tomato sauce. Also, the “Suya” - a grill for different meats and fish. The dishes are generally quite spicy

but we can vary the heat levels.

Tell me about the Claypot Food Club…

To our frequent customers we offer 20% discount and deals. We collaborate with different businesses, like club events, to offer our Claypot Food Club customers varied offers.

We’re hoping to start exclusive members-only events to showcase new recipes and ideas.

What’s the price range for dishes? £3-£7 - we’re designed for students.

How do you manage to balance business and study?

I work with other students, which makes it easier. I schedule deliveries around my academic schedule and we advertise on social media sites, which we all use anyway – I incorporate it into my life.

Any tips for students looking to set up a business?

Think about it. It’s not easy, there’s a lot of stress. Take advantage of the Kent Enterprise scheme. This is the age to do it, you have fewer responsibilities and if it doesn’t work out, you’ll survive.

Find Claypot on Facebook Twitter: @Claypot101 Email: claypot101@gmail.com

well as the surrounding area, keeping you engaged with your environment rather than sitting passively at a laptop.

Additionally, the items available to buy and sell are not limited to study resources; the scope of items which the website accommodates is as versatile as eBay - an impressive feat considering its humble beginnings.

When asked about how time consuming running the website is alongside his studies, Rickin explains: “It is the marketing of the website itself which I have to juggle the most with my studies, as marketing is not easy on a budget.” Using time effectively, the friends used their summer break to

construct the website, so that during term time they are only required to perform updates, debugging, and the aforementioned marketing.

Starting up any business is always a risk, and so Rickin advises that it is essential to review your business idea with somebody who has a sound knowledge of the field you are seeking to break into. If you are fortunate enough to find an investor then it is important to ensure that “their percentage of the company reflects that investment, as they are taking a greater risk.”

To register with Campus Trader, visit www.campustrader.co.uk.

sudoku

EASY

IQ Features 11

Chris Heron

my life in books

Favourite Book You Studied at School: The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

In all honesty, I had never heard of Atwood before reading this in my A-Level English class (I can hear gasps from English Literature students everywhere). Atwood’s tale of one woman’s experience in the dystopian, fundamentalist state of Gilead (formerly the US) was an uncomfortable mixture of chilling and fascinating. Due to studying the book for my coursework, I quickly came to appreciate Atwood’s use of symbols and language, as well as the story of a woman trying to survive in a totalitarian and prejudiced state. A unique example of dystopian fiction.

Emily Adams Best Childhood Book: Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah

Favourite Childhood Book:The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien My exposure by my father to Tolkien’s fantastical world of elves, dwarves, wizards and holes in the ground is the most likely explanation for my love of fantasy and the concept of secondary creation (the author creates an entire world, complete with its own history, people and language).

From the eccentric wizard Gandalf to the game of riddles with Gollum, The Hobbit will forever stick in my mind as a fantastic story. There is also a talking dragon, and words can’t explain what an amazing thing that was to six-yearold me.

Favourite Teen Book: A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin In no way, shape, or form should this book be classified as one suitable for younger teenagers (those who have read it or seen the TV show can attest to why).

It’s the first book of a historical fantasy series full of brutality, history and a refreshingly modest role of magic, in which no character is ‘good’ nor ‘bad’, all a different shade of grey. However, even at 16 it was completely unlike anything I had read before. Martin is utterly ruthless with his characters and, despite this, each one is as well developed as any, regardless of what their part in the story is.

Book That Taught You Something: Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson I feel like I am cheating here as Calvin and Hobbes is not a book, but a comic strip. A strip about a six year old boy (Calvin) and his stuffed tiger (Hobbes).

Now before you stop reading over the thought of a comic strip, first let me say how some of the four-picture strips managed to convey some of the most beautiful, meaningful stories I have ever witnessed. Then let me say how the comics are a lot deeper and more subtle over a few pictures than some novels are over a thousand pages. Lastly, they’ve also managed to make me laugh when I’ve desperately needed some cheer in my life. Now you can stop reading.

her mother dies after her birth and she is tragically labelled by her family as ‘unlucky’. As a reader, I stood by and heard how her own family mistreated her. It was intriguing to hear about a different culture when I was so young.

I guess I didn’t truly understand all the trials and tribulations of this girl’s life at the time but now I can appreciate the meaning behind the story and I’m happy to admit that it’s just as good now as it was when I was ten.

Best Required Reading: The Collector by John Fowles This is a book about a man so warped, so unhinged and so disturbed, but it has still somehow become my alltime favourite book. Thanks to my English Language teacher, I was introduced to the isolated world of Frederick Clegg, the butterfly collector, lonely and troubled until he captures the most sought after specimen for his collection, Miranda. The rapid escalation from collecting butterflies to women is both unexpected and unnerving. But what works so well is how it is told from two perspectives, the collector and the collected. Even better, every twist is surprising; the end

is just as unsettling as the beginning.

It’s a book I now treasure so much I cannot bring myself to watch the film adaptation for fear that it will tarnish how I feel about it. Read it!

Book That Taught You Something: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Khaled Hosseini should be praised a thousand times over for creating this masterpiece. Yes, it portrays the harsh reality and devastating story of a troubled Afghanistan, but it was a story that needed to be told. I’m sure not many people would like to admit it, but before Hosseini’s novel, who really understood the extent of the problems in Afghanistan? He has definitely taught me to question what I hear and what I am taught, all because of Amir and Hassan, two children whose lives were intertwined yet so unimaginably different. An unforgettable novel.

“When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die”

Best Teen Book: The Noughts

This is a book that has always stayed with me. Even as a child, I was saddened by the fact that it was autobiographical. Though Adeline was born into a wealthy Chinese family,

and Crosses Trilogy by Malorie Blackman Most teenagers become hooked on or obsessed with something at one time or another, and for me it was the Noughts and Crosses trilogy. I read them all in a matter of days. They were so different from anything I’d read before. Though it still features the typical tale of forbidden love, it is fast-paced, gripping, tactical and all based on controversial topics that had not reached me before as a young adult; racial identity and the class system. For me, it was the perfect and necessary transition from teen fiction to more adventurous and challenging novels.

12

IQ Features

book review: crime thriller set at ukc

Alasdair Lawrence

There’s a

feeling which I’m not sure the English language has a word for. It’s the spooky shiver you get when you see your hometown in the news or a name you recognise in the paper. That sense of the familiar.

Jacqueline Chandler’s But You Can’t Hide is full of this feeling – set partially in and around the University of Kent campus. A date in Rutherford, a drive down London Road, a confrontation in Parkwood, and even a stakeout at KLT2 of all places.

The book is a crime thriller which tells the story of a beleaguered private eye who gets in over his head when he agrees to help track down a mysterious girl for an equally mysterious man. The

trail leads him first to the University of Kent and then into a world of pain and life-threatening peril. It’s a neat 400 pages long and can be finished in a day or two of leisurely reading. The setting makes it perfect for Kent students – the scenes write themselves when they’re set in the familiar locales of Rutherford, Keynes and Parkwood.

Is it worth reading? The short answer is yes. Chandler creates a narrative that reels you in and leaves you wondering what happens next at every page. The plot is not especially “clever” in that Sherlock Holmes way nor are the villains particularly grand or scheming.

But it doesn’t need to be. This is the story of a very real situation with very real consequences.

The brutal violence is rendered in wince-inducing detail and the characters are as flawed, foolish and quintessentially human as they come.

The book is the first part of a grander story as yet unwritten and the final pages leave you impatient for the rest.

The story never lags or drags on more

than it needs to once it gets going – the action feels fresh and though the plot takes them back to the same three or four places several times, it never feels like going over old ground.

My only criticisms would be that the first chapter or so felt less fluid than the rest of the novel and a little unsure of itself, and that the plot about a mysterious girl with a dark past sometimes verges closer on being aggravatingly obtuse rather than moodily secretive. Some unexpected drama surrounding the girl’s dead mother is coughed up by the narrative at the last second and is resolved equally quickly, but aside from that the plot is clean, comprehensible and careful to let you figure things out at the same rate as, if not quicker than, the characters.

But You Can’t Hide is a fantastic read and promises a larger, high-stakes story about the necessity and yet the terrible power of lies. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for the latest crime fiction novel to digest.

update from your environment officer

Tom Currie

When I became Environment Officer, one of the main issues students raised regarding Kent’s environment was the issue of cigarette end litter outside the library and colleges. With nowhere to place their cigarette ends, students were forced to leave them on the floor creating vast amounts of unsightly rubbish on campus.

To resolve this, at the beginning of the winter term I established the cigarette end bin campaign, a campaign aiming to acquire cigarette end bins outside the Library and Colleges. As part of this campaign, a petition was set up and a team of dedicated volunteers including myself set about collecting signatures every week with the intention of getting 1,000 by Christmas.

In addition to this, I also set about obtaining the written endorsement of various individuals and bodies on campus in order to further strengthen our campaign.

By the end of term, we had successfully obtained all 1,000 signatures and had gained the written endorsement of Kent Union, Kent Hospitality, the Library and the endorsement of all five college masters

on campus.

Following this, I then set about writing a 3,000 word proposal during the Christmas break outlining the issue of cigarette litter on campus and suggesting suitable places for the bins to go.

This proposal was then attached to the petition we had obtained alongside our endorsements and then sent to the University’s Estates department.

A few weeks later we received an email from the University who announced they were in favour of the ideas put forward by the proposal and were now setting aside the funds for the purchase and placement of cigarette end bins.

Therefore I am pleased to announce that Kent’s Library and Colleges will now be receiving cigarette bins. While it will be some time before we see the first bin go up, I am confident that by this time next year the amount of cigarette end litter on campus will be

significantly reduced.

I would like to say a huge thanks to all those that gave us a hand during the campaign.

recipe of the issue: spinach pasta Amy Carr

Right about now, the first British spinach is being harvested and put on the shelves in grocers and supermarkets. Whilst spinach is available from late March right up until September, the most tender and tasty leaves are around in these early weeks, so make the most of them with this simple pasta dish!

WHAT YOU NEED: 250g penne pasta 1 ½ tbsp olive oil Half an onion, diced 1 tsp garlic 100g ready to use bag of baby spinach 60g finely grated parmesan WHAT TO DO: 1. Put the pasta in a saucepan and cover with boiling water, then place on a high heat. Cook for 9-10 minutes.

2. While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a frying pan and then sauté the onions for five minutes on a medium-high heat until they’re soft.

3. Add the garlic to the pan and fry for another minute before adding the spinach and cooking for another one or two minutes until it’s soft and wilted.

4. Drain the pasta, add the spinach mix and toss together.

5. Finally add the parmesan just before serving, again tossing to cover the pasta.

IQ Features 13

spotted: soap! st patrick’s day

& events The Attic Tuesday 2nd April Comedy Central

The Venue As this is my last issue as Newspaper Features Editor, I’d just like to - in the corniest way possible - thank everyone who has written for and read the Features section over the last year, as well as my fellow editors for being such stars. Massive thanks as well to KTV and CSR who have joined together with InQuire on many ventures, hopefully this will continue on next year with the Student Media Centre. It’s going to be epic! Nat x

Saturday 30th March SOAP! Wednesday 3rd April FLIRT! Saturday 6th April SOAP!

Mungo’s Mungo’s Quiz every Monday from 8pm Comedy Night every Thursday Magic Mungos every Friday Woody’s CSR Quiz every Sunday from 8pm

14

IQ Features

shopping websites you might never have heard of

Natalie Tipping Newspaper Features Editor

So it’s getting towards the end of the year, and you’re a little fed up of wearing the same thing over and over again, right? Well, stop pondering whether to spend your remaining loan at H&M or Topshop, and check out some of these shopping sites that you may never have heard of before.

Highstreet Outlet Exclusively for womenswear, Highstreet Outlet offers discounts of up to 80% from the RRP of high street products. Not just for this season but for seasons past, you can stop regretting not buying something when it was in store, just find it on here instead.

Anthropologie Not only for clothes but also for homewear and accessories, Anthropologie is perfect for those of us who have a bit more money to spend.

From experience, the products sold on this site are well worth the extra money you pay for them, the tailoring is perfect and the materials are of a very high quality.

Lovarni The slogan ‘fashion at your fingertips’

says it all with this site. Jam-packed with the best that fashion has to offer and with a range of prices depending on what you want, Lovarni is a brilliant site for any savvy shopper. Whether you want a simple striped tube skirt for £20 or a striped maxi dress for £115, Lovarni is the site for you.

Chatelles Chatelles, or Chatelles Paris, is a beautiful site. Design aside, the slipper shoes this site specialises in are equally beautiful. For €150 a pair though, they’d have to be. The shoes are all made with very fine material - mainly leather or suede, and are available in a range of colours. Quite an investment, but potentially worth it check it out and see if you’re tempted.

Fashion Union This site is just brilliant.

Much like other popular shopping sites boohoo.com and forever21.com, Fashion Union offers cheap but nice items which

are well produced and definitely worth a look through when you’ve had enough of essay writing. Why not find yourself a new blazer (see image) for £30 and look chic in your exams?

Pretaportabello This site isn’t just good for buying straight off the page, but also, in an eBay-esqu way, users can haggle over the price of certain items with the sellers. That said, many of the items don’t really need to be any cheaper, as they’re all of a good quality and a reasonable price.

The Outnet Selling a range of designer clothing and accessories at a fraction of the cost, The Outnet is a dangerous place for any designer-holic. A personal favourite temptation of mine is the fact that you can get Diane Von Furstenburg at 50% off.

Head on over there and get some bargains!

disney to stage catwalk spectacular Georgia Dawson

Do you remember wanting to be a princess, pining away for that rhinestone tiara made from the finest plastic?

Do you remember when your wide eyes would ogle up a pair of simple glass slippers? The ones that fit just right? Disneyland certainly does. On 23rd March 2013, in the run up to their 20th anniversary, their Paris branch staged a catwalk spectacular; a showcase of magical fairytale fashion.

I can just imagine

tiny hearts beating with anticipation, but catwalk excitement was also pumped into the adult world,

specifically the fashion industry, with labels from all over Europe itching to get involved. An eccentric range of international designers were chosen, from Terekhov to Gulsen, each representing their own country with a different Disney character.

France’s Alber Elbaz got the blood pumping in experiments with Minnie’s Mouse’s iconic spotty frock, whilst our very own Sister by Sibling design trio were hot on his heels, knitting up a number to rival their London Fashion Week success.

England stunned all with

their gorgeous Cinderella handembroidered mini-skirt, inspired from the princess’ three mice friends.

Celebrations included a

vibrant parade of Disney characters, all portrayed by proficient dancers bursting to strut their stuff. No one does a party like Paris.

Glitter, petticoats and frills galore were all involved in this sparkling celebration of creativity.

the fashion round up Amelia Bundred

It’s time to purchase your tickets for Vogue’s second ever Fashion Festival. Taking place on 27-28th April, the event hosts a range of talks by iconic designers including Victoria Beckham, Donatella Versace, Michael Kors and Paul Smith.

Tickets are reasonably pricey at £40 for the prestigious events, but well worth it for devout Donatella fans… If not, the V&A have a highly anticipated David Bowie exhibition, highlighting, of course, some iconic outfits from the Ziggy Stardust wardrobe.

H&M have been all over fashion news this week, in the midst of opening there new & Other Stories store and launching a new collection modelled by Vanessa Paradis.

It keeps coming with the announcement of a new collection inspired by four of fashions most iconic models, Joan Smalls, Daphne Groeneveld, Lindsey Wixson and Liu Wen. This doesn’t mean a collection for long legs, but comprises all of the girls’ favourite looks and will appear in stores in April.

Finally, Beyonce has now been confirmed as the next face of H&M, following fellow iconic popstar Lana del Rey. Iconic brand Mulberry, known for their infamous luxury satchels, have issued a second profit warning that profits will be lower than expected. This comes as a surprise after the huge success of the Alexa bag a mere few years ago. In stark contrast, Gucci have recently announced their financial success, with profits amounting to a staggering £1bn in 2012.

Finally, Princess Diana is remembered as her extravagant dress collection is sold, with 10 dresses, including a Victor Edelstein, fetching £800,000 at an auction in London this week.

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music student republic presents prof. green

albums in briefs

The Staves Dead & Born & Grown

Photograph by Deepan Jaddoo Layla Haidrani

Professor Green, aka Stephen Manderson, Hackney-born rapper, graced UKC on Friday 15th March 2013.

For one night only, Student Republic hosted the event at The Venue. With huge promotions and tickets selling at £8, slightly higher than usual Venue pricing, and with advance tickets sold out within an hour, it was set to be a high-capacity event.

The queue for Venue was not as long as many Venue-goers are used to and with a quick entry, there were already a few hundred in the premises, but not the thousands that the event had anticipated. By 11 o’ clock, many club goers began to anticipate his arrival, snaking their way around the stage

relentlessly. Arriving at midnight, Professor Green, alongside his female supporting act, was greeted with drunken screams of elation and delight.

He was wearing his usual ‘street’ attire of trainers and baggy jeans, and the crowd were clearly jubilant to see him, many trying to grab his attention by sticking their hands through the stage barriers.

Professor Green launched into his top-selling songs, belting out crowdpleasing hits such as I Need You Tonight and Just Be Good To Green.

Though he is not as powerful a live performer as his records would suggest.

Professor Green’s stage presence cannot be denied, he held the entire audience captive, only breaking the spell once

each song was over and the crowd began screaming for more.

Many students did, however, feel that the event was over-hyped with one student reporting that it was a waste of £8. Many left halfway through his set, complaining of a waste of money.

Verdict? Student Republic have tried to entice crowds and definitely did so, but their use of promotion is much more successful than their delivery.

Despite everything in The Venue smelling strongly of spilled snake bite, it was a good night but definitely not as good as the club had promoted and did not live up to expectations. Next time I will probably be skipping forward when the rendition of I Need You Tonight comes up on my iPod.

noise dolls microfestival at the beercart arms

Mohit: Photograph by Attina Zarnani Chad Greggor Newspaper Entertainment Editor The Beercart Arms have been host to some fantastic alternative bands from around Kent for a long time now, but they have certainly outdone themselves with this lineup. Brought together

by Kent and Sussex organisers Noise Dolls Concerts, the evening saw the likes of Escucha, Mohit and Magnets performing.

Arriving suitably late, InQuire had already missed the first two acts, but managed to witness the last few songs from Sweet Ether. Their stoner rock infused drone and hardcore screaming held the crowd spell bound, slightly bemused, but nevertheless nodding along hypnotically.

Next came Escucha, with ear shattering technical hardcore. The Beercart Arms relatively small space

and lack of acoustics meant that we were bombarded with sound. Escucha used the space well, providing a much needed cathartic release of anger There was a large gap in the programme between the next act, but after a while Mohit took to the stage.

The band impressed with a grunge-y kind of alternative rock. There songs are complex enough to be compared with math-rock, but stick more to a conventional, listenable form. Perhaps the least ‘alternative’ band of the evening , but by no means was that a bad thing.

Mohit had to rush off to catch their train, and were duly replaced by the equally great Magnets. The band did not disappoint, playing their distinctive heavy shoegaze topped with falsetto vocals. A slightly intoxicated older lady (who had very obviously walked into the wrong pub) kept asking the band to play Coldplay’s Yellow, at which point they actually announced ‘This is called Yellow by Coldplay’, but then proceeded to play one of their own, ending the set in a powerful and conclusive cacophony.

Apparently members of the same family find it easier to harmonise their voices.

The Staves (made up of three sisters) certainly prove this point. Their sparse acoustic folk embellished with soaring harmonised vocals is delivered with ease and skill. The track Winter Trees is an emotional labyrinth, set against gently rhythmic guitar, Mexico is a lullaby beautifully harmonised. The Staves are playing in Ashford on 18th April so be sure not to miss them.

Chad Greggor

George Watsky Cardboard Castles Remember George Watsky? Well, he has a new album out. The prolific spoken word poet is still making music that defies the general tide of a genre whose legends are increasingly turning into club track churning machines.

Track Ugly Faces is undeniably cool, opening with ‘Hey Beatrice’, while the title song is a heartfelt limerick with a theme centring around dreams.

Roy Lavender

Justin Timberlake - 20/20 Experience

JT - otherwise known as my future husband - is back with his new album, The 20/20 Experience, and is just as good as he’s always been. The album contains the soulful lyrics of Justified mixed with the club-beats of Future Sex/Love Sounds and it works, it really works. Well done babes, see you later for dinner and a movie.

Natalie Tipping

Peace - In Love Peace’s cool psychedelic-indie created ripples with their first EP Delicious, late in 2012.

Their debut album features few songs from the EP (with the worthy exception of California Daze and Wraith) but brings in several excellent new innovative tracks. A soundtrack for the summer (if it ever arrives).

Harry Gregg

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IQ Entertainment

music inquire interview the vaccines: “we’re doing margate and the o2 on consecutive days”

Photograph by Dave Lichterman Megan Weal “I’m no teenage icon, I’m no Frankie Avalon… I’m not magnetic or mythical, I’m suburban and typical.” These lyrics come from Brit nominated, global touring sensations The Vaccines song Teenage Icon from their number one charting album Come of Age. I spoke to Pete Robertson from the band, who said “I think what we wanted to do [with Come of Age] was prove to ourselves and anyone that doubted our credentials that we could do it.

We all sort of felt that we were good musicians and that one of our strengths was playing as a live band so we wanted to play to that.” With record producer Ethan Johns, the man behind Rufus Wainwright and Kings of Leon working with the four boys, it’s not surprising that this “very classic approach to making rock ‘n’ roll records – you know,

a very live approach” is evoked.

Front-man Justin Young has been working with One Direction, writing new music for the chart topping boy band. While Young might have his finger on the pop pulse, Robertson seems less inclined: “I actually have no idea; I don’t really know what’s in the charts. I sort of feel that I’ve totally lost track on what’s in and what’s not. I’ve taken a sabbatical from normal life…I’m sure it’s fine.” Fine is just the word.

The boys have no intention of reining in their sound to appeal to the masses: “The only way to translate is to be completely honest and if you try to appeal to a certain group of people you don’t actually feel something about yourself, you can spot it a mile off and it might create some short term success but if you want to be the real deal, you’ve got to do what’s right for you

– that’s what we’ve stuck to all along really.”

There’s a diverse assimilation of sounds in Come of Age which harks back to the exciting “late 60s. I think that was the time when things really started exploding creatively, that transition, the coming together of the worlds pop music and the Avant-garde.”

Despite The Vaccines global success which has sent them jetting from America to Australia, Kent is one nut that they haven’t cracked yet. But the time has come for the band to pay us a visit for their performance at The Winter Garden’s in Margate on 1st May. The Vaccines remain humble and have learnt to embrace their venues for what they are: “We’re lucky in that everywhere we go we get to experience different types of venues. We’re doing Margate and the O2 on consecutive days so it’ll be interesting. The variety is really fun, it makes the big things a lot more special and it makes the small gigs a lot more intimate.”

The focus is the music. And if you’ve ever wandered how they get themselves going for the shows: “We do a playlist and we mix it up quite regularly. We do a weekly sort of thing and actually put it up on Spotify so everyone can see what we’re listening to. It’s been like a month since we’ve done any gigs but there’s a lot of pretty smooth 70s on there.”

They’re just cool.

coco and the butterfields at the ballroom Harriet Cash Newspaper Culture Editor

Coming as I do from a relatively boring Midlands city, the best thing about quaint little Canterbury for me is its genuinely diverse and exciting cultural scene.

Coco and the Butterfields are one of my favourite things to come out of this artistic and musical melting pot, with their free-spirited mix of traditional folk, hip hop, beat boxing, upbeat pop and sundry other styles.

Hitting the Ballroom on Orange Street just after 8pm on a Thursday night, the place was already pretty packed, and really I should know by now that the dreadlocked band of troubadours we’d come to see always pull a good crowd, especially on their home turf. This was to be their last Canterbury show before their single launch at the Marlowe Theatre on 5th May, and the intimate

setting gave the night a folky, party feel that suits their music down to the ground.

Normally I groan in anticipation of the awkwardness whenever a band try to engage in audience participation, but when the Butterfields started up on Astronaut, I couldn’t help but grin and go along with it – a tune that catchy is hard to say no to. A couple of new tracks were also debuted, alongside their first ever live performance of Tipperary Boy, barnstorming renditions of upcoming single (and potential anthem of my summer) Warriors and crowd-pleasing favourites like Walls and Hip Hop Song.

It wouldn’t be a Butterfields show without a few of their infamous cover versions, and this gig didn’t disappoint. There’s something about the sound of R. Kelly’s Ignition being performed on banjo, fiddle and accompanying beat box that just never gets old, and perhaps embarrassingly, I found myself yelling along about the freakin’ weekend with the best of them.

Ditto Low by Flo Rida, the type of song I would ordinarily hate on grounds of misogyny and lyrical ineptitude, but when busted out in folk style I suddenly find impossible not to dance to.

If you haven’t been to see Coco and the Butterfields live yet, I suggest you bump that to the top of your to-do list. Whatever you think about folk crossover bands, their eclectic musical stylings and boundless energy are completely infectious.

what’s hot with Rhian Stone Head of Music AlunaGeorge – Attracting Flies: After their storming success with White Noise, a collaboration with Disclosure, AlunaGeorge returns with Attracting Flies a popping electro song with a contagious bass line.

AlunaGeorge’s garage vocals soar above the beat and kaleidescopic melody as in the distinctly pitched, catchy chorus she sings ‘little grey fairy tales and little white lies, everything you exhale is attracting flies’.

Icona Pop ft Charlie XCX – I Love It: A dance/bass song like no other, I Love It is definitely the hit of the year. This is bound to have you jumping around on the dance floor. Not only is it catchy as hell but it taps into this generation’s ‘I don’t care’ attitude, as the duo sing in the slow, suspense building bridge ‘you’re from the seventies but I’m a nineties bitch!’ If you weren’t a fan of them before, you will be now.

Dear Reader – Down Under, Mining: The charming Dear Reader returns with the folkish, beautiful Down Under, Mining. Complete with dark, tenor sung ‘ohhhs’ and lead singer Cherilyn MacNeil’s infectious ‘la la la las’ the single is a hypnotic, slightly tribal ballad that promises a great deal for their future third album.

Mumford & Sons – Whispers In The Dark: Mumford & Sons have somewhat broadened their horizons on this track, dabbling in drums and the electric guitar to create a spell-binding track.

The song builds to a climactic chorus with lead singer Marcus straining against his vocal chords as he screeches ‘while we are young!’ A classic track for a contemporary hoe-down.

Drake – Started From The Bottom: An unusual track for CSR but hardly one we could pass up. The master of contemporary hip-hop, Drake’s flow is unparalleled and ‘Started From The Bottom’ does not disappoint. A tinned snare keeps the beat from sliding into gloom as the lyrics and the looped piano melody adds a haunting despair to the entire song. The gruff delivery only enforces his gritty sincerity.

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music & games

strapped for cash: underrated summer festivals Megan Weal

You’ve spent your entire loan on wasted nights out at the beginning of the term and now you’ve realized you can’t afford that ticket to V Festival or Reading. But who wants the hassle of over-priced drinks and excitable younger teens? If you’re strapped for cash or fancy something a little different this year, I suggest you get your festival fix elsewhere.

Oxegen in County Kildare in Ireland has been a festival which has attracted a lot of attention. If 2011 is anything to go by (they took a break last year) it should be successful. Usually paired alongside T in the Park, Oxegen’s 2011 line-up included Arctic Monkeys, Foo Fighters, Beyoncé, Coldplay and The Vaccines. Rumours for 2013 include Kings of Leon, Emile Sande, Two Door Cinema Club, Beady Eye and Beyoncé, again. . I’m going to hedge my bets and say that this one’s going to be closer to the price range of the larger

festivals, but definitely worth it to sink some Guinness’s with the Irish whilst listening to a diverse range of music.

If you can’t quite manage the plane fare, though, we’ve got some pretty good competitors at home. Take your friends and head to Devon for a weekend at Oceanfest. Breakthrough band Bastille are headlining and are joined across

the weekend by Gabrielle Aplin, Willy Mason, Zervas and Pepper and lots more. That isn’t the best part. The price is £45. Yes, £45 for a weekend full of musical goodness located right near the beach.

Moving further up the country, Kendall Calling in Cumbria has a lot to offer. Situated in the beautiful Lake

District you could be serenaded by sounds from The Charlatans, Mystery Jets, Kodaline, The 1975 or Theme Park.

It’s a good line up. If that’s not enough for you, picture this: a house party at a festival. That’s right, beds to spring on, sofas to socialize on and wardrobes to hide in whilst jumping around to top DJ’s from all genres, as well as sets from Dave Haslam and Will Tramp – I’m excited. £122.50 including booking fee makes Kendall Calling cheaper than the bigger festival monsters, but it’s a sure rival.

Now if all that travelling is still a little on the pricey side, Canterbury is home to its own small, underrated festival: Lounge on the Farm. Nominated again for Best Small Festival at the 2013 UK Festival Awards, this years line-up boasts such acts as Seasick Steve, Soul 99 Soul, Lucy Rose, Beans On Toast and DJ Format. Rivalling Latitude with its assorted range of entertainment, for just £100 for the weekend, Lounge on the Farm could be a winner this year.

who’s afraid of dead space 3? events spot

Bradley Russell

Dead Space 3 is not a good horror

game. To say it isn’t a good game at all would be wrong but Visceral Games’ third entry in the Dead Space series drops most elements of horror for a straight up action experience that doesn’t really work in the framework of the previous games. Protagonist Isaac Clarke is thrust from intimate cramped corridors and into the sprawling ice world of Tau Volantis which is more Hoth than horrifying.

The action is relentless with set pieces coming thick and fast but the over-abundance of enemies and a lack of shock value makes the player desensitised to jump scares when they

do eventually come. The balance of the game, too, is lacking a sense of survival that the previous games had. By the mid point of the game you are likely to have enough ammo to fight off a small army and more med packs than the Red Cross.

The lack of challenge negates any suspense you might have when creeping around a corner as you are likely to blow your enemy away in seconds. The only real tension comes earlier in the game in a section where you must run rather than fight your enemy. Even that section highlights another flaw: too many set pieces and enemies are reused from the previous games so it just feels like a ‘best-bits’ montage at times with

very little in the way of new features added.

The new features that are implemented in the game work well.

The crafting system hints at an added layer of depth to the game’s weaponry which- again- takes away from the horror but makes gunning down your enemies a far more enjoyable experience than any prior game. The narrative has more of a central focus this time around with fully fleshed-out characters and although it gradually turns into an awkward, predictable love story, it at least gives you some motivation instead of the simple ‘try to escape’ narrative of the past.

Overall, the game suffers from ‘threequel’ syndrome. That is to say that the developers have decided to market it to the masses by making everything bigger and better when the Dead Space mantra was previously the opposite of that. Gone are the fears of shambling around an abandoned spaceship, along with the genuine scares that came with it.

The game can be summarised in the transformation of Isaac Clarke from the second to the third game: before he was a quivering wreck destroyed by memories of the past, and here he is an unstoppable killing machine who favours sarcastic one-liners. Dead Space 3 isn’t a bad game by any stretch of the imagination, but don’t go in expecting a terrifying horror experience. It simply won’t provide you with that.

highlights The Gulbenkian UKC Musical Theatre Society RENT 29th March Doc Brown 5th April Zero Dark Thirty 5th - 10th April

Beasts of the Southern Wild 21st April St. Edmund’s School T:24’s Harlequinade 27th - 28h March The Marlowe Theatre Heda Gabler 2nd April Lee Nelson 5th April Russell Kane: Posturing Delivery 24th April Coco and the Butterfields 5th May Julian Clary 11th May Margate Winter Garden’s The Vaccines 1st May St. Mary’s Church Ashford The Staves 18th April

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IQ Culture

cultural events calendar Wed 27th - Fri 29th March RENT (UKC Musical Theatre Society) Gulbenkian Theatre, 7.30pm Fri 29th March - Sun 23rd Jun Peter Cushing at 100!

Whitstable Museum & Gallery Fri 29th March Isy Suttie at Horsebridge Comedy Club, Whitstable Sat 13th April Silent Cinema with Live Pianist Gulbenkian Cinema, 7pm Tues 2nd - Sat 20th April Dirty Dancing Marlowe Theatre Fri 19th - Sat 20th April Stepping Out: the Musical Gulbenkian Theatre Sat 4th May The Marlowe Comedy Cabaret Marlowe Theatre, 8.15pm

city of culture bids announced

Pauline Plancq

The title of UK City of Culture, inspired by Liverpool’s time as European Capital of Culture in 2008, seems to be rather appealing judging by the 11 cities running to have the title in 2017. Indeed, the programme initiated by the government will bring to the designated city tens of millions of pounds to invest in cultural projects.

Various cultural events might be hosted by this city later, which will boost the tourism industry, and the competition to succeed Londonderry is bringing some unusual applications to the stage.

First, East Kent is running for the title. According to the Independent “it is almost cheating”, since the area comprises not only one city but goes from Canterbury to Dover, with Ashford, Thanet and Folkestone included. But this does not undermine its chances of winning, given the area’s numerous attractions, which include Canterbury Cathedral, the Turner Contemporary museum in Margate and Dover Castle. The other outstanding application comes from Southampton and Portsmouth who decided to run for the title together, focusing on their maritime and arts heritage. The SeaCity museum of Southampton has been

reopened for the occasion and the new Mary Rose museum in Portsmouth is expected to open later this year.

Some of the nine other cities competing have been supported by their MPs, bringing controversial arguments into the debate. The Tory MP David Amess, backing the candidacy of Southend-on-Sea in Essex, declared that he found in the other competing cities some “absolute dumps”. His hometown has the longest pleasure pier in the world (1.33 miles long) and several amusement arcades on the seafront. But as we are talking

East Kent is in the running, despite not being a single city

film review: five broken cameras

Farah Chowdhury

Inspiring, thought provoking, heart wrenching, tear jerking and refreshing.

Five Broken Cameras is all of these and more. Described as ‘an extraordinary work of both cinematic and political activism’, extraordinary doesn’t quite do this film justice. Spanning five years from 2005, the title refers to the five cameras which are laid out at the beginning, each showing their own wounds from action on the front line of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Co-directed by Emad Burnat, cameraman and narrator, the film documents the non-violent resistance in Bil’in, a West Bank village, to Israeli settlers. It incorporates both the public and private lives of Burnat and the villagers, and we get a truly personal account of the plight of the Palestinians.

The images of children being arrested in the darkness of the night and the pleading voices of their mothers pull on your heart strings – excuse the cliché.

This confrontation is all in an effort to deter villagers from demonstrating against Israeli settlers and the wall being built on Bil’in land. Yet the disturbing images and actions documented in the film are contrasted with scenes of humour and hope.

Five Broken Cameras offers a refreshing look at the conflict, where the raw

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footage does not lie, and for the most part villagers demonstrate in a nonviolent yet vocal manner. The demonstrations are not in the least bit restricted to the male villagers, with men, women, old and young invited to join the protest. Women and children are seen marching through the streets, and you can’t help but feel there is a genuine united front; these villagers are family, and perhaps there is a flicker of hope for them all.

Burnat’s narration behind the camera begins as a way of capturing the birth of his fourth son, Gibreel, and over the course of the film it is Gibreel’s inno-

cence and journey from a ‘baby to a boy’ that brings both light relief and a harsh awakening to the reality of the conflict.

Through various cameras we see him grow and discover the world around him. We witness his first words, his first protest and his first experiences of death. The film instils an overwhelming sense of injustice within the audience.

How is it that non-violent resistance ultimately ends with countless injured and killed? Why are Gibreel’s first words ‘wall’, ‘war’ and ‘cartridge’?

Reality tackles you to the floor when Gibreel asks his father “what did Phil do to the soldiers?” Nicknamed ‘el-Phil’ – the elephant man – Phil is a character of endless inspiration and a beacon of hope for Bil’in when morale is low. He is the friendly giant, big and thick-skinned – a trait Burnat believes his sons need in order to survive.

The film is a reminder of the everpresent conflict, and though it presents a one-sided documentation, it is this non-violent resistance that is never seen in the media, that we are never taught about. These are real people, real lives.

It is not simply a film presenting the Arabs versus the Israelis, for Israeli activists aid the villagers, as do many activists from around the world. A thought provoking film with the power to educate, this is a film to be seen, shared and discussed.

of culture, though tourism may be one aspect, you might consider the application of a city with museums and history above one with amusement parks. Chester is one of them, with its medieval architecture and history.

There are also cities well known for their artists or sport performance, such as Swansea East, which will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Welsh writer Dylan Thomas next year and whose football team is in the Premier League.

Some cities have even chosen well-known artists to promote their application. Dundee asked three stars of television and traditional music, Brian Cox, Lorraine Kelly and Sheena Wellington, to support its bid.

The three remaining cities, Plymouth, Hull and Leicester, also have their attractive features, which will make the judges’ task even tougher. An independent panel, chaired by Phil Redmond, the creator of popular TV series such as Brookside, will have to consider the bids, which have to be formally submitted before the 30th April.

So what about supporting our region’s bid? Wouldn’t it be nice to bring the Brit Awards or Eurovision to East Kent in 2017?

this week in...

1971: 29th March Charles Manson sentenced to death The cult leader and three of his followers are sentenced to death in Los Angeles, after being found guilty of the murders of seven people and one unborn child in 1969. The death penalty was abolished in California in 1972 and the four were sentenced to life imprisonment.

1984: 4th April Women evicted from Greenham Common Over 30 people are arrested by bailiffs, supported by 300 police officers, from the main peace camp at Greenham Common, Berkshire.

MP Tony Benn said: “Civil liberties in Britain are being removed by order of the government.”

1986: 31st March GLC abolished The Greater London Council and six other metropolitan councils are abolished by Thatcher’s government after a four-year political battle with Labour’s Ken Livingstone.

Londoners voted in a referendum in 2000 to reinstate a Greater London Authority and a London Mayor.

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IQ Culture

the art roundup Julia Smith looks at the collision of art and pop culture in a new exhibition at the V&A

So far, this year in art has produced a multitude of great retrospectives. Whether it’s pop art, impressionism, surrealist photography or even Ice Age sculptures, London has been host to a number of exhibitions showcasing the skill and craftsmanship of figurative art. We’ve seen canvases splashed with paint, prints applied to paper, and animal bones carved into decorative figurines. But what of hair, or clothing, or persona?

What of music?

David Bowie Is, a brilliant exhibition at the V&A Museum, is opening this month. Displaying everything from platform boots to lyric sheets, the David Bowie Archive has given unrivalled access to the life and career of the inimitable musician.

iggy pop: 40 years of raw power

WIll Butler

40 years ago, a group of vagrants by the name of The Stooges joined forces with one Iggy Pop to create Raw Power – a testament to violence, debauchery and chaos. Arguably the cornerstone of punk, The Stooges’ third album, assisted by the little name in music of David Bowie, transcended into the masses.

Despite only being about 30 minutes long, Raw Power’s primeval attitude and screeching riffs left an indelible crater in rock music production, influencing everything from garage blues and glam rock to hair metal and grunge.

The first 20 seconds of Search and Destroy is a spectacle of rock’n’roll history; as James Williamson’s guitar pierces the track with a toe-curling solo, you get a sense of the true ferocity behind the music as you are plunged into a history of sex, drugs and abhorrence: the history of punk.

Although on its first release, Raw Power only reached number 182 in the

US charts, the true brilliance of this album was not its initial commercial success but rather on its legacy. In the bustling area of Hammersmith, a young man named Steve Jones picked up a 6-string, learnt Raw Power note for note and later dominated the UK punk scene with his band Sex Pistols.

The point I’m trying to make here is that Iggy unintentionally opened the flood gates for a plethora of bands trying to imitate the hazardous and volatile aura of The Stooges. It wasn’t until 1977 when punk became a popular and slightly less underground sensation that the rise of The Clash, Ramones and Dead Kennedys began.

So what is it exactly that

makes one punk? My personal favourite act in the name of punk was not a massive display of treachery like Iggy’s humping of a teddy bear on kids TV in 1986 (look it up, it’s insane) but rather a subtle two fingers to the corporate suits of the music industry.

In 1981 Dead Kennedys released In God We Trust, Inc. However, they left one side of the tape blank with the message: “Home taping is killing record industry profits! / We left this side blank so you can help.” Bear in mind this was back before the domination of the iPod, when music was held on these mythical and ancient technologies known as tapes. This is the pinnacle of punk, the liberation of profit executed in an effortlessly cool way.

So cut to 40 years later, is punk alive?

Unfortunately not. With the likes of Joe Strummer and Sid Vicious six feet under and John Lydon becoming the poster boy for CountryLife butter there is little hope of an uprising.

Iggy gave us a masterpiece of dysfunction and pushed music into an era of anarchy; there is a horrible irony in the fact that our greatest use for the Godfather of Punk nowadays is great deals on car insurance.

Punk is dead, long live punk.

is auntie obsessed with ratings?

James Richardson Whether you think he’s a genius or a giant waste of time, this show really pushes the boundary of what can - or rather, what should - be considered art. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone who doesn’t believe music is a form of art, be it opera or hardcore German minimalist ambient psychedelia.

But these days, we don’t call people like Madonna or Britney or Nicki Minaj or [Insert pop princess name here] musicians. We call them recording artists. Regardless of whether they can sing or not, these artists sell records because of their image. And no one has used image to such great effect as Bowie. Sure, he’s an impressive musician – but he’s an even better performer.

David Bowie Is shows this to staggering effect. From dazzling costumes to hand crafted set designs and personal diary entries, the V&A gives great insight to the art of reinventing oneself over and over and over again. It may be bright and sparkly, but this is a surprisingly thought-provoking show. On until 11th August, I sincerely suggest you put on a shiny jumpsuit, paint your face and strut your way over to the V&A this Easter.

Recent criticism from the National Theatre’s artistic director has been directed towards the BBC for its “Downton Abbey ratings mentality”.

Sir Nicholas Hytner has confronted the public broadcasting station for its lack of effort towards televising the arts, hoping that this will change under the new director general Lord Tony Hall.

But putting aside the arts, how much is this apparent ratings mentality affecting the general output of the BBC? What new and exciting projects have the corporation been airing recently?

Sherlock comes as an edgy adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle original novels, and charts well above other reanimated stories such as Merlin, which is an entertaining take on the Arthurian legend for younger viewers, and recent episodes of Doctor Who which have been predictable at best.

Sherlock, then, offers at least one new idea coming through from the BBC. It’s something which isn’t a costume drama or any of the frequent detective thrillers that are plastered over the weekly schedules, and don’t even get me started about The One Show. I can’t help but feel that there should be something with a bit more spark to fill the gap that shows like Life on Mars and Spooks have left in a consistent middle of the week time slot.

BBC Three has also been subject to some odd decisions recently, with Being Human getting axed despite being seemingly back on track with consistent characters and story lines, but has proved innovative in the past, particularly concerning comedy shows – albeit sometimes hit and miss.

They have provided hugely popular programmes such as Gavin and Stacey and cult hit The Mighty Boosh, and also the slightly declining Him & Her, in which the characters are never seen leaving their tiny flat. Channel 4’s recent hit Utopia is a good example of what the BBC should be attempting in terms of exciting drama, with a challenging story line that continued over a period of weeks.

It’s not all bad, but for someone looking for something a little different, it’s quite disheartening having to journey back in time for television that doesn’t conform entirely to the format that the BBC appears to have found sells.

A breath of fresh air comes every so often with programmes like Charlie Brooker’s Weekly Wipe, and enjoyable documentaries like Africa, or Brian Cox telling you how the universe works, but I can’t help but feel that I’ve seen the rest before.

Hytner’s comment about the broadcaster’s ratings mentality certainly applies to the majority of programmes that the BBC produces, the same models frequently being employed across the BBC in order to appeal to the masses and stifling creativity and innovation.

There are a few new series due to air in the coming year to look out for, including two new comedies, Inside No. 9 (working title) and James Corden’s The Wrong Mans, and also the 20th century period drama The Village starring John Simm, which will focus on the lives of one village over 100 years and puts a slightly tenuous new edge on the costume drama. It appears that while there is always plenty on TV to ignore, there are definitely programmes to watch out for on the BBC over the next year.

IQ Culture

film review: the spirit of ‘45

Hetty Sieling

“It was never again, it wasn’t only never again about war, it was never again about that kind of peace: where everything was run by rich people for rich people.” – Dr Julian Tudor Hart, GP. The Spirit of ’45, Ken Loach’s latest film, is rhetorical, moving, enlightening and relevant. This black and white documentary is no impartial assessment of the political landscape and the building of the welfare state after the second world war - but this will come as no shock to those familiar with Loach, who is famously left-wing.

Loach educates us about the particular needs of poverty-stricken Britain after the war. Elderly people tell stories of tragic destitution and harsh working conditions, of tyrannical management and casual labour. It is strange to see footage of 1940s Britain and hear not wartime propaganda read in received pronunciation, but a Liverpudlian or Sunderland accent waxing lyrical about the NHS. I feared for my sanity when the first few pieces of archive material came on, of kissing reuniting couples with romantic 1940s music. 94 minutes of

pure nostalgia would be painful. But Loach has not made this film only for those who were alive in 1945, just as he has not composed a complete history of 20th century politics.

Loach has captured the spirit of the era by blending anecdotes, archive material, facts and figures and cleverly selected music. At times I felt it was cheeky using music with such strong

emotional impact; for example, Jerusalem played by a brass band. Lots of the interviewees straightforwardly praise Labour’s policies of the 1940s, but Loach is no raving fan of Labour and even includes criticisms of their

policy implementation later in the decade.

Where those on the right will really be angered is when the workers’ elation at nationalisation is juxtaposed with Thatcher’s reign in office. It is problematic to seemingly ignore the 1950s and 60s when you are trying to make a point about a policy such as privatisation, and it almost plays into the hands of Thatcher’s descendents.

If you look beyond that unwise choice however, you see that the dates and statistics Loach presents cannot be argued with, and no one can dispute the narrative accuracy of Thatcher implementing neo-liberal economic policy and individualism through means such as privatisation.

What is particularly interesting for someone of my age is the way Loach relates the 1940s challenging of the ‘system’ with the political protest of today. We see contemporary photos of the Occupy protests, of destitute people queueing for food and of children in dire poverty, after seeing parallel photos from the post-war period.

The Spirit of ’45 will lead to tears, laughter and reflection – Loach has crafted a persuasive argument here, even if it is not a call to arms.

ai weiwei to release metal album

Maria Sans

Artist and activist Ai Weiwei is to release a heavy metal album parodying life in modern China, and has teamed with rock musician and friend Zuoxiao Zuzhou to record the nine-track LP. First, he released a Gangnam Style video after Korean star Psy, and then he rubbed elbows with famous rock singer Elton John, who last year dedicated a concert to Ai in Beijing. No great surprise, then, at his decision to dip into music. Few, though, would have expected heavy metal to be his choice.

Ai’s 81 days in secret police detention last year triggered his foray into music, he says. “When I was arrested, they [his guards] would often ask me to sing songs, but because I wasn’t familiar with music, I was embarrassed.

All I could sing was Chinese People’s Liberation Army songs,” Ai said in an interview with the guardian. “After that I thought: when I’m out, I’d like to do something related to

music.”

Inspired by the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony and its tumultuous celebration of British music, his debut album uses angry punk and jaunty Britpop influences in what he claimed is “a basic hard-rock sound”.

Ai’s album is expected to be called Divina Commedia, after Dante’s famous poem.

This is also a reference to the “Ai God” nickname given to him by his supporters.

Two of its songs are about exiled Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng, who, after escaping from

illegal house arrest, managed to take refuge in the US Ambassador’s residence in Beijing, prompting one of China’s biggest political scandals. Thus, one of the album’s songs is called Hotel Americana, referring to the Embassy role as a hotel for the rebellious.

Another is Fan Qiang, or Jump the Wall, a colloquial term for the special software used by Chinese users to get through government censorship on the internet. Ai will provide his own cover art for the album as well as a video for the project.

“You know, I’m a person that’s furthest away from music, I never sing,” Ai said. “But you’ll be surprised. You’ll like it.”

World renowned for his cultural and political activism, his heavy metal album will express his opinion just as he does with his art. “I think it’s all the same,” he said. “My art is about expressing opinion and communication”. A heavy metal influenced album is a wise move, as it is a rich font for anyone who wants to transgress repressive norms. Its protest art takes a stand against oppressive regimes like China, which hate metal for its misbehaving freedom. Ai is taking the rock route to protest.

21

pause for thought If you’re feeling bogged down

and blue as end of term deadlines loom, you’re not alone. Exams are inevitably important to university life, but what you can scribble in two hours in an exam hall isn’t everything, as Brian Patten understands.

Minister for Exams When I was a child I sat an exam.

This test was so simple There was no way i could fail.

Q1. Describe the taste of the Moon.

It tastes like Creation I wrote, it has the flavour of starlight.

Q2. What colour is Love?

Love is the colour of the water a man lost in the desert finds, I wrote.

Q3. Why do snowflakes melt?

I wrote, they melt because they fall on to the warm tongue of God. There were other questions.

They were as simple.

I described the grief of Adam when he was expelled from Eden.

I wrote down the exact weight of an elephant’s dream Yet today, many years later, For my living I sweep the streets or clean out the toilets of the fat hotels.

Why? Because constantly I failed my exams.

Why? Well, let me set a test.

Q1. How large is a child’s imagination?

Q2. How shallow is the soul of the Minister for exams?

Brian Patten

22

Sport

LACROSSE FINISH SEASON ON A HIGH NOTE

Photography courtesy of Sam Allard.

Jennifer Hopkins DESPITE the season finishing with what we thought was the final match of the season against Hertfordshire, the Women's firsts were looking at coming 2nd in the league.

However the decision to make our previous match against Portsmouth a double header was overturned at the last minute.

This meant that on Wednesday our 19-9 defeat from a few weeks ago was put behind us and we went in with a strong

team and a fighting spirit.

We knew it would be tough competition because Portsmouth had been in the league above us last year, but with a nice day and a good crowd of supporters we were feeling prepared.

After a strong start with 3 consecutive goals from captain Laura Rintoul we ended the first quarter 5-0 up.

In the second quarter Portsmouth picked up their attack but nothing was getting past our amazing goalkeeper Sophie Flanagan and by the end of the first half we had a strong lead of 8-0.

We knew that despite the early lead we couldn't get complacent and went into the 3rd quarter ready to continue the fight.

However, after one yellow card earlier on in the game a second meant that Jenni Hopkins was given a red card and sent off for the rest of the match (a first in UKC Lacrosse history).

Being a man down did not prove to be a problem for the team, with defence players Charlotte Roeser and Tosin Ajayi making some epic runs to goal and scoring 5 between them.

The Portsmouth defence tried their best but our attack was too strong and the final quarter saw several more goals put away.

Unfortunately they did manage

to sneak one goal into our net, but with a final score of 22-1 it was hardly a threatening move.

The final goal tally stood at 9 for Laura Rintoul, 4 for Becky Fisher, 3 for Charlotte Roeser, 2 for Toisin Ajayi and 1 each for Jess Gomm, Rachel Cruickshank, Ella Kendal-Peel and Nicola Ralph.

An amazing result for the end of the season meaning that we finished top of the league and next year we will be promoted, and the three girls who are leaving this year – Laura Rintoul, Jenni Hopkins and Becky Fisher - who have been part of the team for 3 years leave feeling very proud.

A final mention to the 2nd team who also have had a fantastic season, unfortunately they didn't get to play their last game because the opposition didn’t show up, but they finished in 6th place above Canterbury Christchurch University and Hertfordshire.

Well done girls!

All in all a very successful season for Women's Lacrosse.

appearances for his country and 220 in club football to date.

English fans were sent delirious when we went to Munich in 2001 and beat Germany 5-1. Owen scored a fabulous hat-trick in that game met by John Motson’s distinctive voice declaring: “This is getting better and

better and better! ”They’re my personal highlights from an England point of view. Liverpool fans will have many more.

In a career that has also seen him represent Real Madrid, Manchester United, Newcastle and Stoke, Owen admits in a blog on his website that he wonders “what might have been had injuries not robbed me of my most lethal weapon – speed”.

That may be the overriding emotion for many football fans as well and with good reason.

Owen says his career was left “compromised” when he suffered a hamstring injury at just 19.

And for the rest of his career he struggled to recover from that injury.

Despite the hat-trick against Germany and the Ballon d’Or title in 2001 he was never the same player that burst onto the scene at France 98.

We can only wish we saw more of what we did see Michael Owen do on the pitch. He was responsible for some of the moments football fans will never forget.

That’s why people love football and why Michael Owen is a great player.

MICHAEL OWEN SAYS GOODBYE TO FOOTBALL Matt Leclere

THE injury problems that dogged his career are well documented to any England football fan. Many will wonder just how good he could have been.

But all will remember the 18-year-old striker that burst onto the world stage at the 1998 World Cup in France.

He is one of the greatest players to play for England, certainly in modern times. This week Michael Owen announced he will retire from professional football at the age of 33.

He will continue to play for Stoke City until the end of the season before moving on to running a management company for young footballers and doing media work.

For many of our generation ‘that goal’ will be the earliest great England memory we will hold. It does for me anyway – I was only four when Gazza scored against Scotland in Euro 96.

Owen’s burst from the halfway line leaving Argentine defenders in his wake before blasting into the top corner will live long in the memory bank.

Yes, we lost the game after the Beckham’s kick out and

red card. But from that game England knew there was a real star striker on the horizon.

He won the European Player of the Year in 2001. No Englishman has won it since.

Stuart Pearce, former England international and the current Under-21 coach said this week that arguably

no England player has been so influential at such a young age.

He said the only player who could be put in the same bracket is Wayne Rooney.Yet for me Owen will always stand above.

But it is not only for that goal. Owen had plenty of highlights in a career which saw him score 40 goals in 89

Sport 23

TEN HOUR CYCLE RAISES MONEY FOR CHARITY Charles Deacon ON Monday 18th March the University of Kent Cycling Club took on the challenge of a 10 hour spin bike marathon.

Using six spin bikes kindly donated by Kingsmead Leisure Centre, various members of the club took it in turns to put in the kilometres on the bikes on the plaza outside The Venue.

Starting in the crisp morning sunlight at 7am, the efforts of Robert Grew, Benjamin Rose, Benjamin Richardson and Daniel Hogg were recognised by the bikes for the full 10 hours until 5pm!

Charles Deacon and Tom Campbell put in 5 hours respectively with Joshua Morsi, Luke Nunn, Michael Doig, Tom Cox, St John MacGregor Crier, Tom Sweeney, Shubhdeep Rayatt and Matthew Wise putting in shorter shifts to cover lectures, lunches and toilet breaks!

Matthew’s other role as a “domestique” in fetching food and water was much appreciated!

People were invited to guess the total distance covered by the six bikes in the ten hours.

Each guess required a £1

donation to MacMillan Cancer Support – a charity whose work is considered highly commendable by the club and who have also started funding centres for children with cancer in the South East.

Receiving guesses of all magnitudes from 1000km to 7000km, the closest 5 to the actual distance were in with a chance of winning some great prizes. These included an annual student membership

to Kingsmead Leisure Centre; two week passes to Kingsmead Leisure Centre; £20 CeX Voucher; 4 free milkshakes courtesy of Shake Shed and 4 free meals courtesy of McDonald’s.

1490.6km were covered throughout the day – the distance from Canterbury to Warsaw in Poland – with the winners being: Sebastien Fernandet, Luke Nunn, Claire Burlats, Tom Campbell (all 1500km) and James Vincent

(1507 km). The money raised for MacMillan made all the sweat from the comparatively warm March day worth it.

Not to mention the loss of ability to walk down stairs the next day and the missing of the club’s 105km road race the following Wednesday due to injury in some participants!

The exact total raised is still to be confirmed by RaG at the time of going to press.

This event was held as a

precursor to the University of Kent Cycling Club Bike and Hike Challenge.

For two weeks at the end of June, Robert Grew, Benjamin Rose, Benjamin Richardson, Charles Deacon, Jonathan Neagle, Shubhdeep Rayatt and Daniel Hogg will be cycling from John O’Groats to Lands End as well as climbing the 3 peaks (Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon) on the way.

This is also being held for MacMillan so please keep your eyes peeled for further fundraising around campus or donate here: http://www.justgiving.com/ teams/ukccbikeandhike.

The Cycling Club hold both road and off-road rides leaving at 1pm and 11am on Wednesdays and Sundays respectively from the Sports Centre.

We hold a club league featuring road races and time trials as well as entering BUCs competitions.

Cycle trips to Europe have also been organised.

Membership is £10 a year.

For all things road please contact Benjamin Rose on bajr2@kent.ac.uk and for mountain bike Sam Cocklin on slc41@kent.ac.uk.

TEAM KENT CELEBRATED AT COLOURS BALL

Sam Clemence

ON 23rd March, the University’s annual Colours Ball took place, an evening of celebration dedicated to the sportsmen and women of UKC. Team Kent swapped it’s sports kit for black ties and, with the drinks flowing and the DJ getting everybody dancing, the all-important awards were handed out.

With such a huge year from Team Kent, it was always going to be a close affair between the different sports teams, several clubs were promoted and a lot of silverware has been added to the trophy cabinet.

There were six main awards throughout the evening, firstly, the award for Outstanding Administrator went to George Agate from Cricket.

UKC Cricket has had a marvellous year, with a great run in the Indoor Cricket Championship halted by a dubious result in the semi-final.

Not just this, but Agate helped orchestrate a national

petition against a BUCS ruling, successfully preventing a change that would have hindered University cricket in the entire country.

The individuals category, Best Sportswoman and Best Sportsman of the Year, went to Kent Snow’s Elizabeth Borchgrevink and Kent FC’s Tom Parkinson respectively.

Both have been instrumental to their club’s respective success throughout the year, and both thoroughly deserved to receive their Colours The Team of the Year award was won by Premiership aficionados Netball 1sts, last year’s Club of the Year.

After they were successfully promoted to the Premiership, they have been a continual force of nature throughout the sporting calendar, and are exemplary in their commitment, ensuring that they stayed in the Premiership this season.

UKC Rowing were awarded as Club of the Year, after an excellent season that saw them come on leaps and

Photography courtesy of Sam Allard.

bounds throughout, they won throughout the year, as well as being a part of many Charity events such as the Ergathon earlier this month.

Of all the awards, the Outstanding Achievment is the most coveted, and the winner is usually judged on their incredible effort in the sporting world.

This year’s winner was Susannah Townsend, Great Britain and Canterbury Hockey player, who narrowly missed out on selection to the London 2012 team, but is sure to have an impressive professional career ahead of her.

Lastly, once the awards had all been handed out, the guest speaker was presented to give

words of encouragement to the University’s athletes. The keynote speaker this year was Martin Saggers, longtime Kent County Cricketer turned coach.

To have a former professional athlete speak to our students is certainly sure to help boon the desire to maintain and improve on the incredible 2012/13 season that Team Kent and UKC had.

visit our website at - www.inquirelive.co.uk/sport

InQuire sport INTRODUCING SPORTS VP ELECT CHRIS BULL

Alex Cassidy Newspaper Sports Editor For those who don't know, who are you and what is a Sports VP? My name is Chris Bull and I’m currently studying Architecture here at the University of Kent.

I am a keen middle and long distance runner, a creative individual who has an immense passion for sport. I stand here today not for myself but for each and every one of you out there. In my eyes the role of a sabbatical officer is to act as a voice for students, someone who is there to listen, every single one of you matters, this is YOUR University of Kent and I will do all I can to make your views heard and your ideas brought to life!

This year was very much the year of Team Kent; is this something that you want to maintain and if so how will you look to do that?

What Matt Harris and the rest of the team have done with regard to the introduction of Team Kent has been absolutely fantastic and without a doubt something that I will not only want to maintain but push on further to greater heights. There are up to 60 different sports clubs here at the University as I’ve mentioned before and every single one of these matters and is a part of Team Kent. Though in my eyes, not every one of these clubs feels the same way and many don’t feel apart of this team. I aim to work with each of these clubs on a personal, one to one level to offer them the time and support they need in order to get bigger and better.

Which of your manifesto points do you think resonated with students most and secured you the position?

There are just shy of twenty thousand students here at the University of Kent and I strived to appeal to every single one of

them. Whether you’re having a kick about on a Saturday morning with your mates or whether you’re competing in a National Championships, its all the same, we play this game because we love it and therefore we should never lose sight of that!

With such a diverse range of sports clubs available at UKC, will you look to help increase funding for minority sports?

Regardless of their size, their ability and ultimately the sport itself, I will do all I possibly can to help them grow, progress and develop in the year to come.

I pledge equal representation for each and every one of these clubs. Now, throughout the week many have misinterpreted my manifesto, and many believe that when I say ‘equal representation’ that I mean equal funding, which could not be any further from the truth.

For one I cannot comment on funding because I have yet to work up in the office, I have no

idea how much funding each club currently gets and what they spend it on and how much money is still available. All week I have tried my very best to make this clear. Though the one thing I have promised is that I will treat each and every club with the same respect, I’ll offer them the same amount of time and I will do all I possibly can for each and every one of you. I will come into this job with no ties or affiliation to any club, I will give each and everyone of them the time, respect and credit they deserve.

What will the first new policy you try to fight for and implement as Sports VP? I will fight for each and every one of these 60 sports clubs. Not all of these are fortunate enough to be fighting for promotion.

With rising costs and dwindling numbers, many are fighting for survival and their existence is being threatened each and every year. In order for each and

every one of these clubs to grow, progress and develop in the years to come, communication in key. I pledge to meet with every single one of them, one to one, on a regular basis in order to listen and to help fulfill their needs. In order to offer each of these clubs the provision and support they require I believe we must considerably strengthen the relationship between Kent Union and Kent Sport. Currently we have two separate bodies, one has the students and the ideas, the other the provision of knowledge, resources, finance and facilities.

I will do all I possibly can to work closely with Kent Sport to formulate a key working relationship, one that will directly influence and ultimately benefit each and every student here at the University of Kent.

For more sporting news and opinions, as well as our full interview with Chris visit www.inquirelive.co.uk.